Jiaozilou, top-floor suite.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window lattice, spilling onto the soft bed in the inner bedroom.
Zi Yan groggily turned over and habitually reached out with her little hand, wanting to hug Mo Lin beside her, only to find empty space. She rubbed her sleepy purple eyes and sat up, mumbling, "Brother Mo Lin..."
Before she could finish speaking, the corner of her eye suddenly caught an unusual splash of color beside the pillow. She focused her gaze and froze!
Beside her scattered purple hair lay a tiny snake, barely a foot long, curled into a circle and sleeping soundly. Its entire body was covered in crystalline nine-colored scales, which reflected a dreamlike sheen beneath the morning light. It was unbelievably beautiful!
"Huh? This is...?" Zi Yan was startled at first, then her purple eyes widened sharply! From the little snake, she sensed an incomparably familiar bloodline aura, one sharing the same origin—pure and noble. That was... a Nine-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python?! And this aura... was Xi'er?!
"Xi'er?! How did you get here?!" Zi Yan was both shocked and delighted. She cautiously extended a finger and gently touched the little snake's cool, smooth scales.
The nine-colored little snake woke with a start, raising its delicate head and opening a pair of pure, translucent nine-colored snake eyes.
The moment it saw Zi Yan, its eyes immediately filled with affection and joy. It let out soft hissing sounds and lovingly rubbed its little head against Zi Yan's finger.
"It really is Xi'er!" Zi Yan was so happy she nearly jumped up! She scooped the little snake into her palms and rubbed her cheek against its cool little body. "Oh my heavens! How did you get here? Where's your daddy? Does Sister Cai Lin know?"
Little snake Xi'er hissed in