Dedicate yourself and arrive at the Heavenly Serpent Palace!

"Brother Shen Wen..."

She took a deep breath, her emerald-green eyes fixed directly on Shen Wen. Though her cheeks were flushed crimson, she forced her voice to remain clear, "I... I like you.

Not the kind of liking a little sister has for an older brother... It's... it's the kind where I want to stay by your side forever, like Sister Cai Lin and Sister Xiao Yi Xian do."

Finally, she had said it.

Qing Lin felt as if all her strength had been drained away. Her heart pounded like a drum, almost bursting from her chest.

She waited nervously for Shen Wen's response, her fingertips icy cold.

Shen Wen watched her quietly.

This young girl had been following him since they left Stone Desert City.

From that thin, timid, and scorned little girl, she had gradually grown into the graceful and increasingly powerful possessor of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.

She always stayed quietly in the corner, but her gaze always followed him. He was not entirely unaware of her dependence and admiration.

It was just that her nature was too shy and reserved, so he had never taken the initiative to address it, thinking to let things take their natural course.

Now, under the moonlight in the flying boat, she had finally mustered all her courage.

Shen Wen reached out and took Qing Lin's slightly trembling, cold little hand.

A warm power transmitted from his palm. Qing Lin trembled all over, instinctively trying to pull back, but Shen Wen held her hand steadily.

"Qing Lin," Shen Wen's voice was low and gentle, carrying a reassuring strength, "I know."

Those three short words instantly made Qing Lin's eyes redden. He knew... he had always known.

"I..."

She opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.

"If you're willing to stay by my side, I'm naturally happy," Shen Wen looked at her, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "But, I already have Ying'er, Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, and there might be others in the future.

Even so, are you still willing?"

Qing Lin nodded vigorously without the slightest hesitation: "Willing!

As long as Brother Shen Wen doesn't think I'm stupid or troublesome... I'm willing!

Sister Cao Ying, Sister Cai Lin, and Sister Xiao Yi Xian have all been very kind to me... I, I'm not afraid!"

She spoke urgently, as if afraid Shen Wen would change his mind.

Seeing the determined light in her eyes, Shen Wen's heart softened slightly.

He raised his hand and gently wiped away a trace of moisture that had unknowingly seeped from the corner of her eye.

"Silly girl," he said softly, "you're fine. You've never been stupid or troublesome."

The warm touch of his fingertips made Qing Lin's body tremble slightly. She lifted her face, her emerald-green pupils reflecting Shen Wen's face and the moonlight outside the window, pure and focused.

Their eyes met, and unspoken emotions and palpitations flowed silently in the air.

Shen Wen lowered his head and kissed her slightly trembling, soft lips.

Qing Lin's eyes widened in shock, her mind blank. All she felt was the warm and unfamiliar sensation on her lips, carrying a faint tea fragrance and Shen Wen's clear, cool scent.

She stiffened for a moment, then her eyelashes fluttered as she slowly closed her eyes, responding clumsily and obediently to this long-awaited yet sudden kiss.

The moonlight was serene, and the flying boat glided through the night sky, heading toward its predetermined destination.

Inside the cabin, the tea and pastries sat quietly, no longer attended to.

Clothes fell to the floor, faint sounds and suppressed murmurs intertwined in the night, eventually settling into steady breathing... The faint light of dawn filtered through the porthole into the cabin, illuminating the fine dust particles clearly.

Shen Wen had already awakened and was leaning against the headboard. A strand of silver Space Power coiled and flowed like a living creature around his fingertips as he contemplated the subtle changes from combining Gu Treasure Art with the space ancestral talisman.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on Qing Lin, who was still asleep beside him.

The young girl lay on her side, one fair, jade-like arm unconsciously draped over the brocade quilt. Her dark green hair was scattered messily on the pillow, making her small face appear even more serene and beautiful.

Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows under her eyelids, and the corner of her mouth seemed to hold a faint, satisfied, and contented curve.

Last night was undoubtedly an extremely important and new beginning in her life.

With his current Physical Body strength, enhanced by both the Azure Dragon Body and the Azure Heaven Hegemon Body, and his profound foundation as a Six-Star Dou Zong comparable to a Dou Zun,

even though Qing Lin had special talents and possessed such a rare thing as the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils,

and even unintentionally activated the seductive power within her pupil power in the heat of passion, it posed no "threat" to him. Instead, it added to the excitement.

Qing Lin's endurance was actually better than Shen Wen had expected.

This might be related to her special Physique.

Shen Wen keenly noticed that the texture of Qing Lin's skin, her body's flexibility, and even some subtle reactions

bore some resemblance to those of Snake-People Clan women—warm yet with a unique cool, smooth, and slippery quality, like fine soft jade.

It also carried a snake-like suppleness and vitality.

This was probably also related to her possessing the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, a talent closely connected to top-tier snake Bloodlines.

This thought flashed through Shen Wen's mind, but he didn't dwell on it, merely finding it uniquely charming.

As if sensing Shen Wen's gaze, Qing Lin's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Her emerald-green eyes were still somewhat hazy at first. Meeting Shen Wen's smiling gaze, she was momentarily stunned before memories of last night flooded back.

Her small face flushed crimson in an instant.

Instinctively, she tried to pull the quilt up to cover her face but found her arms sore and weak, her movements somewhat sluggish.

"Awake?" Shen Wen's voice was gentle as he reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "How do you feel?"

"...I-I'm okay," Qing Lin's voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum, almost burying herself in the quilt, too shy to look at him.

"Then get up. We're almost there."

Shen Wen got up and began dressing swiftly and efficiently.

Hearing "almost there," Qing Lin reluctantly pulled herself out of her embarrassment, realizing there were serious matters to attend to.

She peeked out from under the quilt with one eye. Seeing that Shen Wen had already turned his back to her and was adjusting his robes, she blushed

and began rustling as she put on her own clothes.

But her movements inevitably caused some soreness, making her frown slightly.

By the time they had both finished tidying up, the flying boat had just begun to slow down.

Shen Wen walked to the window and looked down.

Below, it was no longer desolate wilderness or Gobi desert but vast stretches of green plains and rolling mountains.

In the distance, the outline of a grand city loomed faintly in the morning mist. The city walls seemed to have a dark bluish hue, with serpentine reliefs vaguely visible.

They had arrived at the capital of the Heavenly Serpent Empire.

"Brother Shen Wen, are we going directly to the Heavenly Serpent Mansion?" Qing Lin walked to his side.

"Mm," Shen Wen nodded, his eyes turning slightly cold. "First, to the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. We'll clarify matters, clean up what needs cleaning, and settle what needs settling."

He had never liked beating around the bush. Since one source of trouble had been confirmed to be here, he would snuff it out directly.

The flying boat did not head toward the capital city but instead flew toward a nearby mountain range shrouded in faint mist, with exceptionally lush and verdant vegetation.

That was where the true mountain gate of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion was located.