"Brother!"
Zi Yan burst into Yun Zimo's office, her hair tied in twin tails and her petite figure dressed in a silver-white robe patterned with purple, its cuffs embroidered with a tiny golden dragon. She looked as though she had grown quite a bit.
"Zi Yan, you're not knocking again."
Yun Zimo rubbed his brow and smiled helplessly.
"What is it today?"
"The people from the Heavenly Snake Mansion are here again. If I hadn't arrived in time, they would've tricked Qing Lin into going with them!"
Zi Yan said with great seriousness. Yun Zimo rolled his eyes at her, then got up and headed for the Beast Taming Hall.
Two years had passed since they captured Wu Ying and drove him out of Jia Ma. Over those two years, Jia Ma Empire had completed its initial consolidation, and the Alliance had officially been founded!
After that, Jia Ma Empire entered a period of rapid development. Alliance Academy was established, the Research Institute was established...
Despite all the doubts this stirred, various new departments were established one after another under Yun Zimo's leadership.
Vast resources flowed into the Alchemist Guild and Alchemy Hall, where they were refined into all kinds of pills for the entire empire.
Since the Jia Ma Imperial Family had risen to power, the empire was now experiencing its first great surge in experts. It no longer had to rely on a pitiful three Dou Emperors to hold up its reputation.
Aside from Yun Yin, who had once again entered a prolonged seclusion, the Misty Cloud Sect had gained one new Dou Zong and three new Dou Emperors; the Imperial Family had gained one new Dou Emperor; the Snake-Person Tribe had gained one new Dou Emperor; the Alchemist Guild had gained two new Dou Emperors; each of the three great families in the Imperial Capital had gained one new Dou Emperor; and the various other regions had gained five new Dou Emperors in total!
Including the veteran Dou Emperors, Jia Ma Empire now had a full twenty-six Dou Emperors, dozens of Dou Wang, and two Dou Zong. It was no longer the weakest empire around the Black-Corner Region...
Over the past two years, Jia Ma and Chu Yun had clashed repeatedly along their border, while both sides had also continued sending people to infiltrate the other. Fortunately, Jia Ma Empire had kept a tight guard and caught most of the spies. The handful who remained could only mill about in a few small cities. Meanwhile, Chu Yun Empire was in chaos as the rising Butterfly Medical Valley expanded wildly, and Jia Ma Empire's agents had instead managed to obtain quite a few top-secret reports.
"The Xiao Clan members have all moved back, too..."
Yun Zimo nodded slightly. A little over a year ago, no one knew what had gotten into Chu Yun Empire. It had suddenly launched a large-scale attack on Black Mountain Fortress's border, giving the Alliance's senior leaders quite a fright. They immediately sent five Dou Emperors to the frontier.
But halfway there, they discovered a large group of people who had secretly crossed the border, locked in fierce combat with the Snake-Person Tribe guards stationed in the desert.
Those people had sneaked into the country, hoping to cross the Tagor Desert and seize the Xiao Clan members. The Divine Temple's guards had discovered them, and the two sides had immediately clashed.
During the battle, the Snake-Person guards discovered that quite a few Soul Envoys from Soul Hall were mixed in with the attackers!
When the Dou Emperors arrived, they discovered that some of the Soul Envoys had already left the battlefield and reached the Xiao Clan's settlement, where they had begun a massacre!
After killing all the attackers who had crossed the border and driving back those who had attacked the frontier, the Alliance Council unanimously decided to move the remaining Xiao Clan members inland and set aside a section of the Imperial Capital for their clan.
Everyone understood that a great war might break out before long. Leaving them exposed to the enemy after they had already become a target would be an extremely unwise choice.
The new Xiao Clan's settlement was at the foot of Misty Cloud Mountain, on the former site of the Imperial Family's garrison. With the Alliance's founding, the garrison had been reassigned to guard the frontier.
Yun Zimo had even sent Xiao Yan a letter informing him of the new Xiao Clan's situation, so he wouldn't have to worry about Soul Hall launching another surprise attack on them.
As for the people from the Heavenly Snake Mansion, their arrival was simply a coincidence.
As head of the Beast Taming Hall, Qing Lin had spent the past two years capturing nearly every snake-type magical beast in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Her strength had also advanced by leaps and bounds thanks to her diligent cultivation and the feedback from her pets. She was only one step away from breaking through to Dou Ling and becoming a Dou Wang expert!
Reaching Dou Wang in just two years had left everyone in the Alliance quietly astounded. Her record of fighting a Dou Wang alone in the Alliance's competition had also earned her everyone's recognition as a hall master!
This rising star had naturally drawn attention from many quarters. Although Yun Zimo had secretly hidden the truth about Qing Lin's eyes, some interested parties had still discovered the existence of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.
That interested party was the Dou Emperor from the Heavenly Snake Mansion, who had been staying in Jia Ma Empire for more than half a year...
In truth, Yun Zimo rather hoped Qing Lin would go with the Heavenly Snake Mansion's Dou Emperor. The Heavenly Snake Mansion clearly had more say in how to develop the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and guide Qing Lin's future.
But whenever Yun Zimo so much as hinted at the idea, Qing Lin would put on a pitiful, heartbroken expression, as though she were about to be abandoned.
In Qing Lin's heart, this place had long since become her home, and Yun Zimo had become her true family. Compared with strength, perhaps Qing Lin valued this familial bond even more...
"Qing Lin, come with big sister. Don't you want to gain even greater strength?"
Lu Man, the Dou Emperor from the Heavenly Snake Mansion, wore a tight-fitting green dress. She leaned close in front of Qing Lin, her curvaceous figure bent forward as she earnestly tried to persuade her.
Qing Lin, in her petite white robe with a Heavenly Snake embroidered on the cuffs, remained just as she always was. She wore a sweet smile, neither refusing nor agreeing.
Qing Lin was actually torn. On one hand, she didn't want to leave this "home." On the other, she feared that her meager strength meant she couldn't help Yun Zimo at all. She wanted to go, yet didn't want to go, and the contradiction left her at a loss.
"Brother Zimo!"
When she saw Yun Zimo enter in a white robe with a black-and-white Xiezhi embroidered on the cuffs, Qing Lin stood up in delight. Lu Man, who had been talking to Qing Lin for so long without getting through to her, couldn't help feeling envious and jealous.
"Have you settled in all right, Senior Lu Man?"
Yun Zimo patted Qing Lin's head, then turned to ask Lu Man.
Senior? Do I look that old?!
Though she roared inwardly, Lu Man still smiled and nodded, speaking gently.
"Hall Master Yun, just call me Lu Man."
Lu Man said politely.
"It's been all right. It's just that I still hope Qing Lin will come with me to cultivate at the Heavenly Snake Mansion!"
Even after all this time, Lu Man was still as direct as she had been at the start.
"Hall Master Yun must understand that Qing Lin might only be able to truly unleash her potential at the Heavenly Snake Mansion. Surely you don't want her to become just another face in the crowd!"
"Please, call me Zimo, Senior."
Yun Zimo said with a smile.
"Whether Qing Lin goes with you is entirely up to her. Asking me won't help."
"..."
Lu Man was speechless. If asking Qing Lin had worked, I'd have taken her and run off with her long ago!
Who knew what kind of spell this kid had put on Qing Lin? Whenever I asked, she always said, "I'll do whatever Brother Zimo says..."
"Qing Lin, tell me honestly. Do you want to go to the Heavenly Snake Mansion to study?"
Yun Zimo asked gently.
"If you go, the Misty Cloud Sect will be your support, and the door to your home will always be open to you. If you stay, big brother will still make sure you grow up happy!"
Qing Lin looked up and blinked. This time, she wasn't wearing that pitiful expression.
"Brother Zimo, how strong would I have to be to do whatever I want?"
"Hmm... a Dou Sheng?"
"Oh. Then I'll definitely become a Dou Sheng!"
Qing Lin nodded.
"Then I'll be able to protect you, big brother!"
"Sounds good. Then I'll wait for you to become a Dou Sheng, and after that I'll let you protect me."
Seeing how serious Qing Lin was, Yun Zimo smiled as he spoke.
"..."
Lu Man almost laughed, but managed to keep a straight face. Forget the Heavenly Snake Mansion—even the Misty Cloud Sect's ancestor, Yun Potian, hadn't reached Dou Sheng, had he? This silly kid really dared to dream!
"Senior Lu Man, can the Heavenly Snake Mansion help me become a Dou Sheng?"
Qing Lin gave a slight bow and asked quietly.
"A Dou Sheng..."
Lu Man didn't know what to say. The current Mansion Master was only a Dou Zun. The last Dou Sheng had lived three generations ago... or even more.
"It should be possible. One of the Heavenly Snake Mansion's past Mansion Masters was a Dou Sheng. I believe you'll be the next Dou Sheng of the Heavenly Snake Mansion."
Unwilling to undermine Qing Lin's confidence, Lu Man comforted her with that tale of a Dou Sheng that might not even be true.
Qing Lin nodded, then smiled innocently as she spoke.
"Brother Zimo, then Qing Lin will go to the Heavenly Snake Mansion! Once I become a Dou Sheng, I'll come back to the Misty Cloud Sect and protect you!"
Yun Zimo was momentarily stunned. From the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Man gazing at him with delighted eyes and frantically signaling to him. He immediately broke into a smile.
"Good!"
"Qing Lin, head of the Misty Cloud Sect's Beast Taming Hall! I approve your leave on behalf of the Sect Master!"
"Duration: until you become a Dou Sheng!"
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