Venerated Venomous Consort

Gu Xijiu shook her head in disapproval; it was probably the premenstrual syndrome that had caused her confusion, which explained why she was emotionally affected when the child flirted with her.

Shen Nianmo was obviously treating her as someone who was of the same age as him, which was why he would not stop flirting. The absurdity could not go on anymore.

The snakes danced violently to the sound of the lute. A few moments later, some of the snakes lay quietly on the ground, exhausted from the dance. Others were alarmed. They knew they should not follow the dance any longer, but they could not control their movement at all. About 15 minutes later, all the remaining snakes lay helplessly on the ground.

Shen Nianmo finally let the lute down. “You can begin your hunt now. Pick whichever that you want,” he uttered.

While he was talking, he also turned around to check the surroundings for Gu Xijiu. However, what he saw shocked him to the core. He was frozen momentarily, then took a step back in retreat.

The beautiful and adorable young girl was replaced by the woman who had been giving him nightmares.

There she stood in completely black outfits– black robes, black hair, and a black, disturbing mask of a vicious ghost, highly resembling the grim reaper who had just emerged from Hell.

“You…” He only managed to say something in a hoarse whisper.

Gu Xijiu had returned to her usual appearance. While Shen Nianmo was busy playing the lute, she quickly made her change of wardrobe in a dark corner. Within seconds, she changed into her usual look very quickly without alarming Shen Nianmo.

The purpose of the change was to let the child recognize her true identity. She knew that the child used to be intimidated by her image. By throwing the gloom at him again, she believed that he would no longer be able to flirt with her.

To her delight, she gave him a tight smile. “What is it? Little Nianmo, can you recognize me?” With a note of mockery in her voice, she sounded, once again, like the mysterious woman.

“Now, I see. It has always been you,” he answered coldly with a profound look in his eyes.

“It is I.” Gu Xijiu continued, “Now you know that I have always been truthful to you.”

Shen Nianmo pinched his lips into a thin line and made no further comment.

Gu Xijiu ignored him and walked towards the snake. “I did not know that you can manipulate the snakes. Impressive.”

The snakes were completely worn out, so they did not struggle when she made her hunt. She caught them up at their vital points and placed them in a bag. A few moments later, she had collected almost half of the snakes.

The Snake Pearl was still rolling on the ground, glittering with immense radiance. Gu Xijiu picked it up and rolled it playfully in her hand. “Take it,” she demanded and threw the pearl at him.

The Snake Pearl was indeed precious. Gu Xijiu was drawn to its rarity, but she did not want to covet the child’s possession.

Shen Nianmo was caught in his contemplation when Gu Xijiu handed him the pearl, so he received it without a second thought. Suddenly, he had a premonition of a disaster! “No!” He quickly threw the pearl back to the circle of snakes. However, he was not quick enough. Gu Xijiu was trying to catch a fiery red snake that was lying quietly on the ground, but all of a sudden it rose and bit Gu Xijiu’s hand.

Gu Xijiu did not see it coming, so her middle finger was unfortunately bitten. She was shocked. Immediately, she hit the snake right at its head; the snake was dead instantaneously.

Dark green blood started oozing from the wound on her middle finger, giving her severe pain. Luckily, Shen Nianmo returned the pearl in time. Under the influence of the pearl, the remaining snakes were down before they were chaotically revived.

The lute did not only cause the collapse of the snakes in an undignified heap. Rather, it was a joint effect of the lute and the Snake Pearl.

When Gu Xijiu handed the pearl back to Shen Nianmo, she had also accidentally disarmed the spell that bounded the snakes. As a result, she had to pay the price for her thoughtless mistake.