Genius Beast Tamer

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"Hua Qianye." Han Wuxie lowered his head slightly, somewhat shyly saying, "You saved me again, thank you."

It had been three years since I had seen her this close. Her youthful face from three years ago had gradually matured, like a flower bud about to bloom, its petals slowly unfolding, carrying a touch of immaturity. It was not as vibrant as a flower in full bloom, but it possessed a different kind of charm, making one hesitate to approach, wanting to pluck it but also retreating, feeling moved and yearning, yet ultimately unable to bear stopping her beauty, anticipating her full bloom.

Hua Qianye felt a little difficult to speak, as if something was stuck in her throat. She had the same thought as Xiaobai: she didn't want to lie to her.

Or rather, it's that he simply couldn't bear to lie to her, because her beauty was so alluring, making him feel as if lying to her was a crime, stirring up shame and guilt, and even more so, fear—fear that she would find out he had been deceiving her. He even began to worry that if she knew, she would find him repulsive.

Why am I becoming more and more panicked? Why am I increasingly afraid that she hates me?

The feeling that I had been denying began to strongly impact my brain and heart.

I used to deny that I was attracted to her, thinking that after three years apart, the feelings would fade with time. But I never expected that after three years, my feelings would be even stronger because I had suppressed them for so long.

—Have I really fallen for this little girl?

Is it no use denying it anymore? Can't I fool myself anymore?

—Forget it, what's wrong with liking someone?

I've only taken a liking to them, not yet completely in love with them, so there's still room for me to back out!

As long as she doesn't like me, I should be able to stay clear-headed and not lose my way. I'm just a soul. As long as I keep reminding myself that I'm just a soul and everything is just wishful thinking, I should be able to calm down.

Hua Qianye frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "I hope that in the future, you won't always encounter danger and wait for someone to rescue you. Learn to save yourself! Your current abilities are still insufficient."

Han Wuxie smiled wryly and nodded, "Yes, we're really far from that goal!" The God Realm, so very far away!

After criticizing him, Hua Qianye also offered a piece of candy, saying lightly, "You've put in a lot of effort to reach the early stage of Martial Emperor in three years, which is quite good."

Han Wuxie pursed his lips slightly. Although they hadn't seen each other for three years, he was still the same as before, always criticizing first and then praising.

He knew that at first he wanted to criticize her and use reverse psychology to motivate her, but when he saw her aggrieved look and admitting her mistakes, he couldn't bear it! So he praised and encouraged her instead! Hua Qianye, you're always like this. Haven't you ever thought of just praising her directly? You're clearly a soft-hearted person, but you insist on pretending to be ruthless, and in the end, you make a complete mess of things!

Hua Qianye squinted at the doorway. The Snake King, dressed in magnificent clothes, strode in with an exaggerated gait.

"Pervert, what are you doing here again?" Han Wuxie glared at the newcomer with displeasure. She cherished the time she had alone with Hua Qianye, after all, it had been three years since she had spoken to him so closely.

The Serpent King narrowed his venomous and alluring eyes, a calculating glint in them, and said with a hint of ingratiation, "The hidden master must be an immortal who remained in the mortal realm after the path between the immortal and demonic realms was sealed, right? This little girl is probably the child of an immortal and a mortal, which is why she lacks immortal roots and has weak cultivation. She must be your daughter, senior?"

Han Wuxie curled his lip. This snake king is too good at making wild guesses, isn't he?

She looked at Hua Qianye and said with a mischievous smile, "Father, stop hiding! Everyone's guessed who you are!"

Hua Qianye's eyebrows twitched slightly. Looking at Han Wuxie's feigned innocence and slightly coquettish manner, she felt a sudden tightness in her heart.

The little girl I've fallen for, will she only ever see me as a father figure?!

It's highly likely that this is the case!

After all, he appeared when she was five years old, and at that time he looked about the same age as her father. Although he hasn't changed, in the mind of a five-year-old child, this image is deeply ingrained! Although she is now fourteen years old, the age when a mortal girl is ready to be married, she seems to understand nothing. Romantic love is not as important to her as spending time cultivating. So…

"Dad! What are you daydreaming about?" Han Wuxie smiled brightly, with a touch of coquettishness.

Seeing Han Wuxie's somewhat charming gaze, Hua Qianye was about to go completely crazy! He suddenly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Although he was a soul and couldn't actually touch her lips, he remained motionless in the kissing position.

Han Wuxie stood there dumbfounded, not daring to move, staring wide-eyed at Hua Qianye, who was also staring wide-eyed at him.

—What is he doing? Why, suddenly…

Hua Qianye narrowed his eyes slightly, pulled away from her lips, crossed his arms, and said, "I'm a man who can kiss you, hug you, and even marry you! Not your father!"

Although his kissing motion didn't involve any physical contact, sometimes the senses can deceive the brain through what we see.

Although she was a soul, she shouldn't have felt anything, but Han Wuxie seemed to feel the kiss. Her heart suddenly raced, and her face felt hot. She carefully touched her chest.

—Is this what kissing feels like? My heart feels like it's going to jump out of my chest!

She lowered her head, her face flushed, and pursed her lips.

Hua Qianye frowned. She was just a soul, so even if she made some outrageous moves, she shouldn't feel anything. Why was she acting so shy?

The Snake King, unaware of what had happened, spoke without making his voice heard.

What the snake king saw was just a young girl acting coquettishly towards her father, but suddenly, for some reason, she adopted the coquettish manner of a little girl, like a virgin who had been teased. This appearance was so pitiful that it stirred the hearts of all who saw it.

Hua Qianye noticed the Snake King's malicious gaze and angrily rebuked him, her voice loud enough for the Snake King to hear, "Take your gaze away, or I'll gouge your eyes out!"

The snake king swallowed hard. The allure of the girl's ethereal beauty, coupled with her extraordinary appearance, made him unable to control his urge to tease her or pounce on her and take a bite.

The Snake King politely said, "Senior, since I have the honor of inviting you and your daughter to my territory, I should naturally do my best to entertain you both. I wonder if you would be so kind as to show yourself?"

"You are not qualified to see me!" Hua Qianye said coldly. "Arrange a place for her to stay."

"I'll have someone arrange accommodations for you and the young lady right away!" The Snake King clapped his hands.

Two stunningly beautiful women entered and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"Arrange two of the best rooms for this young lady and the invisible senior!"

Hua Qianye said calmly, "One room is enough."

The Snake King smiled slightly and said, "Senior, you don't need to be so polite. I have two rooms available."

"I'll share a room with her." Hua Qianye's voice turned colder, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Senior, you don't need to protect your daughter every step of the way. Now that I know she's your daughter, I naturally won't bully her, and no one in the snake clan would dare to. Furthermore, no beasts from outside would dare set foot on our snake clan's territory. Senior, please make yourself comfortable. I'll have someone prepare a room for you." The Snake King, halfway through his sentence, subtly winked in the direction of Hua Qianye's voice, adding, "These two servants, if Senior likes, could also have some personal space, wouldn't that be better? Making your daughter more comfortable will naturally make you more comfortable too, right? Don't worry about her safety!"

Han Wuxie secretly looked up, not daring to look at Hua Qianye, but instead at the other two women. Her gaze fell on the women's chests and buttocks. She then secretly looked at her own chest, which was no match for Hua Qianye's, making her feel embarrassed. She lowered her head even further.

Hua Qianye squinted, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the little girl's somewhat comical behavior. For a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, this is a time when her body is slowly changing, and she is also curious about the difference between other people's figures and her own. Suddenly, two such hot snake women appeared, so she naturally felt a little embarrassed.

Hua Qianye quietly floated to Han Wuxie's side, making sure her voice was only heard by Han Wuxie, and whispered, "To be so good at fourteen, she should be even older than them in the future."

Han Wuxie never expected that none of his actions could escape his eyes, and that even his thoughts could be guessed. He hated him even more for saying such things so bluntly. He wanted to refute something, but he was too shy to admit it. With the Snake King and the two women present, they couldn't hear what he said, but they could hear what he said. So Han Wuxie could only shut up and secretly remember this grudge.

Hua Qianye glanced at the two women indifferently and said in a low voice, "I have no interest in women."

Upon hearing this, Han Wuxie was taken aback, the Snake King subconsciously took a step back, and Hua Qianye realized that something seemed amiss, so he changed his words and said, "I have no interest in these two women."

The Snake King breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "The snake clan has many beauties. May I have them come here so that you may have a look?"

A chilling voice rang out: "I'll say it one last time, we only want one room. If you say another word, I'll burn all the rooms here down right now, leaving only one!"

The Snake King cursed inwardly: No matter how powerful you are, you don't need to be so arrogant on my turf, do you?

The Snake King chuckled and said, "In that case, you two should arrange the best room for the senior and the young lady."

"Yes." The two stunningly beautiful women nodded and bowed.

"Senior, young lady, please come with us." Two women greeted us with gentle and friendly smiles.

Han Wuxie nodded and followed them, but Hua Qianye stayed behind, only letting Han Wuxie hear her voice: "They won't dare to do anything to you. You go with them first. This snake king seems friendly on the surface, but he's actually up to no good. Let's see what tricks he's up to!"

Even after watching Han Wuxie leave, the Snake King was still uneasy. He used his divine sense to search the surroundings and, after confirming that no one was there, clapped his hands and said in a deep voice, "Summon all elders."

Hua Qianye stood right next to him; clearly, his search was of no use to her.

Soon, the Snake King sat on a high seat in the main hall, surrounded by seven people.

They are: First Elder, the phoenix-eyed old man: Feng Xiao; Second Elder, the black-faced burly man: Cheng Hei; Third Elder, the blue-faced man: Qing Feng; Fourth Elder, the white-haired, youthful-looking man: Mo Xiao; Fifth Elder, the skinny man: Si Nan; Sixth Elder, the big-breasted woman Heim; and Seventh Elder, the fan-wielding man: Zhu Ye Qing.

The Snake King briefly recounted Han Wuxie's situation and lazily asked, "What are your thoughts on this matter?"

The First Elder, Feng Xiao, was the first to reply: "In my opinion, it is not a bad thing. It may be a critical moment for the rise and fall of the Serpent Clan."

"Oh?" the Snake King asked, narrowing his eyes. "Why?"

Elder Feng Xiao replied, "Our snake race is diverse and numerous, yet we dare not even inhabit the desolate forests, forced to hide in this misty swamp. This is all thanks to the demon cultivators. Over the years, they have relentlessly plundered our kind, demonizing them and turning them into foolish magical beasts, causing our race to decline. The root cause is that these demon cultivators are backed by the demon realm. If we properly entertain this immortal and gain his help, perhaps our snake race will regain its glory!"

The Sixth Elder, the busty woman Heim, shook her head and said, "But the other party is an immortal, and the gap between us is too great. We can't control him. If we want his help, we will have to pay a heavy price. It's not as simple as us treating him well and expecting him to help us! The King said that he still refuses to show himself, which clearly shows that he doesn't take us seriously at all. How can he possibly help us!"

The Seventh Elder, Zhu Yeqing, chuckled, "The old ones are hard to win over, so why not start with the children? He's worried about his daughter's safety, so he stays by her side constantly, insisting on sharing a room with her. He clearly dotes on the child. If we can get his daughter's help, the old ones will naturally have no choice but to help us!"

The Snake King slapped the armrest of his chair and laughed loudly, "That's exactly what I was thinking too!"

"What are the King's specific plans?" asked the busty woman, Heim.

The Serpent King raised an extremely wicked smile, his eyes seeming to electrify him. He winked at Heim and said seductively, "I don't believe any woman can resist my charm. Once a woman falls in love, she will be completely at my mercy."

Heim's gaze became somewhat infatuated, a silly smile on her face, as if the Snake King's blink had stolen her soul.

"What a prodigy!" Elder Feng Xiao laughed. "Back in my day, I was just as dashing!"

The Second Elder, Cheng Hei, chuckled wickedly, "Who said that? Back then, the way you chased after your sister-in-law was so groveling; no woman ever threw herself at you. How can you compare to Wang Xiang!"

Feng Xiao blushed and coughed, saying, "Regardless of the circumstances, I wholeheartedly agree with Your Majesty's idea; it will surely succeed!"

The Snake King sat lazily in his chair, waving his hand and saying, "Let's leave it at that. In the future, in front of that young girl, try to tell her as many of my heroic deeds as possible. Young girls all start by admiring you and then fall in love with you. Even if you're making up stories, you must make me sound incredibly powerful, understand? Also, give the order that this young girl will henceforth be a distinguished guest of our snake clan!"

The seven responded in unison, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we will arrange everything perfectly. From now on, this young girl will be a distinguished guest of our snake clan!"

Hua Qianye frowned, staring intently at the Snake King, a strange smile gradually spreading across his lips.

—A Saint-level Level 3? His cultivation is not bad. He'll be disappointed if he tries to bewitch her!

……

Hua Qianye entered the room. Han Wuxie, who had been waiting at the table for a long time, asked curiously when he saw him come in, "What exactly is that snake up to?"

Hua Qianye said casually, "He's going to use his good looks to seduce you." Although he spoke casually, his eyes were fixed on Han Wuxie's every expression.

Han Wuxie didn't react at first and asked in confusion, "What did you say?"

Hua Qianye shouted, "He's going to use his good looks to bewitch you, little girl!"

"What?" Han Wuxie blinked, pointing uncertainly to his nose. "That snake, trying to bewitch me? A honey trap? Is he out of his mind? I'm only fourteen, a grown man trying to bewitch a kid like me?"

A mischievous glint flashed in Hua Qianye's eyes. She suddenly moved closer to Han Wuxie, raising an eyebrow and speaking in a slightly tipsy voice, "There are plenty of girls in the mortal realm who marry at fourteen! Come to think of it, you're just the right age! To be honest, that snake is quite good-looking. You didn't manage to bewitch him, did you? Even as a soul, I blush and my heart races when I make a gesture of kissing you. What would you do if he actually kissed you?"

Han Wuxie's face flushed red. Recalling the kiss he had given her earlier, her heart seemed to race again, out of control.

Han Wuxie tried to appear calm, feigning indifference, and said, "You're a soul, so I didn't feel anything when you made those moves. I didn't blush or feel my heart race. But you're quite boring. Why did you suddenly make those moves? Were you trying to prove you're not my father? Nobody else can see that. Isn't that redundant? If you wanted to clarify, you could have just told that snake you're not my father. Why did you pretend to be my father in front of him?"

Looking at Han Wuxie's indifferent appearance, Hua Qianye felt a little disappointed. "Soul body, that's me. I'm just a soul body. She doesn't feel anything. Why would she blush or have her heart race because of me? It's really boring and unnecessary!"

"I impersonated your father only so they would think that offending you is equivalent to offending a powerful figure. Only a father-daughter relationship would prevent people from suspecting your identity. Do you want people to think you just recently descended to earth?"

Han Wuxie nodded slightly and said, "That makes sense, but why did you kiss me?"

Hua Qianye didn't expect this little girl to come back to this issue again. He just wanted her to know that he was a man she could marry, not someone she wanted to be her father.

Hua Qianye shrugged and said, "I guessed that snake had ill intentions towards you. It was testing whether you were the kind of woman who was easily bewitched."

"Are you testing me with yourself?" Han Wuxie looked at him with suspicion.

"Otherwise what?" Hua Qianye narrowed his eyes, looking directly at her with a seductive smile. "Why do you think I kissed you?"

Han Wuxie turned his head awkwardly, somewhat afraid to meet his gaze, and said in a low voice, "I think that's why too."

"Hmm," Hua Qianye responded faintly.

For a long while, no one spoke.

Han Wuxie suddenly remembered something and said anxiously, "Hua Qianye, the aura of immortality on my body has attracted so much trouble. My brother and the others must be in great danger too! I need to go find them!"

Hua Qianye stopped Han Wuxie, saying, "I'll go. You stay here; it's safer here than outside."

"But that snake..."

"Are you afraid of him? He's too busy doting on you and using his good looks to seduce you, how could he possibly hurt you?" Hua Qianye's voice seemed to carry a strange tone, as if she were a little jealous.

Han Wuxie pursed his lips and said, "I want to go with you. I don't like that pervert."

Han Wuxie's words clearly indicated that he had absolutely no interest in the snake, and even disliked it. A flash of joy quickly crossed Hua Qianye's eyes, but he quickly concealed his delight and said seriously, "I am a soul, and the Misty Swamp has no restrictions on me. I can clearly see the location of your two younger brothers, and I won't be misled by the mist. I can also move quickly; wherever I see, I can reach it with a thought. But you can't. If you come with me, how long will it take to find your two younger brothers?"

Han Wuxie lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "Then go quickly. I won't hold you back. I'll stay here and wait for you to come back. You must bring them back safely!"

Hua Qianye nodded seriously, turned to leave, but then stopped. Suddenly, she leaned close to Han Wuxie's ear and said meaningfully, "I kissed you, but it wasn't for that reason." Before Han Wuxie could speak, she transformed into a blue light and flew away quickly.

……

The dark, bottomless cave seemed to lead nowhere. A violent wind stopped before the black cave and then vanished into a deathly silence.

"Han Xingyu, those guys don't seem to dare to come in!" Han Tianci was covered in sweat, and blood was still oozing from his arm, as if he had just gone through a fierce battle and escaped death.

Han Xingyu was clearly in no better shape; he walked with a limp, and there was a clear claw mark on his face.

"Han Tianci, what could be inside?"

"I don't know what's inside, I can't see clearly!"

"Han Tianci, I'm a little scared." Han Xingyu's body trembled slightly as she whispered, "If our bag hadn't gone missing, our injuries would have healed quickly. Now we're both injured, and ahead lies unknown darkness. I have a feeling there's something even more terrifying than those guys outside!"

Han Tianci frowned deeply, gripping a sturdy tree branch tightly in his hand, standing in front of Han Xingyu as a shield. "I will protect you!"

His personal belongings also disappeared after entering the Misty Swamp. If he hadn't been chased by a bear demon, he wouldn't have strayed from his path during the escape, nor would he have ended up on Han Xingyu's path, where he encountered a top-grade level eight demon beast in mink form, and he wouldn't have met Han Xingyu. In the end, he ended up being chased by both a black bear demon and a mink demon. In the end, it was he who dragged Han Xingyu down with him.

"Han Tianci, even a top-grade level eight demonic beast doesn't dare to come in. What do you think is inside? I feel like we're just offering ourselves up to be eaten!"

"Don't scare yourself. Maybe it's not a monster inside! Maybe it's a herbivorous spirit beast that won't eat us?"

"It's a spirit beast? But even though Little White is a spirit beast and a vegetarian, it approached us to level up and eat us!"

Han Tianci's face darkened, and he said in a bitter voice, "If anything tries to eat us, I'll feed it first, and you can take the opportunity to escape!"

Han Xingyu's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes welled up with tears as she said, "Brother, no matter what happens, none of us should run away! Sister Wuxie said that as long as we work together, there's nothing we can't overcome!"

"Brother?" This was the first time Han Tianci had heard Han Xingyu call him brother, but he wasn't in the mood to be excited. He sighed and said, "I hope so. If we get through this, I don't know if there will be any other dangers later."

A long howl echoed from the depths of the cave.

Upon hearing this, Han Xingyu and Han Tianci both shuddered, exchanged a glance, and wailed, "No way! So unlucky?"

Han Tianci and Han Xingyu wanted to retreat, but the black bear and the weasel demon were eyeing them menacingly at the cave entrance!

Neither going forward nor retreating worked, so the two of them ended up sitting on the ground.

"What should we do? The tiger's roar is getting closer and closer," Han Xingyu said, frowning.

"We have no choice but to fight it out," Han Tianci sighed bitterly.

Han Xingyu said sadly, "The sable demon doesn't dare to come in, so it seems that the tiger demon is at least a top-grade level eight! How long can we hold out?"

"I don't know." Han Tianci stood up and said, "We'll hold out for as long as we can!"

Han Xingyu picked up a large rock from the ground and said fiercely, "Even if I die here today, I'll still skin this tiger alive! You want to eat me? You'd better check your teeth!"

A burly man in a tiger-striped robe stepped out. As he emerged, he sniffed deeply and chuckled strangely, "Immortal aura, not bad, not bad at all. Perfect for nourishing my body!"

After saying that, he lunged at Han Tianci, but Han Xingyu pushed him away forcefully and shouted, "Get out of here! If he eats me, the demonic blood in my body will surely give him a stomachache for days. Letting him eat you is too easy for him! Go find Sister Wuxie!"

Seeing the burly man's head instantly transform into a tiger's head and lunge down at Han Xingyu's head, Han Tianci screamed and rushed forward, shouting, "Han Xingyu! No!"

At the critical moment, a flash of blue light appeared, and a tiger's mournful howl echoed from the cave before falling silent.

Han Tianci helped Han Xingyu up, and the two looked at the tiger that had inexplicably collapsed and then died. Neither of them could figure it out, and they were both confused.

Behind them, two more screams rang out. They looked towards the cave entrance and saw that the black bear and the weasel demon that had been chasing them had also died inexplicably. Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.

"What's going on?" Han Xingyu looked at Han Tianci blankly.

Han Tianci also looked bewildered and shook his head. "I don't know either. I didn't see anything. They just died inexplicably."

"Who did this? So fast?" Han Xingyu looked around in confusion.

With a flash of blue light, Hua Qianye leaned against the mountain wall and lazily ordered, "Stop searching. Quickly go and skin those things. The hides of top-grade demonic beasts should make decent battle armor. Dig out their demon cores too; they should be useful when we go to the cultivation continent later."

"Hua Qianye?" Han Tianci and Han Xingyu exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

"What? You two little rascals, you don't recognize me after three years?" Hua Qianye smiled amusedly.

Han Xingyu seemed to finally realize what was happening, and shouted, "Where have you been for the past three years? Have you found your body?"

Hua Qianye feigned exhaustion and said, "Don't treat me like a criminal! The body hasn't been found."

"Didn't find it? Didn't find it? How could you disappear for three whole years? What have you been doing?" Han Xingyu said unhappily, "You must have gotten quite a bit of that treasure, right?"

Hua Qianye, rubbing her forehead and looking pained, said, "I just saved your life, and instead of repaying me, you're trying to extort me? I have nothing left to give you; you've already extorted everything you owed me!"

Han Tianci put away the tiger skin, bear skin, sable skin, and the demon cores of the three demonic beasts, ran over, and directly held out his hand, saying, "Give me a storage pouch that you specially made and that can be used with internal energy!"

"Hey, Tianci, you're even more direct than him! At least he said a few polite words, but you just reached out and asked for it. Don't you think you're being a bit too shameless?" Hua Qianye said, laughing and crying at the same time, but then her subordinates produced two white cloth bags and tossed one to each of them.

While stuffing the furs and demon cores into his bag, Han Tianci said with a roguish air, "Do I need to be polite with you? Aren't all your things in the ring, and aren't all the things in the ring my sister's?"

"Speaking of Sister Wuxie, where is Sister Wuxie?" Han Xingyu looked around, trying to find Han Wuxie.

"She didn't come; she sent me to rescue you," Hua Qianye replied calmly.

Han Tianci bristled, anxiously asking, "My sister didn't come? Where did you leave her? This place is dangerous everywhere, how could you leave her alone!"

Hua Qianye curled her lip and said, "Do you think I would put your sister in danger?"

Han Xingyu, however, wasn't worried at all, calmly saying, "Han Tianci, why are you in such a hurry? If Sister Wuxie were in danger, Hua Qianye should be the most anxious. If the ring is stolen, he'll be in real trouble!"

Han Tianci frowned and said, "You bastard, you really know how to kick someone when they've served their purpose. Before, when there was danger, you called me 'brother,' but now that there's no danger, you keep calling me Han Tianci by my first name!"

"Hehe!" Han Xingyu raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "My identity is for when there's danger!"

Han Tianci's face hardened, and he suddenly said very seriously, "Han Xingyu, I'm warning you, just as you said, my brother is here to shield me from danger. From now on, you're not allowed to push me aside and go to shield yourself from danger. What kind of younger brother saves his older brother?!"

Hua Qianye looked at Han Tianci's serious expression as he lectured his younger brother, and rubbed his head helplessly, saying, "Can we leave now? How much longer are we going to stay in this stinking den of tigers?"

"Shut up, I'm disciplining your younger brother!"

"Shut up! I'm not someone you should be lecturing. You're the same age as me!"

"Damn, I'm six months older than you!"

"Six months is nothing! Who can prove that? Anyway, I'm the same age as you!"

Seeing the two of them arguing incessantly, Hua Qianye could only smile wryly and say, "Actually, your sister might be facing a giant snake in heat right now, which is quite dangerous! If you really want to waste your time arguing here, I won't object!"

"What did you say?!" Han Xingyu and Han Tianci glared at Hua Qianye simultaneously, exclaiming in unison, "Didn't you say she's safe somewhere right now?!"

"There's no danger to my life," Hua Qianye said, pursing her lips.

"Damn it, you think you're safe from snakes in heat?" Han Xingyu said unhappily. "Hua Qianye, hurry up and take us to find Sister Wuxie! If Sister Wuxie is in danger, we won't forgive you!"

……

Han Wuxie sat in his room, deeply worried about his two younger brothers, when suddenly someone knocked on the door. Han Wuxie asked impatiently, "Who is it?"

"Young lady, it is I, the king," the snake king replied politely from the outside.

"Pervert?" Han Wuxie frowned and asked, "What is it?"

The Snake King replied gently, "I had some pastries made for you to try. May I come in?"

Han Wuxie rubbed his stomach; he was indeed a little hungry, but he preferred to go hungry, saying, "I'm not hungry, no need."

"There are mung bean cakes, mixed nut cakes, red bean paste cakes, coconut cakes..." The Snake King actually started listing the names of the cakes with great interest.

Han Wuxie said angrily, "Is this ever going to end? Didn't I say I wasn't going to eat?! Let's go!"

"Really not going to eat it?" the Snake King asked, somewhat disappointed. "Actually, I made it all myself."

Han Wuxie was extremely relieved; it turned out that it was made by him personally, thankfully he hadn't eaten it!

No one in the room paid him any attention, and the Snake King grew anxious. This was the first time he, as the Snake King, had ever been turned away, especially by a woman, a little thing he thought was easy to deal with!

The Snake King actually pushed open the door himself, strode in, placed the pastries on the table, and said domineeringly, "This was made by my own hands. It's the first time I've made food for a woman. You have to eat it whether you like it or not!"

Han Wuxie's gaze fell on the pastries, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter. Pointing at the limp things on the plate, he asked with a laugh, "You mean, this is pastry?"

"If it's not pastries, then what is it?" The Snake King frowned, a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.

"I thought it was dough!" Han Wuxie tried to suppress his laughter, but he couldn't help it. He rubbed the soft, mushy things with his fingers. "You want me to eat this? You're not kidding, are you?"

"Eat!" the snake king repeated domineeringly.

Han Wuxie's lips twitched into a smile, a sly glint in his eyes. Remembering what Hua Qianye had said—that this guy was here to use his good looks—he couldn't help but want to get back at him!

"I don't like eating ugly food. Why don't you make it nicer for me?" Han Wuxie asked with an innocent smile, looking at an empty chair in the room. "Dad, do you also like eating pretty food?"

Han Wuxie looked at the Snake King and said, "My father also agreed. We like to eat pretty things, so would you please make it again, Snake King?"

The Snake King was slightly taken aback and looked at the chair. He clearly couldn't sense that there was anyone else in the room besides the little thing, but the little thing acted so realistically.

Could her father even perfectly conceal his presence?

"Snake King, what are you daydreaming about? My father and I are hungry, we want to eat some pretty pastries!"

The Snake King snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said, "I will order my men to do it right away!"

"Didn't you make it?" Han Wuxie smiled brightly. "I want to eat the Snake King's pastries!"

The snake king hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Alright!"

After the Snake King left, Han Wuxie covered his mouth and chuckled, "It seems that beasts are indeed simpler. Even the Snake King doesn't have as many tricks up its sleeve as humans; it's quite easy to bully!"

Soon after, the Snake King presented a plate of pastries as if offering a treasure.

"How is it? Pretty good this time, right?"

Han Wuxie glanced at the pastries, shook his head, and said, "But I'm not hungry now."

"What? You've already eaten?"

"No, I'm just too hungry and don't want to eat anything."

The Snake King looked at the empty chair, but Han Wuxie spoke first: "My father isn't hungry anymore, so he went out."

"He went out?" The Snake King seemed to finally realize something was wrong, frowning as he said, "Did he go out a while ago? You were lying to me just now; he wasn't here at all!"

Han Wuxie pursed his lips, as if the more he tried to explain, the worse it got; he had been caught!

The snake king approached step by step, and Han Wuxie retreated unnaturally.

"Why did you lie to me? Why did you deliberately trick me?"

Han Wuxie pursed his lips. "You were toying with me in the bathhouse too, weren't you? Are you allowed to bully me, but I can't bully you?"

"So that's what you've been holding a grudge about." The Snake King stopped approaching, a surprisingly kind and sunny smile on his face. "I've offended you greatly before! I just thought you were cute and was teasing you!"

A sudden 360-degree change? This must be up to no good! Han Wuxie sat back down in his chair warily.

The Snake King poured Han Wuxie a cup of tea and said, "Young lady, I don't even know your name yet. Since you are a distinguished guest of our snake clan, may I have the honor of knowing your name?" The Snake King thought to himself: Humans are so pretentious, it's really annoying. A name is a name, why use "fragrant name" to describe it!

Han Wuxie looked at him suspiciously, and instead of answering, asked, "What's your name?"

It seems I was overthinking it. This little thing speaks quite simply; there's no need to be so formal with her! The Snake King laughed, "I was born the Snake King, and everyone calls me the Snake King." As he spoke, he deliberately squinted his eyes, trying to give himself a charming look, but unfortunately, the little thing didn't even glance at him.

Han Wuxie asked in confusion, "Besides the Snake King, are there no other names or titles?"

"No." The Snake King's gaze dimmed slightly. "My father died before I was even born, and later my mother died in childbirth, leaving me all alone. They didn't name me; all the snakes have called me Snake King since I was little. I've only ever read about mortals in books. I've never actually been to a mortal's place. You are the first mortal I've ever met. No, little girl, you're not a mortal, nor can you be considered one. You should be a little immortal."

Han Wuxie looked into his eyes and found that his gaze was not wandering, so he didn't seem to be lying. Knowing that he had been an orphan since childhood, he couldn't help but feel some pity and softened his previous unfriendly attitude towards him. He awkwardly said, "My name is Han Wuxie, and I'm not some little immortal. I know my own limitations. I have no immortal roots or spiritual roots. I'm pretty much the same as a mortal, except that I have immortal blood and immortal bones. However, these things have brought me a lot of trouble, such as being captured and brought here."

The Snake King's eyes turned cold as he said, "Do you want revenge? How about teaching the people who brought you here a lesson?"

"You mean bamboo viper?" Han Wuxie hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Actually, he appeared just in time. If he hadn't appeared and brought me here, I might have already become food for spiders and crows."

"Oh?" The Snake King laughed, "Then you should thank him! I'll reward him handsomely on your behalf!"

Han Wuxie curled his lip and said, "You really do say whatever comes to mind; you're so unpredictable!"

The Snake King narrowed its alluring eyes, trying to charm with its allure, and with a fawning smile, suddenly called out affectionately, "Little Sister Wuxie!"

The voice was so cheesy it was almost sickening; Han Wuxie even felt goosebumps rise on his skin.

"Can you stop being so mushy?" Han Wuxie's lips twitched, his gaze helpless.

---Aside---

One more update~

Tomorrow's update time: 19:30