Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 79 - 78: What It Means to Be Siblings

And just like that, a Silver White Snake danced around Tu Xiaoyue like a forest sprite, a truly beautiful sight.

"Hee hee..."

Tu Xiaoyue let out a laugh that sounded like tinkling bells. Her little brother had turned into a snake and was even growing more and more powerful with his Divine Techniques.

He could even fly, despite being a snake.

Suddenly, a scene from their childhood surfaced in her mind. The two of them, brother and sister, had always loved playing tag in this very backyard, never tiring of the game.

In the blink of an eye, they had both grown up.

On the day her brother died, Tu Xiaoyue had dreamed she was playing a game of chess with Yama. Yama told her that if she lost the game, he would take her brother away.

She fought desperately to win, terrified of losing her brother, but she still lost.

When she woke up, her brother was truly gone. She cried her heart out. It had been a nightmare, but waking up didn't end it.

But now, her brother was back. He was just a snake, but so what? That familiar, familial feeling was still there.

Just like it was right now.

"Sis, do you want to try flying? The feeling is amazing!"

The crystal-clear Silver White Snake hovered before Tu Xiaoyue. A tear welled in the corner of her eye. She wiped it away discreetly and broke into a sweet smile. "I can do it, too?"

"If I say you can, then you can."

Tu Xiao'an gave a slight smile, his words brimming with confidence and a hint of cockiness.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Look at you, getting all full of yourself. If you dare drop me, I'll show you what's what."

Tu Xiao'an landed on the ground first. Then, looking at his sister, his Snake Pupils narrowed, and a sudden surge of Consciousness Power enveloped her.

Instantly, Tu Xiaoyue's body stiffened. As if sensing something, she took a deep breath, growing a little nervous.

"Don't be nervous, Sis. I promise I won't let you fall."

"WOOF WOOF..."

Off to the side, Xiaobai suddenly started barking at the Silver White Snake, as if to say, 'You nearly got me killed when you dropped me, you know that?'

Tu Xiao'an completely ignored Xiaobai's barks. 'That was just an accident.'

Then, his Snake Pupils narrowed sharply. "Rise!"

"Whoa... I'm flying! I'm really flying!"

Tu Xiaoyue was instantly filled with a mix of shock and joy. Her feet miraculously lifted off the ground as if a pair of powerful, Formless hands were hoisting her up.

The moment felt like a dream. She was like Chang'e flying to the moon.

A smile blossomed on Tu Xiaoyue's lovely face, as beautiful as a flower.

"See, Sis? Are you excited? Are you happy? I told you I wouldn't let you fall!"

THUD...

Tu Xiaoyue had barely risen half a meter off the ground when she let out a sudden shriek and fell hard on her backside. She was completely stunned, her mind a total blank.

'Oh, crap.'

Tu Xiao'an was mortified. He had just used up a lot of his Consciousness Power, and it hadn't had time to recover. Plus, his target this time was a person weighing over a hundred pounds.

He lost control for a moment, creating this awkward scene.

"Sis, I'm gonna go check on Mom!"

WHOOSH...

Seeing his sister on the ground, her face turning pale with rage as she prepared to blow up, Tu Xiao'an didn't dare stick around. He quickly made an excuse and fled.

"Xiao'an, you did that on purpose, didn't you?! Get back here!"

Tu Xiaoyue's face flushed with anger. 'And he promised he wouldn't let me fall!'

But as she watched the Silver White Snake vanish before her in a streak of light, Tu Xiaoyue suddenly chuckled. Her smile was like a blooming wildflower, a small dimple appearing at the corner of her mouth.

'This is nice,' she thought. 'Teasing and bickering... this is what it means to be brother and sister.'

「The day passed quickly.」

By evening, Tu Xiao'an had slithered to the front gate of his home and coiled up.

He was waiting for someone's arrival.

'Master said the Supreme Profound Snake's Snake Gallbladder had to be soaked in medicinal wine for a full day and night. Counting from yesterday, the time should be about up.'

After finishing dinner, his sister came outside, her lovely face etched with worry. "Little brother, the Snake Gallbladder hasn't been delivered yet? I have a bad feeling about this."

"Sis, don't overthink it."

She just pursed her lips and shook her head, then picked up the coiled Silver White Snake and stroked him. "Little brother, what will we do if the Supreme Profound Snake's Gallbladder fails, too?"

"There is no 'if' this time. It absolutely will not fail."

The Silver White Snake's eyes glinted with resolve. 'If even the Snake Gallbladder of a Supreme Profound Snake can't cure Mom's lung disease, then there's truly no cure left in this world.'

One person and one snake—one sister and one brother—dared not dwell on it. To think any deeper was to invite more anxiety and fear.

A red car pulled up on the dim road ahead, and a tall, beautiful woman stepped out gracefully.

"Sister Meilin! It's so good to see you. You're finally here!"

Meilin was also in a frantic hurry. The moment she got the Supreme Profound Snake's Gallbladder from He Zhennan, she had driven straight over.

She presented them with an exquisite brocade box. Tu Xiaoyue took it with trembling hands, and as she opened it, a look of astonishment flashed in her eyes.

Perhaps not many people had ever seen a Snake Gallbladder, but for children born in Bai Town, it was a common sight.

The Snake Gallbladder is the organ that stores bile within the snake. Nearly all of them can be used for medicinal purposes, typically for clearing heat and toxins, dispelling wind and dampness, and for improving vision and calming the mind.

The more potent the species of venomous snake, the more effective its gallbladder.

The Snake Gallbladder in the box before them resembled a tiny Luminous Pearl. It was smooth, translucent, and exquisitely crystalline. It was hard to believe it was a Snake Gallbladder at all.

Tu Xiao'an took one look and marveled inwardly, 'Worthy of being the gallbladder of a Supreme Profound Snake. Its appearance is on a whole other level.'

Resting in the box, the Snake Gallbladder even seemed to throb faintly, as if it possessed its own Life Force.

'And this is after being soaked in medicinal wine for a day and a night,' Tu Xiao'an thought. 'If it hadn't been, it would probably be bouncing around like a rubber ball.'

"Sis, go make a cup of honey water. Have Mom drink it while she swallows the gallbladder."

Before seeing the Supreme Profound Snake's Gallbladder, Tu Xiao'an had been uncertain. But now, his confidence surged. He could feel the supreme medicinal power contained within it.

"I'll help," Meilin said.

Meilin went with Tu Xiaoyue to the kitchen. After making a cup of honey water, they brought it straight to their mother's room.

'Whether Mom's lung cancer can be cured... it all comes down to this one gamble,' Tu Xiao'an thought.

Tu Xiao'an slithered into his mother's room as well. He watched nervously as she sat on the edge of her bed. After asking a few doubtful questions, she obediently swallowed the extraordinary Snake Gallbladder.

Wen Qiu swallowed the Luminous Pearl-like Snake Gallbladder, took a sip of honey water, and caught her breath.

Several pairs of eyes stared intently at her face.

"Mom, how do you feel right now?"

Tu Xiaoyue asked, her face tense, voicing the question that was on Xiao'an's mind.

"I'm all right, I think," Wen Qiu said.

She didn't feel any particular change.

"Even though the Supreme Profound Snake's Gallbladder is extraordinary, the effects probably won't be immediate," Meilin said reassuringly.

"PFFT—"

Suddenly, without warning, Wen Qiu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, sprayed a mouthful of black blood. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted.

In an instant, the entire room fell deathly silent. It felt as if the sky was about to collapse. A suffocating feeling washed over the brother and sister.

"Mom! Mom, what's wrong?!"

"Wen Qiu! Wen Qiu!"

Tu Xiaoyue and Meilin cried out in alarm, but Wen Qiu gave no response. The faces of both women turned deathly pale.

BOOM...

The Silver White Snake, coiled on the floor, froze as if struck by lightning.

Tu Xiao'an was stunned. Completely and utterly stunned. His mother had swallowed the Supreme Profound Snake's Gallbladder, only to vomit blood and pass out.

'How could this happen? How? Can someone please tell me why?'