Chapter 249 Li Xi’er, the Runaway Bride
Liao?
Liao has sold his fis.h.i.+ng boat and left. There is nothing for Lin Luoran to find.
Other fishermen who spent years fis.h.i.+ng along with Liao realize that they know nothing but his first name when Lin asks them about him. None of these fishermen knows where Liao lives or his full name. This is so strange! Lin Luoran can only head home reluctantly.
Rong Donglin insisted on giving back the pearls to Lin after he knew that Lin has taken over the Dragon Palace. In his view, these things belong to Lin. Lin Luoran talks to him a lot and persuades him into taking ten pearls as the salary of this trip. An opal ring chooses Rong as its owner. Lin can only see the abundant Reiki in it but not its real function. Rong Donglin can’t say no to the opal ring so he takes it.
The storage belt is of no use to Rong. Owning it would only bring disaster. Thus, Rong “sells” it to Lin Luoran at a low price.
Lin forces Rong to take the money and Rong still refuses. Lin changes her way and she picks a compound department at the new elevator residential building of Zeng’s company. The apartment is 140 meters square and it is two blocks away from Lin’s house. Zeng Tian insists to give Lin a discount and he takes only one million yuan for the entire apartment. Although the housing price of the R City is not the highest around the country, a rough elevator apartment at downtown at least costs ten thousand per square meter.
Rong walks around the apartment after Lin gives him the key. He feels dizzy for suddenly becoming the owner of the house. Rong’s family is quite poor, to be frank. He prepares to be loyal and work for the Lin family forever in order to express his grat.i.tude. Rong plans to bring his family here and settle in the R City.
Zeng Tian has done a great job in the apartment. The rooms are decorated properly and all the household appliances are already prepared. He uses the best materials and decorates the rooms simply. The apartment is cozy. Later, Yan Feng comes to visit Rong in the apartment and he screams because of admiration. He regrets not being able to master his profession. Yan can’t let Lin keep him for no reason no matter how generous she is.
Rong Donglin accepts the apartment comfortably. Everybody is satisfied.
In fact, Lin Luoran is a bit embarra.s.sed. She exchanges the storage belt for one million yuan, and Rong Donglin still feels it is too much. Lin is ashamed for this, actually, because she thinks the belt is worth much more than that. Lin Luoran gives the belt to her father. Mr. Lin now is in the earlier stage of Training Qi and he needs something useful from the world of cultivation. Lin Luoran always thinks that the broadsword she randomly picked up at the gate of the Dragon Palace is too rough for her. Mr. Lin likes it. He takes it everywhere every day and gladly asks around in order to find a master to teach him martial skills.
The first thing Lin does after coming home is to take over the Qingcheng Taoist Temple.
The temple is empty now. Huizhu left most of the furniture. Lin Luoran redecorates the temple and asks the crazy Taoist as well as Liu Zheng to stay there.
Until now she knows that the crazy Taoist only stays in the Qingcheng Taoist Temple, which is another’s ancestral home, for Baojia. Few people know that there is a small wood mine under the temple! The crazy Taoist knows a secret spell that can abstract the energy of the wood Reiki to nourish Baojia’s body when she is still in a coma. The energetic wood Reiki may help Baojia wake up sooner.
The Soul Wood has been in Lin’s s.p.a.ce for a while. It sprouts after being nourished by the spring water!
Lin keeps the sprout for herself and gives the Soul Wood to the crazy Taoist. Lin doesn’t keep the sprout because of greediness. Since the Soul Wood can grow in her s.p.a.ce, she is just planning to let the sprout grow bigger in order to make sure Baojia can wake up.
The crazy Taoist is thrilled when Lin gives him the Soul Wood. That’s right. This is the first time that Lin has ever seen the happy face of him. Lin Luoran is surprised.
“The wood is still alive! This is wonderful!”
Lin Luoran immediately realizes why he thinks this is wonderful. The crazy Taoist indeed acts crazily. Lin only has the plan of planting the sprout in her s.p.a.ce, and he is going to use the wood Reiki under Qingcheng Taoist Temple to nourish the Soul Wood!
“Give me two years. I will hasten the growth of the wood. Then it will be enough to wake Baojia up!”
Hasten the growth of the wood? Lin Luoran is speechless. She wants to admit that this is what she does best and she doesn’t need the wood mine under the temple. To be honest, she has never seen a real spirit stone yet!
However, Lin can’t expose her s.p.a.ce. She must stay silent and let the crazy Taoist leave Baojia at her house and go out to find spirit things to nourish the Soul Wood.
Reiki around Lin’s house is abundant. Ms. Lin cleans Baojia’s room every day and she puts many flowers at the corner of the room. Ms. Lin has known for the condition of Baojia. Though Lin Luoran has promised her to wait for just two years, she complains about being put in the shadow for so long.
Lin Luoran now thinks that she shouldn’t have kept this a secret from her mother.
Baojia, wait for me for two years. We’ll wake you up at the perfect timing. By then, you would be able to design jewelry again.
Rong Donglin has just finished a cla.s.s with Luodong. He is a bit envious when he sees Lin looking at the guest room in a daze. Rong a.s.sumes that the woman in a coma in the guest room is Lin’s best friend. He wonders how deep their relations.h.i.+p is so that Lin is willing to break into the Dragon Palace in order to save her.
…
Time pa.s.ses quickly. It’s already autumn. Leaves start to fall down from trees outside of Lin’s house. The crazy Taoist returns from the north.
He stays at the Qingcheng Taoist Temple and tries to nourish the Soul Wood. Liu Zheng has followed his master around the country and he seldom gets to see Lin Luoran. Liu actually feels pitiful for this.
“Hey, you should act more actively!” The crazy Taoist is bored and he gives Liu Zheng directions to pursue his love.
Liu blushes and shakes his head smilingly.
Baojia is like his little sister and the crazy Taoist is his master. Liu Zheng must put waking up Baojia in the first place.
Besides, Liu Zheng is not confident enough.
Lin Luoran is in the level of Laying Foundation, and he is only in the earlier stage of Training Qi. According to his master, his quality of cultivation is not so good. Liu Zheng always pretends to be strong, in fact, he doesn’t want to slow Lin down.
He should just wait. He should wait until he deserves to stand shoulder by shoulder with her!
…
Of course, Lin Luoran never imagines that Liu Zheng still has feelings for her secretly. There is too much to think about because Lin now cultivates along with her family.
One day, Lin wants to make some boluses. Then she realizes that she still needs the b.u.t.terflybush Flower to make the Foundation-laying Bolus.
On the BBS, the cultivator with the ID of “Tofu” has sent her so many private messages. Lin replies and gets an immediate response. The guy is smart and he knows that Master Lin is always generous. He has prepared enough b.u.t.terflybush Flower and he is going to come to the R City personally and exchange them with Lin.
Lin Luoran doesn’t mind this. After all, she has to see the quality of the flower first.
Lin spends some days doing nothing but cultivating and eating. Days have become fulfilling and easy. Lin finds some rabbit fur in her s.p.a.ce which she took back from the Kalahari Desert. The rabbit fur is so silky and soft. Everyone will love a coat made of rabbit fur.
As Lin expected, her mother and w.a.n.g Miao’e are thrilled because of the rabbit fur. They each pick one piece and are going to make coats for themselves.
When they are discussing which store they should go to, Mr. Lin comes in with a smile.
He says, “Guess who is here?”
A girl in a red dress is standing behind him. Her eyes are puffy and her nose is red because of all the crying. It’s Li Xi’er!
“Sister Lin… No… Master Lin…” Li Xi’er cries non-stop as she always does.
Li Xi’er grabs Lin and uses her sleeves to wipe tears and snot. Lin Luoran feels like Li Xi’er is almost like a daughter to her. She says helplessly, “Stop calling me Master Lin! I prefer Sister Lin.”
Li Xi’er answers immediately, “Sister… Sister Lin, you have to help me! My master is going to kill me!”
Ms. Lin forgets about the rabbit fur and she hugs Li, “Stay here! n.o.body dares kill you!”
Lin Luoran and w.a.n.g Miao’e look at each other. If Li’s master didn’t spoil her, how could she become so innocent?
Lin Luoran would never believe that Xi Heng is going to kill Li Xi’er.
However, Li is out of breath now. Lin gives up pursuing and goes to the kitchen and makes Li a cup of tea. She uses wild honey and the grapefruit from her s.p.a.ce. The tea tastes good. Li Xi’er sips the tea and finally calms down.
“Look at these furs. Would you like a coat?”
Li Xi’er is stunned. Then she starts to check on the furs.
“The black one is nice! I like the white one either! I want them both…” Li Xi’er fondles the furs and refuses to let go.
Lin Luoran rolls her eyes and says, “Pick one!”
Li can’t decide. Finally, Mr. and Ms. Lin realize that things are not so serious as Li told so, and they leave the room, holding hands.
w.a.n.g Miao’e laughs, “Look at yourself. You’re too old to be a cry baby!”
Li Xi’er stamps her feet, “I mean it! My master said that he was going to throw me out and kill me!”
Lin Luoran smiles, “There must be a reason for this. Tell me. If your master is to blame, I will justice you. Ok?”
Li Xi’er gets happy and explains what happened—
w.a.n.g Miao’e is chocked by the tea in her mouth when she hears the last sentence—
“What? You run away from your wedding?!” w.a.n.g is astonished. It turns out that cultivators also suffer from an arranged marriage. However, she admires Li Xi’er for having the courage to be a runaway bride. She pats Li on her shoulder and says, “Girl, I admire you for your courage.”
Li Xi’er sniffs, “Stop making fun of me! My master is marrying me to an individual cultivator who is in the earlier stage of Training Qi! There is no way I will obey him!”
Individual cultivator? In the earlier stage of Training Qi? Lin Luoran is stunned. Lin never judges a person by his origin. However, Li Xi’er is only in her early twenties, which is too young to get married. Why did Xi Heng do this?