I Might Be a Big Shot — Chapter 72 [extra 2]
Fox Pei — no, he should be called Fox Li now — had finally gotten his way!
When the Hundred Flowers Sect’s reclusive master Rang Cencen received word that the catastrophe had ended and Li Xinglun and Changkong Zhuoyu had retired, she was so furious she ground her teeth. She fumed in the Hundred Flowers Valley for years.
The last time Changkong Zhuoyu and Li Xinglun visited, Fox Li had already reached the Nascent Soul stage — which had stung Rang Cencen badly. In the years since, she had poured her anger into cultivation, finally reaching the Soul Transformation stage three years after the catastrophe, joining the ranks of the cultivation world’s experts. At last, she could laugh at Fox Li.
When Wanqi Xian and others spread tales of Changkong Zhuoyu’s deeds, at Li Xinglun’s request, they never mentioned him — all the credit went to the Star Lord of Tribulations. Li Xinglun didn’t care for fame; he was happy to play the man behind his master, dutiful and content.
Thus Rang Cencen still thought of Li Xinglun as a Nascent Soul cultivator. Coming out of seclusion, she imagined she could crush him, so she asked the elders for permission to leave the valley to find Changkong Zhuoyu.
“This…” Rang Weiran was not keen on the idea. Changkong Zhuoyu’s parting words had hinted he didn’t wish to be found by old acquaintances. If Rang Cencen angered Sect Master Xue, she could be punished.
Indeed, the Hundred Flowers Sect still firmly believed that Changkong Zhuoyu was Xue Qianjie.
Rang Cencen nearly came to blows with Rang Weiran over leaving the valley. But just then, Li Xinglun and Changkong Zhuoyu arrived at the Hundred Flowers Valley.
Why was their first stop after leaving the palace here? Mostly because Li Xinglun wanted to show off in front of Rang Cencen, who had long admired Changkong Zhuoyu. Many revered his master, but few openly declared their love — except the passionate Miao saintess.
He wanted her to give up, though he told Changkong Zhuoyu their reasons were: first, the valley’s beauty made it perfect for a post-wedding trip; second, the Hundred Flowers Sect hadn’t been involved in the catastrophe and thus knew nothing of their situation, so visiting would reassure them; third, they revered Xue Qianjie, so he should accept their homage.
When they arrived, Rang Cencen and Rang Weiran were on the verge of drawing swords, with the Twin Serpents caught between them, hissing at each other in frustration.
At that moment, Scholar Bai came running. “Sect Master, Elder — the Xue Sect Master is here!”
The tension eased instantly. Rang Cencen was delighted to finally show off before Li Xinglun, while Rang Weiran, thinking that Changkong Zhuoyu’s visit meant he considered the Hundred Flowers Sect his own people, was equally pleased.
They went out to greet him — and froze at the sight of Li Xinglun.
He looked exactly like the man in the valley’s painting. Even without the face depicted, it was obvious he was the subject. Rang Weiran had even seen Xue Qianjie in person — he recognized him at once.
But…
They looked at Changkong Zhuoyu, then at Li Xinglun. Which was real?
Li Xinglun had prepared his explanation: “I am Xue Qianjie. During the catastrophe, I had to hide my identity, so I asked my master to impersonate me. Now that it’s over, I no longer need to hide.”
Everyone relaxed — so the impersonation had been approved. Rang Weiran led the disciples to kneel, saluting the Xue Sect Master. Only Rang Cencen stood stunned, asking, “Xue Sect Master, you… call Venerable Changkong ‘Master’?”
Li Xinglun had been waiting for this. Though elated, he kept a cool demeanor and nodded politely. “I must thank your sect’s Face-Changing Gu. Without it, I couldn’t have concealed my identity.”
It was a flimsy excuse — when Changkong Zhuoyu had first come to the Hundred Flowers Sect, he’d claimed amnesia, and only after Rang Cencen mentioned Xue Qianjie did he adopt that identity. Li Xinglun had used his own face before the Gu, and had only been at Nascent Soul stage. Their story didn’t bear scrutiny.
But who cared? His looks and strength clearly declared he was the Xue Qianjie who had shaken the world two thousand years ago. What excuse he gave was his own amusement.
Rang Cencen felt as if struck by lightning. The fox she’d always disliked… was the very Xue Sect Master she’d loved since eighteen?
Heaven truly loved its jokes. She almost wept.
But she couldn’t. The Xue Sect Master was more handsome than the painting, his aura compelling enough to make one kneel and kiss the ground he walked. Meeting him in person filled her with bliss.
Nor could she smile — she’d once tried to whip him.
So she stood there with a twisted face, caught between laughter and tears.
Li Xinglun assumed she was crushed, now too cowed by his strength to covet his master. He was quite pleased, treating this hopeless rival kindly — which for him meant not releasing killing intent, nodding at her occasionally, and even correcting her cultivation method.
To him, these were the victor’s magnanimity and pity for the loser. To outsiders, it was the famously cold Xue Sect Master showing favor for the first time — clearly, she’d caught his eye!
The elders dressed Rang Cencen in her finest and had her accompany the pair around the valley every day.
Rang Cencen, having calmed down, shed her dislike of Fox Li, devoting herself to admiring the Xue Sect Master and enjoying the chance to see the dashing Changkong Zhuoyu at his side.
Changkong Zhuoyu: “…”
“Master, you’ve seemed unhappy lately,” Li Xinglun noted.
Changkong Zhuoyu, never one to hide his thoughts, said bluntly, “I remember the sect master telling us on our first visit that nearly every Miao saintess falls in love with Xue Qianjie from that painting — she herself since eighteen.”
“Yes,” Li Xinglun said, annoyed at the memory. “When she mistook you for him, she fawned over you, even begging to be your maid. Now she hovers around you all day, ignoring me!”
Changkong Zhuoyu: “…”
Wait, shouldn’t he be the one upset?
“She’s hanging around you,” he muttered. “Her admiration is plain to see.”
“Hm? Isn’t she admiring you?” Li Xinglun muttered back.
They stared at each other, then Li Xinglun suddenly grinned, grabbing his master’s waist and spinning him in the flowers. Nose to nose, he whispered, “Master, are you… jealous for me?”
“N-no…” Changkong Zhuoyu began — then saw the smile vanish, replaced by disappointment. Flustered, he admitted, “Maybe a little. I didn’t mind before, but seeing her admire Xue Qianjie now makes me unhappy.”
He felt it was unfair — his disciple’s eyes held only him, yet he was doubting that devotion.
Li Xinglun laughed, his blood aura lightening, his smile as bright as a youth’s. “Master, you truly care for me — that makes me happier than anything.”
Changkong Zhuoyu, ever a lover of beauty, blushed before that handsome smile and those starry eyes. “Of course I do. Would a great man like me force himself into something he didn’t want?”
“Indeed. Now I know.”
Li Xinglun murmured something in his ear. Changkong Zhuoyu shook his head frantically, mumbling about impropriety and being seen.
But he succumbed to the sweet words. Li Xinglun sealed the flower grove against intruders, and there they dual cultivated for days.
He even brought their wedding bed from his storage bag. With a bed, Changkong Zhuoyu agreed more readily.
While they cultivated, Rang Cencen sat gazing at the painting of Xue Qianjie, puzzled.
Once, she’d loved Changkong, now the Xue Sect Master — it should have been a torment. Yet after time with them, she realized she loved neither man alone, but the sight of them together — as beautiful as the morning sun.
She picked up a brush and added a white figure beside Xue Qianjie in the painting.
~ Chapter End ~
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