He and It Chapter 156: The Serpent of Pharisee (22)

Chapter 156: The Serpent of Pharisee (22)

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

Xie Ning hesitated and said with difficulty, “Um, I have another question…”

Echidna immediately responded, “Whatever question you have, I will answer it!”

“I heard…snakes, do they…have two, you know…?” Xie Ning scrunched up his face and thought to himself, I’m really cursed to have to ask this. “You do know what I mean, right?”

Echidna looked at him perplexedly, his golden eyes shining brightly, his expression unexpectedly innocent.

“The anatomy of the primordial gods must be different from humans,” he said cautiously, observing Xie Ning’s expression. “Are you having second thoughts about me because of this reason?”

“Of course not!” Xie Ning hurriedly said in reassurance. “I definitely don’t have any second thoughts about you, I just…”

He hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t just say he was worried about his own backside, could he? Being so blunt about it wouldn’t benefit their relationship at all!

But according to Echidna, the anatomy of snakes was indeed different from ordinary beings. Now he really had to start paying attention to his own backside…

After he thought about it for a while, Xie Ning picked up the medicine bottle and sniffed it suspiciously.

There was no smell to it. He dipped a little on his finger and tasted it. There was no hint of blood, instead it was colorless and tasteless like fish oil, with a very peculiar sensation.

“Will I be okay if I take this?” he asked nervously.

Echidna replied, “If you were an ordinary human, you definitely wouldn’t be able to handle the potion concocted from the blood of Gorgons, but you’ve been immersed in divine essence for so long, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

With that, the snake demon lovingly encouraged him. “Just take a sip and swallow it slowly.”

Xie Ning, still doubtful, sat on Echidna’s tail and took a sip of the divine medicine.

The liquid melted in his mouth, then turned into a vapor that swiftly spread through his limbs and body. Xie Ning was surprised. Echidna immediately hugged him eagerly and anxiously asked, “How do you feel? Any sensations?”

Xie Ning became even more nervous.

Echidna’s love was that of a beast; passionate, wild, and expecting nothing in return. It was always filled with a surge of something intense. Some might describe the feeling as suffocating from being submerged in water. For Xie Ning, fully and properly responding to such love was extremely difficult.

“A little…dizzy!” he blurted, the words slipping out. The air was heated by Echidna’s gaze, and he truly feared that if he said “I’m fine” in that moment, he’d be pinned down and devoured the next.

Echidna quickly rubbed his cheeks with his hands, and tenderly said, “Feeling dizzy, Dorus? Maybe you swallowed too quickly. It’s okay, just lie down and rest for a bit. Take it easy.”

Xie Ning felt like a high school student avoiding his pop quizzes, extremely guilty, but unable to summon any energy. He lay on the snake demon, and let him embrace him, as they moved towards their nest.

Echidna carried Xie Ning to their nest, laid him on the small bed he had made, wrapped him in soft blankets, and stroked his hair, making him feel comfortable enough to hibernate.

“Feeling a bit better now?” the demon murmured soothingly, as he trapped his human between the bed and his chest. “It’s normal to feel uncomfortable the first time you drink the potion. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.”

Feels great.

Although it seemed a bit heartless, being cared for like that felt really great…

Xie Ning acted like every feigning sick person. He groaned a couple of times, then comfortably buried himself in his lover’s embrace. The safety alarm for his backside was temporarily lifted, and his mind began to wander.

After being single for twenty years, he had never thought about what kind of partner he would find in the future. Now, not only did he find one, he was startled and ended up dating a mythological creature.

When he thought about that, Xie Ning’s mood involuntarily sank. He opened his eyes, and asked Echidna with a heavy heart, “Have you found Gaia?”

Echidna paused as he stroked Xie Ning’s hand, then replied solemnly, “Gaia has been sleeping for a long time. Ever since Apollo killed Python with his golden arrows and occupied the oracle at Delphi, she has harbored resentment and retreated to deeper places. I’m not sure if Nyx has any news of her. Let me check for you.” ¹

“No rush,” Xie Ning sighed. “I know this isn’t easy.”

They hugged quietly for a while, and Xie Ning started to feel drowsy. He heard Echidna ask, “Feeling better now?”

Xie Ning was jolted awake. His drowsiness suddenly disappeared and he stuttered, “I-I’m fine…”

“What else can I do to make you feel better?”

Xie Ning joked, “Just don’t squeeze me, go sleep in the corner with the blanket.”

Echidna laughed too, then lightly stroked Xie Ning’s cheek and said softly, “Silly.”

The effects of the medicine seemed to kick in. He felt even sleepier, so Xie Ning closed his heavy eyes and entered a chaotic dreamland.

He was in a daze as the arms that held him withdrew, and Xie Ning was gently placed on the bed. The complex starlight was obscured by thick fog that created a dark yet comforting cradle for him to sleep in. He slept very soundly and very comfortably, as he turned over and unconsciously stretched out a leg.

He yawned groggily, sat up from the bed, not knowing how long he had slept. His body was heavy and weak, like a plant soaked in wine syrup. Xie Ning flexed his hands a few times, then suddenly realized something.

Where was Echidna?

He looked left and right, in puzzlement. Normally, Echidna would be coiled at the edge of his bed, allowing him to step on his powerful tail as soon as he got out of bed, but why wasn’t he there today?

My snake, where’s my big snake?

Xie Ning, barefoot, jumped off the bed, looked around, and finally spotted Echidna’s figure at the other end of the nest.

He wasn’t cuddling in the blanket, he had actually gone to sleep in the corner. Xie Ning walked over in a daze, and saw him curled up, his closed eyes peaceful and tranquil.

“I was joking…” Xie Ning wanted to say, but his heart was sore and tender, and he couldn’t come up with the right words. 

Only those who had never experienced love would show excessive seriousness in love. They couldn’t distinguish between jokes and truth; they only felt that ten thousand years was ten thousand years, and that separation is a tomorrow that never comes.

“Why are you here?” Xie Ning asked softly. “I…I really love you. How could I intentionally make things difficult for you?”

Echidna obediently lay in the corner, and the fierce venomous snake of days past opened his golden eyes wide, now gentle as a deer’s.

“I know I am loved,” he smiled slightly. “I am already very happy, Dorus. A happiness that surpasses what it used to be by a thousand times. I have nothing to complain about anymore.”

No, you don’t know, Xie Ning thought stubbornly. If you really knew, how could you act like this now?

All his timidity and hesitation were shattered by impulse. With that thought, he made up his mind.

Xie Ning reached out and cupped Echidna’s face, their lips fitting together like puzzle pieces. Echidna woke up completely. His body trembled with pure love as he grabbed the youth’s waist and pressed them tightly together until there was no space between them. Xie Ning’s skin was burning, wild flames spread through his veins, and illuminated his vision like fireworks.

“Dorus!” Echidna called out his name eagerly as breathless sighs in between kisses. His vocal cords seemed to have turned into sticky honey that entwined with the human’s body, as a blush spread on his dark skin. His happiness made him radiant.

They had kissed many times, but Xie Ning had never kissed him with such tenderness. Echidna was astonished. Dorus was clearly kissing his lips, yet he felt that every kiss landed on his exposed, scar-riddled heart.

It wouldn’t rain in the underground palace, but beads of sweat poured down like raindrops. In a haze of ecstasy, Xie Ning opened his tear-filled eyes and suddenly saw waterfall-like moonlight pour down from the sea of stars and clouds above.

“At the moment of my birth, I happened to see the Moon Goddess, Selene, riding her radiant chariot, as she flew in the sky over the vast plain,” the serpent-tailed demon murmured in the midst of their intense joy and madness, “That was the second most beautiful scene I’ve ever seen in my life. Now, I want you to see it too.”

“W-what’s the first, beautiful…” Xie Ning’s mind was muddled as he hugged him. He asked intermittently, “What is it…?”

“It’s you,” Echidna replied solemnly. “My dear Dorus, it’s you.”

Xie Ning forgot when it ended. The only memory that was relatively clear and not so tumultuous, was Echidna holding him, his strong arms, his broad chest, and his thick, long hair scattered like a cocoon filled with love that completely enveloped Xie Ning.

The illusory moonlight flowed silently as it shone on the ancient demon’s body. His smile was gentle, pure, and full of sweet expectations for the future.

“I truly love you, Dorus,” he whispered longingly. “I wish I could pour out all the love I have for you, but if I did, I would have to speak until the end of time, until the era when all gods are extinguished. So I can only say to you: I love you, and I beg you not to despise the simplicity of my words.”

Xie Ning was drowsy and wanted to cry, but his tears had long dried up, and he couldn’t shout anymore.

At that moment, there was only one thought in his mind.

…Wow, now I really understand the power of two.

After that day, Xie Ning didn’t show any symptoms of poisoning, indicating that the medicine from Gorgon was indeed effective. However, Echidna still treated him with great care. As the medicine could only serve as a preventive measure and not an antidote, if the snake venom entered through a wound, Xie Ning would definitely end up meeting Hades.

“No, it’s more tragic than meeting the God of Death,” Echidna corrected sternly. “Have you heard of Chiron? He was an immortal centaur but was accidentally wounded by an arrow tainted with Hydra’s venom. After that, he suffered unbearable pain every day and night as he endured the agony of that venomous fire.” ²

“And you, although you have already ingested the divine blood of the Gorgons, so my poison cannot immediately kill you, you will still end up like Chiron, struggling in endless pain. If it comes to that, you will have taken my life, Dorus!”

After he said those solemn admonishing words, Echidna continued to cling to Xie Ning affectionately and as he indulged in earthly happiness, unable to extricate himself.

After the incident, not only did they reconcile completely, but they also established a stronger relationship. Of course, the snake demon didn’t forget the little details he had heard from Dorus before, like “others say she’s better than me.”

The demon held grudges, and when it came to matters involving his beloved, he was even more vengeful. He repeatedly questioned who had said “Xanthippe is better than Dorus,” but Xie Ning just evaded the question with a laugh.

While the law shouldn’t apply retroactively, if Echidna knew what those giants had said, he would tear them apart. Those bad words from weeks ago couldn’t cause any harm now, but if they did it again in the future, then that would be another story.

Even though he kept silent, Echidna still harbored resentment, because those malicious words were one of the important factors that almost caused Dorus to lose hope and nearly cooled their relationship. He absolutely couldn’t let it go.

Of course, the happiness brought by love had greatly softened his heart, so the demon’s methods of dealing with things weren’t as brutal as they used to be.

One day, while Dorus was in his painting studio, Echidna stared at the four-armed giant who came to report and suddenly said, “I know who’s been gossiping and spreading rumors, speaking ill of Dorus, and annoying me like summer cicadas.”

The four-armed giant was stunned. The numerous names of his brothers flashed through his mind immediately. Echidna was merciless to those who offended him! Moreover, they were of no particular use to Echidna. As a demon, he could easily use dragon’s teeth to grow as many giants as he wanted here inside Gaia’s earth.

Terrified, he immediately thought of begging for mercy. In their long lives, he and his brothers had built an indestructible bond.

“However, I don’t want to resort to violence and disturb the peace of the palace with screams and bloodshed,” the demon said calmly. “So, I’ll keep a record of this debt. When they do something to displease Dorus again, I will punish them with twice my harshness. Do you understand?”

When he heard that merciful judgment, the four-armed giant dared not say more or ask more. He nodded as if he were pounding garlic and retreated in fear.

Xie Ning was very puzzled. In the past, when he walked around the palace, he and the giants kept to themselves. He took one path, and the giants took another. He didn’t care about their seemingly low-intelligence conversations and gossip.

So why, recently, when he came and went, why had giants developed the habit of greeting him? Seeing those oversized beings, who were three times his height, rushing to shower him with good etiquette, Xie Ning found it strangely amusing. He went and asked Echidna, but Echidna pretended to be clueless.

“How could I know?” the demon said innocently. “Even though I am the master of Arima, I can’t monitor the movements of servants all the time. What would that look like?”

He sweetly lifted his human and said, “I only keep an eye on you.”