C22 Dragon's Gallbladder Wine

"Can you tuck your tail away, please?"

Ma Tianming had an innate fear and distaste for demons. So far, Gold hadn't shown any hostility towards him, which inevitably led to the thought of taking it under his wing.

Yet, Gold's tail was a constant reminder to Ma Tianming that this was a demon, and it looked incredibly awkward.

Gold touched its tail, pouted, and asked in confusion, "Why don't humans have tails? Why do I still have a tail even after I've turned into a human?"

Ma Tianming was at a loss. How was he supposed to carry this creature around?

"Can you transform back into your original mongoose form?"

Gold blinked, pondered for a moment, then curved its body and reverted to the form of a Golden Fur Mongoose.

"Phew!" Ma Tianming breathed a sigh of relief. Now, he was just carrying an ordinary kitten, albeit a peculiar one, but it wouldn't stir up a frenzy.

No sooner had Ma Tianming reassured himself than Gold stood up and transformed back into its human form with a tail. Due to the ill-fitting clothes, Gold ended up standing naked in front of Ma Tianming once more.

"Why did you change back?" Ma Tianming quickly helped him get dressed.

"I've heard that the human world is a lot of fun. Can you take me there to play?"

"Sure, but you'll need to revert to your original form."

"Oh!" Gold was about to change back when Ma Tianming interjected, "You don't need to change now. You can stay like this when it's just us, but if there are others around, you'll need to be in your kitten form."

Ma Tianming actually found Gold's current form more appealing than his original one.

Gold's face lit up with joy, beaming like a child who had just received a sweet treat.

Ma Tianming mused, "She probably doesn't understand human customs at all. Teaching her is not going to be easy."

Nevertheless, Ma Tianming was eager to clarify other matters and asked, "You're a demon, a mongoose demon. You usually stay here, but what is it that you want to do?"

Ma Tianming didn't sense any ill will from Gold toward him, but he needed to ensure she harbored no malice toward the world either.

"I'm here to catch snakes!"

"Catch snakes?" Ma Tianming's focus shifted back to the lifeless Snake Demon on the ground as he inquired, "You mean this one?"

"There's also a black-skinned python with a pattern of flowers on its body."

"A python? There's a python here too?" Ma Tianming was startled, feeling as though a pair of serpentine eyes were fixed on him, prompting him to scan his surroundings.

"It's not here right now."

Relieved, Ma Tianming asked, "So, is that one a demon too?"

"No, only this one is a demon." Gold bent over, and the bun she was barely concealing peeked out again due to her ill-fitting clothes.

Gold picked up the Flat-head Wind and was about to bite into the already mangled neck with her small cherry lips.

"Hey! You..." Ma Tianming had previously been quite taken with Gold's adorable cherry lips, but now he had lost all such thoughts.

"What's the matter?" Gold looked at Ma Tianming with her bright eyes.

"Do you really want to eat this snake? At least wait until it's cooked."

"No need, I've always eaten snakes raw in the past."

"That was before. You look human now." Ma Tianming's hunger had been growing, but now he had completely lost his appetite.

Yet, as he looked at the snake, an idea struck him, and he said, "Regardless of how we eat it, I need to extract the snake gall first."

It was then that Ma Tianming realized he had lost his knife when he was dragged away... In these deep woods, there was nothing suitable to cut open the snake's belly.

Ma Tianming took the snake and asked, "Do you know how to get out of here?"

Gold nodded, "I'm very familiar with this area."

"Then lead me out of Top Touching Mountain first."

Ma Tianming figured he should meet up with Snake King Mah first. He had been taken by the Snake Demon, and Snake King Mah was probably frightened, perhaps even fled by now.

As Ma Tianming and Gold made their way out of Top Touching Mountain, they chatted casually about Gold's daily life and some things they might need to know once they left the area.

Ma Tianming couldn't help but wonder what peculiarities existed within Top Touching Mountain. He inquired with Gold whether there was a place that emitted a unique fragrance, if people ever ventured inside, or if there were any unusual animals or plants around.

However, the only remarkable thing Gold could recall was the massive python he had previously mentioned.

According to Gold, this python was even thicker than when Gold was in his Golden Fur Mongoose form.

Ma Tianming's heart raced with fear. "Oh my! If that's true, then this black python adorned with floral patterns could swallow me whole in a single gulp!"

This newfound curiosity about the python grew in Ma Tianming, but he wasn't foolhardy enough to seek out the python Gold had described—at least not now.

"My wine! Wow!"

Exiting the area was challenging, but with Gold as a guide, Ma Tianming retraced the route the Snake Demon had dragged him along.

Luckily, the marks he had left were still visible, making it easier to find his way. Remarkably, Ma Tianming found another one of his dropped wine jugs, the sickle he had brought with him, and the bamboo tube holding the snake gall.

Ma Tianming was eager to extract the Snake Demon's gall.

The snake gall, like ginseng, was highly nourishing, and Ma Tianming was eager to try it. Now that he had wine, it was the perfect time to indulge.

Ma Tianming pondered whether to use the snake gall in brewing Windbreaking Liquid. "Forget it!" he decided, unable to contain his impatience. He could always capture a Flat-head Wind later to obtain its gall for brewing. But right now, he was both parched and weary and needed a drink.

He pierced the Snake Demon's gall and poured it into his wine pouch, then added a small slice of ginseng to the mix.

"This is Snake Gall Ginseng Wine!" Ma Tianming sealed the pouch and shook the wine to blend it, then used a fermentation "spell" to age the wine briefly.

"Wow! The flavor of this wine has truly transformed."

After sipping the Snake Gall Ginseng Wine, Ma Tianming noted its slight bitterness, but the potency of the wine had mellowed the gall's bitterness, complemented by the medicinal tang of ginseng.

The scent of intoxication lingered in the air, refusing to fade away for quite some time.

Ma Tianming felt an immediate sense of clarity and invigoration, and despite himself, he took another sip. His body seemed to boil from within as a powerful energy surged through him.

"I've really squandered it! This is the gall of a Snake Demon! And here I am, just drinking it away."

Unable to resist, Ma Tianming took yet another sip, nearly finishing off the wine.

Gold blinked and observed Ma Tianming with curiosity. It was as if he wanted to resist the drink yet found himself unable to.

"Could I possibly have a sip too?" Gold eventually asked, unable to contain his desire.