Chapter 440 - 227: Setting the Engagement, Returning to Ning’an

Chapter 440: Chapter 227: Setting the Engagement, Returning to Ning’an

Nie Xiangjun reclined on the broad, soft back of the bird, a wine jug in one hand and a leisurely look on her face, waiting for Chen Sheng to say his final goodbyes to the people below.

She had brought Chen Sheng to the State City, so it was only natural that she escort him back to Ning’an.

"Please deliver this letter to Vice Envoy Sun for me."

Nie Lingxi placed a letter, sealed with a Secret Technique and a Restriction, into Chen Sheng’s hands.

Chen Sheng took it, his heart stirring as his fingertips brushed against the cool paper.

’Is she... starting to stake her claim?’

"Don’t overthink it."

Nie Lingxi seemed to read his mind. She smiled faintly and explained:

"I’ve long known you have an old acquaintance by your side. I don’t mind, as long as she isn’t some vulgar sort. I just... want to befriend this Vice Envoy Sun.

I believe she likely feels the same way."

"Alright."

Chen Sheng nodded and carefully put the letter away.

He was not ignorant of the undercurrents and unspoken understandings between women.

As long as things didn’t get out of hand, he was happy to feign ignorance about a few exchanged letters or some verbal sparring, letting them sort things out on their own.

He believed that both Nie Lingxi and Sun Yuzhi were intelligent and sensible women.

"Also..."

Nie Lingxi paused, her fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of her sleeve. Her voice grew softer, tinged with the unique, charming coyness and anticipation of a young woman:

"At home, my days... are pretty boring."

"I understand."

Chen Sheng understood. He replied in a warm voice:

"When I have a free moment, I’ll be sure to write to you."

His current Cultivation wasn’t high enough to use high-level Magical Artifacts for instant messaging, so exchanging letters was another way to maintain their bond.

"Then... have a safe journey."

Nie Lingxi looked up at him, her eyes shimmering as if they held a thousand words, but in the end, they only formed the simplest of farewells.

"Just that one sentence?"

Chen Sheng raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over her lovely lips with a teasing smile.

Nie Lingxi’s cheeks flushed slightly as she shot him a playful glare.

"It’s broad daylight, and there are so many people around. Stop fooling around. Wait... wait until we’re officially married. Then... I’ll give you a surprise."

Nie Lingxi’s voice grew quieter and quieter, yet it was filled with endless possibilities.

"Oh? What kind of surprise?" Chen Sheng pressed.

"It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you."

Nie Lingxi pressed her lips into a smile, her eyes sparkling, but she remained tight-lipped.

"Alright, I’ll be waiting then."

Chen Sheng stopped teasing her and turned to nod at Nie Lingshan, who was standing to the side. "Miss Lingshan, farewell."

"Have a safe trip, brother-in-law," Nie Lingshan said with a smile and a wave.

Without another word, Chen Sheng’s figure flickered. He leaped up gracefully and landed steadily on the Cyan Bird’s broad back.

The next moment, with a long, clear cry, the giant Cyan Bird gave a mighty flap of its wings, stirring up a powerful gust of air. It transformed into a streak of cyan light and shot toward Ning’an, vanishing over the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Nie Lingxi stood rooted to the spot, her distant gaze fixed on the now-empty sky long after the streak of light had completely merged with the clouds and disappeared from view.

"Stop staring. He’s already dozens of miles away," Nie Lingshan teased, walking up to her sister and waving a hand in front of her eyes.

"I’ll look if I want to."

Nie Lingxi withdrew her gaze, her expression calm, but the tips of her ears were slightly red.

"Tsk, tsk. Getting engaged really has changed you. Lingxi, you’re so much bolder now, even talking about ’surprises’... Come on, tell me! What secrets are you hiding that even I, your big sister, don’t know about?"

Nie Lingshan’s curiosity was piqued, and she grabbed her sister’s arm, pressing for an answer.

Nie Lingxi glanced at her, a smile in her eyes, but she deliberately kept her in suspense:

"A secret wouldn’t be a secret if I told everyone, now would it? Come on, let’s go back and cultivate."

"Huh?"

Nie Lingshan was taken aback.

"Since when have you been so diligent and hardworking?"

Nie Lingxi didn’t break her stride, her voice drifting back gently on the wind, carrying a barely perceptible note of earnestness and competitiveness:

"That Sun Yuzhi... I hear her Cultivation has already reached the middle stage of Profound Mastery. As the main wife, I can’t exactly be... inferior to her, can I?"

"Tsk..."

Watching her sister’s back as she instantly entered her zone, Nie Lingshan could only shake her head with a resigned laugh and hurry to catch up.

...

On the back of the Cyan Bird, the wind howled as the mountains and rivers below retreated at a dizzying pace.

Nie Xiangjun took a sip of wine from her jug and glanced at Chen Sheng, who stood beside her facing the wind, his gaze fixed on the distant Ning’an. She suddenly sighed.

"Ah, the long and winding roads of love... the greatest entanglement for a cultivator’s heart."

Hearing this, Chen Sheng pulled his gaze back and turned his head to ask with a smile:

"Senior, are you speaking of me, or of Lingxi?"

"Both of you," Nie Xiangjun replied, leaning lazily into the bird’s feathers, her tone casual.

Chen Sheng smiled faintly but didn’t reply, simply turning his gaze back to the horizon.

After a moment of silence, Nie Xiangjun changed the subject, her tone growing a little more serious.

"The Clan Leader mentioned to me that you have some... thunderous plans for your return to Ning’an?"

Chen Sheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his robes whipping in the fierce wind. He gazed at the faint, approaching outline of Ning’an Prefecture City, a sharp light growing in his eyes as he nodded slightly.

"Yes. The wrath of thunder!"

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