Chapter 273: He Can Only Be Called Unlucky

“Everyone, rest well for a day. Tomorrow, I’ll lead you to continue subjugating the other tribes.”

The moment Chu Liangyu spoke, the surrounding chatter ceased, and everyone listened to her in silence.

“Chief, is what you said really true?”

“It is.”

Chu Liangyu exchanged a few more words with them before departing. She didn’t go far, settling down to rest atop a giant tree nearby.

“Why are you resting here? Wouldn’t it be better to have your subordinates set up a tent for you?”

Chu Liangyu’s closed eyes twitched, but she didn’t open them. “Since you’ve offered, I’ll have to trouble you.”

“Wait, I was just making a suggestion. Why are you taking me seriously?”

“Oh? From the sound of it, you’re unwilling?”

Chu Liangyu’s eyes cracked open, and she gave her a casual, dismissive glance.

“I’m willing! Of course, I’m willing.”

The little red snake’s body trembled involuntarily. She had backed down instantly.

“Go just like this. Don’t revert to your original size. Otherwise, if they see you, I’ll have no choice but to kill you to give them an explanation.”

“Got it, got it.”

The little snake bobbed her head and slithered down the tree trunk.

Chu Liangyu watched her go before closing her eyes again. There was no need to worry about her trying to escape. Chu Liangyu wouldn’t have let her out of her sight if she hadn’t already placed a tracking mark on her.

Even if she fled, Chu Liangyu could find her instantly.

Chu Liangyu wasn’t just here for some peace and quiet; she also wanted to organize her thoughts on the events of the past few days.

Things at the Beiyuan Salt Land would be fine even in her absence. She was confident about that.

As for the progress of the other teams, the messages she’d received gave Chu Liangyu a general idea of where they stood.

In half a month at most, all the tribes of the Beast World would be unified under her Xihe Tribe.

But unification would bring a host of new problems to solve. The most pressing issue was that most of the subjugated tribes were quite distant, and there were many areas the Xihe Tribe would struggle to govern.

Relying on the Guard Team alone wouldn’t be enough. She needed to find people who could govern the tribes and send them over.

There were over a hundred tribes, large and small. For the moment, she truly couldn’t think of any suitable candidates.

‘A hundred people, all of whom I have to be able to trust. Where on earth can I find that many people?’

At this thought, Chu Liangyu rubbed her throbbing temples. With so much on her mind, she could no longer quiet her thoughts and rest.

Her vantage point offered an excellent view, allowing her to take in not only the entire forest below but also the birds flying through the air.

Her mind a blank, she unconsciously turned her gaze to a flock of wild geese flying overhead. The lead goose was visibly larger and stronger than the others. Those behind it seemed to be arranged by size, with the young ones trailing at the very end.

The fledglings didn’t look weak, but their unfamiliarity with flight made their clumsy flapping somewhat amusing to watch.

A smile touched Chu Liangyu’s eyes at the sight. It reminded her of her own “cubs.” They had been out training for some time now. ‘They must have made some progress.’

‘Perhaps I can have them return.’

‘I can see how much they’ve progressed and also consider assigning those tribes for them to govern.’

She had at least a hundred “cubs,” more than enough to send to the subjugated tribes.

“Little Crow, I’m done! What do you think?”

Hong Xue’s voice drifted up from below. Chu Liangyu squinted, finally spotting her figure through a gap in the branches.

And beside her was her so-called “tent.”

It was less a tent and more of a hammock, and a very crude-looking one at that.

“This is what you made?”

‘No wonder she came back so fast. So this is all it is.’

The little snake flicked her tail and explained, “This is the only thing I know how to make. How about you make do with it?”

“Oh, right! My tent-making skills aren’t great, but I did bring you back plenty of prey.”

Chu Liangyu followed her gesture and saw the large pile of hunted animals next to the tree.

“What do you think? Just looking at it makes you hungry, right? I’ll go prepare some food for you now.”

‘This Snake Demon seems a little too eager,’ Chu Liangyu thought. ‘I wonder what she’s plotting.’

‘But since she’s not saying anything, I’ll just let her keep up the act.’

With a few leaps, Chu Liangyu descended from the tree. She tested the hammock’s sturdiness and, finding it acceptable, lay down.

‘I have to admit,’ she thought, ‘though it looks crude, this is much more comfortable than leaning against the tree trunk.’

The little snake, while cleaning the prey, turned her head and asked in a confused tone, “Little Crow, what exactly is your relationship with the Lord Demon King?”

Instead of answering, Chu Liangyu asked back, “What do you think our relationship is?”

“I don’t know, but the Lord Demon King is obviously interested in you.”

“If you already know, then why are you asking?”

The little snake flicked her tongue, sounding a little hurt. “I’m just curious, that’s all. After all, the Lord Demon King is so handsome, but you don’t seem to like him very much.”

“You could just say… he’s rather unlucky.”

‘Who asked him to look exactly like Jiang Li from the Beast World? That’s bad enough, but even their names are the same.’

Whenever she saw him, her first reaction was to superimpose her memories of the Beast World’s Jiang Li onto him, naturally associating this man with the other Jiang Li’s deeds.

“What do you mean by that? I don’t quite understand.”

Perhaps out of boredom, Chu Liangyu actually felt the urge to talk. “Have you ever met two people who look identical,” she explained, “and even share the same name?”

“I haven’t. But what does that have to do with anything?”

The little snake shook her head in confusion, but she didn’t stop cleaning the prey.

“Of course it’s related. What if one of them did something terrible to you, but he’s already dead?”

“And then you see his exact double. If it were you, could you accept that person’s affection without any reservations?”

Realization dawned on the little snake. “So, that’s why you said the Lord Demon King is unlucky! But… I think the Lord Demon King is quite innocent in all this.”

“Besides, he’s not the one who did those things.”

Chu Liangyu knew the Snake Demon was right, but she just couldn’t bring herself to feel anything for a face that looked just like Jiang Li’s.

“Hong Xue, why are you so concerned about him? I don’t get the impression you’re that fond of him, either.”

‘After all, if she really liked him, she wouldn’t be so happy here that she never wants to go back.’

“I… I’m just curious, that’s all.”

Chu Liangyu had only asked casually. Seeing that Hong Xue had no intention of telling the truth, she lost interest in the topic.

“I have a small request. Could you give me a strand of your hair?”

Her tail curled around a piece of meat, rinsing it in the water and then flicking it dry. Only then did she turn to look at Chu Liangyu.

“What do you want my hair for?”

Chu Liangyu had never heard of hair being used for anything, but she couldn’t rule out the possibility of some Evil Technique from the Cultivation World that she was unaware of.

So, just to be safe, she refused.