One of my fairy-like friends

Yu Mudan, covered in blood, walked to Empress Yin's side and handed her the blood.

Empress Yin took the blood, examined it carefully, and exclaimed, "The life force is indeed extremely strong; this person's self-healing ability must be terrifying..."

“His aura is very strong. Although he is only at the initial stage of Qi Sea, I think that even the current Bei Ming Ni is probably no match for him,” Yu Mudan said softly.

Empress Yin collected the blood and then smiled, "He is your future husband. You should be happy. Why are you not in high spirits?"

“I have never believed in fate.” Yu Mudan shook her head, her cherry-colored eyes calm.

"Do you know that someone once told Gu Hanshuang that she would also become Mingyan's Daoist partner?" Empress Yin asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Yu Mudan chuckled, "Then I'm really looking forward to seeing Gu Hanshuang nestled against a man like a little woman."

As she spoke, a faint sarcasm appeared on Yu Mudan's pretty face, "That scene will definitely be unforgettable for me."

"Hehe." Empress Yin shook her head with a smile. "It's good for you and Mingyan to keep your distance. Even the divination of Sage Bai Ze is not necessarily accurate. How can a sage easily predict the fate that even the Great Dao cannot control?"

If Mingyan were here, he would probably be very surprised, because Empress Yin and Yu Mudan were talking about a saint of the demon race.

With the Great Emperor in power, the Great Dao was severely suppressed, making it extremely difficult for cultivators to become saints. Therefore, the saint lords of those top holy lands and families could only be welcomed by people.

And the demon race actually has a demon saint...

"The Huang family values ​​Mingyan too much. If the rumors are true and the Huang family's Phoenix Blood Pool has dried up, then it is very likely that Mingyan is the Huang family's heir for the purpose of continuing the family line. I have heard that he is indeed very close to Huang Junru's daughter, Huang Feiyan, and the two are very likely to get married in the future. You can just be friends with him. If you really want to have something happen between you and him, I will be worried." Empress Yin said with a light laugh.

Yu Mudan gently shook her head, "I have no special feelings for him, Your Majesty, you are overthinking it."

But then she wondered, "Does the Huang family really value Mingyan that much?"

"His Majesty just informed me via telepathy that Huang Junru herself has arrived. After I summoned Mingyan, she appeared directly, serving as a reminder to His Majesty that we are still here and should not act rashly." Empress Yin chuckled. "Mingyan's expression just now showed a subtle change; it seems Huang Junru spoke to him telepathically about something..."

"A patriarch of a powerful family personally protects Mingyan. Isn't that a sign of respect? Huang Junyi of the Huang family is also nearby. Moreover, I suspect Yue Wuxia is also here, though she hasn't shown herself. And... Yue Wuxia's true strength... Hmph, this Mingyan is truly untouchable. It's a pity we discovered him too late. If we had discovered his existence earlier, things wouldn't have become so complicated." Empress Yin sighed softly. "Unless absolutely necessary, you should avoid antagonizing him."

Yu Mudan nodded gently, "Of course, I have no hostility towards him. However, if he becomes an enemy of Gu Hanshuang, then things will get interesting."

As she spoke, Yu Mudan laughed.

Chapter 156 You Can Enter and Exit the Inner Courtyard at Will

Mingyan left the East Palace and looked up at the sky. He didn't know where Huang Junru was, but he was certain that she was watching him.

"Once this matter is settled, you will return to the Huang family with Fei Yan." Huang Junru's voice rang out again. Ming Yan noticed that compared to the tone when they first met, Huang Junru's naturally cold voice, which made people question their existence, was a little gentler, but it really was just a little gentler.

"Um... Auntie..." Mingyan called out tentatively. He didn't know if Huang Junru would be angry about calling her Auntie, but since he and Huang Feiyan were friends, he should call her Auntie.

Mingyan waited for a while but received no response. He sighed inwardly and was about to hurry back to the Huang family office when he noticed a red figure emerge from the void. She had a cold look in her eyes and a graceful figure. Her whole body seemed to be covered in thorns. Just one glance was enough to make people not want to get close, even though... her appearance was stunningly beautiful.

The red figure that emerged from the void was none other than Huang Junru.

Both are cold, but Shizun's coldness is aloof and detached, a coldness that feels distant even when you get close. Huang Junru's coldness, on the other hand, is frigid, a coldness that seeps into the bones, making people unwilling to get close.

"Auntie." Seeing that Huang Junru had actually appeared, Mingyan quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your care, Auntie."

Huang Junru's gaze was indifferent, and she did not react after hearing Ming Yan's words. Ming Yan was used to it. With such a cold and aloof master, he was not annoyed by his aunt. Huang Junru's personality was just like that, and it was not because she disliked him that she acted this way.

"I wonder what brings Auntie to the Huang family with Feiyan?"

"You'll understand once you get here." Huang Junru didn't explain further; her figure gradually blurred, and Ming Yan could only nod in response.

Mingyan returned to the Huang family office. As soon as he reached the door, he saw Huang Feiyan standing not far from his room. Seeing Mingyan return, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked up to him. "So, Empress Yin asked you to stay. What does she want you to do?"

Mingyan briefly recounted what Empress Yin had said earlier. Huang Feiyan raised an eyebrow and then smiled, "That seems to be a good thing. If the old Holy Emperor really did extend his lifespan, then this favor will be invaluable."

Favors can be big or small, but in most cases, they are the hardest to repay. The Holy Yuan Dynasty used a favor to obtain Ming Yan's help, and Ming Yan has the Huang family and Feng Lingyueying behind him. The Holy Yuan Dynasty will probably not renege on its debt, which is indeed quite sincere.

Of course, whether this sincerity is based on the fact that Mingyan is backed by Feng Lingyueying and the Huang family remains to be seen.

Mingyan nodded. "By the way, your mother told us to go to the Huang family together after this is over."

"Hmm." When the topic came up, Huang Feiyan's eyes darted away slightly. "Hmm..."

Huang Feiyan's behavior was a bit strange. Mingyan was puzzled and was about to ask when Yue Qingying pushed open the door and came out. Seeing Mingyan and Huang Feiyan standing together, she walked up with a smile and asked, "What are you two talking about?"

"Hmm...it's nothing." Huang Feiyan quickly walked to Yue Qingying's side and pulled her away. Ming Yan looked at the two of them from behind, feeling a little strange, but he didn't think much of it and returned to his room.

------------------

A day later, the group began their journey home.

Ning Feixuan returned to Yaochi Holy Land, while Yue Qingying received a message from Elder Yueying who was with them, saying that Yue Wuxia asked her to return to the Holy Land first. So in the end, when they returned to the Huang family, only Mingyan and Huang Feiyan remained.

Returning to the Huang family is truly a bittersweet experience.

When Mingyan first came here, he was just a minor cultivator in the Taixi Realm, and he knew almost nothing at that time.

It was precisely because of his connection with the Phoenix Clan that he eventually went to the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Holy Land.

It is extremely rare that he was willing to make a fair deal with him when he was just an unknown nobody.

In the world of cultivation, strength equals status. If an unknown nobody with no strength is treated like this... Mingyan can feel the respect the Huang family has for him, so naturally, Mingyan will also respect the Huang family from the bottom of his heart.

This is also why Mingyan trusts the Huang family so much now.

"Moon Shadow Saint... cough cough, why did Aunt Moon call Qingying back?"

After Mingyan and Huang Feiyan returned to the Huang family, they were walking towards the inner courtyard when Huang Feiyan asked a question.

Mingyan shook his head. "I don't know either. Maybe there are some things that Senior Sister needs to handle. If anything happens in the Moon Cinema, Senior Sister will have to deal with it. Senior Sister is much busier than me. I'm like an idle person in the Holy Land."

Huang Feiyan chuckled, "Isn't being a bystander a good thing?"

“It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that I hope I can do something for my master or my senior sister.” Mingyan pursed his lips. “My master and senior sister have both treated me very well, but I always feel that I can’t do anything for them.”

"I don't think Aunt Yue and Qingying expected you to do anything for them, right? They didn't expect anything in return for their efforts towards you," Huang Feiyan said with a smile, her hands behind her back.

"Master and Senior Sister might really think that way, but that's true... Master and Senior Sister are kind to me without expecting anything in return, that's their excellent character. If they don't expect anything in return, and I really don't reciprocate, then as their disciple and junior brother, I would be too unworthy, and that would be my problem." Ming Yan shook his head, but there was so little he could do for Master and Senior Sister now.

Master is always somewhat mysterious. Mingyan doesn't know her preferences or what she wants. The same goes for his senior sister. Although she treats him very well, she seems to be somewhat indifferent to desires and has never shown any fervent love for anything.

The tranquil half-moon is something that both master and disciple like, but Mingyan has already given it to them once, so he can't give it to them again, can he?

I had a strong desire to do something for my master and senior sister.

Upon hearing Ming Yan's words, Huang Feiyan paused slightly, then revealed an even brighter smile, "Since you can't think of anything for now, just keep it in mind. You have plenty of time to think about this issue."

“That makes sense.” Mingyan nodded. Perhaps when his strength reaches a certain level, he will be able to do something for them.

"I'll take you to the inner courtyard," Huang Feiyan said. "From now on, you can come and go from the inner courtyard at will."

"Hmm...hmm?" Mingyan nodded subconsciously, then realized what he meant and his expression turned strange. "Did I hear that right? What did you just say?"

Chapter 157 Phoenix Blood Pool

"I'm saying, you can come and go from the inner courtyard at will from now on," Huang Feiyan said with a smile. "This has been unanimously approved within the Huang family, so you don't need to worry about causing trouble for anyone."

Mingyan was taken aback, then asked, "Why are you allowing an outsider like me to freely enter and leave the inner courtyard?"

The inner courtyard of the Huang family is rarely open to people outside the Huang family. Men are absolutely not allowed to enter, and as for women, only women with extremely close relationships are allowed to enter.

For example, Ning Feixuan. It seems that Ning Feixuan was brought back by the Huang family and later sent to Yaochi by the Huang family. Moreover, the person who sent her was Huang Junyi. Therefore, she had a very close relationship with the Huang family and could freely enter and leave the inner courtyard.

But... although he has a good relationship with the Huang family, he is still a man. The inner courtyard is full of Huang family ladies. Is it really appropriate for him to have the right to freely enter and leave the inner courtyard?

Mingyan stopped in his tracks, bewildered.

"I need your help with something, so come with me," Huang Feiyan said softly as she walked ahead.

With a desire to find out the answer, Mingyan followed Huang Feiyan and they entered the inner courtyard of the Huang family together.

Not all women of the Phoenix Clan cultivate, and many are unwilling to cultivate. However, because of the phoenix blood within them, they do not age. But when their lifespan is exhausted, they will still die like normal people.

Women of the Huang family who do not cultivate will not leave the Huang family. They will live in the Huang family for their entire lives. It is not that the Huang family restricts them, but that the inner courtyard of the Huang family is very large and has everything except men. They have all the necessary organs and do not need to go out.

Women from the Huang family who cultivate will go out to gain experience, and the Huang family will also provide them with protection.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that the position of the head of the Huang family is not hereditary; anyone with sufficient strength can overthrow it.

Huang Feiyan's lineage secured its position as the head of the Huang family because of her maternal grandmother's power.

When it came to Huang Junru's generation, Huang Junru broke through to the Human Welcome realm and naturally became the head of the family.

In Huang Feiyan's generation, Huang Feiyan is considered the most talented in the Huang family. If nothing unexpected happens, she should become the next head of the Huang family, so it seems like a hereditary succession.

The resources within the Huang family are not skewed. For example, Huang Feiyan will not receive any special treatment just because she is the daughter of the family head. She will receive the same resources in the early stages of her cultivation. However, as her talents become apparent, the Huang family will naturally prefer to cultivate women with better talents. If Huang Feiyan is not the most talented woman of this generation, then the young generation that is now taking the lead in the Huang family will not be Huang Feiyan, even if she is Huang Junru's daughter.

In this respect, the Huang family is absolutely fair, with strict family rules. Moreover, the women of the Huang family are naturally harmonious, and over such a long period of time, the Huang family has never had any internal conflicts.

As Mingyan entered the inner courtyard, many women from the Huang family looked at him with friendly glances. Mingyan was somewhat flattered; it seemed Feiyan's words were true—the women of the Huang family didn't seem to object to him entering the inner courtyard...

Mingyan was a little confused for a moment, but then he realized that he should calm down and look at the matter calmly.

Although the Huang family allows me to freely enter and exit the inner courtyard, it doesn't mean I can use these things to do anything. I should exercise restraint and maintain my self-control.

The inner courtyard is much larger than the outer courtyard, resembling a small, independent world. Because the Huang family's interior is so vast, the inner courtyard also has some small teleportation gates. These teleportation gates are set up to facilitate Huang family women who have no cultivation or whose cultivation is still shallow, allowing them to reach any place within the Huang family. They are extremely convenient.

Through the teleportation portal in the inner courtyard, Mingyan arrived at the foot of the enormous phoenix statue.

Beneath the phoenix statue lies a vast, blood-red lake, slightly hot, with a faint, not overpowering, fragrance emanating from it.

The blood lake was incredibly vast, stretching to the horizon. Mingyan was somewhat surprised, "Is this the Phoenix Blood Pool of the Phoenix Clan?"

Although it's called "Pool," it's actually a lake of blood, far too vast.

“Yes, that’s right. This is the Phoenix Blood Pool left behind by our ancestor, the supreme Phoenix Ancestor, after he passed away.” Huang Feiyan stood beside Ming Yan and nodded gently. “The Phoenix Blood Pool is a very special place. When women of the Huang family want to continue their lineage, they come here, drink the Phoenix Blood, and become pregnant. This method of pregnancy is very special. Strictly speaking, we are all life bestowed by this Phoenix Blood, and we are the continuation of the Phoenix bloodline.”

“We inherit the bloodline of the phoenix, not our mother’s bloodline. But since we are all continuations of the phoenix’s bloodline, we are connected by blood.” Huang Feiyan smiled and said, “Although we all agree that our mother gave birth to us, we also believe in our hearts that we are all children of the phoenix, and the phoenix is ​​our common mother.”

"In a sense, all the women of the Huang family can be considered sisters, including my mother and me... but I still prefer to call her Mother," Huang Feiyan said with a light laugh.

This is quite similar to the Human King Body...

Mingyan and Wang Qingchu are both beings derived from the blood of the original Human King. Although they are connected by blood, strictly speaking, they cannot be considered siblings...

Ultimately, it all comes down to the phoenix's life continuation, and the process of conceiving through blood is inherently different from that of an ordinary mother...

"Women of the Phoenix Clan can sense how much longer their lifespan is, even those who have never cultivated. Once they sense that their lifespan is about to end, they will come to this lake and enter the Phoenix Blood Lake to return their life to the Phoenix Blood Pool. This is a rule that has been established since the founding of the Phoenix Clan. It is precisely because of this that the life force in the Phoenix Blood Pool never dries up. Over such a long period of time, the life and death of women of the Phoenix Clan have been related to this lake. We have been able to extend our lives for more than a million years through this."

“Until my birth.” Huang Feiyan’s tone gradually lowered. “My mother came to this lake eighteen years ago, drank its blood, and then I was born.”

"But after that, this Phoenix Blood Pool lost its divinity, its life force, and became just an ordinary red lake." Huang Feiyan sighed softly. "To the Huang family, I'm truly a jinx. From birth, I've been causing trouble for the Huang family—the Phoenix Blood Pool, my aunt's affairs, and many other troubles you don't know about..."

"Don't say that. This isn't something you can control." Mingyan said, seeing her so remorseful. "Even you, Aunt, didn't know that the Phoenix Blood Pool would suddenly lose its divinity and life force, did you?"

“Well… fortunately, none of the women of the Huang family have exhausted their lifespans during this time. Otherwise, we were worried that the women of the Huang family might not be able to properly return their lives in the Phoenix Blood Pool. That is why we need to restore the vitality and divinity of the Phoenix Blood Pool before that happens. Otherwise, the bloodline of the Huang family might be cut off here.” Huang Feiyan looked at Ming Yan. “And this requires your help.”