Nangong Liuyun heard this and shook her head.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Xinwan, you’re always the sister I treasure most.”
Just then, Nangong Xinwan reached out and grabbed Jiang Xuan’s jaw.
“Want to save me? You must be joking! Let’s see if you have the guts to say that if I demand a battle from you and you don’t agree, I’ll unleash all my wrath on him instead.”
“What will you do, my dear sister, have you made your choice?”
Jiang Xuan: “……”
As soon as she said this, the two sank into an eerie atmosphere.
To avoid being too deeply involved in their conflict, Jiang Xuan decided to throw caution to the wind.
“Liuyun, just go. You don’t stand a chance against Xinwan. I don’t want you getting hurt for me.”
With these words, Jiang Xuan managed to demonstrate the qualities of being a good guy to the max.
Suddenly, Nangong Liuyun reached out, and the next instant, she had Jiang Xuan wrapped safely in her arms.
Seeing this, Nangong Xinwan’s eyes widened momentarily.
She simply couldn’t grasp how Liuyun did that.
Then, Nangong Liuyun whispered:
“Husband, please forgive me for the display. It shows Xinwan being a bit impulsive. You should leave now and return to the Jiang Family. When we leave this hidden chamber, there’ll be guards to escort you back. Apologies, it seems I can’t cater to you properly today; I need to take care of some family matters first.”
“Alright, then… Liuyun, take extra care. Miss doesn’t seem to be handling things too well…”
“Yeah, I understand. Relax, I’ve got this. Actually, I’ve also found an explanation for her cold demeanor over the years and will handle it now.”
After bidding farewell to Nangong Liuyun, Jiang Xuan happily returned to the Jiang Family.
Unbeknownst to him, as soon as he left, movement could be heard in the hidden chamber.
When it subsided, Nangong Xinwan was no longer able to maintain her stoic appearance.
Instead, she clung onto Nangong Liuyun like a sniffling child.
“Wahhh, Sister, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have thought I was invincible. You’re the strongest!”
“Xinwan, ever since Mother and I crowned you the brightest star in the Imperial City, you’ve let it go to your head.
Do you know, when you released your cultivation aura within the Nangong Mansion, you nearly ruined our plan!”
“But I forgive that. What you shouldn’t have done is lay a finger on him.
Haven’t you understood yet? Even if you forced yourself upon him, his heart belongs only to me.
From now on, you’re grounded for a month. You stay within Nangong Mansion.
Mother should be arriving there soon. With your strength now reaching Martial King, there might be things you need to know.
Next time you meet my husband, do you understand how you should address him?”
“Yea, yea… I should call him… Brother-in-law…”
Elsewhere, after returning to the Jiang Family, Jiang Xuan suddenly remembered it was the day he was supposed to meet a benefactor from Tianxiang Pavilion.
This benefactor was actually the boss behind the scenes at the pavilion. He visits every month to put on a show.
The fee is a hefty five million top-grade spiritual stones per performance. When Jiang Xuan initially bound himself to the scanning system, the starter package came with skills like music, chess, painting, calligraphy, cooking, and other miscellaneous abilities, which were quite useless.
In this male-dominated realm, though, being a man, he needed those skills for daily life.
Although they appeared useless, Jiang Xuan used them to propel his career forward madly.
In fact, except for his level of cultivation, many aspects, Jiang Xuan was a fully leveled boss.
Because he lacked the aptitude for cultivating and the physical condition to become stronger, he started a secret organization later on, called Xuantian Pavilion, fueled by a mountain of spiritual stones.
Currently, among the core personnel in Xuantian Pavilion, the deputy master held a rank of Martial King and twenty executive elders were all at the Martial Spirit sixth stage.
Meanwhile, the founder, Jiang Xuan, held barely more than the rank of Martial Apprentice.
He established Xuantian Pavilion using a fake identity—himself called Xuantian.
The rapid ascent of Xuantian Pavilion owed much to the deputy master who was a Martial King.
Moreover, this individual was also the only one in Xuantian Pavilion who knew Jiang Xuan’s real identity.
Back when Xuantian secretly ventured out, he’d happened to save an injured woman, who then became his ally.
Now though, the deputy master was off elsewhere recruiting members, far from the Imperial City.
Word of the prowess of the deputy master had already spread far and wide. Anyone with even an iota of knowledge could tell you that Xuantian Pavilion had a terrifying figure at its helm whose cultivation level stood at the peak Martial King.
There is a legend of the master as an absolute Martial Emperor.
Upon hearing this tale, a certain youth, with a thick skin, didn’t deny but claimed it should be elevated, not to Martial Emperor, but rather Martial Monarch.
Reflecting on his establishment of Xuantian Pavilion, Jiang Xuan’s thoughts wandered. He contemplated bringing his deputy master back to the city.
That way, he’d be safer. But then, he reconsidered. Trust was paramount, yet sometimes the deputy master’s actions were baffling.
For instance, despite Jiang Xuan offering tens of millions in spiritual stones. The deputy master declined and went so far as to request he step on her in response.
These requests Jiang Xuan promptly rejected. Being a conscientious employer, he wouldn’t dare exploit his staff.
Later, she was dispatched to further develop the organization beyond the Imperial City.
As he returned home and spoke with his mother, Jiang Xuan changed into plain clothes and applied makeup to cover his face, donning a silver mask to conceal his appearance completely.
He quietly activated a mechanism and a hidden underground passage revealed itself, undoubtedly a handiwork of his deputy.
He walked into the passageway, and once inside, it vanished without a trace.
When he reappeared, he found himself in an old courtyard, one of the endpoints of the network.
After leaving the hidden quarters, he entered the Tianxiang Pavilion through the backdoor.
The moment he stepped inside, a beautiful woman rushed over, breathless.
“Little Ancestor, you’ve finally arrived. You’re such a secretive little bugger, always without the address, I fear you might run away any moment, leaving Tianxiang Pavilion without a reputation.”
“Mistress Mu, that’s unfair. We’ve been partners for over half a year, and I’ve never broken a deal. Don’t worry, if I’m unable to come, I promise I’ll give you plenty of notice.”
While speaking, Jiang Xuan kept an eye on information provided by the scanning system.
Name: Mu Yunxue
Cultivation Level: Sixth Tier Martial Spirit
Spiritual Root: Supreme Celestial Divine Essence Pillar
Current Affection Rating toward Host: -888
Mulling over, Jiang Xuan sighed inwardly.
“The very hint of possibly giving advance notice decreased my rating to negatives? It seems like this sponsor has no intention of letting us go.”
On the surface, Jiang Xuan reassured her, “Mistress Mu, fret not. I desperately need spiritual stones. Our deals will continue.”
Upon hearing this, the affection rating soared back to 999.
“There’s something I’d like to consult you about, Little Ancestor. A guest recently came to Tianxiang Pavilion, demanding to see your true face. They offered an exorbitant one billion spiritual stones for this opportunity.
It’s a significant sum. Considering the deficit in your funds, shall we agree to it?
Besides, the person holds great influence; we would struggle to face up.}”
Jiang Xuan responded with a stunned silence, finally uttering, “Mu, you’re pushing it. Ever since I joined your pavilion, I’ve only been performing.”
“I’m not one of your courtesans. Frankly, I wear the mask due to my unremarkable looks.”
“What if my appearance frightens the guest, leading to dire consequences?”
“You worry for nothing. Your safety is assured. Yet look at your eyes—clearly, you can’t look uglier. Take off your mask for verification?”
“We’ve worked together long enough without forcing you to reveal yourself, but this guest wields immense power.”
“She casually wields an astronomical sum. We are no match compared to Tianxiang Pavilion’s might.
Offering ten billion spiritual stones, this visitor claims to make it worth your while.”
Jiang Xuan stared in disbelief.
