Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Chapter 417: Chapter 298: Provocation at the Door

She said the man was the big brother she grew up with, someone she had always admired.

Lie Yang refused to accept it. How could an ordinary man from the Mortal World be better than him, a genius young master from a super-family?

Therefore, that man was a thorn in his heart. He had to find him, crush him underfoot, and show her who her true prince was!

Lie Yang kept asking her who the man was, but she refused to say, claiming she was afraid Lie Yang would harm him. The more she acted this way, the more her loyalty and righteousness became precious in Lie Yang’s eyes. After all, Lie Yang had grown up in a great family, cultivating, cultivating, and cultivating since childhood!

He spent all his days cultivating, nearly turning himself into an unfeeling stone. If not for her, how could he be like this now, with a smile constantly on his face?

Later, Lie Yang accidentally saw a name she had written. It filled an entire sheet of paper, just two words—Ling Xiao! The strokes were so forceful they seemed to pass through the paper, a clear sign of her deep feelings. Lie Yang’s heart nearly shattered on the spot. Only after repeatedly promising he wouldn’t harm this Ling Xiao did he manage to ask where the man lived.

’Penzes City. A Marquis. So he’s a great noble of the Mortal World! He sounds like a promising young man, too!’ A cold sneer appeared on Lie Yang’s lips. ’But you’ll soon find out that there are countless people in this world you can’t afford to provoke!’

’Only when you’re dead... will she follow me with all her heart! I, Lie Yang, am lucky to have found such a pure and kind girl. I will never let her go!’

"Big Brother is lovesick again."

Lie Que muttered quietly to Lie Qing from the side. Unlike the disciples of other families, Lie Que wasn’t afraid of his older brother. For one, they had grown up together, and for another, their talents were quite similar. People like them had no interest in the position of Patriarch; they were destined to enter the Holy Sanctuary in the future! If they couldn’t stay united, wouldn’t they just get bullied once they entered the Holy Sanctuary?

Thus, the three Lie siblings had always been very close, so they naturally didn’t need to be too careful with their words.

Lie Yang didn’t mind, the corners of his mouth turning up in a gentle smile.

Lie Que made a gagging motion and shook his head. "I can’t take it. I’m leaving. Little Sister, you coming?"

Lie Qing shot Lie Yang a look and said, "Ever since Big Brother got his ’Little Sister Xiaoyan,’ he doesn’t want us anymore. How tragic."

"Little Sister? Ha! Qing’Er, I’m afraid that’s just wishful thinking on your part. Who knows, one day you might have to call her Sister-in-law!" Lie Que said with a grin.

"Hmph, as if! She can wait forever for me to call her Sister-in-law!" Lie Qing wrinkled her nose, a proud look returning to her face as she sneered, "So what if Big Brother really loves her? A woman from the Mortal World, dreaming of marrying into a super-family to become the young madam? In her dreams!"

Lie Qing’s words were cold and blunt, and Lie Yang’s expression changed instantly. Lie Que quickly interjected, "Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this. Little Sister, let’s go. We’ve been inland for so long, and I hear the sea fish here is delicious. How about we go fishing?"

Lie Qing seemed completely unafraid of her older brother, Lie Yang. She continued to sneer, "Besides, that girl doesn’t just have Big Brother in her heart. I feel bad for him..."

"Enough!"

Lie Yang roared, his hands clenched into tight fists, veins bulging on his forehead. His face was a terrifying mask of fury. This scared Lie Qing enough to get up and leave; although she wasn’t afraid of him, Lie Yang’s anger was still a frightening sight.

Lie Qing’s words were like a sharp spike piercing Lie Yang’s heart, making him feel a pain that made him wish he were dead. He raised a hand, and a man walked up from behind with a fluid grace. The man looked to be in his forties, with a stiff expression and dull eyes. If his gait didn’t reveal his extraordinary power, one might have mistaken him for a fool.

"Lie Feng, as soon as the ship docks, go immediately to Penzes City, south of Lanyue. Find the City Lord, a man named Ling Xiao, and for me... teach him a harsh lesson! If you get the chance, it would be best to... kill him!" Lie Yang practically spat out the last words through clenched teeth, his face filled with hatred.

"Young Master, what do you mean, ’if you get the chance’?" Lie Feng’s wooden eyes suddenly twitched, and a trace of sarcasm appeared on his face. "Could it be that Young Master does not trust your subordinate’s abilities?"

Lie Yang’s face twitched. He knew Lie Feng was displeased. He had adamantly refused to bring Lie Feng into the Ancient Ruins this time, and when such great danger had occurred, Lie Feng had been blaming himself ever since. At the same time, he complained that Lie Yang hadn’t brought him along—what if something dangerous happened?

Lie Feng was from a branch of the Jingwu Family Lie Family. He was extremely powerful. Though he looked to be in his forties, he was actually over two hundred years old! Moreover, his strength had reached the realm of a Tier Five Sword Emperor!

He was unwaveringly loyal, but his personality was a bit rigid, and he was too principled for Lie Yang’s liking. However, since Lie Feng’s mission was to protect him, Lie Yang couldn’t just cast him aside, which had always been a headache. Now was a perfect opportunity to send him away again, so it was obvious that Lie Feng would be unhappy.

"Of course I believe in your strength. I trust... you will bring me good news very soon!" Lie Yang said with a gentle smile.

Lie Yang thought back to six months ago, to the woman he had rescued from a group of bandits. From the very first glance, he had fallen for the girl, whose delicate appearance would stir pity in anyone. She was gentle, beautiful, mild-tempered, and spoke with elegance. Lie Yang had never imagined that the Mortal World he had always looked down upon could produce such an outstanding woman.

In that moment, his icy heart melted.

The more time they spent together, the more he grew to like her. When he heard her say she was adrift like a fallen leaf, with no home to return to, Lie Yang took her in without hesitation, ignoring the strange looks from his family members. ’How could any of you understand how wonderful she is!’ he thought.

The more he liked her, the more he loathed the man named Ling Xiao, even though he had never met him.

’But that’s fine now... He won’t be alive for much longer! Don’t be fooled by Lie Feng being a Tier Five Sword Emperor; truthfully, he could even assassinate a Tier Six Sword Emperor!’

’Because Lie Feng is a natural-born assassin!’

...

Ling Xiao was inside the Urgently Cold Cauldron, which rested deep on the ocean floor. An unknown amount of time passed. The Urgently Cold Cauldron continuously absorbed the essence of water elements from the sea to mend Ling Xiao’s body. Eventually, his body was fully repaired, and the excess essence of water elements flowed through his acupoints, into his meridians, and finally merged with his Golden Core.

Ling Xiao’s Golden Core, which had been dim after his injury, was now once again glowing with vibrant life.

However, Ling Xiao himself showed no signs of waking.

Three months flew by in the blink of an eye. It was now April of the year 1455 in the Imperial Calendar, and Penzes New City had been completely built according to Ling Xiao’s specifications.

During this time, many things had happened in Penzes City. A few women had been running things. Ye Zi wasn’t too surprised by Teacher Shangguan’s arrival. As a woman, she had long since sensed the faint affection Shangguan Yutong held for Ling Xiao. Whether she had any other thoughts on the matter was irrelevant; after all, there was still no word from Ling Xiao. He hadn’t been seen alive, nor his body found dead. Under such circumstances, how could they have the slightest inclination for anything else?

Two months ago, Penzes City faced a reprisal from the Zhe Family. Fortunately, just before the attack, a certain Feng Ling arrived in the nick of time once again to warn Ye Zi and the others, allowing Penzes City to make preparations. However, it was as if the Zhe Family knew someone would tip them off; they dispatched a team of assassins who rode hard to catch up with Feng Ling’s group.

Wang Chao was killed in battle, Gaia and Tang Ming were gravely injured. Only after paying such a heavy price were Anya and Feng Ling able to escape and deliver the warning.

The Zhe Family didn’t send many people, only three Sword Emperor Powerhouses, but all of them were at the third tier of power! Although the city had made ample preparations, Thirteenth Master and Fourteenth Master were still severely injured. In the end, Tiger had to rush back from the military camp, which was the only reason the people of the Ling clan in Penzes City were spared from disaster.

With Thirteenth Master and Fourteenth Master working together, two of the three from the Zhe Family were also heavily injured. Seeing Tiger join the fray, they immediately retreated, leaving behind the words, "We’ll be back."

But after all this time, the Zhe Family never returned. It wasn’t until Song Mingyue and Shangguan Yutong came back that Ye Zi and the others learned the Zhe Family had suffered a great loss on the Qin Family Island and wouldn’t be coming for revenge anytime soon.

However, Thirteenth Master and Fourteenth Master were gravely wounded and had both returned to the Sea Domain Song Family to recuperate. Tiger had rushed over on short notice after being notified by Ye Zi; seeing that things were fine, he returned to his military camp. It was said that General Ling Tianxiao was also about to retire and return home. At that time, the entire family would probably move south to Penzes New City.

Here, Shangguan Yutong’s strength was formidable, having reached the realm of a Tier Two Sword Emperor, and Song Mingyue possessed the power of a Sixth Rank Demon Sword Master. It could be said that as long as no powerful hidden families or sects came to Penzes City, no one could harm them.

And yet, with Ling Xiao missing, no one could be happy.

Lie Feng had been famous for a hundred years. Although he rarely left his family, and his departures from the Jingwu Family over the years were few, every single time—except for this one—had been to carry out an assassination mission!

As a super-family, they had to control the overall situation! All super-families were the same; they simply could not tolerate the emergence of a new one. Therefore, whenever a family grew too strong, Lie Feng would be sent out. The strength of a Tier Five Sword Emperor, combined with his extremely potent assassination techniques, was more than enough for him to create many a bloodbath.

This time, he had thought it would be different, but he was still sent out by that kid Lie Yang. Lie Feng wasn’t too displeased, however. He enjoyed killing.

For the dignified Tier Five Sword Emperor Lie Feng to personally come and deal with a boy from the Mortal World... if he were to resort to assassination, Lie Feng felt it would be an insult to the name of the Jingwu Family!

Therefore, he came to the entrance of the Lord’s Mansion and personally demanded, by name, for Ling Xiao to come out and die.

Shangguan Yutong and Ye Zi came out and exchanged a look with Song Mingyue. They all saw the shock and fear in each other’s eyes. They had seen this man at the Qin Family’s estate, and they knew he was from the Jingwu Family!

’But they couldn’t possibly have recognized Ling Xiao in his disguise, could they? Then what is he here for?’

In an instant, the entire Lord’s Mansion was on high alert, as if facing a great enemy. Lie Feng, however, just stood there disdainfully and said coldly, "I’ll say it again: have that brat get out here and die, or... I’ll slaughter all of you!"

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