Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 288 Awaiting the Future (The End)

The sound of the waves in the room was very pleasant.

If they dared to deliberately make "uh-huh" sounds to make the Holy Lord imagine what they were doing all morning, then Sect Master Shen should also squat outside and imagine what they are doing inside all night.

fair enough.

Ye Tinglan comfortably reached out and scratched the little man's chin, her mood finally improving. She smiled and said, "Let's make a few more whimpering sounds?"

At this moment, not to mention the two adults squatting outside, Lu Xingzhou inside also felt like he was being tied to the bed and gagged.

Although in reality it was just to silence him and prevent him from talking nonsense and affecting the Holy Lord's strategy, Lu Xingzhou still sensed a strong yandere tendency.

Lu Xingzhou mumbled for a long time but couldn't speak. Helpless, he took out paper and pen and wrote: "Release my speech acupoint, and I promise not to make any noise."

Ye Tinglan expressed her doubts, but she couldn't bear to keep her lover's acupoints sealed forever, so she had to unseal them: "But it's a give-and-take situation, so don't be biased, okay?"

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Now I feel more and more that you and Yuan Muyu are really sisters. Some things in your bones are so similar..."

Ye Tinglan retorted, "How is it similar?"

Aside from their shared attraction to the same man, Ye Tinglan really didn't think she and that brat had anything in common. Ask anyone in the Tianyao Holy Land, and they'd all be two completely different people...

Lu Xingzhou couldn't explain it to her either, and only said, "But sir, I don't think your revenge will be very successful."

"As long as you don't shout and cooperate with me a little, how could it not succeed?" Ye Tinglan said, "Your little princess is still squatting there playing with ants with Anuo."

In fact, Lu Xingzhou didn't know why he made this judgment. He instinctively felt that Shen Tang was not a helpless wife who could be bullied by others, but he had no reason to say so, so he could only keep quiet.

Ye Tinglan ignored him. This was the perfect time to enjoy watching her opponent's defeat, so she smiled and opened her divine sense to listen.

"You know perfectly well that the master won't go to your father to complain, so why are you still taking this threat?" asked Ah Nuo.

“Give that old woman some face. She’s practically my savior; without her, I wouldn’t exist.” Shen Tang drew circles on the ground. “I can’t really go in and argue with her, can I? What would that look like…”

Ah Nuo looked at her with pity: "You look so pitiful squatting here."

Shen Tang said, "Aren't you pitiful squatting here?"

"It's not like I had my man stolen, so what does it have to do with me?"

"But in the end, we're all squatting here in the same place, so what's the difference?"

Ah Nuo's eyes turned into circles.

Is that how it works? If you insist on saying it that way, then you're right.

Ah Nuo thought for a moment, then took out the sunglasses she had worn for fun when she was having her fortune told and put them on Shen Tang.

Shen Tang asked curiously, "What is this?"

Ah Nuo said, "If you cry while wearing this, I won't be able to tell. You don't need to force it."

Shen Tang took off her sunglasses: "I really didn't cry! It depends on how you look at it. I felt uncomfortable at first, but I quickly figured it out."

Ah Nuo: "Ah? Tell me more."

"Oh, you're still young, there are some things I can't tell you."

"Just between us," Ah Nuo said with a smile, "I'll give these sunglasses to my teacher's wife."

Shen Tang glanced around and said in a low voice, "For various reasons, I can't be your master's wife for the time being. Since there's a maidservant willing to help serve me, then let her serve me. An older one would be even better, as she'll know how to take care of people."

Lu Xingzhou didn't know what was being said outside, but he watched in horror as Ye Tinglan's face changed from a smile of admiration for the enemy's defeat to a burning red.

In just one day, His Majesty has already experienced three red-temperature readings.

Shen Tang's combat power is probably stronger than the pressure that her father and the Demon Emperor combined put on the Holy Lord.

"Bang!" Lu Xingzhou was thrown out of the window.

As if she had been prepared, Shen Tang flew past with a "whoosh," picked up Lu Xingzhou, and quickly disappeared.

Ah Nuo's sympathetic gaze fell on Ye Tinglan's room, as if the master had been tricked.

The little dumpling secretly pulled out a small notebook and started taking notes; her master's skills were definitely worth learning...

Meanwhile, Shen Tang swiftly led Lu Xingzhou to Danxia Mountain, to her sect leader's palace. The maids and servants outside had all been dismissed beforehand, as if they had anticipated this moment. Lu Xingzhou stared at Shen Tang in awe, as if he were meeting her for the first time.

Shen Tang placed him on the edge of the bed and elegantly smoothed her hair: "What, do you think I can only look pitiful and draw circles... This old woman has been monopolizing you for two months, and you still want to monopolize me in front of me when you come back? No way."

Lu Xingzhou was both amused and exasperated: "Alright, alright, little princess, tonight's spoils are yours."

"Pah, what spoils of war? You were mine to begin with." Shen Tang smiled and hugged him. "Don't talk, turn off the lights, and hold me while you sleep."

Lu Xingzhou readily embraced her, and Shen Tang leaned against him, her eyes sparkling in the darkness: "Did I make you not enjoy yourself tonight?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "My husband and I haven't even gotten to that point yet. You've misunderstood. Besides, I'm not the kind of person who wants to do something every night... It's enough for us to sleep in each other's arms."

Shen Tang pursed her lips. She wasn't always thinking about how to make a man enjoy himself; who wants that? It's just that since she couldn't give him that, and she was going to take him away from someone else, she felt a little guilty.

She reached out again and said softly, "Let me help you again..."

"No." Lu Xingzhou reached out and grabbed her, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I promised to hold you while we slept, and I don't want anything else."

In the darkness, Shen Tang looked at Lu Xingzhou's face. Perhaps Lu Xingzhou found it dark, but his level three night vision made every reaction crystal clear to Shen Tang. Yet, no matter how Shen Tang looked, she could only see Lu Xingzhou's seriousness.

Her body gradually softened, and she nestled completely into the man's arms, softly saying, "Okay, hold me while we sleep." This was what she wanted most, and the man understood her heart.

This warmed Shen Tang's heart and brought her peace. Before long, she fell asleep leaning against his shoulder.

Since breaking through to the third rank, she has only been able to sleep peacefully when she is with Lu Xingzhou; the rest of the time she is meditating.

Lu Xingzhou, however, was not asleep. While it was fun to stir up trouble everywhere as a follower of the demonic path, this was the first time he had truly faced the headache of trying to balance things out in a chaotic situation, as well as the slight guilt in his conscience. He felt that he was indebted to both sides.

Previous minor conflicts, like those between the Little Demoness and Melon Girl, were never serious. The Little Demoness simply sold tea, and Melon Girl was defeated... and their relationship wasn't that close. This time, it's truly visceral; it feels like sleeping with either of them would be unfair to the other, and nothing they say sounds right.

So people shouldn't have a conscience; only by being a pure follower of the demonic path can one avoid such troubles.

Shen Tang was already quite magnanimous; she didn't care that she had another woman and didn't get upset about it. It's just that they came and went so quickly, rarely seeing each other, and what woman wouldn't want to sleep with her husband on this one and only night together?

…………

Shen Tang slept until the sun was high in the sky.

Lu Xingzhou held her until this point.

When Shen Tang woke up groggily, she looked into Lu Xingzhou's smiling eyes and felt a sweet warmth in her heart, but also a little worried: "You didn't sleep, did you?"

"I was asleep, I just woke up earlier than you." Lu Xingzhou told a white lie: "Don't you little lazybones know what time it is?"

Shen Tang glanced out the window; the sun was almost at its zenith. She suddenly sat up abruptly, muttering, "Oh no, oh no..."

"What, is there an important meeting in the sect today?"

"No, how is that old woman going to imagine what we did tonight... We've been up until the middle of the day..."

Lu Xingzhou chuckled: "Isn't this what you wanted her to imagine? Why are you panicking now that it's happening? Is it because you've been too licentious?"

"Pah!" Shen Tang hurriedly got up and did her hair. "In official matters, she didn't say anything about her status, but everyone knows she's testing me. She's already neglecting her duties before even vying for the throne; what is she thinking..."

“I think she’s making things up about me.” Lu Xingzhou stepped forward to help her comb her hair. “She won’t hold a grudge against you because of this kind of thing. If you really want to get to know each other better, I think it would be better to talk to her face-to-face about some ideas on governance.”

Shen Tang looked in the mirror and smiled slightly: "Too early."

Lu Xingzhou said, "In addition, she may not be as concerned about the struggle for the throne and other national policies of the Great Qian Dynasty as she used to be."

Shen Tang was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"The Tianyao Holy Land should have always been detached from worldly affairs, but it was previously too deeply bound to the Great Qian Dynasty, making it seem like a national advisor. Now that the Tianyao Holy Land's reach has extended to the Tianshuang Kingdom, once its perspective broadens, the Great Qian Dynasty will naturally no longer hold its attention as much as before. Furthermore, its approach to supporting others will be different from before. In the past, it prioritized public interest and was mostly selective in choosing the best and most capable, but now it may care more about personal relationships. Now, it doesn't even matter whether the emperor holds court early or not; a more incompetent ruler might even better suit the Holy Land's needs."

Shen Tang pondered for a while, then suddenly laughed, "She's broken free of her shackles and become a dragon... I wouldn't be surprised if she ascends to immortality. Hmm... perhaps she's been bound by new shackles?"

"what?"

"Love between men and women."

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

“A more incompetent ruler would better suit the needs of the Holy Land, but that will have to wait until the threat of the demon race is resolved.” Shen Tang stood up and turned her head with a smile: “At least for now, she still wants to support a decent monarch.”

"...Just because you almost made her die of anger?"

"You could say that. Do most people have that kind of ability?" Shen Tang held Lu Xingzhou's hand and whispered, "Xingzhou, the situation in the capital this time is different from last time. You need to be prepared. It would be best if you really broke through to the third rank before you go. Once you pass the third rank hurdle, the difference in your level will be significant."

Lu Xingzhou nodded: "I know."

"Then let's go, your husband is getting impatient."

The two flew towards the top of Lingquan Mountain, where Ye Tinglan had already summoned a small boat and was waiting at the bow.

Ah Nuo was squatting to one side, holding a basin, eating.

Ye Tinglan's expression showed no trace of the flush from last night, as if she had slept quite well. Upon seeing the two of them arrive, she spoke indifferently as if nothing had happened: "Have you rested enough?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "That's enough."

"It's not that I don't want you two to spend a couple more days together, but the situation in the capital, the demon realm, and the ancient world is constantly changing and in a state of flux. You and I have already returned late, and we don't have time for leisurely relaxation." Ye Tinglan said calmly, "The next time we meet, it may be even longer than this time. I hope you two are mentally prepared."

The last sentence sounded like a declaration of war, but not quite. Shen Tang couldn't figure it out, so she could only say something polite: "We will prioritize our cultivation."

"That's good." Ye Tinglan reached out and lifted Anuo onto the small boat: "Let's go."

Lu Xingzhou stepped onto the small boat, and Shen Tang looked into his eyes: "I have remembered what you said yesterday... Just go ahead and explore, and the Heavenly Sword Sect will become your ever-strengthening support."

Lu Xingzhou cupped his hands in greeting: "I will handle the matters in the capital."

Shen Tang smiled slightly: "We've always been like this, haven't we?"

Ye Tinglan couldn't listen any longer. The small boat quickly and leisurely ascended into the sky, gradually speeding up as it flew eastward.

Shen Tang looked up and watched them go, his second-grade aura gradually dissipating.

Ye Tinglan turned around and looked at him, muttering to himself, "Truly a genius."

Such breakthroughs on the spot usually result from a sudden realization.

What did Shen Tang realize? Was it the power of letting a man run off with another woman?
She simply found a deeper meaning in cultivation—besides achieving her own goals, she could also serve as Lu Xingzhou's support, not wanting him, the so-called number one in the world, to monopolize the spotlight. That was all.

End of Volume Three

(End of this chapter)