Ascension Day

He gave her hands-on instructions, caught one more Dragon Loach, and then let Yuan Weiyang try to catch them on her own.

Yuan Weiyang's heart pounded in her chest. Even though she was countless times more powerful than a Dragon Loach, the excitement, nervousness, and thrilling uncertainty of digging for them was an experience she had never had before.

They dug along a section of the riverbed, catching seven Dragon Loaches. The water upstream was pooling higher and higher. Yuan Qi, who was blocking the river with his body, was starting to struggle against the rising water, so Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang quickly scrambled ashore.

Yuan Qi moved aside, and the river water surged forth.

Xu Ying looked down at the mud caked on his body and grinned. "Brother Yuan, let's jump in the river and get clean!"

Yuan Weiyang jumped, blurting out, "Clean? Clean what? How?"

Xu Ying looked puzzled. "We strip down and jump in the river to wash off the mud, of course. How else would we do it? City folk are so weird. In a minute, I'll turn around so you can scrub my back, and when you're done, you can turn around and I'll scrub yours."

He quickly shucked off his shirt and started on his pants.

Yuan Weiyang's face turned bright red. She watched as Xu Ying, down to a pair of shorts, didn't stop and stripped them off completely.

Yuan Weiyang let out a shocked cry, stammering, "How could you just take everything off?"

Xu Ying looked down with a somewhat resigned expression. "Another one grew back!" With that, he gave it a firm pluck.

Yuan Weiyang's eyes widened. Before she could cover them, she saw Great Demon King Xu running with wild abandon, butt naked, and leaping into the water with a loud SPLASH!

The scene was such a shock that she remained stunned for a long moment.

Xu Ying waded into the deeper water until it was up to his neck. He bobbed up and down, splashing water toward Yuan Weiyang with a laugh. "Brother Yuan, come on in!"

Yuan Weiyang's face burned. She lowered her head and started walking upstream, calling out, "I'll wash over there! I'm not really used to bathing with others..."

Her pace quickened until she broke into a little jog, heading straight upstream.

"Such strange rules city folk have," Xu Ying said, shaking his head. "Back in the country, we all bathe together."

Yuan Weiyang walked for several miles upstream, nearly reaching the river's source, before finally stopping. She glanced all around and scanned the area with her Divine Sense. Only when she was certain no one was nearby did she begin to remove her clothes.

Her face grew hot and red as she remembered how Xu Ying had stripped his clothes off without a second thought.

Then she recalled the sight of him running butt-naked into the river, and her cheeks burned even hotter.

She took off her last garment and folded her clothes into a neat, perfect pile. She stood up carefully, arms crossed over her chest. Then, on a sudden whim, she glanced down, reached out with two fingers, pinched a single stray hair, and gave it a sharp tug, letting out a giggle.

Just like Xu Ying, she ran with wild abandon toward the river, letting out a joyful cry as she leaped in with a SPLASH, sending up sheets of water!

A young woman in the river slapped the surface, spinning around to send water flying as she laughed. "This is so freeing!"

After a long while, she remembered she was supposed to be washing off the grime. She scrubbed her body, rubbing herself down several times. Then she moved to the shallows and summoned the Four-Sided Bright Mirror. It circled her body as she meticulously checked to make sure she was perfectly clean.

She gently rubbed beneath her breasts and behind her knees—places where dirt could easily hide. She cleaned between her toes and even checked her nails carefully. Only then did she get out, drying herself and putting her clothes back on one piece at a time.

She adjusted her appearance in the mirror. After a moment, the young woman had once again transformed into a handsome young man.

Yuan Weiyang headed back the way she came. When she reached the spot where Xu Ying had been bathing, he and the Big Snake were gone. However, a savory aroma wafted from the distance, making her mouth water.

Yuan Weiyang followed the scent and found Xu Ying and the Big Snake. They had propped up Da Zhong and were using the great bell as a cooking pot. It was filled with water, and the Dragon Loaches were already simmering inside.

The great bell was yelling, "You've eaten from my mouth, you've used my body! No one is to speak a word of what happened today. Otherwise, Lord Zhong will smash their skull to pieces!"

Yuan Weiyang hurried over, feeling both horrified and amused.

This great bell was sentient, capable of Cultivation, and could even converse with people. It was clearly a top-tier Exotic Treasure among Magical Treasures!

To think that Xu Ying and his companion were using it as a pot to boil loaches! And far from being ashamed, the bell itself was threatening to kill anyone who snitched.

Such shamelessness was truly unexpected.

"Lord Zhong, have your injuries healed?" Yuan Weiyang inquired.

Da Zhong said appreciatively, "See, Younger Brother Yuan is the thoughtful one! Unlike you two, who just wanted to eat the moment you got back, without even asking after me. My external injuries have healed, but the internal ones remain. That Demoness is incredibly powerful. To erase the mark she left on me, I need to purloin some more Qi and Blood. Yes, and I must cultivate diligently."

"It's *stealing* Qi and Blood," Yuan Qi corrected resentfully.

Da Zhong became furious, clanging loudly. DANG! DANG! "Purloining is not stealing! To purloin is, heh..."

The Dragon Loach soup was incredibly savory. After drinking it, one could feel Primordial Qi squirming and burrowing through their body like the loaches themselves, clearing out meridians and bringing an unparalleled sense of comfort. The meat of the Dragon Loach was also incomparably tender and refreshing.

Xu Ying plucked large leaves to use as bowls and leaf stems as utensils. Yuan Weiyang had never imagined she could eat so much. She felt that she had consumed more in this one meal than in the past fifteen years of her life combined.

Stuffed to the brim, the two humans and one snake lay sprawled on the ground, not moving a muscle.

Da Zhong clamored for them to get up and scrub it clean, but they were all too stuffed to lift a finger, let alone tackle a chore as tedious as washing the bell.

Cursing and grumbling, Da Zhong rolled itself to the river to wash itself off.

A short while later, Xu Ying, Yuan Qi, and Yuan Weiyang all leaped to their feet and, as if by unspoken agreement, began to cultivate.

Da Zhong was so angry it could have cracked, cursing them out loud. It didn't realize that the two humans and one snake were only cultivating because they had eaten so many Dragon Loaches. Their bodies were overflowing with a massive amount of energy that had nowhere to go, leaving them feeling bloated and stretched. They had no choice but to get up and cultivate; it wasn't a sudden burst of diligence.

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi circulated their Guiding Skill while simultaneously striking a series of strange poses, the two Cultivation Techniques running in parallel without any interference. Meanwhile, Yuan Weiyang was cultivating the *Primordial Dao All Heavens Sensing* while observing the projections of acupoints around Xu Ying's body. As she compared what she saw with the principles of the *Primordial Dao All Heavens Sensing*, a new Cultivation Technique gradually began to take shape in her mind.

Once the energy from the Dragon Loach soup was fully digested, Xu Ying's soul and Divine Sense soared, ascending past the Profound Gate of the Mysterious Domain and onto the first Zhu Tian!

He stood upon the first Zhu Tian, gazing out at the world below, and a heroic ambition swelled in his chest. 'In this world where chaos is beginning to stir,' he thought, 'will there be a place for a mere Snake Catcher from Yongzhou?'

They tossed the Locust Branches and Loach Bones into a fire pit to destroy the evidence, cleaned up the area, and only then did they descend from the tree.

Xu Ying and Yuan Weiyang leaped down from the tree. Every few dozen feet, they would lightly touch their feet to the bark to push off again, descending in graceful bounds, as light as spirit foxes, as nimble as a pair of colorful, flitting butterflies.

Yuan Qi, meanwhile, slithered rapidly through the crevices in the bark. Suddenly, he cried out, "Ying, I ate too much good stuff! I think I'm about to attempt Knocking at the Gate! Oh no, this is bad, I might have to molt, too!"

Xu Ying paused and looked back. "Your last molting took several days to finish. This time, you have to both Knock at the Gate and molt, so it will probably take even longer. You should stay up in the tree for now. Lord Zhong will act as your Dharma Protector. Come find me after you've finished."

Da Zhong flew out from behind his head and hovered beside Yuan Qi.

Xu Ying turned and leaped downward, picking up speed to catch up with Yuan Weiyang.

"Brother Yuan, the Zhou Family's ancestor is not a benevolent man," Xu Ying reminded her in a low voice. "If you and Uncle Xiao get the chance, you must escape."

A tremor went through Yuan Weiyang's heart. She looked at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Xu Ying recounted his discovery of the Qinyan Cave Stone Chamber. "The Scriptures he couldn't take with him, he burned every last one. If he treats sacred texts like that, how do you think he treats people? Once we finish deciphering the Tuo Yu Immortal Book, we'll be just like those scriptures he couldn't take with him."

The realization dawned on Yuan Weiyang. "To him, sparing our lives would be the same as leaving those Scriptures behind in Qinyan Cave. He burned the Scriptures, and for the same reason, he'll kill us."

They reached the base of the Big Locust Tree and came face to face with the green-robed old servant, Uncle Xiao, who stood there with a grim expression, looking as if he had been waiting for some time.

The moment Yuan Weiyang saw Uncle Xiao and her feet touched the ground, she suppressed her girlish feelings. It was as if she had reverted to the dashing, noble young master. She walked toward the green-robed old servant and said gently, "Uncle Xiao, have you been waiting long?"

He turned back and gave Xu Ying a slight smile. "Xu Demon King, let's meet again some other day. I look forward to our next exchange."

Xu Ying gave a slight bow, and Yuan Weiyang dipped her head in return.

Uncle Xiao shot Xu Ying a venomous glare before following Yuan Weiyang away. What he didn't know was that a part of her nature, imprisoned for so long, had just been set free. Now that it was being locked away again, how long could it possibly remain contained?