Chapter 247: The Troublemaker is here
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Lin Feng’s extended his consciousness outside and discovered cultivator of the Aurous Core stage in black armor arriving outside Yue Hongyan’s room. It was one of Prince Chong Yun’s followers from earlier in the day.
He seemed to know he could not hide from Lin Feng. He wore a respectful smile on his face and bent his body in a greeting towards Lin Feng’s pavilion before standing outside Yue Hongyan’s room and letting loose a deep-throated howl.
This person left immediately after and did not loiter around any further.
Lin Feng watched from the side and he saw Yue Hongyan exit her room in a hurry. She seemed to be quite excited.
"Master, that person was imitating the call of a snow fox. The snow fox is an exotic animal found in the Arctic State, so that person could be from there." As pumped as she was, Yue Hongyan still reported to Lin Feng as soon as possible.
Lin Feng did not move in his seat and gave her a faint smile before voice-projecting, "Then go ahead and catch up."
Yue Hongyan took a deep breath and calmed herself down before chasing out.
The other party travelled deep within Xingyun Peak as Yue Hongyan followed closely behind along with Lin Feng’s consciousness.
The man stopped in front of a cave entrance and turned to flash a smile at Yue Hongyan.
Yue Hongyan took a clear look at the man’s face and her smile froze immediately. The excitement on her face about meeting a person from her neighborhood vaporized.
She stared coldly at the man in the front of her. "Isn’t this Wang Jiannan? Were you not in the first batch of traitors when the Zhou Empire invaded the Arctic State? How are you with the Great Qin Empire now? It can’t be because even the Zhou bastards couldn’t accept a heinous traitor like you?"
Yue Hongyan’s tone of speech was not that much different from that of her direct and straightforward fighting style; she left no wriggling space for her adversary.
As for Wang Jiannan, she was not a stranger. This man used to be her and her brother Yue Hongfeng’s mentor, and it was because of this fact that caused her to hate him even more.
Even though Wang Jiannan was mentally prepared, his face flushed red all the way down to his neck but quickly recovered. He smiled at Yue Hongyan and said, "You are wrong, Hongyan. You were just a kid back then – there are so many things you didn’t know."
"When the Great Zhou Empire invaded the Arctic State, I was indeed in the first batch to offer my help to invaders. However, all that was fake as my heart has always been with the Arctic State. My entry into the Great Zhou Empire was but an artifice for a better future and service to my country."
Wang Jiannan spoke with eloquence. "Alas, it was not to be in the end. The Arctic State fell to ruins, and of course I could not continue serving the Great Zhou Empire so I switched my loyalty to the Great Qin Empire."
"The Great Zhou Empire’s power is great – that is a fact. If I want to avenge the Arctic State and maybe even reinstate it, I have to rely on another power. The Great Qin Empire is one such suitable power."
Yue Hongyan remained silent. Thinking that she had been convinced, Wang Jiannan tried to strike while the iron was hot. "Hongyan, there is a great opportunity at hand. Prince Chong Yun will ascend to the throne of the Great Qin Empire in due time, and reinstatement will be possible with his help."
Yue Hongyan interrupted him coldly. "Why would he help us?"
Wang Jiannan laughed and replied, "Hongyan, I want to say that this is your good fortune and privilege. When Prince Chong Yun saw you today, he already had the idea of asking for your hand. Even though he already has a main spouse, the position of mistress is still vacant…"
Yue Hongyan suddenly erupted into a bout of hysterical laughter.
The smile on Wang Jiannan’s face gradually changed. He could tell that Yue Hongyan’s laughter was not one of joy and gleefulness but was one of bitterness and acrimony.
Yue Hongyan stopped laughing abruptly as she turned to look resentfully at Wang Jiannan. Her voice was calm but terribly apathetic. "Wang Jiannan, I appreciate your master’s good will but I am not worth it."
"The mess the bunch of you have created was meant to target the Celestial Sect of Wonders and my master, right?" Yue Hongyan raised her head to the starry night above. "Meeting people from my old neighborhood is supposed to be a happy event. Little did I know I met a stranger and a criminal!"
"To hell with your lies." Yue Hongyan continued, "Wang Jiannan, please get out of my sight. I won’t pursue what happened today and take you down – although that is because we’re at Xingyun Peak and not because I used to know you."
Wang Jiannan’s expression turned ugly. "Hongyan, you…"
Yue Hongyan repeated herself and said, "Please get out of my sight."
"Yue Hongyan, you don’t know what’s right for you." Anger surfaced on Wang Jiannan’s face. A cultivator in the foundation establishment stage – and also an ex-student – showing such disobedience to an ex-mentor and an Aurous Core stage cultivator was irrational. All of this sent Wang Jiannan into a fit of rage.
He did not particular stand out as a follower of Prince Chong Yun. He finally established connection with Yue Hongyan and wanted to score a big one. Little did he know that Yue Hongyan showed him no respect or face and left him humiliated.
She remained expressionless as she reiterated the same few words. "Get out of my sight."
Wang Jiannan glared at Yue Hongyan with a death stare. After a long while, he restrained his anger and patiently said to Hongyan, "Think about what happened today. Don’t blame me for not warning or reminding you – Prince Chong Yun will not wait for you for long."
"Screw off!" Yue Hongyan shot back a glare and flames were pouring out of her eyes.
"You…" Wang Jiannan shook his sleeves in frustration and left with a face of humiliation.
Yue Hongyan stared at Wang Jiannan’s shadow. Her fists were clenched tight, and after a long moment she muttered under her breath, "Master, I want to kill him."
Lin Feng shifted out of the shadows beside her and said plainly, "Do not worry. I will give you the chance."
He turned to look at Yue Hongyan. "Are you more angry or disappointed?"
Yue Hongyan pouted and sighed. "I’m more disappointed."
Lin Feng smiled in response. "Let’s go back and rest," The corner of his mouth curved into a grin. "Tomorrow’s going to be exciting."
As Lin Feng predicted, the next day was indeed exciting.
Except it was Xiao Budian and Tun Tun who began arguing with each other.
"I thought you said there were Red-Feathered Cranes around here? Why have I not seen one?" Xiao Budian complained as he grilled a piece of snake meat over a fire. It was the Blue Cloud Horn Snake he caught earlier.
Tun Tun pouted and replied, "I caught one outside. Surely Xingyun Peak has its own pens and farms where they keep the Red-Feathered Cranes. Xingyun Peak is so big, how could I possibly know where they were exactly?"
She picked up a twig and skewered a piece of snake meat as well. "The way you’re eating the meat is so troublesome. I used to just swallow the piece whole." Tun Tun kept on whining.
"That’s because you’re stupid and you don’t know how to enjoy good food. The more you eat the more food you’ll be wasting." Xiao Budian replied her without even lifting his head. Once the piece of meat he was holding was cooked, he immediately poked it towards Lin Feng. "Master, you should try first."
Lin Feng peered at him with a faint smile. "Eh? Why are you suddenly so respectful to me? Weren’t you always too busy filling your own stomach?"
Xiao Budian had really thick skin. He laughed mischievously as he heard his master’s words and replied, "What we had previously weren’t good. The Blue Cloud Horn Snake is good stuff – it even smells good."
Lin Feng took the skewer with the piece of meat and laughed. "Okay, okay. What do you want, tell me."
"You understand me so well, master." Xiao Budian scratched the back of his head. "Master, can you help me ask the Sword of Radiance Sect where the Red-Feathered Cranes are?"
Lin Feng replied, "Can’t you ask yourself?"
"I already have." Xiao Budian paused and glared at Tun Tun. "But this person gave it away. Everyone knew she’s a glutton so nobody was willing to tell me where the Red-Feathered Cranes were."
Tun Tun pouted when she heard what he said but did not make a sound. It seemed as if she was regretful.
"I thought it was clever to alert them and make them wary so that they’d go and check on their Red-Feathered Cranes while I follow behind. Maybe they would have even switched the spots of the Red-Feathered Cranes." Xiao Budian was upset. "Little did I know that people of the Sword of Radiance Sect were smarter than me. I squatted in wait for a long time but I never discovered where they hid the Red-Feathered Cranes."
At the side, Xiao Yan, Yue Hongyan and the Black Dragon Jieyu could not control their laughter.
Xiao Yan tapped Xiao Budian on the shoulder. "You little imp. You only become smart when it comes to food."
Yue Hongyan glanced at Lin Feng. "Since you guys have already given it away, asking our master to ask again may not be a good idea."
"Senior Yue, you can’t put it like that. They can reject telling me where the cranes are, but if master requested to see the Red-Feathered Cranes, they have to give him some face and show them to him."
Yue Hongyan chuckled as she knew that if Lin Feng went ahead to ask, the Sword of Radiance Sect would definitely answer. However, would that not place Lin Feng at the same level as Xiao Budian?
Xiao Budian was a little embarrassed to ask Lin Feng as he clearly understood that.
Lin Feng smiled and tapped Xiao Budian’s forehead. "I don’t have to ask and you don’t have to worry. Not before long, they will come forward with what you desire."
Xiao Budian’s eyes lit up. Suddenly, sounds rang out from outside the pavilion.
"I am Zhao Yan of the Sword of Radiance Sect. I am here to visit the Celestial Sect of Wonders."
Xiao Yan and company exchanged looks with each other and were a little bit baffled. Everyone trained their eyes on Lin Feng as he calmly said, "Aren’t they already here?"
"Master, who is this?" Xiao Budian’s eyes darted around as he did not believe the Sword of Radiance Sect would take the initiative to send him Red-Feathered Cranes for him to eat.
Yue Hongyan took some time to search her memory. "The name Zhao Yan rings a bell. I think he is the most outstanding prodigy of the Sword of Radiance Sect’s younger generation. He’s barely a hundred years old and he is already in the final stages of the Aurous Core stage."
"Everybody touted him to reach the Nascent Soul within a hundred years. He has quite a reputation around the Divine Lands."
Xiao Yan’s eyes sparkled and looked as Lin Feng. "Master, is he looking for trouble?"
Lin Feng refuted Xiao Yan’s theory indifferently. "The Supreme Radiance Swordmaster will not resort to measures like this. It might be the idea of the Nascent Soul stage Grandmasters."
Xiao Yan scoffed and said to Yue Hongyan and Xiao Budian, "Since he’s already here, let us welcome him."