Supreme Emperor of Mist

"Why do you care? You won't be able to fight against him with your current cultivation. Just give up. Although I know that senior sister Zhou Mei is beautiful, her heart already belonged to another man, and her body will soon belong to another." Yan Yi Lian shook her head as she speaks.

From her reply, she seems to be clueless about the identity of Crimson Mist Marquis.

This made Qin Lan had the urge to chuckle as he noticed that this beauty still did not realize that he was the "Qin Lan" she mentioned in Zhou Mei's story.

Because if she did, their conversation wouldn't proceed in this manner.

"Because I'm the Qin Lan she's waiting for," thinking that it would be fun to see her reaction, he replied her question in such a way that hinted at his identity.

"Oh, my Marquis... You'll have to do better than this. I know that you came from the Country of Wu... But telling me that you're the young general that got killed by the Genius General of Warfare, Peng Likun, is just making fun of Lian-Er."

"Lian-Er might be just a girl from some rural area, but I still know most of the things because I can write and read. Marquis, please stop joking with this lass, please?" Yan Yi Lian said as she turned her head to look at Qin Lan.

Seeing how she find it unbelievable, Qin Lan decided to make it clearer to her. And it was by removing his iconic red armor and changed into his usual appearance with an azure-colored robe.

On his waist were two tokens. One was sculpted from wood before treated with liquid amber and polished. As for the second token, it was a gift from the King of Wu.

He placed the two tokens on Yan Yi Lian's hand before randomly picking a path to proceed aimlessly. A smile was kept on his face as he wondered what kind of reaction he'll get from Yan Yi Lian.

"You... You really are the Qin Lan from senior sister Zhou's story? The announcement said that you're dead after getting a punch from General Peng..." Yan Yi Lian was stunned for a moment there. By the time she noticed that Qin Lan was more than fifteen steps away from her, she quickly chased him.

To a Bone expert like Yan Yi Lian, moving fifteen steps by making one to two steps forward was not too much. But she's unsure about herself today. This was the most flustered fifteen steps she has ever taken.

A hint of redness is shown on both her cheeks as she thirsts for air after getting back to Qin Lan's side.

"Take your time to breathe first." Qin Lan noticed that they seem to arrive at a corner where the beauty of the Lianshui Lake can be appreciated from here.

With a pat on the Spatial Jade on his waistbelt, Qin Lan took a piece of silk handkerchief out and handed it to Yan Yi Lian.

"Thank you, Marquis..." Yan Yi Lian took the handkerchief and slowly wiped her flustered emotion away.

"Sometimes, you can only trust what you have seen yourself. Maybe the news you get back at your sect is a little outdated?" Qin Lan smiled. If he wasn't mistaken, it was made on purpose to force Zhou Mei to give up on waiting for him.

After all, the fact he was heavily injured by Peng Likun's strength of a half-step Spiritual Root Layer is witnessed by countless experts present on the battlefield.

By delivering such a piece of sad news throughout the three countries, it would not only affect the reputation of Peng Likun but also helps various forces scattered around the continent plan for their next move.

As for clueless individuals like Yan Yi Lian, she was just another one who got caught up by the net of schemes planted by the three countries.

"Tsk..." Yan Yi Lian clicked her tongue the more she thinks about the scheme behind this. Although she had no opinion regarding what the people do for a living, getting caught inside without knowing the truth still make her felt like a fool for a moment.

"What are you getting so angry for? I am the one pronounced dead, not you, Beauty Yan." Qin Lan chuckled and placed a smaller wine jar in her hand.

"I've actually kept this as a secret from the other fellow disciples because I'm worried they'll tell senior sister Zhou the bad news. Thinking about that, I was the foolish one." Yan Yi Lian covered her face as she speaks about those shameful things she did.

By the time she returned to the Ice Maiden Temple, she might be the laughingstock amongst the outer temple because of how silly she was.

"What foolishness? In my opinion, what you've done was a great help to both Zhou Mei and me." Qin Lan smiled as he looks at Yan Yi Lian's face with a pair of gleaming, clear gazes.

"Beauty Yan, are you willing to help me pull some strings and bring a pair of lovers back together? When things were done, feel free to ask me for any request. As long this Marquis is capable of doing it, I'll make it happen for you." Qin Lan cupped his hands together and asked for her favor.

"Pull some strings... Don't tell me you want me to help you to get my senior sister out from the sect so you can run away with her?" Yan Yi Lian covered her mouth as she thinks about what Qin Lan wanted her to do.

"Beauty Yan, you read too many immature scholar's fiction stories. How can such a thing happened in real life? All I need you to do is bring something back to the sect and gives it to her. As my woman, she'll understand what that means." Qin Lan smiled after he finished his sentence.

"Well... I guess I can give you some help if it was something this simple." Yan Yi Lian shows a hint of hesitation behind her words as she reluctantly agreed to his demand. But that twitch on the corner of her lips failed to escape Qin Lan's eyes.

"But I'm going to tell you first. Not everyone is capable of paying my favor back in full. You better be ready as it will make you broke!" Yan Yi Lian jokes as she agreed to Qin Lan's request.

"Even if I have to pay you until my offspring to take over this responsibility, I'll promise I won't run from this debt." Qin Lan cupped his hands together as they came up with an agreement.

Of course, that was just in speech.

"So, what do you think about the scenery here? It's beautiful, correct?" Yan Yi Lian pointed at the Lianshui Lake and roughly guessed where they're doing the harvest. As the local of this village, all it took from her is a quick glance to know where they'll be going to harvest the next batch.

After seated side by side for a while, Yan Yi Lian walked Qin Lan to the Lotus Sighting Manor. As she was preparing to leave, it seems Qin Lan had something to make her resolution to help him and Zhou Mei firmer.

"Beauty Yan, please hold your steps." Qin Lan said as he walked closer to her side.

'Ah... Don't tell me he's interested in me too? I can't do that... Especially not after I know he's senior sister Zhou's man..." Yan Yi Lian was nervous.

No woman will be reluctant when it comes to receiving a gift. But for the first time, Yan Yi Lian had such a thought in her mind. She closed both of her eyes as she waited for Qin Lan to approach her. Deep inside her heart, she's curious about why he's asking her to stay.

"Beauty Yan, this Marquis was here unprepared, so I have limited gift in my hand to be presented to a beauty like you. But I hope you'll like this gift I can bring out for now." Qin Lan placed two medicinal bottles into her hand before he turned around and leave.

Her heart was still palpitating nervously after Qin Lan had left.

"What did he gives me?" feeling like a kid that got a mysterious gift from their parents, she made her way home as quickly as she could and locked herself inside her room.

Her behavior made her mother suspected that something might happen between the two. But it never came across her mind that the "something" was not what she thought. Of course, it was pointless to clear this misunderstanding because it was late at night by now.

Furthermore, what is there to be made clear?

It's not like her daughter was underage, and Qin Lan was a clueless youngster. In her eyes, Qin Lan was still a man with three wives!

(Well, nobody declared that he only married one and two is yet to walk past the door into the Qin Family yet)

'Would this be the spring for our Yan Family and my Lian-Er's? Hopefully, heaven will be kind to our Lianshui Village and my Lian-Er..." the chief's wife prayed to the sky. After a few shakes with both inner palms facing together, she returned to her room.

As for Yan Yi Lian, she was similarly surprised by Qin Lan's "generous" gift. The content from the two medicinal bottles exceeds what she could ask.

There was only a single pill inside one of the two bottles. The method to use this pill was written on the wrapping paper that protects the pellet from hard impacts.

'What an amazing Precelestial Realm Restructuring Pill...' Yan Yi Lian said.