Chapter 303: Confident in Her Abilities
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"You traded Shi Yao's blood relatives for others. Only now that things have come to light do you remember Shi Yao."
"Hmph. All this talk about loving Shiyu?"
"Elder, my foster mother is merely at the Qi Cultivation stage. How old is she now? Over 130, right? Yet she looks only thirty or forty. What kind of immortal elixir keeps her looking so young?"
“Second Elder, you’ve conducted so many transactions with the other three realms, amassing great wealth and benefits. Why not share some with Shiyu?”
"Third Elder, you're closest to Shiyu and treat her well. At least she doesn't compete with you for women~"
Shi Mingyi's heart trembled… The Holy Maiden even knew about his woman outside…
He and that woman only met once every month or two—sometimes not even once in three months!
"Fourth Elder, you're meddling in Southern Domain affairs? Could it be you're eyeing my junior sister's position too?"
"Fifth Elder…"
Li Shiyu called out each elder by name, criticizing them one by one. All nine elders stood there dumbfounded. Was this truly their Holy Maiden?
Huh?
Is this right?
"If you enjoy kneeling, then go welcome your new master yourselves!"
"Senior Sister has spoken: once Shiyu bows to enter Lingxian Hall, she need kneel before only one, honor only one—and may kneel before only one, honor only one!"
Clearly, no one understood the stone statue of the Holy Maiden, nor could anyone comprehend Li Shiyu.
Even now, the elders merely marveled at Li Shiyu's transformation or her unpredictable mood swings.
Little did they know the stone statue merely had its eyes covered—it wasn’t truly blind.
"As the Holy Maiden, Shiyu represents the honor of the Sacred Mountain. Yet the elders harbor such thoughts toward her, wanting her to do such things."
"The elders do not cherish Shiyu. Shiyu shall return to Lingxian Hall!"
Return… to Lingxian Hall?
"Hey, hey, Shiyu! Listen to Second Elder's explanation! It's not what you think—those others acted on their own! How could the Elders ever ask Shiyu to do such a vile thing?"
The Second Elder truly felt wronged!
He had his own unsavory secrets, but even if he were truly foolish, he would never dare to gamble with the reputation of the Holy Maiden or the Holy Mountain!
He genuinely knew nothing about this!
He simply demanded that his subordinates prepare attire for Li Shiyao according to the standards for receiving a feudal lord!
What the hell is wrong with these people?
It's an audience, not fucking prostitution! Isn't it only natural for the Holy Maiden to throw a tantrum?
These people deserve to be damned! They're killing him!
"Then so be it. Shiyu just wants to say: Shiyu refuses to kneel, and Master forbids Shiyu from kneeling!"
"Shiyao wants to take a bath. If that guy shows up, tell him to wait!"
The elders could see it too—times had changed. The Holy Maiden was no longer the naive Shiyáo of old, though traces of her former innocence lingered.
But those were merely lingering habits. Without uttering a word, the Holy Maiden had already stripped them of their authority.
"If you send such clothes again, don't blame Shiyu for losing her temper with you elders~"
Seeing Shiyu no longer mention returning home, the elders breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't pursuing the matter. They hastily agreed!
"Rest assured, Shiyu! Old Du promises you—we'll hammer that Second Elder to death the moment we return!"
"Indeed! Shiyao is too soft-hearted. We'll make him pay for his carelessness!"
The Second Elder was utterly dumbfounded. If you're going to make an example of someone, why not kill the tailor instead?
Sure, we need to give the Holy Maiden an explanation, but we can't have him giving it from the grave, can we?
That'd be like sacrificing a monkey to appease the heavens!
But how could she dare speak back? Who was the Holy Maiden? She was the hope of all the elders, and now the direct second disciple of Immortal Su.
Before long, the so-called Eastern Domain Lord arrived. After all, she was the Holy Maiden—not just the Holy Mountain's, but the Holy Maiden of all people. Disrespecting her would inevitably affect his rule.
Should one say, "Truly befitting a lord"?
With over twenty attendants, a hundred guards, and dozens of carriages, his entourage was nothing short of grand.
"Where is Her Holiness the Saint Maiden?"
The lord before them was one of the last three remaining lords of the Eastern Realm. Commanding vast armies and controlling the majority of the land, he wielded power that could be described as all-encompassing.
The Eastern Realm was a melting pot of races, with humans being merely one among many, and not even a significant one at that.
The lord before them was not human either, but an elf man with pointed ears.
To the eyes of the human race, however, elves and the Demon Clan were all much of a muchness.
"The Holy Maiden is currently bathing. Please wait a moment."
No sooner had the words left his lips than Li Shiyao appeared, gliding gracefully toward them accompanied by a retinue of maidservants. As she walked, she whispered loudly with one of her attendants.
"Didn't they say he was a handsome man? How come he's skinny as a matchstick?"
Li Shiyao had timed her entrance perfectly, appearing the instant the Elder finished mentioning her bath. The Elder's subsequent introduction was unnecessary.
Otherwise, what if he discovered her?
"Hey, hey, Your Highness, keep your voice down! What if someone overhears us?"
"Oops, sorry! Don't you think this lord is actually poor? So poor he can't afford to eat? Look how skinny he is!"
"No way! This lord is the biggest lord in the entire Eastern Region!"
"So what? I'm still the girl with the biggest appetite on Holy Mountain! Am I bragging?"
Du Changsheng froze upon hearing this. Seeing the lord grinding his molars to dust, he immediately apologized.
"Your Lordship, she…"
"Elder, you may go. I wish to speak with her."
Du Changsheng studied Li Shiyao's expression, as if trying to discern whether she was the simple-minded girl or the sacred maiden. But when their gazes met…
"Very well, you two talk."
With that, he promptly led the other elders away, as if afraid they might disturb the Holy Maiden.
Seeing Li Shiyu dismiss her attendants, the Lord followed suit. The two walked together into the Pilgrimage Hall.
"What's your name?"
Li Shiyao shed her earlier empress-like demeanor, as if switching back to her Dumb Yao persona.
Leaning over the table as if examining a potted plant, she tilted her head to study the man before her.
"Qi Huan."
"Then may Shiyu call you Xiaoqi?"
The lord seemed either embarrassed or startled—but without a doubt, he had never encountered a woman like Li Shiyu before!
"Xiao? Qi? Calling me?"
"Mm-hmm~ Do you like it?"
"Uh… your name is Shiyu?"
"Yes, my name is Li Shiyu. 'Poetry' with the character for poetry, not 'ballad' with the character for ballad~"
"Oh?"
No man can resist the Holy Maiden—it's a law of nature.
No special moves were needed—just the Holy Maiden standing before him. It was like her passive skill.
"Do you like it?"
"Heh, you're quite amusing."
"Shiyao asked if you like it!" Li Shiyao pouted, clearly displeased with the Lord's response!
"Hmm, I like it."
Clearly, the Lord shared Su Cheng's expression of utter helplessness~
"Now that's more like it!"
Li Shiyu beamed with delight. "I heard you want holy blood? What do you plan to do with it?"
"I need the Holy Blood to consolidate my cultivation."
"I see. So you're going to kill Shiyu?"
"Um… not exactly…"
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"Hmm…"
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