Chapter 1: The Sleepy Serpent and a Stolen Treasure

It was March once more in the mortal realm, peach blossoms painting the hillsides.

In the Donghuang Immortal Continent, nestled at the foot of Yunlai Mountain, lay a quaint town.

Today seemed to be a bustling market day, drawing villagers from all around to partake in the town’s vibrant atmosphere.

Even the local teahouse buzzed with an unusual crowd, far greater than on any ordinary day.

The reason was simple: word had spread that the teahouse owner had invited a renowned storyteller from Cloud City, a hundred miles distant. This esteemed guest was slated to recount the latest widely circulated tale, a story that had captivated people for months.

“I heard this new tale originated from the Great Chu Royal Capital?”

“That’s right, that’s right. They say it’s connected to the grand battle between a great demon of the Beast Race and human cultivators that occurred in the Great Chu Dynasty a year ago.”

Though the invited storyteller had yet to appear, the listeners already seated in the teahouse had begun their animated discussions.

In a quiet corner of the teahouse, Bai Jiujiu, her face obscured by a white veil, listened to the conversation from the next table, her expression unchanging.

She simply reached for a hot bun from the steamer basket on the table before her. Her alluring peach blossom eyes quickly scanned the room, and finding no one paying her any mind, she swiftly lifted her veil and popped the entire bun into her mouth.

‘Indeed, hot food is truly the best!’

Just as Bai Jiujiu contentedly swallowed the last bun from the steamer, an elderly gentleman, clad in a long gown, appeared on the empty teahouse stage.

He clasped his hands and bowed several times to the audience. The old man then settled behind the table, retrieved a storytelling gavel from his sleeve, and struck it heavily upon the tabletop.

“Clap!”

The boisterous teahouse fell into an abrupt silence.

Bai Jiujiu, still in her corner, merely glanced at the old man before beckoning a waiter who stood nearby.

“Another basket of buns, and three tea eggs, please.”

“Alright, coming right up…”

The teahouse waiter cast a quick glance at Bai Jiujiu, said nothing further, and hurried towards the kitchen.

While waiting for her order, a bored Bai Jiujiu could only direct her attention to the storyteller on stage.

“They say this fox demon, Su Ling’er, who caused such a ruckus in the Great Chu Royal City and stole a supreme-grade spirit treasure, is a lost bloodline of the ancient Nine-Tailed Fox clan. Furthermore, it is rumored she was mentored by a snake demon with over a thousand years of cultivation.”

Bai Jiujiu had just raised her teacup for a sip, but before she could swallow, she heard the storyteller utter a name she knew all too well.

“Pfft…”

The warm tea sprayed out violently, drenching the back of the person seated at the table in front of Bai Jiujiu.

Three thousand years ago, Bai Jiujiu had indeed taken in a small fox as a disciple, even naming the fox Su Ling’er. Three hundred years ago, after the little fox successfully transformed and passed her tribulation, Bai Jiujiu had sent her down the mountain for worldly experience.

As for the snake demon with over a thousand years of cultivation mentioned by the storyteller, Bai Jiujiu mused that it seemed she truly had been here for a millennium since her transmigration.

However, Bai Jiujiu had spent more than half of those thousand years in slumber.

In her previous life, she was a homebody who loved to sleep twenty-four hours a day. Even after transmigrating to this immortal cultivation world, she still prioritized sleeping and eating.

In short, she hadn’t cultivated much. She had merely slept, and somehow passed her form transformation tribulation. She had slept, and somehow became the greatest demon on the thousand-mile Yunlai Mountain. She had slept, and somehow a millennium had passed.

Bai Jiujiu had not been without thoughts of descending the mountain to witness the world. Alas, the thousand-mile Yunlai Mountain where she resided was utterly devoid of human habitation.

Moreover, she was a lethargic snake, often sleeping for over a century at a time. She would frequently transform and set out to find human settlements, only to succumb to drowsiness halfway, fall asleep in a mountain gully, and wake up a century later.

Over time, she had grown accustomed to this lifestyle.

‘Oh, the steamed buns are ready.’ Bai Jiujiu casually picked up another small bun, stuffing her small mouth full beneath her veil.

To avoid excessive boredom over these thousands of years, she had successively adopted several small demons. After giving them some casual guidance, usually over chicken soup, they too had transformed and departed.

She had initially hoped these little rascals would help her understand the developments of the outside world, so she could hear their tales even when she woke. Yet, one by one, they left and never returned.

Only Su Ling’er, that little fox, was filial and sensible. A few days prior, on Bai Jiujiu’s birthday, she had ascended the mountain for a long-awaited visit to her lonely, old snake master. She even specially brought a gift: a Jade Water Bead, capable of nourishing the spirit, dispelling drowsiness, and preventing sudden death even after all-night vigils.

It was thanks to this bead that she was able to see human settlements again after a millennium.

‘Truly worthy of being the precious treasure I cuddle every night. It understands my heart perfectly.’

‘Wait a minute…’

Bai Jiujiu’s hand, holding a bun, suddenly froze. She abruptly recalled the storyteller’s words.

Su Ling’er had caused chaos in the Great Chu Royal City and stolen a supreme-grade spirit treasure. Combining this with the storyteller’s account, the incident must have occurred before her birthday. That meant the Jade Water Bead in her possession was, in all likelihood, stolen by that mischievous little fox.

At this realization, Bai Jiujiu instantly lost all desire to continue eating and enjoying herself. All she wanted was to quickly find a small river and toss the Jade Water Bead far, far away.

“Legend has it that the Great Chu Emperor was utterly furious, offering a reward of thirty million gold ingots for the capture of the fox demon Su Ling’er and her master. Not only did he dispatch thousands of constables from the Demon Suppression Bureau, but tens of thousands of troops were also led by the Great Chu Princess herself to slay the demon.”

“This Princess, they say, is also a generational prodigy. At merely sixteen, she single-handedly journeyed to Abyss’s Edge to slay a thousand-year-old flood dragon. Her Dragon Spear danced with such lifelike vigor, it made the heavens and earth dim.”

Bai Jiujiu slowly lowered the bun in her hand, sitting frozen on the long bench. The light faded from her eyes beneath her veil, and her smooth, pale thighs trembled involuntarily.

‘That little fox cub has utterly ruined this snake!’

‘Is it still not too late to return the Jade Water Bead now?’

‘Perhaps I should immediately return to Yunlai Mountain, find a secluded gully, burrow in, and sleep for a thousand years!’

‘I’ll just outlive all those humans.’

She was merely a muddled little snake who had haphazardly escaped tribulation by sleeping. Although by cultivation standards she was an eight-thousand-year-old great demon, she knew no spells whatsoever. Even the secret to transformation had been stumbled upon from a stone wall.

In the language of her previous life, it was like having a huge mana pool but no skills unlocked in the skill tree.

She was just a lazy snake who only knew how to sleep. The other demonic beasts on the mountain instinctively feared her, so she never needed to fight.

Someone as weak as her would undoubtedly be instantly killed, whether by the constables of the Demon Suppression Bureau or that terrifying-sounding Princess. Then they would turn her true form into snake soup.

Bai Jiujiu vividly imagined herself being made into snake soup, and tiny pearls of fear welled from the corners of her eyes, startling her.

She had no further desire to linger and enjoy herself in the teahouse. Just as she was about to rise from her seat, she glanced at the remaining half basket of steamed buns and the tea eggs.

After a moment of hesitation, she furtively looked left and right, then lifted her veil. She quickly snatched four buns and two tea eggs, stuffing them into her mouth in a crude gulp. Without even chewing, a distinct bulge appeared in her slender throat as she swallowed them smoothly into her stomach.

She then lowered her veil, adopting a dignified and composed demeanor, and departed the teahouse.

Just as Bai Jiujiu left, the person seated opposite her turned around. This individual had shoulder-length grey hair, wore a dark monastic robe, and had a wine gourd hanging from their waist. Though not tall, their aura was extraordinary, and a pair of almond-shaped eyes watched Bai Jiujiu’s retreating figure with great interest.

“I didn’t expect such an unexpected discovery in this teahouse…”

She unhooked the wine gourd from her waist, propped her legs onto the long bench, and tilted her head back to drink it dry.

The woman wiped the moisture from the corner of her mouth, then tossed the empty wine gourd to a waiter. “Waiter, fill this up. Put it on the Demon Suppression Bureau’s tab.” With those words, she swiftly followed Bai Jiujiu’s departing footsteps.

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