binnovel Chapter 281 Playing Chess Against Chisongzi
Chapter 281 Playing Chess Against Chisongzi
The Holy Maiden Cihang has already departed, and everyone in the temple feels a sense of relief at having survived a calamity!
"Brother Guo, thanks to this young friend from your Dao Palace, otherwise we would have been in real danger this time..."
Lady Snow White spoke with a complicated expression, a wave of lingering fear washing over her.
She originally thought that since she had provided Cihang Holy Land with information about Xingtian's underworld, they should be considered friends... Unexpectedly, in the eyes of someone like Cihang Holy Maiden, a transaction is just a transaction.
Even after the transaction is completed, she can still kill them all without hesitation!
Guo Zhentian frowned, looking at Li Lan, unsure of what to do.
Li Lan was something the sect had agreed upon to use for sacrificial rites to the Yin God.
But now, the Holy Maiden of Cihang Holy Land has given him a relic... Guo Zhentian knows very well that only a highly accomplished person in Cihang Holy Land can give birth to a relic after attaining enlightenment. This relic is extremely rare, contains a certain amount of Dao power, and has great protective power.
It's possible that even Guo Zhentian can't hurt Li Lan now.
After a moment's thought, Guo Zhentian said, "Xuewei, you and Li Lan are both meritorious officials of my Dao Palace!"
"For the rest of the trip, you're responsible for protecting Li Lan and making sure nothing happens to him."
These words seemed to give everyone pause for thought.
The incense money was taken away by the Cihang Holy Land. Along the way, no one could guarantee that the Cihang Holy Land would not make another move. Li Lan was the only talisman for everyone when facing the Cihang Holy Land.
And for this amulet to work, it seems that the key lies with Ling Xuewei.
So, while it seems like Ling Xuewei is protecting Li Lan, the real purpose is to have her win Li Lan's heart!
To avoid causing trouble.
In fact, Guo Zhentian had another idea...
Li Lan was originally a useless person and was quite neglected within the Dao Palace. Once he went to the Cihang Holy Land, he would definitely hold a grudge against the Dao Palace in the future. Moreover, his survival meant that Ling Xuewei and Liu Guiyuan would also sacrifice themselves, and the Dao Palace would lose two more geniuses.
This isn't worth it!
The best outcome would be... Li Lan insists on going to the underworld and dying there.
This is good for everyone. The Cihang Holy Land will not be able to retaliate, the Dao Palace will have one less future enemy, and it can also retain two supreme geniuses.
Therefore, during this period, we need to help Li Lan deepen his feelings for Ling Xuewei...
At that time, it would be best if Li Lan continued to dedicate himself to Ling Xuewei!
Ling Xuewei felt incredibly conflicted, but in the end she could only sigh and say, "Disciple obeys!"
The group immediately set off, but this time, everyone looked at Li Lan differently.
"Li Lan, although I shouldn't say anything about your feelings, but... we should always consider whether it's worth it, shouldn't we?"
Zhou Xiang whispered to Li Lan, his eyes filled with regret!
In his view, these were clearly two great opportunities, but Li Lanque rejected them both because of Ling Xuewei... He sacrificed too much.
This isn't the way to be devoted in love...
Li Lan just smiled and shook his head. He treated it all as a comedy and didn't care much at all.
Dust Root?
Perhaps there is some, but it's definitely not something that's difficult to overcome emotionally. Even if Li Lan does have feelings, it's only for Lin Ruobing, Shangguan Xiaoxiao, Jin Muyun, Bai Ruoling, and others. What is Ling Xuewei? Just a passerby...
Moreover, even if Li Lan had no emotional attachments, he still couldn't enter the Buddhist order. To enter the Cihang Holy Land, he would have to undergo "conversion." But would the converted person still be himself?
However, he was too lazy to explain. His most important goal now was to find the underworld and the scriptures on the body of the Xingtian Demon God!
……
On the road.
"Fellow Daoist Bai Xue, the incense money was taken by the Holy Maiden Cihang, so we may need to trouble you again..."
Guo Zhentian said.
“No problem. This city can’t support that much faith power for the time being. Let’s find another city.”
Lady Snow White said.
……
On the other side...
As Yao Yi brushed past Ling Xuewei, he whispered, "Make him take this pill."
Ling Xue was slightly surprised and asked, "What is this?"
"This pill can save his life in a critical moment. Consider it a gift from me. However, don't tell him. Just let him take it secretly, so that he doesn't feel that this is just a transaction."
"To Li Lan, we still tried to reason with him and make him understand that our goal is to protect the Earth, as well as our compatriots and friends on Earth!"
Yao Yi said, "He's so infatuated with you, it would be easy for you to change him."
Ling Xuewei held the pills, feeling somewhat reluctant. She and Li Lan had already broken up, so why should she try to persuade Li Lan with her feelings?
"For the sake of the Earth..."
She murmured to herself, accepted the elixir, and left.
Not long after.
"Is everything ready?"
Inside a magnificent jade carriage, Lady White Snow asked Yao Yi a question.
Yao Yi respectfully said, "This disciple has already instructed Ling Xuewei to give Li Lan the Seven Deadly Pills."
Lady Bai Xue nodded solemnly: "This child cannot be kept alive. He has already gained the favor of the Holy Maiden Cihang. If he lives, the Holy Maiden Cihang will not consider you."
Yao Yi said, "Disciple understands, but there are still ways to use him. We'll squeeze every last drop of value out of him before killing him!"
……
Soon after, Li Lan and his group arrived at the next city. As before, Madam Bai Xue, Xuan Yuan Tong Shen, and other elders entered the temple to harvest faith.
"Li Lan, would you like some steamed buns? I'll go out with you for a walk."
Ling Xuewei finally mustered up the courage to speak.
Throughout the journey, she remained conflicted and hesitant.
Although everyone knew that Li Lan was deeply in love with her, he didn't take the initiative to approach her or talk to her along the way, which puzzled her.
She now has no choice but to put aside her pride and actively create opportunities.
"Okay."
Li Lan smiled calmly; he had already noticed that Ling Xuewei had something on her mind.
Ling Xuewei was never a proactive girl. When they broke up, she didn't say anything but chose to deal with it by giving him the silent treatment. After a while, Li Lan understood her feelings and took the initiative to leave, thus ending their relationship.
So, she's now willingly lowering herself to accompany Li Lan to buy steamed buns? How could there not be a problem?
But Li Lan didn't care; he also wanted to see what Ling Xuewei was up to.
The two left immediately and wandered around the city.
The city is small, much like an ancient town, but it has a lively and bustling atmosphere.
"Li Lan, do you remember? Our first date was in an ancient town, similar to this place, very much like..."
Ling Xuewei took the initiative to speak, but quickly changed the subject after getting started: "Unfortunately, none of us can go back to Earth."
Li Lan said calmly, "Earth exists in this universe. As long as your cultivation is strong enough, you can always go back."
"Yes, we might have a chance to go back someday, but not now."
Ling Xuewei said, "We are still too weak right now, and we don't have the ability to protect the Earth..."
She paused, then sighed softly: "Do you know that all the forces in the Ziwei Starfield covet the Primordial Emperor Star—that is, Earth? If they find Earth, everyone will become slaves and food, and our home will be destroyed and occupied."
“You shouldn’t have any aversion to Yao Yi. He was among the first people to arrive in the Ziwei Star Region and has been secretly contacting our fellow Earthlings to establish the Blue Star Alliance, helping each other in order to protect Earth… Now, he desperately needs your help.”
"As a member of the Earth, you should agree to his request."
"I know you dislike grand narratives and hate being held hostage by morality or righteousness, but this is all very real. If we want to save the world, we can only rely on ourselves!"
She spoke very seriously, but Li Lan laughed and said, "You asked me to come out just to talk about this?"
Seeing that Li Lan remained unmoved, Ling Xuewei felt a little disappointed, but also a slight pang of self-reproach. She had taken the initiative to call Li Lan out, giving him hope, only to find herself unable to offer it...
"Li Lan, no matter what, we are compatriots and friends."
She spoke calmly. She and Li Lan had known each other for many years, so she knew that using the words "compatriot" and "friend" would be enough for Li Lan to understand her meaning and to draw a clear line in their relationship. Then she continued:
"This is a gift from Yao Yi. It could save your life in a critical moment. He's very sincere."
She took out the pill and handed it to Li Lan.
Although she had agreed to Yao Yi's request, she still felt that she should be more open and aboveboard, so she continued, "He gave you this pill out of consideration for our compatriots. He originally didn't want me to tell you, so that you wouldn't think it was a transaction... But I know you're not an ordinary person, and you can think these things through."
Li Lan took the pill and looked at her with a smile: "Is that what Yao Yi told you?"
“Tell him that I have taken the pills, but as for your so-called Blue Star Alliance, I still have no interest in it, and I will not agree to anything he asks.”
After saying that, he put the pill into his mouth and swallowed it in a few bites, like chewing candy.
"you!"
Ling Xuewei couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. What did Li Lan mean by this?
He took the elixir, but still refused to agree?
"You've changed... You're really not the same as before."
She was extremely disappointed and turned to leave.
Li Lan didn't even glance at her, nor did he try to stop her. Instead, he walked to a steamed bun shop on the street and said, "Boss, two big meat buns, thin-skinned ones, please!"
Li Lan was in a great mood as she ate the steaming hot buns.
……
"He is unwilling to join the Blue Star Alliance."
Ling Xuewei told Yao Yi.
Yao Yi frowned slightly and said, "You tried to persuade him, but he still disagreed?"
"Xuewei, I never want to deceive my fellow countrymen, but if it's for the sake of the Earth... a white lie might sometimes be better for everyone."
He spoke, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "I heard Zeng Rou say that although Li Lan went to the Dao Palace for your sake, you haven't had any contact with him since. His current actions are nothing more than self-abandonment after despair..."
"Would it be better to give him a glimmer of hope?"
He speaks very tactfully, making it hard to refuse.
However, Ling Xuewei remained silent for a moment, then stared at Yao Yi and said, "Feelings cannot be used for transactions."
She understood Yao Yi's meaning; he was simply pretending to still have feelings for Li Lan and tricking her into joining the Blue Star Alliance.
Actually, it wasn't that she wasn't at all moved by Li Lan. In fact, when Li Lan rejected Cihang Saintess for her sake, she was somewhat touched... But, she couldn't bring herself to deceive him.
She has her own moral fastidiousness.
Yao Yi was surprised by Ling Xuewei's firm stance, but immediately said, "You're right."
Did you give him that pill?
"Ah."
Hearing this, Yao Yi was relieved.
……
It took Xuanyuan Tongxuan and his group more than ten days to collect enough incense money from the city.