Chapter 226: Meeting the In Laws!
Under the azure sky, a massive black and white giant eagle soared at breakneck speed, cutting through the air like a bolt of lightning. This was the transportation provided by the Heavenly Snake Palace to save Lu Bu and Zi Yan the trouble of traveling on foot.
When Lu Bu left the Heavenly Snake Palace, Qing Lin didn't come to see him off. That girl had been so embarrassed that she was rolling around on her bed in shame, likely needing a while to recover from her flustered state.
On the eagle's broad back, Zi Yan sat in Lu Bu's arms, clutching a jade bottle in her hands while happily munching on some medicinal pills. The delicious pills caused her big eyes to narrow with delight. Although Zi Yan was usually restless and full of energy, she became surprisingly well behaved when eating.
There was no helping it she had the weakest cultivation among their group. How else could she catch up without eating more?
Zi Yan cast a resentful glance at Lu Bu. This guy's cultivation speed was simply ridiculous. The first time they met, he was merely a Dou Ling. Then, after venturing into the underground magma for a month, he'd leaped to the Eight Star Dou Wang realm, instantly surpassing her.
Not only that, but the people around Lu Bu were growing increasingly powerful. Whether it was Sister Medusa, Sister Xiao Yi Xian, or Sister Yun Yun, they were all either Dou Zongs or high level Dou Huangs. In contrast, she had become the weakest link.
However, when Zi Yan raised her head, she noticed Lu Bu's somewhat solemn expression as he sat deep in thought. A question mark formed on her small face. She didn't know what Lu Bu was pondering, but she refrained from disturbing him.
Lu Bu's eyes flickered as he recalled what Xiao Yan had said earlier. That kid couldn't sit still in the Jia Ma Empire and had run off for training. It made sense after all, Xiao Yan had a habit of stirring up trouble. Without external pressure, he'd create his own training challenges. It was perfectly in character.
Seeing Xiao Yan's actions sparked a thought in Lu Bu: perhaps it was time for him to go to the Central Plains. His ultimate goal was to become a Dou Di, but unlike the ancient Emperor Tuoshe, Lu Bu wasn't cultivating a single unified technique.
This meant that the inheritance of Emperor Tuoshe would most likely not fall to him unless Xiao Yan… disappeared. And not just Xiao Yan there was also Yan Jin, the patriarch of the Yan Clan. He'd have to go too. Yan Jin's expertise in fire based Dou Qi was undoubtedly far superior to Lu Bu's.
If both of them were out of the picture, perhaps Emperor Tuoshe's inheritance could fall into Lu Bu's hands.
For this reason, Lu Bu's target had always been the embryonic Emperor Pill. However, capturing it, let alone refining it, required him to have at least the strength of a Nine Star Dou Sheng.
The embryonic Emperor Pill was a monstrous existence that had once singlehandedly fought both Hun Tiandi and Void Swallowing Flame. Without overwhelming strength, Lu Bu wouldn't stand a chance against it, let alone the likes of Hun Tiandi, Gu Yuan, or the Yan and Lei Clan patriarchs two of whom were Eight Star Dou Shengs.
These people all had their sights set on the embryonic Emperor Pill. Thinking of this, a sense of urgency welled up in Lu Bu's heart.
Hoo… Lu Bu took a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness in his chest. The path of cultivation couldn't be rushed. Impatience would only lead to failure. He had to build his foundation step by step. Even if he reached the strength of a Nine Star Dou Sheng, he still wouldn't be a match for Hun Tiandi without proper preparation.
"Build tall walls, store ample grain, and take your time before claiming kingship!"
This had been the strategy Lu Bu set for himself the moment he arrived in the Dou Qi Continent.
There was no hurry to head to the Central Plains for training. Lu Bu planned to reach the Dou Zong realm before making the trip. Until then, he'd remain in the Jia Ma Empire to focus on cultivation. With his current cultivation speed and dual cultivation alongside Her Majesty the Queen, it wouldn't take long.
More importantly…
Lu Bu gently stroked Zi Yan's silky, ribbon like hair, feeling its smooth texture. A trace of reluctance rose in his heart.
Once he ventured to the Central Plains, the Ancient Void Dragon clan would undoubtedly come looking for Zi Yan. While Lu Bu wouldn't stop her from returning to her clan, the thought of a long separation made him uneasy.
Zi Yan had no idea what Lu Bu was thinking. Feeling his affectionate touch, she instinctively leaned into his hand, rubbing against his palm like a kitten. Her face lit up with a bright, toothy smile… and a chunk of golden yellow medicinal pill residue promptly fell from the corner of her mouth.
Lu Bu's expression darkened. This girl would she still be like this after growing into an elegant young lady?
The majestic and domineering image of a Dragon Emperor was in danger of being utterly ruined!
...
Jia Ma Empire!
The war had ended, leaving what was once the Four Nations and Five Factions reduced to two nations and three factions: the Poison Sect controlling the Cloud Mist Empire, the Snake Person Tribe, and the Jia Ma Empire.
The enormous spoils from dividing up the Mu Lan and Falling Goose Empires left the Snake Person Tribe and the Jia Ma Empire bloated with wealth. The post war economic boom and shared wartime experiences brought the Snake Person Tribe and the Jia Ma Empire closer together.
When there's money, even big problems become small. Without money, even small issues become big ones.
The Snake Person Tribe began expanding beyond the desert, relocating to more hospitable environments where their new homes were being built with great fervor. Of course, they didn't abandon their desert homeland. After much discussion, they decided to keep the Queen's Shrine and one tribe stationed there, with eight tribes rotating every three years. This way, they retained both their new homes and a fallback option.
The Jia Ma Empire was similarly immersed in the euphoria of victory. The wealth plundered from the Golden Goose Sect and Mu Lan Valley fed the countless families and factions within the empire.
As for the Poison Sect, they had little interest in such things. Their cultivation of toxic Dou Qi set them apart from the Snake Person Tribe and Jia Ma Empire. Besides, the legacy of the old Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate had left them with a sizable inheritance.
Upon returning from the Heavenly Snake Palace, Queen Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian swiftly addressed internal dissent within their respective factions before joining Yun Yun to form an alliance. Together, the three factions vowed mutual support and cooperation, planning to expand outward after fully digesting the remnants of the Mu Lan and Falling Goose Empires.
What was the point of internal conflict? Conquering external enemies and seizing resources was the true goal.
The Jia Ma Empire's royal family didn't oppose this initiative; they couldn't. Between the Snake Person Tribe, the Poison Sect, and Yun Yun's Yun Lan Sect, the royal family stood no chance of resistance.
Faced with overwhelming power, Jia Xing Tian had no choice but to comply. While the royal family's authority and prestige diminished, their strength increased. To him, this was an acceptable trade off.
In the Dou Qi Continent, where strength reigned supreme, royal authority was fleeting. As an old hand in politics, Jia Xing Tian understood this reality well.
...
At the Black Mountain Fortress, what was once a wartime command center had grown in importance, becoming the de facto headquarters of the three way alliance.
Unsurprisingly, the former Jia Ma royal palace had become the shared residence of Medusa, Xiao Yi Xian, and Yun Yun.
In one of the palace chambers, an invisible flame flickered beside Yun Yun, sometimes standing still, sometimes mischievously flickering about. Nearby, Xiao Yi Xian and Medusa sat cross legged, eyes closed as they meditated.
After a while, the three women opened their eyes.
"The Fallen Heart Flame truly works wonders for tempering Dou Qi…" Xiao Yi Xian murmured in amazement. Although she didn't require such meditation her strength naturally grew by consuming poisons the efficiency of the Fallen Heart Flame couldn't be denied.
After all, who would ever complain about cultivating faster?
"Maybe Lu Bu knew my cultivation speed was slow, so he intentionally helped me find it," Yun Yun said with a soft laugh, her delicate face adorned with a charming smile.
"You're overthinking it. This was something Lu Bu and I found together. It was purely luck a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse. There's no deeper meaning," Medusa replied flatly.
Despite her words, Medusa felt a twinge of displeasure. Back in the underground magma, Lu Bu had seemed almost clairvoyant, heading straight for the Fallen Heart Flame. Could it really have been prepared for Yun Yun?
How annoying I didn't even get one!
"You !" Yun Yun glared at her. Why must you talk so much?
Medusa crossed her arms and smirked triumphantly. Spending more than a year with Lu Bu had become her greatest advantage over Yun Yun and Xiao Yi Xian, and she relished lording it over them.
"Ahem. Alright, sisters, let's get back to training," Xiao Yi Xian interjected, her tone helpless. Yun Yun and Medusa always seemed at odds with each other.
"Yes, you're right, little sister. Let's continue training. Isn't that so, big sister Medusa~?" Yun Yun said with a sly smile, emphasizing the words "big sister."
Medusa's eyes immediately flared with anger, her chest rising and falling furiously.
Raising her eyebrows, Yun Yun smirked smugly. Age was Medusa's Achilles' heel. While she wasn't as old as Yun Shan's generation, she wasn't far behind only about a dozen years younger. Strictly speaking, she was closer to being Yun Yun's aunt.
Though the Snake People Tribe calculated age differently from humans, that didn't stop Yun Yun from using it to tease Medusa.
Xiao Yi Xian shrugged. Great, looks like training is out of the question for now.
"Medusa, has everything been resolved in your tribe?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, brushing a strand of snowy white hair from her face, hoping to change the subject.
"Not entirely..." Medusa sighed, a trace of helplessness in her tone. "The elders in the tribe have already discovered that I've... lost my purity. They claim it goes against tradition and have demanded that Lu Bu be thrown into the Snake Pit to suffer the punishment of Ten Thousand Snakes Devouring the Heart."
Xiao Yi Xian and Yun Yun's brows instantly shot up. How outrageous!
"I've suppressed it for now. They don't have the courage to act," Medusa added. The four elders no longer had the ability to control her, nor could they dictate her decisions.
Yun Yun and Xiao Yi Xian nodded in agreement. They weren't worried about Medusa's ability to handle the matter they were simply angered by the Snake People elders' attitude toward Lu Bu.
"However, the elders have made another demand…" Medusa rubbed her temples, looking slightly exasperated.
"What demand?" Xiao Yi Xian and Yun Yun asked in unison. Medusa's expression seemed to suggest reluctance.
"They've requested that I… um… produce an heir to continue the royal bloodline…" Medusa stammered, her tone awkward. Her stunning face flushed with embarrassment as she spoke.
This was a topic she had never seriously considered before. Having it suddenly thrust upon her left her feeling completely out of sorts.
"..."
Xiao Yi Xian and Yun Yun clenched their teeth. Their emotions were a chaotic mix of jealousy, envy, and nervousness. The thought of having children made them blush furiously, their faces heating up as a whirlwind of thoughts flooded their minds.
"And what do you think about it?" Yun Yun coughed lightly, balling her fist, trying to mask her discomfort.
Xiao Yi Xian pursed her lips and glanced at Medusa, clearly curious about her answer.
"For now, I don't intend to," Medusa said with a soft smile, her tone calm. "I'm no longer a Snake Person but a Seven Colored Heaven Swallowing Python. It would take me at least three to five years to conceive."
"Lu Bu has great ambitions. He wouldn't stay by my side for three years, and I wouldn't want him to wait. Even if he wanted it, I wouldn't agree!" Medusa declared.
In her heart, Lu Bu held a higher place than the Snake People Tribe. The tribe was flourishing and would do fine with or without her.
But Lu Bu was different. She needed him just as much as he needed her. She couldn't bear to be apart from him.
Hearing this, Yun Yun and Xiao Yi Xian exchanged glances, their expressions complex.
During their time with Medusa, they had come to understand Lu Bu's lofty ambitions. While they admired his aspirations, they couldn't help but feel skeptical.
It wasn't their fault. The Dou Qi Continent had gone countless ages without producing a Dou Di. On the Northwestern Continent, there wasn't even a record of a Dou Sheng appearing.
A Dou Di... that was a dream too distant to grasp.
Countless heroes and legends had fallen along the way. The idea seemed like a fantasy a goal that could only end in heartbreak.
So when Medusa expressed her unwavering resolve to stand by Lu Bu, it left them both deeply shaken.
After a brief silence, Yun Yun broke into a carefree smile. "If he dreams so boldly, then I'll walk beside him. I gave my heart to him long ago I've never wavered since."
"He saved me from becoming a lifeless shell," Xiao Yi Xian said with a soft laugh. "With such a debt, how could I not dedicate my life to him?"
The three women exchanged smiles. Suddenly, having each other didn't seem like such a bad thing. At least they shared the same goals and could support one another.
"Then it's settled we're sisters now!"
"Sisters? What sisters?"
Lu Bu's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, startling all three women so badly that they nearly jumped out of their seats.
"Do you want to die?!" Medusa yelled, slapping him so hard that the smiling Lu Bu slammed into the wall with a thud.
Yun Yun and Xiao Yi Xian glared at him. How dare you eavesdrop on our private conversation?!
Scoundrel!
Zi Yan giggled mischievously, happily munching on her medicinal pills as she watched the scene unfold. She always enjoyed seeing her sisters gang up on Lu Bu.
"Uh…" Lu Bu scratched his head, confused. Were they... having a bonding moment?
Wait bonding moment?
"Hehehe…" The thought of such a beautiful scenario made Lu Bu grin foolishly. If that were the case, wouldn't that be amazing?
"What nonsense are you thinking about now?!" Medusa fumed, her anger rising. Having spent the most time with Lu Bu, she knew him all too well.
Seeing the expression on his face change, she could tell he was up to no good.
"I have something to discuss with you," Medusa said, her tone turning serious as she quickly changed the subject to prevent further questioning.
"What is it?" Lu Bu asked.
"Come with me to the Snake People Tribe. The elders want to meet you… They've already discovered that I'm no longer a maiden," Medusa admitted, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Huh?" Lu Bu's expression shifted. Meeting the family?
Wait… I've got no experience with this! What do I do?!
For once, Lu Bu felt completely out of his depth.
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