Chapter 87

Throughout the ages, the wheels of time have never ceased to turn, mercilessly and coldly observing everything in the world. How many secrets have been buried in the long river of history? Perhaps the establishment of the Great Ming Dynasty was still too short. There is still much they do not understand about families like the Xuanyuan, which have existed from the very beginning, even though they have been gathering intelligence since the time of the founding emperor!

The Emperor and Ling Lingfa exchanged a glance, both somewhat expectant, as this issue had always been a source of frustration. The Jinshan Temple had stood behind the Great Ming Imperial Family for a long time. Almost every emperor since the Ji family changed its style had asked this question. Unfortunately, every representative of the Jinshan Temple was a stubborn monk, tight-lipped and refusing to say a word about it! It was unexpected that the truth would finally be revealed by Ling Xiao today!

"Long, long ago..."

"Don't beat around the bush! I want the real stuff!"

Ling Xiao rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed that his mood had been interrupted. He shrugged helplessly and said, "In this world, strength is still the ultimate measure! If the Ji family is unwilling to confront the Jinshan Temple head-on, it's obviously because they lack the strength!"

The Emperor was quite surprised and found it hard to believe. "That's impossible! How could I not know the weight of the Jinshan Temple's monks? If it were a matter of rhetoric, even ten Ji families would only end up with their livers and brains splattered! But in terms of martial power, the Ji family could easily outstrip the Jinshan Temple by a wide margin!"

Ling Lingfa nodded in agreement from the side. Despite being one of the two great holy places of Buddhism, the Jinshan Temple's overall strength was indeed far inferior to the Ji family's!

Ling Xiao wagged his finger smugly. "So, your thinking is too outdated. You need to think more broadly! Don't be fooled by those thirty-six grandmasters! While they are indeed formidable, not a single one of them has reached the peak of the Grandmaster realm!"

Ling Lingfa and the Emperor exchanged a look, speechless. It wasn't that they weren't surprised; it was just that the Grandmaster realm was so far removed from their understanding! That world was truly incomprehensible to ordinary people!

Ling Xiao sighed, realizing that without Ji Xiaoming's explanation, he wouldn't have known about all these intricacies either. He paused and continued, "There is a master in the Jinshan Temple who has reached the peak of the Grandmaster realm! Don't underestimate the difference of just one realm. In terms of martial prowess, it's a world apart! For example, if the Ji family and the Jinshan Temple were to confront each other head-on, the Jinshan Temple would definitely lose, but those thirty-six grandmasters would also be left with few survivors! Don't forget, the Ji family has more enemies than just the imperial family!"

Ling Lingfa nodded in understanding, sighing, "I never realized the difference in realms could be so profound." He thought about his own situation and fell silent in frustration. Ever since he had cheated and used the power of destiny to resist the lightning strike, all his meridians had been opened and refined by the lightning. In terms of true qi strength, he was on par with any innate grandmaster, but this forced advancement came with countless hidden dangers. Ling Lingfa knew this, so he continued to act as he pleased, with no intention of diligently practicing, understanding that he would make no further progress in martial arts in this life!

The Emperor's eyes flashed with a glint of light. Ling Xiao saw this and smirked, "Don't get any ideas. No matter how you try to provoke them, it won't work. The Ji family won't make a move until they have a Grandmaster at the peak of the realm! All we can do is strengthen our own power during this time!"

The Emperor was taken aback, realizing his thoughts had been seen through. This kid was truly a worm in his stomach!

The Emperor had indeed thought about it before. Although it seemed ungrateful, after being oppressed for so long, it was understandable to occasionally have some crazy ideas!

"By the way, what do you mean by 'this time'?" Ling Lingfa clearly caught the key phrase.

Ling Xiao snorted, "Those thirty-six old coots of the Ji family, to escape their predicament, now eat, drink, and sleep next to the Xuanyuan Sword every day! They hope to break through to the peak of the Grandmaster realm in the shortest time possible by leveraging the power of destiny! I don't fully understand this realm, but if the power of destiny can make someone survive a lightning strike, it shouldn't be too difficult to help someone reach the peak of the Grandmaster realm!"

The Emperor, who had just relaxed, felt a sharp wire tugging at his heart, almost pulling it out! "They haven't figured it out in all these years, so it shouldn't be that easy!" he said, lacking confidence.

"Who knows! My master was a martial arts novice before! Now he can cut down the Emperor of Wu Xiang with a single sword strike!" Ling Xiao shrugged, pouring cold water on the idea.

"However long it takes, even if someone from the Ji family breaks through, it doesn't mean they will go all out against the Jinshan Temple. We still have time to strengthen our control over the government and reach out to martial arts experts. It's just thirty-six grandmasters! There must be a way to deal with them!" Ling Lingfa encouraged from the side.

Ling Xiao nodded in agreement but was reluctant to discourage the Emperor. There were already so few Grandmasters in the world, and those who could reach the Grandmaster realm were all proud and arrogant. Why would they risk their lives for others?

The doors of the Golden Hall opened again, and Ling Lingfa and his disciple left with heavy hearts.

"This is truly an unsolvable problem!" Ling Lingfa sighed as they left the palace gates.

Ling Xiao nodded, "Indeed. Not to mention the countless innate experts of the Ji family, just those thirty-six old coots are a dead knot! We can barely handle thirteen of them."

Ling Lingfa asked curiously, "Which thirteen?"

Ling Xiao counted on his fingers seriously, "Lu Xiaofeng counts as one, and Sikong Zhaixing counts as one, but they're not good at offense, so they can only hold them off. I know Lu Xiaofeng has a friend named Huamanlou, who should be able to hold off one. Ximen Chui is strong enough, but if three grandmasters attack him, they'll all be severely injured! If the Emperor can persuade the forces behind Ling Linggong and Ling Lingxi, that should add two more grandmasters. I don't believe a sect that has been influenced by destiny for so long doesn't have any grandmasters! The old man Zhuge Zhengwo should be able to handle one. And the Capture God, who has been at the peak of the innate realm for years, if he can break through, he can hold off one more! Finally, there's Ye Gucheng. If he's still alive, given his hatred for the Ji family, he should be able to hold off three more!"

Ling Lingfa listened and calculated, then asked, "Why do you say if Ye Gucheng is still alive? Do you think he will definitely die at the hands of Ximen Chui?"

Ling Xiao remained noncommittal, not saying he would definitely die at Ximen Chui's hands, though the possibility was high!

Ling Lingfa, seeing Ling Xiao's silence, continued, "No matter how many, as long as the Emperor is willing to risk his life, I'll stand by him to the end!"

Ling Xiao's lips twitched, and he clapped, "Great! Well said! If you're willing to die, I'll be willing to bury you! As your disciple, I'll find a way to avenge you!"

"You won't join me?"

"I'm not ready to die yet!"

"..."

...

The Drunken Moon Tower was a lively place at night. Lu Xiaofeng was a man who enjoyed the hustle and bustle, so he was there! Across from him sat a man with a shifty gaze, scratching his feet, and to the side sat a handsome scholar, holding a folding fan and smiling gently as he listened to the two bicker.

"Hey? Who's that?" Lu Xiaofeng suddenly leaned forward and called out.

"Who?" The man scratched his toes, examined them, and then flicked them at Lu Xiaofeng, asking.

Lu Xiaofeng replied with a look of disgust, "A guy who brings trouble wherever he goes."

As if on cue, Ling Xiao appeared with a smile, "Oh! What a coincidence! Meeting is a form of destiny, so you're buying the drinks today!" He pointed at Lu Xiaofeng and laughed.

"Seconded!" the man said.

"Second your sister!" Lu Xiaofeng shouted, then turned to Ling Xiao, "What do you want from me? Last time, I almost got skewered by Old Ye! Are you trying to set me up again?"

Ling Xiao waved his hand, "Don't get so worked up! Didn't I tell you Ye Gucheng wouldn't draw his sword?"

"He didn't draw his sword, but I drank over a dozen jars of wine with the old man Zhuge! And I had to go to the bathroom too!" Lu Xiaofeng roared.

Ling Xiao laughed, "Being invited to drink is a good thing! Isn't that what you like?"

"But I had to pay the bill!" Just thinking about it made him want to cry. No discounts, and the waitresses smiled so widely when they brought the wine, it was almost embarrassing!

"Uh, about that... What's your name, handsome? Holding a fan, looking so elegant, which family are you from?" Ling Xiao suddenly turned and asked.

"Hey! I'm not done talking..." Lu Xiaofeng was interrupted by the scholar, "I've heard a lot about you from Xiaofeng. Meeting you today is a form of destiny, so let me buy the drinks! I am Huamanlou."

Ling Xiao was slightly taken aback. It was true that coming early was not as good as coming at the right time! He had just mentioned him, and now he was here!

"Ha! Nice to meet you! I hope Xiaofeng didn't say anything bad about me! But it's okay, I'm a big-hearted person, and I'll forgive him for your sake today!" He took an empty cup and poured himself a drink.

Lu Xiaofeng rolled his eyes, looking at the still smiling Huamanlou and the grinning Sikong Zhaixing, and said helplessly, "Spit it out! What do you want from me today? You wouldn't think of me unless it was trouble!"

Ling Xiao smirked, "Since you put it that way, I'd be a bad friend if I didn't give you something to do!"

"Get to the point!"

"Before, I was busy with other things and forgot about the big event coming up. The duel between Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chui is not far off! How many tokens have you sent out?" Ling Xiao took another drink and asked.

"None!" Lu Xiaofeng said dejectedly.

"Why?" Ling Xiao was surprised.

"There are so many martial arts experts! This duel is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for anyone. Even a small insight could help them advance in their martial arts! You might not know, but several sects have already suffered heavy casualties fighting for the tokens! I can't bear to see them kill each other like this!" Lu Xiaofeng said regretfully.

Ling Xiao nodded, "Nonsense!"

"Damn! Why are you nodding if you don't agree?" Lu Xiaofeng shouted.

"The more you waver, the more they will speculate. If you really want to stop the unnecessary killing, give the tokens to people who will benefit from it!"

"People who will benefit? I'm not the one dueling!"

Ling Xiao snorted, "Who are you closer to, Ye Gucheng or Ximen Chui?"

Lu Xiaofeng said solemnly, "They are both my friends!"

"Who is closer?"

"Both are the same!"

"Who is your best friend?"

"..., okay, Ximen Chui!"

Lu Xiaofeng was, after all, a human with emotions. In the end, he chose Ximen Chui, despite the close ties.

Ling Xiao had no intention of forcing anyone and said casually, "Then invite some of Ximen Chui's friends to watch! It will give him a sense of home advantage. A little warmth from friendship might be the last straw that breaks the camel's back!"

The three fell silent.

Ling Xiao had his own agenda. It was expected that Lu Xiaofeng would choose Ximen Chui. The little bit of friendship might not affect swordsmen like Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chui, but people have a侥幸心理 (侥幸心理 means侥幸 psychology, which can be translated as '侥幸 mentality' or '侥幸 mindset'). Even if the chance is slim, they would still try. And Ximen Chui's friends were also Lu Xiaofeng's friends, making them potential allies for the future!

Seeing that the three were still silent, Ling Xiao found it boring and suddenly pointed to the street outside the Drunken Moon Tower, "Hey? Who's that beautiful woman? Why is she staring at you?"