178 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

She was just over seven hundred years old. "Oh!" Wu Ying Ying accepted this easily and spoke decisively, "Elder Sister Zuo!" Zuo Xun felt particularly dizzy. Since joining Huangyin Peak to cultivate, aside from the few times she had been stung by venomous bees and was left bedridden and unconscious, she had never experienced such an unclear state of mind. Xuan Yuan Zheng, who had been watching from nearby, finally couldn't stand it any longer. His brows were tightly furrowed. "Junior Sister Wu, do you know that they are from the Fuyun Sect?" His implication was clear: the Fuyun Sect had a notorious reputation. If others saw Wu Ying Ying chatting and laughing with people from the Fuyun Sect, gossip would surely ensue, which could lead to criticism and possibly implicate the Medicine God Sect. Upon hearing Xuan Yuan Zheng's words, Zuo Xun's mind regained clarity quickly, and her expression became even colder. Unexpectedly, Wu Ying Ying candidly replied, "I know." She then pulled on Yin Wu Xian's sleeve and introduced her to Xuan Yuan Zheng: "This is Elder Sister Yin, she's amazing. I was in danger near Shacheng at the Taiyan Immortal Domain earlier, and it was all thanks to Elder Sister Yin's help that I could attend this conference. Otherwise, I might not have made it." Recalling the past, Wu Ying Ying was still very moved and even wiped nonexistent tears on Yin Wu Xian's sleeve. Yin Wu Xian: "..." With no way to argue, Xuan Yuan Zheng's face turned an ashen gray, looking like he had swallowed a fly. He said coldly, "Regardless, let's proceed with the registration." Wu Ying Ying agreed and waved to Yin Wu Xian and Zuo Xun, "I'll come find you both later!" Yin Wu Xian nodded and watched as Wu Ying Ying's group entered the alliance stronghold. Since Wu Ying Ying was also present, Yin Wu Xian felt somewhat relieved and said to Zuo Xun, "You can go with her later. Although her cultivation level isn't high and she's a bit simple-minded, her personality is fine, so she's easy to get along with." With Wu Ying Ying's identity, no one openly at odds with the Medicine God Sect would dare to cause trouble for her. If Zuo Xun teamed up with Wu Ying Ying, it would reduce a lot of unnecessary disputes. As her words ended, no one responded, and Yin Wu Xian turned her head to glance at Zuo Xun, puzzled, "Why is your face red?" "Really?" Zuo Xun snapped back to reality, hastily wiping her face, "Maybe it's just too hot outside?" Yin Wu Xian raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Hot?" Anxious, Zuo Xun stomped her foot and nudged Yin Wu Xian's shoulder, "Elder Sister, if you have something to do, you should go." Yin Wu Xian, still puzzled, realized there was no need to linger longer. She waved goodbye and turned to leave. It wasn't until Yin Wu Xian's figure vanished around the street corner that Zuo Xun lowered her shoulders, exhaling a long breath. Her relief was short-lived when she suddenly heard, "Elder Sister Zuo!" Startled, Zuo Xun's shoulders trembled as she turned around to see Wu Ying Ying running towards her while the group of male disciples led by Xuan Yuan Zheng had not followed. Probably embarrassed by Wu Ying Ying's blatant snubbing, they had decided not to follow. Wu Ying Ying ran up to Zuo Xun, looking around: "Hey, where did Elder Sister Yin go?" She was just here a moment ago. Zuo Xun stiffened her face, "She had other things to do and left first." "Oh." Wu Ying Ying sounded quite disappointed. Standing there face-to-face, neither spoke, and the atmosphere settled. Zuo Xun felt very uncomfortable. This is unbearable. She understood the reasoning behind Yin Wu Xian's arrangement, but she was sure she could handle things alone. The current situation made her feel out of place. Meeting once and forcibly being paired up—this was too awkward. Zuo Xun was mentally complaining, yet her expression didn't change. After a pause, just when Zuo Xun's patience hit its limit, Wu Ying Ying suddenly spoke on her own: "I originally thought Elder Sister Yan would come to the Immortal Gate Disciples Conference too. It's been so long since we last met, and I was sure there would be many interesting things to talk about." Zuo Xun caught onto a key piece of information: "Elder Sister Yan?" "Yes, Yan Zhao, Elder Sister Yan." Wu Ying Ying explained to Zuo Xun, "She used to be a disciple of your Fuyun Sect's Tianzhu Peak." Zuo Xun had indeed heard of Yan Zhao from Tianzhu Peak, but she hadn't expected to hear that name from Wu Ying Ying after so many years. Her curiosity piqued, she unconsciously lowered her guard and asked, "Why do you say 'used to be'?" Wu Ying Ying's eyes sparkled as she smiled, "Because she's now a disciple of the Medicine God Sect." Zuo Xun: "?" Wu Ying Ying continued on happily, "Elder Sister Yan is the Master's prized pupil. I last saw her a few months ago. She's very interesting, and if there's a chance, I can introduce Elder Sister Zuo to Elder Sister Yan!" Zuo Xun: "..." Why does a Fuyun Sect disciple need someone from the Medicine God Sect to introduce her to another Fuyun Sect disciple? More confusingly, was the Yan Zhao Wu Ying Ying spoke of truly the same Yan Zhao from Tianzhu Peak? Meanwhile, the central figure of Wu Ying Ying and Zuo Xun's conversation—Yan Zhao—was listlessly staring outside the alliance stronghold, absent-mindedly playing with a fox's tail. She hadn't even noticed when the tail slipped from her hand. Other people's elder sisters would escort their juniors to the stronghold before leaving. Where had her sister gone? Nangong Yin had said that her elder sister had important business to attend to at the Tai Xu Immortal Domain first. But where was she at this moment? How was she supposed to meet up with her elder sister? Yan Zhao's limited brain couldn’t process such complex matters. Moments later, she heaved a long sigh. Oh well, if she won first place in the competition, her sister would definitely know where to find her. She would just wait for her sister to look for her. In her arms, the little fox sneezed twice in a row, its nose tickling. It shook its tail vigorously, feeling irritated. Who was talking about her behind her back? Chapter 192 After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, an alliance steward finally approached the crowd and called out, "All registered immortal friends, please follow me to the Mirror Platform." Everyone heaved a sigh of relief; after waiting for over an hour, their bones were nearly stiff. A few lively disciples from the Immortal Gates quickly gathered around the steward, and Xuan Yuan Zheng was among them. Wu Ying Ying and Zuo Xun joined the crowd a bit later, while Yan Zhao quietly stayed at the end of the line, silent and inconspicuous. At that moment, the sound of approaching footsteps came from outside the stronghold, and a female disciple walked in. Seeing the crowd gathered in the hall, she paused momentarily and asked, "I'm here to attend the Immortal Gates Disciples Conference. Is this where I register?" Surprised, Yan Zhao turned her gaze toward the sound and was taken aback. The newcomer was Bi Lan, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. The steward at the registration desk looked up at her and asked, "To which sect do you belong?" Bi Lan, turning around upon hearing the voice, promptly produced her Immortal Realm Token and respectfully replied, "Fuyun Sect." Fuyun Sect. The mention of those three words immediately sparked a commotion among the crowd. "Fuyun Sect, huh," Wu Ying Ying remarked with her eyes wide open, "Elder Sister Zuo, do you know her?" Zuo Xun shook her head, "No, I don't." Truth be told, she was also surprised to see another disciple from Fuyun Sect attending the conference. She had recently heard about a new disciple joining Tianzhu Peak, but she hadn’t met the new junior sister yet. It must be this Bi Lan. Wu Ying Ying was even more surprised, "How come you don’t know anyone?" Zuo Xun: "..." She didn't know why, but she felt a bit irritated, as if the other person was looking down on her. Although the alliance steward was also taken aback, he showed no sign of neglect on the surface. He skillfully took out a bamboo plaque for signing names and handed over a brush soaked in ink. Bi Lan wrote her name on the bamboo plaque and, following the steward's instructions, queued up at the back of the crowd. Ahead of her was none other than Yan Zhao. Zuo Xun withdrew her gaze from Bi Lan and suddenly felt something odd, frowning. A tiny bug nestled on her sleeve's back communicated information back to her, saying that a strong emotional surge had just arisen nearby. Turning her head, she found the source to be none other than the Xuan Yuan scion who had previously given her trouble, Xuan Yuan Zheng. He was fixing a murderous glare on Bi Lan, his rage even more intense than when he had stopped her on the road. How strange, this man seemed to get angry too easily. What kind of grudge did he have against the Fuyun Sect? Could it be that some of the bodies they encountered during the prior incidents were people from the Xuan Yuan family? With her doubts tucked away, Zuo Xun quietly decided that under non-critical circumstances, she would slightly look out for this new sister from Tianzhu Peak. With no more arrivals in a short period, the guide steward called out to the crowd: "Everyone, please follow me." Together, they left the stronghold and began their transition to the floating island. Yan Zhao walked silently at the back of the group, when suddenly someone tapped her shoulder from behind. Turning her head, she saw Bi Lan peeking curiously. "Hello, Immortal Friend. I'm Bi Lan, a disciple from Fuyun Sect's Tianzhu Peak. How should I address you?" Yan Zhao's gaze lingered briefly on Bi Lan's face before she nonchalantly diverted it. "Nian Qing." She was eager to ask Bi Lan about the Soul-Sealing Nail, to see if it could save little Jin, but she remembered Nangong Yin's warning, so she held back and asked nothing. Since Bi Lan was here to attend the Immortal Disciples' Conference, she'd likely stay for a while. Yan Zhao decided she could reveal her true identity after the competition ended and she'd retrieved her mother's relics. Talking too much might expose her, so speaking less would be better, Yan Zhao concluded. Yan Zhao's terse reply and her cold demeanor, clearly discouraging further conversation, left Bi Lan puzzled. She was bewildered by her own luck—why did she keep meeting such reserved individuals? Then again, it might not be that this "Nian Qing" was reserved; perhaps it was Bi Lan's identity as a Fuyun Sect disciple that led to this reaction, causing others to shy away from interacting with her. Bi Lan sighed and didn't press further. The center of the alliance stronghold housed a teleportation array leading to the floating island. The guide steward led them into the array, placed enough spirit stones upon it for everyone, and activated it. The spatial disturbance generated by such a large teleportation array was intense. Lacking experience, Yan Zhao wobbled and lost her balance as dizziness overwhelmed her, nearly falling backward. The little fox, sensing Yan Zhao's imbalance, assumed she was going to fall. At that moment, a hand reached out from behind, gently steadying Yan Zhao. Amidst a tinkling sound, Bi Lan noticed the silvery spirit fox in Yan Zhao's arms. This fox bore an uncanny resemblance to one she had seen before. Though, the fox she knew would probably never tolerate wearing a bell like this. Thanks to Bi Lan, Yan Zhao avoided a fall and turned to thank her. "Just lending a hand," Bi Lan replied, smiling politely. She glanced again at the little fox in Yan Zhao's arms and couldn't resist mentioning, "I have a friend who also has a fox, and it looks nearly identical to your spirit pet, Miss Nian." Yan Zhao's heart skipped a beat, worried that Bi Lan might recognize the fox. As a precaution, she tightened her embrace and lifted her sleeve to cover the fox's head. The little fox: "..." Bi Lan didn't notice Yan Zhao's subtle action; seeing no response to her comment, she assumed the topic was uninteresting to Yan Zhao and turned aside, changing the subject: "So this is the Mirror Platform." Indeed, the shift in topic distracted Yan Zhao, who then realized they had reached their destination. The glowing light of the teleportation array beneath their feet was fading away. Around them, other disciples of the Immortal Gates looked around curiously, their eyes filled with wonder. The Mirror Platform was a floating island, its surrounding clouds continuously rolling. It felt as though they were riding the island through the skies, a truly novel experience. Outside the teleportation array lay a vast open space, with many disciples already waiting for the conference to begin. The elder guiding them spoke with authority: "This is the gateway to the Mirror Platform. The Immortal Disciples' Conference will officially commence in two months. Until then, I ask for everyone's patience." "I do not await the moon, but rather my encounter with you."