Chapter 30

"Kid, you really make me proud, look at those few lines you just recited! The Emperor probably hasn't laughed this much in a month." Ling Lingfa laughed heartily as he and Ling Xiao walked out of the palace, the guards on both sides, who were trying to curry favor, were less attractive to him than the clouds in the sky.

"His Majesty is a master at listening to flattery. Either it has to be novel or completely straightforward; otherwise, there's no guarantee of moving him. That Cai Xiang is the top scholar, he can come up with the most refined flattery! I really don't have the confidence to outdo him, unless I use a brick! So, we just use what's straightforward, and you see, the effect is still pretty good." Ling Xiao shrugged.

Ling Lingfa sized up Ling Xiao, feeling quite pleased, "Not bad, not bad. You're better at dealing with people than your master. If I had your skills back then, I wouldn't have been frustrated for so many years."

"That's called a slow but steady approach! I said it before, with your talent, you're destined to be a savior!"

"Phew! Although I've heard it many times, it still feels incredibly sappy! But speaking of talent, you seem to have made quite some progress in your external cultivation recently!" Ling Lingfa shivered, still not used to Ling Xiao's flattery.

Ling Xiao acted as if it didn't matter, "I've been forced to do it. There's no hope for internal cultivation in this life, so I might as well focus on external cultivation for at least some self-defense." To be honest, even Ling Xiao himself couldn't figure out whether the pattern on the bull's horn was internal or external cultivation. It was clearly a body-strengthening technique, yet it required such a vast amount of true qi. It wasn't that Ling Xiao was selfish and didn't tell Ling Lingfa, but with Ling Lingfa's internal strength, he simply couldn't practice it. If it weren't for the opportunity to break through to the innate realm, he probably would still be stuck on the first stage!

The two laughed and chatted their way back to the medical hall. "Wow! What's so dazzling?" Ling Lingfa was blinded by the brilliant golden light even before he entered the room.

"It's the glow of gold! Don't you feel the world is full of hope?" The trembling voice of his wife made Ling Lingfa pause, "This... Where did this come from? Did you take a bribe?"

"Spit! What's there to bribe a mediocre doctor like you? This is a tribute, understand? A tribute! You're not too bad at choosing apprentices."

"Did you do this? Where did you get so much gold?" Ling Lingfa was shocked.

"From Prince Qing. I have to say, he's much more generous in this regard than the Emperor." Ling Xiao pointed to the inner room, where Baihu was already waiting.

"How's Qinglong? What about Xuanwu, that bastard? Where's Jia Jingzhong? I haven't heard he's back yet?" As soon as he entered, Baihu started complaining nonstop.

"You talk too much, here!" Ling Xiao casually tossed a long brocade pouch to him. Baihu hesitated before opening it, revealing a golden dragon pattern.

"An imperial edict!" Baihu exclaimed, rising to his knees, "Oh! Forget it, there's no one else here, just take a quiet look." Ling Xiao waved his hand, looking disgusted; he couldn't stand these big guys kneeling all over the place.

Baihu felt a bit awkward, glanced at Ling Lingfa who was sipping tea, and reluctantly stood up. This master and apprentice were completely different in private compared to in front of the Emperor! He quietly opened the edict.

"This..." The edict fell to the ground, and the sorrow in Baihu's eyes startled Ling Xiao. Seeing Baihu's eyes welling up with tears, he was confused, "What's going on? Didn't you get a promotion? Why are you crying?"

"Qinglong is dead!" Baihu said in a daze, then his face turned fierce as he glared at Ling Xiao, "Was it that Western woman?"

Ling Xiao stroked his chin, looking troubled, "Sort of! Actually, I had a hand in it too."

Baihu was stunned, and Ling Lingfa perked up, "What! There's a story!"

"There's a lot that happened. It mainly shows the brilliance and valor of this young hero. If I tell it myself, it might sound like boasting, so I'll let him tell you when he comes tonight."

"Qinglong isn't dead!" Baihu was still confused, but Ling Lingfa had already figured it out, "Aren't you deceiving the Emperor? Are you tired of living?"

"Who's deceiving the Emperor? Did I say Qinglong was dead?" Ling Xiao argued.

Ling Lingfa carefully recalled, and it seemed he hadn't said it; it was all the Emperor's imagination. He asked, still unsure, "Then, how much of what you said is true?"

Ling Xiao was straightforward, "None of it."

"None at all?"

"None."

"What about that touching confession at the end?"

Ling Xiao looked at Ling Lingfa strangely, as if he were a bumpkin, "Come on! Master, you're not that naive, are you? Is there anyone in this world who doesn't love money, power, or beauty? I can leave money for my descendants! Beauty, who doesn't like more? Even if they're not wives, they're still a pleasure to look at! More power doesn't necessarily mean more work; I can delegate to my secretary, and when there's nothing to do, I can... uh, anyway, you don't really believe it, do you?"

"Haha! I'm so smart, how could I believe it? I just want you to explain it to Baihu." Ling Lingfa laughed, took a sip of tea, and subtly wiped the sweat from his sleeve.

"I didn't ask!" Baihu felt wronged, still pondering what a secretary was, looking very philosophical.

"Earlier, I saw you drinking tea non-stop. When did you develop this habit?" Ling Xiao noticed Ling Lingfa drinking tea continuously and sniffed his own cup.

"Oh, this? It's a gift from the Emperor, a special supply for the royal family! It makes you feel refreshed after drinking." Ling Lingfa took another sip.

Ling Xiao laughed, "I thought you were just drinking water. I'll have some too, what kind is it?" He poured himself a cup and blew on it.

"Gunpowder tea!"

"Gunpowder... Okay, I'll drink it later." He gently put down the cup and asked Baihu, "Have you heard of a very flashy man who goes out in a luxurious sedan chair, and it's carried by four beautiful women?"

Baihu, unaccustomed to Ling Xiao's跳跃的思维, still searched his mind, "There are many luxurious sedan chairs, but none are carried by women. Women are weak and can't walk fast or endure long. Unless these women are trained in martial arts, but even then, they would have to be top-notch experts, or they would die too quickly! It's too provocative!"

"What? Is this person important? I'll have someone investigate." Ling Lingfa asked.

"If I'm right, the imperial seal should be in his possession! But forget it, this is the matter of the Eight Virtuous Princes. Even the Emperor isn't in a hurry, why should we be?" Ling Xiao shrugged, still puzzled why the imperial seal wasn't important.

...

"The imperial seal is useless to you, and no one would dare buy it. Are you going to smash it and make a jade pendant? Just hand it over, it's better for both of us!"

Surrounded by mountains, the scenery was beautiful. This was a teahouse at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, and two people stood in front of it. The speaker was a middle-aged man with a charming smile and a graceful demeanor, dressed in a striking purple robe. He held a black veil between his fingers, and his hair, though messy from recent exertion, still looked handsome. Most memorable were the two mustaches under his nose, neatly trimmed and beautiful, like eyebrows!

His opponent was far less presentable, dressed in black, looking fierce and menacing, a typical villain used to advance the protagonist's growth. He was covered in dust and looked as if he had rolled on the ground repeatedly.

"Lu Xiaofeng! Don't push me too far! I've already said the imperial seal isn't here, and I can't produce it even if you beat me to death!" the black-clad man roared.

Lu Xiaofeng stroked his mustache, looking troubled, "This is a bit difficult. The whole martial world saw you take the imperial seal. You can't just deny it. How can I explain to the Eighth Prince?"

"Hmph! The martial world says Lu Xiaofeng is a righteous man, but I never thought you'd become a lackey of the court!" The black-clad man's provocation was clearly ineffective, as Lu Xiaofeng ignored him, focusing on tidying his messy hair.

The black-clad man, seeing this, grew angrier, knowing there would be no peaceful resolution today, "This is your fault!" He then assumed a fighting stance, holding a crescent-shaped double-bladed weapon in front of him.

Lu Xiaofeng sighed, "After all this talk, it still comes to a fight!" He casually placed one hand behind his back and calmly watched the black-clad man.

The black-clad man began a strange footwork, his body spinning at an incredible speed! Lu Xiaofeng, annoyed, watched as his newly styled hair was blown back into disarray.

The black-clad man was now a giant black spinning top, creating a fierce wind that sent stones and grass flying, almost blocking out the sun! But surprisingly, there seemed to be an invisible barrier around Lu Xiaofeng, deflecting the flying debris away.

The black-clad man was spinning so fast he was almost on fire! Lu Xiaofeng's lips twitched, wondering how self-destructive this was! No wonder he was so short, he must have been ground down!

Even the fastest spinning top has to stop eventually, or everyone would be trapped in a dream world! When the top reached its maximum speed, it suddenly shot towards Lu Xiaofeng with a loud bang. The extreme speed made the double-bladed weapon razor-sharp, slicing through the air and even the grass and stones, as if cutting through the air itself!

Facing the oncoming top, Lu Xiaofeng simply extended two fingers, as if picking up chopsticks to turn a page, effortlessly and calmly.

The light flashed and disappeared, and the flying debris fell to the ground, the sky clearing again. "Save your strength, look what you've done to this beautiful place! What a pity." Lu Xiaofeng lamented the destruction.

In stark contrast to Lu Xiaofeng's nonchalance, the black-clad man's face was purple from the effort, his arms trembling, but he couldn't pull the double-bladed weapon from Lu Xiaofeng's two seemingly ordinary fingers.

"Why? Why go to such lengths? I'm just doing a favor, don't make it hard for me!" Lu Xiaofeng pleaded.

The black-clad man ignored him, still struggling futilely. Lu Xiaofeng sighed, about to say more, but noticed a slight smile on the black-clad man's lips.

"Oh no!"

The double-bladed weapon in Lu Xiaofeng's fingers suddenly exploded with a loud bang! The shattered blades, controlled by the black-clad man's true qi, shot towards him in a barrage.

"Ha ha ha! I've heard of the power of Lu Xiaofeng's 'Lingxi Yizhi,' how could I not be prepared?" The black-clad man laughed maniacally, using his lightness skill to dart far away.

Lu Xiaofeng sighed, "This is embarrassing!" The flying debris posed no real threat to him, but it effectively blocked his pursuit. Lu Xiaofeng, being a level higher than the black-clad man, had expected an easy catch, but his carelessness led to this ambush.

He retreated lightly, the debris almost grazing his skin. Among high-level experts, Lu Xiaofeng was considered weak, but also the hardest to kill! His lightness skill wasn't the fastest, but it was always just a bit faster than his opponents, which was incredibly frustrating.

Finally, the debris lost momentum and fell to the ground. Lu Xiaofeng immediately started chasing, but the black-clad man was about to disappear over the mountain ridge.

This was Tianshan, this was the peak. Standing with a sword in his chest, dressed in white, his body seemed to merge with the heavens and earth. The black-clad man looked up, surprised he hadn't noticed anyone else here.

"Get out of my way!" The black-clad man roared, his face contorted in a terrifying manner.

The roar was heard even by Lu Xiaofeng in the distance, who sighed, "Fine, you're just asking for trouble! If you're going to run, do it quietly. You can't handle the attention you're drawing. Indeed, people who don't seek death don't die."

The black-clad man's roar was met with a single glance and a single strike from the man on the peak! The world fell silent, and Lu Xiaofeng yelped and backed away. A white line shot from the sky, silent and invisible, piercing the black-clad man and landing before Lu Xiaofeng.

Lu Xiaofeng looked at the cool guy in white, speechless, "We had a deal! Leave him alive, leave him alive! Can you not use your sword to talk?"

The cool guy in white gently retracted his finger, "I didn't use my sword, he wasn't worthy!" The black-clad man, who could exchange three moves with Lu Xiaofeng, was killed by a single finger!

Lu Xiaofeng rolled his eyes, walked over to the black-clad man's body, and searched him, "The imperial seal really isn't on him. Now the last clue is gone! What do you suggest?"

"You shouldn't ask me. If someone saw the Great Thief Ghost King, someone must know the whereabouts of the imperial seal." His voice was cold and proud.

"Rubbish! Do you know how many people I've asked to find him? How many favors I've had to do?" Lu Xiaofeng shouted angrily.

"You have many friends." He turned and left, showing no emotion in response to Lu Xiaofeng's accusations.

"Damn! Friendship isn't used like this!" Lu Xiaofeng sighed, looking at the cold body on the ground, "To die at the hands of Ximen Chuixue, is it a blessing or a curse? You asked for it!"

(With nearly 100,000 words, I have less than 15 favorites! Did I choose the wrong name? Is it so unappealing?)

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