Chapter 2252: Sisters United in Heart

Yun Yuqing never expected her to ask such a question. She looked at her with some suspicion, "Oh, why are you concerned about this? It's not like you."

Yun Jianyue's heart skipped a beat. She immediately retorted, "Hmph, Ah Zu is my disciple's man. Now my own sister wants to steal him from my disciple. How can I not be concerned?"

"Hong Lei?" Yun Yuqing's expression was a little awkward. "Isn't she the Saintess of your sect? As far as I know, a Saintess must remain chaste and never marry for life. How could she be with Zu An?"

"The main reason for that rule is to cultivate the 'Heavenly Demon Enchanting Sound' technique. If one loses their chastity prematurely, they will be unable to achieve full mastery for life. But Hong Lei is a prodigy; she recently mastered the 'Heavenly Demon Enchanting Sound,' so naturally, those concerns no longer apply." Yun Jianyue snorted. "Besides, I am the Sect Master. Whether she can marry or not is up to my word."

Yun Yuqing looked at her in surprise. "I never thought you'd be so open-minded. I always assumed that a fearsome Devil Sect Master like you would immediately go and eliminate any man your disciple fell for." She knew that Zu An's cultivation had only rapidly improved in the last two years and that he likely wouldn't have been her sister's match before.

Yun Jianyue had a dark look on her face. "Do you really think of me as such a wicked woman?"

Yun Yuqing smiled subtly. "You can go around the jianghu and ask what others think of you."

Yun Jianyue was speechless.

She suddenly grew worried. Was her reputation too bad? Was her persona too fierce? Would Ah Zu dislike her?

"Wait, you still haven't answered my question. Why have I been doing all the talking?" Yun Jianyue realized, almost getting sidetracked by the woman.

Looking at her sister, who had curved brows, a small mouth, eyes like autumn water, and the overall image of a docile girl, Yun Jianyue secretly sneered. 'Just as I thought, a white lotus on the outside, but a scheming woman on the inside.'

"Ah Zu and I..." Yun Yuqing's face flushed slightly. "There's really not much to say." Their initial encounter hadn't been particularly glorious.

Seeing her sister so bashful, Yun Jianyue became even more curious. "Hurry up and tell me. You just said we should be like-minded sisters, so why are you hiding things from the start?"

Yun Yuqing glanced at the rising moon outside the window, her face slightly red. "It's getting late, and I'm a bit tired after a busy day. Why don't we rest for now and talk tomorrow?"

Yun Jianyue, of course, wouldn't be fooled by her little trick. "It's fine. Since we want to be closer sisters, let's sleep together tonight and chat through the night."

Yun Yuqing was speechless.

She really couldn't understand why her sister was so curious. He was her disciple's man, not her own... However, thinking about her break with the King of Wu and the betrayal by old acquaintances among the Demon race, she truly had no one to rely on now. That Bi Linglong and Liu Ning were both formidable figures, and she heard Ah Zu also had a legitimate wife. Fighting against so many "femme fatales" by herself felt lonely. If her sister could be her backup, and if she could use her connections to team up with Hong Lei, then she wouldn't fear those love rivals.

With that thought, she no longer resisted and, somewhat shyly, briefly recounted what happened when Zu An passed by the King of Wu's residence.

Yun Jianyue's expression was particularly vivid. "You and the King of Wu were actually a fake couple?"

"Of course. Given our status, how could we casually commit to a human? We just needed the identity of the Consort to create a cover. Besides, that King of Wu was a pervert." Yun Yuqing's tone held a touch of pride, the arrogance of demon royalty.

Yun Jianyue sneered, "That sounds nice, but isn't Zu An human?"

Yun Yuqing's pretty face flushed. "That was just an accident. Later... later, I found myself tossing and turning every night, unable to sleep. I often thought of him in the dead of night, and that's when I realized I had fallen in love with him." She knew that the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' was a legendary secret text that could lead to immortality. Having the chance to obtain it, she naturally would spare no effort, but she hadn't expected their pretense to become reality, and that fellow was simply too formidable.

Yun Jianyue sounded a little jealous. "Does that guy have such great magic? If I recall correctly, he was just an imperial fugitive at the time, and his cultivation was mediocre."

Yun Yuqing seemed to be recalling something, her beautiful eyes shimmering with moisture. "Ah Zu is a very special man. Once a woman has been with him, she can never leave him."

Her words stirred something within Yun Jianyue. She didn't know what she was thinking, but her pretty face also felt a little hot. "Indeed..."

Yun Yuqing was confused.

Seeing her sister's suspicious gaze, Yun Jianyue quickly said with a serious expression, "Looking at how many women are around him, you know he must have extraordinary qualities." Yun Yuqing finally felt relieved. However, no matter how wild her imagination, she would never have guessed that her usually mighty and domineering sister also had that kind of relationship with him.

"Right, do you know which other women are around him? We've spent so little time together that I've only just realized I don't know him that well." Her delicate brows were furrowed with worry. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Yet, she didn't even know who her rivals were. For her, it was a love etched in her bones, but strictly speaking, they had only met three or four times. At this thought, she felt a sudden unease.

"He has many women around him," Yun Jianyue's voice suddenly turned cold.

Yun Yuqing cautiously glanced at her sister. Did she seem angry? 'Well, that makes sense. Her disciple's man is being flirtatious, so as his master, she certainly should be angry.'

"You already know about Hong Lei. Then there's the closed-door disciple of the Ice Stone Maiden from White Jade Capital. That Ice Stone Maiden is truly my lifelong archenemy. It's bad enough she's been against me for so many years, but now she even has a disciple who wants to steal... my disciple's man." Yun Jianyue felt her teeth itch. If Yan Xuehen were there, she would probably challenge her to a duel on the spot.

"Are you talking about Miss Chu from the Chu family? As far as I know, she's Ah Zu's legitimate wife, isn't she?" Yun Yuqing whispered. Her sister's ability to twist facts was truly impressive; it was clearly her disciple trying to steal another disciple's man.

"Bah!" Yun Jianyue roared in anger. "What legitimate wife? They divorced long ago! Those snobs from the Chu family, when Ah Zu faced trouble, they didn't hesitate to cut ties with him, fearing they'd be dragged down. Unlike Hong Lei, whose feelings are deep and sincere; she escorted and secretly protected him all the way when he was being escorted to the capital. That's true love worthy of being tested."

"Actually, you can't blame the Chu family. Any family would have made the same choice. Besides, I think the Chu family and the Qin family treated him quite well." Yun Yuqing had done her research, and Chu Chuyan, Ah Zu's only married wife, was naturally a key subject of her study.

"Heh," Yun Jianyue sneered repeatedly. "It's only because they saw Ah Zu getting more powerful later. Even though they're divorced, she still insists on acting like the legitimate wife, just as hypocritical and shameless as her master."

Yun Yuqing secretly pursed her lips and smiled, thinking that her sister's animosity was purely a personal grudge with that Abbot Yan. However, her latter point wasn't entirely unreasonable: if they were already divorced, why would she still claim to be the legitimate wife?

"Besides that girl from the Chu family, there's also someone from the Pei family, who has a pair of vulgar breasts," Yun Jianyue continued.

Yun Yuqing's gaze fell on her own ample chest, her expression quite surprised. "It can't be bigger than yours, can it?"

Yun Jianyue's pretty face flushed. "I don't know what that woman ate growing up; it's truly astonishing." Thinking of Pei Mianman's appearance, she couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Yun Yuqing sat up straight, her expression turning serious. From that description, she truly was a formidable rival.

"And then there's that woman from the Yu family, whom you must have heard of, known as the most beautiful woman in the world back then." The more Yun Jianyue spoke, the more frustrated she became; why were they all such strong rivals?

Yun Yuqing smiled, pursing her lips. "That title was just something some idle youths in the capital called out back then. The former emperor was still a prince at the time, and with him involved, the reputation boost was significant. In my opinion, Sister, your beauty is no less than Lady Yu's."

Yun Jianyue rolled her eyes. "Alright, stop flattering me. She's like a Medusa queen; her beauty has been devastating throughout generations, causing ruin for nations and people. Her allure to men is no joke." She had met Yu Yanluo, and the other woman's beauty made her, a woman herself, want to get closer.

"We're also demonesses," Yun Yuqing retorted, feeling a little indignant.

"Demonesses, huh..." Yun Jianyue sighed, not knowing what she was thinking about.

Meanwhile, Zu An had originally planned to talk to Bi Linglong or Liu Ning, but he found both women busy with their respective state affairs, with no time to spare. Helpless, he could only return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for now.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was not unfamiliar to him; he had often frequented it during the times of Zhao Hao and later Zhao Ruizhi. He never expected it would be his turn to reside there now. All the furnishings and utensils had been replaced with new ones, and even the arrangement style was completely different from before. Even the eunuchs and palace maids were new. Zu An thought, 'Linglong is truly meticulous.'

Just as he was looking around inside, a palace attendant suddenly came to report that a woman was requesting an audience, claiming to have important matters to report.