Chapter 244: Not Necessarily Just the Holy Land of One Kingdom

Lu Xingzhou never imagined there could be bad people among the crowd.

Can you just casually say something like this? Is this going to make someone fail at courting a woman? No, this is going to get someone killed.

But to everyone's surprise, Ye Tinglan glared fiercely at Lu Xingzhou, then said nothing; her beautiful eyes swept over the empty shop, and she let out a cold snort: "I'll borrow the changing room."

Then she walked straight in.

What should I even scold him for? How do I even scold him?

I'm just his mentor—what does it matter to me what woman he brings to buy clothes? Can I really fly off the handle in public? What kind of relationship does it imply if I lose my temper in public like this?

All I can do is swallow it.

You still want to chase me? Go die.

Ye Tinglan already had clothes of her own; she didn't need to buy any—she'd merely been unable to find a place to change until now.

When she changed, she touched her cultivation robe and wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose.

If I'd worn my robe as the Heavenly Jade Holy Master, none of today's spatial tears or corrosion could've damaged it. But to play the role of "Madam Ye," I didn't wear my own robe—I wore ordinary clothes, and now look at this mess.

What's worse is I still have to keep wearing ordinary clothes.

Even worse is that this performance has become utterly meaningless now… Su Yuan blurted out "sect leader" right away, and I was the fool who replied with "this seat."

But Su Yuan thought that since Long Qinghuang had shouted it out in public, there was no point hiding it anymore—so the real fool is me.

From Lu Xingzhou's utterly unsurprised reaction, this whole act was a joke from start to finish. How could someone as clever as him possibly hide such a transparent farce… yet under the pretense that I was just his junior sister, I still had to grit my teeth and keep playing the fool.

Ye Tinglan reluctantly gave up her Holy Master robe, picked up ordinary clothes instead, and walked out with a blank expression.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw Lu Xingzhou surrounded by a group of Hanlan Sect members: "How dare you show your face here!"

Lu Xingzhou sighed helplessly: "You repay kindness with hostility. Don't you know how much I've borne for you?"

Seeing their sect leader had even appeared, Ye Tinglan crossed her arms and watched him die, planning to rescue him only after he was half-killed.

But Lu Xingzhou continued: "Though you've come at a perfect time—I was actually planning to pay you a visit. Regarding this glacial incident, Hanlan City was the origin point, and your sect showed the greatest cooperation, even having direct exchanges with bidders from the Heavenly Jade Holy Land. Do you perhaps know more details? Did you ever communicate directly with Gu Zhanting?"

Ye Tinglan: "…"

Hanlan Sect's leader, Zhang Liying, sneered: "You know quite a bit! Seize him!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, Ye Tinglan appeared expressionlessly before him.

Facing those deep eyes, Zhang Liying suddenly felt as if a primordial Tyrannosaurus was staring at him—his whole body went numb.

They say the monster this man brought yesterday was also a Tyrannosaurus—so what kind of women does he even court?

Before he could react, Ye Tinglan seized his shoulder; Zhang Liying didn't even have time to resist—his strength was already sealed.

Ye Tinglan gripped Lu Xingzhou in her right hand and Zhang Liying in her left, and in a "whoosh," both vanished.

Left behind were the stunned Hanlan Sect elites, staring at each other in confusion, none understanding what had just happened.

The "bad crowd" among the onlookers outside had already fled without a trace.

After a long while, one of Hanlan Sect's high-ranking members finally came to his senses: "The topics this man mentioned… no ordinary person could possibly know them… he was deeply involved in this affair."

"Coupled with the two powerful women beside him… have you thought of it? The Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Jade Holy Master openly fighting over a man?"

"So the woman who just walked in wearing a man's clothes to change… was the Heavenly Jade Holy Master? So our sect leader couldn't even withstand one move, and we couldn't even track her movements?"

"So the golden-shining woman who killed our sect disciple yesterday… was the Demon Emperor?"

"Everything makes sense now—no wonder they're so powerful…"

"But why are we still alive?"

It's not rare for a man to court both the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Jade Holy Master; what's rare is that a third-grade ordinary sect that provoked both the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Jade Holy Master has only lost one disciple who was caught harassing someone on the street—and now their sect leader's fate is unknown.

Watching the trembling Hanlan Sect elites leave, the clothing shop owner stared thoughtfully for a long while, then hung two plaques at the entrance: "Elegant Attire, Swept Clean by the Demon Emperor; Comfortable Garments, Loved by the Holy Master."

Horizontal inscription: "Double Blossoms."

From then on, this clothing shop became a local tourist attraction, drawing more pilgrims than the number of cultivators who went to the Frozen Moon Glacial Fields for training.

"Bang!" Ye Tinglan hurled Zhang Liying onto the roadside and sat down on a stone by the path. Just as she was about to interrogate him, she realized her right hand was still holding someone, so she casually set him down beside her.

Thus Lu Xingzhou sat right next to her—and Ye Tinglan didn't notice anything odd at all.

Zhang Liying stared blankly at the two of them sitting so close, his mind going utterly empty.

His own high-ranking members had already guessed Ye Tinglan's identity—he'd figured it out on the way too. So… is the True Person planning to return to secular life?

Ye Tinglan coldly said: "Speak. Have you seen Gu Zhanting or his emissary?" Zhang Liying dared not hide anything: "I truly know nothing of the Dry Emperor's affairs, but the Lord of Si personally visited me. The southern glacial region borders over a dozen sect towns—he likely visited them all, but our Hanlan Sect was the closest, so he chose to initiate from us…"

Ye Tinglan asked several more times, but it seemed there was truly nothing new—Hanlan City was merely the executor and origin point; expecting a mere third-grade sect to know any secrets was unreasonable.

But this line of questioning sparked another idea in Ye Tinglan.

Asking Zhang Liying was useless—why not go directly and question Si Han?

Gu Zhanting wouldn't have tried to sway Si Han with just crude bribes; their thoughts must have been exchanged in meticulous detail.

The struggle between the Heavenly Jade Holy Land and the Dry Imperial Court was a serious, solemn matter—the one that had consumed the most of Ye Tinglan's energy over the past decade. Now that there's a breakthrough with Si Han, and Lu Xingzhou is right here as her strategist, why not probe deeper?

She turned to look at Lu Xingzhou; he guessed what she was thinking and said: "If you want to find Si Han, you must move quickly… delay, and things may change. Si Han has lost his bone dragon and been wounded; the Tian Shuang Kingdom is riddled with sects. There are surely many ambitious lords eager to replace him as alliance leader—no need for Gu Zhanting to do anything. But if Gu Zhanting is secretly manipulating behind the scenes, Si Han might die a very ugly death. This might even be the final move in Gu Zhanting's scheme—how could he possibly sit idly by while a unified, powerful Tian Shuang Kingdom rises right beside his bed?"

Ye Tinglan said: "Whether Si Han lives or dies doesn't matter to me—do you really think it's worth pursuing?"

"Worth it." Lu Xingzhou said seriously: "The grudge between us is minor—no casualties occurred. If we can rescue him from peril, then Gu Zhanting's ally becomes the Heavenly Jade Holy Land's ally. Besides, Si Han isn't weak—he's held his own against you and Long Qinghuang… if a super-grade cultivator might emerge in Tian Shuang, his odds are the highest. The Holy Land stands apart from political power—you might not be limited to being the Holy Land of just the Dry Kingdom."

Zhang Liying's eyes widened; Ye Tinglan stared straight at Lu Xingzhou, her eyes wide open—silence filled the air.

To think of turning an enemy into an ally, and turning the enemy's ally into your own—that's normal enough.

But to say that last sentence… that's almost not something a normal person would even consider.

Is this the man who's treading both the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Jade Holy Master's boats?

Ye Tinglan fell silent for a moment, then turned back to Zhang Liying: "Lord Zhang, regarding this matter, your sect…"

Empowered by Lu Xingzhou's grand vision, Zhang Liying's mind raced—he immediately knelt and bowed his head: "Bi Sect wishes to submit to the Heavenly Jade Holy Land; from now on, we are the Holy Master's dog, guarding the northern gate of the Frozen Moon Glacial Fields and watching the changes in the Tian Shuang Kingdom."

Seeing Ye Tinglan didn't answer right away, Zhang Liying quickly added: "If the Holy Master wishes to directly annex us and make us a branch hall, that's acceptable too—we obey your every command."

Ye Tinglan had merely been stunned by his bluntness; now she shook her head and laughed softly: "Why would I annex you? I accept your offer of submission—I'll have Elder Su Yuan contact you soon."

Zhang Liying was overjoyed: "Thank you, Holy Master!"

Ye Tinglan waved a hand: "Enough, go back yourself."

Zhang Liying quickly bowed: "Wishing the two of you a hundred years of harmony."

Ye Tinglan's smile vanished and transferred to Lu Xingzhou's face.

Watching Zhang Liying's back disappear expressionlessly, Ye Tinglan said with a stern face: "Su Yuan called me Holy Master because he used me to scare people during the previous battle situation. Including Zhang Liying this time; I just borrowed Senior Sister's title."

"Mm, mm." Lu Xingzhou said solemnly: "I know, you are not a monastic."

Ye Tinglan now felt the person whose brain had been kicked by a donkey was not her sister, but herself.

After holding back for a long while, she said: "I am the Holy Master Tian Yao's junior sister, so naturally I am also a monastic."

Lu Xingzhou said: "How can that be seen? Her disciples are not monastics."

Ye Tinglan: "..."

How could I have forgotten that point.

Qingli, with that cold heart and cold feelings, will become a monastic sooner or later in the future; it is just that the time has not yet arrived.

But then she heard Lu Xingzhou say: "Besides, the Imperial Preceptor said that Daoist Priests in the National Observatory can marry."

Ye Tinglan's eyes widened: "Nonsense, when did the Imperial Preceptor ever say such a thing?"

Lu Xingzhou said: "He did say it; go find her and confront me with her."

"You!" Ye Tinglan suddenly stood up, grabbed Lu Xingzhou by the collar with gritted teeth: "Plan Si Han's matter well; don't just fill your mind with improper thoughts!"

Lu Xingzhou tilted his head and looked at her for a long while, then suddenly said: "Mr..."

"Mm?" Ye Tinglan suddenly felt he hadn't called her Mr. for some time...

Lu Xingzhou said: "I want to help you share the burden because I feel sorry for you. Not because I am grabbed by the collar and rushing to stick my head against a cold butt."

Ye Tinglan let go, revealing a fake seductive smile, and reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his lapel: "How... does Young Master Lu want me to treat you like Shen Tang?"

"That is not necessary." Clearly sensing Ye Tinglan's murderous aura, Lu Xingzhou still smiled: "But anyway, I do not eat threats; how about... some reward?"

(End of this chapter)