Chapter 3

When Grandpa Serpent learned it was Lily who had controlled him, that he'd nearly hurt us because of her, he flew into a rage.

"That Beast-Taming Sect grows more lawless by the year."

"Every year our beast-spirits fight their wars for them. Countless of us die. And now, instead of showing any gratitude, they turn around and use us to slaughter the innocent, and let us carry the blame for it too!"

"Ah, Piglet, you children should leave as soon as you can."

"I'm a serpent demon of ten thousand years. Even I can barely tear free and come back to my senses."

"The ones with weaker spirit-power never wake at all. It's either you die, or they do..."

Grandpa Serpent was right.

This was exactly why the Alchemy Sect had never returned after the very first trial.

To show off their sect's strength, they came to the demon mountain year after year, killing innocent beast-spirits to prove how mighty they were.

As if the one who slew the beast-spirit with the highest spirit-power was the greatest of them all.

But this valley was the beast-spirits' home. Barging into someone else's house to wreak havoc, then strutting about pleased with yourself, was truly shameless.

My eyes darted around, and I fished the little booklet from my waist.

"I know how to keep the beast-spirits from being controlled by them!"

"They say a cure always grows within seven steps. This demon mountain has all kinds of rare herbs, not just beast-spirits!"

"Eat them mixed the way my formula says, and everyone stays clear-headed, never at the Beast-Taming Sect's mercy again."

Grandpa Serpent's eyes went wide, and he leaned in fast.

"Little Piglet, is that really true?"

I nodded hard, like a chick pecking at grain, utterly certain.

Grandpa Serpent was overjoyed. "If that's really so, then it's a wonderful thing," he said happily.

"Those sect youngsters love their contests, don't they? I'll send word by crane right now, have the whole demon mountain eat the herbs."

"This time, let every beast-spirit face those sect rascals head-on and have a proper contest!"

At that, I quietly let my gaze settle on Katherine.

True, we were a step ahead now, having already claimed the rarest serpent lotus.

But the second stage of the trial was to hunt a demon-beast and bring it back.

And the higher the demon-beast's spirit-power, the better the chance of taking first place.

I tugged at the hem of my clothes and stammered, "Katherine, this trial, could you maybe..."

Before I could finish, Katherine, as if she'd read my mind all along, gave an easy smile.

"It's only a sect trial."

"Cultivation is meant to help the world and save people. Slaughtering the innocent is something I'd never stoop to, and never want to."

"Piggy, as long as I keep you safe, that's enough."

"Still, killing each other for it is no good in the end. How about we go talk them into changing the trial first?"

With those words from Katherine, I had nothing left to worry about, and nodded at once.

Night hadn't even fallen before disciples from every sect grew restless, sneaking up the mountain early in twos and threes to search for the serpent lotus.

But they combed the whole cliff face and couldn't turn up a single bloom.

Lily grew angry too, loosing her spirit-birds to search everywhere. They came back with nothing but grass roots and gravel in their beaks.

The others traded uneasy looks, and someone ventured a guess.

"Could it be the Azure Cloud Sect disciples and the little brat aren't dead after all, and they picked all the serpent lotus clean ahead of us?"

Mike was the first to deny it.

"Impossible. Our Lily is the strongest in the Beast-Taming Sect. That ten-thousand-year serpent demon would never have left them alive."

And Lily's smile spread through the night.

"Hmph. If the serpent lotus can't be found, so be it. I'll just kill that great serpent king of Southern Mountain and haul it back."

"And while I'm at it, kill the queen serpent of Western Mountain too. One each for me and my dear Mike."

The serpent king of Western Mountain, wasn't that the very Grandma Serpent Grandpa Serpent pined for day and night?

That line struck Grandpa Serpent right where it hurt most.

Even with Katherine and me clinging on to hold him back, Grandpa Serpent burst out cursing all the same.

"Keep dreaming, and you'd dare lay a hand on my serpent lady."

"Today I'll bury one of you on Southern Mountain and the other on Western Mountain!"