Chapter 269: Not Necessarily Just One Country's Holy Land

Lu Xingzhou never imagined there could be villains even among the crowd.

Could something like this be casually said? Was this meant to ruin someone's romantic pursuit? No, this was meant to kill someone.

However, to everyone's surprise, after Ye Tinglan glared fiercely at Lu Xingzhou, she didn't question anything. Her beautiful eyes swept across the indeed empty shop. She snorted coldly, "I'll just borrow the changing room," and walked straight in.

What could she scold him for, and how? She was just his mentor; what business was it of hers if he brought women to buy clothes? Could she even show such anger in public? What kind of relationship would such public anger imply?

She could only endure it. You still want to pursue me? Go to hell.

Ye Tinglan had her own clothes and didn't need to buy any. She just hadn't been able to find a place to change before this.

When she was changing, she touched her ritual robe and wanted to slap her forehead.

If she had been wearing her ritual robe as the Saintess of Tianyao, those so-called spatial tears and corrosion today wouldn't have damaged her clothes at all. But precisely because she was playing "Madam Ye," she hadn't worn her ritual robe, opting for ordinary clothes, which led to this mess.

What was irritating was that she still had to continue wearing ordinary clothes now. Even more irritating was that the act was now completely meaningless... That idiot Su Yuan had blurted out "Sect Master," and she herself was an idiot for referring to herself as "this Seat."

But Su Yuan likely thought there was nothing left to hide since Long Qinghuang had already shouted it out in public, so the real idiot was herself. Judging by Lu Xingzhou's unsurprised reaction, the whole performance had been a joke from start to finish. How could such an intelligent person be fooled by such a flawed charade? Yet, having just insisted on being merely a junior sister, she had to grit her teeth and continue the farce.

Ye Tinglan reluctantly gave up on her Sect Master's ritual robe and still put on a piece of ordinary clothing, walking out with a poker face.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw Lu Xingzhou surrounded by a group of Hanlan Sect members. "You still dare to show up!"

Lu Xingzhou replied helplessly, "You're repaying kindness with enmity. You have no idea how much I've taken on for you."

Seeing that even their Sect Master had appeared, Ye Tinglan crossed her arms, watching him as if waiting for him to die, planning to rescue him only after he had been half-beaten to death.

However, she heard Lu Xingzhou continue, "But you've arrived at a good time; I was planning to visit you anyway. In this glacier incident, your sect, being the origin point in Hanlan City, cooperated the most and had direct interactions with those involved from Tianyao Holy Land. I wonder if you know more about the inside story? Did you communicate directly with Gu Zhanting?"

Ye Tinglan: "..."

Zhang Liying, the Hanlan Sect Master, sneered, "You know quite a lot! Seize him!"

Before his words fully fell, Ye Tinglan appeared before him expressionlessly.

Facing those deep eyes, Zhang Liying suddenly felt as if he was being stared at by an ancient tyrant dragon, his whole body going numb.

He had heard that the man had brought a tyrant dragon yesterday as well, so what kind of women was he pursuing?

Before he could react, Ye Tinglan grabbed his shoulder. Zhang Liying didn't even have time to resist; his power was already sealed.

With Lu Xingzhou in her right hand and Zhang Liying in her left, Ye Tinglan vanished in a whoosh.

Leaving behind the stunned Hanlan Sect high-ranking members, who exchanged bewildered glances, none knowing what had happened.

The "bad people" in the crowd outside had vanished without a trace.

After a long while, a high-ranking Hanlan Sect member finally came to his senses. "The topics this man discussed are impossible for an ordinary person to know... He is deeply involved in this matter."

"Coupled with the two powerful women beside him... have you thought of it? The matter of the Demon Empress and the Saintess of Tianyao openly vying for a man?"

"So the woman who entered the room wearing men's clothes to change... was the Saintess of Tianyao? That's why our Sect Master couldn't even withstand a single move, and we couldn't even discern her movements?"

"So the glittering woman who killed our sect disciple yesterday was the Demon Empress?"

"Everything makes sense now; no wonder they are so powerful..."

"But why are we still alive?"

A man simultaneously wooing the Demon Empress and the Saintess of Tianyao wasn't rare. What was rare was that a mere third-rank ordinary sect that had simultaneously provoked both the Demon Empress and the Saintess of Tianyao had only lost one disciple who had harassed someone in the street, and now their Sect Master's fate was unknown.

Watching the group of Hanlan Sect high-ranking members leave with trembling legs, the clothing store owner looked up and pondered for a long time. He then hung two plaques at the entrance: "Beautiful garments, swept clean by the Demon Empress; Comfortable changing room, the Saintess lingers endlessly." The horizontal inscription read: "Twice Blossomed."

From then on, the clothing store became a local tourist attraction, with more pilgrims visiting than those who went to train in the Frozen Moon Glacier.

"Thump!" Ye Tinglan flung Zhang Liying to the side of the road and sat on a nearby stone. Just as she was about to interrogate him, she realized she was still holding someone in her right hand, so she casually placed him beside her.

As a result, Lu Xingzhou sat down right next to her, and Ye Tinglan didn't notice anything amiss at all.

Zhang Liying stared blankly at the two of them sitting so close, his mind a complete blank. His sect's high-ranking members had guessed Ye Tinglan's identity, and he, of course, had already figured it out on the way there. So, was True Person Tinglan going to renounce her vows?

Ye Tinglan said coldly, "Speak. Have you met Gu Zhanting or his envoy?"

Zhang Liying dared not conceal anything. "I truly know nothing about the matter concerning the Qian Emperor, but Lord Si himself approached me. The southern part of the glacier borders over a dozen sect towns, and he likely approached all of them, but our Hanlan Sect was relatively the closest, so he ultimately chose to initiate it from our location..."

Ye Tinglan repeatedly asked a few questions, but it seemed there was nothing new. Hanlan City was, at best, merely the executor and starting point; expecting a mere third-rank sect to know any inside information was asking too much.

However, after questioning him for a while, Ye Tinglan had another idea. Questioning Zhang Liying was useless; why not question Si Han in detail?

If Gu Zhanting wanted to persuade Si Han, he wouldn't just crudely offer benefits. Any ideas between them must have involved very detailed discussions. The struggle between Tianyao Holy Land and the Great Qian Imperial Family was a very serious and cautious matter, already something that had consumed most of Ye Tinglan's energy over the past decade. Now that Si Han presented a breakthrough, and she had a strategist by her side, why not try to delve deeper?

She turned to look at Lu Xingzhou. Lu Xingzhou guessed what she was thinking and said, "If you want to find Si Han, you must be quick... lest something unexpected happens later. Si Han has lost his Bone Dragon and is injured. The Frost Kingdom is full of sects, and there will be no shortage of ambitious individuals who want to replace him as the Alliance Lord, without Gu Zhanting even needing to manipulate anything. If Gu Zhanting is still operating behind the scenes, Si Han might die a very ugly death. This might already be the final link in Gu Zhanting's scheme. How could he, with a unified and powerful Frost Kingdom rising right next to his bed, sit idly by?"

Ye Tinglan said, "Whether Si Han lives or dies is irrelevant. Do you also think it's worth looking into?"

"Worth it," Lu Xingzhou said seriously. "The small conflict we had with him, since it caused no casualties, is just a minor spat. If we can save him from his predicament, then Gu Zhanting's former ally will become an ally of Tianyao Holy Land. Moreover, Si Han is not weak; he could contend with both you and Long Qinghuang... If the Frost Kingdom is to produce a transcendent-grade expert, his chances are the greatest. Holy Lands exist independent of political powers; you don't necessarily have to be limited to being the Holy Land of just the Great Qian nation."

Zhang Liying's eyes widened. Ye Tinglan also stared fixedly at Lu Xingzhou, and the air momentarily fell silent.

To consider turning Si Han from an enemy into an ally, and drawing the enemy's ally to their side, was still somewhat normal. But the last sentence was almost beyond what a normal person would consider. Was this the man juggling both the Demon Empress and the Saintess?

Ye Tinglan was silent for a moment, then turned back to Zhang Liying. "Sect Master Zhang, regarding this matter, your sect..."

Zhang Liying, having grasped Lu Xingzhou's grand vision, his mind worked quickly this time. He immediately knelt and kowtowed. "Our humble sect is willing to become subordinate to Tianyao Holy Land. From this day forward, we shall be the Saintess's dog, guarding the gates of the Frozen Moon Glacier to the north and observing the changes in the Frost Kingdom to the south on her behalf."

Seeing that Ye Tinglan didn't answer immediately, Zhang Liying quickly added, "If the Saintess wishes to directly annex us and make us a branch, that is also acceptable. We will obey the Saintess's every command."

Ye Tinglan was actually just taken aback by his directness. Hearing this, she finally shook her head and chuckled. "Why would I annex you? As for the proposal of subordination, I agree. Elder Su Yuan will contact you another day."

Zhang Liying was overjoyed. "Thank you, Saintess!"

Ye Tinglan waved her hand. "Alright, you can go back now."

Zhang Liying hastily bowed. "I wish you two a hundred years of happiness together."

Ye Tinglan's smile vanished, transferring to Lu Xingzhou's face.

Watching Zhang Liying's back disappear expressionlessly, Ye Tinglan said with a tight face, "Su Yuan called me Saintess because, during the previous battle, he pretended I was the Saintess to scare people. This time with Zhang Liying is also similar; I just borrowed my senior sister's name to use it."

"Mhm, mhm," Lu Xingzhou said earnestly, "I know, you're not a monastic."

Ye Tinglan now felt that the one whose brain had been kicked by a donkey wasn't her sister, but herself. After a long pause, she finally said, "I'm the junior sister of the Tianyao Saintess, so of course, I am also a monastic."

Lu Xingzhou said, "How so? Her disciples aren't monastics."

Ye Tinglan: "..." How could she have forgotten that point? Someone like Qingli, with her cold and indifferent nature, would become a monastic sooner or later; it just wasn't time yet.

However, she heard Lu Xingzhou say, "Besides, the Imperial Advisor once said that Taoist priests of the Imperial Abbey can marry."

Ye Tinglan's eyes widened. "Nonsense! When did the Imperial Advisor ever say that?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "She did say it. Go confront her and me about it?"

"You!" Ye Tinglan suddenly stood up, gritting her teeth as she lifted Lu Xingzhou. "Focus on planning for Si Han properly, don't just fill your head with improper thoughts!"

Lu Xingzhou tilted his head and looked at her for a long moment, then suddenly said, "Teacher..."

"Hmm?" Ye Tinglan suddenly felt as if he hadn't called her "Teacher" for some time...

Lu Xingzhou said, "I want to help share your burden because I care for you. Not because I'm being grabbed by the collar and forced to fawn over you."

Ye Tinglan released him, revealing a hint of a false charming smile. She reached out and smoothed the wrinkles on his collar. "What... Young Master Lu, do you want me to treat you like Shen Tang?"

"That won't be necessary." Although he could clearly feel Ye Tinglan's murderous aura, Lu Xingzhou still smiled. "But in any case, I don't respond to threats. How about... a reward instead?"