Who was this so-called food bandit that usurped and robbed Ru Yijing of his necessities? Good question!
The food bandit seemed to materialize out of nowhere. It was on the second day of that one junior brother.. whose name Ru Yijing had already forgotten by now; to put that one inconsistency aside, after the tantalizing dishes had been delivered straight to Ru Yijing on a silver platter, was when a seemingly innocent snake slithered out of the hedges of the eerie forest near the peak's vicinity.
It was a very attractive snake, with shimmery scales that absorbed the sun rays, acting as a kaleidoscope, bouncing off the reflected light rays as a multitude of colours on the spectrum. Its length was about a metre long, and as it crept across the ground, its lengthy body would coil in hypnotizing annular swirls. With a head as small as a python's, the dichotomy of the massive body and the minuscule head would come off as a comical sight, if Ru Yijing had not been terrified out of his wits.
He had always been a common coward of those that were grotesque to the human eyes; the inhuman scaly bodies of reptiles, their jagged, sharp canines, their silver thin pupils like rifts that tore a sky. Even towards the littlest reptilians lizard that harmlessly clung onto a ceiling, Ru Yijing would let out an earth-shattering, high-pitched scream that could contest famous female opera singers— in the face of this huge, inhumane snake, he was scared into silence. The plate of curry that he had been previously holding slipped from his wobbly fingers, becoming strewn all over the ground. A piece of fatty chicken landed in front of the scaled creature, which in response, lowered its head and gobbled up the boneless meat.
Ru Yijing watched it swallow the lump of meat effortlessly, and imagined it were to be his leg instead that was being efficiently devoured at the speed of light, and he was even more terrified, which inevitably led him to be riveted to the spot.
There were moments in one's life where they would see something so horrifying, so spectral, so beyond their judgement, that they could only adopt the same mannerism of staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed, chained down to one's spot, unable to tear their eyes away from the fear-striking sight, and whilst this action of being simultaneously motionless and speechless betrayed the accordance of human behaviour to activate their fight or flight instinct, Ru Yijing could not perform the usual tasks that the special homeostasis system innate in humans should trigger.
In the blink of an eye, the creature had assimilated the meat into its digestive system. It perked its head up, knife-slit eyes pinning Ru Yijing down.
Ru Yijing did not say anything. It was better when he was unexpressive, for the original body had facial features that might seem akin to water, with agreeable eyes and kind lips, but there evoked a sense of oxymoron; where one would appear perfectly normal and ordinary on the outside, but the more presumably generic it was, the larger the feeling of incongruity would engender. When not donning an expression that would shatter this sense of discordance, the body resembled that of an unmoving statue. If the inner person was shaking, the body on the outside was as cool as an Okinawa cucumber, leaving an impression in someone that this person was definitely not an average cultivator.
Finally, the beast pried its mouth open, causing a thread-like, two-parted tongue to flicker out. The snake rattled its tail in satisfaction. "That was a good piece of meat, young cultivator. Would you share more of what you have on you?"
[ !!! .. This is not an ordinary snake! ]
Generally speaking, a talking snake was a concept so facetious that it should belong to a comic, or a fantasy story in which all animals could engage in conversations with fellow humans as if nothing was out of the blue. But, remembering that the setting of the story was supposed to take place in the cultivation world, where the impossible was as possible as finding pebbles at beach bays, it came as no surprise. However, seeing an occurrence that was deemed fictitious now in full-blown action before him, Ru Yijing could not help but be overtaken by surprise.
But, the face on the external was still expressionless.
The mythical beast thought to itself. 'Not bad. A righteous cultivator who does not whip his sword out immediately at the sight of me. Perhaps, he is the one who can help me from this dilemma!'
The appearance of a snake was nothing short of a bad omen. Snakes, in this cultivation setting, should be in a similar position as crows of the non-fictional world that were regarded as creatures signifying death. In this case, snakes did not entail the same crisis as those black-feathered creatures, but they were mainly the face of evil usage, making up a majority of the population of pets nurtured by those belonging to that of the demonic sect.
These scaled creatures, in built with venom and poison with intimidating teeth and peculiar shapes could adjure a feeling of evasiveness in humans. They would also bother innocent farmers, hiding amongst crops and ambushing them, dealing a fatal blow to the hard-working peasants. Naturally, they were not well-liked amongst the humans and immortal cultivators. The demonic cultivators found this ostracization of the snake species relatable and took them in as pets or subordinates. There were even cases of ordinary snake pets developing cognitive awareness after cultivating for centuries and finally gaining enlightenment. These snake creatures would take on the appearances of humans and wreak havoc in human villages.
So, it was no wonder that the immortal cultivators did not harbour affections for these creatures. If it were any other righteous cultivator in Ru Yijing's shoes, they would've long unsheathed their sword and chop the snake into a delicacy. Luckily, the mythical snake beast ran into someone who had a severe phobia of reptiles.
Ru Yijing recovered from the initial shock he received, and slowly, wordlessly pushed the plate of chicken curry towards the snake. The snake expressed its gratitude by rattling its tail ferociously and dunked its head into the plate, not even lifting it up to catch a breath of air. Looking at its savage way of consummation, Ru Yijing almost felt a semblance of pity. It seemed like the socially apt creature had been starved! In the end, it had no choice but to appeal to a righteous cultivator, knowing that if it had even showed its colorful head for a split second, the righteous cultivator would normally chase it down and turn it into stir-fried snake.
Ru Yijing watched it eat with a trace of sympathy.
Finally, after it was done, it saw Ru Yijing take out a small cup weaved from bamboo shoot, pouring a stream of water from the pitcher into the humble tumbler. Still, without uttering a single word, the immortal cultivator coldly and brusquely set the flask into the pavement, but maintained an appropriate distance between the two of them. Bearing kindness, but unwilling to cross the threshold of the juxtaposition, it was a quality of most immortal cultivators.
The snake lowered its thin irises to the still vessel of water which reflected back its own appearance; a cold-blooded reptile of golden eyes. Seemingly sneering to itself, the snake shimmied down and plunged its head into the water. After drinking its fill, the creature raised its head and batted its split tongue back and forth, hissing out a song of gratification.
"Thanks for the aid, kind sir. It seems that even with the multitude of praises the common folks sing for you band of righteous coterie, it will never capture the true benevolence of your people. To even treat a foreigner like me with sufficient decency, I will never forget it." The snake was talented in the way of pitching its words to resemble lines straight out of poems.
To further express the full extent of its appreciation, the creature bowed its head until it touched the ground. Ru Yijing had never experienced being paid respect in such a lurid manner, that he couldn't help but develop a tidbit of embarrassment. Talking snake or whatnot, when it showcased this deliberate display of garish gratefulness, naturally Ru Yijing could no longer keep up the reticence he so fervently preserved.
"...you don't have to thank me." Ru Yijing awkwardly turned his head to the side, averting his head from peering far too deeply into those eerie reptilian eyes, but in the viewpoints of others, even this faint movement could be translated into something much varying.
The snake narrowed its eyes. It seemed to be pleased. Rattling its tail furthermore, the snake broke out into a more obtrusive rhapsody of glorification.
"Is that so? The righteous cultivator is very kind! You don't mind me impeding on a little more food, do you?" As if anxious that Ru Yijing would suddenly develop a backbone and swing his sword out at him, the creature suddenly encroached into a sob-story.
"You see.. I, a mythical beast is fairly high-ranked among my peers! One day, some cultivators began to chase me out of my habitat when I was sleeping. And they were really persistent too, that bunch. I had undergone sleepless nights trying to escape them, and when I finally lost them, I realized I had trekked onto foreign land. But, what can I do? I'm a starved, pitiful snake with no place to call home! That's why.. I urge you, kind righteous man, to spare me some food!"
What kind of beggar was as eloquent as this? The saying 'give an inch, and they take a mile' certainly applied to this shameless snake whom had feasted on half of the portion of Ru Yijing's lunch, but still begged for more.
But, still.. if Ru Yijing had turned him down, the snake would certainly retaliate, wouldn't it? In addition to being banished by the sect's master, if he showed up with a pair of snake-driven holes, he feared the master would finally lose all patience with him and start swinging his magical sword at him. Ru Yijing had read passages of An Shirong's might and overpowering martial prowess that had ended the lives of numerous indomitable foes, and really feared that if An Shirong was hell-bent on erasing his existence, he could do so in a much painful manner!
The Great Sage Teacher may be a righteous immortal cultivator himself, but he was far from the morales that the righteous sect vigorously exemplified. The power of the righteous bunch was instilled through the avid belief of the humans in justice. An Shirong, who had amassed power far too great, was above figurative belief and intangible worship. Upon reaching enlightenment, the person had severed any sort of attachment to the human world; the pleasures, the pain, and the vicissitudes. Long gone were the days of sentiments. Where the heart was supposed to be, the heart of An Shirong had solidified into a stone. It was only Xun Yongdi who was able to reverse this, decaying the once steel-like heart into a puddle of molten rocks.
How woeful would it be? The rain had already fallen and pooled onto the ground, awaiting for the chance to rise back to the sky to reunite with the clouds, only for the Sun to quietly tuck itself away, and deny this forlorn puddle of rain the littlest speckle of light.
Thinking of this, Ru Yijing fell into silence. The snake took his quietness was an alternate form of acceptance, and without hesitance, sneaked its way into the basket. By the time Ru Yijing collected himself, the damn basket was cleared out to the point the snake could've eaten the leftover plates whole!
"You..!" Ru Yijing's fear was momentarily overtaken by the flare of anger. "How could you eat everything like a damn pig!? If you gobble up everything, then what is left for me! Moreso, my friend had picked out my favourite delicacies. If he knew.." Ru Yijing trailed off and gnashed his teeth, turning his head over his shoulder to glare at the snake in an aggrieved manner.
Further rubbing the salt into the wounds, it let out a boisterous burp; a sound that was so blaring the entire world seemed to still in that very moment.
Acknowledging that it really crossed the limits, the snake bowed its head in a pitiful manner.
"Aiya.. aiya.. don't blame this humble snake for leaping ahead. It's just that... I haven't eaten for numerous days by now.."
Ru Yijing pinched the area between his brows to cull the spiking hypertension. He eventually let out a teetering sigh. "Since you've already recovered your strength, you'll be properly able to hunt your own prey. So, why don't we just separate our paths with good blood?"
"Separate?" The snake mused like it was a quizzical thought. "That can't be. The kind righteous cultivator already extended his hand to help me. You can't recklessly throw away words and expect it to be all dandy."
"Dandy?" Ru Yijing exploded. "I can share you half of my food, but don't be so presumptuous! I..!"
Before Ru Yijing could say anything, the snake unhinged its jaw, letting its two front conspicuous canines glimmer with a faint lustre. The ends of the pair of incisors were needle-like sharp and long. It was ensured that if you were to be pricked by those thin spikes, they'd sink deep enough to reach the ligaments. All of a sudden, the trepidation that Ru Yijing had temporarily forgotten came back to him in a matter of seconds, and in its new emergence, amplified itself. He immediately changed the trajectory of his words, offering a pleasing, flattering smile towards the fanged creature.
Hehe. I was just kidding, good bro. Here, take my spouse, my house, my children, heck my life savings too. Just take them all, fuck!
[ System, is it fine if I just stone this snake to death? I mean, they don't seem like they're necessarily important to the storyli.. ]
[ They're one of the main love interests of the protagonist. ] The system ruthlessly shut down his suggestion.
[ ... No way. That can't be! What kind of love interest of the mighty protagonist shou be so ditzy and selfish! I refuse to believe that this amazing son of mine even have the slightest inkling of eloping with such low level men! ]
Ru Yijing's opinion on Xun Yongdi seemed to have developed more intimately these days. After witnessing the dire lengths the protagonist was willing to go in order to make sure Ru Yijing still received sustenance after the sect cruelly tossed him out into the wild to fend and feed himself, he had became an avid fan of Xun Yongdi. This kind of paternal fan was also the kind to transition into the mob-like fan that was willing to tear down whoever insulted their bias. The most dangerous kind of fan to exist!
It was as though the Ru Yijing from a couple days ago who treated the protagonist with alienation was an illusion. Now, he seemed to seriously consider himself the father figure of the protagonist that had the right to turn down capture targets he deemed unworthy of holding a candle to his dearest baby Xun Yongdi. It was impressive how the human psyche could turn on itself so easily when lured with the prospect of food.
[ This person is actually Shen Zilong, the second love target. The person who will come to be known as the ruler of the Devil's Continent, and the future inheritor of the throne ruling all demonic cultivators. As of right now, sincerely following the plot, he has yet to sprout into an omnipotent dragon. ]
Oh. After hearing the name 'Shen Zilong,' memories of the novel returned back to Ru Yijing at full speed.
The demonic cultivator Shen Zilong was the most popular coupling the author of the novel had created! In fact, it was so well-known that snapshots of the couple even once graced the billboards that had been paid by devoted supporters. When Ru Yijing saw a billboard of the CP once, all he could think was that if An Shirong were standing beside Xun Yongdi, it would've been an even more beautiful picture.
[ Ha.. I can't believe it. Such a powerful character is now robbing an innocent of their food. It is to say, you can already tell the kind of person Shen Zilong will become in the future. ] Ru Yijing sighed.
Knowing this piece of information that the silly creature in front of him was the future harbinger of cruelty and chaos, the gaze that he directed towards the snake seemed to noticeably shift. The snake was unaware that his identity had been exposed, and continued to put its sharp fangs out in the open; an open challenge towards Ru Yijing.
Ru Yijing was planning to live on in this world for a while, so he decided to lay down his cards and try to carry favour with the future demonic ruler.
And, he certainly wished that he hadn't. Not to repeat the saying once again, but.. give the damn bastard an inch, he would cross a whole kilometre! Multiple days had passed and the creature began to show up accurately to all the meal times. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, all accurate! To the point his ability to pinpoint the exact location and the presumed time was so hateful. He would forcibly pilfer half of Ru Yijing's meals, and if Ru Yijing even showed a bit of vindication, he would once again brandish his teeth, and Ru Yijing successfully quelled down into submission.
Ru Yijing was beginning to tire of this consistent manner of continued looting.
The seventh day was no different from Shen Zilong's unscrupulous act of routinely invasion, bringing us back to the very moment that Ru Yijing was barely able to grasp a single rice grain with his chopsticks.
The cold wind billowed against his face, rustling the nearby wild hedges, slinking unobtrusively under the linen linings of the robes. Following the quiet rustle of the wild hedges, a creature slithered from beneath a rock, trailing towards Ru Yijing.
Ru Yijing tensed, but the reaction wasn't as timid as before. Seven days spent with this sham artist, Ru Yijing had grown unabashed throughout the past days, and sat cross-legged in front of Shen Zilong, turning a blind eye towards his presence and shoved a spoonful of rice into his mouth.
"Hey." Shen Zilong intercepted. "Give me meat."
If there was one thing to be known about Shen Zilong, he wasn't as unreasonable as your first impression from his grandiose title as the 'Ruler of All Demons' would signify. The Shen Zilong in front of him could be bantered and consulted with; his terms weren't outrageous. All he wanted from Ru Yijing for the following days was to share his nourishments with the creature, since unexpectedly, during the time before he met Xun Yongdi, the latter spent most of his time in a weakened, hunted state.
Ru Yijing did not know how Shen Zilong's life was prior the novel's timeline, and did not wish to know, but he could infer a thing or two from Shen Zilong's evasive attitude when met with the question alluding to why he was on the run.
Grumbling to himself, Ru Yijing did not openly display his dissatisfaction with their arrangements, but he was forced to forfeit his meat to the snake. It was quite a harmonious sight, to see the human and the snake live in peaceful cohabitation without crossing each other's lines. If this were to continue on going any longer, Ru Yijing feared he'd turn into a sap before he could even meet An Shirong and accomplish his mission. With a mournful look, he pitifully scoffed down the plain bowl of rice topped with few shakes of salt and a dash of oil.
After finishing their meals in silence, Shen Zilong seemed to develop a desire for talking.
"Why'd you even get evicted from the sect in the first place?" The future demonic ruler appeared to be deeply curious about the state of Ru Yijing.
"..." Ru Yijing quietly packed the dishes back into the basket with no answer.
"You don't feel like talking?" There was a semblance of a smile in Shen Zilong's voice.
"Alright. I'll make you talk—" Saying this, Ru Yijing felt the ghost of canines brush against his ankle. With a strangled scream, he immediately retracted back his leg. This all happened in such a swift motion that it could've left an afterimage because of the sheer quickness. Rubbing his ankles, Ru Yijing was relieved to see that it sported no conspicuous holes. However, the perpetrator remained unperturbed, seemingly satisfied at how he goaded a response from Ru Yijing.
Ru Yijing caved in. "I fell into qi deviation and got possessed by a ghost."
"Qi deviation..." Shen Zilong's knife-slit irises sparkled with a glint that Ru Yijing did not appreciate. "But, this is a plague that affects all immortal cultivators who are on the perpetual pursuit for enlightenment. Why is it that you're the one singled out to shiver in the cold?"
The mention of 'cold' was enough for Ru Yijing to start trembling when the memories of An Shirong's glaring eyes fluttered in his consciousness. The whites of his eyes were really too white, and the blackness of his pupils were really too black. Together, it conformed a picture of dullness, a pitch-black abyss that had restricted themselves to two pupils residing in a sea of whiteness. Recalling the feeling of being imprisoned in that naked gaze, Ru Yijing felt a chill climb up his spine. He shook off the sensation.
"I don't know." Ru Yijing replied glumly.
"I heard rumours that An Shirong has a heart colder than ice. It appears the rumours are to be true. How could he leave such an obedient discipline out here? My heart aches for you!" Shen Zilong bellowed, even going as far as to tut lamentably. "If it were me, I'd cherish this servile student of mine. It is most rewarding for a master when their pupil heeds their command, is it not?"
Ru Yijing peeked at Shen Zilong from the corners of his eyes. Even if the other was in the form of a snake creature, he had a sense that Shen Zilong was smiling at him. This image was too mentally scarring.
Demonic cultivators had a way of twisting their words to resemble fruits of temptation. Their promises were like locked vaults, as if containing the sweetest ambrosia known to mankind, but if you were to be fooled and blindly follow their words, you'd come to know that this vault you unlocked was nothing but a fake illusion. Each had their own ways of survival. If the aspiration of the righteous cultivators lied in the way they chased liberation from mortally restraints, then the survival of the demonic cultivators was to fool, to confuse, and to blindside their prey.
In a way, they were like penniless con-artists trying to scrape together bills to sustain their living. Ru Yijing had no personal opinion on their methods of operation, but he did not wish to be at the end of a demonic cultivator's imposture.
Seeing how Ru Yijing didn't respond to him, Shen Zilong's smile became unnatural. He rounded around Ru Yijing, who tried his best to resist the urge to simply bludgeon the snake. As he circled around Ru Yijing, the snake continued to tut in a voice that was low-baritone and magnetic, at complete odds with his reptilian farce.
"Come to the forest with me. Abandon your ways of righteousness. I will teach you a lesson you'll never forget."
Finally, Shen Zilong revealed his true intentions.