Chapter 70

◎Moral ethics have disappeared◎

She looked up and faced him directly, her breath coming in short gasps. Jiang Qiye sat on the futon and immediately covered her lips with his index and middle fingers, as if to soothe her, or perhaps to warn her.

Outside the hall, Li Guan was still rambling on: "Grandmaster, I apologize for disturbing you, I---"

Pei Xueyan couldn't hear what was said after that; she only felt weak all over and her consciousness began to drift.

She was panting heavily, her cheeks flushed red in waves, and she could no longer hold back, so she suddenly broke free from Jiang Qiye's embrace.

The moment her body left, neither of them could help but let out a very soft groan.

They were still talking, but Jiang Qiye was distracted.

Pei Xueyan scrambled to her feet, grabbed the scattered undergarments and haphazardly put them on. Taking advantage of the pause in their conversation, Pei Xueyan scrambled to her feet and haphazardly put on the scattered undergarments.

Li Guan dared not disturb his master's quiet cultivation, and quickly bowed and left.

Jiang Qiye slowly closed his eyes, trying to calm his turbulent mind.

Unexpectedly, Pei Xueyan had already dressed and left before she could say goodbye.

This approach doesn't fit the expectation of tender words after the romance.

Seeing that she was about to leave, Jiang Qiye's heart tightened, and he suddenly stood up and reached out to grab her: "Pei Xueyan! You dare to leave!"

Before the word "go" could be uttered, the woman's figure had already disappeared.

However, he used too much force with his fingers and ended up tearing off her yellow outer garment.

How could Jiang Qiye dare to chase after them at this moment? His clothes were disheveled, and he still had to quell the fire.

He could only stagger back to sit on the prayer mat, clutching the remaining piece of clothing tightly in his palm, swallowing the breath he had been catching in his throat.

Pei Xueyan darted to the stream at the foot of the mountain, bent down and scooped up the icy water, splashing it hard on her face to calm herself down and suppress the turmoil in her heart. Then she turned around and went to find Li Guan to settle accounts.

It was still pitch black, and she was wearing a white inner garment with her hair loose. From a distance, Li Guan thought he was seeing things and was looking at a female ghost.

They stood frozen in place, not daring to even breathe.

The woman then began to move, slowly approaching him step by step.

Before Li Guan could react, he received a solid slap across the face.

He covered his face, trying to see who it was, when a second slap landed hard, even harder than the first.

Pei Xueyan felt unsatisfied and wanted to use her spiritual power to give him a good beating, but the official Li immediately bowed and apologized: "Little Immortal Master, please spare me! It was not my idea! It was my scoundrel father who, seeing that you were reluctant to show yourself and were cold-hearted, thought of using this method to promote... feelings..."

"Pah! You dog of a man who married two wives and five concubines, and you're talking about fostering affection?"

"Smack!"

Pei Xueyan delivered a crisp third slap, angrily shouting, "Officer Li, I don't believe a single word of your filthy mouth! Get out of here right now!"

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She kept calling him "Grandmaster," but shouldn't "Grandmaster" be an old man with white hair?

But that person turned out to be Jiang Qiye! Under the guise of treating her illness, he deceived his superiors and subordinates, completely fooling her!

Absolutely outrageous! Utterly despicable!

Li Guan was slapped three times, and his cheeks instantly swelled up like a pig's head.

This woman was beautiful but extremely vicious and shrewish. She covered her face and didn't dare to show any anger.

That's right, his forbearance was for a reason; he wanted to please his master.

Li Guan only joined the Qingzong Sect a year ago, but he was just an external disciple. Due to his age and other reasons, he was not formally accepted as a disciple. Because he was not formally accepted as a disciple, he gained his freedom and was able to go home often.

More importantly, after the news of his master Jiang Qiye's appearance in Jucai Town spread, he began to have designs on it.

He was wealthy and had plenty of money to spare. After some secret investigation, he learned that his master was secretly searching for a woman, and even found a portrait of her.

He looked at all the portraits of the woman.

I've heard that my master's wife is a disciple of Ye Xiuluo, named Pei Xueyan.

He spent a fortune searching for Madam Pei's whereabouts, but to no avail.

Recalling the girl who tore down the flood control notice that day, his eyes suddenly lit up. Her appearance was seven or eight parts similar to the woman in the portrait!

Li Guan had already made up his mind. The rules for entering the Qingzong Sect were extremely strict. It would be nearly impossible to enter the sect through ordinary means. It would be better to find another way and directly curry favor with this powerful and capable grandmaster.

His grandmaster was always elusive and unpredictable. Li Guan had been somewhat skeptical of the rumors about his rampage in Phoenix City. But after witnessing him personally manage the floods with unparalleled skill, his admiration only grew stronger. If he were lucky enough to be accepted as a disciple by him, wouldn't that be a meteoric rise to power?

At that time, not only will he be able to roam freely in Jucai County, but he will also become a prominent figure in the entire Immortal Sect.

In terms of who entered the sect first, Jiang Qiye did indeed enter the sect twenty years earlier than him. According to seniority, it would be appropriate for him to call him senior brother.

Jiang Qiye is now the head of the Qingzong Sect. With this new status, the seniority gap is immediately reduced by three levels.

Master, revered master, and then grandmaster.

After the dam was repaired, the Grandmaster did not immediately return to the Qingzong Sect, but instead practiced alone in a Taoist temple in the suburbs.

Li Guan sighed inwardly. Even though he was a high-ranking sect leader, he was still just a mortal man. Did he not need a woman by his side?

Even the sect leader himself couldn't find Madam Pei; she must have truly gone missing.

So he took it upon himself to find "Xue Lian," who was quite similar to the portrait, and managed to keep her there.

Her cultivation level was indeed ordinary, and her ability to repair river embankments was immature, but that was only in comparison to her master.

Li Guan knew he was neither capable of capturing her openly and honestly, nor of deceiving someone as skilled as her.

If we can keep her here temporarily, we can only resort to some underhanded and despicable methods to capture her and hand her over to our master.

I never expected this woman to run so fast!

He was terrified. If he were violated by a villain, even his master wouldn't be able to save him. He feared that once the woman woke up, she would slaughter the entire Li family. So he hurriedly chased after her.

After searching several streets and alleys, I dared not venture into the Taoist temple, so I could only wander around in circles near it.

Having been slapped three times, he dared not be angry, and still wore a fawning smile, saying, "Little Immortal Master, is the poison in your body... cured?"

Pei Xueyan shamelessly said, "You think you can hurt me with this tiny bit of poison? I forced it all out of my body with just a wave of my hand."

She had completely forgotten how she had just wrapped herself around Jiang Qiye's waist, touching his chest and saying things like, "Why are you so firm now?" and "It feels so good."

Official Li was dumbfounded. This poison was extremely potent, and even immortals rarely could cure it. Seeing that she was safe and sound, he truly believed it.

While secretly planning to use the Invincible Bewitching Incense next time, he hurriedly showered her with compliments: "Master Xue Xiaoxian's divine skills are unparalleled, truly admirable! I'm afraid even my grandmaster didn't have such abilities."

This flattery struck a chord with Pei Xueyan, and the anger on her face lessened somewhat. Most importantly, she didn't really intend to blame him.

Even if they lied to him that Jiang Qiye was his grandmaster, it wasn't a trivial matter; it was his personal affair.

What difference does it make whether I say it or not?

She herself had agreed to the fake marriage because of the money.

When things come to a head, he and another man are having an affair behind his back in front of him, and this man is also his grandmaster. It is indeed a complicated situation, and it is slightly unreasonable from an ethical and moral standpoint.

Pei Xueyan coughed lightly, composed herself, and said calmly, "Since I haven't suffered any real damage, let's drop this matter. Prepare the gold; I'll come and collect it now."

Li Guan felt as if he had been granted a pardon; were they really letting him off so easily? He hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, yes, yes! Don't worry, Little Immortal Master, I'll take care of it right away!"

Li Guan knew perfectly well that this kind of deceptive trick could only be used once at most. If it were used again, this young lady would probably flip the table and throw a tantrum on the spot.

So they tried every means to get her back to the Li family mansion, and the outside was decorated with lanterns and red ribbons.

Let's hold the wedding banquet right away!

Whether it's a deity, a ghost, or an ordinary mortal, a woman's marriage is always expected to take place in her boudoir.

Because she was from a humble family and had no maternal home, and Jucai County didn't have many rules, it wasn't a problem for her to live directly in her boudoir.

She patiently tried on her wedding dress and, unusually, stayed quietly in her boudoir.

After all, Pei Xueyan still had professional ethics. She figured that since she had taken the money, she had to keep up the fake marriage act until the end.

Li Guan was quite considerate. Fearing that she might cause trouble by showing her face in public, he specially found a maid outside to perform the wedding ceremony on her behalf.

In this way, she wouldn't have to show her face, and even if she wanted to extricate herself later, she wouldn't need to sign a divorce agreement.

Pei Xueyan looked at the dazzling gold and silver jewelry in the room, and then she lifted the five thousand taels of gold box that Li Guan had prepared. Her eyes immediately lit up with stars.

She found the elaborate headdress on her head cumbersome, so she casually tore it off and threw it aside, secretly thinking to herself that all of these things were her betrothal gifts!

We're rich! We've really struck it rich!

That's enough for Yishui Villa to last for ten years!

She was happily touching the heavy gold and silver jewelry when a chill suddenly ran down the back of her neck, as if a cold gaze was staring intently at her.

Pei Xueyan's heart skipped a beat, and she turned around abruptly. Wasn't this the ex-husband she couldn't shake off?!

Jiang Qiye was utterly shocked and stunned when he saw her! Unbelievable!

She actually! She actually got married!

He was even wearing a red wedding dress! She'd never even worn one for him!

He felt a lump in his throat and almost couldn't catch his breath; his face turned ashen.

Since Pei Xueyan left in a hurry that night, Jiang Qiye had sent Lingyu to search around, but the aura of those Lingyu only hovered over Jucai County.

He searched several inns but couldn't find her.

They had no choice but to sit in the restaurant and rest for the time being, enjoying tea.

Looking out from the second floor, one could see the Li family celebrating their wedding in the distance.

Not long after, Li Guan knelt down outside the private room, eager to ask him for a prize. He naturally didn't have anything to offer, and he knew very well that this person was trying so hard to please him in order to enter the Qingzong Sect and cultivate.

So he casually tossed him a beginner's guide to the Heart Sutra.

Such incredible skill! Even through a door, paper could be passed into his arms!

Holding the secret manual, Li Guan was overjoyed, and his resolve to deliver the woman to his master became even stronger.

Jiang Qiye was about to get up and leave when he saw that the scattered spirit feathers were gathering together in the direction of the Li residence, hovering above the courtyard for a long time.

A doubt immediately arose in his mind.

Why is she joining in on other people's happy occasions?

Or did you discover something?

Logically speaking, on that day at the Taoist temple, with the door closed, she could only hear the sounds outside at most, so she shouldn't have been able to recognize Li Guan.

Walking through the main gate would be too conspicuous, so Jiang Qiye hesitated for a moment before flashing to the backyard of the Li residence.

Using his spiritual power, he explored several rooms, but they were all empty, with no trace of her presence.

Lingyu is absolutely certain; she must be in this mansion.

Left with no other choice, he had to conceal himself and head towards the boudoir, which was decorated in a particularly festive manner.

It didn't matter if I didn't look, but when I saw a familiar figure, dressed in a wedding gown, lovingly caressing the gold and silver jewelry, her eyes were full of excitement.

I felt a rush of blood to my head, my vision went black, and I almost collapsed to the ground.

Yes, who could bear the thought of their wife marrying their disciple's son or grandson!

A proper marriage!

Everyone knows which one!

He stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and his voice was filled with rage: "Pei Xueyan! What are you doing! What the hell are you wearing!"

Pei Xueyan's heart skipped a beat. She thought that Jiang Qiye, as Li Guan's grandmaster, had seen through her trick of swindling money and had come to catch her in the act, to expose her!

Break free immediately and desperately!

Jiang Qiye was so angry that he blurted out, "You actually dare to get married? Pei Xueyan! We haven't even settled things between us yet, and you dare to remarry so brazenly?! How dare you be so audacious!"