Don't be afraid, fairy, I'm blind

Chapter 483 A Consonant Smirk

On the bronze candlesticks in the council hall, nine glazed lamps were burning brightly in the night breeze, making the snake-scale pattern on Ji Xueruo's wide black sleeves sparkle like broken ice.

Granny Liu stood beside her, tapping the ground lightly with the snake-headed staff in her hand, making a muffled sound, and quietly sized up the dusty young man.

Half a year has passed, and Ao Yu's figure has not changed much. He is still as strong and powerful as a young lion. However, his originally heroic face has become much more mature, and he looks somewhat like his famous cousin Ao Yunlie.

"Mr. Ao has come from afar, and the Snake Clan is really sorry for not welcoming you. But I wonder what advice you have for me in this late night?"

Ji Xueruo stood up and saluted, her tone as steady as autumn water in a cold pond, but when she caught a glimpse of the beads of sweat on the other person's forehead, she was slightly surprised.

Ao Yu didn't care about being polite, his long golden hair was scattered like a reed in the wind: "Has the Holy Son of the Golden Peng Clan contacted the leader of the Xueruo Clan recently? Perhaps he wanted to come and thank you in person?"

Granny Liu's white eyebrows suddenly knitted together, and she slammed her snake staff heavily on the ground: "How did Master Ao know this? The exchanges between our snake tribe and the Golden Roc tribe don't seem to have been spread to outsiders."

Ao Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes burning, "To be honest, I did deliberately get the information out of the Golden Roc Saint. And I came here overnight to remind Chief Xueruo that the Golden Roc Saint's 'thank you' may have other intentions!"

Ji Xueruo's fingertips made a slight sound on the paperweight, but her face remained calm: "It is common sense for the big demon tribe to inspect the new tribes. If the snake tribe wants to return to the sacred mountain, they should accept the inspection."

"No!" Ao Yu suddenly raised his voice, startling the copper bells in the corner of the hall, "This is definitely not an ordinary inspection!"

"What do you mean?" Ji Xueruo's voice was cold.

Ao Yu didn't care about his image, he just lifted the lid of the teapot, took a big gulp, and then panted:
"What I am about to say is not known by ordinary monsters. Only monsters of the same mountain may know it. The Grand Elder of the Golden Peng Clan passed away fifteen years ago, and there are no more cultivators in the Golden Peng Clan who have reached the middle level of the Void Realm. However, the younger generation of the Golden Peng Clan is quite competitive. In the past fifteen years, all the young people of the Golden Peng Clan can be called elite geniuses, and the Golden Peng Saint Son is the best among them.

"They wanted to continue to build momentum for the Holy Son to cover up the news of the Supreme Elder's death, so they ordered the Holy Son Jinpeng to attack the number one prodigy of the Zhongyuan Lingbao Sect in the secret realm to expand their reputation. But who knew that the Holy Son relied on his natural talent and indulged in wine and sex behind the scenes, which led to a falsely high realm. In the battle with the Lingbao Sect's prodigy, he ended up with a serious injury that was difficult to heal. Although it was a fight for the secret realm, such an injury was enough for them to ask the Lingbao Sect for an explanation. The reason they chose to swallow this loss was because they didn't want the Lingbao Sect to reveal that they were the ones who took the initiative to provoke and had nothing to do with the fight for the secret realm. So although they were the ones who were beaten, they secretly gave the Lingbao Sect a large sum of money as hush money."

"They are also great monsters of the Divine Mountain after all. Are they willing to hold back their anger?" Ji Xueruo's eyes lit up as soon as she finished speaking. "If the Lingbao Sect refuses to give up, this matter will definitely become the fuse that ignites the conflict between humans and monsters. The Jinpeng Clan, which took the initiative to provoke and caused all the monsters to be innocently implicated, will become the eternal sinners who took the initiative to provoke the conflict between humans and monsters. The Jinpeng Clan, which has already lost its highest combat power, is even less likely to do something that offends both sides. At the very least, they will be expelled from the Divine Mountain as an apology, and at worst, they will become the focus of the war, so they have to endure this matter."

"Yes, Chief Xueruo said exactly the same thing as my brother." Ao Yu suddenly revealed a sad smile, but immediately restrained his emotions and continued, "After this incident, the suppression of the younger generation of the Jinpeng tribe on the other demon tribes' geniuses was greatly reduced, but it still exists. However, in the incident on the South China Sea Fairy Island, none of the geniuses sent by the Jinpeng tribe survived, which seriously damaged the vitality of the Jinpeng tribe. Now the old and young of the Jinpeng tribe are gone. Overall, the overall strength of the Jinpeng tribe has fallen out of the ranks of the big demon tribes. So their primary concern is to strengthen themselves and not be cannibalized and divided by the other big demon tribes. How can they have the spare energy to invest in demon tribes with potential?"

At this point, Ji Xueruo and Granny Liu were both stunned.

Ao Yuze's throat rolled, and his eyes swept across the gloomy faces of the two people, "So I think they are unlikely to come here to invest in the Snake Tribe, but more like to look for selected targets to plunder!"

Granny Liu's walking stick clanged to the ground. "Ridiculous! My eldest daughter nearly died during the Zhongyuan Festival while trying to find the lotus root heart to save the Holy Son. How dare they repay kindness with hatred?"

Ji Xueruo remained silent upon hearing this. She did not want to demand repayment for the favor, and she also did not dare to believe that the demon clan would take the favor seriously.

"Those who are not of my race must have different hearts" is an iron rule in the demon race. If the human race is faced with such internal and external troubles, it is undoubtedly a feasible way to find a trustworthy ally. But in the demon race, it is completely impossible.

Regardless of how many snake tribes are needed to help the Jinpeng tribe in its fight with other big demon tribes, the Jinpeng tribe simply cannot trust demons other than its own tribe. Even if Ji Xueruo were in their shoes, she would think that joining forces with other big demon tribes to get a piece of the pie is the best option.

Ao Yu sighed bitterly, "The strong prey on the weak, which is the law of the Japanese demon tribe. The Jinpeng tribe is in a period of transition, and they are in urgent need of filling the gap left by the passing of the Grand Elder, so they will naturally do whatever it takes. As for the Snake tribe... all of them are women, which makes them an outlier among the demon tribe, so they don't have too many concerns. The second lady of the Snake tribe has a close relationship with You Su, who is wanted by all five continents, so the snake tribe is naturally in an awkward situation. If we really want to investigate later, we can say that we have a legitimate reason."

He shook his head silently again, and said sadly: "My brother once said that the demon tribe claimed to be human, but still regarded each other as fish. This is what he couldn't stand the most, so in the South Sea Fairy Island, he never asked about the background of the people he made an alliance with, and naively regarded everyone as his own. He thought that as long as there was a fool like him, no matter what tribe it was, they could work together, but he never thought..."

The words stopped abruptly here. Ao Yu did not continue speaking, but took out a half-rolled torn secret report from his sleeve:

"The Tengu tribe in the northernmost part of Japan was wholeheartedly attached to the Jinpeng tribe, but they were brutally exterminated a month ago. The most terrifying thing is that there was not a single demon core left in their corpses. The Tengu tribe has always been the most loyal lickspittle of the Jinpeng tribe, doing a lot of dirty things for them. Others would only suspect the enemies they made because of this, but would not suspect the Jinpeng tribe."

Ji Xueruo's back suddenly tensed up, and the fingertips under her wide black sleeves dug deeply into her palms.

She had heard about the extermination of the Tengu tribe, but she didn't pay much attention to it, and she couldn't think that the Jinpeng tribe was behind it, because the extinction of tribes was common in Dongyingzhou, and it was normal for weak monsters to be bullied by monsters. Thinking about it now, it was like a warning bell ringing in her ears.

"Why did Master Ao tell us this?" She suddenly raised her eyes, the candlelight flickering in her eyes, "The Golden Lion Clan and our Snake Clan have never had any dealings with each other, but we and the Golden Peng Clan are both great demon clans. Your helping our Snake Clan will not benefit the Golden Lion Clan in the slightest."

Ao Yu's expression suddenly darkened, and his fingertips unconsciously stroked the golden lion pattern on his cuffs: "Because you have a close relationship with Brother You Suyou."

Ji Xueruo was startled for a moment, but then her face flushed slightly, "He and my sister are in love, so they are naturally related."

"I don't know your sister, I only know you. He gave up the chance to survive alone and came back to save you from the mouth of the giant snake. He definitely thinks you are very important."

Ji Xueruo clenched her fingers, and was afraid to look at the expression of Granny Liu beside her when she heard these words.

"On the Fairy Island of the South Sea, my brother Ao Yunlie and I have both received kindness from Brother You. Without him, I would not have been able to kill the little saint of the Savage Holy Temple to avenge my brother, nor would I have been able to return from the island alive."

The young man, who suddenly looked much older, smiled bitterly, "I told the tribe members that Brother You was not a demon, but he saved us. But the tribe members did not dare to go against the will of the world, and only asked me to remember the kindness in my heart. I hate that I am powerless to clear his name, but I can no longer sit idly by and watch the snake tribe, who have a close relationship with him, suffer."

The hall suddenly became silent, with only the sound of candle wicks popping being clearly audible.

Ji Xueruo's peripheral vision swept across the shadow of the palace pillar. There was no aura fluctuation there due to Granny Liu's magic, but there was a person hiding there - she knew that You Su was holding his breath and hiding in the dark, his palm probably clenched around the hilt of the sword.

"I understand..." Ji Xueruo sighed, but a hint of ruthlessness appeared in her brows. "I had no intention of letting him enter the ancestral land. Although this is just Mr. Ao's speculation, if anyone really wants to bite the flesh of the snake clan, he must be prepared to die from the poison." "Snake clan..." Ao Yu seemed to want to say something but stopped.

Ji Xueruo knew his hesitation and raised her hand and said, "If Master Ao could represent the Golden Lion Clan's opinion, he would not have come here alone. The Snake Clan will remember your kindness."

Ao Yu looked at her suddenly cold eyebrows and suddenly realized that it was useless to say more. He clenched his fists:

"I told you this because I want the Snake Clan to prepare early. I know that Chief Xueruo has lofty ambitions, but even if the Golden Peng Clan has no ill intentions towards the Snake Clan, the Snake Clan had better not pin their hopes on the Golden Peng Clan. Because the monsters of the Godly Mountain will never let go of this good opportunity."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his sleeves and saluted: "That's all I have to say. Ao Yu, take your leave."

He turned around to leave, but suddenly turned back and said, "I heard that Brother You is not dead. Chief Xueruo should not worry too much."

At the end, he gave Ji Xueruo a look that expressed his condolences, which made the young clan leader feel uncomfortable.

"Master Ao, I'll take you there."

Granny Liu was very careful and in a flash, she cast a breath-hiding spell on Ao Yu. If the news that Ao Yu came to the Snake Clan was exposed, there would be a lot of trouble. Elder Liu seemed to want to personally send him away from the Snake Clan.

Ao Yu also understood and did not resist. He put on his hood and left quickly with Granny Liu.

In the shadows, You Su's figure emerged like light ink.

The boy and girl looked at each other and spoke in unison:
"What do you think?"

You Su suddenly chuckled, and his eyes narrowed slightly as if he thought of something extremely happy.

Ji Xueruo recognized this kind of smile on the boy's face. Every time he was planning a bad idea, he would show this malicious smile.

But little did she know that in the boy's eyes, she also showed the same smile.

Needless to say, Ji Xueruo understood that You Su was definitely not planning to leave at this moment.

……

The chirping of cicadas shattered into gold foil in the steam rising from the volcano. Under the vermilion lacquer archway of the snake clan's ancestral land, the spokes of the gilded chariot rolled over the bluestone slabs. The golden roc's tail feathers adorning the shaft trembled slightly in the hot wind, and each piece refracted tiny rainbow lights.

Ji Xueruo stood in front of the steps, her wide black sleeves falling like the night, the silver snake-scale ornaments on her waist and the golden feathers complemented each other, making her look even more breathtakingly noble than usual.

"Yu Xiaoran, the Holy Son of the Golden Peng Clan, has brought a valuable gift to thank the Chief of the Snake Clan for saving my life!"

Before the announcement was made, the gilded door of the car had already opened.

The young Saint Yu Xiaoran was wearing a peacock blue brocade robe and a half-golden feather hairpin in his hair. When he stepped off the carriage, his sleeves moved without wind, and his luxurious aura was just right with a gentleness, not like the arrogant style of the Shenshan demon clan.

"The Snake Clan welcomes the arrival of Holy Son Jin Peng." Granny Liu also responded loudly.

Behind her, all the snake girls except Ji Lingruo came out in full force to welcome the Golden Roc Saint, and seven elders, each with their own unique looks, attended in their best attire.

"Chief Xueruo found the lotus heart for me to heal my body. Our Jinpeng tribe will never forget it." Yu Xiaoran raised his hand, and the servants behind him filed out, holding a three-foot-high crystal box. "This is a small gift to show your appreciation."

Ji Xueruo glanced at the glittering gift boxes: the fairy lychee tree carved from ice crystals from the North Sea, each lychee condensed with the charm of Taoism; the gauze woven from star sand silk, glowing like the Milky Way under the sunlight...

The women of the snake clan exclaimed in amazement one after another. Although the seven elders had seen a lot of the world, they couldn't help but be amazed at this moment.

"Saint Son, you are too kind." Ji Xueruo nodded slightly, "The demon race should help each other. Saint Son, you will be blessed by heaven. I am just doing my best."

“Chief Xueruo is too modest. If finding a lotus root heart is just a small effort, I’m afraid all the demon tribes in the sacred mountain will ask you to find one.” Yu Xiaoran smiled warmly.

"The Holy Son has just recovered from a serious injury, he shouldn't be rushing around." Ji Xueruo smiled back, her beauty unparalleled.

A flash of surprise flashed in Yu Xiaoran's eyes, and he raised his eyebrows and replied, "My father wanted to thank you in person, but how can he let the savior come to the door to receive thanks? I hope that Chief Xueruo will not take it to heart. My father is a bird that flies high and is used to being arrogant, but he is no less grateful to you than I am. So he specifically asked me to come to your door with these gifts to express my gratitude to Jin Peng."

"Patriarch Jinpeng is not arrogant, he just cares too much about the snake clan. On the contrary, I was too busy with my breakthrough these days and neglected your kindness. I am really ashamed."

Ji Xueruo suddenly turned sideways, and the snake women behind her had already made way for her. "To express my apology, please give my snake clan a chance to entertain our distinguished guests."

Yu Xiaoran raised his eyebrows and said with a clear smile: "Patriarch Xueruo, please don't be so polite. Then Xiaoran... is sorry to bother you!"

Behind the young man with a look of surprise on his face, the beautiful enchantress who had remained silent all the time frowned slightly.

(End of this chapter)