The voice of the Goddess Lord sounded like that of a woman in her mid-twenties—gentle and refined, mature and steady. It put people at ease.
“Me?” Little Snake replied in her mind. “I’m just a little snake, though I’m not sure what breed…”
“…Do you really think an ordinary snake demon could have your abilities?”
The Goddess Lord countered.
Though she had never met others of her kind, comparing herself to the power of those earth lice, the little snake demon was indeed unusually strong… What kind of snake punched mythical demons to death?
“Um… So I’m a snake demon with profound cultivation?”
“Have you forgotten everything?” the Goddess Lord asked. “Where you came from, what you’re supposed to do, who you are—all of it?”
“Yeah…”
When she awoke, she truly knew nothing.
Forget who she was; she hadn’t even understood what the world looked like until she came down from the mountain.
“But your spiritual intelligence is intact,” the Goddess Lord mused. “A seal, perhaps? Or…”
Even an immortal couldn’t give a definitive answer to this question.
“Um,” the little snake demon ventured, sensing the other’s troubled tone. “Is one’s background really that important? I don’t know who I am, but I’m doing just fine…”
“If you were just an ordinary little snake demon, then your origins wouldn’t matter,” the Goddess Lord said. “But if you have some extraordinary heritage… then it becomes very important. That heavenly disaster back then caused far too much chaos.”
“Uh,” Yin Luan couldn’t help asking, “Can I ask what exactly happened in the Great Zhou Kingdom thirty years ago? Why do demons lose their minds when the red moon appears? And why were you by the river, picked up by the villagers?”
These questions left the Goddess Lord silent for a long moment.
The little snake demon nervously flicked her tongue.
She hadn’t angered the Immortal Lord, had she? This was definitely someone who could crush her effortlessly—a single tail swipe would be more than she could handle…
“I can’t tell you yet,” the Goddess Lord finally replied after much thought. “Until you uncover your own origins, these matters have nothing to do with you.”
“Oh…”
“Though you’ve lost all your memories,” the Goddess Lord continued, “it’s clear you’re a kind soul. Keep it up, and you’ll reap the rewards one day.”
“Oh…”
“Do you want to eat immortal flesh?”
“Oh… Oh! Can I?”
“Immortal flesh isn’t so easy to eat,” the Goddess Lord chuckled. “Tell me, next—do you plan to travel the world in human form or demon form?”
“Human form, it’s more convenient.”
“Then it’s even less advisable,” she said. “I can see you’ve accumulated a vast amount of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy in your body. Did you consume some heavenly material or earthly treasure?”
“Oh, a kind person gave us a whole roasted lamb…”
“You don’t lack power, but you lack the skill and experience to control it,” the Goddess Lord explained. “Ordinary folk won’t notice, but experts could detect the demon qi leaking from you. Here—I’ll teach you the 《Divine Dragon Qi Concealing Art》. Practice it diligently, and soon you’ll control your demon qi at will, undetectable by others.”
“Oh, thank you… Um, about that immortal flesh…”
“Remember: practice diligently!”
Roar——
The voice in her mind vanished, replaced by a dragon’s roar echoing from the clouds.
“Yes, Goddess Lord,” Ah Man murmured to herself. “No, it wasn’t you holding me back—it was… me. I longed for the outside world but lacked the courage to take that first step. I could only hope someone would carry me out.”
“I understand. I’ll have the villagers sculpt a statue for you. We’ll always remember you—remember how you saved us in that catastrophe thirty years ago.”
Roar——
Another dragon roar rang out. The clouds parted slightly, and amid the haze, a golden figure tumbled and soared, finally shooting straight into the heavens and vanishing from sight.
Everyone watched her depart; a few even swallowed regretfully…
“The process was full of misunderstandings, but the ending turned out well,” Yin Luan said. “Let’s head back to the village first.”
Though they had moved the Goddess Lord in front of the treasure hunters, who knew if some might harbor ill intentions.
The return journey was far smoother—no one dared come seeking revenge.
“I’m still more concerned about those three guys,” Yin Luan remarked on the road. “They’re not your average Innate Experts. I get the feeling one of them could take on three Du Xuans.”
“Who’s Du Xuan?”
“The Demon Subduing Division’s combat powerhouse… Where the hell did these three pop up from?”
“In the Great Zhou Kingdom, you’re not allowed to found sects, and ordinary Innate Experts lack proper lineages, so it’s tough for them to reach higher realms,” Ren Tan explained. She had some knowledge of these matters. “They’re probably from other countries. I’ve heard that in some places, sects control entire regions—or even nations. The total opposite of here.”
Still, even a mighty dragon can’t hold down a local snake. Those people had no desire to reveal themselves, likely wary of provoking the Great Zhou Kingdom’s authorities.
After all, beyond the Demon Subduing Division, the kingdom also had the “Forbidden Martial Army,” specialists in dealing with Innate Experts. Even the mightiest sects had to give them a respectful berth.
“Having that recommendation letter from the Demon Subduing Division helps. Those guys won’t move against you lightly,” Ren Tan said. “But the Innate Experts who sneak in on the sly? That’s a different story.”
“So you’re saying I owe a thank-you to Big-Boobed Senior Sister?”
In light spirits, they returned to the mountain village. Seeing that nothing had changed, they finally relaxed.
Ah Man first recounted everything to the Village Chief. When they heard that the Goddess Lord was a genuine immortal who could even transform into a dragon, he and the villagers showed little surprise—far calmer than the young maidens had been back then.
In their hearts, the Goddess Lord—who had protected the village at great personal cost—had long been an immortal.
After some discussion, the villagers banded together to build statues for the Goddess Lord. They decided on one each for her human, fish, and dragon forms.
The human and fish forms were easy enough; everyone had seen her true appearances. But the dragon form stumped them.
Even Ah Man had no idea what the Goddess Lord’s dragon form looked like. It had been too hazy to make out clearly by the Long River.
“Appearance doesn’t really matter,” Yin Luan stepped forward to say. “Your bond with her comes from the heart. As long as you’re praying to her, does it matter if it’s got four legs or eight?”
“…Then why don’t you give us a reference?”
“I’ll do it!”
The Little Snake Demon whipped up a quick sketch—a chibi-style Dragon King—for the villagers……
Once the statues were finished, everyone gathered to offer sticks of incense before the three figures.
Beneath the villagers’ worship, the statues seemed to awaken a faint spark of spirituality, silently watching over the village… just as they had for the past thirty years.
