A moment later, Buer returned from researching the World Tree, just as Nabu released Li Youyue's lips.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't find any relevant information," Buer said with a hint of frustration. "All I know for certain is that Ahmar definitely didn't have the black mark on his forehead that Nabu mentioned before he died."
"Based on this, I hypothesize that someone resurrected Ahmar and granted him entirely new powers."
"But I still can't understand why he would attack Nabu. Doesn't that kid have a crush on you?" Buer turned her gaze to Li Youyue. "Could it be that seeing the woman he loves married to another man drove him into a jealous rage?"
"Nana just told me that Ahmar has been showing interest in her, but it's different from before," Li Youyue explained to Buer. "He seems to have gone mad, like he's possessed."
"Then he's being controlled. Ahmar would never lay a hand on Nabu—absolutely impossible," Buer concluded decisively.
Li Youyue fell silent.
*The Scarlet King, Ahmar...*
*So there really is a way to resurrect the dead in this world.*
"Regardless of the outcome, the Scarlet King has undeniably been resurrected," Nahida affirmed.
"The question now is: How do we view this event, and what should we do next?"
*The Scarlet King's resurrection—the karmic implications of this event are staggering.*
*Wouldn't the desert's people be popping champagne right now?*
"I've said it before: anyone who dares lay a hand on my woman will be the first to face my blade," Li Youyue declared, pinching Nabu's cheek.
"But what if Ahmar was being controlled? What if attacking Nabu wasn't his true intention?" Buer pressed.
"Tch..."
Li Youyue still disapproved of Buer's approach—it was far too merciful.
"He definitely deserves to die."
In short, he had only one thought: he wanted Ahmar to die again, this time utterly and completely.
"I think we should investigate thoroughly first," Nahida suggested. "This whole situation is rife with inconsistencies, especially the matter of resurrection..."
"...It's utterly unbelievable."
"Then let the Akademiya handle the investigation. We'll take care of the rest..." Buer added.
"Absolutely not," Li Youyue interrupted. "I have someone very important within the Akademiya. On this matter alone, I cannot allow them to risk their safety."
Layla would be manageable, but Faruzan was a different story. As a fervent devotee of the Scarlet King, hearing of his resurrection would send her rushing to his side.
"I'll go personally..." Li Youyue declared. "You'll protect Nabu... I'll handle the rest."
Buer didn't argue. "Fine, have it your way. Just don't get yourself killed out there."
"Does that include me?" Venus asked, pointing to herself.
"Yes..." Li Youyue replied. "Venus, why don't you stay here for a while? Think of it as a vacation. Once this is resolved, I'll escort you back to Snezhnaya."
With four top-tier Archons—Venus, Columbina, Buer, and Nahida—guarding Nabu, Li Youyue was confident no one would dare attack her.
This time, Li Youyue was truly enraged.
"Alright... I'll follow your plan. After all, I am your beloved wife..." Venus paused, then added with a sly grin, "But... you'll owe me a few days afterward. You'll have to do whatever I say."
"Fine..." Li Youyue conceded, unsurprised by her demands.
"Then it's settled! No take-backs!" Venus added with a threatening tone. "Or I'll harvest your kidneys."
Aside from the Archons, Nilou seemed content to coast along.
"Columbina, you too. Please protect Nana for me. Thank you," Li Youyue added, turning to Columbina.
Columbina readily agreed, her voice cheerful.
"Anything Lord Youyue asks, I will fulfill without fail."
"If anyone wants Sister Nab's life, they'll have to step over my corpse first..." Columbina declared solemnly, her wine-red eyes gleaming beneath her white eyepatch, as if anticipating something.
"Youyue... what about me?" Nilou asked Li Youyue. To be honest, she wanted to contribute, not just be a decorative piece. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Nilou, you..." Li Youyue hadn't really thought about what to assign her. He didn't care if she could help; he just wanted her to be safe. Perhaps she simply wanted to feel useful.
"If you stay home, with Venus and the others around, you might not be able to help much. In fact, you might even slow them down," Li Youyue reasoned. He worried about a scenario where they'd end up with four liabilities and only two effective combatants.
"How about..."
"You come with me to the desert."
Li Youyue said to her, "Nilou, you want to become stronger, right? Then go train in the perilous desert. I'll protect you if necessary."
"Alright," Nilou agreed quickly.
A moment later, Buer, after a moment of contemplation, suddenly asked, "Nabu, I've been wondering... considering the vast difference in power between you and the Scarlet King, how did you manage to escape from him? If you were his target, he wouldn't have simply let you go, would he?"
"That's right, Buer's right," Li Youyue added, turning to Nabu. "Nana, how did you escape from the Scarlet King? And how did you sustain such severe injuries?" He leaned forward, listening intently.
Nabu replied promptly, "A white-haired girl saved me."
"I didn't recognize her, but she seemed to know me. After covering my escape, she engaged the Scarlet King in battle."
As she spoke, Nabu recalled the sandstorm she had witnessed earlier. *That sandstorm must have been Ahmar's authority,* she thought. *I know Ahmar better than anyone, so I'm intimately familiar with his techniques.*
"After that, I lost track of what happened..."
Simultaneously, Nabu was worried about the white-haired girl. After all, she was her life-saving benefactor, and she hadn't even had a chance to repay the debt yet.
"A white-haired girl?"
Buer looked at Li Youyue, puzzled.
"No, why are you looking at me?" Li Youyue asked, bewildered. "How would I know? I don't even know her."
"Hmph, if she's a woman, she's definitely connected to my husband. I don't even need to think about it," Buer declared, as if she had already seen through everything.
*Sigh, you know what? You're actually right.*
"Hey, Great Merciful Tree King, don't jump to conclusions! Everything needs to be based on reason, right?" Li Youyue retorted.
Just then, a white-haired girl walked through the door.
And she was the quintessential long, straight, black-haired type.
Long white hair paired with black stockings, wearing a custom-made JK uniform, golden eyes that sparkled with intelligence, exceptionally beautiful features, and a curvaceous figure.
She was the perfect example of a stunningly beautiful young woman.
"Good evening, everyone. I apologize for intruding so abruptly," Zhen Qi greeted them all.
"..."
Instantly, the women tensed, their eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Husband, it's her! She's the one who saved me!" Nabu exclaimed, pointing at Zhen Qi.
"Husband... Husband?"
Nabu tugged at his sleeve, but he didn't react.
"Husband, what's wrong?"
"I'm fine..." Nabu murmured.
Li Youyue quickly grasped Nabu's hand, his expression calm, but his heart pounded like a stormy sea.
*How did this woman get here?*
*Doesn't she know the Ice Goddess Venus is here?*
*Damn it, this is going to be trouble. I'm screwed!*
"Who are you?" Buer demanded, having already learned from Nabu that this newcomer was her savior. Still, her brazen entry into the Pure Goodness Palace raised suspicions.
The Pure Goodness Palace was protected by powerful enchantments; no ordinary person could enter without her invitation.
Everyone in Sumeru knew the Pure Goodness Palace was the Great Merciful Tree King's personal chambers. Who would dare intrude?
"Relax, I mean you no harm," Zhen Qi said, waving her hands dismissively. "I rescued the blonde girl on a whim."
"And my reason for coming here is to see someone."
"In fact, if you want to be technical, you're all my younger sisters. Or, to put it another way, I'm your elder sister."
Zhen Qi flashed an innocent, slightly dazed smile. By right of first encounter, she considered herself Li Youyue's first woman.
"Isn't that right, Hubby Youyue?"
Immediately, all the women turned to look at Li Youyue.
Sensing the disapproving gazes, Li Youyue awkwardly averted his eyes.
"Who said it didn't matter just now?"
"Hmph!"
The women lowered their guard.
As expected, eight or nine out of every ten beautiful women in this world were connected to Lord Youyue.
*He really does make friends widely,* they thought.
"Husband, so she's one of your women too?" Nabu asked, surprisingly calm. "No wonder she saved me..."
"I told you all along—if she's a woman and she's pretty, she's definitely involved with Lord Youyue," Buer snapped, glaring at Li Youyue with icy contempt. "I know exactly what kind of man he is."
"Ha ha ha..." Li Youyue chuckled awkwardly, desperately wanting to disappear through the floor.
Nahida and Nilou simply smiled without comment; they were long accustomed to such situations.
Venus and Columbina, on the other hand, remained relatively composed. Only Venus felt a strange sense of déjà vu upon seeing Zhen Qi.
*This woman... where have I seen her before?*
Realizing the situation was about to spiral out of control, Li Youyue quickly released Nabu, got off the bed, and pulled Zhen Qi aside.
"Grandma, what are you doing here?" he hissed. "Couldn't stay put on Sky Island?"
"Did you finish using all the stuff I gave you already?"
Zhen Qi playfully feigned normalcy, asking, "Darling, I was lonely. Can't I come find you to play?"
"You won't even give me a baby to play with..."
"If not you, who else would I turn to?"
"Speak plainly," Li Youyue interrupted.
"I sensed the emergence of a Demonic Spirit deep within the desert," Zhen Qi said, her tone turning serious. "While investigating, I stumbled upon your little woman."
"Are you implying that my Nana is a Demonic Spirit?" Li Youyue muttered, his expression sour as if she owed him a fortune.
Zhen Qi glanced at Nabu, who was chatting with Buer and the others. "Clearly not..." But her tone shifted. "Though we can't rule it out completely..."
"Then arrest me too," Li Youyue retorted, raising his arms. "I'm Nana's husband—we're one and the same." He waited for her to produce a pair of silver handcuffs and shackle him.
"You're also my husband," Zhen Qi countered. "By your logic, that makes me a Demonic Spirit too."
"Er..."
Li Youyue really wanted to ignore her now.
*Top-tier understanding, indeed.*
"I detected an extremely potent Demonic Spirit aura emanating from the Scarlet King," Zhen Qi continued.
"So his resurrection is connected to Demonic Spirits?" Li Youyue murmured.
"I don't know..."
Zhen Qi's response didn't disappoint him.
*I don't know, I don't know, I don't know anything.*
"So, what's your purpose in coming here?" Li Youyue cut straight to the core question.
Clinging to Li Youyue's chest, Zhen Qi murmured, "I just... missed you a little..."
"Since I was already in Sumeru, I thought I'd come see you while I was here..."
"I never imagined... you'd have so many women here..."
Zhen Qi glanced at Buer and the others, teasingly, "Living the high life, huh? Keeping busy with all this... Quite the player..."
"..."
Li Youyue rarely bothered to acknowledge her.
"Don't let them discover your true identity," he warned. "Otherwise, I'll never be able to clear my name, even if I jumped into the Yellow River."
"Don't worry, they won't see through me," Zhen Qi said with a mischievous smile.
Just then, Li Youyue suddenly introduced Zhen Qi to Buer and the others. "This is Zhen Qi... she's my... um... childhood friend. We've known each other since we were little..."
"She's here to hang out with me too..."
"Hahaha..."
Li Youyue felt utterly hopeless at lying, especially to the women he cared about.
"Hello, everyone! It's nice to meet you. My name is Zhen Qi, Li Youyue's childhood friend and also his... girlfriend," she greeted them with a cheerful wave.
... The women exchanged glances.
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that the two of them were lying, but none of the women exposed their pretense. After all, each of them harbored their own secrets.
Most importantly, they respected each other's dignity.
For the rest of the time, Buer and the others gathered around Zhen Qi, chatting and getting to know her better.
Venus suddenly asked Zhen Qi, "Little sister, have we met somewhere before?"
"Ah? Really?" Zhen Qi looked back at Venus, her youthful smile radiating warmth. The clothes she wore today emphasized her cuteness and made her look even younger.
"But I don't think I've ever seen you before..." Zhen Qi said, feigning ignorance of Venus.
Venus stepped closer, leaning in until their faces were mere inches apart.
*Her face... why is it so beautiful too? Damn it...*
Startled, Zhen Qi instinctively recoiled.
Venus reached out and gently pinched Zhen Qi's cheek.
"Sister Venus... you can't do that..." Zhen Qi stammered, flustered, a blush quickly coloring her jade-like cheeks. "No~ You'll ruin it..."
Venus released her, backing away. "Never mind. I must have mistaken you for someone else. I don't think we've ever met."
"Hmph..." Zhen Qi pouted, covering her face and glaring resentfully at Venus.
........
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(End of Chapter)