Chapter 2383: The Devil's Whisper

Zu An thought for a moment and said to Pei Mianman, "That Yu Men Beiqing seems to have some connection to me. If we find her and reveal my identity, I believe we could gain another ally."

Pei Mianman was startled. "You have a lover in this era?"

At her words, the other women all glanced sideways.

Zu An wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "What are you thinking? I only saw an image she left behind in the Sealed Land years ago. She seemed to recognize me. Since she could find a way to suppress the Lord of Slaughter, she's clearly a friend, not an enemy."

"Recognize you?" Pei Mianman was somewhat suspicious, but she seemed to recall him mentioning this before, so she didn't press the matter. "Don't worry, I'll find a way to contact her. That way, you can talk to her as soon as you return from the Sea Clan."

Zu An then cautioned Jiang Luofu and the others, "You don't need to push yourselves too hard on this trip. The Glazed Hairpin Flower is likely an extremely rare item, so it's fine if you can't find it right away. The most important thing is to protect yourselves and avoid getting entangled with demons..."

Jiang Luofu couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, we're not children."

But seeing him fussing over them and feeling his deep concern warmed her heart.

However, noticing the somewhat puzzled looks from Pei Mianman and Yun Yuqing, she immediately reverted to her usual cool elegance. "Alright, we'll be going now."

"Wait!" Zu An thought for a moment, then pulled out a large pile of talismans and defensive artifacts he and Xie Daoyun had made from his robes and handed them to each woman. "Keep these for self-defense."

As the current Lord of the World, and the de facto ruler of the human, demon, and sea races, he had also plundered the demon underground city's treasury earlier, so he naturally had no shortage of magical artifacts.

Jiang Luofu and the others didn't refuse this time; having these items with them increased their sense of security.

As Pei Mianman was leaving, she embraced Zu An; the comforting pressure of her ample figure unexpectedly brought him a sense of peace.

Neither of them said much; their relationship meant they already understood each other perfectly, without needing complex words.

After seeing them off, Zu An found a secluded mountain cave nearby and quickly set it up as a dwelling, which he would use to imprison Salome and the other demons.

Zu An handed the formation disk to Sorencia, and while teaching her how to control the formation, he said, "I've set up a powerful concealing formation around this cave dwelling. I believe even the Lord of Slaughter himself wouldn't detect anything unusual. It will be hard on you to guard this place for a while."

Sorencia said softly, "Big Brother Zu and all the sisters are going on countless dangerous missions. Guarding this place is no hardship for me. Don't worry, Big Brother Zu, I'll keep them safe until you return!"

Zu An chuckled, "Don't underestimate your task. These demons are very important; they might play a crucial role in the future. Moreover, they are very cunning, so you must not be careless."

Sorencia pursed her lips and smiled. "Big Brother Zu, you've already placed restrictions on them and there's a specialized sealing formation. Their cultivation can't be used at all now, so guarding them alone isn't difficult for me."

"That's good then." Zu An also gave her a pile of magical artifacts for self-defense.

Just as he was about to leave, Sorencia suddenly called out to him, her face showing hesitation. "Big Brother Zu, may I hug you?"

After speaking, her small face flushed, and her heart filled with regret. The request was too abrupt.

She had just seen Sister Pei hug him so naturally, and in a moment of impulse, she blurted it out.

Oh, this is so embarrassing. Big Brother Zu must be wondering what to think of me...

Just as she was utterly mortified, Zu An smiled and generously opened his arms, embracing her.

Feeling her delicate body tremble slightly, he said, "Wait for me to come back."

They had been through several worlds together, and now they were trapped in this fragment of an ancient world, with no certainty of returning. They were no longer just friends, but comrades who depended on each other for survival.

Sensing the fear and confusion in her words, he naturally felt a responsibility to help alleviate these negative emotions.

Feeling his warm embrace, the anxiety she felt from being alone in this strange world for so long instantly calmed. She hummed, "Okay!"

After Zu An left, Sorencia remained standing at the cave entrance, reluctantly gazing in the direction where his back had disappeared.

In truth, after their time together in the demon world, she had observed how naturally Pei Mianman and Yun Yuqing interacted with Zu An. Even Jiang Luofu and Ji Xiaoxi shared an indescribable bond with him.

She felt like an outsider from beginning to end...

She knew that ever since childhood, whether it was her beauty, her cultivation talent, or her noble status, she had always been the center of attention wherever she went, the star around whom others revolved.

Yet, by Big Brother Zu's side, she found herself overshadowed.

The women around him were all exceptionally outstanding, top-tier in both beauty and ability.

Compared to them, she seemed quite ordinary.

She couldn't help but feel somewhat disheartened. Big Brother Zu was so brilliant, and the women by his side were so exceptional; what could she possibly use to compete?

Originally, when she returned to the Demon Clan, she had already admonished herself to face reality.

She was an extremely intelligent woman, keenly aware of the need to sever emotional ties with a sharp mind early on, lest she end up deeply wounded.

It would be perfectly fine to just remain friends with Big Brother Zu; otherwise, pressing for more might even cost her their friendship and make things incredibly awkward.

She had originally resolved to return to the Demon Clan, but then she learned that Ji Xiaoxi's congenital cursed toxic body required a cure from this sealed world.

Yet, she inexplicably found herself coming along too.

"Hmm, I'm doing all this to save Xiaoxi..."

She kept telling herself.

But Big Brother Zu's embrace just now was so warm...

Just then, a cold sneer came from behind her. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, still playing the role of the 'waiting wife stone,' are we? Too bad that 'Zu' fellow can't see any of this."

Sorencia snapped back to reality and glared coldly at Salome in the cave. "Shut up if you don't want trouble!"

Although Salome and the others' cultivation was sealed and they couldn't leave the formation, they had no problem speaking or communicating.

"That 'Zu' doesn't like you. You're just pining away for him here," Salome sneered.

"I know, you don't need to tell me," Sorencia replied calmly. She had originally not wanted to engage with Salome, but considering she didn't know how long she'd be waiting there, having someone to talk to might not be bad for relieving boredom.

"Oh, so you're actually quite the sentimental one," Salome drawled, her tone particularly mocking. "But don't you feel like a maidservant compared to those other women these days?"

Sorencia's pupils contracted. She glared coldly at Salome. "You truly are a malicious woman. Even in this predicament, you still try to sow discord."

No sooner had she spoken than she waved her hand, directly closing the cave door of Salome's cell. Faintly, Salome's frantic laughter could still be heard from within.

Meanwhile, Zu An flew in the direction of the Sea Clan, as he remembered it. At this moment, his expression was solemn. He took out the Box of Creation, which had long since lost its glow.

He hadn't told the women about this earlier, fearing they would worry.

The Box of Creation had turned into an ordinary jade stone. It was clearly impossible for them to return to their original era using it.