169 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

They found accommodations at a nearby immortal inn, naturally ending up registering at a station under the Yao Shen Temple's management. Once they reached a populated area, Chen Chang Lao deemed it inappropriate to continue sharing quarters with Yan Zhao and Ren Qingyue, so he chose his own room and agreed to depart together the following morning. After days of tension, Ren Qingyue finally relaxed, holding the Qiankun pouch she had picked up and contemplating her next move. This item was indeed a hot potato. Any hint of its existence could easily lead to disaster. Therefore, handing it to Su Zi Jun sooner rather than later seemed wise. However, the trip from the Mist Demon Canyon to the Taixu Immortal Realm was still at least half a month away. If one feared the unforeseen during long nights, there was only one solution. Yan Tian 神卷 (Heavenly Script). Ren Qingyue pondered in silence. With her cultivation level, using the Yan Tian Heavenly Script to teleport all three of them to the Myriad Treasure Palace shouldn't be a problem. Having settled on a plan, she felt a sense of relief. Navigating the treacherous and deceitful world of human cultivators was truly exhausting. Early the next morning, she shared her plan with them. Chen Chang Lao, aware they possessed the Yan Tian Heavenly Script, had no objections to her proposal and readily agreed. Yan Zhao provided the Heavenly Script, and Ren Qingyue activated it with her skills. Amidst the golden glow of the Script, Yan Zhao, intrigued, wondered since this treasure was a gift from A Yin, she should learn how to use it from her senior sister. In a flash of light, they found themselves standing at the gates of the Myriad Treasure Palace. Chen Chang Lao was taken aback by the marvels of the Heavenly Script. As the three of them appeared together, the gatekeeping disciples of the Myriad Treasure Palace were initially startled but then recognized Yan Zhao and Ren Qingyue: "Miss Ren, Miss Yan." Ren Qingyue stepped forward and said to the two, "Please inform Lord Su that we have urgent matters to discuss and humbly request her presence." The disciples seemed slightly surprised, and Chen Chang Lao's expression also shifted subtly. Her words implied she wanted the palace lord Su Zi Jun to come out and meet them rather than requesting an audience inside the palace. Ren Qingyue cupped her hands in salute: "Much appreciated!" The disciple regained their composure, gave them another glance, and nodded in agreement: "Please wait a moment." Chen Chang Lao carefully observed Ren Qingyue, standing silently by without uttering a word. At that moment, Yan Zhao tugged at Ren Qingyue's sleeve. Ren Qingyue looked down, "What is it?" Yan Zhao leaned in and whispered, "Senior sister, why aren't we going inside?" Having been previously advised by Ren Qingyue not to voice her opinions casually, she refrained from expressing her confusion aloud. Ren Qingyue discreetly glanced at the person behind them and explained to Yan Zhao through telepathy: "We've been away for too long. We're uncertain if A Yin is still here recovering. A Yin's status is peculiar; it would be unwise to alarm Chen Chang Lao." Chapter 182 "Ah, I see now." Yan Zhao nodded seriously, "Makes sense." Wu Yinying was quite apprehensive of A Yin. Ren Qingyue reminded her, "So, you should avoid mentioning A Yin in front of others as much as possible." "Oh," Yan Zhao replied, somewhat understanding but feeling slightly disappointed. Suddenly, a faint purple light flashed before them. Sure enough, the regal and elegant Myriad Treasure Immortal Venerable, Su Zi Jun, appeared in front of the palace gates. The gatekeeping disciples, upon seeing her, reflexively dropped to their knees all at once: "Greetings, Palace Lord!" Chen Chang Lao, taken aback, had a flicker of shock in his eyes. He immediately bowed alongside Ren Qingyue and Yan Zhao. Su Zi Jun, with a wave of her arm, dismissed the irrelevant people, her gaze sweeping over Ren Qingyue and Yan Zhao before lingering on Chen Chang Lao for a moment, finally returning to Yan Zhao: "What matter requires a discussion with me directly?" Receiving Ren Qingyue's cue, Yan Zhao reached into her robe and retrieved the Qiankun pouch she had found, offering it to Su Zi Jun with both hands. On first glance, Su Zi Jun's eyebrows furrowed slightly with disdain at the sight of such an old pouch. But upon taking it from Yan Zhao's hands and scanning it with her spiritual sense, her expression changed dramatically. With a more serious tone, Su Zi Jun said, "Let us discuss this privately, follow me." Moments later, Yan Zhao and company followed Su Zi Jun into the main hall of the Myriad Treasure Palace. As they walked through, each step revealed the magnificent architecture and decor, showcasing the palace's substantial wealth and opulence. Compared to such financial prowess, the Yao Shen Temple seemed quite modest. This was mainly because Yao Shen Zi had no interest in accumulating wealth. The elders and disciples typically engaged with other sects, procuring pills to sustain the temple's numerous members. Yao Shen Zi himself was mostly inactive, only occasionally producing a batch of elixirs such as the Suiyang Pill over the past century, not focusing on generating income for the temple. This was why Chen Chang Lao was insistent that Yan Zhao should have the exclusive right to the reward for recovering the lost treasures. In his view, as the temple's young leader, Yan Zhao should consider its future development. However, Yan Zhao remained oblivious to his implications, utterly missing his hints. Chen Chang Lao felt stifled in silence. Meanwhile, Yan Zhao, unaffected, followed Ren Qingyue, curiously observing her surroundings. She thought: No wonder those bandits targeted the Myriad Treasure Palace; its wealth must be enticing to anyone. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and Ren Qingyue couldn't help but feel poignant reflection. No wonder her master chose to learn artifact crafting over alchemy. Recalling her master's gorgeously adorned cave abode, Ren Qingyue suddenly understood where Yan Zhao inherited her penchant for materialism. The friendship between Su Zi Jun and Yan Yuanqing indeed had its roots in shared indulgences. Inside the hall, Su Zi Jun dismissed the attending disciples and, taking her seat, waited as Yan Zhao and the others did the same before speaking: "These items have been lost for centuries. How did you come upon them?" Being acquainted with the Myriad Treasure Immortal Venerable, Chen Chang Lao refrained from speaking, leaving it to Ren Qingyue to recount the discovery of the treasures. "The Mist Demon Canyon?" Su Zi Jun supported her chin, "I see." At the time of the incident, after announcing a reward, many cultivators responded proactively, driving the bandits to flee desperately. Unable to remain in the human realm, they fled to the Mist Demon Canyon, where Yan Yuanqing arranged for the adept seeker and hunter Qing Arrow Demon under the Demon Lord to continue the pursuit, capturing the bandits one by one. However, the ringleader remained elusive, though Feng Jin reported back saying she'd shot the person several times, believing survival unlikely. Su Zi Jun once suspected Feng Jin of embezzling the goods. But since she was introduced by Yan Yuanqing and was also a trusted aide of Nan Gong Yin, there was no need to worry about her reneging on the reward. Thus, Su Zi Jun dismissed the suspicion and forgot the matter. Unexpectedly, the long-lost artifacts were serendipitously found by Yan Zhao. Having gained insight into the story from Ren Qingyue, learning the ringleader was dead, Su Zi Jun felt delighted, propping her head on her hand and smiling at Yan Zhao: "It's quite remarkable; is there truly someone this lucky in the world?" However, on second thought, Su Zi Jun realized that Yan Zhao's very existence was extraordinary. Two women having a child with a one-in-ten-thousand chance was a fortune just in her birth; other fortuitous events seemed unexceptional by comparison. "If you found it, then it's yours," Su Zi Jun said with a wave of her long sleeve, sending the Qiankun pouch back to Yan Zhao. Yan Zhao's eyes lit up, catching the pouch with both hands. By her side, Chen Chang Lao thought: The Myriad Treasure Palace's lord is indeed generous. Ren Qingyue quickly thanked Su Zi Jun on behalf of Yan Zhao: "Thank you, Palace Lord Su." Looking at Yan Zhao's beaming face as she counted her treasures, Su Zi Jun found herself increasingly fond of her. Her gaze flickered as she remembered Nan Gong Yin's recent suggestion, feeling tempted. She had always avoided losing propositions, but binding such a fortunate person as Yan Zhao early could be advantageous. So, she suddenly said, "Little Zhao, I’ve thought about the suggestion for you to call me godmother. It seems feasible. Why not try calling me godmother now?" Hearing this, Chen Chang Lao was suddenly shocked. Yan Zhao lifted her head, blinking in surprise: "Huh?" While Ren Qingyue was also taken aback, considering the ties between Su Zi Jun and Nan Gong Yin and Yan Yuanqing, such a development was perfectly reasonable. Su Zi Jun smiled warmly at Yan Zhao, continuing, "If you recognize me as your godmother, I'll give you an additional gift. What do you say?" "No!" A fifth voice abruptly interrupted Su Zi Jun, echoing across the hall. Su Zi Jun frowned as she turned towards the source of the voice: "Yao Shen Zi? What brings you to my Myriad Treasure Palace?" "If I didn't come sooner, you'd have taken my precious disciple away!" Yao Shen Zi exclaimed, stamping his foot in frustration. "You women are as cunning as they come!" Nan Gong Yin might be safely separated due to her demonic origins, but there was more control over any influence. However, if Su Zi Jun were to become Yan Zhao's godmother, the significance would change dramatically. Yao Shen Zi was only Yan Zhao's master; compared to a godmother, the closeness was evident. Moreover, with Su Zi Jun's wealth and generosity in bestowing treasures, if Yan Zhao were to frequent the Myriad Treasure Palace, learning artifact crafting from her godmother, would she completely disregard this "old man"? Absolutely unacceptable! Chen Chang Lao was stunned for a moment before finally reacting, immediately standing and bowing to Yao Shen Zi. His mind raced with shock—how did Yao Shen Zi suddenly appear? Had he been following them all along? Yao Shen Zi waved his hand, signaling Chen Chang Lao to step aside, then quickly walked over to shield Yan Zhao behind him, advising her, "This woman isn't to be trusted; you must not acknowledge her as your godmother. Understand?" Su Zi Jun glared at him angrily. "Old man, who are you calling insidious?" With a cheeky grin, Yao Shen Zi replied provocatively, "Obviously, you!" To Su Zi Jun, everything about Yao Shen Zi was an eyesore. "At your age, you should settle down in the Yao Shen Temple instead of running around impairing the young!" Yao Shen Zi continued to hop about, "Why are you resorting to personal attacks?!" As Yao Shen Zi and Su Zi Jun argued incessantly, Yan Zhao found herself confused. A Yin had said it was okay before, but her master was now saying it wasn't. Who should she listen to? Instinctively, Yan Zhao turned her gaze to Ren Qingyue. Receiving Yan Zhao's look, Ren Qingyue responded with a tone of helplessness, "If you want to acknowledge, you can; if you don't want to, then don't." Fearing the argument between Yao Shen Zi and Su Zi Jun would continue, she added, "There's no rush to decide today; take your time." In other words, it could be left for later. Yan Zhao, somewhat understanding, smiled and said, "I'll follow my senior sister's advice." Beside her, Chen Chang Lao was struggling to contain his shock. As an elder of the Yao Shen Temple, he was well aware that Yao Shen Zi had taken on a cherished disciple and doted on her unusually. However, Yan Zhao had only appeared publicly during the recent alchemy competition, and though the elders had seen her portrait, they didn’t have strong impressions of her. Once, when Yao Shen Zi went to assist the Fox Emperor, he surprisingly took Yan Zhao along, which puzzled Chen Chang Lao. But later, seeing Yan Zhao single-handedly defeat a powerful master, she left a deep impression on him. Only then did he wholeheartedly accept Yan Zhao's position as Young Sect Leader, admiring Yao Shen Zi's discernment. Traveling from Qingqiu with her, he found her character astonishingly pure and unsuspecting, unexpectedly issuing from a den of wolves like the Frei Yun Sect, which he found incredible. Today further opened his eyes. Who was Yao Shen Zi? And who was the Myriad Treasure Immortal Venerable? These two figures could cause tremors in the human realm, yet their dispute was over Yan Zhao. Nonetheless, neither Yao Shen Zi nor Su Zi Jun carried as much influence over Yan Zhao as a single sentence from Ren Qingyue. Chen Chang Lao felt uneasy inside. Despite Ren Qingyue currently holding no conflicting interests with them, her association with the infamous Frei Yun Sect made trust difficult.