Chapter 32: The Snake

Xiao Bai was no fool. Seeing Wang Bo appear here, she guessed that he hadn't listened to her and had probably been following her all along.

But because she had told him not to come, he had been protecting her from the shadows.

Seeing her in danger, he had risked exposure to save her.

This moved her deeply, and she couldn't help lowering her head and saying,

"Thank you."

Although Wang Bo wasn't sure what Xiao Bai had imagined, seeing her blushing, he knew she had definitely overthought things.

But Wang Bo naturally wouldn't spoil the mood by pointing this out; he wasn't a dense straight man.

At this moment, the most appropriate thing to say should be...

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I'm fine." Xiao Bai shook her head, feeling a sweetness in her heart. She took out the Horse Talisman and said, "Don't forget, you gave me this. With it, I won't get hurt."

"That's good." Wang Bo sighed in relief, patting his chest with lingering fear.

This naturally boosted Xiao Bai's opinion of him.

Then Wang Bo continued, "I saw everything you did. Taiyin Zhenren is powerful; it was too much for you to try to assassinate him."

Xiao Bai nodded. After that ordeal, she knew how strong Taiyin Zhenren was. Even with the hairpin and mastery of the Taiyin True Art, she was no match for the National Preceptor.

Without the Horse Talisman Wang Bo had given her, she wouldn't have had the strength to resist and would have been killed.

"So what do you plan to do next? Will you continue the assassination?" Wang Bo asked. If Xiao Bai insisted, for her safety, he might secretly take action against Taiyin Zhenren.

With his strength, defeating Taiyin Zhenren shouldn't be too difficult.

He would shatter Taiyin Zhenren's magical power, then let Xiao Bai finish him off.

After all, that guy wasn't a good person.

To cultivate the Taiyin True Art, he had ordinary people catch snakes, causing many to die from snake bites, indirectly killing countless people.

Wang Bo had no qualms about dealing with him.

Xiao Bai shook her head and said, "This assassination failed, so the enemy will surely tighten security. The chance of success next time is extremely slim. Not only would I fail to kill Taiyin Zhenren, but I'd also lose my life."

Wang Bo hadn't expected her to have this sudden insight. He asked happily, "So what do you plan to do?"

"I want to go back and consult my master," Xiao Bai said seriously. "When I fought Taiyin Zhenren, I noticed his magical power was intermittent; he must be injured. My master is powerful. If she strikes while he's wounded, we can kill our snake clan's great enemy."

Wang Bo was startled. "Snake clan? So, Xiao Bai, you're a snake?"

Xiao Bai nodded, looking at him nervously. "I'm a snake. Will you hate me?"

"Of course not," Wang Bo shook his head. "No matter what you are, I like you."

At worst, he'd be a hero of the grass and woods. Since Xu Xian dared to do it, why wouldn't he?

Besides, Xiao Bai was so beautiful.

Wait?

She was Xiao Bai, and a snake. Oh my god, could Xiao Bai be Bai Suzhen?

Suddenly, Wang Bo's mind raced, thinking of an outrageous possibility, but he quickly shook his head, dismissing it.

Bai Suzhen's master was the legendary Li Shan Laomu, whose Dao title was Yuqing Shengzu Ziyuan Jun, a deity even surpassing Guanyin Bodhisattva in status.

That great immortal could kill Taiyin Zhenren with a finger; there was no need to send a disciple to assassinate a mere mortal National Preceptor, a cultivator who hadn't yet ascended.

After all, such a figure wouldn't even be worth Li Shan Laomu's notice.

But to be safe, Wang Bo still asked, "Xiao Bai, you don't happen to cultivate at the foot of Mount Qingcheng, do you?"

"Mount Qingcheng? No."

Xiao Bai denied Wang Bo's guess.

Wang Bo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Bai Suzhen at the foot of Mount Qingcheng, cultivating in a cave for a thousand years" was too famous. Since Xiao Bai wasn't cultivating at Mount Qingcheng, Wang Bo confirmed she probably wasn't Bai Suzhen.

Besides, her name was Xiao Bai, not Bai Suzhen.

He was being silly, thinking any beautiful snake with 'Bai' in her name was Bai Suzhen.

Impossible!

Hearing that Wang Bo didn't dislike her, Xiao Bai broke into a smile, as beautiful as a hundred flowers blooming, stunning Wang Bo speechless.

Meanwhile, Taiyin Zhenren and his apprentice, the young Daoist, saw the demon suddenly vanish before them and both felt a chill.

The young Daoist immediately looked around, trying to see where the demon would appear.

But Taiyin Zhenren waved his hand and said, "Don't bother. That demon has left."

When Xiao Bai disappeared, he had released his spiritual sense, sweeping thousands of meters around, but found no trace of the demon.

So he judged that the demon had left.

And it was likely someone had rescued her.

That was impressive, because he hadn't detected the enemy's presence or how the demon was rescued. Just that feat alone amazed him.

Taiyin Zhenren was certain that the mysterious person who rescued the demon was at least as powerful as himself.

A true master.

Among all the experts he knew, none could rescue someone right under his nose without being detected.

Could this mysterious person be a newly emerged expert?

Had that little demon been sent to test his strength?

Taiyin Zhenren's mind raced, analyzing the situation. Just then, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he thought of a mysterious monk.

A few years ago, this mysterious monk had suddenly appeared. His成名之战 was debating Buddhist doctrine with the monks of Jinshan Temple, leaving them speechless, and many masters fell into demonic possession from the debate.

The foundation of Jinshan Temple was thoroughly shaken by that debate.

If not for a military governor stepping in to support Jinshan Temple, it would have collapsed.

At the time, Taiyin Zhenren was already the National Preceptor, focused on cultivating immortality. Though he heard the news, he didn't care, since profound Buddhist doctrine didn't necessarily mean profound power.

But later, he heard that this mysterious monk had caused a ruckus in Fengdu and escaped unscathed.

Only then was he amazed by the monk's strength.

After all, Fengdu was no peaceful place. Without real skill, causing a ruckus there and escaping unscathed was impossible.