Reliable Women

The snake tribe is finally not so hot anymore.

The autumn wind swept through the bamboo curtain, carrying the fragrance of plum blossoms.

Standing under the corridor, You Su watched the sisters Ji Lingruo and Ji Xueruo walk away side by side, feeling that the way Miss Xue Ruo had looked at him just now was a little strange.

The whispers of the two sisters were broken by the wind; perhaps it was due to magic, because even You Su, who was deliberately listening, could not hear them clearly.

"Sister, are you really going to let Granny Liu cultivate with my senior brother too?"

"It's External Dual Cultivation," Ji Xueruo corrected.

"That's still dual cultivation... Sister, I'll eat the red bean soup tomorrow. I'm an inspector, I have to keep an eye on them."

"What's there to watch? Are you afraid that Granny Liu and You Su have some dirty secrets? Granny Liu is not like those elders with ulterior motives. She didn't even intend to purify the Demon Core at first. I only persuaded her because I thought it might help her enter the Void Realm."

"Yes! Granny Liu already has a full Demon Core, just waiting to break through to the upper realm of the Feather Transformation Realm. With this purification of the Demon Core, she will definitely have a chance to reach the Void Transformation Realm!" Ji Lingruo clapped her hands, completely forgetting about this.

"I did have that intention, but she is the only elder left from the previous generation in the clan, and the method of purifying the Demon Core isn't exactly aboveboard. With you watching from the sidelines, how could Granny Liu bring herself to do it?"

"But Granny Liu raised us since we were little... how can she go against my senior brother..."

"Alas... the Demon Race cannot be entirely bound by the etiquette of the human race. We can't possibly purify all six elders while leaving Granny Liu, who has worked the hardest, unexcused, can we?"

Ji Xueruo gave the excuse she had prepared beforehand, but she dared not see her sister, much less tell her that Granny Liu's Demon Core had been cleansed. Granny Liu's position in the sisters' hearts was different from that of the six elders, and Ji Xueruo was afraid that her sister would not be able to accept it and it would damage their relationship.

"That's impossible! Besides, if we really want to be fair, we were all born from the blood of the Serpent Ancestor, so we're all daughters of the Serpent Ancestor. How can we have such a close kinship as my sister and I?"

Ji Xueruo raised an eyebrow. She had thought she would need to give her sister some more advice, but she found her to be surprisingly "open-minded." However, what her sister said was somewhat ambiguous, as if she were implying that even those who were so close to her had fallen for You Su, not to mention those who weren't so close.

"You change your mind quickly..." The female clan leader felt that if she were in her sister's shoes, she probably wouldn't be able to be as magnanimous.

Ji Lingruo pouted, then sighed helplessly, "I guess I'm just tired. I've watched so many women touch him, and I had to agree to each one. I'm starting to feel numb... I reckon there will be even more in the future. I just hope he'll always put my sister and me first."

Ji Xueruo hearing this, and even felt a bit annoyed at You Su for being so promiscuous and despicable. The girl was about to speak to comfort her heartbroken sister when she suddenly noticed that although her sister's head was bowed and her tone was mournful, the glint of light in her eyes peeking out from between her hair was bright.

Is there anyone in this world whose eyes shine even when they are sad and heartbroken?

Ji Xueruo could get a closer look, Ji Lingruo had already returned to normal, blinking at her.

Ji Xueruo embarrassed, so she comforted her, "Don't worry, he definitely puts you first..."

Ji Lingruo smiled gently, simply saying "Sister too," and then didn't dwell on the matter. Instead, she asked whether the red bean soup was hot or cold, and whether it contained rock sugar or white sugar. The girl's eyes sparkled, completely unlike her previous worried state.

Ji Xueruo but recall how, ever since that incident, her younger sister had always tacitly approved of You Su's instigation of their despicable behavior...

She swallowed hard, preferring to believe that what she had just seen was tears rather than that this great responsibility of supervision had awakened something in her younger sister...

You Su savored the situation and realized that Xue Ruo must have sensed the awkwardness between him and Granny Liu, and even knew something about what had happened between them.

So, what was originally just a matter of purifying Demon Core with those six elders was suddenly joined by Elder Liu, who didn't need to purify Demon Core cores at all, and even more surprisingly, his junior sister was transferred away.

Judging from that strange look in her eyes, You Su was certain that Xue Ruo was deliberately creating a private space for him and Elder Liu. She hadn't exposed the secret, presumably because she had many concerns. At this crucial moment, when he had just been informed that the entire clan would be recruiting him as a son-in-law, and the Snake Clan was about to return to the sacred mountain, if such a scandal were to break out, the sky would probably fall.

"Please sit down."

The woman's clear and dignified voice woke him. Liu Yinyin tapped the table with her knuckles, and You Su's cup of tea was already poured.

You Su's throat bobbed slightly; he felt more apprehensive than when meeting any of the elders.

His External Dual Cultivation with the elders was not true intercourse, but rather the use of External Dual Cultivation to transfer Source Qi containing the Tai Sui Power into their bodies. The only exception was the time with Liu Yinyin.

At this moment, she sat upright, dressed in plain clothes, and even though her beauty was captivating, it reminded him of the majestic appearance of her holding the snake-headed staff when they first met. There was no trace of the enchanting charm of that day.

You Su raised his teacup, taking sips one after another. Despite his usually eloquent nature, he couldn't utter a single word, simply embarrassed and unsure of what to say.

He and Liu Yinyin didn't usually interact much; at most, they exchanged pleasantries in public, and he could sense Liu Yinyin's slight distance from him. He had been thinking about whether to talk to Elder Liu, and now that he had the opportunity, he found himself to be more timid than he had imagined.

"Elder Liu..." You Su mustered his courage, thinking that this elder would be a member of his family from now on. "I was very rude to you that day."

Seeing that You Su had finished all her tea before daring to speak, Liu Yinyin couldn't help but smile. "It was I who offended you, what does it have to do with you?"

You Su remained silent for a long time, then sighed inwardly that he should have confessed sooner, "I have practiced dual Cultivation Method since childhood, and the yang energy in my body is different from that of ordinary people. That day, when I used my body as a boat to guide the Mystic Qi, the aftermath was probably caused by my yang energy."

To everyone's surprise, Liu Yinyin wasn't surprised at all. Instead, she simply refilled You Su's cup, saying, "I'm not a novice on the path of immortality, how could I not have noticed? It's just yang energy, not those extremely insidious ghost medicines. Besides, you and they External Dual Cultivation, didn't you also exchange yang energy? They were all like wolves and tigers, yet they could still restrain themselves. I couldn't restrain myself, so how can I blame you?"

You Su's throat tightened slightly, feeling that Liu Yinyin's reaction was quite different from what she had imagined.

"It was a twist of fate, but it wasn't Elder Liu's fault alone."

Liu Yinyin ignored him and instead asked with a smile, "You've already practiced with them six days ago, has it been effective?"

You Su was taken aback. "Of course there are, but to achieve a qualitative change, we need to do several more rounds."

"It's alright, there's still some time before we enter the mountain." Liu Yinyin waved her hand. "These six elders are no pushovers. Is someone deliberately making things difficult for us?"

"Of course not! All the elders have been very cooperative."

"Elder Hua is the most shrewd of all. Didn't she test you with her?" For some reason, even though she had heard the details at the morning meeting, she still wanted to ask the young man.

You Su dared not hide anything and nodded.

"Was it Elder Chi the second day? She's always had a fiery temper, yet she was willing to endure it?"

"Elder Xiang used cartilage poison on her before she calmed down..." You Su recalled Elder Chi's bright red eyes at the time, as if he were saying that he would eat her up sooner or later.

Liu Yinyin chuckled, "Where's Elder Yin? She's very concerned about her reputation, and probably the most honest of them all."

You Su said, "I guess so..." but what he was thinking was exactly the opposite. The seemingly honest Elder Yin was the one who had the most underhanded tricks.

He wasn't telling the truth, but Liu Yinyin knew it too. She then asked, "What about Elder Zhu? She's very straightforward and doesn't like others to hide things. She never hides anything herself either. As long as she's upright and honest, she shouldn't have caused any trouble."

"Hehe, he was just too blatant..." You Su wanted to say that if Elder Chi still had some rationality, Elder Zhu was practically putting on an act, actually poisoning him in front of his junior sister!

"Elder Xiang is very charming; she might be difficult to deal with, right?"

You Su was also prompted to open up a bit, "Lingruo reminded me of the same thing, but Elder Xiang is actually the easiest to get along with."

"Then you'd better be careful. Even if you have a way to resist poison, you might still be poisoned by her fragrance. Because although it's called a poison, it's actually a combination of various spices, and your body might not even recognize the fragrance as poison."

Upon hearing this, You Su's expression tightened, and she subconsciously reached out to check her internal organs for poison. However, Liu Yinyin smiled and reminded her, "You may not know, but the Second Young Lady does. She must have been careful to avoid being discovered by the Second Young Lady. Next time you go, just remember to extinguish her incense burner."

You Su breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that these elders not only had different styles, but also different special skills. Before he could even express his gratitude, Liu Yinyin asked again, "Where is Elder Jin? She's the most upright, probably the one who's been restrained."

Perhaps because they had chatted for so long and lowered their guard, You Su felt much closer to Liu Yinyin. Remembering her embarrassing moment with Elder Jin the previous night, she couldn't help but laugh:

It spilled all over me.

Liu Yinyin couldn't help but laugh out loud. Elder Jin hadn't mentioned this matter at today's morning meeting, so this "outburst" was probably due to Elder Jin's excessive restraint.

Suddenly remembering that the person opposite him was You Su Liu Yinyin, he realized how reckless he had been. He felt ashamed that he had been so conceited as to say such things to an elder, and he quickly tried to make amends:

"I got tea all over myself."

But Liu Yinyin seemed to see through his thoughts, suppressing her smile and appearing solemn:

"It seems you still don't understand."

You Su raised an eyebrow, unaware that she didn't understand something.

Liu Yinyin's gaze Qingming Festival and unreserved. "I'm telling you this to tell you that the Demon Race isn't so bound by formalities. Now that we're family, your constant brooding over that matter makes me feel awkward too. The Eldest Young Lady's wish for us to be alone suggests she doesn't want any rift in our relationship."

You Su looked up in surprise, then suddenly wanted to laugh. She had always thought that Elder Liu seemed distant, but then she thought, if his eyes hadn't been shifty and his face hadn't looked shy, why would he be avoiding her?

Elder Liu's shy demeanor at that time must have been due to the immense shock she experienced, which led me to underestimate her. If Xue Ruo could sever all ties so decisively afterward, how could Elder Liu, who had guarded the Serpent Clan for two hundred years, not say the same thing? She certainly wasn't some delicate, girlish girl. On the contrary, I was indeed young and naive, assuming she felt the same way I did.

Thinking of this, You Su couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart, but she felt even more admiration for Liu Yinyin, and her unresolved inner conflict eased somewhat.

"You Su understands." He bowed to Liu Yinyin.

"Let's get back to the main topic. Do you have any long-term plans regarding your relationships with the Eldest Young Lady and Second Young Lady?"

You Su straightened up and said solemnly, "To be honest with Elder Liu, I have long regarded Lingruo and Xue Ruo as the loves of my life, and I will never betray either of them!"

His words were spoken with great passion, and Liu Yinyin, gazing into the unwavering determination in his eyes, nodded slightly, yet still sighed deeply, "I believe you. It's just..."

She gazed at the falling autumn leaves outside the window. "It's just that you're entangled in too many secrets. You've heard the news these past few days. The current Heng Lian First Seat is incredibly powerful, yet he's your enemy. A bloody storm is inevitable in the future. The Serpent Clan is now intertwined with you, so they're bound to be drawn into the vortex."

You Su remained silent, her fingertips digging into her palm, leaving a bead of cold sweat.

He was only focused on integrating into the snake clan and gaining their approval, completely forgetting that he was actually a huge threat. He successfully used the good he brought to temporarily deceive the snake women, and Xue Ruo, as the clan leader, was also concerned about him. Only Liu Yinyin remained clear-headed.

"I will never implicate the snake clan," he whispered his promise.

Suddenly, Liu Yinyin reached out and tapped You Su on the forehead with her snake-headed staff. It was the first time You Su had been punished by her, and he looked at her in surprise.

"Do you think I'm saying this to tell you the Serpent Clan will regret taking you in?" Her gaze was intense. "If it weren't for you, the Serpent Clan would have already perished in the Golden Peng Clan's sea of fire. I want you to know that you are now a member of the Serpent Clan. We can accept your kindness, and we can also withstand your calamities. Even if we have to deal with that Venerable Heng Lian, we must be included."

Upon hearing this, You Su's heart was immediately filled with warmth, and he felt that there was no better son-in-law in the world.

Without any pretense, he solemnly nodded, "No matter what the future holds, I will stand with the snake clan through thick and thin."

Liu Yinyin nodded in satisfaction. "Let me ask you, how do you plan to deal with that Heng Lian First Seat?"

This left You Su somewhat bewildered by the question, "Diligently cultivate, and then he kills you?"

To everyone's surprise, this answer only earned her another beating from Liu Yinyin. Whether You Su could dodge it or not, she felt that Liu Yinyin truly considered her family.

"Even if you are a genius, he is also very discreet, and defeating him will be no easy task. Moreover, he now holds a high position and wields great power, so you are not alone in your conflict, but rather face a large group of enemies. Do you intend to take them all on single-handedly?"

Even though You Su was brave and knew he was constantly on the run, he was too ashamed to pretend to be bold in front of Liu Yinyin.

Liu Yinyin sighed softly, "They're still just a bunch of young people, they haven't experienced much hardship. From now on, come to me every seven days, and I'll give you some advice."

While claiming to offer advice, You Su knew that Liu Yinyin's words meant she must have already considered the matter.

Realizing that she had been so concerned about her affairs all along, You Su felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She secretly glanced at Liu Yinyin's face again, but dared not look any further, and simply thanked her gratefully.

Liu Yinyin pretended not to notice, maintaining her usual composed and elegant demeanor. However, she secretly wondered if the Eldest Young Lady had actually made the most of the opportunity she had created for her.