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

Ji Yuebai responded, “I don’t remember.”

These “gemstones” were found in her storage bag earlier, and she didn’t know their purpose. Seeing Xu Nian’s fondness for them, she simply gave them to her to play with.

Xu Nian felt a bit disappointed, “Alright then.”

What Xu Nian didn’t know was that what she considered mere gemstones were actually the demon cores of high-level intelligent beasts. Just one of these cores was worth tens of thousands of spirit stones. Some of the rarer multi-attribute cores could fetch hundreds of thousands at auctions.

If she really tried to “stock up” on these, it would be a futile effort, like throwing meat buns to a dog – it’s gone for good.

Xu Nian cherished these stones for a long time before carefully collecting them from the couch, making sure not to miss a single one.

Initially, she wanted to pick one delicate and beautiful stone to wear on her head, like the beauties from the Western Regions. However, when she imagined herself wearing it, the image of a clingy snake wouldn’t stop haunting her thoughts, so she reluctantly gave up on the idea.

Consequently, Xu Nian channeled her frustration into renewed dedication to her cultivation.

Since she had gathered a good amount of spirit stones in the Cangli secret realm, she no longer bothered to seek out places rich in spiritual energy for cultivation. Even though cultivating in places abundant with both spirit stones and natural spiritual energy would yield better results, finding such places was not only dangerous but also less rewarding.

This was mainly because any place rich in natural spiritual energy in the wild was likely already claimed by powerful demon beasts as their territory. If Xu Nian tried to take over, she would not only have to contend with the current occupant but also be on guard against even stronger creatures attempting to claim it. The risks were just too high – she could lose her life just as she started to cultivate.

A losing proposition.

Additionally, moving hastily wasn’t safe for Ji Yuebai either. The extent of her recovery was still uncertain, and her mental state was a concern. Plus, since Xu Nian couldn’t initiate harm, if they encountered any bad guys, they could only take a beating.

After much consideration, Xu Nian decided to stay put in Qingshui County for the time being to rest and cultivate diligently.

She arranged numerous spirit stones around herself, even balancing one atop her head, immersing herself in a bath of spiritual energy to aid her cultivation.

Ji Yuebai watched Xu Nian bustling about for a long time, struggling to position herself to absorb the spiritual energy.

Suddenly, she asked, “Can I take a look at the spirit stone formation you’ve set up?”

Confused but willing, Xu Nian readily agreed, “Of course.”

Ji Yuebai’s slender fingers touched the spirit stones Xu Nian had placed around her. With just a few minor adjustments, she formed a formation that Xu Nian had never seen before.

Suddenly, Xu Nian felt the spiritual energy around her intensify rapidly. The abundant spiritual energy enveloped her, concentrated and unyielding. She didn’t even need to actively absorb it; the energy naturally flowed towards her. She tried to cultivate, she found that absorbing spiritual energy was not only easier than before but also yielded double the results.

Xu Nian looked at Ji Yuebai in surprise and said, “Could this be the legendary Spirit-Gathering Formation? The effect is incredible! You’re so talented. Please teach me how to set it up so I can be self-sufficient next time.”

Ji Yuebai looked down at her fingers and said, “I’m not sure how I did it, it just happened instinctively.”

Realizing the implication, Xu Nian understood that it was a conditioned reflex. Even with memory loss, Ji Yuebai could instinctively create such a formation.

She sighed softly. Having tasted the joy of accelerated cultivation, it would be hard to go back to the old ways. It seemed she would have to rely on Ji Yuebai for cultivation in the future.

From then on, Xu Nian immersed herself in cultivation. When hungry, she would pay the inn’s attendant to bring food from the nearby restaurant to her room. When bored, she would drag Ji Yuebai out for a stroll in the market, living blissfully as if in a fairy tale.

During their shopping trips, they also visited Baibao Pavilion, where Xu Nian picked out some beautiful jewelry, with Ji Yuebai footing the bill.

Mu Yanyu jokingly said to Ji Yuebai, “These mundane items are hardly a match for your ethereal elegance.”

This was actually Xu Nian’s way of accumulating beautiful jewelry and clothes for when she could transform and dress up elegantly. Although transformation was still a distant goal given her current level of cultivation, it was important to have aspirations and dreams to motivate relentless effort.

…

Time flew by, and before they knew it, a month had passed.

Xu Nian’s snake body had visibly plumped up, while Ji Yuebai, sharing the same food and living space, hadn’t gained an ounce, maintaining her slender, lean figure. However, her complexion had improved significantly since Xu Nian first found her.

Sitting in the steaming hot bath, Xu Nian prodded the soft flesh on her body with her tail, worrying that she might transform into a chubby little thing if she continued eating like this. Then, all the beautiful clothes and dazzling jewelry she had bought would be of no use.

Xu Nian sighed, resolving to control her diet and not indulge as much as before.

Lost in thought, she suddenly felt a pair of soft hands touching her snake body, fingers gently brushing over each scale.

Having reverted to her normal form and coiled in the bathtub, and shivered all over when touched so unexpectedly.

“Ah, Yuebai, what are you doing?” Her voice sounded almost coquettishly.

Ji Yuebai got wet from a splash caused by Xu Nian’s quick movement, leaving her clothes partly soaked. Shiny water droplets trickled down her sharp collarbones, vanishing into her neckline.

Her voice was clear as she said, “Helping you bathe.”

Xu Nian paused, recalling when they first arrived at the inn. Back then, she had helped Ji Yuebai bathe because of her internal injuries. Xu Nian almost fainted from the hot steam during their first bath, which was why she started helping.

Was this Ji Yuebai’s way of returning the favor?

But if Ji Yuebai regained her memory and realized she had bathed a creature she despised the most… Xu Nian felt she was dangerously close to becoming a fish fillet.

So, she quickly refused, “No, no, no… no need, I can do it myself, see?”

She demonstrated how she could clean herself using the towel draped over the tub’s edge, using her tail in a quite exaggerated manner.

Ji Yuebai watched for a while before pointing out calmly, “But you can’t reach here… and here.”

Xu Nian quickly replied with her usual wit, “It’s okay, I can just rub against the towel draped over the tub, and I don’t want to get you wet.”

Ji Yuebai didn’t respond, just watching Xu Nian with her deep, dark eyes.

Xu Nian internally sighed with relief.

The next second, she was terrified to see Ji Yuebai lift her snowy wrist, her slender, beautiful fingers touching the front of her robe, and then the white nightgown slid from her shoulders, smoother than mutton-fat jade…

Her voice was still crisp and cool: “This way, I won’t get wet.”

Panicking, Xu Nian used her tail to cover her eyes, her mind screaming like a startled prairie dog, “Ahhhhh, how can this woman be so averse to owing favors?!”

Who would go so far to return even this kind of favor?!

But what startled Xu Nian even more was that Ji Yuebai stepped into the bath with her, stepping onto the wooden stool to join her.

Through the gap blocked by her tail, Xu Nian vaguely saw the delicate ankle with its faint pink hue, then the exquisitely curved, godly legs, and then…

Her tail unconsciously moved aside a bit, her throat swallowing involuntarily at the sight of the perfect body she had always dreamed of.

When Xu Nian had previously cleaned Ji Yuebai’s wounds, Ji Yuebai had been motionless, as if asleep. It was in the cold of winter, and Xu Nian, fearing Ji Yuebai would catch a cold, had covered her with her own warm snake skin, revealing only the part of the body she was treating. She had swiftly dressed each wound after treating it.

That didn’t hold a candle to the vibrant and stunning view she was witnessing now.

As Ji Yuebai’s beautiful body submerged into the water, the incredible softness pressed tightly against Xu Nian’s snake scales. Despite there being enough space in the tub, Xu Nian felt breathless. She tried to press her body against the tub walls to avoid the strange sensation.

But she couldn’t avoid Ji Yuebai’s deliberate closeness. Ji Yuebai even positioned herself on top of Xu Nian’s snake body, took the cloth wrapped around her tail, and leaned in to clean the spots Xu Nian couldn’t reach on her own.

Xu Nian was both uncomfortable and relaxed, the other’s skin brushing against her snake body, the silky soft touch almost addictive. As the towel passed over her, she instinctively raised her head, craving more.

As Ji Yuebai continued, Xu Nian’s body relaxed further. She involuntarily moved closer, wrapping her tail around Ji Yuebai’s slender waist, seeking more care, more pleasure.

Those soft, agile hands moved down her snake belly, continuously caressing and gently rubbing in the water, and Xu Nian’s dark eyes gradually blurred.

The next second, Xu Nian shot up from the water, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief, “You, you, how could you touch there…”

Water droplets from her sudden movement adorned Ji Yuebai’s face, wet strands of hair sticking to her cheeks. Her long eyelashes trembled, innocent confusion on her fair face. As she looked down at her own fingers, droplets rolled off her delicate chin.

Her clear voice even held a touch of bewilderment, “Why can’t I touch there?”

Xu Nian’s embarrassment intensified, thinking to herself that this woman must have meditated her brain into oblivion to ask such an obvious question that even a child would know.