Chapter 270: 141. Lin Xiao carelessly gave up three lives! The mastermind behind the scenes turned out to be her! (9000-word blockbuster seeking monthly tickets)_2
"If he remains stubborn... don’t blame me, his mother, for being heartless!"
Nangong Biyao’s pretty face was cold, her beautiful eyes wide open, revealing an endless killing aura.
「....」
「....」
Forbidden area of the Qinglan Sect, Coiling Dragon Abyss.
"Lord Blood Demon, why didn’t you question that young man just now about the identity of the woman in the coffin?"
In front of the Demon Suppression Tower, Yuanyi couldn’t help but ask the personage inside the tower.
"Unnecessary complications will inevitably lead to disaster."
The demonic voice from within the tower, having shed its earlier arrogance, said gravely, "I believe I now recall that woman’s identity. She... is someone we cannot afford to provoke! At least, not for now! Wait until I shatter this seal, bathe the Righteous Path of Central Land in blood, and reclaim my full power. Then, we shall venture to the Great Zhou Dynasty in the Western Wilderness and pay her a visit!"
"We shall act according to Lord Blood Demon’s command!"
Yuanyi knelt and kowtowed.
「....」
「....」
「Meanwhile.」
At Dragon Head Peak, inside Shenxiao Palace of the Qinglan Immortal Sect.
After Lin Xiao publicly acknowledged his relationship with Guo Yourong, the assembled Elders, along with Sect Leader True Master Ziyun, naturally had little more to say. After offering some words of comfort to Su Mei, they all bestowed their blessings as elders.
Even the notoriously harsh Chairman of Red Cloud Peak, Daoist Chisong, declared he would personally deliver a wedding gift for Lin Xiao and Guo Yourong’s grand wedding the following day.
After all, in the ten thousand years since the Qinglan Sect’s founding, never before had there been such an ostentatious and widely proclaimed wedding among its disciples, announced to every member of the sect.
With the threat of the Demon Sect currently looming, everyone in the sect felt an unsettling disquiet. Lin Xiao’s wedding, as the chief disciple, was thus considered a way to bring some much-needed cheer and good fortune to the sect.
Once Lin Xiao’s wedding was confirmed, aside from five Grand Elders who had departed earlier, the remaining Chairmen and Elders proceeded to the dining hall of Dragon Head Peak for a vegetarian banquet.
The scene was bustling and filled with chatter. Lin Xiao noticed that the crafty old Yuanyi had disappeared somewhere.
After a moment’s thought, Lin Xiao decided not to mention Niu Batian for the time being. Instead, he simply spoke briefly with True Master Ziyun about some aspects of his cooperation with Ye Xuan’er.
During the banquet, although he sat side-by-side with Yurong, their hands clasped, Lin Xiao’s gaze couldn’t help but drift towards his Master, Xiao Hongling.
Just as he’d expected, his beautiful Master was downing strong liquor, one jug after another. The attempts by True Master Ziyun and Daoist Chisong to dissuade her were futile.
She merely claimed that with her disciple’s wedding settled, her heart was full of joy.
Heh, joy, indeed.
I’ve fulfilled your wish this time and am now betrothed to Yurong. I truly hope you are happy...
Lin Xiao sighed inwardly.
Then, he secretly glanced towards Zhu Wanning in the distance.
He saw the young woman, her eyes red and moist, staring blankly into the void.
Beside her, around ten female inner sect disciples from Phoenix Caw Peak had gathered around their Eldest Senior Sister, their faces etched with concern.
Martial Uncle Su was holding her beloved disciple’s small hand, her expression full of heartache as she murmured something.
However, no matter how those around her tried to offer comfort, this aloof Fairy Zhu remained utterly silent, until...
Her gaze inadvertently met Lin Xiao’s.
In that instant, their eyes locked.
At this moment, silence spoke volumes.
At this moment, an image resurfaced in Lin Xiao’s mind: the last night they were trapped in the Secret Realm, the two of them sitting shoulder to shoulder on a mountaintop, gazing at the moon.
Back then, blushing, she had suddenly asked, "Senior Brother Lin, how do you say ’I like you’ in your hometown’s dialect?"
"I fancy you, I do," he had replied after a moment’s thought.
"Good! Wanning... fancies you! My Senior Brother Lin!" she had immediately repeated.
In that instant, this usually cool and proud Fairy Zhu was so docile and sweet, it was quite unlike her.
"So..." she had leaned against his shoulder and asked again, "Can this... be expressed with a hand gesture?"
"Sure," Lin Xiao had replied without hesitation, curving his fingers to make a playful finger heart gesture.
However, the young woman’s sense of humor was rather peculiar.
That simple gesture had made her laugh for the entire night.
"Senior Brother Lin, Wanning will remember this gesture for a lifetime," she had finally said with utmost seriousness.
His thoughts gradually returned to the present.
Lin Xiao looked again at the young woman with whom he had once performed the marriage ceremony.
Seizing a moment when Yurong wasn’t looking, he once again made the finger heart gesture.
She should... understand what this means, right?
I... still like her.
So he thought.
The next moment, upon seeing his gesture, Zhu Wanning, who was opposite him, suddenly seemed to spring to life. A light returned to her beautiful eyes, and after a long moment, she tearfully nodded at him!
Her reaction made Su Mei and the others finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Wanning once said that when she truly commits to someone, she will unconditionally believe their every word. So... my signal just now must have instantly put her mind at ease a great deal.
Thinking of this, Lin Xiao felt an even deeper pang of guilt.
After all, the hand he was currently holding was Yurong’s!
If only... there were an opportunity for them to coexist harmoniously, with me presiding, forming a united, loving, and happy family of cultivators... how wonderful would that be?
This shameful thought surfaced in Lin Xiao’s mind once more.
"Eldest Senior Brother, are you still worried about Senior Sister Zhu?"
Just as Lin Xiao’s mind was awhirl with conflicting thoughts, Second Junior Sister Yurong’s voice reached his ears.
He stiffened, about to explain, but then he saw the young woman lean against his shoulder and say softly, "Eldest Senior Brother, being able to lean on your shoulder openly like this, in front of everyone... Yurong is already incredibly happy. If... you truly also care for Senior Sister Zhu in your heart, perhaps... I can accept that..."