Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 438 Whoever crawls into his bed is a puppy
After that "husband" was uttered, Lu Xingzhou actually felt that his master was finally willing to walk the right path.

Even if a fake identity is used, the concept of "announcing the engagement in public" is extremely damaging to women. They will truly feel that they are already your wife, and that doing whatever they want is perfectly natural.

Gua Mei's behavior before and after the marriage proposal was like that of a completely different person, and Ye Tinglan's mood was probably similar.

Unfortunately, everyone was preoccupied with their own things at the time, making it an inappropriate opportunity for intimacy. Her husband might perceive it as an attempt to take advantage of her, and even if she agreed, the impression it would likely not be positive.

And it's not romantic enough at this time.

Just as she was hesitating, Ye Tinglan's communication jade talisman vibrated slightly, startling her from her passion. She quickly broke free from Lu Xingzhou's embrace and connected to the talisman: "Qingli?"

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

The name seems to possess a cold, magical power, as if a bucket of ice water has been poured over one's head, extinguishing all desire.

Dugu Qingli wasn't using divine sense, but speaking, so Lu Xingzhou could hear her clearly: "Master, we've cast a wide net overseas, but after so long we haven't found any clues about Zhao En. The elders, based on intelligence from various sources, think we might be overlooking something."

Ye Tinglan said, "Does everyone mean that Zhao En might have sneaked back into Daqian?"

"Yes, I have the same guess. There is another possibility that it is in the Frozen Moon Cold River."

"You don't want to go to Frozen Moon River, do you? You shouldn't go there."

"No, not really... Master, during my time overseas, I've made some progress in the sea, and I recently reached the second rank. But Master, I feel that reaching the second rank came a bit too quickly; I didn't feel any threshold at all. Is there something wrong with this situation?"

Dugu Qingli is undoubtedly a genius. In the past, when she was at a lower level, there were basically no barriers. The only hurdle she encountered was at the third rank, but she broke through it easily, which is normal for a genius.

But there were still no barriers to advancement beyond the third rank, which even surprised Dugu Qingli herself. Was it too fast? Even she herself hadn't progressed this quickly before reaching the third rank.

Therefore, people wonder if this situation is related to the Ice Demon's true form. This concern has been troubling Little White Hair's cultivation these past few days.

So it's not "nothing happened," Little White Hair must really want to resolve the Ice Demon's matter and completely remove the stone from his heart.

Unfortunately, Ye Tinglan would definitely not let her take any risks while she was still cultivating: "Your threshold is fine, no need to overthink it. Hmm... how about you come to the Great Qian?"

"Master, are you going to marry Lu Xingzhou? I heard it from someone..."

"No, no!" Ye Tinglan couldn't bring herself to do it in front of her disciple, after all, Lu Xingzhou was her disciple's "friend," and this old cow eating young grass was just too embarrassing.

Lu Xingzhou understood this mentality quite well. If a mother were to have an affair with her daughter's high school classmate, she would probably be too ashamed to tell her daughter. It was a similar feeling.

"Oh, that's good. I'll do it then."

The implication was that if you really wanted to marry Lu Xingzhou, I wouldn't go; I couldn't bear to watch.

Even after ending the call, Ye Tinglan's face was still flushed.

Qingli had expressed her support for her master to let go of her inner turmoil and pursue happiness, but in reality, it was clear from many instances that her disciple couldn't quite accept it. Qingli's influence played at least a significant role in Ye Tinglan's inability to "let go of her identity."

"Um..." Ye Tinglan straightened her disheveled clothes and mumbled, "Then I'll go back first. You can continue to contact Jiang Duxu."

Lu Xingzhou wouldn't force her; he simply lowered his head and kissed her forehead: "Okay."

Ye Tinglan felt a little guilty towards the young man and whispered, "Xingzhou..."

Lu Xingzhou didn't let her continue, but just smiled and said, "Sir has already overcome many obstacles, and there are some obstacles that I need to overcome."

Ye Tinglan looked at him with bright eyes, and after a long while, she finally hummed in agreement.

Lu Xingzhou helped her stand up and said in a low voice, "If Zhao En also comes to Daqian, then Gu Zhanting's side is likely to be hostile to you in the near future. Not only should you transfer Qing Li, but I think you can also try to transfer some of Elder Feng and the others to guard against unforeseen circumstances."

Ye Tinglan nodded: "I know."

Ye Tinglan returned to the Guoguan first, and Lu Xingzhou went out to call Anuo. The master and disciple leisurely returned to the Lu residence.

It was already late when they returned. The master and apprentice were happily playing with the little pig when the steward came to report: "Master, Mr. Jiang has come to visit."

Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "I won't see you."

"Uh……"

“Tell him that if he’s not sincere about the cooperation, then we shouldn’t cooperate. It’s not that we can’t do without him.”

Jiang Duxu sighed, "Why do you say that, Physician Lu?"

Lu Xingzhou, teasing the piglet, didn't turn his head: "If I were you, to ensure that the Imperial Preceptor could remain in this world and not ascend and disappear soon, I would proactively offer a method to avoid the pull of ascension. This would both demonstrate sincerity in cooperation and ensure the continuity of our partnership. But I don't understand what you're thinking, sir. Why hold back at a time like this, making a mere cooperation go through two or three hands, taking forever to settle, all this hesitation and indecision?"

Jiang Duxu sighed, "Physician Lu, you misunderstand. I've come here specifically to inform you of this method." "Then why didn't you tell the Imperial Advisor directly before?"

"Because my method doesn't guarantee success; there's only a 50-60% chance. The Imperial Preceptor is a seeker of the Dao, and the allure of Qian Yuan is there. Even a 30% chance is enough for her to try her best, let alone 50-60%... But I dare not. What if something goes wrong? Would Doctor Lu blame me? Would the Tianyao Holy Land think that I harmed their Holy Lord? I can't bear such a heavy burden."

This explanation made Lu Xingzhou understand a bit better; in fact, it was proof that Jiang Du was genuinely interested in cooperating.

He finally stood up: "So Mr. Jiang wants to tell me the method so that I can take control."

“Not bad.” Jiang Duxu didn’t waste any words and handed over a jade slip: “I have already imprinted the method on the jade slip. This matter will be handled by Physician Lu.”

Lu Xingzhou took the jade slip, glanced at it, and frowned slightly: "The Buddhist treasure 'Formless Realm' conceals... it even fooled the Heavenly Tribulation. Putting aside the certainty of that, even if the Formless Realm could be created using the plan in your jade slip, wouldn't the result just be a replica?"

Jiang Duxu shook his head: "The Formless Realm is not some innate treasure. It is a man-made magic weapon. As long as we can make the same one, there is no distinction between imitation and genuine products—we can even make it better. The method I have here is just a reference. If the Grand Preceptor has better methods, it may increase our chances."

Lu Xingzhou sighed.

Tianyao Holy Land is a Taoist practice, and at most they have some knowledge of Buddhist methods. It's estimated that it's unlikely they can come up with a better plan than Jiang Duxu's.

If there is any Buddhist sect in this world that is comparable to the Tianyao Holy Land, then it is... the Holy Mountain of the Demon Race?
We might need Long Qinghuang's help with this; let's look in the sacred mountain's records.

But would Long Qinghuang really be willing to help Ye Tinglan break through to the Qian Yuan realm and even remain in this world forever...?

Regardless, Jiang Duxu did provide a feasible solution, even offering guidance on how to forge magical artifacts, which demonstrated his sincerity. Lu Xingzhou temporarily set aside further considerations and cupped his hands, saying, "I have received Mr. Jiang's sincerity in cooperating. Putting everything else aside, starting tomorrow, the Jiang family will be designated to handle all trade between the Main and Guest Department and overseas countries."

Jiang Duxu smiled slightly: "Then I'll trouble you."

The Jiang family's so-called establishment as maritime merchants was merely a basic plan, certainly not their ultimate goal. However, this was the beginning of cooperation, and Jiang Duxu was already quite satisfied.

In fact, Lu Xingzhou's cooperation was much more direct and straightforward than Gu Zhanting's. Gu Zhanting had been dragging it out for months, waiting for the "marriage" to be successful before giving them the next steps. Lu Xingzhou, on the other hand, had only exchanged ideas two or three times before the initial cooperation had already begun. This made Jiang Duxu feel much more at ease. After all, they were cultivators, people who had reached the Qian Yuan stage. Could they really be bothered with some mortal emperor's tedious talk?

Moreover, one of Lu Xingzhou's betrothed, Miss Pei Chuyun of the Pei family, invited Jiang Yuan to a winter solstice poetry gathering this afternoon. They strolled hand in hand, smiling, and are now having dinner together. This signifies that the "Jiang family of maritime merchants" has entered the upper echelons of social circles in the capital.

Although Jiang Yuan was completely bewildered from beginning to end, in some ways, this was even more important than Lu Xingzhou's so-called designated trade officer.

Jiang Duxu considered the matter, but couldn't help but say, "Your emperor... has some grand schemes up his sleeve. Your affairs as a physician are probably just minor squabbles."

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "Does Mr. Jiang know what he's doing?"

"The specifics are currently unknown."

"If he does anything to you, I won't say how you should decide, but I hope you can talk to me about it, okay?"

Jiang Duxu smiled, did not answer the question, but simply cupped his hands in greeting and drifted away.

Just as Jiang Duxu left, Sheng Yuanyao slipped in, coming through the back door.

The guards of the Lu residence are all soldiers under General Sheng's command; they can slip away wherever they want.

Lu Xingzhou found her expression amusing: "Old Sheng just sent people to drag you back, and now he's letting you sneak away? Isn't he supposed to lock you up in a dark room?"

"Pah! My fiancé and I are having dinner in our own garden. Why should I be locked up in a dark room?" Sheng Yuanyao walked up to him with a grin and took his arm. "They called us back just because they were afraid I'd be shamelessly messing around with that Pei guy. Do you think I'm that kind of person? Really, you underestimate me."

"So now that they know Chu Yun is at the banquet, they've let you out?"

“What does it have to do with her?” Sheng Yuanyao retorted, “Whether she’s at the banquet or not doesn’t affect my coming to see my husband.”

It's obvious they've had their fill of it; they're especially attached to a newly ripened melon.

Ah Nuo's face scrunched up like she'd eaten a sour date.

You should revert to acting like a brother; the kids can't handle this.

She couldn't stand it, but Lu Xingzhou liked his wife's clinginess. He smiled and picked her up, carrying her back to their room: "You're right. Qingyao Garden is just our property. This is our home."

Sheng Yuanyao grinned. Of course, she had come here shamelessly in order to achieve her first accomplishment of spending a romantic night with Lu Xingzhou in "her own home".

He completely forgot that he had just made a promise with Pei Chuyun at noon that whoever slept in his bed was a dog.

That green tea Pei is incredibly stupid and easily manipulated.

The two entered the room and immediately embraced and kissed at the head of the bed. Sheng Yuanyao was still savoring the feeling of last night. It was both comfortable and conducive to cultivation, although her voice was a little hoarse... It's okay, she'll be fine after one night's sleep.

Just as the two were lost in their passionate kiss, a fragrant breeze wafted by, Pei Chuyun appeared in the room, furious: "I knew it! Now it's time to tell who's the dog!"

(End of this chapter)