The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 933 Hydra

After a night of tacit "drinking contest," Zhao Chen and the Empress have grown closer, and their behavior has become more intimate compared to yesterday.

When the two of them climbed up the "Myriad Clouds" which was theoretically only able to accommodate one person, Danfei did not resist.

In fact, the "Divine Travel Boat" recorded in the "Star Chariot Jade Record" is much more spacious and faster than the "Myriad Immortal Clouds," but perhaps because he had drunk too much, Zhao Chen seemed to have no idea to use this spell.

Since the Empress can hardly use her magic power now, after the "Myriad Manifestations Immortal Cloud" takes off, she can only rely on the "strong wind" that comes with this magic weapon to protect her from being thrown off. Therefore, she is almost being half-held in Zhao Chen's arms, and it is quite difficult for her to change her position.

Although the two had done the most intimate things when they first met, and had grown closer emotionally last night, making the Empress not reject Zhao Chen's touch, she was still somewhat uncomfortable.

She twisted her body, only to find that the other party seemed to be on the verge of a confrontation. Danfei immediately steadied herself and took the initiative to speak, "Last night I discovered that in addition to the 'life essence' I left behind, there seemed to be a 'death' power within you?"

She asked this partly to try and divert Zhao Chen's attention, and partly because she genuinely cared about it.

Because the energy of that "death" was on par with hers.

Zhao Chen could roughly guess Danfei's thoughts, but the special "spirit deer meat" of Deer Island, after being enhanced by the effects of "Qingping Shattered Jade Brew," did indeed have a rather strong aftereffect. With Wen Yu in his arms, he actually had a hard time controlling himself...

"Ahem, that was the work of a senior, intended to help your vital energy last longer and prevent it from dissipating easily," Zhao Chen coughed, answering somewhat vaguely.

He didn't want to talk too much about the Empress in front of the Empress, since he couldn't be sure if there was any grudge between them. If a conflict arose, it would be difficult for him to take sides.

“But I feel that power is somewhat familiar… it seems to be someone I know.” Danfei frowned. It was only because she couldn’t use her magic right now that she had many ways to figure out the origin of that energy.

Zhao Chen thought for a moment, then stopped trying to be evasive, but only revealed, "He is a senior from the prestigious Zhong family."

Regardless of the Empress's original status, she did indeed enter the palace under the name of "Ms. Zhong," which is not a lie.

"The once-powerful Zhong family?" The Empress was somewhat surprised and said thoughtfully, "The Zhong family has existed since the ancient Tang Dynasty. It survived the great destruction and never declined. It is an ancient family, just like the Meng family of Qingzhou."

"When I first recovered, I was quite surprised to hear that the Zhong family's 'Shengxuan' ancestor had fallen and was forced to withdraw from the ranks of the 'Twelve Families'."

"After all, the 'Ancestor of the Zhong Family' more than 8,000 years ago once gave me guidance. Although he did not touch the 'concept,' his strength was considered to be above average in the second realm of 'Ascension to Profound,' and he left a 'mark' throughout history. It would not be so easy for him to truly perish."

"Now it seems that he may have turned into a ghost cultivator and entered the 'underworld'... and his condition is probably not very good."

In the Empress's eyes, this kind of "development" was normal. After all, they were both True Lords, and she knew very well how difficult it was for her to kill them.

Seeing that Danfei had misunderstood him, Zhao Chen didn't correct her. Instead, he was drawn to her words and asked curiously, "Is the Zhong family a family that has been passed down from ancient times?" "Yes, the Zhong family has passed down the arts of 'qin' (a stringed instrument) and 'shu' (a type of ancient Chinese writing). It is said that they received guidance from the Primordial Dao Lord and have inherited a first-grade great divine power. They are one of the few ancient Daoist lineages in the world that has not been interrupted." Danfei nodded slightly.

The Way of "Qin" and "Shu"? And she even received guidance from the Primordial Dao Lord? No wonder the Empress took the initiative to contact the "Zhong Family." Having a relationship with the Zhong Family Ancestor is one aspect, but wanting the Zhong Family's help to stabilize her own state through the beauty of "Qin" and "Shu" is another.

Before she met me, Her Majesty the Empress was probably learning the zither and calligraphy from the Zhong family, but the results were only so-so...

Zhao Chen suddenly understood, and some of the previous mysteries were solved, but then another question came to his mind:
Zhong Ying is also a member of the Zhong family, but she has never learned any of the Zhong family's special skills in "qin" (a stringed instrument) or "shu" (a type of calligraphy). Logically speaking, even if she is an illegitimate daughter, she shouldn't be like this...

Moreover, the Zhong family has a deep connection with the Underworld. Not only did Zhong Ying become a judge directly under the Central Ghost Emperor's Palace at a young age, but other members of the Zhong family also hold important positions in the Underworld... This is definitely not just because the Zhong family is a descendant clan!

After all, even the emperor wasn't that important within the Ming family, let alone the empress... Without knowing the empress's true strength, it's impossible for the Ming family's people in the underworld to treat the Zhong family so well.

In other words, the Zhong family has another powerful backer in the "underworld"!
Thinking of this, Zhao Chen looked down at the Empress in his arms and pondered: Perhaps Danfei guessed right by accident... that Zhong family patriarch did not completely perish, but turned into a ghost cultivator!

Zhong Ying once said that the Eastern Ghost Emperor among the "Five Ghost Emperors" is the most mysterious... Could it be this one?

Even if the patriarch of the Zhong family did not actually perish, something serious must have happened, otherwise the Zhong family would not have fallen out of the "Twelve Families".

Well, Her Majesty the Empress should know about this. She didn't tell me, probably because she felt it wasn't necessary... However, I should find an opportunity to remind Zhong Ying.

As Zhao Chen was about to discuss this topic further with the Empress, his brows suddenly furrowed, because his divine sense detected faint ripples in the space above.

Empress Danfei had obviously discovered it as well, or rather, she had discovered it even earlier than Zhao Chen. However, her expression was unusually calm, because she knew very well that her "calamity" had ended and the possibility of encountering danger was very, very low.

After all, this is "compensation"!
As expected, before Zhao Chen could examine it closely, the spatial ripples subsided on their own. However, a figure appeared out of thin air and crashed straight down toward the "Myriad Immortal Clouds".

Zhao Chen scanned the figure with his divine sense and immediately recognized it as the little girl who had said strange things to him at the dock yesterday.

However, she was not in good condition at the time. Not only were her magical artifacts and outer garments damaged, but she herself had also fallen into a coma!
Seeing this, Zhao Chen did not let her fall. Instead, he summoned one of his own from the "Star Raft" to catch her and ordered it to stay away from the "Myriad Immortal Clouds" for the time being.

However, the moment the summoned "one of their own" touched the girl, fish scales, coral, and scallops sprouted from its body...

If she hadn't been locked in blood by the "Star Chariot," she would probably have already mutated into a monster by now.

“This girl has been corrupted. She must have gotten close to the battlefield where the Allied Fleet was intercepting the sea monster. After being corrupted, she activated some kind of ‘teleportation’ ability…” The Empress observed the girl for a while and quickly recognized the origin of the “corruption.” “So it’s ‘Hydra.’ No wonder the Allied Fleet hasn’t been able to deal with it yet.”

(End of this chapter)