The Cowherd's Mistaken Marriage to the Golden Apple Snail - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Every living creature in this world has a True Name. One who possesses that name can control the creature.

The Old Yellow Ox goaded the Cowherd into calling me by my True Name, “Snail Maiden,” in order to bind me.

This way, even if I grew a shell and regained my magic in the future, I would be unable to do anything to him.

Unfortunately, they mistook my identity. I am a Golden Apple Snail.

Even if they hadn’t been mistaken, the regulations of the Huaxia Celestial Court cannot bind an invasive species like me.

Since it put their minds at ease, I put on a show of being terrified.

Once the Cowherd had fallen asleep, I went to the Old Yellow Ox’s shed.

Thinking I was trying to escape, the Old Yellow Ox advised me, “The Cowherd has already called your True Name, so don’t even think about running.

“Don’t look at how shiftless he is now; that’s only because he doesn’t have a good wife to guide him.

“Once you’re married, he’ll settle down. All men are like that.

“For a woman with no one to rely on like yourself, having a man willing to give you a home is your greatest happiness.”

I interrupted his long-winded lecture.

“Who said I was running away? I can’t thank you enough for capturing me; I’m actually quite happy.”

We Golden Apple Snails love filthy things, and that includes despicable character.

The Cowherd’s brand of masculinity was practically tailor-made for our aesthetic.

Incompetence and greed.

Every single one of his vile traits could nourish the most perfect offspring.

I spoke with total sincerity, and only then did the Old Yellow Ox truly believe me.

The Snail Clan has always liked to raise daughters as future daughters-in-law, so it wasn’t strange for me to have such thoughts.

“We both want the Cowherd to have a better life, right?

“You saw how much he wanted my shell.”

I smiled warmly, maintaining my gentle appearance as I approached the Old Yellow Ox. “I want to borrow something from you.

“I want to borrow your body to serve as my shell.”

My mucus contains anesthetic properties.

The Cowherd, currently coated in my slime, was sleeping peacefully.

I wasn’t at all afraid of him waking up.

I revealed my true form right in front of the Old Yellow Ox.

Because the Cowherd had destroyed my shell, my true body was exposed naked before him.

My flesh was not lustrous like jade, as a Field Snail Spirit’s would be.

Instead, it was covered in pitch-black, foul-smelling slime.

Countless parasites of various shapes and sizes, dense and multicolored, began to stir upon my body.

Though I had lost my magic, I still had my precious parasites to help me.

The Old Yellow Ox would have sworn that in all its hundreds of years of life, it had never seen such a disgusting monster.

This wasn’t some domestic Snail Maiden; this was an absolute abomination.

He scrambled backward, but I was faster.

With a single glance from me, several white, maggot-like parasites flew onto the Old Yellow Ox, burrowing into his body and tearing at his flesh.

His mouth fell open in agony as several parasites crawled out from his throat.

He jumped in pain, his four hooves kicking so hard they practically smoked.

“I can let you leave! Just don’t kill me!”

I shook my head slightly, my mouthparts opening and closing as I spat out globs of mucus mixed with pink egg clusters.

“Sigh, I said I truly wanted to stay here. Why won’t you believe me?”

I didn’t bother wasting any more words and used my mucus to restrain him.

In an instant, the Old Yellow Ox was swarmed and devoured by the parasites.