Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 352 I think you are still the girl he likes.
Sheng Yuanyao's arrival made Long Qinghuang, whose face was already sour after being contradicted by Lu Xingzhou, even more sour.

Where did this little vixen come from?

What kind of escort does this delegation need? Our army of 100,000 is marching north. Your ragtag guard of a few hundred men is nothing but dust in the middle. I could blow away with a single breath. What kind of envoy can you protect? So what are you here for?
You were riding side by side with Lu Xingzhou, laughing and chatting all the way. Are you on a picnic?

Long Qinghuang forgot that while a guard wasn't needed for the northward journey, it was necessary for the return trip.

She hadn't even considered Lu Xingzhou's return journey. At this moment, all she could think about was finding an excuse to get rid of this deputy envoy; he was really in her way.

Lu Xingzhou also knew that he couldn't offend this female tyrant too much. If she wanted to get rid of Sheng Yuanyao instead of driving her away, then it would be a big problem. So Lu Xingzhou sent out the nuclear weapon Anuo.

"A-Tuan!" Long Qinghuang grabbed A-Nuo: "You little liar, you've fallen into my hands again!"

Ah Nuo smiled apologetically: "Sister Long, I've never lied to you. My full name is Lu Nuomi Tuanzi! Ah Nuo, Ah Mi, Ah Tuan are all fine to call me."

"Then why don't you call him Azi?" Long Qinghuang laughed angrily: "You said he was your brother, but he turns out to be your master; you said he had feelings for me, but look at him now, smiling at that little brat, does he even look at me? Who does he have feelings for? Tell me, is there a single word of truth in your mouth?"

“Brother and Master don’t conflict. Master raised me from childhood, but we’re not that far apart in age. He’s like a father to me. Sister, have you ever seen a father who’s that young?”

Long Qinghuang didn't know Anuo's exact age, but judging from her appearance, she was six. Lu Xingzhou was twenty this year, so having a six-year-old daughter seemed a bit excessive; it was indeed inappropriate for him to call her "father."

She became curious after hearing this: "Then why don't you call each other brother and sister, but master and disciple?"

Ah Nuo scratched her head, unsure how to answer.

When I was able to talk, I immediately called him "Daddy," but my sister Yu said that there was no such thing as a daddy who was so small, and that it was inappropriate.

I don't know what my master was thinking at the time, but in the end it just became calling him master.

Actually, it's because Lu Xingzhou is mentally older and genuinely feels like he's playing the role of a father, not an older brother. But Yuan Muyu's point is valid; what kind of father is that young? So, they compromised and Lu Xingzhou became the master. In reality, Lu Xingzhou didn't teach A'nuo much; A'nuo learned much more from Yuan Muyu.

Of course, later he turned into a black dumpling, which was probably due to his master's teachings. He didn't learn the good things, only the bad.

Although Ah Nuo didn't know what her master was thinking, she could now roughly understand what Sister Yu was thinking... She was actually taking precautions against "sibling affection" and intentionally widening the generational gap.

Beware of a little dumpling? Ah Nuo sighed. You had this level of vigilance back then, how come you've become like this now...?

Seeing that Anuo seemed a little embarrassed and didn't know how to answer, Long Qinghuang didn't press her for an answer. After all, what to call her should be decided by Lu Xingzhou. When did it become the turn of a little dumpling to call her whatever she wanted? Besides, whether it's master and disciple or brother and sister, it doesn't really matter to most people. What kind of lunatic would be wary of a little dumpling?

"Even if calling him 'brother' is barely acceptable—he could indeed be considered your brother—what about the other one, Xin Yi or whatever?"

Ah Nuo said with a forced smile, "That was just my guess, you know, men..."

He paused, his expression becoming mysterious: "Besides, am I really wrong? If Master truly had no feelings for Sister Long, why did he warn her back then, and why did he help protect the Holy Mountain this time? We were just strangers who met by chance back then; to put it bluntly, we were just Sister Long's captives. Why would Master do this?"

Long Qinghuang actually thought the same thing. The narcissistic mother dragon believed Lu Xingzhou definitely had feelings for her, which led to her unusual attitude; people are always more forgiving of those who like them. Of course, those who are ugly and only deserve to be gold coins are just pathetic simps.

But now he doesn't believe it: "So, who does he seem to be interested in now? I think it's more accurate to say that he's interested in that Yin Yang general."

Ah Nuo said, "That's Master's good brother, the kind I should call 'Uncle-Master'."

Long Qinghuang was taken aback: "Brothers and sisters? We demons have never heard of that. At most, we can only call each other brother and sister. Siblings without blood ties are the most fake, it's all a facade."

“Well, if they’re not siblings, they’re brothers,” Ah Nuo said. “Sister Long should know that some women have a very outgoing, forthright, and resolute personality, just like boys…”

Long Qinghuang said expressionlessly, "Yes, I was like that when I was young."

"..." Ah Nuo paused for a moment, then continued, "It would have been even better if Sister Long had been like that before, so you should know that those girls don't have romantic feelings for men; they're just like comrades-in-arms."

Long Qinghuang thought to herself, "Back then, I really didn't have any romantic feelings. I also got along with many male demons like comrades-in-arms, but my behavior was different from hers."

I didn't like to talk to the other male demons at all; I thought they were stupid, weak, and didn't like to bathe. It was only later, when I had a higher status, that I started to treat them more kindly for political reasons.

This woman is so unlike him, laughing and joking with Lu Xingzhou. It's outrageous!

However, what Anuo said made Long Qinghuang understand a lot more – no wonder these two were not afraid of offending her at all, and were laughing and joking like this in front of her. It turns out that they had different mindsets and did not treat it as a matter between men and women at all.
Long Qinghuang felt much better after that, and said indifferently, "You still have no shame. You say that demons don't understand the ways of the king, but I see that you humans are quite adept at it."

Ah Nuo: “…”

It doesn't matter. My master said I'm a fairy dumpling, so I'm probably not human.

She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Did you and Master have a fight, Sister Long? He was probably just trying to annoy you." Long Qinghuang coldly replied, "What fight? I didn't even bother with him. He's really not very skilled in cultivation, but he has quite the temper."

Ultimately, Long Qinghuang is still a reasonable dragon. She knows she owes Lu Xingzhou a huge favor for rescuing the Holy Mountain, and it was indeed she who forcibly took him away. His displeasure is understandable and shouldn't be taken to heart. However, those in higher positions ultimately feel, "I've been very good to you, even deliberately considering your reputation. Was it to make you feel better, or to make it easier for you to return?"

Why can't you warm her up before you want to leave? You even talk back, you disrupt the demon race, and you call her a dragon girl. If it were an ordinary person, they would have been killed long ago.

But he said he was willing to help Miss Long...

Ah Nuo was saying, "Did Master say he's willing to help Sister Long?"

"Yes, but how does he resemble him?"

"He was willing to help the girl he admired rather than force his emperor to do so."

Long Qinghuang fell completely silent.

Lu Xingzhou's words are actually quite easy to understand. As for whether he "likes" her or not, that's another matter. We have to take this kid's words with a grain of salt right now.

But the heart of an emperor cannot be changed... or rather, it could be said that Long Qinghuang has not tried to get along with others with a non-imperial mindset for hundreds of years.

Even if she took a liking to Lu Xingzhou because of his good looks, her initial thought was to capture him and make him a concubine in the demon race.

As for anything else... I haven't even thought about it.

Are there any other ways to get along?

Long Qinghuang turned her head and glanced over there again. Lu Xingzhou and Sheng Yuanyao were riding side by side, smiling brightly.

…………

Unlike Long Qinghuang, who was full of dissatisfaction, Sheng Yuanyao was happiest in recent years.

For a girl with an explosive curiosity, her curiosity wasn't just about other people's stories. She also had high expectations and dreams for the Demon Realm, which few people in the entire Great Qian Dynasty had ever entered.

Of course, her former dream was to conquer demon mountains and drink from demon rivers. Sheng Yuanyao was once a vanguard in exorcising demons.

Even though she didn't know the names of the mountains and rivers.

Now that she could enter a place she had been curious about since childhood as a guest, the excitement was no less than if she had fought her way in. Moreover, she was riding alongside the man she loved; even with a vast army around her, Sheng Yuanyao felt as if she were on a leisurely outing.

Look at the Demon Emperor's expression, his eyes are so murderous, yet he can't say a word. Hehe.

Lu Xingzhou wasn't exchanging sweet nothings with her; he was surrounded by former guards from Guiyuan City, making conversation impossible. So he spoke seriously: "I see that the Great Qian has very little understanding of the Demon Realm. Why is that? Logically, even the most hostile countries should have some level of interaction, especially among the common people."

Sheng Yuanyao said, "Humans and demons are not the same as ordinary enemy countries. Who would dare to come to the demon realm casually without being eaten? Actually, there are cultivators who are not afraid of death and come to the demon realm for training, but the risks are really high. It is the most dangerous of all training grounds, and they often cannot return."

"So there are so many demons lurking among humans, but not many humans lurking among demons. There's a discrepancy in the information," Lu Xingzhou pondered. "But I've heard that many humans also live in the demon realm."

“Those are humans who originally lived in this area… Hmm, they have a strict travel permit system and are strictly forbidden from leaving without permission,” Sheng Yuanyao said. “When I was in the Demon Suppression Division, I knew a little about these things. Some people from the Demon Suppression Division infiltrated the Demon Realm, but they never returned. Whether they died or were forcibly detained is unknown. Later, when I was a scout in the army, we ourselves were strictly forbidden from going deep into the demon realm. Hmm… If we’re talking about humans who understand the demon race the most, then it has to be the Imperial Advisor. Why don’t you ask her?”

In the end, his tone finally turned a little sour.

I never imagined that the revered Imperial Advisor would feel this way even now.

“When I was by her side, I never thought that I would one day have to go into the demon race to do things. It was not in my plans.” Lu Xingzhou sighed. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll go and find out for ourselves. Maybe what we get will surprise us.”

"They're just a bunch of bloodthirsty beasts. You saw that monster in Xiazhou back then..."

"But do you see the portrait of Long Qinghuang?"

“Uh…” Sheng Yuanyao choked. Indeed, not to mention Long Qinghuang, even Long Zheng had left a very good impression on her. She always felt that her childhood aversion and fear of demons might have gone wrong somewhere.

Lu Xingzhou also felt that Ye Tinglan's wariness and defensiveness towards the demon race, and her various concessions and maneuvering with Gu Zhanting for the sake of the overall situation, indicated that she regarded the demons as her greatest mortal enemy. However, seeing the behavior of Long Qinghuang and Long Zheng, it seemed unlikely to be that serious. What exactly was the problem?
To simply reduce it to good demons and bad demons? Civilized faction and beast faction? Isn't that too simplistic? There must be something more fundamental involved.

To gain the upper hand in the journey to the Demon Realm, we must understand all of this. Who knows, the demons that Gu Zhanting is colluding with, and the traitor Long Qinghuang is holding a grudge against, may all be closely related to this phenomenon.

(End of this chapter)