Chapter 35

Tang Yan returned to the guest room, but he pulled open a window crack and continued to observe the hall where Zhou Lingwang and his guards were, his eyes somewhat strange and wary.

"Are you still not done looking? Is she that beautiful?" Tang Ying’s face turned red with anger.

"Didn't you feel that woman was familiar?" Tang Yan looked at Tang Ying seriously. When he followed Tang Qiong out earlier, he was attracted by the sisters' beauty and demeanor, but soon noticed a sense of familiarity, which came from Zhou Lingwang's eldest daughter.

"I don't find her familiar, but you definitely do!"

"Hmm? Why?"

"You look at beautiful women like you're seeing family, so you must find her familiar."

Tang Yan rolled his eyes irritably. "Am I that shameless?"

"Do you not know yourself?"

"Fine, you win. Let's talk about something serious. What's the relationship between Tang Qiong and Zhou Lingwang?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"Then tell me what you do know."

Tang Ying thought hard. "Uncle Tang Qiong came to our Tang family about six or seven years ago. It's said that Grandfather found him."

"Is there a secret behind this?"

Tang Ying recalled, "I heard that Uncle Tang Qiong used to be a military officer, serving as a captain in the Hunter Group Army. When Zhou Lingwang was still a prince, he entered the Hunter Group Army for training and first served in Uncle Tang Qiong's unit. The border conflicts were chaotic, and they often encountered crises. Tang Qiong saved Zhou Lingwang at least twice, and they became brothers. Later, Zhou Lingwang became the king of the Northern Wasteland and secretly controlled the Hunter Group Army, intending to promote Tang Qiong to a higher rank. At that time, Tang Qiong's martial arts had a breakthrough, officially entering the Martial King realm, giving Zhou Lingwang more reason to promote him.

However, before the appointment was issued, the Hunter Group Army was ambushed by the northern Sāluó Empire during a military operation, suffering heavy casualties. Uncle Tang Qiong's unit was completely wiped out, but he narrowly escaped, falling into the Hengshui River and drifting away. He was later rescued by Grandfather Tang Yan Shan, who taught him the Tang family's Flame Technique. Grateful for Grandfather's rescue, Uncle Tang Qiong stayed with the Tang family and served as a retainer."

"Has Zhou Lingwang ever looked for Tang Qiong?"

"Uncle Tang Qiong was severely injured and took half a year to recover. He then changed his name, and no one knew his true identity. Later, when Zhou Lingwang went to Juxiang City on business, he accidentally discovered Tang Qiong. He tried to persuade him, but Uncle Tang Qiong refused and has stayed with the Tang family ever since. Why are you asking all this?"

Tang Yan remained noncommittal and continued, "Do you recognize those two girls?"

"Of course. Zhou Linglu and Zhou Lingxue, the two daughters of Zhou Lingwang's main wife. Zhou Linglu is only 20 years old but has already reached the Second Rank Martial Ancestor realm, making her one of the best among the young generation in the empire. Zhou Lingxue is 12 years old and has just completed her baptism, with a 70% spirit vein activation rate, five percentage points higher than Zhou Linglu's at her age." Tang Ying looked at Tang Yan sternly. "You're not really interested in them, are you?"

"She's 20, I'm 15. Do you think we match? Don't let your mind wander. Think carefully, do you find Zhou Linglu familiar?"

"No."

"Think harder. Have you seen her before?"

"I've only heard of her, never seen her. This is the first time. What exactly are you asking?"

Tang Yan thought hard, then shook his head and said no more.

As the sky grew darker, Tang Qiong and Zhou Lingwang, after drinking six jars of fine wine, were both drunk. The inn returned to peace. Perhaps because the various academies and noble families had left the Divine Spring Town, the night was unusually quiet.

Tang Yan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, a sense of unease lingering in his mind.

Familiarity? He could vaguely make a judgment that this familiar feeling came from the white-clad woman in the forest. Zhou Linglu's appearance was too similar to the woman, and the spiritual energy she inadvertently revealed during the day was of the ice attribute. Was this just a coincidence?

But the more he thought about it, the more contradictory it seemed. Zhou Linglu was a princess, unlikely to personally carry out such vicious killings. Moreover, her cold gaze toward him was very natural, completely different from the icy and murderous intent of the woman in the forest.

After careful consideration, the familiar feeling seemed less real.

The next morning, Zhou Lingwang led the group to bid farewell to the Divine Spring Town. The procession entered the Illusion Forest, and under the influence of the powerful aura they emitted, almost all the beasts chose to avoid them.

For the next four days, everything was very peaceful. Zhou Lingwang was cheerful and kind, with no airs of a king. He even hunted and barbecued multiple times, adding vitality to what should have been a dangerous journey.

Throughout the journey, Zhou Linglu and the guards, whom Tang Yan had been wary of, showed no unusual behavior. His initial suspicions began to waver, and from the third day on, he no longer paid them much attention, focusing instead on the martial technique Tang Qiong had given him—the Flame Technique.

The Flame Technique was far more complex than Tang Yan had imagined. Not only were there restrictions on the way the blade was wielded, but the corresponding spiritual energy circulation also had to match the appropriate frequency and strength. It was extremely difficult to execute a single smooth strike according to the Flame Technique, let alone use it fluently and swiftly.

As Tang Qiong put it—practice hard!

The Flame Technique was neither difficult nor easy. The key was to practice until it became second nature.

On the first day of learning the Flame Technique, Tang Yan spent half a day familiarizing himself with the blade trajectory and spiritual energy circulation. By the time he could smoothly execute a single strike, it was already evening, and it took him three minutes.

The Flame Technique and the Shadow Step shared a common point: the use of spiritual energy was extremely strict, requiring both skill and flexibility. According to the Flame Technique, to execute the 'Flame Double Strike,' one had to strike twice within two seconds, with the spiritual energy circulating twice. For Tang Yan, who initially took three minutes for a single strike, this was a distant goal.

To execute the 'Flame Triple Strike' with triple the power, one had to strike three times within one second, with the spiritual energy circulating three times. Compared to the Double Strike, this was a significant leap.

The 'Flame Quadruple Strike' also required one second, but increasing from three strikes to four was another significant leap, requiring continuous and relentless practice without a moment's relaxation.

Tang Yan did not give up due to the difficulty. Through constant practice, his use of spiritual energy became increasingly proficient, and he gained a clearer understanding of how spiritual energy transformed into martial techniques.

With the assistance of the Undying Heaven Technique, Tang Yan practiced to the point of losing track of time, sometimes sitting still for half a day to digest occasional inspirations, causing the group to stop and wait.

This perseverance and determination not only earned Tang Qiong's approval but also surprised Du Yang. The guards of the royal family wondered—how could this young man not be tired? How could he have so much energy after four days and nights without sleep?

On the seventh evening after entering the forest, the group set up camp by a stream. Tang Yan, immersed in the practice of the Flame Technique, had been practicing non-stop for four days, deepening his understanding of the technique. His strike speed had been reduced from three minutes to five seconds, though he still had a long way to go to reach the two-second barrier. However, compressing it to this level in four days was enough to make Tang Ying's mouth drop open.

"Snap out of it." Ailinda suddenly found Tang Yan and sat down next to him.

Tang Yan snapped out of his trance and looked at Ailinda, who was almost touching him. He could smell her light fragrance and see the fine hairs behind her ear, and as he looked down her neck...

"Where are you looking!" Ailinda glared at him, embarrassed.

Tang Yan smiled awkwardly. "It was a reflex. Don't take it to heart. What brings you here, Teacher Ailinda?"

"There's something important."

"Speak your mind. This kind of intimate gesture can easily cause misunderstandings. You know I have weak willpower. If I do something out of line, what will you do?" Tang Yan took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Ailinda's shoulder and took a deep breath.

However, the proud Ailinda only stiffened slightly and then showed no reaction.

"Is something troubling you?" Tang Yan felt strange and carefully examined Ailinda, noticing that she looked much more haggard and her complexion was very poor.

Ailinda leaned against Tang Yan's shoulder and whispered, "You must believe me. The people chasing us in the forest... are Zhou Lingwang!"

"Hmm?" Tang Yan's expression changed.

"Remember the woman among the white-clad people? I had a suspicion then that she might be Princess Zhou Linglu! When I saw her in the Divine Spring Town, I became even more certain."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Tang Yan leaned against Ailinda, speaking in a voice only they could hear.

"Without solid evidence, how could I say anything? Who would believe me? What would they do to me? She is an imperial princess, and her father is the master of the Northern Wasteland!" Ailinda's face was bitter. Her suspicion was just a guess, and accusing Zhou Linglu without solid evidence was equivalent to accusing Zhou Lingwang, the true master of the Northern Wasteland!

If the other side falsely accused her, she could be destroyed.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"From the time we left the Divine Spring Town until now, Zhou Lingwang's guards have been surrounding me, not giving me a chance to speak. This evening, they stopped monitoring me. I think... it's time for them to make their move."

Tang Yan's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, almost forming a knot!

So the suspicion was true, and the woman was Zhou Linglu!

Putting everything together, everything became clear and coherent.

Zhou Lingwang's sudden appearance in the Divine Spring Town was not to catch up with Tang Qiong but to use him to send the Juxiang Academy away, leaving those who might know the truth, like Tang Yan, behind, and then set a trap. Even Zhou Lingwang's promise to Du Yang was to give him a reason to stay.

Tang Yan's eyes flickered with uncertainty. If he were Zhou Lingwang, what would he do next?

The most likely plan would be... to arrange a group of white-clad people wearing fanged masks to attack the group, causing chaos, and in the chaos, kill Ailinda, himself, and Du Yang.

This way, he could eliminate the threat and use Tang Yan's 'witness' to confirm to the world that he had no connection to the white-clad people.

If Zhou Lingwang could be injured, the effect would be even better!