Chapter 78: The Otter Spirit's Pride

 

Liao Tingyan had intended merely to jest with Sima Jiao, yet somehow managed to ensnare herself in her own trap. Ever since he'd overheard her playful remark, he had become utterly convinced she was an otter spirit.

Truthfully speaking, what manner of creature even was an otter spirit? This previously unheard-of demonic species—how could he accept such an absurd notion so naturally?

Not only had he accepted it with remarkable ease, he appeared to thoroughly enjoy the concept, frequently requesting she transform into her "original form." Liao Tingyan steadfastly ignored such entreaties. She couldn't continue indulging him like this. She was now a formidable figure of considerable power, and no truly powerful individual would prove so accommodating.

"Let me be perfectly clear," Liao Tingyan declared firmly. "If you rub my belly one more time, I'll transform you into a little chick."

After brief consideration, she added with mischievous intent, "Or perhaps into a snake. Your original form is serpentine, after all, isn't it?"

Sima Jiao had already constructed what he deemed a perfectly "reasonable" deduction that in his previous existence, he must have been a powerful snake spirit. He pinched Liao Tingyan's cheeks, preventing her from drifting into sleep. "You may transform me into a snake, but you must become an otter yourself."

This man would willingly become a serpent merely for the privilege of petting an otter—what manner of obsession possessed him? Unlike her master ancestor, this Emperor lacked the ability to perfectly conceal his preferences. Which meant... had the previous Sima Jiao secretly harbored desires for her to transform into an otter?

He must have treasured the form. Liao Tingyan recalled how he used to carry her constantly upon his person during those days.

Unexpectedly, her formidable master ancestor, despite his intimidating demeanor, had apparently adored petting otters all along.

His previous attitude toward snakes had probably stemmed from their lack of fur, hadn't it?

At the mountain stream behind the Summer Palace, a snake as thick as a human thigh and a sleek-furred otter had become frequent visitors in recent days. The otter would recline upon the serpent's coiled body with remarkable intelligence gleaming in its eyes.

---

The Marquis of Nanyan had finally assembled several extraordinary individuals, recruiting them with substantial financial incentives to assassinate Noble Consort Liao and the mysteriously appeared young prince—or ideally, to simply eliminate Sima Jiao himself.

To provide cover for these skilled operatives, the Marquis had sacrificed numerous subordinates. The first two waves of assassins served merely to lower Sima Jiao's vigilance and divert his attention. This final group contained his true trump cards. With assistance from the previous attempts, they had successfully infiltrated the Summer Palace guard. These extraordinary individuals included masters of disguise who had silently replaced several inconspicuous palace servants.

They carefully calculated their timing, discovering that the Emperor and Noble Consort would rest and seek coolness at the mountain stream during afternoon hours. During this period, no palace attendants would be present to serve them—creating the perfect opportunity for assassination. The rear mountain guards maintained tight perimeter security but lax internal patrols; once they breached outer defenses, eliminating the "dog emperor" and his consort would naturally prove effortless.

True to their reputation as individuals for whom the Marquis had expended half his fortune, they successfully penetrated the defenses and arrived at the stream's edge.

"What's happening? Why aren't they here?" A man with an incongruously high-pitched voice surveyed the empty stream with confusion.

"There's a wine jar cooling in the water—this must be the correct location," observed the man with the steadiest and most vigilant demeanor, gesturing toward a bottle floating in the current. "Perhaps they've moved upstream or downstream. Our time window is limited—we should divide forces and search!"

A taciturn man with narrow eyes and elongated brows had already proceeded silently along the streambed without awaiting discussion. Another slightly rotund operative with darting, suspicious eyes suddenly pointed toward a cluster of hanging orchid grass flowers near a pond. "Look there—a black snake! I can scarcely believe such an enormous serpent inhabits these mountains!"

"Enough!" The steady-voiced leader cast a dismissive glance at the substantial snake coiled in the stream, which displayed no interest in their presence, then averted his attention. "Is this an appropriate moment to concern ourselves with black snakes or white snakes? Quickly locate and eliminate the dog emperor and his consort—that represents our urgent priority!"

After the four separated to conduct their search, the black snake beneath the orchid grass flowers raised its triangular head, flicked its forked tongue in the direction they had departed, then lowered itself once more, continuing its languid coil in the cool water.

An otter reclining upon the serpent's muscular body pushed aside the orchid grass they had employed as sun protection, observing the direction where the men had vanished. She scratched the whiskers adorning her face with one dexterous paw before suddenly speaking in perfectly articulated human language: "More assassins? These four seem somewhat different from the usual variety."

They appeared to have brushed against the periphery of cultivation, though not through orthodox channels. They hadn't formally trained, merely mastering abilities marginally superior to ordinary mortals—perhaps the result of fortuitous encounters or heterodox practices.

After delivering this observation with feigned gravity, she decided the moment had arrived for her grand demonstration. She rose to her full otter height, smoothing the dampened fur on her belly. "Today I shall display my capabilities for your benefit."

A serpentine tail promptly pulled her backward and coiled protectively around her small form.

Sima Jiao, currently inhabiting his black snake transformation, intoned, "No need to trouble yourself. The servants stationed outside will shortly discover the disturbance and arrive to capture these intruders. Why exert yourself under such oppressive heat?"

Wrapped securely in his tail, Liao Tingyan thought with some exasperation: Why do you wield that tail with such practiced expertise? You weren't actually a snake before, were you?! How have you adapted to this form so rapidly?

When she had initially transformed the Emperor into a serpent, personal aesthetic preference had prompted her to add decorative red patterns. However, this Emperor had flatly refused, arguing that since "little goose" possessed entirely black coloring, why should he bear patterns? He had insisted she remove them immediately, nearly causing Liao Tingyan to collapse with laughter.

She scratched the snake's scales with her paw, her tone petulant. "I want to demonstrate how powerful I've become."

Alas, without worthy adversaries, she—the great overlord of the entire Demon Realm—found herself reduced to confronting petty criminals merely to showcase her abilities. It resembled employing a legendary dragon-slaying blade to chop ants, or deploying an intercontinental ballistic missile to eliminate houseflies.

"Stop fussing unnecessarily," Sima Jiao replied with serene confidence. "Your formidable power requires no demonstration. I'm already well aware of your capabilities."

Liao Tingyan settled back down with a sigh. "I feel somewhat... stifled."

Sima Jiao responded with an acknowledging hum, casually attentive.

Liao Tingyan placed both hands upon her otter abdomen, her tone wistful. "You used to shield me from all danger. Whenever threats materialized or enemies appeared, you would simply do this—" She extended a diminutive paw and waved it once through the air. "Just like that, and you'd resolve everything instantaneously."

Simply stated, she also yearned to display her prowess before the Emperor. She had achieved such formidable strength—why did opportunities to demonstrate never materialize? Was this hard-won combat capability merely ornamental?

Sensing her melancholy, Sima Jiao raised his serpentine head. "Transform me back to human form."

They both reverted to their natural shapes. Sima Jiao casually arranged her disheveled hair before guiding her to sit beside him. He retrieved the wine bottle from its cooling place in the stream, took a measured sip, and said with patient understanding, "Very well, we'll wait here. When they fail to locate anyone, they'll inevitably return. Then you may handle them however your heart desires."

To coax his beauty into smiling, he was willingly positioning himself as bait.

"I feel like you're silently calling me childish," Liao Tingyan observed with narrowed eyes.

Sima Jiao took another leisurely sip of wine, regarding her with an ambiguous smile as he drawled, "Not in the slightest—"

"They're returning!"

The four assassins materialized from different directions. Before they could deliver the essential villain proclamations like "Today you shall perish by our blades," they simultaneously experienced sharp pain in their skulls and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Liao Tingyan withdrew her hand after snapping her fingers with casual precision, clasped it behind her back, and turned to face Sima Jiao with dignified composure. "How was that demonstration?"

Sima Jiao set down the wine jar and delivered two measured claps of applause. "Not bad at all."

Liao Tingyan settled back beside him, disappointment coloring her features. "I feel no sense of achievement whatsoever. No satisfaction."

"Perhaps because you refrained from killing them," Sima Jiao suggested thoughtfully.

"I've successfully captured them, and you're not even inquiring about the mastermind orchestrating these attempts?" Liao Tingyan gestured toward the unconscious men. "Usually in political drama narratives, this represents the critical interrogation scene. I could still demonstrate the interrogation techniques employed in the cultivation world. Though not as overwhelmingly powerful as your previous truth-compelling ability, they prove completely effective on ordinary mortals."

"Do I require interrogation for something so transparently obvious?" Sima Jiao asked rhetorically.

"You already know the identity?" Liao Tingyan's eyes widened slightly.

"The Marquis of Nanyan," Sima Jiao stated with absolute certainty.

The Marquis of Nanyan? So this was the individual who dared assault her Emperor? Very well—he had just earned the profound enmity of the Demon Realm's Supreme Overlord.

Liao Tingyan waved her hand with casual authority, compelling the four men to open their eyes and rise to their feet. She studied them intently, her expression growing cold and remote, her pupils shifting with supernatural power as her tone became ethereal and glacial: "Return and eliminate the Marquis of Nanyan."

The four assassins suddenly awakened, appearing superficially unchanged. However, when they now observed Liao Tingyan, their eyes brimmed with reverence and absolute devotion. They dropped to their knees without hesitation: "Yes, Demon Overlord!"

The four departed without the slightest reluctance or hesitation.

Liao Tingyan turned to discover Sima Jiao watching her with peculiar intensity.

"What is it?" she inquired, suddenly uncertain.

Sima Jiao's expression shifted as he smiled unexpectedly, tilting his head back for another drink before speaking. "Your speech patterns and mannerisms always seemed familiar to me previously, but just now... I feel I've never witnessed you like that before."

He smiled more deeply, bringing his warm palm to rest against the side of Liao Tingyan's neck. "It renders you somewhat unfamiliar to me."

Liao Tingyan's smile vanished abruptly. She turned her face slightly, evading Sima Jiao's touch as her gaze settled on the abandoned wine jar. "You've been separated from me for seventeen years. I'm not some unchanging eternal constant." Just as he had transformed—he hadn't previously enjoyed alcohol, yet now he frequently indulged in small portions.

Sima Jiao's hand found the back of her neck, pulling her close and pressing her head firmly against his chest. "Why such sudden anger? Because I used the word 'unfamiliar'?"

"As long as you remain by my side, all of today's unfamiliarity will become tomorrow's familiarity." He lowered his head until his lips brushed her ear, his posture radiating intimacy as he continued in a low, penetrating voice: "Besides, you've been desperately seeking familiarity in me, wanting me to find familiarity in you, constantly recreating scenarios similar to our past. Doesn't such effort exhaust you?"

Liao Tingyan fell silent, her chest tightening.

She felt her fingers tremble as though scalded, the sensation almost painful. She hadn't anticipated him suddenly exposing this vulnerability—laying bare her unspoken thoughts with such brutal clarity.

Sima Jiao had always possessed this quality. He appeared not to care about anything, seemed not to notice, yet understood and perceived everything with devastating accuracy.

He had been this way before and remained so now.

Seventeen years—hardly an insignificant span, at least not for her. She had experienced reunion after prolonged separation; for him, it resembled meeting for the first time. She lacked expertise in romantic matters; she only comprehended his most familiar incarnation. Whether the summer stream or the otter form, these represented what she had cherished and remembered throughout this lengthy period. He retained no memory, so she had painstakingly recreated everything.

Liao Tingyan silently rose and walked into the stream. She transformed herself into an ordinary small fish, disappearing among a school of thumb-sized aquatic creatures. She didn't particularly wish to converse with Sima Jiao at this moment.

Sima Jiao ran one hand through his long hair and followed her into the water. He crouched to observe the small fish, clearly contemplating something, then reached down to attempt catching them. The entire school scattered the instant his fingers descended, but Sima Jiao appeared unbothered. He continued his pursuit as though determined to capture the Liao Tingyan currently playing an aquatic game of hide-and-seek.

He moved systematically back and forth through the stream, then suddenly scooped up water, closed his palms carefully, and walked toward shore while smiling at his cupped hands. "Alright, cease being angry. Let's return home."

As he reached the bank, someone splashed water forcefully against his back. Liao Tingyan materialized behind him, frowning as she continued her assault. "You caught the wrong fish!" What manner of observation skills did this man actually possess?

Sima Jiao turned as though he'd anticipated precisely this reaction, opening his hands to reveal they contained only water—no fish whatsoever. He settled himself on a large shoreline boulder, legs casually apart, smiling as he propped his chin and observed her with distinctly mischievous amusement.

He had executed the entire performance deliberately; he'd been bluffing her all along.

Liao Tingyan exchanged a long, meaningful glance with him, then reclined back into the water, transforming into a fish once more. This time she genuinely had no intention of engaging with this infuriating fellow.

Sima Jiao returned to the water, reaching in to catch fish with renewed determination. The small fish all swam away in synchronized formation—except for one that floated rigidly in place, motionless as though deceased. Sima Jiao suppressed the laughter threatening to escape his throat, cupping the rigid fish carefully with both hands while deliberately inquiring, "I didn't catch the wrong one this time, did I?"

The stiff fish in his hands flipped over to face him directly: "Pah—"

Sima Jiao burst into unrestrained laughter, carefully carrying her back toward shore.

In truth, he had recovered quite a few memories, just none that specifically involved her, nor were they particularly pleasant recollections.

"If you weren't as you are now."

"If you weren't 'Liao Tingyan.'"

"I would still develop feelings for you."

"Do you believe me?"

The fish released a single bubble: "...Why should I?"

Sima Jiao replied with simple honesty: "For no reason at all."

Liao Tingyan muttered, "You're being deliberately mysterious."

Sima Jiao countered playfully, "Insincere flattery." (Using the character "she" which sounds like "snake")

Liao Tingyan's mind raced. What other idioms began with "snake"? Vicious and venomous? But the "she" in "insincere flattery" was pronounced like "yi," which wouldn't work for wordplay.

"Hahahahaha!" Sima Jiao's laughter rang out triumphantly.

Liao Tingyan's expression darkened with annoyance. Damn it, why did I suddenly initiate a word game battle with him?!

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