Xin Yi sat up and pulled the Bamboo Leaf Green wrapped around her body away.
She came face to face with that emerald little head.
Then she gently cradled it in her palm, gently lifted the quilt, slipped her embroidered shoes on, and got out of bed.
She raised the window lattice that had been propped open a bit higher, decisively tossed the Bamboo Leaf Green out of her hand, and then forcefully shut the window.
Shameless little pest snake, crawling everywhere.
It had no idea how much dust and grass debris it had picked up on its body, yet it dared to slither onto her bed!
The Bamboo Leaf Green that had fallen into the grass outside seemed a bit dazed too.
What was going on?
It remembered that she liked petting it, and those pink lips had kissed its little head more than once, praising how pretty and cute it was.
So disappointing; it had only been a few days.
Women truly were the most fickle creatures in the world.
A moment later, in the neighboring courtyard.
There was a slight rustling at the door, and something slipped in through the gap underneath.
The youth pretending to nap on the couch opened his eyes, but there was not a trace of sleepiness in them.
When the little green snake had sneaked out of his sleeve earlier, he had sensed the movement and even vaguely guessed who it was going to find.
After all, he had raised this Bamboo Leaf Green from a hatchling and fed it with drops of his own fingertip blood.
There was naturally a mental connection.
But surprisingly, he did not stop it. He only thought silently to himself: Even if the little green snake successfully found Bai Xinyi, it would very likely hit a wall with her.
It thought she liked it, unaware that it was just Bai Xinyi feigning affection out of desperation to survive.
It was a ploy to please him, to lower his guard and murderous intent.
When she was happy, she would toy with it casually; when unhappy, she discarded it like trash, too lazy to even glance at it again.
Wasn’t she just that kind of woman?
Flirtatious words of seduction rolled off her tongue effortlessly, directed at any man nearby— all fake, without a shred of sincerity.
Though Xie Shuo kept reminding himself of this.
When he actually saw the Bamboo Leaf Green slink back dejectedly from next door, an indescribable heaviness settled in his heart, like something was weighing it down.
In the dead of night, the banished Bamboo Leaf Green listlessly crawled back into his sleeve. Both man and snake shared the same icy body temperature.
The thing in his sleeve curled into a comfortable position and stopped moving, as if it had gone into hibernation.
Xie Shuo fell silent for a moment.
Then he closed his eyes, his expression darkening.
In stark contrast, Xin Yi slept soundly and peacefully.
However, ever since that night, she had noticed an annoying pattern: The Bamboo Leaf Green that Xie Shuo kept seemed addicted to being thrown out by her. Every midnight, it would sneak over—either into her clothes or under her quilt.
Even when caught, it showed no guilt and rubbed against her shamelessly.
Until she numbly picked it up, opened the window, and tossed it into the grass or flower beds outside.
Xin Yi thought that Bamboo Leaf Green was sick, and so was Xie Shuo. He was a grown man who couldn’t control his own pet.
He indulged it running off every day. If she hadn’t mentally prepared herself beforehand, she would have been scared to death by that clingy green worm long ago.
Though lately she had been deliberately cold toward Xie Shuo, she had not been idle. She visited Xiao Cheng Ce frequently.
At first, Xiao Cheng Ce was delighted, thinking she had turned over a new leaf and learned to be obedient, becoming another perceptive flower by his side who knew how to read the room.
But Xin Yi’s “normal” act lasted less than three days before her true colors showed again in front of him—either snidely badmouthing Chu Chu or gearing up to anger him.
She psychologically manipulated him with every word, dissecting him from head to toe, saying his facial features looked extremely ominous and that he needed to do good deeds to accumulate virtue. Otherwise, he was fated never to have both wife and concubines in harmony, or he would end up down on his luck.
Just like today. Xin Yi had gone over intending to seduce him, but in the end, she listened to Xiao Cheng Ce smash a few cups and spout harsh words before being ruthlessly thrown out.
Fortunately, she had known she wouldn’t stay long and had Xiang Lan prepare chilled curd pudding in the side courtyard ahead of time.
She had not expected to run into Xie Shuo on the way back.
The youth’s pupils were pitch-black and still, his whole demeanor carrying a strange, dangerous aura. For some reason, Xin Yi sensed a suffocating repression on him, like he was on the verge of going mad.
Out of this sharp instinct, she subconsciously took two steps back.
She instinctively wanted to put some distance between them.
But this evasive movement, in the youth’s eyes, was interpreted differently.
Xie Shuo gazed at her bath-dampened black hair, the disheveled collar from being embraced, and recalled scenes of her seducing Xiao Cheng Ce before… Dark emotions surged in his heart, making him clench his jaw inexplicably, his breathing ragged as he stared at her intently.
Xin Yi’s entire body bristled with goosebumps.
She felt like prey targeted by a cold-blooded serpent—unsafe, uncomfortable, not knowing when it would swallow her whole, leaving not even bones behind.
So, in an uncertain tone, she asked the system, “What is Xie Shuo’s favorability toward me right now?”
Could it be that because she had ignored him these days, giving him time to hit walls with Chu Chu, he had blackened early?
The system replied: “Currently at 50%, but…”
Before it finished, a heartbreaking alert sounded in her ear: “Favorability with Xie Shuo detected dropping: 49%, 48%, 47%, 45%…”
Xin Yi: “…”
It crept up when she wasn’t looking, but plummeted the moment he laid eyes on her? And it kept dropping without end.
What kind of constitution was this? An abuse magnet?
Or did she not need to do anything more, letting him immerse himself in self-conquest? After all, experiments showed the more she ignored him, the higher it rose.
Xin Yi could not figure out his thoughts, so she stopped trying.
She paused her steps, planning to walk past him casually, but he grabbed her arm and pinned her against the stone wall behind her.
“What are you doing!” She bit her lip and glared angrily.
Those ink-black eyes came very close. Perhaps because the light was too dim, for an instant they turned into dangerous vertical pupils.
But Xin Yi did not see clearly, because the youth had already lowered his head to sniff her—from her temple to her ear, then from her neck to her collar, as if checking for another person’s scent. His handsome, straight nose tip was about to touch the blue undergarment embroidered with a few peony branches.
Xin Yi finally could not endure it and shoved him away hard.
He looked dazed for a moment, then pursed his lips, unexpectedly showing a somewhat aggrieved expression.
He had the nerve to look aggrieved? He had just about sniffed her through and through!
If she had not reacted in time to stop him, would he have burrowed and sniffed everywhere like that shameless little green snake?
When she had actively tried to seduce him before, he had been all disdain and unyielding defiance.
Now that Xin Yi had finally decided to leave him alone for a few days, this guy blocked her here to sniff all over.
The more Xin Yi thought, the angrier she got. She deliberately smiled seductively, extending her pale, scallion-like fingertip to poke the youth’s chest.
Her gaze seemingly casually met his. “Have you forgotten? I’m actually Xiao Cheng Ce’s woman. In the entire general’s mansion, he’s the only man who can kiss or touch me. As for you, you don’t even have the right to sniff me like this.”
“Get lost.” Xin Yi grew impatient.
He still did not move.
Those deep black eyes stared fixedly at her.
Xin Yi had no choice but to say, “If you don’t get lost, I’ll shout for help. Do you want me to call Xiao Cheng Ce and Chu Chu over?”
This path was not far from Goose Water Courtyard and the east side courtyard.
Unclear which word in the threat worked, but Xie Shuo finally shifted his blocking body aside.
Yet as she straightened her outer robe to leave, he deftly swiped the Tassel Hairpin from her updo.
Xin Yi froze, staring at him in disbelief. “What do you want with my hairpin? Planning to use my things to please Chu Chu?”
His personality was already gloomy and reclusive, not very likable, and now he was inexplicably veering toward madness.
Xin Yi wanted her hairpin back, but he retreated warily and left without looking back, hairpin in hand.
“…”
Whose thing was this, exactly?
The night breeze blew softly, still somewhat sultry.
It rustled the little flowers in the corner, swaying lonely, and the foxtail grass swayed lightly too, calming one’s restless heart a bit.
Xin Yi cursed Xie Shuo all the way back.
But when she returned to her rundown courtyard and saw Xiang Lan bring out two bowls of pre-prepared chilled curd pudding, she immediately felt better.
In this weather, nothing beat eating two bowls of iced pudding.
Especially since there was no air conditioning in ancient times, and she was out of favor in the mansion, so her options for cooling off were limited. Eating ice was the easiest.
Xin Yi picked up one bowl and handed the other to Xiang Lan.
Xiang Lan waved her hand, seeming a bit embarrassed. “This servant already ate three or four bowls earlier; I’m full now.”
So Xin Yi no longer stood on ceremony. She sat in the courtyard, slowly eating while watching crickets in the grass.
After finishing, she realized bedtime was still far off, so she lay on the nearby chaise lounge to enjoy the breeze.
At that moment, the steward matron called Xiang Lan away.
She told Xiang Lan that a little maid from the side courtyard had said around dusk that she was coming to find her, but had not returned yet. No one knew where she was, and they wanted Xiang Lan’s help to search.
The little maid was from the same hometown as Xiang Lan. After Xiang Lan entered the general’s mansion as part of the dowry, the two had gotten along well.
So Xiang Lan grew anxious upon hearing this, hastily greeted Xin Yi, and went without hesitation.
About half a shichen later, she finally returned, sweating and panting.
Her first action was to grab the teacup on the table and gulp down the cold tea. Once her breathing evened out, she looked somewhat shaken.
Xin Yi could not help but feel puzzled. “What happened? Did you see a ghost out there? Or did you search forever and still not find that maid?”
Xiang Lan hesitated a bit but still told her. “Miss, don’t be scared when you hear this. Zhu Er didn’t get lost or take a wrong turn; she fainted from fright. She said… before passing out, she saw an enormous snake tail, as thick as a tree trunk, with terrifying patterns. It seemed to have a human body and face.”
“I think she might have had a hysterical episode or seen wrong, but after waking, she cried nonstop, insisting she wasn’t mistaken—it was a monster with a human upper body and snake tail.”
Xiang Lan kept muttering, completely missing how her miss’s body had suddenly gone rigid.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard just one wall away, rustling sounds rose and fell.
The gu insects and venomous snakes kept in earthen jars and boxes all sensed their master’s chaotic emotions and writhed restlessly, as if intent on breaking free together.
The door stood ajar, with two short candles burning on the table lampstand.
The bed draped in shark gauze was empty. The pearwood screen had been smashed to pieces. Following the trail of overturned and shattered items across the floor, one could see the youth curled up in the corner of the room.
He seemed in great pain. His mating period snake tail had emerged uncontrollably. At his limit of endurance, sweat gradually soaked his collar.
Revealing his beautiful collarbone and taut waistline, exuding a pale, erotic allure.
That handsome, harmless youthful face was now flushed with intense desire.
His vermilion thin lips parted, his mind clouded as he panted hotly. His thoughts kept circling back to Bai Xinyi’s face.
So thirsty.
He wanted to bite her, to entwine with her.
Xie Shuo let out a pained whimper, then viciously dragged the sharp hairpin across the snake tail beneath him.
Like self-mutilation, one cut after another, mingled with breaths that mixed pain and pleasure, blending with the pooling crimson blood.
When Xin Yi came looking for him, this was the scene she saw.
She thought Xie Shuo might not be in mating period but simply crazy. Who in their right mind would be so vicious to themselves? Where the hairpin had slashed, flesh and scales flipped open together—just looking at it hurt terribly!
Her brows furrowed tightly. She walked over, bent down, and patted his face. “Xie Shuo, Xie Shuo…”
She tried to wake him, to bring him to his senses.
Perhaps the pain granted him a moment of clarity. Those pale golden vertical snake pupils dazed slightly upon hearing Xin Yi’s voice.
Though the overwhelming lust had not faded, he could barely recognize the woman before him. Unfortunately, he could not speak and could only mouth silently, “…Xin Yi?”
His vertical pupils fixed on her, as if surprised she had come at his most wretched and painful moment.
She was actually still willing to come over?
Xin Yi saw that he had regained some consciousness and suddenly let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to support herself on her knees to stand up, the youth carefully tugged at the hem of her skirt.
‘Don’t go.’
The corners of his eyes were tinged with rouge-like red, his gaze full of humble pleading.
Xin Yi looked down at him, at his knuckles that had turned pale white from gripping the skirt hem so tightly.
She didn’t immediately soften but instead asked him in return, “Can’t you go find Chu Chu? Like last time on that rainy night when you were in heat, wouldn’t it be good to go find Chu Chu? What are you tugging at my skirt hem for now?”
She could help him, but today she had to figure it out: what exactly was the relationship between him and Chu Chu? Was there some unknown secret?
If there was, what was it?