The green snake in his sleeve became restless again, its cool reptilian skin brushing against his own. Bai Suzhen raised an eyebrow and ultimately allowed Shen Qing to slip into his collar.

[Hey, buddy...]

"Hey buddy?" Bai Su repeated with some confusion.

He still found it a little unfamiliar to be called "brother" in the mortal realm. He had always thought that only humans used such terms, but he never expected this little creature to imitate humans in the same way.

"[Brother!] Shen Qing thought that Bai Su must be dissatisfied, so he quickly changed his tone, [Brother, how many years did you cultivate before becoming a human?]"

The one who understands the current situation is considered clever.

If you can't beat them, just surrender first.

This man seems formidable. It's better to follow him. It's just pinching the tip of the tail, it won't hurt at all!

Shen Qing has a quick temper, but it comes and goes swiftly. Moreover, considering the fact that he gained some understanding of the situation by getting hurt, he didn't really lose out. Therefore, Shen Qing decided to simply let this matter slide.

"...a thousand years." Bai Su could hardly believe her ears when Shen Qing called him "brother". It took him a while to slowly utter these two words.

Below a thousand years are Yao, above a thousand years are Jing.

But for humans, yokai are just yokai. No matter how many years pass, as long as they become yokai, they will always be considered yokai.

Yao creatures below a thousand years old are usually unable to completely transform into human form unless they are influenced by someone.

Shen Qing, with only two hundred years of cultivation, wanted to transform into a human. However, it would take at least another eight hundred years — of course, it would also require enduring the tribulation of thunder, whether it be for a hundred years, a thousand years, or even ten thousand years...

It's all destined.

Bai Suzhen reached out and grabbed Shen Qing's head, taking the small snake out of her collar and placing it in her palm. "You haven't even swallowed two hundred years of cultivation, and yet you're already thinking about transforming?"

Shen Qing stared wide-eyed at him, their eyes meeting in silence.

Shen Qing, male, an ordinary college student who has been a human for nineteen years. Now, someone - well, a thousand-year-old monster to be precise - tells him: "You want to be human? Then train for another eight hundred years."

#On the psychological level at this moment in time#

Go to hell.

These four words, in bold font size 72, rolled in Shen Qing's mind.

If possible, Shen Qing wanted to raise her head and let out a howl, using it as a way to express her emotional state.

[...Brother, is this the only way?] Shen Qing's mind was going crazy for a moment, unwilling to give up, and asked with a pitiful tone, elongating the sentence and adding a hint of coquetry.

Bai Su slightly raised the corners of his mouth, only using those smiling vermilion phoenix eyes to look at him without answering.

Ah, there's hope. Shen Qing's eyes lit up, and he excitedly sat up straight, his tail tip gently swaying. What he didn't notice was that his little tail was unintentionally brushing against Bai Suzhen's silver hair hanging in front of her chest.

-It is not clear whether it is due to this body or due to Shen Qing himself, but he always unintentionally produces a signal that he wants to get close to Bai Suzhen, to be even closer to him, and it would be even better if they could be inseparable.

Shen Qing's own lack of awareness does not mean that Bai Su Zhen didn't notice either. It's just that Bai Su Zhen chose to indulge in this kind of intimacy.

"[Bro, just tell me.]"

(Note: In this translation, I have used "bro" to convey the informal tone of the original Chinese sentence.)

"What benefit do I get from telling you?" Seeing Shen Qing's impatient appearance, Bai Su really wanted to tease him.

"For I am exceptionally handsome, taking me out with you will be quite prestigious." Shen Qing had great confidence in his appearance, "Moreover, I can also be your assistant, I will fight whoever you ask me to!"

Although Shen Qing didn't want to be someone's little brother at all, but when he thought about his own abilities... Well, isn't it just being a little brother? He endured it.

Moreover, this creature before us is still a millennium-old monster; it is equivalent to embracing a powerful backer. It's a gain without any losses.

"Handsome?"

[That's what Jun means.]

Bai Su Zhen nodded, indicating her understanding, and then tucked Shen Qing into her sleeve.

"... Shen Qingmo."

#The big monster always likes to stuff me into its sleeve, what should I do?#

"#Waiting online, urgent#"

Bai Su Zhen has always preferred to be alone. After all, the more you interact with others, the more likely you are to get tangled up in various causes and effects. Dealing with causes and effects can be incredibly troublesome, so it's best to avoid getting involved if possible.

Taking Shen Qing along was completely an exception. Shen Qing, in the form of a tiny snake, was manageable for him to carry around. But if she were to turn into her human form and follow him, he would definitely feel uncomfortable.

Shen Qing'an calmed down for a while, then crawled towards Bai Suzhen's collar. This time, he didn't ask any more questions, but quietly wrapped himself around Bai Suzhen's neck. From a distance, it looked like Bai Suzhen was wearing a jade pendant around her neck.

Shen Qing watched as Bai Su Zhen walked to the entrance of a remote cave before stopping. This cave was somewhat secluded, and the path leading to it was rugged and uneven, with overgrown vegetation. It was very easy to get lost in this forested area.

At least Shen Qing had been paying attention to the terrain all along the way. But when he looked back, he was completely dumbfounded to realize that he had completely forgotten the route.

"Are you living here?" Shen Qing looked at the gloomy entrance and then glanced at the man's spotless white clothes, finding it a little hard to imagine.

"From now on."

Shen Qing was momentarily stunned, before realizing the man's intention: he used to not live here before, but starting from now on, he would.

[... It seems like there's a resident here.] In fact, it's not just an impression, but a fact.

Perhaps it was because he had also become a snake now, or rather a snake demon, Shen Qing inexplicably knew that there were at least hundreds of snakes in this cave, including a big snake that it couldn't afford to provoke.

"What's the point?" Before Shen Qing could figure out the meaning of this sentence, she saw Bai Suzhen calmly raise her hand and point towards the entrance of the cave.

"Plop."

My ears caught a faint buzzing sound, almost simultaneously, a small purple lightning shot out from Bai Suzhen's hand, and a trail of residual light flew out from her fingertips, transforming into a small snake which opened its mouth and darted towards the entrance of the cave.

And then, at a distance of five meters in front of the cave, there was a continuous crackling sound, resonating all around, and a transparent barrier, resembling a hood, appeared.

What the f*ck!

What kind of nonsense is this? Hey!

Having witnessed a fantastical scene that one would only see on television up close, Shen Qing was completely dumbfounded. He recalled his earlier boast of being willing to hit anyone the man mentioned, and now he felt a stinging pain on his face.

—Even if he had turned into a snake and had a discussion with the looming monster in front of him about how to become human again, in the end, Shen Qing still felt a lack of true perception.

Even though on the surface it seemed like he had already accepted this fact, in reality, he still couldn't fully immerse himself in the authenticity of this world's background.

However, the scene before his eyes now completely surpassed his understanding. Shen Qing's heart, which always held a playful spirit, felt as if it had been struck hard by a small hammer, finally giving him a hint of reality.