It wasn’t that the Myriad Snake Queen refused to tell her subordinates. Rather, she knew they would try to stop her if she did, for the risks were simply too great. The slightest mistake could doom the entire City of Water to utter destruction.
But She Ji knew full well that this was the only way to save the City of Water—to save as many lives as possible.
The lost territories would soon be reclaimed.
“This Queen has my own plans. All of you, withdraw for now.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Withdraw!”
“Yes.”
Once her subordinates had left, the Myriad Snake Queen let out a weary sigh. Yun Xiu, standing nearby, spoke calmly.
“Why not tell them? Otherwise, something unexpected might happen.”
The Myriad Snake Queen shook her head.
“It’s not time yet.”
“—There’s no harm in being honest now,” Yan Zhen said as he walked in, his expression utterly serious. “Your Eight Serpent Generals are utterly loyal to you. If you just explain it properly, they’ll understand.”
“It’s not that simple…”
“No, Yan Zhen is right,” Yun Xiu said pointedly. “You’re just used to issuing orders and never even consider discussing things with others.”
“You needn’t concern yourselves with this. This Queen knows what she’s doing.”
The Myriad Snake Queen crossed her arms over her chest and stubbornly turned her head away, striking a haughty pose that was like a high-cold version of “la-la-la, I’m not listening!”
Yan Zhen stepped in front of her and said earnestly,
“You don’t have to shoulder everything alone. Yun Xiu and I will help you.”
Yun Xiu added,
“If this ends up creating a rift between you and your subjects, it won’t end well for anyone.”
But the Myriad Snake Queen was as stubborn as ever.
“This Queen has it under control. Let’s drop the matter. It’s late—get some rest.”
With that, the Myriad Snake Queen strode quickly toward the door. As she passed Yan Zhen, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him along with her.
Yun Xiu blinked in surprise, then hurried after them.
The Myriad Snake Queen suddenly accelerated, channeling the power of heaven and earth to unleash her Shadow Shifting Technique. She transformed into a streak of crimson light, slithering like a great red serpent toward her bedchamber.
Seeing this, Yun Xiu became a whirlwind of silvery white, chasing relentlessly after her.
The two women burst into the room one after the other, and the door slammed shut behind them.
“Tch.” The Myriad Snake Queen wore a look of utter disdain. “Yun Xiu, this is This Queen’s bedchamber!”
Yun Xiu replied calmly,
“You said yourself that I could stay here.”
“This Queen takes it back.”
“A sovereign does not go back on her word.”
The Myriad Snake Queen’s blood-red vertical pupils narrowed. After a long moment, she spoke again.
“This Queen is about to bathe with my beloved consort. If you’re sensible, you’ll leave.”
Yan Zhen felt a vein throbbing on his forehead. Dissatisfied, he said,
“Don’t call me your beloved consort.”
Yun Xiu jumped in immediately.
“Did you hear that? Yan Zhen doesn’t want to bathe with you.”
“This Queen wants to, and that’s that.”
“I won’t allow you to force him into anything!”
“Heh, aren’t you the one who wants to bathe with him too? You repressed tease!”
“Who’s repressed? And you have no right to call me that—you’re just the same!”
“So you’re admitting it?”
“If you admit it, then sure, I admit it!”
“Childish.”
“Pot calling the kettle black.”
“…”
“…”
Yan Zhen felt another headache coming on, and he couldn’t even get a word in edgewise. The moment they finally paused, he hurriedly said,
“We can all bathe together just fine!”
Both women immediately turned glares on him and spoke in unison.
“You wish!”
—Heh, look at that perfect harmony.
Yan Zhen smiled wryly in exasperation.
“Ahem!” A flame-like mental fluctuation emanated from between the Myriad Snake Queen’s brows, and Yan Yan’s childish voice rang out from it. “Mother Concubine, Aunt Yun, this isn’t good. You’re putting Father Emperor in a tough spot~”
The Myriad Snake Queen’s delicate brows furrowed. She said coldly,
“These are adult matters. Children should stay out of it!”
Yan Yan sounded deeply aggrieved.
“Father Empeeeeer~~~ Mother Concubine is being mean to me again!”
Yan Zhen could easily picture her pouting little mouth from her tone.
He smiled wryly and said,
“Alright, I just came out to tell you both that I’ll be staying in the Fire Refining Starry Sky for the next few days. No need to worry about me.”
“You’re staying in there the whole time?” Yun Xiu looked reluctant. “At least come out for some fresh air during breaks.”
“What kind of cultivation is so important?” the Myriad Snake Queen grumbled. “At least make time to spend with Yan’er.”
“Well… I just don’t want to get distracted.”
“—That’s not it,” Yan Yan interjected. “Father Emperor just doesn’t want to hear Mother Concubine and Aunt Yun arguing, so he’s hiding out in the Fire Refining Starry Sky.”
Both women stiffened, of course aware of that possibility but unwilling to admit it.
“I’ll just ignore her.”
“This Queen should be the one saying that!”
“You’re the one who started provoking me.”
“Why not say you’re the one who barged in uninvited!”
“See? You’re at it again. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to stay here either.”
Yan Yan spoke in an old-soul tone that was hilariously precocious for a child.
Both women turned to look at Yan Zhen and saw his helpless, wry smile. They promptly shut their mouths, words catching in their throats.
“It’s not really about you two—it’s mostly my own issue,” Yan Zhen reassured them. “We’re about to carry out a dangerous plan, and I want to push myself as much as possible beforehand. I hope I won’t hold anyone back.”
“You don’t have to push yourself so hard,” the Myriad Snake Queen said, lowering her head. “This Queen will handle these matters.”
For once, Yun Xiu agreed with her.
“Yeah, Yan Zhen. We’ll figure something out…”
“I feel like I should take some responsibility,” Yan Zhen said, scratching his cheek bashfully. “After all, you two are… sort of my women.”
Neither Yun Xiu nor the Myriad Snake Queen had expected him to be so direct. Both flushed crimson, their hearts a tangle of delight and irritation.
Yan Zhen realized his words had been a bit off. Before they could react, he slipped into the Fire Refining Starry Sky to… whine to his beautiful master—er, no, to train with his beautiful master.
Before dawn, Yan Zhen successfully used his spiritual power as a brush to draw the Water Symbol, then imprinted it into his sea of consciousness.
With the Water Symbol formed, his spiritual power saw a slight refinement. When he activated mental perception, the entire world felt more transparent. Moreover, the Water Symbol’s gentle, natural properties greatly accelerated his spiritual power recovery.
Each talisman pattern from the Ancestral Symbol Scripture provided corresponding enhancements once imprinted in the sea of consciousness. The Fire Symbol boosted spiritual power output, the Wind Symbol improved its circulation speed, the coming Earth Symbol would enhance its tenacity, the Metal Symbol its sharpness… and when the Nine Talismans merged into the Ancestral Symbol, his spiritual power would see all-around improvement.
With the Water Symbol complete, Yan Zhen claimed his system reward during a break.
【Special Trump Card: Very Slippery—Upon activation, makes the host as slick as a giant mud eel, slipping in and out of any orifice with ease.】
“…”
—What the hell is this card even for!? No more pretending, huh? Just tossing me scraps now? System-chan, get out here!
【Ding! System here. How may I serve you, host?】
—What can this card even do?
