Chapter 55: She’s Naughty: Super Sensitive Little Snake Can’t Go Vegetarian! Part 1

The room, deprived of light, offered nothing to see, but their bodies pressed closely together and breaths intertwined confirmed they were deeply in love.

Ye Xi tightly encircled Shen Mingjin’s waist, feeling the soft fragrance of her body and listening to the faint heartbeat in the silent night. Her empty soul found the best solace.

Before this, Ye Xi had never imagined she would be so dependent on someone. She had always thought of herself as sufficiently independent and strong, with a powerful life force. But after her feelings were reciprocated, it seemed everything changed.

She allowed herself to sink deep into the quagmire of emotion, placing herself in a parasitic state, finding only slight peace by inhaling the fresh scent from Shen Mingjin’s hair.

It was as if Ye Xi had suddenly developed a disease, constantly wanting to confirm that Shen Mingjin belonged to her.

Unfortunately, Shen Mingjin was still fast asleep, and the intense attachment in her voice went unappreciated and unanswered.

Ye Xi’s prediction had been spot on. Shen Mingjin, who had tried to delay their intimacy, indeed failed to wake up the next day. Three days had now passed since their last kiss.

Without the sweet comfort of lips meeting, a faint bitterness rose on her tongue.

It was a hollow loneliness.

For the past few days, Ye Xi had repeatedly searched whether snakes ate people or not. She wasn’t truly afraid that Shen Mingjin would eat her; rather, she wanted evidence to demand more “compensation” from Shen Mingjin.

Ye Xi knew full well that even without compensation, Shen Mingjin would willingly entwine with her. But somehow, doing it this way made her feel a bit more at ease.

Ye Xi didn’t quite understand these strange thoughts of hers. Compensation seemed to have become the perfect excuse for her to indulge in caressing Shen Mingjin freely, the only reason she could meet those misty eyes and still persist in kissing her.

She craved Shen Mingjin.

She craved all of Shen Mingjin, exclusively hers.

This obsessive desire bordered on pathological. Ye Xi had always thought she knew herself well, but the moment she touched emotions, she seemed to lose that understanding.

Her heart and body craving Shen Mingjin so intensely was completely beyond Ye Xi’s expectations and impossible to change—just like how Shen Mingjin’s sleep from exhaustion wouldn’t shorten because of any plans she made.

Shen Mingjin’s body not only needed rest but also time to absorb the Demon Power from over a dozen seals returning to her body. Deep sleep was the fastest way to absorb Demon Power and the most convenient for it to reshape her Demon Body. Her current slumber was far better than failing to absorb power in time and facing enemies.

Ye Xi’s situation was the complete opposite of Shen Mingjin’s exhaustion. Her sleep had shortened dramatically lately, but her energy remained abundant.

At that moment, she wanted to whisper endless sweet nothings to Shen Mingjin while holding her, and also to kiss her again. In the end, though, Ye Xi did nothing but quietly hold Shen Mingjin, waiting for the sleeping woman to wake.

She had spent the past few days just like this.

And that was all she could do.

Even Ye Xi felt her energy was overly vigorous. This wasn’t her body’s natural stamina but the exaggerated boost from the Wanling Tree.

Endless exertion hadn’t drained her; brief sleep was enough to recover.

For the past few days, she had only slept two or three hours at a time. Most of the night was spent feeling Shen Mingjin’s breathing, most of the day entangled with patients who knew she was awake, and her leisure time devoted to search pages. Yet she still had inexhaustible energy, leading to one conclusion: Ni Yueying truly lived up to being the Earth Mother.

Ni Yueying had only given Ye Xi a small portion of her power, yet it made Ye Xi’s body far surpass that of a snake demon.

Though Shen Mingjin was a snake demon with her power sealed, her bloodline came from the mightiest Spirit-Devouring Snake Clan, so her stamina far exceeded that of ordinary snake demons.

In this case, the Wanling Tree not only supported all of Ye Xi’s consumption around Shen Mingjin but kept her stamina and spirits perpetually full, showing just how powerful Ni Yueying’s complete strength must be.

This made Ye Xi increasingly curious about who was orchestrating everything behind the scenes. Since Ni Yueying had given her power, the other lives she nurtured—like Ye Jing and Ye Lan—should have received the same.

With Ye Lan and Ye Jing not weak, and Ni Yueying and Ye Tan watching, how had the mastermind silently eliminated Ye Lan and Ye Jing, gotten Qiao Yan and Bian Rong ousted without them ever revealing her identity? Ye Xi couldn’t help but wonder how it was done.

Unfortunately, she had too little information. The clearest detail was that Bian Rong and Yin Erou weren’t backed by the same force.

But this didn’t resolve her doubts; it only raised more questions.

If they were two forces, were the killers of Ye Lan and Ye Jing from different ones? Were these forces connected or not?

Even knowing a shadow from the General Bureau’s top echelons stood behind Yin Erou, there were still too many suspects. The top leadership had five people; excluding Ye Tan left four, and even excluding Ni Yueying left three.

Moreover, Ye Xi couldn’t determine if it was the top leaders who released Shao Yan or if their trusted aides had gone rogue, abusing their positions.

If it was a trusted aide, then even those around Ye Tan became suspicious. But Ye Tan, at the General Bureau, seemed to have no one she fully trusted.

After waking, Ye Xi had tried contacting Ye Tan about the Wenan District situation and progress on the true culprit, but Ye Tan had been too busy to answer calls. Messages only got brief replies late at night.

Thinking of Ye Tan, her phone buzzed.

Ye Xi opened it and saw Ye Tan’s message.

[Ye Tan: Xiao Xi, come to the General Bureau tomorrow afternoon with Mingjin. I’ll send someone to pick you up.]

[Ye Xi: Grandma, did you find something?]

[Ye Tan: The traces in Wenan District were erased too thoroughly. We found nothing. Now we can only start from Shao Li, but she’ll only talk if she sees Mingjin.]

[Ye Xi: Why?]

[Ye Tan: Not sure yet, but today she refused to see Shen Minghuan. Ni Yueying says it’s probably guilt. The Embracing Snow Clan’s demons have deep feelings for the Shen sisters and Si Ruoling. She must regret that the sister she privately saved nearly killed Mingjin.]

…

Regret.

Belated regret changed nothing.

Ye Xi’s initial impression of Shao Li had been good. She admired Shao Li’s protectiveness toward Shen Mingjin and her calm handling of the Wanghe Village chaos. But it all vanished with Shao Yan’s appearance.

If Ye Xi hadn’t been cautious, if Ye Tan and Ni Yueying hadn’t arrived in Wenan District, she and Shen Mingjin would truly have died—possibly reduced to no remains due to Yin Erou’s efforts to erase traces.

Their current shared bed and loving entanglement wouldn’t have happened.

She had nearly lost the chance to love Shen Mingjin.

Shao Yan, the perpetrator, was detestable; Shao Li, who aided her, was equally hateful.

Shao Yan’s crimes were out in the open; there was no possibility Shao Li had been deceived by her own sister.

Shao Li might be a good demon, but knowingly saving such a wicked sister was anything but good.

Ye Xi zoned out staring at Ye Tan’s message when a soft voice suddenly sounded by her ear: “Xiao Xi, what are you looking at?”

Shen Mingjin had woken.

Ye Xi turned to her in delight. By the phone’s glow, she saw Shen Mingjin’s misty eyes clear into bright gentleness. She looked well-rested; her delicate skin seemed tauter, her lips fuller with vitality.

Even in the dim light, her increasingly radiant beauty was clear.

Ye Xi’s breath hitched momentarily, her sparkling eyes reflecting Shen Mingjin’s soft lips: “Sister, you’re awake.”

Like a woodpecker, she pecked affectionately at Shen Mingjin’s lips again and again. Shen Mingjin couldn’t find a chance to speak, the faded blush returning to her cheeks as familiar heat coursed through her body. Embarrassed, she buried herself in the pillow, her palm gently pushing Ye Xi’s head: “Stop… stop kissing.”

Ye Xi wriggled her head against the pillow, squeezing onto Shen Mingjin’s: “Sister, do you not like me anymore?”

The aggrieved tone forced Shen Mingjin to look at her.

One lay, one sprawled, sharing a pillow with bodies pressed close.

Shen Mingjin gazed at Ye Xi, her uneven breaths surging. She reached out, tracing Ye Xi’s brow with her fingertip, a flash of infatuation in her eyes: “I like you.”

Three days of pent-up emotion got its response. Ye Xi stared unblinkingly, her arm snaking around Shen Mingjin’s neck, half-pulling her down atop her. She became the woodpecker again, pecking frequently at Shen Mingjin’s lips: “I like Sister too, so I want to kiss her. If Sister won’t let me, she doesn’t like me.”

Ye Xi righteously enjoyed the fragrant, soft cake, occasionally licking the cream around the filling.

Shen Mingjin was helpless against Ye Xi; she didn’t dislike these kisses—in fact, she liked them.

But with her body pressing Ye Xi’s, the parts sliding from Ye Xi’s slender frame against the mattress—which fused with Ye Xi’s clone and was no different from Ye Xi herself—made Shen Mingjin feel every inch of skin enveloped by Ye Xi, every breath entangled with her. Her sensitive body heated easily.

She didn’t want her sensitivity controlled by Ye Xi, but her body wouldn’t obey.

Panting, Shen Mingjin buried in Ye Xi’s neck and continued: “Xiao Xi, you… you still haven’t answered me.”

She tried regulating her breath, but her voice by the ear still carried a seductive lilt.

Ye Xi’s fingertip trailed slowly upward over soft skin in the dark, brushing chest and hollow, lightly kneading: “Grandma says we’re to go to the General Bureau tomorrow. No traces left in Wenan District, nothing from the Yin Family either. So they’re pinning hopes on Shao Li knowing something, but she’ll only speak to you, Sister.”

Mentioning Shao Li brought a subtle shift in Shen Mingjin’s eyes.

Her memory flashed back a thousand years: “Village Chief Shao used to follow the First Generation Leader, contributed a lot to quelling clan chaos. I never thought she’d take this path to shield Shao Yan. She…”

Shen Mingjin’s words were stolen; she suddenly didn’t know what else to say.

She had known Shao Li a long time; feelings existed, so complex emotions now were understandable.