Chapter 285: This World Is Truly Crazy

Lu Xingzhou felt that the young woman with white hair was mostly still suspicious. Otherwise, she wouldn't speak to an uncle she met for the first time in such a manner. What seemed like a question to the "uncle" was actually a question directed at her master.

The young woman was just a bit rigid, not foolish.

But the disguise was broken too thoroughly.

If Ye Tinglan wanted to maintain any semblance of the Saintess's dignity, she would simply retort, "What nonsense are you talking about? Which eye saw me liking him?"

Then the whole thing would collapse. Afterwards, even if she wanted to appear virtuous in front of her disciple, she wouldn't continue with the affectionate behavior.

However, this thought never crossed Ye Tinglan's mind. She had already immersed herself in Dugu Qingli's question.

What do I like about him?

No, do I even like him?

Perhaps I do. Who would be affectionate with a little stray dog they don't like, even personally cooking porridge and feeding him?

But this "liking" seemed not entirely the same as the "liking" implied by her words.

For example, he has Shen Tang... But what does his having Shen Tang have to do with me? I'm not trying to steal a man from Shen Tang. What's wrong with flirting a little with a young man? I've been fighting battles my whole life; can't I just relax a bit?

This disciple shows no consideration for her master. Lu Xingzhou, at least, knew to let him relax.

So, it was right not to contact Qingli before. These past few days have been so joyful, and now this troublesome disciple comes and makes one face the ugly reality.

And I'm supposed to answer? Answer what? I really just want to throw her out.

Ye Tinglan dropped her smile and said indifferently, "What does it matter to you who I like?"

Lu Xingzhou: "..."

This turn of events was a bit unexpected.

Dugu Qingli was even more dumbfounded: "But... but..."

Ye Tinglan said, "Are juniors supposed to speak about adult matters? Is this the etiquette your master taught you?"

Dugu Qingli: "...Master taught me that Heavenly Radiance disciples should have self-respect."

Ye Tinglan said, "I'm not a Heavenly Radiance disciple."

The day I became the Saintess, I stopped being a disciple. Yes, no problem there.

Dugu Qingli stood there, stunned, her worldview being reshaped.

Is this really not my master? How could my master speak like this...?

Still not giving up, she asked one more question: "May I know your revered name, Senior Aunt...?"

Ye Tinglan said righteously, "Hasn't your master told you? My former name has been discarded. Now I am called Yuan Muyu."

Lu Xingzhou: "?"

Dugu Qingli: "..."

The atmosphere around the stone table became a bit stagnant. Lu Xingzhou quietly pulled his bowl of porridge closer and ate it with his head down.

Whatever happens, my brain can't process this anymore.

He had never imagined Ye Tinglan could play such a game, even better than the real Yuan Muyu. Who was the enchantress here? The world had truly gone mad.

Even Lu Xingzhou's mind went blank, and Dugu Qingli's "CPU" seemed to have burned out. She stood there, completely dazed, as if smoking.

After a while, she suddenly leaped up, darted outside the door, pulled out a communication jade token, and frantically called her master.

Ye Tinglan quietly answered on the other side.

Dugu Qingli had thought her master would refuse the call. Seeing that it actually connected, she sighed in relief: "Master, Master..."

Ye Tinglan: "What is it? Did I not teach you to remain calm even when Mount Tai collapses before you? Such impatience, where is your cultivation?"

Dugu Qingli: "No, Master, do you have a sister named Yuan Muyu?"

"Yes."

"Then, Master, do you know that your sister is involved with a married man?"

"...Yuan Muyu is indeed a scoundrel. Are you just calling to complain about her?"

"I..."

"You can scold Yuan Muyu all you want. All right, don't bother me if there's nothing important."

The communication was cut off. Dugu Qingli, as if sleepwalking, returned to the stone table.

Ye Tinglan, feeling incredibly comfortable and with full control in her role-play, as if the world was infinitely vast, leaned back leisurely in her chair. "Niece, why are you standing there blankly? Sit."

Dugu Qingli sat down like a mindless robot.

Ye Tinglan, seemingly from nowhere, produced a tea set and placed it on the stone table. She poured a cup of tea, gurgling, and pushed it towards her disciple. "Have some tea."

Dugu Qingli held the teacup blankly. "Thank you... Senior Aunt. Um, if Senior Aunt truly intends to be with Lu Xingzhou, then..."

"No, what do you mean 'truly intends to be with Lu Xingzhou'? Did I say anything like that?" Ye Tinglan said exasperatedly, "Then what?"

"Then how should I address Lu Xingzhou?" Dugu Qingli asked, "As Senior Aunt's husband?"

Lu Xingzhou rubbed his forehead. Ye Tinglan also froze for a moment; even with all her experience, she couldn't answer that question.

Normally, a grand-disciple would correctly address the wife of a male Senior Uncle as "Senior Aunt-in-law."

But what should a grand-disciple call the husband of a female Senior Aunt?

It would be simpler if she were in her master's identity; then she could just call him "Grandmaster"... No, Lu Xingzhou and I don't have that kind of relationship yet. How did I get so confused?

Ye Tinglan said, face taut, "Nothing's even remotely set in stone, why are you rushing to call him anything?"

Is she really so eager to marry off her master?

Lu Xingzhou also said, "Let's stick to our own relationships, each to their own."

Dugu Qingli stopped speaking.

Seeing that this difficult disciple had finally quieted down, Ye Tinglan poured herself a cup of tea and drank it comfortably. "Qingli, why did you come to this desolate small town?"

Dugu Qingli said expressionlessly, "This is a matter of the sect, and it's inconvenient to tell Senior Aunt Yuan."

Ye Tinglan: "?"

Lu Xingzhou realized, and quickly said, "Then can you tell me?"

Dugu Qingli hesitated.

Actually, it was inconvenient to explicitly tell Lu Xingzhou; just as when she bid farewell, she only said she was going on a distant mission, but couldn't tell him the specifics.

But in this situation, could she tell Lu Xingzhou, effectively telling her master?

Master might be crazy, but I, Dugu Qingli, must stand firm.

The Heavenly Radiance Holy Land cannot fall!

Dugu Qingli held her teacup and pondered for a long time before slowly opening her mouth: "Do you really want me to tell you?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Is there anything inconvenient? Don't worry, I won't spread it. Don't you trust my character?"

"My biggest mistake was trusting your character."

Dugu Qingli secretly glanced at "Senior Aunt," then said seriously, "The Yama King of the Hall of Yama is implementing the 'Ten Halls of Yama' plan... Oh, by the way, what was that Yama King's name?"

Ye Tinglan: "..."

Lu Xingzhou couldn't hold back; a grain of porridge choked him, and he coughed violently.

Dugu Qingli continued expressionlessly, "Earlier, Master received news that a demonic sect in the Heavenly Frost Kingdom had joined this alliance, which might be detrimental to the Great Qian Dynasty. She sent me to investigate which demonic sect it was. I've been investigating in the Heavenly Frost Kingdom for nearly two months..."

She paused there, glanced at Ye Tinglan, and her calm expression showed a slight ripple of emotion.

I've been enduring hardships in the Heavenly Frost Kingdom, battling various demonic forces countless times; even for a third-rank cultivation experience, it's been intense. Yet, here you are, being intimate with a man and refusing to acknowledge your disciple.

It was indeed the right decision not to practice your cultivation method back then. The Heavenly Radiance Profound Moon truly isn't a good cultivation method.

Dugu Qingli took a deep breath and continued: "It can now be generally confirmed that the Ice Prison Sect is participating in the Alliance of the Ten Halls of Yama."

Ye Tinglan was stunned: "How can it be the Ice Prison Sect?"

"Senior Aunt Su mentioned this to me and was also surprised, saying that the Ice Prison Sect colluding with Si Han doesn't sound like the rebel faction type like the Hall of Yama, and asked if there was a mistake," Dugu Qingli said. "I can responsibly say there's no mistake. Allied with the Hall of Yama doesn't mean they intend to rebel against the Heavenly Frost Kingdom. It's just that they want the Hall of Yama's help with some matters, and the Hall of Yama also wants to enlist their strength against the Great Qian Dynasty. This behind-the-scenes activity should be unrelated to Si Han."

Lu Xingzhou asked solemnly, "Can you figure out their objective?"

"It seems to be related to some ancient prophecies, awakening demonic creatures, possibly a type of ice demon... This matter likely points to the origin of the Frozen Moon Cold River and the geological changes throughout the Heavenly Frost Kingdom," Dugu Qingli said. "This is a serious matter. I originally intended to contact Master, but Senior Aunt Su happened to find me and mentioned that Master is currently also in the Heavenly Frost Kingdom. Um, Senior Aunt Yuan, do you know where my master is?"

Ye Tinglan was deep in thought and did not reply.

Dugu Qingli called out again, "Senior Aunt Yuan?"

Lu Xingzhou subtly nudged Ye Tinglan's arm with his elbow.

"Ah?" Ye Tinglan awoke as if from a dream. "Are you calling me?"

Dugu Qingli eyed her askance. "Yes, I was calling Senior Aunt Yuan."

"Cough." Ye Tinglan cleared her throat. "Your master... your master is in secluded cultivation. However, your master's cultivation is profound, so she likely knows about what's happening here. You don't need to specifically go see her."

"..." Dugu Qingli was speechless again. Today, her worldview was truly and completely reshaped.

But then again... if this was her master's true nature, how much had she suppressed under that veil all these years?

Dugu Qingli suddenly understood why her master was acting this way.

It must have been too difficult for her to live according to her true nature... so much so that after all these years, she was finally this happy.

If she were forced to admit she was the master, she would lose her happiness and be incredibly embarrassed by being caught with a man by her disciple. How could she handle that?

Lu Xingzhou interjected, "If that's the case, the Ice Prison Sect's request to the Hall of Yama must be for help with something on the Frozen Moon Cold River... The one who was supposed to handle this was Dong Chengbi, the Northern Ghost Emperor. I don't know why Ji Wenchuan went to the Frozen Moon Cold River instead."

Dugu Qingli said, "The alliance between the Ice Prison Sect and the Hall of Yama hasn't even begun. The matter of the bone dragon in the Frozen Moon Cold River should be two separate issues. Or perhaps the Ice Prison Sect discovered the bone dragon during their exploration of the Frozen Moon Cold River, which then triggered this series of events."

Lu Xingzhou mused, "Such a major event, one that has drawn in the top powers of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Heavenly Radiance Holy Land, the Demon Clan, and the Heavenly Frost Kingdom, is merely a minor offshoot triggered by something the Ice Prison Sect intends to do?"

Dugu Qingli looked as if she wanted to speak but held back.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," Dugu Qingli shook her head. When she heard about the battle of the Cold River Bone Dragon, she also heard the ridiculous rumor about the Demon Empress and the Heavenly Radiance Saintess fighting over a man. Dugu Qingli had simply dismissed anyone who spread such rumors as having issues. But after witnessing things today, she realized *she* was the one with issues.

Never mind. Since Master is happy... let her stay happy.

Then she heard Ye Tinglan say, "Aside from the Ice Prison Sect matter, have you made any other discoveries?"

Dugu Qingli was startled. "No, I only came to the Heavenly Frost Kingdom for this matter. I haven't been distracted by anything else."

Ye Tinglan frowned and remained silent.

Dugu Qingli carefully asked, "What's wrong? Se...nior Aunt?"

Ye Tinglan said, "According to my... calculations just now, you have a high chance of finding clues about your origins in the Heavenly Frost Kingdom. If you haven't found anything yet, perhaps you could try again?"

Although Ye Tinglan was genuinely showing concern for her disciple, what Dugu Qingli was thinking was: *This master is finding another excuse to send her disciple away, so as not to disturb her secluded life with this man...*