Minglong

Chapter 272 Aunt, you still have a master?

Even in the depths of winter, Danyang City already exudes a festive atmosphere reminiscent of the Lunar New Year.

As usual, countless students walked along the Chongming River toward the academy at the end of Wencheng Street, chattering about news from the north along the way:
"Master Xie truly lives up to his reputation as someone from Danyang. If it weren't for him, the Northern Zhou Dynasty would probably have been in turmoil..."

"Isn't the change of regime in the Northern Zhou a good thing for us?"

"Uh...that seems to make sense..."

"Sigh, Master Lin and Granny Wang are both gone, and Old Man Li isn't here either. The academy doesn't feel interesting anymore..."

"That's true..."

……

The Lin Family Clinic, located on the street, has become much quieter because the beautiful female owner is no longer there, the group of wealthy ladies who used to frequent it no longer come, and Zisu is gone, so the parents of students who used to come to settle scores every now and then are no longer there.

Only Qinwen, the maid left behind, stood alone by the window, gazing northwards, longing for her master who, while she ate meat, wouldn't even let her have a sip of soup...

Outside Qingquan Lane, the mutton stalls were still packed with people. County Lieutenant Yang Ting sat at a small table, chatting with several constables.

"It's not so much that he fought against ten thousand men; he was just following behind his nephew Xie, going in and out seven times..."

"That's impressive. Da Biaozi has really made something of himself. Back when he was just eating and drinking here, who would have thought he could single-handedly kill a first-grade demon and protect Young Master Xie as he broke through the encirclement in the Northern Frontier..."

"So when you're out in the game, it's all about choosing the right people to follow; making the right choices is more important than hard work..."

……

"Guji?"

Coal Ball peeked cautiously from the alley wall, looking at the steaming mutton pot. Hearing the sound, he seemed a little confused, probably wondering—when did this happen? I don't remember…

Inside the courtyard, Xie Jinhuan quietly landed with the two girls in his arms, and was somewhat speechless upon hearing the nonsense on the street.

However, he couldn't very well go and clarify things himself, so he just looked down at the two girls.

The journey from Xirong Snow Mountain to Danyang was quite long, and he didn't stop along the way, which resulted in the two girls, who couldn't fly, falling asleep during the long flight.

At this moment, Linghu Qingmo was being held with her arms around her waist and leaning against her shoulder, her personal bag still slung over her arm. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she were having a very complicated dream, such as discovering that her master had fallen in love due to a misunderstanding, and that he would end up in an ambiguous relationship with his disciple's son-in-law...

Zhao Ling leaned against the right side, her round face serene and peaceful. Only when she heard the familiar commotion from the street did she slightly furrow her brows, open her eyes, and look towards the courtyard and the Wuwei Pavilion behind it.
"arrive?"

"Yes, you've been running for so long without rest, you guys should get some sleep first."

As Xie Jinhuan spoke, he prepared to carry the two to the Princess's residence in the back to rest, but Zhao Ling had already arrived home and landed. How could she be so embarrassed as to stay nestled in the man's arms like a lover? She got out of bed and stretched:
"I've had enough sleep, you can take her to sleep."

Linghu Qingmo was also awakened by the voices, still slightly dazed, but upon hearing her best friend's teasing words, she straightened up and tucked her hair behind her ear:
"I've had enough sleep, what's next?"

Xie Jinhuan had already briefly discussed the situation on the way, but hadn't mentioned the Wei family by name. He and the two men leaped onto the rooftop and entered the Wuwei Pavilion behind it, saying along the way:
"The Underworld Cult still has remnants in the capital, and they hold extremely high positions. We must root them out as soon as possible. I'll go check on Uncle-Master Zhang Guan first..."

Zhao Ling returned to her entertainment venue, familiarly retrieved several jars of fine wine and drinking utensils from the wine cabinet, and sat down at a small table:
"Can we use the people from the Danwang Mansion and the Academy?"

Xie Jinhuan was indeed somewhat hesitant about this.

After all, the Wei family could be turned, and it would be difficult for people from the Danwang Mansion and the Confucian school not to be infiltrated. If he were to choose the wrong person and cause an intelligence leak, he would alert the enemy and lose the initiative.

To ensure nothing went wrong, the excuses he came up with for returning were all about "being assassinated by the monk Xuyin and suspecting problems within Buddhism." He couldn't even reveal the truth to Zhang Guan.

"The situation is unclear right now, so let's not make a big fuss. Let's wait until we find out some information before we act together. It would be best to wait for Bing... wait for Senior Nangong and the others to arrive before we act together."

Zhao Ling nodded slightly and poured Xie Jinhuan a glass of wine:

"Then get some rest and recharge. I'll have Qingmo boil some water later and give you a back rub or something..."

Linghu Qingmo was still pondering things when he heard the sound and immediately sat up straighter.
Why don't you help him rub it?

Zhao Ling blinked, carefully examining Xie Jinhuan's figure:
"May I?"

?

Perhaps fearing that her drunken best friend might get too drunk and cause trouble, Linghu Qingmo stood up and said:

"Dream on. Go wash yourself, I'll take him to see Uncle Zhang first."

“Hehe~…”

Xie Jinhuan actually thought it would be fine to shower together, but business was more important right now. He downed his drink in one gulp, got up, and followed her out the door...
-
Now, let's turn to Yanjing.

Because Xie Jinhuan and the princess were both out, and Linghu Qingmo had also run off, the official residence where the envoy was staying became very quiet.

Around noon, Lin Wanyi, dressed in a light green fitted dress, stood beside the small alchemy furnace, carefully examining a pale blue pill, half-believing and half-doubting:
"This damn medicine actually works?" The exquisitely beautiful Lin Zisu patted her well-developed chest with obvious confidence.
"Don't you trust my skills, Aunt? Once you take this medicine, even the most fiery woman will inexplicably feel insecure and lack confidence, and she'll lose her desire to fight. However, this medicine isn't effective on everyone. For example, if a vixen who rose to power through her beauty gives it to someone's childhood sweetheart's first wife, she might just let it go..."

Lin Wanyi nodded thoughtfully, thinking that the medicine wouldn't be very effective on Linghu Qingmo, but it would have an immediate effect on the Master of the Manor, and Nangong Ye would probably be the same. However, she didn't have the ability to drug either of them...

As the two were idly conducting their research, a commotion suddenly came from outside the alchemy room:

Call ~
Lin Wanyi thought it was Duoduo who had arrived, so she quickly hid the pills. But in the blink of an eye, she saw two people landing in the courtyard together. One of them was the manor lord, wearing a cloak and hood, and the other was a tall, icy Taoist nun. She was taken aback.
"Eh? Master..."

As soon as she said it, Lin Wanyi realized something was wrong and quickly covered her mouth!

Lin Zisu turned around and saw the two female warriors. She had been looking puzzled, but upon hearing this, she turned her head again:
"Auntie, you have a master?!"

"Uh……"

Outside.

Knowing the seriousness of the situation in the Southern Dynasty, Nangong Ye rushed back without stopping. He originally intended to explain the situation to the Lin family members, but then prepared to turn back.

Seeing the two people's reaction, Nangong Ye paused, looking left and right to see if there were any other elders in the courtyard she hadn't noticed.

But there's only one enchantress by my side, no outsiders...

Is it possible...

! !
Nangong Ye was startled and looked at the enchantress and Lin Wanyi's small glasses...

Bu Yuehua was very prescient, revealing herself in advance. Therefore, her current mental state is:

"Hehe~ Whatever~~ I'm just having fun..."

At this moment, Bu Yuehua ignored the flirtatious nun and stepped forward gracefully, looking at Xiao Zisu, whose eyes were full of surprise and doubt:

“The situation is urgent, so I won’t hide it anymore. Your aunt was a disciple of the Crescent Moon Manor a long time ago, and is now the manor’s Holy Maiden and the next successor. Because of her special status in the Gu Poison Sect, and because you are still young, I haven’t told you this before…”

"is it?"

Lin Zisu looked at her aunt, and after receiving confirmation from her gaze, she said incredulously:
"The second largest sect in Southern Xinjiang, the Crescent Moon Manor? That's impossible! With Auntie's abilities, she's not worthy of... Oh dear~ I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm worthy, I'm worthy..."

Lin Wanyi was so angry she almost exploded, pinching the black-hearted little cotton-padded jacket's ear:

"You still dare to spit? What's wrong with me, Auntie? I was just hiding my talents before, not daring to show off..."

"Ah, yes, yes..."

……

Nangong Ye, initially skeptical, was utterly dumbfounded upon discovering that the two were indeed master and disciple. His icy demeanor vanished, and he even dropped the medicinal herbs he was carrying. Staring at the master and disciple... no, the three generations of the family in the room, he confirmed it once more.
"Dr. Lin, is she your mentor?"

Lin Wanyi was actually a little afraid of Nangong Ye, but since Nangong Ye was a younger sister who had entered the family later, and the manor lord had her backing, she felt slightly embarrassed and said:

"That's right. My father suffered from a chronic illness many years ago, and it was the master of the manor who gave him life-saving medicine, so..."

"..."

Nangong Ye didn't hear what was said next; he just stared at the composed enchantress beside him, his mind racing.

This was actually a pleasant surprise. Not only did the demoness get involved, but she also caused the same ethical tragedy of master and disciple ending up in the same household, just like her. From now on, she wouldn't have to worry about being eaten by the demoness for the rest of her life, and she would also save the trouble of dragging the other's disciple into the mess...

But this shameless demoness, having committed such a heinous act, showed absolutely no nervousness in front of her disciple, and even dared to let her know about it...

Isn't the enchantress afraid that she'll betray her?

Is this a declaration of reconciliation, deliberately giving her leverage to achieve mutual restraint, so that neither of them will harm the other in the future...?

……

Bu Yuehua completely disregarded what the flirtatious Taoist nun thought and turned back to urge her:

"Hurry up, Xie Jinhuan is still waiting. What if something happens if we're late?"

"..."

Nangong Ye truly admired the enchantress's audacity. Because Qingmo was present, she didn't dare to rush up and confront the enchantress. Instead, she calmly picked up the package.
"I never expected Miss Lin to be a highly accomplished disciple of the Crescent Moon Manor. My apologies. I've come here today to ask Miss Zisu to refine some elixirs..."

Lin Wanyi knew these two were both treacherous and felt quite strange. She sent Zisu to talk to them, while she brewed welcome tea for her two younger sisters...

(End of this chapter)