Chapter 431: Sword Master Qingshan
Ye Guan was bewildered; he never expected that his bloodline would suddenly start boiling. He knew that he had three different bloodlines coursing through his veins. The Mad Demon Bloodline he had inherited from his father, the bloodline he had inherited from his mother, and another bloodline.
The bloodline he had inherited from his mother was boiling for some reason. What was going on? Ye Guan's knitted brows abruptly loosened up. He turned to Xuanyuan Ling and asked, “Miss Ling, do you have a special bloodline?”
Xuanyuan Ling’s eyes narrowed, and she asked, “How do you know?”
Ye Guan hurriedly added, “Can you tell me its name?”
Xuanyuan Ling hesitated.
Ye Guan saw that and asked, “Is it not a good idea to tell an outsider about it?”
Xuanyuan Ling shook her head. “No, it's fine. I'm just surprised. Mr. Ye, why are you asking?”
Ye Guan was transfixed on Xuanyuan Ling, and he urged, “Can you answer me?”
Xuanyuan Ling replied, "The Phoenix Emperor Bloodline is coursing through my veins.”
Ye Guan’s brows furrowed. “The Phoenix Emperor Bloodline?”
Xuanyuan Ling nodded and stared deeply at Ye Guan. “But why the sudden interest in my bloodline, Mr. Ye?”
Ye Guan asked earnestly, “Can you let me explore your bloodline?”
Xuanyuan Ling blushed instantly, and she shook her head vehemently. “No!”
Ye Guan was taken aback.
“Mr. Ye, please refrain from such suggestive remarks...” Xuanyuan Ling muttered in a voice that sounded more like a mosquito's droning.
Ye Guan blinked in confusion.
“Miss Ling, I think you've misunderstood me...” Ye Guan muttered, smiling wryly.
Xuanyuan Ling remained silent with her head lowered and her cheeks flushed red.
Ye Guan remained confused. Did I say something wrong? Explore your bloodline... suggestive? Is it another slang here?
Just then, the car came to a halt. Xuanyuan Ling flung the door open and alighted.
Ye Guan's expression froze.
A third party would definitely misunderstand Xuanyuan Ling's desperation to alight from the car and think that Ye Guan had done something inappropriate to her.
Xuanyuan Ling ran away, but she came to a halt upon recalling something. She turned back and walked up to Ye Guan while blushing all throughout. "Mr. Ye, come with me, please."
Ye Guan nodded. "Certainly."
Ye Guan followed closely behind Xuanyuan Ling. He looked around and found a luxurious mansion built on the summit of a mountain a kilometer away. The mansion was built in an architectural style that allowed it to exude grandeur and might. Ye Guan also sensed a few concealed auras inside the mansion.
Xuanyuan Ling was quiet as she walked ahead of Ye Guan.
Ye Guan hesitated briefly before saying, "Miss Ling, I think you misunderstood me."
Xuanyuan Ling nodded. "I know."
"Can you tell me why you reacted that way, then?" Ye Guan asked.
Xuanyuan Ling shook her head. "I can't."
Ye Guan had no idea what to say.
The two soon reached the summit, and the mansion gates opened. Xuanyuan Ling led Ye Guan into the mansion. Ye Guan looked around curiously and saw a dozen ancient halls on the mansion grounds.
A black tower with nine floors also stood in the distance.
The entire mansion exuded an ancient aura, and Ye Guan felt like he had entered a whole new world, as the contrast was simply too big to the urban environment outside.
Ye Guan became even more curious as they walked deeper into the mansion. The bloodline power inside of him became increasingly restless as the seconds went on, and Ye Guan reckoned that there had to be something related to his bloodline here, or perhaps he had a relative here.
Xuanyuan Ling led Ye Guan into a quaint courtyard, and a man emerged, blocking their path. The man resembled Xuanyuan Ling.
"Second Brother!" exclaimed Xuanyuan Ling.
The man glanced quietly at Ye Guan before nodding.
Xuanyuan Ling saw that and turned to Ye Guan. "Let's go."
Ye Guan nodded, and the two ventured toward an inner hall.
Ye Guan's gaze landed on a middle-aged man seated inside the inner hall. He was wearing an elegant robe in a style that would make any Huaxia citizen think that he was cosplaying.
The middle-aged man's gaze was fierce, and he emitted a domineering air.
An elegant woman in her forties was sitting next to him.
The elegant woman and the middle-aged man stared deeply at Ye Guan.
The middle-aged man's gaze carried a hint of assertiveness, and he looked as if he was trying to see through Ye Guan. Meanwhile, the elegant woman seemed to be only curious about Ye Guan, nothing more, nothing less.
A sense of unease abruptly swept past Xuanyuan Ling; she felt that something wasn't quite right.
Undeterred, Ye Guan cupped his fist toward the two.
"Hello, Uncle, Auntie!" Ye Guan greeted, bowing slightly. He considered Xuanyuan Ling as a friend, so he decided to give her parents the same respect he had been giving her.
The middle-aged man stared deeply at Ye Guan and said, "Please, take a seat."
Ye Guan nodded and sat down in a nearby chair.
The elegant woman observing Ye Guan seemed a bit surprised. The young man displayed no sign of nervousness upon arriving. He exuded a cultured, composed air—a presence that certainly distinguished him from other young men.
The middle-aged man scrutinized Ye Guan and remarked, "Mr. Ye, judging by your poise and speech, you're definitely not an ordinary person. Are you from a distinguished family?"
Ye Guan nodded. "Yes, I am."
The middle-aged man was curious. "May I ask about your family's name?"
Ye Guan replied, "I belong to the Ye Family."
The middle-aged man's brow furrowed slightly. There was no Ye Family among the four major families of Yanjing, and the middle-aged man also couldn't recall hearing of the Ye Family, even among the families just below the four major families.
However, the middle-aged man didn't look down on Ye Guan just because he wasn't a member of a prestigious family in Yanjing. In fact, he became even more curious. The young man had to be from an exceptional lineage, at the very least.
Ye Guan shattered the ice by asking, "Miss Ling has told me that Uncle wishes to meet me. Is it true?"
The middle-aged man nodded and explained, "I've heard that Ling’er had befriended someone remarkable, and it got me curious, so I've been wanting to meet you. I hope you can pardon the impromptu request."
Xuanyuan Ling was a bit surprised to see her father being so respectful toward someone else.
Ye Guan graciously responded, "Uncle, you're too kind. I am unfamiliar with Yanjing, so I owe Miss Ling and the Xuanyuan Clan for your assistance. I should have come here and paid my respects to you earlier, but I've been too busy to do so lately."
The elegant woman smiled lightly as she stared at the courteous exchange.
"Mr. Ye, Ling’er told me that you're a swordsman, is that right?" asked the middle-aged man.
Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."
The middle-aged man glanced at Xuanyuan Ling standing nearby, and he sighed upon sensing Xuanyuan Ling's nervousness. This girl... she dares to deceive even her own father.
The middle-aged man looked at Ye Guan and smiled warmly. "Mr. Ye, I'm sure you understand the beauty of swords as a swordsman. It just so happens that the Xuanyuan Clan has a penchant for collecting swords. Let Ling’er guide you to our collection, and should you find a sword to your liking, feel free to take it away."
The middle-aged man then turned to Xuanyuan Ling and said, "Take Mr. Ye to the Sword Pavilion."
“Alright,” Xuanyuan Ling said, nodding. Then, she grabbed Ye Guan's hand and led the latter away.
Ye Guan became perplexed. Why was Xuanyuan Ling holding his hand?
The middle-aged man sighed. "She actually dared to deceive her parents....”
The elegant woman couldn't help but chuckle. "They're not a couple, but it's clear that she likes Mr. Ye's company—no, I'd say she likes him rather than his company."
The elegant woman revealed an amused smile upon recalling how Xuanyuan Ling had taken the initiative to hold Ye Guan's hand.
The middle-aged man's expression turned serious as he pointed out. "That young man's remarkable charisma means that he's no ordinary individual. It would have been acceptable to let him try and awaken the Ancestral Sword if they were a real couple.
"However, they're not a real couple, so the clan elders will surely not agree to let him try and awaken the Ancestral Sword."
The elegant woman nodded thoughtfully and said, "Indeed."
The middle-aged man cast a complicated gaze outside and muttered, "It's all our fault. We're too weak to awaken the Ancestral Sword."
...
Xuanyuan Ling let go of Ye Guan's hand and stared at Ye Guan with flushed cheeks.
Ye Guan hesitated briefly before asking, "Miss Ling, is everything okay?"
"Yes," Xuanyuan Ling said, nodding. "Yes. Let's go to the Sword Pavilion!"
"All right, let's go," Ye Guan replied with a nod. He was also curious about the Xuanyuan Clan's sword collection.
Xuanyuan Ling led Ye Guan to the Sword Pavilion, and the two soon arrived at the Sword Pavilion. Ye Guan entered and was astonished to see the breathtaking array of swords. Some swords adorned the walls, while others were arranged on racks.
Ye Guan wasn't sure just how many swords were in the pavilion, but he reckoned that there had to be at least ten thousand swords here.
A tremor seemed to run across the swords as soon as Ye Guan stepped into the Sword Pavilion.
Xuanyuan Ling's expression changed slightly.
Ye Guan waved his hand, quelling the swords.
Ye Guan looked around and nodded in acknowledgment. The swords here were of high quality, considering that they were on the barren Blue Planet.
Unfortunately, these swords were nothing but ordinary swords to him. Ye Guan's standards when it came to swords were exceedingly high. He had started his journey with the Path Sword, after all!
Xuanyuan Ling suddenly said, "Mr. Ye, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Ye Guan turned to Xuanyuan Ling and smiled. "Of course, go ahead."
Xuanyuan Ling hesitated before muttering, "I actually lied to you, Mr. Ye. I told my parents that you're my—"
"Boyfriend?" Ye Guan interrupted with a smile.
Xuanyuan Ling's eyes widened, "You..."
Ye Guan chuckled and explained, "Your parents and brother's gazes toward me felt a bit strange."
Xuanyuan Ling smiled bitterly and sighed.
Ye Guan's curiosity was piqued upon recalling something.
"So, why did you actually decide to bring me here?"
Xuanyuan Ling explained, "Mr. Ye, I genuinely have no ill intentions."
Ye Guan nodded in understanding. "I know. I'm just curious."
Xuanyuan Ling calmed down instantly upon hearing that, and she eventually started speaking, "Our Xuanyuan Clan has an ancestral sword named Xuanyuan. Our ancestor, Xuanyuan Emperor, once wielded it in battle. It's a sword that has been passed down in our family for many generations, but it only had two masters so far."
"Only two owners?" Ye Guan asked with knitted brows.
"The first owner was our ancestor, of course, but we don't know the identity of the second owner," Xuanyuan Ling said, "All we know is that the sword itself left the Milky Way and was acquired by a mysterious swordsman.
"The swordsman used it for a while and eventually returned the sword to the Xuanyuan Clan in the Milky Way."
"Mysterious swordsman?" Ye Guan asked, looking intrigued.
Xuanyuan Ling nodded and explained, "Yes. We call him 'mysterious swordsman,' as we have never uncovered his true identity. Our ancestor's account says that the swordsman liked wearing a long blue robe, and he was always accompanied by a white-furred beast."
Ye Guan's face stiffened at Xuanyuan Ling's revelation.
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