Chapter 85: Celestial Lord Chang Li’s Reckoning at the Hands of Celestial Lady Qing Luan
Teleportation was always unpredictable. This time, they had arrived directly in front of the Sect Master’s Hall.
Inside, voices filled the grand chamber.
“Master, weren’t you in seclusion? Why have you emerged so soon?” Song Wei Yan asked in surprise.
“I do not know why, but my heart has been restless of late. An ominous premonition lingers, as if something great is about to transpire. Yet, I have done nothing recently to incur the wrath of heaven,” Celestial Lord Chang Li mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
Before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, a figure clad in celestial blue descended upon the scene like a storm.
“Qing Luan?” Celestial Lord Chang Li’s eyes lit up with undisguised joy at the sight of Celestial Lady Qing Luan’s sudden arrival. In his delight, he entirely missed the cold smirk playing at the corners of her lips.
“Why else would I be here, if not as the very source of your ominous premonition?”
Her words had barely left her lips before her palm lashed out without hesitation.
“Slap!”
Ah, how familiar this feeling was.
The moment Qing Luan heard his words, she had charged in without delay. Shen Sang Ruo, afraid of missing such a spectacle, had rushed in right behind her.
Upon entering, she was greeted with a sight most spectacular.
That single slap did not just stun Celestial Lord Chang Li—it left every observer in the hall utterly flabbergasted.
Holding his reddened cheek, Celestial Lord Chang Li’s expression was one of pure bewilderment, tinged with grievance. “Qing Luan, why did you strike me?”
Seeing her after so many years, his heart had surged with unspeakable emotions. There was so much he wished to tell her, so many questions he longed to ask. Yet, before he could utter a single word, a slap had sent him reeling.
What had he done to deserve this?
“You truly do not know?” Qing Luan sneered, arms crossed.
For once, Celestial Lord Chang Li was honest as he shook his head. “I truly have no idea.”
“Very well. Then allow me to remind you.” Qing Luan’s voice carried the weight of old grievances yet to be settled.
“The Heart-Link Pearl—did you steal it?”
In an instant, all eyes—Su Xi Yu, Daoist Wu Wei, and the rest—turned toward Celestial Lord Chang Li, their gazes filled with the same thought:
We never expected this from you, Celestial Lord Chang Li!
A strange look flickered across his face as he stammered, “How can matters between a Celestial Lord and a Celestial Lady be called stealing?”
“I merely borrowed it for a while. I even had someone return it to you. Must we resort to violence over such a trivial matter?” Seeing Shen Sang Ruo in the background, he suddenly felt somewhat guilty.
Since Qing Luan had returned alongside Shen Sang Ruo, that must mean she had already received the Heart-Link Pearl. If so, why was she still so furious?
Qing Luan let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. Trivial? Just a pearl?
With another decisive motion, her palm descended once more, this time striking the top of his head.
“And why did you have someone else deliver it instead of bringing it yourself? You knew I would be furious, didn’t you?”
“Yet you still dared to say I feared you—that I was too terrified to seek you out, that merely laying eyes on you would leave me trembling?”
While he had indeed taken the Heart-Link Pearl, when had he ever uttered such slander?
“I never said such words. Are you sure you aren’t mistaken?”
Celestial Lord Chang Li felt the weight of injustice pressing down on him.
“You entrusted such a significant treasure to another’s hands, implying they were someone you trusted deeply. If it came from their mouth, how could it possibly be false?” Qing Luan’s finger pointed straight at Shen Sang Ruo.
“You said this?” Celestial Lord Chang Li turned sharply toward her.
In response, Shen Sang Ruo merely offered him an innocent smile, her expression radiating the sentiment: Good luck dealing with your own karma.
Celestial Lady Qing Luan’s lips curled into a smirk, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes.
Celestial Lord Chang Li immediately understood—this was Shen Sang Ruo’s revenge.
“You—!”
Just as he was about to say something to her, his ear was suddenly yanked by Celestial Lady Qing Luan, forcing his attention back to her.
“Well then, say it again! Right to my face! Let me see if you have the guts!” she demanded, her voice fierce as she dragged him out.
Celestial Lord Chang Li staggered, loudly protesting his innocence. “I never said such a thing! Someone is slandering me!”
But Celestial Lady Qing Luan ignored his cries. A moment later, the sounds of his miserable wailing echoed back.
Shen Sang Ruo clicked her tongue, watching the spectacle with mild amusement. Truly, Celestial Lady Qing Luan was a force to be reckoned with. Even against the lofty and untouchable Celestial Lord Chang Li, she didn’t hesitate to strike.
While she was savoring the moment, the others in the room had already surrounded her.
Daoist Wu Wei leaned in with a knowing smirk. “Sang lass, what exactly happened? How did you manage to summon that tempest of a woman here?”
Everyone in Ninghua Sect had once witnessed Celestial Lady Qing Luan’s fiery temperament before the great upheaval. Whenever she crossed paths with Celestial Lord Chang Li, sparks flew, and their confrontations were as inevitable as fire meeting water.
At some point in the past, their enmity had deepened. Celestial Lady Qing Luan had retreated to Moonwind Spirit, seldom setting foot outside. And now, she had willingly ventured all the way to Ninghua Sect?
It certainly seemed like she had come solely to settle accounts with Celestial Lord Chang Li.
“So many years have passed, yet Celestial Lady Qing Luan’s temper remains as fierce as ever,” sighed Su Xi Yu. “And Master is still the one getting beaten.”
Bai Ruo An, usually indifferent, was curious for once. “Shen Sang Ruo, how did you convince Celestial Lady Qing Luan to come here?”
Shen Sang Ruo exhaled dramatically, casting a mysterious gaze over them. “It’s a long story.”
And so, she relayed a rough account of the events that led to this moment.
“Master was too much! He actually sent you to bear the brunt of Celestial Lady Qing Luan’s wrath for him?” Song Wei Yan exclaimed, indignant.
“I think Junior Sister Shen handled it perfectly,” Ye Huai, always a man of few words, said approvingly.
“No, no, you’re all mistaken,” Bai Ruo An countered, his expression unreadable. “To Master, this isn’t a punishment. It’s a reward.”
“Hah? What do you mean by that?” Daoist Wu Wei’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Think about it carefully…” Bai Ruo An began, weaving his analysis with practiced ease.
While they whispered among themselves, outside, Celestial Lady Qing Luan and Celestial Lord Chang Li had finally reached an uneasy truce.
They walked back into the hall, both wearing dark expressions, neither willing to acknowledge the other. However, Celestial Lord Chang Li’s ears were tinged red. Whether it was from the scolding or something else, no one could say.
The moment they stepped inside, six pairs of eyes locked onto them.
“What are you staring at?” Celestial Lady Qing Luan frowned.
“Nothing, nothing.” The group hastily shook their heads in unison.
Celestial Lady Qing Luan and Celestial Lord Chang Li exchanged a glance, both sensing that these people were acting strangely.
But to the onlookers, the more they observed the two, the more something seemed… off.
“Ahem.” Celestial Lord Chang Li cleared his throat, straightening his posture in an attempt to reclaim his dignity. “I hear you’ve obtained Celestial Lady Qing Luan’s Nirvana Force?”
His usual composed demeanor had returned, masking any traces of his earlier embarrassment.
The other disciples had seen him get beaten often enough, but Shen Sang Ruo had yet to be formally tricked into becoming his disciple. He needed to salvage his image, at least in her eyes.
Unfortunately for him, Shen Sang Ruo’s perception of him had already shattered the day he tried to pull her into his schemes.
She nodded calmly. “Yes. I thought the Nirvana Force might be able to restore Senior Brother Song’s meridians, so I exchanged the Fire Scale Vine with Celestial Lady Qing Luan for it.”
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