"You want to talk to me, but on what grounds? Do you think I'll believe your mere words?"
Queen Medusa wasn't in a hurry to make a move. The message Yan Qingshan had entrusted Hua Shen'er to convey contained information that interested her. Moreover, his previous action hadn't been intended to harm anyone, and Hua Shen'er had also spoken some good words, which led Queen Medusa to temporarily halt her advance.
"Your Majesty the Queen, I've come with sincerity. If we're to discuss matters, wouldn't it be improper out here?"
Yan Qingshan swiftly descended to the top of the city wall, stopping not far from Queen Medusa. A confident smile played on his lips. To converse and laugh so freely amidst thousands of soldiers, even Queen Medusa had to admit that this young man possessed extraordinary courage and demeanor.
"You're very bold, human! In that case, Hua Shen'er, bring him in!"
Queen Medusa gazed at him intently before speaking softly. With a flicker of light and shadow, the Queen vanished. It was, in fact, one of her clones.
"Please lead the way, Elder Sister!"
Yan Qingshan smiled and extended a hand to Hua Shen'er. The valiant and beautiful snake-woman gave him a complex look, then signaled for those around to make way, leading him into the core of the Snake-people Race's domain—the Divine Hall.
The path to the Snake-people Race's Divine Hall was winding. Initially, it was heavily guarded, but the closer they got to the center of the Divine Hall, the fewer people there were, until finally, there was no one at all.
This was because the innermost area was the Queen's residence. If an enemy managed to approach this place, the Queen would already have been alerted, rendering any further guards meaningless.
This was because, in a true sense, Queen Medusa was the Snake-people Race's strongest guardian and most powerful combatant. The outer guards were merely to prevent her from being disturbed by outsiders.
Along the slightly dim path, Hua Shen'er swayed her body, moving slowly forward with her snake tail. Yan Qingshan walked behind her, his gaze occasionally lingering on her slender waist, his eyes seemingly burning with fervor. In reality, his peripheral vision constantly scanned various parts of the Divine Hall.
Just as the two were about to step through the last hall door and enter the core of the Divine Hall, Yan Qingshan suddenly quickened his pace to catch up with Hua Shen'er. "Hua Shen'er Elder Sister!"
At Yan Qingshan's call, Hua Shen'er stopped and turned, a hint of unnaturalness on her face. Yan Qingshan's gaze just now had been completely undisguised. How powerful was the spiritual perception of a Dou King expert? And she had just had such intimate contact with Yan Qingshan, so of course...
"I was rude to Elder Sister just now. Please accept this Fifth-Grade Qi Mending Pill."
Yan Qingshan took Hua Shen'er's small hand and slipped a jade bottle into it. Hearing this, Hua Shen'er's heart fluttered. Due to their strained relations with humans, the Snake-people Race, despite possessing many rare medicinal ingredients, had very few pills, let alone fifth-grade ones.
Although the Qi Mending Pill was merely a fifth-grade pill used for daily auxiliary cultivation for Dou Kings and Dou Emperors, it was absolutely precious for Hua Shen'er, who was only a low-level Dou King.
"Elder Sister's hand is truly as soft as boneless silk!"
Yan Qingshan was quite mischievous when giving the pill. While calling her "Elder Sister," he held her small hand for a long time before letting go, deliberately pinching it as he released it.
"Your waist is also quite good..."
As Yan Qingshan's hand moved down, Hua Shen'er's jade face suddenly flushed. She felt as if her waist had been brushed by something, and her cheeks immediately glowed crimson. With Yan Qingshan's almost teasing words, she naturally knew what was happening, which further flustered her heart.
Most Snake-people women were as bold and fiery as their curvaceous figures, but there were exceptions. Hua Shen'er's well-proportioned figure was rare among the Snake-people Race. Coupled with her long tenure as the Queen's guard captain, she had very little contact with the outside world and often presented a cold, iron-blooded general's demeanor.
Perhaps because of this, she appeared somewhat aloof and valiant, with an introverted personality and a chilling aura, which deterred others and resulted in few admirers. This, in turn, gave Yan Qingshan an opportunity to stir up trouble.
He had come to the Snake-people Divine Hall alone, and it was impossible for him not to be nervous. Yet, he encountered such an easy target for goodwill in the Snake-people Divine Hall, so he naturally... cough cough... he solemnly declared here that he was definitely not after her slender, snake-like waist…
"Her Majesty the Queen is waiting for you..."
Hua Shen'er remained silent for a moment before speaking softly, continuing to lead the way. Yan Qingshan's lips curved into a smile, and he followed quietly without any further inappropriate actions.
In the spacious and luxurious grand hall, a graceful figure seemed to be reclining somewhat lazily on a purple crystal throne, feigning sleep. She suddenly frowned and looked towards the hall entrance. As she watched, after some time, the hall door finally opened, and Hua Shen'er entered with Yan Qingshan.
"Your Majesty the Queen, it's been a long time!"
Yan Qingshan stepped forward and bowed to Queen Medusa, his gaze lingering on the beauty who seemed to have just woken up. Compared to her noble demeanor on the city wall, she now possessed more elegance and even greater allure.
Her majestic purple robe could not conceal her captivating contours. Her incredibly shapely figure exuded boundless charm. Her light purple snake tail intertwined with the purple crystal throne, her long tail swaying occasionally on the throne, seemingly tempting prey to tease it!
"You sought me out!"
Queen Medusa on the throne slightly lowered her head, looking at Yan Qingshan. Her red lips curved into a slender arc, her exquisite face instantly radiating a bewitching aura. Every frown and smile was incredibly captivating, as if she intentionally wanted to make Yan Qingshan look foolish.
Her impression of Yan Qingshan was not very good. This audacious human dared to bully her guard captain outside her Divine Hall. How incredibly brazen! Did he think she was blind?!
Yan Qingshan's expression remained unchanged, his calm gaze not lingering for a moment as he looked directly at Queen Medusa.
"I have naturally come to seek Her Majesty the Queen. I wish to make a trade with the Queen."
"Speak, what business do you have with me? Although your forceful entry into my clan's territory was extremely rude, my Snake-people Race is not an unreasonable race."
Queen Medusa said, a hint of amusement flashing in her autumn-water eyes, followed by a touch of cunning as she playfully added, "Moreover, since you can give Hua Shen'er a fifth-grade pill as an apology, I presume you won't be too stingy when compensating for the losses either!"
Queen Medusa had originally intended to embarrass Yan Qingshan but had not expected his attitude towards herself and Hua Shen'er to be completely different.
Could it be that she, the Queen, was inferior to a mere guard captain? This naturally caused her to become a little temperamental, deliberately bringing up the previous incident.
"This is certainly not difficult. To be honest, I am an Alchemist."
The Queen's words made Hua Shen'er a little awkward, feeling the jade bottle hidden in her embrace inexplicably warm, but Yan Qingshan showed no unusual expression, still speaking eloquently.
"You're an Alchemist? But you're clearly wood attribute!"
This time, not only Queen Medusa but even Hua Shen'er beside her was surprised. Alchemists were renowned throughout the continent, naturally attracting the attention of many people and forces.
While advanced practitioners could cultivate other attribute Dou Techniques, their primary Dou Qi attribute could not be faked. Yan Qingshan was clearly wood-attributed, which did not align with the fire attribute of an Alchemist.
Most Alchemists had a trace of wood within their fire, and that trace of wood essence was only useful during alchemy. For most other times, no one would deliberately cultivate and nurture it, as the weak wood essence made their efforts twice as hard for half the result, making it difficult to train wood-attribute Dou Techniques to a profound level.
"But, I have it!"
Yan Qingshan smiled and extended his hand. A plume of Green Flame rose, and the temperature within the Divine Hall immediately increased.
"Heavenly Flame! It's you!!!"
Queen Medusa and Hua Shen'er were both startled. The originally calm Queen, upon seeing this plume of flame, finally unearthed a familiar aura from a corner of her memory, and countless expressions of surprise filled her eyes.
"That's right, it's me. Three years ago, outside Rock Desert City, it was I who took the Green Lotus Core Flame, making the Queen go on a wasted trip. I apologize for that."
Yan Qingshan smiled and replied. Beside him, Hua Shen'er's face changed drastically upon hearing that the Queen had once sought the Green Lotus Core Flame, as it involved a secret of the Snake-people Race, and the failure rate of that secret method was simply too high.
"How do you know I went there, and how do you know I was looking for a Heavenly Flame?"
Queen Medusa gracefully ran a slender finger through the dark hair falling over her forehead, asking seemingly casually, but a hint of chill flickered in her slightly purplish beautiful eyes.
"Her Majesty the Queen's whereabouts are unpredictable, but before coming to the Divine Hall, I made a trip to the place where the Heavenly Flame was born and found this!"
Yan Qingshan extended his hand and opened his palm. Several purple scales shimmering with colorful luster appeared in his palm. "I once incidentally saw a secret in an ancient text concerning the Snake-people Race Queen.
It was recorded that when a Snake-people Race reaches the peak of Dou Emperor, if they have sufficient fortuitous encounters, they can undergo a strange evolution.
After the evolution, the Snake-people Race expert will not only be able to freely transform into a human form but also advance to become a Dou Ancestor expert.
However, the success rate of this evolution seems quite low, and the necessary item for this evolution is the Heavenly Flame.
Since Her Majesty the Queen was willing to delve deep into the surging magma to search, she must be extremely interested in the Heavenly Flame. Therefore, I boldly guessed that the Queen was preparing to use this secret method!"
Hua Shen'er grew more flustered upon hearing this, and quickly advised, "Queen, the failure rate of the secret method is extremely high. Why would you... Once you..."
"Silence!"
Queen Medusa's expression turned cold, and she reprimanded him sternly. No one could change her mind once she had decided, let alone her own guard captain being so flustered in front of an outsider. What kind of decorum was that?
"Your Majesty the Queen, I know you are under great pressure. The Snake-people Race is feared by many empires and collectively suppressed in this Tager Desert. Although you are powerful, you can only barely contend with the strong practitioners from various sides. The Snake-people Race is simply unable to expand outwards."
Yan Qingshan smiled and said, "This vast desert seems boundless, and the Snake-people Race seems to adapt to this environment, but the snake-people's bloodline is, after all, cold. Living in this hot desert still presents some problems.
You wish to break through to Dou Ancestor and lead your people out, and I can help you. Of course, how this matter proceeds is for you to decide."