Chapter 109: Ahh ...

First of all, Lu Yuan is not a narcissist.

However, Lu Yuan is neither foolish nor stupid, nor is he the type to play dumb while fully understanding the situation.

Lu Yuan could sense that Shen Shulan probably harbored a tiny bit of goodwill towards him.

Lu Yuan is someone who always acts openly and honestly, never playing the games of a two-faced hypocrite.

Pretending to be single and unattached while already married with a wife, then going out to deceive other girls.

That kind of thing, Lu Yuan could never do!

Therefore, it's better to say it outright quickly, to avoid misleading her.

Otherwise, if she genuinely thinks he's unmarried and gets involved, only to be told later that he already has two wives.

Wouldn't that be purely wasting her time?

You can't just curse others with your mouth while doing the same hypocritical things yourself, right?

Lu Yuan isn't some kind of playboy!

And if Lu Yuan was mistaken about this, and Shen Shulan actually doesn't have any feelings for Lu Yuan at all.

If her current behavior is merely out of respect for Lu Yuan, then Lu Yuan directly introducing his wives would be even less of an issue.

After all, the things Lu Yuan said yesterday weren't just empty words to fool Aunt Qiao'er and Aunt Qin.

Both parties are willing, Lu Yuan is genuinely and sincerely treating the two beautiful aunts.

The two beautiful aunts also genuinely want to marry Lu Yuan.

Apart from age, everything is just like any ordinary married couple in the world, not some sneaky, underhanded affair.

Since they are his proper, legitimate wives, then they should have the status and dignity of wives.

Is it illegal for a woman to be over a decade older than the man when they marry?

Some people might gossip behind their backs, but if you care too much about what others say, you'd never get anything done.

Anyway, Lu Yuan is completely open and honest with the two beautiful aunts, and they are the same with him.

Therefore, Lu Yuan felt it was even more important to introduce his two wives properly to his friend Shen Shulan.

Lu Yuan felt there was absolutely nothing wrong with what he was doing.

As Lu Yuan finished his introduction, Aunt Qiao'er and Aunt Qin truly hadn't expected Lu Yuan to introduce them so openly and generously.

Yesterday's warmth and promises still echoed in their ears; while they believed him, there was always a thin veil of uncertainty in their hearts.

Only now, at this moment, had this veil been forcefully torn away by Lu Yuan's own hands.

Sunlight poured in, completely unobstructed.

For a moment, the two beautiful mature women felt their hearts flooded with immense joy and happiness.

Their hearts felt even sweeter and happier than if they had eaten honey.

Especially Zhao Qiao'er, who had been named by Lu Yuan.

She felt like she was about to melt completely.

Particularly that intimate yet domineering "Qiao'er," spoken without the "Aunt" attached.

The usually aloof, head of the number one chamber of commerce beyond the Great Wall who looked down her nose at people.

At this moment, she resembled a young girl experiencing love for the first time, not knowing where to put her hands and feet.

Her captivating, beautiful eyes were brimming with joy, almost overflowing with tears, gazing infatuatedly at Lu Yuan, the love in her eyes so thick it seemed tangible.

"Zhao Qiao'er greets the Taoist Master~"

Her voice was soft and delicate, carrying a barely perceptible tremor.

Seeing her silly appearance, Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Just a greeting? Aren't you going to thank her?"

Only then did Zhao Qiao'er snap out of her daze, quickly turning to Shen Shulan, two charming blushes flying across her cheeks, her voice sweet and sticky:

"For the previous matter, many thanks to Wuqing Temple, and even more thanks to Taoist Master Shulan for your assistance."

"Taoist Master Shulan, happy new year~"

Meanwhile, Shen Shulan was completely frozen in place.

Her mind was a complete blank.

No...

That can't be?

Uncle-Master Lu Yuan... is married?

And... this Zhao Qiao'er, wasn't she Uncle-Master's auntie before?

What on earth is going on?!

However, something even more mind-boggling was yet to come.

Lu Yuan turned his head, looking at the Aunt Qin behind him who had been casting silk-like, alluring glances at him since earlier.

He certainly knew what this minx Aunt Qin wanted.

Lu Yuan grabbed her warm, soft little hand, pulling her out from behind him, and said to Shen Shulan with a smile:

"Let me introduce you, this is also my wife."

Then, he looked down at the person in his arms, his smile widening.

"Come on, Meiqin."

"Say hello to the Taoist Master."

Aunt Qin, who was usually the coldest and even somewhat domineering in front of outsiders, now truly resembled a gentle, obedient little wife.

She nestled against Lu Yuan's side, both shy and proud, her voice dripping with sweetness.

"Greetings, Taoist Master Shulan~"

"Taoist Master Shulan, happy new year~"

Shen Shulan: "？？？？"

She felt her brain had completely short-circuited.

No... that can't be?!

These two... both became Uncle-Master's wives?!

Huh???

Shen Shulan stared blankly at Lu Yuan, her voice trembling as she stammered:

"Be... before, I... I never heard that Uncle-Master..."

After all, Uncle-Master... after this new year, he's only twenty years old.

And these two... no matter how you look, they are both around thirty.

How could this be...

Under Shen Shulan's bewildered and helpless gaze, Lu Yuan smiled especially brightly.

"We just got married yesterday."

"It's just that the Nurturing Malevolence Site matter was too urgent, really no time, so we just had a quick wedding toast."

"Once we're done with this business, we'll have a proper banquet."

At this point, Lu Yuan even looked sincerely at Shen Shulan and extended an invitation:

"When the time comes, we'll definitely invite Senior Sister Shulan to come drink a wedding toast."

Shen Shulan blinked dazedly.

Yesterday?

So... last night, when she was listening to her father and Celestial Master He Xun discuss Uncle-Master Lu Yuan, Uncle-Master himself... was already in the bridal chamber??

She fell silent, not knowing how to react.

Lu Yuan didn't mind, instead asking her curiously:

"Speaking of which, Senior Sister Shulan, weren't you busy with the Nurturing Malevolence Sites? How do you have time to come to Fengtian City?"

You should know, if it weren't for that bastard Tan Jiji stabbing him in the back, requiring recuperation, Lu Yuan himself had planned to head to the next Nurturing Malevolence Site on the first day of the new year.

And Shen Shulan's task was much heavier than his.

On that Nurturing Malevolence Diagram, most of the scattered and remote points were assigned to her.

It's already the eighth day of the new year, how could she appear here?

Mentioning serious business, Shen Shulan snapped out of her immense shock and quickly said:

"There are only a few left, no rush."

"I came this time, besides paying New Year's respects to Uncle-Master, also wanted to see if I could help Uncle-Master handle some of the Nurturing Malevolence Sites around Fengtian City."

"Last night, I heard Celestial Master He Xun say that Uncle-Master still has about seven or eight left unprocessed?"

"I want to help Uncle-Master clear the Nurturing Malevolence Sites. Uncle-Master, please don't misunderstand, Shulan isn't trying to take credit for Uncle-Master's work."

"I just want to purely help Uncle-Master. All the credit belongs to Uncle-Master."

"After the Celestial Master Grand Ceremony, Shulan's name definitely won't appear on Uncle-Master's 'Merit Record.'"

Lu Yuan: "？？？？"

He completely ignored the latter part of her words, only stunned by the first sentence.

What do you mean... only a few left?

Huh??

Lu Yuan asked himself that during this period, aside from recuperating, he hadn't slacked off for a single day.

How come, for Shen Shulan, it's... it's only a few left?

His expression of utter disbelief was fully captured by Shen Shulan, who hurriedly explained:

"The locations Uncle-Master provided, the ones that were too remote, I assigned to other fellow disciples from the temple to handle."

"I personally followed the railway line beyond the Great Wall."

"This way, after clearing one site, I could directly take the train to the next location, and even meditate and rest during the journey, making it more efficient."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan fell silent.

He sighed sincerely from the bottom of his heart.

*Sss—*

Wuqing Temple truly lives up to being the number one major sect beyond the Great Wall!

Being the best in the world is no empty title!

Moreover, this matter was definitely not as simple and easy as Shen Shulan made it sound.

The trains beyond the Great Wall, after all, aren't high-speed rail like on Earth; they can't just depart and arrive precisely on schedule.

Not to mention coordinating seamlessly with Shen Shulan's actions, heading to the next site immediately after finishing one.

Lu Yuan could almost conclude that the entire railway system beyond the Great Wall had probably been secretly coordinated by Wuqing Temple.

It might even be possible that a separate locomotive was arranged specifically for Shen Shulan, leaving immediately after finishing, with no stops in between.

Furthermore, for every Nurturing Malevolence Site, someone must have scouted it in advance, just like the old man had helped him back then.

Ensuring there were no mishaps, that no creatures beyond their ability to handle were hiding there.

Then, based on the scouting intelligence, all the ritual items Shen Shulan needed would be prepared in advance.

This was mentioned before; it's like cooking. The actual stir-frying doesn't take much time, but the prep work is what really consumes time.

Just the act of preparing all the items Shen Shulan needed in advance must have saved an incredible amount of time.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. After all, this is a competition for the Celestial Master title.

Naturally, Wuqing Temple would mobilize the entire temple's strength to assist Shen Shulan; that's completely normal.

There's nothing more to say about that. Even Lu Yuan himself has started leveraging the power of Aunt Qiao'er's chamber of commerce to build momentum for his future reputation.

It's all fair.

Only...

Lu Yuan looked at Shen Shulan with a hint of pure curiosity in his eyes.

"You're here to help me?"

Shen Shulan gave a slight nod with her snow-white chin, her stunningly beautiful face wearing an expression of unprecedented seriousness.

"I heard Celestial Master He Xun say that Uncle-Master also aspires to the Celestial Master title."

"But Uncle-Master still has seven or eight Nurturing Malevolence Sites uncleared. Even clearing one every three days would take over half a month."

"The Luotian Grand Offering is about to conclude, after which comes the fifteen-day public opinion period for the Celestial Master Grand Ceremony."

"Once the public opinion period ends, it's the final selection."

"These fifteen days of public opinion are crucial. If Uncle-Master returns too late, many procedures will become extremely rushed."

At this point, Shen Shulan stole a glance at the two stunningly beautiful, mature women beside Lu Yuan, whose allure was almost unbelievable.

Her gaze paused slightly, then she mustered her courage and looked directly at Lu Yuan.

"So... Shulan wants to lend Uncle-Master a hand, as a way of repaying kindness with kindness."

"If I go together, I can definitely help Uncle-Master finish a few days faster."

There's no denying that.

In this three-person team of theirs, adding a Celestial Master would definitely speed things up considerably.

Shen Shulan's intention to repay kindness genuinely surprised Lu Yuan.

Only...

Lu Yuan still found it a bit strange:

"Don't you still have a few sites left to handle yourself?"

"You help me first, but what about your own?"

Shen Shulan, however, simply shook her head, her tone firm.

"My remaining few are not urgent."

"Helping Uncle-Master achieve success first, I can handle mine alone afterwards."

"The procedures for the Celestial Master Grand Ceremony will be taken care of by the temple for me. I don't need to reserve time for those mundane affairs. Uncle-Master needn't worry about me."

Looking at Shen Shulan's usually clear and cold face, now filled with sincerity, Lu Yuan momentarily didn't know what to say.

He was never one to stand on ceremony.

Shen Shlan joining was a tremendous boon for him.

Moreover, her analysis was indeed reasonable; he needed to leave enough time to return to Fengtian City.

Lu Yuan pondered for a moment, stopped being overly polite, and gave Shen Shulan a solemn, respectful bow.

"Thank you, Senior Sister Shulan. I, Lu Yuan, will remember this kindness. In the future, I will repay you generously."

Seeing Lu Yuan agree, a ripple of joy, which even she hadn't noticed, spread in Shen Shulan's clear eyes.

She was just about to speak when a series of urgent, hoarse shouts came from the distance, accompanied by heavy, panting breaths.

"Junior Brother!! Junior Brother!!!"

"Wait wait wait!!!"

Everyone looked towards the source of the sound and saw a figure hurriedly scrambling and stumbling towards them from the street corner.

Taking a closer look, hey!

Isn't that Song Yan!

Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned, taking two steps forward to meet him.

As soon as Song Yan rushed up to them, he grabbed Lu Yuan's arm tightly, gasping for breath as he shouted:

"Junior Brother, are you about to set off for the Nurturing Malevolence Site?"

"Don't go, don't go!!"

"My master! He sent me to tell you something of utmost importance!!"

"A method that can truly get your master selected as a Celestial Master!!"

Lu Yuan: "？？？"

He looked at Song Yan with a face full of question marks.

A method that can truly get him selected as a Celestial Master?

Song Yan, however, paid no heed, dragging Lu Yuan towards the Zhao Residence while yelling:

"Hurry, let's go inside to talk, get me... get me some water!"

Soon, Song Yan pulled Lu Yuan back to the main gate of the Zhao family compound.

His gaze swept over the three women and instantly fixed on Shen Shulan.

Song Yan was immediately dumbfounded.

He looked at Lu Yuan, then at Shen Shulan, his mouth opening and closing.

"Eh... Eh??"

Last night, Celestial Master He Xun and Shen Jizhou had a secret discussion, with Shen Shulan present. Naturally, Song Yan was also there.

The two must have met yesterday.

Of course, not to mention yesterday; as a disciple of Celestial Master He Xun, Song Yan must have met Shen Shulan before.

Song Yan was a bit confused now. Why would Shen Shulan appear here??

Lu Yuan immediately chimed in from the side:

"Senior Sister Shulan and I have known each other for a long time."

Song Yan: "？？？？"

Huh??

This junior brother of mine is quite capable!!

He even knows Shen Shulan, and they're meeting in a private place like this?

Their relationship must be pretty good then!

Shen Shulan, meanwhile, gave a slight bow to Song Yan, her expression returning to its usual aloofness as she spoke calmly.

"We meet again, Uncle-Master."

Song Yan shuddered and quickly waved his hands.

"Don't dare, don't dare... Junior Sister Shulan is also here..."

He, Song Yan, also didn't dare to be called Uncle-Master by Shen Shulan; he could only call himself her senior brother.

Shen Shulan gave a slight nod, her tone serious.

"Mm, I have a very good relationship with Uncle-Master Lu Yuan. I came specifically today to pay New Year's respects."

Shen Shulan didn't mention helping Lu Yuan clear the Nurturing Malevolence Sites.

It wasn't something she needed to hide or conceal.

It was just that Shen Shulan couldn't be bothered to say more; there was really no need for Song Yan to know about such matters.

After hearing this, Song Yan looked utterly bewildered.

Shen Shulan, this unattainable flower on a high peak, has a good relationship with a disciple from outside Wuqing Temple??

And a very good relationship at that???

Song Yan stared blankly at Lu Yuan.

You kid are something else!!!

Lu Yuan, however, didn't dawdle. He didn't know what method Song Yan was talking about, but he was in a hurry to set off.

He directly grabbed Song Yan's arm instead, pulling him towards the main room in the front courtyard of the Zhao Residence, calling out without looking back:

"Qiao'er, have someone bring a pot of tea."

Behind them, Zhao Qiao'er's sickeningly sweet voice immediately rang out.

"Alright~"

Song Yan: "？？？？？"

Huh??

Song Yan whipped his head around, looking at Zhao Qiao'er's current shy, timid, obedient, and sweet appearance. He was completely dumbstruck.

Before this, he had seen this female head of the number one chamber of commerce beyond the Great Wall at many major events.

Every time he saw her, this head of the number one chamber of commerce beyond the Great Wall, the White Deer Chamber of Commerce, had an arrogant, haughty, and superior attitude.

This...

This little... wife-like tone of hers...

What does it mean??

Before Song Yan's brain could process this, Lu Yuan seemed to remember something, turned his head to look at him, and grinned.

"Oh, right, Senior Brother, I forgot to tell you."

"Yesterday, I got married."

"This is my wife."

Song Yan: "？？？？？"

What the hell???

Weren't we coming back together yesterday??

Where did you get married??

With... with whom???

Song Yan's brain completely crashed. Before he could reboot, Lu Yuan had already pointed at Zhao Qiao'er behind him and introduced her:

"This is my senior brother, Song Yan."

Hearing this, Zhao Qiao'er was momentarily stunned, then an expression of extreme obedience appeared on her lovely face as she gave Song Yan a graceful curtsy.

"Greetings, Senior Brother~"

"Senior Brother, happy new year~"

Song Yan: "？？？？？"

You!!!

Kid!!

You're fucking amazing!!!!

This...

This fucking means you married the female head of the White Deer Chamber of Commerce, Zhao Qiao'er??!!

However, this was only the beginning.

Lu Yuan's hand then pointed to the other side, at the curvaceous, silk-eyed Aunt Qin.

"This one too."

"We got married together yesterday."

This time, before Lu Yuan could introduce her.

Aunt Qin had already taken light, graceful steps forward, giving the dumbfounded Song Yan a radiant smile, her voice bone-meltingly sweet.

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

"Happy new year."

Song Yan: "？？？？？？"

Ahhhhhhh!!!

Fuck me!!!!

What the fuck did you do last night, ahhhhhh!!!

Fuck me!!!!

How the fuck did you suddenly get married!!!

And fucking married two at once!!!

And fucking to such peerless beauties, stunning enough to topple cities and ruin states, these ultimate great beauties!!!!

I've lived over twenty years, and the most intimate contact I've had is having a woman's little hand massage my shoulders!!!!

You kid!!

What the!!! Fuck!!! Did you do!!!!

Why you!!!!!