Chapter 160
Chapter 160: Come Here, Kneel
Taming the poison feeding gu was no easy task.
With Shi Zi Chu adding to the chaos, Ye He Qi spent the entire morning before he finally subdued the poison feeding gu.
Looking at the creature, which now coiled around his finger like a fine silver ring, Ye He Qi smiled warmly, “I truly owe it to Daoist Shi.”
If it weren’t for her interference, he wouldn’t have spent so much time on taming it.
“Clan Chief Ye is too kind,” Shi Zi Chu replied with a gentle, graceful smile, pretending not to notice the underlying sarcasm in Ye He Qi’s tone.
As the door was knocked, Shi Zi Chu made a hand gesture, securing her hair, “Clan Chief Jun has arrived. Let us go.”
Ye He Qi gave a soft ‘hm’ and put away the box and untouched snacks on the table.
Shi Zi Chu stepped outside with Ye He Qi following.
Jun Yue Hua hadn’t waited long; the two of them soon appeared.
After exchanging pleasantries, Ye He Qi left in his carriage.
Shi Zi Chu climbed onto Jun Yue Hua’s carriage with ease, and as soon as she settled, the carriage slowly made its way to a restaurant.
Jun Yue Hua took out a rolled-up map and placed it on the table. “This is the map of the Blue Rain Marsh, marking the safe routes. I thought Daoist Shi would need it.”
Shi Zi Chu’s gaze shifted from the map to Jun Yue Hua’s face. “What does Clan Chief Jun require?”
She preferred things with a clear price tag, rather than such expensive ‘gifts.’
Jun Yue Hua spoke softly, “I wish to become friends with Daoist Shi.”
“I don’t have a habit of letting my friends suffer,” Shi Zi Chu said with a gentle smile, pulling out two boxes and placing them on the table.
Jun Yue Hua opened the boxes, revealing two flawless spirit beast eggs.
With just a glance, he could tell that these two spirit beasts would at least reach the golden core stage after hatching.
His deep, cold eyes lingered on Shi Zi Chu’s face as he observed the fake yet sincere smile on her lips. His voice was dark, “Daoist Shi is indeed generous to her friends.”
Shi Zi Chu lowered her eyes to the map on the table, replying softly, “But Clan Chief Jun is equally generous, is he not?”
Jun Yue Hua curved his lips slightly before swiftly changing the subject, “The Blue Rain Marsh is dangerous. If Daoist Shi plans to go, perhaps we can travel together, for protection.”
“A demi-god rank magic artifact has appeared; I’m considering whether to go,” Shi Zi Chu replied half-truthfully. She picked up the map, “It seems Clan Chief Jun is very eager for that magic artifact.”
“Not quite,” Jun Yue Hua corrected, “There is a lotus wing bird in the Blue Rain Marsh. I intend to go for its egg.”
A lotus wing bird?
That was a spirit beast of the spirit projection stage.
Both the lotus wing bird and its egg were highly sought after at auctions!
“In addition,” Jun Yue Hua continued, “There is a sixth-rank fu tong flower in the Blue Rain Marsh. It can be used to refine spirit augmenting pills.”
A spirit augmenting pill could elevate an early golden core cultivator to mid-core formation or even late core formation.
For Shi Zi Chu, such a pill might even help her reach the late nascent soul stage.
Shi Zi Chu’s eyes flashed, clearly tempted by the offer.
Jun Yue Hua didn’t rush her response, “Daoist Shi is welcome to join me at any time.”
“I will consider it,” Shi Zi Chu smiled.
…
After lunch, Shi Zi Chu and Jun Yue Hua parted ways.
Finding the sun too scorching, she used a teleportation talisman to return to her manor.
Upon arriving home, Shi Zi Chu activated her master-servant soul contract to call forth the black serpent, who was hiding somewhere.
The black serpent slithered into the room, raising its head slightly to find Shi Zi Chu reclining on a beauty couch, holding a fan to cool herself.
Looking at the two or three-meter-long black serpent, Shi Zi Chu smiled and said, “It’s been so long, your injuries must be healed by now?”
She had raised this pawn long enough; it was time to assess the situation and “release” it.
“I’m fine now,” the black serpent spoke, its voice no longer as weak as before.
“Transform into human form and let me see.”
Bound by the soul contract, the black serpent had no choice but to obey Shi Zi Chu’s command.
In the blink of an eye, the serpent transformed into a tall man.
His features were somewhat androgynous, with pale green snake-like eyes that seemed eerie and unsettling. A black snake scale pattern adorned his forehead.
“Quite handsome,” Shi Zi Chu commented. “Do you have a name?”
The man, Fu Qi Xiu, shot her a rebellious glance, clearly unwilling to engage, but Shi Zi Chu smiled brightly and said, “If you don’t have one, how about I call you ‘Little Black’?”
“Fu Qi Xiu.”
Upon hearing this, Shi Zi Chu crooked her finger, “Come, give my shoulders a massage.”
Looking at Shi Zi Chu summoning him as if he were a pet, Fu Qi Xiu’s eyes narrowed into thin slits.
No one had ever dared to treat him this way!
But the unbreakable master-servant soul contract forced him to obey. He walked over reluctantly, his hands applying just the right amount of pressure as he massaged Shi Zi Chu’s shoulders.
He had often fantasized about snapping Shi Zi Chu’s neck, but under the soul contract’s constraints, he could do nothing to harm her.
Ignoring Fu Qi Xiu’s silent fury, Shi Zi Chu closed her eyes in enjoyment, her voice languid as she murmured, “Truly a cold-blooded creature. You should be grateful I saved your life, yet you resent me.”
Su Qing Yan was dead, and the position of demon king should rightfully be Fu Qi Xiu’s.
Even if he wasn’t the demon king, any snake demon vying for the throne wouldn’t be weak.
However, this prideful snake demon needed to be tamed, as the soul contract alone wasn’t enough to control him.
Fu Qi Xiu sneered, his voice dark and dripping with anger, “If it weren’t for your forceful soul contract, I’d have snapped your neck by now!”
“Come here, kneel,” Shi Zi Chu’s voice was honey-sweet, her smile warm yet chilling.
Resisting the master-servant soul contract caused Fu Qi Xiu to suffer severe injuries, and in the end, he could only comply and kneel before Shi Zi Chu’s beauty couch.
Shi Zi Chu sat up and slapped him hard across the face.
The sharp sound echoed throughout the room.
Fu Qi Xiu was stunned, his ears ringing.
The beautiful, delicate face was left with a clear handprint, half of it swollen and bloody.
Moments later, the searing pain on his face ignited his fury.
Meeting Shi Zi Chu’s gaze, which held not an ounce of mercy, he saw her smiling as she placed her foot on his shoulder.
“Servants should know their place. How should you address your master?”
Her voice was soft and melodious, yet the look on her face was haughty and cruel.
Fu Qi Xiu’s stiff back gradually bent under her foot.
His voice, barely more than a growl, slipped from between clenched teeth, “Master, I’m sorry.”
Shi Zi Chu frowned, her tone filled with dissatisfaction, “You have no demeanor as a servant.”
“Master, I was wrong!”
Shi Zi Chu frowned further, still not content.
“Qing Qing…”
As the door opened, Jiang Wan Sheng entered and froze upon seeing the scene. He swallowed his words.
Bad timing!
Seeing her gentle, watery gaze, Jiang Wan Sheng put on a submissive, obedient smile, “Qing Qing.”
Shi Zi Chu acknowledged him, sensing the sudden tension in Fu Qi Xiu’s body. She beamed a bright, radiant smile.
“Is everything taken care of?” Shi Zi Chu asked gently.
Jiang Wan Sheng nodded and, hesitating, suggested, “Shall I get you something to eat?”
“Go ahead,” she replied.
With her permission, Jiang Wan Sheng quickly left.
Shi Zi Chu turned her attention back to Fu Qi Xiu, who was still bleeding from his mouth, watching him for a moment before compassionately lifting her foot. “How did you end up so badly injured?”