A 'Chance' Encounter at the Qixi Festival (2)
In accordance with the directions of the two men, Lin Qianshuang strolled along the riverbank. With a quick glance, she located a pair walking hand-in-hand amidst the riddles and lanterns, their affection palpable.
Liang Jingxuan stood out in the cloud-patterned sleeves uniform of the Penglai Immortal Sect.
His companion was a graceful beauty adorned in pink. Her every gesture exuded elegance, and her occasional sidelong glance during their conversation revealed a captivating countenance. It was unmistakably Xiao Lanle.
A cluster of vibrant lanterns, suspended by crimson threads, hung between two trees, their flickering candlelight illuminating their faces.
“Jingxuan, my heart finds solace in you. I don’t know how do you feel about it, but would you consider becoming my Taoist partner?”
Xiao Lanle wore her favorite pink dress. Her lively sparrow eyes looked shyly and reservedly at the person before her. Her bright, peach blossom-like face blushed slightly as she spoke.
In her eyes, Liang Jingxuan was the most suitable person to be her Taoist partner. He was frank and honest, with a noble and righteous demeanor. He was also the eldest disciple that the sect leader, her father, valued the most, and his future was limitless. He was born handsome and incomparable, just the type of man she liked the most. Moreover, he had saved her several times in dangerous situations. Xiao Lanle remembered all these things, and a happy expression appeared on her cheeks. His feelings for her must be sincere; otherwise, he would not have risked his life to save her repeatedly.
Liang Jingxuan gazed at the woman before him, now completely captivated by him. He did not rush to respond, but instead retrieved a paper lantern from the bamboo fence. Borrowing a pen and ink from a bystander, he penned a poem on the lantern and presented it to Xiao Lanle.
“‘Though I lack the wings of a vibrant phoenix, our hearts are connected through a shared understanding,’ Senior Brother Liang, this lantern you have bestowed upon me, did the words inscribed upon it flow from your own pen?”
Xiao Lanle held the lantern in her hands, her intelligence allowing her to grasp the meaning of the poem instantly. A radiant smile spread across her face as she lifted her gaze slightly. The moonlight cast an ethereal glow upon the enchanting night scene, and Liang Jingxuan stood before her in a verdant robe, his eyes sparkling with brilliance and his teeth as white as pearls. He was the epitome of a noble and refined gentleman.
“Lanle, how could I fail to perceive the emotions that reside within your heart? I, too, am filled with happiness when I am with you.”
Liang Jingxuan, his eyes brimming with affection, held Xiao Lanle in his arms as they sat nestled on the willow-lined riverbank.
His hand, restless, sought to delve beneath her garments, but Xiao Lanle, embarrassed and vexed, held it back.
Believing Xiao Lanle to be an innocent, Liang Jingxuan hesitated to act rashly, fearing he might startle her. Instead, he leaned in and planted a simple kiss upon her cheek.
In his mind, he schemed, “The night is still young. I have ample time to entice this noble and beautiful daughter of the sect leader into my bed, rewarding my months of arduous pursuit.”
Xiao Lanle’s body softened as Liang Jingxuan kissed her face. Her mind was in chaos, and her eyes lost their focus. She raised her head and leaned in to kiss the lips of the man above her.
Liang Jingxuan gazed at Xiao Lanle’s seductive and limp form in his arms with a hint of pride in his eyes.
No one could escape his “King’s Aura.” It was the golden finger he had discovered after crossing over, in addition to the lucky max attribute bonus of “Immortal Protagonist” .
As long as a woman without a loved one was shrouded in the “King’s Aura” he released, she would lose herself in front of him for a moment, regardless of whether she liked it or not, and obey him obediently. Similarly, men intimidated by his “King’s Aura” would experience a momentary decline in combat effectiveness and judgment. Liang Jingxuan derived a great sense of accomplishment from conquering women, and he enjoyed the process of letting them fall into his trap step by step more than having a fling with them. This was especially true for women with a noble status like Xiao Lanle, the daughter of a legitimate and influential sect leader. With a beautiful woman in his arms who invited him to kiss, what kind of man would he be if he refused?
Liang Jingxuan was no longer willing to pretend to be a humble gentleman. His hand reached out to the beauty’s chest in a lewd manner, while his head bent down to give her a passionate kiss.
With a crackling sound, fireworks and firecrackers suddenly exploded beside the two of them.
Liang Jingxuan’s hand, which had reached halfway, suddenly withdrew. Reflexively, he subconsciously dropped the person in his arms and rolled to the side to avoid the fireworks.
“Jingxuan?”
Xiao Lanle’s sanity cleared. She was surrounded by colorful fireworks, but Liang Jingxuan, who had held her in his arms, was nowhere to be found.
She stood up in a daze. Before she could think clearly about what had happened, a firecracker suddenly exploded at her feet. Caught by surprise and startled, she retreated backward.
This retreat happened to be back to the riverbank.
Xiao Lanle stood at the edge of the riverbank, her body unsteady and tilted backward. Her ankles were wrenched by a stone in a panic, completely suspended in the air and falling into the river.
With a splash, the pink-clad figure disappeared into the water, leaving only ripples gently spreading across the river’s surface.
Not far away, on a shimmering boat on the river, Lin Qianshuang stood at the bow, having witnessed the entire scene.
It had all been her doing. She had known that Liang Jingxuan and Xiao Lanle would meet at the lantern riddle post on the riverbank after visiting the lanterns.
She had planted firecrackers and fireworks there earlier, and when the time was right, she had lit the fuse, interrupting their tender moment.
However, she hadn’t anticipated Xiao Lanle being so frightened that she fell into the water. Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Qianshuang removed her striking coat and prepared to jump off the boat to save her. Bai Wan caught her hand, saying with some doubt, “That girl is a cultivator, right? She can float on water herself, why would you need to save her?”
Xiao Lanle possessed a fire spirit root, which repelled water, and had nearly drowned at a young age. If she were not rescued, her own inner fear could suffocate her in the water.
Lin Qianshuang knew this, but she couldn’t explain to Bai Wan why she had inquired so thoroughly about the details of a stranger.
“She’s been underwater for so long, she must be truly terrified of water. Besides, it’s not my fault. I thought that male cultivator surnamed Liang was a fraud, and I’ve read all the poems he supposedly knows from the classics. I just wanted to scare him, how could I have known it would affect others?”
Lin Qianshuang handed her coat to Bai Wan, donned a mask, and smiled faintly at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll return as soon as I rescue her. Let’s meet up at the Treasure Battle Tournament and see what treasures we can find.”
With a splash, the woman who had been standing beside her disappeared from the bow of the boat.
Who were they? Why did Shuangshuang care about them so much?
Bai Wan suddenly recalled that the sword technique practiced by Lin Qianshuang was identical to that of a human cultivator, and the disciple’s robes worn by the Liang male cultivator were green in color, with silver silk sleeves and a cloud-patterned hem, indicating that he was a disciple of the righteous sect, the Penglai Immortal Sect.
Could it be that the person who taught this set of sword skills to Lin Qianshuang was someone from the Penglai Immortal Sect, and Shuangshuang may also be like her, lurking in the Demon Realm with a special purpose?
Bai Wan watched as Lin Qianshuang’s figure floated under the river, gradually diving towards the bottom. Fearing any unexpected changes, she also removed her coat and dived into the water, following closely behind her.
The flowing water poured into her clothes, and her body seemed to be frozen in a piece of cold ice. When her skin touched the cold river water, Lin Qianshuang couldn’t help but tremble. She endured the chill that seeped into her bone marrow and swam towards the drowning person who was getting closer and closer in front of her.
Lin Qianshuang was getting closer and closer to the unconscious Xiao Lanle. She only needed to reach out her hand to touch the other person’s hair.
At this moment, her feet suddenly cramped in the cold wave, and her whole body was pulled into a deeper vortex of water by the underwater surge.
Lin Qianshuang was a bit caught off guard by the sudden changes in the water flow. She was about to unleash her demonic energy and swim up when suddenly a strange person’s cultivation qi came from her lower back. Her body couldn’t help but feel a bit weak and powerless, and could only lean against the opponent’s chest.
She had not yet thought about where this true energy came from, as she was being held and pulled from behind, swimming towards the upper part of the river.
“Whoa.”
Lin Qianshuang and the person holding her emerged from the water together, shivering from the wind.
“Lanle, how are you feeling now? Shall I go ashore and help you adjust your true qi?”
The person holding Lin Qianshuang spoke suddenly, his hand stroking her hair down her back. When it reached the hard mask on the side of her face, his hand paused.
A chill ran down Lin Qianshuang’s spine as a sword pressed against her neck. The voice behind her asked in slight anger, “Who are you? You’re not Junior Sister Xiao.”
She immediately realized that the person behind her was Liang Jingxuan.
Mistaking her for Xiao Lanle, Liang Jingxuan had rescued the wrong person.
A wave of tension swept through Lin Qianshuang’s back, accompanied by a pang of fear. She couldn’t fathom why her demonic energy had been utterly sealed, leaving her body drained of power.
Her mask concealed only half of her face, and she was desperate to avoid Liang Jingxuan’s gaze.
Lin Qianshuang was acutely aware of the profound effect her appearance had on Liang Jingxuan.
He compelled the unfamiliar woman he had mistakenly rescued to swim to the shore.
Once on land, the woman in the white silk dress kept her back to him, her body as rigid as stone.
“You have demonic energy. Are you a demon cultivator? Tell me, what was your purpose in feigning a fall into the water just now?”
Liang Jingxuan held his sword against Lin Qianshuang’s back, his face dark with dissatisfaction at having rescued the wrong person. If it had been Xiao Lanle who had saved him, tonight’s seduction would have been all but secured.
Lin Qianshuang covered half of her exposed face with her right hand and lowered her voice coldly, saying, “I was merely enjoying the water, but I didn’t expect you, a rough and reckless person, to drag me out. You and I are just strangers who met by chance. What are you talking about? I haven’t even accused you of disturbing my enjoyment for most of the night.”
The wet silk clothes outlined the woman’s delicate figure. Looking up, the skin of her hands beneath the sleeves was even more snowy, her neck curve was graceful, and the collarbone slightly revealed an indescribable temptation from the tilted wide collar.
Liang Jingxuan crouched down and gazed at the person with his back to him. The more he looked, the more he felt that the female demon cultivator’s figure was truly outstanding. He felt a hint of curiosity and impatience in his heart, wanting to go and see the woman’s front. This demon cultivator had such a figure and complexion, her face should not be too bad. “As a disciple of the righteous path, I should slay demons and eliminate them. If you want to survive now, just be honest with me!” He spoke with righteous words, but the sword placed between the woman’s neck shifted a bit. His footsteps quickly turned towards Lin Qianshuang.
Under the flickering lanterns and intertwined candlelight, Liang Jingxuan’s curiosity grew as he forcibly removed the woman’s mask. Half of her beautiful face was revealed, causing Liang Jingxuan’s eyes to widen in shock. His grip on her hand loosened as he exclaimed with a trembling voice, “Senior sister, is it you? Is it really you?” His hands trembled as he lifted the mask again, his face etched with a mixture of disbelief and longing as he caressed the face he had missed for countless nights.
“Senior Sister, I have been dreaming that we would share our love on this Qixi Festival… Is this true or a dream?” Liang Jingxuan murmured, his eyes fixated on the face that had haunted his thoughts for countless nights.
“I may have countless women in my life, but my heart belongs to you alone. Senior Sister, am I dreaming?”
“Senior Sister, when you passed away, I had yet to call out your name. Qianshuang, Qianshuang, do you know how much I miss you?”
Liang Jingxuan’s right hand gripped Lin Qianshuang tightly. As she gazed at his face, which displayed an almost crazed expression of infatuation, she was unsure of what to do. She only wished to escape while Liang Jingxuan was still in a daze. However, to her surprise, she could sense the demonic energy swirling in her dantian, but she was unable to use it as if something was suppressing her.
“Host, you have been suppressed by the “King’s Aura” that the Heavenly Dao has given to the Favoured One. Your opponent’s (Liang Jingxuan) information has been posted to the favorability interface. Please take the time to read it carefully.”
“Senior Brother Liang, are you standing here?”
Xiao Lanle’s voice echoed through the air.
Capitalizing on Liang Jingxuan’s distraction, Lin Qianshuang sensed the demonic energy within her dantian surge.
Filled with joy, she forcibly withdrew her wrist from Liang Jingxuan’s grasp and materialized as a wisp of demonic energy, vanishing without a trace.
“Senior Sister, where has she gone? Was it all just an illusion?”
Liang Jingxuan turned and saw Xiao Lanle approaching him, her eyes welling with tears. Trembling slightly, she sought refuge in his arms, her body quaking in fear.
“Jingxuan, fortunately, a girl in white saved me nearby just now. Otherwise, we might have been separated by life and death.”
“Don’t worry, Lanle, your senior brother is here with you.”
Liang Jingxuan patted Xiao Lanle’s back with one hand and spoke softly to comfort her. His lustful thoughts about Xiao Lanle seemed to be doused by a basin of cold water, leaving him unenthusiastic.
His hand under his sleeve tightly held a silver bracelet, which he had hastily removed from the right wrist of his recently disappeared senior sister.
He could be certain that everything just now was not an illusion, that his senior sister was indeed alive.
But why hadn’t she returned to Penglai Immortal Sect? And even when they met again, they were like strangers?
Liang Jingxuan’s gaze softened slightly, and a contemplative look settled upon his face. His senior sister exuded a faint demonic aura, while her eyes still retained their ethereal blue hue.
He suspected that she had encountered a harrowing experience within the Beast Killing Formation, leaving her with untold suffering. It was likely that this was the reason for her absence and their estrangement upon their reunion.