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Chapter 1186: Private Worries
Maid Xing had her subordinates prepare some fresh water and towels for the group. Then, they draped a wool carpet across the carriages.
All sorts of fine desserts and fruits were arranged on a table, and the tableware seemed to be made of jade or ivory. All sorts of precious, fragrant incense filled the area with a simple and elegant aroma. Just one whiff could make one feel full of ki; they were clearly beneficial to cultivation.
Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue secretly exchanged a look. This Yu Yanluo’s usual lifestyle really was quite extravagant! Even though the two of them had high statuses, one came from a dao sect, and the other came from the Devil Sect. Neither one paid much attention to their normal day to day affairs. Compared to Yu Yanluo, the two women almost felt like country bumpkins.
But they also noticed that Yu Yanluo’s expression was the same as usual, and she wasn’t showing off in front of the two of them on purpose. They then felt a bit more relieved.
Just then, Yu Yanluo asked Maid Xing a question; the maid gave Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue a troubled look.
Yu Yanluo said, “They’re our own people; it’s okay to speak your mind.”
Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue’s expressions were strange. If they had heard that the previous day, both women might have spoken up in protest. But after they had fought alongside each other, and considering their relationship with Zu An, that description didn’t seem wrong.
Maid Xing looked at Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue in surprise. As Yu Yanluo’s personal maid, she obviously knew who Yu Yanluo usually spent her time around. These two were so beautiful and stunning. If Yu Yanluo had friends like these, how could she not know about them?
That meant they could only be Zu An’s friends. She secretly asked, “Are these two young master Zu’s lovers?”
At the same time, she really felt incredible admiration. Young master Zu really is formidable; he actually has so many beauties of this level at his side! The most important part was that the madam didn’t even look unhappy about it. Who would believe it even if news of such a thing got out?
Yu Yanluo jumped in fright. Fortunately, Maid Xing was speaking through ki transmission. She quickly warned the maid, “You are not permitted to speak such nonsense. You are not to offend these two in the future, do you understand?”
These two definitely weren’t easy to deal with. Meanwhile, even though one was the leader of the orthodox faction, the memory of being hunted down was still fresh in her mind. There was even less of a need to talk about the other one; she was a famous butcher from the evil dao. Not even Yu Yanluo would be able to do anything if her own clansmen ended up offending the two.
Maid Xing stuck out her tongue playfully, then began to discuss the matter at hand. “After we left the city, we went straight to the mines, but we did not expect so many things to have happened here. However, there was nothing we could do about it and could only brace ourselves. Along the way, we received Yu Bin and the others’ help, but they went missing while protecting us…”
Zu An and Yu Yanluo exchanged a look. They couldn't help but sigh. Yu Yanluo then took out Yu Bin’s blood-soaked notebook and said emotionally, “I fear that they might have already passed away.” She gave them a rough summary of what had happened.
“What?!” Maid Xing exclaimed in horror. She couldn't help but start sobbing.
Yan Xuehen remained silent for a long time. She had stubbornly insisted on distinguishing between man and fiend, but Yu Bin and the other humans alongside him had risked their lives to protect the Snake race people. Now, when the Snake race survivors heard news of their passing, their grief was clearly real.
Could it be that the beliefs I obstinately clung to have been wrong all along?
Yun Jianyue was thinking about something else. The Yu clan’s people all had strong morale and camaraderie. With such cohesiveness, even if the Yu clan temporarily collapsed, they would rise again soon afterward. The Holy Sect would benefit a lot if they were to help Yu Yanluo while she was down and out.
Yu Yanluo stroked Maid Xing’s head and said, “Let us take good care of their families once we return. I will also build a monument of heroes for these brave warriors, so the Yu clan’s people will remember their sacrifices.”
“Thank you, madam,” Maid Xing said while wiping away her tears.
Yu Yanluo sighed and said, “This is what I owe them; why do you need to thank me?”
…
After the two exchanged some more emotions, Maid Xing then continued, “Later on, we encountered the attacks of those strange worms, and suffered many casualties. We tried our best and managed to kill one, but that seemingly poked the hornet’s nest. More and more of the strange worms rushed at us. But on the brink of despair, we heard an extremely frightening roar. The strange worms seemed to have been summoned by something, and all of them pulled back. That was how we managed to survive by the skin of our teeth.”
The other three women all looked at Zu An with annoyed expressions when Maid Xing said that; their gazes were filled with a mix of reproach and embarrassment. They all knew that the reason why those worms had withdrawn was because the mother worm had been fed those disgusting drugs by Zu An. They had all rushed back to ‘devote their bodies’.
Zu An laughed awkwardly and remarked, “Even though the process was a bit of a mess, the result was still good overall, right? Maid Xing, the mine has collapsed, so we plan to visit the Snake race, then take a detour back to the human world from that side. Is there anything we should pay attention to?”
Maid Xing was a bit surprised. She gave Yu Yanluo a look, but seeing that she had no signs of stopping Zu An, she said, “The fiend race territory and human territory are separated by the Great Snowy Mountain, which is a place full of endless dangers. If you enter, it will mean almost guaranteed death. That is why other methods must be relied on to travel between them.
“There are some secret passages between the territories: For example, the underground transport formation between the Snake race and the Yu clan in the mines. However, such passages are all hidden with absolute secrecy.”
Zu An was a bit shocked when he heard the explanation. No wonder that passage had felt a bit different from walking through a normal mine tunnel. So he had ended up walking through something like a wormhole!
He gave Yun Jianyue and Yu Yanluo a look. He saw that their expressions were unaffected, as if they already knew that. Zu An felt a bit ashamed; he had been focused on the heavy pressure behind him and hadn’t carefully sensed his surroundings.
Maid Xing continued, “Apart from those secret passages, the fiend and human races’ public intersection is Desolate City.”
“Desolate City?” Zu An asked curiously. He had spent some time cramming knowledge about the Great Zhou Dynasty into his mind, but his knowledge regarding the fiend races was quite vague. He hadn’t heard of the name before.
Yu Yanluo helped him by explaining, “Desolate City is to the southeast of the fiend races’ territory, a buffer zone between them and humans. Of course, it is also a well-known unregulated area. If the fiend or the human races want to enter each other’s respective areas, they all pass through Desolate City. It is a place where crooks are mixed in with honest folk, and extremely dangerous.”
Yun Jianyue added, “That’s not a big deal. What’s more troublesome is how we’re supposed to get to Desolate City from the Snake race territory. It seems we’ll have to pass through the Fiend King Court.”
With her and Yan Xuehen’s cultivation, even if they were injured, they would recover a bit of strength by the time they reached Desolate City. They naturally weren’t scared of the city’s dangers.
But if they had to pass through Fiend King Court, that was a place that contained many powerful beings. For example, the Fiend Emperor was a cultivator on par with Zhao Han They wouldn’t be able to win against him even if they were at their strongest. Passing through that area was just way too dangerous.
Yan Xuehen’s brows furrowed; she was clearly thinking the same thing.
Maid Xing didn’t understand. She asked, “Why would it be troublesome to pass through the Fiend King Court? In my opinion, the most troublesome place would be the Snake race territory.”
“Inside the Snake race territory?” Forget about Zu An, even Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue were now curious. Wasn’t Yu Yanluo the clan leader? Why would there be any issues?
Maid Xing explained worriedly, “Even though madam has the Medusa bloodline within her and is the clan leader in name, she has always preferred to stay on the human side. Rarely does she come here. She only helps transport some lifestyle goods that are in short supply over to the Snake race. Meanwhile, the Snake race’s important affairs are decided by some other elders with prestige. As time has passed, madam’s title no longer carries any real weight, and all of the authority among the Snake race actually belongs to those elders.
“Among the elders, the ones with the greatest influence are Elder White and Elder Blue. They have always been quite ambitious. In the past, they might have acted somewhat subservient because they needed to rely on the madam for a supply of goods, but now that the madam has gone through all of that in Cloudcenter City, if she returns to the Snake race, they might start to harbor wicked thoughts.”
Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen were both individuals who controlled their own clans. They immediately understood how tricky dealing with such a situation was. Yu Yanluo had already had all of her authority snatched out from under her.
Zu An had been getting excited when he heard that there were two leaders, but he immediately lost interest when he heard that they were two old men.
“There is nothing else to be done; let us return to the clan first and cross that bridge once we get there,” Yu Yanluo replied with extreme calm. After confirming her relationship with Zu An, she was in her honeymoon phase. As long as she was with him, all other annoyances didn’t seem to be that big of a deal anymore.