Chapter 520: Great Noble SanSan
Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock
"Huuh?" Ling Tian stared at her with an expression of bewilderment, as he pursed his lips together and frowned, "Why does the tea today smell and taste exceptionally fragrant? There's even a hint of cosmetics in it… hehe… like kissing someone." As he spoke, he stared at Xiao YanXue with an evil look, slowly stretching out his tongue and licking his lips.
"Ling Tian! You lecherous bastard…" Xiao YanXue did not expect Ling Tian's skin to be thick to this frightening degree, and she blushed all over, a face hot like an iron as she yelled and stomped her foot. However, a series of coughs sounded from below, with a croaking voice scolding out loud, "Oei, those above, stop stomping your feet… cough cough cough, who taught you that those living on the second floor can stomp your feet whenever you please? Cough cough… this old man's body has already followed the sunset to close its eyes and block the nostrils, so could you kindly let me rest in peace?"
Since the house's structure was mainly comprised of wood, with the stomping of Xiao YanXue's feet, one could imagine how much noise it made below…...
But, this wasn't really her fault as well, was it?
The couple in question jumped in shock, looking at each other before unable to endure and started laughing. Xiao YanXue buried herself in Ling Tian's embrace, chuckling non-stop. It was only after a long while did she finally stop, releasing herself and straightening Ling Tian's clothes. She questioned, "Did you not make a move? Why do I not smell any blood on you? The DongFang Family is after all a great aristocratic family, and should have more precautions!" Still, she felt more reassured even as she spoke.
Xiao YanXue evidently knew what Ling Tian was up to, and was also aware how much of a character this DongFang family head was. Only heavens knew how long a wait she had to suffer back here in the inn, with the most frightening thought in her head being Ling Tian returning with a body full of injuries. Just the thought was enough to make her heart palpitate in fear.
Seeing that Ling Tian had come back safely, without a single trace of blood on his body, she automatically assumed that Ling Tian did not make a move, and secretly began to calculate inside her heart how best to dissuade Ling Tian from this operation. After all, getting seriously injured for someone like DongFang JingLei was not worth it!
"Yep!! How could I even possibly fail? The deed is done." Having felt Xiao YanXue's worry, Ling Tian was extremely touched in his heart. He gently ruffled his hair and replied, "Relax, for such a minor character, they wouldn't even be qualified to leave blood on my body."
"Ah? Already… killed?" Xiao YanXue incredulously raised her head to look at Ling Tian. Just listening to her tone, it sounded as though she thought Ling Tian went to kill some chicken or dog.
Surprised by her tone, Ling Tian twitched, and could not help but poke her nose as he replied, "Yep, it was as simple as killing a chicken!"
"Hateful!" Xiao YanXue pouted as she complained, and unconsciously stomped her foot again. At the same time, another cough sounded from below, before that hoarse voice scolded, "This old man is seriously down on my luck… next time I stay in an inn, I'm never taking the bottom floor…"
The duo looked at each other once again, immediately starting to snigger at the same time.
"Let's rest early. Time to sleep." Ling Tian intimately rubbed her nose once again, before walking towards the bed. He stretched lazily as he continued, "We'll need to leave early tomorrow. I estimate that this Eastern Sun City will turn into a muddled mess by tomorrow." As he spoke, he had already stripped off his dark traveling clothes, only leaving the white inner robes he wore below.
"You…." Xiao YanXue immediately turned red. She suddenly twisted, running to the bed as she stared at Ling Tian, "Why don't you go to your own room to sleep? I remember we booked two rooms…"
Ignoring her, Ling Tian toppled on the bed the moment he came over, sleepily murmuring, "This place is more comfortable, there's even a fragrance."
"You…. wake up! You're crushing me…" Xiao YanXue was torn between embarrassment and anxiety, struggling non-stop. When Ling Tian fell onto the bed, he conveniently pushed her down as well, leading to a very ambiguous top-down position.
"Woo…. so soft." It was as though Ling Tian was half purposefully, half accidentally doing it, but he shifted again, breathing in deeply, "How fragrant." He completely ignored the protests coming from Xiao YanXue, treating her like the cotton-padded mattress below him. He slowly closed his eyes, and one could actually hear the sound of snoring sounding out.
Xiao YanXue stiffened her body, her heart jumping around like a frightened doe as she opened her eyes wide. All of a sudden, she did not know what to do.
The corners of Ling Tian's mouth curled out into a smirk as his body slightly shifted, moving to a position beside her. He pushed Xiao YanXue towards the interior of the bed, then carelessly placed a hand on her waist, hugging her and locking her in place.
Xiao YanXue felt an indescribable shiver pass down her, feeling irritated but at the same time a little expectant. She did not know what to think, and when she realized Ling Tian had already begun to breathe slowly and deeply, she could not help but curse inwardly. Propping herself up, she stared at his handsome face, filling a rush of warmth within her heart. However, as she was about to slowly slip off the bed, she felt her body sink down. Ling Tian had suddenly placed his leg over her body, causing her to be trapped where she was...
Trying her best to hide the embarrassment and shame that rose unbidden to her face, and attempting but failing to push off the snoring Ling Tian, she failed to move him even a single bit. Finally, she could only give up and cast her eyes towards the outside as she lowly sighed. A sense of disappointment rose in her heart… such a starry night, how could it be passed it this manner?! However, a sense of sleepiness and weariness finally engulfed her, and nestled within the warm embrace, she felt unbelievably safe. She slowly closed her eyelids, burying her face within Ling Tian's embrace as she fell into deep sleep.
At this point, Ling Tian stealthily opened his eyes, letting out a crooked smile. He was no gentleman, so how could he not have any designs when his woman, a heaven toppling beauty, was sleeping by his side? To that point, he was completely prepared to do battle with the warm jade sleeping in his arms! However, this young noble Ling knew that tonight was not the best time to do anything, with the waves from Eastern Zhao just beginning to rise. Ling Tian had no idea how this entire situation would turn out, and they might even have to forcibly break out from the city gates! If he chose to 'break' Xiao YanXue right now, then how much inconvenience would it bring to them!
Furthermore, given the identity of Xiao YanXue, even if she did not say it in her mouth, and even showed no signs of resistance, she would definitely have some sort of fantasy in her heart, to fulfill her wishes within the setting of the bridal room and ornamented candles.
If one did not have the ability to guarantee to allow the woman he loved to wear the red marriage robes, then he should never try to form a relationship that went beyond the boundaries of friendship! Even though she might love you deeply! A mere night for a man was akin to a lifetime of waiting for a woman! Just how many women had already suffered from a lifetime of misery of not getting their lifetime happiness because of a loss of that thin membrane? This was the bottom line of Ling Tian in his past life, and he had carried this over to his new life.
While he might have affirmed that Xiao YanXue was his woman, Ling Tian did not wish to leave any regrets to the women who chose to follow him! Not even the slightest bit!
A beautiful woman should be slowly appreciated like fine wine. There are many things in the world that can only be fully appreciated with the test of time. As such, Ling Tian truly did not wish for Xiao YanXue's first time to be inside foreign soil, in a foreign inn, where war was about to break out!
Wait until we're within the red candles, inside the bridal room. Lass, see how I'll torment you by then!
On this night, not only did Ling Tian sleep extraordinarily soundly, but Xiao YanXue also felt the safest she had ever been in a long while. However, the entirety of Eastern Sun City had been turned upside down! It was particularly noisy!
The news of the head of the DongFang family, DongFang JingTian being mysteriously assassinated had been transmitted to the imperial court at first notice, and the moment the Emperor DongFang MingRi who was about to bed his concubine heard this news, his little one immediately withered, causing him to lose all interest. If Ling Tian was made aware of this, he would definitely start to pray for the emperor. For a man to be cut off when he was at the height of arousal, there would definitely be repercussions, and he did not know if the Eastern Zhao emperor could ever regain his prestige from now onward...
Following that was the rush of anger and intense fear radiating in the imperial court! For someone to have so easily assassinated a top-tier expert of his generation, wouldn't that mean it would be an easy task for them to kill himself? Furthermore, after losing the intimidation that was DongFang JingTian, the DongFang family would definitely now be in chaos. This sort of matter just had to happen when all sides were about to break into war!
One imperial edict after another was passed down like water flowing down a river, and all the city and imperial guards received the orders, immediately mobilizing in the middle of the night to set out to capture the perpetrator.
As for the emperor DongFang MingRi, he ignored the pleas and advice of his officials and guards, immediately changing his clothes and rushed to the DongFang Family without even caring for the danger. He was acutely aware that, if the DongFang Family were really to be thrown into chaos at this timing, then the days where he lived as the emperor were probably not going to be for long either… as such, the DongFang Family definitely could not fall into chaos!
As such, just like how the Northern Wei Bright Jade City had arranged a city-wide search and capture operation, Eastern Zhao did not plan to lose out, and started a capture operation on a scale not one whit smaller than that of Bright Jade City.
If Ling Tian were to be able to see this, he would indeed feel extremely honored. Because the target of both search and captures was him…
In the wee hours of the morning, Eastern Sun City was already wrapped up in a torrential storm, with guards capturing people with obvious zeal. On the main street, the little hawkers were being chased off like shooing chickens and dogs, and such was the chaos, it looked as though the apocalypse had arrived. One area would just begin to settle down before another series of frenzied footsteps would sound in another area. Successive scenes of this were repeated, causing the entire place to buzz with activity.
At this point, a couple in white walked out to the main street. Not only were both of them elegant and graceful, their looks and bearing as though they stepped out from a painting, but they even carried swords on their waists, looking like children of nobility. However, even as they walked, no one dared to step forward to question them. Why was this so?
Not only was it because of the bearings of the couple, which appeared to be extraordinary, but also because of the air of nobility they carried about them, signifying their prestige as people of the upper class who should not be touched. Behind them, there were even seven to eight people closely following them, and when the guards assigned to interrogate people saw the entourage behind those two, their eyes bulged and they did not dare to make a sound.
Behind those two were a few youths, walking with clasped hands in front of them like servants, but one of them just happened to be the recently famed great noble Wu! This great noble Wu happened to rise abruptly to fame within Eastern Sun City, having the wind and rains align to his beck and call within two years! He himself had actually raked in a third of the wealth available around Eastern Sun City! At the point, this great noble Wu had already occupied close to half of the total assets in the city, truly the embodiment of wealth that can topple countries! As for spending thousands of gold on one meal, it was a normal occurrence to this great noble Wu, not worth mentioning at all.
This great noble Wu, because of his love for the number 9, had already changed his name to become Wu SanSan. 1 While the name sounded odd, nobody took much notice, because 3 multiplied by 3, wouldn't it be 9? Other than commenting on this great noble Wu about his eccentric personality, nobody mentioned anything else.
It was also rumored that the DongFang family had once gotten greedy for the riches that noble Wu possessed, wanting to swallow them for their own. However, when they went to look for trouble, they surprisingly got their asses handed to them. While the exact details were not known, the two families kept their distance and worked as friendly competitors from then onward, even politely greeting each other when they met on the street.
There was another piece of gossip that said this great noble Wu was not only well versed in making money but also had great martial skills. The most excessive part was when great noble Wu had gotten into a fight with the current Crown Prince of the country because they were vying for attention from a woman. After being enraged by the Crown Prince, in his anger, he had rented out all the inns and hotels inside the city, disallowing anyone to go in for a meal! Just that day itself resulted in an expenditure of 300,000 taels of silver! After this matter got out, the arrogant guy chased the Crown Prince back to the imperial palace, only to be personally received by the emperor the next day. Not only was he not scolded, he was even praised by the Emperor himself. This made everyone open their eyes in shock! Everyone was guessing what sort of background this great noble actually had.
However, this tyrannical and arrogant character was actually obediently following behind this couple, not even daring to talk loudly at all. What sort of background did these two possess? To have the great noble Wu actually behaving so respectfully, who would actually have the guts to go ahead and ask for their identities?
As such, this entourage slowly strolled as though within their backyard, with smiles and laughter, an extremely harmonious atmosphere. They ignored the stares of the surrounding people, slightly wrinkling their brows as though they found the passersby annoying as they strolled towards the city gates.
Outside the South gate suddenly came a loud sound akin to thunder! Hundreds of well built-horses neighed as they rushed over, bringing an unbridled arrogance and they rushed forward violently.
The riders on horseback were all stained with blood, as though they had just returned from a battlefield of death. The one leading in front, looking around 30 years of age, with a square cut face and sword-like eyebrows, bore an expression of fury as he rode his horse!
The moment everybody saw the group, they jumped out of the way immediately!
The Second Master of the DongFang family had returned! Just as the Family Head had met with an unfortunate event, the Second Master DongFang JingLei had returned to Eastern Sun City! To people with ambitions, they did not know if this was good or bad news, but for the masses who desired peace above all else, this was actually a good news. Because of the return of the Second Master, the DongFang Family would have the backbone to support itself, and not sink into chaos. Eastern Sun City would not be thrown into disarray, and everything would go back as per normal!
No one, however, knew or found out that the moment the Second Master of the DongFang family entered the capital, his eyes had immediately landed on a person, and his pupils had shrunk immediately. There was a myriad of emotions within his eyes; gratitude, fear, even respect.
That person was precisely the white-robed youth standing by the roadside, and he lightly smiled, nodding his head slightly. Whether it was by coincidence or with a purpose, no one knew.
Then, DongFang's Second Master kicked up a cloud of dust as they left, never looking back!
The great noble Wu escorted the couple out of the city gates for three to four miles before he reluctantly stopped in his footsteps. Before he left, the youth had spoken a sentence, which left this Wu SanSan so touched that he nearly wept tears of joy. On the way back to the city, other than the parting pain of separation, it was as though he was in high spirits. To that point, when he passed through the gates once again, he had already 'taken the attendance' of the guards present by giving each one an ingot of gold.
"SanSan, to see such an achievement from you today, I am extremely pleased."
These were the only words that the youth spoke. A mundane, ordinary sentence. If anyone was eavesdropping, they would have found it strange that such an ordinary sentence could actually cause someone of Wu SanSan's caliber to leap with joy! This was the god of wealth in Eastern Sun City, and even the entire Eastern Zhao country, the Great Noble Wu!
"To think that DongFang JingLei would actually return so early. Seems like Eastern Sun City will turn into a great big marketplace soon enough. A pity though, that I won't be there to see it." Murmuring to himself, Ling Tian turned back to see the rising sun at dawn, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the magnificent city walls. A cold smile hung on his lips as he lightly whispered, "Eastern Sun City! From now onward, you might probably be under me already!"
By the side, Xiao YanXue was unable to understand a word of his, staring at him with her huge eyes, an expression of confusion on her face.
Ling Tian laughed out gaily, before stretching out his hand and ruffling her hair. He patted her face comfortingly and spoke in a voice as though trying to placate a kid, "What adults say now, you might not understand. Don't worry, once you grow up, you'll definitely know."
Xiao YanXue was so angered she puffed out her cheeks and glared at him. "Aren't you the same age as me?! You're at most one or two months older, but you actually dare call me a kid, how am I so young?!' She could not help but wish she could swallow this hateful guy right here and now. Ling Tian laughed at her expression, and sang out, "Get on the horse, my dear Missy, unless you tell me you have some sentimental feelings for this city?"
Xiao YanXue rolled her eyes at him and said in a tone of disbelief, "With such a big incident happened, we could actually walk out of the capital in such an arrogant and unbridled manner? Not even a soldier stopped us for questioning? I… I still can't believe this even now."
Ling Tian let out a smirk, "Not just one DongFang JingTian, even if you ask me to get rid of DongFang MingRi as well, I still have absolute confidence in swaggering out! Do you think this is something outstanding? Such matters, to some people, are as easy as lifting up their hands!"
"Cheh!" Xiao YanXue scoffed at him, "Didn't you just bask in the light of that young noble Wu in order to escape the city? That Wu SanSan, Great Noble Wu had only dabbled in trade and commerce for such a short time, and yet with such results, he is indeed a first-rate commercial genius. I've worked with him a few times, and cannot even get the slightest amount of advantages from him. Such a character is so deferential towards you, yet you do not show respect for the wise and use it to your own benefit. You wave it around so carelessly, don't you know that you're letting a treasure walk away from you? And now you even have the gall to blow your own trumpet, shameless!"
Ling Tian burst into laughter at her tirade, "Sigh, I really don't know how to answer you. How would you know the underlying reason? Do you know what Wu means?"
What Wu? Do you mean his surname Wu?" Xiao YanXue stared at Ling Tian with a brain full of fog, perplexedly shaking her head, "What does it mean?"
Ling Tian laughed strangely, "Wu also refers to 'wu', 2 which also means null, do you get it?"
"Nope. What Wu means Wu, but Wu is not Wu? What else could it be?!" Xiao YanXue pitifully shook her head. Her eyes carried a begging look for Ling Tian to bring her to salvation.
Ling Tian almost wanted to vomit blood at this sight. "How honest. Let me answer you then. The word 'wu' means null, while zero also has the same connotation as null! Do you understand now, silly?"
"Then that Great Noble Wu, in actual fact, is is is… one of yours?" Xiao YanXue felt as though her brain had short-circuited.
"He's my subordinate, not one of mine." Ling Tian interjected, "The phrase 'one of mine' is typically used for my women, for example, Ling Chen, BingYan, or… you. All my one of mine, my women!" Ling Tian let out a wretched smile.
"Who's your woman? How shameless!" Xiao YanXue stomped on the ground with a reddened face.
"Oh? You're not my woman now?" Ling Tian kept his wretched smile as he slowly glided towards her, "You're not willing to be my woman?"
"It's not that…" Xiao YanXue was a little nervous now, feeling a little short of breath. She immediately explained, "But till now, I'm not…" But halfway through, she felt that this sentence was even more inappropriate, and thus with a yelp, she turned away from Ling Tian.
"Oh… hahaha… so that's the case. Yep, you're not considered right now I guess." Waggling his eyebrows, Ling Tian ambiguously spoke, as though she had actually completed her sentence. "This is a serious matter, and I really have to take it cautiously… how about this, once we leave this place, we'll find a place to stay in, and I'll change you into my woman… how about that?"
"You baddie! I'm going to ignore you! You only know how to take advantage of others!" Xiao YanXue's face was burning at this point. She jumped onto the horse's back and rode off in a panic.
Ling Tian guffawed before following suit. He started to shout behind her, "Xue'er, it's still early now, why are you in such a hurry to find a place? We can wait till nighttime to do so…"
Xiao YanXue clenched her teeth and ignored all his catcalls, swearing to put as much distance as she could from that hateful fellow! He was too… too… too… irritating!
Suddenly, the horse she was on let out a long neigh before slowing down. Casting her eyes forward, Xiao YanXue saw a troop of over 70 to 80 riders on horseback, together with almost 200 horses. While there were a large number of horses, many of them had no riders on them.
While the men and the horses were all fully geared and dressed, they had about them a dispirited look, as though they had loaned someone a sum of gold and could not get it back.
Seeing the lead youth riding at the front, Xiao YanXue started to smirk inwardly. To think that this was a familiar face! In front of her was none other than that softie of her fiance, DongFang XingChen!