Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock
Li Xue's eyes brightened. She carefully scrutinized and reevaluated Ling Jian, a look of praise in her eyes. All along, she had thought that Ling Jian was just a person with an ice-cold expression. Wherever he appeared, it would be accompanied by bloodshed, and he never stopped to question nor to plan any sort of conspiracy. His only thought was just to follow the direction that Ling Tian decided for him, to annihilate, to destroy!
Thus, Li Xue had always thought that Ling Jian was merely a martial arts warrior, successfully becoming an assassin at the peak. She never thought that this was Ling Jian's plan for himself all along! Only now did Li Xue find out that she had seriously underestimated this fellow. Ling Jian's intelligence lay in the fact that he had pinpointed what position he should take for himself. By all rights he could have taken over Ling Chen's current position, becoming the number two in power within the Ling Family Courtyard and Ling Tian's strategists. However, he chose to silently hide within the shadows, doing what he did best, not stepping out of line!
While doing this might give him a lot of limitations, the benefit in doing so was that Ling Tian would never suspect Ling Jian! Anyone except him! This was the intelligence of Ling Jian!
Ling Chen's eyes also lit up, reevaluating this brotherly figure whom she grew up with, a look of admiration in her eyes.
Just as everyone within the secret chamber was in deep thought, there came the sound of knocking from outside as a guard announced the presence of the Shui Family's great elder as well as the princess Shui QianRou. The three women shared a smile, and Li Xue lazily stood up, saying, "Sister BingYan, let's go see how much your painting has improved!" Yu BingYan burst out into giggles and the two women escaped without a trace.
Ling Chen and Ling Jian faced each other with a bitter smile, knowing that they were once again going to be the scapegoats for doing hard labor. Looking in the direction that Li Xue was escaping, Ling Jian angrily replied, "She sure runs fast, and this isn't the first time!"
Ling Chen sighed instead, "Why would she not run? I would if I had the chance."
Ling Jian rolled his eyes at her in response, "How about Ling Dian accompany you then? I… too do not wish to see that elder. I'm afraid that I'll kill him if my temper gets too riled up."
Only to be met with a glare from her, "Your meaning is to say that you want to escape too? No way, this matter was caused by you. Want to run? There's no free lunch in this world." Ling Jian could only sigh in defeat.
In the main hall, Ling Chen sweetly received her guests, while Ling Jian with a sour 'poker face' stood behind her without a word, but to the elder himself, the pressure he exuded was unbearable.
Regarding the cooperation between the two parties, while Ling Chen was extremely courteous, she was also just as unyielding! Her terms and conditions were still as before when she had stated them, maybe even harsher. She had affirmed the words which Ling Jian had spoken, which was that the Ling Family would not be responsible for the supply of food to the Shui Family and that they had to fork out fifty taels of silver per head per day. Furthermore, any injuries would be borne by themselves.
After Ling Chen had finished speaking, Ling Jian had suddenly coldly interjected with another sentence: That if the Shui Family wanted a collaboration, then they would proceed in this direction. If they had any other objections then both parties could walk their own separate ways. In addition, Ling Jian had emphasized, that the three idiots had better not appear in front of him again, or else...
As for whom the three idiots were, everyone was extremely clear on that.
This conclusion made the First Elder of the Shui Family seethe in anger, but having to stifle it. Even after living for a good half of this life, he had never been forced to stifle down so much resentment! If he had known of this, then he would have just left everything to Shui QianRou to settle. At least with their previous agreement, they would not have eaten such a great loss!
In the end, both parties decided that once the Yu Family's people withdrew from Sky Bearing, it would then be the time for both families to take action! At that time, the Ling Family would update Shui QianRou. And furthermore, they would only accept the cooperation under the leadership of Shui QianRou. As for the others, sorry about it, they could not be trusted!
After going round in so many circles, the authority once again landed in QianRou's hands. This let many of the Elders feel like puking blood! However, since matters had reached this point, the circumstances of the situation could not be changed by man, and they could only pinch their noses in distaste and accept this decision.
The happiest person within this was, of course, Shui QianRou. The flourishing feelings within their sworn sister relationship were something she could naturally feel. As for the cooperation this time, Shui QianRou had even more of an assurance than before.
Just as the discussion on collaboration was going on, Shui QianJiang's group was also carrying out their own operation. And it was this precise action that made Shui QianRou unable to live in the same sky as these three brothers!
After seeing how the great elder and Shui QianRou walked out in succession, the three brothers had started to feel indignant. If they were to continue to let the current state of affairs continue, then even if they were to move against the Yu Family now, in the end all the credit would fall to Shui QianRou. In the worst case, the family might even pursue their internal friction and assign the blame as the fault of their three brothers. The more they thought about it, the angrier they got, and they began to scold out loud. From Shui QianRou, they scolded to the Ling Family, and from the Ling Family, they scolded back down to Shui QianRou!
Sitting with his back towards the trunk of a blossoming tree in the courtyard, Ling Chi suddenly heard the cursing sounds coming from their room. The content of their cursing made him flare up in rage, wanting to take action personally and kill off those three idiots. However, his mind whirred, and the corners of his lips curled up into a strange smile as he took deliberate steps towards the room where Shui QianHuan was recuperating. Upon opening the door, he was greeted with a pungent medical smell. Shui Seven was busy decocting medicine for Shui QianHuan, while the young noble was still lying on his bed, breathing heavily with his face pale as paper. Even after such a long time, his internal injuries had not seemed to have recovered for the better. This only served to make this rising star from Water of Heavenly Wind even more depressed, and with the negative emotions shrouding his heart, it would be a wonder if he could even recover with such a vicious cycle.
When Ling Chi opened the door, Shui QianHuan and Shui Seven did not pay any attention. It was instead Die'er who was sitting by the side who raised her bright eyes and gave him a look, before turning her head away with her face flushed. This moving sight captured Ling Chi's heart, making him sigh secretly before he began to talk, "To treat an internal injury, the mood of the patient plays a huge part. Just relying on medicine cannot heal everything. One has to get out from time to time, relaxing the body and mind to recover faster."
Die'er stood up, a worried look on her face as she replied, "Where could we go? After all it's not our place here!" Her voice was low, tinged with anxiety. As she glanced at Ling Chi's face, she sighed, feeling her emotions in a great mess.
Ling Chi gently smiled as he replied, "Who says you have to travel for a long distance in order to relax? Young Noble Shui is after all injured, and strenuous exercise will instead be harmful to him. My exercise is actually for him to just breathe in some fresh air around the area. Today's weather is good, and he can go out to get see the sun and feel the wind. If he stays within the room all day, even a normal person will get sick, let alone him!"
Die'er eyes lit up, and she looked at Shui QianHuan, tentatively opening her mouth and saying, "Young Master, you look to be in better spirits today. How about…. We go out for a walk? Bask in the sunlight, and breathing in some fresh air should be good for you!"
This sentence was obviously meant only to comfort him, for anyone who was able to see would realize that the young noble had a pasty complexion, nothing was good or better about him!
However, Shui QianHuan nodded his head absentmindedly and replied, "That would be good to do." After commanding Shui Seven to lift him up, Die'er prepared a chair and put him below a blossoming tree. After being cooped inside the room for almost half a month, the air outside felt a lot fresher, allowing Shui QianHuan to jolt to his senses, no longer feeling so burdened and heavy. He nodded gratefully to Ling Chi as a sign of his thanks.
Die'er looked at Ling Chi as he leaned on another tree far away from them, biting on a lush green leaf. The guy faced the sky, looking free and easy as he sat there, making her feel extremely envious. However, looking closely, she felt that on this youth actually lay a sense of solemnness and loneliness that could not be found in anyone of their age. She didn't know why, but looking at him gave her a sense of heartache. Glancing at her young noble, who was squinting his eyes towards the sun in an expression of ecstasy, she slowly shifted towards Ling Chi.
At this point, the sounds traveling from the room had become louder and louder, and a smashing sound was heard as though someone had thrown an object on the ground. Shui Seven turned his head towards the sound, but QianHuan acted as though he did not even hear a thing. The great ambition of this young noble had long faded to dust, and nothing much could actually catch his attention at this point.
Die'er came beside Ling Chi and sat down. Blinking, she murmured to herself, "I wonder when the tempers of this few young masters can be changed, so annoying." Ling Chi continued staring at the sky, not looking at her, but the corners of his mouth curled up in a mocking smile as he replied, "Young noble once mentioned that mountains and rivers can be altered, but a person's character cannot be changed. How could their tempers be changed so easily? Most likely, even when they die, they would still be like that. As such, even if they die, they only have their own bad luck to blame."
Die'er had actually been provoking Ling Chi the last few days but without any response. Seeing him suddenly opening his mouth to talk, she could not help but feel excited, and leaning towards him, smiling as she teased, "Seems like even wooden blocks can talk!"
Ling Chi merely snorted and refused to say another word. Die'er was gloomy and wanted to further incite Ling Chi to talk, but refused to lower herself to do so.
Suddenly, a loud high-pitched scream was heard, which sounded like an ambiguous shout of pain. It was Shui QianHu whose painkiller had worn off, and with him having half of his teeth knocked out by Ling Jian, he started to scream out like a dying pig.
Shui QianJiang's voice could then be heard, "That jerk is really vicious! Just one slap from him and second brother lost half of his teeth. Seems like he won't be able to enjoy his meal the next few days. Come tomorrow, I'll go look for a famous physician to help you tend to your wounds."
Shui QianHai spat, as he remarked with some schadenfreude, "I don't think second brother really suffered a lot. He nearly got to touch that little lass's hands. If he had done so, then the punch would have been totally worth it!" As he spoke, he sniggered.
Shui QianJiang too laughed as he commented, "Pity, what a pity." However, it was not known what he was commenting on.
Shui QianHai raised his voice, speaking in an unsatisfied tone, "However, that Shui QianHuan really had good fortune, lying on his bed every day like some pimp, and even having such a good sister who would be so willing to work for him…"
Shui QianJiang's face turned malicious as it sank down. It was a long while before he darkly replied, "That trash, Shui QianHuan is already half dead, with such serious internal injuries, while he might be able to make a comeback, his days are already numbered. What's the point in caring for him? I'm more worried about…."
At this time, Shui QianHai looked outside, and sniggered, whispering, "That trash has finally come out."
With a laugh, Shui QianJiang immediately raised his voice, "So what if he's come out? Trash is ultimately still trash! Could it suddenly turn into a treasure? I dare to say this in front of this good-for-nothing. Since he's trash, how could he not allow people to speak of him that way? Trash, he cannot get things done, a trash that has an abundance of failure! Big trash!"
Under the blossoming tree, Shui QianHuan's body trembled when he heard the humiliation. He slowly opened his eyes, hoarsely commenting, "What a good-for-nothing did, you three screwed it up with a sentence or two. In that case, aren't you people worse than trash actually? A thousand people staying here, but all of you can only stare helplessly. Stare on then, Sky Bearing's scenery is quite nice. Fifty taels of silver a day, you've really got the best seats in the house."
With a squeaking sound, the doors to a room opened, and Shui QianJiang stood in front of it, a dark expression on his face as he stared straight at QianHuan, jeering, "Even if we have to pay fifty taels a day to see the scenery, it's far better than some failure who sacrificed over a thousand lives of our brothers, and threw away our foundation that we had been building for over a few decades. Even the failure himself was not spared, causing him to be half dead, what a drama!"
Shui QianHuan coughed twice, looking somewhere else as he sniggered, "Even with a body riddled with injuries, making me half dead, it was all for the family! I, Shui QianHuan, have a clear conscience! One day, the family will understand all that I've done for them, and not allow those petty people to defame me any longer."
Shui QianHai laughed out sharply, "For the family? What a joke! Young Master Shui, no ex-Young Master Shui, have you been knocked silly by your emotions? If not for our arrival, I'm afraid that this young master Shui who only thinks of his family would have floated up to heaven in regret! Now you're struggling at death's door, yet you still dare to boast shamelessly, how amusing! Who knows if your injuries were actually inflicted by the enemies or yourself? After all, if you're injured, then the family cannot punish you! Those wounds would then be worth it!" Within Shui QianHai's words was thinly veiled sarcasm, hinting that Shui QianHuan had mutilated himself to avoid taking responsibility!
The moment these three people met, it was as though they were age-old enemies, one insult after another shooting off from their mouths. The more they spoke, the nastier it sounded, and the flames of anger grew ever higher.
Ling Chi continued to sit by the side, turning a deaf ear to the quarrels of the group. However, he subconsciously put in another blade of foxtail grass into his mouth. His face remained impassive, but his taut muscles had gradually begun to relax. Was this not the scene Ling Chi most wanted to see? Such a good show, how could he not properly savor it?
From the time he heard the three brothers curse to calling Shui QianHuan out for some fresh air, all of his words were geared towards this scenario! Ever since Ling Chen had realized the temper of the three brothers, as well as the closeness of the two siblings Shui QianHuan and Shui QianRou, she had decided on this plan to sow discord among them so that she could fulfill the plan of conquering the Heavenly Wind Continent as well! To ensure this plan would work, Ling Chi did not mind adding some oil on top of the flames.
Even if they were as tight and sweet as honey, Ling Chen would still have to make sparks fly among them, let alone their current circumstances where they treated each other like enemies!
"All for the family clan? Shui QianHuan, you piece of trash, because of your ignorance you have failed the hopes your family put on you, sending all of the 400,000 strong troops in Northern Wei to their graves! Furthermore, you used our family's trust, employing the secret forces within Northern Wei which were the decades-long effort of our family, and handed them on a platter to the Yu Family! This is what you claim to have done for the family?! If not for the fact that you favor outsiders instead of your own family, we wouldn't have been called to come over to Heavenly Star! And to think that you even instructed your own sister, in order to obtain goodwill towards you, to hand over all benefits unconditionally! You even hid that fact during our discussions, causing us to be humiliated! This is what you did for our family!"
Shui QianJiang concluded with a cold laugh, his eyes sharp like blades, "This is what you call for the family? Ahaha, wasn't it all to consolidate your work and take the chance to carry a beauty home? A pity, that I heard young master Shui did not manage to move the beauty's heart at all!"
Shui QianHuan's impassive expression was suddenly replaced by one of rage, as he raised his head to glare at the other party, "Bullsh*t! The Shui Family's business has always been our own, what has it got to do with the lady from another house? Shui QianJiang, you had better watch your words."
"What? Not happy? Feeling injustice for the lady?" Shui QianHai interjected, "She's just a serving maid in the end! I wasn't aware of that point, or with her identity, I wouldn't even consider if she was sent up to my doorstep, for fear that she would dirty my own noble status! To think you actually fell head over heels for a serving maid belonging to others, conducting yourself like she's everything you ever wanted. I believe if Ling Tian were to find out about this, he would definitely be very happy."
This sentence hooked onto Shui QianHuan's heart like a barbed thorn, making him unable to breathe properly for a while. He ruthlessly glared and spat, "What did you say? What are you implying?!"
"What do I mean? Haha, putting myself in his shoes, I would be extremely happy too." Shui QianHai wiggled his eyebrows, saying in a weird tone, "A serving maid is like a concubine, do you know what that is? For a toy that somebody has played with till they got tired of it, finding out that one of the young masters from the greatest two families of this world would still get infatuated over it, hahaha… what an honorable thing!"
"I won't allow you to slander Lady Ling Chen in this manner!" Shui QianHuan started to hyperventilate. "Take back your words! Or else I will kill you! I will definitely kill you!"
"Isn't that so?" Shui QianHai's smile got more lecherous, "A toy that someone has gotten tired of playing with, but you actually still treat her like some treasure! You actually care about her reputation so much, tsk tsk, but too bad she doesn't reciprocate! Hehe, kill me? Shui QianHuan, do you think that this place is still the Shui Family, your piece of heaven? Don't give me any airs from your broken young master look, ex-Young Master Shui! You're already finished, Shui QianHuan. Kill me? Do you have the capacity? You're really dreaming! How naive!"
Shui QianHuan's breathing was getting more and more hurried now, and his face had completely turned red. He sharply barked, "Animals! Insane animals without any morals! What sort of qualifications do you have to lead the Shui Family? What sort of qualifications you guys have to insult Lady Ling Chen like so? All of you… aren't worthy!"
A loud 'peng!' was heard, as an oblong object shot out from the window. Because of the close proximity, coupled with the fact that nobody was expecting it, the object actually landed squarely on Shui QianHuan's chest. With some cracking sounds, Shui QianHuan's chest caved in as all the bones surrounding it were broken! A mouthful of purplish-black blood was spat out as he was falling unconscious, at his last gasp! That object then landed on the ground with a metallic thunk, turning out to be a pot used to decoct medicinal herbs.
The scene was too sudden and left everyone in great shock!
As everyone was exclaiming, a vague angered voice was heard, "D*mmit, a dogsh*t servant maid actually has someone treating her like a treasure. If not for that slut, this father would not have had his teeth knocked out! Shui QianHuan, just you wait, one day, I'll strip her naked in front of you and let her enjoy all she can!"
Shui QianHuan doggedly held on to his last breath, staring at Shui QianHu inside the room. He replied in a low voice, "Shui QianHu… I'll… personally kill you!" before he fell into a coma. His internal injuries were already serious to begin with, and with the impact from the metal pot, his bones that were already broken before snapped easily. With the shock from both internal and external wounds, even an iron-willed man would not be able to handle it. He fell into a dead faint, his life in danger!
Seeing this situation, Shui QianJiang and QianHai knew that they were in deep trouble, their faces turning white in an instant. While Shui QianHuan had committed an unforgivable crime, it was not up to the three brothers to decide his sentence. Now that Shui QianHu had committed such an act, if Shui QianHuan really died, then the three of them would not go scot free. In the worst case, they would be sent to accompany him as well!
A shadow flashed, and Ling Chi reached to the side of Shui QianHuan, immediately feeling for his pulse while injecting pure internal energy to stabilize his heart and organs to ensure that he could keep his life. Everything happened at too quick a pace and went contrary to his own expectations. Never did he think that Shui QianHu would react so intensely to the slanders about Ling Chen's to even throw the medicine basin at his own relative! To deal such a killing blow to his own cousin, wasn't that too callous of him?!
Right now, Ling Chi could not allow Shui QianHuan to die. With this incident, even the normally calm and unruffled Ling Chi started to panic a little.
Having been slapped figuratively and literally by Ling Jian today, since when would this pampered young noble ever suffer from such a humiliation? The root cause was because of Ling Chen's beauty, and thinking of this point, he naturally transferred all his hate towards her. Upon hearing QianHuan shield Ling Chen so protectively, he naturally flared up, and under his agitation from the wounds, grabbed the first thing available and threw it out.
This was thrown purely with his own muscle strength and without an ounce of internal energy. If it were to have hit anyone else within the courtyard, they would at most sport a small bruise! However, the 'anyone else' did not include Shui QianHuan!
How much of a coincidence could there be?!
Even Shui QianHu himself did not expect that the pot he flung carelessly could so accurately hit Shui QianHuan in the center of his chest!