Next, Qibao was heading to Qincheng, one of the seven major city bases established by humanity in the apocalypse, located northwest of Jiangcheng. According to the offline navigation route Yin Mo had downloaded, the two places were nearly 800 kilometers apart. At the off-road vehicle's speed of twenty to thirty kilometers per hour, accounting for rest at night, the journey would take about four days.
A mere four days was nothing to Qibao and Yin Mo, both of whom had long lifespans.
But Qibao valued physical comfort highly. Sitting in the car continuously was too tiring, so she wanted to return to the tower and lie down comfortably.
Yin Mo: "You can go inside, but the tower shrinks, and I'll string it onto a necklace to wear."
Qibao: "How dare you!"
Yin Mo stopped the car directly, released the steering wheel, and leaned back. Glancing sideways at the Tower Spirit beside him—who looked sweet in her white dress at first glance but was actually full of ferocity in her eyes—he said, "We're both prisoners. Why can Song Chao stay in Jiangcheng and enjoy himself, while I have to be under your constant supervision? And even setting aside the supervision, why must I serve as your driver without complaint?"
Qibao held up the pagoda and made a smashing gesture toward him.
Yin Mo sneered: "Then smash me to death. Rather than be treated as a prisoner and slave by you, I'd rather die early and be reborn sooner."
Qibao only wanted the Snake Demon to be obedient; she didn't want his life. If the Snake Demon truly threatened death, Qibao had no way out. She was also quite puzzled and put down the tower to ask: "When I'm outside, you have to drive; when I go into the tower, you still have to drive. It makes no difference to you where I am, so why must you insist on wearing me as a necklace?"
Yin Mo: "The difference is huge. When you're outside, I feel like you see me as a companion living and working together with you—a partner. When you go inside, it means you only care about your own comfort without considering my feelings, treating me purely as a slave driver."
Qibao: "Wearing you as a necklace counts as caring about you?"
Yin Mo: "Yes. You said you don't like others touching you, so if you're willing to stay close to me, it means you don't see me as an outsider or a slave."
Qibao couldn't deny the logic in his words.
Seeing her attitude soften, Yin Mo took out a fine diamond necklace from his collection, removed the pendant, and showed it to Qibao: "Do you like this kind, or pure gold?"
Qibao released her tower and compared it against the chain studded with small diamonds: "It doesn't seem to match?"
Yin Mo: "There's no helping it. Your tower is a one-of-a-kind existence in any world; no material can truly match you."
Qibao looked up, highly suspicious that the Snake Demon was deliberately flattering her, but the words really did sound pleasant to the ear.
"Then you try it." Qibao shrank the pagoda to pendant size and handed it to Yin Mo.
The pagoda's exterior had no openings, but all seven floors had windows, and the opening and closing were entirely controlled by Qibao.
Yin Mo had Qibao open two opposing windows on the seventh floor and threaded the diamond chain through.
The diamonds sparkled, the pagoda was magnificent, and together they actually looked passable.
Yin Mo directly put the necklace around his own neck, gripped the steering wheel, and looked ahead: "I'll drive. You can go inside anytime. If any Aberrant Beast blocks the road, I'll notify you."
Since he was willing to cooperate, Qibao entered the tower.
As Qibao had said before, even if she didn't attach her Spiritual Sense to the tower, as long as a living creature touched her, Qibao would feel it.
One side of the tower pressed against Yin Mo's chest, and Qibao could feel his warm body temperature, even the slight rise and fall of that patch of skin with his breathing. After gaining a human form, Qibao had constantly touched her own body, but this was the first time she'd so attentively felt someone else's.
Suddenly, Yin Mo raised his hand, pinching the tower body between his thumb and index finger and gently turning it.
Qibao: "Why are you pinching me?"
Yin Mo smiled and released his hand: "Sorry, I developed a habit of pinching the pendant from wearing necklaces before."
Qibao: "Focus on driving."
.
At noon, Yin Mo put away the Cullinan and brought out a black motorhome. He washed his hands and started cooking.
Qibao sat leaning back on the leather sofa diagonally behind him, scrolling through local tower culture introductions while expressing her confusion at the Snake Demon's behavior: "Wasn't eating boxed meals like before perfectly fine? Why must you compare yourself to Song Chao?"
Yin Mo: "I looked it up online. Before the apocalypse, hygiene standards in many restaurants weren't up to par, and after the apocalypse, that situation only got worse. Cooking myself is safer."
Qibao: "I'm just afraid your cooking won't taste good."
Yin Mo: "Then you can eat the boxed meals first."
Qibao recalled Song Chao's exquisite plating and would rather endure the slight hunger in her stomach than miss out on freshly cooked hot dishes.
When the lively sound of stir-frying came from the pot, Qibao paused the screen projection and shuffled over to Yin Mo's side in her indoor slippers. This close, the aroma from the pot rushed straight at her.
After looking at the chicken pieces gradually browning in the pot, Qibao's gaze traveled upward and landed on Yin Mo's face. The Snake Demon, focused on cooking, had his eyelids lowered, concealing the gloom beneath, and though his expression was still cold, it was quite pleasing to look at.
"Help me out?" Yin Mo suddenly glanced at her.
Qibao: "With what?"
Yin Mo: "I forgot to tie on an apron. I can't spare a hand right now—you tie it for me."
Qibao glanced at the high-end black shirt he was wearing—the kind that would cost four-figure credits in a mall—and agreed.
She took the apron hanging nearby, stood behind Yin Mo, slipped it over his neck first, then tied the straps at his back. The thin cords traced a slender waist. After tying it, Qibao didn't leave right away. Instead, she secretly pinched her own waistline and compared it to the Snake Demon's, only to find hers was still thinner.
Though the comparison was meaningless, Qibao felt inexplicably pleased.
Yin Mo had secretly binge-watched a ton of cooking videos over the past few days, and with his natural talent for learning things quickly, he finished three dishes and a soup in just over forty minutes.
The RV had a small dining area. The moment Yin Mo turned off the stove, Qibao came over and sat down, her bright black eyes full of anticipation.
Yin Mo: "So greedy. If Song Chao used the same tactic to lure you in, would you fall for his tricks too?"
Qibao: "Of course not. Besides, he had a crush on Tu Jian for a while—don't make it sound so ugly."
Yin Mo: "Don't think too highly of him. He once planned to destroy this body of yours and bury you underground. I talked him out of it."
Qibao picked up her chopsticks and tried his braised chicken first—savory and fragrant with just a hint of spice, perfectly done—then said casually, "You had the same idea too. You only gave up because you realized it wouldn't work."
After being suppressed by her for over three thousand years, of course the seven Great Demons wanted to deal with her. Once they realized they could neither kill her nor trap her, all that remained was fear. Qibao only cared about results, not the petty schemes the Great Demons harbored in line with common sense.
Yin Mo blocked her chopsticks as she reached for another dish and looked into her eyes. "So what do you think I'm after, cooperating with you like this now?"
Qibao: "You hope that once I've gathered all the Great Demons, I'll believe you've reformed and set you free?"
Yin Mo: "That was the plan at first. But after thinking it over, this place has both high-tier Aberrant Beasts stronger than me and scheming high-tier Ability Users. Even if I gained my freedom, I might run into people like Li Hongda and his son again. Rather than being bullied and forced to hide, I'd rather stay by your side."
Qibao smiled. "That's the right way to think. As long as you obey me, I'll definitely protect you."
Yin Mo: "But I don't want to be your prisoner forever. I want to be your teammate—like Lu Feng's mercenary squad."
Qibao lowered her head and picked up more food.
Yin Mo: "Don't tell me you have species discrimination, thinking that demonic beasts like us aren't worthy of standing on equal footing with a noble Innate Magic Treasure like you. From the perspective of the Heavenly Dao, all beings should be equal."
Qibao finished a bite, then took a sip of water. Seeing Yin Mo staring at her, she cut to the chase: "If I accept you as a teammate, is your next step going to be making me wash the dishes, then do my own laundry and blow-dry my own hair, and even hold my own umbrella when we go out—no more asking you to handle any of my daily chores?"
She'd spent two days with Lu Feng's squad and knew the five of them each had their own roles—none of them slacked off or shirked.
After recapturing Yin Mo, Qibao naturally treated him as her prisoner, using him as a mount one moment and a servant the next. But as Yin Mo grew more obedient and rarely complained, Qibao found him more agreeable. Still, doing laundry and blow-drying her hair was such a hassle—she'd gotten used to having Yin Mo do it and didn't want to change.
Yin Mo: "…No. You're the one who's fought off all the enemies and Aberrant Beasts along the way. My combat power isn't enough, so it's only right that I handle the logistics."
Qibao looked surprised.
Yin Mo averted his gaze and emphasized, "I just want you to see me as an equal teammate—stop hitting me or looking down on me at every turn. As for everything else, as long as it's within my ability, I'll help you."
Qibao could sense his grievance. After thinking it over, she agreed: "Fine, let's try it. But the moment you have even a hint of ill intent and I catch it, you're back to being my prisoner, subject to my punishment."
Yin Mo extended his hand. "Deal."
Qibao shook it.
After a fairly pleasant lunch, the pagoda and the snake set off again.
Several stretches of highway leading to Qin City had been damaged by Aberrant Beasts and Mutant Plants, but the small collapses, dips, and tangled roots only forced Yin Mo to stop and walk or take a detour—nothing major. That was until three days later, when Yin Mo followed the navigation into the Qinling Mountains. They'd only made it halfway through the second tunnel when the mountain ahead had collapsed, blocking the way completely.
Yin Mo fiddled with the pagoda pendant.
Qibao: "What now?" This wretched Snake Demon, he had to squeeze her a dozen times a day.
Yin Mo: "Come out and see."
The next second, Qibao in her red dress was sitting in the passenger seat. Seeing the situation ahead, she retracted the pagoda. "Should I ram a path through with the tower?"
Yin Mo: "The mountain collapsed. Your pagoda can pass through, but the road will be blocked again by the rubble—we won't make it."
Qibao got out of the car. The tunnel was about ten meters wide. She walked from the left side to the right, examining it carefully, but couldn't find a single gap big enough for Yin Mo's serpentine body to slip through.
The two of them reversed the car out of the tunnel and looked up. This stretch of mountain was massive and towering. Even if Qibao used her pagoda to bore straight through the entire mountain, the mountain path formed would be rugged and uneven. Moreover, Qibao could smash through wild grass and trees to clear a road, but to destroy a mountain for her own momentary convenience and ruin the terrain of this area—Qibao couldn't bring herself to do that.
Yin Mo said, "Let's go over the mountain. The road on the other side should still be passable."
Qibao looked down at the white kitten heels on her feet.
Yin Mo shifted into a snake body as thick as a water bucket and let her climb on.
Qibao glanced at his now thick, broad neck. The necklace really couldn't be worn anymore. A bare pagoda placed on a snake's body would bounce around and definitely fall off. Without a contract, Yin Mo couldn't store the pagoda in his space either.
With no other choice, Qibao put on a white sun hat and climbed onto a section of the snake's body near Yin Mo's head.
For convenience and comfort, Qibao had only worn a pair of underwear beneath her dress. Normally, sitting in a car or walking around, she didn't feel anything. But now, as the snake body twisted and crawled up the mountain path, the snake scales shifted slightly with each movement. Qibao couldn't stand it after just a short while. She lay limply against Yin Mo's body and patted his scales. "It's so itchy. Move in a straight line, don't twist."
Most of Yin Mo's scales had no sensation. He stopped at her words, turned his snake head back to look, and met Qibao's flushed face. Her usually clear eyes were now glistening and moist. Her upper body was draped over him, her fingertips lightly pressing against his scales. Beneath the hem of her bright red dress, two fair, slender legs straddled his sides, pressed against him.
Yin Mo stretched his snake head back, his gaze drawing closer as he examined her from top to bottom. "Where does it itch?"
Qibao said, "Everywhere that touches your scales."
There were many such places—for instance, her face, arms, and legs at this moment.
Yin Mo tested by moving that section of his snake body segment by segment, noticing Qibao suddenly bite her lip. And that spot…
Yin Mo's entire body stiffened.
After a pause, Yin Mo shifted into his true original form. As the snake body grew thicker, Qibao ended up lying completely flat on his broad snake back. With the loss of that tight, pressing contact, Qibao finally felt comfortable.
Yin Mo said, "You still need to hold on with your hands, or you might roll off."
Qibao pressed her cheek against his cool, smooth snake scales and smiled at the massive snake head beside her. "I know. Let's keep going."