24. mom, mom, mom...

 When your opponent fears you, then's the moment when you give the fear its own rein, give it the time to work on him. Let it become terror. The terrified man fights himself.

The man leaped high, feinting and striking down with his sharpened talons.

Wang Yi was about to shield himself from the upcoming attack but couldn't avoid his arms getting  harshly scratched.

The snake, forcing the daggers to slip away in the process, makes them both fall to the ground from loss of balance.

Crashing onto the hard rock floor, now with no weapons with him, Wang Yi could only rely on his hands as he tries to struggle out from the death grip of the snake's one uninjured hand that was holding both of his arms down.

With blood tickling out from where talons were piercing into his skin, the elder starts licking his lips at the boy who was covered in sweat.

"On second thought, since you proved yourself to be a failure of nothing but a simp, I really wouldn't mind a raw fish for a meal to refill my energy..." 

The man opens his mouth wide, revealing two front fangs as he leans down to take a bite.

Despite being at the mercy of the older, the now alert Wang Yi, was quick enough to respond by knocking his head on the snake's chin, hard and painfully.

"Ahh!!"

Losing grip from where he held down the boy's arms, the corrupted demon yelps, now in fury,

"He dares!!! I am going to freaking bite the living soul out of his fish body,"- thought the man, filling his fangs with venomous serum.

But before he could lower his head down, Wang Yi hurriedly brought forward his elbow to shove it in the man's mouth, in order to block his fangs form bititng.

"Mmhhph!!"

The unexpected movement had the snake demon's mouth painfully stretch wide by the merman's arm which only plunged itself further in, making him unable to pierce through it.

Panting, the younger in rage could only say,

"I would never ever join hands nor ever be one of your kind. I'm different."

as he brings out his dagger he picked up earlier, filling it  with Sun energy that would make corrupted demons perish.

Though as he did so, in the moment of desperation and vigor, he didn't realize that the snake's venom was bit by bit  tickling down his arm and entering itself through his scales. Slowly consuming his inner organs.

Suffering a setback, the snake demon wasn't ready to meet his end like this, already shaking his head in terror in expectancy of death.

However luck was still on his side, because  just when he thought it was over for him, a call of a female voice, that said,  "WANG YIIII!!" was heard clearly by both men, startling them in this heated moment forcing the youth to retreat his elbow.

It came from another side of the place. It was no other than his teacher, Xiao Xiao, calling out for him.

Now free, "Looks like the rabbit is looking for ya, huh...? Cough. Seems like you're loved after all..."

he barely forced out, his last words being,

"But not for longer."

after seeing how Wang Yi got distracted  at the unexpected call.

So the snake, despite being on the brick of death,  didn't fail to use this opportunity.

He hurriedly turns himself into his snake form, taking advantage of the moment to hunt, or so the boy thought.

"What do you mean not for longer!?? What are you planning on!!"

  Wang Yi, finally upon noticing, hurriedly got up in order to catch up the snake, who was slithering  his way out with the fastest speed.

Trying to run after it, the boy wasn't gonna give up, breaking things or two in the process.

"Crap!! How can he move so fast when he's that injured!!??" "

The badly injured snake with its body climbs through the fire holders, dropping them on purpose on his way, causing flame to erupt.

When half of the road was blocked with arising fire, Wang Yi felt his scales burning, slowly sucking up his energy yet he went on looking at every directions where the snake might run off to.

"I couldn't have missed him!!  

But the more he felt the heat, the more unbearable it became, making him lose his strength one at a time.

"No, no, no...Did he get away!?? Crap, I can't see him!!"

Looking at his skin drying up painfully, he contemplated,

"I can't leave yet...But I have to get out of here or else I'll die... It only she hadn't-, Out of all time exactly at this moment she had to look for me!!!"

Cursing under his breath at the lost oppurtunity, Wang Yi felt as if  he let the murderer escape, who would return as a pay back another time. Now it's all over, he thought, squeezing his knuckles.

The young lad didn't want to admit his defeat yet.

Then the snake man's words suddenly came repeating itself,

"But not for longer."

Suddenly his dropping head snapped up.

"Wait a sec-, Teacher Xiao!!!?? Oh Crap,  no, no, no, I have to go get her!! That man couldn't have meant it in a way that he would take her away from me, could he!??"

He chanted as he went back running to look for his master with so many thoughts of worst scenarios flashing through his mind.

"Oh God, oh God, what exactly did he mean by those words!?? Does that mean h-he will-,  slice her alive and then ravish her!?? No, or worse, feed her to the other beasts!?? Crap, i can't lose her!! Not yet, not after what I've said to her!! Never!!"

Panicking, he innerly shouts at himself with a pained cough as he covers his face to not inhale the toxic substances.

"Cough. Cough. I can't find you, where are you Teacher Xiao!!!? Mom!!! Where are you, teacher!!?"

He feels his arms ache where he got talons pierced in, but nevetheless pays no mind as he proceeded to run in search of his teacher.

He thought he was gonna get better by slowly regenerating, but didn't take notice that the injury wasn't where it was hurting, but from a poison on his body given by the  venomous snake.

When the merman finally reached  far back the kitchen area, he assumed she would still be there. But instead he found it empty.

In frustration, Wang Yi demands,

"Just where on earth are you!??? Cough. Cough. She can't....haven't been taken away already, have she...??"

At that time Xiao Xiao and the lion cub were nearing the back entrance to get out of this inn.

Due to the fire not having been spread to their location yet, the both didn't notice anything odd that's about to come.

Then a loud cry of a youth can be heard from far, grabbing their attention,

"Xiao Xiao !! Teacher Xiao!!! Mom!!"

Xiao Xiao immediately recognized the running up to her figure from far distance.

"Wang Yi? Wang Yi!!"

So leaving the lion corrupted demon behind, she runs up to her student.

"What took you so long to come here? What were you up to--" but before she could finish her sentence, Xiao Xiao gasped by interrupting herself.

Wang Yi looked absolutely out of shape, covered in droplets of blood all over, as if he just came back from slaughtering an animal. But that wasn't what surprised Xiao Xiao, it was that he looked extremely pale yet heated, seemingly lack of water.

"What's up with you looking like this!?? What did you... Who did this to you!?"

She started to scold, but the younger in response only cuts her off by screaming, "MOM!!" as he brought out his half injured arms to wrap them on her waist in a tight embrace, catching the rabbit by surprise.

Being against skinship, Xiao Xiao was gonna shoo him off but because she sensed how scared the boy was, she decided to not go for it. So instead in a soothing voice she coaxes,

"Wang Yi, what did you see...are you okay? What are you afraid of? I'm here now, your teacher's here..."

Wang Yi desperately cling on to her by burying his face on her neck. With his lips, the younger feels the bite mark he planted on her, still remembering how sweet she tasted with his face now burning up.

"Mom,"

" Mom, Mom...i-"

"I- I thought you were taken away by them, I really thought I wouldn't see you anymore..."

After knowing that you have so many enemies, how can I not expect for you to disseapear so easily?

"What? What are you on about...No, who would even possibly take me away ? Forget about that, you better tell me what exactly did you encounter while you checked out this place!"

not being able to go against at how intimate their position looked, she denies.

Pushing her away, Wang Yi makes sure,

"B-but is this really you or is this another illusion!?"

"Illusion!? You-"

With a pause, she sternly asks,

"While you were out there, tell me, did you encounter a dream demon!??"

Not realizing the lion demon coming towards them, the merman tried explaining,

"No! Mom, it's just-"

"MOM!???? "

"Wait-, DID YOU JUST CALL HER MOM!??"

The lion butts in with a horrified expression on.

" I thought you both were married??"

Not wanting the child to misunderstand, the rabbit was quick to explain,

"He meant to call me 'auntie' !! We are not blood related, you see, but because i was his mother's companion-"

Now gasping, he turns to look at Wang Yi, pointing at him,

"Oh God! So you're in love with your mother's friend!?? Why would you- just how!??"

The jaw dropped rabbit then hisses,

"In love!?"

"No way, how can you be in love with your own teacher!?"

Xiao Xiao protests, in search of disagreement as she also turns to look at the younger.

"Wait. Teacher!???"

"That means you-, Are you married with your student!?? What in the world is up with this marriage!! Just what exactly is both of you guys relationship with each other??"

he gazed at both parties, demanding for explanation.

On the other hand Wang Yi scoffs at the lion cub. After knowing that the demon wasn't a child as he appears to be but in his cursed form, he can't let his teacher be deceived any longer!

"She's my wife,"

He proclaims, finishing off with a

"And I'm her husband."

As he gives the lion a death stare, while at the same time he tigtens his grip on his teacher's curvy waist.

Xiao Xiao wasn't sure how to accept the faked protective demeanour she assumed he had on, but nevertheless found her breath hitching up, a smile forcing itself out in fondness.

This silly kid...what is he acting like this with a child for? He must be not serious about our earlier performance.

Wang Yi got distracted enough at the fact that Xiao Xiao was alive and wasn't eaten by the snake, that he forget the reason he rushed here was to get them both out of this inn lest they get burned.

So now seeing her face, it took longer for Wang Yi to notice that Xiao Xiao had puffed crimpson eyes, reminding him of frightened rabbits that were being bullied.