"Hehe, little brother Yan, you're thinking naughty things!"
Suddenly, a woman's soft voice came from behind. Yue Mei and Hua She'er took Yan Qingshan's hands, one on each side. Their lithe waists and provocative snake tails wrapped tightly around him. Yue Mei even breathed fragrant air into his ear, "Queen Medusa was worried you'd be lonely, so she specially left us here to keep you company!"
"This..."
Yan Qingshan looked at Yao Ye awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
Yue Mei's beautiful eyes sized up Yao Ye for a moment, then she laughed charmingly, "Princess, we're going to rest. Would you like to join us?"
Yao Ye's cheeks were flushed. She had no idea what to say. Even if she had a good impression of Yan Qingshan, there was no way she could agree at this moment. For a royal princess to openly agree to a night party, it was just too much…
And so, Princess Yao Ye could only watch as Yue Mei and Hua She'er dragged Yan Qingshan away. After they disappeared, she couldn't help but feel a little regret.
…
In the region of the Northwest Continent near the Black Corner Region, battles raged. Following the ambush and annihilation of the top experts from the Mu Lan Valley, the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate, and the Luo Yan Sect, the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-People tribe brazenly launched a war to conquer the three empires.
Individually, none of the empires—the Chu Yun, Luo Yan, and Mu Lan—were inferior to the Jia Ma Empire. Even with the alliance between the Jia Ma Empire and the Snake-People tribe, their overall power was still slightly weaker than the three empires.
However, having lost their most powerful top-tier fighters, the foundations of the three empires were severely damaged. In the battles that ensued, the allied forces of the three empires were continuously defeated. The final outcome, of course, was not a good one.
With the Jia Ma Empire's full-scale declaration of war on the three empires, the tense domestic situation changed rapidly. And with the empire and the Snake-People tribe forming an alliance, the Snake-People tribe within the Tager Desert also began the process of a large-scale migration.
The Jia Ma Empire allocated a large area near the Magical Beast Mountain Range to the Snake-People tribe, leaving only a few areas with border cities. The Snake-People tribe also reached an agreement with the empire to take on the responsibility of guarding against the Magical beast tides.
After the Snake-People tribe and the Jia Ma Empire reached an agreement and the tribe moved out of theTager Desert, the Snake-People's wariness towards the Jia Ma people was significantly reduced. The empire also had one less enemy, allowing it to free up more troops to deal with other issues.
With future cooperation, the Snake-People tribe would also become a formidable force within the Jia Ma Empire, and the empire's power would increase greatly as a result.
As the Jia Ma Empire took action, all the major forces—the royal family, the three great clans, the Misty Cloud Sect, and even the newly joined Snake-People tribe—were in motion.
Yun Yun, Ya Fei, Medusa, Hua She'er, and Yue Mei all had their own matters to attend to, which left Yan Qingshan with quite a bit of free time.
Ya Fei was currently trying to connect the Jia Ma Empire with the Qingwang City of the Black Corner Region, to increase Yan Qingshan's influence over the Jia Ma Empire.
Yun Yun, as the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, was extremely busy these days. The two main forces of the Jia Ma Empire's expansion were the Misty Cloud Sect and the royal family, so she was naturally swamped.
As for Medusa, Hua She'er, and Yue Mei, as high-ranking members of the Snake-People tribe, they had to personally oversee the major event of relocating their people's breeding ground.
The Snake-People tribe in the Tager Desert was migrating in large numbers, and they were beginning to build a new breeding ground in the large area near the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
In Jia Ma Sacred City, in a room in the Mittel Clan's pavilion, Yan Qingshan sat alone. "Things here in the Jia Ma Empire are pretty much done. Next, I should head back to the Black Corner Region!"
Yan Qingshan was carefully looking at a golden scroll in his room. It was from the Luo Yan Sect's Sect Master, Yan Luotian, the Luo Yan Sect's secret technique: Heavenly Goose Nine-Step Wings.
The Heavenly Goose Nine-Step Wings was the secret technique of the Luo Yan Sect. Once successfully cultivated, it granted a speed far surpassing that of ordinary people. Yan Luotian dared to challenge Yun Shan as a newly advanced Dou Ancestor precisely because of the extreme speed of the Heavenly Goose Nine-Step Wings. In the original novel, he even used it to maneuver against Medusa multiple times without falling into a disadvantage.
The Heavenly Goose Nine-Step Wings was not just a Dou Technique; it was a method for refining a flying Dou Technique. As long as the materials were suitable, this refining method could be used to create a flying Dou Technique of at least Di-tier.
On the Dou Qi Continent, a Xuan-tier flying Dou Technique could fetch a price almost comparable to a common Di-tier Dou Technique. Not to mention an Di-tier flying Dou Technique, which was practically a legendary existence. This showed just how valuable it was.
Yan Qingshan was carefully reading and contemplating the contents of the Heavenly Goose Nine-Step Wings. He unconsciously tilted his head slightly towards the door, where a graceful figure stood at the threshold. In the next instant, she was right beside him.
"Do you need my help with the Snake-People tribe's matters?"
Yan Qingshan smiled happily at Medusa as she came to his side, then gestured for her to sit next to him.
"For now, there are no problems. Yue Mei and the others and I can handle it."
Medusa shook her head, then looked at the scroll in Yan Qingshan's hand, looking like she wanted to say something but didn't know how to start a conversation.
Yan Qingshan handed her the scroll with a smile. "Do you remember Yan Luotian? This was found on him, a refining method for a flying Dou Technique."
"A method for making a flying Dou Technique?"
Medusa's beautiful eyes lit up. She recalled Yan Luotian's super speed. If Yun Shan wasn't a wind-attribute Dou Ancestor, and if he hadn't used a secret technique and movement skill to burst his speed for a short time, no one would have been able to track Yan Luotian's movements in that battle.
Yan Luotian was not of the wind or lightning attribute, which were good for speed, yet he possessed a speed far beyond his peers. The pair of materialized golden wings on his back was the key. They were a pair of high-grade flying Dou Techniques.
Medusa had thought this was just Yan Luotian's good fortune or some kind of treasured heirloom of the Luo Yan Sect. She never expected that the Luo Yan Sect actually had a refining method for a flying Dou Technique.
Flying Dou Techniques were quite rare on the Dou Qi Continent, and most of their refining methods were lost. The fact that the Luo Yan Sect still had one, and of a high grade at that, meant that this scroll of the Heavenly Goose Nine-Step Wings was an extremely rare and valuable treasure throughout the entire continent.
Yan Qingshan reached out and held the beauty's delicate hand. Looking at Medusa's face, he said softly, "You probably don't have much use for a normal flying Dou Technique, but this Heavenly Goose Nine-Step Wings, once successfully refined, can reach the Di-tier. It should be of great use to you."
Medusa hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. "If I use some high-grade materials to make it, the flying wings would indeed be of some benefit to me. But if I use common materials, the effect won't be significant."
"Don't worry! That won't be a problem for me."
Yan Qingshan smiled at Medusa, and she smiled back after looking into his eyes. At this moment, it was as if the two had a telepathic connection, understanding each other's feelings.
Medusa hesitated again before speaking, "I heard from Yue Mei that you're planning to leave the Jia Ma Empire soon."
"That's right!"
Yan Qingshan nodded, his hand clasping Medusa's slender one. "I've been in the Jia Ma Empire for a long time. The things that needed to be done are pretty much taken care of, and there's not much point in me staying.
Furthermore, the matters with those protectors from the Hall of Souls still need to be tied up. I plan to set off for the Jia Nan Academy in the Black Corner Region in a couple of days."
"When are you leaving?"
Medusa bit her lip, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes. A faint blush appeared on her neck as she turned her head and said softly, "Yue Mei and Hua She'er have been thinking about you. You can't make them sad."
"Heh..."
Yan Qingshan slowly got up and embraced Medusa from behind. Resting his head on her fragrant shoulder, he whispered in her ear, "Only them? What about you?"
"I... Wuwu..."
Medusa was about to argue, but she was captured by a certain person's lips the moment she turned her head. She then voluntarily wrapped her arms around his neck. The room was filled with the colors of spring, and on this night, there were only the two of them.
…
Inside the Misty Cloud Sect, in the main hall, Yun Yun was handling one matter after another on the desk. With Yun Shan's reappearance, the Misty Cloud Sect's power and influence had rapidly expanded over the past few months.
Coupled with the victory at the Black Mountain Fortress's power gathering, the Misty Cloud Sect's status had risen even higher.
After the power gathering, the Misty Cloud Sect expanded in many areas, and with that came one problem after another. These numerous issues were a headache for the high-ranking members, and even more so for Yun Yun as the Sect Master.
Although Yun Shan had come out of seclusion, he was mostly outside suppressing the larger forces, leaving the routine affairs entirely to Yun Yun and the others.
And with Yun Ling and the others having their own selfish motives, Yun Yun would usually turn a blind eye. But at this critical time, Yun Yun did not dare to let them cause problems, so she could only take on the hard work herself.
"It's so late, and you're still not sleeping?"
A voice suddenly came from the side. Yun Yun looked up in surprise. Yan Qingshan was standing quietly beside her with a food container in his hand. She didn't know how long he had been there.
"How did you... get here?"
A flash of joy appeared in Yun Yun's eyes, but then she spoke with some hesitation. Since the day Yan Qingshan came to the Misty Cloud Sect and forced her teacher Yun Shan to appear, although the two still had daily interactions, a barrier seemed to have unconsciously formed between them.
"I'm leaving soon, so I came to see you today. Otherwise, if I waited for you to come find me, who knows how long I would have to wait!"
Yan Qingshan put down the food container and moved closer to Yun Yun. He affectionately tapped her delicate nose. This action naturally surprised and embarrassed Yun Yun. She had never been treated like a child before.
But when she heard that Yan Qingshan was about to leave, Yun Yun, who was about to show her displeasure and step away, was first stunned, and then her eyes dimmed. "You're leaving? To where?"
"The Black Corner Region, the Jia Nan Academy. I still need to tie up the loose ends with the Hall of Souls. Also, I've reached a bottleneck, and I plan to travel to the Central Plains after."
Yan Qingshan's words made Yun Yun's heart feel even more empty and reluctant, but she didn't know what to say. To tell him not to go? But Yan Qingshan had his reasons for leaving, and what right did she have to say that anyway?
"Before I go, let me feed you one more time, okay?"
Yan Qingshan suddenly smiled and opened the food container. He took out a small bowl of porridge. Seeing his familiar actions of holding the bowl and spoon, Yun Yun couldn't help but remember their time in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. After hearing Yan Qingshan's words, her face turned slightly red.
With a whisper-like "Mmm," Yun Yun put down her work and cooperated with Yan Qingshan's actions. A gentle warmth filled the hall, making this night exceptionally warm.