Chapter 56: You Lack Human Emotion

Inside the cave at this moment, little Tong was completely at his wit's end. What on earth was wrong with his mother this time? She had simply fallen unconscious and refused to wake up!

"Bailing, what is going on here? Did Mother eat something bad?" little Tong squatted on the ground and asked in utter confusion. Bailing, however, bit his lower lip hard, completely at a loss for how to respond!

Ming Xi had actually... actually lost all signs of life!

How... how could this be?

Just as Bailing was struck dumb, Jiyan's voice echoed through the cave entrance: "Well, well, you little brat! How dare you pull this trick on this Snake Emperor! You're simply courting death!"

When little Tong saw Jiyan stepping into the cave, he knew the soul-devouring beast had been utterly defeated!

But on their side...

"Mother, please wake up! The Snake Emperor auntie is really breaking in!" little Tong's voice carried a hint of sobbing as he shook Ming Xi's body vigorously.

Fear had reached its absolute limit.

When Jiyan glanced at the center of the stone pillar and saw that the primordial core was gone, a surge of rage instantly ignited within her. She flicked her serpentine tongue, emitting a hissing sound as she issued a warning: "Little ghost, where did you hide the primordial core?"

"I don't know!" little Tong pouted stubbornly, "Bad auntie, little Tong didn't take your primordial core!"

"You didn't take it? Do you take me for a fool? If you didn't take it, how come the primordial core is gone?!"

"That's because the primordial core just grew legs and ran away by itself! It has nothing to do with little Tong, little Tong really didn't take it."

Damn! This little brat's excuse was ruthless enough to leave even Jiyan utterly speechless!

However, seeing Ming Xi lying unconscious on the ground with both hands tightly clutching her lower abdomen, Jiyan instantly guessed the truth!

Could this wretch have eaten the primordial core?!

Jiyan widened her round eyes and rushed forward frantically, "She ate my primordial core?!"

"No!" little Tong argued desperately at the sight, "Mother didn't eat your primordial core! The primordial core is so big, how could she possibly swallow it?"

"Don't lie to me! You little liar hasn't said a single true word! Hurry up and spit out my primordial core!"

Jiyan was mad enough to die, wishing she could dissect Ming Xi right then and there! This girl was simply too audacious, daring to actually swallow her primordial core!

Seeing that the situation had turned critical, little Tong hurriedly blocked Ming Xi, glaring fiercely at Jiyan as he shouted, "Bad auntie is not allowed to bully my mother! Otherwise, little Tong will get angry!"

"Angry? What the hell is the use of you getting angry? And you..." Jiyan was just about to continue when she suddenly noticed that little Tong was clutching her snake egg in his arms!

"You! You damned child, what are you doing with the Snake Emperor's snake egg? Put it down right now!!"

Upon hearing this, little Tong suddenly realized that the snake egg in his arms belonged to this wicked auntie!

"Little Tong won't put it down! If the bad auntie dares to touch little Tong's mother, little Tong will smash your egg!" little Tong said, lifting the snake egg high above his head without a trace of politeness.

"You!..." Jiyan was choked with rage, unable to utter a single word. Meanwhile, little Tong was already panicking inwardly, thinking: *Mother, please wake up! If this keeps up, little Tong won't be able to hold on much longer either! I forbid you from ever fainting for no reason again in the future, because this is clearly pushing little Tong straight to the underworld! Little Tong refuses to go there!*

*So... Mother, stop messing around and get up already...*

Meanwhile, inside the sub-space, Ming Xi heard these pleading calls, and her heart felt as though it were being violently yanked, aching to the very core.

She had no time to waste. She had wanted to say more to Ming Xi, but... at this moment, she could not risk her son's life!

"Ming Xi, I called you here this time not to tell you how I died, nor to tell you what my past life was like—those are things you will gradually come to understand. To make a long story short, we don't have much time left! Bringing you here this time was primarily to hand this item over to you!" With that, Ming Xi retrieved a key from her bosom. The key was extremely peculiar and appeared to be made of pure gold. Upon seeing it, Ming Xi instinctively found her mind drifting toward its monetary value!

She couldn't help it; this was truly her instinct.

Seeing this, Ming Xi let out a deeply helpless sigh, "This is precisely why I can never truly rest easy when it comes to you..."

"Huh?" Ming Xi didn't quite understand.

"...You are merely a fox! Even if you continue to live on as a human from now on, your intelligence and mindset remain those of a fox. Eating roasted chicken, drinking fine wine, pilfering and stealing, being greedy for money—just think about it, in what way do you not resemble a fox? You completely lack the emotions a human should possess, nor have you ever experienced a human way of life. That is precisely why I worry about how you will survive in this continent from now on!"

"..."

"Therefore, Ming Xi, there is still much for you to learn and comprehend. Since you live in the mortal world, you must possess the emotions and mindset proper to a human being. This is my only piece of advice to you!" Ming Xi's tone was stern and brisk, leaving no room for hesitation, because she knew very well... little Tong was in danger right now!

"This key is the very key to unlocking the Chiming Seal, and at the same time... it is the cause of my death."

"Your death was caused by this key?" Ming Xi asked, and Ming Xi sighed, ultimately nodding in affirmation.