Chapter 116: Qing Lian
The atmosphere in front of the Union Ruins registration area had grown so tense that just a little more provocation could make it explode at once.
The two soldiers behind Marcus Vane both placed their hands on their weapons. The people of Silver Moon City also quickly stepped forward, their gazes turning cold. Laira stood right behind Ethan, her tall body almost completely blocking him from the front. On the other side, several Soul Threads, so thin they were almost transparent, had appeared between Ruo Yan’s fingers.
Xue Ji still stood where she was. Only a small portion of her peak Elite aura had leaked out, but the dust beneath her feet was already slowly shifting to both sides. The constant smile on her face had also vanished, and her silver eyes calmly looked straight at Marcus.
"And if I do not move?"
Marcus did not answer immediately. The pressure from his body began rising, colliding with Xue Ji’s aura and making the surrounding air turn heavy. The Awakened standing nearby immediately retreated. Quite a few delegations that had been preparing to enter the registration area also stopped, watching the two sides with both caution and interest.
One side was Safe Zone Number 7.
The other side was Silver Moon City.
A conflict between two major Factions right before the Trial Gate opened was naturally something no one wanted to miss.
Just as Marcus lifted his foot and prepared to step forward, an indifferent female voice rang out from the direction of the temple.
"If you continue causing trouble, I will have no choice but to ask both sides to leave."
The voice was not loud. It even sounded very ordinary. But the instant it rang out, Ethan felt the surrounding temperature seem to drop by several degrees.
Another aura inserted itself between the pressure of Xue Ji and Marcus. It did not erupt violently, but it was heavy enough to make people understand that if both sides continued resisting, what awaited them would no longer be a warning.
Marcus frowned and stopped. Xue Ji also slowly withdrew the aura on her body.
Ethan turned his head toward the temple.
A woman was walking down the white stone steps.
She was over one meter ninety tall. Even among Awakened whose physiques far surpassed ordinary people, that height still made her stand out easily. Her long black hair was partially pinned up high, fixed in place with pale-gold metal hairpins and several pieces of jade-green jewelry. The rest of her hair fell down her back, gently swaying with each step.
Her outfit was mainly white, paired with red and jade green. Her wide sleeves hung down on both sides, a green belt wrapped around her waist, and the small ornaments at her neck and waist occasionally tapped softly against one another. In her right hand was a rolled-up scroll. Her beautiful face carried almost no emotion, and her calm gaze swept over the people below.
She walked very slowly, but the crowd ahead of her had already moved aside on their own. Without any order or reminder, those standing in her way on the steps subconsciously retreated to both sides as she approached.
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly, then tilted his head toward Xue Ji. "Who is she?"
Xue Ji was still looking at the woman walking down. She lowered her voice just enough for the three people beside her to hear. "Qing Lian, Vice Chairwoman of the Union Council of the seven Safe Zones from Number One to Number Seven. This year, she is also the person in charge of the Trial Gate."
Ethan was a little surprised. "Only vice chairwoman?"
Xue Ji glanced at him. "You can go ask her yourself why she is not chairwoman."
"I am not tired of living yet."
"That is good."
By the time the two finished their conversation, Qing Lian had also arrived between the two sides. She looked at Marcus first, her voice carrying no fluctuation at all.
"Grand General Vane, this area is managed by the Union Council. As for Safe Zone Number 7’s grievances, please resolve them after the trial ends."
Marcus was silent for a few seconds. The hand he had placed near his weapon finally lowered.
"I understand."
Qing Lian shifted her gaze to the opposite side. "City Lord Xue Ji."
The smile had returned to Xue Ji’s face. She tilted her head slightly, her attitude polite but still carrying the confidence of a City Lord.
"Lady Qing Lian."
"You as well."
"Of course."
The two looked at each other for a brief moment. Ethan did not know whether they had met before, but Xue Ji’s attitude was enough to show that she had no intention of confronting Qing Lian in this place.
Qing Lian gave a faint nod and continued walking toward the delegation area. Marcus did not stay either. Before turning away, he looked at Ethan once more, the coldness in his eyes completely unconcealed.
The three young Awakened standing behind Safe Zone Number 7’s delegation immediately followed him. When they passed Ethan, all three looked over. Their gazes only stopped for a moment, but there was not the slightest goodwill in them.
Ethan calmly watched their backs.
’He will not let this go.’
Marcus had once been able to cut off the rescue simply because he believed Ethan no longer had enough value to save. A person like that had just been openly rejected by him in front of many Factions, then was stopped by Xue Ji right in front of everyone. He would absolutely not treat what had just happened as if nothing had occurred.
Even so, Ethan did not care too much.
If Marcus personally made a move, Ethan was indeed still not his opponent right now. But the Trial Gate had its own limits. Those allowed to enter had all yet to reach Gold Rank.
Within the same level range, Ethan did not think he needed to fear anyone.
...
Qing Lian walked past each delegation, checked the list, confirmed the number of representatives, and repeated several important rules. She did not speak much, and none of those being inspected dared to deliberately delay her time.
About ten minutes later, Qing Lian finally arrived at Silver Moon City’s area.
Xue Ji handed over the representative card. Qing Lian accepted it while opening the scroll in her hand. A faint light appeared on the paper. Her eyes swept across the information, and then she frowned slightly.
"Silver Moon City only has one slot."
"Correct."
"Then why are there three people here?"
Qing Lian’s gaze shifted to Ethan, pausing on his face for a moment. After that, she looked at Laira and Ruo Yan in turn, as if trying to confirm the relationship between the three of them.
Before Xue Ji could explain, Ethan felt a surge of heat press close from behind. A long arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled his entire body backward.
Ethan stiffened.
The back of his head touched somewhere soft, while Laira’s other arm had already circled around his chest, completely holding him in her embrace. With her height of nearly two meters twenty, the posture made her look exactly like a dragon using its body to protect its most precious treasure.
Ethan tried to tilt his head to look at her. "Laira, what are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"Then let me go."
"No."
Ethan fell silent.
The corner of Xue Ji’s mouth immediately curved up. Ruo Yan, standing beside them, frowned slightly, and the hand hanging by her side also clenched a little.
Qing Lian did not ask further. She only looked at Laira.
The gazes of the two women met.
Laira was like a fierce beast that had withdrawn its claws but could pounce at any moment. Qing Lian was like a lake cold all the way to the bottom, revealing neither killing intent nor hostility, and giving the person opposite her no way to see what she was thinking.
Qing Lian glanced down at Ethan, who was being held between Laira’s arms, then looked back up at the Red Dragon’s face.
Laira immediately hugged him a little tighter.
Ethan’s head was pressed deeper into the softness behind him. His field of vision was also almost completely blocked by her arm.
"Laira."
"I hear you."
"I can barely see anything."
"No need to see."
Ruo Yan, standing beside them, moved her fingers slightly. A Soul Thread as thin as hair appeared, then quickly vanished.
Xue Ji finally had to cough lightly to suppress her smile. She turned to Qing Lian and took the initiative to explain. "Laira and Ruo Yan are both Ethan’s Partners. The official representative is only him."
Qing Lian looked at her. "Both?"
"Mm."
Her gaze returned to Ethan again. This time, she observed him for a little longer.
Ethan also looked back. He did not know whether it was an illusion, but Qing Lian’s gaze seemed to change the moment their eyes met. It was as if she was weighing or confirming something.
Only a few seconds later, Qing Lian closed the scroll.
"Partners are permitted to accompany the representative. It does not violate the rules."
Xue Ji nodded. "Then that is fine."
Qing Lian said nothing more. She turned and continued walking toward the next delegation. Her white-red sleeves and the long hair behind her gently swayed with every step.
Only after she had walked away did Ethan raise his hand and remove the arm wrapped around his chest.
"Can you let go now?"
Laira reluctantly released him.
Ethan stepped forward, turned around, and looked at her. The hair at the back of his head had been pressed messy, but Laira did not feel there was anything wrong with what she had just done.
"What happened to you just now?"
Laira frowned and looked at Qing Lian’s retreating back. "I do not know."
Ethan raised a brow slightly. "You do not know, yet you hugged me like that?"
"I felt uncomfortable." Laira lowered her head, placed both hands on his shoulders, and said seriously, "She looked at you for too long."
"It was only a few seconds."
"That is still long."
"What do you think she would do?"
Laira fell silent and thought. After a while, she answered very frankly, "Steal you."
Ethan sighed. "She just met me for the first time."
"Does that matter?"
"Of course it does."
Laira looked at him as if she had just heard a very meaningless reason. "The first time I met you, I kissed you too."
Ethan opened his mouth, but for a moment, he could not find a rebuttal.
Xue Ji, standing beside them, finally laughed. "That reasoning is very convincing."
Ethan glanced at her. "Do not add fuel to the fire."
Xue Ji shrugged, the smile on her face becoming even more obvious.
Ruo Yan had not spoken from beginning to end. She only looked after Qing Lian as she gradually walked away, then turned to Laira. Her black eyes narrowed slightly, and her hand subconsciously touched the Soul Thread connecting her to Ethan.
No one knew what she was thinking.