West of Kunlun

Yao Jiang opened the bundle he carried with him; inside were some Coin Shells and Sacrificial Meat.

Verdant Green Maiden waved her hand, shooing him away. "I don't take disciples. Go."

Yao Jiang hurriedly asked, "Why won't you accept me, Immortal?"

Verdant Green Maiden gave him a strange look and said, "What's the problem with me not taking you? You're a really odd one."

"Is the Immortal dissatisfied that my Apprenticeship Gift isn't valuable enough?"

Thinking she wanted more gifts, Yao Jiang said, "Please grant me two days' grace, Immortal. I'll bring you a better gift!"

Verdant Green Maiden shook her head in disdain.

"It doesn't matter how valuable a gift you bring. I don't take disciples."

Yao Jiang looked at her, baffled.

"Throughout history, when an Immortal takes a Mortal as a disciple, it often becomes a fine tale. I believe my talent is passable—why won't you accept me?"

"What does your talent have to do with me?"

"Which Immortal takes disciples, go find that Immortal. Why must you pester me?"

Frowning, Verdant Green Maiden tried to walk around Yao Jiang and leave.

But Yao Jiang quickly grabbed her hem, panicking. "Immortal, don't go! Please take me as your Disciple!"

"Let go!"

Verdant Green Maiden turned back, her brow furrowed as she stared at the hem Yao Jiang clutched.

What a lunatic!

Is no one going to stop this?

"Forgive my rudeness, Immortal, but if you won't take me as your Disciple, I will never give up!"

Yao Jiang looked at her with a serious expression, as if he truly wouldn't stop until he got his way.

"What's wrong with you..."

Verdant Green Maiden looked at him, her eyes full of confusion.

How bizarre!

In two thousand years, she'd met many people, but never someone like this. He must have read too many Supernatural Tales, seeking immortality here.

Do snakes look easy to mess with?

She yanked her hem free, stared at Yao Jiang, and said, "You want to be my Disciple, right?"

Hearing this, Yao Jiang thought she'd agreed and quickly knelt.

"Master above, please accept your Disciple's bow!"

"Not so fast!"

Verdant Green Maiden stopped him from kowtowing, a playful smile on her face. "I haven't given you a gift yet."

Yao Jiang shook his head with a laugh. "Since when does a Master give a Disciple a gift!"

"No, no, this gift must be given!"

Verdant Green Maiden smiled and shook her head, setting down the bundle she carried. Her smile suddenly vanished.

Green scales appeared at the corners of her eyes.

In the blink of an eye, she transformed from human into a snake!

Her True Form, a green serpent taller than a man, revealed itself. Vertical Pupils fixed on the stunned Yao Jiang, she opened her mouth, flashing her Fangs, then flicked her tongue and asked, "So, do you like this gift?"

"M-monster!!! A demon!!!"

Yao Jiang collapsed to the ground, scrambling away, crying and fleeing the place.

Verdant Green Maiden shifted back to human form, picked up her bundle from the ground, and dusted it off.

The Neighbors, woken by Yao Jiang's shouts, came out to check.

When they saw her standing alone at the door, they looked puzzled.

"Qing Xian Gu, what happened?"

"Nothing. Some Lad was possessed by evil spirits. I just cured him, and he even left me a thank-you gift."

Verdant Green Maiden pointed at the Coin Shells and Sacrificial Meat Yao Jiang had left behind.

Hearing her words, the Neighbors all praised her, saying Qing Xian Gu was beautiful and Kind Hearted.

Disturbed by Yao Jiang, Verdant Green Maiden couldn't leave that day and stayed one more night. The next day, not long after she stepped out, she saw Yao Jiang leading a large crowd armed with clubs and sticks charging into her home.

"Where's the Snake Demon? Where is she?"

Under Yao Jiang's direction, the group ransacked the house, searching for her trail.

The Neighbors, hearing the commotion, all rushed out.

When they heard Yao Jiang say that Verdant Green Maiden was a Snake Demon and that he had come to capture her, they unhesitatingly sided with Verdant Green Maiden and confronted Yao Jiang.

There was still some truth to being kind to others—at least at times like this, someone would speak up for you.

Verdant Green Maiden silently thanked the Neighbors in her heart, then shouldered her pack and left Luoyang.

After she left, the legend of Qing Xian Gu in Luoyang City gradually faded, while a Cultivator named Yao Jiang began to rise to prominence. Under the pretext of exorcising demons, he gathered a group of people and established a so-called immortal sect called Tian Yuan Palace.

He scoured the entire realm for traces of Verdant Green Maiden!

By the time Verdant Green Maiden heard of this, 20 Years had passed since she left Luoyang City. Tian Yuan Palace had grown to a modest scale and looked somewhat legitimate.

But trying to catch a snake across this vast world was no different from fishing a needle out of the Great Sea.

How could it be that easy?

What's more, the cultivators of Tian Yuan Palace, though they called it immortal cultivation, were more like a bunch of people gathered together for health preservation. Forget exorcising demons—they hadn't even touched the path of cultivation.

Their skills couldn't even compare to the three Daoists who had stopped her outside Chao Ge City back then.

At least those three had some real ability.

Still, the emergence of Tian Yuan Palace did add a bit of amusement to Verdant Green Maiden's idle time.

As the saying goes, "I won't trouble others unless they trouble me."

Since they had openly declared they would eliminate her, why should she bother with reason?

Whenever she had free time, Verdant Green Maiden would occasionally reveal her whereabouts just a little, luring a few Tian Yuan Palace cultivators to come after her.

Then, she would toss them all into Xiao Mountain to feed the wolves!

Over the years, the wolves in Xiao Mountain grew plump and strong, grateful to Verdant Green Maiden. They even stopped eating passing travelers, waiting instead for her to deliver fresh cultivators.

Could it be that trained meat tasted better than untrained?

After feeding the wolves for a few more years, Tian Yuan Palace suddenly stopped their large-scale hunt for Verdant Green Maiden, which robbed her of no small amount of entertainment.

Gradually, tales of the Queen Mother of the West began to spread.

Legend had it that to the far west of the realm lay Kunlun Mountain, where a Female immortal named the Queen Mother of the West resided.

If one could meet the Queen Mother of the West, they could obtain the secret to eternal life!

Eternal life was the thing most capable of captivating a Monarch. The current King Ji Man of Zhou gathered all the Cultivators under heaven and led the Western Six Divisions on a Western Expedition to seek immortality.

Verdant Green Maiden suddenly understood!

No wonder Tian Yuan Palace had abruptly stopped their pursuit of her.

She figured the Tian Yuan Palace cultivators must have thought: though the Common People were living in misery, once these Immortal Masters truly became immortals, wouldn't it be as simple as a wave of the hand to fix everything?

What was exorcising demons and vanquishing monsters compared to the joy of eternal life?

Verdant Green Maiden knew about Mu Tian Zi meeting the Queen Mother of the West. Rumor had it that King Mu of Zhou Ji Man reached the westernmost edge of the world, met the Queen Mother of the West, and had a delightful conversation with her.

As for whether the records in the Biography of Mu Tian Zi were true, or whether the Queen Mother of the West really existed—

Verdant Green Maiden didn't know.

Outside Hao Jing, Verdant Green Maiden sat cross-legged before Jiang Ziya's grave.

She rambled on alone.

"Jiang Ziya, do you think I should go take a look? But Kunlun is so far away... Still, what if there really is a Queen Mother of the West? A great Immortal like that should know how to become a dragon, right?"

A wind blew through, rustling the leaves.

Verdant Green Maiden gazed at the quiet grave mound and patted the ground.

"Show me a sign, won't you? Aren't you Jiang Tai Gong?"