Chapter 20: The Realms of the Martial Dao!

"Rong'er, be careful!"

"What demon dares to trespass on Taohuadao!"

Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng both shouted sternly at almost the same instant; their figures shifted in a crisscross, one to the left and one to the right, faintly shielding Huang Rong behind them as they stared at Brother Ning Chuan with the utmost vigilance.

The jade flute in their hands and the leg techniques poised to strike both made it clear that the moment Brother Ning Chuan made the slightest unusual move, they would immediately unleash a thunderous assault on him.

The bearing of innate masters was displayed without reserve in this moment.

Seeing this, Huang Rong hurriedly waved her hand and explained with a smile: "Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, don't be nervous! This is Big Black Snake, my friend. It won't hurt people. Earlier on the sea, it was the one who saved me!"

She briefly recounted the incident of being shipwrecked and rescued by Brother Ning Chuan.

After Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng finished listening, the wariness on their faces eased slightly, but the doubt in their eyes did not recede in the slightest.

They examined Brother Ning Chuan closely. Such an enormous snake, and one that understood human nature, saving their little junior sister — it all sounded rather beyond belief.

"Rong'er, is this really true?" Chen Xuanfeng asked with a furrowed brow, his tone still carrying a measure of uncertainty.

"Of course it's true! Father has already agreed to let Big Black Snake stay on the island!" Huang Rong said with a pout, a little displeased that her senior brother and sister doubted her friend.

Brother Ning Chuan merely cast a cold glance at Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng's vigilance and scrutiny, then paid them no further attention.

He had no goodwill whatsoever toward these two future traitors.

If it weren't for the fact that exposing too much was inadvisable right now, he would not even have bothered to remain in the same space as them.

He simply coiled quietly beside Huang Rong, like an old monk entering meditation, eyes closed to rest, but in reality he was carefully savoring the Divine Dragon Sweeps Its Tail he had just comprehended.

Seeing this, Huang Rong said no more, tugged at Brother Ning Chuan's scales, and said: "Big Black Snake, let's go, ignore them. I'll take you somewhere else to look around!"

Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng watched the girl and the snake gradually recede, and only after their figures vanished around the bend of the peach grove did the two of them slowly exhale in relief.

Mei Chaofeng's delicate brows knit slightly as she said in a low voice: "Senior Brother, this strange snake's origins are unknown, and its spiritual intelligence is so high — could it… have any impact on our plan?"

A trace of barely perceptible worry threaded through her voice.

A flash of sinister cunning passed through Chen Xuanfeng's eyes as he deliberated: "Hard to say. Still, since Master has permitted it to stay on the island, it likely isn't some great villain. However… as for the depth of its strength, we still need to be cautious and on our guard."

He paused, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes: "Find a chance to probe its true capabilities. If it really is a threat, hmph…"

Mei Chaofeng nodded and said nothing more, but the wariness and scheming in both their eyes needed no words.

……

Elsewhere, Huang Rong led Brother Ning Chuan on a wandering tour of Taohuadao.

Like a cheerful little bird, she chirped away, introducing to Brother Ning Chuan every sight on the island, every rare flower and unusual herb, and all the little incidents from her childhood.

From the Sword-Trial Pavilion to the Clear-Sound Cave, from the herb garden to her mother's grave mound…

Brother Ning Chuan listened quietly, occasionally touching Huang Rong's arm lightly with his snake-head to show he was paying attention.

"Big Black Snake, where do you want to go look?" Huang Rong asked curiously, her little face tilted up.

Hearing this, Brother Ning Chuan paused to think briefly.

Although he could understand human speech, when it came to this world's writing, history, geography, and the like, he was a complete blank.

To better blend into this world, and even to learn martial arts, mastering these basics was essential.

With his thick snake-tail, he drew a crooked shape resembling the character "book" in the soft earth.

Then he pointed at his own head and struck a pose of eager thirst for knowledge.

Huang Rong, clever as she was, immediately understood what Brother Ning Chuan meant.

She covered her little mouth in astonishment: "Big Black Snake, you… you want to read books and learn characters?"

This was simply too incredible!

A snake, and one interested in human writing?