Qing Niao Diligently Inquires

"Alas... asking you is pointless. I might as well ask Turtle Elder."

Verdant Green Maiden sighed, pulled out the Turtle Shell that had accompanied her for years, and tossed a few Coin Shells inside.

"Turtle Elder, Turtle Elder, give me a hint. Should I go meet this so-called Queen Mother of the West?"

She muttered, casting the shells.

"Shouldn't go?"

Looking at the divination result, she frowned. She recalculated, but the answer remained the same: shouldn't go.

"Nobody's letting me go..."

She lifted her head and gazed at Jiang Ziya's grave.

The tomb was silent, without a sound.

"Turtle Elder won't let me go. Jiang Ziya, what do you think?"

She murmured to herself. "If it's real and I don't go, won't I be missing out big time?"

Torn, truly torn!

Just as she finished speaking, a fallen leaf drifted down before her, landing right over one of the Coin Shells, turning the divination result from "shouldn't go" to "go."

"Did it really appear?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she slapped the ground repeatedly. "I'll listen to you this time!"

Sorry, Turtle Elder. Not heeding you this round.

If Turtle Elder had a spirit in heaven, he'd probably curse her out—why ask if you weren't going to listen?

She packed her bags and headed west.

Her speed was swift, and soon she caught up with King Mu of Zhou Ji Man's party, who had set out long before her.

Yet when she gazed from afar at the Imperial Carriage within the Western Six Divisions, she sensed something off. She wrinkled her nose, a look of disgust on her face.

"Why do I smell a whiff of death?"

She rubbed her eyes and spotted a faint Deathly Aura swirling above the carriage.

Strange.

At this time, King Mu of Zhou should be in his prime. Where was this Deathly Aura coming from?

To be safe, she trailed far behind.

A snake's life was precious. She dared not risk getting close. Though she was formidable in a fight, if some zombie carrying Dragon Qi suddenly popped out, who knew who'd be beating whom?

Inside the Imperial Carriage.

King Mu of Zhou Ji Man sat opposite an old man.

The old man was gaunt, with sunken eye sockets, like skin stretched over Bones.

If Verdant Green Maiden had seen him, she'd likely have gasped.

This man was Yao Jiang!

The Young Person who had once knelt begging to become her disciple was now like a moving corpse!

Ji Man glanced at Yao Jiang, who sat with eyes closed in meditation, then lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. He took in the vast grasslands, his heart uneasy.

"Immortal Master, how much longer until we reach Kunlun?"

Yao Jiang half-opened his eyes and replied, "Soon. Another half a month."

His voice was hoarse, nothing like a normal person's.

"Will the Queen Mother of the West see Gu?"

Ji Man asked again.

Yao Jiang nodded lightly and answered, "She will. You are the Great Zhou Son of Heaven, the lord of this realm. The Queen Mother of the West will surely meet you."

Hearing Yao Jiang flatter him, Ji Man laughed.

He solemnly made a promise to Yao Jiang.

"If Gu gains immortality this time, I will surely help you, Immortal Master, wipe out that Green Snake Demoness!"

Just a mere snake demoness.

With the Great Zhou's power at its peak and the Four Barbarians submitting, how much trouble could she stir up?

Yao Jiang seemed to smile.

He coughed lightly a few times, then closed his eyes to rest.

Lazing along behind the Western Six Divisions with a blade of grass in her mouth, Verdant Green Maiden suddenly sneezed. She rubbed her Nose Tip in confusion and murmured, "Who's muttering about me behind my back?"

The sky was high, the grass low, a vast wilderness. The only crowd nearby was the Western Six Divisions ahead.

She stroked the Turtle Shell.

By the Yellow Emperor's Grandfather, who the hell is thinking about this snake?

After nightfall, the Western Six Divisions set up camp and started cooking.

Verdant Green Maiden also wandered nearby, looking for a chance to snatch some meat on the sly.

Yao Jiang and Ji Man stepped out of the Imperial Carriage.

Verdant Green Maiden glanced over from a distance. The one in lavish robes, carrying Dragon Qi, was undoubtedly the Great Zhou Son of Heaven, but who was that dried-up fellow beside him?

She squinted, taking a closer look.

She wouldn't have gotten angry if she hadn't looked—but look she did, and fury flared!

"No wonder I kept feeling like someone here had their eye on the snake—it's this lad!"

How many years had it been, and he was still alive!

Verdant Green Maiden stared at the Deathly Aura coiling around Yao Jiang, so chilling it made her shudder.

How had he managed to survive?

Though it wasn't exactly enemies meeting face-to-face, it was still a narrow path for foes. With Yao Jiang here, Verdant Green Maiden had no mood to pilfer meat from the Western Six Divisions. She turned and left.

In the days that followed, Verdant Green Maiden widened the distance between herself and the Western Six Divisions even more.

No other reason—she was disgusted!

Kunlun Mountain, or more precisely, the Kunlun Mountain Range, was a towering chain stretching across the west, its peaks majestic and steep.

Just too high—not suitable for a snake to live on.

Verdant Green Maiden overtook the Western Six Divisions and reached Kunlun Mountain Foot ahead of them.

She fumbled around the base for a while and found the path up the mountain.

But when she reached the summit, all she saw was the vast white snow of Kunlun Mountain Peak, barren and lifeless, with no Grass and Trees. There was no Jade Pond, nor Queen Mother of the West.

"The stories in myths are all lies to trick snakes!"

Verdant Green Maiden kicked a piece of rubble on the ground in spite.

"Crack—"

A breaking sound came from the small stone she'd kicked.

Verdant Green Maiden twitched her ears, a bit surprised.

Could it be that eating so much meat lately had boosted her skills, and a light kick like that could shatter a stone? She'd have to be careful from now on—kick fewer people, lest she accidentally kill someone and pile up needless sins.

The little stone shifted.

"Huh?"

Verdant Green Maiden crept closer, staring at the stone.

Looking closely, that was no stone at all!

It was clearly an egg!

A Green Little Bird emerged from the cracked shell, flapped its wings, and landed on Verdant Green Maiden's shoulder, pecking at her Ear Lobe.

"Hiss—"

Verdant Green Maiden's Ear Lobe stung. She thought to herself, This bird must be a snake-eater by nature, just born and already following its instinct to eat me.

Can't let myself be eaten!

She immediately waved her hand to shoo it away.

"Little bird, little bird, don't peck—snake meat isn't tasty!"

"Stupid!"

Suddenly, a crisp voice rang out beside Verdant Green Maiden's ear.

She frowned and looked around, wary.

"Who? Who's calling me stupid?"

"Stupid! On your shoulder—I'm on your shoulder!"

The voice continued.

Verdant Green Maiden turned her head down and looked at the Green Little Bird on her shoulder, her expression surprised. "Oh, so Kunlun Mountain really is a blessed land of the Immortal Family—even a bird can talk! But why are you cursing me?"

"You can't even tell a stone from a Bird Egg, and you kicked me—don't you deserve to be called stupid! Stupid Snake!"

Qing Niao hopped on Verdant Green Maiden's shoulder.

Verdant Green Maiden rubbed her Nose Tip, embarrassed. "A thousand-year-old snake has bad eyesight—please forgive me."

"And here I've been waiting for you all this time..."

Qing Niao muttered.

Snake Girl's ears perked up at that. She grabbed Qing Niao and held it up in front of her face, asking, "Who told you to wait for me here? Was it Queen Mother of the West? Are you Qing Niao?"

"Ah... Stupid Snake! Let go—too tight!"

Qing Niao hurriedly pecked at Verdant Green Maiden's hand.

After she let go, it flapped its wings, flew in a circle around her head, and landed back on her shoulder, preening its feathers.

"Bird Sister, how about a reply?"