"No, how many times do I have to tell you, Yun Hao isn't my partner."
I stepped back from Zhang Shuying and kept my distance, feeling deeply that Zhang Shuying couldn't understand human speech, "If you annoy me again, I will drug the food and poison you all."
Zhang Shuying had a look of disbelief, "You've already told me, how can you still poison us?"
"Anyway, if you're that idle, go grind the beans I soaked last night." I was cooking porridge in a clay pot and had also soaked some beans the night before.
This way, I could grind them into soy milk in the morning, adding some pickled radishes and boiled eggs.
It would make breakfast more fulfilling with more options available.
Zhang Shuying went to grind the beans, wearing a simple gray Taoist robe.
For convenience, he had tucked half of his sleeves into his belt, which gave him a look reminiscent of how Tibetans dressed.
As the soybeans were ground, a clean fragrance of cracked beans filled the kitchen.
I carried the cooked porridge to the sect's dining hall, ready to fetch a large basin of fried dough twists I had prepared.
Suddenly, a light shout from the Bearded Man echoed, "Who are you to dare trespass into the Gu Sect? Do you know who our Sect Master is?"
"This man looks familiar. I seem to have seen him somewhere before," Uncle Zhong remarked thoughtfully.
The Bearded Man cried out in pain, "Who cares who he is, just come and help me, this guy can control snakes."
"Are you the Snake Immortal? The helper called by Yun Hao?" Uncle Zhong asked while lending a hand.
I followed the sound and took a few steps, then saw a graceful and handsome figure in white.
My heart contracted sharply, and tears welled up as I rushed towards him, "Yu Longting, you finally came. I thought I was trapped here for a lifetime."
"Did they mistreat you?" Yu Longting held a three-foot green peak sword, his dark pupils filled with a terrifying fierceness.
This was the first time I saw him with a sword, appearing before me.
Uncle Zhong and the Bearded Man were entwined by snakes hissing venomously, suffering from various degrees of sword wounds on their bodies.
I excitedly flung myself into Yu Longting's arms and held him tightly, "I wasn't mistreated; the people of the Gu Sect aren't bad to me."
A metallic clang sounded.
The noise of metal hitting the ground resonated.
Yu Longting's long sword fell to the ground, and his hand caressed the hair at the back of my head, "Not mistreated, yet you react so strongly? Missed me that much?"
"It's mainly because I got a bit scared being in an unfamiliar place." I nearly cried on the spot. Yun Hao had said he'd invade the sect within three days to take me away.
Unexpectedly, Yu Longting came the next day and was able to rescue me with a mere gesture.
Uncle Zhong exclaimed, "I remember now, this man is... he is Snake Lord!"
"So it's that good-for-nothing snake demon, the one who Yu Rongling always rants about as his brother, Yu Longting?" the Bearded Man asked.
Uncle Zhong solemnly nodded, "Even if a hundred of us came, we couldn't defeat the Snake Lord."
The Bearded Man was concerned about something else, "Miss Su Wan's baby, isn't it the Snake Lord's? Is it Third Master's heartbreak?"
Uncle Zhong fell silent, his expression growing more solemn.
"Rubbish heartbreak. I have nothing with your Third Master Zhang!" I jumped in frustration when I heard the Bearded Man's misleading words, then urgently looked towards Yu Longting, "My relationship with Zhang Shuying is just that of a hostage and a kidnapper; don't let that dark-faced uncle blabber nonsense."
"I'm only thirty-one, not an old uncle! At most, I'm like an older brother," the Bearded Man retorted.
"Don't talk, you'll only make things worse, let the snake bite you!"
I was really irritated and snapped angrily, then cautiously looked at Yu Longting, "You shouldn't stay silent, it makes me very nervous."