“Forget it, it seems to be a misunderstanding. Everyone, disperse!”
An Daosheng waved his long sleeve, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the surrounding crowd.
Because the situation had developed so absurdly, An Daosheng felt it was somewhat inappropriate to discuss matters publicly.
So, he had Elder Yude help disperse the crowd, while he himself led He Qiu, An Lingran, and the others away.
Along the way, He Qiu carried An Lingran back to the Primordial Saint Pavilion in a princess carry, right in front of all the disciples they passed.
To this, An Daosheng turned a blind eye, pretending not to see.
Upon reaching the foot of Xueyin Peak, Luo Qianning was ordered by An Daosheng to go back and rest because she had sneaked down the mountain to play last night and hadn’t slept well.
Zi Menghan, being He Qiu’s maidservant, was told to wait for He Qiu at the foot of Xueyin Peak.
As Luo Qianning left, she glanced back at He Qiu with a confused look, then yawned sleepily and departed.
‘Junior Brother is actually engaged to Senior Sister Lingran?’
‘But, although Senior Sister Lingran likes Junior Brother, He Qiu doesn’t seem to like Senior Sister Lingran…’
‘And, Master actually allowed him to carry Senior Sister Lingran all the way like that… What kind of complicated relationship does this family have…’
The more she thought about it on her way home, the stranger it seemed.
Her head felt dizzy, so she simply decided not to think about it, resolving to find an opportunity to ask Junior Brother another day.
—
Meanwhile,
He Qiu bid farewell to his maidservant Zi Menghan and continued carrying An Lingran into the sacred land, following An Daosheng as they ascended Xueyin Peak.
This journey truly exhausted him.
Although An Lingran’s weight wasn’t particularly heavy—one could even say she was light and soft—she was still a one-hundred-and-seventy-centimeter-tall beauty with a mature figure, fully developed in all the right places.
Moreover, while He Qiu was careful to avoid touching his senior sister’s private areas to prevent any impropriety, he also had to constantly ensure her beautiful silver hair didn’t drag on the ground and get dirty with mud.
He had to hold the woman in his arms high enough.
On top of that, Xueyin Peak was several thousand meters high.
Walking up the mountain the entire way, even if his arms weren’t tired, his legs were sore.
‘Sigh, my arms are so sore. Why didn’t Master just use Sword Flight to give me a ride?’
‘That would have been so much more convenient.’
Persevering all the way, He Qiu finally saw the gate of the Origin Sacred Land.
Before An Daosheng could step forward to open the door, a young girl with golden-soft hair and deer antlers proactively pushed the door open to greet them.
“Ranran, you’re ba—”
Yun Qing’s smile froze on her face the moment she saw An Daosheng and He Qiu.
‘Emmm…’
‘Can someone tell me what’s going on?’
‘Why is my Spirit Master, An Lingran, lying unconscious in Brother He Qiu’s arms?’
Originally, she had sensed An Lingran’s aura and opened the door eagerly to welcome her.
But as soon as she pushed the door open, she was quite startled by the scene, with even the father-in-law coming along.
Clearing his throat, An Daosheng sighed.
“Yun Qing, Lingran has fainted. Please help take her.”
“Oh, okay…”
Sensing the微妙 atmosphere, Yun Qing didn’t dare ask questions.
She walked up to He Qiu, blinked, and held out both hands, waiting.
He Qiu was stunned for a moment before asking.
“Uh, Sister Yun Qing, are you sure you can catch my senior sister?”
He glanced at the well-developed silver-haired woman in his arms, then at the cute deer-antlered girl in front of him who was less than one hundred and sixty centimeters tall.
He couldn’t help but doubt whether the latter had enough strength.
Yun Qing puffed out her cheeks, somewhat displeased.
“Are you looking down on this Celestial Spirit’s strength?”
“Ah, not really…”
“Hmph, don’t think just because Sister looks this cute that she isn’t reliable!”
As she spoke, Yun Qing stood on her tiptoes, snatched An Lingran from He Qiu’s arms, then mobilized the surrounding natural spiritual energy.
Effortlessly, she made An Lingran float above her head, lightly supported by her two small hands.
After doing all this, Yun Qing snorted coldly and spoke as if casually.
“Tell me, when you were holding my Ranran, did you secretly take any liberties?”
“No…”
He Qiu answered briefly, then felt it was somewhat inappropriate and added, “Even if I did, it was due to circumstances beyond my control.”
“Oh~”
Yun Qing half-squinted her eyes, leaned forward, and stared very seriously into He Qiu’s eyes.
In response, He Qiu showed no particular reaction, his gaze clear and pure.
In fact, this was the first time he learned that An Lingran was Yun Qing’s Spirit Master.
No wonder Yun Qing recognized him that day and selflessly lent him her spiritual power to help him win the Martial Arts Tournament the next day.
‘So, Sister Yun Qing was also a form of secret help from Senior Sister towards me…’
‘Senior Sister really is a good person, gentle but not good at expressing it.’
‘But talking about marriage is still too hasty. I can’t irresponsibly sell my body and feelings as a form of repayment just because Senior Sister is good to me unilaterally. Those are two different things.’
On the other side, seeing He Qiu remain silent and so calm, Yun Qing didn’t press the issue further.
In fact, she was quite satisfied with He Qiu’s reaction.
It was clear that the youth held a very serious attitude towards his senior sister in this matter.
As for Yun Qing’s so-called suspicion of “taking liberties,” it was naturally dispelled.
Actually, if someone said He Qiu was the type of man to take petty advantages, Yun Qing herself wouldn’t believe it.
She had, by chance, lain in He Qiu’s arms a few times and had some firsthand experience of her own feelings.
She knew He Qiu wasn’t someone corrupted by worldly desires…
At the same time, she also remembered how warm and safe it felt in He Qiu’s embrace.
She had asked that question on purpose just now to see He Qiu’s attitude.
If He Qiu had shown any panic or an eagerness to distance himself, it would have meant he had no genuine feelings for An Lingran in his heart and only saw her as a “usable” object.
Fortunately, He Qiu’s reaction was serious, without any irresponsible excuses.
In reality, Yun Qing could have avoided all this trouble by simply using Mind Reading to roughly and directly understand He Qiu’s inner thoughts and clarify the current situation.
But she still didn’t do that.
No particular reason.
It was because she had promised He Qiu she wouldn’t read his mind without permission again.
For spirit beasts, promises were very important things.
They hated those who broke promises, including, but not limited to, themselves.
“Ahem, Yun Qing, take Lingran inside. This old man still has some words to discuss with He Qiu alone.”
“Okay~”
An Daosheng sent the deer spirit Yun Qing away, then stood alone at the main gate with his hands behind his back, stroking his long beard and sighing.
“He Qiu, what exactly do you feel towards your senior sis…”
He was about to speak, his words half out, but then he shook his head.
Stepping forward, An Daosheng patted He Qiu’s shoulder with deep feeling.
“Forget it, child. Today’s matter wasn’t your fault. You just need to know that your master didn’t mean to blame you earlier.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Child, go back and rest. Today was supposed to be a day to celebrate your achievements and bring you good news. This old man never imagined something like this would happen. But the praise and congratulations you deserve will still be given…”
“Then, this disciple will take his leave?”
“Mm. This master will have a good talk with Lingran. We’ll discuss your marriage another day.”
An Daosheng waved his hand, indicating He Qiu could leave.
He Qiu bowed politely, then turned and descended the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, the moment the figure of the white-clad youth appeared, the maidservant Zi Menghan immediately followed him.
“Young Master He, have you finished handling your matters?”
—
There might be five updates tomorrow.
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