He spurned a high-grade divine sword, handed it off to someone else without a second thought, yet became ecstatic over a mere pair of cups. This Ling Xiao truly lived up to the label of a 'wastrel'.
Moreover, the name 'Qingchan'… it didn't sound much like a man's name, did it? On the very day of his engagement, Ling Xiao had given a congratulatory gift from the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Master to another woman? What the hell…
Show-off!
Probably by tomorrow, if not today, the headline across the entire Sacred Province would be: Ling Clan Heir's Philandering Continues; Humiliates Divine Maiden Fiancée on Engagement Day, Seems Smitten with a Woman Named Qingchan.
"Sigh, what are you all still standing around for? If you have congratulatory gifts, hurry up and present them. It'll be too late soon!" Ling Xiao, of course, paid no mind to what others thought.
Although he wasn't sure how Ling Tian had gotten involved with the Ten Thousand Swords Holy Master, he would use his actions to tell everyone that anyone associated with Ling Tian would not come to a good end. Rome wasn't built in a day. If he were overly kind and protective towards Ling Tian all of a sudden, that little brat would probably become suspicious, backfiring completely. By alternating between pressure and appeasement, giving him space to let his imagination run wild, the child would be more likely to obey obediently. As for whether things would ultimately develop as he hoped, it still depended on whether Ling Tian was worthy. He wasn't unwilling to give the Nine-Layered Dantian back, but it had to be given in a way that held value.
"Ling Xiao!!" Sure enough, the look in Ling Tian's eyes when he looked at Ling Xiao could no longer be described as merely cold. This bastard was as detestable as ever.
"The Divine Maiden of the Dao Palace has arrived!" A clear announcement suddenly came from outside the hall.
Ling Xiao's hand, which had been reaching out towards the crowd, awkwardly froze mid-air. He turned to look towards the main entrance, and the next moment, his eyes narrowed sharply.
Damn!
Ten thousand Karma Points!!!
Ling Xiao's eyes were nearly blinded. He didn't even see Nian Qingyun's face clearly, only seeing her entire body emitting a golden light, like a newborn sun, dazzling to the extreme.
Wait… what's with this aura of Dao Principle around her?
Ethereal Dao Principle?!
Nian Qingyun had actually comprehended a Dao Principle?
Profound Void Realm?!
How old was she?She was already a Profound Void expert?
Wait again!!
What?She actually has the Chaos Ethereal Divine Body!
Damn!
This divine body was inherently in harmony with the Heavenly Dao, no wonder she had comprehended a Dao Principle at such a young age. Most importantly, it was said that dual cultivation with this constitution had boundless wonderful effects!!
Strike it rich!
No,incredibly lucky!
To be able to marry such a peerless divine maiden,where casual… ahem… daily activities could aid cultivation… such luck…
Ling Xiao suddenly felt his villainous setting wasn't so firm anymore. This was clearly the kind of treatment reserved for a Son of Destiny!
However, others probably didn't know about Nian Qingyun's divine body yet. Otherwise, those old monsters whose cultivation had long hit bottlenecks couldn't possibly remain unmoved! This was a top-tier cultivation furnace! Even with her terrifying background, the Sacred Province was never short of… old lechers!
If not for Ling Xiao possessing the Annihilation Eyes, which could naturally see through people's innate talents and divine abilities, he would never have discovered Nian Qingyun's secret. He even suspected that this Dao Palace Divine Maiden probably didn't know the secret of her own constitution. After all, with such a body, how could you know without… trying?
But, what was with the person standing behind her? Why did the way he looked at him feel a bit strange? And what was that thing on his back? A heavy black ruler? This looked damn familiar!
Two thousand Karma Points!!!
Holy crap!
Here he is,bro?!
At that moment, the entire Ling Clan Holy Palace fell into an eerie silence. Everyone stared at the peerless beauty moving with graceful, lotus-like steps, her celestial face like a painting, their faces wearing obvious stupefaction. Especially the heirs of the holy sects and the scions of ancient clans—their faces were flushed red, looking as if they were ready to die for a glimpse of this immortal.
Her skin was snow-white, like fine jade. Her slender jade hands resembled tender scallion shoots. Dressed in white robes that floated ethereally, she had an aura that was transcendent and refined, yet also radiated an awe-inspiring, absolute coldness. She seemed untouched by mortal cares, as if all the beauty in the world paled in comparison before her.
This Nian Qingyun truly lived up to her reputation as the Number One Divine Maiden of the Eastern Territory!
Ahem, cough cough! Ling Tianlin's light cough finally brought everyone back to their senses, their faces instantly flushing with embarrassment. The Dao Palace's Divine Maiden was indeed rightly famous. Her reputation for causing turmoil among all races was certainly not just talk. Even though her face was veiled with a white gauze, it didn't diminish her beauty in the slightest; instead, it added a hint of mystery.
But… why did she bring a man with her on her engagement day? And judging by the young man's appearance—with his sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, he did have a certain heroic handsomeness—he clearly wasn't your average extra! Honestly, standing next to Nian Qingyun, both in white robes, they looked a bit like an immortal couple.
"So the Divine Maiden has arrived. Xiao'er…" A flash of displeasure crossed Ling Tianlin's eyes, but in front of everyone, he couldn't lose his temper, lest he compromise the Ling Clan's dignity.
Ling Xiao, however, just smiled and shook his head. He stepped forward to stand before Nian Qingyun and reached out, intending to take her soft, boneless jade hand.
"Young Master Ling Xiao." Just then, the young man beside Nian Qingyun suddenly stepped forward, blocking Ling Xiao. A trace of inexplicable mockery flickered in his eyes. Although he couldn't see Ling Xiao's cultivation level—probably due to a treasure concealing his aura—Lin Xi was confident that among his peers in the entire Sacred Province, no one was his match. A flawless Dao Heart naturally bowed to no one in heaven or earth!
"And you are?" Ling Xiao frowned, but inwardly he was delighted. He had long guessed that today's engagement banquet wouldn't be entirely smooth. A peerless proud daughter like Nian Qingyun was bound to have a few bootlickers following her around. Although he felt like joining in himself right now, the Karma Points on this young man were even more enticing.
Another waste thinking to use him as a stepping stone. However, the young man's appearance, attire, and the aura about him felt somewhat familiar to Ling Xiao. Especially that black ruler closely resembled a divine artifact from his memories. Could it be that this young man also had an old grandpa who knew alchemy hiding in a ring? Was he also on the path of collecting spiritual fires, rising from being a trash?
Heavy black ruler, a faint scent of fire about him… Such a familiar routine. He wouldn't be surnamed Xiao, would he? [TL Note: A common trope in xianxia, referencing protagonists like Xiao Yan from *Battle Through the Heavens* who uses a black ruler and collects flames.]
"This humble one is Lin Xi." The young man was, of course, Lin Xi, who had followed Nian Qingyun all the way to the Ling Clan. That day, after sensing her aura, he had rushed to find her deep in the Sunset Mountains overnight. Although the Dao Palace Divine Maiden maintained a cold, indifferent facade, this time she hadn't actively tried to leave him behind. Lin Xi understood clearly that Nian Qingyun probably didn't want to marry Ling Xiao and intended to use him as a shield. But he was perfectly willing to be that shield! After all, who in the entire Sacred Province was qualified to be used by Nian Qingyun? Only he, Lin Xi!
"The Lin family? Finally showed up!" Ling Xiao nodded with a smile. Since ancient times, the Lin family produced trash, and trash often carried great Karma. Two thousand Karma Points, squeezed dry, would be twenty thousand Villain Points. The higher the Karma Points, the more precious the rewards upon killing them—Ling Xiao had known this for a while. The way he looked at Lin Xi now was unequivocally the look one gives a gold mine!
"Huh?" Seeing the smiling, somewhat lecherous-looking Ling Clan heir before him, Lin Xi felt an inexplicable chill for some reason, a cold sensation spreading instantly from his… nether regions. Does this guy have some peculiar tastes? Otherwise, why is he ignoring Nian Qingyun and staring at me with a smile?
"You're here to give me a congratulatory gift too, right? Hehe, although I don't know you, just looking at you… I can tell you're a good person." But Ling Xiao's next words instantly caused a flash of surprise and scorn in Lin Xi's eyes. This idiot is not just arrogant and ignorant; it seems his brain isn't very sharp either.
"Not at all. I am here today to tell you, Young Master, that you are not worthy of Nian Qingyun!"