On their way to Shenxiao Palace, Lin Xiao could clearly feel his Master deliberately trying to initiate conversation, but he brushed off her attempts with concise, perfunctory replies.
"Junior Brother Lin!"
The pair had just landed at the mountain gate of Dragon Head Peak when a tall man with handsome features, yet carrying a hint of a soft, feminine aura, greeted them with a warm smile.
It was none other than Jiang Yuan!
Lin Xiao scrutinized him and noticed many changes. Not only had he combed his once messy hair into a Taoist bun, but he had also donned the Chief Disciple's brocade robe, which seemed to flow with a Taoist aura.
He looked radiant and was brimming with confidence, much like the "Legendary Chief Disciple" of his prime! New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on ⓝovelFire.net
Who would've thought this guy could clean up so well? He's like a completely different person! His looks are probably just a notch below mine, right? Doesn't he look more like a protagonist than that Ye Chen fellow? Lin Xiao, surprised for a moment, walked up with a grin. "Well, well, Senior Brother Jiang! It's been a while. You've gotten even more... *ahem*, exceptionally handsome!"
"Junior Brother Lin, you flatter me. When it comes to good looks, among the millions of male cultivators in the entire Eastern Region's Cultivation World, I'm afraid no one can surpass you," Jiang Yuan, who seemed to be in a good mood, replied, engaging in some good-natured mutual flattery.
After their banter, he turned to Xiao Hongling. "Greetings, Uncle Master Xiao!"
Xiao Hongling nodded slightly and said with a faint smile, "The Sect Leader is being too kind, having you, his beloved disciple, personally welcome us."
Jiang Yuan shook his head, hesitated, then said, "To answer Uncle Master Xiao, I came out to greet you of my own accord; it was not my Master's instruction."
Xiao Hongling raised an eyebrow. "Then you are…"
"To be frank, Uncle Master, inside Shenxiao Palace right now, not only are Martial Uncle Su and Uncle Master Chisong, the two Chairmen, already present, but all eighteen Supreme Elders are also in attendance. Therefore, before you two go in, I have something I'd like to discuss privately with Junior Brother Lin."
He emphasized the word "privately."
Xiao Hongling frowned slightly, sensing things were becoming complicated. She didn't know this martial nephew, whom she had seldom met, very well. But for some reason, he always gave her the impression of being deeply calculating and having a rather gloomy disposition.
"It doesn't matter. Whatever you have to say, say it to Lin Xiao right here in my presence," she stated coldly.
"No, there are things that I must discuss solely with Junior Brother Lin," Jiang Yuan firmly insisted.
"It's alright, Master. You can go in first. I'll just catch up with Senior Brother Jiang, and I'll be right behind you," Lin Xiao quickly interjected.
"Very well. Since you've spoken up, I won't insist," Xiao Hongling conceded. After shooting Lin Xiao a profound look, she transformed into an Escape Light and streaked towards Shenxiao Palace.
At the mountain gate, only the two men remained—both exceptionally handsome, yet with distinctly different temperaments—facing each other.
"Junior Brother Lin, you previously sent a message back to the sect saying you were going to Beacon City to meet Ye Xuan'er, the Northern Territory Queen, and convince her to help us resist the threat from the Demon Sect. Is this true?" Jiang Yuan asked with a stern face.
Lin Xiao gave a wry smile. "Old Jiang, others might not know about my relationship with Ye Xuan'er, but you do, don't you? Speaking of which, my bond with Xuan'er owes a great deal to your matchmaking."
Jiang Yuan was stunned for a moment, then, as if realizing something, he burst out laughing. "Hahaha, I didn't expect that even the Northern Territory Queen couldn't resist Junior Brother Lin's charm!"
"No, no, Senior Brother Jiang, you're thinking too much," Lin Xiao said, hastily waving his hands. "Anyway, we're old acquaintances. If you have something to say, Senior Brother Jiang, just say it."
Jiang Yuan glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he finally said with a grave expression, "Junior Brother Lin, I also heard that... on your trip to the North Territory, you discovered movements by the Evil Extreme Sect of the Demon Sect, is that right?"
Lin Xiao's expression changed abruptly. "In my letter to the Sect Leader, I repeatedly asked him to keep this matter confidential! How do you know about it?"
Jiang Yuan looked a bit embarrassed. "This matter... *cough cough*. Junior Brother Lin, you should know that my Master trusts me, his direct eldest disciple, the most. Therefore, he likes to discuss many important matters with me first. But rest assured, Junior Brother Lin! Apart from me, no third person knows about this!" he quickly added.
Sigh, another case of a master doting excessively on his disciple, Lin Xiao couldn't help but reflect.
In the original novel, during the battle where the Eight Great Demon Sects attacked the mountain, Jiang Yuan was drained into a withered husk by the Joy Sect Leader, who absorbed his Yang essence to supplement her Yin. True Master Ziyun, who had abided by the sect's tenets his entire life and was known for his rigid adherence to rules, actually disregarded the ancestral edict that 'Whenever the sect faces a calamity, the Sect Leader must remain in Shenxiao Palace.' He charged out of Shenxiao Palace, sword in hand, and minced that androgynous Joy Sect Leader into paste.
"Alright, let's not talk about that," Lin Xiao said with a frown. "So, Senior Brother Jiang, now that you know about this, do you have any suggestions?"
Jiang Yuan shook his head and said, enunciating each word carefully, "I hope that when Junior Brother Lin goes in later, you absolutely do not speak of this matter publicly, especially... when that old scoundrel from Tiandang Peak, Yuanyi... oh, no, when that old senior is present."
Lin Xiao's eyes widened in astonishment.
Listening to him, it sounds like he might know Yuanyi's secret!
This guy is problematic! Very problematic!
Recalling Jiang Yuan's previous strange actions that deviated from the plotline, Lin Xiao finally reached a conclusion.
This guy either knows the script or, like that giant lizard, he's a so-called Reincarnator!