Xiao Jietian paused mid-stroke as his fingers glided through Medusa's silky hair. He quickly shook his head.
"I'm not going. You girls go ahead and have fun. Besides, I've already explored most of the Snake-People Holy City before."
He truly didn't dare tag along for shopping.
It was simply too exhausting.
They would browse for hours without buying much, treating the entire outing as performance art centered around "browsing." The most outrageous part? They insisted he carry every single purchased item by hand—no storage rings allowed—because it supposedly demonstrated his "boyfriend power."
That kind of suffering was far worse than fighting an all-night battle.
"Then just wander around by yourself. Most of the Snake-People recognize you anyway." Medusa didn't press the issue. After all, Xiao Jietian had spent considerable time in the tribe and was already familiar with the important places.
"By the way…" Medusa suddenly leaned in close, her voice dripping with sultry temptation. "When you first came to the Snake-People Temple, were you already harboring wicked intentions toward me?"
Xiao Jietian met her playful, knowing gaze.
"You don't need to deny it. You claimed it was all for the Heavenly Flame, yet the moment you obtained it, you handed it straight to your little brother. With your strength back then, you could have simply taken it by force—but instead, you chose to trade fairly… only to abduct me right in the middle of my evolution."
"You really are skilled at laying traps. It seems this Queen was just a big, beautiful fish you wanted to hook into your pond from the very beginning."
Medusa connected every detail with perfect clarity, smirking at him like a cat that had caught the canary.
"Of course," Xiao Jietian admitted without the slightest hesitation or shame. "You are my fated, peerless beauty. How could I bear to use brute force on you? I could only resort to a little… gentle deception."
"Indeed, just as Zi Yan said—you really are a big bad guy." Medusa narrowed her eyes, ticking off his "crimes" one by one with mock seriousness.
"When you were young, you used every trick in the book to deceive Xun'er. When you grew up, you used my evolution to deceive me, pills to deceive Zi Yan, tenderness to deceive Yun Yun, companionship to deceive Xian'er, gentleness to deceive Qing Lin, changing fate to deceive Ya Fei, and a mix of strength and time to deceive Han Yue. As for Huiying… she practically delivered herself to your door."
"Cough cough~" Xiao Jietian gave a few token coughs, but there wasn't a shred of embarrassment on his face.
The women talked about everything among themselves—absolutely no secrets. In fact, they often knew more about each other than they knew about themselves.
They could probably tell you how many strands of hair each sister had in places the individuals themselves had never checked.
Originally, Han Yue and Qing Lin had been more reserved, but under the "guidance" of the senior ladies, they too had gradually… opened up.
Now, most of them maintained the appearance of dignified noblewomen in public, yet in front of Xiao Jietian…
"That wasn't deception," Xiao Jietian said softly, cupping Medusa's face with gentle affection. "Those were my true feelings. So… do you regret being 'deceived' by me?"
"I do regret it." Medusa reached up and caught his hand against her cheek.
"I regret that you appeared so late. Otherwise, this Queen could have tasted the sweetness of love much earlier."
"Otherwise… perhaps I would have been the Empress by now."
Xiao Jietian chuckled and lowered his gaze meaningfully. "In my eyes, there's no real hierarchy among you all. Well… except perhaps in one area. Your… assets are undoubtedly the most impressive among them."
His eyes dipped deliberately toward the deep "abyss of sin" between her collarbones.
"Hmph!" Medusa let out a light scoff at his burning stare, then reached out and poked his forehead. "Your mind is full of nothing but depraved thoughts."
"Save those sweet words for the other sisters. This Queen isn't so easily fooled." She lifted her chin proudly.
"Is that so? As expected of my cleverest Queen." Xiao Jietian followed her lead with praise, though inwardly he thought: You're actually the easiest one to fool—a pure, innocent little sweetheart at heart.
He gazed at her upturned, proud face and leaned down to capture her red lips in a deep, searing kiss.
The two melted into a passionate embrace.
A long while passed before their lips finally parted.
Medusa wriggled free from his arms, grabbed his collar, and gave him a few playful tugs. "Just endure it for now. I'm not giving you any chance to misbehave today. I'm going to find Zi Yan and the others—you can cool off on your own."
As she turned to leave, she shot him an impossibly seductive glance over her shoulder, then swayed her serpentine waist with deliberate allure and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Jietian watched her go, took a deep breath of cold air to steady himself, and muttered inwardly: Truly a deadly enchantress—even when she's running away, she's still teasing.
It seemed tonight one of the family rules would have to be enforced: the stick-beating punishment.
…
Medusa practically fled.
She was afraid that if she stayed any longer and Xiao Jietian got too aggressive, she would either give in immediately… or put up a token struggle before giving in anyway.
Besides, it definitely wouldn't end quickly, and she still had a promise to keep—she couldn't break her word to her sisters.
After locating Yun Yun and the others, Medusa raised her arm high and declared grandly:
"Sisters! Today this Queen is covering all expenses! Let's go wild!"
Han Yue and the rest immediately cheered, showering her with praise—"The Queen is so generous!" "Truly magnanimous!"—feeding her plenty of emotional value in return.
And so, a group of peerless beauties swept through the Snake-People Holy City like a dazzling storm, turning heads and creating an unforgettable spectacle.
Thanks to Medusa's presence, not a single male of the Snake-People Tribe dared let his gaze linger for even a second extra. One wrong look and heads would literally roll.
Behind the group marched the elite Snake Guards led by Hua She'er. Anyone whose eyes wandered too freely was swiftly dragged away for "re-education."
…
Meanwhile, Xiao Jietian returned directly to the Eternal Heaven World.
After sending a sweet message via transmission stone, Xun'er quickly replied with words full of longing.
Satisfied, Xiao Jietian settled down to practice alchemy and cultivate.
Once he finished his session, he decided to review his current status.
"System, open my panel."
Host: Xiao Jietian
Physique: Primordial Chaos Thunder God Body, Primordial Ancestral Dragon-Phoenix Body, Nirvana Demon Emperor Soul, Nine Godly Venis;
Bloodline: Chaos Five Elements Thunder Dragon Bloodline;
Realm: Peak Three-Star Dou Zun;
Cultivation Technique: Primordial Nothingness Qi Method, Chaos Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Art, Netherworld Dragon-Phoenix Soul Art;
Heavenly Flame: World-Destroying Apocalyptic Flame, Crimson Emperor Divine Flame Flame, Void Devouring Purifying Lotus Flame, Sea Heart Flame;
Alchemy: Intermediate Seventh-Grade Alchemist;
Items: …, Peak Dou Huang Experience Card ×1, Space Lock Talisman ×2, Soul Control Talisman ×1, Physique Card ×3, Heaven-Smiting Ancestral Sword, Heavenly Poison Pearl, Heaven-Slaying Sword, Void Breaking Mirror, Sun-Moon Cauldron (one each for the three Xiao Clan father-and-sons—Xiao Yan excluded—one for Han Yue, one each for the four children, one for Nalan Yanran [exchanged via Yun Yun's contributions])…
Looking over the panel, Xiao Jietian felt a quiet sense of confidence.
Even in the Central Plains, he would now be considered a top-tier existence. Achieving this level of strength at his age would earn him excellent treatment anywhere he went.
He would have to pay a visit to the Pill Tower soon. He had already laid the groundwork long ago—it was time to collect the harvest.
The "hero saving the beauty" trope might be cliché, but one had to admit… it worked wonders.
At that moment, Ya Fei and the others returned from shopping. They were currently inside his bedchamber, trying on the new accessories and garments they had bought in the Snake-People Holy City.
Snake-People clothing used minimal fabric, exuding wild exotic charm. Every piece was designed to cinch the waist dramatically, making even the slimmest figures appear impossibly slender.
Especially the Little Fairy Doctor—her waist was already the finest among them. In these outfits, it looked even more delicate and fragile. Even now, while pregnant, her waist remained unchanged—still willowy and perfect.
Xiao Jietian stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, truly feeling the meaning of the phrase "willowy waist that could be grasped in one hand."
"Oh, Meng Meng, look—Daddy looks so ugly right now~"
Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng were dressed in matching red exotic long dresses, embroidered all over with serpentine patterns. Their hair was adorned with several snake-themed ornaments.
Xiao Meng cooperatively scrunched her little face in exaggerated disgust.
The items from the Snake-People Tribe were completely different from those of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. The latter carried a faintly eerie, sinister aura, while the Snake-People Tribe's goods felt more natural and vibrant.
This was because some of their crafts were also sold to the Jia Ma Empire, so they put extra effort into making them appealing.
Xiao Jietian watched his two little daughters teasing him and walked straight over to them with a helpless yet doting smile.