Chapter 2090: Instigation

Seeing her reaction, the Little Demon Empress felt a secret delight. She couldn't be the only one experiencing such an uncomfortable feeling.Yes, it would be even more spectacular if the two women ended up fighting.

To her disappointment, Yu Yanluo didn't erupt in anger. Instead, her beautiful eyes gazed at Zu An. "Ah Zu, you're finally back!"

Now it was Jing Teng's turn to be surprised. The woman's beauty was breathtaking, even captivating her, a woman herself. A woman this beautiful, speaking to Zu An with such familiarity, clearly had an unusual relationship with him. She couldn't help but ask, "Who is she?"

This was naturally Black Jing Teng. White Jing Teng would never openly remain nestled in his embrace like that.

"She is Medusa Queen Yu Yanluo, and also my beloved," Zu An said, smiling as he looked at Yu Yanluo, his eyes filled with tenderness and affection.

The Little Demon Empress immediately felt a pang of jealousy. In a similar situation earlier, Zu An hadn't acknowledged their relationship so naturally. Of course, she also knew it was impossible for him to declare her his lover in front of so many demon warriors. Being Medusa Queen was good; she could legitimately be with him.

Yu Yanluo also felt a warmth in her heart. She had expected Zu An to perhaps conceal their relationship, given he was holding a young girl, but he showed no hesitation at all. He was truly a man of integrity. A bright smile appeared on her face. "Am I interrupting?"

Zu An opened his arms. "No, you've come at exactly the right time."

Seeing this scene, everyone's expressions were incredibly vivid. They wondered, "Is the Regent truly this bold? Even if you can handle these women individually, how can you manage them all together? Have you forgotten you're still holding one in your left arm?"

The Little Demon Empress was screaming internally, desperate to witness a scene of chaos. "Medusa is a tribal leader after all; doesn't she care about her reputation? And that little miss... grandmother seems to have quite a temper. If Yu Yanluo can tolerate it, there's no way she can. Fight! The more dramatic, the better."

Yu Yanluo also had a slightly chiding look, thinking, "Ah Zu, this fellow is truly..." But she couldn't let him lose face in front of so many people. Moreover, after enduring such a great tribulation, nearly facing separation by death, she had been praying for his safe return all this time, wishing for nothing more. Now that her wish was fulfilled, how could she still be bothered by so many worldly concerns? After only a moment of hesitation, she shyly walked towards Zu An and nestled into his embrace.

Originally, seeing Yu Yanluo approach, Black Jing Teng's eyebrows shot up, ready to explode. But then she had a sudden thought: Zu An was indeed too powerful; even she and her sister combined couldn't defeat him before. It seemed she needed to find some allies to help. And this woman in front of her was excellent – not only extremely beautiful, but also radiant and graceful, clearly a woman with good combat ability. Thinking this, her eyebrows gradually relaxed. And as the other woman nestled against Zu An's shoulder, she couldn't help but curiously touch her hair. "Oh, your hair is really unique. How did you get it like that?"

Sensing her unexpected goodwill, Yu Yanluo was also a little surprised. She instinctively replied, "Actually, this is my bloodline ability. They can turn into snakes. Are you afraid?"

"Snakes? How interesting!" Black Jing Teng immediately perked up. "I want hair like that too!"

Seeing the two women chatting like sisters about everyday things, everyone's jaws nearly dropped to the floor.

The Little Demon Empress was dejected. "Why is this happening? That old witch wasn't so polite to me back then. Is Yu Yanluo's charisma really that much stronger than mine?"

As for Hu Qianxiao and the other demon warriors, they were utterly awestruck by Zu An. They had thought he was already incredibly formidable, but never imagined there was no peak to his impressiveness, only more impressive. "Is he even human?"

The Peacock King couldn't help but glance back at his daughter. He knew she seemed to have an inexplicable fondness for the Regent and worried she might be sad now. Kong Nanwu's expression darkened, but soon a faint smile appeared on her face. She was a smart woman. Since he already had so many excellent women by his side, why should she join the crowd? A distant glance was enough.

Finally, the Little Demon Empress, unable to bear the jealousy any longer, suggested, "Why don't we enter the city first?" She longed to say, "How long do you three plan to keep hugging?" but ultimately held back.

Yu Yanluo finally came to her senses and shyly gave Zu An a gentle push. Zu An smiled, released her, and soon the group entered the city.

In the City Lord's hall, Zu An and the Little Demon Empress listened to the Peacock King recount the previous events, feeling relieved that the Second Prince's treacherous plan had not succeeded.

The Little Demon Empress held Yu Yanluo's hand. "Don't be so foolish in the future. If something were to truly happen to you, how could I bear it?"

Yu Yanluo's expression was gentle and calm. "Compared to the safety of Tieyuan City and the entire demon race, what does my life matter?"

The Little Demon Empress cast a lingering glance at Zu An. "Some people might not think that way, though."

Zu An also felt a great sense of relief. Fortunately, he had created those parasite-repelling talismans back then, otherwise he might truly never have seen her again.

"Where has the Second Prince gone now?" Zu An's expression turned cold as he thought of the culprit.

"After that day, the Second Prince probably realized he couldn't capture Tieyuan City anytime soon, so he secretly left during the night," Kong Nanwu explained.

"Did he head towards the royal court?" the Little Demon Empress urgently asked.

"No, according to messages received a few days ago, he seems to have gone south. We don't know his exact purpose," Kong Nanwu replied. "To be safe, we had Princess Suolun notify the tribes along the way. The Second Prince can't even get close to the royal court; he's most likely trying to occupy some remote corner to hide."

Learning that the royal court was safe, the Little Demon Empress finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zu An, however, suddenly frowned. He walked over to the large demon race map. "Which places did the Second Prince pass through, according to earlier intelligence?"

"He passed through here, here, and also here..." Kong Nanwu picked up a small stick and pointed on the map. They were indeed all remote and barren places, with extremely harsh living conditions even for the demon race.

Zu An stared at the map, lost in thought. A moment later, his expression suddenly changed. "He's going to attack the human reinforcements!"

It wasn't that Kong Nanwu and her father lacked strategic insight, but as members of the demon race, their subconscious focus was more on the royal court. Furthermore, their attention had been entirely drawn to the sealed land, so they weren't very familiar with the human reinforcement's marching route. Zu An, however, happened to know it. He had, in fact, finalized the human army's route and had even sent Tu Shan'yu to meet them. Thus, after observing the Second Prince's marching trajectory, he was able to guess his intention.

Kong Nanwu, upon hearing this, indeed changed her expression. "Oh no, if the human reinforcements are attacked, it could easily incite a war between our two races. When chaos erupts, it will be even easier for the Second Prince to fish in troubled waters!" She instantly deduced the Second Prince's plan.

Meanwhile, the human reinforcements were heading north. As dusk fell that day, the army was setting up camp.

In the main tent, an elder in a python robe was leisurely sipping tea. Two young men were arguing heatedly in front of a table, one with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and the other with a more refined appearance.

"Your Highness, we should dispatch more scouts to patrol all around. What if there's an enemy attack during the night?"

The elder was none other than Prince Liang, Zhao Yi, leader of the human reinforcements. The young men were the two sons of the Qin family, Qin Guangyuan and Qin Yongde.

After the Qin family's misfortune, the brothers, wanting to restore their family's honor, volunteered to join this northern expedition to provide support as soon as they had recovered from their injuries. Even Qin Yongde, who usually led a dissolute life, had become much more composed now.

Prince Liang calmly stated, "Everyone is very tired from the march. Allowing the soldiers to rest is essential to maintain their combat effectiveness."

"But no matter how tired we are, scouting cannot be neglected!" Qin Guangyuan said anxiously.

"This is demon territory. The King of Qingqiu escorted us all the way and treated us very well. If we send more scouts, aren't we openly showing distrust towards the demon race? If we ruin the peace that our two races have finally achieved, can you bear the responsibility?" Prince Liang glared at them.

"We are just soldiers; we don't understand all that. We only know that as soldiers, we must ensure the safety of the army," Qin Guangyuan retorted stubbornly.

"If you two are so worried, then take your own men and go patrol yourselves!" Prince Liang was starting to get impatient.

The brothers grew anxious. "But our men have been on patrol and alert duty these past few days, and they are already exhausted. So we hope Your Highness can assign additional personnel."

"Isn't this your own doing?" Prince Liang slammed the table. "This Prince has tolerated you two for a long time! You've been constantly dictating things throughout this journey. Are you the commander-in-chief, or am I? Do you still think the army is your Qin family's territory? Get out!"