Chapter 041: Two Years Later, You Will Be Mine (3)

“I was bitten by a silver serpent. The poison of the Life-Draining Powder was mostly neutralized, but the serpent’s venom remains within me. Thinking carefully, the residual toxins in my body might now flare up once a month,” Jiner, now gradually regaining her composure, spoke calmly.

Her body felt as it had before, no longer showing any abnormal signs. It seemed that, as long as she endured each attack of the poison, she could prolong her life a little more, until the next outbreak.

“Silver serpent? Heavens, you were bitten by a silver serpent and survived?” Mo Yan’s eyes brimmed with astonishment, and he could not help but view the little girl before him in a new light.

Seeing her nod, Mo Yan set aside his surprise, concentrating in thought before saying, “No wonder. I wondered why the Life-Draining Powder was so weak in your case—it was mostly neutralized. It appears the silver serpent’s venom has a considerable effect on countering it! Yet, the side effects seem far too severe…” At this point, Mo Yan’s expression grew conflicted.

“I’ll remind you—not everyone survives a silver serpent’s bite,” Jiner retorted with a slight shrug, her tone indifferent. Without waiting for his reply, she stood up and gazed toward the beautiful dawn on the horizon, her pale pink dress fluttering in the wind.

She had escaped disaster once again, hadn’t she? To see today’s sun—how wonderful.

Mo Yan looked up at the girl lost in thought beside him. Her hair billowed in the breeze, her brows and eyes carried a cold stubbornness and distant indifference. Such an expression seemed hardly fitting for an eleven or twelve-year-old girl.

Who was this child? She hadn’t been here before.

“Take me down,” Mo Yan was caught in his contemplation when Jiner suddenly turned to him and spoke.

Mo Yan raised an eyebrow, flashing a charming smile. “Gladly, for a beauty.” With that, he stood and lifted Jiner by the waist.

Jiner draped an arm around his neck, regarding him with a half-smile. “Beauty? I like that title.” It was the first time someone had called her that, the first time anyone had treated her as more than a child—even as a jest.

In her previous life, she’d lived only to fourteen, with plain looks, and when she crossed into this world, she was merely six. Even now, she remained a child, yet sometimes she truly wished she could grow up faster, free herself from the identity and constraints of childhood.

Mo Yan was amused by her words and expression, his wicked smile deepening as he leaned closer, speaking suggestively, “I like you just as you are. Girl, I’ll grant you two more years of freedom. After that, you’re mine.” With a curl of his lips, he looked up, pushed off lightly, and landed silently in the rear courtyard.

Before Jiner could linger on his words, Mo Yan had already set her down and vanished in a blink.

She instinctively wanted to call after him, but scanning her surroundings, not a trace of him remained.

Ha! In two years, she’d be his? Such bold words. Yet, whether she’d even survive another two years was uncertain.

With a self-deprecating smile, Jiner turned, intending to head back to her room, but after two steps, she stopped. Frowning in thought, she changed direction and walked toward the study.