Daily Care of Ning Qianqian...

In the Xuanwu Kingdom, within Yuzhou City, Ning Qianqian was still carrying out her daily tasks.

Tending to spiritual plants, watering flowers, feeding fish, and cleaning.

Only one task had changed—from watching over an egg… to feeding what had hatched from it.

Ning Qianqian had initially assumed that such a large egg would hatch something cute and cuddly.

After all, she was afraid of anything too ferocious.

Though creatures like cats and dogs were usually born live, this was an immortal’s egg—who knew what might emerge?

What if an immortal’s dog was different from ordinary ones?

Mainly, Ning Qianqian had some experience raising familiar animals.

If household dogs ate leftovers, then an immortal dog eating proper meals couldn’t be too different.

Even if it hatched into something like a celestial crane, it shouldn’t be too hard to care for.

And if it turned out to be a chicken, duck, or goose—even better. Ning Qianqian had experience with those and knew they were easy to raise.

But never in her wildest dreams did she expect it to hatch into… a fierce, cold-eyed green snake radiating killing intent.

Ning Qianqian was utterly shocked—how could an egg hatch a snake?!

Her fear of snakes was absolute, and for good reason—she had been bitten before.

Back then, as a child, she had cried for nearly an hour, convinced her young life would end in the jaws of a snake.

Only when hunger set in did she stagger home, still sniffling between sobs.

After pulling herself together, she despairingly finished dinner and went to sleep, still shaken…

It wasn’t until days later, when she was back to her lively self, that she finally told her father about the snakebite.

Only then did she learn that the snake was a harmless rat snake—non-venomous and not life-threatening.

Though she survived, the terror of near-death remained etched in her memory, making her keep all serpentine creatures at a distance.

At first, when she heard the crack—

Ning Qianqian had hoped it was something magnificent, even fantasizing about a legendary beast like a qilin.

But when she turned and saw those cold serpentine eyes, the flickering crimson tongue of the large green snake, her soul nearly fled her body.

Her defensive treasures activated instinctively.

Her scream pierced through the entire sect.

The snake was as thick as Ning Qianqian’s arm—far larger than the one that had bitten her years ago.

To this day, she could still recall the first words the snake spoke:

"Stop screaming. I’m not planning to eat you."

Its voice was soft and childish, impossible to distinguish as male or female.

Before Ning Qianqian could process the shock of a newly hatched snake speaking human words, it spoke again:

"I’m hungry. Haven’t eaten in ages. Get me something good."

Dazed, Ning Qianqian replied reflexively, "What do you eat?"

The green snake paused, then said with a strange tone, "Do I look like I eat vegetables?"

"O-okay… wait here."

Still disoriented, Ning Qianqian scrambled to her feet—only to see her father, Ning Kun, rushing over.

But before he could ask what was happening, the green snake’s incredulous voice cut in:

"With an IQ like yours, they actually trusted you to guard this place? Who in their right mind feeds a snake vegetables?"

Ning Kun stepped closer. Normally a man of few words, he somehow detected sheer disbelief in the snake’s icy gaze.

Noticing the shattered eggshell behind it, he quickly grasped the situation.

He reached out to comfort Ning Qianqian—only for his hand to meet layer upon layer of protective barriers before even touching her back.

The green snake’s expression shifted from disbelief to utter despair.

These two had the combined intelligence of someone who barely passed prenatal education.

Back in the egg, it had assumed the talk of boiling it was a joke. Now, it seemed all too real.

After all, you could judge the master by the servant.

If the sect entrusted its treasures to these two barely-educated caretakers, how bright could their leaders be?

The snake briefly considered—was wandering off an option?

"S-sorry… what kind of meat do you want?" Ning Qianqian asked, adjusting her defensive artifacts to shield her father as well.

The green snake felt no joy at its newfound freedom—only bleak resignation.

"Not rats… anything else. And if you’ve got spirit stones, toss me a few to gnaw on."

Ning Qianqian hurriedly retreated with her father.

Ning Kun murmured in awe, "An immortal’s snake indeed… speaking right out of the shell."

Ning Qianqian exhaled in relief. "The sect leader left a talisman for emergencies. I should notify him—"

She had no experience raising snakes, let alone one that spoke from birth.

Before she could finish, the snake’s voice interrupted from inside:

"Don’t bother them! I know how to take care of myself. Just listen to me."

Ning Qianqian blinked—she hadn’t expected the snake’s hearing to be so sharp.

But the choice was obvious: obey the sect leader, not the snake.

As if reading her mind, the snake slithered to the doorway, poking its head out:

"Who’s the snake here—them or me? They’re probably busy. Do you really want to interrupt their grand plans over something this trivial?"

"I don’t plan on dying, and I won’t let myself starve."

Self-reliance was key. If those fools tried feeding it vegetables or force-feeding it nonsense, its short snake life would be over.

And if they’d considered boiling it as an egg, what was stopping them from making snake stew now?

Ning Qianqian hesitated. The sect leader had given her a talisman for emergencies.

The hatching was… sort of urgent, but also not.

She had heard the sect leader joke about boiling it.

And the snake did sound like it knew what it was doing.

With a mental sigh, the snake added,

"Consider it a favor between us. When the sect leader returns, I’ll take full responsibility."

After a pause, Ning Qianqian agreed.

A snake that spoke upon hatching had to be extraordinary.

Surprisingly, the snake was easy to care for.

It ate little meat, mostly gnawing on spirit stones.

It rarely wandered, content to laze in its room—sleeping, perhaps?

All it needed was regular meals.

For a long time, Ning Qianqian approached it only with every defensive artifact activated.

But as time passed and conversations grew, familiarity eased her fears.

Though her heart still raced occasionally, they became something like friends.

Oddly, Ning Qianqian sometimes felt the snake’s tone sounded… almost like it was humoring a child.

Today, after finishing her chores, Ning Qianqian carefully prepared a plate of meat and headed to the snake’s quarters.

The sect leader had been away in the Central Continent for quite some time.

He occasionally sent letters and supplies—spirit stones, valuables, and other peculiar items.

Ning Qianqian relied on the items sent to her to confirm one thing—this sect hadn’t disbanded yet, and its leader was still alive and kicking.

She walked to the door of the room and knocked gently.

"Come in," answered the Green Snake.

Upon receiving the response, Ning Qianqian pushed the door open and instinctively glanced at the Green Snake curled up lazily in a pile of spirit stones.

She had been feeding this snake for quite some time now. Though it didn’t eat much, it shouldn’t have remained this small.

Could it be… that this snake just doesn’t grow?

The Green Snake raised its head, its tone slightly languid.

"Your gaze is quite presumptuous. What are you thinking?"

Ning Qianqian stayed silent, only offering a gentle smile in return.

This tactic worked wonders on the Green Snake. Every time Ning Qianqian smiled like this, the snake would drop its questions and stop ordering her around.

This time was no exception. The Green Snake lowered its head again.

With a quiet sigh, the Green Snake thought—here we go again, that half-educated fool with her silly grin.