Chapter 38

"Hon! Hon!"

"Please! Is it really necessary?" Ling Xiao looked at Ling Lingfa, who was silently crying, feeling extremely frustrated. The passersby were giving them strange looks, as if he had abandoned Ling Lingfa after a brief romance. Ling Xiao suddenly felt an urge to find a crack in the ground and hide in it.

Ling Lingfa wiped away his tears and stopped sobbing, "I suddenly feel so happy. Although my wife has many flaws, at least seeing her beautiful face every morning makes me feel good. But what kind of life has the Emperor been living these past years!"

"Stop, don't make it sound like you're a neglected housewife. It's the same in the dark, isn't it?" Ling Xiao's face was full of black lines, clearly not wanting to continue this conversation.

"You can't say that. Don't talk about it from a position of comfort. What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

"Me? I would have been out on the streets looking for girls long ago. Why would I stay cooped up in the palace every day?" Ling Xiao said matter-of-factly.

Ling Lingfa looked unsurprised, "I knew it! By the way, I almost forgot. Didn't Cai Po introduce you to so many girls before? Wasn't there even one you liked?"

"Master, you're changing the subject so smoothly, I'm not used to it! My marriage is a royal decree! How can I just pick any girl? If the Emperor doesn't like her, he'll think I have poor taste!"

"Would you care about the Emperor's opinion?"

"No."

Just as the two were chatting, a group of martial artists, wielding swords and knives, rushed over with fierce expressions. "Not good! Hide!" The two rolled to the side of the street, and the martial artists passed by, leaving the two of them awkwardly staring at each other.

"It turns out they weren't after us." Ling Lingfa patted the dust off his knees, puzzled. "What are they doing? Rushing around like this on the street, what if they hurt a child?"

Ling Xiao shook his head, indicating he had no idea. Suddenly, he stopped and ran back to the street, grabbing a passing auntie. "Cai Po, where are you in such a hurry?"

Cai Po, surprised to see Ling Xiao, said, "Why are you here? Right, I don't have time to chat. Ye Gucheng has invited the Four Heroes of the Tang Sect to the Chunhua Tower for negotiations. I'm going to watch the show!" She ran off, her speed like someone who had practiced lightness skills.

"Wow, what does Ye Gucheng's negotiation have to do with you?"

"He's a big handsome guy!" Cai Po's answer came from far away. It seemed she was a member of the appearance association!

Ling Lingfa came closer, looking at the direction Cai Po had run off. "Cai Po is still so lively. Speaking of which, Ye Gucheng is really causing trouble. He's only been in the capital for a few days, and he's already organizing illegal gatherings! And he's bringing martial feuds to the capital!"

Ling Xiao didn't pay attention to what Ling Lingfa was saying. He was deep in thought, surprised at how fast the news had spread. In just a few days, so many martial artists had appeared in the capital. The old Emperor insisted on getting involved at this time. Sigh, it's really a time of many troubles!

Smack! He got another slap on the back of his head. "Master is talking! How dare you not listen? What are you daydreaming about?"

Ling Xiao rubbed the sore spot, rolled his eyes, and continued walking. "Hey? What's that?"

Ling Lingfa followed Ling Xiao's gaze and saw a cute and lively girl pushing a wheelchair towards the crowd. "Why is she out?"

"Who is she?" Ling Xiao asked.

"The Flying Phoenix Princess! So they are friends! No wonder Zhuge Zhengyi brought her into the palace!" Ling Lingfa said, suddenly realizing. Then he saw Ling Xiao's eyes darting around. "What are you thinking? Don't just circle around her like a fly because she's pretty!"

Ling Xiao, annoyed, said, "Have you ever seen a fly as handsome as me?"

"Then stop staring, your eyeballs are about to pop out! Completing the Emperor's command is the most important thing."

"I have something to do. Ask Foyin to accompany you! And lend me your bag for a moment." He picked up Ling Lingfa's backpack and ran off with the crowd.

...

The Chunhua Tower was a large restaurant. The second floor had a stage, similar to a modern sports bar. Usually, many unemployed people would gather here to drink and watch plays. Today, it would host the most exciting show.

The main hall had over thirty tables, all empty except for two men sitting at the front row. Both were dressed in brown robes with black capes fluttering around them, their faces stern and cold, as if nothing in the world could interest them. As Ling Xiao would say, they were the epitome of pretentiousness!

"Wow! What a coincidence! I can even run into you here." Ling Xiao, with his excellent physical condition, squeezed through the crowd of martial artists and smiled at the front row where Wuqing was sitting.

"Who is this? He's so dirty." The Flying Phoenix Princess fanned her nose, looking disgusted.

Ling Xiao frowned and sniffed himself. "Wow, it's so smelly! Do these martial artists never bathe! I'll never squeeze through them again. By the way, how did you get to the front?"

"Having Wuqing here makes it easy!" The Flying Phoenix Princess said proudly. "You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?"

Wuqing's attention was on the two men at the table. To be honest, she didn't like such a noisy environment, but since the Flying Phoenix Princess wanted to join the commotion, she had to accompany and protect her. Hearing the princess's question, she replied calmly, "He's called Ling Xiao, a disciple of Ling Lingfa."

The Flying Phoenix Princess understood. "Oh! I heard my brother mention him. He's the one who was always weak but later turned things around, the silly disciple of Ling Lingfa!"

"I am Ling Lingfa's disciple, but those adjectives are unnecessary," Ling Xiao corrected with a smile.

"Hmph! You..." The Flying Phoenix Princess seemed to enjoy arguing, but before she could counter, she was interrupted by a magnetic voice.

"You shouldn't have come. It's very dangerous here!" Lu Xiaofeng appeared beside Ling Xiao, speaking with a regretful tone.

"Where did you come from?" The Flying Phoenix Princess was clearly annoyed at being interrupted. Unfortunately, Lu Xiaofeng wasn't bothered by the spoiled princess. He glanced at her and continued, "Your martial skills are too weak. It's still not too late to leave. I can't guarantee your safety once the fight starts."

The princess, who had never been ignored before, was furious. "I don't need your help. Wuqing will protect me."

"Don't worry, if it comes to a fight, I'll stand behind you," Ling Xiao said casually, as if it were as natural as drinking water or going to the bathroom.

Lu Xiaofeng's lips twitched. "You're not very polite." He then looked at Wuqing in her wheelchair, frowned slightly, and said nothing more.

The Flying Phoenix Princess, feeling bored by the silence, quickly found a new target. "Wuqing, look at all the monks and Taoists! Their heads are so shiny!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but in such a place, even the waiters were martial artists. With the serious atmosphere, her words were like shouting in someone's ear.

As soon as she finished speaking, countless eyes shot towards them like daggers. Wuqing remained cold and ignored them, Lu Xiaofeng glanced at the princess and rolled his eyes, and the princess shivered, instinctively looking for a broad shield.

Lu Xiaofeng was a bit far, and Wuqing, sitting in a wheelchair, was too slender to be a broad shield. So, Ling Xiao was the unlucky one. The sharp gazes followed him, and Ling Xiao's eyes twitched as he glared back at the various martial artists.

Everyone was stunned and then furious. This kid dared to resist! Just as they were about to teach him a lesson, Ling Xiao raised a gold plaque with the character 'Jin' high above his head, like a sexy lady holding a sign in a boxing match, almost circling the room!

The anger that could have burned through the roof instantly disappeared. Since ancient times, the common people did not fight with officials, and martial artists also kept their distance from government officials. Besides, it was just an ignorant little girl, not worth making a fuss over. They subtly moved a few steps away, distancing themselves from this group.

Once the crowd backed off, the Flying Phoenix Princess jumped out from behind Ling Xiao and sneered at the martial artists. Ling Xiao had anticipated this situation. As a Xiantian realm practitioner, he could see that most of the people present were not yet at the Xiantian level, barely reaching the second tier. With Lu Xiaofeng, whose realm was unknown, and Wuqing, also a Xiantian practitioner, by his side, what did he have to fear?

He quietly put away the gold plaque. After Wen Qing left the position of the Green Dragon, he gave the plaque to Ling Xiao. Initially, he wanted to melt it for pocket money, but later, with connections to the Judge, he no longer cared about such a small amount. He never thought it would come in handy now. He sighed, wishing the Dragon Protector's token had the same deterrent effect outside!

(Shamelessly asking for recommendations and collections, the data for this book seems a bit bleak!)