246: The Lu Family Twins

“As soon as you sat down, a beautiful woman quickly approached you, smiling as she sized you up: ‘Are you the Qin Chen my sister mentioned, the one who punched the Holy Land, kicked the Heavenly Palace, and slew three thousand Prodigies with his sword?’”

“Lu Xiaoxiao immediately introduced her to you: ‘This is my younger sister, Lu Binglan.’”

“You smiled and nodded, your gaze falling upon Lu Binglan—”

“She wore a goose-yellow flowing immortal dress, with a crimson ribbon tied in her dark hair. When she smiled, her eyes curved like a new moon, and her lively demeanor held a hint of playfulness.”

“She truly lived up to the beautiful reputation of the ‘Lu Clan's Twin Prodigies.’”

“At this moment—”

“Sima Tao suddenly stood up, his face ashen, and cupped his hands to the Second Elder: ‘What is the meaning of this, Lu Clan Immortal Clan?’”

“The Second Elder smiled and waved his hand: ‘Nephew Sima, please forgive us. Our Lu Clan has many Prodigies. Why don't you choose another suitable partner?’”

“‘As the foremost among the younger generation of the Sima Family, I am naturally suited to the Lu Clan Immortal Clan's top Prodigy. Is the Lu Clan disregarding the long-standing relationship between our two families?’ Sima Tao's expression grew even uglier.”

“It turned out that the Sima Immortal Family and the Lu Clan Immortal Clan had long been intermarrying, having already formed a situation where they were intertwined.”

“In fact, it wasn't just these two families; this was common among all major first-rate forces.”

“Lu Xiaoxiao's purpose in seeking you out was exactly as you expected—she didn't want to be a pawn in a Family alliance and wanted you to act as her shield.”

“Actually, the Lu Clan originally favored Sima Tao, but their minds changed after the Holy Land Grand Competition.”

“However, the two families had a deep relationship, and the Lu Clan was unwilling to easily offend the Sima Family.”

“Lu Xiaoxiao had already explained these circumstances to you on the way—since you agreed to help, you intended to use this to resolve this Karma.”

“After all, she had once paid a large number of contribution points for you, and those Talismans had saved you from danger multiple times.”

“Listening to Sima Tao's questioning, you couldn't help but chuckle: ‘Is the Sima Family so devoid of talent? How can someone like you even claim to be the top Genius?’”

“Sima Tao trembled with rage, glaring fiercely at you: ‘Qin Chen, don't think that just because you are Venerable Yuqing's Disciple, you can throw your weight around!’”

“‘Hahaha,’ you shook your head and laughed, ‘Aren't you, Sima Tao, also throwing your weight around? You once took a fancy to a female cultivator named An Lu, and after being rejected, you sent people to wipe out the An Family.’”

“Sima Tao quickly retorted: ‘That was when I was young and ignorant. I was later punished by my Family for it, and I was even confined for three days because of it.’”

“‘How many evil deeds have you committed beyond this one? Someone merely discussed you behind your back, and you exterminated their entire clan. How can someone who treats human life so cheaply now have the face to spout such nonsense here?’ Your expression was calm.”

“These matters, of course, were all told to you by Lu Xiaoxiao on the way.”

“Sima Tao was so angry he was speechless. Nangong Feiyan immediately pulled him aside and whispered: ‘There's no need to argue with him.’”

“Nangong Feiyan then smiled at Lu Binglan and said to Sima Tao: ‘Since you can't marry Lu Xiaoxiao, I think Lu Binglan isn't bad either. After all, she's a Genius of the Formation Dao Academy.’”

“Sima Tao calmed down and cupped his hands to the Second Elder: ‘In that case, this Junior wishes to marry Lu Binglan.’”

“Before the Second Elder could respond, Lu Binglan immediately stepped forward and declared loudly: ‘No! I already have a Dao Companion.’”

“After saying that, she actually sat next to you and held your arm: ‘It's him. Both my sister and I are his people.’”

“The entire hall immediately fell silent, and the atmosphere instantly froze.”

“You felt a chill down your spine—you vaguely sensed that something was wrong.”

“‘Hahaha,’ Nangong Feiyan suddenly burst into laughter, ‘In that case, congratulations to the Lu Clan's Twin Prodigies on finding good partners.’”

“Sima Tao also smiled faintly: ‘As expected of an Academy Prodigy. First, entangled with the Holy Land Saintess, and now winning the hearts of the Lu Clan's Twin Prodigies. You are truly unique in the entire Immortal Realm.’”

“At this moment, Sima Tao was like a completely different person, appearing calm and collected.”

“Even more suspicious was—he clearly knew that you and Lu Binglan were meeting for the first time, yet he deliberately said those words?”

“There must be a trick involved.”

“The Lu Clan's Second Elder's face darkened, and he said coldly: ‘Binglan, stop making trouble.’”

“Lu Binglan also realized her impulsiveness and immediately lowered her head, pursing her lips, no longer speaking.”

“You felt that things were becoming increasingly complicated, and this development was truly inappropriate.”

“Because of Lu Binglan's single sentence, you felt that you had inexplicably acquired many Karma entanglements.”

“As your Realm improved and your understanding deepened recently, you increasingly felt that everything in the world had Karma—sometimes a single meeting, a single sentence, or a small matter could trigger unknown chain reactions.”

“This is why powerful cultivators with higher cultivation often appear more detached from worldly affairs—because they see far more than just the surface.”

“This is precisely why your Senior Sister Yun Yao is not easily schemed against: she hardly leaves her residence and maintains a transcendent attitude towards everything.”

“Her recent involvement in your affairs was purely because you are her Junior Brother.”

“At this moment, you were very clear—with Lu Binglan's words, you had formed Karma with her.”

“In the future, if she were to encounter misfortune or be used by others, it would become your weakness.”

“Thinking of this, you suddenly realized—you had fallen into a trap again.”

“It seemed someone behind the scenes was guiding Sima Tao, making him intentionally set this trap.”

“You looked at Lu Xiaoxiao and Lu Binglan and suddenly thought—could the other party be trying to use the two of them to make the Lu Clan Immortal Clan resent you?”

“The Lu Clan Immortal Clan itself is a first-rate force, connected to the five major top-tier forces.”

“It seemed this matter was not simple.”

“Unfortunately, Senior Sister had long said that your heavenly secrets were obscured, and your fate and Karma could no longer be deduced.”

“In other words, she also didn't know what unknown difficulties you would face.”

“Just as your thoughts were racing, Sima Tao and the other two suddenly stood up.”

“‘In that case, this Junior will take his leave first,’ Sima Tao said with a smile.”

“The Lu Clan's Second Elder nodded in agreement.”

“Immediately, Sima Tao, Chu Fan, and Nangong Feiyan each cast a meaningful glance at you before smiling and departing.”

“You didn't stay long either, and immediately returned to the Academy with Lu Xiaoxiao and Lu Binglan.”

“At Lu Xiaoxiao's residence, you solemnly said to the two of them: ‘I always feel that the three of us have been schemed against this time. You two need to be careful from now on, and it's best not to leave the Academy.’”

“Lu Binglan nodded gravely: ‘I also realized that I was too impulsive earlier.’”

“‘It's okay, we usually rarely leave the Academy anyway,’ Lu Xiaoxiao responded calmly.”

“‘I hope so!’ Your expression was grave.”

“Afterward, you didn't linger and returned to your Senior Sister's palace to continue your secluded cultivation.”

“However, during your secluded cultivation, you found it difficult to calm your mind.”

“Because you always felt that your opponent had already started targeting those around you.”

“Indeed, the next day, various rumors about you began circulating in the Academy—”

“‘I heard that our Academy's Genius, Qin Chen, first abandoned the Saintess, and now he's tricked away the Lu Clan's Twin Prodigies. How enviable!’”

“‘Such a philandering style is no less than those in the Dual Cultivation Academy. Instructor Yun Yao despises the Dual Cultivation Academy's ways, yet her own Junior Brother is like this. It seems Yun Yao is merely famous in name only.’”

“‘They say Qin Chen is also entangled with a female cultivator named Yinyue.’”

“‘Be careful what you say, or Qin Chen and his Senior Sister might exterminate your entire clan in a fit of rage.’”

“After hearing these rumors, your eyes suddenly lit up—you seemed to have understood the crucial point.”