Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 59: The Star-Sun Fruit and the Smooth-Talking Serpent

Chapter 59: The Star-Sun Fruit and the Smooth-Talking Serpent

Qing Lin pulled her deeper into the forest until they reached a massive tree.

Like, really MASSIVE tree.

The trunk was so wide it would probably take ten people holding hands to circle it. The branches stretched up into the darkening sky, disappearing into the canopy.

"Wait here, Xin Yi," he said.

"Wait for what? I don’t—"

He went behind the tree, removed what he was wearing, and shifted. He went from standing in his humanoid form, to being a full snake.

He had HUGE green scales, and was easily twenty feet long. His snake form was both beautiful and terrifying to Xin Yi, and she took an unconscious step backwards.

Then he slithered up the tree really fast, disappearing into its branches.

"Qing Lin?!" Xin Yi called up. "Are you alright? What are you—"

Something rustled in the branches above.

Then he was sliding back down, a bundle of.....something......wrapped in his coils.

He shifted back to human, landing gracefully. Then he dressed and came back to Xin Yi, holding a cluster of fruits.

They were WEIRD fruits.

Star-shaped. Or maybe square? Xin Yi couldn’t tell in the fading light. They were golden-orange, glowing faintly in the dusk.

"Open your mouth," he said.

"What—"

He popped one into her mouth before she could protest.

The taste exploded on her tongue.

"Hmmmm!"

Sweet. SO sweet. But also tangy. Like mango mixed with passion fruit mixed with something she had never tasted before. The juice dripped down her chin.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" she mumbled around the fruit.

"Star-sun fruit." He was smiling at her reaction, looking pleased. "They only grow on this tree. Very rare."

"It’s AMAZING, Qing Lin! Very delicious!"

"I know." He offered her another one. "Eat."

She did. And another. And another.

By the fifth one, her fingers were sticky with juice and she was grinning like an idiot.

Qing Lin just watched her, his hand reaching out to stroke her hair.

"Hmm."

[DING! (◕‿◕)]

[Warning: Snake King is looking at Host with MAJOR puppy dog eyes!]

[Affection Level: MAXIMUM]

[Cuteness Overload: CRITICAL]

He pulled her down to sit against the tree trunk, still playing with her hair. His fingers threading through the messy strands, gentle.

"So," he said quietly. "Tell me. How was your day?"

Xin Yi blinked at him. "What?"

"Your day. How did it feel? The clearing. The planning." His green eyes were soft in the twilight. "Tell me. I want to know what you think."

She stared.

This was.....this was normal dating conversation. Like, NORMAL normal. The kind of stuff people did in coffee shops back home. Not in a beast world where people bit each other and fought over territory.

Aww.

A smile spread across her face. "You sound like a guy taking his girlfriend on a first date."

"Girlfriend? Date?" His eyebrows furrowed. "Xin Yi, I do not understand you when you speak in that language."

Oh right.

"It’s nothing serious, Qing Lin." She giggled. He watched her for a few seconds before he nodded. "Good. Then tell me."

So she did.

She told him about the excitement of seeing the cleared land. The panic when Xiao Long knocked everything over. The satisfaction of fixing it. The way her brain felt FULL of ideas and plans and possibilities.

Qing Lin listened to everything she said, lapping the words like sweet juice. His hand never stopped playing with her hair, occasionally trailing down her back in soothing circles.

When she finished, there was quiet for a moment.

Then: "Thank you."

He looked at her, confused. "For what?"

"For not......for not lashing out at Hei Yan. About your sister." Her voice went soft. "About Qing Yue. Mo Yan told me her name when we were at Black Water. I know you have every right to want revenge and—"

"I will still deal with them."

Her chest tightened. "How, Qing Lin?"

"I will." His jaw set. "I can’t ever forgive them for what they did to my sister. The Shadow Claw Alpha will answer for her death."

"Qing Lin—"

"But I will let it be. For now." His eyes met hers. "Just for you."

"You don’t have to—"

"I want to." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You care about him. Even after he banished you. It angers me so, but I will wait."

"Thank you," she whispered. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Hmm."

They stayed like that. Him holding her. Her tucked against his chest. The night sounds of the forest around them.

Then he kissed her forehead.

"Do you want to sleep here tonight?"

She nodded. The thought of walking back seemed exhausting.

"Are you cold?" She asked him.

"A little. I’m always cold, Xin Yi."

She pouted. "We’ll need to fix that. Move. Shift well." He looked confused, but he did as she said. He shifted, pulling her fully into his lap, and letting wrap both her arms around him. Her body heat surrounded her immediately.

"Better?"

"Yes." He snuggled closer. "I have you." His breath tickled her ear. "That’s all I need to stay warm."

Her heart raced immediately.

[DING! (╥﹏╥)]

[OMG SNAKE KING IS TOO SMOOTH]

[WHAT THE HELL]

[Host’s Heart Rate: DANGEROUSLY HIGH]

[Romantic Damage: CRITICAL]

"Sleep, Xin Yi."

She started to relax into him, her head finding that perfect little notch in his shoulder.

Then—

"Or..." Qing Lin’s voice dropped an octave, vibrating right against her spine. His lips brushed the shell of her ear, sending a jolt of electricity straight to her toes. "...do you want me to help you stay warm another way

Ehhh??

Her heart performed a frantic tap dance against her ribs. The way his voice dropped into that dark, honey-thick register......the sheer heat in those words. It was unfair. How could a cold-blooded snake be this freaking hot?

Her face felt like it was currently being held over an open flame. Oh... I... I should say something smart. Something civilised.

Instead, her brain decided to go on strike.

[DING! (¬‿¬)]

[Host’s Brain: Error 404. Logic not found.]

[Warning: Hormonal levels are reaching ’Dangerously Smitten’!]

"I..." She started, but the words died in her throat. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and fluttering, her cheeks a brilliant shade of red.

Before she could talk herself out of it—before the System could make another snarky comment—she turned in his arms and kissed him.

He didn’t hesitate. He kissed back immediately.

His hand slid into her hair, his long fingers tangling in the strands as he tilted her head back, deepening the kiss until Xin Yi’s world narrowed down to just the feeling of his lips and the scent of the swamp at night.

She pulled back abruptly, her lungs burning, her breath coming in short gasps.

"That’s—that’s it," she managed to squeak out.

Qing Lin blinked at her, his usual cool composure completely shattered. "What?"

"I’m still...." Xin Yi bit her lip, her face going a red so deep it was almost purple. She looked at the ground, at his chest, anywhere but his eyes. "...sore. From last time. You......you’re a bit much for a female like me, you know?"

Understanding flooded his eyes, the hunger in them instantly melting into softness. Concern etched lines into his handsome face.

Without saying a word, he took her hand in his much larger one and brought it to his lips. He kissed her knuckles so gently, that Xin Yi felt a lump form in her throat.

"Hmm. I can wait," he murmured, his thumb stroking over her skin in a slow, soothing rhythm. "Rest, little female. I’ll keep you safe. No one—not even my own desires—will hurt you tonight."

Xin Yi tucked herself back against his chest, hiding her burning face in the crook of his neck. Her heart was still pounding like a drum, but the frantic edge was gone.

"Sleep," he murmured into her hair, his breath a warm puff against her scalp.

She did.

[DING! (◕‿◕)]

[Relationship Status: UPGRADED]

[Qing Lin Affection: 95/100]

[Host’s Emotional State: Confused But Happy]

[System Note: That was actually....kind of sweet. Don’t tell anyone I said that. ☆]

[Sweet dreams, Host! ☆]