The familiar voice, the familiar embrace, and that delicious scent Mingming had never been able to forget even after a hundred years.
It was Lu Wei.
Mingming swallowed.
After spending so many days with Lu Xuan, she had thought she had changed, that she had become less greedy.
Sure enough, it was only because she had not come across truly delicious food.
Now, she could barely hold herself back.
Lu Wei could even hear the sound of her swallowing. His fingers brushed over her lips as he asked softly, “Why are you still hungry even in your dream?”
It was the first time Mingming had met someone in a dream who clearly remembered that he, too, was dreaming. She bit her own lip, forcing herself to suppress the urge to sink her teeth into him.
After all these years, although humans were the finest food imaginable to her, she truly had never laid a hand on one.
“How did I end up here?” Mingming caught his hand and gently lowered it. She did not want to reveal just how greedy she was for him.
When she spoke, her tone was as familiar as it had always been, as though this dream had carried her back a hundred years into the past.
“I dreamed of you, so you came,” Lu Wei answered honestly.
A hundred years later, the two met again in a dream. Perhaps because they both knew they were dreaming, there was none of the awkwardness that usually accompanied a reunion after so long apart.
It was the unspoken understanding they had cultivated over years of being together, one that had long since become second nature.
Mingming was slightly surprised and turned to look at the young man behind her. No, he was no longer the youth he had once been.
He was now dressed in the same clothes he had worn when he came to Mount Jia that day. Clad in robes whiter than snow, he possessed the awe-inspiring bearing of a heavenly deity. The strip of white silk covering his eyes lent him an air of mystery and sacred purity.
But now, the meticulously arranged robes had become wrinkled from being crushed against her embrace. Even the white silk blindfold had nearly slipped loose from the way he had lowered his head to nuzzle into the hollow of her neck.
Mingming reached up and adjusted the white silk back into place for him. An unfamiliar appearance, yet the same familiar person… It only made her even more interested in him.
“My eyes have healed,” Lu Wei told her. He took hold of Mingming’s hand, yet still did not open his eyes.
During the years they had spent together in the Wilderness of Eternal Night, they had been inseparable. Mingming had personally told him countless times that she liked him, yet he had never known what her face looked like.
Back then, it had been Mingming who healed his injured eyes, and in return, he had promised that the very first person he would see after regaining his sight would be her.
But on the night before his vision was restored, Mingming vanished without a trace.
Even after all these years, he had kept that promise, waiting for a… snake demon who seemed destined never to return.
“Your eyes are healed, yet you’re still wearing it?” Mingming had long since forgotten the unwavering resolve hidden behind the young man’s solemn vow when he held her hand all those years ago and declared that he wanted to see her.
“I have never seen what you look like. Even if I opened my eyes now, you would still have no definite appearance in this dream.” Lu Wei was fully aware that he was dreaming.
Every fantasy had to be supported by memory. Since he had never seen Mingming’s human form, even in his dreams he could not imagine what she looked like.
Mingming thought that, since it was only a dream anyway, what harm was there in letting him feel her face? Interacting with such delicious food could at least help ease her craving.
So she propped herself up with her snake tail and leaned her face close to him.
“All right, Lu Wei. You can feel it, then.”
Back in the Wilderness of Eternal Night, she had rarely remained in human form, usually keeping her snake body while staying by his side.
Only after they reached the outer edge of the Wilderness, where the abyss at its center no longer disrupted magic as severely, had she been able to maintain a half-human form.
Lu Wei did not raise his hand. He merely said, “I already touched it just now. You have a round face.”
Mingming puffed out her cheeks and muttered, “How did I end up dreaming about you?”
“It is my dream that has you in it.” Lu Wei turned around and lit the candle inside the cave. Naturally, he had no need for light. This lamp was lit for Mingming’s sake.
Dragging her snake tail behind her, Mingming slithered over. She carefully studied the current Lu Wei. The appearance he wore now was the one he had a hundred years later.
Not long ago, he had looked at her with a cold face and mocked her. That brat… that jinx.
Thinking of it, Mingming poked Lu Wei in the shoulder as a form of protest.
“What is it?” Lu Wei caught the finger she had reached toward him with and asked softly.
His voice carried its usual gentleness. Tempered by a hundred years of growth, it now possessed a composed steadiness.
Mingming took advantage of the fact that they were in a dream and spoke without restraint. “You smell so good.”
Lu Wei’s curled fingers trembled slightly. “Is this another one of your tricks to tell me you like me?”
During the years they had spent in the Wilderness of Eternal Night, Mingming had always found new ways to tell him she liked him, after all, she had mistakenly believed he was the one she was meant to win over.
A straightforward snake demon like her knew nothing of subtlety or beating around the bush. She would simply grab Lu Wei’s sleeve and say bluntly, “Lu Wei, I really like you.”
“Smelling good is one thing. Liking someone is another.” Mingming licked her lips.
Lu Wei understood her gluttonous nature. Taking advantage of the fact that this was only a dream, he too became a little bolder.
“If you like it, then have a taste,” he said, leaning toward Mingming.
Mingming blinked and gave it some thought. ‘He’s right. It’s only a dream. Why can’t I have a little taste?’
Just two quick licks would not count as breaking her own rules.
Mingming lifted her head, preparing to brush lightly against Lu Wei’s cheek in a flash.
Only a connoisseur of the highest caliber like her knew that, on many creatures, the flesh of the cheeks, the part that moved while eating and speaking, was the most delicious.
But… Lu Wei hardly ever talked. His cheek muscles did not move much. Would they be less tasty?
No, no. She was only going to give him a lick to sample the flavor.
Pressing her lips together, Mingming temporarily halted her movement. A few strands of hair beside Lu Wei’s ear drifted across her face, as though enticing her to touch him, lick him, and devour him.
“Mingming, this is how humans kiss.” He cupped the back of Mingming’s head and leaned in, intending to teach this snake demon what intimacy meant to humans.
But in the very next instant, Mingming’s body suddenly plunged downward. The cave floor beneath them transformed into a bottomless abyss.
Just as it had a hundred years ago, she disappeared before his eyes.
“Ming…” he called her name, then leaped into the abyss after her.
Mingming felt her body suddenly falling.
In the end, she still had not gotten to taste Lu Wei. The feeling of wanting something yet being unable to have it gnawed at her, leaving her restless and even a little miserable.
But on the other side of the abyss came a cold summons. Someone was knocking on her door.
Leaving the dream took only an instant. Mingming rolled over and sat up.
She heard the knocking outside, followed by Lu Xuan’s indifferent voice.
“Second Miss Shen, have you finished reading Fundamentals of Immortal Arts last night?”
Mingming paid no attention to his voice. She bit her lip, lowered her head, raised a hand, and sank her teeth into the back of it.
Even her own skin was cold, utterly unlike the warmth that had radiated from Lu Wei. That supreme delicacy of the mortal world had slipped away right before her eyes.
Still drowsy, Mingming went to open the door for Lu Xuan. She stared at him, her expression calm.
Good.
As expected of the fated one the system had chosen for her.
The moment she caught the faint, bland scent clinging to him, the ravenous hunger that had swelled almost beyond her control in the dream subsided instantly.
“You…” Lu Xuan lowered his gaze to look at her, the fair, handsome face beneath it flushing slightly.
Having just awakened from that absurd dream, Mingming had no idea that her own face was burning red, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. Her expression carried an indescribable tenderness, though in truth, it was merely the appetite that had yet to fully subside.
“Hurry and wash up.” Lu Xuan pressed a hand against her face.
“All right,” Mingming replied.
“You didn’t dream about me last night, did you?” As if possessed, Lu Xuan found himself asking such a question.
Mingming lied through her teeth, coaxing him. “I did.”
“Ridiculous,” Lu Xuan said coldly.
Mingming had already calmed down. She closed the door, lowered her tranquil, mist-veiled eyes, and looked at the back of her hand.
Just now, her craving had become unbearable. After waking up, she had bitten her own hand. Now, two deep teeth marks marred the back of it, with blood faintly trickling down.
Legend had it that a snake consumed by greed would bite its own tail and eventually swallow even its own body.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Mingming thought that if she ever gave free rein to her desires, one day she might become something just as terrifying.
She slowly tied up her long hair and carefully fastened her hair ornaments, every movement precise and graceful.
Mingming approached every task before her with utmost seriousness, because only by focusing her attention elsewhere could she stop herself from constantly thinking about eating.
Once she had finished tidying herself up, she picked up Fundamentals of Immortal Arts from the table and began reading.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of li away, in Wentian City of the Western Region, someone else opened his eyes upon the jade bed at the center of the desolate immortal hall.
When Lu Wei opened his eyes, all he saw was darkness. The white silk still covered his eyes. It was the promise he had made to her.
For the first time since leaving the Wilderness of Eternal Night a hundred years ago, he had dreamed.
And, as expected, he had dreamed of her.
Her voice was as soft and gentle as it had always been. She still loved to eat. She still used that utterly emotionless tone to tell him that she liked him…
For the first time, he had wanted to indulge himself in front of her, to kiss her just once.
Yet the dream had been abruptly interrupted.
As Lord Wuya sat up, genuine human emotion appeared on his face for the first time.
A faint flush spread across his features, and even the corners of his lips, which were usually pressed into a cold line, curved upward ever so slightly.
He missed her so much.
After pondering for a moment in the great hall, Lord Wuya, who could not have his heart’s desire either in dreams or in waking life, summoned someone inside.
“The things meant for Lu Xuan, have they still not been delivered?”
“Not yet,” replied the cultivator in the hall. Lu Xuan had specifically instructed them that the items he used regularly could simply be sent to the Changxiao Palace when the time came. There was still some time before the Ascension Gathering at Changxiao Palace.
“Since he likes them, send him the portraits in his room as well,” Lu Wei said.
The cultivator in the hall: “…”
He was already cringing on behalf of the Young Lord.
“Make him see his own feelings clearly instead of spending all day mingling with the younger generation of the Shen Clan,” Lu Wei added before saying no more.
“In just one night, you’ve memorized it all. You’re not that dull after all.” Lu Xuan closed the book before him.
Mingming lifted her long lashes halfway to look at him and lazily nodded.
She really had no interest in reading the books in the study. The reason was simple. She had already read every one of them. As long as she wished, she could recall every word on their pages at any time.
A snake demon who had lived for thousands upon thousands of years possessed far too many memories. If she did not organize them this way, temporarily sealing away the older ones, she would not have enough mental focus left to suppress her appetite.
“And yet the Shen Clan claims your aptitude is only average?” Lu Xuan let out a soft chuckle.
“I’m going to find a senior cultivator for you. Once he arrives, we’ll see how well you’ve cultivated your spells.”
Looking at Mingming’s vacant expression, Lu Xuan even suspected that the only spell she knew was fire manipulation.
Mingming yawned. “Whatever you say.”
“Come with me to find him.” As Lu Xuan spoke, he transformed into a dark greenish-black snake and slithered onto Mingming’s shoulder.
“Madam Lan is looking for me,” Mingming said, too lazy to move.
“I can’t be too far away from you right now,” Lu Xuan replied.
“There might be a way.” Mingming turned her head and saw Lu Xuan resting his head on her shoulder.
If Lu Xuan had transformed into any other animal, she probably would not have had a solution.
But he had happened to turn into a snake.
No one understood snakes better than she did.
“If you stay in this form, you can move around on your own. You just won’t be able to change back into a human.” Mingming pressed lightly on Lu Xuan’s head, her fingertips brushing over his scales.
In an instant, Lu Xuan darted more than ten zhang away from her. He cautiously ventured even farther, yet found that he did not feel the slightest discomfort.
“Why?” he asked, raising the front half of his snake body outside the study.
Mingming rested her head atop a stack of books and tilted it as she answered him.
“Lu Xuan, snakes have no heart. What they have is merely an organ.”
After Lu Xuan temporarily left, Mingming did not remain idle. Madam Lan had prepared some gifts for her, ordinary magical artifacts and spiritual pills, and instructed Mingming to take them as an apology when she visited Shen Ji.
“You two are from the same clan. In the future, you should naturally help one another. This is only a temporary conflict.” Madam Lan patted the back of Mingming’s hand, gently coaxing her into apologizing to Shen Ji.
Mingming shook her head. She knew exactly what Shen Ji had done.
“If you go and apologize, I’ll allow you to attend the Ascension Gathering at Changxiao Palace as an independent cultivator,” Madam Lan promised.
Whatever Mingming wanted to do, Madam Lan could not stop her. But neither did Mingming want Madam Lan’s illness to flare up because of her again.
So she accepted the gifts and nodded.
Madam Lan smiled at her.
Carrying the gifts, Mingming made her way to the Shen Clan’s Medical Hall. The magical artifacts and spiritual pills were beneath Shen Ji’s notice.
But Madam Lan had told her to apologize, so she was determined to stuff the gifts into Shen Ji’s hands.
“Ninth Miss, Second Miss wants to see you.”
Inside the Shen Clan’s Medical Hall, Shen Ji was reclining on a couch. After several days of recuperation, her spirits had finally recovered. Yet whenever she recalled the look in Mingming’s eyes just before she had fallen into the water that day, she still felt both shocked and terrified.
‘How can a person have such a look in her eyes? She… she isn’t human at all! No… she must have used some kind of evil spell to frighten me!’
Over the past few days, Shen Ji had also heard the rumors spreading throughout the Shen Clan. There had been no way the conversations between Mingming and Madam Lan in Lan Pavilion could have escaped everyone’s ears.
Shen Ming must also want to attend the Ascension Gathering. But the Shen Clan only had three spots. If she squeezed Shen Ji out, wouldn’t she be able to enter the third round of the Ascension Gathering directly?
From an ordinary person’s perspective, Shen Ji’s speculation was not unreasonable. She had simply forgotten that she was the one who had mocked Madam Lan first that day.
So, upon hearing that Mingming had come, Shen Ji quickly perked up.
“I’m not seeing her. Tell her I’ve already reported this matter to Father. When the time comes, he won’t let Lan Pavilion off lightly.” Shen Ji turned over on the sickbed.
Outside the Medical Hall, Shen Ji’s attendant bowed to Mingming.
“Second Miss, Ninth Miss is unwilling to see you.”
Madam Lan’s status was low, and as a result, even the attendants spoke to Mingming with an air of arrogance.
Holding the gifts in one hand, Mingming nodded.
“Mm.”
“Then, Second Miss, please return…”
Just as the attendant was about to usher Mingming away, she took two steps forward, ignored him completely, and pushed open the door to the bamboo cottage where Shen Ji was recuperating.
“You!” The moment Shen Ji saw her, she jerked upright on the bed in alarm.
But the instant her gaze met Mingming’s, she gradually calmed down.
Because Mingming’s eyes were simply too gentle. The misty light within them seemed capable of soothing all hostility.
How could eyes like those have held such a terrifying gaze? She must have used some evil spell. She herself was nothing to fear!
Shen Ji glared at Mingming.
“Didn’t I tell you to leave?”
“I brought some gifts… as an apology.” Mingming set the items she was carrying onto the table.
Shen Ji swept everything off the table with one motion.
“You’re trying to fob me off with this worthless junk? Do you even know what you’ve done?”
“I’m about to attend the Ascension Gathering at Changxiao Palace. A few days ago, I heard that the renowned immortal Su Yu of Acacia Manor would be passing through Jinhe City of the Shen Clan. Father had already agreed to ask Master Su for a letter of introduction on my behalf so he could give me some guidance.”
“Master Su arrived in Jinhe today, and I still haven’t recovered. You’ve ruined the opportunity and destiny that was meant for me.”
Mingming: “…”
‘It’s that serious? Did you report it to the authorities?’
“Mm,” she replied.
After listening to Shen Ji’s long speech, that was all she said.
“You did it on purpose!” Shen Ji shouted.
“Are you still accepting the gifts?” Mingming bent down to pick up everything Madam Lan had prepared. This was her task, and she intended to complete it.
Seeing Mingming stoop over, Shen Ji suddenly had an idea. She let out a light snort and said brightly, “If you’re apologizing to me, shouldn’t you show a little sincerity?”
“I’ll dismiss all the servants now, so you won’t lose face. Kneel down and beg me, and I’ll accept this pile of junk.”
Mingming had just picked up the last box of spiritual pills from the floor. She tilted her head at Shen Ji and was just about to speak when a maid burst through the doorway.
“Ninth Miss, are you feeling better? M… Master Su has arrived at our Shen residence. He said he’s here to give guidance to the younger generation of the Shen Clan. The Family Head has asked you to hurry over.”