C18 The Infiltration of the Spies

"Miracle Doctor Liu truly has the magic touch!" Hsu Chengqiu couldn't contain her amazement as sensation returned to her long-numb shoulders.

"Hehe, you flatter me, Pavilion Master Hsu. It's a trivial matter, really. Now, you mentioned there were two matters to discuss. What is the second?" Liu Yangshuo, having retracted his silver needles, inquired with the air of an expert.

"The second matter can wait. For now, Miracle Doctor Liu, please take some time to rest and gear up for the big competition in ten days."

Hsu Chengqiu straightened her attire and clapped her hands. Promptly, two young girls stepped forward from behind her and escorted Liu Yangshuo upstairs.

Once Liu Yangshuo had departed, Hsu Chengqiu clapped her hands again, summoning a masked figure clad in black who materialized seemingly from thin air and knelt behind her.

"Convey to the Sect Master that I'm unable to discern his true strength. Moreover, I've detected a well-concealed, dangerous aura about him. We must seek his alliance; he is not someone we can afford to make an enemy of."

With her message delivered, the masked man in black nodded and vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared.

In his room, Liu Yangshuo collapsed onto the bed. After such a long time without proper rest, lying down now felt like sinking into a cloud.

"Don't sleep too deeply; remember, we're on foreign soil. I'll go see an old friend and return by evening," the Primordial Thunder Dragon advised as it detached from Liu Yangshuo's wrist.

Liu Yangshuo, however, was already fast asleep, oblivious to the dragon's warning.

Shortly after the Primordial Thunder Dragon's departure, a silhouette emerged at the door—it was the same young girl who had led Liu Yangshuo to Fragrance Tower.

On her wrist, a rainbow-hued snake flicked its dark purple tongue.

"How odd, why didn't this multicolored python show itself earlier?" she whispered to herself, unaware that the presence of a venerable serpent, a demonic beast ancestor on Liu Yangshuo's wrist, exerted a natural dominance that kept the smaller snake at bay.

"Go on, bite him to death!" she commanded the serpent.

The girl cautiously cracked open the door and slipped the multi-hued python inside.

As the python slithered in loops and twists, making its way onto Liu Yangshuo's bed, the girl spun on her heel, ready to flee.

"Where do you think you're off to?"

Liu Yangshuo's voice emerged suddenly from behind her, startling her nearly out of her skin.

"You... How are you here?! Weren't you supposed to be..."

"Supposed to be bitten by the python and die in my sleep, right?"

Liu Yangshuo was all smiles as he opened his hand, revealing the python affectionately nuzzling his palm.

"You... I... It's not what it looks like. Let me explain."

Caught red-handed, the girl scrambled for an excuse.

"No need for explanations. I trusted you, and yet you betrayed me."

Hsu Chengqiu ascended from the first floor, having already surmised that the one capable of harming her could only be an insider. There was a traitor within the Fragrance Tower. She had wanted Liu Yangshuo's help to identify the mole.

Liu Yangshuo's deep sleep was a ruse; he had won over the python the moment it entered his room. The lingering essence of the Primordial Thunder Dragon on him was irresistibly enticing to the creature.

"Pavilion Master... I admit my mistake."

Upon seeing Hsu Chengqiu, the girl abandoned any attempt at justification and collapsed to her knees.

"Too late. As part of the Fragrance Tower, you're well aware of our rules, aren't you? Guards!"

With a grave command from Hsu Chengqiu, two burly men stepped forward and apprehended the ashen-faced girl.

"Pavilion Master Hsu, what will become of her?"

Liu Yangshuo inquired, casually toying with the python in his hand.

"That's a matter for the Fragrance Tower to handle. Miracle Doctor Liu, there's no need for concern on your part. Here's the tournament schedule. Over the next few days, if you require any medicinal ingredients, pill furnaces, or anything else, just let me know. Anything available in Hagan Bay, the Fragrance Tower can provide."

After finishing her sentence, Hsu Chengqiu passed a booklet to Liu Yangshuo.

"Alright, this Rainbow Python may not be the most powerful in terms of cultivation, but its venom is incredibly potent. It's yours now, Pavilion Master Hsu, for your protection."

Liu Yangshuo accepted the booklet and casually tossed the multicolored python to Hsu Chengqiu.

"Are you sure you don't want it, Miracle Doctor Liu? This Seven-Colored Python is quite a rare demonic beast, after all."

Hsu Chengqiu was taken aback as she caught the Seven-Colored Python, surprised by Liu Yangshuo's unexpected generosity in giving it to her.

"Hehe, keep it, Pavilion Master Hsu. I have plenty of ways to save my own skin."

Indeed, with an ancestral snake by his side, who could possibly harm Liu Yangshuo?

Seeing Liu Yangshuo's resolute stance, Hsu Chengqiu no longer protested. She smiled, slipped the Seven-Colored Python into her sleeve, bowed gratefully to Liu Yangshuo, and withdrew.

The interruption had left Liu Yangshuo too restless to sleep. With the Primordial Thunder Dragon off visiting a friend, it seemed wiser to stay alert. He began to thumb through the tournament booklet in his hands.

Later that night, the Primordial Thunder Dragon slipped in through a crack in the window and spotted Liu Yangshuo, still poring over the booklet on his bed.

"You're studying so intently. Do you honestly think you can place in the competition? With your level of cultivation, you might as well give up. Hagan Bay is teeming with beast doctors far stronger than you."

"I'm aiming for the top spot. Believe it or not."

Liu Yangshuo looked up, his bloodshot eyes brimming with confidence as he locked gazes with the Primordial Thunder Dragon.

"Give it up. I'll never believe that. If you actually take first place, I'll agree to anything you ask."

The Primordial Thunder Dragon gave Liu Yangshuo a scornful glance and retorted dismissively.

"In that case, if I win first place, you have to show me your human form. I've always heard that divine beasts can transform, but I've never seen it myself."

Liu Yangshuo's gaze held a mischievous glint as he eyed the Primordial Thunder Dragon.

"In your dreams! You think you can just demand to see my human form? The last person who laid eyes on it is no longer among the living!"

The Primordial Thunder Dragon erupted in rage, its body crackling with electricity as its dragon mane bristled menacingly.

"Wait, wait, wait—I was wrong. Isn't it enough that I just look away? Your divine beast temperament is truly peculiar."

Liu Yangshuo clearly hadn't anticipated the Primordial Thunder Dragon's strong aversion to transforming into a human shape. He hurriedly began to apologize.

"Hmph!"

With a cold huff, the Primordial Thunder Dragon soared onto the bed, curled up into a tight coil, and promptly fell asleep.

Not wanting to further irritate the Primordial Thunder Dragon, Liu Yangshuo had no choice but to focus on the competition schedule. His cultivation level might be modest, but armed with the Beast King System and the Mimicry Intimidation, a thorough study of the schedule could very well give him a shot at the championship.

Take the competition's first event, for example, called "Soothe the Spirit." Before a veterinarian can treat a demonic beast, the first task is to stabilize the creature's emotions. In this challenge, Liu Yangshuo was confident enough to claim the top spot, with no one else daring to claim second.