Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 225 This boat is for you

The next day, when Ye Tinglan saw the adulterous couple, she clearly felt that Lu Xingzhou hadn't changed much; he was still energetic and smiling. Yet, Ye Tinglan could inexplicably see the image of a dried-up, sunken-cheeked man.

Ye Tinglan had never hated her physiognomy skills so much. What was so interesting about it!
His tone turned even colder, as if frost had suddenly set in during the summer: "Leave today, immediately."

Lu Xingzhou tried to stall for two more days: "Sir, we just subdued the Lingyun Sect, and there are still some loose ends to deal with, and then there's the Dongjiang Gang..."

"Weren't you already playing with fire during the process of subduing Lingyun Sect?"

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

Shen Tang: "..."

Ye Tinglan suddenly felt a bit satisfied with her retort, and elegantly picked up the soy milk on the stone table and took a sip: "As for the Dongjiang Gang, their morale has declined. If the Prefect and the Demon Suppression Division are on our side, and Sect Master Shen still cannot completely subdue a mere Dongjiang Gang, then it would be quite disappointing."

Shen Tang could only suppress her sobs and earnestly declare, "I can do it."

Ye Tinglan finished her soy milk with satisfaction: "Then come with me."

Shen Tang looked at the soy milk on Ye Tinglan's lips and lowered her eyes, unable to look directly at her.

Is this any different from what I did last night?

Sure enough, the higher the status of a goddess, the more captivating she becomes. No wonder Xingzhou didn't say a word last night.

In fact, Lu Xingzhou felt like he was seeing the vicious Fahai who was trying to break up a loving couple: "Sir, you haven't said where our next stop is yet, Leifeng Pagoda?"

"What is that?" Ye Tinglan said calmly, "I want to take you to the border, to the Frozen Moon Cold River."

Lu Xingzhou felt the name was familiar: "Where has Qingli lived since childhood?"

Ye Tinglan glanced at him, and Lu Xingzhou immediately said, "Oh, Miss Dugu."

Ye Tinglan asked, "What do you want to say?"

"What I want to say is that if Miss Dugu could survive in a place when she was a child, and she didn't even reach the fourth rank after leaving, it means that the living conditions weren't difficult. What value could that have for our current trial?"

"You're going there for alchemist trials, not martial arts training. What does this have to do with anything? There are plenty of places there suitable for you to improve your alchemy skills."

"Understood." Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. In essence, he hoped to improve his own cultivation rather than just focus on alchemy.

But then Ye Tinglan added, "Besides, who told you that it's easy to survive in the Frozen Moon River?"

"That Miss Dugu..."

"Qingli is exceptionally gifted and unafraid of the cold. Do you really think any child can live in the Frozen Moon River? Let Lu Nuonuo stay in there alone for a month and see if she doesn't cry out. That would be a testament to her ability."

Ah Nuo, with a mouthful of steamed bun stuck in her mouth, looked up at her husband innocently.

I've been eating my steamed buns so obediently on the side, why do you still want to order from me...?

I spent half the night alone in the treasure vault and didn't feel like crying. What made me want to cry was that the Lingyun Sect's treasury was worse than I had imagined... I searched high and low for a long time but couldn't find many things that caught my eye. In the end, I only managed to get some talismans for my master to supplement his supplies.

It's a Taoist sect, after all. Shouldn't it have a wide variety of things to offer?

Ah Nuo forgot that she came from the Yama Palace of the First-Rank Demonic Sect, and was a high-ranking member with unlimited resources. She had long since passed the stage where seeing any magical treasure was a novelty. Furthermore, her nature was extremely unique—pure physical speed and strength. Few things were suitable for her. Yuan Muyu's suggestion back then was to take a large hammer, and preferably find a suit of armor as well…

Who wants to wear a full suit of armor? In any case, that Yuanci Pancake is probably the most suitable for it right now.

Sure enough, Shen Tang asked, "Has Anuo found anything good?"

Ah Nu shook her head, her face trembling: "Lingyun Sect is so poor..."

“Such poor sects should be prepared for this. Back then, Fenxianglou was known as a very wealthy alchemist sect, but in the end, they didn’t have many things worth their attention.” Lu Xingzhou sighed. “But A’nuo, don’t you think you’re lacking a flying magic weapon?”

Anuo was stunned for a moment: "Master can just carry me in a wheelchair and fly, why would I need a flying artifact? Does Master expect me to go on a long trip alone..."

Lu Xingzhou immediately stated, "That's absolutely impossible."

Ah Nu grinned: "Anyway, I think it won't be long before I can fly on my own."

Ye Tinglan finally couldn't help but say, "Even if you can fly, flying artifacts are still useful. Just like you can walk, but someone still needs to ride in a vehicle. It saves effort, is convenient, and can also integrate some offensive and defensive functions."

Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo stared intently at her.

You mean you have this kind of flying artifact? I haven't seen you use it since we left the capital... In the first few days, it rained heavily, forcing us to crawl through caves in the mountains.

Ye Tinglan was obviously unsuitable; her imperial carriage was too grand and would easily reveal her identity. Looking at Shen Tang, Shen Tang guessed her meaning and reluctantly pulled out her own small boat: "This is the boat I've been building over the past few months. I'm giving it to you, sir. Please take good care of my family's boat..."

Ye Tinglan was in a great mood after hacking Shen Tang's airship. "You tore me apart and made me listen to your bed for so many days!"

There's always a price to pay!

Lu Xingzhou was dumbfounded. When did their relationship change? Why was he even soliciting bribes? Tangtang, you almost skinned me bald last night, weren't you targeting Mr. Ye? What are you doing now, aiding the enemy? But then again, just for the charm of Mr. Ye's snap of his fingers, it was worth sending a treasure as a token of gratitude. Anyway, Shen Tang has plenty of resources now, and building an even better vehicle would be easy, so Lu Xingzhou didn't say anything.

I'd like to ask: "Why is your vehicle a small boat? Everyone else rides in a phoenix carriage or something..."

Shen Tang replied matter-of-factly, "My vehicle should be a small boat..."

Since the Imperial Advisor insists, then we'll give it to him; make the most of it.

Ye Tinglan didn't understand the meaning behind it. She casually tossed the small boat to test it out, and it "banged" in mid-air and grew into a real boat. It was quite large, like a common awning boat on the river. It looked like it could seat four or five people in the cabin, and you could even lie down on the deck.

Ah Nuo was overjoyed and jumped on. The small boat was very stable and didn't rock at all.

Ye Tinglan climbed to the bow of the ship and looked down at Lu Xingzhou: "Still reluctant to leave?"

Lu Xingzhou gritted his teeth, ignoring her haughty attitude and the fact that her high heels were stepping on his chest. He turned around, grabbed Shen Tang, and kissed her forcefully.

Shen Tang embraced him back, and the two openly kissed passionately in front of the expressionless and aloof Imperial Advisor.

Ye Tinglan felt that she had never been more speechless in her entire life than she had been since she met Lu Xingzhou. Her jade-like hands unconsciously clenched, making a cracking sound.

Ah Nuo's expression twitched: "Sir...my bones..."

The change of the capital of Xia Prefecture led to an intensified conflict between the strongest forces within its territory due to geographical shifts, and the question of who would take the lead became a matter of great interest.

Five days after Lu Xingzhou returned to the Tianxing Sword Sect, the sect achieved a great victory in the arena against the combined forces of several famous and powerful sects, including the Dongjiang Gang, and a first-rank enemy was defeated in Xiazhou.

That night, the elders of Lingyun Sect betrayed the sect, killing the sect leader Jingxu Daoist and other disobedient members, and the entire sect surrendered to Tianxing Sword Sect.

The news spread, and the Heavenly Sword Sect became famous far and wide, with its sect leader, Shen Tang, becoming renowned throughout the world.

Among them, Guest Elder Lu Xingzhou was in league with the Prefect's Demon Suppression Division and the Demonic Sect. All the enemy's first and second-rank reinforcements died silently, and no one in the world knows about it to this day.

The strategist had no remarkable achievements; he simply spent one night in bed with the renowned sect leader.

One is broken, the other is filling.

Inside the palace, Gu Zhanting looked at the report, his brows furrowed, and remained silent for a long time. Hai Xian, standing beside him, watched him cautiously, wondering how His Majesty would react this time.

"Just like me back in the day." After a long while, Gu Zhanting sighed softly, "That sword pointing to the first rank, that indomitable spirit."

In the end, nothing was said, and Hai Xian knew that His Majesty was undecided.

In the short term, however, no statement is the best outcome.

South, Miaoyin Mountain.

“This move is not right. The sudden actions of the Charming Maidens' Joyful Union Sect and the Blood Refining Sect are probably not a coincidence. It’s more like Old Lu’s style.” Ji Wenchuan, the Eastern Ghost Emperor, was talking to another masked man. “Let’s report this matter to Yama separately. Don’t say it together… Yama knows Old Lu better than we do. If she finds out that Old Lu, who should be studying in the capital, has traveled all the way to Xia Prefecture to offer advice, we’ll probably be facing a month of cold shoulders.”

The masked man was Dong Chengbi, the Ghost Emperor of the North. Upon hearing this, he chuckled and said, "It has nothing to do with me. I'm about to head north to do some work."

Ji Wenchuan shamelessly said, "I've only been dealing with one Yin Corpse Sect for so long, I'm really bored out of my mind. How about you let me do this job?"

Dong Chengbi laughed and said, "Do you even know what kind of work it is, yet you're rushing to do it?"

"No matter what the job is, if you can do it, how could it be difficult for me?"

"Would you like to go to Dongyue Hanchuan for shaved ice?"

Ji Wenchuan: "...Why go to such a godforsaken place?"

“I heard that ancient dragon bones have appeared under the Central Glacier, and they’re still alive… I’m just going to investigate. If it’s true, I’m afraid the King of Hell will have to decide for himself.” Dong Chengbi’s voice became seven or eight degrees serious: “This kind of thing is very likely to be personally handled by the Demon Emperor. At that time, it will not be something we can handle.”

Ji Wenchuan was overjoyed: "This is such an interesting thing, I want to go."

Dong Chengbi chuckled: "I don't understand how you became so close to Lu Xingzhou. You're the opposite of him, always looking for trouble."

"Complementary relationships are necessary for interaction; two identical people are bound to fight." Ji Wenchuan said leisurely, "Like Lao Lu and Yan Jun, both equally stubborn, so let's just endure it and see who regrets it first when they both turn white-haired."

Dong Chengbi sighed softly: "The Queen of Hell is more complicated than the Judge. It's not just a matter of her being stubborn... When she reaches a certain point, she will naturally hesitate. The word 'love'—is it eternal damnation or a path to heaven? And it was precisely at the moment of greatest hesitation that the boatman forced her to abdicate... And then, the Queen of Hell's iron-hard tongue just burst open, and everything collapsed..."

Ji Wenchuan said, "Shouldn't we say that facts have shown that it's better to sever ties? After Old Lu left, Yan Jun went into seclusion for three months and broke through to the highest level in anger, at an unprecedented age."

"Yes, that's why she refused to contact him again afterward." Dong Chengbi said leisurely, "However, is this broken-off quality due to a break in affection, or because of the 'I'll show you I'll be better off without you' attitude... You and I don't know, but does the King of Hell know?"

Ji Wenchuan finally laughed out loud: "Alright, you guys have a rich romantic history. I, Old Ji, walk the path of ruthlessness and know nothing of these things. I'll just sit back and watch the show while I eat sunflower seeds. I just don't know when they'll finally put on this show. I can't wait to see."

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.

P.S.: Requesting more monthly votes!
(End of this chapter)