Looks Like I'll Have to Find Her Majesty the Queen

Three golden lotuses appeared in Lu Yuan's pitch-black eyes. A surge of soul power emerged, silently concealing both his and Yun Yun's presence.

With that done, Lu Yuan carried Yun Yun down to a spot behind a rock on the mountainside. He poked his head out and observed the valley below from the corner of his eye.

A huge Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor lay napping beside a stream. Not far away, a masked woman was roasting meat over a fire. She wore a short cyan skirt of scale armor and a light pink, high-necked sweatshirt that left her shoulders bare, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

Qing Lin, dressed in a green skirt, sat by the campfire, warming herself.

"Little girl, we really mean you no harm. If we did, do you think you'd still be alive and well?" The masked woman turned the meat over and looked at Qing Lin.

"Those eyes of yours have deep ties to the Heavenly Snake Mansion. Once you get there, there's a very good chance you'll be raised as a saintess."

Qing Lin raised her head and calmly met the masked woman's gaze. "Young master said there's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Every gift bestowed by fate already has a price secretly marked on it."

"That young master of yours is a scholar, isn't he?" The masked woman scratched her head, looking speechless. "He has a saying for everything. Just listening to him makes me sleepy."

"Hehehe." The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor opened his eyes and mocked her. "Lu Man, you're a barbarian. I'm a snake, and even I've read more books than you."

"Shut up!" Lu Man seemed to blush. Annoyed, she said, "As long as I can read Cultivation Methods, that's enough. What's the point of learning so many useless principles? A hard fist beats every argument."

Lu Man looked back at Qing Lin. "Listen to me, little sister. Men can't be relied on. If you're going to rely on anything, rely on strength."

"I admit I have my own interests in taking you to the Heavenly Snake Mansion. I'll get credit and a reward for it."

"The sect wants to raise you because it values your talent. It hopes that once you've grown strong, you'll protect the sect and even lead it to greater heights. You could call it a transaction."

"A transaction?" Qing Lin's little face was full of seriousness. "If it really is a transaction, shouldn't both sides agree to it? You're forcing me to buy what you're selling."

"Little sister, that's because you can't make the right choice yet." Lu Man pursed her lips and spoke with the air of someone who had been through it all. "You're still young and haven't experienced enough. I suppose your life before this wasn't the same, either."

"At a time like that, it's only natural to feel differently about someone who treats you well."

"But when all's said and done, the young master you're talking about is just an ordinary person. In a place like the Jia Ma Empire, even reaching Dou Wang would mean he was extraordinarily talented and lucky."

"But if you join our Heavenly Snake Mansion, it'll be different. Dou Zong would only be the starting point!"

"But to me, becoming a Dou Zong isn't as important as staying with young master!" Qing Lin challenged her somewhat stubbornly. "Aren't you afraid that once I grow stronger, I'll come after you and that stupid snake beside you for revenge?"

Lu Man's expression froze. Looking somewhat troubled, she said, "I wasn't afraid before, but now I am a little. Still, I'm willing to take the gamble."

In Lu Man's view, Qing Lin had simply grown up in a small place and seen too little of the world to know what a tremendous opportunity it was to be taken away by her.

Once Qing Lin became the Heavenly Snake Mansion's saintess, she would have status and strength, with the favored children of heaven from every major faction around her. Naturally, she would forget all about Lu Yuan.

She might even come to regard having once been Lu Yuan's maid as the shame of her life.

When that time came, far from taking revenge on Lu Man and Bai Ya, Qing Lin might even thank her and give her benefits.

Still, seeing how utterly loyal Qing Lin was to Lu Yuan now, Lu Man was also afraid things might not turn out that way.

But she was willing to bet that her decision was right.

"This little maid of yours really is utterly loyal to you." Yun Yun leaned against the rock with her arms folded, smiling as she teased him. "She'd rather be your maid than the Heavenly Snake Mansion's saintess."

After spending the past few days with Lu Yuan, Yun Yun knew that he had extraordinary knowledge and was not a narrow-minded young master from a small clan with a limited outlook.

As Lu Yuan's maid, Qing Lin certainly knew about the outside world too.

She had not chosen Lu Yuan because she was unaware of how good it would be to go to the Heavenly Snake Mansion.

"Someone I value is naturally very good." Lu Yuan looked away from the valley and turned to Yun Yun. "You can hear their conversation. Is the seal almost undone?"

"Yes." A sharp glint flashed in Yun Yun's eyes. "Keep helping me, and the seal can be completely undone in another half a day."

"Half a day, huh." Lu Yuan frowned slightly and took out a map of the Jia Ma Empire.

"What's wrong?" Yun Yun asked curiously.

"Do you think the two of us together can take on Lu Man and Bai Ya?" Lu Yuan asked without looking up, his eyes sweeping over the map.

"Who's Bai Ya?" Yun Yun asked, puzzled.

"That Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor. Didn't Lu Man just call him by name?" Lu Yuan's expression did not change.

"Did she?" Yun Yun was sure she hadn't heard it, but it wasn't important. She answered Lu Yuan's earlier question. "That Lu Man is a Six-Star Dou Emperor. Her cultivation is higher than mine, but I can keep her occupied."

"That Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor should be at the Mid-Sixth Tier. He's a little stronger than me too."

Yun Yun then turned her gaze to Lu Yuan. "Think carefully about whether to make a move."

Lu Yuan was only a Seven-Star Dou Wang. He was probably no match for the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor.

Yun Yun's meaning was simple: the two of them were no match for Lu Man and Bai Yi.

The Dou Qi Continent certainly had no shortage of geniuses who could kill enemies above their level, but the Cultivation Methods, Combat Skills, and battle experience available to people from the Heavenly Snake Mansion were sure to surpass those available to people from the Jia Ma Empire.

Even so, as long as Lu Yuan wanted to fight, Yun Yun was willing to accompany him.

"Since we have almost no chance of winning, there's no need to charge in head-on right now." Lu Yuan put the map away, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. "Those two mean Qing Lin no harm, so I don't need to worry about her safety."

"Judging by the direction they're taking to the Heavenly Snake Mansion, they should be crossing the Tagor Desert."

"In that case, we'll go seek Queen Medusa's cooperation and lie in wait for them along the way."

"What did you say?" Yun Yun wondered if she had misheard. "Who are you going to ask for help?"

"Queen Medusa," Lu Yuan answered.

"That's Queen Medusa you're talking about." Yun Yun thought Lu Yuan was indulging in a wild fantasy. "She was already a Nine-Star Peak Dou Emperor decades ago. She's killed people as if mowing down hemp, and her name alone can stop a child from crying."

"The Snake-People Tribe is on bad terms with all four neighboring human empires. Humans who enter the tribe's territory will be hunted down."

"You want to ask Queen Medusa to help you deal with the people from the Heavenly Snake Mansion?"

Lu Yuan lowered his head to meet Yun Yun's gaze and smiled. "I'm confident I can persuade Queen Medusa to help me. Are you willing to come with me?"

"If you're going, I'm certainly willing to protect you on this trip." Yun Yun gave him a definite answer, though a question lingered in her eyes. "But how are you going to persuade Queen Medusa?"

"Don't anger her, or she might mobilize the entire Snake-People Tribe to trap us in the desert."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan smiled.

"Because I have a bargaining chip that leaves her no choice but to work with me."

"Yun'er, just follow my lead. You have nothing to worry about."

Yun Yun: Yun'er!?