99: Innocence? Green tea?

"Since that's the case, let's do as you suggested!"

"It just so happens that I am going to pay my respects to my Revered Master later, so I will ask Revered Master to change the candidate for the marriage arrangement."

Liu Xuan glanced at the three of them and added, "However, I cannot guarantee whether it will succeed. If the Old Ancestor does not agree, there is nothing I can do!"

"That goes without saying!"

Lin Junjie said politely, "Junior Brother Liu is exceptionally talented and deeply valued by the Old Ancestor, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Once it is done, Junior Brother Liu, you will be my brother-in-law, and I, your elder brother, will have generous gifts to offer."

Before Liu Xuan could speak, Lin Junjie continued, "Since Junior Brother Liu is going to see the Old Ancestor later, we shall take our leave first!"

He stood up, cupped his hands at Liu Xuan, and then looked at his younger sister, Lin Yiyi, "Yiyi, you stay here for two days, and I will come to see you in a while."

After speaking, Lin Junjie and Lin Yuanshuang left the small courtyard.

At the foot of the mountain, after leaving the Talisman Hall, Lin Yuanshuang and Lin Junjie walked side by side.

"Brother Junjie, you are the most gifted Disciple in our Family, having broken through to the Late Qi Refining Stage at such a young age and being a seed for Foundation Establishment. Why must you insist on having younger sister Yiyi marry Liu Xuan?"

Lin Yuanshuang thought about it for a long time but still couldn't understand. Liu Xuan only had good talent in Talismans, but his Heart-Nature was poor, so his future would ultimately be limited.

Recalling the group of children in the Talisman Revered Master's small courtyard who kept running up to Liu Xuan calling him 'Daddy', Lin Yuanshuang shook her head inwardly.

"You don't understand!"

Lin Junjie shook his head and said, "I have witnessed his growth every step of the way with my own eyes; this person is definitely not as simple as he appears on the surface!"

"He has only been in the sect for three years, right? A twenty-one-year-old First-Rank Mid-Grade Talisman Master and a Middle Stage of Qi Refining Cultivator—have you ever heard of such a thing?"

"And another thing!"

"The Old Ancestor's judgment is surely better than yours or mine. If he were just an ordinary Genius, would the Old Ancestor have granted a marriage between you and Liu Xuan?"

Lin Yuanshuang fell into deep thought. The Old Ancestor previously had a Personal Disciple named Zhao Qing, who also had great talent in Talismans.

Apart from allowing him to cultivate in the Daoist temple, it seemed there really wasn't much special treatment.

"How about it? Do you regret it?"

Lin Junjie laughed, "Little Sister Yuanshuang, it's not too late to change your mind. In any case, Liu Xuan has more than one Dao Companion, and with your beauty and talent, I presume he would not refuse."

"I, Lin Yuanshuang, will absolutely never regret it!"

Her pretty face showed confidence and arrogance as she said disdainfully, "What does his talent have to do with me, even if Liu Xuan is talented?"

"I have my own Dao; why would I need to rely on others?"

Lin Yuanshuang indeed had the capital for confidence. She had broken through to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining at twenty-four and entered the Inner Sect as a Genius Disciple. Now, at twenty-six, she had reached the Bottleneck of the fifth layer of Qi Refining. As long as she broke through to the Late Qi Refining Stage before the age of forty, she wouldn't be much worse off than Lin Junjie.

Being a Genius herself, how could she be willing to become someone else's Concubine?

If it were the kind of Dao Companion relationship where they respected each other like guests and supported one another, that would be one thing. But given Liu Xuan's current situation, if she went over there, she would also have to bear children—how could she endure that?

Lin Yuanshuang had long since made up her mind that it was impossible for her to become a Dao Companion with Liu Xuan.

Even if the Old Ancestor didn't agree in the end, she would fight to the bitter end. She was of the direct Bloodline of the Lin Family; the Old Ancestor wouldn't force her to death, would he?

Lin Junjie didn't say much more. Lin Yuanshuang had great talent, and there was nothing wrong with her saying that.

The two parted ways and went about their own business.

...

The Talisman Revered Master's small courtyard.

Liu Xuan questioned Lin Yiyi for a while and roughly understood the ins and outs of the matter.

Lin Yuanshuang was one of the most gifted women in the Lin Family, and she was from the direct main branch, which was why the Old Ancestor had ordered the marriage.

But with such great talent, Lin Yuanshuang certainly didn't want to be Liu Xuan's Dao Companion, so she kept finding excuses to delay and protest.

As it happened, the Genius Lin Junjie, who was from a branch Family, saw the value in Liu Xuan and took the initiative to propose replacing Lin Yuanshuang with his own younger sister, Lin Yiyi, killing two birds with one stone—a perfect solution for both.

"So you mean you still don't want to, and your brother forced you?" Liu Xuan asked.

"No! That's not it."

Lin Yiyi waved her hands quickly, "Brother didn't force me. I just think he is right; me marrying you would be good for my parents, my brother, and Sister Yuanshuang."

She looked up at Liu Xuan and said crisply, "No one forced me; I am doing this voluntarily!"

"You say that marrying me is good for your parents, my brother, and Sister Yuanshuang, but haven't you considered yourself?"

Liu Xuan became very interested in Lin Yiyi; this was the first time he had met such a gentle and kind girl.

"If they are all well, then of course Yiyi is well too!"

Lin Yiyi looked up, and a pair of innocent eyes were reflected in Liu Xuan's mind, touching the depths of his heart.

Such a pure gaze is very difficult to fake. If this look were acted out, it would probably be at the level of a top-tier green tea.

Regardless of whether it was real or acted, Liu Xuan had a good impression of Lin Yiyi.

As long as one has enough strength and can handle it, sipping on some green tea also has a special flavor.

After an in-depth conversation, Liu Xuan understood more about Lin Yiyi.

Lin Junjie dared to use her to replace Lin Yuanshuang because Lin Yiyi's talent was also not bad. She possessed a Sixth-Grade Spiritual Root, was twenty-one years old this year, and had just broken through to the third layer of Qi Refining. She also had the opportunity to break through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining by twenty-five and become an Inner Sect Disciple ahead of schedule.

"Daddy~" "Daddy~" "I'm hungry!" "Hungry~" "Hungry~" ...

Xiao Yuan took the lead, and a group of children surrounded Liu Xuan, shouting that they were hungry. A few little ones who couldn't talk yet also excitedly joined in the fun, babbling and shouting.

"Alright, alright, alright!"

Liu Xuan called over Xiao Shuang, who was nearby, as well as Li Man and Huang Qian who were at home, and had them prepare food for the children.

Before long, various exquisite Spirit foods were brought out one after another—snacks and pastries made from Spirit Rice, Spirit Fruits, Yao Beast meat, and even the water they drank was Spirit Spring Water.

The scene before her surprised Lin Yiyi. She knew that Liu Xuan was wealthy as a Talisman Revered Master, but she hadn't expected him to be this wealthy.

'Wouldn't it be wasteful to eat so well?'

She came from a branch Family, and after revealing her talent, her treatment was not bad, but it did not reach the point of extravagance and waste.

Her brother needed support to reach the Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm, and she didn't even have enough Spirit Stones herself to help him. She also needed resources to break through to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining as soon as possible so she could enter the Inner Sect.

It could be said that every gold coin needed to be spent where it mattered most. For this reason, her parents basically had never really enjoyed themselves, and sometimes they wouldn't even eat Spirit Rice, saving it for the siblings.

The branch Family Lin Yiyi belonged to didn't just consist of the two of them; there were also several younger brothers and sisters with average or no talent.

Compared to them, these younger brothers and sisters were not so lucky; they basically received very little support from the Family, and many could only fend for themselves.

'It is said that Liu Xuan treats his Dao Companions, Concubines, and children extremely well and is never stingy with Spirit Stones. It seems that is indeed the case!'

"Pretty Auntie, would you like to eat one too?"

While Lin Yiyi was deep in thought, the little girl Lingxiu handed her a Spirit Fruit.

"Thank you!"

Lin Yiyi smiled and took it, "What is your name?"

"My name is Liu Lingxiu!"

The little girl was very happy; after saying this, she ran off to find Xiao Shuang to ask for more Spirit Fruit.