Chapter 26: Vicious Oath
Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll
With reddened eyes, Du Fei spat out in grief and indignation, "Then what else do you want me to do? I don’t have any strength and neither do I have influence. Even if I want to take revenge on my own, wouldn’t I just be seeking my own death? This young master, even if you do not want to help me take revenge, you don’t have to insult me!"
With an arrogant smile on his face, Ling Tian merely said, "Insult you? Just based on your current looks of a stray dog, are you even worthy of me insulting you?"
Du Fei was angered to the point where his entire body was shaking, "You… Don’t go too far!" If it weren’t for him taking into consideration that the other party had saved his life, Du Fei would have just pounced forward, fists blazing.
Ling Tian stood up, revealing an expression of disinterest and spoke indifferently, "Please do not be mistaken. Towards a person who wants to simply borrow someone else’s hand to take revenge, I don’t even have the slightest bit of interest to insult them. That’s because such a person is worse than a dog! Even a dog will bite a person if it’s threatened, but you only know how to bark at a corner. Oh no, you might not even dare to bark out." Shaking his head, Ling Tian threw out a tael of silver as he continued, "Boring! Take this and run for your life! For a person with no backbone like you, don’t even think about getting revenge, just find a place to properly live. Even living as a turtle in its shell is quite good! Hahaha…"
After that wave of mocking laughter, Ling Tian started to move back to where he came from. As he walked back he said, "I originally thought of giving you hope, making you strong enough to take your own revenge… Hahaha, to think that you just wanted to use me, hehehe…"
Insulting from top to bottom!
Du Fei’s body was shivering uncontrollably. His face changed from green to red as he listened to Ling Tian’s provocations. In that instant, he felt extremely ashamed of himself. Every word and every sentence felt like a steel knife viciously gorging itself deep in his heart, causing so much pain that his body spasmed in response.
Suddenly, he heard Ling Tian’s final words as he was walking away, "...I originally thought of giving you hope, making you strong enough to take your own revenge!" Du Fei jumped as though he had been given an electric shock and stared at the back of the departing Ling Tian. He suddenly dashed towards him madly, even forgetting to take the tael of silver thrown out to him—no, he did not even register that piece of silver.
As Ling Tian walked, he counted under his breath slowly. In his heart, Ling Tian only gave Du Fei up to ten seconds to grab onto this chance! If he reached ten and Du Fei had not yet caught up, then Ling Tian would leave without so much as turning his head! There would be nothing worth staying for anyway.
"... five, six, seven..." From behind him came the frenzied sound of running footsteps, and the corners of Ling Tian’s mouth curled up in a smile.
Du Fei ran over as though he was flying, and had just caught up to Ling Tian. However, before he could control and slow down his body’s momentum from the rapid running earlier, he had already kneeled down with a "pu" sound. "...Young Master, please hold up!"
Ling Tian turned back leisurely, staring at the kneeling Du Fei in front of him indifferently, without a shred of emotion on his face!
Du Fei knocked his head heavily on the ground while saying, "Young Master, I desire revenge! I desire strength! I want to personally avenge my parents. Please help me to accomplish my aim!"
Ling Tian stood tall and upright, and saw that the knocking of his head had formed a depression in the snow, and that the "peng peng" sounds created from his knocking were getting gradually louder and sharper. He maintained a straight face without any emotions leaking through, saying, "Sure! I can help to make you really strong such that you can personally slay all your enemies! I can achieve all these! However, they all require a corresponding price! You should be clear that I am not helping you because I pity you! What else can you pay? What can you give me? As long as you can convince me, then you have the possibility of obtaining everything that I’ve said."
Taking 2 more steps forward unhurriedly, he continued, "This sort of things cannot be obtained just because you kowtowed to me! If you cannot convince me, even if you were to knock your brain into pieces, I would still not be willing to help you!"
Du Fei blankly stood up, muttering to himself, "What can I pay? What can I pay..."
Ling Tian coldly remarked, "The weather here is cold, I have no interest in dawdling with you. Oh, by the way, that Ten Thousand Orchid Pearl or whatever it’s called, there’s no need to talk about it anymore. This young master doesn’t even put it in his eyes. Do you know who I am?"
Du Fei raised his head, a face full of questioning.
Ling Tian blandly remarked, "My surname is Ling, named Tian. Ever heard of the Ling family? I’m the only young master of the Ling family!"
Du Fei was shocked to the point he stared with his mouth agape! To think that the person opposite him was actually from one of the most outstanding families in the empire, the Ling family’s young master! Just based on the Ling family’s finances, not to mention one Orchid Pearl, even tens or hundreds of them were insufficient for them to take notice! In that case, what could he actually fork out?
Traces of impatience appeared on Ling Tian’s face. He said, "Ok, I’ll be leaving now. Since you cannot think of anything, then I wish you all the best from now on."
He turned to leave with no reluctance whatsoever.
Du Fei flew into panic. Throwing himself in front of Ling Tian, he tightly grabbed onto his legs while screaming, "Young Master! Young Master! I do not have anything of value to give to Young Master, I only have this little life, and although it may be worth little, as long as Young Master desires it, this little one will throw out his worthless life!"
Ling Tian finally smiled, "Life, interesting, this is now getting interesting. Hahaha, but just based on life, it’s still not enough!"
Du Fei was frozen in shock. Other than his life, what else could he give? He had nothing left!
Ling Tian’s expression turned frosty as he boomed, "Stand up and listen to me!"
Du Fei’s body trembled as his eyes revealed expressions of ecstasy. He hurriedly stood up as he heard the command.
Ling Tian stared hard into Du Fei’s eyes as he continued, "Since you managed to think of giving away your life, which happens to be about half of what I’ve thought of, I’ve decided to tell you what else is it that I require."
Du Fei’s expression tightened. His ears perked up involuntarily, as though afraid that he would miss the next few words that Ling Tian was about to say.
Ling Tian enunciated slowly, "I can let you reach a height which ordinary mortals can never dream of touching. I, too, can grant you sufficient strength needed to conquer all under the heavens, without anybody being your opponent! I can also give you the power to hold life and death of every single person under the heavens except mine! Do you understand me?"
Sticking out his chest, Du Fei’s eyes let out a scorching brilliance as he spoke, "I understand now! Young Master, you shall have this little one’s life and soul. What I can further give you is my undying loyalty!"
Ling Tian laughed satisfyingly, "Loyalty! Hahaha, I admire you for being able to figure it out, albeit with hints from me. However, I do not just want loyalty, but instead I need your absolute obedience! Even if I ask you to die! This is not just something you hang at your mouth."
Du Fei’s small stature suddenly kneeled down, raising his hands towards the sky, "O Heavens above! This little one, Du Fei, uses my parents and ancestors’ names to swear that from today onwards, Du Fei will thus devote his unerring loyalty and service to Young Master Ling Tian! If I were to betray my oath, then may my ancestors be condemned to hell, never to reincarnate! My male descendants shall be slaves and females be prostitutes for eternity!"
Ling Tian felt emotionally moved, yet terrified!
In this world, oaths were heavily regarded. The people here believed that when someone passed away, their spirit and souls would enter another world to await the cycle of samsara, then be reborn again. In the past, even for an important matter, most people would only afflict the curse upon their own bodies, and no one ever dared to use his own ancestors and descendants as a target too!
For Du Fei to use his ancestors and successive generations, the oath was severe beyond compare and could be considered extremely vicious to himself! Such an oath, once spoken, could not be taken back! Thus Du Fei could be considered to have burned off all his paths of retreat!
Du Fei was very clear that if what Ling Tian promised would come to fruition, then he would definitely want to have the absolute loyalty of the said person. Or else, if one were to personally groom out an extremely strong traitor and enemy, would he not be digging his own grave? Thus, without any hesitation, Du Fei chose an oath that no one had ever done before, and viciously used it upon himself!
No one would take their own ancestors to crack a joke, and what’s more their descendants! Furthermore, who in their right minds would make such a vicious joke!
Ling Tian’s face remained impassive and he looked towards Du Fei, saying, "As of now, the name Du Fei is no more. Your new name shall now be Ling Jian! Surname Ling from the Ling family, and Jian meaning the sword! Do you understand? From today onwards, you shall be a sword in my hand! The sharpest, most powerful sword!"
Du Fei, oh no, now Ling Jian, looked as though there were lights shooting out of his eyes as he replied, "Yes! Young Master, from today onwards, I shall be called Ling Jian! I shall be Young Master’s sharpest sword!"