Don't Mess with that Turtle

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Without waiting for the Green Snake to respond, he flicked his fingers and a shield floated out. The shield caught the wind, grew in size, and transformed into something like a small boat, swiftly diving underneath the White Tiger and scooping it up as they flew upwards.

The Green Snake hissed, flicking its tongue, while Su He leaped from the water with a splash, tearing off a large chunk of tiger flesh before falling back into the lake.

Gentlemen can be deceived with relative ease since these two seem quite gullible.

Upon the sword light, the two individuals were taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter. When their laughter subsided, they nonetheless admired the turtle's courage.

It seems this turtle must be pursuing the path of an Exotic Beast. Cultivation for Exotic Beasts is like sailing against the current; it requires such meticulous calculation and brash audacity.

"Brother, regardless of how the White Tiger died, the Green Snake can't be completely uninvolved. If Brother Lu comes out, I'm afraid he'll look for trouble with the Green Snake, right?"

It's possible that someone deliberately lured the Green Snake and this turtle here to destroy the corpse and erase the evidence.

"No worries!" The chubby disciple shook his head and said, "Snake Valley has long been protected by a barrier set by our sect's elders, Brother Lu won't be able to get in." Even he had only found out about this recently, and most ordinary disciples were unaware.

The barrier is ineffective against Beasts and does not interfere with their competition for the Demonic Fruit, but it will block humans to prevent any disturbances to this contest.

He didn't understand the rationale behind this— Demon Species are of great benefit to sects, so they should have more control over the Demonic Fruit. They should let the Sect's tamed beast pets consume it, or at the very least, protect all Beasts that have swallowed Demonic Fruit. Why allow these wild beasts to fight over it without intervention, even subtly encouraging such rivalry?

The two rode their swords away, and down in the water, Su He let out a sigh of relief.

It was temporarily safe now. Snake Valley was protected, and hence secure.

Three days ago, the reserve in his body had reached its limit, and he could no longer resist the urge to sleep. Now, after having his fill of tiger meat, his eyelids felt as heavy as if weighed down by a Ten Thousand Pound Talisman.

Head towards Snake Valley for a true deep sleep.

Perhaps this would be the last deep sleep before hibernation, maybe even merging with the winter hibernation to sleep until next spring?

After all, winter hibernation was only a month and a half away, and by this time each year, he would have started preparations to devour food on a large scale, amassing energy for the winter.

Su He nibbled at the two pieces of tiger meat he had clawed back but couldn't finish anymore, so he simply shook his head and threw them to the Green Snake.

Then, wagging her tail, she swam towards Snake Valley.

Snake Valley, safety!

(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

Damnit, the more I think about it, the angrier I get! Why does the Green Snake's Snake Valley have protection, while I have nothing?

Aren't we all consumers of the Demonic Fruit?

What justifies such unequal treatment?

The Green Snake followed lazily behind Su He, swimming extremely slowly. Its body had been mostly stuffed with tiger meat and could barely move. Fortunately, it had gained some initial mastery of its recent Wind and Wave Creation inheritance, which allowed the water currents to push it along.

Snake Valley is an ideal place for hibernation; the valley has no wind, and the shores of the small lake are covered with sand. Su He dug a hole by the lake, buried her entire turtle body in it, leaving only her nostrils above ground for breathing. Part wet, part dry, it was very comfortable.

The Green Snake struggled to climb into a hole in the cliff wall-- a snake den, which looked warmer, but the entrance was only as thick as a water jug, too small for Su He to enter.

Before Su He fell asleep, she could already hear the Green Snake's breathing becoming long and faint, signaling it had fallen asleep as well.

Now, the Green Snake could rest assured and slumber next to Su He. This was a display of absolute trust.

The moon, the willow trees, the beads of dew were all forming as Snake Valley sank into silence, leaving only the rustling of venomous snakes.

The night deepened, an ideal time for the venomous snakes to hunt.

Qingyuan Gate, Law Enforcement Hall.

The head of the Law Enforcement Hall looked grim as he observed the two turtle shells; everyone else in the hall scarcely dared breathe.

This incident was particularly egregious!

Qingyuan Gate does not forbid its disciples from competing with each other, but such competition should be benign. How could they tolerate such petty miscreants stirring up trouble with demons?

Initially, it was thought to be a mere coincidence, just the disciples being unruly.

But now, it seems there was a scheme all along. From Feng Yaya causing trouble in Beast Valley to Lu Ming being confined, all were designed to target Lu Ming's Life Bound Beast!

Or more accurately, to target Lu Ming, the number one true inheritor of Beast Valley!

Life Bound Beasts and their owners share their fortunes and misfortunes— attacking a Life Bound Beast is tantamount to assaulting its owner, which is common knowledge.

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"Fu Feng, go and interrogate Feng Yaya and find out why she released the beasts of Beast Valley!"

"Zhao Lie, take the Turtle Shell to Elder An in Beast Valley to identify who crafted this Spirit Talisman! This talisman contains the scent of the White Tiger, and can only be activated by encountering one. It must have been someone close to Lu Ming; you must capture this person!"

He had several suspects in mind, but the Law Enforcement Hall insists on evidence. Dealing with despicable acts must be done uprightly, crushing with an overwhelming force that can't be refuted.

"You two go to Tinghai Lake and find that turtle. I will use means to extract its memory and see who is sneaking around behind the scenes!"

The fatty and skinny brother disciples both bowed: "Yes."

After hesitating, the fat Taoist added, "Uncle-master, the turtle has been taken in by Green Snake. If we just take the turtle and extract its memory, I fear Green Snake will harbor a grudge later..."

The head of the Law Enforcement Hall gave him a dismissive glance and said indifferently, "No need to worry, just capture it directly."

As a member of the Demon Species that could attain the Demonic Realm, it naturally deserved preferential treatment. However, the awe of thunder and the grace of rain must be known to it; the Sect's rules must be made clear. This was an opportunity to give Green Snake a warning and implant an idea in its still naive mind:

One must not violate the Sect's rules!

Receiving their orders, the two set out but returned less than an hour later, with embarrassed expressions, saying, "Uncle-master, that turtle has a good relationship with Green Snake. It is now in deep sleep within Snake Valley, where there are restrictions in place, preventing us from entering."

The head of the Law Enforcement Hall's brows furrowed deeply.

At that moment, Zhao Lie returned with an odd look on his face, handing back the Turtle Shell and the investigation report, opening his mouth as if to say something but then remaining silent.

The head's brows furrowed even tighter, "Speak if you have something to say. Why hesitate?"

Zhao Lie bowed and said, "Reporting to the head, Elder An says that these two Spirit Talismans were crafted by Lu Shidi himself."

...

The heart, liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys...

In his sleep, Su He saw a Turtle anatomy chart slowly unfolding before him.

Flesh, bones, veins... everything was clearly visible. The heart was thumping, sending fresh blood throughout the body with every beat.

This is inside my body, Su He confirmed immediately. The intestines were wriggling, the stomach was empty, no longer filled with food, and he did not know how long he had been asleep; all the tiger meat he had eaten had been digested. But the stored energy was so abundant that he did not feel hungry at the moment.

This sleep had awakened his ability for internal inspection?

Su He carefully examined himself, finding his bones strong, his organs robust, his private parts mighty -- he was very healthy!

As he inspected himself inch by inch, in the center of his heart was a hazy space filled with Mystery Yellow energy, in which a Little Turtle lay sleeping peacefully.

The turtle was very small, yet it exuded a powerful aura, its Turtle Shell black as ink and shining, its limbs covered with Scales, and a rugged Dragon Horn atop its Turtle Head with sharp teeth interlocked within its mouth.

Dragon Turtle? Supreme? Mystery Turtle? In any case, it wasn't Xuan Wu, for Xuan Wu is composed of a snake and a turtle.

What is this thing inside my heart?

Su He was shocked and wanted to look closer, but a wave of drowsiness overcame him, and he fell into a deep sleep once again.

The days and months raced by, the valley silent.

This sleep was incredibly sound, with no need to worry about food nor fear of wild beasts -- it was the best sleep he had had since being reincarnated as a turtle.

After an unknown period, he woke up leisurely to find the sky dark; it was night.

But Su He could see clearly.

This sleep had evolved his eyes, and the night was as bright as day for him. The weather was gloomy, with a light rain falling. The patter of the rain was somewhat desolate.

The sand and soil that had covered him had long since fallen away, and he had grown larger, the hole he had dug was now too small for him.

By comparing it with familiar objects around him, Su He estimated that the Size of his Turtle Shell alone was at least as big as a double bed, and with his Turtle Head and limbs included, he was now a colossal creature.

He, alone, could now take on three Green Giant Crocodiles!

Su He looked around. Inside Snake Valley, the willow trees were yellowed and withered, leaves scattered in a pool. He must have slept for at least a month, and now it was deep autumn.

A Verdant Python lay lazily at the entrance of the cave. Seeing Su He look over, it said faintly, "You're awake!"

The voice carried a mature charm.

It was speaking human language.