Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 236 I admire the Imperial Preceptor
Ye Tinglan was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Lu Xingzhou, unsure how to respond.

He was in the hands of the Demon Emperor, facing imminent death. It was clear he was genuinely furious at her "irresponsibility," cursing and swearing in anger. Yet, even under these circumstances, he was still concerned for her safety, and despite being unable to enter the glacier's center himself, he tried to find a friend to send a message to the Tianyao Holy Land to evacuate.

Whether considering her identity as the Holy Master of Tianyao or her mentor, it's impossible for her to remain unmoved and untouched.

But how dare you call me a stupid woman...

And is he really this good because of his mentor, or because of what Ji Wenchuan said...?

Because he's pursuing someone? How does he even seem to be pursuing anyone? He just used a veil to deceive people? And he even said he'd auction it off!

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lu Xingzhou said irritably. "Of course, my advice is to leave, because I don't know what's going on, and I can't be sure if there are other dangers. The dragon bone isn't that important to you, so there's no need to get involved."

Ye Tinglan tried asking, "What if I wanted to ambush the Demon Emperor from behind?"

Lu Xingzhou gave her a strange look. This was the first time this gentleman had spoken in such a slightly appreciative tone; all his usual aloofness and indifference had vanished...

Are you a masochist? You only feel good when you're being scolded?

After thinking for a moment, he asked in return, "Do you have a grudge against the Demon Emperor?"

"She's the enemy chieftain, not someone to be described as an enemy. Personally, there's no personal enmity involved." Actually, it should be the other way around: it's Long Qinghuang who would hate Ye Tinglan, since she lost the battle and Ye Tinglan burned down the Holy Mountain. What hatred could Ye Tinglan, as the victor, possibly have for the loser?
If Long Qinghuang knew that Lu Xingzhou came with Ye Tinglan, his ashes would probably have been scattered by now.

“The Demon Emperor already knows of your existence, so she will be on guard.” Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment, then asked, “Could you confirm whether the imperial court is involved, and whether Gu Zhanting has arrived?”

Ye Tinglan shook her head: "The imperial court was not involved."

"The reason why the Great Qian Dynasty is able to gain the upper hand over the demon race is because the imperial court and the Tianyao Holy Land have joined forces. If it were just the Tianyao Holy Land, even if the world's number one national advisor came, it would obviously be no match for the demon race's all-out attack... With the Demon Emperor already on guard, it is impossible for him to act alone. This time, the powerful party will be the demon race. My advice is to not participate, that's the safest option."

"How about we observe first, and then decide whether to make a move once we've determined the right timing?"

Lu Xingzhou was even more puzzled. Was he really okay after being scolded? Why was he acting so humble?

In truth, Ye Tinglan's attitude stemmed not only from being moved by his concern for her safety even in her peril, but also from sheer astonishment. In a mere two hours, from a thousand miles away, he had inexplicably and clearly resolved the matter that had plagued her all night—it was practically a miracle. With such a strategist by her side, why wouldn't she humbly listen? Had she lost her mind like Yuan Muyu?

Ji Wenchuan is right. We should listen to Lu Xingzhou more, otherwise it would be a waste of talent.

For some reason, even though he only wanted to escape when he was with Long Qinghuang, Lu Xingzhou now felt a little reluctant to let her be dealt with by the Tianyao Holy Land. But no matter how you look at it, the human race and Long Qinghuang could only be enemies. He shook off the inappropriate feeling of pity for her and pondered, "Waiting for the right opportunity in the dark is fine, but I still maintain that we don't know the enemy in this battle. There might be other secrets. We need to be careful."

Ye Tinglan nodded: "I understand. We need to find the experts from Tianshuang Kingdom first."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Take me with you."

"Don't you feel dangerous anymore?"

“We are now in a precarious situation... This danger is much less than if the master had left us on the ice field.”

Ye Tinglan turned her head away, feeling guilty and weak, unable to refute.

The methods used to find the hidden person and the inanimate object, dragon bones, are completely different.

If you can't find the buried dead object, how can you not find the living person playing hide-and-seek?
Lu Xingzhou didn't know what kind of magic weapon Ye Tinglan was using. After flashing for a while, his expression became serious: "There really are lurking agents... and quite a few of them."

Lu Xingzhou was not surprised at all. The fact that no one from Tianshuang Kingdom was involved in this matter was a problem in itself. Either they deliberately didn't come, letting Tianyao Holy Land and the demon race make a mess of things, or someone organized and hid to try to steal the credit.

With such a grand scheme set up, the chances of them not showing up are slim; everyone would be thinking of reaping the benefits.

But Lu Xingzhou still felt there was something wrong: "Is there only one group of people?"

Ye Tinglan said, "Someone is approaching from the border; they should be demons. There are also people in the mountains bordering the Great Qian Kingdom and the Tian Shuang Kingdom, but those should be unrelated to this matter, as many demons gather in that area."

"...You can see that far?"

It seems even further away than Long Qinghuang...

Ye Tinglan looked up at the sky: "The magic weapon is quite powerful."

He then transmitted some kind of signal, instructing the people of Tianyao Holy Land to leave the center and regroup with him. He also subtly added that they should not reveal his identity as the sect leader to Lu Xingzhou.

After finishing this round, I turned around and saw that Lu Xingzhou was still frowning.

"What's wrong?" Ye Tinglan felt guilty whenever she saw him thinking, and cautiously asked for his advice.

Lu Xingzhou pursed his lips: "I'm not sure. I just feel like... Gu Zhanting hasn't reacted at all to this?"

Ye Tinglan understood this better: "The emperor is not as interested in treasure hunting as our immortal sects. He is busy with many affairs of state and it is normal that he is too lazy to care about such treasure hunting. Their focus is different."

"If I'm not mistaken, the royal family also has a bunch of old zombies who only seek cultivation breakthroughs and immortality. Gu Zhanting himself isn't very interested in this. What do the royal old zombies think? Is this a dragon, or even a dragon that is suspected to be active from ancient times? They really have no interest; not a single one has come?"

Ye Tinglan: "..."

"Never mind." Lu Xingzhou shook his head: "I don't really understand them, and I've only made up some things. Whether they come or not, it all makes sense..."

Whether he was overthinking things or not, Ye Tinglan tragically discovered that he could indeed think of problems that he had completely overlooked.

As for whether or not to consider the Great Qian royal family, that became a decision she needed to make, and Lu Xingzhou's advice as an advisor was already impeccable. At this moment, her biggest thought was: Had her sister been kicked in the head by a donkey? Did she really drive away this kind of talent?
As they were discussing, more than ten high-ranking members of the Tianyao Holy Land arrived in the distance and landed beside him: "Mr. Ye, the sect leader has ordered us to come and assist you."

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

For the first time, he began to question the identity of his husband.

Previously, there was no trigger that would make him needlessly suspect one person was another; he would never even consider that possibility. But this time, there was. In a split second, his mind raced, and many, many thoughts came to mind…

It turned out to be the case.

A strategist who is good at planning and suspicious can be very useful when he helps you find loopholes and fill gaps, but when you try to hide something from him, you'll know what it means to shoot yourself in the foot.

Lu Xingzhou remained expressionless, as if he hadn't thought of anything, and innocently asked, "Didn't the Grand Preceptor come?"

Everyone from Tianyao Holy Land responded seriously: "No."

Lu Xingzhou bowed and said, "Lu Xingzhou, a student of Dan Academy, greets everyone."

"Of course, of course. Young Master Lu is exceptionally talented, and his reputation as a top scholar is known throughout the capital. We have long admired him."

Are you kidding me? Didn't you see Ji Wenchuan say this guy is pursuing the Imperial Advisor, and the Imperial Advisor didn't even refute it? That attitude was just... well, he's practically the Imperial Advisor's gigolo, who wouldn't want to curry favor with him?
Lu Xingzhou sighed: "It's a pity I didn't get to meet the Grand Preceptor. I have always admired him, but unfortunately I have never had the chance to meet him."

Is "admire" the right word?
Everyone secretly glanced at Ye Tinglan's expression and said, "The Imperial Advisor is aware of your name, Young Master. Sooner or later, you will have the opportunity to meet. Young Master is young and promising, and the Imperial Advisor will surely favor you."

Ye Tinglan felt a chill run down her spine upon seeing this attitude, realizing her reputation was ruined.

Seeing that everyone was still awkwardly chatting, he couldn't stand it anymore and quickly interrupted: "What are you still rambling about? Everyone, be careful to conceal your presence, fly quietly, and follow me."

After saying that, he picked up Lu Xingzhou with one hand and A Nuo with the other, and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.

The crowd exchanged glances, some winking and others secretly worried... The Holy Lord has always been austere, so how come he's started getting involved with men? What's even more bizarre is that it's not Lu Xingzhou who's pursuing him, but the other way around. It seems like the Imperial Advisor is hiding his identity to seduce young men!
What kind of inexplicable and tyrannical behavior is this? Do you think this is some emperor from a folk tale going incognito to pick up girls? This time, his actions are just baffling. Everyone has been setting up this dragon-slaying trap for so long, and he's just giving up like this?
Alright, I'll just follow orders for now.

Everyone concealed their presence and carefully flew in the direction Ye Tinglan was heading. After a short while, Ye Tinglan suddenly stopped and reached out to stop them.

As soon as everyone stopped, they saw a surge of demonic energy in the distance, dark clouds pressing down on the city, and an incomparably violent killing intent and malevolent aura surging eastward. The entire icy plain suddenly darkened, and icy winds swept across it.

A dragon's roar echoed throughout the heavens and earth: "You scoundrels, hiding here, have you found your own burial ground?!"

"Boom!" Thunder and lightning roared, and torrential rain poured down.

A giant dragon claw descended from the sky and slammed into an iceberg.

With a "crash," the iceberg collapsed, sending rocks flying and the ice layer bursting.

Countless figures scattered and flew out from the mountains in a sorry state, and many more who did not have time to escape were smashed into mincemeat by this attack.

The power of the Demon Emperor is terrifying.

Lu Xingzhou and A Nuo's faces turned ashen. Had they just been flirting with this person, discussing whether they were in love? That finger on his chin—did he already have a hidden injury? Would he die suddenly when they got back...?

The people from Tianyao Holy Land immediately found a place to hide. Ye Tinglan waved her hand and set up an array, creating a dimensional barrier: "Hide well, and wait for an opportunity."

In the distance, demonic energy surged, and countless powerful demons gathered around to intercept the figures scattering and fleeing from the ice mountain.

A golden dragon burst down from the dark clouds, attacking the magic array in the center of the rocky ruins.

"Whoosh!" A sword beam shot into the sky, heading straight for the golden dragon: "Witch, how did you know we were here?"

The infiltrator was completely baffled. Logically, there shouldn't be a traitor. And even if there was, how did they manage to send out the message in this environment where everyone was hiding together?

"Was it that hard to guess there were rats?" Long Qinghuang took all the credit for Lu Xingzhou as a matter of course.

The dragon claw pressed down, shattering the sword light. Then, with another rumble, the earth shook violently, and the opponent's carefully designed magic array shattered.

An exasperated voice rang out, and sword energy converged around them: "Long Qinghuang, do you really think you're invincible?"

The golden dragon transformed into human form, still wearing the pale yellow dress that A'nuo had chosen, looking completely out of place in this decisive battleground: "With Ye Tinglan gone, what are you lot?"

With a "bang," the sword formation was shattered like straw, and a figure coughed up a mouthful of blood and fell headfirst from the sky.

The ambush was met with a fierce attack, and the blows they suffered, both strategically and psychologically, were devastating. The battle turned out to be one-sided from the very beginning, seemingly on the verge of a massacre.

Ye Tinglan asked for opinions: "Should we go?"

"Let's wait a bit." Lu Xingzhou pressed her hand down: "With the opponent's strength, even if we stay here, it won't be easy to pick up any loose pieces. There will definitely be more changes."

Ye Tinglan looked down expressionlessly at his perfectly natural hand: "I wasn't planning on rushing up, what are you pulling?"

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.: Sorry I'm late... I heard there are monthly tickets coming in the middle of the month, so I'm asking for some!
(End of this chapter)