Upon hearing Zhao Yijing’s words, Lin Chen immediately froze.
Not just Lin Chen, Xu Lianyu, Liang Rou, and Mu Shuier also couldn’t believe what they were hearing, wondering if they had misheard.
"Big Sister, you... you must be joking with me, becoming Dao Companions with you, this is too..."
Lin Chen had heard such remarks more than once. While they were in the secret realm, Wang Yilin had teased Lin Chen in the same way, and Lin Chen knew right away that Wang Yilin was only after his elixirs. He simply gave her some to defuse the situation at that time, and he did not take Wang Yilin’s jesting to heart thereafter.
However, Lin Chen was still a man, and moreover, one who was inexperienced.
Actually, whenever Wang Yilin teased him, he did feel somewhat bewildered and even a bit thrilled inside! After all, Wang Yilin was quite a beauty and one with an extremely well-developed figure at that.
Although Lin Chen practiced cultivation, he did not cultivate the path of heartlessness. He was not averse to romantic relationships. Otherwise, how could he have fallen for Mu Qingxue in the past? It was just that, because of Mu Qingxue’s incident, Lin Chen saw through the nature of romantic love and dedicated himself to cultivation, ceasing to dwell on affairs of the heart.
Zhao Yijing before his eyes was no less beautiful than Wang Yilin. Lin Chen naturally felt a stir within himself, but he knew that Big Sister was just teasing him, just like Xu Lianyu was playing a prank on him. It seemed the people of Jade Bird Peak all shared this hobby.
"What? You don’t want to? Weren’t you just showing how responsible you are? Don’t you want to take responsibility?"
Zhao Yijing moved a few steps closer to Lin Chen, the fragrance from her breath mixing with the air he inhaled, leaving him parched and restless with a heat rising within.
"No, I... I meant that I want to..."
Lin Chen found himself at a loss for words once again, unsure of how to reject Zhao Yijing.
"What’s this ’I want to’ nonsense? At Jade Cauldron Sect, those who pursue Zhao Yijing could line up from the main peak to the front gate. Yet, you are still hesitating. Let’s seal the deal on this. If you dare not take responsibility, I’ll castrate you!"
After saying her piece, Zhao Yijing turned around and left, her demeanor brooking no refusal from Lin Chen.
Watching Zhao Yijing’s retreating figure, Lin Chen stood still, thinking to himself whether Big Sister could actually be serious.
Lin Chen didn’t know that Zhao Yijing’s decision was made when she came out of seclusion; she had received countless messages, all from her pursuers within the sect, which Zhao Yijing casually dismissed with a flick of her sleeve like a gust of wind.
Although she could ignore them or reject them, those men were relentless. Now, Lin Chen’s emergence provided a perfect way to stop those men from bothering her anymore, that is to become Dao Companions with Lin Chen in name.
After Zhao Yijing left, Xu Lianyu hopped over to Liang Rou and Mu Shuier like a lively rabbit.
"Second Sister, did you hear what Big Sister just said? She wants to become Dao Companions with Little Junior Brother. Did you hear it?"
Xu Lianyu, extremely gossipy, inquired from the other two sisters. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
"Of course, we heard it. However, Little Junior Sister, Big Sister may not be serious. You are not unaware of those guys in the sect. Big Sister’s move is truly clever. By doing this, she can avoid those annoying men. If I had thought of this earlier, I would have become Dao Companions with Little Junior Sister as well."
Liang Rou gave a faint smile, her gaze settling on Lin Chen who still hadn’t snapped out of it in the distance.
"Second Sister, this matter of becoming Dao Companions shouldn’t be taken so lightly."
Mu Shuier seemed to understand Zhao Yijing’s actions and shook her head, feeling that Senior Sister’s approach was too casual. Although it was only a superficial facade, it wasn’t appropriate.
"Does that mean we can ask Master to throw a wedding banquet for Senior Sister and Little Junior Brother?"
Xu Lianyu’s eyes sparkled, her mind filled with thoughts of delicious food as she whispered excitedly.
"All you think about is eating," the two women said as they looked at Xu Lianyu with a smile and shook their heads. After giving Lin Chen and Xu Lianyu a few instructions, they returned to their rooms, seemingly to discuss some insights about seclusion.
"Little Junior Brother, how will you thank me? Sister really found you a great beauty to be your Dao Companion," Xu Lianyu said, showing her fangs with a happy smile, unable to contain her excitement at the thought of Wang Yilin becoming Lin Chen’s concubine.
Upon hearing Xu Lianyu’s words, Lin Chen was speechless, but at least things had finally settled down. Considering Zhao Yijing’s attitude just now, it seemed to be for a reason, perhaps using him as some kind of shield intentionally. Lin Chen did not dwell on it too much. As long as Zhao Yijing stopped troubling him, that was all that mattered.
Naturally, Lin Chen did not believe that Zhao Yijing would want to marry him and fall for him just because he accidentally entered her room and saw her body.
After saying goodbye to Xu Lianyu, Lin Chen walked out of his second and third senior sisters’ courtyard and headed to the neighboring one. The neighboring courtyard was large and closest to the peak of Jade Bird Peak. Though inconvenient for descending the mountain, it was secluded and close to the cave Formation Lin Chen had set up at the peak.
Lin Chen walked into the courtyard, which was in a state of abandonment, overgrown with many weeds, indicating that it was finally without inhabitants.
Lin Chen then began to clean and tidy up the place.
After everyone had left, a silhouette clad in a white dress swept past among the white clouds in the sky. Yang Yuemin had seen everything that happened in the courtyard below.
At this moment, she sighed softly, inwardly thinking that Zhao Yijing’s actions were probably not appropriate.
Although Yang Yuemin knew Zhao Yijing had acted that way to avoid the trouble from some pursuers in the Sect, it also showed that Zhao Yijing’s heart was not without feeling, unable to remain unaffected by these mundane affairs.
If her heart were at peace, she naturally wouldn’t have cared about the trouble from those pursuers in the Sect.
With a mind not at rest, blindly using Lin Chen as a shield could lead to pretense turning into reality. If that happened, how would Zhao Yijing manage the situation? This could seriously affect her state of mind and future cultivation.
However, this was Zhao Yijing’s chance, and Yang Yuemin could not interfere, only sigh.
It took Lin Chen an entire day to clean his courtyard and room. He hadn’t cleaned it meticulously—the weeds were still there, and piles of yellow leaves added a desolate feeling to the place.
Yet this was exactly what Lin Chen wanted. In such a quiet environment, he felt comfortable.
Despite being neglected, the courtyard had all necessary equipment and facilities, including an Alchemy Room and an Artifact Refining Room, and so on.
Now that all his senior sisters had ended their seclusion, to prevent a recurrence of the incident where he accidentally entered the Senior Sister’s room, Lin Chen set up a simple Formation outside the courtyard. This way, he would be immediately aware if someone approached his dwelling.