A wave of ecstatic emotion surged through their invisible bond and into Xia Dong: "So delicious! So good! I want more!"
The serpent held its head high, its tail thumping unconsciously against the ground. The emotional ripples it sent grew stronger and stronger, even taking on the impatient, coquettish edge of a plea.
Xia Dong instantly understood what it meant: Hungry. More.
He helplessly spread his hands and waved them in midair. "I'm out. That was the only one."
The moment the serpent heard that, it grew frantic.
Its massive body twisted irritably on the spot, writhing into a knot. Then, in a flash, it turned into a streak of black lightning and shot back beneath the cliff where it had been sleeping.
Before Xia Dong could react, the black brute was back in another flash. In its gaping maw, it carefully held a huge, intact, dark teal shed skin, bringing it before Xia Dong as if presenting a treasure. Its eyes plainly said:
"Take this... trade."
Xia Dong said, "You want to trade your shed skin for pills?"
The serpent nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, afraid Xia Dong might refuse.
Xia Dong could hardly hold back his laughter. Good grief, this was a treasure robe shed by a Late Qi Refining Realm demon beast. And for a few Qi-Gathering Pills infused with Profound Yin Divine Water, the black brute was even willing to give up its own "old clothes."
He leisurely pulled the last two Mysterious Yin Qi-Gathering Pills from his robes and held them up. "Here. This is all I have left. Want both?"
To his surprise, the serpent clamped its jaws around the shed skin and shook its enormous head like a rattle drum.
Seeing it fiercely guard the skin, Xia Dong had an idea. "How about this? Give me the shed skin, and I'll give you one pill every month from now on. In exchange, you'll have to obey me."
The serpent froze. A hint of very human hesitation flickered in its huge vertical pupils. It seemed to be seriously considering whether the deal was worth it.
A moment later, an exceptionally clear ripple of thought, carrying a hint of tentative inquiry, passed through their bond:
"Two?"
Xia Dong stumbled in midair and nearly dropped out of his Wind-Riding Technique.
Xia Dong??
The black brute didn't just understand human speech—it could haggle, too?
Looking at the serpent's expression, which plainly said, "No deal unless I get two," Xia Dong swept his hand through the air. "Fine! Two a month, then. It's a deal. No backing out!"
Hiss, hiss!
Overjoyed, the serpent immediately dropped the shed skin from its mouth with a plop. Then it coiled its tail, raised its head, and gazed up at Xia Dong with its vertical pupils.
Xia Dong shook his head helplessly, flicked a finger, and fed it the two remaining Mysterious Yin Qi-Gathering Pills.
The serpent gulped them down in two swallows.
Then, to Xia Dong's astonishment, the ferocious beast made an effort to straighten the upper half of its body. It bent its head in an awkward, deliberate bow toward Xia Dong in midair, performing an utterly ridiculous "grand salute."
"All right, all right. You may rise."
After eating three Qi-Gathering Pills laced with Profound Yin Divine Water, the serpent was clearly feeling the effects. It let out a tremendous yawn, its eyelids drooping as drowsiness overtook it. Then, with a quick slither, it returned to its old spot, coiled up, and fell asleep to digest the pill's medicinal power.
Once the serpent was asleep, Xia Dong could clearly feel the thread of spiritual connection between them growing closer and more secure.
As long as they were within a certain range, he could clearly sense even the slightest hint of goodwill or hostility from the serpent.
Likewise, he could effortlessly use that bond to give it precise commands.
Xia Dong drifted down to the ground. Looking at the serpent sleeping soundly in the distance, he couldn't help thinking:
"The Black Water Profound Snake clan would rather die than be slaves... unless the Mysterious Yin Qi-Gathering Pills keep coming?"
He laughed despite himself, then turned to the enormous shed skin on the ground.
Xia Dong reached out with one hand and grabbed it from afar.
The shed skin looked enormous, its remaining scales menacing, their dark teal metallic sheen glinting in the sunlight.
But when Xia Dong actually drew it into his hand, he found that the thing was featherlight. It barely had any weight at all.
"What a treasure. It's light and supple, yet tough, and there's a wondrous flow of spiritual energy through it. Its Daoist resonance is naturally formed—it's absolutely excellent material for crafting defensive inner armor." Xia Dong stroked the shed skin and nodded with satisfaction, but then sighed regretfully. "Too bad I don't know how to craft artifacts."
Xia Dong drew the fine steel dagger he carried with him and pressed its tip hard against the edge of the shed skin. With a harsh scraping sound, the seemingly thin snake hide was left with nothing but a faint white mark.
He was secretly astonished. Then he channeled the Mysterious Yin Mana from his dantian and coated the blade with it, cutting back and forth until he managed to slice off several neat scraps from the edge.
"Even with my current strength and mana reinforcing the blade, it's still this hard to cut. This shed skin has remarkable defensive properties." Xia Dong looked at the slightly nicked dagger. Rather than minding the damage, he was deeply impressed by the skin's astonishing toughness.
In the cultivation world, the hides and fur of demon beasts had always been excellent materials for making talisman paper and brushes.
Xia Dong planned to keep the scraps he had cut off and, when he had time, try making talismans with this spirit-rich snake skin to see how much stronger they would be.
As for the huge piece of shed skin that remained, he naturally hoped to have it made into a suit of inner armor.
He considered the matter. He would be returning to the city in a few days anyway, so he might as well ask Zhao Ting for help.
The Eagle-Wolf Guard naturally had artifact smiths among its ranks. A snake skin this large would be more than enough for one of them to tailor an inner armor for him.
It was also about time to hand over this month's allotment of talismans and pills, so he could take them back to the city and deliver them to Zhao Ting while he was at it.
But Xia Dong had already made up his mind: the "Mysterious Yin Qi-Gathering Pills" mixed with Profound Yin Divine Water absolutely could not be sold.
Though the addition of the divine water had improved the pills' quality, its aura was too distinctive. If an expert noticed anything unusual, it would surely invite trouble.
Having settled on a plan, Xia Dong returned through the passage to the Well-Bottom Secret Chamber.
He sat cross-legged and meditated, adjusting his vital essence, energy, and spirit to their best condition.
Over the next few days, he devoted himself entirely to alchemy and talisman-making.
After using three drops of Profound Yin Divine Water, he refined three more Mysterious Yin Qi-Gathering Pills for later use. Then he started a batch of ordinary Qi-Gathering Pills for trade and drew a batch of low-grade talismans.
Once everything was ready, Xia Dong sorted the items into his Storage Pouch and quietly left the chamber.
When he passed the cliff, the Black Water Profound Snake was still deep in slumber, digesting the medicinal power.
Demon beasts had an extremely strong sense of territory. Even while it slept, its savage aura spread unchecked throughout the surrounding area.
Under the pressure of that aura, ordinary beasts and birds of prey wouldn't dare come anywhere near.
Xia Dong wasn't worried about anything accidentally wandering into his cave abode, let alone finding the chamber.
Xia Dong stretched out and quietly cast the Wind-Riding Technique.
An invisible current of air gathered beneath his feet, lifting him from the ground. He flitted lightly between the forest and the treetops, heading straight toward the city.
His Wind-Riding Technique had grown increasingly proficient. His figure drifted like an immortal's, and with every glide, he seemed to capture a trace of the wondrous grace of "riding the wind and treading the sea, soaring on the breeze through the void."
However, as Xia Dong carefully felt the mana circulating within him, he knew that his Wind-Riding Technique was still some way from true perfection.
"I wonder if I'll be able to break through its limits again once I grind the Wind-Riding Technique to perfection..." He raced through the wind, pondering to himself.
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