The serpent flicked out its long scarlet tongue again with a sharp "ssss." Its expression hadn't changed, though it looked more irritated than before. Its long white tail wrapped around Lin Wuyue's waist, pulling her closer so it could look at her face up close.
Feeling the cold, slick tail coil around her, Lin Wuyue frowned. What is wrong with this serpent? Is it trying to intimidate me on purpose?Seeing the girl's displeasure at being lifted, the serpent's mood immediately improved. Clearly, it wanted Lin Wuyue to react… anything but ignore it.
"What is your name?"
"I don't have a name," Lin Wuyue replied without hesitation.
"Liar," the serpent hissed. "I heard that cultivator call you Yue. Is that your given name?"
"The name I deliberately chose for myself is Lin Wuyue. But it's not my real name. I don't have one."
Of course she had a name—an extraordinary one—but she couldn't use it.
The serpent, whose eyes had been narrowed the entire time, opened them in surprise and gave her another long look.
Its golden eyes shimmered brighter. It could see that the girl's aura was good—if she became a cultivator, her future would be brilliant and full of promise. With that thought, the serpent's cold aura softened a little.
But it still didn't let her go. Instead, it stared at her again, as if hesitating for a moment, then flicked out its scarlet tongue.This time, it held something: a ring.
A ring engraved with two intertwined white serpents. It stared at Lin Wuyue with an expression that clearly meant: Take it.
Lin Wuyue frowned. She felt the ring looked familiar, but she was sure it wasn't hers. It carried a pure aura—almost divine.
Setting aside her doubts, she took the ring. It was a little big, so she tried it on. Unexpectedly, the ring shrank to fit her small finger. Raising her brows slightly, she looked at the serpent.
"It belonged to my former master. Don't worry. You can activate it with your blood. Use it when you're in danger."
Lin Wuyue was surprised by the sudden gift and was about to ask more when she heard a shout from across the lake.
"Xia Yue! Are you done bathing? Hurry up! We have to go! Why are you taking so long? Are you so dirty you can't scrub yourself clean?"
Feng Wu's voice was loud enough for her to hear clearly.
"I have to go," she said to the serpent. "I don't know why you gave me this ring, but thank you."Remembering something, Lin Wuyue relaxed her brows slightly. "If the ring belonged to your master… will you stay in this lake?"
The serpent looked a bit surprised that the girl who had ignored him earlier now worried about him, and let out a soft chuckle.
"Since I offered you my master's ring, I will naturally go with you. I'll enter the ring, so you don't need to worry about me."
Lin Wuyue nodded—she had suspected as much from the start but didn't ask further. She quickly left the lake and put on a set of black clothes, choosing the long-sleeved top on purpose so the ring wouldn't be noticeable. While walking, she combed her short black hair full of knots and held her bag of clothes and money in her other hand.
When Feng Wu saw her return, his face lit up even as he scolded her.
"Little Xia Yue, where were you? Were you planning to stay there all afternoon if I hadn't rushed you?"
Even while scolding, he picked her up.
Lin Wuyue struggled. "Big brother Wu, please put me down. I'm better now, I can walk on my own."
"Stay still. It's no trouble for me to carry you."
"Big brother Wu…" Before she could finish, Feng Wu had already run toward Linyuan.
Linyuan looked at Feng Wu, then at Lin Wuyue.
"Didn't I tell you not to take too long?" he said coldly.
Lin Wuyue lowered her head as if deeply saddened by being scolded. "Big brother, I was very dirty… please forgive Xia Yue."
Linyuan looked at her again— or rather, he looked at Feng Wu holding her—and felt slightly annoyed. He turned around.
"It doesn't matter. You're here now, so let's go."
Seeing that Linyuan seemed displeased with her, Lin Wuyue raised a brow. What did I do this time?
Feng Wu, seeing her expression and thinking she was sad, felt a little pain in his heart.
"Aiya, don't be upset. He has always had a strong temperament. Don't mind him, little Xia Yue. When we get to the sect, I'll take you to eat some meat buns."
Of course, Lin Wuyue wasn't listening. She was touching the ring on her finger. It felt too familiar, but she couldn't remember why. After all—she had lived for centuries and didn't remember everything from her youth.
Her head began to ache.
"Hey, girl. Do you want to know more about the ring I gave you?"The serpent's voice sounded in her mind.
"You can speak through telepathy?"
"That's right. After all, you hid your pretty hands because they must not find out about the ring, yes?"
Lin Wuyue rolled her eyes in her mind, not wanting to go into detail with this serpent. "Tell me more about your master's ring."
The serpent sighed.
"My master lived a long time in this land. He was kind-hearted and honest. He saved me when humans attacked me in White Fish Lake. My injuries were severe—fatal, even. When he found me, I could only wait for death, but instead of killing me, he healed me and gave me a name. At the time, my master already had a promising future, though he had not yet reached his full potential. He was only sixteen when he took me in. I became his spiritual beast from then on."
It paused, as if remembering something painful.
"My master was a prince— the fourth prince. The emperor was loyal to the empress and had only four children with her, so the struggle for the throne was complicated. My master never wanted to ascend the throne, so he told his father he wished to see the world and asked to go on a journey."
"Though the emperor was reluctant to let his talented son go, he allowed it. My master traveled the world, healing illnesses and helping those around him. He was loved throughout the continent. But he didn't stop there. He cultivated to break his mortal shackles and ascended to a demigod. But then… a terrible demon ravaged the land."
"My master fought it for five days and six nights. With my help, he held on. When the monster finally died, my master ascended to godhood. He was about to rise to the Ninth Heaven… but he loved his family too deeply."
Here, the serpent gritted its teeth.
"My master returned to his homeland. His reputation was immense—he was loved and protected by all. But the emperor feared him, feared that he would kill him and his brothers to seize the throne. Even though years had passed since my master had said he didn't want the throne, the emperor thought he would return and kill him. So he invited my master for a simple conversation… and served him wine."
"The wine contained a mysterious substance that destroyed my master's cultivation and killed him. My master was not weak— with the little spiritual strength he had left, he carved the patterns for this ring and said that when I found someone worthy, I should give it to them so they could inherit his will."
Lin Wuyue was stunned.The story sounded more and more familiar…yet, for some reason, she couldn't remember why.