Chapter 149: Unmarried Couple

Shi Chun said with a hint of helplessness, "Miss Mulan, you are in the prime of your youth, pure as ice and jade. This 'engagement' is truly not good; it would tarnish your reputation."

He wasn't overly principled; other things were negotiable. But this particular matter, he genuinely found hard to accept, fearing that the rumor of having a fiancée would reach the ears of the one he admired.

Furthermore, he didn't want to ruin her reputation. He had inquired about the situation outside; ordinary fighting and killing were one thing, but some matters were best avoided, especially for disciples of prestigious sects. Recklessly getting involved in scandals could be fatal. He didn't want to get involved in something that would cause trouble without any benefit.

Xiang Lan'er felt exhausted playing her melancholic role; her lips trembled so much they were barely visible. She turned her head to look at the night sky, truly not wanting to see Shi Chun's reaction, afraid she might burst out laughing.

Mulan Qingqing said, "Since you care so much about my reputation, then let's call everything off. Release the people who should be released, and I guarantee that my Suyuan Sect will absolutely not seek revenge afterwards."

Shi Chun thought to himself, "I'd sooner believe in evil than in you. Someone ruthless enough to sacrifice herself for the sect's reputation – it would be strange not to be wary of her."

He didn't take that bait, sticking to the point. "How about this: don't say they're assigned to me. Just set them aside, and I'll deal with the rest myself."

Mulan Qingqing replied, "If it's not explicitly assigned to you, there will be a lot of trouble. How would my bet be publicly enforced? If there's no leader to step forward and claim it, how would half of the Insect Extremity Crystals be given? How would I explain giving them to you without reason to others? You, Youxia Mountain, are not Suyuan Sect. You have neither the qualification nor the prestige to keep these thousands of people in check. Even if you could eventually resolve it, how much time would it take?"

Mulan Qingqing held up a piece of dankin in her hand, illuminating her own face more clearly for a moment, then suddenly snuffed it out. With a flash, she soared into the sky, using her wind scales to ascend seven times before swiftly flying away. She then asked in return, "What exactly do you, Shi Chungang, intend by ambushing us?"

There was no way I could let Chao Zhilin go. As a practitioner of the Demonic Path myself, I had seen Xiang Huyan expose demonic energy when he attacked. How could I possibly let Chao Zhilin leave alive? Before her words even finished, Mulan immediately relented, "Alright then, fiancé it is. Anyway, it's fake; we can call it off anytime once we're out. It's just a few whispers behind our backs. If you're not afraid, why should I be?"

Mulan said indifferently, "Why bother with such minor details? Look at what Wu Jinliang is wearing right now – who would dare say he isn't Xu Meiyi's person?"

Miao Yilan also noticed, asking her husband, "What's wrong with Young Master Nan? He looks so spiritless."

Do you really think I've taken a liking to you? If not for such circumstances, I would admit that I brought this upon myself. To put it bluntly, your name isn't even worthy of being placed alongside mine. Where do all these ridiculous demands come from?

Knowing his difficulty, Xu Meijie nodded, "Don't make him wait too long." On second thought, she could understand; he probably didn't want to expose his demonic identity in front of her.

Mulan Qingqing had no choice but to concede another step: "If you're worried, you can detain him under your custody first, and release him after the matter is done. Give him a way out." Without a proper title or justification, many other unexpected troubles would arise.

Miao Yilan, who had just exited the carriage, took her daughter Li Renwei's hand. The mother beamed with joy, while the daughter was dragged along.

Mulan shook her head, disagreeing. It wasn't that she didn't care about her reputation, nor that she insisted he do it that way. She just didn't want things to get chaotic or out of control.

Youxia Mountain immediately stood up, tidying his clothes as he did so. Seeing the Miao family of three settle into their viewing seats ahead, he stopped after only a few steps and motioned someone over, "Queue up for a mirror image, focus on Mulan, make it last longer."

Xiang Xu Mei, who was nearby, teased, "Such a beautiful fiancée, congratulations!"

She was truly afraid that the other party would be like the Xuanzhou Dao they encountered earlier, who would retaliate even if it meant eternal damnation. In that case, she would truly have no way to explain to her sect, especially given her identity.

Her father's attitude towards this matter seemed unclear. Mulan said, "You've made Gong Shaoci sound so formidable, I'll have to be more on guard."

Xiang Huyan refused to answer, staring at him and changing the subject. "Wearing Wukang Mountain's clothes to impersonate Lan Qiaoyan's people? Such a crude job, how dare they? Are they trying to bully those without a guardian?"

He also realized that there were still many things in this world that he needed to slowly comprehend.

He had previously communicated with Xu Meiyi and learned that Suyuan Sect and Mulan were considered friends, and that the Miao family was paying close attention, so naturally, he had to make a good impression. Miao Dingyi also arrived, the last one to get out of the carriage. He claimed he was there to see how the grand assembly was progressing, but the whole family knew that the father really wanted to see Youxia Mountain himself.

It wasn't just about whether he could control those thousands of people; he also needed an identity that could control the thousands on her side.

She heard from her mother, who was told by the matchmaker, that this Youxia Mountain had a very good impression of her.

Xu Mei remained silent, pondering what was happening. After all, they were fellow disciples, and she still wanted to try her best to achieve it.

Xiang Xu Mei was startled, then exclaimed in exaggeration, "You really used a Body-Freezing Talisman to restrain Shi Chungang? That's impossible!"

As soon as the family entered and stepped into the pavilion, someone immediately ran to a corner and whispered to Youxia Mountain, who was waiting there, "Miss Miao's family has arrived," pointing a finger.

Young Master Nan, usually so astute and aware, now walked with a dejected, hunched back, as if bearing a heavy burden. Meanwhile, when they arrived at the group's temporary hideout, the sky had just begun to lighten after a night of turmoil... Miao Yilan asked, "Hasn't the result of that bet been announced yet?"

Miao Dingyi casually remarked, "They're making preparations for the gambling payout; it seems like borrowing money isn't going smoothly." Mulan then commented, "It's like he's never seen a woman before, always talking about marriage. It's quite frightening. What's this man's background with Gong Shaoci?"

But there were still some conditions she needed to bring up. Seeing that the general direction of the matter had been settled, she spoke again, "Since we've become nominal fiancés, isn't it a bit unreasonable not to release your junior brother, Chao Zhilin?"

There isn't much time left before the Meteor Shower Grand Assembly. Are you sure you want to cause so much trouble for both sides over a temporary title?

The Suyuan Sect disciple knew she would be continuously pushed into this match. Besides feeling a little shy, she didn't have much individual will and was somewhat blindly obedient, perhaps because it was a maiden's first time, and she felt she shouldn't defy her parents' wishes. Xiang Huyan, however, looked surprised and asked, "What's so hard to understand about that? Body-Freezing Talismans are simply ineffective against some cultivation methods. For instance, for those of us who have cultivated demonic energy, releasing it naturally breaks the talisman. How did you break the Body-Freezing Talisman in Linkang City?"

If they truly became husband and wife, she couldn't accept it. She could accept his beauty, but she could not accept him as her life partner.

Xiang Huyan found this amusing, "Scared?" To put it plainly, it means: "You can sleep with them, but you can't marry them."

Lan'er Qingqing, however, couldn't understand his predicament. She slightly furrowed her brow, yet she herself had no qualifications to negotiate. As soon as they got out of the carriage, they saw Young Master Nan, who had just alighted nearby. Miao Dingyi briefly considered greeting him but decided against it.

Miao Dingyi calmly said, "Too many people are involved. When it's time for the payout, if the money isn't available, there will be big trouble. Funds need to be raised in advance."

Lan'er's lips twitched subtly. All her resentment was hidden beneath her usual ice-cold demeanor. After taking a slow, deep breath, she didn't bring up the previous point again, stating calmly, "This matter isn't something I alone can decide. I can only push for it. Whether it succeeds is uncertain. For now, consider it my personal agreement. As for whether it can be implemented, you'll have to wait for my news."

Mulan lightly tutted, "As expected of the number one sect in Sheng Shenzhou, everyone has one!"

Xiang Huyan was speechless. So that's how they understood the problem! He was a bit bewildered by their wild approach. It turned out that what he considered a critical issue was nothing to them, no wonder they dared to be so reckless.

"Uh..." Mulan, who had just taken a few steps and surveyed her surroundings, paused. She turned to look at him, "Ineffective? Why?" Xiang Huyan, listening in, curved his lips slightly. He understood, knowing that Shi Chun had considered his factor.

The royal parade ground fell silent again as night approached. As the Meteor Shower Grand Assembly neared its end, the lively atmosphere of the assembly grew increasingly intense.

From this perspective, Xuanzhou Dao's intervention wasn't a bad thing; it brought the situation to a negotiable path. Xiang Huyan said, "It seems you truly don't know how formidable Gong Shaoci is. I forgot to tell you, Body-Freezing Talismans are ineffective against Gong Shaoci's disciples." He would find out later; he would inquire further. For now, the matter was temporarily settled according to his plan, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Mulan took out a spare Body-Freezing Talisman from her sleeve and tucked it into her pocket.

Although there were concessions, in the end, he still hadn't accepted the best solution. Xiang Xu Mei said, "I truly haven't looked into that." Her words had already convinced Xu Mei. Xu Mei said lightly, "I'm still alive, and I can't just operate under a false identity after coming here."

"Demonic energy can break Body-Freezing Talismans, that's right... This Shi Chungang..." Mulan's words trailed off as she realized she had let something slip.

"You came to negotiate this time with sincerity to resolve the problem, and you've been going along with his wishes, but he's greatly underestimated you. It's not something you can just do as you please, like splitting the Sun Clan's forces into seven parts, that's absurd. He underestimates you; it's not something you can just do as you please. The best solution is the one you proposed at the beginning, and it's already the minimum price I can pay. I honestly can't understand why someone so thoughtless would be so willful. He should think it over carefully."

"Huh, that's not right. If they ambushed me, did they not intend to kill me? If they truly meant to kill me, they wouldn't have been afraid of being exposed."

Mulan also took out a wind scale, enveloping seven people, and soared into the sky. As long as the problem could be solved, as long as he could achieve it, he could only agree.

It was better not to dwell on it, but the thought still brought him to a cold sweat. Luckily, he reacted quickly at the time; right after the Body-Freezing Talisman, he immediately moved his blade and quickly placed a restriction on him, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

They weren't there to negotiate, but to plead for mercy.

Meanwhile, given that Xuanzhou Dao and others were so intimidated by Gong Shaoci that they didn't even dare to claim first place, Mulan had indeed mistakenly thought that this man was in charge of the Sun Clan's forces, which was why she had proposed some outrageous conditions. After their recent communication, she probably understood that she had taken things for granted.

"Did he think that just anyone could jump out and challenge them to a bet? He didn't have an identity weighty enough, not even the qualification to bet. Even if they agreed now, they could go back on their word at any time. The separated forces could demand reunification at any moment. I couldn't openly stand against their interests, nor could I achieve that."

He also wondered, "If Shi Chungang can break talismans with demonic energy, why did he still struggle?"