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Chapter 216: Matters of the Heart

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock

A trace of enlightenment appeared in Ling Chen's eyes as she said sincerely, "Young noble, I really understand now! Thank you for your pointers!"

Ling Tian responded with a chuckle, "Both of us, husband and wife, are a single entity. Why is there a need for you to thank me?" Ling Chen's face couldn't help but turn red as she was filled with sweetness in her heart. Then she heard Ling Tian continue, "Chen'er, I want you to live for me! You have to understand it would be impossible for you to not stain your hands with blood if you want to follow me for life! But you have to remember, what will I do if you harm yourself because of your unwillingness to kill? You are already the most beloved person in my heart! Are you going to…"

Before Ling Tian could complete his sentence, his mouth was already covered by Ling Chen's soft and tender hand. Ling Chen then looked deep into Ling Tian's eyes and said slowly, but resolutely, "I know now. Young noble, Chen'er will never let young noble be upset because of me!"

Ling Tian then let out a satisfied smile. Ling Chen's heart knot had finally been undone by Ling Tian's heartfelt persuasion. This was also something that Ling Tian couldn't help. If Ling Tian reincarnated in a peaceful time where the world was united, he would definitely give up all thoughts of ambition. At the same time, he would definitely not attempt to change Ling Chen's kind heart, but even encourage it greatly. However, being reincarnated into such troubled times where life and death were on the line, Ling Chen's kindness would probably become a fatal weakness!

Now that he had finally made this small opening in Ling Chen's heart, Ling Tian thought to himself, Perhaps I should find a chance to let Ling Chen see some blood to train her.

A short while later, the messenger falcon which was sent out had returned with an almost illegible note. Obviously, the person who wrote this letter replied without a single delay.

There were only a few short words on the note: The fourth child of the head of the XiMen Family, XiMen Zhang!

Ling Tian chucked and reduced the note into dust with a simple clench of his fist. He then muttered, "XiMen Family, ah ah, XiMen Family! Interesting, interesting!" He actually didn't have a single trace of worry from killing the son of a Great Family. In the world today, probably only Ling Tian would have such self-assurance.

Ling Chen then smiled, "So, he was from the XiMen Family. Ah ah, it seems that young noble will have to exercise a little. They would definitely be able to find out that the culprit was young noble." As Ling Chen said that, not a trace of worry could be seen on her face. This was definitely not because Ling Chen was blindly confident in Ling Tian's strength. With Ling Tian's strength and the fact that this was his own territory, the XiMen Family would definitely be seeking their own deaths if they were to seek revenge with the little manpower they had! Thus, Ling Chen was not worried at all!

Worry? The XiMen Family should be the one worrying. Did they really think that things would be settled so easily after harassing Ling Tian's lady in broad daylight?

Ling Tian let out a proud smile as he looked into the horizon, "The fourth young noble in the XiMen Family? Hehe, what's to be feared? If they are smart enough and choose to suppress this matter, this young noble will not have the energy to bother about them. But if they aren't smart enough… hehehe, XiMen Qing's scholarly meeting can be held in hell!" After pausing for a moment, he then mumbled, "To have the guts to block my way and harass my lady. Even if they aren't going to find me, I will definitely find them and have a good conversation. Should the young noble of a Great Family be acting like that?"

Ling Chen's face turned red and she couldn't help but burst out into giggles.

Ling Tian then laughed and said, "Chen'er, talking about interesting, I will take you to meet someone interesting later."

The sun slowly setting, Ling residence.

In Ling Tian's courtyard, there were three ladies seated under the rack of grapes. They were engaged in conversation with giggles being heard from time to time.

They were actually Yu BingYan, Wei XuanXuan, and Princess JiaoYue.

Initially, Princess JiaoYue wanted to take care of her mother in the room. However, what would a maiden like her know? In just a short while, she was chased out by Chu Ting'er and Old Madam Ling because she was a hindrance! With a heart full of worries, she began to roam around aimlessly in the Ling residence and unknowingly walked to Ling Tian's courtyard.

Standing in front of his courtyard, she began to reminisce about the time when Ling Tian domineeringly picked her up without even saying a thing. What a warm and sweet feeling that was! That straightforward and dense manly aura. That wide and firm chest of his. Those warm but strong arms… After reminiscing about all the sweet memories, bitterness filled her heart as she became perplexed. She was bitter about how she didn't hold any position in her cousin's heart and perplexed about her own mood. For some odd reason, her imagination seemed to be running wild all the time today. While these were the things a young lady like her should be thinking about, she also couldn't help but worry about her personal gains and losses. Standing there in a daze, her heart was already lost deep in thought. Only after Wei XuanXuan cried out to her a few times did she finally snap out of her daze.

Wei XuanXuan's mother and Ling Ran were bosom buddies, and Princess JiaoYue was also well acquainted with Wei XuanXuan. However, with JiaoYue's status as a princess, they didn't interact with each other much, but their relationship wasn't too bad. As Wei XuanXuan saw Princess JiaoYue pacing around the door to Ling Tian's courtyard, she invited in him without any hesitation and the three of them began to talk.

The three of them were extremely talented and were more than qualified to be called female scholars. The moment they started talking, the conversation could no longer be stopped! When Princess JiaoYue heard about how Yu BingYan was in love with Ling Tian and stayed in the Ling residence, she couldn't help but feel contempt towards Yu BingYan! At that time, she felt as though Yu BingYan didn't know how to have self-respect. When she first saw Yu BingYan, she felt as though her appearance was unsightly and paled in comparison to her. As a result, the enmity in her heart was reduced and she even felt injustice on behalf of Ling Tian. The heart of a lady was just that unpredictable.

After getting to know Yu BingYan better through this conversation, all of her previous views were completely thrown out of the window. She felt as though the little princess of the Yu Family was well versed in all zither, chess, calligraphy and painting, poetry and music, astronomy and geography! There wasn't a single thing that she didn't know about! The breadth of her knowledge and depth of her wisdom made Princess JiaoYue, who had followed strict palace training since young, feel a sense of inferiority! She no longer felt any contempt towards Yu BingYan and the enmity in her heart was largely reduced. Only then did she engage in a heartfelt conversation with the other two ladies. After the long conversation, the three of them had already turned into good friends who would talk about anything under the skies! Princess JiaoYue's depressed mood was also unknowingly wiped away.

"Younger sister XuanXuan," Princess JiaoYue was a few months older than Wei XuanXuan and was not shy to call her younger sister, "I heard that you have a good impression of my cousin, Ling Tian. I wonder how good of an impression it is?" While Princess JiaoYue asked in a teasing tone, she did indeed have petty intentions when asking Wei XuanXuan that. However, she was too embarrassed to announce the fact that her father had betrothed her to Ling Tian, and thus started this conversation in such an ambiguous manner. The moment Princess JiaoYue said that, even Yu BingYan joined in the fun and began cheering as though she wished for the world to be plunged into chaos.

"It's just nonsense!" Wei XuanXuan's face turned red as she began to defend herself, "I am only here to accompany little sister Yu to see her beloved Ling Tian. How does it have anything to do with me?"

As Yu BingYan heard that the arrow was directed to her direction, she couldn't help but be embarrassed as she began to tease, "Sister XuanXuan is just like that, never telling the truth in her heart. She obviously likes Tian'ge a lot, but just refuses to admit it!"

Wei XuanXuan was both embarrassed, angered and anxious. She then couldn't help but shout, "You're the only one who treats him as treasure. I don't like him at all. While Ling Tian isn't too bad, he just isn't my cup of tea."

Princess JiaoYue and Yu BingYan were both stunned when they heard that. Hearing Wei XuanXuan's tone, she didn't seem angered by her thoughts being seen through. Instead, it seemed as though the words she said were truly from her heart. After today, Princess JiaoYue finally understood that her cousin was definitely not the silkpants he appeared to be and was definitely not incorrigible like the rumors. Instead, he was definitely an extraordinary character who had concealed himself deeply for many years. From his display in the morning, the level of his martial arts could be easily seen!

For the two talented ladies, Yu BingYan and Wei XuanXuan, to be so close to Ling Tian, they must have discovered Ling Tian's talent. He was a suave young gentleman, wiser than his peers with an extraordinary level of martial arts. It wouldn't be too much to call him a dragon and phoenix among the younger generation. However, isn't a character like that the 'Mr. Right' for every lady? Why would Wei XuanXuan say otherwise? Does Ling Tian have his other flaws?

"I wonder what kind of guys sister XuanXuan likes?" Princess JiaoYue asked probingly.

Yu BingYan's face turned red and Wei XuanXuan's eyes seemed to turn dreamy, "This… I also don't know. While young noble Ling is talented in many aspects, XuanXuan only admires him greatly in my heart. However, that is only admiration and respect. But to talk about the matters between man and woman, that is impossible."

Both Princess JiaoYu and Yu BingYan were able to tell that Wei XuanXuan's 'I also don't know' was just a lie. It was obvious that she was just shy and didn't want to say it. However, her words about Ling Tian were spoken without hesitation, and it was obvious that she wasn't lying.

Chapter 217: Volunteer as Tribute

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

"And I still thought… turns out… aiiii." Yu BingYan wanted to say something but stopped halfway. However, the meaning in her words was already very clearly conveyed.

The courtyard door lightly opened, and a youth dressed completely in black walked in. One could clearly see that he was elegant and handsome, but his expression was just like a dead board except for his eyes which were like a predator, piercing and fierce.

"Ling Jian, why are you here?" Because Princess JiaoYue came often to visit the Lings, she was aware of Ling Tian's trusted aide, and thus couldn't help but blurt out.

Seeing the three ladies, Ling Jian couldn't help but be startled.

Under normal circumstances, Ling Jian wouldn't even appear at the Ling Residence in the day. However, he had just received some urgent and important news today which required him to look for Ling Tian in order to plan a countermeasure. Hence Ling Jian recklessly decided to rush over. Little did he know that not only was Ling Tian not present, there were even three beautiful ladies looking at him with a gaze akin to seeing a rare specimen at the zoo.

"Oh, turns out that your highness is here. I was looking for young noble about some matters, but since he's not here, this servant shall take his leave." Since Ling Tian was not around, there was no point in Ling Jian staying over. He said his piece, thinking 'I'll come back later,' as he looked up to see the sky dyed in crimson, signaling the ending of a day.

"Wait up! Ling Jian, I have something to ask you." Princess JiaoYue shot him a smile that was not really a smile as she stared at him, "You're quite good, Ling Jian, to actually collude with your young noble to make a fool out of this princess for so many years. Was it fun?"

Ling Jian was immediately put in a spot. If another lady dared to talk to him this way, he most likely would have had silenced her with a stab, even if the person was from the Royal Family! However, JiaoYue was after all Ling Ran's daughter, which mean that she was Ling Tian's cousin! Ling Jian couldn't find an answer to give to her, and could only cautiously reply, "What's the meaning behind Princess's statement? This servant does not really know. I still have other matters at hand, so I'll have to leave now."

While the Ling Family residence knew to give respect to the trusted aides of Ling Tian, which meant that Ling Jian was not a mere servant, but since he didn't know how much Princess JiaoYue was aware of, he could only play the part of a servant.

"Hmph, you don't understand?" Princess JiaoYue coldly snorted once, "I think you understand it clearer than anyone else here! Hurry up and confess to this princess now!"

Hearing this, Ling Jian shut his mouth, and a chilling killing intent exuded from his body. With an indifferent tone, he icily spoke, "Some matters are better off if you directly ask the young noble, princess!" This sentence sounded like nothing a servant would say to their master, and even more nothing like what someone would say to a princess of a country. In his tone was an arrogance carved deep in his bones, as well as disdain towards the Sky Bearing Royal Family! With Ling Jian personally running the First Pavilion these few years, other than Ling Tian, Ling Chen and Old Madam Ling, there was nobody in this vast world that he considered his superior! The only exception was Yu ManTian, but even with his exceptional martial skills, his straightforward personality, and his trustworthiness, he had only gained the respect of Ling Jian!

Don't joke with me! In this world, other than the young noble, there is nobody else capable of ordering me around! So what if you are the Princess of Sky Bearing? If you were not the cousin of Ling Tian, just based on your first sentence, I would've killed you! Even if you were Long Xiang, with but a command from the young noble, he would only end up as a departed spirit under my blade! You all, have no qualifications to talk to me this way!

Ling Jian only spoke that one sentence before turning to leave. However, when had Princess JiaoYue had someone talk to her like that? Even the Empress Yang Xue, who hated her mother and her to the bones, had to use a civil tone to address her! To think that Ling Jian would be so bold! At that moment, Princess JiaoYue was so angry that she was at a complete loss for words, her lips trembling, unable to form a word.

Ling Jian was preparing to step out of the door when a messenger rushed in, shouting, "Someone from the Wei Residence has come. May Miss Wei quickly return to the Residence, Sir and Madam Wei have something to discuss with you."

Princess JiaoYue asked, "How many have come?"

The messenger replied, "Two; one of them seems to be the head butler of the Wei Family."

Thinking about what happened to her and Ling Tian on the way to the palace today, Princess JiaoYue couldn't help but worry about Wei XuanXuan. If she really met such a sleazebag on the way, would that not be trouble for her? Now that all sorts of major powers were gathered in Sky Bearing, who knows if there would be another such silkpants roaming the streets!

As such, she frowned and replied, "With the unstable state that Sky Bearing is currently, wouldn't it be dangerous to escort Sister XuanXuan home with just two guards? We had better arrange for more guards." Casting her gaze over to the exiting Ling Jian, she snapped at him, "Ling Jian, stop right there! Inform Wang Tong and get him to arrange for some guards to escort Miss Wei back!"

Ling Jian was already frustrated by the fact that he couldn't get to Ling Tian on time. Hearing that Princess JiaoYue actually wanted him to summon some men over, with the intention of making him stay for further interrogation, he couldn't help but roll his eyes, saying, "Why do we need so many? Just myself alone will do!"

Princess JiaoYue coldly snorted, about to chide him, but surprisingly, Yu BingYan interrupted her by saying, "With this elder brother escorting, Miss Wei will definitely be safe." As she spoke, she shot Princess JiaoYue a knowing glance.

Seeing Ling Jian accompany Wei XuanXuan out, Princess JiaoYue couldn't help but ask in bewilderment, "Why did Sister agree to his demand? That guy isn't even skilled, how could he take care of Sister XuanXuan?"

"Princess can relax, there will definitely not be any problems!" Yu BingYan gave a sweet smile in response.

Princess JiaoYue's knowledge and experience couldn't compare to a descendant of the Yu family. While Yu BingYan couldn't practice martial arts, her experience and eyesight for details were at the level of an expert. She had only met Ling Jian this one time, but from the moment he released that ice cold killing intent, she had a rude shock upon realizing that Ling Jian's internal strength was only one step away from the XianTian realm! He could at least be considered as a White Jade cultivator in their family, and it was rare to see a talent of his age, even for her Yu Family! Having interacted with Princess JiaoYue before, she knew that the latter was innately kind and thus couldn't bear to watch as she offended a potential future expert. How could such an expert place a princess in such a small country within his eye?

One Ling Tian and one Ling Chen were enough to shock people out of their wits. To think that there was still another Ling Jian!

In the last few days, she had discovered that a mere Ling Residence already possessed three such experts! And they were all extremely young! How strong was the Ling Family exactly? How many more hidden experts did they actually have? How was it possible for a normal aristocratic family to recruit such strength?

Upon considering the possibilities, Yu BingYan then realized that the Mysterious Yin Essence Heart Sutra that she found in Ling Tian's study was definitely not some torn and tattered thing, but rather something which Ling Tian had probably spent much effort in searching for her! Thinking about how much effort Ling Tian had gone through to make her find it, Yu BingYan couldn't help but feel a wave of happiness surge through her, and the corners of her eyes grew wet. At that time, Ling Tian probably didn't want her to know about his strength, as well as didn't want her to feel uneasy if she were to discover anything, right?

Yu BingYan foolishly leaned on the courtyard door, letting the gentle breeze tug at her sleeves as she stood there in a daze…

While the Wei residence was not far away from the Ling residence, the walk was about an hour. Sir and Madam Wei had wanted to discipline this unruly daughter of theirs, and actually didn't send a sedan over! However, from the Ling Family's side, only Ling Jian accompanied her, and having not had any experience in serving the nobility, of course didn't know of her requirements. Since he could walk a few thousand miles on foot, then this small distance would be as simple as lifting his legs! Furthermore, Ling Jian didn't volunteer as tribute specially for Wei XuanXuan, but only to escape the interrogation of Princess JiaoYue. Until he received the green light from Ling Tian, no matter how much Princess JiaoYue were to question him, he would only keep his mouth shut!

But Ling Jian conveniently forgot a huge point! Wei XuanXuan was a noblewoman who seldom stepped out of her house. With her weak constitution, how was she able to withstand such a long journey?

She had only taken a few steps when she felt her legs turning numb. At the front, while the butler of the Wei Family would look back in concern, he seemed to not want to stop for a rest! Wei XuanXuan couldn't felt but feel bitter, knowing that it was the intention of her parents for her to suffer a little! Having previously been dragged along by Yu ManTian, her two legs were still hurting, and knowing that there was such a long route ahead of her, she was acutely aware of the pain in her legs.

Chapter 218: Two Assassins

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock

Sneaking a glance to the side, she noticed that despite following closely beside her, Ling Jian had no intentions to offer her support at all. It was as though he was here to take a leisurely stroll down the streets and not to guard her. He looked as though he didn't even know this beautiful lady beside him! However, not to mention the fact that the blockhead Ling Jian wouldn't offer her any support, even if he did, a maiden like her would definitely not let a man touch her!

Looking at Ling Jian's cold appearance, Wei XuanXuan couldn't help but grit her teeth as she thought to herself, What a blockhead!

In anger, she decided to stand still on the spot. Naturally, Ling Jian would also stop beside her. However, he remained silent and looked at her with a questioning gaze, as though waiting for an explanation.

Wei XuanXuan was fuming! For some odd reason, ever since she met Ling Jian, the usually dignified Wei XuanXuan felt her heart itch from hatred. She hated the fact that she couldn't smash up Ling Jian's rock-like face to see what kind of an expression was hiding within it! Would he still be as emotionless as he currently was?

As Ling Jian saw Wei XuanXuan stopping before they even completed half their journey, he was completely bewildered due to his lack of interaction with women! Thus, he could only wait by the side patiently as he bitterly sighed in his heart, Who would have thought that I, Ling Jian, would have such a day: standing in the streets with a lady and being watched like a monkey!

In Ling Jian's eyes, apart from the few females in the Ling residence, all other females, regardless of how young or old they were, were all called ladies. This was because Ling Tian had once said that calling females as such will display his masculinity!

However, who would have thought that Ling Jian would actually etch this casual joke by Ling Tian deep into his heart! Like the saying, 'if the top is corrupted, the bottom will follow', Ling Jian led all of his brothers to call the females 'ladies' 1 . Furthermore, whenever they said that word, their faces would always be cold and solemn, putting on their classic assassin appearance! Even Ling Tian felt his hair stand when he first witnessed that!

How could a guy treat a lady as such?!

If you were the one witnessing a 16 to 17-year-old man standing in front of you and saying 'ladies' with a straight face, you would probably feel like fainting as well.

Looking at Ling Jian's questioning gaze, Wei XuanXuan couldn't help but be angered as she whined, "My legs are sore, I can't walk any further."

Ling Jian then let out a long sigh as he thought to himself, No wonder young noble always says that women are troublesome! He is right indeed! After walking a mere thousand feet, this lass can't take it any longer!

Waving his hands, he commanded a beggar to come to his side. Then, Ling Jian took out an ingot of silver, "Go and find a sedan, the rest will be your reward."

That beggar was elated; holding onto the ingot of silver in disbelief, he bit on it and his teeth almost cracked! Only then did he hop away joyfully in search of a sedan. Finding a sedan was something that wouldn't even cost half a tael of silver. However, Ling Jian took out a full ten taels of silver in a single go. How could the beggar not jump for joy? The prices of commodities in the Sky Bearing City were extremely low and he would no longer need to beg in the streets. The leftover silver would be more than enough for him to be a small hawker. Of course the beggar was elated! He was only afraid that Ling Jian would regret it, so he ran away at top speed when he received the silver.

A short while later, the beggar brought a small green sedan over and Wei XuanXuan let out a sigh of relief. Looking at Ling Jian, she thought to herself, It seems that he is rather capable! I heard that he was Ling Tian's study attendant? What a pity.

However, Miss Wei forgot about one fact. How would a study attendant dare to be so rude to a princess? How could a study attendant give ten taels of silver to a beggar so casually?!

Ling Jian then made a hand signal to invite Wei XuanXuan up into the sedan. His face remained expressionless as his eyes seemed to be stuck with a single emotion. Wei XuanXuan, who had just formed a better opinion of him, let out a grunt and grew angry again, walking towards the sedan with frustration.

Before even taking two steps, Wei XuanXuan felt her arm tighten as Ling Jian had grabbed onto her inviolable jade-like arms! In that moment, she felt both embarrassed and frustrated in her heart. This fellow really doesn't know any manners! Just when she was about to reprimand him, she felt a cold energy permeate her surroundings, making her drop any thoughts of reprimanding Ling Tian!

Ling Jian's eyes narrowed as he pulled Wei XuanXuan behind him, with an arrow-like gaze being directed at the sedan.

In front of the sedan, a strange character slowly walked forward. His head was covered with a white scarf, and he was dressed in white robes with white shoes. He had a white sword tassel with a blood red belt around his waist. He was actually walking along the streets casually in such an outstanding outfit! He was the Golden Leaf Assassin, Ye BaiFei! While Ling Jian had never met him before, he was able to recognize Ye BaiFei immediately from his odd outfit!

Meeting someone from the same trade! Can this be considered to be 'enemies on a narrow road'?!

Nobody would have imagined that the two most famous assassins in the world would meet under such circumstances! While Ye BaiFei didn't know that this black dressed teen in front of him was the head of the First Pavilion, his sixth sense detected an extreme sense of danger as well. His eyes then narrowed as he looked towards Ling Jian.

The clothes of both the assassins were a complete contrast. As compared to Ye BaiFei's mourning like clothes, Ling Jian's dressing was much simpler. Black scarf, black robes, black shoes, black sword tassel and black sword sheath! Apart from his face being fair, all other parts of his body were black!

Both of their eyes were equally cold! Both of their eyes were equally proud and unbridled! Apart from the differences in their dressing and appearances, the aura they emanated was just far too similar!

Both of their gazes met in mid-air, with killing intent exploding forth! They were like two sharp swords clashing at an extreme speed! In that moment, it was as though sparks could be seen from the clash of their gazes! At this moment, both of them felt their heart shake!

How strong! Even Ling Chi and the rest probably won't have such a killing intent!

This was the first thought that surfaced in Ling Jian's mind! He did indeed live up to the name of 'Golden Leaf BaiFei'!

He is definitely from the same trade!

This person is so powerful!

The First Pavilion?!

These were the thoughts which surfaced in Ye BaiFei's heart! The next moment, a burning battle intent was ignited in his eyes! Battling those from the First Pavilion had been Ye BaiFei's greatest wish, and he had never expected to meet one of them here! While he was unsure about the other party's status in the First Pavilion, Ye BaiFei was certain that Ling Jian's martial arts were not any much weaker than his. At the same time, Ling Jian's status was definitely not low either! Even if he wasn't the pavilion head, he must definitely be someone important!

Wasn't it the greatest joy in the world to have an unrestrained battle with an opponent like that?!

Both of them were 30 feet apart and facing each other! They were like two ferocious leopards ready to pounce at any moment! At the same time, they were like two divine weapons ready to be unsheathed at any moment!

Killing intent exploded in the surroundings! Who knows how many lives these two killers had already ended? The density of their killing intent was definitely no less than that of a general who had been through hundreds of battles. In fact, their killing intent could even be superior!

Wei XuanXuan suddenly felt her whole body turn cold with her hair standing up on edge. A bone-chilling cold invaded her heart and she felt as though she was suddenly thrown into the deepest recess of hell! Wei XuanXuan felt her vision dim from the extreme change in atmosphere as she almost fainted!

Wei XuanXuan let out a soft groan as her face turned pale and her body began to sway. A short while later, her body gave way and began to fall towards the ground.

Ling Jian's chilly eyes were still fixed on Ye BaiFei without shifting away in the slightest! He had already realized that Wei XuanXuan could no longer endure the killing intent given out by both of them, and had begun to fall. However, he just couldn't move an inch at this moment! If Ye BaiFei were to attack when he made a move to support her, while he wouldn't die on the spot, he would definitely be at a complete disadvantage!

Besides, Ye BaiFei was definitely not a gentleman or hero! Ye BaiFei was an assassin! A top-notch assassin! The so-called pugilistic rules and morality were no different from bullsh*t in Ye BaiFei's eyes! If Ling Jian was in Ye BaiFei's shoes, Ling Jian was certain that he definitely wouldn't give up such an opportunity!

A number of passers-by had already noticed their strange actions with both of them staring at each other. There were plenty who shook their heads with a sigh, cursing those two lunatics under their breath.

Ling Jian's gaze narrowed and said, "Sword shattering the wind and clouds, stirring up golden leaves?"

Ye BaiFei's facial muscles contorted as he revealed a sneer which was even uglier than him crying, "The lives of all humans are in my hands, the winds and rains heed the First Pavilion? Hehehe, what exaggeration!"

Ling Jian's eyes turned chilly, "Whether or not that is an exaggeration, you will know soon. However, this isn't the right place for us to fight!"

Ye BaiFei let out a sigh. How could he not understand this? This was the busiest street in the Sky Bearing City! With a cold snort, he said, "What about 3 a.m. after midnight?"

Ling Jian considered for a moment before saying, "3 a.m. tonight at the willow forest to the south. If you dare appear, I will be there waiting!"

Ye BaiFei then nodded his head in response.

Chapter 219: Relying on Chance

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

At this instant, Wei XuanXuan only felt the sinister pressure surrounding her suddenly dissipate into nothing, with the early summer air warming her up once more! As Ling Jian bent over and took her by the arm, supporting her up, she had the intention to struggle free, but her body seemed bereft of energy! It was likely that if Ling Jian let go of her, she would probably fall back down. Left without an alternative, she could only lean on him with a reddened face.

It seemed as though the streets had resumed their bustling activity, with shouts and hawking filling her ears. This gave her a huge shock, as she realized that under the pressure exerted by the two men earlier, it had actually blocked out all sound from her!

With his left hand supporting Wei XuanXuan, Ling Jian remained ramrod straight. Even though his right hand looked relaxed without any tensed muscles in it, Ye BaiFei was certain that this was a form of absolute preparation. Ling Jian's sword nestled on his right hip was placed in an ingenious position that wouldn't only allow him to draw it in the quickest time possible, but also to allow complete protection of himself while he did so! With a method to advance or retreat, there was no risk at all for him!

Of course, only experts at least at the level of ye BaiFei would be able to see through this profound sword draw skill; if a martial artist of a lower grade were to face off against Ling Jian, without seeing his position and blindly attacking, chances are he would be killed in a split second!

The eyes of Ye BaiFei revealed a hint of praise as he relaxed his body, seemingly passing by Ling Jian without being on guard at all! As their shoulders came in line, Ling Jian's fingers twitched at the same time Ye BaiFei's shoulder trembled; but both didn't act on it.

In a blink of an eye, Ye BaiFei's eccentric appearance disappeared into the crowd behind Ling Jian, and not even his shadow could be seen. Only at this point did Ling Jian relax his taut senses, finding out that his palms were moist with cold sweat!

Just now, the two of them had already set down a time for a decisive battle, but at the instant they crossed shoulders, they both had the thought of silencing the other! Both were assassins, not martial artists who dueled for fun! Their only objective in life was to kill! If Ye BaiFei had really blindly believed the fact that Ling Jian wouldn't touch him until their duel and had walked over without any preparation, he would only be an ice cold corpse now!

Likewise, if Ling Jian had trusted Ye BaiFei unconditionally, the latter would have immediately jumped in for the kill! For Ling Jian who was supporting Wei XuanXuan and at a disadvantage, he would definitely be unable to escape!

At that intersection point, both of them went through many imagined scenarios of life and death! The subtly dangerous situation was hard to imagine and difficult to describe!

However, Ling Jian was unaware that when Ye BaiFei walked past him into the crowd, his forehead started to bead with cold sweat! That intense killing intent exuded by Ling Jian was as though he was one with the sword, a realm with Ye BaiFei had not even glimpsed yet! He secretly swore to himself, that if Ling Jian dared to appear for their duel, he had to hack him down, at the risk of revealing all his trump cards!

"You guys are enemies?" With a sense of lingering fear, Wei XuanXuan asked in a trembling voice, her eyes betraying her fright.

"Oh." This indifferent voice caused Wei XuanXuan to boil with so much anger that her previous fright was forgotten!

"Oh??!!"

What kind of answer was that? Is that a yes or a no? You might as well not answer!

You're at most a servant of the Ling Family, to have such guts, who do you think you are?

The little Miss Wei suddenly felt a stomach-churning boiling anger, and furiously snorted before tugging her arm away from Ling Jian's hand. Swatting her sleeve hatefully, she started walking again, without even bothering with the sedan!

Ling Jian's gaze turned frosty, but he didn't speak, mutely following her from the back. Secretly, he was fuming to himself, Only a mere official's daughter, what kind of princess problem are you having?! He couldn't help but sigh in admiration at Ling Tian's ability to sit down with them day after day; it turns out that this was no easy task! Just who would be able to endure such a fickle princess temper? If it were him, he would have slapped them long ago!

With her anger fuelling her, Wei XuanXuan actually revealed a startling tenacity, walking all the way back to her house in high spirits! And she didn't even speak a word throughout the journey!

Based on his performance, Wei XuanXuan only had to look from the perspective of Yu BingYan to know that this black-robed 'cool' fellow was no ordinary servant in the Ling Family. He definitely had some important position as well as a strong backer, but looking at his icy cold face made her uncomfortable. This was only further exacerbated by his lack of willingness to speak, as though he had a mouth that would spew out gold every time he opened it. He looked as though he would never open his mouth for his entire life if he didn't need to speak, and coupled with a face that would repel people a mile away from him, he could totally pass as an undead vampire!

Wei XuanXuan had always been proud of her appearance. While it wasn't at the level of Ling Chen or Xiao YanXue, she could still be considered a great beauty. To think that this cold piece of wood actually seemed to ignore her beauty, treating her like a morning glory on the wall by the roadside! Even if he were to glance at her, there wouldn't be any change in his expression, as though he was looking at any Tom, Dick or Harry, or even worse, a stranger that had no relation with him! How infuriating!

Was this guy the reincarnation of a wooden block?

Darned blockhead!

Even his master Ling Tian didn't display such behavior at the palace when they had met for the first time. While he had a hint of a dismissive bearing, but he wore a happy expression and was refined and courteous! This black-robed guy looked as though he just didn't care! This aunt here is going to find a chance to give you a good lesson!

On her journey back, Wei XuanXuan's mind was full of such vicious thoughts, scheming on how to make that jerk reveal a battered expression in front of her, or how to lead him on a merry-go-round. Her face switched from anger to glee constantly, to the point that she didn't realize that she had already reached her house's door!

Turning back, she only noticed the slim black-robed figure already walking back from where they came from. His pace was steady and firm, with no intention of staying even a second longer! From start to finish, not only did he not speak a sentence to her, but he didn't even say goodbye after sending Wei XuanXuan back home!

It was at this moment that she recalled the fact that both of them didn't even exchange a sentence with each other throughout this whole journey, and hatefully thought, How could a mere servant from the Ling Family actually treat me in this manner! Her rage bubbled up once again, and Wei XuanXuan stomped her feet on the ground. By doing so, a wave of pain shot through her feet, immediately causing her to cry out in pain, with tears streaming down her cheeks. Because she had wanted to show her temper, the little lass had actually surpassed the limit her dainty feet could withstand on such a long journey! Her feet were probably all blistered now, thanks to that blockhead!

Gazing at the setting sun, Ling Tian softly spoke to Ling Chen, "It's almost time, the skies are darkening."

While Ling Chen was proficient in reading his thoughts, she didn't understand Ling Tian's meaning of 'almost time', and merely nodded her head in confusion, replying with an "En."

At this point, the two of them got down off their horses, and using their superior movement techniques, flew up to hide in a tree with lush leaves. Below them was a middle-sized courtyard, with statues as gatekeepers for an iron gate dotted with rust. From the dilapidated conditions, it seemed as though it had been abandoned a long time ago, yet with the couple's extraordinary eyesight, they could see that the interior of the house was neatly arranged, even having a few teacups ready! Anyone looking from outside of the house would think that there was no one living here, but the white table in the courtyard from their vantage point was actually spotless and without dust! This completely went against common sense!

The only plausible scenario was that there was someone living here, and moreover had only recently gone out!

This place was precisely the abode of the assassin Ye BaiFei! Ling Tian had always felt that this person appeared with too opportune a timing, just when all heroes had gathered in Sky Bearing. To say that he came here to sightsee was an absolute lie!

Ye BaiFei was an assassin, and an outstanding one. To appear at such a sensitive time, his objectives could only be a few, and one of them was definitely to kill! If it was a normal day in Sky Bearing, Ling Tian wouldn't wish to provoke such a strong enemy. With Ye BaiFei's current strength, although he wasn't Ling Tian's match, there would definitely be organization backing him! Else, how would he be able to obtain such detailed intelligence reports on his assassination targets?

Assassins that were solitary and answered to no one only appeared in novels. Such people would have no way to exist in reality without strong support!

Accepting missions, finding the target, giving a time frame, performing reconnaissance… all the way up until the last part of killing the target, someone else was needed in the background to handle everything except for the actual killing. To have the assassin do everything on his own? Most likely, he wouldn't kill anyone, and only end up tiring himself to death! Even if he didn't die from fatigue, the lack of business would kill him!

Thus, while Ye BaiFei was not considered the strongest, he was definitely a top assassin. In his career, he had only failed once, which was the Yu Family's Yu ManLou, as well as the Yu ManTian which obstructed him! However, while he had failed, he still escaped with all his limbs intact!

In this sensitive time, if Ye BaiFei planned to go about assassinating important characters at such a moment, it would definitely bring about chaos in the city. This is something that Ling Tian would never be able to tolerate as it would mess up his plans for sure!

Chapter 220: Intolerable

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT , Rock

For Ye BaiFei to rush to the Sky Bearing City in such a sensitive period, there was probably a conspiracy behind the scenes! How could Ling Tian ignore the matter completely?! Currently, Ling Jian and the others from The First Pavilion were raising their strength to deal with the changes in the near future. But if Ling Tian were to send others instead, he may alert Ye BaiFei instead. Furthermore, they may be unable to fight Ye BaiFei alone either. Thus, Ling Tian had no choice but to make the trip personally.

The sun disappeared completely and the final trace of light had been swallowed by the darkness. The night was here!

Feeling Ling Chen's body tense up, Ling Tian squinted his eyes to take a look. Indeed, in the quiet street a white dressed figure silently appeared. If he wasn't Ye BaiFei, who else could he be?

From the cautiousness of an assassin, Ye BaiFei began checking out the courtyard at top speed to ensure that nothing was amiss. After he was done with his checks, he flipped onto the roof and began looking around. Ling Tian and Ling Chen had already retracted all of their aura and were presently carefully holding their breaths.

Finally, Ye BaiFei landed in the courtyard lightly like a feather. However, he didn't enter the room but instead took out a thin item and placed it on his lips. Then, a mellow wind-like sound could be heard. Even if someone were to hear it, they would only treat it as the night winds and ignore it. While the sound was soft, it traveled a long distance without dispersing! It was as though the sound was some type of signal.

A short while later, black figures could be seen flashing around in the night and seven to eight black dressed figures entered from all directions. From their swift movements and superior footwork, it was obvious that they were all top-notch experts!

Ling Tian and Ling Chen were both startled! While Ling Tian had already guessed that Ye BaiFei didn't come into Sky Bearing City alone, he never expected there to be so many of them! Just what kind of an organization was this? They actually had so many top-notch experts? For so many of them to infiltrate the Sky Bearing City, why would they go to such lengths if they didn't have a big plan? Thinking about this, Ling Tian couldn't help but perk up his ears.

In just a short few moments, all of them had already entered the room.

"Boss, why did you call us over? Didn't we agree to wait for the best chance before taking action together? For you to gather us over now, aren't you afraid of alerting our enemies?" A gentle voice could be heard.

"There are changes in the situation. Today, I found someone who seemed to be an expert from the First Pavilion. His martial arts were deep and unmeasurable, probably a notch above mine and no weaker than Yu ManTian. I made an appointment to have a battle with him at 3 a.m. in the willow forest to the south tonight. This person is extremely powerful and we will undoubtedly have to face the First Pavilion eventually. As such, we should make good use of this opportunity to get rid of him! That would be the best choice, so I gathered all of you here." Ye BaiFei's voice could be heard.

"Oh? This person actually has such cultivation? His martial arts were even higher than our boss'? I wonder what his background is like and how old he is?" An astonished voice could be heard.

Ye BaiFei responded with a 'Mmm' and didn't say anything else. The rest of them then began to break out into discussions. In the eyes of those present, Ye BaiFei's had already achieved great heights in his martial arts and he was a top-class figure in the world. However, they never imagined that someone would actually be even more powerful than Ye BaiFei! Thus, they were all in shock with a few of them in disbelief.

On the tree, Ling Tian was stunned. The First Pavilion? Who? Since Ye BaiFei mentioned it, it couldn't be wrong. For the person to be slightly stronger than Ye BaiFei and weaker than Yu ManTian, the person should be Ling Jian! Did he meet Ling Jian?

Thinking about this, Ling Tian felt a ball of anger rising in his heart. He was enraged that Ling Jian was creating trouble even before his internal injuries from his battle with Yu ManTian were fully recovered! He actually set a date to fight with Ye BaiFei! If Ling Jian's injuries were to worsen, he might not be able to fully recover! Furthermore, Ye BaiFei was obviously planning to get rid of Ling Jian at all costs! With the situation in the Sky Bearing City being so treacherous now, how can that brat still be so reckless?!

Ling Jian was still required to monitor the fight between Ling Chi and Yu ManTian. After every battle, Ling Jian was supposed to give the others pointers. At such a moment, he actually chose to go and pick a fight with someone else!

If Ling Jian was in front of Ling Tian now, he would probably be thoroughly beaten up by Ling Tian! This was just too preposterous!

Ling Tian had only intended to check on Ye BaiFei's intentions and nothing more than that. After purging Ling Ran's poison today, Ling Tian had already exhausted a great deal of his inner qi. At such a moment, it really wasn't suitable for him to take action!

Furthermore, Ling Tian appreciated Ye BaiFei's talents greatly and wanted to make use of this opportunity to bring Ye BaiFei under his command. Thus, Ling Tian didn't have any intentions of fighting Ye BaiFei today.

However, now that he knew that they were about to ambush Ling Jian, how could Ling Tian endure any longer? At this moment, the arrow was already nocked and there wasn't a choice but to fire it!

Sending an eye signal to Ling Chen, she responded with a nod and the both of them together put on a black mask. Ling Tian was already ready to kill! If Ling Jian wasn't injured, he wouldn't mind following the lot of them to the willow forest to wipe out all of them! However, Ling Tian couldn't do that now. In fact, he couldn't risk Ling Jian taking action at all! If Ling Jian were to cause his injuries to take a turn for the worse, that would be disastrous!

Ling Tian had no choice but to take care of them right here. While his inner qi was only about 60% recovered, he would definitely be able to force them all into retreat with Ling Chen's aid and destroy their plans for tonight!

The door opened and eight people, including Ye BaiFei, came out from the room. They were obviously preparing to go to the willow forest to find a place to lay an ambush.

"Sword shattering the wind and clouds, stirring up golden leaves. Despicable to the extreme and shameless beyond comparison!" a crisp voice sounded and the eight of them stopped together! As they turned back to take a look, their swords were all unsheathed.

"It's you!" Ye BaiFei's eyes narrowed as a look of caution filled his face! With a single look, he could tell that the person in front of him was the mysterious individual who slashed his belt with a single move. How was it possible for Ye BaiFei to forget such a humiliation? However, Ye BaiFei was extremely cautious as well. Ling Tian's martial arts were immeasurably profound and he was definitely not a match for Ling Tian alone! Now, it seems that…

"Ye BaiFei, I have misjudged your character! It turns out you were such a despicable person! After agreeing to a one to one battle, you actually plan to ambush him in a group! Did the fame of Golden Leaves BaiFei come about like that?" Ling Tian ridiculed with sarcasm.

Ye BaiFei snorted, "Sir, you are wrong. Golden Leaves BaiFei was never a righteous knight. I am only an assassin who killed for money. Why would I give a damn about those dogsh*t pugilistic rules? The victor will be the king and the loser will be a thief. What's the need for all these morals?!"

Ling Tian let out a cold snort. This logic was something which he constantly said and even influenced Ling Tian. However, he had never expected Ye BaiFei to have such thoughts as well. For the same words to be used on himself, Ling Tian no longer felt that it was just! In his heart, Ling Tian was an extremely protective person, and he would never allow his brothers to be harmed!

Can this be considered to be like the saying, 'Only government officials are allowed to commit arson, but the commoners aren't allowed to light a lamp'?

"Despicable fool, spare me the nonsense. Since this young noble met such an incident today, I will not allow you to harm a good person! Talk with your sword!"

Ye BaiFei let out a chilly glare, "Sir, while your martial arts are top-notch, your experience is shallow. You have already revealed our hiding place, and it is too late for you to leave. Everyone be careful! This person's martial arts are extremely high and all of you must be extremely careful. Use your full strength and kill him!"

Ling Tian let out a laugh, "What is there to fear about a bunch of little pawns. Come at me!" Just when he was about to unleash his attack, a fragrant wind passed by his nose and Ling Chen drew her sword!

Ling Tian couldn't help but be stunned, but he immediately understood Ling Chen's meaning and warmth filled his heart.

Ling Chen naturally knew that Ling Tian had already exhausted a great deal of his inner qi from purging Ling Ran's poison in the palace. Currently, it was impossible for Ling Tian to have fully recovered! How would Ling Chen ever let the unrecovered Ling Tian charge straight into battle? As long as she can heavily injure or even kill some of them, she would be able to reduce their opponents' strength and reduce Ling Tian's burden! Thus, for the first time in her life, Ling Chen felt the urge to kill!

While Ling Chen cultivated the Divine Ice Formula and her appearance was cold like snow, she didn't like to fight in her heart. However, for her beloved man Ling Tian, she charged out without any hesitation! Furthermore, she obviously chose the leader, Ye BaiFei, as her opponent!

Ye BaiFei never imagined that the white dressed lady in front of him would also have martial arts comparable to his! In just a blink of an eye, she had already appeared in front of him and a cold gleam could be seen on her sword. The next instant, he was already covered in the cold light from her sword! The ferocity of her attack and exquisiteness of her moves was something that he had never seen before!

Chapter 221: Ling Chen's First Battle

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

Ye BaiFei lived up to his name as a professional assassin. Without showing any panic, his right hand only flickered once, and his sword had already appeared in his hand. At the same instant, the night sky seemed to have exploded into lights resembling fireworks! He shot forward without hesitation, and the ringing sounds of blades clashing came faster and faster, finally combining into one, unable to be differentiated.

Ye BaiFei originally had the idea to take advantage of the fact that a female's strength was lower compared to a man's, and exhaust Ling Chen's strength before he went in for the kill. However, Ling Chen's attack came in waves, akin to a vast and mighty ocean, continuous and never ending! Ye BaiFei only felt that every part of his body was in danger of being attacked by her blade, and could only focus all his efforts on defending!

The other seven let out expressions of shock; everyone there was familiar with the skills of Ye BaiFei, and they didn't expect that this random white-robed girl who appeared out of nowhere would be able to force him to this state! This was something that went beyond all reason!

Furthermore, Ye BaiFei had solemnly said that the other guy's martial arts were even scarier! The seven of them couldn't help but look at Ling Tian who had yet to make his move, secretly fearing in their hearts. The business of assassination was one where people planned for the worst-case scenario, so if even Ye BaiFei showed fear towards this person, how would they dare to not respect him!

The seven of them immediately moved, surrounding Ling Tian! Seven swords flashed, their tips all pointing inward where Ling Tian was!

Seeing these seven's movement techniques, Ling Tian couldn't help but exclaim to himself.

To have all seven of them arranging themselves without any prior communication showed their mutual understanding. Most likely, they had some sort of hidden formation as a trump card! If that was the case, then his objective tonight might not be so easily accomplished!

With a flip of his wrist, a short sword appeared in his hands, with light being refracted all over. With but a flap of his robes, he had already headed towards the opponent directly in front of him like a bolt of lightning!

It was as though a wave suddenly appeared in this area: the seven swords thrust inwards at the same time, all aiming at different spots. But all of them had stable hands, their gazes cold as ice. As for the assassin facing Ling Tian, he seemed to ignore Ling Tian's attack towards him, throwing all caution aside in order to land a hit on Ling Tian. They were all using the method of taking someone down with themselves!

If Ling Tian didn't change his course, while he might be able to avoid the assassin's killing blow, he wouldn't escape unscathed under the six other blades!

At such an important juncture, how could he allow himself to be injured?

The reason why Ling Tian had dashed out was to probe whether the seven of them had a sort of formation that they could use, and with their actions all his suspicions were confirmed. Floating in midair, he suddenly retracted his sword and retreated! He actually could weave in and out unaffected by the sword web formed from the seven swords before reappearing back at the place he once stood! Standing ramrod straight under the moonlight, his white robes fluttering!

Such godly speed far exceeded what everyone here was capable of!

As he tilted his head, he saw the seven of them actually retreat back to their positions without a hint of chaos, and bitterly cursed to himself. They indeed had a formation!

One had to know that with Ling Tian's godly speed of advancing and retreating, if it were a duel, then that opponent would have long since given up his life. However, these seven seemed to have practiced some sort of combination technique, leaving Ling Tian clueless about how to deal with them!

Just as Ling Tian was pondering over this thorny problem, the seven of them had long lost their composure! If this wasn't a battle then they would be letting out gasps of shock! To have reached such a realm in his movement techniques, even their boss Ye BaiFei wouldn't be his opponent! Little did they know that Ye BaiFei had long suffered a defeat under Ling Tian's hands, but because of that humiliation at almost being made to streak naked, Ye BaiFei's arrogance would definitely not allow him to expose this fact to others!

In the blink of an eye, Ling Tian had once again rushed towards the seven of them at high speed, exchanging blows with all seven of them one after another! However, he was actually rebuffed without any success! The seven of them returned to their exact places after receiving Ling Tian's attack, with not a single hair out of place!

But it was this that gave Ling Tian the idea to break out of this formation!

It was their placing!

Their positions were evidently developed after long periods of training together, to form a method most advantageous to them! Their positions were exactly equidistant, with different points to aim for in their attack, all to maximise their success! Against some weaker experts, they would most likely only require one blow to end the battle!

Their positions could be said to be the essence of their entire formation. The most profound mystery usually was the method to break a formation, but in this case it was too rigid! As long as he messed up their positions, or wounded one of them, then the formation would immediately dissipate to nothing! However, this knowledge was not something which most martial arts experts would know! Even if they knew, one had to pay a corresponding price to break the formation!

After crossing swords with them, Ling Tian had fully internalized the formidable aspects of this formation! Based on his current abilities, he only had the confidence to protect himself completely, but was unable to harm his opponents! He had no choice but to remain motionless, waiting for them to grow impatient and attack. Then, he could take the chance to break free from the formation!

If he were to rate their strength, while they might be considered a professional in the martial arts circles, they were still lacking when compared to Ling Feng! However, to have the seven link up in their formation, then their overall prowess could actually match up to the formation of the five Ling brothers! As for their defense, it even surpassed them! This gave Ling Tian a headache; did he really need to pay a price to defeat seven people of such caliber?

On the other side, Ling Chen and Ye BaiFei's duel was getting more intense. Only two white blurs could be seen as they flashed throughout the night sky, letting out a chain of metallic rings whenever they connected. With their internal energy focused on their swords, the sharp screams of the swords splitting the void could be constantly heard! Their fight radius had gradually increased to a circumference of three hundred feet!

Stealing a glance at the battle, Ling Tian was reassured to see that Ling Chen was in no immediate danger, and in fact had an advantage! One had to know that Ling Chen's sword arts, as well as internal strength, were already a notch above Ling Jian, and Ye BaiFei was only on the same level with Ling Jian! Ye BaiFei was definitely inferior to Ling Chen in this regard, which was only made worse because Ling Chen was worried about Ling Tian having too many enemies. She didn't want him to have any pressure and so threw any compassion she had to the back of her mind, focusing all her efforts to great effect!

This was especially so for her elegant and graceful movement techniques, exceeding Ye BaiFei's movement technique by a large margin! Her swift and elegant movements, floating from place to place, a while left, a while right, as though the whole battlefield was hers! She controlled at least 70% of the offense in this battle!

Facing off against Ling Chen's flurry of attacks like a torrential downpour, the only thing Ye BaiFei could rely on was his immense killing intent and his battle style of not being afraid of death! While Ling Chen's martial attainments were high, she had only taken part in spars! Strictly speaking, this was Ling Chen's first life and death battle with an expert!

Ye BaiFei's every move was as though he was seeking death, leading to Ling Chen being tied up to some extent at first, unable to display her fullest potential. However, as she familiarized herself with his moves, Ye BaiFei could no longer take the advantage, and this was what Ling Tian was most gratified with! Given a bit of time, Ling Jian would probably have to concede his position of the fastest learner to Ling Chen!

The reason why Ling Chen was so violently attacking, unlike her usual style, was because she was afraid that Ling Tian might receive internal injuries while going against the seven fighters! When that happened, she would probably wallow in guilt! Thus, she decided to throw aside her compassion to resolve this duel in the shortest time possible! With that thought, even the killing moves that she normally didn't display were all shown out in the shortest time! If Ye BaiFei failed to dodge at this point, Ling Chen wouldn't hesitate to take this opportunity to protect the man she loved!

Ye BaiFei didn't show any change in expression, but secretly was incessantly complaining! He was depressed to the point that he wanted to vomit blood! This girl not only had exquisite movement techniques and profound sword arts, but her internal strength was also unbelievably profound! A truly difficult opponent! He knew that if he was negligent, he would immediately be pierced several times in a row!

Chapter 222: Bitter Battle

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

If it was only all this, then Ye BaiFei would have nothing to fear. After all, with a female's strength, she couldn't possibly hope to win against a male's strength. So long as he continued forcing her to take his blows head on, then while her internal strength might be profound, her body would be too weak to endure, and Ye BaiFei would then have the opportunity to win!

However, things went contrary to his expectations! Ever since he started battling with her, their swords only crossed thrice, and no more! This scenario wasn't caused by Ling Chen, but rather Ye BaiFei himself who took the initiative to avoid a direct confrontation!

Under the first three strikes, Ling Chen being a female definitely did not have as much strength as Ye BaiFei, and she felt her wrists turning numb from receiving the blow.

However, Ye BaiFei's suffering was much greater than hers! Every time they crossed swords, he would feel a bone-piercing cold travel from Ling Chen, piercing through his protective internal energy and into his meridians! Every stream required complete attention from Ye BaiFei in order to expel this freezing energy! Even with the protective energy guarding his entire body, Ye BaiFei couldn't help but tremble, feeling his meridians clogging up and his body slowing down. This caused him to want to vomit blood!

From then on, Ye BaiFei tried his best not to clash with Ling Chen head on, and slowly even started to avoid her sword paths. This was when Ling Chen really gained the advantage in this battle! His movement and sword techniques couldn't compare, and his internal energy was at most similar to hers. He wanted to use his innate strength to overpower her, but to think that her internal energy was actually this sly, almost causing him internal injuries!

If it wasn't because of the fact that Ye BaiFei constantly made use of suicidal tactics, or moving so close to Ling Chen that her eyes could only see his face, and also partly because Ling Chen did not want to look so unsightly giving chase to him whenever they separated, Ye BaiFei would have long turned into a sieve!

Flitting his eyes past the battle scene, Ling Tian could temporarily ease his anxiety, but he still retained his original idea of ending the battle in the fastest time possible. He couldn't help but rack his brains furiously, trying to come out with an idea to break their seven-man formation. This was because Ling Chen couldn't be considered at peak form; part of her internal energy had to be constantly used to envelop the poison that she had sucked out from Ling Ran's body. If she were to engage in a prolonged battle, the consequences would be disastrous if she ended up being unable to control the poison!

The seven men facing Ling Tian stared at him with expressions of fear and shock in their eyes! Just now when Ling Tian had clashed with all of them once, while his movements appeared half ghostly, half realistic, none of the seven men believed that his actions were insubstantial! Even though they knew that Ling Tian was only probing their defenses, they still had to attack with their full strength to make him retreat!

The seven of them were now placed in an extremely embarrassing situation. After realizing what their opponent was capable of, none of them even wanted to go one-to-one against him! This couldn't even be considered as a duel, but more of being tired of living! All of them were extremely clear about this fact!

Ling Tian suddenly slowly, steadily, took in a deep breath. His white robes actually started to flutter even without any wind present, slowly rising up like the swell of a wave!

"Peng!" Revolving his internal energy to the maximum, the headband holding Ling Tian's hair together suddenly exploded due to the pressure! His head of black hair flew wildly around him, adding a hint of a fearsome aura to his original presence!

Ling Tian was ready to strike!

All of them could see that Ling Tian was giving his all this time! The moment he attacked, he would likely break free in one fell swoop!

Struggling in their life-and-death battle at the side, Ye BaiFei got distracted by Ling Tian's flashy performance, unknowingly diverting his attention in shock. He ignored Ling Chen's rain of assaults towards him, gathering his energy to shout out, "Careful!"

In a battle with experts, the slightest of mistakes would lead to irreparable consequences! Ye BaiFei paid a considerable price for his warning!

"Stab stab stab," In that instance when Ye BaiFei was distracted, Ling Chen had left three stab wounds on his body! Fresh red blood rushed out profusely from the wounds, staining his robes red! This was after Ling Chen had some misgivings and kept 30% of her strength for defense, otherwise Ye BaiFei would have gone to meet his maker!

The pupils of all seven black-robed men simultaneously shrank, and they could feel that their palms were already wet with sweat! This was the first time they had ever faced up against such an expert, and their nerves were already stretched taut. Adding on to the warning given by Ye BaiFei, this put them in even more stress!

The corners of Ling Tian's mouth suddenly turned upwards in a mocking smile. Going all out? He wasn't that dumb! This young master Ling would never use brute force whenever he could win by outsmarting others!

A white blur flashed past, aiming for the left flank of the seven men! While the black men were all well versed in martial arts, all they could see was the fact that his speed had dramatically increased! In their hearts, they all had the same thought: This man has indeed gone all out! All of them unhesitatingly thrust out their swords!

However, how could anyone have expected that the moment they thrust forth their swords, Ling Tian actually halted himself in mid-air, throwing his sword at the black-robed man in front of him! This was followed by him turning and retreating back to where he came from! This was unbelievable, to actually turn from a frontal charge to a quick retreat!

The four men facing Ling Tian immediately used their swords to block the blow, but with 'pa pa' sounds, all their swords shattered in the face of Ling Tian's sword! They only felt as though their chests were hit hard with a huge hammer, causing them to retreat a few steps, their faces unsightly!

As for the guy facing Ling Tian's back, he suddenly realized that Ling Tian had appeared in front of him! While he was scared out of his wits, his training overruled his fear, and with a loud yell, he disregarded his life to commit fully to his move, believing that his six other brothers would also attack at the same time and save his life!

A pity that the formation had revealed a weakness at this point! How could Ling Tian be so generous as to allow them to recover?

Ling Tian twisted his waist at the last minute, and the sword brushed past his skin. A coldness could be felt on his skin as the sword pierced two holes through his white robes, but this did not deter Ling Tian from rushing forth to the black-robed man, the stored energy in his back being released in one earth-shattering blow towards that black-robed man's chest!

The snapping of bones sounded as all of the man's bones in his chest broke from the impact! He was forced out of the formation, spitting blood into the air, having already stopped breathing!

The seven-man formation was broken!

Ling Tian rushed out of the encirclement like a mad tiger that was let loose, instantly appearing in the battle between Ye BaiFei and Ling Chen! His palms carried the strength that could topple mountains and overturn seas, violently chopping down on Ye BaiFei!

The famous assassin, Ye BaiFei, was his true objective! So long as he gravely injured or killed him, then the whole team would be like a body without a head, unable to carry out any concrete plans, let alone the ambush of Ling Jian at 3a.m. tonight! Without Ye BaiFei, and with their formation broken, the remaining six wouldn't even pose a threat and would only serve as practice targets for Ling Jian!

He was only concerned about the identity of the organization behind Ye BaiFei, which was why he hadn't killed any of the other six men! Otherwise, having destroyed their formation, how could Ling Tian still leave the other six untouched!

Thus, his only objective would be Ye BaiFei!

Kill or maim!

Ye BaiFei was in a wretched condition after being stabbed by Ling Chen, and on seeing this expert approach with pressure as though a mountain was crushing him, he couldn't help but feel despair!

Ye BaiFei chose to eat two more swords from Ling Chen in order to escape from the entrapment instead! Steadying his sword, he revolved all the internal power within himself, while his body continued to spill blood! The sword light flashed as he actually became one with the sword, shooting up to meet Ling Tian!

Man and Sword as one! The extreme realm of sword arts! This was Ye BaiFei's trump card, and without reaching a life and death situation, he wouldn't be willing to resort to this tactic! Even his henchmen were unaware that their boss's skill had reached this stage!

Two shadows, one descending from heaven and one ascending from earth. Both of them slammed into each other viciously, separating immediately after!

Ling Tian's figure was thrown upwards by the force from Ye BaiFei's attack, somersaulting a few rounds before dissipating the force generated! However, when he landed, his legs still stumbled. His handsome face was deathly pale, with a trail of red coming from the corner of his mouth. He had actually received some internal injuries!

Chapter 223: To Seize Total Victory

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

But Ye BaiFei looked even more bedraggled, the sword in his hands had actually snapped into many pieces, all falling to the ground with a tinkle. His body looked like a rubber ball being thrown by some huge force, smashing into the ground and rolling away, even as he constantly vomited blood!

Ye BaiFei rolled on the ground for at least two hundred feet before he hit the wall of the courtyard with a bang and stopped. However, he was indeed a top-notch assassin to be hit by such a serious injury and not die! With one hand on his chest and the other pressing on the wall as support, he actually slowly stood back up.

"Leader!" The other six of them let out a shout and rushed up to surround him, protecting him.

Blood constantly bubbled up from Ye BaiFei's mouth, his face pale as paper, evidently his injuries weren't light! However, the first thing he did when he stood up was to look at his opponent. In his mind, with his skill of 'Man and Sword as one', he was certain that he could at least injure him a little!

However, he was sorely disappointed to see Ling Tian standing firmly on the ground, his clothes unstained and even with a provoking smile as he spoke, "Brother Ye truly lives up to his name as the 'Flying Golden Leaves'. Hehe, you really 'flew' well!"

"You!!" Ye BaiFei felt disappointed and humiliated. His injuries weren't light, but that attitude of wanting to win made him force himself to stand up and look at his opponent's state. He had secretly hoped for his opponent to look as bedraggled as him, but upon seeing that he was actually unruffled, he was completely disheartened! Ling Tian even made such a sarcastic remark, causing him to agitate his already bad injuries and spit out a huge gout of blood, before collapsing!

"Leader!" The few black-robed men immediately went over to support him, seeing that he was unconscious with shallow breathing! One of them angrily rushed over and raged, "This sire, killing people is as easy as breathing is to you! Since you've already won, it's up to you to choose whether you want to kill, so why must you insult my big brother?"

Ling Tian gave a cold smile, "This is because he has the qualifications for me to be sarcastic to him! You guys should feel honored for him!"

"You!" Hearing this sentence, all six of them saw red, and with the sound of drawing blades, all of them pointed their blades at Ling Tian, ready to charge up and fight it out with him!

"If you guys still want to save your leader's life, don't point your swords at me; I hate that the most! Besides, do you guys really want me to kill you?!" Ling Tian seemed oblivious to their killing intent, instead putting his hands behind his back and taking two steps forward indifferently.

"You… Sire, you are willing to let us go?" One of them couldn't help but blurt out. This was what all of them were actually thinking! Since the opponent had already gotten the advantage by breaking their formation and heavily injuring Ye BaiFei, then their overall strength would definitely be stronger than the six of them combined. How could they be so compassionate as to allow them to live?

"You guys are killers, but we aren't. You people are not going to leave? Haha, alright then, we'll take our leave first!" Ling Tian nodded his head at them.

Holding on to Ling Chen's hand, the two of them leisurely walked past the six of them, gradually fading into the darkness. The six men had a sense of having just escaped from death itself! They never thought that they would be able to preserve their life when facing off against such a powerful expert! Thinking about his domineering aura which threatened to swallow the rivers and mountains, every one of them had a back full of cold sweat!

Ling Tian indeed did not have any intention to destroy the root completely! Initially, it was because he was unaware, but now it was because he couldn't!

Because he had to treat Ling Ran's poison, even after a whole day of urgently working he had only recovered around seventy percent of his inner qi! In order to break out from the formation of the seven killers, and to exchange moves with Ye BaiFei, took up practically all his strength!

The fact that Ye BaiFei could pull off the state of 'Man and Sword as One' greatly surprised Ling Tian! Under this one exchange, even though Ye BaiFei was seriously injured, Ling Tian was actually not better off! The internal energy in his body was already at its dregs, like a candle flame on the brink of flickering out. If Ling Tian hadn't exhausted his inner qi from fighting the seven assassins, then that palm of his would have actually killed Ye BaiFei! As it was now, Ye BaiFei was still alive with some serious injuries, but Ling Tian's internal organs were also lightly injured due to the shock of exchanging moves with him!

Ling Chen had also expended quite a bit of energy in her fight against Ye BaiFei. If she were to persist to kill the other six, and the poison she sucked from Ling Ran were to flare up then and there, the tables would have been turned completely!

Thus, the battle had to end there, and the six of them would not and could not be killed!

Ling Chen held onto Ling Tian's hand and immediately got a shock when she felt the weakness of his body! Her heart broke at this sight, and her eyes immediately filled with unshed tears.

Only when Ling Tian's hand tightly gripped her hand once did Ling Chen wake up from her reverie. She suppressed the thoughts in heart and immediately poured all her reserves of strength towards him, not even sparing a bit for herself!

It was past 1 a.m. Ling Tian sat cross-legged on his bed, a white fog gradually diffusing back into his body. Slowly opening his eyes, a ray of light shot forth from his eyes. His internal energy had actually fully recovered!

This was the 'Ceaselessly Circulating, Incessantly Renewing' point of the Divine Shocking Dragon Formula at the XianTian realm!

He abruptly stood up and stretched, only feeling extreme comfort in every single part of his body.

Every time he exhausted his internal energy before replenishing it, there would miraculously be a small rise in his cultivation level. Ling Tian had also experienced this in his previous life, and if not for the fact that continuously exhausting one's energy would bring about side effects, he would not have minded doing it a few more times!

This was after he had taken the time to treat his internal injuries. He had actually sat there since 7 p.m. until now!

Ling Chen was likewise seated cross-legged on another side of the room with a solemn expression, a cold mist visible to the naked eye draped around her, as though she was cast from flawless icy jade. The area around where she sat actually had ice crystals forming, even in the early summer heat!

Ling Tian let out a satisfied smile. Since the day Ling Tian went to bed with her, this lass had finally gotten rid of all her heart knots, and no longer had anything to worry about losing anymore. As the saying went, 'when one comes across a happy occasion, their mood would be great', this was exactly how Ling Chen was feeling now! Without any heart demons, her cultivation bottleneck also seemed to be loosening!

The sound of clothes rippling in the wind could be heard from outside, and Ling Tian's mouth curved up in response. It would definitely be Ling Jian. Only he would appear outside his room without any sort of invitation!

However, this time Ling Jian was extremely gentlemanly, even lightly tapping on the window and waiting to enter. Most likely he was probably still embarrassed after barging in one time and catching the two of them making out! This action now was not only showing respect for Ling Tian, but also a small kind-hearted gesture towards this little sister of his.

Ling Chen opened her eyes at the sound and retracted her inner qi. In an instant, the ice crystals as well as the cold mist all vanished as though they were never there!

Ling Tian lightly coughed once, and Ling Jian opened the window, floating in. Not surprisingly, he had on a disgusted expression on his face, as well as huge amount of disdain! Most likely, he was extremely pissed about Ye BaiFei having a no-show!

Those in the martial world viewed promises very seriously. 'A sentence spoken out cannot be taken back even when using a team of horses to chase.' This saying applied to even the lowest martial arts practitioners, and even more so to those in the upper echelon like Ling Jian and Ye BaiFei. One would rather die than to go back on one's word! Ling Jian had long used all the vulgarities he knew on Ye BaiFei!

"You seem to be pissed at not being able to battle tonight?" Before Ling Tian could open his mouth, Ling Chen had already spoken! Today's matters were all the fault of that jerk in front of her. If Ling Chen herself had gotten injured, she would not have minded, but today it was the young noble that was injured!

Ling Chen had already decided that Ling Jian was going to get the punishment of his life the moment she saw him! Seeing Ling Jian climb in from the window at this ungodly hour reminded her of the time when he had broken into their little lovemaking session! Ling Chen's heart was immediately set on fire once again as her old desire for vengeance flared anew! Boy, you came at the right time! Let's settle all our debts!

"Mmm!" Oblivious, Ling Jian only let out a heavy snort, "This is infuriating, so infuriating!" Ling Jian had waited there for a whole hour but didn't even see a ghost's shadow. This made him extremely depressed!

Added on to that was the fact that he came by Ling Tian's courtyard five to six times throughout the afternoon, yet didn't see Ling Tian. He was already depressed, and wanted to find Ye BaiFei to vent his frustrations, but who would have thought that Ye BaiFei wouldn't even show up?

"You will drive me to my grave!" Ling Chen snorted, giving Ling Jian a huge scare! Staring with widened eyes at Ling Chen's 'tigress' mode, he couldn't help but bewilderedly scratch his head, thinking, What did I do now? How did I offend this lady here? After awhile he seemed to have come up with an answer as he gave a forced smile and beamed, "Oh, I actually have something to report to the young noble, and came a few times during the day but the young noble wasn't around. Hehe, don't worry, I'll leave as soon as I've said my piece. I definitely won't interfere in your 'happy ending', hehehe!" As he finished he shot an ambiguous smile, wiggling his eyebrows and winking at Ling Chen, while laughing in a meaningful manner!

Chapter 224: Urgent Report

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock

Ling Chen's beautiful face flushed crimson in an instant, and she started to hyperventilate. Suddenly, she dashed forward like an arrow in flight, grabbing onto Ling Jian ear in one move, and her hands actually tugged onto his ear like a clamp, twisting it a full 180 degrees...

"AHHHOWWWW…" Ling Jian clapped his hand over hers and tilted to the side, screaming out, "Lass Chen… no, my dear lady… no no, I say great madam, Ah'Jian here didn't offend you in any way today, you have to make sense, yaaaaaaaa~" Before he could finish, Ling Chen had given his ear another vicious pull. Left without a choice, he could only look towards his young noble for help. "Young noble…"

Ling Tian pretended that he had not seen anything, instead coldly snorting, "Don't even mention the fact that you're wrong today. Even if you had committed no offense, to actually try to reason with a lady, shouldn't you be punished? Idiot!" Turning his head, he spoke in an encouraging tone to Ling Chen, "Chen'er, your Flying Phoenix Capturing Dragon Hands was well executed. It has reached the state of quiet like a maiden, moving like a startled hare, leaving people completely unawares. However, your strength aspect is still slightly lacking, you should use more internal energy next time, and you could even try to revolve your Divine Ice Formula into the mix…"

Ling Chen smiled cutely as she turned her head back, "I'll definitely remember young noble's lessons!"

"There's still a next time? God help me!" Gritting his teeth, Ling Jian couldn't help but scream out shrilly. Are you two actually out to kill me? He thought to himself. Upon hearing Ling Tian's words, his heart chilled, He still recommended an increase in internal energy and usage of the Divine Ice Formula… if that's the case then wouldn't my ears be ruined?

Ling Tian smiled at the two of them, saying, "Chen'er, you need to up your game, else this kid will not remember the lesson!"

"Young Noble, I won't do this again, no, definitely won't do this anymore!" Ling Jian started to beg for mercy, "I won't ever come in the middle of the night and disturb young noble and lass Chen's 'happy ending'. Young noble… you are a magnanimous person, how about you just let me off this time… siiiiii, aiya~" If he had stopped his sentence after saying that he would never do this again, Ling Chen would be have been soft-hearted and let him go. But he just had to continue, and incur the wrath of Ling Chen once more, akin to adding oil to the fire!

"If you dare to speak more nonsense, I'll make you feel like you're in a living hell! To think that you would conjure up your own story when you have nothing else to say…" Hearing the bullsh*t come out from his mouth, Ling Chen just got angrier and more frustrated and added some additional twist to his ear. Ling Jian's ear was on the verge of transforming into a fried dough twist 1 ....

"My big sister, please ease up, even if I'm going to die, I'll need an explanation for my crimes… my elder sister Chen, please talk some reason, no, young noble has always said that all women don't talk reason at all, AHHH~" Upon hearing that Ling Jian was still spouting nonsense, Ling Chen's hands pulled even lower. "Help me, my definition doesn't include you, lass Chen… I'm not saying that you aren't a woman, I… I'm just saying that you're a good woman that doesn't talk reason!" Ling Jian finally didn't know what he was saying anymore! His ear was almost twisted 360 degrees by this time!

Ling Tian waved his hands at this point, and Ling Chen pouted as she unwillingly released her hand, standing beside Ling Tian and silently seething.

Ling Jian held onto his poor ear with his hand, massaging it furiously, a depressed expression on his face.

"You actually dared to arrange a duel with Ye BaiFei in private, hmph. If not for young noble finding out about this, you would've become a corpse by now! You still have the guts to scream about anything? Why else would the young noble mercilessly discipline you! And you think that I'm so petty!" Ling Chen spat out in exasperation.

"Ehh?" Ling Jian had a great shock, and the hands massaging his ear paused in mid-air. "How did young noble know about this?"

Ling Tian coldly snorted, changing the topic, "Are your internal injuries completely healed?"

Ling Jian couldn't help but tremble a bit, before lowering his head.

"Have you talked to Third Master Yu about the sparring with Ling Chi and the rest?"

Ling Jian's pale turned pale, and his head lowered even more.

"You're completely just causing trouble!" Ling Tian raged. "Do you know how much weight is on your shoulders? But you didn't even stop to consider, instead willfully accepting random duels from people! Did you fully check his background? Did you forget all that I've taught you?! You think the other person would be as silly as you? Let me tell you, Ye BaiFei had gathered a team of seven other killers before dusk even came. If you had met with them for the duel, you would be a dead man!"

"What?!" Ling Jian sharply jerked up his head. "How dare Ye BaiFei be so despicable! To share the same reputation as him, I'm truly disappointed!"

"Disappointed?! The one who should be disappointed should be Ye BaiFei! On what grounds do you have the qualifications to say that you share the same reputation as Ye BaiFei?!" Ling Tian was resentful that Ling Jian didn't live up to his expectations. He continued ranting, "Both of you share the same reputation, that's a truth. But both of you are assassins, and your purpose should be to eliminate the other party no matter what methods you use! What Ye BaiFei did was correct and completely justifiable! Why should assassins care about the rules in the martial arts world? Wouldn't it be a joke then?! Then you might as well be heroes instead, why bother calling you assassins?!"

"Hmph, because he wanted to save you, young noble ignored the fact that he was lacking in internal energy and fought the eight of them, even being inflicted with internal injuries! Shouldn't you just die? What's just suffering a little punishment!" Ling Chen pointed a finger at Ling Jian's head, wagging it as she spoke. "Why don't you tell young noble, when will you make the young noble worry less? Why does it always seem like you're that immature? Is your mind filled only with rubbish?"

"Young Noble got injured?" Ling Jian jerked his head up once more, an expression of fury appearing in his eyes at this moment, "I'll go f**king kill them now!"

"You still dare to say….!" Ling Chen's berating was stopped by a glance from Ling Tian, who continued, "Whether we kill them all or not, we will decide later. What news do you have to report?"

"Oh, it's like this." Upon hearing that they were going to be discussing actual matters, he immediately straightened himself, with a strong sense to do battle flashing out from his eyes. Ling Tian couldn't help but obtain some clues from this. It seemed like the report this time was going to be quite bloody since Ling Jian was so deeply interested in it!

However, what Ling Jian reported was contrary to his expectations, "From intelligence gathered, there is news from the Northern Wei. The Northern Wei Emperor, Wei TianAn, was suddenly afflicted with a serious illness and is bedridden. Right now, the affairs of the state are being managed by the crown prince Wei ChengPing, and he has gradually started to accumulate more troops on the border between Northern Wei and Sky Bearing. As of today, he has already given the order to reinforce the troops by three times, and their total military strength now exceeds twenty thousand! Their influence is vast and strong!"

Ling Tian's face fell at this news, "Wei ChengPing's ambitions are huge. Thinking of swallowing Sky Bearing in one move? He'll choke to death sooner or later!"

Ling Jian declined to comment, instead just keeping a smile on his face. He was only responsible for passing on the news to Ling Tian. What Ling Tian could decipher from the news would be up to him, as Ling Jian would never use that part of his brain! So long as Ling Tian was around, Ling Jian was content just receiving orders from him.

"The second news also originates from Northern Wei! In the Heavenly Star Continent, the only group placed in the same ranking as the First Pavilion, the 'Blood Slaughter Pavilion', has commanded a large number of their followers to enter the premises of Sky Bearing. Based on the intelligence transmitted from the Northern Wei imperial palace, it seems like Wei ChengPing has paid a large sum of money for them to assassinate four important characters! Every person killed would earn a compensation of ten thousand gold!" Ling Jian narrowed his eyes as he spoke, the corners of his mouth giving out a mocking smile! However, this smile was directed at the Blood Slaughter Pavilion and Wei ChengPing!

"Four important characters?" Ling Tian pondered deeply. "One of them should be Yu ManTian?" This was followed by a sigh, "Ten thousand taels of gold! Hehehe, Yu ManTian is really worth a lot! Does Northern Wei have too much gold to spend?"

"Young noble has godly calculating abilities!" Ling Jian's revealed a respectful expression. "One of the targets is indeed Yu ManTian!"

Ling Tian burst into laughter at this, "What godly calculations? If Northern Wei wishes to dominate the entire continent, then their internal affairs must be taken care of first. The first order would be to ensure that the superpower Yu Family is dragged into the muddied waters with them. If the Yu Family were to remain aloof, then even if Northern Wei were to deploy all their soldiers to take over the world, the Yu Family would still remain like a deep internal fishbone, choking them. However, if the Yu Family were to flare up, then the imperial family of Northern Wei could use this chance to form an alliance, mobilizing them to fight for world domination! And what better way to get their support than to completely enrage the Yu family? Thus, Yu ManTian being a target is a given, because he and Yu BingYan don't have many experts with them in the capital. If they are both assassinated, this would not only destroy the balance of power in the Yu Family, it would also cause them to be unable to send a representative for the upcoming battle against the 'Water of Heavenly Wind'! They would lose the battle as a result and this would drive the Yu Family mad! So I presume the second target would be Yu BingYan?"

"The second target isn't Yu BingYan…" Unexpectedly, Ling Jian declared it untrue and then said, "Miss BingYan is placed third, while the second target is actually the General Ling!"

Ling Tian frowned at this unexpected news, "If that's so, then Sky Bearing should have already confirmed that they would be sending my father out to war against the Northern Wei? Or else, how could they be so sure that my father would be going to war when they haven't even chosen their general?"

A glimmer of understanding flashed past Ling Chen's eyes as she exclaimed, "Young Noble, don't tell me, the imperial court…"

Ling Tian cast her an appreciative glance, "Not bad! There must definitely be a Northern Wei spy in the Sky Bearing Imperial Court!" Furthermore, his identity wouldn't be low, or he wouldn't have access to such confidential reports!" Suddenly, his face froze as he seemed to remember something, muttering to himself, "Northern Wei hired the Blood Slaughter Pavilion, and Ye BaiFei came with his brothers over to Sky Bearing; don't tell me… Ye BaiFei belongs to the Blood Slaughter Pavilion?!" The more he thought about it, the more he realized how severe this matter was, and immediately waved his hand while shouting, "Command the Violent Wind Gang to spare no effort to monitor Ye BaiFei and his men, and investigate all his movements! Go and pass my order immediately!"