Although they were temporarily confined in Snake Valley, the Great Demon She Mei treated them quite courteously. She ordered snakes to deliver four stalks of valuable Calming Heart Grass, allowing everyone to regulate their qi and blood and restore their condition.
Eldest Young Lady Ren Tan gritted her teeth against her discomfort, determined not to pass out again.
Being kidnapped by demons was no joking matter. Losing consciousness once more would be irresponsible to both herself and her companions.
The air inside the cave was slightly chilly, and since they had trekked through the rain, their clothes were soaked to the skin. Now everyone felt a pervasive cold seeping into their bones.
“Cold?” “A bit.” “Old method?” “Sure.”
The two sprites exchanged a few terse words before wrapping their arms around each other.
“……?”
Eldest Young Lady Ren Tan arched an eyebrow in bewilderment.
“Embracing one’s own kind not only generates warmth but also soothes the mind,” Xiao Luo lectured. “Ren Tan, you don’t seem to interact with people like this very often. You should give it a try more in the future.”
“I’ll do it!”
The Little Snake Demon cried out and hugged the Eldest Young Lady from behind.
“Eh……?”
It was only after the embrace that Yin Luan noticed the Eldest Young Lady’s body was tense and rigid, her breathing far from its usual steady rhythm.
She was still scared.
No amount of words could instantly dispel fear toward something terrifying. The shock of being deep in the Snake Cave had been overwhelming for the Eldest Young Lady.
“What are you doing? Let go right now—this goes against proper etiquette……”
Ren Tan’s cheeks flushed faintly as she admonished in a hushed tone.
“But it fits perfectly with the laws of survival,” Little Snake murmured, nuzzling her cheek against the Eldest Young Lady’s silky hair. “Feeling a companion’s warmth reminds you that you’re not alone.”
Whether from the body heat or the Little Snake Demon’s words, the Eldest Young Lady’s tension eased somewhat.
Ren Tan exhaled softly, almost as if speaking to herself.
“Though I grew up in a sprawling clan teeming with people, my brothers shunned me from childhood—and even more so after Father died. ‘Warmth’ has always felt like a distant concept to me……”
“That’s rough,” Lily said. “How about you bump up my compensation, Eldest Young Lady? I’ll warm your bed for you.”
“Can you stop being so money-grubbing?”
Xiao Luo squirmed in her companion’s arms, voicing her protest.
“I’ll warm your bed!” Yin Luan pressed in even closer. “I don’t want any money!”
“You really need to hit the books harder. If anyone else heard that, they’d think you were too easy,” Ren Tan said with a smile. “Also, why does the sensation on my back feel off? Did you actually put your clothes on properly?”
“It’s too hot—I didn’t want to!”
“……When we get back, I’ll teach you all the common sense a normal person should know myself!”
~~~
After they had rested and recovered, She Mei summoned them once more.
This time, the location was different. The ground no longer crawled with black snakes, and Eldest Young Lady Ren Tan let out a relieved breath, wiping the cold sweat from her brow.
“Your strategist is awake now?” She Mei asked in that same spine-tingling, velvety tone. “Well? Figured out how to deal with me yet?”
“You’re worrying too much, Senior,” Ren Tan replied courteously. “Since you’ve called on us not to harm, not to steal treasures, and not to take lives, then most things can be negotiated.”
“You sweet-talking girl,” the Great Demon said, sizing up Ren Tan and tossing her a flirtatious wink. “I like you plenty~”
Her gaze passed over the four young maidens in turn, as if assessing their conditions. Satisfied, she nodded and continued.
“Are you afraid of thunder?”
“Thunder?”
They all looked baffled.
“Thunderbolts carry the purest, most unyielding yang qi, which restrains all yin-attribute substances and creatures,” She Mei explained slowly. “They can also jolt the mind, disrupt reason, and inflict severe damage on intangible entities. That’s why I have to ask first: are you afraid of thunder?”
“It’s… fine, I suppose.”
Yin Luan answered uncertainly.
She had no strong reaction to thunder, but she wouldn’t go frolicking outside during a storm either.
“We don’t care much for thunder,” Xiao Luo said after a moment’s thought. “But we’re not scared of it.”
“Does the task you need our help with have something to do with thunder, Senior?”
Ren Tan asked.
“Yes,” She Mei nodded. “I don’t want to get you hurt, so I need to test you first.”
With that, she led the girls to the cave mouth. Outside, the rain poured relentlessly, thunder rumbling at intervals.
Atop a nearby mountainside stood a tall metal pillar.
Several bolts of lightning ripped across the sky, crashing down onto the iron pillar.
Boom—Boom—Boom—!
The deafening peals of thunder echoed ceaselessly through the valley.
“On that mountaintop, I set up a small formation,” She Mei said. “It can amplify the thunder’s intimidating power. Your trial is to endure inside it for one hour without passing out.”
“One hour?” the Little Snake Demon said nervously. “That’s way too dangerous. What if the lightning veers off course?”
“That shouldn’t happen,” She Mei replied. “At worst, there might be a stray wisp of thunder, but with your abilities, you can handle it easily.”
“Excuse me, Senior,” Ren Tan said with a frown. “What’s the connection between this thunder trial and our encounter with Immortals?”
“Good, good,” She Mei said approvingly, eyeing the Eldest Young Lady. “Your chest might be on the small side, but your brain’s sharper than most people’s. You’ve already figured out why I summoned you here… You made contact with the ‘Divine Dragon’, an orthodox Immortal. Thunder is the ultimate force of rigidity and yang energy—perfectly compatible. Since it acknowledged you, that means you should have exceptional natural tolerance for thunder.”
“Orthodox Immortals?” Yin Luan asked curiously. “Do Immortals have factions too?”
“Of course,” She Mei said with a laugh. “Different Divine Positions and Immortal Seats have varying natures, so the Immortals who claim them naturally…”
BOOM——!
A thunderclap so deafening it left their heads spinning cut off the Great Demon mid-sentence.
“Truly terrifying,” She Mei said, shaking her head and falling silent. “Before I went into hibernation, the world wasn’t like this… If you’re curious, look into it yourselves.”
The Iron Pillar seemed to draw every bolt of thunder from the entire Mountain Valley. Even without any special phobias, the group couldn’t help hesitating.
“If we refuse to go,” Lily whispered, “do you think the Senior will let us leave?”
“What do you think? Hiss hiss.”
The beautiful maiden flicked out her long snake tongue and licked the Young Maiden’s cheek, sending the latter scrambling behind the Eldest Young Lady.
Polite words were one thing. Flat-out refusal was another.
The Great Demon had already laid her plans and practically dragged them here by force, which meant whatever was going on was probably urgent and pressing.
After a brief discussion, Ren Tan spoke for the group and agreed to take the test.
“Excellent,” She Mei said with a smile. “I’ll have the Big Python carry you over.”
“No need! We can walk there ourselves!”
“Don’t stand on ceremony. With rain this heavy and the mountain paths so treacherous, the Big Python’s much faster!”
“Seriously, no thanks… If you send it over, I’ll fight you right here and now!”
