In truth, facing such a stubborn Leng Xuelang, Jiu Yi found herself somewhat at a loss regarding how to handle her.
Mainly, Leng Xuelang was entirely different from other Omegas, and she was particularly prone to throwing tantrums right in front of her, which was something Jiu Yi couldn’t comprehend.
In the original book, Leng Xuelang was the male lead’s white moonlight substitute. The system had also stated early on that she was fragile, pitiful, and a hopeless romantic who never dared to resist when things went wrong. In other words, she was akin to a delicate dodder flower, frail and entirely dependent on others to survive.
That was precisely why she had suffered so terribly later in the plot.
The original Leng Xuelang had endured unimaginable hardships before finally waking up, which was deeply heartbreaking to read about.
But this current Leng Xuelang… from the moment Jiu Yi first encountered her, she had noticed something off. Forget a dodder flower, she was more like a fierce, thorny blossom, pushing people into corners where they couldn’t even find a way out.
【Host, are you really going to ignore her? Truly just walking away like this? There isn’t much time left for you to complete the mission.】
The system was worried sick. It knew its host’s temperament well, she was absolutely not one to be crossed, and her word was final. Having just clashed with the female lead like that, she would undoubtedly leave.
“She won’t die.”
【Omegas are very fragile. She really might die.】
“She was shouting with so much energy just now. Die? Stop cursing her.”
【But… you keep rejecting her like this, and you even mentioned bringing your nephew back to mark her. If I were her, I wouldn’t be happy hearing that either, boohoo.】
“She needs a marking but doesn’t want me to do it. I can only find the person she prefers, which would have to be my nephew. Is there something wrong with that logic?”
Moreover, she didn’t actually intend to summon Si Yining. She merely wanted to gauge Leng Xuelang’s true feelings toward him so she could plan her next steps accordingly.
She hadn’t expected the system to misunderstand as well.
【Wrong! Completely wrong!】
“Awooo!!”
Just as the system was attempting to reason with its host, a terrifying sound suddenly echoed through the mountains, the distinct roar of a bear.
【Oh my god, Host, there’s a bear here!】
Jiu Yi pondered for a brief moment before she could only turn back to find Leng Xuelang. Marking or not was one issue, but human life was on the line.
They still hadn’t figured out what that gunshot from earlier was about. She couldn’t let Leng Xuelang face any more danger.
But when she returned to the spot where Leng Xuelang had been, she found both her and the bodyguards she had assigned to stay behind were gone. The only thing left was a black venomous snake hanging from a tree. Seeing Jiu Yi approach, it immediately hissed viciously, looking incredibly menacing.
Jiu Yi found it annoying just to look at. She pinned it by its vitals in one swift motion and tossed it onto the snowy ground. “Lead the way.”
【Huh? Host, it knows the way?】
“If it doesn’t, I’ll just slaughter it.”
“Hiss, hiss…”
The black snake was utterly terrified. It couldn’t understand how a seemingly weak, sickly human could command it so easily.
Crucially, it found itself entirely unable to resist, much to its bitter resentment!
Fortunately, Leng Xuelang hadn’t been gone for long. She was currently feeling dizzy and disoriented, making it difficult to walk fast. Added to that were several bodyguards surrounding her whom she couldn’t shake off no matter what. She walked while weeping silently, refusing to utter a word.
The bodyguards looked at each other in sheer helplessness. They desperately wanted to just knock her out and carry her back because these mountains were genuinely dangerous, there were bears.
Yet, Leng Xuelang exuded an aura that screamed “do not approach.” Even though she was an Omega and appeared completely unarmed, they didn’t dare to step out of line and could only follow at a moderate distance.
Everything had been going relatively smoothly, and they figured they would eventually find an opportunity to bring her back.
But they had underestimated Leng Xuelang’s abilities. A sudden gust of freezing wind blew past, bringing a thick wave of cold mist that completely obstructed their vision. When they blinked… the large figure of Leng Xuelang had vanished entirely from before their eyes.
“Where is she?”
“Gone? How is that possible?”
“Heavens, how are we going to explain this to Director Jiu?”
“Awooo!!”
At that exact moment, another bear roar echoed from a distance, sounding incredibly frightening. The bodyguards stared at the spot where Leng Xuelang had vanished, utterly unsure of how to react.
It was precisely then that Jiu Yi arrived at their location. Seeing no sign of Leng Xuelang, her gaze darkened instantly. “Where is she?”
“Director Jiu, we are so sorry… we lost her.”
“Go search immediately.” Hearing their words, Jiu Yi didn’t press for details, simply commanding them to find her at once while ordering the snake to guide her.
Receiving her orders, the bodyguards split up immediately to begin their search, fully aware that the situation had become critical.
“If you can’t find her within fifteen minutes, return and leave immediately,” Jiu Yi added another instruction.
The bodyguards felt a chill run through their hearts. Shouting their compliance, they began filtering out in different directions.
Jiu Yi also surged the snake to hurry and lead the way, terrified that Leng Xuelang might encounter something terrible in the mountains. If she ran into a bear, neither of them would survive.
Even the system grew incredibly tense.
It constantly scanned for Leng Xuelang’s location, barely stopping for a single second.
Finally, it managed to track her down, located not far away in the two o’clock direction.
【Host, hurry over! Ahhh! She’s right there!】 As it spoke, it projected a 3D holographic map directly into her mind, urging her to move.
Jiu Yi quickened her pace. The weather was turning increasingly frigid, and the snow was picking up. She hadn’t brought an umbrella, and her legs were becoming less responsive, which the system found painful to watch.
Though it knew its host was incredibly strong, she was currently a disabled individual suffering from poison. How could she push herself so hard?
But saying anything now was entirely useless; they needed to find Leng Xuelang first.
Five minutes later, Jiu Yi finally found Leng Xuelang. Seeing her thin frame covered in snow was an incredibly painful sight.
She called out to stop her. “Leng Xuelang, stop. Come back with me.”
Hearing her voice, Leng Xuelang didn’t even turn around. Instead, she quickened her steps, her posture treating Jiu Yi like a plague, which practically made Jiu Yi laugh out of sheer exasperation.
Jiu Yi stopped wasting words. Taking a few strides forward, she gripped her by the shoulder and firmly pinned her against a tree with a surge of force. “Come back with me.”
Leng Xuelang’s face was already drenched in tears. She didn’t say a word, opening her mouth to bite straight toward Jiu Yi’s face.
Jiu Yi dodged, pinching her cheeks to grind her teeth slightly. “They’re so blunt and you still want to bite someone? Aren’t you afraid of breaking your own teeth?”
“What do you care! Let go of me right now!” Leng Xuelang exerted silent strength trying to push her away, utterly refusing to compromise.
“There are bears in these mountains, didn’t you hear?” Jiu Yi let her struggle fruitlessly, simply informing her of the reality.
Leng Xuelang acted as if she hadn’t heard. Unable to overpower her grip, she tried to bite her again. This time, Jiu Yi didn’t dodge, merely tilting her chin slightly to let her bite.
She had finally figured it out, if Leng Xuelang held any anger, she absolutely had to vent it on the spot without letting herself suffer any grievance.
Jiu Yi sighed. A sharp sting accompanying a faint metallic taste came from her jaw, it had likely been bitten open. Lowering her gaze to look at her. “Calm down now?”
“No. Let go of me, I’ll walk by myself.” She still struggled fiercely, crying and making a scene, throwing a tantrum without a single hint of compliance.
Jiu Yi seemed to lose her patience. She suddenly brought her down onto the snow, grabbing her collar to lift her face up. Staring down at her, her tone turned incredibly sharp. “Are you coming or not?”
In this position, Leng Xuelang couldn’t exert any strength at all, but her serpentine tail wrapped tightly around Jiu Yi, entirely refusing to let go.
Jiu Yi felt that suffocating, constricting sensation of being entangled again. Combined with the biting cold in the air, she found herself unable to sustain her strength. Tilting her head, she coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the snow beside them. A few droplets of blood splattered onto Leng Xuelang’s face and the back of her hand.
It was intensely hot, causing Leng Xuelang to freeze instantly.
“You!”
“If I keep wasting time out here with you, I might truly die in this place.”
Jiu Yi was utterly exhausted. She felt the severe side effects of the temporary antidote starting to flare up. Coupled with that cough of blood, she could no longer sustain herself, collapsing directly onto Leng Xuelang and quietly wrapping her arms around her.
“Let me rest for a moment.” Leng Xuelang couldn’t bring herself to push her away. She seemed somewhat dazed, entirely unsure of what to say.
After resting for just a brief moment, she felt the body heat rapidly draining from Jiu Yi. Not only that, but her breathing seemed to have stopped entirely, sending a wave of panic through her. “Si Jiu Yi!”
There was no response.
Lifting her head to look at her face, she found it completely flushed, and the blood on her lips was jarringly painful to look at.
“Si Jiu Yi, get up right now! ” Leng Xuelang slapped her shoulder a few times. Seeing her remain entirely motionless while her back shielded her from the wind and snow, her eyes grew hot with unshed tears.
“Hiss, hiss…”
The black snake that had followed Jiu Yi over still remembered how she had mistreated it. It was incredibly vengeful.
Seeing Jiu Yi seemingly unconscious, it slithered over immediately, wanting to deliver a venomous bite to her leg to end her life permanently.
Leng Xuelang cast a glare at it. The black snake halted instantly, though it still hissed in protest.
“Get lost!”
【Host, Host! Wake up! Wake up quickly!】 The system could care less about anything else now. This romance mission was truly going to claim a life!
Jiu Yi was actually only in a brief state of unconsciousness. Her battle tested survival instincts made it impossible for her to remain down for long in a place like this. Moreover, she seemed to catch the scent of a bear, meaning they couldn’t stay a moment longer and had to leave immediately.
She regained consciousness very quickly, only to see Leng Xuelang exerting immense effort to push her off. Jiu Yi was practically amused by the sheer absurdity of it. “Do you have any conscience at all?”
“You’re about to suffocate me.” Leng Xuelang’s nose turned red with emotion. She threw a punch at Jiu Yi’s shoulder, her tears falling once more.
“What? Are you trying to use this as an excuse to request sick leave from work?” Jiu Yi still managed to get up from her body. She took off her coat to drape it over Leng Xuelang, then pulled her onto her back. Her walking stick could no longer be used, so she had Leng Xuelang hold it for her.
Leng Xuelang hadn’t expected her to carry her on her back, and her legs seemed perfectly fine now. Instantly realizing something, she blurted out without hesitation that Jiu Yi was a “liar.”
“Yes, yes, I’m a liar.” Jiu Yi didn’t bother to explain, carrying her steadily step by step through the heavy snow that blanketed them both.
Leng Xuelang quieted down on her back. She stared at the translucent, pale gland on the back of Jiu Yi’s neck, which was somewhat swollen and oddly alluring.
She couldn’t resist opening her mouth to bite down hard on it, wanting to reverse-mark her.
Jiu Yi: ?
“You certainly know how to play.” Jiu Yi didn’t stop her, merely glancing sideways at her, only to have Leng Xuelang bite her lips hard next, as if trying to tear a piece of flesh off.
Jiu Yi winced from the pain but didn’t pull away, letting her vent her frustration. Leng Xuelang, disarmed by her total compliance, gradually lost her temper. She stopped biting, changing her action to gently sucking on the wound she had caused on Jiu Yi’s lips, determined to make her feel uncomfortable.
The two of them shared an awkward kiss on the move for a short while before Jiu Yi finally forced her to stop, uttering a single word. “Dirty.”
Leng Xuelang’s face flushed crimson. She buried her face into the crook of Jiu Yi’s neck for a long moment before she seemed to compose herself.
Looking down, she noticed the handle of the walking stick was carved into the shape of a lifelike eagle. Snakes despised eagles above all else. She couldn’t help but ask. “Why is this carved on your walking stick?”
“You even want to control what’s carved on my walking stick?”
Jiu Yi could hear the disdain in her voice and found her incredibly baffling. But since the path back still required some distance, she could only converse with her to prevent them both from succumbing to hypothermia.
“It’s hideous. What kind of taste is this?” It was a tone filled with pure judgment.
“This was a birthday gift from Aino. She personally commissioned someone to custom-make it, and it’s the only one of its kind. How is it hideous?”
“Precious doesn’t mean it isn’t ugly,” Leng Xuelang maintained her stance resolutely.
Jiu Yi stopped talking, feeling that she was just deliberately picking a fight, and she had no energy to deal with it.
She chose to stop explaining altogether.
“I genuinely think it doesn’t look good. I’m not nitpicking on purpose,” Leng Xuelang continued to speak to herself upon seeing Jiu Yi’s silence, which she took as indifference.
Jiu Yi still remained silent, waiting to see what else she had to say.
“How about… I give you a new one, okay?” Leng Xuelang finally revealed her true intention.
“If I remember correctly, you barely just graduated from university and your family is quite impoverished, right? What are you gifting anything for?” Jiu Yi spoke with zero politeness. “I’m your boss. What is your reason for treating your boss so well?”
“Never empathize with a capitalist.”
Leng Xuelang felt incredibly annoyed by her slightly mocking and helpless words. Her temper was indeed quite foul right now, and she had zero interest in acting like some fragile white flower. She directly threw the walking stick in her hand onto the snow, completely dropping her act.
Jiu Yi: ?
She didn’t make her pick it up either. Instead, she looked at the black snake that had been trailing them all this time, giving it a sharp glare to command it to fetch it back.
Black snake: “?”
Jiu Yi locked eyes with it, refusing to yield an inch, her presence radiating immense pressure.
Black snake: ?
In the end, it didn’t even dare to glance at Leng Xuelang, complying with Jiu Yi’s intent by dragging the walking stick back and continuing to follow them.
“You’re quite something, being able to communicate with a snake and make it do your bidding,” Leng Xuelang remarked with a hint of sarcasm, making it clear she truly didn’t look kindly upon Jiu Yi.
“Wasn’t I driven to this by you?” Jiu Yi bickered with her while carrying her forward, acting as though that tender, bloody kiss from earlier had never happened.