Chapter 103: Startled, the Giant Snake That Spoke Human Words

Ye Qin stared at the little girl before him; humans truly are a very complex creature.

Last time Hu Xiaocao begged him to save her mother, he extended the woman's life by a year, expecting her lifespan to end soon and that Hu Xiaocao would bring her mother again.

But he hadn't expected otherwise; this time she came only to say goodbye.

Humans fear death and rarely face it calmly, which surprised Ye Qin; throughout history, few have managed to reach such a point.

Often, upon encountering mysterious power, they greedily want more.

Having been reborn as a snake after crossing over, he seldom deals directly with humans; the only ones he interacts with more are this mother and daughter.

Fortunately, facts proved his judgment correct; the mother and daughter are not greedy, they offer faith, ask for little, and are mostly grateful.

Her mother never wanted to go up the mountain even till death; Xiaocao painfully watched her mother 'pass away' and did not wish to disturb him again, and even though this visit was just to say goodbye, she never brought her mother up the mountain to seek medicine.

Therefore, what is precious is that sincerity, rare nowadays; this is why, after Hu Xiaocao expressed her intention to leave, Ye Qin willingly revealed himself.

Meanwhile, Hu Xiaocao took half a day to recover, reverently gazing at the mountain god before her; only now could it be considered their first proper meeting.

Her eyes filled with tears, as if she could not believe she had truly seen the mountain god.

The mountain god was more mysterious and powerful than she imagined; though silent, its beastly eyes gleamed with wise light, silently conveying everything.

The giant snake nodded at her, then glanced at the ground; at first Hu Xiaocao did not understand the gesture's meaning.

Ye Qin did not linger long, soon disappearing into the nearby grass.

However, after he left, Hu Xiaocao keenly noticed that where the giant snake had lain, there were actually several books, previously obscured and thus unseen.

She couldn't help recalling the mountain god's earlier gaze.

"What is this?"

Hu Xiaocao curiously picked it up; the cover was yellowed, many corners damaged, showing the book was quite old; flipping through, she basically could not recognize the characters.

"Is this given to me by Mountain God Grandfather?"

Hu Xiaocao gazed toward the direction the mountain god departed, as if making some resolution.

"Mountain God Grandfather, rest assured, I will not disappoint your expectations."

No matter what happens later, as the village head said, only study can improve cultivation; first set a small goal for myself, strive to learn all the characters in these books.

Despite her young age, Hu Xiaocao has begun planning for the future, believing Mountain God Grandfather also supports her diligent study.

She solemnly placed the scriptures and the snake's shed together.

Though young, she is very clever, knowing that anything related to the mountain god is extremely important and must not be easily revealed; thus she hid everything in her clothing, showing none of it, and does not intend to let anyone see.

Only when alone can she secretly observe without being discovered.

When coming down from the mountain, the originally somewhat despondent Hu Xiaocao swept away the recent gloom, renewed her vitality, and filled with anticipation for future life.

Boarding the vehicle to the county town, Hu Xiaocao gazed out the window at the endless green mountains, as the distance grew.

The distant mountains were hazy, as if veiled by a faint gauze; the ranges undulated continuously, like a giant snake raising its head, gazing afar, dim and indistinct, full of mystery in the misty clouds.

The village head saw Hu Xiaocao silent and assumed she was worried and troubled, after all studying alone, her only relative had become a vegetative patient lying in the hospital.

"Xiaocao, take care of yourself outside and study well."

Hu Xiaocao nodded heavily, "I know, don't worry, Village Head Grandfather, I'm fine."

Watching the distant green mountains fade away, she silently added in her heart, "Farewell, Mountain God Grandfather."

……

Coming together through affinity, parting when affinity ends.

Prosperity and decline follow order; gathering and dispersal are impermanent.

Ye Qin walked through the mountains, hearing Hu Xiaocao bid him farewell and mention wanting to cultivate; though childish words are careless, as the world's sole cultivator he felt considerable comfort and reflection.

He had nothing better to give; presenting the scriptures also fulfilled this incense-offering sentiment.

Ye Qin knew that even if Hu Xiaocao achieved academic success and understood the literal meaning, she could not grasp the profound mystery within.

Since ancient times, many have sought immortality and the Dao, including ancient sages and saints, yet none have ever succeeded.

This is not a matter of talent, but a limitation imposed by the level of life.

Hu Xiaocao does not possess such heavenly favor as I do; naturally she will not be the exception.

Ye Qin clearly knows she will not succeed; leaving the scriptures merely gives this child a thought to hold onto.

I hope she will study diligently without cease, emerge from the gloom, and with hope, her life will have brilliance.

Thus, their intersection ends here; whether they will meet again later is left to heaven's arrangement.

Ye Qin could not help remarking, "It seems the innate qi is even more miraculous than I thought."

He himself had not expected that, with the woman's lifespan nearing its end and without his lifesaving intervention, the innate qi still retained a breath of vitality, leaving her in her present vegetative state.

As long as one lives there is hope; death is like a lamp extinguished, but at least now Hu Xiaocao still has hope here.

"It seems my cultivation pace has quickened."

Ye Qin has never ceased his alchemy practice; after each batch of elixir, he returns to the tomb to cultivate and absorb, and now Zu Ci Tomb has indeed become a second stronghold.

After replacing the large vat with a cauldron, although its volume is smaller than before, it is more convenient to use.

Ye Qin can direct his mental power to permeate the entire cauldron, sealing the inside and outside tightly; whether it is his illusion or not, both the speed and quality of his alchemy have improved considerably.

Previously he could only produce one pill at a time, but now he can successfully refine several elixirs simultaneously.

Perhaps due to the cauldron's special material, Ye Qin once researched what it was cast from.

Later he found no clue, so he simply gave up.

In short, though the cauldron is merely mundane, its material is indeed somewhat special, suitable for alchemy.

The tomb's interior has good feng shui, and besides, the magnetic field here is special; thus Ye Qin always takes his elixirs inside, striving to maximize their efficacy.

Ye Qin's snake tail flexibly coils around the cauldron's legs, slowly dragging the cauldron forward into the tomb; though the cauldron is not large, it is solid and quite heavy.

But for Ye Qin's current size and strength, this weight is no problem; even another one could be borne.

Now a flick of his tail can snap a thick tree at the waist, incomparable to the tiny snake he once was.

Outside the sunlight was brilliant, but inside the tomb it was extremely dim, the interior a pitch‑black expanse.

There was no source of light, but it did not affect Ye Qin's vision; this cool, yin‑filled aura he loved immensely, after all serpents favor darkness.

Ye Qin brought the cauldron to the tomb's central spot, the best position; with a light push of his snake tail the cauldron tilted slightly and a few green elixirs rolled out.

Not having limbs was indeed inconvenient, but after so long Ye Qin had become completely familiar with his snake body; the tail's dexterity was now no less than that of hands.

The elixir melted upon entry, carrying a hint of sweetness down his serpent throat, nourishing his five viscera.

Soon Ye Qin had swallowed all the elixirs, feeling a cool qi circulating within, moving through his blood.

Near his heart was a cotton‑like cloud mass that seemed to have its own life, pulsing with an inexplicable rhythm as he breathed.

Yet it did not interfere with the existence of his other organs, as if it formed a world of its own.

Several wisps of gas slowly formed inside his body, as if drawn by something, unconsciously sinking in; soon that cotton‑like mass expanded a bit.

This was the qi mass within Ye Qin; when first formed it was barely the size of a fingernail, now it had grown to this scale.

As the medicine's effects spread, Ye Qin felt utterly comfortable, every scale expanding.

That comfort made his snake tongue flicker more frequently, continually breathing in and out the qi of heaven and earth.

In the dim tomb, a faint greenish light flashed by, then two beams suddenly blazed, as if piercing the darkness, radiating a mysterious glow like lanterns.

Looking closely, they were a pair of beast pupils.

Ye Qin's entire snake body hid in the darkness, only his two pairs of eyes shining brightly; at a glance he seemed to float mid‑air.

Heaven and earth's qi circulated here, soon filling the space, even affecting the cauldron and the wall paintings.

Centered on Ye Qin, invisible threads slowly linked everything together, even the surrounding magnetic field was affected, producing some change.

However this change was minuscule, and with Ye Qin's cultivation progressing well, he did not notice it despite the environmental influence.

The Origin also manifested, specks of white light drifting in from around and condensing into a white bone over half a person tall.

The white bone sat cross‑legged, its right hand's middle and ring fingers curled inward, thumb pressing their tips, while the right hand held a petite, exquisite daoist temple.

Looking closely, the temple was lifelike; its ancient marks added a sense of historical weight, and the plaque faintly showed the two characters 'Shangqing'.

Hum—

A faint sound arose in the void, like a bell yet like something else, crossing the river of time and echoing through the tomb.

The Dao's resonance lingered, endless; even Ye Qin, who was cultivating, could not help but be drawn, looking toward the source of the sound.

If I recall correctly, the original Shangqing Temple indeed had a bell.

Could the sound be emanating from the daoist temple held in the white bone's hand?!

Ye Qin was somewhat uncertain, he examined the daoist temple in the white bone's hand.

Since his last contemplation, his true self had gained no substantive feedback; instead the temple existed in this form upon the Origin Contemplation Object.

From previous contemplation one can conclude: each time he contemplates something, the Origin Contemplation Object changes, thereby feeding back to himself.

The initial white bone, later the moon and lightning were much the same, but this time it seems different.

Ye Qin had studied it before, but this miniature daoist temple seemed unremarkable, just a decoration.

Yet now Ye Qin faintly sensed an extraordinary aura.

That feeling is hard to describe, as if something unseen is changing.

The bell sound quickly faded, as if the earlier disturbance were merely his illusion, yet he was sure he hadn't misheard.

"The sudden bell ring is really strange; perhaps it truly comes from inside the daoist temple."

If that is the case, why did it suddenly ring now?

As Ye Qin puzzled over it, the bell rang again, this time seeming a bit closer, becoming clear and distinct.

Just as he wanted to investigate, the bell stopped abruptly, as if a layer of misty gauze blocked him.

At some point a thin white mist arose around, the vapors twining; the originally dim cavern seemed to stretch infinitely.

The tomb passage became unfathomably deep, as if it were a passage to another world, even the surrounding walls seeming alive.

Ye Qin's past cultivation always brought various phenomena, due to being stirred by heavenly and earthly spiritual qi.

But now, within this, he sensed a power not his own, clearly different from before.

It was somewhat unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar, truly intricate, impossible to fathom its mysteries.

"What a strange energy fluctuation."

As things stand, this power poses him no harm; earlier I said this tomb's feng shui is different and its location peculiar.

"Could it be that my cultivation has stirred this terrain?"

After careful thought, that seems to be the only cause.

Ye Qin caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, as if he had discovered something, his gaze falling on the nearby mural.

As previously mentioned, the tomb's murals are full of mythic color; this one depicts a mist‑wreathed green mountain, looking ethereal.

Although time has blurred and damaged the mural, it instead adds a touch of mystery.

The latter half of the mural extends into the darkness; Ye Qin was about to move closer.

Hum—

Before Ye Qin could see clearly, the bell rang again, this time right beside him, as if it deafened his ears, with a constant buzzing in his head.

Ye Qin's heart and spirit swayed, he became slightly dazed.

As the world spun, everything blurred, as if his soul had grown light and floated out of his body uncontrollably.

The sudden weightlessness made him feel like falling into an abyss; when he opened his eyes again, the surroundings had been completely renewed, somewhat unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar.

Ye Qin surveyed his surroundings, uncertainly asking, "Is this… the Shangqing Temple?"

The scene of this temple was exactly the same as the Shangqing Temple's layout!

Except for the two daoists missing.

Inside the temple it was utterly silent, as if there were no trace of human habitation.

This is really too miraculous; clearly we were still in the tomb just before, and in the blink of an eye we arrived at the Taoist temple.

"Did I go to Shangqing Temple, or have I entered my imagined object?"

Ye Qin felt doubtful and uncertain, discovering that the faces of the statues inside the Taoist temple were all blurred, unable to see clear outlines; he had a faint, unlikely guess in his mind.

Perhaps the Daoist temple before my eyes is not the Shangqing Temple in reality!

Rather, it is the one held in the hand of the White Bone Origin!

But why did it enlarge for no reason, and why did I suddenly appear here?

Ye Qin had many doubts arise in his heart; he tried to walk out of the Daoist temple to seek the truth.

According to common sense, if entering this Daoist temple is a Divine Ability change brought by the visualized object, then one cannot walk out.

But when standing at the Daoist temple gate and seeing the outside scene clearly, Ye Qin was bewildered.

All that met the eye was lush green mountains; towering peaks stood above the clouds; under the sunlight, the sea of clouds surged, and in an instant the cliffs gleamed, revealing all the strange peaks.

The boundless mountains had no end in sight; under the azure sky, a few birds occasionally flew by; the original ink-wash painting instantly became vivid, presenting a profound artistic conception.

This was not a mountain Ye Qin was familiar with, nor even a scene he had seen before; everything before him was utterly strange.

"Could it be that I have transmigrated again?!"

Ye Qin complained, feeling incredulous; he sensed the power within his body, and fortunately his Cultivation Level was still intact.

So what is the situation now?

But just now he was clearly in the tomb; how did he arrive here in the blink of an eye, and even the visualized object enlarged several times, becoming as real as reality?

Such a strange experience truly left him bewildered.

Ye Qin looked back; the Daoist temple stood tall in the deep mountains, at first glance rising from the ground, surrounded by clouds and mist, revealing its miraculous nature among the mountains.

Golden sunlight fell upon the Daoist temple, gilding it with a thin golden edge, making it look extraordinarily miraculous.

It seemed to have always been here, existing since ancient times.

Even though Ye Qin boasted of having seen many great storms, he was now somewhat startled.

Fortunately his Cultivation Level and Realm were still present; according to Ye Qin's current ability, few could harm him unless thermal weapons were used, giving him a foothold, so Ye Qin did not panic.

Since I cannot figure it out in a short time, I might as well not think about it; I will find the answer sooner or later.

"Even if I really transmigrated, at worst I would just change places and continue cultivating."

With the mindset of 'since I have come, I shall settle,' Ye Qin began to explore the surroundings.

But after he had left for a moment, a rustling sound came from the nearby grass.

Only a young man with dark skin and a slender build was seen, holding an axe, wearing a coarse cloth short shirt, his eyes showing shock as he looked at the Daoist temple ahead.

The man was a nearby woodcutter; that day, as usual, he was chopping firewood in the mountains when he saw a Daoist temple suddenly appear, shining brightly in the sunlight.

The woodcutter couldn't help rubbing his eyes; at first he thought it was his own hallucination, then he looked again.

A large emerald-green snake crawled out of the Daoist temple, each scale flashing with an unusual luster, truly appearing extraordinary.

He involuntarily held his breath until the snake slowly crawled away, then he cautiously approached the Daoist temple.

The woodcutter had been to this great mountain more than once; he was not unfamiliar with it, and just a few days ago he had gone up the mountain, confirming that there had been no structures there at that time.

This Daoist temple seemed to have appeared out of thin air; who could build a Daoist temple in just a few days? Moreover, it was built in such deep mountains and old forests.

The closer he got to the Daoist temple, the more he could sense an extraordinary aura emanating from it, a feeling he could not put into words.

The Daoist temple's exterior looked quite historic, with a sense of age washing over him, yet it had clearly only just appeared; how could it give off a feeling of having endured wind and frost?

The woodcutter plucked up his courage and asked: 'Is anyone there?'

There was no movement inside the Daoist temple; hardly anyone existed there.

The woodcutter instinctively gripped his axe, feeling it would give him a sense of safety, and he cautiously stepped inside.

The interior of the Daoist temple was nothing unusual, just like an ordinary layout, only appearing not large.

The woodcutter, filled with doubt, walked toward the main hall; a shadow fell over his head, and he instinctively looked up.

A pair of beastly eyes glared without anger yet with menace, fixed on him; the sinuous body resembled endless green mountains, coiled upon the hall, filled with an indescribable dignity.

It inspired a feeling of awe from the bottom of one's heart.

"Spare my life, Snake Immortal!"

Recalling the large snake he had seen emerge from the Daoist temple earlier, the woodcutter's knees instantly went weak; with a thud, his axe slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

He hurriedly knelt on the ground, continuously kowtowing and begging for mercy; his heart pounded like a drum, as if it might jump out of his chest, and he regretted rashly entering the Daoist temple.

However, after a long while, no sound came from above.

Only then did the woodcutter half-open his eyes; the shadow on the ground remained motionless, like a statue.

He swallowed his saliva, plucked up his courage and raised his head; the great snake maintained its previous posture, unchanged.

It turned out to be merely a snake statue, but so lifelike that it was mistaken for the real thing.

The woodcutter wiped the sweat from his forehead; his back was already soaked in cold sweat, this snake statue was truly too lifelike, especially those beastly eyes.

It felt as if one were being stared at, simply making the scalp tingle.

The woodcutter averted his gaze, then noticed beside the snake statue there was also a female statue.

Although this female figure was veiled in sheer gauze, obscuring her true appearance, her aura was like spring sunlight on snow, like a snow lotus on a high mountain, giving a sense of pure and immaculate holiness.

The woodcutter solemnly paid his respects to both the snake statue and the fairy statue.

"Young man, I meant no offense; I hope the great immortal will not blame me."

The woodcutter examined the snake statue, increasingly feeling it bore an inexplicable resemblance to the large snake he had seen emerge from the Daoist temple earlier.

"Could it be that the snake statue had come to life and transformed into a great snake?!"

"Since I've come, I ought to offer incense to the deity."

The woodcutter saw the incense burner on the nearby table, hurriedly rose, approached devoutly, lit it with the fire from the cauldron, then knelt and bowed, offering incense respectfully.

Meanwhile, Ye Qin was still exploring this mountain, having already strayed far from the area where the Daoist temple stood.

Only see the surrounding trees lush and thriving, the green canopy spreading wildly toward the distance, the sounds of insects and birds incessant in the ears; it's clear this place is also a spot of outstanding natural beauty.

The tender green leaves are lush and glistening; tiny insects can be faintly seen crawling slowly along the veins.

A faint fragrance drifts in the air; unknown small flowers bloom in clusters, like stars scattered across the grass, attracting bees and butterflies.

Ye Qin initially thought this was an illusion, but everything he saw and heard along the way was all too real.

If it were an illusion, there would be no way to miss any sign of it.

Moreover, Ye Qin possesses strong mental strength and has mastered the Illusion Divine Ability—what kind of illusion could possibly trap him?

Inevitably, doubts arose one after another in Ye Qin's mind.

"Just what place is this?"

The mountains are draped in verdant plumage, as if a great bird nests here; the lush, shady trees and the vast azure sky complement each other, like a masterpiece slowly unfurling from a painter's hand.

At last, Ye Qin had crawled about several tens of meters when he faintly heard movement ahead.

Ye Qin felt delighted and hurried forward.

Not far off stood a pavilion; beneath it sat an elderly man with white hair and beard, advanced in years.

He wore a robe that was neither new nor old, his countenance kind and gentle, giving off an air of immortal grace and daoist bearing.

Beside him was a medium-sized cauldron with a fire burning underneath; the old man occasionally tossed medicinal ingredients into it, as if brewing something.

Observing the old man's unusual attire and actions, Ye Qin pondered, "This getup looks nothing like that of an ordinary person."

"Could this person possess some divine ability?"

To suddenly appear here and encounter such a person makes it hard for Ye Qin not to draw connections.

But Ye Qin detected no special energy from the old man; he must have guessed wrong—surely the man is ordinary, yet his immortal-like bearing is quite imposing.

Regarding his sudden arrival in this unfamiliar place, Ye Qin was full of confusion, wanting to clarify what was going on; combining the old man's attire, even if it didn't dispel his doubts, it might yield useful information.

"Hey there, old man, who are you? Where is this place?"

Ye Qin blurted it out instinctively, forgetting that others couldn't understand his words.

However, the old man suddenly lifted his head, looking around in bewilderment, but seeing no one nearby, he couldn't help muttering to himself, "How strange—who just spoke?"

"Could it be that I'm old enough to be having auditory hallucinations?"

Ye Qin's senses were sharp, and with his cultivation backing him, he also heard the old man's muttering, his expression slightly surprised.

"Could he actually understand what I'm saying?"

At Ye Qin's current realm, he cannot speak human language; to others his words are just incoherent hissing. Though he had only spoken on impulse, he soon realized it was improper—yet he never expected the old man to actually understand him.

To test his suspicion, Ye Qin crawled toward the pavilion and spoke again: "Old man, who are you? Where is this place?"

The old man, immersed in alchemy, failed to notice the movement nearby.

Only when that sound rang out again did he suddenly lift his head, but the sight before him frightened him so much he shuddered uncontrollably, his face turning pale.

A huge snake had silently approached right before him, and it could even speak human words!

(End of chapter)