lǐ fán bì mù tǎng zài chuáng shàng ， fǎng fú wán quán méi yǒu tīng dào wú níng lù de huà yì bān 。
李凡闭目躺在床上，仿佛完全没有听到吴凝鹭的话一般。
Li Fan lay on the bed with his eyes closed, as if he hadn't heard Wu Ninglu's words at all.
wú níng lù měi mù zhuǎn dòng ， jiù yào tùn qù yī shān 、 tóng yàng pá shàng chuáng qù 。
吴凝鹭美目转动，就要褪去衣衫、同样爬上床去。
Wu Ninglu's beautiful eyes moved around, about to remove her clothes and climb onto the bed herself.
rán ér jiù dāng tā de shēn qū jí jiāng kào jìn lǐ fán de shí hòu ， yī zhèn chè gǔ de hán yì ， què shì ràng tā bù zì jīn de dǎ le gè duō suo 、 běn néng de yuǎn lí 。
然而就当她的身躯即将靠近李凡的时候，一阵彻骨的寒意，却是让她不自禁的打了个哆嗦、本能的远离。
However, just as her body was about to approach Li Fan, a bone-chilling coldness made her involuntarily shiver and instinctively move away.
xì kàn zhī xià ， wú níng lù hài rán de fā xiàn zì jǐ pí fū biǎo miàn ， jìng rán zài gāng gāng nà shùn jiān ， jiù níng jié le yī céng bīng shuāng 。
细看之下，吴凝鹭骇然的发现自己皮肤表面，竟然在刚刚那瞬间，就凝结了一层冰霜。
Upon closer inspection, Wu Ninglu was shocked to find that a layer of frost had formed on her skin in that instant.
rú guǒ bú shì zì jǐ xià yì shí duǒ bì de huà ， wú níng lù háo bù huái yí ， zì jǐ huì bèi zì jǐ de zhàng fū 、 dòng chéng bīng gùn ！
如果不是自己下意识躲避的话，吴凝鹭毫不怀疑，自己会被自己的丈夫、冻成冰棍！
If she hadn't subconsciously avoided it, Wu Ninglu had no doubt that she would have frozen into an ice stick!
tā jì xǐ yòu nù 。
她既喜又怒。
She felt both relieved and angry. There were so many things she wanted to say but couldn’t yet, when Li Fan suddenly spoke in a calm tone: "Just broke through and can't fully control my power yet. It's better for you not to approach me too closely recently."
yǒu qiān bān huà shàng méi yǒu shuō chū kǒu ， què tīng lǐ fán hū de dàn dàn kāi kǒu dào ：“ gāng gāng tū pò ， hái bù néng wán měi kòng zhì zì jǐ de lì liàng 。 nǐ zuì jìn hái shì bú yào suí biàn jiē jìn wǒ wèi hǎo 。”
有千般话尚没有说出口，却听李凡忽的淡淡开口道：“刚刚突破，还不能完美控制自己的力量。你最近还是不要随便接近我为好。”
Wu Ninglu was no longer annoyed by the rejection of her attempt to offer comfort.
sòng wēn nuǎn bèi jù ， wú níng lù cǐ kè què bù zài nǎo nù 。
送温暖被拒，吴凝鹭此刻却不再恼怒。
With a delighted smile, she nodded repeatedly: "Good, good. I never expected Sun Lord to disappear for half a year and then come back with such a surprise. This is big news that must be told to everyone in the clan."
xǐ shàng méi shāo 、 lián lián diǎn tóu ：“ hǎo 、 hǎo 。 méi xiǎng dào sūn láng nǐ xiāo shī dà bàn nián ， zài cì chū xiàn jiù gěi le wǒ zhè me dà jīng xǐ 。 zhè děng dà shì ， yí dìng yào tōng zhī 、 ràng quán zú shàng xià dōu xiǎo de 。”
喜上眉梢、连连点头：“好、好。没想到孙郎你消失大半年，再次出现就给了我这么大惊喜。这等大事，一定要通知、让全族上下都晓得。”
Just as Wu Ninglu was about to leave, she saw an ice wall blocking her way.
wú níng lù zhèng yù chū mén ， què jiàn yī dào bīng qiáng jiàng mén dǔ zhù 、 lán zhù le tā de qù lù 。
吴凝鹭正欲出门，却见一道冰墙将门堵住、拦住了她的去路。
Turning around, she looked at Li Fan.
zhuǎn guò tóu qù ， kàn xiàng lǐ fán 。
转过头去，看向李凡。
Li Fan's eyes remained closed but he spoke a seemingly unrelated sentence: "The three elders of our family have decided who will take up the post at the Law Enforcement Hall. Have they made a decision?"
lǐ fán yǎn jīng yī jiù méi yǒu zhēng kāi ， ér shì shuō le jù kàn shì háo bù xiāng guān de huà 。
李凡眼睛依旧没有睁开，而是说了句看似毫不相关的话。
Wu Ninglu was momentarily stunned before quickly reacting.
“ cǐ qián jiā zú zhōng sān wèi zhǎng bèi ， guān yú shuí qù hù fǎ táng jiù rèn yī shì ， jué dìng méi yǒu ？”
“此前家族中三位长辈，关于谁去护法堂就任一事，决定没有？”
"The head of the clan naturally can't go. Uncle and Third Uncle kept passing the buck for quite some time, and recently it seems that Uncle finally gave in..."
wú níng lù lèng le yī lèng ， suí hòu lì mǎ fǎn yìng guò lái 。
吴凝鹭愣了一愣，随后立马反应过来。
At this point, Wu Ninglu retracted her foot.
“ jiā zhǔ zì rán shì zǒu bù kāi de 。 dà bó yǔ sān shū liǎng rén hù xiāng tuī wěi le hǎo yī zhèn ， qián bù jiǔ jù shuō zuì zhōng dà bó hái shì méi dòu guò 、 tuǒ xié le ……”
“家主自然是走不开的。大伯与三叔两人互相推诿了好一阵，前不久据说最终大伯还是没斗过、妥协了……”
"Our branch is not well-received by the rest of the clan anyway. If my promotion to a Great Daoist is known, I might have to take up the post at the Law Enforcement Hall for at least three hundred years."
shuō dào zhè lǐ ， wú níng lù bù jīn bǎ yǐ mài chū de jiǎo suō huí 。
说到这里，吴凝鹭不禁把已迈出的脚缩回。
"Humph."
“ wǒ men yī zhī ， běn jiù zài zú zhōng bù zěn me shòu dài jiàn 。 ruò shì wǒ jìn shēng hé dào de shì chuán chū qù ， pà bú shì yào dài tā men qù hù fǎ táng zǒu yī zāo le 。 zuì shǎo sān bǎi nián bù dé wài chū ……”
“我们一支，本就在族中不怎么受待见。若是我晋升合道的事传出去，怕不是要代他们去护法堂走一遭了。最少三百年不得外出……”
"If it weren't for the injuries sustained during my ascension that made me unstable and potentially noticeable to outsiders, I wouldn’t have come back so rashly."
“ hēng 。”
“哼。”
Li Fan sighed slightly.
“ ruò bú shì wǒ zài jìn shēng de guò chéng zhōng shòu le shāng ， jìng jiè bù wěn 、 pà bèi wài rén chá jué ， zhāi le guǒ zi 。 wǒ yě bú huì mào rán huí lái 。”
“若不是我在晋升的过程中受了伤，境界不稳、怕被外人察觉，摘了果子。我也不会贸然回来。”
"Even if going to the Law Enforcement Hall would bring some material benefits from both the clan and the Immortal Alliance, they are useless to me. Three hundred years is too long."
lǐ fán wēi wēi tàn le kǒu qì 。
李凡微微叹了口气。
Opening his eyes, Li Fan looked at Wu Ninglu.
“ suī shuō qù wǎng hù fǎ táng jiù zhí ， wú lùn zú lǐ hái shì xiān méng dū huì jǐ yǔ yí dìng de wù zhì bǔ cháng 。 dàn nà xiē duì yú wǒ jī běn yǐ jīng wú yòng ， kuàng qiě sān bǎi nián 、 shí zài tài jiǔ le 。”
“虽说去往护法堂就职，无论族里还是仙盟都会给予一定的物质补偿。但那些对于我基本已经无用，况且三百年、实在太久了。”
"Therefore, I don’t want this promotion to be known for now."
lǐ fán hū de zhēng kāi yǎn jīng ， kàn xiàng wú níng lù 。
李凡忽的睁开眼睛，看向吴凝鹭。
Meeting Li Fan's gaze, Wu Ninglu involuntarily nodded vigorously.
“ suǒ yǐ wǒ jìn shēng yī shì ， zàn shí bú yào wài xiè 。”
“所以我晋升一事，暂时不要外泄。”
Li Fan closed his eyes again and began meditating.
gēn lǐ fán mù guāng duì shàng ， wú níng lù shēn qū měng dì yī chàn ， bù zì jīn diǎn tóu 。
跟李凡目光对上，吴凝鹭身躯猛地一颤，不自禁点头。
The room fell silent once more.
lǐ fán zài dù bì mù yǎng shén qǐ lái 。
李凡再度闭目养神起来。
The faint ice barrier made it necessary for Wu Ninglu to fully exert her spiritual energy just to maintain the temperature of her body.
fáng jiān lǐ yòu xiàn rù le jì jìng zhī zhōng 。
房间里又陷入了寂静之中。
---
ruò yǐn ruò xiàn de bīng fēng lì chǎng ， ràng wú níng lù jī hū shì quán lì yùn zhuàn líng lì ， cái néng wéi chí zì jǐ shēn tǐ de wēn dù 。
若隐若现的冰封立场，让吴凝鹭几乎是全力运转灵力，才能维持自己身体的温度。
Wu Ninglu huddled in a corner of the room, feeling both aggrieved and envious.
quán suō zài fáng jiān jiǎo luò lǐ ， wú níng lù xīn zhōng jì wěi qū 、 yòu xiàn mù 。
蜷缩在房间角落里，吴凝鹭心中既委屈、又羡慕。
"This is the might of reaching the Great Dao? I never thought he would reach that level. I originally assumed it would be Sun Wei Zhou who broke through first among the younger generation."
“ zhè jiù shì hé dào de wēi shì me ？ méi xiǎng dào tā jū rán yě yǒu jìn shēng hé dào de yī tiān 。 yuán běn yǐ wéi ， huì shì sūn wèi zhōu zài nián qīng yī bèi zhōng shuài xiān tū pò de 。”
“这就是合道的威势么？没想到他居然也有晋升合道的一天。原本以为，会是孙为洲在年轻一辈中率先突破的。”
Looking at her husband who was recuperating and practicing cultivation, Wu Ninglu's thoughts were in turmoil until his breathing gradually calmed down while still closed-eyed.
wú níng lù kàn zhe zhèng zài tiáo yǎng 、 xiū xíng de zhàng fū ， nǎo hǎi zhōng sī xù wàn qiān 。
吴凝鹭看着正在调养、修行的丈夫，脑海中思绪万千。
Only then did she quietly leave the room.
zhí dào duì fāng shēn shàng de qǐ fú de qì xī zhú jiàn píng fù ， què yī jiù yán yǔ ， réng shì zài bì mù dǎ zuò 。
直到对方身上的起伏的气息逐渐平复，却依旧言语，仍是在闭目打坐。
---
wú níng lù zhè cái shēng zhe mēn qì ， qiāo qiāo zǒu chū wū nèi 。
吴凝鹭这才生着闷气，悄悄走出屋内。
"If my guess is correct, this foolish woman will soon reveal that her Daoist partner has already become a Great Daoist."
……
……
"It’s just for the benefits promised by Sun Lu Chang."
“ ruò shì méi yǒu cāi cuò ， bù jiǔ hòu ， zhè ge chǔn nǚ rén jiù huì bǎ zì jǐ dào lǚ yǐ jīng shì hé dào qiáng zhě de shì qíng xiè lòu chū qù 。”
“若是没有猜错，不久后，这个蠢女人就会把自己道侣已经是合道强者的事情泄露出去。”
"Actually, she isn't as foolish. After all, real benefits in hand are real. As long as Sun Ang is a Great Daoist, others would treat his wife with some respect regardless of where he is," Li Fan said with a deep gaze that seemed to see through time.
“ bù guò shì kàn shàng le sūn lù cháng xǔ nuò de nà yì diǎn lì yì 。”
“不过是看上了孙路常许诺的那一点利益。”
As expected, Wu Ninglu was swayed by the generous conditions offered by her uncle and third uncle to avoid going to the Law Enforcement Hall.
“ yě bù néng shuō tā zhēn de yǒu duō chǔn 。 bì jìng zhēn de ná zài zì jǐ shǒu lǐ de hǎo chù ， cái shì zhēn de 。 zhǐ yào sūn áng shì hé dào qiáng zhě ， wú lùn shēn chù hé chù ， bié rén yě huì duì tā zhè wèi hé dào fū rén kè qì sān fēn 。” lǐ fán mù guāng yōu yōu ， hǎo sì néng gòu kàn chuān shí guāng 。
“也不能说她真的有多蠢。毕竟真的拿在自己手里的好处，才是真的。只要孙昂是合道强者，无论身处何处，别人也会对她这位合道夫人客气三分。”李凡目光幽幽，好似能够看穿时光。
Knowing they had it tough in the family before, Wu Ninglu didn't directly speak up but her unusual behavior caught the attention of Sun Lu Chang and his fellow Great Daoists.
guǒ zhēn rú lǐ fán suǒ yù liào de nà yàng 。
果真如李凡所预料的那样。
Moreover, Li Fan's deliberate fluctuations upon returning made them suspect something was amiss.
bàn gè yuè hòu ， dāng qīn yǎn jiàn dào dà bó gēn sān shū wèi le bì miǎn qù hù fǎ táng rèn zhí ， ér hù xiāng xǔ nuò de zhǒng zhǒng yōu wò tiáo jiàn zhī hòu ， wú níng lù bù jīn yǒu xiē xīn dòng le 。
半个月后，当亲眼见到大伯跟三叔为了避免去护法堂任职，而互相许诺的种种优渥条件之后，吴凝鹭不禁有些心动了。
After some questioning, Wu Ninglu reluctantly revealed the matter.
yào zhī dào ， tā gēn sūn áng liǎng rén yǐ wǎng de rì zi guò de bìng bù suàn tài hǎo 。
要知道，她跟孙昂两人以往的日子过的并不算太好。
Sun Lu Chang immediately rejoiced and hurriedly brought his two brothers to confront Li Fan.
jiā zú zhōng zhǒng zhǒng jué cè gēn běn chā bù shàng zuǐ ， yǒu shén me hǎo shì yě shì yǒng yuǎn xiān lún dào bié rén 。
家族中种种决策根本插不上嘴，有什么好事也是永远先轮到别人。
Li Fan feigned a look of helplessness and anger towards Wu Ninglu while three Great Daoist elders took turns to persuade him for the sake of the family's overall interests.
bù guò yīn wèi lǐ fán zhī qián de zhǔ tuō ， tā què méi yǒu zhí jiē kāi kǒu 。
不过因为李凡之前的嘱托，她却没有直接开口。
In the end, he reluctantly agreed to take up the post at the Law Enforcement Hall in her stead.
dàn wú níng lù yǒu xiē yì cháng de shén qíng ， què shì táo bù chū sūn jiā jǐ wèi hé dào de yǎn jīng 。
但吴凝鹭有些异常的神情，却是逃不出孙家几位合道的眼睛。
"Lu'er, don't worry. During your absence, we will look after Ninglu and ensure she is not wronged," Sun Lu Chang assured.
zài jiā shàng ， lǐ fán cǐ qián huí lái shí ， gù yì sàn fà chū de nà yī sī bō dòng 。
再加上，李凡此前回来时，故意散发出的那一丝波动。
Lu'er was a nickname for Sun Ang.
shǐ de tā men xīn zhōng yǐn yǐn yǒu le cāi cè 。
使得他们心中隐隐有了猜测。
Even as Great Daoists, it wasn’t appropriate to call someone by their childhood name, but Sun Lu Chang did so to remind everyone that Sun Ang was still part of the Sun family.
jīng guò yī fān xún wèn zhī hòu ， wú níng lù bàn tuī bàn jiù de jiāng zhè jiàn shì shuō le chū lái 。
经过一番询问之后，吴凝鹭半推半就的将这件事说了出来。
To ensure Sun Ang passed the Immortal Alliance's review, all three Great Daoist elders tested his combat strength together.
sūn lù cháng dùn shí dà xǐ ， lián máng lā zhe zì jǐ de liǎng wèi xiōng zhǎng jiù yì qǐ zhǎo shàng mén lái 。
孙路常顿时大喜，连忙拉着自己的两位兄长就一起找上门来。
---
lǐ fán jiǎ yì lù chū wú nài 、 fèn nù de biǎo qíng ， kàn xiàng wú níng lù 。
李凡假意露出无奈、愤怒的表情，看向吴凝鹭。
Li Fan mainly defended himself, occasionally using a few weak spells. After several hundred rounds, he began to show signs of fatigue.
sān wèi hé dào zhǎng bèi què zhǔ dòng wèi tā kāi tuō 。
三为合道长辈却主动为她开脱。
"Lu'er, your devouring of the essence of the heavens and earth is truly impressive. Although it lacks in offensive power, that ice barrier around you can block most attacks."
ér hòu dòng zhī yǐ qíng 、 xiǎo zhī yǐ lǐ ， duì lǐ fán jìn xíng le lún fān quàn shuō 。
而后动之以情、晓之以理，对李凡进行了轮番劝说。
The Sun family's three Great Daoists were very satisfied with Li Fan’s performance.
wèi le jiā zú zhěng tǐ lì yì ， zuì zhōng tā bù dé bù dā yìng le dài tì qián wǎng hù fǎ táng rèn zhí 。
为了家族整体利益，最终他不得不答应了代替前往护法堂任职。
Even a newly promoted Great Daoist had enough strength to meet the Immortal Alliance's requirements.
“ lù ér fàng xīn ， nǐ bù zài de zhè duàn shí jiān lǐ ， wǒ men yí dìng huì duì níng lù duō jiā zhào gù 、 bú huì ràng tā shòu bàn diǎn wěi qū de 。” sūn lù cháng bǎo zhèng dào 。
“禄儿放心，你不在的这段时间里，我们一定会对凝鹭多加照顾、不会让她受半点委屈的。”孙路常保证道。
Before heading to the headquarters of the Immortal Alliance, Li Fan quietly called Wu Ninglu over.
lù ér shì sūn áng de xiǎo míng 。
禄儿是孙昂的小名。
"I know you've been avoiding me because you're afraid I'll blame you."
àn lǐ lái shuō ， tóng wèi hé dào xiū shì ， jí biàn shì zhǎng bèi 、 zài xiàng yǐ wǎng nà bān zhí hū xiǎo míng yě bù hé shì le 。 rán sūn lù cháng yī jiù zhè me hǎn le ， jiù shì wèi le tí xǐng “ sūn áng ” réng shì sūn jiā zǐ dì de shēn fèn 。
按理来说，同为合道修士，即便是长辈、再向以往那般直呼小名也不合适了。然孙路常依旧这么喊了，就是为了提醒“孙昂”仍是孙家子弟的身份。
"How could that be?"
wèi le què bǎo sūn áng néng guò wàn xiān méng de shěn hé ， sūn jiā sān wèi hé dào hái lián shǒu cè shì le yī fān sūn áng de shí jì zhàn lì 。
为了确保孙昂能过万仙盟的审核，孙家三为合道还联手测试了一番孙昂的实际战力。
"Actually, even if you don't say anything, my promotion will not go unnoticed for long. Some things are unavoidable."
lǐ fán zhǐ shì yǐ fáng shǒu wéi zhǔ ， ǒu ěr fā chū yī liǎng shì wēi lì bìng bù dà de fǎ shù 。
李凡只是以防守为主，偶尔发出一两式威力并不大的法术。
"Besides, we are one entity. After three hundred years of effort, a little benefit is nothing."
jiān chí jǐ bǎi huí hé zhī hòu ， zhú jiàn xiǎn chū bù zhī 。
坚持几百回合之后，逐渐显出不支。
Wu Ninglu was taken aback by Li Fan's words and felt touched.
“ lù ér nǐ tūn shì de tiān dì zhī pò dàng zhēn yǒu xiē bù sú ， suī rán jìn gōng xìng chà le diǎn ， dàn nà bīng fēng zhōu zāo yī qiè de chǎng yù ， què shì néng jiāng jué dà duō shù jìn gōng shǒu duàn gěi lán xià 。”
“禄儿你吞噬的天地之魄当真有些不俗，虽然进攻性差了点，但那冰封周遭一切的场域，却是能将绝大多数进攻手段给拦下。”
"I hope you stay careful during your absence,"
sūn jiā sān wèi hé dào hěn shì mǎn yì lǐ fán de biǎo xiàn 。
孙家三位合道很是满意李凡的表现。
"The old fellows at home might sound nice but their actions say otherwise."
jiù suàn shì xīn jìn hé dào ， rú cǐ shí lì yě zú gòu xiàng xiān méng jiāo chāi le 。
就算是新晋合道，如此实力也足够向仙盟交差了。
"This time out, I met a good friend who helped me break through. He played a big role in it."
lǐ fán qián wǎng wàn xiān méng zǒng bù zhī qián ， jiāng wú níng lù qiāo qiāo hǎn dào le shēn biān 。
李凡前往万仙盟总部之前，将吴凝鹭悄悄喊道了身边。
Handing over a communication jade token, Li Fan said: "If you encounter something you can't solve, contact him."
“ wǒ zhī dào nǐ zuì jìn yì zhí duǒ zhe wǒ ， shì pà wǒ guài zuì ne ？”
“我知道你最近一直躲着我，是怕我怪罪呢？”
"He should be willing to help you."
“ zěn me huì ne ？”
“怎么会呢？”
"However, he is also a Great Daoist and has some odd behavior. Don’t ask for his help unless absolutely necessary."
“ qí shí wǒ yě zhī dào ， jiù suàn nǐ bù shuō ， wǒ jìn shēng hé dào yī shì yě mán bù liǎo duō jiǔ 。 yǒu xiē shì qíng ， shì wú fǎ bì miǎn de 。”
“其实我也知道，就算你不说，我晋升合道一事也瞒不了多久。有些事情，是无法避免的。”
"Remember, remember."
“ kuàng qiě nǐ wǒ běn shì yī tǐ 。 wǒ xīn kǔ sān bǎi nián ， wèi nǐ zhēng qǔ diǎn hǎo chù ， yě méi shén me 。”
“况且你我本是一体。我辛苦三百年，为你争取点好处，也没什么。”
---
wú níng lù duì yú lǐ fán de cǐ fān shuō cí dà gǎn yì wài ， bù yóu lèng zhù 。
吴凝鹭对于李凡的此番说辞大感意外，不由愣住。
The next chapter will be around 1 PM; my hand is injured, so typing is slow.
shèn zhì hái yǒu xiē gǎn dòng 。
甚至还有些感动。
(End of Chapter)
Li Fan lay on the bed with his eyes closed, as if he hadn't heard Wu Ninglu's words at all.
Wu Ninglu's beautiful eyes moved around, about to remove her clothes and climb onto the bed herself.
However, just as her body was about to approach Li Fan, a bone-chilling coldness made her involuntarily shiver and instinctively move away.
Upon closer inspection, Wu Ninglu was shocked to find that a layer of frost had formed on her skin in that instant.
If she hadn't subconsciously avoided it, Wu Ninglu had no doubt that she would have frozen into an ice stick!
She felt both relieved and angry. There were so many things she wanted to say but couldn’t yet, when Li Fan suddenly spoke in a calm tone: "Just broke through and can't fully control my power yet. It's better for you not to approach me too closely recently."
Wu Ninglu was no longer annoyed by the rejection of her attempt to offer comfort.
With a delighted smile, she nodded repeatedly: "Good, good. I never expected Sun Lord to disappear for half a year and then come back with such a surprise. This is big news that must be told to everyone in the clan."
Just as Wu Ninglu was about to leave, she saw an ice wall blocking her way.
Turning around, she looked at Li Fan.
Li Fan's eyes remained closed but he spoke a seemingly unrelated sentence: "The three elders of our family have decided who will take up the post at the Law Enforcement Hall. Have they made a decision?"
Wu Ninglu was momentarily stunned before quickly reacting.
"The head of the clan naturally can't go. Uncle and Third Uncle kept passing the buck for quite some time, and recently it seems that Uncle finally gave in..."
At this point, Wu Ninglu retracted her foot.
"Our branch is not well-received by the rest of the clan anyway. If my promotion to a Great Daoist is known, I might have to take up the post at the Law Enforcement Hall for at least three hundred years."
"Humph."
"If it weren't for the injuries sustained during my ascension that made me unstable and potentially noticeable to outsiders, I wouldn’t have come back so rashly."
Li Fan sighed slightly.
"Even if going to the Law Enforcement Hall would bring some material benefits from both the clan and the Immortal Alliance, they are useless to me. Three hundred years is too long."
Opening his eyes, Li Fan looked at Wu Ninglu.
"Therefore, I don’t want this promotion to be known for now."
Meeting Li Fan's gaze, Wu Ninglu involuntarily nodded vigorously.
Li Fan closed his eyes again and began meditating.
The room fell silent once more.
The faint ice barrier made it necessary for Wu Ninglu to fully exert her spiritual energy just to maintain the temperature of her body.
---
Wu Ninglu huddled in a corner of the room, feeling both aggrieved and envious.
"This is the might of reaching the Great Dao? I never thought he would reach that level. I originally assumed it would be Sun Wei Zhou who broke through first among the younger generation."
Looking at her husband who was recuperating and practicing cultivation, Wu Ninglu's thoughts were in turmoil until his breathing gradually calmed down while still closed-eyed.
Only then did she quietly leave the room.
---
"If my guess is correct, this foolish woman will soon reveal that her Daoist partner has already become a Great Daoist."
"It’s just for the benefits promised by Sun Lu Chang."
"Actually, she isn't as foolish. After all, real benefits in hand are real. As long as Sun Ang is a Great Daoist, others would treat his wife with some respect regardless of where he is," Li Fan said with a deep gaze that seemed to see through time.
As expected, Wu Ninglu was swayed by the generous conditions offered by her uncle and third uncle to avoid going to the Law Enforcement Hall.
Knowing they had it tough in the family before, Wu Ninglu didn't directly speak up but her unusual behavior caught the attention of Sun Lu Chang and his fellow Great Daoists.
Moreover, Li Fan's deliberate fluctuations upon returning made them suspect something was amiss.
After some questioning, Wu Ninglu reluctantly revealed the matter.
Sun Lu Chang immediately rejoiced and hurriedly brought his two brothers to confront Li Fan.
Li Fan feigned a look of helplessness and anger towards Wu Ninglu while three Great Daoist elders took turns to persuade him for the sake of the family's overall interests.
In the end, he reluctantly agreed to take up the post at the Law Enforcement Hall in her stead.
"Lu'er, don't worry. During your absence, we will look after Ninglu and ensure she is not wronged," Sun Lu Chang assured.
Lu'er was a nickname for Sun Ang.
Even as Great Daoists, it wasn’t appropriate to call someone by their childhood name, but Sun Lu Chang did so to remind everyone that Sun Ang was still part of the Sun family.
To ensure Sun Ang passed the Immortal Alliance's review, all three Great Daoist elders tested his combat strength together.
---
Li Fan mainly defended himself, occasionally using a few weak spells. After several hundred rounds, he began to show signs of fatigue.
"Lu'er, your devouring of the essence of the heavens and earth is truly impressive. Although it lacks in offensive power, that ice barrier around you can block most attacks."
The Sun family's three Great Daoists were very satisfied with Li Fan’s performance.
Even a newly promoted Great Daoist had enough strength to meet the Immortal Alliance's requirements.
Before heading to the headquarters of the Immortal Alliance, Li Fan quietly called Wu Ninglu over.
"I know you've been avoiding me because you're afraid I'll blame you."
"How could that be?"
"Actually, even if you don't say anything, my promotion will not go unnoticed for long. Some things are unavoidable."
"Besides, we are one entity. After three hundred years of effort, a little benefit is nothing."
Wu Ninglu was taken aback by Li Fan's words and felt touched.
"I hope you stay careful during your absence,"
"The old fellows at home might sound nice but their actions say otherwise."
"This time out, I met a good friend who helped me break through. He played a big role in it."
Handing over a communication jade token, Li Fan said: "If you encounter something you can't solve, contact him."
"He should be willing to help you."
"However, he is also a Great Daoist and has some odd behavior. Don’t ask for his help unless absolutely necessary."
"Remember, remember."
---
The next chapter will be around 1 PM; my hand is injured, so typing is slow.
(End of Chapter)