Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

Hehe! She secretly chuckled to herself.

"Cough cough cough!" She had to cough even harder to cover up her momentary lapse in composure and to bring everyone back to their senses: "Mr. Su, please come in. Everyone else, please wait outside and do not disturb us!"

Despite her inner turmoil, she was, after all, a queen, and quickly made the most appropriate arrangement for the situation—a private meeting. As for those subordinates who lost their composure… she'd deal with them later.

"Yes!" Hearing the familiar, unquestionable tone of command, the maid and guard finally confirmed that the person before them was indeed Her Majesty the Queen. However, today... was exceptionally different. The two dared not look or think any further and quickly responded.

The maid respectfully led the still somewhat dazed Su Baichen into the room, then quickly withdrew and gently closed the heavy palace door.

The moment the door closed, the maid recalled the Queen's unusual behavior today, especially her attire, which was completely different from usual, and the almost girlish demeanor she vaguely revealed. She immediately felt that this matter was extraordinary and not ordinary.

She dared not delay and immediately set off, almost running, toward the Grand Elder's residence. She had to report the situation immediately!

The guard who picked up the spear, just before the door was about to close completely, received a meaningful and unusually kind look from his queen through the crack in the door. He immediately understood.

He immediately picked up the spear and moved towards the far end of the corridor, consciously distancing himself from this place of trouble, striving to "see no evil, hear no evil."

The atmosphere in the Grand Elder's residence was originally solemn and peaceful.

The maid ran as fast as she could, panting heavily, and without even bothering to announce the proper etiquette, she practically stumbled into the council hall.

"Elder! This servant has something important to report!"

At this moment, the Second Elder was also sitting to the side, discussing with the First Elder the recent allocation of resources and border defenses for the Snake-People.

When the elder saw the maidservant rushing in so panicked and recklessly, his white eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he looked displeased.

"What's the matter with such a panic? What kind of behavior is this! Speak slowly, the sky isn't going to fall." The Grand Elder's voice carried its usual composure and authority.

Upon hearing this, the maid knelt down with a thud. She was breathless from running so fast, and her words were broken and fragmented: "Grand Elder! Her Majesty the Queen…she…"

Hearing the maid's breathless state, the Second Elder, sitting to the side, shook his head, thinking she was making a mountain out of a molehill. He picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and said in a relaxed tone, "Don't be nervous, speak slowly, there's no rush. Everything is going smoothly for our clan now, what major event could there be?" With that, he calmly picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.

Recently, the development of the Snake-People race has been on a rapid upward trajectory, and Su Baichen's relationship with the Snake-People race has also been deepening day by day.

This is truly a double celebration!

Life is wonderful!

The maid took a deep breath and finally managed to get her story straight: "It's just that... it's just that Her Majesty suddenly changed into the dress she often wore when she was young, and now she's in the room with Mr. Su... discussing important matters! Moreover, Her Majesty's words and actions are very different from usual, it feels... it feels like she's become a different person!"

The Grand Elder didn't initially pay much attention upon hearing this. It was normal for the Queen and Mr. Su to discuss matters frequently. Perhaps she had simply changed her clothes today…

"Pfft—cough cough cough!"

The Second Elder, who had just taken a sip of tea, was shocked when he heard the second half of the maid's description, especially the keywords "clothes when she was young" and "her behavior was very different." He immediately thought of a possibility and was so shocked that he spat out his tea, coughed repeatedly, and looked completely incredulous.

He abruptly put down his teacup, disregarding any potential rudeness, and hurriedly asked:

"What did you say?! The Queen... she met Mr. Su wearing her old clothes? And her behavior was abnormal? Tell me the details quickly!"

Chapter 41 The Queen's Admiration (3)

Upon hearing the Second Elder's words, she did not continue speaking. Instead, her gaze quickly swept over the guards and other servants standing in the hall. Although she did not utter a word, her hesitant expression conveyed a clear message—this matter concerned the Queen's privacy and should not be known by too many eyes and ears.

The Second Elder understood, but his curiosity only grew stronger. He remained calm, simply raising his hand slightly, his voice steady and authoritative: "You may all step back for now. Without my order, no one may approach the main hall."

"Yes!" the guards and servants responded in unison, retreating in an orderly fashion. The heavy palace doors were slowly closed with a dull thud, completely isolating the interior from the exterior.

At this moment, only the Second Elder, the First Elder, and the maid who knew the weight of her responsibility remained in the large room.

The air seemed to freeze. Seeing that all the irrelevant people had been dismissed, the maid took a deep breath, lowered her head again, and said in a soft but clear voice, "It is like this, Second Elder. I was ordered by the Queen to invite Mr. Su... After I invited Mr. Su to the Queen's place... Her Majesty was not wearing the Queen's attire, but... Afterwards, she immediately gestured with her eyes for all of us accompanying maids to leave."

"And it was clearly ordered that there was no need to wait outside the door, no summons was allowed, and no one was to approach the bedchamber even half a step."

The maid finished recounting the events verbatim, then stood respectfully with her hands at her sides, not daring to say another word.

After listening, the Second Elder stopped tapping his fingers, which were resting on the rosewood armchair. He leaned back slightly, his deep gaze fixed on the void, and fell into a long silence.

Even the relatively straightforward Elder could discern an extraordinary meaning from this brief description.

He waved his hand, his tone unusually gentle: "Alright, you've done very well. Go and rest now. Remember, what happened today concerns the Queen's reputation. Once you speak, it must be heard by the two of us, and no fourth person should know about it."

"This servant understands, thank you, Elder and Second Elder." The maid breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and left the hall with light and quick steps.

The hall fell silent again; you could hear a pin drop.

The First Elder turned around abruptly almost the instant the door closed, leaning eagerly towards the Second Elder. His face was a mixture of disbelief and barely suppressed excitement. He lowered his voice, almost in a whisper, and asked, "Second Elder! Listen to this! Closing the door, dismissing everyone, and being alone in a room! Could it be that the Queen has really fallen for that Mr. Su?!"

The elder's voice was filled with barely suppressed elation.

Countless images flashed through his mind in an instant: if Her Majesty the Queen could truly marry Su Baichen, a powerful expert and high-level alchemist with unfathomable strength, it would be a once-in-a-millennium opportunity for the Snake-People to rise to power!

Hearing the First Elder's guess, the Second Elder slowly withdrew his gaze and nodded solemnly: "Elder, what you think is exactly what I speculated. This matter is highly likely! Moreover, if it really succeeds, it will undoubtedly be a blessing for our Snake-People race."

"Yes! Isn't this a fantastic thing?" The First Elder excitedly slapped the armrest of his chair, but then noticed the worry on the Second Elder's face and asked in confusion, "Why do you look so troubled? I wholeheartedly support this!"

The Second Elder gave a bitter smile and sighed deeply: "The matter itself is indeed a good thing. But the key is that the 'person' who is to carry out this good deed is not right!"

"What is wrong with Your Majesty?"

"Our Queen was raised by us old folks, and we taught her by hand. Her strength, appearance, talent, and governing skills are all top-notch. She is the pride of our Serpent People."

The Second Elder abruptly changed the subject, saying with deep regret, "But! We completely overlooked her in matters of human relationships, especially romantic relationships! Her emotional intelligence is probably already close to zero!"

"Our Queen is a complete blank when it comes to matters of the heart! If she develops feelings for someone, she will most likely only express them in the most direct way she thinks, a way that, to outsiders, would probably look almost like her issuing a military order!"

The Second Elder became more and more excited as he spoke: "Even the Second Miss Cai Die, who is always playing around, has a much stronger intuition about love than His Majesty! His Majesty is a complete novice in matters of the heart! I am really uneasy about sending such an inexperienced person to carry out such an important mission!"

As he spoke, the Second Elder covered his face in anguish, his whole body radiating an aura of deep regret.

After hearing this analysis, the Grand Elder froze on the spot, his head buzzing. He then realized that he had overlooked the most fatal detail—the Queen had absolutely no experience in matters of the heart!

Thinking of this, for the first time in his life, the Grand Elder had such a strong urge to go back in time and slap himself a few times!

What a miscalculation! A complete and utter blunder!

The two powerful elders remained silent, filled with anxiety and unease.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere was quite different in Queen Medusa's bedroom.

As Su Baichen stepped into this private space filled with exotic charm, a sense of awkwardness quietly arose within him.

Beneath your feet lies a soft, snowy carpet, and the air is filled with a cool yet sweet fragrance. Glass lamps cast a hazy glow, adding a touch of ambiguity to the entire space.

What made Su Baichen most uncomfortable was Queen Medusa herself. Today, she had taken off her royal robes and put on a neatly tailored, brightly colored light purple outfit, which made her look less majestic and more charming.

She invited Su Baichen to sit on the low couch, while she leaned against a short distance away, her pale purple eyes always seeming to sweep over him.

His gaze was complex and sharp, filled with undisguised admiration and a possessive desire to have it, which even made Su Baichen, a powerful Dou Zun, feel a slight unease.

The feeling was utterly absurd, and what was even stranger was that the look seemed familiar, yet he couldn't quite place where he had seen it before.

“Um, Your Majesty, you…” Su Baichen subconsciously switched back to using a respectful title.

"Mr. Su, you're too kind." Queen Medusa immediately seized the opportunity, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Since we're in private, please call me 'Cai Lin,' which is my sister's surname. Calling me Your Majesty is too formal."

She spoke fluently and naturally, as if she had thought it through carefully. However, the name "Cai Lin" was entirely improvised—she simply had a gut feeling that an intimate nickname was the first step in building a closer relationship.

"Uh, okay, Cai Lin." Su Baichen readily agreed and then steered the conversation back on track: "I understand what you're talking about."

He naturally assumed that the Queen's private meeting was for this important matter concerning the fate of the snake people.

Chapter 42 The Queen's Shyness (1)

Cai Lin's ears were still ringing with Su Baichen's words, "He understands now." Her cheeks instantly flushed a fiery red, like fine rouge being rubbed between her fingertips, spreading from her ear tips all the way down to her neck.

Her usually cold golden eyes had lost all their aloofness and were now filled with burning light. She stared at Su Baichen without blinking, her breathing unconsciously becoming softer, with a hint of barely suppressed eagerness.

"What do you think, sir? Would you be willing to agree?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Cai Lin was startled—her usual composure and self-control as the queen of the snake people vanished in an instant, replaced by a burning desire within her.

Since he already "understands," why beat around the bush? It's better to just break through that barrier and get straight to the point!

This is her true style: using the simplest and most direct methods.

She straightened her chest slightly, her deliberately slowed tone concealing a barely perceptible tremor, yet her gaze remained intense, unwilling to miss a single expression on Su Baichen's face.

Su Baichen was so overwhelmed by her intense gaze that he instinctively looked away, then quickly looked back, his fingertips gently rubbing his cuffs.

He coughed to calm his slightly flustered mind and said sincerely, "Of course I have no problem with it, after all, this was agreed upon beforehand."

He knew perfectly well that his promise to help Cai Lin break through to the Dou Zong realm was in exchange for finding the Strange Flame. He had always been a man of his word and had no reason to go back on his word.

However, Cai Lin's gaze was too intense today, which made him feel inexplicably uneasy, as if he had not agreed to a cultivation agreement, but to something else that made him blush.

"As agreed beforehand?"

Su Baichen's words were like a basin of cool spring water, which made Cai Lin's heart skip a beat.

Her incredibly bright eyes instantly became misty, her brows furrowed slightly, and her face was full of bewildered questions. The fervor in her golden pupils faded considerably, leaving only a deep sense of confusion.

"A promise? When did I make a promise with you, sir..." she murmured unconsciously, her mind racing through all sorts of past events, but she couldn't recall ever making any such promise.

Could it be that my recent arduous cultivation, day and night, has exhausted my mind and spirit, causing even my memory to become distorted? Or has something gone wrong in my cultivation, resulting in the loss of some memories?

Cai Lin's bewildered expression left Su Baichen equally confused. He frowned, his tone tinged with doubt: "Cai Lin, didn't I mean the reward for finding the strange fire?"

Seeing that she was still confused, he explained carefully, "Didn't I promise you before that as long as you found the Strange Flame, I would help you break through to the Dou Zong realm? Isn't that what we agreed on before? What you're talking about... isn't this?"

"boom--!"

As soon as Su Baichen finished speaking, Cai Lin's mind was struck as if by lightning, and all her thoughts exploded on the spot, turning into a chaotic mess.

Wrong! All wrong!

She finally realized that what she and Su Baichen had been talking about were two completely unrelated things!

Just now, she was convinced that Su Baichen understood her feelings, understood the emotions she had mustered all her courage to express, and she even looked at him so directly and passionately, secretly imagining what would happen if he agreed...

"what--!"

Cai Lin screamed inwardly, her cheeks flushing crimson so intensely they seemed to bleed, and even her ears and neck were tinged with embarrassment.

Shame to death!

I'm so ashamed I can't face anyone!

How could she make such an absurd mistake, confusing the agreement to break through to the Dou Zong realm with her own petty thoughts, and almost making a fool of herself that would make people want to disappear!

The aggressive momentum she had shown earlier vanished instantly, and Cai Lin's shoulders slumped slightly.

Although her cheeks were still strikingly red, the fervor in her golden eyes had long since faded, replaced by panic and shyness. Her gaze darted away, no longer daring to look into Su Baichen's eyes, as if looking at him for even a moment would expose her embarrassing little thoughts.