The next morning, Ye Xiu stepped out of the courtyard and saw a Snake-Person guard waiting at the entrance.
"Human, Her Majesty the Queen requests your presence."
Ye Xiu nodded and followed him toward the Temple.
The Snake-People they passed along the way looked at him differently than they had a week ago. Back then, their eyes had held curiosity and wariness. Now there was a touch of reverence in them.
Ye Xiu knew why. The batch of Soul-Melting Pills he had refined a week earlier had secured his standing here once and for all.
A Sixth-grade Alchemist producing five pills with Pill Patterns in a single batch would make headlines anywhere. Though the Snake-Person Race lived in a remote desert, they weren't fools. They knew what someone like him was worth.
And, most importantly, they all knew he had made those Soul-Melting Pills for their Queen.
The guard stopped at the entrance to the Temple.
"Her Majesty the Queen is waiting inside. Go in by yourself."
Ye Xiu pushed the door open and entered.
Medusa was the only one inside the Temple.
She wasn't wearing her usual regal red dress today. Instead, she had on a purple robe, and her hair hung loose. She seemed less imposing and more at ease.
When she saw Ye Xiu enter, she lifted her chin. "Come here."
Ye Xiu casually picked a chair and sat down. "The Green Lotus Core Flame is in the Temple?"
Medusa didn't answer directly. Instead, she asked, "Aren't you curious?"
Ye Xiu paused. "About what?"
"Why I'm willing to give you the Green Lotus Core Flame." Medusa studied him. "The Snake-Person Race has guarded this Heavenly Flame for hundreds of years. I'm simply handing it over to a human. Aren't you the least bit curious?"
Ye Xiu fell silent for a moment.
To be honest, he had wondered about it.
Ever since he had transmigrated, everything had gone smoothly. His sign-in rewards were generous, his physique was extraordinary, and wherever he went, people handed him opportunities. But things with Medusa had gone almost too smoothly.
His offer was tempting: a guaranteed successful evolution, a Soul Contract as a guarantee, and a Sixth-grade Soul-Melting Pill. But was that really enough to sway a Queen of the Snake-Person Race?
Given Medusa's temperament, she would sooner risk her life on that nine-in-ten chance of death than trust a human stranger so easily.
"By all means, tell me," Ye Xiu said, following her lead now that she had brought it up.
Medusa stood and went to the window, turning her back to him.
"What do you think of the Snake-Person Race's current situation?"
Ye Xiu considered the question. "Do you want the truth or a lie?"
"The truth."
"Then I'll tell you the truth." Ye Xiu leaned back in his chair. "You're on the brink of disaster."
Medusa didn't turn around, but her back stiffened.
Ye Xiu continued, "You may be a Peak Dou Huang, and there aren't many in the Jia Ma Empire who can fight you one-on-one, but that's about it. Among your people, aside from the Great Chieftain, there are hardly any Dou Huangs who can hold their own in a fight. You only have a handful of Dou Wangs, and the rest are cannon fodder. On the Jia Ma Empire's side, could you withstand the Misty Cloud Sect and the old monsters in the Imperial Family if they joined forces? And that's without even mentioning the neighboring kingdoms, all of which are watching you like hawks."
He was telling the truth.
That was exactly the Snake-Person Race's situation in the original story. No matter how powerful Medusa was, she was only one person, while the human side had a steady stream of experts. If she hadn't successfully evolved later, with Xiao Yan's help, the Snake-Person Race would eventually have been wiped out.
Medusa fell silent for a while, then turned around and looked at him.
"Then where do you think the Snake-Person Race's way forward lies?"
"There's only one way. You have to successfully evolve into a Seventh-tier Magic Beast and reach the Dou Zong level. Then those old monsters in Jia Ma Holy City won't stand a chance against you, even if they team up. The neighboring kingdoms won't dare act rashly either. Only then can the Snake-Person Race secure its footing."
Medusa nodded. "You're right. But you also know how dangerous it is to evolve with a Heavenly Flame. If I die, the Snake-Person Race will be plunged into disaster."
Ye Xiu said nothing and nodded.
Medusa stared at him for a while, then suddenly spoke.
"Four months ago, the High Priest of the Snake-Person Race performed a Divination."
Ye Xiu raised an eyebrow.
Divination?
He didn't remember that happening in the original story.
Medusa continued, "The High Priest said that within six months, an outsider would come to the Snake-Person Race. If I seized the opportunity, I could completely change our people's circumstances. From then on, they would live without worry."
Ye Xiu blinked, then pointed at himself. "You don't mean me, do you?"
Medusa looked at him, her lips twitching before she gave a cold snort.
"Don't flatter yourself."
Ye Xiu: "..."
All right, then.
Medusa looked away and turned back toward the window.
"The High Priest's Divinations have never been wrong. If she says someone will come, someone will come. But I don't know whether that person is you."
Ye Xiu considered this. "So do you believe it now?"
Medusa fell silent for a moment.
"I don't believe in fate," she said. "But I believe what I see with my own eyes."
She turned around and looked at Ye Xiu.
"I've been watching you. Your composure at such a young age isn't an act. You've achieved so much despite your youth. I've lived for many years, and I've never seen anyone as gifted as you."
Ye Xiu said nothing.
Medusa continued, "And then there's your physique. Don't think I didn't notice. When you signed the Soul Contract with me, something about your aura was off. An ordinary Dou Huang couldn't withstand my pressure, but you did—and then a warm current flowed back into me."
Ye Xiu's heart stirred.
This woman was observant.
Medusa looked at him and continued:
"So I don't believe in the Divination. I believe what I've seen with my own eyes. If you can help me evolve successfully, then what does it matter if I give you the Green Lotus Core Flame? If you die, I'll just follow my original plan."
Ye Xiu was silent for a long while after hearing that.
Then he stood and walked over to Medusa.
They stood close enough to feel each other's breath.
Ye Xiu smiled. "Don't worry. Just wait and see."
Medusa watched him, her eyes shifting slightly.
"I'll be waiting."
They said nothing more and headed deeper into the Temple together.
After walking for about the time it took to burn an incense stick, they came to a cave entrance. It was small, blocked by a massive boulder, and guarded by four Snake-Persons, all of them Dou Lings.
When the four guards saw Medusa approach, they bowed in unison.
"Your Majesty the Queen!"
Medusa gave a slight nod. "Open it."
The four guards exchanged glances. One hesitated before speaking. "Your Majesty, this..."
Only a handful of leaders and priests knew about the deal between Ye Xiu and Medusa. Most of the Snake-Person Race knew nothing about it.
Medusa glanced at him, and the Snake-Person immediately fell silent and turned to push the boulder.
Rumble—
The boulder slowly shifted aside, revealing the cave entrance behind it. A wave of heat rolled out, carrying a strange aura that made Ye Xiu feel uncomfortable all over.
Ye Xiu took a deep breath.
This was the scent of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
Medusa turned to look at him. "Are you ready?"
Ye Xiu nodded.
The two of them walked inside together.
The cave was deep and winding, and the farther they went, the hotter it became. Glowing stones embedded in the walls provided just enough light to see the path. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the passage suddenly opened up.
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