"The snake moves very fast, as swift as lightning. It is not safe for you to be here, Nianmo. You should leave," Gu Xijiu talked very fast, as she was desperate to send Shen Nianmo out of the tunnel.

Her spiritual level was the standard of a Mighty Immortal. Also, she often encountered many different kinds of poison all year round, so the poisons could hardly harm her anymore. She was not afraid of the snake. If bitten, she could always take pills to suppress the poison.

However, it was not the same for Shen Nianmo. He was merely a Golden Immortal. Once bitten, he would still be poisoned.

Shen Nianmo glanced at her coldly and demanded, "Call me Fuyi!"

Gu Xijiu was speechless.

"All right then. Fuyi, you should leave. Your little body will not be able to handle the bite." Gu Xijiu persuaded him further.

"Little body?" Frustrated, Shen Nianmo could not help but grind his teeth. She would see him as a child, now that she knew about his ident.i.ty.

He refused to interact any further with her and took out a pale white pearl. He flicked the pearl to activate its luminance. Soon, the entire tunnel lit up.

Gu Xijiu was surprised to see the brightness, so she quickly took the bead in her hand. "The brightness will scare the snakes away. Don"t you want to save your fellow junior apprentices anymore?"

Shen Nianmo whizzed the pearl out in the air before she managed to catch it. Hence, Gu Xijiu failed to catch the bead. Instead, her hand fell right into his palm. He took her hand firmly and rea.s.sured, "Quiet. Don"t move."

His hand was supple and warm. Her heart started to throb a little when he grabbed her hand. The palpitation only lasted for a moment, however. When she remembered that he was only a six years old child, the admiration was immediately replaced with a sense of maternal instinct.

She took her hand back. Worried that it might hurt his feelings, she had to comfort him by patting gently on the back of his hand while she said, "Don"t be silly. The snakes are afraid of the light. Please take the pearl back."

While she was talking, she also started waving her sleeves in pursuit of the pearl.

Shen Nianmo took her sleeves back and rea.s.sured her again. "Don"t worry. That is a Snake Pearl that can draw the attention of any snakes."

Snake Pearl? Did such a treasure really exist? Gu Xijiu had only heard about it. Today, she could finally see it with her own eyes. She could not help but stare at it.

The pearl did not glow with intense brightness. Instead, the luminance that it gave off was rather cold and soft. Under its radiance, every inch about the place could be clearly observed to the minutest detail.

Gu Xijiu held her breath when she heard something moving. It was the sound of an animal crawling. The poisonous creatures that lingered around in the darkest place must not be taken lightly. Gu Xijiu was worried that Shen Nianmo might be bitten by one of the snakes, so she quickly pulled him behind her. "Don"t go anywhere. Take notice of what"s on your feet."

Shen Nianmo looked at her attentively. She was a pet.i.te girl of only about 1.6 meters in height. He lowered his head and was immediately overwhelmed by her refres.h.i.+ng scent.

He let out a chuckle. Then, with one hand on her shoulder, he agreed delightfully. "You have to take care of me."

Gu Xijiu could sense his warm breaths from behind. Overwhelmed by his scent, her heart started to throb a little. She could tell that Shen Nianmo"s att.i.tude towards her was a bit odd, but she dismissed the thought immediately due to the urgency of the situation.