A green vine shot out of the ground at lightning speed, striking and slashing across the tail of the giant serpent. The coils constricting Xue Yunxue's waist loosened instantly.
Shock was clearly etched on the handsome snake man's face.
Plant-based power…?
His eyes narrowed sharply. That rare aura pulsed faintly in the air—pure, vibrant, and alien. In all his memories, only a handful of existences in this world were capable of wielding such power.
"Interesting…" he murmured coldly. "Could it be… coming from you?"
The moment the pressure vanished, Xue Yunxue did not hesitate. She twisted her body, slipped free of the remaining coils, and ran with all her strength. Without a second thought, she leapt through the wide-open window.
This girl—so agile!
The snake man snorted softly. His lower body shot forward, silver scales flashing as he smashed into the wall of the house. One side of the building collapsed with a thunderous roar.
They faced each other in the spacious courtyard.
The wind hissed, dust filled the air, and the once orderly ground cracked and crumbled into chaos.
"Surrender, Hu Shui," the man said coldly, his flat tone laced with lethal threat. A faint smile lifted the corner of his lips—beautiful yet terrifying. "I will spare your life."
"I am not Hu Shui!" Xue Yunxue shouted back, her chest heaving. "My name is Xue Yunxue!"
"Heh."
He laughed briefly, full of mockery. "Once a liar, always a liar."
He raised his hand.
In an instant, purple energy blades formed and shot toward Xue Yunxue like a rain of death.
Yunxue's heart pounded violently.
And then—
a power exploded from within her body.
A warm, wild current surged through her veins, flooding her muscles with strength she had never felt before.
"I'll lend you my power, Sister Xue," Moa's voice echoed in her mind.
Her body moved before her thoughts could catch up.
She dodged, leapt, and twisted with extraordinary agility. The purple blades slammed into the ground behind her, triggering small explosions and cracks that spread in every direction.
With a single wave of her hand, massive vines burst from the earth, whipping wildly as they wrapped around the snake man's body.
But the victory lasted only an instant.
With calm, terrifying precision, the man drew his sword. A flash of silver light swept through the air—and in the next heartbeat, every vine was cleanly severed, collapsing to the ground like living creatures stripped of life.
The battle erupted once more.
With Moa's assistance and the sharp instincts of a fox, Xue Yunxue kept moving. Her steps were light, spinning and darting, narrowly avoiding strike after strike—each one capable of ending her life with a single touch.
The courtyard, once peaceful and pristine, had transformed into a field of devastation—torn earth, collapsed walls, and violently surging energy filling the air.
Xue Yunxue knew it well.
In terms of raw power, she stood almost no chance.
The gap between their levels was far too great.
But—
as long as her legs could still move,
as long as the fox's instincts still lived within her,
she would not be captured so easily.
Just as Xue Yunxue prepared to leap toward the fence to escape, something hard and warm caught her body in midair.
Instead of crashing to the ground, her back slammed into a broad, solid chest—muscular and unyielding like steel.
That body did not shift even a step.
Xue Yunxue froze—then instantly recognized the familiar aura.
Yun Wu.
He stood there upright, one arm reflexively steadying Yunxue to keep her from falling. His breathing was heavy, the aura of the black wolf roiling violently around him, as if he had just suppressed an eruption of rage.
Yun Wu's gaze swept over his courtyard.
The ground was torn apart, the fence twisted, scars of energy attacks carved everywhere. One side of his house had collapsed, debris and dust still drifting in the air.
His temple throbbed violently.
The veins in his neck bulged.
"What…" his voice was low and dangerous, "…are you doing?"
Slowly, Yun Wu turned his head, amber eyes locking onto the snake man across the courtyard. Pure fury radiated from his gaze—dense and oppressive, making the air itself feel heavy.
That stinking snake.
Xue Yunxue did not wait a second. She immediately hid behind Yun Wu's back, her fingers trembling as they clutched his clothes.
"He tried to kill me!" she cried, her thin voice filled with genuine fear.
The three of them now sat facing one another in the part of Yun Wu's house that remained intact—a living hall with one collapsed wall and a cracked roof. Afternoon light poured in through the gaps in the rubble. The dust had yet to fully settle, and the remnants of battle aura still hung in the air, making the atmosphere tense and stifling.
Yun Wu sat in the center, back straight, arms crossed. His amber gaze was sharp and cold, locked onto the snake man without the slightest intention of compromise.
"Stinking snake," he said lowly, each word carrying pressure that made the air tremble, "you will explain. Why did you come all this way—and destroy my house?"
His tone held more than anger. Thick frustration simmered beneath it.
He had just traveled dozens of miles away from the city to hunt. Yet midway through his journey, his keen wolf senses caught a scent far too familiar—one that should not have been here, least of all in his home.
The scent of Xiang Shuai, that stinking snake.
A sense of foreboding struck instantly. Without hesitation, Yun Wu turned back and rushed home at full speed, nearly ignoring everything around him.
And what awaited him—
Two figures locked in a desperate battle in his courtyard.
Rampaging plant energy, deadly purple blades, the earth and walls of his home shattered as if struck by a small calamity.
Half of his house… destroyed.
Yun Wu's gaze hardened, a feral glint flashing in his eyes. He glanced briefly at Xue Yunxue sitting slightly behind him—her face pale, shoulders tense, clearly not yet recovered from fear.
Then he looked back at the snake man.
"Explain," Yun Wu repeated coldly. "Now, Xiang Shuai."
Xiang Shuai…?
The name echoed through Xue Yunxue's mind like a dull yet heavy impact. Wasn't that one of Hu Shui's snake husbands? So this was him—the mysterious husband who had existed only as a name without a face. The youngest prince of the Sheluo Kingdom.
Last night, she had only managed to uncover his name through the information network. No portrait. No visual data. As if his existence had been deliberately shrouded in mist.
And now, he sat before her—real, dangerous, and emanating a chilling aura that made her skin crawl.
Xiang Shuai lifted his chin slightly, golden eyes narrowing as he looked at Yun Wu with undisguised superiority. Then his gaze shifted, piercing toward Xue Yunxue behind Yun Wu.
"That's because you never answered my calls," he said coldly, his low voice rustling like scales sliding against one another. "And when someone finally did—she was the one who answered."
The corner of his lips curved into a thin, unfriendly smile.
"That girl is Hu Shui, isn't she?" he asked with absolute certainty, as though the answer had already been decided.
Xue Yunxue's lips twitched faintly. Her heart raced out of control.
How could this man be so certain?
Did this snake truly possess eyes capable of seeing into one's soul?
Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on Yun Wu's clothes, seeking protection. Xiang Shuai's gaze made her skin feel cold, as though icy scales were creeping along her spine.
Yun Wu fell silent. For the first time since returning home, he did not respond immediately. Doubt churned within his chest. Truthfully, even now, he was not entirely certain—whether the girl before him was truly not Hu Shui… or Hu Shui who had lost her memories, her past severed, transformed into someone unfamiliar and innocent.
Xiang Shuai chuckled softly, a low laugh more like a hiss.
"At first, I thought you had remarried without inviting us," he said casually, as if discussing an ordinary banquet. "So I came here to offer my congratulations."
His tone shifted—lower, sharper.
"But the moment I arrived… I smelled it."
His gaze fixed directly on Xue Yunxue.
"Hu Shui's scent. Impossible to mistake."
His golden eyes narrowed, gleaming dangerously.
"And after seeing this woman, the soul-bond mark I planted long ago on her forehead began to glow—shaped like a peony flower."
The corner of Xiang Shuai's lips lifted, his smile filled with absolute certainty.
"That was when I knew."
He paused deliberately, savoring the tension hanging thick in the air.
"She is Hu Shui."
Xiang Shuai's gaze slowly swept across Xue Yunxue's face—cold, meticulous, dissecting.
"Even though her face has changed greatly—whatever technique she used," he continued dismissively, "I still recognize her."
A low hiss slipped from his throat.
"I cannot be wrong."