271 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

How could Yan Zhao already be worrying about the wedding banquet at this early stage? After writing this line, Yan Zhao paused briefly, turned the page, and started a new section: "Guest list: Mother, Ah Yin, Godmother, Master, Senior Dongfang, Aunt Ying, Boss, Bi Lan, Chen Er, Xuan Yuan Mu, Ye Yan Ran, Wu Ying Ying..." As she wrote down the names of many familiar people, Ren Qing Yue was a bit surprised. Without realizing it, Yan Zhao had gathered quite a number of friends and relatives, and she had learned to write so many characters. However, wasn't there someone missing from this list? Chapter 295 Who was missing, then? Faces flashed through Ren Qing Yue's mind: Fox Queen, Fox Emperor, Bai Jin... However, if she and Yan Zhao were to hold a wedding banquet, Ren Qing Yue would be the one to send invitations to the people of the Qingqiu Fox Clan, so their absence from Yan Zhao's list didn't really matter. As this thought crossed her mind, Ren Qing Yue realized she was getting carried away with Yan Zhao's line of thinking. The eight characters aren't even a stroke yet, what was she daydreaming about? The little fox's ears drooped down, and she curled her tail around to cover her head. On the other side, Yan Zhao was seriously jotting down notes in her little book, while Lei Shuang and Jiang Ying quietly discussed the wedding date and key procedures. Feng Jin, like an invisible person, sported a helpless expression. Yan Zhao finished writing the list, then paused, as footsteps were heard outside the reception room, moving neither hurriedly nor slowly. Everyone came back to their senses, and Yan Zhao took advantage of the visitor not yet entering the room to quickly scan through the notes in her little book again, ensuring accuracy. Only then did she close the book and tuck it into her storage pouch, placing it in a precious spirit crystal box. At that moment, a figure gracefully entered from the door, and the identity of this person surprised those present. The visitor was not Han Li, the lord, but the dancer who appeared at the banquet yesterday. Yan Wu stepped into the reception room, gracefully bowing to Yan Zhao: "Servant of Lord Han Li, Yan Wu, greets the young master." Yan Zhao was still lost in her notes, not paying attention to what Yan Wu was saying, so Yan Wu finished her bow, but Yan Zhao hadn't responded for a while. Noticing Yan Zhao's distraction, Jiang Ying spoke on her behalf: "Miss Yan Wu, where is Lord Han Li?" "Yan Wu is here today for this very reason." With a turn of her hand, a white, snow eagle-shaped glass pendant appeared, "The lord is unwell and unable to rise, thus sent Yan Wu to escort the young master." Jiang Ying and Lei Shuang exchanged a glance, each seeing the other's confusion. Han Li is a great demon; she was perfectly fine yesterday, and nothing unusual happened in the territory. How could she suddenly fall ill? While they were still puzzled, Yan Wu presented the glass pendant to Yan Zhao with both hands: "This is the lord's token. With this, the young master may roam unimpeded within the lord's territory." The three of them contemplated. If Han Li did not accept Yan Zhao, she wouldn't hand over such a token. By doing so, Han Li showed her stance. Other territories' great demons would have to weigh the significance of this token. Moreover, Yan Zhao had the close aides of the Demon Lord by her side—Lei Shuang, Jiang Ying, and the Azure Arrow Demon. Not every great demon, like Han Li, had the leisure to cause trouble without reason. It seemed Han Li truly wasn't feeling well, thus unable to greet guests. Jiang Ying found it odd, but from her position, she had no reason to inquire further. Receiving the token meant their objective was accomplished without needing to meddle more. Yan Wu presented the jade pendant to Yan Zhao, "Young master, please accept this glass pendant." Yan Zhao was never one to refuse gifts, and without Jiang Ying's reminder, she took the glass pendant straightforwardly. With her task complete, Yan Wu bowed again to Yan Zhao, "I have arranged for demon servants outside the hall. Should you wish to set off, the demon servants can guide your way. I shall take my leave now." "Let's go." Lei Shuang eagerly rose, urging Yan Zhao, "No time to waste, let's make haste." The sooner the seal is lifted and the Demon Lord is rescued, the sooner their wedding can take place as planned. Since morning, when she discovered she'd ended up tying the knot with Jiang Ying amidst last night's chaos, to now when her thoughts are consumed by the wedding banquet, Lei Shuang felt as if she were in a dream. As they stepped out of the reception room, Lei Shuang sidled up to Jiang Ying, quietly saying, "Pinch me." Jiang Ying looked puzzled, "What's wrong with you?" "Just do it, pinch me," Lei Shuang insisted on her unreasonable request. Seeing how earnest Lei Shuang was, Jiang Ying couldn't refuse and reached over to pinch a small piece of flesh on Lei Shuang's arm with a twist. "Ow!" The sudden cry made the leading demon servant pause, a look of panic on their face. Yan Zhao and Feng Jin, who were following behind, also appeared puzzled. Seeing this, Jiang Ying covered Lei Shuang's mouth and explained to Yan Zhao, "She's having another of her episodes, pay it no mind, young master." She then gestured to the demon servant, "Lead the way." The demon servant quickly refocused and turned away, shutting off their hearing, continuing forward. Lei Shuang mumbled behind Jiang Ying's hand, "Mmm mmm..." When Lei Shuang finally calmed down, Jiang Ying released her grip and asked, "Are you back to normal?" Tears lingered at the corners of Lei Shuang's eyes, but she nodded firmly, "I'm fine, all better now." Getting pinched really hurt, a lot. This means it wasn't a dream. She and Jiang Ying had become partners, and soon they would hold a wedding banquet, inviting guests to announce their relationship to the world. Just the thought of it set Lei Shuang's heart racing. With her mind wandering like this, she came back to reality, finding they had reached the edge of the territory. The guiding demon servant stopped at the border where it met another territory and said, "I can only escort you this far." Jiang Ying nodded, instructing the demon servant to return and led Yan Zhao forward, introducing her to the next territory's situation. On their journey, they passed through a dense forest, stopping by a water source for a break. Feng Jin excused himself to gather water, leaving with a few bamboo tubes. Jiang Ying and Lei Shuang stood watch while Ren Qing Yue temporarily resumed her human form to study the underworld's map with Yan Zhao. Lei Shuang stealthily approached Jiang Ying and sat on a large stone an arm's length away. Jiang Ying noticed but only glanced at her briefly, returning to her vigil. Everything remained normal until Jiang Ying's peripheral vision caught Lei Shuang's subtle scooting closer by half a body length. Jiang Ying, puzzled, mused: What's she up to now? Despite the oddity, Jiang Ying didn't react overtly, pretending to remain on watch, acting unperturbed. Lei Shuang's eyes darted around nervously, while one hand stealthily crept along the stone’s surface. As it neared Jiang Ying's fingers, it paused. An inkling sparked in Jiang Ying; she guessed what this was about. Feigning indifference, she kept her gaze afar. Indeed, in the next moment, Lei Shuang's pinky grazed hers, pausing momentarily before timidly hooking them together. Jiang Ying felt her heart flutter slightly and her ears warmed, yet she said nothing. The tentative gesture had a noticeable effect; Lei Shuang felt her palms sweat with excitement, wary that her clammy hand might discomfort Jiang Ying, so she quickly released her grip. Jiang Ying thought, "..." Some people might come off bold and fearless, yet deep down, they are timid, like a turtle retreating into its shell at the first sign of trouble. Still pretending not to notice, Jiang Ying watched to see how long Lei Shuang could keep the act up. Lei Shuang retracted her hand, a distinct memory of their fingertips' brief touch etched in her mind. Determined, she wiped her sweaty palm on her sleeve and boldly reached out again, this time firmly grabbing Jiang Ying's hand. Jiang Ying was a bit surprised, yet chose to remain silent. Her eyes stayed trained on the distance, but the hand in hers shifted slightly. Feeling Jiang Ying's motion, Lei Shuang's heart skipped with worry, fearing Jiang Ying would pull away, sapping her newfound courage. However, instead, she felt Jiang Ying's palm turn. Jiang Ying gently cradled Lei Shuang’s hand in hers, silently intertwining their fingers. Lei Shuang's heart thudded loudly as if hit by a heavy hammer, so hard that her heartbeat paused for a fraction of a second, nearly causing her to faint from sheer excitement. Looks like her journey of love after marriage had some hope! Meanwhile, while Ren Qing Yue was pointing at the map, Yan Zhao suddenly grasped her hand. Ren Qing Yue questioned with bewilderment, "What are you doing?" Yan Zhao responded with utmost seriousness, "We need to hold hands." Confused, Ren Qing Yue watched as Yan Zhao pried her fingers open one by one, then intertwined them with her own, looking somewhat bashful. Yet, she wasn't inclined to let go, so she discreetly turned her gaze elsewhere, pretending nothing was happening. Suddenly, the sight of Lei Shuang and Jiang Ying inadvertently caught her eye. Lei Shuang was holding Jiang Ying's hand, the two standing very close. Though they weren't doing anything overt and their gazes weren't meeting, there was an unspoken intimacy between them. Their hands were clasped together, fingers intertwined. Ren Qing Yue thought, "..." She suddenly understood why Yan Zhao insisted on holding her hand. Out of all things to learn, she had picked up on something peculiar. Feeling a twinge of helplessness, Ren Qing Yue glanced at Yan Zhao with her expressive eyes. Yan Zhao, however, maintained a composed demeanor, looking completely justified and uninterested in any concern over her behavior. Ultimately, Ren Qing Yue said nothing, silently consenting to Yan Zhao’s inching forward. Even though she hadn't expressly agreed to Yan Zhao, she already had an answer in her heart. Therefore, she turned a blind eye to these harmless little acts. After about the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, Feng Jin returned with water, witnessing the scene from a distance. She halted, glanced at the five bamboo tubes in her arms, and fell into silence. Moments later, she removed two of the bamboo tubes, leaving only three in her arms. They really didn't need that many. Chapter 296 Catching sight of Feng Jin returning from the corner of her eye, Jiang Ying instinctively wanted to pull her hand away. But Lei Shuang held tightly, and a slight effort failed to free her hand. Previously, Lei Shuang was timid and cautious when they were alone. Yet now, with others around, her courage seemed to swell. While they tugged at each other, Feng Jin approached, handing a bamboo tube to Jiang Ying. Feeling slightly awkward, Jiang Ying quickly rationalized it to herself. Since they had already informed Feng Jin about their union, holding hands seemed trivial, so she eased up. Taking the bamboo tube, Jiang Ying thanked Feng Jin, who nodded in acknowledgment before turning to deliver water to Yan Zhao and Ren Qing Yue. Lei Shuang blinked her eyes in surprise, "Why only one?" Jiang Ying contemplated, a faint smile appearing on her lips. She raised the bamboo tube, taking a light sip, then offered it to Lei Shuang. Lei Shuang was mesmerized by Jiang Ying's sudden soft smile and stood momentarily stunned. Taking the bamboo tube instinctively, Lei Shuang averted her gaze, lowering her head to drink. Then she noticed a faintly visible lip print on the rim of the tube. "!" Lei Shuang was flustered, her gaze fixed on that lip mark, unable to look away. "What are you looking at?" Jiang Ying's voice reached her ears. "Why aren't you drinking? Not thirsty?" Though the words were spoken in Jiang Ying's usual tone, to Lei Shuang, they sounded much softer, making her ears go warm. "I'll drink it," Lei Shuang responded, inexplicably flustered. Under her breath, she shifted the bamboo tube to the side, covering the mouth with her hand, afraid that Jiang Ying might see through her muddled thoughts.