This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 352 One more song, this time it really is the last one.
Xiang Yuan was right; the artsy young woman really did want to eat people.

However, Jiang Yingjun was attracted to his talent and wanted to discuss art by candlelight, which was not the same as his expertise in being devoured.

There isn't that way of eating it yet!

The convoy set off, entering the gateway where Western Chu and Northern Qi meet, heading straight towards the capital.

Upon arriving in Western Chu, which was someone else's territory, they had to follow Western Chu's rules. Without the special treatment from Northern Qi, the Wuyou Valley caravan could not use spatial manipulation to travel and could only obediently follow the official road.

Jiang Yingjun was overjoyed!
However, there is one downside: these days, when she takes the initiative to approach Xiang Yuan, he ignores her and intentionally distances himself, which is quite troubling for her.

After thinking it over, she realized that it must have been because she had been arrogant and neglected Xiang Yuan, which had angered him.

Sir, you're right. It's my fault!
Ever since Xiang Yuan briefly displayed his talent in original poetry, Jiang Yingjun began to defend him, offering unrestrained and extremely high praise even for things as simple as picking his nose or scratching his toes.

This is really weird; picking your toes has become an art form!
Xiang Yuan thought to himself that this was outrageous. Looking at Jiang Yingjun with her big, watery eyes blinking in front of him, he subconsciously moved back on the couch.

It would have been fine if she hadn't moved, but once she did, Jiang Yingjun thought Xiang Yuan was inviting her to sit down. After a little hesitation, she moved and sat down next to Xiang Yuan.

Xiang Yuan sat up, hugging the cushion. The fragrance was intoxicating, like a cat's claws scratching at his heart, making him want to sneeze.

I glanced outside into the living room and saw several maids rummaging through drawers and cabinets, taking out clothes, folding them, putting them back in, then taking them out again and folding them, over and over again. I had no idea what they were doing.

Are you loyal maids really going to shield your mistress from bullets like this?
Hurry up and come over, or you'll get shot to death.

Xiang Yuan curled his lip, guessing that Jiang Yingjun was unaware of how dangerous she was, riddled with flaws and an easy target, and kindly reminded her, "Master Jiang..."

"Sir, you can just call me Yingjun."

"Okay, Ms. Jiang."

Xiang Yuan nodded and continued, "To be honest, I am actually from Chu."

"what?"

Jiang Yingjun exclaimed in surprise: "Sir, you are a member of the Liu clan. Even if you are not surnamed Liu, you are a close friend of His Majesty. How could you be a person from Chu?"

That requires asking the fundamental principles of one's own mind!

You might not believe it, but there was a Northern Qi cultivator known as "Lacking Mind" who took in two disciples, both of whom were from the state of Chu.

"That's not the point. The point is that you were outmaneuvered by Liu Che!"

Xiang Yuan lowered his voice, feigning concern for Jiang Yingjun: "Liu Che knew I was from Chu and, unable to obtain me, resorted to a honey trap and a scheme to sow discord. Guess who the beauty in the scheme was?"

Jiang Yingjun was taken aback upon hearing this, then smiled slightly: "To be honest, sir, I had also had this concern before. I asked the Empress, and she said that you... In short, I was overthinking it."

Explain yourself clearly, what exactly did your sister say?

Xiang Yuan's lips twitched slightly. Empress Jiang Wang had no goodwill towards him and was sure to have nothing nice to say. It was his fault for saying some things he shouldn't have said at their first meeting, especially in front of her husband. It was only natural that he was being teased, so he didn't complain.

Seeing Xiang Yuan speechless, Jiang Yingjun smiled even more brightly, her smile as radiant as a blooming flower, her fragrance growing stronger: "Sir, Yingjun admires your talent, and has no other intentions. I hope you will not hesitate to give me your guidance."

One more poem, just one, I'm really feeling so bad!

"No, no, no, Your Majesty, I have used this trick before. It is a ruthless way to first belittle someone and then praise them. You used your beauty to your advantage but you didn't realize that you had already fallen into the trap."

Xiang Yuan said with a stern face, "Her Majesty the Empress only belittled me to the point of worthlessness in order to lower your guard. Think about it, if she had praised me to the heavens from the beginning..."

“Sir, Yingjun is not a fool; I understand what you mean.”

Jiang Yingjun sighed softly and told Xiang Yuan to stop talking, as it wouldn't benefit anyone if she made it clear: "If Her Majesty the Empress truly intends this, her consideration must be for the sake of the Jiang family. As a daughter of the Jiang family, with the greater good of the family above all else, how could I not comply? Don't you agree?"

That makes sense. This topic shouldn't be explored too deeply; you'll just end up giving in as the conversation goes on.

Xiang Yuan decisively abandoned the idea of ​​using a beauty trap and instead recounted Liu Che's strategy of sowing discord: "Liu Che knows that I am from Chu, so he asked me to escort you to the capital of Western Chu and drive away the Jiang clan's master. He knows my temperament, and since he promised to protect you, he will definitely keep his word. Just a few days ago, I couldn't help myself and stepped in to help, and the Xiao clan suffered a great defeat and became a laughing stock in the literary world."

"The Xiao family of Shendu, being inferior in skill, resorts to underhanded tricks, making a fool of themselves and bringing shame upon themselves. Why don't you abandon the darkness and embrace the light, and go to my Northern Qi?"

Jiang Yingjun looked concerned for Xiang Yuan: "His Majesty is eager to find talented people and regards you as a close relative. If you go to Northern Qi, you will surely be highly valued."

Your Northern Qi emperors were of the Daoist heart; what kind of enlightened rulers were they? They were more like the rulers of the underworld.

Xiang Yuan shook his head repeatedly, thinking that this matter was too embarrassing to talk about, so he didn't introduce himself and invite discrimination. He bluntly said, "Master Jiang, don't you want to ask why, since I am on good terms with Liu Che and am willing to recruit him, I would rather return to Western Chu to see the Xiao family bar their teeth than stay in Tai'an Prefecture, the capital?"

"Why?"

"I am already engaged to a princess of the Xiao family and belong to the Xiao family, which is why I devised this scheme to sow discord."

"..."

Jiang Yingjun suddenly realized that it was because the Western Chu had a princess that His Majesty and his sister, the Empress, had sent her, a princess with a title, over.

With both sides clashing, whether it succeeds or fails, Northern Qi will ultimately not lose out.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yingjun kindly reminded him, "Sir, if I'm not mistaken, the Xiao family of Shendu has already received the news, and the names of the Liu family members can no longer be kept secret."

Who said no!
Xiang Yuan shook his head. This news must have been deliberately leaked by Liu Che.

Xiang Yuan originally thought that Liu Che was just a nominal disciple, with a righteous face, but without the true orthodox teachings of the Daoist school. He asked Xiang Yuan to help resolve the previous misunderstandings between them. He never expected that a nominal disciple would also be good at digging pits for his own people to fall into.

Especially when it comes to framing fellow disciples, he's sure to succeed every time.

Jiang Yingjun smiled brightly and kept urging Xiang Yuan to leave Western Chu. Seeing that he did not answer, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Sir, who is the Xiao princess who has won your heart, and why do you find it so hard to part with her? I wonder if Yingjun has ever had the honor of hearing her title?"

"I don't know about that. She was recently sealed off, and I haven't asked her yet."

Xiang Yuan revealed Xiao Lingyue's true identity: she was not from the current imperial family, but rather from a collateral branch of the Zhao Prince's household. What followed was a tale of childhood sweethearts, mutual affection, and so on.

When Xiang Yuan and Xiao Lingyue first met, one was sixteen and the other was eighteen. If we're talking about childhood sweethearts, Chan'er is undoubtedly more suitable, as they were both sixteen that year.

But having women on both sides sounds like a scumbag trying to cultivate a devoted lover persona, so I won't go into that here.

Jiang Yingjun listened and nodded, then revealed her true intentions: "Sir, you are in love with her, and you admire each other, which is the envy of others. Have you ever given her any poems?"

Good grief, they were waiting for me here!

Xiang Yuan glanced at Jiang Yingjun and, seeing that there was still hope for her, decisively took out the love token he had written for Xiao Lingyue.

The first poem, "Green Jade Table - Lantern Festival," made Jiang Yingjun hold her breath, her heart tremble, and she felt an extreme envy for Xiao Lingyue.

I searched for him everywhere, and when I turned around, he was there, standing in the dim light.

The artistic young woman thought to herself, if someone were to write this line for her, she would have no regrets in this life, and even death would be worthwhile.

Then came another song, "Prelude to Water Melody," with the lines, "May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, though separated by a thousand miles." Jiang Yingjun's breathing quickened, her clear eyes sparkled, and the mist in her eyes seemed to melt away.

Finally, there are some sayings like "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, for ye may ye have no flowers left to pluck" and "In heaven, we wish to be birds flying wing to wing; on earth, we wish to be trees with intertwined branches."

These few lines of poetry were originally written by Xiang Yuan and Chan'er when they were at their best. He never wrote them in front of Xiao Lingyue, but that doesn't matter. Anyway, Jiang Yingjun doesn't know about them. Taking them out to show off makes it seem like he is deeply in love.

Jiang Yingjun's cheeks flushed as she listened, her heart filled with joy. She held her heart in one hand and murmured repeatedly, her body and mind reaching the pinnacle of pleasure.

Oh no, she got the reward!

Xiang Yuan was willing to show off and casually flaunt his relationship, but unexpectedly, his approach was wrong and played right into the hands of the artsy young woman. She didn't appreciate the subtle nuances of the poem, only savoring its ornate and cloying sweetness.

Even so, Xiang Yuan was still very satisfied. Jiang Yingjun knew her stuff, and showing off in front of her had yielded a very pleasing response.

"Sir, could you compose a poem for Yingjun?"

Jiang Yingjun murmured to herself, then blushed deeply and staggered away, almost tripping over the hem of her skirt in her haste.

She changed her clothes first, and then copied the sentence down at her desk.

Having read this excellent line, I look back at my previous works and feel that they are only of average quality and lack a certain charm.

Having received nine years of compulsory education, Xiang Yuan was able to memorize many famous and timeless verses, which were like sweet rain to a literary young woman like Jiang Yingjun, making them incredibly alluring.

Its lethality was off the charts, comparable to catnip to a cat, making Jiang Yingjun unbearably itchy, unable to eat or drink, and feeling like there were even more ants on her body.

Sir, one more song, this is truly the last one!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The capital of Western Chu.

He stormed upstairs.

Ba Shang Lou is the largest restaurant of the Xiao family in the capital. It is usually only open to the Xiao family members and is occasionally used to entertain distinguished guests.

The group from Wuyou Valley came to cause trouble. They could perform in Qingxin Pavilion, Tianyin Pavilion, and Wenyuan Pavilion, but there was no way they would be arranged to stay in Tianshu Pavilion on the ninth floor. However, this time was an exception. The 'Liu Clan' was arranged to room number one in the top-tier room, and the person opposite them was Jiang Yingjun, the target of their close protection.

The other members of Wuyou Valley weren't so lucky; they didn't have the nine-story building, but they had plenty of empty rooms in the inn.

At this moment, Jiang Yingjun was playing the zither in the Qingxin Pavilion on the second floor. She was renowned, a famous idol and talented woman, and had many followers in Xichu. In addition, Xichu had suffered a great loss before, so many talented people came, wanting to regain their honor. Strangely, most of the talented people were turned away, and those who were allowed in were all young and handsome scholars.

I don't understand what's wrong with the Xiao family of Shen Du this time!
Those who knew the situation came to settle scores, but those who didn't might have thought they were arranging a blind date for Jiang Yingjun!
"That's going too far! Who do you think you are? What's the meaning of this arrangement? I'm completely devoted to your sister-in-law!"

In Room Number One of the Top-Tier Room, Xiang Yuan slammed his fist on the tea table, glaring disgruntled at the three Xiao brothers standing before him.

Xiao Feng.

Xiao Qiushui.

Xiao Ling.

This is outrageous! These three guys actually suspected him of falling in love with a princess from Northern Qi, which is why they escorted him all the way to the capital.

Who do you think you are? Jiang Yingjun is just a little more fragrant and a little more famous. Sleeping with her would break the hearts of countless fans, especially male fans, who would drown their sorrows in alcohol every night, cry their hearts out, and never recover, cursing Xiang Gou to die a horrible death.

Besides these, what other advantages does Jiang Yingjun have?
Looking at Xiang Yuan's unfathomable nostrils, the three Xiao brothers remained expressionless. What talk of unwavering devotion? That's just for fooling their sister-in-law; don't fool yourselves too.

Especially Xiao Feng and Xiao Qiushui, who had spent some time in the Southern Frontier and witnessed the Yellow Springs Left Envoy and the Yellow Springs Saintess being all lovey-dovey. In Zuo Lengxie's words, the two had been inseparable for quite some time.

And yet you still have such unwavering devotion? It must be a deep, hidden devotion within that devotion!
You're so philanthropic!

Xiao Feng had something to say. Every time he encountered Xiang Yuan, he was the first to get beaten up. This time was no exception. At the border between the two countries, Xiang Yuan, who was covered up, used his power to intimidate him. Xiao Feng vomited blood while playing chess.

We're family, so as long as you're happy, let's not bring this up. But what does the Liu clan mean by this? You're a true member of the Xiao family, how did you get involved with the Liu clan?

Xiao Feng spoke in a muffled voice, his words full of grievance, exclaiming that there were cows here.

"How could I possibly have any connection with the Liu family? I don't even know them!"

Xiang Yuan pounded his chest and sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you the truth. Last year, I recovered the Water-Suppressing Iron Sword that was stolen by the Hundred Rivers Alliance. The Li family of Shangyuan in Southern Jin entrusted Daoist Ziyang to come to us, explaining the potential danger of floods and asking me to have some compassion and take the Water-Suppressing Iron Sword to Southern Jin to save the people from the disaster of floods..."

“You know me, I am kind-hearted and can’t bear to see suffering. My heart softened and I agreed to take the boat south.”

Kind-hearted? x3
You're anything but kind when it comes to making money! x3
The three Xiao brothers inwardly complained and said in unison, "Brother, you're foolish! Southern Jin is a desolate and dangerous place, full of unruly people. How perilous this journey will be! You shouldn't have agreed to Shangyuan Li Gou's offer."

"Shut up, I haven't gotten to the point yet."

Xiang Yuan squinted and said, "When I was suppressing the water in Shangyuan Capital, I used too much force, causing a sinkhole to form and damaging the water-suppressing altar."

"Brilliant!" x3
The three brothers were overjoyed and their spirits were lifted.

"The altar was damaged, revealing the remains of the pyramid below, which were exactly the same as those below the capital. So I led the Li family patriarch to raze the pyramid to the ground, thus saving the Southern Jin's golden dragon of destiny."

"How could my brother be so unwise!" x3
The three brothers were furious, but Xiang Yuan glared at them and they burst into tears, saying that God was blind and that Southern Jin had gotten incredibly lucky.

"How can we govern a country well with a bunch of short-sighted insects like you? Today they are the leeks of Southern Jin, bah, the common people, but tomorrow they won't be good citizens of Western Chu!" Xiang Yuan slammed his fist on the table in anger.

Although his words made sense, the three Xiao brothers still looked as wretched as if their ancestral graves had been dug up.

Seeing the smoke rising from the Li family ancestral graves in Shangyuan was even more distressing than having their own graves dug up. Is there anything worse in the world?

Yes, there really are, and there are two of them.

The first person to help light incense at the Li family ancestral grave in Shangyuan was Xiang Yuan, a man from Chu and the son-in-law of the Xiao family.

Secondly, according to what Xiang Yuan said, after going to Southern Jin, he went straight to Northern Qi and saved the Northern Qi's golden dragon of destiny, thus becoming a member of the Liu clan.

“Wow wow wow——”

Xiao Feng thought of something sad and burst into tears, crying like a two-hundred-pound child.

Xiang Yuan rolled his eyes speechlessly: "Stop howling, I couldn't save the Golden Dragon of Northern Qi's destiny."

"The dragon is dead?"

Xiao Feng was overjoyed, and Xiao Qiushui and Xiao Ling's eyes also lit up.

"No, Liu's fortune dragon was saved ahead of schedule with the help of outsiders."

"..." x3
Brother, can you stop pausing like that when you speak? It's really hurting our brotherhood! x3
"Big brother, which idiot did this?"

Although you called my master a fool, I'm not angry at all. But be careful when you walk at night in the future. If you encounter a Taoist priest claiming to be from Shaolin Temple, don't hesitate to kowtow to him; there's still hope for salvation.

Xiang Yuan glanced at Xiao Feng with sympathy and said, "I secretly sneaked into Tai'an Prefecture, the capital, and dug a tunnel through the Liu family's imperial tomb..."

"Good digging!"

Upon hearing about the imperial tomb, Xiao Feng immediately perked up and patted his chest, saying, "Brother, next time there's such rough work, let me do it."

Ignoring the dying man, Xiang Yuan continued, "I infiltrated the pyramid but didn't see any cultivators from the Other Shore Sect. Instead, I encountered a man and a woman, extraordinary individuals. They misunderstood my intentions, thinking I had set up the Dragon-Locking Evil Array. My explanations were useless, so I suppressed my grievances and beat them half to death before clearing up the misunderstanding."

At this point, Xiang Yuan paused, and seeing that the three Xiao brothers did not react much, he said calmly, "These two are named Liu Che and Jiang Wang."

"..." x3
After a brief silence, Xiao Feng let out a loud shout and the three brothers burst into tears again.

Good news: Xiao's son-in-law broke into the Northern Qi imperial tomb at night, intending to kill the enemy emperor and empress, but beat them half to death.

Bad news: They reached a settlement.

"Brother, how did you reconcile? Is there some misunderstanding?"

"Yes, we shouldn't have reconciled!"

"Brother, if you need money, just say so. We don't want to make money off the filthy Northern Qi. Let's go kill Liu Che!"

"..."

Xiang Yuan rolled his eyes, enjoying the thrill of manipulating people's hearts, before saying, "Let's say we became friends after a fight, but I did beat up Liu Che. To clear up the misunderstanding, I escorted Lady Jiang to the capital. Do you understand now?"

"understood."

"The honey trap!"

"That shameless Liu Gou saw that my elder brother was strong and muscular, so he married a princess to climb the social ladder. They are a royal family, yet they have no shame at all."

"..."

Stop cursing, you're cursing yourself too.

"What I've said is simple: I'm devoted to your sister-in-law and I wouldn't knowingly fall into a honey trap..."

"Then why are you still helping her, brother? If it weren't for your intervention, Western Chu would have won a great victory." Xiao Feng muttered under his breath.

"You deserve a beating! You have no idea how ugly your face looks when you're standing across from me!"

Xiang Yuan snorted coldly: "I remember it very clearly. You said my chess was terrible and that my painting was titled 'Self-Inflicted Humiliation.' I'll settle this score with you later."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng immediately wilted.

"In short, I promised the Liu family to send Jiang Dajia to the capital. Now that the mission is complete, you can seek revenge directly. I won't interfere. But if you resort to underhanded methods, don't blame me for being ruthless."

In any case, Liu Che was his fellow disciple, and Xiang Yuan and Jiang Yingjun were related by blood, so they wouldn't just stand by and watch her suffer injustice in Western Chu.

He had already planned it all out: after the concert tour ended, he would send the person directly to the capital, Tai'an Prefecture, to return them intact, thus demonstrating that his word was as good as gold.

Later, he could boast to Xiao Lingyue that an idol princess once tried to seduce him, but he remained unmoved by her beauty and returned her unharmed.

In this way, you'll definitely unlock a few new poses.

The three Xiao brothers didn't believe a word of Xiang Yuan's nonsense. The two had been inseparable all along the way, so how could there not have been any friction?

Xiao Qiushui looked troubled: "Brother, my Xiao family in Shendu despises despicable means the most, but there are many bandits in Xichu, and many people in the martial arts world are waiting to see my Xiao family make a fool of itself. There are also some vicious and ruthless people who dare to kidnap the princess of Beiqi, making it difficult for my Xiao family to explain to the Liu family."

"What's there to be afraid of? This is the capital city. If they dare to come, we'll make sure they don't leave alive." Xiang Yuan said dismissively.

"Brother, the itinerary for Wuyou Valley has been changed. We've been invited to Guanshan Daozhen Dianfu." Xiao Qiushui said with difficulty.

Zhen Dian Prefecture?
Isn't that the territory of Prince Zhao's mansion? What is Wuyou Valley doing there?
Xiang Yuan raised an eyebrow, sensing something was amiss. Guanshan Road was right next to Southern Xinjiang, and the journey there would inevitably pass through the territories of the three Tianzong families. If he didn't accompany and escort her, Jiang Yingjun's journey could only be described in eight words.

One step into the stomach, every step is fraught with danger.

Also, why did Jiang Yingjun, who had nothing better to do, run to Zhen Dian Prefecture?
That place is close to the southern border. Listen to me, don't go. If some vixen finds out that her husband rode in the same carriage as you, she might just turn you into a puppet clone.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

10,000 words, please vote for me at the beginning of the month!

The fan title event starts this month, with the number of slots increased to 20.

(End of this chapter)