Lord of Yelan Mountain

Yelan Mountain is a valley in a vast mountain range with a warm and pleasant climate all year round. While in the valley, you can see the main peak of Yelan in the distance, which is covered with snow all year round, giving people a strange illusion of the seasons being reversed.

Yan Dan's purpose was quite different from that of the other tribesmen. In the first few days after arriving in Yelan Mountain, the mountain lord did not see them. While the tribesmen were busy grooming themselves and dressing up in front of the mirror, Yan Dan wandered around, planning her next move.

The area outside Yelan Mountain was protected by array formations and barriers, and even the mountain lord's residence had a highly sophisticated barrier, which undoubtedly added a lot of trouble for her. Back in the Heavenly Court, she learned a wide variety of things, but she had completely neglected numerology and metaphysics, and was utterly clueless about the complicated and difficult field of array formations and barriers. It seemed that her only solution now was to get the mountain lord to take a liking to her and choose her as a concubine, so that she could freely enter and leave the mountain lord's residence.

Yan Dan couldn't help but sigh. Many demons were naturally beautiful, and among their flower spirit clan, there were even more. She was only considered average-looking. In truth, appearance wasn't the most important thing; someone of average appearance but with graceful bearing could be stunning. But she knew her own limitations; she had absolutely no grace whatsoever.

Even if we look at it in a positive light, those two mountain lords value inner beauty more than outward appearance, and she doesn't know how to express her beautiful (?) inner qualities in a way that is both tactful and to the fullest.

In conclusion, the current situation is worrying.

Yan Dan strolled to the lakeside and saw a small child lying by a large rock. His tail was gently patting his back, and his two furry ears twitched. He was a little wolf demon who hadn't fully transformed into human form. He was peeling candy from his hands, counting laboriously: "One, two, three, three... after three comes five, five, after five comes..."

Yan Dan touched her pouch. Fortunately, she had seen her clansmen buy candied fruit and sweets a few days ago, so she bought a small bag as well. However, she was preoccupied with other things and had no desire to eat snacks. So she brought this small bag of candy into Yelan Mountain.

"Ah, five followed by six, six, seven, eight... wait, why are there only eight? Everyone else got ten, how strange..." The little wolf demon wagged its tail and muttered to itself.

Yan Dan stood behind him, feeling frustrated: Whose child is this? How could they raise him to be so stupid? It seems the little monsters who were distributing candy were deliberately bullying him and giving him less candy.

"I must have miscounted. Let's count again! One, two, three, five, six..."

Yan Dan finally couldn't hold back any longer. She stepped forward, squatted down beside him, and softened her voice, saying, "How about I help you count?" The little wolf demon glanced at her and nodded vigorously, very happy, "Okay, okay!"

Yan Dan reached out and peeled off a candy, counting one number at a time. When she reached seven, there were no more candies left, so she took out her own bag and poured out three: "Ten in total, is that right now?"

The little wolf demon stared at her blankly, and asked in surprise, "But there are clearly eleven here."

Yan Dan then remembered that he had never counted to four before, so she picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, saying with a smile, "So now there are ten?"

The little wolf demon happily put the remaining candy into his pocket, scratched his head, and asked, "Who are you? I don't think I've ever seen you before."

Yan Dan was incredibly annoyed. Whose child was this? Not only was he stupid, but he was also incredibly slow-witted. Shouldn't she have asked him this earlier? Why did she only think of it now? But since she needed his help, she could only continue to answer with a smile, "I just arrived here, so you haven't seen me before."

The little wolf demon nodded blankly, and after a long while, he finally let out an "oh".

Yan Dan's smile had already stiffened somewhat, but she continued to coax, "I have a very troublesome matter to ask you. Have you ever met the Mountain Lord?"

The little wolf demon immediately smiled innocently: "You want to ask me this? I know the answer! Um, Lord Mountain Lord, I see you every day!"

It seems I've asked the right person, and given how slow he is, it won't take much skill to get information out of him. Yan Dan propped her chin up and asked again, "Then do you know what kind of woman the Mountain Lord likes?"

The little wolf demon asked innocently, "What is 'like'?"

"..." Yan Dan suddenly felt that she was a complete fool for trying to get questions from this brat. "Who does the Mountain Lord usually treat the best?"

"Hmm... The mountain lord is very good to me, he never calls me stupid. Ah, am I really stupid? Why do people always say I'm stupid?"

Yan Dan touched his ear, forcing out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Of course you're not stupid." You've already transcended the realm of "stupid" by a long way...

The little wolf demon's fluffy ears twitched, seemingly enjoying the tickling: "Both mountain lords are very kind to Sister Bailing."

Bai Ling… Yan Dan still remembered that on their first day in Yelan Mountain, it was Bai Ling who arranged their lodgings. She was a member of the Feather Clan, tall and alluring. So the Mountain Lord liked women like that. No wonder the clan leader said she didn't suit the Mountain Lord's taste; it was indeed true. But knowing this now was a small gain, too. If she couldn't catch the young master's eye, it would be better to please Bai Ling; the outcome would be about the same anyway.

"The Lord of Zilin Mountain prefers plump and charming women, while the Lord of Yumo Mountain prefers tall, gentle, and obedient women. Instead of asking Dan Shu, you might as well ask me; I know quite a bit about this."

Yan Dan was startled by the sudden sound and jumped up to look back. She saw a gray-haired man walking gracefully over, affectionately patting the little wolf demon's head, and whispering, "Daddy has something to say to this sister. Go play over there." Dan Shu was very obedient and immediately ran off.

Yan Dan stammered, "Actually, I didn't..."

"You're from the Flower Spirit Clan, aren't you? Actually, it's common for clan leaders to send us beauties here. Everyone's used to it, so don't be nervous... Sit down." The man lifted his robe and sat down on a large rock by the lake. "You were playing with Dan Shu earlier, so I told you something. Isn't this just returning the favor?"

Yan Dan sat down on the rock next to him: "Are you a wolf?"

The man smiled and stroked his chin. "I am Yuan Dan, the chieftain of the Wolf Clan." He paused, then smiled again and said, "I must say, your chieftain is really strange this time. Why would he send someone like you? It's really..."

Yan Dan pouted slightly: "What do you mean by 'like me'? What's wrong with me?"

“What I mean is, judging from the two mountain lords’ consistent preferences, you really fall far short. To be precise, your face isn’t exactly beautiful, but,” Yuan Dan raised his hand and touched her face, “it feels quite smooth. But you’re too short, your figure isn’t full enough, and your chest is a bit flat…”

Yan Dan reacted quickly, slapping away his hand that was reaching down: "Even if I'm not good-looking, I still have my own unique charm, don't I?"

Yuan Dan burst into laughter, and after laughing for a while, he said, "Hmm, you have a very interesting personality, but the mountain lord won't want you. Why don't you come with me from now on?"

"You already have such a big child, I don't want you."

Yuan Dan stood up and straightened his expression: "Stand up so I can see you. Hmm, turn around... Although your chest is flat, your waist is very thin, so it should be passable. You will probably see the mountain lord tomorrow, so remember to tighten your waist."

Yan Dan knew nothing about this, so she asked, "Does the mountain lord like women with slender waists?"

"Most men like it to some extent. Oh, and remember not to wear a very thin gauze dress tomorrow morning, and keep your makeup as light as possible, or even no makeup at all is fine."

"Huh? Why?"

Yuan Dan sighed: "You even want to be the mountain lord's concubine, yet you don't understand anything. Those gauze dresses may look nice, but what man would want his future concubine to be dressed so thinly in front of so many people? Besides, even with makeup, your face won't become a beauty that could topple kingdoms. Rather than being buried in a crowd and not being seen, it's better to be natural and refreshing. I think you're fine as you are now."

Yan Dan thought for a moment, then humbly asked, "Anything else?"

"If you have the chance, you might as well throw a little tantrum. As long as you don't go too far, the mountain lord will find you quite adorable. The lark is just too lifeless and gossipy; it's not interesting at all."

Yan Dan couldn't help but say, "Hearing you say that, my chances of being selected seem pretty good."

Yuan Dan shook his head and smiled, saying, "I'm just guessing. After eating too many delicacies, it's nice to switch to simple vegetables and radishes occasionally. Who knows? The Mountain Lord can't always stick to the same thing. He might occasionally have a different dish."

Yan Dan was deeply frustrated. It seemed she was just a piece of crisp, crunchy vegetable peel among delicacies—it was a real blow to her pride. Even if she were to be a vegetable peel, she should be a uniquely fresh and vibrant one.

Yuan Dan said that the mountain lord would see them the next day. This was indeed true. That evening, the clan chief came rubbing his hands and told everyone to get up early the next day to prepare, as they would be seeing the mountain lord first thing in the morning.

Yan Dan didn't know if what Yuan Dan said to him was true, but after thinking about it carefully for a while, she felt that it made a lot of sense. The clansmen who came to Yelan Mountain with her were all beauties carefully selected. She was really not outstanding. No matter how much she decorated her makeup, she could only be the inconspicuous one among them.

Since she couldn't outshine everyone with her beauty, she decided to be uglier than everyone else, so that the Mountain Lord would spot her at a glance. Therefore, Yan Dan decided to just wash her face and head out. She set aside the thin, delicate gauze dress she had prepared and found a light green shirt, covering herself completely except for a section of her neck.

Her actions drew strange looks from her fellow clansmen, but Bai Ling, who had come to guide her, was very kind to her, exchanging pleasantries with her along the way. Yan Dan was content; even if she couldn't be chosen by the mountain lord, Bai Ling's kindness and affection were just as good.

As they approached the main hall, Bai Ling whispered, "Lord Yu Mo may not come today. Be careful in front of Lord Zi Lin..." Then she took the lead and stood behind a man wearing a purple robe.

At first, Yan Dan found it very strange. Why should she pay attention to Yu Moshan if he wasn't coming?

As she drew closer and saw the Purple Scale Mountain Lord's appearance clearly, she understood. There's no need to describe his looks or demeanor; in short, he was fierce. He sat behind a low table, high above, his face taut, his handsome features grim, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, as if someone below owed him money. No, saying he owed money was too mild; it would be more accurate to say someone had murdered his entire family.

Yan Dan couldn't help but think that it would be better if this Lord of Zilin Mountain suddenly changed his taste and took a liking to her; she couldn't accept it. Yan Dan slowly walked forward with the clan leader, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Dan Shu, who had a pair of furry ears on his head, giving her an innocent and cute smile. Yuan Dan quickly raised her hand and pressed him down.

Yan Dan knelt down on the brocade cushion in front of her, lowered her head slightly to look at her knees, and listened to the clan leader and the Purple Lin Mountain Lord exchanging pleasantries. When the clan leader presented the Yanbi Pill, the room was filled with fragrance. She barely managed to restrain herself from rushing over to snatch it.

Zi Lin casually placed the brocade box containing the pills aside, then turned to look at Bai Ling: "Where's Yu Mo? Why hasn't he come over yet?"

Bai Ling lowered her head and said softly, "Lord Yu Mo said he would be coming later, so there's no need to wait for him."

Zi Lin nodded: "What's wrong with waiting a little longer? Let's wait a bit more."

The clan chief echoed, "We have to wait, we have to wait."

Yan Dan sighed. Bai Ling had just said that Lord Yu Mo might not come today. If he didn't come, wouldn't they have waited in vain? Unfortunately, she didn't have the courage to say it.

She knelt on the brocade cushion, her posture very particular: her waist had to be straight, her back couldn't be bent, and her head couldn't be fully raised; she had to be like a pipa player half-concealing her face. After a while, it was more tiring than being forced to kneel as punishment. Yan Dan's knees were numb from kneeling, but she didn't dare to move an inch. She could only curse that arrogant Lord Yu Mo in her heart seventeen or eighteen times over.

She couldn't help but wonder if the mountain lord had overindulged in lust and couldn't get an erection. In that case, she thought Zi Lin was better. Only later did she realize that her thoughts were rather sordid; according to Bai Ling, Yu Mo had been seriously injured and hadn't fully recovered at that time.

Just as Yan Dan was mentally cursing for the twentieth time, she suddenly heard the slanted beaded curtain sway and clink softly. A gentle, deep voice chuckled and said, "Didn't I tell Bai Ling that we didn't need to wait for me? Why is everyone still sitting here?"