Chapter 399 - 397: Jade Centipede
"So long as he’s dead."
Celeste Grant’s expression was placid as she continued roasting the rabbit in her hands. As for that Evil Cultivator from the Upper Realm, in her eyes, he probably wasn’t as important as this rabbit.
She didn’t think for a moment that her son had been too harsh. If you try to possess someone’s son, you’d better be prepared to die.
In the Cultivation World, when someone is out for your life, you have to eliminate them, root and stem. Sympathy is for those who deserve it, not for just anyone.
"Mother, go rest. I’ll take over."
"It’s alright. It’s almost done."
"Let me, let me. You’ve worked hard, Mother." As he spoke, he took the willow skewer holding the rabbit from Celeste Grant’s hands and started roasting it himself. This one was almost done, so he picked up the seasoning and began to sprinkle it on.
In that instant, the aroma drifted far and wide.
Drawn by the aroma, a chopstick-long green centipede scuttled over from the distance. It crawled and crawled, from Aaron Sinclair’s foot all the way up to his shoulder, then stretched its neck to watch. If you looked closely, you could even see the centipede slurping and drooling.
No, that was its venom.
"Keep your drool to yourself."
SLURP.
The venom was retracted.
This was Sprout, the centipede Javier Sinclair had raised in the past.
The last time the Cultivation World was invaded by the Outer Realms Race, Celeste Grant had sent Sprout to her parents’ side to ensure their safety. After that, it had fallen into a deep, secluded slumber. That was why Sprout was still sleeping when Celeste Grant went to the modern world.
Seeing Sprout, Celeste Grant leaned in for a closer look. She spoke, "Sprout, long time no see."
The green centipede on Aaron Sinclair’s shoulder stretched its neck and nodded at Celeste Grant. She had known for a long time that this centipede Javier Sinclair raised was male.
Just then, Sprout spoke in a human voice.
"Mistress."
"Sprout, you’ve gotten fat."
The moment she said it...
Sprout looked down at itself in a very human-like manner. ’...’ ’Fat? Am I fat? I can be fierce, majestic, big, and long, but I absolutely cannot be fat!’
Seeing its reaction, Celeste Grant couldn’t help but burst out laughing. "Hahaha! I’m just teasing you. You’re not fat, you’ve just grown bigger. You’re very handsome." The centipede Javier Sinclair raised was just as proud and prickly as he was.
"EEK! You scared me to death!" Sprout actually thought it had gotten fat in its sleep.
"When did you break through?"
"I broke through to the Eighth Rank right after I woke up."
Celeste Grant held out her hand, and Sprout crawled up her fingers and onto her palm.
Her Archfiend loved raising these sorts of creatures, and after some exposure, Celeste Grant had grown quite fond of them herself. At that moment, Sprout was affectionately nuzzling her fingers.
Seeing Sprout reminded Celeste Grant of her first encounter with Javier Sinclair in the bamboo forest. This was the very same centipede she had touched on his butt back then. The memory made her laugh. ’Thinking back, the centipede probably feared interrupting its master’s ’good time’ and vanished in a flash.’
She gently stroked its head with her finger.
"Now that you’re Eighth Rank, you can take human form."
"Yes, I can."
Hearing that he could take human form, Celeste Grant was filled with curiosity. She wanted to know what Sprout would look like. Thinking of this, she said, "Transform and let me have a look."
"Yes, Mistress." Sprout crawled a circle around her finger. The green centipede’s form vanished from her hand and, in the next instant, reappeared on the ground nearby.
A green light flashed, and a young man dressed in green stood there. He had an exquisitely handsome face and a slender build, appearing to be fifteen or sixteen years old. He also had two green, centipede-like antennae on his head. One look was enough to tell he was a centipede-type Demonic or Spirit Beast who had achieved human form through cultivation.
He looked down at himself, then turned to Celeste Grant and asked, "Mistress, this is what I look like now. Is it weird?"
Celeste Grant sized him up and said, "A handsome young man, you look amazing! You must be the most handsome centipede in your whole clan."
He already knew that, of course. Sprout lifted his head slightly. "That’s a given."
Then, Sprout looked at Javier Sinclair with great anticipation. "Master, Master! I can take human form now! Look, I’m just like you!" He paced back and forth in front of Javier, looking thrilled.
Javier Sinclair, who had been silent the whole time, turned his gaze to Sprout. His brow furrowed slightly. "Where did this thing come from?"
Master had always called him Sprout; he would never use a dismissive term like ’this thing’. Hearing those words, Sprout, who had been pacing happily, froze solid.
He pointed at himself.
"It’s me, Master! I’m Sprout!"
Javier Sinclair: "I don’t know you."
’I don’t know you!!!!’
’I don’t know you!!!!!’
Sprout’s eyes widened, and then tears started streaming down his face.
He wrung his hands, looking at Javier Sinclair.
"Master, don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Sprout! Look at me! Take a closer look. I’m a giant green centipede this long! There’s only one of me in the entire world!"
Sprout used to be an ordinary, red-shelled centipede; he only became this way through Javier Sinclair’s poison refining. He had been with his master since he was just a tiny centipede. Now, his master didn’t recognize him. Sprout was about to die from crying.
As he spoke, Sprout’s form shifted, and in the next moment, a colossal green centipede appeared before them. Perhaps because he was now Eighth Rank, a red royal mark had appeared on his forehead.
But right now, tears were gushing from the centipede’s eyes.
It was wailing like a boiling kettle.
Sprout nudged his head closer to Javier Sinclair. "It’s really me, Master! Do you not recognize me because my appearance has changed?"
Javier Sinclair glanced at the centipede.
’Ah, I get it.’
’The ex-husband’s centipede.’
’This other Javier Sinclair has the same taste as I do. This centipede is quite beautiful.’ I lifted my hand, and the centipede quickly lowered its head.
Javier Sinclair’s finger landed on Sprout’s head. A rune lit up on its forehead—the Spirit Pet Contract Mark. ’Even though the ex-husband raised this centipede, it’s mine now.’
Having never seen a centipede cry like this, Javier Sinclair felt his eyes were about to go blind. "Stop, stop! I think my eyes are going blind."
"Master... Are you going to abandon me?"
Celeste Grant stepped forward.
"Sprout, your master just has amnesia. He doesn’t remember you."
Sprout’s centipede head swayed back and forth.
"How could that happen?" He tilted his head to look at Javier Sinclair, then back at Celeste Grant, nodding slightly. "Oh, so that’s it. I thought Master had grown tired of me and found a new centipede."
Celeste Grant gave a faint smile. "No, nothing like that. You’re the only centipede we’ve raised." After all, a Sinclair was very particular about which centipedes he kept.
Sprout circled around Javier Sinclair and Celeste Grant, then rested his head near Javier’s hand. "Master, look at me. Don’t I seem familiar at all?"
At his words...
A scene unconsciously surfaced in Javier Sinclair’s mind.
He was holding a jar. Inside, countless venomous creatures were fighting to the death. And within that jar was a small, green centipede... one that looked a little like the one before him now.
’Is this... the ex-husband’s memory?’