Chapter 1516: I Came at the Wrong Time

Yan Xuehen stepped out but then hesitated, thinking that if Zu An and Yu Yanluo were together, her showing up late at night might lead to misunderstandings.

She took a few steps back, but her mind was too unsettled for her to meditate. Finally, she gritted her teeth and continued walking out.

"It would be awkward to directly confront Zu An," she mused. "But I can surely go chat with Yu Yanluo." Feeling pleased with her cleverness, she found a group of palace maids and asked where Yu Yanluo was.

The palace maids recognized her; as a Grandmaster who had fought for the Little Demon Empress in the skies, and being so ethereal and beautiful, it was difficult not to notice her. They respectfully replied, "Queen Medusa has already left the palace to attend to some matters concerning the Snake Tribe."

"Left the palace?" Yan Xuehen was momentarily stunned, but she quickly understood. The Little Demon Empress must have promised the Snake Tribe some very favorable terms. She probably needed to return to the Snake Tribe's stronghold swiftly to consult with her people and arrange for representatives to be sent to the royal court to formalize things. After all, with the Snake Tribe's impending rise in status, the current personnel in the royal court would certainly be insufficient.

"And Zu An?" she asked, feigning indifference. She then gave a self-mocking smile, realizing there was no need for such pretense with the palace maids.

"The Regent is stationed near Her Majesty's and the Little Prince's bedchambers," they replied, "to prevent any miscreants from causing trouble in the palace." At the mention of Zu An, the palace maids' faces lit up with excitement. Clearly, tales of his powerful deeds had already spread throughout the palace; this world revered strength, especially when it belonged to such a handsome individual.

Seeing the young palace maids with stars in their eyes, Yan Xuehen thought, "Zu An truly attracts women. My... disciple will likely face innumerable troubles in the future."

"Regent..." she mused. "This woman truly spares no expense." As the Mistress of White Jade Capital, she naturally understood the immense power wielded by regents in the history of the demon race. The thought of Zu An being stationed so close to the bedchambers made her frown. "Do demon women not care about impropriety?" she wondered.

Although somewhat displeased, she didn't dwell on it. Too much had transpired that night, and dawn was approaching. The Little Prince would be enthroned after sunrise, and everyone in the palace was incredibly busy, bearing heavy responsibilities. How could anything else possibly be happening?

She thanked the group of palace maids, then, with a light step, she floated gracefully away. The young palace maids' mouths hung wide open in envy. "If only I were as powerful as Miss Yan," one sighed, "no, even a tenth of her power would be enough!"

"Hmph, your demands are quite high, you little minx," another retorted. "I'm different; if I could have just a tenth of her beauty, I'd be completely satisfied."

The other palace maids all stared at her. "Aren't *your* demands even higher?"

Yan Xuehen, of course, paid no mind to the palace maids' chatter behind her. She floated gracefully along and soon arrived outside the Little Demon Empress's bedchambers.

She always preferred peace and quiet and didn't want her search for Zu An in the middle of the night to become widely known. Thus, she didn't alert the guards patrolling the bedchambers' perimeter. Her figure, like a wisp of smoke, swiftly glided into the inner chambers.

Her divine sense slowly unfurled, quickly settling on a side hall. A hint of gentle amusement touched her usually icy eyes; it was Zu An's aura. She walked quickly towards it, but then suddenly slowed down, as she sensed the aura of another person.

It was the Little Demon Empress! The softness in her eyes instantly vanished. What were a man and a woman doing alone together in a room in the dead of night?

However, she quickly dismissed the thought. Zu An was now the Little Demon Empress's most trusted ally, and it was perfectly natural for her to come and discuss important state affairs with him. With this thought, her expression relaxed again. She stopped, stood to the side, and enjoyed the moonlight, deciding not to interrupt their serious discussion for the time being. She planned to wait until their conversation concluded before approaching Zu An herself. She preferred to avoid encountering the Little Demon Empress at all, to steer clear of potential complications. Her nature preferred solitude; she disliked such interpersonal dealings.

She stood there for an unknown duration until a cold gust of wind swept up a leaf and deposited it on her head. Plucking the leaf from her hair, Yan Xuehen was somewhat surprised. The demon territory was in the northern frontier, and it was winter, yet there were still green leaves here. She had to admit the demon royal family was truly extravagant, cultivating so many trees within the palace that were typically found only in the Jiangnan region.

"By the way," she wondered, "how have they been talking for so long without finishing?" Initially, out of politeness and pride, she hadn't used her divine sense to probe inside, but now she couldn't help but feel a pang of curiosity. In fact, if it were anyone else, Yan Xuehen, with her disposition cultivated by practicing the "Taishang Forgetting Emotions" method, would likely not have entertained such a thought. But because it concerned Zu An, her heart felt as if it were being scratched by a cat.

After a moment of hesitation, she murmured to herself, "I'll just take a look to see if anything unexpected is happening inside. Zu An defeated those Grandmasters earlier; perhaps he sustained internal injuries that are only now flaring up..." With this thought, she could no longer resist and swiftly extended her divine sense into the room. For a Grandmaster, divine sense is akin to sight; even through walls, they can perceive everything within its reach.

"Hmm, why is the Little Demon Empress on the ground? No, she seems to be kneeling."

"What's wrong with Ah Zu? His eyes are closed, and he seems to be in pain?"

Yan Xuehen was startled and instinctively took a few steps forward. Then, her expression suddenly became strange; Zu An's face seemed to show more pleasure than pain. What were these two doing? So close? From her vantage point, the Little Demon Empress had her back to Yan Xuehen, her figure obstructing a clear view. So, she extended her divine sense further in, deciding to get a different angle. What she saw, however, was utterly shocking; her beautiful eyes instantly widened, for the scene before her truly stunned her.

She saw the Little Demon Empress, hands cupping "the full moon," her head bowed...

"Can it be like this?"

"That woman isn't afraid of choking to death!"

Ultimately, Yan Xuehen's ethereal and aloof demeanor made everyone treat her like a celestial being, speaking to her with extreme care, acting like perfect gentlemen, fearing that any hint of impropriety would earn their disgust. Coupled with her upbringing, her experience in such matters was utterly naive, like a blank slate. Even though she had shared intimacy with Zu An, she understood little more than any innocent maiden in this regard. Had it been Yun Jianyue, who hailed from the Demonic Sect, she likely would have guessed what the two were doing simply from seeing their backs.

However, no matter how pure she was, upon witnessing this scene, she instantly understood. Her face darkened, and a visible layer of frost immediately formed around her, radiating outwards.

Rage value from Yan Xuehen: 999,999,999...

Zu An had sensed Yan Xuehen's divine presence entering the room, but in his blissful state, his reactions were a few moments slower than usual. It was only when he saw the off-the-charts rage value in the system that he was startled awake.

"Oh no, oh no!"

Yan Xuehen's eyes seemed filled with ice as she immediately turned and walked away. Zu An panicked and instinctively rose to chase her.

The Little Demon Empress had just felt a sudden chill and instinctively pulled her clothes tighter, wondering why it had become so cold. She certainly didn't expect Zu An to suddenly stand up. She covered her mouth, pain etched on her face, and moved to the side, leaning on a table as she began to cough violently.

Seeing this, Zu An felt a pang of apology. To simply walk away in such a situation would be truly deplorable, and it would easily create a rift between them, hindering any future cooperation. So he quickly patted her back gently, helping her regulate her breathing. Once she had somewhat recovered, he rushed out, but she was nowhere to be found; how could he possibly catch up to Yan Xuehen?

"What's wrong?" a sweet, soft voice asked from nearby. It was the Little Demon Empress, emerging with her clothes pulled up, her expression a picture of pitiful confusion. Clearly, the abrupt incident had left her bewildered, making her wonder if she had done something wrong.