Chapter 264

Chapter 264: Is Little Shi suspicious?

Little Shi whispered through tears: “I only escaped because the Village Chief’s self-detonation held back the snake demon.”

A late Golden Core cultivator’s self-detonation is nothing to scoff at. If the snake demon was careless, it really could have been badly hurt. That made sense.

The Dodder Flower Sprite murmured in awe: “This snake demon bled a lot.” It had almost splattered blood across the whole village.

Little Shi stared at the blood with hatred in her eyes and asked: “Elder Sister, did the snake demon run away?”

Shen Sang Ruo spoke softly but with firm resolve: “Don’t worry, I’ll find it and avenge the people of this village.”

A demon that killed hundreds could not be allowed to roam free.

After a few days, the snake demon’s aura around the village had faded so much that it was impossible to tell where it went. Frost seemed to veil Shen Sang Ruo’s face as she judged: “That snake demon was gravely injured. It must have returned to its lair to heal.”

She asked, calm and direct: “Do you know where it usually appears?”

Little Shi tilted her head, thought for a moment, then answered with certainty: “Behind that mountain.”

She added, sure of herself: “People in our village said a treasure lies beyond that mountain, and the snake demon is the guardian beast. Its lair must be there.”

If she killed the snake demon, she could claim the treasure too. Two gains at once, without delaying her search.

Shen Sang Ruo said evenly: “All right, let’s go take a look,” then paused to ask, “Where is your home? Is there anything you want to bring? I can fetch it for you.”

It would be something to remember by. Little Shi was so young and had faced so much that it would be hard not to be scarred.

Little Shi shook her head, lonely and firm: “No, Elder Sister. I only want the snake demon to pay.”

Understanding, Shen Sang Ruo held out her hand: “Come on, let’s go behind the mountain.”

She glanced at the small black and white bundle in Little Shi’s arms and offered, gentle and practical: “Or you can stay here. It will protect you.”

Little Shi lifted her chin, stubborn but pleading: “I want to see the snake demon die with my own eyes. Don’t worry, Elder Sister, I’ll hide far away. I just want to see it.”

Shen Sang Ruo understood the insistence and said no more. They headed toward the mountain together.

On the way she asked, thoughtful and focused: “You said this snake demon cultivates by devouring its own kind, right?”

Little Shi nodded at once: “Yes, Elder Sister.”

Shen Sang Ruo searched her Cosmos Pouch for a moment, then took out a beast core: it was from the Purplegold Serpent she had killed in the last Secret Realm. She had not expected it would be useful here.

She judged with clear logic: “A late Nascent Soul serpent demonic beast’s beast core is the perfect medicine for a badly wounded snake demon. With this, we might lure it out directly and save time searching.”

Little Shi swallowed and looked at her with shining eyes: “Elder Sister, you think of everything.”

The mountain stood behind the village, so they had to pass through the ruins. As Shen Sang Ruo walked, she quietly observed. The snake demon’s blood covered almost the entire place. Maybe its wounds had bled while it slaughtered the villagers.

Even so, something felt off. Her gaze drifted and caught the blood on the hem of Little Shi’s skirt and on her shoes. The smell was also snake demonic beast blood. Her brow tightened for an instant, then smoothed.

They soon reached the mountain Little Shi had mentioned, but they still had to circle to the far side, and the mountain was not small. To save time, Shen Sang Ruo lifted Little Shi into her arms, stepped onto the waiting Swift Snails, and sped forward.

Little Shi gasped in wonder, eyes wide: “Wow, that’s amazing.”

Shen Sang Ruo smiled lightly and reminded her, warm but brisk: “Hold on to me.” In less than a quarter of an hour, they reached the back of the mountain.

Behind it stretched a flat plain with ankle high grass and nothing else. Little Shi was still in her arms. Shen Sang Ruo stared at her for a steady moment, her deep eyes unreadable.

Then spiritual power flashed to life in Shen Sang Ruo’s palm, shooting straight toward Little Shi.

Little Shi had just opened her mouth to ask to be put down. She looked up, and the firelight flared, reflecting in her wide eyes like glass beads. Fear broke out as she cried: “Elder Sister!”

She hugged her small hands in front of her and curled up tight. The pain she expected did not come. She slowly lowered her hands and peeked with one eye.

Shen Sang Ruo was holding a charred spider and gave an apologetic smile: “This was a very poisonous spider. I don’t know when it got onto you.”

She added, calm and sincere: “Sorry, I forgot to warn you first. Did I scare you?”

Little Shi stared, clearly shaken, then mumbled: “N no,” and after a beat said, grateful and ashamed: “Thank you, Elder Sister. You saved me, and I thought you wanted to kill me. I’m sorry, Elder Sister.”

Shen Sang Ruo set her down and patted her cheek, reassuring and efficient: “Let’s go find the snake demon.”

“Okay,” Little Shi said, gripping her hand.

They entered the mountain. Little Shi knew the treasure was somewhere behind it, but not the exact spot, so they had to search slowly. Shen Sang Ruo had already asked the Dodder Flower Sprite to spread its vines to scout. She believed they would have news soon.

Little Shi watched the Dodder Flower Sprite hop from Shen Sang Ruo’s hair and unfurl endless vines, and she was shocked again: “Is this a Vine Demon?”

The little spirit puffed up and declared: “I am the Dodder Flower Sprite!” Little Shi gaped even more.

She looked up at Shen Sang Ruo and asked with open curiosity: “Is it also your demon, Elder Sister?”

Shen Sang Ruo smiled: “Sort of.” The Dodder Flower Sprite did not have a bonding contract with her, but its life root was in her hands.

Little Shi praised with honest awe: “Elder Sister, you’re amazing to have so many demons with you.”

Hugging Zhu Miao, she went to examine the spreading vines.

As soon as Little Shi turned her back, Shen Sang Ruo’s smile faded. There had been no spider at first. She had prepared it in her hand to test Little Shi.

She truly felt that something about Little Shi was wrong. When faced with sudden danger, the body acts on instinct. If Little Shi could use spiritual power, she would have used it to block the attack. Instead, she had only raised her hands.

From that reaction, Little Shi seemed to be just an ordinary girl. From the start, her behavior matched a child’s heart. Even so, the village’s huge amount of blood still bothered Shen Sang Ruo. Not even the already wounded late Nascent Soul Purplegold Serpent would have spilled that much.

The blood on the hem of Little Shi’s skirt was also troubling.

Everything Shen Sang Ruo knew so far came from Little Shi. While most visible facts matched what the girl said, it was still possible she had been misled on details that were hard to notice.

She steadied herself and thought: [I hope this has nothing to do with her.]

The Dodder Flower Sprite’s excited voice rang out: “Found it!”