Shen Yuanzhou was like a big block of ice, without a trace of warmth.
And Shen Yuanzhou especially liked to tuck Yan Yu’an into his arms, so much so that Yan Yu’an always felt something pressing against him.
Yan Yu’an lowered his eyes. It seemed he and this python had some past together.
But he didn’t take Shen Yuanzhou kissing him seriously. He just assumed Shen Yuanzhou kissing him was like how small animals marked their territory—trying to cover up Xie Ji’s scent on him.
He shifted his body, trying to pull himself out of Shen Yuanzhou’s embrace, but unexpectedly this only made Shen Yuanzhou hold him tighter.
As if sensing his movement, Shen Yuanzhou couldn’t help frowning.
Neither of them was wearing clothes. The only piece of covering was the animal hide wrapped around their lower halves.
Yan Yu’an sighed: And I was talking about making clothes—I don’t even know if I can get back…
The scorching breath Shen Yuanzhou exhaled seemed to be the only source of warmth Yan Yu’an could feel. He couldn’t help shrinking back a little.
“Cold?” Shen Yuanzhou asked softly, as if noticing Yan Yu’an was shivering a little.
Yan Yu’an stubbornly shook his head. It was almost May, actually, and the weather wasn’t really cold—it was just that Shen Yuanzhou’s body was truly icy, unnaturally icy.
“It’d be fine if you just let go of me.” Yan Yu’an sighed. At this rate, there was a good chance he’d catch a cold—and in this era, a cold could very well kill a person.
“Oh.”
Shen Yuanzhou seemed to know his body had no warmth, and he felt a little gloomy.
He released Yan Yu’an, and even shifted over a little. “How about this?” he said glumly. “If only I had fur.” Then I wouldn’t be freezing my Snake Queen… Shen Yuanzhou thought.
Sensing that the block of ice behind him had moved a little further away, Yan Yu’an let out a slight breath of relief.
“Do you have dry branches and stones here?” As if thinking of something, Yan Yu’an suddenly rolled over and said to Shen Yuanzhou.
The moment he rolled over, Yan Yu’an froze.
The man’s golden eyes were filled with complicated feelings toward Yan Yu’an.
In the instant Yan Yu’an turned to look at him, a trace of panic flashed swiftly through his eyes, then he became calm and collected again.
Expressionlessly, he brought the tip of his nose close to Yan Yu’an, then quickly licked Yan Yu’an’s lips.
Even this snake’s tongue was cold.
Yan Yu’an thought inappropriately.
Shen Yuanzhou’s eyes were full of desire. He looked deeply at Yan Yu’an, and as if thinking of something, a layer of red gradually rose on his pale face.
But Yan Yu’an didn’t think so much about it. Though he had indeed been dazed for a moment just now by Shen Yuanzhou’s striking appearance, he quickly snapped out of it and pretended nothing had happened.
“Yes.”
Shen Yuanzhou said softly. He sat up, raised his hand, and dry branches and stones appeared in his hands.
Yan Yu’an took them with no expression on his face, but in truth he was extremely surprised inside.
After successfully starting a fire, Yan Yu’an relaxed a little. He secretly glanced at Shen Yuanzhou, and seeing no reaction from him, his heart couldn’t help pounding.
Could it be that I taught Shen Yuanzhou before?
He thought inexplicably.
The night passed quickly. The next day, an unexpected person came to the cave.
“What are you doing here?” Shen Yuanzhou blocked Yan Yu’an behind him and looked sinisterly at the man who had intruded into his cave.
Ning Bingque glanced at Yan Yu’an and put on a surprised expression. “It’s you, little white fox.” As he spoke, he stepped forward. “What are you doing here?”
Shen Yuanzhou frowned impatiently. If it could be said that he could control anything in the forest, then Ning Bingque could claim the sky as his own.
He didn’t want to clash with Ning Bingque. The wound from that stupid lion’s bite last time still hadn’t fully healed. If it were just him alone, he would absolutely bite this dumb bird hard—but now Yan Yu’an was behind him, and he didn’t dare act rashly.
Seeing how Shen Yuanzhou protected Yan Yu’an like this, Ning Bingque’s curiosity about him grew even stronger. He wanted to see just what was so special about this little fellow that both the lion and the snake wanted to protect.
“I heard…” He deliberately slowed his tone. “That lion isn’t in the tribe.”
Yan Yu’an perked up completely. He carefully pricked up his ears, vainly hoping to learn from Ning Bingque’s mouth how Xie Ji was doing.
But Ning Bingque didn’t seem inclined to tell him. Yan Yu’an was a little disappointed—the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere in front of him inexplicably made him a bit afraid.
“If you don’t leave here right now…” Shen Yuanzhou’s mouth twisted into a cold smile. Without hesitation, he shifted back into snake form, hissing and flicking his tongue.
“I’m going, I’m going.” Ning Bingque raised both hands and took a step back. His gaze fell on Yan Yu’an, and that expression clearly said: poor Yan Yu’an. “I’ll leave, won’t I? I originally came to tell you a big secret about the lion, but… ah, forget it.”
He lowered his head, looking utterly pitiful.
“Wait!” Yan Yu’an poked his head out. “What secret?”
Shen Yuanzhou frowned. He gave Yan Yu’an an unobtrusive glance, feeling somewhat vexed inside.
Ning Bingque raised an eyebrow and, from an angle Yan Yu’an couldn’t see, smiled at Shen Yuanzhou. “That little lion is a half-baked one with only a single ability.”
He’d expected to see a surprised expression on Shen Yuanzhou’s face, but it seemed only Yan Yu’an was surprised. Shen Yuanzhou’s ever-unchanging ice-block face still showed no expression at all.
Seeing this, Ning Bingque was a little disappointed.
“Oh.”
Shen Yuanzhou said in a low voice: “You only just found out? That guy has never used a second skill in front of us.” It was rare for Shen Yuanzhou to say so much. A mocking smile curved at the corner of his mouth. He’d suspected Xie Ji long ago—now this dumb bird had confirmed it.
Yan Yu’an: “…”
Why hadn’t Xie Ji ever told him this? Yan Yu’an thought this was bad. If Xie Ji really only had one ability, then he might never get out of here in this lifetime.
“Wait!” Ning Bingque grew a little anxious. “You already knew?!” He looked at Shen Yuanzhou in disbelief, his eyes full of shock.
Obviously…
Though Shen Yuanzhou didn’t say it, Ning Bingque immediately read the meaning in Shen Yuanzhou’s eyes. Even with the best disguise, Ning Bingque couldn’t hold it in anymore. He furiously kicked the pebbles that had fallen by his feet, staring at Shen Yuanzhou with venomous hatred.
Yan Yu’an’s heart tightened at his gaze, and he took a step back in some fear. He remembered Xie Ji had said before that Ning Bingque only knew how to use underhanded tricks…
As if realizing something, Ning Bingque abruptly withdrew his gaze from Shen Yuanzhou. He slowly curved his lips and revealed a frail smile. “Seems I was worrying over nothing.”
Yan Yu’an now understood why Xie Ji was so resistant to him having contact with Ning Bingque.
This person was simply too good at disguise. If Yan Yu’an hadn’t seen his expression just now, he might still be thinking that Ning Bingque was just an innocent flying bird, and that Xie Ji and Shen Yuanzhou had misunderstood him.
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