Fairy, I am truly a virtuous gentleman!

"Young master, young master?"

As that gentle, clear voice called out to him again and again, Ning Yuan gradually came back to his senses.

"Da Qiao?"

"I am here."

Qiao Shuang frowned slightly, her delicate collarbone faintly visible on her snow-white neck. She leaned forward slightly, her palace dress puffed out, and her bright, watery eyes were full of worry.

Ning Yuan propped himself up and looked around.

Embroidered curtains, purple wood carved beams.

He found himself back inside the carriage of the Nine-Colored Sky Cloud Carriage. A thousand thoughts rushed to his mind, but in the end, only a sigh remained.

"Da Qiao, where were you just now?"

Seeing that Ning Yuan's condition was gradually calming down, Qiao Shuangyun gently lifted her sleeve and quietly withdrew her hand from the boy's.

"After Senior Ying Cang sent us into the Heavenly Gate, I was immediately sent out by a force. It must have been that Master had something to say to you privately. Then, not long after, your body also fell out of the Heavenly Gate and I caught you."

"Is that so...?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan seemed somewhat dazed. He couldn't help but ask, "Da Qiao, when was the last time you met with Father, and what was the matter?"

"Last time..."

Qiao Shuang was somewhat surprised and hesitant. She glanced at Ning Yuan.

The young man came full of ambition, but now he looks dejected. It's definitely not the time to tell him that news.

But in the end, Qiao Shuang gritted her teeth and told the truth.

"Three months ago, I went to the Heavenly Gate to discuss your marriage with my master."

Upon hearing this, Ning Yuan, who was still in a daze, instantly came to his senses.

"marriage?"

Thinking that since it had already been revealed, she might as well tell the whole story, Qiao Shuang said quietly, "A year ago, Master thought that you were too impulsive and didn't care about cultivation. In order to help you grow, he decided to let you get married and start a family. You were engaged to the daughter of the great-grandson of Grand Tutor Xiao, one of the twelve pillar families of the nation."

Ning Yuan was stunned; he had never heard of this matter before, neither in this life nor later.

But there seemed to be more to the story. Qiao Shuang continued, "However, things have recently taken a sudden turn. The daughter of the Xiao family was originally a cultivation genius that only appears once in a thousand years. However, when she was forming her core recently, her golden core shattered and her Dao veins broke. Although her father spent a huge amount of money to rebuild her Dao body, it was only a drop in the ocean. Her cultivation progressed very slowly, and she has become a cripple..."

Ning Yuan felt increasingly uneasy listening to this, and subconsciously replied, "You two aren't planning to call off the engagement, are you?"

Qiao Shuang gave Ning Yuan a strange look.

"Of course the engagement must be called off. This woman was born into a branch of the Xiao family. If she weren't exceptionally talented, how could she possibly be worthy of marrying you, young master?"

At this point, Qiao Shuang, who was always gentle, beautiful, dignified, and poised, suddenly gave a cold laugh and said sarcastically, "Moreover, if she hadn't been so ungrateful and insisted on forming a high-grade golden core so that Grand Tutor Xiao would retract his decision and annul the engagement, she wouldn't have ended up in this state. She only has herself to blame!"

Ning Yuan was speechless for a moment.

No wonder the matter was eventually dropped; it must have been suppressed by my father and Qiao Shuang.

Given her status as a member of a branch of the Xiao family, she had no way to resist.

However, this tortuous experience is truly thought-provoking.

So, as if by some strange twist of fate, Ning Yuan asked one more question.

"What is the name of that daughter of the Xiao family?"

"Xiao Lingjiang".

Ning Yuan's mind cleared instantly, and he looked as if he had just realized something. He kept muttering, "So that's how it is. There was such a cause and effect. No wonder..."

"What cause and effect?"

Qiao Shuang watched her young master talking to himself, looking absent-minded, and became increasingly nervous.

Ning Yuan, on the other hand, gripped the jade piece in his sleeve tightly.

"fine."

He waved his hand gently, indicating to Qiao Shuang that he was alright.

"Let's depart and return to the residence."

As the light in Qiao Shuang's hand solidified, eight crimson dragons roared to the sky, their cries echoing in all directions. The Nine-Colored Heavenly Chariot transformed into a streak of light, piercing the sky.

By the time Ning Yuan returned to the manor, it was already late.

The cloud-carriage landed steadily in the spacious courtyard at the top of the mountain villa.

The azure-scaled and crimson dragons prostrated themselves on the ground, allowing Ning Yuan to step on their enormous and ferocious heads as he descended from the cloud chariot.

Qiao Shuang had already been standing to the side, her gaze fixed on Ning Yuan's back as they passed each other, lost in thought.

"Well, with my father as proof, do you now believe I haven't been possessed?"

At that moment, a slightly flippant remark reached Qiao Shuang's ears.

Her beautiful eyes trembled slightly as she whispered, "Da Qiao was actually worried too much about your identity, young master. Please punish me."

Ning Yuan laughed heartily, turned around, and saw Qiao Shuang's stunning figure reflected in his handsome features.

"Da Qiao, how could I possibly blame you? I just wanted you to know that I am who I am, and not to overthink it."

After saying that, Ning Yuan waved his hand and said softly to Qiao Shuang, "I have something to say to you. Come here first."

Without the slightest hesitation, accompanied by a fragrant aroma, Qiao Shuang took a step forward and came to Ning Yuan's side.

"Get a little closer. This matter is confidential. Even if the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion has formations to conceal the secrets of heaven, we must be careful of eavesdroppers. Luodu has been quite turbulent lately, with all sorts of people mixed in. If someone manages to sneak in and use magic to steal information, that would be disastrous..."

Qiao Shuang parted her red lips slightly, seemingly wanting to refute her young master.

This is a key protected area of ​​the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion. If it is easily sneaked in by others, where will Ning Muxian, the number one pure yang master of the Great Xuantian, put his face?

This statement is full of holes.

But considering Ning Yuan's past performance, it felt pointless to say anything.

It was obvious that the young master wanted to do something to her, and since she had initially misunderstood him, she might as well go along with it...

So Qiao Shuang obediently did as Ning Yuan said.

The two were less than a foot apart, their breaths mingling, some hot, some cool.

With Qiao Shuang's stunning beauty right before his eyes, Ning Yuan smiled and unceremoniously covered that alluring blush with his own.

Mmm, it's very moist and sweet.

After a moment, Ning Yuan slowly stepped back.

Looking at Qiao Shuang's beautiful face, which, despite her best efforts to conceal it, still had a slight blush, he could see her delicate features.

He asked softly, "Why didn't you dodge?"

Although Qiao Shuang is Ning Yuan's nominal maid, she is actually his monitor and protector.

With her talent and strength, she would be more than qualified to be the patriarch of a sect in the outside world, and her status would be worlds apart from that of the true servants in the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion.

Even as a nominal disciple, Qiao Shuang is still considered one of the few in the world to have inherited Ning Muxian's mantle, making her extremely noble.

Logically speaking, Qiao Shuang could even ignore his orders in daily life, and just keep an eye on him to prevent him from committing any serious crimes.

If necessary, they can also take action to forcibly suppress Ning Yuan.

At that time, Ning Muxian will not only not blame her, but may even reward her.

However, Qiao Shuang did not do that.

Perhaps it was to repay Ning Muxian's kindness in passing on his teachings.

Perhaps it's for better climbing.

Perhaps there is another purpose.

Qiao Shuang has always been meticulous and serious in her attitude towards Ning Yuan's orders.

Even tasks that are laughable, laughable, infuriating, or despicable.

For example, he forcibly abducted the chief disciple of a certain immortal sect on the street, and even injured the sect's captain...

In short, in other people's eyes, the beautiful and aloof Qiao family fairy, who seemed like a flower on a high mountain, was just Lin Gongzi's maid. He could do whatever he wanted to them.

Qiao Shuang pursed her lips, looked at the boy with utmost seriousness, and replied, "Why are you hiding?"

Ning Yuan was slightly taken aback, but a beautiful figure standing amidst a barrage of magical attacks flashed through his mind.

At that moment, her eyes were so calm, only occasionally revealing a hint of pain and despair, before she resolutely threw herself into it... and ultimately met her annihilation.

That poignant beauty was like a piece of red-hot iron, branded fiercely into his heart. Several times he woke up in the middle of the night with traces of tears still wet at the corners of his eyes.

It was then that he found out.

Dedication and sacrifice.

These two words carry a lot of weight, a lot of weight…