"I didn’t make up anything!" Lian Mei clenched her fists and then and stared at Mister Pi. "He was there back then. And the thing with Fa Chao Fu happened really. I saw it happen with my own eyes!"

Mister Pi furrowed his brows. "Let’s not talk about that thing with Fa Chao Fu. Do you really want to say that the Daoist Master is lying? How could that be?"

Lian Mei wasn’t willing to step back down though. "How am I supposed to know why he would do that? But he definitely is! Anyway, the Zhongs have always been strange people. Don’t you think that it’s not impossible that this is really as I say? Haven’t enough things happened with them in the past? Why don’t you believe me?!"

Mister Pi pursed his lips. There had indeed been many things happening around the Zhongs in the past but there had always been a good explanation for that afterward. And as it had turned out, some of these strange matters had only been misunderstandings. One of those had even been brought about by Lian Mei herself. "Madam Shen, I think you’re going too far. Haven’t you heard what this young man said? He isn’t old enough to be that Daoist Master. So how could it be him?" Mister Pi turned to Qiu Ling and gave him a sympathetic look. I’m really sorry that you have to see something like this. You’ve come such a long way and now one of our people is being like this. We really didn’t want for this to happen."

Qiu Ling raised his brows and then looked at Jing Yi, inching a little closer. "As long as my beloved is happy, I’m happy as well."

Mister Pi looked at him and then blinked his eyes once after a short pause. "I’m sorry, I feel that I didn’t hear that right just now. What were you saying?"

Next to him, Madam Pan also had a strange expression on when she looked from Qiu Ling to Jing Yi and back again. She also felt that she must’ve heard wrong. Anyway, it couldn’t be that there was anything between these two people. Because if there was, then who would her niece marry? She couldn’t let that happen! "Yes, I also must have heard wrong." She didn’t wait for Qiu Ling to explain though and turned to Jing Yi instead. She had to strike while the iron was hot! Or, well, at least before the rice was cooked … "Jing’er, do you remember my niece?"

Jing Yi could only look at her awkwardly. Her niece … To be honest, he wasn’t even sure if he had ever met that girl. Judging from how he had behaved because of his grandfather’s lies back then, that probably wasn’t the case. "Well, it’s been a few years. She has probably changed a lot, hasn’t she?"

Madam Pan looked at him, unsure what he meant with that. "Well, if she has changed, then only for the better!" Anyway, whatever his thoughts on her were, there was still an opportunity to convince him. She wouldn’t give up that easily.

Qiu Ling furrowed his brows. This woman still hadn’t given up?! He had to intervene! "My beloved wanted to show me the village where he grew up. It’s really such a nice place. And I can also see that there are a lot of very nice people around." He inched even closer to Jing Yi and then put his arm around his waist, inclining his body toward him. "I’m so happy that you brought me here. We should have come much sooner!" He gave a bright smile and looked at Jing Yi in the hopes that he would agree with him.

Jing Yi just gave him a wry smile though. Did he really have to do this?

On the other hand, Mister Pi couldn’t pretend that he had heard wrong once again. He looked from Qiu Ling to Jing Yi and then raised his brows. "The two of you are —"

Qiu Ling beamed. Finally, somebody was willing to listen to his explanation! "We’re about to get married!"

Jing Yi shot him a disbelieving look. Had he really just said that? "Qiu Ling …"

Qiu Ling turned his beloved around so he could face him and then leaned down, kissing his cheek. Before Jing Yi could complain, he lowered his voice though. "Do you want to marry whatever niece? Anyway, we’re only here for a short visit. Does it really matter if they know the whole truth or not? A year isn’t long anyway. When we get married afterward, then we won’t have been wrong to say that. And you’ll be free of any of these women trying to have you marry one of their daughters, nieces, cousins, little sisters, or whatever. Isn’t that also good?"

Jing Yi slightly furrowed his brows but finally nodded. "Mn. You’re right. Maybe that’s better." He didn’t want to lie but if he looked at it this way, then Qiu Ling might indeed be right. Anyway, there was no harm done. After all, he didn’t want to marry any of the girls from this village. It wasn’t like he could remember them anyway.

The two of them had spoken lightly enough that Mister Pi and Madam Pan hadn’t been able to understand what they said and only felt that the two of them had been whispering sweet words to each other.

Mister Pi looked from one person to the other. "I thought that the two of you were martial brothers?" How come they were suddenly engaged? This didn’t really fit with his knowledge about Daoist Masters. Was it normal for these immortals to marry each other? He had always thought that they would stay alone for their entire lives if they weren’t demonic practitioners. He had really never heard of any immortals that got married.

Jing Yi didn’t know what to say and could only look at Qiu Ling for help.

The dragon king naturally hadn’t any problem to bluff his way through this. Anyway, this guy didn’t really know anything about cultivation. Whatever he told him, he’d need to accept it. "I guess I didn’t say it right. Mister Pi certainly knows about the concept of Dao partners. It’s not exactly a marriage but it is the equivalent of it in the world of us practitioners."

Mister Pi nodded as if he understood very well. "Ah, yes, I’m naturally well-acquainted with this concept. I was just a little confused when you said marriage."

Qiu Ling nodded good-naturedly while he ran his fingers through Jing Yi’s hair. "It is my fault. I misspoke. I should’ve known that a cultured man like you would definitely know what Dao partners were."

Jing Yi’s brows twitched. Why did he feel that Qiu Ling seemed very good at talking with Mister Pi? Don’t tell him that his senior martial brother and Mister Pi were actually quite similar? He glanced up at the person that was still holding him in his arms and then sighed. Anyway, whatever the reason was for Qiu Ling being able to get through this so easily, it was good for them. He shouldn’t ask too many questions.