The young girl was attracted by the sound of his lute.

The first moment he saw her, a sharp pain pierced his heart.

The pain felt so real. It was the same pain he had experienced in his dreams.

That was how he knew… the person he had been looking for was finally here!

And so, with just one look, he had recognized that the young girl in front of him was not the Feng Ruqing from before.

But no matter who she was, he only knew that she was the one he had been waiting and looking for for so many years!

The one who made his heart ache, the one whom he wanted to protect for the rest of his life!

Xiao Qing was flabbergasted. "Master… you're saying, the first time you saw the princess, you already had l.u.s.tful thoughts of her? Why didn't you say so then? Why did you keep rejecting the princess? Was it because… you felt that the easier it is to obtain something, the less it would be appreciated? Did you want the princess to appreciate you?"

A cold chill came over the top of Xiao Qing's head. The snake was quivering in fear and quickly shut its mouth.

What to do now? Master's scheming mind was exposed, Master would not kill him to shut his mouth out of embarra.s.sment now, would he?

"You overthink." Nan Xian glanced coldly at Xiao Qing. His voice was cold. "When have I ever rejected her?"

Uhm…

Xiao Qing was dumbfounded.

If you think about it, he had never rejected the princess.

The master did not outrightly reject the princess when she wanted to bed him. He merely wanted her to increase her cultivation.

Often the princess would flirt with the master but the master was never enraged by her. Master even seemed to… indulge in that…

Yes, Xiao Qing's eyes, Nan Xian did not reject Feng Ruqing's advances… in fact, he was enjoying them!

Unfortunately, the princess was still unaware of it until now. Ever since she came around, Master had been thinking of her. This had made her fall into Master's trap that she could not escape for the rest of her life.

If you think about it this way, it would seem that the master was more cunning.

"If you let Qing'er know about this…" Nan Xian's eyes grew colder. "I will turn you into a snake soup and present you to His Majesty."

Xiao Qing was speechless.

'Master, how could you sacrifice a weak and pitiful little snake like me to get on your future father-in-law's good side?

'How could you?'

"Let's go." Nan Xian walked down the valley without looking back at Xiao Qing.

"Master, didn't you want to treat your wounds?"

"Mhmm." Nan Xian replied softly. "It's just a small wound, let it heal naturally. Now, I just want to see Qing'er."

They had not met for two months…

How was her cultivation progressing now?

***

Outside the gates of Fengyun Manor, Feng Ying and Qing Yuan watched Nan Xian leave.

They only decided to go back after his shadow had disappeared over the horizon.

Right at this moment, Tang Yu rushed out hastily from the manor. Her eyes swept across the area. As she saw the familiar silhouette, her eyes were filled with disappointment.

A furious wrath followed her disappointment. 

"Feng Ying, Qing Yuan, what is the meaning of this?" Tang Yu was bursting with anger. "Young Master Nan Xian was here for me, why didn't you let him see me? I know you guys hate me, but so what? I am Rong Yan's disciple, Nan Xian was here for me, you have no rights to ask him to leave!"

Qing Yuan and Feng Yin were startled for a while.

Tang Yu and Young Master Nan Xian knew each other?

It appeared that Tang Yin was not faking it. But why did Young Master Nan Xian not mention Tang Yu at all?

Or was it because the young master did not know that Tang Yu was in Fengyun Manor?

"Lady…" Feng Ying gritted his teeth. "We didn't know that Young Master Nan Xian was an acquaintance of yours and so we didn't invite him in. Moreover, what kind of person is Young Master Nan Xian? Is he the kind to leave when told?"