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

Ever since the day Xu Nian bid farewell to Mu Yanyu, she has, as Ji Yuebai suggested, devoted herself wholeheartedly to her cultivation. After some time, she felt her foundations had indeed become much more solid. The conversion of spiritual energy into cultivation had also greatly improved in quality. She even had a breakthrough, gradually grasping the threshold of advancement.

She sensed that the transformation tribulation was nearing.

Xu Nian paused her cultivation for two pressing issues. Firstly, she felt inadequately prepared for the impending thunder tribulation. Secondly, the sight of that half-snake, half-human creature with nine heads had deeply unsettled her. The closer she got to transformation, the more anxious she became. Ancient texts in the library mentioned incomplete human forms resulting from failed tribulations, but nothing about growing extra heads. Xu Nian pondered this from every angle but couldn’t make sense of it, until a wild idea suddenly popped into her mind:

Could it be… a hereditary family illness?

No, no, that’s not right. She should wait for that transformation fruit, but that darned grand competition seemed to be more than two months away.

She wondered if there were other ways to obtain the transformation fruit besides the competition.

Xu Nian set up a rocking chair on the open ground in front of her cave dwelling, lounging in it as she rocked gently, soaking up the sun while she pondered.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. A figure stood before her, asking, “Are you the snake demon Ji Shishu brought back?”

That familiar yet charming line.

Xu Nian slightly lifted her head, squinting at the newcomer.

Wow, this one looked like a beauty with a story.

In the Tian Yuan Sect, where everyone wore plain white disciple robes, this woman stood out in a striking cherry pink light silk dress. Her smooth black hair, tied with a ribbon of the same color, accentuated her delicate beauty, though her pretty almond eyes glared at Xu Nian.

Seemingly entangled with Ji Yuebai, Xu Nian, as a devoted pet, knew she had to handle this relationship delicately.

Rising from her chair, she said, “Yes, that’s me. How can I help you?”

Her tone might have come off a bit too harsh.

As expected, the girl pointed at her angrily, “You’re just a mere snake demon, yet you dare to be so arrogant.”

Xu Nian opened her mouth, hesitating, “So, what would you like me to do?”

At least, she thought, let me know how to please you.

The girl, cheeks puffed like a hamster, fumed, “You, you, you… You’re just too much!”

Stunned, Xu Nian gestured to herself with her tail, “I am too much?”

The girl nodded, her eyes welling up, “It’s because of you Ji Shishu fought with Pang Shishu. It’s because of you that Ji Shishu doesn’t visit me at Danjun Peak anymore.”

Swallowing nervously, Xu Nian was just a snake, yet the girl made it sound as if she were a malevolent demon who could lead a king astray, preventing him from attending morning court.

She tried to appease the girl, “Your Ji Shishu is just busy. She’ll visit you when she’s free.”

The girl’s interest piqued at “your Ji Shishu,” and she looked at Xu Nian with hopeful eyes, “Is that true?”

Xu Nian felt a twinge of guilt but couldn’t bear to tell the truth, “Yes, she even mentioned you to me.”

The girl fixed her gaze on Xu Nian, “What did she say?”

Xu Nian’s tail curled as she stammered, “She said you are cute and smart like jade snow… but also…”

Impatiently, the girl urged, “But what? Go on.”

Finally, Xu Nian managed, “But not very diligent in cultivation, too fixated on external things.”

The girl seemed taken aback.

Xu Nian’s heart hung in suspense.

Then, the girl pouted, “As expected, Ji Shishu understands me best.”

Xu Nian noticed that her outfit was different from those of the other disciples and that she had approached her during a break from their cultivation; she surmised that the girl probably liked to play as well. Regarding the praise, anyone might delude themselves into accepting compliments from a person they liked, even if they weren’t accurate— who would even consider arguing?

Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, the girl said, “My name is Xue Ling, what should I call you, or should I just call you little green snake?”

Blinking, Xu Nian replied, “My name is Xu Nian.”

“Xu Nian, Xu Nian, I didn’t expect a snake demon to have such a nice name,” Xue Ling said sincerely.

Xu Nian complimented back, “Your name is pretty too.”

Looking up at the sky, Xue Ling suddenly hurried, “Ah, I must go. Xu Nian, don’t say bad things about me to Ji Yuebai, okay?”

Her directness was surprising.

Waving her tail, Xu Nian reassured her, “Don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t you know what kind of snake I am?”

After getting a reassuring answer, Xue Ling reluctantly left.

But unfortunately, right after she left, Ji Yuebai returned on her flying sword.

Seeing Xu Nian’s odd look, Ji Yuebai asked, “Did something happen while I was away?”

Deciding to align their stories, Xu Nian said, “A girl named Xue Ling came looking for you. I told her you praised her for being cute and smart. Don’t let me down when you see her next.”

She watched as Ji Yuebai’s expression freeze, and Xu Nian’s heart did a flip-flop, her mind racing through a hundred thousand words of love and hate —from childhood friends to an unspeakable mutual understanding, along with imagining follow-up scenarios like unrequited love, a tsundere lady pining for the unreachable Ji Shishu, and melodramatic twists of love turning into hate—she was really into it.

In the next moment, Ji Yuebai’s clear eyes seemed to flicker with confusion, “Who is Xue Ling?”

Xu Nian was momentarily speechless.

She almost felt sorry for the young girl, poor kid.

Seeing that Xu Nian didn’t answer, Ji Yuebai asked again, “Did she bully you?”

Xu Nian quickly reassured, “No, no, she’s quite cute.”

Ji Yuebai looked down at her, her voice soft and gentle, “Do you like her?”

Xu Nian choked up. Why is everyone so direct?

She explained weakly, “No, cute is cute, liking is liking, they’re not the same thing.”

As they talked, Xu Nian swam up to Ji Yuebai’s side and slowly climbed up her arm, playfully saying, “Yuebai, where have you been all this time? I feel uneasy without you. I didn’t dare to leave the cave, afraid that someone might catch me and skin me alive.” She thought to lay the groundwork, hinting at her upcoming transformation and then subtly bring up the matter of the transformation fruit.

The soft voice tickling her ear, Ji Yuebai subconsciously explained, “I wasn’t neglecting you. I brought you something.”

Xu Nian’s tail gently wrapped around Ji Yuebai’s waist, “You’re so good to me, Yuebai.”

Ji Yuebai produced a small jade box and handed it to Xu Nian.

Curious about what Ji Yuebai could have brought her, Xu Nian opened the jade box with her tail. Inside, she found a pair of tiny human figures the size of peanuts, looking exceedingly cute and delicate. They reminded her of Thumbelina from her childhood, filling her with a sense of wonder and joy. She playfully manipulated them with her tail, suspecting that Ji Yuebai wouldn’t have just given her ordinary miniatures. She asked curiously, “Can they move?”

Seeing Xu Nian’s pleasure, Ji Yuebai’s stern face relaxed, “Try infusing them with spiritual energy.”

Following the instruction, Xu Nian channeled spiritual energy through her tail into the figures. In an instant, the two Thumbelina-like figures transformed into two young girls who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. With delicate and pretty features, their eyes and brows brimming with spiritual energy, they bowed to Xu Nian and said in unison, “Servants Liu Liu and Yi Yi greet our master.”

Xu Nian was taken aback, never expecting Ji Yuebai to gift her something like this, “I’m just a snake; using these feels somewhat shameful. Why would you think to give me this… these?” Were they puppets? Magical artifacts? She wasn’t quite sure what to call them.

Ji Yuebai appeared puzzled at her reaction, “Don’t you like them?” She attempted to explain, “You once said you envied Mu Yanyu’s lifestyle when you were staying with her… If you dislike them, I can destroy them.”

The two tiny figures seemed to possess their own consciousness. Hearing Ji Yuebai mention destroying them, they huddled together, trembling and looking pitifully at Xu Nian.

Xu Nian recalled how she had been taken care of by Mu Yanyu, with everything provided for her, and how she had inadvertently shown her envy and reluctance to leave. She realized that Ji Yuebai, despite regaining her memories, still remembered the feelings and experiences they shared. Ji Yuebai was still Ji Yuebai, unchanged at heart despite her restored past.

Xu Nian’s eyes widened as she rushed to protect the tiny figures behind her, “Not at all! I love anything you give me. I was just so overwhelmed with happiness that I didn’t know what to say. Please, don’t destroy them.”

Ji Yuebai looked at her intently, “Really?”

Xu Nian’s tail wrapped around Ji Yuebai’s clothes, affirming earnestly, “Absolutely true. I’d be a liar otherwise.”

Ji Yuebai’s tensed fingers relaxed, and she added, “These puppets have other functions as well.”

Xu Nian moved closer, listening intently to Ji Yuebai’s explanation. As Ji Yuebai continued, Xu Nian’s surprise grew, her eyes widening in amazement.

It was because the capabilities of these tiny figures were just too, too impressive. Now, looking at Ji Yuebai, her gaze was filled with admiration, gratitude, and a sense of indebtedness so profound that she felt nothing could ever repay Ji Yuebai, almost to the point of wanting to devote herself to her completely.

Firstly, the figures had two modes: an automatic mode and a manual control mode.

In automatic mode, they would perform pre-set tasks. With a simple command instilled through spiritual connection, they would obey Xu Nian’s orders. For example, having connected her spiritual energy with the puppets, thinking “Yi Yi, pour a cup of tea” would prompt the puppet named Yi Yi to serve her tea immediately. More impressively, they were programmed for automatic combat, able to be summoned in dangerous situations to defend Xu Nian, buying time for her to escape. Each puppet had the strength comparable to a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although not as effective in actual combat, in Xu Nian’s eyes, they were incredibly formidable.

As for the manual operation mode, it involved detailed and specific control of the puppets through her spiritual consciousness, similar to operating a mech with one’s mind—only in this case, the ‘mech’ was the puppet. This meant, for instance, in exploring unknown dangers, she could operate the puppets remotely, eliminating the need for her to face risks directly. These puppets were essential for a wide range of uses, from daily life to more dangerous endeavors.