A Guest

Lin Xiao glanced at the villagers of Xiushui Village who were still trapped in the dream world on the Heart-Questioning Road, thought for a moment, then turned to Liu Yunan and asked:

"Tuzi, what do you think we should do?"

Because Lin Xiao had been in seclusion for some time and wasn't very familiar with the situation in the village, he thought it would be better to ask the Tuzi for his opinion.

When asked, Liu Yunan pondered for a moment, then said to Lin Xiao:

"Recently, there have been many tourists visiting our village, including many outsiders who intend to settle here. They have hired villagers from nearby villages to come and help build houses. It's only a little past dawn now, so I think it's okay to let them in."

He briefly told Lin Xiao about the recent situation in the village, but in front of this Nascent Soul ancestor of the royal family, he did not mention the Lingxian Dining Seat to Lin Xiao.

Such matters are internal to their sect and they don't discuss them in front of outsiders.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao nodded slightly and turned to Li Zhanying, saying:

"Please remove the blockade, senior, and let the passersby pass by."

Seeing that they had made their decision, Li Zhanying nodded and with a wave of his hand removed the barriers he had set up outside the village.

Then he said to Lin Xiao:

"Li Zhanying, a native of the capital. I have no particular purpose in coming here. I have been in seclusion for too long and wish to take a break. Now that I have arrived here, I am delighted to see that Xiushui Village truly lives up to its name. With its beautiful mountains and clear waters, and its outstanding people, I would like to stay in your esteemed place for a while. I wonder if Sect Master Lin would be so kind as to grant my request?"

Although Xiushui Village is within the territory of the Pusi Kingdom, Li Zhanying, as the royal ancestor, does not need Lin Xiao's permission to stay here.

But he asked it anyway.

Li Zhanying reasoned that, regardless of the circumstances, the sect was present and seemed to be doing a very good job of governing and maintaining Xiushui Village. As a Nascent Soul Cultivator, it would be reasonable for him to greet the host and ask for their permission.

This is a sect capable of defeating Nascent Soul Cultivator.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator they defeated had recently breached the gates of the Shangyang Sect, a sect that had been established in the Pusi Kingdom for many years.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao knew that if the royal patriarch insisted on staying, he wouldn't have a firm ground to refuse. He understood that the other party was being polite and expressing their intention to befriend him.

So Lin Xiao politely replied:

"It is an honor for Xiushui Village to have Senior Li as a guest. How could I refuse? Once the village chief is sober, I will inform him of this matter and ask him to arrange suitable accommodations for you."

Although this person had not previously helped their sect, Lin Xiao could understand. After all, as the ancestor of a royal family, he also had his own stance and principles that he had to uphold.

For the sake of national stability, they dare not make enemies indiscriminately, which is understandable.

No one knows what their sect's relationship with the royal family will be like in the future, but now that they are willing to express general goodwill, Lin Xiao naturally will not turn them away.

Everyone has their own internal scale.

Li Zhanying discovered that the new sect was facing a crisis, and the source of this crisis was a Nascent Soul Cultivator in his eyes who was very powerful. Once he took action, regardless of whether he resolved the situation or not, it would have far-reaching consequences and create an imbalance in the relationship between the various sects and the royal family in the future.

Therefore, he chose national stability over the safety of the new sect.

From his perspective, all he could do was protect Xiushui Village and stop people from entering it.

Now that the new sect has resolved the crisis through its own efforts, his gesture of goodwill towards the new sect is merely a reflection of his stance.

Members of the royal family, especially those in the top echelons, have long since disregarded their own preferences. Their status demands that every step they take must be considered entirely from the perspective of the nation.

Lin Xiao also had his own judgment on this matter.

If this royal ancestor were to directly help them today, he might invite them to visit their sect after they pass the Heart-Questioning Road.

Instead of asking the village chief to arrange accommodation for him, as mentioned earlier.

Although the other party was Nascent Soul Cultivator, they did not need them to arrange accommodations.

But Lin Xiao's words made his stance clear.

Tell him that he is a guest to Xiushui Village, but not to their Lingxian Sect.

Having lived for over seven hundred years, Li Zhanying could naturally discern the attitude in Lin Xiao's words.

But he was always clear about his own position and Lin Xiao's position, so he had no grudges about it.

So he nodded and smiled:

"Very well, thank you very much, Sect Master Lin, for making the arrangements for me. I will have to shamelessly trouble you for a while."

Seeing that Brother Xiao seemed to have nothing more to say, and that the situation was about to become awkward, Jiang Youfu thought for a moment and then asked:

"Brother Xiao, we're just sitting around doing nothing anyway. Now that you're back, shall I go and prepare a few dishes to calm everyone down?"

Upon hearing his words, everyone in the Lingxian Sect had their eyes light up.

Fuzi has to cook for them first thing in the morning!

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao smiled and nodded, saying:

"That's wonderful! It's perfect that Senior Li is here too. You should do your best and let Senior Li taste your cooking!"

However, while saying this aloud, he simultaneously transmitted his voice to Jiang Youfu:

"Fuzi, don't get too carried away. Tone it down, or you'll be in trouble if the royal family takes a liking to your cooking skills and sets their sights on you."

Not only him, but Liu Yunan and Liao Pantu also sent him messages, the content of which was very similar to Lin Xiao's.

Jiang Youfu felt a little dazed as he received telepathic messages from all three of them simultaneously in his mind.

He stared blankly at the three of them, nodded, said "Oh," and then turned and ran up the mountain to his private stove to cook.

Seeing that it wouldn't do for a large group of people to stand there at the foot of the mountain, Sun Yigao led them to a nearby private school for a short rest.

Lin Xiao sent everyone else back to the sect to attend to their daily morning cultivation, leaving only himself, Senior Liao, and Sun Yigao, who had to attend class later, to keep Li Zhanying company while waiting for the villagers who had been practicing the Heart-Questioning Road to regain their senses.

Fortunately, the villagers didn't keep them waiting too long.

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Xiao and the others, who had been keeping an eye on the situation on Heart-Questioning Road, noticed two people slowly walking out.

These two people were none other than the village chief Du Liushui and the Madam Hu head Hu Deli.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao was overjoyed, finally able to extricate himself from this awkward situation of entertaining guests!

After saying something to everyone, he immediately stood up, went out of the house, and walked towards the two men.

The two elderly people had just woken up from that vivid dream, and were still somewhat dazed until Lin Xiao walked up to them, at which point they noticed him.