Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 287 Those who are exceptional will always be exceptional.

However, it must be said that Lu Xingzhou's precise strike was quite effective.

Mr. Ma has an overflowing maternal instinct towards puppies, so how could he resist a sweet and cuddly little dumpling?
I used to call for my mother and couldn't get through it... What was our relationship back then? What is it now?
Ah Nuo is essentially Lu Xingzhou's adopted daughter, so the core meaning behind her calling him "Mother" is self-evident, isn't it? Has Shen Tang ever been called that before?

win!
Ye Tinglan's slight displeasure, while not entirely gone, was at least suppressed. She smiled and carried A'nuo out the door.

Lu Xingzhou and Shen Tang were already waiting in the courtyard, and several dishes had been laid out on the table.

Ye Tinglan pondered that the cooks of the Heavenly Sword Sect must have it tough; they probably had to fly over a mountain on a magical artifact to deliver meals... all so that the sect leader and his lover could easily hide away on a mountain for some intimate time. So how could the sect leader possibly lead a proper team?
She put A'nuo down, and the four of them sat around the stone table. Ye Tinglan didn't eat anything, and immediately asked, "You went back to Xiazhou to bring A'nuo back to the capital. How long do you plan to stay?"

Having just returned, she was already leaving with someone else's husband. Shen Tang's previously calmed anger resurfaced, and she said expressionlessly, "I've heard that you are the only first-rank cultivator in the Alchemy Academy besides Dean Qin. Surely you don't even have the right to decide your own trial time?"

Ye Tinglan said leisurely, "That's true, but we've already exceeded the original trial time by more than double, and I shouldn't break the rules of the Pill Academy too much. This is also for Xingzhou's own good, so as not to always be different and cause gossip."

Shen Tang hesitated for a moment before saying, "It won't make a difference if it's just a day or two. Since there's nothing urgent and we're not in a rush, let's have A'nuo accompany you around for a while."

“It’s fine to go back a day or two later. After all, this is Xingzhou’s hometown and the location of his sect. I can’t be unreasonable.” Ye Tinglan said calmly, “But I have two disciples. Why should only one accompany me? Sect Master, please don’t put Xingzhou in an unjust position.”

Shen Tang: "..."

While she might be able to win against this old woman through palace intrigue, her constant use of her status to intimidate others was simply too much for her. Whether it was the Imperial Preceptor or the Alchemy Academy professor, their reasons were always elaborate and convincing; how could the young wife possibly refute them?
Lu Xingzhou silently put a piece of food on Ye Tinglan's plate: "Sir, please eat first, please eat first."

Carrying water is so difficult; you can imagine how my husband must have been having a meltdown this morning.

Those who are truly exceptional will always be exceptional; when you were playing with fish on the phone, did you ever imagine what would happen today?

Ye Tinglan glared at him, but of course she wouldn't argue endlessly like a country woman over jealousy. She calmly continued eating, saying, "These past two months have passed, and the spiritual energy in Xia Prefecture is even stronger than last time. Are you prepared to deal with the court's inquiries?"

Shen Tang said, "No one else has reported this yet, Father... His Majesty should not have noticed this place yet."

Ye Tinglan thought for a moment and shook her head, saying, "He has many spies here collecting information. It's impossible that no one is paying attention or reporting to him. If he doesn't react, it's either because his actions haven't started to take effect yet, or because he's preoccupied with other things and doesn't have the mind to pay attention to other relatively unimportant matters for the time being."

Lu Xingzhou nodded and said, "After Gu Shaoli returns, Gu Zhanting should know that some of his schemes have been exposed. Right now, what he should be dealing with most is the questioning from Tianyao Holy Land. Perhaps just figuring out how to deal with the Grand Preceptor will make his head spin three times."

Ye Tinglan glanced at Shen Tang and thought to himself, "This is exactly what I'm doing, taking the blame for you. You're not only ungrateful, but you're also playing the victim with me."

Shen Tang coughed twice and lowered his head to drink the soup.

Lu Xingzhou said, "In addition, Gu Zhanting's actions have also angered the demon race. I wonder if the demon race has any other plans besides capturing Chen Yu?"

“Yes,” Shen Tang replied. “In just over a month, several battles have been fought on the border, but the situation hasn’t reached Xia Prefecture yet… Xia Prefecture is a bit remote, far from the core.”

"Given the current situation, you should send people to Beijing specifically to deliver messages."

"Arrangements have already been made. In addition to those going to the capital to do business, disciples have also been arranged to participate in the martial arts examination. We will try to place them in government offices such as the Demon Suppression Bureau."

Lu Xingzhou asked, "Knowing that you come from the Heavenly Sword Sect, can you really place someone there?"

Shen Tang glanced at Ye Tinglan secretly, and said, "I originally had some old connections in the capital, and some officials supported me. However, the situation was not good before, so I couldn't contact them. Now I have re-established contact with them. I will give you a list, which you can use when you go to the capital again."

This person might be the only one to openly reveal their political power to the Imperial Advisor in the struggle for the throne; it's simply outrageous. Ye Tinglan was filled with strange emotions, but didn't know how to express them.

Am I one of yours now, and you treat me like this?
Seriously speaking, am I your enemy, little princess?
Thinking back to when she first met this little princess, she was a soft and cuddly little dumpling like Ah Nuo. Now she has become like this, and Ye Tinglan feels the cruelty of time.

Shen Tang seemed to guess what she was thinking, and thought to himself, "Isn't it even more shameful for you to compete for a man with this little dumpling you've watched grow up?"
Lu Xingzhou was completely oblivious to the strange tension between the two women, intently studying the list. After finishing, he nodded slightly: "Actually, it's much stronger than I expected..."

Ye Tinglan said with a straight face, "Of course she's not weak. This is the eldest daughter. Although she is born out of wedlock, she is quite capable and has a decent appearance. She is still remembered by many people."

Shen Tang smiled slightly: "Including the Imperial Advisor?"

Ye Tinglan said, "That's true."

Otherwise, you would have died long ago, and you wouldn't be able to act like a first wife in front of me.

Shen Tang suddenly remembered that she really owed this old woman a life-saving favor, and felt a little guilty and breathless. She said, "Sir, you don't seem to eat much. Is it not to your liking?"

Ye Tinglan thought to himself, "I can't eat just looking at your fox-like face," but said aloud, "I don't need to eat; I'm just having a little social interaction."

Did you hear that? It's a social engagement. If you know what's good for you, get lost.

Shen Tang, still oblivious to the situation, pretended not to understand and lowered her head to drink her soup.

Ye Tinglan finally revealed: "Xingzhou took me out for a stroll; I've been feeling stifled staying cooped up on the mountain."

Lu Xingzhou hurriedly put away the list, stood up and said, "Xiazhou does have some other scenic spots. I'll show you around, sir."

Shen Tang hesitated, then decided against it; this person was truly her savior. *Sobbing*

Ah Nuo pointed to his own nose, watching helplessly as the old woman led his master away, unable to utter a single word.

Didn't you say you had more than one disciple? Didn't you say that only letting A'nuo take him would be putting Xingzhou in an unjust position? So what are you doing now? Putting A'nuo in an unjust position?

Shen Tang gently rubbed A Nuo's head with a heavy heart: "Do you know what the biggest difference is between us and her?"

Ah Nuo asked, "Age? Strength?"

Shen Tang sighed: "Shamelessness."

Ah Nuo felt something was wrong. The old woman was actually the most shameless one she had ever met. The truly shameless one was now in the Pei family in the capital. She hoped that her master's wife could handle it when she met him in the future.

The scenery in Xia Prefecture is indeed quite beautiful. After the spiritual energy revived, the landscape became even more picturesque, and the quality of the crops improved significantly. Unfortunately, Ye Tinglan didn't come for the scenery at all. She and Lu Xingzhou strolled around aimlessly for half an afternoon, unable to remember anything they saw or what Lu Xingzhou had told them.

As the sun began to set, Lu Xingzhou was still dutifully introducing the various places to the locals when Ye Tinglan spoke up quietly, "Tell me, what have you been doing all morning?"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

I did my best to be a tour guide, but it turns out that's all you can think about...

Lu Xingzhou felt that even Dou E was more wronged than him: "I really didn't do anything, I just talked about my experiences over the past two months."

"If I just shared some experiences, would she make that kind of sound?"

"what sound?"

"It's...it's that kind of..." Ye Tinglan stamped her foot and said, "Don't I know when I make that kind of sound?"

"But Mr. Ke didn't do anything either..."

Ye Tinglan was stunned. So you guys are vegetarians too?

That old hag is still pretending in front of me.

Ye Tinglan's anger instantly subsided, but she still turned her head away: "Lu Xingzhou..."

"Ok?"

"I want to take you away as soon as possible, not to compete with her for anything, quite the opposite, because I don't want to compete with anyone, do you understand?"

Lu Xingzhou understood what this meant. It was too unsightly for the Imperial Advisor and the Princess to compete for a man, and so far, both of them had been very restrained. By avoiding each other, there was naturally nothing to compete for.

“You’ve already killed me.” Ye Tinglan pressed her forehead against his chest. “I’m a cultivator… my mind is so chaotic now that I don’t even know what I’m cultivating anymore. I know you can’t bear to part with Shen Tang, but if you force me to stay here any longer, I have no choice but to leave.”

Even though Lu Xingzhou was eloquent, he didn't know what to say for the moment and could completely understand his teacher's feelings.

In the end, they could only cautiously suggest, "How about staying another night?"

Ye Tinglan glanced at him, then suddenly a dangerous smile appeared on her face: "Of course, it's just one night, a meditation will do the trick."

"Mmm." Lu Xingzhou was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Ye Tinglan grabbed his ear and said, "But who said it was me meditating?"

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

In the courtyard of Lingquan Mountain, Shen Tang sat anxiously, like a helpless wife who had just seen her husband off to entertain guests, eagerly awaiting his return. Finally, as the sun began to set, the two returned, and Shen Tang greeted them with delight: "Tonight..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Tinglan interrupted him: "I discovered today that my disciple has some problems with his cultivation. I'll help him sort things out tonight. Sect Leader Shen, why don't you stay outside and protect him?"

Lu Xingzhou wanted to say something, but only made muffled noises, as if he had been under some kind of spell.

Shen Tang knew something was wrong, and gritted her teeth, saying, "Why can't you just say what the problem is? Maybe I can figure it out."

"What do you, a mere third-rank official, know?" Ye Tinglan leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Your Highness, you wouldn't want your father to know that you're living with a man, would you?"

Shen Tang: “?”

No, didn't you say before that you don't use underhanded tactics and that you're not that kind of person?
What is this now?
But once this powerful weapon was unleashed, Shen Tang didn't dare to object. She watched helplessly as Ye Tinglan dragged the man into the house and slammed the door shut.

Soon, the sound of a man "groaning" came from inside the door, as if he had been subjected to some kind of inhumane steel wool.

Ah Nuo squatted by the hillside, hugging her knees, playing with ants. She looked up at Shen Tang with pity and said, "Master's wife, want to squat together? I'll save you a spot."

Shen Tang sniffed and, looking aggrieved, squatted down next to A Nuo, hugging her knees in the same manner.

It's truly karma. I had the Imperial Advisor listen to my bedchamber this morning, and he immediately paid for it tonight.

Is this the revenge of the world's number one?

(End of this chapter)