As a martial artist in the martial arts world, how could Luo Ning not understand this vulgar remark? Her face instantly turned red:
"Nonsense! I'm like sisters with her. I became the leader's wife just to help her cover up her identity... I've never been that close with her. Bah — You're simply..."
She raised her sword, intending to strike Ye Jingtang.
Ye Jingtang quickly raised his hand: "Okay, okay. Even if you were that close with her, I don't mind... Eh, eh —"
Luo Ning realized that after explaining things clearly to this little rascal, he immediately became cocky. Unable to bear it any longer, she directly placed the sword on his shoulder:
"Try saying such outrageous things again?"
Ye Jingtang's expression became serious, and he said softly:
"So, Lady Luo, you're single and unmarried. The leader of the Pingtian Sect won't do anything to me because of the two of us..."
"There's nothing between you and me!"
Ye Jingtang moved the sword away from his neck and said helplessly:
"Then does Lady Luo want me to take responsibility, or do you want to act as if what happened before never happened?"
Luo Ning gritted her teeth: "I haven't decided yet."
Ye Jingtang wasn't in a hurry either: "Alright, then Lady Luo can think about it slowly. Let's talk when you've made up your mind."
Seeing that Ye Jingtang's behavior had become more proper, Luo Ning's cold and beautiful face softened a little. She put away her sword and thought for a moment:
"I'm the wife of the leader of the Pingtian Sect. Even if my marriage with Baijin is fake, I'm still a leader of the Pingtian Sect, a rebel. If you... you want me to forgive your previous actions, you have to join the Pingtian Sect first!"
Ye Jingtang hesitated for a moment:
"Er..."
"You were able to join Honghua Tower. Why won't you help the Pingtian Sect? I even helped Honghua Tower out of trouble today. What benefits did Honghua Tower give you?"
"It's not about Honghua Tower either..."
Ye Jingtang thought of Benben, whose body he had seen completely. He suddenly realized that he seemed to be involved with three women at the same time...
What's more, he couldn't afford to offend any of them. Abandoning any one of them might cost him dearly...
Seeing Ye Jingtang's hesitation, Luo Ning's eyes turned slightly cold:
"Then what's the problem?"
Ye Jingtang explained calmly:
"Well... I work in the Black Yamen, and the Princess Jing really appreciates me..."
?
Luo Ning's eyes immediately became alert: "You little rascal, you really went to curry favor with the princess? I already warned you..."
"Don't get excited. Here's what happened. Xue Puti assassinated the Princess Jing, and I was there, so of course I had to protect her. I got injured while protecting her, and the Princess Jing took me back to her mansion. She asked me to patrol the palace, and then somehow, I got closer to the Princess Jing..."
?!
Luo Ning's face was full of disbelief. After being stunned for a long time, she finally came to her senses:
"You... It's only been a few days? You two have already..."
"No, no. It hasn't reached that stage yet."
"You..."
Luo Ning looked at Ye Jingtang with tears in her eyes, full of bitterness. She wanted to raise her hand and strike Ye Jingtang with the sword. But out of grievance, she didn't want to look at this little rascal and turned her head away, saying coldly:
"The Pingtian Sect can still negotiate with Honghua Tower, but it's completely at odds with the court. Now that things have come to this, you have to choose. Do you want the princess or my forgiveness?"
"Do I really have a choice?"
Facing this either-or question, Ye Jingtang spread his hands helplessly.
?!
Luo Ning turned her face back and looked at Ye Jingtang in disbelief:
"You!... Yes, the princess has so much power. You can't afford to offend her, and you're going to choose the princess, right? Fine... Fine..."
With tears in her eyes, she stood up and was about to leave.
Ye Jingtang quickly grabbed Luo Ning:
"That's not what I meant. What about my relatives and friends in the capital if I disappear? The situation is like this, and I can't run away. Why don't you give me some advice?"
Luo Ning's eyes were red with anger, and her face was cold:
"You had no integrity and got involved with the princess. Now that things are like this, and you can't leave the princess, other than us never seeing each other again, what other solution could there be?"
Ye Jingtang said calmly: "I've always remembered our promise. That time was really an accident. When the princess asked me if I had someone I liked, I firmly replied that I already had someone I liked, and I would never abandon my wife..."
"You're the one who's like a shabby wife!"
"Okay, okay. I'm the shabby wife."
"What did the princess say when she knew you had someone you liked?"
"She didn't say much. Hmm... She was still very kind to me."
"..."
Luo Ning understood the meaning, nodded slightly, and stood up with tears in her eyes:
"I understand. I'll step aside, alright? I don't even want you, a little rascal, to take responsibility..."
Ye Jingtang raised his hand and placed it on Lady Luo's shoulder: "Don't be so temperamental. Let's discuss this rationally. Can we think about how to solve this problem?"
"What else do you want to do? Do you want to deceive both me and the princess and take us home?"
"Er..."
Luo Ning looked at Ye Jingtang's expression and understood what he meant. Her eyes widened:
"You... How can you be so shameless? Even if I lose my mind and ask you to take responsibility for me, how can I get along with the princess in the future? I'm a rebel. If my identity is discovered, my head will definitely be hung outside the Black Yamen. What will you do then?"
Ye Jingtang's expression was serious, showing a heroic spirit:
"Before a single hair of Lady Luo's falls, I will definitely lose my head first. Is that okay?"
"What if I go to kill the princess?"
Ye Jingtang shook his head without hesitation:
"You don't have that ability."
?!
Luo Ning was almost driven crazy by these words. She raised her sword and held back for a long time, then gritted her teeth and said:
"Why don't I have the ability? When you're having an affair with the princess, I'll come too, and then I'll strike with a sword when you least expect it..."
Ye Jingtang raised his hand: "Stop joking. Give me some time to think of a way, okay?"
"What kind of solution can you come up with?"
"I heard you were coming and learned about the Pingtian Sect..."
"You heard that the 'Goddess of the Toad Palace' was coming, you lecher!"
"Okay, okay. I'm a lecher. The Pingtian Sect is composed of former loyal ministers of the previous dynasty who stubbornly held on to Nanxiao Mountain and refused to surrender. The court even tried to offer amnesty, but it didn't work. How about I try to persuade them and make the amnesty happen..."
Luo Ning had actually long realized that the Great Wei Dynasty was in its prime and had already won the hearts of the people. For the leader of the Pingtian Sect to try to restore the Dayan Dynasty, which had been destroyed for sixty years, was simply a fantasy.
However, the Pingtian Sect now dominated the martial arts world, and the court couldn't reach it easily. Xue Baijin, who could have been a 'female emperor of the martial arts world' in peace, coming to bow and scrape to the court might even end up being given a cup of poisoned wine. What was Xue Baijin trying to achieve?
"The Pingtian Sect will never accept amnesty. Why don't you persuade the court to surrender to the Pingtian Sect? The leader of the Pingtian Sect is a minister of the Dayan Dynasty, and it's the Great Wei that's rebelling!"
Ye Jingtang was directly at a loss for words. He spread his hands and said: "I'll do my best, okay? Whether it's the amnesty of the twelve states of the Great Wei by Nanxiao Mountain or the amnesty of the Pingtian Sect, it's about making the two sides into one. I'll choose whichever path has a chance, okay?"
"..."
Luo Ning blinked her eyes. She felt that she had pushed this little rascal too hard and didn't say anything more for the moment:
"You'd better handle this properly. If one day the court attacks Nanxiao Mountain, I'll be the first to go to your place and kill the princess."
Ye Jingtang was confused and troubled by all these messy things. He turned to look at the river scenery and didn't say anything more.
It became quiet by the river, leaving only the serene moonlight and a man and a woman at the bow of the boat.
Luo Ning looked at the vast Qingjiang River. She wanted to stand up and leave but didn't know how to say it. After thinking for a while, she untied the anchor rope at the bow of the boat and let it float downstream:
"Today you humiliated the Zhou family severely, and the Zhou family won't let this go easily. I'll send you to the dock. You should leave early to avoid any trouble."
"What about you?"
"I... I have to go to the capital to rescue Qiu Tianhe. I'll leave tomorrow, and our paths won't be the same."
Ye Jingtang nodded gently. He turned his head and looked at the cold side profile beside him. For the moment, he couldn't find a topic to ease the atmosphere, so he put his hands together, interlaced his fingers, and placed them against his mouth, and then:
"Woohoo~~Woohoo~~~"