Seeing Lin Xue’s naturally charming smile, Zhang Zongnian’s heart felt as if it were melting, overflowing with happiness.
He originally had a bellyful of words he wanted to say, but now that he saw Lin Xue standing so prettily before him, he suddenly did not know where to start.
His face turned red. After hesitating for a long time, he managed to squeeze out a single sentence, “Younger Sister, don’t worry. I will take responsibility for you.”
Lin Xue’s smile froze, and she stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
In her mind, the Dual Cultivation with Zhang Zongnian had been an absolute necessity forced by the emergency of saving his life.
It was merely a way to repay the kindness he had shown by saving her several times.
As a youth of the new era who had lived on Blue Star for more than twenty years and had been influenced by the free and open modern world, she did not hold the rigid, old-fashioned views on gender and relationships common in ancient society.
She had no intention of using it to demand anything from Zhang Zongnian.
Since yesterday, she had been acting as if nothing had happened in front of him.
She wanted to pretend that everything was as it had always been, maintaining their relationship as either siblings or friends.
Yesterday, Zhang Zongnian had also been too shy to mention it, which had allowed her to relax.
She had assumed that he understood her thoughts and that they were in unspoken agreement to treat the event like a dream.
She had not expected that the first thing out of Zhang Zongnian’s mouth this morning would be such a declaration.
For a moment, Lin Xue did not know how to respond.
She wanted to tell Zhang Zongnian not to worry about it—to tell him to act as if nothing had happened and that they could still just be friends without him needing to take responsibility.
However, this world was not modern society, after all. People’s attitudes toward such matters were still quite rigid.
Especially a pure-hearted Shao Chunan like Zhang Zongnian, who had never experienced romance before, would care about this deeply.
She worried that such an answer would make Zhang Zongnian think she was a woman of loose morals who did not value her body or her chastity.
But if she agreed to let him take responsibility, wouldn’t that be the same as agreeing to become Dao companions or even husband and wife?
‘I am not mentally prepared to get married!’
‘Even now, I still plan to remain single and live out my life alone.’
Lin Xue was temporarily stuck in a dilemma.
Fortunately, Hong Yanzhi appeared just in time to break the awkwardness.
Hong Yanzhi walked up and first nodded to Zhang Zongnian in greeting.
Although she had once interrogated and tortured him, and there had been some friction between them, those minor conflicts had vanished after going through so many life-and-death situations together. Furthermore, they were both close friends of Lin Xue.
She came to Lin Xue’s side and said, “Sister Xue’er, we agreed to help Li Tianzheng today. Don’t you think it’s time to head out?”
Lin Xue, who was eager to escape the awkward situation, felt as if she had been granted a great amnesty and hurriedly said, “Yes, yes, yes, we should head out. Let’s go quickly. Send someone to call Hua Yingying and the others. We’re leaving right now.”
She hurried past Zhang Zongnian, her face feeling hot and flushed.
Zhang Zongnian watched as Lin Xue, her face bright red, rushed down the mountain.
He scratched the back of his head, feeling completely lost.
Seeing that Lin Xue seemed to be avoiding Zhang Zongnian, Hong Yanzhi’s eyes filled with doubt.
She looked back and forth between the two of them with a suspicious expression.
When Lin Xue had recounted the rescue of Zhang Zongnian yesterday, she had not revealed the matter of their Dual Cultivation.
Therefore, Hong Yanzhi had no idea what had happened between them.
She simply felt that there was something going on between these two siblings!
Lin Xue fled back to the cave entrance, where the six female demons—Hua Yingying, Xiao Mili, Li Tiantian, Du Juan’er, Miao Xiaolan, and Jin Doudou—were already standing together, waiting for them.
Many of their family members had also come to see them off.
Lang Buping stood at the cave entrance with his attendants to bid farewell to Hong Yanzhi.
When they saw Lin Xue running down from the mountaintop with flushed cheeks and a bashful expression that made her look exceptionally gorgeous and charming, the demons’ eyes couldn’t help but fixate on her.
They were all curious: who could have provoked this Immortal Lady-like beauty into such a bashful state?
Then, they saw Zhang Zongnian walking down behind Hong Yanzhi and Lin Xue. The expression on Zhang Zongnian’s face was also quite unnatural.
The crowd of demons suddenly had an epiphany.
So it was him!
They had long felt that the relationship between Lin Xue and Zhang Zongnian was a bit unusual.
Clearly, one was a human and the other was a demon, yet they claimed to be siblings.
Many Lesser Beasts in the mountain had long suspected that the two were actually a couple.
Seeing the expressions on Lin Xue and Zhang Zongnian’s faces now, their suspicions were finally confirmed.
These “siblings” were indeed a pair of lovers!
Lin Xue was unaware of what the demons were thinking.
She rubbed her still-burning cheeks, forced herself to calm down, and said to the female demons, “Is everyone ready? We’re heading out now.”
Hong Yanzhi, Hua Yingying, and the others responded one after another, “We’re ready!” “Let’s go, Sister Xue’er.”
Looking at Hong Yanzhi, who was about to depart, Lang Buping’s face was full of reluctance.
His face was filled with worry. “Are the people from the Demon-Slaying Bureau really trustworthy? We are enemies, after all. You must be careful when dealing with them.”
Hong Yanzhi comforted him, “Don’t worry, Husband. Sister Xue’er is now at the Golden Core Stage, and she has the key to the Secret Realm. She isn’t afraid of those cultivators from the Demon-Slaying Bureau causing trouble. It’s just a small mission to close the Portal; we’ll be back soon.”
Lin Xue stood on her tiptoes, patted Lang Buping on the shoulder, and said, “Don’t worry, Elder Brother Lang. I will bring your precious wife back to you in one piece.”
Lang Buping looked at Lin Xue, who was shrouded in dense Lingqi and looked no different from a human Golden Core Cultivator, his mind feeling a bit dazed.
When Lin Xue had left his sight yesterday morning, she had been covered in Demon Aura and was undoubtedly at the Demon King Realm.
Yet when she returned with Zhang Zongnian yesterday evening, she had transformed into a Golden Core Cultivator.
Lang Buping had lived for more than 100 years, and he had never heard of such a thing—a member of the Demonic Beast race who could simultaneously possess both the Demon King Realm and the Golden Core Stage.
Yet this anomaly was standing right before his eyes.
Facing a freak like Lin Xue, Lang Buping could only sigh at how vast the gap between one demon and another could be.
With his precious Hong Yanzhi protected by a powerhouse like Lin Xue, he felt much more at ease.
Hong Yanzhi circulated her Demon Aura, conjuring a mass of red clouds that enveloped the group of female demons. The eight of them prepared to take flight.
Zhang Zongnian suddenly lunged forward and stepped into the cloud.
Hong Yanzhi was startled and asked, “Is Elder Zhang coming along too?”
Zhang Zongnian glanced at Lin Xue, nodded, and said, “The more people, the more strength we have. Let me go with you to prevent the people from the Demon-Slaying Bureau from playing tricks.”
Hong Yanzhi looked at Lin Xue.
Lin Xue’s face turned red again.
However, she did not kick Zhang Zongnian out. She only said, “Fine. since Brother wants to go, let’s go together.”
Hong Yanzhi controlled the red cloud as it rose into the air.
Amidst the waving farewells of the demons below, the nine of them—Lin Xue, Hua Yingying, Xiao Mili, Li Tiantian, Du Juan’er, Miao Xiaolan, Jin Doudou, Hong Yanzhi, and Zhang Zongnian—flew toward the meeting point designated by Li Tianzheng.