Chapter 189: The Opposite Sex

Two days later.

“Let’s head out.”

Ren Tan found the Little Snake Demon and prepared to take her to the Underground Auction.

“Hold on,” Yin Luan said. “The reward Senior Sister mentioned has arrived—I need to go pick it up. Don’t worry, it’ll be quick!”

“Senior Sister…”

The Eldest Young Lady’s expression was a little peculiar.

“You mean Zou Lian, right? I’ve heard you talk about her plenty of times. All right, I’ll tag along this time and meet her.”

“Awesome!” The Little Snake Demon nodded eagerly. “It’s good for everyone to get acquainted. Who knows, we might be able to help each other out down the line?”

Ren Tan was a proper human, so there was no issue at all with her meeting Senior Sister Zou Lian.

Making the introduction was a fine idea, too—it would ease Senior Sister’s constant fretting over her “shady friends,” and bringing along the Eldest Young Lady would do wonders for her own reputation!

She led Eldest Young Lady Ren to the courtyard next to the Demon Subduing Division. Pushing open the gate, she spotted the poised and elegant Eldest Senior Sister standing there.

The moment Ren Tan laid eyes on Zou Lian, they went wide.

Big!

Never mind the other details for now—that chest… yeah, it was seriously impressive!

She was a worldly Eldest Young Lady who had seen her share of beauties, with figures of every variety.

But someone this tall, with such flawless proportions, and a bust that ample and perky without seeming the least bit out of place? She was convinced there weren’t many like her in the entire Great Zhou Kingdom.

“This is Senior Sister Zou Lian,” the Little Snake Demon said, making the introductions. “Senior Sister, this is my friend, Ren Tan.”

“Friend?”

Zou Lian gave her an appraising look.

Refined features, dignified poise, steady aura, inner radiance restrained… She was clearly a refined lady who had enjoyed top-tier education and a privileged upbringing.

If Yin Luan could turn into someone like this, she could swear she’d never again have to smack the girl over the head with her hand-chop…

“Zou Lian.”

The Senior Sister inclined her head slightly.

“Ren Tan.”

The Eldest Young Lady returned the courtesy.

“Make yourselves at home,” Yin Luan said, grabbing one of their hands in each of hers and drawing them closer. “A friend’s friend is a friend. From now on, we’re all family!”

“……” “……”

The two women turned speechless gazes on the Little Snake Demon.

The first part made perfect sense. The second… what was that supposed to mean?

They exchanged a glance afterward, and in each other’s eyes, they read the bold word “worry.”

No doubt about it—the woman across from her must spend her days tearing her hair out over Little Snake, too…

In that instant, the Demon Subduing Division’s Eldest Senior Sister and the Ren Merchant Group’s Eldest Young Lady felt a glimmer of mutual understanding.

“Why’d you go quiet?” Yin Luan asked. “Oh, right—Senior Sister, where’s my reward?”

“It should be here any moment,” Zou Lian said. “Close your eyes first.”

“So mysterious?”

The Little Snake Demon brimmed with excitement.

“Just close them.”

The Senior Sister prompted her.

“Um,” Ren Tan ventured, “should I step out?”

“No need,” Zou Lian replied. “Nothing here that can’t be seen.”

“Really…?”

Yin Luan obediently shut her eyes, mumbling under her breath.

A moment later.

Creak—

The courtyard gate swung open, accompanied by the sound of footsteps as someone entered from outside.

“All right,” Senior Sister Zou Lian’s voice sounded again. “You can open them now.”

The Little Snake Demon opened her eyes.

There, dressed in a white scholar’s robe cinched with a sash, hair pinned up in a neat bun—but with skin so soft and dewy it practically glistened—stood a figure wearing a bright, open smile.

“We meet again,” Du Xuan said. “Senior Sister told me you’ve been pestering her to track me down these past few days…”

“Xiao Xuanxuan!”

Before she could finish, the Little Snake Demon launched herself forward, burying into the other’s rock-solid embrace. She rubbed her cheek against it gleefully, letting out excited cries.

“You hadn’t shown up at all—I was starting to think you’d run into some huge trouble!”

“W-what’re you doing?! Someone’s watching! A young lady should act with some decorum—get off me, quick!”

Du Xuan flailed in a panic, trying to shove the Little Snake Demon away, but she was utterly powerless against that soft, yielding body.

The two women behind them reacted differently to the scene.

Senior Sister Zou Lian’s mouth twitched a couple of times, a sign of her displeasure, though she wrote it off as typical behavior given the Little Snake Demon’s personality.

Ren Tan’s face shifted through shock and bewilderment, then a tangle of complicated emotions.

Yin Luan, throwing herself into a “man’s” arms?

She had heard the Little Snake Demon mention Du Xuan before—she was with the Demon Subduing Division alongside Zou Lian, a straightforward sort if not the sharpest tool in the shed.

But she had never once said Du Xuan was a man!

The Little Snake Demon had personally described it: “We’ve all eaten meals together, slept side by side, and we’re best friends with no secrets between us.” She had assumed that the other person was also a young girl, not much older than herself.

In the end, though, she had sorely underestimated the Little Snake Demon’s grasp of common sense…

How could she possibly do something like that with a member of the opposite sex?

Wait—given Yin Luan’s age, developing feelings for the opposite sex was perfectly normal, wasn’t it? Acting on instinct and being drawn to a handsome (or rather, strikingly beautiful), upright, and sunny young man was only natural.

He was from the Demon Subduing Division, after all, so he shouldn’t stoop to deceiving young girls. As long as the affection was mutual, she really had no grounds to object…

She couldn’t quite put her finger on why, but seeing Yin Luan throw herself into someone else’s arms left her feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

“Enough already,” Du Xuan grumbled. After a bit more tussling, she finally managed to push the other girl away, straightened her clothes, and shot back, “Good thing it’s just us here. If any outsiders saw that, you’d ruin my spotless reputation!”

“How can you say that?” The Little Snake Demon puffed out her cheeks. “The first time we met, weren’t you out in the middle of nowhere at the dead of night, huddled in a ruined temple with a lone girl by a campfire? Weren’t you worried about your reputation then?”

“Sorry—I was just joking…”

“Hee hee, so was I!”

“I’ve brought your reward,” Zou Lian said to Yin Luan. “Satisfied?”

“Absolutely! Senior Sister, you’re the best!”

The Little Snake Demon spun around to nuzzle against Zou Lian, only to be blocked by a sharp hand chop.

“Du Xuan, now that you’re back at the Demon Subduing Division, I’ve got a task for you,” Senior Sister continued. “Go check out the Underground Auction.”

“The Underground Auction?”

Ren Tan gently soothed Little Snake, who had turned to her embrace after striking out with Senior Sister, and spoke up.

“You mean the Black Market auction in the Underground Ancient City?”

“Exactly,” Zou Lian nodded. “You’re familiar with it?”

“I was just heading there,” the Eldest Young Lady replied after a moment’s thought. “With Yin Luan in tow.”

“Oh.” Senior Sister gave Ren Tan another careful once-over, her gaze lingering on the bracelet adorning her wrist. “Perfect timing, then. You three should go together—it’ll be safer with mutual backup. Those auctions always draw a real mix of shady characters.”

Ren Tan and Du Xuan exchanged a glance, silently confirming their agreement before giving slight nods.

“Please take good care of me.” “No need to stand on ceremony.”

The two conversed across the space between them.

“Huh? Senior Sister, you’re not coming?”

Snake poked her head out from the Eldest Young Lady’s embrace and called out.

“If I showed up, the auction might not even happen,” Senior Sister said with a rub of Yin Luan’s head. “Have fun out there.”

“Woo woo, Senior Sister treats me so well! I want a hug!”

A second hand chop came down.

Bang—

“Is this girl just rubbing up on anyone she sees?” “Spot on…”