As the one being praised, Li Yunxian just found it a bit amusing.
After her cultivation deepened, people constantly surrounded her with admiration, some even eloquent enough to compose poetry.
Those phrases like “as graceful as a dragon in flight” and “as elegant as a startled swan” sounded so pleasant and soothing.
But Ying Wenhe, when it came to praise, could only manage a few dry words: “You look nice.”
Yet it was exactly this awkwardness that made the well-traveled Li Yunxian sense some sincerity.
Especially because…
Even Su Wenjing could tell that Ying Wenhe had specially dressed up, so of course Li Yunxian could see it as well.
She could even tell that Ying Wenhe had carefully shaped his eyebrows—he looked just like a… a crane spreading its feathers?
Li Yunxian couldn’t help but laugh, admiring the handsome man putting himself on display for her, and returned the compliment: “You too, look very nice.”
The simple six words instantly made Ying Wenhe beam with joy.
But just as his smile bloomed, he felt countless razor-sharp gazes piercing straight through him, as if trying to nail him to the ground.
Too much.
Ying Wenhe shivered slightly and looked up.
Only then did he notice the people standing beside Li Yunxian.
There were over twenty people whose cultivation he couldn’t discern, each of their faces reading “Stay away from our precious one.”
It wasn’t just Su Wenjing—everyone present was at least a hundred years old. To these elders, a young man in his twenties was an open book.
Ying Wenhe instantly realized that these must be Li Yunxian’s elders.
I absolutely can’t embarrass myself in front of her elders!
Even before the thought fully formed in his mind, his body already acted.
With all those heavy stares on him, Ying Wenhe straightened his posture and very properly saluted the person standing at the front of the group.
“Boxing Ying Clan, Ying Wenhe, greets all seniors.” Ying Wenhe introduced himself.
Standing at the head was Su Wenjing:
This respectful attitude—was this guy treating him like an ancestor?!
Su Wenjing narrowed his eyes dangerously.
He felt provoked.
“You like this type?” Su Wenjing sent a voice transmission to Li Yunxian.
Li Yunxian could hear the undertone of disdain for Ying Wenhe in Su Wenjing’s words.
Since he was one of their own, Li Yunxian spoke up to defend him.
“This look, putting in the effort for me—it’s quite attractive.” Li Yunxian replied calmly, expressing her approval of Ying Wenhe.
Being liked by others was never a burden for Li Yunxian, nor did she feel any need to reciprocate.
She simply appreciated it.
To her, other people’s affections were their own business; what she herself liked was her own business.
Li Yunxian understood this very well. As for others who couldn’t figure it out, she was happy to help them see clearly.
Su Wenjing:
Su Wenjing could tell that there wasn’t a hint of romantic affection in Li Yunxian’s tone regarding Ying Wenhe, just a pure appreciation of male beauty.
What a decadent ruler’s infatuation with pretty faces!
The good news: there was no need to worry about Li Yunxian being whisked away by Ying Wenhe.
The bad news…
Su Wenjing examined Ying Wenhe’s appearance closely; aside from his flamboyant clothing, he couldn’t figure out what about him qualified as “male beauty.”
The bad news: Li Yunxian’s taste was questionable.
Hearing a not-so-friendly snort from above his head, Ying Wenhe realized the voice had passed over him, heading toward where Li Yunxian stood.
“Let’s go.” Su Wenjing said with a curl of his lips.
***
Immediately, the few people in front of Ying Wenhe vanished from sight.
He’d been ignored.
Ying Wenhe could sense their discontent toward him.
Yet he wasn’t upset at all; in fact, he felt a bit pleased.
He’d heard that meeting the in-laws usually went like this—none of them looked pleased to see you.
So, did this count as meeting her family?
But Ying Wenhe only dared to be pleased inwardly. He knew well his standing in Li Yunxian’s heart.
Turning back to Li Yunxian, Ying Wenhe couldn’t help but break into another smile: “Boss, who are you meeting today? I’ll go with you and guarantee no one will take advantage of you!”
Li Yunxian paused, about to step out, surprised by Ying Wenhe’s words. “Why do you say that?”
Ying Wenhe looked back at her in confusion and replied matter-of-factly, “Boss, haven’t you always handled things yourself when there’s trouble?”
Back when he’d helped Li Yunxian in the negotiation room, they’d worked side by side for days.
With so many people coming to negotiate, there were all kinds of characters.
Those who secured authorization each had their strengths; those who were rejected by Li Yunxian often had obvious shortcomings.
Some people, skilled at reading the room, saw that the person in charge was a young woman, and, thinking her naive and easy to manipulate, acted disrespectfully.
But… Ying Wenhe and Sheng Yu never needed to step in. Li Yunxian’s sharp tongue would instantly cut down any such schemes, exposing and berating their hidden agendas.
Anyone featured on “All Things” was at least a proper cultivator, yet some left so chastened by her words that their dao hearts wavered.
Those who were simply unreasonable, Li Yunxian didn’t even bother with. Without a word, she’d slap them right out of the negotiation room.
Li Yunxian never let grudges last overnight; her decisiveness was absolute.
Well, she was a sword cultivator, after all.
In Ying Wenhe’s eyes, there was nothing not to like about Li Yunxian.
From hearing about the attack until now, two days had passed.
Boss must be ready to act.
His timing was perfect!
Listening to Ying Wenhe, Li Yunxian smiled but didn’t say whether he was right or wrong—she simply said, “Then come along.”
With her permission, Ying Wenhe felt like he was walking on air, and then… when they arrived, he saw Sheng Yu.
Sheng Yu, eyebrows bristling, immediately squeezed between them, wrapping Li Yunxian’s arm tightly, and looked incredulously at Ying Wenhe.
“Hey Ying, are you some kind of tagalong?”
Ying Wenhe’s gaze landed on Sheng Yu’s hand holding Li Yunxian’s arm.
He didn’t even dare touch Li Yunxian, yet this dimwitted Sheng Yu could just go right ahead.
So annoying.
Ying Wenhe scoffed, “Speaking of tagalongs, you’re the real one here, having shown up before anyone else.”
Watching the two, so familiar with their bickering from the Changguang and Miaoying guilds, Li Yunxian felt no sense of being the source of it all.
She habitually ignored their pointless quarreling, letting her gaze fall on the others present.
“All right, let’s go watch the movie.” Li Yunxian said lightly.
Though he was arguing with Sheng Yu, Ying Wenhe still kept an eye on Li Yunxian: “???”
Wait, watch a movie?
Weren’t they here to stir up trouble?
Thinking back on his conversation with Li Yunxian…
Fine, his boss never actually admitted to that.
Completely off-base, Ying Wenhe:
Sheng Yu looked quizzically at the suddenly crestfallen Ying Wenhe.
What’s wrong with this guy?
“?”
With a look of disdain, Sheng Yu quickly trotted after Li Yunxian.
A large group of them entered the screening room.
The cinemas of the interstellar era were far more advanced than those in Shenzhou—everything was holographic, allowing 360-degree, full-detail viewing.
Yet, when the screening started, it wasn’t a movie that appeared.
Instead, what filled everyone’s eyes was a dense beast tide.
“Many cities of Qingxing had their footage destroyed during the attacks. For now, we only have records from these few angles.
“But Xiaoyu found some images from beast tides on other planets, which we can use for comparison.
“And here’s footage from before the beast tide started, showing the city.”
The one briefing Li Yunxian was the current president of the Qingxing Chamber of Commerce, Chu Qianqian.
She was born and raised on Qingxing.
Her family was once famous here—a major clan—but after that unprecedented beast tide, the main city was destroyed.
The family head fled with a bunch of relatives.
She refused to leave and stayed behind with others.
When the beast tide finally ended, those who remained held their ground; she became the new clan leader and also took up the post of Chamber of Commerce president.
When the old clan head and his group tried to return, the entire planet rejected them and kicked them out, one by one.
When Li Yunxian asked for this footage, Chu Qianqian guessed what she was thinking.
“Teacher Xiao Li, do you suspect that the beast tide was man-made?” Chu Qianqian asked softly.
It was an easy thought to guess; Li Yunxian didn’t deny it. “Mm, I think there’s something strange about it.”
“Not just the beast tides—many disasters seem off to me. For example, Demonic City.”
Li Yunxian had kept entering “All Things” after rebuilding Silver Sea City, and other disasters had occurred too.
She’d seen people using the city’s wall-mounted cannons, loaded with talismans, to blast away at disasters.
The fusion of two worlds’ technology truly made these “alien” invaders into harvest fodder.
Disasters that once plagued everyone became predictable events in Silver Sea City, something to be counted on one’s fingers.
Li Yunxian had never really thought too much about it before.
Everyone called it common knowledge, so she accepted it as such.
But now that the world of “All Things” had become reality, and she might face these events in real life, she had to think deeper.
“Why are these disasters all happening together, and only targeting our righteous cities?”
“You know, even though we’ve separated righteous and demonic paths, lumping beasts and demons together as ‘alien races,’ for those low-level monsters and demons without intelligence, we’re no different from the demonic ones.”
“Besides, why would they gather their strength for a coordinated assault?”
“They supposedly have no intelligence and no reason to act together.”
Li Yunxian voiced her hypothesis.
The other interstellar cultivators, including Chu Qianqian, didn’t deny it; she even affirmed it.
“Yes, many people have suspected as much. For a long time, investigating the cause of these disasters has been a focus for many.”
The interstellar world was vast; Li Yunxian was certainly not the only clever one.
“Many Tribulation-Crossing experts have spent time and checked planet after planet.”
“No one has found an explanation.”
“So, as of now, we’ve confirmed that it’s simply the rules of the Tiandao—a natural phenomenon.”
Chu Qianqian sighed.
“Perhaps this is the Tiandao’s test for us.”
Hearing Chu Qianqian’s words, Li Yunxian showed no particular reaction. She watched the savage beasts in the footage and quietly stated, “But in my world, there are no such disasters.”
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