Chapter 211: Chapter 3: Innocence and Reluctance to Stab in the Back
“Speak, confess honestly!”
“Martial Sister, I really don’t know…”
“Spill it quickly!”
After being roughed up by Miss Shi, Luo Yan could only think of a way to reveal some less crucial information in a vague manner:
“I’ve heard that Taiqing focuses on Qi Refinement, Shangqing cultivates the Sword Technique, and Yuqing enters the path through a side door.”
“The Shushan Shangqing Faction mainly concentrates on Sword Cultivators, so they pay more attention to Root Bone when taking disciples, and I’ve heard they seem to have a Secret Technique for Marrow Cleansing too.”
His words were unclear, but they made Miss Shi’s eyes light up.
That’s right, Shushan!
As the heiress of Heavenly Craft Workshop, she certainly wasn’t completely ignorant about Shushan.
Shushan, as the frontline against the Demon Race in Ancient Times, once had the largest material reserves of the Human Race. Beneath Thunder Plains, the Fire Element Cave was said to store countless treasures and rarities.
Considering that the Marrow Cleansing Rank generally only lasts ten years, and most Cultivators choose to cultivate on their own, it’s highly likely that a lot of Magical Treasures or Spirit Pills that can speed up Marrow Cleansing still remain!
Liuli immediately turned around to leave, planning to run to Elder Shi Ding and act adorably in order to persuade him to use his connections to trade with Shushan.
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Seeing that Miss Shi was finally fooled, Luo Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, just as Liuli reached the doorway, she turned around as if prompted by some mysterious force and caught a glimpse of Luo Yan’s relieved expression.
She couldn’t help but reveal a fox-like wary expression.
“Junior Brother.”
“What’s the matter, Martial Sister?”
“You’re coming with me,” Liuli said, not up for discussion, as she reached out and grabbed his hand.
This was the first time Luo Yan had held Liuli’s hand… wrong, actually, it had happened quite often, but every time felt like the first.
Liuli’s hand was soft and smooth, with a wonderful warmth that made him involuntarily want to cherish it like a treasure.
In a daze, he remembered his school days before his transmigration, studying hard every day within the exam-oriented education system, stuffing all his youthful hormones into piles of textbooks.
How nice it would have been to have such a youthful, beautiful girl run across the school field with me under the envious gaze of other students.
Hmm? Attention?
Luo Yan suddenly snapped back to reality and saw passersby, fellow disciples of both genders, giving them stunned looks of attention.
“Wait, Martial Sister!” he quickly tried to pull away, “In front of so many people, holding hands like this is too embarrassing!”
He had intended to say “It’s too damaging to your reputation,” but thinking about it, he knew that Miss Shi, who feared neither heaven nor earth, probably didn’t care about her reputation at all.
“Ha! You do want to escape!” Liuli immediately turned back and glared at him, “No way!”
Luo Yan: ……
It’s over, at this rate, the rumors that Luo Yan is being kept by the wealthy Miss Shi are going to spread all over Yuqing View.
Rushing to Elder Shi Ding’s residence, Liuli was just about to speak when Elder Shi Ding interrupted her:
“Liuli, you should be mindful of your conduct when you’re outside!”
Looking at the two holding hands, he sighed.
“It doesn’t matter.” Liuli said nonchalantly, “Let them spread rumors, it’s even better. At least this way, the Sect Leader won’t think about setting me up with his son anymore.”
Luo Yan chuckled to himself, it seems Miss Shi was using me as a shield.
“Sigh.” Elder Shi Ding continued to sigh, but said nothing, for Luo Yan was the disciple he approved of the most, “Rushing over here with your junior brother in tow, what cunning plan do you have this time?”
“Father!” Shi Liuli immediately smiled sweetly and hugged her father’s arm, “Junior brother mentioned that Shushan has magical treasures and spiritual medicines that can speed up the process of Marrow Cleansing, is that correct?”
“What do you want that for?” Elder Shi Ding looked confused.
Marrow Cleansing… isn’t a decade of cultivation enough? Do you really need external aids to hasten the process?
“Father~” Shi Liuli started cooing, “Look, in the Heavenly Craft Workshop, only your daughter and junior brother are at the Marrow Cleansing Rank.”
“If junior brother cultivates faster and surpasses me, how can your daughter still be a good senior sister then? Father, please be considerate of your daughter!”
Elder Shi Ding furrowed his brows and looked towards Luo Yan.
Luo Yan could only offer a sheepish smile, thinking that Miss Shi’s concern is indeed valid—I’ve actually already surpassed her.
“Alright, alright, alright.” Even Luo Yan, who was so adept at falsehood, couldn’t withstand Shi Liuli’s full-set of coquetry attacks, how could Elder Shi Ding, her doting father, hold out? He quickly surrendered, “Father will ask around for you.”
“Thank you, Father!” Shi Liuli’s face bloomed with joy, and she hurried to pour tea and wait on her father, massaging his shoulders and patting his back.
Observing the father and daughter getting along so harmoniously, Luo Yan quietly signaled Elder Shi Ding with his eyes, then gracefully turned and departed.
Upon reflection, he did hold a certain fondness for Shi Liuli as a person.
But just a fondness, nothing more.
Shi Liuli’s innocence and vivacity were built on the joint protection and affection from everyone in the Heavenly Craft Workshop, which in turn led Miss Shi to develop a certain “dependency mindset.”
When faced with any problem, it was either seeking help from junior brother or from father, or from other senior brothers and sisters…
Looking on the bright side, this was conducive to quickly building “bonds” with everyone. The strong family atmosphere in the Heavenly Craft Workshop hinged largely on their cherished pearl, Shi Liuli.
However, for Luo Yan alone, such bonds were too much of a good thing.
He was willing to establish bonds within the sect, provided they helped him further infiltrate the sect’s inner workings to gather intelligence and secure pieces of the Heaven-Mending Stone.
But bonds that are too deeply forged—the inevitable “severing of emotional ties” when the time comes would certainly be bloody.
As an elegant spy of many faces, Luo Yan’s vision for himself was to manipulate everyone deftly and then depart nonchalantly after achieving his goals, leaving behind only a wondrous and elegant legend… not to shatter Miss Shi’s heart into pieces and leave her in tears when his true identity was revealed.
Xu Yinglian was inherently strong-willed, and An Zhisu was tough on the inside despite her gentle exterior. Only Shi Liuli was too tender-hearted.
Should she discover a betrayal, Shi Liuli would likely be the one most deeply hurt. Therefore, the intimacy of his relationship with Miss Shi would need to be kept within a prudent boundary.
“Luo junior brother!” Someone suddenly called out from behind.
Luo Yan turned around and saw Tian Zhang waving at him from a distance.
“What’s up, Tian senior brother?”
“It’s like this, my father wishes to see you,” said Tian Zhang with a smile.
Luo Yan immediately showed a wary expression.
“Don’t be anxious,” Tian Zhang patted his shoulder, “It’s not to give you a hard time, but rather to see what kind of outstanding talent can win the heart of Shi junior sister, who is revered by Elder Shi Ding.”
Upon hearing this, Luo Yan relaxed, and after giving it some thought, it indeed made sense:
The reason Master of Xuandu wanted to match his son with Shi Liuli was to further win over the Heavenly Craft Workshop.
Now that Luo Yan was favored by Shi Liuli and valued by Elder Shi Ding, if he became angry with Luo Yan due to his son’s lack of opportunity, wouldn’t it be putting the cart before the horse?
Better to straightforwardly invite him over, to show esteem and encouragement, that would properly reflect the Sect Leader’s magnanimity and grandeur!