Chapter 184

Chapter 184

Three days later, the on-and-off heavy snow finally ceased.

The temperature at Mingyue Cliff was frigid, and the accumulated snow on the mountainside was slow to melt. When Shen Qiuji headed to school in the morning, every step was met with a pocket of snow, making walking a challenge. If one walked long enough, the snow would dampen their shoes.

In contrast, there was Xie Yinxue — he moved effortlessly atop the snow, leaving no footprints behind. He looked as carefree as before, often smiling with arched eyebrows and a playful grin. Whenever the sun peeked out at Mingyue Cliff, he would set up a heater in the pavilion, basking in the sunlight and admiring the view.

But there was one subtle change from before: now, a little white snake always accompanied Xie Yinxue.

Ever since that snake followed them home, it took a liking to Mingyue Cliff and refused to leave. Its favorite spot was curled up on Xie Yinxue's electric blanket. Considering the blanket's lowest temperature was forty degrees and the room was air-conditioned, it was far from cold. This snake, typically active in the mountains, was clearly not of a tropical variety. Xie Yinxue even thought it had succumbed to the heat when he first found it motionless on the electric blanket.

To his surprise, no sooner had he moved the snake to a regular blanket than it opened its eyes and made a beeline back to the heated one. The warmth seemed to be its primary attraction. Liu Buhua speculated that the colder weather and heavier snow might have deterred the snake from hibernating in the back mountain, prompting it to seek warmth in inhabited houses.

Yet, what's perplexing was its behavior. If it truly sought warmth, one would expect it to remain stationary once it found a cozy spot. But it didn't.

After observing for a couple of days, Liu Buhua realized that the snake's "perfect warm nest" was actually wherever the temperature was highest within a ten-meter radius of Xie Yinxue.

For instance, if Xie Yinxue was outside, the snake would follow, undeterred by the warm air-conditioning and electric blanket indoors. It simply had to stay near Xie Yinxue.

One day, as Xie Yinxue brewed tea in the mountain pavilion and the snake once again accompanied him, Liu Buhua couldn't contain his curiosity. "Godfather, is it possible that this snake has taken a fancy to you and wants to whisk you away to the mountains to be its spouse?"

Xie Yinxue simply shot him a silent glance.

"Isn't there a folk tale about 'Dragon Entwines'?," Liu Buhua teased further, "You should check for any strange blisters on your body. If that snake wraps itself around you, it might take you away as its spouse."

"Dragon Entwines" was an ancient misconception referring to shingles, caused by lack of understanding.

As shingles often appear in long stripes, resembling a snake or dragon, it was also known as "Snake Wraps Waist." It was believed that if one had such markings, they were coveted by a snake. Old sayings like "Dragon entwines, snake wraps waist, when it encircles completely, life is taken away" emerged from such beliefs.

To this, Xie Yinxue pragmatically replied, "Impossible. I've been vaccinated against shingles."

Liu Buhua leaned over the table, observing the snake nestled beside Xie Yinxue and remarked, "It really is quite fond of you."

Xie Yinxue had noticed this too.

But the snake wasn't always like this.

Previously, even if it ventured from the back mountain to the courtyard, it would typically bask in sunlight on tree branches or stones, never approaching humans. Let alone now, where it has made a bed inside a human's dwelling.

Xie Yinxue wasn't one to dig deeper than the surface. He sensed no malicious intent or sinister aura from the snake and presumed its prolonged stay in the mountains might have bestowed some intelligence upon it. Given the cold of deep winter, if the snake sought warmth from him, he'd be its companion for the season. Come spring and the melting of snow, he believed it would depart on its own.

After all, it was only after the snake's appearance that Xie Yinxue realized he wasn't alone on those silent, cold snowy nights.

Of course, the primary reason Xie Yinxue indulged the snake was that he found a distinct pleasure in its company — the joy of nurturing a youngling.

With that thought, Xie Yin Xue delicately picked up a thin strip of Wagyu beef from the tray using wooden tongs, offering it to the little white snake whose open eyes suggested it had slept enough. "Jiu Bao, it's time to eat."

"Jiu Bao?" Liu Bu Hua paused, perplexed by the unfamiliar name. "Is this a name you gave him, godfather?"

"Yes." Xie Yin Xue chuckled, pointing at the little snake's gray, vertical pupils. "Look at its eyes, so reminiscent of Bu Jiu Zhao's. It would be a waste not to call it Jiu Bao."

Since Bu Jiu Zhao refused to be his son no matter what, and couldn't leave Suo Chang Sheng anyway, why not borrow his name for a pet of a different species?

Liu Bu Hua nodded in agreement, "True, though it does sound a bit like 'bartender'."

Then, taking another piece of meat with the tongs, he twirled it in the air before joining Xie Yin Xue in feeding the snake. "Here comes the flying stick~"

Yet, the little white snake refused the meat from both, its gaze fixated on Xie Yin Xue, almost as if it preferred him over the meal.

"It's not eating, is it sick?" Liu Bu Hua set down the tongs, concern evident in his voice. "It always seems lethargic and sleeps all day."

Xie Yin Xue also set his tongs down, explaining, "Snakes hibernate in the winter. Perhaps it hasn't fully digested its last meal before winter. Leave the meat; it'll eat when it's hungry."

Picking up his book again, Xie Yin Xue planned to finish reading under the warm sun. But after just a couple of lines, he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the pavilion's beams.

Liu Bu Hua heard it too. They both looked up to find a small white snake on the beam, its entire body pristine, and its vertical pupils the same gray shade as burnt flora. It hissed, seemingly attracted by the raw beef's scent.

They glanced between the snake on the beam and the one on the table, falling silent.

"Godfather..." Liu Bu Hua hesitated after a moment, "Is Jiu Bao the same little white snake that used to visit us?"

It seemed they might have mistaken the snake's identity.

Before Xie Yin Xue could respond, the snake on the table reared up, sipped from his tea cup, and declared in a deep familiar voice, "I am not."

Astonishingly, it was the voice of Bu Jiu Zhao.

Xie Yin Xue: "..."

Liu Bu Hua: "..."

With his identity exposed, Bu Jiu Zhao no longer feigned being the white snake, boldly slithering up Xie Yin Xue's arm to nuzzle against his neck. He then disdainfully eyed the beef on the table, "What swill are you trying to feed me? Not even a dog would eat that."

Liu Bu Hua corrected him, "This is fresh-cut, air-shipped Wagyu beef."

With a taste even more discerning than Xie Yin Xue's, Bu Jiu Zhao scoffed, "With the way you're serving it, it's bound to taste awful."

Gazing at the white snake on the beam who seemed to drool over the beef, Liu Buhua remarked, “It was intended for Jiubao, after all.”

"Stop calling me Jiubao," Bu Jiuzhao shot Liu Buhua a glance. "And don't call that snake Jiubao either."

At those words, Xie Yinxue's brows lifted subtly: So I should just call him directly, huh?

Yet the young man refrained, addressing him by his full name instead, "Bu Jiuzhao, can you actually leave the 'Shuo Changsheng'?"

Liu Buhua was curious about this as well.

Wasn't Bu Jiuzhao an NPC within Shuo Changsheng? Some of the participants who died turned into NPCs, but it was unheard of for an NPC from Shuo Changsheng to come into the real world.

As expected, Bu Jiuzhao replied, "No, I sneaked out. I was still getting used to this body, so I couldn't speak for the past few days."

Liu Buhua inquired, "Aren't you afraid of getting caught for sneaking out like this?"

"I am now just a regular snake," Bu Jiuzhao said dismissively, "As long as I don't act out of line, they won't notice."

Lifting the cup that Bu Jiuzhao had sipped from, Xie Yinxue took a drink, his lips curling, "Regular snakes don't talk, much like Jiubao."

Bu Jiuzhao lifted his tail to poke Xie Yinxue's face, sternly saying, "I told you not to call that snake Jiubao."

"Alright," Xie Yinxue used to love opposing Bu Jiuzhao, but this time he acquiesced, nodding to Liu Buhua, "Buhua, go feed the beef to the white snake on the beam. Call it 'Baibao'."

Bu Jiuzhao whispered in Xie Yinxue's ear once again, "Don't use the word 'Bao'."

Sighing, Xie Yinxue replied, "Okay, okay. We'll call it 'Baiban'."

"That works," Bu Jiuzhao finally seemed satisfied, coiling around Xie Yinxue's slender neck like a necklace.

While feeding the white snake named Baiban, Liu Buhua muttered, "Even after getting the shingles vaccine, I still end up with a snake around."

Xie Yinxue: "..."

Xie Yinxue pretended not to hear that comment.

After Baiban had its fill, it slithered to the shrubs near the wall to bask in the sun.

Observing this, Xie Yinxue asked Bu Jiuzhao, "Do you need to eat in this body? You haven't eaten anything since you came here."

"I can eat, or not eat," Bu Jiuzhao responded, then added pointedly, "Everything you've had these past days looks utterly unappetizing."

Xie Yinxue looked at him with a radiant smile, saying softly, "Your cooking is delicious."

Bu Jiuzhao was well aware that Xie Yinxue was trying to flatter him. He responded haughtily, "No matter how much you praise me, I can't cook for you right now."

After all, he didn't even have hands.

Xie Yinxue proposed, "I can have Buhua assist you."

Bu Jiuzhao retorted, "Why not you?"

Liu Buhua quickly interjected, "Absolutely not!" He explained, "My godfather has been pampered since childhood. He needs servants to carry him over puddles to ensure his feet never touch a drop of water. How can he do the menial tasks in the kitchen?"

Xie Yinxue sighed gently, "It's not really about carrying. A simple wooden bridge would suffice."

Bu Jiuzhao: "..."

Who would believe Xie Yinxue's tales?

Wasn't it Xie Yinxue who had spent thirty gold coins to have someone carry him aboard the He'er Dream ship?

Bu Jiuzhao was starting to seriously question if the world outside Shuo Changsheng was really modern. How could someone like Xie Yinxue exist?

Nonetheless, Bu Jiuzhao eventually fell for Xie Yinxue's charms.

At dinner time, Shen Qiuji returned home after school. As he entered the Mingyue Cliff's main gate, an enticing aroma greeted him. Thinking that there was a new chef at home, he headed to the kitchen and indeed found a new 'chef'.

Only, the new chef wasn't a person, but a small white snake.

The snake used its tail to stir the ingredients in the wok, directing Liu Buhua vocally, "Hold the wok steady, toss it twice in a minute. If the dish isn't tasty later, it's on you."

Liu Buhua hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, yes."

Meanwhile, his master was seated at the dining table, leisurely enjoying some appetizers.

Shen Qiuji: "??"

Author's Note:

Regarding the little white snake—

Xie Yinxue (feeding the snake by hand): "Jiubao, time for dinner."

Call him Bu Jiuzhao—

Xie Yin Xue (full name): "Bu Jiuzhao, make me some food."

Bu Jiuzhao: "It was a mistake after all."