Chapter 1699 - 525 - 530

Chapter 525: Shui Family Members

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

Seeing Xiao YanXue's look of worry, Ling Tian could not help but be moved in his heart. Then, he suddenly pulled Xiao YanXue over from her horse and gave her a kiss on the cheek. At the same time, he kicked his horse and roared out loudly, "I, Hu HanSan, am back again… " 1

Amid Xiao YanXue's complaining, the two horses gradually disappeared into the distance.

If Li Xue was really mad, the consequences would be dire! Ling Tian knew that someone would definitely be in trouble for sure! This great aunt's methods were truly devious and merciless. Anyone who provoked her would definitely not have a good ending. Ling Jian was cool enough but was toyed with to the point that he almost cried. Ling Chen's status was high enough, but she was still forcefully trained! Even if Ling Tian was around, if he accidentally provoked her, he would definitely be taught a good lesson as well!

A ferocious character like her was one that no one dared to provoke…

In this period of time, the horrendous behavior of the Shui Family members made Li Xue and Ling Chen to be fed up to the extreme. These two women had truly witnessed first hand what the saying 'incapable of accomplishing anything and only capable of ruining things' meant! If not for the fact that the two ladies had to consider the effects these people had on Ling Tian's plans, the two of them would have definitely slaughtered all of the Shui Family members! The two ladies had actually agreed on this point with complete harmony!

At the same time, under the patient guidance of Li Xue, Yu BingYan also had some accomplishment in melding martial arts into painting and painting into martial arts. She was currently in a state of sudden enlightenment and was cultivating in seclusion. It wasn't surprising to see her disappear for a few days, and she was fully focused on her painting and martial arts only. This carefree lifestyle of hers had made both Ling Chen and Li Xue extremely envious.

After Ling Chen and Shui QianRou had fixed the plan in the Courtyard, Shui QianRou excitedly returned to where her Shui Family was residing and gathered her cousins and elders to discuss the matter. After describing the plan of working together with the Ling Family to ambush the returning Yu Family's forces, she never imagined that her three cousins and the six elders were completely disinterested in the matter. It was as though she had been doused with a bucket of water.

"Since both of our families are working together, why won't the Ling Family send any men? If our Shui Family is to be fully in charge of assaulting the Yu Family's troops, wouldn't it be equivalent to working for the Ling Family? Are you trying to trick a little child?!" These were the original words of Shui QianHu.

"Since we are working together, both parties must display their sincerity. On what basis can the Ling Family not send any men but only provide us with information? Do they take us to be blind and deaf, incapable of getting information on our own? Don't they know that we can also send out our scouts? What is the point of working with the Ling Family if they aren't going to contribute anything?" These were Shui QianJiang's words.

"Furthermore, the Ling and Yu Families are in-laws in name, so how would we know if this is just a plan to trap our Shui Family? We have to be extremely cautious at this moment, and it doesn't pay to be careless!" This was Shui QianHai.

"Even if their information is extremely accurate and they have the sincerity to work with us, the Ling Family is only a nouveau riche family that we can wipe out with a snap of our fingers. What right do they have to work with us? Alliance partners? Is their Ling Family even worthy? QianRou, you and your brother made a mistake when deciding to form an alliance with the Ling Family. We are a family that has been around for a thousand years and not any random family is fit to work together with us! The two of you have truly thrown the face of our Shui Family!" This was what a few of the elders said. These old men were obviously still holding onto the former glory of the Shui Family and were unfamiliar with the present circumstance of the world!

Only the fifth elder did not say anything nasty but said in a solemn tone, "We are in the midst of chaotic times and this matter must be discussed further. We cannot make rash decisions."

Shui QianRou felt an endless grief and disappointment. For herself, for the people in front of her, and for the Shui Family! A thousand-year legacy, a thousand years of glory, and a thousand years of stability. Why have things developed to such a state? Why doesn't anyone in the family have any foresight? Why are they all so arrogant and full of themselves? Such a family was far too different from the ideal family that she was loyal to in her heart!

Complete disappointment! This was her only feeling. The Ling Family isn't worthy? Then who is? In truth, probably the Ling Family is the one who has the right to say 'you aren't worth to form an alliance with my Ling Family' in the Heavenly Star Continent. To think that her Shui Family actually had the cheek to say that the Ling Family wasn't worthy. Wasn't that too foolish of them?!

Who was the one who isn't worthy?!

Discuss the matter further? The Yu Family members would retreat in three to five days time! How long were they going to discuss the matter? Discuss the matter until the point where the Yu Family is safely tucked into their beds in Bright Jade City before taking action? What was the point of the mission then? Was it for us to go out and be slaughtered?

The Shui Family had a thousand years of foundation and was the number one family of the Heavenly Wind Continent. When were they reduced to such a state? Was it because they could rule over the Heavenly Wind Continent smoothly without anyone to oppose them? Were they no longer used to forming an alliance of equal status?!

Shui QianRou even heard the suggestion to wait for Ling Tian's safe return to Sky Bearing before talking about an alliance!

When she heard those words, Shui QianRou really felt helpless to the extreme! If they were to wait for Ling Tian to return, perhaps it wouldn't be an alliance anymore but their Shui Family would be toyed with in the palm of Ling Tian's hand from the beginning to the end! At the end of the 'alliance', all of them might end up having to stay behind in Sky Bearing forever!

Was Ling Tian someone who was so easily dealt with?

Admittedly, while the Ling Family did indeed have the upper hand in the current alliance with her Shui Family, the circumstances before them forced them to accept such terms and they were helpless against it. First, their Shui Family troops had to rely on the Ling Family for food, a place to stay, and the concealment of their whereabouts. To put it in a nasty way, if their Shui Family were to leave the Ling Family, even if they had a multitude of martial arts experts, they were blind and deaf in the Heavenly Star Continent! Furthermore, Shui QianRou still needed to rely on the Ling Family to protect her brother, Shui QianHuan. Just based on these two points alone, Shui QianRou was definitely willing to accept slight losses to form this alliance with the Ling Family.

Apart from these two points, there was a third, most important, point. The ones who they were forming an alliance with currently was the Ling Family Courtyard with Ling Chen at the helm. While Ling Chen wasn't someone easy to deal with either, it was still far easier to deal with her than Ling Tian. After all, she was now sworn sisters with Ling Chen and everything could be discussed. Even if she were to suffer some losses, it wouldn't be because of some insidious scheme. Thus, Shui QianRou did indeed wish for Ling Tian's return to be delayed. The moment Ling Tian returned to Sky Bearing, things definitely wouldn't be the same anymore. That person was at least a hundred times more frightening than Ling Chen! Even if that guy went crazy and killed all thousand of their Shui Family troops, Shui QianRou wouldn't be surprised at all.

Ling Tian was someone who had never played his cards in a normal way! At the same time, Shui QianRou had never seen him suffer a loss before!

But when she reported everything to the members of the Shui Family in front of her, including everything that had happened, had not happened, or would possibly happen, they all mocked her for exaggerating the facts to cover up her faults. They still felt that Ling Tian was just the infamous profligate young noble of Sky Bearing…

Seeing the people in front of her talking about the situation of the continent with a face full of confidence, with their spittle flying in all directions and ambition oozing out of their every action, Shui QianRou's final glimmer of hope disappeared completely. At this moment, this strong and stubborn lady felt an endless despair and helplessness!

Just when Shui QianRou felt tired of all this and wanted to leave the premise quietly, Shui QianHu looked towards her with a profound look. "Younger sister Rou, I heard that this number one profligate young master in Sky Bearing is extremely charming and has an exceptional elegance. I wonder if this is truly the case?"

Shui QianRou looked at him and replied emotionlessly, "What does second cousin mean by that?"

Shui QianHu chuckled and a look of mockery could be seen in his eyes, "I heard that younger sister Rou had met young noble Ling Tian on multiple occasions and hated the fact that you did not know him earlier. The two of you would usually talk through the night and were inseparable like glue. I believe that younger sister Rou must be very worried about him upon hearing the news that he is being chased by the Martial Order Medallion owner," Shui QianHu said with an eccentric tone.

Shui QianRou raised her head up and retorted, "Rubbish!" At the same time, tears began welling up in her eyes. For the family, I did so many things that went against my conscience and even personally attempted to assassinate my beloved man. On top of that, I even plotted against his family and was scolded by him in my face while witnessing his killing intent and hatred for me. The rift between the two of them had fractured to the point it was irreversible, and all of this filled Shui QianRou with despair and grief. The only thing that kept her going was the loyalty towards her family! However, to think that someone from her family would actually accuse her in such a manner?!

A trace of jealousy could be seen in Shui QianJiang's eyes as he said coldly, "Nonsense? Younger sister Rou, we must have struck your sore spot right? For you to be so stubborn about working with that small and insignificant family as well as how you fought so hard for the benefits of the Ling Family, do you already treat yourself as a member of the Ling Family? Are you trying to be a virtuous daughter-in-law of the Ling Family?"

Shui QianRou was angered to the point her body began trembling and her eyes turned red. "Shui QianJiang! The lot of you better not malign me! I have always been open and upright in my actions and I would never be so despicable as to betray the family!"

"Despicable? Hahaha…" Shui QianHuan laughed evilly, "This matter has already spread throughout the family in Heavenly Wind and there isn't anyone unaware about this matter! You also know that this is a despicable action? How can you even have the face to say those words? Just how much energy and resources did the family exhaust to groom you for the past ten-plus years? How many precious medicines and herbs did the family use to raise your strength? Now that your wings are fully grown and you have found a groom do you remember what it means to betray the family? Do you dare to say that you aren't fond of that profligate Ling Tian?!"

"My heart has not changed, and I have never done anything that betrayed the interests of the family! I, Shui QianRou, swear to the heaven that if I did anything that betrayed the family, I will be willing to face the family punishment of being torn apart by five horses and die a horrible death!"

"Hahaha… what a good oath! You are the daughter of the present family head. When would the punishment of being torn apart by five horses be used on you? You actually dare to take out such a pitiful oath to scare us! Shui QianRou, why don't you dare to answer my answer directly. Do you know that your current words are extremely despicable?"

Chapter 526: Unceasing Power Struggles

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

"You guys… you guys are spouting nonsense!" Shui QianRou's maid, Die'er, finally rushed out. "The little princess has suffered so much torture under Ling Tian just for our family and received so much suffering. But you guys cannot even separate good from bad, and berate her as such! Where is your conscience? Are you people still human?!" Die'er felt her entire body tremble from rage, pointing at Shui QianGang and the rest. Her eyes were already bloodshot with anger as she spewed nonstop.

"Audacious! This is an internal family meeting, and the decisions are made by the family members! Just who do you think you are! A mere servant girl dares to raise her voice here, does this place have room for you to talk? Come, men, drag her out and beat her to death!" Shui QianHu scolded in agitation. Never in his dreams would he think that a mere servant girl would have the audacity to point at his nose and scold him, was she tired of living?!

'Who dares?!" Shui QianRou stepped forward at this time, protecting Die'er as she raised her own voice, "She's my maid, since when was it your turn to lecture her? Shui QianHu, what you do you think you are?!"

"I'm nothing at all, but still better than that babbling slut over there! Just based on how your subordinates dare to be so unbridled, there's nothing much that can be said for you as well. Why, do you think you're qualified to lecture me?" Shui QianHu snarled, slapping the table as he stood up!

"You're right, you're nothing at all actually. Just based on what you have, how would I even bother to deal with you? If you really wish to seek death, then this lady here will grant you your wish! If you want to touch my maid, just you Shui QianHu, you're not worthy!" Shui QianRou did not give in at all, a fire blazing in her eyes.

Shui QianHu laughed out maliciously, "You think I'm scared? Bring it on! We'll compare our moves!"

The two of them drew their swords from their sheath and moved out towards the courtyard.

A fight with their lives on the line!

"Presumptuous! Are all of you rebelling?!" The First Elder slapped the table in anger. "Creating such a fuss, whatever is next?! Do you guys still place this old man in your eyes?!"

With this shout, both fighters stopped completely but still continued to stare daggers at each other, just like cocks fighting for dominance.

"Hmph! Shui QianHuan was mediocre and incompetent, causing our hidden forces of over a decade to be completely uprooted by our millennium-long enemies. He himself even barely survived by a fluke. To think that this trash of a sister is even better, to curry favor to her love, she even sold out the entire Shui Family! You brother and sister pair are really geniuses!" On one side, Shui QianJiang spoke with a weird tone, attempting to fan the flames.

"All shut your mouths for this old man!" The First Elder yelled once again. "Did we travel over a thousand miles to here just to hear you guys quarrel?! Bickering like children, how scandalous, how are you people showing to others the bearing of an aristocrat?!"

"Then I would like to seek advice from First Elder. Since your honorable self mentioned that you have traveled a long distance to reach here, then if I may be so bold, what is the purpose of all of you traveling across the oceans to here? You do not wish to go against the Yu Family, and yet also do not wish to work with the Ling Family. As such, what is the purpose of you people coming over to Heavenly Star? Why come to Sky Bearing?" Shui QianRou almost wanted to cry out in anger, but she held back her tears, forcing out the words.

The First Elder indifferently glanced at Shui QianRou, snorting before he spoke, "We'll definitely go against the Yu Family in time, and as for working with the Ling Family, I cannot just take it based on your words. The matter is too serious, and I have to personally meet with the people in command of the Ling Family. We will have to revise the collaboration. Just based on the previous method you've detailed, our Shui Family will never be able to accept such a humiliating cooperation, without benefits!"

Shui QianRou's heart turned cold at this moment, and she despairingly replied, "First Elder's words mean that you do not believe in QianRou anymore? The family is rejecting my proposal now?"

A callous reply greeted her, "This old man did not mean it that way, but now that I'm responsible for all the manpower in Sky Bearing, and also the one in command, I have to ensure the safety of our people as well as their benefits. I cannot let them sacrifice themselves blindly, as a dowry for others!"

Shui QianHai shouted out joyously, "First Elder is indeed a person of virtue and moral standing, treating everyone partially. What a good 'not willing to sacrifice themselves as dowry for others', this is really apt!"

"Hehehe…" Shui QianRou was already angered to the extreme, but instead started laughing, coldly replying, "Since that's the case, then I'll inform the Ling Family Courtyard and tell them that for the cooperation between us, my brother and I are completely pulling out. From today onwards, this brother and sister will wash our hands of any matters! And we'll immediately return back to the Heavenly Wind Continent, never to come to Heavenly Star again!"

"Impossible!" Shui QianJiang rejected flatly, "Who would know whether you have anyone hidden among us already? You can choose not to talk or express your opinions, but you and Shui QianHuan are not allowed to leave! The majority of us came because of your so-called proposal, so at this moment, you want to absolve yourself of all your problems by leaving? How can it be so simple?"

"Not just that, for the cooperation previously, it was between you and the Ling Family Courtyard. However, now that we're here, we want to work with the entire Ling Family, and not just some Ling Family Courtyard! Don't think that any Tom, Dick, or Harry has the qualifications to work with us just because they want to. The small Courtyard doesn't have that ability! Even the Ling Family can only serve as our subordinates, and for them to do so is already a great honor!" Shui QianHai hooted.

"Up to you guys then, whatever the case, I'll wash my hands of it." Shui QianRou stood up, weary in body and soul. She looked at them in despair as she turned to leave.

"Stop! Where do you think you're going?" Shui QianHu stretched out an arm, ready to obstruct her.

Shui QianRou immediately lashed out, "I wish to return to my room to rest, do I need your permission? Are you going to bind me up in chains? Shui QianHu, get the f**k off!" Shui QianRou had already reached her limits, and boundless pressure was released from her body. She could no longer control her temper, and if Shui QianHu spoke yet another word, she would not hesitate to cripple this idiot where he stood!

Feeling her immense strength, everyone present stared at her with some astonishment. Shui QianJiang smirked and replied, "So long as Sister Rou does not run around, then how would we dare to track you? QianHu, let her go."

Shui QianHu consented and moved aside. Shui QianRou only coldly snorted at them, before leaving with her head held high. Behind her, the rest exchanged glances in delight, as though celebrating their success in this first battle.

Shui QianRou rushed towards her brother's room in a temper. At the entrance, a grave and stern youth in black smiled as he watched her come over, and remarked, "The Shui Family is really enthusiastic."

It was none other than Ling Chi!

Shui QianRou, however, ignored him and went straight inside, while Die'er glared at Ling Chi, nastily replying, "Watched a good show right? If it wasn't for your good young noble, how would our Miss suffer such injustice?"

Ling Chi was taken aback, and could only awkwardly laugh to cover up, "I didn't watch, I merely listened, and it was quite the good show. Wait, what has this got to do with my young noble? Watch where you bite!" Suddenly a yelp was heard, as that little lass suddenly launched herself towards Ling Chi in anger, taking a good bite out of Ling Chi's arm.

"Dammit, I only said that in passing, must you really bite! Are you a dog?!" Ling Chi exasperatedly shook her off and saw a row of obvious bite marks on his arm. The pain made him take a cold breath, and seeing Die'er delightedly walk into the room, Ling Chi made up his mind to go report to his Sister Chen when he returned, to deploy another here… he had enough!

From the room came the suppressed sobbing of Shui QianRou. Strong-willed she might be, she was still a lady, and to suddenly have all the suspicion and distrust of her family on her, doubting her blood and sweat, it was all too heavy for her. As such, the moment she saw the face of her brother, she could take it no longer, and poured it all out.

Shui QianHuan coughed in agitation, planning to push his body to seek revenge on those who humiliated his sister. He was already seriously injured, and with the invasion of bacteria along with the constant jeering and humiliation he received, even with the meticulous care from a doctor, his body was deteriorating. Today, under his anger, he nearly couldn't catch his breath and coughed repeatedly for quite a while. Most likely, he was going to cough out blood again.

Shui QianRou lost her composure at the scene, ignoring her own sadness to comfort her brother. She constantly soothed his chest, and it was only after a long while did he finally show signs of calming down. She did not dare to talk about her own grievances any longer, choosing the time when she was alone to shed tears silently. She grieved that while the world was wide, with so many people around her, there was actually no one to lend her a shoulder.

Upon thinking about Ling Tian, that sweetheart yet destined foe, she felt even more of a heartache. While she liked him very much, how could she deal with him not having any feelings towards her? Oh heavens! What should she do?!

On the second day, Shui QianHu and the rest swaggered over to the Ling Family in Sky Bearing, wanting to look for Old Master Ling Zhan to negotiate about collaboration and to the point of making the Ling Family their subordinate family. In their thoughts, Old Master Ling should have fallen to the ground in gratitude, bowing deeply to welcome them!

However, things did not go according to their wishes. Not only did they not manage to see the Old Master, they had to talk to the Old Madam who greeted them with a cold expression the whole time. She only clearly spoke one sentence: that the current Ling Family had handed all the authority over to Ling Tian and Ling Family Courtyard. The Ling Residence within the capital was just a place for them to live their remaining days in peace and quiet. After finished her piece, the Old Madam did not even wait for them to talk but sent them off immediately.

Seeing the look of the Ling Family residence, they also understood that the base of operations was now in the Ling Family Courtyard. Thus they could only slink out in defeat. They actually thought of looking for Grand Marshall Ling Xiao, but they were only told that Ling Xiao had gone on a military campaign instead.

This was a situation where when the house has a leaky roof, there would definitely be a torrential downpour! The dejected group actually met a group of Yu Family warriors on their way back, and both sides fought with injuries and deaths. Even Shui QianHu had been slashed once on his arm with a sword, almost turning him into a cripple. It was only by a fluke he managed to escape. When they returned to report, the elders then realized that Shui QianRou's statement might not be false at all, and could only then send an invite over to the Ling Family Courtyard, requesting for the commander to talk terms with them.

Chapter 527: Parting on Bad Terms

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

With regards to the Shui Family, both Ling Chen and Li Xue were extremely displeased. However, on account of the fact that the Shui Family members had come here from afar, the two ladies discussed for a moment before choosing to give the Shui Family some face.

That day, Li Xue, Ling Chen, and the fully recovered Ling Jian went together. It could be said to be giving Shui QianRou a great deal of face. However, before the negotiations even began, Ling Jian had almost drawn his sword to kill! Both parties had fallen out with each other!

It was for no other reason other than the three Shui brothers being unable to control themselves when they saw that the partners of their cooperation were actually two country-toppling beauties like Ling Chen and Li Xue! After finally being able to control themselves, they could not help but begin flirting. The three brothers felt that with their status as a Shui Family member, coming from one of the two greatest families on the three continents, cooperating with the Ling Family was already far beneath their status. Now that they had their eyes on the Ling Chen and Li Xue, with the difference between their status, wouldn't getting those two ladies be as easy as beckoning their fingers?

As such, the words of the three Shui brothers were extremely frivolous and they even showed signs of wanting to put their hands on them. Before Li Xue or Ling Chen could blow up, Ling Jian who followed them there flew into a rage! With a single slap, he sent the most arrogant Shui QianHu flying and made him lose a few of his teeth. Before Shui QianHu could get back up, Ling Jian stepped on him and pressed him onto the ground. According to Ling Jian's intention, Shui QianHu should just be executed!

After both parties did all they could to dissuade Ling Jian, they finally managed to save Shui QianHu's wretched life. However, it was already impossible for both parties to talk about cooperation at this moment and they parted on bad terms. Before the Shui brothers left, Ling Jian had shouted out arrogantly, "If you guys still want to talk about a cooperation, it is best for all of you to behave obediently! If you guys don't want to talk about a cooperation, then scram out of Sky Bearing quickly!"

Before the three Shui brothers could even retort against what Ling Jian had said, Ling Jian made a new decision: The Ling Family would not be in charge of the meals and accommodations of the Shui Family! Every member of the Shui Family must pay fifty taels of silver for food and accommodation! If they couldn't afford it then they should scram!

Just when the Shui Family members had flared up in anger and a huge fight was about to break out, the world famous First Pavilion Head unsheathed his sword and diced up a gigantic tree 100 feet away into a pile of firewood! He then raised his sword towards the Shui Family members and glared at them coldly!

The Shui Family members immediately went silent from fear! Especially Shui QianHu who had just escaped death felt thankful in his heart. If not for the fact that he was injured by Ling Jian, he would have definitely struggled and at that time, he would have probably turned into firewood!

While there were many experts of the Shui Family who came this time, not a single one of them could match Ling Jian's attainment of the sword! The might of this sword had completely stunned the Shui Family members!

Then, this world-famous assassin pointed his sword at the three Shui brothers and said arrogantly, "If you guys want to continue this discussion, pick another date and be sure to behave obediently! If you guys don't want to continue this discussion, pay up and scram! If anyone of you dares to look at the two ladies in a lecherous way or flirt with them, this daddy here doesn't mind cutting off their tongue or gouging out their eyeballs!"

Facing Ling Jian's majestic might, all the members of the Shui Family including the six elders became extremely obedient and did not dare to even display a trace of anger… Their previous arrogance was also completely thrown out of the window…

Before they came to their senses, Ling Jian had already escorted the two Misses away!

Ling Jian's actions were undeniably extremely refreshing to Shui QianRou! Seeing the pitiful appearance of her three cousins, Shui QianRou felt overjoyed as she gloated over their demise. It had taken her all the strength she had to prevent herself from bursting out laughing.

With their prestige no more and face all gone, the Shui Family members silently went back to their temporary residence. Despite it being a short one-hour meeting, this short hour had given them an unbelievable amount of shock!

Who would have thought that the Ling Family that they had always looked down upon as a third-rate aristocratic family would have an expert at such a level? This was something that they had never imagined! The single sword strike that Ling Jian had just displayed was far too shocking. Such martial arts and such swordplay was something that even their thousand-year-old family would find difficult to match. In the eyes of Shui QianHu, Shui QianJiang and the other elders, Ling Jian's martial arts were at the level of the Shui Family's top-notch experts. If they wanted to find someone capable of suppressing Ling Jian, probably only their number one expert of the family, Shui WuBo, would be able to do so!

Shui WuBo was the number one elder in the Shui Family and was at the peak of Heavenly Wind. In his lifetime he rarely found a match and had never tasted defeat before. Even the Yu Family also listed Shui WuBo as the most dangerous person of the Shui Family, with the level of danger he posed being above the current Family Head of the Shui Family, Shui ManKong! If not for the fact that Shui WuBo didn't desire the authority of the Family Head and only indulged in martial arts, the position of the Family Head would have changed hands by now!

Another flaw of this person was that he was extremely overprotective! He did everything based on what he liked and there was no such thing as logic to him. As long as he liked someone, even if the person was incompetent, he would still support the person fully!

It was also because of such an existence in the Shui Family that the elders in the Shui Family would act in an extreme unbridled fashion. It was also because of him that the two younger brothers of the current Family Head were able to bring the other elders onto their side and build up a faction to oppose Shui ManKong! Especially during this period of time when Shui QianHuan and Shui QianRou failed in their mission and lost many men in Heavenly Star. The three brothers used some unknown method to gain the favor of Shui WuBo and sowed discord between the two factions, resulting in the internal fracture of the Shui Family and the loss of authority of the Family Head. This was also the reason for the three Shui brothers arrival.

Even if Shui WuBo is the number one expert of the Shui Family and was able to suppress all of their enemies singlehandedly allowing their Shui Family to rule over Heavenly Wind, there were still detriments because of his presence. As long as he supported someone and displayed favor towards anyone, a large storm would definitely result because of that. Take this time for an example, just because he looked at the three Shui brothers with favor, the upper echelons of the Shui Family began breaking into factions and the strength of the Shui Family began to weaken! Of course, this was something that Shui QianHu and his brothers would never realize. They would only be delighted in the fact that they gained the favor of this ancestor.

Upon personally witnessing how the Ling Family Courtyard had such a powerful strength, these few elders were naturally dumbfounded! The moment they returned to their residence, the first thing that the first elder did was to summon Shui QianRou.

"Princess Rou, is the teen who appeared today the spokesperson of the Ling Family, Ling Tian? He does indeed live up to the name of being a demon and is outstanding indeed!" Recalling the killing intent that the teen gave off, the First Elder still felt a lingering fear in his heart. But if this youth was Ling Tian, then everything would make sense.

"No, Ling Tian is still being chased around by the Martial Order Medallion owner Justice, and isn't in Sky Bearing at the moment." Shui QianRou shook her head, "The youth that you just saw is Ling Jian. He is Ling Tian's number one subordinate and has an extremely high martial arts attainment. However, he rarely shows his face and I have mostly only heard of him and rarely saw him. Perhaps the Ling Family viewed this cooperation highly and thus sent him to meet us!"

At the same time, Shui QianRou felt doubtful in his heart. The last time she saw him was when they were in the Smoky Thea Tower and his martial arts definitely weren't at such a level. How could he achieve such a huge improvement in his martial arts in just a short few months? It was as though they were two different people.

"Oh, I never imagined that such an expert would appear in the small Ling Family. We must reevaluate the strength of the Ling Family after today. Perhaps it is time for us to reexamine the cooperation with the Ling Family and there may be a large hope for it to be successful." The First Elder then pondered for a moment before saying slowly, "How do Ling Tian's martial arts compare to this Ling Jian?"

Shui QianRou began comparing both of them in her heart before saying carefully, "Based on my observations, Ling Tian's martial arts should be on par with his or even slightly stronger. However, he wouldn't be too much stronger"

The First Elder was shocked. "Does princess mean that Ling Tian isn't any weaker than Ling Jian and may even be superior?!"

"Ling Tian's martial arts attainment is extremely high. Even if he isn't superior to this Ling Jian, they would definitely be on par. Just based on the fact that he was able to emerge victorious in an army of a million people, his strength can be easily imagined!" Shui QianRou said with certainty.

The First Elder nodded his head with agreement. This was more reasonable. For Ling Jian to have such martial arts prowess at his young age, it would be akin to a miracle in any other families. Even in the Shui Family, there wasn't a genius like Ling Jian at all. If Ling Tian who had not appeared yet had martial arts far above Ling Jian, then it would be far too bewildering and illogical.

"Based on Princess Rou's views, what kind of an attitude should we take with regards to the cooperation with the Ling Family?" At this moment, the First Elder realized that Shui QianRou's words were extremely likely to be true and she, in fact, downplayed the strength of the Ling Family. If they were able to work together with the Ling Family, it would definitely be a joyous occasion. However, it was too late for regrets now and they could only attempt to salvage the situation. With regards to how they should salvage the situation, Shui QianRou who had the most contact with the Ling Family was undoubtedly the most suitable to voice her opinion. Thus, the tone which he used to question Shui QianRou was extremely gentle and humble.

"Cooperation?" Shui QianRou chuckled, "First Elder really knows how to joke. Do you think we are still able to cooperate with them at this moment? The three young noble Shui offended two of Ling Tian's beloved women and his most trusted aide in the first meeting. With Ling Tian being absent, everything in the Courtyard is determined by both Ling Jian and Ling Chen! Their daggers were already drawn after today! The present situation is extremely disastrous and if I were to be honest, it would be a good outcome if we do not suffer an attack from the Ling Family after today. Don't you think that it is a big joke for us to talk about cooperation under such circumstances?"

"Shui QianRou! What do you mean by that?" Shui QianJiang stood up in anger, "Before today, all of us didn't know their status either. Furthermore, it is the dream of all men to chase after a beautiful lady. What is wrong with us displaying our affection? Furthermore, we didn't know that they were Ling Tian's women before this. If the Ling Family acts in such a petty manner and uses this excuse to not cooperate with our Shui Family, it only goes to show their lack of sincerity!"

Shui QianHai by the side also began jeering, "That's right! Furthermore, why didn't you inform us about the Ling Family's strength in the first place and allow us to misjudge the strength of the Ling Family? The outcome today is a result of that and you cannot escape blame for sure!" After pausing for a while, Shui QianHai seemed to have thought of something and growled ferociously, "Perhaps you had your own insidious intent! You did that on purpose!"

Chapter 528: Utility

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

Shui QianRou immediately blew up. "Didn't I explain everything clearly before all of you set off?! I even explained who was coming and what their status was! Before all of you even set foot onto the continent, all of you should have known that Ling Chen was Ling Tian's woman and the spokesperson of the Ling Family Courtyard. However, all of you guys felt that you were descendants of an aristocratic family and looked down on others, completely ignoring what I had said. At the most important moment, you were overwhelmed by your lust and performed such actions that disgraced the family. At the end of the day, you even have the guts to blame me for the matter? Turning black into white, pathetic!"

After taking a few heavy breaths, Shui QianRou looked at the two of them coldly, "If you were to put yourself in Ling Tian's shoes and Ling Chen was your wife, would you allow anyone else to lay their eyes on her?" There was another thing that Shui QianRou didn't say: If Ling Tian was present, the three of you would probably be in pieces by now. How would you guys be able to sit here and talk to me so comfortably?!

Shui QianJiang rolled his eyes and said unreasonably, "Our Shui Family went with the utmost sincerity when going into this negotiation, but the Ling Family actually dared to treat us in such a manner and even heavily injured younger brother Hu! They obviously do not have any sincerity to work with us! They also did not give us any face and even want to collect 50,000 taels of silver every day! Do they think we are fools? We must definitely let the Ling Family pay in blood for this humiliation!"

Shui QianRou rolled her eyes and sneered, "No sincerity? The three people in the Ling Family with the highest authority arrived at the meeting together. Is this considered sincerity?! Face? Face is something that is given but you threw it away yourself! If not for someone being unable to control his hands, would he have been seriously injured? Paying them back in blood? If you are capable, go and seek Ling Jian on your own! When you are outside, you didn't even dare to say a single word but are acting in such a majestic manner the moment you are back home! Shui QianJiang, you truly have guts! If you have the ability, go and find Ling Jian to make him pay in blood right now. I definitely won't stop you from doing that. Why aren't you going?! If you dare to go, I will definitely clap my hands in admiration!"

"As for the silver, this was something that the Ling Family did not mention at all previously. If not for the three of you frustrating them, do you think that the Ling Family could be bothered with this little bit of silver? The total value of the products they are allowing the Yu Family to sweep up in this operation is 1,000,000 taels of silver at the very least! However, you guys have chosen to provoke the Ling Family and they have now drawn a line with us! Lest someone turns foolishly conceited and does not even know what their surname is!"

Shui Qian Jiang's face turned red instantly as he retorted, "What kind of a status do I have? How can I negotiate with a servant of some third-grade family? Wouldn't it be too far below my status? In the whole Ling Family, only the spokesperson of the Ling Family, Ling Tian, would be a match for my status."

"Hahaha…" Shui QianRou was angered to the point she began laughing. "Since all of your statuses are far above theirs and you guys looked down on them from the start, why do you want to work together with them right now? Why can't all of you just settle everything on your own? What is the point of cooperating with the Ling Family? Why do you still have to look for me? What kind of ideas could I possibly have?"

"Enough!" The First Elder roared with impatience, "All of you can continue arguing after we take care of the Yu Family! What is the point of us fighting among ourselves? Is there any meaning to doing that? What we should be thinking about now is how we can cooperate with the Ling Family again! How can we continue cooperating with them under such circumstances? If we cannot continue this cooperation with them, could it be that we are going to go back empty handed?"

The moment the First Elder mentioned returning empty handed the arguing parties had shut up immediately. This time, even Shui QianJiang and the rest understood that after witnessing the strength of the Ling Family, cooperating with the Ling Family was the most beneficial action for them! If the Ling Family were to reject the cooperation with the Shui Family, their Shui Family would only be left with two options. They could either launch an all-out attack and take over all of the Ling Family's forces or they could leave in defeat. There wasn't a third option for them!

However, was it possible for them to even take over the Ling Family? Was it possible? Was it realistic?

In actual fact, all the members of the Shui Family who had come to Heavenly Star came with such an intention. Wouldn't it be an easy matter for them to capture a small third-rate family?

But after witnessing the splendor of Ling Jian's sword, all of them were woken up from their daydream! What a joke, with such an expert present in the Ling Family, it would be extremely good if the Ling Family did not try to swallow them. How could they even think about swallowing the forces of the Ling Family? This plan of theirs had naturally died in their hearts.

But to leave in defeat? Wouldn't the lot of them become a big joke? This would be even worse than Shui QianHuan's failure! Traveling more than ten thousand miles and returning without doing anything? If the three of them were to do that, their status as a prospective successor would probably be taken away as well! On top of that, their outcome would definitely be far worse than Shui QianHuan. At the very least, Shui QianHuan had fought and had been seriously injured! As for the three of them, they did not even do a single thing! Well, it wasn't accurate to say that they did not do a single thing. They had offended a 'third-rate' family in Heavenly Star! While it wasn't really a big deal, the only problem was the fact that this 'third-rate' family had at least one expert at the level of Shui WuBo!

Furthermore, their old enemy was still watching them ferociously from the side! Even if they wanted to leave the continent, they wouldn't necessarily be able to leave the continent safely…

In fact, if they were to think about it carefully, the Yu Family was an existence on the same level as their Shui Family. However, even the Yu Family did not think about swallowing the Ling Family but only dared to take a bunch of silver and gold when they left. How could an outsider like them possibly rule over Sky Bearing so easily?!

However, even if they were to realize all of these right now, was there even a meaning to it?

"Now that things have developed to such a point, this old man can only throw this old face of mine and make a personal trip to the Ling Family Courtyard. Princess Rou, can I request for you to accompany me? The matters of the Family are still the most important! Can I hope for Princess to put aside your prejudice for the time being?!" The First Elder let out a long sigh and rolled his eyes at the three Shui brothers. If not for these three useless disciples, how would they be placed in such a difficult position and have to lower their pride?

"QianRou is willing to listen to elder's instructions and place our family's benefits above all else." Shui QianRou said helplessly. At the same time, she also felt elated in her heart. If she could make use of this opportunity to suppress the three Shui brothers and make some contribution to the family, her family might overlook to mistakes of her brother when they return. At the very least, she would be able to help her father reduce the pressure that he was facing.

...

In the secret chamber of the Ling Family Courtyard, four people were standing there with an odd expression on their faces. Of the four of them, three of the girls were looking at Ling Jian with a look like they had a headache. However, Ling Jian's expression looked extremely innocent and he even had a self-righteous look on his face!

Finally, Ling Chen let out a sigh and shook her head helplessly. "What do you guys think about the matters today? Do you think that it is necessary for us to salvage matters?!"

Ling Jian chuckled and said in a cool manner, "There is no need to think about anything! Why is there a need to salvage the situation?! Settling them all with a single sword is the right way to take care of these scums! Lest young noble gets frustrated when he sees them."

Ling Chen, Yu BingYan and Li Xue looked at each other with the urge to give Ling Jian a kick to the face.

Yu BingYan had just left her seclusion and naturally wasn't clear about what had just happened. She only understood the rough situation through the description of the other two girls. She then shook her head and said, "I believe that the Shui Family would not accept a cooperation under such circumstances. As a thousand-year-old family, they would have the prestige and pride of a thousand-year-old family. Now that the Shui Family had fallen out with the Ling Family, how would they put down their pride and work together with the Ling Family again? I think that it is best for us to make preparations to prepare for the Shui Family's revenge."

"Not necessarily!" Ling Chen and Li Xue shook their heads, "While Ling Jian's action was a little rash today, even if Ling Jian could suppress his anger, the two of us would have taken action for sure! With the performance of those three b*st*rds, it was inevitable for the meeting to fail. Thus, Ling Jian did not do anything wrong and it was definitely necessary."

Ling Chen nodded her head, "That's right, what Ah'Jian did wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The only reason why the Shui Family dared to act in such an unbridled manner is because they did not understand our strength and thus did not respect us. Ah'Jian's action would not ruin matters but only increase the chips we have to bargain with the Shui Family. This is something extremely beneficial to us! The Shui Family will certainly not retreat but there is something that Ah'Jian is wrong about."

"What thing?" Ling Jian said gloomily.

"You said that the young noble would be frustrated because of them. This is where you are wrong." Ling Chen said with a smile.

Li Xue never imagined that Ling Chen would have the same thoughts as her and burst out laughing, "That's right. If Tian'ge returns and sees the three Shui brothers, he will definitely be overjoyed."

Yu BingYan pondered for a moment and finally understood what the two girls meant. "Two elder sisters are trying to say that these three despicable fellows are still of some worth?"

"That's right!" Ling Chen and Li Xue replied together and said with a weird laugh, "To the Shui Family, these three fellows will be incapable of accomplishing anything and will only ruin everything. But to us, the three of them are extremely rare commodities."

Ling Jian snorted and was a little bit depressed, "Wouldn't it be easier to kill them with a single sword… isn't it better than going around in circles? Didn't young noble say that one should reason with the size of his fist?"

Ling Chen glared at Ling Jian, "You only know how to fight and kill. Young noble said many other things. Why aren't you talking about his other sayings? How many times did young noble warn you to use your brain? Why are you still a boorish brute?!"

Ling Jian grunted and said, "Talking about coming up with plans and scheming, young noble would naturally be stronger than anyone in the world. Furthermore, there is still the few of you and that villain Meng LiGe to come up with schemes for the young noble. I am only the young noble's sharpest sword and I will do whatever the young noble commands. I will kill whoever the young noble asks me to kill. The only thing I am concerned about is whether or not I am able to complete my mission and not how I should complete my mission! I do not need to care about the process of the mission either! Young noble had once said that everyone needs to find their own position and my position would be to slaughter!"

Chapter 529: Unexpected

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Li Xue's eyes brightened. She carefully scrutinized and reevaluated Ling Jian, a look of praise in her eyes. All along, she had thought that Ling Jian was just a person with an ice-cold expression. Wherever he appeared, it would be accompanied by bloodshed, and he never stopped to question nor to plan any sort of conspiracy. His only thought was just to follow the direction that Ling Tian decided for him, to annihilate, to destroy!

Thus, Li Xue had always thought that Ling Jian was merely a martial arts warrior, successfully becoming an assassin at the peak. She never thought that this was Ling Jian's plan for himself all along! Only now did Li Xue find out that she had seriously underestimated this fellow. Ling Jian's intelligence lay in the fact that he had pinpointed what position he should take for himself. By all rights he could have taken over Ling Chen's current position, becoming the number two in power within the Ling Family Courtyard and Ling Tian's strategists. However, he chose to silently hide within the shadows, doing what he did best, not stepping out of line!

While doing this might give him a lot of limitations, the benefit in doing so was that Ling Tian would never suspect Ling Jian! Anyone except him! This was the intelligence of Ling Jian!

Ling Chen's eyes also lit up, reevaluating this brotherly figure whom she grew up with, a look of admiration in her eyes.

Just as everyone within the secret chamber was in deep thought, there came the sound of knocking from outside as a guard announced the presence of the Shui Family's great elder as well as the princess Shui QianRou. The three women shared a smile, and Li Xue lazily stood up, saying, "Sister BingYan, let's go see how much your painting has improved!" Yu BingYan burst out into giggles and the two women escaped without a trace.

Ling Chen and Ling Jian faced each other with a bitter smile, knowing that they were once again going to be the scapegoats for doing hard labor. Looking in the direction that Li Xue was escaping, Ling Jian angrily replied, "She sure runs fast, and this isn't the first time!"

Ling Chen sighed instead, "Why would she not run? I would if I had the chance."

Ling Jian rolled his eyes at her in response, "How about Ling Dian accompany you then? I… too do not wish to see that elder. I'm afraid that I'll kill him if my temper gets too riled up."

Only to be met with a glare from her, "Your meaning is to say that you want to escape too? No way, this matter was caused by you. Want to run? There's no free lunch in this world." Ling Jian could only sigh in defeat.

In the main hall, Ling Chen sweetly received her guests, while Ling Jian with a sour 'poker face' stood behind her without a word, but to the elder himself, the pressure he exuded was unbearable.

Regarding the cooperation between the two parties, while Ling Chen was extremely courteous, she was also just as unyielding! Her terms and conditions were still as before when she had stated them, maybe even harsher. She had affirmed the words which Ling Jian had spoken, which was that the Ling Family would not be responsible for the supply of food to the Shui Family and that they had to fork out fifty taels of silver per head per day. Furthermore, any injuries would be borne by themselves.

After Ling Chen had finished speaking, Ling Jian had suddenly coldly interjected with another sentence: That if the Shui Family wanted a collaboration, then they would proceed in this direction. If they had any other objections then both parties could walk their own separate ways. In addition, Ling Jian had emphasized, that the three idiots had better not appear in front of him again, or else...

As for whom the three idiots were, everyone was extremely clear on that.

This conclusion made the First Elder of the Shui Family seethe in anger, but having to stifle it. Even after living for a good half of this life, he had never been forced to stifle down so much resentment! If he had known of this, then he would have just left everything to Shui QianRou to settle. At least with their previous agreement, they would not have eaten such a great loss!

In the end, both parties decided that once the Yu Family's people withdrew from Sky Bearing, it would then be the time for both families to take action! At that time, the Ling Family would update Shui QianRou. And furthermore, they would only accept the cooperation under the leadership of Shui QianRou. As for the others, sorry about it, they could not be trusted!

After going round in so many circles, the authority once again landed in QianRou's hands. This let many of the Elders feel like puking blood! However, since matters had reached this point, the circumstances of the situation could not be changed by man, and they could only pinch their noses in distaste and accept this decision.

The happiest person within this was, of course, Shui QianRou. The flourishing feelings within their sworn sister relationship were something she could naturally feel. As for the cooperation this time, Shui QianRou had even more of an assurance than before.

Just as the discussion on collaboration was going on, Shui QianJiang's group was also carrying out their own operation. And it was this precise action that made Shui QianRou unable to live in the same sky as these three brothers!

After seeing how the great elder and Shui QianRou walked out in succession, the three brothers had started to feel indignant. If they were to continue to let the current state of affairs continue, then even if they were to move against the Yu Family now, in the end all the credit would fall to Shui QianRou. In the worst case, the family might even pursue their internal friction and assign the blame as the fault of their three brothers. The more they thought about it, the angrier they got, and they began to scold out loud. From Shui QianRou, they scolded to the Ling Family, and from the Ling Family, they scolded back down to Shui QianRou!

Sitting with his back towards the trunk of a blossoming tree in the courtyard, Ling Chi suddenly heard the cursing sounds coming from their room. The content of their cursing made him flare up in rage, wanting to take action personally and kill off those three idiots. However, his mind whirred, and the corners of his lips curled up into a strange smile as he took deliberate steps towards the room where Shui QianHuan was recuperating. Upon opening the door, he was greeted with a pungent medical smell. Shui Seven was busy decocting medicine for Shui QianHuan, while the young noble was still lying on his bed, breathing heavily with his face pale as paper. Even after such a long time, his internal injuries had not seemed to have recovered for the better. This only served to make this rising star from Water of Heavenly Wind even more depressed, and with the negative emotions shrouding his heart, it would be a wonder if he could even recover with such a vicious cycle.

When Ling Chi opened the door, Shui QianHuan and Shui Seven did not pay any attention. It was instead Die'er who was sitting by the side who raised her bright eyes and gave him a look, before turning her head away with her face flushed. This moving sight captured Ling Chi's heart, making him sigh secretly before he began to talk, "To treat an internal injury, the mood of the patient plays a huge part. Just relying on medicine cannot heal everything. One has to get out from time to time, relaxing the body and mind to recover faster."

Die'er stood up, a worried look on her face as she replied, "Where could we go? After all it's not our place here!" Her voice was low, tinged with anxiety. As she glanced at Ling Chi's face, she sighed, feeling her emotions in a great mess.

Ling Chi gently smiled as he replied, "Who says you have to travel for a long distance in order to relax? Young Noble Shui is after all injured, and strenuous exercise will instead be harmful to him. My exercise is actually for him to just breathe in some fresh air around the area. Today's weather is good, and he can go out to get see the sun and feel the wind. If he stays within the room all day, even a normal person will get sick, let alone him!"

Die'er eyes lit up, and she looked at Shui QianHuan, tentatively opening her mouth and saying, "Young Master, you look to be in better spirits today. How about…. We go out for a walk? Bask in the sunlight, and breathing in some fresh air should be good for you!"

This sentence was obviously meant only to comfort him, for anyone who was able to see would realize that the young noble had a pasty complexion, nothing was good or better about him!

However, Shui QianHuan nodded his head absentmindedly and replied, "That would be good to do." After commanding Shui Seven to lift him up, Die'er prepared a chair and put him below a blossoming tree. After being cooped inside the room for almost half a month, the air outside felt a lot fresher, allowing Shui QianHuan to jolt to his senses, no longer feeling so burdened and heavy. He nodded gratefully to Ling Chi as a sign of his thanks.

Die'er looked at Ling Chi as he leaned on another tree far away from them, biting on a lush green leaf. The guy faced the sky, looking free and easy as he sat there, making her feel extremely envious. However, looking closely, she felt that on this youth actually lay a sense of solemnness and loneliness that could not be found in anyone of their age. She didn't know why, but looking at him gave her a sense of heartache. Glancing at her young noble, who was squinting his eyes towards the sun in an expression of ecstasy, she slowly shifted towards Ling Chi.

At this point, the sounds traveling from the room had become louder and louder, and a smashing sound was heard as though someone had thrown an object on the ground. Shui Seven turned his head towards the sound, but QianHuan acted as though he did not even hear a thing. The great ambition of this young noble had long faded to dust, and nothing much could actually catch his attention at this point.

Die'er came beside Ling Chi and sat down. Blinking, she murmured to herself, "I wonder when the tempers of this few young masters can be changed, so annoying." Ling Chi continued staring at the sky, not looking at her, but the corners of his mouth curled up in a mocking smile as he replied, "Young noble once mentioned that mountains and rivers can be altered, but a person's character cannot be changed. How could their tempers be changed so easily? Most likely, even when they die, they would still be like that. As such, even if they die, they only have their own bad luck to blame."

Die'er had actually been provoking Ling Chi the last few days but without any response. Seeing him suddenly opening his mouth to talk, she could not help but feel excited, and leaning towards him, smiling as she teased, "Seems like even wooden blocks can talk!"

Ling Chi merely snorted and refused to say another word. Die'er was gloomy and wanted to further incite Ling Chi to talk, but refused to lower herself to do so.

Suddenly, a loud high-pitched scream was heard, which sounded like an ambiguous shout of pain. It was Shui QianHu whose painkiller had worn off, and with him having half of his teeth knocked out by Ling Jian, he started to scream out like a dying pig.

Shui QianJiang's voice could then be heard, "That jerk is really vicious! Just one slap from him and second brother lost half of his teeth. Seems like he won't be able to enjoy his meal the next few days. Come tomorrow, I'll go look for a famous physician to help you tend to your wounds."

Shui QianHai spat, as he remarked with some schadenfreude, "I don't think second brother really suffered a lot. He nearly got to touch that little lass's hands. If he had done so, then the punch would have been totally worth it!" As he spoke, he sniggered.

Shui QianJiang too laughed as he commented, "Pity, what a pity." However, it was not known what he was commenting on.

Shui QianHai raised his voice, speaking in an unsatisfied tone, "However, that Shui QianHuan really had good fortune, lying on his bed every day like some pimp, and even having such a good sister who would be so willing to work for him…"

Shui QianJiang's face turned malicious as it sank down. It was a long while before he darkly replied, "That trash, Shui QianHuan is already half dead, with such serious internal injuries, while he might be able to make a comeback, his days are already numbered. What's the point in caring for him? I'm more worried about…."

At this time, Shui QianHai looked outside, and sniggered, whispering, "That trash has finally come out."

With a laugh, Shui QianJiang immediately raised his voice, "So what if he's come out? Trash is ultimately still trash! Could it suddenly turn into a treasure? I dare to say this in front of this good-for-nothing. Since he's trash, how could he not allow people to speak of him that way? Trash, he cannot get things done, a trash that has an abundance of failure! Big trash!"

Under the blossoming tree, Shui QianHuan's body trembled when he heard the humiliation. He slowly opened his eyes, hoarsely commenting, "What a good-for-nothing did, you three screwed it up with a sentence or two. In that case, aren't you people worse than trash actually? A thousand people staying here, but all of you can only stare helplessly. Stare on then, Sky Bearing's scenery is quite nice. Fifty taels of silver a day, you've really got the best seats in the house."

With a squeaking sound, the doors to a room opened, and Shui QianJiang stood in front of it, a dark expression on his face as he stared straight at QianHuan, jeering, "Even if we have to pay fifty taels a day to see the scenery, it's far better than some failure who sacrificed over a thousand lives of our brothers, and threw away our foundation that we had been building for over a few decades. Even the failure himself was not spared, causing him to be half dead, what a drama!"

Shui QianHuan coughed twice, looking somewhere else as he sniggered, "Even with a body riddled with injuries, making me half dead, it was all for the family! I, Shui QianHuan, have a clear conscience! One day, the family will understand all that I've done for them, and not allow those petty people to defame me any longer."

Shui QianHai laughed out sharply, "For the family? What a joke! Young Master Shui, no ex-Young Master Shui, have you been knocked silly by your emotions? If not for our arrival, I'm afraid that this young master Shui who only thinks of his family would have floated up to heaven in regret! Now you're struggling at death's door, yet you still dare to boast shamelessly, how amusing! Who knows if your injuries were actually inflicted by the enemies or yourself? After all, if you're injured, then the family cannot punish you! Those wounds would then be worth it!" Within Shui QianHai's words was thinly veiled sarcasm, hinting that Shui QianHuan had mutilated himself to avoid taking responsibility!

The moment these three people met, it was as though they were age-old enemies, one insult after another shooting off from their mouths. The more they spoke, the nastier it sounded, and the flames of anger grew ever higher.

Ling Chi continued to sit by the side, turning a deaf ear to the quarrels of the group. However, he subconsciously put in another blade of foxtail grass into his mouth. His face remained impassive, but his taut muscles had gradually begun to relax. Was this not the scene Ling Chi most wanted to see? Such a good show, how could he not properly savor it?

From the time he heard the three brothers curse to calling Shui QianHuan out for some fresh air, all of his words were geared towards this scenario! Ever since Ling Chen had realized the temper of the three brothers, as well as the closeness of the two siblings Shui QianHuan and Shui QianRou, she had decided on this plan to sow discord among them so that she could fulfill the plan of conquering the Heavenly Wind Continent as well! To ensure this plan would work, Ling Chi did not mind adding some oil on top of the flames.

Even if they were as tight and sweet as honey, Ling Chen would still have to make sparks fly among them, let alone their current circumstances where they treated each other like enemies!

"All for the family clan? Shui QianHuan, you piece of trash, because of your ignorance you have failed the hopes your family put on you, sending all of the 400,000 strong troops in Northern Wei to their graves! Furthermore, you used our family's trust, employing the secret forces within Northern Wei which were the decades-long effort of our family, and handed them on a platter to the Yu Family! This is what you claim to have done for the family?! If not for the fact that you favor outsiders instead of your own family, we wouldn't have been called to come over to Heavenly Star! And to think that you even instructed your own sister, in order to obtain goodwill towards you, to hand over all benefits unconditionally! You even hid that fact during our discussions, causing us to be humiliated! This is what you did for our family!"

Shui QianJiang concluded with a cold laugh, his eyes sharp like blades, "This is what you call for the family? Ahaha, wasn't it all to consolidate your work and take the chance to carry a beauty home? A pity, that I heard young master Shui did not manage to move the beauty's heart at all!"

Shui QianHuan's impassive expression was suddenly replaced by one of rage, as he raised his head to glare at the other party, "Bullsh*t! The Shui Family's business has always been our own, what has it got to do with the lady from another house? Shui QianJiang, you had better watch your words."

"What? Not happy? Feeling injustice for the lady?" Shui QianHai interjected, "She's just a serving maid in the end! I wasn't aware of that point, or with her identity, I wouldn't even consider if she was sent up to my doorstep, for fear that she would dirty my own noble status! To think you actually fell head over heels for a serving maid belonging to others, conducting yourself like she's everything you ever wanted. I believe if Ling Tian were to find out about this, he would definitely be very happy."

This sentence hooked onto Shui QianHuan's heart like a barbed thorn, making him unable to breathe properly for a while. He ruthlessly glared and spat, "What did you say? What are you implying?!"

"What do I mean? Haha, putting myself in his shoes, I would be extremely happy too." Shui QianHai wiggled his eyebrows, saying in a weird tone, "A serving maid is like a concubine, do you know what that is? For a toy that somebody has played with till they got tired of it, finding out that one of the young masters from the greatest two families of this world would still get infatuated over it, hahaha… what an honorable thing!"

"I won't allow you to slander Lady Ling Chen in this manner!" Shui QianHuan started to hyperventilate. "Take back your words! Or else I will kill you! I will definitely kill you!"

"Isn't that so?" Shui QianHai's smile got more lecherous, "A toy that someone has gotten tired of playing with, but you actually still treat her like some treasure! You actually care about her reputation so much, tsk tsk, but too bad she doesn't reciprocate! Hehe, kill me? Shui QianHuan, do you think that this place is still the Shui Family, your piece of heaven? Don't give me any airs from your broken young master look, ex-Young Master Shui! You're already finished, Shui QianHuan. Kill me? Do you have the capacity? You're really dreaming! How naive!"

Shui QianHuan's breathing was getting more and more hurried now, and his face had completely turned red. He sharply barked, "Animals! Insane animals without any morals! What sort of qualifications do you have to lead the Shui Family? What sort of qualifications you guys have to insult Lady Ling Chen like so? All of you… aren't worthy!"

A loud 'peng!' was heard, as an oblong object shot out from the window. Because of the close proximity, coupled with the fact that nobody was expecting it, the object actually landed squarely on Shui QianHuan's chest. With some cracking sounds, Shui QianHuan's chest caved in as all the bones surrounding it were broken! A mouthful of purplish-black blood was spat out as he was falling unconscious, at his last gasp! That object then landed on the ground with a metallic thunk, turning out to be a pot used to decoct medicinal herbs.

The scene was too sudden and left everyone in great shock!

As everyone was exclaiming, a vague angered voice was heard, "D*mmit, a dogsh*t servant maid actually has someone treating her like a treasure. If not for that slut, this father would not have had his teeth knocked out! Shui QianHuan, just you wait, one day, I'll strip her naked in front of you and let her enjoy all she can!"

Shui QianHuan doggedly held on to his last breath, staring at Shui QianHu inside the room. He replied in a low voice, "Shui QianHu… I'll… personally kill you!" before he fell into a coma. His internal injuries were already serious to begin with, and with the impact from the metal pot, his bones that were already broken before snapped easily. With the shock from both internal and external wounds, even an iron-willed man would not be able to handle it. He fell into a dead faint, his life in danger!

Seeing this situation, Shui QianJiang and QianHai knew that they were in deep trouble, their faces turning white in an instant. While Shui QianHuan had committed an unforgivable crime, it was not up to the three brothers to decide his sentence. Now that Shui QianHu had committed such an act, if Shui QianHuan really died, then the three of them would not go scot free. In the worst case, they would be sent to accompany him as well!

A shadow flashed, and Ling Chi reached to the side of Shui QianHuan, immediately feeling for his pulse while injecting pure internal energy to stabilize his heart and organs to ensure that he could keep his life. Everything happened at too quick a pace and went contrary to his own expectations. Never did he think that Shui QianHu would react so intensely to the slanders about Ling Chen's to even throw the medicine basin at his own relative! To deal such a killing blow to his own cousin, wasn't that too callous of him?!

Right now, Ling Chi could not allow Shui QianHuan to die. With this incident, even the normally calm and unruffled Ling Chi started to panic a little.

Having been slapped figuratively and literally by Ling Jian today, since when would this pampered young noble ever suffer from such a humiliation? The root cause was because of Ling Chen's beauty, and thinking of this point, he naturally transferred all his hate towards her. Upon hearing QianHuan shield Ling Chen so protectively, he naturally flared up, and under his agitation from the wounds, grabbed the first thing available and threw it out.

This was thrown purely with his own muscle strength and without an ounce of internal energy. If it were to have hit anyone else within the courtyard, they would at most sport a small bruise! However, the 'anyone else' did not include Shui QianHuan!

How much of a coincidence could there be?!

Even Shui QianHu himself did not expect that the pot he flung carelessly could so accurately hit Shui QianHuan in the center of his chest!

Chapter 530: Inability to Seek Death

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

Even Shui QianHu never imagined that his casual toss would actually be so accurate, smashing the medicine pot right onto the heavily injured Shui QianHuan!

Hearing the loud shriek coming from the outside, Shui QianHu stuck his head out of the window and saw the outcome of his casual toss. He could not help but tremble as he felt his whole body turning cold.

Things are truly bad this time!

Shui QianJiang and Shui QianHai who were still arguing previously disappeared with a swoosh sound. If they weren't going to run now, when should they run?

At this moment, the startled Die'er used all of her strength and let out a loud shriek!

Shui QianHuan lowered his head with a pale expression. Apart from the slight rising and falling of his chest, there wasn't a single sign of life! With his chest being smashed by the medicine pot, his ribs were completely fractured and he could no longer move. The moment he tried to move, death would probably come next. The situation had actually developed to such a horrible extent!

Ling Chi was drenched in sweat as he continued to put out his inner qi. If Shui QianHuan died right here, all of Ling Chen's plans would definitely be ruined! At this moment, Ling Chi was extremely anxious!

A commotion sounded from the outside and Shui QianRou was returning excitedly from her conversation with the First Elder…

When Shui QianRou saw her brother's pitiful appearance, the anger that she had suppressed for a long time exploded like a volcano, "Who did that? Did an enemy attack us?"

Ling Chi stood up emotionlessly with sweat still all over his face as he saw Shui QianRou's arrival. He had already exhausted all of his inner qi and spent a large amount of pure inner qi before finally being able to protect Shui QianHuan's final vitality, preventing him from dying on the spot. But despite that, Shui QianHuan's situation was still not optimistic. His breathing was weak and it looked as though he would stop breathing at any moment.

The First Elder was astounded by the sight in front of him! While Shui QianHuan was currently a sinner of his family, he was heavily injured after all and was still the son of the current Family Head. Right after they brought reinforcements to Heavenly Star, something like this had actually happened. It was just that this did not seem like an enemy attack at all!

Could it be that the men he brought almost beat Shui QianHuan to death?!

If this matter happened during a normal sparring match, then it was explainable and there would still be a chance for them to defend themselves. However, Shui QianHuan was obviously seriously injured and incapable of defending himself at the moment. However, he was still injured to such an extent! The despicable actions of the culprit really made one's hair stand in anger!

Die'er who was in a complete daze finally snapped back to her senses and she threw herself by Shui QianHuan's side, explaining to Shui QianHuan everything which had happened. The anger on Shui QianRou's face grew thicker and thicker and after suppressing the anger in her heart, she carefully inspected Shui QianHuan's injuries. The situation in front of her could not be any worse and Shui QianRou felt her head turning dizzy. Her body shook unsteadily and she almost passed out at that moment.

Her brother's internal injuries were already severe and his internal organs were shaken up again. Furthermore, his ribs were also fractured and his life was truly like a candle flickering in the wind. If they did not help Shui QianHuan connect his bones and avoid touching his injuries while trying to protect his lifeforce with inner qi, Shui QianHuan would probably be able to survive for a few more days but the outcome would be unknown. But if they were to attempt to connect his bones right now, Shui QianHuan would definitely be unable to survive such a large operation!

But if they didn't connect his ribs and allowed them to remain fractured in his chest, the pain Shui QianHuan would suffer would be worse than death! After Shui QianHuan was injured, he already had difficulties breathing. However, with all of his ribs fractured now, every breath he took would be accompanied by the torture of going through all eighteen levels of hell! Staying alive in such a manner without knowing how long more he can stay alive. If that was the case, what was the point of him staying alive any longer?

To the present Shui QianHuan, death was perhaps the biggest grace and pleasure!

Shui QianHuan's injuries had deteriorated to the point where even a deity would find it difficult to treat!

What choice should she make?

Shui QianHuan sat down beside her brother with low spirits and tears flowed down her cheeks. At this moment, she was completely disheartened! A long while later, she collapsed onto the ground and began bawling her eyes out!

The First Elder walked into the room and roared, "Where is Shui QianHu? Come out now for this old man!" He was extremely clear that only those three degenerates would dare to heavily injure Shui QianHuan in such a manner. At the same time, the room was in a complete mess and Shui QianHu's figure was nowhere to be seen. Even both Shui QianJiang and Shui QianHai had also disappeared completely…

The other elders walked in from the outside and let out a unified sigh. All of them were extremely appalled by what had happened!

Following a light coughing sound, Shui QianHuan gradually woke up and opened his eyes with difficulty. Looking at his sister kneeling down in front of him and bawling her eyes out, Shui QianHuan was visibly agitated. Despite looking as though he wanted to say something, not a single word could leave his mouth. His eyeballs then spun around and he looked towards Ling Chi's emotionless face with a pleading look.

Ling Chi felt his heart shake. Shui QianHuan was pleading for death!

He was pleading towards this only outsider!

After going through countless of bloody slaughters, Ling Chi could naturally understand the intentions behind Shui QianHuan's gaze! Since there wasn't a hope to stay alive, Shui QianHuan would rather plead for death so he could suffer less!

Shui QianRou lifted his head up and shook her head heavily while wailing uncontrollably. Shui QianHuan's condition was far too severe and Shui QianRou did not dare to touch him at all. She could only plead with tears rolling down her eyes, "... brother, please… please please please… please continue living on… please hold on and don't give up… please don't leave me behind alone…"

Seeing Shui QianHuan's gaze, Ling Chi's heart was stirred. Even though I didn't kill Bo Ren, Bo Ren died because of me! 1 While Ling Chi did not have a single shred of goodwill towards Shui QianHuan and had some prejudice against him because of Ling Chen, Ling Chi's heart was indeed stirred at this moment!

He decided…

Ling Chi took two steps forward and whispered into Shui QianHuan's ears softly but clearly, "I understand what you mean but you cannot despair at this moment. This is not the time for you to go to the yellow springs road."

Shui QianHuan's eyes were filled with misery and urgency as he let out soft groaning sounds. Despite being unable to say a single word, it was obvious that Shui QianHuan was begging for death.

Ling Chi then said softly, "Didn't you say that you want to kill Shui QianHu personally? This is probably your last regret at this moment right? We are both men and there isn't a need for you to say anything more. Both of us know that it is impossible for you to carry on living but I believe that you will definitely be able to last for another two more days. I will let Shui QianHu die in your hands! Don't you want to see him die? Don't you want him to die in your hands? Are you willing to die before your enemy? Die before a scoundrel like him?"

Shui QianHuan's breathing became ragged and his eyes lit up with a trace of gratitude. At the same time, a trace of blood trailed down from his lips and he trembled for a moment before falling unconscious.

Shui QianRou shrieked and Ling Chi let out a sigh. At the same time, he looked at the unconscious Shui QianHuan and said firmly, "Don't worry! I will let Shui QianHu die in your hands. I will then send you on your final journey personally! As long as you fulfill your final wish, I will not let you suffer any more pain!" Ling Chi then added on in his heart, All of your pain was caused by me and while I did not want such an outcome, an accident still happened. I am sorry, Shui QianHuan!

Shui QianRou lifted her head up and grit her teeth as she looked at Ling Chi, "What do you mean by that? Are you really able to accomplish that? Is there a point to coax my brother like that? Is there a meaning to do that?! While I really want to thank you, is this truly good for my brother?"

Ling Chi looked at her calmly before pointing to Die'er and Shui Seven, "You can ask them what the words I said mean." He then spread out his arms and a pure inner qi wrapped around Shui QianHuan's body. He then let out a soft grunt before lifting both man and chair up. Ling Chi then walked into the room slowly without the unconscious Shui QianHuan feeling a single thing. After a short seven to eight steps, Ling Chi's face was already completely drenched in sweat!

Shui QianRou's face was filled with grief but a trace of gratitude could be seen in her eyes. However, it was quickly replaced with hatred and she barked, "Catch the three of them and bring them back immediately! I must kill them to take revenge for my brother!"

A look of a headache could be seen on the six elders' face and they all avoided Shui QianRou's gaze. The First Elder then sighed, "Little Princess, please control yourself. Cough cough, before this incident is fully investigated, it is best for you to not act rashly. We should discuss this matter further."

"What?" Shui QianRou turned around in anger, "First Elder, now that things have developed to such an extent, you are still going to say such words? How do you expect me to control myself? What else is still unclear?! Discuss this matter further? How can such words even leave your mouth?!"

The First Elder's face turned red and he said softly, "May Princess Rou quell your anger. It is best for us to invite a physician to treat young master first. As for chasing after Shui QianHu, cough cough, there are still many other things before us and with the important matters at hand, it is best for us to… delay this matter."

Shui QianRou fell silent for a short while before saying with grit teeth. She then enunciated every word slowly, "I understand!" She raised her head up, "What you are trying to say is that the men you brought would not listen to my orders. Am I right?"

"Everything is for the family! The family's benefits are the most important!" the First Elder said solemnly.

"Family? FAMILY?!" Shui QianRou cried, "Hahaha… family! What is a family? I finally understand. I finally understand!" She then stopped laughing and said in a low voice, "I will not use anyone from the Shui Family! But I will definitely let the three of them die! You guys just wait! If I do not take revenge for my brother, I, Shui QianRou, will not be a human!" After she said those words, she walked straight into Shui QianHuan's room without looking back. At this moment, her skinny figure seemed so desolate and lonely but yet heroic!