Chapter 1188: Wangting Envoy

As the two women, White and Green, kept their heads bowed, their faces remained obscured. Zu An sighed, noting that their figures were slender and attractive. However, he lamented that all the snake-people here had split mouths, making even the most appealing figures horrifying when combined with their faces.

At this moment, Yu Yanluo gently said, "There's no need for such formality, everyone, please rise quickly."

The many snake-people stood up, and the two women, White and Green, also raised their heads. Zu An was taken aback. Not only did they *not* have split mouths, but they both had small, cherry-like mouths and looked quite delicate and pretty. Though not as breathtakingly beautiful as Yu Yanluo, they were still charming and lovely, and their youthful, innocent aura made it difficult to feel any aversion towards them.

At this moment, the two women, White and Green, were also curiously sizing him up. They usually took pride in their own beauty, and though they had heard rumors from their kin that their Clan Leader was as beautiful as a celestial being, they hadn't quite believed it. Seeing her today, however, they found her even more stunning than the rumors suggested, which left them utterly convinced.

At the same time, they were very curious about the person standing beside the Clan Leader.

He was standing close to the Clan Leader, suggesting a very intimate relationship.

Furthermore, judging by his attire, he appeared to be human.

He was indeed remarkably handsome and valiant; none of the young men of the snake race could compare to him.

It was the girl in white who first regained her composure. "Little White greets the Clan Leader," she said. "We were sent by our respective grandfathers to welcome your return."

Yu Yanluo nodded faintly. "Thank you both, young ladies."

At this, Xingnu indignantly remarked, "Elder Bai and Elder Qing are truly busy individuals; it's quite difficult to get an audience with them."

Yu Yanluo shot her a glare. "Xingnu!"

Although she appeared to be reprimanding her, there was no actual blame in her tone.

One played the 'bad cop,' the other the 'good cop.'

The girl named Little White replied, "Clan Leader, our grandfathers originally intended to come in person, but unfortunately, an envoy from the Demon Royal Court arrived, and they had to stay in the clan to receive them. We hope you don't mind."

Zu An, standing by, was somewhat surprised. From the beginning, these people's demeanor had been very respectful, without any hint of arrogance. This did not seem characteristic of powerful officials, and it was quite different from Xingnu's initial description.

Yu Yanluo then asked with some curiosity, "An envoy from the Demon Royal Court? What is their purpose?"

The demon race was different from the Great Zhou Dynasty. While various races nominally revered the Demon Emperor as their lord, the Demon Royal Court's control over local regions was not that extensive. An envoy being sent like this was something rarely seen, perhaps once every few decades.

"We don't know the specifics, but we do know the envoy is quite arrogant," said the girl named Little Green, wrinkling her delicate nose, clearly displeased.

Yu Yanluo also frowned. With too little information, she couldn't make an accurate judgment. "Let's return to the clan first and discuss this further."

Little Green said with a smile, "Alright, we'll lead the way for the Clan Leader... Clan Leader, you're so beautiful... Clan Leader, why is your skin so good? How do you take care of it normally?"

The endless stream of questions along the way left Yu Yanluo speechless and amused. However, she was also influenced by Little Green's vivacity, finding it difficult to dislike her.

Zu An was musing that this girl was incredibly socially outgoing, while the girl beside her, Little White, seemed more like a quiet, beautiful maiden, which he found more comforting.

To his surprise, Little White suddenly tilted her head and looked at him curiously. "Are you human?"

"Yes," Zu An replied with a smile.

"It's rare to see humans here in the snake tribe. I've seen some human slaves at auctions in other major cities with my grandfather before, but none of them were as good-looking as you," Little White remarked.

Zu An felt a sweatdrop moment. "Alright, I'll take that as a compliment."

Little White then secretly glanced at Yu Yanluo, leaned closer to Zu An, and whispered, "What's your relationship with the Clan Leader? You two seem very close."

Zu An recalled that Yu Yanluo didn't mind their relationship being known, and thought it would be good to let the news spread through Little White to avoid unnecessary trouble later. "I am her man."

Little White looked enlightened. "Oh, so you're the Clan Leader's male concubine."

Zu An: "???"

Was "man" synonymous with "male concubine" in the snake tribe's language?

After confirming Zu An's relationship with Yu Yanluo, Little White lost all interest in him and quickly joined her sister, Little Green, in conversation with Yu Yanluo.

Yu Yanluo had originally felt some displeasure towards Elders Bai and Qing, but she found it difficult to dislike these two charming young maidens.

Zu An was content to be left alone and observed the surrounding environment throughout the journey.

The convoy had now left the restricted mountain area of the snake tribe, and along the way, there appeared to be villages.

The houses along the road were vastly different from human dwellings; they seemed more like earthen caves.

Every household cultivated many flowers, plants, and trees, which Zu An assumed was due to the snake-people's nature; these shelters provided them with an extra sense of security.

Upon hearing of the Clan Leader's return, countless snake-tribe villagers rushed out to greet her, eager to catch a glimpse of her beautiful face.

Zu An noticed that many of these snake-people resembled lizard-folk, with bulging muscles, looking strong and powerful, and there were quite a lot of them.

From the looks of it, these were likely lower-ranking members of the snake race, engaged in roles such as warriors and heavy labor.

There were also some with split mouths, both male and female; although they had shed their half-snake, half-human forms, their faces still retained some serpentine characteristics.

As for the clan members Yu Yanluo brought from Cloudtop Commandery, they were likely higher-ranking members of the snake tribe, as they were indistinguishable from normal humans except for their vertical pupils.

Even higher-ranking were individuals like Little White, Little Green, and Xingnu, who could even conceal their vertical pupils, showing no outward trace of their serpentine nature.

The entire journey was filled with the cheers of the snake-people; clearly, their ruler's return was a morale-boosting event. Yu Yanluo remained outside, waving to her subjects along the way.

Concerned for her safety, Zu An dared not leave her side, staying close by.

The convoy continued to move, and the surrounding buildings gradually became denser, indicating a transition from villages to a town.

Looking towards the distant valley, buildings stood clustered together, surrounded by a city wall manned by various guards.

Xingnu explained, "Young Master, that is the royal city of the snake tribe."

Zu An nodded. The scale and grandeur of this city, let alone compared to major cities like the capital, Cloudtop City, or Bright Moon City, couldn't even match some smaller county towns.

However, the city, built within the valley, was exceedingly rugged and treacherous.

After entering the city, they found it remarkably bustling, with vibrant markets and hawkers. It was clear that despite their scarce resources, the people were in good spirits.

Soon, they passed a colossal statue in the city center. Yu Yanluo raised a hand to halt the convoy, then walked up to the statue, her expression incredibly complex. She murmured, "Mother, I've returned..."

Zu An had seen this Medusa statue before in Cloudtop Commandery, through Xiao Yao's audio-visual mirror. Now, experiencing it firsthand, he couldn't help but marvel at the visual impact, which no audio-visual stone could replicate.

The face indeed bore a striking resemblance to Yu Yanluo's, but the statue's expression was more imposing. Coupled with the surrounding guards and the daily reverence of the populace, the statue seemed to possess an added aura of divinity.

Zu An also bowed to the statue. "Mother-in-law, I will definitely protect Yanluo well and ensure she doesn't repeat your fate."

After paying their respects to the Medusa statue, the group proceeded towards the snake tribe's council hall.

Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue also alighted from the carriage. They wished to take this opportunity to meet the powerful elders of the snake tribe and the envoy from the Demon Royal Court, hoping to learn more about the demon race.

However, seeing Yan Xuehen instinctively clutch her backside as she disembarked, Zu An wanted to laugh but dared not, and quickly went to help her.

Yan Xuehen seemed to have found a savior and quickly hid behind him, afraid of being caught by Yun Jianyue again.

Little White, standing nearby, widened her eyes. She had thought the Clan Leader's beauty was unparalleled, so why were there two other individuals of comparable charm?

More importantly, both women appeared to be very intimate with Zu An.

Could a male concubine be so brazen nowadays? How could he openly flirt with other women right in front of the Clan Leader?

Just then, an impatient voice came from inside: "I don't care, you *must* choose a new Clan Leader today, or else pick one between the two of you!"