Chapter 39 Persuasion and Argumentation
The theater in Liluo City was very large, with a three-story building surrounding the stage. On the second floor, directly opposite the stage, were dozens of private seats with partitions. Mu Yao and Su Zhenzhen, wanting to talk more easily, requested a private room on the second floor facing northwest of the stage. At that moment, a new play was being performed on the stage downstairs. Perhaps because the previous play had a bad ending and many guests had left, the theater had replaced "The Tale of Cangyun" with "The Romance of the Western Chamber," which had a happy ending.
But Su Zhenzhen had long lost interest in the opera. As soon as she sat down, she anxiously asked Mu Yao, "Yao'er, what happened between you and the sect leader? Tell me quickly."
Mu Yao blushed and told her about her recent experiences, especially the process of her and Qin Wuyan expressing their feelings for each other. However, she still felt that she couldn't bring herself to talk about the intimate things the two of them did, so she skipped over them.
After hearing this, Su Zhenzhen seemed even happier than when she was with Song Banshan. She excitedly said, "I knew it! The sect leader's gaze towards you has always been strange, and he's been so good to you. I've long suspected that he likes you, but he's hidden it too well, and I can't find any obvious evidence. I never expected that you would be the one to force out his true feelings."
The blush on Mu Yao's face hadn't faded yet, and she said shyly, "You know I'm an impatient person. If I don't get to the bottom of this, I won't be able to sleep well."
Su Zhenzhen blinked and asked, "So what's next? You've already poured your hearts out to each other, you can't just keep interacting as master and disciple, can you?"
"No, I asked him, and he said I don't have to call him Master anymore. Anyway, I didn't perform the formal apprenticeship ceremony for him when I joined the Divine Sect, so I can just change how I address him from now on."
Su Zhenzhen disagreed, "This isn't something that can be changed just by changing how you address someone. Even if you didn't go through the formal apprenticeship ceremony back then, everyone in the Divine Sect knows that you are the Sect Master's disciple. However, the disciples have always addressed you as 'Vice Sect Master.' So, if one day rumors spread that our Divine Sect's Sect Master married the Vice Sect Master, it would be quite reasonable."
Mu Yao blushed again at her words: "Sister Zhenzhen, what nonsense are you talking about? This is nothing, how did it get to marriage?"
Su Zhenzhen laughed loudly: "Marriage is a matter of course. Our sect doesn't prohibit marriage. Since he likes you, isn't it only right that he marry you and give you a proper status?"
Mu Yao sighed, "But isn't this a bit too hasty? He's not going to run away, there's no need to rush into talking about marriage."
Su Zhenzhen sighed softly, "Alas, Yao'er, you're still too young, you don't understand. Men, if you don't keep a close eye on them, they might fall for someone else one day. The Sect Leader is so handsome, there are quite a few female disciples in the sect who like him. Not to mention those far away, just look at those close by—Protector Xie has secretly liked him for so many years, I don't believe the Sect Leader hasn't noticed. It's just that he's the Sect Leader, and his actions are always ruthless, so not many girls dare to covet him. But Protector Xie is different. She's been with the Sect Leader for so many years, and often accompanies him on business trips; she's very cunning. If she really wants to compete with you for the Sect Leader, you might not be her match."
Hearing her mention Xie Qingqiu, Mu Yao remembered that Xie Qingqiu had assisted her in being captured by Yan Hong. She said, "But this time, Sister Qingqiu has colluded with Fenxiang Valley. I'm afraid my master won't let her off the hook."
Su Zhenzhen shook her head, feeling that her idea was still too naive: "The sect leader will not forgive her. But at most he will punish her. Over the years, she has maintained a high status in the sect. The sect leader is also planning to attack Fenxiang Valley recently. As long as she makes amends, she may even be spared punishment."
Mu Yao was shocked: "Attack Fenxiang Valley? How come I didn't know about this?"
"During the three days you were unconscious, the sect leader had already sent a message to Protector Tang, asking him to bring a large number of troops to the vicinity of Liluo City and Fenxiang Valley. Four of our eight hall masters came, even Hall Master Meng, who rarely shows his face. I heard it was to discuss the attack plan. Just now, the sect leader was in a hurry to go back to see Protector Tang. I think it's probably true."
Six years ago, Qin Wuyan made a vow with Lin Jingyu, the leader of the righteous path, that the Tianli Divine Sect would live in harmony with the three righteous sects and not invade each other's territory. But now, only six years have passed, and if he breaks his promise, the Divine Sect will likely face attacks from the other two sects.
Mu Yao became worried, abruptly stood up and left.
Su Zhenzhen hurriedly caught up: "Where are you going?"
"Go back to my master! Ouch!" She was so focused on talking that she didn't notice where she was going and bumped into someone coming from the opposite direction. The person quickly helped her up.
Mu Yao looked up and saw that it was Zhang Xiaofan!
"Are you alright?" he asked with concern. Coincidentally, both times he encountered her, the two of them bumped into each other.
Just as Mu Yao was about to reply to him, Su Zhenzhen, who had come up to her, pulled her away and said fiercely, "Hey, Zhang Xiaofan, watch your hands! Don't just grab and pull at a girl like that."
It turned out that after Zhang Xiaofan supported Mu Yao's arm, he hadn't let go. Su Zhenzhen had joined the Divine Sect early on, and the story of Zhang Xiaofan's entanglement with the Demonic Sect had already spread among the righteous and demonic factions, so she recognized him at a glance.
Zhang Xiaofan was slightly embarrassed and could only say to Mu Yao, "I was in a hurry and offended you, but I didn't mean it."
Mu Yao didn't have a good impression of Zhang Xiaofan to begin with, but she still remembered how he and Qin Wuyan had come to Fenxiang Valley to save her last time, so she didn't want to argue with him too much. She said to Su Zhenzhen, "It's no big deal. Let's go back quickly."
Just as she was about to leave, Zhang Xiaofan blocked her way and said, "Mu Yao! Can I ask you for a favor?"
Mu Yao was stunned. "What is it?"
Zhang Xiaofan said, "Qin Wuyan wants to attack Fenxiang Valley, but now Senior Brother Li Xun is injured and Senior Sister Yan has gone mad. If Qin Wuyan leads his men to attack, Fenxiang Valley will suffer heavy casualties. I would like to ask you to persuade him not to provoke any more trouble."
Mu Yao was originally going to rush back because of this matter, but when Zhang Xiaofan came to find her about the same thing, she was very puzzled: "Why don't you go to my master? Why do you want me to persuade him instead?"
Zhang Xiaofan looked at her and said softly, "I know you are kind-hearted and would certainly not want the righteous and demonic factions to fight again. Besides, Qin Wuyan cares about you a lot, and he will always listen to your opinions."
From the rescue at Burning Incense Valley, Zhang Xiaofan had already realized that Qin Wuyan's attitude towards Mu Yao was definitely not as simple as that of a master and disciple.
Mu Yao was surprised that he had also noticed Qin Wuyan's concern for her, and she was delighted. She smiled and said, "I promise you, I will try to persuade him. But whether I can persuade him or not is not something I can decide."
“I understand,” he looked at her and sighed, “If Qin Wuyan insists on taking action against Fenxiang Valley, Qingyun Sect and Tianyin Temple will certainly not stand idly by. At that time, the conflict between the righteous and the demonic will reignite, and I don’t know how many people will die.”
Hearing this, Mu Yao recalled the attitude of the theatergoers towards the Demonic Sect earlier that day, and felt indignant: "Zhang Xiaofan, it's you people from Qingyun Sect and Fenxiang Valley who keep calling us the Demonic Sect, and always say that good and evil can't coexist. But if it weren't for you righteous disciples always clamoring for war against the Divine Sect, why would we be enemies with you? Instead of always advising us not to provoke trouble, you should reflect on yourselves and why you always choose to be enemies with our Divine Sect?"
Zhang Xiaofan said, "Being your enemy is not my wish. This conflict, which has existed for thousands of years, is indeed not something you and I can resolve alone. Mu Yao..."
A surge of fervent emotion suddenly welled up in his eyes: "I only wish that there will never be a day when you and I, Qingyun Sect and Tianli Divine Sect, turn our swords against each other again."
Even though she wasn't Biyao, Zhang Xiaofan still sincerely hoped that this girl who looked exactly like Biyao wouldn't suffer any more mishaps because of the conflict between the righteous and demonic factions. He also didn't want to be on opposing sides with her anymore.
Seeing the sudden change in his eyes, Mu Yao assumed he was seeing her as Bi Yao again, so she said, "Zhang Xiaofan, although you helped me, I also saved you. We're even now. But you are, after all, a member of the Qingyun Sect. Don't you always say that good and evil cannot coexist? So, if there ever comes a day when we are enemies, I will not be merciful to you, and you don't need to show me any mercy."
After saying that, she pulled Su Zhenzhen away. As she passed Zhang Xiaofan, she left another sentence: "If I can stop my master from attacking Fenxiang Valley, then I hope that in the future, your Qingyun Sect will no longer make things difficult for our Divine Sect."
The two hurried back to Shunfu Inn, where Qin Wuyan and Tang Yuan had already finished their discussion. At that moment, he was standing in the pavilion in the backyard of the inn, playing the flute.
The flute music was light and melodious, no longer as mournful and sorrowful as before. Suddenly, the flute music stopped, and his eyes were covered by two hands. Mu Yao deliberately lowered her voice, making it hoarse and deep: "Guess who I am?"
Qin Wuyan curled his lips into a smile and said, "Who else could it be but Yao'er?"
Mu Yao wanted to tease him, so she deliberately said, "Wrong, wrong, guess again."
Qin Wuyan said, "Huh? Not Yao'er? Well, she's a girl I like anyway."
Mu Yao pouted: "Besides Yao'er, who else do you like?"
"I also like the girl who's covering my eyes right now."
How do you know the person covering your eyes is the one you like?
Qin Wuyan's smile deepened: "Because only if I like her can she be so bold as to cover my eyes."
"Hmph! You're so glib!" Mu Yao said coquettishly, but her eyes and heart were overflowing with joy.
She let go of his hand, then hugged him tightly, sweetly calling out, "Wu Yan!"
"Hmm..." Qin Wuyan turned around and hugged her from the front: "I thought you would have so much fun that you would forget about home, but I didn't expect you to come back early."
Mu Yao blinked her bright, star-like eyes: "Because I missed you!"
The simplest and most straightforward words of love carry the most intense and sincere feelings.
Qin Wuyan hugged her tighter, rested his chin on her hair, and said in a deep, gentle voice, "I missed you too."
Love, like an uncontrollable vine, grew wildly and unrestrainedly. He couldn't help but kiss her again, his lips lingering on hers, deepening the kiss little by little. Mu Yao was no longer ashamed to do such things, hooking her arms around his neck and returning his kiss. Like two desperately thirsty people who had found a unique, sweet rain in the desert, they kissed passionately and obsessively… never feeling it was enough…
"Sect Master, Lin Jingyu suddenly led the Qingyun Sect people to attack our..."
Suddenly, a stray dog rushed in, barking loudly, only to find Qin Wuyan embracing and kissing a woman. His eyes widened, but he continued speaking:
"Magic, array..."
When he finally saw who the woman was, he was so frightened that he jumped far away. He no longer cared about reporting his business and ran while shouting, "I deserve to die! I deserve to die!!! I'm leaving right now!"
Before the words were even finished, the figure had already vanished.
At this moment, Mu Yao had already hidden behind Qin Wuyan. Her heart was pounding. Although she didn't think she was doing anything shameful, she still felt extremely embarrassed to be seen by a stray dog.
Qin Wuyan also felt a little embarrassed, but he had heard what the wild dog had said. He coughed lightly and said, "Yao'er...you go back to your room first. I have to take care of something."
He turned to leave, but Mu Yao called out to him, "Qin Wuyan!"
Qin Wuyan had no choice but to stop, then turned around and smiled with a hint of helplessness, "What's wrong? Are you reluctant to part with me again?"
"You..." Mu Yao's already rosy face turned even redder after his words, and she retorted defiantly, "I didn't!"
Qin Wuyan's smile deepened. "Alright, you don't miss me, it's me who misses you."
He reached out and lovingly smoothed the hair that he had ruffled at her temple during their kiss, and said gently, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
Mu Yao grabbed his hand and wouldn't let go: "Wild Dog just said he set up a magic array, what are you going to do? Are you going to start a war with Qingyun Sect and Fenxiang Valley?"
Qin Wuyan didn't want to hide it from her, so he nodded: "I warned Li Xun before that if he dared to offend me again, I would make sure that Burning Incense Valley would never exist again!"
His once gentle expression suddenly turned extremely cold, and his brows even carried a murderous aura.
Mu Yao rarely saw him like this, and she was a little frightened. She then remembered that the man in front of her was only gentle and peaceful in front of her, while at other times, he was the ruthless and vicious sect leader of the demonic sect in the eyes of the world.
"No flame!"
Mu Yao said with a hint of pleading, "I know you're angry because Li Xun and the others captured me, but every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. If you want to avenge me, just deal with the two of them. Why go through all this trouble and start a bloody battle?"
Qin Wuyan frowned. "Are you pleading for Fenxiang Valley?"
His expression and tone sent a chill down Mu Yao's spine, even though she was never afraid of him. No wonder the disciples in the sect were terrified of him.
She explained, "I'm not speaking up for Fenxiang Valley; I'm thinking of our Shenzong."
Hearing this, Qin Wuyan's expression softened slightly. She continued, "Now, the Holy Sect is reduced to just our Divine Sect and the Joyful Union Sect. The Joyful Union Sect has been inactive in worldly affairs for years and has almost faded from sectarian conflicts. Among the three major sects of the righteous path, the Incense Valley is the weakest, and Li Xun was injured this time. But if you deal with the Incense Valley, the Azure Cloud Sect and the Heavenly Sound Temple will definitely come to assist you. At that time, let alone whether you can destroy the Incense Valley, even if you do destroy them, we will suffer heavy casualties under the combined attack of the Azure Cloud and Heavenly Sound Sects."
A look of pity appeared in her eyes: "I know that we have a grudge against those righteous people that has lasted for hundreds of years, and it cannot be resolved overnight. But Wu Yan, at least you can reduce the killing between us, right? After all, the lives of righteous people are lives, and the lives of our Divine Sect disciples are also lives."
Qin Wuyan was shocked by her words. He had always known she was kind-hearted; over the years, when she studied medicine with him, she had healed many disciples in the sect. However, she had never interfered in the sect's or the outside world's affairs, yet today she suddenly stopped him from attacking Burning Incense Valley.
But he still insisted, "I have been training my disciples for a thousand days to use them for one day. I did not train them to be bullied by others. Attacking Fenxiang Valley is not only for you, but also for the future development of our sect. If we can take Fenxiang Valley in one fell swoop, our Divine Sect will not only have one less opponent, but also have one more piece of territory."
Mu Yao became anxious: "But Wu Yan, I'm not only worried about those disciples, I'm even more worried about you!"
She stepped forward and held his hand tightly: "Last time you saved me, you were injured in the process, and I only just healed you. Your spiritual power hasn't fully recovered yet. If you get injured again, do you expect me to risk my life to save you?"
Hearing this, Qin Wuyan was finally moved. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, his voice filled with endless emotion and tenderness: "Yao'er, you can't..."
He sighed softly, "How could I let you risk your life to save me? I've said it before, your life is the most important. Even if I die, you must live well."
Mu Yao didn't want to hear his words at all: "Pah! What do you mean by dying? You and I both have to live well. Can you bear to leave me all alone in this world?"
Qin Wuyan asked with a hint of sadness, "What if... what if that day really comes? What would you do?"
Mu Yao got angry and clenched her fists, pounding her fists against his chest repeatedly: "I won't allow it! I won't allow it! I won't allow it!!!"
After pounding him for a while, her hands ached and tears welled up in her eyes. She buried her head in his chest and pleaded softly, "Wuyan, Master! Please listen to me just this once, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt again. I want you to stay by my side."
Qin Wuyan's heart softened; how could he refuse her loving plea? After a long silence, he finally said, "Alright, I promise you, I'll let Fenxiang Valley go for now. However..."
"I'm still going to get the Mystic Fire Mirror back, don't worry. I've already arranged for Tang Yuan and the others to go. I can cancel all the other plans. What do you think?"
Seeing that he had actually changed his mind, Mu Yao asked in surprise, "If the plan is canceled, can we go back to Fox Ridge Mountain soon?"
Qin Wuyan nodded: "Mm."
"Very good!"
She jumped up and down in his arms with joy, even tiptoeing to give him a light kiss on the lips. Then, she looked at him with her bright eyes and smiled radiantly: "Wu Yan, I love you!"
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