Chapter 82 Child Bride:

The managers are very efficient.

After the morning report, Steward Wang invited everyone to have lunch at the West Garden. The dishes on the table were all the chefs' specialties, and the level of service was no less than when Prime Minister Wang entertained his friends.

During the banquet, the managers took the opportunity of toasting to come to Rong Xie's side and introduce him to the "resources" they had. It was as if each of them was a matchmaker, knowing good families all over the Blue Plain and even the capital. They knew very well which families had young men and women of marriageable age. They called this kind of information "resources" because helping people make connections not only created a good relationship, but also earned them generous rewards. For the managers, it was equivalent to a good "resource" to earn extra money.

Without a doubt, Rong Xie has now become a valuable resource in their eyes, and they have no choice but to promote him.

During the meal, Rong Xie barely ate a few bites of food. He was already full just from listening to the gossip about those rich young ladies. His head was buzzing, and he regretted revealing his family's wealth too early. He should have said that he had a child bride back home and that he hadn't brought her along this time since he was out developing his career alone. His wife was very jealous and would never allow him to look at other girls even once she arrived.

Yes, you could say that. Why didn't I think of that sooner?

After the dinner ended, Rong Xie stood up from the table and took only two steps before being stopped by a smiling manager.

"Manager Rong, isn't this a coincidence? I just went to my house and a distant relative's niece happened to be visiting. She heard about Manager Rong's conditions and insisted on meeting him, saying that this is what they call 'fate bringing people together even from a thousand miles away'!"

Rong Xie felt a chill run down his spine. His news had only been out for a morning, and already a girl wanted to see him. This efficiency was too high.

No, he couldn't let this absurd matchmaking continue.

"Actually, I have a girl at home..." Rong Xie had only said half of his sentence when the enthusiastic steward couldn't wait to grab Rong Xie's arm and pull him outside. As they walked, the steward said that the girl was already waiting outside. Whether they got along or not, they should meet her first.

"What? So fast?" Rong Xie asked in surprise.

As they spoke, the two had already left the guest hall and headed towards the west garden.

On the lakeside path, a girl wearing a light yellow jacket was standing there. When she saw the two of them walking over, she gave them a bright smile and waved to them.

Rong Xie felt ashamed. This girl seemed to have such good qualities and was so generous. Why waste her time? So he stopped and pulled the enthusiastic steward to a halt as well.

"Actually, I have a wife at home, we grew up together, but she didn't come with me," Rong Xie said.

The enthusiastic manager was taken aback, and his expression indeed turned somewhat displeased: "You already have a wife? Then why are you looking for someone... Linglong is a girl from a good family, she won't be someone's concubine."

"I apologize, I didn't explain clearly. In that case, I won't go over there. Please have the manager explain to that young lady." Rong Xie bowed.

Seeing Rong Xie's attitude, the girl in the pale yellow jacket lowered her hand in confusion. When the relative in charge approached and said a few words to her, she shook her head, turned her face, and waved to Rong Xie.

Rong Xie was surprised. How come the girl was still waving at him even after everything had been explained?

The manager looked helpless and came back to Rong Xie, saying, "She said she doesn't mind, she just wants to meet you and make friends."

Rong Xie was surprised. He thought that female cultivators in the cultivation world did not care about men or women, young or old when making friends. He did not expect that the daughters of wealthy families would be so generous.

Since the other party had taken the initiative to express their desire to make friends, it would seem petty for him to refuse. So, Rong Xie stepped forward and exchanged greetings with the girl.

"This is Linglong from the Ling family of Zhuxi. The Ling family is quite prestigious in Nanzhou and is known as a family of divine healers," the steward introduced. "This is Steward Rong, whom you are looking for, Rong Xie."

Linglong excitedly looked Rong Xie up and down, staring intently at his face, which made Rong Xie feel a little embarrassed.

"Linglong, don't go too far. I just introduced you to someone as the daughter of a good family." The steward felt a little embarrassed.

"Okay, Uncle, you can go now. I'll talk to Brother Rong." Linglong gently nudged the steward.

Helpless, the manager could only bid farewell to Rong Xie and withdraw from between the two.

“Brother Rong, I never expected you to look like this in real life…” Linglong couldn’t help but stare at Rong Xie’s face again and again, “Exactly the same as in the incense mist!”

"What fragrant mist?" Rong Xie was completely bewildered. "Does the young lady recognize me?"

"Of course! You must be Shen Bingsi, the Demon-Slaying Sword Saint!" Linglong laughed.

Rong Xie hadn't expected that even a distant relative's daughter who was in charge of affairs in Lan Yuan knew Shen Bing Si. Had Shen Bing Si's fame reached such a level that she was a household name?

“I, I’m a cultivator too,” Linglong patted her chest. “But I’m just a lowly rogue cultivator. The three major sects don’t even look at me. I don’t like being controlled either. I’m currently working with Brother Zhao’s dragon-hunting and treasure-hunting team. If Brother Rong has time, you can come along too.”

"The Dragon-Hunting Treasure Hunting Team?" Rong Xie seemed to have heard this name somewhere before. He quickly realized what it meant and looked at Linglong in surprise. "Miss, could you possibly be from back then... the Underground Dragon Cave, the Turobiwen Secret Gate?"

“That’s right, Brother Rong has a good memory!” Linglong beamed with joy. “I was a member of that dragon-hunting and treasure-hunting team.”

Rong Xie was astonished. What a coincidence! He had actually run into the Dragon-Seeking Treasure Team at Lan Yuan Villa.

Shen Bingsi once used the Heart-to-Heart Communication Jade Pendant to contact Rong Xie during the mission to slay the evil dragon, and asked him to solve the Tu Luo Paradoxical Mechanism on the secret door on the spot. The image transmission function of the communication jade pendant was used that time, and the team members present at the time also saw Rong Xie.

Unexpectedly, Linglong was one of the team members present at the time.

"Your memory is excellent, young lady. You still remember things so clearly even after so long," Rong Xie said with a smile.

"It's not that I have a good memory, it's just that that scene left a deep impression on me. Brother Rong was like a god descending to earth. He solved the mechanism on the door with just a glance. He was amazing!" Linglong praised sincerely.

"You flatter me, young lady. I just happen to recognize you."

The two walked along the lakeside path and chatted for a long time without realizing it.

Shen Bingsi's identity was not as well hidden as he had imagined. After all, the Shengxie Sword was so famous that the experienced team members quickly guessed his identity, and the rumors of Shen Jiansheng slaying the dragon spread like wildfire among the treasure hunting team.

The close friend who used the Heart-to-Heart Communication Jade Pendant with Shen Jiansheng was quickly identified as Rong, his childhood friend who grew up with him and lived with him at Huanxue Manor.

It was quite a coincidence this time. Linglong was visiting her relatives when her uncle, who was in charge, returned home midway and hurriedly came looking for her. He said that there was a young man from the cultivation world who had just moved to Lanyuan and was looking for a compatible girl to marry. Since Linglong was also a cultivator, her uncle thought of her.

Linglong wasn't interested at first; she hadn't had enough fun yet, and who wanted to get married? But when her uncle told her about Rong Xie's situation, Linglong suddenly remembered the fleeting glimpse of him in the underground dragon cave. She asked a few questions and confirmed that Rong Xie was the same person from the fragrant mist. So she happily came over to meet him.

"It's a pity that Brother Rong is already married," Linglong sighed, half-jokingly. "It seems we can only be friends."

Rong Xie chuckled; this girl was clearly just there to watch the excitement.

"Brother Rong is so knowledgeable. If he could join our Dragon-Searching Treasure Team, it would definitely greatly increase our chances of success!" After beating around the bush for a while, Linglong finally revealed her true purpose for coming here.

“Me?” Rong Xie recalled that Miss Cui had said something similar before. He had been slightly tempted at the time, but then he thought that his cultivation was limited and he would only be a burden to them if he went. So he decided against it. “I think what you need more is a powerful figure like Sword Saint Shen. To be honest, my cultivation is very limited. I’m afraid I won’t be able to help and will only cause trouble.”

"Of course we need Brother Rong even more!" Linglong exclaimed. "Although Sword Saint Shen is powerful, his temper is very strange. When we act with him, we all have to watch our step and act according to his mood. How uncomfortable is that! We independent cultivators form our own teams to explore for treasure, isn't that what we want? Besides, last time we went treasure hunting, there wasn't much treasure to begin with, and Sword Saint Shen took most of it..."

This was the first time Rong Xie had heard that someone needed him more than Shen Bingsi, and that Shen Bingsi was described in such a terrible yet realistic way, as if it were fabricated to please him. He couldn't help but laugh and feel a little pleased.

“Brother Rong, please don’t tell on me to Sword Saint Shen…” Linglong realized she had gone a bit too far and quickly pulled back, “Sword Saint Shen definitely did a lot of work, it’s only right that he took those treasures…”

"Actually, those treasures aren't anything special. They're basically just fragments of the Turo Paradox, written on paper or seashells. You probably won't find them very useful. Selling antiques isn't about finding anything of great value," Rong Xie said with a smile.

"Oh, it's just junk... I misunderstood Sword Saint Shen. I thought the box was so pretty, full of gold and jewels!" Linglong stuck out her tongue. "Oh, Brother Rong, I didn't mean those ancient characters were junk, they're just useless to me..."

Rong Xie had been out for so long, and this was the first time he had seen such a simple-minded girl as Linglong. She kept talking and never stopped, which was quite a novelty for him.

It's probably because I used to be in the inner sect of the Spirit Mirror Sect, where I encountered only the best of the best, all of whom were shrewd and reserved, and I had to be careful in my words and actions at all times; further back, the people from Shen Family Village were inherently hostile and made no attempt to hide their scheming, and you couldn't withstand them without some defensive capabilities.

This was the first time Rong Xie had encountered such a free and unrestrained wandering cultivator from the martial world, with no conflict of interest, giving him a feeling that... he no longer needed to put on airs.

“Although I can’t go on the adventure with you, you can ask me if you encounter any unfamiliar characters or divination techniques,” Rong Xie said.

"Really?" Linglong's eyes widened instantly, sparkling as she looked at Rong Xie. "That's wonderful! I'll go back and tell Brother Zhao and the others—"

Rong Xie smiled and felt that the days ahead would be more interesting.

“By the way, if Brother Rong doesn’t want to deal with my uncle’s matchmakers, you can use me as a shield. I don’t mind.” Linglong pointed to herself, “I look more real than the child brides from my hometown, don’t I?”

Rong Xie's smile faltered slightly. Was the child bride from her hometown really that unreal?

As they spoke, the two went out through the side door and walked towards Zhuli Lane.

On the other side, Shen Bingsi, disguised as an old handyman, rushed into Lanyuan Villa and headed straight for the tailor's shop.

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The cover and text say "I've run away," and some people actually thought I'd run away? Huh? I'm still updating daily! [Newbie]