Under Song Jie's gentle comfort and coaxing, Tang Yue finally chose to rest in bed.
He watched her as she drifted off to sleep, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Silly woman," he murmured softly.
Song Jie sat by the window, gazing down at the bustling streets below while waiting for night to fall.
Tang Yue hadn't carried the Totem Pearl with her. Instead, she had entrusted it to him for safekeeping.
She feared that if the Judgment Association discovered it, she would immediately become their primary target. Entrusting it to Song Jie was simply safer—and she trusted him completely.
Song Jie took out the Totem Pearl and said to it, "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
The Totem Pearl remained still, showing no reaction.
"If you can understand, move a little," Song Jie said again.
After a moment, the Totem Pearl trembled slightly.
Song Jie smiled. "You must have heard what I said. I believe none of that destruction was your doing. My people are already searching for a way to prove your innocence. They'll clear your name soon."
The Totem Black Snake trembled once more, as if indicating that it understood.
"If you trust me," Song Jie continued, "no matter what happens, don't come out. The only way to get through this is by completing your molting as quickly as possible."
The Totem Pearl didn't respond again, and Song Jie said no more. He closed his eyes and began cultivating his Chaos Element.
As night fell, the neon lights outside flickered to life and the traffic on the streets below grew heavier.
Song Jie glanced at Tang Yue, who was still fast asleep, her complexion looking much better than before. She looked as beautiful as ever.
"Sister Yue, wake up," he said softly, nudging her arm.
Tang Yue slowly opened her eyes. "It's already dark?" she asked, glancing toward the window.
"Yeah," Song Jie nodded, grinning mischievously. "Sister Yue, you're exposed. Pull your clothes up."
Tang Yue looked down and immediately blushed, quickly pulling her clothes up.
"You've taken all the advantage, you rascal!" she snapped.
"It's not like I wanted to," Song Jie replied innocently.
"What did you say?"
"Alright, alright. Sister Yue is too beautiful—taking advantage of you is the greatest blessing!" he joked.
"That's more like it," Tang Yue said, though her voice trailed off awkwardly.
She quickly dismissed the thought. There were far more urgent matters to deal with—like resolving the Totem Black Snake's crisis.
Soon, Song Jie and Tang Yue left the hotel and headed straight out of the city.
Their departure was quickly noticed by the Judgment Association, and pursuers were immediately dispatched.
However, Song Jie had a flying Summoned Beast. The pursuers could only watch helplessly as the two soared away.
Checkpoints had been set up along every major road, but none could stop them in the sky.
At one such checkpoint, several probationary Adjudicators stood watching.
"Look! Isn't that the person we're supposed to apprehend?" one shouted, pointing upward.
Dongfang Ming and Liu Yilin both looked to the sky, spotting the Wind Riding Sky Eagle.
"It's him!!" they said in unison, their brows furrowing.
"Should we go stop them? I've got a flying Summoned Beast," someone suggested.
"If you want to die, go ahead. I'm not going," Dongfang Ming replied flatly. He still remembered the last time he had faced Song Jie—and barely survived.
If he had known their target was Song Jie, he never would've volunteered.
"I'm not going either," Liu Yilin added quickly. He had already been humiliated at Zhejiang Academy and had no intention of getting beaten again.
The others were left speechless, not understanding why those two were so terrified.
"Don't look at me, I'm just support—I don't have any offensive abilities," another one said.
"..."
The Summoning Element mage immediately fell silent.
As they passed through another checkpoint, Tang Yue's tension finally eased a little.
"It's a good thing you have a flying Summoned Beast. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made it this far," she said with relief.
"How long until we reach Baishan Thousand Caves?" Song Jie asked.
"If we're fast, we'll arrive by early morning," Tang Yue replied.
Song Jie nodded. He checked his phone—still no message from Lingling. That meant she hadn't found a breakthrough yet.
"I hope everything goes smoothly," he thought.
–––
Morning arrived, the air cool and the sun slowly rising.
By then, Song Jie and Tang Yue had reached Baishan Thousand Caves.
"This is it," Tang Yue said, sliding down from the Wind Riding Sky Eagle. The weight in her heart finally lifted.
Song Jie took out the Totem Pearl. Tang Yue accepted it and released the Totem Black Snake.
Its colossal body loomed like a skyscraper. Song Jie craned his neck, unable to see its head.
"You're safe now, big guy," Tang Yue said gently, caressing its scales.
The Totem Black Snake hissed softly, seemingly conversing with her.
"The big guy says thank you," Tang Yue translated with a smile.
Song Jie nodded. "Alright, head into the cave and start your molting. Leave everything outside to us."
Before the snake disappeared into the cave, Tang Yue drew a small blood sample. Though she didn't believe it had caused the plague, having the sample might prove useful later.
When the Totem Black Snake finally vanished into the depths, Tang Yue let out a long breath of relief.
"Song Jie, thank you," she said sincerely.
Throughout their journey, he had been her rock—someone she could depend on and trust completely.
Standing on her tiptoes, Tang Yue pressed a faint red lipstick mark onto Song Jie's cheek.
She turned away shyly. "Consider that your reward."
"This reward isn't enough," Song Jie teased, smiling as he followed her.
"Don't push your luck!"
"Hey, I will push my luck!"
Tang Yue didn't argue further. Now wasn't the time. Lin'an's plague still hadn't been resolved.
"I need to send the big guy's blood sample back," Tang Yue said seriously. "If it really was responsible, maybe this can help stop the plague."
Although she believed the Totem Black Snake was innocent, she couldn't ignore the suffering of the people.
"You can go," Song Jie said, "but promise me one thing—no matter what they say to you, discuss it with me first."
Tang Yue nodded earnestly. "Then where are you going?"
"I promised you I'd protect the big guy. So I'm going to find a solution."
"If I learn anything, I'll let you know right away."
With that, Song Jie stepped forward and embraced her.
Tang Yue didn't resist. She said nothing—just let him hold her quietly.
For a moment, warmth and security filled her heart.
"I'm leaving first. Time is precious," Song Jie said, releasing her.
Tang Yue's cheeks were bright red as she nodded.
Song Jie grinned. "How about a kiss before I go?"
Tang Yue flushed even deeper and pushed him away. "Go already! The court mages will be here any minute!"
"Alright, alright—then I'll owe you one!" Song Jie laughed as he turned to leave.
PS: Got her!!
...
Author's Note:
The first half (completed version more that 320 chapters) of Versatile Mage: My Magic Has Gone Beyond Limits! is now available on Patreon!
🔥 I also have additional **18+ fanfics** available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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