Chapter 18: The Deal

Lin Xian gazed at the sky and let out a soft sigh.

He planned to take advantage of Yun Hao’s absence from Sect Master Peak tonight to meet with Luo Shuiling.

He intended to have a proper discussion with her.

No matter the price, he had to persuade her.

This was one of the few things he could still do for Lin Shengyu—to clear away the obstacles between her and Yun Hao, and to gift his granddaughter a lifetime of happiness with his remaining time.

“Cough… cough…”

Lin Xian slowly calmed the restless spiritual power within his body.

He took a light step through the void, and in just a few breaths of time, he arrived at Sect Master Peak.

…………

Luo Shuiling slowly opened her tightly closed beautiful eyes.

Sensing a Void Condensation Realm aura outside her elegant pavilion, she rose from her sitting cushion, ending her communion with heaven and earth.

She walked out of the pavilion at a leisurely pace.

Lin Xian was already seated beneath the osmanthus tree.

He had taken out a pot of fragrant tea and poured two cups.

Luo Shuiling looked at Lin Xian sitting under the osmanthus tree but said nothing.

She walked over to the stone table and sat down lightly across from him.

This was simply her nature.

The existence of her Ice Jade Physique made her personality cold and detached.

No matter who stood before her, she could handle the situation with ease.

Moreover, it was Lin Xian who had personally come to find her.

For an elder whose life was already running short to seek her out personally meant she held the initiative, even if she didn’t yet know the reason.

Luo Shuiling quickly analyzed the current situation and drank her tea with an even calmer mind.

After one cup of tea…

“Does my junior niece find this tea to her liking?”

Lin Xian finally couldn’t hold back and spoke first.

He had no choice.

The initiative was not in his hands, so he could only be the one to break the silence.

They couldn’t just keep drinking tea forever.

Luo Shuiling held the teacup in her jade-like hands, gently cradling it in her palms.

“If this disciple is not mistaken, this should be the Heavenly Snow Spirit Tea from Flower Mist Valley.”

“Even Great Vehicle Realm cultivators rarely get to taste such tea, yet you have brought it out to entertain this disciple. I feel rather overwhelmed and uneasy.”

“Not at all. My junior niece is the future of our Proud Sword Sect. A little Heavenly Snow Spirit Tea is nothing.”

“Elder Lin flatters me. The position of Holy Maiden has yet to be decided. Saying such things would truly be too much for this disciple.”

Lin Xian and Luo Shuiling chatted back and forth casually, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Has Elder Lin come this time because of Yun Hao?”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Luo Shuiling began to guess his purpose.

She and Lin Xian usually had no personal connection—only the normal relationship between a sect disciple and an elder.

For him to suddenly come looking for her, after thinking it over, it could only be related to Yun Hao.

After all, Yun Hao had gone to visit Lin Xian’s cave residence today and had not yet returned.

It was definitely connected to Elder Lin.

“My junior niece is truly intelligent. I have indeed come this time because of Yun Hao.”

Seeing that Luo Shuiling had brought up the main topic, Lin Xian stopped beating around the bush and directly stated his purpose.

Luo Shuiling raised her delicate eyebrows slightly when Lin Xian confirmed her guess.

“Has Yun Hao caused some trouble outside and needs Elder Lin to come to me?”

“Ah, my junior niece is mistaken. Yun Hao is a good child. How could he stir up trouble?”

“Then may I ask what Elder Lin has come for…?”

Luo Shuiling was somewhat puzzled.

Since it wasn’t that Yun Hao had caused some disaster, why had Lin Xian come to find her personally?

Lin Xian looked at Luo Shuiling’s confused expression and instead began speaking about Lin Shengyu.

“Does my junior niece still remember Yu’er?”

“Yu’er…?”

Luo Shuiling thought for a moment and recalled a certain little girl from three years ago.

“Could you mean Elder Lin’s granddaughter, Lin Shengyu?”

“Precisely.”

“Has Elder Lin come to me about Junior Sister Shengyu because something has happened?”

Lin Xian did not answer Luo Shuiling’s question.

Instead, he looked at her with deep meaning.

After a while, he spoke slowly.

“Yu’er has come of age.”

Luo Shuiling was stunned for a moment before she immediately understood.

“Oh, then it is indeed time to find her a husband.”

Lin Xian continued, seeing that she had caught on.

“I do not have much time left. My junior niece already knows this. The tragedy three years ago left Yu’er without her cultivation. She is now no different from an ordinary person.”

“For the past two years, I have been searching for a suitable husband for Yu’er, but none have satisfied me. That is, until I met that child Yun Hao. It is as if the heavens took pity on me and gave me one last chance.”

Lin Xian paused, staring deeply at Luo Shuiling.

“My junior niece should understand what I mean by now.”

Luo Shuiling remained silent.

She picked up her empty teacup and toyed with it gently in her hands, her gaze flickering.

After a long moment, she finally spoke.

“If Elder Lin wishes to choose a husband for Junior Sister Shengyu, you should ask Junior Sister Shengyu herself. If you wish to choose a wife for Yun Hao, you should ask Yun Hao himself. There is no need to come to me.”

Lin Xian suddenly laughed.

He looked at Luo Shuiling.

“My junior niece really loves to play these little mind games. You must know that the child Yun Hao admires you greatly.”

“That child has a very stubborn personality. If I simply tried to arrange a marriage for him, he would refuse no matter what.”

Luo Shuiling listened to Lin Xian’s words and asked in return,

“Then what does Elder Lin suggest?”

“It’s very simple. All you need to do, my junior niece, is cut off his feelings for you.”

Lin Xian spoke word by word.

What he wanted was simple: for Yun Hao to move out of Sect Master Peak, and for Luo Shuiling to personally sever Yun Hao’s longing, so the two would no longer have any connection.

He explained his idea to Luo Shuiling and looked at her with expectant eyes.

Luo Shuiling pondered for a moment before gently shaking her head.

“It was I who saved Yun Hao and brought him back. There is already karma between us. It should not be severed unilaterally. Elder Lin, please return. This disciple cannot do it.”

Luo Shuiling rejected Lin Xian.

She felt somewhat speechless inside.

In the future, she still wanted to test whether Yun Hao would be beneficial to her cultivation.

How could she unilaterally sever their relationship and stop seeing him just because of a few words from Lin Xian?

Besides, in her heart, Yun Hao had been a very qualified pet these past few days.

He always paid attention to what she wanted, and the traces of admiration in his eyes brought her great pleasure, making her feel comfortable in both body and mind.

With his company in the future, her otherwise boring immortal path would have some consolation.

Giving up Yun Hao just like this would truly be foolish.

Lin Xian was not anxious upon seeing Luo Shuiling’s refusal.

After all, he had already prepared to pay a heavy price.

Just as Luo Shuiling turned to return to her pavilion, she suddenly felt an extremely cold and chilling aura.

Her Ice Jade Physique instantly stirred.

She whipped her head around and looked at the profound ice that had appeared in Lin Xian’s hand.

She muttered in disbelief,

“Northern Cold Mystic Ice?!”

Lin Xian nodded inwardly with satisfaction at Luo Shuiling’s reaction.

He felt he now had a good grasp of the situation.

“If my junior niece agrees to my request, then I shall gift this piece of Northern Cold Mystic Ice to you.”

“I believe my junior niece understands the effects of the Northern Cold Mystic Ice better than I do, especially with the help of your Ice Jade Physique.”

Lin Xian deliberately emphasized the words “Ice Jade Physique” to tempt her.

And his words clearly had an effect.

Luo Shuiling was truly moved this time.

The Northern Cold Mystic Ice could advance her Ice Jade Physique another step.

It was a heavenly treasure capable of strengthening special physiques.

Such a thing only appeared occasionally in the Deep Snow Spirit Mountain controlled by the Northern Chill Empress of the North Cold Continent—and even then, only pieces the size of a palm.

Because it was so precious, even the Northern Chill Empress would not easily part with the Northern Cold Mystic Ice she had collected.

When Luo Shuiling was young, her master had once gone to the North Cold Continent and obtained a piece for her to absorb.

Even that piece had come at an enormous cost—not only countless heavenly treasures, but also a personal favor owed by her master to the Northern Chill Empress.

One must understand that this was a favor from a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator.

It was something that could not be measured by mere material value.

Looking at the palm-sized piece of Northern Cold Mystic Ice in Lin Xian’s hand, Luo Shuiling forced herself to calm down.

She looked at the mystic ice and asked,

“How does Elder Lin possess such a precious heavenly treasure as the Northern Cold Mystic Ice?”

“When I was young, I once traveled to the North Cold Continent and obtained this piece by chance. I have treasured it my entire life. Now that I am about to depart this world, it is better to let this worldly object find a good master.”

Lin Xian spoke in a tempting tone.

Luo Shuiling nearly agreed on the spot—to never see Yun Hao again and sever all ties.

However, just as the words reached her lips, the sound of Yun Hao calling her “Senior Sister” rang in her ears, forcefully stopping the agreement.

She looked at the profound ice with great reluctance.

She wanted it badly, but she also could not bear the thought of never seeing Yun Hao again.

She was caught in a dilemma.

After thinking it over for a moment, she decided on a compromise.

“This disciple does indeed have great need for this piece of mystic ice. However, Yun Hao is also a junior brother worthy of this disciple’s care.”

“How about this? Yun Hao can continue living on Sect Master Peak. I will not restrict his freedom. However, he must still return every night. He may stay out overnight for no more than two consecutive days per month.”

“Additionally, I can help you once. No matter what you ask of me at that time, I will comply. In daily life, I will continue to treat Yun Hao as his senior sister normally. How does that sound?”

“No. Yun Hao must move out of Sect Master Peak. That is non-negotiable.”

Lin Xian rejected Luo Shuiling’s proposal without hesitation.

Although her suggestion had seemed fair, it still kept Yun Hao by her side.

This was extremely disadvantageous for Lin Shengyu.

He could not agree to it.

“Then there is nothing left to discuss… Elder Lin, please return.”

Luo Shuiling turned away in disappointment.

She truly wanted the Northern Cold Mystic Ice very much.

It would bring an enormous improvement to her Ice Jade Physique.

Yet Yun Hao provided similar benefits.

Last time when she had infused spiritual power into Yun Hao, she had clearly felt her Ice Jade Physique improve slightly.

Although the improvement was small, she could sense it.

One must remember that at that time, Yun Hao had still been an ordinary person.

Giving up on Yun Hao—an existence with limitless potential—for one piece of Northern Cold Mystic Ice was ultimately not worth it.

Lin Xian grew extremely anxious as he watched Luo Shuiling actually walk away.

He could not understand why she was so unwilling to let go of Yun Hao.

Seeing her about to enter the pavilion, he gritted his teeth inwardly and said,

“Change those two days to five days, and help me one more time. This piece of Northern Cold Mystic Ice will be yours, my junior niece.”

Luo Shuiling stopped in her tracks.

She thought it over carefully.

This was a deal that would not result in any loss no matter how one calculated it.

Even if Yun Hao really did end up marrying Lin Shengyu in the future, it wouldn’t matter.

She had faith in her own charm.

Yun Hao would always revolve around her.

She slowly turned around and spoke to Lin Xian.

“Agreed!”

The two of them then made an oath to the immortal path, concluding their meeting.

Lin Xian sat powerlessly atop Western Peak, as if he had aged several years.

This meeting seemed to have exhausted all his energy.

From the outcome, he had lost out.

However, he understood that this was the best result he could have negotiated.

Luo Shuiling’s steps earlier had shown no hesitation whatsoever.

She would have rather given up the Northern Cold Mystic Ice than give up Yun Hao.

If he had not relented at the very end, the deal would likely have fallen through.

In his heart, Lin Xian prayed that the heavens would show mercy and not let his painstaking efforts go to waste.

At the same time, he prayed that Yun Hao would soon realize that Luo Shuiling was not his best choice.

Lin Shengyu was the one who could accompany him as the perfect dao companion for life.