Chapter 744: Collecting Interest, Unforeseen Events

Yu Liancheng held Yang Yuhuan's jade-like feet, feeling as if he were cradling a piece of warm jade; the delicate skin was smooth and supple, truly living up to the description of "hot spring water smoothing the congealed fat." As a Noble Consort who did no heavy labor, combined with the customs of Datang, her figure was plump, and even her small feet had a fleshy feel to them, yet this never made one think of them as fat, only making them feel even softer to the touch.

At this moment, her arch was slightly curved, and there was a patch of bright red on her ankle.

"Is, is it serious?" Yang Yuhuan asked, enduring her shyness; even Xuanzong had never toyed with her jade feet.

"Just a small matter." Yu Liancheng applied a little force to Yang Yuhuan's ankle while simultaneously sending a warm current of True Qi into it.

"Mm..." Yang Yuhuan let out a soft moan, feeling that as Yu Liancheng's palms rubbed against her, her entire body felt incomparably comfortable and relaxed as never before.

Because she was somewhat tired from walking today, she couldn't help but stretch, and with this movement, her chest became all the more breathtaking, as if it were about to burst through her tight clothing.

This soft moan sounded exceptionally gentle and charming. Yang Yuhuan also seemed to realize something was wrong, blushing slightly, and then feeling that the sprain on her ankle had healed, with no pain remaining. She said in a low voice, "National Master, Yuhuan is already fine."

Yu Liancheng toyed with her jade feet: "You must be more careful to avoid leaving behind any hidden injuries."

"But, but Yuhuan is really truly fine now."

Yang Yuhuan bit her lip with her pearly teeth, her beautiful eyes appearing as if they contained autumn water, yet they also seemed to carry a shy resentment: "Quick, let go." She did not know why, but in her heart, she felt the sensation of a little girl acting coquettishly toward her lover, which made her heart race like a deer.

"Since the Noble Consort insists, then as a subject, I naturally cannot offend you." Yu Liancheng obediently let go, helped Yang Yuhuan put on her shoes and socks, and looked toward the horizon. A divine light seemed to flicker in his eyes, as if he could pierce through the void to reach a place very far away: "Today's journey ends here. I have important matters to attend to right now, so I will send you back to the palace first."

"... Alright." Yang Yuhuan's heart couldn't help but panic, thinking it was her own words and actions that had displeased the National Master, and she remained anxious and uneasy.

The Noble Consort was just about to probe Yu Liancheng's intentions when a blur passed before her eyes, and the two were already back inside the palace.

The phantom of "Yang Yuhuan" that had originally been reading a book also turned into a streak of clear light and projected into the center of Yu Liancheng's brow.

"Something has come up with Xiaoqing and Xiaobai, so I must leave for a period of time. Shortest three to five days, longest a month," Yu Liancheng said, looking at Yang Yuhuan.

Yang Yuhuan breathed a sigh of relief, finally knowing that the other party had not left out of disappointment due to her actions.

"During this time, you must cultivate diligently. When I return, I will check your lessons. Do not be lazy and let me down."

"Yuhuan will certainly not let the National Master down."

After briefly explaining some matters, Yu Liancheng turned to leave but suddenly stopped and looked at Yang Yuhuan: "You still owe me a dance. I wonder when you can repay it? I need to collect some interest from you."

Yang Yuhuan was slightly startled: "I wonder what interest the National Master wants?"

Before the words had even faded, the National Master's handsome, flawless face was constantly enlarging before her eyes, and then there was a warmth on her lips. Yang Yuhuan's head couldn't help but "boom" and explode; her beautiful eyes widened, and she was completely dazed, but under some strange impulse, not only did she not push the National Master away, but she actually began to cooperate.

A moment later, Yu Liancheng left, and a soft laugh came from afar: "I am very satisfied with the interest. I will enjoy the Noble Consort's peerless dance when I return another day."

Yang Yuhuan's legs went soft, and she collapsed to the ground, panting, her cheeks flushed, and her pair of peach-blossom eyes looking as if they were about to drip water.

Capture Snake Village.

Taiyin Zhenren led the disciples of the Taiyin Sect to lie in ambush here. When Shemu and a group of snake demons arrived, they activated the "Suppression Demon Array." Under this terrifying array, ordinary snake demons were suppressed to the point where they were not even as strong as common burly men, and even Shemu was left with only two or three tenths of her usual cultivation. How could they contend with the well-rested Taiyin Sect?

Unless absolutely necessary, the disciples of the Taiyin Sect would never kill the snake demons; they only used Daoist arts to bind the snake demons one by one. This was naturally not out of compassion, but because Taiyin Zhenren wanted to absorb the essence of these snake demons to strengthen himself and push the Taiyin True Art to its highest level, in hopes of becoming truly invincible in the world.

Of course, these hundreds of minor demons were just incidental; the real feast was Shemu, who had a thousand years of cultivation.

Although Shemu only had two or three tenths of her cultivation left and could not even manifest her giant python body, she was, after all, a demon who had cultivated for a thousand years, and her strength was extraordinary. She circled with Taiyin Zhenjun, waiting for an opportunity to escape. And when Taiyin Zhenjun tried to suppress her, she gathered all her demon energy into her Demon Pill, putting on a posture of self-detonation.

Taiyin Zhenjun was wary, so he was not in a hurry to kill Shemu, only constantly exhausting her stamina and demon energy.

He only waited for his disciples to capture the remaining snake demons, and then, with their cooperation, he would be able to easily suppress this Shemu.

But man proposes, God disposes.

Just as Shemu's injuries were becoming more and more severe, two figures, one green and one white, darted over from afar. Taiyin Zhenjun recognized those two figures; they were Xiaoqing and Xiaobai, who had followed behind Yu Liancheng at the Extreme Joy Banquet that day.

Xiaoqing and Xiaobai rushed over and joined the battle.

The two women split into two paths. Xiaobai and Shemu entangled Taiyin Zhenjun, while Xiaoqing went to destroy the array. When the massive structure covered in skulls was destroyed, the entire Suppression Demon Array immediately became shaky, its power less than one percent of what it was. After rescuing the fellow snake demons, Xiaoqing stepped forward to assist Xiaobai and Shemu, erupting into an earth-shattering battle with the National Master.

In this battle, Shemu was already injured, and with Taiyin Zhenjun's strength, even if he couldn't capture all the snakes alive, he could easily suppress the entire scene. But Xiaoqing and Xiaobai had improved too much; after learning spells in the Imperial Palace, they were advancing by leaps and bounds. With the three snakes joining forces, even the National Master could not cope, suffering repeated heavy blows and becoming covered in wounds.

When Taiyin Zhenjun saw that the situation was untenable and planned to flee, Bai Suzhen gave a wink to Xiaoqing and Shemu. The two snakes understood and simultaneously used a demon art called "Heavenly Snake Binding Art," each striking out a strand of snake-like demon energy that coiled around Taiyin Zhenjun's hands, and the demon energy invaded his body, causing his body to lose control for a short time.

And just at this moment, a Jade Hairpin appeared in Bai Suzhen's hand, which she thrust toward Taiyin Zhenjun's dantian, driving the power of the magic treasure to begin wantonly absorbing Taiyin Zhenjun's cultivation.

"You!

" Sensing his magic power uncontrollably gushing out and being sucked away by the Jade Hairpin, a look of terror appeared on Taiyin Zhenjun's face for the first time. He frantically drove the Taiyin True Art, wanting to break free from the control, but as his magic power dissipated, his struggles became increasingly weak, and even his skin slowly shriveled, becoming aged at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Heh, old man Taiyin, let me send you on your final journey." Shemu sneered, and with a sweep of her snake tail, Taiyin Zhenjun flew out like a broken sack, crashing across a distance of several dozen zhang and destroying who knew how many houses. After crashing through a wall, he finally stopped, and his whole person was plunged into a cloud of rising dust and smoke, his breath completely gone.

A once-in-a-generation National Master, a great power of the world, thus died and his Dao vanished.

"Master, Xiaobai has completed the task you entrusted." Xiaobai offered the Jade Hairpin with both hands.

At this moment, the Jade Hairpin emitted a faint radiance, filled with tyrannical magic power fluctuations, causing the void to tremble slightly.

Taiyin Zhenjun had once been the National Master of Datang, his magic power vast and profound; even though his physical body had been severed by Yu Liancheng, he had used secret arts to preserve most of his cultivation.

And now, except for a small portion of magic power that had leaked away during the absorption process, the rest of the magic power was all stored in a small Jade Hairpin. Today, this Jade Hairpin could almost be said to be worth a fortune, and it might even be the most precious magic treasure in the world. Even if an ordinary person absorbed the magic power in the Jade Hairpin, they could become a First-class Expert of the current age in a short period of time.

Of course, it was more likely that their physical body would not be able to withstand it and would end up exploding into a mist of blood.

"Mm, Xiaobai, you did very well." Shemu impatiently took the Jade Hairpin, a look of greed and ecstasy shooting from her eyes: "I originally thought that Xiaobai had run away with the treasure, and that Xiaoqing had broken the restriction and also had intentions of rebellion. But now it seems that neither of you betrayed me, nor did you fail my trust. You did very well."

Suddenly, Shemu's tone changed: "However..."

"Master, however what?" Xiaoqing asked, puzzled.

"However, why has your cultivation improved so quickly, almost catching up to your master? And why did you go to Chang'an without authorization in the first place, and what is your relationship with Yu Liancheng? Speak the truth quickly." Shemu's voice was relatively gentle at first, but it gradually became stern.

"Master, please listen to me as I tell you one by one; I would never dare to have the slightest concealment."

Xiaoqing hurriedly recounted the series of events: her failed assassination, losing her memory and falling into the river, being saved by Yu Liancheng, but losing her memory, agreeing to go to Chang'an with Yu Liancheng, and then meeting Xiaoqing. Facing this master who had taught them the arts and turned them from ordinary little snakes into powerful snake demons, she had almost no concealment.

"Previously, Xiaoqing and I studied demon arts and supernatural powers in the Royal Book Tower, and with the guidance of the, the National Master Yu, our cultivation improved quite quickly. A few days ago, I suddenly had a premonition in my heart, and coupled with my worry that the escaped Taiyin Zhenjun might be detrimental to Master, we left Chang'an and rushed back to the Snake Cave. After inquiring about the news from the little snakes in the Snake Cave, we hurriedly rushed to the village and finally joined forces with Master to kill Taiyin Zhenjun."

"Oh." Shemu's tone carried a bit of playfulness, her jade hand gripping the hairpin, and she was unhurriedly absorbing power from it. Because Shemu and the National Master's magic power were of the same lineage and origin, both practicing the Taiyin True Art, she could very smoothly absorb and refine the magic power, restoring the consumed magic power in a short time.

"So that is to say, you have not betrayed our Snake Clan."

"Please, Master, look clearly; my sister and I have never betrayed the Snake Clan," Xiaoqing said hurriedly.

Shemu said indifferently: "Taiyin Zhenjun was the National Master of Datang, a human cultivator who wanted to exterminate our Snake Clan. The Yu Liancheng you followed is also a National Master of Datang, a human cultivator. How do you know he won't slaughter our Snake Clan to the last, and how do you know you aren't spies planted by Yu Liancheng in our Snake Clan?"

"Master, my sister and I have indeed not betrayed you, and Yu Liancheng will not slaughter snakes either. Otherwise, if my sister and I had stood by and watched today, the entire Snake Clan would have been... slaughtered by Taiyin Zhenjun..." Xiaoqing's forehead was full of sweat, her hands tightly clenched, and she explained loudly: "I ask Master to investigate clearly."

"Humans have always been cunning; who knows what Yu Liancheng is planning." Shemu's mouth curled into a sneer, and she suddenly pointed toward the Northwest: "Ten miles away from here, there is also a human village. If you want to prove your loyalty, go and kill them all, leaving not one behind."

"Kill, kill all the humans in the village?" Xiaoqing swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Correct," Shemu said loudly. "Kill all the humans to prove our purity. There is no possibility of reconciliation between us and humans. If the Demon Clan wants to survive, we must keep killing humans, just as humans never cease their slaughter of snake demons."

The remaining surviving snake demons gathered around, their murderous intent surging, and they clamored in unison: "Kill all the humans, kill all the humans."

"Master! You are obsessed," Xiaobai said, her beautiful eyes staring straight at Shemu. "Not to mention that wantonly slaughtering sentient beings will breed karmic debt and will not be tolerated by the Dao of Heaven. Just the fact that the human race is powerful means we cannot act recklessly. The human race has countless great experts; if we were to commit acts of slaughtering cities and destroying towns, it would undoubtedly attract the attention of top-tier cultivators, and the day of the Snake Clan's extinction would not be far off."

"You truly will not kill?!" Shemu flicked her sleeves violently and rebuked them sternly.

Xiaobai and Xiaoqing both shook their heads, their attitudes resolute.

Especially Xiaobai, who instead began to persuade Shemu not to kill indiscriminately, lest she suffer divine retribution.

Xiaoqing secretly stuck out her tongue. Joking aside, she didn't know about divine retribution, but she was certain she would suffer Yu Liancheng's retribution. And given Yu Liancheng's strength, she did not believe the Snake Clan could withstand it.

"If you cannot do it, then die," Shemu shouted sharply, pointing her slender fingers at Xiaoqing and Xiaobai. "Kill! Kill the two traitors."

At the order, the crowd of demons surged, and the group of snake demons that had survived this battle launched a charge toward Xiaoqing and Xiaobai one after another. But the current strength of the two snakes, Xiaoqing and Xiaobai, was extraordinary; as their sleeves fluttered, they knocked the snake demons flying one by one without taking their lives.

"Master, we are not traitors. We hope you will calm down. Xiaoqing and I will take our leave for now and come to pay our respects to you another day." The two snakes were about to leave.

The two women's strength was not what it used to be; Shemu had no way to capture them before fully digesting the National Master's magic power, which was also the reason why Xiaobai had slight reservations about Shemu, yet still handed the Jade Hairpin to her.

"Good, good, good, Xiaoqing! Xiaobai! You are very good." A trace of ferocity appeared on Shemu's graceful face, and her eyes became increasingly sinister and sharp. Her gaze swept over the remaining snake demons one by one, and finally looked back at the two snakes: "But have you ever thought about why I would pass my cultivation to you, and what methods I have to prevent you from growing too powerful, betraying me, or even replacing my position after passing my cultivation to you?"

Xiaoqing and Xiaobai both had a bad premonition, their hearts trembling with a deep sense of fear.

Especially Xiaobai; she suddenly remembered the words Yu Liancheng had once spoken, and her heart was cast with a shadow.

"Now that the National Master is dead and the Taiyin Sect has been destroyed, the usefulness of all you snake demons is no longer great. So, now is the time for you to repay me."

"Come, witness my true methods."

The next moment.

A mass of black Qi rose from Shemu's body, erupting into a vortex.