But Cang had already released her wrists, standing and walking back toward the fire where Song i was carefully ladling food into crude clay bowls she’d found in the cave.
"What did you make?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Just—just simple stew," Song i said, offering him a bowl with trembling hands. "I found so preserved vegetables and dried at in the cave. And mushrooms growing near the entrance. I—I hope it’s acceptable."
Cang took the bowl, sniffed, and—
Smiled.
"It slls delicious."
And he took a bite.
The flavors were simple but well-balanced. The at had been rehydrated properly. The vegetables maintained their texture. And there was a subtle herb note that suggested she’d actually seasoned it.
"This is really good," he said, taking another spoonful.
Song i’s face brightened, relief and pride mixing.
And from across the cave—
The snake woman watched them eat, her tail coiled beneath her, her stomach suddenly growling despite having subsisted on spiritual energy for decades.
’It can’t be that good,’ she thought. ’It’s just—human food. Simple mortal cooking. I’m a Nascent Soul cultivator, I don’t need—’
But her traitorous body disagreed, and—
She stood, her tail propelling her forward, and approached the fire with as much dignity as she could muster while being completely naked.
"I suppose—" she said stiffly, "—since it would be wasteful to let it go uneaten—I could—try so."
Song i’s hands shook worse as she ladled another portion, offering it to the snake woman with a deep bow.
"Please—please accept this humble offering—" she said formally, as if presenting tribute to a goddess.
The snake woman took the bowl, brought it to her lips, and—
Paused.
Because she could sll it now. Not just the ingredients, but the care that had gone into preparation. The attention to timing, to flavor balance, to—
She took a small sip.
And her eyes widened.
"This is—" Her voice was shocked. "This is actually—good."
Not amazing. Not life-changing. But genuinely, honestly good. Better than the raw at she’d been eating for decades. Better than the spiritual fruits that sustained her cultivation but had no real taste.
This was—
Comfort. Warmth. The taste of care and effort.
She looked at Song i with new eyes, seeing past the "sacrifice" label to the actual person who’d woken up in a monster’s cave and decided to cook breakfast.
"You—you made this?" the snake woman asked.
Song i nodded, still bowing. "Yes, honored—honored Mountain Lord."
"I’m not—" The snake woman paused, considering. "Actually, I suppose I am. Or was. But you can—you don’t have to—"
She struggled with words, unused to normal conversation after decades of isolation.
"Do you have a na?" Cang asked, sitting cross-legged by the fire, finishing his bowl.
Both won looked at him.
"Human nas are—different from beast nas," the snake woman said carefully. "In your tongue, the closest translation would be—Zhen Yǐng. It ans—"
"True Shadow," Cang finished. "Or Genuine Reflection. It’s a good na."
Zhen Yǐng’s face softened slightly at the acknowledgnt, and—
The three of them ate in odd, companionable silence.
A dragon-blooded cultivator. An ancient snake spirit. And a sacrificial human woman who’d decided to make dinner.
The absurdity wasn’t lost on any of them.
After the al—after Song i had carefully cleaned the bowls and pot, nervously chattering about village life and cooking techniques while Zhen Yǐng listened with genuine curiosity and Cang watched both with amusent—
He stood, stretching.
"I need to bathe," he announced. "That marathon yesterday left —thoroughly dirty."
He grinned at Zhen Yǐng, whose face imdiately flushed as mories assaulted her.
"There’s a hot spring," she said quickly, trying to recover composure. "Deeper in the cave system. I—I used it sotis for—for shedding."
"Hot spring?" Song i’s voice was confused. "What’s that?"
"Warm water pool," Cang explained. "Fed by underground thermal activity. Feels amazing."
And he started walking toward the back of the cave, completely unbothered by his continued nakedness.
After a mont—
Zhen Yǐng followed, her tail propelling her smoothly across stone.
And Song i—hesitating, uncertain if she was invited—
Followed as well.
The hot spring was perhaps two hundred feet deeper into the cave, hidden behind a narrow passage that opened into a smaller chamber.
And it was beautiful.
Natural rock formations created a pool roughly twenty feet across, steam rising from water that glowed faintly with mineral content. Crystals embedded in the walls caught the light filtering through cracks above, creating an otherworldly ambiance.
Cang didn’t hesitate, stepping directly into the water—
And sighing with satisfaction as heat enveloped his tired muscles.
"Gods, this is perfect," he murmured, settling onto a subrged rock ledge.
Zhen Yǐng approached more slowly, testing the temperature with her tail first—a snake’s instinct to avoid sudden heat changes—before gradually coiling into the water.
Her white skin took on a rosy hue from the warmth, and her purple hair floated around her like silk.
And Song i—
Stood at the edge, trembling, looking at the water like it might bite her.
"I’ve—I’ve never—" Her voice was small. "In the village, we bathed in cold streams. I’ve never felt warm water before."
She reached down, touching the surface with her fingertips, and—
Gasped.
"It’s—it’s like—is it magical?"
"Just physics," Cang said. "Underground heat warming the water. Nothing mystical."
But to Song i, who’d spent her entire life in poverty, who’d never experienced such luxury—
It was magical.
She slowly, carefully lowered herself into the water, inch by inch, gasping at each new level of sensation—
Until she was fully subrged, seated on the pool’s edge, and her face—
Transford.
Pure, unfiltered joy. Like a child experiencing sothing wonderful for the first ti.
"It’s—it’s amazing—" she breathed. "The warmth—it’s—I can feel it inside —"
Cang watched her reaction with genuine amusent, then—
Reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled.
She yelped as she was dragged across the water to where he sat, and—
He positioned her on his lap, her back against his chest, his arms wrapping around her waist.
"You’re too tense," he murmured against her ear. "Relax."
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