Cui Jiuyang's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
He dared not ask further, much less dwell on it, and could only hastily change the subject to serious business. Watching Bai Susu busy herself, he asked gravely, "At this point, I'm afraid you'll have to tell me everything you've been hiding... Otherwise, how am I supposed to keep helping you?"
Bai Susu paused slightly at his words, then put down her work and sat sideways on the edge of the bed. In a gentle voice, she said, "Since you've asked, Young Master Cui, I certainly wouldn't dare hide anything else."
She took a deep breath, gathered her words, and slowly began, "My master is a Green Willow Snake Demon who has cultivated for many years. Among our Snake Demon lineage, he's quite a renowned greater demon.
"The Li Zhongqing I came to the Capital to find is a Yellow Dragon Snake in his true form.
"We're both snakes, and there are some ties between us.
"Li Zhongqing carries a faint trace of Dragon bloodline within his original body. He's remained in the Capital all these years to steal some of the Son of Heaven’s Dragon Qi and see whether he can use that opportunity to advance his cultivation."
She paused, a trace of worry flashing through her eyes, then continued, "But starting a few years ago, some snake demons who were in contact with my master began mysteriously disappearing, one after another.
"Master sensed something was wrong. He thought someone might be deliberately targeting our Snake Demon lineage, so he sent me to the Capital.
"First, he wanted me to ask Li Zhongqing, who lives here and is well informed, whether he'd heard anything or knew the reason behind it.
"Second, I was to deliver a treasured magical artifact of our school to Li