This Opportunity Must Not Be Missed!

As Liu Yinyin finished speaking, Ji Xueruo contracted.

She slowly turned around, and Liu Yinyin's words resonated in her ears like a heavy hammer blow.

She stared incredulously at the radiant elder before her, her throat bobbing, but she didn't know what to say. She could only pretend she had misheard and ask:

"Say it again?"

Liu Yinyin looked down at her newly grown fingertips, the delicate skin gleaming like pearls in the twilight.

She took a deep breath, as if summoning her courage to meet the clan leader's gaze. "Eldest Young Lady, Second Young Lady once told you and me that Young Master You possesses the Heavenly Furnace Body. And her achievements are closely related to Young Master You's physique."

She turned to the elders, her voice barely audible yet clear, "Actually, the Second Young Lady studied in the Central Continent for three years, not at the Xuanxiao Sect, but in a small city called Chuyun City. That was also the Young Master You initially belonged to, called... the Heaven-and-Earth Yin-Yang Union Mandarin Sword Sect."

The elders' beautiful eyes widened in shock as they exchanged bewildered glances. They were indeed unaware of these details. They had always believed that Ji Lingruo was the disciple of the Lotus Sword Venerable from beginning to end, but they never expected that the Second Young Lady had not only learned swordsmanship in the Central Yuan Continent, but also that dual cultivation technique...

So, Young Master You not only possesses this precious physique, but he's also a professional...

Ji Xueruo was shocked. She wondered what was wrong with Granny Liu, who rarely took the initiative to make decisions, that made her bring up such a private matter.

Ji Xueruo could certainly guess her intention in saying these things at this moment, but she still held onto a sliver of hope. Therefore, she suppressed the surging emotions within her and maintained the dignified bearing of a clan leader.

"So what?"

Liu Yinyin bit her lower lip. She knew that the Eldest Young Lady's feigned ignorance was a reminder to be careful what she said, but what was done was done, and there was no turning back.

She had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak, "So I thought, perhaps we could use Young Master You's Heavenly Furnace Body to help the elders purify their Demon Core. Demon Core are the foundation of Demon Cultivator, and purifying Demon Core is more effective than any magical Law Treasure for tempering Root Bone."

Upon hearing this, the elders present all had different expressions. Although they had reached a certain consensus when they learned that Liu Yinyin's changes also stemmed from this Heavenly Furnace Body, they were still somewhat shy and apprehensive about bringing up this idea openly.

Ji Xueruo felt a rush of Qi and Blood to her head. She looked around at the elders she respected. Some hurriedly looked away, while others met her gaze openly. But they all had one thing in common: the undisguised eagerness in their eyes.

"You knew about this all along?" With her intelligence, how could she not see that Liu Yinyin was merely a representative chosen by these six people?

The elders exchanged glances, remaining silent in response, which was tacit agreement.

"They asked me about the origin of the Second Young Lady's Demon Core, and I told them," Liu Yinyin answered for them, but only to cover up her embarrassing affair of being caught cheating.

Ji Xueruo dug her fingertips into her palm, her voice filled with rare anger. "Although the snake clan is entirely composed of women, they have existed for thousands of years and have never relied on outsiders! They would never engage in such behavior as depending on men and flattering them for profit! Have you all forgotten?!"

The crowd was stunned by her imposing presence and fell silent for a moment.

Liu Yinyin also felt her face flush with embarrassment, and was about to smooth things over when she saw the slender and tall Elder Zhu step forward and speak bluntly:

"We haven't forgotten. But the clan leader is mistaken. Young Master You is not an outsider, and our request for his help is by no means an act of dependence on a man."

Elder Yin cautiously stole glances at Elder Zhu figure, feeling that this woman's conduct was as straight as a bamboo pole, and couldn't help but mutter to herself:

How dare you, you sharp-tongued woman, provoke the clan leader at a time like this? I think you're really greedy! But since you're doing this for the sake of your sisters, I'll pity you if you get punished...

Ji Xueruo was even more furious that the most taciturn Elder Zhu was the first to stand up and express his opinion, and retorted:

"He's just a human, not even a demon! How can he not be considered an outsider?!"

Elder Hua clenched her fist lightly, unable to contain herself any longer, and cautiously asked, "But didn't the clan leader want him to be included in the clan register? Once he's in the register, how can he be considered an outsider...?"

These words struck Ji Xueruo a blow to the head, leaving her speechless.

Yes, it was indeed her idea to include You Su in the family genealogy. How could someone be treated as an outsider after being included in the genealogy?

No, no! What does this have to do with whether someone is an outsider or not?

Ji Xueruo instantly regained her confidence, "Even if he's one of our own, how could the women of my snake clan, who have been independent and self-reliant for so long, depend on a man!"

Elder Hua felt flustered by Ji Xueruo's glare and hesitated whether to speak again, but then Elder Xiang behind her spoke up:

"Chief, you flatter me! Since Young Master You is a member of our Snake Clan, how can this be called subservience? It's perfectly normal for clan members to help each other and ask for a favor from someone in the clan. How could it be an act of flattery?"

"Excellent!" Elder Chi on the other side echoed enthusiastically, "Our snake women are naturally beautiful, how many temptations have we seen? Yet neither we nor the snake women below have ever done anything so disrespectful to our reputation! If Young Master You were not one of our snake clan, even if he could elevate us to the top in one step, we would discard him like trash!"

Upon Ji Xueruo frowned deeply, thinking, "So just because someone is family doesn't mean they can be treated like royalty?"

"But with his constitution, getting him to help purify the Demon Core would require dual cultivation. You are all people Lingruo calls 'aunt,' how can this be proper?!"

Now that things have come to this, Ji Xueruo to resort to awakening the elders' sense of shame as a solution.

Seeing that the elders remained silent again, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned her eager gaze to Elder Yin, who had not yet spoken.

"Elder Yin, when the Snake Blood Pool was still there, you were in charge of managing the clan's reproduction. Do you think what I said makes sense?"

Seeing this, the other elders knew what the clan leader was planning. Elder Yin was usually very concerned about her reputation, and she would definitely be the first to step forward and change her mind. Once someone gave in, their alliance would collapse, and it would be much more difficult to persuade the clan leader.

Elder Yin blushed under Ji Xueruo's gaze, bowed timidly, and was about to speak.

Seeing this, the other elders clenched their fists secretly, sighing inwardly, all tacitly agreeing that Elder Yin would defect to the Eldest Young Lady's side.

After all, they had grown up together since childhood and knew each other's temperaments very well. By switching sides now, they could not only gain a reputation for being virtuous and noble, but also win the favor of the clan leader. This Silver Ring Snake could not possibly refuse such a good thing.

"Reporting to the clan leader..." Elder Yin glanced cautiously at the clan leader, whose eyes were full of expectation, but then bit his lower lip as if making a firm decision, "In my opinion, the clan leader's words are biased."

As soon as she finished speaking, all the elders' beautiful eyes lit up, and they looked at the woman in surprise.

"The Demon Race rarely adheres to the rigid rules and customs of the mortal world, especially since we are all born from the blood of the snake race, so there's even less need for us to be particular about such things. As for dual cultivation, the clan leader, being a cultivator himself, can see clearly— Young Master You and the Second Young Lady are proficient in this art, one radiant and the other full of youthful vigor. This shows that dual cultivation is not a monstrous threat, but rather a subtle art that nourishes one's spirit and vitality. Therefore... we should take it in stride."

Elder Yin recounted his story in a leisurely and unashamed manner.

The women were pleasantly surprised to hear this, but they also found it amusing. This little silver snake, in order to save face, had made that matter sound like a profound and profound subject of knowledge. It was truly a case of "a peddler praising his own wares."

"Absurd!" Ji Xueruo suddenly flung her sleeve, the sound of cups and goblets spilling making the elders' shoulders tremble. "Even if he's one of us, even if you don't feel ashamed, he already dao companion! It's against all reason for you to do this with him! Elder Jin!"

Upon being suddenly called out, Elder Jin immediately straightened his back and became nervous.

Of the seven elders, she was the only one who hadn't spoken since Liu Yinyin proposed this method...

"You tell me! Does my snake clan have any reason to cultivate with a married man?" Ji Xueruo slammed her hand heavily on the jade table, her eyes almost spitting fire.

Elder Jin swallowed hard, and the intense gazes of her sisters were all fixed on her.

She was the most rigid and rule-abiding of the seven, making her the clan's discipline elder. Apart from the simple-minded Elder Chi, she was arguably the elder who best controlled her desires. Even with this proposal, she was the most reluctant, only agreeing under pressure from her sisters.

She had originally intended to remain silent during the advice session, and simply obey orders regardless of whether they were accepted or not. But the clan leader forced her to take a stand, and how could she go against her own conscience...?

She took a deep breath, then slowly shook her head. "My snake clan has no such reason."

All the elders were stunned and speechless. Even Liu Yinyin's gaze froze, and she felt a sense of disappointment, as if all her efforts had been in vain.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Ji Xueruo's temple. She felt the pressure on her body suddenly dissipate, but before she could catch her breath, Elder Jin spoke again:

"However, my snake clan doesn't have this because we snake clan have no men, so there's no record of it in our laws. But as fellow Demon Race, we can perhaps learn from the laws of other Demon Race. Including the Divine Mountain, many clans have the custom of 'co-cultivation' in order to become stronger. Women in the clan can mate with strong men to give birth to superior bloodlines, and the same goes for the men. So from this perspective, Elder Liu's method is... based on law."

As soon as the words were spoken, the expressions on the faces of the elders were beyond surprise. They all sighed that this Golden Thread Snake, who always had a stern face, was truly not to be underestimated. They were only thinking about cultivation, but this guy had already thought about "giving birth to a superior bloodline"!

Even now, Ji Xueruo has underestimated the consequences of a man suddenly appearing in a tribe that consists entirely of women.

Ji Xueruo felt a throbbing pain in her temples. Looking at these usually dignified and solemn elders, she felt they had all become somewhat unfamiliar to her.

"According to what you're saying, if I also need it, wouldn't that mean I, as the head of our clan, could also do such a thing with You Su?!"

The women exchanged glances, each thinking, "Why didn't you do it sooner?" But none of them dared to actually say it.

"Chief, you are mistaken." Liu Yinyin held her snake-headed staff horizontally and bowed solemnly. "What they seek is merely to improve their cultivation by utilizing Young Master You's physique, so that the Chief doesn't have to toil away in vain. It has nothing to do with romantic feelings, much less with matters of the heart. Once the Snake Clan returns to the Divine Mountain, there will be countless wonderful methods available for improvement, and then this matter will naturally cease. But right now, the most important thing is to return to the Divine Mountain safely."

What a load of nonsense! It has nothing to do with romantic love or anything like that. What do they want? Don't you want the same thing?

Elder Hua eyes flickered upon hearing this, and she secretly chuckled to herself, thinking that the oldest person was the one who was hiding the truth the most, but she did not expose her.

"Granny Liu, what's wrong with you too! Alas!" Ji Xueruo felt utterly isolated and helpless. "It's easy for you to say, but You Su is Lingruo's dao companion, and also my..."

She bit her lower lip sharply, swallowing the words "beloved" back down her throat amidst the strange looks from the elders. "He's my brother-in-law! If this gets out, what face will the snake clan have left?"

"Face? What face does this have to do with anything? Besides, when the Golden Peng Clan slaughtered the Heavenly Dog Clan, did they care about face? When the Six Great Demon Clans divided up the Golden Peng Clan's territory, did they care about face? Clan leader, you must know that in Japan, only strength matters. Not to mention that outsiders don't know about this, even if they did, they would only envy our Snake Clan for having such a treasure! Such a golden opportunity cannot be missed!"

Elder Hua rose and bowed side by side with Liu Yinyin.

Seeing this, the other elders also followed suit and bowed, and the seven of them shouted in unison:

"This is a golden opportunity that we must not miss!"

As the night wind blew outside the hall, Ji Xueruo felt a bitter taste in her throat. After being bombarded by the seven elders in turn, she actually began to waver.

Since they're all family, and the ultimate goal is to get the snake clan back to the sacred mountain, which will give all subsequent plans a better chance of unfolding, making the most of them doesn't seem wrong, does it?

"Even if none of you mind, You Su himself might not agree." Her voice finally softened a bit. "He and Lingruo are deeply in love, how could he agree to such an absurd thing? Even if he were willing, Lingruo be even less likely to agree."

"Then why not just keep it from the Second Young Lady?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Elder Yin hurriedly covered her red lips.

All eyes were on her, making her already flushed face almost bleed. She secretly cursed herself for blurting out her innermost thoughts!

"If we keep this from her now, how will Lingruo she finds out later? And how will she view You Su?" Ji Xueruo snorted coldly, startling Elder Yin into immediately kowtowing.

To everyone's surprise, the six elders, excluding Liu Yinyin, also kowtowed.

"We are willing to personally petition the Second Young Lady!"

Ji Xueruo stared blankly at the pile of black hair on the ground, feeling that the scene was absurd and farcical.

"Never mind..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "We'll discuss this later. I'll ask for their opinions as soon as possible. If they agree, we'll consider it further; if they disagree, then let's not bring it up again. I'll do everything I can to help you break through."

When the elders looked up again, their eyes were filled with tears. "Thank you, Clan Chief!"

Elder Xiang, the most emotional of all, choked up as she said, "The clan leader said he doesn't want to see anyone else sacrifice themselves. Even if this method doesn't work, the clan leader must not sacrifice himself for us again!"

The other elders were all moved and echoed his sentiments, creating a scene of mutual sympathy between ruler and subject.

Liu Yinyin cautiously glanced outside the hall, where, at the end of the long corridor, she was the only one who noticed Ji Lingruo listening for a long time...