Chapter 265

Chapter 265: Are you looking for me, Elder Sister?

“Found it, found it,” the Dodder Flower Sprite chattered, thrilled beyond measure: “I discovered a cave, and there’s snake demon blood near the entrance. It has to be the snake demon’s lair. Maybe the treasure is hidden inside.”

If there was treasure, the little spirit would get a share too, which only made it happier.

Shen Sang Ruo stood and brought Little Shi along.

When they were still a few hundred meters from the cave, Shen Sang Ruo told her, careful and firm: “Stay here. I’ll go take a look first.”

Little Shi hugged Zhu Miao, then offered him up with both hands: “Your spirit beast, Elder Sister.” She added with simple confidence, “I have a protective talisman. If anything goes wrong, I’ll run.”

Shen Sang Ruo took the small bundle and slung him across herself. After reminding Little Shi to stay alert and safe, she walked toward the cave.

Dozens of meters later, the soft, sticky sweet voice of the little girl called after her: “Elder Sister, be careful.”

She turned back. Little Shi was watching her with nervous worry. Shen Sang Ruo nodded with a gentle smile to reassure her, then turned and continued forward.

As soon as she turned, both faces changed. Little Shi’s lips curved slightly, and she mouthed without sound: “Elder Sister, don’t let me down.”

Shen Sang Ruo’s smile vanished as well. Her gaze toward the cave grew meaningful. Once she entered, she could test her guess, and the truth would surface.

As she drew near, a faint scent of blood drifted in the air, the same as the blood in the village. A badly wounded snake demon was very likely healing inside.

Shen Sang Ruo heightened her guard, gripped the Purplegold Serpent’s beast core in her hand, and stepped into the cave.

The cave was not large, barely half the size of the Flood Dragon’s lair from before.

The Dodder Flower Sprite muttered in doubt: “It’s so small. Is there really a treasure here?”

Shen Sang Ruo did not answer. She was not certain yet, but if her guess was right, a treasure should be here.

She kindled fire with spiritual power for light. Little drops of blood spotted the ground and trailed deeper inside. She crouched to check and confirmed it was snake demon blood.

She narrowed her eyes and moved forward on quiet feet. The cave was silent. Aside from the soft scuff of her steps, there was no sound at all. A cold, desolate air lingered, as if no demonic beast had stirred here in a long time.

She had been holding out the late Nascent Soul Purplegold Serpent’s beast core for quite a while now. Such a lure was practically at the mouth of any lair, yet still nothing moved.

Her frown deepened. Following the thin trail of blood, she reached the end of the cave.

The space there opened up several times larger, but what caught her eye first was the pile of white bones stacked at the very center.

The Dodder Flower Sprite froze and blurted: “Is that the snake demon’s skeleton? Where’s the treasure? Why is it just a pile of bones?”

Shen Sang Ruo drew closer and swept a checking spell across the bones before saying with cool certainty: “It is.”

The little sprite’s thoughts tangled: “Wasn’t the snake demon badly hurt? How is it down to a pile of bones? Who killed it? And from the look of these bones, it died a long time ago. Then why are there its bloodstains in the village and here in the cave?”

Shen Sang Ruo had already tested her theory and now saw the truth clearly. If the snake demon had not been injured but dead, that could explain the huge amount of blood back in the village. She spoke in a low, sure voice: “There are two snake demons.”

The Dodder Flower Sprite blinked, then suddenly understood: “You mean another snake demon ate this one? Then where is the other snake demon?”

Shen Sang Ruo’s gaze grew deep: “The other snake demon…”

Before she could finish, a hand seized her wrist and lifted the hand holding the beast core.

A seductive voice breathed by her ear: “Elder Sister, are you looking for me?”

She turned her head and met a pair of foxy, vertical pupils. A stunning woman stood behind her, features alluring and a little like Little Shi’s. Smiling, the woman stood close as if embracing Shen Sang Ruo from behind, parted her bright red lips, and bit into the beast core.

The crack of the shattering core echoed loudly in the hollow cave. In a blink, the beast core dissolved as the woman absorbed it.

She teased with a velvet smile: “Thank you for the gift, Elder Sister. I like it very much.”

Shen Sang Ruo wrenched free and faced her. The Dodder Flower Sprite puffed in panic so that its vines frayed like sparks. Shen Sang Ruo looked a little surprised, but she did not panic.

There was no doubt. This woman was Little Shi, or rather, Little Shi’s other form.

What surprised Shen Sang Ruo most was the split between the two shapes. One was a harmless, pure little girl. The other was a charming, dangerous enchantress. They were the same demon.

This was her true self, because Shen Sang Ruo could feel the spiritual power rolling off her. It was not only mid Nascent Soul stage. It was a Great Demon whose strength did not lose to the Flood Dragon, a peak late Nascent Soul.

Devouring the other snake demon had likely boosted her power greatly.

Even so, Shen Sang Ruo’s calm returned quickly. She lifted a brow and asked, cool and steady: “What should I call you? Little Shi, or snake demon?”

The woman laughed and licked her lips with lingering hunger: “I prefer Snake Maiden.” She looked Shen Sang Ruo over and added, amused: “You don’t look very surprised, and you’re not afraid. That figures. You noticed something was off long ago, didn’t you? You even took back the Bamboo Bear and gave me chances to move around alone on purpose. I’m curious, when did you start doubting me? Was my acting as a little girl not good enough? Or was it the village?”

Snake Maiden tapped her chin and guessed, playful: “But the village is a real old village here. Was it because no one lived there and you couldn’t find bodies?”

There had been no massacre at all. The village was just an empty shell she had used for her play.

Shen Sang Ruo answered evenly: “Your acting was very good, and the village had no problem. Not finding bodies could be explained.” Even when Shen Sang Ruo tested her, Snake Maiden had not slipped. Besides, when she turned into a little girl she had no spiritual power, so of course she blocked with her hands. And after spending time together, she knew Shen Sang Ruo would not truly strike to kill.

Snake Maiden pressed: “Then why?”

Shen Sang Ruo’s eyes dropped to the hem of Snake Maiden’s skirt. Snake Maiden had returned to her true form, and her clothes had changed into a brand new set. She looked down, saw nothing wrong, and glanced back in confusion.

Shen Sang Ruo said, steady and precise: “I guess that a few days ago, what really happened in the village was that you tried to devour another snake demon, and you happened to fight there. In the end, you devoured it.”

So the village became a ruin, and snake demon blood covered everything.