With its stomach so bloated, the little mysterious snake felt sluggish for quite a while.
She lay on the table, accompanying Chen Ning as he read for a full shichen before she finally managed to digest what was in her stomach.
However, after the digestion, she had not only fully recovered but was even more spirited than before.
Although she had only digested a single small wisp of Noble Qi, she had benefited immensely; even her scales had become more lustrous than before.
The little mysterious snake was now even more convinced that Noble Qi was a top-tier treasure.
It was just that this human was simply too terrifying; it was best not to try that again anytime soon...
“Young Master, read for a bit longer and then we'll get ready for lunch. We're having beef today!”
At that moment, Qing Yan, carrying a good amount of meat and vegetables, had just returned from the market.
Last night, the Demon Suppression Division had delivered the bounty of one hundred taels for slaying the Half-Snake Water Ghost.
Having never seen so much money before, even the usually frugal Qing Yan indulged in a rare luxury, buying two jin of beef at the market today.
There's someone else in this house?!
Hearing the voice, the little mysterious snake immediately grew excited.
She definitely couldn't beat this terrifying human, but surely she could bully the other one?
After all, just hearing the woman's voice made her seem like a weak and easy target.
This time, she could finally hold her head high and restore the prestige of the Black Water Mysterious Snake!
Chen Ning saw through the little mysterious snake's thoughts at a glance.
Although she couldn't speak, Chen Ning could sense that this little creature's intelligence was not inferior to a human's in the slightest.
He gave a faint reminder:
“Just so you know, my purpose for keeping you is to have you protect her. I'd advise you not to get any funny ideas.”
The little mysterious snake's body trembled slightly, but she was unwilling to give up.
She finally had a chance to raise her status in this household by one level; how could she let it go so easily?
No matter what, she had to try...
‘Wait, this... this aura!’
But the moment Qing Yan walked in, the little mysterious snake's movements suddenly froze.
She realized then that the other person in this house wasn't human either.
She was a demon!
And not just any ordinary demon!
The Black Water Mysterious Snake had the potential to transform into a Flood Dragon, and some even possessed the supreme bloodline capable of becoming a dragon.
But before this person, even the little snake couldn't help but feel a sense of submission rising from the depths of her bloodline.
Could she be...!
The little mysterious snake suddenly straightened her body. Not only did she become extremely docile in an instant, but she even took the initiative to stretch out her head, rubbing against Qing Yan's finger like she was acting spoiled.
Such a drastic, earth-shattering change made even Chen Ning a bit surprised.
Looking at the little snake's posture, it was as if she was genuinely willing to give her life to protect Qing Yan.
Could it be that she realized Qing Yan's true form was also that of a demon, so she felt a sense of kinship?
“Where did you find this little snake, Young Master? It seems so well-behaved.”
Qing Yan doted on the little mysterious snake, lightly stroking the top of its head with her finger.
Being touched like this, the little snake didn't feel like her dignity was being insulted; on the contrary, she seemed to feel somewhat honored.
Suddenly, she turned toward the kitchen.
The little mysterious snake sensed a strange aura.
Just now, it seemed something had secretly followed Qing Yan inside.
She immediately leaped off the table.
Sure enough, the little mysterious snake cornered an animal with brownish-yellow fur near the stove.
It was a weasel—a spirit creature known among the common folk as a “Weasel Spirit.”
Although many villagers called them “Great Immortals,” weasels were not good things.
This kind of spirit creature not only liked to follow humans and steal their food, but would also leave behind misfortune and germs before departing.
Many people who found a weasel in their home would fall seriously ill for a period of time or experience severe hallucinations.
As a member of this household, she absolutely would not allow such a fellow to sneak in!
“Hiss!”
Seeing the little mysterious snake blocking its path, the weasel immediately arched its back in anger, preparing to attack.
It tried to scare away this annoying little snake, but found that the little snake was completely unmoved.
Seeing this, the weasel was thoroughly enraged.
It was just a tiny snake the size of a finger; how dare it block its path!
With a roar, a thick layer of yellow smoke suddenly emanated from the weasel's body.
Under the cover of the mist, sharp claws suddenly lashed out, heading straight for the little mysterious snake.
However, the little snake didn't retreat; instead, she bravely faced it head-on.
She opened her mouth wide, swallowing all the smoke that obscured her vision into her stomach.
Not only that, even the fire in the stove was swallowed up along with it.
“Whoosh!”
In the next second, flames surged out from the little snake's mouth, directly engulfing the lunging weasel.
After being swallowed and spat back out, the intensity of the flames had increased several-fold. The terrifying temperature incinerated every inch of the weasel's fur.
The weasel fell miserably to the ground, its flaming body writhing in agony.
But no matter how it struggled, it couldn't extinguish the flames on its body.
The little mysterious snake opened her mouth once more.
This time, the weasel, which had completely lost the ability to resist, turned into a stream of smoke and gathered into her mouth.
After finishing her meal, the little mysterious snake even let out a satisfied burp.
Demons definitely tasted the best—nice and crunchy, and she didn't have to worry about too much spiritual energy bloating her stomach!
【Slayed one weasel spirit, obtained Noble Qi * 1】
At the same time, a system prompt sounded in Chen Ning's ear.
This was somewhat unexpected.
He hadn't thought that demons slain by a pet would also count toward the rewards. It seemed he had accidentally found another way to obtain Noble Qi.
Chen Ning nodded in satisfaction.
“Well done. I was actually debating whether roasted snake or snake soup would be more delicious, but in light of your contribution just now, I'll let it slide for today.”
‘What? Snake soup!’
The little mysterious snake never imagined she had been teetering on the edge of death just now, and she felt a wave of lingering fear.
Fortunately, there had been a weasel to let her show her loyalty. Otherwise... she might have ended up as part of today's lunch!
Qing Yan said with a smile:
“I feel like this little snake is quite fond of people. Would you like to give her a nice name, Young Master? How about... Wang Cai?”
Chen Ning: “Isn't Wang Cai a dog's name...
She's a snake after all, so let's give her a proper name. How about Blackie?”
The little mysterious snake almost spat out a mouthful of blood. If she had to be called such a rustic name, she'd rather hang herself!
Suddenly, Qing Yan looked at her and thought of something.
“How about Xiao Jiu? If you look closely, she seems to have exactly nine pitch-black inscriptions on her back.”
“Xiao Jiu? Hmm, that name sounds pretty good.”
Xiao Jiu! What a great name!
The little mysterious snake immediately jumped up in excitement.
These two had finally come up with a decent name.
“Look at how excited you are. Fine, from now on, you'll be called Xiao Jiu.”
Seeing the little snake wagging her tail like she couldn't tell if she was a snake or a puppy, Chen Ning smiled helplessly.
With the name settled, Xiao Jiu finally felt completely at ease, filled with joy and excitement.
‘Wait, what was I planning to do when I first hatched? Whatever, from now on, I'm a member of this household!’
She had long since forgotten the unyielding pride she felt before hatching.
At Chen Ning's feet, Xiao Jiu wagged her tail excitedly without stopping.
Rate on N.U.
