Chapter 98: The Wealthy Queen Medusa
Once Queen Medusa had stabilized her Dou Qi, the group began flying toward the Snake-People's royal palace. Along the way, they encountered six Snake-People experts, each with the strength of a Dou Wang, who had come out searching for the queen.
"Your Majesty?!"
Upon seeing Queen Medusa safe and sound, all six revealed joyful expressions. But soon, their gazes turned to Yao Yan and the others—especially Caidie. Several of them immediately grew tense. Many had previously received orders to hunt down a Snake-Woman who had been impersonating the queen.
And this Snake-Woman in front of them clearly matched the description of that supposed traitor!
Yin Shi's expression also shifted dramatically. He hadn't expected the queen, who had left earlier, to suddenly return. Very few within the Snake-People knew the truth about there being two Medusa Queens this generation. As a former guardian of both, he naturally knew. He had assumed the matter was settled when Caidie left—but now she had returned.
This darkened his expression. He knew exactly what this meant. Mishandled, it could spark civil war. The tensions between the Four Elders and the queen were still unresolved—Caidie's return would only intensify the conflict.
Yue Mei's charming eyes flickered with curiosity. She had long been intrigued by the so-called traitor who looked identical to the queen, but had never seen her. Now that she was here—and clearly not acting like a traitor—Yue Mei couldn't help but form her own guesses about her relationship with the queen.
Mobas, meanwhile, stared at Queen Medusa with burning desire, but his eyes held open hostility toward Caidie and Yao Yan. He even stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, shall we apprehend this traitor?!"
He slammed his fist against his chest and glared fiercely at Caidie and Yao Yan.
Hua She'er, however, didn't even bother with this brute. She flew directly to Queen Medusa and bowed respectfully. She also gave a slight bow to Caidie. As the queen's personal guard, Hua She'er was no stranger to Caidie. In fact, her relationship with Caidie was even closer than with Queen Medusa.
Compared to the queen's cold and domineering nature, Caidie's gentleness made her far more approachable.
"It's been a while, Hua She'er~"
Caidie smiled and waved.
Hua She'er gave a stiff smile, unsure what to say. In the end, she obediently stood behind Queen Medusa. This matter could only be settled by the queen herself. As a bodyguard, she had to obey—no matter how fond she was of Caidie, rules were rules.
"They are my friends. Let's go."
Queen Medusa clearly had no intention of explaining. She issued a cold order and floated forward, radiating a queen's oppressive presence that tolerated no questions.
Mobas wisely shut up. For him, the queen's command was absolute.
Yin Shi wanted to speak, but under Queen Medusa's cold gaze, he closed his mouth and dared not say a word.
Yue Mei found all this even more intriguing. She couldn't recall the queen having any ties to Jia Ma Empire's Ice Emperor—yet here he was, strolling casually in Snake-People territory. Hadn't he trespassed just a short time ago? If not for his strength, he'd have been captured already. And now, suddenly, he was the queen's honored guest?
Then, the human youth she'd barely noticed earlier suddenly spoke: "Your Majesty, as payment for alchemy services, may I retrieve a map fragment from the Snake-People? It relates to our prior agreement. Hai Bodong recently discovered it in the Moxie Tribe."
Yue Mei's seductive eyes turned to Yao Yan. The moment she laid eyes on him, she couldn't help but think, What a beautiful boy. Of all the humans she had seen, this one was the most attractive. Her heart stirred a little, and she even licked her lips unconsciously.
Queen Medusa said flatly, "Fine. Mobas, hand over the map fragment from your territory."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Mobas glared at Yao Yan, but obeyed.
Yao Yan turned to Hai Bodong and smiled. "I'll trouble Elder Hai to handle this. We'll wait at the palace."
Hai Bodong nodded. He wasn't the least bit worried about Yao Yan's safety. With his background and alchemy skills, only fools would dare make a move against him. Then he took off with Mobas toward the Moxie Tribe.
Only after they left did Queen Medusa ask, "The rest of the Scorpion Sect ran off?"
"Yes, they suddenly retreated. But we captured a few. Do we keep any alive?" Hua She'er asked softly behind her.
"No need. Squeeze out every bit of value, then feed them to the snakes," Queen Medusa replied coldly.
That's more like it... Yao Yan inwardly nodded in approval.
Soon, the group arrived at the Snake-People's palace. The guards there were heavily armed, stationed along the walls with special weapons coated in poison—enough to threaten even a Dou Wang if careless.
Queen Medusa gave a few simple instructions, then had the warriors return to their tribes. She led Yao Yan and Caidie deep into the palace.
Watching this—
Yue Mei sidled up to Yin Shi and asked quietly, "What's the relationship between that 'traitor' and the queen?"
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't," Yin Shi replied stiffly.
Yue Mei rolled her eyes in frustration and huffed, "Fine, keep your secrets~" Then turned into a stream of light and flew off toward her own tribe.
Yin Shi stared into the depths of the palace and sighed. He could already sense that great unrest was coming to the Snake-People.
…
Deep inside the palace—
Caidie clung to her sister's arm, her expression tinged with worry. "Sister… are you sure I'm not causing trouble? Maybe I should leave again…"
"Ask him."
Queen Medusa looked at Yao Yan and said flatly. If not for his freakish alchemy skills, she wouldn't have allowed Caidie to return. But given Yao Yan's age and talent, those four old geezers probably wouldn't dare touch her.
Caidie turned to Yao Yan, curious about what he and her sister had talked about.
Yao Yan smiled at the sisters. "No rush. First, prepare some medicinal ingredients for me. I'll make a pill for your sister—after a battle like that, her body might suffer. The Sky Swallowing Python's power isn't so easy to wield, and she hasn't fully evolved yet."
Queen Medusa said calmly, "What do you need?"
"I'll need to see your stockpile first."
Yao Yan's fox-like grin appeared. If he remembered right, the Snake-People had an enormous supply of Ice Spirit Cold Spring. In the original story, Queen Medusa had used it to suppress the Green Lotus Core Flame—absolutely outrageous.
Even a little Ice Spirit Cold Spring could protect one's meridians from the burning force of a heavenly flame. It was a priceless treasure. And she'd soaked a heavenly flame in it? The cost of that alone was unimaginable.
Queen Medusa might actually be the richest woman in the Jia Ma Empire. The Snake-People just didn't know how to use their resources.
After all, unlike humans, they didn't have alchemists to identify such rare ingredients.
(END CHAPTER)
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