As agreed, Lang Gu lay down by the cave and kept watch, alert to everything around him, and mentally prepared his story for when the old priest asked him where Yu Ling had gone the next day.
On one side, Yu Ling frantically dug a hole, not in the territory of the snake clan, but on the other side of the river behind the cave where the snake cubs lived. Not only were there no snake clan guards, but also mischievous little snakes often took advantage of their small size to crawl out from the cracks in the rocks to play.
If you happen to encounter a snake that has heard your story, wouldn't the antidote be a piece of cake, given the friendship you've built with them through your stories?
Yu Ling dug holes and tunnels all the way, and soon, thanks to the rabbit race's talent and his two cultivation techniques to replenish his strength, his progress was much faster than on the ground. To be honest, if it weren't for the side quest, he wouldn't have bothered digging himself into the ground.
However, the closer they got to their destination, the louder the dragging sound of heavy objects on the ground became, but she didn't know what it was.
Yu Ling, who had unwavering faith in the original owner's experience, thought it was just some mindless animals roaming the ground and didn't take it seriously. She continued towards her goal, and as the soil gradually became moist, she knew she had arrived at her destination. Just as she was about to dig a hole, she heard a familiar voice from above.
"Hurry up, all you water snakes, listen up! You must fill these things into that underwater cave in the river before dawn. Everyone, give it your all, and once the cold snap passes, I'll grant you a long holiday so you can rest as much as you want!"
It was Snake Flame speaking to the other snakes.
But what exactly is being added to the water? Aren't you worried that when a cold front comes and the river freezes, you won't be able to get it out?
Just as Yu Ling was completely confused, another voice spoke.
"Hmph, the Eagle Clan would never have imagined that we would intercept the supplies they were exchanging with the Lion Clan." This was the voice of an unfamiliar snake, likely one of the water snakes Yu Ling had never seen before. "However, Lord Snake Flame, if we do this, what if the two clans find the discrepancies when they tally the goods...?"
"Hasn't it already been filled in? Let them go into the water and look for it if they dare. My snake clan doesn't have these things. Don't worry, the relationship between the eagle clan and the lion clan is inherently unstable. The friendship that was barely established by a very capable female is not very deep. It's all because that female is more capable that they don't fight. Mutual trust is simply impossible."
Serpentflame scoffed at the ways of the Lion Clan and the Eagle Clan.
"Besides, so what if the numbers don't match? Even if neither side says anything, they'll definitely assume the other side is hiding something. How can they blame us?"
[I know, I know! Just like when Wukong stole the ginseng fruit, even the ones that fell on the ground were counted, and he ended up being wrongly accused by the two boys. Heh~ this snake is quite clever!]
The system, which had been submerged for a long time, finally surfaced.
The Eagle Clan and the Lion Clan had an information gap; they only knew that what they received didn't match what the other side had promised to give them, so of course the other side had to do it. Who knew there was such a thing as 'falling into the ground'?
"Yes, you're right. No wonder they're the snake clan, they know how to play!" Yu Ling, now stuck in the cave and in a dilemma, exclaimed to the system, "But how am I supposed to get out and find the antidote while the snake clan is up to their evil deeds?!"
[...]
The system fell silent.
The system has become anonymous.
It's not smart enough to bother its host!
On the ground, the water snakes worked overtime, while Yu Ling waited and waited in the cave until there was absolutely no movement. Only then did she dig up the soil above her head and peek out.
Then he bumped right into Serpent Flame, who was sitting by the river in a daze.
Snake Flame was in beastman form because he felt that transforming into this form while thinking would make his mind more agile. Now, after dismissing the water snakes, he was by the river thinking about which unlucky guy the snake clan should go to for warmth next when he saw... a pair of rabbit ears growing out of the ground not far away?
Their eyes met, and they felt incredibly awkward. Although the Serpent Flame race was not known for its keen sense of smell, he still recognized Yu Ling's true form. He stepped forward, picked up the rabbit ears, and pulled Yu Ling Jiujiang out of the ground, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
"Rabbit White, don't tell me you're here so late... just to enjoy the scenery."
Yu Ling broke out in a cold sweat. It wouldn't matter if a fight broke out; she could definitely escape once she got angry. But the problem was that he came for the antidote! If he just ran away, wouldn't all the time she had waited be wasted?!
"Um, let me explain!" Yu Ling thrashed about in mid-air for a few moments, but when he realized he couldn't break free without a fight, he gave up. He explained, "Actually, I came here on the orders of the Beast God!"
"Oh? The decree of the Beast God?" Serpent Flame repeated in a high-pitched voice, which, surprisingly, sounded quite pleasant. He sneered, "Ha, it's one thing for you to tell my people nonsense, but what, you're trying to fool me?"
Yu Ling: "I...I...I'm doing this for your own good!"
"Hmm? What are the benefits?"
"Haven't you noticed that your cubs are starting to obey? Spreading the faith in the Beast God will help establish your authority! When the time comes, find an opportunity to coax them into performing a miracle. Besides, you are the Beast God's messenger, so isn't the entire snake clan under your control?!" Yu Ling gave herself a thumbs up for her cleverness.
"But..." Snake Flame picked up the rabbit and pressed its face against it, saying, "Now I'm the one who calls the shots in the snake clan!"
"...But...at least when a snake smarter than you appears, maybe people will be more willing to believe that the Beast God chose you..." Help, I can't keep this up, maybe I should just come clean!
Watching Yu Ling rack her brains to cover up her lie was quite amusing. She Yan threw Yu Ling back to the ground, but didn't immediately resort to violence. As he said before, he didn't believe that a rabbit could have any fighting ability.
The moment Yu Ling landed, she transformed back into a beastman, her two rabbit ears drooping, her face flushed red, and she didn't know what to do.
"Um, Snake Flame, I didn't mean to..."
"Alright, that's enough. You heard what I just said, didn't you?" Snake Flame asked rhetorically, clearly convinced of this. He continued, "Since you heard it, I naturally can't let you go. Snake Gray said you're good at coaxing cubs. How about I spare your life and let you continue being a priest in the snake clan?"
Yu Ling wasn't asking whether he'd be killed or not. He could run, but he wasn't because he wanted to steal the antidote. However, given the current situation, the probability of Snake Flame agreeing to give him the antidote was practically zero...
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