Although Wei Yunxi had not formed a contract with the red panda Li Li, she believed he would not lie to her. She turned to ask Dian Dian, "Dian Dian, did you smell the scent of an evil cultivator?"
Dian Dian twitched its little nose. "Master, I did not smell that special odor evil cultivators carry, but Boss Li Li's eyes are amazing. He should not be mistaken."
"That makes it interesting. Using the excuse of Tianlin Flying Boat Firm delivering a letter for Ye Yirui of Medicine King Valley to slip that gray snake onto Lingxue Peak. What is the hand behind this really after?"
Wei Yunxi was puzzled. The one in the shadows would not do something pointless. There had to be a purpose.
While she was thinking, a message talisman flew to her. It was from Yu Ling Zūnzhě, asking what had happened and why the peak-guarding formation on Lingxue Peak had been activated.
Activating the guard formation burned spirit stones. Without special cause it was not done lightly. Wei Yunxi waved her sleeve to send Li Li back into her inner space, then shut down the formation and flashed to the Hive.
"Master, today someone from Tianlin Flying Boat Firm, in the name of Ye Yirui of Medicine King Valley, delivered me a letter and left a gray snake on Lingxue Peak. Tianlin has countless threads tied to evil cultivators. I feared an incident and started the peak-guarding grand formation to trap the snake and take it alive, but there was a problem during the capture."
By the end, Wei Yunxi's voice lost some confidence.
Yu Ling gave his disciple a glance. "The snake escaped?"
"Mm. The gray snake was badly injured, but it used venom to corrode an escape gap. Its tail was severed though. Even if it got away, it likely will not live long. My spirit beast says the snake was strange, seemingly controlled by a wisp of split soul, yet Dian Dian could not smell an evil cultivator's scent on it."
As she spoke, Wei Yunxi sketched the snake's outline in the air with spiritual power and looked to Yu Ling.
After a glance, Yu Ling said, "That is an Shadowscale Serpent. Its venom is strong. It can grow to fifth tier and is a spirit beast demon cultivators favor contracting. It has real combat strength and carries a trace of dragon blood. If that bloodline awakens it can break through to sixth tier, then ascend to the Spirit Realm and continue cultivating.
Before third tier, though, it must devour large amounts of rare treasures. Ordinary cultivators cannot afford to raise one."
Wei Yunxi's imagination leapt. "Master, could they have deliberately left a juvenile Shadowscale Serpent on Lingxue Peak so I would contract it?"
Yu Ling shook his head. "In my view, the hand behind this more likely meant to use the serpent to kill you. Do not be fooled by a mere third tier. Its poison could ruin your path to ascension. It would still need the chance to get close."
"Tsk. Then they were far too obvious. How would I bite the bait?"
"Did you not send your spirit beast to catch it? If it had been caught, would you not inspect it? Once it neared you, that soul wisp would seize the chance to rush your sea of consciousness," Yu Ling analyzed plainly.
Wei Yunxi felt a twinge in her teeth. She had no proof, but she knew only evil cultivators would play tricks like this. When they could not win openly, they stooped to the covert. Thankfully she was not reckless. She had sent the fourth-tier Li Li, and Li Li's eyes were special. He had chased the seven-inch point relentlessly, leaving the snake no choice but to flee.
"Master, rest assured. I value my life. Even within the sect I am cautious. That is why I activated the peak formation to catch the Shadowscale Serpent. I feared the snake would fail to strike me and instead harm other disciples."
"You are certain it fled and did not die?" Yu Ling asked.
"Embarrassing as it is, the snake did escape, but it was definitely injured. Without help it will surely die."
Wei Yunxi trusted Li Li's claws. A fourth-tier beast was equivalent to a human Nascent Soul cultivator. However soft and cute his appearance, his killing power was real. Otherwise he could not have become the boss among beasts in the secret realm.
"Then tomorrow the sect will post a notice to have everyone keep watch for the serpent's trail."
"Yes."
Wei Yunxi agreed at once.
Near midnight, the half-dead Shadowscale Serpent suddenly opened its eyes. In the dark, its green vertical pupils looked especially chilling. It flicked its tongue to find its bearings, then curled back to its severed tail. Gray breath spilled from its mouth, and after one stick of incense the cut tail had regrown.
The effort left it exhausted, yet it still slithered toward a peak with a pleasing scent.
The next day, the Law Enforcement Hall issued a notice asking disciples to report any trace of an injured Shadowscale Serpent. It stated this was the spirit pet of Ran Xi Zhēnjūn of Lingxue Peak and included an illustration. It promised a heavy reward for clues and emphasized that the spirit pet was third tier. Low-level disciples who found it should not try to seize it by force but send word to Lingxue Peak.
"Tsk tsk, worthy of Ran Xi Zhēnjūn. Even her spirit pet outclasses us."
"Has to. Otherwise how could it help Zhēnjūn? You do not contract one just to worship it."
"Exactly. Come on, let's circle Lingxue Peak. Maybe we will get lucky."
"And maybe we will see Ran Xi Zhēnjūn."
Disciples soon banded together to search for the serpent's trail.
Wei Yunqing read the message jade and frowned, a flash of disdain in her eyes. She sneered, "Hmph. Since when did Wei Yunxi have such a spirit pet? She is clearly lying to get a free helper. I will not let her have her way."
She put away the jade and looked at the gray Shadowscale Serpent coiled on the meditation mat. She was certain it bore no one's contract. She guessed the third-tier serpent had refused to contract with Wei Yunxi and had fled at the risk of death, only to be picked up by her. It must be her chance.
To seek her aid, the serpent had even spat out a third-tier companion Shadow Fruit, a spirit fruit that could cure a hundred poisons. She had taken the serpent back to her cave without hesitation.
Now, after reading the notice, Wei Yunqing did not hesitate either. She formed seals to contract the healing serpent. She, of course, would be master, the serpent the servant.
At the instant the contract formed, a clear adolescent voice rang in her sea of consciousness."Master."
"Mm. From now on you will be called Yingxi."
"Thank you for the name, Master."
"Heal first. I will find you pills to aid recovery."
"Many thanks, Master," Yingxi hissed respectfully.
Once Wei Yunqing left, the Shadowscale Serpent opened its eyes again. This time, the eerie green vertical pupils had become a pair of human eyes. "Hmph. A human cultivator without a firm dao heart thinks to contract me. Delusional."
It slipped from the mat and glided about the cave.
On Lingxue Peak, Wei Yunxi's eyelid twitched. She felt something was about to go wrong. The image of that serpent would not leave her mind.
Half a day passed. Many disciples came with information, yet no one found the Shadowscale Serpent's trail.