Chapter 30

The snow hadn’t completely melted, and the forest nights were still freezing. Song Xu transformed into her beast form, covering her legs with fallen leaves, and laid most of her body, including her tail, on the snake’s head, like a small furry blanket covering him. Feeling cold in her sleep, she got up to add more firewood and nudged the snake to make him turn over and roast the other side. If only one side were roasted, the snake would be cooked unevenly.

The cold snake, unable to generate his own heat, was not a good bed companion in winter. Song Xu shivered in the chilly night, regretting leaving home so early.

When Uncle Wei Shan came last time, she subtly inquired and learned when they would come to check on Wu Mu. Uncle Wei Shan also said he would try to delay them, but she worried that the beastmen might come unexpectedly, so she decided to leave early with Wu Mu. She told him she would take good care of the beastly Wu Mu, but then she took him out of the house.

Leaving too early and traveling in this weather was really torturous.

“Wu Mu, let’s find a cave to sleep in tomorrow; at least it will block the wind,” the little squirrel sneezed.

The snake lifted his head and then lowered it again. With few movements, he looked like he was in low spirits. Was the snake at home depressed? That wouldn’t do!

The squirrel stood up: “It’s been a long time since I danced. Let me dance for you.”

Unable to sleep due to the cold, she got up to move around. The squirrel danced wildly by the fire and even did half a gymnastics set, but the snake just stared at her without moving.

Song Xu thought this was bad. The snake used to open his mouth when she danced before him, but now he didn’t, indicating the serious situation.

The squirrel squatted by the snake’s head, stroking his snout scales: “Honey, we weren’t driven out by your tribe, nor did we leave home to escape. Remember, we’re traveling, so you must be happy.”

Being treated as an outcast by his peers, Wu Mu would feel sad if he still had the intelligence to think about it, right?

Uncle Wei Shan said that after reaching adulthood, Wu Mu had lived alone for several years. He should have reached the edge of danger long ago. Adult half-beasts tend to stay in beast form because it makes them more comfortable, but Wu Mu had spent most of his time trying to maintain his half-beast form.

“Being treated as an outcast, I understand that feeling too. My classmates all think I’m a weirdo. But I’m different from you. I don’t feel bad at all. Do you know why? Because I’m the chosen one, and the chosen one is different from others!”

The squirrel suddenly stood up, raised her paws, and shouted, “I am the sun!”

After this one-sided heart-to-heart with the snake, Song Xu finally fell asleep. The snake, moving slowly due to the cold weather, happily flicked his tongue after listening to Song Xu’s endless chatter, even though he didn’t understand most of what she said.

Finding a suitable cave for them to rest in during the journey wasn’t easy. It would be fine if it were just for Song Xu, but finding one big enough for Wu Mu was difficult. On the second day of their journey, they rested much later than the first day because Song Xu wasn’t satisfied with any of the caves they passed. It was only after dark that she decided on a place to stay.

“Let’s stay here today. This tree hollow isn’t big, but you can fit half of your body inside.”

The tree hollow in front of them seemed to be an abandoned nest of some animal. Song Xu cleaned it up a bit and then pushed the big snake inside: “Push harder! A bit more! Almost in!”

Half of the big snake filled the tree hollow tightly. If the snake’s body weren’t flexible, his head being squeezed against his waist on top of himself would have caused a crushing fracture. With most of his tail still outside, Song Xu covered it with thick fallen leaves and then squeezed into the tree hollow herself. She squeezed through the gap, almost losing all her fur in the process.

“This is more crowded than a bus,” Song Xu sighed.

The living conditions were hard to describe, and food was also a significant issue. Wu Mu still hadn’t started eating, but Song Xu needed to eat every day. With the nuts she brought running out, she had to find food while traveling, which was a bit rushed and didn’t allow her to eat her fill. But one thing was certain: Song Xu could always find new edible things in new places.

For a curious little squirrel, encountering new things every day was a joy.

“Yuck!” Song Xu spat out a pale yellow chunk. She had just dug up this palm-sized tuber, half of which was exposed. After careful observation, she decided to try it, but the taste was so strong.

Moreover, after eating it, her tongue went numb. Song Xu was unusually quiet that day, not because she didn’t want to talk but because her swollen tongue made her sound strange.

A silent squirrel worried the snake. Wu Mu coiled his body into a narrow-top, wide-bottom snake pile, placing the squirrel in the space formed by his tail. The only opening at the top was sealed when he rested his head on it. The squirrel, suddenly in a private little room: “Self-built house!”

Seeing her struggle to find a place to stay every day, the snake used his body to make her a house. How heartwarming! So, was this smart snake somewhat recovering?

As soon as Song Xu’s tongue healed, she talked even more. She came up with some intelligence test questions for the snake during their journey. Sometimes, the snake cooperated a bit, and sometimes, he ignored her, resulting in mysteriously fluctuating test scores.

They left Wu Mu’s territory. A four-meter-wide stream lay ahead, not very deep but swift and cold due to the melting snow upstream. Song Xu dipped a foot in the water and, after pulling it back, considered how far they would need to detour or whether they could make a raft to cross. While she hesitated, the snake had already swum across. Being long, he quickly reached the other side without looking back. But once his head was across, he turned to look at her.

Song Xu understood his meaning: he wanted her to hold onto his body to avoid being swept away by the current. As soon as she stepped into the water, the snake’s tail tip wrapped around her and pushed her onto his tail. The tail tip nudged her from behind, urging her forward.

Song Xu: “Ah, I guessed wrong.” It turned out it wanted her to walk across on its back.

The little squirrel crossed the four-meter-wide stream on the snake bridge, only getting a bit of fur on her paws wet. The thick, long snake body lay steadily in the water, supporting her. After she crossed, Wu Mu continued swimming forward as if nothing unusual had happened. Song Xu held him down and wiped him dry with a fur wrap.

As she ran on the snake’s body, she felt a strange emotion for a moment. Why did the snake so naturally use his body as a bridge to help her cross the river?

Song Xu no longer numbed her mouth by trying random foods, but Wu Mu still coiled himself into a ball during each rest, with his long tail creating a space just big enough for a squirrel.

“Knock, knock, knock.” The squirrel asked from inside, “House snake, are you cold?”

“Landlord, are you asleep?” The squirrel continued her antics inside.

“Landlord, here’s the thing: I want to reduce this month’s rent. Not to complain, but this house is too narrow, the lighting is poor, and it’s not in the city center. How can the rent be so high in the suburbs?” The squirrel performed a one-person show inside.

She was speaking incomprehensible words again. Although the weather was still a bit cold, Wu Mu felt warm. A noisy, furry ball was sleeping tightly against his belly, continuously emitting heat and generously sharing that warmth with him.

When Song Xu woke up, she pushed aside the snake head covering her and looked outside. The cold air instantly woke her up. Everything outside was covered with a light trace of rain, indicating it had drizzled last night. The snake also stretched his body, uncoiling. The only dry spot was the small area where Song Xu had slept last night.

Although the snake landlord’s self-built house was small and poorly lit, it sheltered them from the wind and rain. Despite this, the squirrel still moved out. She wiped the moisture off Wu Mu: “Next time, let’s squeeze into a tree hollow.”

Song Xu had more food to eat as the trees were blooming. The honey fruit tree, a favorite among many birds and small climbing animals was a food production base. This tree’s flowers were pink and white, usually blooming during the day and closing at night. The trumpet-shaped flowers clustered together, secreting sweet nectar from the long tubes at the base. Song Xu liked to bite off the flower base and suck out the nectar like a straw. The nectar was sweet and refreshing, leaving a pleasant aftertaste. Like the honey fruit tree, the yellow flower tree grew over thirty meters tall, with various orchids growing on its trunk. In spring, it didn’t grow leaves, only flowers. The yellow flowers were eye-catching, like a giant yellow lollipop standing in the forest, inviting friends from all around to taste them. It welcomed all pollinators, but it couldn’t stop customers like Song Xu from eating the flowers. It could only silently let her eat, as there were plenty of flowers.

Song Xu sucked nectar until she didn’t want to leave. She knocked on the buttress roots extending from the tree and said to Wu Mu, “Let’s sleep here tonight.”

“If we find a place we like, we can stay a bit longer.”

Song Xu thoughtfully arranged Wu Mu’s night’s accommodation, collecting branches and large leaves to make a simple rain shelter in case it rained at night. Then, she climbed the tree again at night to have another meal.

These trees were like 24-hour convenience stores, with small animals visiting at night. Wu Mu lay in the gaps of the buttress roots, occasionally looking up at the tree to see the squirrel’s shadow moving on the branches and hearing her mimic bird calls.