They had just run out from under Little Crow’s relentless pursuit – to be precise, the Spirit Serpent had nimbly dodged Little Crow’s attacks while Ye Yang coordinated and slammed the door shut. They were now standing at Shen Ming’s doorstep.
The Spirit Serpent’s answer was no different from the previous times. “Sigh, why do you keep asking? It’s not as complicated as you think. That little bird’s body just wasn’t used to the sudden infusion of divine power. It got scared, that’s all. A stress reaction.”
Recalling Little Crow’s incessant scolding, Ye Yang stroked his chin thoughtfully, unable to agree. “It didn’t seem like just being scared.”
The Spirit Serpent’s large black tail slapped the ground, then pushed against Ye Yang’s back, nudging him toward the kitchen. “Alright, alright, you’ve got the Sichuan peppercorns now, right? Hurry up, hurry up, I’m starving.”
Forcibly propelled into the kitchen, Ye Yang stared for a while at the serpent’s retreating back. At first glance, it looked perfectly normal, but looking closer, there was a hint of panic. His eyes suddenly narrowed. He shouldn’t have asked the Spirit Serpent in the first place.
…
After dinner, the two of them and the snake rested briefly on the sofa. When the sky outside darkened, they simultaneously stood up and went out for a walk.
Since Ye Yang and Shen Ming had become more familiar, they often went on walks together. For some reason, with Ye Yang’s company, Shen Ming dared to go to the park even during the busiest evening hours.
With Ye Yang around, no strangers would strike up a conversation with Shen Ming. The elderly folks in the neighborhood all preferred talking to Ye Yang anyway.
What a lovely child. Even though he was also introverted and shy, he answered any question clearly. When something came up, he could even help call the police from the nearby security booth.
But when Ye Yang wasn’t around, Shen Ming still preferred to take his walks after midnight.
Last winter had been too cold, and now it was early spring. The temperature was still a bit chilly, but all things were beginning to grow. There were many more insects and birds in the park. The ever-energetic Spirit Serpent couldn’t contain itself any longer and had already slithered off into the grass.
They had come out late today. By the time they reached the center of the park, there was hardly anyone left. Only Ye Yang and Shen Ming walked side by side on the shaded path.
Ye Yang suddenly spoke up. “Teacher Shen, can you tell me exactly how you saved Little Crow? You saved him, but he’s always been hostile toward you. I need to have a word with him.”
Sure enough, Shen Ming was the one who couldn’t lie at all. The moment Ye Yang asked, he became visibly flustered. Although his expression remained cold, his hands and feet were no longer in sync.
After a long moment, he finally dared to glance at Ye Yang. Meeting Ye Yang’s direct, unwavering gaze, he immediately looked away – inconspicuously, yet very conspicuously.
“S-Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt Little Crow.”
Ye Yang raised an eyebrow. He had just been bluffing a little, but had he actually gotten something?
“What happened exactly? Can you tell me about it?”
Ye Yang knew Shen Ming wouldn’t attack Little Crow without reason. Sure enough, after organizing his words, Shen Ming told Ye Yang: He had sensed that Ye Yang was in danger. He burst into Ye Yang’s apartment and saw that Ye Yang’s demonic energy and life force were both being absorbed by Little Crow. His first reaction was to slap the little bird flying across the room.
But soon, as the channel of power between Ye Yang and Little Crow was severed, Shen Ming realized something was wrong. Little Crow was innocent. It was just an ordinary bird. The actual cause of Ye Yang’s danger was a force that had appeared out of nowhere.
However, Shen Ming had been forcibly awakened from his slumber and couldn’t stay conscious for long. He could only pour divine power into saving Little Crow, whom he had nearly beaten to death, then send Ye Yang, who was already out of danger, back to his bedroom. He didn’t have the energy to investigate further.
“So that’s what happened.” Ye Yang looked thoughtful. “No wonder Little Crow was upset. But it wasn’t Teacher Shen’s fault. You don’t need to apologize.”
The Spirit Serpent had slithered back at some point. Ye Yang tapped its head. “You’re the one who should apologize.”
The Spirit Serpent twisted its body into a very strange shape and apologized sheepishly. “I lied. Sorry, Little Rabbit… I didn’t want to tell you all that anyway. Besides, I hate that little bird too.”
Ye Yang was taken aback. “You hate Little Crow? Why?”
“Because I just do! Ever since that little bird showed up, you won’t even let me in the door!”
“That’s because you two start fighting the moment you see each other,” Ye Yang mumbled.
The Spirit Serpent’s eyes widened. “So it’s my fault?!”
“Oh, that’s not what I meant. He’s just a little bird. He can’t possibly beat you, Great Serpent. You could crush him with one slap. Just cut him some slack.”
The Spirit Serpent suspected Ye Yang was being sarcastic, and it had evidence. This was unacceptable. It needed to hash things out properly.
Ye Yang looked at Shen Ming on one side, then at the Spirit Serpent on the other. One was silent, one had endless things to say. One was introverted, one was extroverted. One disliked trouble, the other was always stirring it up…
Something felt off.
“Speaking of which, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a long time, but I’ve never had the chance.” Ye Yang observed Shen Ming. Seeing that he seemed relatively calm, he continued, addressing the Spirit Serpent. “Teacher Shen and you – you should be one and the same, right? Your thoughts should be his thoughts. What you do is what he does…”
“But you’ve always been so different.” The difference between this turtle and this snake was so great that Ye Yang often rudely wondered if Shen Ming had lived so long that he’d developed a split personality, or multiple personalities…
Shen Ming grew even more silent. The Spirit Serpent flicked its tongue and nearly laughed out loud. “You finally noticed? You’re absolutely right, we are one and the same. We’re identical, no difference at all! That’s why I say Shen Ming is a pretentious, arrogant fool! Little Rabbit, please see clearly. Don’t be fooled by his appearance anymore!” In its excitement, the serpent practically shrieked into Ye Yang’s ear.
“But, but… Teacher Shen really doesn’t seem like the type to get into a rivalry with a little crow…” Ye Yang turned to look at Shen Ming.
The Spirit Serpent’s head shot up, its large eyes pressing right into Ye Yang’s face. “Little Rabbit, what are you implying?! In your eyes, Shen Ming is a good person, and I’m the villain, is that it? (〝▼皿▼)”
Ye Yang leaned back, almost falling onto Shen Ming. “That’s not what I meant.” It’s just that you’re childish. Of course, he didn’t dare say the second half out loud.
The Spirit Serpent snorted. “I told you a long time ago, don’t think too well of Shen Ming. He’s a great actor. I’m the real one.”
“But you lied about the Little Crow thing two… three times.”
“Eh? Well… real isn’t the same as honest. That just proves Shen Ming is exactly that kind of person. No problem there!” The Spirit Serpent nodded to itself in self-affirmation.
The more the Spirit Serpent spoke, the more Shen Ming shrank back. Eventually, not only had his naturally tall stature nearly curled into a ball, but he had also almost disappeared into the shrubbery.
It was the first time Ye Yang had seen him look so flustered.
Ye Yang still felt like something was off, but the Spirit Serpent had said so much, and Shen Ming didn’t contradict any of it…
The atmosphere grew awkward. After a long moment, Ye Yang licked his dry lower lip and tried to smooth things over. “Alright, regardless of anything else, Teacher Shen saved both me and Little Crow. If it weren’t for you, we’d both be dead. Thank you, Teacher Shen.” As for the issues between Shen Ming and the serpent, that wasn’t his concern anyway.
“I’ll explain things clearly to Little Crow when I get back. Don’t worry, he definitely won’t peck you again next time you meet.”
A weight suddenly landed on his back. The Spirit Serpent had latched on. Ye Yang sighed helplessly. “I know, I know, you too.” But inwardly, he couldn’t help grumbling. I thought you hated Little Crow? Now you don’t? In terms of saying one thing and meaning another, the Spirit Serpent and Shen Ming were no different.
—
In order to earn enough credits to graduate early, Ye Yang had loaded up on courses in the second semester of his freshman year. He spent most of his time rushing between classrooms, and even Li Chanyi found it exhausting to watch.
After nearly a year of living together, the three seniors in his dormitory had gradually relaxed. They no longer stayed in the dorm every night, nor did they worry about Ye Yang running into trouble when they weren’t there.
Ye Yang was very well-behaved – even more law-abiding than humans. He had high moral standards and a good personality. He simply didn’t need them to worry about him. And if there was something that truly needed attention, it wasn’t something they could handle anyway. That was Shen Ming’s domain.
Zhuang Li even remarked that their assignment had been incredibly worthwhile.
Although they didn’t live in the dorm full-time, most of the time they still acted like regular students. After all, they had come to university to be students.
The only exception was the eldest, Shen Xiujun. He hadn’t been seen even once since the semester started over a month ago. Neither Qin Zhi nor Zhuang Li knew why.
One day in mid-April, Ye Yang woke up in the morning and suddenly noticed Shen Xiujun sitting at his own desk. On the floor was a basin of water, and Shen Xiujun was bent over, wringing out a towel.
“Big Brother?” Ye Yang called out in surprise.
Shen Xiujun looked up and smiled, nearly startling Ye Yang.
His face was covered in grime and blood – black, dark red, and purple. His features were barely recognizable.
Ye Yang quickly scrambled out of bed. “What happened to you?” He reached out, ready to heal.
Shen Xiujun waved his hand hurriedly. “I was on a mission. It’s fine. None of this blood is mine.”
The other two roommates had also been woken up. They each poked their heads out from their top bunks.
Qin Zhi chuckled. “What’ve you been up to, getting so filthy? Mining coal?”
Shen Xiujun couldn’t be bothered to respond. Silently, he soaked the towel again, then slapped it over his face with a loud smack, scrubbing hard.
Zhuang Li only lifted his head for a look. Seeing that Shen Xiujun was fine, he immediately flopped back down. “…zzZ” He was asleep in seconds. He had gone to the club for training yesterday afternoon and hadn’t returned until early morning.
It was still early. Ye Yang pulled a few large meat buns out of his storage space (his original body’s storage) and drew a heating array on the desk.
As an aquatic creature, when he used fire-attribute spells or arrays, the same amount of demonic energy input produced greatly diminished power – not enough to hurt a human or a demon. But heating up cold buns? Perfectly adequate.
He handed the buns to Qin Zhi and Shen Xiujun, who were already up. Qin Zhi took one, immediately bit into it, and sighed with satisfaction. “No matter how many times I see it, I still think you demons are incredibly convenient.” Even as a gifted sword cultivator at the early Foundation Establishment stage, Qin Zhi wouldn’t dare waste his spiritual energy like that.
Shen Xiujun freed one clean hand, took the bun, and set it on the table first. He nodded to Ye Yang. “Thanks.”
Ye Yang held a bun of his own. As he ate, he asked, “Brother Shen, have you been doing missions this whole past month?”
“Don’t even mention it,” Shen Xiujun said, his face full of irritation. “Not just over a month. I didn’t even get to properly celebrate the New Year! Yesterday, I finally thought I had the net closed, but that bastard still got away!”
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