A restless, unbearably hot night finally came to an end.
“Hmm.”
The sun rose, its rays shining into the carriage. The little snake demon stretched lazily and crawled up, feeling utterly refreshed.
“Good morning, Senior Sister… Did you rest well last night?”
“I rested very well.”
Senior Sister Zou Lian still wore that same expressionless face.
Yin Luan stuck her head out of the carriage and glanced around. The people in the caravan were all eating breakfast to replenish their strength for the new day.
Long-distance hauling was grueling work. Even setting aside the risk of running into mountain bandits, it came with all sorts of trials. Unless someone was a seasoned veteran or traveling with a large group, no one dared cross the Great Zhou Kingdom from East County to West Commandery for business.
“What would you like for breakfast, Senior Sister? I have dried meat, dried fish, dried fruit, and flatbread here…”
One big reason the little snake demon had a carriage all to herself was that she carried a massive stock of provisions. Before they set out, Ren Tan had even warned her to buy supplies in the cities if she got hungry—and absolutely never to eat people…
Seriously, did they think she was that kind of snake? How could she ever eat people?
“I don’t need any,” Zou Lian said. “I gathered some morning dew and saved half for you. Drink it; it’s good for your body.”
It was said that the dew gathered at the moment the first rays of sunlight appeared contained trace amounts of purple qi, which aided cultivation. That was why so many cultivators—including minor demons and spirits—preferred it as a substitute for the five grains.
Of course, at Zou Lian’s level, the purple qi in morning dew was negligible. The real reason she had collected it was to dissipate the inexplicable heat stirring inside her… And sure enough, after stepping outside for a bit, she felt much more refreshed.
Senior Sister Zou Lian was starting to feel like something was truly off.
It was a shame her master wasn’t around; otherwise, she could have consulted her about this unprecedented problem.
The little snake demon munched on her dried meat while watching Senior Sister Zou Lian, who sat there deep in thought about who-knows-what.
As she had said, they were just borrowing a spot in the caravan for one night—and now that night had passed, she should probably leave…
It wasn’t that she disliked Eldest Senior Sister or anything. It was just that sharing a carriage with her last night had led to her having a dream… Yeah, one of those incredibly wonderful—er, no, incredibly awful—dreams.
She dreamed that Senior Sister was kindly “feeding” her. The two of them entwined together as the little snake demon wrapped her flexible body around Senior Sister. They rolled across the ground, their faces flushed with passion.
The little snake demon knew she had done something wrong.
She shouldn’t have dreamed like that about a senior sister who embodied righteousness, upheld justice, rid the world of harm for the common folk, and served as a pillar of the Demon Subduing Division.
How could she defile such a pure existence as Senior Sister Zou Lian?
To make up for it, she had greeted her warmly upon waking that morning. She had even shared some of her precious food, hoping Senior Sister Zou Lian would eat her fill before hitting the road…
Hurry up and go already! Stop tempting her like this—she was a pure little snake!
“Miss,” someone called from outside the carriage, “the caravan’s folks are just about done resting. We’ll be setting off again soon.”
“Okay.”
The little snake demon wolfed down the rest of her food in a couple bites, wiped her mouth, and sat up straight, turning to the other woman in the carriage.
Zou Lian sat there like a statue, utterly still for the longest time.
“This caravan—is it heading to West Commandery for the cloth trade?”
She finally spoke.
“Yes,” the little snake demon replied; she had looked into it beforehand. “They take the cloth made in East County over the winter to West Commandery, then bring minerals back from West Commandery. They run the route twice a year, in spring and autumn.”
“Where are you headed?”
She asked next.
“Xiling Plains. It’s in a pretty remote spot in West Commandery—one of the Great Zhou Kingdom’s famous…”
“One of the Jade Stone Plains mining areas,” Zou Lian said. “I heard from Du Xuan that you’re investigating your origins. Made any progress?”
“A little, but not much…”
That Du Xuan really told Senior Sister everything…
The little snake demon pouted.
Senior Sister Zou Lian fell silent again for a moment, until the noises outside gradually grew rowdy—they were getting ready to depart—before she continued.
“Conveniently, I’ve heard that lately, quite a few Innate Realm experts, along with demons, devils, and ghosts, have slipped into the Great Zhou Kingdom along some route in West Commandery. I was planning to go check it out.”
Convenient…?
This was way too contrived! She hadn’t mentioned anything about it yesterday!
The little snake demon’s eyes darted as she immediately spoke up, hoping to shut down any chance of them traveling together.
“In that case, I wish you a smooth journey, Senior Sister—”
“Mind if I impose on you for a while longer?”
She minded! How could she not mind?! She was off to investigate her origins, and with a Demon Subduing Division genius tagging along, how was she supposed to dig into the little snake demon’s background?!
Senior Sister Zou Lian’s tone had always been that flat and indifferent, but that didn’t mean she was easy to deal with.
On the contrary, she had no intention of consulting with her at all. If she refused, Senior Sister Zou Lian had plenty of ways to change her mind.
“Um, well, I snore when I sleep at night, talk in my dreams, and even sleepwalk. What if I disturb Senior Sister’s cultivation…”
“No problem,” Zou Lian waved her hand dismissively. “I’m currently at a bottleneck. I need an opportunity and a moment of enlightenment. Sitting meditation is optional at best.”
“But, but…”
The Little Snake Demon couldn’t come up with a good excuse for the moment.
“Aren’t you very interested in the Innate Cultivation Method?” Zou Lian spoke again. “I can’t teach you the Demon Subduing Division’s Innate Techniques, but I can guide you on some less important basics, like Sense Qi, Draw Qi, and Expel Qi. These are standard entry-level methods for the Innate Realm and don’t violate any rules. Even if you don’t reach the Innate Realm, you’ll enhance your Qi sense and lay a solid foundation for future cultivation.”
“This, this seems a bit…”
With the offer going this far, the Little Snake Demon couldn’t even bring herself to refuse.
“What else do you want to know? Demon and Devil lore? The history of the Great Zhou Kingdom? Du Xuan’s embarrassing stories?” Every word from Senior Sister Zou Lian struck right at the Little Snake Demon’s heart. “I know a little about all of them.”
“Fine,” Little Snake immediately lost all will to resist and slumped down. “For this period, I’m Senior Sister’s person!”
“Mm.”
Zou Lian nodded slightly and fell back into thought.
Half of her decision was a whim, half was to figure out the unusual activity in her Dantian and Niwan Palace from the night before, and a small part was to investigate the infiltration route…
Du Xuan was in special training, and there were no major issues at the Demon Subduing Division. Even if something came up, she would hear about it right away.
She hadn’t lied to the Little Snake Demon. She really was at a bottleneck. Staying cooped up in the division and cultivating bitterly had brought her growth to a complete halt.
She might as well follow this whim and try her luck outside.
Zou Lian took a gentle breath, reined in her thoughts, and returned to a state of calm.
The caravan set off, and the carriage slowly rolled forward, carrying the two of them westward.
“Senior Sister, Senior Sister,” the Little Snake Demon twisted around, propping her chin on her hands. With a mix of anticipation and nervousness in her eyes, she asked from beside her, “Since I’m your person now, can I touch them? Just to test if they’re real…”
Smack.
A light chop with the hand made Little Snake duck her head back.
Du Xuan’s new friend was indeed quite interesting, Zou Lian thought.
