Chapter 95

"Ah!" Lin Chaofeng sat on the stone bench in front of the corridor, gazing at the figures of Liu Qiqi and Zheng Yueying practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, his face full of worry, sighing deeply.

"Brother Lin, sitting here sighing alone, could it be that you have some troubles?" Zhong Wen's voice came from behind.

"Brother Zhong Wen." Lin Chaofeng turned his head and saw Zhong Wen holding a knife in his right hand and a live chicken in his left. The chicken seemed to sense its fate and was struggling desperately, making heroic cries.

"Is it that you are unhappy here?" Zhong Wen grinned, and with a swift movement of his hand, he ended the poultry's breath.

"Sometimes I really envy you." Lin Chaofeng said with a bitter smile, "You can live a carefree life in this place of natural beauty, unlike me, a member of a prominent family, who often acts against my will."

"Brother Lin, you jest. As the son of a high-ranking official, you have never lacked for food or clothing, and many people envy you." Zhong Wen shook his head, "Why should you need to toil like me?"

"Brother Zhong Wen, you are young and spend your days on this immortal mountain, so you don't understand the troubles of us mortals." Lin Chaofeng's tone was filled with helplessness.

"Everyone has their own troubles that others don't know about, but life still goes on." Zhong Wen laughed, "As long as your mind is open, where can't you find a paradise?"

Lin Chaofeng was taken aback, carefully pondering Zhong Wen's words, and remained silent for a long time.

Seeing that he was not speaking, Zhong Wen turned to leave, but suddenly heard Lin Chaofeng calling him: "Brother Zhong Wen, I have a difficult problem in my heart. Could you help me think it through?"

"Please speak, Brother Lin." Zhong Wen's lips curled into a slight smile as he turned around, his face once again serious.

"If a decision made by the elders at home would harm another family member, should I follow filial piety or go against the elders' wishes to protect that family member?" Lin Chaofeng organized his words.

Zhong Wen stared into Lin Chaofeng's eyes for a while and said, word by word, "Brother Lin, you already have the answer in your heart, why ask me?"

"Who would have thought that Brother Zhong Wen, at such a young age, has such great wisdom." Lin Chaofeng was slightly surprised, "I do have a judgment in my heart, but unfortunately, I am powerless and bound by circumstances..."

"Let me guess, the family member you mentioned is probably Palace Master Sister, isn't it?" Zhong Wen interrupted.

Lin Chaofeng was startled and then lowered his head, "Yes, Father wants to betroth Elder Sister to Xiao Wenjian."

"Brother Lin, there's no need to be troubled." Zhong Wen patted his shoulder, "Even if the Emperor of Dagan himself issued an edict, Palace Master Sister would never marry Xiao Wenjian."

"Why is that?" Lin Chaofeng raised his head, puzzled, "You must know that it's hard to go against the wishes of one's parents. If Father insists, Elder Sister might not be able to resist."

"Because you won't have the chance to convey the intentions of Minister Lin to Palace Master Sister." Zhong Wen smiled, "No one in the Piaohua Palace will allow you to do so."

"It's not that simple." Lin Chaofeng shook his head, disagreeing, "Although Father officially sent me to invite Sister, the real person in charge is Uncle Fu, who is a peak Tian Lun expert. You might not be able to stop him."

"I say it's impossible, and it is. Brother Lin, don't doubt it." Zhong Wen's tone was full of confidence, "Stay for a couple of days, and you'll see the outcome."

Lin Chaofeng's face showed a mix of belief and doubt.

"Let me explain. Palace Master Sister is a genius, already a Tian Lun expert at a young age, and is expected to become a Ling Zun." Zhong Wen sat down next to Lin Chaofeng and continued, "Moreover, you've seen the strength of the Piaohua Palace disciples. In two years, the Dagan Heroes List will be no challenge for them."

Lin Chaofeng nodded slowly, acknowledging this.

"Your family, instead of cultivating a powerful sect, is willing to give a top-tier genius with blood ties to the Xiao family." Zhong Wen continued, "This way, not only will you lose a future Ling Zun, but you will also offend a group of talented people in the Piaohua Palace. Even a fool would know how to calculate this."

"Brother Zhong Wen, what you say makes sense, but if Father doesn't agree to this marriage, he will offend the Xiao family..." Lin Chaofeng was again troubled.

"If you can't even protect your own daughter, then you shouldn't be a Minister of Revenue." Zhong Wen sneered.

Lin Chaofeng's face changed, about to argue, but then saw Zhong Wen suddenly grin and place his hand on his shoulder, "Brother Lin, your abilities are limited. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Instead of being troubled, you should take advantage of the abundant spiritual energy here and strive to reach the Di Lun realm."

Lin Chaofeng's eyes lit up, deeply feeling that Zhong Wen's words were reasonable, and immediately sat down to practice his cultivation technique.

...

As the hour of Zi approached, the courtyard was silent, with no sound at all. The moonlight was hazy, and the light was dim, with only the occasional chirping of insects from outside the wall indicating the presence of life.

A nimble figure flashed through the courtyard without touching the ground, leaving a faint shadow in the air but making no sound.

This figure explored the Piaohua Palace, eventually focusing on a particular house.

He lightly landed on the roof, about to investigate further, when he saw a slender figure appear in the dim light.

"Old Fu, it's so late, are you still taking a walk on the roof?" The woman's voice was gentle and melodious.

"I am old and don't need much sleep, but I apologize for disturbing Miss Shangguan." Fu Bo's voice carried a hint of沧桑 (沧桑 means "沧桑" in Chinese, which can be translated as "沧桑" in English, but in this context, it means "aged" or "weathered").

"Old Fu is a respected elder of the Lin family, and you are free to move around in the Piaohua Palace. However, the room below is occupied by a female guest, so please don't disturb her rest." The moon emerged from behind the clouds, the light brightening, revealing Shangguan Junyi's graceful figure.

"Perhaps the person in the room is my young miss." Fu Bo chuckled, "The so-called 'seclusion' is just an excuse. When I saw Miss Nangong during the day, I guessed that the Piaohua Palace had already received the message and was deliberately avoiding me."

"Old Fu, you are overthinking it. Miss Nangong is the eldest disciple of Palace Master Lin and should be diligently practicing. Palace Master Lin is indeed in seclusion, and the person in the room below is a female guest from the capital." Shangguan Junyi said softly, but her tone carried a hint of reproach.

"I haven't seen my young miss for many years and miss her dearly. I must see her, and I can't wait for her to come out of seclusion." Fu Bo still had a kind and benevolent appearance, but his eyes flashed with a fierce light, "If the person in the room is not my young miss, then I will see for myself."

He used his Tian Lun power to sense the entire Piaohua Palace and found that the person in this room was the only one whose aura he had not seen before, confirming that the person in the room was Lin Zhiyun, who had not appeared during the day.

"Old Fu, you are a respected elder, but you must know that men and women should not be too close. How can a young lady let you enter the room to check? Please don't make it difficult for me." Shangguan Junyi's voice was still gentle, but her tone carried a hint of reproach.

"I am old and about to die, what's the harm?" Fu Bo laughed, and his figure suddenly sprang toward the door of the house.

"Ah, this concerns a woman's honor. Please forgive me, but I must stop you." Shangguan Junyi sighed, and her delicate fingers pointed into the air.

A huge spiritual vortex appeared in front of Fu Bo.

The vortex was deep red, emitting an unparalleled repelling force, pushing Fu Bo away from the door of the room.

"Good skills!" Fu Bo praised, and his hands came together, forming a large spiritual bell in front of him.

"Clang~ Clang~"

The sound of the bell echoed, and invisible waves of spiritual energy shot out, colliding with the spiritual vortex in front of him.

The collision of the two powerful spiritual energies caused a loud noise, but the spiritual vortex remained unmoved under the impact of the sound waves.

What powerful spiritual techniques!

Fu Bo's face changed, and his expression became more serious. He clapped his hands again, and with a loud "Clang," the originally scattered sound waves converged into a bright light wave, crashing into the spiritual vortex.

This time, the color of the spiritual vortex finally dimmed, and Fu Bo was elated, about to put in more effort, but then saw Shangguan Junyi smile and point her fingers again.

A red and a black spiritual vortex appeared on either side of the large bell. The red vortex emitted a repelling force, while the black vortex released an attracting force. The pull and push were so strong that the large spiritual bell was instantly shattered and dissipated.

Fu Bo's chest felt suffocated, and his face changed dramatically, no longer showing the previous calm.

He moved his feet, using a subtle technique, twisting left and right to avoid the two spiritual vortices. His arms spread, and countless circular light rings flew out from behind him, covering the sky like a ring toss, shooting toward Shangguan Junyi on the roof.

Shangguan Junyi lightly touched the ground, her posture graceful like a fairy in the clouds, effortlessly dodging the countless light rings. She landed lightly in front of Fu Bo, blocking his path to the door. Her right hand threw out a red spiritual vortex, forcing Fu Bo to retreat several steps.

"Roar!" Fu Bo's eyes glowed, and he raised his right palm, forming a large spiritual bird. The bird was enveloped in red flames and flew toward Shangguan Junyi.

In a short moment, he had already used several different types of spiritual techniques.

Seeing the fiery bird coming fiercely, the beauty gently pushed her right palm forward, and a small black spiritual vortex appeared in her palm. The moment the large spiritual bird touched the vortex, it was instantly sucked in, leaving no trace.

I am really old!

Despite using all his skills, he had not moved forward a single step. Looking at Shangguan Junyi, who was calm and composed, Fu Bo panted, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Old Fu, it's late. Please go back to your room and rest." Shangguan Junyi said gently, as if nothing had happened.

"I have disturbed you." Fu Bo sighed, resigned, and turned to walk toward his room.

Just as Shangguan Junyi's spirit slightly relaxed, Fu Bo suddenly kicked off with both legs, his body shooting forward like an arrow, heading straight for the room behind her.

Shangguan Junyi, with her rich combat experience, reacted instantly, swinging her palm to strike the back of Fu Bo as he flew past her.

However, the old man seemed determined to enter the room and did not dodge or defend, using his body to resist.

Seeing that this palm would likely end the old man's life, Shangguan Junyi hesitated for a moment and ultimately withdrew most of her palm force.

"Spit!"

Fu Bo spat out a mouthful of blood in the air, enduring the palm strike, and finally succeeded in breaking into the room.