Chapter 107: 94. The first encounter with Jing Lixue was like a startling swan - Part 2
...
Upon arriving in front of the princess's residence.
The leading sister, Lan Mei, gave Xu Yuan a glance and huffed, "I really don't understand what the junior sister sees in you."
Xu Yuan replied without changing his expression, "Perhaps it's because I'm rather handsome."
"You?"
Lan Mei, caught off guard by his retort and wanting to counter, found herself unable to say anything when she faced his handsome visage, with eyebrows like swords and stars for eyes, as though he were a dashing young master from a painting.
"In any case, remember to treat junior sister Qingque well and don't get bewitched by Princess Luoyang's sweet talk again."
She said this seemingly offhand, then stepped forward to approach a servant who wore white cloth on his head and had a mournful expression on his face, whispering, "Heavenly Dao Sect, Lan Mei has come to visit. Please announce my arrival."
Again?
Xu Yuan caught a glimpse of Lin Qingque's smiling face from the corner of his eye and had a rough understanding of the situation, but he chose not to say anything.
After all, he indeed had a precedent, and her worries were a perfectly normal reaction.
It's just that it seemed he was destined to disappoint her once more this time.
"Heavenly Dao Sect?"
The servant was momentarily startled and was about to go inside to announce their arrival when a maid came out from the residence, bowed respectfully, and said in a reverent tone, "The princess is already aware of your arrival and has personally instructed me to bring you inside."
"Oh?"
Lan Mei's eyebrows knit slightly together as she glanced at Xu Yuan without making a sound, clearly suspecting whether he had secretly visited once already.
But she didn't say anything and instead gestured for them to follow the maid into the residence.
Despite Princess Luoyang's unflattering titles and the malice they carried.
The previous Divine Emperor still adored this princess who had returned from being lost among the common folk.
The estate of Princess Luoyang was vast, with numerous buildings set amidst its expanse; countless artificial mountains and ponds lay amid pavilions and terraces, creating a sense of chaotic order with beautiful and enchanting scenes everywhere one looked. Viewed from above, its grandeur was comparable even to the most extravagant imperial palaces.
In comparison to the other princes and princesses' low-key approach, Jing Lixue made no effort to conceal her splendor.
As the group followed the guiding maid through the corridors, shuttling back and forth, they admired the beauty of the garden while inwardly marveling in quiet astonishment.
Cultivators, after all, do not prioritize indulgence, and witnessing such luxury inevitably stirred their emotions.
Lan Mei's gaze did not linger on these spectacles for long. As they ventured deeper, she began to sense that something was amiss.
For instance, her Divine Sense, which should have been able to cover the entirety of the modest Princess Luoyang's estate with ease given her Nascent Soul Stage capabilities.
Yet, upon entering, she could feel her Divine Sense being compressed to a mere range of about ten zhang. Furthermore, these buildings, seemingly extravagant only for the sake of aesthetics, were in truth subtly interconnected and even constituted a Formation alarmingly dangerous even to her.
It seemed that Princess Luoyang was not a simple character after all, Lan Mei thought to herself.
However, if she expected to compete with junior sister Lin Qingque for someone's affection with just this, she was sorely mistaken.
The gap between cultivators and mortals could not be bridged by a mere formation alone.
"Esteemed guests, the princess is inside, please," the beautiful maid said as she guided them to a room with closed doors, bowed slightly, and gestured with her hand.
Lan Mei, her green brows arching, pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The rest followed her in.
Upon entering, everyone's gaze was instinctively drawn to the stunning young girl in a flowing azure gown that rippled like a blooming blue lotus.
She stood with her hands behind her back, quietly facing away from them all, looking up at an ink-brush painting of mountains and rivers on the wall.
If Lin Qingque's presence was akin to the serene and otherworldly beauty of snow, and Tian Liuli had an imposing aura fiery and authoritative,
Then the aura of this young lady was that of a calm and undisturbed magnificence.
She seemed to have an understanding of thousands of mountains and rivers, as if the picturesque landscapes were mere trinkets at her fingertips.
Upon hearing the door open, Jing Lixue, who was viewing the painting, turned around.
Her features were exquisite, ethereal like the rosy clouds, as fresh as the evening mist, and as miraculously immaculate as the grand fireworks one might look up and glimpse by chance in the folly of youth.
Jing Lixue's gaze passed over everyone present and landed on Xu Yuan.
"Brother Xu Yuan, you've finally come. I haven't seen you in so long," she said with an elegant smile, reminiscent of the year she returned when a sudden spring breeze caused thousands of pear trees to burst into bloom overnight, covering the city in a snowy blanket of flowers.
...
Jing Lixue's soft smile caused everyone present to skip a beat in their hearts.
Even Lan Mei, who had stood unwaveringly by Lin and Xu before entering the residence, couldn't help but feel alarmed, silently sweating for her friend.
Although she was aware of some rumors about Princess Luoyang, she hadn't taken them too seriously.
Now she realized she had been wrong.
This Princess Luoyang was definitely not simple.
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Even though she couldn't detect any cultivation aura from her at all.
Right after, Lan Mei turned her gaze towards Xu Yuan, curious about what entanglement this young man had with Princess Luoyang.
Huangli, like a warbler, also cast a curious glance at Xu Yuan.
The young man standing at the back nearly spewed fire from his eyes.
Why...
He couldn't understand why this lad was so popular among women, why everyone liked him.
Despite their own remarkable qualities, why was it so?