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Chapter 462: Headache

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Looking at the appearance of this peerless beauty in his arms, Ling Tian could not bring himself to berate her and could only resort to helplessly asking, "Then, does your family know that the reason you escaped was to find me?"

"Of course they don't, why would they even care about me?" Xiao YanXue choked with sobs as she spoke, "But they should be able to guess…" As she spoke, she suddenly timidly gazed at Ling Tian, stammering, "You… you won't chase me back, will you?"

Upon thinking about this embarrassing and sensitive problem, Xiao YanXue could not help but feel some panic. While she had affection towards Ling Tian currently, she had never placed him in her heart all those years prior, and by the time she had a change of heart, they no longer had any contact. Furthermore, with her grandfather going forth to annul the marriage, it was something that any family, let alone the man itself, would feel humiliation over! With his current status, and with so many country-toppling beauties beside him, why would he even bother about herself, let alone take her in and shelter her?

If Ling Tian chose to ignore her, then what was she to do?! Or perhaps, if he decided to send her back, then what would she choose to do? Xiao YanXue could not help but be indecisive about this matter. The Ling Tian right now was in danger, deep in the enemy's territory at Bright Jade City. Her presence here would no doubt increase the chances of him being revealed. In such circumstances, would he really take her in?

Based on his character, he would definitely not give up on her, but could she trust him to do it? Her cause of concern for him was because he was in danger, and now she had become a part of his danger, a burden for him. How could it have become like this?!

Ling Tian rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming. He could only tepidly reply, "There's no need to worry. Since you've braved through the countless mountains and rivers to reach here, you definitely have your reasons! As for chasing you back, that's not something I will do. However, since you've appeared here, what do we do from now on is a huge question."

Xiao YanXue only heard the first sentence, immediately heaving a sigh of relief as she lightly rubbed the Blood Phoenix Jasper Bracelet while letting out a brilliant smile. She replied in an offhanded manner, "Let's take things one at a time. How would we even know what's going to happen?"

"Eh… isn't that my family's Blood Phoenix Jasper Bracelet? You've always been wearing it?!" Ling Tian naturally recognized his own family heirloom, and this object concerned an enormous gamble, though it wasn't important to Ling Tian anymore at this moment.

"This bracelet was given to me by Grandma Ling, of course it would accompany me everywhere!" Xiao YanXue replied seriously, but she was too embarrassed to say the next sentence, which was, "This Blood Phoenix Jasper Bracelet is the only thing that links me to you, why would I not bring it around with me?!"

Ling Tian bitterly smiled when he saw her pretentious innocent look, just like a little girl. He could only groan to himself and decided to open up this topic, "Have you ever thought of what would happen when your family decides to carry out their plan of world domination? At that time, your family is destined to become enemies with mine, and at that time… what would you do? How would you solve the problem?"

Xiao YanXue hugged her knees, lightly placing her chin on her kneecaps as her brows slightly knitted. She calmly replied, "I don't know, I really do not know what to do…" Whenever she tried to face this problem directly, Xiao YanXue could not help but feel indecisive. Even if her family treated her as such, having such a utilitarian attitude towards her marriage, and how unjustly they treated her, they were in the end still her family, her loved ones. This was something she could not erase.

After pondering about it for a long time, she could only give up and sigh, replying in a deflated tone, "I can only do things one step at a time… besides, aren't you at war with the Yu Family now? But isn't Miss BingYan still happily staying in your place? Would having one more there give you any disadvantage?!" As she spoke to this point, she suddenly felt extremely aggrieved, and pouted hatefully, "Could it be that you're this shallow and indifferent?" As she spoke, she lightly rubbed the Blood Phoenix Jasper Bracelet on her wrist again, her face full of bitterness.

Ling Tian almost collapsed with her words, and upon seeing how she gently caressed his family heirloom with such a tender expression, as though she was hinting about something. She was just one step away from saying, "Look, your family heirloom is with me, and Grandma Ling once said that this item was meant for the Ling's daughter-in-law!"

Ling Tian was speechless. Could it be that the morals of this world had suddenly reversed? How could a lady be so direct when talking all of a sudden?!

What sort of situation was this? Almost all of his enemy families had their daughters involved in some sort of messy romantic affair with him, really a huge mess!

From an outsider's point of view, Ling Tian seemed to be living a life of bliss, surrounded by peerless beauties. But in actuality, the only woman he possessed was Ling Chen. Only Ling Chen would be able to follow Ling Tian for his entire life, without regrets or complaints as a close confidante, not even asking him to be her official husband!

The others such as Yu BingYan, Shui QianRou, Xiao YanXue, Princess Jiao Yue, all had some sort of messy past attached to them which had not been cleared up yet. Even Li Xue was also another extremely awkward scenario currently…

On the surface, Li Xue and Ling Tian seemed to have no blood relation, but their interlinked souls did not make things so easy. Besides, Ling Tian also understood Li Xue's thoughts, that in this world, both of them were the optimal choice for each other. Or one could say that they were the only choice for each other. As a man, he could survive by himself, but for Li Xue who was a woman, if she wished to trust her life to a man, then in this world no one else would suffice other than Ling Tian! While there might be someone better than Ling Tian in the whole wide world, the experiences that they went through together made it such that Ling Tian would forever remain as her only solace!

Thus, regarding this matter, Li Xue had already taken the initiative.

To be infatuated with only one person, completely and without regrets!

As for Yu BingYan, her matter could be considered to be much simpler. The lass had long made the decision to follow behind him, and he heard that she had torn off all pretenses with the two elders in her family. This sort of decisiveness was not something Ling Tian could bring himself not to live up to, and furthermore, they also had some sort of relationship between them. Yu BingYan's condition also needed his help, thus she was definitely someone to stay.

Because Yu BingYan's choice was the same as Li Xue, to love only one person without change for her entire life! He could not reject her!

Other than the three ladies he mentioned above, the rest were in an awkward position. Now as trouble brewed, for Xiao YanXue to suddenly come out as another matter was just like adding hail to snow.

There was no continuation regarding Princess Jiao Yue's betrothal after he fell out with Long Xiang the other time. However, she was after all his relative, thus the final decision would still lie with his grandmother. With her current plight, were Ling Tian to speak the sentence 'I don't want her', not only would Jiao Yue not be allowed to marry Ling Tian, but she would also not be allowed to get together with anyone else, destined to spend the rest of her life as a spinster. She might even choose to commit suicide out of depression! Ling Tian could not bring himself to do such an immoral and cruel act!

But if he accepted her, given that her father was personally dethroned by himself, she might become a lunatic in the end if she continued to stay near him! How could they even converse with each other? Kill her father, take his daughter, and establish hegemony? As Ling Tian thought about it in this manner, he suddenly felt as though he was a completely immoral scoundrel!

As for Shui QianRou, Ling Tian had an even bigger headache. This was especially so since Ling Chen had sent word through the Crystal Pavilion about her own plans and schemes. Ling Tian had nearly flipped at the news, For this sort of crazy and childish plan, trust Ling Chen to even come out with it! Furthermore, not only did Ling Chen not come out with the plan, but she had even started with the plan already! Even if Ling Tian wanted to stop this plan, it was already impossible!

When Ling Tian originally received this secret missive, after exploding into a big rage, he had sent a letter back to Ling Chen immediately, wanting her to put a stop to this insane plan. However, it was unknown why, but her reply had not come even after such a long time! Based on Ling Tian's understanding of her, such a big plan, since the 'Heaven' was not around, the generals would definitely have their own plan of doing things! This made Ling Tian gnash his teeth in hate, and decide internally that once he went back, he would definitely catch that little lass, and smack her butt as hard as he could, to appease his resentment.

But now, he was suffering from the actual situation of the court being out of his jurisdiction. No matter what Ling Chen did, it was beyond his influence. While Ling Chen had always been led by him, she would definitely have some opinions of her own in her mind, and now that she was given full rein, it resulted in her growth as a person. From the latest news received by him, the lass had already obtained the ability to plan a large scale project with short and long-term objectives and was getting more decisive. This behavior was becoming more and more like Ling Tian himself.

From this point, Ling Tian could speculate that the lass's orders might possibly have left the shores of this continent, reaching over to Ling Zero and the rest on the Heavenly Wind Continent...

And inside her letter to him, she had clearly stated her own viewpoint: Young noble was bound to be an emperor in the future, and since he was going to ascend the throne, how could he be lacking in imperial consorts? If he could, through taking in a few more consorts, allow him to increase his pace of hegemony and world domination, then why not? As the saying went, 'to achieve great things, one must not be worried about trifling matters'. Playing such little tricks was infinitely better than two families killing each other until both sides ran dry of blood, right?

This sort of reasoning, of speaking forcefully and with justice, let Ling Chen feel that her choice was all the more correct, extremely correct, definitely correct!

This only gave Ling Tian such a headache that he could not help but groan in pain. He suddenly found out that in his past life, he had no time, nor the mood to talk about love. As for this present life, while he was surrounded by beauties, it was just like his past life, without the time at all to engage in love and relationship… to the point that his own harem had been decided for him without even consulting him beforehand. What sort of situation was this?

Chapter 463: Mysterious State

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

Walking out of Xiao YanXue's room in a daze, Ling Tian suddenly felt a ball of lust in his heart which needed to be vented.

Dammit! What's this about?!

Ling Tian spat out a mouthful of spittle and looked up at the setting sun. Perhaps he would have to loosen his bones to vent this frustration.

In the room next door, Ling Jian's miserable groan could be heard and Li Xue walked out of the room with a bowl of medicine and a trace of delight.

"What's the matter? Are there any changes to Ling Jian's injuries?" Ling Tian asked doubtfully. With Ling Jian's iron will, what would it take for him to cry out like that? Even if he is seriously injured now, he still should not be letting out such a miserable groan, right?

"Nothing much, I only punished him for his disrespect this morning." Li Xue said in a casual manner, "After gently dislocating his lower jaw, I gave him a bowl of medicine. However, it may have been a little hot because it was freshly brewed," Li Xue said with a devilish grin. "This would definitely be good for his recovery."

"F**k! Aren't you too good at creating trouble?!" Ling Tian was dumbfounded, "He is still injured!"

When Ling Tian entered, Ling Jian looked at him with a pitiful appearance. He then pleaded in a hoarse voice, "Young noble, can I drink my medicine on my own in the future? If not may young noble please come…" After letting out two coughs, he opened up his mouth and showed it to Ling Tian, "Take a look, my tongue has been scalded to the point a layer of skin has fallen off. This lass is just too vicious…"

Ling Tian patted Ling Jian on the shoulders to comfort him as he said with a trace of pity, "Ah Jian, bear with it. Even I cannot afford to provoke that lass. Why did you have to go and provoke her? I am really helpless."

Ling Jian's eyes turned white as he landed unconscious on his bed in hopelessness.

...

It was in the night and a black figure sped across the city like a shooting star. From the east to west of the city, from the south to north of the city, the figure darted around in a mysterious and untraceable manner.

With Ling Tian's movement techniques and cultivation, he was not worried that the Yu Family experts stationed in the city would be able to detect him. If they were comparing short distance sprints, even the number one expert, Justice, would be in awe and would have to bite Ling Tian's dust.

QianQian had given him five suspicious locations where the Above Heavens experts might be hidden, and Ling Tian had already investigated three of them. However, he had not found anything yet and was heading to the fourth location.

The night winds blew gently past Ling Tian's face and Ling Tian felt as though he was presently gazing at the moon in an elegant pavilion. He felt as though he was about to be lifted up by the wind and blend into the heavens and earth. This mysterious feeling intoxicated Ling Tian and he felt as though every single cell of his was cheering excitedly. As Ling Tian stretched out his senses, the surrounding 100 feet was fully captured and he could feel every single blade of grass and every flower in his surroundings. This mysterious state continued to expand further and further…

Just when he was enjoying this feeling, Ling Tian felt a bang go off in his head and it was as though he had lost his consciousness and his own body. He suddenly felt as though he was high up in the sky, looking down at Bright Jade City from high above without a single corner escaping from his senses….

In the city, there was a lightning-like figure weaving around the city in a ghostly manner. He was visible at times and invisible at other times, with his actions completely unpredictable.

Noticing this extremely speedy figure, Ling Tian began to praise in his heart, What a fantastic movement technique! After taking a closer look, Ling Tian suddenly realized that this person's figure, sword-like eyebrows, and suave appearance were extremely familiar. Isn't this me? What… just what is going on? Why can I see myself? Just where am I? Ling Tian was struck with fear. Just what is going on? Could it be…

Thinking about this, he suddenly felt a piercing pain in his mind and could not help but shut his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, Ling Tian realized that he was already back in his own body and no longer had the frightening view from before. However, that experience was carved deeply into his very soul.

Was that just a dream? Could there be such a realistic dream? Could it be that I performed such an exquisite movement technique when I was unconscious? Then who am I? Who is he? Who is Ling Tian?

Ling Tian stood rooted to the spot in a daze. Above him, the crescent moon was slowly emerging from behind the cover of the clouds and the moonlight shone onto his face on a comforting manner as though asking him to not think too much about the matter. Not too far away, a shadow was cast by a pomegranate tree and the shadow covered Ling Tian's figure as though giving him a space to think…

Ling Tian took in a deep breath. It was obvious that he had entered into a mystical martial arts realm. Perhaps, that was the true realm of martial arts. Or perhaps, it was the realm of the 'Way'! However, he was only able to enter that state for such a short period of time and he didn't have any clue or memory on how to enter that state again.

Knowing that such a mysterious state exists in the martial arts world but being unable to enter it despite racking his brains for a method. This can probably be considered a huge torture as well right?

I wonder if Justice has had such an experience?!

Ling Tian let out a bitter laugh. While he was able to enter such a mysterious realm in that short moment, he had also entered into an elusive state where he had forgotten about everything. He had completely forgotten that the purpose for his current trip was to search for the location of the Above Heavens experts. After this short moment of sprinting, he was completely clueless about where he was.

Studying his surroundings carefully, Ling Tian rubbed his nose and let out a bitter laugh. Thankfully he came to his senses in time. If it was just a couple of seconds later, he would probably have barged into the Yu Residence already. The gigantic tree about 30 feet away of him reminded Ling Tian about how he had concealed himself in that tree and saved Ling Jian from the Yu Residence. Regardless of how outstanding his movement technique was or how fast his speed, it was impossible for him to not leave behind a trace and he would definitely be detected by XianTian experts!

Ling Tian never imagined that he would unknowingly arrive outside the Yu Residence. What a close call! However, it seems that this place should be part of the Yu Family's defense line right? Why was it so quiet?

Yu ManLou wouldn't possibly make such an elementary mistake right?

Just when Ling Tian was pondering over the matter, chattering could be heard from afar and a faint light flickered. After the light flickered, a few individuals walked out and the moment they walked out, Ling Tian could feel a few powerful auras being given out. It was as though these auras were trying to sweep the area for threats.

Ling Tian crouched down low and hid behind the room without revealing even his eyes. He then heard the other party chattering but could not hear them very clearly.

Ling Tian circulated his inner qi and focused all his attention on listening to what the other party was saying.

The conversation was already nearing the end.

"... if that's the case, may elder Chen please return. This little brat will definitely be careful and will not act rashly." A young voice sounded. While the voice was crisp and clear, it carried with it a gloomy tone that made one uncomfortable.

"... third young noble is too courteous… the matter which you instructed us, we will… may young noble wait patiently… report success…" bits and pieces of their conversation could be heard and this voice was rougher and obviously older.

"Thank you… if… I will definitely… repay this favor…" the crisp voice respectfully sounded.

Ling Tian was circulating his inner qi at full force to hear the full conversation. However, the wind direction changed suddenly and the loud swooshing sound blocked the conversation.

Ling Tian let out a sigh, It is impossible for one to go against the heavens.

The two parties had gone their separate ways, and the door was shut again. The other party then held onto a lantern and walked towards the Yu Residence.

Their footsteps were extremely quiet and if one did not pay close attention, he might only hear two footsteps. The footsteps of the young man in the middle were almost completely silent. It was obvious that he was a martial arts expert who wasn't too weak.

Ling Tian carefully stuck his head out to take a look at the alley. If his guess wasn't wrong, they should be walking towards the Yu Residence. At that time, they would definitely pass by him, and he would be able to take a peek at their faces.

Indeed, the footsteps came nearer and nearer. As the three of them turned into the alley, Ling Tian managed to catch a glimpse of the three individuals. The person in the middle was dressed like a rich young noble and looked to be around his twenties. He had a delicate appearance but looked a bit sickly. At the same time, he had a proud appearance as though he was a head above everyone else and had a trace of viciousness in his eyes. The two others walked on his left and right and Ling Tian guessed that they were definitely his trusted aides.

Who is this young man? Acting so daringly in the territory of the Yu Family. Could it be…

Chapter 464: Succeed by Luck

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

The trio walked another seventy to eighty feet forward before the shadows by the roadside suddenly rustled. A cold and strict voice sounded, "Stop there! Identify yourselves! If you make any rash moves, don't blame me for being heartless!"

The richly dressed noble lightly furrowed his brows, impatiently replying, "It's me!"

"Ah…. So it's the third young noble…. Forgive this subordinate for his offense." The person hidden within the shadows revealed himself at this point. He solemnly bowed and continued, "Right now, the situation in the city is precarious, a troubled time. If third young noble wishes to go out at night, it would be better to have more helpers."

"Hmph!" The young noble only let out a snort as he interrupted, "Has the assassin been caught yet?"

"Up until now, there has been no news. The superiors have all continuously searched for the previous few nights, but there have been no results." The man in black lowered his head as he shamefully replied.

"Bunch of wastrels!" The third young noble snapped. "It's just capturing a few assassins, and you guys actually turned the city upside down but still can't find any clues. I wonder why my family is even paying you people so much money!"

He paused here for a while, before angrily shouting, "What are you waiting for? Hurry and scram so I can cross. Why are you still standing here like a wooden block? Are you bent on obstructing my path?!"

"This subordinate doesn't dare," the black-robed man stuttered. "However, based on the orders that the family head has left, would Young Noble please sign here, so I have something to account to the family head for?"

"Pa!" In a towering rage, the third young noble lashed out with a palm, slapping the black-robed man squarely across the face as he spat, "B*st*rd! This young noble here even needs to sign when entering or exiting his own house? Are you ill? Don't tell me you think this young noble is a spy from the outside?!"

Having been slapped so hard he spun around, the man held a hand to his rapidly swelling face, speaking even more softly, "This is the strict order passed down by the family head, and he mentioned that in these few days, even he himself needed to sign it…. third young noble, please be magnanimous and allow me to stay out of trouble."

"I won't give you any trouble! No more troubles for you! I'll just beat you to death! You darned son of a b*tch!" The third young noble was apoplectic with rage, spitting out insult after insult as he continuously rained punches down. He snarled in resentment, "Don't think I'm not aware that after elder brother left, you bunch of black-robed dogs have worked hand in glove together with second brother to make life difficult for me. Do you think this young noble is a fool?! Now this young noble here even needs to sign his attendance in order to enter his own external courtyard, this is really going overboard! D*mned dog slave!"

The man in question was beaten till he couldn't separate east from west, but he didn't dare to retaliate, and furthermore didn't dare to even let out a sound. In the darkness of the night, all one could hear was the 'pa pa pa' sound of fists hitting flesh, similar to that of setting off firecrackers.

Gazing at this situation, Ling Tian thought to himself, This third young noble is indeed the despotic and arrogant person to actually treat his subordinates in this way. The way I see it, he should be the third son Yu LiuShui. To think that the battle for the successor of the Yu Family had already reached such a state, this is out of my expectations.

Then the external courtyard that Yu LiuShui just stepped out of was likely to be his personal courtyard. Just that, what was the origin of those people who were in discussion with him within? They didn't seem like people from the Yu Family.

Besides, just looking at the tyrannical auras that they released, one could identify them as first-tier experts! Could it be that Yu LiuShui was trying to secretly cultivate a personal force on his own? But from the style of conversation just now, they were clearly equals, and did not have a master-subordinate relationship. So what is the catch hidden within? Ling Tian couldn't help but become more curious. A weird thought suddenly struck him. Could it be that my random running around led to me succeeding by luck?

By the time he cleared his thoughts and turned back, the third young noble had finished venting his frustrations. The black-robed man was lying like a sack of dirt on the ground, having long since fainted. However, the unappeased third young noble still viciously kicked him twice before finally stopping to catch his breath, brushing off the dirt on his clothes as he spat out, "F**k! Don't believe that I can't beat you guys till you listen! Dog slaves, dammit!" He straightened his sleeves, before arrogantly walking off with the two guards behind him.

It was only after this shadow disappeared that rustling from the shadows could be heard once again. A team of black-robed men as well as two men in white detached themselves from the shadows. They only shook their heads and sighed before softly lifting their comrade who was beaten beyond recognition to bring him away. Given the impressiveness of their martial skills, this group should have long ago arrived the moment they heard the commotion, but rather didn't dare to intervene, instead choosing to stick in the shadows.

Ling Tian laughed coldly to himself. If Yu ManLou's children were all such wastrels, then it would definitely save him much of his strength. Especially so in the case of the third young noble, who was so incomparably arrogant and despotic, wantonly insulting his subordinates. How could he obtain their trust this way? As for the second young noble, he was probably huddled up inside the pavilion of his secret mistress. Likely, this was another person blinded by lust and debauchery, a true profligate. The eldest son with the greatest potential was said to have already been cut down by Ling Jian and the rest in front of the Yu Family's front door. Originally, Ling Tian was a little worried that the shock would be too great for Yu ManLou, causing him to retaliate against them and causing irreparable losses. However, now that he saw it, this could have been an unexpected benefit. Since the original tripod balance had now been broken, the other two brothers would end up collapsing sooner or later as well.

Even so, Ling Tian was still a little startled. Does the Yu Family now lack a qualified successor? With the abilities of Yu ManLou, how could he raise up such useless children? Or he should rephrase as, how could Yu ManLou bear to raise such a useless son? Even if he was totally occupied with work, he should still have the time to discipline his children every now and then, right?

Recalling back to the times when his father Ling Xiao was the Grand Marshall, he would be out of the city for three quarters of a year yet the spankings he received from him were still not just a few! Every time he began to beat him, his grandma or mother would mysteriously appear at the appropriate time, never allowing him to be beaten more than a few times… as he reminisced, his hand subconsciously moved over to his buttocks. While he now knew that this was an accidental seamless cooperation by father and son, but he had never used his internal strength to remove the pain from his hurting buttocks. Thinking back to those spankings, he still had a little trauma regarding them, as well as heartfelt warmth towards the attitude of his father.

As he shook his head to clear his thoughts, he noticed that far up ahead, Yu LiuShui had already gone into the Yu Family compound. With a cold smile on his face, his body moved, floating up mysteriously like the clouds being carried by the wind, merging into the darkness… without sound or notice, without shape or shadow, without tracks or trace...

As though snowflakes would fall on the ground, Ling Tian softly and quietly landed in the external courtyard that Yu LiuShui had just walked out of. Although Yu LiuShui had mentioned it as an external courtyard, that was only by comparison. With two huge gardens and a flower patch in the backyard, even in Bright Jade City this was an upper-class residence. From this one could see how much money and effort the third young noble had invested in this place.

Ling Tian's current position was directly situated above the main residence in the external courtyard, at the rooftop. After straining his ears and not hearing any noises, he lightly shifted his weight, controlling his body to silently go into a lying down position.

The moonlight from the skies scattered around his body, as though lending him a sacred halo. Ling Tian slightly narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the moonlight. By now, Ling Nineteen and the rest should have returned to Ling Jian's side, right? Upon thinking of how Ling Jian's tongue got scalded so badly that it was blistering, Ling Tian couldn't help but find it funny.

Li Xue that lass was indeed vicious but also equally mischievous. To think that she could come out with such a method to control Ling Jian. However, with their affinity to each other, Ling Tian naturally knew that this was also in a manner of her helping Ling Tian to punish Ling Jian. While that infiltration had been necessary, it was certainly too dangerous, and Ling Tian had actually wanted to berate him, only stopping himself because of the heartache he saw from the injuries.

With this mischief from Li Xue, Ling Tian also considered this matter settled. However, he prayed that Ling Nineteen and the rest would not attempt to provoke this little grandaunt, or else if she flew into a rage, even Ling Tian himself would have some fear restraining him!

As he allowed his thoughts to wander, Ling Tian eventually found himself comparing the fiery nature of Li Xue against the calm and soothing Ling Chen back in Sky Bearing. Unknowingly, he felt a ball of heat rising up from his abdomen. This time, while being pursued by Justice, Ling Tian had really been pent up, and if Ling Chen were to be in his place, he probably would have… hehe… the more the thought about it, the more he felt as though all the blood in his body was being diverted towards his lower half. He almost involuntarily moaned out loud. In his heart, he subconsciously started to curse Justice. If he wasn't being pursued by Justice, chances are this young noble here would still be happily frolicking in Sky Bearing, right?

As he was engrossed in his thoughts, his senses spiked, and he immediately restrained all his bodily functions, becoming as light as a feather. Where he lay was directly where the eaves of the roof shielded him from view. However, he could sense that on the opposite side were a few trees, and if one didn't take notice, within that area a person was actually hidden!

Two shadows suddenly landed in the courtyard with the sound of rustling clothes, and immediately a voice sounded from the inside, "Who?!"

"It's me!" One of the two whispered back, before asking, "Has big brother and the rest returned?"

With a slight creak, the door to the residence opened, and someone spoke, "Hurry and enter. Big brother is not back yet." After sounds of assent, the two men quickly shot into the house, and the door quickly shut itself once again.

This sentence however left Ling Tian in shock! This was because the voice was clearly someone whom he had heard before, belonging to the expert from Above Heavens, Meng JueChen! At this time, a preposterous thought began to rise within him, that he had indeed succeeded by luck!

But what left him in shock was mainly because Meng JueChen was not dead after battling it out with Justice! Furthermore, from the robustness of his voice, he didn't seem to be injured! So what was going on? Could it be that the strength of the Above Heavens, when combined, would be so fearsome? That even Justice could only retreat when faced against them?

Chapter 465: Eavesdropping

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

If that's the case, wouldn't it mean that Justice was in grave danger? If he was dead, while it was a good thing, it also meant that it would be impossible for me to survive the encirclement of the Above Heavens experts! Ling Tian truly didn't know if he hoped for Justice to be dead or alive.

Besides that, why would they be hiding in the courtyard of the Yu Family's third young noble? Could it be that the Yu and Xiao Families aren't enemies? That doesn't seem possible! This matter was far too bizarre. Was it the third young noble creating trouble on his own or was it Yu ManLou's orders? If it was Yu ManLou's orders, what did that mean?

Ling Tian was startled by his own thoughts and almost couldn't control his breathing rate. If it was the latter, it would truly spell trouble! If both of these families had a secret agreement, it meant that his previous plan was no more than a complete joke! Furthermore, it would also trap him, Li Xue, Ling Jian and the rest in an extremely dangerous situation!

Just when he was pondering over the matter, another voice sounded, "... how are the injuries of sixth junior brother and the rest?"

A sigh could be heard followed by a depressed voice, "They are still the same without any signs of getting better. It can already be considered a great blessing for them to not die on the spot. What a frightening Justice, he is indeed the number one expert in the world! He is truly tyrannical! Even with the combined force of us all, we suffered such huge losses!"

Meng JueChen then sighed and he asked softly, "Losing is one thing, but the most worrying matter now is how Beyond Heavens will choose to deal with us. Is there any news? Did Beyond Heavens react to this incident?"

"News came twice and it is in the hands of big brother. However, after big brother saw it, he didn't say anything else and crushed the piece of paper angrily. It probably isn't a good thing."

"Oh," Meng JueChen then said with a gloomy tone, "it seems that the sect is extremely dissatisfied with our actions this time. Haiz, if we knew beforehand that Elder Meng RuoXu died in the hands of Justice, how would we have dared to take action? We have always thought that our Above Heavens was capable of ruling over the world and regaining our former glory with the presence of Elder RuoXu. Who would have thought that our pride had died many years back! To think that such a hilarious matter would befall unto us! The sect is truly too f**king fantastic at keeping their secrets!"

At the very end, Meng JueChen had actually let out a curse word, and it was obvious just how dissatisfied he was with the sect. The others let out a sigh as well and the conversation ended there. Even though there were occasional sighs afterward, none of them said a thing.

Ling Tian felt his heart itch in anxiousness. As long as they continued the conversation, Ling Tian would be able to hear what he was interested in. However, he never imagined that all of them would stop at such a moment. This drove Ling Tian mad! He had the urge to jump down right now and interrogate them all!

Can't you complete your sentence? Don't you know that it is extremely painful for me to hear only half the conversation?! The only thing Ling Tian knew was the general ending of the battle between Above Heavens and Justice. However, he was unaware of how heavily injured both parties were.

Ling Tian cursed in his heart but didn't dare to make a move. Everyone below was a top-notch expert and they would definitely discover him if he were to make a slight mistake. While he wasn't afraid of these few individuals, he would definitely have to exert all of his strength to escape from them all. Once news of him was spread out, his original intent would definitely be foiled. Besides that, he also found out that these men were not the only ones who went out tonight. There was also the 'big brother' who wasn't back yet. If that was the case, there would definitely be another batch returning or perhaps even more!

If that was the case, Ling Tian would patiently wait for their return. When he waited on top of the Shaolin monastery in the freezing weather for a full three days and nights in his previous life, his patience had long been tempered. Not to mention the fact that the weather tonight was nice and comfortable!

If I don't dig out your origins, this young noble will stay here forever! Ling Tian clenched his teeth and thought to himself.

The moon was high above in the sky and the bell which signaled 1 am rang. The surroundings were silent, and only the crickets could be heard.

Ling Tian had been hiding for more than four hours already and his expression was still the same as when he first came, calm and unflustered. A small tree snake fell from the branch and landed on the roof, crawling over Ling Tian as though it didn't realize that Ling Tian was a living being…

A light breeze could be heard and two figures arrived at the courtyard warily. In fact, they made a full round around the courtyard before jumping in. However, their wary actions caused Ling Tian's eyes to light up; what were they so wary about? They were obviously afraid of being found by the Yu Family!

Ling Tian snickered in his heart. It seems like all of you are not comrades! Dammit, you made me so afraid for nothing!

"How are sixth brother and the rest?" a low and imposing voice sounded.

"Big brother is back," someone else replied. "They are still the same, neither dead nor alive. How frustrating!" He then let out a sigh and said hatefully, "This Justice is too f**king vicious! Isn't he afraid of ruining his own reputation by using such sinister means? Why does he have to use such a method which makes one unable to live or die?! He is too damn sinister!"

"Sinister? Vicious?" The imposing voice said with a trace of ridicule, "We are all old birds in the pugilistic world and are extremely clear if his means are considered sinister. Furthermore, more than ten of us ganged up on him, and we even arranged an ambush. Is that not considered vicious? Under such circumstances, everything he does is only to be expected. If we aren't a match for him, don't blame him for being vicious! If you don't have the ability to deal with him, don't blame him for being sinister!"

After these words were said, everyone in the room began to cough awkwardly and went silent.

That imposing voice then snorted, "That little brat Yu LiuShui didn't say anything in the past few days right?"

"He has not. However, we can tell that while this brat still seems composed on the surface, he is actually getting anxious. He tried to beat about the bush to ask us when we are taking action," a voice with a tinge of anxiousness sounded.

"We can temporarily ignore him. Tell him that the day he takes out Yu ManLou's treasured Snow Jade Sky Reversal Pellet to treat sixth brother and the rest would be the day we settle his problem. If he doesn't take the pellet out, we will delay the matter with him. We aren't the ones afraid of a delay, but he is." The imposing voice then said slowly, "The longer we stay here, the more nervous he will be. Compared to us, he is definitely more afraid of us revealing our whereabouts. If Yu ManLou finds out that he is hiding the biggest enemy of his family, he would be the first one to die for sure. Thus, as long as we continue dragging the matter, he will definitely be the first to give in! At that time, it will be our chance. After all, there aren't many medicinal items on the level of the Snow Jade Sky Reversal Pellet."

"Big brother, should we request for some reinforcement from the sect?" Meng JueChen asked in a dishearted tone. "While we would be able to deal with Ling Tian with our present strength, it would be impossible for us to kill Justice. Furthermore, the Snow Jade Sky Reversal Pellet may not necessarily be able to save sixth brother and the rest. If…"

Ling Tian had a trace of excitement as they finally talked about what he was interested to find out. Previously, he only knew that Justice came out of the battle victorious but was unaware of Justice's condition. Based on Ling Tian's estimates, under the combined attack of more than ten experts, no matter how powerful Justice was, he definitely wouldn't be too well off. Thinking about this, Ling Tian couldn't help but gloat at Justice's misfortune.

While Justice's death would be a good thing, the absence of Justice in the world would make the world a much more boring place. At that time, Ling Tian would definitely be even lonelier. Thus, Ling Tian couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief as well.

As he was caught up in his thoughts, he suddenly heard the big brother's furious roar, "Request for more reinforcements?! To think that you actually have the cheek to say that! Have you not thrown enough face yet? Despite the fifteen of us joining forces and arranging three other experts to launch an ambush, six of us were killed by him with four heavily injured. The rest of us were all injured as well. However, Justice only suffered from some internal injuries and he would definitely have less than five wounds on his body. This is the outcome of him being helpless against our ambush and the result of facing us head-on. If he chose to drag the battle on with us instead, not a single one of us would have been able to return. Facing such strength, what is the use of requesting for more reinforcements? According to my estimates, we would need the sect master, two elders, and thirty-five experts to surround him before we would be able to kill Justice! This is just based on Justice's estimated strength! Furthermore, Justice isn't a fool either and would he possibly choose to fight us head on? If he wanted to leave, even the combined effort of our whole sect wouldn't be able to keep him from leaving! If he chooses to defeat us one by one, I believe all of you will be able to predict the outcome! Let us return back to the sect first and let the sect master make a decision."

"Yes." Meng JueChen agreed in a depressed tone, "Big brother said that we can delay this matter but the auras of sixth brother and the rest and growing weaker and weaker by the minute. After using a large amount of ginseng and herbs, the effect isn't very obvious anymore. If we are unable to get the Snow Jade Sky Reversal Pellet in three days, I'm afraid…" He didn't finish his sentence but everyone there understood what he wanted to say.

Chapter 466: Impossible to Stop Halfway

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

The sound of footsteps could be heard and it was probably the 'big brother' pacing around the room. After a long while, he said, "The Yu Family's Snow Jade Sky Reversal Pellet is the last hope for sixth brother and the rest. We can only wait. While sixth brother and the rest can't wait, Yu LiuShui would definitely be even more anxious. Our only choice would be to make a gamble. However, we can think of a way to apply some pressure on Yu LiuShui to make him speed up."

"Could it be that there aren't any other ideas? Perhaps we can try finding some famous physicians in the city…" someone else asked.

"Famous physicians? The meridians of sixth brother and the rest are all ruptured and their inner core is damaged. Would there be a famous physician in the world capable of treating such wounds?" That big brother said in a heavy tone, "Even if we were to return to our sect, the sect master would be helpless in the face of such injuries! The only person in the world who might be able to treat such injuries would be Justice. But do you think that it is possible for him to help us? Apart from that, only treasures like the Snow Jade Sky Reversal Pellet would be able to save their lives. Believe me, there isn't a third way!"

Everyone remained silent.

The big brother then let out a sigh and said, "Is there still no news of Ling Tian?"

The rest of them shook their heads together.

The big brother lamented, "Perhaps we have truly made a mistake. We should have killed Ling Tian first before battling Justice. Our forces are now in a horrible state, and our strength is less than half of our prime but we haven't even seen Ling Tian's figure. The responsibility of this matter falls on my shoulders and this old man will seek punishment from the sect master when we return."

Meng JueChen consoled, "Big brother, you do not need to blame yourself. After all, we all felt that our forces were more than sufficient to deal with Justice and we even thought that we were overly cautious. With the ambush of the three experts, we were certain that our preparatory work should have been perfect. How would we be able to imagine that Justice's strength was frightening to such a degree? The sect master and two elders are also in the wrong in regards to this matter. Furthermore, this was the instruction of the sect master in the first place. If not for the sect master purposefully hiding the news that Elder Meng RuoXu was dead, how would we have been so careless? Big brother is not in the wrong!"

That big brother then said a cold smile, "Someone will definitely have to bear the responsibility of this failure. If not, how would we be able to give the Xiao Family an answer? It would be insufficient for any of you to bear the responsibility and if I don't take the blame, do you expect the sect master to take the blame instead? It is already inevitable for me to become the scapegoat, and it is impossible for me to escape."

He then let out a sigh before continuing, "If we were to talk about Justice, we would definitely have to talk about Ling Tian as well. We originally thought that sending out eighteen top-notch experts to deal with Ling Tian and Justice would definitely be an easy affair. Even if we were to fight them both at once, wiping them out would be as easy as flipping over our palms." Everyone let out a dry cough and didn't know how to reply. Originally, all of them did indeed have such thoughts and felt as though they were trying to butcher a chicken with a gigantic ax. However, they never expected the reality to be entirely different! It was no different from trying to crack a rock with an egg! Since it was so difficult to deal with Justice, could it be that Ling Tian would be the same?

As he said that, his voice turned mellow, "Just dealing with Justice alone cost us ten experts! Furthermore, we weren't able to kill him or escape without injury. If not for the fact that he didn't want to aggravate his injuries, it would be impossible for us to even escape with our lives. He is truly an adversary who is difficult to deal with. As for Ling Tian, he was actually able to escape Justice for a few months! What does this mean?"

He studied the faces of everyone present before snorting coldly, "This means that even if Ling Tian's martial arts can't be compared to Justice's, they shouldn't be too far away! With only half of our strength left, would we be able to deal with Ling Tian? This old man is truly doubtful about this! Besides that, just where did Ling Tian pick up his martial arts from? How could a young man less than twenty achieve such stunning heights in his martial arts? Some people originally thought that his martial arts originated from Beyond Heavens but that doesn't seem to be the case right now. This is truly too baffling! Could it be that he started training in his mother's womb?"

"This problem is something which everyone seemed to have purposefully left out. Or perhaps it would be Ling Tian concealing the matter too well. Or perhaps, it is because Ling Tian shone too brightly and everyone was attracted to him but not his background. Once this matter is exposed, it will definitely shake the entire world!"

Everyone took in a breath of cold air and began to study this problem again. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that it wasn't so simple.

The big brother then said in a heavy tone, "If Ling Tian's master is able to groom such a disciple capable of escaping from Justice for a few months, then could Ling Tian's master be at Justice's level? In fact, it is even possible that Ling Tian's mysterious master is even above Justice! Everyone here has witnessed the strength of Justice before and can think about just how a person stronger than Justice would be like."

"Can all of you imagine what the consequences would be if we were to kill Ling Tian?" His cold gaze swept past everyone, "If Ling Tian's master were to take revenge for Ling Tian, what would we do? Would there be anyone in the sect capable of blocking such a character? At that time, our whole sect would definitely be buried alongside Ling Tian!"

Hearing that final sentence, everyone's heart was seemingly pounded by a gigantic hammer as they thought about this frightening consequence.

Ling Tian was a genius, and this was undeniable. However, just how powerful would the person capable of grooming such a genius be? While it wasn't easy for a talent to seek for a good teacher, it was even more difficult for a teacher to find a satisfactory disciple! It was extremely rare for such a good match to be found, but Ling Tian and his master were obviously this good match. After painstakingly grooming such a brilliant disciple only to have him killed, just how would this expert react?

Even an otherworldly expert who has detached himself from worldly affairs wouldn't be able to accept this cruel reality!

While the master of a scholar may not be a scholar, did they dare to take this risk?! Especially the fact that this was the martial arts world and not the scholarly world!

A heavy rock pressed down on the hearts of everyone present and they all felt that even breathing was difficult. However, Ling Tian, who was hiding atop the roof held in his laughter to the point his sides began to ache!

That casual remark of him training in the womb was actually the correct answer! Ling Tian did indeed pick up his martial arts from the womb!

Perhaps the truth would always be coincidentally uncovered!

As for the master who scared the people below to the point they were about to wet their pants, it was no more than a big hoax. Even in his previous life, there wasn't a single person qualified to be his master. Ling Tian began to frown as he pondered over the possibility of using his 'master's' name to intimidate others.

The analysis below continued, "Furthermore, it isn't just Ling Tian's martial arts that aren't so simple. Currently, both the Yu Family and us are aware that Ling Tian is in Bright Jade City and right within the territory of the Yu Family. However, Yu ManLou has almost flipped the entire city over but was still unable to find Ling Tian's trace! Hehe, even though they know that Ling Tian was here to create trouble, they are completely helpless against him. I believe Yu ManLou must be feeling even more helpless than us right now."

Ling Tian snickered in his heart as he thought, You aren't wrong to say that I am here to create trouble. However, my targets are both you guys and the Yu Family. This is something that you definitely won't expect. If you are able to guess this, I am afraid that you will be even more depressed than Yu ManLou. However, being able to make such a clear analysis of things shows that you aren't an ordinary person.

Despite the bulk of his analysis being false.

"Thus, we can only kill Ling Tian in secret! We must not let anyone know that our Above Heavens was the culprit!" In the room, that big brother suddenly said with a violent and sinister tone, "The moment news of Ling Tian's death spreads, I don't believe that there is any power in the world capable of enduring the consequences! I don't think that any power in the world would be willing to endure the consequences!"

Right when he finished what he had to say, he let out another long sigh. It is truly impossible for us to stop halfway. At this moment, everyone truly understood what this phrase meant.

Chapter 467: Ling Chen's Plan

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

The room was filled with silence, as though everyone in the room had fallen asleep at this moment. The heavy atmosphere in the room pressed down onto everyone to the point they felt breathless. As for Ling Tian, his figure drifted up into the air and floated away like a feather. Only after forty feet later did he stand up straight. Following that, a cool breeze melded into the night sky…

Looking at the horizon, the sky was slowly turning bright and the sun was about to rise. The night of hard work didn't go to waste! He found out what he wanted to know and understood what he needed to understand. As for what he had to prepare, there was still sufficient time!

Ling Tian was rather satisfied with his harvest tonight but also felt a tinge of regret.

Ling Tian's only consideration now was just what kind of benefits Yu LiuShui needed from them. Why would this third young noble be willing to take out the Snow Jade Sky Reversal Pellet in exchange?

Could there be anything that he could do with regards to this matter?

Could it be that third young noble Yu wanted to seize the position of the successor? If that's the case, wouldn't Above Heavens be aiding the brothers to kill each other? Above Heavens would naturally be willing to aid the third young noble Yu in this matter. However, could Yu ManLou's son really be so foolish? Could there be something hidden within this matter?

However, this matter was truly hilarious. Yu ManLou mobilized thousands of people to search for three groups of people. First was himself, the second was Shui QianHuan, and third was these Above Heavens people.

Currently, Shui QianHuan's whereabouts were unknown and it seems like it wouldn't be easy for Yu ManLou to find him. As for the other two groups, he was hiding in the courtyard of Yu ManLou's second son, and these Above Heavens experts were hiding in the courtyard of Yu ManLou's third son.

To think that the people he wanted to find were right in his own home and under his nose!

This was hilarious to the point it was an irony. Regardless of how wise Yu ManLou was and how flawless his plans were, why would he ever suspect his own son? As for the others, if not for Yu ManLou's orders, would they be willing to offend these two young masters? Especially during the mourning period of their first young noble?

Ling Tian almost wanted to lament for Yu ManLou. A man would be the most helpless when he has a degenerate son and an unfaithful wife. While Ling Tian didn't know whether or not Yu ManLou's wife was faithful, his son being a degenerate was already proven.

With a heart full of joy, Ling Tian drifted into the second young noble Yu's courtyard. At the front of the courtyard, second young noble Yu was still in the embrace of his beauty. How would he be able to guess that the so-called relatives of his beloved lady were actually the very people his father wanted to kill?!

"You are back?" From the darkness, Li Xue drifted out with a trace of wetness in her eyes.

"You… aren't asleep yet?" Ling Tian felt his heart tighten up and also a wave of warmth.

Li Xue rolled her eyes, "There are a half-dead fellow and weak miss in the room. With you not being around, how would I dare to go to bed? Are you really going to rely on those little brats whose martial arts aren't fantastic?"

Ling Tian rubbed his nose and let out a bitter laugh. Li Xue was probably the only person who would say that the martial arts of Ling Chi and the rest weren't fantastic. After all, the five of them were the famed assassins of the First Pavilion! Before Ling Tian could reply, the sound of an opening door could be heard and a few black dressed young teens walked out. They immediately bowed down and greeted Ling Tian, "Young noble is back." It was Ling Feng, Ling Yun and the rest. All of their attention was focused on Ling Tian, and they didn't even glance at Li Xue.

"Err, why aren't you guys asleep?" Ling Tian glared.

"Yes. Young noble isn't around and brother Jian is injured. We can't be at ease." Ling Feng said respectfully, "Young noble has always taught us to rely on ourselves. Are we really going to rely on a weak lady who we have never seen before to protect us? Wouldn't we be letting young noble down?"

Ling Tian let out a bitter smile. It seems that Li Xue's words were heard by them. No wonder Ling Feng's words were so barbed with a tinge of hatred and enmity. They were obviously extremely dissatisfied with Li Xue abusing Ling Jian. It is just that… even if you guys are dissatisfied, why do you have to sandwich me in the middle? Weak lady? Just these two words would ensure that Li Xue will not let the matter rest so easily. Just wait, this Miss is not someone that even this young noble can provoke!

This lass just loved to be at odds with the First Pavilion! It was as though they were natural adversaries! Ling Tian immediately came to that conclusion.

Li Xue was enraged and was about to blow up! Ling Tian waved his heads helplessly and growled, "What is going on? Why are all of you so hot-tempered?! Where are we at right now! What kind of a time is this? You guys still in the mood to be quibbling? You guys have truly disappointed me! We are all considering each other's safety but have to face each other like enemies! If this happens again, I will not let you guys off!"

Ling Feng and the rest stood up straight and didn't dare to move.

After teaching the few of them a lesson, Ling Tian turned around and reprimanded mercilessly, "Getting angry at a bunch of brats, you are truly capable! This isn't the first time I told you that all of them are my close brothers. Why don't you think about your status? Quibbling with my brothers like that, how unruly!"

Hearing Ling Tian's merciless words, Li Xue also had the same reaction as Ling Feng and the rest. She straightened her back and lowered her head like a young child in the wrong. Ling Feng and the rest immediately felt a wave of comfort. No matter how tyrannical this crazy lass is, she still had to be obedient when facing young noble! What are you so fierce about?

Li Xue knew that this was definitely not the time to rebut Ling Tian. If she were to rebut Ling Tian at this moment and make him lose face, it would be equivalent to killing all of her chances in future. After today, no matter how she tried to make up for it, it would be impossible to please Ling Tian again. After all, a man would want to preserve his face in front of his subordinates. Thus, Li Xue tried her best to act the part of an obedient child and her efforts were undoubtedly effective.

If there were to be a flaw, it would be the fact that Li Xue's cheeks were actually a tinge of bright pink. She was feeling shy, at ease and satisfied at the same time. With her intelligence, she naturally understood the true meaning of Ling Tian's words. Those words of his had a huge amount of meaning hidden within them and to the meticulous heart of a lady, it naturally had a different meaning to it. This made Li Xue's heart pound hard as her heartbeat raced.

Ever since they opened up to each other back then, this was the first time, Ling Tian reprimanded her in such a manner! However, the more Ling Tian acted in such a manner, the more it meant that Ling Tian had completely put down the past and accepted her. He wasn't protecting her like a sister and wasn't treating her like a normal friend. Instead, he was truly treating her like his woman as he reprimanded her.

Such a tone was obviously too heavy to be used on a younger sister.

As for a friend, he would only beat about the bush but not be so direct.

Furthermore, Ling Tian still said, "Why don't you think about your status?" In the ears of Ling Feng and the rest, it was naturally Ling Tian trying to protect his brothers. However, it was a completely different flavor in Li Xue's ears. Status? What kind of a status could she have? Was he talking about her status as his wife? The status of a Madam? How unruly? A Madam scolding her husband's subordinates was truly unruly!

Thus, despite being reprimanded by Ling Tian, Li Xue was actually overjoyed. She then said with a shy and soft tone, "I, this… concu...bine… wouldn't dare to do that in the future." Her tone and expression were just like a daughter-in-law who just entered the household.

Ling Tian had just drunk a mouthful of tea which Ling Yun served him and upon hearing this and seeing Li Xue's expression, knew that she had completely misunderstood him! In shock, Ling Tian spat out the mouth of tea which he had yet to swallow and gave Ling Yun a good face wash. Ling Yun couldn't help but grumble to himself, Am I really that frightening looking?

With his finger trembling and pointing at Li Xue, before Ling Tian could say a word, he began coughing incessantly and two streams of tea had actually flowed out of his nose. It could be seen just how hard Ling Tian was coughing and how surprised he was.

With his almost perfect image in this life, such a behavior was something which Ling Tian had never displayed before. Even Li Xue, Ling Jian and all the people who were close to him in this life had never seen Ling Tian acting like that before!

Ling Tian entered the room pitifully, and everyone else followed him. Li Xue stomped her feet hatefully and felt disdain towards her own actions as her face burned up. To think that she would call herself his concubine in a moment of rashness! Hmph, you must be dreaming! What was I thinking! She then turned around and dashed back into her room, daydreaming as she sat on her bed.

Ling Jian supported his figure up and gave Ling Tian a bow. After Ling Tian responded with a 'Mmm', he instructed Ling Jian to lie back down. He then looked towards Ling Feng and the rest and asked, "Did you guys see anything odd on your way here?"

Ling Feng took a step forward and said, "There aren't any oddities but we received a message from Sister Chen. She is asking young noble for your opinion on the feasibility of her plan."

Ling Tian asked, "What plan?"

Ling Feng retrieved a wax ball from his embrace carefully and split it into two. After which, a small strip of paper fell out from it.

Ling Tian received it over and unrolled it.

"Young noble:

According to young noble's instruction, this concubine has taken charge of the Courtyard and understands my responsibilities. When young noble is out alone, may you take good care of your health and place your safety as the number one priority. Everything in the family is well and there isn't a need for you to worry. This concubine hopes that young noble can come back safely.

The world is about to be thrown into chaos and all the empires are eyeing on each other covetously. As for our Ling Family, while we have many elites in the courtyard, they have not been through battle and can't be used to face the upcoming war. The matter of training the soldiers is extremely urgent and can't be delayed further. If young noble is agreeable, the Courtyard can give the command to the First Pavilion to support the various camps we have in the continent. These camps can attempt to gain control of their respective areas. Not for the sake of ruling over the world but for the sake of training our soldiers to meet our future needs.

If this plan is successful, when young noble raise the flags of war, all the various camps will be able to raise their flags and rally their support. At that time, they will all be veteran soldiers who have been baptized by the flames of war and will be an indestructible force! Sweeping across the continent and controlling the world wouldn't be a problem at that time.

This concubine awaits a speedy reply.

This concubine Ling Chen looks forward to the day my husband can eliminate Justice and obliterate the Martial Order Medallion, returning safely while shocking the entire world!

Concubine Ling Chen"

Below her message was the date which was dated one day ago. Apart from showing her longing for Ling Tian and her new plan, Ling Chen had actually ignored Ling Tian's previous question completely. Furthermore, she even asked him to get rid of Justice. If Justice was someone so easily taken care of, why would Ling Tian need to escape all over the continent? Apart from feeling warmth in his heart, Ling Tian also didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It seemed like Ling Chen was extremely resolute about carrying out her previous plan. If not, she wouldn't have avoided that question in her letter.

It seems like that lass will insist on carrying out her plan. Ling Tian let out a sigh and shook his head. He really didn't know where Ling Chen's confidence was from. Beyond Heavens has been around for a thousand years and has never interfered with the conflict of the secular world. The strength that Beyond Heavens wields is truly not something that they can imagine. With just Ye QingChen and Justice, it can be seen just how unrealistic it would be to obliterate the Martial Order Medallion.

But apart from dealing with Above Heavens, Ling Chen's new plan was in line with Ling Tian's original plan or training is soldiers in battle. This was something that Ling Tian had been planning for a very long while already. Now that the other powers in the continent have almost completed their preparations, it was naturally the right time to carry out this plan. However, Ling Chen being able to notice the importance of this was something which surprised Ling Tian greatly. Ling Chen's speedy improvement in grasping the overall situation greatly satisfied Ling Tian.

Holding onto the message in his hands, Ling Tian fell into deep thought. Ling Chen's speedy growth was something that he didn't expect at all. However, Ling Jian was currently injured, and Ling Chen alone may not be able to support the situation. If all the various camps were to fall into chaos, the strength of the First Pavilion would be spread out too thinly. Furthermore, a portion of their strength in the Courtyard would also be tied down. At that time, the Courtyard wouldn't be able to deal with the strength that the Yu Family has left behind in Sky Bearing. Especially the fact that the Courtyard was where Ling Tian's roots were and he couldn't afford for anything to go wrong with it.

Chapter 468: Devising a Plan

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

With the Ling Family Courtyard being where his roots were, Ling Tian would never allow anything to happen to it. Thus, it was important for him to plan thoroughly and ensure a foolproof plan.

Ling Tian also felt that if he were to allow his camps outside to take action first and break the balance of the continent without exposing himself, all the various powers would definitely be thrown into chaos and he would be able to grasp a good opportunity.

The moment one party made a move, a chain reaction would definitely be set off and the whole continent will quickly break out in war. At that time, the rations and weapons that he had previously collected would definitely inflate in price and someone would be required to manage them for sure. If not, it would be no different from shooting himself in the foot.

Ling Tian paced around slowly with a frown and pondered over the matter carefully. A good matter without sufficient planning and preparation can also turn into a bad matter. Thus, Ling Tian had no choice but to be careful!

However, he was too short on manpower currently. While there were a few people who Ling Tian felt to be suitable to handle this matter, Ling Tian didn't dare to easily use them.

With regards to finances, his own mother would naturally be a suitable candidate. However, the moment news was to spread that Chu Ting'er was in charge of the matter, it would be equivalent to exposing the fact that his Ling Family was behind the matter. Of course, there was also another talent who equaled his mother in fame: Xiao YanXue who was currently living next to him. However, she was after all Xiao FengHan's granddaughter and even if she was willing to aid him fully, would he dare to employ her?

As for the person to aid Ling Chen, Ling Tian already had a plan. Li Xue following him around to create havoc was truly a huge waste of her ability. If she was willing to fully support Ling Chen, Ling Tian would truly be without any worries! However, her temper was too difficult to predict, and Ling Tian couldn't be certain that she wouldn't create any trouble. Ling Chen was not the same as Ling Jian. While he would be able to watch Li Xue prank Ling Jian from the sidelines, if the same thing were to happen to Ling Chen, he would definitely flare up… Furthermore, Ling Chen wasn't someone easily provoked either…

As for the military affairs, his father and General Shen RuHu can be in charge of the overall big picture of things. Furthermore, with the aid of Meng LiGe as a strategist, nothing should go wrong.

As for the various small squadrons in the continent, Ling Tian could allow them to have free rein.

After considering for a long while, Ling Tian finally came to a decision. He instructed Ling Feng to prepare ink and just when he was about to write his response, he felt as though there were far too many loose ends unsettled and after a long pause, he finally wrote the words, "Postpone the matter for now!" with great difficulty.

Ling Tian could never be bothered about his reputation and the well-being of the entire continent. Those were no more than political tricks monarchs used to fool ordinary citizens. Only those bullsh*t heroes would think about the wellbeing of the commoners while not considering their own interests. The way Ling Tian saw it, those so-called heroes were the biggest fools in the world. While they were foolish in an adorable way, they were still fools!

Ling Tian had the ambition to vie for hegemony in the world in this life of his. However, this was assuming a condition could be fulfilled; that his family and friends would be able to lead a peaceful and joyful life. If his plan were to put his family and friends in danger, Ling Tian would rather give up the plan. While it could be said that Ling Tian was being foolishly soft-hearted, that was a conviction which Ling Tian held onto tightly in this life of his!

Ling Chen's intention was extremely obvious. She wanted to use all her strength to aid her beloved when he wasn't around so that his future plans could be built on a stronger foundation. She wanted to lay that stable foundation for Ling Tian. While her intentions were good, she was overly impatient in her actions.

While the present timing was undoubtedly a good opportunity, and Ling Tian would have agreed without hesitation if Li Xue didn't turn up, Ling Tian was certain that things would go smoother if they were to wait for a month or two. If that was the case, why was there a need to take a risk now?

Even a genius needed time and molding. Regardless of how wise Li Xue was with her experience from two lifetimes, it was impossible for her to make the most accurate judgment without understanding the present situation of the continent. Furthermore, Ling Chen was the only one stationed in Sky Bearing presently and Ling Tian couldn't be at ease due to the Shui, Xiao, and Yu Families.

These three gigantic families were filled with both inner strife and external troubles. Just Ling Chen alone wouldn't be enough to hold down the fort for sure. The moment something went wrong, even if it was just the slightest bit, it was enough to cause the destruction of their Ling Family! Such a risk was something that Ling Tian would never take. At the very least, Ling Tian wouldn't make such a decision before Li Xue, this powerful assistant, was in place!

In this world, if Ling Tian wanted to find someone he trusted and was no weaker than himself, then Li Xue would be his one and only choice. Furthermore, all other people, including Ling Chen, would only be able to understand no more than half of his plans and arrangements but Li Xue would definitely be able to understand his true intentions with just a single look!

This is because Li Xue had similar experiences as Ling Tian in their previous life and they both went through the same education system. In fact, the education that Li Xue went through was even more robust than Ling Tian. Furthermore, Li Xue's understanding of Ling Tian was something that was unmatched! She was the only one in the world who would be able to work together flawlessly with Ling Tian!

While Ling Chen and Ling Jian had followed Ling Tian for ten years, their understanding of Ling Tian couldn't be compared to Li Xue. It was because Li Xue had studied Ling Tian as an enemy in detail for a few years!

The one who understands you the most is not yourself or your friends and family but your enemy!

The two of them were no longer enemies and were even arranged to be on the same boat by fate. However, Li Xue's memories would never fade and the one who understands him the most would still be Li Xue! Thus, Li Xue was the most suitable person to grasp the overall big picture in Ling Tian's organization! In fact, Li Xue was even better at spotting problems than Ling Tian. Ling Chen and Ling Jian would never doubt Ling Tian's decisions, but Li Xue would objectively pick apart every one of Ling Tian's plans. She would try to spot out the flaws of his plans and how the flaws could be minimized! If there were to be someone in the world capable of pointing out the flaws and improving Ling Tian's plans, Li Xue would be the most suitable and only choice!

"Invite Miss Li over and tell her that I have something to discuss with her." Ling Tian instructed.

Ling Yun acknowledged the order and left.

A short while later, Li Xue followed Ling Tian in and upon seeing Ling Tian's solemn expression, knew that Ling Tian was about to announce something important.

Ling Tian rapped the desk and said seriously, "There aren't any outsiders among us and I will not hide anything. I will be assigning all of you various tasks for the next step of our plan, and it is important for all of you to complete it perfectly." Ling Tian said heavily, "Let me remind all of you that I require perfect completion and not just for all of you to try your best to complete the task. Every single detail of the plan is related to the bigger picture, and all of you must not be careless. All of you must be clear of your responsibilities and if anyone of you were to fail, I believe that I don't have to spell out the consequences."

Everyone immediately paid close attention to Ling Tian's following words with their eyes opened wide and ears perked. Especially so for Ling Jian and the rest who had not seen Ling Tian so serious for a very long time. All of them carefully listened to what Ling Tian had to say, afraid that they would miss a single word. Regardless of how strict Ling Tian's requirements were, it wasn't a problem for them. When facing Ling Tian's orders, all of them only knew that they had to listen closely and complete the mission at all cost.

Ling Tian shut his eyes gently and gave out his orders swiftly.

"Li Xue, Ling Feng, and Ling Yun. The three of you will send Ling Jian back to the Courtyard. After sending him back, all of you must listen to Ling Chen's orders. Especially Ling Jian; your first priority is to recuperate. Li Xue, your mission would be to familiarize yourself with the situation of the entire continent in a month. You must be familiar with each and every single arrangement of mine. Regardless of how minor and regardless of which department, you must know it like the back of your hands. Then, you will aid Ling Chen to make a detailed plan and preparations. Every single one of you must obey every order that Ling Chen and Li Xue make!"

"Second, you must teach everyone the true Divine Shocking Dragon Formula and ensure that all of them will be able to correct their cultivation in the shortest amount of time, You must also assist Ling Chen to achieve a greater level in her Divine Ice Formula. Besides that, you should also assist BingYan to meld her painting into martial arts."

"Ling Nineteen and Ling Twenty, the both of you should take a copy of the complete cultivation technique and travel to the Heavenly Wind Continent. The two of you must assist Ling Zero and the rest in their job there. When you receive concrete news about war breaking out between the Yu and Shui Family or that the war in the Heavenly Star Continent has broken out with the Yu Family joining in, it would be the time for all of you to take action there! The timing must not be too early or late, and all of you must be extremely careful."

"Ling Twenty-one, take a copy of the cultivation formula and disguise yourself before entering Western Han to find Ling Thirty. Stay by his side to assist him. When war breaks out, take control of the XiMen Family's forces and await my orders."

"Ling Twenty-two, go to the DongFang Family and find DongFang JingLei. Tell him that I will appear in the Eastern Zhao Empire in less than seven days to assist his next move."

"Spread out my orders: From today onward, all the various camps in the continent are to give me a report on their strength and changes in their surroundings. They are to give me a report once every three days and not a single detail should be missed out. If anything happens, they can send me a report at any time. Order them to complete their preparations."

"Inform Ling Five to stop the production in the weapons factory after this batch of weapons is completed. All of his men are to retreat into the Ling Family Courtyard and begin their work again after making a full retreat. Not a single completed weapon should be sold."

"Command Ling Three and Li Lin to create havoc for all the businesses that the Yu Family has taken over. The two of them must hinder the Yu Family members and ensure that they aren't able to bother about other affairs. However, they must not reveal the fact that this matter is orchestrated by our Ling Family. They must ensure that the Yu Family can't gain any concrete evidence. As for the Yu Family guessing in secret, they don't need to bother about that."

"Command Ling Six, Ling Seven, Ling Eight and Ling Nine to step up their intelligence gathering efforts. They are to retract their ordinary forces and send out their elites. Instead of sending me a report once every five days, they are to send a report to me once every two days!"

"Command the Crystal Pavilion: Apart from sending information to the Ling Family, if other powers want to purchase information, they should adopt the principle of 'nine truths and one lie'. They should either exaggerate or underplay the most important bit of information and try their best to mislead the buyers. They should transmit information with the principle of creating as much chaos as possible."

"Spread out news of Above Heavens supporting the Xiao Family and their provocation towards Beyond Heavens. Furthermore, spread news about Above Heavens heavily injuring Justice as we must drag Beyond Heavens into these muddied waters."

"All our hidden powers should not reveal themselves and all of our powers on the surface should go into hiding!"

"As for all other matters, if I miss anything out, Ling Chen and Li Xue will fill in the gaps for me. No one is to go against Ling Chen's and Li Xue's orders!"

"After memorizing the Divine Shocking Dragon Formula, it should be immediately destroyed!"

The chain of commands came out from Ling Tian's mouth and everyone seemed to have realized something as their eyes burned with vigor.

The storm is arriving!

The atmosphere in the room was especially heavy and on the verge of exploding. While it was in the morning with the temperature cool, Ling Feng and the others were completely drenched in the perspiration of excitement!

The day is finally here!

"With all of us gone, what will you do? Furthermore, how should we take care of the lass you brought back yesterday?" Li Xue frowned and asked with concern.

Currently, Bright Jade City was like a tub of gunpowder which would blow up with just a tiny spark. If Li Xue was around, the two of their strength combined would ensure that they would be able to make a full retreat regardless of which Family they faced! However, if Ling Tian were to shift all of his manpower away and bring a weak lady along with him, how would he be able to handle any trouble that came his way?

"We can talk about this matter later. I only asked if any of you have any questions about my current orders." Ling Tian waved his hand and interrupted Li Xue.

"None at all! We will definitely complete the mission and not disappoint young noble!" Everyone responded in unison.

"Good!" Ling Tian nodded his head and a fierce glare shone in his eyes, "If that's the case, I will await all of your good news! Brothers, it is time for all of you to enjoy the thrill of controlling the winds and rain of the continent. A chaotic world is the kind of life that a man should have and the best chance to leave your mark in history! I hope that all of your names will be recorded down into history; a history that belongs to all of us! Do you guys understand?"

Ling Feng and the rest felt their blood boiling! If they were not in Bright Jade City at the moment, these brats would definitely let out a loud battlecry! Even if they couldn't let out a battlecry, all of their faces turned red from excitement!

"As for Xiao YanXue, I will have to monitor her for another two days," Ling Tian turned around and looked at Li Xue, "At that time, I will decide if I want to use her or not. If I decide to use her, how should I use her? While Xiao YanXue is a fortune goddess in the aspect of finances and internal affairs, I have no choice but to be careful while facing her. Although she has escaped from the Xiao Family, it doesn't change the fact that she is part of the Xiao Family. I have no choice but to guard against this fact."

Li Xue snorted and said, "As long as you are not bewildered by her beauty, you can do whatever you want."

Ling Tian chuckled, "I have never denied the fact that I am extremely lustful and I will definitely sneak a few glances at a beauty. This is the nature of a man. However, it would be impossible to find a girl capable of bewildering me in the world. Even if I love someone, I will definitely have a bottom line. This is something that you should be very clear about."

Li Xue grunted, "I do believe you and you have destroyed many beauties in the past before. However, you are trying to purposefully drive me away and who knows what kind of weird ideas you have in your head. Perhaps you are just trying to share a bed with this Miss Xiao."

Ling Tian smiled and stroked Li Xue's chin as he said frivolously, "Beauty, if I want to flirt with a lady, you wouldn't be able to stop me even if you are beside me. You should understand what my true intentions are."

"You only want to borrow her ability to make a huge fortune before framing the Xiao Family." Li Xue slapped Ling Tian's hand away and snorted, "This lady here has seen through your intentions long ago! Do you think you concealed yourself very well?"

"Fantastic!" Ling Tian praised, "I almost want to suspect that you are a…"

"Hmph!" Li Xue interrupted, "With your inner qi, apart from feces in your stomach, there would never be any worms in it."

"How can a lady speak in such a disgusting manner?!" Ling Tian rubbed his nose speechlessly.

As for Ling Feng and the rest, their eyes were wide open and they were completely puzzled. Apart from a small part of the conversation that they understood, the rest of the conversation was no different from a foreign language to them…

At the same time, they couldn't help but wonder to themselves. Just who is this Miss Li Xue? Why does she understand our young noble so well? Her understanding of young noble has exceeded even us who have followed young noble since young! She is actually able to guess young noble's thoughts! How bizarre! Just who is she?

"After you enter Sky Bearing, you should understand what the biggest taboo is." Ling Tian glared at Li Xue and said slowly, "I. Don't. Wish. For. Any. Disagreements!" Ling Tian emphasized each and every single word.

Li Xue's lashes fluttered and displayed a look of grievance. Seeing Ling Tian's gaze fixed on her face, she couldn't help but let out a sigh and nod her head helplessly.

She naturally knew what Ling Tian's disagreements referred to. This was an arrangement that Ling Tian was making for the future, and it could be said that he was trying to test such an arrangement. With the thoughts of a modern-day lady, Li Xue immediately felt grievance in her heart. But upon coming into contact with Ling Tian's powerful glare, she felt her heart shudder and she unwittingly agreed.