Chapter 1099: Scheming and Intrigue

"Second-in-command, I found something delicious again! Want a taste?" Yun Mengmeng held a bamboo basket covered with a cloth, concealing its contents.

"Senior Brother Lu Yang, you've had more contact with Sister Immortal. When she was revived, did she mention me more, or Lianyi more?" Ao Ling stood to Lu Yang's left, her tone gentle and confident.

"Sister Immortal and I have such a good relationship, she must have mentioned me more often!" Jiang Lianyi stood to Lu Yang's right, glaring at Ao Ling.

"Young Sect Master, do you think there's any room for improvement with the Projection Orb?" Jin Caiwei held up a Projection Orb with both hands, shaking it vigorously in front of Lu Yang.

The four women surrounded Lu Yang, each with a request, making him too busy to handle them all.

Meng Jingzhou raised his hand, intending to cast the "Bachelor's Curse Fist," but then froze, unsure who he could hit. He couldn't defeat any of them.

He swallowed an Emotion-Suppressing Pill, instantly calming his mind. Then he saw Lu Yang surrounded by the four women again, and his eyes turned red once more. He took another pill, looked, and felt envious again.

Meng Jingzhou took two deep breaths, decided not to look at the infuriating scene, and resolutely turned to the Task Hall.

Lu Yang noticed Meng Jingzhou's unusual behavior and shouted, "Hey, Old Meng, why are you leaving? You haven't finished telling me about your experiences in the Buddhist Kingdom!"

"Not telling! Your experiences are clearly more exciting!"

Lu Yang was puzzled. Why was Old Meng suddenly in a bad mood? Had he gone too far with his immortal body guidance? That shouldn't be it; he had only kicked him once. Old Meng wasn't that fragile, was he?

"Second-in-command, try this, try this."

"...Sister Mengmeng, I'll eat it, I'll eat it. Please don't poke my face with the food."

Lu Yang, overwhelmed, took a bite. Although he didn't know what it was, it tasted truly delicious.

Upon hearing Lu Yang say her pastry was good, Yun Mengmeng became even more excited. "Have another piece; this one tastes different."

Lu Yang was surrounded by the four women all the way from the entrance of Wendao Sect back to Tianmen Peak.

To Lu Yang's left and right were the Dragon and Phoenix Ancestors. He had no idea what had happened during his absence, but their conflict seemed to have intensified. Both ancestors looked at Lu Yang expectantly, hoping to hear the answer they desired from him.

Lu Yang showed a troubled expression. "Senior Ao Ling, Senior Lianyi, this question is difficult to answer."

"Her Majesty mentions you both every day, so many times I can't even count. How can I possibly say who she mentions more?"

Hearing Lu Yang's words, the two women looked at each other defiantly, the tense atmosphere largely dissipated, though they secretly smiled with delight.

Lu Yang felt ashamed for not giving a specific answer to the two women's question and quickly tried to mend the situation. "If you two wish to know the answer, it's simple. Senior Qinghe is now the historian; you can ask her to keep count from now on."

Qinghe, who was in her spiritual space feeding Immortal Fairy, stiffened. How did this question get dumped on her? She tucked a small blanket over Immortal Fairy and softly said, "My Lady, I'll be away for a moment."

Immortal Fairy lay on the bed, still appearing frail, and softly hummed, thinking how lively and wonderful it was outside.

Qinghe flew out of the spiritual space and glared at Lu Yang, suspecting he did it on purpose.

"Sister Qinghe, we'll be counting on you from now on."

"It is Qinghe's duty to attend to the matters entrusted by you two sisters. Every word and action of Her Majesty holds profound meaning."

"However, the question you two sisters ask may not have an answer."

"What do you mean?"

Qinghe faced Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi, showing an equally difficult expression. "As the historian these past few days, caring for Her Majesty's daily life, I've noticed a difference from ancient times. Previously, Her Majesty mentioned you two most often, but now she mentions Lu Yang most often."

Lu Yang subtly took over Qinghe's words. "Senior Qinghe is right. I often hear Her Majesty tell me that our Great Soybean Dynasty is full of talents. If we can discard internal strife, cooperate with each other, and combine our strength, what difficulties in this world can we not overcome?"

Lu Yang glared at Qinghe. Listen to that! What did she mean, "caring for the Immortal Fairy as a historian"? Is that what a historian should be doing?

Qinghe also glared at Lu Yang. What kind of enchanting potion did you give Her Majesty? She talks about you constantly!

Lu Yang felt he wouldn't win an argument with Qinghe anytime soon, so he quickly changed the subject, thinking of new ways for the Qiongqi clan to prosper.

"Senior Caiwei, the Projection Orb indeed has room for improvement. I originally intended to discuss it with you, but I've been delayed by other matters recently. Senior, please follow me."

Jin Caiwei's eyes lit up; she knew the Young Sect Master had a solution. She quickly followed him.

Tao Yaoyao was lying on the peach tree outside her cave dwelling, holding a peach branch, deep in thought. She sensed Lu Yang's arrival, immediately jumped down, straightened her clothes, and waved towards Lu Yang.

"Senior Brother Lu Yang, I heard you're back from Demon City..."

Then she saw a group of beautiful women behind Lu Yang and instantly froze, her hand raised for a long moment before remembering to lower it.

"Sister Taozi, I'm here." Yun Mengmeng, seeing Tao Yaoyao wave, also waved in greeting. She had lived at Wendao Sect for so long that she was very familiar with Tao Yaoyao.

Lu Yang cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, Junior Sister Tao, let me introduce you. These are Senior Ao Ling, Senior Jiang Lianyi, Senior Jin Caiwei, and Senior Qinghe."

As a member of the Heavenly Court Sect, Tao Yaoyao knew of Ao Ling and the others' existence, but this was her first formal meeting with them. Tao Yaoyao quickly returned the bow. "Tao Yaoyao greets the seniors!"

At the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief. Since they were all seniors, they probably wouldn't become love rivals, and her own advantages were still significant. Her biggest enemy now was Yun Mengmeng. This Yun Mengmeng was even harder to deal with than Lantong; she was meticulous, and Tao Yaoyao's attempts at subtle probing were skillfully dodged by her clever answers, leaving Yun Mengmeng's intentions unexplored!

"Senior Caiwei, this is the solution I mentioned."

Lu Yang smiled and continued, "You must have heard of my Junior Sister Tao; she's the founder of 'Dream Bubble.'"

Jin Caiwei had certainly heard of it. Tao Yaoyao created "Dream Bubble" when her cultivation was still shallow, so it must have accumulated to an astonishing degree by now.

"I was thinking that you could try combining the Projection Orb with 'Dream Bubble,' using the Projection Orb to play 'Dream Bubble' content. This would significantly boost the sales of the Projection Orb."

"However, you would need to regularly share the profits with my junior sister. What do you think?"

"No problem!" Although Jin Caiwei had no business acumen, she trusted Lu Yang's wisdom.

"Junior Sister Tao, what do you think?"

Tao Yaoyao saw the benefits of this. It would not only expand the channels for "Dream Bubble" but also help her establish a good relationship with Senior Jin Caiwei. Aside from Senior Brother Lu Yang's matchmaking, this was equivalent to building a lucrative partnership with an ancient half-immortal based on her own abilities—an opportunity many cultivators longed for.

Even though she hadn't seen Senior Brother Lu Yang for a while, he was indeed still thinking of her!