Tu Xiao’an swallowed the grape-like Spirit Fruit, and a warm current immediately spread through him, making him feel much less weak.

From experience, Tu Xiao’an instantly knew this was a First-rank Middle Grade Spirit Fruit, even more effective than his Snakeberries.

’This girl is really living like an Immortal, eating Spirit Fruits as if they were regular fruit.’

It seemed the White Demon King treated her very well indeed.

He was definitely treating her like royalty, putting her on a pedestal.

’The White Demon King probably never imagined that after going to all that trouble to kill the Snake Spirit and failing, that very same Snake Spirit was now on his territory, eating his Spirit Fruits.’

’If he ever found out, he’d probably be angry enough to cough up a mouthful of blood.’

Clearly, the White Demon King wanted to start a Human Demon romance, but who knew what Su Rushi thought about it—was she willing or not?

At the very least, she didn’t seem unhappy with her current situation.

Tu Xiao’an had once comforted the deputy academy Elder, telling the old man that modern times called for modern thinking. There was nothing wrong with a Human Demon romance, as long as the love was mutual.

Of course, it all depended on who was involved. In the case of Cat Spirit Haitang and Chen Gao Yang, Tu Xiao’an was more than happy to give his blessing.

But with the White Demon King wanting a Human Demon romance? Tu Xiao’an had to stand up and oppose it. Before, it was for the sake of the deputy Elder. Now, it was for his own.

Su Rushi was extremely fond of the snake she had found. She fed it First-rank Middle Grade Spirit Fruits one by one, as if they were regular fruit. A smile graced her cheeks as she whispered, "Xiaoleng, you’re the most handsome snake I’ve ever seen. That ’king’ character on your forehead is as majestic as a tiger’s stripes."

’Hmph, that’s a given,’ Tu Xiao’an thought smugly. ’I’m not bragging, but in this whole wide world, you’ll never find another snake like me. A tiger’s ’king’ character comparing to mine? What a joke.’

"Eat a little more. Once you’re full, you’ll have the strength to shed your skin. But your skin is so difficult to shed... I’ll help you with it in a bit."

’That won’t be necessary,’ he thought. ’This is a Rank Three Dao shedding. No one can help with that.’

Besides, he was too weak to shed normally right now anyway.

Of course, when it came to the Spirit Fruits, Tu Xiao’an wouldn’t refuse any. He’d eat as many as she offered.

After eating a dozen or so, Tu Xiao’an felt like he had recovered about ten percent of his strength.

A wave of drowsiness washed over him, and he drifted off to sleep. This just went to show how grievous his injuries were.

A full-powered, world-destroying strike from a Demon King was certainly no laughing matter.

Su Rushi was dumbfounded. The snake had actually eaten itself to sleep. She found it so funny that she murmured to herself, "You really are a snake. All you do is eat and sleep. I don’t know what to do with you."

With nothing better to do, she rested her chin in her hand, her eyes twinkling as she watched the exquisite little snake sleep.

The longer she watched, the more she adored it. She couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke the ’king’ character mark on its forehead. At her touch, the mark shimmered with a faint light, as if responding to her.

Su Rushi was delighted. She kept stroking the mark, watching it flicker like a star. She amused herself this way for the entire morning, never growing tired of it.

By the time afternoon rolled around, Su Rushi sighed. Four or five hours had passed. ’How is this snake still sleeping? It’s such a heavy sleeper.’

’Did I pick up a narcoleptic snake?’

.......

Time flowed by silently. When Tu Xiao’an finally awoke, he opened his eyes and glanced toward the bamboo window. Night had long since fallen; it was pitch-black outside.

Tu Xiao’an’s body felt much better. He tried to shed his skin, but his body didn’t react at all.

Gazing at the pot of vibrant pearl blossoms by the bamboo window, his Snake Gaze narrowed. ’Rise for me...’

The vibrant pearl blossoms stirred unnaturally, beginning to levitate bit by bit. But before they could rise even a centimeter, Tu Xiao’an’s Consciousness Power suddenly collapsed.

Sigh...

Before Crossing the Tribulation, his Consciousness Power had been strong enough to effortlessly lift a large truck into the air.

’Looks like this body won’t be recovering anytime soon. I need to eat more Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.’

With the system dormant, Tu Xiao’an couldn’t summon the Snakeberries within it. He was like someone who’d lost their house keys—unable to get in or take anything out.

’Right, where’s that girl?’

Tu Xiao’an realized that after being awake for a while, he hadn’t seen Su Rushi’s picturesque face and, strangely enough, he kind of missed it.

He glanced around his surroundings and found himself on a pink bed in a young woman’s room. The bed was filled with Su Rushi’s scent—a delightful fragrance that was both relaxing and refreshing.

’This girl treats me really well,’ he thought. ’I fell asleep and she even carried me to her bed.’

’Isn’t she the least bit repulsed that I’m a snake?’

After a moment, Tu Xiao’an, the exquisite little snake, slithered down from the bed. He went to look for Su Rushi and, at the same time, familiarize himself with his surroundings in the loft room.

As he slithered about, Tu Xiao’an’s sensitive hearing suddenly picked up a SPLASHING sound coming from an adjacent room.

Without much thought, he slithered over, entered the room, and saw that a curtain was blocking the view.

He slithered past it for a look and was instantly dumbfounded!

In a large wooden tub, a young woman was reclining with her eyes gently closed. The sight was like a classic poem come to life: a beauty bathing in a steaming spring, the warm water caressing her flawless skin. This was the scene that unfolded before Tu Xiao’an.

’Holy crap, the girl’s taking a bath,’ he thought. ’Bathing this late at night... she really knows how to live.’

Su Rushi, who was in the middle of her bath, opened her eyes. Seeing the exquisite little snake waiting by the curtain, her eyes lit up. "Xiaoleng, you’re finally awake! That’s wonderful!"

’I should probably be tactful and leave,’ Tu Xiao’an thought. ’What am I doing, watching a girl take a bath? I might be a snake, but I still have a human soul.’

’Besides, I’m sure it won’t be long before I can achieve Transformation. I shouldn’t be looking at indecent things.’

SPLASH...

But then, Su Rushi suddenly stood up in the tub. Water cascaded down her body with a great SPLASH, revealing a form as beautiful as a lotus emerging from the water.

What a sight it was. The young woman’s glowing, naked form was revealed to him, plain as day. Tu Xiao’an couldn’t control his gaze; he felt as if his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

’What a beautiful body,’ he thought, ’absolutely flawless, breathtakingly so.’ He forced himself to appreciate it from an artistic perspective, without a single impure thought.

’What can a snake do, anyway?’

He was stunned. Tu Xiao’an was completely frozen, dumbstruck.

’Come on, can’t you be a little more modest? Even if I’m just a snake, you don’t have to put everything on display!’

’Now that I’ve seen everything, does this mean I have to take responsibility for her?’ Tu Xiao’an’s mind started to run wild.

They say a person’s life is governed by fate, luck, feng shui, and their name. Tu Xiao’an had survived a great catastrophe... did this mean he was fated to have some romantic fortune?

How could Su Rushi possibly know the complex thoughts swirling in a snake’s mind? She stepped out of the tub, picked up the seemingly petrified snake, and got back in. "Xiaoleng, let’s take a bath together," she said with a giggle. "I’ll help you get clean, too."

"Huh? Xiaoleng, what’s wrong? Why is your whole body so stiff?"

’How could I not be stiff? I’m an adult male, for crying out loud!’

And just like that, Tu Xiao’an was forcibly pulled into the tub by Su Rushi to bathe with her. To be honest, in his entire life, he had never seen a woman’s naked body. He was certainly getting an eyeful now.

Back at the noodle shop, when he’d first met Luo Ziyun, she had called him into the bedroom, shed her ugly outer skin, and revealed her perfect figure.

But at least Luo Ziyun had still been wearing her undergarments; she hadn’t been completely naked.

This girl, though... she looked so pure and innocent, yet she’d completely caught Tu Xiao’an off guard, showing him her body without any warning whatsoever.

’And now, it seems, I can keep looking.’

’Old man, don’t you blame me for seeing your granddaughter’s body,’ he thought. ’I’m helpless here, too.’

Tu Xiao’an grumbled to himself—a classic case of someone profiting from a situation while pretending to be put-upon.

A pair of nimble hands stroked Tu Xiao’an’s body as Su Rushi’s voice sounded. "Xiaoleng, why is the Snake Skin on your tail so tough? Even after soaking in water, I still can’t tear it off."

Su Rushi was fixated on peeling off the last bit of old skin from the snake, but no matter how she tried, not even a tiny piece would come off. She frowned.

Tu Xiao’an paid her no mind. His Snake Gaze was completely transfixed on the pair of fair, soft "rabbits" floating in the water. He simply couldn’t look away.

’The little lady is developing quite nicely. So young, yet already in full bloom.’

’It’d be a waste not to look. Not that looking does me any good, but opportunities like this are rare.’

Su Rushi seemed to notice the snake’s scorching gaze. Its eyes were practically glowing as they stared, unblinking, at her chest. Her cheeks immediately flushed red. She quickly covered herself with one hand and rapped him on the head. "Xiaoleng, so you’re a little pervert snake! No peeking!"

Before, she hadn’t thought anything of it—it was just a little snake, after all. But now that it was staring intently at her chest, she started to feel a bit awkward.

The light rap on the head brought Tu Xiao’an back to his senses. He saw that Su Rushi had, at some point, put on some pink undergarments and draped a light, white gauze robe over herself. She was as alluring as a lotus emerging from the water.

He let out a heavy sigh of relief. If he had kept staring like that, he was afraid he might have just exploded on the spot, adding new injuries on top of his old ones.

Su Rushi lifted Tu Xiao’an out of the water and draped him over her slender, fair arm. "Xiaoleng," she asked suddenly, her curiosity piqued, "are you a boy or a girl? No, I mean, are you male or female?"

Tu Xiao’an rolled his eyes. ’I’m afraid if I actually answered you in human words, it would scare you to death.’

’Things are fine just like this. If I started talking, the girl would know I’m a cultivating Snake Spirit, and she probably wouldn’t act so natural around me anymore.’

Of course, Su Rushi didn’t actually expect the snake to answer her; it was just a casual question.

The two of them, one human and one snake, returned to the bedroom. Su Rushi placed the little snake on her vanity, then sat down and began to comb her long, silken hair.

The image of the snake staring at her chest with its astonishingly bright eyes involuntarily surfaced in her mind, and a blush crept onto her pretty face.

’No man has ever seen my body before, yet a snake gets the first look for free.’

For some reason, she let out a little snort of laughter.

"Xiaoleng, are you hungry?"

Tu Xiao’an forced his mind away from the alluring scene. Hearing Su Rushi’s question, he thought of the Spirit Fruits and immediately began nodding his head frantically.

"Let me finish combing my hair, and then I’ll get you some fruit," Su Rushi said, before suddenly remembering something. "Wait, you’re a snake. You should be eating meat. It doesn’t seem right to always be feeding you fruit."

Hearing this, Tu Xiao’an froze, then did his best to act like a vegetarian snake.

’I desperately need Energy to heal my injuries and recover my strength,’ he thought. ’Only an idiot would want meat right now.’