Chapter 295: Punishment and Reward

"New Judge? Substitute?" Ji Wenchuan didn't even need to discuss it with Anu. Combining it with his previous observations, he instantly understood what was happening.

Was the Saint Lord of Tianyao impersonating the Yama King?

The Judge wasn't a substitute; he was the real Judge.

It was the Yama King who was the substitute, the fake Yama King...

How could he explain this? Tell Elder Yinfeng? Ji Wenchuan wasn't crazy yet.

"What did the Yama King say when he went to the Ice Prison Sect?" Ji Wenchuan asked.

Elder Yinfeng asked on the spot, and Ling Qixuan recounted the general events.

"I understand," Ji Wenchuan said solemnly. "That wasn't some new substitute Judge; that was the original Judge. They probably ran into each other again and he temporarily helped out. Don't spread baseless rumors; watch your head."

Elder Yinfeng broke into a sweat. "How could I... I understand now. Thank you, Mr. Ji."

Poor Elder Yinfeng, despite just being promoted to Western Ghost Emperor and nominally being of the same rank as Ji Wenchuan, still feared Ji Wenchuan like a dog.

He was a Second-Grade cultivator, while Ji Wenchuan was First-Grade.

The entire Yin Corpse Sect had been suppressed by Ji Wenchuan, nearly wiped out.

Fortunately, Ji Wenchuan remembered Lu Xingzhou's idea from a long time ago to subdue the Yin Corpse Sect, so he temporarily gave them a way out. Otherwise, they would be yin corpses themselves now.

From this perspective, Lu Xingzhou had also been kind to them...

Elder Yinfeng knew what to do and quickly cleared his throat. "We won't comment further on the matters of the Yama King and the Judge. We only came today to make acquaintances. We look forward to more guidance from Sect Master Ling in the future."

"I wouldn't dare," Ling Qixuan also bowed. "If the Yama Palace needs our sect's cooperation for anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

The alliance between the two was, of course, not simply about the Yama King helping the Ice Prison Sect. The Ice Prison Sect also needed to cooperate with the Yama Palace. In reality, their main goal was to rebel against Daqian, but now was not the time. Yuan Muyu was still extensively connecting with various demonic factions to organize the Ten Palaces Alliance. With her current transcendent cultivation, the progress might be much faster than Lu Xingzhou had previously estimated.

It felt as if a previously stagnant world had suddenly begun to move within the last year or two.

Over there, Ji Wenchuan pondered for a moment, then asked Anu, "If it's for Uncle Ji's good, do you think I should tell the Yama King about this?"

Anu wiped her face with a hint of resentment. "Of course, you should! Say it loudly, and embellish it. It's best to emphasize how cute Anu is, and how much Anu misses Sister Yu..."

Ji Wenchuan completely ignored the latter half of her sentence and directly contacted Yuan Muyu.

Yuan Muyu was holding a small meeting with Dong Chengbi and others, discussing some expansion matters for Daqian. They were all high-ranking acquaintances, and she uncharacteristically didn't wear her mask, revealing her perpetually charming little demoness face, which made Dong Chengbi and the others secretly murmur among themselves.

In that appearance, without a mask, she truly lacked any semblance of authority.

Upon receiving Ji Wenchuan's "call," the little demoness still showed a slight displeasure. "Ji Wenchuan is getting more and more outrageous. The Frozen Moon Cold River matter has nothing to do with him, yet he scampered off to play. Now that it's done, he still hasn't returned, I wonder what he's dawdling around outside for."

I still wanted to question him in detail about Lu Xingzhou and Ye Tinglan's situation.

Connecting the communication, Yuan Muyu said with a straight face, "Ji Wenchuan, do you still remember that you belong to an organization?"

"Uh-huh..." Ji Wenchuan's voice came from the other end. "I'm outside helping the Yama King inquire about Lu Xingzhou's news."

"What's there to inquire about a dead traitor's news! It's not needed! Just consider him dead from now on!" Yuan Muyu said loudly, then softened her tone. "However, since you've already inquired, you might as well tell me the result."

Everyone: "..."

The others inwardly thought she could have just used telepathy, as saying it out loud made her look rather foolish.

Ji Wenchuan said from the other end, "It's like this: Lu Xingzhou somehow learned that the Yama King had promised to intervene on behalf of the Ice Prison Sect regarding the Frozen Moon Cold River matter. He was probably worried, so he specifically went to the Ice Prison Sect to ask about the exact details of the intervention. When he found out it involved the ice demon, he became furious and reprimanded Ling Qixuan for not explaining the situation with the ice demon clearly to the Yama King, implying he wanted the Yama King to be cannon fodder... His exact words were 'Our Yama King'..."

Dong Chengbi and the others watched as the little demoness, whose face had been frosty, brightened considerably. The suppressed amusement almost overflowed, yet she still said faintly, "Does this Lord need an outsider to question how I conduct my affairs? Never mind, considering he has some conscience, I won't bother with him."

Ji Wenchuan then repeated the specific details about the ice demon. Yuan Muyu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Understood. This matter... yes, I'll credit you for it."

Ji Wenchuan said, "I don't deserve any credit; it was Old Lu..."

Yuan Muyu interrupted, "Your timely relaying of the information is a credit. As for Lu Xingzhou, he's an outsider, does he expect a reward...? Never mind. Inform Elder Yinfeng that Lu Xingzhou is in Tianshuang. Tell Elder Yinfeng to protect him. With his shoddy cultivation, don't let anything go wrong. After all, he's working for me."

Ji Wenchuan assented, about to end the call.

But Yuan Muyu wasn't foolish. "Wait."

Ji Wenchuan cautiously asked, "Does the Yama King have any further instructions?"

Yuan Muyu said, "Lu Xingzhou went to the Ice Prison Sect alone, and Ling Qixuan spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube? Even if he's smart, he couldn't have done that. Who helped him, you?"

Ji Wenchuan fell silent.

Yuan Muyu immediately realized what had happened, linking it to previous events. "Ye Tinglan! How shameless of you!"

Ji Wenchuan's call was disconnected.

Ye Tinglan's jade talisman vibrated.

Ye Tinglan's spiritual sense swept over it, and she directly rejected the call.

"Clang, clang, clang!" In the conference room, Dong Chengbi and the others scattered. Passersby outside Miaoyin Mountain felt as if another earthquake had struck. It seemed that earthquakes had become frequent around this mountain recently...

"What's wrong?" In the inn's courtyard, Lu Xingzhou held Ye Tinglan, sensing she had just been laughing. "What suddenly made you so happy?"

"Nothing, just remembered something amusing." Ye Tinglan said with a smile, "Have you thought about how to deal with the Ice Prison Sect's subsequent issues?"

"For now, we can only wait for Ji Wenchuan's reply," Lu Xingzhou said. "What you need to do now is first send some people with good concealment skills to keep an eye on the Ice Prison Sect."

"Alright." Ye Tinglan notified Su Yuan. Then, their eyes met, and silence suddenly fell between them.

They had originally returned to the guest courtyard to attend to some serious business, which Yuan Muyu had conveniently interrupted.

It was about healing Lu Xingzhou's injuries... and they had only just sat on the edge of the bed.

It was clear that Yuan Muyu, worthy of being a Transcendent, possessed keen heavenly and human senses, and her timing for interruption was exceptionally precise.

Unfortunately, it wasn't sustainable. Once silence fell, their eyes met and gradually began to shimmer with emotion.

Ye Tinglan's mood at this moment was truly complex. On one hand, she greatly admired the young man's capabilities displayed in numerous incidents, feeling increasingly stirred each time. On the other hand, she felt a little guilty, as if she had just done something wrong, which greatly diminished her usual desire to take the lead and 'play with the little puppy'.

Otherwise, on any normal day, she would have long since actively 'taken a bite'—what was wrong with a little play? But now, she felt a bit weak and guilty, watching as Lu Xingzhou leaned in and kissed her red lips.

Then, yielding to Lu Xingzhou's gentle push, she slowly lay back, letting him cover her body and kiss her freely, even cooperatively closing her eyes.

He had been toiling and exhausting himself, and it seemed she had made a mistake that undermined his efforts, or perhaps a mistake concerning her own little disciple. A little punishment seemed appropriate.

If her disciple hadn't been watching, a spanking wouldn't have been an issue...

Unfortunately, her disciple was nearby then, so it wasn't possible.

Now, there was no one around.

How could Lu Xingzhou not discern his Lady's subtle thoughts? His large hand unceremoniously caressed her rounded curves.

With her cherry lips being kissed, Ye Tinglan let out a muffled groan from her throat, sounding incredibly alluring.

Lu Xingzhou kissed her cheek, then leaned in close to her ear and asked, "Are you still going to sit on my hand?"

"...Qingli was there at the time, you could have at least saved me some face..."

"But my hand still hurts now, what should I do...?"

"I already let you touch me..."

Lu Xingzhou was amused by his Lady's rare, coy tone. His large hand lifted her long skirt, and he tried to caress her calf.

Ye Tinglan bit her lower lip, not objecting, as if to say, "If your hand hurts, I'll compensate you."

Lu Xingzhou grew bolder, lightly stroking upwards, soon reaching her rounded thighs.

Ye Tinglan trembled all over. This time, she finally couldn't hold back, reaching out to stop his exploration. "Do you need this for healing?"

"This isn't healing; this is collecting a debt." His hand didn't provoke her leg but quickly moved to her backside and patted it. "Do you still need me to wipe your butt?"

Ye Tinglan's face flushed crimson, her eyes alluring. "Yes."

Lu Xingzhou: "?"

Ye Tinglan gritted her teeth, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said, "It's for healing, stop asking so many questions, it's not cute at all."

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

He had barely held the initiative for a moment before it was suppressed again.

Yet, she seemed to implicitly allow his hand to remain there, as long as he didn't move too much to provoke her.

Lu Xingzhou suddenly remembered that he had mentioned a reward before they left, which had made his head spin at the time. He wondered if it still counted now?

He tried to kiss downwards from her neck, soon reaching her shoulder, and then the curves of her chest.

Ye Tinglan's breathing quickened. She seemed to have also remembered the "promise" from before they left. But she hadn't actually said anything then...

Did it still count?

Before she could fully process it, his other hand had already pulled her clothes below her shoulders, revealing her fair, fragrant shoulders and the deep cleavage.

Then, almost impatiently, he buried his head there.

Ye Tinglan hadn't even decided whether to give this reward, and he had already taken it for himself. Ye Tinglan inwardly cursed him as a "scoundrel." Yet, she didn't refuse. Instead, she reached out and held his head, muffling him inside. "Don't move around too much. Only like this, nothing more."