Chapter 60 Bitten, How Shall I Punish You

Peach Wood Spring.

Inside the bamboo grove.

The mistress and her two maids were scattered about, picking tea leaves, when suddenly a fierce gust of wind swept violently toward them from behind.

Before they could react, it was already too late. A powerful, icy blast imbued with a trace of mystical energy abruptly flipped them over, sending them crashing to the ground.

"Ah—"

"Ah, Fairy!!"

"Fairy, watch out!!"

Recovering her senses, Yun'er scrambled up and rushed to help Lan Mei, who was not far away.

Ning'er, the maid on the other side, hurried over as well.

"Fairy, are you injured?"

"Damn it!" Lan Mei stood up, covered in dirt. With a ghost-like glare, she cast a sidelong glance at the bamboo grove before her and roared, "Who is it?!"

"Get out here right now, you coward, instead of hiding like a turtle in this grove!"

"..." There was no response whatsoever.

Yun'er, both astonished and uneasy, asked, "Fairy, could it be that we made a mistake?"

In this desolate wilderness, how could anyone possibly be here? Even if there were people, they wouldn't come to a place like this.

This was dangerously close to the Ghost Realm of the Underworld.

"How could this Fairy possibly make a mistake?" Lan Mei vented all her pent-up fury onto Yun'er.

Frightened, Yun'er lowered her head and dared not speak another word.

This was the spirit-filled Peach Wood Spring. If no one was playing tricks, how could such a bizarre gust of wind have suddenly flipped them onto the ground?

It had even stained her robes with dust and dirt.

"Fairy, could it be..." Ning'er stopped midway, her words implying a deeper meaning.

Lan Mei whipped her head around to look at her. "Are you trying to say that little imp from just now?"

"It's her! It must have been her!" Yun'er replied with absolute certainty, as if she had actually witnessed the little cutie causing mischief.

Before Lan Mei could respond, a sharp, corrosive pain suddenly struck the back of her heel. It felt as though something had bitten her, sending an excruciating agony straight to her heart.

"Ah, ah, ah—"

"Fairy?!"

The two maids cried out in shock. Turning around in disbelief, they saw a small, dark-brown snake rapidly darting into the bamboo grove, vanishing from sight.

Crouching slightly from the intense pain, Lan Mei glared with a dark expression at the fleeing serpent and roared, "Catch it for me! Burn it to crisp, and grind its bones to dust!"

"Yes, Fairy, we obey."

The two maids bowed and swiftly chased off in the direction the little snake had taken.

"Damn it..." Lan Mei cursed under her breath. Slowly crouching down, she extended her hands and channeled her spiritual energy, emitting a golden light that shot directly toward the bitten wound on the back of her heel.

Her pristine white silk socks had been punctured by two tiny holes, leaving stark, crimson-brown bloodstains clearly visible.

Snake venom, without a doubt.

What a damned creature.

She currently had no antidote for the venom on her person. She needed to return to the Nine Heavens as soon as possible and have her elder brother treat this venomous wound.

If she ever found out where that snake came from, she, Lan Mei, would certainly never let the mastermind off the hook.

Behind the bamboo grove.

A stream gurgled as it flowed downward. With the sun setting behind the mountains, only the rosy clouds of dusk remained, casting their glow upon the surface of the water and refracting a brilliant, dreamy, and dynamic radiance.

When Yun'er and Ning'er caught up to this spot, they saw that the little snake had already slipped into the stream, hiding its tracks and disappearing from view.

"What should we do?" Ning'er asked, looking at her companion. "The stream is rather shallow, but I'm afraid we'll have to go into the water to catch it."

"Catch it we must!" Without another word, Yun'er stepped into the water, her expression extremely grim.

"Or would you rather go back and wait for the Fairy to punish us?"

That was true. Ning'er bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with timidity and fear.

They naturally knew Lan Mei's temperament. If they failed to catch this snake and returned empty-handed to make amends, the ones forced to pay the price would be the two of them.

Furthermore, Fairy Lan Mei was ruthless and possessed formidable cultivation. Not a thousand, but at least a hundred people had died at her hands—how could they dare to disobey?

Nor could their status as low-class maids compare to that of Fairy Lan Mei.

Either way, it was death.

They might as well go into the water and try their luck. What if they actually caught it?

Steeling her resolve, Ning'er stepped into the river. Feeling the cool, though not freezing, water against her skin, she began her search beneath the surface.

Before she could find anything, however, she heard a terrified scream from Yun'er on the riverbank: "Ah!"

"Ah, ah, ah!!"

"There's a snake."

"A snake bit me."

"What's wrong?!" Ning'er hurried over and grabbed her arm tightly.

"There—there's a snake..." Yun'er pointed a trembling, terrified finger toward the water below.

Ning'er hurriedly lowered her head to look and saw the small snake swimming rapidly away.

"Hurry!"

"This is snake venom, we must return to the Nine Heavens immediately!!"

...

At the entrance.

The exit of the dungeon.

The little cutie reluctantly crawled down from the large snake, turned around, and asked, "Are you leaving now?"

Cold Ink lowered his serpentine body, leaned close to her, and whispered in a low voice, "No, I will be cultivating here for a while."

"Then when I come out in the future, I'll still be able to see you, right?"

"Yes, but you cannot come out often."

"Why?!" The little cutie looked somewhat baffled and unwilling.

She liked the big snake and wanted to stay and play with him. Why couldn't she come out often?

"Because of my uncle's affair, the Ghost Realm of the Underworld is already in turmoil. I heard them discussing that to find my uncle, His Excellency the Yama specially dispatched General Heichang alone to search for him, simply to avoid alarming other realms."

"Firstly, searching in secret ensures no one will stir up trouble."

"Secondly, the Underworld is the place where my uncle was imprisoned. If he escapes, the Ghost Realm cannot shirk responsibility."

"Thirdly," Cold Ink paused, lifting his gaze to meet the little cutie's clean, beautiful purple eyes.

At this moment, there was not a trace of the fear and terror she had shown upon their first meeting in her eyes; instead, they were filled with complete trust in him and the unreserved innocence of friendship.

"I heard," he lowered his head, slightly uncomfortable, his small scales flushing with a faint reddish tint, "that he was locked in the same dungeon as Baichang."

"If my uncle escapes, Baichang is guilty, and as her brother, Heichang will also be implicated."

"You're right," the little cutie nodded thoughtfully. Yet, once the reality truly sank in, a boundless wave of disappointment welled up in her heart.

"Then... I won't be able to come out often?"

Cold Ink looked up at her. Seeing the little cutie's dejection, he said, "It's fine. There's no rush for a day or two. Once my injuries heal and I recover my human form, it won't be too late for me to seek you out."

"It's a deal, then!" The little cutie brightened up again. "When your injuries heal, I'll come out to find you, and we can play together again."

"Alright."

"What are you two doing?!" Bai Yan crawled out from the subterranean tunnel. After waiting for a long time without anyone coming down, he had decided to come up and take a look.

To his astonishment, the moment he emerged, he found his good nephew and the little Princess lingering together, chattering endlessly and acting all shy and hesitant.

"White Radish?!" The little cutie turned around in surprise, and upon confirming it really was him, she eagerly rushed over.

"You're back?"

"Where did you go?"

"Where could I possibly go?" Bai Yan glanced at Cold Ink, rubbed his nose, and said to the little cutie, "I went out for a stroll and got a bit delayed. Sorry for worrying you both."

"It's fine," the little cutie shook her head, her face immediately clouding over with worry. "But I'm afraid my father already knows you've escaped from the cell."

"Right now, he has already sent Heichang out to look for you, and I just don't know—"

"How he will punish you?"