XIAO SHUXIANG'S
366 - Which is Worth Comparing
The end of the boat that Yi Wen was riding on slightly clashed with Xiao Shuxiang's boat. The girl with short hair and purple uniform with the butterfly wing pattern looked ranting.
"Brother Xiao, why is Miss Ling paddling the boat for you. As a man, you should have done that! Basic embarrassing!"
Xiao Shuxiang frowned, "Why are you angry? The one who's ignoring you isn't you, and the White Cat doesn't mind either. You alone? Why make Lan Zhi paddle for you? You think he's your servant?"
"Haaiih, Brother Xiao. You're a completely unromantic young man, pity Miss Ling.."
Only Yi Wen thought so. He was upset that he thought he would see something interesting like catching his Brother Xiao hugging Ling Qing Zhu, but he didn't. Very unfortunate.
Xiao Shuxiang looked at Yi Wen strangely then started to shake his head slowly. Ling Qing Zhu himself simply kept silent as he did not know what to say to this one boat girl with Young Master Lan.
The Mad Beggar Boy who heard Yi Wen's words just now seemed to raise his eyebrows, "Don't you like Shuxiang..? Then why is it like you're supporting their relationship? You're so weird.."
Jing Mi and Hou Yong nodded in agreement, Crazy Beggar Boy already represents what they want to convey.
Yi Wen fell silent and then looked at Xiao Shuxiang, his brother had a friendly face that would never tire of being constantly stared at. Slowly, Yi Wen's red lips were attracted and formed a sweet smile.
"I like Brother Xiao, but his happiness is more important to me. If with Miss Ling she can be happy, I will bless them for marriage.."
Although Yi Wen's words sounded sincere, but still the Mad Beggar Boy was in disbelief. All this time he noticed, the short-haired girl had always been clinging to Xiao Shuxiang and was so fond of the young man. So there was no way Yi Wen could behave this mature.
Jing Mi and Hou Yong were also in disbelief, while Xiao Shuxiang seemed to be acting ordinary. The Alchemist Chef knew that Yi Wen's words just now contained no lies, and also he knew very well this girl's liking to him was different from other girls in general.
"I also prefer Brother Xiao to marry Miss Ling. If you are with Yi Wen.. What will this world become," Jing Mi goosebumps herself, she doesn't want to imagine it.
Hu Li and Xiao Qing Yan noticed how Jing Mi with Hou Yong talked about marriage, the two young men were very enthusiastic and Yi Wen occasionally took part in their talks.
The Mad Beggar Boy and Xiao Shuxiang instead looked engrossed in picking the lotus fruit and eating it, the two youths preferred to be listeners.
"Lan Zhi, catch it!"
Lan Guan Zhi spontaneously caught the lotus fruit that Xiao Shuxiang threw. Since then he had just sat quietly and watched Yi Wen's back while still being on standby if this boat was overturned because of the behavior of the girl who never remained silent.
Xiao Shuxiang while eating the lotus seeds, he also offered one to Ling Qing Zhu. "Let them talk until we're tired, we eat and just listen.."
"Mn, but they're talking about you."
"They're always like that, so it doesn't matter. You want some more?"
Ling Qing Zhu showed the lotus fruit in his hand which signified that his possession was still there. Seeing how to eat Xiao Shuxiang and the Crazy Beggar Boy who was so voracious made him full.
Nyawn~
Pii~
"You two if you don't like it, then don't eat," Hu Li gently rubbed the heads of Lan Xiao and O Zhan, she looked like the mother of the two different types of animals.
There were four boats that were close together, Xiao Shuxiang and his friends were enjoying the day of picking fruit and lotus flowers. For a moment, they were like a group of young people playing together.
In addition to picking the lotus, Xiao Shuxiang and his friends were also racing each other to paddle boats. The fastest person was Jing Mi, the young man who was almost 28 years old had great pedaling ability compared to his peers.
The slowest Xiao Shuxiang, he had difficulty in pedaling the boat despite being taught by Ling Qing Zhu. Several times even the boat had been yawning and almost overturned, it was fortunate that Lan Guan Zhi always helped him.
The nearly 24-year-old boat was quite close to the boat that Xiao Shuxiang and Ling Qing Zhu were riding on. He with his paddle made his friend's boat back balanced when the boat began to drift.
Lan Guan Zhi's attitude that was so considerate of his good friend made Yi Wen and Hou Yong itch if they did not tease him. The two people who said it had a taste with Ling Qing Zhu and Xiao Shuxiang was just an excuse.
Xiao Shuxiang and the Mad Beggar Boy were certainly not expecting and clearly felt astonished. The two asked the same question, did Lan Guan Zhi really like Ling Qing Zhu?
".. Of course," Hou Yong started to heat up, ".. Compared to you, Young Master Lan spent the most time with Miss Ling. They both have a lot in common, so how could they not like each other?"
"Is that right..?" Jing Mi felt astonished, ".. Young Master Lan, you wouldn't be jealous right, if my brother were to marry Miss Ling one day?"
The question from Jing Mi made her friends focus their gaze on Lan Guan Zhi. They waited long enough for the forehead-clad young man to open his voice.
"Jealous,"
!!
Xiao Shuxiang flinched, his good friend answered Jing Mi's question calmly. Lan Guan Zhi's countenance never changed, but her eyes seemed to hint at something she couldn't understand.
"You.. Like the White Cat?" Xiao Shuxiang asked out of curiosity, his other friends also looked curious.
"No,"
Lan Guan Zhi's answer was short and spontaneous. It was as if he knew the meaning of the sense of 'Like' this good friend had spoken.
"Then, do you like me?" Xiao Shuxiang asked originally, unexpectedly Lan Guan Zhi even nodded and muttered softly.
!!
The Beggar Boy and Hu Li choked, meanwhile Jing Mi and Hou Yong subconsciously opened their mouths wide. Yi Wen also looked unexpected, she spontaneously covered her mouth with her hands while looking at Lan Guan Zhi.
Ling Qing Zhu himself was just a calm expression, he blinked and then noticed the slightly pale look on Xiao Shuxiang's face.
"You-you.. Really do.. Like me? Like that kind of thing..?"
"Mrs,"
!!
Jing Mi, Hou Yong, and the most expressive Crazy Beggar Boy. They do not believe when they do not hear and see for themselves. Meanwhile Xiao Qing Yan only remained focused on eating the lotus seeds, as if he did not care about what these friends were talking about.
"Sa-Brother Xiao.. Young Master Lan just confessed to you. You have to accept it, brother!" Jing Mi finally exclaimed, herself supported by Hou Yong.
"This is going to be big news. Just accept it! Miss Ling, you agree, right?!"
Ling Qing Zhu gasped for suddenly getting a question from Hou Yong. He watched Lan Guan Zhi closely. Only a person like him would know the meaning of Young Master Lan's gaze.
"I guess.. No problem,"
!!
Xiao Shuxiang spontaneously turned his head towards Ling Qing Zhu. He then touched the forehead of the white-haired girl, this made Ling Qing Zhu startled and blinked a few times.
"Your body temperature is normal, but why are you saying such a crazy word? Lan Zhi and I are men, do you think we can get married?"
"Mrs.. It's possible,"
!!
Ling Qing Zhu gasped, he rubbed his forehead as he got a flick from Xiao Shuxiang. It was painful and perhaps behind Ling Qing Zhu-His pony-hair was flushed red.
For people like her and Lan Guan Zhi, doing a joke would only make others misunderstand. Their powerful personalities are not very suitable for humor.
Look at it, Lan Guan Zhi was just joking at her good friend. Yet it was unexpected that Yi Wen, the Mad Beggar Boy, and his other companions were expressing so seriously. Even including Xiao Shuxiang himself.
"It's definitely.. It must be that Shy Unknowing Man who taught you, right?!" Xiao Shuxiang was flabbergasted, he pointed at the Mad Beggar Boy and grumbled at the young man.
The Mad Beggar Boy shook his head, he had never taught Lan Guan Zhi anything. He even swore.
"You think I'm gonna believe you? The sky even cursed when your name was mentioned, so swearing would be of no use to you."
"But I really didn't teach Lan'Er Gege. Look at him all right! Does the adult body still have to be taught? Well yeah.. I think I taught him once.."
The Mad Beggar Boy pursed his lips when he remembered something. He turned his gaze in another direction, Xiao Shuxiang splashed water right at him.
!
"Brother Xiao!" Yi Wen exclaimed, her hair and face wet. He cursed Xiao Shuxiang and spewed water back at his brother.
Initially only Xiao Shuxiang, Yi Wen, and the Crazy Beggar Boy splashed water on each other. Over time Jing Mi, Hou Yong, and Lan Xiao also joined in.
They splashed water on each other, the boat that Hou Yong was riding on and the Crazy Beggar Boy were overturned. Both of them were splashed and clearly their bodies were drenched.
Long enough Xiao Shuxiang and his friends were in the lake. After being satisfied toying with the water and collecting enough lotuses, they re-entered the artificial bamboo forest while chatting together.
Elsewhere, Ling Lang Tian was attending a meeting of the Ling family members. There were about seven people including him, this meeting was conducted to discuss about Protective Guardian Ling Qing Zhu.
".. No need to think about it anymore. The young man could not become Protective Guardian Zhu'Er. He was too wild, disobeyed the rules, always acting at will, and his way of fighting was almost the same as that of a savage beast. I don't approve,"
The one who spoke just now was a white-haired woman with an age of about 42. Her face was beautiful, but her eyes were cold. She was Ling Xuan Lu, one of Ling Qing Zhu's aunts.
This meeting actually included a small one, Ling Lang Tian only invited those he thought deserved to be representatives. The first was of course his own father, Ling Chu Zhen.
"If I can't express my opinion. That young man I've never met in person. But from what I've seen, he still has to be given another test.."
The only black haired woman in this room started to let out her opinion. She was Ling Qing Zhu's Grandmother, she looked to be 70 years old.
The interesting thing that exists in the Ling family besides its traditions is also because of the color of their hair. Young members of the Ling family had white hair, and as they got older their hair slowly blackened.
The nightly black hair of Grandma Ling Qing Zhu was proof that she was very old. While the youngest in this room was of course Ling Lang Tian.
"There's no need to test him, Mother, let my son challenge the young man. We can't let Zhu'Er be with a young man from outside the clan,"
Ling Xuan Lu's tone was so cold. It was obvious that he did not like Xiao Shuxiang, and it seemed that Ling Lang Tian knew the reason.
All along, Ling Xuan Lu had been so eager to match Ling Qing Zhu to his son. But according to family tradition, matchmaking is completely useless.
One thing it takes is, 'If You're Strong enough To Kill The Guardian Protector Of One of the Girls in the Ling Family, Then You Can Marry That Girl'.
Ling Chu Zhen himself had since rubbed his chin. He needs to think about it carefully.
He had already talked about this with Young Master Lan and knew very well who Xiao Shuxiang was. The young man who had been branded as an inappropriate figure for his daughter was actually a truly decent person.
But if you want to think about it again, it is very difficult to compare the young man from the Butterfly Sect with his daughter, Ling Qing Zhu.
"The child is the greatest asset in the Eastern Continent. He was an admired figure, possessed a respected ability, and was not an ordinary cultivator. He was the grandson of Emperor Yang.."
Ling Chu Zhen could not deny that, ".. My daughter who is the pride of this continent even looks like an ordinary girl when compared to her. And if you want to say, it's not the child that's inappropriate for my daughter, but the other way around. It's my daughter who doesn't deserve to be with him,"
*
*
Xiao Shuxiang, who was eating with his friends, sneezed. He rubbed his chest slowly and thanked her for his life.
"My brother. If you sneeze, it means that someone is telling you something ugly about you. It is likely that that person is cursing at you right now," Jing Mi spoke as she continued to chew, she was so enjoying her Brother Xiao's homemade food.
"That's impossible. All you have to do when you sneeze is say thank you. Uncle Wu taught me this,"
Xiao Shuxiang also enjoyed the food. Although it is rare to go to the kitchen, but his cooking talent never disappears.
He was the one who cooked lotus soup and other food for his friends. Of course, he was helped by Ling Qing Zhu. The white cat has begun to be good at processing cooking ingredients, including being able to distinguish carrots from radishes.
Jing Mi said softly, "Brother.. You feel like you're not a bad person. Aren't you so scared? Looking at you right now, I don't believe your nickname,"
Other than himself, Lan Guan Zhi, the Mad Beggar Boy, and Hu Li, then none of these friends knew that Xiao Shuxiang was the Destroying Star.
Yi Wen and Hou Yong had actually been told, but the two seemed to be indifferent and seemed to think it was just a joke.
Xiao Shuxiang said quietly and told Jing Mi that she was indeed notorious, but that did not mean that in her life she had not learned anything good. He just does not intend to practice it in life because it feels useless.
".. You just continue eating, Brother Jing.." Xiao Shuxiang gently nudged the arm of Jing Mi who was sitting beside him.
Right now, he was indeed on the edge of a fish pond, right under a tree with his friends. Their clothes were all already in a dry and clean state, this was because after returning from the lake-Xiao Shuxiang and the others immediately cleaned themselves.
Eating together like this is fun, the atmosphere full of family really feels thick. Ling Qing Zhu had obviously never experienced this kind of thing in his own sect.
Just like Lan Guan Zhi, if the young man did not know Xiao Shuxiang-himself would not be able to feel the meaning of having friends.
While watching her friends eat so voraciously, two maids came. They apparently wanted to convey a message for Xiao Shuxiang to immediately come to the room of the Grand Elder of the Sky Pagoda Sect.
?!
Hearing him certainly made Xiao Shuxiang and his friends flinch. That question mark-filled roar could only be answered when Xiao Shuxiang immediately met Ling Chu Zhen.
"Am I the only one called?"
"Yeah. Please come with us,"
Xiao Shuxiang drank the water first before starting to stand up. He followed the two servants from behind. Jing Mi and Hou Yong asked her to continue being careful.
When Xiao Shuxianng started to go invisible, Jing Mi started asking her friends.
"Why do the Sect Elders want to meet Brother Xiao? Did my brother make a mistake?"
Yi Wen, "It seems not. Did you guys forget? After Brother Xiao completes his mission - his wedding plans with Miss Ling will begin,"
!!
Jing Mi and Hou Yong were surprised by Yi Wen's words. The two immediately turned their heads towards Ling Qing Zhu, the beautiful girl was still calm and instead looked mediocre.
Jing Mi finally turned her head towards Lan Guan Zhi, "Young Master Lan, is it true that my brother is getting married? What we talked about at the lake I thought was a joke,"
Both Jing Mi and Hou Yong were just joking and just playing around with the discussion of their Brother Xiao's wedding. But this is totally unexpected.
Lan Guan Zhi, "It's possible that Shuxiang will do it. But it depends on his own will,"
Yi Wen nodded as he exhaled softly, "If you can be honest. Brother Xiao would actually be difficult to undergo a marriage relationship. His status as a disciple of the Great Alchemist and at the same time the Grandson of the Emperor of the Northern Continent would make it difficult for him. And if you want to be more honest, I heard that the throne of Emperor Yang will be given to Brother Xiao,"
!!
The Mad Beggar Boy had just learned of Xiao Shuxiang's other identity. His face was so full of shock. "Not only did he have connections in the Demon World and the Elf World, he turned out to be the grandson of an Emperor. What kind of luck did that kid have?!"
There was nothing wrong with being surprised to find out who Xiao Shuxiang really was. The young man had something very special and obviously would be difficult to obtain by others.
Xiao Shuxiang might be like other talented young cultivators, but the other side of him made him incapable of being rivaled.
Lan Guan Zhi knew this very well. Therefore, even though he never said anything - he felt his best friend would have difficulty establishing a special relationship, one of which was marriage.
On the other hand, the reason Xiao Shuxiang was actually summoned by Ling Chu Zhen was because the representatives of the Ling family many wanted him to pass the actual test.
A test that could prove whether Xiao Shuxiang deserved to be the Guardian Protector of Ling Qing Zhu. Of course, whether he passes the test proves whether he deserves to live in this world or not.
Xiao Shuxiang unhesitatingly accepted it straight away. He only wanted to finish what he had started, as well as make up for his guilt for having inconvenienced his good friend.
Another reason why Xiao Shuxiang accepted taking the test was also because he wanted to make the Ling clan aware that the destiny of women like Ling Qing Zhu did not have to be governed by a tradition. Her White cat clearly deserves to choose her own happiness.
He did like Ling Qing Zhu, but there was never any coercion for the girl to reciprocate liking him. After all, her White Cat might be very scared to know who she really is.
***
