Encountering a Snake - Chapter 14

On this night, others might have been exhausted from their first experience and would have fallen into a deep sleep under the covers without a care. However, Shen Qingxuan was never an easygoing person. His mind was always heavy, and he often struggled with restless sleep. Despite being physically and mentally exhausted, barely able to keep his eyes open, he still slept lightly. The entire night was filled with bizarre dreams, causing him to sweat profusely. Only when the dawn light began to brighten did he finally slip into a deeper sleep. He slept until the sun was high in the sky, without waking.

He rarely slept so soundly; it was unusual for him. The servants who did the heavy work in the courtyard didn’t notice anything amiss, but Shen Qingxuan’s personal maid felt something was unusual. She had been waiting outside the door early with a basin of water and supplies but had not heard the usual ringing of the bell from inside. Concerned about whether the young master might have had an accident, she quietly pushed open the door to the bedroom and went in.

The maid had entered the Shen household at the age of five and had served Shen’s mother. When she arrived, she was young and sweet-faced, with a clever tongue. Shen’s mother never treated her as an ordinary servant. Seeing her son’s reclusive nature, she had sent the girl to Shen Qingxuan’s room, hoping that having a child companion might make him more cheerful. As the girl grew up, she remained respectful and kind, and Shen’s mother considered making her a concubine for Shen Qingxuan, thinking that even if she were a servant’s child, she would still be part of the Shen family.

This intention was known throughout the household, and thus the maid’s status in the house was quite different.

Shen Qingxuan knew his mother’s thoughts but had no romantic feelings for the girl who had grown up before his eyes. He pretended to be oblivious. He had considered clarifying the matter but couldn’t find a suitable moment. Moreover, the girl had served him for over a decade and was considered close, making it difficult to hurt her feelings. Though he was usually reclusive, he had always been kinder to this girl, who had not realized his disinterest and thought it was simply a matter of shyness or propriety, so the matter had dragged on.

Recently, Shen’s mother had often spoken privately with the girl, and this issue had come up in conversation.

Although it was just a concubine and the first addition to Shen Qingxuan’s household, it was still considered a happy event. The arrangement was set for after the New Year, but Shen Qingxuan had not been consulted. The girl was aware of this, and her behavior became more reserved and modest, showing more restraint.

She opened the door, and the room was silent. Dust motes floated in the light, and there was no sound. Scattered fragments of torn paper lay on the floor, suggesting a previous upheaval. The maid’s heart skipped a beat. Although Shen Qingxuan was reclusive, he was never known to be visibly angry, let alone tear up papers.

Walking carefully over the fragments, she approached the bed. The curtains were drawn, and the scene inside was unclear. The shape of the bed was visible but not unusual. The man on the bed was breathing evenly, deeply asleep, and unaware of her presence.

The maid steadied herself and gently lifted a corner of the bed curtain. As her eyes scanned the interior, her face turned red, as if blooming like a peach blossom in March.

The bed was in disarray, with creases all over the embroidered quilt, clearly showing signs of having been squeezed. An indescribable, instinctively blush-inducing scent filled the air inside the curtain, and white marks had dried on the lake-green quilt, making it evident what had occurred.

The maid turned to flee but stopped abruptly, thinking that in this remote place with only Shen Qingxuan present, such disgraceful events were unlikely. Even if there was misconduct, there were no other servants in the household who could be considered more suitable. After hesitating for a moment, she carefully pulled back the quilt from Shen Qingxuan to check.

Shen Qingxuan had not expected anyone to discover this. He was meticulous by nature, and after finishing, he had struggled to put on his clothes before lying back down. Despite being tired, he rarely dressed himself, so his clothes were disheveled but intact. The maid found Shen Qingxuan’s inner garments in disarray but didn’t notice any major flaws. Blushing, she lifted the quilt from Shen Qingxuan’s lower body slightly and glanced, seeing that the clothes were intact, and hurriedly put it back down. She thought it might have been self-indulgence due to loneliness during the night. Still, there was a lingering doubt in her mind, as the traces on the bed were not something a crippled person like Shen Qingxuan could easily create. But she had no way to guess further and closed the door to leave.

Shen Qingxuan was unaware of all this. When he woke, he felt fatigued and called for a maid with the bell. He leaned against the headboard, washed his face with tea, and rinsed his mouth with salt before eating something and lying back down to sleep.

The next day, he awoke feeling much better and resumed sitting in his wheelchair, reading and painting at his desk, with a serene expression, not revealing any signs of distress. The maid serving him couldn’t discern anything unusual.

Little did she know, the areas of Shen Qingxuan’s body that had been deeply entered still felt unusual for several days, constantly reminding him of that wild night—so wild that even Shen Qingxuan himself was reluctant to recall it.

It was strange that after such a night, Shen Qingxuan felt his mood had significantly improved. The previous anxiety and depression had vanished, as if the stormy emotions of that night had been washed clean. When alone, Shen Qingxuan even pondered whether the long years of solitude had made him so pent-up. Otherwise, how could he explain why, once satisfied, the wild beast in his heart had retreated? Shen Qingxuan began to seriously consider marriage.

No man likes being dominated by another man, and Shen Qingxuan was no exception. Although he felt good and was willing and joyful, he was not naive. He could see that Yi Mo was unwilling, even reluctant to ejaculate inside him. Yi Mo would bring him to the peak and then withdraw, holding himself above, making the experience feel more like an act of charity than an intimate encounter.

Moreover, one person and one demon, with one having intention and the other indifferent, the gap was so vast that he willingly admitted defeat, knowing he had no ability to bridge this huge chasm. Some things, not to mention humans, even demons are powerless to change.

Since that night, Yi Mo had not come by for many days. Shen Qingxuan, with a smile in his eyes, gazed calmly through the window at a cluster of flowers in full bloom in the courtyard, counting the days in his heart. His birthday was approaching, and he would descend the mountain in a few days. Every year at this time, he returned to the family home to reunite with his family. He would go back, marry, have children, be the eldest young master of the Shen family, and live as an ordinary, insignificant mortal—rather than yearning for the unattainable snake demon.

It was strange, though; despite thinking this, he did not feel very sad. There was only a sense of wistful loss, as if a piece of his heart had gone missing. Yet he felt neither sorrow nor joy, as if resigned to fate.

Five days later, Shen Qingxuan was in a carriage, with servants carrying wild game following behind. His personal maid accompanied him inside the carriage, and the driver urged the reddish-brown horse forward, as the group descended the mountain in grand procession. Along the way, Shen Qingxuan drew back the curtain and looked back. The towering mountains receded further and further until only the verdant peaks were visible, half hidden in the clouds and half obscured by nearby scenery. Shen Qingxuan gazed for a long time before decisively letting down the curtain, resuming his seat. The carriage swayed slightly with the motion of the wheels, and his eyes remained calm and unwavering.

The Shen family residence had been renovated last year, with newly-arched eaves and a wind-fire wall eight meters high. Though a year had passed, it remained pristine white, with even the gaps in the gray-tiled eaves free of weeds. The place looked clean and bright. The carriage traveled along the wind-fire wall, turning east and then south to a small gate. The crescent-shaped arch gate, painted in bright red, was wide open, and neatly dressed young servants stood in two rows by the gate. The head servant, in a blue robe with sleeves folded, was waiting to welcome them.

The carriage stopped, and the maid lifted the curtain. Shen Qingxuan, sitting inside, greeted the head servant with a smile, extended his hand to rest on the servant’s shoulder, and then was helped down by two young servants. He took his place in a bamboo sedan chair.

The carriage and horses were taken away for feeding, and four servants carried Shen Qingxuan in the bamboo sedan chair through countless courtyards, halls, corridors, and passages. When they reached the main hall’s courtyard, the bamboo sedan chair was set down, and a wheelchair was brought out. Another young servant pushed the wheelchair over a smooth, clean pebble path through two more courtyards until they arrived at the main hall.

Shen’s father and mother, along with other family members, were waiting in the hall. As Shen Qingxuan’s moon-white robe peeked from behind the tree trunks, he set down his teacup and stood up to greet them.

After dinner in the southern courtyard where Shen Qingxuan resided, he returned to his small building, which was already brightly lit. The furniture and decorations had all been replaced with new ones, gleaming cleanly under the candlelight. It was no longer a simple mountain villa but a multi-storied design. The residence had three layers of doors: the innermost for Shen Qingxuan, the middle for the personal maids, and the outermost for the maids who prepared water and tea at night.

Accustomed to a simple life, Shen Qingxuan found the elaborate etiquette of the family home somewhat uncomfortable. Though he felt impatient inside, he did not show it and had people attend to his washing and resting.

The next day, he got up early, greeted his parents, and stayed in his mother’s room to discuss the marriage arrangements.

Shen’s mother had long known of his disinterest in marriage and had abandoned the thought of finding him a wife, considering just arranging a maid would be sufficient. To her surprise, Shen Qingxuan himself brought up the topic. Overjoyed, she first burned three incense sticks before the Buddha and prayed for blessings. She then happily summoned Shen Qingxuan’s second mother to discuss his marriage, considering which family’s daughter would be suitable in terms of age and temperament.

Shen Qingxuan merely smiled and wrote on paper: “Let Mother decide.”

After discussing for a while, Shen Qingxuan’s second mother suddenly asked, “Xuan’er, have you thought about what to do with that maid in your room?”

Shen Qingxuan was taken aback, immediately understanding that she was referring to his personal maid. After a moment’s thought, he agreed, writing: “That is acceptable.”

Three days later, the arrangement was finalized. The bride was a young lady from the Wang family in the same city, named Hui Niang, a twenty-year-old who was intelligent and well-bred. Though the Wang family had declined, they were still a prominent family, and Hui Niang, though not stunningly beautiful, had a graceful demeanor. Shen’s mother set the engagement date for after the Mid-Autumn Festival the following year. As for the maid, it was better to marry her off early to add another room to the household. She had been with him since childhood, and having her close at hand in case the Wang family’s daughter was difficult would provide some advantage and prevent bullying.

As for the date, Shen’s mother said, “Since it’s a birthday celebration, why not add joy to joy?”

The wedding date was set for Shen Qingxuan’s birthday, with the maid being brought in through the side gate in a small sedan chair, just to give her a formal status.

When this news reached Shen Qingxuan, he merely smiled and replied with the same answer: “Let Mother decide.”

Thus, the matter of marrying and taking a concubine was settled. From beginning to end, Shen Qingxuan did not allow himself to think again about that extraordinary person in the mountains.