19. Living Their Lives Together

  When Shu Shu detected a sound of activity and woke up, straightaway he saw a huge snake head staring at him closely.

  He automatically pulled his head back and hid in the bottom of the hole. After a while, he remembered that this was his own disciple, no need to be afraid. From the bottom of the hole and appearing fierce while cowardly at heart, he immediately said: "What are you looking at? You, quickly get out of the way! Let me go out!"

  Edgar silently retreated, moving away a little. After that, the little sub-beastman quickly leaped out of the hole and ran away.

  After running away for a while, the little sub-beastman ran back: "You go back with me."

  Go back? Edgar's tail tip happily rolled up. In fact, he never wanted to leave at all . . . . His original plan was to leave just for a few days. After suddenly practicing this technique just now, his injuries recovered completely, and a great deal of his strength was restored. Further, he thought it was essential to get some information from the little sub-beastman, so he followed after the little sub-beastman and went back to the cave.

  Returning to Shu Shu's cave, Shu Shu began to explain all about cultivation to Edgar.

  "You practice and practice, and you can become very, very powerful! Soon after, you can become like me!" Shu Shu went back and forth several times explaining the idea by using different vocabulary. In addition, he also tried hard to gesticulate with his hands and feet.

  Regarding the little sub-beastman’s teaching method, Edgar believed that if his language talent was not extremely outstanding, he certainly wouldn’t understand the meaning of the little sub-beastman’s words.

  Anyway, he understood, but he also felt a bit puzzled. If he cultivated properly, he would change into someone like the little sub-beastman? Change and become a sub-beastman? What the hell was this?

  What the little sub-beastman had said was absolutely confusing, but he had to say that practicing this technique had indeed given him some great benefits. Not to speak of other things, just speak about his memory; it has suddenly improved!

  His memory had been amazing before; he had never forgotten what he had seen and heard. However, after becoming a fallen beast, it was impossible for him. But now, his original memory had all returned.

  In short, every word spoken by the little sub-beastman, he did not need to memorize them carefully; he could remember all of them clearly and precisely . . . . Edgar felt happy—did this mean that he would not be like those other fallen beasts, gradually forgetting that they had once been beastmen, too?

  "I'll come and check what stage you've already cultivated to." Shu Shu said, once again chanting the words "don’t move" until Edgar stayed motionless before coming to Edgar’s side.

  Putting his hand on the huge snake’s body one more time, Shu Shu carefully started to check.

  At that time, having been accumulated for almost a year in his body, the heat flow had finally developed into a small air mass. At last, he had officially stepped into the daemon cultivation road, but the huge snake . . . .

  The huge snake's innate skill was very good; it had attracted so much spiritual power yesterday. Perhaps the huge snake had already developed air mass?

  Shu Shu's spiritual power entered the huge snake's body and quickly found the huge snake's dān tián, but it did not find any air mass inside.

  Apparently, the huge snake’s innate skill could only do so much; it still needed a proper guidance from him . . . . Hold on, what was that?

  Shu Shu suddenly saw a drop of spiritual power condensed out of liquid hanging in the huge snake's dān tián! After cultivating for a year, he had only had a small air mass. After cultivating again for two hundred years, he had eventually managed to turn the air mass within his body into a liquid.

  He had cultivated for two hundred full years to be able to reach that state. The huge snake had actually accomplished it in one night!

  This was irrational!

  Shu Shu was a little stunned. And yet, it would not do to feel wronged. What’s the world coming to, ah! He knew that hamsters' cultivation talent was very poor, but it should not be so poor as to become like this, ah!

  Daemon cultivation was much more difficult than human cultivation. The first hurdle they needed to pass on their cultivation journey was the dawning of enlightenment. And the animals on earth that could reach the dawning of enlightenment were just a mere handful.

  After the dawning of enlightenment, they also had to learn qi refining, which was to develop the air mass within the body. The period of qi refining was relative to the person. Later, the qi’s form turned into liquid. Then they entered the foundation building stage.

  Shu Shu had lingered in the qi refining stage for two hundred years before entering the foundation building stage. He had lingered even longer in the foundation building stage, to the extent that he had thought, in his lifetime, he would never be able to generate the daemon core that could transform him into a human form. In that case, he would simply go to the human world and be a house pet.

  Although being a house pet meant no freedom, but he had been free for hundreds of years, thus he did not mind at all.

  In the end, never knowing where the fortune had come from, he had unexpectedly had a sudden break through and condensed his own daemon core after being a house pet for several years!

  Possessing the daemon core and passing through the daemon’s heaven tribulations, he could then change into a human form. Unfortunately, at the moment he was only halfway through the tribulations. The daemon core’s presence had disappeared, and the human form he had changed into was only half-changed . . . .

  Shu Shu thought of his condition and could not help but sigh. Then he glanced at the huge snake enviously.

  The huge snake had skipped over the qi refining stage and gone directly into the foundation building stage in one night. Was it possible for the huge snake to cultivate and produce the daemon core on the second night?

  How could it be so fast!

  Seething, Shu Shu glared at the huge snake for a good while. However, imagining that he would not need to be afraid of the huge snake after it became a human, he was happy again. Walking slowly to the huge snake’s side and resisting—with great difficulty—the boiling desire to run away, he carefully patted the huge snake's head: "You cultivated well, that’s great!"

  Edgar inclined his head slightly, showing that he got it.

  Shu Shu was even more satisfied with this disciple.

  Shu Shu thought that the huge snake could become human in a matter of days, but this was clearly impossible.

  In the following days, whenever Edgar had a free time, he concentrated on cultivating, and yet his strength only increased a little. There was still a long way to go from producing the core.

  As a result, it actually made Shu Shu, who had initially been quite envious of the huge snake’s cultivation speed, depressed: “How can you practice so slowly, ah?”

  Hearing the little sub-beastman words, Edgar couldn't help feeling ashamed and uneasy. He was worried that the little sub-beastman would have a change of mind towards him. Having already used all his free time for cultivating, he did not expect it was still slow.

  Anyway, this technique was indeed a good thing. After he began cultivating, his whole person became considerably clear-headed and calm, and he could also keep all his instincts and desires under control. In this way, he did not need to worry anymore that he might harm the little sub-beastman . . . .

  He could stay without any qualms now, and that was great.

  Edgar’s original cave was no more than a cave he had found randomly. He had no feelings at all towards that cave. After he was able to stay here with Shu Shu, he never thought about going back to check on it. As for Shu Shu . . . .

  Having never smelled the huge snake’s scent in his "toilet", he was finally relieved.

  The huge snake would go out and hunt everyday and even use its rolled-up tail to bundle a bunch of firewood and bring it back to the cave. Shu Shu did not need to run around everywhere looking for things like he had done in the beginning.

  After the huge snake took care of obtaining water from the lake, all the works were monopolized by the huge snake. He was more relaxed, so much so that he might not go out at all for the whole day.

  In this regard, Shu Shu was extremely satisfied. He definitely didn’t want to go out in the deep of winter. He was the best pet owner!

  No, he was not a pet owner. Rather, this was a serving disciple!

  "Big snake, you pierce a few holes here." Taking out a piece of recently-obtained fur that was relatively soft, Shu Shu pointed at the targeted edge. After putting the fur down, he ran away again.

  The huge snake glanced at the little sub-beastman who was still afraid to come too close to it. Then, opening its mouth, it used its teeth to nip a few holes on the fur.

  Shu Shu brought the fur back and, using a tough and durable grass he had found, sewed the fur together through those holes. A piece of clothing was made, and Shu Shu started to make another one.

  Edgar lied on his stomach beside the fire and watched the little sub-beastman making clothes next to the flame, heart comfortably warm.

  He had never particularly liked sub-beastmen. Now he discovered that it was actually such a wonderful thing to have a sub-beastman at his side . . . .

  Shu Shu made clothes for himself and then tidied up the huge snake’s sleeping place thoroughly.

  After the huge snake cultivated, sure enough, it no longer hibernated. But the huge snake’s temperature was too low, which would make the huge snake feel uncomfortable, so Shu Shu also gave him a warm nest.

  Originally, seeing too many furs, he had actually wanted to make some clothes for the huge snake. It was a pity that the huge snake was very straight and horizontal; the clothes it wore would certainly slide. The huge snake also slithered on its scales, so it would not be able move and slither while wearing clothes . . . . Shu Shu ultimately could only give up his own idea.

  Edgar heard of this thing from Shu Shu's soliloquy and thought that it was truly a pity.

  If only he had had hands and feet, then it would have been fine . . . . But, which snake sprouted hands and feet?

  Rubbing against a block of stone beside him and not knowing why his abdomen was suddenly itchy, Edgar mentally sighed.

  TL's note:

  I hate translating cultivation terms! ٩(๑`^´๑)۶

  Thanks to I finally found the term for 丹.