"This little snake is quite amusing, actually begging for mercy," Liu Yanping couldn't help but laugh as she witnessed the scene.
All along, the demons they encountered were either extremely aggressive or simply seeking death.
Such a demon that knew when to advance or retreat, and to actively beg for mercy, was truly a first for Liu Yanping, and she found it very interesting.
Li Xuerou's face also revealed a hint of surprise, tinged with a smile.
Because it really was quite a curious affair.
Meng Fan picked up the lotus flower, examining it in his hand.
Without a doubt, this lotus was a heavenly treasure, but Meng Fan had no idea of its specific uses.
Then the biggest question was, would this thing wither?
If the lotus had to be consumed shortly after being picked, otherwise it would wither, that would be a big problem.
After all, theoretically, once flowers are plucked, they have a shelf life, and a very short one at that.
"Do any of you know what treasure this lotus is?" Meng Fan turned and asked Li Xuerou and Liu Yanping.
He was mainly asking Liu Yanping, since this young lady was, after all, the granddaughter of an Alchemy Hall Elder, and in theory, should have some knowledge of heavenly treasures.
To Meng Fan's disappointment, both Liu Yanping and Li Xuerou shook their heads.
Clearly, Liu Yanping had let her grandfather down.
"I have a Jade Spirit Vase here, which is also a kind of storage treasure. Although the space inside is very small, it contains special Spiritual Qi that can nurture some spiritual beings.
This lotus, if placed inside the Jade Spirit Vase, should be able to maintain its freshness and vitality for a longer period.
I'll lend it to you for now, just return it to me when we get back to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect."
Hearing Liu Yanping's words, Meng Fan's eyes lit up.
Indeed, a little rich woman, she actually had something akin to a high-end "refrigerator" from the Cultivation World.
Meng Fan took the jade vase from Liu Yanping, placed the lotus inside, and then casually put the vase into his own bosom.
"When we return to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, you must remember to give it back to me!" Liu Yanping reminded him again, somewhat uneasily.
"Don't worry, am I going to steal your stuff?" Meng Fan said with a smile.
Next, he turned his attention back to the pool.
The green serpent had not died, it was just injured.
Since he had already taken action, Meng Fan saw no reason to leave any survivors.
To cut the grass, one must remove the roots!
He couldn't just let the green serpent go because it knew how to act submissive and beg for mercy.
Meng Fan raised his Hong Qi Sword and swung it once more towards the pool.
A stream of Sword Qi shot into the pool, stirring up a series of ripples.
The next second, the green serpent was forced out of the water.
This time it didn't charge at Meng Fan with ferocity, but instead slowly crawled onto the shore and then lay submissively at Meng Fan's feet.
It looked up at Meng Fan with an extremely odd smile.
Although the green serpent's smile was a bit hard on the eyes, Meng Fan could actually read a plea for mercy and flattery in its eyes.
This…
They say you don't slap a smiling face (or demon), and seeing the green serpent's attitude, Meng Fan was genuinely taken aback.
This was his first encounter with such a cowardly, death-fearing demon.
It was just one sword strike…
A minor injury!
Not a fatal wound at all.
Yet this creature was so cowardly, lacking any demon's pride.
Indeed, whether human or demon, all have different personalities and traits.
Among humans, there are those who are cowardly and fear death, and there are also heroes who would rather die than submit.
The same is true among demons!
"Meng Fan, this green serpent seems quite sensible and appears to have high intelligence. Why don't you take it in and raise it as a spiritual pet?
Our Shu Mountain Sword Sect is known for slaying demons and exterminating evil, and we often deal with demons. Indeed, many disciples have tamed demons as spiritual pets," Liu Yanping said to Meng Fan with a chuckle.
Actually, she was quite interested in the green serpent, but her strength was too weak to be a match for it, so taming it was out of the question.
But Meng Fan had the strength, so she made the suggestion.
Meng Fan, however, shook his head and said, "Keep a White-Eyed Wolf by my side that might bite me at any moment? Do I look like I have nothing better to do?"
Liu Yanping's face turned red, and she spat out, "Pervert!"
Meng Fan ignored the reactions of the two young ladies. He raised his Hong Qi Sword, ready to strike down on the green serpent.
He always disliked trouble; a simple sword strike would settle the matter, clean and straightforward.
But this green serpent was even more sensible than Meng Fan had imagined!
Seeing Meng Fan raise his sword with no intention of sparing it, the green serpent became anxious.
However, it was well aware that it was no match for Meng Fan and that a desperate fight would mean certain death.
In a moment of quick thinking, it found itself a way out from the many paths of death.
Facing Meng Fan's sword, it did not resist or fight back, but instead voluntarily spat out a Demon Pill.
A demon's Demon Pill, in a sense, is equivalent to a cultivator's soul.
Ordinary cultivators are far from reaching the soul realm, so it could be said that the Demon Pill is akin to the soul.
The green serpent voluntarily spitting out its Demon Pill was a complete submission, handing over its life to Meng Fan's control.
With just one sword strike on the Demon Pill, the green serpent would surely die!
It must be said, although the green serpent was cowardly and afraid of death, it was indeed clever.
With this move, Meng Fan really felt awkward about continuing his attack.
You can slap a smiling face, but when someone kneels before you, knocking their head until it bleeds…
"Meng Fan, I've heard that when a demon offers its Demon Pill, it signifies submission.
Just drop a bit of your blood on this inner pill, and the demon will recognize you as its master.
Once it recognizes you as its master, its life is in your hands, and you can control its life and death with a single thought.
You were worried about keeping it as a White-Eyed Wolf that might bite back.
Now, as long as it recognizes you as its master, that won't happen!" Liu Yanping was the one speaking again.
Li Xuerou didn't speak, although her cultivation level was higher than Liu Yanping's, her knowledge was indeed not as extensive.
After all, Liu Yanping had the advantage of her family's scholarly background, while Li Xuerou, like Meng Fan, came from a small village as a commoner.
Meng Fan nodded and said, "I know this, I've read related books in the Scripture Pavilion before."
Some time ago, Meng Fan had spent a month or two in the Shu Mountain Sword Sect's Scripture Pavilion.
Although he mainly focused on sword scriptures, he had also touched on other miscellaneous topics.
He had indeed come across information about demon taming.
He looked at the inner pill spat out by the green serpent, his eyes narrowing as he hesitated whether to take in this creature.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan