The market on the main property is bustling with activity. Ling Yao stood by the gate of the inn, looking at the endless flow of people in various ways.
"Young Master! Young Master! Here, here!"
Ling Yao followed the sound and saw that the doorman of the inn pulled a two-wheeled cart and ran over, greeting him with a cheerful face.
Many passers-by also turned around after hearing the sound, but after seeing this scene, they showed a look of understanding that they were not surprised.
This is the eldest young master of the Ling family asking someone from the inn to bring wine to his alcoholic father. This is nothing new.
"Slow down! If it breaks, who will pay for it?"
Ling Yao greeted him with a smile and a curse.
The kid grinned and lifted up the red cloth covering the wine jar:
"Look, this is great! This batch of wine smells great!"
Ling Yao just glanced at it briefly, then quickly swept away the wine jars with his spiritual power and put them into the makeshift mustard seed bag:
"As usual, just put it in the account."
But this time, the child did not respond with a smile like before. Instead, he hesitated a little, as if he wanted to ask more questions.
"What's wrong?"
Ling Yao raised his eyebrows and asked casually.
The child rubbed his hands and asked curiously:
"Young Master... um... do you really want to fight with that boy from that clan? What is that... five-year agreement?"
Ling Yao didn't comment, but asked:
"What did you hear? Tell me?"
When the little boy saw Ling Yao asking, he didn't shy away and said with a smile:
"Young master, don't be angry after hearing this. I'm just hearing the gossip here. The kid was sent out a few days ago, and some people said that you couldn't stand the rising star of the clan, and you tried every means to cause trouble for the kid. The kid recently solved the problem of He The issue of Zhou Canyon has given me a great opportunity and made you jealous. You are now trying to find a way to dig out the old events and trick that kid again."
Ling Yao wasn't angry after hearing this, he just rolled his eyes:
"If you dare to do something or not, it all falls on me."
"Hehe, I guess so. If I had the mind to deal with that kid, how could he be so free today? But no matter what the rumors are, you have made an appointment for this fight, and everyone must not think about this reason. I just don't know, you and that kid What kind of lottery has been decided between the boys..."
Ling Linhan arranged a fight with him five years ago to teach him a lesson, make him regret and apologize; but he just regarded it as a child's play and just accepted it casually.
But now, the real five-year agreement has expired. Neither party had the intention to bring up the old matter again. Everyone thought that the matter would be settled. Now that it has been publicized again, and both parties involved have agreed to it, how can people not be curious about the reason?
"It's not a good thing to know too much."
Ling Yao didn't answer, he just spoke in a contrived manner. Seeing that Ling Yao refused to say more, the boy did not dare to inquire further. He chatted for a few words and promised Ling Yao that he would bring good wine next time before entering the inn.
Ling Yao shook his head and walked towards his residence.
It wasn't that he was covering up, but that the reason for the "five-year agreement" that was mentioned again probably didn't fit what these people thought - it wasn't that he and Ling Linhan finally fell out again.
On the contrary, this was Ling Linhan's initiative to propose a reconciliation plan.
At that time, Ling Linhan solved a big problem of the Ling family in Hezhou Canyon. After returning, he became even more famous and became popular among the people. The thoughtful juniors of the master's family were naturally gnashing their teeth at him and thinking of ways to deal with him.
Most of the time, Ling Yao could only pretend not to know and let them die as cannon fodder. But sometimes when major issues involving the Ling family were involved, he really had to step in to solve them, while allowing outsiders to take advantage of the loopholes.
After going back and forth, Ling Linhan probably realized that if things were allowed to develop, there would be a day when there would be a complete break between him and Ling Yao. Therefore, before Ling Yao made up his mind to renew the five-year agreement, Ling Linhan proposed it first.
The conditions are naturally different from those back then: if Ling Yao wins, Ling Linhan will personally declare in front of everyone that he will never cause any trouble to his master's family in the name of revenge for Ling Tianyi.
This qualification sounds dispensable - it cannot be in the name of revenge for the father. Couldn't Heng Nan find another reason for it? But Ling Yao knew that if Ling Linhan dared to say these words, he must have drawn a line in his heart. Whether it is for public or private purposes, the effect of practice in Ling Linhan's hands is bound to be different.
On the other hand, if Ling Linhan wins, then Ling Yao must promise not to intervene in the fight for the head of the Ling family from now on - not only can he not fight for himself, but he cannot also be the backer of others to fight for others. Of course, if he wanted to save the life of the loser in the dispute over the heads of the family, it would not be bound by the treaty.
Ling Yao was not very willing to get involved in this mess. After Ling Weiran let go of his worries and no longer insisted on letting the main family inherit the family head, he had no idea who to support. Ling Linhan's proposal can be said to be someone who gave him a pillow when he fell asleep, so Ling Yao agreed on the spot.
By the way, he also vaguely mentioned that the inner demon may still be hiding in Ling Linhan. As for whether the kid has gotten it, or whether he is willing to get it, it's hard to say.
Anyway, not only was the flag of the "five-year agreement" not removed, it was also firmly planted by Ling Yao and Ling Linhan. This also made Ling Yao feel very sad.
However, things have developed to this point, and Ling Linhan can still beat himself to pieces like "Long Aotian's novel routine" as complained by the boss, and find himself doubting life... Ling Yao can't believe it either.
Although Ling Linhan had another opportunity in Hezhou Canyon this time, Ling Yao was not 100% sure that he could defeat his opponent. But if you want to say lose, that's not a big deal. After all, Ling Linhan is constantly making progress, doesn't Ling Yao make any progress?
One was on the first level and the other was on the third level. Ling Yao felt that he could still save it.
...Although if the other party is not the "protagonist" Ling Linhan, the one who should be rescued should be the one on the first floor of the Prime Minister!
Alas, people may have different fates, but the protagonist is really lucky. A certain incompetent villain shook his head and sighed, even wanting to go home and have an extra bowl of rice.
In short, Ling Yao has no obsession with the outcome of this fight. Whether you win or lose, just give it your all, what are you thinking about? This is also the reason why he can still maintain such a leisurely and calm attitude.
Just like this, he walked back to his residence, thinking about things and stopping, and Ling Yao opened the door to his father's courtyard. It was rare that there were no wine jars all over the floor in the yard and the smell of alcohol was rising to the sky, which surprised Ling Yao.
He casually said hello to the room as usual, and without waiting for Ling Xingran to respond, he stacked the jars of new wine he had put away in the corner.
However, today it is probably the time when the sun is rising in the west. Not only did my father not make a mess in the yard and wander around with a wine gourd, but he didn't look drunk at all. Instead, he looked at Ling Yao with a serious face, even a little dignified.
Ever since he entered the Changling Sword Gate, Ling Yao had never seen his father show such an expression. Seeing each other again now, Ling Yao felt goosebumps all over his body, and he felt at a loss for a moment.
However, before Ling Yao could ask, "What happened today?", Ling Xingran took the initiative and spoke:
"Someone came to see you just now, and it seemed to be from Hengnan. I told you that you weren't here, but he insisted on asking you to meet alone."
"Who?"
Although Ling Yao asked casually, he already had a suspicion in his mind.
The battle is about to begin, and Heng Nan will take the initiative to talk to him. Apart from Ling Linhan, who Ling Xingran definitely knows, the only one who probably has a relationship with Ling Yao is Ling Yuandong.
I just don’t know what this person wants to talk to me about? Should he raise the stakes for the fight, or should he say a few harsh words to his enemy before the fight begins?
However, the next second Ling Yao's face was swollen——
"It seems his name is Ling Feiyu? He asked you to meet at Baisonglin tonight. Oh, by the way, what else did he say... Shenlong Academy has many methods to deal with uncooperative people?"
Ling Xingran waved his hand,
"I don't know much about it, I'm just giving you a message. It's probably because Ling Linhan came to trouble you. Anyway, be careful."
However, the next second he felt slapped in the face, Ling Lingyao's hair suddenly stood up.
Ling Feiyu...Shenlong Academy!
In fact, with the information about the "Blessed One" brought by Xiao Ji Nian, Ling Yao has naturally believed that the main goal of Shenlong Academy is to control the "Blessed One" Ling Linhan, and that he is just a part of the entire show. Just a "supporting villain".
As long as your behavior does not violate the "script" of Shenlong Academy in the general direction, the people in the academy will only create conditions for Ling Linhan to attack you, but will not personally send people to cause trouble for you.
Otherwise, not only will they lose a "villain" who can promote the "plot", but it will also make Ling Linhan extremely suspicious.
Therefore, Ling Yao secretly thought that no matter how hard this person worked, the focus would only be on Ling Linhan. Especially now, Ling Linhan is full of doubts about the purpose of Shenlong Academy. Ling Feiyu will only be more anxious to please Ling Linhan, and he can't spare any time to deal with himself, who is not the focus at the moment.
Therefore, even though he knew that Ling Feiyu was most likely a nail planted by Shenlong Academy in Hengnan, and his strength was probably far from being as simple as the "Dongxu Water Tribulation" shown on the surface, Ling Yao did not treat this person Take too much to heart.
As a result, the battle is about to begin, and logically speaking, everything is developing according to the "script" - whether it is the "script" of Shenlong Academy or the so-called "novel" of "no such person". Ling Feiyu suddenly revealed his identity and wanted to meet with him on behalf of Shenlong Academy. He even used the Ling family as a threat... This made Ling Yao really confused.
You don't want to threaten and force yourself to admit defeat in the battle, right?
Not to mention that in this kind of battle where both sides are evenly matched and could turn into a life-and-death battle at any time, to risk casualties would be to seek death. Even if he is really capable of letting loose, wouldn't Ling Linhan not be able to tell with his current strength? Doesn’t this mean actively buying into flaws?
However, Ling Yao didn't have time to think more about Ling Feiyu's purpose. Because he quickly realized that no matter what the other party's purpose was, he had no choice - Shenlong Academy had already given up its reputation as a powerful force and personally used the Ling family as a threat.
Unless Ling Yao could really cut off his seven emotions and six desires, and abandon the entire Ling family and his relatives and friends, wouldn't he have to just listen to the other party's words, go to the appointment, or even agree to the other party's request?
In fact, Shenlong Academy is already worried about Changling Sword Sect by doing this. Otherwise, they would randomly send a teacher who was at the peak of his prime appearance to come to Ling's house and stab Ling Yao to death. What would happen no matter how much trouble the Changling Sword Sect made in the future? Ling Yao himself has already burped!
Probably because he has been too cowardly in recent years, Ling Yao neither interferes in incidents that may involve big bosses nor participates in adventures that are too risky. Basically, he just lives a safe life and never crosses the line even if he wants to die. Therefore, enemies who can be truly offended by Ling Yao and want to make Ling Yao suffer at all costs are difficult for Ling Yao to deal with.
In addition, he has the support of his master, Ling Yao has been living smoothly for too long, and sometimes he forgets that there are not a few masters in this world who can easily threaten him or even kill him.
It's just that these people have various interests involved. To deal with the disciples of Changling Sword Sect would be a big deal for themselves, so they are unwilling to personally deal with Ling Yao, a junior and the small Ling family he belongs to. Just take action.
But if there was someone among these people who was really determined to kill him and the people around him... Ling Yao really had no choice.
Although Ling Yao is always vigilant on weekdays, he may not be able to do anything when Shenlong Academy really uses all kinds of shameless methods. But he didn't take any precautions before - when he thought of this, Ling Yao felt sick.
But he is not the kind of person who allows his enemies to manipulate him or resigns himself to fate.
Although Ling Yao thought a lot after hearing the news, all Ling Feiyu has done so far is to ask him to meet in private first; the purpose is also very clear, which is to come here for the outcome of this five-year war. .
This also shows that Shenlong Academy at least did not intend to engage in extreme measures from the beginning, let alone expose these matters directly to Ling Linhan, the "Heavenly Favorite".
This is also his chance.
What if he kills Ling Feiyu first and blocks the information channel of Shenlong Academy when the other party is unprepared; then reaches an agreement with Ling Linhan and entrusts the Ling family to the other party; and finally sneaks back to Chang'an with the main family lineage. The boundary of Lingjianmen...
...Well, he admitted that every step of doing so was risky. But at least this is a possible solution for now. He has to be prepared for this.
But the premise of all this is... Ling Feiyu's appointment with him was really just to "talk".
…
The white pine forest at night is lonely and lonely. The cold moonlight hit the white branches without any leaves, leaving a mottled tree shadow.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The sound of dry branches being stepped on.
"You're here. It's earlier than I thought."
Ah - ah - fluttering -
The crow circled in the sky and disappeared into the distant mountains under the moonlight.
And under the tree where the crow once rested, there was none other than Ling Feiyu.
His temperament is calm and heavy, without any childishness or frivolity of a young man. If this person wasn't standing in Ling Feiyu's face, Ling Yao would only think he was a stranger when he saw him.
Strange strong man. Even if his aura is just that of the Cave Void Realm, people will feel that he is a strong man at first glance.
"Who are you? Ling Feiyu's impostor, or is Ling Feiyu himself a fictional character created by you from the beginning?"
The edge of the Chengying Sword in Ling Yao's hand turned, and a cold light flowed on the sword's spine.
"Ling Feiyu" in front of him smiled when he heard this:
"Of course 'I' have always been 'Ling Feiyu'. From 'birth' to now. Feiyu, ineffable..."
Ling Yao naturally understood the implication of these words.
Ling Linhan showed the characteristics of "the one favored by heaven". Even if he obtained a treasure like Jiutian Chongyun Tower, it was only eight years ago. But "Ling Feiyu" existed before that.
This can only mean that the other party has already had plans for the Ling family before this, and that's why they are lurking here. Using the identity of "Ling Feiyu" to approach Ling Linhan was just a coincidence.
But what is there about the Ling family that Shenlong Academy has been coveting so far, but yet dare not take action directly?
And who is playing this "Ling Feiyu"?
"What do you want from the Ling family? What do you want from me?"
Ling Yao's footsteps moved forward slowly, as if he just wanted to get closer to the person he was talking to. But if you look carefully, you will see that fine sword threads are condensing behind him, and they are spreading out like smoke in all directions of the white pine forest.
The other party has already gained the upper hand, so he will naturally make great use of the existing information to create conditions that are most beneficial to him. Long before midnight, he had already placed dark eyes with spiritual patterns around him, which could be triggered at any time just by the pull of the sword thread.
However, Ling Feiyu did not directly answer Ling Yao's question. Obviously, a true villain will not let himself die from talking too much. Even if he is a chatterbox, he will not reveal his true plan in words.
"well."
Ling Feiyu clasped his hands and looked up into the void, making people wonder whether he was looking up at the moonlight or really seeing Ling Yao's sword energy spreading in the air. But just this sigh set off alarm bells in Ling Yao's heart.
Soon, his intuition came true.
"Whether it's in terms of strength or character, you are really what I like. If you came to Shenlong Academy, maybe I would accept you as my close disciple, or even inherit my position in the future. What a pity..."
Before he finished speaking, the air around him suddenly became hot. In the gradually rising temperature, the fluctuation range of spiritual power is also rising, and the red spiritual power condenses into flames, which are already visible to the naked eye!
Cave empty water disaster. Cave fire disaster. Cave void earth calamity. The peak of Dongxu. Pure phase state!
There was no heartbreaking, not even negotiation. The battle is about to begin!
And through the other party's words, Ling Yao has also deduced the other party's identity - the Ling Feiyu in front of him is none other than Tian Xi, the dean of Shenlong Academy - a clone made of Phoenix wood!
No wonder he always felt that the phoenix aura on Ling Feiyu was weird before.
It turns out that this body is not a human body at all!
But this is also the worst outcome for Ling Yao. Because even if Ling Yao can destroy this clone, Tian Xi has already received first-hand information. His previous plan was definitely not going to work.
But now is not the time to think about that. Tian Xi's purpose in attracting him was obvious - he simply wanted to seriously injure himself before the five-year appointment, weaken his own strength, and create a greater chance of winning for Ling Linhan!
What Ling Yao has to do now is not to think about the other party's other purposes, but to save his life!
Therefore, the moment Ling Feiyu's aura surged, Ling Yao also started to move.
Dark clouds covered the cold moon, and the sound of thunder and lightning roared from near to far, as if it could penetrate the clouds and land on the earth at any time.
The sword threads as thin as smoke in the air condensed into shape instantly, and in the light of the array pattern, they cut towards Ling Feiyu one by one like blades.
However, the aura on Ling Feiyu's body is still rising - the first level of Pu Xiang, the second level of Pu Xiang, the third level of Pu Xiang...
Swish——!
The Chengying Sword looks like a ghost, but it is as powerful as a broken bamboo. The sword energy and the spiritual power of thunder and lightning are entangled, and it goes straight towards the scorching phoenix fire!
