Chapter 90
In the original story, the spiritual essence within this carving directly pushed Jiang Yifeng’s “Sacred Body” constitution of the Heavenly Doctor Physique into the transcendent realm. If such a treasure were used to treat Xuan Yuan Chen’s illness, wouldn’t it be solved with ease?
In fact, it could be said that regardless of whether the ailment was grave or minor, just one sip of this spiritual essence would likely result in “essence to the marrow, sickness gone.” After all, it was a priceless divine essence sealed since the ancient era!
Lin Tian thought this to himself, and every word of his inner voice was clearly heard by Xuan Yuan Qingya.
At that moment, Xuan Yuan Qingya felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude for her earlier boldness…
If she hadn’t forced Lin Tian to come with her, what use would it be even if she knew that the “Spirit Monkey Offering Peach” jade carving contained spiritual essence capable of saving her fourth uncle?
If she had recklessly fed it to him directly, wouldn’t the result be exactly as Lin Tian’s inner voice suggested—that her fourth uncle might burst apart from the violent surge of energy?
By then, not only would she have failed to save him, it would have turned into a bloody tragedy instead…
If her fourth uncle were to die in such a gruesome manner right before her eyes, Xuan Yuan Qingya truly couldn’t imagine what state she herself would be in…
She lifted her head and looked at the man before her, and suddenly, a thought welled up in her heart:
Perhaps… standing behind him like this, might not be such a bad thing after all.
The very instant this thought surfaced, Xuan Yuan Qingya froze in surprise.
Ever since childhood, she had always been a girl of independence and strength.
That was inseparable from the environment she grew up in.
After all, she had never had a father, and when she was young, she had witnessed firsthand the ugliness of those so-called relatives fighting over the Xuan Yuan family’s inheritance.
From that moment, Xuan Yuan Qingya understood: only by becoming strong herself could she protect the people and things she wished to protect.
Thus, throughout these past ten-plus years of growing up, Xuan Yuan Qingya had lived with extreme self-discipline.
Things she needed to learn, she never once slacked off on. The matters that needed handling, she never once delayed to the next day.
She pushed herself to grow strong, and the truth was—she really did become the person she had always wanted to be.
Now, whenever the Xuan Yuan family relatives saw her, even if not out of respect for Xuan Yuan Xing, they would still bow their heads and respectfully address her as “Young Miss.”
That respect was something Xuan Yuan Qingya earned through her own ability.
Such experiences and achievements had ultimately shaped Xuan Yuan Qingya into someone increasingly proud and aloof. She had never once believed that any man could truly be stronger than her.
If Shang Chan could be called a powerhouse and queen in the world of business, then Xuan Yuan Qingya had, in every aspect of life, pushed herself to the extreme—becoming the very “strong one” she had always aspired to be.
For this reason, Xuan Yuan Qingya had always been centered on herself. She didn’t put much faith in others—especially not in men.
Yet, when it came to Lin Tian, everything seemed to have shifted…
At the entrance of the antique shop, when that man had been asking for directions, Xuan Yuan Qingya, simply because she knew Xue Xue, had spoken up to point him the way.
From that moment on, she realized she could hear Lin Tian’s inner thoughts.
And by secretly listening to those thoughts, Xuan Yuan Qingya uncovered the vile tricks Jiang Yifeng had played on her…
In that instant, Xuan Yuan Qingya felt truly helpless.
Because no matter how strong-willed she was, in the end, she was just a woman. When faced with Jiang Yifeng, she had absolutely no power to resist.
In the end, Xuan Yuan Qingya narrowly escaped danger. But in her heart, she knew—if it hadn’t been for Lin Tian, then what Jiang Yifeng might have done to her, what might have happened afterward, was something no one could predict.
The very thought of those terrifying consequences still left Xuan Yuan Qingya’s heart cold whenever she recalled them.
To Xuan Yuan Qingya, from that moment on, Lin Tian was already shrouded in the aura of a “life-saving benefactor.”
Later, when she heard in his thoughts that Lin Tian was planning to distance himself, Xuan Yuan Qingya almost instinctively lowered her own pride and invited everyone to her family’s castle.
At that moment, she didn’t even think about how lofty or proud she usually was.
All she could think was that she didn’t want Lin Tian to leave—she wanted to spend more time with this extraordinary man.
And the truth proved that Xuan Yuan Qingya’s choice had been the right one…
Just moments ago, when her Fourth Uncle’s illness suddenly flared up, if not for Lin Tian, there would have been only two possible outcomes.
Either her uncle would have died on the spot, or she and her mother would have been deceived by Jiang Yifeng—her uncle’s illness not cured, and his remaining life potential forcibly drained instead…
And as for herself, she very likely might have ended up forgiving Jiang Yifeng because of this scheme, and ultimately, through such vile, despicable trickery, become Jiang Yifeng’s woman.
Just the thought of such an ending sent a shudder through Xuan Yuan Qingya’s entire body!
When she pieced all this together, although she had known Lin Tian for less than a single day, in her heart, he already occupied an incredibly important place.
This was not just about her own safety—it also concerned the safety of the uncle she respected and cherished most… So none of it felt abrupt or unreasonable.
Yet that important position seemed to shift the moment Lin Tian scolded her inside the room.
Almost unconsciously, Xuan Yuan Qingya began placing herself in a position lower than his.
And it was precisely because of this that now, in her heart, such a thought would arise:
“Maybe… standing behind this man forever wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”
Realizing her own thoughts, Xuan Yuan Qingya couldn’t stop the faint smile that blossomed across her face.
If anyone else had seen Xuan Yuan Qingya’s expression just now, those who knew her would likely have been utterly stunned…
Xuan Yuan Qingya—the strong-willed woman, the proud young lady of the Xuan Yuan family, the girl who had always been tougher and more resilient than any boy her age—was actually showing such a shy, girlish look?
But that expression had only just appeared on her face before it vanished again.
After all, at the end of the day, she was still that woman whose pride ran bone-deep.
Only now, the feelings she held toward Lin Tian were no longer the same as before.
…
Along the way, Lin Tian and Xuan Yuan Qingya inevitably encountered others—household servants of the Xuan Yuan family, or members of the Star Group and the like.
Whenever these people saw Uncle Zhong or Xuan Yuan Qingya, they would respectfully stop in their tracks and greet them.
“Hello, Uncle Zhong!”
“Greetings, Young Lady!”
Yet, at those moments, the looks on their faces always carried a strange subtlety.
At first, Lin Tian didn’t think much of it, but after a while, he finally realized what was going on…
Xuan Yuan Qingya—was actually following right behind him the whole damn time??
Was this woman really the type to follow behind others?
Especially when it came to him and Xuan Yuan Qingya—they weren’t master and servant, so there was no such thing as her simply letting him “lead the way.”
That unconscious habit of hers, always staying half a step behind him… what on earth was going on?
The moment Lin Tian noticed it, he immediately coughed dryly and slowed his pace.
But who would’ve thought—when he slowed down, Xuan Yuan Qingya also slowed down with him, as if she truly intended to walk behind him no matter what.
Lin Tian was dumbfounded. He glanced at Uncle Zhong, then lowered his voice to a level only Xuan Yuan Qingya could hear.
“Miss Xuan Yuan, why don’t you walk in front of me… Otherwise, if your servants see this, what are they supposed to think?”
Lin Tian honestly didn’t care too much about what those servants thought.
The real problem was…
Where they were headed, there was a good chance Jiang Yifeng might be there.
If he swaggered in, striding at the front while Xuan Yuan Qingya trailed behind him, wouldn’t that be way too damn conspicuous?!
Just imagine the scene:
“Oh? Isn’t that Xuan Yuan Qingya?”
“Oh? And why’s she following behind some man?”
How could Xuan Yuan Qingya be following behind someone?
Who was this man, anyway?
Just like that, Lin Tian felt his entire life flashing before his eyes…
Wouldn’t Jiang Yifeng find it ridiculously easy to dig up information on a nobody like him?
And once he did, he’d immediately notice that Lin Tian’s connections with Shang Chan and Zhao Mengmeng weren’t ordinary at all.
Three women, all of them Jiang Yifeng’s targets—and he, Lin Tian, happened to be tangled up with every single one of them?
If he didn’t die from that, then Jiang Yifeng wouldn’t even deserve to be called the male lead anymore…
Of course, Lin Tian wanted to avoid that kind of danger at all costs.
But right after he voiced his concern, Xuan Yuan Qingya instead shook her head.
Her expression softened, carrying a faint shyness, her eyes glimmering with a kind of submissive dependence as she whispered.
“No, Lin Tian… I want to walk behind you.”
Lin Tian’s lips twitched violently.
The hell—this wasn’t about what she wanted!
This was about whether he would get himself killed!!