When Ling Chong had entered the guest hall, there was a stately and beautiful maiden standing elegantly there. She was none other Qiuxiang Huan.
When she saw Ling Chong, she gave a faint smile. "Young Master Ling, how are you?"
Whenever he saw Qiuxiang Huan, he was always in awe of her peerless looks and her stately demeanor.
Ling Chong stammered, "Maiden Qiuxiang Huan, I'm good. You…is it true?"
Qiuxiang Huan laughed softly before she nodded lightly, "I am here to cement an alliance between the Clear Sky Pavilion and the Flying Armament Sect."
Ling Chong said after a short hesitation, "Are you really willing to…"
Qiuxiang Huan smiled, "You mean am I willing to marry you? Of course I am willing. In fact, I am all too willing. Or you are the one that is not willing?"
Ling Chong smiled weakly, "How would I be unwilling? I am most willing. After all, you are the most peerless maiden in New Empyrean City."
Qiuxiang Huan chuckled softly, "Is that so? Then how about Qin Keqin? Isn't she the number one beauty in New Empyrean City now?"
Ling Chong said bitterly, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Surely, you know my heart for you."
Qiuxiang Huan looked shyly away before she said gently, "I know that you have many other maidens in your heart as well. After all, you are the famous skirt chasing young master in New Empyrean City."
Ling Chong: …
He began to laugh awkwardly, "If I can have you, I will surely change my old ways and devote my heart to you."
Qiuxiang Huan nodded, "I am not so unreasonable. You may get yourself one or two consorts in the future if you so desire. After all you will be my lord in the future."
Ling Chong put his hand behind his head as he smiled weakly, "That's great…"
But he soon returned a solemn expression, "But why are you trying to oppose the Heavens Ridge Villa? Isn't it better for everyone to sit down peacefully together?"
Qiuxiang Huan cursed silently, "With this mentality, he is just a useless person and will never amount to anything great in the future." But she returned a gentle smile as she said, "You know that I am kind enough to invite Qin Keqin and her protégés back to the Clear Sky Pavilion for a visit."
Ling Chong nodded as he said, "I was there on the day of the invite."
Qiuxiang Huan said melancholy, "But do you know that after I have invited them to the Clear Sky Pavilion, what had actually happened?"
Ling Chong smiled weakly, "You have tested them and they had humiliated the Clear Sky Pavilion?"
"It appears that you're quite well informed. However you may not know the entire story." Qiuxiang Huan said sadly. "After the Great Saintess Fairy Light had come to the Clear Sky Pavilion and severely injured hundreds of my protégés, my Great Aunt Yin visited the Heavens Ridge Villa to seek justice for the Clear Sky Villa but do you know the real reason why she had stayed in the Heavens Ridge Villa after that and not returned to the Clear Sky Pavilion?"
Ling Chong shook his head, "It is a mystery even to us."
Qiuxiang Huan said bitterly, "That is because my Great Aunt Yin was tricked by Lu Qingyun and he had violated her!"
Ling Chong was shocked, "Brother Lu will do such a beastly act?"
Qiuxiang Huan said with trembling lips, "He is a wolf in sheep clothing. The Clear Sky Pavilion will never forgive him for this."
Ling Chong was smiling weakly, "Indeed he is a beast."
All of a sudden Qiuxiang Huan had a smile as she looked at him, "If you agree to help the Clear Sky Pavilion to seek vendetta on the Heavens Ridge Villa then I shall be your consort. What do you say?"
The reason why she had looked for Ling Chong was because he was the scion of one of the four powerhouses in New Empyrean City and because she thought that it was easier to manipulate him to her future wishes.
Ling Chong pondered for a while before he said firmly, "As long as you will be my consort then I will aid the Clear Sky Pavilion against the Heavens Ridge Villa. This is my word for you."
Qiuxiang Huan was smiling, "If only I have known you at the soonest time. You are indeed a most outstanding young celestial."
Ling Chong asked, "Then when will we get marry?"
Qiuxiang Huan smiled gently, "Naturally the soonest the better."
She was actually thinking. "Once I have gotten rid of the Heavens Ridge Villa then it shall be your turn. Do you know that in my eyes, you are to be despised because you are nothing but a tool for me to make use of."
Ling Chong was smiling as he bowed with his hands, "Then let me pay my respect to my first consort first!"
Qiuxiang Huan quickly stepped forward to say to him, "You are too polite…"
But all of a sudden Ling Chong had thrown a spray of white powder on her face as she stepped forward which caused to feel dizzy.
"What did you do…" Qiuxiang Huan was startled and her vision had suddenly become dim. She quickly exerted her profound strength to resist the dizziness.
Ling Chong said coolly, "It is no use. The more you try to exert your profound strength, the faster this Profound Weakening Ashes will react."
Qiuxiang Huan was startled as she gasped softly, "You have actually used the Profound Weakening Ashes on me?! Why do you want to do that? Why did you attack me…"
But she could not finish this last sentence and had succumbed softly to the ground. All she could hear was Ling Chong's last words, "Don't be afraid. I just want some insurance, that's all. It is because I still don't trust you completely."
This Profound Weakening Ashes was a gift that his patriarch father had given to him earlier.
His father had said to him, "Use it on her and don't trust her completely. Since she has delivered herself to us, why don't you make the full use of this? She will never suspect that you will do something like this because you have always been a gentleman."
Ling Chong sighed softly as he took out a profound viewing globe to record the scene. "Maiden Qiuxiang Huan, since you are going to be my consort sooner or later, please forgives me for this act."
He bended down to loosen her belt before he pulled off her robe. Slowly he pulled down her skirt and stripped off her inner garments, exposing her naked body in full view of his lustful eyes.
He was gasping softly as he admired her beautiful body as he lifted the profound viewing globe over her body. "She is really beautiful and her figure is so perfect."
"I have never dreamed of this day…" he was muttering as he caressed her beautiful face. Slowly his eyes were wandering from her face to her body and beyond. He was suddenly aroused as she was really too tempting.
"Since we are going to be man and wife sooner or later…" He began to loosen his belt and was soon disrobing before he jumped violently on her. "Qiuxiang…Huan…you are mine…finally…"
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Elsewhere far from New Empyrean City, in the middle of the night;
Tang Bufan was anxiously looking at the makeshift camp of a hundred of his fellow protégés. Ever since the death of Supremacy Wen and Celestial Bai, his life had been a total misery and he was forced to be a dog of Senior Brother Ximen Yong and his close brothers.
But of course his fate was not the worse.
All the female protégés were forced to sleep with Ximen Yong and his close brothers every night.
Tonight when almost everyone was too drunk or sleepy, he would make his escape…
There was always a guard or two that was always keeping an eye on him but they were particularly lax tonight because Ximen Yong was in a good mood tonight as he had just captured a beautiful cultivator from the vicinity and he was now savaging her aggressively.
Because of this reason, his brothers could now have their fun with some of the other female protégés that Ximen Yong was always occupying. Because of this and that that Tang Bufan was pretending to be asleep, the guard tonight was particularly lax as his eyes were on the naked forms of the female protégés that were lying around the camp.
As Tang Bufan made his escape, he was cursing bitterly. "Ximen Yong, I will never forget about this vendetta. You have treated me like an animal and like a common slave…"
Indeed his heart was extremely bitter because out of so many other protégés that were mistreated, he was treated the worst because he was an 'outsider' and he was trampled upon every day.
"Where shall I go to next? The fraternity is so vast yet there is no place where I can go to…"
"New Empyrean City? That is my home…"
"Do I still have the face to go home…"
"I have no home now…"
"Qin Keqin, I will have my vendetta on you as well…"
His fate had been going downhill ever since Qin Keqin had foiled his plans of violating Shi Guanyin and he was driven away from the Heavens Ridge Villa. He had thought that he had found a good refuge with the Solitary Manor, one of the four powerhouses of New Empyrean City and that even the powerful Celestial Bai had also taken him under his wings as his disciple, his destiny would turn for the better and he would be unstoppable in the future.
But it turned out that that was short-lived…