After bidding farewell to the head steward, Sang Luo passed by the kitchen. Remembering the candied fruit she'd made last time had been quite delicious, she went over to ask them to make another plate.
Suddenly, there was a rustling in the flower bushes in front of the building.
Having experienced the assassination attempt last time, Sang Luo was jumpy. Thinking another magical beast had secretly infiltrated, she almost launched an attack, but then she saw a small black snake, no thicker than her little finger, poking its head out of the bushes.
Sang Luo was stunned for a moment, then both surprised and delighted. "Xiao Qi?"
Wasn't this the little black snake she and Si Ye had encountered at the morning market that day?
Sang Luo quickly walked over, carefully identifying it to make sure she wasn't mistaken. "How did you sneak into the Marquis's mansion?"
Mother, I've finally found you again! Xiao Qi's silver eyes were teary. It opened its mouth to speak, but seeing the passing servants, it remembered its father's warning: as a natural-born royal beast, its identity was special and it shouldn't speak in front of outsiders, lest it be coveted by those with malicious intentions. So, it quickly closed its mouth again, flicked its slender tail, and swam towards her.
Sang Luo took Xiao Qi into her palm, patted off the dirt and fallen leaves, and walked forward a couple of steps. Seeing an overturned vegetable basket on the ground with the vegetable leaves scattered around, and then looking at the somewhat guilty-looking little snake, she immediately understood what had happened.
This little snake was petite and difficult to detect. It must have secretly sneaked into a vegetable basket on the road while people weren't paying attention, and been brought back by the servants who went out to buy groceries.
"Where's your father?" Sang Luo used her mental energy to search outside the mansion, but didn't see the white-robed man. "Did you sneak out again?"
The little snake nodded.
Sang Luo sighed. Why did this little snake always like to run to her?
She took the little snake and went to find the head steward again. "Steward Yu, this little snake is called Xiao Qi. It's gotten separated from its beast father and beast mother again. Please take people to help it find its parents."
Steward Yu didn't notice the word "again" in Sang Luo's words, assuming it was a small snake cub that had accidentally run into the mansion. He reached out to take it. "Don't worry, Madam, I'll take people to find them right away!"
Just as his hand was about to touch the little snake, it suddenly arched its body, bared its fangs, and adopted an attacking posture.
Steward Yu was shocked. He was, after all, a seventh-order beastman, yet at this moment, his face turned pale, and faint cold sweat seeped from his forehead. He felt an urge to kneel.
Afraid that the little snake would bite someone, Sang Luo quickly took it back, not noticing the old steward's momentary change in expression. She scolded softly, "Xiao Qi, be good. Don't worry, Steward Yu isn't a bad person. I'm asking him to help you find your father."
I don't want a father, I only want my mother! When facing her, the little snake changed back to its well-behaved appearance, but as soon as Sang Luo thought about handing it over to someone else, it immediately transformed into an attacking posture, extremely resistant to contact with outsiders.
Sang Luo had no choice but to have the old steward post a notice in the city.
"If someone comes to claim it, please be sure to notify me first."
"Rest assured, Madam."
"Your father will definitely come looking for you when he finds out you're missing again. You should rest in the room for a while and wait." Sang Luo tapped its little head. That man was quite troubled as a father; the child was always sneaking off. If it were her, she'd have a headache to death.
Sang Luo took Xiao Qi back to her room. She hadn't been living with Si Ye these past few days; she'd had someone clean up another room. Xiao Qi, smelling the bedding full of its mother's scent, curled up into a mosquito coil, looking extremely docile.
Sang Luo went to the dining hall once more.
When she returned, she discovered that the little snake was gone.
She was anxious, searching the entire room but couldn't find it. Using her mental energy to search, she saw the little snake outside the mansion.
A strange beastman saw the lone little snake, holding a few strips of meat in his hand, and walked towards it.
Could it have encountered a trafficker!?
Sang Luo didn't have time to think, quickly chasing after it.
Reaching outside the mansion, she was one step too late. The beastman and the little snake had already left.
Sang Luo used her mental energy again to search, discovering that the two had gone to the city gate.
She chased all the way outside the city.
The beastman was gone, but the little snake was still there. It didn't seem to have any sense of danger, quickly swimming towards the forest outside the city.
Many dangerous star beasts lived outside the city. If it was accidentally eaten by a star beast… Sang Luo didn't even dare to think about it. Chasing for over a dozen miles, she finally found the little snake again. Just as she caught it in her palm, before she could even teach it a lesson, a dangerous aura quietly descended.
Several king-tier star beasts leaped out of the forest, surrounding them.
Sang Luo's face darkened. Before she could even make a move, those star beasts seemed to see something terrifying, tucked their tails between their legs, and ran off without a trace.
Sang Luo, "…" Was she that strong?
In that moment of stunned silence, the little snake swam down from her hand again, instantly teleporting a hundred meters away.
Sang Luo had no choice but to quickly follow again.
At this time, they were already twenty or thirty miles away from Phoenix Tree Imperial City, outside the protection range of the city patrol. Further ahead was an uninhabited dense forest, inhabited by a large number of dangerous star beasts, and even potentially dangerous demonized magical beasts.
Sang Luo sensed demonic energy with her mental energy.
There must be magical beasts nearby, and of a high level.
She stopped. "Xiao Qi, you can't go any further. Come back quickly, it's very dangerous there."
The little snake stopped, looked back at her, wanting her to follow.
Sang Luo frowned, hesitant. This little snake seemed clever and mischievous, not like it was ignorantly seeking death. All this way… it seemed to be guiding her.
Sang Luo thought of a possibility, her eyes widening. "Your father! Could he have been captured by magical beasts?!"
Who in this world could capture Father? But Father does hang out with those stinky guys all day, not knowing what he's busy with, and not bringing it to see Mother.
Father is useless; it will take Mother back.
The little snake shook its head and nodded, anxiously biting Sang Luo's skirt, dragging her forward.
Judging by its appearance, she might have guessed right. Sang Luo hesitated for a moment.
If it were anyone else, she would definitely not be willing to take the risk, but this little snake… she had an inexplicable feeling, unwilling to leave it alone.
Now that she was a true king-tier expert, with few enemies, even if she encountered a magical beast above the true king-tier, she could use the soul imprint to call for reinforcements. There wasn't much danger to her life.
"Alright, you take me to save him, but come here first, don't stray too far from me."
She squatted down and extended her hand. The little snake quickly climbed onto her wrist, tightly wrapping around it, as if afraid she would disappear the next second.
"You little snake, you're quite clingy." Sang Luo teased it as she walked forward.
A lean eagle beastman, using an ancient tree for cover and having a talent for concealment, evaded the mental energy search.
Seeing a female without anyone protecting her, a strange smile flashed across his face. His figure teleported away, appearing in another place outside the city.
He reported to the tall man wearing dark blue ornate robes,
"Young Master, that female has secretly run out of the city. Si Ye isn't following her, it's a good opportunity for us to strike!"
They had secretly plotted several assassinations before, all failing and returning empty-handed. They didn't expect this female to walk right into their trap. If they didn't strike now, when would they ever get another chance!
