The Secret Is Out (Please Read On)

"People really can die of envy when they compare themselves to others..."

Zhou Yun sighed to himself. If the other geniuses of Black Stone County—or even the capital—learned of Bai Qingzhi's talent, they'd probably wake up in the middle of the night, consumed with envy.

After all, which Transformation Force grandmaster hadn't needed both excellent natural aptitude and years of hard cultivation to reach that level? And that was before even considering the realms above Transformation Force...

Even now, Zhou Yun had never heard what the level above Transformation Force was called.

"Can I eat now?"

Bai Qingzhi pouted, her eyes fixed on the bowl of stewed beef.

"You can."

Zhou Yun picked up the bowl and used his chopsticks to feed her again.

He had to admit, the cook in the Inner Courtyard's dining hall made incredible stewed beef.

Partly because fresh treasure fish and the like weren't sold in the evenings, but this beef stew always kept Zhou Yun coming back for more.

Bai Qingzhi ate quickly, finishing all the beef in the bowl in just a few bites.

"Hic..."

She let out a burp, then immediately flushed. She lowered her head and fell silent.

How embarrassing! This human martial artist had tied her up in his lair, and just one meal had been enough to make her act so disgracefully... Bai Qingzhi, were you even the Green Snake Tribe's Saintess anymore?

Bai Qingzhi couldn't help questioning herself, and secretly swore that the next time she ate this beef, she absolutely wouldn't burp.

"It's getting late. Once you're done eating, go to sleep."

Zhou Yun yawned. Normally, even if he practiced martial arts until midnight, he never felt especially tired.

But tonight, he'd evaded several groups searching for the Snake-Person Saintess, then spent ages circling the city to assess the situation. It had taken a good deal of energy.

Besides, more than a dozen Snake-People with Bright Force or even Dark Force had entered Black Stone County tonight. And, in the face of attacks from numerous martial artists, they'd managed to rescue their Snake-Person Saintess.

Though no one knew Bai Qingzhi was in Zhou Yun's hands, Black Stone County was sure to be in an uproar tomorrow.

Zhou Yun washed up quickly, reinforced the wooden door with a few more planks, and went to bed. Before leaving, he remembered to plug Bai Qingzhi's mouth again.

He couldn't help it. The night was long, and who could guarantee that this Snake-Person wouldn't crawl into his bed in the middle of the night and take a bite out of him?

Bai Qingzhi's mouth was plugged again, but this time with softer cotton cloth.

After eating the beef, she found herself feeling a little sleepy.

Perhaps it was also because she'd been captured and tormented, and hadn't had a proper night's sleep in ages. She soon fell into a deep slumber on the cold floor.

It wasn't until the next morning that Zhou Yun opened his eyes again.

[Daily Settlement: Gate-Knocking Dark Force, spear technique mastered, martial foundation solid.]

[Obtained the Snake-Person Saintess. Pure bloodline, boundless potential... Grade: A-minus.]

[Obtained one Qi Transformation Pill... one Scale of Ten Thousand Snakes, which can protect the heart meridians and earn the respect of the Snake-People.]

"This Snake-Person Saintess actually received an A-minus rating?"

Zhou Yun was utterly shocked. This was the highest rating he'd ever received, and he hadn't expected it to come from the Snake-Person Saintess.

Apart from the Qi Transformation Pill, whose effects he already knew, the Scale of Ten Thousand Snakes had arrived at just the right time.

Its ability to protect his heart meridians went without saying. It should be able to block some sharp objects and even incoming force... But the ability to earn the Snake-People's respect was the real point.

He'd been worried that Senior Brother Chen's idea might not work, but this Scale of Ten Thousand Snakes had arrived just in time to make up for that possibility.

"Earn the Snake-People's respect? How much respect are we talking?"

Zhou Yun was quite eager to find out. He got out of bed and dressed, then noticed Bai Qingzhi curled up on the ground.

"Hey, wake up."

Zhou Yun nudged Bai Qingzhi, and felt as though he'd touched a soft piece of flesh. It was not only smooth and tender, but also quite springy.

Although Bai Qingzhi's rough hemp clothes were somewhat tattered, not one of the bloodstains on her body remained. She must have had an incredible ability to heal herself.

"Mm? I'm awake..."

Bai Qingzhi felt as though she'd slept soundly. Her fatigue had eased, and after a whole night's rest, her taut nerves had finally begun to relax.

But she quickly remembered she was still tied up in someone's house. Her green eyes focused at once, and she shook her head to clear it.

"Want some stewed beef today?"

Zhou Yun tapped the bowl. There was still some broth left over from last night.

Bai Qingzhi nodded. She could feel that the meat had helped heal most of her injuries.

If she ate it for a few more days, she might even finish shedding her skin ahead of schedule and reach the threshold of the second rank of Demon Beasts.

"Good. Then tell me all the martial arts your Snake-Person Race has, one by one."

Zhou Yun asked directly, having already pressed the Scale of Ten Thousand Snakes against his chest.

Almost at once, a strange fragrance enveloped his body, making Bai Qingzhi's expression flicker.

"Why does this human martial artist smell so pleasant?"

Bai Qingzhi blinked. The familiar scent seemed to come from one of her own kind, though there was something different about it.

But she didn't think too much about it. She just wanted to eat that beef again, so she slowly replied, "Our Snake-Person Race has no martial arts, only innate gifts."

"Innate gifts? Then I suppose they're related to the purity of your bloodline."

Zhou Yun gave up on getting any martial arts from Bai Qingzhi. For the moment, he couldn't think of anything else to ask.

He put away the beef bowl, which he had to return to the cook, and prepared to practice in the courtyard. First, he'd master the Dragon-Elephant Body Tempering Technique he'd bought yesterday.

With the White Jade Ginseng King's help, it shouldn't be hard to learn this body-tempering technique in a single day.

"You're leaving?"

Seeing Zhou Yun about to go, Bai Qingzhi couldn't help asking, "Could you take me back to the Black Profound Mountain Range? I'll ask Granny to send you plenty of gold and silver..."

"Taking you back to the Black Profound Mountain Range isn't out of the question."

Zhou Yun's lips curled into a smile. "Just tell me how to form a Blood Pact with you when you shed your skin on the night of the full moon."

"What? Impossible!"

As soon as Bai Qingzhi heard that, she decided this human martial artist was no different from the people who had captured her.

Everyone wanted to form a Blood Pact with her. They were simply after her figure and potential...

But for the Snake-People and all Demon Beasts, forming a Blood Pact was like placing their very lives in someone else's hands.

They couldn't muster even the slightest thought of resisting, and could only sink into an eternity of being toyed with...

"Then tell me when you've made up your mind."

Zhou Yun wasn't in a hurry. He stuffed the cotton cloth back into Bai Qingzhi's mouth, then turned and closed the door behind him.

Bai Qingzhi's eyes widened. Regret filled her heart. Why hadn't she listened to Granny and stayed away from the edge of the Black Profound Mountain Range? Now she'd ended up like this.

If she could go home, she'd gladly be shut up for a hundred years and made to eat treasure herbs and raw meat... No, wait. The meat would be better stewed until soft.

"Damn it, Bai Qingzhi, why are you still thinking about food..."

Bai Qingzhi was close to tears. She could only lie helplessly on the floor, staring at the ceiling with her green eyes.

Inner Courtyard, dining hall.

Zhou Yun didn't start practicing martial arts right away. He planned to fill his stomach first.

The last few times he'd broken through, he'd suffered for not eating meat beforehand. Afterward, he'd been weak all over and ravenously hungry.

Almost all the huge bowl of beef he'd brought back last night had been eaten by Bai Qingzhi. He'd only managed a few bites.

"Could the Snake-Person Race also hibernate? Otherwise, how could someone with such a small frame wolf down so much meat?"

Zhou Yun couldn't help guessing, and found the idea very convincing.

He went up to the second floor. It was more elegantly furnished than the first, and from the serving counter, he could see right into the kitchen, where the cooks were hard at work.

"Junior Brother Zhou?"

Chen Jingping came over from the nearby window, looking quite surprised. "Junior Brother Liang and I searched for you for ages yesterday. I didn't expect you'd gone back to the martial hall ahead of us."

"Sorry for making you worry, Senior Brother. Yesterday, I got into a fight with a Snake-Tribe Demon-Human. He ran out of the main hall... I was anxious and chased after him."

Zhou Yun cleared his throat. "I didn't expect to lose track of him in the end, so I had no choice but to return to the Inner Courtyard early."

"That was the right thing to do. Looking after yourself is the foundation of being a martial artist."

Chen Jingping had nothing to say about it. Everyone had to make their own choices.

If he hadn't been occupied by two Snake-Tribe Demon-Humans at the time, he might have left that dangerous place early as well.

"By the way, Senior Brother, did they find the Snake-Person woman in the end?"

Zhou Yun took a plate of treasure fish and a bowl of tonic mutton soup from the cook, and asked on purpose.

"No. I suppose she ran back to the Black Profound Mountain Range."

Chen Jingping shook his head. "I heard that the guards at the city gate were killed last night. Judging by how they died, it was clearly the work of Snake-People."

"Really? What a pity..."

Zhou Yun feigned a sigh, then asked, "But there are still many things about the Demon-Human races that puzzle me, Senior Brother."

"Oh? Go ahead and ask, Junior Brother."

Chen Jingping carried over several nourishing dishes and found a seat.

"What exactly is the relationship between the Demon-Human races and the human race? And what I'm more worried about is whether those Snake-Tribe Demon-Humans will come back to Black Stone County to take revenge."

Zhou Yun voiced his concerns. If the Snake-People learned Bai Qingzhi hadn't returned, would they lead an army here and flatten Black Stone County?

Yesterday, Bai Qingzhi had said that Luoqiu Slope alone had at least several hundred thousand Snake-People. And there were other Demon-Humans in the Black Profound Mountain Range as well.

For one thing, even if the Snake-People were born with the thinnest bloodlines, they were at least human martial artists with five apertures. They could overpower humans through sheer strength.

If they really organized a Demon Beast tide that swept across Black Stone County, the martial artists here would probably have a hard time holding it back.

"Don't worry, Junior Brother Zhou. Although the human race and the Demon-Humans have been at each other's throats since ancient times, if a large-scale Demon Beast tide breaks out, the surrounding counties and the capital will both send martial artists to help."

Chen Jingping explained, "The largest battle between humans and Demon-Humans took place ten years ago. Our Great Jing Kingdom led the way, joining forces with several border factions to fight off the Demon Beast tide. We left the Demon-Human Race badly weakened, and they haven't dared to invade the Central Plains since."

"And that's not all. Our human race has always been more united than the Demon-Human Race. Though there's friction between the major factions, they all understand that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken..."

Zhou Yun nodded, then asked, "A battle ten years ago? I've heard very little about it. Could you tell me more, Senior Brother?"

"Of course. Our Master Liang was a battalion commander in that battle. Unfortunately, he suffered hidden injuries that caused his cultivation to fall, and that's why he came to Black Stone County to establish a martial hall..."

Chen Jingping began explaining in detail and was about to say more when an Inner Courtyard disciple hurried upstairs.

"Senior Brothers, Master Liang has summoned all the martial hall disciples to the Martial Arts Arena. He asks you to come at once."

Chen Jingping frowned slightly. "What could be so urgent that Master Liang has called us together?"

"I hear it has something to do with the Snake-Tribe demoness. You two should hurry over."

With that, the Inner Courtyard disciple hurried off as well, looking as though it was an emergency.

"In that case, let's go to the Martial Arts Arena and see what's happening."

Chen Jingping knew how serious this was and didn't waste any more time.

"After you, Senior Brother."

Zhou Yun remained calm on the surface, but felt uneasy inside.

Something to do with the Snake-Tribe demoness? What else could it be but Bai Qingzhi's disappearance?

So it had finally come to light... Now it was just a matter of seeing how the Snake-Person Race and the various factions in Black Stone County would respond.

Zhou Yun brooded to himself as he hurried toward the Martial Arts Hall.