A Guide to Raising the Straight Long Aotian - Chapter 2

“What did you say?”

Yun Qi’s voice was low and eerie, carrying a bone-chilling coldness. Before Wen Zui could even blink, a three-meter-long, thigh-thick azure serpent appeared before his eyes.

The snake was different from any ordinary serpent. Its scales flared slightly upward like ruffled feathers, exuding a rugged, wild beauty that even hinted at the majesty of a true dragon. Most importantly, its head was a sharp, distinct triangle.

A venomous snake!

The primal fear hardwired into human DNA crawled up Wen Zui’s spine like biting ants. He could almost smell the foul, metallic stench from the snake’s maw. He was paralyzed with terror, unable to move, let alone run.

Seeing him scared witless, the corners of Yun Qi’s lips curled upward. His mood improved significantly.

“What? Weren’t you just questioning me with such conviction? Now you do not even dare to open your eyes?”

Wen Zui shook his head frantically. His mind instantly conjured images of a bloody gullet and cold, golden vertical pupils staring him down, calculating exactly where to take the first bite. Meanwhile, the coarse texture of the snake’s tail had already coiled around Wen Zui’s ankle, rubbing the skin into a delicate shade of pink.

“Do not eat me! I will open the package right now, okay?”

The sentence was practically shrieked. Satisfied with the results of his intimidation, Yun Qi flicked out his pitch-black tongue and licked Wen Zui from his chin to his forehead.

“Ah!”

Wen Zui let out a piercing scream. However, the expected stench never came. Instead, his nostrils were filled with a fresh, shrub-like scent, making him feel as if he had been transported to a tropical rainforest, breathing the air of freedom.

The weight on his body vanished instantly. Slumped against the edge of the bed, Wen Zui gasped for air. He wiped the silver trail of saliva from his face and scrambled toward the package by the door.

His hands were trembling. Taking a deep breath, he quickly tore open the plastic wrapping. An old wooden box secured with a small red lock appeared. Judging by how decayed the wood was, the lock seemed entirely unnecessary. Wen Zui gritted his teeth and, with a burst of desperate courage, flipped open the rickety lid.

Inside lay a piece of poor-quality jade with a dragon motif. It was palm-sized, its emerald body riddled with cracks as if it would crumble into dust at a single touch. In stark contrast, lying next to it was a shimmering blue snake-shaped ring. It looked as if it had been retrieved from the deep sea. It was icy, translucent, and made of the finest emerald.

Wen Zui’s eyes widened. He had seen this kind of material online. It was worth at least five million yuan. He cast a covert glance at Yun Qi out of the corner of his eye and stealthily gripped the snake ring in his palm. His movements were as careful as if he were touching a cloud. Then, he picked up the letter underneath.

As he skimmed the contents, Wen Zui’s eyes bulged in disbelief.

“This box is an inheritance from my distant grand-uncle? And you are the spirit of our family’s ancestral treasure, the Roaming Scale Ring?”

The ancestral treasure was, of course, the dragon-patterned jade, but its essence had been drained dry by Yun Qi, leaving it in poor condition. Yun Qi curled his lips into a gentle smile. As expected, Wen Zui had mistaken him for the treasure mentioned in the letter.

“Naturally. I am no wandering ghost here to harm you. Why will you not believe me?”

Holding the letter, Wen Zui gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly: Hypocritical damn snake!

“It is open. Now what? Are you really going to pass on your life’s work to me and help me cultivate immortality?”

Yun Qi nodded with a benign smile. Unfortunately, since he was currently in snake form, all Wen Zui saw was a giant snake head bobbing up and down, which looked more like he was figuring out how to swallow him in one gulp.

Wen Zui swallowed hard, his back pressed tight against the wall, weighing the odds of successfully bolting out the door.

“As long as you take me as your master, longevity will be no issue, and wealth and beauties will be yours for the taking.”

Hearing this, Wen Zui’s mind began to race. Is this old ghost trying to possess my body?

“Are you a virgin?”

“Yes, why?” Wen Zui answered reflexively. By the time he realized what he had said, it was too late.

What did that mean? Was this old monster planning to use him for dual cultivation to steal his essence? He was a man!

Having received the answer he wanted, Yun Qi’s mood brightened further. The ritual for a ghost marriage with a virgin was much simpler.

“Go prepare a small bowl, three sticks of incense, and a knife. I shall accept you as my disciple now.”

Half-doubting, Wen Zui complied, but he remained cautious. He deliberately placed the items on the dining table closest to the door.

“What is next?”

The sharp knife was instantly bathed in a blue glow. Wen Zui felt a sharp sting on his fingertip, and several drops of blood fell into the bowl. The three incense sticks suddenly plunged three inches deep into the wooden table and ignited without a flame, emitting an eerie blue smoke.

Yun Qi landed in front of the incense and said calmly, “Kneel and kowtow three times, and the apprenticeship ceremony will be complete.”

“I do not believe you! You damn snake demon!”

Wen Zui cursed as he bolted, jumping onto his electric scooter and vanishing in a cloud of dust. Instead of being angry, Yun Qi chuckled softly, as if everything was going according to his plan. The System, watching this, felt incredibly anxious.

“Host! There are only nine days left for the mission! How can you still laugh?”

The System immediately regretted its outburst. It did not dare look at Yun Qi, silently shutting its mouth and dimming its silver glow to stay out of the way.

“Do not worry.”

Before the words fully faded, Yun Qi and the System vanished, re-attaching themselves to the Roaming Scale Ring that Wen Zui had taken. The System had a sudden epiphany and looked at its host with newfound admiration. Wen Zui loved money more than his own life. There was no way he would abandon that ring. He could not escape.

Yun Qi, however, fell into thought. In the original book, Wen Zui was not supposed to receive the inheritance from the jade until ten days later, yet his mission deadline was exactly one day earlier than that.

Before he could think further, Wen Zui reached his destination. The smile on his face became genuine, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. Following his gaze, a woman with delicate features and a slender figure was seen laughing and chatting with customers in front of a bun shop. Even though it was the afternoon, business was still booming.

“Host, that is the protagonist’s childhood friend, Liu Ruoling, known as the Bun Beauty. In the original plot, it is because the protagonist almost dies protecting her that he gains the jade’s inheritance.”

“Hurry up and break them apart!”

Yun Qi gave a faint acknowledgment, his sharp eyes catching sight of several suspicious figures lurking nearby. Had the event been moved up because of his presence?

Unaware, Wen Zui ran into the shop with a grin and skillfully began helping sell the buns. It was not long before the remaining stock was sold out. After checking that the coast was clear, Wen Zui pulled Liu Ruoling into the kitchen like a conspirator. With a smile he could not suppress, he whispered in her ear.

“Ruoling! I won a million yuan! I can help you buy this shop now!”

A soft, fair hand rested on Wen Zui’s forehead. Liu Ruoling felt his temperature gently.

“Ah Zui, is work stress getting to you? Are you hallucinating?”

“Haha!” The System on Yun Qi’s shoulder doubled over in laughter. Even Yun Qi could not help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

“No, really! I actually won a million!”

Stunned by her reaction, Wen Zui was about to pull out his phone to show her his balance when a loud crash of breaking objects echoed from the front of the shop.

“Boss? Bun Beauty? Get out here!”

Wen Zui’s brow furrowed. Ignoring Liu Ruoling’s attempts to stop him, he grabbed a kitchen knife and rushed out, shielding her behind him.

“Are you the thugs Ruoling mentioned? I am telling you, you are not taking this shop! Leave now, or I am calling the police!”

The leader, a man with dyed yellow hair, was briefly intimidated by Wen Zui’s aura. But once he got a good look at Wen Zui’s face, his expression twisted with jealousy.

“Where did this pretty boy come from? Trying to act tough with Lord Huang? Call the police? Go ahead! I will knock your teeth out before they even arrive!”

At Huang’s command, his lackeys began trashing the place. Flour filled the air, and before Wen Zui could react, the shop was a mess. Hearing a sob behind him, Wen Zui saw Ruoling’s tear-filled eyes. Enraged, he lunged forward and began brawling with Huang.

Huang suddenly pulled a steel pipe from behind his back, swinging it to knock the kitchen knife out of Wen Zui’s hand. Just as the pipe was about to strike his head, Wen Zui did not flinch. He executed a sweeping kick that sent Huang crashing to the floor, then stepped firmly on the man’s chest.

“This is the level you are at while threatening to knock my teeth out? Looks like I am the one turning you into a pig’s head!”

Wen Zui cocked an eyebrow triumphantly. Even Ruoling, standing nearby, let out a small laugh through her tears.

“Boss!”

Seeing the couple laughing at him, Huang felt utterly humiliated. His reputation in front of his underlings was shattered. His eyes turned bloodshot with rage, and he began struggling wildly like a cornered clown. Wen Zui gave him another hard kick, failing to notice that Huang’s right hand had reached for a watermelon knife that had fallen during the scuffle.

“Ah Zui! Watch out!”

Triggered by Ruoling’s terrified scream, Wen Zui felt a searing pain in his thigh. Huang rolled away from his grasp, gripped the knife, and charged back like a man possessed. Wen Zui froze. It felt like his femoral artery had been nicked. The massive blood loss made his brain stall. He could not process what was happening until a slender figure stepped in front of him.

“Ruoling?”

Huang lunged forward blindly, the sharp blade aimed straight for Ruoling’s thin back. In Wen Zui’s paralyzed mind, only one voice remained.

“Master! Come out! I will agree to anything!”

Having watched the drama from the sidelines for long enough, Yun Qi smiled. His voice was a mix of indulgence and playfulness.

“Very well, my dear disciple. Your Master will not let anyone bully you.”