"... On the western shore, the sound of birds and flowing springs,
A river stretches, with countless trees and mountains connected;
Since ancient times, heroes have gathered here,
And the village is nestled by a serene stream."
A voice, tinged with sorrow and lingering like a soft breeze, reached his ears. Slowly regaining consciousness, Li Xiaobai opened his eyes. The surrounding light was dim, revealing jagged stones, as though he were in a cavern.
Scattered on the stone walls, unknown crystalline clusters emitted a faint yellow glow, one cluster here, another there, barely illuminating his surroundings.
"Where am I? Hiss!"
Realizing he was leaning against a cold, hard rock, Li Xiaobai inhaled sharply. Every part of his body ached, as if every bone in his body had shattered.
"Eh! Young master, you're awake?"
The voice of the woman sounded once more, followed by the rustling of movement growing ever nearer.
Using the dim glow from the crystal clusters, Li Xiaobai's eyes widened in shock, his body trembling involuntarily.
My goodness, such a huge snake!
The serpent's body, as thick as a barrel, was at least fifty to sixty feet long. It reared up, its golden slit-pupiled eyes coldly staring at him, its long, forked tongue flicking in and out.
But where was the sorrowful, artistic young woman?
Li Xiaobai glanced around but saw no one. His heart sank.
Could it be that he was devoured by this giant serpent before he even had the chance to scream?
"What is the young master looking at?"
The voice came from the giant snake.
"You... you can speak?"
Li Xiaobai stared at the snake, dumbfounded. In his shock, he momentarily forgot the pain that wracked his body.
"I am a demon, of course I can speak!"
The great serpent twisted its body sensually, much like a beautiful woman showing off her slender waist, exuding a mysterious allure.
A female serpent.
"How did I end up here? Where is this place?"
Li Xiaobai recalled his memories before he lost consciousness. He should have been in Xiyan Town, fighting alongside the old knife wielder's gang of horse bandits. He only remembered a flurry of dust and stones before everything went dark.
"Hee hee! Naturally, it was I who brought you here! This is my dwelling, deep within Mount Kunlun."
The snake's voice held a tone of smug satisfaction, as it continued to coil itself, a soft glow enveloping its body. Suddenly, an incredible transformation took place, and its scales split open to reveal a human-like form beneath. A slender, curvaceous woman emerged from the serpent's skin, her figure beautifully contoured, her pink nipples barely visible.
Upon closer inspection, the snake's scales had transformed into a flowing gown, covering the newly emerged woman's body.
Li Xiaobai gasped sharply. She was no mere serpent, but a powerful demon capable of assuming human form.
"Greetings, young master. May you live long and prosper!"
The snake-woman bowed gracefully, though her movements were stiff, clearly unfamiliar with human customs.
"Y-You... are you going to eat me? I-I must warn you, my flesh is not tasty. Not only is it sour, but it's also poisonous enough to kill you!"
Faced with the humanoid snake demon, Li Xiaobai could only try to bluster his way through the situation.
"Poisonous? Can it harm me?"
The dim light from the crystal clusters highlighted the demoness's face, which bore a sharp, alluring beauty. She raised her head and gently blew towards a crystal cluster the size of a fist. A wisp of black mist drifted from her lips and swiftly consumed the light, snuffing it out.
The crystal cluster then transformed into sand, disintegrating and vanishing into the stone wall.
Such potent poison!
Li Xiaobai was struck with a sudden fear. Indeed, she was no ordinary serpent, but a demon of considerable power. Her sharp, angular features were exactly as described in the ancient legends.
At this point, he was still concerned about his looks, rather than the danger of being devoured.
"My flesh really isn't worth eating, and I haven't bathed in days! I'm dirty and stinky, why don't you take a sniff?"
Li Xiaobai, desperate to buy some time, attempted to speak his way out of the situation, all the while frantically brainstorming an escape plan. He certainly did not want to be turned into snake droppings—he had to keep his face intact!
The snake-woman seemed to see through his feigned bravado, her eyes glinting with an unreadable expression.
"Do not waste your time, young master. A human who has consumed the Empire's essence and the Chaotic Lotus, an ancient treasure coveted by all demon-kind... even if I were to spare you, other demons would not."
"Empire's essence? What is that?"
Li Xiaobai froze. He was being held captive here as food, but there was more to this than he initially thought.
The two mysterious terms—Empire's essence and Chaotic Lotus—somehow triggered a flash of recollection within him.
Caves, a stone bowl, a crystal-clear lotus flower like glass...
The snake-woman's eyes gleamed with a mixture of desire and cunning. She thought to herself that after devouring him, she would become a great demon, leading her own faction and no longer subject to the whims of other, more powerful beings.
She was about to say more when a buzzing sound suddenly filled the cavern, growing louder and louder, making the very stone walls tremble.
The snake-woman's expression changed slightly. She quickly moved toward Li Xiaobai, covering his mouth with her soft, fragrant hand.
"Shh!"
The unexpected contact sent a strange scent through the air. Li Xiaobai's senses clouded for a moment, as if the touch alone had drained him of his will.
Just as he was about to instinctively shout, the snake-woman's slit pupils flashed, and his consciousness dulled once again.
The sound of a sword ringing through the air interrupted them. Both Li Xiaobai and the snake-woman flinched.
But while Li Xiaobai quickly regained his clarity, the snake-woman's form flickered, her human shape nearly breaking apart as her scales reappeared. Her golden eyes widened in surprise, as though something about him was far more complicated than she had first believed.
Before she could speak again, a voice from outside interrupted:
"Little snake demon, the three-eyed evil lion commands you to report to Lion Peak. Do not delay."
"Rest easy, young master. I will return shortly. Remember, my name is Qing Yao."
With a playful flick of her tongue, the snake-woman grinned, then transformed back into her serpent form and slithered away.
"That pesky wasp demon has ruined my dream!"
Her voice was still as sweet as a bird's song, even as she vanished into the distance.
Li Xiaobai, breathing a sigh of relief, could only collapse in his spot, drenched in sweat. He wasn't sure if it was from the pain or the fear.
That snake-woman truly fit the description of the legendary serpent spirit: sharp features, a seductively perfect figure, and more terrifyingly cunning than he had ever imagined.
Now alone in the cavern, Li Xiaobai tried to rise, but found his body still too weak to move. The snake demon had clearly known that he had no strength left to escape.
The demon had undoubtedly made her decision to feast on him, and she had been quite confident of it.
The snake-woman's lies were as easy to spot as her deadly allure.
Sss... Sss...
From the shadows, two thick snakes silently reared up near Li Xiaobai's feet, their forked tongues flicking, preparing to strike.
His thoughts of escape vanished. This was no longer just about surviving the snake demon; he now had to face something far worse.
His mind went blank in panic.
So, this was the "double insurance" she'd planned! What a cunning demoness.