What's wrong with a snake that just wants to cultivate and transform?

With a stash of adorable gold, you can do whatever you wish, like for instance:

Right now, Xu Nian and Ji Yuebai were sitting in the most upscale and luxurious restaurant in Qingshui County, comfortably settled in a private room at the top, listening to the attendant’s melodious and emotional recitation of the menu.

“Today, we have roasted lamb, suckling pig, spring chicken, roasted goose, braised pork belly, stewed duck, soy sauce beef, smoked meat, preserved eggs, tripe, assorted cold platter, steamed fish, sweet and sour carp, pheasant, snake dish…” the attendant listed, prompting them to order.

The rich list of dishes had Xu Nian drooling all over the table. She had been looking forward to dining out like this for over sixty years, and she wanted to eat everything the attendant had mentioned.

All this time, she kept whispering in Ji Yuebai’s ear, “Order everything, I want to eat it all.”

However, Ji Yuebai seemed unsure how to order, blinking her beautiful eyes at Xu Nian.

This anxiousness nearly drove Xu Nian mad. She couldn’t wait any longer and wished she could order for her. In that brief moment, an idea struck her, and she quickly slithered behind Ji Yuebai, imitating her voice, “We’ll take one of each dish you just mentioned.”

Thankfully, the private room was elegantly decorated, with a painted screen at the entrance, so the attendant couldn’t see them clearly.

Yet, Xu Nian’s actions left the attendant marveling at the imperfection of humans. He had caught a fleeting glance of this patron, who seemed like a celestial being descended to earth, heart-stirring to behold. But her voice seemed as if she had a chicken bone stuck in her throat, jolting him back to reality.

Despite the shattered illusion, he earnestly advised, “Our portions are generous, and it might be too much for one.”

From her hidden position, Xu Nian, using Ji Yuebai’s identity, boldly declared, “Just serve it. I… we have plenty of money.” With that, she bit off a piece of gold and flung it with her tail.

The attendant, catching the glimmering gold piece, was overjoyed. “Right away, esteemed guest!”

Indeed, gold made life sweeter. Soon, an array of dishes arrived like a flowing river, filling the table with everything from roasted goose to honey-glazed pork, from the tantalizing smell of roasted lamb sprinkled with cumin and chili, to the fragrant and tempting steamed fish.

Tears of emotion were about to fall from Xu Nian’s eyes. She had been waiting for this moment for sixty years. Who could understand what she had gone through all these years?

She eagerly waited until the attendant had served all the dishes and closed the door before she couldn’t wait any longer and jumped down from Ji Yuebai’s shoulder, quickly growing larger and pouncing.

“Feasting time!”

With a flick of her tail, she rolled the nearest roasted goose towards her and gulped it down, not forgetting to tear off a leg to offer to Ji Yuebai. With her mouth full, she mumbled, “Try this, this one’s good…” Her words muffled by the mouthful of goose.

Ji Yuebai was already hungry, but her movements were far more composed than Xu Nian’s. With chopsticks in hand, she gracefully accepted the crispy-skinned goose leg passed over by Xu Nian’s tail.

As Xu Nian gulped down the roast goose, her round eyes unblinkingly observed Ji Yuebai’s every move.

So elegant, truly too elegant.

However, in the next second, the goose leg slipped from the chopsticks with a soft plop just as it was about to reach Ji Yuebai’s lips.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Xu Nian caught the falling goose leg with her mouth, swallowing it smoothly with a satisfied gulp.

Ji Yuebai slightly lifted her long feather-like eyelashes, giving Xu Nian a look but remained silent.

She then extended her chopsticks towards a half-eaten lamb chop. The delicate chopsticks struggled mightily before finally managing to pick up a piece of the tantalizingly aromatic, golden-brown lamb rib.

Yet, the lamb rib didn’t make it to Ji Yuebai’s mouth as planned, instead, it fell from her chopsticks once again.

This time, Xu Nian was ready. Her movement was so swift it left only an afterimage, and in the blink of an eye, the rib disappeared into her mouth.

A repeat performance.

A hint of bewilderment crept into Ji Yuebai’s clear eyes as she incredulously examined her hands, then glared at Xu Nian, who was looking at her with those round, innocent eyes.

What was even more infuriating was that this green snake had given up eating with her tail, and was now theatrically sprawled under her chopsticks. She even rolled over, exposing her sticky white belly and opened her mouth wide, as if waiting for Ji Yuebai to continue offering food.

She even posed as if she was making a noble sacrifice. “Come on, I’m ready.”

Ji Yuebai couldn’t hold back anymore, her usually cold voice unintentionally laced with a touch of grievance, “Xu Nian, didn’t you say you were here to repay me?”

In reality, Ji Yuebai had been at Tian Yuan sect since her earliest memories. As a leading sect in the cultivation world, they started their disciples’ training from a young age. Mundane tasks were handled by outer sect disciples, while inner sect disciples like Ji Yuebai, in the Qi-Training stage, relied on fasting pills to sustain themselves, ensuring high-quality and efficient cultivation. Thus, Ji Yuebai had no bodily memory of using chopsticks, and her injury made it even harder to control her movements.

…

Who would have thought she would have a day like this.

Xu Nian desperately wanted to laugh, but she restrained herself. Fortunately, as a snake, her face betrayed no emotion.

She used her tail to pick up another aromatic, crisply roasted chicken leg and gently brought it to Ji Yuebai’s lips, coaxing softly, “Come on, open wide, ah~”