Chapter 289: Do You Love Vegetarian Food?
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
The ferocious beast gazed down at Lu Chao Chao with an air of supreme dominance.
In its youth, it had encountered a madman.
Ah, a powerful and utterly deranged madman!
That madman forbade it from eating humans, forcing it to subsist on a vegetarian diet every day. Can you imagine? A beast that thrived on human flesh had to endure a century of eating only vegetables! Occasionally, it was even made to savor the wind, frost, rain, and dew, cultivating its appreciation for flowers and grass.
Even worse, it had to brush its teeth daily.
Heavens, it had nine heads, yet it didn’t dare reveal them all.
Morning and night, it had to brush its teeth—nine heads, nine mouths, eighteen times a day. It was unbearable!
To survive, it disguised itself as an ordinary little snake.
For years, its breath was fragrant, and even its farts smelled like flowers.
Oh, and it had even been given a ridiculous name.
The beast shivered abruptly. Why was it thinking of that demon again? It had finally regained its freedom after waiting so long for that madman’s demise. It shouldn’t be reminiscing about him!
At this moment, Xiangliu’s eyes burned red with killing intent.
A small child, exuding a faint scent of milk, struggled on tiptoes, holding up a piece of carrot.
Xiangliu’s nine heads bent down, stopping just before Lu Chao Chao’s face.
The onlookers held their breath, nearly frozen in fear.
Madam Xu was only three steps away from Lu Chao Chao. Seeing this, her legs turned to jelly. She dared not step forward, terrified of provoking the beast.
“Shi Yun, don’t be afraid, I’m here,” Rong Che reassured her, shielding Shi Yun behind him.
[Why does this nine-headed snake seem so familiar?]
[It feels like I’ve seen it before.]
Lu Chao Chao tilted her head, staring curiously at the nine-headed snake.
But in her memory, she had never encountered such an ugly and ferocious beast.
She had picked up a snake once before.
Well, perhaps not exactly picked up.
After all, she had slain its monstrous mother and taken it from the nest.
The snake had just been born, pink and soft, its body flickering with tiny sparks of lightning. It often coiled around her wrist like a bracelet.
Oh, and it didn’t eat meat.
It only ate vegetables.
It loved the wind, rain, and morning dew, and it always smelled delightful. Lu Chao Chao had named it Fragrant Fragrance.
“How strange, have we met before?” Lu Chao Chao murmured softly.
Why did it feel so familiar?
Xiangliu bared its fangs, its dripping saliva corroding the ground.
The sight was utterly horrifying.
“You really don’t eat vegetables? I had a little snake before, and it loved eating vegetables so much…”
“It ate cabbage, greens, and carrots, never touching meat,” Lu Chao Chao muttered.
“You should eat more vegetables and brush your teeth more often. You smell awful.” Lu Chao Chao wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction.
“Does she think she’s special? Just because the North Zhao Royal Family spoils her, does she think Xiangliu will tolerate her too?” Nan Mu Bai scoffed, nodding toward Lu Chao Chao. Official Ming’s expression darkened with displeasure.
“Your Highness, Princess Sunshine is not yet three years old. If she angers Xiangliu, what will we do?” Official Ming clenched his fists.
“That’s her fate. She stepped forward to lecture Xiangliu; if she dies, it’s on her.” Nan Mu Bai’s tone was indifferent.
Official Ming’s brows furrowed tightly, his body tense.
He channeled a sliver of divine power through his fingertips, causing the surrounding plants to tremble slightly—the last bit of life energy he could muster.
His gaze remained fixed on the center of the scene.
Madam Xu had collapsed to the ground in terror, her heart pounding in her throat.
The Emperor had already resolved to break all ties with the Southern Kingdom.
“You must brush your teeth more often. You have nine heads and nine mouths; that means you need to brush even more. Otherwise, you’ll stink…”
“Chao Chao brushes her teeth every morning and night.”
“Do you not know how?”
“I can teach you.” Lu Chao Chao grinned mischievously, completely oblivious to the icy glare of the serpent as it lunged at her with its gaping maw.
“The snake I raised before was great at brushing its teeth! It used its tail to hold a willow branch, scrubbing until its teeth sparkled and smelled nice. Oh, do you know what I called my little snake? Its name was…”
Xiangliu’s cold eyes remained fixed as it opened its blood-stained maw to devour her.
“Aaaah!” A piercing scream rang through the air.
Madam Xu scrambled up frantically, and countless arrows flew toward the nine-headed snake.
Rong Che rushed forward desperately to shield Lu Chao Chao.
“Fragrant Fragrance.”
The little girl’s brows arched into a smile, her childish voice soft and sweet.
The gaping maw halted just above her head.
For a fleeting moment, confusion flickered in the serpent’s eyes.
Countless arrows struck its body but clattered to the ground, unable to pierce its scales.
The words Fragrant Fragrance seemed to be its fatal weakness, striking fear into its very soul.
Xiangliu’s nine heads trembled violently, staring blankly at the little girl before it.
“My little snake was named Fragrant Fragrance. It was pink and soft, incredibly clean, loved eating vegetables, enjoyed dancing, and adored Buddhist scriptures. Oh, and it brushed its teeth every morning and night. I wonder where it went?” Lu Chao Chao’s smile dimmed slightly as she reminisced.
“I miss it so much. Someday, I’ll find it again.”
“It must miss me too.”
Xiangliu suddenly shuddered.
Lu Chao Chao tilted her head up. “You’re opening your mouth so wide… are you here to eat this carrot? My Fragrant Fragrance loved carrots too…”
“And cabbage, chicken butts, all sorts of things…”
[What a coincidence, everything I dislike, Fragrant Fragrance loved. Just like Windchaser…]
Nan Mu Bai’s eyelid twitched violently.
Nonsense! Cabbage, chicken butts, carrots—these were all things Xiangliu utterly despised! The mere sight of them would send it into a frenzy!
But now…
The fearsome Xiangliu lowered its noble head and swiftly snatched the carrot from Lu Chao Chao’s hand.
Though it was barely enough to fill the gap between its teeth, it still chewed symbolically.
Obediently and tamely.
Lu Chao Chao beamed. “You like it too? Wonderful! I’ll feed you more…”
She tottered back, ignoring Madam Xu’s desperate attempts to hold her back.
In her left hand was a plate of emerald cabbage, in her right, a dish of crystal-clear radish slices.
All things she despised.
“Wait a moment…” The Emperor was utterly dumbfounded.
But Lu Chao Chao paid him no heed, swiftly picking up a piece of radish and feeding it to the beast.
The ferocious beast that had bared its fangs moments ago now seemed as docile as Windchaser. No, even more obedient than Windchaser.
“Why just eat from one mouth? You have nine heads—line up and take turns to taste everything.” Lu Chao Chao tapped one of its central heads with her chopsticks, making Official Ming wince.
Even the Emperor of the Southern Kingdom wouldn’t dare touch its head.
Nan Mu Bai’s face turned red with rage. “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The ancient records state that the ferocious beast Xiangliu feeds on humans, utterly ruthless! How… how can it eat vegetables?!”
“Are you blind? It’s eating happily.”
Nan Mu Bai looked utterly shaken.
This was a noble beast of ancient blood!
“Remember to brush your teeth every morning and night. Next time we meet, I’ll check. If you’re not obedient…” Lu Chao Chao frowned slightly, making Xiangliu tremble.
“Is it delicious?”
Nine heads nodded vigorously, all arrogance and ferocity gone.
Nan Mu Bai stood frozen.
Where… where had it all gone wrong?