An Ideal Snake

"What is the difference between demons and demonic beasts?"

Qin Ran pondered for a moment, then explained to Li Shiyin, who had posed the question, "Let's take Chasing the Wind as an example. If Chasing the Wind grows normally, from a first-level demonic beast to a second-level demonic beast, all the way up to a seventh-level demonic beast, and maintains the appearance of a demonic beast throughout, then it is considered a demonic beast.

"But if one day, he sacrifices his demonic core and reshapes his physical body, transforming it into a human form, then he becomes a demon.

"Or... if he consumes a transformation pill."

"A transformation pill?" Li Shiyin asked.

"It's an advanced pill that can only be refined by cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage. It can seize the heavens' and earth's essence, directly transforming animals and birds into human form."

"Then, which is more powerful, demons or demonic beasts?" Li Shiyin asked again.

"This is actually difficult to determine because the situation is too complex. Even if we were to establish a separate discipline, it would still fall short," Qin Ran said.

"However, there is a simple way to judge. Generally speaking, the nobler the bloodline of a demonic beast, the stronger it will be. But demonic creatures with inferior bloodlines may have a chance to counterattack.

"When a demonic beast transforms into a demon, it gains a human form and can cultivate human arts, integrating into human society. However, the top-tier demonic arts are not inferior to the highest-level human arts. So those ancient great demons, divine birds, and sacred beasts disdain transforming into humans."

Li Shiyin nodded, finally gaining an understanding of demons and demonic beasts. She then pointed to Long Qiqi, the snake demon who was sitting in Qin Ran's arms, and asked, "What about her? What's her situation?"

Long Qiqi was now dressed in clothes that fit her well, which were obtained from a nearby village.

"I cannot determine whether her bloodline is high or low," Qin Ran's expression became somewhat strange as he looked down at the little girl in his arms.

"But at present, she has no cultivation and all her demonic power has transformed into this body. Based on this, her bloodline shouldn't be very high. She belongs to the kind of demonic beast that takes a desperate gamble, attempting to defy fate by transforming into a human."

Realizing that Qin Ran was looking at her, Long Qiqi quickly lifted her head and grinned at him.

However, because Li Shiyin was always seeing Long Qiqi's silly grin, Qin Ran was well aware that her smile wasn't genuine. It was a calculated smile.

Li Shiyin didn't appreciate seeing Long Qiqi, especially when she saw Long Qiqi smiling at her master. She glared at Long Qiqi and gritted her teeth as she asked Qin Ran, "She doesn't even have any cultivation! So why don't you let her accompany me?!"

Qin Ran had Long Qiqi ride with him not because he was truly a perverted weirdo, but because he was wary of Long Qiqi. After all, having Li Shiyin stay with this cunning snake demon...

Well, Qin Ran couldn't say for sure.

"Even if she has no cultivation, she is still a highly venomous snake!" he explained to Li Shiyin like this, then turned to Long Qiqi and asked, "What kind of snake are you?"

Long Qiqi secretly pursed her lips and replied, "According to the classification of you humans, I should be an Infernal Shadow Climber Snake."

An Infernal Shadow Climber Snake?!

As soon as Long Qiqi uttered these words, Qin Ran was startled. His knowledge of snakes was limited to books, and he had never encountered one in person. So he had no idea that the snake he had been fighting with for most of the day was actually a Yinsha Taipan Snake!

What is a Yinsha Taipan Snake? It is a snake that is born with a Yinsha constitution, nurtured in a Yinsha-infested place. It naturally possesses Yinsha poison, which is potent enough to kill a Golden Core cultivator.

An ordinary Taipan Snake is already highly venomous, but the Yinsha Taipan Snake is a fourth-level demonic beast. So, how terrifying would a transformed Yinsha Taipan Snake be?

Leaving aside its combat power, let's just talk about its poison...

Without much thought, Qin Ran quickly sealed the vital acupoints on Long Qiqi's body with lightning speed, rendering her completely immobilized. Fortunately, his foolish disciple hadn't been bitten during their fight. Qin Ran felt a shiver of fear.

Taking on human form was necessary to cultivate human cultivation techniques. To practice these techniques, one must have human meridians and acupoints. However, by acquiring human meridians and acupoints, one also inherits human weaknesses.

This is the nature of gain and loss.

Long Qiqi had transformed into human form, and Qin Ran sealed her using human methods. She had anticipated this situation and only responded with a mocking smile, choosing not to speak.

Seeing how nervous her master was, Li Shiyin realized that this Yinsha Taipan Snake must be formidable. But after glancing at Long Qiqi, who was now a defeated subordinate, she sneered and said, "According to human standards?"

How dare a defeated subordinate speak so arrogantly?

Long Qiqi's mouth was not sealed, allowing her to speak. She coldly chuckled and replied, "In this world, you humans are the dominant species, and you humans are the ones who define the classifications of other beings. But I don't acknowledge your classifications. I cannot create a new classification system for different species, but I can choose not to abide by your human classification.

"You call me a snake, a Taipan Snake, but I don't acknowledge it. I say I am a dragon, a Red Dragon without scales or horns. I'm not called Qiqi the Snake, I'm called Qiqi the Dragon."

Oh? Qin Ran became slightly interested after hearing Long Qiqi's words. She was indeed a fascinating snake.

"Such deceptive words!" Li Shiyin coldly snorted.

"I am not a demon. Demons are also defined by you humans..." Long Qiqi continued, "One day, when I become an Immortal Deity, I will transform the entire Lingnan Region into my world. Then, humans won't be called humans, but pigs; snakes won't be called snakes, but dragons; immortals won't be called immortals, but maggots..."

She was a snake with lofty ideals.

Listening to Long Qiqi, Qin Ran couldn't help but tease, "But even Immortal Deities are defined by humans, and the Lingnan Region is also named by humans. Human, pig, snake, dragon, immortal—they are all defined by humans."

"Ah?" Long Qiqi was speechless.

Qin Ran continued, "The language you are using right now to speak is the language of humans."

"Hmph!" Long Qiqi's cute face turned fierce. Her black pupils turned golden with vertical slits. Defiantly, she said, "Then I will create a language specifically for the demonic race!"

"Go for it!" Qin Ran clenched his fist.

Seeing Long Qiqi's defeat at the hands of her master, Li Shiyin became even more pleased. She hummed a tune, pulled the reins, and moved ahead.

Today, they were already unable to reach Anlu City, and they ended up wasting time on the road, failing to even reach the border of Xuanqin Country.

There was still some distance to the border, and it was getting dark. Once it was dark, they couldn't continue their journey.

Although Qin Ran and Li Shiyin had good eyesight, they hadn't studied any eye techniques, so they couldn't see in completely dark environments. They had no choice but to stop and rest.

They stopped in the wilderness.

Not to mention finding a place like Anlu or Xuanqin, they couldn't even find an inn. In the end, they had to spend the night in the wilderness, which was the worst-case scenario.

"Studying an eye technique is an urgent matter," Qin Ran said while helping Li Shiyin set up the tent. He sighed, "It seems like nothing is going smoothly. I hope things will get better in the future."

Soon, two tents were set up in the open field. A young couple and a chubby little girl sat in front of a campfire, talking and roasting spirit beast meat.

The crackling sound of the campfire, the cool breeze blowing through the mountains, the grass swaying—their two white horses were tied nearby, lowering their heads to eat grass.

Qin Ran sprinkled seasoning and honey on the roasted meat. He had anticipated the worst-case scenario of camping in the mountains and made ample preparations.

The aroma of the roasted meat filled the air. The chubby snake demon girl, Long Qiqi, hugged her legs and stared at the meat on the fire, salivating.

"Do you want some meat?" Qin Ran deliberately asked when he saw her.

"Meat! Meat!!" Long Qiqi exclaimed eagerly, with her drool spilling all over the ground.

Only then did Qin Ran cut a piece of meat for her.

Although the snake demon appeared young, her appetite was not small. As for Li Shiyin, she had a hearty appetite and was always the first one to eat.

So, this meal was quite a busy one for Qin Ran, and he only got to eat some meat at the end.

They roasted meat, stewed soup, and had vegetables and fruits. In this regard, Qin Ran had truly inherited the teachings of Confucius. He savored every bite and was meticulous in his eating. Even though they were in the wilderness, he managed to treat Li Shiyin to a delicious outdoor barbecue.

After eating their fill and feeding some Beast-feeding Pills to their celestial spirit horses, the two of them, along with the demon disciple, lay on the grass, enjoying the night breeze and gazing at the starry sky.

Despite the distant cries of ghosts and howls of wolves, there were also chirping crickets nearby.

The foolish disciple, who was full and content, happily spoke simple-minded words by the side. Qin Ran thought that occasionally going camping was still quite enjoyable.