Villains: Starting with the Landlady

Page 153

As luck would have it, just as Jiang finished treating the wound on her leg and reached the top of the stairs, she met Shi Gonghu's gaze from downstairs.

"The Jiang family!"

Shi Gonghu stood up, wishing he hadn't encountered Jiang Shi. After all, the Moon Worship Cult Leader was now forcing the Witch King with his people and had ordered the Witch Queen's arrest and imprisonment.

He was loyal, but he also knew that the Moon Worship Cult Leader wielded immense power, and that the Witch King could do nothing under the influence of public opinion.

Princess Zhao Ling'er escaped under the guidance of Jiang Shi. Helpless, the Witch King ordered him to bring Ling'er back.

"So it's Elder Shi. What, weren't you loyal to the Witch King? When did you become that Moon Worshipper's lackey?"

Shi Gonghu's face twitched. He sighed and said, "Jiang, hand over the princess and come back with me. I will plead with the Witch King and spare your lives..."

"Shi Gonghu, do you even believe what you're saying?" Jiang Shi said with a sneer. "What's the situation with the Black Miao tribe right now? The floods are devastating, and the people are suffering terribly. Ling'er and the Witch Queen are clearly being framed. If they go back, they'll just be killed as monsters!"

"I...I will plead with His Majesty the Witch King."

"Alright, let me tell you the truth, I've already sent Princess Ling'er away, so don't even think about it!"

Just as tensions were about to rise, Ling Yun said loudly, "I say, this is Bai Miao territory, after all. Do you Black Miao people want to arrest people here?"

Shi Gonghu looked at Ling Yun, a complete stranger to this young man. He stared at Ling Yun with his intact eyes, glanced at Aman beside him, and sneered, "What do we Black Miao people do have to do with a Han Chinese like you!"

Ling Yun didn't reply, but A Man stood up and said with a smile, "Oh my, since when have the elders of the Black Miao tribe been able to act like tyrants on our territory?"

Shi Gonghu's face showed anger. Although he had been relatively polite to Jiang Shi before, he had refrained from attacking her upon meeting her because they shared the same master. But he had no patience for the "ordinary" girl from the Bai Miao tribe.

However, with so many people around, he didn't want to make too much of a scene. He planned to first capture the girl as a minor punishment, and then interrogate Jiang about the princess's whereabouts.

He and the burly man behind him immediately rushed over, ready to attack.

Jiang was already prepared to come over, after all, the girl was speaking up for her, and if she got hurt while helping her, she wouldn't be able to get over her conscience.

Ling Yun glanced at Shi Gonghu who was rushing towards him, but didn't move. He simply raised a finger and sent a tiny sword aura flying over.

Shi Gonghu was taken aback and immediately drew his sword to defend himself, but the sword energy shattered his sword and pierced through his eyeball, causing blood to flow freely.

"Uh!"

Shi Gonghu covered his eyes in pain, his body trembling, blood flowing continuously from between his fingers, staring in terror at the young man who was drinking with his one remaining eye.

Ling Yun didn't even glance at him, and spoke to the terrified waiter beside him.

"Waiter, give me another two ounces of wine!"

Chapter 354 Returning to Yuhang

The waiter trembled and quickly turned back to refill Ling Yun's wine by two ounces. However, he no longer dared to look directly at Ling Yun and remained meek and submissive.

"Get lost. Even if I give you another ten years, you'll still be nothing but a piece of trash, not worth mentioning."

Ling Yun pulled A Man's little hand and made her sit down. The girl was still in shock and had not yet recovered. Although she guessed that Ling Yun had some strength, she did not expect it to be so exaggerated. He killed the elder of the Black Miao Clan of Nanzhao Kingdom without even moving!

The group of Black Miao people were naturally terrified and slunk away, clinging to Shi Gonghu's arm.

As soon as the group of Black Miao people left, Jiang hurriedly came down the stairs, and a little maid behind her also poked her head out and followed her down the stairs.

"Thank you so much, my benefactor!"

Jiang knelt down in front of Ling Yun with a thud. She was no match for Shi Gonghu. If Ling Yun hadn't intervened, not only would her life have been in danger, but Ling'er would have been taken away!

"Thank you so much, my benefactor! Thank you so much, Brother Ling!"

Little Ling'er followed suit. Ling Yun helped the two women up and smiled, "There's no need to be so polite. The Black Miao tribe is in chaos right now, and the culprits behind all this will be punished!"

Jiang looked at Ling Yun with excitement. The strength he displayed was quite terrifying, and perhaps there was really hope to rescue Lin Qing'er from the prison.

Have you decided where you'll go next?

Upon hearing Lingyun's question, Madam Jiang glanced at Ling'er, patted her little head, and decided not to lie to Lingyun: "To tell you the truth, we plan to escape to an old friend's island, but this journey... this journey is long and we may encounter many dangers."

"It's alright, I have my own way of escorting you away. Just tell me which city to go to."

"Yuhang Town".

Later that evening, Xiao Ling'er and Jiang Shi went back to their room to rest. Ling Yun gave Jiang Shi some ointment and told her to apply it herself to heal her injuries. He would take them away early the next morning.

Lin Qing'er is capable of protecting herself. Her imprisonment is merely a temporary measure; she doesn't want to openly oppose the rulers and people of Nanzhao, as she needs to conserve her strength to deal with the Water Demon Beast. The Moon Worship Cult Leader's strength is only mediocre; his power lies in his sect and his ability to bewitch people. In a real fight, he's no match for Lin Qing'er, and the Witch Queen doesn't know what level the Moon Worship Cult Leader will reach in the future.

Aman took Lingyun back to his residence. Due to the recent turmoil, the inns were mostly full, so Lingyun gave his room to Ling'er and Jiang Shi. He was now homeless.

However, Ah Man was worried that her clan chief mother would blame her for secretly bringing a man to her home late at night, so she did it secretly without alerting anyone.

Upon arriving at Aman's room, the girl quickly ran to the bedside and looked at her daughter Anu, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

Ling Yun walked behind her, looked down at the little girl's peaceful sleeping face, and glimpsed her future beauty from her current appearance.

"Isn't my daughter adorable?"

Ah Man's face radiated a maternal glow, a sight completely different from her usual demeanor.

Ling Yun nodded, reached out and gently pinched Anu's little cheek. The little girl pouted in her sleep, but did not wake up.

"Oh dear, don't scare her!" Aman grabbed his arm and said in a hoarse voice, "If she wakes up and starts crying, my mother will know you're here, and then we won't be able to explain!"

"Explanation? Explain what?"

"She...she'll definitely say I'm brave, that I dared to secretly bring a random man home!"

"Ah."

Ling Yun chuckled softly, wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind, and whispered in her ear, "Isn't that right?"

Aman's body stiffened slightly, her earlobes turned bright red, and she stammered, "Lingyun, this... this isn't right..."

"It's fine, I think it's great."

The young man's lips curled slightly as he glanced at little Anu on the bed again: "Don't worry, I won't wake little Anu."

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Early the next morning, Lingyun bid farewell to Aman and flew into the sky on his sword with Jiang Shi and Ling'er.

Although Miao territory is quite far from Yuhang Town, Lingyun flew at a speed almost as fast as an airplane, and it only took a few hours to bring the two of them to Yuhang Town.

The group landed at the dock. A thick fog had rolled in at sea, so they went unnoticed by the others.

Jiang cast a spell, and before long, a boat sailed onto the river. Several women were on board, and the one leading them was none other than the Palace Mistress of Lingyue Palace.

"This old woman greets the Palace Master!"

Jiang bowed slightly to the Palace Master of Lingyue Palace, who nodded and then suddenly looked at Lingyun and said, "You are not from this realm."

Her voice was ethereal and serene, very pleasant to the ear; at least Ling Yun felt comfortable listening to it.

Little Ling'er looked at Ling Yun with some confusion, while the young man chuckled and said, "As expected, you cultivators can naturally see things. Yes, I am not from this time and space, but more than ten years in the future."

"More than ten years later?" Jiang Shi, who was about to step onto the boat, pulled her foot back.

Ling Yun squatted down, cupped Zhao Ling'er's head with his hand, and used his mental control to seal away her memory of meeting him. Ling'er fell into a deep sleep under his power.

"It's not good to let her know these things too early, as it will affect her cultivation path." Ling Yun handed the girl in his arms to Jiang Shi. "We will meet again in the future, but I'm afraid I won't know you then."

Jiang stared blankly at Ling Yun. She still couldn't quite accept this fact, but since she heard it from Ling Yun, she could only believe it for the time being.

“Cultivating immortality… is nothing more than the desire to gain the approval of the Divine Court and ascend to the Divine Realm.” Ling Yun stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the sky obscured by countless clouds and mist. “You only have this one skill, taking care of Nuwa’s descendants, which undoubtedly involves karma. The Divine Court will absolutely not accept you, and may even… cause your death in the near future.”

"This is my promise to Lin Qing'er; I will take care of her daughter."

The Palace Master of Lingyue Palace stood by the ship, gazing at the calm sea: "Even if I die and my soul dissipates in the end, it will be my own choice."

Ling Yun didn't say anything more. For someone with a firm Dao heart and a death wish, no amount of eloquence could stop her determination.

"My benefactor, are you leaving?"

Jiang looked at Lingyun, who had stepped onto the flying sword again, and then glanced at Ling'er in her arms.

"Yes, you will be safe on the island for more than ten years. I need to rush back to Nanzhao to save Ling'er's mother."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang breathed a sigh of relief and followed Palace Mistress Lingyue as Lingyun disappeared into the thick fog.

Chapter 355 The Chaos in Nanzhao

Ling Yun did not leave immediately, but instead returned to the Yuhang Inn.

He changed his clothes. Although he hadn't fully learned the art of disguise from A'Zhu, with a little makeup, he could make sure that outsiders couldn't recognize his true appearance.

After he entered the inn, he saw a familiar woman in addition to the other guests.

Sun Lan.

Aunt Li is still as young and beautiful as ever, but she lacks a bit of mature charm, which slightly diminishes her appeal in Ling Yun's eyes.

However, he didn't go up to greet them. He just quietly ordered some food and ate while looking around the inn.

Finally, he found a small box in a storage room upstairs, and inside the box was the Water Spirit Orb he was looking for!

The game doesn't explicitly describe the deaths of Li Xiaoyao's parents. The most likely explanation, according to many players, is that while they were stealing the sacred Water Spirit Orb and other items in the Nanzhao Kingdom, they were poisoned by the Miao people and ultimately died from their injuries.

Regardless of the specifics of the truth, the Water Spirit Orb has undeniably appeared here.

As for the little Lingyun in this timeline... Xiao Na explained that Lingyun's existence is unique. Only one Lingyun can exist in the same timeline. If Lingyun continues to live here until Nuwa's energy expires and forcibly teleports him back, the little Lingyun will be in a state of infinite "disappearance," and others will not find it strange because they will say things like "he went to play somewhere mischievous."

However, Nuwa's abilities also have certain limitations, namely that Lingyun cannot significantly modify the people and things he has come into contact with more than ten years later.

For example, he couldn't directly kill Shi Gonghu, nor could he forcibly take Sun Lan's body here, as this would go against the future. Although Nuwa's power could send him back, it couldn't alter cause and effect. If he did, he would be forcibly returned to the future a second before the event occurred.

However, the people and things he hasn't encountered yet in the future can be changed.

He could rush to the Nanzhao Kingdom right now and kill the Water Demon Beast, Baiyue, and the Witch King, because he hadn't seen these people in the future. When he returned, he might find that the so-called Baiyue Cult Leader was just someone with decent strength who had taken over the reins of the Baiyue Cult, and was no longer the original Baiyue.

"What if someone gets angry with me? Am I supposed to just put up with it?"

[Hehe, Master, if anyone dares to do that, Xiao Na will help you!]

Ling Yun nodded. Taking advantage of the fact that the others were not paying attention, he turned into a phantom and ran to the storage room, where he put the box containing the Water Spirit Orb into his spatial storage.

He didn't go to acknowledge Sun Lan, but after returning to the future and resolving this matter, he would have a proper discussion with her.

The young man flew on his sword at Shili Slope and headed towards the Nanzhao Kingdom.

This is the territory of the Black Miao people, and now there is a flood, turning the entire Nanzhao Kingdom into a vast expanse of water.

Ling Yun casually killed a Black Miao soldier, changed into his clothes, and sneaked into the palace.

At this moment, tensions were running high in the royal palace. The Witch King sat alone on his throne, facing a group of soldiers and followers led by Bai Yue, who were forcing him to execute Lin Qing'er, who was in prison.

Ling Yun glanced at the cowardly and incompetent witch king, then turned around and had a "friendly" chat with his underlings. He first went to a side hall, changed his clothes, and then found the prison where Lin Qing'er was being held.

Hearing the cries of the guards, Lin Qing'er, gripping the bars in her cell, looked outside and met Ling Yun's gaze as he approached.

Name: Lin Qing'er

Age: 22, ☆

[Value: 164, D]

[Rating: 97]

Combat Strength: A- (SS)

[Affection: Falling in Love (Natural Affinity Up+)]

When Lin Qing'er saw Ling Yun, she felt dazed and momentarily forgot that staring at a stranger was impolite.

"The Witch Queen?"

It was Ling Yun who brought her back to her senses. Lin Qing'er immediately lowered her eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Ling Yun. I have been entrusted by someone to come here to rescue the Witch Queen."

"I...I was tricked by Baiyue and the Witch King, and most of my magic power is sealed in the Heavenly Serpent Staff. If you can help me find it..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ling Yun took a bright green staff from his spatial storage and handed it to her.

No wonder Lin Qing'er didn't escape on her own initiative. Ling Yun had almost forgotten about this incident, and only remembered it after arriving at the palace. He went to the side hall and found the Heavenly Serpent Staff.

After receiving the Heavenly Serpent Staff from Ling Yun, Lin Qing'er unleashed a powerful burst of energy, shattering the iron fence in front of her. However, her strength only recovered to S-rank.

"Your Majesty, the most urgent matter right now is to deal with the Water Demon Beast, isn't it?"