Facing Su Jinxue's crimson eyes, which seemed capable of freezing one's soul, Nian'an felt that her immortal path might have reached its end.
Her brain worked at an unprecedented speed, her survival instinct completely overpowering all her wild imaginations.
“Lady Wife!”
Nian'an had a sudden flash of inspiration and squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying.
“It's... it's because the spiritual energy in this courtyard is too dense!”
“Nian'an's cultivation is shallow, and my blood rushed to my head because of the sudden surge of spiritual energy, so... so my face turned red!”
The coldness in Su Jinxue's eyes didn't diminish in the slightest. “Is that so?”
Seeing that her Lady Wife was about to lose her temper and her own life was hanging by a thread, Nian'an hurriedly threw out her last saving grace, speaking as fast as if she were reciting a spell:
“Yes, yes, yes! And, and Lord Lingxuzi and Lady Bai Lumian are still waiting outside the door!”
“We can't keep them waiting!”
Hearing these two names, Su Jinxue's expression softened slightly.
One was Zhang Mingyuan's close friend, and the other was her own dear friend.
Indeed, they could not be neglected.
She shot a cold glare at Nian'an and warned, “If you dare to utter a single word of nonsense outside, this seat will rip your tongue out.”
“Yes, yes, yes! Nian'an understands!”
Nian'an felt as if she had received a grand amnesty, feeling like she had just taken a stroll to the gates of hell and back!
Truly, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger, and serving Lady Wife... is like serving a tigress!
...
Outside the main gate, drifting clouds lingered.
Lingxuzi held his fly-whisk, while Bai Lumian wore a plain dress.
The two stood side by side, with two juniors following behind them—Chu Jinghong and Bai Yao.
The moment Zhang Mingyuan and Su Jinxue appeared, Chu Jinghong rushed ahead of Bai Yao to pay his respects.
“Disciple pays respects to Master's Wife and Master! May Master's Wife enjoy boundless immortal longevity, and may Master never die!”
Zhang Mingyuan's lips twitched violently. This foolish disciple of his was completely hopeless, acting entirely out of character.
Bai Yao also took a step forward and bowed respectfully: “Disciple Bai Yao pays respects to Master's Husband and Master.”
“Mhm.” Su Jinxue returned a smile to this resilient disciple.
Zhang Mingyuan also nodded with a smile.
This scene instantly triggered a sense of injustice in Chu Jinghong's heart.
“Master! This is unfair!” he shouted loudly. “Why do you smile when Junior Sister Bai greets you, but your lips twitch when I do? I'm your disciple too!”
“Rebellious disciple, shut up!” Zhang Mingyuan glared at him.
During the forty-nine years Zhang Mingyuan was in seclusion, Chu Jinghong had frequently sought guidance from his Master's Wife, Su Jinxue, and had already become very familiar with her. He immediately turned to his backer: “Master's Wife, look at Master!”
This call of “Master's Wife” was exceptionally sweet and crisp.
Su Jinxue already had a good impression of this sweet-talking disciple who had often come to consult her during Zhang Mingyuan's seclusion.
Seeing him ask for help now, she actually stepped up to be his backer.
She turned to look at Zhang Mingyuan. “Zhang Mingyuan, you must treat your disciples equally.”
Zhang Mingyuan's eyes instantly widened. He stared in utter disbelief at Su Jinxue, who was speaking up for the boy, and then at his smug, rebellious disciple, feeling as if he had swallowed a fly.
Against this rebellious disciple, he really wanted to whip out the Seven Wolves right now; against Su Jinxue, he really wanted to trigger the laws of annihilation.
But neither seemed quite appropriate. The former would make him look too petty, and as for the latter, that would have to wait until they were in private to teach this darned Little Xuexue a lesson!
“Fine, fine, fine! Rebellious disciple, you've grown capable, haven't you? You even know how to find a backer now!”
“Hehehe, this is all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master! If you're going to cling to a thigh, cling to the thickest one! Master's Wife is number one, Master is number two!”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Mingyuan could barely restrain himself from whipping out the Seven Wolves, but Su Jinxue directly pressed his hand back down.
Su Jinxue looked at him, a faint, teasing smile playing on her lips.
Zhang Mingyuan grew anxious. “Little Xuexue, I'm your husband! You're actually helping this rebellious disciple instead of me!”
Su Jinxue smiled. “Jinghong is so well-behaved. How can a master behave like you?”
“You—”
“‘You’ what?”
Zhang Mingyuan instantly deflated. Forget it, he would let Little Xuexue act smug in front of others for a bit. Just wait until tonight; he would show her how a husband disciplines his wife!
Su Jinxue looked at Zhang Mingyuan, her lips curving upward. That served this bastard right for teasing her like that earlier. Now, she had finally scored a point.
Lingxuzi burst into laughter on the side, pointing at him with his fly-whisk. “Old Zhang, oh Old Zhang, how old are you? Still throwing a tantrum and getting jealous over your own disciple, aren't you ashamed!”
Hearing this, Zhang Mingyuan glared fiercely at his rebellious disciple. “You just wait, you rebellious disciple.”
Chu Jinghong hid behind his Master's Wife and made a funny face. “I'm not afraid! I have Master's Wife backing me up now!”
Seeing this, everyone burst into laughter.
...
Inside the courtyard, the sky was bright and clear as a gentle breeze drifted by.
The sunlight spilled over the eaves, illuminating the spiritual mist filling the courtyard and making it look pure and clear.
The water in the spiritual pool rippled gently, where the Twin Concentric Lotus and the Yin-Yang Luan-Phoenix Immortal Grass complemented each other's radiance, their faint fragrance drifting with the wind.
Zhang Mingyuan brought out a long table and jade stools, and the seven of them sat around the edge of the pool.
As the spiritual spring water boiled the tea, curls of white steam rose, weaving the aromas of tea and flowers together in a leisurely and peaceful atmosphere.
Lingxuzi and Bai Lumian looked at the two immortal plants carefully cultivated together and smiled at each other.
Everyone sipped their tea and chatted, the atmosphere perfectly harmonious.
Lingxuzi teased Zhang Mingyuan from time to time, and Chu Jinghong joined in with witty remarks, keeping the group in constant laughter.
Bai Lumian watched with a smile, while Bai Yao quietly held her teacup, her expression showing a touch of relaxation.
As the gentle breeze brushed across the spiritual pool, the Twin Concentric Lotus swayed gently, and even Su Jinxue's usually cold face revealed an imperceptible trace of softness.
At this moment, no one mentioned cultivation, nor did anyone speak of battle; there was only the aroma of tea, the sound of laughter, and a long-awaited peace.
After chatting for a while, Su Jinxue suddenly beckoned Nian'an over and whispered a few instructions.
Nian'an complied and quietly withdrew.
Zhang Mingyuan was somewhat puzzled, wondering what tricks this Little Xuexue was up to now.
Not long after, when Nian'an reappeared, Zhang Mingyuan could not take his eyes off her.
No! To be precise, he could not take his eyes off the massive Western Desert spiritual melon she was holding!
It was a gigantic spiritual melon, large enough to require both arms to carry, entirely emerald green and covered in dark stripes.
Seeing this, the corner of Su Jinxue's mouth twitched slightly. She knew that Zhang Mingyuan loved this the most.
Zhang Mingyuan snapped back to his senses and looked at Su Jinxue. “Little Xuexue, how do you have this variety?”
He hadn't eaten watermelon in ages. There were no watermelons in this world. The watermelons he had eaten before were something he had painstakingly bred after discovering a similar plant in the Western Desert long ago!
In his former Qingyun Heaven Sacred Ground, there had been ten thousand acres of spiritual fields where he grew many large watermelons!
Right, those ten thousand acres of spiritual fields had been completely uprooted and taken away by Su Jinxue!
Who would have thought that in the treasury of the Myriad Snow Palace, his spiritual melons were actually being cultivated so well!
Back then, he had only cared about snatching heavenly materials and earthly treasures! He hadn't paid any attention to the watermelons he had worked so hard to cultivate!
But fortunately, Little Xuexue had raised them to be so plump and juicy for him!
Deeply moved, Zhang Mingyuan threw his arms around Su Jinxue, completely ignoring the fact that everyone else was present.
“Little Xuexue, I love you!”
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