11: Deceiving Xia He and breaking away from Quan Xing

In Tianjin, inside a private room of a Tianjin-style restaurant.

"This 'Lao Bao San' tastes pretty good! The flavor of this place is truly authentic!"

Lin Yuan kept picking up dishes, eating and commenting.

Xia He and Lü Liang sat opposite him, very reserved, not even daring to drink water.

"No, aren't you two hungry? Eat up!"

Lin Yuan put down his chopsticks and took a sip of tea to cleanse his palate.

"You don't need to worry. If I were going to cripple you, I would have already done it in that forest earlier."

"Xia He, your relationship with my Senior Brother, your two's business, you'll resolve it yourselves."

"Lü Liang, as for you, on one hand, you just joined Quansheng not long ago and haven't done anything significant yet. On the other hand, I need your abilities. As for Shen Chong, I acted purely because he deserved it."

Xia He was a bit confused. Logically, Lin Yuan should be descending the mountain for the first time, and Zhang Lingyu couldn't possibly have spread this matter.

"Daoist priest, how did you know about the matter between Lingyu and me?"

Lin Yuan looked at Xia He, seeing a hint of worry in her eyes. This woman was also concerned that if this matter spread, it might affect Zhang Lingyu.

But Lin Yuan couldn't possibly tell her that he knew because he had read the original story.

"Ahem, ahem... because I'm skilled in fortune-telling. I calculated with my fingers and found that my Senior Brother would encounter a 'red dust tribulation' on this trip down the mountain."

Xia He looked at Lin Yuan with a forced smile.

"Oh? Is that so? Daoist priest, then how did you know that person would definitely be me?"

"Is your fortune-telling that accurate?"

Lin Yuan chuckled as he looked at Xia He.

"Sometimes, being too smart isn't good. Excessive wisdom often leads to an early demise."

Hearing this, Xia He stopped pressing further. After all, everyone has their own secrets.

"I just want to confirm, do the people of Mount Longhu all know about this matter?"

Lin Yuan propped his chin and said with a light chuckle:

"So far, only I know. Whether others will know later, I'm not sure."

"But there's one thing you can rest assured of: I won't tell anyone."

Hearing this, Xia He finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

Lin Yuan looked at Xia He, who seemed to have something more to say. Since Zhang Lingyu had already acted on an impulse, it would be better for him to do her a favor.

"I'm more curious, how has your relationship with my Senior Brother developed?"

Xia He gave a bitter smile.

"He and I... I'm just a demon of Quansheng that everyone wants to beat, while Lingyu is a disciple of Mount Longhu. What could possibly happen?"

"Senior Brother Lingyu, honestly, don't let his outwardly serious appearance fool you. He's incredibly repressed inside. I remember it clearly: this guy would secretly go to the Pavilion of Books to read 'Jin Mei' whenever he had nothing to do."

Lü Liang immediately covered his ears, afraid of hearing something he shouldn't.

Xia He gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Even if Lingyu has feelings for me, what can come of it? What good outcome can there be for the righteous and the wicked to be together?"

"Moreover, Lingyu's status is special. If something really happened, Mount Longhu would also be in trouble."

Lin Yuan burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! In trouble! So that's what you were worried about."

At this point, Xia He felt a bit annoyed and picked up a bottle of beer from the table, opening it for herself.

"Aren't you worried? The Tianshi Mansion, with its hundreds of years of orthodoxy, finally being destroyed in a single stroke?"

Seeing this, Lin Yuan also opened a bottle of beer.

"It seems you really don't understand the strength of Mount Longhu, nor do you know the true value of my Master, Daoist Priest Tiantong."

"Currently, in the entire Outsider World, apart from me, no one can withstand a single slap from my Master."

"Even if The Ten Elders wanted to move against Mount Longhu, they would have to weigh whether their lives are tough enough. Who do you think would dare to touch Mount Longhu?"

Xia He certainly knew that the Old Celestial Master was a peak existence in the Outsider World, but he was also one of The Ten Elders. Other Elders wanting to make a move didn't mean they had no power to fight.

However, if Lin Yuan was also present, the outcome would truly be hard to say. She and Shen Chong were known as two of the 'Four Madmen of Quansheng,' possessing considerable strength.

Since first venturing into the jianghu, she had never seen anyone so easily suppress them.

Moreover, she understood Zhang Lingyu's strength. Both were disciples of the Old Celestial Master, but their strengths were almost as different as heaven and earth.

Zhang Lingyu was indeed a genius, but this young man in front of her was even more of a monster. For him, perhaps genius was merely a ticket to meet him.

Perhaps this kid really wasn't lying, and perhaps the Old Celestial Master of yesteryear was just like him, suppressing an entire era.

Xia He burped.

"Alright, even if Mount Longhu isn't afraid of trouble, then I ask you, can the Old Celestial Master accept me when he sees me? It would be good if he didn't just strike me dead with a palm."

Lin Yuan nodded. It was normal for Xia He to think this way. On the surface, the Old Celestial Master was very dignified, but secretly, he was an old prankster.

After his ID card came out, the first thing he did was drag himself down the mountain to an internet cafe to play 'Valorant'.

He was a man of such an age, yet his mindset was very young.

Lin Yuan chuckled, looking at Xia He.

"I'll show you something, but you have to promise not to shout and not to spread it."

As he spoke, a giant black snake tail suddenly appeared behind Lin Yuan, and even his eyes turned into a pair of vertical pupils.

Xia He and Shen Chong stared at the huge snake tail, momentarily too shocked to speak.

"So... so... the legend is true! A snake that can cultivate has really appeared on Mount Longhu! It has become a spirit!?"

Xia He stared at Lin Yuan with an incredulous expression.

Lü Liang's legs gave out, and he immediately knelt on the ground.

"Don't... don't eat me! My meat isn't tasty..."

The next second, Lin Yuan returned to his normal form.

"That's right! I am indeed not human. I am a black snake that grew up on Mount Longhu. By chance, I met my Master, and he brought me back to Mount Longhu. Under his guidance, I became a Daoist priest."

"If I can join Mount Longhu to cultivate, why can't you? Are good and evil necessarily absolute?"

Xia He only then managed to regain her composure.

"This... this is simply too unbelievable..."

"Xia He, as long as you are willing to leave Quansheng, I can take you back to Mount Longhu. As long as you don't harm the sect in the future, I believe the Old Celestial Master will accept you."

"As for my Senior Brother, I will also persuade him to face his true feelings."

At this moment, Lü Liang, who was beside them, looked at Lin Yuan expectantly.

"Um... Daoist priest... can I also join Mount Longhu? Didn't you also say that I just joined Quansheng not long ago? I can also leave!"

Lin Yuan patted him on the shoulder.

"If you want to join Mount Longhu, then first work well by my side and let me see your capabilities. If you do well, I will recommend you."

Listening to Lin Yuan's words, Lü Liang felt as if he was being given an empty promise...