Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 40: Two Snakes, Zero Brain Cells

Xin Yi was having the weirdest dream.

She was back in her old apartment, standing in front of her bathroom door. But every time she tried to open it, the door turned into a giant soap bar that smelled like lavender. And there were cats. So many cats. Black cats. Tiger cats. Snake cats?

Wait, snakes aren’t cats—

In the real world, Xin Yi was sprawled across a pile of soft leaves in Mo Yan’s guest chamber, snoring softly. Her hair was a disaster. Her mouth was slightly open. One arm dangled off the sleeping platform.

She looked absolutely ridiculous.

And Qing Lin thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

The Snake King sat cross-legged on the floor beside her sleeping platform, his emerald eyes tracking every rise and fall of her chest. He hadn’t moved in two hours. Hadn’t blinked much either.

He was on guard duty.

Not because anyone had asked him to. Not because there was any real danger in the heart of Mo Yan’s fortress.

But because the last time he had left her alone at night, she’d woken up screaming about a "child python" in her bed, and he wasn’t risking that again.

Also, she had made this tiny snuffling sound about twenty minutes ago that made his cold-blooded heart do something weird and uncomfortable.

Pathetic, he thought to himself. You’ve become pathetic, Qing Lin. This is why Father always said emotions make you weak.

But he didn’t move.

The door to the chamber creaked open.

Qing Lin’s head snapped toward the sound, his pupils contracting to deadly slits. His hand went to the bone knife at his waist.

Mo Yan stepped through, and he was also carrying.....a wooden bowl?

"What are you doing here?" Qing Lin hissed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I live here," Mo Yan whispered back, closing the door carefully behind him. "This is MY territory."

"This is MY guest."

"She’s in MY guest chamber."

"Because YOU insisted on housing her after I BROUGHT her here!"

"SHHHHH!" Both serpents froze, looking at Xin Yi.

She mumbled something that sounded like "...not a toaster..." and rolled over, burying her face in the furs.

They waited.

She kept sleeping.

Both Alphas let out simultaneous sighs of relief.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here," Qing Lin repeated, each word clipped. He stood up slowly, positioning himself between Mo Yan and the sleeping female.

Mo Yan held up the wooden bowl. "I brought her water. She’ll be thirsty when she wakes. It’s basic hospitality."

"At midnight?"

"I’m a thoughtful host."

"You are a territorial nightmare."

"Says the serpent who kidnapped her from her husband’s bed."

"I RESCUED her from a mediocre mating—"

"SHHHHH!"

They both froze again.

Xin Yi’s foot twitched. Her nose wrinkled.

"...Hei Yan, stop licking the furniture..." she muttered in her sleep.

Qing Lin felt an irrational surge of jealousy. Even in her dreams, she was thinking about that stupid cat.

Mo Yan set the bowl down on a low table. Then he moved to the other side of the sleeping platform, opposite from Qing Lin.

"What are you doing?" Qing Lin demanded.

"Sitting," Mo Yan said simply. He folded his long legs beneath him and settled in, mirroring Qing Lin’s protective posture from earlier.

"You can’t just—"

"Watch me."

They stared at each other over Xin Yi’s sleeping form, two apex predators locked in a silent battle of wills.

A full minute passed.

"This is ridiculous," Qing Lin finally said.

"You started it by refusing to leave."

"I was here first!"

"And I’m here now. Deal with it."

Another silence.

Xin Yi let out a tiny snore that sounded like a kitten sneezing.

Both Alphas’ expressions softened immediately.

"She’s... loud when she sleeps," Mo Yan observed quietly.

"She’s exhausted," Qing Lin said defensively. "She spent all day teaching your people how to make soap. Again. Because apparently, even with my DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS, your warriors still managed to make something that smelled like rotten eggs."

"They’re trying their best," Mo Yan said, though his scowl suggested he’d had the same thought. "She’s patient with them. More patient than I would be."

"She’s patient with everyone," Qing Lin murmured, his gaze drifting back to her peaceful face. "Even when we don’t deserve it."

Another pause.

"I’ve been hearing rumors," Mo Yan said suddenly, his voice taking on a more serious tone.

Qing Lin’s eyes narrowed. "What kind of rumors?"

"The bad kind." Mo Yan leaned forward slightly, his yellow eyes reflecting the dim light of the bioluminescent moss. "The scouts from the northern marshes.....they say something is wrong with the water sources. The rivers are starting to run shallow. Some of the smaller tributaries have dried up completely."

Qing Lin felt his blood run colder than usual. "When did this start?"

"Three weeks ago. Maybe four." Mo Yan’s jaw tightened. "I didn’t think much of it at first. The dry season comes and goes. But then the elders started talking about... signs."

"What kind of signs?"

"The kind that make old serpents hide in their dens and refuse to come out." Mo Yan’s voice dropped even lower. "They say a great drought is coming to the land. That the sky dragons are angry with us."

Qing Lin scoffed, though unease prickled along his scales. "Sky dragons. That’s a myth the elders tell to frighten hatchlings."

"Is it?" Mo Yan’s gaze was steady. "My father saw one once. Before I was born. Said it was the size of a mountain, with wings that blocked out the sun. It burned an entire forest to ash because a tribe had angered it by hunting its young."

"Your father also claimed he once wrestled a bear-king and won. Forgive me if I don’t take his stories as historical fact."

"Mock all you want," Mo Yan said quietly. "But if the drought comes, it won’t matter if we believe in sky dragons or not. The water will dry up. The prey will flee. The tribes will start fighting over what’s left."

Qing Lin was silent for a long moment, his mind racing. He looked down at Xin Yi, still sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the conversation happening around her.

"If what you say is true," he said slowly, "then we need to prepare. Store water. Preserve food. Teach the tribes how to survive without the rivers."

"Or," Mo Yan said, "we could ask the Goddess to help us."

Qing Lin’s head snapped up. "She’s not a goddess."

"She appeared from the sky. She knows magic the rest of us can’t comprehend. She can make fire obey her will and turn fat into bubbles that clean." Mo Yan’s lips curved into a slight smile. "If that’s not a goddess, what is she?"

"She’s a strange, stubborn, loudmouthed female who smells like lavender and gets angry when you sniff her without permission," Qing Lin said flatly.

"So......a goddess."

"Only I can CALL HER THAT!"

"SHHHHH!"

Xin Yi stirred, mumbling something about "...return policy... bathroom..."

Both serpents held their breath.