223: Retreat to advance

“Reasonable my ass! I’m telling you, if you dare to come one step closer, I won’t go easy on you!” Xiao Hongmei said.

“Then that’s no fun. After all, Sect Master Yun Xuan entrusted you to me. You wouldn’t want to disappoint her, right?”

“You…!” Xiao Hongmei was speechless.

She never would have thought that in just one day, the dynamic between her and Chen Xuan would undergo such a drastic change!

She had clearly seen him as a shy, sunny big boy, and she had absolute control. She had gone to tease and manipulate him, so how did she end up becoming the passive one?

Something must be wrong!

“Don’t worry, she won’t be disappointed. You don’t need to worry about that!”

“Sigh, it’s a pity I put in so much effort for your Sect, and in the end, I got nothing! Forget it, forget it. After this matter is concluded, I’ll leave to find a Yao Beast suitable for me. I won’t stay in this sorrowful place!”

Chen Xuan said dejectedly.

“I… you…!”

“It’s late. I’ll rest first. You should also rest early!”

“Chen Xuan, don’t be like this! I… I didn’t mean that!” Xiao Hongmei felt an emptiness in her heart.

Chen Xuan, however, turned a deaf ear and walked straight to his room.

“Chen Xuan, you… don’t go! Stop right there!” Xiao Hongmei shouted from behind him.

However, Chen Xuan ignored her and walked straight into his room, closing the door.

Xiao Hongmei stood blankly outside the door, a wave of grievance rising in her heart. She hadn’t expected Chen Xuan to be so cold to her, which made her very sad.

However, Chen Xuan didn’t see Xiao Hongmei’s expression at that moment. Sometimes, retreating to advance is an excellent method.

Looking at her reaction just now, her heart must be very conflicted. Let her consume herself more and feel lost.

As expected, not long after, while Chen Xuan was Cultivating, there was a sudden knock on the door.

“Who is it?” Chen Xuan opened his eyes and asked.

“It’s me.” Xiao Hongmei’s voice sounded from outside the door.

Chen Xuan got up, opened the door, and saw Xiao Hongmei standing outside.

“What’s wrong? Is there something?” Chen Xuan asked.

“Chen Xuan, I… I want to talk to you.” Xiao Hongmei said in a low voice.

“Come in.” Chen Xuan stepped aside, making way for Xiao Hongmei to enter.

The two sat on the edge of the bed. Xiao Hongmei was silent for a moment, then finally spoke, “Chen Xuan, I’m sorry. What I just said was too impulsive. Please don’t be angry.”

“It’s alright. It’s understandable for you to say that. After all, Sister Xiao and I haven’t known each other for long. It was I who was presumptuous. But even so, I will fulfill our agreement tomorrow. You can rest assured about that,” Chen Xuan said with a smile.

Xiao Hongmei was silent.

For some reason, seeing such a polite Chen Xuan made her feel even sadder and more irritable.

But she just didn’t know what to say, and that was the most difficult part.

Chen Xuan naturally saw her discomfort and added fuel to the fire: “Alright, Sister Xiao, it’s getting late. You should go back to your room. I also need to meet my wives.”

At these words, Xiao Hongmei trembled even more.

‘That’s right, I was never Chen Xuan’s first choice. If he thinks… we have no possibility, then we will naturally be strangers in the future. Isn’t that normal? But why does my heart feel so blocked?’

“Is there anything else?” Chen Xuan asked, looking at Xiao Hongmei who was bowing her head in silence.

“Actually, I… I want to be with you. I want to advance and retreat with you, to overcome difficulties together!” Xiao Hongmei mustered her courage and finally spoke her mind.

“Is that so…” Chen Xuan gave the ripe Xiao Hongmei a meaningful look, then his gaze began to change.

“Then, Sister Xiao, tell me now, who is in charge now?” (Zhang Rang’s voice)

“You, you are in charge!”

“Then whose person are you?”

“…”

Early the next morning, Chen Xuan and Xiao Hongmei arrived at the door of Holy Lord Yun Xuan.

“Since you’re both here, let’s set off! But Hongmei, what’s wrong with you? Why are you walking so awkwardly?”

“Uh, Sister Xiao might be feeling nervous about returning home. After all, she was also selected from the orphans, so she might be a bit shy to see her elders and fellow villagers!” Chen Xuan talked nonsense.

“Is that so? But Hongmei has been out for hundreds of years, how could she still have elders and fellow villagers?”

“Uh… then maybe I guessed wrong, haha!”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongmei glared at Chen Xuan playfully. It was all his fault!

Soon, the group arrived at the Secret Realm entrance of Thousand Falling Holy Land, ready to receive the group of Holy Land orphans.

In the past, Thousand Falling Holy Land was jointly controlled by several large Families and some small Families. These Holy Land orphans were actually the untalented descendants of those large Families from back then. After a thousand years of reproduction, they had long formed a vast population of Mortals.

People from Thousand Falling Holy Land would also select talented individuals suitable for Cultivating from among them every year, allowing this fresh blood to rejoin the Holy Land and serve the Sect. Xiao Hongmei was one of those who were selected.

As a Holy Land-level force, Thousand Falling Holy Land naturally possessed its own Secret Realms. However, unfortunately, they were all in fixed locations without exception. Once discovered by enemies, it would definitely lead to utter destruction.

Their current Qingfeng Mountain stronghold was also no longer very safe, which was why they resorted to this last resort, having Chen Xuan receive these orphans.

Actually, Chen Xuan was initially quite resistant. After all, if all the people of a Sect entered his Grotto-Heaven, even if he could expel them at any time, it would still be quite unstable.

But if only Mortals entered his Secret Realm, then he would welcome them with open arms.

After all, in his Grotto-Heaven, any living being with a Cultivation lower than his would be marked by him, and those who were marked would not lose their self or their independent consciousness.

However, they would not be able to disobey any of Chen Xuan’s commands.

So, any Genius who appeared in this Secret Realm in the future, cultivated into a peerless expert by some force, would still be his person.

“How do I receive these Mortals?”

“Open your Secret Realm and connect it to our Secret Realm entrance, and I will have them enter your Secret Realm themselves.” Yun Xuan said faintly.

Chen Xuan nodded and immediately followed Yun Xuan’s instructions, activating his Grotto-Heaven power to connect the Secret Realm.

At this time, Yun Xuan also began to act, using her Undergoing Tribulation stage strength to directly bring a large number of Mortals from the Secret Realm into Chen Xuan’s Grotto-Heaven.

In just four hours, Chen Xuan had already received hundreds of millions of Mortals into his Secret Realm.