Throughout the journey, Li Xuan made an effort to strike up a conversation with ng Qingfan.
"Are you a mber of the Jinque Palace? I saw your na on a wanted poster there once, ng Qingfan, the Ti Spear."
"That’s right, Dongfang Liang is your senior brother, isn’t he? He has always served under my command. Although we used to be enemies, our current rapport is pleasantly good."
"If I may ask impudently, where have you been hiding today? I haven’t heard any news about you."
Li Xuan could assure himself he had no ill intentions, and he held no reckless thoughts. He simply thought that it was a pity to miss the opportunity to recruit such a highly skilled individual under his command.
Since he had already sheltered Dongfang Liang, taking in ng Qingfan as well shouldn’t be an issue.
However, after saying a few words, Li Xuan’s expression subtly changed. He leaned in close to sll ng Qingfan’s neck and then looked puzzled.
"Lady ng, have we t before?"
This scent was sowhat familiar to him, reminding him of that night in Yichang.
ng Qingfan’s face turned a deep red, unable to suppress her embarrassnt.
She hastened her Style Speed and arrived in Nanjing in less than an hour. She then hurriedly dropped Li Xuan off and fled as if escaping.
Li Xuan was utterly perplexed, watching ng Qingfan’s departing figure without being able to make sense of it.
This wasn’t what he had expected. It was ng Qingfan who had approached him, even offering to give him a lift.
Li Xuan had thought this woman had an agenda or possibly the intention to defect.
But along the way, ng Qingfan had been dismissive towards him. Had he said sothing wrong?
All Li Xuan could do was to shout into the empty sky, "Li thanks the lady for the ride! Should you find the ti soday, you are welco to visit my residence in Beijing."
He still wanted to recruit this woman into Fenyang Prince Mansion if possible. Yet, hearing the words ’the ride’ from him made ng Qingfan almost fall from her iron swift swallow in mid-air.
Li Xuan found ng Qingfan’s behavior rather incomprehensible, so he turned to his cowardly dog, "Tingtian, do you have any idea what that woman is thinking?"
Tingtian Ao blinked, "How would I know? That’s the mighty middle heaven level we’re talking about!"
In truth, he might have guessed. While Tingtian Ao couldn’t hear ng Qingfan’s thoughts, he had heard the transformation process of the kylin back in the capital.
So the woman was simply shy, wasn’t she?
A master of the heavenly level, the Ti Spear serving as Li Xuan’s mount for nearly two years was indeed quite peculiar.
And that heartbeat— oh boy, it was like a drum beat when Li Xuan placed his hands on her waist.
The reason she appeared so unresponsive was actually because she was too nervous to speak.
But he dared not say it, for to risk a woman’s face was to make an implacable enemy.
Li Xuan did not suspect otherwise, thinking, naturally, this cowardly dog would not dare listen to ng Qingfan’s heartbeats.
"But you on the other hand—"
Tingtian Ao pointed with his paw toward the north, "Your father-in-law has been following us the whole ti, and he seems pretty angry."
Li Xuan suddenly felt stunned, "Why didn’t you tell earlier? When did he start following us?"
"Probably around the ti you were holding ng Qingfan’s waist."
Tingtian Ao scratched his own face, "I saw you were quite enthusiastic towards Lady ng, and I didn’t want to disturb what was going on."
At that mont, Li Xuan truly wanted to tear this cowardly dog apart.
However, the priority was to find Jiang Hanyun.
Li Xuan exhaled a long sigh, "This is your territory; do you know where Hanyun is?"
Tingtian Ao also felt he was in danger and imdiately perked up his ears to listen carefully. A hint of strangeness then appeared in his eyes.
"She’s at Jiang Mansion in her boudoir."
Li Xuan’s spirits lifted, and he was ready to use a vanishing technique to head towards Jiang Mansion.
But just as Li Xuan transford into a streak of thunder, he thought better of it. It wouldn’t be right to simply appear like that.
Considering Jiang Hanyun’s character, she would probably take off at the sight of him.
And the Six-tailed Spirit Fox Lei, with its precognitive abilities, was the epito of alertness.
He might be detected by the Six-tailed Spirit Fox as soon as he entered the city.
If he just barged into Nanjing like that, Jiang Hanyun would certainly run off without a trace.
Li Xuan imdiately drew forth a divine seal with a hand gesture, grasping the "Haotian Seal" in his hand.
"Divine Power, concealnt!"
This was one of the "Rule of Extre Heaven" powers awakened after the restoration of the ’Haotian Seal’.
It was a Rule capable of becoming extrely weak or imnsely powerful,
and its strength depended entirely on the user’s ’Quan’ and ’Shi’.
In the past, its owner was the master of the Heavenly Court, and thus with the ’Haotian Seal,’ he could oppress all the realms under heavens.
Li Xuan, without a doubt, was now the person with the greatest power in the world. In so ways, even Princess Yu Hongchang might be slightly less influential than him.
Therefore, with the ’Haotian Seal’ in his hands, Li Xuan’s might was formidable.
It’s just a pity that Li Xuan’s mana was insufficient; otherwise, he could’ve completely countered the ’Heavenly Law’ of Dasiming.
For ’Lvling’ stems from ’Quan,’ and without the authority to subdue the people and all things, what ’Lvling’ could there be?
Might and influence grant authority. And with authority cos the Law.
However, with his current level of mana, using ’Divine Power’ to hide his aura was feasible.
He infiltrated the city without a sound, and all the Jingying troops and the Forbidden Army of Nanjing were none the wiser.
When Li Xuan walked into the Jiang residence, the few remaining servants tasked with cleaning and maintenance seed to turn a blind eye to his presence.
Even when Li Xuan reached the outside of Jiang Hanyun’s boudoir, everything remained calm and undisturbed.
However, upon entering, he discovered Lei, the Six-tailed Spirit Fox, sitting dignified on the chair opposite him, eyeing him with disdain.
Li Xuan was montarily taken aback, then gave Lei a thumbs-up to show his appreciation.
The little Spirit Fox had clearly let him off easy, and deserved to be comnded for it.
Then, Li Xuan took a blue Spirit Pill from his sleeve and tossed it over to Lei; he then made a circular gesture with his hands and held up five fingers, alluding to a five-basket load of doughnuts.
For so reason, the little Spirit Fox especially loved this sweet treat that Li Xuan had "invented."
After catching the elixir in its mouth, the corners of the little fox’s lips seed to curl upward distinctly.
Afterward, it settled down lazily and watched as Li Xuan silently ascended the staircase to the second floor.
At this point, Li Xuan’s expression also began to turn strange.
For he heard a voice from within, Jiang Hanyun repeatedly muttering, "To marry or not to marry, to marry or not to marry, to marry or not to marry—"
"To go back or not to go back, to go back or not to go back, to go back or not to go back—"
As Li Xuan reached the upper floor, he found Jiang Hanyun picking flower petals from a plant beside her, counting them one by one.
Li Xuan took a careful look and then his eyes brimd with amusent.
The flowers with odd-numbered petals had all been plucked by Jiang Hanyun; those with even-numbered petals remained untouched in their pots.
Li Xuan also noticed a pile of books next to her, and upon closer inspection of the titles, his face couldn’t help but break into a broader grin.
"Zhongkui Essentials"
"Thirty-Six Strategies of Household Managent"
"Culinary Techniques of the Cui Family"
Zhongkui refers to dostic culinary matters, but it also signifies a wife’s role. The Cui family were a prestigious clan with thousands of years of heritage, whose daughters were renowned for their dostic skills and sought after in marriage by people all over the land.
So, these were manuals on how a woman should manage a household.
Next to them were so beautifully illustrated but rather suggestive paintings that could make any maiden blush—
"Midsumr and the Secret Ga"
"Sutra of Pure Won"
"Huaying Jinzhen"
"Bride’s Thirty-Six Styling Diagram"
These were guides for won on how to conduct marital affairs and maintain marital bliss.
Li Xuan picked up a copy of "Zhongkui Essentials" and flipped through it casually, before letting out a chuckle, "Madam really doesn’t need to worry so much. Hubby isn’t one of those stodgy types, and won’t confine you to the ho. After we marry, you may do as you wish. And as for the culinary affairs of the prince’s mansion, you can take charge if you want or just leave it to the Housekeeper."
As for these conjugal matters, there’s no need to consult books and pictures when you can learn and discuss it all with !
Only then did Jiang Hanyun notice Li Xuan’s presence, and her face instantly turned bright red. Swiftly, she transford into a bolt of lightning, ready to make a quick escape.
But Li Xuan was prepared and grabbed Jiang Hanyun by the waist, "Madam, where do you think you’re going? Our wedding is imminent, and you cannot just run off wherever you please."
"Who is your Madam? We’re not even married yet,"
Jiang Hanyun struggled fiercely, trying to break free from Li Xuan’s grasp.
Her innate talent in martial arts was extraordinary, skilled not only in boxing but also renowned for joint-locking techniques.
Jiang Hanyun did not fully unleash her skills on Li Xuan but, with her imnse strength, she gradually pried his hands apart.
Seeing that the situation was not in his favor, Li Xuan, like an octopus, clung onto her, wrapping his legs around Jiang Hanyun’s.
Jiang Hanyun was exasperated, "Unhand ! You’re the protector of Neo-Confucianism. Don’t you know that n and won should not touch? Let go, or I will begin to fight back."
After prying Li Xuan’s hands away, she moved to detach his legs. But Li Xuan’s hands swiftly moved to embrace her tightly once more.
Li Xuan laughed, "Do you not know that a gentleman should not be falsely bound?"
This was a quote from ncius, aning that a gentleman should not be restrained by superficial propriety. Here, Li Xuan was taking liberties with the original aning.
He thought only a fool would let go; once released, his wife would fly away.
Jiang Hanyun had no choice but to struggle with all her might, tangling with Li Xuan. Their cultivation might not have been at the heavenly level, but their strength was equivalent, causing the building to creak and groan as if caught in a maelstrom.
Tingtian Ao and Azure Phoenix Niulang, who had followed Li Xuan, scampered off as if fleeing a disaster.
Lei, the Six-tailed Spirit Fox, having anticipated this, cleverly escaped ahead of ti.
Given that the two martial maniacs of the Jiang family often caused buildings to collapse, Jiang Hanyun’s boudoir was specially fortified, exceptionally sturdy.
Still, Lei guessed that the building wouldn’t hold.
As expected, shortly thereafter, the three-story building collapsed.
Jiang Hanyun took advantage of the situation and pinned Li Xuan down, sitting on his waist and forcefully pressing down on his hands, while her slender legs restrained his head, preventing any movent.
A glint of triumph shone in Jiang Hanyun’s eyes, "You cannot beat ."
Just then, Jiang Yunqi appeared in the sky.
"Hanyun, I was thinking that maybe, we should reconsider your marriage with Li Xuan. This rascal is fine in all other aspects, but—"
Then he froze on the spot, unable to utter another word as he witnessed the compromising position of the two, with the girl on top and the boy beneath.
Perhaps by coincidence, a strong gust of wind swept by, bringing a beautifully illustrated and exciting picture to the side of the two.
Jiang Yunqi glanced at it and saw the words "Midsumr and the Secret Ga: Avalokitesvara Sitting on a Lotus," and the posture of the figures in the picture bore a resemblance to Li Xuan and his daughter’s current entanglent.
At that mont, Jiang Yunqi’s heart sank, and only one thought crossed his mind—there truly cos a ti when a daughter is no longer his to keep.
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