Hidden genius: Black belly snake

Chapter 337: Responsibilities Part1

Tang Yue ignored the old man's taunts and rubbed her temples. 

She then quickly headed into the palace quarters in the same direction as Xander.

Their conversation was a little ambiguous and Tang Yue was worried that she needed to be behind this man in order to make sure that he keeps his promises.

But when she walked into the Crown's quarters, she was quickly forced to swallow her doubts.

Xander was already in her chamber, sitting beside the dwarf and talking to him.

The man was discussing with Miller various things including the extent of his injuries.

He even looked extremely serious and invested while doing so.

Tang Yue sighed and then glanced at the ring on her finger. "What the hell did I get into?" She gulped nervously.

She patiently waited for him while the two continued to chat for a while.

Xander then finally walked out of the chamber and gazed at the woman silently standing outside.

"How is it, your highness?" Tang Yue inquired nervously. "Is it possible to concoct the pill required to treat his injuries?"

Xander gazed at her and lightly chuckled. "I don't want my wife to be so formal with me. You should really drop the honorifics."

Damn you! Jerk! What am I asking and what the hell is your reply! Tang Yue cursed the man inwardly but revealed a weak smile.

"Ok. As you wish. Do you need any help or ingredients for the pill?" Tang Yue bit her lips and asked again.

"Heh. Even if I did you are too useless to help me." Xander scoffed loudly and then walked away throwing his head back and laughing.

This guy!!! He was definitely going to drive her crazy!!! Tang Yue clenched her fists and walked over to Miller.

"That kid sure is interesting." Miller's one eye was slightly open and he couldn't help but laugh at what he saw.

The two fought with each other like cat and mouse and yet one relied on the other unconditionally, and the other fondly fulfilled all the demands.

What an interesting relationship!

The dwarf then coughed a bit but he didn't spit up any blood and from the looks of it he was feeling much better.

Tang Yue also noticed a pill bottle on the small table by the bed.

Miller watched her eyes darting here and there and answered her question. "That brat is quite a talented young man." 

"He gave me some medicine for treating some hidden internal injuries which even I didn't catch."

Tang Yue gently nodded with a warm smile as she sat down by the dwarf. This much she already knew about him.

"Master. Please take rest." She sighed.

"That I will." The dwarf chuckled and closed his eyes. However, he then unexpectedly mumbled. "You never asked me"

"Asked what Master?" Tang Yue softly replied.

"About me and your mother?"

Tang Yue gulped. It was not that she wasn't curious but she didn't want to bring up painful memories for the dwarf.

So she never asked him, but now that he had brought it up on his own, she didn't hold back. "Please tell me, Master."

"I met your mother a long time ago when I was hunting for a high-grade beast."

"At that time she was also coincidentally hunting the same beast."

"A high-grade beast shouldn't have been that difficult to deal with but this particular one was on the verge of a breakthrough so it was extremely powerful."

"In the end, your mother and I teamed up together in order to defeat that beast, and in that process, we became very close friends."

"After that, I thought I would never see your mother again, but she showed up at my village the very next week."

"Days turned into months and then into years and your mother continued to live with me."

"We did everything together. We trained together, we fought together, she even practiced smithing with me."

"Your mother was a rare genius."

"Even though she was a spirit beast and her elemental affinities were not too good, she had the mental ability to pick up things easily."

"But she was always shy and reserved. Even though we lived together for years, she never mentioned anything to me."

"And finally, after a few years, I took the chance and proposed to her."

Tang Yue gulped, listening intently.

Miller paused. He smiled lightly, his eyes still closed, and then mumbled. "And she accepted."

"Ha Ha Ha. That was truly the happiest day of my life."

"The next day she returned to the Serpentine Kingdom to talk to her parents and family elders."

"Ha Ha. And she never came back. She never replied to my messages."

"And after a couple of months, I decided to go there and find out for myself what had happened."

"Heh. Only then I learned that she had already married the Second Prince of the Serpentine Kingdom, your father."

"I confronted her and asked her to explain this betrayal, but your mother simply asked me to wait for her."

"She said that she had a responsibility to the family to bear an heir by marrying another snake."

"She didn't say anything else to me."

"And I too like a fool, trusted her words and waited and waited for her, until one day I heard the news that your mother had disappeared."

"Not just that but your mother was also being blamed for several things." 

"Your father was in fact the most vicious attacker and he defamed your mother every which way."

"I wanted to go kill and slaughter him, but then for your sake, I never stepped into the Serpentine Kingdom again."

"I searched for her for years, Yue. I searched every corner of these Nine countries."

"I even ventured into the ocean surrounding us for her, but I couldn't find any clues about her at all."

"Not even the remains of her body."

"After your mother disappeared, I decided to confront your family members and ask them about her so-called responsibility, but along with your mother, your whole maternal family disappeared as well."

"In the end, I had somehow lost her completely."

Tang Yue patiently listened as the dwarf continued lamenting. 

She didn't know if Xander's treatments were making him a bit too loose-lipped since he was now talking in circles and singing praises about her mother.

Tang Yue sighed and gently patted the dwarf as she pondered about why her mother had acted in such a fashion.

What were these so-called responsibilities that she had given so much importance to?

"Dumb little snake. Isn't that obvious?" The old man chimed in.

"No, it is not." Tang Yue retorted in annoyance. She hated this big mess of secrets that her mother had left for her.

In reality, irrespective of everything, she simply hated the fact that her mother was no longer with her.

"Little snake, your family is special. Your bloodline is special. Your ancestor was a Great Empress."

"You will soon learn everything. But you should know this." 

"In order for your family's bloodline to continue, you as well need to mate with a serpentine spirit beast."

"Just like your mother, you also have this responsibility."

The fuck? Tang Yue stared dumbly with her mouth wide open. 

"I I need to mate with a snake?" She asked again hesitantly, feeling her throat parched.

"Mmhm."

Tang Yue remained silent for a while but several emotions swirled within her.

"My responsibility? My duty? You have got to be kidding me. As far as I am concerned, I don't owe anything to anyone."

"Don't bark at me. I don't make the rules." The old man chuckled in reply.

He seemed to be very amused with her predicament.

"You already have two concubines. What difference would it make to throw one more into the mix? Enjoy, little snake. Aha Ha Ha Ha Ha."

Damn it. Tang Yue cursed under her breath and did not entertain the damned old man any longer.

Either way, these were not things that she was concerned with right now. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Tang Yue saw that the dwarf was now peacefully sleeping. So she quietly tiptoed out of the room.

There were lots of things on her mind and she planned to attend to them one by one.

Tang Yue glanced at the huge chamber at the end of the corridor, within which Xander was probably seated.

He might have spoken a bit too harsh but in reality, she was most definitely not in a position where she could provide any help to him, at least help that actually mattered.

Tang Yue settled on the inner courtyard overlooking the golden lotuses to clear her mind.

She closed her eyes and meditated on all the options that she had.

Miller's vitality was exhausted but even so, he had a few more lunar cycles left.

He might be extremely tired and drained during that time, but he will definitely survive and pull through.

She could stay here and take care of him, while also helping Xander at the same time, but in doing so she would only be wasting precious time.

If she solely relied on Xander, then what would happen if he failed to concoct the pill?

What would happen when the war which the old man had predicted came to fruition?

Though it might seem heartless, her best option would be to rather leave this place right now and go to the training grounds that the old man suggested.

Only pure and unadulterated strength and power can solve all her problems.