Chapter 1338: Envy

However, she seemed to have guessed the reason for Zu'an's disguise and did not expose him.

Her voice seemed to possess a subtle magic, making everyone feel at ease. Chiwen was indeed no longer as irritable as he had been, merely muttering, "That last time doesn't count. I didn't eat enough or rest well, which affected my performance. Next time will definitely be different."

Everyone could tell he was putting on a brave front. While chuckling, they were all secretly astonished, wondering just how high Zu'an's cultivation level was. First, he defeated the Golden Crow Crown Prince, then he thoroughly thrashed the Ninth Prince of the Dragon Clan, and it was said he even crushed Lion Ling, the gifted young prince of the Lion Clan. If one victory was a coincidence, then so many consecutive wins certainly couldn't be faked.

At this moment, Princess Sorena finally found a moment to approach Yu Yanluo. "Hello, Sister Yu~"

"Hello, Sister Princess," Yu Yanluo replied, smiling. Not long ago, Princess Sorena had helped the Snake Clan out of a difficult situation, so Yu Yanluo naturally held her in high regard.

Princess Sorena quietly asked, "Has that person really left?"

Yu Yanluo suppressed the urge to glare at Zu'an. He went around flirting everywhere, leaving affection in his wake and stirring up feelings in young women.

Zu'an immediately cried out that he was wronged, claiming he hadn't flirted at all. He figured the other party must have simply been too deeply impressed by their last experience in Marquis Sui's tomb, making it unforgettable for them.

Yu Yanluo also gave a definitive reply: "Of course he's gone."

"But I received news that the one who previously entered the palace to assassinate the Crown Prince might have been him," Princess Sorena persisted, her tone filled with deep concern.

Yu Yanluo replied, "That's likely just a one-sided story from the palace. Think about it, even if he really came to the royal court, why would he assassinate the Crown Prince in the palace for no reason? Isn't that just seeking death?"

Princess Sorena considered this and agreed. Although Zu'an had shown great power in Marquis Sui's tomb, he was still far too weak compared to the Demon Emperor. How could he possibly go directly to the palace, where the Demon Emperor resided, to assassinate someone? More importantly, there was no motive.

It seemed he truly hadn't come to the royal court. Thinking of this, a trace of sadness crossed Princess Sorena's face.

"We've long heard of Queen Medusa's great name; seeing you today, it truly lives up to your reputation," Hu Yong said as he walked over with his two brothers. Upon seeing Yu Yanluo, each of them showed expressions of astonishment.

"You flatter me, Princes. I've also long heard of the valor of the Tiger Clan warriors..." Yu Yanluo was skilled at this kind of polite flattery. She quickly exchanged pleasantries and learned that the three were Hu Yong, the Second Prince of the Tiger Clan; Hu Cheng, the Fifth Prince; and Hu Xin, the Ninth Prince.

Yun Jianyue quietly nudged Yan Xuehen beside her. "Ice Maiden, normally you're surrounded by men showering you with greetings and all sorts of compliments. Now that you're wearing a mask, no one pays you any mind. How does that feel?"

Yan Xuehen said indifferently, "It's a shame you're a Grandmaster. What's there to care about such trivialities?"

Yun Jianyue was a bit annoyed. Although reason told her that such things truly held no meaning, in the past, seeing those annoying men constantly fawning over Yan Xuehen while avoiding her, she couldn't help but feel quite displeased.

This woman is typical; she gets all the benefits and then acts smug!

At this point, Hu Yong and his brothers learned that Yu Yanluo and her companions were here to gamble on stones with Shi Min, so they quickly warned her, "Queen Medusa, don't be fooled by Shi Min's outwardly gentlemanly appearance. That fellow is full of sly schemes and loves to calculate against others. Inviting you up here, he certainly has no good intentions."

Shi Min's face darkened. "Hu Yong, slandering others behind their backs is truly not what a gentleman does."

"Is telling the truth considered slandering?" Hu Yong said, spreading his hands with a disdainful look.

Shi Min was speechless.

Lion Gong, who was standing nearby, interjected, "Enough! Today, for the Second Prince's sake, we won't stoop to your level. Don't push your luck."

Hu Yong's face also darkened. "Lion Gong, if your elder brother said that to us, it would be almost acceptable. But you? Do you even qualify?"

Seeing both sides once again at loggerheads, the steward of Green Garden hastily came out to mediate.

Princess Sorena didn't want to get involved in the conflict between the Lion and Tiger clans, but she also worried that if they truly fought, innocent bystanders might be injured. So, she considerately asked, "I just heard cheers coming from below. Apparently, someone unearthed a Heaven-tier gem in the Yellow Room. You all just came up from below; do you know what exactly happened?"

"Oh, something so interesting happened?" The Young Golden Roc King, who had been coolly observing from the pavilion, also spoke up, as if he had just heard a wild fantasy.

Zu'an smiled slightly. "It was just luck, and it's all thanks to a few Lion Clan princes."

Shi Min and the others' faces immediately flushed crimson; they almost suffered internal injuries from suppressed anger.

"What exactly happened?" Even the Second Prince was now interested.

Hearing his question, the Green Garden steward roughly recounted what had just happened below, and everyone's expressions immediately became a sight to behold.

Hu Yong and his brothers burst into even louder laughter. "Shi Min, your comeuppance has arrived! You definitely wanted to trick him, but unexpectedly, you ended up helping him succeed."

Shi Min snorted. "Gamble on stones naturally has wins and losses, and no outcome is surprising. We naturally abide by the gamble and accept defeat, unlike you, who are so unreasonable."

Perhaps because he saw the other party stumped, Hu Yong didn't get angry this time. Instead, he chuckled, "From what I know of you, the more you say this, the more you're scheming something. Queen Medusa, you must be careful."

Yu Yanluo smiled without speaking. How could she not see through the Lion Clan's malicious intentions?

"Don't try to sow discord there," Shi Min snorted. "With so many masters watching here, do you think I would still play tricks?"

While both sides were arguing, Shang Liuyu had already walked over. With each step she took, water-like ripples seemed to form beneath her feet, supporting her, truly resembling the 'Rippling Steps' martial art.

Even Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen, two well-traveled Grandmasters, were a bit surprised at this moment and exchanged comments: "This woman is quite interesting."

"Last time, Zu'an got so many Heaven-tier weapons from Chiwen, seemingly because she helped him," Yan Xuehen suddenly said, her face flushing red. She remembered that one of the Heaven-tier weapons was the Wind-Fire Wheels, and the situation where Zu'an carried her on his back...

Yun Jianyue, not noticing her reaction, asked, "Do you think this woman might also be Little An'zi's lover?"

Yan Xuehen frowned. "It should... not be."

Her tone wasn't very confident.

She walked up to Yu Yanluo, also somewhat surprised by her captivating radiance, and smiled slightly. "I used to hear Zu'an mention how beautiful you are; seeing you today, you truly are a beauty capable of toppling cities."

Yu Yanluo's expression was a bit strange. From her words, it almost sounded as if the other person was the first one, and she herself was the newcomer.

Casting this absurd feeling out of her mind, she responded with a smile, "I also used to hear him mention how extraordinary and unique Teacher Shang was, but only today do I realize his vocabulary was too limited."

Yun Jianyue, who was standing by, felt a chill. "What are these two women doing? It's as if they're fighting for affection. That rascal Little An'zi has accumulated a heap of romantic debts. Alas, my poor precious disciple, I'm afraid she'll be played like a fiddle by these vixens in the future."

Yan Xuehen's expression was equally strange. She thought that if even women like Qiu Honglei couldn't handle them, then her disciple Chu Yan, as pure as a blank sheet of paper, would be even more helpless. After all, even she, as their master, wasn't very good at handling such situations.

The expressions of the surrounding crowd varied. They never imagined that Queen Medusa had such good connections; it seemed it was time to re-evaluate her.

Earlier, with so many people arriving and so many conflicts occurring, the Second Prince and the Young Golden Roc King had remained calmly seated in the pavilion. Now, seeing Shang Liuyu emerge, they also stood up and followed.

The Second Prince laughed heartily. "Allow me to introduce everyone: this Miss Shang is the Mermaid Princess of the Sea Clan, and she is here to participate in the Ten Thousand Clans Assembly as a representative of the Sea Clan."

Zu'an suddenly looked at Shang Liuyu. Although he had vaguely suspected it before, he was still a bit surprised to have it confirmed again.

No wonder her small courtyard at Brightmoon Academy always had a swimming pool, and no wonder she wasn't used to wearing shoes.

Soon, a group of people greeted Shang Liuyu one after another. After all, the Sea Clan was very mysterious and exceptionally powerful, so the status of this Mermaid Princess was naturally extraordinary.

After a while, the Young Golden Roc King said with a smile, "I don't really care how high the cultivation of that Zu'an you speak of is, but his connection with so many peerless beauties does make me quite envious."

With his opening, the topic of discussion among everyone shifted to Zu'an.

"Queen Medusa, what exactly is your relationship with him?" The Second Prince looked sharply at Yu Yanluo.