Chapter 119: Merchandise Gifts, Can’t Help It, I’m a Looks Person

Chapter 119 Merchandise Gifts—I’m Just a Sucker for Looks

A fatal weakness?

What is it?!

Everyone strained their ears, afraid to miss any key details.

Merely uncovering Xian Zhaxigua’s weakness was impressive enough, let alone a fatal one.

They had been racking their brains over how to deal with Xian Zhaxigua—this was a godsend.

If they could exploit this fatal weakness, ending Xian Zhaxigua wouldn’t be so difficult anymore.

Sheng Qingquan was also thrilled.

Amid his excitement, however, he felt a hint of exasperation.

The reason Sheng Qingquan noticed this was because he recalled a particular scene from the original novel.

"After realizing it had been deceived, Xian Zhaxigua went completely unhinged, unleashing terror attacks everywhere."

"The first half of the book depicted the people of Tianlanxing, including Cai Zhixuan, outwitting the malevolent deity, while the latter half was essentially a record of human suffering."

"It documented Xian Zhaxigua’s various methods of attack and the tragic fates of its victims in gruesome detail."

"Some didn’t die instantly. By then, Xian Zhaxigua had gone completely unhinged. Others from that period would suddenly be yanked into the air while walking, only to be slammed to their deaths—either from the fall or being hanged midair before they could fall."

"Bystanders blamed freak gusts of wind. Only those in the know understood it was Xian Zhaxigua’s doing. What seemed like accidents were actually the result of the deity flying past, lashing out with its coiled tail to noose victims by the neck, flinging them upward before letting them drop."

"After lifting its victims, Xian Zhaxigua would simply release them and fly off. Its movements were so swift, and its form remained concealed, making it seem like the victims had just floated up on their own."

"In short, its killing methods were brutally efficient. At one point, it even hoisted six or seven people into the air simultaneously. Later, it couldn’t even be bothered to strangle them and stopped hiding altogether. With a single sweep of its massive tail, people and vehicles on bridges would tumble down like hailstones."

"Bridges weren’t the only targets—its tail could whip through streets, crushing rows of people as effortlessly as crushing ants."

"It was clear that by then, Xian Zhaxigua had stopped bothering to stage 'accidents' or granting twisted wishes. It was just lashing out, resorting to sheer slaughter for revenge against humanity."

But upon closer reading, Sheng Qingquan noticed one exception.

"There was a middle-aged man who died during this period, but unlike the others who were killed outright, his death stood out as strangely methodical. Xian Zhaxigua had used a particular tactic to kill him."

"Or rather, his manner of death would have made more sense earlier in the story."

"He wasn’t directly slain by Xian Zhaxigua. Instead, while walking, he was inexplicably crushed, not run over, by a vehicle."

"Yes, crushed—not hit."

"The man had been watching his step, avoiding moving cars. He wasn’t even on the main road but on the sidewalk beside it."

"Out of nowhere, a heavy-duty truck parked safely by the roadside suddenly tipped over. Its massive frame landed squarely on him, killing him on the spot."

"Temporary parking along streets was common, and this truck was no exception. At the time, the driver was away eating, leaving the vehicle unattended—yet it flipped over on its own."

"Because Xianzhaxigua, a supernatural entity, has the ability to become invisible, no one saw it. This incident was completely different from its usual behavior at the time, so the authorities only considered it an accident and did not attribute it to Xianzhaxigua's crimes."

If it hadn't been written in the original work, Sheng Qingquan wouldn't have realized it was responsible.

When they heard Sheng Qingquan mention Xianzhaxigua going on a rampage and killing indiscriminately, the staff already realized something was wrong. How come no one else could see Xianzhaxigua? Otherwise, why would they all claim the victims were inexplicably lifted into the air by strong winds before the accidents occurred?

It wasn’t until now, when Sheng Qingquan explicitly stated that Xianzhaxigua had the ability to turn invisible, that their last bit of hope vanished.

Looking back, there had been hints in the story all along.

Earlier, when Cai Zhixuan was dealing with Xianzhaxigua, she pretended she needed to carve its statue to learn what its true form looked like.

This meant Cai Zhixuan never actually saw it during their conversation.

This could have been because Xianzhaxigua hid itself—perhaps by shrinking, communicating from a distance, or avoiding a face-to-face meeting with Cai Zhixuan altogether.

But more likely, it could turn invisible. So even if it sat right in front of Cai Zhixuan, she wouldn’t have known what it looked like.

Some had considered this possibility before, but subconsciously, no one wanted to believe it, unwilling to accept that Xianzhaxigua was that formidable.

Yet things turned out worse than they feared.

The staff had been hoping to hear about a weakness, but before they could fully grasp any good news, they were hit with another setback.

The truth was clear now.

The most troublesome aspect of Xianzhaxigua wasn’t its high defensive power—it was its ability to turn invisible.

This was a huge letdown.

Originally, people had been thrilled that Sheng Qingquan thought of checking the three temples of Nuwa, where there was a high chance of encountering Xianzhaxigua and identifying the culprit.

But now, even if Xianzhaxigua did appear at one of those temples, if it was invisible, how would anyone find it?

Like waiting for a rabbit you can’t see, the idea seemed pointless.

The more they thought about it, the more disheartened they became.

Cai Zhixuan, in particular, frowned, regretting having followed the authorities on the planet Tianlanxing.

Despite her fear, the thought of failing to capture Xianzhaxigua and allowing it to wreak havoc on Tianlanxing made her turn to the staff beside her with a request: "Can you send me back?"

That way, she could stick to the story’s script—wait for Xianzhaxigua to approach her, claiming it had fulfilled her wish and now demanded repayment by making her its spokesperson to gather more believers and harvest faith. She could then trick it into revealing itself.

Once it appeared, capturing it should be easier, right?

Cai Zhixuan recalled a trolley problem she’d once heard about: A train was heading straight toward five children playing on the tracks, while another child played on a disused side track. Which track should the train take? *(A philosophical thought experiment where one must choose between saving multiple lives or sacrificing one life.)*

Though not a perfect analogy, as the train operator, choosing either track felt both right and wrong. But as the child on the disused track, Cai Zhixuan decided to take the risk herself.

Choosing the disused track meant the child there would die for sure. But she might not necessarily die—there was just a risk. Besides, unless they stopped Xianzhaxigua, she’d face the same risk of death eventually anyway.

When Xianzhaxigua went on its killing spree, it wouldn’t make an exception for her.

Since danger was inevitable, if one person could save thousands, millions, or even an entire world, *why not?* If that person was someone else, she had no right to force them. But if it was herself—*why not?*

Death comes to all, but some deaths matter more.

Thinking of her family and friends, Cai Zhixuan’s hidden fear faded, replaced by courage. She looked at the staff and even managed a smile: "You can’t deny me the chance to be honored with a hero’s burial!"

"Besides, things aren't that bad yet. You should believe in yourselves."

"And I've practiced qinggong enough—I can definitely run faster than in the original story."

"You make a good point," the staff member responded, still choosing to refuse Cai Zhixuan's request. "But it's not yet time for children like you to risk your lives."

Seeing Cai Zhixuan about to argue further, the staff member added, "Actually, we've already arranged for people to make wishes at various places, especially at Nuwa temples. Our local teams are already on their way to nearby locations, including the mountain temple you visited."

The goal was to draw Xianzhaxigua's attention toward them.

"Additionally, as a last resort, we can always find a substitute."

"No matter what, professionals have the best chance of survival," the staff member raised a hand to stop Cai Zhixuan. "Don't say you've practiced martial arts—your training is just basic conditioning."

"We don't know if Xianzhaxigua identifies people by appearance, soul, or aura. But whatever it is, we can handle it."

Previously, a player had obtained a disguise talisman from a dungeon, which could now be put to use. Though the talisman only simulated the target's soul aura without altering appearance, that could be compensated with prosthetic makeup—guaranteeing an exact match.

Whether it was a woman disguised as a woman or a man disguised as a woman, it wouldn't be a problem.

Once disguised, Cai Zhixuan could be sent into an infinite-loop dungeon for emergency shelter. This way, there would only be one "Cai Zhixuan" on Tianlanxing, and no matter how closely Xianzhaxigua examined, it wouldn't find any flaws.

Thinking of this, the staff member regretted not asking for disguise methods when the Little Emperor arrived—aside from martial arts manuals. It would have been useful now, allowing them to compare and complement with prosthetic makeup.

Still unwilling to give up, Cai Zhixuan wanted to say more, but Sheng Qingquan's inner voice resurfaced. The staff member signaled her to listen carefully and not miss any key information.

Cai Zhixuan had no choice but to stay silent for now.

The invisibility ability was indeed troublesome. Sheng Qingquan subconsciously scratched his head, just as troubled by this problem.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.

"If it weren't specifically mentioned in the plot, who would have thought the middle-aged man's cause of death was related to Xianzhaxigua?"

After discovering the middle-aged man's cause of death, Sheng Qingquan carefully reviewed the descriptions about him, trying to find anything special.

But the author had written very little about the middle-aged man.

"He seems like your average middle-aged salaryman."

However, Sheng Qingquan noticed that the author barely described the man's appearance but specifically mentioned that he made a detour to a florist on his way home from work.

"He had a habit of bringing flowers for his wife. Buying flowers daily would be too expensive, but every so often wasn't a big expense. Though his wife complained about wasting money, her smile each time was genuine."

"Besides, this expense could be offset elsewhere. The middle-aged man quit smoking for it. Compared to buying flowers every so often, cigarettes were far more costly."

"This time, he bought a rose. He didn't go overboard—there was no need for such extravagance at home. Too many flowers would leave no space to display them, given the lack of vases."

"He bought just one rose, planning to spend the rest on duck tongues at a marinated deli—a favorite of his wife and child."

"But before he could buy the duck tongues, the middle-aged man got crushed to death."

"'The bright red rose and flesh mixed together gruesomely, indistinguishable as to which was redder or brighter.'"

Staring at the words on the page, Sheng Qingquan formed a crazy yet plausible theory.

"Is Xianzhaxigua afraid of roses?"

Xianzhaxigua is actually afraid of roses?

The staff's first reaction was: "No way!"

But soon, they recalled past enemies, some just as strange.

"Remember that one enemy who croaked after eating spicy hotpot?"

In any case, the more they thought about it, the more they felt it was worth a try. There was nothing to lose anyway.

With this suspicion in mind, Sheng Qingquan began digging through the text for clues.

Soon, he found more leads.

"I’m not sure about other places, but the street Xian Zhaxihua destroyed in Yunteng City—this passage describes it: 'A massive serpent tail plowed through the street, leaving carnage in its wake. The survivors barely got away by running for their lives.'"

"This wasn’t because they ran fast enough to survive. The story mentions they were jammed together, pushing and shoving, all the way to Flower-Bird Street, where they were lucky Xian Zhaxihua didn’t pursue them much."

"Is it possible that Xian Zhaxihua wasn’t just unwilling—it was afraid to? Flower-Bird Street got its name because Yunteng City’s largest flower and bird market is located there."

"In the flower market, while other flowers might not be guaranteed, basics like carnations, lilies, and roses would absolutely be in stock—and not just in small quantities, but in large supplies."

"Xian Zhaxihua held back, wary of collateral damage, which is why there were survivors."

Thinking this, Sheng Qingquan passed along the other locations from the story to the team, asking them to investigate the scenes.

Soon, he received a reply.

Just as he thought.

Among the places mentioned in the text—such as bridges and skyscrapers—the wrecked streets had zero flower shops.

"And…"

Sheng Qingquan noticed something else.

"The story even says Xian Zhaxihua’s fanatics, to express their reverence for their deity, also committed crimes everywhere."

It had worshippers?!

As unbelievable as it was, it was true.

The team just shook their heads wryly at the shock and disbelief on Cai Zhixuan and Liu Caiyi’s faces.

Nowadays, even killers get groupies. So-called deities that had never manifested could still have fanatical worshippers.

People’ll worship anything—a tree, a rock, you name it.

Sure, Xian Zhaxihua was a menace, but it undeniably had power.

Even if it revealed its nightmare-inducing form, while most folks would scream "monster!" and bolt, there would still be those who saw it as a lofty deity.

Real gods don’t look ordinary.

Besides, what was so strange about having a few extra eyes, wings, or tails? Check the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*—this thing’s tame. Weirder things are in there.

That didn’t scare them; on the contrary, it just proved their point.

As for the killings—this wasn’t murder. Don’t spout nonsense if you don’t know. This was divine judgment.

Purging sin.

Even if they discovered that those killed were ordinary people who had done no wrong, the believers could explain it away.

This was the deity descending in person to take the virtuous to heaven. What a blessing!

Some said it to exploit the situation for profit, but others were truly brainwashed into believing it.

"The text doesn’t go into detail about what the believers specifically did, but it does mention one who was particularly favored by Xianzha Xigua."

"And this believer was one of the few in the text whose actions were described by the author."

Sheng Qingquan glossed over the murders and arsons, only to find that this believer had caught Xianzha Xigua’s eye after committing a large-scale arson.

"He burned a flower field."

"Packed with tourists, leaving countless casualties—who would have thought the victims weren’t the target, but the flower field itself?"

The details lined up with Sheng Qingquan’s theory.

"Whether by avoiding or destroying, it’s clear that Xianzha Xigua fears and despises roses."

Given this, so did the authorities.

Sheng Qingquan quietly traveled to Mingfeng Province’s Linqian City and Zhihe Province’s Nuwa Temple. Using plants to split his focus, he kept watch there for three full days, yet Xianzha Xigua never appeared.

Once this was confirmed, the authorities knew what to do.

The street-side plants and flowers on Blue Star needed replacement. Communities also required a touch of renewal—adding rose pots would be perfect. Bright and lively.

Beyond that, the authorities launched the "Give Roses, Share Fragrance" campaign, handing out roses all over Blue Star to anyone they encountered. Those who wore roses continuously for three days could even receive a bag of eggs.

Supposedly, this was all part of a plan to promote Flower City’s roses while advocating virtue.

"Life is better now. Beyond daily necessities, we should also have some flair in our lives. Don’t think I’m old—I keep up with the trends. Wearing flowers? I loved this when I was young. I’m all for it now," an elderly woman said cheerfully, pinning a rose to her lapel.

No one could tell she was just in it for the eggs.

Some did it for the eggs, but others genuinely liked it.

"Bloom in this life, blossom in the next."

With such auspicious wishes, and the flowers being free—who wouldn’t love free flowers?

Some guys weren’t thrilled, but considering this was promoting traditional virtues and teaching people to be helpful—even the traffic police at intersections wore roses. A rose pinned to a stiff uniform didn’t look girly at all.

Female cops with roses matched the blooms perfectly, evoking the image of "steel roses."

Male officers wearing them carried a 'tough guy with a soft side' vibe. So wearing one wasn’t so bad.

Ancient handsome men even wore flowers in their hair. Besides, they didn’t need to wear them on their heads—just tucking them into a pocket would do.

The real problem was bumping into city patrols or community workers. If they noticed you weren’t carrying a rose, they’d enthusiastically pin one on you. The inspectors were one thing, but the aunties in the community—their pestering was next-level annoying.

Still, all this relied on voluntary participation. Making people carry roses would just stir up drama. Yet the truth couldn’t be revealed either, as it would not only incite panic but also alert Xianzha Xigua immediately.

Of course, even this wasn’t entirely safe.

Xianzha Xigua would eventually realize something was amiss—it was only a matter of time.

While arranging for people to make wishes everywhere—complaining about the roses and how annoying the campaign was—to resonate with Xianzha Xigua and increase the chances of being chosen...

Those three days Sheng Qingquan spent staking out weren’t wasted. With his ability to control plants, he had grown tons of roses during that time in preparation for the campaign. Of course, aside from Sheng Qingquan, the authorities also worked hard to source fresh roses.

It wasn’t just for the campaign. The authorities had also set aside a huge stash of roses, which were loaded into helicopters. These helicopters were then stored inside spacecraft.

If Xianzhaxigua showed up, no matter where it emerged, the cloaked spacecraft would immediately dispatch helicopters filled with roses to the scene.

Given the spacecraft’s speed, traveling anywhere across the entire Blue Star would be faster than you can blink.

There would be no delay.

This was the backup plan the authorities had prepared. As for the rose-giving campaign, it was just an extra precaution.

The authorities had made thorough preparations. Unfortunately, since the campaign had only just begun—today being the first day—even though the wish-makers had bitched nonstop during their prayers, it still failed to catch Xianzhaxigua’s attention.

Just as everyone started wondering if their efforts might backfire—if flowers all over the place caused Xianzhaxigua to hide even deeper—Sheng Qingquan finally picked up on something weird.

The imperial seal hidden within his body gave a little jump.

It was the same creepy vibe!

At the Wa Huang Palace in Mingfeng Province, though Xianzhaxigua was nowhere in sight, it had undoubtedly appeared there.

Knowing full well that Xianzhaxigua possessed the ability to turn invisible, Sheng Qingquan had still chosen to stake out, hoping the imperial seal might prove useful. After all, it had come through before when capturing outsiders.

Good little treasure, living up to everyone’s expectations!

Sheng Qingquan swiftly arrived at the scene. A colorful bird flew over, with a sharp tweet as it landed on the offering table.

The plainclothes officers disguised as worshippers immediately tensed.

At the same time, Sheng Qingquan activated his ability.

He scattered countless rose seeds in an instant, making them grow super-fast.

The seeds took root, sprouting stems. New buds emerged from the stems, leaves unfurling, and amidst the varying shades of green, pops of bright color appeared. Buds crowded together as one dazzling rose after another popped open.

Roses naturally climb. The roses Sheng Qingquan had accelerated included both rambling and climbing varieties. Given time under normal growth, these roses could spread extensively. Under his deliberate acceleration, they swallowed up the whole palace in the blink of an eye.

Especially in the direction where Sheng Qingquan felt the strongest repulsion—roses bloomed there in overwhelming abundance.

Xianzhaxigua, which had been perfectly concealed, was now smoked out by these roses.

There was no hiding anymore.

Sheng Qingquan’s deduction had been correct. Its kryptonite was indeed roses.

Xianzhaxigua feared nothing—except this. Upon arriving on Blue Star and discovering the presence of roses on this planet, it had actually considered fleeing immediately.

But it couldn’t pass up so many potential followers. If all these people became its believers, the sheer volume of faith would make it crazy powerful.

Perhaps, once strengthened, it could overcome this weakness.

This thought made Xianzhaxigua even more reluctant to leave.

Moreover, it had observed that while humans on this planet cultivated roses, the flowers were only in certain spots.

As long as it avoided those places, there would be no issue.

It wasn’t Valentine’s Day or Qixi Festival. Though a few people might carry roses on the streets, they were rare enough that just being careful was enough to steer clear.

This is the perfect time to reap faith.

Once he transforms this planet into his sacred realm, he’ll issue a divine decree ordering humans to uproot and burn all roses, forbidding their cultivation.

The silly practice of expressing love by exchanging roses between lovers must also be abolished.

Instead, they could raise more snakes—future romantic gifts could be exchanged snake skins. Or perhaps bird feathers would do.

In any case, from every angle, luck was totally on his side.

Otherwise, why would his arrival coincide with such perfect timing—neither Valentine's Day nor the Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day)?

Had he arrived during either of those holidays... The mere thought made Xianzha Xigua shudder.

No matter how desperate he was for worship, the sight of roses flooding the streets would have made him turn and flee immediately.

Though the authorities on Tianlan Star inexplicably launched a free roses promotion, after discovering the presence of roses here, Xianzha Xigua had dug into everything about them.

"Giving roses leaves fragrance on your hands." Indeed, such a saying existed on Tianlan Star.

So even though Xianzha Xigua felt something was off, he didn’t dwell on it. Especially when he overheard old-timers chatting about how they'd received eggs before.

This wasn't the first time the authorities had handed out eggs—apparently, it was a local custom on Tianlan Star.

From time to time, they'd organize events, giving people freebies to help folks out.

They seemed to believe eggs were highly nutritious.

Thus, Xianzha Xigua merely muttered "Damn luck" and slipped away. Noticing that few people were visiting temples recently, and that most worshippers weren't carrying roses, he naturally decided to hide in a temple for a few days.

Among the many temples, he ultimately chose the Temple of Nüwa. Why? Not only could he admire lovely priestesses, but he could also observe potential targets and pick his marks—all while taking refuge.

Perfect—killing three birds with one stone. Xianzha Xigua couldn't think of a single reason not to choose the Temple of Nüwa.

Especially when he noticed a key difference: while worshippers at other temples rarely carried roses, some still did. But at the Temple of Nüwa—particularly the three he favored most—not a single visitor brought roses.

Instead, they all carried white peonies. They said Nüwa disliked roses, believing only peonies—with their royal beauty—were worthy of her. White peonies, in particular, embodied nobility and purity.

That's why they chose to bring white peonies. Normally, they wouldn't think to offer them, reserving such tributes for festivals. But with flowers being given everywhere lately, they'd remembered the tradition.

Truly just his type. Not only did she share his powerful snaky tail, but her floral preferences aligned perfectly with his—both despised roses.

Xianzha Xigua decided then that his favorite flower would henceforth be the white peony. He must match her taste.

Given just a little more time—even a day or two—Xianzha Xigua might have caught on to the trap.

But everything unfolded exactly as the authorities had planned. Faced with streets packed with roses, Xianzha Xigua did hide—but not in some remote wilderness. Instead, he took refuge precisely where they wanted him to go.

He marched straight into their trap.

Surrounded by roses, Xianzha Xigua's invisibility failed completely.

A many-eyed, many-winged, many-tailed monster appeared amidst the rose vines.

As it materialized, the surrounding rose branches surged toward it, wrapping the creature into a tight ball.

Trapped inside this thorny cage, Xianzha Xigua rattled like a bell trapped in a ball but utterly unable to escape.

Yet his screams were far less pleasant than chimes. Screaming in pain, his wails grew louder as the vines tightened, blossoms thickening around him.

When those delicate petals touched its body...

The tender petals, so fragile they could be crushed to release their juice with just a gentle rub, made Xianzhaxigua react even more violently than if pricked by rose thorns.

And it clearly wasn’t faking it.

Like it’d been doused in acid, the parts of its body that came into contact with the petals had flesh sizzled and corroded, emitting a terrifying hissing sound.

Not only its vulnerable limbs—but even the snake tails covered in thick, armor-like scales offered no protection.

Scales peeled back and dropped away, revealing flesh beneath blackened and burned, with the wounds continuously expanding outward.

Its once-proud wings were now a wreck, riddled with gruesome injuries, like a plucked chicken held over flames.

Its thirteen eyes widened larger than brass bells, bloodshot, each more terrifying than the last. Though it soon realized its mistake and shut them tightly,

trying to shield its eyes.

But it was useless.

One after another, its eyes went dark.

The speed of the blindness was terrifying—like flicking off a light, where one touch of the petals extinguished the glow in its eyes, leaving them dull and ashen.

Xianzhaxigua shrieked in pain. If not for the tight confines of the floral vine ball, which pressed so firmly against its body that it couldn’t move, it would’ve been thrashing on the ground in agony.

In under three minutes, Xianzhaxigua’s form began to shrink rapidly.

It wasn’t shrinking on purpose—even if it had slipped out, there would have been no escape, for outside the vine ball lay layer upon layer of roses.

The area had become a sea of roses.

Its shrinking but was rather a dissolution—like ice melting in warm water.

As it dissolved further, its screams faded to nothing.

Xianzhaxigua lost the ability to roar.

And then, it was completely corroded away.

Not a speck of ash was left on the ground—the ground was pristine, without a trace of corrosion, as if nothing had ever happened there.

A soft breeze rustled the roses, their petals trembling slightly, releasing waves of fragrance.

Did the legendary, arrogant evil god really just… die like that?

For a long time, the crew stood frozen, unable to process what they had witnessed.

The helicopters, which had arrived long ago, hovered overhead, their rotors thundering, yet they never even got the chance to drop the rose petal shower.

“Is it really dead?” Even watching Xianzhaxigua dissolve into nothing, they couldn’t help but doubt. “Could it have just turned invisible again?”

“Is it faking death, waiting for us to lower our guard and retract the roses so it can escape?”

No one put it past the creature to pull some trick.

Sheng Qingquan felt the jade seal in his body settle down again, and the sense of disgust and rejection had also vanished. This indicated that Xian Zha Xigua was truly dead.

“It died that easily?!”

In truth, Sheng Qingquan was also a bit uneasy until he opened the novel and saw the balance on it had changed.

More importantly, collectibles materialized from the pages of the book.

“The payout’s processed, so it must really be dead.”

Everything was over.

Hearing Sheng Qingquan’s thoughts, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Someone cheered, “Dead, dead! It’s finally dead!”

Only then did everyone dare to believe the crisis had passed once more. Sheng Qingquan recalled the roses, retracting the rose vines that had spread everywhere as though time reversed—the carpet of roses turned back into a handful of seeds.

The Wa Huang Palace, the goddess’s temple, returned to its former appearance.

The helicopter pilots circling above also stopped their patrol. “Call it a day! Call it a day! While they’re fresh, these roses can still be reused—making rose oil or rose cakes would be great. Might as well put ’em to use!”

Only after returning home did Sheng Qingquan have time to check out the souvenirs.

“It looks a bit like a mirror, or maybe a metal sheet. The surface gleams with shifting colors, just barely mirroring a face.”

Sheng Qingquan gave it a flick with his finger, producing a high-pitched ping.

“Though I’m not sure how to use it, this should be a snake scale—one from Xian Zha Xigua’s serpent tail. The color is identical, and the shape matches too. After being pried loose from its tail, the scale must look like this.”

Despite the high-pitched ping, the scale was incredibly sturdy.

Sheng Qingquan even used it to smash a walnut—not the thin-shelled kind, but the tough, old-school variety. The shell split clean in two, revealing the fragrant, crunchy walnut meat inside.

After smashing the walnut, Sheng Qingquan held up the scale for a closer look but found not a scratch or dent.

Apart from its hardness, though the edges of the scale weren’t particularly thin and had some thickness, it was unexpectedly sharp.

When he placed it on the table, he didn’t pay attention to the angle—it sliced the table clean through down the middle.

Judging by the cut, it was cleaner than a hatchet blow.

Most importantly, even the sharpest axe requires force to split something, but Sheng Qingquan hadn’t even pressed down at all.

He was just setting it down, not trying to cleave the table.

So, completely unprepared, Sheng Qingquan sat in his chair. If not for his instinctive shove that sent him and the chair sliding back a good distance when the table broke, the collapsing table would have fallen right on him.

Sheng Qingquan gulped nervously, staring at the scale in his hand.

“Thank goodness I didn’t let go just now.”

“The table broke before I even fully set it down.”

“Otherwise, if the scale had fallen to the floor when the table broke, slicing through the ground wouldn’t be a big deal. But what if someone downstairs happened to be standing right beneath the cut?”

“That’d be worse than a falling blade.”

The more Sheng Qingquan thought about it, the more terrified he became. Hearing this, the others shuddered too.

"Almost turned into a killer."

Sheng Qingquan carefully placed the scale flat on a nearby cabinet. Even after setting it down, he didn’t dare let go until he confirmed the cabinet remained intact, with no cracks in sight. Only then did he tentatively begin to loosen his grip.

Once his hand was fully withdrawn, still nothing happened.

Sheng Qingquan finally let out a sigh of relief.

"But what’s this thing even for? If we don’t know its purpose and it’s this dangerous, maybe I should just turn it in. Maybe the higher-ups can figure something out."

"Worst case, soldiers could use it as a weapon. It could even work as a chest guard in a pinch. It looks sturdy and sharp—good for both offense and defense. Just have to be careful not to hurt yourself with it."

Just as Sheng Qingquan was making these plans—even deciding how and through whom to turn it in—the scale suddenly emitted a dazzling light.

Like a floodlight.

The scale was about the size of a bowl, and the light was so intense it resembled a miniature sun, making Sheng Qingquan shield his eyes.

Under normal circumstances, no matter how laid-back Sheng Qingquan was, he wouldn’t fall asleep at a time like this. Faced with such an anomaly, any normal person would be on high alert—let alone Sheng Qingquan.

Blinded by the light, he instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, but even then, he had to squeeze them shut.

Yet the moment his eyes closed, a wave of exhaustion hit him like a truck.

Before he could even react, Sheng Qingquan collapsed to the ground, out cold.

Sheng Qingquan knew it for sure—he was dreaming.

In the dream, his perspective split into two. One was a bird’s-eye view, while the other... he seemed to have transformed into a winged, humanoid freak with thirteen eyes.

The monster had no legs—where legs should have been, there were instead a bunch of snake tails.

"Did I seriously just become Xianzha Xigua in my dream?"

"Gross!"

Sheng Qingquan turned his head away in disgust.

"Talk about bad luck!"

Dreaming of becoming Xianzha Xigua? What’s going on? The staff looked at each other, baffled.

Wait, Sheng Qingquan is asleep—yet we can still hear his inner thoughts in the dream?

But dreaming of transforming into another creature... The trained staff started piecing it together.

"Is this some kind of memory transfer?"

"But memory transfers usually only work among the same species, or at least require some shared bloodline—no matter how thin, you gotta have it for this to work."

"I shouldn’t have any shared bloodline with it, so is this some cheat skill at play? Or does simply possessing the scale grant access to inherited memories, with no bloodline needed?"

"After all, you can’t believe everything you read in novels."

Disgusted or not, Sheng Qingquan thought he might as well roll with it. With that in mind, he tried to get the snake tails to work and move.

He fought to push himself up. Since he had snake tails instead of legs—even multiple ones—he didn’t bother walking like a human. Instead, he went for a snake’s slither.

But no matter how well he envisioned it, his body wasn’t having it.

Sheng Qingquan hadn't even slithered a meter before he face-planted with a splat.

Turning his head, he saw several snake tails tangled into impossible knots behind him.

If he could still crawl away like this, that'd be nothing short of a miracle.

Sheng Qingquan twitched his tails, trying to get them to untangle themselves.

No luck.

He had no choice but to twist his upper body around and use his hands to untangle the mess.

After a great deal of effort, Sheng Qingquan finally wrestled them apart.

"This can't be right. If this were ancestral memory, shouldn't I instinctively know how to move? I should have full control over this body—able to command it effortlessly. Forget walking, with so many snake tails, they should be as nimble as human fingers. I should even be able to give someone the finger with them."

"But now, tripping over my own tangled tails while trying to walk? What kind of BS is this?"

Tripping because his snake tails got knotted up?

Cai Zhixuan and Liu Caiyi locked eyes, both practically twinkling.

They were totally charmed.

Even without having seen a Xianzhaxigua in person, just hearing the original description of its appearance was enough to know how ugly as sin it was.

Yet, the same monstrous look, when worn by Sheng Qingquan—

Somehow became instantly endearing.

Like the difference between a man-eating bear in the wild and a bamboo-chomping panda in a zoo.

Sheng Qingquan didn’t find it cute at all. He was more shocked by his own clumsiness.

From his third-person perspective, he found the sight of his other self struggling to untangle the tails downright ridiculous.

"Forget walking. What are these wings even for?"

"Can't let them go to waste."

Sheng Qingquan decided to try flying instead.

He had experience with that, at least. After all, he’d turned into a bird before. Wings were wings—flying couldn’t be that different.

Then he watched as that pathetic flightless mess flapped so hard his wing joints screamed, barely managing to drag its heavy body off the ground—or rather, not even managing that.

Though it did kinda-sorta get airborne, the long snake tails still dragged their tips along the floor.

Two seconds later, he was eating dirt again.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Despite the deep breaths, Sheng Qingquan was still seeing red. He clutched his chest, trying to calm himself down.

"That pathetic flightless mess is definitely not me."

"Not that I particularly want this guy’s ancestral memories anyway. If I end up seeing how he conned people, killed, torched villages, and gathered followers to harvest faith, I might just rat myself out out of disgust."

Though Sheng Qingquan was confident he wouldn’t go dark side, the thought of experiencing it—even in a dream—made him wanna puke. It felt like his brain needed a bleach bath.

"But if I can’t even get this body under control and gain nothing from this, that’d be a total bust."

"After all, putting aside everything else, if you don't regard Xianzhaxigua as a god, it's actually quite powerful."

Sheng Qingquan frowned.

Just then, he was forced out.

Sheng Qingquan opened his eyes.

"You’re awake?"

"Huh... just like that?"

He’d fallen asleep for no reason and woken up just as inexplicably.

Sheng Qingquan sat up and instinctively moved his body.

"Indeed, my own body feels so much better. No weird dream stiffness."

He glanced at the still-glowing serpent scale on the shelf, feeling equal parts regret and relief.

"Maybe I should hand it over to the authorities and find someone without such a strong aversion to try it?"

Yeah, he was shallow like that. Sheng Qingquan deflected blame.

"If that thing hadn’t been so ugly, maybe this would’ve worked."

But since things had turned out this way, Sheng Qingquan revisited his earlier plan. He suspected the failed inheritance might have been due to his strong psychological rejection.

Otherwise, there was no explanation—maybe the next guy’d have better luck.

However, before Sheng Qingquan could act, the scale floated up on its own.

Though an inanimate object, as it hovered before him, it almost seemed to convey an exasperated sigh.

The next moment, the hard, sharp scale instantly melted into a puddle of shimmering goo.

"That water’s toxic neon green."

That was the only thought Sheng Qingquan had time for before the goo shot into his mouth.

"Icy and fizzy."

"Like that minty slush."

The next instant, Sheng Qingquan felt his physical strength surge dramatically. It was almost like drinking another vial of gene-booster—except without any side effects.

Flexing his new strength, he found both his power and durability had noticeably improved.

"Huh... not bad!"

Though he played it cool, Sheng Qingquan had to admit this suited him far better than inheriting memories and reliving Xianzhaxigua’s life.

Even if he could maintain an outside perspective during the memory transfer, ensuring he wouldn’t truly believe himself to be that monster, it still wouldn’t have been a walk in the park.

In contrast, this quick power-up felt much more comfortable.

Summer meant icy drinks. Ever since that first taste of minty slush, Sheng Qingquan had gone all in—AC blasting or not, he now craved everything iced.

What soda for happy homebodies, what chugging milk tea—he practically treats drinks as meals. The amount he consumes daily is downright terrifying. One might suspect his blood must be pure syrup by now.

Even knowing he's no ordinary person, the staff couldn’t help worrying: "At this rate, he’s gonna give himself diabetes!"

Just as they were debating whether to intervene, their food delivery arrived. The staff opened the door to receive the order, and the delivery driver overheard them worrying about their neighbor drinking too much.

Holding three bags of milk tea in his left hand and four in his right, the delivery driver couldn’t help giving them a weird look.

After handing over all the drinks and confirming the order, he turned to go—then paused. Finally, he couldn’t resist turning back to say, "This is my second run here today to deliver iced drinks for you."

Last time was just as much.

"Maybe worry about yourselves before your neighbor..."

"Only the second time today," the staff brushed it off casually.

There were a lot of them, after all. Despite the bulk order, once divided, it was just one cup per person.

With this insane heat, having two iced milk teas a day wasn’t a big deal, right?

"Only the second time—but it’s barely 11:30 in the morning!" The driver was at a loss for words. The day wasn’t even half over. At this rate, how much would they drink in a full day?

Even if it was just one cup per order, they’d easily polish off four a day.

"I was the one who delivered your milk tea yesterday too. I did three runs. My buddy did one."

And that didn’t even count the ones they hadn’t picked up.

"Lately, I’ve seen you all packing on the pounds. Your faces have rounded out, and double chins are starting to show."

"Maybe ease up a bit. If not for your wallets, at least think about your health."

The staff were thunderstruck!

Instinctively, they touched their faces. Their faces did feel squishier.

Their jawlines had lost definition.

The heat lately was insane—without something icy, it was unbearable.

But plain iced water was flavorless, too bland to enjoy. So they couldn’t resist something with flavor.

After thanking the delivery driver for his concern, they carried the milk tea back inside. As they distributed the drinks, they tried to justify themselves: "It’s mostly because we’re so stressed. We need something sweet to relax."

"Doesn’t sugar make people happy?" one said, stabbing a straw into their cup and taking a hearty sip. "With heat like this, I keep worrying Doomsday’s coming."

That much was true.

The last time Sheng Qingquan binged on cold drinks like this, the weather had been abnormally hot too—right before the apocalypse hit.

But this couldn’t go on. They really needed to cut back.

Just as everyone was thinking this, that very night, after guzzling iced drinks before bed and cranking the AC down, the cold shocked them awake in the dead of night.