After that “husband” slipped out, Lu Xingzhou felt that Madam Ye was finally willing to walk the right path.

Even with a fake identity, the concept of “publicly announcing an engagement” has a huge impact on women. In their hearts, they truly feel they are already your wife, and anything they do is only natural.

Guamei’s behavior before and after her engagement was like a completely different person, and Ye Tinglan’s mood should be quite similar.

Unfortunately, everyone had a lot on their minds at this moment, and it didn’t seem to be an appropriate time for intimacy. If Madam Ye thought he was eager to “eat” her, even if she consented, the experience would likely not be very good.

Moreover, it wasn’t romantic enough at this moment.

As he was hesitating, Ye Tinglan’s communication jade slip vibrated slightly, waking her from her desires. She quickly broke free from Lu Xingzhou’s embrace and answered the jade slip: “Qingli?”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

That name seemed to possess a cold, magical power, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, extinguishing all his desires.

Dugu Qingli spoke from the other end, not using divine sense, so Lu Xingzhou could hear clearly: “Master, we’ve spread a net across the seas for so long without any trace of Zhao’en. The elders’ analysis of various intelligence suggests that we might have overlooked something right under our noses.”

Ye Tinglan said: “You mean, everyone thinks Zhao’en might have snuck back to the Great Qian?”

“Yes, I also have that suspicion, and there’s another possibility that he might be in the Frozen Moon Cold River.”

“You wouldn’t want to go to the Frozen Moon Cold River, would you? Don’t go there.”

“Not really… Master, during my time overseas, I had some fortuitous encounters in the sea and reached the second rank a while ago. But Master, I feel this second rank came a bit too quickly. I didn’t feel any bottleneck at all. Is there something wrong with this situation?”

Dugu Qingli was undoubtedly a genius. In her earlier, lower ranks, she practically never encountered any bottlenecks. Only at the third rank did she face a hurdle, but even that was easily overcome, which is normal for a genius.

But even beyond the third rank, there were still no bottlenecks. Dugu Qingli herself was a bit startled, wondering if it was too fast. Even for a genius, she hadn’t progressed so quickly before the third rank.

So she wondered if this situation was related to the Ice Demon’s main body. This concern had been bothering the little white-haired girl’s cultivation during this time.

So it wasn’t “not really”; the little white-haired girl must have been very eager to resolve the Ice Demon’s matter and completely lift the burden from her heart.

Unfortunately, Ye Tinglan would definitely not let her take such a risk during her cultivation: “Your bottleneck is fine, don’t overthink it. Hmm… why don’t you come to the Great Qian?”

“Master, are you going to marry Lu Xingzhou? I heard people say…”

“No, no!” Ye Tinglan couldn’t bring herself to admit it in front of her disciple. After all, Lu Xingzhou was her disciple’s “friend,” and the idea of an old cow eating tender grass was truly too embarrassing.

Lu Xingzhou understood this psychology very well. If a mother got involved with her daughter’s high school classmate, she probably wouldn’t have the face to tell her daughter. It was somewhat like that feeling.

“Oh, that’s good then, I’ll come.”

The implication was, if you really marry Lu Xingzhou, I won’t come; I can’t bear to see it.

After ending the call, Ye Tinglan’s face was still burning red.

Qingli had once expressed support for her master letting go of her worries and pursuing happiness, but from her actual behavior, it was clear in many places that the disciple actually couldn’t stand the idea. Qingli’s factor accounted for at least half of Ye Tinglan’s “inability to let go of her status.”

“Well…” Ye Tinglan tidied her disheveled clothes and stammered, “Then I’ll go back first, okay? As for Jiang Duxu, you continue to communicate with him.”

Lu Xingzhou naturally wouldn’t force her. He just lowered his head and kissed her forehead: “Okay.”

Ye Tinglan felt a little apologetic to the younger man and whispered, “Xingzhou…”

Lu Xingzhou didn’t let her finish, just smiled, “Madam Ye has already overcome many hurdles. Some hurdles are for me to tackle.”

Ye Tinglan looked at him with sparkling eyes and, after a long moment, simply “hmm-ed.”

Lu Xingzhou helped her stand up and whispered, “If Zhao’en also comes to the Great Qian, then Gu Zhanting might act against you soon. Not only should you call Qingli, but I think you can also try to summon some elders like Elder Feng to guard against any unforeseen circumstances.”

Ye Tinglan nodded: “I know.”

Ye Tinglan returned to the National Observatory first, and Lu Xingzhou then went out to call Anu, and the master and disciple leisurely returned to the Lu Residence.

It was already late when they returned. The master and disciple happily played with the little pig. Not long after, the butler reported: “Master, Mister Jiang has come to visit.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled: “Don’t see him.”

“Uh…”

“Tell him, if there’s no sincerity in cooperation, then don’t cooperate. We don’t need him that badly.”

Jiang Duxu’s sigh came through: “What do you mean, Physician Lu?”

Lu Xingzhou played with the little pig, without turning his head: “If I were you, to ensure the State Preceptor could remain in this world for a long time instead of ascending and disappearing soon, I would proactively offer a method to avoid the ascension pull. This would both show sincerity in cooperation and ensure the continuity of our collaboration. But I don’t understand what Mister Jiang is thinking. At a time like this, he’s still holding something back, making a simple cooperation require two or three intermediaries, taking half a day to finalize, being so coy.”

Jiang Duxu sighed, “Physician Lu misunderstands. I came specifically to inform you of this method.”

“Then why didn’t you just tell the State Preceptor directly before?”

“Because my method isn’t guaranteed; I only have about 50-60% certainty. The State Preceptor is a seeker of the Dao, and the allure of Qian Yuan is immense. With 30% certainty, she would be willing to try everything, let alone 50-60%… But I dared not. If something went wrong, would Physician Lu blame me? Would the Heavenly Yaos Sacred Land think I harmed their Saint Lord? Such a huge responsibility, I cannot bear.”

This explanation made Lu Xingzhou understand a little better. In fact, this proved Jiang Duxu’s sincerity in cooperation.

He finally stood up: “So, Mister Jiang wants to tell me the method, and let me control it.”

“Exactly.” Jiang Duxu didn’t waste any more words and handed over a jade slip: “I have already inscribed the method into this jade slip. Physician Lu will take charge of this matter.”

Lu Xingzhou took the jade slip and quickly scanned it, frowning slightly: “Concealment by the Buddhist treasure ‘Formless Realm’… directly deceiving even the heavenly tribulation. Setting aside the certainty of this, even if the Formless Realm can be forged according to the plan in your jade slip, wouldn’t the result still be a replica?”

Jiang Duxu shook his head: “The Formless Realm is not some innate supreme treasure; it is itself a man-made magical artifact. As long as it can be crafted exactly the same, there is no distinction between a replica and the original – we can even make it better. My method here is just a reference. If the State Preceptor has better means, perhaps it can increase the certainty by a few points.”

Lu Xingzhou sighed.

The Heavenly Yaos Sacred Land practices Daoist cultivation. They might have a basic understanding of Buddhist methods at most, so it’s probably not easy for them to come up with a better plan than Jiang Duxu’s.

As for Buddhist sects in this world, if there were any of a similar caliber to the Heavenly Yaos Sacred Land, that would be… the Demon Race’s Sacred Mountain?

This matter might require Long Qinghuang’s help to search through the Sacred Mountain’s scriptures.

But would Long Qinghuang be willing to help Ye Tinglan break through to Qian Yuan and remain in this world permanently?

Regardless, Jiang Duxu indeed provided a feasible solution, even giving a reference on how to forge the magical artifact. That was indeed sincere enough. Lu Xingzhou temporarily put aside further considerations and cupped his hands: “I have received Mister Jiang’s sincerity in cooperation. Apart from anything else, starting tomorrow, the Department of Guest and Host’s trade with overseas nations will be assigned to the Jiang family.”

Jiang Duxu smiled slightly: “Then I shall be much obliged.”

The Jiang family’s so-called establishment as maritime merchants was merely a foundational plan, certainly not their ultimate goal. However, this was the beginning of cooperation, and Jiang Duxu was already satisfied enough.

Speaking of which, Lu Xingzhou’s cooperation was more direct and straightforward than Gu Zhanting’s. Gu Zhanting’s side had been dragging on for months, still waiting for the “marriage alliance” to succeed before moving on to the next step, while Lu Xingzhou’s side had only communicated two or three rounds, and preliminary cooperation had already begun. This also made Jiang Duxu feel much more comfortable. They were cultivators, people who cultivated to Qian Yuan; how could they really be bothered to haggle with some mortal emperor?

Moreover, one of Lu Xingzhou’s engaged fiancées, Miss Pei Chuyun of the Pei Residence, had invited Jiang Yuan to a Winter Solstice poetry gathering this afternoon. They strolled together, smiling, and were now at a dinner party together. This represented the entry of the “Jiang family of maritime merchants” into the capital’s upper-class social circles.

Although Jiang Yuan was bewildered throughout, in some sense, this was even more important than Lu Xingzhou’s so-called designated trade responsibility.

Jiang Duxu’s mind raced, but he still couldn’t resist saying, “Your emperor… harbors some perhaps very significant plans. Your matters as a mere physician might just be small-scale skirmishes.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: “Does Mister Jiang know what he’s doing?”

“The specifics are currently unknown.”

“If he comes looking for you, I won’t tell you how to choose, but I hope you can keep me informed, how about that?”

Jiang Duxu smiled, but did not answer the question. He merely cupped his hands and drifted away.

No sooner had Jiang Duxu left than Sheng Yuanyao slipped in, coming through the back door again.

All the guards at the Lu Residence were soldiers under her General Sheng, so she could slip in wherever she pleased.

Lu Xingzhou found her appearance amusing: “Old Sheng just had people drag you back, and now he’s letting you sneak out again? You weren’t locked in a dark room?”

“Bah! I’m eating with my fiancé in our own garden. Why should I be locked in a dark room?” Sheng Yuanyao giggled and came forward, linking her arm through his: “They called us back, nothing more than being afraid that Pei and I would be shameless together. Am I that kind of person? Honestly, they underestimate me.”

“So now that you know Chuyun is at the banquet, they let you out?”

“What does that have to do with her?” Sheng Yuanyao jutted out her neck: “Whether she’s at the banquet or not doesn’t stop me from coming to see my husband.”

It was clear she had acquired a taste for it; a freshly “broken melon” was particularly clingy.

Anu’s face wrinkled like she had eaten a sour date.

“Could you please go back to being a brother? This is too much for a child.”

She couldn’t stand it, but Lu Xingzhou enjoyed his wife’s clinginess. He smiled and picked her up, carrying her back to the room: “You’re right, the Qingyao Garden is just our property; this is home.”

Sheng Yuanyao giggled. Of course, she had come brazenly to achieve the first accomplishment of spending a good night with Lu Xingzhou in “their own home.”

She completely forgot that she had just made a pact with Pei Chuyun at noon: whoever climbed into his bed was a dog.

That mere Pei green tea, she was so stupid, easily manipulated.

The two entered the room and immediately embraced and kissed on the bed. Sheng Yuanyao savored the feeling from last night again, both comfortable and beneficial for cultivation, though her voice would be a bit hoarse… No problem, it would be fine after a night’s sleep.

Just as the two were kissing passionately, a fragrant breeze swept through, and Pei Chuyun appeared in the room, utterly furious: “I knew it! Now, who’s the little dog!”