The footsteps were getting closer.
"Shit shit shit!" Lianhua hissed, eyes darting around wildly. Then she spotted it—a rock. Not just any rock, but a giant, goddess-gifted, heavenly boulder.
It was massive, weathered with age, moss-covered and cracked—big enough to hide six grown men doing backflips. Her eyes widened.
"Wow. What a rock."
Without wasting a breath, she bolted and dove behind it, flattening herself like a pancake against its cool, stony surface. She panted quietly, gripping her basket like it was sacred.
And then—it happened.
Right before her very eyes, the majestic, terrifying Yínyǎn Tengshe vanished.
Poof. No swirling smoke, no dramatic effect. It was just… gone.
"What the fuck? Where'd it go?" she whispered furiously. "System! The beast! The creature! The giant winged noodle! It disappeared!"
[Oh. Host, minor detail I may have forgotten to mention…]
"Don't you DARE say 'minor detail.'"
[According to unofficial, and I repeat unofficial, records from a long-lost dynasty before the Ping Dynasty, the Yínyǎn Tengshe possesses the ability to shrink its size at will. It's how it survived extinction all these centuries.]
"You're saying…" she trailed off, slowly looking down.
And there it was.
A snake.
Small-ish. Still bigger than a normal snake, sure—but not death-by-silver-eyes size.
And yet…
The snake slithered up to her casually and stopped, tilting its head to the side as if to judge her entire bloodline.
"Holy shit. That's you?" she whispered.
The creature blinked once, unimpressed, then elegantly coiled itself beside her, completely ignoring her intense, stunned gaze.
"And now it's HIDING behind the rock with me? Are we both fugitives now?" she muttered.
[Apparently, yes.]
She shifted uncomfortably. "System, I really, really feel like I'm sitting on something hot—OH MY GOD, is it right beside me?! Why is it touching me?!"
She tried scooting over a few inches, but the Tengshe simply slid closer, unbothered, its silver eyes now casually watching the cave entrance with her.
"Where's the drama? The mythical aura? Isn't it supposed to have, like, majestic horns or a mystical face? What is this snake-cat behavior?"
The system sighed loudly.
[I'm beginning to regret binding with you.]
"Yeah, join the club."
From their hiding spot, both snake and woman watched the group of intruders enter the cave.
Five figures stepped into view, all young cultivators in matching robes—embroidered with the cloud-and-sword emblem of the Qingxue Sword Academy. Their steps were light, their expressions sharp. The leader, a young woman, walked at the front with her hand resting on the hilt of her curved blade.
Lianhua peeked carefully from behind the rock, blinking in mild awe.
"Woah. Senior sister looks expensive."
The woman had a commanding presence—her long black hair was tied high, her posture rigid, her brows pinched in frustration. There was a trace of beauty in her cold expression, but it was overshadowed by the intensity of her gaze.
The Tengshe, however, noticed her immediately.
Its eyes narrowed.
This one again.
"Senior Sister Zhao Feiyan, there's no sign of the silver-eyed creature here," said a younger male disciple in a sickly sweet tone. "Maybe your information was wrong…"
Zhao Feiyan didn't respond immediately. Her lips thinned. Her hand gripped her sword tighter, the knuckles whitening.
Lianhua watched, entranced. "System, tell me everything. Who's she? Why's she so mad?"
[Zhao Feiyan. Genius cultivator of the Qingxue Sword Academy. Recently promoted to core disciple. Ambitious. Deadly. And currently obsessed with acquiring a spiritual beast.]
"Oh damn," Lianhua muttered.
The snake beside her hissed lowly, almost like a scoff.
Zhao Feiyan scanned the cave's glowing interior. Her mind was racing.
It had been weeks since she encountered that creature—just a glimpse of it deep within a forest. That brief moment had consumed her every waking thought. She searched archives, interrogated old cultivators, and finally learned a name:
Yínyǎn Tengshe.
But the Ping Dynasty's official records held no real information. Just a name and a half-erased sketch.
Still, if she could find it, tame it—claim it as her own spiritual beast—her status in the Zhao Clan would soar. At the academy, she would no longer be a prodigy. She would become a legend.
"We're not leaving until we search every inch," she said coldly.
"Senior Sister," one of the junior disciples stammered, "perhaps it's just a myth—"
"Do you doubt me?" Her sharp tone cut him off.
"N-no!"
Lianhua whispered, "Yikes. She's intense."
The snake beside her gave a low rumble of disapproval. Not quite a growl. More like an annoyed cat.
Feiyan walked forward, examining the cave walls. She reached out, tracing the moss with a gloved hand, then stopped. Her eyes narrowed on the rock Lianhua and the snake were hiding behind.
Lianhua's entire body froze.
She held her breath.
Even the Tengshe stilled.
Feiyan tilted her head… then turned away.
"Nothing," she muttered, and turned to her team. "Split up. Check every corner."
"Yes, Senior Sister!"
As the students dispersed, Lianhua slumped in relief.
The snake beside her tilted its head again, as if saying, Really? That's your level of stealth?
Lianhua glared. "Look, I'm not the one with ancient camouflage powers. You're welcome for the rock."
The snake flicked its tail, insulted.
"Whatever. Just don't rat me out."
And so, under the weight of stone, secrets, and silent gazes, the snake and the woman waited. For now, allies by circumstance.
Lianhua's breath was coming in quiet bursts. Sweat slid down her spine as Zhao Feiyan's group spread out, combing the glowing cave with careful, practiced movements.
Her back was still pressed against the giant rock, her body tense as a coiled spring. Beside her, the Yínyǎn Tengshe lay still—too still.
She dared not move, barely even blinked.
But then—
[Host.]
"Don't," she whispered internally.
[Host.]
"I swear, System, if you snitch on me—"
[Relax. I've activated temporary invisibility. You and the Yínyǎn Tengshe are now undetectable to all cultivators below Level 30.]
"What?! You can do that?"
[Of course. I just enjoy watching you panic first.]
She rolled her eyes and let out a shaky exhale. Slowly, she allowed herself to glance down at the ancient beast coiled beside her. It hadn't moved either, but now, its silver eyes were studying her face with unreadable depth.
"Hey… uh… noodle," she muttered. "You feeling as anxious as I am?"
The snake blinked. Then, to her complete shock, it slithered closer—much closer—until it rested half its long body across her legs and coiled the rest snugly around her side. It was surprisingly warm. Heavy, too.
"Excuse me?? Consent? Hello?"
The creature gave her a low, guttural rumble that didn't sound hostile… more like resigned companionship.
[Congratulations, Host. You have formed the first stage of affinity bond with Yínyǎn Tengshe.]
"What? Are you serious?! That fast? I didn't even do anything!"
[Incorrect. You shared a rock.]
"…You mean to tell me all I needed to do was hide behind a rock with a dangerous mythological creature to form a spiritual bond? What in the fake-Xianxia nonsense is this?"
[Compatibility is compatibility, Host. Spiritual contracts are not always forged in battle. Sometimes, survival is enough.]
Just then, the snake lifted its head and began slithering upward—onto her.
"W-Wait. WAIT."
It climbed with eerie grace, wrapping itself loosely around her torso like a sentient scarf, its weight pressing firmly but not painfully against her shoulders.
[...Yínyǎn Tengshe has recognized you as a temporary haven. You now share system invisibility. Move carefully.]
"I—What the—Am I now wearing a fashionably ancient killer snake?!"
The snake flicked its tongue against her cheek. She froze.
"Did it just kiss me?!"
The system chuckled.
[You should feel honored. It hasn't eaten you. That's affection.]
Lianhua groaned internally.
Meanwhile, not far away, Zhao Feiyan's eyes narrowed as she examined the faint traces of claw marks on the cave wall.
"This wasn't here before," she muttered, running her finger along the fresh indentations. "It's close."
"Senior Sister," called one of her followers, "there's something strange on the ground here."
She stalked over quickly. They pointed to a section of moss that had been disturbed—just a faint impression, a shape not quite human and not quite creature.
Her heart pounded.
"Track it," she ordered sharply. "We'll follow the trail into the deeper section of the cave."
"Yes, Senior Sister!"
From behind the giant rock, Lianhua watched them depart, her eyes wide.
"They almost saw us," she whispered.
The snake shifted slightly on her shoulders, tightening its coil like a belt. She hissed in discomfort.
"I said almost! Chill!"
She waited several long minutes before finally standing, legs stiff and numb. The snake adjusted with her movement, slinking around her waist and draping over her arm like a jeweled sash.
"Great. I'm now a walking snake exhibit."
Still, she had to admit… it didn't feel wrong.
She crept out from behind the rock, half-expecting one of the cultivators to turn and shout, but nothing happened. The invisibility held.
"You better not suddenly sneeze or something," she warned the Tengshe.
They walked deeper into the cave, careful not to make a sound. The light grew dimmer, replaced by faint blue glows on the stone walls. Bioluminescent moss—rare and prized in medicine.
"Ooh," she whispered. "I could sell this!"
[Host. Focus. You just escaped death. Don't get distracted by shiny moss.]
"Too late."
She bent to pluck a small patch and gently tucked it into her basket. The snake didn't protest, just remained latched to her, warm and oddly comforting.
As they descended further, the snake suddenly stiffened.
"W-What? What is it now?"
It uncoiled from her body and slid toward the shadows ahead, gaze alert.
She followed carefully.
They turned a corner, and there, nestled between stones, was a crystal—glowing faintly gold.
"Oh my god. Is that a spirit crystal?"
[Yes. A low-tier one. Still valuable. Also—warning. Spirit crystals are often guarded.]
"Why didn't you start with that?!"
She barely had time to react when the ground trembled slightly.
From above, a thin screech echoed, and a pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness.
"Great. More uninvited guests."
The snake hissed deeply. It slithered back toward her and coiled protectively at her feet.
Lianhua swallowed.
"I guess we fight together now, huh?"
The Yínyǎn Tengshe didn't answer. It didn't need to.
For the first time, she felt it—not fear, not uncertainty—but something else entirely.
A bond.
They weren't just hiding anymore.
They were partners.