Su Yaoyao’s consciousness slowly returned from the chaos. Her head was groggy, and the faint sound of two men talking reached her ears.

"I just wanted to scare her. The drug only lasts for an hour. Even if we don’t do anything, she’ll be fine once it wears off." Noah’s voice trembled, a look of remorse on his face.

Mingye walked over and gently held his finger under Su Yaoyao’s nose. When he felt her weak but steady breath, he secretly sighed in relief. "Good, she’s only unconscious."

He looked at the unconscious Su Yaoyao, marveling to himself. ’I never thought this usually delicate young female would have such a resolute side.’ His gaze held a newfound hint of admiration and pity.

"Let’s go outside for now." Mingye’s voice was low, his tone leaving no room for argument. He turned and headed for the door first.

Noah glanced at Su Yaoyao, and after a moment’s hesitation, he followed.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the CLICK of the closing door was exceptionally clear in the silent room.

Sunlight streamed through the window, shining directly into her eyes. She instinctively raised a hand to shield them. After a long moment, she slowly grew accustomed to the blinding light and began to survey her surroundings.

It was a beautifully furnished room. The soft, large bed was covered in luxurious linens—a stark contrast to the dark, damp birdcage she had been locked in before.

But a throbbing pain in her head left her feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Su Yaoyao forced herself to sit up. The movement was slow and difficult. She raised a hand to her forehead and couldn’t help but whisper, "Ow, that hurts."

Her fingertips brushed against a large, swollen lump, and she hissed in a sharp breath at the feeling.

Fortunately, the burning heat in her body had faded considerably, but her limbs were limp and weak. Every movement required immense effort.

But now, with Mingye and Noah gone, Su Yaoyao knew this was the perfect chance to escape.

She immediately looked toward the door, but reason told her it was a dead end. ’There’s probably someone guarding it from the outside.’

Su Yaoyao’s gaze swept around the room, finally landing on a window.

She forced herself out of bed, but her legs felt as if they were filled with lead. She had only taken a single step before her legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees with a loud thud.

"Hiss... that kills," Su Yaoyao muttered, glancing nervously toward the door. Fortunately, no one burst in.

She gritted her teeth, used the edge of the bed for support, and shakily got to her feet. Step by step, she shuffled toward the window.

The moment she opened the window, a cold wind rushed to meet her. An expansive view stretched out before her, but when she looked down, her heart sank.

This was a high tower of the castle, far too high from the ground. There was no way down. Her hopes of escape were instantly dashed, and she couldn’t help but sigh.

Just then, she suddenly felt something tighten around her waist as a powerful force struck.

Su Yaoyao looked down to see that a green tail had somehow wrapped itself around her waist. A moment later, the tail violently yanked her back onto the bed.

"Ah!" Su Yaoyao screamed in terror. Before she could react, she saw a green snake slowly coiling around her body, its head rapidly slithering in her direction.

"D-Don’t eat me!" The image of the terrifying great snake from her dream flashed through Su Yaoyao’s mind. She squeezed her eyes shut, her body trembling uncontrollably, filled with absolute terror.

However, the excruciating pain she imagined never came. Instead, she felt a cool touch on her cheek.

Su Yaoyao slowly opened her eyes, only to see the green snake flicking its forked tongue and gently licking her cheek.

Reflected in the snake’s dark green, vertical pupils was Su Yaoyao’s panicked expression. It was as if the snake had something it wanted to tell her.

Su Yaoyao was terrified, but she couldn’t help her curiosity. She reached out a single fingertip and cautiously used her Power of Resonance.

The moment she touched the green snake, a powerful wave of worry washed over her. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Su Yaoyao froze, then asked tentatively, "Were you afraid I was in danger by the window?"

Amazingly, the green snake actually nodded, its movement surprisingly fluid.

"What an intelligent snake," Su Yaoyao couldn’t help but exclaim. Mustering her courage, she tentatively stroked the snake’s head. It closed its eyes in contentment, seeming to enjoy the touch.

It seemed to crave the warmth of Su Yaoyao’s body. Before long, it settled obediently on her chest to rest, though its tail remained coiled tightly around her waist, refusing to let go.

Meanwhile, in the castle study, Noah was talking with Mingye but noticed that Mingye kept spacing out.

Noah asked in confusion, "What’s wrong?"

Mingye frowned slightly. The shared sensations from his Spiritual Body caused a faint blush to creep across his face.

His gaze unconsciously drifted in the direction of Su Yaoyao’s room. His voice was low. "The young female is awake."

His tone held a hint of tension and concern that he himself didn’t seem to notice.

Upon hearing this, a flash of joy appeared in Noah’s eyes, and the smile on his face grew wider. "Should we go check on her, then?" he asked tentatively.

Mingye was silent for a moment before nodding slowly. He could feel Su Yaoyao’s small hand stroking the snake scales, and the sensation was becoming far too pleasant. ’If this continues,’ he thought, ’it will indeed be dangerous.’ "Yes, let’s go see."

As for Su Yaoyao, her time with the green snake had allowed her taut nerves to relax slightly.

This green snake didn’t seem malicious. It just lay quietly beside her, its body cool and smooth like a piece of polished jade. Its coolness helped to soothe the lingering heat in her body, making her feel quite comfortable.

She gently stroked the snake’s scales and had a sudden thought: perhaps this intelligent creature could be her key to escaping this place. "Can you get me out of here?" Su Yaoyao whispered to the snake, her eyes full of hope.

The green snake seemed to understand her. It slowly raised its head and shook it a few times.

In that instant, the light in Su Yaoyao’s eyes dimmed. She sighed in disappointment. "Alright, then."

Although she was disappointed, Su Yaoyao wasn’t ready to give up so easily.

’I made so much noise before and no one came in. Could it be that Mingye didn’t post any guards at all?’

Her gaze finally landed on the door, but with the snake wrapped around her, she couldn’t move an inch.

She gently stroked the snake’s tail coiled around her waist and tried to reason with it.

"Little snake, could you let me go? I won’t go near the window, I’ll just go to the door. It’s not dangerous over there, okay?" Her voice was soft and gentle, with a coaxing tone.

But she had no idea that her casual action was causing a small "incident" just outside the door.

Mingye and Noah had just reached the door when Mingye suddenly felt a tingling, electric-like sensation shoot up from his tailbone. His legs instantly gave out, and he dropped to one knee.

His face flushed as red as a ripe tomato, and his body couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

The base of the tail was an incredibly sensitive area. Su Yaoyao’s light touch had almost made him lose control.