"Get out of the car and walk." The system's cold, emotionless voice responded.

"But..." Jiang Lingyan glanced at the situation outside and shrank back, reluctant to get out.

It was raining, muddy, and wet outside. Stepping in that would definitely ruin her clothes, mess up her look, and affect her appearance.

"Do you want to skip the task? Give up the points?" The system showed no sympathy. "Or do you want to accept the punishment?"

"...I'll go."

Jiang Lingyan finally succumbed to the system's pressure.

...

"My lord, that serpent is coming this way." Jin Hong, standing behind Ling Ji, felt a surge of oppressive energy and moved closer to Ling Ji, trembling slightly.

Ling Ji raised an eyebrow at the news and looked up at the gray sky.

She squinted her eyes, a look of disdain crossing her face.

"So ugly."

The yellowish hue was dull, the scales lacked luster, the body was neither agile nor streamlined, looking soft and floppy, quite unappetizing.

Mu Bai and the others looked towards the sky upon hearing Jin Hong's words, but being mere mortals with limited eyesight, they saw nothing after a long time.

"My lord, can you capture that serpent?" Mu Bai withdrew his gaze and asked the question he had been interrupted earlier.

"Of course." Ling Ji lifted her chin, her tone filled with contempt. "Such a weak little demon, I can kill him with a single slap."

"You're amazing, my lord!" Jin Hong seized the opportunity to flatter her.

"..." Mu Bai, momentarily stunned by the interruption, continued, "Then can you help capture the serpent?"

"No." Ling Ji refused.

"Why not?"

"Too ugly, too smelly, not appetizing."

Having reluctantly accepted the existence of ghosts and demons in this world, Zhou Tian was baffled by her response and asked Mu Bai, "What does she mean?"

Mu Bai's mouth twitched slightly as he explained, "The serpent is too ugly and smelly for her to want to eat."

No desire to eat, so no motivation to move.

Ye Jianghuai & Zhou Tian & Jin Hong: "..."

Ye Jianghuai, recalling the earlier situation in the car, said, "I'll give you food if you capture the serpent."

Ling Ji's eyes sparkled and she extended ten fingers.

"Deal, I'll give you a hundred boxes." Ye Jianghuai agreed decisively.

"A hundred?" Ling Ji gulped, her eyes widening in surprise.

She had only intended to ask for ten boxes.

"It's settled then." Fearing she might change her mind, Ling Ji immediately sealed the deal. "Wait here, I'll be back soon."

With that, her figure disappeared.

Zhou Tian widened his eyes, his head swiveling quickly, looking around but finding nothing. "Where did she go?"

Mu Bai pointed upwards. "Up there."

Zhou Tian looked up, straining his eyes but seeing no trace of her.

"You're just an ordinary mortal; you can't see her." Jin Hong, unable to bear his foolishness, reminded him, "To the east, several hundred meters away."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Who are you?" Zhou Tian, quick on the uptake, caught the key point in her words. "What... species are you?"

"I'm a koi." Jin Hong declared proudly, tilting her chin.

"Vehicles are here, let's help evacuate the others." Ye Jianghuai saw the buses pulling up not far away and walking towards them.

Ten minutes later, the previously bustling rescue station was empty. Just then, Ye Jianghuai's walkie-talkie crackled to life. "Captain Ye, we've just received word that two reporters from Phoenix Media are heading to the rescue station. Please meet them and escort them to the new rescue station."

"Understood." Ye Jianghuai, looking at the white expanse ahead, said to those around him, "Wait here. I'll go meet them."

"I'll go, Captain. You stay here." Zhou Tian, needing to clear his head and sort through his shattered beliefs, volunteered.

High in the sky, the yellowish serpent raised its head, spewing a foul-smelling breath. The cloud it touched thickened and darkened, intensifying the rain.

"Drip, drip." Raindrops formed and fell together.

The yellow serpent shook its head in apparent satisfaction, its crimson vertical pupils filled with malevolent glee.

Sensing something, the yellow serpent abruptly lifted its head, looking forward.

A slender, seemingly frail figure stood ahead, untouched by the rain or dirt.

The yellow serpent growled low, its body tensing, exposing sharp claws.

"Hey?" Ling Ji blinked, a hint of doubt flashing in her dark eyes. She walked towards the yellow serpent, seemingly gliding in the air. "Your scent is off."

The demon's aura was mixed and impure, inferior to even a half-demon without awakened bloodline inheritance.

She took two more steps forward.

A struggle flickered in the yellow serpent's crimson pupils, but it still opened its maw wide, revealing blood-stained fangs, seemingly unaffected by her bloodline's pressure.

No, not unaffected, but only lightly suppressed.

This was interesting.

Among demons, the strong prey on the weak, with higher bloodline and stronger power imposing harsh suppression on weaker demons.

Like Jin Hong, a fish spirit with over three hundred years of cultivation, just one scale from Ling Ji would press her down. The yellow serpent, with only a few hundred years of cultivation, should be similarly suppressed.

Moreover, its cultivation was unstable, fluctuating wildly, not like it was self-cultivated but rather artificially enhanced.

Forget it, she thought. Killing it and extracting the demon core would reveal the truth.

Ling Ji raised her fist and punched towards the serpent's head.

The yellow serpent instinctively shivered, roaring as it swung its tail and lunged at the white fist with its mouth wide open.

"Crunch."

The serpent's teeth collided with something as hard as stone, instantly shattering its front four teeth.

The yellow serpent whimpered, tears welling up, dripping from its eyes.

It released its grip, switching from bite to claws, slashing at her.

"Crack."

The sound of breaking bones and claws echoed, the yellow serpent howling in pain as it rolled in the clouds, disturbing the weather.

"Tsk tsk." Ling Ji watched the serpent writhing in pain, shaking her head. "Your cultivation is even weaker than I thought."

Hearing her mockery, the yellow serpent burst from the clouds, its crimson eyes fixed on her, spewing foul breath, its whiskers dancing wildly.

"Ah, can't even speak human words." Ling Ji noticed another anomaly, her gaze growing more peculiar. "Your cultivation is full of flaws."

A serpent ready to transform into a dragon should at least speak human language, if not transform into human form. But this one could only understand, not speak.

Yet it had two small, almost imperceptible horns on its head.

Ling Ji grew more intrigued, not wanting to kill it anymore.

The yellow serpent, gathering strength, decided not to repeat its mistakes. It coiled its body around her, attempting to crush her.

Ling Ji, seeing the serpent coil around her, smirked, transforming her fist into a claw. She grabbed its tail, lifting it overhead, swinging it in circles.

A powerful demon energy flowed from her hand into the serpent, and within ten breaths, the once vigorous serpent turned limp like a dead eel hanging in her grasp.

"Roar~" The yellow serpent weakly whimpered, its spirit broken.

Seeing it had lost all resistance, Ling Ji flew down, dropping the serpent with a loud "thud."

She conjured a stream of pure water, washing her delicate fingers thoroughly, sniffing to ensure no odor remained before dismissing the water.

"My lord."

Mu Bai and the others exited the tent, witnessing her disdainfully tossing the serpent aside to wash her hands. "Ahhh, my lord is so cool!"

Jin Hong exclaimed in admiration.

Ye Jianghuai scanned her for injuries, then shifted his gaze to the serpent responsible for the heavy rains and floods in Fengchuan County.

He looked away quickly.

The serpent's massive body was covered in wounds, scales missing, revealing red flesh. Its head, emerging from the mud, had broken whiskers and missing teeth, its empty sockets black and gaping.

"Ahhh!" A sudden scream pierced the air, breaking the calm.

"What is that?"

"A monster?"

Ye Jianghuai looked towards the source, seeing a man and woman with backpacks and raincoats, accompanied by an equally shocked and embarrassed Zhou Tian.

They were the reporters from Phoenix Media.

Ye Jianghuai rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Of all times to arrive, they had to come now. How inconvenient.

"Did you capture this serpent?" Before Ye Jianghuai could think of a response, a gentle, melodious female voice asked.

Ye Jianghuai looked up sharply, seeing a woman standing two meters away, her expression serious.

She wore a light blue Taoist robe, embroidered with stars, her long black hair cascading smoothly down her back, enhancing her elegant and refined appearance.

"Who are you? Don't you know to introduce yourself before questioning others?" Instinctively, Jin Hong felt threatened by her, not in danger, but in the fear of losing attention.

"Oh, my apologies." Realizing her rudeness, the woman smiled gently, her voice soft like misty rain in the Jiangnan region. "I'm Xing Miao, an astrologer."

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