Hongluan

The snake girl went from being arrogant to subservient, a change that was truly laughable.

She stared expectantly at Sister Bird.

However, the bird continued to ignore the snake. Only after the snake had smoothed down all its feathers did it give a haughty, tsundere-like huff.

"Chirp! This bird doesn't know!"

Upon hearing this, the light in Shaodian Qingnu's eyes instantly dimmed.

She waved her hand as if shooing a fly. "Go on, get out of here. You're wasting a snake’s feelings."

"How can you be like this!"

The Qingniao dodged her hand, refusing to leave. "Hmph! I'm not going anywhere anyway. I'm sticking with you! You stupid snake, you kicked me, so you have to take responsibility! Where in the world is the logic in kicking a bird and then not taking responsibility!"

"Snakes don't follow human logic!"

Heaven as my witness!

Should a good snake really be saddled with such a leech?!

Shaodian Qingnu widened her eyes at the shameless bird. Just as she was about to grab it, she heard someone ascending the mountain.

"Huh?"

Surprised, she hid behind a large rock on the side.

She saw Yao Jiang and Ji Man coming up, surrounded by guards. The sight made Shaodian Qingnu click her tongue in secret.

'How did they get up here?'

Ji Man was one thing, but with Yao Jiang's physique, to climb this high... it was a miracle he didn't die on the way!

Could he really have succeeded in his cultivation?

As Shaodian Qingnu thought, an idea suddenly struck her. She poked the Qingniao with her finger. "Birdy, do the snake a favor. If it works, I’ll take care of you for the rest of your bird-life. How about it?"

"Is that a promise?"

"A good snake keeps her word; I never lie!"

The Qingniao raised a wing and tapped it against Shaodian Qingnu's palm. "What's the favor?"

"Help me trick someone!"

Qingniao: "..."

Shaodian Qingnu whispered a few instructions to it. The bird shook its head, looking dazed. She asked, "Did you get all that?"

"No!"

Shaodian Qingnu rolled her eyes. Her long hair moved without any wind as she said helplessly to the bird, "Fine, just watch my performance later and say a few lines! It’s only a few sentences in total; surely you can remember that?"

"I remember those."

The Qingniao nodded, indicating it wasn't that stupid.

Shaodian Qingnu pushed her hand forward. Suddenly, loose stones rose up along with the wind and snow, pelting toward Yao Jiang and Ji Man in an overwhelming torrent!

"Mortals, how dare you disturb the sacred grounds of Kunlun?"

She pitched her voice high, shouting an authoritative rebuke.

The Qingniao also took flight at the right moment, circling above and shouting, "Kunlun is a place of purity! Mortals, begone!"

A bird!

The bird spoke!

Ji Man and Yao Jiang looked at the Qingniao in the sky with shock. The two of them hurriedly cupped their hands in salute.

"Im... Immortal!"

"I am Ji Man, the Son of Heaven of the Great Zhou. I have come specifically to the Kunlun Mountains to seek an audience with the Queen Mother of the West to ask for the art of longevity!"

Yao Jiang knelt even more thoroughly, falling to both knees in deep prostration.

"Your disciple, Yao Jiang, kowtows to the immortal! I wish to follow the immortal in cultivation and seek a glimpse into the Great Dao of longevity!"

Shaodian Qingnu suppressed her laughter and deliberately drew out her words. "I am the Qingxiao Yunu under the seat of the Queen Mother of the West, ordered by Her Majesty to guard Kunlun. You are but mere mortals, yet your hearts are greedy for longevity and you lack respect for Heaven and Earth. How could you possibly behold Her Majesty’s true form?"

Yao Jiang hurriedly asked, "May I ask the Jade Maiden, how can we be granted an audience with the Queen Mother of the West?"

"Simple, simple. Kneel and kowtow! Your heart must be sincere, and your form must be perfect!"

Shaodian Qingnu sat behind the boulder, swaying her head happily with a beaming smile.

"Kowtow! Kowtow!"

The Qingniao repeated those words in the sky.

Ji Man and Yao Jiang did not doubt her. They began to kowtow one after another. The voice only told them to continue, but they had no idea how many kowtows would be enough.

Just as Yao Jiang quietly peeked upward, he saw Shaodian Qingnu sitting on the boulder with a mocking expression.

"My grandsons’ etiquette is quite thorough. Grandma is very pleased."

"It's you!"

Yao Jiang's pupils shrank. In his panic, he hurriedly grabbed Ji Man and said to him, "Great King, stop kowtowing! She’s a fake! She’s that snake demon!"

"What? A snake demon?!"

Ji Man looked bewildered.

He stared at Shaodian Qingnu on the boulder, dazed for a moment. "The demoness actually possesses such beauty?"

"Great King!" Yao Jiang roared.

Only then did Ji Man snap back to his senses. He immediately called out to the guards behind him, "Men! Capture this demoness for me! But all of you be careful—do not mar her face!"

"Pah! You bold lecher, even your ancestors wouldn't dare speak to me like that!"

"Catch a snake? Maybe in your next life!"

Shaodian Qingnu made a face at the two of them, then flipped over and slid down the boulder, vanishing from their sight like a snake.

In the sky, the Qingniao flapped its wings and disappeared into the mist.

The guards searched the Kunlun Mountains for half the day but found no trace of Shaodian Qingnu. This left Ji Man infuriated! There was no cover on the mountain peak, yet a full-grown person had managed to escape!

They were all a bunch of useless fools!

He mobilized the Six Armies of the West to search every inch of the Kunlun soil, vowing to find Shaodian Qingnu!

The snake girl slipped away quickly.

She crossed through the clouds and mist, treading the gravel paths. She glanced at the Qingniao flying beside her and asked, "Birdy, do you have a name?"

"I am green, so call me Qingniao!" the bird replied.

Shaodian Qingnu shook her head. "No, that name is too similar to mine. Let's change it for you?"

"Change it to what?" the bird asked.

Shaodian Qingnu thought it over. A bright red flower ahead caught her attention. She said, "How about I call you Hongluan?"

"Stupid snake, I am blue. Why should I be called Hongluan?"

The Qingniao pecked at Shaodian Qingnu's earlobe in protest.

Shaodian Qingnu rubbed her earlobe and said, "I've decided. Your name is Hongluan!"

"Stupid snake! Stupid snake!"

Hongluan hopped about in frustration, but it was useless. Its name was set just like that!

After leaving Kunlun, Shaodian Qingnu didn't delay. She headed straight east and finally returned to the foot of Qishan before winter arrived! She built a small nest in the deep forest to use for hibernation.

Before that, the wild rabbits in the mountains suffered another wave of misfortune.

"I've eaten and drunk my fill. Time to rest!"

Shaodian Qingnu curled up in the cave, covering herself with a thick layer of animal skin blankets. She wiggled her toes and said, "Hongluan, remember to wake me up when spring comes."

Hongluan was watching the falling snowflakes at the cave entrance. Upon hearing this, it whipped its head around.

Before it could speak, Shaodian Qingnu had already fallen into a deep sleep.

The snow was white and thick, soon covering the entire mountain. Looking across the range, everything was wrapped in silver, save for a few small black dots moving about—those were bear hunters. They chose to enter the mountains at this time because although it was cold, the bears were all hibernating, making it the perfect time to hunt!

Hongluan brought over branches to seal the cave entrance, lest the bear hunt turn into a snake hunt and this lighthearted snake girl be caught.

If that happened, only a snake skin would be left for the bird to tidy up.

It snowed for a month, but winter lasted for three or four! By the time Shaodian Qingnu woke up, the air inside the cave was foul. She crawled out of the entrance with a look of disgust, glancing at the haphazard branches.

"Who has so little civic-mindedness that they blocked my vent?"

She sniffled, revolted by the smell on her own body. She quickly found a small stream, transformed into her true form, and swam a few laps to wash off the scent.

When Hongluan returned, it felt like the sky had fallen.

"Where is the snake?!"

"Where is my huge snake?!"

Having guarded her all winter, how could the bird have failed to protect her right as spring arrived? She couldn't have actually been caught by hunters to be made into soup, could she?!