Cool by the Lakeside

On a day of heavy snow, the air was cold and clear, and all sounds of people and birds on the lake had vanished.

Rime covered everything in a vast white expanse. Sky, clouds, rockery, and lake water stood sharply divided in black and white. Lake Island was like a snow lotus in an ink pool, while the white tower on the island was like the lotus's stamen, standing there. Through the rockery stones, the witch could clearly see that the rattlesnake's head was pointed straight at the white tower, as if searching for something.

Because there was so much snow piled along the shore, the deep clumps of dead grass inevitably contained filth or traps left behind by the Minor Monsters in the lake. Zheng Qing and Ilena did not go far. Instead, they circled behind the sloping side of the rockery, chose an empty patch of ground nearby, and strolled slowly as they digested their meal, enjoying the rare peace and tranquility by the lake.

The Gypsy witch had something on her mind and would occasionally look up at the long snake on the rockery.

Her actions quickly caught the young scholarship student's attention.

"If you're worried, I can send a paper crane and have Liu Feifei take her little dragon away," Zheng Qing said, assuming Ilena was concerned for the rattlesnake's safety. "That snake seems spiritual too. If it really feels cold, it'll definitely slither back early. It won't stay outside and freeze stiff."

Ilena forced a smile but said nothing.

After a while, she suddenly asked, "Why do you trust your own eyes—or your feelings—so much?"

The question was rather abrupt and left him baffled. Zheng Qing didn't know whether she meant what he had just speculated about or something else entirely.

After hesitating for a