Chapter 76: The Little Female Failed to Escape
’The little female is so smart and cute.’
’But her stamina is still a bit lacking.’
’Since she was the one who started this game of cat and mouse...’
’Then I’ll just have to help her train.’
The Cold-blooded Snake Beastman excitedly thumped his tail lightly on the ground. Several non-venomous rat snakes and a non-venomous python as thick as a bowl headed in the direction of the black-haired human girl.
Nan Zishi was exhausted from running. She had just caught her breath and was leaning against a tree to rest when she saw several snakes of all different colors coming toward her!
AHHHHHHH!!!
’So many snakes, and there’s a huge python!’
Without a second thought, Nan Zishi spun around and fled, the snakes giving chase right behind her!
She ran, huffing and puffing.
She didn’t know how long or how far she ran. Completely exhausted, her legs felt like jelly, but she kept forcing them to move forward, trembling with every step.
’I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m really going to die.’
’To think that I, a young Beast Doctor who barely scraped into a top university’s veterinary program, would die here in this swampy forest before I’d even had a chance to shine!’
She took several Spring Thunders out of her dimensional space.
If she used the Spring Thunders, the false trail she had created for Xuan Jin would be all for naught. He would surely hear the commotion and drag her back.
But if she didn’t use the Spring Thunders, she would likely meet her end at the hands of these snakes.
She had no idea that Xuan Jin had taken only a single glance at the tracks she’d made before dismissing them entirely.
He was tracking her by the lingering scent she left in the air!
’Blow them up. Hahahaha, just blow them up.’
’So what if Xuan Jin drags me back to the cave? It wouldn’t be the first time!’
However, just as she was about to detonate the Spring Thunders, a massive shadow fell over her.
She looked up and saw the Xuan Cold-blooded Snake Beastman looming over her, looking down.
Nan Zishi’s expression became incredibly awkward.
’I haven’t even set off the Spring Thunders. How did this snake find me?’
"Xuan... Xuan Jin?!"
The Xuan Cold-blooded Snake Beastman looked down at the little female before him. An unreadable hint of a smile touched his cold eyes as he flicked his forked tongue. "Can’t run anymore, little female?"
Nan Zishi was speechless.
’Why? How on earth did he find me?’
"Still want to resist, little one?"
"I..."
Though lean, the Cold-blooded Snake Beastman’s muscles were as hard as marble. He crouched down and hoisted his little female onto his shoulder.
Nan Zishi was slung upside down over his shoulder. Her hair, damp with sweat from the exertion, hung down to his lower back.
Every time she struggled, the hand clamped around the back of her knees would tighten, and he would give her backside a light, disciplinary pat.
"Let me go!! You bastard, you filthy snake, you piece of garbage! Let me go!!!"
Nan Zishi pounded on his back with all her might.
’I don’t believe this! Is the Super Strength Ability the system gave me a cheap knockoff or something?’
’How can it be completely useless against this Cold-blooded Snake Beastman?!’
The Cold-blooded Snake Beastman was, however, a little surprised by her strength.
The little female was weaker than a wild beast, but she was already much stronger than a normal female.
He flicked his tongue out, and its tip brushed against her exposed thigh.
Nan Zishi froze.
In an instant, Nan Zishi went completely still!
’Damn it, that filthy snake is taking advantage of me!’
’He did it on purpose. He absolutely, definitely, positively did it on purpose!’
Besides, she couldn’t be bothered to walk anyway, so she slowly closed her eyes.
Partway back, Xuan Jin noticed her breathing had become even and steady.
The Cold-blooded Snake Beastman shifted slightly, changing his grip to carry her in his arms instead.
’She can fall asleep even like this.’
**
When Nan Zishi groggily awoke, she found a piece of dripping, bloody meat right beside her.
She jumped in fright and shot upright. When she realized it was meat from a fresh kill, she could only press a hand to her chest to calm her racing heart.
’Only that infuriating, bastard snake would do something so outrageous!’
She looked up, and sure enough, the snake was watching her with a cold gaze.
"Eat," he said curtly.
Nan Zishi: "...I refuse."
"It doesn’t matter. You will eat." ’She’s only unwilling to eat it raw because she isn’t hungry enough. Once she’s starved for long enough, she’ll eat anything.’
Nan Zishi was defiant.
She had been abused so horribly before, and she had been so hungry that she’d been forced to eat raw meat.
She only ate cooked food and simply couldn’t stomach anything raw. She never wanted to experience that taste again.
’Besides, right now, her 200-cubic-meter dimensional space was full of food. In short, she wasn’t going to starve!’
"Still too weak. Your stamina is terrible," Xuan Jin said, sitting across from Nan Zishi. His snake tail had already transformed into a pair of strong, slender legs.
He rested one hand on his knee, his mesmerizing, dark snake-like eyes studying her nonchalantly.
’It’s been five years, but she looks exactly as she did back then, completely unchanged.’
’Her abilities are the same, too. Her speed is lacking. Her strength seems to have improved a little, but overall, there’s been no real progress. It seems her other Beast Husbands never thought to train her.’
’But he’s different.’
’As a Cold-blooded Snake Beastman, he gets drowsy in the summer heat and hibernates in the winter cold. There’s a lot of time when he can’t protect her.’
’So she needs to be able to protect herself.’
’She must become strong. There is no other way.’
’Because only then can he have her all to himself!’
"Xuan Jin, why do you insist on keeping me locked up?" Nan Zishi sat up as well, meeting his gaze with quiet defiance.
"You should know I don’t like you one bit. Our contract was made completely under duress!"
’Little snakes are fine.’
’But I’m terrified of giant snakes.’
’I have a phobia of giant snakes!’
’Every time Xuan Jin reveals his true form in front of me, I almost faint on the spot.’
’Besides, I’m not a masochist. How could I possibly like a male who imprisons me in a cave and forces me to eat raw meat?’
The Cold-blooded Snake Beastman’s pupils constricted slightly.
Though he knew she didn’t like him, hearing her say it so plainly still stung. "Whether you like me or not is unimportant."
Xuan Jin toyed with a wooden stick in his hand. "What’s important is that I’ve chosen you."
’...’ ’Holy shit, what kind of ridiculous, overbearing CEO line was that?!’
Seeing that there was no getting through to him, Nan Zishi gave up and said no more. She lay back down on the stone bed with her back to him.
The Cold-blooded Snake Beastman was very patient. Once she stopped moving, the Xuan Cold-blooded Snake Beastman shifted into his snake form and slithered onto her stone bed.
Nan Zishi felt him approaching. She rolled over and saw a gigantic, dark python head!
"HISSSSSS!!!!!"
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!
Nan Zishi fainted.
Xuan Jin’s vertical pupils narrowed. His upper body transformed into its human form.
’It’s been so long. Why isn’t she used to my snake form yet?’
**
When Nan Zishi awoke again, she didn’t dare to open her eyes for a long time.
She thought of her males and cubs back home.
’Hu Bai used his power... I wonder how he is now?’
’That crybaby Lanxing is probably weeping his eyes out.’
’Little Aqi is the clingiest. I wonder if he’s doing okay without me.’
’If Little Snake Yang knew I’d been kidnapped, he’d probably cry his heart out from worry.’
’And Little Fu... she’s always the first to start shedding her little pearls of tears.’
’I want to go home so badly... ’
’But I have to face this bastard snake.’
’I just hope this Cold-blooded Snake Beastman is in his human form right now, not his snake form.’
’At the very least, I hope he’s in his half-beast form.’
’His full-beast form, that giant dark snake, is just too terrifying. I can’t handle it. Absolutely not!’
’I’m just an ordinary person.’
’I’m not a strong girl!’
’In my past life, when I read novels about snake beastmen, I thought they were pretty thrilling.’
’But in reality, when a snake head that huge gets close to me, I’m just instinctively terrified!’
’It’s the kind of fear that feels like it’s encoded in human DNA. A bone-chilling terror!’
Slowly and cautiously, she opened her eyes, only to find the cave was pitch-black.
The Cold-blooded Snake Beastman wasn’t in the cave.
’Did he pile up those big rocks at the entrance and go out again?’
Coming to this conclusion, Nan Zishi let out a huge sigh of relief.
’My first escape attempt didn’t go smoothly. I ran into wild beasts and got dragged back by Xuan Jin.’
’But was she going to give up on escaping after just one failure?’
’Impossible.’