Minglong

Chapter 386 Sword Spirit?

Gulu gulu...

The four-horse carriage drove side by side toward the capital.

Xie Jinhuan sat by the car window, showing the three girls the various rare and precious herbs he had brought back from Longgutan.

Naiduo served him at his side. Perhaps because the man was too hot after getting into the car, he took off his outer shirt and was only wearing a lotus-colored tube top. When serving tea, she deliberately pressed it against his breasts, making the freshly picked pre-rain tea look like a super-sized cup of milk tea.

Linghu Qingmo was reunited with Nai Duo after a long separation. Logically, she should have taken the initiative than Nai Duo, but with her best friend present and no alcohol, she was a little reserved. Therefore, she simply sat opposite Nai Duo, wiping the flying sword she cherished.

Zhao Ling was dressed in a bright yellow palace dress and wore a gold hairpin, looking quite magnificent. She seemed to maintain the dignified and composed demeanor of a princess, but in her heart she was actually uneasy.

After all, the last time I accidentally test-drove Aunt Nangong's car, the feeling of being in ecstasy was truly unforgettable. These past few days, drinking has lost its flavor, and I'm just hoping my personal male lover will come back soon.

Now that Xie Jinhuan is really back, there's bound to be a party to celebrate that night, and then after a few rounds of drinks, when no one's around...

Zhao Ling didn't dare to think about it further, clearing her mind of distractions and turning her gaze to the outside of the carriage:

"Senior Nangong has returned to Zihui Mountain?"

"Yes, I reckon they won't arrive in Beijing until tonight..."

"Oh……"

Zhao Ling sensed that Aunt Nangong was embarrassed to face her, a younger person she knew well, by not disembarking with her. She glanced at Qingmo, feeling rather strange, and changed the subject:
"Qingmo, Xie Jinhuan gave you such a powerful magic weapon, aren't you going to reciprocate?"

Duo Duo was already leaning against Xie Jinhuan, and upon hearing this, she started to tease him:

"Yes, this is a flying sword that can take someone's head from a thousand miles away. Miss Linghu should at least help Young Master Xie wash his face and offer him a cup of wine to welcome him and wash away the dust of his journey, right?"

Linghu Qingmo liked Xie Jinhuan so much that he wanted to give him seven or eight children as a return gift. What was a welcoming party compared to that?
However, Duoduo's "washing her face before toasting" definitely didn't mean washing her face and offering a plain drink. She wasn't drunk, so she couldn't very well be the first to respond.

“Ling’er, he also snatched a divine opportunity for you. You are also the host on this trip, so you should go first to show your appreciation.”

Zhao Ling didn't care about this, since there were no outsiders in the carriage anyway, and she immediately prepared to get up.

As it turned out, the loyal Duoduo, completely lacking in tact, directly came to her rescue:
"Your Highness is of noble birth, so naturally we should host a banquet at your residence and request the court to reward Young Master Xie. As for the welcoming feast, I, your maid, can take care of that."

After saying that, she knelt down beside him and gave Xie Jinhuan a soft, white bear hug.

"Ugh?!"

Xie Jinhuan's eyes were instantly blinded by the enormous size of the doll, making her feel a little suffocated. Although she liked it very much, she was worried that Duoduo's lack of tact might lead to her being fired by the landlady for stepping in with her right foot first. So, she patted her lower back.
"Okay, okay, uh..."

Duoduo moved back slightly, but didn't move aside at all. She picked up the small wine pot on the table and began to play "High Mountain Flowing Water".

Wow~
?

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan couldn't let the wine spill on Duoduo's dress, so he could only open his mouth to catch the mountain stream water and start chugging it down...

Linghu Qingmo was actually the first to do this, but he was drunk then. Now that he was sober and saw it, he couldn't help but blush a little.

"You lecherous scoundrel, be careful that outsiders don't hear you."

"Tons, tons, tons..."

Xie Jinhuan raised his hand to indicate that he was forced to do so.

Zhao Ling, watching the commotion from the sidelines, noticed Xie Jinhuan's 'naive young swordsman' demeanor and wondered if he was truly embarrassed. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and a glint of light flashed between her brows…

"what--!"

A scream erupted from inside the carriage!
Xie Jinhuan and Linghu Qingmo turned their heads at the same time, and Duoduo also stopped her toasting gesture, looking bewildered:
"Your Highness?"

Zhao Ling had already sat up straight, her previous composure gone, and now she was frowning as she looked at Xie Jinhuan, then glancing around.

The reason for this is that after using the 'Eye of Truth', the scenery inside the carriage completely changes.

Qingmo and Duoduo were relatively normal, but a phantom appeared around Xie Jinhuan, clear and transparent without any impurities, indicating that his Dao heart was as firm as iron and his thoughts were clear, which was somewhat similar to the monk Wuxin.

However, unlike the monk Wuxin, Xie Jinhuan's illusory soul was not the same as his real self. Instead, it had two horns, and its arms and hands were covered with scales and dragon claws that appeared and disappeared, making it look like the third prince of the Dragon King...

Zhao Ling had seen this kind of scene before. His younger brother Zhao De had a ferocious ape hidden inside his body. However, Zhao De was a human soul, and a monkey god was locked inside him. The two were one body but also separate from each other, as if they were forcibly pieced together, and there seemed to be a conflict between them.

Xie Jinhuan's soul and spirit were clearly intertwined, appearing more like a creation of nature than a human construct...

Zhao Ling was quite surprised and suspicious, but what made her scream was not Xie Jinhuan's strange phenomenon, but the fact that there seemed to be more than four people in the carriage!

As she activated her supernatural powers, she discovered a Taoist figure near the window where Xie Jinhuan and Duoduo were sitting.

The figure was inside the Zheng Lun Sword, dressed in a blood-red long dress, with a slender and graceful figure. The belt around her waist was like a golden dragon wrapped around her, and her cheeks were as white as soft jade. Her eyebrows were as delicate as distant mountains, ethereal and otherworldly, but her peach blossom eyes were extremely alluring. She looked like a succubus who lived on a mountaintop in the heavens...

Perhaps noticing her spying, the red-clad succubus turned to look at her, her eyes showing surprise, and uttered a sound:
"Oh ho~?"

Then it vanished into thin air, without a trace...

Xie Jinhuan turned his head to look around and noticed that the landlady's gaze was fixed on Zheng Lun's sword, looking slightly puzzled:

"Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Zhao Ling discovered the woman in red was gone, and filled with doubt, he immediately unleashed his full bloodline power, searching the entire carriage inside and out, but found no trace of her. His gaze turned grave as he said:
"There was a female ghost next to you just now, did you see it?" "A female ghost?!"

Xie Jinhuan was secretly surprised, feeling that the landlady's opportunity was a bit domineering.

Linghu Qingmo was completely baffled. She carefully sensed the sinister energy but found nothing unusual, and thought her best friend was joking.

"You mean a female-obsessed ghost? Well, there is indeed one..."

Duoduo was still hugging Ahuan's neck when she heard the sound and her face turned red:
"Hmm, Miss Linghu is being a bit too blunt..."

Zhao Ling raised her hand to stop him, stood up and went to Xie Jinhuan's side, picking up the Zheng Lun Sword to examine it:

"I'm not kidding, there really was a female ghost here just now, hiding inside the sword, and she looked like a celestial being..."

Xie Jinhuan didn't know how to explain, and glanced at the large ghost behind the landlady out of the corner of his eye.

Ye Hongshang crossed his arms, observing Zhao Ling's condition with great interest, and replied:
"This Qilin blood is indeed quite potent; even my sister can detect it. However, her cultivation level is too low. Even if I prevent her from seeing it, she still won't be able to find it..."

Xie Jinhuan hadn't expected anything to be able to detect the ghost's presence so directly. Seeing the landlady's certainty, he could only pull her down to sit beside him and explain earnestly:

"You must have seen the 'sword spirit' through supernatural powers. The Zheng Lun Sword is the personal sword of the Immortal Qixia, and it possesses sentience..."

"is it?"

Linghu Qingmo also sat down in front of him, picked up the Zheng Lun Sword and examined it: "How come I have never seen any records of Zi Hui Mountain?"

Zhao Ling was also skeptical, but the red-clad beauty from earlier was indeed inside the sword, and there was no other explanation besides the sword spirit. She immediately asked:

"Where did the sword spirit sister go? Can you please bring her out again?"

Xie Jinhuan wasn't afraid his wife would know about the ghost, but he found it difficult to explain its origins. After thinking for a moment, he replied:
"The sword is the essence itself. Whether the spirit can see it depends on fate. Master Qixia is the true master of the sword; I am merely using it..."

"Oh, I see, you're a sword slave..."

"You can't say that..."

……
-
Meanwhile, at the rear of the convoy.

The Lin family's procession followed behind the princess's entourage, with three people and a bird seated among them.

Although Lin Wanyi had met Ye Yunchi before, she had only seen him in her master's car, and this was their first formal meeting. At this moment, she gracefully poured tea for her guest.

"The carriages at the hall are certainly not as spacious as those at the princess's residence, Miss Ye, please don't feel slighted..."

"Not at all, Dr. Lin, you're too kind..."

Sitting opposite her, Ye Yunchi could tell that although the female doctor's skills weren't particularly high, she was very curvaceous and fertile, with a stunningly beautiful face, and even possessed the air of a matriarch. He couldn't help but wonder about her identity and, after a moment's thought, inquired:
"Is Dr. Lin Zisu's aunt? Then why does Zisu also have the surname Lin?"

Lin Zisu had been asked this question by many people, and this person, rubbing his head and shaking it, replied:
"My maternal grandfather saw that I had a talent for medicine, so he adopted me into the Lin family. He originally planned to wait until my aunt got married before calling her 'Mother,' but my aunt hasn't gotten married yet, so we've been calling her that ever since. I guess it'll be hard to change it later..."

"Oh……"

Ye Yunchi suddenly realized, and after briefly observing the two children from the Lin family, one adult and one child, she did indeed resemble a mother and daughter. After thinking for a moment, she asked:

"I heard that Dr. Lin and Xie Jinhuan, also..."

Lin Wanyi, still an unmarried young lady, felt a little awkward in front of the scholarly Ye Yunchi. She gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, pondering how to respond, when she noticed the mischievous girl speaking mysteriously:
"My aunt was the first to meet Young Master Xie, and also the first person to secretly pledge her life to him."

"Uh……"

Lin Wanyi blushed slightly, but did not deny it, only nodding awkwardly.

Upon hearing this, Ye Yunchi became even more puzzled:

"So, it means that Doctor Lin and Xie Jinhuan secretly pledged their lives to each other? And what about Miss Linghu..."

This issue concerns the succession of the first wife, so even if Lin Wanyi is embarrassed, she can't be too timid:
"Miss Linghu also had feelings for Xie Jinhuan, but it was quite late. They only got engaged in the capital, and I played a part in bringing them together..."

"Is Dr. Lin still trying to matchmake?"

Lin Zisu felt it was all thanks to this great immortal, but at this moment she didn't contradict her cowardly aunt, and even helped explain:

"A lady of the house shouldn't be jealous. My aunt is gentle, virtuous, good at managing the household, and doesn't care about small gains or losses."

Ye Yunchi knew that the first wife shouldn't be jealous, but wasn't the first wife still unmarried...?

If Doctor Lin is the real wife in secret, then Linghu Qingmo would be a concubine...

Ye Yunchi was a little confused about the order of things in the Xie family's inner quarters, and it was even more difficult for him to bring up his own affairs, so he could only inquire indirectly:

"Miss Linghu is a disciple of Headmaster Nangong and a grand-disciple of Master Qixia. She comes from an extraordinary background. The Eldest Princess is also of noble birth. How did Doctor Lin manage to make them willingly... um... respect Doctor Lin as their elder sister?"

How could they possibly respect me as their elder sister...?

Faced with this question, Lin Wanyi couldn't very well say, "Because I was the first to give myself away," which would be no different from simply saying, "Because I'm sexy!" It was a difficult situation to explain at the moment…

(End of this chapter)