"Teacher, please stay. Otherwise, Brother Ran will be unhappy. And don't you also feel that way?" Nalan Yanran blushed as she muttered. Having cultivated alongside Yun Yun in the Yunlan Sect for so many years, how could she be unclear about Yun Yun's thoughts?
In recent days, Yun Yun often sat alone, daydreaming and revealing that tender, water-like smile, a clear indication to anyone of what she was thinking about.
Even though Yun Yun was her teacher, Nalan Yanran had never experienced such matters either. In the realm of Cultivation, Yun Yun was her mentor, but not in other aspects. Perhaps her own experiences were even richer.
And she knew that it was only Yun Yun's thin skin that made her pretend to want to leave. Otherwise, she would have run away out of sheer embarrassment long ago.
Of course, if Brother Ran didn't provide Yun Yun with a way out when she attempted to leave, she truly would have gone.
It was all part of the routine.
"What nonsense are you spouting, girl? How dare you show such disrespect to your teacher?" Yun Yun was somewhat embarrassed by Nalan Yanran's words. She was already feeling shy, and now even more embarrassed.
Under normal circumstances, she would never agree to Brother Ran's outrageous requests, but after so many years of not seeing each other and finally reuniting, and especially after the life-and-death situation they just went through, her heart and soul were confused, incapable of being completely rational.
"Hehe, just give in to Brother Ran. And remember, I may be your disciple at times, but at other times, we're sisters," Nalan Yanran said with a playful smile.
It was the first time she had ever seen Yun Yun so bashfully annoyed; even she was stunned for a moment by the sight of her teacher's pouting.
Her mentor, as noble and aloof as a Qinglian fairy, also had such a side to her!
"If you want to quarrel, you can have it out later. But for now..." Brother Ran, one on each side, firmly embraced the two women. He had intended to go to Yun Yun or Nalan Yanran's boudoir, but on second thought, those places couldn't accommodate so many people. So, without further deliberation, Brother Ran headed towards the Sect Main Hall.
This certainly gave Nalan Yanran a start.
But now they had no chance of escaping from Brother Ran's grasp.
...
It was a long while before they stopped.
The situation Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran feared did not arise.
The old Sect Master, Yun Shan, was dead, and without Yun Yun's summoning, no one else would unexpectedly come here.
"Brother Xu Ran, you are really terrible. And after I even helped you convince Teacher," Nalan Yanran pouted, her spirited demeanor gaining an extra touch of cuteness.
"Blame me? The places you had prepared were only suitable for one or two people. I couldn't think of any other appropriate place," Xu Ran chuckled, yawned, and tilted his head while watching the two women dress.
"Excuses! I just can't believe that was your only option," Yun Yun also turned around and fiercely glared at Xu Ran. Her face radiated a glowing aura that anyone could guess what she had been through if she went outside.
Nalan Yanran didn't change as much, since she was always carefree by nature. Yun Yun's temperament, however, had greatly differed from before. She had always been cold and aloof, but now she was much gentler, the very image of a virtuous wife.
Before, Yun Yun's gaze towards Xu Ran though filled with affection, did not possess that alluring charm, tender like water, a virtue she had not had before.
Some things are only acquired through experience.
"After all, the entire Yunlan Sect belongs to my Yun Yun Wife, which means it's mine. I can do as I like, wherever I like. Who's to govern that?"
Yun Yun bit her lip, unsure of what to say next.
This great hall was where the Sect's Elders and important deacons usually gathered to make decisions about the affairs of the sect, a truly Holy place.
Let it be.
For who could blame her for falling in love with such an unrestrained man who had no regard for worldly views?
A cultivator should not be bound by anything, not even by social decorum. Perhaps, it was precisely Xu Ran's carefree nature that made him stand out from the rest, achieving such power. She realized she did not need to, nor could she, change Xu Ran.
Yun Yun gazed deeply at Xu Ran and suddenly gained some insight.
If Xu Ran knew that all his shameful acts in the eyes of Yun Yun could be so easily redeemed, he would undoubtedly be gratified. He got stronger entirely through shameless reliance on the System young lady's cheats. Xu Ran was a person who grew through using cheats. As he believed, if he could effortlessly become invincible using cheats, why should he put in the hard work?
In short, other people's imaginations made Xu Ran perfect.
With Xu Ran's "Cultivation Level" growing so powerful, naturally, every move he made attracted the attention of those around him. Xu Ran's character, personality, and some unusual actions were often over-interpreted and then rationalized by them in ways they thought made sense.
This was easy to understand. Back on Earth in his previous life, the famous sayings of celebrities could be turned into comprehension exercises. And as for emperors, countless people around them also tried to interpret their Holy will.
It wasn't that Yun Yun and the others intentionally tried to guess Xu Ran's thoughts; rather, they over-interpreted many of his actions into their own idealized images of him. Thus, even if Xu Ran behaved in a very rude manner, they would quickly twist it in their minds into something positive.
To achieve this effect, apart from the authority brought by Xu Ran's strength, it was naturally also due to their unconditional love for him. In their hearts, Xu Ran was perfect, and even his faults became positive traits.
A murderous devil is derogatory, but being decisive in killing is praiseworthy. Everything has two sides; it just depends on whether the people around you are willing to classify you on the good side or the bad.
"Right, where are Xiao Yi Xian and the others? I haven't seen them."
"They should be cultivating in the Secret Realm you created earlier. That place is indeed formidable. Xiao Yan and his group came yesterday but seemed not to have found the Secret Realm. If it weren't for the sect, we could have hidden in that Secret Realm yesterday. However, if we weren't here, Xiao Yan and the others would have eventually discovered the existence of the Secret Realm," Yun Yun said with a proud smile on her face. The Secret Realm Xu Ran created for the Yunlan Sect had significantly improved the overall quality of the sect's new generation of disciples.
Xu Ran hadn't even been at Yunlan Sect for a full month, but his influence had reached every aspect of the Sect. Even she, as Sect Master, couldn't compare to the contribution Xu Ran had made to the sect.