Chapter 2284: Unexpected Coincidence

Xie Daoyun felt a flood of vague information in her mind. She tried to explore it, but it was as if an impenetrable layer of year-round mist on a mountaintop separated her consciousness from the information, making its contents completely indiscernible.

All she felt was a sharp pain in her head, then her body swayed, and she became unsteady on her feet.

"Are you really alright?" Jiang Luofu quickly supported her. Noticing Xie Daoyun's cold hands, she couldn't help but worry greatly.

Ji Xiaoxi, who was also nearby, quickly checked her pulse before taking out a small white pill and giving it to her. "Sister Xie, this medicine calms the mind and consolidates vital energy. Your spirit has been excessively depleted, so this will help replenish it."

"Thank you, Xiaoxi." Xie Daoyun swallowed the pill, feeling a cool sensation dissolve in her throat before flowing into her brain. Instantly, her heavy head felt much clearer.

She couldn't help but marvel that Ji Xiaoxi had indeed inherited her father's true medical prowess; her skills were truly superb.

"Don't ever use that move you just performed lightly again," Jiang Luofu reminded her with a frown. "Although its power is immense, it's still too strenuous for your current cultivation level."

"Thank you, Martial Aunt." Feeling the other's concern, Xie Daoyun's heart warmed. However, what had just happened was too bizarre, and she didn't know how to explain it.

Jiang Luofu smiled. "From now on, just call me sister. Calling me 'Martial Aunt' makes me sound old for no reason."

"But..." Xie Daoyun was a bit hesitant. Jiang Luofu was her master's fellow disciple, and if people from the academy heard her calling her "sister," they might criticize her for lacking proper etiquette.

Jiang Luofu saw her concerns. "From now on, we'll address each other differently. Call me Martial Aunt at the academy, but in private, just call me sister."

"Alright!" A slight blush appeared on Xie Daoyun's face. She had always had a good impression of Jiang Luofu, who had taken good care of her when she was the head of Mingyue Academy, and even more so later at the National Academy. Xie Daoyun had always admired women like Jiang Luofu, who lived so freely and unconstrained.

"Then call me 'sister,' let me hear it," Jiang Luofu said, a hint of a smile appearing on her face.

"Sister," Xie Daoyun said, still a bit shy.

"Oh, what a good girl," Jiang Luofu said, pinching Xie Daoyun's cheek.

Ji Xiaoxi, standing nearby, was almost in tears. "Ah, so from now on, I'll have to call her 'Auntie' too?"

She and Xie Daoyun had originally been peers, but now that Xie Daoyun was her aunt's sister, wouldn't she automatically be a generation lower?

A hint of a smile appeared on Jiang Luofu's usually aloof and beautiful face. "You two can also address each other however you like; don't worry about it."

Xie Daoyun also took Ji Xiaoxi's hand and called her "sister" repeatedly, which made Ji Xiaoxi burst out laughing through her tears.

Meanwhile, Zu'an, having received new intelligence, decided to immediately make a trip to the Yun family.

At that moment, Clan Head Sauron hurried over. He first solemnly thanked Zu'an, then took out the White Tiger Stone and handed it to him. "Since that true demon envoy desires this item so much, it's likely that gathering all four Elemental Stones will have some magical effect. Regent, please take this with you; you might find it useful."

The Yun clan head's eyes widened in utter shock. A torrent of thoughts raced through his mind. To think that he had tried every tactic, both gentle and forceful, to acquire this White Tiger Stone, yet the other party wouldn't yield it. It had ultimately led to uniting with the other two clans and resorting to armed conflict, resulting in so many deaths. Yet now, he was simply handing it over to Zu'an without a second thought!

Zu'an didn't refuse. He was also eager to discover the secrets of the four Elemental Stones.

Upon taking it, he saw that the stone was about the size of a jade bi disk. It bore the image of a white tiger, not carved or drawn, but rather a pattern that seemed to have formed naturally within the stone.

He couldn't discern what known material this Elemental Stone was made of. It was cold to the touch and exuded a chilling, fierce aura, presumably emanating from the white tiger image on its surface.

"This item is indeed miraculous..." Zu'an secretly marveled.

Just then, Clan Head Sauron's voice rang out again. "Oh, and the true demon envoy is also asking the four clans to provide holy maidens. It's likely that these holy maidens also have a specific purpose. Shi'er is the cherished holy maiden of the Sauron clan; let her accompany the Regent to the Yun family this time and follow the Regent's commands at all times."

The clan heads of the other three families immediately cast sideways glances at him. At first, they had thought Sauron Xing was a stubborn and reckless fellow, but now they saw he was truly cunning.

This wasn't helping the Regent at all; it was clearly sending his daughter to him, creating an opportunity for her. With Sauron Shi's beauty and intelligence, and spending time together day and night, it likely wouldn't be too difficult for her to win the Regent's favor.

Sauron Shi, always intelligent, instantly understood her father's intention. Her pretty face immediately flushed crimson. While she was certainly willing to serve by the Regent's side, in front of so many people, a maiden's modesty made her too shy to agree immediately.

Fortunately, Zu'an nodded at that moment. "Very well, let her accompany me to the Yun family. I want to see what that true demon envoy is truly up to."

Hearing his words, Sauron Shi breathed a sigh of relief. "I am willing to serve the Regent with utmost dedication!"

At this point, the other clans naturally had nothing more to say, and the matter was thus settled.

Sauron Xing remained behind to clean up the aftermath, while Zu'an boarded the flying boat with the clan heads of the other three families, and together they headed towards the Yun family.

After boarding the flying boat, Clan Heads Rong and Wu marveled endlessly, secretly thinking how strong humanity was for constantly inventing such extraordinary things.

Zu'an then interrogated the Yun clan head. Since matters had come to this, the clan head resigned himself to fate, answering every question and only wishing to save his life.

"Oh right, what's the deal with your Yun family's holy maiden?" Zu'an suddenly remembered, spurred by the discussion about Sauron Shi.

Yun Yuqing was also curious as to where the Yun family had suddenly found such a perfect candidate for a holy maiden.

The Yun clan head replied, "She is indeed of the Yun family bloodline. In fact, she has some connection to Yuqing."

"Connected to me?" Yun Yuqing's first thought was Yun Jianyue, but she immediately dismissed that guess. Yun Jianyue had been in the capital just days ago, having a heart-to-heart talk with her, so the timing didn't match.

"She is your aunt's daughter," the Yun clan head sighed, his tone filled with a hint of lament.

"Aunt!" Yun Yuqing's expression drastically changed.

"That's right. Both your aunt and your father had similar temperaments," the Yun clan head said with a hint of resentment. "Back then, they were both reckless and self-willed. Your father pursued romantic interests everywhere, and your aunt was similarly obsessed with chasing after love. As a result, your aunt ran off to the human world and actually fell in love with a human, even having a child with him. Unfortunately, she met the wrong person, and her fate ended tragically."

A trace of mockery appeared on the Yun clan head's face. "If she had married the arranged partner according to the family's wishes back then, she would probably be a powerful figure in the upper echelons of the entire demon race today. But instead, for the sake of illusory love, she couldn't even save her own life. It's simply ridiculous!"

While Yun Yuqing was still sighing over her aunt's tragic fate, Zu'an had an extremely strange expression. "Your Yun family's holy maiden wouldn't happen to be named Pei, would she?"

"How did you know?" the Yun clan head asked, a bit surprised. "Her real name is Pei Mianman, but we changed her public name to Yun, as holy maidens are assumed to be of the respective clan's bloodline."