Luo Tianya
Luo Tianya
Even though Luo Ruoxin had a lot of doubts in her mind, she did not think that he was heading to the Luo Clan to have a rendezvous with Luo Qiqi.
She might be unfamiliar with love, but she was still able to tell that the feelings that Zhang Xuan had for Luo Qiqi did not transcend those of a teacher-student relationship.
"That's right." Zhang Xuan nodded. "I have done them a huge injustice during the engagement ceremony, and since I have comprehended the Spatial Quintessence of Sealing, I want to impart it to them so as to compensate them for what I have done!"
"It's indeed unfair that they had to go through such a matter, and it's only right for you to make it up to them. However, I fear that if you visit them right now, not only will they not appreciate your help, it might even worsen the conflict between the two clans," Luo Ruoxin replied grimly.
Were it not for Yang shi and the Master Teacher Pavilion mediating by the side, a full-blown war between the two clans could have broken out during the engagement ceremony!
Even if Zhang Xuan did not bear any malicious intent toward the Luo Clan, his goodwill toward them was unlikely to be looked favorably upon.
In the worst-case scenario, they might even come to blows with one another!
"That's also something that I am extremely concerned about. So, I was thinking of disguising myself so as to prevent any misunderstandings from happening!" Knowing full well that he had already become the archenemy of every single member of the Luo Clan, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly.
"The Spatial Quintessence of Sealing has always been an exclusive secret art of the Luo Clan. As far as I know, there has been no one in their clan who has been able to comprehend it ever since the era of their founder, so I believe this will be the best way to make it up to them."
If he had tried to look into who the little princess was instead of rushing into the engagement, such a huge misunderstanding would not have happened. At the same time, the Luo Clan would not have been embarrassed before so many experts.
There was a slight moment of silence before Luo Ruoxin replied with a nod. "I think it's a good idea."
Seeing how readily the young lady expressed her approval toward the matter, Zhang Xuan could not help but ask, "Aren't you… angry?"
Honestly speaking, considering how he and Luo Qiqi had nearly become a couple, he could understand it if Luo Ruoxin felt uncomfortable about this matter. To accept this matter so readily, did she really have no qualms about it?"
"Of course not!" Luo Ruoxin replied with a light chuckle reminiscent of a blooming flower.
To be honest, this was probably the reason that she liked Zhang Xuan in the first place. To remain humble in the face of success, constantly maintaining a low profile, never hesitating to admit his faults, keeping a magnanimous heart toward the world…
Those were traits that a true man should have!
And this was the kind of man that she, Luo Ruoxin, loved.
"Let's set out then!" Laughing heartily, Zhang Xuan grabbed Luo Ruoxin's hands tightly as he felt a surge of bliss racing through his heart.
…
With his deepened understanding of space, through tapping into the prowess of the Dragonbone Divine Spear, Zhang Xuan was able to find spatial wormholes and travel through them as well. With this, the speed of their journey was hastened significantly.
It did not take long for them to arrive in the perimeter of the Luo Clan.
"It's true that even 9-star master teachers will have trouble seeing through your disguise, but you still won't be able to fool some of the unique identification artifacts. I have an amulet here that is used specifically for disguise. It should be able to bypass the detection of most unique identification artifacts."
After closely inspecting Zhang Xuan's disguise, Luo Ruoxin took out a piece of paper.
"That will really be a great help!" Zhang Xuan took the amulet over excitedly.
The previous time he tried to disguise himself carefully, he had still ended up being seen through by Yang shi. As such, if anything could further augment his disguise, he would take it willingly just to lower the risk of him being revealed.
Zhang Xuan took a closer look at the amulet and saw unfamiliar characters and patterns inscribed on it. He had no idea what they meant, but he sensed tremendous energy from them.
He tried to scan them with his Spiritual Perception, but he found that he could not see through it at all.
Curious, he tried placing it lightly on his forehead.
Weng!
As soon as the paper came into contact with his face, it swiftly dissipated into a surge of energy that delved right into his body. With just a thought, Zhang Xuan's body swiftly morphed into the form of a middle-aged man in his forties.
A lanky figure with yellowish, wrinkled skin, he would appear unspectacular at first glance. However, upon taking another look, one would swiftly notice that he had a pair of sharp eyes reminiscent of those of eagles, reflecting acuity and wisdom.
"This is a true treasure!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed in astonishment.
He had used his Spiritual Perception to scan his appearance multiple times, but he could not see any openings that suggested that he was different from how he appeared. In fact, even the Eye of Insight was unable to see through his own disguise!
This disguise amulet was indeed far more effective than the disguise techniques that he usually used. With this, even if he met Yang shi once more, the latter would not dare doubt his true identity!
After checking on himself, he turned his gaze to the young lady not too far away and saw that she had already morphed into the appearance of a middle-aged lady to match him. Even though she had concealed her ravishing countenance, her grace still showed through her subtle gestures.
"Hahaha, this disguise is superb. Say, why don't we try creating a reputation for ourselves as the next 'Calamitous Couple'?" Zhang Xuan proposed with a chuckle.
As the patriarch and matriarch of the Zhang Clan, as well as top-notch experts on the continent, no one would dare speak badly of the Xingmeng Sword Saint openly. While they addressed them respectfully as Sword Saint Xing and Sword Saint Meng on the surface, they did not neglect to spitefully label them as the Calamitous Couple behind their back!
Considering that the two of them were a middle-aged couple and their prowess stood at the top of the continent as well, it would not take too long for them to forge such a reputation for themselves!
"Who are you calling a couple? We are just… siblings!" Luo Ruoxin's face reddened upon hearing those words.
"Siblings? But siblings usually look similar to one another, no? Is it because… I'm too handsome? Is that the reason I'm so well-liked by others?" Zhang Xuan stroked his lower jaw contemplatively.
"Narcissist!" Luo Ruoxin burst into laughter.
She had still been a little reluctant to pass off as a couple a moment ago, but all of a sudden, she felt that it might not be so bad after all. "Fine, let's act as a couple then. However, we have to choose a name to call ourselves. Otherwise, it will appear suspicious if we can't even introduce ourselves when others ask who we are."
"My parents took a character from each of their names to derive the nickname Xingmeng Sword Saint. I think we can try doing the same too… How does Xuanxin Sword Saint sound to you?" Zhang Xuan asked.
Luo Ruoxin rolled her eyes. "What's the point of the disguise then?"
"Right… I have used Yang Xuan, Sun Qiang, Wu Zhangxuan, and several other aliases before, so I should find a new one this time around… Right, I should pass myself off as a member of the Luo Clan. They should feel much safer around me if I'm one of them, especially given the fact that I'm going to impart the Spatial Quintessence of Sealing to them. Otherwise, they might just think that I have stolen their heritage and try to kill me!" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.
Since he was going to come up with a persona anyway, it would help in his cause if he assumed the identity of a member of the Luo Clan.
After all, the heritage of sealing space had remained a unique heritage of the Luo Clan for many years.
On top of that, the Luo Clan had also grown too big over the tens of thousands of years for it to track all of its members accurately. They would have no way of verifying it even if he claimed to be from their distant side family.
Such was the case in the Zhang Clan as well. There were distant relatives of the Zhang Clan, due to their Zhang Clan bloodline being too thin, who would not even be recorded in the clan genealogy.
"I think that's a good idea. I should come up with a name for myself too… How about Lingxi? I haven't given much thought to the surname yet, but I think Lingxi should do," Luo Ruoxin said.
"Lingxi[1]? Two hearts united by a profound connection… That is a wonderful name! Since that's the case, I'll call myself Luo Tianya[2]! No matter how far away we are from one another, even if the boundaries of the world sever us so, our hearts will remain connected together with one another!" Zhang Xuan said with a smile.
"That sounds great." Luo Ruoxin nodded with a slight smile.
After resolving the issue regarding their names, the two of them quickly flew in the direction of the Luo Clan.
The current Luo Clan was still in the midst of reconstructing their damaged buildings and returning the gifts that the many powers had sent to them.
There were people scattered all around the area, and the place looked incredibly messy.
Zhang Xuan was intending to exploit this chaos to find Luo Xuanqing or Luo Qiqi to impart the Spatial Quintessence of Sealing to them when he heard a gust of wind right above him.
A few figures suddenly appeared above, and a deafening voice echoed in the air.
"Nangong Yuanfeng from the Hundred Schools of Philosophers' Great Phrontistery of Confucianism has come with a couple of juniors to pay a visit to the head of the Luo Clan!"
[1] The name 'Lingxi' is derived from an idiom which literally means two hearts are connected by a telepathic connection. It's not exclusively used for couples, but it tends to have such a connotation. It's usually used to describe people whose thoughts are in sync with one another.
[2] The name 'Tianya' literally means 'the boundary of the world'. In the past, people believed that the world is cuboid in shape, so naturally, if a person were to just walk in one direction, they would eventually reach the boundary of the world.