This Is Customary

That said, it's unrealistic to expect the Taotie to stay by your side forever. It has its own needs; a single Other Shore Flower can't bind it for life. What's the point of it following you? It has no real purpose. Unless you deliberately prevent it from leaving, from the Taotie's perspective, it's impossible for it to stay with you indefinitely.

The conversation on the Winged Human Holy Wood was also very clear: ever since the dog came here, it has been trying to squeeze into the core of the Jianmu ruling tree, which is obviously more important than anything else.

The dog didn't go then simply because it wasn't strong enough; it knew it couldn't squeeze in now... but it would eventually have to leave.

On the other hand, if we want to obtain the Jian Mu Fruit, the best solution is of course to support Gouzi. If Gouzi becomes the king, it will be easy for him to get the Jian Mu Fruit for Liusu.

It seems I really need to seriously consider this matter.

"You..." Qin Yi hesitated for a moment, then asked seriously, "Dog, tell me in detail, what is the situation regarding your relationship with these Dragon Son?"

The dog smugly said, "Calling them childhood friends is giving them too much credit. I wasn't born much later than their fathers; strictly speaking, I'm their uncle!"

Qin Yi was furious. "That's not what I'm asking! I'm asking why you're so sure you deserve this position. If it's just about ability, then why can't my mother-in-law?"

The winged people covered their mouths and laughed, watching Yu Feiling's face turn slightly red with embarrassment.

Then everyone gathered around to watch the dog... Is this really a glutton?

How can there be such an adorable Taotie? Is something wrong with the world?

Gouzi was explaining to Qin Yi, "Jianmu doesn't belong to the Dragon Son's offspring. To be precise, it's the foundation of our kind of naturally born spirits. I could say I have no father, or that everyone in the world is my father, but if I were to say I have a mother, it would be Jianmu. These Dragon Son, rather than being Dragon Son, are more like spirits. For example, Yazi can be seen as the embodiment of the world's desire for revenge, similar to my greed. This embodiment and cohesion are all based on the creation of Jianmu."

Qin Yi pondered for a moment, "That's why there's a misconception that you're Dragon Son, because in this respect, the nature of the matter is the same."

"It's the same. We depend on Jianmu for survival, and we all have a subtle resonance with it. If we are at the core of Jianmu, we can all exert a certain amount of Jianmu's power, just like this forbidden land formation... This is the cornerstone of the rule here. They can do it, and so can I. I am even closer to them, so why can't I sit on the throne?"

"I see. This has nothing to do with the bloodline of the Dragon Son. It's more accurate to say it's the bloodline of the Jianmu tree."

The dog nodded approvingly. "You've become smarter, lad."

Qin Yi raised his hand to slap him.

The dog is holding its head.

Qin Yi gently placed his palm on the dog's shoulder and patted it, saying, "You've made something of yourself, you little rascal."

The dog showed a comfortable expression.

Yu Ren: "..."

But Qin Yi suddenly changed the subject. "You're just assuming, you dog."

Dog: "..."

Qin Yi said disdainfully, "The cake is only so big. Do you think the Dragon Son is stupid and would really let you have a share? If you force your way in, you'll be lucky if they don't all push you out. If you're locked up and resealed, I can't save you."

The dog retorted, "Do you think I'm stupid? I'm already at the peak of the Qian Yuan realm, what would I be doing following you around? Isn't it because I know there's no way to get in right now? I'm more familiar with the tactic of winning one faction over another than you are. They're all of different minds and each has their own agenda. As long as I can win over a few people, things will be much easier."

Qin Yi finally nodded; that was indeed the case.

Given Gouzi's qualifications, if he can persuade a few of them not to object, then things will basically be done. The opposition from Yazi and Pixiu doesn't matter. So the matter comes full circle: Qin Yi originally intended to win over one faction and fight the other in the conflict between the Feathered People and the Dragon Son; the two things could be done together.

So, who should be chosen as the starting point for diplomatic maneuvering?

Yu Feiling finally couldn't help but say, "The Great Great King is the strongest. No matter the situation, its words carry the most weight. It's just that it's obsessed with music and doesn't care about anything else... If we could get the Great Great King to say something, then whether it's our problem or this dog... Taotie's problem, it wouldn't be a problem."

Qin Yi paused for a moment, then stroked his chin and said, "It seems I have no choice but to go to this concert..."

Yu Feiling said, "Shang'er will go in as a guard. As for you... we'll try to make other arrangements."

"You're in a bit of an awkward situation now, it's not as easy to arrange things as before, is it?" Qin Yi thought for a moment, "I'm wondering if it would be appropriate for me to go in as An'an's musician..."

Yu Shang asked curiously, "That Clam Girl Princess?"

"Hmm..." Qin Yi said in a low voice, "We should thank them for this. I don't know if they will be held responsible."

Although they had carefully distanced themselves from the suspicions of the Clam Girl and the siren, these kinds of things don't necessarily rely on evidence; it all depends on whether the leader is happy. If they're unhappy and take their anger out on you, what can you do?

Relatively speaking, the siren are a fairly powerful race, so there's not much to worry about. The Clam Girl race, on the other hand, is truly...

Qin Yi pondered for a moment, then asked, "The Clam Girl Sea-Stabilizing Divine Pearl and the Sea Mirage Pearl, each more wondrous than the last, along with countless other treasures; she is extremely wealthy. Why then is she doing so poorly? Is it related to her personality?"

Yu Shang said, "It's definitely related to their personalities. They did have their own gods to worship, but their gods were even more unreliable..."

Qin Yi was taken aback. "Who is it?"

"Eighth King Jiao Tu," Yu Shang laughed, "Jiao Tu is originally the spirit of snails and clams, but he is also reclusive and never goes out. Without a strong backer, the snails and clams under his command are easily bullied. This forces the Clam Girl to rely on the Nine Great Kings, but the Nine Great Kings only covets their wealth; how could he possibly care about them? Actually, the Conch Girl have the same problem, but they are better off, since their music is quite favored by the Great Great King. The Clam Girl, on the other hand, are in a much worse situation..."

Qin Yi's gaze fell on the Little Castle on the distant beach. He pursed his lips and said in a low voice, "This time, I have to take responsibility for her."

The feathered people glanced at them sideways.

What do you want to be responsible for?

Yu Shang tugged at him jealously, "No matter how you want to take responsibility for her, I haven't been with you for days..."

Qin Yi chuckled and whispered in her ear, "It's getting late, and I wasn't planning on looking for her right now... Tonight, of course, it's still our little world..."

Seeing her mother-in-law flirting with a group of winged women, Yu Feiling finally couldn't stand it anymore and stood up, saying, "Let's leave it at that for now... I'll go find the Three Great Kings."

The Three Great Kings Chao Feng, winged, and of the wind element. If the winged people were to find someone they click with, it would be Chaofeng. Of course, they can also use their social skills and can't just wait for Qin Yi to do all the work.

The other winged people also dispersed one after another, as everyone had their own things to do... In fact, some of them were originally responsible for guarding the temple, but seeing Qin Yi and Yu Shang hugging each other and not wanting to move, they looked at each other for a while and decided that they couldn't just stand inside and disturb them, so they all left the temple, leaving only Yu Lan and the other guards to guard the temple entrance and protect the little world of the Saintess and her Husband.

Inside the temple, the phoenix feathers glowed warmly, like red candles. On the central screen wall of the temple, a huge phoenix relief was lifelike, its eyes seemingly looking at the man and woman in front of it. In the candlelight, they slowly came together, their figures reflected on the phoenix relief in a very strange shape.

The dog consciously slipped back to the ring, secretly admiring itself.

This is the Winged Human Holy Hall, the most sacred and inviolable place. Everyone clearly knows what Qin Yi intends to do here, yet not a single Feathered Person, including the Clan Leader and High Priest, voices any objection. The Feathered People's maiden is even standing outside, blushing as she guards them...

Thinking about it carefully, it doesn't seem wrong for Saintess to serve as a messenger of God in the temple.

This can almost be considered... proof of the complete conquest of the Winged Human Race.

The dog arrived late and didn't know that Qin Yi had used a similar proof to conquer the Demon City.

This is standard practice.

Somewhere in the underworld, Meng Qingying opened her eyes from meditation, scratching her head in confusion. "Why is everything so green?"