Serpent Ancestor

Qing Shuang had seen her share of storms and tempests, and soon, her emotions settled.

Now, after five years of secluded cultivation, she had comprehended most of the Lotus True Monarch’s inheritance, reaching the Great Perfection of the Divine Transformation Stage, and had even mastered various Divine Abilities of the Spirit Realm.

Even if the Thorn King came knocking, she could handle it with ease, let alone Xu Hei.

However, seeing Xu Hei casually tear through space, it was clear he had his own fortuitous encounters. Coupled with the abilities he had displayed earlier, far exceeding her expectations, it was unwise to make an enemy of him.

She even considered drawing him to her side.

”So, it’s Fellow Daoist Xu. It’s been five years since we parted, and meeting again today must be fate,” Qing Shuang said with a smile.

Xu Hei quietly watched her without speaking.

After a long while, Xu Hei asked, ”Are those people outside here for you?”

”That’s right.”

Qing Shuang nodded.She scrutinized Xu Hei carefully, noticing he didn’t seem hostile, and felt a sense of relief. Slowly, she said, ”Brother Xu, I won’t hide it from you. I’m hiding here to digest the Lotus True Monarch’s inheritance, which is that wooden box.”

”Once I’ve completed the inheritance and taken the clan leader’s seal, I’ll return to the Wood Spirit Clan as the new clan leader!”

”In ancient times, the clan leader of the Wood Spirit Clan disappeared while traveling, leaving the position vacant. Now, it’s time for me to take over...”

Qing Shuang detailed her plan.

This matched Xu Hei’s suspicions, as Qing Xuan had mentioned it publicly before.

Xu Hei still remained silent, continuing to listen.

Qing Shuang continued, ”However, the emergence of a new clan leader will surely be met with interference from the three Grand Elders. Elder Qing Mu, who supports me, is no problem, but the other two, the Thorn King and Leaf King, will certainly try to stop me with all their might.”

”Even if my strength is not inferior to theirs, they have deep foundations, with over a hundred Divine Power stage Wood Spirits at their command, and countless forces under their control. They have good relations with various factions of the Stone Spirit Clan, controlling resources like economy, mines, and connections. My foundation is shallow, and even if I become the clan leader, there’s a high chance I’ll be sidelined and face difficulties everywhere.”

At this point, Qing Shuang looked at Xu Hei, hesitant to speak.

”So, you want my help?” Xu Hei asked with a half-smile.

”Exactly!” Qing Shuang nodded earnestly. ”Xu Hei, if you can help me ascend to the position of clan leader smoothly and handle some troubles I can’t deal with personally, once it’s done, I can make you a Grand Elder, enjoying all the resources and replacing those two old fellows.”

Seeing Xu Hei remain silent, Qing Shuang guessed what he might be thinking and quickly added, ”Xu Hei, there might have been some misunderstandings before, but I promise, once I’m the clan leader, I’ll mobilize the entire clan to hunt down the Flame Demon Ancestor.”

”Additionally, if you have any other requests, I can fulfill them!”

After speaking, she looked at Xu Hei with intense anticipation, waiting for his response.

She had originally planned to secretly find some helpers after completing the inheritance and then return to the Wood Spirit Clan to seize the position of clan leader.

But after being betrayed by Wang Dashan and Night Sky, she couldn’t trust anyone she found on her own.

But Xu Hei was different. As an outsider from another race, he had little connection to the Wood Spirit Clan, making him one of the few she could trust.

Xu Hei let out a cold laugh and said, ”Qing Shuang, if the Flame Demon Ancestor came here, would you offer him the same deal? And then, once it’s done, mobilize the entire clan to hunt me down?”

”...” Qing Shuang was at a loss for words.

Xu Hei shook his head, not too angry. Her actions were reasonable, a fair trade, treating everyone equally, which was normal. It was just distasteful to play both sides.

He only needed to understand that there was no deep friendship between him and Qing Shuang, and everything was driven by interests, and that was enough.

”You once said that if I helped you escape, you would give me all the treasures except for that wooden box. Does that still hold?” Xu Hei asked.

Hearing this, Qing Shuang’s expression changed.

In a moment of crisis, she had indeed said that.

But if she really had to fulfill it, she would be left with nothing, penniless, and how could she return to the Wood Spirit Clan to fight those old foxes?

Seeing her reaction, Xu Hei coldly said, ”What, are you planning to renege?”

Qing Shuang sighed and said, ”Brother Xu, I admit that my survival is greatly due to you, but at the time, you didn’t actually save me. Everything you did was for your own safety. If I had been a bit unlucky, I would have perished back then.”

”Since Brother Xu had no intention of saving me, I can’t fully fulfill that promise.”

”However, I do owe you a favor.”

Qing Shuang took a middle-ground approach and produced three storage bags.

Xu Hei had seen these storage bags before; they were the ones left behind in the cave dwelling, now in Qing Shuang’s possession.

”I haven’t touched these three storage bags, and I’ll give them to you. If it’s not enough, we can discuss further once I return to the Wood Spirit Clan and hold power.”

She sent the storage bags through the air to Xu Hei.

Xu Hei inspected them and found that the Divine Sense imprints on them were indeed untouched, so he put them away.

To be honest, Xu Hei had considered dealing with her on the spot.

But on second thought, if he killed Qing Shuang, besides causing trouble for himself, there seemed to be no benefit.

Would Qing Shuang’s loot really be more than Night Sky’s? Could it bring Xu Hei a significant boost?

Not necessarily!

On the contrary, cooperating with Qing Shuang had far more potential benefits.

With the full support of the Wood Spirit Clan, wouldn’t getting something like Earth Core Stone Milk be a piece of cake for Xu Hei?

Moreover, over the past five years, although Xu Hei’s strength had greatly increased, Qing Shuang had also gained the Lotus True Monarch’s inheritance, and her strength had skyrocketed as well.

From her few words, it wasn’t hard to tell that her personal strength was no longer afraid of the three Grand Elders of the Wood Spirit Clan.

Additionally, there were too many Wood Spirit Clan scouts nearby. If a real fight broke out, drawing those Wood Spirit Clan members in would be hard to handle.

While it would disrupt Qing Shuang’s plans, Xu Hei would also be hunted down, resulting in a lose-lose situation.

Qing Shuang waited for a long time, seeing Xu Hei still silent.

She tentatively asked, ”Fellow Daoist Xu, do you still not trust this little girl?”

Xu Hei stared at her without speaking.

At this moment, Qing Shuang’s eyes showed a struggle, and she bit her red lips, seemingly making a decision, her cheeks flushing slightly.

With a gentle wave, her green garment slipped from her shoulders, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin, her graceful figure displayed before Xu Hei.

Xu Hei, who had been pretending to ponder, trying to raise the stakes, was momentarily stunned.

At this moment, Qing Shuang’s clothes had completely fallen away. She lowered her eyes, like a shy flower about to bloom, her snow-white skin tinged with a rosy hue, stunningly beautiful.

Like a lotus flower, emerging unstained from the mud, her beauty was beyond words. It was the beauty of plants, the beauty of nature.

”I heard that cultivators outside trust their Dao companions the most. Although this little girl doesn’t understand the customs of the outside world, as long as Fellow Daoist Xu is willing to trust me, I wouldn’t mind...”

”Enough!”

Xu Hei interrupted her, shaking his head helplessly, and said slowly, ”I can give you a hand, but if I find out you’re scheming against me like before, I won’t hesitate to take you down!”

At this, Xu Hei’s expression turned serious, and a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.

Hearing this, Qing Shuang was not displeased; instead, she showed a look of joy.