"Welcome home, elder sister," a melodious voice suddenly resonated as a breathtaking woman rose from the lake. Her entire skin was adorned with gorgeous cobalt-blue scales, even her face was embellished with the shimmering patterns.
Her eyes, feline in nature, were a stunning green, harmonizing with her long, algae-like hair. As this woman stepped out of the lakeside, happiness blossomed within Sha Yun’s heart, and even Shui Wu’s eyes held faint tears of joy. Neither of the two beasts noticed the scattered litter of corpses.
Surveying her surroundings, she furrowed her brows and asked, "Where is that boy?"
"I am here on his behalf," Sha Yun said, her cheeks flushed with excitement and pride at being assigned such a task. "I need to speak with you and younger sister Bingbing."
Having said this, Sha Yun glanced around before beginning her journey to the clearing that belonged to their third sister. Shui Wu followed behind, her eyes brimming with curiosity, while delight illuminated her face.
To her, whether Sha Yun returned because of an errand involving the despicable boy was inconsequential. What mattered to this woman was that her elder sister had returned; happiness was the only emotion she could feel in the space of her heart.
"Elder sister," Shui Wu dashed ahead, calling out as her sister crossed the dense forest, heading toward their third sister. "Now you should come to the Big Snake Tour for a visit," she said excitedly, clapping her hands together. "He misses you terribly!"
Sha Yun nodded but neither altered her path nor turned back to look at her younger sister. It was apparent that there was only one thing important to the Snake Woman at the moment: to gather her sisters as promised to Yan Xiaobao as swiftly as possible.
When she heard the familiar sounds of bustling beasts within the forest, Sha Yun’s primal instincts reawakened. In the distance, the clamor of battle reached her ears, and the metallic scent of blood hung in the air.
Three distinct territories lay far apart. The first, encountered by mercenaries, belonged to Shui Wu, making her the sister responsible for killing most of the humans.
Beyond Shui Wu’s domain, the next realm a traveler might encounter belonged to the Ice Bird. The Ice Bird was the youngest of the three sisters, and Sha Yun was quite certain she would be the hardest to persuade.
The Ice Bird had never truly forgiven Sha Yun for leaving the forest with a boy. Each year when they met again, though she would be elated to see her sister once more, a faint bitterness lingered in the depths of her youthful heart.
Worrying about how her younger sister might react, Sha Yun instinctively slowed her pace as she traveled through the forest toward the Ice Bird’s domain. Her heart began to beat more steadily yet heavily, and within her clear line of sight, it soon pounded rapidly.
Sha Yun came to a halt, prompting Shui Wu behind her to do the same. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to steady herself.
Unlike Shui Wu, Bing was not currently engaged in battle with any mercenaries, nor was there the distinct smell of blood permeating the air. Noticing the lack of bloodshed, Sha Yue’s face bore a look of disappointment. This was because the Ice Bird, after killing someone, allowed her icy exterior to briefly crack, making her easier to approach.
Slowly gliding into the clearing, a shudder coursed through the Snake Woman’s body, for the plummeting temperature was extreme. Snowflakes drifted from the clear sky, and the ground, which should have been vibrant with healthy grass and moss, was instead blanketed in snow.
In this world of white, a stunning woman stood at its center. Her legs resembled those of a slender, long taloned eagle, each foot equipped with three sharp claws. The rest of her body and face was that of a striking woman, but her skin was covered entirely in small, white feathers, much like Lan Feng’s yet differing in color.
This woman had no arms, only two lengthened, elegant white wings, with each wing extending one and a half meters. Her long, curly white hair framed her face, her ice-blue eyes sculpting a profoundly beautiful visage that seemed incapable of expressing pity.
This was the Ice Bird, the youngest of the three sisters and the most difficult to handle. The white-clad woman’s face filled with a complex expression at the sight of Sha Yun, but it seemed that anger triumphed. Her wings suddenly flared, hurling ice pillars one after another at the Snake Woman.
Although Sha Yun dearly loved her sister, she generally avoided entering her icy domain unless absolutely necessary. Sha Yun was a Snake Woman, which meant half of her body was that of a serpent. As a snake, cold weather was her nemesis, rendering her movements sluggish and causing her to be grazed by several of the flying ice spears.
A few droplets of blood fell upon the snowy ground, staining its untouched purity with specks of crimson. Sha Yun’s lips let out faint hisses of pain. Even though the ice spears had merely grazed her, she could feel the profound energy hidden within them. Threads of Qi crept into her body, slowly eroding her internally and freezing her from within.
With a sigh of her wings, Bing dispersed the swirling cold air. As she began walking toward her two sisters, her gaze swept around the clearing, searching for the one person she despised most — a human boy.
"Elder sister, are you alone today?" Bing curiously asked. "Why did you not visit us last year?" A cold woman’s face twisted with an expression of pain, revealing her disappointment in her sister’s absence during the prior year.