Chapter 14

Tang Xiaojiu stood in the pond for a long time, seeing no movement, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Could it be that the snake demon is so weak that it was killed by just one stone? If that's the case, this demon is too fragile, not at all like the legends! Or perhaps the monk almost killed it, and my one stone was just enough to finish it off?"

Just as Tang Xiaojiu was lost in his wild speculations, suddenly, there was a loud "bang," like a muffled thunder in the sky. A thick white water column shot up from the pond, and then with a "splash," the water column fell back into the pond, splashing a large area around it. Immediately after, accompanied by a series of shrill screams, Tang Xiaojiu fell from the air, flailing his arms and legs, and landed on the ground with a thud, his body shaking with pain as if pricked by needles. The water column had directly pushed Tang Xiaojiu out, sending him flying high into the air!

"How about it, are you ready to be eaten by me now!" The snake demon stood by the pond, his eyes glowing green, and said coldly.

Tang Xiaojiu, wincing in pain, got up from the ground, touching his bruised chin, and smiled at the demon, saying, "Hehe, you found me, you're really good! Close your eyes and count to one hundred, and I'll hide again."

This kid actually dared to joke with the snake demon at this moment. Without a word, the demon reached out and pulled Tang Xiaojiu to his side, squeezing his shoulder so hard that the bones creaked. "What, do you mean to say that your stone was just a joke, and we were playing hide-and-seek?"

Tang Xiaojiu, enduring the pain, forced a laugh and said, "Of course! What else could it be? You, a mighty demon, could be killed by one stone? I may not be educated, but I'm not stupid. Look at how powerful, dominant, and awe-inspiring you are..."

The snake demon, seeing his antics, sneered and suddenly opened his mouth. A blood-red forked tongue shot out and swept across Tang Xiaojiu's face, scaring him into screaming, "Don't eat me, don't eat me, I just had a bowel movement, I'm covered in feces!" Before he could finish, Tang Xiaojiu felt his body lighten and was thrown back into the air, then splashed into the pond again. He heard the snake demon's cold voice, "Then I'll wash you clean before eating you."

Hearing the snake demon's words, Tang Xiaojiu calmed down. The demon hadn't killed him at first and had even treated his broken arm. Could it be that he had a habit of saving people before eating them? Even if that were the case, just now, he had hit the demon's head with a stone, shattering it, but the demon's head remained intact. He had only given him a small lesson, making him fall once without even touching a hair on his head. The idea that the demon would eat him was something Tang Xiaojiu wouldn't believe even if a ghost told him!

Moreover, the snake demon kept saying he would eat him, which sounded scary, but there was no trace of killing intent in his tone. Tang Xiaojiu washed his face in the water, exaggeratedly drank a few mouthfuls to rinse his mouth, and laughed, "Eat me? Oh, if you had said that earlier, I wouldn't have run. I would have stood still for you to eat me! How do you want to eat me? Alive or dead? Suck my blood first or eat my flesh? If you want to suck my blood, I'll wash my neck first. You know me, I don't bathe often, so I might have a bit of a smell that could affect your taste... I'll wash up now!"

Although he didn't know why the demon treated him like a treasure, he was sure he was of great use to the demon. Tang Xiaojiu decided to act crazy and foolish, not caring about whether Lu Zheng had been poisoned by the demon, at least to save his own life for now.

Seeing Tang Xiaojiu's carefree and mocking attitude, the snake demon didn't get angry. He stood by the shore, watching Tang Xiaojiu play in the water, and said, "Actually, I should thank you for that stone. I was struggling to unblock two meridians, and your stone hit my Baihui point, instantly unblocking them. You did me a great favor."

Tang Xiaojiu was stunned, his heart aching with regret. He was filled with remorse, cursing his own foolishness. When was it a good time to show off, but to dig his own grave at such a moment? He forced a laugh and said, "Hehe, demon lord, you won't believe this, but I saw you sitting there motionless, your face alternating between red and white, and I was so worried. A voice in my head told me to throw a stone at your head, to hit you hard, and you would be fine. I thought it might be a passing god guiding me, so I did it without thinking. But after I threw the stone, I was worried. If only I heard the god's voice and you misunderstood, it would be terrible. I panicked and hid far away, waiting for you to recover and understand my good intentions. You wouldn't have been hard on me."

The snake demon almost laughed out loud. He had seen shameless people, but never one as shameless as this. He crossed his arms and said, "So, I should thank that passing god and your stone?"

Tang Xiaojiu waved his hand and said, "Ah, that was all the passing god's guidance. I can't take credit for it! Of course, the stone was thrown by me, and the timing and force were quite good..."

"Shut your mouth!" The snake demon, unable to bear the kid's continued shamelessness, interrupted him, "Are you never going to stop? I'm curious, how can you be such a person?"

Tang Xiaojiu grinned, showing his carefree and foolish smile, playing in the water while thinking. What did the snake demon mean? What kind of person was he? Was he not like this, but like the demon? He remembered the snake demon's green eyes when they first met, which always seemed familiar, but when the eyes glowed red, the demon wasn't as kind. He thought, "I don't have any demon friends. What does this snake demon see in me? Why keep me alive? Could it be that the green eyes are a sign of his birthday, making him particularly happy?"

After pondering for a while without a conclusion, he heard the snake demon say, "Tang Xiaojiu, you're quite smart, knowing I don't want to kill you! Have you figured out why I don't kill you?"

Tang Xiaojiu, realizing this was serious, chuckled and slowly climbed out of the pond, wringing out his clothes and pants one by one, and then putting them back on. He started hopping on one leg to shake the water out of his ears.

The snake demon said leisurely, "Take your time, but I only give you one chance. Miss it, and don't blame me."

Tang Xiaojiu's heart skipped a beat. His slow actions were meant to provoke the demon, to test his patience, but the demon remained unperturbed. Realizing he was dealing with a smart demon, he asked, "Hey, what use do I have for you?"

The snake demon's eyes showed a rare hint of approval. "At your young age, you can remain so calm and figure out that you are useful to me. Very good, very good, you have a sharp mind."

Tang Xiaojiu bowed gracefully and said, "Flattery! I'm not much, but I'm not afraid. Be straightforward. I'm just a common street urchin. What use could I have for a powerful demon like you? Could there be something about me that even I don't know?"

He meant it as a self-deprecating joke, but the snake demon nodded seriously and said, "You don't know your own use because you don't know who you are. It's like my current body is this snake demon's, but he is just a host, driven by me, and he doesn't know what he's doing or who he is! In this world, how many people truly understand who they are?"

Tang Xiaojiu was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped. He didn't fully understand, but the words were too unexpected. He couldn't help but ask, "What? This body is your host? What do you mean? You're not the snake demon I see, but you control it? Who are you, and how do you control it? What do you want?"

As he asked, he carefully examined the snake demon. The demon's lips moved, his eyes blinked, and his actions seemed so natural, making it hard to believe he was being controlled. He remembered stories of reanimation and felt a chill run down his spine.

The snake demon said, "You don't need to look at me like that. I am inside this demon, now controlling his consciousness. To others, this body is the snake demon. I am using his mouth to speak, his ears to hear, and to communicate with the world. After all, cultivation is better with a physical body."

Tang Xiaojiu, listening to the demon, suddenly had a flash of insight. His face turned pale, and his lips trembled. "I... I understand why you don't kill me. My use... you want to control me like you control him? Make me your host? Yes, the snake demon's body was damaged by the monk, so you need a new one, that must be it! No wonder you healed my hands..."