Outside the side room, several people frowned at the thick padlock in front of them.
Dongfang Xiao rolled up his sleeves and was eager to try.
"Or I'll just break it off?"
"Don't," Zhong Shengwan whispered. "We need to restore everything to its original state before dawn so as not to arouse suspicion."
Pei Yu stared at the padlock for a moment, then suddenly slid out his jade folding fan from his sleeve. His slender fingers pressed gently on a certain part of the fan bone. With a soft click of the mechanism, a long and thin silver needle protruded.
Everyone held their breath. They saw him insert the silver needle into the keyhole. In just a moment, there was a crisp click, and the padlock opened.
Several exclamations rang out. Shen Cuiyu also looked at Pei Yu appreciatively. Although he usually kept quiet, he could always show his strength at critical moments.
However, inside the room, there was nothing suspicious except some dusty sundries.
The group then used the same method to open several locked rooms one after another, but found nothing. Just when they were almost about to give up, the last door was slowly pushed open -
A thick and disgusting smell of blood hit them! When they saw the situation inside the room, all of them were so scared that they subconsciously took a step back!
A huge black snake coiled in front of them. Due to its huge body, it almost filled the entire room, making it look extremely crowded.
The snake's body was covered with wounds, with its scales turned up. The dark red blood had dried and stuck together, which was shocking.
The long - awaited light pierced the darkness. The black snake opened its eyes uncomfortably, revealing a pair of cold golden vertical pupils that clearly reflected the figures of Shen Cuiyu and the other three!
It originally looked at the intruders with hostility. However, when its gaze fell on Lu Chun standing in the back, the vigilance and hatred in its eyes instantly melted like ice and snow. Instead, there was a thick sense of trust and endless grievance that almost overflowed.
Although Lu Chun loved snakes, she had never seen such a huge one before and instinctively felt scared. But seeing that the huge snake not only showed no intention of attacking, but also, like an abandoned puppy,艰难ly and carefully brought its huge head closer and gently rubbed against her trembling hand.
This dependent action instantly touched Lu Chun's heart. She finally summoned up the courage to reach out and gently stroke the cold scales.
Feeling the response, the black snake rubbed more cheerfully and even let out a soft, satisfied hiss.
Zhong Shengwan watched this scene and was almost laughed at in anger!
Wasn't the black snake showing a different attitude when it scared them with its demonic appearance just now?!
Shen Cuiyu's gaze was cold, and his voice was like the clashing of ice and jade. "Since you can transform, why show yourself in such a form? Show yourself."
As soon as the words fell, the huge snake's body was enveloped by a dense white mist. When the mist dissipated, the snake's body disappeared, and in its place was a handsome young man with long black hair loose and ragged clothes.
He leaned weakly against the wall, holding Lu Chun's hand and pressing it against his cheek. At the same time, he looked at her with a pair of wet eyes, full of attachment.
Lu Chun was stunned, and her cheeks instantly turned crimson - this face was clearly the man in her dream!
She shyly yanked her hand back and took several steps back. Staring at that face, she stammered for a long time. She really wanted to ask, "Was it you who molested me in my dream?" But with other men present, she finally didn't ask. She could only look at the snake angrily and shyly!
The young man transformed from the black snake looked completely innocent, as if he had no idea about the turmoil in her heart.
Its innocent appearance was very different from that in the dream, which made Lu Chun a little confused. Could it be that it was just a coincidence that she dreamed of the snake demon?
Pei Yu stepped forward calmly, just blocking between Shen Cuiyu and the snake demon. He expressionlessly took off his outer robe and casually threw it on the half - naked snake demon.
Dongfang Xiao was completely stunned and couldn't say a word for a long time.
Zhong Shengwan looked at the snake demon with a complicated look for a moment and said meaningfully, "This behavior... I somehow feel that he is not like a snake demon, but more like a fox demon."
Shen Cuiyu remained unmoved and got straight to the point. "Why are you here and in such a state?"
The snake demon turned his eyes to Lu Chun and said in a low and slow voice, "I was coerced and imprisoned here by Wang Jingxuan."
"What?!" Everyone was shocked and couldn't believe it.
"You are a hundred - year - old great demon. How could he, a mere mortal, coerce and even imprison you?"
The snake demon locked his gentle gaze on Lu Chun and slowly said,
"Xiao Chun, do you still remember that when you saved me, I was seriously injured?"
"For our kind in cultivation, we must face the thunder tribulation every hundred years. This year was my tribulation period. Unfortunately, I was severely injured by the thunder and showed my original form. I passed out on the roadside. If you hadn't been kind - hearted and saved me, I would have died long ago... Under your careful care, my injury gradually healed..."
Until one day, when Lu Chun was not at home, the snake demon tried to transform again. Unexpectedly, he was caught by Wang Jingxuan!
He looked at the suddenly transformed demon in front of him and was so scared that his soul almost flew out of his body. He almost crawled backwards in a hurry. His mind was blank, only filled with the most instinctive fear.
However, the expected attack did not come.
Although the snake demon had transformed into a human form, his face was as pale as paper, and his figure was unstable. He even seemed a bit struggling to maintain his standing posture. He just leaned against the wall and gasped slightly.
Wang Jingxuan observed for a while in shock. He found that the snake demon in front of him not only couldn't do anything to him but was also very weak...
This discovery was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing most of his fear. Instead, there was a mixture of after - fear, curiosity, and some indescribable excitement!
He calmed himself down, suppressed his wildly beating heart, and tentatively took half a step forward.
"Are you... really a demon?" His voice was still trembling, but his eyes had changed from pure fear to a careful scrutiny, just like a merchant evaluating the value of a strange commodity.
The snake demon closed his eyes and didn't answer. There was forbearance and exhaustion between his eyebrows.
Wang Jingxuan gradually gained more courage. He remembered that in the storybooks, demons could turn stones into gold. Thinking of his empty purse and his longing for a bright future, a bold and despicable idea took root.
He cleared his throat and tried to make his voice sound calm, even with a hint of hypocritical concern. "I don't care what you are. Since you are in my house, you need to know how to repay kindness. My wife and I saved your life and spent rice, grain, and medicine on you. You should show something in return, right?" He paused, revealing his true intention. "I won't make it difficult for you. First... transform some silver for me."
The snake demon suddenly opened his eyes. His golden vertical pupils were full of unbelievable anger and humiliation.
Wang Jingxuan was startled by that look, but he immediately found a new reliance. He whispered, but his tone was threatening. "If you don't agree, I'll immediately tell Xiao Chun what kind of monster she saved with good intentions! Guess whether she will be so scared that she will kill you immediately or be heart - broken?"
He accurately grasped the snake demon's weakness - it didn't want to scare or hurt Lu Chun.
The snake demon's aura stagnated. That anger finally turned into helpless dejection. He looked at the greedy scholar in front of him, was silent for a long time, and finally... humiliatingly closed his eyes.
He thought that Wang Jingxuan would stop after this, but unexpectedly, he was insatiable and asked the snake demon for great power...