Chapter 7
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Despite the pain, the wild chickens plucked their feathers, then hopped into the stream to clean themselves.
Observing these resilient chickens, Pei Yunshu felt that compared to them, the brief incident of being kissed by the snake demon didn’t seem like much.
After cleaning themselves, a stream of water passed over the chickens’ necks, draining the blood. They were then brought over to Pei Yunshu and the snake demon.
Seeing that the snake demon was seemingly prepared to eat like this, Pei Yunshu couldn’t bring himself to eat the chicken raw, just like he had with the egg. He whispered to the demon, “I’m not hungry.”
The snake demon glanced at him, his ink-like eyebrows furrowing. He plucked the tenderest piece of chicken meat and handed it to Pei Yunshu.
Although the cold, pale meat had been cleansed of blood, it was still raw.
Pei Yunshu stared at the piece of meat handed to him, his eyelid twitching. He could only ask, “Can I roast it before eating?”
The snake demon tilted his head and slowly nodded.
Pei Yunshu found a clean twig, skewered the chicken meat, and roasted it by the fire. When the meat’s fragrance began to waft, he remembered that there might be seasonings in his storage bag. After rummaging through it, he indeed found some spices.
Since he had started fasting, he rarely used these things.
The wild chickens raised in the area with abundant spiritual energy on the back mountain were vastly different from ordinary ones. With just a sprinkling of coarse salt, the aroma alone was enough to entice the snake demon to approach Pei Yunshu, crouching down beside him and staring intently at the roasting chicken.
With his black hair hanging down and his eyes lowered, the markings on his face looked exceptionally intricate. Although Pei Yunshu knew that he was a snake turned into a flood dragon, he no longer felt the same fear he did when facing a snake.
Once the chicken was nearly cooked, Pei Yunshu tore off a piece of meat and tasted it to make sure it was done. Satisfied, he handed it to the snake demon, who was fixated on him with beast-like eyes. “You can eat now.”
However, instead of taking the roasted chicken, the snake demon extended his tongue and licked Pei Yunshu’s lips, seemingly wanting to taste the delicious roasted chicken that Pei Yunshu had in his mouth.
Pei Yunshu froze, covering his mouth, and hastily moved back. “How can you…”
Seeing his alarmed expression, the snake demon approached again. This time, his tongue transformed into a long snake-like extension, sliding across Pei Yunshu’s flushed earlobe.
The chilly sensation briefly brushed against his ear, and Pei Yunshu hastily turned his head. He erected a barrier and didn’t know how to scold the shameless snake. In the end, it was Pei Yunshu who became flustered. He placed Qingyue Sword in front of him, retreating several steps. “You’re not allowed to…lick me!”
The snake demon looked puzzled, standing where he was. “Why not?”
His question was innocent, and it seemed entirely natural for him to want to lick Pei Yunshu.
“…,” Pei Yunshu’s face turned slightly red. “Just know you can’t.”
Frowning, the snake demon lost interest in the delicious roasted chicken. Pei Yunshu suddenly felt his feet unable to move. Water condensed into a pushing force behind him, shoving him toward the snake demon.
He was pushed into a confined space by the snake demon. This shameless snake demon stubbornly persisted, asking, “Why can’t I?”
Pei Yunshu clenched his lips tightly, choosing not to answer.
After a while, he whispered, “You can’t do it in any way.”
Before he could finish speaking, a chorus of agonized cries erupted around them. The pitiable wails of beasts filled the air, and the water beside them churned violently, as if it were boiling. In the distance, other water-dwelling creatures also joined in the mournful chorus.
Clearly, the present beast was not satisfied with this response.
Amidst the unending cries, the surroundings turned into a realm of despair, and the stench of blood spread from the outside, momentarily overpowering the aroma of the roasted chicken.
Trembling, Pei Yunshu gripped the snake demon’s clothes tightly, looking up to find the snake demon gazing at him. The blood-red eyes reflected Pei Yunshu’s face.
The warm golden firelight failed to impart any warmth to his eyes, which held only innocent discontent and confusion. The cries ceased, but the gaze remained.
“To become familiar, it requires mutual desire for each other,” Pei Yunshu’s voice trembled as he spoke, “then…then you can lick me.”
The snake demon frowned with a puzzled look, his gaze lowered. After a while, his cold and slender hand touched the side of Pei Yunshu’s face.
“I am called Zhuyou.”
The desperate howls around them suddenly stopped.
***
Eldest Senior Brother arrived at the residence of Fourth Junior Brother during noon, bringing a newly made snake-skin robe.
However, Junior Brother Yunshu was not there, and Yunjing had nothing to do. So, he sat waiting at the stone table in the courtyard for Junior Brother Yunshu to return.
As time passed, he ended up on the branch of the tree.
Night shrouded the mountaintop, and a young child approached him. “Senior Brother, if there’s something you need, you can tell me first, and I’ll pass it on to Junior Brother Yunshu when he returns.”
Yunjing glanced at the sky and declined, “I’ll come back tomorrow.”
He left Pei Yunshu’s small courtyard and gazed into the dark night. He wondered what could have detained Junior Brother Yunshu that he hadn’t returned all day.
Yunjing sighed and left on his sword.
An hour later, Pei Yunshu returned to his dwelling, fatigued.
After closing the door and setting up one barrier after another, he leaned against the courtyard gate, sliding to the ground.
His gaze turned empty as he stared into the distance, surrounded by vibrant flora.
It was completely different from what he had seen along the way.
When he left, Zhuyou had stood by the fire pit, but now, there was no radiance from the heavens or the moon on him. As Pei Yunshu moved farther away, he turned his head and saw a pair of brightly glowing crimson eyes by the fire pit.
The redness seemed to pulse with flowing blood, and a heavy scent of blood hung in the air.
It wasn’t an illusion. As Pei Yunshu flew on his sword, observing the forest below, the closer he got to Zhuyou, the more devastating the casualties were, and the stronger the stench of blood became.
Normally, the sect should have noticed this situation, but the blood from the slain creatures had coalesced into small streams that flowed obediently into the creek. The cries of the dying beasts had become a secret that silently faded away into the depths of the night.
Recalling the scenes he had just witnessed, Pei Yunshu’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He sat on the ground, his hand resting beside him, dew from the grass moistening his fingertips.
After a while, Pei Yunshu stood up and entered the room. The first thing he did was wash away the smell of blood from his body.
It wasn’t until he was immersed in hot water that his tense nerves finally relaxed.
It was also at this moment that he realized something was amiss.
Feeling exhausted today, he had put a lot of spiritual herbs into the bathwater. The originally greenish water, tainted by spiritual energy, had now become clear as he could see the bottom.
Pei Yunshu then retrieved some spirit stones from his storage bag and placed them in the water. After a moment, these spirit stones also indeed lost their spiritual energy, and the rate of absorption seemed to be more than three times faster than before.
Pei Yunshu inhaled sharply, recalling the black egg that Zhuyou had given him to eat.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the images in his mind, Pei Yunshu began to circulate his energy, taking advantage of this opportunity to advance his cultivation by a full circuit in the bathwater.
The nearby Qingyue Sword suddenly twitched, its blade probing the pool water. In the next moment, the entire sword submerged into the water, its hilt resting against the edge of the pool, emitting a soft, melodious hum.
Upon opening his eyes, Pei Yunshu saw his cherished spiritual weapon behaving so comfortably, which made him smile involuntarily.
With many spiritual stones and herbs in the pool, he had used the Qingyue Sword to prod at a crack in the black egg before, causing the egg fluid to come into contact with the sword. Perhaps his sword also had a significant role to play.
“Practice more,” Pei Yunshu smiled and said to the Qingyue Sword, “Until the golden core stage…”
Then he could discuss with his master about leaving the sect for further cultivation.
Once he was away from the sect, that snake…
When he had repaid the favor with a treasure, he would have nothing to regret.
The Qingyue Sword trembled slightly, as if responding to his words.
He took a refreshing bath, and in high spirits, he returned to his room. In his dreams that night, Pei Yunshu saw himself freely wandering through the landscapes of the mortal world among clouds and mountains. The scene shifted, and he found himself seated cross-legged atop the snowy peak of a mountain. His dark hair was tied with a ribbon that drifted to one side of his cheek. He saw the brightness in his own eyes, a radiance he had never seen before.
A smile curled on Pei Yunshu’s lips as he drifted into a deep slumber.
***
The next day, Pei Yunshu woke up. After dressing and opening the door, he saw a young child watering the plants. When the child noticed he was awake, he ran over and said, “Senior Brother, Eldest Senior Brother came yesterday.”
Pei Yunshu: “What did Eldest Senior Brother come for?”
The young child didn’t know, so he recounted how Senior Brother Yunjing had waited in the courtyard for him all day. Pei Yunshu furrowed his brows.
If there was something to discuss, couldn’t they have talked without needing him in person?
Yunjing had mentioned he would come again today, so Pei Yunshu waited in the courtyard. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long before Yunjing arrived.
He wasn’t alone; Third Senior Brother and little Junior Brother were with him. Pei Yunshu saw them, and the light-heartedness from the dream of the previous night vanished, as if a heavy blow had brought him back to reality. The smile at the corner of his mouth faded, replaced by a subtle hint of concern in his expression.
Yunwang ran over with a smile, quickly taking a seat by Pei Yunshu’s side. With a delicate and radiant face, he greeted, “Senior Brother.”
Pei Yunshu nodded faintly, “Little Junior Brother.”
He was still dressed in white today, with only a pale blue ribbon tied around his hair, adding a touch of vibrancy to his appearance.
His ethereal charm and beauty were undiminished, even with the blue ribbon.
Yunwang’s eyes sparkled, “Senior Brother, you look well today.”
Yunjing and Yunman, who had followed behind, looked closely at Pei Yunshu’s complexion. Indeed, as Yunwang said, Junior Brother Yunshu looked spirited today, and it was genuinely good to see.
Third Senior Brother opened his folding fan, shook it gracefully, and joked, “Could it be that Junior Brother knows that Eldest Senior Brother has brought you a treasure, hence the radiant appearance?”
Yunwang’s curiosity was piqued, “What treasure?”
The atmosphere fell into silence for a moment. Yunman awkwardly closed his folding fan and then remembered the distribution of the snake skin. They had allocated most of it to Pei Yunshu for making clothes, and the remaining small portion, according to Yunshu’s junior brother’s idea, they intended to make into a belt as a gift for him.
But how could they bring up this situation?
Yunman mumbled vaguely, “It’s a defensive-type spiritual treasure.”
Yunjing sighed and spoke directly, “It’s a robe made for Fourth Junior Brother, capable of withstanding blades, swords, fire, and water. Little Junior Brother will also have one; it will be delivered to you tomorrow.”
Yunwang’s eyes lit up, “A spiritual treasure just like Senior Brother Yunshu’s?”
Third Senior Brother murmured softly, “It’s a belt.”
None of them had thought about what would happen if their junior brother had any other ideas when they made the proposal earlier.
But discovering this snake skin was mainly thanks to junior brother Yunshu’s efforts, and getting a belt for him was already an unexpected delight.
“A belt is also wonderful,” Yunwang thanked his senior brothers with a smile. “The fact that you all considered me already brings joy to Yunwang’s heart.”
Pei Yunshu allowed them to chat while he absentmindedly stared at the patterns on the table. Suddenly, Yunwang turned to him with a bright smile, “I wonder if Senior Brother could show us the spiritual treasure clothing?”
Eldest Senior Brother took out the robe from his storage bag. It was made of snake skin and had a translucent, gauzy appearance with intricate patterns. As a breeze lifted the hem of the robe, it seemed like a bit more effort could tear the delicate fabric to pieces.
After a while, Third Senior Brother commented, “I never would have guessed that pure black snake skin could transform into such an elegant and graceful garment.”
“This thing is impenetrable, and crafting it into this robe caused quite a headache for the senior brothers on Wuqi Peak,” Yunjing explained. He then looked at Pei Yunshu and said, “Junior Brother, you should try it on.”
Yunwang’s eyes sparkled with excitement, “Senior Brother, take off your outer robe quickly.”
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