Xue Tuzi plunged his face into the cool stream, letting the water wash over him, cooling the heat that burned in his flushed cheeks. The cold water dripped from his face down to his neck, clinging to his lips before slipping off his chin. He straightened, taking a deep breath, adjusted his clothing as he prepared to rejoin Li Zhameng and Shudu.
"What took you so long?" Shudu's voice called out, one hand hovering in the air as he blindly tried to locate Xue Tuzi, his eyes still blind from the sticky goo. Xue Tuzi didn't respond but chose to keep his distance from Shudu, an unspoken tension lingering between them.
The group moved forward with cautious steps, Xue Tuzi weaving a barrier of threads to create a net above them, preventing any lurking snakes from descending as they made their way to the cavern hidden behind the waterfall. The rushing water behind them dulled other sounds, but as they stepped deeper into the dim cave, the hushed echoes of two voices slithered through the silence, locked in an argument.
"Da-Ge, don't stop me! I'm going to kill him!" hissed the voice of the snake demoness, sharp and simmering with rage.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on my Xiao Shu! He must have had his reasons for leaving!" replied another voice, this one softer, male, and full of a desperation.
Shudu wrinkled his nose in disgust, his face contorting as he reacted to the male voice's honeyed tone. Xue Tuzi and Li Zhameng stayed silent, their eyes sharp as they scanned the dark surroundings.
"Da-Ge, he's a liar! He never intended to marry you!" the snake demoness spat, her voice dripping with venom as she scolded her brother. Tears welled up in his eyes, collapsing against a rock, his shoulders trembling as he tried to contain his sobs.
"You know she's right," Shudu sneered, a smirk tugging at his lips. Though his vision was still hazy from the goo blurring his eyes, he could make out the flickering candlelight illuminating the den, casting wavering shadows across its rough walls.
"Xiao Shu!" The male snake demon cried out, his voice breaking with longing as he lunged toward Shudu, arms spread wide. Despite Shudu's impaired vision, he dodged nimbly, causing the snake demon to collide painfully with the wall. The snake demon was strikingly different from his sister—his skin pale, his ivory scales glinting softly in the dim light, almost ethereal. His eyes were a mesmerizing shade of emerald green, slitted like a serpent's, and his hair was a short, silver-white bob that shimmered as he moved. His lower half twisted into a thick, sinuous tail that writhed as he desperately attempted to wrap himself around Shudu, who danced just out of his grasp.
"Xiao Shu, my love, why did you leave me?" the snake demon pleaded, his voice trembling with hurt. At last, his tail managed to coil around Shudu's ankle, tightening with a grip born of both desperation and yearning.
"Leave? Tch. I never planned to stay in the first place," Shudu scoffed, jerking his leg as he struggled against the snake demon's hold. Just then, Xue Tuzi and Li Zhameng appeared in the mouth of the cave, their figures framed by the faint light spilling in from the outside.
The snake demoness turned to glare at them, her eyes narrowing as she noticed the presence of the two newcomers. "Da-Ge, look! He has a human toy now. He was only using you," she frowned, her tail whipping against the ground with force.
The white-haired snake demon twisted around, his gaze locking onto Xue Tuzi and Li Zhameng. His expression darkened, his once soft eyes hardening into sharp, dangerous slits as he took in Xue Tuzi's presence, sensing traces of Shudu's demonic energy clinging to him. His fists clenched, trembling with a suppressed rage that simmered just beneath the surface, while Li Zhameng shrank back, trying to hide behind Xue Tuzi, who stood rooted.
"You left me for that?" the snake demon snarled, his voice quivering with fury as he hurled Shudu against the wall. The surprise impact was brutal, sending cracks spidering across the stone, rocks and debris crumbling down around them.
"Da-Ge!" the demoness cried out, her tone sharp with worry, but she remained frozen, watching in anxious silence.
The snake demon's eyes burned as he glared at Xue Tuzi, his expression twisting with rage. Without hesitation, he wrapped his tail tightly around Shudu and lifted him, slamming him repeatedly into the hard ground. Each impact echoed through the cave, sending ripples of dust and stone fragments across the floor. But Xue Tuzi remained unmoved, a faint smile curving across his full lips as he watched, unfazed, even entertained by the violent display.
Finally, the snake demon lifted a battered Shudu close, his tail loosening just enough to hold him upright. With one hand, he gently cupped Shudu's face—a deceptively tender gesture that turned menacing as his sharp claws dug into Shudu's cheeks, forcing a painful groan from him. The demon leaned in, his voice thick with hurt and rage. "He doesn't… care about you," he hissed, his hands trembling as he held Shudu.
But Shudu only sneered, his defiance unbroken. With a twisted grin, he spat in the snake demon's face and growled, "I don't give a dam."
Unable to watch any longer, Li Zhameng pulled out his gun, firing a few desperate rounds at the snake demon. But in his panic, the shots missed, ricocheting off the walls and nearly causing a cave-in. The cavern shook violently, sending a cascade of dust and stones raining down around them.
"Are you stupid?" the demoness screamed, her voice cutting through the chaos as she clung to the wall, eyes wide with fear. "Are you trying to trap us all in here?"
Amidst the chaos, Xue Tuzi rushed forward and caught Shudu, pulling him upright as he sagged, almost collapsing. Shudu, with a faint smirk and a glint of mischief in his eyes, looked up at Xue Tuzi. "I didn't think you'd come to my rescue," he murmured, his tone teasing even through his exhaustion.
"Don't misunderstand—we still need you to guide us to the sage," Xue Tuzi replied coolly, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind his ear as his gaze lingered on Shudu's battered form. Shudu's shirt hung in shreds, exposing bruises and raw scratches that marked his chest, while his eyes, still hazy from the goo, narrowed as he struggled to sit up, gritting his teeth.
Xue Tuzi crouched beside him, running his fingers along Shudu's chest and down his abdomen, his touch clinical but lingering just a moment too long. "A few cracked ribs, some internal bleeding," Xue Tuzi observed, his tone almost indifferent as he cataloged the injuries, his face betraying not a hint of concern.
Shudu let out a shaky breath, his hand suddenly reaching up to grip Xue Tuzi's and pressing it to his chest, right over his heart. "What about here?" he whispered, his voice softer, almost teasing, as he winced in pain, his brows knitting together.
Xue Tuzi sighed, his eyes darkening. "Unfortunately, it's still beating," he murmured with a hint of mock regret.
Shudu grinned despite himself, his sharp canines glinting as he looked up at Xue Tuzi. "Good, good."
The small, intimate exchange sent the snake demon into a frenzy. His tail slammed into the ground, shaking the cavern as he whipped it furiously toward the pair, his rage uncontained. Xue Tuzi reacted instantly, snapping his ribbon in a swift, deadly arc that lashed across the snake demon's face, leaving a vivid, bloody welt. The demon recoiled, a high-pitched screech echoing through the cavern, the sound sharp enough to send a shiver down the spine.
"MY FACE. MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!" the snake demon shrieked, clutching his cheek where the gash from Xue Tuzi's ribbon had torn through. Blood trickled between his fingers as he glared in fury. "HOW DARE YOU!" he roared, lunging at Xue Tuzi with a violent, wild desperation.
The two clashed, exchanging fierce blows that echoed through the cavern. Xue Tuzi wielded his whip with deadly precision, snapping it across the snake demon's body in a series of strikes. But the demon blocked the attacks with the tough, armored scales of his tail, deflecting each blow with a intense rage. His movements were relentless, the coiled muscles of his lower body propelling him forward with a serpentine agility.
Meanwhile, Li Zhameng was struggling against the snake demoness. Though she was large and imposing, she moved with surprising speed, slithering around his bullets as if anticipating every shot. Without his Shizun's steady guidance, Li Zhameng's aim faltered, and his shots went wide, some grazing Xue Tuzi and Shudu, who both snapped at him, "Watch it!"
"Sorry!" Li Zhameng whimpered, ducking behind a jagged rock. He fired a few more rounds, none landing, his frustration mounting as he scrambled to keep out of the demoness's path.
Xue Tuzi took advantage of an opening, delivering a brutal kick to the snake demon's jaw, shattering several teeth in a sickening crack. The demon staggered back, clutching his face, a cry of agony ripping from his throat. Desperate, he stumbled to a nearby mirror embedded in the cave wall, his hands shaking as he gazed at his reflection. What he saw was a twisted face of his once-elegant visage-a swollen cheek with a deep lash mark marring his skin, several teeth missing from his once-perfect smile, and his emerald eyes rimmed with a murderous red fury.
He turned back, rage twisting his face, and lunged again, but Xue Tuzi was ready. With a fluid motion, he spun his ribbon in a wide arc, creating a vortex that sent the snake demon hurtling backward. Before he could recover, Xue Tuzi ensnared him completely, the ribbon coiling tightly around his body, binding him in place.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Xue Tuzi cast a glance at Shudu, exasperation flickering in his eyes. "Why am I fighting your battles?" he muttered.
Shudu only chuckled, shrugging nonchalantly, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
"Da-Ge!" The snake demoness screamed, her eyes wide with horror as she watched her brother helplessly lay in Xue Tuzi's grasp. She slithered forward, her movements frantic, desperation etched across her face.
"One step closer, and I'll snap his head clean off," Xue Tuzi warned, his voice calm but his gaze fierce. She froze, her eyes locked onto Xue Tuzi's with a mix of fear and rage.
Yi Ming sat on a wicker chair, leaning back with a slight slouch, one leg casually crossed over the other. His hand propped up his head as he stared at the neon glow of the screen, his eyes narrowing at the blinking red indicators showing his characters' perilous states. His jaw tightened as he scanned the alerts, his gaze flickering with frustration and dread.
"Fuck!" he shouted, the sound echoing through his dimly lit room. The system had blared him a warning, Shudu was in critical condition, and Xue Tuzi's energy was rapidly depleting. Yi Ming's hands clenched into fists, and he yanked at his hair, muttering fiercely under his breath. He should have gone with them; he knew this was too dangerous for them to face alone.
Meanwhile, the snake demoness froze, her eyes wide and unblinking as she watched the Xue Tuzi tenaciously. He gritted his teeth, wrapping his ribbon tighter around her brother, pulling it taut with a deadly force. The sickening crunch of bones breaking reverberated in the air, a cold, ominous sound escaped the snake demons mouth.
"Was it two or three ribs?" Xue Tuzi mused, his voice dripping with mock curiosity. A sickening crack reverberated through the air, punctuated by the snake demon's scream of agony. Xue Tuzi smirked, tightening his grip just enough to remind his captives of his strength. "Listen," he said, his voice cold and calculating, "I'm willing to spare your pathetic lives-if you show me where the Sage lives."
The snake demon nodded hastily, trembling as Xue Tuzi slackened his hold. "If you try anything..." Xue Tuzi's gaze slid over to Li Zhameng, who had already drawn two guns, one trained on the snake demoness, the other on the snake demon. His eyes were steely with resolve, his stance unyielding.
"Meng Meng will blow your brains out," Xue Tuzi finished, a menacing smile tugging at his lips, highlighting the mole curving upward beneath them. "Now, let's go."
As they prepared to move, a pained groan rose from Shudu. Struggling to his feet, he clutched his side, his breath shallow as he cradled his bruised ribs. But before he could take another step, Xue Tuzi whirled around and delivered a brutal kick, sending Shudu sprawling back onto the ground. "You're useless and will only slow us down," he spat dismissively.
Shudu curled up, his hand pressed to his chest as he tried to stifle the pain. Xue Tuzi didn't spare him a second glance, dragging the snake demon forward to lead the way. Li Zhameng, however, paused, casting a sympathetic look at Shudu. "Don't worry, Shudu Gongzi," he whispered. "We'll be back."
With that, he skipped over Shudu's aching body, keeping his guns trained on both snake demons. The group made their way out of the cavern, into the thick underbrush of the forest. They traveled in tense silence, the only sounds being the rustling of leaves and the soft crunch of twigs beneath their feet. Finally, they emerged into a small meadow. At its center stood a secluded hut, smoke curling lazily from its chimney, the scent of burning firewood mingling with the earthy scent of moss and wildflowers.
"We kept our side of the bargain! Now let my Da-Ge go!" the snake demoness hissed, her voice sharp with fury. Her tail lashed the ground, sending small clouds of dust into the air, her golden eyes glinting with barely-contained rage. Xue Tuzi didn't bother to look at her, though he could feel the intensity of her glare piercing through him.
"I have a few conditions," he replied coolly, tightening the grip on his ribbon as he pulled the snake demon close, forcing their eyes to meet. "One… you are never to set foot on Sect Mount Dingbu again." He paused, lips hovering over a second condition as his gaze lingered on the snake demon. Whatever else he wanted to say dissolved on his tongue, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. "Hmmm, never mind. Just one condition."
With a dismissive flick of his wrist, Xue Tuzi released him. Li Zhameng kept his gun trained on the siblings, his stance unwavering as they reunited, clinging to each other in exhausted relief. The snake demon shot Xue Tuzi a look filled with venomous resentment, his hand gingerly rubbing the red mark left on his cheek. His sister grasped his arm, murmuring, "Da-Ge, please. No more. He's not worth it."
The two demons slipped back into the shadows of the dense forest, their scales shimmering in the moonlight as they disappeared into the underbrush.
Xue Tuzi and Li Zhameng turned their attention to the hut ahead. Brushing aside the beaded curtain, they stepped inside, the low hum of beads clinking together trailing in their wake. The scent of burning herbs filled the small space, a thick haze of smoke swirling near the ceiling. Next to the fire, sitting cross-legged on a faded woven mat, was the Sage, his robes pooling around him like shadows.
Without looking up, the Sage's voice rumbled, deep and foreboding, "Who dares disturb my peace?"