Su Qinglan waited patiently at the door like a little wife whose husband is returning home after a war.
She sat on the wooden floor, knees pulled up, hands fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve, eyes glued to the doorway as if willing Han Jue and Rong Ye to appear with a certain tall, quiet, handsome husband trailing behind them.
She couldn’t tell why, but thinking about him made her heart pound with fear. There was a strange premonition in her heart that refused to calm down.
She felt like something strange was happening, but she couldn’t point it out. So she could only hope that Xuan Long would return home safely; only then could she sigh with relief.
Minutes felt like hours. Her heart kept jumping at every little noise outside. Even the sound of rain dripping from the roof made her lean forward like an eager cub.
Finally, the door curtain rustled, the one they had made from hide.
She shot to her feet instantly... even before their silhouettes fully came in.
But the moment Han Jue stepped inside...
she froze.
Because the expression on his face was not relief, not normal, not even annoyed.
It was dark and gloomy.
Rong Ye looked even worse; he had that serious face he only made when things were genuinely bad.
Su Qinglan’s smile faded.
"Where... where is Xuan Long?" she asked softly.
They didn’t answer. Her heart sank further.
"Han Jue... Rong Ye... where is he?"
Still no answer. They just exchanged glances and then lowered their eyes, as if they refused to meet her gaze.
And suddenly her voice sounded harsh even to her own ears, louder than she expected.
"WHERE IS HE?!"
Han Jue took a slow breath.
"Lan Lan... he didn’t come back with the group."
Her whole world tilted. She stepped back like someone had pushed her.
"What... what do you mean he didn’t come back?"
Rong Ye rubbed his face, clearly frustrated.
"The group that went to trade rice... they came back without him. They said Xuan Long suddenly disappeared. One moment he was there, the next he was gone, and they couldn’t do anything."
Su Qinglan’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"He disappeared? Just like that? How can a whole group of beastmen lose him?!"
Her voice shook with anger and fear mixed together.
She stormed toward the door.
"Where are they? I want to ask them myself! How can my husband vanish into thin air? Are they lying? Did something happen?! Why won’t they tell me?!"
Han Jue immediately caught her wrist... not roughly, but firmly, like holding someone standing too close to an edge.
"Lan Lan, calm down..."
"I WON’T CALM DOWN!" she snapped, tears gathering in her eyes so fast it startled both men. "Tell me if something happened! Tell me the truth!"
Rong Ye lifted both hands in surrender, speaking quickly, "We don’t know anything more than this! They’re not lying... they were panicking too, saying he just vanished after going to check something!"
Han Jue gently pulled her closer, trying to steady her trembling hands.
"Lan Lan, listen... we’ll search. We’ll find him. Just don’t panic."
But she was already panicking.
Because Xuan Long was strong. But she knew he was not a god... what if something happened to him... and let’s not forget her heart that was beating way too fast since the rain had started.
Before she could speak again, heavy footsteps sounded outside.
Hu Yan appeared in the doorway, his hair damp from rain and hands still covered with bits of vine from working on the fence.
He looked confused at the tense atmosphere.
"What happened?" he asked slowly.
Rong Ye turned to him with a grim face.
"Xuan Long... didn’t return. He’s missing."
Hu Yan’s expression hardened instantly, his eyes turning feral like a tiger’s.
"What do you mean missing?"
Han Jue sighed deeply. "He wasn’t with the group."
For one second, Hu Yan stood stunned.
Then he stepped fully inside, the seriousness on his face matching the others.
Su Qinglan looked at all three of them. Han Jue was tense, Rong Ye was frustrated, and Hu Yan was now silently worried, and her own fear doubled.
"No... this can’t be real..." she whispered with a breaking voice.
Her hands clenched tightly around her clothes, her heart thundering painfully in her chest.
Her snake husband was gone and none of them had an answer.
***
On the other hand, Xuan Long was standing in front of a lazily reclining figure whose entire posture screamed boredom.
While Xuan Long’s aura was colder than falling snow, enough to buckle anyone’s knees and make them kneel in front of him...
The man in front of him didn’t even blink, didn’t even straighten up, and to make Xuan Long’s rage burst even more, that shameless man actually yawned right in his face as if he weren’t facing a murderous ancient serpent who could crush mountains.
Instantly, Xuan Long swung his long snake tail in anger, aiming to smash the man into the ground, but the figure vanished from his place without effort, reappearing casually a few feet away as if they were simply playing a gentle game of tag.
And said in an unhurried, almost amused tone, "Easy, brother, why so worked up? What brings you here? I haven’t seen you in centuries."
"How did you suddenly decide to crawl out of that lazy slumber of yours? Did something good happen?" he added with a teasing lift of his brows and a smile that made it clear he was enjoying provoking him.
But Xuan Long’s face remained utterly blank, cold, emotionless, and he replied flatly, "If you want to challenge someone, get out of here. Don’t wander in this domain. Go choose another one."
His voice was so icy that frost seemed to settle in the air, but instead of taking the warning seriously, the man’s interest only peaked.
His eyes brightened with a mischievous glint as he leaned forward slightly and said with a curious grin, "Oh? Why so defensive? Are you hiding some beauty here?"