Chapter 125 Medusa's Homesickness

Rarely getting to breathe fresh air in her human form, Medusa's face wore a look of irrepressible enjoyment.

"Whew~"

Suddenly, she caught a whiff of a pleasant, faint floral fragrance.

Her charming eyes shifted, looking toward a flowerbed in a corner of the courtyard.

A cluster of beautiful purple wild peonies was in full bloom there.

The purple flowers, formed by six petals clustered together, enveloped tender yellow slender stamens; the beautiful vegetation appeared even more enchanting against the backdrop of the coarse sand and gravel beneath it.

Medusa stepped forward, reaching out a finger to gently touch the petals that weren't particularly delicate,

"It's rare to see it here..."

Gu He walked behind her, keeping a moderate distance; what met his eyes were the flowers and the beauty.

A faint fragrance drifted into his nose, yet he knew not if it was the flowers or her body scent.

"Peonies?" Gu He asked softly.

"Yes." Medusa nodded slightly, a rare touch of tenderness appearing between her brows,

"In the Tagor Desert, many were planted outside my temple; it reminds me of them..."

Medusa couldn't say she liked the Tagor Desert much; her Snake-People Clan had only been forced and driven to that barren Tagor, but having lived there for so long, she still felt a sliver of affection for it.

Then, Medusa thought of the war between the Snake-People Clan and the humans, and an indescribable sense of loss and complexity welled up in her heart, reflecting in the way she looked at the wild peonies.

Gu He had never seen her with such complex emotions before, and he couldn't help but guess, his voice sounding as clear and pleasant as clinking jade,

"Are you homesick? Or... do you want to expand your territory?"

Hearing Gu He's soft question, the corners of Medusa's mouth curled up unconsciously.

Territory...

This man always seemed to be able to see through her thoughts.

The reason she followed Gu He to the Black-Corner Region, and even to the Northern Region and Central Plains, was to become stronger. Her ultimate goal was to return and negotiate with the Jia Ma Human Race to finally obtain a new and better territory for the Snake-People.

She was the Queen of the Snake-People Clan; since her birth, she had shouldered the sacred mission of revitalizing her tribe.

"A bit of both," Medusa replied with a pleasant expression, rarely lacking her usual coldness.

"I see..."

From behind her, Gu He reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Medusa didn't resist; her waist only felt a bit weak, and she couldn't help but rest her hands on Gu He's arms.

"When we go back, I'll help you," Gu He said softly.

He didn't take it any further, such as leaning into Medusa's ear and letting his breath blow against her hair—such ambiguous actions.

His voice was just faint, like a gentle breeze.

Yet at this moment, Medusa heard a clear heartbeat.

"Thump, thump, thump."

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Was it hers? Or his?

Or perhaps... it belonged to both of them.

Waves of floral fragrance, like the best kind of bewitching drug, drifted from her nose into the depths of her heart, like a spring breeze or thin clouds.

Following the wide arms Gu He had gently wrapped around her, Medusa turned around, her charming face meeting Gu He's handsome one.

Medusa was only slightly shorter than Gu He; for a moment, their breaths intertwined as if they had merged into one.

"When we go back, I'll help you." Gu He's words seemed to still echo in Medusa's ears.

Although some of Gu He's "actions" made Medusa feel disdainful, she had to admit that he was indeed a man of his word, and the only person to emerge from that remote little Jia Ma country in a hundred years.

If Medusa were just a young girl, she would certainly say something dismissive, like "No need, I can do it myself," or engage in some coy resistance, like "How could I trouble you~" But Medusa was neither.

She was mature and rational, even burying her extremely cold sensibility beneath an exterior of majesty.

But at this moment, even her strands of hair radiated gentleness.

The warm morning light faintly covered them both; the sun baked the purple flowers, releasing a scent that surpassed the finest perfume.

"Mwah~"

A kiss gently landed.

Medusa's fragrant kiss was like the sweet, soft, and chewy nut inside a winter chestnut's hard shell.

She pressed extremely close to the skin of Gu He's cheek, her eyes able to see his sparkling eyes; he looked at her intently, his expression as if he were holding the starry river within autumn waters.

He... liked her?

Could it be... that at some point, this man also felt a spark with her for a moment?

Medusa's thought flashed by, like a butterfly flitting over the wild peonies to gather nectar.

She shook her head rapidly in her mind, wanting to cast out this utterly ridiculous thought, but it took root and sprouted in her heart like a seed with a hundred percent germination rate.

Like all love, one knows not where it begins...

Medusa's gentle kiss was like a dragonfly skimming the water or ripples of moonlight; Gu He raised his hand, steadying her dark hair bun, and kissed her back.

Unlike Medusa, who only kissed his cheek, he kissed Medusa's bright red lips.

The wonderful soft touch on those lips made Gu He feel as if he were leaping and floating on clouds.

This had nothing to do with one person's dominance; it was the compatibility of two people.

Gu He cherished this moment somewhat.

The two instantly drew closer.

No beauty remains undestroyed, the long night never fades, and the undamaged red fragrance is forever pure.

...

The warm red silk curtains; afterwards.

Medusa sat gently on the swing in the courtyard; the wooden swing was shaped like a swimming fish, perfectly fitting Medusa's curvy hips.

Gu He stood behind her swing, slightly swaying the ropes, then stepped to the side to watch Medusa play on the swing.

Medusa was very tall; sitting on the swing, her toes could almost touch the ground if she pointed them, so she tilted her feet slightly, her low heels revealing her tender toes, making her look even more playful and cute.

Gu He's figure was like a tall and clear green pine; he pushed the swing in silent understanding. There was a moment of silence between them as the sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, making everything look exceptionally beautiful.

"You're just going to help me unconditionally like this...?" Medusa suddenly asked softly.

Her hair wasn't secured with hairpins or a crown, making her look a bit less majestic and solemn.

Her ink-like black hair swayed slightly in the breeze; the corners of her mouth curved naturally, as if she were just asking casually and not intentionally testing him.

Gu He gave a light chuckle; his figure moved, the wind rose, and he sat down on the wide fish-shaped swing next to Medusa.

Medusa's body scent, along with the wild peonies on her robes, drifted into Gu He's nose like a succubus, as if wanting to penetrate deep into his bones.

Gu He reached out his right hand, his arm cradling Medusa's head; their eyes met, and their foreheads touched.

The amplitude of the swing's motion instantly decreased.

"Unconditionally? Not necessarily..."

"You've paid with your whole self," Gu He's voice carried a faint richness, tinged with an obscure, dark undertone, like a prayer from a kneeling believer.

Medusa was stunned.

Gu He's voice was mature and magnetic; at this moment, he was different from how he was in bed, as if he had laid bare his entire Soul before her eyes.

"Heh..." Medusa chuckled softly; her eyes were like exquisite jade, and her pearly white teeth bit her tongue slightly, showing a bit of her pink tongue tip between her lips, looking very much like a beautiful snake-woman.

"The free things are always the most expensive..."

She spoke the words that Gu He's eyes wanted to say.

...