"Eldest Senior Brother..."
Upon seeing this man before her, clad in white like snow, as flawless as a god, the girl's icy pupils melted instantly, beaming with a gentle glow as if reflecting the galaxy itself.
"Mm. I'm glad Eldest Senior Brother is okay..."
The girl lowered her head, moistening her lips, her cheeks turning slightly pink.
Afterwards, she unconsciously peeked at the empty space behind her.
This subtle movement instantly made Lin Xiao understand!
Indeed...
She really did bring a group of monster beasts to crash the event!
According to her, it was to... save me?
Such nerve!
The extent to which the plot has deviated is beyond ludicrous!
Next, I must thoroughly investigate the reasons for the changes in my junior sisters' personalities!
Lin Xiao once again solidified the resolve that had previously taken root in his mind.
"Yingying, what do you intend to do by appearing now?" Lin Xiao asked tentatively.
Hearing his question, Lu Yingying seemed a bit nervous. She lowered her head and spoke in a voice as quiet as a mosquito, "Yingying wants to save Eldest Senior Brother from being harmed by bad people! Yingying wants to take Eldest Senior Brother away! And also... wants..."
"Wants..."
At this point, the girl's delicate face, slender yet full and tender, became incredibly flushed, the blush quickly spreading to the tips of her ears.
After a moment's pause, she clenched her small fist, mustered her courage, and blurted out, "Yingying wants to be with Eldest Senior Brother! Forever and ever!"
No way!
This fiery and passionate confession from the young girl left Lin Xiao so stunned he involuntarily recoiled a few paces!
Then, he couldn't help but blush.
Though age matters little in the cultivation world, he, Lin Xiao, having lived two lives, had a combined psychological age of a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties! And she was a young woman who had just come of age! Even if this was an ancient, different world where girls her age were already marriageable, he still felt it wasn't quite right!
At this moment, meeting the girl's earnest, expectant gaze, Lin Xiao's mind raced—
Regarding the change in Lu Yingying's personality, he currently had three initial hypotheses! First, during his decade-long career playing the villain, he must have slipped up in maintaining his persona, allowing her to see something that changed her impression of him. Second, Lu Yingying's body had been possessed. In this cultivation world, it wasn't impossible, but the probability was almost as low as winning the lottery! Third, and the outcome he feared most, was that the original author, after making enough easy money, hired a ghostwriter who then completely butchered the later parts, creating inconsistencies in the timeline and characterizations! For instance, when a series drags on, the ghostwriter, running out of plot, might pull a 'Reincarnation of Rotten Earth' on earlier characters, or even introduce other male protagonists! And he, Lin Xiao, might just be... Anyway, no matter which one it was... there was only one thing he had to do right now!
"Yingying."
For the first time in his life, Lin Xiao dropped his villainous persona. A gentle expression appeared on his face as he approached his little junior sister.
At this moment, he could even hear the girl's heartbeat!
"Tell Eldest Senior Brother, why do you have such thoughts about me? Don't misunderstand, Eldest Senior Brother just wants to understand your true inner thoughts and then help you resolve any confusion, to prevent any demonic obstructions from hindering your cultivation. That's all."
"Eldest Senior Brother, I..." Lu Yingying bit her lip, silent for a long moment, then said, "Eldest Senior Brother! There are many things Yingying knows! Many details, Yingying has seen them all. You're actually... the kindest person in the world! The way you behave in front of others is all just an act..."
At this point, the girl stopped speaking again. "I'm sorry, Eldest Senior Brother! Yingying can't tell you more right now! But in the future, when the time is right, Yingying will tell you everything. Is that alright?"
After speaking, the girl's beautiful eyes, clear as autumn water, shimmered softly as she looked with adoration at the man she had admired most in her life. It was just like that night eight years ago when she was first brought to the Qinglan Sect by Master Xiao Hongling and met this ethereal Eldest Senior Brother for the first time.
Ah, if Fourth Junior Sister doesn't want to talk, then so be it.
Lin Xiao sighed, but internally he had made up his mind: he would start investigating everything beginning with this little junior sister!
You know, in the original story, Lu Yingying was the first heroine of destiny to develop feelings for Ye Chen! How could she change so suddenly?!
"Eldest Senior Brother... are you... angry?" Lu Yingying asked cautiously.
However, the moment the words left her mouth, the Eldest Senior Brother before her, his handsome and god-like face, broke into a warm smile as he opened his arms to her.
"You don't need to say anything more."
"Come into my arms."
"Ah..."
Those words struck the young girl's heart like a bolt!
Her cheeks burned, and her heartbeat accelerated.
After hesitating for a second, she took a few quick steps and threw herself into her Eldest Senior Brother's embrace!
"That's a good girl."
Lin Xiao gently stroked the girl's smooth, long hair, his peripheral vision catching something.
He saw that the Beast Taming Demon Bead on her neck had vanished at some point!
This also meant... all the monster beasts had retreated!
Thank goodness I sacrificed my pride and charmed her. The full Charm Value did come in handy after all.
On the lawn, Ye Chen knelt on one knee, his face contorted in pain.
"Old Shi, I think... the Sword Qi from that Immortal Stick injured my eyes!"
"When I look at the sky now, everything has a faint green tint!"
"Don't speak, young friend! You've suffered internal injuries from the Sword Intent of Lin Xiao's shocking thunder just now! This old man will immediately transmit a mental method to you to repair your meridians!"
"What? That petty Lin Xiao dares to deceive me!" Anger flared in Ye Chen's eyes as he gritted his teeth. "Fine! I'll have to trouble you then, Old Shi!"
「After the brief interlude.」
At the signal from several Chairmen and Supreme Elders, the disciple acceptance ceremony continued.
The square once again buzzed with noise and excitement.
Thousands of young men and women were eagerly rubbing their hands, their faces alight with an excitement even more intense than before!
If their previous admiration for the Qinglan Immortal Sect was merely a vague longing, then now, after witnessing the Eldest Senior Brother of Divine Phoenix Peak unleash his divine skill, Sword Attracting Heavenly Thunder, their yearning for the "path of immortality" had become far more tangible!
At this moment, at the back of the crowd, a figure stood in particular desolation, like an outcast forgotten by the world.
"Old Shi, that should have been me..."
"Standing there, receiving the adoration of thousands, that should have been me!"
Gazing at the white-robed figure at the front, bathed in admiration, Ye Chen, now recovered, clenched his jaw. His fists tightened so hard his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
He was utterly enraged!
He couldn't understand! Ever since he found the Soul Ring at the age of eight, his luck had been heaven-defying. Opportunities constantly fell into his lap, beautiful women threw themselves at him, and everyone respected him! Even when he occasionally encountered danger, his strength would soar, allowing him to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat even when on the brink of death! Everything seemed as if the heavens themselves had written a script for him! But ever since entering the Qinglan region... every woman who made his heart flutter now wanted to kill him! Even an ordinary Immortal Stick could lord it over him! He couldn't bear it, and even less could he accept it!
"My young friend..." After a long, long time, a weary sigh emanated from the ring. "This old man will say it again: this world is teeming with opportunities! Your legend in this life has only just begun. Leave the Qinglan Sect as soon as possible! There's something very unusual about this place!"
"Do you remember what I told you before? The one who intercepted your opportunities, whose standing is comparable to yours, is right here in the Qinglan Sect!"
"We still need to accumulate strength for now. Why rush headlong into a confrontation?"
Hearing this, Ye Chen's expression grew even more furious. "But I'm not resigned to this!"
"Hahahaha, Young Master Ye Chen, what is it that you are not resigned to?"
At that moment, a hearty, good-natured laugh came from behind him.