Chapter 2 — Little Fish and the White Serpent

As a result, not only did I fail in my clumsy romantic pursuit, but I also ended up accidentally injured. Someone as naturally gentle-tempered as I am still possesses a shred of self-respect. I had tried, and since it did not work out, that was the end of it; I refused to subject myself to any further misery. Fan Han had helped me secure my senior citizen subsidy for this year, and in return, I had used the utmost care and devotion to repay him. With the reproductive deadline fast approaching and no desire to forfeit my much-needed financial aid, I had no choice but to let Fan Han go. I simply had to consider finding a new life partner. Yet, fertile beastmen were notoriously difficult to come by, and the birthmark sprawling across my face was far too unsightly. Where on earth was I supposed to find a father for my child who would not look down on me with disgust? I sat there in a daze within the spacious courtyard for a moment, lost in my thoughts, when a sudden, heavy stench of blood drifted into the air. I froze for a second. I was merely an ordinary human, and no matter what transpired, the most sensible course of action was always to flee first. But just as I lifted my foot to run, a colossal tail whipped around and coiled tightly around my body. The cold, rough snake scales slipped beneath the hem of my shirt, pressing directly against my waist and abdomen. I was hoisted so high that my feet dangled completely in the air. I opened my mouth, a cry for help hovering on my lips, when a bright red, fork-tongued appendage slipped out, gently licking across my cheek. The serpent's tongue meticulously lapped away the traces of blood, transforming the stinging pain on my face into a wet, sticky sensation.

Do not scream, a hoarse, deep voice rumbled against the quiet night. I am not going to harm you.

I lowered my head, my gaze instantly colliding with a pair of brilliant emerald-green eyes. The tightly constricted state of my body severely restricted my field of vision, allowing me only to see that he was gripping my hand with immense force. It was a serpent beastman, currently in a semi-transformed state, half human and half snake. The lower half of his body was a massive, dark serpentine tail constricting me fiercely, its scales reflecting a chilling sheen under the moonlight. The upper half was a bare human torso, featuring muscular, well-defined contours that were nonetheless marred by horrifying, dense wounds. The deepest injury stretched relentlessly from his shoulder all the way down to his waist, blood still steadily oozing from the gash. From this particular angle, I could not see his face, only hear the ragged, suppressed sound of his breathing.

Kind-hearted human maiden…

His chin rested softly against my shoulder, and his scorching breath puffed against the sensitive skin of my neck, sending a violent shiver down my spine.

Save me, I will grant you anything you desire…

His voice sounded utterly exhausted, as if he might at any moment lose the strength to maintain this half-human guise and revert entirely to his true beast form. The overpowering stench of blood clouded my mind, and his serpentine tail was constricting me with suffocating pressure. Driven by some reckless impulse, I parted my lips and blurted out a question:

Then, would you be willing to bear a child with me?

The moment the words left my mouth, immediate regret washed over me. Taking advantage of someone—or rather, some snake—in distress like this, how was I any different from those fickle playboys who used state subsidies to coerce innocent beastmen? The heavy tail wrapped around my body suddenly shifted. As the moonlight slowly moved, he lowered his head, allowing me to finally tilt mine upward and clearly take in his appearance. Even though his face was smeared with dirt and grime, it could not possibly conceal his striking, handsome features. His long, dark hair caught the moonlight, looking as smooth and lustrous as a bolt of fine silk, while his emerald eyes gleamed like precious gems I had previously only ever seen in glossy magazines. His gaze drifted downward, landing upon my cheek, right over the birthmark that was already hideous to begin with and had now been freshly scratched by Fan Han. The chest of the dark serpent heaved rhythmically, his complexion remarkably pale, and his thin, bloodless lips parted slightly. I had foolishly expected that upon seeing my true face, he would scold me for being delusional and harboring impossible dreams, just as Fan Han had done. Yet, he merely stared at me. He looked at me for a very long time, so long that I briefly feared he might simply pass out from excessive blood loss. He leaned in close, the entire weight of a mature serpent beastman pressing heavily against my frame, and replied:

Very well.

I stood utterly stunned.

You… did you actually see my face clearly?

The weak dark serpent beastman gave a faint nod. I saw it clearly.

And yet you still…

It is beautiful. Anticipating what I was about to say, he preemptively interrupted me. His long eyelashes brushed softly against my skin, sending a ticklish sensation rippling through me. He murmured softly: You are very beautiful.

I had never once in my entire life heard anyone call me beautiful. Even back when my parents were still alive, they had only ever told me: Our precious little darling is the most adorable. I knew deep down that they felt a lingering guilt toward me, which was why they deliberately avoided touching upon the concepts of beauty and ugliness. Appearance was a gift of the heavens, and I could only blame my own ill luck; I had never held a grudge against anyone for it. After I rescued Fan Han, he had only ever addressed me mockingly as an ugly creature. Yet this completely stranger of a dark serpent beastman, on the verge of death from grievous wounds, had actually praised my beauty. I secretly suspected that he must be hallucinating from severe blood loss.

Let us get inside the house first. I threw my arm around him to support his weight, pressing my palm firmly against his scorching bare back. If you stay out here in the open, you are going to die.

The dark serpent beastman possessed not an ounce of strength left, yet his tail remained securely coiled around my waist, and his arms wrapped tightly around me, refusing to let go. If he were to revert to his true animal form right now, he certainly would not have the energy to shrink his massive bulk, and how on earth was I supposed to carry a multi-meter-long giant snake? I had no choice but to coax him, begging him to endure a little longer and fight the urge to transform completely. Gritting my teeth, I heaved his heavy frame upward and dragged him laboriously into the house. His long tail wound around me several loops over, yet a long section still trailed sluggishly across the floor, leaving behind a horrifying streak of dark blood. As we passed through the living room, the door to Fan Han's bedroom—which had once been my own room—suddenly clicked open. He poked his head out, and upon seeing me dragging a gigantic black serpent indoors, he froze in utter disbelief.

Jiang Du, what on earth do you think you are doing?

I picked up a stray snake. I did not even bother to turn my head, continuing to haul the serpent directly toward the bathroom.

Fan Han's expression instantly turned ashen. Are you out of your mind? Bringing home a creature of completely unknown origin like this? I retorted without missing a beat: When I brought you home, did I ever stop to ask about your background? Fan Han was left completely speechless. As we shuffled past him, the dark serpent shot him a sideways glance with those piercing emerald eyes. Though I could not see it, the unmasked, chilling hostility in the snake's gaze caused even Fan Han to instinctively bare a ferocious expression.

You…

Fan Han opened his mouth to say something further, but I slammed the bathroom door shut right in his face. The patterned wallpaper pasted across the glass pane blurred his silhouette into a hazy shadow. I turned away, not even wishing to gaze upon that vague, indistinct outline any longer.