Chapter 21 Part 1

The oil-paper umbrella tilted slightly toward the cave entrance, rainwater dripping onto the emerald green grass.

Ah Wan lowered her head and reached out to the little one inside the cave, her tone cold.

“Are you coming or not?”

The Little Snake heard the voice and slowly raised her head. Upon seeing Ah Wan, tears the size of beans began streaming down her face. She swayed her tail and crawled over, flicking her tongue against Ah Wan’s fingertip before affectionately rubbing her head against her.

Ah Wan lowered her gaze, her thumb gently stroking the little head. Suddenly, she crooked her finger and unhesitatingly flicked her on the forehead.

“Stupid.”

Her voice trembled slightly.

The Little Snake let out a squeak, lifted her tail to rub her own head. Her beady little eyes seemed to burst with tears, looking up at the human with a watery gaze.

Ah Wan sighed, her tone softening a bit. “Let’s go home.”

The Little Snake’s reaction was a bit slow, as if trying to comprehend what “go home” meant. After a long moment, she sluggishly began crawling toward Ah Wan.

But just as she reached Ah Wan’s palm, she suddenly turned and bolted back, letting out an anxious hiss.

Seeing this, Ah Wan instinctively reached out to grab her, only to see her running back to bite the dirty pajamas, struggling to drag them this way.

The clothes were too big. The Little Snake couldn’t carry them, crawling crookedly. Ah Wan reached out, picked up the pajamas wrapped around her, and gently sheltered her in the crook of her arm.

The moment she turned around, the Little White Snake in her arms transformed into a delicate young girl. Her fair skin was smudged with a little mud. Because she had just been crying, the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose were still slightly red.

“Human.” The Little Snake reached out her arms to hook around Ah Wan’s neck and looked at her accusingly. “You pushed Snakey away today.”

There was a huff in her voice, as if she was nursing a grudge.

Ah Wan didn’t respond. She just glanced down, her gaze deepening. Through the clothes, she subtly held her tighter.

The young girl suddenly seemed to lose all her strength, her head resting on Ah Wan’s shoulder. Her red lips parted slightly as she panted, a little hurriedly.

“Human, you’re holding too tight. Snakey feels awful.”

Ah Wan walked forward while steadily holding her with one hand and holding the umbrella with the other. Hearing this, she hesitated and reluctantly loosened her grip. She then soothed in a low voice, “We’ll be home soon.”

“Home?” The Little Snake raised her head and sniffled. Her big eyes were moist, and two tiny teardrops clung to her thick lower lashes as she looked at Ah Wan curiously.

“Mhm.” Ah Wan responded softly.

When they got home, the rain had stopped. Ah Wan tossed the umbrella aside. A Flower Vine immediately caught it. More branching vines crawled over, diligently absorbing the water on the umbrella and the ground, then hung the umbrella up to dry.

Ah Wan pushed open the door. Just as she was about to place the human in her arms on the bed, the Little Snake clung to her even tighter, murmuring softly, “No.”

“Be good.” Ah Wan reached to grab the arm hooked around her neck, but the Little Snake held on even tighter, a hint of grievance in her tone. “No. Snakey is dirty. Wants to wash.”

Not allowed in bed without washing first — those were Ah Wan’s rules.

She paused, sighed, and then carried the Little Snake to the bathroom with one arm.

The Orchid Mantis excitedly wanted to follow, but the bathroom door slammed shut with a bang. A gust of wind sent it spiraling downwards, making it truly look like a beautiful orchid.

The sound of water started in the bathroom, pattering down, mixed with tiny, muffled groans.

The Little Snake was completely drenched. She pressed herself bonelessly against Ah Wan, calling out to her with unbearable yearning.

“Hold Snakey, please.”

Ah Wan remained composed, though her breathing faltered slightly when the Little Snake threw herself at her. After hesitating, she raised her hand and gently wrapped it around her waist.

The Little Snake squirmed restlessly in her embrace, rubbing Ah Wan’s clothes loose.

The white shirt, soaked through, became almost transparent, clinging tightly to Ah Wan’s body, vaguely outlining her firm abdomen.

The collar was pulled askew by the Little Snake, revealing her distinctly defined collarbone. On the side of her neck, just above, two faint pink marks were vaguely visible.

They were small scars that had scabbed over and fallen off, two tiny marks side-by-side. It wasn’t hard to tell they were snake bites.

Ah Wan looked down at the human in her arms. The Little Snake clutched her collar, nuzzling against her like a puppy begging for food. Her beautiful, large eyes were full of desire, looking at her wetly, yet her movements were utterly clumsy.

She didn’t know how to please.

Ah Wan raised her hand and gently stroked her head, gazing at her with tender affection.

“Human~” The Little Snake frowned and hummed softly, her legs tightly intertwined. Leaning on Ah Wan’s shoulder, she called out in a sweet, syrupy voice, “Human, hold Snakey.”

As she spoke, she grabbed the clothes on Ah Wan’s shoulder, crumpling them into wrinkles.

Ah Wan didn’t push her away this time. Instead, she gently embraced her, reached up to press the shower switch, and the sound of water abruptly ceased. Only a few stray droplets dripped from the showerhead. Drip… drop…

She then wrapped her arm around the Little Snake’s waist and pulled a bath towel from the rack to wrap her up.

The bathroom door opened. A cloud of white mist billowed out first. Only then was Ah Wan visible, carrying the human in her arms with her head lowered.

The young girl was wrapped in the large bath towel, her flushed face buried against Ah Wan’s chest. Her long, shapely legs were folded, draped over the crook of Ah Wan’s arm, rubbing ceaselessly. Her blushing fingertips clutched at the collar as she eagerly leaned in to softly sniff Ah Wan’s neck, making sounds of unbearable yearning.

She really wanted to bite. Wanted to bite this human.

Ah Wan held her tightly, her slender fingers gently kneading the pair of delicate, pale feet, toying with the rounded, adorable toes.

The human hidden in the bath towel was sensitive all over. Stimulated, she flinched and trembled slightly. Unable to resist, she reached out and grabbed the clothes on Ah Wan’s shoulder, clutching onto them like a lifeline, desperate with longing.

Occasionally, a few kitten-like gasps escaped her.

Ah Wan stood by the bed holding her for a long while before reluctantly placing her onto the mattress.

“I’m going out for a moment. I’ll be right back. Don’t wander off.”

Ah Wan specifically warned. She then changed her clothes and opened the door to leave.

She returned shortly after with a medicine box. A rich fragrance hit her as soon as she entered, as if it had taken on a physical form, wrapping around her completely.

Warm, soft, full of the Little Snake’s scent.

Ah Wan took a deep breath, lowering her eyes to conceal the surging desire within them. She turned and gently closed the door, then walked slowly, step by step, to stand by the bed.

The young girl on the bed was lying on her stomach, using the pajamas she had changed out of that morning to rub wantonly against her tail, humming with unbearable discomfort.

She never seemed to quite get it right. Impatient, a thin sheen of sweat appeared on her luminous skin. The post-rain sunlight streamed in from the windowsill, making the pinkish-white scales on the girl’s waist sparkle.

Ah Wan’s gaze traveled downwards. The neat bed sheets were a tangled mess, twisted up by the snake tail. The pink belly was faintly reddened from being rubbed by the clothes. The horizontal scales seemed alive, quivering slightly, silently luring one closer.

Ah Wan took out the medicine and gently set down the box. But before she could get up, a warm, snake tail wrapped around her wrist.

White as jade, it formed a perfect loop and pulled her over without any explanation.

Ah Wan stumbled and fell onto her. Seeing her innocent, cute face tormented by pure lust, she couldn’t help but frown.

The Little Snake was unbearably restless. Her tail coiled around Ah Wan’s leg, rubbing constantly. Her whole body, soft and boneless, fit against Ah Wan’s form. Her hands, reddened at the joints and fingertips, tightly clutched the clothes on Ah Wan’s chest. She tilted her head up slightly, looking pitiful, and said, “Human, help Snakey.”

Hearing this, Ah Wan lowered her eyes. Her fingertip traced along the Little Snake’s elegant nose bridge, stopping at her lips, which were as red as blood.

“How do you want me to help you?”

The Little Snake didn’t reply. She just eagerly took Ah Wan’s hand into her mouth, wrapping and licking it with her wet snake tongue, her eyes fixed on Ah Wan the entire time.

There was a strange kind of ingratiation in her gaze.

Like a little demon.

Ah Wan stared for a long time, murmuring to herself, “Weren’t you supposed to be cultivating to become human?”

The Little Snake couldn’t listen to anything she said right now. She only knew to please mindlessly. While licking Ah Wan’s fingers, she pleaded with a seductive, silky gaze, “Human, help Snakey.”

“How do you want me to help you?” Ah Wan asked again patiently.

The Little Snake looked at her blankly, swallowing with difficulty. She mumbled unclearly, “Do with Snakey…”

“Love?”

She wasn’t sure if that was the right word. She just hazily remembered that the human didn’t like the term “copulation.”

Hearing this, Ah Wan lowered her eyes to look at her. After a deep breath, she asked in a calm tone, “And do you know what love is?”

The Little Snake froze. Her small brain worked frantically. After a long pause, she stammered out a sentence, “Love is copulating with Snakey.”

As the words fell, a flash of disappointment crossed Ah Wan’s eyes.

Her fingers delicately traced the Little Snake’s picturesque features. Sorrow and loss, thick and immovable, gathered in her eyes.

So, she didn’t understand love at all.

Was she so dependent on her just because she had saved her?

Ah Wan didn’t hesitate any longer. She slipped her arm behind the Little Snake’s head, lowered her own head to grip the medicine pill between her teeth.

Then she raised her head again, her eyes turning cold, silently luring the Little Snake to take it.

The Little Snake tested it with her tongue. It didn’t seem bitter, so she propped herself up to bite for it.

But whenever she advanced, Ah Wan retreated. A distance remained between the two of them at all times.