Chapter 48

Love gave rise to worry; love gave rise to fear.

The pitch-black python body swam through the cold pool waters, disturbing the tranquility that had lasted for a century. Liu Qingzhang irritably coiled around a thick block of ice and shattered it into fragments. The frigid pool and the extremely cold objects at its bottom did nothing to calm him in the slightest.

A deviation in his cultivation, changes in his body due to his mating season—these could all be suppressed with external aids. But the stirring of his heart left Liu Qingzhang utterly helpless.

How could he harbor such thoughts toward his junior…

Liu Qingzhang deeply despised himself. He had fled from Bai Ying’s side precisely to distance himself and regain his composure, letting the separation dilute this inappropriate infatuation. Yet it was all in vain. Almost the moment he boarded the plane and left Shen City, he began to wonder uncontrollably if the little snake was sleeping well.

He should have changed the little snake into a pair of pajamas. The bow on the back of the skirt must have dug into his waist. When Liu Qingzhang had placed him on the bed, Bai Ying had frowned slightly, rolled over, and slept curled up pitifully with a pillow in his arms. Liu Qingzhang’s hand had once rested on that bow; a gentle tug would have loosened the skirt. But in the end, he had withdrawn his hand and pulled the blanket over Bai Ying instead.

Once he understood his own intentions, Liu Qingzhang could no longer bring himself to take advantage of the little snake in good conscience.

After finishing these tasks, he closed the windows, drew the curtains, fetched a pair of fluffy slippers, and placed them by the little snake’s bed, fearing that Bai Ying might catch a chill. But the balcony window needed to stay open. Nowadays, many people used air conditioning for ventilation and temperature control, but as someone who had lived nearly eight or nine hundred years—an old relic—Liu Qingzhang still believed rooms needed windows open for fresh air.

With the window open, a breeze carrying the damp, earthy scent of impending rain blew in. Liu Qingzhang took down Bai Ying’s clothes hanging near the window, folded them clumsily, and put them away in the closet. He moved lightly, but the closet door still made some noise when it opened and closed. The exhausted little snake slept deeply and did not wake.

His eyelashes drooped obediently. Liu Qingzhang wanted to touch them but sighed silently as his fingers neared, then stood and left the bedroom.

He went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the next day. Mr. Liu had lived nearly a millennium. Though served by others most of the time, he knew how to cook simple porridge. Using the available ingredients, he made some sweet porridge and found Bai Ying’s sticky notes by the fridge. He wrote a few lines and stuck it to the fridge door, instructing him to heat it up and drink when he saw it.

At this moment, the black python coiled in the cold pool could not help but wonder if the little snake had drunk the porridge he cooked…

The thought had barely formed when Liu Qingzhang, realizing he was thinking of Bai Ying again, lashed his tail in annoyance. The ice that had just reformed on the surface shattered into pieces.

He told himself not to think about it anymore—but how could he not?

Romance was truly something that left one helpless, like a net that tightened the more one struggled.

Liu Qingzhang prepared to bury his head underwater, freezing himself in a final desperate attempt. But before he could submerge, the phone he had inexplicably brought along lit up on the shore.

At this hour, it could only be Bai Ying or someone from the Zhong Family reporting matters related to him.

If he truly wanted to extinguish this immoral affection in his heart, the best course was to ignore and avoid anything concerning Bai Ying, letting time wash it away. Yet the moment the phone screen lit up, his body betrayed his reason. The black python brought his head close to the phone.

In his full original form, the phone was smaller than one of his scales.

But it was as if an invisible hand unlocked the screen, tapped into the messages, and brought a sentence and a photo into the black python’s view.

Bai Ying: 【Thanks, Mr. Liu! It’s especially delicious!】

The photo showed the sweet potato porridge Liu Qingzhang had simmered.

Even blocky characters could not hide the little snake’s lively cuteness. Liu Qingzhang had thought it was mere fondness for a cub, but now he realized it was because he liked him—so everything Bai Ying said or did seemed adorable.

Liu Qingzhang typed without touching the phone, blocky characters appearing in the chat box: Glad you like it. Next time…

Next time what? Cook for him again?

The pitch-black giant python forced himself to delete the extra words, sending only the first half.

Bai Ying replied quickly, clearly in human form now. He asked: 【What is Mr. Liu doing right now?】

Cooling off, Liu Qingzhang thought.

Trying to cool off. Always trying. Always failing.

Liu Qingzhang pondered his reply: 【Soaking in water.】

Bai Ying sent a [cat peeking out] emoji, followed by: 【In your original form soaking in water? I like that too!】

Snakes always loved being around water. Unless truly busy, Bai Ying soaked in a bath every day.

Liu Qingzhang thought that his “soaking” was definitely not what the little snake imagined…

He replied: 【Soaking in the cold pool waters. It’s a cultivation aid.】

The cold pool was originally for cultivation, but what Liu Qingzhang was doing now had nothing to do with it. The taboo romance tormented him like fire, forcing him to borrow the cold waters to calm his mind.

Though it seemed to have no effect.

Liu Qingzhang had not expected his answer to pique Bai Ying’s interest. The little snake, who had never cultivated, was especially curious and asked coquettishly: 【Mr. Liu, Mr. Liu, can I see what the cold pool looks like?】

The giant python hesitated, but when Bai Ying’s video call came in, he answered almost reflexively.

It’s over, Liu Qingzhang thought.

He wanted distance, yet could not stop thinking of Bai Ying; he wanted distance, yet could not refuse Bai Ying’s closeness.

This nearly thousand-year-old great demon’s mind was completely controlled by a little snake. He was truly done for.

***

Bai Ying saw a huge snake—so big!

He jumped in fright, and the spoon in his hand clattered back into the bowl. The snake’s body was so enormous that Bai Ying could not tell where the head or tail was… It was only the voice from the speaker that confirmed the python filling the entire screen belonged to Mr. Liu.

“Should I shrink down or change back to human form?” Liu Qingzhang asked. He had answered too quickly and forgotten his original form might scare the little snake.

“It’s fine, I’m not scared!” Bai Ying quickly recovered and picked up the spoon.

“Really not scared?” Liu Qingzhang still hesitated. The little snake had only recently gotten used to his shrunken four- or five-meter form. Showing him the twenty-plus-meter giant all at once—would that be too shocking?

“It’s fine. I want to see Mr. Liu’s true form too,” Bai Ying said. “And since it’s Mr. Liu, I’m not afraid.”

He was still afraid of big snakes, but if that big snake was Liu Qingzhang, even a billion times bigger would not scare him.

Liu Qingzhang: “……”

One sentence from Bai Ying undid all his efforts to calm down.

The giant snake gave up resisting and moved the phone to a higher, farther spot so Bai Ying could clearly see the cold pool and him within it. Bai Ying let out a gasp of amazement, momentarily speechless. The constantly freezing cold pool waters and the python occupying the entire pool—which was more astonishing?

The giant python merely shifted slightly, and waves rose on the surface. The pool water surged onto the shore, frosting the black rocks there with delicate ice flowers.

“Can soaking in icy water help with cultivation?” the little snake asked seriously.

Wah, am I so weak because I indulge in comfort, bathing in hot water every day?

Fearing the little snake might try it, Liu Qingzhang hurriedly said: “Different demons have different cultivation methods. This one only works for me.”

And he was not cultivating now anyway.

He just wanted to suppress the illicit fire in his heart. It had not been quelled yet.

Bai Ying asked: “Does Mr. Liu know what cultivation method suits me?”

Ordinary demons cultivated by absorbing Heaven Earth Spiritual Energy to steadily grow their cultivation base.

But nowadays, with Heaven Earth Spiritual Energy depleted, that path was completely blocked, and its derived sects had all vanished. If Bai Ying wanted to cultivate now… he would probably have to dual cultivate with other demons.

Liu Qingzhang fell silent.

Silence was often an answer in itself. Looks like cultivation was impossible, Bai Ying thought, but he did not mind much. It was just a casual question to chat with Mr. Liu. He shifted to talking about the sweet sweet potato porridge, the light rain outside—mundane daily matters that seemed especially interesting when shared.

Liu Qingzhang’s heart, which he could not calm no matter how he tried, found peace in the little snake’s few casual words. Yet this did not mean his feelings had faded; on the contrary, he sank deeper, falling ever harder.

Though he had left Shen City, as they listened to the same rain sounds and exchanged words, both felt the illusion that Liu Qingzhang had never left.

Liu Qingzhang told Bai Ying how he had learned to cook. A great demon served wherever he went had once wandered the human world alone. In his long life, he had learned many things, met many people, experienced much. He spoke of going to battlefields, taking imperial exams, sailing for trade. Bai Ying listened raptly, not noticing he had finished the porridge until he bit the empty spoon, his dazed expression drawing a low chuckle from Liu Qingzhang.

Bai Ying hugged the empty bowl to wash it—of course, his “washing” meant putting it in the dishwasher. Modern technology freed the hands! Liu Qingzhang, who never needed to wash dishes himself, learned for the first time about such a device. Bai Ying then showed him his good friends: the sweeping robot and the washing machine.

The washing machine was on the balcony, where Bai Ying finally noticed Liu Qingzhang had put away his clothes. The window was open, and fine rain threads drifted through the screen onto Bai Ying’s outstretched palm, cool and silky. Liu Qingzhang reminded him to close the window if the rain grew heavier, to avoid wetting the furniture.

“I know these little things,” Bai Ying drawled, like a child complaining about an overprotective parent.

But why must it be a parent? Couldn’t it be a worried older lover?

Liu Qingzhang’s heart soured at the thought. The vast age gap and his guilt prevented him from taking that step.

Just then, Bai Ying received a message from someone else, interrupting their conversation.

“Someone looking for you?” Liu Qingzhang asked.

“Yeah, let me see…” After a brief pause, Bai Ying’s voice brightened as he told Liu Qingzhang, “Yun Ze asked me to hang out tomorrow!”

Liu Qingzhang’s expression shifted slightly, though his python form hid it.

Bai Ying chattered on like a restless little bird: “Mr. Liu, Mr. Liu, what should I wear to meet Xiao Xun tomorrow? My hair’s getting a bit long—should I get it cut before going?”

That’s enough, Liu Qingzhang thought. He’s not that important.

But that was only his one-sided view. Bai Ying clearly attached great importance to tomorrow’s outing—what Liu Qingzhang saw as a date—and was already planning his outfit.

He had no plans to go out today and lounged at home in pajamas printed with cute animals, looking especially innocent. Seeing Bai Ying’s excitement for meeting Yun Ze tomorrow, Liu Qingzhang inexplicably felt like the pure child of the house was about to be lured away.

Don’t go. I don’t want him to go.

The thought screamed wildly in his mind, only to be forcibly suppressed by Liu Qingzhang.

He could not restrict the little snake. If he did not want to cross that line and forcibly maintain their elder-junior relationship, he could not interfere.

It’s just hanging out with a friend, Liu Qingzhang told himself.

Suppressing his bitterness, Liu Qingzhang used a gentle tone, like a true elder, to help Bai Ying pick clothes suitable for tomorrow’s weather.