novelbin Chapter 287 The Great Serpent, Chapter Leader Will Give You More Money
Chapter 287 The Great Serpent, Chapter Leader Will Give You More Money
Using his cat-like senses, Lin Feng began to move silently through the forest.
The dream forest has a surreal sense of tranquility; the texture of the leaves is too perfect, and the angle of the moonlight remains constant.
He headed toward the "core of the dream" that he intuitively sensed—a clearing deep in the forest, especially favored by the moonlight.
Just as he leaped over a fallen, rotten log, he heard a soft humming sound coming from ahead.
It was Tang Xiaorui's voice.
Lin Feng peeked out from behind a clump of ferns.
In the center of the open space, Tang Xiaorui sat on a rock covered with moss.
She was wearing a simple white dress, barefoot, and gently swinging her calves.
Her long hair was loose and shimmered softly in the moonlight. She had no mask on her face and looked clean and beautiful.
She was weaving something with grass leaves, her expression serene and relaxed—a look Lin Feng had never seen before.
It seems that this is the most peaceful corner in Tang Xiaorui's subconscious, a "pure land" where her second personality has not yet been completely eroded.
Lin Feng emerged from his hiding place and deliberately let his claws break off a small section of a dead branch.
"Click~"
Tang Xiaorui raised her head and met Lin Feng's (the cat's) gaze.
Her eyes widened slightly, then a delighted smile spread across them:
"What an adorable kitten! What are you doing here?"
She put down the straw weaving she was doing, stood up, and tiptoed over.
Lin Feng did not dodge and let her pick him up.
Tang Xiaorui's embrace was warm and soft, carrying the fresh scent unique to young girls.
Because the cat was small, when she held it in the crook of her arm, its body inevitably pressed against her chest.
The silk dress was made of very thin fabric, and it felt like sinking into a sun-warmed cloud.
Lin Feng subconsciously tensed his body, his claws slightly retracting.
But... a cat's senses seem to filter out the awkwardness and amplify the feeling.
After just a few seconds of stiffness, the tense muscles involuntarily relaxed in that tenderness.
He even tentatively lowered his head a little deeper into the clouds.
Being a cat doesn't seem so bad.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid." Tang Xiaorui mistakenly thought he was scared, so she hugged him even tighter and gently stroked the fur on his back.
"You're so thin! Are you lost? This forest isn't safe at night."
Her fingers traced along her spine with gentle pressure.
Lin Feng almost purred contentedly, driven by his feline instincts.
Tang Xiaorui carried him back to the rock, placed him on her lap, and continued to stroke his head and ears.
"Where did you come from? I've never seen such a beautiful black cat before, with paws as white as snow."
She spoke softly, her eyes gentle, "Will you stay with me tonight? I feel a little lonely here all by myself sometimes."
Lin Feng quieted down, raised his head, and looked at her with his cat-like amber eyes.
Unable to speak, he could only gently rub his head against her palm.
This action made Tang Xiaorui laugh even more happily.
"You're such a good boy." She picked Lin Feng up again, letting him rest on her shoulder, wrapped her arms around his small body, and unconsciously pressed her cheek against his fluffy head.
Just then, Tang Xiaorui seemed to remember something, and gently lifted him off her shoulder and held him up to her eyes.
Before Lin Feng could react, he felt his body being firmly supported, and a slight chill ran between his legs—
She was squinting, looking at it with a hint of curiosity.
"Hmm..." She blinked, a slightly playful smile curving her lips. "It's a little male kitten, so tiny and cute!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Lin Feng felt a surge of heat rush to his head.
"Small?!!"
The shame of human consciousness mixed with the instinctive pride of a feline made him almost jump up and bristle.
He gritted his teeth: "Tang Xiaorui, you did this on purpose, didn't you?!"
"Dare to use 'small' to describe me?!"
"You wait... once I transform back into human form, I will absolutely, positively make you take that word back!"
Unfortunately, what came out of his mouth was a long, weak "Meow—"
Tang Xiaorui seemed amused by his "protest," and smiled as she pulled him back into her arms, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Okay, okay, I won't watch anymore, you shy little guy."
Before her laughter had even faded, a strange noise suddenly came from the depths of the forest.
"Shh...shh..."
It wasn't the sound of wind blowing through leaves, but rather a heavy, dragging sound like scales scraping against the ground.
The fresh scent of grass and trees in the air was immediately mixed with a faint fishy smell.
Tang Xiaorui's body tensed up noticeably, and she tightened her grip on Lin Feng's arms.
"They're here!"
Lin Feng raised his head, his cat-like eyes narrowing into slits in the darkness as he looked toward the source of the sound.
In the shadows of the dense forest where the moonlight couldn't reach, two faint, golden "lanterns" slowly lit up.
With a teeth-grinding scraping sound, a massive body gradually slid into the edge of the moonlit clearing.
That was a giant snake!
Its body, as thick as a bucket, is covered with black and green diamond-shaped scales that gleam with a cold metallic luster under the moonlight.
Its triangular head was held high, its scarlet forked tongue flicking in and out, hissing.
Within its golden vertical pupils, a human-like light gleamed, filled with malice and greed.
The giant snake locked onto Tang Xiaorui in the center of the open space, and began to coil its body to gather strength, clearly preparing to launch an attack.
"Run!" Lin Feng shouted in his heart, but could only let out a rapid "meow".
He scratched at Tang Xiaorui's shoulder with his claws, signaling her to run away quickly.
Tang Xiaorui's face was pale, but she "seemed" to be stunned, clinging to Lin Feng and frozen in place.
The giant snake moved!
Its massive body burst forth with astonishing speed, opening its enormous maw, large enough to swallow a person whole, revealing its gleaming white fangs, as it pounced towards Tang Xiaorui!
A foul stench filled the air!
At the critical moment—
"Get out of here!!"
A loud shout rang out like a thunderclap!
A dark shadow shot out from the shadows beside Tang Xiaorui like lightning, blocking her from the snake's mouth!
It's that masked man!
He still wore the second mask, its base color as black as night, but his tuxedo had been replaced with a dark, fitted outfit more suitable for movement in the forest.
He held a long, ancient-looking sword in both hands, the blade of which shimmered with a pale blue light.
"clang--!!"
The long sword slashed fiercely at the giant snake's lower jaw scales, sending sparks flying!
The immense impact sent the masked man sliding back several steps, carving furrows in the ground, but he held firm against the snake's head's momentum!
The masked man didn't turn around; his voice, coming through the mask, carried a hint of urgency: "Go quickly!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the giant snake launched another attack!
This time it was no longer a simple pounce; its thick tail swept across suddenly, whipping up rubble and broken wood, like a steel whip lashing at the masked man!
The masked man moved swiftly, advancing instead of retreating, his long sword drawing a brilliant blue arc as it precisely slashed at the sweeping snake tail.
"Clang!"
A piercing metallic clang erupted, scales shattered and flew everywhere, and a deep wound was slashed open in the snake's tail, from which dark green blood gushed out.
But the giant snake seemed oblivious to pain; its injured tail coiled around the masked man's waist as if it were alive!
At the same time, the snake's head turned back at an eerie angle, its gaping maw aimed straight at his head...