The Snake-People Kingdom's Wedding: A Master-Servant Pact and a Roast Session from His Little Brother

At sunset, the Snake-People Kingdom's desert was dyed blood-red. In front of Queen Medusa's palace, Xiao Feng stared at the "marriage contract" with a face full of dark lines. The four words "Master-Servant Pact" on the parchment made his eyes ache. Beside him, Xiao Yan folded his arms, the corners of his mouth twitching upward as he struggled to hold back his laughter.

"Explain. What's going on?" Xiao Feng pinched the marriage contract and looked at Medusa.

Her Majesty flicked her purple hair, and her snake tail cracked sharply against the ground. "That day in the Tagor Desert, you saved my life with Emperor Flame. According to the traditions of the Snake-People Kingdom, we are already bound by a 'Symbiotic Pact.'" She lightly brushed her fingers over Xiao Feng's chest. "Tonight is our wedding night."

Xiao Feng took half a step back as the Emperor Scale instinctively glimmered with golden light. "Wait! A Symbiotic Pact isn't a Master-Servant Pact! Besides, I never agreed..."

"Brother Xiao, don't be shy." Protector Die, standing behind Cai Lin, suddenly spoke. "Her Majesty has already announced it throughout the Snake-People Kingdom. If she doesn't marry today, she'll unleash the 'Serpent Tide' and flatten the Xiao Clan."

"What?!" Xiao Feng suddenly realized he'd been tricked. He turned to Xiao Yan, but the latter only spread his hands with an innocent expression. "Third Brother, the queen's being so forward. Just give in—you're not losing out, anyway."

The system prompt sounded at just the right moment:

Ding! Host triggered the "Forced Marriage" storyline and earned the "Reluctant Union" achievement!

Xiao Yan earned the "Best Bad Friend" title and can roast people endlessly at the wedding.

"Xiao Yanzi!" Xiao Feng gritted his teeth. "Fine if you won't help, but why are you fanning the flames?"

Xiao Yan shrugged. "Can't help it. You stole my 'female lead script.'" He lowered his voice. "Maybe this is part of the system bug, too. Just think of it as a life experience."

The wedding ceremony was held at the Snake-People Kingdom's Spirit-Swallowing Altar. Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian, and Yun Yun had also been invited to watch. Each wore a different expression: a faint sadness lingered in Xun'er's eyes, Xiao Yi Xian beamed foolishly as she held a bouquet, and Yun Yun watched Xiao Feng thoughtfully.

"Now, let the bride and groom prick their fingers and seal the pact with blood." Protector Die handed them a dagger.

Xiao Feng was about to refuse when yellow sand billowed in the distance. Hun Dan's Bone Dragon phantom came striding through the air, a glowing "system patch" in his hand. "Xiao Feng, your 'Protagonist Experience Card' has expired!"

The instant the patch's light fell, Medusa suddenly grabbed Xiao Feng's wrist. The dagger pierced both their fingertips, and their blood congealed into a snake-shaped pact on the altar. Xiao Feng's head spun. He found he could no longer use Dou Qi—the pact had somehow been implanted with a "system anti-magic curse"!

"Cai Lin! You..."

Medusa's gaze was complicated, but she gritted her teeth and said, "I'm sorry, but the Snake-People Kingdom needs the power of Emperor Flame to fight the Soul Clan." She turned to Hun Dan. "You promised that after this was done, you'd remove my Heaven-Swallowing Python bloodline!"

Xiao Feng's pupils shrank. So it had all been Hun Dan's scheme! He had exploited a system bug to tamper with Medusa's memories, twisting "a life-saving debt" into "a pact debt" just to trap the Xiao Clan twins!

"Third Brother, look out!" Xiao Yan swung his ruler at Hun Dan, but the other man flung out a "system patch" that bounced Xiao Yan's attack right back. "That's Hun Dan's 'plot correction' ability! He's forcing the story back onto the original track, where Xiao Yan has a one-sided love for Medusa!"

Xiao Feng activated Soul Movement Three Thousand, but the pact suppressed his soul power and left him unable to move. Just as Hun Dan's System Finale beam was about to hit Xiao Yan, Xun'er suddenly flung out a fragment of the Progenitor Ancient Jade. Green light blocked the beam. "Don't you dare hurt him!"

Xiao Yi Xian pulled out poison and flung it at the Bone Dragon, but accidentally splashed some on Xiao Feng, drawing an angry roar from Medusa. "How dare you hurt my husband?!"

Yun Yun shook her head with a sigh, then joined the fight with her sword. "Young Master Xiao, I'll help you break the pact!"

The wedding turned into a complete mess in an instant. As Xiao Yan fought, he kept roasting everyone. "Third Brother, your harem's on fire! Xun'er and Cai Lin are about to fight! Xiao Yi Xian threw her poison at the wrong person! Sect Master Yun Yun's hacking away at the pact formation!"

Xiao Feng felt like crying as he watched the chaos. Suddenly, inspiration struck—if this was a system bug, then he'd use a bug to break it! He focused and shouted at the system, "System! I want to file a complaint! This plot makes no sense!"

Ding! Host triggered the "Player Complaint" mechanism. The system is investigating...

Illegal plot tampering detected. Hun Dan's location has been locked!

Seeing the tide turn, Hun Dan immediately crushed a teleportation talisman. Xiao Feng took the chance to break free of the pact. Emperor Flame erupted, burning the remaining system patch to ashes. Medusa gazed at him, the confusion in her eyes gradually fading. "Young Master Xiao... I'm sorry. I think I..."

"It's all right," Xiao Feng said with a bitter smile. "Hun Dan tampered with things." He turned to Xiao Yan, who was laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach.

"Had enough?" Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow. "Now help me explain!"

Xiao Yan tried to stifle his laughter and cupped his hands toward Medusa. "Your Majesty, it was all a misunderstanding! My brother... is allergic to snakes!"

"When did I ever—"

"Shut up!" Xiao Yan sent him a voice transmission. "If you don't want everyone pushing you to get married, just play along!"

Medusa eyed them suspiciously, then finally waved for the Snake-People to withdraw. "For what happened today, my kingdom owes the Xiao Clan a favor. But I'll still come to 'discuss' the matter of Emperor Flame with you." With that, she flicked her tail and left, leaving behind a faint trace of her fragrance.

Xun'er stepped forward and offered an antidote. "Brother Xiao, let's treat your wound first."

Xiao Yi Xian came over as well. "I just made a new 'Myriad Poisons Immunity Pill.' Would you like to try it, Brother Xiao?"

Yun Yun took out a healing scroll from the White Cloud Sect. "Young Master Xiao, let me bandage you."

Watching the scene that looked like a battlefield of clashing romantic interests, Xiao Yan couldn't help covering his face. "Third Brother, are you holding a 'harem convention' or something?"

Xiao Feng looked at the three girls with a headache, then suddenly remembered Hun Dan's sneer before he left. He put aside his joking manner and grew serious. "Hun Dan won't give up. King Nine-Nether in the Soul Burial Abyss could awaken at any moment. We have to find the remaining fragments of the Ancient Emperor Jade as soon as possible and summon the true body of Emperor Flame."

Xun'er nodded. "The Gu Clan has a fragment of the Burning Heaven Chapter. Father mentioned it before. If we can persuade him..."

"I'll go with you," Xiao Feng said. "I'll also apologize to Senior Gu Yuan while I'm at it. We parted at the teleportation array last time..."

"Wait!" Xiao Yan suddenly raised his hand. "I'm going, too!"

"What for?" Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow.

Xiao Yan grinned. "To watch the fun! What if you hit it off with another young lady from the Gu Clan? I'll have to remind you—you've already got a 'Master-Servant Pact'!"

The system prompt sounded:

Ding! Host unlocked the "Propose to the Gu Clan" side quest and earned the "Big Brother's Responsibility" buff (Charm +20%, but attracts more misunderstandings).

In the desert's night breeze, Xiao Feng looked at the mischief in his younger brother's eyes and suddenly had a bad feeling. Maybe, just as Xiao Yan said, it was all a system bug. But whatever happened, he had to protect the people around him, even if it meant facing countless headache-inducing "romantic entanglements."

"Let's go," he sighed. "We'll deal with the Ancient Emperor Jade fragments first, then handle these... misunderstandings."

Xiao Yan followed behind and secretly sent a voice transmission to Yao Lao. "I'll bet five bottles of Green Scale Grass Liquid that Third Brother comes back from the Gu Clan with at least one more admirer."

Yao Lao chuckled. "You're on. I say it'll be the daughter of one of the Gu Clan's elders."

"No," Xiao Yan said, his eyes shining. "I bet it'll be Senior Gu Yuan's adopted daughter—the mysterious 'Miss Gu Ling.'"

Moonlight spilled over the sand, stretching their shadows long. Neither noticed Queen Medusa hiding behind a dune, lightly touching the Emperor Flame mark on her chest, the faintest smile playing on her lips...