CHAPTER 688: CHAPTER 555: MOTHER-IN-LAW AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW

Upon seeing the Heavenly Venerate, Ye Lingyue wasn’t in a good mood, but Feng Xun and the Heavenly Venerate were after all old acquaintances.

After that night, Feng Xun also told Ye Lingyue that the Heavenly Venerate and his mother, Princess Qingfeng, almost became sworn siblings, and one of the reasons why Qingfeng and Feng Lan eventually became husband and wife was also because of the Heavenly Venerate.

As for the details of the matter, Feng Xun promised to tell Ye Lingyue when there was a chance in the future.

The Heavenly Venerate also appeared amiable, as if he had long forgotten about the day when Ye Lingyue plotted against him.

It was only after the Heavenly Venerate’s introduction that Ye Lingyue learned that the man in black accompanying him was another Venerable from the Tongtian Pavilion, the Earth Venerate.

Unexpectedly, this inquiry from Tongtian Pavilion was not undertaken by the Heavenly Venerate alone, but by both the Heaven and Earth Venerables.

The reason for their joint journey was due to the coronation celebration of Emperor Beiqing.

The Heavenly Venerate informed Feng Xun, rather inconveniently, that the coachman originally hired by the Tongtian Pavilion had come down with a serious illness.

He and the Earth Venerate had no choice but to head to the city gates, planning to hire another carriage, where they happened to run into Feng Xun and Ye Lingyue.

Ye Lingyue immediately felt somewhat speechless.

She suspected that their meeting at the city gates was no coincidence at all; it was clear that the Heavenly Venerate came to play cupid.

The Heavenly Venerate was an old fortune-teller, and though not skilled in divination, figuring out when Ye Lingyue and company would depart was still an easy task for him.

He was here to hitch a ride.

Since the Heavenly Venerate himself had asked, it wouldn’t be proper for Ye Lingyue and Feng Xun to refuse.

Excluding the official carriages, the Feng Residence had a carriage and the City Lord’s Mansion also had a carriage, which ended up with Ye Lingyue, Little Zhiyo, and the Earth Venerate sharing one carriage, while Feng Xun and the old fortune-teller shared another.

Unlike the Heavenly Venerate, this Earth Venerate from the Tongtian Pavilion seemed to have a rather reclusive personality.

From the moment they met until they got on the carriage, she hadn’t uttered a single word.

Ye Lingyue even wondered if she was mute.

Due to her lack of fondness for the Heavenly Venerate, Ye Lingyue didn’t bother much with the Earth Venerate either, simply holding Little Zhiyo in her arms and dozing off halfway through the journey.

On the road, they encountered a particularly bumpy stretch that jolted Ye Lingyue awake, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself facing a probing gaze.

The Earth Venerate in black was staring intently at her.

Anyone would feel awkward being stared at like that by a living person.

Yet, the Earth Venerate in black showed no intention of looking away; instead, she suddenly spoke up.

"Your Spiritual Pet is quite adorable."

Although she was paying a compliment, the Earth Venerate’s face showed no trace of emotion, and her voice, hoarse to the extreme, sounded as if her vocal cords were damaged, causing discomfort to the ears.

After speaking, the Earth Venerate’s ears turned slightly red.

Clearly, she was trying to strike up a conversation with Ye Lingyue, choosing the most awkward way to do so.

Thinking that Ye Lingyue wouldn’t respond, unexpectedly, Ye Lingyue suddenly handed Little Zhiyo over.

"You like little animals too?"

The Earth Venerate seemed pleasantly surprised, instinctively reaching out her hand to pet Little Zhiyo.

But just as she extended her hand, it shrank back timidly and quickly withdrew.

Although her speed was extremely fast, Ye Lingyue still caught sight of it in a glance—the hand that peeked out from her sleeve, and her arm.

What kind of hand was that? It was practically no longer human, covered with wounds both large and small that grotesquely wrapped around the dry bones.

The Earth Venerate grew increasingly silent, carefully pulling at her sleeve, her fingers suddenly feeling a damp warmth.

The Earth Venerate was startled, looking down to see Ye Lingyue’s Little Spirit Pet had hopped onto her knee, amiably licking her hand with its tongue.

Such an ugly hand, one that she herself would disdain, yet the little guy showed not the slightest hint of revulsion.

In its baby blue eyes, there was a hint of seeking favor.

Ye Lingyue was also surprised.

Little Zhiyo, this guy—arrogant and a lover of beauty—could only be fond of three people: one was herself, one was Feng Xun, and the last was Long Baobao.

This Earth Venerate, with her quirky temperament and ugly appearance, had unexpectedly won Little Zhiyo’s favor, which was quite strange.

After licking a few times, Little Zhiyo, feeling dizzy from the carriage ride, simply lay down on the Earth Venerate’s knee and dozed off.

Its friendly gesture inadvertently brought Ye Lingyue and the Earth Venerate closer together.

The atmosphere inside the carriage also became much more relaxed.

"A few days ago, I was offensive, and I am very sorry. I did not mean to offend the Tongtian Pavilion," Ye Lingyue suddenly said.

"You knew I was there?" The Earth Venerate was astonished.

"I had a vague idea. There was someone in the tent, but I wasn’t sure at the time. Seeing you today, I guessed that the other person in the tent was you," Ye Lingyue on that day had, out of necessity, trapped the Heavenly Venerate in the Chaos Heaven and Earth Array.

It was not until Ye Lingyue left that she noticed fluctuations of spiritual power, identical to the energy fluctuations from the Earth Venerate.

Now that she thought about it, if the Earth Venerate had made a move at that time, her scheme would have failed long ago. So looking back, she should actually thank the Earth Venerate for not intervening in the matter between her and the Heavenly Venerate.

That Ye Lingyue could detect her presence took the Earth Venerate by surprise.

"Did you know, not long after you left, Prince Feng also came?" The Earth Venerate asked, her hand unconsciously stroking Little Zhiyo’s soft fur. When she saw the soft armor on Little Zhiyo, her hand paused briefly.

Little Zhiyo was a creature that adored novelty and quickly grew tired of the old.

That day, Feng Xun took off the Heavenly grade Vest bestowed by Emperor Beiqing and "gave" it to Little Zhiyo.

The little guy then immediately hassled Ye Lingyue to tailor the new vest to fit and put it on.

Ye Lingyue was somewhat astonished as she took note of the Earth Venerate’s actions.

The way the Earth Venerate caressed Little Zhiyo was almost identical to Feng Xun’s.

"He’s already told me about that. The Heavenly Venerate said our destinies clash, and he also said if Feng Xun insists on being with me, it will harm us both," Ye Lingyue said with a curl of her lip.

"Aren’t you afraid?" The Earth Venerate didn’t expect Feng Xun would also tell this to Ye Lingyue.

This further proved that Feng Xun cared deeply about Ye Lingyue.

"Afraid? How could I not be? But I’m someone very practical. Rather than fear the illusory clash of destinies, what I fear more is losing Feng Xun. Over these years, he has gone through a lot alone. At that time, I wasn’t by his side. All I hope for is that, no matter what happens in the future, I will be there with him," Ye Lingyue said with a smile.

As she spoke, the carriage had already paused to rest, just when Feng Xun approached the side of the carriage. At the moment he was about to lift the curtain, Feng Xun heard what Ye Lingyue said.

"So, Prince Feng is very important to you?" The Earth Venerate’s gaze swept past the curtain.

"Very important," Ye Lingyue confirmed with a nod.