Yao Jiang opened the bundle he carried with him, revealing shells and sacrificial meat.
Qingnu waved her hand, shooing him away. "I don't take disciples. Go away."
Yao Jiang hurriedly asked, "Why won't the Immortal Maiden accept me?"
Qingnu gave him a strange look. "What's the problem with me not taking you? You're a strange one."
"Is the Immortal Maiden displeased that my apprenticeship gift isn't valuable enough?"
Thinking Qingnu wanted more, Yao Jiang said, "Please grant me two days, Immortal Maiden. I will bring you a better gift!"
Qingnu shook her head in disdain.
"It doesn't matter how expensive the gift you bring is. I don't take disciples."
Yao Jiang looked at her in confusion.
"Since ancient times, when immortals take mortals as disciples, it often becomes a celebrated tale. I consider my natural talent to be fair. Why won't you take me?"
"What does your talent have to do with me?"
"Whichever immortal takes disciples, go find that one. Why must you pester me?"
Frowning, Qingnu tried to walk around Yao Jiang to leave.
However, Yao Jiang quickly grabbed the hem of her robe and said frantically, "Please don't go, Immortal Maiden! Please, I beg you to take me as your disciple!"
"Let go!"
Qingnu turned back, her brow furrowed as she stared at the hem held by Yao Jiang.
'Is he insane?'
'Is there no one to handle this person?'
"Please forgive my offense, but if you do not take me as your disciple, I will never give up!"
Yao Jiang looked at Qingnu with a serious expression, as if he truly would not stop until he reached his goal.
"How could someone like you..."
Qingnu looked at Yao Jiang, her eyes full of bewilderment.
It was truly bizarre!
She had seen many people over the last two thousand years, but this was the first time she had encountered such a person. He must have heard too many tales of gods and ghosts and was here seeking the Dao.
Did he think snakes were easy to provoke?
Qingnu yanked her robe away and stared at Yao Jiang. "So, you want to be a disciple?"
Hearing this, Yao Jiang thought she had agreed and quickly knelt.
"Master above, please accept your disciple's bow!"
"Don't be in such a hurry!"
Qingnu stopped him from kowtowing, a playful smile appearing on her face. "I haven't given you your gift yet."
Yao Jiang smiled and shook his head. "How could a master give a gift to a disciple?"
"No, no, this gift must be given!"
Qingnu smiled and shook her head, setting down the bundle she was carrying. The smile on her face suddenly vanished.
Green scales flickered at the corners of her eyes.
In the blink of an eye, she transformed from a human into a snake!
A green snake's body, taller than a person, was revealed. Her vertical pupils stared at the stunned Yao Jiang. Qingnu opened her mouth, showing off her sharp fangs, and then flicked her tongue, asking, "Well? Do you like this gift?"
"Mon... Monster!!!"
Yao Jiang collapsed to the ground, scrambling and crawling away as he fled the place in tears.
Qingnu reverted to her human form, picked up her bundle from the ground, and patted off the dust.
Nearby neighbors, awakened by Yao Jiang's screams, came out to investigate.
When they saw Qingnu standing alone at the door, they looked confused.
"Immortal Maiden Qing, what happened?"
"It's nothing. A lad was possessed by evil spirits. I just cured him. Look, he even left some things to thank me."
Qingnu pointed to the shells and sacrificial meat Yao Jiang had left behind.
Upon hearing this, the neighbors praised her one after another, saying Immortal Maiden Qing was both beautiful and kind-hearted.
Disrupted by Yao Jiang, Qingnu couldn't leave that day and stayed for one more. Not long after she stepped out the next morning, she saw Yao Jiang rushing toward her house with a large group of people carrying clubs.
"Where is the snake demon? Where is she?"
Under Yao Jiang's command, the group smashed things inside the house, searching for any trace of Qingnu.
The neighbors heard the commotion and ran out!
When they heard Yao Jiang claim that Qingnu was a snake demon and that he was there to capture her, they stood by her side without hesitation, confronting Yao Jiang.
Being kind to others really did have its merits; at least at this moment, people were willing to speak up for her.
After silently thanking these neighbors, Qingnu shouldered her pack and left Luoyang.
After her departure, the legends of Immortal Maiden Qing in Luoyang gradually faded, but a cultivator named Yao Jiang began to rise to prominence. Under the guise of slaying demons, he gathered a group of people and formed a so-called immortal sect called Tianyuan Palace.
They searched the entire world for traces of Qingnu!
By the time Qingnu heard of this, twenty years had passed since she left Luoyang. Tianyuan Palace had grown slightly in scale and actually looked somewhat legitimate.
But wanting to catch a snake in this vast world was no different from fishing for a needle in the ocean.
How could it be that easy?
Furthermore, the cultivators of Tianyuan Palace claimed to be seeking immortality, but they were more like a group of people gathered to practice health preservation. Forget slaying demons; they hadn't even found the threshold of the Dao.
The abilities of this group couldn't even compare to the three Taoists who had intercepted her outside Zhao Ge all those years ago.
At least those three had a bit of genuine skill.
However, the appearance of Tianyuan Palace brought some amusement to Qingnu's leisure time.
As the saying goes, if no one provokes me, I provoke no one.
Since the other party publicly declared they wanted to eliminate her, why should she bother being reasonable?
When she had the time, Qingnu would occasionally expose her trail slightly, luring a few Tianyuan Palace cultivators to investigate.
Then, she would throw them all into Mt. Xiao to feed the wolves!
Over the years, the wolves in Mt. Xiao were fed until they were plump and sturdy. They were deeply grateful to Qingnu, and they didn't even eat passing travelers anymore, just waiting for her to feed them fresh cultivators.
Could it be that the meat of those who practiced was tastier than those who didn't?
After feeding the wolves for a few more years, Tianyuan Palace suddenly stopped its massive search for her, which robbed Qingnu of quite a bit of entertainment.
Gradually, the legend of the Queen Mother of the West began to rise.
Legend had it that in the far west of the world, there were the Kunlun Mountains, where a female immortal named the Queen Mother of the West lived.
If one could meet her, they could obtain the method for longevity!
Immortality was the thing that most attracted kings. The current King of Zhou, Ji Man, gathered the world's cultivators and led the Six Armies of the West on a journey to the west to seek the immortals.
Qingnu suddenly understood!
No wonder Tianyuan Palace had suddenly stopped their pursuit of her.
She figured the cultivators of Tianyuan Palace must be thinking: although the people of the world live in dire straits, once we truly become immortals, won't all problems be solved with a simple wave of the hand?
How could slaying demons and subduing monsters compare to the joy of longevity?
Qingnu knew about the Son of Heaven Mu meeting the Queen Mother of the West. Rumor had it that King Mu of Zhou, Ji Man, reached the extreme west of the heavens and met her, enjoying a pleasant conversation.
As for whether the records in the Tale of King Mu were true, or if the Queen Mother of the West really existed...
Qingnu didn't know.
Outside the city of Haojing, Qingnu sat cross-legged before the grave of Jiang Ziya.
She muttered to herself.
"Jiang Ziya, do you think I should go take a look? But Kunlun is so far away. However, what if there really is a Queen Mother of the West? A great immortal like that should know how to become a dragon, right?"
A breeze blew past, rustling the leaves.
Qingnu looked at the silent burial mound and patted the ground.
"Show me a sign. Aren't you Taigong Wang?"
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