Chapter 61: The Host
Qin Xuan quickly comforted the startled, crying A Yan, his touch gentle, his voice a low, soothing murmur that contrasted sharply with the cold aura of his Domain. The baby's cries softened to whimpers.
"Elder Ling Yuan, please forgive me," Qin Xuan said, turning to the Titled Douluo. "A Yan is a bit shy around strangers."
"A Yan? That's quite a nice name." Ling Yuan Douluo, who had been taken aback by the sudden wail, found herself a bit overwhelmed by the tiny infant. She gave an awkward smile, a rare sight on her proud face.
She released Qin Xuan's arm, and her expression instantly became serious. The playful flirtatiousness was gone, replaced by the responsibility of a Titled Douluo on a mission.
"But is this really okay, Qin Xuan? Taking a child... an infant... into the Star Dou Great Forest? We are going to face Spirit Beasts over 50,000 years old."
Qin Xuan adjusted A Yan in his arms, settling her against his chest. "A Yan is still young and can't be separated from us. Moreover," he stated calmly, "my wife and I are both equipped with spirit tools that can store living beings. If we encounter true danger, we can temporarily put A Yan into the spirit tool."
This was only half the truth. The full truth was that no one could guarantee that Qian Xunji wouldn't suddenly cause trouble. He wasn't at ease leaving A Yan—his "daughter" and Jing Ni's only anchor—alone and vulnerable in the Elder Palace, even with his masters present.
Ling Yuan Douluo glanced at the matching black-and-gold Mother-Child Qiankun Bags on Qin Xuan and Jing Ni's waists. A flicker of envy crossed her eyes; such storage tools were exceptionally rare.
On her charming face, a captivating smile reappeared. She clapped her hands, her professional demeanor vanishing as quickly as it had come. "Then there's no problem! Let's go!"
The three walked out of the vast, silent hall of the Elder Palace and into the bright, open courtyard.
Ling Yuan Douluo spread her arms, her red robes fluttering. Nine spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—emerged in a brilliant display of power.
Her seventh spirit ring, the first of the black 10,000-year rings, brightened. She activated her Haotian True Body!
[Inorin's Note: The term "Haotian True Body" is used in this text, synonymous with the standard "Martial Soul Avatar" or "Spirit Avatar," the 7th Spirit Ability.]
A giant, fiery Qilin, wreathed in roaring flames, appeared. It was about 7 meters long with a wingspan of nearly 20 meters, appearing beneath her feet.
[Inorin's Note: The MTL/Original Text uses "kite" (风筝), but the prior chapter (49) mentioned her Spirit as a "Ling Yuan Flame" and a "Fire Qilin". "Fiery Qilin" is the correct, consistent term for Ling Yuan Douluo's Spirit.]
The giant Qilin let out a silent roar, stirring up large waves of heat as its wings flapped. The surrounding temperature in the courtyard rose sharply.
"Come up, Little Brother Qin Xuan, and Sister Jing Ni," Ling Yuan called down, balancing perfectly on the creature's fiery back. She closed her left eye slightly and playfully winked at them with her right.
"Can you please not add 'little' to my name?" Qin Xuan rolled his eyes, utterly speechless at her shamelessness.
A red light pulsed from his palm as he used his spirit power to create a gentle, invisible shield around A Yan, protecting her from the heat. He and Jing Ni, in a single, coordinated movement, leaped onto the Qilin's back.
The giant fiery Qilin let out a long, keening cry that echoed across Spirit City. It carried the three high into the sky, above the spires of the palaces. After circling once, it flapped its wings, transforming into a crimson streak of light. It swiftly flew towards the outskirts of Spirit City, quickly disappearing into the horizon.
The wind howled past them, but the flames from the Qilin's body created a warm, stable pocket of air on its back. Below, the mountains and rivers of the Heaven Dou Empire blurred into green and brown streaks.
"How do you feel about my Haotian True Body, little brother?" Ling Yuan gently stroked the fiery Qilin's back, stood up, and walked over to Qin Xuan, her smile brimming with a Titled Douluo's pride.
"It's very good," Qin Xuan gave a fair, analytical answer, his eyes scanning the Spirit's construction. "Unlike the Haotian True Body of traditional Beast Spirits, it can be released independently of your own body. You ride it, rather than become it. That's quite rare."
"I didn't realize Little Brother Qin Xuan also had such extensive research in Spirits," Ling Yuan Douluo's smile grew even wider, her eyes tracing the sharp, handsome line of his profile. "Sister is truly becoming more and more interested in you."
She leaned in, her voice dropping to a low, husky purr. "How about it, Little Brother Qin Xuan? Would you like to consider dating Sister and giving it a try? Sister doesn't mind teaching you how to play... adult games, you know."
Qin Xuan, who had been gazing at the horizon, turned his head. His dark eyes, still holding the faintest red tint, met hers.
"Then I would be honored to accept."
He handed the sleeping A Yan to Jing Ni. Before Ling Yuan could even process his words, he wrapped a strong arm around her slender, armored waist, his eyes blazing with an undisguised, predatory aggression.
Facing this kind of woman, constant retreat was useless; she would only become more presumptuous. Only by matching her aggression, by being more assertive, could he make her yield.
Moreover, his mind was racing. He was in need of allies.
Ling Yuan was not like Qian Jun or Jiangmo, nor like the other Consecrated Elders who were absolutely loyal to the Angel Clan. She was a Titled Douluo, yes, but she was an outsider, one who had earned her position through power, not bloodline. She was an individual.
If he could gain a Titled Douluo as a helper... he wouldn't mind "taking her down."
Anyway, Ling Yuan was a great beauty, and for so many years, there had been no rumors about her. She was a prize in her own right.
Qin Xuan's unusual, lightning-fast action made Ling Yuan feel flustered, instantly. The confident, seductive smile on her face froze.
Even the Haotian True Body beneath her feet wavered, the flames flickering as her concentration broke. Her entire body stiffened abruptly. This was not in her script.
After a moment, she regained her softness, but the panic in her eyes was real.
She leaned back slightly, lightly tapping Qin Xuan's hand that was clamped on her waist. "Little Brother Qin Xuan," she said, her voice a little breathless, "you're really too naughty! To bully Sister in front of your wife and child!"
"Didn't you say you didn't mind?" Qin Xuan leaned closer, the two of them getting so close that their cheeks were almost touching. With a favorability rating as high as 90 (Friendship/Admiration), he wasn't worried about her truly turning hostile.
"Sister didn't say I minded," Ling Yuan was almost in tears, feeling her heart pound fiercely against her ribs. "It's just... your wife..."
Although she was not young and appeared to be a mature, seductive older sister, in essence, she was still inexperienced. How could she have ever been in such a situation? No one had ever dared to call her bluff.
"Jing Ni, do you mind having another sister?" Qin Xuan turned his head, his arm still locked around Ling Yuan's waist, and looked at Jing Ni.
"If Elder Ling Yuan can be Jing Ni's older sister, Jing Ni would be more than happy." Jing Ni, who had been watching this play out with the cool analysis of an assassin, didn't know Qin Xuan's exact motive, but it didn't prevent her from cooperating with him.
She saw the calculation in his eyes. This wasn't just lust; it was a power play.
Moreover, even if Qin Xuan truly wanted to take her as a concubine, she wouldn't mind in the slightest. After all, in her world, a powerful man having three wives and four concubines was a common thing.
"You see?" Qin Xuan said, turning back to the stunned Ling Yuan. "She said she doesn't mind. Since you don't mind either... then I won't be polite."
He winked at Jing Ni. His spirit power circulated, a silent, invisible shield of sword qi ready to deploy, preparing for Ling Yuan to suddenly turn hostile.
And then he lowered his head.
Before Ling Yuan could react, he kissed her.
"Wait, wait, wait... Mmm...!"
Ling Yuan's expression changed dramatically. She didn't even have a chance to refuse or even process the words before their lips met. She stared with wide, panicked eyes, as if her soul had left her body.
Her mind was a blank, white void. Disbelief and panic warred within her.
Although I liked the power of the Vermilion Bird sealed in his Spirit... But was this guy really that bold?!
Forcibly kissing me?! A Titled Douluo?!
Fortunately, they were already far outside Spirit City at this time, high above the clouds. Otherwise, if she had been seen, she would have been ridiculed by her colleagues in the Elder Palace for the rest of her life.
To be forcibly kissed by a brat who wasn't even a Spirit Saint yet.
Immediately, Ling Yuan Douluo's mind snapped back.
Out of her pride as a Titled Douluo, she reacted. A powerful surge of spirit power and firelight burst around her, trying to push Qin Xuan away, to incinerate him.
But Qin Xuan was prepared.
Almost the moment Ling Yuan made a move, he had already released her and jumped off the Qilin's back. Jing Ni, holding A Yan, also jumped off the other side, a perfectly coordinated escape.
But the two did not fall.
Instead, they each stepped on a sword of light. Qin Xuan stood on the golden, corporeal Changming Sword. Jing Ni stood on her purplish-red Jing Ni Sword. They hovered in mid-air, using the Sword Control Technique from their shared knowledge.
[Inorin's Note: The ability to fly on one's sword is a power from the Qin's Moon (The Legend of Qin) crossover, not a standard Douluo Continent ability.]
Ling Yuan's attack hit empty air, her flames dissipating. She stared, her jaw dropping, at the two figures flying in the air, completely independent of any Spirit Avatar or wings.
"Little Ling Yuan," Qin Xuan called out, his voice calm and carrying easily over the wind, "if you ever come to your senses, come find me. Although I, Qin Xuan, am not a good person, I am absolutely responsible for my women."
He gave her a final, charming, infuriating smile. "Also, Jing Ni and I need to do something. Let's meet in the small town on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest in half a month."
Leaving these words, Qin Xuan and Jing Ni flew on their swords, transforming into two long rainbows, one gold and one red. They quickly disappeared into the sky, their speed so fast that it was even greater than Ling Yuan's fiery Qilin.
He planned to go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Qin Xuan had already reported this matter to Qian Daoliu. He had given the reason that he was taking Jing Ni to her "hometown" in the far west to bury the "remains" of her teacher, a journey of respect and closure.
Ling Yuan was left alone, hovering on her Qilin's back, high above the clouds.
"That... that scoundrel!" she fumed, her face burning a brighter red than her flames. "Who are you calling Little Ling Yuan?!"
She stood on the Qilin's back, looking at the place where the two had disappeared, stomping her feet in anger. She wanted to chase them, but... she couldn't. Their speed was impossibly fast.
And besides...
Just as Qin Xuan had said, 'Perhaps she would make a huge profit, and Qin Xuan would definitely not lose out.'
Conversely, the same logic applied.
Qin Xuan's proposal, his audacity, his power, his mysterious techniques... it made her somewhat tempted.
Although Qin Xuan already had a wife and child, marrying such a talented, handsome, and impossibly young man... it seemed pretty good, too.
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