Once Su Qi left, only Jiang Zuo and Yue Xi remained.

Yue Xi held the fishing rod steadily, completely focused. She hadn’t even turned her head while talking to Su Qi just now.

Jiang Zuo stood in place, watching his aunt fish for the Holy Beast.

It was a bit cold here, but Jiang Zuo didn’t say anything. As long as the cold couldn’t kill him, it was fine.

Then, Jiang Zuo saw the lake water stir. He said instinctively, "It’s coming out."

Yue Xi was startled. The next moment, the Xuanwu did indeed leap out of the water.

Yue Xi flicked her rod, and the Xuanwu naturally missed.

After the Xuanwu fell back into the water, Yue Xi looked at Jiang Zuo with dissatisfaction. "A true gentleman doesn’t give advice while watching a game. You made me... Huh? You’re wearing a short-sleeved shirt? Aren’t you cold?"

Jiang Zuo: "..."

’So, this woman really had no idea he was cold.’

Yue Xi pointed to herself and said, "See your auntie here? When it’s cold, you’re supposed to wear more clothes. You can’t be so simple-minded just because you’re with Su Qi."

Jiang Zuo: "..."

He hated being called simple-minded.

However, this supposedly very caring aunt hadn’t thought of getting Jiang Zuo any clothes.

She looked back at the lake’s surface and said, "How did you know Fifth Brother was about to come out just now? Oh, Fifth Brother is that turtle."

"It’s Xuanwu! Xuanwu! You’re the turtle!" Fifth Brother’s voice rang in Jiang Zuo and Yue Xi’s minds.

’A female turtle?’

Jiang Zuo was quite surprised. This Holy Beast Xuanwu was actually a little female turtle.

Jiang Zuo could tell that the relationship between the Holy Beast at the bottom of the lake and his aunt was extraordinary.

Otherwise, with a Holy Beast’s power, why would it obediently leap up to grab a sweet potato? It would have thrown a tantrum and flooded this place long ago.

’No wonder they call it fishing for a Holy Beast. This is actually pretty interesting,’ Jiang Zuo thought.

Then he spoke, "The lake water stirred just now."

"Is that so? Very good. You haven’t disappointed your auntie." Yue Xi thought that saying this would make her seem profound and mysterious.

In reality, she hadn’t paid any attention to whether the lake surface moved or not. When fishing for Fifth Brother, the whole point was the thrill. Why be so serious?

Fifth Brother also crouched in the lake, looking dejected. ’Did I just disturb the water?’

’Did I make a mistake?’

’As expected, nothing good ever happens when humans are around. It didn’t take long for Old Qi to turn bad after returning to the human world.’

After that, the aunt happily resumed fishing for the Xuanwu, while Jiang Zuo, after that first time, never spoke up again.

Stepping in dog poop once is one thing, but stepping in it too many times is another.

Besides, he didn’t want this Xuanwu to notice him. Fortunately, the Xuanwu seemed to have sealed its own powers to play with Yue Xi.

Otherwise, the sweet potato would have been obliterated long ago.

Jiang Zuo stood there for a long time. Even with his resilient spirit, he was starting to feel uncomfortable. He was slowly losing sensation, a feeling he greatly disliked.

Meanwhile, his aunt, who was having a blast, happened to glance back. She froze when she saw him. "Why are you still here?"

"..."

Jiang Zuo said, "Su Qi told me to bring Sweet Potato back."

"Can you do it in a couple of days? You’re about to get frostbite."

Jiang Zuo didn’t reply. He didn’t feel the need to say anything at this moment. He would just stand and wait.

His aunt shot Jiang Zuo several glances, then asked, "This can’t be how you won Su Qi over, right? You can’t be *that* simple-minded. You just do whatever she says? As a man, you need to have your own opinions.

Su Qi loves you so much; you could totally train her to be a virtuous and gentle wife.

Not the wild girl she is now."

Finally, Jiang Zuo said only three words: "I love her."

Yue Xi seemed rather helpless. She then reached out and tapped the spot between Jiang Zuo’s eyebrows.

Instantly, Jiang Zuo felt the coldness and the effects of frostbite vanish from his body. A faint warmth now surrounded him, ensuring he wouldn’t get frostbitten again.

Then Yue Xi sighed. "Su Qi was a very well-behaved child. Back then, she was so cute, so adorable. I thought when she grew up, she’d be my sweet, caring daughter. I thought she would stay by my side obediently and dote on me.

I was convinced that the child I raised would definitely turn out like that.

But, for the past ten years—the most crucial decade of her development...

...she was by your side.

That’s why she turned into the wild girl she is today. It’s all your fault."

Jiang Zuo remained silent. It was true that Su Qi had been by his side for the last ten years, but her personality development shouldn’t have much to do with him.

’Alright, even if it did, Jiang Zuo didn’t think this was what his aunt really wanted to say.’

Sure enough, his aunt changed the subject. "Now that you’ve corrupted Su Qi, don’t you think you should compensate a lonely old woman like me? Sweet Potato is also adorable and cute. I see a shadow of the young Su Qi in him.

Let him keep me company for ten years. After ten years, both Su Qi and Sweet Potato will be yours."

Jiang Zuo: "..."

He had truly never met an elder like this.

’So, whose fault was Su Qi’s personality, really?’

"Auntie, Su Qi asked me to bring Sweet Potato home."

Yue Xi: "..."

"Fifth Brother, come on out! Time to get your shell scrubbed." Yue Xi put away her fishing rod, grabbed the sweet potato in her hand, and said, "When Su Qi was little, she often scrubbed Fifth Brother’s shell. You go scrub it for her. If she’s satisfied, I’ll give Sweet Potato back to you."

Jiang Zuo: "..."

’He had to scrub the Xuanwu’s shell? To stew it after scrubbing?’

’Xuanwu stew should be very nourishing, right?’

When Jiang Zuo walked down the hill, he saw the Xuanwu obediently lying by the lake’s edge, as if it really enjoyed having its shell scrubbed.

"If you do a bad job scrubbing, I’ll swallow you." As the Xuanwu spoke, its serpent head opened its maw wide.

The Xuanwu’s voice was very young; it was probably still in its juvenile stage.

At this time, his aunt was still on the slope. She couldn’t come down, or the sweet potato would really be a goner.

"I’m heading back to rest. Just have Fifth Brother contact me when you’re done scrubbing." With that, she ran off.

Jiang Zuo didn’t say anything. In any case, he had something protecting him now, so he wouldn’t freeze.

Approaching the Xuanwu, Jiang Zuo was a bit troubled. How was he supposed to scrub it?

Then he asked, "You have a serpent head. Can’t you just have it bite a brush and scrub yourself?"

Without another word, the serpent head lunged forward to bite Jiang Zuo. Although it was just to scare him, it definitely intended to make him suffer a little.

However, as luck would have it, Jiang Zuo dodged it.

Just as the disgruntled Xuanwu was about to try and bite him again, Jiang Zuo asked, "Have you heard of the Mijie Sacred Image?"

The instant it heard those three words, the Xuanwu’s eyes narrowed. It asked in utter astonishment, "You... how do you know about the Holy Beast Supreme Treasure Manual?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The Holy Beast Supreme Treasure Manual, the Mijie Sacred Image, was a Treasure Manual shared by the Four Great Sacred Beasts. No race other than the Holy Beasts could practice its Cultivation.

Even among the Four Holy Beasts, not all of them could necessarily cultivate it. No, in fact, they didn’t even know the Dharma Gate for its Cultivation. Moreover, very, very few people even knew the name of the Treasure Manual.

Besides Old Qi, in the entire Holy Land, no more than three people knew the name of this Treasure Manual.

’So how could this human possibly know?’

Jiang Zuo looked at the Xuanwu and said, "I was the one who found Sweet Potato. You know that, right?"

The Xuanwu nodded. It had heard about that long ago.

Then Jiang Zuo added, "And you also know that Sweet Potato is a Holy Beast Descendant, right?"

The Xuanwu nodded. If that weren’t the case, it wouldn’t have played this fishing game with her.

Finally, Jiang Zuo said something that shocked the Xuanwu. "When I found Sweet Potato, he was carrying a sheepskin scroll. Inscribed on it was the Holy Beast Treasure Manual, the Mijie Sacred Image.

So... do you want to learn it?"