"So, do you want to learn it?"

Hearing this, Xuanwu’s first instinct was to say yes.

’But something isn’t right,’ it thought. It immediately said, "You’re lying. Humans love to lie. The Mijie Sacred Image is a Supreme Treasure Manual. How could it possibly be recorded on a single sheepskin scroll?

Even if it could be, an ordinary person like you could never comprehend it.

Not unless you show it to me first."

Jiang Zuo looked at Xuanwu and began to recite, "Mijie Sacred Image: a self becomes sacred, gathering images beyond the sacred..."

As it heard Jiang Zuo’s voice, Xuanwu felt a deafening roar, as if a shackle on its body was breaking.

This feeling, both foreign and familiar... there was no mistaking it. This was the Holy Beast Treasure Manual, the Mijie Sacred Image.

However, just as Xuanwu was about to comprehend the Treasure Manual, the feeling came to an abrupt halt, leaving it extremely uncomfortable.

The reason the feeling vanished was precisely because Jiang Zuo had stopped reciting the Treasure Manual’s contents.

Jiang Zuo looked at Xuanwu. "Convinced now?"

Xuanwu hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. But it asked in confusion, "But... this is impossible. How could you possibly understand it?"

Jiang Zuo said, "Before you met Sweet Potato, did you believe a duck could be a Holy Beast Descendant?"

Xuanwu immediately replied, "Of course not! That would be a disgrace to all Holy Beasts."

"So, would you believe that someone recorded the Holy Beast Treasure Manual and translated it into simplified characters?" Jiang Zuo asked again.

This time, Xuanwu didn’t answer.

It didn’t believe it, but the proof was right there—just like with Sweet Potato.

Jiang Zuo continued, "It seems you believe me now. So, do you want to learn it?"

Without much thought, Xuanwu replied directly, "Yes! I’ll learn it!"

"In that case, go grab a brush with your mouth and scrub your own shell." This was Jiang Zuo’s real goal.

Have him scrub it himself?

Unless he was planning to stew it, Jiang Zuo had no interest in lifting a finger.

"Alright, just you wait. I’ll go find one that fits my mouth. Once I learn the Mijie Sacred Image, I’ll be able to grow lots of hands. Then I won’t have to bite a brush to scrub my own shell anymore," Xuanwu said as it rummaged through the snow.

"..."

Jiang Zuo got the feeling this creature scrubbed its own shell quite often.

Then, Xuanwu used its snake-like head to bite a brush and began scrubbing its shell, looking quite content.

Jiang Zuo asked curiously, "When Su Qi was little, how did she come to scrub your shell? Could she even reach?"

This Xuanwu might be young, but that was only by its species’ standards.

In reality, it was two meters tall.

How could Su Qi possibly scrub it?

"She couldn’t reach, so she had me bite her clothes and fly her all over the place. She had so much fun. Now that she’s grown up and married, all she does is bully me."

"Su Qi bullied you?"

"Yeah! Isn’t that duck Su Qi’s? (What’s Jiang Zuo’s is Su Qi’s.) She’s just trying to give me a hard time, making Old Qi tease me with it all the time."

"..."

Xuanwu continued scrubbing its shell, then asked, "I’ve started scrubbing. When are you going to teach me the Mijie Sacred Image?"

Jiang Zuo said, "I only know the first volume. I’ll tell you now."

Jiang Zuo had stolen the Mijie Sacred Image from the Holy Beasts. Back then, he just thought it was interesting and wanted to learn it for fun.

Unfortunately, those beasts didn’t agree, so Jiang Zuo had to get physical.

Later, so that he could learn it himself, Jiang Zuo modified the Mijie Sacred Image. Humans could practice Cultivation with this revised version.

However, what Jiang Zuo was imparting now was the original, authentic Mijie Sacred Image.

After a long time, Jiang Zuo finished reciting the first volume. Its effects were internal, with few external manifestations.

Therefore, this Xuanwu probably wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention.

Besides, Jiang Zuo had intentionally made it sound more profound.

With this turtle’s intelligence, heaven knows how long it would take to master the first volume. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

So Jiang Zuo wasn’t the least bit worried that this would cause him any trouble.

Sure enough, after listening, Xuanwu was completely bewildered. It said dejectedly, "It’s so profound."

Jiang Zuo didn’t say anything, simply sitting to the side and watching it scrub its shell.

"What’s your name?" Xuanwu asked while scrubbing its shell. It seemed that after memorizing the Mijie Sacred Image, it wasn’t in a hurry to comprehend it.

"Jiang Zuo," Jiang Zuo replied.

"Are you good to Su Qi? I don’t really understand human emotions, but I know that if Old Qi were bullied, I would definitely help her.

She almost died last time. It scared me to death."

Xuanwu looked at Jiang Zuo and asked, "So if Su Qi gets bullied, will you help her?"

’That Xuanwu would ask such a question surprised Jiang Zuo a little. It’s clearly just a juvenile...’

Still, Jiang Zuo answered, "I will. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. I wouldn’t care even if I had to make an enemy of the entire world."

Xuanwu was very dissatisfied with Jiang Zuo’s answer. "Humans really are arrogant and love to lie."

Despite this, Xuanwu reluctantly tossed out a ball of something that looked like cotton.

"Here, this is for you. I don’t even know what’s so great about you.

Eat it while it’s fresh. Su Qi begged me for it several times a few days ago. If Old Qi hadn’t spoken up for you, I never would have given it to you."

Jiang Zuo saw a ball of mist appear before him. The thing looked just like cotton candy.

But Jiang Zuo knew it was completely different from cotton candy. This thing was exceptionally precious.

It might not be much to him now, but to an ordinary person, it was a lifetime.

Longevity Mist. The Longevity Mist was a unique symbiotic product of the Holy Beast Black Tortoise. As its name suggested, it was related to lifespan.

Consuming it could extend a person’s life by at least a hundred years.

One hundred years was nothing to a normal Cultivator.

But for those whose lifespans were nearing their end, it was an opportunity—an opportunity to achieve a breakthrough.

And for an ordinary person, it was an entire lifetime.

A human life lasts about a hundred years. Eating the Longevity Mist would grant another lifetime.

"Su Qi wanted to give this to me?"

"It’s mine! Mine! It was my toy for many years! Now I have to spend a few hundred more years making a new one."

In the end, Jiang Zuo pushed the Longevity Mist back to Xuanwu. "You should keep it for now."

Xuanwu was bewildered. It then asked, "Do you even know what this is?

Forget it, you wouldn’t understand even if I told you. But you’re the one who doesn’t want it, not me who won’t give it to you, okay?"

With that, Xuanwu took back the Longevity Mist. ’This foolish human doesn’t want it, which is just fine by me.’

’I didn’t want to give it to him anyway.’

Jiang Zuo said nothing. He could live for a very long time, longer than anyone else.

In his past life, there was only one person who could compare with him in longevity, in a competition of who could live longer.

So the Longevity Mist was meaningless to him. Xuanwu treated it as a toy; Jiang Zuo, at most, saw it as a piece of cotton candy—and not even a tasty one.

Since it didn’t have to give its toy away, Xuanwu’s mood instantly brightened, and it scrubbed its shell with particular glee.

"Let me tell you, humans are so fickle. When Old Qi was little, she always called me ’Big Sister’ and even helped me scrub my shell. After she grew up, not only did she insist on being *my* big sister, but she also stopped scrubbing my shell and even started teasing me..."

For half the day, Jiang Zuo indeed didn’t have to scrub any shells, but he did have to listen to this Little Turtle ramble on and on.

The topic was almost exclusively centered around Old Qi.

From this, Jiang Zuo learned a few things. For instance, this Xuanwu and Old Qi were from the same era, and they had been raised by the same "mother."

You could say that Old Qi was practically half a Holy Beast herself.