Chapter 82: The senior brother is trying to seize the position of sect leader

"I dragged it out," Xiao Qidi explained, "I intend to see if it can be useful; such a huge snake, not using it would be wasteful."

"Mm! We must make good use of it!" Ning Jinli gritted her teeth, "It almost ate us, and even finished the wild boar meat we were going to make into rations; we can't let it go!"

Ning Jinli grew angrier the more she thought, she pulled Xiao Qidi's hand and walked out of the cave, saying she would personally skin this beast.

So, Xiao Qidi handed the hook claw to her.

Ning Jinli gripped the hook claw, fumbled for a moment, and decided to start from the relatively softer part of the snake's belly.

This hook claw, worthy of being used by experts of the Tian Shu Sect, though not very handy as a knife, is sharp and keen; Ning Jinli didn't have to exert much force before she slit open the snake's belly.

Splash—

A heap of objects mixed with foul-smelling slime instantly flowed all over the ground.

The two covered their noses and poked at it with a branch.

Besides the wild boar meat the giant snake had eaten last night, there were also some human remains that had been largely digested.

From the clothing on the remains, it could be seen that they were exactly those few experts of the Tian Shu Sect.

Moreover, it was barely possible to discern that four people had ended up in the snake's belly, including the person Ning Jinli had bumped into when she first picked wild fruits.

As for the other four, the two speculated they either fell into the river and drowned, already eaten by fish, or became food for other wild beasts.

Ning Jinli had originally thought to make jerky from the snake meat, but after cutting open the snake's belly and seeing those human remains, she abandoned that idea.

It was not just a matter of losing appetite.

In a life-or-death situation where food is lacking, this is nothing.

Mainly because the meat of this giant snake is completely unlike that of a normal snake; it is not only tough, like rubber, but also has a pungent odor, making it utterly unsuitable as rations.

"It seems only the snake skin can be put to some use," Ning Jinli probed the snake's back with the hook claw, feeling like scraping on an iron sheet, "The scales on its back can directly serve as armor; it's really hard."

Xiao Qidi walked around the giant snake's corpse once, his face showing a look of uncertain surprise.

Ning Jinli asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Qidi said, "This seems not to be an ordinary snake."

Ning Jinli laughed, "Seems? It's obvious; which ordinary snake can grow this long? I estimate it's about twenty meters."

"No, I mean..." Xiao Qidi pointed at the snake's head, "Look, it has already started growing horns."

Ning Jinli looked astonished, ran to beside the snake's head and examined it closely.

Indeed, above the giant snake's two eyes there were two protrusions, about half a meter long, with their tips already having emerged from the skin.

Xiao Qidi then immediately ran to the giant snake's belly, searching from head to tail, and saw four claws vaguely forming beneath the scales.

Legend has it that in ancient times there was a kind of snake that, after living a thousand years, could become a jiao, and after ten thousand years could transform into a dragon; this must be that kind of snake." Xiao Qidi said.

Ning Jinli widened her eyes, "Really, such an animal exists?"

She had also heard the legend of snakes transforming into jiao then into dragons, but she never expected to actually see it with her own eyes now.

Xiao Qidi nodded, "Indeed it exists, but according to ancient records, this kind of snake disappeared thousands of years ago; it seems the unique secluded environment here has allowed one to survive."

"So... do jiao and even dragons really exist?!" Ning Jinli's eyes filled with shock.

"From this snake's condition, yes," Xiao Qidi said calmly, "but perhaps there are none left in this world, and even this snake might be the last one capable of transforming into a jiao or dragon, but it is already dead."

Ning Jinli couldn't help feeling a bit regretful; if it weren't for preserving her life, she truly would have wished this snake could continue living.

Xiao Qidi suddenly thought of something, quickly strode to the snake's head, forcefully pried open the giant snake's mouth, then reached in and rummaged around.

"What are you looking for?" Ning Jinli asked curiously.

Xiao Qidi fumbled for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up, "Indeed there is, I found it!"

He gave a strong tug and dug out from the giant snake's mouth a black bead the size of a pigeon's egg.

"What is this?" Ning Jinli leaned in.

One could see that this black bead seemed to have light flowing within and without, and it emitted a peculiar fragrance, worlds apart from the fishy stench of the giant snake itself.

"'Since this snake can transform into a jiao or dragon, it means it has already condensed an inner core,' Xiao Qidi said, pinching the black bead and holding it up to the sunlight while observing, 'This is its inner core; if it successfully becomes a jiao and then, after ten thousand years, transforms into a dragon, the inner core will become a dragon pearl.'"

Ning Jinli was so shocked her jaw almost dropped to the ground.

She had indeed witnessed it; it turns out the myths and legends of Huaxia were not fabricated out of thin air by ancient people.

"Come, eat it." Xiao Qidi handed the giant snake's inner core to Ning Jinli.

Ning Jinli widened her eyes, "Can this thing be eaten?!"

Xiao Qidi said, "Of course it can be eaten, and moreover this inner core condenses the heavenly and earthly essence accumulated by this snake over nearly a thousand years, something you can encounter but not seek."

Ning Jinli knew Xiao Qidi wouldn't harm her, but she didn't understand why he didn't eat it himself.

Such a good thing, of course it is most suitable for Xiao Qidi.

"I don't want it, you eat it instead," Ning Jinli firmly declined, "If I ate it, it would be pure waste; only by you eating it can its function be realized."

Xiao Qidi shook his head, "No, I already have internal strength; if I were to take this, its internal energy would conflict with my internal strength; if luck is good I might absorb it, but a slight mistake would cause my meridians to burst. Only someone with no internal strength can safely consume it."

"Ah... this..." Ning Jinli didn't understand martial arts internal strength stuff, but she still hated to waste it; after thinking she said, "Why not keep it for now? Later you look for a foolproof method, then you eat it."

Xiao Qidi wore a helpless expression, "I would like to, but look, once the giant snake dies, its inner core also turns dim; it won't be long before it loses its efficacy."

Only then did Ning Jinli notice that the black bead was obviously much duller than when it was just taken out, and the speed of its light flowing had become slower and slower.

"Hurry up and eat it." Xiao Qidi pinched the inner core and placed it at Ning Jinli's lips.

Ning Jinli had no choice; she could only open her mouth and gently bite down.

The moment it entered her mouth, she felt a warm current.

Before she could try to chew it, the giant snake's inner core directly dissipated.

There was no taste, no residue left behind, only a more evident warm current spreading from her mouth throughout her body.

"By the way, what use does eating this have?" Ning Jinli asked.

Xiao Qidi shook his head, "I'm not exactly sure either, but at least it can strengthen the body, promote health and longevity; it should have no ill effects. You don't feel any discomfort, do you?"

Ning Jinli was somewhat speechless.

After all this fuss, this guy isn't even 100% sure whether she'll have any problems after eating the Giant Snake's Inner Core.

"I... I don't feel uncomfortable anywhere," Ning Jinli said after carefully sensing herself, "My whole body feels warm and cozy, and the places that were sore and aching from fatigue these past few days don't hurt anymore."

Xiao Qidi nodded, then asked her, "How did you kill the Giant Snake last night?"

Ning Jinli immediately told him everything about discovering that revolver.

"This is it." She pulled it out from her pants pocket.

Xiao Qidi exclaimed in amazement, "Such a tiny thing actually has such great power."

Ning Jinli showed a proud expression, "What's this? Compared to real modern firearms, it's nothing at all. If private individuals weren't strictly forbidden from possessing firearms, I would have already gotten you a bunch."

Xiao Qidi stared at her rough revolver in her hand, "With this, interest can safely pass through the area where beasts lurk, and find the Secret Passage rumored to exist in the Tian Shu Sect."

The information about the Secret Passage came from Ning Jinli listening to a dying Tian Shu Sect expert earlier; she has already told Xiao Qidi all of it.

As for whether it's actually true, the two cannot determine.

"Sigh..." Ning Jinli sighed, "There are only six bullets total; I fired five last night, leaving just one now. Assuming I don't miss, it's only enough to deal with one beast."

Xiao Qidi pondered, "You say, could this be the Divine Weapon that the Sect Leader of the Tian Shu Sect dropped here?"

Ning Jinli's expression was complex, "I've also considered that possibility, but... only by seeing the Sect Leader herself can we confirm it. If it really is hers, I must thoroughly understand why she would have such a thing, and where she got it from."

Xiao Qidi turned to look at the Giant Snake's corpse before him, thought for a moment, "I've thought of a method that might let us avoid beast attacks."

Ning Jinli's eyes lit up, "What method?"

"It's this." Xiao Qidi pointed at the Giant Snake, "This snake is absolutely the ruler of Zhuiyingjian; wherever it goes, it is enough to make any beast fear and avoid it, and even its corpse can serve as our protective charm."

"I know what you mean!" Ning Jinli said, "As long as we have its scent on us, we can scare away any beast, right?"

Xiao Qidi nodded, "That's right."

The two immediately set to work, taking snake skin from the Giant Snake's body.

Although the wild boar meat meant for rations is all gone, now it's a blessing in disguise, allowing us to solve another important problem.

These past few days, Ning Jinli has never dared to enter the forest, simply because she cannot deal with the beasts lurking inside.

One doesn't need to think to know that, since there are wild boars, there must also be other carnivorous animals that hunt wild boar, such as bears, tigers, wolf packs, and the like.

The danger of such top-tier carnivorous beasts goes without saying.

Given Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi's current situation, encountering one would mean death.

Only a Giant Snake on the verge of transforming into a Jiao could intimidate them.

The two spent most of the day using Hook Claws to cut some snake tendons from the Giant Snake's body and peel off two large pieces of snake skin.

As it was getting dark again, Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi could only hurry to pick some wild fruits to stave off hunger, return to the cave, boil some hot water to drink, then sit by the fire and make protective gear from the materials they had.

The next day, Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi divided tasks and cooperated.

Ning Jinli stayed in the cave to continue making protective gear, while Xiao Qidi went out to hunt.

Because the Giant Snake's corpse lay outside the cave, all nearby wildlife fled, and even the thickets where wild boars usually appeared became completely silent.

By noon, Xiao Qidi returned carrying several plump wild rabbits and mountain chickens.

The two ate their fill, and the remaining large portion of the roasted rabbit and mountain chicken meat was left as rations.

Ning Jinli had already finished the protective gear, and she also made two simple water bottles from bamboo tubes; now that they also had some rations, the two decided to begin their exploration.

First, they tied the previously processed wild boar hide and fur around their torsos and limbs, then draped over a raincoat reinforced with snake tendons and snake skin, carried a pigskin pack holding rations at their waists, hung the bamboo water bottles, and they ended up looking quite the part.

Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi passed through the thicket area near the cave and entered the dense forest.

At the same time.

On the main peak of Yuqi Mountain, undercurrents surged within the Tian Shu Sect.

After several days of covert preparation, Lu Xingfeng decided to act tonight, forcing the Sect Leader to step down.

He had deliberately arranged people two days ago to go to the martial world and clash with several other sects, thereby forcing Sect Leader Ye to send away a few of her influential aides to handle the situation.

Thus, according to the sect's usual rules, Lu Xingfeng, the senior disciple of high reputation, would need to temporarily take over those people's authority, making him, aside from the Sect Leader, someone who could freely dispatch sect disciples.

In the afternoon, while Sect Leader Ye was busy, Lu Xingfeng privately used the excuse that the sect conflict was unresolved and they needed to guard against other sects sneaking attacks, ordering dozens of the most skilled disciples to stand guard at each entrance and exit at the foot of the main peak.

However, when issuing the order, he needed to produce the Sect Leader's token to prove it was her arrangement.

But since similar situations had always been handled this way before, and this time Lu Xingfeng himself was giving the instructions, even though he didn't produce the Sect Leader's token, those several dozen of the sect's most skilled disciples did not suspect anything.

After successfully sending those people away, Lu Xingfeng then had his remaining dozen or so trusted followers each lead a hundred ordinary disciples of average talent to the four sacrifice platforms to the southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast of the main peak.

Those four sacrifice platforms have existed for who knows how long; even when the former Sect Leader was alive, no one could clarify their historical origins.

Usually, only on important days would related sacrificial activities be held on those platforms.

But today is not a special day, and the four hundred ordinary disciples all felt it was strange.

However, they were insignificant and had no right to question; hearing that it was the Senior Disciple's arrangement, they all obediently followed along.

By nightfall, after Sect Leader Ye had finished handling the decisions that had accumulated during her absence, Lu Xingfeng's final preparations were already complete.

Sect Leader Ye casually ate something, intending to rest, and then received a letter sent by someone from Lu Xingfeng.

She opened the letter and saw its contents were very simple.

It only said that there was a Great Secret about the Tian Shu Sect they wanted to tell her, and asked her to meet at the sect's Ancestral Hall at midnight.

She was somewhat suspicious, but considering it concerned the Tian Shu Sect, after careful thought she still decided to keep the appointment.

As midnight approached, Sect Leader Ye came alone to the Ancestral Hall.

Inside the Ancestral Hall, the candles burned brightly; Lu Xingfeng was kneeling before the tablets of past Sect Leaders, burning incense and kowtowing.

"Senior Disciple," Sect Leader Ye approached and said, "Do you truly have a great secret of the Tian Shu Sect to tell me, or are you just making up an excuse to lure me here to see you?"

Lu Xingfeng inserted the incense into the burner, stood up, and with a smile turned his head, "After ten years of senior-junior fellowship, do you still not trust me?"