Chapter 382: 211. Lin Qingque's Consideration_2
He knew that if he told the truth, it would definitely make her angry.
Yet, he had no choice but to do so.
Suppress it until the suppression reaches its limit, then release it.
By that time, everyone would get what they wanted.
Only then might they be able to understand each other.
Xu Yuan's gaze gradually became serene.
"What are you doing here?"
He took a deep breath, just as he was about to complete the task assigned by Tian Liuli, a cool and pleasant voice flowed like a stream.
Xu Yuan turned around, his eyebrows slightly raised.
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"Who are you?"
Standing in front of him was a woman in white, beautiful with a delicate face and flawless jade-like cheeks, though a bit too pale, and her aura could not be well concealed, as if she had been badly defeated in a great battle.
"Let me introduce myself."
The woman in white smiled lightly, "Holy Sect, An Yulan."
An Yulan?
Xu Yuan's expression remained the same, but he was slightly confused.
Who is she, and what does she want with him?
Seeing his composed appearance, yet clearly unaware of her identity, An Yulan wasn't too surprised.
Given her status, those in the sect who could access her information would definitely have to be Elders or Sect Leaders above the Primordial Spirit True Person level.
"Miss An, do you have business with me?"
Xu Yuan nodded calmly, offering a courteous smile.
"If there's nothing, I need to hurry and buy some candied hawthorn sticks for my wife."
An Yulan was momentarily taken aback upon hearing this.
She gazed at him silently for a while and then smiled with raised eyebrows, "No matter, sir, please proceed. I merely spoke because you remind me of an old acquaintance."
Xu Yuan hadn't expected to hear such an answer.
It was somewhat puzzling.
"Since there's nothing then, I shall take my leave."
After he left, a woman in black with long hair stepped out from a hidden spot, confused she asked, "Holy Maiden, aren't you planning to reveal your identity to him? Weren't you planning to use him to broker cooperation with Mr. Mo?"
As Xu Yuan disappeared into the distance, An Yulan shook her head, "No rush, and besides, using him as a stepping stone to reach Qianxian carries certain risks."
"Risks? How so?"
The woman in black couldn't comprehend.
She was somewhat unable to keep up with An Yulan's thoughts.
Only a moment ago she had independently determined that Qianxian had a certain fondness for this junior brother; now, even after confirming it, she was suddenly in no hurry to use this relationship, instead mentioning risks? Why?
An Yulan smiled faintly, but did not elaborate.
She couldn't very well tell her that it was because of a cultivator's sixth sense.
Her intuition told her that if she used Xu Yuan's relationship to approach Qianxian, Qianxian might cooperate with her.
Yet, she would certainly also incur Qianxian's jealousy.
She had a premonition that Qianxian did not want to involve him in the muddy waters of the Demon Sect's Saint Heir position.
Therefore, she wasn't in a hurry to enter the fray with the future Palace Master of Qiushui Shengong.
Considering this, An Yulan couldn't help but feel a hint of amusement.
The future Palace Master of Qiushui Shengong, the Holy Maiden of the Demon Sect, and the future Holy Maiden of their own Heavenly Dao Sect, the first Goddess Empress in history—these individuals would be quite a headache for him.
Let alone getting them to agree on each other's presence, even agreeing on who would be the leader would be a terribly difficult problem.
This young man was indeed blessed.
...
The evening was light and breezy, clouds and mists floated in the sky, presenting a myriad of colors.
Tian Liuli, in a white dress, sat quietly in the courtyard, holding a Daoist scripture, her demeanor serene, yet her eyes moved restlessly between the teacup on the table and the garden gate.
After a long time, the bamboo behind her creaked with the cawing of a rook, sorrowful and lingering.
Only when dusk was slowly devoured by the night, and the amber tea in her cup stained with ink, did she yield to her fate with a sigh, then sighed again, and slowly raised the porcelain cup.
The sleeve was pulled up by her arm, revealing a stretch of arm white and tender enough to vaguely see the veins underneath, like lotus root and snow.
But under the night sky, that bright jade arm also became dim, just like her outwardly calm face.
Snow began to freeze the lake surface bit by bit, manifesting both in expression and in Dao Heart.
Ice and snow sealed the heart.
Tian Liuli's wrist, holding the Daoist scripture, became increasingly tense, even to the point where small snake-like veins protruded beneath the skin.
She tilted the porcelain cup, slowly pouring from it bit by bit.
The thin stream of water, yet it seemed like the Milky Way cascading from the Nine Heavens.
"This cup, to the foolish self."
"And to, the returning me."
After this cup, she bid farewell to her past self.
No, to be precise, she severed ties with the indecisive self of this world, and from now on, she would truly be the returning Immortal Emperor of the Jade Emperor Liuli Heaven.
Clatter...
Until the last drop of tea had drained from the bottom of the cup, the door still had not made a sound.
Tian Liuli put down the cup, exhaling her last breath of turbidity.
It seemed, after all, she had lost the bet, he would not return.
So, she, too, no longer lingered and turned to pack up the things in the house and leave.
Then, she saw him, a youth looking at her with an odd gaze from behind.
At this point, twilight was almost gone, leaving just a hint of light, the youth stood in the remaining brilliance, like a dying sun, illuminating the night. Above his head in the sky, a tired cloud lingered, from her angle, it looked as though it rested upon the flowing clouds, smiling and greeting her.
"Liuli, what are you doing?"
He asked knowingly with a smile.
Tian Liuli was silent.
Then, in the midst of the night, suddenly, a glow like a returning radiance lit up.
"You, when did you come back?"
Her voice trembled imperceptibly, her pale ears flushed red, like the lantern in the hands of a girl with budding affections at the Lantern Festival.
"Probably since a cup to the foolish self."
He was not laughing, yet it was clear he was smiling.
"Why didn't you use the door when you came back?"
She clenched her fists, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"Actually..."
After hesitating for a moment, Xu Yuan still said, "You were looking at the back door."
"..."
Tian Liuli took a deep breath, suddenly feeling that her action to retract her Divine Sense to avoid knowing the outcome too soon was the stupidest thing she had done in her life.
"You still know how to come back?"
The next moment, she spoke coldly, her words unrelated to the previous topic, "I asked you to buy sugar-glazed haws, how long have you taken? Hmm?"
"...I was wrong."
Xu Yuan raised his hands in surrender, "I didn't see anything just now, I also don't know anything about a cup to..."
"Hmm?"
"I don't know anything, the cup on the ground was broken by a crow."
"Knowing you're wrong, aren't you going to cook now?"
She took a deep breath and still maintained a stern face as she spoke.
"Alright."
Xu Yuan turned around, but then suddenly stopped his steps, then, she heard him whisper, "Thank you."
The reason he had returned so late was that he had encountered Liu Ruoxue and Jing Lixue on the way.
To appease the two, he also spent a considerable amount of time.
It was at that time that he understood her intentions.
She had undone all the shackles to see if he still had any chains.
"No need."
Tian Liuli's voice was so light it seemed as if it would scatter at the slightest blow of wind, "I just didn't want something to be mixed in, that's all."
She just wanted to have a pure life, existing solely between the two of them, nothing more.
Until the gate squeaked shut, smoke rose from the chimney, Tian Liuli silently walked to the table, picked up the glistening sugar-glazed haw, looked at it for a long, long time, and then smiled.
The evening breeze was gentle, stirring her gown, the mist seeming to drift through the wind, leaving behind dewdrops.