Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool

Lu Yuan couldn’t possibly give it away.

"Benefactor, you worry too much. This old Daoist would not seize another’s cherished possession," the Grand Elder vowed earnestly.

At this, Lu Yuan untied the Celestial Master Sword from his waist. ’If I’d known this was going to happen, I should’ve just hurried back to the Post House,’ he thought. ’But then again, this old Daoist probably would’ve just chased me there.’

Lu Yuan handed the Celestial Master Sword over. The Grand Elder, holding his duster between the pinky and ring finger of his right hand, accepted the Celestial Master Sword with both hands.

"The resemblance... it’s uncanny," the Grand Elder muttered, his eyes fixed on the Sword Scabbard.

Lu Yuan didn’t disturb him. He just stood off to the side with his arms crossed, watching the old man’s overly dramatic display. ’Is he recognizing a long-lost ancestor or a new concubine? For a man his age... he looks all simple and honest, but who knows what he’s really like.’

’You can never tell what’s in a person’s heart. Some old men still love taking pretty women young enough to be their daughters as concubines—the kind who say, "I’ll take the money, but that doesn’t mean I accept your feelings."’

SHIIING! The Grand Elder drew the Celestial Master Sword from its Sword Scabbard and carefully examined the "concubine" in his hands.

"It truly is an exceptionally sharp Treasure Sword..." the Grand Elder praised.

After a long time, Lu Yuan had no choice but to interrupt him. He’d been fighting all morning and was starving. He still needed to get back to the Post House for lunch.

Lu Yuan held out his hand. "Grand Elder, it’s time to return the Celestial Master Sword to me."

The Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace, cradling the Celestial Master Sword, took two steps back.

Lu Yuan was immediately on alert. ’Old man, are you serious with those two steps?’ he thought. "Elder," Lu Yuan asked, "you’re not going back on your word, are you?"

"Benefactor, this sword is the Palace Guardian Sword of my Celestial Dynasty Palace! Forgive me, but I cannot return it to you!" the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace said shamelessly.

’Since this sword doesn’t belong to him, the issue of "seizing another’s cherished possession" doesn’t apply. It’s always been an artifact of my Celestial Dynasty Palace, so taking it back is only natural.’

"Yours? Why don’t you call it and see if it answers?" Lu Yuan was furious, his tone losing all its earlier courtesy.

Lu Yuan was done wasting breath. He immediately used his Floating Skill, trying to wrest the sword from the man’s grasp.

The Celestial Master Sword merely jerked up and down, but it didn’t break free from the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace’s grip.

The Grand Elder had already witnessed Lu Yuan’s Object Control Skill earlier today, so he was naturally prepared for it.

"If that’s how it’s going to be, then don’t blame me for what comes next." Seeing the old man was dead set on not returning his Celestial Master Sword, Lu Yuan shaped his right hand into a palm and struck.

The Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace gripped the Celestial Master Sword tightly in his left hand, using the duster in his right to block Lu Yuan’s assault.

A ball of ethereal blue flame shot from Lu Yuan’s right palm. Fortunately, the man dodged just in time; it merely grazed his Daoist robe before striking the tree trunk behind him.

The Flame split the tree trunk wide open, and it immediately erupted into a fierce blaze.

Lu Yuan manipulated the scattered flames on the ground, gathering them into his hand and forming a Fire Sword before lunging at his opponent.

Empowered by a Daoist Skill, the Grand Elder’s duster glowed with silver light. Its soft bristles were no longer pliant; they had become rigid and stiff.

Every time the duster blocked Lu Yuan’s Fire Sword, some of its bristles were singed off. At this rate, the duster would be burned bald.

"Benefactor, this sword truly is a treasure of my Celestial Dynasty Palace! If you don’t believe me, just come with me to the Palace and you’ll see for yourself!" The Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace knew he was in the wrong for taking the man’s sword, so he remained purely on the defensive, not once counter-attacking Lu Yuan.

But Lu Yuan couldn’t care less. ’It’s bad enough being at the Emperor’s beck and call every day,’ he thought. ’Now this old Daoist wants to order me around too? Since when am I so damn obedient?’

Seeing that Lu Yuan had no intention of letting up, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace began searching for another solution. His eyes fell upon a water well at the edge of a nearby field, used by farmers for irrigation.

Hounded by Lu Yuan, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace simultaneously defended and retreated toward the well. Once he was close, he swirled his duster several times, pulling the water up from the well and forming a column of water that he sent shooting toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan dodged a few times, but the incoming column of water was surprisingly nimble. Seeing that he couldn’t evade it, Lu Yuan decided to face it head-on.

Lu Yuan knew his ethereal blue Flame wasn’t afraid of ordinary water, so he transformed the Fire Sword in his hand into a Fire Shield and held it before him.

To make the Fire Shield denser—or rather, to make the flames burn more fiercely—Lu Yuan unleashed even more Flame, feeding it into the shield before him.

This action consumed a great deal of Lu Yuan’s Inner Strength, and the two entered a stalemate.

The column of water controlled by the Grand Elder slammed into Lu Yuan’s Fire Shield, instantly filling the air with thick steam.

Lu Yuan noticed the Fire Shield in front of him was gradually shrinking, and it was then that he remembered the reason why.

It turned out the steam filling the air was "rootless water," which had a suppressive effect on his ethereal blue Flame. If enough water evaporated, his Fire Shield would sooner or later be extinguished.

See?

’This is why it’s so important to be good at math and science. Even in the middle of a fight, I can use my high school education to explain the phenomena in front of me.’

The stalemate was taxing on them both, their Inner Strength rapidly draining away.

The Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace said, "Benefactor, give it up. You’ve already exhausted too much of your energy today. You can’t win against me."

The Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace wasn’t wrong. Lu Yuan still hadn’t recovered the Inner Strength he’d expended in the tournament. Even so, he couldn’t let this old Daoist take his Celestial Master Sword.

Lu Yuan didn’t want to pull out the Daoist Elder Order to pressure him either. ’Using it once or twice is one thing,’ he thought, ’but flashing the Daoist Elder Order to intimidate every Taoist I meet? That’s just classless!’

’Besides, if this Celestial Master Sword really is the Palace Guardian Sword of the Celestial Dynasty Palace, the Grand Elder might not even yield to the authority of the Daoist Elder Order.’

’As Royal Daoist Temples with thousand-year legacies, both the Celestial Dynasty Palace and the Le Shen Temple probably have an Elder Order or two of their own.’

Just as the two were locked in their stalemate, several two-inch-long Silver Needles shot toward them from a distance.

’Not good!’ Lu Yuan cursed inwardly.

By the time Lu Yuan, who was focused on the Grand Elder, could react, it was too late. The Silver Needles all buried themselves in his back.

Lu Yuan felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his back, and his strength instantly left him. The Fire Shield, no longer sustained by his Inner Strength, dissipated in a shower of sparks that fell to the ground.

The column of water controlled by the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace smashed through the space where the Fire Shield had been and struck Lu Yuan square in the chest, sending him flying several yards.

Lu Yuan spat a mouthful of blood as he flew backward through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Lu Yuan’s mind was still clear as he lay on the ground, but his body was numb. He couldn’t feel his legs at all. ’It hurts so much... I can’t get up!’

Unable to pull back his attack in time, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace splashed through the mud as he ran to where Lu Yuan had fallen. He ignored the muddy water soaking his cloth shoes and the hem of his Daoist robes as he cried out, "Benefactor!"

’Benefactor my ass. More like a jinx,’ Lu Yuan cursed inwardly, lying spread-eagled on the ground. ’If you hadn’t blocked my way and stolen my Celestial Master Sword, you old Daoist bastard, would I be this badly injured?’

The Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace reached Lu Yuan’s side. Seeing him lying motionless with his eyes shut tight, he was just about to help him up.

More Silver Needles came flying!

Wielding his duster, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace blocked all the Silver Needles, knocking them to the ground. He roared in fury, "Who is skulking around? Who dares use such underhanded tactics!"

The Grand Elder was seething. ’If Lu Yuan dies, I won’t be able to escape the consequences,’ he thought. ’At the very least, I’ll be skinned alive.’

’A Fourth Grade official of the Court, the man who just took first place in the tournament, dying at my feet... It would be impossible to claim I had nothing to do with it.’

The Grand Elder threw aside his duster and drew the Celestial Master Sword. He chanted a Spell, and the blade began to glow with a silver light.

The Grand Elder thought, ’If you truly are the Palace Guardian Sword of my Celestial Dynasty Palace, if you possess Spirit Communication Power, then please, lend me your strength to suppress this evil.’

With a great roar, the Grand Elder leaped into the air, spun once, and unleashed a full-powered strike in a circle around him. The powerful Sword Qi sliced through all the surrounding trees, instantly clearing the area and widening his field of view.

And there they were: dozens of masked figures had appeared, completely surrounding Lu Yuan and the Grand Elder of the Celestial Dynasty Palace.

One of them spoke. "The man named Lu is as good as dead. Are you looking to die too, old man?"