Your Lord Has A Screw Loose?
Chapter 695 - 697: Remnants of the Serpent Palace, Lingering Doubts

Chapter 695 -697: Remnants of the Serpent Palace, Lingering Doubts

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‘Perhaps… She Qi changed because of this?’ She Xi thought of his own father, who was also one of the most devout followers of the Snake Father in the early years. He changed later on, perhaps the power and the Snake Father’s non-response were one and the same, or, more likely, he was stimulated by this group hidden among the Snake-man Clan.

‘This way, the transformation will probably have to be slower.’ She Xi also felt helpless. He was very loyal to the Snake Father, but he knew what the Snake Father needed wasn’t him but a Snake-man who could help the Snake Father return. The candidates for this Snake-man weren’t limited to him alone; any other Snake-man capable of achieving it would also be favored by the Snake Father.

‘Is it worth it?’ She Xi couldn’t help but reminisce about the time he prayed at the altar like a mess of mud, begging for the Snake Father’s favor; his faith… began to waver, and a certain madness in the depths of his heart broke free of its constraints.

“It wouldn’t be a Snake-man coveting She Qi’s position as Priest, hibernating and waiting for the right moment, would it?”

“High Priest, something has happened at the Snake Temple.” A Snake-man responsible for the Snake Temple hurried over and spoke in a low voice.

“The other party doesn’t dare to worship openly… Are there any other clues?” She Xi took this matter very seriously, as it concerned the Snake Father.

“Plus, half of our clan members haven’t transformed into the new You Si Snake-man, and even if they have, they can’t possibly take action against Great Qian in the short term. They are simply no match against the nation’s fortune.”

“Alright, I got it.” She Xi knew that three time differences equated to three hours. Although the terms were different, after all, the Snake-man had once come from the surface, so this conclusion about time standards must be the same.

“Today while cleaning, it was discovered that there seemed to have been rituals performed at the Snake Temple recently, within the past couple of days, and they were not officially recorded. You know that each ritual and sacrifice is carried out by either a temple priest or by you, the High Priest, but clearly, the ritual this time was unofficial and not up to standard.”

“No more. We really don’t know when the ritual took place. If it weren’t for the traces left this time, we might not have noticed at all. The Snake-man who did the ritual was very cautious.” The Snake-man replied immediately; his words were also partly meant to absolve their own negligence, as this was their responsibility.

“No smell, no trace, how is this possible?”

“Can you determine when these traces were made?” She Xi suddenly asked.

“He got away, truly cunning. It seems we need ample measures to drag him out into the open.” She Xi, however, hadn’t thought about killing the other party.

“Who’s there?!” She Xi’s serpentine pupils tightened, and with extreme speed, he broke through a wall with one hand.

“Seems like someone is spying on me?” She Xi’s expression became grave. In recent days, he had been reversing the clan’s customs and transforming his people into venomous snakes.

“It’s a master, their strength is definitely not weak. Could it be a backup plan left by She Qi?” The first thing that came to She Xi’s mind was his own father, who he had replaced.

“It is precisely because of this that traces were left.”

“This way, we can slowly start the investigation. If it is really for the position of the High Priest of You Si, once it’s done, it’s no problem to pass it on to the other party.”

“This generation’s Emperor Qian is extraordinarily talented and brilliant, not someone you can confront directly. We have to be indirect.” Although She Xi was displeased, this Emperor Qian not only effortlessly broke up the monopoly circle formed with the different Alien Clans but also handled various malpractices. She Xi still admired this ability.

“Let’s go, follow me to the Snake Temple for an inspection.” She Xi indeed didn’t intend to pursue the matter further, but he still had to make a point, otherwise what’s the purpose of having rules if there’s no punishment for breaking them?

“No later than three time differences, the traces are very fresh, it seems they were left behind due to some incident.” The Snake-man didn’t dare to hide anything; he knew that if She Xi said so, they wouldn’t face much trouble, at most a scolding.

After all, when he was targeted, the Snake Father did not offer protection, and it might even be possible that the Snake Father would choose the other party. Anyone would find it hard to accept that.

However, considering that the one who acted was no ordinary Snake-man, a small punishment as a warning would suffice. To the outside, it was all about showing the right attitude.

But if there was no way to bring the other party under control, then She Xi wouldn’t hesitate. After all, the You Si Snake-man were at a crucial turning point in their destiny. Success would lead to great prosperity, but failure due to such minor incidents would mean truly significant losses.

At this moment, She Xi was also experiencing this very issue.

If the other party has such strength, subduing them would be a significant asset for himself because, after all, the other party was also a Snake-man, a member of his own clan.

He did not explain to the Snake-men what had happened.

As for the other Alien Clans, well, one could forget about them, having been wiped out by Great Qian long ago. It’s likely that a few were spared, but they only hid away here and there, waiting for Great Qian to slowly reclaim the lost lands until they were discovered and killed in an expected course of events.

Luckily, She Xi wasn’t concerned with these matters but rather was pondering why the other party would leave any traces behind.

Just now, he had once again felt the sensation of being watched, and what’s more, it pinpointed the location very accurately. However, after he acted, there turned out to be nothing there.

But he continually felt as if someone was watching and monitoring his every move.

The Snake-man reported the situation in a low voice.

On his way to the Snake Temple, She Xi was constantly thinking about how to root out the Snake-man lurking in the shadows. He could be sure of one thing: it was very likely not just one Snake-man, but a deeply hidden Snake-man organization.

If he were to successfully bring down Great Qian, destroy the nation’s fortune, and allow the return of the snake father, then he would undoubtedly receive immense rewards from the snake father. A mere Priest’s position would be nothing in comparison.

She Xi was actually skeptical about his stepfather’s ability to attract such talent, so he shifted his focus. Could it be because he had taken the other party’s position as Priest, that they were targeting him?

She Xi’s forked tongue found no scent in the air, leading him to realize something: the adversary was definitely more cautious than She Qi.

She Xi’s face changed and he hurriedly asked, “What’s the matter? Why the panic?”

Although She Xi longed for revenge, he knew that acting rashly during Great Qian’s rise would only lead to a dead end.

Even though it was a tough nut to crack, he knew he had to do it. As the High Priest of You Si, with every ritual he could sense the urgency of the snake father. It seemed that if they didn’t act against Great Qian soon, something terrible would follow, not just for the whole You Si Snake-man Clan, but for the snake father as well.

So he never even considered targeting the Human Clan. Even if their national fate could suppress them, the Human Clan itself had no capacity to fight back against them.

His actions naturally attracted the attention of many Snake-men.

Whether it was losing the favor of the snake father or being crushed by the rising Great Qian, the outcome seemed inevitably to be death.

Putting himself in their shoes, She Xi figured he would be quite incensed as well.

Therefore, he speculated that if they waited until the current Emperor Qian died before taking action, the outcome would likely be the same as that of She Qi’s—a dead end, literally.

Therefore, he had to suppress or expose this deeply hidden Snake-man organization. He absolutely could not let them have the power they desired.

Thus, he could only offer an explanation: “It’s nothing serious, just a minor issue.”

So he had to lay low for a while, but to bear such humiliation was something he couldn’t endure. After all, he had returned beaten and battered like a lump of mud. How could he tolerate such an immense disgrace?

Thus, the external threats became internal worries.

This made She Xi feel uncomfortable all over.

Such matters, of course, were not suited for loud discussion, as they involved the entire Snake-man Clan, so information had to be reported quietly to prevent incidents like rumors and panic.

As for suspecting the Human Clan? He never even considered it. Their weakness was widely recognized. Without the support of Qian Country’s fate, they would have been wiped out long ago. Before the Snake-men came to You Si, the Human Clan were but blood food cultivated by their various clans.

He himself was already in a difficult situation, so how could he possibly interfere with the Snake-man Clan? And even if they did come, it would be to seek refuge, not destruction. What benefit would it be to destroy You Si when seeking asylum there?

As a Snake-man who manipulated an entire country from the Court, he possessed the necessary grace and breadth of vision. He would not merely chalk things up to good or bad luck; even in defeat, he would summarize and improve rather than blame fate or others.