Chapter 48: The Heavens Change Their Mandate
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"The location must be prime, the decor must be top-notch—everything has to be the best. Got it?"
"Of course, Madam. Rest assured, you'll be satisfied!"
Ye Qinghan didn't doubt Xu Zhanfeng's work quality or efficiency, but some things still needed to be said.
"Since I've taken you on, Qinghan considers you family. Certain matters must be clarified upfront."
"We are not master and servant. We both serve our Master. Your duty is to serve Lingxian Hall wholeheartedly. Whatever tasks I assign you must prioritize Master's satisfaction above all else—Master first, Qinghan second. Do you understand?"
"If the Master is satisfied, then Qinghan, as his disciple, will naturally be satisfied."
Xu Zhanfeng was taken aback. He hadn't expected Qinghan Immortal to speak this way, and he couldn't help but feel touched.
One of us?
Standing over nine feet tall, even kneeling, he maintained eye level with Ye Qinghan seated before him. Beneath his mask, his expression softened.
"Thank you for your guidance, Madam. I shall remember it well."
"Besides the tavern, I also need the money house and the tailor shop. Don't worry, I'll take you to see them later."
Ye Qinghan felt she should personally oversee the restaurant at least. After all, her master was coming, and in many matters, a woman's identity would prove more convenient.
Meanwhile, Ye Qinghan hadn't anticipated that Dongfang Jue had gone to sneak into his own home…
Standing at the entrance of Lingxian Hall, Dongfang Jue, lacking his jade token, could only shout at the top of his lungs.
"Master Su! Master Su!"
Soon, Su Cheng hurriedly opened the door: "What's happened? Where's Qinghan?"
"Miss Qinghan is still in Nanding City. Jue'er came to find you."
Dongfang Jue stood stiffly at the doorway, her nerves frayed. She had originally intended to return directly to the royal palace, but after much deliberation, she simply couldn't bring herself to give up!
"Seeking me? What for?"
Su Cheng was baffled, but after enduring Li Shiyao's relentless barrage, he'd developed a touch of paranoia. He silently summoned the Chaos Bell, ready for any contingency…
"Jue'er…" Dongfang Jue stammered, unable to find the words for a long moment…
"Come inside and talk." Seeing Dongfang Jue like this, Su Cheng assumed she must be facing some difficulty.
He thought that if he could help her resolve it, perhaps she would stop pestering him.
The two sat beneath a tree in the courtyard, just as they had on their first meeting. This time, however, the atmosphere was distinctly awkward.
"What troubles has Miss Dongfang encountered?"
The system interface now floated before Dongfang Jue, displaying a task list with five bold characters:
【Enroll in Lingxian Hall】
After failing the original secret realm quest, the system task had refreshed to Enter the Celestial Path Pavilion.
However, after Ye Qinghan received a spanking from her master, the system upgrade was completed.
It updated the main questline, revised the description of the Lingxian Hall faction, and unlocked the affinity check function.
Dongfang Jue didn't understand what this meant, but the system's judgments were almost never wrong.
Dongfang Jue rechecked Su Cheng's system data, only to find no changes.
If joining the Celestial Path Pavilion was destiny, then destiny itself had shifted at this moment.
Had Dongfang Jue revealed the system's existence to Su Cheng, perhaps the Sect Master would have quickly grasped the situation. Yet, as often happens, things did not unfold as he wished, and Dongfang Jue did not do so.
"Master Su, Jue has a favor to ask."
"What is it?" Su Cheng pondered, honestly unable to fathom what this fellow could possibly ask of her. Dongfang Jue was not Ye Qinghan; he had no sworn enemies, and few would dare provoke this princess.
"Jue'er wishes to join the Lingxian Hall."
"What?"
Dongfang Jue could no longer sit still. He knelt directly before Su Cheng, forcing the Qi Cultivation Stage powerhouse to rise and stumble back two steps.
"If Master Su would accept Jue'er as a disciple, I vow to serve you faithfully for life. Taking Sister Qinghan as my role model, I will shoulder your burdens…"
The system interface remained displayed before Dongfang Jue. She could clearly see her favorability rating, which had been at 13.2% moments ago, plummet instantly to zero…
"Impossible."
Su Cheng was numb. One Ye Qinghan had already left her scrambling to cover her head!
Now she wanted to take in another disciple? Did she think she had all the time in the world?
"Is it that Master Su looks down upon Jue'er?"
"Miss Dongfang misunderstands. Your talents are too great for this humble temple of Lingxian Hall to contain."
Hearing this, Dongfang Jue felt a surge of anger. Though she’d anticipated rejection, facing it head-on…
Zero affection points? Seriously? Inside and outside the palace, what man didn't adore her?
She felt genuinely wronged…
"Master Su, whatever Ye Qinghan can accomplish, Jue'er can achieve as well! I beg you to accept me!"
Su Cheng heard these words and immediately sensed something was off!
What did she mean, "If Ye Qinghan can do it, so can I"?
"I've never demanded anything of Qinghan—only her safety matters to me. I certainly don't need Your Highness to do anything."
The deliberate coldness in his tone was clear—Su Cheng meant it, and Dongfang Jue understood it perfectly.
Su Cheng turned away, refusing to look at Dongfang Jue any longer, hoping she would know when to stop.
"I see no harm in telling you. I possess no cultivation. That sword strike before the Eastern Domain's secret realm that day was also Ye Qinghan's doing. It was an unavoidable act to secure a sliver of hope for Lingxian Hall before the assembled family heads and sect masters."
"Otherwise, why would I be hunted down by a mere Foundation Establishment Saintess?"
"Now you know—I have nothing to teach you. I can barely protect myself. How could I possibly take on a disciple?"
Dongfang Jue stared at the system panel displaying Qi Cultivation Stage 1 cultivation. He knew Su Cheng wasn't lying, but…
If he were truly so incompetent, why would Ye Qinghan choose to become his disciple?
"Yet Ye Qinghan still chose you, and her strength surged dramatically afterward! In just one month, she reached heights I could only dream of!"
"Taking Qinghan as my disciple was an act of necessity. Having made that vow, I will protect her for life. Miss Dongfang, you possess brilliant talent, no less than Qinghan's. Have you not heard that fine birds choose their perches, and virtuous ministers choose their masters? Why cling so stubbornly to the Lingxian Hall?"
"Master Su, are you referring to the Hall of Heavenly Path?"
Dongfang Jue couldn't understand—was this so-called Heavenly Mandate truly that crucial?
My father is the Human Emperor; I am his daughter. How could Heaven's Mandate possibly be bestowed upon me?
Just as Su Cheng opened his mouth to speak, Ye Qinghan returned to the courtyard gate.
Xu Zhanfeng personally escorted the little fool back to the Sacred Mountain, so Ye Qinghan returned alone.
The moment Ye Qinghan entered, she spotted Dongfang Jue kneeling before her master. You little minx, sneaking around the house while I was gone?
Didn't expect me back, did you?
She wisely kept quiet, standing obediently beside her master to eavesdrop.
[Save me, Master! Qinghan! This guy wants to be your junior sister!]
Ye Qinghan struggled to suppress her laughter but managed to stay silent.
Su Cheng feigned profoundness: "The secrets of heaven must not be revealed."
"Master Su, this morning's conversation between you and Miss Qinghan—Jue'er overheard it all. You said that Cheng Liang is my destined partner. Is that true?"
Dongfang Jue felt a pang of jealousy. Why did Ye Qinghan get all the luck?
Why should she go to that damn Heavenly Dao Pavilion?
No way!
"It is indeed true." Su Cheng nodded, resigned to the fact that he couldn't change what had been heard.
"If that is so, then destiny cannot be defied. But destiny is not set in stone. Jue'er dislikes the Heavenly Dao Pavilion!"
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