603: Chapter 14 Reciprocity

"The Tang Clan is known for its expertise in poisons, so I have come specifically to ask if Sect Head Tang has any news regarding the Five Venom Beast?"

Hearing Xu Changqing's question, Tang Kun hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "To be honest, an ancestor of my Tang Clan once encountered a Five Venom Beast and provided for it. However, that Five Venom Beast has been in a deep sleep, and the Tang Clan has tried many ways but failed to wake it up."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was very surprised.

Then, Xu Changqing said, "Shushan has a Spell called the 'Soul-Awakening Incantation,' which can wake any sentient creature. Sect Head Tang, the matter of the Poisonous People is of great importance. If it is convenient, could you bring out the Five Venom Beast and let me give it a try?"

Tang Kun thought for a moment and agreed, "Very well, everyone wait here for a moment. I will be right back."

Having said that, he left the room.

Shortly after, Tang Kun returned, carrying a round bowl filled with crystals and a potato in the middle.

Tang Kun pointed at the potato and said, "This is the Five Venom Beast."

Xu Changqing, Tang Xuejian, and the others were greatly astonished.

Jing Tian couldn't help but say, "Isn't this just a potato?"

Tang Kun explained, "This is what the Five Venom Beast looks like in its dormant state."

Then, he said to Xu Changqing, "Young Hero Xu, why don't you give it a try?"

Xu Changqing nodded, reached out to take the potato, and then cast the Soul-Awakening Incantation on it. However, after trying two or three times, there was no reaction at all.

Jing Tian immediately scoffed, "What Soul-Awakening Incantation? It sounded so impressive, but it's completely useless."

Xu Changqing frowned, not paying attention to Jing Tian's words, but simply feeling puzzled.

The effect of the Soul-Awakening Incantation shouldn't be fake; how could it not be working?

At this moment, Tang Xuejian seemed to think of something and said to Meng Li, "Grandmaster Meng, why don't you try?"

Meng Li was slightly stunned, then said, "Alright."

Then, he took the potato-form Five Venom Beast from Xu Changqing's hand and cast the Qingyun Sect's Spirit Communication Technique to try and communicate with it, receiving some intermittent responses.

"Sleepy... hungry... Life Qi..."

Sleepiness and hunger were easy to understand; the Five Venom Beast can breed the Five Venom Pearl, which can neutralize all toxins in the world, and this inevitably consumes its own energy.

Since the Five Venom Beast fell into the hands of the Tang Clan, it had likely bred Five Venom Pearls, and the consumption must have been significant.

Its Life Qi, presumably, was also related to the Tang Clan.

The Five Venom Beast can detoxify, which makes it both a supreme treasure and a nemesis for the Tang Clan, who are known for their use of poisons. As long as the latter weren't fools, they would certainly keep it in their grasp. During its years in the Tang Clan, even if it wasn't mistreated, it certainly lacked freedom; it's normal for it to have resentment in its heart.

In the original plot, Tang Xuejian was able to wake it and gain its recognition as its master because she herself was transformed from the fruit of the Divine Tree, also a condensation of the essence of heaven and earth.

In a sense, Tang Xuejian and the naturally-born Five Venom Beast were of the same kind.

After coming into contact with her, the Five Venom Beast sensed this and naturally had a great deal of goodwill and affinity toward her.

Meng Li didn't have a background like Tang Xuejian's, but he had his own methods.

He raised his hand to draw the crystals from the round bowl in Tang Kun's hand from a distance, operating the plundering method of the Six Treasury Immortal Thief to suck out all the Spiritual Qi within the crystals and pour it into the Five Venom Beast's body, then generated a Rejuvenation Talisman to restore its condition.

The Five Venom Beast had never been so filled before and instinctively revived, entering its second form, which was also its normal state.

With a flash of light, the potato in Meng Li's hand turned into a strangely shaped but adorable spirit.

Its appearance was like a pear, about the same size, with a pale yellow head and body. Its head was large and its body small, with a pair of short black eyebrows and a pair of round, dark eyes on its face, and three pairs of green leaf-shaped wings on its back that decreased in size from top to bottom.

As soon as it finished transforming, it flapped its wings and flew up, circling in mid-air while chirping "jiu jiu, jiu jiu."

Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, and the others watched with faces full of wonder.

They hadn't expected a potato to undergo such a transformation.

In the next second, something even more miraculous happened.

The circling Five Venom Beast emitted light once more and landed on the ground, transforming into a charming young girl dressed in yellow clothes, adorned with fruits and green leaves.

This scene once again shocked the unsuspecting Tang Xuejian, Jing Tian, and the others.

Jing Tian exclaimed, "Holy crap, it can even turn into a human?"

The Five Venom Beast turned a deaf ear to these words and simply called out to Meng Li in a crisp voice, "Master."

Seeing this, Tang Kun's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly thought it was a miscalculation.

This Five Venom Beast, he had originally intended to leave for Tang Xuejian.

Had Tang Yi not been involved in the Poisonous People incident, causing the Tang Clan to be inextricably linked to the matter and forced to make amends, plus Shushan finding out about the Five Venom Beast, and Xu Changqing being his preferred candidate for a grandson-in-law, Tang Kun would never have brought out the Five Venom Beast now, but would have waited until his deathbed to secretly tell Tang Xuejian.

He had originally thought that Xu Changqing could wake the Five Venom Beast, and thus, he could take the opportunity to further match him with Tang Xuejian.

To his surprise, Xu Changqing failed to wake the Five Venom Beast, but Meng Li did, and he even got the Five Venom Beast to take the initiative to recognize him as its master.

Since things had come to this, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Tang Kun couldn't say much.

After all, this was the Five Venom Beast's own choice, and the subsequent treatment of those Poisonous People would depend on its efforts. Moreover, Meng Li had saved Tang Xuejian and helped him cure his long-standing Wasting-thirst Disorder, and his own cultivation was profound, seemingly surpassing even Xu Changqing, the elite disciple of Shushan.

In helplessness, Tang Kun could only sigh secretly, thinking that plans could not keep up with changes; it was just fate.

Then, he put on a smile and said, "I didn't expect Mr. Meng to have a predestined connection with the Five Venom Beast and gain its recognition as master. Since that's the case, let it stay by your side."

Hearing this, Tang Tai's expression changed, and he wanted to say something, but he was silenced by a look from Tang Kun.

Meng Li smiled and said, "I accept Sect Head Tang's kindness. However, I pride myself on etiquette; it is impolite not to reciprocate. Since Sect Head Tang is willing to part with what he loves, I shall naturally return the favor."

As he spoke, he condensed a ray of spiritual light with his finger and tapped it into Tang Xuejian's forehead.

Tang Xuejian was instantly stunned and, just like Jing Tian before, entered a state of comprehension.

Seeing this, Tang Kun asked in surprise, "This is?"

...