Medusa Queen

After Bingxuanzi left, Ye Shu sat alone in the courtyard, pondering for a very, very long time, but he still couldn't figure out exactly where the problem lay.

Without a doubt, Bingxuanzi's disguise had been seen through.

However, judging by Bai Ling's attitude, she clearly hadn't realized that he was no longer the original Pei Yong.

"Then I might as well make a bold assumption."

Chewing on a piece of foxtail grass, Ye Shu sat in his chair, lost in thought.

"Given that Bai Ling noticed Bingxuanzi's disguise but didn't know Pei Yong had been replaced, in her eyes, it's highly likely that Bingxuanzi took advantage of 'Pei Yong's' inattention to secretly abduct his bodyguard Da Li, and then assumed his identity to sneak into the Holy City."

"And the reason she didn't expose it is because..."

"She was the one who invited Pei Yong to perform. If it turned out he was used to sneak a suspicious person in, and word reached the Queen's ears, she would inevitably be implicated. That's why she wanted to resolve it privately."

The more Ye Shu thought about it, the more it made sense, and his eyes grew brighter.

With this analysis, everything fell into place.

But his brows remained tightly furrowed, as he felt things weren't that simple. There was still some key factor he hadn't considered.

For instance, how did Bai Ling see through Bingxuanzi?

That made absolutely no sense!

It made no sense that she could see through Bingxuanzi's disguise, but not his own.

Strange, way too strange.

Furthermore, another problem arose.

Now that Bingxuanzi had been taken away, he would surely suffer inhuman torture, and his life might even be in danger.

Should he save him or not?

If he tried to save him, putting aside whether a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like him could beat Bai Ling, even if he found Bingxuanzi, what then? His identity would inevitably be exposed.

Would he still be able to get the Heavenly Flame?

So many half-snake people would definitely be implicated. Could he really run away with such a large group?

But if he didn't save him, that would be too disloyal.

He had tricked the guy into coming, only for him to get caught in three days. Even though they hadn't done anything yet, the guy had come to help him after all.

"This is tough..."

Ye Shu sighed, leaned back in his chair, and looked up at the azure sky, thinking for a long time.

He thought for ages but couldn't come up with a solution.

Isn't this ridiculous?

Before doing anything, he had already lost a major general right at the start.

Just as he was at a loss for what to do, he suddenly heard a series of crisp footsteps outside the door.

"Your Majesty, the Queen!"

The snake-people warriors at the door bowed in unison.

Ye Shu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stood up.

A woman dressed in a gold-and-red long dress walked over gracefully. Her dress was crimson, as bright red as blood, with strands of gold thread embroidering complex patterns on it. Golden snake scales covered her shoulders, gleaming in the sunlight, which only further accentuated the snow-white skin at her collar, looking breathtakingly beautiful.

Every step she took exuded an indescribable elegance and majesty.

That's right, she walked over.

Only Queen Medusa could manifest human legs.

Her eyes were cold, and she radiated an aloof, superior aura from the inside out, as if she looked down upon all living beings.

Yet, it made it impossible for anyone to feel any disgust toward her.

It was as if she was meant to be this way, meant to be high and mighty, meant to look down upon the world.

Ye Shu was actually stunned for a moment.

He had never seen a woman with such an aura; among the people he had met, only Zhao Zhixia and Danxia could compare.

But even they lacked this innate majesty.

Fortunately, he was clearly aware of his identity and what he was here to do, so he only lost his focus for a brief moment before snapping back to reality.

In fact, he deliberately took an extra glance.

Because, as a lustful nobody, taking an extra look when seeing such peerless beauty in the world actually fit Pei Yong's persona perfectly.

"Are you Pei Yong?"

Medusa lifted her eyelids and glanced at him.

"Y-yes," Ye Shu hurriedly bowed his waist, keeping his head very low, his voice even trembling. "Your Majesty graces us with your presence, this lowly one is terrified."

Seeing his terrified and reverent appearance, the corners of Queen Medusa's mouth curled up imperceptibly. Unfortunately, Ye Shu had his head down and didn't see this scene.

"Rise."

Medusa said indifferently. By the time Ye Shu stood up, her expression had already returned to its placid, ancient-well-like state.

"You don't need to feel terrified. I was just passing by and heard a pleasant flute melody coming from this courtyard. Seeing quite a few snake-people warriors squatting outside eavesdropping, I decided to come in and take a look."

"Oh, oh, oh! I see, I see."

Ye Shu plastered a smile on his face and rubbed his hands together.

"It is our music and dance troupe's great honor that Your Majesty enjoys our performance.

"Does Your Majesty wish to enjoy an early viewing?

"I can have the girls dance it once specifically for you first."

Saying this, he turned around and tapped the bamboo stick in his hand against the ground, making a crisp sound. "Girls! Look alive! Her Majesty the Queen wants to inspect the results of your rehearsals!"

The girls hurriedly stood at attention, looking nervously at Medusa.

"There is no need."

Medusa reached out a hand to stop him, then turned her head to look at the terrified and uneasy Ye Shu, the corners of her lips curling slightly: "Enjoying something alone is not as good as enjoying it together. Since the soldiers all like watching your rehearsals, why not perform in the city every day for these two months? It will help the soldiers relieve their fatigue and allow the girls to adapt in advance. I will give the order to set up a stage in the square at the center of the city, where everyone can watch."

"This..." Ye Shu hesitated for a moment. "Wouldn't this be too much trouble for you? And the girls..."

"It is no trouble."

Medusa waved her hand. "It also saves my warriors from peeking outside, too afraid to come in. Since they want to watch, let them watch openly."

Since she had said so.

Refusing again would be rejecting the Queen's face.

Ye Shu said no more, only nodding: "I will strictly follow Your Majesty's orders."

"Then I will wait to see your performance astound everyone~" Medusa smiled faintly, blinked at him, and then turned to leave.

Watching her departing figure, Ye Shu remained motionless for a long time.

"Hey! Have you looked enough?"

It wasn't until a guard's somewhat impatient voice rang out that Ye Shu woke up as if from a dream.

Was it an illusion?

He couldn't help but feel that the smile just now... was like that of a little girl whose prank had succeeded.

It must be an illusion.

Ye Shu shook his head and walked back.

But his mind couldn't help recalling the situation just now, Medusa's face surfacing in his thoughts.

He had a feeling there was a hidden meaning in her words.

Returning to the courtyard, he looked at the girls who were dancing and passed down Medusa's orders. Then, ignoring their surprised expressions, he lay down on his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

Since things had come to this, he might as well just worry about the matter of Bingxuanzi getting roasted.