Chapter – 105
The Song of the Mistress
Yves smiled awkwardly and reached out to poke the two little green snakes.
“Please forgive me, Mistress. In a little while, when they grow up, this behavior can be corrected.”
The two tiny snakes, barely bigger than two fists, kept calling her “Mistress.”
Thankfully, they were still young enough to be overlooked. If they were still doing this in a few years, they’d be turning into perverted snakes.
Jiang Xi smiled and reached out, letting the two little green snakes crawl onto her arm.
Perhaps because the two little snakes were just too cute, she found herself quite fond of them.
Dana and Daler, the two little green snakes, happily climbed onto Jiang Xi’s shoulders, rubbing against her head.
Seeing that the Mistress liked his little ones, Yves naturally didn’t refuse.
“You’re going into the forest to gather food, right? I’ll come with you.”
Jiang Xi was fond of them, yes, but he also couldn’t just let the Mistress always carry the little ones—he had to help in some way, to avoid seeming rude with the children.
More hands meant more strength, and Jiang Xi didn’t refuse.
So, she, Duan Si, Yves, and the two little green snakes set off into the forest!
Lu Liufeng went to hunt in a nearby snowy forest.
Jiang Xi sat on top of Duan Si’s snake head, with the little green snakes coiled around her shoulders. Yves, in his half-beast form, carried a basket and a leather pouch, swimming alongside them.
Seeing Yves, for some reason, Jiang Xi always felt something was missing.
But she didn’t dwell on it, because their first stop was the cornfield!
“Time to pick corn! Time to pick corn!!”
The leftover corn from last time hadn’t been discovered yet.
Duan Si and Yves, in their half-beast forms, quickly began picking corn.
Jiang Xi watched the handsome men with snake heads and human torsos, their muscular bare upper bodies flexing as they picked corn, and she somewhat appreciated the literary appeal of a cornfield scene.
Dana and Daler, using their slender snake bodies to wrap around the large ears of corn, pulled with all their might. Once they succeeded, they wagged their tails and dragged the corn toward Jiang Xi as gifts.
Jiang Xi reached out a finger, patted their little heads, and smiled.
“Well done!”
The two little green snakes, lost in the constant praise, continued pulling corn in a daze.
Yves couldn’t help but sigh to Duan Si as they worked together.
“Duan Si, you’re really lucky to have such a Mistress!”
Duan Si wanted to say that once he found the Golden Soul Fruit, he would dissolve the soul contract.
But as he opened his mouth, his gaze fell on the smiling Mistress. Her face, though still marked with black and white patterns, was now largely smooth, snow-white, and delicate. In the shade of the trees, her skin seemed to almost glow.
Duan Si’s lips twitched, but he swallowed his words.
Time will tell.
No matter how much he said, it would be wasted breath.
After picking the corn, they went to the potato field that Duan Si had found earlier.
Jiang Xi, sitting on Duan Si’s giant snake head, plucked a leaf from a tree and held it to her lips, playing a tune.
The tune was light and cheerful, blending perfectly with the chirping of insects and birds in the forest.
The two little green snakes coiled around Jiang Xi’s shoulders, swaying their heads and bodies to the rhythm, completely immersed.
Duan Si and Yves, while not as expressive, felt their inner abilities subtly calm down after hearing the melody.
Especially Duan Si, bound to her by a soul contract, felt it most deeply.
His inner power not only calmed significantly but seemed to have its own life, rising and falling with the Mistress’s music.
Not the kind of wild, uncontrollable surges, but gentle, harmless waves.
Duan Si’s eyes widened slightly, and he couldn’t help but feel curious in his heart.
Who exactly is she?
Where does she come from?
As Jiang Xi continued playing, she suddenly heard a rustling sound nearby, loud and impossible to ignore.
She looked in the direction of the noise and saw a young snake-beast person, leaves and twigs stuck in his hair, crawling out of the underbrush in a mess.
The snake-beast froze for a moment upon seeing the group.
“D-Duan Si, Yves, Mistress?”
“Why is it you?” he muttered.
Duan Si’s crimson, gloomy snake eyes darkened further, staring at him as if he wanted to pierce him with his gaze.
The young snake-beast quickly averted his eyes.
Yves timely stepped in.
“Jiang Liu, weren’t you helping the lion-roar tribe females gather food?”
Along the way, they had encountered other snake-beasts before.
But those were carrying baskets or leather pouches like this group, not coming directly toward them like this one.
Jiang Liu scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
“I heard a nice sound over here and came to check it out.”
His gaze briefly paused on Duan Si and Yves, then lingered on the two little green snakes and the Mistress before moving away.
“So beautiful… is this a melody? I’ve heard the merfolk’s beast-people are really good at singing…”
Of course, he didn’t say the rest.
The insect-like beast-people could talk among themselves, but bringing it up to the females could seem jealous and petty.
Jiang Xi, though unfamiliar with him, raised the leaf in her hand.
“You can play using a leaf too. You can try.”
Hearing this, Jiang Liu understood—she truly was a Mistress.
His face lit up with a brilliant smile.
“You’re amazing, Mistress!”
Jiang Xi smiled.
She neither denied nor confirmed it.
She thought at this point, everyone would part ways and continue on their journey.
But Duan Si beneath her didn’t move.
Jiang Xi had to lower her hand and tap his scales.
If they didn’t leave soon, her cheeks would get stuck in a smile!
Familiar yet distant, cold-faced, awkward to chat with—there was nothing else to do but laugh a little awkwardly.
Feeling the tickle on his scales, Duan Si’s massive snake head wobbled slightly. Perhaps sensing the Mistress’s intention, he retracted his reluctant gaze and swam forward.
Jiang Xi quickly said,
“Let’s go first.”
Yves smiled and followed.
The two little green snakes turned back and stuck out their tongues at Jiang Liu, making funny faces.
Compared to the adults, the young snake-beasts of Rehe Valley were much friendlier with the little ones—they became instant friends!
After carrying the Mistress forward for a while, Duan Si noticed she had stopped playing her tune and couldn’t help but ask.
“Mistress, why did you stop playing?”
“Hm?” Jiang Xi responded, without much thought.
“My mouth is tired from playing too long. I can’t blow anymore.”
The little snakes only understood “tired” and immediately wagged their tails, giving her shoulder massages.
“Mistress is tired, tired.”
“Mistress isn’t tired, isn’t tired.”
Jiang Xi couldn’t help but laugh.
She pinched the two little green snakes with her fingers.
The little ones were just too amusing!
