Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 311 Isn't this what you wanted?
Lu Xingzhou stopped his retreat, eased his injuries, stood still, smiled, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

There's no need to speak; everything is understood without words.

Yuan Muyu stood there blankly, speechless for a long time; she had even lost her mind. In fact, all she had done was flicker her cloak, which didn't affect her movements, and she could have easily given chase, but she had completely forgotten that.

The two were gazing at each other, whispering amongst themselves all over the island, their voices almost drowning out the sound of the waves.

Yuan Muyu's temporary illusion could fool most people, but it obviously couldn't fool the old guards who were above the first rank and familiar with Fairy Fuyao.

At this moment, the team leaders all looked at each other in disbelief.

Everyone has heard that Fairy Fuyao had a falling out with the Holy Lord of Tianyao and ran away from home many years ago, but the Tianyao Holy Land hasn't expelled her from the sect's genealogy. But what no one knows is that the now-powerful King Yama of the Great Qian Dynasty is actually Fairy Fuyao—the difference is huge…

Putting aside the King of Hell, what's going on here?

How dare you, Ye Fuyao, participate in such a grand competition? Have you no shame?
Moreover, she stands on the opposite side of Tianyao Holy Land. Is this... well, since she stands on the opposite side of Tianyao Holy Land, and everyone wants to embarrass Tianyao Holy Land, shouldn't we expose her?
Then, wasn't Lu Xingzhou supposed to be a disciple of Fairy Fuyao, and was taken back by the Tianyao Holy Land?

How did they end up fighting with Fairy Fuyao?

He even ripped off his master's cloak in public, severely disgracing his master.
That being said, the image of Fairy Fuyao standing gracefully on the arena... always evokes a sense of nostalgia for a group of old-timers, as if nothing has changed over the years.

People had mixed feelings and didn't immediately try to uncover the truth. Instead, they turned to look in Ye Tinglan's direction to see what the host would say.

Ye Tinglan straightened up from her leisurely posture leaning back in her chair, put down her teacup, and said slowly, "This young lady said before going into battle that she wanted to see if the other party could lift her cloak... Now that they have, what do you say?"

Yuan Muyu glared at her but didn't reply.

Ye Tinglan smiled and said, "Our sect's disciple also suffered minor injuries, so we're even. Judging from the battle between the two of you just now, it was a close and evenly matched contest. If it had continued, there would have been injuries... In my opinion, even if there is no winner, let's call it a draw. What do you say?"

Those who didn't understand whispered among themselves. Judging from the scene, one had only had his cloak blown off, and the other had blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. It seemed that the injured one was at a disadvantage, and Tianyao Saintess's words were inevitably a bit unfair.

Those who understand should sit back and relax. A draw is a draw; let's see what happens next. If your Nujiao Island wins the next match and successfully embarrasses Tianyao Holy Land, we won't say anything. If you lose the next match, we'll accuse Tianyao Holy Land of manipulating the competition, sending their own people to the other side, and deliberately drawing the match when they could have won.

That being said, if you yourself said it would be a draw, would Ye Fuyao be happy about that?
She was the kind of person who would directly confront the Holy Lord of Tianyao, who was only a third-rank official in his twenties. She wouldn't give the Holy Lord any face. Logically, she should have retorted immediately, but people only saw her silently looking at Lu Xingzhou before slowly answering, "Okay."

People from Angry Dragon Island: "..."

You even said we'd go weak at the knees if we met a handsome guy up there, and you did the same, didn't you? Dare to say you didn't?
Since the parties involved have agreed, there's nothing more for others to say, so this match will be considered a draw. Strangely, neither of them has taken the initiative to intervene; they're still staring at each other.

Ye Tinglan couldn't sit still any longer, so she floated into the arena and picked up Lu Xingzhou.

Yuan Muyu felt as if a giant needle had pricked her buttocks; her dazed state was instantly brought to life: "What are you doing!"

Ye Tinglan gave her a strange look: "What? What are you doing? Our sect's disciple is injured. As the sect leader, it is only right that I take the injured disciple back for treatment. Your question is quite strange."

Others were also looking at her strangely. The sect leader carrying his disciple back for treatment was a bit much—it wasn't a minor injury warranting the Holy Lord's personal intervention—but it was still an expression of his care for his disciple. Why were you getting so worked up?
No one would ever imagine that the Holy Master of Tianyao would actually show affection for her lover in front of everyone, and that it was a targeted display.

Yuan Muyu gritted her teeth in anger: "His injury was so minor, can't he walk by himself!"

"How our sect treats its injured members is none of the concern of outsiders." Ye Tinglan leisurely carried Lu Xingzhou away from the arena: "Miss, you should go down first. It's your third person's turn to take the stage. Don't disrupt the competition."

"Outsider, I..."

"Is not it?"

Ye Tinglan had already stepped off the arena, deliberately not flying directly onto her platform, but instead slowly circling around to the back, as if looking for a quiet place to heal her disciple. Yuan Muyu almost instinctively chased after her, grabbing her sash and hissing through gritted teeth in a low voice, "Ye Tinglan! What are you doing!"

Ye Tinglan continued walking: "Didn't I already answer that, little Pinglan?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over her chest, emphasizing the word "Ping," thus giving Pinglan a completely different meaning.

It's a bit flat, isn't it?

Yuan Muyu was so angry that steam was practically rising from her head. She gritted her teeth and said, "Lu Xingzhou, how old are you? Don't you have legs of your own?!"

Lu Xingzhou leaned peacefully against Ye Tinglan's chest, his calm eyes fixed on Yuan Muyu, remaining silent throughout.

Only after these words were spoken did Lu Xingzhou's eyes flicker slightly, and he slowly said, "The state of not having legs... isn't that... exactly what you wanted?"

Yuan Muyu stood there as if struck by lightning, unable to continue.

Watching helplessly as Ye Tinglan walked around to the backstage, their ambiguous figures disappeared around the corner and were no longer visible.

Every now and then, people would glance curiously at the edge of the platform, where a little girl, her face obscured by an illusion, stood quietly, all alone in the bustling arena.

There was no one behind the platform; it was now a rocky coastline.

Ye Tinglan carried Lu Xingzhou and sat him on a rock. She leaned down and playfully pinched his nose, saying with a smile, "I thought you would be reserved and not let her be intimate in front of her, but it turns out you don't care at all."

Lu Xingzhou asked in surprise, "She's not my wife, why should I be so reserved?" "She's not... um..." Ye Tinglan hesitated for a long time before saying, "She's still family, she raised you."

“Yes. She is still my benefactor and teacher, and I still remember her kindness to this day.” Lu Xingzhou said, “But since she doesn’t want me, what does my love affair have to do with her? It’s not like she doesn’t want me and won’t let others want me either. What kind of logic is that in the world?”

Tonight, Ye Tinglan is happier than ever before.

No matter what I said before, that lingering worry about "meal replacements" was hard to completely erase. But today it's been proven that the real deal is right in front of me, so why would I need a meal replacement? This isn't a meal replacement; it doesn't cost a penny.

Not only is it not a meal replacement, but the so-called original is no longer legitimate at all; it's nothing.

Instead of worrying about that, you should worry about Shen Tang.

"Alright, alright." Ye Tinglan leaned down affectionately: "Master is going to heal your injuries. How do you plan to do it?"

Lu Xingzhou immediately pouted.

Ye Tinglan leaned forward, about to kiss him.

Yuan Muyu stood there quietly for a long time, her mind a jumbled mess, and no one knew what she was thinking.

It was her own decision to sever ties, which led her to distance herself from Xingzhou; yet, fearing that distance would mean he would no longer belong to her, she simply kept him by her side. This is inherently contradictory.

That day, as the conversation progressed, the topic of Xingzhou's angry departure came up, and he couldn't help but think, "That's just how it is."

It's better to part ways now and not worry about it anymore.

The initial period after leaving was fine; I even managed to break through to the highest level. But over the past year, my longing for her has only grown stronger, which has had the opposite effect.

What if he finds someone else after I rejected him? Every time I think of this, it feels like claws are scratching at my heart, making my spiritual practice uneasy.

So I told myself, he won't.

He's such a serious person, someone who loves so deeply... how could he so easily fall for someone else?
Will not.

She doesn't know anything about Shen Tang, Dugu Qingli, Pei Chuyun, or Sheng Yuanyao.

But the other person is Ye Tinglan, who is so similar to me. She knows everything that I know.

On the day of the Jade Talisman Communication, Yuan Muyu herself did not realize that her thoughts had changed from "How could Xingzhou possibly be interested in me?" to "My sister wouldn't do that, she's just trying to annoy me."

The facts are now right before our eyes, just around the corner.

Take one step forward and you'll know whether he'll approve of her or not, and whether she'll act that way.

But my feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to take a step.

Lu Xingzhou's final response was extremely damaging.

"Probably not. They were both just trying to annoy me. Otherwise, why would they hug me in front of everyone? Nobody else seemed to care, only I would get angry. Calm down, calm down." Yuan Muyu took a deep breath and finally stepped forward.

Just as they turned the corner, they saw Lu Xingzhou sitting on the rocks, pouting. Ye Tinglan leaned down, about to have their piggy battle.

Yuan Muyu felt as if a fire had exploded in her head, and she lost all consciousness. Her face flushed red and looked like it was about to split open: "Ye Tinglan! You, the dignified Holy Master of Tianyao, are you here to steal the affections of a young disciple?!"

The sound was enveloped by an invisible barrier, and none of it traveled outside.

However, Ye Tinglan had made preparations in advance and set up a barrier.

Seeing that his shouts were ineffective, Yuan Muyu rushed forward and pointed at his sister's forehead with his finger as if it were a sword.

Ye Tinglan finally couldn't bring herself to kiss her, and with lightning speed, she slashed at her sister's wrist.

"Bang bang pa pa~"

A clash of titans, a spectacle that might not have occurred more than two or three times in a thousand years, suddenly erupted between China and overseas.

"Not pretending anymore?" Ye Tinglan led her to retreat while fighting, avoiding accidentally hurting Lu Xingzhou, and said leisurely, "That's strange. What man I choose is none of your business. I've always heard that an elder sister is like a mother, but I've never heard of a younger sister interfering in her elder sister's marriage."

"Who you find is none of my business! How dare you touch him! What right do you have to touch him!"

"Boom!" The two fought all the way into the sea, with the sea and sky roaring wildly.

Lu Xingzhou only realized the real gap between himself and Sister Yu this time. Before he could even react, the two sisters had already disappeared.

(End of this chapter)