311: Chapter 311 Reshaping Values: Even Watchdogs Are Saints

On the Extreme Cold Ice Silk Jade Bed, Lin Qingxue felt that domineering yet extremely gentle purple True Qi within her body, and her tensed nerves finally found a moment of respite.

In her cold eyes, all defenses faded for the first time as she slowly closed them.

Accompanied by the astonishing medicinal power of the Nine Revolutions Creation Dew, Lin Qingxue fell into her first deep sleep since arriving in the Upper Realm.

She slept extremely peacefully, without even a single nightmare. In that Lower Realm filled with slaughter and betrayal, she hadn't slept so defenselessly for hundreds of years.

When Lin Qingxue opened her eyes again, it was already afternoon outside.

The side hall was quiet, the air filled with a faint scent of Ambergris and the lingering fragrance of the top-tier holy medicine.

Lin Qingxue tried to clench her fist.

Her originally shattered Meridians had been reconnected. Although they weren't yet tough enough, her spiritual power could barely circulate. Even her nearly broken Supreme Sword Heart had regained its sharp luster under the nourishment of Xu Chen's mysterious purple True Qi.

As expected of a top-tier holy medicine from an Imperial Clan of the Upper Realm.

Lin Qingxue sat up from the jade bed and casually draped on a plain robe hanging from the screen.

This had been specially prepared for her by the maid, Xiao Tao.

She pushed open the carved wooden doors of the side hall. A breeze brushed past, bringing with it the extremely dense and pure Chaos Spiritual Qi of the Upper Realm.

Lin Qingxue took a deep breath, feeling every pore in her body cheering with joy.

However, when she fully took in the scene before her, her newly calmed state of mind was instantly hit by a tidal wave of shock.

This was the backyard of the Xu Family.

In the Lower Realm, the backyard of any top Sect was nothing more than some pavilions, terraces, and rare flowers and plants.

But this backyard of the Xu Family completely subverted Lin Qingxue's understanding.

Directly in front of her was a massive celestial island floating in mid-air, with a Nine-Colored Divine Waterfall cascading down like the Milky Way. What flowed in that waterfall wasn't water at all, but pure Spiritual Qi liquefied to the extreme.

In the sky above, extremely complex and terrifying Formation patterns could be seen slowly circulating.

That was the Xu Family's Extreme Dao Imperial Formation. Even a faint leak of its aura made Lin Qingxue, an Initial Stage Quasi-Saint Sword Cultivator, feel a pang of palpitations, as if she would be obliterated if the Formation moved even slightly.

But that wasn't what shocked Lin Qingxue the most.

She followed a path paved with solid blocks of Star Warm Jade and stopped at the entrance of an extremely magnificent main hall.

On both sides of the main hall's white jade stairs lay two massive exotic beasts.

The one on the left resembled a Qilin, its entire body burning with crimson flames; the one on the right was like a Black Tortoise, surrounded by deep Nether Qi.

The two exotic beasts were lazily napping on the ground. Hearing Lin Qingxue's footsteps, they merely flicked their eyelids to glance at her before closing their eyes again with a lack of interest.

That single glance almost made Lin Qingxue draw her sword on the spot.

The aura emanating from these two beasts used to guard the gate was a hundred times more terrifying than that of Ye Chen, who had been invincible in the Lower Realm.

The Saint Realm.

Lin Qingxue's heart pounded wildly.

She swallowed hard. In the Lower Realm, a Quasi-Saint could sweep across the eight directions and rule as a king. Yet in this Ancient Xu Family, ancient exotic beasts of the dignified Saint Realm were actually lying at the hall entrance napping like guard dogs.

And looking at their leisurely manner, they seemed extremely satisfied with this job.

Lin Qingxue felt her worldview being violently torn apart and reshaped.

She finally understood why that man named Xu Chen showed such high-and-mighty disdain and indifference when facing a Son of Luck like Ye Chen.

Because before a terrifying power like the Xu Family, where even the guard dogs were Saints, some Lower Realm Prodigy or Son of Luck didn't amount to anything at all.

Her proud Quasi-Saint cultivation was likely inferior to even a maid serving tea and water in this Xu Family.

At this thought, a bitter smile of self-mockery appeared at the corner of Lin Qingxue's mouth.

While she was standing there in a daze, a burst of laughter as crisp as silver bells came from a nearby gazebo.

Lin Qingxue looked toward the sound and saw several women of peerless beauty and distinct temperaments sitting in that gazebo made of Ten-Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo.

Sitting in the center was the gentle woman who had fed her medicine last night, Su Qingge.

Beside Su Qingge was a beautiful woman in a red dress with a bold and domineering aura, teasing an infant in her arms. Another woman, dressed in an ice-blue gown with an aura like a ten-thousand-year-old glacier, was quietly peeling spiritual fruit nearby.

The aura emanating from each of these people was unfathomable, at least in the Quasi-Saint Realm. The woman in the red dress even had an aura that was already half a foot into the Saint Realm.

Lin Qingxue instinctively wanted to retreat back to the side hall.

In the Sects of the Lower Realm, the more beautiful women gathered together, the more it usually meant cruel infighting and calculation. Moreover, these people were all the confidantes of that terrifying man. As an Ascender of unknown origin, she really wasn't suited to appear in such a setting.

The sharp-eyed Su Qingge had already seen her.

"Miss Lin, you're awake." Su Qingge put down her teacup, stood up, and waved to Lin Qingxue with a gentle smile, "Come and sit. Your body has just begun to recover; it's good to get some sun."

Lin Qingxue stood in place, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

The woman in the red dress turned her head, sized Lin Qingxue up, and then laughed boisterously.

"So this is the 'wild cat' that fell from the sky last night. She's quite pretty; no wonder my husband showed mercy and picked you up. Don't just stand there, come and have some fruit. These are Ten-Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruits my husband just picked from the medicine garden."

Though Luo Hongyi's words carried the straightforwardness of someone from the Jianghu, there wasn't a hint of hostility or jealousy in her eyes, only pure curiosity.

Lin Qingxue took a deep breath, suppressed her awkwardness, and walked into the gazebo with slightly stiff steps.

As soon as she sat down, the woman with the glacier-like aura naturally handed a peeled piece of Vermilion Fruit to her.

"Your Meridians are damaged. This Vermilion Fruit has a gentle attribute and is perfect for nourishing your sword heart." Bai Ningbing's voice was cold, but her actions were very attentive.

Lin Qingxue looked at the Vermilion Fruit before her, then at this group of talking and laughing beauties, and another crack appeared in her internal defenses.

These women of terrifying strength and peerless beauty were in this gazebo like sisters-in-law in an ordinary Family, chatting about daily life and playing with a child. The atmosphere was incredibly harmonious.

Lin Qingxue took the Vermilion Fruit and took a light bite.

The sweet juice instantly burst in her mouth, turning into pure spiritual power that nourished her entire body.

"Thank you," Lin Qingxue said softly.

"No need for thanks. Since my husband let you stay here to recover, we're all Family from now on." Su Qingge looked at her tenderly, "I heard from my husband that you were the Sect Master of the Supreme Sword Sect in the Lower Realm. To be able to break through the Void Realm and ascend on your own, Miss Lin is truly admirable."

Lin Qingxue gave a bitter smile.

"Before your Xu Family, my meager cultivation is nothing but an ant. I'm not even as good as the Divine Beasts at the hall entrance."

Hearing Lin Qingxue's self-deprecating words, Luo Hongyi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You have a very direct personality. Why are you comparing yourself to those two old monsters? They are the gate-guarding Divine Beasts the Xu Family Old Ancestor captured from a Forbidden Zone of Life back in the day; they've lived for who knows how many tens of thousands of years."

Luo Hongyi held the child in her arms, shifted into a comfortable position, and continued.

"In our Xu Family, we don't look at cultivation; we only look at whether my husband is happy. If he likes you, even if you're a Mortal, he can pile up Heaven And Earth Treasures to turn you into a Saint. If he doesn't like you, even if you're a Quasi-Emperor, he'll still slap you to death."

At this point, Luo Hongyi leaned closer to Lin Qingxue's ear and lowered her voice, her tone carrying a bit of mischief.

"I think my husband treats you quite specially. Last night, not only did he use Hongmeng Creation Qi for you, but he also broke precedent by letting you owe him money. You should know, in our Xu Family, no one can owe my husband money except himself."

Lin Qingxue's cheeks suddenly flushed red.

She had originally thought Xu Chen was intentionally humiliating her, but hearing Luo Hongyi say this, it seemed to be an extremely unconventional way for this man to express kindness.

"He... he's just a rogue." Lin Qingxue bit her lip and retorted somewhat unnaturally.

As soon as these words were spoken, the three women in the gazebo burst into laughter together.

A rare smile also appeared on Bai Ningbing's eternal glacier-like face, and she nodded in deep agreement.

"That's right, he is a rogue."

Su Qingge chuckled behind her hand. Seeing Lin Qingxue's embarrassed look, her gaze became even softer.

In this warm and harmonious gazebo, Lin Qingxue felt a sense of relaxation she had never experienced in hundreds of years.

The cold fortress in her heart, built from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, was melting at an incredible speed amidst the laughter of these women and within this Family that didn't play by the rules.

In her cold eyes, for the first time, a desire to investigate this man named Xu Chen arose, so intense it was impossible to suppress.

Just what kind of man could make a terrifying Imperial Clan like the Xu Family possess such a strong sense of humanity?

What could make this group of proud daughters of heaven stay by his side willingly and without complaint?

Just as Lin Qingxue's thoughts were spinning.

A lazy and somewhat playful voice drifted leisurely into the gazebo from outside.

"In broad daylight, are you wives holding a Denunciation Meeting against me behind my back?"

Xu Chen, wearing a set of white casual clothes with his hands behind his head, strolled into the backyard with a leisurely pace.

His face wore that signature indifferent smile, and the sunlight spilling onto his peerlessly handsome face made him look exceptionally dazzling.

The eyes of the three women in the gazebo instantly became as soft as water when they saw Xu Chen.

Luo Hongyi went up to meet him with the child in her arms, giving him a playful, mock-reproachful look.

"We're teaching Miss Lin how to deal with a rogue like you."

Xu Chen casually scratched Luo Hongyi's nose, then squeezed into the gazebo without ceremony, naturally sitting down between Su Qingge and Bai Ningbing.

He picked up a piece of spiritual fruit from the table and tossed it into his mouth before turning his gaze toward Lin Qingxue, who was sitting opposite him.

Seeing that Lin Qingxue's face, though still pale, was no longer filled with the hostility and despair of last night, Xu Chen nodded with satisfaction.

"Looks like you've recovered well. Since you have the energy to join them in scolding me, it means the medical fees weren't spent in vain."

Xu Chen propped his chin on one hand, his gaze sizing Lin Qingxue up as if he were admiring a precious trophy of his own.

"So, Miss Lin, are you getting used to living off my Xu Family?"

Meeting Xu Chen's aggressive gaze, Lin Qingxue's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and looked directly into Xu Chen's eyes.

"Young Master Xu's life-saving grace is something Lin Qingxue will never forget."

Her voice was still cold, but it lacked some of the aloofness from last night that kept people a thousand miles away.

"But I, Lin Qingxue, never take handouts. I will find a way to pay back the medical fees and... the floor repair fees I owe Young Master Xu."

Hearing Lin Qingxue's extremely serious declaration, Xu Chen couldn't help but laugh.

"Fine."

Xu Chen stood up and walked over to Lin Qingxue, looking down at her with a playful curve at the corner of his mouth.

"Since you're so principled and won't take handouts, then once your injuries are fully healed, come be a personal guard for This Young Master."

Xu Chen reached out his long fingers and lightly tapped on Lin Qingxue's fragrant shoulder, which was slightly tensed from nervousness.

"Although my Xu Family's guard dogs are all Saints, I'm usually quite lazy when I go out. I happen to be missing a beautiful female sword immortal who is quick with her blade by my side."

Xu Chen lowered his head and leaned close to Lin Qingxue's ear, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Remember, until your debt is paid off, even your life belongs to me. If you dare to run, I'll break your legs."

Feeling the warmth of Xu Chen's breath on her earlobe, the tips of Lin Qingxue's ears instantly turned beet red.

She jerked her head up, wanting to glare fiercely at this lecher.

But when she saw the undisguised amusement in Xu Chen's deep eyes, the harsh words that had reached her lips simply wouldn't come out.

She could only clench her fists tightly, turn her head away, and squeeze out a single word from between her teeth in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Okay."