How to Raise a Crazy Beautiful Snake Demon - Chapter 23

Zhu Jiuyin had already bared her fangs. Merely licking away those delicious tears with her serpent’s tongue wasn’t enough—she wanted more, much more… She longed to sink her teeth into that supple flesh, biting down hard without letting go, tearing, pulling, plunging deep again and again… She wanted to devour her whole, starting with every inch of skin, every drop of tears, until nothing remained…

 

 

Until a sharp pain struck. Zhu Jiuyin abruptly retracted her tongue, twisting her head back as fury flashed in her eyes. She tilted her head to locate the source of the pain, hissing ominously.

 

 

At the edge of a wound that hadn’t yet healed, several scales had been completely torn off, bl00d slowly seeping out and dripping into a pale, delicate palm.

 

 

It was Ji Qingwu—who could barely stand and seemed powerless to resist—deliberately digging her fingers into the wound, peeling off scales and breaking the skin, forcing Zhu Jiuyin to wake from her animalistic frenzy with unbearable pain.

 

 

Realizing what had happened, Zhu Jiuyin roared in anger:

 

 

“You actually tore off my scales?!”

 

 

Ji Qingwu finally relaxed, exhaling deeply. The corners of her eyes were red from being licked, but she gripped the wound and struggled to stand straight:

 

 

“You started it by acting crazy and touching me!”

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin furrowed her brows deeply. With her enlarged head, even the smallest expressions were exaggerated. A small ridge of flesh rose between her eyes, mimicking a human frown, as she argued shamelessly:

 

 

“You agreed to let me eat you.”

 

 

Ji Qingwu:

 

 

“Every excuse you make, I’ll peel off another scale.”

 

 

Her fingers were already poised on the next scale, her gaze fixed on the giant serpent. Though her face still bore the flush of being overpowered, her eyes and movements were resolute—clearly, she meant it.

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin knew when to quit. The lingering taste of tears on her tongue had left her somewhat satisfied:

 

 

“Fine, fine… I’ll stop talking, alright?”

 

 

Ji Qingwu:

 

 

“Move back. I have something serious to say.”

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin leaned her head and neck back slightly, leaving a normal distance between them:

 

 

“Go on.”

 

 

Ji Qingwu scowled and gestured at the serpentine coils surrounding her:

 

 

“And get rid of these too.”

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin:

 

 

“I was just trying to support you… Never mind.”

 

 

Seeing the warning in Ji Qingwu’s eyes, Zhu Jiuyin grumbled but slowly unwound her tail, retracting it behind her.

 

 

“Happy now?”

 

 

“Mm. Do you remember what I asked you earlier?”

 

 

“What question?”

 

 

“Knew you weren’t listening… I asked, how small can you shrink now?”

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin lifted her head proudly:

 

 

“What, don’t like my majestic form?”

 

 

Ji Qingwu sighed:

 

 

“So you plan to follow me around like this? If you won’t transform, I won’t take you out.”

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin considered retaliating, but the throbbing pain from her missing scales changed her mind. She relented:

 

 

“Fine, watch.”

 

 

In a flash of light, the massive white serpent vanished.

 

 

Ji Qingwu blinked in surprise, then immediately scanned the ground. The floor was spotless, not a speck of dust in sight, but it still took her a moment to spot a tiny white thread.

 

 

She approached cautiously, stunned:

 

 

“…An earthworm?”

 

 

 

It was even smaller than the earthworms she’d seen before—tiny and pale, somewhat resembling the glittery hair ties popular among girls in her childhood.

 

 

“#￥@！￥%#!”

 

 

There came faint murmuring, but Ji Qingwu couldn’t make out the words—it sounded like mosquito buzzing.

 

 

“To think it can shrink this small…”

 

 

“Stupid slave! Don’t you dare call me an earthworm!”

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin’s furious curse exploded in Ji Qingwu’s consciousness. The little white hair tie bounced angrily on the ground.

 

 

“Pfft… You didn’t need to shrink quite this much. Make yourself a bit bigger.”

 

 

Ji Qingwu suppressed her laughter as she spoke.

 

 

Another flash of light, and Zhu Jiuyin returned to her previous small snake form, about the length of Ji Qingwu’s arm. Her crimson eyes glared as she angrily projected into Ji Qingwu’s mind:

 

 

“You’d better have a good plan! Making me transform back and forth here—are you making fun of me?”

 

 

Ji Qingwu couldn’t suppress her smile as she gestured with her hands:

 

 

“My plan is sound. It’s just… you’ll need to shrink a bit more, about half your current size…”

 

 

The little snake slapped her tail against the ground in frustration, tongue flickering angrily. Yet under Ji Qingwu’s expectant gaze, she shrank further until she was about half the length of Ji Qingwu’s forearm.

 

 

“This should suffice now!”

 

 

After measuring the tiny snake against her arm, Ji Qingwu nodded:

 

 

“Perfect. How about… no, forget the day after tomorrow. Come out with me tomorrow.”

 

 

The miniature white snake draped over her arm, crimson eyes slanting suspiciously as her voice echoed in Ji Qingwu’s mind:

 

 

“All those demands of mine—you can really fulfill them? Just by me being this small?”

 

 

Ji Qingwu nodded confidently:

 

 

“Yes.”

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin grew more doubtful:

 

 

“This feels incredibly unreliable. You’re not tricking me again, are you?”

 

 

With a knowing smile, Ji Qingwu reassured:

 

 

“When have I ever deceived you? Don’t worry.”

 

 

As she moved to set the snake down, she couldn’t resist playing with it for a while, her lips curving as her expression softened:

 

 

“You’re much cuter when you’re small. When you grow big, I… feel somewhat embarrassed.”

 

 

The pliant little snake allowed itself to be toyed with, simply raising its head to gaze into Ji Qingwu’s eyes. At this tiny scale, Ji Qingwu’s eyes appeared enormous—dark and luminous, with moonlight dancing in their depths like rippling water filled with tender affection.

 

 

And there, perfectly framed between those autumn-wave eyes, the tiny snake’s reflection swayed with the moonbeams.

 

 

After a long pause, Zhu Jiuyin quietly retorted:

 

 

“Why be embarrassed? I’m still the same snake.”

 

 

Ji Qingwu murmured:

 

 

“It feels completely different.”

 

 

Their conversation ended there. After exchanging glances, both fell silent by unspoken agreement.

 

 

Ji Qingwu placed Zhu Jiuyin back on the ground. The snake resumed her three-meter-long form, watching Ji Qingwu’s movements intently.

 

 

Scattered in the distance were several snake scales, gleaming white—hard and brilliant, clearly extraordinary treasures.

 

 

In a rare moment of initiative, Zhu Jiuyin withdrew from Ji Qingwu’s consciousness and called out from behind her:

 

 

“My scales make excellent materials with protective properties. Since you’re the one who plucked them off, consider them your gift.”

 

 

Ji Qingwu turned back in surprise:

 

 

“You’re giving me the scales I forcibly took from you? No revenge?”

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin grinned in the moonlight, fangs glinting coldly—an expression more threatening than smiling:

 

 

“Wasting those discarded scales would be foolish. Besides, do I seem like the petty type?”

 

 

Ji Qingwu raised an eyebrow:

 

 

 

“Isn’t that so?”

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin:

 

 

“You dare say it is?”

 

 

Ji Qingwu also smiled, then suddenly changed the subject, her voice muffled:

 

 

“I don’t think you are. You’re a good person, that’s why I… am bad.”

 

 

Before she could finish, she hastily picked up a few scales and hurried into her room.

 

 

Leaving Zhu Jiuyin standing there, tilting her head in confusion as she stared at the silhouette on the window paper.

 

 

The light inside the room suddenly went out, and the beauty’s shadow vanished, no longer allowing her to look.

 

 

Zhu Jiuyin stood dazed for a long moment before lowering her head and leaving, retreating to rest on the large bed alone.

 

 

Humans… truly have cunning minds, impossible for a snake to decipher.

 

 

–

 

That day, dozens of disciples gathered outside the grand hall, whispering excitedly among themselves, their faces alight with barely contained enthusiasm.

 

 

“Hey! Have you heard? It’s today! She’s coming!”

 

 

“Ugh, I miss her so much… It’s been a month! I can’t hold back my longing anymore!”

 

 

A young girl who looked no older than fourteen or fifteen stepped forward, blinking her large eyes:

 

 

“Excuse me… who is everyone talking about? I only became an inner sect disciple a month ago…”

 

 

Seeing a newcomer, the others were happy to explain, chattering all at once:

 

 

“Of course, it’s the Eldest Senior Sister! The closed-door disciple of the Jade Pure Sect’s Sect Master, a once-in-a-generation genius cultivator! Currently the strongest among all disciples, with dual spiritual roots of water and fire—supreme talent combined with relentless effort. She’s the very model we aspire to! The hope of our entire sect!”

 

 

“Oh? Then why haven’t I seen her this past month?”

 

 

“Ah! The Eldest Senior Sister was confined for a month—the first time ever! You just happened to arrive during it.”

 

 

“Did the Eldest Senior Sister make a mistake? Why was she confined?”

 

 

“Me! I know the details! Apparently, on a dark and windy night a month ago, she nearly suffered a qi deviation while cultivating. But the Eldest Senior Sister is incredibly knowledgeable—she never forgets anything she’s read. She’d just studied a culinary cultivation manual and used its methods to regulate her qi, succeeding in one go! How amazing is that? To recover from qi deviation without a guardian—no one else in the entire Jade Pure Sect could’ve done it!”

 

 

“But because she took some ingredients from the kitchen late at night, the Discipline Hall’s elder caught her, hence the month-long confinement. Honestly, it’s completely unfair! She shouldn’t have been punished—she should’ve been rewarded! She pioneered a whole new cultivation method!”

 

 

“I also heard that during this month, the Eldest Senior Sister never abandoned culinary cultivation. She even requested a lot of food and crops from a senior sister in charge of the inner storeroom. Maybe her cultivation has already advanced further—that’s just like her!”

 

 

“Shh! She’s here! Ahhh, move aside, I want to be in front to welcome her!”

 

 

Several young female disciples rushed to the front of the crowd, their faces flushed with excitement as they gazed at the distant sky—including the fourteen-year-old newcomer, now filled with admiration.

 

 

Beyond the layered clouds, a gleaming sword embedded with fire-crystal gems was the first to emerge from the mist.

 

 

An eager junior sister quickly explained to the newcomer:

 

 

“That’s the only dual-element sword in the entire sect—water and fire! A top-grade weapon custom-made for the Eldest Senior Sister by the Sect Master. It’s one of her most well-known traits! Next should be her plain, unadorned blue robes—that’s the second trait. The Eldest Senior Sister never changes them… Huh?”

 

 

 

The junior sister’s questioning tone lingered, all because the person standing on that sword wore a flowing white gauze robe with cherry-blossom pink inner garments, a pale lotus-root belt, and golden cloud patterns embroidered at the cuffs and hem, faintly revealing delicate lotus-hued embroidered shoes.

 

 

“This… doesn’t seem like the Eldest Senior Sister’s style at all…”

 

 

Just as everyone was puzzled, suddenly the clouds parted and the mist cleared. The Eldest Senior Sister’s coldly elegant face looked down upon them.

 

 

A pristine white hair ribbon gathered her thick raven locks behind her head. Those jet-black eyes always carried that same detached expression, as if all the world’s troubles were beneath her notice.

 

 

Her gaze swept across each person, giving a slight nod that could have been either greeting or mere habit—yet it sent the crowd into frenzied excitement like oil meeting boiling water.

 

 

“Ahhhhh! Eeeeeeek!”

 

 

“So beautiful! She looked at me—I’m going to faint—”

 

 

“Who said this outfit doesn’t suit her? It’s absolutely perfect!”

 

 

“Wuwuwu… how did Eldest Senior Sister become even more breathtaking after a month’s confinement…”

 

 

The ethereal senior sister alighted gracefully, her long sword disappearing into her storage ring. The surrounding disciples’ worshipful admiration was palpable, yet none dared approach, only respectfully clearing a wide path while lining up with burning gazes on either side.

 

 

Ji Qingwu walked forward, feeling rather like a celebrity walking the red carpet in her past life—an unfamiliar sensation. But she had no attention to spare for this, her focus entirely consumed by a certain part of her body.

 

 

At that precise moment, a fourteen-year-old girl shrieked:

 

 

“There’s a snake!”

 

 

Others had seen it too but remained silent. Now that the girl had voiced it, all eyes turned to the senior sister’s… wrist, holding their breath.

 

 

Ji Qingwu paused, sweeping a stern gaze across the crowd before settling on the girl, who shrank back fearfully, too terrified to speak.

 

 

Approaching her, Ji Qingwu raised her left wrist—the object of everyone’s attention—and presented it:

 

 

“You mean her?”

 

 

Coiled around that fair wrist was a white-scaled serpent with crimson eyes, wrapped twice around with head meeting tail, strikingly conspicuous at first glance.

 

 

Then Ji Qingwu’s calm voice resonated through the crowd:

 

 

“This is merely my newly crafted protective artifact—a serpent bracelet.”

 

 

Immediately, everyone exclaimed:

 

 

“Wow! Now that you mention it, it really is a snake-shaped bracelet!”

 

 

“It’s so realistic! I almost mistook it for a real one.”

 

 

“Eldest Senior Sister’s craftsmanship is incredible! Who knew her artifact-forging skills had advanced so far…”

 

 

Several voices chorused together:

 

 

“A model for us all!”

 

 

With a flick of her sleeve, Ji Qingwu concealed the serpent bracelet within her voluminous robes and walked away with perfect composure.

 

 

In reality, Zhu Jiuyin—currently disguised as jewelry through illusion magic—was threateningly nibbling at her wrist.

 

 

Hidden from view beneath layers of fabric, the little snake now pressed against the inner side of her wrist, its teeth lightly grinding against the skin, causing both itchiness and pain.

 

 

Ji Qingwu subtly adjusted her sleeve to better conceal the disgruntled white serpent turned bracelet.

 

 

There was no helping it. She could only hope the snake would behave when meeting the elders later…

 

 

“Mmmph.”

 

 

The serpent gave a particularly rough lick against the pulse point on her inner wrist, the strange abrasive sensation of its tongue dragging across throbbing veins.

 

 

 

Ji Qingwu suppressed a moan, nearly losing her footing. In front of so many people, she dared not even blush as the snake licked her skin.

 

 

What a wicked serpent!