Chapter 117 Can I Kiss You?

As Qin Jie spoke, he placed his hand behind Qin Hao again.

At this moment, Qin Hao wished he were dead. If he hadn't been strictly forbidden from entering the birthday banquet, why would he have had to disguise himself as a maid and be harassed by this lecherous man, Qin Jie?

"Lin Xiao, this is all your fault!"

Qin Hao grew even more furious, roaring wildly in his heart.

[Ding! Detected Son of Luck Qin Hao's mindset has collapsed, villain points +500]

[Ding! Detected Son of Luck Qin Hao's mindset has collapsed, villain points +100]

...

Hearing the System prompts constantly ringing in his mind, Lin Xiao was stunned.

What's going on? Now I get villain points even while idling?

The Family heads were all old foxes who had lived for hundreds of years; how could they not hear the underlying meaning in Lin Xiao's mention of a "confidante"?

The Family Head of the Zhao Family reacted the fastest.

He stood up abruptly, raised his wine cup, and strode to the center of the hall.

"The Saint's words are absolutely correct!"

"Niece Wanyu is a heavenly beauty, and the Saint is a dragon among men—it is truly a match made in heaven!"

The other Family heads cursed that old thief Zhao for his shamelessness, but their movements weren't slow at all.

"Yes, yes, yes! Niece Wanyu and the Saint are truly a perfect match of talent and beauty!"

"Indeed, Family Head Qin has raised a fine daughter. We are truly envious!"

Flattery and sycophancy echoed one after another within the hall.

The Family heads rose one by one, faces beaming with smiles, raising their wine cups to toast Lin Xiao and Qin Zhan.

Those who had previously been secretly plotting to carve up the Qin Family now had only one thought left.

That was to befriend the Qin Family!

Now that the Qin Family had secured a connection with the Primordial Holy Land, they wouldn't dare harbor any designs on the Qin Family even if they had the gall of a bear or a leopard.

After all, if things went well, Qin Zhan might actually become the Holy Son of Taichu's father-in-law!

"Everyone is too kind."

Qin Zhan looked around at the Family heads, laughed loudly, and drained his cup in one gulp.

The gift-giving phase saw an even more dramatic reversal.

Originally, they had agreed to just send some random spiritual items to go through the motions.

But now that the Qin Family had this relationship with the Primordial Holy Land, who would dare bring out scrap metal to fool them?

"The Li Family presents two Thousand-Year Blood Ginsengs and ten thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones. May Family Head Qin's fortune be as vast as the Eastern Sea!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding Family heads gasped, cursing inwardly:

"You Old Dog Li, you're even trying to outdo us in this!"

The Family Head of the Wang Family, unwilling to be outdone, immediately stepped forward.

"The Li Family presents a Soul Transformation-rank Magic Treasure, the Purple Gold Flowing Cloud Armor!"

The Family Head of the Liu Family followed closely behind.

"The Liu Family presents ten thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones and ten Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruits!"

The Family Head of the Zhao Family's face turned pale, and he was filled with deep regret.

To test the Qin Family's depth, he had been the first to speak out and cause trouble earlier.

Right now, he only hated that he hadn't brought the Family's ultimate treasure on this trip, and he was already thinking about how to apologize to the Qin Family in private.

Precious treasures were presented like flowing water, and Qin Zhan's smile was so wide he could hardly close his mouth.

Looking at the trembling Family heads who were fawning over him, he felt a wave of pure refreshment.

In all his years, he had never been as high-spirited as he was today.

"Is this the taste of power..."

"It truly is intoxicating..."

Qin Wanyu snuggled obediently in Lin Xiao's arms. Looking at her triumphant father and those once-lofty Family heads who were now humble and fawning, her affection for Lin Xiao soared.

Her beautiful eyes rippled like water as she gazed infatuatedly at Lin Xiao's sharp profile.

She had thought that for the sake of the jade pendant, Lin Xiao would at most intimidate the great families slightly, which would already be more than enough.

She hadn't expected that for her sake, Lin Xiao would even disregard the reputation of the Holy Son of Taichu.

Although he hadn't explicitly said they were Dao Companions, such blatant actions spoke louder than a thousand words.

This was equivalent to telling everyone that she, Qin Wanyu, belonged to the Holy Son of Taichu, and anyone who wanted to move against the Qin Family would have to weigh the wrath of the Primordial Holy Land.

How could she not be moved?

After three rounds of drinks, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

This thrilling birthday banquet finally came to an end.

In a certain courtyard of the Qin Family.

The door was pushed open slightly, and a head peeked out surreptitiously, glancing left and right.

Seeing no one around, Qin Hao finally slipped out of the room like a guilty thief.

As he walked, he straightened his rumpled dress.

Qin Jie's cultivation wasn't high; Qin Hao had only been taken advantage of a bit and hadn't been stabbed in the end.

But even just being groped was still a great humiliation for Qin Hao.

"Lin Xiao! Today's humiliation, I will repay a hundredfold in the future!"

Qin Hao took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart.

"With the Magic Treasure my teacher gave me, I should be able to ignore the Family's Restriction and Formation barriers."

"I just don't know if that Family jade pendant is actually in the Treasure Pavilion."

While he was thinking, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from ahead.

Qin Hao immediately dodged behind a rockery.

He saw two figures, a man and a woman, coming from the end of the corridor.

By the moonlight, Qin Hao saw the newcomers clearly.

The woman was one of his childhood sweethearts, Qin Wanyu.

And the man was the Holy Son of Taichu, Lin Xiao, whom he hated to the bone.

Even from a distance, Qin Hao could smell the strong scent of alcohol emanating from them.

Qin Wanyu's face was as flushed as a peach blossom, her eyes were hazy, and half her body hung limp against Lin Xiao, allowing him to hold her slender waist.

"Damn it, Wanyu is drunk. That hypocrite Lin Xiao isn't going to take advantage of her, is he?"

Qin Hao's heart tightened as he stared fixedly at the two figures leaning against each other.

Just as he was worrying, he unexpectedly caught a glimpse of an ancient, simple jade pendant hanging at Lin Xiao's waist, glowing with a warm luster.

The surface of the jade pendant was carved with intricate cloud patterns and a prominent ancient seal character "Qin".

"Could this be... the Qin Family jade pendant?"

"How could it be on Lin Xiao!"

Qin Hao's breath hitched, and countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

"Could it be that the Family Head, under Lin Xiao's overbearing pressure, chose to compromise and even handed over the ancestral jade pendant with both hands?"

"Oh no, Wanyu is in danger!"

Qin Hao clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

At this moment, how he wished the man holding Wanyu could be himself.

He only hated that he was too weak, hated that he didn't have a space-type Cultivation Technique like Xuanming Displacement.

"Saint..."

"Thank you..."

Under the moonlight, Qin Wanyu was as gentle as water, her breath like orchids, and even the heroic spirit between her brows had lessened.

Today, Qin Wanyu had rarely taken the time to dress up seriously.

Her long black hair was tied into a falling horse bun with a hairpin.

She wore an off-the-shoulder long dress; her shoulders were fair and rounded, and her collarbones were as exquisite as jade.

Beneath the gauze dress was her curvaceous body—full peaks, a slender willow waist, and rounded hips, outlining a perfect S-curve that invited imagination.

Since her father had raised her as the future successor since childhood, she was often forceful in her speech and actions, accustomed to hiding all her emotions in her heart.

But tonight, with the help of some alcohol, or perhaps because the sense of security Lin Xiao gave her was too strong, she completely let down her guard and rarely showed her truest side.

Lin Xiao held her waist with one hand, his expression gentle:

"No need for thanks. Since you were willing to give the jade pendant to me, I will naturally protect the Qin Family's safety."

"Today, you and I are Dao Companions."

Hearing the words "Dao Companions," Qin Wanyu smiled sweetly, but immediately after, an indescribable sense of loss welled up in her heart.

"Only for today..."

The night wind blew past, and Qin Wanyu became half-sober, murmuring in her heart:

"True, the Saint's status is so noble; he is destined to lead the Primordial Holy Land and look down upon the entire Eastern Region in the future. I am but a woman from a declining Family."

"An unknown jade pendant in exchange for at least a hundred years of peace for the Qin Family—it is already the Qin Family's gain."

"Qin Wanyu, oh Qin Wanyu... what exactly are you hoping for..."

Having thought this through, she suddenly raised her exquisite face, a slightly bitter smile appearing in her eyes.

"Does the Saint keep his word?"

The moonlight poured down, making Lin Xiao look even more handsome and elegant, like a banished immortal under the moon, untainted by the mortal world.

He nodded slightly, his voice magnetic:

"Naturally. If you don't believe me, I can swear on my conscience."

As he spoke, he made a move to raise his hand.

Seeing this, Qin Wanyu hurriedly reached out her soft, boneless little hand and grabbed the back of Lin Xiao's hand.

"I believe the Saint."

She took a deep breath and stared straight at Lin Xiao, her eyes rippling with a hint of desperate determination.

"Since we are Dao Companions today, can I..."

Qin Wanyu's cheeks were flushed, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum.

"Kiss the Saint once..."

As if afraid Lin Xiao would refuse, she hurriedly added another sentence.

"Just... just once..."