"Heavenly Snake Mansion has searched for the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils for years. They won't mistreat her."
Seeing Xiao Bai gaze wistfully toward the direction Qing Lin and the others had vanished, Medusa approached. Her tone was casual, almost indifferent, as she cast him a fleeting, cool glance, her expression languid yet regal.
Xiao Bai turned, a playful smile in his eyes. "Sha Sha, are you worried about me?"
Medusa's face remained impassive. She tilted her head slightly, her phoenix-like eyes narrowing as she shot him a sidelong look before turning away, hands clasped behind her back, silent.
She'd given up correcting his nickname for her, just as she'd given up on that insufferable dragon. This master and pet are cut from the same cloth—neither's any good!
Unfazed by her expression, Xiao Bai studied her profile for a moment. A trace of reluctance flickered in his eyes, his voice tinged with melancholy. "Sha Sha, I'm leaving."
Medusa's calm heart rippled. Her hands, hidden behind her, tightened briefly, a complex mix of emotions swirling in her eyes.
Reluctance? Perhaps… just a tiny bit.
Though her heart wavered, her face remained serene, her eyelids lowering. After a pause, she let out a faint, "Mm."
Xiao Bai's lips curved, his sparkling eyes brimming with amusement as he stepped closer, facing her directly.
Medusa met his gaze calmly, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, unsure what he was up to.
His eyes softened, locking with hers. Her narrow, enchanting, and commanding phoenix eyes reflected his faint silhouette like a clear spring in the desert.
They held each other's gaze, her eyes unblinking, as if refusing to yield, showing no hint of retreat.
So proud, Xiao Bai muttered inwardly.
His gaze shifted to her smooth forehead. Since he'd taken her crown, she hadn't worn a headpiece, and her hair cascading freely softened her usual regal aura.
From his storage ring, Xiao Bai retrieved her golden crown. Medusa's peripheral vision caught it, but she said nothing, though she knew what he intended.
He held the crown with both hands, gently placing it on her head. Medusa's eyes remained fixed on him, offering no resistance.
"Once the crown is worn, you're no longer mortal. The passions of the human world must not taint you…" A half-dead, melodramatic voice suddenly broke the moment.
Medusa froze, then her eyes flashed with icy fury, glaring at Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai's blood boiled with murderous intent. The mood had been perfect until that wretched dragon ruined it.
Turning with lethal intent, he spotted the golden little dragon on his shoulder, clutching its claws, muttering gloomily. He snatched it, kneaded it into a ball, and kicked it flying.
Damn it, just because I didn't let you play with Xiao Yi, you sabotage me like this?
"Sha Sha, you have to believe me! You know that dragon's character. How could I mean that?" Xiao Bai faced Medusa's frosty expression, his tone urgent and serious.
"This queen doesn't know what you're talking about. You're no saint yourself!" Medusa's face softened slightly, but she huffed coldly at him.
Her eyes flicked to him repeatedly, her brow furrowing inwardly. She chided herself for overreacting. For some reason, the dragon's words had sparked a surge of anger she couldn't explain.
Xiao Bai watched the stubborn woman, her subtle gestures not escaping his keen senses. The queen's kind of adorable like this.
"Haha, fine, fine. Xiao mou's no saint, alright?" He chuckled, sidestepping an argument, then turned serious. "By the way, I haven't asked—since the Heaven-Swallowing Python's soul was shattered in the tribulation, is your inheritance incomplete?"
The python's soul had likely been scattered by the lightning. Distracted by the dragon's antics, he'd forgotten to ask earlier.
Medusa shook her head lightly. "Its soul fragments were absorbed by me. Over the past two days, I've sorted through the memories in my sea of consciousness. Nothing's missing."
She'd been worried at first, but after reviewing the inherited memories, she found them intact, much to her relief. An incomplete inheritance, while usable, would be less efficient and could hinder her future cultivation.
"Good to know," Xiao Bai said, relieved. Medusa's evolution had occurred a year earlier than in the original story, free from the python's soul suppression. By the three-year mark, she'd likely surpass her original strength. She might not defeat Hun Tian Di's subordinate Protector Wu, a four-star Dou Zong and Earth-grade protector, but handling Yun Shan—who is not yet a Dou Zong—would be no issue.
"Train hard. In a little over a year, I'll need your help," Xiao Bai said earnestly, then grinned. "If you need anything, like pills, I can't promise seventh-grade, but anything below that, just say the word, and I'll find someone to refine them for you."
Medusa's cold, stunning face softened with a faint smile. She nodded, then shook her head.
Xiao Bai blinked, puzzled by the mixed signals.
Noticing his confusion, Medusa pursed her lips, her voice soft. "When you need help, just call for me. As for other things… I don't want to owe you more."
Xiao Bai frowned. Not wanting to owe me? What does that mean?
Medusa saw his confusion but didn't elaborate. There was no need.
She'd already received too much from him and refused to incur more debts. This was a decision she'd reached after confronting her heart in quiet moments over the past two days.
She acknowledged feeling something different for him, however faint. But she wasn't one to shy from truth. Still, she was unsure whether this stemmed from gratitude or her true heart.
She wanted any future connection with this human to be born of pure emotion, not obligation. That was her pride as Medusa.
Until things were clear, she wouldn't accept his unconditional aid. It risked losing herself.
If I lose my true heart, am I still Medusa? Still the proud Queen Medusa?
Xiao Bai caught the sudden pride in her expression. A realization dawned, and he shook his head with a wry smile. What a stubborn woman. But it was exactly this that made him like her more.
"Alright, Your Majesty is like a plum blossom atop a snowy peak—solitary, resilient, blooming alone in the harshest conditions, unyielding to anyone. Xiao mou's the same, right?" he said, half-resigned.
Medusa's eyes sparkled, her lips curving slightly.
In that moment, the queen's beauty struck him, not with her innate charm but with a natural allure that left him momentarily dazed, utterly captivated.