"If chickens, dogs, cattle, and sheep consume the imperial nectar, they will transform into monstrous beings—demonic chickens, dogs, cattle, and sheep. Is that the case?"
Li Xiaobai sucked in a sharp breath. The imperial nectar was akin to an evolution cheat—just one drop could turn a naïve, ignorant beast into a wise creature capable of speech and even casting spells.
In his heart, an ominous premonition stirred.
"Indeed, that is the truth!"
The serpent-woman, Qing Yao, did not deny it. After all, it was a fact.
"But what about humans? If they consume the imperial nectar, would they become human-demons?"
Xiaobai's face turned a shade of green without his realizing.
The imperial nectar was a treasure of the demon race, transforming any creature that consumed it—chickens into demonic chickens, cows into water buffalo demons, tigers into tiger demons, serpents into snake demons, bears into bear demons, and so on. Following this logic, a human who drank the imperial nectar would inevitably become a human-demon.
And what was a human-demon? Perhaps no one understood better than Li Xiaobai—a eunuch was merely a man who had lost his most prized possession, but a human-demon was an even more grotesque transformation, someone who was neither man nor woman, entirely devoid of either identity.
In fragmented memories, it seemed that he had unwittingly consumed an entire bowl of the milky, mysterious liquid.
Destiny was a cruel mistress, but this was beyond the pale!
"Hehe, young master, that will not happen!"
Qing Yao's laughter rang like a series of delicate silver bells, perhaps aided by both her medicinal treatment and the demon power coursing through her; her spirits had clearly lifted.
The imperial nectar was a gift to demons, not to humans. Humans had their own fortune, their magic, their formations, their enchanted tools, and were born with the potential to awaken their minds, making the nectar unnecessary for their first step toward enlightenment.
"Could it be... a demon-human?"
Li Xiaobai's breath hitched, but Qing Yao's answer quickly eased his worries, though doubts still lingered.
The thought of a substance that could turn ordinary creatures into monsters, and make demons stronger, potentially having unpredictable and harmful side effects on humans, was deeply unsettling.
"That is also not the case. You need not worry, young master!"
Qing Yao shook her head, smiling as she dismissed his suspicions. His paranoid response was, to her eyes, utterly naïve and absurd, a stark contrast to the seriousness with which he had just tended to her wounds.
Still, she was almost certain that he had, by accident, ingested the imperial nectar, which was why he now carried its unmistakable scent. No normal person would ever willingly drink such a thing, even if they were bargaining with a demon. There were far too many unimaginable benefits to be gained in such exchanges.
For a human to drink the imperial nectar was nearly unthinkable for demons—it was akin to wasting a precious treasure, akin to a cow chewing on peony petals.
There had been demons of old who had experimented with humans drinking the nectar, and even when the human was consumed by the demon, nothing changed. There was no transformation, no metamorphosis.
"So, what happens then?"
Li Xiaobai asked, anxiety clear in his voice.
"The imperial nectar has no effect on humans, young master. You need not fear turning into a human-demon or a demon-human, but..." Qing Yao's tone shifted. She saw his expression change, then smiled faintly, adding, "Your body and blood will emit the scent of the imperial nectar, which will strongly attract us demons. And if we were to consume you... we could gain strength."
As she spoke, she even flicked out her tongue like a snake, a reminder of the predatory nature she'd once considered acting upon when she first captured him.
Li Xiaobai slumped to the ground.
Demons, after all, were not picky eaters. Now, wasn't he just the perfect prey for them? This was a disaster waiting to happen.
Staring at the serpent-woman, he suddenly shuddered, as if she had become the last straw for his survival. Desperately, he seized her cool, soft hand... even though she, too, had once planned to eat him.
"Tell me, is there a way to remove the imperial nectar from my body, without you having to consume me?"
Despite the fact that it would neither harm nor benefit his body, the fact that it would attract demons was more than enough to unsettle Li Xiaobai.
"How much imperial nectar did you ingest, young master?"
Qing Yao's golden slit pupils locked onto him with intense focus.
She was still at the early stage of her transformation, her human form imperfect. If she had been of a higher stage, her pupils would have been indistinguishable from a human's.
Li Xiaobai hesitated before raising one finger.
"One... one bowl."
"One drop? Wait a moment..."
Qing Yao's expression shifted, disbelief evident as she repeated, "One bowl?"
"Yes, a full bowl!"
Li Xiaobai's face twitched, noticing her reaction. It seemed... off.
"One bowl?"
Qing Yao was nearly on the brink of losing her composure, but somehow managed to stifle her emotional outburst.
She had assumed that this human had accidentally ingested a few drops of the imperial nectar, not a whole bowl—an entire bowl that had been lost by the demons!
Was the imperial nectar some kind of thirst-quenching fruit juice to him? Did he just gulp it all down in one go?
Such waste!
For a moment, Qing Yao was so furious she almost wanted to devour him on the spot.
One bowl of imperial nectar, a treasure that could send the entire demon race into a frenzy! And it was consumed by a human?
Her mind raced—how had this human stolen the nectar from the demon ancestors? The ancestral demon was in the realm of Xuanbian, a being so powerful that even masters of human magic and divine arts could do little to oppose them. The theft of such an item was unthinkable.
"Is... is there a way?"
Li Xiaobai asked, his desperation rising.
If Qing Yao could remove the nectar peacefully, then perhaps she would lose interest in his blood, for in the grand scheme of things, a mere human was no match for the value of the nectar.
"No."
Qing Yao's voice was sharp as she yanked her hands away from him, turning her back and refusing to even glance in his direction.
Just a few drops of imperial nectar were enough to incite bloodshed among demons below the True Dan realm. Even she had nearly lost her life over it. A hundred drops would be irresistible to even the most powerful demons, and the Kunlun Demon Palace had offered a generous reward for its return.
But here was this human, chugging an entire bowl—an entire bowl! How could Qing Yao not be enraged?
A thousand years' worth of nectar, wasted in such a manner!
If she had it, perhaps she could have even risen to become one of the demon ancestors, as powerful as the Three-Eyed Evil Lion Mu Du, capable of slaying hundreds with a single slap.
But now, that very nectar was a massive problem. A few drops, a little blood loss each day, and it would dissipate naturally. But a full bowl... Even though it had no effect on the human body, it must have seeped into his very bones. There was no way to get rid of it other than consuming him.
Qing Yao hesitated. Had it been earlier, when she first captured him, she would have eaten him without a second thought, but now...
Why couldn't she bring herself to do it?
Perhaps it was the haunting sound of the sword's mystical hum, or the sharp flash of light that had killed the bear demon with a single strike. Or perhaps it was the warmth of the human's hands upon her wounds, or some other indescribable feeling.
In just two days, Qing Yao was stunned by how her heart had shifted.
The fire flickered, and the warm cave fell into a long silence.
"Are you going to eat me, Qing Yao?"
Li Xiaobai's voice broke the silence, much like it had in the serpent's lair.
Eat, or not eat?
Survival, or death?
It was, undeniably, a crucial question.
The demoness turned swiftly, advancing a few steps before speaking coldly:
"Hmph! Of course I will eat you. Otherwise, what a waste of that entire bowl of nectar. I'll savor you slowly."
Li Xiaobai's face turned ashen as he fell back to the ground, not realizing the mischievous gleam in her eyes.
Suddenly, he found himself in the classic role of the farmer in the fable "The Farmer and the Serpent."
Demons were, after all, bound to eat humans. Were they even demons if they did not?
In an instant, Qing Yao leapt into his arms, and he felt the tremendous pressure of her... certain parts.
Then, a sharp pain in his neck made him stiffen, unable to move.
Before he could react, she retreated, a pleased smile on her face as she licked her lips, no longer