298: Put down your sword for me!

Ding Xuelian turned to look at her daughter, then at her benefactor.

Her benefactor seemed to be around her age... her daughter had just turned twenty-three... well, she was already an old maid, it was time for her to marry!

An older man knows how to cherish someone... her benefactor... would never let Yaner suffer.

Lu Jiuyuan looked at Shangguan Yan, who was shocked yet bewildered, and in her bewilderment, a sparkle shone in her eyes.

He smiled and said, "It was nothing, no need to dwell on it."

His gaze shifted to Ding Xuelian, and his tone was gentle: "Madam Ding, are you still feeling unwell?"

Ding Xuelian quickly waved her hand: "No, not at all! Thanks to Alliance Leader Lu's life-saving grace and the careful treatment arranged by the physician, I'm much better."

She looked at Lu Jiuyuan, then at her daughter, who was beside her, flustered.

The thought in her heart became clearer, and she couldn't help but extend two index fingers, their tips gently touching: "Alliance Leader Lu, you and Yaner...?"

Shangguan Yan saw this gesture, suddenly snapped back to reality, a blush rising on her cheeks.

She quickly tried to explain: "Mother, we..."

"We just have a great destiny!" Lu Jiuyuan said with a smile: "The word 'destiny' is wonderfully ineffable!"

Shangguan Yan looked at him, her heart still finding it hard to calm.

The mysterious expert in the Gobi and the Supreme Alliance Leader who commanded awe in the Western Regions—these two images constantly intertwined and overlapped in her mind.

She remembered his solitary and aloof figure when he left that day, she remembered him selflessly absorbing the poison for her, and now she saw his immense power, annihilating the Divine Moon Cult while chatting and laughing...

How many more facets of this man were there that she didn't understand?

"Brother Lu," Shangguan Yan took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound calmer, "Your life-saving grace is something I can never repay.

Although Shangguan Yan's strength is small, if Alliance Leader Lu has any instructions in the future, I will certainly not refuse!"

"It's good that you have this intention." He nodded slightly, "Right now, taking good care of your mother is the most important thing."

After speaking, he said no more, gave a slight nod to Ding Xuelian, and turned to leave.

Shangguan Yan, however, still stared blankly in the direction he had left, her gaze not retracting for a long time.

Ding Xuelian took in her daughter's expression, feeling both joy and emotion.

She gently took Shangguan Yan's hand and softly said, "Yaner, Mother can see that Alliance Leader Lu is a truly outstanding man.

He... although he is a bit older than you, it's not wrong for a man to be older; he knows how to cherish someone more..."

"Mother!" Shangguan Yan's cheeks instantly turned crimson, as if dyed by the evening glow.

She quickly interrupted her mother, "You... what nonsense are you talking about! Alliance Leader Lu... he has been kind to us, your daughter is just grateful..."

"A life-saving grace, a humble woman has no way to repay but to offer herself! Mother understands, Mother understands!" Ding Xuelian smiled and patted her daughter's hand, her face full of smiles.

She had lived for most of her life; how could she not see her daughter's subtle feelings?

A hero saving a beauty was already the most effective and common way to win someone's heart, not to mention this man was a rare talent in the world.

In the following days, Shangguan Yan stayed at the branch to accompany her mother, taking meticulous care of her.

Ding Xuelian's body recovered quickly with the care of the famous physician and her daughter's companionship.

Lu Jiuyuan, on the other hand, was busy integrating the remaining forces of the Divine Moon Cult and sorting out affairs in the Western Regions.

His methods were swift and decisive, with clear rewards and punishments, and he quickly consolidated the previously scattered forces of the Divine Moon Cult into a cohesive unit.

Yu Nanfang worked even harder, managing the affairs of the branch in an orderly manner.

During this period, Shangguan Yan occasionally caught a glimpse of Lu Jiuyuan's figure from afar.

He was either inspecting newly recruited Disciples in the plaza or discussing matters with his subordinates in the main hall.

Each time, he was like the center of the world, attracting all eyes.

That calm and collected demeanor, that air of controlling the universe, made the unusual feelings in Shangguan Yan's heart quietly grow like a vine.

Shangguan Yan meticulously cared for her mother, and Ding Xuelian's health improved day by day, her face gradually regaining color and smiles.

But her gaze always involuntarily followed the figure of the red-robed Alliance Leader Lu.

Lu Jiuyuan remained busy, integrating forces, handling cult affairs, and meeting with the prominent figures from all sides of the Western Regions who came to pay their respects.

Occasionally, his gaze would meet that cool and graceful figure in the distant corridor or courtyard.

There were no words, just a brief intersection.

Shangguan Yan would subconsciously avert her gaze, her heart skipping a beat, her ears slightly warm.

That night, the moonlight was like water, showering the courtyard.

After settling her mother to sleep, Shangguan Yan came alone to the old tree in the courtyard, looking at the bright moon in the sky, her heart restless.

Her mother's hints, her own stirrings, and the unfathomable figure of that man intertwined, making her heart a tangled mess.

"It's late and the dew is heavy, be careful not to catch a cold."

A deep, calm voice sounded from behind her.

Shangguan Yan suddenly turned her head, only to see Lu Jiuyuan standing not far away, she didn't know when he had arrived.

The moonlight outlined his tall figure, lacking the stern majesty of the daytime, and adding a touch of the moonlit night's tranquility.

"Brother Lu..." Shangguan Yan slightly curtsied.

Lu Jiuyuan slowly walked closer, stopped beside her, and also looked up at the bright moon. "Are you worried about your mother's health?"

"Mother is recovering very well, thank you, Alliance Leader Lu, for your concern."

Shangguan Yan answered softly, then paused, gathering her courage to look at his stern profile, "I was thinking... I haven't officially thanked you for the Gobi incident.

If it weren't for you that day..."

"What's past is past, no need to mention it again."

Lu Jiuyuan interrupted her, his gaze shifting from the bright moon to her.

In the moonlight, her beautiful face seemed to be shrouded in a thin veil, losing some of its usual coldness and gaining a touch of softness.

"Is that the phoenix blood sword in your hand?"

Shangguan Yan was slightly startled, and subconsciously tightened her grip on the sword hilt at her waist: "It is."

"The dragon soul blade, the phoenix blood sword."

Lu Jiuyuan said slowly, "Do you know the legend of the dragon soul blade and the phoenix blood sword?"

Shangguan Yan nodded: "The Dragon Soul and Phoenix Blood, they are mutually generative and mutually restrictive, said to be a pair of divine weapons with intertwined destinies."

"That's right." Lu Jiuyuan's gaze slightly narrowed, "The dragon soul blade is the most rigid and yang, while the phoenix blood sword is the most yin and soft.

These two divine weapons themselves contain strange powers; their choices, their Qi, can sometimes even subtly influence the holder's mood and destiny."

He extended his hand, palm upwards, looking at her with a calm gaze: "Give me the phoenix blood sword."

Shangguan Yan was stunned, and subconsciously tightened her grip on the sword hilt at her waist.

The phoenix blood sword was a gift from her Master, and also one of the assets she relied on to roam the world.

"Why?"

Lu Jiuyuan's eyes were incredibly serious: "I don't want any external influences to be mixed between us.

The dragon soul blade is in my hand, and the phoenix blood sword is in yours.

When the Qi of these two fated divine weapons intertwine, who can say how much of what we feel in our hearts right now comes from our true selves, and how much is due to their subtle pull?"

He took a step forward, closing the distance, his voice carrying an undeniable dominance: "What I want is your pure intention, Shangguan Yan, not the entanglement bound by the destiny of divine weapons.

Give me the phoenix blood sword, I will help you find your mother, and I will avenge your father!

You lay down the sword in your hand for me, and I will grant you the highest nobility in the human world and a vast empire!"

The air seemed to solidify at this moment.