The Snake Clan’s settlement was located deep within a miasma-filled canyon.
A cave situated at the intersection of underground rivers served as the entrance to the tribe.
Looking into the bottomless cave, Ruan Fu felt a surge of nervousness and subconsciously gripped An Bei’s arm.
It wasn’t until they went inside that the luminescent moss covering the rock walls offered her a faint glimmer of light.
Only after passing through the cave did they fully enter the Snake Clan’s territory.
Miasma permeated the surroundings, and the sprawling branches of massive trees grew wildly, intertwining in the air to blot out the sky.
Ruan Fu obediently followed by An Bei’s side, drawing quite a few stares along the way.
An Bei stopped at the entrance of a particular cave.
He stepped forward and knocked on the door, which was fashioned from wooden slats.
Instantly, a pair of emerald eyes appeared through the only gap in the wood.
“I brought you the person you wanted,” An Bei said helplessly, stepping aside slightly to reveal Ruan Fu standing behind him.
“Can you finally eat something now?”
A soft scoff came from behind the door, followed by a voice.
“Fine, but I only want her to come in.”
“An Rui, don’t you think you’re pushing your luck?
If you’re so capable, then starve for the rest of your life!” An Bei frowned, his suppressed anger clearly reaching its limit as he roared.
But An Rui completely ignored him.
Instead, a loud CRASH echoed from inside as things were smashed.
An Bei’s expression grew even more unsightly, his clenched fists producing a sharp CRACK.
However, after a long moment, he yielded.
He turned his head to look at Ruan Fu, let out a long sigh, and said slowly, “It seems I’ll have to trouble you to talk some sense into him.”
Ruan Fu nodded.
She took a step forward, knocked on the door, and cleared her throat gently before speaking.
“It’s me, An Rui.
Can you let me in now?”
With a loud CREAK, the door opened.
An Rui stood at the entrance, gesturing for her to enter.
Just as An Bei prepared to follow her inside, An Rui blocked his path.
The next second, he slammed the door shut with a resounding BAM, leaving only the sound of An Bei’s furious shouts outside.
“PFFT.” Ruan Fu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
It was her first time seeing An Rui act like this, and she simply couldn’t hold it in.
A soft chuckle also came from above her.
Looking up, she found An Rui’s long, beautiful eyes fixed on her.
He didn’t look well; there were dark circles under his eyes, and his previously smooth, silky long hair was now a bit frizzy.
Yet, these very imperfections seemed to unleash a raw wildness within him, making him so devastatingly handsome that it was hard to look away.
“You…” Ruan Fu had barely uttered a single syllable before An Rui spoke over her.
“Let me look at you.
You aren’t hurt, are you?”
Ruan Fu shook her head but cooperatively did a spin in front of him.
“I’m really fine.
Do you believe me now?”
The moment her words fell, she was pulled into a warm, fervent embrace.
An Rui held her tightly.
With her cheek pressed against his chest, she could clearly hear every powerful beat of his heart.
Subconsciously, she wrapped her arms around his back.
Only after a long while did An Rui finally pull away.
He leaned down until they were eye level and reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
He lifted his gaze to look at her, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“It’s good that you’re fine.
As long as you’re fine.” His concern was completely unfiltered.
Ruan Fu tilted her small face upward, her misty brown eyes staring straight at him as her little hands gripped his clothes.
“Did you refuse to eat just so you could see me?”
Hearing her words, An Rui chuckled softly, his expression visibly relaxing.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out, smoothly pulling her back into his arms.
His large hand stroked her hair, but his tone carried an imperceptible trace of wicked teasing.
“Yes.
So, how are you going to reward me?”
“Huh?” Ruan Fu looked at him in confusion, but a split second later, his kisses descended upon her like a torrential storm.
Even though An Rui’s body was incredibly cold, his breath was exceptionally hot, as if ready to scorch every inch of skin it brushed past.
He seemed to have held back for a long time.
The kiss was so long and deep that she felt as though she might suffocate several times.
Frightened and wanting to escape, she instinctively leaned back, but An Rui held her firmly, demanding more.
He plundered her air and claimed every inch of her mouth, sending uncontrollable shudders down her spine.
When it finally ended, she leaned weakly against his chest, completely drained of energy, even though it had only been a kiss.
An Rui twirled her long hair around his fingertips, gently sniffing the skin behind her ear.
Suddenly, he spoke.
“Aside from my brother, you have the scent of another male on you.
Fufu, what have you been up to while we were apart?”
Ruan Fu subconsciously covered her neck.
“Are you a bloodhound?
How can you smell everything?”
An Rui let out a low laugh and lowered his head, pressing his lips to the back of her hand.
His dense, feather-light kisses brought about a tingling, numbing sensation.
“Let me rub against you a little more.
This way, my scent will rub off on you, and a piece of Fufu will belong to me, too.”
As the two flirted playfully, An Bei’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.
“Open up.
I brought food.”
In an instant, Ruan Fu’s body stiffened noticeably.
She subconsciously pushed against An Rui.
“Your brother is here.
Let me go, quickly.”
An Rui shook his head.
His slit pupils contracted into thin lines in the shadows.
The arm shackling Ruan Fu’s waist suddenly tightened, his pale fingertips nearly digging into her skin.
Below his waist, his body abruptly transformed into an emerald snake tail.
His emerald Snake Scales gleamed with an eerie light as the tip of his tail rose and effortlessly shattered the stone door.
Moonlight spilled into the cave like silver gauze, casting an exceptionally long shadow of An Bei as he stood in the doorway.
Taking in the scene inside, An Bei’s slit pupils instantly narrowed into fine lines.
SWISH!
A snake tail swept forward, tearing through the air with a piercing howl.
Ruan Fu subconsciously squeezed her eyes shut.
She felt the grip around her waist loosen, and in the next second, she was entirely enveloped by freezing cold Snake Scales.
When she opened her eyes again, she was already securely confined in An Bei’s arms.
Standing opposite them, An Rui’s arm—the very one that had just been holding her—was torn open, the flesh flayed.
Blood dripped down his fingertips, looking exceptionally gruesome.
Ruan Fu couldn’t help but gasp in shock, her hands subconsciously gripping An Bei’s arm.
“An Bei, he’s hurt!”
An Bei furrowed his brows, his expression grave.
An Rui could have easily dodged that, yet he took the blow head-on, allowing the barbed snake tail to slice through his skin.
The thought that he had done it on purpose caused An Bei’s hands to clench into fists at his sides.
His dark blue eyes could not hide his remorse.
“Why didn’t you dodge?” he asked, his voice hoarse and trembling slightly.
An Rui leaned against the rock wall and chuckled softly, his slit pupils narrowing into fine lines in a display of utter nonchalance.
“You were going to strike eventually.
Why bother dodging?”
He pushed himself up, his snake tail crushing over the loose rubble.
His emerald Snake Scales flaked off with a soft RUSTLE with his movements.
He finally stopped in front of them, reached down, and tore off his bloodstained hem to haphazardly bandage his wound.
Then, he lifted his gaze, looking straight into An Bei’s eyes as he enunciated every word.
“Brother, you know this.
I want her.”
An Bei’s pupils shrank abruptly, a layer of frost instantly forming over his ice-blue eyes.