Chapter Sixty-Two: Reunion

At the command of the Fat Pig Lord, the soldiers of Yellowstone City, oblivious to their fate, launched a frenzied assault against Zhou Tian. Each charge inflicted little harm upon Zhou Tian; instead, many fell under the onslaught of the serpents. Yet, compelled by their officers, the soldiers persisted, hurling themselves toward Zhou Tian again and again.

While the battle between the soldiers and Zhou Tian’s serpents raged on, the mages, coerced by the Fat Pig Lord, finally completed their spell. Though they had held back somewhat, their ranks alone spoke of their power; nearly ten high-level mages combined their strength and the magical ripples alone struck terror in Vivian’s heart. After slapping the python that held her, she cried out anxiously to Zhou Tian, “Hurry! Their spell is ready—let’s leave now while the soldiers are retreating!”

“Naive!”

“What did you say?” Vivian, provoked once more by Zhou Tian’s harsh words, nearly lost her composure, pointing at him as if ready to explode.

But events soon spoke for Zhou Tian. Contrary to Vivian’s expectations—that the soldiers would fall back to avoid casualties—the Fat Pig Lord’s cold-blooded command sent the spell crashing down upon both the serpent swarm and the ranks of Yellowstone City’s army.

“How can this be?” Vivian stared in disbelief at the spell descending from the sky, unable to trust her eyes. Shocked by reality, she forgot her predicament entirely, remaining motionless in the python’s jaws, her gaze fixed on the falling magic, no longer thinking of escape.

Fortunately, Zhou Tian was different from Vivian. He had anticipated such actions from the Fat Pig Lord. Not only twisted minds like his, but any commander seasoned in battle would likely make the same ruthless choice.

Prepared for this eventuality, Zhou Tian was not as shaken as Vivian. Though the situation was dire, his forethought allowed him to respond quickly. Zhou Tian’s understanding of magic was limited; he didn’t know what spell the mages were preparing or when it would land. But that didn’t matter—he knew that as long as the spell missed its target, its power could not harm him.

Thus, when he noticed the mages preparing their spell, Zhou Tian was far from unprepared. While controlling the serpent swarm against the soldiers, he secretly directed another group of serpents to burrow underground.

As the mages unleashed their spell, Zhou Tian and Vivian found themselves above a sizable cavity the serpents had dug beneath them. The moment the spell began to fall, Zhou Tian transformed into human form, scooped up Vivian, and slid swiftly into the nearby entrance.

“Ah!” Suddenly embraced by a naked man and feeling the ground drop away beneath her, Vivian screamed, bewildered by the whirlwind of events.

“Quiet!” Zhou Tian offered no explanation. Though they were descending into the cavity, he didn’t believe they were safe yet. Vivian’s scream irritated him, and he snapped at her, his expression grave as he calculated the timing of the spell’s impact above.

“You’re... Captain Zhou Tian!” Vivian hadn’t seen Zhou Tian transform, but his voice was unmistakable. Upon hearing his shout, she immediately recognized him.

After a brief slide, Zhou Tian and Vivian landed safely in the cavity excavated by the serpents. As they exhaled in relief, the ceiling above them began to shake violently. Only when the cavity nearly collapsed did the tremors subside and peace return.

“Ugh!” Spitting sand from his mouth, Zhou Tian pulled Vivian to her feet, his face solemn as he said, “For now, we’re safe. After that magical bombardment, they’ll think we’re dead. Once some time passes and we emerge, I believe they’ll have dispersed.”

“Oh...” Vivian replied, her voice odd, her gaze lowered, unwilling to meet Zhou Tian’s eyes.

“What’s going on?” Noticing Vivian’s demeanor, Zhou Tian curiously followed her gaze to his own body.

“Oh no!” Realization struck Zhou Tian, and his face flushed bright red.

Having operated as a serpent for so long, Zhou Tian had grown accustomed to the snake’s form. Upon returning to human shape, he’d forgotten an important detail: humans require clothing, but snakes do not.

He had not dressed after transforming, so at that moment, Zhou Tian was completely naked. Considering Vivian’s youthful innocence and her being trapped in a room with a naked man, it was little wonder she was so flustered.

Hurriedly, as if his seat were ablaze, Zhou Tian exchanged for a piece of clothing to cover himself, breathing a small sigh of relief.

Desires without the courage—this was Zhou Tian’s current state of mind. Though his thoughts often wandered to finding a woman, lacking any experience, he was too timid to act. Now, with Vivian having seen him in the nude, both felt embarrassment; Zhou Tian was no better off than she.

In the midst of that awkward atmosphere, Zhou Tian and Vivian remained together for nearly ten minutes, until the scant oxygen in the cavity was nearly depleted. Then Zhou Tian summoned the serpents to reopen the tunnel, and with their help, he and Vivian began their ascent.

The descent had taken only seconds, but climbing up took them dozens of minutes. When daylight finally greeted them, Zhou Tian let out a long breath, wiped away nonexistent sweat from his brow, and tried to sound casual as he said to Vivian, “Looks like we both survived—our luck must be strong!”

“Captain Zhou Tian, why did they cast magic on their own comrades? Clearly—” As Vivian tried to question Zhou Tian, he suddenly sensed someone rapidly approaching. Without letting her finish, he pulled her behind him defensively, facing the direction of the newcomers.

“It’s us!” At Zhou Tian’s wary stance, a familiar voice called out. The three—Afra and her companions, assigned by Vivian to other tasks—were now rushing swiftly toward them.