Ling Tian let out a warm smile, "Ah Jian, since the worldwide dispute has already begun, the undercurrents will gradually start to appear, until they have covered every single country, causing chaos to the entire continent! In the future, the enemies we will be facing will only get stronger. As my most capable assistant, and also the person I trust the most, if you don’t treat me as a brother, then who should I place my trust in? Since I have chosen you to take charge, it means that you are an extension of me. As such, in the future, our meetings will be few and between. It will be like this time, where you’ve been out for at least four months. I’ll get that lass Chen’er to prepare some dishes. Tonight, we’ll have a good drink together!"
"Young Noble…" Ling Jian felt warmth from deep within his heart, he felt his nose becoming stuffy, and could only resort to turning his head away, coughing a few times before he managed to suppress the hot tears that were about to spill.
Calling Ling Chen over, Ling Tian gave a few instructions. A short while later, she carried a large tray in, with six different types of dishes on it, all elaborately made. After which, she brought in two vats of wine. After glancing at Ling Tian, she retreated out quietly.
Ling Tian lifted up his cup, which was full to the brim, "Ah Jian, let me offer you a toast!"
"Young Noble, there’s something that I still do not understand." While refilling Ling Tian’s cup, Ling Jian spoke. After a few cups, a slight flush was beginning to appear on Ling Jian’s pale face.
"Haha, Ah Jian, your face is all red. Not bad, you look quite good with it, hahahaha…" After that sentence, Ling Tian laughed a bit before continuing, "What is it you do not understand? And you even hid it from me for a few years without ask? Hmm?"
Ling Jian laughed at his reply. "Young Noble, what did you see in me when you accepted me back then? I’ve always found this matter weird. I had already escaped to outside the city, but you still continued searching for me."
Ling Tian’s eyes drooped as in his vision flashed once again to that helpless little child who faced him at that time, not knowing where to run, with eyes filled with hatred, despair as well as stubbornness. Comparing to the man in front of him, he could not help but let out a long sigh.
"That time, when you were escaping, you bumped into me inside the capital, haha…" Staring blankly into space, Ling Tian recounted dreamily. "At that time, you were frantic. In your eyes, I could see despair, helplessness, distress, and many more negative emotions. Although you only glanced at me, I could see the endless hatred in your eyes. Hehheh, at that point, I remembered you deeply and thus wanted to help you. That’s all to it."
Ling Tian's voice was light, yet the tone was heavy — it was like a mountain pressing down! As Ling Tian spoke, Ling Tian's focused state made him feel that the child Ling Tian was recounting was not just about him, Ling Jian, but also about Ling Tian himself! This was a sort of hatred that had already been carved deep into one’s bones. It was a type of hatred that cannot be forgotten, even in death! ‘How can this be possible? Why would the Young Noble have such an experience?’ Ling Jian thought. However, while one could fake his tone, it was impossible to fake his innermost feelings!
Ling Tian was sitting opposite Ling Jian. But at that instant, Ling Jian felt like the Young Noble was standing alone on a snow-capped summit, filled with snow and ice that never melted. Loneliness, desolateness, solitude, as well as a huge sense of powerlessness emanated from him. This sort of cold and bleak feeling of powerlessness had even overtaken what he felt in those early years. Why? Why would Young Noble feel this way?
The Young Noble has it tough!
Unbidden to him, a thought suddenly surfaced in Ling Jian’s mind.
With his intelligence, talent, martial arts and knowledge all far surpassing a normal person, where did this bitterness come from? From the country? Family? Self? Ling Jian could not understand, and may never will.
Ling Jian’s face, which typically resembled a block of wood, suddenly revealed some emotions, his eyes dimly sparkling with unshed tears. He silently lifted up his cup in a toast, downing it in one go! Under the influence of his emotions, he applied too much force, and the wine cup shattered in his hands with a crisp sound.
In the shadows outside the house, Ling Chen had long changed into camouflaged night clothes, her svelte body melding with the darkness, with the spring breeze caressing her…
Men also needed to clear their frustrations at times. A good friend, as well as a vat of good wine, that was one of the best way to let loose some steam.
Ling Chen was well aware that men, under such situations, were the easiest to get drunk, because they did not have any guards up. As such, she did not choose to stay inside the room, but opted to guard outside — in the inky darkness, and chilly spring winds. Tonight, Ling Chen silently sacrificed her sleep to provide protection for the two men who were akin to brothers.
Let them drink to their hearts’ content!
Ling Jian and Ling Chen never knew that the outstanding Ling Tian, almost omnipotent like a god, actually had such an unsavoury past. The main reason as to why he helped them was primarily because he saw vestiges of the helpless him in them! Even if he stayed in the downtown, he would still be ostracised by everyone. His heart would be akin to a thousand-year glacier that resisted melting, standing alone and tall, without any warmth to speak of.
By saving Ling Jian, as well as accepting Ling Chen, it was a subconscious way for him to save his own past self, when he was in the depths of despair. He subconsciously treated them as his past self, helping them as a form of redemption to himself. However, with Ling Chen’s tender warmth as well as Ling Jian’s tenacious devotion and the care that they both showed him, this allowed Ling Tian’s frozen and locked heart to slowly begin to melt, revealing a tiny crack.
The Yang Family.
NanGong Yu stared mutely at the headless corpse of her brother, her body trembling, then collapsing onto the ground like cotton…...
"Little Miss! Lady NanGong!..." The crowd exclaimed in shock.
Yang KongQun stood by the side with an ashen face. His usually unflustered face was filled with ruthlessness this time. There was actually someone who killed the Young Master of the NanGong family, here to propose a marriage, under the watch of the Yang Family! This was no doubt a clear and sound smack to Yang KongQun’s face, and it was an utter humiliation!
How would the NanGong Family think of this? Would they still work together? Their son was actually killed in a place where my influence was the largest. How can they still talk about cooperation? As for the marriage… the prospective groom was already dead, what marriage?
"Mobilize the Heavenly Blade Troops! By tomorrow, I want to know who is responsible for this!" After a brief moment of agitation, Yang KongQun reacted. The most important thing currently was for him to unveil the killer, so as to give an answer to the NanGong family. If someone else’s child had died in his territory but he was unable to even find the murderer, then his Yang Family’s face could be thrown back to his grandmother’s house!
Furthermore, Yang KongQun also had misgivings. NanGong Le went out with his three grandsons to play, yet his grandsons were without a scratch while NanGong Le ended up deader than dead, the spectacle horrible to behold. If he was NanGong TianLong, what would he think? The moment Yang KongQun received the report, he immediately realized that this was part of a bigger conspiracy! Furthermore, this scheme was aimed at driving a wedge between the Yangs and the NanGongs, resulting in the collapse of their relationships!
The problem was that, while he was aware of the plan, Yang KongQun was helpless about it! There were no traces left behind to use as evidence. Even the head of the other party’s child was not found! He could not just walk up to NanGong TianLong and say, "Your son has been murdered. Don’t be angry or enraged, this is a ploy against my Yang Family!" Yang KongQun knew that if NanGong TianLong heard that, NanGong TianLong would definitely flip the table over and start a war! Willy and cunning as NanGong TianLong might be, NanGong TianLong was still a man and not some heartless saint. If Yang KongQun's son was the victim, he would definitely go berserk and fall mad. Putting himself in NanGong TianLong's shoes, the outcome was obvious.