Chapter 512: Heartless Snake
An Mo was squatting on the ground, drawing random lines in the dirt with a stick. His face was full of grievance, his movements lazy and irritated, as if he had suffered some great injustice.
Not far from him, Xuan Long sat on a large rock.
The wide river flowed steadily in front of him, its surface reflecting the dim light filtering through the trees. He looked calm, almost distant, as if his thoughts were far away from this place.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of flowing water could be heard.
Then, Xuan Long finally broke the silence.
"So..." he said slowly, his voice low and steady, "are they really searching for me right now?"
An Mo paused. The stick in his hand stopped moving.
The next second, he suddenly threw the half-chewed piece of stick in his hand to the ground and jumped to his feet.
"Of course they are!" he snapped, turning to glare at Xuan Long. His expression was full of disbelief.
"You think I came all the way here for fun?!"
He pointed at himself angrily. "Do you even know how much I’ve covered for you?! I’ve lied so much that even the elders of the Teng Clan have started suspecting me!"
He paced back and forth, getting more worked up the more he spoke.
"No...forget suspecting. At this point, my existence is practically banned in their eyes!" he added dramatically, placing a hand on his chest like he had suffered a huge blow.
Xuan Long didn’t react much. He simply glanced at him calmly.
"...That’s your problem," he said.
An Mo froze.
"...My problem?" he repeated slowly.
"Yes."
Xuan Long turned his gaze back to the river, his tone as indifferent as ever. "No one asked you to cover for me."
For a second, the forest went completely silent.
Then...
"YOU HEARTLESS SNAKE!"
An Mo exploded. He grabbed the nearest thing he could find and threw it straight at Xuan Long, albeit it was a huge rock, comparable to a giant beast.
Xuan Long didn’t even turn his head. The object stopped midair. Then dropped to the ground harmlessly.
An Mo stared at that scene, his anger stuck halfway.
"...You’re too much," he muttered, clearly defeated. He flopped back down onto the ground, crossing his arms and sulking again.
After a moment, he spoke again, this time in a quieter but still annoyed tone. "Do you even know what kind of mess you’ve caused up there?"
Xuan Long didn’t answer immediately.
The river continued to flow.
Wind brushed past lightly.
Then he said, "It doesn’t concern me."
An Mo let out a hollow laugh. "Of course it doesn’t," he said, rolling his eyes. "You run away, and I deal with the consequences. Perfect arrangement."
Xuan Long remained silent.
An Mo turned his head slightly, looking at him from the ground.
"...So what now?" he asked. "You’re just going to keep hiding here forever?"
This time, Xuan Long didn’t answer at all. His gaze stayed on the river, he was clearly lost in his thoughts.
As if he had already made a decision and nothing in this world could change it.
An Mo finally lost his patience.
He stopped sulking on the ground and stood up in one swift motion. The usual playfulness on his face disappeared completely. The lazy, joking look was gone, replaced by something serious... and heavy.
He looked straight at Xuan Long.
"Stop acting so nonchalant," he said, his voice lower than before.
Xuan Long did not respond. He still sat on the rock, looking at the river as if nothing had changed.
But An Mo didn’t back down this time.
"Don’t forget," he continued, his tone sharpening, "you’re not alone anymore."
That made Xuan Long’s gaze pause slightly.
"You have a female," An Mo said, each word clear. "And more importantly, you have the heir of the Teng Clan. The only one in this entire generation."
Silence fell between them.
"You don’t have the right to act like this anymore," An Mo added. His eyes darkened.
"What do you think will happen if the Teng Clan finds out about Su Qinglan... and little Xiao San?"
There was anger in his voice now.
"The worst possibility...have you even thought about it?" he said, his fists clenching. "Do you know what they’ll do to her?"
Xuan Long’s expression finally changed. But it was enough to encourage An Mo.
An Mo saw it and pressed on. "And what about Xiao San?" he continued. "And you?"
"If you fall into their hands, do you really think you can fight all the elders alone?" he scoffed. "Those old men with their noses in the air... you know exactly how they are."
He took a step forward.
"They are not ordinary beastmen," he said coldly. "Even if you’re strong, they are ten times stronger. You haven’t even reached their peak yet."
Then, An Mo suddenly narrowed his eyes. He stared at Xuan Long more carefully this time.
"...Wait," he said slowly. His expression stiffened.
"There’s a drop in your rank."
Xuan Long didn’t answer. But this time, a faint ripple passed through his eyes. It was quick, almost unnoticeable.
But An Mo caught it. "Why?" he asked immediately.
Xuan Long only looked at him but said nothing.
That silence made An Mo even more furious.
"For your sake, say something!" he snapped. "It’s your family, not mine...so why am I the one worrying like this?!"
His voice echoed by the river.
Then suddenly, he let out a frustrated breath and dropped back onto the ground, propping himself up with one hand.
"Fine," he said bitterly. "Go ahead. Go surrender yourself to the Teng Clan."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"I’ll stay here. I’ll take care of Su Qinglan and your son."
There was a pause.
"They’ll be just like my own," he added. Then, under his breath, he muttered quietly, almost too soft to hear...
"I...Wouldn’t mind taking care of her as my mate either. I’ll handle all your responsibilities."
His voice grew lower and lower until the last words were barely audible. Even Xuan Long didn’t hear them clearly.