Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Raiden pushed the door open and came in, looking around.

"elder sister."

"You're drinking alone again."

How did my sister find me?

“Whenever you have something on your mind, you practice swordsmanship, and after that, you drink. To avoid me, you seek cover from the Fox Abode, so every time you think about it, you end up at Narukami Shrine.” Raiden Shin lifted his skirt opposite her, sitting upright with a dignified air. “After Ryo’er came along, you rarely drank anymore. Firstly, it seemed like you had no more worries, and secondly, you couldn’t set a bad example for Ryo’er. Now that Ryo’er is gone, where can you be, and do you think you can hide it from your sister?”

"My sister has me completely under her thumb."

"It's been a long time since I've seen Ying so conflicted. Is there anything in this world that's difficult for Ying?" Zhen tilted her head and poured wine for her younger sister. "Can't you tell your older sister?"

Ying looked at the wine glass her sister pushed towards her with a forlorn expression. "I'm such a useless little sister. I'm so old, and I still need my sister to personally enlighten me. I'm just like a child."

"In your eyes, Ying has always been a child, just like your Liang'er. Could it be that Ying has grown up, become arrogant, and no longer wants to be your younger sister? Does she think her older sister is useless?" Zhen gazed at her twin sister, who looked almost identical to her, and chuckled. "What? Trying to usurp the throne?"

“If usurping the throne could solve my troubles, then sister, I really want to try it.” Shadow closed her eyes. “But there’s nothing I can do. This is a problem that even becoming the ruler of Inazuma can’t solve…”

"Alright, alright, stop beating around the bush. Tell me, what can't we sisters talk about openly? There are no secrets between you and Ying, sister."

Lei thought to herself, "But sister, this is one of the few things we can't talk about openly. We sisters have no secrets, but that was before Liang'er was born. Since Liang'er grew up, the women in the Inazuma high-level have been exchanging more and more secrets, haven't you noticed?"

Or perhaps the secret is only between you and me; we both understand it implicitly. Besides... you might even forgive those great demons, but you can't forgive me.

Lei Yingdian considered his words for a moment, then said, "I have a friend."

“Those who start with ‘I have a friend’ usually mean themselves,” Raiden Shin said with a smile.

Lei laughed silently. So what if she used this kind of opening? There was absolutely no way Lei would notice anything unusual.

"I'm thinking about a friend of mine. She's fallen for someone she absolutely shouldn't have."

"Hmm, a bit old-fashioned."

“I think she’s probably been lonely for too long, so lonely that she’s lost the need for a partner. She should have never cared about having a partner, because she has greater responsibilities and ambitions to fulfill,” Lei Yingdian said softly. “But I think she is, after all, a woman. Women are strange creatures; they need companionship deep down and don’t want to be alone. Once someone is with them, they will slowly fall in love over time. I think when a woman and a man spend a long time together, no matter how different their age or status, they will inevitably develop admiration. Admiration turning into love is almost inevitable, and by the time they realize it, it’s too late to turn back.”

Raiden sipped the warm sake slowly. "I thought it was something serious, that I'd fallen for someone I shouldn't... a married man?"

Lei hesitated for a moment, "It shouldn't... count."

"should?"

"He is currently single, but quite a few people like him. To be precise, even my friend is a newcomer. But emotionally, he probably still likes my friend a lot."

"Hmm... Judging from Tingying, your friend is chasing after a womanizing playboy. Isn't that a bit much?" Raiden's eyes lit up at these words. He rested his chin on his hand, his face full of curiosity. "Aren't you going to try and persuade her to turn back from her ways?"

Lei glanced at his sister. "So, sister, you knew Liang'er was a fickle, womanizing playboy? Isn't it all because you spoiled him? From childhood to adulthood, that little wolf has never realized that flirting with multiple girls at the same time is immoral! Isn't it all because you indulged him, even willingly offering yourself to him, that he completely fails to understand such basic common sense!"

“She’s already fallen for him. In thousands of years, she has never experienced being cared for by such a sensible and lovely child. Although the child is still young in her eyes, there is no turning back.” Lei Yingdong stroked his chest. “If the child’s promiscuity is a stain of ink in infinite white, then her taking advantage of the child’s ignorance and innocence to seek his comfort… is actually even more shameful.”

"So it's still a younger man/older woman relationship?" Raiden nodded thoughtfully. "So, your friend hasn't confessed to the boy she likes yet? Although she likes him a lot, she's just watching from afar, keeping it hidden in her heart?"

"But she always had an opportunity to make her move."

“That means you haven’t made a move yet.” Raiden chuckled lazily as he gazed at the distant mountains. “That’s the most boring question ever. It’s just a crush, a crush that hasn’t even happened yet. You don’t have even a tenth of the courage that Chiyo and the others have when they’re spying on my Ryo. Although I’m glad that you, Kage, would actually worry about such trivial matters as romantic love, there’s no need to worry about this kind of thing.”

"Does your sister have any suggestions?"

“Since it’s an older man who loves a younger woman, and there’s a difference in their status, then just go for it. No matter who the other person is, he’s the weaker one in their relationship. Can he refuse? Does he dare to refuse?” Raiden shook his head helplessly. “I’m not saying that you should use your power to bully him, but that if you’re in a dominant position and don’t dare to take the initiative to pursue love, then your life will probably just end without a trace. That’s too cowardly.”

"Cowardly..." This was the first time Lei Yingdian had heard someone use such a word to describe her. As her older sister's shadow warrior, Lei Yingdian's strength was unparalleled in the seven kingdoms. She was invincible and peerless in the world, but in matters of the heart... she was actually cowardly?

"Is your friend one of the many women who want to be with this playboy, or does she want to possess him?"

Ying, lost in thought about Shen Liang's appearance, was momentarily stunned. She recalled a fleeting glimpse she'd once caught at night of that little wolfhound and the demon sisters, their bodies frolicking freely. He held a wine jug aloft, his upper body, bare of clothing, gleaming white as jade in the moonlight. [This fragment has been deleted.]

At that moment, Ying was captivated by the child's almost eerie beauty under the moonlight. She suddenly realized that the little boy who always complained about being exhausted and refusing to study, and who was also a clean freak and didn't like to sweat, actually had this side to him. So it was no wonder that the great demons were infatuated with him. Liang'er, who was still young, had already captivated people's hearts... If she and Lei Dian were truly the common rulers of the people of Daozaki, then Liang'er seemed to have unknowingly become the demon lord that the demons of Daozaki were obsessed with.

Just like his honorific name "Wakahi-no-Mikoto no Mikoto", in the private conversations of the demons, he was also known as the long-deceased great demon, "Shuten-dōji".

Lei Dianying knew she couldn't take control, and was about to reply when suddenly her expression changed drastically.

She instinctively covered her throat, revealing a look of "I knew it."

However, Raiden didn't notice his sister's unusual behavior. He was just pouring himself a drink and thinking for a moment when he suddenly realized, "Shadow, you're not talking about my Liang'er, are you? Your friend..."

The great demons who were eavesdropping outside were startled and, without thinking twice, Fox Prince and Torachiyo rushed in together!

Almost instantly, Fox Palace noticed Lei Yingdong's pale face and the embarrassed and indignant expression as she covered her mouth. She quickly stepped forward and arrogantly snorted, "It is I, Fox Palace!"

It's positive...

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Chapter Thirty-Five: Liang'er has a fever, and so do I...

To be honest, Raiden wasn't particularly surprised by Fox Palace's blatant self-disclosure. She narrowed her beautiful eyes and gave the fox and ghost who had barged in a dangerous look, her tone unhurried: "Stop pretending?"

The usually fearless Torachiyo was utterly timid in front of Makoto, and was so frightened by his nonchalant remark that she took a step back and clung tightly to Kosai-miya's sleeve.

Fox Palace soothed the ghost girl's emotions, glanced discreetly at the now unnoticed Lei Dianying, and while pondering the right words in his mind, took a step forward and bowed gracefully to Lei Dianzhen. "Zhen, the relationship between us great demons and Liang'er, even if we have tried to hide it, I'm afraid it cannot escape your eyes. It's only a matter of time before we admit it. Rather, admitting it will put my mind at ease."

"You dare to openly drool over my Liang'er to my face? That's incredibly audacious." Raiden Shin gracefully knelt on the terrace, tucking her legs, clad in white tabi socks, under her skirt. She then picked up the iron kettle, poured steaming liquid into a small cup, took a sip, and said in a slightly cold tone, "Those words have offended me quite a bit, Zhaigong. You'd better think about how to make amends so I don't throw you into the Heavenly Prison. Speaking of which, the Heavenly Prison has never imprisoned a Celestial Fox before."

"Is he really the kind of tyrant who would bully important ministers of the state for his own selfish desires?"

“This is not for personal gain. According to the Inazuma Law, there are ten unforgivable crimes, the sixth of which is ‘great disrespect.’ The saying goes, ‘To communicate with a minor official and to make fun of the emperor is great disrespect and should be punished by death.’” Raiden said gently, “Disrespecting the ruler and spying on His Highness is already an unforgivable crime. Considering that you are a high-ranking official of the country and a close friend of mine, I will spare you from execution. You will only be imprisoned. You should be grateful.”

The smell of gunpowder instantly intensified.

Torachiyo looked at the two close friends, who were originally very close, with fear, and dared not interrupt.

Fox-Saigu sat down opposite Raiden Makoto, pulling open his white outer robe and red skirt of his shrine maiden attire, calmly gazing at Raiden Makoto. As the two intellectual powerhouses of Inazuma, Raiden Makoto and Fox-Saigu shared a similar personality—"unmoved by wind and rain, as steadfast as a mountain."

“Seriously, we’ve always been very restrained. The nature of demons is inherently unrestrained. If it weren’t for the fact that Liang’er is someone we’ve watched grow up, your son, and we didn’t want him to have any unpleasant memories… we, the great demons, would have acted long ago.” Fox Palace said, “Who among the great demons throughout history could have suppressed their demonic nature for so long and endured such restlessness?”

"If you can't stand it, then hold back." Raiden slammed his wine glass down on the floor. "Keep your filthy thoughts away from my Liang'er!"

"The desire between men and women is a natural human emotion. Does Liang'er have to stay in your arms forever, never seeing the light of day? Really, he will grow up and eventually have his own life. Isn't that why you sent him to Liyue to broaden his horizons?"

"Perhaps you've forgotten, Zhaigong, he's barely come of age. You aunts and sisters are all over a thousand years old. Do I really have to ask you about your feelings for Liang'er? Can you guarantee that you're not taking advantage of Liang'er's ignorance to satisfy your own lust?"

"Love and desire are inherently one. If Liang'er and we both like each other, why should we care about lifespan?" Fox Palace smiled faintly. "That's true. I've never seen you introduce any girls of Liang'er's generation or age to him. Since we are so wicked, why hasn't Liang'er had even a young and pure childhood sweetheart in your Tenshu Pavilion?"

The rapid back-and-forth attacks finally revealed a weakness to Fox Palace. Upon hearing this, Raiden Shin's cool and beautiful face instantly turned red. She opened her mouth, but could not utter a rebuttal.

"I...I did it to protect Liang'er before she comes of age. The fewer people who know about Liang'er's existence, the safer it will be..."

“That Mitsuyo, the daughter of Reizenbo, is not bad either. She’s only five years older than Ryo’er and is trustworthy. If all else fails, my Narukami Shrine has quite a few shrine maidens. We can pick a few to accompany Ryo’er in the castle tower and keep her company. We don’t even need to leave the castle tower. What danger could there be?”

"It's dangerous!" Raiden Shin's face showed barely concealed anger. "Sleeping with someone is even more out of the question!"

"So you're just too conflicted," Fox Palace shrugged. "You think we have impure intentions, but how many men and women in this world interact with pure intentions? Besides, we've been very honest. Don't you understand our personalities after all these years? In order to wait for Liang'er to grow up, we even suppressed our carnivorous instincts. I was the one who applied the 'virginity mark' to him. Isn't that enough to show how strong our self-control is?"

"Without my order to apply cinnabar, you would have already taken advantage of Liang'er. How dare you claim to have strong self-control?"

"But we'll get our hands on this meat sooner or later." Fox Palace calmly uttered these treasonous words. "You may be wary of us, but you can't be wary of everyone. And if Liang'er makes a start, we won't let the opportunity pass. After all, there's no such thing as letting outsiders benefit while keeping our own family, right? Of course, if you can keep a close watch on Liang'er for the rest of your life, we naturally won't say anything."

Raiden lowered her head, staring at the wine jug shrouded in white mist, momentarily unable to find the words to protest.

They've been best friends for thousands of years, and it's true, there's no reason for others to get to enjoy the spoils while their own sisters can only watch. And Lei Dian truly lacks the confidence to protect Liang'er for life, or rather, there's no need for her to... that carefree little wolfhound probably doesn't want his mother interfering in his affairs either.

But deep down, I still felt a little uncomfortable... Even if what Fox Palace said was true, when everything was laid bare, it still made me feel waves of...heartache.

She twirled her long hair between her fingers.

My Liang'er.

It's clearly... my Liang'er.

“Many great demons like us are the result of extraordinary talent and a lifetime of diligent training. We haven’t experienced simple, pure love in our youth, so truly, your Liang’er perfectly fits our needs.” Fox Palace fanned itself with its fan. “A cute, innocent little brother full of youthful vigor and a mature, beautiful older sister who knows how to take care of children—isn’t that wonderful? Meeting the most vibrant Liang’er at the age when we most need the comfort of youth, don’t you think they’re a perfect match?”

"You, Zhaigong, are very good at lecturing, and I can't argue with you. But ultimately, isn't it rather shameless to covet your friend's son?"

“We can each talk our own thing. You call me Zhaigong, and I'll call you Mother-in-law.”

Lei Dian Zhen Qi laughed, his half-exposed shoulders swaying as he shook his head and sighed.

“Really, there’s no need to say all this, because your starting point is unreliable.” Fox Palace felt that the groundwork had been laid, and finally looked at her deeply and said, “You are Liang’er’s mother, not his queen. He has already grown up, and you should have let go.”

"How dare you, Saigyu!" Raiden Shin crushed the sake cup in an instant, furious! Even her kimono whistled as she glared at Kitsune Saigyu, but the next second she realized she had overreacted, and tried to control her emotions, whispering, "You vixen, don't spout nonsense in front of so many people!"

“I was indeed bold, and I will be punished later by facing the wall in repentance for three days.” Fox Palace stared at her. “But, really, it’s easy to guard against the fox outside, but it’s hard to guard against the fox in your heart.”

Raiden bit his lip, staring at her with a mixture of grievance and ferocity, without saying a word.

The conversation reached a stalemate. Torachiyo knelt behind Kitsune-sai-gu, too afraid to raise her head; she had absolutely no courage to join the exchange. It should be known that while Raiden Shin wasn't a demon god renowned for her martial prowess, she was Inazuma's true master. She rarely got angry, but once angered, even Raiden Shin wouldn't dare utter a sound.

This is precisely what is meant by "majesty." The two Raiden Gods, Inazuma and Raiden, are both incredibly skilled in martial arts, but in front of Raiden Shin, they are merely obedient younger sisters who follow their older sister's teachings in everything. Raiden Shin always appears weak and vulnerable, but in reality, she holds immense power in the mortal world, possessing unparalleled nobility and an aura of authority that commands respect without anger.

However, since she didn't dare to look up, Torachiyo secretly glanced at Lei Yingdian, and then she was startled and couldn't help but speak.

"Why is Ying... panting so much? She seems to be breathing very heavily."

Zhen was stunned and immediately turned her head. She saw her younger sister covering her throat with one hand, tilting her head back, her mouth slightly open, and her throat bobbing incessantly... Her expression was a mixture of grief and anger, panting softly while coughing uncontrollably as if she were swallowing saliva.

Lei Dian was quite surprised to see that her face was flushed. As a demon god, Lei Dianying was almost never sick; she had just been drinking fine, so how could she suddenly have a fever?

"Shadow, should we call a doctor?"

"What kind of doctor can cure a demon god?" Fox Palace, however, seemed to understand something as he watched Lei Yingdian's micro-expressions and movements. Instead, he smiled mischievously. "Ying, it seems that the general is making you very uncomfortable."

"General?" Thunder didn't understand what they were talking about.