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Chapter 488: Love Without Prospects

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: Rock, DavidT

"I came here to see our great talented lady, to see what sort of poetry she's composing right now." As Ling Chen smiled, she teased, "I did not expect to see our little talent here deep in grief, sighing nonstop as though she had just lost her love. This really made me stop in shock. Come, tell sister, what sort of great work have you come out with?!"

Ling Chen clearly knew that Shui QianRou was not doing any sort of composition, but still chose to deliberately tease her. This was to soothe her worries, and this point was duly noted by Shui QianRou, filling her with gratitude!

"You're the beautiful lady with worries!" 1 Shui QianRou rolled her eyes at her, after which she could not help but sigh. "I won't hide this from sister. They're almost here, at most in another three days."

"I guessed as much." Ling Chen immediately kept her smile, not bothering to tease her anymore. "Are you worried for your brother's safety?"

"It isn't so bad to the point that his well-being is threatened, but with this huge loss that brother has suffered, the family has already stripped him of his right for first-in-line successor of the family. I do not know what punishments await him, and furthermore, those three have always looked unfavorably at my brother. Humiliation will definitely be on the list!" Shui QianRou worriedly replied.

"Oh." Ling Chen's eyes flashed as she consoled, "No matter what, your brother is still the son of the current family head, so who would dare to do anything to him? The humiliation in a way could serve as a driving force. Sister shouldn't be too worried about it. You have to take care of yourself, only then can you remain as the greatest support for your brother."

Shui QianRou's expression grew cold as she forced out, "It might just be a small humiliation, but in the eyes of those three, elder brother isn't a person of respect even though he is the son of the Family Head. Instead, they treat him as a thorn in the eye. Elder brother's failure this time, they will definitely not let go of this heaven-sent opportunity for them! They would definitely go to all lengths to humiliate him, and with brother's pride, how could he bear it?!" As she spoke, her brows furrowed, and she continued with a hint of suspicion, "Furthermore, this matter of elder brother getting into trouble is rather fishy. If Yu ManLou really possessed the strength to topple my Shui Family, then why did he wait til now in order to take action? I keep feeling as though there is something behind the scenes, but I just cannot fit the puzzle pieces together!"

Ling Chen gently smiled, "Even if there's more than it meets the eye, there's no need for you to torture yourself like this, right? In addition, even if your three cousins come over, this place still belongs to the Ling Family, and they definitely have to give this elder sister some face. As such, protecting your elder brother shouldn't be too big a problem." She easily and deftly maneuvered Shui QianRou away from her suspicions, to the point that it was seamless. Even Ling Tian would blush in shame before her act!

Ever since Shui QianRou received the letter from her family, she had been pondering over this problem. While she was sworn sisters with Ling Chen, she had some measure of being able to ask for her help, but Shui QianHuan had constantly pestered Ling Chen during his time here such that he already aroused the ire of Ling Chen. For the latter not to kick him while he was down would already be a good thing, let alone giving him help. However, seeing Ling Chen voluntarily extend her help to aid her elder brother, Shui QianRou was overjoyed. She immediately jumped up and grabbed onto Ling Chen hands, mumbling in gratitude, "Then I'll have to really thank big sis. Ai, so long as I can temporarily secure my brother's well-being until he reaches Heavenly Wind Continent, then that would be enough. Little sister here has always been embarrassed of my brother purposely making things difficult for you and so did not know how to open my mouth to ask… Don't worry big sis, this little sister here knows how to repay her saviors, there will come a day where we will repay you for your gratitude."

But Ling Chen only laughed it off, "We're sisters, and we value matters of the heart. Less of this talk about repayment, it will only hurt our relationship! However, there's something that I have to tell you beforehand. If little sister cannot achieve it, then we can forget about anything else."

Shui QianRou said, "Big sis, just say the word. If I can do it, I will definitely not shy away from it."

A chilly look appeared in Ling Chen's eyes at this moment as she quietly said, "Little sister has also mentioned it. This life and body of mine have long been a possession of my young noble, and as for your brother… heh, you should know that young noble cannot tolerate such matters the most. If the same problem persists in the future, then your elder brother would rather wish that he fell into the hands of his three competitors. We're sisters, so I'll just say this up front, if this continues, then big sister can only apologize to you."

Shui QianRou's face changed, but before she could say a word, Ling Chen continued, "Big sister is also a woman, so I care the most about how the young noble looks at me. Little sister, you have to bear this in mind."

Shui QianRou sighed to herself. How could she not see the love her brother Shui QianHuan had towards Ling Chen? However, with the single sentence that Ling Chen spoke she knew that her brother did not even stand a chance at all and could not help but feel a little bitter inside her heart. With his life in the dumps, his future bleak and dark, and now having no hope for the love of his life, could her brother really handle all these multiple setbacks at once?

She originally thought of waiting for Shui QianHuan to return before going over to persuade Ling Chen. Even if it was a hypocritical show of affection to console him, it would still allow her elder brother to feel a lot better! However, now that Ling Chen had already stated such a term, if her brother continued to foolishly anger this powerful assistant, incurring her wrath, then her brother would merely be sending himself to his own grave!

A clamor sounded from afar, followed by the footsteps of someone hastily running over. Moments later, the voice of Shui QianRou's serving girl, Die'er, could be heard saying, "Missy, good news, young noble… he is already back." While the content of her phrase sounded like good news, the worry and fright in her tone could not be masked, as though she had seen something frightening.

Shui QianRou's heart was filled with joy upon hearing that her beloved elder brother was back, and she immediately rushed to the front door. However, what greeted her left her in shock. In the courtyard were two human-shaped figures completely covered in blood, as though on their last breaths, having difficulty even standing. One of them was her elder brother, Shui QianHuan.

"How did brother get such grievous wounds?" Shui QianRou immediately commanded people to carry her brother into her room, before asking the maids to fetch some hot water as well as prepare some medicine.

"In Northern Wei, our tracks were spotted, and we were besieged by the Yu Family, who pursued us for a thousand miles…" The only person who was fortunate enough to still escape with his life intact, Shui Seven, recounted the incident as his body trembled in fear. While he managed to escape, his injuries were not light, with serious internal injuries plaguing him as well.

Ling Chen only stood coldly in the room as she observed the wretched states of the two. Her brows were slightly furrowed, but she did not say a word, turning around instead to walk out.

She had already walked to the doorstep when Shui QianHuan's voice was heard calling out, "Miss… Miss Ling… you're here… why are you in such a hurry to leave… have you been well?"

Ling Chen slightly turned around. Behind her, Shui QianHuan had ignored his own body to struggle up on the bed, his eyes blazing as he stared at Ling Chen, as though a drunken man seeing wine. With the exertion his wounds opened up once again, causing thin streams of blood to leak out.

Ling Chen however replied in an indifferent tone, "Many thanks to Young Master Shui for the concern. I'm quite well, Young Master be at ease and treat your injuries." The moment she finished speaking, she turned and left, not even sparing him another glance.

Shui QianHuan only let out a sad sigh, before crashing back onto the bed with a 'peng'. In that instant, he felt as though his heart had shattered, every hope of his turning into dust.

Calling him 'Young Master Shui' was as good as sending Shui QianHuan from Heaven to Hell. This one sentence allowed him to understand his current circumstances. Back then, he was full of mettle, disdaining all with contempt, but now, what right did he have to beg such a fairy-like lady for her love?

Shui QianRou looked at her elder brother with pity, suddenly feeling powerless. At this point, she acutely felt that it was the wrong choice for the both of them to have come to the Heavenly Star Continent!

While it was true that Shui QianHuan had walked into a dead end in his love life, probably unable to extricate himself in this life, what about herself? Wasn't she the exact same situation? That person… since when had he ever placed her within his eyes? Both brother and sister could be said to be suffering the same fate, right?

Shui QianRou let out a self-deprecating smile, but upon thinking of how Ling Tian had tenderly kept the jade she passed him into his bosom, she could not help but blush as she secretly thought, I've already passed you my pledge of love, so how could I get married to someone else? However, this annoying guy is just so insensitive, despite me liking you so much, where have you placed me in your heart? I've even gone to great lengths to get close to Ling Chen and Yu BingYan… bah, what am I thinking about?!!

If one were to talk about QianRou's marriage, the biggest problem would actually be the fact that she had to forsake her family! Shui QianRou could not help but feel a little sour at that fact. It was not that she had no hope of getting married, but rather that the choices were equally heavy, one side was her loved one, but how could she forsake the family which had always been ranked first in her heart?! This would be akin to cutting up one's intestines and organs...

"Missy, the hot water is ready. Should we apply the medication to Young Master?" Die'er's voice sounded beside her, startling Shui QianRou out of her reverie. She hurriedly agreed before walking over to her brother's side.

On this same night, ten or so experts remaining from the NanGong Family disguised themselves as merchants, soundlessly slipping into Sky Bearing Empire, with the aim of getting close to the Ling Family Courtyard.

Within the Courtyard, Ling Jian was clothed completely in black as he silently stood by the door, looking at Ling Chi practicing his swordplay. Having suffered such a serious injury, his face still bore a telltale paleness from the severe loss of blood, but his aura was completely restrained within him, and even the killing intent he normally exuded had been completely kept hidden. If one did not know who Ling Jian was, they would naturally mistake him for someone else. Originally, Ling Chi and the rest thought that his cultivation had dropped due to his grievous wounds, but none of them realized that after so many life and death battles, Ling Jian had made a qualitative breakthrough and had reached the first stage of completely restraining one's aura within themselves.

"Eh?? Isn't this Little JianJian?" A clear teasing voice suddenly sounded. Ling Jian's face unconsciously twitched, Not this demoness again!

Chapter 489: Keeping Watch Secretly

Translator: DavidT Editor: Rock, DavidT

From Bright Jade City until Sky Bearing City, Ling Jian had suffered greatly in the hands of Li Xue plenty of times. This demoness had far too many tricks up her sleeves and they were all too brutal! This was the first time that Ling Jian was able to find someone with comparable means to his young noble! In fact, she even exceeded his young noble in certain areas. She was just too frightening and even the 'cool' Ling Jian was pranked by Li Xue to the point he almost wanted to cry!

There was one time where he refused to drink the medicine because Li Xue pranked him by adding an additional ingredient into his medicine: Chinese goldthread. The feeling when drinking it is one worst than death! At that time, Ling Jian would rather die than drink it but Li Xue used a single trick to force Ling Jian to drink it obediently. Furthermore, after drinking the medicine, he even had to praise it for being extremely delicious!

Miss Li brewed two bowls of medicine. She added Chinese goldthread in one and for the other bowl, she added a few live earthworms and small young snakes. She even dug out some residue from a horse's mouth and put it into the medicine… She then forced Ling Jian to make a choice between the bowls of medicine while pinching this First Pavilion Head's nose.

As such, Ling Jian had no choice but to submit.

It wasn't that Ling Jian didn't want to retaliate, but the fact that Li Xue was pretty strong. It was impossible for the injured Ling Jian to be a match for her! However, could Ling Jian possibly be a match for her even if he was fully recovered? Ling Jian didn't have much confidence in that either!

Since he didn't have the heart and strength, he could only make the wise choice to submit! So what if he was the First Pavilion Head? Wasn't he a human too? When it was time for him to submit, he would still have to submit… a good man will not fight a lady! Ling Jian could only console himself with those words.

Currently, every time Ling Jian saw Li Xue's figure, he would subconsciously shiver as though he had just seen a ghost in broad daylight. He was never that frightened even when seeing Ling Tian! Hearing the other party calling him 'Little Jian Jian', he could not help but snort and glare at Li Xue with overwhelming killing intent, "Do not provoke me again! If not, I will be unable to control myself from killing you when my injuries are better!"

"Kill me?" Li Xue seemed to have heard a huge joke and began laughing hysterically, "Hahahaha, I am really afraid! Please don't kill me alright, I am only a weak lady!"

Ling Jian grunted angrily and turned his head around. At the same time, he came to a conclusion in his heart: Regardless of who this 'weak lady' was to their young noble and whether or not she will become his young noble's lady, he must definitely beat her into submission once after his injuries were better to vent his anger! In this period of time, this number one assassin in the world had almost cried from her tortures…

Poor Ling Jian! Up until now, he did not understand the depths of this demoness's martial arts. She was an expert who was just as perverse as his young noble! However, it wouldn't be too long before he truly smashed his head until his skull cracked. At this very moment, Ling Jian was already moving in that direction… earnestly and excitedly… poor child!

Li Xue chuckled and looked at the dumbstruck Ling Chi by the side, "Little Jian Jian, I will let you know that a weak lady cannot be bullied either." She then turned around and walked towards the secret chamber of the Courtyard.

Ever since she arrived, Li Xue had hid in the secret chamber to digest all of Ling Tian's plans and forces. Almost every day, she would be greeted by something shocking and after a few days, Li Xue was already numb to this feeling of shock!

She never imagined that Ling Tian would be able to create such a huge force single-handedly with little to no foundation! The breadth and variety of his forces, as well as the depths of his plans, had awed Li Xue completely!

Li Xue was certain that if she were to activate all of the forces that she had come into contact with so far, the direction of the winds would definitely change! The strength of Ling Tian's forces was more than sufficient to wipe out any small empire in the Heavenly Star Continent!

But…

Just how did Ling Tian accomplish this?

How did he accomplish this in less than twenty years?

If Li Xue was in Ling Tian's shoes, while it wouldn't be easy for her to accomplish such feats, it wasn't impossible either. However, the most challenging part was the fact that Ling Tian had to act like a profligate son while secretly developing a force capable of rivaling an empire! This was unimaginable! Furthermore, he did it in such a short period of time. Just what kind of intelligence does he need to accomplish this? Li Xue was completely baffled. Besides that, Ling Tian was still able to achieve such heights in his martial arts despite expending so much effort to build up his forces!

If she was Ling Tian, even if she could split herself into two and had twice the amount of effort to spend, she would still not be able to accomplish such a feat. She could not help but lament to herself, Even though we are both transmigrators, why is the difference between us so huge? Could it be that I am truly incomparable to him? Has the gap between us widened even further in this world?

After understanding all of these, Li Xue chose to adopt the same method of control without a trace of hesitation: To control everything in the dark. She would definitely not replace Ling Chen's current position and even if she wanted to replace Ling Chen, no one, including Ling Tian, would agree to that. Ling Chen was after all the lady who had followed Ling Tian for the longest period of time. Her status was deeply rooted and there was no one capable of shaking it! This was something that Li Xue could strongly feel ever since she entered the Courtyard!

At the same time, it was also because Li Xue truly understood Ling Tian's intentions. That was for her to become Ling Tian's trump card before the situation in the world was set. Ling Tian had already revealed his own strength, and he needed someone to keep watch in the dark. Li Xue was undoubtedly the best choice!

Thus, Li Xue decided her own position. She wouldn't fight with anyone over anything but stand behind Ling Tian and help watch over his family. It was enough for her to just keep herself, the final and strongest trump card, hidden. At the very most, she would give Ling Tian some suggestions or provide some aid to Ling Tian when he was too busy and unable to handle matters. However, the world would only see that there are three people ruling over the Courtyard: Ling Tian, Ling Chen and Ling Jian. There would never be a Li Xue!

Thus, Li Xue acted in an extremely low-profile manner and even the upper echelons of the Courtyard did not know of her existence or had only seen her once. They did not know what her background or purpose was, and she had disappeared into the Courtyard as though she had never appeared before.

If Ling Tian was to know about Li Xue's actions, he would definitely clap his hands in praise!

Three days later.

Dawn.

Shui QianRou entered the Ling Family Courtyard with a face full of worry requesting to see Ling Chen.

"They will arrive in Sky Bearing at noon," Shui QianRou said worriedly, "I will have to welcome them at that time."

Ling Chen raised her head up with a smile that didn't seem like a smile, "Oh? Why is second sister so worried because of a few men? Relax, there is nothing that impossible in the world and if younger sister doesn't adjust her mental state, it will be even more difficult for you to face those unwanted guests."

Shui QianRou nodded her head in gratitude.

Ling Chen suddenly asked, "How about… I follow you to welcome them? If you go alone, will…"

She immediately understood what Ling Chen was worried about, and Shui QianRou forced a smile, "Don't worry. I am a lady after all and they do not consider me to be their competition. Thus, they will not do anything to me. Even if they will fight their own brothers, they will not touch a lady like me."

A sharp glare shone in Ling Chen's eyes and she began to chuckle, "Little sister's words make sense, maybe I was thinking too much."

"It is only because you care for my safety. Am I not the same as well?" Shui QianRou said with gratitude, "After they arrive, while they will not do anything to me, my brother…"

Ling Chen smiled, "Don't worry, I will let Ling Chi bring a few men at that time. Even if we are only in a temporary alliance, they will still have to give us some face in the Heavenly Star Continent."

"Thank you elder sister for your kindness."

Looking at Shui QianRou leaving hastily, Ling Chen's eyes were filled with a profound gaze, Are all of you finally here? We can wait no longer.

Thinking about what Shui QianRou said previously, Ling Chen let out a sneer. So what if you are a lady? Will you really not pose any competition in the Shui Family? Will you have no hope to inherit the Shui Family? If all of the direct descendants in the younger generation die, what would happen?

Ever since Ling Tian left, Ling Chen had racked her brains for the Ling Family Courtyard and target in her heart. Every step she took and every word she spoke was calculated carefully and she would think through things repeatedly to prevent herself from missing anything. Under such circumstances, Ling Chen's improvement was undeniably huge. In just a short three months, Ling Chen had grown from being a lass by Ling Tian's side to an eligible leader.

However, such a life was something that Ling Chen did not like. In fact, she was rather tired of such a life. The thing which she wanted to do most was to stand behind her beloved man silently and share with him his joy and sorrows.

Regardless if it was the authority of the heavens or the allure of riches, it was incomparable to standing behind her young noble and being a lass who didn't need to bother about anything. That was the most fortunate and blessed lifestyle. Ling Chen looked towards the horizon with cloudy eyes, Young noble, I am thinking of you. Ling Chen is thinking of you. Are you fine?

Chapter 490: Guests from Heavenly Wind

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: Rock, DavidT

The midday sun shone down relentlessly as Ling Chen stood at the hilltop, gazing at the roads below. Her current position was a covert one, able to cover the entire view of the road, yet not allowing anyone below to notice her presence. Unless one ascended the hill and combed the area, no one would be able to discover her surveillance. However, in order to comb this hill, one would minimally require a force of a thousand strong in order to be effective. While the Shui Family entourage was comprised of experts, their population was definitely below 1000.

In another hour at most, the Shui Family from Heavenly Wind Continent would pass by here on their way to Sky Bearing. Ling Chen wanted to know just what sort of trash would arrive this time around. Would any of them have the ability to go against the Yu Family experts present in Sky Bearing?

Once they entered the city, their first task would definitely be to hide a certain portion of their forces in preparation to be a trump card. Ling Chen was unwilling to let such a hidden card exist, and thus she had to take the chance to analyze the complete battle strength of their enemy. This was her motive for coming here.

Following by her side was a lady dressed like a servant girl. She looked ordinary in all aspects, as though she was someone who possessed no martial arts background. Compared with the elegant and outstanding peerless talent who was Ling Chen, she paled even more in comparison. However, if one gazed across the entire hilltop, there were only the two of them. Was it too careless of the overseer of the current Ling Family Courtyard to go out without guards?

To those with evil intentions, this might be the best opportunity! So long as they could kill Ling Chen right now, then the entire Ling Family Courtyard would end up in chaos, hitting hard on Ling Tian's forces. This would lead to irreparable damages.

The ground trembled a little, causing Ling Chen's brows to jump up as she indifferently spoke, "They're coming."

But the servant girl smiled instead, "But they're not here yet!"

This caused Ling Chen to crack into a smile as well as she replied, "They'll definitely come, and in fact, very soon. Such an opportune chance, even if it was us, we would do the same!"

The servant girl tittered as well, "Yep, I believe that they'll arrive soon. After all, they're more anxious than you can ever be. And besides, if they were to miss this chance, they would not know how long they would have to wait until they can catch you working on your own again. The folly of mortals; how could an obvious chance not have any sort of traps hidden within?"

A smirking expression appeared in Ling Chen's eyes, as she praised, "Sister's scheme is indeed profound. For the next step, are you planning to deploy the troops to the South?"

Ling Chen actually addressed the servant girl as 'sister'!

The servant girl lifted up her head. There was none of the gratitude on her face when faced with a superior, but instead an extraordinary penetrative gaze that shot out from her eyes. If Ling Tian was present he would have gotten a shock, for that was the great miss Li Xue! She only leisurely replied, "Not announcing before warring will lead one to fall for schemes in the end. Since we are going to attack, we have to do it openly and through the proper channels, or else it will be taken as an offense. The other influences will be able to use this offense as an excuse to attack us instead; hence not only must one have the ambition and ability, one also must have an excuse to go to war. It does not matter if the excuse is acceptable or has a basis.

Ling Chen smiled in response, "What sister is really worried about isn't the various powers, right? But rather, it is the sentiments of the people from all over the world!"

A gleam of intelligence shone out from Li Xue's eyes, as she took over, "Since we want to start a war, then we will need to consider the sentiments of the public. Merely focusing on barbarically forcing our way to hegemony will only result in many problems, big or small, even if we unify the lands in the end! What we should do is take the chance while we are conquering the lands to bring the sentiments of the public towards us. That is far more troublesome and complicated."

The crashing sounds grew closer, as a great number of troops slowly closed in towards the path beside the cliff. At the forefront, urging her horse on, was the little princess of the Shui Family, Shui QianRou. One could see that her face was split currently between fear, anxiety, and anger, as well as a tinge of resentment and frustration.

Beside her, seated on three huge horses, were handsome looking youths. All three of them had on expressions of arrogance, and following them were over ten elders, dressed in black and silently following behind, but casting their wary eyes all around their surroundings.

Behind them were actually more horses as well as four chariots! This was a little out of her expectations. One had to know that when the Shui Family wanted to invite their members over, all of the warhorses were provided by Ling Chen from the Ling Family. The report from Shui QianRou mentioned that roughly 500 members were coming over, and so Ling Chen prepared an excess of 600.

However, the facts in front of Ling Chen showed differently. How were there only five hundred men present? It was closer to a thousand men!

Going so far as to hide her family's troop strength even in their own report to their own family, what was the Shui Family trying to achieve?

Seeing the slowly passing troop of Shui Family experts, those burly men squeezing in twos or three onto a horse with a discomfited expression, a sneer appeared in the corners of Li Xue's mouth. She turned to Ling Chen, "Little sister indeed has godly calculation abilities, to actually have predicted that the people from the Shui family did not come with good intentions. It seems like that's the case right now."

"This did not come from me," Ling Chen gave a dry laugh, "But rather, young noble had long instructed that if anything untoward happened, we must be prepared to deal with more than two times the number of troops. Only then can we rest easy at night! This is because any sort of high leveled opponent would definitely have some sort of trump card, and when they go against another expert, what they're actually comparing is the trump cards of each party!"

Within Li Xue's eyes appeared a hint of suppressed laughter as she muttered, "Once bitten, twice shy."

Because of her whisper, Ling Chen could not catch her words and ended up asking, "What did sister say?"

"Nothing much." Li Xue's clear gaze refocused on the troops slowly passing by below them, scrutinizing every single expert with her divine sense. It was only after a long while that she gave a big sigh, "The capital of the Shui Family is indeed huge, to have at least ten people in the XianTian realm. There are even two or three of them whose skills are not below that of you and Ling Jian."

Ling Chen nodded her head in response, "That only makes sense. They've come so far into Sky Bearing and would definitely have some sort of preparations, or else it would not justify them coming over. However, why does sister not compare herself with them, do you disdain them as below you?"

Li Xue angrily huffed, "That fellow made me promise that if there was no emergency, I would not be allowed to take action! If it wasn't for this promise, then just based off my own strength, I could make all these promising elites all be buried right here on this cliff! I don't know what that guy is driving at, but he seems to have driven his brain nuts!"

"Just your own strength?! You can annihilate all thousand of them?!!!" Ling Chen stared open mouthed in shock at Li Xue who was beside her, fright displayed in her eyes.

Just by looking, and using the senses of a martial arts expert, Ling Chen had long found out that this bunch of people below her could not be provoked easily. Just by talking about strength, even if Ling Tian, Ling Jian, Ling Chen, and Li Xue combined hands, they might not have a great chance of success. However, Li Xue now was saying that based on her own strength, she could wipe out all of them! Even if it was Heavenly Justice himself, he probably would not have that much strength, right?"

Having interacted with her for a time, Ling Chen was clear that Li Xue was not someone who liked to brag. Just what sort of frightening methods did she have in order to secure such a frightening victory? This was Ling Chen's biggest question. Hearing her speak, it seemed like Ling Tian was unwilling for her to use such methods. Since she possessed such great strength, able to annihilate so many people in a go and yet protect herself, then why did the Young Noble not agree to her participation?"

Was there something odd about this?

From below the cliff came hearty laughter, "... oh? Seems like the young ... master is still recovering from his wounds?" The speaker dragged out the two words young master, as though hinting at something different, and one could hear the ridicule in his words.

Shui QianRou immediately turned her head back, looking at the youth dressed in black and angrily saying, "Why? You have something to say?"

"Hahaha... " The youth acted as though there was nobody else present, immediately bursting into laughter, "I remember someone bragging during the Elder's meeting that he would go over to Heavenly Star and flip the entire place upside down, beating the Yu Family black and blue, allowing our Shui Family to have a stronghold within that couldn't be taken down… hahaha… why is it that without even a year passing, he's lying on the bed just like a dying dog? So where is the unbreakable fortress he promised, where is the Yu Family being beaten black and blue that he promised?!" The youth's words were extremely acidic and cutting, his words extremely grating as it fell onto the ears of others.

Shui QianRou was so angry that her face turned green, but just as she was about to retort, another youth took the chance to jump in as he laughed, "QianHai, this part you're probably unaware. You must know that the Heavenly Star Continent is full of illustrious spirits, to the point that the number one profligate can also turn into some immense expert in front of the sister of our young ... master. Furthermore, there are so many profligates all over the place in Sky Bearing that even if our entire family came over, we probably can't even fight them! The fact that young ... master and Sister Rou can survive in this place can already be said to be not easy. You don't have to be too harsh on them as this will affect our family's unity, hahaha."

This person's words were even more loaded, with a weird tone, now high then low, as though singing a song. However, the laugh and his words all were dripping with disdain.

"So it's like that!" The final youth who was seated on horseback used a tone of realization as he replied, "If you put it that way, then young ... master and his sister have already done a great job for our Shui Family! Such a glorious achievement, who in our family could compare? Respect, respect! I'm deeply in respect! Indeed the children of our family head, living up to the name of 'Twin Pillars of Heavenly Wind'! Brothers, we all must learn from them!

Chapter 491: Aristocratic Family

Translator: DavidT Editor: Rock, DavidT

The three of them did not give Shui QianRou a chance to say a thing as they mocked with sarcasm. At the same time, the old men behind them had their eyes closed as though they were asleep and did not hear anything.

Shui QianRou was angered to the point her lips trembled and her eyes were about to spew out fire. She then said with a chilly tone, "Since the three of you think that you are better than me and my brother, then we shall see how the three of you will be able to salvage the situation!" Her words were said with an unyielding tone, and it was obvious that she was unwilling to back down.

With Yu ManLou and Ling Tian's means, as well as the fact that they were not in their own territory, as long as the three of them were slightly careless, they would definitely die a horrible death. However, the three of them were still acting in such an arrogant manner and not placing Yu ManLou or Ling Tian in their sights.

Shui QianRou originally felt that since they were from the same family, as long as they did not go too far in the way they treated her and her brother, she would still give them timely reminders to ensure a route of escape. That way, she would have fulfilled her duty as a daughter of the Shui Family. However, the only emotion that filled her heart right now was anger and she no longer had any compassion towards the fate of these people in front of her!

Let me see how all of you will die!

"We will definitely show you our abilities. At the same time, we must also put on a good show for the family!" The three teens laughed in unison as they looked at the enraged Shui QianRou with mockery. At the same time, the teen in the middle even looked at her with a weird expression that carried a tinge of lasciviousness…

On the cliff, Ling Chen and Li Xue's expressions turned ugly as their gazes turned cold.

It didn't matter if the three of them wanted to insult Shui QianRou and Shui QianHuan. However, they should not have humiliated Ling Tian in their speech. This caused the two ladies on the cliff to burn with killing intent.

After humiliating my beloved man, the three of you still want a 'good' show? If that's the case, I will definitely ensure the Shui Family's satisfaction! I will show them a good show that will make everyone in the Shui Family put on mourning clothes!

"The relationship between the younger generation of the Shui Family is 'fabulous' indeed." Li Xue clenched her teeth and looked at the three arrogant young men while coldly saying, "The three of them will definitely not make it back to Heavenly Wind."

"The three of them deserve to die!" Ling Chen gnashed her teeth in rage.

One of them said that the three of them wouldn't return while the other said that they would die. Unknowingly, the fate of these three individuals had been determined in that Heavenly Star Continent would be their final resting place.

However, they did not notice anything as they racked their brains to come up with more sarcastic remarks to provoke and mock Shui QianRou. They tried to display their insignificant abilities by mocking their own cousins… Shui QianRou finally could not hold in her anger any longer and whipped her horse to speed up.

Amid laughter and teasing, the 1,200 Shui Family members entered Sky Bearing City under Shui QianRou's lead! However, not a single one of them felt anything out of the ordinary, and they did not know that they had just entered the gates of hell…

"To think that a family with such characters could be around for a thousand years. There isn't justice in the world anymore." Li Xue watched the departing figures of the Shui Family members and remarked, "To think that Shui QianRou is still able to think about the bigger picture and the interests of her family despite growing up in such an environment! Even I am filled with admiration!" Li Xue then let out a sigh and thought to herself, From the ancient times until now, all of these so-called aristocratic families would make use of a lady's attachment and loyalty to the family and make them sacrifice themselves for the family. However, they had never thought about letting the males of the family make sacrifices for the family. Just how many ladies have been destroyed because of this?

Even if a man were to sacrifice himself for the family and marry a woman who he doesn't love, he would still be able to take his beloved lady as a concubine or keep her as a mistress. At the end of the day, he would still be able to gain what belongs to him.

But what about a woman in the aristocratic family? The moment she sacrifices herself and marries someone she doesn't love or even harms the one she loves, would any form of reparations be able to make up for her sacrifice? Women are emotional creatures after all, and after giving something out, it was impossible for them to take it back. After losing something, it would be impossible for them to regain it. Thus, beautiful women suffering unhappy fates is an unchangeable fact since the ancient times!

Li Xue let out a sigh in her heart. Her admiration for Shui QianRou was one that came from the depths of her heart. In her past life, she was also like Shui QianRou who was tied down by the interests of her family and had to go against her own character and wishes! She did not have a single shred of freedom! In fact, she was even more resolute than Shui QianRou! Thus, Li Xue's enthusiasm could not help but be put out and a wave of heartache accompanied it.

Is he currently safe?

"The Shui Family is a thousand-year-old aristocratic family after all. The foundation of a thousand years is not something that the will of a woman would be able to go against." Ling Chen said with consideration.

"Chi…" Li Xue sneered, "What thousand-year-old aristocratic family? Little sister, even though you are extremely intelligent, you have only seen the strength of the family and the depths of its foundations. However, you have never thought about what was truly hidden within all of its glory. You have not truly experienced what goes on within an ancient aristocratic family."

"The inner secrets that are hidden within the shadows are dirty and ugly to the point people cannot imagine. The pain and torture that one goes through is something unbearable. They have been alive for a thousand years and have fought for a thousand years. At the same time, they have also decayed for a thousand years! There is no need to be afraid of them! There is nothing to be wary about! As long as we light a fire within their family, it will be enough to burn them all to death!" Li Xue said with disdain towards the so-called thousand-year-old aristocratic family.

"How can this be? It is impossible, right? They are a family that has been around for a thousand years after all!" Ling Chen looked at Li Xue with shock and was completely dumbfounded. At the same time, the words that Li Xue had just said were still resounding in her mind, and she was unable to digest them. She could not help but think to herself, Even if I have not truly experienced the inner workings of an aristocratic family, could it be that you have experienced it yourself?

Ling Chen had never doubted Li Xue and the more she interacted with her, the more she felt that Li Xue was extremely unfathomable! Such a mysterious feeling was something that she had only felt from Ling Tian. Just what was the origin of this Miss Li Xue? Why was she so mysterious?!

"Why is it impossible?" Li Xue pointed at the Shui Family members in the distance. "From the conversation between the four of them and the silent attitude of the Shui Family elders, I can see that the inner conflict in the Shui Family has evolved to the point where it is a life and death struggle. It has evolved to the point where it can't be solved by a party taking a step back or compromising! Their current trip to Sky Bearing was definitely a decision of the next family head, and the party before our eyes is probably the party who has the upper hand in the Shui Family conflict. From this alone, it is obvious that it is far easier to deal with the Shui Family. After all, they do not have an iron-fisted family head."

"The Yu Family has the ambitious Yu ManLou to suppress all parties with his cold-blooded and ruthless means. At the same time, he has the aid of his two brothers who are without ambition. However, the Shui Family does not have all of these. As such, there is no need to fear the Shui Family. Besides that," Li Xue said with a cunning grin, "they think that as long can come to Heavenly Star to produce some results, the position of successor would definitely be in their hands and they would be able to suppress Shui QianHuan for good. However, they never imagined that their appearance here is a part of Ling Tian's multi-layered plan and that it will be impossible for them to return alive. If it was just Shui QianRou and Shui QianHuan, the losses of the Shui Family wouldn't be too huge and they wouldn't be at the risk of destruction. At the same time, once the matters in Heavenly Star are concluded, the internal conflict in Heavenly Wind would definitely come to a conclusion as well. Despite that, to think that they would be foolish enough to send so many elites and three successor candidates as reinforcements. This was no different from seeking their doom! Why is there a need to fear such characters?!"

Ling Chen's face revealed a smile as she silently listened to Li Xue's analysis.

"Don't think that I am an ignorant lass. Even though you look extremely honest, you have many tricks and schemes up your sleeves. As a capable aide personally groomed by Ling Tian, how honest could you possibly be?!" Li Xue looked at Ling Chen and chuckled, "If not for your own plans to supplement Ling Tian's plans, even if the Shui Family was ambitious, they would not have sent so many reinforcements and definitely not successor candidates!"

Ling Chen revealed a smile and said, "In such chaotic times, I am only serving my lord. The young noble always said that the most important thing was for the people around him to be happy! In this life of mine, as long as young noble is able to lead a happy life, all of my sacrifice and effort will be worth it!" Then she let out a long sigh as she looked towards the horizon, "Elder sister is right. I have not experienced the life in an aristocratic family, and in my heart, the heavens, earth, all of my actions, and all of my thoughts are only for young noble alone. I do not, and will not, place anyone else in my heart. This is what I think the happiness of a lady truly is!"

"That's right!" Li Xue looked at Ling Chen with envy, "You are truly luckier than any other lady in the world. Although you are only Ling Tian's maid, who would dare treat you like a maid? Your life and status in the Ling Residence are only second to Ling Tian and you have even more freedom and authority than those so-called 'little princesses'. In the future…" Li Xue smiled mysteriously, "Do you know what you will be doing in the future?"

"What I will be doing in the future?" Ling Chen looked at Li Xue with bewilderment, "What do you mean by that?"

"After Ling Tian unites the entire world, what do you think you will be doing?" Li Xue replied with a bright smile, "Apart from you, who else would be fitting to have the title of Empress?"

Chapter 492: Unexpected

Translator: DavidT Editor: Rock, DavidT

"Ah?? Empress?!" Ling Chen was astounded, "How can it be? I… I am only a maid. I… I have never thought about that… I only want to be by my young noble's side and even being young noble's concubine is a status far beyond my reach! How can I be the Empress?…" In agitation, Ling Chen began stuttering and completely lost her cool!

Li Xue chuckled and said with mysterious wisdom, "Because of Ling Tian's profligate behavior when he was young, there aren't many ladies by his side and there are also far too few ladies capable of moving his heart. Up until now, you are the only one who truly moved his heart. As for BingYan, Shui QianRou, Xiao YanXue, Princess JiaoYue, or at the very most Wei XuanXuan; however, Wei XuanXuan is too far at the borders and she can be ignored. Of these few people, who would have the right to become the Empress?"

Li Xue then let out a warm smile, "The title of Empress is not the same as the status of being the First Wife. If you are just marrying an ordinary aristocratic family disciple, your status will probably be of concern and could result in obstruction. In fact, it may even be a stain in your life in the future. However, things are completely different when it comes to being an Empress of a new empire. The Empress is the mother of the empire and this status has a huge meaning to the situation of the world."

"Yu BingYan has the background of the Yu Family, Shui QianRou has the background of the Shui Family, Xiao YanXue has the background of the Xiao Family and JiaoYue has the background of the previous Sky Bearing imperial family. Regardless of how virtuous any of them are, none of them have any hope of becoming the future Empress! Even though any one of them has the status to become Ling Tian's First Wife, none of them can become the Empress of a new empire! Thus, there are no suitable candidates other than you. Even if you aren't willing to become the Empress, you will definitely be pushed onto the throne after Ling Tian unites the continent. This is something that I am absolutely sure of! If not, why would he not hand over the Courtyard to anyone else but you? Do you still not understand his intentions?"

"Then… even if BingYan and the rest aren't suitable, there is still you. How can this little sister fight with elder sister?!" Ling Chen said carefully. She wasn't trying to be pretentious but she was truly apprehensive of the title and didn't think that she had the ability to be the mother of the continent.

"Me?" Li Xue burst out laughing, "You are probably unaware of this. Even if you give Ling Tian a thousand guts, he would never dare to make me his Empress! Even the background of the four added together would not make Ling Tian as wary as my background! As long as Ling Tian is willing to keep me by his side, I will be satisfied!"

"Ah…" Ling Chen covered her mouth in shock. To think that my elder sister Li Xue has such a terrifying background! However, what kind of a background could she have? There doesn't seem to be such a power in the world! Even more frightening than the four of their backgrounds combined… my goodness! What kind of a background would that be?! Ling Chen took in a breath of cold air. However, even after running through her memory plenty of times, she could not think of any power capable of rivaling the four families added together!

"Haiz, no matter what, all of these are things for the future. Victory and defeat are not determined yet and it is far too early to talk about it! Let us go. It seems like the NanGong Family isn't ready yet. We have probably overestimated their strength." Li Xue ended this pointless conversation.

"Oh," Ling Chen recovered from her shock and immediately remembered the NanGong Family's plans. Her mind regained clarity and she said, "Perhaps not. Even though we pretended to conceal ourselves when coming out, the NanGong Family must have definitely received news of us. The chess piece that young noble had planted half a year ago is finally exhibiting its use. Thus, I estimate that the NanGong Family has already begun their operation and are on our return journey route."

Ling Chen said with absolute confidence.

"If NanGong Yu is truly wise, she would choose to stop this operation right now and insist on the retreat of her NanGong Family. She should hide in the deep mountains to recuperate and build up the strength of her NanGong Family. In the eyes of the ignorant, we would be seemingly letting our guard down but if one thinks through things carefully, a big loophole would immediately be spotted. Why is it such that our defensive net was previously so tight, but after the NanGong Family decided on their plan, our defenses became so loose? With such an obvious opening, how can there not be a trap hidden?"

Li Xue analyzed calmly and accurately pointed out the flaw of Ling Chen's plan, "It is as though there was a pillow magically appearing when you want to sleep, and your enemy stretching his neck out for you when you want to kill him. Aren't things going too smoothly? If it was you, wouldn't you find it dubious?"

Ling Chen pondered for a moment and could not help but be a little disappointed, "That's right, while there aren't any flaws in my plan, a plan without any flaw is the biggest flaw in itself. I was taking things for granted."

Li Xue chuckled before saying, "Thus, I estimate that it is very likely for our plan to fail. If NanGong TianHu is the one in charge of this operation, then we will definitely succeed. However, NanGong Yu is probably rushing here right now to stop NanGong TianHu from acting rashly so it is unlikely for our plan to succeed."

"Alright then, we can only make another plan in future." Ling Chen smiled calmly, "There will always be chances."

"Actually, it doesn't really matter. So what if they give up their plan? Can't we find them at their doorstep?" Li Xue sneered, "Don't forget, NanGong TianLong was the one who attacked us first and we can use that as an excuse to take revenge. We will definitely be in the right and no family would possibly speak up for a declining NanGong Family!"

Ling Chen replied with a smile and walked out of their hiding spot. The two of them then got onto their horses and returned to the Ling Family Courtyard. For their meticulous plan to fail so easily, while the both of them seemed extremely casual on the surface, they could not help but feel a tinge of discomfort in their heart. It was as though their full powered fist strike had landed in midair. Thus, the two of them had a gloomy face and did not say anything on the way back.

After making a corner, the Ling Family Courtyard's majestic buildings were in sight and they were only a couple of miles away from the Courtyard. Ling Chen then let out a sigh, "It seems that this NanGong Yu is truly intelligent. She is a worthy opponent indeed."

Li Xue agreed, "That's right, we have underestimated the intelligence of our enemy and it is our biggest mistake today."

Before she could finish her sentence, Li Xue's mouth was already wide open in shock as an unladylike curse could be heard, "F**k! What are they doing here? This is their intelligence?! Aren't they too intelligent?!"

Ling Chen's face turned red as she thought to herself, Everything is good about this elder sister Li Xue. Her graceful figure is like a deity and charming appearance like a fairy. However, why must she speak in such an uncouth manner? She then followed Li Xue's line of sight and could not help but be astounded as well. An indescribable feeling rose in her heart and in excitement, she almost copied Li Xue, "F…" Before the word could leave her lips, Ling Chen swallowed it back with great difficulty! However, the expression on her face was an extremely odd one.

Because…

At the foot of the mountain in front of them, a large gang of troops stealthily appeared. There were more than a hundred men and they blocked the path completely. At the same time, there were plenty of figures moving about in the shadows and their rustling footsteps could be heard. It was apparent that another group of people was sprinting to cut off their escape route…

The person in the lead was a burly man with a full curly beard. His shoulders were broad but his tummy was round and he glared at Ling Chen ferociously… he was NanGong TianHu!

Behind NanGong TianHu were three well-built men, guarding NanGong TianHu like he was a precious treasure. They had a confident smile on their face and looked at Ling Chen with undisguised hatred. At the same time, there was another individual overflowing with enmity and killing intent; she was the intelligent person that Ling Chen had just praised: NanGong Yu!

Both Li Xue and Ling Chen never imagined that the plan that they originally felt was hopeless had actually succeeded. Furthermore, it was an overwhelming success and everyone who they wanted to draw out was right in front of their eyes. This huge and sudden surprise rendered both the ladies speechless with their mouth and eyes wide open…

But in the eyes of the NanGong Family members, the shock of the two girls looked like extreme fear!

"Miss Ling Chen, it has been long since we last met." NanGong TianHu said with delight as though victory was already within his grasp. His tone was extremely lofty and he acted in a hypocritical manner. Seeing the look of shock on the faces of these two ladies, NanGong TianHu was ecstatic! It was impossible for them to be acting. If they were acting, then their acting skills were far too mystical!

"Secong Master NanGong, what are you doing? Are you trying to stop me from returning home?" Ling Chen was careful not to let her excitement show on her face, in case they would feel something was wrong and escape the trap.

NanGong TianHu laughed, suddenly feeling as though he was a big cat playing with two poor mice under his claws. In his eyes, Ling Chen's was only trying to put on a brave front. He gave out a lascivious smile and said, "What do I want to do? What else do you think I will be doing? Could I be doing anything else?" He then obscenely moved his hands in a suggestive manner to indicate the outline of her body while following her curves with his eyes.

Chapter 493: Crazed Hatred

Translator: DavidT Editor: Rock, DavidT

Ling Chen's face turned dark as she reprimanded, "NanGong TianHu, you dare to talk to me in such a tone in the territory of Sky Bearing? Your NanGong Family is bold indeed. Do you guys not want to live anymore?"

"Haha…" Mournful laughter could be heard, and NanGong Yu walked forward with bone-deep hatred in her eyes. "Ling Chen, Ling Tian killed my father in cruelty. Do you think that there is a need for us to be courteous to your Ling Family?"

Li Xue glared at NanGong Yu's slightly distorted appearance and finally understood what went wrong, "Since young noble killed your father, all of you can go and find young noble for revenge. What is the point of all of you blocking two weak ladies like us?"

NanGong Yu ignored Li Xue completely as she said while gnashing her teeth, "Ling Chen! You are only a lowly servant. Are you curious why I would choose you as a target? Haha…"

NanGong Yu's eyes turned bloodshot and she let out a crazed laugh. "Your biggest sin is the fact that you are far too beautiful. Every guy wants to talk about you and treat you like a treasure. Furthermore, Ling Tian also trusts you so much to allow you to manage all of his forces. What are you? You are no more than a lowly slave! You are just a slave that can be bought with money! You are just a… you do not deserve to be alive in this world! If I kill you, I believe that Ling Tian will definitely be heartbroken! He will definitely be devastated! HAHAHAHA, I want his heart to be shattered and be filled with devastation!!"

NanGong Yu then continued with a malevolent expression, "Do not dream that anyone will come to save you. I have to say that you are far too careless. To think that you will only bring out a single maid. I originally thought that this might be a trap but the forces of the Ling Family are all stationed a few miles away. With our current strength, taking you down is as simple as snapping our fingers! We are lucky indeed! Doesn't Ling Tian treat you like a precious gem? HAHAHA… I will make this precious gem of his be under the bodies of over a hundred men!!! Since Ling Tian killed my father and destroyed the hopes of my NanGong Family, I will let Ling Tian be the biggest cuckold on the continent! I will let his most beloved woman die from pleasure under the bodies of over a hundred men! I will make sure you suffer a fate worse than death!"

NanGong Yu said viciously, "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I will catch you and after the guards under my command enjoy themselves fully, I will sell you to the dirtiest brothel in Gold Jade City and allow boorish men to play with you and humiliate you every day! Humiliate a lady like you who should not have such a status!"

Seeing NanGong Yu's crazed and distorted expression, Li Xue let out a sigh.

Her original deduction was extremely accurate and there was indeed a huge flaw in their plan. However, their plan still succeeded because Li Xue missed two points. First, the information network of the NanGong Family was greatly lacking, and they were unaware that Ling Chen wasn't a weak and helpless lady. In fact, she was a top-notch expert in the world today, and there weren't many capable of subduing her! Second, which is probably the greater reason, was because of a woman's jealousy!

Once a woman is filled with jealousy, she will turn completely unreasonable! Especially when the jealousy that she has been suppressing for a long time explodes forth, it would be akin to a woman losing her mind! She would be crazy to the point that she hated the fact that the world could not be destroyed!

It seems like NanGong Yu's jealousy towards Ling Chen was far too intense and was probably planted a long time ago. Regardless of looks or talent, Ling Chen was more than a notch above NanGong Yu. Or perhaps, it could be said that the two of them were on completely different levels and could not even be compared. Li Xue guessed that this probably resulted in disequilibrium in the heart of the usually spoiled NanGong Yu.

However, this alone wasn't enough! Li Xue could feel that NanGong Yu would always pause unnaturally whenever she said the words 'Ling Tian'. At the same time, it seemed as though there was a deep hatred and bitterness accompanied with anger and hopelessness… all of this made Li Xue come to a realization.

After NanGong Yu entered Sky Bearing, she first became enemies with the Yang Family and later realized that Ling Tian was merely concealing himself. Following that, everything that happened fully displayed Ling Tian's strength and talents. That originally restless maiden's heart of hers was naturally ensnared. Following that, they began to work together with the Ling Family for mutual benefits, and NanGong Yu felt a trace of hope in her heart. However, her hope was short-lived, and her father died in Ling Tian's hands. This completely destroyed NanGong Yu's one-sided fantasy.

With such a mental blow, NanGong Yu made a crazy decision. She wanted to destroy the Ling Family, destroy Ling Chen, destroy the Ling Family Courtyard, destroy Ling Tian and at the very end, destroy herself!

Before all of that, NanGong Yu decided to make Ling Chen her first target! This was because Ling Chen's outstanding qualities made NanGong Yu who was always on her high horse feel a sense of inferiority. As long as Ling Chen was by Ling Tian's side, NanGong Yu would not have any confidence to fight for anything! At the same time, Ling Chen was the most beloved woman of her greatest enemy!

Thus, NanGong Yu did not want to just kill Ling Chen. She wanted to humiliate, insult and trample over Ling Chen before that!

What a crazy woman! Li Xue let out a sigh! At the same time, her thoughts floated to Ling Tian. Just how many ladies did he provoke and how many of them would go crazy for him?

From an infamous profligate son to a wise and majestic leader. He was a young hero who had unparalleled literary talents and outstanding martial arts. The ugly duckling had turned into a beautiful swan! This was a melodramatic plot that no young maiden could resist! Especially the ladies who used to look down on Ling Tian. When Ling Tian explodes forth with talent, they would first be in doubt, then filled with curiosity and finally investigating the matter on their own. With the many legends as rock solid evidence to prove Ling Tian's outstanding qualities, they would then be trapped in their fairytale…

It was truly a good method to pick up girls!

It was difficult for any young lady to resist the story of a frog becoming a prince…

No matter how good Ling Chen's self-restraint was and how developed her mental state was, she was still a young lady who was less than twenty years old. NanGong Yu's vicious words had angered her to the point that her whole body was trembling. NanGong Yu's words were far too vicious and despicable! To a lady, such a humiliation was unacceptable! Even the thought of it would make one feel complete disgust, much less experiencing it for herself!

Ling Chen growled with palpable anger, "NanGong Yu! I never imagined you to be so vicious! However, do you think that all of you will have the strength to do that?"

NanGong Yu smiled sinisterly, "Ling Chen, do you really think that I am unaware of your martial arts? If you really didn't possess any martial arts, how would you dare to come out alone? While I have to admit that you have concealed the matter extremely well, there is no secret in the world that won't be revealed. While you only took action a single time in Sky Bearing and waved a whip around a few times, you completely revealed yourself at that time! But even if your martial arts aren't weak, can I be any weaker than you? Do you know how long I have been planning to kill you? Do you think that I am joking with you?"

NanGong Yu then stretched out her arms and pointed at the people around her, "All of these men are the iron blooded warriors of my NanGong Family and the final troops that my NanGong Family can bring out! However, it is also our strongest force! Besides that, my second uncle is leading them personally! Do you think the two of you will be able to escape from my heaven encompassing net? So what if you two know martial arts? What use will it be? We are still a couple of miles away from your Ling Family Courtyard and I don't believe that they can save you before we succeed! That's right, someone like you who has lived your life in luxury probably hasn't killed before… HAHAHA… take action!"

Following NanGong Yu's orders, NanGong TianHu let out a laugh and waved his hands, "Brothers, charge! The first one to catch this peerless beauty will be the first to enjoy her! You will also be the first one to make Ling Tian a cuckold! I promise all of you that everyone will have a share of this beauty in front of you! Didn't you hear that this lass knows martial arts? She will definitely be able to endure our torment! All of you are in luck!"

All the NanGong Family warriors let out a loud roar and their faces were filled with lascivious smiles as they pounced like wolves towards Ling Chen. Not to mention touching such a beauty, it was difficult for them to even see a beauty like Ling Chen! Now, as long as they could capture this weak and helpless beauty in front of them, they would be able to do as they wished…

As these warriors fantasized about pressing Ling Chen down beneath them and the possible expressions on her face, their faces flushed red from excitement and they charged forward like raging bulls.

At this moment, only NanGong Yu realized that something was wrong. While there was shame, anger, and indignance in her eyes, there wasn't any fear, panic or confusion…

Could it be that she isn't afraid at all?! What does this mean? Is there something that I missed?!

Anger!

Extreme anger!

This was the first time Ling Chen had the urge to rip the people in front of her into shreds! Even when Long Xiang and the Yang Family surrounded their Ling Residence, the gentle Ling Chen had avoided the possibility of being stained with blood. But right now, for the first time in her life, Ling Chen was boiling with an uncontrollable killing intent! The usually warm smile by her lips had exploded forth with a frightening killing intent!

Chapter 494: Li Xue's Majesty

Translator: DavidT Editor: Rock, DavidT

At this moment, including Ling Chen, NanGong TianHu and NanGong Yu, no one noticed the ordinary looking maid behind Ling Chen disappear. However, what would a little maid be able to do?

The moment NanGong Yu issued her command, the 'burden' had suddenly disappeared as though she had never appeared before… The moment the maid disappeared, the temperature of the surroundings seemed to have dropped and a cool wind began blowing. At the same time, muffled groans sounded softly in the rear, but the men who were blinded by lust completely ignored those sounds…

Li Xue's figure was like lightning, weaving through the surroundings of the battlefield and her dagger gleamed in the sun. One by one, the many guards of the NanGong Family hiding in the dark and the experts surveilling the area died under her dagger. In just a short few moments, more than 15 people died under Li Xue's hands. At the moment, Li Xue no longer looked like an ordinary maid and her eyes were filled with coldness. Not a single speck of dust could be seen on her dagger and not a single drop of blood remained on it. It was like a sacred jade tree in the imperial palace, untainted by even a single speck of dust.

After the dagger was pulled out of a person's throat, it would be swiftly stabbed into another person's heart. Li Xue rhythmically reaped the lives of the many experts like she was a farmer, reaping the harvest of her crops with joy and even a tinge of excitement. Li Xue was extremely focused at the bloody task at hand, and she even felt that it was filled with art.

In fact, she did not even look back for a moment as though she wasn't worried in the slightest about Ling Chen facing over a hundred experts alone. Li Xue knew that their mission today wasn't to wait for reinforcements but to annihilate their enemies! In the first half of the battle, her own mission was to completely wipe out the NanGong Family experts who were in the periphery!

Not a single NanGong Family member who assaulted them today would be allowed to leave!

They must all die today! Not for the reason of concealing their secrets but because of the words that NanGong Yu had said previously. Those words of hers had sentenced the NanGong Family to the fate of being wiped out and erased from the world forever!

Behind her, Li Xue could feel an exploding ball of cold and the blistering hot seventh month seemed to have turned into the chilly winter! Li Xue revealed a smile on her face; this present scenario was intentionally created by her and Ling Chen finally revealed killing intent! Furthermore, she revealed her newly cultivated eighth level of the Divine Ice Formula from the start! It was sufficient to see the depth of hatred she had towards NanGong Yu and the other NanGong Family members!

For Ling Chen to not send out a signal to Ling Lei and the rest who were already hidden in ambush, it meant that she wanted to personally take care of the people in front of her! This was the result that Li Xue wanted to see the most! The thing which Ling Chen lacked the most would be forced out by Li Xue during the period when Ling Tian wasn't here! If not, Ling Chen would still face some dangers in the future!

The thing that Ling Chen lacked the most was undoubtedly the intent to kill! Currently, it seemed like Li Xue was extremely successful.

All of these years, Ling Tian and Ling Jian were like two tall mountain peaks guarding in front of Ling Chen. While Ling Chen had a set of outstanding martial arts, she never had the chance to fight someone to the death. In recent times, the only chance she had was when she faced Ye BaiFei, but she was unable to kill her opponent at that time! Thus, Ling Chen's hands were still clean up until now and she had never touched the blood of anyone else.

Today, when her most beloved man was being chased by a peerless expert and her closest brother was heavily injured, the NanGong Family decided to hit them when they were down. The NanGong Family first tried to ambush Ling Tian and after being killed by Ling Tian instead, the remaining people actually had the cheek to seek revenge with the Ling Family instead of finding a place to hide from the Ling Family's revenge! They were shameless to the extreme! Furthermore, they even came with such despicable and vile thoughts in their heads!

This was the first time that Ling Chen was truly furious! Her killing intent could no longer be suppressed and the ten plus years of hidden killing intent was unsealed and unleashed! With the young noble absent and Ling Jian absent, I, Ling Chen, will still be around in the Ling Family Courtyard!

I will not be the one to shame young noble's majesty!

All of you can use your lives to fully enjoy my rage!

Ling Chen glared at the NanGong Family members who were pouncing over and her glare turned cold. Her jade-like hands were then revealed from her sleeves and a layer of barely visible frosty white fog emanated from underneath her feet. On the ground, a layer of white frost quickly spread out in all directions swiftly with Ling Chen as the center! Ling Chen remained at the same spot and stood in the middle of the white frost like a jade sculpture. She looked at her enemies coldly, and a merciless, ruthless, and even cruel glow could be seen in her eyes!

Before the NanGong Family members could even reach Ling Chen, the rapidly expanding layer of frost had already extended behind NanGong Yu. Everywhere the frost expanded to seemed to have formed a special domain and everyone within the domain could not help but shiver uncontrollably!

Without an exception!

A thunderous roar sounded, and NanGong TianHu descended from the sky with a violent gust of wind. He launched a powerful palm strike towards Ling Chen and before his palm strike even landed, the winds generated from his palm strike had already sent the dust and vegetation flying! With his acute senses of a XianTian expert, NanGong TianHu could vaguely feel that Ling Chen wasn't someone easily provoked. This lass was definitely not someone easy to deal with! Thus, he used almost all of his strength in this palm strike of his and his previously teasing look had completely disappeared.

Ling Chen lowered her head and her body remained motionless like a mountain. She then lifted up her right hand calmly and when she had raised it halfway, she suddenly flipped her palm up towards the sky and sent out a powerful strike! All of her actions were extremely slow and each of her actions could be clearly seen by everyone. Coupled with her beautiful appearance, she looked like a fairy dancing beautifully on the moon.

However, it was her slow actions that restrained NanGong TianHu's lightning speed! With a loud bang, both of their palms connected!

The result of the clash was completely unexpected!

Ling Chen's dress fluttered in the wind and her feet sank into the ground up to her ankles. At the same time, her face flushed red and her beauty at this very moment was definitely soul-shaking. She then waved her left hand slowly and when she waved it halfway, a bright light suddenly shone in her palms and a long sword appeared in her hands. With a brilliant and sharp sword ray, it shot through the air!

Despite there being so many people around, none of them were able to see when her sword was unsheathed, how it appeared in her hands and where it was kept before this!

As the brilliant sword light sliced through the air, the frosty ground was suddenly filled with more than ten bloody scars! The fresh blood splashing all over the snow-white ground was like bright red flowers blooming all over! The more than ten warriors of the NanGong Family who were in the first wave retreated pitifully with mournful groans and blood sprayed out in all directions from their many wounds.

In the end, Ling Chen still could not bear to kill them all directly. She only made them lose the ability to walk by slicing all of the tendons in their ankles or rupturing the arteries on their thighs. The accuracy of her strike and control of her strength was at the level of perfection and made one gasp with admiration!

This was the first time Ling Chen launched such a vicious attack!

The moment NanGong TianHu's palm strike connected with Ling Chen, he felt an extremely cold ball of qi assaulting his body! He felt the meridians on his body freezing up and an extremely powerful force striking on his palm. His descending figure then let out an odd groan and he retreated thirty feet away with a midair backflip. When he landed on the ground, his face first flushed red before it quickly turned completely pale. His burly figure then shivered vigorously as he spat out a mouthful of blood. However, this mouthful of blood immediately froze upon him spitting it out.

A layer of frost covered his right arm and it was as though he had just taken a bath in the ocean and the salt crystals were left on his body after the water evaporated…

NanGong TianHu took in two deep breaths and circulated his inner qi a few cycles around his body before he was able to regain movement in his right arm which was sealed up by the icy-cold qi. However, the movement of his right hand was still rigid and when he wanted to clench his fists lightly, cracking sounds were continuously heard! NanGong TianHu raised his head and looked at Ling Chen's beautiful figure with a look of extreme fear in his eyes…

Who said this woman didn't know any martial arts or only had little accomplishment in her martial arts? This darn misinformation is going to cost all of our lives! The martial arts that she has displayed are already above Yu ManTian who had beaten me up badly! It may even be higher than that!

NanGong TianHu's judgment was extremely accurate. After Ling Chen consumed the Great Cyclic Pellet, her cultivation was raised to the extreme small success XianTian stage and was definitely comparable to Yu ManLou. After Li Xue arrived and taught Ling Chen earnestly, Ling Chen achieved another breakthrough and had reached the strength Ling Tian displayed before leaving Sky Bearing. Not to mention the fact that Li Xue was around as reinforcement. Even if Ling Chen was alone, it was more than enough to deal with everyone present!

At this moment, Ling Chen did not have the interest to think about NanGong TianHu's feelings. She had already treated him as a dead man and she would never allow someone who had humiliated her young noble to remain alive in the world! Regardless if it was for herself or for her young noble's prestige!

The next moment, Ling Chen stamped her foot, and the ground beneath her began cracking with a loud bang. She then raised her right leg and stamped down again. The soil beneath her feet immediately shot out in all directions, carrying with it her frosty inner qi! Every single fragment was as fast as lightning and they smashed into the formation of the NanGong Family warriors!

Chapter 495: Shattering the Conspiracy

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: Rock, DavidT

However, this petite body of Ling Chen was accompanied by a seemingly endless bone chilling killing intent!

What happened next left all those present in shock. Ling Chen's body spun once, and her sword that had disappeared mysteriously reappeared back on her hand. Just as the whole group of men were still staring spellbound, the sword had already accomplished its mission. A whole twenty-seven mournful streams of blood sprayed out into the air, with Ling Chen looking as though she had just finished a beautiful dance, exiting the stage. Her white robes had nary a speck of dust on them, and as for the wildly spewing blood, not even a spot of it landed on her clothes!

In that instant, all the tendons of the twenty-seven men present had been completely sliced! One by one, they fell onto the ground, their screams comparable to the whistle of a steam train going at full blast!

The remaining ten odd men who were just about to pounce towards her seemed as though they suddenly suffered from some movement stopping witchcraft, as all of them paused in their current stance, be it rushing forwards or brandishing their blades. They seemed to have turned into clay figurines, as all of them stood with wide open eyes and mouths, gazing at the hellish scene before them. No one even noticed the saliva dripping out of their wide open mouths, so frightening and astonishing was the scene before them. Everyone present was filled with despair without exception, together with incredulity!

NanGong Yu, who had discovered something amiss, stood with her mouth wide open, as her gaze stared straight at Ling Chen. Other than shock, there was a deep grudging hatred in her eyes, a venomous hatred. While she took into account that Ling Chen might possess some sort of martial arts, she never thought that it would be to such an extent. The operation this time was not to assassinate someone, but rather to commit suicide, to be killed. It was the worst fatal disaster the NanGong Family could have brought upon themselves...

At this moment, she finally realized how great the disparity was between her and Ling Chen. It was akin to the distance between heaven and earth! But it was because of this that the reality of Ling Chen's prowess did not scare her till she fainted, but rather fanned the flames of insanity and urgency within herself!

A woman who fell into the depths of jealousy was not someone that could be reasoned with, no matter how frightening the reality that she faced.

Li Xue stealthily knocked the last member of the NanGong family onto the ground, and as she floated over, she calmly noticed every single person still present. She who had undergone two lifetimes of experience immediately noticed many things that escaped the gaze of Ling Chen. NanGong TianHu slightly shifting to a position where it was convenient for him to strike, an expert with veins all over firmly gripping onto his sword, as well as two other great experts of the NanGong Family slowly making their way over to Ling Chen while hiding themselves among the crowd of people...

If Ling Chen was not mentally prepared, suddenly receiving the attacks of these few experts, as well as the remaining over sixty enemies who still possessed some modicum of movement, the results would be irreparable! While Ling Chen's skills had already achieved a certain realm, able to place herself amongst the first rate experts, her battle experience was far from that level. This sort of experience needed to be honed over time, over long periods of fighting, of hovering between life and death, blood and fire, before it could rise. There was no shortcut!

The surprising part was that the Ling Chen who possessed unfathomably high martial arts actually had zero experience when it came to such matters. To Ling Chen, this was a fatal loophole, thus Li Xue had to be very careful. Proud as she was, Li Xue had to admit that Ling Chen possessed a special place inside Ling Tian's heart! If anything happened to her, Ling Tian would definitely go insane, and when that happened, not only would he wipe out his enemies, even allies and his loved ones would be annihilated as well!

From this point, the decision that the NanGong Family made to attack Ling Chen was indeed the best option! For she was the Achilles' heel of Ling Tian!

As such, Li Xue would rather that she got into trouble than to allow Ling Chen to suffer a mishap!

This was because Ling Chen was the apple of Ling Tian's eye!

Thinking this, Li Xue could not felt but feel a sense of sorrow and disappointment. As a woman, she actually had to help her man and risk her life for another of his women, what sort of irony was that? If this was her past life, what sort of preposterous matter would this be?! However, she was doing it so naturally now, as well as being so calm about it… could it be that her attitude changed when she crossed over to this new world?

But Li Xue was extremely clear that, no matter what, it was impossible for her to monopolize Ling Tian herself in this lifetime! The consequence of doing so was something Li Xue did not even want to imagine.

Of course, this sort of incident was an impossibility as well. Even if the correct choice was made by their enemy, in order to carry it out, one had to have the strength to back it up!

"Ling Chen! You're indeed difficult to deal with! I actually underestimated you all this time." NanGong Yu let out a bitter laugh, her eyes filled with a chilly frost. "To think that your martial arts were actually at such a stage! It seems like I've most likely lost in today's operation." Within her voice, one could hear a hint of dejection.

"NanGong Yu, I've always admired you, especially your intellect and your talents; however, you've utterly disappointed me today." Ling Chen gazed at NanGong Yu, indifferently saying, "Your NanGong Family broke the faith between our two families first, going back on your word and trying to backstab us. Now that things have failed, you guys still have the cheek to come over to seek revenge! Could it be that you display your sense of honor in such a way? Furthermore, you want to use me to perform your dirty deeds! NanGong Yu, you're also a woman, why resort to such venomous methods, such despicable acts?"

At the last few words, Ling Chen's voice went up by an octave, revealing a hint of fury. Not just herself, but for any woman that received such a treatment from NanGong Yu, how could they still survive? Even in death, they would die full of humiliation and shame!

NanGong Yu slowly nodded her head, staring at Ling Chen with empty eyes, before suddenly focusing into a maddened gaze, "Ling Chen! For someone like you, you shouldn't even be alive in this world! What grounds do you have to have all the men only talking about you? What grounds do you have to be Ling Tian's beloved? On what grounds? WHAT GROUNDS?!! You're merely a lowly slave! A slave to be ordered about, a slave that the nobles use to entertain their guests like a prostitute! On what grounds do you have to obtain what you have? What authority do you have, for a slave of low birth such as you to display this image of a saintess in front of me? Huh??!!"

NanGong Yu began to frantically holler out, "I just want to cheapen you! I want to violate you! I just want to tear down this false image of a saintess that you put on yourself, and display your true lascivious image for everyone to see! I want to make sure you are ridden on and trampled by a thousand men, a person whose body even the lowest beggar can enjoy, the filthiest woman on this world!! HAHAHA…" A burst of frenzied laughter rang out, and so intense were her emotions that NanGong Yu actually started to tear up… and her original delicate and pretty face warped into a perverse look full of maliciousness and sinister happiness….

An incident that was destined to never happen, flowed out like water from NanGong Yu's mouth. A woman that has fallen into insanity could not be understood with normal reasoning!

Ling Chen immediately quivered with the intensity of the words. While she knew that whatever NanGong Yu spoke of could not happen, but her words had incited a sort of fear within her inner heart, as well as the sky-burning rage and hatred! Ling Chen's eyes gradually stilled and grew ice cold, her killing intent so strong that it could actually turn substantial...

Not far off, Li Xue also shivered, muttering to herself, "Crazy! This woman has gone insane! No, from the start, she was already a lunatic…"

Suddenly...

"Careful!" Li Xue screamed out loud, as she flew forwards, swiftly skimming the area.

Just at that moment, while Ling Chen was shaken by NanGong Yu's words and had just raised her killing intent, sharp killing intents also rose from three different angles around her!

NanGong TianHu and the remaining two great elderly experts of the NanGong Family took this chance to move, their target being Ling Chen. Their positions sealed off any form of escape that Ling Chen had, and all three of them immediately put forth their strongest moves, entering the highest realm of the NanGong Family's famed Sword God Manual: Sword and Body as One! Three razor-sharp sword lights shot towards the same objective, congregating in the center!

This was the deciding blow of the remaining three experts of the NanGong Family! Everyone knew that even if only one was alive in the end, so long as they killed Ling Chen, the operation would still be a success!

As such, this blow of theirs held nothing back. It was a blow made with all their lives!

At the same time, NanGong Yu, who was in front of Ling Chen, behaved like an insane beast as she drew her sword and dashed towards Ling Chen as well, a crazed fierceness on her eyes and smile...

Ling Chen no doubt received a huge shock, hurriedly revolving her Divine Ice Formula to the maximum, her body spinning rapidly within an extremely small area. Her feet constantly intertwined, and as her body spun like a windmill, the exquisite powers of her Divine Ice Formula were emitted in waves without hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, Ling Chen had already sent out seventy-nine palm strikes! The sound of her palms impacting the bodies sounded out continuously, accompanied by the cracking sounds of bones shattering. The first three experts who had pounced forward each received more than ten palm strikes from her, but they behaved like Ironmen who could not be beaten down, steeling their tenacious fighting spirit to keep forging on, their swords still pointing relentlessly towards Ling Chen even though their sword lights had already been shattered!

They had to kill Ling Chen at all costs, even at the cost of taking her down with themselves!

This fighting spirit, this determination, the complete strength of these three people, relying on their vitality to complete this almost impossible move!

They were this close to succeeding!

If it was not for Li Xue….

With a clear whistle, Li Xue was like the Heavenly General descending onto Earth, as her short sword flashed and carved out a glittering icy river. From the sky down to the ground, it was as though the river had become real, sundering the heavens and earth itself! She protected Ling Chen and herself behind this ephemeral ray of light that formed the river of ice!