"Watch out!"
Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo shouted in unison, then flew out one after the other.
But someone was faster than they were.
Like an arrow loosed from its bow, Lin Qian teleported behind Qian Renxue, slipped his right arm around her shoulders and his left beneath her legs, and slowly descended from the sky.
Fair-skinned and beautiful, fragrant and soft, so supple... well, he did not know about that last part yet. In any case, she sure felt mighty nice!
"How long are you going to nestle in my arms?"
After landing, Lin Qian spoke in a quiet, pointed tone.
Qian Renxue, who had still been lost in his good looks, instantly exploded at his words. "What did you say?!"
Smack!
She slapped him faster than thunder could reach the ears, then stomped hard on his foot before running off to complain.
"Grandpa, someone's bullying me!"
Was this woman a tyrannosaurus reincarnated? She couldn't beat me, so she played dirty!
Despite winning the duel, Lin Qian felt he had actually lost miserably!
Watching the two old men approach, he stood there in silent bewilderment.
"Ahem, it was merely some horseplay between children. Please don't take it to heart, Saint Son."
Qian Daoliu and Golden Crocodile Douluo arrived together and settled the matter with a single pronouncement, directly downplaying Qian Renxue's responsibility.
This grandfather and granddaughter were putting on a double act! Try letting me slap you and stomp on your foot!
For one brief moment, Lin Qian really wanted to grab Qian Renxue and give her the full secret-chamber treatment, to show her what a real surprise was!
Soul Masters were already stronger than ordinary people, and Qian Renxue was a level fifty-two Soul King...
Lin Qian looked as though he had been struck by a meteor hammer, his face and foot swollen enormously.
"Um... sorry. I didn't mean it... are you all right...?"
Qian Renxue finally found her conscience and offered a guilty apology.
"All right, we're all family. Come inside and sit!"
Qian Daoliu knew how to seize on the key point, brushing the matter aside lightly.
Forget it. I'll assert my authority as her husband later!
Using Soul Power to reduce the swelling, Lin Qian regained his handsome appearance. "Since we're family, there's no need to stand on ceremony."
Qian Renxue: "???"
Since when were you and I family?
"You..."
"Enough, Xiao Xue. Let's talk inside. Don't let outsiders laugh at us!"
Qian Daoliu's eyes were sharp and his tongue was quick; he cut off the rest of her words outright.
"..."
She kept feeling that these two had known each other before, and she was the clown being kept in the dark.
Inside the Worship Hall.
"Are you very fond of raising bugs?"
They had barely come in and settled into their seats before Qian Daoliu went on the offensive.
Knowing that he had discovered the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's existence through the Angel God's power, Lin Qian did not make things up as he had with Bibi Dong.
He retorted, "You're very fond of peeping, too."
"Hahahaha!" Qian Daoliu froze for a second, then burst out laughing. "It was all thanks to the Angel God. This old man was merely a fox borrowing a tiger's might."
At least he had some damn self-awareness.
"What are you two talking in riddles about?"
Watching them play off each other, Qian Renxue felt more and more like a clown.
Qian Daoliu made a solemn introduction. "Ahem, Xiao Xue, allow me to introduce your fiancé. You two should get to know each other better from now on~"
He had already intended to match them up, and once Lin Qian defeated Qian Renxue, the prospective fiancé immediately became an actual fiancé.
After all, with someone who had the potential to become a god, if he did not act early, there would be no chance once he grew old!
Yes, that was right. Qian Daoliu now felt a sense of crisis too, terrified that someone would steal his granddaughter's fiancé.
"Grandpa! Keep this up and I won't talk to you anymore!"
Qian Renxue's face flushed crimson, her eyes darting about, not knowing where to look.
"Exactly! Your granddaughter is so violent. I'm a handsome young flower of a man! If I marry her, I won't be able to preserve these good looks!"
"???"
I haven't even said anything, and you're already turning your nose up at me!
"Fine, I'll agree to this marriage!"
At Lin Qian's words, Qian Renxue, who had initially felt somewhat uncomfortable about it, instantly changed her tune.
Lin Qian: "???"
Seriously, weren't this grandfather and granddaughter going too far? Had they asked his opinion at any point whatsoever?!
With matters having reached this point, he would not put up with it anymore. At worst, he could ask Bibi Dong to rescue him. "Stop! I refuse this marriage!"
"Why?"
This time, Qian Renxue was the one who spoke.
She truly could not understand it. Everyone loved her, and flowers bloomed at the sight of her. If she married him, the groom ought to be secretly rejoicing!
"A melon twisted off its vine by force isn't sweet. Besides, I don't want to get beaten..."
Crack, crack.
Qian Renxue flexed her wrists and smiled with nuclear kindness. "Call me violent again, and I'll really show you a thing or two!"
Under someone else's eaves, one had no choice but to bow one's head. Lin Qian endured it, while adding another entry to his mental ledger. "Fine."
"Am I not pretty?"
Qian Renxue suddenly walked over and asked him seriously.
Lin Qian said, "You are."
Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Lin Qian spread his hands. "I'm just telling the truth. Just like how you're so vio-"
Qian Renxue's face darkened. "Don't you dare mention that word again!"
Lin Qian shrugged again. "Whatever you say."
As the two bickered, Qian Daoliu watched from the side with a smile.
Feelings were cultivated slowly. If there could be no love at first sight, then let a thin stream flow on and on. Take his pursuit of Bo Saixi, the High Priestess of the Sea God Hall: decades had passed, and he still had not given up.
Hmm...
If Lin Qian knew about this, he would certainly say that here was another simp.
The only fortunate part was that his other rival, Tang Chen, was also a fool. He had passed up a perfectly good wife to search for some deity's inheritance, only to get trapped in Slaughter City, unable to escape.
Compared with him, Qian Daoliu managed to salvage a little dignity.
"So just settle down and be my fiancé!"
Qian Renxue came closer and patted Lin Qian's head.
Lin Qian asked, "Is there no room for negotiation?"
Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue said, "None."
In that case, it was time to unroll the map and reveal the dagger!
Lin Qian began demanding the moon. "They say a wife three years older brings a gold brick to hold. You're a full six years older than me. I won't ask you to give me anything else. Just hand over Spirit Hall!"
Spirit Hall was the Qian Family's private property; outsiders could forget about laying a finger on it. As a mere live-in son-in-law, he was obviously dreaming of peaches beyond his reach!
Lin Qian had barely enjoyed his secret delight before he heard Qian Renxue say, "All right."
"???"
Why wasn't this going the way he'd imagined?
Lin Qian looked at Qian Daoliu. "Your granddaughter's lost her mind. Aren't you, her grandfather, going to do anything about it?"
Qian Daoliu chuckled. "If you manage it well, giving you Spirit Hall isn't out of the question. So long as... the next Supreme Pontiff is a child of you two."
Now it was Lin Qian and Qian Renxue's turn to fall silent.
Their mouths had already been running ahead of their reason, and now they had been put straight over the fire to roast, as though they would be losing out if they did not have a child!
They dared not continue, or they might end up getting married right there. After all, the church was already available.
PS: Since Douluo's style falls under Western fantasy, every palace looks much like a Western church, and one of a church's functions is to hold weddings.
That was a digression. Back to the point.
In any case, Lin Qian was not getting married, at least not now. There were still vast grasslands outside; he did not want to hang himself from a single tree.
"Great Enshrined, I advise you to give up this dangerous idea. After all, the previous Supreme Pontiff..."
"Enough!"
Qian Daoliu started and hurriedly interrupted him.
He had never dared speak of that dark chapter of history, only waiting for time to wash everything away and bury that unbearable past forever.
How did this little brat know about it?
In that case...
You're going to be her fiancé, whether you like it or not!