Winter Departs, Spring Arrives, Another Year Passes

As Xie Yixuan looked into the eyes opposite him, he gasped. It was too terrifying.

It turned out to be the librarian, who had been tidying up books nearby. They had been so engrossed in the conversation that they accidentally bumped into him.

The librarian emerged from the other side, offering an embarrassed smile.

"It's quite strange. We had another peculiar incident involving a snake in the library during the summer."

Hearing this, Xie Yixuan's curiosity was piqued. "What kind of incident?"

"That's a long story."

"At first, we thought someone was playing a prank. Later, we installed surveillance cameras. Guess what? It was a snake that knocked down all those books!"

After the librarian finished recounting the tale, Xie Yixuan and his companion were stunned, disbelief coloring their voices. "Did such a strange thing really happen?"

Xie Yixuan eyed the librarian up and down. "You're not messing with us, are you?"

The librarian rolled his eyes with a complete lack of decorum. "Do I look that bored? Why would I play a prank on you? If you don't believe me, you can go watch the surveillance footage. I still have it saved."

Xie Yixuan's interest was immediately ignited. "Let's go take a look."

After watching the video, the two of them finally believed the librarian.

Xie Yixuan's companion marveled, "Wow, that's truly bizarre. It's almost as if the snake was reading the books, and they were all ancient texts like 'The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon' and 'Yi Jin Jing'."

"Why would it mess with these books specifically and not others?"

His friend muttered to himself, but there was no response from beside him. He nudged Xie Yixuan. "Why aren't you saying anything? You're usually the one who loves these strange, mysterious things."

He turned his head and saw Xie Yixuan staring intently at the screen, his eyes practically glued to it.

A tempest raged within Xie Yixuan. The more he looked at the snake, the more familiar it seemed.

The snake in the surveillance footage was exactly the same as the one he had seen in the deep mountains a few days prior! The only difference was its size; the one in the footage appeared a bit smaller.

Perhaps it was due to the angle, and it was perfectly reasonable for it to have grown after so much time.

"This snake is the one I saw in the mountains before!"

Now it was the librarian's and his friend's turn to be astonished. "You can't be serious, can you? How could there be such a coincidence?"

Xie Yixuan had been wondering if he was hallucinating, but the surveillance video before him confirmed it once again. That snake was definitely not a hallucination.

The snake in the surveillance video was absolutely the same one he had seen in the deep mountains last time!

The librarian and his friend exchanged bewildered glances.

The whole situation seemed utterly unbelievable.

A snake had traveled from a library in the city to the deep mountains and forests a thousand miles away, or perhaps it had always been in the mountains and came to the library for some unknown reason.

According to the librarian, the snake had never returned after the surveillance cameras were installed.

Later, he even doubted if it had all been his imagination, but every time he watched that video, he knew it had all truly happened.

Xie Yixuan walked out of the library, still somewhat dazed. "Why would this snake be interested in these kinds of ancient texts? Out of all the places to be, why choose here?"

Hearing his murmured words, his companion thought Xie Yixuan was going mad and smacked him hard on the back of the head.

"Hey, don't overthink it. Maybe it was all just a coincidence. Besides, what snake actually reads books? Maybe it just got used to that spot and didn't want to move."

"And all snakes look pretty much the same. Maybe you just saw it wrong, and these two aren't the same snake at all."

His friend chattered on beside him, but Xie Yixuan didn't hear a word. The experience in the deep mountains might remain an unsolvable mystery for the rest of his life.

The police had searched the mountain several times without finding anyone, and the matter was eventually dropped. Although the animal smuggling case was closed, the poacher's death remained an unsolved mystery.

Ye Qin was completely unaware of the significant impact he had on Xie Yixuan and the police. In comparison, his life was like a calm lake, with only faint ripples occasionally disturbing its surface.

Apart from cultivation, there was nothing else to occupy his days.

As the sun set and the moon rose, the long winter finally passed. Under the sun's rays, the ice and snow melted, and vibrant green life reappeared on the mountaintops.

The resilient little grass poked its head out the moment the ice and snow melted, like a signal. Soon, the entire mountainside was filled with vibrant green.

Ye Qin was completely immersed in his cultivation and paid no attention to the changes in the outside world. Until one day, a faint fragrance wafted through the air. He followed the scent and was surprised to find that the source of the aroma was right at the cave entrance.

Outside the cave, dense vines had grown, almost completely obscuring the entire cave and forming the most natural barrier.

Amidst the lush greenery, an unknown white flower could be faintly seen blooming serenely.

"So, it's already spring..."

"There wasn't any festive atmosphere for the New Year at all. The first New Year since my rebirth has passed just like that."

Perhaps it was because Ye Qin was in the deep mountains and forests, where he heard no sound of firecrackers, or perhaps it was because the modern authorities strictly prohibited fireworks, dampening the festive spirit of the New Year.

Coupled with his day-and-night cultivation, he hadn't noticed any fireworks.

It truly echoed the ancient saying:

"In the mountains, time is irrelevant; in the human world, days and nights pass."

The events of his past life were like fleeting clouds to Ye Qin. Sometimes he wondered if he had been reborn as a snake, or if his life as a human had merely been an unattainable, beautiful dream.

As Zhuang Zhou dreamt of butterflies, or were butterflies dreaming of Zhuang Zhou.

He had now completely adapted to life as a snake, and the perspective of seeing everything as colossal was something he had long grown accustomed to.

After all, when he first started, he couldn't even crawl properly. Now, his speed was so great that he almost left behind only afterimages.

Not to mention that the force of his tail could now snap trees of medium size. All these changes were brought about by his cultivation.

One could only say that life was unpredictable. If it were his past life, he would never have imagined that in this life, he would embark on a path that was unprecedented and unparalleled.

Ye Qin sighed softly, a strong sense of crisis surging in his heart.

Although his physical body was continuously growing stronger and his form had changed, Ye Qin could feel that his lifespan had not increased at all.

The lifespan of ordinary small to medium-sized snakes was only a few years. This meant that he had at most one year left to live!

"One year... In this year, I must advance rapidly. I just don't know what realm I need to reach for my lifespan to improve?"

"Time is a bit tight."

Ye Qin arrived at the highest point of the entire mountain. From here, he could see almost the entire panorama, truly a case of "standing atop the mountain and seeing all other peaks."

He had been cultivating here all this time.

The mountain was lush and green, like a coiled green dragon, with the dragon lying within. The dragon's head faced the cave where Ye Qin was located, offering a broad view—a truly excellent terrain.

As dusk deepened, the setting sun sank into the sea of clouds, and night began its reign.

The entire mountaintop was painted in rich, dark colors, obscuring most of its outline, leaving only a massive shadow. At first glance, it resembled a giant from ancient times.

At some unknown time, the moon hung high in the firmament, generously scattering countless rays of silver light. The mountain forest, which had fallen into darkness, was once again illuminated.

The cool, clear light adorned the mountaintop, and silver gauze cascaded down, welcoming those who were fated.

Ye Qin was clearly one of its fated snakes.

He stretched his entire body out, like a straight ruler, allowing his whole serpentine form to better receive the baptism of Moon Essence, occasionally flipping over.

After doing all this, he straightened his body, his head slightly bowed.

From a distance, it looked as if he were worshipping the moon!