Chapter 77

Just at this moment, a whistling wind came from the cave, startling Lu Buqi, who warned, "Buli, be careful..."

Long Buli clearly heard the wind as well: "There's no need to overreact. Based on my years of experience, it's just that the cave has other entrances, causing the air to flow."

Sure enough, the wind died down instantly. Lu Buqi took a few steps forward, feeling the air, and indeed, there was no strong stench, indicating that he had been overly suspicious.

Behind him, Long Buli's smug laughter echoed: "I told you so. Oh... this water is so refreshing, Buqi, come over here... Ah..."

The laughter abruptly stopped, followed by a sharp scream. Lu Buqi turned around to see something that left him utterly shocked despite his mental preparation.

Long Buli was half-lying by the water, her face pale, and in her gaze, a light pink... dragon was emerging from the water, baring its fangs and claws, lunging toward Long Buli with a terrifying momentum.

"Stop!" Although shocked, Lu Buqi's two lifetimes of experience and heightened alertness made his reaction almost instinctive. He rushed forward, the Yu Chang sword dangerously slicing toward the dragon, and at the same time, grabbed the stunned Long Buli, rolling to the side.

The massive dragon's mouth swept past their hair, and Lu Buqi, using his foot for leverage, forcefully threw Long Buli away: "Run quickly!"

Even though it was just a brief encounter, Lu Buqi recognized the dragon as the red snake from ten days ago. In his deeply ingrained Chinese cultural mindset, a snake that could transform into a dragon was definitely not a good omen, and it was likely a mystical beast.

Since it was a mystical beast, Lu Buqi's first instinct as a man was to stay behind. However, he suddenly realized with a sense of sorrow that if the mystical beast unleashed its power, even he could only withstand a few attacks.

What moved Lu Buqi was that Long Buli, having recovered, ran back to him, standing close by and brandishing a pair of small daggers that looked more and more like chopsticks, facing the dragon whose lower body was still in the water.

Although moved, Lu Buqi couldn't help but roar: "Stupid woman, why did you come back?"

"We haven't parted ways yet, how can I leave you behind?" Long Buli's hair was wet, but her eyes were more determined.

Lu Buqi didn't say anything more because he suddenly noticed that the dragon slowly lowered its head, its aura subsiding. Its increasingly bright eyes fixed on him, making Lu Buqi strangely feel a sense of familiarity.

"Red snake..." Lu Buqi said awkwardly.

"Benefactor..." A voice as if from the heavens echoed in the small valley, startling Lu Buqi. Then, a scene that he would never forget in his lifetime unfolded before his eyes.

A pink light flashed, and the massive dragon suddenly transformed into a woman, a completely naked woman, slowly floating down.

In the enchanting pink light, the naked woman's long curly hair fluttered like a fan, her face bearing a striking resemblance to Long Buli, her figure slender and alluring, her curves well-defined. As she extended her arms, her breasts rose like peaks, her waist slim and smooth, and the lush grass between her legs, the secret cave of the peach source, was faintly visible.

Lu Buqi, already in a position of looking up, felt a warmth in his heart and actually started to bleed from his nose, though he was unaware of it. It wasn't that Lu Buqi lacked composure, but the scene was too alluring and sudden. Even a man in his seventies would have been moved.

Long Buli was also stunned. When the naked woman landed a few feet in front of them, she let out a strange cry, "No looking," and covered Lu Buqi's eyes while throwing a piece of clothing: "Whether you are human or beast... put on some clothes first."

Long Buli's action woke Lu Buqi up, and he realized that the nosebleed had dripped onto the Yu Chang sword. His face turned red as he quickly wiped it away with his sleeve, muttering to himself, "How embarrassing... this damn puberty thing!"

The curly-haired naked woman smiled seductively but did not refuse Long Buli's gesture. She put on the large red cloak.

As the cloak completely covered her alluring figure, the curly-haired woman suddenly knelt before Lu Buqi: "Red snake pays respects to her benefactor."

Lu Buqi, who had just wiped his nose clean, was quite flustered, more so than at any other time in his two lifetimes: "You... you are the red snake?"

The red snake nodded, still kneeling, then raised her head, her eyes like clear water: "Thanks to the benefactor's righteousness, the red snake was given a chance to live and was named and enlightened. Only then could the red snake break free from its snake form and transform into a dragon."

"Transform into a dragon?" Lu Buqi was surprised, realizing it wasn't a dragon: "Get up... I merely refrained from killing you when you were vulnerable. As for naming and enlightening, that's not true. Any progress you made is your own doing, and there's no need for such a grand gesture."

"No... a drop of water's kindness should be repaid with a spring of water. Even though the red snake is a beast, it understands this principle." The red snake continued to kneel: "Moreover, the benefactor's righteousness and enlightenment are like a second life. This bow is far from enough to repay the favor."

While Lu Buqi was troubled, Long Buli seemed to understand the situation and pulled the red snake up: "I told you mystical beasts are great. Hehe... not only are they kind but also grateful. Red snake, since your benefactor has spoken, get up and talk."

Who would have thought that the red snake, so fierce and powerful in its original form, would be so obedient and compliant in human form, standing up with Long Buli's pull. She was completely gentle and respectful toward Lu Buqi.

Lu Buqi could only marvel at the unpredictability of the world. He never imagined that a life-threatening situation would turn into this.

Thinking back to the rainy night ten days ago, when the red snake transformed into a dragon and endured the lightning, Lu Buqi still felt as if it were a dream. He never thought that a moment of empathy would bring such a great blessing.

Seeing the two women standing there, who looked like twin sisters, Lu Buqi was somewhat dazed. However, he was not the type to easily lose his composure: "Red snake, if you want to consider me your benefactor, I will accept it with humility. Avoiding further conflict is a good thing."

"Every word the benefactor said that day is etched in the red snake's heart!" The red snake bowed her head in response: "I naturally would not attack the benefactor... I was unaware of the benefactor's presence just now, which led to the clash. Please forgive me, benefactor."

Lu Buqi laughed heartily: "What to forgive? If you had used your power to kill us two greedy people just now, I wouldn't have been angry. After all, I came back here to seek treasure... However, why do you look so similar to Buli?"

"Buli? Do you mean this sister?" The red snake seemed to see herself as a young girl: "In response to the benefactor, the red snake rarely sees humans. Seeing the benefactor risk his life to protect this sister, I thought she must be someone the benefactor cherishes, so I transformed to resemble her... If the benefactor finds it inappropriate, the red snake will revert to her original form!"

Before Lu Buqi could respond, Long Buli answered cheerfully: "What's inappropriate about it? I think it's great. If we go out, we can tell people we are twin sisters. Wow... how interesting, right? Buqi?"

Lu Buqi raised his eyebrows: "I have no objections, but if she dresses the same as you, I might not be able to tell who is who..."

"Really?" Long Buli blinked: "The red snake's hair is curly, her eyes are slightly larger than mine, and her nose is a bit smaller. Can't you tell?"

"The curly hair is a good difference, but the eyes and nose you mentioned, I can't really tell!" Lu Buqi smiled bitterly.

"Unfortunately, my cultivation is low, and I can only transform once. Otherwise, I would transform again to look more different from this sister, and the benefactor wouldn't be so troubled." The red snake said weakly: "If the benefactor is displeased, the red snake will revert to her original form."

Seeing how much the red snake valued his opinion and was so obedient, Lu Buqi didn't dare to give any more comments and quickly responded: "It's fine, this is good..."

Hearing this, the red snake's face lit up with joy, and she bowed to thank Lu Buqi: "Thank you, benefactor!"

The cloak, after all, was not a proper garment. With this movement, her beauty was revealed, making Lu Buqi's eyes widen. He quickly looked away: "Buli, you should have extra clothes, right? Why don't you give some to the red snake first?"