Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 274 272: Lin Qianyan: "Can I Meet the Business Saintess?

An Immortal Crane let out a long, clear cry that echoed into the distance, slowly coming to a stop before the gates of the Xuanyuan Dao Sect's Divine Mountain.

Lin Qianyan removed the white-veiled conical hat from her head, revealing the true, exquisite face of a fairy.

She walked upon the air, her steps light. Before her slender toes could even descend, a translucent, jade-colored staircase materialized beneath her feet. The stairs supported her graceful body, which was as light as a feather, as if the very world was paving a path for her.

Like a fairy from the nine heavens descending to the Mortal World, she was so beautiful that no one dared to look at her directly.

"So beautiful... Is that the current Saintess of the Jade Pool Sacred Land?"

A Dao Sect disciple, completely dumbfounded, couldn't help but whisper to his companion. His voice was filled with a mix of awe and reverence, as if he feared disturbing the fairy's descent.

"I heard one of the most important criteria for selecting a Saintess in the Jade Pool Sacred Land is the fairy's appearance."

Another disciple quietly agreed, his eyes glued to Lin Qianyan's figure, filled with utter astonishment.

"For Saintess Lin to stand out from countless fairies, she is truly extraordinary. That aura of hers... it's like she stepped right out of a painting..."

Though their voices were low, they couldn't hide the admiration and wonder within them. The surrounding disciples also stopped what they were doing, their gazes involuntarily drawn to Lin Qianyan.

Suddenly, one disciple asked, "Who do you think is more beautiful? The Saintess of the Jade Pool Sacred Land or the Saintess of the Yin Yang Sacred Land?"

"It has to be the one from the Yin Yang Sacred Land. After all, their Sect specializes in Charm Techniques. If one of those demonesses blew on a rock, it would probably melt.

I heard that the Saintess of the Yin Yang Sacred Land is so bewitching that a single glance can captivate one's soul. That's why she didn't show her face during her last visit."

Before that disciple could even finish, he was immediately refuted.

"Tch, only a vulgar person like you would like a bewitching woman. A true cultivator admires a celestial beauty like Saintess Lin—elegant, dignified, her every move imbued with the rhythm of the Great Dao!"

"Stop dreaming. You've been single for over a hundred years, and now you're getting picky about fairies and saintesses? You think this is a dream...?"

"You!"

"Alright, stop arguing! The disciples from the Jade Pool Sacred Land are coming over. Straighten up and don't embarrass us!"

After their senior brother spoke, the disciples who had been quietly debating all straightened their backs and said no more.

A fierce wind howled before the Dao Sect's mountain gate. Fan Ya, who was part of the welcoming party, gathered her wind-tossed, purple, cloud-patterned sleeves, her nails unconsciously digging into her palm.

She gazed at the woman gracefully descending the celestial staircase, a flicker of reminiscence in her beautiful eyes. It was as if she saw that gaunt figure from long ago, foolishly waiting for her husband to return in front of Lishui Village.

'Is this fairy, who looks like a Divine Maiden from the nine heavens, really her?'

'If it is, then her story is the stuff of legends. To grow from a mere mortal village girl to the level of a Holy Daughter... I'm afraid that's something even Shang Miaoyan could never have imagined back then, right?'

...

...

"Shang Miaoyan, what did you call me here for?"

Pei Yuhang's gaze was fixed on the flickering flame of the Bronze Candlestick. He unconsciously tapped his knuckles twice on the corner of the Zitan wood desk, his voice cold and tinged with impatience.

"If there's nothing important, I'm going back. Liyuan still needs me."

Shang Miaoyan let out a soft laugh, a cunning glint flashing in her eyes. Her sensual red lips parted slightly, and her voice was as pleasant as a clear spring:

"Xiaohan, you've only just arrived at Miaoyan's residence. You haven't even warmed your seat, and you're already in such a hurry to leave?"

She lifted a Jade Pot, and with a gentle tilt of her slender, jade-like hand, amber-colored Spirit Wine slowly flowed into a cup, its fragrance filling the air.

She pushed the cup in front of Pei Yuhang, her fingertip tracing the rim lightly, her smile radiant.

Pei Yuhang glanced at the cup, his brow furrowing slightly, a hint of wariness in his eyes. "If I don't leave, what am I supposed to do here with you?"

He didn't reach for it. Instead, he leaned back slightly, as if to put some distance between himself and the cup.

'After all, who knows what kind of cheap drug this demoness has put in it?' Pei Yuhang was internally on guard against Shang Miaoyan's dirty tricks.

Seeing this, Shang Miaoyan wasn't annoyed. She reached out, picked up the cup in front of Pei Yuhang, took a sip herself, and then said softly:

"Sister Liyuan is about to break through to the Golden Core Stage, isn't she?"

She set the cup down, her fingertips tapping gently on the tabletop. Her voice was soft, yet carried a deeper meaning. "Has Xiaohan ever considered how she's going to manage Crossing the Tribulation with her current Dao Heart?"

"You should understand. When cultivating all over again, the hardest part is facing your own past failures~"

Hearing this, Pei Yuhang's expression tightened abruptly. His voice was low, laced with a suppressed urgency. "What do you mean? Do you have a way to help Liyuan?"

Shang Miaoyan smiled faintly, a trace of smugness in her eyes:

"Of course. I can't bear to see the tragedy of something happening to Sister Liyuan again while she's facing the Celestial Tribulation... After Sister Liyuan was severely injured by the Celestial Tribulation last time, you should know how difficult that period was, shouldn't you, Xiaohan?"

Her tone was casual, but every word struck Pei Yuhang's heart.

Pei Yuhang stared at her, a complex look in his eyes. His tone, compared to his earlier coldness, had softened slightly:

"What's the price? You're surely not kind enough to help for free, are you?"

"How long do you want me to accompany you?"

Pei Yuhang's fingers clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turning white. Clearly, he was not calm as he uttered those somewhat shameful words.

"Accompany you? Is that how Xiaohan sees me? My saving Sister Liyuan has little to do with you. It's just that I'm very fond of her."

"..."

Pei Yuhang stared at her in silence, his expression screaming, 'Do you really think I believe that?'

Shang Miaoyan chuckled softly, a cunning glint in her eyes. "Hehe, if Xiaohan really doesn't trust me, why not have a cup of Miaoyan's wine to quench your thirst first?"

As she spoke, Shang Miaoyan brought the cup she had just drunk from to Pei Yuhang's lips. There was even a clear lipstick mark on the rim facing him.

"Go on, drink~ I just tasted it myself. How could I have put anything in it?"

Shang Miaoyan gave him a playful wink.

Helpless, and desperate to get the method that would allow his Dao Companion to safely pass the Celestial Tribulation, Pei Yuhang suppressed the sense of immorality in his heart. He opened his mouth and placed it on the rim of the cup, which still held the fragrance and warmth of Shang Miaoyan's red lips.

GULP~

He drained it in one gulp.

"Can you tell me now?" Pei Yuhang asked, looking at Shang Miaoyan with a deadpan expression.

Shang Miaoyan watched with a beaming smile as Xiaohan drank from the spot with her lipstick mark. She was in a great mood and said in a lighthearted tone:

"Just one game of chess."

"Just one game of chess?"

Pei Yuhang's brows knitted tightly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He stared at Shang Miaoyan, trying to read her expression for any clues, but all he saw was her radiant, smiling face. There wasn't a trace of malice in it, only charm and allure.

'This demoness has always been full of tricks,' Pei Yuhang wondered. 'How could she agree to help so easily?'

'Whatever. It's just a matter of how much she's going to take advantage of me.'

'Besides... I've long since gotten used to Shang Miaoyan's shape.'

'It doesn't matter what advantages she takes.'

Pei Yuhang was silent for a moment before finally speaking:

"Fine, I agree. I hope you'll keep your promise and tell me the method for passing the Thunder Tribulation after one game of chess."

"Of course~ I am completely devoted to Xiaohan. I never lie..."

Shang Miaoyan smiled calmly. With a wave of her hand, a chessboard quietly appeared on the desk.

She picked up a black stone and caressed it between her fingertips. 'With this game of chess to delay him,' she thought, 'Pei Yuhang probably won't be able to return to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion before midnight.'

'Once Lin Qianyan leaves the Xuanyuan Dao Sect, Xiaohan and I should be able to return to our peaceful and happy days of the past.'

...

...

Before the Dao Sect gate, after speaking with each of the Dao Sect's upper echelon, Lin Qianyan suddenly said, "Everyone, I would like to see the magnificent mountains and rivers of the Dao Sect. Is that possible?"

"Of course! The layout of our Dao Sect's landscape emphasizes grandeur and majesty, a different school of thought from the tranquil and beautiful fairyland scenery of the Jade Pool Sacred Land. Saintess Lin can compare them and discuss her thoughts with us, hahaha~"

An Elder with white hair but a youthful face stroked his beard and summoned a Spiritual Ship, preparing to take Lin Qianyan on a tour of the Dao Sect.

Fan Ya kept her head down, silently following behind the Dao Sect Elders. She prepared to board the ship and keep a close watch on Lin Qianyan the entire time, lest she try to go in the direction of the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.

Just as she passed by the side of the White-clothed Saintess, Lin Qianyan suddenly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Fan, the relationship between the Yin Yang Sacred Land and the Dao Sect is quite close now, isn't it? Saintess Shang has been living here for a long time, I presume."

Hearing this, Fan Ya's heart tightened, but she forced a respectful and appropriate smile onto her face.

"Yes... Her Highness is dedicated to leading our Sacred Land down the right path. To ease the tensions between our two sects and show our sincerity, she has taken up residence in the Dao Sect."

'That's the official story, anyway.' She knew perfectly well that the Holy Daughter wasn't doing it for some grand purpose for the Sect. It was clearly for the convenience of finding Pei Yuhang to... play with. A flash of helplessness crossed Fan Ya's eyes at the thought.

"Is that so... Then your Sacred Land truly has a good Saintess with such courage and vision. I am no match for her."

Hearing Lin Qianyan's words, Fan Ya's tone became even more deferential. "Saintess Lin, you are too humble. Our Highness has also admired you from afar for a long time.

After learning that you are not one to dwell on the past hatred between our two Sacred Lands, Her Highness was deeply impressed by your broad-mindedness and tolerance, calling you a fairy of exceptional magnanimity."

A trace of joy flashed in Lin Qianyan's eyes upon hearing this, and a bright smile graced her lips.

She took a step forward, closing the distance to Fan Ya, her gaze intense. "That's wonderful to hear! I wonder if Saintess Shang has any free time in the coming days? It would be great if I could meet with her."