"What did you say?"
The woman was slightly taken aback.
Old Du said angrily, "What did I say? I said I shouldn't have bothered with you, letting you be rained to death, bitten to death by magical beasts, your body exposed in the wilderness, your bones lost!" Su Dan Novels Online
The resentment from being chased for three days and three nights, the suppressed anger from hiding in the cave for seven days and seven nights, and the fierce anger from nearly being overwhelmed by the beast tide all erupted at this moment.
"You..."
The woman glared, not knowing what to say.
Old Du rolled his eyes and said, "You what? Madwoman, I accidentally stumbled upon you bathing, and in a moment of impulse, I spanked your butt. Are you going to hold a grudge and chase me for three days and three nights, making both of us so exhausted we nearly fainted?"
"Hmph! If it weren't for you, I would have reached Xuan Mansion long ago, completed what my master assigned, and returned to the sect. I wouldn't have almost died with you in the beast den, my body exposed in the wilderness!"
"I've faced life and death with you like this, but what about you? Not only are you not grateful, but you keep saying you're going to kill me. Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?"
Old Du's scolding was passionate and unrestrained.
He felt relieved after his outburst, but he didn't notice that the woman's initial rage had turned into shock, and then finally into a cold, embarrassed laugh.
She was furious because Old Du had clearly peeked at her bathing and hit her there, yet he was scolding her with such righteous indignation!
She was shocked because she heard that Old Du was going to Xuan Mansion, and she was the only young lady of Xuan Mansion—Xuan Feng.
Her cold, embarrassed laugh was because Old Du actually accused her of being ungrateful and disloyal.
However, there was one thing the woman wanted to clarify most.
She asked with confusion, "Xuan Mansion? What are you going to Xuan Mansion for? And who is your master?"
Old Du, still in a fit of anger, replied indifferently, "Why should I tell you, you madwoman?"
The woman sneered, "Why? Because I am the only young lady of Xuan Mansion. Is that enough?"
This time, it was Old Du's turn to be dumbfounded.
He hadn't expected that this madwoman who had been chasing him frantically was actually the daughter of Xuan Ce, the master of Xuan Mansion.
Weren't they saying that Xuan Ce's daughter was gentle and virtuous, a lady of a prominent family?
How could she be this violent and crazy woman before him?
Thinking of this, Old Du scoffed and said, "Come on, you think I'll believe you're the only young lady of Xuan Mansion? Xuan Ce's daughter? Hahaha... You're like a broom tied to your butt—putting on airs! A pig with a green onion up its nose—pretending to be an elephant!"
It had to be said, Old Du's insults were quite sharp.
The woman said angrily, "I am Xuan Feng, what's so impossible about that!"
Old Du looked at her non-committal expression, and his heart skipped a beat.
Could it be true...?
Impossible, impossible! How could the young lady of Xuan Mansion be bathing in the wilderness?
Old Du scoffed, "Alright, alright! I'm in a hurry to get to Xuan Mansion, I don't have time to waste arguing with you here."
"Earlier, I was worried about leaving you here alone to be eaten by wild beasts. Now that you're awake, I should leave, so as not to be an eyesore to you! Goodbye! Oh no, I mean, never see you again!"
After speaking, Old Du turned and walked towards the cave entrance.
The woman watched his retreating back, her eyes filled with complexity.
She subconsciously called out, "Hey..."
Old Du, however, didn't even turn his head. He waved his hand and said, "Stop with the 'hey,' we'll never meet again!"
In the woman's bright eyes, a hint of playfulness appeared, "You scoundrel, we'll meet again very soon!"
Old Du walked out of the cave and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
He subconsciously glanced back with a smile, then set his sights on the direction of Xuan Mansion and sped away.
He had thought that this enchanting encounter would fade away like smoke, but he didn't expect that this woman would become the tie that bound him for a lifetime.
...
Zi Linling looked at the Xuan Ming Ruler in front of her and said, "Old Du, this Xuan Ming Ruler is at least a King artifact, right?"
Old Du seemed not to hear, a gentle smile on his face, clearly immersed in a beautiful memory.
"Old Du?"
Zi Linling tentatively called out again.
Old Du remained oblivious.
"Old Du!" Zi Linling shouted.
"What?" Old Du woke up with a start.
Zi Linling smiled slyly, "You old rascal, you're smiling so creepily. Are you thinking about love, aren't you?"
Old Du's expression froze, feeling speechless.
What was so creepy about it?
He was thinking about his woman, so why was that creepy?
Zi Linling understood and teased, "It seems I guessed correctly! Tell me, whose girl were you trying to ruin?"
Old Du glared, defending himself, "Don't put it so harshly, alright? We were mutually in love, and we made vows! It's just..."
He looked into the distance, his gaze seeming to pierce through the river of time, paused, and then continued, "It's just that a thousand years have passed. I don't know if she's well. I hope those people don't trouble her!"
Zi Linling's eyes lit up.
There's a story! Definitely a story!
She playfully asked, "What's her name? How did you meet?"
As she asked, she reached out to draw the Xuan Ming Ruler.
Old Du, his mind still wandering, subconsciously said, "Her name is Xuan Feng, we met at... No, why should I tell you?"
He suddenly came back to his senses, his gaze falling on Zi Linling, and saw her hand reaching for the Xuan Ming Ruler.
"Girl, don't..." want!
Before Old Du could finish speaking, he found that the Xuan Ming Ruler had been lightly pulled out by Zi Linling.
He was so shocked his mouth widened, his jaw almost dropped, and the last word naturally got stuck in his throat.
Zi Linling held the Xuan Ming Ruler, looked at Old Du in astonishment, and asked, "You said don't what?"
Old Du shook his head, confirming that what he was seeing was not an illusion, then stammered, "You... you can actually... actually pull out the Xuan Ming Ruler?"
It wasn't that he was surprised, but that the Xuan Ming Ruler, as a Royal artifact, had its own pride. Unless it recognized someone, not only could they not pull it out, but even touching it would result in being flung away.
Zi Linling said in surprise, "What's wrong? This ruler isn't heavy, how could it not be pulled out?"
Old Du: "..."
"However, this ruler is quite handy! It'll be good for whipping people! By the way, Old Du, since you left the Zhu Tian Array, this Xuan Ming Ruler is yours too?"
Zi Linling looked at the Xuan Ming Ruler with shining eyes, weighed it happily a few times, and said to Old Du.
Old Du did not speak.
He was currently puzzled about how Zi Linling could pick up the Xuan Ming Ruler.
This Xuan Ming Ruler was Xuan Feng's weapon, and it had already recognized Xuan Feng as its master. Later, when he encountered a powerful enemy, Xuan Feng had left the Xuan Ming Ruler with him for self-protection.
But he could use the Xuan Ming Ruler entirely on Xuan Feng's behalf.
At that time, he was cornered with no retreat. He took out the flawed Zhu Tian Array, using the Tong Tian Grass, the Xuan Ming Ruler, and the Shui Yue Mirror as the array eyes, and set up the formation on a mountain peak.