Chapter 1237: Full of Loopholes

Xiao Ran walked out of Qinglong’s room, turned left, and took a full forty to fifty steps before she finally saw the so-called “third door.”

It seemed every room here was quite large, different from all the others she had passed along the way.

But since Qinglong had been vague earlier, Xiao Ran hadn’t asked for specifics. Now, she noticed there was a door on each side of the corridor.

Counting from Qinglong’s room, both could be considered the third door. From the outside, they looked identical—there was no way to tell which one housed the “Snake.”

Xiao Ran glanced left and right. Since she couldn’t determine it from the outside, she’d have to knock and see.

After all, she represented “Qinglong.” Even these so-called “Celestials” would have to show her some respect.

She approached the door on the right and knocked. She clearly heard movement inside, but no one came to answer.

A few seconds later, she knocked again, this time with more force, her irritation evident in the sound.

The noise inside gradually stopped, as if the occupant was carefully listening to the commotion outside.

“Is anyone in there?” Xiao Ran called out. “If you are, open up. Qinglong has a message for you.”

After a pause, heavy footsteps echoed from inside. Step by step, they approached the door before the handle twisted, opening just a sliver.

Xiao Ran narrowed her eyes, peering into the darkness beyond the crack. She had assumed no one was there, but the next second, a chubby man suddenly pressed his face into the gap, startling her.

“Ah—!”

She stepped back but quickly regained her composure, her expression twisting with anger.

“Who the hell are you? Do you even know who I—”

“Opposite,” the man muttered in a low voice.

“…Huh?”

“Celestial Snake is across the hall,” he said flatly. “You knocked on the wrong door.”

With that, he took a step back and began to close the door. Xiao Ran reacted swiftly, shoving her hand against it to stop him.

“Wait—what do you mean?” she snapped, baffled. “I never said I was looking for Celestial Snake. And I’m here on Qinglong’s behalf—what’s your problem?”

The man lifted his gaze to meet hers again. “Stop acting high and mighty. Go knock on the other door.”

“You—!” Xiao Ran was left speechless. “Who even are you? Are you staff here?”

The man stared at her, his voice low and warning. “Don’t be foolish. Every door you knock open here belongs to a ‘Celestial.'”

“Celestial… So what?” Xiao Ran muttered, her confidence wavering slightly. “Qinglong sent me—”

“I wouldn’t advise lying when you knock on the opposite door,” he interrupted. “Your usual tricks won’t work here.”

With that, he stepped back and shut the door firmly, leaving no further response.

“What an ass…”

Xiao Ran cursed under her breath before spitting at the door and turning to face the one across the hall.

*Bang bang bang!*

Her anger at the chubby man fueled her knocking—this time, much louder.

After a moment, footsteps approached from inside. The door creaked open, revealing a man with messy hair and thick glasses.

Xiao Ran’s confusion deepened at the sight.

Qinglong had kept going on about “seeking the Celestials,” but so far, she’d encountered nothing but an antisocial fat guy and a nearsighted recluse. Was this really fine?

Even if this man truly was “Celestial Snake,” the intimidation factor was leagues below that of “Earth Snake.”

“Sorry… what was it you said…?” Celestial Snake adjusted his glasses, peering at her.

“I—” Xiao Ran huffed impatiently. “Qinglong sent me with a message. Open the damn door.”

Celestial Snake studied her for a long moment before slowly pulling the door open wider.

Without hesitation, Xiao Ran strode inside—only to freeze in shock at the sight before her.

The room was spacious, filled with bizarrely arranged tables and chairs. Bloodstained blades hung on the walls.

But what horrified her most were the people—dozens of them, standing rigidly along the walls like statues, staring blankly ahead.

In this room, it was as if *they* were the walls.

“Qinglong really said that…?” Celestial Snake mused, eyeing her carefully.

“What the hell?” Xiao Ran shot him a disdainful look. “What do you mean, ‘Qinglong really said that’? I haven’t even told you anything yet. Are all ‘Celestials’ this stupid?”

Celestial Snake’s mind had already drifted far away. The thoughts swirling in this woman’s head were nothing like Wu Xuan’s from back then.

Wu Xuan’s mind had been pure. Even without madness, she wielded flawless “immortal techniques.” That was why she had been the rightful vessel for multiple techniques, becoming “Xuanwu.”

But this woman’s thoughts were a tangled mess.

If someone like her lost their sanity, only sheer malice would remain. She’d be impossible for Qinglong to control.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” Xiao Ran waved a hand in front of his face when she noticed him spacing out. “What’s with the zoning out?”

“I—” He blinked, snapping back to reality. “Apologies. I’m not used to listening to people.”

“Well, you can’t just ignore me,” she snapped, jabbing a finger at his nose. “Disrespecting me means disrespecting Qinglong. Got it?”

Celestial Snake sighed. “Don’t pin that on me.”

“Listen up.” Xiao Ran ignored his response. “Qinglong told me to say—”

As she spoke, Celestial Snake frowned, his gaze locked onto her eyes. It was strange—someone who could enter his room yet didn’t know he could “read minds”? Would Qinglong really make such an absurd decision?

What’s more, he had already discerned her thoughts. He expected her to relay the truth, but instead, something amusing unfolded.

“Qinglong told me to say… ‘This woman represents me for now. You will follow her orders.'”

The moment the words left her mouth, Celestial Snake fell into deep silence.

This was too bizarre. He had to carefully consider Qinglong’s intentions.

Qinglong had already begun targeting the “Celestials” out of frustration. If he misinterpreted his leader’s motives now, he could easily become the next “Celestial Pig.”

But why hand over such a flawed experiment to him? And what did “I expect a masterpiece” even mean?

Celestial Snake prided himself on understanding Qinglong—yet this time, he was stumped.

“What’s wrong with you?” Xiao Ran scowled. “First, you don’t listen, now you can’t even speak?”

“Oh…” He paused, then shook his head. “No. Go on.”

Dragging a chair over, he sat down, his thoughtful gaze never leaving her.