My Love Life With The Sect Masters in Xianxia (Patreon)

Chapter 153: Three Women… One Boat?

Seeing Li Ran frowning deeply, Sheng Zhixia asked, “Holy Son Li, are you worried about returning to your sect? If so, you can use the Sheng Clan’s teleportation formation.”

Li Ran shook his head. “It’s not about that.”

Even if he couldn't use the teleportation formation, he still had the Dragon Chariot, which required no spiritual energy to operate. Returning to the sect wasn’t an issue at all.

The real problem was—what to do once he got back?

Last time, when the engagement was exposed, he had to rack his brains and coax his master for several days before she finally forgave him.

But this time… not only had he "cohabited" with Lin Langyue, there was also the issue with Yue Jianli.

Trying to appease Master this time would be hell-level difficulty at best.

Sheng Zhixia pondered for a moment before suggesting, “Holy Son Li, if you’re not in a hurry, why don’t you accompany me to Five Yang City first?”

“Hmm?”

Li Ran was puzzled. “What are we going to Five Yang City for?”

Sheng Zhixia explained, “During the beast tide attack, the cultivators managed to protect tens of thousands of civilians. I will report this to the Emperor and have him announce everyone's contributions to the world.

"As the leader of this battle, your merits are unparalleled. It would be best if you were present in person.”

Li Ran waved his hand dismissively. "It's just empty fame. I'm not interested in that."

If he were someone who cared about reputation, he wouldn’t have acted so recklessly, nor would he have beaten up righteous sect disciples in Qingzhou City so openly.

Such superficial honors meant nothing to him.

Sheng Zhixia continued, "Aside from recognition, my father will also reward you appropriately."

"A reward?"

Li Ran raised an eyebrow.

Sheng Zhixia nodded. "The people of Nanfeng City are subjects of my Sheng Clan. You fought bravely to protect them, so our family must express our gratitude properly.”

"Ahem."

Li Ran cleared his throat. "And what exactly does this 'gratitude' entail?"

Sheng Zhixia thought for a moment before saying, "Given your extraordinary achievements, the rewards will definitely include artifacts and heavenly materials—probably at least a dozen high-grade ones."

Clang!

Li Ran immediately pushed his chair back and stood up.

"When do we leave?"

"Huh?"

Li Ran spoke with absolute sincerity. "Of course, I don't care about those artifacts at all. I just… suddenly feel a bit homesick."

"…"

"Pfft!"

Qin Ruyan couldn't hold back her laughter. "Holy Son Li, you're still as 'righteous' as ever."

Li Ran nodded earnestly. "Of course. Not only am I righteous, but I'm also incredibly robust."

He turned to Yue Jianli and winked. "Isn't that right, Head Disciple Yue?"

"I—I wouldn't know!"

Yue Jianli blushed and looked down.

A flicker of emotion flashed in Qin Ruyan's eyes, but she maintained her usual flirtatious smile.

Meanwhile, Sheng Zhixia's face turned completely red, as if she had suddenly thought of something. She covered her face with her hands, too embarrassed to look at him.

However, Li Ran didn’t seem to notice any of this.

"By the way, do you two want to come along?" He asked casually.

"Yes!"

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Ruyan and Yue Jianli immediately responded in unison.

Li Ran blinked in surprise.

He could understand why Yue Jianli wanted to go—after all, she probably wanted to spend more time alone with him.

But why was Qin Ruyan suddenly joining in?

Seeing his puzzled look, Qin Ruyan smirked and teased, "Why? I also played a major role in repelling the beast tide. Don’t tell me I’m not qualified to claim a reward?"

"Of course you are," Li Ran said quickly.

Sheng Zhixia barely suppressed her laughter and nodded. "Saintess Qin is a hero of the human race. She’s more than welcome to come along."

"Alright then."

Li Ran clapped his hands. "Let’s set off immediately."

It had been a while since he had seen Xiao Qingge, that mischievous girl. This was a good opportunity to check on her studies.

At the same time…

Maybe he could also extort a few more artifacts from the old emperor while he was there.

After all, he still had plenty of blackmail material on him.

After a brief preparation, the group set off for Five Yang City.

Originally, Li Ran had intended to ride the Dragon Chariot with Yue Jianli. But after some thought, he realized that wasn’t very appropriate.

A single man and woman, sitting together in an enclosed chariot, one being a demonic sect Holy Son and the other a righteous sect Head Disciple—it was bound to stir up gossip.

So, he decided instead to join Sheng Zhixia on her flying boat.

Seeing the luxurious and massive vessel before him, Li Ran couldn't help but nod in approval.

"The imperial family really is filthy rich."

The flying boat was neither metal nor stone, adorned with golden carvings of flood dragons—Sheng Zhixia’s personal imperial artifact.

Its upturned eaves and golden decorations gave it an extravagant palace-like appearance. It had over a dozen rooms, making it feel like an airborne palace.

Sheng Zhixia led them onto the deck and stopped in front of the guest rooms.

“All of these rooms are identical, and everything inside is brand new. You can choose whichever one you like,” she said.

Li Ran casually walked into one. “I’ll take this one.”

Immediately, Yue Jianli and Qin Ruyan each chose the rooms directly next to his, one on the left and one on the right.

The setup was eerily familiar to a previous situation.

Sheng Zhixia's mind drifted into dangerous territory, and she suddenly flushed.

Covering her face, she stammered, "You guys should rest early! If you need anything, come find me upstairs!"

Then she hurriedly ran off as if fleeing the scene.

<+>

Li Ran entered his room and found it just as opulent as the rest of the flying boat.

The furniture was made from spiritual sandalwood, filling the room with a faint, relaxing fragrance. The incense burner released a soothing scent, and even the tea leaves on the table were top-tier spiritual tea.

Once again, Li Ran couldn't help but marvel. "The imperial family is seriously loaded."

When it came to power, top-tier sects were evenly matched.

But when it came to wealth, the Sheng Clan was undoubtedly number one.

After all, as the ruling imperial dynasty, their access to resources was beyond imagination.

Li Ran walked over to the window and looked down.

The flying boat had already taken off and was soaring 10,000 meters high in the sky. The cities below had shrunk to tiny dots beneath him.

Despite its massive size, the flying boat’s speed was moderate, but it was shockingly stable—there was almost no turbulence at all.

"I wonder what Jianli is doing..."

He closed his eyes and focused his divine sense.

Ever since absorbing the black mist energy, his spiritual sense had taken a huge leap forward, allowing him to expand his perception across the entire flying boat.

Like an omniscient observer, he could see and hear everything happening around him.

<+>

Yue Jianli was pacing back and forth in her room.

Every few minutes, she would peek outside, glancing left and right before closing the door again.

Her expression was a mix of anticipation, hesitation, and… nervousness?

Meanwhile, Qin Ruyan was pressed against the wall, seemingly trying to eavesdrop on Li Ran's room.

Li Ran's eyebrow twitched.

‘This woman is definitely up to something!’

Just as he was about to withdraw his senses, he noticed something unusual upstairs and focused his attention there.

In the luxurious master bedroom above, Sheng Zhixia was hugging a pillow and rolling around on the bed.

Her face was completely flushed, her hair slightly disheveled, as she muttered to herself:

"Holy Son Li and Yue Jianli are staying so close to each other… They’re definitely going to— No, no! Sheng Zhixia, forget about it!"

"But I can’t! I really can’t forget it!"

"Holy Son Li is the Holy Son of the Hidden Gauze Sect, and Yue Jianli is a righteous sect’s Head Disciple. How could they possibly be Dao Companions?"

"Wait a second— Isn’t the Hidden Gauze Sect supposed to prohibit romantic relationships? What the heck is going on?!"

Sheng Zhixia messed up her hair in frustration, completely unable to make sense of it all.

<+>

Back in his room, Li Ran sat stiffly in his chair, stunned into silence.

After a long pause, he muttered under his breath:

"Shit, she figured it out!"