Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 230 When the Demon Emperor Replaces Golden Flash
Tianshuang Kingdom, a border town in the north.

This place is managed by a sect called Hanlan Sect.

The closer one gets to the core of the Frozen Moon River, the stronger the icy chill and the denser the spiritual energy. The outer edges, however, are desolate and cold, lacking any significant spiritual energy. Powerful sects and factions disdain such places, and the strength of any sect establishing itself there is extremely limited. The Cold Mist Sect is a third-grade sect, roughly on par with the recently destroyed Lingyun Sect, and even weaker than the Dongjiang Gang.

Long ago, the Cold Breeze Sect's resource production relied on exploring the Frozen Moon River. However, as the outlying areas have become increasingly depleted and few people can access the core areas, the Cold Breeze Sect is now poorer than before, and the towns under its jurisdiction are also in a state of desolation.

But no matter what, he was still a regional power, much better than Lingyun Sect in the Great Qian Dynasty... This was a result of the different systems, but it was hard to say which was better. After all, Shen Tang would have to smooth things over with all the connections in the prefecture before he dared to take action against Lingyun Sect, while here, if any powerful sect wanted to destroy Hanlan Sect, they only needed to worry about whether Hanlan Sect had a powerful backer, greatly increasing the chances of being destroyed.

The Tian Shuang Kingdom's model is more conducive to the growth of demonic forces, and many sects that claim to be righteous and prestigious actually engage in acts of plunder and robbery. The headquarters of the Cha Nu He Huan Sect is located between the Da Qian and Tian Shuang Kingdoms because their influence extends to both countries.

And now, the tentacles of the Underworld have also reached this place.

The initial concept of the "Ten Kings of Hell" was not ten allies, but rather a network with the King of Hell as the main body and nine secondary sects, extending to the entire world. Now, Yuan Muyu doesn't know if he can achieve this, so it wouldn't be surprising if it evolved into ten allies secretly forming an alliance with a single goal.

If it weren't for the many things to do, Lu Xingzhou would actually like to travel around Tianshuang Kingdom. The template there is closer to most cultivation novels, just a bit less sophisticated.

This was Lu Xingzhou's first time setting foot in the Tianshuang Kingdom.

In the northeasternmost part of the Tian Shuang Kingdom, there is a border with the Demon Realm, guarded by a powerful sect. However, the border with the Dong Yue Han Chuan is undefended, and the three of them easily entered Han Lan City.

Hanlan City is desolate, with few ordinary people living there. The vast majority of residents are cultivators with some level of cultivation. There are virtually no roadside stalls; if you want clothing, you have to go to a shop, and even then, ordinary clothing is scarce, with most items being protective robes.

As Lu Xingzhou encountered some pedestrians hurrying by, he noticed that most of them didn't connect Long Qinghuang's golden hair to the Demon Emperor. Perhaps places with a stronger cultivation atmosphere have more people dressed in strange clothes? Some even showed signs of greed.

Who would wear such a glittering gold outfit on the street... with a whole bunch of dazzling jewels on their head? Ironically, only some of these jewels are actually magical artifacts; most are just for show, all sparkly and pretty.

"Young lady..." Some people approached with smiles from the front and sides, "Is this your first time in Hanlan City?"

Long Qinghuang remained expressionless: "So what if it is?"

"Out-of-towners are unfamiliar with this place. Do you need a guide? My brothers and I have been living in the city since we were young, and we know this place well."

"Then... do you know which underworld this city leads to?" Long Qinghuang smiled slightly, then suddenly grabbed the other person's throat.

Even Lu Xingzhou didn't realize she would kill him in just a few words. By the time he saw her move, the man's neck had already been snapped.

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

The others nearby stood frozen in disbelief for a long time, unable to comprehend how someone could die from just a few words. One of them instinctively stepped back, stammering, "This...this is Hanlan Sect territory, you...you know he is..."

"boom"!
With a flick of his sleeve, several of the speaker's teeth were knocked out.

Long Qinghuang coldly said, "Get lost."

No one dared to utter a sound; they all scrambled away.

Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice both closed their half-open mouths.

"What?" Long Qinghuang said coldly, "You think I've abused and slaughtered humans, and you want to avenge them?"

"No...you said that if humans don't provoke you, you won't provoke them either, but they did provoke you first...but..."

"how?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "I suggested you change your clothes to avoid conflict, but you still started killing people."

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, just crush it. What's there to think about?"

"Let me analyze this for you... Most people would think that someone who dares to carry gold through the bustling city must have something to rely on, so even though some people showed greed, they didn't dare to do it. Anyone who dares is either a fool or has a powerful backer. Judging from what that person said at the end, he should be some kind of second-generation member of the Hanlan Sect."

"Yes, your analysis is correct. So what?"

Lu Xingzhou: "...Someone from the Hanlan Sect will come to retaliate."

"Just kill them."

"But wasn't your original intention to change clothes to reduce conflict?"

"Kill them all and there will be no conflict."

Lu Xingzhou had a bellyful of things he didn't know how to say, and he stared at A Nuo expressionlessly.

Then why did you change your clothes?

As if guessing their thoughts, Long Qinghuang walked towards a clothing store on the street: "I don't want to be in constant conflict with people because I have things to do in Dongyue Hanchuan, and constant conflict is not a good thing. Unfortunately, Hanlan City is not Dongyue Hanchuan. Even if they want to spread the news of my presence here to Dongyue Hanchuan, it will take a long time. So I will kill anyone who provokes me, including you."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Superb is so arrogant, even Gu Zhanting isn't as arrogant as you.

Upon seeing the glittering woman enter, the clothing store owner, who had been trembling inside, stammered, "This...this customer, are you...buying ready-made clothes or having fabric cut?"

Long Qinghuang glanced at them and saw that there were quite a few finished robes, but she felt that none of them were pretty enough, and none of them were shiny. She was very disappointed.

"I'll take all the ready-made clothes." Long Qinghuang casually tossed down a few high-grade spirit stones: "Is that enough?"

This lady didn't rob me... These spirit stones are large and of good quality; they're enough to buy clothes here that are no higher than grade four.

The shop owner dared not say a word and immediately nodded and bowed, "I'll wrap it up for you right away, sir."

"No need." Long Qinghuang waved her hand casually, and a burst of energy swept through, causing all the finished clothes in the store to disappear.

He turned to leave, but suddenly paused, as if remembering something, and looked back at Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice.

The master and apprentice watched in perfect unison, their hands clasped together. When she looked over, they both grinned foolishly.

Long Qinghuang was silent for a moment before turning to ask the shop owner, "Where do I change my clothes?" She finally remembered that she hadn't come to shop, but to change her clothes.

The shop owner opened the fitting room with a forced smile: "This, this way please..."

Long Qinghuang went inside and snapped her fingers again.

An invisible aura enveloped the fitting room, preventing anyone from peering inside.

Ah Nuo secretly asked Lu Xingzhou, "Are we running away?"

Lu Xingzhou shook his head slightly: "We can't escape. We can only wait... wait for Mr. Ye to find out we're not here."

"Just so we could determine the age of the plant? I should have known better than to tell her she was an alchemist."

"We might be dead by now. This woman is not reasonable at all; she's very autocratic."

As they were whispering, Long Qinghuang's voice came from inside: "That child, come in for a moment."

Anuo looked at Lu Xingzhou, who whispered, "Going in is no problem. Just be sweet-talking. These autocratic emperors love flattery, and besides, 'children don't lie'..."

Anuo rushed into the fitting room and realized that Long Qinghuang hadn't even taken off her outer clothes after all this time, so she asked cautiously, "Sister, what's wrong?"

"I'm not used to having someone help me get dressed."

Anuo: "My master knows more about this than I do."

Long Qinghuang: "?"

Anuo circled around Long Qinghuang twice, her eyes filled with admiration: "Sister, you are so beautiful...you don't need to change your clothes at all."

Long Qinghuang decided not to ask anything further: "What, you also think it looks better this way, right?"

“What I mean is, you look good in anything, because you’re so beautiful. This outfit is mainly for attracting attention, so you should change to something more understated. Even in the most understated clothes, you’ll still look the best.” As she spoke, Ah Nuo untied her complicated ribbons, showing no signs of being unskilled.

Her golden dress slipped down, revealing a simple bodice underneath...

Ah Nuo was stunned for a moment, thinking to herself, "Why are you wearing something like a human? Actually, you look much better dressed like this than before."

That's really beautiful. Ah Nuo had always thought that demons were those green-faced, fanged, hairy monsters she'd seen before. This was the first time she'd ever heard of a dragon with such jade-like bones and ice-like skin. It's strange, if everyone has different aesthetic tastes, why do you take on the form that humans like best when you transform into humans?

Now Long Qinghuang trusts Anuo's judgment: "Can you help me pick one out?"

As he spoke, a large pile of clothes automatically floated and spun around him.

Ah Nuo scratched her head and thought for a moment, then picked out a light yellow dress for her, a fresh and elegant style.

Actually, it was Ah Nuo herself who liked this innocent, white-flower look. She thought Pei Chuyun looked beautiful in her light green maid outfit before, but Ah Nuo couldn't wear green.

Unfortunately, while Anuo could help take off the clothes, it was difficult for her to help put them on, as she was too short to reach them. She jumped up and down a couple of times while holding the clothes up, her little face turning red from holding it in, which made Long Qinghuang laugh: "Never mind, I'll do it myself."

Seeing her take the clothes and put them on herself, even though there was nothing she couldn't do, why did she insist on having someone else help her... Ah Nuo subtly pouted, but still smiled enviously: "Does your sister usually have a lot of people serving her?"

“At least three, one on each side, and someone also needs to be responsible for holding up the train of the skirt.”

Ah Nuo: “…”

"Should I take off the crown?"

"Yes, it's good to keep a low profile... Actually, adding so many treasures and embellishments would only make it cluttered and fail to showcase your extraordinary beauty. You yourself are the most dazzling crown."

Even though Long Qinghuang knew perfectly well that the child was blaming her, she couldn't help but feel pleased. How many lies can a child tell?

She took off her headdress, not knowing how to style her hair, so she simply let it fall loose.

Ah Nuo seemed to see a waterfall cascading down before her eyes, like a black brocade, glossy and smooth.

She swears that even if she had a bellyful of flattery intentions before entering, when the moment came, she didn't utter a single falsehood; it was all from the heart. This woman is truly beautiful…

A strange thought even stirred in her mind: even her master was terrified of this demon queen, and she herself was initially terrified by her oppressive aura, but the more she got to know her, the more inexplicably she felt a sense of familiarity with her, and she even secretly thought that this older sister was more beautiful than any other older sister she had ever seen.

A shout came from outside the door: "Where is that vixen!"

Long Qinghuang, who was smiling warmly at Anuo, suddenly turned cold.

The entire clothing shop felt an intense pressure, as if a divine dragon had descended from the sky, its enormous claws pressing down on the entire city of Hanlan, ready to crush it into dust in the next moment.

The fitting room door opened, and Long Qinghuang slowly stepped out.

With a clatter, a large number of weapons fell to the ground. Everyone, including Lu Xingzhou, stared in disbelief at the woman who walked out.

He knew she would be beautiful in normal clothes, but even Lu Xingzhou didn't expect her to be this beautiful. It was a biological instinct, a dimensional attack of the "dragon and phoenix" species on ordinary species.

The pale yellow dress, which was clearly a light and refreshing garment, somehow exuded the majesty of a dragon robe on her. With a glare from her phoenix eyes, the dragon's might arose, making one's legs go weak and wanting to kneel down.

Yet, this only fueled the man's desire to conquer, making him even more eager to know what it would feel like to ravage such a noble and dignified woman. This natural charm was like a seductive art, capable of captivating the gaze and soul of men, even causing them to momentarily lose their senses.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Dude... The protagonist is just complaining about a name, it's not like it's actually written as yuri, yet this is enough to trigger a bunch of people's "criticism points". Qingli is not as human as you guys. I don't know whether to be angry or laugh.

Honestly, whether yuri (lesbian romance) is inherently offensive or not is another matter, and I certainly wouldn't write about it. But to get so worked up about something as trivial as this—don't you think your reaction is a bit outrageous...?

(End of this chapter)