Chapter 3423 — Why Is Your Face So Pale?

Still, given Song Lingrui's level of strength, if she were to face Wei Zhao, Qiu Lingshan genuinely feared he might not be her match. Seeing her give up, Qiu Lingshan finally let out a breath of relief. But before she could relax for even a few minutes, Song Lingrui finished recounting her own affairs and suddenly asked, "Sis, didn't you always say that if you found a good man, you'd let me have him first? How come you're not bringing it up this time?"

"Huh?" Qiu Lingshan was struck dumb on the spot. That was something said in childhood play—how could it count for anything? All these years later, Song Lingrui could still remember it; her memory was truly astonishing. Feeling somewhat awkward, she said, "Xiao Rui, why do you still remember that? It was all a joke—you actually took it seriously?"

"Yes, yes, of course I took it seriously!" Song Lingrui said. "I haven't had a boyfriend all these years precisely because I've been waiting for you to introduce me to one!"

"Well... his strength isn't as high as yours; he's not suited to you..." Qiu Lingshan could only say this. Otherwise, surely she couldn't say, "Fine, I'll hand Wei Zhao over to you"? Given her sister's temperament, she might very well dare to take him up on it!

"That's not necessarily so. You made him sound incomparably formidable before—said he had no rival in the Central Plains cultivation world. I think he could definitely protect me!" Song Lingrui said.

"Well... beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I was just boasting; in reality he's not that formidable..." At this point Qiu Lingshan could only belittle Wei Zhao.

"Hehe... Sis, are you afraid I'll steal my brother-in-law away, so you've started running him down? Trying to pull the wool over my eyes?" Song Lingrui could hardly fail to see Qiu Lingshan's intent, and called her out directly.

"Well..." Qiu Lingshan had a real headache when it came to her little sister. "That's not it either. How about this—if you like him, then I'll share him with you. It's not as if your brother-in-law only has me for a girlfriend anyway!"

Simply put, Qiu Lingshan stopped arguing. She understood Song Lingrui's character: the more you forbade her to do something, the more determined she became to do it—just like when they were children, when Song Lingrui could never cultivate true qi. The family had intended to raise her as an ordinary young lady and then marry her off to another clan.

But Song Lingrui wanted none of it. She went abroad alone and joined a mercenary organization, hoping to break through by way of external cultivation—and unexpectedly, over all these years, she had truly made a great name for herself!

"Huh?" Song Lingrui was taken aback. "What? He has other girlfriends?"

"Yes. I'm merely the third," Qiu Lingshan said. "If you're willing to be the fourth, fifth, seventh, or eighth, you're welcome to. I don't mind either way!"

"Sis, you're a Song Lingrui's sister, no less—the sister of a grand-master at the peak of the late Heaven Rank! How could you pick a man like that? Our Song family may have been weak in the past, but now you have me and Second Grandfather. Second Grandfather is also a grand-master at the peak of the late Heaven Rank—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say our Song family could be promoted straight to an ancient clan!" Song Lingrui grew anxious upon hearing this.

"Xiao Rui, you can't put it that way. First, I love him, and he meets my standards for a partner—he's stronger than I am. Second, when our Song family was in trouble, it was he who helped." Qiu Lingshan said, "So let's not bring this up again. I have my choice, and I hope you can respect your sister's choice."

"That... but we clearly agreed that he had to be stronger than both of us sisters! How can you just stop caring about me?" Song Lingrui said.

"..." How could Qiu Lingshan ever have imagined Song Lingrui would possess her current strength? She had always overlooked her and never considered it. But now that she had fallen in love with Wei Zhao, how could she just give him up? It was utterly impossible! So she could only argue her case: "Xiao Rui, he's capable of overawing the ancient strata of Huaxia—that shows he has real ability. He may not be your match now, but in the future he will certainly surpass you."

"Is that so..." Song Lingrui's eyes darted about, and she suddenly asked, "By the way, I heard that the strongest cultivator in these parts is a man named Wei Zhao. He's the strongest, isn't he?"

"Ah... you've heard of Wei Zhao too?" Qiu Lingshan was slightly startled. She was about to happily say that Wei Zhao was her brother-in-law, but Song Lingrui's next words drained the color from her face.

"Of course I've heard of him. Not only heard of him—he's the mortal enemy of our Overseas Cultivators Association. The reason I was able to come home is that I agreed to do one last thing for the Overseas Cultivators Association: kill Wei Zhao!"

"What! Kill Wei Zhao?!" Qiu Lingshan was instantly stunned. She had never expected her sister to be at odds with Wei Zhao! What was she to do now? She clamped her mouth shut, not daring to continue what she had been about to say.

"What's wrong? Sis, why is your face so pale? Do you know this Wei Zhao?" Song Lingrui was slightly puzzled. She still didn't know her brother-in-law was named Wei Zhao—and even if Qiu Lingshan or the Song family had mentioned it in passing, it would have left no impression on her. She was simply puzzled by Qiu Lingshan's reaction.

"N... nothing..." Qiu Lingshan shook her head with a bitter smile, then said, "This man is very formidable. Little sister, if you have no direct grudge against him, don't provoke him. I'm afraid..."

"Huh? No way? Is this man really that formidable?" Song Lingrui was slightly taken aback. "Isn't it said that this man currently only has the strength of the mid Heaven Rank?"

"Yes, this man is very formidable, so I advise you not to act rashly..." Qiu Lingshan nodded solemnly. "Moreover, he's a member of the Mysterious Investigation Bureau—practically a colleague of mine. If you kill him, the consequences will be endless!"

"Ugh, he's with the Mysterious Investigation Bureau?" Song Lingrui had never imagined Wei Zhao held that identity too! She herself had nothing to fear, but the Song family was still on Huaxia's Central Plains territory. If they offended the Mysterious Investigation Bureau, the Song family would find every step forward difficult thereafter! That was not what Song Lingrui wanted to see. True, they could relocate overseas, but Grandfather and Second Grandfather were old, and the older people get, the more nostalgic they become—they could never leave. So she would have to proceed with caution.

"Exactly. So, Xiao Rui, I advise you to give it up!" Qiu Lingshan reminded her.

"Giving up won't do. The only reason I could come back this time is because of this mission, and I've already agreed to it. Unless there's some highly exceptional circumstance, I can't go back on my word!" Song Lingrui said with some difficulty. (To be continued.)

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