How to Raise a Crazy Beautiful Snake Demon - Chapter 15

But she remembered every detail of those fingers…

Zhu Jiuyin dreamed of the past. Amidst mountains of corpses and rivers of bl00d, when she was still a slender snake no thicker than an earthworm, she had witnessed those brutal massacres unfold before her eyes, over and over again. Every time bl00d splattered onto her face, it was still fresh and warm, sticky and hot… so hot…

She jolted awake, her body trembling. Hot… no, this warmth was different. A faint, warm scent drifted into her nostrils—not the overwhelming metallic stench of bl00d from her dreams, but… the aroma of food.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself still inside the wooden bowl, neatly covered by a handkerchief like a blanket. The cloth carried a faint herbal fragrance, one she recognized—it was Ji Qingwu’s scent.

Before her was a dark wooden board, while the surrounding air was thick with the soothing aroma of herbs. Zhu Jiuyin slithered out of the bowl, nearly buried under the neatly stacked layers of clothes.

Why had she been stuffed into the deepest corner of the wardrobe? A flicker of irritation passed through her, but she quickly took a deep breath. The splitting headache from waking up seemed to ease slightly with the calming herbal scent.

After inhaling enough of Ji Qingwu’s lingering fragrance, Zhu Jiuyin nudged the wardrobe door open with her head. With a creak, the warm scent rushed toward her, making her eyes brighten.

Food! The aroma of food! Without hesitation, she slithered out of the wardrobe—no, she didn’t even bother slithering. She simply let herself drop from the wardrobe, landed on the floor, and then swiftly darted out of the room.

It was evening. The sky was a deep, serene blue, layered with rose-tinted clouds that hung like the backdrop of a masterpiece.

And at the center of this masterpiece stood Ji Qingwu.

By a simple yet clean stove, the gentle and radiant cultivator in green robes busily prepared food with practiced spells. With a flick of her fingers, flames leaped up, casting a golden glow over her beautiful face.

Warm steam rose from the pot in soft swirls, mirroring the clouds in the sky, as if auspicious mist encircled the woman in green. Ji Qingwu wore a serene smile as she worked methodically, her movements unhurried. Her fingers, pale and slender, moved gracefully as she handled the ingredients.

Though Zhu Jiuyin couldn’t see clearly, she remembered every detail of those fingers—the soft pink nails, the rounded fingertips, the elegant, bamboo-like shape. Now, illuminated by the firelight, they took on a faint metallic sheen, leaving her momentarily entranced.

“Oh? You’re awake.”

Ji Qingwu noticed Zhu Jiuyin’s arrival mid-task and greeted her with a smile, only to find the little snake frozen in place, her ruby-like eyes fixed on the stove as if lost in thought—like a silly, dazed serpent.

“The soup still needs some time, but I’ve got some roasted meat ready. Would you like to eat now or later?”

As she spoke, Ji Qingwu turned the skewers in her hand, watching the dumbfounded snake with amusement before letting out a soft chuckle.

“Hmm?”

Zhu Jiuyin finally made a sound—though it was just an ambiguous murmur. She remained motionless, staring at the warm golden glow in the distance and the slender yet striking figure standing within it.

“Pfft… What’s wrong? If you’re not feeling well, you should go back to sleep. I’ll call you when the soup is ready.”

Ji Qingwu finished speaking with a smile, lowering her head to gently stir the soup pot with a wooden spoon. For some reason, being stared at by this snake made her feel slightly uneasy.

It was different from the chilling fear she used to feel when snakes watched her before.

She stirred the soup absentmindedly, her movements irregular. The pot bubbled softly, releasing warm, enticing aromas that felt particularly inviting on this autumn night.

Her thoughts drifted to the giant snake from last night. As she pondered, she suddenly felt something crawling up her clothes, tugging slightly at the hem.

Looking down, she saw it was the silly snake—though it wasn’t so silly anymore. It slithered up her robes, the smooth fabric making its climb precarious. Sometimes it would gain two inches only to slip back three. Amused, Ji Qingwu bent down, scooped it up, and placed it on her shoulder.

Zhu Jiuyin remained silent, her tiny breaths brushing against Ji Qingwu’s ear, faintly stirring her hair and earlobe.

Putting down the spoon and covering the pot, Ji Qingwu tilted her head slightly. She couldn’t see the white snake’s head, only a glimmer of silver scales. Speaking as if to those scales, she asked:

“How… are you feeling now? Is your body alright? Any discomfort?”

Her question seemed to touch a sore spot. Zhu Jiuyin scoffed coldly, as if about to retort, but swallowed her words and only murmured:

“I… I’m fine.”

Noticing her low spirits, Ji Qingwu changed the subject:

“A junior sister visited me today. I asked her to bring some ingredients—enough to last us a week. You don’t need to worry.”

She gestured to an elegant, antique clay pot nearby:

“She also found these pots for us. She’s a very kind person.”

Zhu Jiuyin recalled:

“That junior sister with the surname Song?”

Back then, she had hidden against Ji Qingwu’s chest, watching as that Song girl approached and even reporting her movements. At the time, she had wanted to kill her—only to be stopped by Ji Qingwu.

Now that she thought about it, that Song girl had beamed the moment she saw Ji Qingwu, her eyes shining, her face constantly flushing—such odd behavior.

Ji Qingwu replied:

“Yes, her. You wanted to kill her before, yet here you are, eating what she brought. So, you see, you shouldn’t always think about violence. It’s bad for your cultivation state. Like yesterday…”

She trailed off, sensing the atmosphere grow heavy. Last night’s incident must have been difficult for Zhu Jiuyin, who clearly didn’t want to revisit it.

Losing control in a qi deviation, only to be seen by her so-called “servant”—Zhu Jiuyin must have found it humiliating.

But Ji Qingwu thought it over and decided it was better to address it. Some things fester if left unspoken; clarity was preferable.

She softened her tone:

“About yesterday—don’t worry. I’m not afraid of you, nor do I look down on you. I know it was just an accident. It’s alright. Just be more careful with your cultivation in the future, and it won’t happen again.”

She turned her head slightly, but all she saw was a blur of white. Zhu Jiuyin didn’t move, and even the faint breeze by her ear stilled, as if the snake had held her breath.

Ji Qingwu’s heart wavered. Had she said something wrong?

After a long silence, Zhu Jiuyin only let out a muffled:

“Mn.”

Ji Qingwu felt a slight relief in her tense heart when the magnetic, husky female voice spoke again, carrying a gloom that matched the darkening sky:

“You’re too naive, but… thank you.”

Thank you.

Was she thanking her for going out to save her last night? This snake was surprisingly kind.

Ji Qingwu smiled, but as a night breeze swept by, she suddenly swayed and coughed violently, clutching her chest:

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Zhu Jiuyin immediately poked her head out:

“What’s wrong with you?”

Ji Qingwu’s coughing was so intense that her whole body trembled. The slippery snake scales made it hard to maintain balance, and she ended up tumbling onto the scorching stove.

“Ouch!”

Between coughs, Ji Qingwu reached out frantically to grab the white snake, but after a chaotic struggle, the snake slithered off the stove onto the ground on her own.

“What’s going on with you?”

Zhu Jiuyin stood on the ground, tilting her head up to look at her.

A Nascent Soul cultivator had long transcended mortal frailties and couldn’t fall ill. Such violent coughing could only mean something was wrong with her spiritual energy—unstable internal energy or even a regression in cultivation!

Too overwhelmed to reply, Ji Qingwu suddenly felt a strange sensation in her mind, and then Zhu Jiuyin’s voice filled her consciousness:

“What happened? Why is your spiritual energy reserve suddenly so depleted?”

Why had she suddenly entered her divine consciousness? Zhu Jiuyin hadn’t done this in a long time, leaving Ji Qingwu momentarily unsettled.

But she knew the other was just worried, so she suppressed her coughs and quickly replied:

“It’s nothing. I just used a tracking spell, which drained some spiritual energy. A few days of proper meditation will fix it.”

Zhu Jiuyin fell silent for a long moment, lost in thought. Seizing the chance to shift focus, Ji Qingwu said cheerfully:

“The skewers over there are ready. Come and eat.”

She picked up the skewers, placed them on a white porcelain plate, sprinkled some chili powder, and crouched to set the plate before the white snake.

It felt like feeding a pet… Emboldened by the thought, she reached out and gently stroked the snake’s small head.

The scales were cool to the touch, and the crimson eyes stared back at her without any trace of anger.

Ji Qingwu smiled warmly:

“Eat up before it gets cold. Last time you skipped a meal, you went berserk—clearly, you still need to eat.”

Zhu Jiuyin’s voice echoed in her mind, sounding dejected:

“That had nothing to do with it.”

Ji Qingwu stroked the snake’s head again. The lack of reaction made her bolder, and she found the cool, smooth texture amusing, petting it several more times—though she felt a bit like she was courting disaster.

“Whether it’s related or not, eating well never hurts.”

Ji Qingwu said.

The white snake’s translucent ruby-like eyes reflected Ji Qingwu’s face. In the darkness, she noticed how pale she looked—almost like staring into a mirror.

“You big fool.”

Zhu Jiuyin’s whisper suddenly echoed in her mind.

“Hey, why the sudden insult?”

Ji Qingwu was torn between laughter and exasperation.

“Big fool! That’s exactly what you are—a big fool!”

Zhu Jiuyin repeated it several times in her head, her tone not harsh but rather a helpless murmur. The usually sultry voice, resonating directly in her mind with such resignation, made it sound almost like coquettish whining.

“Alright, fine, I’m a big fool, happy now? Could you please get out of my head? This feels… really weird.”

Ji Qingwu scratched her ear as she spoke, feeling an itch in her head that made her wish she could reach inside to scratch it.

“Idiot.”

This time, the voice was real. Zhu Jiuyin had withdrawn from her mind, rolling his crimson eyes at her before cursing and lowering his head to gnaw on the skewers.

“Ugh… seriously, I made these skewers for you, and you still insult me.”

Of course, Ji Qingwu didn’t actually mind. She muttered the words but had already moved on to other tasks.

“It’s delicious. This is enough—stop cooking and go rest.”

Zhu Jiuyin suddenly lifted his head to call out to her.

“Huh? But there’s still some left—”

“Is my little slave disobeying?”

“…I told you I’m not your slave!”

“If my slave won’t listen, let me see… where should I bite you?”