A pitiful, helpless little animal

Was she looking at me?

Merely meeting the black-scaled python's gaze sent an icy chill through Han Suxin's heart. Her whole body trembled involuntarily, an instinctive fear born of the gulf between their levels of existence.

This black-scaled python was clearly a real, conscious being, not an illusion conjured by the dream.

Her shock only deepened.

Within a dream, aside from intruders like herself, only its owner possessed a true consciousness.

In other words... outside this dream, that seemingly timid girl with low self-esteem was actually a black-scaled python of unimaginable terror!

Suddenly, a thunderous roar shook heaven and earth. The dark sky that swallowed everything abruptly blazed with light, instantly dispelling all darkness. For that moment, the entire world seemed to turn to day.

Han Suxin looked up.

A hairline crack had opened in the sky above the Demonic Well of Origin. Boundless light streamed through it, illuminating the gloomy world.

Suddenly, a drop of strange liquid, shaped like dew yet resembling both gold and jade, slowly seeped from the crack. It looked as light and fragile as a dewdrop, yet exuded an inexplicable majesty that could make heaven and earth submit. It dripped from the crack toward the Demonic Well of Origin directly below.

The black-scaled python had already slithered out of the well. Her scale-covered body had grown enormous, coiling above the demonic well like a small mountain.

Only then did Han Suxin realize that this gigantic black-scaled snake had no tail. In its place was another equally massive head. The two heads were almost identical, differing only in the color of their eyes. The newly revealed head had cold, dark-gold eyes.

The head with dark-gold eyes rose high, watching the strange liquid descend from the sky. She opened her mouth wide, waited for the drop to fall inside, then swallowed it whole.

The crack above the Demonic Well of Origin slowly closed.

The light vanished, and darkness descended once more.

Both of the gigantic black-scaled snake's heads glanced at Han Suxin, instantly plunging her into an icy abyss. But the snake did nothing else. Her body shrank, and she slithered back into the demonic well with a rustling sound.

All she left behind was a cold female voice laced with serpentine hisses, echoing through the dream:

"Stop bothering me..."

The next instant, Han Suxin's vision went black. Her soul shuddered violently, and she found herself back in reality. Before her still lay the timid girl, her sleeping face serene and lovely, as though everything had been an illusion.

But she knew the two-headed black snake had kicked her out of the dream, even inflicting a slight injury on her soul.

"This..."

Han Suxin's face was pale. She instinctively stepped back, only for her legs to give way. She collapsed to her knees, bracing herself against the floor with both hands. Her chest heaved as she stared at She Xilu on the recliner, lingering terror filling her eyes.

She felt she had been outrageously reckless. How had she dared intrude into the dream of such a terrifying exotic being?

The other party had expelled her from the dream so easily and even injured her soul. Had she harbored any malice, a single thought would have been enough to annihilate Han Suxin's soul on the spot!

Han Suxin let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh.

She had actually thought this timid girl was merely a mortal. Looking back, it was truly laughable...

By the look of things, the two-headed black-scaled snake's Primordial Spirit had probably reincarnated into a human body. But reincarnation would not change that immensely powerful Primordial Spirit.

A Primordial Spirit represented the essential existence of a life. Cultivation was also the process by which a soul gradually transformed into a Primordial Spirit.

For someone like her, who had yet to form a Primordial Spirit, reincarnation would mean her soul dissipating. She could not retain her memories, either. After rebirth, she would simply become another person.

Still, it seems her memories haven't awakened yet... Was her name She Xilu?

Han Suxin took a deep breath. Looking at She Xilu sleeping soundly on the recliner, she suddenly froze.

"Hm?"

"She Xilu? She? Xilu?"

Understanding abruptly dawned on her. So "She" refers to a snake! And "Xilu," cherishing dew... probably refers to that dew-like drop of liquid in the dream...

She also knew that before reincarnating their Primordial Spirits, those masters with heaven-reaching cultivation, or immortals and gods, would plan everything in advance.

Their choice of rebirth, for instance, along with their sex, appearance, name...

And the name of the girl before her, "She Xilu," had been rather unusual to begin with.

Now it seemed very likely to be her original name before reincarnation, or something with a similar symbolic meaning.

But clearly, this girl was no ordinary reincarnated master. She could very well be a terrifying exotic being born within the Demonic Well of Origin!

Wait...

Suddenly, Han Suxin froze again as one thought after another flashed through her mind-

Such a terrifying being had reincarnated as a human and actually become Lin Zhishui's wife?

Was it a coincidence?

But even without awakened memories, the Primordial Spirit of such a terrifying existence would influence her choices through her subconscious. She should not casually marry a mortal.

Either a being like her simply did not care about marriage...

Or Han Suxin's earlier judgment had been wrong-perhaps Lin Zhishui truly was a peerless master disguised as a mortal!

Han Suxin abruptly recalled something.

Lin Zhishui had said that She Xilu had been restless lately, plagued by nightmares all day long and unable to find peace. Since this was not his specialty, he had asked her to help.

Now she understood.

How could those be nightmares?

They were clearly memories of a past life gradually being released in her sleep as her Primordial Spirit awakened. This was plainly a good thing!

Clearly, he had deceived her.

His purpose was probably to have her enter She Xilu's dream.

No wonder he came specifically to me... Dream-entry techniques are relatively rare. Few ordinary cultivators understand them...

Han Suxin understood human nature and psychology quite well. As she carefully thought it over and analyzed it, she grew increasingly alarmed.

But although dream-entry techniques are rare, they shouldn't be difficult for an accomplished master. At worst, he could use a treasure to enter the dream. Why ask someone else for help?

Suddenly, she remembered what the two-headed black snake had said before kicking her out of the dream: "Stop bothering me."

Stop bothering me? Bothering?

It sounded like a simple complaint, but upon closer consideration, perhaps someone had entered She Xilu's dream more than once, which was why the two-headed black snake found it annoying.

If someone had repeatedly entered She Xilu's dream, then...

That person was very likely Lin Zhishui!

Perhaps the two-headed black snake in the dream refused to see Lin Zhishui, so he had specifically sent Han Suxin in to check the situation?

I need to get this straight.

At that thought, Han Suxin endured the dizziness caused by her injured soul and slowly rose from the floor, casting another glance at She Xilu.

She Xilu remained deeply asleep. After all, her body was no different from a mortal's; only her Primordial Spirit was imperishable.

"Whew..."

Han Suxin took slow, deep breaths, doing her best to settle her agitated emotions.

After such a fright, with even her soul injured and nearly annihilated, how could she possibly remain calm?

But she dared not display excessive emotion. If she offended the senior outside, who might be a master, perhaps a minor scheme on his part would be enough to plunge her into eternal damnation.

For a master like that, disguising himself as a mortal and opening a small calligraphy and painting shop in the mortal world might be a pastime.

But when everything he sold was so precious and mysterious, it could not possibly be mere amusement. Clearly, he had another purpose!

Perhaps he was using countless cultivators as pieces and heaven and earth as his board, plotting an earth-shaking game of chess!

If that were true, as a mere pawn, she barely had time to protect herself. How could she dare displease him?

A full minute passed before Han Suxin finally calmed herself completely. Gathering her thoughts, she walked to the counseling room door, slowly opened it, and stepped outside.

Lin Zhishui sat on the office sofa. Seeing Han Suxin emerge, he glanced through the door behind her and noticed that his Little Snake seemed to be sleeping.

Was this the legendary psychological hypnosis?

As expected of a top-tier psychology professional. She even knows hypnosis. I definitely came to the right place.

At that thought, a faint smile appeared on Lin Zhishui's lips. Looking at Han Suxin, he habitually asked a pointless question. "You're out?"

Han Suxin's expression immediately stiffened.

Just as I thought... He came to me precisely because he wanted me to enter She Xilu's dream! He probably knew all along that her Primordial Spirit wouldn't destroy my soul and expected me to come out alive...

The knowing smile on the man's lips only confirmed it!

Still, she could only force a smile and nod. "I fulfilled your request."

Fulfilled my request? Sounds like things went fairly well... Lin Zhishui secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then asked with concern, "By the way, Little Snake has a rather odd personality. You look a little pale. Was she rude to you in there?"

The counseling room's soundproofing was so good that he had heard nothing at all.

"It's nothing."

Han Suxin shook her head. "I wasn't careful. Your wife isn't to blame. Besides, she was only resisting. I doubt she meant to do it."

She understood that compared with She Xilu's Primordial Spirit, her soul was far too weak. It was truly like an egg striking a rock.

Although She Xilu had merely expelled her from the dream and had not intended to hurt her, she had still suffered a little damage.

Lin Zhishui was slightly taken aback.

That girl actually hurt Han Suxin?

Oh, right. She does tend to pinch people in her sleep. Maybe she unconsciously hurt Han Suxin after being hypnotized to sleep.

But I don't see any injuries on Han Suxin. Could they be hidden under her clothes?

Look, she's so pale from the pain. If she'd only been pinched on the arm or somewhere like that, she should have been able to pull away easily, and it wouldn't hurt this much. Could it be...

She pinched her there?

His gaze unconsciously swept over Han Suxin's chest, and he felt a little awkward.

"I'm truly sorry."

Lin Zhishui immediately offered a sincere apology. "How about this? Come to my shop tomorrow, and I'll write a character for you as a small token of compensation. I hope you won't hold this against her."

Han Suxin paused slightly. It seemed this senior was not the cold, aloof master she had imagined, one who treated all living beings as pawns. He did have some humanity.

He was giving away such precious calligraphy just like that.

By that reckoning, she was actually coming out ahead.

Much of the resentment in her heart faded, and she hurriedly said, "You're far too kind."

"It's nothing."

Lin Zhishui shook his head slightly, glanced at the counseling room's half-closed door, and asked, "How is she doing in there?"

Although he had seen She Xilu asleep inside, he was still a little worried.

In there? Is he asking about the Primordial Spirit in the dream?

Somewhat puzzled, Han Suxin said, "She's still in the dream. But are you familiar with your wife's condition?"

First, she needed to confirm whether this master was genuine or not, and whether he knew what lay inside the dream.

"You mean that well and the two-headed snake?" Lin Zhishui said with mild amusement. "That's exactly why I came to you. How could I not know?"

Seeing him laugh at her question, Han Suxin immediately realized she had asked something pointless. The last trace of doubt in her heart vanished.

As expected, he knows everything... Before a Primordial Spirit awakens, memories of the dream disappear upon waking. Even the person herself won't remember them, yet he knows every detail. It seems he entered She Xilu's dream long ago...

She sighed inwardly and gathered her thoughts. "She's still sleeping inside. After entering, I confirmed that she's in a state of self-imposed isolation, concealing her true self. I'm afraid she won't emerge for now. Perhaps... only after your wife grows will she gradually reveal who she truly is."

Lin Zhishui listened in bewilderment.

Do all these psychology "experts" talk in such deliberately mysterious terms?

Does that make them sound fashionable?

Still, as someone who got full marks in reading comprehension on his language exams, how could I possibly fail to understand her?

"So that's how it is."

Lin Zhishui sighed. "She's been like this for a very long time, refusing to face her true self. I've tried to enter her inner world many times, but it hasn't helped much. That's why I asked you for help. Ah, Little Snake is always wary of other people, like a pitiful, helpless little animal..."

Han Suxin was utterly dumbfounded.

Little Snake? A little animal?

You call that terrifying, gigantic exotic being a pitiful, helpless little animal?

Why not add "with a monstrous appetite" while you're at it?

She could not help reassessing Lin Zhishui's true cultivation. It sounded as though this senior had known She Xilu in her previous life. Could he... be a mighty immortal or god who had survived since ancient times?