Chapter 256: Testing Heavenly Moon
Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock
He had just met a mysterious expert at the entrance of the Smoky Thea Tower. Furthermore, there was the appearance of the Blood Slaughter Pavilion and a mysterious power like Qian ShuiRou had actually appeared in the city without any trace. For all of them to appear in Sky Bearing at the same time, Ling Tian wouldn't believe that there wasn't a scheme behind it! At such a time when the storms were brewing, all the various powers were already within Ling Tian's calculations and plans. However, the true problem was the fact that Ling Tian never noticed the entry of this mysterious power! Of the many experts who entered Sky Bearing, only Ye BaiFei walked into the city openly while the rest of them had entered without a single trace! Could there be other organizations concealing themselves within Sky Bearing? How could there be no news at all!
There weren't many organizations that could escape completely from Ling Tian's information net in Sky Bearing. Apart from the Yang Family, the only other party would be the imperial family! The Yang Family had suffered from a huge setback recently with their ability to hide information being crippled as well. As such, Qian ShuiRou was probably under the protection of the imperial family! This sudden news had set off alarm bells in Ling Tian head! Ling Tian could feel that great danger was approaching!
I am called Ling Tian, and I will rule the world! Why would I be bothered by the changing winds and storms? Let the winds and storms be even more ferocious!
Following a wave of fragrance, Ling Chen walked into the room elegantly and sat down beside Ling Tian, nodding her head towards him.
Ling Tian let out a heave of relief and looked towards Gu XiYan with a frown. He then said slowly, "Tower Master Gu, I am extremely dissatisfied with regards to this matter!" Ling Tian's words were chilly as his finger tapped the table lightly. The 'ta-ta' sound which was produced seemed to be knocking right in the depths of Gu XiYan's heart, "I should have received news about this from the start but you didn't mention it at all! Furthermore, you should be the most familiar with the men from all the Great Families, but you also didn't mention anything about that! What does this mean?"
Ling Tian's sharp gaze pierced right into Gu XiYan's soul as he continued, "You have not treated me like your real master yet! You still want to rely on your own Smoky Thea Tower!"
"This can't be done. I will definitely fulfill any promises that I make, but I am also extremely concerned about discipline. You should be clear about how I will treat someone who takes me lightly. If you are not dedicated to me, how can I be at ease? In other words, what would you do if you were me?!" Ling Tian looked at Gu XiYan with a knife-like gaze and said coldly.
Gu XiYan was shocked as she broke out into a cold sweat immediately! Dropping to the floor on her knees, her whole body began to tremble. In truth, she was not concerned about her own life but Ling Tian had already become the only hope for her ShangGuan Family to regain their former glory. If they were to lose Ling Tian's support, the ShangGuan Family would never have the chance to shine again! In fact, the day of their destruction might be right before their very eyes. While the Ling Family was secretive about their cleansing mission a few days ago, the sheer number of people who died made it something impossible to be kept a complete secret.
"Young noble, I… this slut deserves to die!" Gu XiYan's face was pale as she stuttered!
Ling Tian glared at her coldly for a long while before saying, "Get up. I don't want something like this to happen again!"
"Thank you young noble for your magnanimity! This will not happen again." Gu XiYan stood up with sweat still rolling down her face. From Ling Tian's previous tone, she could already hear Ling Tian's determination to get rid of the Smoky Thea Tower. The majestic aura previously emanated by Ling Tian left a lingering fear in her heart!
Just like what Ling Tian had said, if she were to place herself in Ling Tian's shoes, she certainly wouldn't let herself off easy!
Ling Tian sipped on his tea and said calmly, "The ShangGuan Family suffered for so many years and bitterly survived through many difficult times. I believe that the Smoky Thea Tower is not your only property right? I want to hear the truth! Of course, you have the right to remain silent!" The only reason why Ling Tian acted so domineeringly before this was to ask this question. He knew that Gu XiYan would definitely have some lifesaving trump cards in her hands! After Gu XiYan ran the Smoky Thea Tower for so many years, she had close ties with many of the government officials. If Gu XiYan were to say that she never planted any spies into those families, Ling Tian would have serious doubts about her abilities. At this moment, Gu XiYan's hidden trump card was a critical factor which Ling Tian needed!
Gu XiYan began to sweat again, "This subordinate deserves to die as I didn't have the opportunity to report it to young noble. I do indeed…"
Ling Tian waved his hands and interrupted her, "That's your business and I don't want to know. I only want to tell you to rely on all your strength to get some information that I am unable to get. Do you understand what kind of information I am referring to?"
A confident glow could be seen in Gu XiYan's eyes as she said, "This subordinate understands! I will definitely give young noble a satisfied response!"
Ling Tian waved his hands and said, "Go. I will give you the way to contact me and you have to update me at the earliest possible time. Do you understand?"
After a loud commotion sounded from the outside, it suddenly became silent as a poetic voice sounded,
"Spiritual energy of the ancient's congeal,
Tender and violent without any basis.
Unceasing ripples on the still waters,
Swinging bamboo trees clamoring without complaint.
This little one crafted this out of a moment of inspiration from the morning breeze. I hope all of you will give me your opinions."
This poem was describing the 'wind' of nature but yet was able to do so without using the word 'wind' in it at all. At the same time, the poem had an elegance ingrained within it. As Ling Tian, Ling Chen and Yu BingYan recited the poem in their heads, they felt as though while it was a decent piece, it was still lacking in meaning. It was definitely no more than a dream for him to win the spot of number one talent.
Indeed, an old scholar said with a frown, "While this little brother here is able to describe the wind beautifully, it seems as though there is a second half to this poem. I wonder if you can let us enjoy the whole poem?"
That young man's face turned red as he bowed, "This student had a flash of inspiration and only received these four phrases. After thinking about it for a long while, I was unable to come up with the second half. I am extremely guilty."
That old scholar nodded his head and responded with an 'oh' before remaining silent. Following which, a few other students began to recite their delighted works and looked towards the judges with an expectant gaze. However, they all returned back to their places with a red face without fail.
A soft cough could then be heard from the Extreme Joy Pavilion and XiMen Qing walked out with his folding fan. With a look of disdain, he casually glanced at Ling Tian. As Ling Tian saw that, he chuckled and whispered to the two ladies beside him, "This fellow is here to show off again. I really admire that thick skin of his. How does he have the face to come out here again after being so thoroughly embarrassed previously?!"
Yu BingYan let out a smile and said, "Brother Tian, when are you going up to compose a poem? This little sister is looking forward to your masterpiece!"
Ling Tian smiled slightly and pinched onto her nose lightly, "My dear talented lady, what about you? When are you going up? This brother here is also waiting for your masterpiece!"
With her nose being pinched, Yu BingYan was unable to say a thing, quickly swatting off Ling Tian's finger before pouting in frustration. Ling Chen then placed her arms around Yu BingYan's shoulders and glared at Ling Tian, "Young noble isn't allowed to bully her."
Ling Tian laughed and stroked Ling Chen on the face gently. Then, he whispered to her, "My Chen'er is the best and I will not bully Yan'er already. I will only bully you. I will definitely bully you well at night." As he said that, he let out an odd laugh.
Ling Chen's face was completely red, glaring at Ling Tian with a fierce gaze. However, the look in her eyes had betrayed her thoughts. The expectant gaze could be seen in those beautiful eyes of hers.
By the side, XiMen Qing said with a mellow voice, "In this majestic meeting, I had specially…"
Before he got to finish his sentence, someone else had begun shouting, "Let me, let me! It's my turn now." Everyone held their breaths and looked towards the voice together. After being interrupted, XiMen Qing also looked over with a depressed look. It turns out, the voice sounded from the Yu Family's Heavenly Dream Chamber.
Following which, another voice sounded, "Why should it be you? It is my turn now." Following which, a commotion could be heard.
A young teen dressed in scholarly robes then jumped out with a bright smile, "I made a poem…" Before he got to complete his sentence, he was dragged in by another teen, "I already said that it was my turn! Why are you going before me?" Following which, the sounds of quarreling became louder as more people joined in the argument. Following which, the sounds of them fighting could then be heard!
Everyone stared at each other completely unaware of what was going on. Yu ManTian's excited voice could then be heard, "Good! This kick is interesting! That's right, hahaha… punch his face… you idiot, you should be grabbing his little brother…"
With a loud 'bang', a few people rolled out of the chamber with pathetic appearances.
A young man rolled on the floor and stood up swiftly as he scolded, "Little brat, do you really think that this daddy here won't dare to beat you up!" With a loud 'peng' he kicked out.
At this moment, a young man was thrown out from the Heavenly Dream Chamber and kicked right in the butt. After being kicked right on the butt, his originally unstable body was sent flying. With a loud curse, he flew past the curtains and right into the Heavenly Moon Chamber!
Following which, the sound of 'ping-ping-pong-pong' could be heard, as though this teen had landed on the dining table. After a loud shriek and a furious roar, a loud 'pa' could be heard as the teen began to curse, "Save me!!!"
A few other young students then quickly shouted out as they charged in anxiously, "Don't hit my brother, we will compensate you guys with silver."
In the chaos, the curtain of the Heavenly Moon Chamber was pulled down by an unknown person and the situation in the chamber could be witnessed by everyone present.
Ling Tian fiddled with the wine glass in his hands and looked over with a relaxed and indifferent expression.
In the Heavenly Moon Chamber, a large table was extremely clean, but the whole floor was in a mess. Obviously, this was the work of Ling Chi who fell on the table.
Qian ShuiRou was holding onto a half-filled wine glass and standing by the window of the Heavenly Moon Chamber. She looked as though she was in thought as she looked towards the five people who burst into her chamber with a smile which didn't seem like a smile. At the same time, her pristine white clothes were actually completely clean. Obviously, Qian ShuiRou had already realized that something was wrong when Ling Chi had landed on the table and quickly retreated away. Thus, the flying wine and dishes didn't land on her at all!
Around the table, eight black dressed middle-aged men were completely enraged. Looking at the five young men who charged in, they looked as though they were about to explode. At the same time, their clothes were more or less stained with some of the sauces or wine from the dishes. But for them to dodge the flying dishes and wine to such an extent in this small confined area, it was enough to show their superior movement techniques! The eight of their eyes were glowing like lightning with a powerful aura emanating from them. It was obvious that they were all top-notch martial arts experts!
Only Qian ShuiRou's maid was stained with a body full of soup, sauces, and wine. Her eyes were filled with tears as she chased Ling Chi and beat him in exasperation. Ling Chi hugged his head with his arms and dodged all her attacks, apologizing as he ran around the room.
It was also no wonder that the little lady was so angry. Her beautiful and clean dress was completely stained all over and covered with all the different colors. How could a vain young lady like her stand that?
In truth, the chaos was because of this little lady chasing Ling Chi. The other experts only watched them chase each other emotionlessly as though it had nothing got to do with them.
Ling Tian's eyes spun quickly as he signaled to Ling Chen and Yu BingYan to not move. He then took his wine glass and walked out with a laugh, "So it is brother Qian! Ling Tian was just thinking that it was a waste for brother Qian to not be here with your poetic talents. However, it seems that the heavens answered my thoughts, and I have finally met brother Qian here. Ling Tian is extremely excited to be able to witness brother Qian's splendor again!'
A divine light shone in Qian ShuiRou's eyes as he revealed a slight smile, "So it is young noble Ling. It is an honor."
"Brother Qian is wrong," Ling Tian shook his head and said with dissatisfaction, "I call brother Qian as a brother but brother Qian is still calling me a young noble. You obviously aren't treating me as a brother." After Ling Tian had said this, everyone revealed an odd look on their faces.
Qian ShuiRou then let out a non-committal smile and replied gracefully, "Brother Ling is really interesting."
Ling Tian then walked into the Heavenly Moon Pavilion without any reservation and threw Ling Chi out by his collar. After clapping his hands, he said with a smile, "Brother Qian doesn't need to stand on ceremony. This young noble shall be a busybody and help you take care of these little troublemakers. Let us brothers have a good drink."
Qian ShuiRou looked at Ling Tian with a smile which didn't seem like a smile and responded with a nod, "Then this Qian will thank brother Ling." In the Heavenly Moon Chamber, the eight black dressed men looked towards Ling Tian emotionlessly. However, there was a look of wariness in their eyes as an almost undetectable… killing intent!
With a face full of smiles, Ling Tian silently studied these eight men and was startled by the results. Each one of them was a top-notch expert with none of them being weaker than Ling Feng! At the very most, they were only slightly weaker than the strongest Ling Chi!
Ling Tian suddenly felt as though this world was extremely crazy! Where did all these experts come from? It was as though all of these experts had surfaced from underground in a single night. From the strength of Qian ShuiRou's guards, Qian ShuiRou could be said to be one of the stronger power present in Sky Bearing! Even the guards of Yu BingYan from the Yu Family were far weaker than her lineup!
With so many top-notch experts and the fact that Qian ShuiRou's strength was even stronger than her guards, just what was their motive for coming to Sky Bearing? Furthermore, what was with the enmity and killing intent in the guards?!
While the smile on Ling Tian's face had not faded, he could already feel that something was wrong in his heart! The present situation was just far too messy, and Ling Tian could feel a gigantic cyclone being formed!
A short while later, a few beautiful waitresses arrived and quickly cleaned up the room and served up a fresh plate of fruits and desserts. Qian ShuiRou then raised her hand up and invited Ling Tian into her own Chamber.
At this moment, XiMen Qing had already recited a poem in delight. It was a farewell poem.
"Enjoying a feast with wine glasses lifted high,
Face full of tears from sending one off.
The night was like a dream and fantasy
The present night wind was chilly and desolate!"
While Ling Tian felt disdain towards XiMen Qing's character, he had to admit that XiMen Qing's farewell poetry completely captured the essence of a farewell. From the farewell banquet the night before to the loneliness after sending off his guest. It was indeed a good description.
At this moment, everyone else had already finished their poems and even Xiao YanXue had recited an enchanting and graceful poem, making Ling Tian extremely shocked. He never imagined the usually fierce Xiao YanXue to actually have the gracefulness and the dreams of a young lady. He then couldn't help but giggle to himself, I really can't judge a book by its cover.
After XiMen Qing had recited his poem, everyone was filled with praise. Especially the few scholars, nodding their heads in approval with the young talents from all over burying their heads in shame. In that moment, no one else dared to take the stage as everyone couldn't help but look towards Ling Tian. It seemed as though a habit was already formed; after XiMen Qing appears, his target would definitely be Ling Tian and Ling Tian would definitely be able to compete with him. Thus, everyone looked towards Ling Tian with expectant gazes.
Ling Tian laughed bitterly as he twiddled with his wine glass while looking towards Qian ShuiRou, "Brother Qian, Ling Tian still remembers brother Qian's 'pouring out a cup of plum blossom wine, one's heart melts with the rain to become none'. Why doesn't brother Qian show your talent today as well? You can also let us witness brother Qian's glamor."
Qian ShuiRou shook his head as he leaned back onto his seat with a carefree appearance, "Brother Ling really knows how to joke. Brother Ling is the true talent, and how would this crude little brother dare flaunt my skill in front of an expert? If I were to go out now, I would only become a laughing stock. It is best that I don't make a fool of myself. However, brother Ling is a talented individual and this little brother is looking forward to brother Ling's magnificent display." As Qian ShuiRou said that, she waved her fan with a natural elegance.
With a smile on his face, Ling Tian noticed the details of Qian ShuiRou's actions. At the same time, he couldn't help but exclaim in his heart, This lass's cross-dressing skills are just too mystical. Regardless of her actions or expressions, she is able to do it perfectly. The most amazing fact is that the mask on her face is able to display every subtle expression she makes! Even face to face, Ling Tian couldn't tell that this elegant young noble in front of him was actually a lady in disguise.
"Young noble Ling, ah ah, everyone is waiting for your magnificent piece." From outside, a voice sounded. It was the proud voice of XiMen Qing who was dying to regain his reputation.
Chapter 257: World Shocking
Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock
Ling Tian smiled, ignoring XiMen Qing completely as he said to Qian ShuiRou, "If that's the case, this little brother will continue the poem from before," as he said that, he tapped the table lightly with his finger and pondered for a moment before reciting,
"The gentle rain and light fog forms a smiling tower,
With a flower-like spirit but yet gentle like the willows.
My silence doesn't represent heartlessness,
The spring winds represent my desire and rain represents my worries!"
Qian ShuiRou showed a trace of embarrassment as she turned around. A few grunts could then be heard as the eight tall guards burned in anger, looking as though they wanted to rip Ling Tian to shreds. With a chuckle, Ling Tian ignored them completely.
"Good! What a 'The spring winds represent my desire and rain represent my worries'!" An old scholar stroked his beard and nodded his head. Ling Tian's gentle poem was greatly to his liking and it was a love poem about love at first sight.
As the six judges compared Ling Tian and XiMen Qing's poems, they all began to frown. Be it depth or substance, they were extremely similar and each had their own strengths. It was just impossible to place one above the other and a draw was declared.
Ling Tian shook his head with a smile and said with a trace of helplessness, "Ling Tian was only continuing the poem which brother Qian had created a few days ago. The inspiration for this poem is from brother Qian and it has nothing to do with young noble XiMen or this poetry competition. How can such a poem be judged or be rated as a draw? Haha, if some casual nonsense by me can be considered a draw, it is far too much of preferential treatment to me. Haha…"
As Ling Tian said that, the faces of all the judges turned purple on the spot. None of them would have imagined that such a beautiful poem was not Ling Tian's true talent to deal with the provoking XiMen Qing! If that's the case, then just how talented was this young noble Ling? Furthermore, this Ling Tian was just too arrogant, actually calling such a beautiful poem nonsense. How was this trying to be humble? This was just complete arrogance!
In the eyes of everyone present, Ling Tian's previous poem was already considered to be a fantastic piece of work almost good enough to be crowned champion. While XiMen Qing's poem was far ahead of the other poems, it was slightly inferior as compared to Ling Tian's poem! For the judges to rule it as a draw, it was already giving the XiMen Family a great deal of face! While XiMen Qing's poem was outstanding, it was limited and far from being considered the work of a grandmaster. But for Ling Tian's poem, especially the final two phrases, it was completely able to describe the tender feelings of youth in love. In love but yet unable to say a thing, wishing to confess but yet staying silent from shyness. With just these two phrases alone, it was already enough to be a work passed down for generations to come!
Furthermore, Ling Tian purposefully emphasized on the word 'draw' when he was speaking previously, making the faces of the judges turned red. Especially the three judges who were invited by XiMen Qing, naturally showing some biases towards XiMen Qing and greatly supporting both the poems to be ruled as a draw. As for Mister Qing and Meng LiGe, they were obviously on Ling Tian's side but they still stuck to their principles. If they were to fight the other judges about such an issue, it would only make things ugly! Ling Tian had already won a round, and it wouldn't do any harm to declare this round as a draw. Besides, XiMen Qing's farewell poem also had its specialties and thus the both of them did not say anything, silently agreeing to rule this round as a draw.
Furthermore, both Mister Qing and Meng LiGe wanted to see all of Ling Tian's abilities. If Ling Tian were to win an overwhelming victory at this moment, the both of them were worried that Ling Tian would just give up on the fight later and not reveal any of his talents anymore. With Mister Qin's understanding of Ling Tian, he knew that Ling Tian was someone who liked to lay low, feigning a pig to eat the tigers. It was entirely possible for Ling Tian to stop revealing his talent at this moment!
At this moment, XiMen Qing was also puzzled in his heart. He was indeed trying hard to regain his reputation to rebuild his prestige. For Ling Tian to give up such a beautiful poem, wasn't it as good as shooting himself in the foot?
With his own talent, XiMen Qing could naturally tell that Ling Tian's poem was better than his. Thus, he was extremely nervous that the judges would rule his defeat again, causing him to lose all his reputation! He was greatly relieved the moment that he heard that the judges ruled this round to be a draw.
Now that he heard that Ling Tian wanted to give up this poem, XiMen Qing was completely at ease as he thought to himself, For a single poem to have one or two phrases capable of being passed on for generations, it requires a stroke of inspiration and most scholars would never be able to come out with anything better than that. There were even some scholars who were well-versed in multiple fields and had their fame spread across the world but were never able to come up with such a poem capable of being passed on for generations! Did Ling Tian really think that such a fantastic poem was a worthless scrap that could be found along the sides of a road? Even my own farewell poem was something which required a flash of inspiration and is my best work to date. I don't believe this Ling Tian will be able to beat me over and over again!
Thinking about this, XiMen Qing snorted coldly, "Young noble Ling is indeed a talented individual and XiMen Qing is in awe! If young noble Ling is able to create another poem worthy of being passed down for generations, I will swear to never play with poetry in my life again!"
Ling Tian laughed and filled up his glass again. Looking at the wine in his glass, he slowly recited emotionlessly, "One who abandons me, the day yesterday cannot be kept; one who troubles me, the day today will be worrisome!"
With just these two phrases, the almost one thousand people in the Smoky Thea Tower were completely silent! XiMen Qing's face was also completely ashen. With just these two opening phrases, this poem was definitely worthy of being passed on for generations!
Mister Qin and Meng LiGe's faces gleamed as they looked towards Ling Tian as though they had just obtained a treasure. As they muttered these two phrases to themselves, they felt as though they had just tasted a hundred-year-old fine wine, with the strong aftertaste lingering in their mouth as they reminisced the taste of the wine!
Qian ShuiRou, Xiao YanXue, and the other ladies were completely in shock. They were all experts in this field and were fully capable of discerning good from bad. When they heard what Ling Tian said previously, they also thought that he was being extremely arrogant. But now that they had heard this beautiful opening, they stared at Ling Tian with an incredulous expression! When Ling Tian had casually opened his mouth previously, a beautiful phrase like 'The spring winds represent my desire and rain represent my worries' was recited. Who would have imagined that in this short 10 minutes, they would be able to hear another fantastic poem! Just how many people from the ancient times until now will be able to do that?! While Ling Tian's talent couldn't be said to be unmatched in history and the following generations to come, it was more than enough for him to be crowned the number one talent in this generation!
Ling Tian frowned lightly as he walked out from the door of the Heavenly Moon Chamber as though he was in deep thought. Everyone couldn't help but hold in their breaths, afraid that their soft breathing might interrupt Ling Tian's thoughts and destroy this historic work. If that happened they would definitely be scholarly sinners for life!
Ling Tian then took a few steps forward and looked up with an unrestrained demeanor like a hermit who was traveling the continent. At this moment, Ling Tian was no longer the number one silkpants, or the young noble of a Great Family. Instead, he was a broad and open-minded scholar, one who could see through all worldly affairs!
At this moment, Ling Tian's crisp voice sounded, and he actually recited the whole poem in a single breath!
"The flock of geese migrating in autumn, one can enjoy a drink while viewing this scenery.
With the hopes of cruising the skies in flight, desiring to embrace the bright moon in one's arms.
Just like how severing a stream with a knife increases its flow, drowning one's sorrows with wine brings more sorrows
One cannot do as he desires in life, waiting for the time he has the freedom to float around in life!"
While the poem was already recited fully, the whole hall remained silent for a long time. Finally, someone began to lightly applaud, waking everyone up from their daze with the whole hall breaking out in thunderous applause!
What a beautiful poem this was! What a poem filled with wisdom! What an unrestrained mood! What a wise poem fully clear about worldly affairs!
What a talent he was! Even calling Ling Tian an outstanding talent wouldn't be enough to describe one percent of Ling Tian's talent!
Such a beautiful poem would definitely be passed on for generations to come! Ling Tian's name would also be passed on with this poem, living on eternally!
As the applause died down, a white-haired old scholar walked forward with his body swaying. Everyone present could recognize this old scholar, he was well-renowned in the scholarly circle and was the publicly acknowledged number one scholar, Rong ZhiYu from Western Han. XiMen Qing was the disciple that he was the proudest of! Who would have thought that he would be present today? Rong ZhiYu had an upright character and was more knowledgeable than others, gaining respect from all scholars in the world! Seeing his teacher coming forward, XiMen Qing quickly went forward to support him.
Letting out a long sigh, Rong ZhiYu shook off XiMen Qing's support and looked towards the crowd, "We are now in the territory of Sky Bearing and this old man shouldn't be poking my nose in! However, this old man just cannot help but say something. I need to ask all the scholars in Sky Bearing something!"
Rong ZhiYu pointed at Ling Tian with his frail arms as his fingertip trembled and his voice turned hoarse. It was as though it took all he had to shout out, "Such a talent cannot even be described with the words 'overflowing talent' and he is a one in a thousand years genius! How did he become the number one silkpants in all of your eyes?! Are the people of Sky Bearing really that talented?"
"How can all of you even be fit to be called scholars?" Rong ZhiYu shouted, "Before this old man came here, everyone would only be filled with disdain towards the name 'Ling Tian'. There were even some who told their children that it was better to be someone without talent than become like Ling Tian." Rong ZhiYu began laughing as tears filled his eyes, "This old man was still wondering just how horrible of a character young noble Ling must be! Now that I finally know the truth, it is really completely laughable! Completely lamentable! Completely intolerable! This is a complete destruction of something so beautiful! It is really like the saying, 'The lack of talent is a virtue, who can be compared to Ling Tian?' The foolishness of the world can really be seen!"
"Young noble Ling, this old man apologizes for my prejudice towards you before today!" As he said that, Rong ZhiYu gave a bow to Ling Tian. Before Ling Tian could even reply, Rong ZhiYu had already straightened his back and shouted, "Today, this old man will shamelessly give a title to Ling Tian on behalf of the scholars in the world! With young noble Ling's age and talent, while there may be others like him in the future, he is definitely the first in history! He is definitely capable of being the number one poet in the world! Does anyone have an objection?"
Chapter 258: What are Commoners?
Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock
Rong ZhiYu's frail body stood up straight in the center of the hall with a majestic grandeur!
After a short while of silence, everyone started to cheer together, "Number one poet! Number one poet! Unprecedented talent! Young noble Ling Tian! The cheers from the almost one thousand of them flooded the Smoky Thea Tower like a tsunami!
Ling Tian was shocked and he quickly stepped out and gave a bow to Rong ZhiYu, "Mister, you think too highly of Ling Tian. With my young age, how can I be worthy of such a title? I implore Mister to reconsider your decision. Ling Tian is really undeserving."
Rong ZhiYu chuckled, "Age isn't important in the scholarly circle and the wiser individual is the senior. Young noble Ling doesn't have to be so humble. Young noble's talent is far beyond your peers with a stunning flair for poetry. Everyone present today can be the witness to that! You definitely deserve the title of number one poet! All of the scholars present are cheering from their hearts to display their sincerity and there wouldn't be a reason for young noble to reject the title."
Ling Tian couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. He never imagined that he would end up with the title of number one poet from his display today! At the same time, he couldn't help but exclaim in his heart, Li Bai is Li Bai indeed! A random poem which I picked out had actually created such an intense reaction. If I were to recite all of Li Bai's poem, wouldn't I become a poetic sage? 1
The moment Ling Tian presented his poem, no one else dared to come forward to disgrace themselves! As such, the first day of the scholarly meet had come to an end. While it was an abrupt end, everyone was extremely energized and excited from the first day alone as they all felt that this was a worthwhile trip. None of them would have imagined that the supposed number one scholar, XiMen Qing, would have been defeated so thoroughly today. Furthermore, Ling Tian had displayed his talent and greatly shocked everyone in the audience! All of the scholars then decided that they must definitely come early the next morning to enjoy the interesting meeting which awaited them.
However, Ling Jian and the five other assassins were completely bored from this meeting and told Ling Tian that they wouldn't come again after today. As it was also Ling Tian's intention, he immediately agreed to it.
Seeing everyone bidding their farewell and leaving the Smoky Thea Tower, Ling Tian held a small banquet in the Heavenly Fragrance Chamber with Mister Qin and Meng LiGe. Afraid that her service would be lacking, Gu XiYan served all of her best dishes and wine.
Ling Tian had become world famous today and was right in the limelight. Naturally, the person who was the happiest was Mister Qin. Mister Qin's eyes were already a thin line from the wide grin on his face and he seemed as though he was floating on cloud nine. Even if he were to die right here and now, he would surely have no regrets in his life.
As Mister Qin and Meng LiGe entered the chamber, they realized that only Ling Tian and Yu BingYan were present while Ling Chen, the country-toppling beauty, was missing from the table. Both of them were secretly depressed in their hearts as they wondered where Ling Chen went. But being seniors, how could they possibly ask about the female companion of their disciple? Thus, they could only hide the disappointment in their hearts.
After a few rounds of wine and dishes, everyone began to warm up to each other. What startled Ling Tian the most was the fact that Meng LiGe was knowledgeable in all aspects, be it geography, astrology, religions and etc. Furthermore, he had his own unique take on many different things which immediately stirred Ling Tian's interest. Thus, Ling Tian purposefully asked him some obscure questions and Meng LiGe was actually able to answer them rather accurately. While the bulk of the answer was just a deduction, Ling Tian was still amazed by Meng LiGe's knowledge and immediately had a different impression of him.
No wonder the world said that he was a wise man. It was true indeed! Just his knowledge alone was worthy of everyone's respect. His knowledge wasn't inferior to Ye QingChen, and he was probably more knowledgeable than Mister Qin!
The topic suddenly changed to the various Great Families and Mister Qin was the first to ask a question, "Tian'er, since when did you become so popular? For that Third Master Yu to speak up on your behalf, I am not too surprised. Even for the DongFang Family to want to build good ties with you, it is still something within expectations. But since when did the NanGong Family also come to your side? This is what makes me the most puzzled."
Ling Tian laughed and explained his alliance with the NanGong Family. As they heard that the head of the NanGong Family, NanGong TianLong, actually suffered a loss under Ling Tian, everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Ever since the start of the banquet, Meng LiGe had been observing Ling Tian and everyone else in the banquet and couldn't help but be startled! He had never seen such a harmonious relationship between teacher and student before. This Ling Tian was really a special breed! The way Mister Qin looked at Ling Tian, how did that seem like a teacher looking at a student? Mister Qin obviously looked like he was talking to his closest grandson. His face was full of love, joy, and gratification. At the same time, Mister Qin was also completely relaxed, without a trace of fear or reservedness when talking to this future family head.
Such a master and subordinate relationship was something which Meng LiGe had always desired. When serving Wei ChengPing, this was something that would never happen! Comparing Ling Tian and Wei ChengPing, the difference was obvious. Ling Tian was trying to win over Mister Qin's heart for the purpose of winning over his heart, while Wei ChengPing was winning over his heart for winning over his strength! While the ending was similar, the difference in process was as wide as the heaven and earth! The former was like the gentle winds and light spring drizzle, gradually moistening something without even a trace. As such, one would be able to unknowingly accept serving his master with joy. As for the latter, it was like a fierce thunderstorm, with speed as the number one priority! While the former required a great deal of time, the effects were long-lasting. As for the latter, because of the short time spent building their relationship, there was a risk of betrayal after a period of time! Meng LiGe and Wei ChengPing were a fine example of this.
Thinking about this, Meng LiGe's began to look at Ling Tian with a look of praise.
Ling Tian suddenly looked towards Meng LiGe and said seriously, "Mister Meng, I believe that you should already know your present circumstances and I will not beat about the bush in front of a wise man. Ling Tian is extremely worried about Mister's safety and will speak candidly. I hope that Mister will not blame me!"
Meng LiGe could vaguely guess what Ling Tian had to say and replied with a smile, "Young noble Ling can feel free to speak your mind."
Ling Tian continued, "With Mister's wisdom, you were actually willing to serve under Wei ChengPing's wings. Ordinarily, such a thing shouldn't have happened with Mister's keen eyesight. This is something which Ling Tian is puzzled about and I seek guidance from Mister."
Meng LiGe let out a bitter laugh before saying, "Young noble Ling is unaware of something. Many years back, my teacher owed the imperial family of Northern Wei a favor. Right when I had finally graduated from my teacher's teaching, the imperial family of Northern Wei came to find my teacher to seek a disciple to aid Northern Wei. Originally, my knowledge was far too shallow to take on such a task. However, I was the only one by my teacher's side at that time."
As he said that, Meng LiGe shook his head and downed a glass of wine before continuing, "My teacher had always placed great emphasis on one's promises and my teacher just couldn't ignore Northern Wei. At the same time, he was also unwilling to ruin my future. Thus, he let me make the decision. As a disciple, how could I ignore the worries of my teacher?"
Mister Qin suddenly stood up and gave a bow to Meng LiGe. Meng LiGe wanted to avoid the bow but was stopped by Mister Qin, "Junior Brother, you cannot avoid this bow. This is something that you deserve. This is a bow from this foolish brother to thank you for your sacrifices. This brother is really guilty." As Mister Qin said that, tears filled his face.
Meng LiGe let out a sigh, "How could I not repay the kindness from our teacher? For Senior Brother to say this, you are making me embarrassed." After pausing for a moment, Meng LiGe continued his story, "When this little brother first arrived at Northern Wei, I realized that Crown Prince ChengPing was extremely narrow-minded but was capable in his means. He was resolute and ruthless in his actions, a talent to rule the nation! This little brother then thought that if he can treat me well and listen to at least half of my teachings, it wouldn't be a bad thing for me to stay in Northern Wei. However, I never imagined that he…" As Meng LiGe said that, he shook his head bitterly before suddenly letting out a carefree smile, "However, that's also good. This little brother actually benefited from it and I no longer have to involve myself in the political whirlpool of the continent. It is really a blessing in disguise."
Ling Tian nodded his head and began to think carefully. Meng LiGe's final sentence was obviously being spoken to him. Meng LiGe was obviously trying to hint to Ling Tian to not rope him in. Thus, Ling Tian let out a smile, "Mister is straightforward with your words and how can Ling Tian possibly force you. While Ling Tian may not have any other abilities, I do have some principles for sure. How would I dare to force Mister to do what you don't want to? When the storm subsides, Mister can choose to leave if you want to. However, please remember that the door of the Ling Family will be open forever. Even if you can't stay for long, it would also be good if you can come and take a rest for a short while when you are tired from touring the continent. While the Ling residence isn't very reliable, it will be able to fend off the storms and rain for Mister. I hope that Mister will not reject me!"
Meng LiGe cupped his fists in reply, "Thank you young noble!"
Ling Tian gave a carefree smile and raised his glass, "Meeting each other shows that we are fated. I wonder if Mister can discuss the situation of the continent with me? Just take it as a casual conversation in the banquet and you can feel free to say as you like. Ling Tian is all ears."
Meng LiGe shook his head with a laugh, "Young noble Ling is really crafty!" After falling into deep consideration for a moment, Meng LiGe suddenly looked up at Ling Tian seriously, "Before this, I want to ask young noble a question. I hope that young noble will reply me."
Ling Tian said seriously, "Feel free to ask; as long as I can answer it, I won't hold anything back!"
Meng LiGe stared at Ling Tian and asked with an imposing manner, "I wish to ask young noble what are commoners to you?"
"Commoners?" Ling Tian laughed, "Mister, with regards to what commoners are, it is dependant on the status of the person judging their worth. With a different status, the way they judge commoners would definitely be different. Does Mister agree with me? Does Mister really think that I will answer you freely at this moment and place?"
Meng LiGe frowned and replied, "Will young noble enlighten me?"
Ling Tian twirled the wine glass in his hand and smiled, "If Mister has a question, I will naturally have to be honest. In my eyes, the commoners of the world are no more than ants!"
The faces of everyone present changed immediately! None of them expected Ling Tian to reply in such a manner! Mister Qin began to frown with a face of displeasure.
As though he understood something, Meng LiGe began to probe Ling Tian, "Young noble seems to have something else to say. How can this be freely speaking your mind?!"
Ling Tian laughed and said with a deep tone, "That's right! If I am a commoner, then the commoners of the world will be like flesh and blood to me. However, I am now born in a Great Family and if there are no other changes, commoners are no different from ants in my heart. This is indeed what I feel! Does Mister not believe me?"
Chapter 259: I Am No Hero
Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock
Meng LiGe pondered over Ling Tian's words for a moment before suddenly raising his head to ask, "If young noble were to stage an uprising, what would you do? What would the commoners be to you?"
"Tools!" Ling Tian said without a shred of hesitation, "If I were to stage an uprising to conquer the continent, the commoners of the continent would be the sharpest tool in my hands! Wealth can be extracted from them to build up my army. Their men can be conscripted to become my army. The commoner's will can become the support for my movement. The rage of the commoners can be incited to justify my actions! As such, if I were to stage an uprising, the commoners would be my tools!"
Meng LiGe frowned, "What if young noble becomes the ruler of the continent? What would you do? How would you deal with the commoners?"
"They would be my people!' Ling Tian no longer fiddled with his wine glass and looked up with a stern expression, "If I am the ruler of the continent, the commoners would be my people! I would definitely do my very best to benefit the people! I would ensure that the old will be cared for and young would have someone to rely on. Even if a thousand years were to pass, this heart of mine will not change!"
"With young noble's current abilities, it isn't impossible for you to become a blessing to the commoners. The lives of the commoners are now miserable beyond words with famine spreading across many places. However, I've never seen young noble take any actions. I wonder why this is the case? How can young noble gain my trust?" Meng LiGe asked with an unnaturally sharp tone.
"Hahaha…" Ling Tian laughed, "I am neither the ruler of the continent nor a deity of benevolence. I am only the young noble of the Ling Family and every single tael of silver of my Ling Family was painstakingly earned! Even if the commoners are in the pits of despair and suffering from famine, what has that got to do with me? I will save people out of compassion but not because it is a necessity! Isn't it a little pointless for Mister to ask me such a question?" Ling Tian questioned.
"The world does not belong to the Ling Family, and the commoners are not the people of my Ling Family. Even if all the commoners were to die from a great flood, what does that have to do with me?" Ling Tian said with ridicule, "As long as my Ling Family is wealthy and can lead a plentiful life, why should we be afraid of famine in the world? Even if the world were to fall into total chaos, it has nothing to do with me!"
Meng LiGe's face turned cold as he scolded, "Isn't young noble Ling a little too heartless? How can you rule the world like that?!"
Ling Tian sneered and said, "If my Ling Family has no ambitions, we can only survive by being heartless! If my Ling Family has no ambitions and chooses to save the commoners at this moment, we will only be inviting our destruction! This is without exception! Mister can say that I am heartless, but does Mister know how many people my Ling Family can feed if we don't take out a single tael of silver? Does Mister know how many families will be destroyed if my Ling Family ceases to exist?"
Meng LiGe said coldly, "I don't know, but I am willing to hear."
Ling Tian replied with a 'hmph' and said without courtesy, "Does Mister know that the businesses of my Ling Family have expanded greatly over the years and are no longer restricted to Sky Bearing? The Ling Family's business is spread all over the continent with us having many branches in even the Heavenly Wind and Heavenly Sun continents. As a result of these businesses, the Ling Family provides at least 500,000 jobs for the people. Counting the families of these people, our Ling Family feeds at least 2,000,000 people! When these people are well-fed, they will also be able to help others to prevent thousands of people from starving to death! If my Ling Family were to disappear at this moment, a few hundred thousand families would be destroyed for sure. Does Mister agree with that?"
As he said that, Ling Tian stood up, "If my Ling Family were to perform large-scale charitable acts to save the famine victims all around, we would definitely be able to save millions of lives for sure! At that time, the prestige of our Ling Family would be like the sun in the sky, and we would become a deity-like figure in the hearts of the people. However, it would definitely be a big taboo for our Ling Family! If we don't have the heart to rule the continent, we would definitely be massacred!" A chilly gaze glowed in Ling Tian eyes as he looked at Meng LiGe, "No ruler would be able to tolerate such an existence. While the Ling Family would become the charitable deity in the eyes of the people, we would definitely become the biggest enemy in the eyes of the empires!"
Meng LiGe's face changed, and he already knew what Ling Tian was about to say. Thus, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"At this time, what should my Ling Family do?" Ling Tian said slowly and with a deep tone, "With the Ling Family present, we would still be able to offer some assistance if we see the commoners suffering. But if my Ling Family were to disappear, even if the commoners of the world were to worship us, how can they save the many lives in my Ling Family?"
"As such, what use is it for me to gain the hearts of the commoners? If this young noble treats them as ants, I would be able to ensure their livelihood at the very least. If I were to treat them as brothers, I would only be harming them! My Ling Family would be destroyed because of these brothers! If our Ling Family were to perish, our assets would be divided and the countless workers who used to work for my Ling Family would be no different from the victims of the famine. While my Ling Family would be completing a charitable act, it would be our greatest mistake. Cause and effect, with cause comes effect and with effect comes cause. What does Mister think about that?"
Meng LiGe shook his head with a sigh, "Young noble is right and your words are the truth! While young noble can be an ambitious individual, your actions are not one of a hero!"
Ling Tian burst out into laughter, "Why does Mister have to state the obvious? You should know that the ones who are able to accomplish great things have always been the ambitious individuals. Heroes… ah ah, heroes can become a great general to triumph in every battle! Heroes can become the commander in chief of an army to gather the hearts of the soldiers. Heroes can be government officials to be the mouthpiece of the people. However, heroes can never be kings, rulers or emperors and they can certainly not call themselves sovereigns! If they do, there will only be the corpse of a dead hero and never a living king!"
Ling Tian's lips then curled up in a smile, "Heroes can only be the subordinates to those with ambitions. If not, they would be dead for sure!"
"The biggest advantage of an ambitious individual is their ruthlessness, resorting to any means possible to arrive at their goal. Thus, an ambitious individual can only hope to rise up in a chaotic world and accomplish their ambitions! The greatest flaw of a hero is also the greatest strength of a hero. That is, they are righteous and treasure their relationships, keeping the promises they make. There are some things a man should do and some he shouldn't. Thus, a hero can rise to prominence instantly in chaotic times. They can even leave their names in the annals of history. However, they would never be the rulers of a great nation. An ambitious individual would be able to easily kill a hero because of the weaknesses of a hero! Thus, I am not a hero, and I am also not willing to be a hero!"
Ling Tian smiled as though he wanted to say, "I am an ambitious individual, one who would rule the world!"
All of a sudden, silence filled the chamber! Everyone had their heads lowered in deep thought as though they had gained enlightenment.
"Pa, pa, pa!" While Meng LiGe's face was still calm, he began to clap his hands in applause, "What a view on heroes! What a view on ambitious individuals! Young noble's words have really widened my horizons. It is indeed an enlightening view!"
Ling Tian then said with a smile, "I've already answered Mister's question. I wonder if Mister is satisfied?"
Meng LiGe stroked his beard and said solemnly, "Young noble's words are the truth to ruling in chaotic times and heresy in governance! Now that the world is becoming chaotic, you are naturally right!"
"Then, Mister has yet to answer Ling Tian's question." Ling Tian lifted up his glass leisurely and raised it in a toast. Then, he knocked glasses with Yu BingYan by his side and downed the wine in a single gulp.
Yu BingYan's face turned red as she saw that the wine glasses of the three individuals were already empty. But because Ling Tian had the staff from the Smoky Thea Tower leave and Ling Chen was not around, the little princess of the Yu Family could only become the little servant maid to serve the guests. However, not only was Yu BingYan not angry at all, she felt a sense of sweetness in her heart. For Ling Tian to say such treasonous words in front of her, he had definitely treated her as close kin.
Furthermore, the conversation between Meng LiGe, Mister Qin, and Ling Tian was a top secret one! Despite that, Ling Tian didn't bother avoiding Yu BingYan or concealing anything from her. Just this alone was enough to make Yu BingYan's maiden heart fly over the moon. Ling Tian had already used his actions to tell Yu BingYan something: You are my woman!
While Ling Tian didn't say that out loud, Yu BingYan could hear that in her heart!
If I can live to a ripe old age with Tian'ge and be his woman who he cuddles in his arms, how great that would be! As Yu BingYan thought about this, she couldn't help but be troubled about her own affairs as she turned around and began to weep silently. I… will I really have that happiness?
Meng LiGe then replied Ling Tian, "I believe young noble is already extremely clear about the situation of the continent presently. Since you do not despise my shallow knowledge, I shall give my humble opinion."
He then stood up and fetched a few tea glasses from the tea set on the table and placed them in a formation. Ling Tian and Mister Qin had already stood up to see what Meng LiGe was doing.
Meng LiGe then said with composure, "Presently, chaotic times are about to befall upon the three continents. This is the moment for the ambitious and heroic characters to stand out and shine! Let us not mention the Heavenly Wind and Heavenly Sun continents first. For the Heavenly Star Continent, there are seven empires and nine great families. Yu, NanGong, XiMen, DongFang, BeiMing, Ling, Yang, and Lei families. Besides that, there is also the Xiao Family which can form a lone power. On the surface, it seems as though the various powers are all harmonious and not invading each other's territory. However, they are all secretly resorting to all possible means and wish to swallow the Heavenly Star Continent. No one will be able to avoid that!"
After pausing for a moment, Meng LiGe received a teacup from Ling Tian and drank half a cup of tea before continuing, "The Moon Deity Empire is located in a desolate place and is a poor nation. If a power was able to rule the continent, a single decree would be enough to capture the Moon Deity Empire. As such, there isn't a need to talk about them!" Following which, Meng LiGe then took away one of the cups on the table.
"As for the Western Han and the XiMen Family, they just fought a bitter battle and lost one of their important geographical location for defense. While the strength of their country isn't weak, they are not a strong competitor either. Thus, the Western Han can also be placed aside for now. Sky Bearing, positioned in the center of the continent with enemies from all direction! At the same time, it can also launch its attacks in all directions. Originally, it should be the most dangerous position but any power which is able to gain Sky Bearing can also gain an advantage to launch their attacks in all directions. However, Sky Bearing is now extremely stable with the imperial family of Sky Bearing being an exception. To the imperial family of Sky Bearing, the safest place is actually the most dangerous place. It is a pity that the imperial family is still ignorant about it! With the Ling Family being present, the imperial family of Sky Bearing exists in name only and without any substance. Thus, they can be replaced by the Ling Family." Meng LiGe revealed a smile.
Chapter 260: Night Time Assassin
Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock
Ling Tian then let out a bitter laugh and replied, "Mister really thinks highly of my Ling Family. My grandfather is a loyal warrior of the empire, and my father doesn't seem to be tired of it…"
Ling Tian's words seemed to point to the fact that both his father and grandfather were loyal to the imperial family except for himself. The meaning of his words was completely self-explanatory!
Meng LiGe let out a laugh and ignored Ling Tian, saying, "Let's talk about Southern Zheng and the Wu Empire. While both of these nations don't have a large army, their soldiers are accustomed to fighting and their strength can't be underestimated. However, both of these empires have always been enemies, and this is something that can't be changed! If any of the two empires were to be attacked, the other empire would definitely take the chance to beat them when they are down. While the other empires may form alliances, these two empires have been fighting for many generations with their enmity as deep as the oceans. It is impossible for them to ever form an alliance. Therefore, these two empires would never make a rash move before they have the absolute strength to wipe out the other powers!"
Meng LiGe then repositioned the cups again, "Now, the situation of the continent is much clearer. From the way things look, there seems to be only the Ling, Eastern Zhao and Northern Wei left in the game. However, this is not the case. The Xiao Family has been covetously eyeing the continent for many years already and they would never let go of such a good opportunity. Especially the fact that the Xiao Family's strength has developed quickly in the past few years. By comparing them to the other normal powers, they can be considered to be the number one power! Furthermore, there is still the Yu Family!" As he said that, Meng LiGe couldn't help but look at Yu BingYan. While she hadn't introduced herself yet, how could Meng LiGe not guess that this beautiful lady in front of him was the little princess of the Yu Family? As Meng LiGe looked at her, her face couldn't help but change.
Ling Tian then stretched out his hand and grabbed Yu BingYan's hands lightly, "It's alright. Mister can feel free to speak his mind."
Meng LiGe smiled before continuing, "The Yu Family is a thousand-year-old family with strong foundations. While the Yu Family seems as though they are detached from the secular affairs of the continent, they are only storing up their strength. If not for that true otherworldly Beyond Heavens to hold them in place, perhaps…! Presently, they definitely have to be guarded against but there isn't a need to place your guard up too high. After all, the Yu Family is not alone in eyeing the Heavenly Star Continent! Regardless of the power who has the upper hand in the end, their final opponent would definitely be the Yu Family!'
Meng LiGe's deduction was extremely close to what Ling Tian had guessed previously. Ling Tian then revealed a thoughtful look as he nodded his head.
"It won't happen," Yu BingYan quickly said, "our family has our ancestor's teaching in place, forbidding us from fighting for territory to ensure the long-term survival of our family. First Uncle will never go against the rules of the family for sure. Besides, if our Yu Family were to really go against our ancestor's teaching, we will definitely draw out Beyond Heavens to take action. The consequences of that action are definitely not something that we will be able to endure. First Uncle will not be willing to take such a risk for sure."
Ling Tian laughed bitterly and thought, The Yu Family is probably going to go against their ancestor's teachings this time. Regardless of the family, it is impossible for them to hold back their ambitions when the world is just within an arm's reach; even a saint would be no exception, much less an ambitious character like Yu ManLou. By using Yu ManTian as a comparison, Ling Tian was easily able to judge the fact that Yu ManLou's strength was definitely above his. Together with the strong backing of the Yu Family, even if Beyond Heavens were to send out their men, they might not be able to stop the Yu Family!
"As for Northern Wei which shares a territory with the Yu Family, while their strength has been growing in recent years, the Emperor is presently ill and Crown Prince Wei ChengPing is in control of both political and military authority. He is just missing a step from obtaining the title of emperor. While he is a ruthless and crafty individual, he still lacks the courage and breadth of mind to truly accomplish great things! Perhaps he may have obtained the upper hand for a moment, but it is impossible for him to be the final victor. Thus, at the very end, there can only be three families fighting and one watching. The Ling, Eastern Zhao, and Xiao would naturally be the ones fighting with the Yu Family watching by the side. However, the final victor can't be predicted yet!" Meng LiGe then put out a profound smile.
"That's right, the DongFang Family has always been unfathomable. The way I see it, if we remove the Yu Family from the Eight Great Families, the DongFang Family will be the strongest!" Ling Tian said with consideration.
"No!" Meng LiGe disagreed and said with a smile, "The DongFang Family can only be the third in place. As for the second, it should be the Ling Family. The strength of the Ling Family is deep to the point it is frightening. Even if young noble were to proclaim yourself as the number one person in the world, LiGe would believe it."
Ling Tian was stunned for a moment before laughing out, "Mister is indeed a wise man."
Meng LiGe greatly admired how Ling Tian didn't bother denying anything and felt extremely comfortable in his heart, "Young noble Ling, you don't have to think about fooling me. For young noble to conceal yourself for so many years, how would you reveal your strength so easily if you weren't relatively confident about the strength in your hands? With young noble's patience, it shouldn't be anything difficult for you to conceal yourself for another three to five years, right?"
Ling Tian replied with a chuckle, "Actually, I'm not extremely confident at the moment. But if Mister can support me, there is at least a 50% chance that I can obtain the world!" Ling Tian's words were said with a chuckle as though it was a joke but yet seemed real.
Meng LiGe laughed out loud and shook his head, nodded his head, then shook his head again. It was as though he had agreed but yet as though he didn't agree. As the both of them looked at each other, they let out a laugh together.
By the side, Mister Qin was already shaking his head as he faked a sigh, "Haiz! On one side, my junior brother. On the other side, my disciple. One old fox and one little fox! I really don't know what the both of you are thinking about." Yu BingYan also burst out into giggles as she heard that. Originally, she disagreed with what both of them said and began to pout. However, she began to laugh when Mister Qin said that.
The night had arrived, and a chilly wind blew in from the window. A flower-like fragrance drifted into the room as everyone became fresh from the fragrance.
At this moment, a black-dressed Ling Chen floated into the chamber like a cloud and shook her head at Ling Tian.
Ling Tian then took a step forward and hugged her into his embrace. With a tinge of heartache, he asked, "Are you tired? Let me send someone to prepare food for you."
Ling Chen let out a satisfied smile and lay in his embrace silently, shutting her eyes without saying anything.
Mister Qin and Meng LiGe let out dry coughs together and turned around. At the same time, they cursed under their breaths about the decreasing moral standards amongst the younger generation. To think that this young couple would display their affection in front of the both of them. What a preposterous act!
A trace of jealousy could be seen in Yu BingYan's eyes as she bit down on her lips but didn't say a thing.
Ling Tian then let go of Ling Chen and she slipped out from his embrace. At this moment, Ling Chen finally realized that she had acted inappropriately, her face turning red as she hid behind Yu BingYan's back without daring to show her face again.
Ling Tian let out a laugh and said, "The XiMen Family's actions today were far too strange. No matter what, they are one of the Eight Great Families with more than a hundred years of heritage. A few days ago, I killed a few of their people with the youngest son of their family head included amongst the bunch. Today, I humiliated them in front of a crowd and they still didn't have any reaction. This is just too strange and so I sent Chen'er to probe into this matter." As he said that, he looked at Ling Chen with a doting look, "Who would have imagined that she would be gone for half a night."
At this moment, Mister Qin, Meng LiGe, and Yu BingYan seemed to have been enlightened. It was no wonder that Ling Tian would display such heartache. It turns out, this beautiful lady in front of them had just spent half a night on the roof of the Extreme Joy Chamber. At the same time, a wave of respect filled their hearts.
Yu BingYan then twitched her lips and said, "For such a matter, why don't you just let those little brats do it? Why is there a need for sister Ling Chen to take action personally? I can't believe you would bear to let this country-toppling beauty do such a thing." When she said 'those little brats', she was obviously referring to Ling Jian and the rest.
Ling Tian chuckled in his heart, The mood of this lass really changes so quickly. A while ago, she was still being jealous and now she is scolding me for Ling Chen's sake.
All of a sudden, a loud 'Wuuu——" could be heard, and Ling Tian was the first to react. In an instant, his body had already flashed in front of Meng LiGe. He swiped his right hand, and he felt it turn numb as an iron arrow appeared in his hand!
An assassin! Furthermore, the target of the assassin wasn't anyone from the Ling Family but Meng LiGe? Why was this so?
As Ling Tian spread his senses out, he heard a sharp swooshing sound again and three arrows flew in their direction! The target was still Meng LiGe!
With nimble footwork, Ling Tian had already caught the three arrows in his hands. With a light kick, the large table was flipped up with the surface of the table blocking half the window. At the same time, Ling Chen waved her sleeves, and all the candles in the Heavenly Fragrance Chamber were extinguished!
Relying on the darkness, the others had already hidden themselves out of sight from the window under Ling Chen's instructions. Ling Chen herself stood up straight as she prepared for battle with her eyes flashing in the dark. After everyone recovered from the initial shock, they realized that Ling Tian had already disappeared!
Holding onto the four iron arrows in his hand, Ling Tian drifted out of the window with a killing intent burning in his heart!
Just when his body was about to drift out of the window, his toes tapped on the windowsill and he took off into the air. His white robe fluttered in the wind with his body already rising thirty feet into the air!
In the moonlight, Ling Tian could see three black figures swiftly running out of his sight to the east. With a grunt, Ling Tian's body spun in the air and he swung his right arm. The sharp arrows in his hand then shot out like black lighting, looking as though they had broken through space to instantly appear behind the three black dressed figures!
Only at that moment was the loud whistle of the arrows breaking through the air heard! The loud whistle filled the entire night sky!
Ling Tian's throw contained 120% of his inner strength! Smoke could even be seen coming out from his palm from the friction of the arrows against his skin!
The three black-dressed figures knew how powerful those swift arrows were and knew that they had to block them. With a loud battle cry, the three of them raised their swords to block the arrows!
Three bangs like thunder then sounded! The arrows landed on the ground but the three iron swords were completely shattered! Just how powerful was Ling Tian's angry full-force attack? The bodies of the three black-dressed men trembled as they each spit out a mouthful of blood from the force of the collision. Pitifully taking two steps back, they collapsed on the floor looking as though they had suffered serious internal injuries.
Ling Tian was still suspended in mid-air as he witnessed all of this. Just when he wanted to propel himself forward to capture them, he felt a great sense of danger.
From the roof of the Heavenly Dream Chamber, a bright flash could be seen charging at Ling Tian's body! Before it had even reached Ling Tian, a large rainbow could be seen!
There was actually someone who could be one with the sword, charging at Ling Tian with undisguised killing intent!
A killing trap!
Chapter 261: Wasted Effort
Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock
The splendor of his sword was like a rising sun in the pitch black darkness! It illuminated the entire surroundings!
What exquisite swordplay! With just this attack alone, he was definitely no weaker than the top-notch assassin, Golden Leaf BaiFei. In fact, he might even be slightly stronger!
That black-dressed man's face was covered with a black cloth and no one could see his appearance with the splendor of the sword light blocking his face.
At that moment, Ling Tian broke out into a cold sweat. This assassin's timing was too perfect! Ling Tian had used the windowsill to propel his body into the air before circulating all of his inner qi to send out the iron arrows. At this moment, his body was descending with the force from his previous jump fully exhausted, and he didn't have any footing he could use to change his direction in the air. His opponent had waited for the moment when Ling Tian was the most vulnerable before launching his strongest attack!
Seeing how Ling Tian could no longer avoid the sword, the black-dressed assassin revealed a trace of doubt in his eyes. However, the might of his sword didn't decrease in the slightest and even became stronger.
Ling Tian first eased the circulation of his inner qi before opening his mouth and sucking in a breath of fresh air with all of his strength. This breath of fresh air was sucked in too forcefully, almost rupturing his throat, and he felt as though his throat was burning!
After forcefully circulating his inner qi, his left foot tapped onto his right foot lightly and his body shot up farther into the air like a rocket! Ling Tian actually managed to forcefully propel his body up by another six feet when he was in mid-air, dodging this killing blow!
As he propelled himself up, Ling Tian had quickly adjusted the circulation of his inner qi. His face was already flushed red from when he had forcefully circulated his inner qi! At the same time, killing intent flashed in his eyes. As long as the black-dressed assassin attacked him again, Ling Tian would definitely fight the black-dressed assassin to the death! Ling Tian would definitely keep the black-dressed assassin here today!
However, as the black-dressed assassin saw that his attack failed, he didn't even bother pausing for a single moment and flew away on his sword! The splendor of his sword light covered him as he shot to the side of the three other black-dressed men. With a whistle, another three men appeared from the darkness and rescued the three injured men.
Failing his first strike, he retreated without any delay. He was swift and decisive without any hesitation at all. This was the typical style of an assassin!
What a top-notch assassin!
A loud roar could then be heard and the sound of clothes fluttering accompanied it. The various experts from the different families were all woken up from their dreams, and dozens of figures could be seen on the roofs of the Smoky Thea Tower.
A hoarse voice was then heard, "Who is the scoundrel? Third Master is here!" It was Yu ManTian's voice.
Ling Tian chuckled and said in a low voice, "My darling, are you still planning to leave? Why not stay for a while longer!"
Stretching out his arms, his arms seemed to have turned into wings as Ling Tian gave chase at lightning speed.
The few black-dressed men continued to escape without bothering about Ling Tian. From the darkness, the sounds of bows firing could be heard and three arrows flew towards him, targeting his head, chest, and abdomen. The arrows were fired with great force at a tricky angle! Regardless of whether Ling Tian was able to avoid or block them, he would definitely lose the best chance for him to chase the enemy!
With a loud roar, Ling Tian waved both of his arms and his originally speeding body had mystically floated up 10 feet or so, avoiding the three arrows completely!
The black-dressed assassin also turned his head back at this moment and couldn't help but reveal a look of shock. Ling Tian was actually able to use a movement technique which defied common sense so naturally as though it was well in line with the laws of nature. Such martial arts were truly frightening!
However, Ling Tian was still slightly too late due to this obstruction. When his body landed again, the few black-dressed men had already disappeared without a trace. The strength of their movement techniques could be easily witnessed, and they were definitely no weaker than Ling Chi and the others!
With a swoosh, Yu ManTian's burly figure appeared by Ling Tian's side and he said with a laugh, "What? You didn't catch them?" The joy in his tone seemed to be gloating at Ling Tian's misfortune. Yu ManTian was obviously extremely happy that Ling Tian suffered a loss.
Ling Tian glared at him, "You seem to be very happy."
Yu ManTian chuckled, "You seem pretty frustrated from not being able to catch your enemy. Do you want this Third Master to exchange a few moves with you to vent your anger?"
Ling Tian replied helplessly, "How can I be as carefree as you? You should just wait for the time when you become a pig's head under the hands of my brothers."
"I… while I do admire their talents, I am merely going easy on them. If I were to really fight them with my all, how many of them would be able to survive?" Yu ManTian replied with frustration.
Ling Tian grunted and ignored Yu ManTian, leaving behind a phrase before he left, "There are enemies by the side ferociously watching. You, BingYan, and I are all targets! You should be careful of your hairy head, lest someone takes it to collect a reward."
Yu ManTian burst out in anger, "This daddy here has fought battles all over the continent and I have never met one who is able to take this daddy's head! You are looking down on me…" Before he could finish his sentence, he realized that he could no longer see Ling Tian at all. Thus, he couldn't help but be frustrated, and he slammed his fist into a large tree nearby.
Ever since he met Ling Tian, Yu ManTian felt as though he would constantly lose in both martial arts and in words. This made him extremely depressed! But after he thought about his deal with Ling Jian, he was immediately excited again. He finally didn't have to mix with these scholars anymore! Thinking about the great battle that was about to happen again, Yu ManTian made a resolute decision in his heart that he must definitely recover all of his losses from the other little brats!
When Ling Tian walked towards the Smoky Thea Tower, someone came up and said, "Brother Ling, how are you? Are you alright?" His words were filled with concern and the one saying it was DongFang JingLei.
"Oh, I am alright." Ling Tian stopped and looked towards the crowd that was gathering. The uncle and nephew of the XiMen Family, BeiMing QingTian of the BeiMing Family, DongFang JingLei from the DongFang Family, NanGong TianHu from the NanGong Family, and even XiaoFeng Yang and Xiao YanXue were present at this moment. The only ones who were missing were Qian ShuiRou and the others from the Heavenly Moon Chamber!
Ling Tian then looked towards the Heavenly Moon Chamber and everyone followed his gaze as well. The moment they saw where his gaze was directed to, they all understood what he meant.
The lights of the Heavenly Moon Chamber were suddenly lit and a few figures walked out of the door. The one leading the group was naturally Qian ShuiRou. She then said with a smile from afar, "Brother Ling, you are carefree indeed. You actually have the mood to enjoy gazing at the moon in the middle of the night."
Ling Tian laughed and said, "I never imagined that brother Qian wasn't asleep yet. If that's the case, why don't we keep our candles lit and have a good conversation through the night? For us to join our beds and talk through the night, it would definitely be a wonderful affair."
Qian ShuiRou then yawned and said calmly, "This little brother doesn't have the mood to do so. I want to go and sleep already." After she had said that, she ignored everyone else and walked back into the room, rejecting Ling Tian's invitation without any hesitation at all. At the same time, she also disdained to even talk to the other experts of the Great Families! The experts behind her glared fiercely at Ling Tian before leaving behind her.
Everyone revealed faces of anger and Ling Tian couldn't help but laugh bitterly. At the same time, XiMen Qing, who was by the side, was laughing at Ling Tian's misfortune.
Ling Tian then gave the various families a casual greeting before returning to his own room. As for XiMen Qing, Ling Tian couldn't even be bothered to look at him. XiMen Qing's mood was far too unstable, and he was incapable of controlling his emotions in the slightest. Thus, he would never accomplish anything great! Ling Tian had already completely dismissed him.
Just who was the enemy who wanted to assassinate Ling Tian?
While Qian ShuiRou revealed herself at the right time, she was still Ling Tian's number one suspect. Apart from Qian ShuiRou, Ling Tian also suspected the fact that the Blood Slaughter Pavilion had another top-notch expert. As for the Northern Wei envoys, they were obviously no more than a suicide squad, and Ling Tian didn't feel that there was any need to pay special attention to them.
After Ling Tian took his walk back to the Heavenly Fragrance Chamber, he fell into deep thought for a moment before deciding to issue out an order to prepare for battle!
Ling Tian was extremely clear that the moment he gave out such an order, he would definitely cause a huge wave in the whole of Sky Bearing or even the whole continent. However, as compared to the sense of danger in his heart and the situation at hand, it made Ling Tian feel as though he didn't have any other choice! While it was still a little early, it was only a little bit early. That was how Ling Tian consoled himself.
Ling Tian's face was completely calm as he considered the matter carefully. No matter how the present state of Sky Bearing was to develop, he must have the confidence of controlling the situation. However, his attention was completely focused on Sky Bearing now, and if anything were to happen outside the city it would be a little beyond his reach!
For all of these top-notch experts to suddenly appear in Sky Bearing, they were definitely not here to just cause trouble! For them to appear without Ling Tian noticing at all, these people definitely had other plans. While he was still able to suppress everyone with his martial arts and gain the respect of everyone with his literary arts, Ling Tian was extremely clear that he had no choice but to reveal himself to the world to ensure that he could gain the largest benefit from the gathering of all the powers in Sky Bearing! He could no longer be like before, plotting in the dark and feigning weakness to eat the tiger.
Ling Tian was confident that he didn't need to be afraid for anyone in a head-on battle. However, it was inevitable for him to suffer some losses!
Ye QingChen, Yu ManTian, Ye BaiFei and Qian ShuiRou all made Ling Tian even more cautious. While confidence was a good thing, blind arrogance was fatal. The martial arts of this world were definitely not as low as he had previously predicted. Especially from the battle which just ended, while it was just a small skirmish, a good seven to eight experts had actually appeared! How could Ling Tian not be wary?
Currently, Ling Tian's only option would be to take out a portion of his hidden strength to deal with unexpected changes.
Thinking about this Ling Tian sighed heavily.
Ling Chen was the one who understood him the best and the both of them could almost be said to be able to read each other's minds. Ling Chen then said gently, "Young noble, why not… command Ling Jian and the rest to…"
Ling Tian clapped his hands and said, "That's right!" standing up, he continued, "Command the Violent Wind Gang and Smoky Thea Tower that I want to find out the resting spot for Qian ShuiRou by tomorrow afternoon! I want to know all of their information. Regardless of how large or small the detail, I want to know about it!"
The night was already dark, and not a sound could be heard. While Mister Qin and Meng LiGe were far wiser than the average person, the bodies of scholars were naturally weaker. Thus, they had already gone to rest. Following which, Yu BingYan and Ling Chen had also gone to bed.
Seated in front of the window alone, Ling Tian lowered his head in silent consideration. He silently organized everything that happened in the past few days.
Chapter 262: Night Visit to XiMen
Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock
Ever since he killed NanGong Le and set the cornerstone for this gathering in Sky Bearing, everything else that followed had always been smooth sailing and within his expectations. While there were some exceptions, it didn't affect the overall picture.
In other words, everything was under Ling Tian's control and this success also made him a little conceited.
However, In the past few days, the assassins of the Blood Slaughter Pavilion had first snuck into Sky Bearing and a mysterious but yet powerful organization like Qian ShuiRou had also unexpectedly appeared. In particular, the otherworldly expert that he met outside the Smoky Thea Tower was someone who Ling Tian didn't have the confidence to face. All of these affairs came so suddenly and made the situation especially mystifying. Now, the plan that he had in place was already beginning to slip out of his control, and such a feeling made Ling Tian feel extremely uncomfortable. This was something that the chess player would never be able to accept!
After slowly thinking through the events that happened in the past few days, Ling Tian had gradually gathered all of his attention to Qian ShuiRou! According to the information he had on hand, this lady didn't belong to any of the Eight Great Families. However, her personal strength and the strength which she had under her control was something that only the Yu or DongFang Family could match!
From this point alone, it was both a good and bad indication to Ling Tian.
The good was the fact that the otherworldly expert was probably unrelated to Qian ShuiRou. If they were related, even if that expert didn't participate in the previous assassination attempt due to consideration of his own status, Ling Tian was certain that he wouldn't be able to fully retreat. Furthermore, with the martial arts that otherworldly expert possessed, it was impossible for him to fall under the command of anyone, and Qian ShuiRou was obviously the one who had the most authority among her group. Thus, it was unlikely that they were related. But if they really were related, Ling Tian felt that he wouldn't have any way to deal with them. After all, in front of absolute strength, all his little tricks were useless.
The bad indication wasn't totally bad, and the good indication wasn't totally good. But at the very least, Ling Tian was able to have a general idea of where Qian ShuiRou came from. If such a character wasn't the hidden strength of a certain great family, how could there be no news of her at all before today? Furthermore, she seemed to have some relationship with the Imperial Family of Sky Bearing as well!
Sky Bearing's Imperial Family! An inspiration flashed past Ling Tian's head. If he wanted to unravel this mystery, the most direct way would be for him to begin his investigation from the Imperial Family! While Ling Tian didn't intend to take personal action yet, he was assured to hand this matter over to Ling Jian.
As he finally found a possible solution to this issue, Ling Tian couldn't help but be relaxed. After sitting down for such a long period of time, even his strong body began to feel a bit sore. Just when he wanted to raise his hand up to stretch his body, he suddenly stopped halfway.
From the outside, there was an extremely light knocking sound from one of the rooms. The winds were blowing on the outside and this knocking sound was almost inaudible. However, Ling Tian's hearing was exceptional and far better than other martial artists. Especially after he had entered the XianTian realm, he would be able to even pick up the sound of a leaf falling if it was within a thousand feet. While the sound sounded from afar, the night was currently silent and Ling Tian could still hear it.
The moment he heard the sound, Ling Tian could tell that this was the sound of someone knocking on the door. Furthermore, knocking sound was in a rhythmic sequence. After knocking thrice, the person paused for a moment before knocking twice. This should probably be a special communication method for an organization.
Ling Tian circulated his inner strength and floated out of the window like a feather. He then stuck himself to the wall and observed his surroundings, only to see the curtain by the door of the Extreme Joy Pavilion shaking slightly.
Lifting his body up slightly, Ling Tian had already arrived at the roof of the building. Like a leaf, he landed silently on the roof of the Extreme Joy Chamber, placing his ears on the tiles and circulating his inner qi to hear the contents of the conversation below.
Someone in the room then said, "How? What did father say?" It was XiMen Qing's voice, purposefully suppressed into a whisper.
Another whisper could then be heard, "The Family Head has already sent out 50 Blood Iron Death Troops. We must definitely take revenge for our young noble's death. The mission this time is a top secret one and we must definitely succeed in a single strike. We must not allow news of this mission to be leaked out. If Beyond Heavens were to find out that we were the culprits, we would be in grave danger. Family Head is afraid that young noble wouldn't be able to remain calm and choose to take action prematurely. If you do so, you will only be alerting our enemy and it would be difficult for you to succeed. Thus, he sent this subordinate to inform young noble to not be rash."
XiMen Qing then said, "That darn b*st*rd made me lose all my face. When I catch him, I will take care of him personally and make him lead a life worse than death!" These few words were slightly louder and the sound of gnashing teeth could be heard. It was obvious how much hatred was in those words.
The other party then chuckled, "Young noble need not be impatient. The Blood Iron Death Troops were all personally trained by the Family Head and all have exceptional martial arts. Furthermore, they don't fear death in the slightest, and they will definitely take care of Ling Tian easily. Even if he has exceptional martial arts, he is still no more than a fragile young noble from an aristocratic family. How would he be able to withstand the bloodlust of the Blood Iron Death Troops? At that time, you will be able to deal with him however you like! I also heard that he even has two country-toppling beauties by his side. Young noble can really enjoy yourself this time… Hahaha…"
XiMen Qing then lecherously laughed, "Six, you are indeed right. Those two lasses are really gorgeous. Heh heh, even though this young noble has seen many ladies before, I've never met two as stunning as them. I'll make that darn Ling Tian wear a green hat even as a ghost. 1 After this young noble has had my taste of them, I won't leave you out. We can let a few more brothers share that b*st*rd's ladies. Hehehe…"
After that, they began to laugh lecherously.
A short while later, XiMen Qing asked, "How much longer will it take for them to reach Sky Bearing? I can't wait for their arrival! You must definitely tie up all loose ends and ensure that no one is left alive."
The one called 'Six' then replied, "According to their current pace, they should arrive at dusk tomorrow at the latest. Rest assured young noble, the ladies will be there waiting for you. As for keeping the matter a secret, you don't need to worry at all. After this batch of Blood Iron Death Troops left, they have already taken the 'Unfettered Celestial Ascending Powder'. When the time arrives, they will immediately ascend into the afterlife and no loose ends will be left behind! There will definitely be no one left to leak out the secret."
XiMen Qing responded with a 'Mmm' as they began to discuss how they would deal with Ling Tian after catching him. With his teeth grit tight, XiMen Qing thought of many possible methods to torture him. The more they came up with the ways to torture Ling Tian, the more excited they grew.
On top of the roof, Ling Tian floated up like a cloud and had returned back into the Heavenly Fragrance Chamber. In the Extreme Joy Pavilion, XiMen Qing was still gleefully discussing their plans, completely unaware of the fact that their plans were already completely exposed.
"XiMen Qing, regardless of how many of your men from the XiMen Family are coming, if I were to let even a single one of you out, this young noble would be letting myself down!" A cold glare gleamed in his eyes as he mumbled to himself. It made Ling Tian completely enraged for XiMen Qing to dare to covet after Ling Chen and Yu BingYan.
Without Yu ManTian creating a mess in the scholarly meeting, the second day of the meeting went much smoother. At the same time, XiMen Qing also acted extremely elegantly, polite in his words and humble in his actions. While he lost to Yu BingYan in painting and lost to Ling Chen to music, XiMen Qing still remained elegant and even praised both the ladies greatly without a trace of humiliation from his defeat on his face. He could be said to be extremely graceful in his bearing.
All the old scholars nodded their heads in praise, thinking about how young noble XiMen was still able to remain humble and calm despite facing many defeats. It was definitely a good show of his splendid mental state. With his calm mental state, he would definitely be able to achieve great things in the scholarly field as long as he continued to persist. Thus, many people praised XiMen Qing greatly.
However, only Ling Tian knew that the reason why this young noble XiMen was able to be so humble and calm was because XiMen Qing thought that Ling Tian would become his plaything by the time night arrived! As for Ling Chen and Yu BingYan, XiMen Qing had already seen them as ladies who he could toy with as he liked. What was the point for him to fight against these ladies?
With regards to XiMen Qing's dreams and imagination, Ling Tian only watched from the side with disdain in his heart. When night arrived, XiMen Qing would know who would be the one to cry.
After lunch, Ling Tian took Ling Chen and Yu BingYan out, purposefully leaving the Smoky Thea Tower.
After roaming a few rounds around the city, they arrived at a large building which was one of the secret gathering spots for the Violent Wind Gang. Ling Tian had already purchased this place many years back as not many people frequented this place due to its deserted location.
When Ling Tian entered, there were already seven to eight people waiting for him. They were Ling Jian and the other five assassins, together with a few managers of the Violent Wind Gang. When they saw Ling Tian enter, they quickly paid their respects to him.
Ling Tian waved his hands and asked, "Have you found Ye BaiFei's resting spot? What did all of you find out about Qian ShuiRou?" As he said that, he sat down in the armchair in the room. After Ye BaiFei and the others from the Blood Slaughter Pavilion fought Ling Tian previously, they had already changed their location.
A middle-aged man, the gang leader of the Violent Wind Gang called LiLin, stood up and said respectfully, "Reporting to young noble, we just received news that Ye BaiFei and gang are staying in a small alley near the Yang residence. The few households there received plenty of silver and shifted out without hesitation. However, Qian ShuiRou is far too mysterious, and we are unable to find anything despite trying our best! May young noble punish us!"
After responding with an 'oh', Ling Tian said, "Qian ShuiRou's organization is extremely mysterious, and it is reasonable for you to be unable to find anything. What is your fault? How many men does Ye BaiFei have? Did anyone else join them?"
LiLin said, "According to the reports from the brothers, their exact quantity is still unsure. However, every one of them is a martial arts expert, and we don't dare to go too near for fear of alerting them. But from the amount of food they are buying every day, there should be thirteen to fourteen of them. Only two of them could be seen coming out every day and the rest of them haven't done anything yet."
"Thirteen to fourteen?" Ling Tian frowned, "So many?"
Ling Jian then said, "Young noble, who cares how many men they have? With young noble present, wiping them out will be no more than just slicing up vegetables. Hehe." His words were full of confidence with Ling Feng and the rest almost jumping in excitement.
Ling Tian then looked at Ling Jian and said, "Do you guys really think that your young noble is invincible? Ling Jian, overconfidence is no longer confidence but arrogance! No matter what, you must never underestimate your opponents. Remember that!" He then smiled, "How could fighting them head-on with our lives on the line be compared to fishing for benefits from the side?"