Chapter 198 The Beautiful Snake Melody

Chapter 198: Melody, the Alluring Serpent Beauty

"Who goes there?"

Hua Diao, engrossed in listening, accidentally dislodged a small stone from the large boulder. This immediately caught the attention of the engaged couple, who were on the verge of a confrontation. They cried out in unison, their voices sharp with alarm.

Hua Diao quickly emerged from behind the boulder, raising her hands in explanation. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on! I'm just passing through. I was sleeping here earlier—I was here first. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation."

At her appearance, the expressions of the three present—no, rather, two serpents and one human—varied considerably.

Hua Diao's curious gaze landed on the enchanting, human-bodied, serpent-tailed beauty to her left. Her upper body was clad in an exotic, West-Asian-style bandeau top, with a sheer crimson veil draped over her. Both her bandeau and waist were adorned with delicate, tinkling golden bells.

Above, a cascade of golden, seaweed-like curls flowed down to her waist. A finely crafted, intricate, and beautiful golden headpiece rested on her forehead, shimmering with an ethereal glow—clearly a high-grade artifact.

This headpiece enhanced her already sensuous and striking features, making her mature face even more alluring and beautiful, exuding a strong exotic charm. As her golden serpent tail swayed, the tiny bells jingled, producing a melodious and intricate sound.

But most captivating were her golden eyes, which refracted magnificent colors under the sunlight, mesmerizing and soul-stirring—beautiful yet lethally dangerous. This must be the fiancée, Melody.

To her right, Hua Diao's attention was first drawn to the handsome serpent-man. His attire was quite similar in style to the serpent beauty's, though he lacked the golden bells, adorned instead with intricate, ornate, and unidentifiable patterns. The gemstones on his chest and the headpiece on his forehead also pulsed with energy, clearly of immense value.

His serpent tail was silver, as was his hair. His face had deep-set features and sharp contours, making him an exotic and handsome man. His eyes, too, held a magical quality, appearing exceptionally profound and dangerous.

"Brother Owen."

A soft, delicate voice drifted over as a slender woman in a white, vintage-style gauze dress stepped forward, clinging to the serpent-man's arm. Her tear-filled black eyes, from an angle unseen by the serpent-man, darted towards Hua Diao, betraying a hidden wariness and malice.

But when Owen looked down, the emotion in her eyes had vanished, replaced by a worried and anxious expression as she looked at Hua Diao. "Brother Owen, this person is so strange, sleeping here of all places. Could she have known our clan's travel route and deliberately waited here?"

At her words, not only Owen, but also Melody, the serpent beauty on his left, directed a hint of murderous intent towards Hua Diao.

Hua Diao saw through this "delicate white flower's" two-faced act clearly and felt annoyed. *Oh, good! This 'delicate white flower' is actually targeting me now. Why? Is she jealous of my beauty?*

Hua Diao wasn't about to let this manipulative little "white flower" succeed. She immediately spoke up, "I just had a slight teleportation error and ended up here, that's all. Don't spout nonsense. You look so delicate, yet your mind is so complex. We merfolk don't have such sinister intentions."

Then, without giving them a chance to speak, she turned the tables, pointing at Sophia. "On the contrary, *you* are the malicious one. I overheard your conversation just now, and I have a question I'd like Lady Sophia to answer for me. You kept saying you'd 'return Owen to Melody,' but I didn't see you act on it. If you truly meant it, you shouldn't have come to Melody's face saying this. If you consider yourself a substitute, then act like one—when the true partner returns, you should have quietly left. Without you, wouldn't they naturally be together?"

"And where do you get so many tears? No one's scolding you, no one's hitting you, yet your tears are gushing like a faucet. Doesn't it seem fake after a while? It feels like you're deliberately using water magic to create them."

Sophia, mid-tear, froze. She couldn't decide whether to keep crying or stop, a breath caught in her throat, her "delicate white flower" face turning green. Especially when she saw Owen's expression actually wavering, panic surged within her.

She quickly explained, "I—I didn't! It's not like that! Brother Owen, listen to me, I..."

Hua Diao seized on her words, immediately interjecting, "Oh, you said 'explain'? If it's an explanation, then that means you did indeed do something wrong."

"I—I didn't...!"

Sophia was flustered beyond belief, both angry and annoyed at this unexpected intruder who had appeared. She wished she could lash out with her tail and send the person flying, but her rage overwhelmed her reason, preventing her from getting into character and performing her usual act.

However, she was quick-witted. She stomped her foot in frustration and left with, "I can't argue with her! Brother Owen, do you doubt me now? Then I'll leave you and sister!" With that, she pretended to wipe away tears and "cried" as she swiftly ran off.

Owen, who hadn't yet recognized the "delicate white flower's" true nature, was completely taken in. His face filled with urgency, he immediately slithered after her, "Sophia, Sophia, don't leave! I didn't mean to doubt you..."

One human and one serpent vanished into the distance, leaving only Hua Diao and the serpent beauty behind.

Melody's alluring and expressive crimson lips curved into a smile. After watching the two disappear into the distance, she turned to Hua Diao in good spirits, her earlier wariness and murderous intent gone. Instead, she smiled at her quite amicably, "Your words were truly satisfying! I've wanted to scold her away for ages—you're much more impressive."

Hua Diao waved her hand, smiling, "It's nothing. I've just seen similar situations too many times, so I just spoke my mind."

The serpent beauty's face showed surprise. "Has your partner also been lured away by such a female?"

Hua Diao: "...Of course not." She couldn't let Xie Tingsheng's reputation be tarnished. "I just read about these plots in novels."

"What are novels?" The serpent beauty tilted her head, her expression puzzled.

Hua Diao scratched her head. She was quite patient with the first serpent beauty she had encountered in this dungeon, explaining that novels were similar to legendary tales. Since the fantasy continent was full of legendary tales about various races and characters, the serpent beauty immediately understood her explanation.

"But what's a 'faucet'? You said Sophia's tears were like a faucet earlier. Is that a new spell of your merfolk tribe?"

The serpent beauty was clearly a knowledge-hungry serpent, and she enjoyed learning new things. Despite her glamorous and mature appearance, she was unexpectedly naive. Hua Diao had a good impression of her, but she couldn't explain what a faucet was directly. She could only vaguely gloss over it.