"One hundred thousand Dou?"

Wang Wu was taken aback. He knew that one Dou was a unit of measurement for spiritual qi, referring to a specially crafted magical artifact gourd, which, when filled, would emit a corresponding glow of spiritual light.

However, a hundred thousand points of spiritual qi was quite a lot.

After thinking it over, Wang Wu asked honestly, "Can it be a bit cheaper?"

"No way! That's the rule; we're not bullying you. We five stewards are responsible for the daily maintenance of Shaman Village. If we give you a discount, we have to make it up ourselves, which makes no sense."

"Of course, if you say you can leave within a month, we'll still be good friends. We might even be willing to send you off with some travel expenses, happily seeing you off. In short, we hope you won't make things difficult for us, and we won't make things difficult for you either!"

The Wolf Demon was quite polite.

"Then may I ask, if I pay a hundred thousand Dou of spiritual qi annually, can I find a job in Shaman Village? How much could I earn?" Wang Wu asked earnestly.

In response, the Tiger Demon immediately roared, "Little bear cub, are you trying to entertain me? Didn't everyone come to Shaman Village to shelter from the evil wind? Who comes here to earn wages like you? If you want to earn wages, go to Centipede Ridge! Either hand over a hundred thousand Dou of spiritual qi, or I'll teach you a lesson today!"

Wang Wu truly felt wronged, but he also indeed had no need to fight with this Tiger Demon.

"Alright, alright, let's talk it out. A hundred thousand Dou of spiritual qi, I'll pay! Let's not harm our good relations."

Saying this, Wang Wu directly took out five Seventh-Grade Spiritual Qi Practice Pills, each containing twenty thousand points of spiritual qi. These were a gift from Lv Dongyang, and they hadn't expired or deteriorated.

At this moment, the entire long street was quiet, and in the next second, it was as if a scene switch had occurred. The restaurant opened its windows, the brothel opened its doors, and a singing little fox sister threw amorous glances at Wang Wu.

Two Pig Demons were there still toasting each other, while a human elder was selling his spirit fruits, and the market was bustling with people.

There was a lively atmosphere.

The Tiger Demon was somehow standing in his forging shop, the Wolf Demon continued selling his Dog Ignoring Buns, and the Chicken Demon continued selling his chicken egg custard.

Only the five Seventh-Grade Spiritual Qi Practice Pills in Wang Wu's hand seemed to melt on their own, turning into rays of glow that ascended and merged into the barrier array in the sky.

Wang Wu stared in a daze, but no one paid him any further attention, as if he had truly become a member of Shaman Village.

"May I ask, young man, how should I address you?"

A pleasant aroma wafted over, it smelled nice. Wang Wu turned to see a white-clad young woman with delicate features, smiling at him, gracefully standing there. She was pleasing to the eye and was the beautiful snake who had just been performing a sword dance and also one of the five stewards who forced him to pay rent.

Of course, Wang Wu wouldn't hold a grudge against her, but he was somewhat curious if she was one of the three hundred Snake Guards.

However, it seemed not, because even though he had intentionally watched the sword dance earlier, there wasn't any reaction.

At this moment, Wang Wu quickly clasped his claws in respectful greeting, "My apologies, I am Xiong Shiliu from West Wilderness, may I know what orders the steward sister has?"

The Snake Demon smiled again, her bright eyes and beautiful teeth full of charm, "No orders at all, I just wanted to ask if the young man would like to be a waiter at my restaurant? The salary would be a hundred thousand Dou of spiritual qi per year, how about it?"

Oh boy, you're openly trying to keep me.

Just don't know if there's a trap? Or are you one of us?

We'll know once we try!

Wang Wu didn't hesitate and said, "Thank you, steward sister. I couldn't ask for more."

The Snake Demon looked Wang Wu up and down a few more times, "First, transform into a human, a handsome one, not an ugly one."

Handsome one?

Wang Wu paused, but decided not to overthink it, because among the Demon Race, transforming into a human wasn't something you could casually turn into a handsome guy or beautiful girl.

The more refined the appearance, the higher the difficulty level.

So some little demons would rather peel human skin to wear than go through the hardship of transformation. It was a very complex technique requiring advanced mastery over qi and blood.

Furthermore, hair, smell, charm, posture, and many other details needed careful attention. As for Wang Wu, it was only after obtaining the Sixth Grade Ruyi Demon Pill that he could transform as he wished. Before that, trying to transform was as difficult as taking a tough exam.

Out of a score of 100, he could only get about 50 points.

But now, he could achieve 80 points.

Wang Wu didn't intend to hide his abilities, because in Shaman Village, the weakest demon started at Fifth Grade, so theoretically, he was currently the weakest one.

As for the snake demon before him, it seemed to have already cultivated a Spirit Communication Demon Pill. Thus, its path of transformation could at least score 99 points. The details, the form, the grace, the aura—it was almost a living human race fairy.

At this moment, he felt a stir in his heart, circulating the five demon pills within him, Qi and blood surged like a tide, falling away like smoke, effortlessly controlled. Only a blood curtain like a red cloud could be seen enveloping his whole body. Within just three seconds, he transformed into a two-meter-tall robust man weighing 500 kilograms, with broad shoulders and a muscular waist.

"Alright, that'll do just fine!"

The snake demon covered its mouth with a smile and led the way forward, gracefully entering the restaurant, the only one in Shaman Village.

As it stepped inside, the bustling restaurant suddenly quieted down, but soon it became lively again.

When Wang Wu entered, instantly more than a dozen gazes swept over, mostly curious, but some were pitiful, yet there was no envy, jealousy, or hatred.

Ascending to the second floor, then the third floor, down again, and up again, this seemingly small restaurant suddenly turned into a maze. Finally, the snake demon led Wang Wu to a dark secret chamber.

Once the entrance was fully sealed, it lit four eerie lanterns in the corners of the chamber and then pasted three Spirit Light Shadowing Talismans. Only then did it turn and bow to Wang Wu graciously.

"Snake Shoujiu pays respects to the Lord!"

As soon as these words fell, it pinched a familiar mark in its hand. At that moment, the Qi and blood within Wang Wu transformed into something uncontrollable, turning into a wave that tore open a concealed truth.

Simultaneously, an understanding arose in Wang Wu's heart, his Qi and blood at this moment transformed into an invisible mark.

It was the Snake Guard Mark.

With a thought, the mark appeared in his hand, forming a tangible snake-shaped mark.

At the same time, two lines of information emerged.

"You have formally activated the ancestral legacy, receiving the complete Snake Guard Mark. From this moment onwards, you officially become the contemporary clan leader of the Ancient Blood Bear Race, with all Snake Guards throughout history under your command."

"You have successfully connected with a Snake Guard who has been undercover among the human race for 1,600 years."

---

Wang Wu was a bit dazed. Undercover for 1,600 years, a thousand-year great demon! Could it be this exaggerated?

For a moment, he was somewhat at a loss.

However, Snake Shoujiu rose gracefully at this moment, looking at Wang Wu for a long time before suddenly smiling, "Lord, there is no need to be formal. I have been in Shaman Village for a thousand years. Though my strength is insufficient, I still possess some background to ensure the Lord's safety. Please, Lord, have a seat."

"This— I just find it too unexpected."

Wang Wu chuckled awkwardly, passively accepting Snake Shoujiu's service, feeling quite uncomfortable.

"Such surprise is normal because we had no idea when the Snake Guard would be activated after being sent out. Many of the sisters never received the Snake Mark's summons in their lifetime. Like me, I was cultivated by the generation before the last Ancient Bear King, becoming a spirit beast of a human race cultivator 1,600 years ago. Later, I followed him to Shaman Village where he tried to break through to the second grade using evil wind, but he died unexpectedly, leaving me in Shaman Village after that."

Snake Shoujiu spoke lightly, as if they were trifling matters. However, Wang Wu knew that 1,600 years was such a long time, and to maintain loyalty to the Snake Guard Mark was indeed rare.

What intrigued him more was how the successive Ancient Bear Kings controlled these Snake Guards.

"When the master dies, doesn't the spirit beast die along?"

Snake Shoujiu nodded, "Theoretically, that's the case, unless you encounter a more kind-hearted human race cultivator, or someone needing to pass the spirit beast down to a disciple. But generally, most human race cultivators are quite selfish; they treat spirit beasts as expendable items, replacing them when they're dead."

"Thus, when formulating blood contracts, they are set to the minimum condition, meaning when a spirit beast dies, the master not only remains unharmed but also profits. This way, if the master dies first, the spirit beast is essentially freed."

"I was lucky and survived like this. In reality, my master treated me as a furnace for harvesting, a tool for venting, and a blood armor for bearing injuries. Had he not died back then, I would have only lived another three to five years. But after his death, I lived another thousand years. Yet, throughout these years of diligent cultivation, I barely made up for the past losses. Even so, my end is near; in at most a few more decades, I will become a skeleton."

"Therefore, meeting the Lord in the final stage of my life is truly a blessing from heaven."

Snake Shoujiu calmly finished, speaking in a light tone.

Wang Wu fell silent, not knowing what to say.

After a long pause, he sighed, "I cannot judge the ancestors' decisions nor compensate for the harm you suffered over these years. Yet, as the contemporary clan leader of the Ancient Blood Bear Race, I promise that there will be no more Snake Guards. You and your sisters are free, and you may break the Snake Guard Mark."

Hearing this, Snake Shoujiu was stunned, looking at Wang Wu with astonishment, both wanting to laugh and cry. In the bright eyes, tears glistened, wishing to say something, but ultimately kneeling and kowtowing nine times.

When it raised its head again, its gaze was bright again, and the corners of its mouth were smiling.

"Lord, this is the Barrier Array Key of this restaurant. Please take it. I am too old and feeble to serve you anymore. Before I die, I wish to visit my hometown again, to see the snowy mountains, to see the Xijiang River. I remember on the riverbank there's a Grandpa Tree Temple. When I was young, having just cultivated the Acupoint Opening Demon Pill, I was captured by the master back then…"

"I wonder if it still looks the same as before?"

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