Chapter Seven: Mental Calculation

  Although Wang Guanlan was quite annoyed by Sen Leng's sword edge, it also made his hot and swollen head calm down.

  He gently lifted his hand, carefully pinched the blade of the sword, and moved the tip of the sword away from his own throat.

  "Calm down, everyone calm down!" Wang Guanlan moved the sword tip away, his heart still racing as he said, "Let's talk this out properly, this thing is too sharp, if you can't control it well, then for the rest of your life, you'll probably have to live a life of celibacy!"

  Qingling's gaze turned cold once more, but the Qinggang long sword in his hand came down obediently.

  "Green spirit girl, I ask you again, are you sure you want to marry me?!"

  "Not bad!" Qingling's voice was somewhat chilly, and at this time, she was also very depressed. To say that she didn't regret it would be a lie, but her words had already been spoken, and they were said in front of so many people. Wanting to take them back wasn't an easy thing to do, and she also knew that once her words were out, they were like spilled water - no matter what, they couldn't be taken back.

  "I said if you really want me to choose, I'll choose you, but we can't get married yet!"

  "Why?!"

  "What I'm practicing is the secret technique of Jingling Lake, and before it's fully mastered, I won't be able to get married!"

  "So you're saying that if I don't become a Buddha in this lifetime, then I won't be able to attain enlightenment for the rest of my life?!" Wang Guanlan sneered and laughed without waiting for her response, "No big deal, I'll just take a few more wives, it's not a big deal at all!"

  This remark, even if Qing Ling was self-aware and had a deep tolerance, the hand holding the sword couldn't help but tighten, almost directly using the sword to stab him to death. Afterwards, Wang Guanlan's voice was heard again, "If we can't get married, we can at least get engaged, let's choose a good day and first settle the nominal relationship, what do you think?"

  "Huh?!"

  "What's wrong, don't you want to?!"

  "Suit yourself!!"

  "All right, let's set the day of the opening ceremony then. It's a good day!" Wang Guanlan said casually.

  "It can't be like this, right?!" Xiu Yan, who was anxious and almost jumping up and down, finally got the chance to speak, "The 14th young master is a prince of the Wang Fu, and also the most valued son of the king. This matter of marriage must go through the king's approval, if he doesn't agree..."

  "It doesn't matter, if Father Emperor disapproves, I won't take a wife, I'll just take concubines, it's all the same!!"

  "You......!!!!!" Qingling glared fiercely at Wang Guanlan, raising her green steel long sword once again.

  "Old fourteen, don't talk nonsense!!" The fourth son, Wang Guanxiao, finally couldn't bear it anymore and awkwardly smiled at the two girls. "Qingling Miss, Xiuyan Miss, sorry about this, little fourteen is young and speaks without reserve, please don't take it to heart. As for this marriage, Qingling Miss is a renowned figure of this generation in Jingling Lake, being able to marry into our Ning Wang Fu is an honor for us, Father will definitely not refuse! And besides, if Qingling Miss just mentions it to Father, I'm afraid little fourteen won't even be able to take a concubine in the future!"

  "That's not right!" As soon as the words fell, Wang Guanlan shouted loudly, "I..."

  He glanced at the ill-fated Qingling and Xiuyan, then looked at Wang Guanzhong, leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "I can't die hanging from one tree!!"

  The voice is not loud, but who can deceive those in this house?

  If it weren't for the presence of so many people, someone would have burst out laughing by now. Is there such a person? This old lady hasn't even been married back yet, and she's already thinking about taking a concubine, and she's still so righteous and proud in front of her marriage partner, this is also too much to take, isn't it?

  Fourth Master Wang Guanxia was sweating profusely at this time, supporting Wang Guanlan's shoulder and pressing him into his seat. "Fourteenth brother, you've had too much to drink, come on, sit down and rest for a bit!"

  "Fourth son, at fourteen you're still too young and insincere, I think this engagement should be called off!!" Xiu Yan said with a hint of relief.

  "That won't do!" Wang Guanlan suddenly stood up from his chair again, looking at Xiuyan with a cold smile. "Matters of marriage are not child's play. You're neither her elder nor my family member. It seems you have no right to interfere in the matters between us two?!"

  "Isn't this too much to drink?!" The two Huā Lí Wèi leaders, Chen Qing Shan and Wang Qing, looked at Wang Guan Lan with eyes full of admiration. With just a few words, he had won over the number one beauty of the martial arts world with his cunning and cleverness, wasn't this too much?!

  "Xiao Shi, you must not be rude to Lady Xiyan!" Wang Guanxu scolded, then turned to Qingling and Xiyan and said, "Lady Xiyan's words also make sense. Marriage is a major life event, and for now, it can only be considered as an initial agreement. As for how to proceed, the elders must take charge. I will inform the Wang Manor about this matter right away. Miss Qingling, don't you think you should discuss this with your seniors at Jingling Lake?"

  "What are you discussing?!" A hint of bitterness flashed across Qing Lian's face, "Jing Ling Hu has never interfered with the marriages of its disciples, only offering blessings. I have agreed, so Jing Ling Hu naturally won't have any opinions either. However, as for how to proceed, it is necessary for the elders of both families to decide!"

  "That's good, that's good!" Qingling didn't follow Xiu Yan's reasoning to cancel the engagement, letting Wang Guanxi breathe a sigh of relief. "It's getting late, let's stop here for today. You two young ladies should get some rest early, as there are many things to attend to tomorrow!!"

  Originally, the two of them came to Yicheng with a special purpose, but after a meal, Wang Guanlan had unexpectedly turned things into this situation, making him feel embarrassed and also a bit headachy. Of course, he didn't dare to take matters into his own hands privately, everything still had to wait until he reported back to Ning Wang Wang Bizheng before proceeding.

  ………………………

  ………

  "Green spirit girl, how can you agree to such a despicable request?!"

  Qingling and Xiuyan didn't have the heart to eat or drink at this time, chatted for a while, and returned to their pre-arranged accommodation. After sending away the people around them, including the little loli maid beside Xiuyan, Xiuyan finally said to Qingling with a sigh of relief:

  "Alas, at that time I didn't think much of it either, the words just came out in a rush, and before I knew it, they had already slipped out!" Qingling carefully recalled the situation at the time, and even she herself found it somewhat unbelievable, but she didn't suspect anything else. "Before we descended the mountain, Master had said that my spiritual cultivation was still lacking some fire, who would have thought that it would be verified here!"

  "Even so, when the Fourteenth Young Master spoke those arrogant words, you had the chance to destroy this so-called engagement, why...!"

  "I've always wanted to, but I couldn't!"

  "No, why can't you? Are you really going to risk your whole life for those pampas grass?! " Xiu Yan's usual elegance was gone, and even her voice had become shrill.

  "Xiu Yan sister, the Feng Wei Cao is just one aspect, it's not that important!" Qing Ling pulled Xiu Yan down to sit, saying helplessly, "The most important thing is me, my cultivation, my heart lake sword scripture seeks perfection of the mind. To cultivate the heart lake sword scripture to the state of sword heart clarity, it requires that there be no flaws in the mind. Previously, under the loss of my divine consciousness, I agreed to the marriage contract. If I were to go back on my word now, then the flaw in my mind would never be able to be mended again. Let alone achieving the state of sword heart clarity, I fear that even the state of 'heart has a spiritual connection' would be difficult to reach!"

  "So you agreed?!"

  "What can I do?!" Qingling sat down slowly.

  Seeing this situation, Xiū Yuān also didn't say anything else, and all her resentment, thoughts, were transformed into a soft sigh.

  ………………………

  ……………

  "Hiss, that was close! That was close! I didn't expect that little girl's spiritual cultivation to be so profound, just a hair's breadth away from being discovered!!"

  Not long after Wang Guanlan and others left, a sinister figure emerged from the dark in a narrow alley outside the Wangjiang Pavilion. As he walked, he muttered to himself, holding a white, strangely-shaped bone in his hand, with a sly smile on his face that seemed to savor a sinister plot. "Heh-heh, Jingling Lake, you've finally been served a foot-washing water, hahahahaha!!!"