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Chapter 142: Best Wine Snack
Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll
After returning to the Ling mansion, Ling Tian invited Ye QingChen to his own courtyard. After which, he gave a few instructions to Ling Chen and went to pay his respects to his grandparents and parents. Then, he went to visit Mister Qin. With regards to Mister Qin's health, Ling Tian had always been extremely worried. The death of one's spouse was not something a person would be able to walk out of easily in a mere few years. Only after seeing that Mister Qin was still healthy and slowly regaining his spirit did Ling Tian let down his worries.
Yu BingYan was also an intelligent person and knew that it wasn't suitable for her to participate in every of Ling Tian's affairs. Thus, she also went back to her room and had an early night.
After Ling Tian returned to his courtyard, Ye QingChen had already waited till his neck was long.
Ling Tian laughed and said, "Old brother, do not be anxious. I will definitely have a good drink with old brother tonight! But before we drink good wine, we must first calm our hearts and soothe our temper. If not, the best of wines would become tasteless even if it enters our mouth. Don't tell me old brother forgot about what happened just now? There is little that can escape this little brother's eyes with regards to wine."
Ye QingChen was instantly enlightened as his face turned red and felt embarrassed. His interest had already been piqued by Ling Tian and he was indeed extremely anxious currently. He could not help but smile, "Brother, how do you know so much at such a young age? You don't look like a 15 to 16-year-old teen but a 60 to 70-year-old fox instead. No no… I'm afraid you must be a 100-year-old sly fox at the very least. If not, how can you have such brilliant accomplishments?"
Both of them burst out into laughter together.
A short while later, Ling Chen walked into the room with a few others, each holding onto a wooden box. They walked into the room respectfully, placed the box down before taking their leave with a bow. Ling Tian then instructed, "Chen'er, go and fetch some wine snacks."
Ling Chen acknowledged and walked out of the room.
After the wooden boxes entered the room, Ye QingChen felt that this small room was suddenly filled with a dense and unique wine fragrance. At times it seemed so elegant, at times it seemed so dense. It seemed as though it was out of the secular realm but yet as though it was intoxicated with worldly affairs. The fragrances from the many different wines mixed with each other, but yet the fragrance of every single wine was so distinct. From just the fragrance of the wine, it had already surpassed any other wine which Ye QingChen had ever tasted in his life! By just smelling the fragrance of the wine, Ye QingChen felt as though his whole body was light and floating. Seeing the six wooden boxes in front of him, he could immediately tell that there were six jugs of wine in front of him.
Thinking about how he would be able to taste such otherworldly fine wine, and actually having the fortune of tasting six of them, the originally steady and calm mental state of Ye QingChen began to grow flustered. He stroked his beard with his hand as his eyes were already shut in intoxication.
The door then opened again and Ling Chen walked in with a small jade plate. In the center of the tray, there was a plate made of white jade. The plate was filled with round bean sized balls which were red in color.
Ye QingChen then remembered about what Ling Tian said about the 'real wine snacks'. He could not help but take a curious look at what kind of magnificent thing this young wine saint would bring out as the 'real wine snack'.
Taking a look over, Ye QingChen's eyes widened as his jaw dropped in shock. Only after a short while did he look at Ling Tian, pointing to the plate with his finger trembling, "Err… brother, this… is what you were talking about the… real wine snacks?" His tone was filled with incredulity.
In the center of the intricately designed white jade dish, it was filled with over a hundred shelled peanuts!
Ling Tian smiled and nodded, "That's right!" The words he said were confident and as though it was only to be expected.
Ye QingChen felt a ball of anger rising in his heart.
You invited me to your place just to eat peanuts?! You, are you making a fool out of me?
"Old brother, it seems that you are still… ah ah ah… perhaps I can only say that old brother likes to drink but don't know how to drink." Ling Tian smiled profoundly.
"Why is this so, this Ye would like to hear the reason." Ye QingChen was both angered but yet found it to be a joke. 'This old man had been drinking wine for my whole lifetime and you actually dare to say that I don't know how to drink?! I want to hear what kind of reason you have.' Unknowingly, he changed the way he addressed himself back, as though he wanted to say that their brotherhood would end right here if Ling Tian could not provide him with a satisfactory reply!
"For all those who love wine, drinking wine is a kind of enjoyment and tasting wine is a supreme boundary! The wine would definitely contain the sourness and sweetness of life. The wine would definitely contain the bitterness and spiciness of the world. The hundreds of different emotions of the world can all be presented in a glass of wine! A different person with a different character would be able to taste a different flavor from the same glass of wine. What does old brother think about that?" Ling Tian said confidently as he began his theory of wine.
Ye QingChen's brows furrowed as he nodded his head.
"Be it tasting or drinking wine, the only request of every wine drinker would be to have a good wine! When it is accompanied with any kind of dish, it can make the wine lose its original taste and cause one to be unable to fully appreciate the flavor of the wine! But if one drinks the wine without anything to go with it, it would harm the body and intoxicate the mind. As such, there are only a few dishes which don't affect the taste of the wine that can be called the best wine snack. These peanuts do not have a strong flavor and its taste is both natural and refined. This can be said to be the best wine snack. First, it would not harm the taste of the wine. Second, it would not harm the body. Ah ah ah… this is the reason why this little brother thinks that it is the best wine snack!"
While a smile was plastered over Ling Tian's face, there was a tinge of reminiscing in his eyes. When he was in the pits of despair in his previous life, his martial arts crippled and thrown out of the sect, he could only feel nothing but hopelessness and desperation in his heart. If not for the peanuts which were grown underground, Ling Tian would have probably starved to death, much less get his revenge in the future. Just from this reason alone, it was enough for Ling Tian to recognize the peanuts to be the best wine snack in the world. While the words he said were logical, how could it be possible that peanuts were the only dish in the world that do not harm the body and flavor of wine?
If Ling Tian were to say such a thing in his previous life, he would probably be drowned in banana and watermelon skins instantly! But when Ye QingChen heard what Ling Tian said, he felt as though Ling Tian made a great deal of sense! In this instant, he felt that this teen did indeed live up to his name of being a wine saint!
"Brother does indeed make sense. As compared to brother's depth of knowledge, this old brother here can be said to have lived my life for nothing. I am indeed someone who only like to drink wine." Ye QingChen lamented.
"Ah ah, old brother praises me too much." Ling Tian then glanced at Ling Chen before continuing, "Today, this little brother had asked this lass to bring out six fine wine which this little brother brewed personally. I shall accompany old brother to gaze at the moon while we enjoy the wine!"
"Hahaha, I would love to do so!" Ye QingChen burst out into laughter. Looking at the six wooden boxes, he could not help but twiddle his fingers anxiously as he drooled with desire.
Ling Tian smiled and gave a signal. Then, Ling Chen walked over and opened the first wooden crate, taking a jug of wine out.
While they were all brewed by him personally, Ling Tian did not dare be careless either. He took the jug of wine over carefully and broke the seal on the jug. In that instant, a dense aroma permeated out from the jug, filling the room with a dense wine fragrance. As Ling Tian tilted the jug, the clear and creamy wine was poured out from the jug. Up until the end, Ling Tian lifted the jug of wine up higher and higher as the line of wine being poured out became thinner and thinner. But even until it was thread like thin, the line of wine was never broken!
"This little brother calls this wine 'Drunk Immortal's Soul'. It was made from the essence of five different crops, basking in the sun and drying in the air for three days and night. It is then fermented and brewed nine times each. After which, the wine is buried into the earth for three years to remove the spiciness of the wine and increase the density and thickness of the wine. Old brother, I wonder if this wine is to your liking?"
Ye QingChen picked up the glass of wine like it was treasure, as his usually steady hands began to tremble. He then lifted the glass up to his lips and took a small sip of the wine. In that instant, he felt a strange warm liquid flow down his throat as a wave of warmth filled his body with comfort. He then felt like his soul was floating on the clouds as he closed his eyes and reminisced the taste. Only after a long while later did he open his eyes with a bright light, "Good wine!! It is indeed one of its kind and lives up to its name!!"
Ling Tian smiled and waved his hands. Ling Chen then walked forward and shifted the glass cup away from Ye QingChen. She then placed a cup made of white jade in front of him and a tray of clear water. In that instant, Ye QingChen revealed a puzzled expression.
By the side, Ling Tian had already placed down his jug of 'Drunk Immortal's Soul' and picked up another jug of wine. He then smiled, "Old brother, this little brother is not trying to make things up. When one drinks many different kinds of wine at once, it is best to change to a different cup for a different wine. Fine wine must definitely be accompanied with a fine glass. The fine glass would be able to help bring out the taste of the wine. Old brother, please rinse your mouth first so you can better taste the flavor of the next wine. If the flavor of both wines end up mixing with each other, how would you be able to taste the beauty of the next wine?"
With enlightenment, Ye QingChen said, "That's right, that's right, the saying 'Hearing a gentleman's words beats ten years of studying' is indeed true. This simple sentence by you already triumphs over my decades of knowledge." He then lifted up the clear water and rinsed his mouth before sitting back upright.
The wine which flowed out from Ling Tian's jug was like a viscous like juice with its aroma filling the room. The wine is light yellow in color, making it seem extremely royal and illusory.
"This wine is called 'Luna Fragrance'." Ling Tian said calmly, "This is made from the essence of an eighth month cassia accompanied with the essence of five different grains. It is then brewed and fermented nine times each and buried under a cassia tree for at least three years before this wine is formed. Old brother, please try a glass!"
Chapter 143: Hero's Blood
Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll
Ye QingChen had long been at a loss of words from shock. Drinking the second glass, the fine and exquisite wine slid down his throat and into his stomach. Ye QingChen closed his eyes, unwilling to open them even after a long time. He then said with a dreamy tone, "This wine indeed lives up to its name of 'Luna'. The smell of the wine is so pure and noble, percolating the soul of a person after drinking it. Closing my eyes, I can feel as though my body is light and floating, as though I am in the Moon Palace! My dear brother, you have gotten this brother into trouble!"
Ye QingChen sighed in his heart as a drop of tear fell from the corner of his eyes, "After drinking this wine, can there be any more wine in the world worth drinking?"
"Ah ah, since the ancient times, sages have only the company of solitude. Only those who drink leave behind a reputation next to their name. But even these sages would not dare to say that they can recognize all wine in the world. Brother need not make such a remark; try this first." With a flick of his sleeves, another jug of wine appeared in Ling Tian's hands. Opening the seal, a wave of refined dream-like fragrance filled the room. Like a dream, like an illusion, sometimes real, sometimes abstract, filled with a myriad of changes!
"This little brother calls this wine 'Maiden's Heart'." Ling Tian then looked at Ling Chen with a smile and she could not help but smile bashfully. "The one thing in the world never understood is the heart of a maiden. Cloudy at times, rainy at times. Angry at times, happy at times. As compared to the complex heart of a married lady, it is even more unpredictable. This wine is made after two years of hard work, formed from the essence of a hundred flowers, the fragrance of six fruits and the soul of five grains. After nine rounds of fermentation and steaming, it is sealed and soaked in an ice-cold pond to absorb the essence of the world. Only after soaking it for five years, at the very least, can it be considered to be complete."
"There is a total of nine jugs of these wine and they were sealed for a total of nine years, earning the name of 'Ninety-Nine Maiden's Heart'. Amidst the name hides the bitterness, sourness, sweetness and spiciness when a maiden grows up. As one drinks this wine, the figure of a cute, mischievous, angsty, sorrowful and worrisome 'girl next door' figure would appear in the heart! After drinking a mouth of this wine, one would unknowingly feel their hearts race, mind long and soul shake! To let old brother have a good time today, I made an exception to take a jug out!"
Ye QingChen closed his eyes in thought as he twiddled with his beard. A short while later, he smiled and sighed, "By just hearing your description, this foolish brother is already drunk before drinking it! Good wine! Good wine! Let me try it." Raising his glass, the wine inside was green like jade and white like silk. On the surface of the wine, there seemed to be a layer of mist floating around to bewilder the senses of one. It was like the beautiful daughter in a humble family, loving but shy. Wishing to invite someone but yet rejecting him, wishing to reject someone but yet inviting him.
"This fourth wine is called 'Hero's Blood'!" Ling Tian then changed a jug of wine and his tone turned serious, "The spiciness of this wine symbolizes the bitterness and pain suffered on the battlefield. The concentrated alcohol is like the silent ambition wishing to burst forth. The color of the wine is like the blood of a hero. As this wine enters the stomach, it is like the resounding war drums breaking the silence of the night, raising the morale of the troops as they let out an earth-shattering battle cry and charge into battle! This wine must definitely be downed in one mouthful! A big and stout hero drinking the blood of his enemy, without a single trace of tears to be seen."
Ye QingChen's originally misty and intoxicated eyes lit up and he lifted up the glass of wine in front of him. He drank the blood red wine in front of him in a single mouthful and felt like a red-hot blade had just stabbed into his abdomen. In that moment, his body began to tremble and perspiration rolled down his face. After the wine entered his abdomen, he felt as though a ball of fire had risen from his insides! He could not help but feel a sense of heroism rise in his heart and could no longer suppress that sense of repress! He could not help but let out a loud roar! His voice sounded like thunder, resounding through the capital in the night, spreading out far and wide!
In the Sky Bearing City, thousands of people were shaken awake from their dreams.
Ling Tian was startled and never imagined that Ye QingChen's reaction would be so great.
"Hahaha… good wine!!" As though the chivalrous spirit which he had suppressed for so many years had been unleashed, he could not help but pour himself another glass as he shouted out, "GOOD WINE!!"
"My old brother is indeed an emotional person!" Ling Tian laughed and his eyes lit up, "Since brother has such ambitions, then… ah ah ah, forgive this little brother for his words."
Ye QingChen shook his head, "There isn't anything wrong about your words. As long as one is a man, he would definitely have his ambitious moments. The problem lies with whether or not he has the ability and fate to fulfil it! There are some who would fight for their ambitions and others who would only conceal it deep within their heart. Controlling the world in his palms, being surrounded by beauties all around; as long as one is a man, he would definitely have such thoughts. The most difficult part would be to see if one has the guts and ability to do so. If one has the ability but does not do so, he is a coward. If one does not have the ability but still chooses to do so, he is a fool. If one with confidence, ambition and might fails, it is just his fate. Self-awareness is extremely important. If one does not have self-awareness, he is nothing more than a laughing stock to be ridiculed through the ages! Your old brother still has some self-awareness. This life, I can be a hermit, I can be a chivalrous knight, I can be a hero, but I cannot seek riches and honor! It is not about whether or not I dare, or have the ability, to do so. I just do not have the fortune… hehehe…"
Ye QingChen let out a self-deprecating laughter, "Actually, it isn't a bad thing that I do not have the fate to do so. At least… let's not talk about this anymore. There are still two more wine, what kind of good wine are they? Don't keep me in suspense any longer. Let this older brother widen his horizons!"
"This little brother will definitely remember the wise words of old brother." Ling Tian was moved; of the thousands and millions of people in the world, how many of them would be able to know themselves so well? How many of them would be able to control their ambitions? Since Ye QingChen did not have such ambitions, what is the point to test him and try to force him? Isn't it better to just be genuine friends with him? This can also be considered to be a beautiful thing!
Thinking about this, Ling Tian gave up on his original plans. In that instant, he felt his originally uptight mental state become relaxed. To use such worldly schemes against a respectful hermit like Ye QingChen, Ling Tian was actually guilty in his heart. The moment he let go of this matter, he felt his mood become carefree as he laughed, "Old brother is right, it is my mistake. As for the other two wines, they are different from the previous few wines. They are fruit wines!"
"Oh? Fruit wine? Wine brewed from fruits? But this cannot be considered to be too special. That Drunken Celestial Towers is also famous for fruit wine but it cannot be compared to the wine which little brother had offered to me. No no, it can be said to be on a completely different level…" Ye QingChen then drank another glass of Hero's Blood and could not help but exclaim, "Good wine!"
He then looked at Ling Tian with a smile and look of admiration in his eyes, "Brother, ever since the both of us met, only after that laughter of yours did you really treat me as a real brother!"
Ling Tian grinned as his face turned red and replied awkwardly, "I hope old brother will not blame me for that. This brother is born in the whirlpool of the Sky Bearing Empire and just cannot be as carefree as old brother. Thus, I did indeed think a little too much."
Ye QingChen then replied with a smile, "Doesn't matter! With your precarious position, it is a need for you to give more thought to things. You do not need to blame yourself. This old brother is in an extremely good mood today and we shall only talk about wine today! We shall not talk about anything else, lest we spoil the mood! Aren't you going to take out your fruit wine? This old brother here is getting anxious!"
Ling Tian burst out into laughter and said, "Old brother does not need to be anxious, this little brother will describe them to you in detail." The both of them looked at each other with a smile, as they finally developed a genuine brotherly bond!
"This two fruit wine of mine, one of them is extensive while the other focused. One of them is made from extracting the essence of a hundred fruits. The fruits were chosen, washed, skinned, smashed, examined, soaked, extracted, fermented, adjusted, filtered, and underwent countless of complicated processes. Throughout the process, only the purest mountain stream water was used. After that, it is stored into a wood bucket and buried for three years. The smell of this wine is fragrant and sweet with a strong aftertaste. As such, it is best drank slowly. Because it was made from a hundred different fruits, it can be said to be extremely extensive and is called the Hundred Fruits Wine!" Ling Tian explained with a smile.
"Oh, but the sweetness of the wine seems to discard the masculinity of a man. No matter how strong the aftertaste, there isn't a point to drinking it!" Ye QingChen was completely uninterested, "This wine is still the best, making the blood of one boil and can be said to be the best wine for men!" As he said that, he could not help but pour himself another glass of Hero's Blood.
"I never imagined that old brother would like that Hero's Blood so much. But if that's the case, you will miss this little brother's final type of wine!" Ling Tian smiled.
Ye QingChen could not help but reply with frustration and disappointment, "You said that the last two wines were fruit wines. If the last one is also a sweet wine, it wouldn't matter if I don't drink it!"
All of a sudden, Ling Tian let out a sneaky smile, "Old brother, if you really don't drink it, you will definitely regret it. Haiz, it's such a pity for this beautiful wine!"
Ye QingChen's originally red cheeks became a shade of red darker, "I already said that I do not like to drink fruit wine but you are still trying to tempt me with it. Can it be even better than the Hero's Blood?"
Ling Tian smiled, "It is impossible to compare both the wines. But if old brother really insists on not drinking it, you are definitely losing out!"
Ye QingChen's interest was also piqued by Ling Tian, "Alright, take out that last wine to let me witness an eye opener!"
Ling Tian then took out the last jug of wine solemnly and opened the seal on the wine. As the wave of fragrance was released, Ye QingChen could not help but be disappointed.
Ye QingChen then became a little displeased, "Little brother played a fool of this old brother. This is only an ordinary grape wine, what is so special about it!"
However, Ling Tian could not seem to be bothered about Ye QingChen's displeasure. He then took out another transparent glass and handed the glass filled with grape wine to Ye QingChen, "Brother, try this cup of Man's Blood!"
Ye QingChen was stunned for a moment; looking at the bright red grape wine in the transparent glass, it looked no different from the color of fresh blood. If he were to drink it in a mouthful, it was akin to drinking a mouthful of blood! It is robust indeed!
Chapter 144: Killing Intent After Drinking
Translator: chuchutrain Editor: celllll
Ling Tian laughed in response, "The moonlight shines on the filled wineglass, a desire to drink but the mounted pipa player is urging; crouching drunk on the battlefield no one smiles, how many people across the ages actually return from a war! In this present age, to indulge in wine without a wineglass to complement, is actually a loss in honor…"
Ye QingChen sat silently as he listened, a burning heroic spirit rising within him, making him down his entire cup.
"I've looked down on the skills of this little brother once again. What a good Man's Blood, pure yet fragrant, and what a good poem! It indeed spells out the innate qualities of a man! So, to appreciate a wine fully, one needs a wineglass to show off its beauty. My brother, you're indeed a true wine connoisseur!"
"Elder Brother, slow down on the praises, this little brother has yet to give you a test. You mentioned you're proficient in wine sampling, but I've yet to verify this. What year do you think this wine was made in?" Ling Tian had on an evil expression, as though prepared to make things difficult for him.
Ye QingChen did not mind it at all and replied, "Brother's wine is heavenly indeed, far exceeding all ordinary wines on the market. However, when talking about recognising the age, this dim-witted brother might not lose to anyone. I'm guessing a maturity of three years!" His tone was full of confidence!
Ling Tian retained his evil expression, pressing on immediately, "Really? Does brother really think so…?"
Ye QingChen paused for a while. Though his contact with Ling Tian was short, he could be said to be more familiar with Ling Tian, even when compared to some of the people closer to Ling Tian. As such, he naturally suspected there was more to that than met the eye. He poured himself another cup and sampled it once again; indeed, the more the tasted it, he more shocked he got.
Only after a long while, did he mutter to himself, "What a bewildering wine, this obviously only has three years of maturity. But somehow, I taste six years of maturity and another hint of a maturity of nine years. There's a hint of age amongst the freshness, and this mellowness of age gives way to a deeper grade of age. How is this possible? How puzzling, puzzling…" Raising his head, seeing the evil expression of Ling Tian staring at him, he scolded, "Dammit, you're teasing this elder brother of yours aren't you? Hurry and reveal your secret before I beat the daylights out of you!"
Ling Tian did not try to lengthen the suspense. Instead, he replied, "As what brother has spoken, 'a hint of age amongst the freshness, and furthermore the age deepening itself as it passes', this is enough for me to praise you. The secret lies in the words you've spoken. Nine years ago, I buried nine jars of grape wine that had just begun to ferment. Then, I took them out in the third year and used a secret method of evaporation, reducing three jars to one. Then, I reburied them and left it to continue fermenting. After three more years, I repeated the same process and reburied it again. Finally, after another three years, this only vat left is the completed product; having the flavours of both a young wine and an aged wine. It seems like it's only three years, but in actuality, it is nine years of evaporating and refermenting! A heavenly product, the 'Man's Blood'!"
Listening to Ling Tian's explanation, Ye QingChen was thrown off totally. Tasting his cup of Man's Blood, he could feel his emotions surging, feeling sweet yet sour. In his life, it was his first time coming across such a rarely seen and heard of immortal wine, and he could not help but drink a few more cups. However, little did he know that the method to evaporate the fermented wine, combining three into one, only served to further increase the alcohol content of the wine, up to ten times the norm! Furthermore, the large amount of wine he sampled previously, only served as a foundation, to the point where even his own internal energy was unable to control his intoxication.
By the time Ye QingChen discovered something was amiss, he had already begun to feel muddleheaded, bereft of any strength. He could only lean on the table top leisurely, muttering, "In my intoxication, I'm about to visit the Monarch of Dreams, but I await the appearance of new wine the very next day," before he stopped moving altogether. From the time they started drinking, Ye QingChen had actually not even touched the exquisite accompanying dishes even once!"
Ling Tian shook his head, his newfound elder brother was indeed considered a wonderful person, he could even collapse into a stupor with such style. At the same time, he was full of praise for himself, that he could actually be considered as an expert in wine itself.
The first five wines that were taken out by Ling Tian were no doubt the exceptions of exceptional wines. But they were all made by masters of his previous world and Ling Tian did not feel any pride merely imitating their methods. However, the final wine, 'Man's Blood', was based off the novel 'The smiling, proud wanderer' [1] that he had read in his previous world. While his self-created wine could not beat those fine wines of hundred years in age, it had a different form of subtlety. Every evaporation process just so happened to be a three-year-old fine wine, three years after three rounds of evaporation, followed by a final three rounds of fermentation; the effort needed was definitely not below those famed wines. This thought flow allowed Ling Tian to break boundaries. The wine process was started when Ling Tian was a mere five or six years old, for this almost decade long processing of wine to be praised so reverently by a wine master of this present world, Ling Tian only felt the highest pride and honor.
Glancing at the unconscious Ye QingChen, Ling Tian could only pat his head and berate himself. How could the wines he took out be compared to those diluted wines that were served outside? Especially the Man's Blood, which possessed alcohol content which was ten times stronger. Furthermore, to continuously sample all these intensely strong wines, even if Ye QingChen had a tolerance as huge as the ocean and also incredibly pure internal energy, he was still a mortal after all. Not getting drunk would be the weird part! Ling Tian smiled ruefully as he supported Ye QingChen's huge frame with ease.
On the side, Ling Chen laughed, "As what Young Noble has mentioned, this Mister Ye is indeed a wonderful person, simple-minded to a fault, but yet extremely interesting, hehe."
Ling Tian laughed as well, pretending to reprimand her, "You lass, how can you talk about such nonsense? Clean up this place, I'll send Mister Ye over to the guest room first."
Ling Chen replied with an unusually soft voice, a hint of disappointment visible in her eyes, coupled with some bashfulness. Her face suddenly reddened, and her eyes grew shifty as she avoided Ling Tian's gaze. Ling Tian could not help but feel something amiss, what was Ling Chen embarrassed about?
As it turns out, the lass Ling Chen was actually undergoing the blossoming of love. Seeing Ye QingChen out cold in Ling Tian's own room, and feeling Ling Tian's hot gaze on her, her thoughts ran wild and imagined that Ling Tian would choose to sleep in her room since he had nowhere to rest for the night. At this, her heart was three parts overjoyed, three parts shy, three parts nervous and one part expectant. However, upon hearing Ling Tian's words, she realised that she was over imagining things and thus felt ashamed, even though Ling Tian was unaware.
While Ling Tian was blessed with exceptional intelligence, in the end he was still a virgin of two lifetimes, how could he understand the thoughts of a female? He tilted his head left and right bewilderedly, before deciding to put it behind him. He then kissed her on the lips gently and praised, "How fragrant! This is actually more fragrant than the most exceptional wine I've ever tasted, hahah…"
Ignoring her reaction of stamping her foot and pouting in annoyance, Ling Tian dragged Ye QingChen and proceeded to walk towards the guest room. However, he was greeted with the sight of XueLeng and his brother upon opening his door. Both of them stood there, with heavy expressions, as though awaiting an enemy.
Ling Tian's heart twitched in fright at first, but soon relaxed when he realised it was probably because of the shout let out by Ye QingChen, which was attracting trouble now. Seeing their expressions, Ling Tian could not help but feel moved. That resounding shout from Ye Qingchen, reverberating throughout the skies with a such a magnificent prestige, likely alerted a lot of people. He was indeed too careless, at this stage where Sky Bearing was in a state of xenophobia, treating everyone as their enemy, the appearance of such an expert would inevitably arouse the suspicions of all the various great families. This was especially so for the Yang Family. How would they react? Ling Tian could feel a headache coming on; seems like the Ling Family would be thrown into the deep sea come the morning.
"Is he the one who let out that resounding yell just now?" XueLeng glanced at the unconscious Ye QingChen draped over Ling Tian's bosom, his expression full of panic. From the shout previously, they could tell that this person's strength should have already entered into the Saint Realm and was someone that, even by joining forces with his brother, they could never hope to beat. Even now, seeing him drunk and unconscious, they did not dare to let down their guards.
A ray of cold killing intent faintly surfaced within Ling Tian's eyes. If the duo wanted to do something untoward to Ye QingChen, then there was no need for words. Even if he had to offend Yu BingYan openly, he had to silence the two of them! 'This is my, Ling Tian's territory. No matter who you are, or where you come from, if you're a dragon you had better stay coiled up. If you're a tiger, you had best stay low on the ground! To use such a tone against someone I've invited over, you must be tired of living!'
"That's the old man here." Before Ling Tian had the chance to speak, a cold voice sounded. The Ye QingChen, that was draped over him, had opened his eyes a crack. While he remained in a drunken haze, a penetrating ray of light still present in his eyes caused the two guards' faces to change. "Do you have any advice for me?"
The moment Ling Tian's hand had touched Ye QingChen, he had already woken up; this was the acute sense of a peerless expert. Although he was drunk to the point he was woozy, the vigilance of an expert had long been carved deep into his bones, always present. Seeing the duo block the road of Ling Tian, he remembered that Ling Tian was still concealing his own strength, and thus took the initiative to speak.
Not only that, he knew that if Ling Tian were to move, the two fellows in front of him would die without a doubt! This was because Ling Tian would never allow anyone outside his circle to be privy of his greatest secret! For someone as kind-hearted as Ye QingChen, he could not bear to see the two of them die just because of a random shout from himself. Since he had felt the first signs of killing intent emanating from Ling Tian, he took the chance to speak before Ling Tian could.
"I wouldn't dare, may I request for the surname of this respected senior?" A sense of danger started to surface from XueLeng's heart, as though he was coming face to face with a venomous ferocious beast in the midst of choosing a prey to devour. In an instant, both of the guards' shirt were filled with sweat. However, to ensure the safety of their princess, they had to unravel this unknown expert's background, for if anything untoward happened to the princess, then even with a hundred deaths, the two of them would not be able to atone for their crimes.
The two of them did not realise that this sense of danger was actually originating from Ling Tian and not the Ye QingChen that he was holding!
Ling Tian spoke indifferently, "This is my sworn brother, please excuse us, gentlemen, for I need to send my brother over to the guest room for a rest." He understood the intention of Ye QingChen and he was, after all, unwilling to make a move towards the two men. While they made him uncomfortable, they were simply loyal with a fault to Yu BingYan and were simply carrying out their tasks to the best of their abilities. As such, unless forced to the point of no return, Ling Tian was unwilling to eliminate the duo.
"I understand; however, this concerns the safety of my princess. While I know I'm overstepping my boundaries, I still have to do so. Please forgive me, Young noble. May I request for this esteemed Senior's name? This junior is XueLeng, from the Yu Family." XueLeng refused to budge even a step and even took out his Yu Family's name. This caused Ling Tian to stiffen, a chilling ray flashing through his eyes as an intense wave of killing intent rushed out from him!
Chapter 145: Yang Family's Scheme
Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll
"This old man is only a fortune teller roaming the pugilistic world; the both of you do not need to be so paranoid. But, if this old man really wants to do something to your little princess, what can the both of you do about it?" While Ye QingChen's arms were weak from drinking, his mind was still extremely clear. Ling Tian was already gathering his inner Qi and was obviously enraged by how the both of them were so unruly in his own house. So what if they were from the Yu family?
"What are the both of you doing?!" The door opposite creaked open and Yu BingYan walked out, "This Mister Ye is also my friend." Yu BingYan's face was filled with both anger and awkwardness. While the both of them were concerned about her own safety, they were still guests in the Ling family. Such an action is akin to overwhelming the authority of their hosts and was extremely inappropriate.
The moment Yu BingYan said that, XueLeng and XueFei no longer had any doubts. As long as this person had no ill-intent towards the princess, the both of them could not be bothered with who he was, regardless of his abilities. What was the point for them brothers to provoke such an enemy for nothing? Thinking about how he was able to make them shiver from just his aura previously, their hearts could not help but tremble.
Ling Tian then lifted his head and looked at Yu BingYan profoundly. Then, he walked past XueLeng and XueFei and entered the guest room. Since Yu BingYan had already came out, he would definitely not be able to do anything to the both of them. Listening to Yu BingYan's exasperated, angry and anxious complains to XueLeng and XueFei, Ling Tian let out a sigh. After Ye QingChen heard Ling Tian's sigh, he also let out a delighted chuckle.
Ling Tian walked out of the guest room, the moonlight like water, covering the skies with a shade of silver. The shadow of the rack of grapes were slanted and there seemed to be someone standing there.
As Ling Tian walked there silently, he realized that the person was Yu BingYan. Wanting to hear what this lass was doing here, Ling Tian concealed himself in the shadows.
Yu BingYan was dressed in a white dress as she stood by the rack of grapes weakly, her head looking up at the moon. For a long time, she was motionless and silent.
Just when Ling Tian felt that she was acting extremely strange, he heard the sound of water droplets and his heart clenched. Looking over in the night, Yu BingYan's face was filled with tear drops glistening in the moonlight.
This young lady was of noble birth but yet extremely pitiful. When it is dead in the night, she was gazing at the moon alone and tearing silently!
Her shoulders trembled as the tears on her face gradually formed a small pool and dripped down...
A long while later, a sigh filled with despair and helplessness sounded from Yu BingYan's mouth. She then mumbled, "Because Chang'e stole the elixir, she became lonely every night! Celestial Chang'e, I am really envious of you; you have an eternity to think about your lover. While it is extremely bitter and painful, it is also a form of happiness. As for me, I have the one I like by my side but I am only able to look at him silently. Even if I have the time to think about him, it isn't much…
I wish, I wish I can abandon everything and ignore everything. Throw away all my responsibilities and spend the last few years of my life happily. No! Even if it is a few months or days would be fine too… I don't dare, I just don't dare… I will end up harming him, end up harming him. If I can, I would rather he die before me and let me endure the pain of endless longing. I also don't want him to see me heart-broken in front of him when I die… In a few more days, I will have to leave already. Tian'ge will only continue to exist in my dreams… I can't bear to, I really can't bear to… Why? Why must the heavens be so cruel?"
Tear rolled down Yu BingYan's cheeks like raindrops and the sound of water droplets became more and more concentrated. A cool breeze then went by and made Yu BingYan's clothes flutter in the winds. At this moment, Yu BingYan's frail body looked as though it was about to be blown away in the wind.
Swish! A soft swish sounded and there was a flash of light. As Ling Tian looked over, Yu BingYan was already holding onto a short sword, gleaming coldly in the moonlight. With a light wave, a strand of her hair floated down, "Tian'ge, I will not be able to accompany you in this life. I hope that this strand of my hair will be buried in your Ling family forever." Yu BingYan said with a dim, ant like voice.
The night was silent as the moonlight shone on the Ling mansion, as though it was trying to comfort this pitiful lady…
The shadow moved as the tears on Yu BingYan's face glistened in the moonlight.
In the dark, Ling Tian was standing silently as his face contorted in agony… His fists were clenched tight with his nails digging into his flesh and blood flowing down silently…
BingYan, Yan'er, I Ling Tian, will definitely cure you!! Ling Tian's lips pursed up as his brows stood up straight!
The night passed slowly as the both of them, one in the dark and the other in the light, stood there absorbed in their thoughts…
In the silence, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of water droplets. However, who knows if it was because of Yu BingYan's tears or Ling Tian's blood…
Yang family.
Yang KongQun was seated down alone with his brows furrowed and face full of worries. His face had never been filled with such worries for a good five, or even ten, years already…
Two days had already passed and there wasn't any clue about NanGong Le's murder. The members from the NanGong family must definitely be on the way here already. Thinking about how NanGong Yu was so cold to their Yang family, her words sarcastic and eyes filled with enmity, Yang KongQun could not help but sigh. It seems that the NanGong family had already began to suspect their Yang family.
If he still does not have any clues by the time the NanGong family arrives and provide a suitable explanation, a conflict would definitely be inevitable! To pursue NanGong Le's killers, the troops which he had mobilize had already attracted the attention of the imperial family. Now, the imperial family was beginning to grow more and more wary towards their Yang family. Yang KongQun just could not help but worry.
However, Yang KongQun did not know that the NanGong family didn't just suspect that they were the culprits. They were completely certain that the Yang family was the culprit! After all, no one would suspect something said in one's dying breath.
That sudden roar sounded from afar and echoed continuously in the night. It was obvious that the owner of this roar was definitely an expert with a profound cultivation. Yang KongQun was startled; just who can this person be? Just how profound is his inner Qi? Do my Yang family even have such an expert?
All of a sudden, Yang KongQun's eyes lit up; the person who killed NanGong Le is definitely a martial arts expert. The owner of that roar is definitely not any much weaker than the culprit. After being peaceful for so many years, why did such an expert appear in the Sky Bearing Empire? Or perhaps, the both of them may be the same person in fact? Perhaps… so what if they are not the same person. To frame someone, who cares if there isn't any evidence. The most important thing is to ensure that this person isn't from their Yang family!
After the roar passed, and the place suddenly seems so quiet, Yang KongQun shouted, "Men!"
Two family servants entered immediately and stood up straight.
"Quickly check where that roar originated from. Investigate who that person is and report it immediately." Yang KongQun said.
"There is no need to investigate it." Following the words, a person walked in.
"Yang Zheng? You're back? How are things in the northwest?" Yang KongQun revealed a joyful expression and commanded both the servants to take their leave.
"Things are extremely bad in the northwest. The few people we sent have all disappeared mysteriously. Things in the northwest are now extremely difficult to control."
This middle-aged man called Yang Zheng was Yang KongQun's number one tactician and was extremely sly and cunning. For the Yang family to lose contact with Ling Kong in the northwest horse ranch, Yang KongQun was afraid that something must have happened. Thus, he sent one of his close confidante to take a look at what went wrong.
"What? All of our men disappeared? What is going on? Have you investigated it clearly?" Yang KongQun was shocked and almost jumped out from his seat. The northwest horse ranch was a chess piece which Ling Kong and Yang KongQun had arranged for a full 20 years already. This was also one of their trump cards to deal with the Ling family! Now that something went wrong, how can Yang KongQun not be worried?
"It's a long story with regards to the northwest and we can talk about it on a later date. Family head, the most important thing currently is still the matters in the capital presently." Yang Zhen was a body full of dust from travelling and a face full of fatigue. But from the way he talked, it was obvious that he was extremely informed about what happened in the Yang family.
"When I came back from the northwest, I heard a few of our soldiers talking about their checks from the afternoon. They met with that little devil Ling Tian and were even scolded by him. However, they said something which really made me very interested."
"What thing?" Yang KongQun could not help but be more careful.
"They mentioned that the little devil Ling Tian met with a green dressed fortune teller in the streets. After a few sentences, Ling Tian invited him to a drink and they spent a whole afternoon drinking. Then, Ling Tian invited him back to his own residence. While this Ling Tian seems to be a silkpants on the surface, he is extremely difficult to deal with. He definitely isn't someone who would be easily fooled by a con artist. Since he invited the green dressed fortune teller back to his residence, this green dressed fortune teller must definitely stand out in his own way! That roar came from the direction of the Ling family and is probably from that green dressed fortune teller. While the strength of the Ling family increased over the past few years, they do not seem to have such an expert!" Yang Zheng began to analyze the situation.
"That's right, what else?" Yang KongQun said with a look of praise.
"According to my estimations, NanGong Le shouldn't have been killed by this green dressed fortune teller. First, he only entered the city today and the Ling family don't seem to have anything got to do with the death of NanGong Le. Next, the martial arts of this green dressed fortune teller is probably far above the murderer. Originally, we would not want to provoke such an expert. But now that things are so anxious, we can make use of this green dressed fortune teller to cook up a story about NanGong Le's death and pull the Ling family in. We must definitely ensure that they cannot pull themselves out of this matter. At the same time, we will be able to divert the attention of the NanGong family away from our Yang family." Yang Zheng then let out a sly chuckle.
Chapter 146: Respective Plans
Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll
"That's right!" The look of approval grew on Yang KongQun's face, "What do you think we should do to pull the Ling family in? Furthermore, we must make sure that the Ling family will not be at odds with our Yang family after being pulled in."
"It would be impossible to ensure that the Ling family do not go against us if we pull them in. The only thing we can do now is to push the Ling family into the line of sight of the other families when the chaos begins. Then, we can use the Ling and NanGong family to create havoc! At that time, the chaos would be formed out and our Yang family can either protect ourselves or even reap benefits from it!" Yang Zhen gave a sly grin.
"That's right!" this was the third time Yang KongQun said that already. Furthermore, it was said to the same person; to the Yang family, this is a great honor.
"Now that chaos is almost certain, it is inevitable for our Yang family to be at the disadvantage for now. However, our enemy, the Ling family, is completely unharmed. This is something which is extremely disadvantageous to us. We must muddy the waters to make the Ling family lose something as well. Only then will we be able to maintain the balance between both our families. Even if we were to offend an expert, it would be worth it. As long as the Ling and Yang families are balanced, the imperial family would not dare to take any action! This is indeed a good plan!"
Yang Zheng gave two evil chuckles, "As for the specifics, Family Head will still have to make the decision. However, this subordinate recommends that we act in a diametrically opposite way and make use of the imperial family to help us pave the way. After all, we are not the only ones worried about the Ling family having another expert in such chaotic times!"
Yang KongQun was stunned for a moment before revealing a cold sneer on his face. At the same time, the gaze in his eyes was like a venomous snake glaring at its prey.
Dawn.
The emperor of the Sky Bearing Empire, Long Xiang, had just walked out of his bedroom and was staring at the bright sky. His good mood which had long been lost was suddenly regained; it was as though the flowers and grass was smiling at him.
All of this was because of a report from the imperial doctor — Consort Ling Ran is pregnant again! This news made Long Xiang ecstatic in excitement. Since she was young, Ling Ran's body had been weak and she did not have another child after Princess HaoYue. Not only the emperor, even Ling Ran also felt extremely depressed in her heart and hated herself for not being able to give birth to a prince for the emperor. In the palace, the worth of the mother is determined by her son. Thus, she had always been suppressed by the Empress in the palace.
But, she never imagined that she would have another child when HaoYue was already 17 years old. When the both of them received this news, they both doubted that they were in a dream! In order to celebrate the joyous occasion with his beloved consort, Long Xiang had specially stayed in Ling Ran's palace last night. Looking at the still flat tummy of his beloved consort, Long Xiang could not help but smile from his heart when he thought that another one of his child was inside her womb.
"Reporting to the Emperor, Old Sire Yang requests an audience."
"Summon him in." Long Xiang was now in an extremely good mood and replied without thinking. At the same time, he thought to himself, "The sun had just risen up, why is he finding me so early in the morning for?"
"Emperor, the culprit who killed young noble NanGong has been found!" Yang KongQun's first sentence was something so exciting, "Will the Emperor help make the decision for this old subordinate to catch the culprit, returning my Yang family our innocence and giving the NanGong family justice."
"Oh? There is news already?" At the same time, Long Xiang cursed in his heart, "Why don't you continue the search for a few more days so we can be completely clear about all of your Yang family's strengths! You darn old man, concealing such a strength behind my back and you did not even bother giving me an explanation up until now. Now, you even want me to help you to capture the culprit who killed your son-in-law?! You are even trying to bring out both the Yang and NanGong family to pressure me?!"
"Yes, the culprit is a green dressed fortune teller. He entered into the Sky Bearing Empire again yesterday. The soldiers of my Yang family spotted him yesterday and wanted him to apprehend him on the spot. However, young noble Ling Tian seemed to have been bewitched by his words and stopped my soldiers from doing so. Furthermore, Ling Tian even brought the green dressed fortune teller into his Ling mansion. This is something which concerns Duke Ling's and the Emperor's reputation, this subordinate does not dare to make a rash move. Thus, I am here to seek an instruction from the Emperor."
Yang KongQun's face turned ashen as he said with drama, "That young noble Ling is still young and rash, being bewitched by the flowery language of the culprit. If I can catch the culprit, I can also return innocence to young noble Ling. If the culprit who murdered young noble NanGong is hiding in the Ling family as a guest, it will definitely draw some unwanted troubles."
"What? Ling Tian?! Is this news reliable?"
"It is definitely true. This is something which concerns the reputation of the Ling family, how would this subordinate dare to make it up. I hope that the Emperor will make a swift decision. The martial arts of the culprit is extremely deep and profound. If he were to escape, or be let out of the city by Ling Tian, this would definitely become a huge trouble in our Sky Bearing Empire. Previously, he was able to kill more than a hundred guards on the streets in less than 15 minutes. Such a cruel and bloodthirsty murderer can only be compared to that demon from a hundred years ago. If he were to escape, the consequences would definitely be dire." Yang KongQun looked as though he was extremely concerned about Ling Tian.
Long Xiang was startled in his heart. He was not startled that Yang KongQun compared the murderer to the demon from a hundred years ago. Instead, he was startled about how his dear nephew was just far too good at creating trouble. In these few years, it seemed as though there would be someone telling him about how Ling Tian created trouble every day. Every other day, there would be some young noble being beaten up by him, especially the few from the Yang family, with every single one of them being beaten up by Ling Tian at least more than 10 times.
With regards to everything that was related to the Yang family, they would always find out that Ling Tian would definitely be involved in the matter. The most infuriating matter was the fact that he would always use his trump card, "If you are not convinced after the beating, you better be careful of my uncle-in-law!" Once this trump card is showed, who would dare utter a single word of complain? In these few years, Long Xiang felt that it would be a joy if he didn't hear anything got to do with Ling Tian for at least two to three days. However, Long Xiang was indeed secretly delighted in his heart — this little brat Ling Tian felt that the Emperor was even stronger than his father or grandfather!
However, Ling Tian went too far this time. If Ling Tian were to stir chaos in the matters of the Yang family and create trouble for them, the Emperor would be able to close one eye, or even help Ling Tian in secret. However, why did Ling Tian have to treat a murder suspect as guest? Doesn't he know that the victim is the son of NanGong LongTian of the Eight Great Families? Isn't this akin to provoking a beehive?
With a frown, Long Xiang looked at Yang KongQun and said with discontentment, "Old Sir Yang, it is just a young noble from the NanGong family that was murdered. Do you expect us to mobilize the Imperial Army just for that? Experts are like clouds in your Yang family with every one of you being deep and unmeasurable. It shouldn't be a problem for you to capture a mere suspect, right?"
While the Emperor seemed to be voicing his discontent, he was actually questioning Yang KongQun. Especially when he said 'experts are like clouds in the Yang family with every one of you being deep and unmeasurable', it was as good as telling Yang KongQun to give him an explanation for those troops.
If Long Xiang could have it his way, he would definitely ask Yang KongQun to present those troops to the empire the moment Yang KongQun explains it. At the very least, he would want to have half of those troops! For a troop of elites to be right under his nose, he just could not be at ease!
Furthermore, Ling Ran's body had been weak ever since she was pregnant. Ling Tian was Ling Ran's only nephew and he had just promised Ling Ran that he would take good care of Ling Tian just this morning before being able to coax Ling Ran to sleep. He can't possibly go back on his word immediately, right?
While Yang KongQun understood what Long Xiang meant by those words, he pretended to not hear a thing and continued, "The Emperor is right. However, this concerns the Ling mansion and this subordinate has to deal with the matter carefully. If this subordinate brings my men to the Ling mansion and offend Duke Ling, then… this subordinate just won't be able to shoulder that responsibility."
"Hehe, while it is true that I am your father-in-law, the other fellow is also your father-in-law. If you as the Emperor does not say anything, what can the both of us do? Don't tell me we are really going to fight?" While Yang KongQun did not say these out, he was implicitly implying that in his words.
With regards to what Long Xiang asked about his Yang family's strength, Yang KongQun had just left that out completely.
This old fox!
While Long Xiang was enraged in his heart, he seemed motionless on the surface, "If that's the case, we will issue an order. Sir Yang can go to the Ling mansion to apprehend the suspect. However, under no circumstances are you to alarm the others of the Ling mansion." After saying that, the corners of his lips raised up slightly as though he was smiling. He was extremely satisfied with the way he handled the matter. His own order? Before it is even passed onto Ling Zhan's ears, it would probably be stopped by Ling Tian already. This is a good opportunity to let both the Yang and Ling family have a good fight. Mmm, the Ling family is strong enough already and there is no need for another expert. Even if Yang KongQun can settle this person, it may not be a bad thing. While the Ling family would lose an expert, the Yang family would definitely suffer a great loss as well. As long as both the families are weakened, I would be the one to benefit from their losses.
After hesitating for a short while, Yang KongQun finally said, "This subordinate thanks the Emperor." He wanted to say that a mere order would not be of much use. But if he wanted to ask the Emperor to issue an imperial decree for such a small matter, it wouldn't seem to be right either and the Emperor would definitely not agree to it. Furthermore, an orally spoken order is something without any evidence. While the Ling family can choose to ignore it, he can also make use of it to his own advantage. No matter what, he had successfully dragged the Ling family into this mess! It is best that he does not nit-pick on the details too much.
As long as he blows the matter up in front of the Ling family, or even kill that green dressed fortune teller, he would be able to give a proper explanation to NanGong TianLong when he arrives. At that time, the Ling family would definitely not swallow that anger and he can watch as both the Ling and NanGong family fight.
As for whether the Emperor gave him an oral order or imperial decree, that was something that Yang KongQun was not really bothered with. Today, he was only here to inform the Emperor about the matter, less this son-in-law of his become distressed when he mobilize his forces and backstab him!
As for what he would do when he reaches the Ling family, all of that would be under his control.
Chapter 147: Arrival of Troops
Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll
But a single casual phrase which Yang KongQun said before he left completely destroyed all of his good mood!
The moment Yang KongQun met the Emperor, he felt that Long Xiang was in a good mood today. Before leaving the palace, he saw the little eunuch in charge of serving the Emperor and make a casual remark, "The Emperor seems to be in a good mood today."
That little eunuch laughed and replied respectfully, "Replying to Sir Yang, the Emperor is in an extremely good mood today. Yesterday, there was news that Consort Ling Ran is pregnant and the Emperor is preparing to give amnesty to the empire as celebration for Consort Ling Ran."
With this reply, Yang KongQun's quick pace stopped as his face turned ugly.
The Yang and Ling family were both part of the Eight Great Families and had their roots in the Sky Bearing Empire. The daughter of the Ling family was the Emperor's consort while the daughter of the Yang family was the current Empress. Ever since Ling Ran entered the palace, her stomach had not been living up to expectations and she had only given birth to a single princess. As for the Empress, she had already given birth to two princes with one of them being the crown prince.
As such, the Yang family had adopted a more patronizing attitude in their conflict with the Ling family. Their meaning was — the empire would belong to my grandson in future, why is there a need for me to fight with you? Together with having Ling Kong as a trump card, Yang KongQun was unconcerned about the increase in the Ling family's strength over the past few years. In fact, he even had the mentality of letting them do as they pleased. After all, Yang KongQun felt that everything would belong to him eventually anyway.
Furthermore, the stronger the Ling family becomes, the warier the imperial family would be to the Ling family. At the same time, the imperial family would rely more and more on the Yang family. With their relationship to the crown prince, the imperial family would inevitably have closer ties to the Yang family. As time goes by, the Yang family would also grow more prosperous and would definitely not fall.
A long term wish of Yang KongQun was that if the emperor was sick, he would definitely not be assured to let the crown prince ascend the throne with the Ling family present. At that time, the emperor would definitely eliminate the Ling family to ensure the stability of the empire. To eliminate the Ling family, the emperor would definitely need his Yang family!
As such, the final victor between the fight of the two families would definitely be his Yang family! This was the plan which Yang KongQun had in his heart. Before this, things had indeed been developing according to his wishes. But in just a single day, all of his plans were ruined!
First was him losing contact with the northwest horse ranch, being unable to contact Ling Kong. In order to conceal this matter well, there was only a one-sided communication between Ling Kong and himself. In the family, there were only three to four people who knew about this matter including himself. How would it be easy for him to find another person who was loyal, wise and scheming enough to restore his communication with Ling Kong? As such, Yang KongQun was extremely frustrated about that matter.
Today, Yang KongQun had felt that his brilliant plan would be able to draw the Ling family into this mess completely, weakening the Ling family to cover up for their losses at the northwest horse ranch. However, he didn't expect to hear the news about Consort Ling Ran being pregnant! This piece of news had destroyed Yang KongQun's good mood completely!
Long Xiang had always doted on Ling Ran more than Yang Xue. In these few years, Yang Xue had been extremely domineering in the way she handled things in the palace because of her status as the mother of the crown prince, making Long Xiang extremely displeased. Without any other competition, the two princes had always fought amongst themselves for the position of the crown prince. The crown prince wanted to protect his own position and the second prince wanted to seize that title. After fighting countless of times, the both of them had troubled the Emperor with their quarrels more than once already. As the Emperor of the empire, Long Xiang was also extremely frustrated by all the troubles his two sons caused. As such, Long Xiang was also completely disappointed in both of his sons.
Now that Ling Ran was pregnant again, this piece of news was definitely enough to stir that sensitive heartstring of the emperor! If Ling Ran gives births to a prince, there would probably a big change in the harem of the imperial family, with how Long Xiang was so disappointed in Yang Xue and her two sons.
Originally, Yang KongQun would be able to stop this with his Yang family. But after this commotion in the capital, he revealed the hidden strength of his Yang family and made Long Xiang even more suspicious of him. If he were to embroil himself in the conflicts of the imperial family, it would probably make Long Xiang more resolute for change!
Any sort of change is something that Yang Xue and Yang KongQun would definitely not be able to accept!
Bad news came one after another and Yang KongQun rushed back to his residence with an ashen face. It seems like I will have to make plans! The moment things are irreversible, it would be too late for regrets!
In order to catch the green dressed fortune teller at the Ling family, Yang KongQun had made the resolution to handle the matter personally. Ling Zhan's temper was fiery, Ling Xiao's temper was stubborn and Ling Tian was domineering and arrogant. If Yang KongQun were to send anyone else over, the three of them would definitely not hand the green dressed fortune teller over. He would only be alerting the Ling family and nothing must go wrong in their plans to deal with the Ling family!
No matter how things turn out in future, I have no choice but to take one step at a time.
Ling Tian walked out of his room, enjoying the morning breeze. He took a large breath and felt as though his whole body was extremely relaxed.
Underneath the rack of grapes, there was a white dressed graceful figure standing there, she was Yu BingYan.
"Tian'ge, you're up already." Yu BingYan walked over, looking as though she had something to say. By the side, Ling Chen was already walking over with a basin of water for Ling Tian to wash his face.
Ling Tian's mood was extremely good today. Feeling the little paper bag in his bosom, it was as though he could feel the softness of the strand of hair and he could not help but feel a tender affection in his heart.
Seeing how Yu BingYan was looking so awkward, he wanted to defuse the situation for her. Thus, he joked, "Haha, Yan'er, this question is a strange one. This brother here walked out from my room with my clothes on neatly. Since I am not naked, of course I am up already. Haha…"
"You… irritating!" Yu BingYan's face turned red from what Ling Tian said as she stomped her feet and shouted, "The matters yesterday, this little sister apologizes."
In embarrassment, her apology was extremely aggressive, as though she was here to condemn Ling Tian. The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her mistake. Who would make an apology like that? This was even more forceful than being forceful, obviously looking as though she was trying to condemn someone. Her face then could not help but turn red.
Ling Tian was startled as he asked carefully, "Err, Yan'er, is this an apology? Why are you trying to condemn someone early in the morning? Why does it seem as though you want to eat someone alive?"
A loud laughter then sounded, "This is definitely not an apology! This is obviously condemnation. Oh, no, one would not be so fierce even if they want to condemn others. She obviously wants to eat someone up alive!" as Ling Tian and Yu BingYan turned to look, a green dressed man with white hair appeared. He was none other than Ye QingChen.
Yu BingYan was both angry and anxious as she retorted, "Two big grown man bullying a weak little girl. To think that the both of you are still so happy about it!"
Ye QingChen gave a hearty laughter and began to twiddle with his beard, "Lass, you are wrong about that. The way this old man sees it, this poor brother of mine would definitely be eaten by you if I don't come out. The way you were just now, it was really scary."
Ling Tian nodded his head in agreement, "That's right, that's right. It is all thanks to old brother for appearing in the nick of time to save the life of this little brother. This life saving grace, restoration grace, benevolence…, this little brother will always remember it in my heart!"
Yu BingYan was exasperated as she glared at the both of them without replying. Ye QingChen and Ling Tian burst out into laughter as they glanced at each other.
All of a sudden, a large commotion sounded by the door, as though there was a large troop of soldiers. If not, the commotion would definitely not have travelled into his own courtyard. Following which, a family servant ran into Ling Tian's courtyard gasping for air, "Young noble, things are bad! The Yang family head led his troops to our doorstep and said that he is here by the order of the Emperor to ask young noble to hand over the culprit who murdered NanGong Le!"
Ling Tian's eyes narrowed as he thought to himself, "This old fellow's news outlet is so efficient? But how does he know that the culprit is definitely from my Ling family! He really has some capabilities!" Ling Tian then shouted, "Culprit? What culprit? What else did he say?"
The eyes of that family servant darted around as he mumbled, "He said… the culprit is a con artist dressed as a fortune teller. He wants the young noble to hand over the culprit quickly. If not, he will lead his troops into our Ling family to apprehend him."
As the family servant said that, Ling Tian and Ye QingChen were both stunned for a moment. They then looked at each other and burst out into laughter — so that was the case! As Ling Tian laughed, he thought to himself, "I still thought that Yang KongQun was extremely smart, being able to guess that the culprit was from my Ling family. Now, it seems that he just isn't willing to let his Yang family be the only party losing out and wants to drag my Ling family in as well. With Ye QingChen's loud roar yesterday, it obviously revealed his profound inner strength. Under normal circumstances, Yang KongQun would definitely not dare to offend such an expert. But with the precarious situation currently, it made Ye QingChen become the largest suspect! This also gave Yang KongQun a so-called excuse!"
"Hahaha… old brother, you are really strong. I didn't know that you have such an ability to bring that NanGong Le back from hell and kill him again! Haha… I am going to die from laughter!" Ling Tian held onto his stomach as he laughed, almost unable to stand up straight. Looking at the anger hidden in Ye QingChen's eyes, Ling Tian could not help but want tell Yang KongQun, "Be careful old Yang, do you think this Mister fortune teller is someone who everyone can provoke?!"
While Ling Tian was still unable to determine Ye QingChen's identity, Ling Tian was certain that Ye QingChen was definitely someone from a large power, from how he was extremely familiar with the matters of the past. Furthermore, Ye QingChen was obviously someone who was not from the Eight Great Families and definitely did not place any of the Eight Great Families in his sight at all. Who was Ye QingChen? What kind of a status did Ye QingChen have? What kind of a power is behind him? While the answer was still hazy, it was definitely one which was hard to fathom!
Whenever Ye QingChen talked about 'Beyond Heaven', there would definitely be a strange look in his eyes. It was as though he was reminiscing and filled with admiration. Ling Tian already had his own suspicions in his heart. Adding together how Ye QingChen had profound martial arts, deep knowledge, ambition but yet not entering into the secular world, roaming the world with a simple dressing, unafraid of authority and powers, Ling Tian was certain that Ye QingChen was definitely from 'Beyond Heaven'!
Without a doubt, Yang KongQun had really provoked a beehive this time! Furthermore, it was the most venomous kind of beehive!
Chapter 148: You Are The Culprit
Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll
Originally, an expert like Ye QingChen was someone who Yang KongQun would definitely not want to provoke. Not to mention the fact that he may have a powerful backing, his own martial arts was more than enough to make Yang KongQun apprehensive.
Yang KongQun was now helpless! The troops of the NanGong family would arrive tomorrow and it was obvious that they were extremely suspicious of their Yang family. If they cannot give a proper explanation when the NanGong family arrives, both their families would definitely break out into a conflict and the Ling family would definitely not be a mere bystander. The Ling family would definitely add fuel to the fire and the imperial family would definitely hit them when they are down! At that time, the Yang family would be facing three different enemies and would surely suffer a great loss!
Now that Ye QingChen appeared, the Yang family had the chance to drag the Ling family into this mess. Even if he knew that this was akin to quenching his thirst with poison, Yang KongQun did not have a choice. No matter what, they would have to survive this tribulation first!
Duke Ling's voice then sounded, "That darn old man is crazy! That old fogey actually dares to surround my Ling mansion with troops! This old man will go and reason with him! If he dares to do anything funny, this old man will definitely beat up that old scum for sure!" as Duke Ling scolded, Yang KongQun's appellation changed three times!
Just when Ling Tian, Ye QingChen and Ye BingYan walked out from his courtyard, they saw Old Madam Ling rushing over with a few maids. Yang KongQun led his troops here to catch the culprit and Old Madam Ling knew that NanGong Le was killed under Ling Tian's command. Thus, even the extremely stable Old Madam Ling could not help but feel flustered from a guilty conscience. The first thing she thought of was to ask Ling Tian what exactly was going on.
After Old Madam Ling met Ling Tian's group of people, she immediately noticed Ye QingChen. He was dressed in a green robe made from cloth and had a sign made from bamboo poles; he did indeed look like a fortune teller from the pugilistic world. However, Ye QingChen just looked far too calm. Even though he knew that there were thousands of elites at the doorstep of the mansion to capture him, he was not the least bit flustered. His expression did not change, his steps steady, with a confident smile on his face!
This is definitely an extraordinary person! This was the first judgement made by Old Madam Ling! He is definitely not an ordinary fortune teller for sure and is probably a hermit who had concealed himself from the world! For my own grandson to invite him back personally, how can he be someone ordinary?
Old Madam Ling ignored Ling Tian and cupped her fists towards Ye QingChen with a smile, "Mister, it is our pleasure to have you here."
Ye QingChen smiled and wanted to say something. But when he was about to open his mouth to say something, his expression turned awkward and was suddenly stumped.
You have to know; the status of the green dressed fortune teller was extremely exalted! Even facing someone like Old Madam Ling, he was still far high than her in terms of status. Now that he had become sworn brothers with her grandson, how should he address her?
Thinking about that, he could not help but look back and glare at Ling Tian. At the start, Ling Tian did not understand why he was being glared at and was stunned for a moment. A short while later, Ling Tian immediately understood Ye QingChen's concern and could not help but laugh. Then, Ling Tian whispered, "Just call her whatever you want. With old brother's old age, I don't think you will be able to kowtow down, right? Hahaha…"
Ye QingChen was extremely depressed, almost wanting to beat Ling Tian up on the spot. However, Old Madam Ling was greeting him presently and he could not ignore her. Thus, he could only give a vague reply, "Err… old madam, it is this Ye's pleasure."
Old Madam Ling replied with a smile. Looking at the sly smile on her grandson's face, Old Madam Ling could not help but scold, "Little brat, how can you not inform grandmother that a noble guest is here."
Ling Tian stopped laughing and replied, "Grandmother, this is…" as he said that, he looked towards Ye QingChen. Ye QingChen then glared at Ling Tian as though he was trying to say: If you dare to say that we are sworn brothers, this old man here will definitely take care of you!
"Err, this is Ye QingChen, Mister Ye. He is my old brother… err… friend!"
Seeing how Ling Tian was stuttering and even exchanging signals with Ye QingChen, Old Madam Ling began to misunderstand something. Old Madam Ling had always thought that Ling Tian had a mysterious and extremely talented master ever since he was young. If not for that mysterious master, the Ling mansion would have probably been ruled by Ling Kong by now for sure! To the whole Ling mansion, this was definitely a great favor! However, she had been unable to meet this mysterious master of Ling Tian and had made Old Madam Ling feel extremely depressed.
Now that she saw the strange expressions on the both of their faces, Old Madam Ling would naturally think that Ye QingChen was Ling Tian's master. As such, she immediately said respectfully with a smile, "So it is Mister Ye. Rest assured Mister Ye, as long as Mister Ye is in our Ling mansion, our Ling mansion would definitely ensure your safety! Mister Ye has a great favor towards our Ling mansion; if you were to meet with an accident in our Ling mansion, how would our Ling mansion have the face to survive in this world?"
Favor? Where did this favor come from?! Ye QingChen was completely confused. Since when did I have a great favor towards your Ling mansion? He then looked towards Ling Tian and saw that Ling Tian was giggling, signalling to him to not deny the matter. Just what is going on here?
"Ah ah… old madam is too courteous. It is no effort at all and not worth remembering." Ye QingChen said, with a head full of confusion. Dammit, I must definitely question this brat later!
"It may be nothing big to Mister, but it is a gigantic favor to our Ling family, akin to giving our Ling family a chance to be rebirthed. Furthermore, this old lady will also have to thank you for educating this mischievous grandson of mine." Old Madam Ling said solemnly. Seeing that Ye QingChen did not deny what she said, her respect towards him grew.
The commotion by the doors of the mansion grew louder and louder, and Ling Zhan's voice began to grow louder and louder as well. It seemed as though they were really about to fight already. Ye QingChen then smiled awkwardly and said, "Let us settle the matter by your doorstep first."
As they walked to the entrance of the Ling mansion, they were all startled. There were two old man glaring at each other like they were in a cock fighting ring with all the blades of the Ling family's guards out of their sheaths. All of these men were personally picked out by Ling Xiao from the army, how would they be ordinary?
Outside the mansion, the elites of the Yang family were also fully dressed in armor, with killing intent emanating from them. There were over a thousand of them who were present! Behind Yang KongQun, there were two emotionless looking plain dressed old men. Occasionally, there would be a divine light shining from their eyes, obviously showing signs of profound inner Qi! Behind Duke Ling, there were also two black dressed men with a concealed aura, looking as though they were experts as well.
Ling Tian whispered with doubt, "Grandmother, who are those two black dressed men behind grandfather? Why haven't I seen them before?"
Old Madam Ling patted him on the head and said, "These two are your grandfather's personal guards. When your father frequented the battlefield in the past few years, your grandfather had sent them to your father's side. Now that there are no more battles, the both of them would naturally return. This time, the line-up of the Yang family really cannot be underestimated. This cavalry is obviously the elites amongst the elites. Don't tell me Yang KongQun is really planning to commit a heinous crime and fight our Ling family?"
Ling Tian studied Yang KongQun carefully and laughed, "That old man is putting nothing up nothing more than a false bravado. If our Ling mansion was his intention, he would have already launched an attack for sure. For him to be only arguing with grandfather, it can be seen that his only motive is Mister Ye." without a trace of concern in his words.
"He, Yang KongQun, still do not have the rights to take away someone from our Ling family!" Old Madam Ling snorted, "Look at how this old lady will shatter that old goat's head with my walking stick!"
"Please wait, old madam!" Ye QingChen walked forward calmly with a relaxed smile, "Since Yang KongQun is here for this Ye, then let this Ye send him away."
Before waiting for Old Madam Ling's reply, Ye QingChen had already taken a step out.
Old Madam Ling was stunned and wanted to follow him forward. However, Ling Tian pulled her back and shook his head, "Grandmother, watch this show quietly. I want to see how Yang KongQun will conclude this matter!"
Old Madam Ling's face turned serious as she asked softly, "Ye QingChen isn't the one who took action this time? The way that darn old man is acting, it seems as though he has concrete evidence. Mister Ye has bestowed our Ling family with a great favor. Even if he is an expert, it would be difficult for him to fight against such numbers, he must definitely be careful!"
Ling Tian then revealed a sly smile, "Rest assured grandmother, Mister Ye isn't the one who took action. Grandson is certain that this old man Yang will definitely go back depressed this time. He definitely will not be able to touch Mister at all! Ah ah, our Ling family can even use this opportunity to build up our reputation, becoming an existence that even the Emperor of the Sky Bearing Empire would not dare to touch."
Old Madam Ling's face was filled with doubt but Ling Tian did not explain anything.
On the other side, Ye QingChen had already opened his mouth, "I heard that the Family Head of the Yang family is here to catch this old man? I wonder what crime this old man committed?"
As he opened his mouth, everyone quietened down immediately and looked at this person who was at the heart of this storm. They all never expected him to walk out so easily!
Yang KongQun's eyes narrowed and said with a sneer, "Mister's martial arts is extremely profound, killing a hundred people alone and murdering the young noble of the NanGong family, NanGong Le. After that incident, you did not escape and still dare to appear out in the open. Your courage is something that this Yang really admires!"
Looking at Ye QingChen, Yang KongQun seemed to be extremely confident and calm on the surface. However, he was extremely nervous in his heart. From the loud roar last night, there wasn't a single expert in the Yang family who didn't feel their hearts tremble! Just how many of such experts could there be in the world? At the very least, the Yang family did not have any of such experts!
Knowing that they were here to capture him today, everyone was prepared to die here today! Since Ye QingChen was such an expert, how would it be possible for them to capture him without paying the price? Besides that, it is extremely likely that he will escape, even if the Yang family were to pay a heavy price!
After a long discussion, they finally decided to send the two most powerful experts of the Yang family to guard Yang KongQun. This is to ensure that Yang KongQun would not fall into the hands of the enemy and become a hostage. As for the remaining experts, they would dress up as normal guards and hide themselves amongst the Heavenly Blade Troops. The moment a fight breaks out, they would be able to catch Ye QingChen off guard and capture him in one fell swoop!
Ye QingChen's expression was extremely calm and unperturbed. Occasionally, there would be a look of disdain in his eyes, "Family Head Yang, this Ye is just a fortune teller trying to make a living in the pugilistic world. I never expected that entering the capital would make Family Head Yang think that I am a murderer. This is really the biggest joke in the world! In the world, you would find it hard to take a single step forward without a proper reason. Catching a thief or adulterous couple cannot be based on the one-sided statement of someone! You said that this Ye is the murderer, alright! I wonder what evidence or witnesses you have?!"