Versatile Mage: Get the Desert Emperor clone at the start

Chapter 145 Strong Response
"Who are you?" Zhu Meng narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze piercing Qin Xiaonan like a knife.

Qin Xiaonan stood with her hands behind her back, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Coincidentally, I am also a totem guardian."

"Ha," Zhu Meng sneered, "As a guardian, it's natural for me to defend your so-called gods."

He made no attempt to conceal his intentions, his voice suddenly rising: "That's right! It's precisely because I know it's in a weakened state that I must seize this golden opportunity to completely eradicate this scourge!" He pointed sharply at the center of the lake, adding sternly, "Moreover, the evidence of the Black Serpent's attacks is irrefutable; two people lost their lives to its venomous fangs yesterday!"

"Are you stupid?" Qin Xiaonan scoffed, her words piercing Zhu Meng like sharp arrows. "The Xuan Snake doesn't harm people when it's at its peak, yet it chooses to kill and gather evidence during its weakened state after molting? Do you think it's possible for you to find something on it?"

He stepped forward and continued, "If it really was the work of the Black Serpent, do you think those two would have left with intact corpses? They'd probably have even had their bones completely corroded away!"

"Insolence!" Zhu Meng roared in fury, veins bulging on his face, his magical power surging so violently that the rain seemed to reverse.

He waved his hand sharply: "No matter how eloquent you are today, you won't be able to protect it! Guards—"

"Wait a minute." Qin Xiaonan suddenly chuckled and slowly adjusted her cuffs.

"I said I'm a totem guardian, but I didn't say I'm the guardian of the Black Serpent."

He turned to Qing Ning, his voice suddenly turning cold: "Qing Ning, guard West Lake. During the Black Serpent's molting period, no unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a hazy blue light suddenly emanated from Qing Ning's body.

Her alluring face gradually blurred, her figure twisting and shifting in the halo of light. In an instant, a nine-tailed celestial fox stood proudly by the lake, its nine bushy tails spread out like a screen, each hair flowing with mysterious golden runes.

Golden light shimmered in the fox's eyes, and its mere gaze caused most of the court mages to unconsciously take several steps back.

In the rain, Qingning looked up and let out a clear, long howl, the sound of which shook the lake and created a wall of water more than ten feet high.

She stepped forward gracefully, her nine tails spreading out behind her like a peacock's tail, enveloping the entire West Lake in a protective barrier.

Zhu Meng's pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingers under his robe trembled involuntarily.

He stared intently at Qing Ning, who had revealed her true form, his voice tinged with disbelief: "It's you?"

As a court priest, he had certainly heard of this totem beast that resembled a fox.

During the disaster in Bo City, she was the fox tail that dispelled the dark clouds in the sky; when Anjie in Qinghai was in danger, she killed two giant snake demons and saved the entire Anjie; when the sea monsters of Modu invaded, she defeated the two calamity sea monsters.

Every single one of his deeds caused a sensation.

At this moment, Qingning's nine fox tails stretched out in the rain. She sat gracefully by the lake, her fox eyes shimmering with golden light, enveloping the entire West Lake in a protective barrier.

Raindrops fell on the barrier, creating ripples of magical energy.

Zhu Meng's Adam's apple bobbed.

The court monks he brought with him began to stir, and many of them subconsciously took a few steps back.

The congressman was currently torn between two conflicting emotions:

Firstly, even if they used all their combat power, they might not be able to gain an advantage against this monarch-level totem.

Secondly, this totem beast has not only never harmed humans, but has also extended a helping hand to save humans in times of crisis on many occasions.

Rain dripped from the brim of Zhu Meng's hat, wetting his furrowed brow.

His clenched fist loosened and tightened again. "Are you going to vouch for the Black Serpent?"

Qin Xiaonan said decisively, "Of course." Zhu Meng finally let out a long sigh, "Alright. Let's call it a day."

Just as he was about to leave, Qin Xiaonan's voice came from behind him: "Councilor Zhu Meng, instead of obsessing over dealing with the totem that protects humanity, why not investigate the true cause of death of those two 'victims'?"

In the rain, Zhu Meng's figure, leading the court monks away dejectedly, gradually became blurred.

The tense atmosphere only eased when the last figure disappeared into the rain and mist.

Tang Yue suddenly turned around, to everyone's surprise.

He hugged Qin Xiaonan.

"Thank you."

The Xuan Snake was too important to her. Seeing Qin Xiaonan forcefully drive Zhu Meng away, she was extremely excited.

She pressed herself tightly against Qin Xiaonan's chest, the soft, warm touch clearly discernible.

The faint scent of gardenias mingled with the freshness of the rain wafted into Tang Yue's nostrils, and he could clearly feel the exquisite beauty of the delicate body in his arms.

Especially those soft breasts, rising and falling on his chest with her rapid breathing.

"Teacher Tang Yue," Qin Xiaonan's Adam's apple bobbed, her voice a little dry.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lan Xi covering her mouth and chuckling, while Leng Qing raised an eyebrow with a playful expression, which made his ears burn even more.

Tang Yue seemed to realize her lapse in composure only then, and hurriedly let go of his hand and took two steps back.

A blush rose on her fair cheeks as she frantically straightened the disheveled collar of her cheongsam.

"I...I was just too excited," she stammered, her earlobes turning bright red.

Qin Xiaonan touched her nose and changed the subject, saying, "Well... let's stay here and keep watch. Zhu Meng might not let this go so easily."

Just as Qin Xiaonan had predicted, before the Xuan Snake had fully shed its skin, Zhu Meng returned with his men.

Tang Yue stood before the barrier, her brows furrowed: "What are you doing here again?"

This time, Zhu Meng was no longer arrogant as before. Instead, he looked towards Qin Xiaonan from afar, his tone heavy: "A plague has broken out in the city, and thousands have already fallen ill. We suspect it may be related to the venom of the Xuan Snake." He paused, his voice softening: "I have come here to obtain a small bottle of snake blood for research."

Qin Xiaonan thought to herself, "The Xuan Snake hasn't left. Even with Qing Ning protecting him, Luo Mian still made a move."

He knew that the poison had nothing to do with the black serpent, so he said, "No."

However, Zhu Meng glanced at Qing Ning, who was feigning sleep in the distance, and said again in a tactful tone, "We are not sure if this is related to the Xuan Snake, but we have to try. You open the barrier, and we will only take a little bit of blood. If we delay here for a second, many people outside may die."

Qin Xiaonan naturally didn't believe Zhu Meng's words. In the original story, he deliberately gave in and let Tang Yue call back the weakened Xuan Snake, and then he was hit by the lightning punishment array they had set up.

With Qing Ning watching over him, he believed Zhu Meng wouldn't dare to act recklessly. However, just in case, he wouldn't leave before the Xuan Snake shed its skin.

As for this plague, Qin Xiaonan knew the truth—it was just an ordinary plague orchestrated by Luo Mian, which could have been treated with conventional drugs.

However, Zhu Meng's obsession with the Xuan Snake clouded his judgment, and he failed to conduct even a basic investigation, which gave Luo Mian an opportunity to take advantage of him.

(End of this chapter)