Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 241 Are you slacking off?
"Agh!" A scream echoed across the lakeside.

Lu Xingzhou covered his hand, his body bent over, his expression twitching.

Ye Tinglan clapped her hands nonchalantly, as if there was something dirty on them: "You performed so well just now because of the pinching. According to you, that should also be one of the conditions?"

“I…” Lu Xingzhou was both annoyed and amused: “You’re not being stupid when you should be, but instead you’re being shrewd.”

"No, no, I can't compare to the judge's flawless strategies." Ye Tinglan said, then suddenly grabbed his collar: "If you sneak around taking advantage of me again, I'll throw you down!"

"I ate it openly and honestly."

Ye Tinglan's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent as she exerted slight force on her hand, attempting to throw him into the lake.

When the clothes were caught in the spatial turbulence, they were already badly torn. With this pull, a large piece of the clothes was torn off with a "rip" sound, revealing the muscular upper body.

Ye Tinglan subconsciously turned her eyes away.

Lu Xingzhou closed his eyes: "I know I can't escape their clutches, come on."

Ye Tinglan turned her head away irritably, looked Lu Xingzhou up and down, and gave him the same look as Long Qinghuang when she looked at a dog.

Lu Xingzhou: "...You also have a dragon body?"

Ye Tinglan didn't understand what he was talking about and said irritably, "You, I just thought you were reliable, and now you're suddenly unreliable. What time is it? What occasion is this? Don't you have any sense of crisis?"

Lu Xingzhou almost blurted out that this meant he could flirt with you in a different setting... but he swallowed the words back.

This gentleman is actually a monk, a hermit, with the Taoist name Tinglan Zhenren. Although he's so deeply involved in worldly affairs that his hermitage isn't apparent, his serious and rigid nature is still quite evident. One can't go too far with him, or one will lose face. Our relationship isn't that close... Although we just hugged and rolled around, his embrace was much warmer than when I was with Gua Mei, I didn't feel any of the passionate flutter in my heart that I felt when I was rolling around with Gua Mei back then.

He then composed himself and got down to business: "If you don't throw me into the lake, there shouldn't be any danger. But if you do, it's hard to say."

Ye Tinglan: "..."

"Sir, you have far more worldly experience than I do. Have you ever encountered a spatial rift before?"

"I encountered this during my early training years. I entered an unknown secret realm, which is somewhat similar to this time. However, that time, strange beasts roamed everywhere as soon as I entered, making it very dangerous, unlike this time which is peaceful."

"How closely related was the location they entered to the secret realm they were later shown to be?"

"Strong correlation".

“Then I guessed right. This place is still at the bottom of the glacier, an ancient land buried by layers of ice.” Lu Xingzhou said, “The good news is that if we can’t find a way out, we can just keep blasting upwards and eventually blast a path out.”

Ye Tinglan crossed her arms: "What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is that secret realms are often formed because the energy of treasures separates space. But if there is such a treasure that emits energy outwards, even if I am weak and cannot sense it, with your strength, you should be able to sense it... But judging from your attitude, you obviously haven't noticed it either."

Ye Tinglan nodded.

If it were a treasure that had created a secret realm, she would have sensed such a clear outward-emitting energy the moment she landed there. Even after a long time and the energy had dissipated, she would still be able to clearly detect its remnants. But there was none.

Because no energy reaction could be detected at first glance, Ye Tinglan would usually dive into the bottom of the lake to explore in the past. However, her first reaction now was to ask Lu Xingzhou to analyze the situation and see what his opinion was.

“There was once a treasure that created a spatial barrier, but its energy disappeared. There’s only one possibility: it was hidden away.” Lu Xingzhou took a few steps to the left and right, looking at the flowers and plants on the ground and pondering, “In the secret realms you visited before, were there any strange beasts still alive?”

"Have."

"If there are flowers and plants here, then theoretically there should be animals, but we haven't found any... I suspect that some animals are hibernating underwater, and because they are in a dormant state, we haven't been able to detect their presence. The treasure is very likely buried underwater by them, or perhaps they have even swallowed it. It's best not to go into the water rashly and disturb them."

Ye Tinglan turned her head to look at Lu Xingzhou's profile.

It must be admitted that his mind is indeed reliable, and this analysis is very likely the truth.

There's no need to go into the water to investigate, no need to alarm the "landlord," and the problem can be avoided or solved in the most rational way.

“So the so-called crisis here will not exist for the time being as long as we don’t trigger it ourselves.” Lu Xingzhou continued, “The problem now is how to get out without disturbing the creatures here… I really have no contact with things like spatial rifts, so I can’t analyze them. I’ll have to rely on you.”

Ye Tinglan was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "You... you didn't even have the slightest thought of entering the secret realm to search for treasure? You knew there must be treasures there, and you also knew I had the strength."

"...I don't live off women."

"Haven't you eaten enough?"

"Hey, whether it's the Underworld or the Heavenly Sword Sect, I earn my living with my brain, okay?"

"You can now trade your brains for my power."

Lu Xingzhou shook his head: "I don't like fighting battles against enemies I don't know. Besides, you're still injured, and I don't want you to take any risks."

Ye Tinglan's expression was a little strange.

Even though he knew there was a powerful treasure before him, he felt no greed whatsoever; all he cared about was her safety…

Although she stubbornly refused to admit that she was the Heavenly Yao Saintess for the sake of face, she probably couldn't hide it from him. On the surface, she, Ye Tinglan, was the number one in the world. Under normal circumstances, people would have an excessive sense of confidence in the existence of the number one in the world, feeling that they were omnipotent and that no danger was a danger.

She actually knew that wasn't the case.

Firstly, the so-called "number one in the world" only applies to the Great Qian Dynasty; the world is vast, and there are other places. Secondly, the Tianyao Holy Land contains reclusive elders whom he might not be able to defeat. Thirdly, there are countless powerful figures of unknown origin in other realms, perhaps even true immortals. The exotic beasts in the ancient secret realms also correspond to this type of cultivation, so he truly has no absolute confidence. Of all the people he has met over the years, it seems that only he has never placed himself in a position of absolute dominance; on the contrary, he always gives off a feeling of... needing to be cared for and protected. This wasn't something that started now; it had been evident in every aspect for a long time, and even now that he knows his identity, this attitude remains unchanged.

That's a man looking at a woman.

You scoundrel, I am your master! What kind of education did Yama, the King of Hell, give him since childhood? Is it appropriate to view one's own master from this perspective?
Lu Xingzhou took out a new set of clothes from his ring and put them on. After hesitating for a moment, he took out an outer robe and draped it over Ye Tinglan's shoulders.

Ye Tinglan was taken aback: "What are you doing?"

"You have many cuts and bruises on your back."

"I have clothes!"

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "Then you change."

Ye Tinglan then realized that she had only brought women's Taoist robes and women's dresses, which she couldn't simply put on like this. She would have to take off her old, tattered clothes and change into them. But where was there a place for her to hide and change?

On the contrary, Lu Xingzhou's large men's outer robe could be draped over his body without any sense of reason, covering up all the spring scenery.

Ye Tinglan fell silent, tightening her outer robe. Lu Xingzhou's scent was so strong that it made her feel uneasy. Should she throw it away? Should she continue to expose herself? Should she keep wearing it? It felt even more ambiguous than exposing herself.

Seeing his oversized clothes completely enveloping her, the usually aloof and superior gentleman looked increasingly adorable in this pose, and Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but laugh.

Ye Tinglan said with a stern face, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing much. Do you have any ideas about the spatial rifts that were surveyed?"

"Why, are you in a hurry?"

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

What, you want to have a baby here? Then I have no objection.

"..." Ye Tinglan knew that her question was absurd, so she turned her head and said, "I need to do some calculations, which may take some time. Don't worry, sit down and rest for a while."

Lu Xingzhou then walked to the side, bent down to examine the flowers and plants on the ground around him, and plucked one to smell.

Ye Tinglan sat cross-legged to the side, calculating with her fingers, but her eyes unconsciously followed him. She casually asked, "What are you doing?"

Lu Xingzhou still smiled, but with a hint of helplessness in his smile: "Sir, I came with you for the alchemist trial. Shouldn't we study the medicinal uses of these plants?"

Ye Tinglan opened her mouth, then closed it again.

So, you and I were here for the alchemist trial? We'd all forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it.

I thought he wanted to find information about the strange beasts in this place and the secret to getting out by looking at the flowers and plants... I always felt that ever since we fell into this dark lakeside together, my mind has been in chaos, and even my calculations are less efficient than usual.

Theoretically speaking, it's meaningful to glean information about the strange beasts from the local flora and fauna; at least it can provide some clues about their attributes. For example, if most of the plants here are poisonous, then the strange beast is likely also poisonous. However, this is not helpful in assessing the beast's strength.

Lu Xingzhou pondered over several types of flowers and plants, his expression somewhat strange: "Ever since my leg healed, things for treating my leg have been coming in like crazy."

Ye Tinglan glanced at him.

"It's for removing necrotic tissue and promoting tissue regeneration. Just mash it up and apply it topically; it works very well," Lu Xingzhou said. "Should we apply some to your back, sir, to prevent scarring?"

Ye Tinglan said irritably, "No need."

"But this effect is really strong, stronger than any other drug with similar effects I've seen. If it's combined with the right auxiliary ingredients to make a pill, I dare say that even if you cut flesh down to bone, it can grow back."

Ye Tinglan's heart stirred slightly: "Then I'll test you. Determine the nature of the strange beast in the lake from this."

Lu Xingzhou hesitated and said, "I guess it's a kind of snake, whose mucus and saliva are highly corrosive."

“Hmm…it should be a subspecies of half snake and half dragon.” Ye Tinglan sighed: “After you digested the Maha Notes, your knowledge has become more and more complete. I don’t even know what else I can teach you now.”

"It's okay. When you can't think of anything to teach me, just teach me practical alchemy skills, preferably the kind that's hands-on."

"Is this all you can think about?" Ye Tinglan was now immune to this kind of teasing. She knew that as long as she ignored him, he wouldn't push his luck. "When Yuan Muyu taught you something, did he also hold your hand? If your hands are so idle, you can go slack off."

Lu Xingzhou casually replied, "How did you know?"

"I thought..." Ye Tinglan started to say, but suddenly shouted, "What did you say?"

Lu Xingzhou was startled: "Keep your voice down, don't wake up the strange beast at the bottom of the lake."

Ye Tinglan hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

How old were you when you were with Yuan Muyu, and you were already slacking off?
No, what exactly is your relationship with her?
During the conversation, Ye Tinglan's slender fingers were constantly calculating, and now that the result was coming out, she was so focused on the result that she had no mind to pay attention to this gossip: "Perhaps I have to tell you some unfortunate news."

An ominous premonition rose in Lu Xingzhou's heart: "Could it be that they're saying the way out is at the bottom of the lake?"

Ye Tinglan smiled enigmatically: "You guessed right. You have no choice but to provoke it, even if you don't want to. Are you scared?"

(End of this chapter)