Chapter 77 077 "You are very beautiful."

He is definitely not just an ordinary disciple of Lingxiao.

Jiang Ling'er made a decision in her mind and then put it aside for the time being. The thought that she could find that damned little immortal Taoist priest once she passed through this mountain gate warmed her heart slightly, and she couldn't wait even a moment longer. She had traveled all this way through mountains and rivers... wasn't that all for this!

But things didn't go as planned. She had only taken one step when she collapsed as if all her strength had given out. Just as she was about to fall face down to the ground, someone beside her caught her with a long arm and hooked her in a strong arm.

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

That's embarrassing.

Pei Xuan looked thin and frail, but when the wind blew, his smoky blue Taoist robe fluttered in the wind, giving him a rather ethereal and otherworldly air.

Unexpectedly, the arm hidden under the wide robe felt as hard as iron, and it hurt a little.

Jiang Ling'er stared at the muddy, dirty snow right in front of her, blinked, and after a long while, looked up, her face blank.

"...What's wrong with me?"

The young Taoist priest glanced silently at the remaining bloodstains on her lips, and raised an eyebrow:

"Do you think the Heart-Binding Gu on you is so easy to remove?"

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

She was like a puppet whose threads had been pulled out, unable to muster even a shred of strength. Yet, she refused to be like a fish on a chopping board, utterly powerless to resist...

Wouldn't we be going back to the way things were?!

Jiang Ling'er's heart skipped a beat. She gritted her teeth and struggled, but still couldn't move an inch. The young Taoist waited patiently for a while, and seeing that she finally seemed to have calmed down, he glanced at her with his lowered eyes:

"Stop making a scene?"

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

After a long while, a sullen, muffled sound finally came through:

"...I didn't make a scene."

Pei Xuan stared at the dejected little head hanging in his arms, chuckled softly, and suddenly pulled her up in his arms. Jiang Ling'er was startled, and the next second she was lifted up by the young Taoist. As if seeing through her thoughts, Pei Xuan silenced her before she could push him away with a kiss.

"The lingering poison from the Heart-Binding Gu in your body won't be completely eradicated in three to five years. But you're lucky; the sacred pool on my Great Lonely Mountain that nurtures the trumpet creeper is a natural healing sanctuary..." She paused, noticing the pale, thin face on the person's face, and narrowed her phoenix eyes. "What, you look down on me?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling'er paused. Just as the young Taoist was about to put her down, Jiang Ling'er quickly grabbed his neck. One hand wasn't enough, so she used both hands to hold his neck and pressed him down hard!

Suddenly, his phoenix eyes met a pair of almond-shaped eyes. Pei Xuan was slightly taken aback. His phoenix eyes were cold, reflecting the woman's pale face, which was even more beautiful than before.

Jiang Ling'er is no longer the Jiang Ling'er of the past. Now, she is flexible, adaptable, and knows how to adapt to changing circumstances.

"Don't be like that, Daoist Master. Saying that is too formal."

With a smile in her eyes, she finished speaking and gave Pei Xuan no room to refuse. Fortunately, she found a comfortable position, tilted her head, and rested her head on the young Taoist's shoulder.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you, Daoist Master."

The young Taoist priest: "..."

Pei Xuan was slightly taken aback when he saw the person curled up in his arms like a cat...

She then smiled and said, "Looks like I'm in a much better mood."

Jiang Ling'er paused upon hearing this, not yet understanding its meaning, when Pei Xuan suddenly lifted her up in his arms and bounced her up before striding towards the mountain gate.

Jiang Ling'er froze, then gritted her teeth and endured it.

——

Pei Xuan carried her horizontally all the way to the sacred spring in the back mountain. Along the way, he received a lot of surprised looks. Jiang Ling'er could only curl up like a little shrimp and bury her head in the young Taoist's arms, hiding even a single strand of hair and not daring to show it, letting everyone look at her.

She cared about her reputation and didn't want others to see her in this... cowardly, spineless state.

Strangely, when these Lingxiao disciples saw Pei Xuan brazenly carrying a woman into the mountain gate, although they looked surprised, they all took the initiative to avoid him, and not a single one of them stepped forward to ask any questions...

This further confirmed Jiang Ling'er's suspicions; this guy was definitely not a simple disciple of Lingxiao.

--

Hot springs in the back mountain.

The slow, steady pace finally came to a stop.

"You can open your eyes now."

Jiang Ling'er frowned slightly, then opened her eyes. She saw wisps of white mist, the fragrance of trumpet creeper filling the air, and beneath the vibrant trumpet creeper climbing the mountain wall, a warm spring steaming with water vapor.

Unexpectedly, while the area outside the mountain gate was covered in ice and snow, the area inside was a completely different world. For a moment, Jiang Ling'er thought she had entered a paradise from a storybook.

She let Pei Xuan carry her to the side of the hot spring, and when she saw that he was actually bending down to help her remove her shoes and socks... Jiang Ling'er hesitated for a moment and quickly refused:

"Cough... No, no need! I still have the strength!"

The young Taoist priest hesitated slightly as he was about to help her, and snorted coldly, "You're not so bad at being stubborn."

Without lingering any longer, Jiang Ling'er watched him stand up nimbly. Before she could even catch her breath, the young Taoist priest didn't leave as expected. Instead, he took off his outer robe on his own...

Jiang Ling'er was startled, her eyes blinking rapidly:

"...What are you doing?"

The young Taoist priest said nonchalantly, "Taking a bath."

Jiang Ling'er paused upon hearing this, then flew into a rage: "You filthy rogue Taoist priest, don't you know that men and women shouldn't be intimate..."

"If I, a rogue Taoist priest, don't use my internal energy to force out the remaining poison from your body, do you really intend to stay in my Lingxiao Sect for a year or two? Even if you want to stay, is the Lingxiao Sect a place where anyone can come and go as they please?"

Pei Xuan merely glanced at Jiang Ling'er, and she choked, unable to utter a word.

She found this person to be quite frightening when he spoke with a blank expression.

She watched helplessly as Pei Xuan removed his outer robe, leaving only his undergarment, and entered the steaming hot spring, then turned and extended a hand to her:

"Come down."

Jiang Ling'er stared at the large, white, jade-like hand for a long time. She was not a coy person, especially since this concerned her life and fortune. She only thought for a moment before throwing the "men and women should not touch each other" rule she had just mentioned to the back of her mind.

She didn't follow his lead and went to Tangquan. Instead, she turned her back to him, removed her shoes and socks, and without even taking off her coat, she nimbly slid down.

Pei Xuan glanced at her neatly arranged clothes, then at his empty hand, raised an eyebrow, withdrew his hand behind his back, and lazily said:

"You're so far away, how can I channel my energy into you?"

Jiang Ling'er, whose back was to him, froze: "..."

Jiang Ling'er remained silent for a moment before moving towards the young Taoist. When a pair of warm, large hands pressed against her back, she couldn't help but shiver. The warm water had softened her clothes, making all her senses more acute. Through the thin, damp fabric, the large hands were clearly visible, causing her to frown slightly in discomfort. However, she quickly closed her eyes and calmed herself as the warmth emanated from his palms. With each breath, she used the powerful internal energy to circulate her own, slowly expelling the remaining toxins from the Tongxin Gu poison through her sweat…

Within a short time, her inner energy circulated through her body several times. She even forgot when the hand that had been pressed against her back left, and when the toxins had been completely eliminated. The sacred spring of the Lingxiao Sect was indeed an excellent place for recuperation and even for practicing martial arts, with miraculous effects such as cleansing the marrow and refining the meridians. Jiang Ling'er was immersed in the conditioning of her breathing and meditation, forgetting herself and closing her eyes to cultivate her spirit...

After an unknown amount of time, a familiar voice suddenly rang out:

"You are beautiful."

Jiang Ling'er frowned and slowly opened her eyes.

The rising steam blurred the young Taoist's face, but Jiang Ling'er knew his gaze was fixed on her.

From the disheveled hair cascading over her shoulders, to the sweat-drenched forehead, to the delicate, high-bridged nose, to the almond-shaped eyes and cherry lips, to the clothes clinging to her body, until she disappeared into the water and was no longer visible...

I examined it inch by inch, and I don't know how long I stared at it like that.

His voice came again from the mist, saying the same thing:

"You are beautiful."

Jiang Ling'er frowned, her face looking beyond just ugly.

Remembering the kindness this man had shown her by forcing the poison out of her body, Jiang Ling'er's brow twitched. She refrained from attacking him directly, instead issuing a threatening warning:

"Hello……"

Unexpectedly, this guy not only ignored her warnings, but also went further and further, and he just wouldn't stop!

"Since everyone in the world believes you are dead, why don't you just hide your identity and go to find me on this mountain?"

"You are beautiful and young, it won't be difficult for you to find a husband who will love you... It may be difficult to go back to the life of luxury you used to have, but it won't be difficult to live a life free from worries about food and clothing."

A vein suddenly bulged on Jiang Ling'er's forehead, and her fist clenched, making a terrifying "crunching" sound.

"Hey... that's enough!"

Unexpectedly, this fellow continued his incessant chatter, like a mantra, and whether intentionally or unintentionally, he even tried to stab her.

"Ah, I forgot. You seem to have poor eyesight, your judgment in choosing a husband has been terrible... How about I introduce you to someone? Although he's not quite as dashing and handsome as I am, he's still a man of steel. If you're not so insistent on finding the 'Longevity Manual,' he'll be able to protect you for half your life... Sigh, I'm just trying to help you out, why are you looking at me like that?"

"You really are just like your father said, with a temper like a firecracker, you get angry at the slightest thing..."

Jiang Ling'er finally lost her temper and grabbed the young Taoist priest hiding behind the mist by the collar. Just as she was about to punch him, she heard him say:

"You can still back out now."

As the clouds dispersed, Pei Xuan's phoenix eyes, fixed intently on her, were revealed.

He wasn't joking.

He seemed to be... genuinely planning for her.

Realizing this, Jiang Ling'er was slightly stunned, and the fist that was about to punch him couldn't be brought down.

Pei Xuan stared at her intently, speaking each word carefully:

“I think your father doesn’t want you to seek revenge for him either… right?”

In an instant, the last scene of the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) before his suicide on the training ground that day flashed before my eyes again.

Don't seek revenge for Father, promise me.

"Father...Father, what are you saying?"

[Old镖头 Jiang suddenly shouted: "Promise me!"]

Jiang Ling'er's brow twitched suddenly, and she spoke slowly as if in a dream:

"Are you done talking?"

Pei Xuan watched as she slowly loosened his collar. Amidst the swirling mist and the soaking of the sacred spring, two rosy blushes finally rose on her sickly, gaunt face. It was as if the colors of spring had also seeped into her clear, bright eyes, like the vibrant trumpet creeper blooming on a gable wall...

The young Taoist priest silently took in the magnificent scene before him, his thin lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately he remained silent.

Suddenly, a huge change occurs, and Jiang Ling'er is just like the fleeting glimpse he had of her years ago... yet different.

Although the childishness in her eyes had faded, it had been replaced by a more resolute look. It must have been the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) who had protected her very well, preventing her from being easily destroyed by a storm.

But even if a flower survives one storm, how many more storms and snows can it withstand in the future?

If it is a flower, it should be in the hot spring or in the mountains and fields. Why go to a place of frost, cold and hardship to be exposed to wind and sun?

"You've gone too far."

Suddenly, through the mist and steam, came Jiang Ling'er's slightly hoarse voice.

Through the misty haze, Jiang Ling'er's clear almond-shaped eyes were fixed on the young Taoist priest.

“You all think I’m a fool.”

Pei Xuan paused, his long, arched eyebrows furrowing instantly.

Ji Yunshu is like that.

Jiang Ling'er, you know nothing.

This applies to small poisonous substances.

I have only one condition: let her go. She knows nothing.

The old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) was the same.

You don't need to know this.

"...I don't want to be a clueless fool. One of them is my father who gave me life and raised me, one is my husband with whom I once shared a harmonious marriage, and the other is..." Jiang Ling'er paused, then stopped speaking. She walked up to the young Taoist priest, looked up at him angrily, and said, "Who are you? What are you to me? What right do you have to arrange things for me without my consent? What right do you have?"

The steam rose and filled the air, making Pei Xuan's fair and handsome face appear as if it were seen through a fog, even up close.

For a moment, all was quiet except for the sound of flowing water. After a long while, the young Taoist's soft, pleasant voice, like jade striking jade, finally broke the silence.

"Are you determined to do this? Is the 'Longevity Manual' that important to you?"

Jiang Ling'er frowned: "The Longevity Manual is not important; the truth is very important to me."

Even if the future is a one-way road destined to be filled with bones and death, I will have no regrets?

Jiang Ling'er retorted sarcastically, "It's none of your business."

After he finished speaking, there was a long silence in the clouds.

Whether it was Jiang Ling'er's imagination or not, it seemed as if, shrouded in mist, Pei Xuan's expression for a moment... was very sad.

"OK."

Suddenly, a loud splashing sound erupted as Pei Xuan abruptly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. The mist enveloping the two dissipated, revealing a young Taoist with a smiling, fair-skinned, and handsome face. He said readily:

"I give up."

Jiang Ling'er froze, water splashing on her. Before she could react, she saw Pei Xuan brush past her and head towards the shore.

"Let's go."

Jiang Ling'er stopped, hastily wiped the water off her face, and hurriedly followed:

Where to?

Pei Xuan glanced at her upon hearing this, a mischievous glint in his phoenix eyes:

"I'll take you to see the little immortal Taoist priest you've been longing to see."

Jiang Ling'er was startled, her eyes suddenly flashing with light. Pei Xuan glanced at the light in her eyes, paused, then smiled slightly, turned his head away to avoid her gaze, grabbed his trailing robe with one hand, and left without looking back!

They didn't even offer to lend a hand!

Jiang Ling'er struggled to climb ashore, using both her hands and feet. Although she had just recovered from the poison, she was no longer as weak as before. Especially after soaking in the hot spring for most of the day, her hands and feet were sore that she almost stumbled and fell back down as soon as she took a step!

Pei Xuan walked with the wind in his step, without turning his head, showing none of the gentlemanly demeanor he had displayed before, which was full of consideration and pretense.

They were all faking it all!

Seeing that the smoky blue Taoist robe was about to disappear behind the artificial hill, Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth, used her internal energy to dry her soaked clothes, and ran after it!

-------------------------------------

Jiang Ling'er already knew that this person was long-limbed and walked extremely fast. She had just expelled the poison from her body and her strength had not yet fully recovered, so she quickly lost track of him.

She had initially called out softly, "Pei Xuan," or "Master Pei," but later she yelled, "You filthy rogue Taoist priest, where have you been!"

He abandoned her, and she won't give him any face either!

But after calling out to her for a long time, only one young Taoist priest paid any attention to her.

He was a boy who looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, sitting in a wooden wheelchair.

The boy, still bearing the marks of his injury, found it difficult to sit comfortably in his wooden wheelchair, yet he still tilted his head back as much as possible to ask her questions, his face filled with sincere earnestness:

"Are you... looking for Uncle-Master Xiaoyaozi?"

The moment Jiang Ling'er saw the young Taoist boy, she heard Pei Xuan's cold mocking voice in her ears:

[What a convenient excuse! He claimed stealing the trumpet creeper flower wasn't his intention. He severely injured several of my Lingxiao disciples, the youngest being only twelve or thirteen years old. That child may be bedridden for life and unable to practice martial arts... You say it was unintentional?]

Seeing Jiang Ling'er's rosy face suddenly turn deathly pale, the young Taoist was slightly startled and quickly said:

"How could you..."

What are you standing there for?

A familiar, cool voice drifted from afar.

Pei Xuan stood tall and elegant, watching them from afar, unintentionally breaking the awkward silence.

It also saved Jiang Ling'er.

The young Taoist's eyes lit up the moment he saw Pei Xuan: "Uncle-Master!"

Pei Xuan smiled slightly at the young Taoist boy, then glanced at Jiang Ling'er, who had remained silent and whose face was slightly pale:

"Aren't you leaving yet?"

Jiang Ling'er paused, as if waking from a dream, and quickly ran to Pei Xuan's side, whispering:

"He is..."

Before he could finish speaking, his hands, hidden in his sleeves, clasped together tightly.

Pei Xuan neither said "yes" nor "no," but gave a very soft "hmm" as an answer.

Jiang Ling'er's face paled even more upon hearing this, and she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the legs on the wooden wheelchair in the distance:

"His leg really has no chance of survival..."

"arrive."

Pei Xuan suddenly interrupted her without warning.

Jiang Ling'er didn't notice and bumped her forehead into Pei Xuan's back, which hurt terribly.

They had arrived at the main hall of the Lingxiao Sect without anyone noticing.

Unexpectedly, Pei Xuan remained as hard as a rock. Jiang Ling'er rubbed her aching temples and glanced at the young Taoist's expressionless, cold, and somewhat aloof handsome face...

For some reason, she inexplicably knew... he was angry.

Thinking of the young Taoist priest sitting in his wooden wheelchair, gazing at her, and of his legs…

Jiang Ling'er's eyes darkened, and she slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, forcing herself to stop thinking about it. After taking a deep breath, she stepped into the main hall of the Lingxiao Sect.

--

Inside the hall stood two slender, tall figures, both elderly men over sixty with gray hair. One wore a dark blue Taoist robe, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom, while the other sported a long beard and possessed a refined and unassuming demeanor that inspired respect in all who beheld him.

The two of them turned to look at them upon hearing the sound.

Jiang Ling'er, being straightforward, stepped forward, cupped her hands in greeting, and went straight to the point:

"I am……"

She had intended to call herself "Anu," but then she realized that the old man in the smoky blue Taoist robe was none other than the Lingxiao Sect's leader, Master Wuyazi, who was also an old friend of the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort). She shouldn't and shouldn't use a false name.

Moreover, under the gaze of those two pairs of bright, smiling, and authoritative eyes, it was as if the sacred spring in the back mountain made one feel exposed and unable to harbor any thoughts of disobedience.

Jiang Ling'er silently encouraged herself, steadied herself, and then met the clear, handsome gazes of the two elderly people:

"I am Jiang Ling'er, the only daughter of the Jiang family and Jiang Leilong. I came to the Lingxiao Sect on Dagushan Mountain to find a Taoist priest named 'The Carefree Little Immortal'... May I ask, Master, would you be willing to introduce me to him?"

As soon as Jiang Ling'er finished speaking, the two gray-haired old men with an air of otherworldly wisdom paused slightly, then looked at each other and stroked their beards and laughed.

Jiang Ling'er was taken aback, blinking her almond-shaped eyes, wondering what they were laughing at.

After a while, the sect leader, Master Wuyazi, dressed in a smoky blue Taoist robe, stopped laughing, his smiling eyes looking towards Jiang Ling'er's back...

"It's been so many years since anyone called me Little Immortal... It's really nostalgic, Junior Brother."

Jiang Ling'er was taken aback. Following the Sect Leader's gaze, she looked at Pei Xuan, who had been silent behind her. She glanced at Pei Xuan, then at the smiling Sect Leader, then back at Pei Xuan, before confirming that she hadn't misread anything...

Jiang Ling'er couldn't help but point at Pei Xuan, her voice, almost distorted from speaking, echoing throughout the hall:

"What?! He's a little deity?!"

Jiang Ling'er's shrill, undisguised voice of disdain made Pei Xuan's forehead twitch: "..."

He slapped away the fingertip that was about to poke his forehead with a blank expression.

The sect leader smiled and nodded, then pondered for a moment and said:

“Young friend Jiang, I know you have many questions. It would be better if Lord Zhang Xu could explain them next.”

Jiang Ling'er was taken aback by these words. She saw the refined old man who had been silently watching her beside the sect leader suddenly move and walk up to her. He said in a broad voice:

"You're Jiang Ling'er, the daughter of Jiang Leilong, the old镖头 (bodyguard/escort)?"

Zhang Xu, Lord Zhang.

The current prime minister is known to everyone.

His reputation as a pillar of the nation, working tirelessly for the country, is known to all.

She never expected that someone who should be in a high position would appear in front of her.

Jiang Ling'er immediately tensed up, softly humming in agreement. Just as she was wondering whether she should kneel down to pay her respects, she saw Zhang Liangxiang looking at her with a sorrowful expression.

"The old镖头 (bodyguard/escort) was a man of noble character and integrity, a true man of unparalleled talent. His self-immolation before the world... was all because of this old minister. Please accept my deepest respect!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly lifted the hem of his shirt and knelt down in front of her!

Jiang Ling'er was startled and quickly grabbed Zhang Liangxiang's arms:

"...No!"

-------------------------------------

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in the Demon Cave of Dongling.

A middle-aged man with a protruding belly, holding a palm-leaf fan, and reeking of alcohol scratched his head impatiently.

"Di Qing and Huo Wu are dead, and the whereabouts of the two 'Longevity Manuals' are unknown... Damn it, who exactly are those 'Asura Duo'? We still haven't found them?!"

Not far from him stood a beautiful woman with long, flowing hair, holding a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument). Upon hearing this, she merely smiled faintly.

"Don't worry, we've already made progress with the seventh brother."

As soon as she finished speaking, her slender fingers, adorned with cardamom, flicked the paper playfully, and with a "clang," an aura of menace instantly filled the air.

In an instant, an inch of the artificial hill that was placed not far from them was cut off!

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Author's Note: I'm late, I'm late! There's still one more chapter today!