The constant murmur of falling water was the only sound surrounding them. The cave beneath the waterfall, hidden among the rocks and protected by the surrounding mystical vapors, offered a perfect refuge. From there, Zhu Xian and Die Ba watched in the distance as groups of people approached the walls of Black Mountain Fortress. Banners, horses, high-ranking cultivators… the city was about to become a playground for factions.
"Zhu Xian…" Die Ba whispered, his voice heavy with determination. "We can't keep running away like this. If I transform now, we can blend in without attracting attention."
He looked at her. The air around them held a tinge of doubt, of fear. But also a spark of hope.
"Are you sure?"
"It's now or never."
Without another word, Die Ba took out the Transformation Pill. He held it in his slender fingers for a moment, as if to imprint its shape one last time. Then, with a sigh, he brought it to his lips and swallowed.
The change was immediate.
A wave of silent energy erupted around him, shaking the cave with a gentle but intense breeze. Die Ba's aura changed, vibrating like an ancient melody rewritten in a new tone. His body was enveloped in purple light, and his silhouette blurred like a butterfly in flames.
Zhu Xian narrowed his eyes… and then he saw her.
The figure that emerged from that mist was ethereally beautiful, almost unreal. Where the snake's tail had once been, there was now a pair of long, shapely, seductive legs, skin as smooth as porcelain.
She approached Zhu Zian, walking with hypnotic grace, each step a stifled sigh. Her hips swayed with a dangerous ease, her buttocks lifted, round and seductive like a ripe peach, and the tunic that wrapped her barely touched the contours of her body, revealing curves freshly sculpted by charm.
Her bust, now much more prominent, rose with each breath, hinting at its softness beneath the subtle touch of the fabric and accentuating her silhouette in a provocative yet harmonious way. Her torso was slender and seductive, with each line highlighting a perfect harmony between strength and delicacy. Her waist, narrow and flexible, was an irresistible point of attraction in the exquisite balance of her curves.
Die Ba's skin glowed under the filtered light of the waterfall, and her face, with its delicate features, seemed sculpted by a craftsman from the heavens. Her dark, deep, and enigmatic eyes shone like two polished obsidians under the moonlight. Soft cheekbones, a slender nose, and full lips, slightly curved in a tempting smile, gave her a hypnotic and irresistible air.
Her long, straight hair, black as ink and silk, cascaded over her shoulders, catching every glimmer of light and gliding like a nocturnal river that invited one to lose oneself in its mystery.
Zhu Xian couldn't help but hold his breath. He had faced monsters, murderers, ferocious creatures... but never anything like this beauty that now rose before him. He felt his pulse quicken, his chest tighten, and his thoughts—for a split second—turned to mist.
Die Ba gave off a natural jasmine scent, soft and ethereal, as if the breeze of a night garden had taken up residence within her. It wasn't a strong scent, but a light fragrance that awakened the senses, fresh and clean, with that delicate touch that only nature can provide.
Every time she approached, Zhu Xian felt the air seem to become purer, as if the entire world had stopped to breathe her scent.
"Zhu Xian...?" Die Ba asked shyly, noticing his gaze fixed on her.
He blinked, swallowing.
"You did it, you look so much more beautiful..." he murmured, as if speaking in a dream.
She smiled sweetly, softly, luminously. But beneath that enchanting face, there was still her: strong, brave, kind, wounded.
Zhu Xian recovered from her charm.
"Let's go," she said, her voice determined. "We're not safe yet."
Zhu Xian nodded, trying to calm his breathing. They returned deeper into the cave as the sounds of the outside world increased. Armed groups, spies, cults... everyone was moving. But in that instant, nothing could penetrate the stillness of that silent rebirth.
And deep inside, Zhu Xian understood that something had changed. Not only had Die Ba transformed… but so had the way he saw her. Perhaps he hadn't seen her this way before, since they were two different species; he hadn't harbored those thoughts toward her.
But now it felt like a flame.
One that now burned dangerously close to his soul.
Zhu Xian's Inner Conflict
Zhu Xian stared at Die Ba, not saying a word. Inside, his mind was in turmoil. He couldn't afford distractions. Not now. Not when so many threats were approaching from all sides.
But seeing her like this—free at last.
The weight of her blood, standing tall in her new form, with that mixture of strength and vulnerability—shook him more than he cared to admit.
A thought crossed his mind, fleeting but piercing: Yun Yun...
He remembered her words, her promises. The silent desire to find her again one day, to understand what they truly meant to each other. His heart still held that memory.
And yet... there was Die Ba.
It wasn't the same. He wasn't trying to replace anything.
But with her... it was different.
It wasn't nostalgia that moved him, but the present. The real. What grew day by day, between glances, between shared wounds, between silences that said more than any words.
Zhu Xian clenched his fists.
Perhaps the heart wasn't a battlefield... but he felt like he was losing control of what he thought was clear.