The Yan family ancestor and the scholar waited for a while before the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect and Yan Ruyan walked in.
"Now that our Yan family has agreed to submit to your sect, does the young sect master have any further instructions?" The Yan family ancestor's tone was noticeably more mild than before, clearly showing deference now that the Yan family would soon become part of the Ghost Spirit Sect.
"Why so formal, Senior Yan? Since Miss Ruyan and I have exchanged life-and-death curses, that already counts as an engagement! From now on, Senior Yan may simply call me Wang Chan — there is no need for titles like 'young sect master'!" Wang Chan gave a slight bow, exuding an air of elegance.
"How can I do that? Before you and Ruyan are properly married, it would be disrespectful for me to address the young sect master so casually. After all, the Yan family is about to become a member of the Ghost Spirit Sect." The Yan family ancestor stroked the short beard on his chin with a blank expression and shook his head in disagreement.
Upon hearing this, the young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect realized that the old man's wariness toward him had not yet fully dissipated. He smiled without pressing the matter and changed the subject.
"Actually, the reason I had Miss Ruyan bring me here to meet with the ancestor again is to ask how you plan to fulfill our agreement. In five days, our six sects will formally attack the Kingdom of Yue. If the Yan family does not evacuate in time, there could be some trouble."
"Rest assured about that, young sect master. Although our Yan family may appear to have many members, in truth we will abandon those peripheral relatives whose blood ties are too distant, as well as ordinary people without any cultivation. Moving every single member out at once simply isn't realistic. The Yan family is well aware of this!" The scholar spoke up eagerly this time.
"The Yan family's ability to make hard sacrifices puts my mind at ease. After all, if too many people from the Yan family moved together at once, it would be impossible to hide from the Seven Sects' eyes and ears. If word leaked out, that would be disastrous! This must be the Yan family's famously meticulous Mister Xuanye — I have long admired your reputation!" The young sect master's eyes behind his mask sized up the scholar as he let out a soft laugh.
The scholar was secretly alarmed that the other party had identified him by name and nickname so easily. However, his outward expression remained calm, and he faced the other with a composed smile.
"I did not come to see the ancestor merely about this matter. I also wish to know how the Yan family plans to deal with the two hundred or more Foundation Establishment cultivators currently in the fortress. Quite a few of them are core disciples of the Seven Sects! And the Yan family must relocate within two days. If these people were to bump into the move, that would be highly problematic!" The young sect master's tone was perfectly even, but the implications of his words caused the Yan family ancestor and the scholar's expressions to change.
"The young sect master means..." The Yan family ancestor said in a dark tone.
"Here's a thought — cultivating the Blood Spirit Art requires the souls of cultivators for a blood sacrifice before the practice can begin. Why not use our Ghost Spirit Sect's Yin Fire Grand Array to refine the physical bodies of all the cultivators in the fortress, leaving only their souls for Ruyan to use for her Foundation Establishment? The dense souls of so many Foundation Establishment cultivators would surely allow Miss to master the first layer of the Blood Spirit Art with ease." The young sect master casually proposed an incredibly vicious suggestion. A chill rose in the hearts of both the scholar and the Yan family ancestor across from him.
"Absolutely not! We can overlook the Seven Sects' people, but the cultivators from other kingdoms came here in response to our invitation for Ruyan's dual cultivation partner selection. Our Yan family absolutely cannot do something that would provoke the outrage of all!" The scholar, startled, hurriedly spoke up, fearing the Yan family ancestor might actually agree to the suggestion.
"Xuanye. There's no rush. I haven't grown so senile as to do such a thing!" The Yan family ancestor waved his hand at the scholar with a grim expression.
Then he addressed the young sect master in a cold voice:
"What a fine suggestion from the young sect master! If we truly did that, I'm afraid there would be no place left under heaven where the Yan family could take refuge. The Yan family will not take the initiative against the invited cultivators in the fortress. However, I can have people gather the Seven Sects' cultivators in one place. As for how to deal with them and whether your people can capture so many — that will depend entirely on your sect's capability."
Upon hearing this, the scholar let out a sigh of relief and repeatedly voiced his agreement.
A flash of displeasure crossed the young sect master's eyes, and he spoke slowly with some dissatisfaction:
"These cultivators' souls are meant for Ruyan's blood sacrifice. The one who benefits is a member of your Yan family. Yet the Yan family refuses to lift a single finger — that hardly seems fair!"
The Yan family ancestor paused briefly at these words. But the old and cunning man immediately replied without changing his expression:
"But Ruyan will soon be married to the young sect master, becoming the young master's wife. She will be yours, so it seems only natural for you to put in the effort! Of course, once the Yan family formally joins the Ghost Spirit Sect, we will naturally show no mercy toward the Seven Sects. But this time, the Seven Sects' disciples were, after all, invited by us. If the Yan family were to attack them first, it would certainly leave a terrible reputation in the eyes of cultivators from other kingdoms. Of course, simply letting them go would also be improper. So it would be best for the young sect master's people to take action. That way, our Yan cultivators could offer an explanation. And I believe that with the two Core Formation stage cultivators by the young sect master's side, capturing a few dozen Foundation Establishment disciples should not be too difficult, correct?"
The young sect master stared deeply at the Yan family ancestor for a moment, then lowered his head in thought. After a long pause, he looked up and glanced at Yan Ruyan, who had remained silent throughout. He then spoke in a detached tone:
"Since the ancestor puts it that way, then our Ghost Spirit Sect will play the villain this time. Consider these cultivators' souls as Wang Chan's betrothal gift to Miss Ruyan!"
"Haha! I shall accept the young sect master's betrothal gift on Ruyan's behalf for the future. Ruyan, hurry and give the young sect master your regards. The young sect master's betrothal gift is no small matter!" The Yan family ancestor's face broke into a slight smile upon learning that the Yan family would not have to act against the fortress cultivators.
"Thank you for the young master's kindness. Ruyan will remember it always!" The stunningly beautiful girl gracefully stepped forward, gave a slight bow, and spoke with a voice sweet as fragrance. The subtle, almost-shy expression of feminine charm on her face made a strange glint flash through the young sect master's eyes.
"If Miss Ruyan can begin cultivating the Blood Spirit Art soon, that would be a good thing for Wang Chan as well. There is no need for such formalities."
"Please inform me of the location where you plan to gather the Seven Sects' cultivators once you have decided, ancestor. After that, simply wait for good news. For now, Wang Chan shall take his leave." The young sect master delivered these courteous words with impeccable grace, gave the Yan family ancestor a slight bow, and departed.
The Yan family ancestor and the scholar in the hall exchanged a meaningful glance...
...
Han Li had a headache, and a terrible one at that.
And it was all because of three acquaintances and one stranger who were currently facing off in front of him.
The acquaintances were Yan Yu, Senior Brother Feng, and Dong Xuan'er, who was practically half-reclining in the stranger's arms. The stranger was a man of extraordinary, almost bewitching beauty.
"Gorgeous"
The moment Han Li got a clear look at the man's face, those two words immediately applied themselves to him.
This man was simply too beautiful and androgynous. Without question, his devastating attractiveness was equally powerful against both men and women. Were it not for his male attire, no one would have been surprised to mistake him for a great beauty. What was even more astonishing was that despite his extraordinary appearance, there was nothing at all out of place in his movements — everything was perfectly coordinated and appropriate.
Under normal circumstances, Yan Yu and Senior Brother Feng would likely not have harbored any ill will toward such a man. But right now, both of them were staring at this purple-robed cultivator with eyes blazing with fury.
This was not only because Dong Xuan'er was being half-held by him, but primarily because Dong Xuan'er was gazing at the stranger's exquisitely beautiful face with a look of complete infatuation.
Han Li looked left and right, his brow furrowed tight, while inwardly cursing up a storm. He had merely wanted to take a shortcut back to the inn after the gathering. Who could have imagined that even in such a remote little alley, he would stumble upon a scene of romantic jealousy?
Now, there was no way he could hide away even if he wanted to!
After all, Aunt Hongfu had instructed him before she left to keep a proper watch over Dong Xuan'er. If he hadn't seen anything, he could have pretended ignorance about her outrageous behavior. But running into this face-to-face, doing absolutely nothing about it would be impossible to justify.
To make matters worse, these two — who had completely become captives beneath Dong Xuan'er's skirt — were overjoyed the moment they saw him appear. They rushed over and urgently begged him to pull Dong Xuan'er away from the male cultivator.
Because no matter how you looked at it, Han Li was infinitely less threatening than this extraordinarily gorgeous man. It seemed they had pinned all their hopes on him as a last lifeline.
Han Li listened to the two, whose jealousy had completely overflowed, as they poured out their grievances, while carefully studying the gorgeous man and Dong Xuan'er's infatuated expression.
According to these two, they had been accompanying Dong Xuan'er that afternoon to visit several famous shops to buy materials and talismans, when they happened to run into this person in one of the stores.
The result was that Dong Xuan'er, upon seeing this man, immediately became love-struck. She had actively latched onto him, and her behavior grew increasingly bold, which sent both of them into a burning rage. What nearly made them spit blood was that the man, seeing Dong Xuan'er clinging to him, had accepted her advances without the slightest hesitation — and was even about to take her away.
Naturally, the two of them could not agree to that. They had cornered the man in this narrow alley, demanding that he leave Dong Xuan'er behind.
But the man had merely let out a cold laugh and said that as long as Dong Xuan'er was willing, he would not stop her in the slightest. This left the two of them standing there looking utterly miserable. Because no matter how you looked at it, Dong Xuan'er's expression made it clear that she was the one throwing herself at this man.