23: First love

The desert night was defiled by the remains of the Demonic Poison Sand Scorpions and the lingering stench of blood. A flickering bonfire illuminated two faces, each lost in their own thoughts.

Medusa sat as if a deity, her multi-colored gaze fixed on the dancing flames, yet unfocused. Her fingertips unconsciously toyed with a corner of her brocade robe, which seemed to still retain the scorching heat of the energy surge from when she instinctively intervened earlier. Why did she intervene? She asked herself. Was it because of their fragile cooperation agreement? Or was it… because she didn’t want to see the cracked blade, resting across his lap, truly shatter?

She subtly turned her head, her gaze sweeping over Li Ao, who sat in the shadows, eyes closed, regulating his breathing. His face was still pale, but his aura had stabilized. Beneath his tattered green robe, his injuries seemed to be healing at an astonishing rate. This recovery ability far surpassed that of an ordinary person. And his terrifyingly precise combat instincts… This human was like a mist; the closer one got, the less clearly one could see him.

Though Li Ao’s eyes were closed, his senses enveloped his surroundings. He could “hear” Medusa’s slightly disordered breathing and “feel” her gaze, laden with scrutiny and a hint of an imperceptible fluctuation, upon him. The moment she intervened, he wasn’t entirely unprepared, but the urgency contained within that multi-colored energy had dropped a pebble into the calm lake of his stern heart. He was accustomed to control, to transactions, to measuring everything by strength. But this action, which transcended the scope of “cooperation,” caused a slight crack in his established principles.

He needed the Heavenly Flame, without a doubt. But at this moment, beside the thought of acquiring the flame, something else seemed to have quietly begun to grow. Something… an “interest” in this stunningly beautiful and enchanting woman before him, which even he hadn’t yet fully comprehended.

The night passed in silence, with only the tireless whine of the wind and sand.

The next morning, the scorching sun once again reigned over the desert.

The two continued their journey, heading towards the hidden oasis Medusa had mentioned.

The atmosphere was even more subtle than before. Still silent, but within that silence, it was as if countless tiny hooks were probing and tugging at each other.

Medusa walked ahead, her purple brocade robe outlining breathtaking curves in the hot wind. She deliberately maintained her queenly demeanor and pace, her multi-colored gaze fixed straight ahead, as if completely indifferent to the person behind her. But only she knew that every gaze from behind felt like a tangible brand on her, causing her newly advanced Dou Zong’s powerful heart to accelerate uncontrollably.

Li Ao followed behind, his gaze calmly sweeping over her waist, which swayed naturally with the movement of her snake tail, and over her long neck, which gleamed with a healthy luster in the sunlight. He suddenly discovered that this cold and ruthless Snake-People Clan Queen, in certain unguarded moments, could also reveal a breathtaking, feminine softness. This discovery brought him a strange… flutter.

It was noon, the sun at its most brutal.

Beyond the sand dune ahead, a faint, moist scent, different from the dry, hot wind and sand, subtly wafted.

“We’re almost there,” Medusa said, her voice carrying a hint of imperceptible relief.

However, just as the two were about to crest the last sand dune, an unexpected change occurred!

Medusa’s forward-moving snake tail abruptly halted, her delicate body swayed imperceptibly, and the azure flame lotus mark on her forehead suddenly flared with light before quickly dimming! She let out a muffled grunt, her face instantly paling a few shades, and the stable multi-colored energy field around her also showed a hint of chaotic fluctuation!

The conflict of the Heavenly Flame energy had erupted without warning at this moment! Although she forcibly suppressed it, it clearly affected her condition.

Li Ao’s steps paused, his gaze sharply turning to her: “What’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing,” Medusa forced herself to steady her breath, her multi-colored eyes flickering as she tried to conceal that momentary weakness, “Just a small issue.”

She tried to continue forward, but her snake tail moved with a hint of sluggishness.

Li Ao frowned slightly, not asking further, but merely slowed his pace, walking beside her.

After cresting the sand dune, the view suddenly opened up.

A small oasis, like an emerald embedded in the boundless golden desert, lay quietly in the center of the basin. A clear crescent spring shimmered with ripples, a few drought-resistant palm trees cast sparse shadows, and the air was filled with the long-awaited, refreshing moisture and the clean scent of grass and trees.

Life in desperation is always especially moving.

Medusa looked at the oasis, a hint of relaxation flashing in her multi-colored eyes. She quickened her pace, swimming towards the crescent spring, wanting to quickly use the relatively gentle energy environment there to calm the damned conflict within her body.

However, perhaps due to a momentary relaxation of her mind, or the influence of the chaotic energy within her, as she approached a slippery pebble by the spring, her snake tail suddenly slipped, and her center of gravity instantly became unbalanced!

“Hm!” She let out a short gasp of surprise, her entire body toppling towards the cool spring water!

With her Dou Zong strength, she could have easily stabilized herself. But at this moment, the energy conflict occupied most of her mind, and this sudden loss of balance made it difficult for her to adjust in time!

Just as she thought she was about to fall clumsily into the water—

A steady, powerful hand suddenly wrapped around her slender yet elastic waist!

A scorching heat, carrying a unique masculine scent, instantly transferred through the thin brocade robe to her skin!

Medusa’s delicate body stiffened abruptly!

She was pulled back by an irresistible force, her back firmly pressing against a broad and firm chest!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

She could clearly feel the strong, powerful heartbeat from behind her, thumping like a drum, striking her back and her heart. The hand wrapped around her waist was hot, steady, and possessed a domineering control, instantly reminding her of his back, standing in front of her, enduring the fire python in the secret realm.

Li Ao lowered his head, looking at the instantly tensed, warm and supple body in his arms. The unique fragrance of her hair, mixed with a hint of the Heavenly Flame’s intense aura, lingered at his nose, forming an intoxicating allure. The waist beneath his palm was so slender it seemed he could span it with one hand, yet it was full of power, the Snake-People Clan Queen’s flexibility and strength forming a fatally contradictory attraction at this moment.

Medusa suddenly snapped back to her senses, shame, anger, and icy coldness instantly surging into her multi-colored eyes! “Let go!” Her voice was cold, tinged with killing intent, as she tried to struggle.

But Li Ao’s arm was like an iron band, unmoving. Not only did he not release her, he tightened his grip, pressing her even closer into his embrace.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together, clearly feeling each other’s body temperature and curves.

“Don’t move,” Li Ao’s deep voice sounded in her ear, his hot breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe, “Your energy is very chaotic.”

His voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried a strange magic, causing Medusa’s struggling movements to momentarily halt. She could feel a gentle yet steady force slowly entering her body through the hand that embraced her waist. It wasn’t Dou Qi, yet it carried a heavy sense of suppressing everything, forcibly smoothing the restless and conflicting Heavenly Flame energy in her meridians.

This feeling… was similar to when he assisted in setting up the array in the secret chamber, but now, it was more direct, more… intimate.

Shame and anger still lingered, but a more complex emotion, tinged with a hint of panic and helplessness, quietly sprouted like vines, entwining her heart. She could even feel her cheeks uncontrollably beginning to flush.

She was the Snake-People Clan Queen; when had she ever had such close contact with the opposite sex? Moreover, in such a… nearly embraced posture!

“You…” She tried to use her icy gaze to force him away, but when her eyes met his, so close and deep as an abyss, the coldness seemed to hit an invisible barrier, instantly dissolving a few points. His eyes were calm, devoid of lust or disrespect, only a pure, focused attention, as if observing a precise instrument, and… a very difficult to detect hint of possessiveness, which perhaps even he hadn’t realized?

“If you don’t want to fall into the water, be quiet.” Li Ao spoke again, his tone carrying his usual, unquestionable commanding tone. He held her, his steps steady, walking towards a dry shaded area by the spring.

Medusa pursed her red lips, her multi-colored eyes flickering intensely. In the end, she actually stopped struggling. She allowed him to half-embrace her, leading her to the shade, and then… gently setting her down.

The scorching sensation on her waist abruptly disappeared, bringing a cool sense of loss. She immediately took a half-step back, creating distance, her beautiful face covered in frost, but in the depths of her multi-colored eyes, a ripple that had not yet subsided still lingered.

“Thank you,” she said stiffly, her voice still cold, but with a few less hints of killing intent.

Li Ao looked at her slightly reddened earlobes and her feigned composure that couldn’t hide a hint of panic in her eyes. That strange feeling in his heart surfaced again. He nodded, said nothing more, turned and walked to the spring, scooped up a handful of cool spring water, and washed his face.

The cool spring water temporarily suppressed the inexplicable heat in his heart.

Medusa watched his back, her jade hand unconsciously touching the waist he had just embraced. There, the scorching touch and steady power seemed to still linger. A never-before-felt, chaotic emotion spread through her chest.

The gentle breeze of the oasis blew, bringing the moisture of the spring and the clean scent of grass and trees.

But the air between them was even hotter than the desert’s midday sun.

Some boundaries, once crossed, can never return to their original state.

And how long could the tranquility of the oasis last?