Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 339 Giving My Brother a Good Time (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
After watching for a while, Sheng Yuanyao suddenly said, "Hey, hit me."

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

Demon General: "..."

"Hurry up, what are you dawdling for? I need to make sure I'm not dreaming, or if some kind of illusion is working."

Lu Xingzhou understood, and with a mix of amusement and exasperation, he reached out and pinched her cheeks, pulling them apart: "Yes, yes, you're dreaming."

Sheng Yuanyao's face was distorted from being pulled, but her eyes were like spring water as she happily tugged at his sleeve: "Come with me for a moment."

Completely bewildered, Lu Xingzhou was pulled behind the wall. With no one around, Sheng Yuanyao said, "If it doesn't hurt when you pinch, it means it's a dream."

Lu Xingzhou knew this guy was starting to joke around, and said helplessly, "And then? What are you going to do?"

Sheng Yuanyao grabbed his collar and pulled his head in front of her: "Since it's a dream, let your brother have some fun."

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

The next moment, Sheng Yuanyao kissed him fiercely, turning her grabbing of his collar into a passionate embrace, their kiss becoming intense and unrestrained.

Sheng Yuanyao was very tall, with incredibly long legs; she was probably the tallest woman Lu Xingzhou knew besides Long Qinghuang. Pulling him down like this, she didn't even need to tiptoe; her feet were firmly planted, making it easy for her to exert force, and for a while, she managed to hold Lu Xingzhou firmly in place.

The tongue continued to probe inwards without restraint, the almond-shaped eyes glazed over.

Lu Xingzhou stopped pretending and fiercely rolled up his sleeves, his hands waving around haphazardly.

Unfortunately, Sheng Yuanyao was wearing armor at the moment, so there was really nothing to touch. Lu Xingzhou wandered around for a while but couldn't find a good place to touch, so he simply reached down to touch her long legs.

The skirt armor couldn't hide his all-pervasive hands; he still got his pleasure.

As a result, Sheng Yuanyao's almond-shaped eyes became even more hazy.

Actually, Sheng Yuanyao was covered in blood after three days of fierce fighting, and the smell of blood on her body was not pleasant. But for some reason, it turned into a kind of aphrodisiac, and she felt that this smell was even more stimulating.

Yes, the thrill of escaping death, the intoxication of your sweetheart appearing out of nowhere.

Sheng Yuanyao had no other way to vent the excitement in her heart at this moment. She wished she could meld him into her own body. She was already doing her best to refrain from showing off in public.

In reality, simply bypassing the rear wall was tantamount to burying one's head in the sand; the sound of the two kissing passionately was practically the same as someone shouting in Si Han's ear to those powerful individuals.

A group of top experts looked at each other, unable to understand what they were there for.

Was he specifically tasked with guarding prisoners for this young couple?
No, aren't you afraid we'll tell the Holy Lord and the Ice Lord? Oh, it's just for the brothers to have some fun, right?
It took Sheng Yuanyao quite a while to calm down from her agitated state.

Their lips parted, and Sheng Yuanyao gently stroked his lips, which were slightly swollen from her kiss, and whispered, "They can still swell? Looks like it wasn't a dream. Hey, stop moving your hands, they're itchy."

Lu Xingzhou stopped his mischievous hand and then pinched her cheek: "Why have you become the commander-in-chief?"

"Don't mention it." Sheng Yuanyao gently rested her head on his chest. "I'm so tired, let me lean on you for a bit."

Lu Xingzhou felt her pulse, frowned slightly, and then took out a pill: "Make do for now. I need a specially made pill to treat your condition later."

Sheng Yuanyao stretched out her head, snatched the pill, and then let out a comfortable "hmm".

"What's the situation now?" Lu Xingzhou asked. "Are you aware of the battle situation elsewhere?"

Sheng Yuanyao said lazily, "How could I possibly know? But the prisoners definitely do. Just go ask them. Ugh, so annoying. We have to separate in front of everyone. It's so hard to finally get comfortable in a hug..."

Despite saying that, Sheng Yuanyao still gently pushed his chest away a little, looked up at him for a moment, and smiled slightly: "Still so handsome."

After she finished speaking, she turned away from the wall, and her high ponytail bounced as she turned, showing that she was in a very good mood.

A large group of powerful warriors escorted the demon general, while another group guarded the prisoners outside the city. All of them watched as the young woman emerged. The stark contrast between her youthful exuberance and her earlier heroic and fearless demeanor made people wonder if she had been replaced by a different person, or if she was no longer the same individual...

Sheng Yuanyao grinned at the demon general: "Hey, you've been trying to persuade me to surrender for three days now. Now it's the other way around, I'm trying to persuade you to surrender. Will you surrender or not?"

The demon general turned his head away: "If I surrender, my whole family will be wiped out."

Sheng Yuanyao sighed: "Me too, so what have you been doing these past three days?"

The demon general was speechless: "But if I persuade you to surrender, I can be sure that you will be used by His Majesty. If you persuade me to surrender, what decision can you make? With your position where you even had to seize power to defend the city? Can you guarantee that once I surrender, your emperor won't chop off my head?"

Sheng Yuanyao's smile froze on her face.

Let alone her, even her father wouldn't dare make such a guarantee. He could only stubbornly retort, "Then what makes you think you can guarantee for your Demon Emperor?"

"Your Majesty is a woman~" the demon general drawled, "The Empress naturally prefers to use female officials, especially someone as capable and beautiful as you, which is exactly Her Majesty's aesthetic preference."

"Is that so?" Sheng Yuanyao said, "Shouldn't the Empress prefer handsome male concubines?"

"That's a completely different matter. Besides, our Emperor is not that kind of person! His Majesty is virtuous and upright, and has maintained a clean reputation for thousands of years, without even a single scandal!"

Lu Xingzhou subconsciously tilted his head.

The people of Tianyao Holy Land also felt that the Holy Lord was not that kind of person.

"Not even a single scandal?" Sheng Yuanyao pointed a finger: "You can insult my fighting prowess, but you can't insult my professionalism! You dare say the gossip about the Demon Emperor and the Holy Lord fighting over a man is fake? Lord Si, were you there at the time? Tell him!"

Si Han also turned his head away.

The demon general's confident expression froze for a long time before he finally said, "That's just nonsense. The demon emperor wanted to snatch someone, but that was for the other person's abilities, and had nothing to do with that kind of thing."

"Wow, you know a lot." Sheng Yuanyao asked in surprise, "I heard that person was Chen Yu?"

"Chen my ass, a fake name! That guy's name is Lu Xingzhou! The King of Si must know that!"

The atmosphere suddenly became very quiet.

Si Han tilted his head so much that his neck almost twisted, not wanting to face Sheng Yuanyao's foolish and clear gaze.

Regarding the fact that the Demon Emperor and the Holy Lord were fighting over Lu Xingzhou, Sheng Qingfeng already knew about it after the news came from the sea. Unfortunately, Sheng Yuanyao had been stationed on the frontier for so long that she hadn't heard about this big news yet. Everyone was stunned at this moment, turning their heads blankly to look at Lu Xingzhou, who was gazing at the sky. The demon general's heart skipped a beat, and he realized, "Your expressions mean that this person is Lu Xingzhou?"

So just now, Lu Xingzhou and this girl were kissing passionately behind the wall... So the opponent I've been besieging for three days is very likely His Majesty's love rival?
Feeling as if immense wealth had slipped through his fingers, the demon general felt utterly devastated.

Lu Xingzhou is just so-so in appearance, not rugged enough. Is this what His Majesty likes?

The demon general completely forgot that he had just said that His Majesty was virtuous and not that kind of person.

"Ahem." Lu Xingzhou coughed twice. "Let me tell you about the situation elsewhere."

The demon general kept silent and did not answer.

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Seeing that you respect Yuan Yao and even want to bring her to serve Long Qinghuang... I can't do anything like searching your soul, but you have subordinates. Your deputy generals should be very clear about the battle situation. It's not a secret."

Demon General: "..."

"Brother demon, you don't want me to search your lieutenants, do you?"

The demon general said, "Lu Xingzhou, despite His Majesty's unwavering and consistent attention to you, is this how you treat her direct tribes?"

You were just about to say you were deeply in love, right? Sheng Yuanyao's eyes widened in surprise.

It seems this gossip is already considered ripe within the demon race... What exactly happened during my months in the Northern Frontier? How did my opponents change from Shen Tang, Pei Chuyun, and Dugu Qingli to the Demon Emperor and the Holy Lord?

"You are from Long Qinghuang's direct tribe?" Lu Xingzhou was taken aback. He couldn't tell you were a dragon. You must be a subspecies.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, please take care of the prisoners first. I need to have a private talk with this Brother Long."

Si Han nodded. He knew he wasn't invited to actually fight Long Qinghuang. Anyway, the favor was there, and how Lu Xingzhou used it was his business. Obviously, it would be best to avoid a direct confrontation with Long Qinghuang. Si Han was still shaken by the battle at Dongyue Hanchuan, where even with the help of the Bone Dragon, they had almost lost.

Lu Xingzhou helped up the demon general whose cultivation had been sealed, then turned to Sheng Yuanyao and said, "Find a quiet place."

Huo Zhang hesitated, but ultimately said nothing, watching Lu Xingzhou leave with the demon general.

The three of them went directly to the city lord's mansion and found a quiet room.

Lu Xingzhou poured a cup of tea for the demon general and said directly, "I'm not here to fight Long Qinghuang."

The demon general paused, then fell silent.

"According to my analysis, Long Qinghuang and Gu Zhanting haven't actually started fighting yet. Long Qinghuang is besieging the city without attacking, which is why we're in this situation now. She's having you attack the rear cities so that the main cities on the front lines will become isolated and completely lose their ability to support each other. This will not only cut off reinforcements but also sever the connection between the earth's veins and the formations. That will be the time to launch a full-scale attack on Gu Zhanting."

The demon general finally said, "You also address Gu Zhanting by his given name?"

"So what?" Lu Xingzhou said, "I haven't finished yet. In this process, Long Qinghuang must have known that Huo Xingyuan would lead his troops to help. She probably really wants to fight Huo Xingyuan. In her heart, Huo Xingyuan is the hateful henchman who caused her to lose a lot of territory in the past ten years."

The demon general remained silent. Long Qinghuang's strategy was indeed as described: besiege the enemy's stronghold and attack their reinforcements—a strategy easily discernible. Presumably, Huo Xingyuan, as a veteran general, also had his own assessment of this, but even with such a assessment, he couldn't refuse to come. After all, what could he do when the emperor was surrounded?

"So here's the question: how does Long Qinghuang plan to fight? She needs to suppress Gu Zhanting herself, so she certainly can't take action herself. She must be letting other powerful tribes deal with Huo Xingyuan." Lu Xingzhou said, "What do you think would happen if this tribe lost this battle, and Long Qinghuang was currently fighting Gu Zhanting, while her own army suffered a crushing defeat?"

"Impossible!" the demon general blurted out. "We've taken all the cities in the rear except for Guiyuan City. They're interconnected and have become our home ground. Huo Xingyuan will only get bogged down here. Under these circumstances, we're still waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out. How could we possibly lose!"

"What if we lose?"

"That's alright! In this time, His Majesty will have enough time to take Gu Zhanting's head!"

"You seem quite confident," Lu Xingzhou remarked, frowning in thought.

Given that there must be a spy around Long Qinghuang, there are two possible scenarios in this situation.

One possibility is that the tribe that went to aid Huo Xingyuan was a confidant of Long Qinghuang. In that case, Huo Xingyuan's defeat was foreseeable. However, this would mean that Long Qinghuang would have fewer reliable people around her, and instead have a treacherous villain who would stab her in the back when Long Qinghuang was fighting Gu Zhanting.

The result was that Huo Xingyuan's elite troops from the capital suffered heavy casualties, in exchange for Long Qinghuang's possible serious injury.

When those around you harbor treacherous intentions, such a serious injury could be fatal.

Another possibility is that the tribe that is attacking reinforcements is the evil demon tribe. This tribe is in league with Huo Xingyuan, or rather, Gu Zhanting. In that case, they will most likely "return defeated," shaking Long Qinghuang's morale and fighting spirit when the battle between Long Qinghuang and Gu Zhanting is at its most intense, and they can also launch an attack.

However, this attack was not sudden enough, and Long Qinghuang might be prepared. At most, the attack would defeat Long Qinghuang and "recover lost territory," but the advantage would be that Huo Xingyuan's elite troops in the capital could be preserved.

This achievement enhanced Gu Zhanting's reputation as someone who could "defeate the demon race even without the Imperial Advisor," which must have been quite important to his mindset. The consequence, however, was that during the time the treacherous demon he had colluded with was away putting on an act with Huo Xingyuan, Gu Zhanting himself would be in great danger; he might be crushed by Long Qinghuang during that period.

Gu Zhanting could no longer decide which of these two scenarios to choose; he couldn't predict who Long Qinghuang would send as reinforcements. But regardless of which option he chose, he would have benefits, but also bear certain consequences and risks.

However, regardless of which development occurs, it is all based on the premise that Long Qinghuang is unaware of the traitor among her.

Once she finds out, or even just has a suspicion, things might not be as rosy as Gu Zhanting imagines. Her proactive attack this time is likely well-prepared, and its strategic significance from beginning to end may simply be to uncover hidden dangers around her, rather than targeting Gu Zhanting.

The game between the two sides is quite interesting, but Long Qinghuang seems to be missing one piece of information.

That means Gu Zhanting has another ancient force he wants to form a marriage alliance with. Does Long Qinghuang count towards that?
Thinking of this, Lu Xingzhou decisively said, "Brother Long, I'll let you go back and give Long Qinghuang a message."

The demon general was dumbfounded: "Let me go back?"

"Yes. Of course, your army will remain here for the time being."

Demon General: "..."

"Don't worry, your emperor will only thank you and will never blame you."

If it were a love letter, then perhaps... But the demon general couldn't believe that what he was being asked to deliver at this time would be a love letter. He felt that it was most likely some kind of resignation offer, and he would be grateful if he didn't get killed by His Majesty.

But circumstances forced him to comply, and no matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to do it. The demon general carefully put away the thing that was neither a love letter nor a declaration of war, and left with a bitter face.

Sheng Yuanyao personally escorted the demon general out of the city. After turning back, she stared at Lu Xingzhou without saying a word, her eyes like those of a badger in a melon field.

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.

PS: 4K request for monthly votes~
(End of this chapter)