Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 494 Virus Landship

One minute it's "my Lu Xingzhou," the next it's "the people I care about care about me."

His ulterior motives are blatantly obvious; what else could it be but trying to seduce her?
But Dugu Qingli said this without any displeasure. Compared to her previous attitude of wielding a sword to kill someone, it was as if she was saying, "It's okay to seduce me," but "It's not okay to get on my face."

After all, nice words make people feel good.

As for the logic behind those words... no one had ever said that to her before. When her master and the sect discussed similar topics, it was always based on cultivation, as if her significance as an ice-type swordsman was greater than that of a young girl.

Well, how should I put it? It's easier said than done. Who can be as arrogant and narcissistic as Long Qinghuang?

However, Long Qinghuang could crush anyone who dared to defy her; she had every right to be arrogant. Dugu Qingli put herself in her shoes and thought that if her cultivation improved, she could do the same.

So everything still comes down to cultivation. As long as one's cultivation is as high as a dragon soaring to the heavens, even if one points at a deer and says it's a horse, others will have to accept it, right?

So the master and the sect's reasoning is not wrong, but why is it not as comforting as what Lu Xingzhou said... It's really strange.

Lu Xingzhou stole a glance at her.

I peeked again.

Dugu Qingli asked expressionlessly, "What are you looking at?"

"It's nothing." I thought you'd draw your sword, but you're surprisingly calm.

Therefore, I, Lu Xingzhou, am the best at taking care of kids. Hands on hips, Anuo is my witness.

Dugu Qingli said, "If you think it's good, you can look at it openly and honestly. There's no need to be so lewd."

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

How did you learn to be so arrogant on the spot? You learned pretty quickly.

"What place is that? There are so many people." Dugu Qingli suddenly pointed to a shop in front of her, where the crowd was surging, more than ten times larger than the customers in other shops.

Lu Xingzhou looked over and was also puzzled. Wasn't that the clothing store he had visited before? It wasn't this popular back then.

He couldn't help but feel curious, so he grabbed Dugu Qingli's hand and ran over: "Let's go take a look."

Dugu Qingli flung her away, saying, "Look if you want, but don't touch me. Please have some self-respect, Master."

"..." Lu Xingzhou had used the tactic of "accidentally" taking the other party's hand to take things further several times. Even Ye Tinglan and Long Qinghuang had fallen for this trick, but Xiaobai Mao had seen through it.

Having made a mistake, Lu Xingzhou could only try to save face: "Am I that kind of person? It was just something I did on the spur of the moment, unintentionally."

Dugu Qingli ignored him and went to the shop entrance. She immediately saw a huge couplet hanging on the door frame: "The clothing is magnificent, the Demon Emperor swept it all away; the room is comfortable, the Holy Lord lingers and forgets to leave."

The horizontal scroll reads: "A Second Bloom."

The two were dumbfounded. So the business here was so good because everyone was on a pilgrimage?
"Oh my! Lord Lu!" The shopkeeper rushed out to greet him. "Lord Lu is truly a distinguished guest of our shop. Our shop owes its success entirely to your patronage! You've brought your new wife to buy clothes again today? Take whatever you like, it's all free!"

Lu Xingzhou was drenched in cold sweat, and Dugu Qingli glanced at him sideways: "So this second blossoming of plum blossoms was all brought about by Lord Lu?"

The shop owner bowed and scraped, saying, "Madam, you are clearly no ordinary person. May I ask your name?"

"Who is his wife?" Dugu Qingli's white hair stood on end: "I don't want to be hung on the wall, going from a second marriage to one of the three friends in winter."

After saying that, he ran away.

Sweating profusely, Lu Xingzhou pointed at the shop owner: "Advertising fee!"

He quickly chased after her, calling out, "Wait for me!"

The shop owner missed out on a signboard and sighed, "What a pity, what a pity."

Someone asked, "Is that Lu Xingzhou, the Marquis of Dingyuan of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

"Replacement guaranteed."

"It's said that he's surrounded by top beauties, each with a more terrifying identity than the last. How could he possibly be interested in someone with such a strange appearance?"

"What do you know?" one knowledgeable guy retorted directly, "Even those who are used to eating delicacies will enjoy some iced drinks. Some people, with women readily available, have no ambition and turn to men..."

"Your insight is brilliant."

"Besides, do you understand women as well as Lord Lu? If he thinks this is beautiful, there must be a reason. It's just that you don't understand."

"You know what, although she looks a bit strange at first glance, once you think about it, her skin is as white as snow, her eyes are like glass, and her white hair has a unique charm. Actually, she's quite pretty, isn't she?"

It's actually quite beautiful. Even if human aesthetics have their biases, the underlying logic won't differ too drastically. Given that most Chinese people are fond of white-haired people, how could the Great Qian Dynasty possibly find it ugly?
The reason people perceive something as a monster is because others don't look like that. Things that are different from the norm are naturally dismissed as strange; this is a rejection of the outside world due to limited knowledge. But just as when they saw little Qingli and regarded her as a spirit, they also thought she was "exquisitely cute and adorable."

Therefore, aesthetic appreciation is actually universal; what's lacking is simply someone to guide everyone to examine things with a mindset of discovering beauty.

With his wife's reputation for quality, Lu Xingzhou undoubtedly became an excellent leader.

"It looks really good. I'll have my husband dye his hair white sometime and see."

"Come on, not everyone can pull off this kind of special look... To be honest, I once had my wife wear the Dragon Emperor's glittering gold outfit, and guess what? The neighbors saw it and said, 'Where did this giant golden silkworm come from?'"

The crowd roared with laughter, the sound carrying far and wide, reaching the ears of Dugu Qingli, who had run far away, causing the little white-haired girl's cool face to flush red.

Lu Xingzhou walked beside him with a smile: "Look, now I'm not the only one saying you're good-looking."

Dugu Qingli really didn't know why this was the case. She was considered a monster when she came out alone, but suddenly she became very beautiful when she was Lu Xingzhou's woman.

No one had ever fed this kind of data before, and it was incomprehensible. I just felt my heart pounding, as if the whole world was helping Lu Xingzhou cheat.

The white-haired boy gritted his teeth: "Did you do this on purpose?"

"Huh?" "You arranged for people to spread rumors that I'm your new wife, your woman."

Lu Xingzhou was both amused and exasperated: "I've been with you the whole time, how could I have arranged this in advance? How could I possibly hide it from you by communicating telepathically when you're right in front of me?"

"Who knows? Isn't Lord Lu a master strategist?"

"Some things don't need to be arranged; that's called reputation."

"You're quite proud of your reputation for being a lecher, aren't you?" Dugu Qingli was furious: "Then say something, clarify that it's not true!"

"The more you try to debunk this kind of thing, the more you'll get a meaningful 'Oh~' in return. Believe me."

"Lu Xingzhou! You did this on purpose! You've ruined my reputation!" Dugu Qingli drew her sword.

Lu Xingzhou took off running, and Dugu Qingli chased after him with her sword drawn.

Passersby saw this and smiled, saying, "The young couple has such a good relationship."

Dugu Qingli: "?"

Why is this happening?

I was clearly slashing him, so why do people think we're a loving couple and that we have a great relationship? Are you all crazy?

Dugu Qingli sheathed her sword.

Lu Xingzhou returned to her side with a smile and walked with her.

As a result, the smiles of the passersby became even more benevolent.

The database for Xiaobaimao was burned.

Whether we cut them down or not, we're still a couple. Can you teach me how to not be a couple?

"I'm not going to shop anymore! It's not fun at all!" Little White Hair protested, walking back to Hanlan Sect with a blank expression.

Passing by the clothing store again, the smiling eyes of countless people made Dugu Qingli want to die. Her eyes glanced at the couplet, wondering what her master and the Dragon Emperor would think if they saw this. Would they be ashamed and indignant, or rather pleased that this place held memories of her past with that stinky man?

It's most likely the latter.

It feels like something's wrong whenever you get involved with Lu Xingzhou; things you used to know suddenly become different.

The way people appreciate beauty now is the same way Lu Xingzhou looked at him back then.

So Lu Xingzhou is a contagious virus?
Lu Xingzhou returned to Hanlan Sect in a mess, just as Si Han arrived. Upon seeing Lu Xingzhou, Si Han smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Lord Lu, how have you been?"

Lu Xingzhou returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Is it the King of Si who has come in person?"

Si Han said, "I heard that Lord Lu and the Holy Maiden have arrived, so naturally I have to treat them."

"Your Majesty is too kind." Lu Xingzhou gestured to the ring on his hand: "The gift from Your Majesty has been made into a ring. I like it very much. Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Haha, congratulations on your marriage, Lord Lu. I'm afraid my gift is too meager. I'm just glad you like it." Si Han's eyes swept over the two of them. Seeing Dugu Qingli's still flushed face, he smiled and said, "When you two have good news, I'll make you another gift."

Dugu Qingli's eyes widened: "I'm not..."

Si Han gestured for them to come inside: "Please come inside and talk."

Dugu Qingli: "?"

Your Tianshuang Kingdom is supposed to be the entire nation that shelters my Tianyao Holy Land, yet you interrupt me?
So you recognize the Holy Lord as a male concubine but not the Holy Maiden?
Si Han thought to himself, "What are you pretending for? I am the ruler of Tianshuang Kingdom. I know about the major events that happen in Tianshuang Kingdom—such as your adultery with Lu Xingzhou in the Ice Prison Sect."

Forget it, the girl is too sensitive, let's not talk about it.

Also, Tianyao Holy Land is quite colorful, with master and disciple relationships... um.

When everyone arrived at the Hanlan Sect's reception room, Zhang Liying had already prepared tea and refreshments. Si Han took the main seat and said with a smile, "I didn't expect the Holy Lord to be so concerned about the disaster in Tianshuang Kingdom. I haven't even reported the earthquake in Hanchuan to the Holy Lord yet, and the Holy Lord has already sent the two of you to investigate."

Zhang Liying: "..."

Lu Xingzhou replied without batting an eye: "Master Tinglan's divination skills are unparalleled in the world."

Dugu Qingli: "..."

Si Han smiled and said, "I personally went to see this earthquake a few days ago."

"Oh? The King of Si has personally examined it, so he must have some conclusions."

"Indeed... Your Excellency should know that the entire Frozen Moon Cold River is essentially a sea, but it is completely frozen due to the extremely strong icy influence. The seabed originally had many unique features, such as many secret realms buried below, and even ancient cities buried there... as well as various landforms, such as volcanoes."

Lu Xingzhou's heart stirred slightly: "So, which one does the Lord Si judge it to be?"

Si Han said, "We have seen the signs of this matter. The bone dragon back then was one of them. It was originally a bone dragon that died in the sea and was frozen in a certain place. For some reason, it gradually rose to the surface and was discovered by us, which triggered a series of changes at that time. At that time, we felt that there was a space that was rising as a whole, and most likely a great secret realm was breaking ground. This bone dragon was just a scrap that was brought up."

Lu Xingzhou said, "Yes, that was indeed the judgment at the time. So, the Lord of Si believes that this earthquake is a continuation of the previous incident?"

"pretty close."

"So, it has little to do with the Ice Demon?"

Si Han said, "It cannot be ruled out that it is a side effect of the Ice Demon's struggle to break free, but it is most likely not the Ice Demon itself. Firstly, the location is off, and secondly, my investigation did not detect any demonic intent."

Lu Xingzhou stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Interesting, Atlantis?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

PS: Please vote for me~
(End of this chapter)