Chapter 416 - 218: Meeting Nie Yuanliu Again; The Twin Lotus Plot

Chapter 416: Chapter 218: Meeting Nie Yuanliu Again; The Twin Lotus Plot

Nie Lingxi gently pushed open the door to the study. She saw Nie Lingshan sitting before her dressing mirror, her back to the entrance. Her shoulders were trembling slightly, as if she were still sobbing.

She slowly walked closer and said softly, a hint of resignation in her voice:

"Putting on a show for Aunt is one thing, but are you going to keep up the act in front of me?"

In the mirror, the corner of Nie Lingshan’s mouth curved into a barely perceptible smile. She then turned around, her face completely devoid of tears. Instead, it held a playful grin, as if a clever plan had just succeeded:

"You’re the one who gets me, Lingxi."

"Alright, spit it out. What are you scheming?"

Nie Lingxi sat down on an embroidered stool beside her, her gaze clear and bright:

"If you truly have your heart set on that Chen Sheng, as your little sister, I wouldn’t mind letting you have him."

"Who said I wanted you to?"

Nie Lingshan huffed lightly. The playful smile on her face slowly faded, replaced by a rare look of seriousness:

"Besides, I’ve never even met that Chen Sheng, so how can we even talk about liking him? I just... I just don’t want to get married. I don’t want a marriage alliance. Of the four of them, I don’t want to choose anyone."

"Since we were children, we’ve enjoyed the clan’s resources, protection, and nurturing. A marriage alliance is our inescapable responsibility, our destiny."

Nie Lingxi’s tone was calm, but every word was crystal clear:

"Even someone like Zhijing couldn’t escape it, so what hope do we have? Even if the Ancestor adores you, they would never make another exception for this matter.

Back then, when Aunt broke off her engagement with the Hongnong Yang Clan to join the Daoist Sect, it created a rift between our clan elders and them. That rift hasn’t fully healed even to this day..."

Nie Lingxi didn’t finish her sentence, but Nie Lingshan understood the implication perfectly.

"Lingxi, I have a plan. It might let me avoid this marriage alliance, at least for a while."

Nie Lingshan suddenly grabbed her sister’s hand, a strange light glinting in her eyes.

"You have a plan?"

Nie Lingxi raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

"Of course!"

Nie Lingshan leaned in closer, lowering her voice with a hint of cunning:

"Look, how about this... we both choose that Chen Sheng!"

"Both of us?"

Nie Lingxi was taken aback.

"Yes!"

Nie Lingshan nodded emphatically:

"When the time comes, we’ll say we’re both interested in him. That will make it difficult for the clan to decide. Then I’ll go cry to the Ancestor a few more times, telling them how deep our sisterly bond is, how we’ve been inseparable since we were little and can’t bear to be parted... You have to play along with me.

We’ll make those old geezers in the clan feel like they can’t bear to force one of us into a marriage alliance and tear us apart. Maybe... maybe we can delay this whole thing, or even get them to take back their decision."

"Besides, Aunt said that Chen Sheng is the most outstanding of the four. Two sisters fighting over the best potential husband—doesn’t that sound perfectly reasonable?"

Nie Lingxi was silent, not responding immediately.

"Don’t worry, I’m not really trying to steal him from you!"

Seeing her sister’s silence, Nie Lingshan quickly assured her:

"I just want to use this as an excuse to get out of this annoying marriage alliance. C’mon, be a good sister and help me out. When the time comes... you can have your future brother-in-law cooperate a little, too!"

She blinked her big, beautiful eyes, her expression half-pleading and half-joking.

"Don’t be ridiculous."

Nie Lingxi’s cheeks grew warm as she gently brushed her sister’s hand away:

"Aunt may think he’s a good choice, but I’ve never met him. Whether he’s suitable for me or not remains to be seen. Why do you make it sound like I’ve already decided I’ll marry no one else?"

Nie Lingxi paused for a moment before analyzing the situation:

"Besides, even if we agree on this plan, what’s the use? What if the clan elders just let Chen Sheng pick one of us? An engagement will still be settled for one of us then.

If he chooses me, won’t you be in the same situation?"

"Not necessarily!"

Nie Lingshan retorted, unconvinced:

"It’s just a matter of acting more poised and virtuous, right? I know all the things the clan taught us. If I get serious, I’m not necessarily any worse than you!

What if... what if he chooses me?"

"Fine. Let’s say he chooses you."

Nie Lingxi looked her sister straight in the eye:

"Then what about me? Wei Jing, Qi Heng, Ouyang Ke... and I want absolutely nothing to do with that Ten Thousand Poisons Sect. You might get out of it for now, but are you going to push me into the fire pit instead?"

Nie Lingshan was stumped by the question. A moment later, her eyes darted around again, and she lowered her voice, saying:

"Tell me, do you think we could sleep with that Chen Sheng and convince him to help us?"

"He has no connection to us whatsoever. Why would he risk offending the Nie Family to go along with such a childish plan?"

Nie Lingxi shook her head:

"If it backfires and displeases the clan elders, it will only make things worse."

"We have to try! How will we know if we don’t?"

Nie Lingshan refused to give up:

"Later, you can try to subtly sound out Aunt, see what that Chen Sheng needs or likes. At worst... we can go beg the Ancestor to get us a rare Spiritual Object or Cultivation Technique to offer him in exchange.

There must be some condition that would tempt him, right?"

...

「Within Yunzhou City.」

At that moment, Chen Sheng was completely unaware of the little scheme being concocted by the twin sisters deep within the Nie Family’s private quarters.

After bidding farewell to Nie Xiangjun, he had not delayed, heading straight for Yunzhou City.

Gazing at the lofty, magnificent State City before him, even Chen Sheng couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

’Worthy of being the heart of a state, the very hub of the imperial court’s rule over Yunzhou.’

The city walls stretched for dozens of miles, soaring into the clouds. The walls themselves were as thick as mountains, built entirely from massive blocks of bluestone. Their surfaces were engraved with countless complex runes that shimmered with a faint metallic luster in the sunlight.

An aura that was ancient, imposing, and yet laced with a heart-pounding sense of danger enveloped the entire city.

In comparison, Ning’an Prefecture City seemed like a rustic country town, completely overshadowed.

’One could only imagine the countless powerful Restrictions and Attack Arrays laid out within this State City. I fear that even a Pill Realm Grandmaster would not dare to act recklessly here.’