Chapter 122: Whose Little Cub Is This?
Was she about to part ways with him?
"I fell in love with the Little Marquis at first sight and became deeply devoted at second glance. I must have you! Wherever you go, I'll go!" Sang Luo declared to him, her voice ringing with determination.
Si Ye's face flushed red again. "You… you really mean it…?"
He wasn't a fool. He initially believed her nonsense, but after spending the last two days with her, he had half-guessed that her target was him.
She really wasn't joking.
"I'll go settle the bill."
He hurriedly got up and fled in disarray.
Sang Luo looked towards the counter, propped her chin with one hand, and sighed, wondering how to capture this innocent little phoenix. If all else failed… should she use some strong medicine tonight?
Just as she was plotting, a cold and slippery sensation came from her arm.
Sang Luo was startled. She looked down and saw a small black snake, which had appeared from who-knows-where, wrapped around her arm. When it saw her looking, it even flicked its pink tongue. Its silver-gray vertical pupils were especially bright, as if it had seen something that made it pleasantly surprised.
"What a beautiful little black snake! It doesn't bite either. It's so well-behaved!" Sang Luo's eyes lit up. She gently lifted the little black snake, which was about to fall, into her palm and rubbed its smooth body.
Having spent so long with beastmen, she subconsciously forgot her fear of wild snakes until she saw the little snake rub against her palm and suddenly open its mouth!
She was startled, but she saw the little snake only flick its tongue and earnestly lick her palm, as if trying to memorize her scent… Its tail wagged even more happily.
Sang Luo watched and chuckled, her eyes softening considerably.
She gently rubbed its little head with her fingertip. When she pressed a little harder, the little head became flat, and then it bounced back when she released it.
"Haha, so cute!"
It then flipped over its soft belly for her to touch. Only then did Sang Luo discover that the little black snake's belly was actually silver-white.
Si Ye returned quickly.
"Where did you pick up this cub?" Si Ye was taken aback when he saw the little black snake wrapped around Sang Luo's hand.
"I didn't pick it up. I don't know where this little black snake came from. It just climbed onto my hand."
Si Ye smiled. "Look at those bright eyes. It doesn't look like a wild animal. It looks like a beastman cub."
"Yeah, I think so too. It doesn't bite at all. It's very well-behaved!" Sang Luo looked around. "I didn't see its beast father or mother. What should we do?"
"Let's sit and wait for a while." Si Ye sat back down and poured two cups of tea, pushing one towards her. "Careless cubs like to run around. This kind of small snake is small in size and likes to crawl into corners. It must have accidentally wandered off and gotten lost. Its parents will definitely come back to find it when they realize it's missing."
The early market was full of open-air stalls, with people coming and going on both sides of the road. If they saw an adult beastman anxiously searching for something, it was probably this little snake's parents.
Sang Luo wasn't too worried and sat at the stall, drinking tea and waiting for someone.
She touched the little snake's flat belly. "Could it be hungry?"
Si Ye ordered another basket of meat buns.
"Give the child to me. I'll feed it." Si Ye reached out to take it, but the little snake didn't even bother to glance at him, continuing to burrow into Sang Luo's arms.
Sang Luo chuckled. "It seems this little snake likes me more!"
"…" This wasn't just liking more; it was heaven and earth apart!
Even though beastman cubs were more intelligent, it was the first time Si Ye had seen a snake clan cub so close to someone. Wasn't it said that snakes were inherently unfeeling? Why was this little snake so affectionate towards her, a stranger?
"Are you sure you don't recognize this little snake? Is it being a little too close to you? Cubs don't show affection to people for no reason," Si Ye wondered.
Hearing his words, Sang Luo's heart stirred slightly. She looked tenderly at the little black snake in her palm. Black body, white belly, and silver-gray eyes were exceptionally beautiful. In her memory… she had seen such eyes before. Although the pupil color was different, they were both very lovable.
If those two snake eggs had successfully hatched, they should have looked almost the same as this little black snake.
Unfortunately…
The thought that flashed through her mind didn't even have time to rise before she extinguished it.
Even if they were still alive, Caesar had said that it would take at least five or six years for Teng Snake clan to hatch. The timing didn't match up either. Snake clan cubs all looked similar. She couldn't just have a mental breakdown every time she saw a little snake.
Sang Luo shook her head. "I don't recognize it."
The Teng Snake was the royal family among snakes. Perhaps she had carried snake cubs before, and there would be some residual aura in her body, which would cause this little black snake of the same clan to instinctively feel close to her.
Sang Luo used chopsticks to mash the soup and meat filling out of the bun. After it cooled down a bit, she fed it to the little snake.
It ate very happily, eating whatever she fed it, not picky at all, even eating the dough.
A basket of buns was quickly finished.
Si Ye said, "It's so small, but it can eat a lot. I'll go buy some more grilled meat."
After Si Ye left, Sang Luo continued to tease the little snake.
"This little snake is my lost child. It seems to like you very much."
A clear and pleasant voice came.
A shadow fell in front of the table.
A pleasant, faint, and cool fragrance wafted over.
Sang Luo paused, stunned, and looked up at the man in white who had appeared before her at some point. Her heartbeat skipped a beat. "Cae… Caesar…?"
The man had ink-black hair and wore white clothes. He was tall and elegant, with a white silk covering his eyes, appearing aloof and noble.
He looked at Sang Luo. "Who is the esteemed female speaking of? Do we know each other?"
"… So-sorry, I mistook you for someone else." Sang Luo came back to her senses, ashamed and embarrassed. She wanted to hand the child over, but halfway, she retracted her hand, wanting to confirm. "Are you the child's father?"
"Yes, I just brought it out to buy something. I didn't expect it to run off in the blink of an eye. I looked back and saw that it was indeed here." The white-clothed man reached out to the little snake. "Xiao Qi, come back."
"This cub is so cute. Its name is Xiao Qi?"
"Yes, it's a nickname. Just the single character 'Qi'."
The little black snake looked at Sang Luo reluctantly, but hearing its beast father's slightly stern summons, it obediently returned to his palm.
Sang Luo felt relieved. "Take good care of your child. Don't lose it again next time."
The man nodded and handed her a Qiankun bag.
Sang Luo waved her hand and didn't take it. "Parents who lose their children are very anxious, especially since I also had a litter of small snakes before. I can understand that feeling. I'm happy to help, and I don't need a reward."
"You had children?" His probing gaze fell on Sang Luo, especially on her stomach. She looked quite young and didn't seem like she had carried children before.
"Yes, I had more than…"
Si Ye called him from not far away. Sang Luo hurriedly turned her head and replied. When she looked back, the little black snake and the mysterious man in white had disappeared together, like a breeze that had never been there.
The Qiankun bag lay at her feet, reminding her that it wasn't a hallucination.
Sang Luo looked left and right, picked up the Qiankun bag, and touched the exquisitely knitted brocade cloud pattern on it. Without opening it to see what was inside, she put it into her space and turned to find Si Ye.
A moment later, the figure of the man in white appeared at the entrance of the alley. He tore off the white silk from his face, revealing mesmerizing purple eyes.
He stared at the backs of the two people leaving for a long time. The little black snake peeked its head out of his wide sleeve, looking dejected.
The man's slender, jade-like palm gently stroked its little head.
"Why do you want to be close to her?"
