Chapter 248: This Boat Is For You

The next day, upon seeing the shameless pair, Lu Xingzhou appeared unchanged, still looking cheerful and energetic. Yet, for no discernible reason, Ye Tinglan could clearly see a haggard, shriveled image in his sunken cheeks.

Ye Tinglan had never detested her physiognomy so much. What was there to see in this?

Her tone immediately turned three degrees colder, as if frost had fallen in summer. "We leave today, immediately."

Lu Xingzhou tried to talk his way into two more days. "Sir, we've just subdued the Lingyun Sect, and there are still some loose ends to tie up. Also, the East River Gang..."

"Weren't you already tying up loose ends during the process of subduing the Lingyun Sect?"

Lu Xingzhou: "?"

Shen Tang: "..."

Ye Tinglan suddenly felt a surge of satisfaction from her retort. She elegantly picked up the soy milk from the stone table and took a sip. "As for the East River Gang, their morale has already dwindled. If Sect Master Shen cannot thoroughly subdue a mere East River Gang, especially with the Prefect and Demon Suppression Bureau on our side, that would truly be disappointing."

Shen Tang could only hide her silent protests and earnestly declared, "I can do it."

Ye Tinglan finished her soy milk with satisfaction. "Then come with me."

Shen Tang gazed at the soy milk on the corner of Ye Tinglan's lips, lowering her eyes, unable to meet her gaze directly.

*Is there any difference from how I was last night?*

Sure enough, the higher the status of the goddess, the more captivating she appeared like this. No wonder Xingzhou was speechless last night.

In fact, Lu Xingzhou felt as if he was facing the wicked Monk Fahai, intent on breaking up lovers. "Sir, you haven't told us where our next stop is. Is it Leifeng Pagoda?"

"What's that?" Ye Tinglan asked indifferently. "I'm taking you beyond the national borders, to Freezing Moon Cold River."

Lu Xingzhou found the name familiar. "The place Qingli stayed since childhood?"

Ye Tinglan glanced at him, and Lu Xingzhou immediately corrected himself, "Oh, Miss Dugu."

"What are you trying to say?" Ye Tinglan asked.

"I'm trying to say, if Miss Dugu could survive there even as a child, and only reached below Fourth Grade after leaving, it suggests the living conditions aren't very harsh. What value could it possibly have for our current trial?"

"You are going for an alchemy trial, not martial arts cultivation. What does that have to do with anything? There are places there specifically suited for your advancement as an alchemist."

"Understood." Lu Xingzhou couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. What he truly desired was an improvement in his own cultivation, not just in alchemy.

However, he then heard Ye Tinglan add, "Besides, who told you that Freezing Moon Cold River is easy to live in?"

"Then Miss Dugu..."

"Qingli has extraordinary talent and isn't afraid of the severe cold. Do you really think any child can live in Freezing Moon Cold River? Try leaving Lu Nuannuan alone there for a month; if she doesn't cry out, then she truly has guts."

Nuannuan choked on a mouthful of bun, looking up at Sir with an innocent expression.

*I'm just quietly eating my bun here, why bring me up...*

I stayed alone in the treasure vault for half the night yesterday, and I didn't feel like crying. What did make me want to cry was that the Lingyun Sect's treasury was worse than expected... After searching tirelessly for a long time, there were only a few items worth taking, and in the end, I only brought some talismans for Master to replenish his supplies.

It was a Daoist cultivation sect, after all. Shouldn't it have had a diverse collection of items?

Nuannuan, however, forgot that she hailed from the first-grade Demonic Sect, Yama's Palace, and was a high-ranking member with access to abundant resources. She had long passed the stage where every magical artifact seemed novel. Her nature was exceptionally unique, embodying pure physical speed and strength, making few items suitable for her use. Back then, Yuan Muyu's suggestion was to wield a large hammer, and ideally, find a suit of armor...

Who would want to wear a full suit of armor? In any case, that 'Primordial Magnetic Pancake' might be the best match for her now.

Just as expected, Shen Tang asked, "Did Nuannuan find anything good?"

Nuannuan shook her head, the flesh on her face quivering. "The Lingyun Sect is so poor..."

"You should be prepared for such poverty in a sect from a poor county. The Incense Burner Pavilion, despite claiming to be a wealthy alchemy sect, ultimately had few items worth noticing," Lu Xingzhou sighed. "But Nuannuan, don't you think you're missing a flying artifact?"

Nuannuan paused. "Master can just carry me while sitting in his wheelchair to fly, so why would I need a flying artifact? Master wouldn't send me on a long journey alone, would he..."

Lu Xingzhou immediately affirmed, "That's definitely not possible."

Nuannuan grinned. "Anyway, I think I'll be able to fly on my own soon enough."

Ye Tinglan finally couldn't help but interject, "Even if you can fly on your own, a flying artifact is still useful. It's like how people who can walk still ride in carriages. It saves effort, offers convenience, and can even integrate some offensive and defensive functions."

Both Lu Xingzhou and Nuannuan stared at her intently.

*You mean you have such a flying artifact, but we haven't seen you use it since we left the capital... And in the first few days, there were heavy rainstorms, making us huddle in mountain caves.*

Of course, Ye Tinglan couldn't easily use her imperial carriage; it was too grand and would easily reveal her identity. At this moment, she looked at Shen Tang, who, guessing her intent, painfully took out her own small boat, her personal mount. "This is the mount I've crafted over the past few months. I'd like to present it to Sir. Please take good care of my Xingzhou..."

Ye Tinglan confiscated Shen Tang's flying boat and was in high spirits. *Let that be for tearing at me, and for making me endure your nightly shenanigans for so many days.*

There's always a price to pay!

Lu Xingzhou, however, was dumbfounded. When did their relationship change? And how did bribes get involved? *Tangtang, weren't you targeting Sir Ye last night when you almost drained me dry? What do you call this now, aiding the enemy?*

Still, the sheer elegance of Sir Ye's finger snap alone was worth a precious gift as thanks. Since Shen Tang was now flush with resources and could easily craft an even better mount, Lu Xingzhou didn't say anything more.

He did, however, want to ask, "Why is your mount a small boat? Everyone else has phoenix chariots and such..."

Shen Tang answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "My mount was always meant to be a small boat..."

*Since the Imperial Advisor insists, then I'll give it. Make good use of it.*

Ye Tinglan didn't catch the hidden meaning. She tested it with a casual toss, and with a *thump*, the small boat expanded in mid-air, genuinely transforming into a sizable vessel. It resembled a common river scow with an arched canopy, capable of seating four or five people in its cabin, and its deck was even spacious enough for reclining.

Nuannuan was delighted and immediately hopped aboard. The small boat was remarkably stable, not swaying in the slightest.

Ye Tinglan stepped onto the prow, looking down at Lu Xingzhou. "Still reluctant to leave?"

Lu Xingzhou gritted his teeth, ignoring her disdainful gaze and oppressive aura. He turned, embraced Shen Tang, and kissed her fiercely.

Shen Tang reciprocated his embrace, and the two publicly engaged in a passionate, earth-shattering kiss, their lips and tongues entwined, right in front of the impassive, aloof Imperial Advisor.

Ye Tinglan felt that all the speechless moments in her life combined didn't amount to as much as those since meeting Lu Xingzhou. Her jade-like hand unconsciously clenched, producing soft cracking sounds.

Nuannuan's expression twitched. "Sir... my bones..."

The administrative seat of Xiazhou Prefecture underwent changes, with geographical shifts intensifying conflicts among the strongest factions in the region. Who would emerge as the leader became the focus of attention.

Five days after Lu Xingzhou's return to the Heaven's Path Sword Sect, the sect achieved a resounding victory on the arena, defeating the combined forces of the East River Gang and several other renowned powerful sects. A first-grade formidable enemy was vanquished in Xiazhou.

That night, the Lingyun Sect's elders rebelled, killing the sect master, Daoist Jingxu, and other dissidents. The entire sect pledged allegiance to the Heaven's Path Sword Sect.

With the news spreading, the Heaven's Path Sword Sect's prestige shook the land for a thousand miles, and Sect Master Shen Tang's name became renowned throughout the realm.

Among them, the honored guest Lu Xingzhou, who inwardly allied with the Prefect and Demon Suppression Bureau and outwardly connected with the Demonic Sect, ensured that all first- and second-grade enemy reinforcements died silently, a fact unknown to anyone in the world even to this day.

The strategist had no overt achievements, merely serving the renowned Sect Master for a night.

One took a hit, the other was thoroughly satisfied.

In the imperial palace, Gu Zhanting frowned deeply as he read the report, remaining silent for a long time. Hai Xian, standing beside him, cautiously observed, wondering what His Majesty's reaction would be this time.

"He's truly like me in my younger days," Gu Zhanting finally sighed softly after a long pause. "That spirit of challenging a first-grade expert, that unyielding nature."

In the end, no definitive statement was made, and Hai Xian knew that His Majesty was indecisive.

But in the short term, no statement was the best possible outcome.

In the South, Miaoyin Mountain.

"This move is unusual. The sudden intervention of the Chanv Hehuan Sect and the Blood煉 Sect is likely no coincidence; it feels more like Old Lu's style," the Eastern Ghost Emperor Ji Wenchuan was saying to another masked figure. "We should report this separately to Yan Jun, not together... Yan Jun knows Old Lu better than we do. If she finds out Old Lu, who was supposed to be studying in the capital, traveled thousands of miles to Xiazhou to scheme, you and I will probably be given the cold shoulder for another month."

The masked figure was the Northern Ghost Emperor Dong Chengbi, who chuckled upon hearing this. "That has nothing to do with me. I'm heading North to work soon."

Ji Wenchuan shamelessly said, "I've only handled one Yin Corpse Sect in all this time, I'm truly bored out of my mind. How about letting me do that job?"

Dong Chengbi smiled. "Do you even know what kind of job it is, that you're so eager to take it?"

"Whatever it is, if you can do it, it can't be too hard for me, can it?"

"Going to Freezing Moon Cold River to eat ice, would you go?"

Ji Wenchuan: "...Why go to such a godforsaken place?"

"I heard that ancient dragon bones, still retaining vitality, have appeared under the central glacier... I'm just going to investigate and confirm. If it's true, Yan Jun herself might have to make the final decision." Dong Chengbi's voice grew seven or eight points more serious. "For something like this, the Demon Emperor is very likely to appear in person. At that point, it wouldn't be something we could handle."

Ji Wenchuan was overjoyed. "Such an interesting matter, I want to go!"

Dong Chengbi chuckled. "I really don't understand how you two became such good friends. Your trouble-seeking nature is the complete opposite of his."

"Complements attract, two identical people would only fight," Ji Wenchuan said leisurely. "It's like Old Lu and Yan Jun; both are equally stubborn. They'll just keep enduring, waiting to see whose hair turns white first, who regrets it first."

Dong Chengbi sighed softly. "Yan Jun is more complex than the Judge; her issue isn't just stubbornness... At a certain threshold, she naturally hesitates, wondering if love leads to eternal damnation or the path to heaven. And precisely at her most hesitant moment, Xingzhou forced the issue... Well, when Yan Jun, whose resolve is tougher than iron, uttered her words, didn't everything just fall apart then?"

Ji Wenchuan said, "Shouldn't we say that facts prove it's better to cut ties? After Old Lu left, Yan Jun went into seclusion for three months and furiously broke through to Super-grade, at an unprecedented young age."

"Indeed, that's why she wouldn't look for him again later," Dong Chengbi said leisurely. "However, whether this breakthrough to Super-grade was due to cutting ties, or due to a sheer surge of 'I'll show you I'll be better off without you' — you and I don't know, but does Yan Jun herself know?"

Ji Wenchuan finally laughed aloud. "Alright, you two have rich romantic histories. I, Old Ji, walk the Path of Ruthlessness, so I don't understand these intricate matters. I'll just sit back and watch the show unfold. I only wonder when they'll finally set the stage for their drama; I'm truly impatient."