This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 363 Who is this person? So rude!

Sword energy soared into the sky.

With a flick of the wrist, boundless power descended like a celestial galaxy, a torrent surging and sweeping across the land.

In the blink of an eye, the all-encompassing light merged into one, and a sword was raised horizontally, capable of striking down the heavens.

The sword energy that shot out from between Xiang Yuan's eyebrows was invisible and formless, its trajectory difficult to discern, and collided with Bai Wuyan's sword finger that was attacking the primordial spirit from a distance.

The greatest sound is silent, reversing the pure white.

The sword energy touched the sword finger, flickering and shimmering, spreading out layers of sword light, with ripples rippling endlessly.

The powerful force forced the sword finger to retreat, reshaping the laws of heaven and earth along the way, repairing the collapsed space, and forcing the illusory image of the finger forming a sword back behind the Sword Master of No Form.

The exchange lasted only a moment, and Bai Wuyan never expected that her seemingly sure-fire strike would end like this.

Perhaps because he had failed to get revenge and was feeling a bit embarrassed, or perhaps because he was used to being domineering, the pure white phantom once again pointed his fingers into a sword and was about to point it at Xiang Yuan in mid-air.

"Such a graceful figure, who could it be? It turns out to be the White Palace Master Bai Feng of Wushuang Palace. I, Bai Hu, greet you in person." Xiang Yuan stood up and bowed.

Xiang calls your eldest disciple "mother-in-law," has a marriage agreement with your second disciple, and calls you "senior sister." They're not enemies, so that's enough. Why are you making such a fuss?

Besides, you were the one who tried to test him and ended up humiliating yourself; it wasn't like someone else deliberately slapped you in the face.

Cultivating immortality is not about fighting and killing; the martial world is about human relationships and worldly wisdom. Seniors, don't be young and impetuous!
Clearly, Xiang Yuan overestimated Bai Wuyan. The latter was oblivious to social etiquette, domineering and arrogant, and determined to get revenge. She pointed a finger down and pierced Xiang Yuan's brow, planting a hypnotic trigger in his primordial spirit.

Calm: "..."

Seeing that Xiang Yuan did not resist and took the hypnosis switch willingly, Bai Wuyan felt no sense of victory, only the conciliatory words of "I really can't do anything with you" and "Are you satisfied now?"

You're putting on an act, kid!
Bai Wuyan felt like she'd punched cotton, infuriating herself and feeling confused. She snorted coldly and left.

Before leaving, his primordial spirit transmitted a message, saying that he would personally come to find Xiang Yuan three days later and ask him to adjust his state so that they could travel together through the Yama Gate to enter the new world and find the relic.

"This woman is such a hassle, she's so old and still needs to be coaxed to be happy."

Seeing the white light dissipate, Xiang Yuan muttered to himself, analyzing the situation of their recent exchange and assessing the gap between himself and the three realms above.

Leaving aside the numerical values, with his innate divine strength, all beings are equal. Bai Wuyan could never be his match. Even if he and the Door Crack Sword Master were to fight together, he could still take them down with a single punch.

The key is the mechanism; the experts in the upper three realms are indeed quite something.

He didn't use his trump card; relying solely on his newly created Nine Paths of Asking the Heavens, he was still successfully hypnotized by Bai Wuyan today.

As for the consequences, one can imagine from the example of the Sword Master of No Form. He was controlled by Bai Wuyan and had no choice but to fall into the trap set by the Xiao family of the capital, thus gaining a great reputation for rebellion and execution.

"Three days later..."

Xiang Yuan frowned slightly. He was used to Bai Wuyan's aloofness and had a rather ordinary impression of her. Teaming up with her for dungeons would mean being bossed around, which was far less enjoyable than teaming up with Xiao Lingyue and Chan'er.

"May Heaven above bless the New World to severely weaken her system, weaken it to death, and see how arrogant she can still be."

As Xiang Yuan muttered to himself, Xiao Feng, who was standing to the side, woke up from his daze and roughly realized something. He gasped and belatedly showed his shock.

"Brother, is there another expert behind the Sword Master of No Form?"

“Yes, a powerhouse in the upper three realms,” Xiang Yuan added.

"Up, up, up..."

Xiao Feng slapped his forehead a few times and said, "It's a misunderstanding. The Sword Master Wuxiang did not come here to attack the Northern Qi princess. Instead, he was secretly instructed by a senior. The Heavenly Sword Pavilion is actually loyal to the Western Chu. I, Xiao, have misunderstood the Sword Master Wuxiang. I will untie him and treat him well."

You're quite adept at understanding social dynamics!
Xiang Yuan rolled his eyes and said irritably, "If you're not from the top three realms of the three Heavenly Sects, no matter how much you entertain the Sword Master of No Form, you won't be able to flatter him."

"Brother, I am foolish, could you please explain yourself clearly?"

Xiao Feng is just a goofball, a bit of a troublemaker, and the word "stupid" doesn't really apply to him. Analyzing Xiang Yuan's tone, the suddenly appearing expert from the Upper Three Realms and the mastermind behind the plot to conquer the world are not the same people.

Any more and he wouldn't be able to analyze it.

"The Palace Master of Wushuang Palace, she's here to see me."

Xiang Yuan glanced at Xiao Feng, and to prevent him from worrying and overthinking, he kindly made up a lie to help him sleep: "Your sister-in-law and I are engaged, and she is also the closed-door disciple of the White Palace Master. She came here to test me, to see how my cultivation is and whether I am worthy of her disciple."

Is it true or not? If it's just a test, why not just do it yourself? Why go through all this trouble by using the Sword Master of No Form? Anyone who doesn't know better would think it's a show of force!

Brother, are you hiding something from me?
"So what if I'm good enough, or not?"

Xiao Feng, still somewhat doubtful, added, "Brother, don't misunderstand. I just think you and sister-in-law are a match made in heaven. It's such a pity that you haven't received the approval of the White House Lord."

"If she's worthy, we'll turn a blind eye; if she's not, your sister-in-law will go into seclusion, and the wedding date will be indefinitely postponed."

"The White House Chief is being somewhat unreasonable..."

Xiao Feng whispered, afraid that Xiang Yuan wouldn't hear him, and also afraid that Bai Wuyan would hear him.

At the same time, I was extremely relieved and gave a thumbs up to the insect brothers in the capital. We had two options: if one princess didn't work out, we would have the other.

Xiao Feng didn't care who his sister-in-law was; as long as she was surnamed Xiao, he would wholeheartedly support her.

"Brother, did the White House lord come here just for this matter?"

"if not?"

Xiang Yuan didn't want to say more. He glanced at the unconscious Wuxiang Sword Master and said, "This person has no choice in his own life, so I won't interrogate him. You can decide for yourself. If the Heavenly Sword Pavilion is willing to redeem him, I want 70% of the proceeds."

"As it should be."

Xiao Feng nodded. Thirty percent was too little, making the Xiao family of Shen Du look like they were begging on their knees. He planned to ask for seventy percent at the time.

While the Sword Master of No Form is indeed innocent and forced to come under Bai Wuyan's control, since he's already here, if we don't exploit his identity, what difference is there between the Xiao family of Shendu and idiots?

Xiao Feng had already planned it all out: first, pin a charge of rebellion on them, then get a confession, and do everything he could to pin the blame on the three Tianzong families.

Who are the loyal ministers and who are the rebels? The Xiao family of Shendu has no idea about these things. They can only judge by the actions of the three families of Tianzong.

……

After leaving the dungeon, Xiang returned to Zhen Dian Prefecture, went directly to Jiang Yingjun's door, and had several maids pack their belongings so they could immediately get into the carriage and return home.

We'll leave tonight!

Jiang Yingjun was puzzled. Seeing Xiang Yuan's solemn expression, she assumed something serious had happened. It wasn't until she got into the carriage and, after several spatial shifts, arrived at the Northern Qi Tai'an Palace, that she realized what was going on.

The mission is complete; the gentleman must leave now.

Jiang Yingjun was very unhappy. Before going to Western Chu, she had a lot of complaints about Xiang Yuan. After returning to Northern Qi, she was very reluctant to part with Xiang Yuan.

“Sir, you promised His Majesty to protect Yingjun. Now that you have arrived in the capital, you should see this through to the end and explain things clearly to His Majesty in person.”

Jiang Yingjun tried to persuade him to stay, hoping to stall for as long as possible, but seeing Xiang Yuan's anxious look as if he were refining elixirs at home, she knew that even bringing up Liu Che wouldn't be enough to stop him.

Thinking again about Xiao Lingyan, who was clearly engaged but acted like a stranger, Jiang Yingjun decisively spoke up and said what was on her mind.

If we don't say it now, who knows when we'll finally say it!
"When she first met the gentleman, the Empress told Yingjun that he was illiterate and that she and Yingjun were incompatible, like ice and fire, and that they had no connection before and would not have any contact in the future."

Holding the poetry collection given to her by Xiang Yuan, Jiang Yingjun mustered her courage but dared not look Xiang Yuan in the eye. She turned around and said in a whisper, "Only here at the border of the two countries do I realize that there is no need for light green or pale red flowers. They are naturally the best among flowers. Your literary talent is also first-rate among flowers. There is no need to flaunt it. You do not follow the crowd or pursue worldly recognition."

After speaking for a while, Jiang Yingjun felt the atmosphere was about right, and slowly turned around and said, "Sir, Yingjun is pleased..."

There was no joy, the atmosphere was there, but there was no sense of distance in the atmosphere; the space seemed to have shifted away.

"..."

What kind of person is this? So rude!
Strong and powerful, spirited, vulgar, annoying, and lacking in manners!
Jiang Yingjun gritted her teeth, both angry and annoyed. She stomped her foot hard on the spot, then looked at the poetry collection in her arms. Her heart was filled with joy, and the fragrance on her body immediately became stronger.

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.

Zhen Dian Prefecture.

Xiang Yuan spent the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to send all the convoys from Wuyou Valley back to Tai'an Prefecture in Northern Qi. Mission accomplished, he headed towards the Zhaowang Mansion.

With Jiang Yingjun gone, there was no point in Xiao Feng staying. He took the Wuxiang Sword Master back to the capital and discussed with the insects how to create villains and what a reasonable price would be.

With nothing to worry about, Xiang Yuan was just waiting for Bai Wuyan to come to his door in three days so they could team up for a mission in the new world.

A few days ago, he promised Shang Qingmeng that he would go to Jianxinzhai to spend time with her after seeing Jiang Yingjun off. However, considering that Shang Qingmeng had cut off her sense of shame, three days would not be enough time for her to cause trouble, and Bai Wuyan would also come looking for him through Yanfumen, so he decided not to go.

What if they're just getting to know each other when Bai Wuyan suddenly bursts through the door and lures out the Sword Master through the crack in the door...

Just thinking about that scene sent chills down Xiang Yuanguang's spine.

Let's reschedule for another day.

For the next three days, Xiang Yuan planned to further his studies at the Prince Zhao's residence, observe his father closely, and find some fun to relax and rejuvenate.

He made progress and was happy at the same time; in short, learning brought him joy.

The Prince Zhao's Mansion faces south, with vermilion walls and golden tiles. The outer courtyard has nine ceremonial gates, each with a frame of black iron and a facade of purple sandalwood, studded with large, gilded copper nails. The main gate bears a plaque inscribed with "Eternal Glory of the Prince Zhao," signifying the noble status of the ruler of eight prefectures. Before Xiao Yan's arrival, the Prince Zhao's Mansion was merely a temporary palace for the Xiao family in Zhen Dian Prefecture. After Xiao Yan's arrival, feeling the rooms were insufficient, he expanded it within the bounds of propriety.

He then purchased a large amount of land in the surrounding area to house his many adopted sons and daughters.

There was no other way; there were nine princesses whose identities were publicly known, and with such a large family and business, it was simply impossible to arrange for them all.

When Xiang Yuan first arrived at Prince Zhao's residence, the guards at the gate did not recognize him. Even mentioning his name, Mr. Xiang Jiuyi, did not help. After waiting for a while, the commander of the guards from the residence came to recognize him.

The visitor was named He Yuanzhi, Xiao Yan's adopted son. He was the eighth of Xiao Yan's ninety-nine children and had followed him since before Xiao Yan became a prince. He was deeply trusted by Xiao Yan.

The last time Xiao Yan secretly slipped out of his house to meet with Wang's widow Jinlian in Yuliu County, Puzhou, it was he who led the guards.

Xiang Yuan and He Yuanzhi had met before and even sparred once at Xiao Yan's suggestion.

At that time, Xiang Yuan had completed the Foundation Establishment stage but had not yet reached the Innate stage, while He Yuanzhi had already reached the Innate stage. However, the sparring did not end in a fight to the death, and the match ended in a draw.

Because he wasn't surnamed Xiao, He Yuanzhi was an open and honest man with a straightforward personality and no ill intentions—a typical honest person. He lost himself in Xiang Yuan's constant calls of "Myna," always ready to help, doing everything himself, willingly serving as a whetstone for Xiang Yuan to complete all the necessary preparations before advancing to the Innate Stage.

Although they were just passersby, they were rare and precious passersby. Xiang Yuan was deeply impressed by them and remained enthusiastic when they met again.

"Myth brother, I'm here!" Xiang Yuan waved from in front of the mansion gate.

After a year apart, He Yuanzhi had broken through his cultivation level and was now at the Nascent Soul stage. His personality remained unchanged. He quickly stepped forward and said apologetically, "Ninety-first brother, you are new to our home, and no one in the manor recognizes you. That's why we stopped you at the door. Please don't take it to heart."

"Mynah is joking. They are just following orders, so there is no reason to blame them."

Xiang Yuan readily stated that he wasn't petty and told He Yuanzhi to just call him by his name; he had always been rather disdainful of being called "Ninety-First Brother."

He Yuanzhi did not refuse, and changed his address to Xiang Yuan. He led the man into the mansion, and not knowing how to arrange things, he decisively took the man to Xiao Yan.

Xiang Yuan's status in the Prince Zhao's mansion is too complicated. Considering only his status as an adopted son, he should be arranged to live outside the mansion. However, Xiang Yuan is also the son-in-law of the Prince Zhao's mansion, and his status is much higher than that of an ordinary adopted son.

If we go to the Third Princess's courtyard, the Sixth Princess will be unhappy; if we go to the Sixth Princess's courtyard, the Third Princess will be unhappy.

Unable to sort out such a complicated relationship, He Yuanzhi passed the problem to Xiao Yan and let him handle it.

What use is a son like you if you can't even handle such a trivial matter?

In front of Chengqian Hall, Xiao Yan looked at He Yuanzhi with displeasure, glared at him twice, and knowing that even honest people are in a difficult position, he waved his hand to let him leave.

He Yuanzhi felt as if he had been granted a pardon and left with a swagger.

Looking at Xiang Yuan's honest face, Xiao Yan felt like he had a hot potato in front of him, which was difficult to accept and even more difficult to put down.

Xiao He once told him that Xiang Yuan, his adopted son, was a key investment target, and that he should not hesitate to invest directly, as he could not go wrong.

Xiao Yan trusted Xiao He deeply and listened to his advice, even pledging his family's treasured sword, the Jinglan Blade, and against his conscience, he agreed to the marriage between Xiang Yuan and Xiao Lingyue.

At the time, I was a little curious about what benefits there would be in investing in Xiangyuan.

In just one year, the family gained two princess daughters and a grandmaster-level adopted son at the Tongyou stage.

Xiang Yuan was no ordinary grandmaster; he was incredibly powerful and had connections everywhere. Not only did the older generation in the capital bow and scrape before him, calling him "elder brother," but the Northern Qi royal family also vied to claim him as a member of the Liu clan, and even gifted him a princess for this.

Xiao Yan had considered the returns on his investment, but he never expected the returns to be so large and so fast.

But this is too big. Can this small temple in Prince Zhao's residence accommodate such a large Buddha statue?
Xiao Yan wanted to show off his status as both godfather and father-in-law in front of Xiang Yuan, but Xiao Feng's fawning smile was still fresh in his mind. Even his grandfather acted like a grandson in front of Xiang Yuan, so it was already a great honor for Xiang Yuan to call him "dog father."

That's it!
Xiao Yan was at a loss as to what to do with Xiang Yuan, so he resorted to stalling tactics. He ordered a banquet to be prepared and took Xiang Yuan on a tour of the Prince Zhao's residence, treating it as if he were returning home to familiarize himself with the place.

As the Grand Administrator of Guanshan Road, Xiao Yan oversaw all affairs in eight prefectures, hence the Prince Zhao's residence was divided into front and rear courtyards. The front courtyard contained Chengqian Hall, Wenyuan Hall, Wuwei Hall, Zhenyue Hall, and others, each with its own function. In addition to the separate courtyards for the nine princesses, the rear courtyard also included small courtyards for his biological children.

In terms of overall layout, the front courtyard accounts for 40% of the total area of ​​the Prince Zhao's Mansion, while the back courtyard accounts for 60%.

He has always been good to his wife and children.

Regarding work...

All I can say is that Xiao Qian, who had just checked in at Chengqian Hall to express his appreciation for Xiao Qian's hard work, was elegantly and politely ushered out.

Father, please don't make a fuss. Your son is handling official business.

Like Xiang Yuan, Xiao Yan also had a lot of free time.

The two left the front yard and came to the back garden. Xiao Yan turned around every few steps, looking around like a thief to make sure that there were no madams or any maids or spies planted by them. Only then did he lead Xiang Yuan to sit down in a small pavilion in the corner of the garden.

This illustrates the importance of the younger brother's position within the family.

"What? You sent the Northern Qi princess back?"

Xiao Yan was extremely surprised. He had met Jiang Yingjun once. Her appearance and temperament were impeccable. Whether it was her talent or her family background, she was a perfect lover that was hard to find even with a lantern.

Such a perfect beauty, and you just sent her away?
Xiao Yan was incredulous. Xiang Yuan could deceive Cheng Yuling, but he couldn't deceive him. When they first met, he could tell that Xiang Yuan had a shifty look in his eyes and was definitely not a good choice for marrying off his daughter.

That's a type of person!

The question is, what kind of mentality would drive such a scoundrel to reject a princess and beauty who are offered to him and send her back instead?

Xiao Yan pondered for a long time before lowering his voice and saying, "Xiang Yuan, there are no outsiders here. Tell me honestly, how many women are you involved with?"

"Ah, Father-in-law, what are you saying? How can you accuse an innocent person without any evidence?"

Xiang Yuan's face immediately turned red. He was an honest man and didn't talk much, but he vowed to prove his innocence.

"No need, they're all empty promises, I don't want to hear them."

Xiao Yan looked disgusted. Lies don't hurt people, but the truth is the sharpest knife. He had only suspected it before, but seeing Xiang Yuan jumping up and down in excitement, he was now completely convinced.

That bastard is shameless!
Given Xiao Yan's life story, his elder brother, not to mention his second brother, had no right to stand on moral high ground and point fingers. However, since Xiang Yuan was engaged to his two daughters, from the perspective of the old father, he was fully entitled to speak out.

Unfortunately, he couldn't say it; every time he tried to speak, Xiao Feng's fawning face would vanish in an instant.

Grandpa even knelt down!
A thousand words reached my lips, but turned into a sigh.

Xiao Yan gave Xiang Yuan a deep look and instructed, "Don't let Ling Yue and Ling Yan suffer any injustice."

"Father, rest assured, Lingyue and I are in love. To have won her favor is a blessing from many past lives..."

Where is Lingyan?

"..."

Seeing that Xiang Yuan remained silent, Xiao Yan felt it was outrageous that he would not accept a princess offered to him, nor a woman with whom he was engaged. "You are really the same kind of person, aren't you?"

Putting aside his father's position, Xiao Yan only wanted to ask one question: how many people would kneel down and beg for a princess and her sister to share a husband? Are you sure you can resist?
These words were not easy to say to his face, but Xiao Yan had his own way of getting Xiang Yuan to change his mind. He said calmly, "I know that you and Lingyan have no feelings for each other. I only have one question for you. Rather than delaying Lingyan, why not write me a letter and send it to the capital to inform the clan and find a suitable match for Lingyan? Is that alright?"

What kind of nonsense is this? Believe me, the God of Pure Love will chop you in half with one axe!

Xiang Yuan was displeased upon hearing this. After stammering for a while, he finally managed to squeeze out the word "no".

Xiao Yan responded with a cold laugh. As expected, some people were just self-righteous and pretended to be helpless, putting on a passive and ugly face, but in reality they were happier than anyone else.

Bah, vile!

Xiang Yuan came to Prince Zhao's mansion to have fun, not to play the clown, so he decisively changed the subject: "Father-in-law, I plan to stay at Prince Zhao's mansion for three days before continuing my travels. I'm new here and don't know the rules of the mansion. Where would you like me to stay tonight?"

"..."

This question was too profound and stumped Xiao Yan.

Xiang Yuan grinned and took out a gift box: "I brought this from the capital. It's imperial tea specially supplied to Room 1 of the Tianzi Building in Ba Shang Lou. It's a rare commodity. I only managed to get an ounce. Father-in-law, please enjoy it sparingly."

Damn it, that kid tricked me again!
Xiao Yan accepted the tea leaves expressionlessly and said, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

"Father-in-law, what do you think of tonight..."

Xiang Yuan stopped halfway through his sentence and saw Cheng Yuling walking slowly towards him in a gorgeous robe. She had put aside her usual tomboyish and carefree attitude and walked with light and elegant steps, revealing a noble temperament of a hostess.

Almost simultaneously, footsteps sounded behind him. Turning around, he saw a rare and beautiful woman in palace attire, with a dignified and elegant face and a naturally graceful demeanor, exuding the majesty of a mistress.

They met briefly at the concert, but Xiang Yuan didn't notice at the time. Now, looking at them again, there's a resemblance between their eyebrows.

If I'm not mistaken, this is Xiang Yuan's other mother-in-law in the Zhaowang Mansion, the Third Princess Chen Qiaofeng.

With wolves in front and tigers behind, this move is extremely dangerous; a slight misstep could lead to certain death!

Wonderful!

Xiang Yuan immediately fell silent, stood obediently to the side, and then looked at Xiao Yan...

This guy has started playing dead.

Father-in-law, wake up! The lady of the house is here!
Oh, by the way, may I ask, Father-in-law, who is the mistress of the house?

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(End of this chapter)