Sign

Bai Yujing accepted the vanity case with a beaming smile, but in his heart, he scoffed; he certainly didn’t believe in that load of prophetic rubbish, but he would also never follow in Guiyao’s footsteps.

The Spirit Race, male and female alike, were all beautiful but heartless. Only someone with a diseased mind would believe they could warm a stone.

His self-assurance complete, Bai Yujing looked down. The so-called vanity case was, in fact, a jewelry box of exquisite nobility. It should have originally been at least a half-step Immortal Artifact, but now it was merely a mundane Grade-3 treasure. Clearly, it had sat for too long; its Shamanic power had almost entirely dissipated.

Opening the box, Bai Yujing found it empty, save for a small, carved bronze mirror.

The moment he picked it up—before he could even flip it to the front—he was struck by a massive wave of grief so profound it nearly swallowed him whole.

“…”

Bai Yujing shook his head and focused again. On the back of the mirror, amidst the eerie and complex patterns, three words were scattered in the Ancient Shaman script: “Chang” (Constant), “Ke” (May/Possible), and “Fei” (Not).

…?

The gaps between the words were irregular, as if a sentence had been scrubbed of its ink, leaving only fragments. It was nonsensical and deeply strange.

He flipped the mirror over. The surface reflected a small white snake with a jade pendant around its neck and a red jade ring around its tail. He blinked; the snake in the mirror blinked back.

Suddenly understanding the mirror’s function, he looked up. “Miss Jiushao.”

Su Jiushao responded quickly, “Senior…?”

Bai Yujing laughed, waving the mirror. “Look here.”

Unsure of his intent, Su Jiushao obediently looked. The mirror reflected her face perfectly. Humans had no “original form,” so the mirror showed her true human appearance.

Bai Yujing paused subtly, then curled his lips into a smirk, tilting the mirror toward Xuan Lie.

But just as he tilted it—before he could carry out his mischief—his wrist was seized in a grip of iron, pinning him in place.

Xuan Lie looked down at him. Su Jiushao broke into a cold sweat on Bai Yujing’s behalf.

Peering at a Spirit’s original form… how is that any different from a blatant assassination attempt?!

Bai Yujing blinked and frowned with half-feigned pain. “Lang-jun, you’re hurting me.”

Xuan Lie studied him for a moment before actually releasing his grip.

Bai Yujing withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened. During the movement, the mirror’s surface happened to brush across his lower belly through his clothes. Then—

CRACK—

With a deafening bang, the mirror shattered into a floor full of shards without warning.

Everyone turned in shock. Bai Yujing froze, retracting his fingertips, only for Xuan Lie to grab his wrist again.

Su Jiushao watched in disbelief. A mirror from a vanity case that cost 100,000 high-grade spirit stones—a mirror worth at least 80,000 on its own—had just shattered like that?

Wait… how could Bai Yujing break a vanity mirror left by a Great Shaman so easily?

Xuan Lie frowned, inspecting the person in his arms. “Are you hurt?”

Bai Yujing shook his head, looking dazed as if frightened. “No.”

The mirror had shattered the moment it reflected his belly… what kind of thing could be so powerful that it could not be reflected?

“I’m sorry, Lang-jun. I was careless.”

This sentiment was genuine; after all, while the 100,000 stones were bid in Xuan Lie’s name, they had technically come from his own pocket. To see a mountain of spirit stones vanish with nothing but a “bang” to show for it made his heart bleed.

“No matter. If it’s broken, it’s broken.” With a wave of Xuan Lie’s hand, the debris vanished. “As long as you are unharmed.”

Bai Yujing nodded absently, straightening up in Xuan Lie’s embrace. For a moment, even his acting lacked its usual dedication.

The golden light in his belly was definitely extraordinary; otherwise, the Shaman’s Mirror wouldn’t have failed to reflect it. And “Chang,” “Fei,” “Ke”—how should those words be arranged?

And why did Guiyao suddenly carve out her husband’s Spirit Heart before ascending? Ancient legends were often edited by later generations; the truth was likely different. For her to do such a thing at the moment of ascension… she couldn’t have done it out of mere petty romance. What was she trying to hint to posterity?

Bai Yujing leaned on the table, staring at the empty shell of the vanity case in deep thought, deaf to the auction calls outside.

Unfortunately, he was not built for deep thinking. The more he pondered, the less he understood. His posture grew stiffer and stiffer until he had put a full person’s width of distance between himself and Xuan Lie.

Xuan Lie watched him for a moment, then suddenly reached out, hooked Bai Yujing’s belt, and yanked him back into his arms.

“…”

Bai Yujing crashed into his chest, his head spinning. Seeing the shocked expressions of the others in the room, he felt a surge of humiliated rage. Pressing down his temper, he feigned confusion. “…Lang-jun?”

Xuan Lie didn’t answer, merely gesturing for him to look at the new auction item.

Bai Yujing suppressed his anger and looked. The latest item consisted of dozens of bolts of top-tier Mermaid Silk and Heavenly Silkworm Thread.

…?

He blinked, suddenly remembering the excuse he’d used to beg Xuan Lie to come here: he needed new clothes to match the bracelet.

This stone has a damn good memory.

Half of the fire in Bai Yujing’s heart died down. But right now, he had no mind for choosing fabric. He said in a soft, wheedling tone, “I am but a mountain spirit of humble origin with little taste. Why don’t you choose for me, Lang-jun?”

Su Jiushao: “…”

If he’s a humble mountain spirit, what does that make us? Wild cave-dwellers?

Bai Yujing was too lazy to pick, so he tossed the task to Xuan Lie. To everyone’s surprise, Xuan Lie actually began to choose for him.

And to their even greater shock: Xuan Lie, whose own storage ring likely didn’t contain a single piece of colored clothing, chose silks for Bai Yujing that were all garishly, brilliantly colorful.

Bai Yujing stared in shell-shocked horror at the array of pastel pinks, blues, and purples. His mind was instantly cleared of world affairs.

Did this bastard get his head caught in a door? Only little girls in their early teens wear these colors!

Xuan Lie turned to him, asking with feigned ignorance, “You don’t like them?”

“…”

Caught in his own trap, Bai Yujing could only manage a strained smile. “How could I not? I love them. Thank you, Lang-jun.”

A hint of amusement flickered in Xuan Lie’s eyes. He finally bid on a few bolts of plain-colored Mermaid Silk to barely pacify the snake.

When the auction ended, the Pavilion Master personally escorted them out. Back at the Celestial Palace, Bai Yujing couldn’t wait to manifest his snake tail and soak in the hot spring.

A whole day of thinking had drained him dry. He leaned lazily against a certain person’s solid shoulder, looking through the items in the jade bracelet.

Above, the stars were dazzling, framing the beauty in the water.

Xuan Lie studied Bai Yujing for a long while before suddenly asking: “What is inside your belly?”

“…”

The air froze.

Bai Yujing’s mind went blank for a heartbeat. He cursed inwardly; he thought Xuan Lie hadn’t noticed the anomaly, but it turned out the man was just waiting to interrogate him at home… How is this sentient stone more cunning than a monkey?!

His teeth itched with spite. He licked his fangs and flicked the tip of his tail, feigning ignorance with a smile. “I have a Demon Core in my belly… does the Sovereign wish to carve it out and see?”

The words “Demon Core” seemed to strike a nerve. Xuan Lie’s expression darkened. He seized Bai Yujing’s wrist and, without a word of warning, sent a probe of energy through his meridians.

Bai Yujing leaned back, leaving his vitals open to the inspection. As expected, his meridians were “empty”—the probe found nothing out of the ordinary.

Xuan Lie didn’t let go of his wrist. He looked down at the ease in the beauty’s posture and frowned.

This stinking stone looks like he’s actually worried about me, Bai Yujing hummed internally. He tilted his face up and couldn’t resist a bit of soft-voiced provocation: “Do I need to take off my clothes as well… Lord Sovereign?”

He had intended to merely disgust Xuan Lie, but to his horror, the man nodded. “Very well.”

Bai Yujing froze. Xuan Lie met his gaze with absolute calm.

This lewd stone! How is he so good at taking a mile when given an inch!

He gritted his teeth and looked down, feigning clumsiness as he tugged at his belt twice without loosening it. Just as he was praying that acting like an idiot would make Xuan Lie lose interest, the man swatted his hands away and pulled the belt open himself.

“—!”

Bai Yujing stiffened in the pool. The semi-transparent fabric bunched over the man’s hand, offering a glimpse of the lithe waist beneath. The visual and tactile shock hit him like a physical blow, leaving his mind a white void.

Worse, the junction where the waist met the snake tail was arguably the most “untouchable” part of a snake demon’s body. Xuan Lie didn’t just touch it; he deliberately stroked the scales in the wrong direction.

“…!”

The snake tail snapped around Xuan Lie’s wrist, gripping with enough force to grind a normal human’s bones to powder.

“Aside from my core, there is nothing in my belly… what is the Sovereign feeling for?” Bai Yujing abandoned his soft act, his predatory nature surfacing. “I am a male snake; I cannot carry eggs.”

Xuan Lie didn’t respond. He simply ran his hand around the snake’s waist one more time to ensure everything was truly fine before finally letting go.

Bai Yujing acted composed, but his scales were practically vibrating from the touch. The moment he was released, he retracted his tail, hiding everything below the waist deep in the spring water to prevent the man from noticing the unnatural luster that was very different from the water.

This disgraceful body!

Furious and embarrassed, but terrified of Xuan Lie noticing the truth, he managed a half-genuine pout. “The Sovereign’s touch has made me hungry.”

Xuan Lie didn’t speak. He simply slit his wrist and held it to the beauty’s lips.

Under the starlight, the beauty tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear and lowered his head, expertly taking in the searing heat. As the blood flowed down his throat, the golden light in his belly—perhaps due to the Shaman Mirror or something else—remained exceptionally quiet today.

But without that interference, as the Essence Blood poured in, a familiar heat began to rise in Bai Yujing’s body.

He forced his muddled brain to stay calm, analyzing the source of this sensation while he drank. When have I felt this heat before…

He racked his brain until he had sucked the last drop of blood dry. Suddenly, a spark of realization hit him.

—Five years ago, on the night before his ninth molting, he had experienced this exact same heat.

His mind went blank.

Crap… I think I’m about to molt.

He never expected the interval between molts to be so short. Panic seized him; his tail didn’t even know where to settle.

I’m screwed, I’m screwed, I’m screwed… what do I do?

In his desperation, he let go of Xuan Lie’s wrist and turned his head, instinctively wanting to bite the tip of his own tail.

At the last second, he remembered he was in human form. Biting one’s tail was a habit of hatchlings; doing it as a human was hardly dignified.

Instead, he bit his lip and began to pinch and knead the tip of his poor tail with his fingers.

Xuan Lie watched this scene for a moment before asking out of the blue: “Can your tail curl up to your belly?”

“…?”

The question was non-sequitur. Bai Yujing replied in confusion, “Does the Sovereign mean like this?”

Distracted, he didn’t think twice and followed Xuan Lie’s suggestion, curling his tail up to his belly. The snow-white tip hovered over the soft, scale-less patch that was still wet with spring water. Instinctively, he didn’t go further.

From experience, the tip of the tail was the second most vulnerable spot on a snake demon, second only to one other place.

Xuan Lie looked at the erotic scene of the beauty who was entirely unaware of his own allure, but what he was thinking was:

If I forced Bai Yujing to put the tip of his own tail inside that place… what kind of reaction would he have?