Chapter 35: The Deal

The night grew heavy, with mountain mists swirling and night dew dampening clothes. Strange rock formations seemed to feast on the twilight, and the palm trees stood long along the shore.

Li Xuan strolled alone along the mountain path, sorrow surging within him. Wang Teng was overbearing, having humiliated him in public. Li Xuan’s heart was a tangle of bitter emotions; if Li Chenxi were truly forced to marry into the Wang family, she would suffer endless indignities. However, the Li family was currently teetering on the brink of collapse, unable to guarantee its own survival. Even though the Sacred Moon Imperial Court had shown favor, they would still be wary of offending the powerful Wang family. Only by growing stronger could he truly protect the Li family and elevate it into a first-rate clan.

Li Xuan paused by a lotus pond, staring blankly at the lotus leaves standing tall like ceremonial canopies. A mountain breeze blew, bringing a chilling sensation. The faint fragrance of lotus leaves, mixed with the scent of earth, rushed toward him. The leaves swayed like green umbrellas, emitting a rustling sound that felt like celestial music, soothing his wounded soul.

*Plop!*

A frog leapt into the pond, its limbs paddling hard as it began its search for a hearty meal.

"Even a frog strives like this; I cannot allow myself to wither away!" Li Xuan muttered to himself. The Source energy within his body surged, and the "Green Pouch Chronicles" automatically protected his form, converting into a gentle, warming energy that healed his internal wounds. Li Xuan was enveloped in a faint glow, like moonlight spilling forth, casting light onto the path ahead.

An hour later, Li Xuan opened his eyes, and a shadow caught his sight. His consciousness stirred, and his figure flickered, filling the air with afterimages. He leapt dozens of meters in a single bound, but as he landed with grace, his eyes filled with alarm.

Caught off guard, Li Xuan saw a white shadow rushing toward him. A powerful surge of Source energy struck his chest without resistance. Li Xuan used the momentum to leap backward, regaining his composure as he exclaimed, "It’s you!"

Tang Ruoxian remained as cold as frost, her fair skin delicate as porcelain under the soft moonlight. "Li Xuan, you are truly like a lingering ghost; I run into you no matter where I go."

Tang Ruoxian felt a bitter ache in her heart. She had wanted a moment of peace, only to encounter Li Xuan—the husband forced upon her by her family. She had initially intended to strike him dead with a single palm, but the image of her grandfather Tang Mingchen’s angry face surfaced in her mind, and she stayed her hand. After their previous battle, the power she had unleashed had been sealed and fully integrated into her own, which was a stroke of fortune for her.

Li Xuan smirked, crossing his arms. "I suppose that’s my bad luck." With that, he turned to leave. Though his family was in decline, he was not so desperate as to cling to a woman.

Tang Ruoxian’s watery eyes narrowed, her voice as sharp and cold as a steel blade. "What did you say? Stop right there! If I hadn't held back just now, you would already be a dead man!"

Li Xuan, his mood already foul, retorted, "Did I ask you to hold back? You certainly didn't hold back during our duel yesterday. We are not on the same path. Whether my Li family lives or dies has nothing to do with your Tang family!"

Tang Ruoxian’s ruby lips parted. "Is that so?"

Tang Ruoxian had long despised Li Xuan to the core. Three years ago, he had peeked at her bathing, and now she had been forced into a marriage contract with him. It was a one-sided imposition by the Tang family, which, to her, was an unbearable humiliation. She had struggled and resisted, even threatening her own life, but the family council had passed it unanimously. For the sake of the family's interests, Tang Ruoxian was merely a pawn; when needed, she would be sent through fire and water, and the affection she supposedly received was nothing more than hypocrisy.

She had contemplated ending her life, but she was no longer in control of her own destiny. The seal placed upon her by the family elders allowed for no defiance, for her future path had been charted long ago at the council: to attain the status of a Saint, lead the Tang family to prosperity, and vie with peerless geniuses in the Inner Star Domain. The most crucial step in achieving sainthood was to become Li Xuan’s wife and have him exhaust every effort to help her ascend.

The Tang family elders had essentially sold her out. Their schemes went far deeper; the glory brought to the family by a new Saint would be dazzling, and their benefits maximized. Even her brother, Tang Xuan, had raised his hands in full support.

Tang Ruoxian’s eyes turned red, and she began to sob softly, her jade hands covering her face, her shoulders trembling.

Seeing her distress, Li Xuan took off his outer garment, intending to drape it over her, but she rejected it rudely, slapping his hand away. "Li Xuan, what exactly is so good about you?" she cried. "I am pure and untouchable, yet I am to be defiled by you! What kind of person are you?"

After venting her emotions, she crouched on the ground and wept bitterly. All the arrogance of a noble young lady vanished, leaving her no different from any other girl—pitiful and helpless. Li Xuan wanted to offer comfort, but the words died on his lips.

"Li Xuan, was the technique truly passed down from the founder in a dream? Can the Nine-Sun Soul-Returning Needle really bring back the dead?" Despite her grief, she had not lost her reason. The Star Elder had been at the end of his life, and his words could not be entirely trusted.

Li Xuan replied firmly, "I have nothing to say."

The Nine-Sun Soul-Returning Needle was merely a facade; the true power sealing the "Mystic Maiden’s Heaven-Defying Art" was the "Sacred Emperor’s Green Lotus Canon." He understood the principle that innocence is a crime if one carries a treasure. He could not yet protect himself, so some secrets were better buried than shared with anyone.

Tang Ruoxian remained skeptical. In her subconscious, even if the founder was brilliant, he could not fully seal a Saint-level technique—a technique the Tang family considered a forbidden art.

"Heh... Li Xuan, you have finally succeeded. But have you thought about what you are getting? A hollow shell. I will never have feelings for you, nor for any man in this world. Those who practice the 'Mystic Maiden’s Heaven-Defying Art' become as cold as frost, living like the walking dead. That is why our Saint ancestor left no descendants! These are secrets no one knows."

As she spoke, she laughed, tears streaming down her face, her hair disheveled, appearing as if possessed. Li Xuan watched coldly, eyes closed, pitying the fickleness of the world—all because he was not strong enough.

Suddenly, a powerful surge of Source energy erupted. The terrifying energy fluctuations rippled like water, and the night, already bone-chilling, grew even colder. Tang Ruoxian, with hair wild and floating in the air, looked down at Li Xuan. "Li Xuan, I tell you, this is the Mystic Maiden’s Heaven-Defying Art. Once a woman practices it, she becomes cold and heartless, living like a zombie. As for what changes may occur later, no one can predict. As for you, you are merely the furnace for my cultivation!"

Li Xuan sighed and nodded. "So that’s how it is." His sharp eyes had sensed something amiss, and combined with what she said about the ancestor having no offspring, he had guessed the truth: this was a shortcut technique with unpredictable side effects.

"What do you want, then?" he asked.

Tang Ruoxian withdrew her energy and descended. "Let us make a deal. I will help the Li family rise, and you will help me perfect the 'Mystic Maiden’s Heaven-Defying Art'."

Li Xuan pondered for a long time. Having practiced the "Sacred Emperor’s Green Lotus Canon," his insight was exceptionally keen; he could see the flaws in ancient artifacts, and he concluded the technique must have major omissions. After a moment of thought, he agreed.

Tang Ruoxian couldn't help but smile faintly; the world was such that as long as the benefits were maximized, nothing was impossible. "In that case, stop clinging to your sisters. Come with me tonight."

She was straightforward. Since she had agreed, she would see it through. The power of the Tang family was self-evident; with the backing of the Elders' Council, no one in the Outer Star Domain dared to object.

Li Xuan understood her underlying meaning. To prevent Li Chenxi from being humiliated by Wang Teng, this was a perfect solution. It would also preserve Jiang Qingyue’s reputation and aid the Li family; with the Tang family as a shield, the Wang family would not dare act recklessly. He had no reason to refuse, and since it was the Tang family’s own insistence, he was happy to go along with it.

However, Li Xuan clarified, "I have always regarded Sister Yueyue as a sister! During the three years I was bedridden, she looked after me in every way. I cherish and respect her in my heart; it is not as sordid as outsiders imagine."

Tang Ruoxian ignored him, murmuring, "She is just another pawn to you. A woman's influence is often easier to rely on than a man's, and much more comfortable, isn't it? Do you think I don't know these power dynamics?"

Li Xuan did not argue. He tilted his head to look at her. She, who had always been cold, was now exceptionally sensitive, no doubt due to the Elders' Council's decision. The past indulgence had been nothing but a performance; at the critical moment, they would push her aside to secure the greatest profit for the clan.

"Do you have anything to pack?" Tang Ruoxian asked.

Li Xuan shrugged and spread his hands. "I have nothing but myself."

Having reached an agreement, they returned together to Tang Ruoxian’s luxurious villa. She was tall and shapely, with an alluring pair of long legs that emitted a faint, shimmering glow. With a flick of her jade hand, a wall of light rippled like water.

"Xian'er, how did it go?" A cold, detached voice echoed, as if from the depths of hell.

Tang Ruoxian bowed. "It is done. I ask the elders to dispatch experts at the Entry-Mystic Realm to guard the Li family."

Suddenly, several powerful auras shot into the sky, piercing the silence of the night. They arrived precisely over the Li estate, and the massive, overwhelming Source energy descended like a giant net, completely enveloping and protecting the family.