"Hehe, I was just teasing you, little brother. Did you really take it seriously?"
Yue Mei's expression twitched slightly, then she quickly let go of Chen Mo's chin.
Though she was a Dou Wang, she was injured and certainly not a match for Mo Yan in its sword spirit form.
Chen Mo ignored her, took out a Qi Recovery Pill, and closed his eyes to begin restoring his Dou Qi.
Yue Mei shot him a resentful glance. She was about to leave, but after a moment's thought, simply sat down cross-legged across from him to begin recuperating as well.
By the time dawn broke and the sky turned pale, Chen Mo had mostly recovered.
Queen Medusa, her figure slightly weary, flew back from the horizon.
Chen Mo immediately stepped forward. "Your Majesty, how did it go?"
"He escaped to the Chu Yun Empire. I didn't pursue him further," Queen Medusa replied coldly. As she passed by Chen Mo, she suddenly paused.
Turning her head, her long, narrow phoenix-like eyes locked onto him. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke.
Chen Mo was momentarily stunned. It was the first time Queen Medusa had shown concern for him in front of others. He quickly smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine."
"Don't misunderstand. You helped the Snake-People drive away a formidable enemy. It's only natural that I show concern."
After speaking, her gaze left him. She turned to Yue Mei to inquire about casualties, then flew toward the palace.
As she left, she gave one final instruction: "Once the First Elder and the tribal leaders arrive, summon them to the main hall for council."
Chen Mo didn't follow her. Instead, he stayed behind with Elder Baru to assist in treating the injured Snake-People.
After all, last night's battle had ultimately been caused by him.
He felt responsible for helping with the aftermath.
This gesture gave Yue Mei and many of the Snake-People a new impression of him.
Once Chen Mo finished tending to the injured and left behind some healing pills, the three Snake-People Elders and the tribal chiefs arrived at the royal city.
Judging by the looks on their faces, it was clear that Yuan Yi and the others had gotten away.
Some of the tribal leaders paused briefly when they saw Chen Mo helping treat the wounded.
But no one said anything in thanks—after all, the entire battle had been sparked by this human. Helping afterward was the least he could do.
When Yue Mei informed them that Her Majesty had summoned them to the palace for council, they quickly headed to the main hall.
As Mobas passed by Chen Mo, he let out a cold snort.
Once things settled down—
Chen Mo returned to Queen Medusa's personal chambers.
While soaking in a wooden bath barrel, he began inspecting Fan Lao's spatial ring.
Since Fan Lao was now dead, the soul imprint he left on the ring had naturally dissipated.
Chen Mo left his own soul imprint on it and began examining the contents.
As expected of a Dou Huang's ring, the internal space was vast—far larger than his own low-grade ring—and filled with an astonishing amount of treasures.
However, despite the quantity, very few items caught Chen Mo's interest.
Most of the techniques and Dou Skills leaned toward dark and sinister paths, requiring blood sacrifices or immoral acts to cultivate.
Fan Lao's cultivation method, Blood Demon Art, was especially vile.
Just reading the descriptions made Chen Mo's scalp tingle—requirements involving virgins, blood sacrifices...
Frankly, Fan Lao's death wasn't nearly punishment enough.
Chen Mo burned all of these vile techniques with his Heavenly Flame and sorted through the remaining items. Only two were of real value to him.
Two bottles of Tier 3 Qi Recovery Pills, and a single drop of Essence Earth Body Tempering Milk.
This milk was born deep within the earth, formed over centuries of compression by pure earth energy. It had miraculous effects for refining the body and tempering the spirit.
More importantly, it could help cultivators break through bottlenecks—though only up to the Dou Huang level.
After finishing his bath—
Chen Mo adjusted his condition, then took out the lotus seat formed from the Green Lotus Core Flame and sat down to begin breaking through.
As night fell once again—
Chen Mo successfully advanced to Four-Star Da Dou Shi.
But that wasn't the most important part.
What mattered more was...
He heard the sound of running water.
At the far corner of the chamber, a graceful silhouette stood with her back to him. Her long hair cascaded down, damp and glistening, clinging to her snow-white shoulders. Droplets of water rolled down her delicate skin.
They traced along her smooth shoulders... glided across her enticing waist...
Then disappeared into a wooden tub, hidden from view.
Chen Mo felt his head go dizzy.
Who else could be bathing here, if not Queen Medusa?
She lifted her fair hand and casually swept her wet hair aside. Then, slowly, she turned to face him.
Chen Mo instinctively swallowed, bracing himself to witness a scene that would make any man's blood boil.
What entered his vision was...
A red silk dudou (traditional undergarment).
Chen Mo felt like he might go insane.
You're already bathing—why wear that ridiculous thing?! What a letdown!
Queen Medusa leaned lazily on the edge of the wooden tub and spoke softly, "Since you've finished your breakthrough, come carry this queen to bed."
Her voice was tinged with exhaustion.
After the council meeting, she'd spent the rest of the day arranging new defenses to guard against another attack from Han Feng and his allies.
She had worked through the night and most of the day, intending to sleep immediately upon returning.
But the sweat on her body made her feel uncomfortable. Seeing Chen Mo in the middle of his breakthrough, she had drawn a bath instead.
Once she sensed he had succeeded, she quickly put on her dudou.
She was simply too tired to move anymore.
Wait, did I hear that right?
Was this... a reward?
Could it be that I performed that well last night, and now Her Majesty is offering me a little... bonus?
Chen Mo swallowed his saliva, hesitated for just a heartbeat, then quickly stepped forward.
This kind of opportunity doesn't come twice!
"Your Majesty must be tired. Allow me to give you a massage, help you relax."
Chen Mo stepped to the tub, reached down, and effortlessly scooped her into a princess carry.
Using his Dou Qi, he gently evaporated the water from her body and strode toward the soft bedding.
Queen Medusa wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing herself to be carried.
Chen Mo looked down at her bewitching, breathtaking face.
His gaze dipped just slightly...
And then snapped back up.
Screaming internally:
She's wearing nothing underneath. NOTHING.
Do you understand what this means?
You ask what it means to take off?
THIS. IS. WHAT. IT. MEANS. TO. TAKE. OFF.
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