HuanHuan, that sweet, sometimes surprisingly clever girl, was, in XiShi's book, an absolute pookie. And not just any pookie, mind you, but the mother of her beloved nieces and nephews. A woman of responsibility, despite her inherent adorable-ness. XiShi had always held a certain fondness for the girl.

But right now? All the profanity the world had to offer wouldn't even begin to express the sheer, volcanic rage bubbling inside XiShi. She watched ( more like heard ), jaw agape, as HuanHuan came barreling out of the mountain, not even slightly composed, but cradled like a damsel in distress in ShenYang's arms. Where in the nine hells was SangYe if that man was up in the mountain? And, as if that wasn't enough, ShangYun out there at the mountain, bless his injured soul, was probably still needing medical attention, while HuanHuan was tasked with the responsibility of all the women, the injured men, and, of course, her own precious offspring. The woman had been entrusted with so much! And yet, here she was, sprinting down the mountain like a bat out of hell because she was worried about BaiDi and SangYe. Priorities, HuanHuan.

Yet, despite the roaring in her ears, XiShi couldn't bring herself to unleash the tirade she felt brewing. There was HuanHuan, burying her tear-soaked face into XiShi's shoulder, now both of them were a mess. And just when it couldn't get any worse, the question popped unbidden into XiShi's mind: Where the heck were these damn snakes coming from anyway?

The situation was a hot mess, a plot point so convoluted it could rival the most twisted soap opera. Yes, ultimately, the story always seemed to find its way back to the intended path. Unless, that is, an anomaly popped up, or XiShi herself decided to interfere. Minor incidents could be sidestepped, certainly, but the truly pivotal moments, the major plot drivers, seemed impervious to change. Or at least, that used to be her belief. Now, with XueLing, her mate, complicating everything? Well, she had her doubts. But whatever.....

Nope, they were all well and truly cooked. All that could be done was hope for a miracle, a deus ex machina, or, at the very least, for her feathery, ridiculous husband to swoop in, preferably with FengXiu in tow. Because at this point, they needed divine intervention and an extra pair of hands. The universe was clearly having a laugh at their expense.