Chapter 5: Receiving the Qingshe Dharma, What Is the Reason for Such Solicitude?

Fang Longye had not failed to consider leaving right then and there; after all, surviving under a Demon Immortal truly left him with no choice but to feel wary.

It was just that after summarizing his current capabilities, he still had no choice but to obediently return.

Although he had now stepped into the Chengdan Realm, his means of attack were few and far between. Aside from a Dharma Artifact mace stored in his Storage Bag, he only had some minor spells he had realized himself, which used mana to gather Qi for attack and defense.

He couldn't craft weapons, he didn't understand alchemy, and he didn't even have any Weapon techniques; he relied solely on brute force to swing his mace for attacks. He was practically a blank-slate Chengdan Realm cultivator.

Furthermore, the function of his Golden Finger was equivalent exchange, not a stat-boosting system; it couldn't create something from nothing, and he couldn't solve every problem relying solely on energy points.

He was aware of some opportunities in the world of Huluwa, such as the furnace in the Cold Pool. But with his current strength, going to any territory outside of Green Snake Mansion might force him to risk his life.

Compared to other territories where the inside story and dangers were unknown, for him, the familiar Green Snake Mansion was the only choice.

The distance of over a thousand li was no longer anything to Fang Longye, who had already stepped into the Chengdan Realm. Riding a demon wind, he returned to the entrance of the Green Snake Mansion in a short time.

"What kind of demon are you? Don't you know this is the mansion of Qingshe Niangniang?" a toad demon holding a steel fork shouted sternly. "Pah, Hada, are your dog eyes blind? Look again at who I am!" Since his Bloodline had undergone certain changes, for a moment, the minor demons actually failed to recognize him.

"So it is Crocodile Commander. Please forgive this small one for not recognizing you. Congratulations to Crocodile Commander for your greatly increased mana." Hada sensed his Aura and apologized repeatedly.

After some pleasantries, it was time to go pay respects to Qingshe Niangniang, and it was still the Butterfly Spirit who came out to receive and guide him.

Only then did Fang Longye, who had formed his inner core and cultivated the Yin Spirit Embryo, realize the truth. Good heavens, what "top confidant"? The original body was valued by Qingshe, but he was, after all, just a minor demon created through enlightenment.

It seemed the true intimate of Qingshe Niangniang had always been the Butterfly Spirit, whom the original Crocodile Commander had never noticed.

The original body was simple and honest, and his strength was too weak to notice; having obtained his memories, he himself had also unintentionally overlooked her. Now that he thought about it carefully, if ordinary demons were not enlightened into human form, they generally had to cultivate until after the Primordial Spirit Realm to truly take human shape.

And what about the Butterfly Spirit? He saw her dressed in a light red embroidered begonia wide-sleeved outer garment, a sparrow-butterfly brocade bodice underneath, a dark red sash with an indigo pleated skirt on her lower body, and a pair of lotus-red embroidered shoes on her feet. Aside from the curved antennae on both sides of her head, her face was bright and beautiful, like a girl of fourteen or fifteen—where was there any trace of a demon? Sensing the heavy Aura on her, how could Fang Longye not understand? She was a great demon who had cultivated to the Primordial Spirit Realm on her own.

Looking again at her fair and delicate wrist, she wore a gray, inconspicuous ring, like a bracelet. Sensing the Aura on the ring that was closely related to the Butterfly Spirit, he clicked his tongue in secret. Could this be the iron ring locked around her waist in the original story? What a clever ruse of feigning injury!

Watching her walk toward the inner chamber with a slender waist and light steps, she was truly swaying and graceful, like flowers parting and willows brushing.

Fang Longye sighed inwardly. Demons come in thousands of varieties, divided into different ranks. Just taking appearance as an example, those who look ugly are called monsters, those who look beautiful are called spirits, and if they are even more outstanding, they are called Niangniang or fairies.

He placed his right hand on his face and rubbed it. Unfortunately, in this life, he had been reincarnated as a crocodile demon, with a bloody maw on his head, a green face, and fangs; no matter how one looked at it, he had nothing to do with beauty.

Fortunately, taking human form depends on the appearance of the Yin Spirit and one's own Bloodline; divine beasts generally take on more handsome forms.

He now had a single horn, so taking the title of Single-Horned Dragon Crocodile wouldn't be an exaggeration; he could be considered a descendant of a divine beast. He shouldn't have to worry about still being an ugly monster after taking human form.

No—

He could not harbor a fluke mentality.

He still had to continue finding ways to temper the bit of Dragon Clan Bloodline in his body. If he could achieve the form of a flood dragon before taking human form at the Primordial Spirit Realm, that would be great, Fang Longye pondered to himself.

Thinking about these things in his heart, his feet did not stop, and before long, he arrived at the hall he had entered last time.

"Greetings, Niangniang!"

"Rise! It seems your gains from this cultivation were not small. Your Bloodline has advanced, you have stepped into the Chengdan Realm, your divine wisdom is clear, and your soul has shaken off the influence of the enlightenment technique." Qingshe Niangniang was, after all, a long-lived Demon Immortal; she saw through Fang Longye's changes at a glance.

"Thanks to your blessing, Niangniang." Fang Longye looked respectful.

"Hmm, since you have recovered your spiritual wisdom, it is no longer appropriate to call you Crocodile Commander. What are your own thoughts?"

Fang Longye was stunned; he hadn't expected Qingshe to ask this question. He had originally intended to continue playing dumb and say he would leave it to her to bestow a name.

But a flash of inspiration struck his mind, and after a quick turn of thought, he replied: "Niangniang, since I possess the Bloodline of a Tuo Dragon, how could I not yearn for the path of becoming a dragon? My breakthrough this time was in the Black Water Wild Marsh, so I shall call myself Longye from now on." "Longye? Good, that is a good name." Qingshe Niangniang smiled upon hearing this. "Now that you have stepped into the Chengdan Realm, the Dharma techniques you have cultivated are all biased toward body refinement. Today, I will bestow upon you the 'Heavenly Snake Swallowing Moon Art'."

She paused and continued, "This is a technique I cultivated myself in my early years. Although it can only be cultivated to the Primordial Spirit Realm, it will allow you to diligently polish your inner core and condense your Yin Spirit Embryo. I have also attached some supernatural powers and spells inside, which you can learn for self-protection~"

After speaking, she pointed her finger, and a ray of light flashed; the technique, composed of tens of thousands of cloud-patterned Daoyuan, entered Fang Longye's mind.

Fang Longye was naturally full of gratitude, but he felt relieved in his heart, cursing silently that being a subordinate was truly the most difficult thing in the world.

If you act too mindless, respectful, and submissive, with no ambition, people will suspect you of hiding your true self and having ulterior motives; but if you act too arrogant, lawless, and dismissive of others, you will annoy people and likewise have your loyalty questioned.

It is truly a case of "If you are close to them, they become insolent; if you are distant, they become resentful."

Just as he was complaining, he saw her pick up an exquisite Jinse Jinnang from the tray beside her and send it to him with her mana.

When he reached out to take it, she said: "Since you have already formed your core, it is not appropriate for you to remain just a commander. The Jinsha River stretches for over a thousand li; it is just right to be your residence. Consider these as a congratulatory gift for you."

"Niangniang, this~"

"Accept it; you are not an exception."

……

A breeze stirred, and the wisps of Qi between heaven and earth gathered toward the Jinsha River. The river water rippled, and a thin layer of water mist floated on the surface.

A stone palace was located at the bottom of the Jinsha River. The outer layer of the palace had a layer of Restriction, blocking the river water outside. Minor demons like shrimp soldiers and crab generals held Weapons, acting as guards on all four sides of the palace, patrolling from time to time.

It looked quite decent.

In the inner chamber of the palace, a demon with a single horn, a crocodile head, a green face, and fangs was sitting cross-legged like a Daoist priest.

It was Fang Longye, who had been rewarded by Qingshe Niangniang seven days ago to open his own mansion and establish his office.

Only, his green-blue face with rugged scales was full of gloom.

For no other reason than that she had given too much.

Opening a mansion at Jinsha River was nothing.

For instance, among the three demons and four monsters, aside from the three Chengdan Realm demons—Black Water Eater, Shenshou Dawang, and Gangya Dawang—who were all demons formed from strange stones and difficult to move before taking human form, and thus guarded outside the Green Snake Mansion.

The remaining four Primordial Spirit Realm great demons were all guarding one side, not all holed up in the Green Snake Mountain mansion like in the original story.

The key was that Jinse Jinnang called a congratulatory gift.

Just by itself, it was a storage Dharma Artifact with seventy-two complete Earthly Fiend Restrictions. Not to mention the things inside; not only were there numerous treasures of heaven and earth, but it was also accompanied by a Jade Slip recording a technique for refining treasures.

When a gift is bestowed upon someone, there must be a request.

In his view, this was not showing grace to a subordinate; this was simply blood money.

And that "Heavenly Snake Swallowing Moon Art"—it even recorded two supernatural powers! Supernatural powers—these were powers that would not be outdated even in the Immortal Realm.

He had cultivated the "Water Origin Blood Refining Scripture" until now and still hadn't been able to awaken a single innate supernatural power from his Bloodline.

This gift was too great.

If he hadn't realized that Qingshe Niangniang, as a female demon, was ultimately a total fan of good looks, he could have thought that she had taken a fancy to him and wanted to recruit him as a male favorite.

New author, asking for collections, follow-ups, and comments~ If there are any mistakes or deficiencies, please be understanding and point them out. Let us learn and improve together. Thank you! (End of chapter)