After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Lin Zhixu nodded, his gaze lingering on the man's face for a moment to confirm that he was indeed alright, before turning to Yan Lingcang beside him.

Luo Yiyan noticed his cold attitude, and her smile gradually faded.

Lin Zhixu: "Immortal Venerable, my master was severely injured by heavenly lightning. You said you were willing to exchange him for the Frost Lotus, and I have come to collect it now."

Since Yan Lingcang had promised him, he wouldn't go back on his word.

He nodded slightly, then took out a jade box and handed it over.

The box was cool to the touch, and through the translucent jade walls, one could vaguely see a crystal-clear snow lotus lying inside, with fine frost still clinging to its petals.

Lin Zhixu accepted the jade box with both hands. The moment his fingertips touched the jade box, a cool, refreshing aura flowed through his meridians and into his dantian, seemingly soothing his still-healing internal injuries.

He lowered his eyes and looked at it for a moment, carefully put the jade box away, and bowed to Yan Lingcang.

"Thank you, Immortal Venerable." He straightened up, looked at Luo Yiyan, and said in a calm tone, "Take good care of your injuries. I'll head back now."

He turned and took two steps, when suddenly Luo Yiyan's voice came from the stone cave behind him.

"Zhixu." Luo Yiyan called out to him, paused, as if she had something to say, and finally said softly, "...Take good care of yourself and I'll come to see you when I'm feeling better."

Lin Zhixu paused, his voice cold: "No need. My master doesn't like me associating with people from Wucang Peak. You'd better not come, lest you upset him."

After saying that, Lin Zhixu quickly left.

Luo Yiyan stared blankly at his retreating figure.

My heart felt like it had been squeezed tightly, and a sour feeling welled up inside me.

……

Lin Zhixu returned to the courtyard, pushed open the door, and looked up. His heart almost jumped out of his throat.

A huge black python was coiled up on Yu Linzhou's bed.

Its scales gleamed with a cold light like black jade, and its tail, which hung from the edge of the bed to the ground, was as thick as an adult's waist.

The python was curled up quietly, its body covered with a faint black halo that flickered and rose in rhythm with its breath.

Lin Zhixu recovered his senses and guessed that this must be Yu Linzhou's original form.

It's probably because reverting to its original form allows for faster repair; it automatically revealed its true form after losing consciousness.

He approached quietly. The black python seemed to have sensed the familiar scent and did not move. However, it slightly opened its tightly closed vertical pupils, revealing a sliver of dark light, before closing its eyes again.

Lin Zhixu stood by the bed, looking up at the enormous python, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

He wasn't unfamiliar with monsters; Xiao Hei's beastly appearance was quite imposing, but it paled in comparison to the terrifying giant python before him.

Each scale resembled armor forged from refined iron, gleaming with a cold light.

Even though he was weak at this moment, the innate sense of oppression still made him instinctively want to retreat.

For some reason, Lin Zhixu didn't feel fear at all; instead, he felt somewhat excited.

After a moment, it slowly reached out and tentatively touched the cool, smooth scales.

The black python's body trembled almost imperceptibly, but it did not dodge.

"This is truly shocking..." Lin Zhixu murmured softly.

After a moment of astonishment, Lin Zhixu regained his composure.

That's when I realized Xiao Hei wasn't there.

He clearly told that little guy to stay by the bedside.

He looked around, then bent down and looked under the bed, and almost laughed out of anger.

Little Black curled up into a ball, its round body pressed tightly against the corner of the wall, trembling like a leaf, its two ears pressed firmly against its head, and its tail tucked tightly between its legs.

Upon seeing Lin Zhixu's face, it let out a pitiful howl, but stubbornly refused to move an inch.

Helpless, Lin Zhixu reached under the bed and pulled it out, then held it in his arms.

As soon as Xiao Hei got close to him, it immediately buried its head in the crook of his arm.

He was probably forced to be alone in a room with a mythical beast that was many times larger than himself, and he was quite frightened.

But because Lin Zhixu had given him orders not to leave the room, he had no choice but to hide under the bed to find himself a safe place.

He patted Xiao Hei's head, put it into his spirit beast pouch, and then turned his attention back to the calm black python on the bed.

He opened the jade box, and the crisp, cold air of the Frost Lotus instantly spread out, filling the room with coolness.

He carefully broke off a petal and brought it close to the black python's mouth, but then he was stumped.

How is he supposed to feed such a huge python? Should he pry open its mouth and stuff it in?

Just as it was hesitating, the black python seemed to sense something, and its vertical pupils slightly opened a crack, its gaze falling on the petals.

A moment later, it slowly opened its mouth, revealing two gleaming white fangs.

Lin Zhixu quickly stuffed the flower petals into its mouth.

As my fingertips brushed against those two teeth, I could clearly feel a chill creeping up my fingernails.

The black python closed its mouth, letting out a very low gurgling sound from its throat, whether it was satisfied or disgusted was unclear.

Soon, the petal transformed into a streak of shimmering white light, sliding down its throat and into its belly.

The black sheen on its body suddenly brightened, and the charred scales began to regain their luster at a visible speed.

Seeing that the Frost Lotus was effective on him, Lin Zhixu breathed a sigh of relief.

The injuries from heavenly lightning are not easy to heal, especially since heavenly lightning has a natural suppressive effect on Yu Linzhou and inflicts double the damage.

Lin Zhixu plucked a few more petals and fed them to him, leaving only two petals for herself.

Seeing that he was healing, Lin Zhixu felt relieved and decided to leave, giving him space to recover.

Just as he stood up, a cool, smooth snake tail wrapped around him and pulled him back.

He lost his balance and fell backward onto the bed. Before he could break free, the thick snake's body coiled around him, completely encircling him in the middle.

The black python didn't even open its eyes when it did this series of actions; it was as if it did it instinctively.

Yu Linzhou moved his huge head closer, resting his chin on the bed beside him. The breath he exhaled from his nostrils was cold and long, making the stray hairs at Lin Zhixu's temples flutter.

Lin Zhixu tried to struggle, but the snake's body remained motionless.

As if annoyed by his unruly behavior, the tip of the black python's tail lazily wrapped around his wrist.

Lin Zhixu lay on his back on Yu Linzhou's cold scales, staring at the roof beam above him, and for some reason, he felt like laughing.

Yu Linzhou is currently controlled by his instincts. If he were to recall all of this, would he feel embarrassed and wish he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into?

However, given Yu Linzhou's thick skin, he probably won't.

After all this fuss, Lin Zhixu was exhausted.

Encircled in the middle by the black python, he initially stood stiffly, but gradually the cold scales beneath him began to warm up with his body heat.

The long, silent breathing of the giant python was all I could hear, like a gentle lullaby.

His tense shoulders gradually relaxed, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before he knew it, they had closed.

After he fell asleep, the black python coiled on the bed slowly opened its eyes.

The giant python slightly raised its chin, looking down at the sleeping boy curled up on its scales, its vertical pupils reflecting his quiet profile.

A moment later, a wisp of black spiritual light seeped out from between the giant python's scales, silently wrapping around Lin Zhixu's body and slowly flowing into his body along his meridians.

His spiritual energy was profound yet gentle, a stark contrast to his usual domineering and flamboyant demeanor.

Carefully avoiding Lin Zhixu's still-healing internal injuries, she gently helped him regulate his disordered internal energy.

After doing all this, the python closed its eyes again, its tail unconsciously curling up, tightening its grip on the person in its arms.