Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 3 Wire Snake

The long table by the window was piled high with thread-bound classic books.

Zhou Li climbed up to examine each section, but apart from the top layer, he could not see the titles of the books.

"The 'Xin Zhai Qing Gong' (心斋清供) in thirty volumes sounds like it's about food."

"The 'Scattered Remarks on the Investigation of Things' is a collection of fragmented and casual remarks, with 'investigating things' referring to exploring the principles of all things and 'scattered remarks' referring to random and casual conversations."

"The unfinished manuscript of 'Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang' is also like a miscellaneous book, unrelated to cultivating Taoism and becoming an immortal."

The title of this book made Zhou Li (周礼) feel disgusted.

Having gained nothing, Zhou Lishun slid down the table leg and returned to Lu Changye's side along the blue bricks.

"Since Senior Brother loves reading, we'll wait here and one day we'll see him peruse cultivation texts."

Zhou Li prostrated himself before Lu Changye, staring with his small eyes.

For several days in a row, Zhou Li spent all his time with Lu Changye, except when he led his companions out to forage for food in the afternoon.

Lu Changye reads a book, while ants observe people; it's quite interesting.

When they saw something important, they would either frown and ponder, or clap and cheer. Gu Siwei came by a few times, but she never asked about any obstacles in her cultivation. She just chatted about some interesting things in the sect and brought some osmanthus cakes.

In this way, while Lu Changye satisfied his cravings, Zhou Li was also able to enjoy the delicacies of this world.

"Although this book, Wang Yang's Mathematical Classic, is not written by a famous author, the 'chicken and rabbit in the same cage' problem is quite interesting."

That evening, Lu Changye finished reading the last page of the book in his hand. Looking as if he hadn't had enough, he put the book aside, got up to stretch his limbs, and glanced down at the ground in front of him.

"The little guy is still here."

During his days of reading by the bamboo grove in the courtyard, Lu Changye had already noticed the ant.

At first, it seemed ordinary; there was an ant nest in the bamboo grove, so it wouldn't be surprising if an ant came here.

But the next day, while reading, he saw the ant again, though he thought it was just a coincidence.

The third day...

The fourth day...

The ants were all there, and Lu Changye became puzzled. Why did this ant keep watching me every day?

Although he couldn't guess the reason, it was quite interesting to have an ant keep him company while he read, so he kept quiet to avoid alerting the ant.

Later, he specially asked Gu Siwei to prepare some osmanthus cakes for him. When he ate them, he deliberately left a lot of residue so that the ants could eat them and observe them in secret.

Even now, after finishing the book, the ant is still here.

Lu Changye's curiosity was piqued. He slowly bent down, looked at the ants on the ground, and said with a gentle expression:

"Brother Ant, you've been keeping me company while I study these past few days, do you perhaps know how to read too?"

Zhou Li was disappointed to see Lu Changye not reading any cultivation manuals. When he saw Lu Changye get up, he decided to leave.

Unexpectedly, Lu Changye leaned down, glared at him with his bull-like eyes, and spoke to him.

Zhou Li froze, utterly shocked.

"We've been discovered?"

It's best to make a quick getaway.

Seeing the ant turn to leave, Lu Changye stretched out his palm to block its path, pinching it between two fingers and placing it in his palm.

"Brother Ant, I have no ill intentions, there is no need for you to panic."

Lu Changye didn't expect the ant to respond; his question, "Could it be that you can read too?" was just a joke.

Tigers and wolves can become demons, foxes and deer can become spirits, and snakes and pythons can transform into dragons; lifespan, vital energy, and opportunity are all indispensable.

Insects, being tiny creatures, have limited lifespans and struggle to accumulate spiritual energy, let alone cultivate themselves; they even find it difficult to develop intelligence.

If one cannot cultivate oneself, how can one speak, respond, or read and write?

After admiring them for a moment, Lu Changye put the ants back on the ground.

"I guess you're not here to study, but just to satisfy your craving for these leftover osmanthus cake crumbs. But I'm happy to see you come every day; it's quite an interesting thing."

After saying that, he picked up the books and bamboo chair and went back to his room.

If Lu Changye had just lightly crushed his fingers, Zhou Li would probably have died. Fortunately, he escaped unharmed.

He shook his tentacles and said in exasperation, "I can come every day, but when are you finally going to start researching cultivation and seeking the Dao?"

Sensing the air becoming humid and guessing that a spring rain was coming soon, Zhou Li hurriedly crawled towards the anthill.

The ant nest is a maze of interconnected passages, and worker ants do not have a fixed resting place, but rather find any spot in the nest to rest.

Zhou Li preferred the depths of his nest, where it was safe, comfortable, and the temperature was just right.

As night fell, the spiny-bellied spider, stepping on its silk, arrived at a nest already woven with spider webs under bamboo leaves and crawled inside.

A moment later, cold raindrops fell from the sky, hitting the purple bamboo forest and making a "pitter-patter" sound.

The spring rain lasted for half the night, then stopped in the latter half, leaving a faint earthy fragrance in the air.

As the soil around the base of the outer wall of the small courtyard room turned up, a wire snake, less than half a foot long, emerged from the mud, its dark brown scales gleaming with a terrifying metallic sheen in the dim light.

It shook its head and flicked its tongue, as if searching for something.

After a few breaths, it climbed up the courtyard wall, jumped into the courtyard, shook its head and wiggled its body for a while, and then ran towards the direction of the purple bamboo forest.

The wire snake darted through the fallen leaves of the purple bamboo and a few newly sprouted weeds, until it reached the anthill. Suddenly, its tail narrowed into a sharp spike, which it thrust into the anthill and stirred.

In a short while, the entrance to the anthill widened considerably. The wire snake extended its head into the anthill, and its delicately structured mandibles, like tweezers, caught the tangled ants in the nest and swallowed them whole.

It ravaged the anthill for several hours, only reluctantly leaving at the first light of dawn, returning to its snake nest outside the courtyard wall, to return the following evening.

After this battle, countless ants died or were injured, and the anthill was in a mess. The worker ants had no time to grieve and sped up digging to repair the damage.

Zhou Li, still shaken by the terrifying snake head he recalled after a harrowing night, was deeply disturbed.

Compared to the spiny-bellied spider that was weaving its web in the purple bamboo, this wire snake was undoubtedly a greater threat. After tonight's visit, the insatiable wire snake would surely return, and its companions in the anthill would likely face annihilation.

"We must speed up our cultivation progress."

Zhou Li knew that even if he couldn't deal with the wire snake, he had to leave the nest and survive independently before the wire snake destroyed the anthill.

Just as Zhou Li was busy repairing the nest, Lu Changye gently pushed open the door, and the cool morning air after the rain, carrying the scent of grass and trees, rushed in.

Recalling yesterday's events, Lu Changye moved out a bamboo chair and books, and sat down in the same spot.

He would steal a glance at the blue bricks in front of him with each page he read, and after a long time he still didn't see any ants, so he went inside and took out some food, crushed it into crumbs and threw it on the ground, eagerly waiting for more.

But the ant was not seen again in the afternoon.

"Was it scared because I caught it last night?"

Just as she was feeling uneasy, Gu Siwei, who had already gone out, entered the courtyard.

"Senior Brother, I have completed my Qi Refining. Please teach me the Foundation Establishment Method quickly."

Gu Siwei went into the side room, took out a bamboo chair, and excitedly sat down next to Lu Changye, resting her chin on her hands.

Lu Changye sighed, deciding to forget about the ant. He looked at Gu Siwei, about to offer some guidance on foundation-building techniques, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of an ant hurrying by on the blue bricks.

It then came to a steady stop on the same blue brick where it had been sitting for the past few days.