Qibao accepted the two sets of clothes from Lu Feng without taking them for free—she had Zhou Yu transfer his 100-point "shoe match" fee to Lu Feng.
She stored the clothes in the tower for now, planning to change into them after bathing once they reached their destination.
They traveled in haste and arrived at Lu Feng's team's meeting point a little past four in the afternoon. Zhou Yu flew ahead to regroup with his teammates in advance, lest they immediately attack the massive aberrant snake upon first sight.
Qibao took the opportunity to ask Yin Mo, "Since some Ability Users can also undergo Beast Transformation, why didn't you turn into a human form when they were hunting you, and claim to be an Ability User with a Black Snake Spiritual Entity?"
Yin Mo's voice came through cold, tinged with anger: "I've always moved in snake form in the mountains. When they called me an aberrant beast, I couldn't be bothered to explain. And there's no way I'd beg for mercy by shifting into human form just because I was losing."
On the Cultivation Continent, demonic beasts would all take human form once they reached a certain stage of cultivation, because the human body made it easier to comprehend the Heavenly Dao and accelerate cultivation. Beasts with particular interests could even use human form to travel and experience the mortal world.
Yin Mo had no such strange interest. Having inexplicably arrived on this unfamiliar continent where Spiritual Qi was so thin that cultivation was nearly impossible, he preferred to keep his snake form. He had only shifted to human form at the very beginning to understand this new world, staying at the nearest Tancheng Base for a period. Once he understood enough, he spent most of his time in the mountains, returning to the base periodically only to stock up on food. Unfortunately, the few deep-mountain territories he'd set his sights on were all occupied by S-rank aberrant beasts, so he was forced to remain on the periphery, suffering harassment from A-rank aberrant beasts and high-level Ability Users from time to time. A snake fallen on hard times gets bullied even by dogs.
But Yin Mo had his pride. When fighting, he would rather die in snake form surrounded by these Ability Users, preserving the dignity of a thousand-year Snake Demon, than grovel and beg for mercy.
Qibao did not respond to his anger.
The righteous path did not oppose killing itself—only meaningless, indiscriminate slaughter.
In this world, aberrant beasts and humans had become opposing species ever since the apocalypse descended. Whether beasts hunted humans for food, or humans hunted beasts for hides, meat, and Crystal Cores, both fell within the laws of species competition. If Yin Mo truly died at the hands of Zhou Yu and the others, it was because he was outmatched. Conversely, if Zhou Yu and Lu Feng died to Yin Mo, they could only blame their poor assessment and wrong choice of beast.
However, if a beast that was already full killed defenseless, vulnerable people purely out of cruelty, or if a powerful human Ability User who had no need for any survival resources from beasts killed them as a form of catharsis due to personality or mood issues—that was simply bullying the weak, and it became indiscriminate slaughter.
Back then, when Yin Mo was subdued and sealed by the female cultivator, it was because he had treated the ordinary commoners around him as ants while killing another Great Demon. If the female cultivator hadn't intervened in time, the residual waves of Yin Mo's Spell would have destroyed countless homes and killed many innocent people. Causing casualties among the innocent because one failed to restrain one's own power was also a form of indiscriminate slaughter.
Yin Mo was lucky—he hadn't incurred Karmic Slaughter, or the female cultivator would have killed him outright to rid the people of a scourge, rather than sealing him in the tower for reflection.
In short, in Qibao's eyes, Yin Mo was a bad snake with a criminal record. She wasn't about to comfort a bad snake.
Jumping off the snake's back, Qibao released her pagoda: "We're here. Get inside."
Not everyone could face a snake without flinching. If anyone was to blame, it was Yin Mo himself—if he were a rabbit demon, she wouldn't mind letting him tag along outside.
Yin Mo hesitated for a moment, but after returning to the tower, he made a request: "If they offer to cover your dinner, remember to save me a portion. I'm hungry."
His food stores were nearly depleted. Every portion saved was a portion gained.
Qibao was also thinking fondly of the delicacies of the human world. Swallowing her saliva, she sent the leftover roasted meat from lunch to the first floor where Yin Mo was confined: "Eat this. I roasted it."
Although her previous Contractors had all been cultivators far removed from the mortal world, they always had fellow disciples and friends. Qibao had absorbed some social graces through osmosis—if someone treated her to a meal, how could she shamelessly take food and leave with more?
Yin Mo stared at the unremarkable half-roasted rabbit with not a wisp of steam rising from it. He brought his serpentine head close, sniffing again and again, but couldn't detect any meaty aroma that might whet his appetite.
He asked, "You didn't add any seasoning?"
Qibao replied with complete confidence: "My space doesn't have any seasoning."
Yin Mo: "I don't eat food that tastes this bad."
Qibao: "Eat it or don't. Shut up. I need to go socialize with them."
She herself had eaten this same terrible food for a month. What right did a prisoner Snake Demon have to complain? Having food at all was already good enough. Bad snake—three thousand years of suppression and he still hadn't learned humility or gratitude.
No longer paying attention to the black snake inside the tower, Qibao followed Lu Feng toward the camp ahead. Along the way, Lu Feng had introduced the remaining three teammates: Fang Linqing, an A-rank with a pistol Spiritual Entity; Zhuang Ran, an A-rank healer with a bletilla Spiritual Entity; and Gao Jincheng, an A-rank with a mole Spiritual Entity. Fang Linqing and Zhuang Ran were a couple.
Gao Jincheng possessed an Earth-type Ability, and while waiting for Lu Feng and the others to rejoin the group, he manipulated the earth to dig out a fortress wall over three meters tall. That night, everyone set up tents inside it to sleep.
After demonstrating her pagoda "Spiritual Entity" that could imprison Aberrant Beasts, Qibao grew curious about the two Spiritual Entities—the handgun and the mole.
Fang Linqing kept short hair and spoke little. After showing Qibao her Spiritual Entity and firing a demonstration shot, she went to help Zhuang Ran and Lu Feng prepare dinner. Seeing Qibao cradling his mole Spiritual Entity and stroking it all over, Gao Jincheng gave a simple, honest smile: "My Beast Form doesn't have much offensive power, but I'm especially fast at digging tunnels—good for Earth Escape when I can't win a fight."
Qibao's attention was entirely on this little beast she had never seen before, and she said offhandedly, "Being quick to escape is also a kind of strength. Like me—I excel at defense. No matter how strong someone's attack is, it's useless if they can't hurt me."
Gao Jincheng: "Once we're back at the base, you should get tested. Your defense is definitely S-rank."
"Alright, come eat."
Qibao looked up and saw a dining table set up in front of Lu Feng and the others, surrounded by six chairs, each corresponding to a metal lunchbox.
She returned the mole to Gao Jincheng and walked over without hiding her anticipation.
The mercenary squad all knew she hadn't been exposed to modern urban life in recent years. The moment Qibao sat down, Gao Jincheng hurriedly opened the stainless steel lunchbox lid for her: "My mom made this. She didn't awaken a Spiritual Entity, but her cooking is excellent. She runs a restaurant inside the base—if you get the chance, you should try it. Spatial Crystal Cores can keep things fresh, but I always feel this kind of boxed meal isn't as good as food fresh out of the wok."
Qibao was already drawn in by the rich aroma. The lunchbox had four compartments—besides a portion of fluffy white rice, there were three side dishes: stir-fried chicken chunks mixed with chili peppers, a round braised meatball, and a compartment of an unknown green vegetable.
Seeing everyone start eating, Qibao picked up her chopsticks and went for the stir-fried chicken first.
Zhou Yu, sneaking glances at her, felt his heartbeat quicken with each look. Qibao wore ancient-style clothing, and even her manner of eating was ethereally graceful, making even the most refined among them, Zhuang Ran, look like a common boor by comparison.
The table manners Qibao had learned from the female cultivator were elegant, but her speed was by no means slow. She liked both meat dishes, while the vegetable Gao Jincheng called broccoli tasted very ordinary. Since Yin Mo had been making a fuss inside the pagoda the whole time, Qibao took out a jade plate from her space, scooped the entire compartment of broccoli onto it, and tossed it to Yin Mo.
Zhou Yu: "…What material is your plate made of?"
Qibao: "…I found it deep in the mountains. I'm not sure either."
In truth, it was a type of Spirit Jade from the cultivation world—when used to hold Spirit Food, it could preserve the food's efficacy for a long time. Now it was just a pretty, ordinary jade plate.
Lu Feng was even more curious about the Aberrant Beast black serpent's tastes: "You just feed it vegetables?"
Qibao: "I don't have to feed it—it can hunt on its own. I just don't like eating them myself and don't want to waste them."
Yin Mo, who could hear everything perfectly, swept his serpent tail and knocked both the plate of unappetizing broccoli and the leftover roasted meat into a corner.
After the meal, Fang Linqing was about to go bathe in the bathroom Gao Jincheng had built separately. Before leaving, she glanced at Qibao's hair, which reached down to her waist, tied with only a light green ribbon—jet black, smooth, and beautiful.
Since the apocalypse began, few women kept their hair this long. Either they cut it short for convenience in survival, or their hair quality deteriorated under harsh conditions and it was better to just chop it off. Sometimes, whether a person was living well was plain to see at a glance.
Fang Linqing had taught herself hairdressing, but Qibao probably had no such need. If Qibao ever asked, she could help then.
Qibao also wanted to bathe. She released the pagoda and entered the Stupa Space that belonged solely to her, where the discarded Magic Tools were also stored.
Qibao took out a bathtub carved from another type of Spirit Jade, transported it to the first floor, and had Yin Mo spray water into it until it was seven-tenths full.
Yin Mo: "…What water did you use for the past month?"
Qibao: "River water from the mountains. Not as clean as your Divine Ability water."
Yin Mo resignedly sprayed water for her, knowing the Tower Spirit could see all his movements inside the pagoda, so he abandoned the idea of dipping a section of his serpent tail in to dirty it slightly.
Once the water was ready, Qibao retrieved the bathtub, wiped herself down outside first, then soaked comfortably in a cool bath.
After washing up, Qibao changed into a chest wrap and undergarments that had been reduced to ordinary silk, then put on the long pants and long-sleeved shirt she had bought from Lu Feng.
Looking in the mirror, Qibao thought she looked decent, but considering that Yin Mo was more familiar with how humans in this world dressed, Qibao appeared directly on the first floor.
Yin Mo, exhausted from the day's work, had already curled up to rest. At the sound of movement, his dimmed vertical pupils suddenly brightened. There stood the Tower Spirit in human form, her long damp hair loose and flowing, wearing embroidered shoes paired with modern long pants and a long-sleeved pullover top. The mint-green fabric was thin—with his keen eyesight, he could make out the rough outline of the bandeau underneath, wrapping around two rather full mounds. No wonder she'd been hanging around cultivators for so long—human bodies were strange and peculiar, and yet she, a Magic Treasure Tower Spirit, didn't mind and had gone and made herself look like this too.
Qibao waited until he'd finished his inspection before asking, "Is this outfit okay?"
Yin Mo: "No. The women in the base don't wear this kind of underwear. What's hanging on the balconies is this kind."
He spat out a puff of water, which formed into the shape of modern women's underwear mid-air—things he'd seen on the base's balconies and in the shopping malls.
Qibao only grasped the general style. She fetched a bolt of scrap silk, along with needle and thread and scissors, and laid it all out before Yin Mo: "Since you know so much, make me a couple."
Yin Mo: "…I don't know how."
Qibao: "If you don't know, you can practice. I have plenty of fabric. And don't make excuses to slack off—you're a Millennial Great Demon. You've already cultivated a human body; this little bit of human skill won't stump you."
Yin Mo: "I'm just a Millennial Great Demon. You're an Innate Magic Treasure who's lived tens of thousands of years or more. You're more capable than me—you'd learn faster for sure."
Qibao: "This human body of mine only condensed a month ago. My manual dexterity is no match for yours. Besides, with you here to do my bidding, there's no need for me to learn."
Yin Mo: "…You must at least understand the principle that men and women should not touch hands. How can you ask me, a proper male demon, to make your undergarments?"
The more Qibao heard, the more she wanted to laugh: "I'm a tower, you're a snake. We don't need to follow mortal rules. Get to it now—I want to wear them tomorrow morning."
With that, she went straight back up to the top floor.
Up there, she let her hair dry while keeping her Spiritual Sense fixed on the first floor. She watched the black snake slither around, crashing into things in a fit of madness for quite a while, before finally obediently transforming into human form—a short-haired man in modern attire, very tall, very fair-skinned, with handsome features. But his eyes were cold, and he didn't look like a good person.
The not-good-looking man-snake sat down on the floor with a stern face, picked up the scissors with a stern face, and began cutting the fabric.
Qibao thought for a moment, then wrapped two large bundles of crushed Spirit Stone powder in the bandeau she'd just changed out of and tossed them down, so Yin Mo could use them as a size reference.
Yin Mo gritted his teeth and glared up at the top of the tower: "You're a tower. Why did you make yourself so big? Wasting my time for nothing."
Qibao: "It's not like I did it on purpose. It just came out this way when it was made. And don't just talk about me—when you transformed, why didn't you make yourself a short little fellow? What's the point of being so tall?"
Yin Mo: "…"
Fine. This lifeless tower was even harder to communicate with than an ordinary demon beast!