Chapter 219: Relying on Chance
Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock
At this instant, Wei XuanXuan only felt the sinister pressure surrounding her suddenly dissipate into nothing, with the early summer air warming her up once more! As Ling Jian bent over and took her by the arm, supporting her up, she had the intention to struggle free, but her body seemed bereft of energy! It was likely that if Ling Jian let go of her, she would probably fall back down. Left without an alternative, she could only lean on him with a reddened face.
It seemed as though the streets had resumed their bustling activity, with shouts and hawking filling her ears. This gave her a huge shock, as she realized that under the pressure exerted by the two men earlier, it had actually blocked out all sound from her!
With his left hand supporting Wei XuanXuan, Ling Jian remained ramrod straight. Even though his right hand looked relaxed without any tensed muscles in it, Ye BaiFei was certain that this was a form of absolute preparation. Ling Jian’s sword nestled on his right hip was placed in an ingenious position that wouldn't only allow him to draw it in the quickest time possible, but also to allow complete protection of himself while he did so! With a method to advance or retreat, there was no risk at all for him!
Of course, only experts at least at the level of ye BaiFei would be able to see through this profound sword draw skill; if a martial artist of a lower grade were to face off against Ling Jian, without seeing his position and blindly attacking, chances are he would be killed in a split second!
The eyes of Ye BaiFei revealed a hint of praise as he relaxed his body, seemingly passing by Ling Jian without being on guard at all! As their shoulders came in line, Ling Jian’s fingers twitched at the same time Ye BaiFei’s shoulder trembled; but both didn't act on it.
In a blink of an eye, Ye BaiFei’s eccentric appearance disappeared into the crowd behind Ling Jian, and not even his shadow could be seen. Only at this point did Ling Jian relax his taut senses, finding out that his palms were moist with cold sweat!
Just now, the two of them had already set down a time for a decisive battle, but at the instant they crossed shoulders, they both had the thought of silencing the other! Both were assassins, not martial artists who dueled for fun! Their only objective in life was to kill! If Ye BaiFei had really blindly believed the fact that Ling Jian wouldn't touch him until their duel and had walked over without any preparation, he would only be an ice cold corpse now!
Likewise, if Ling Jian had trusted Ye BaiFei unconditionally, the latter would have immediately jumped in for the kill! For Ling Jian who was supporting Wei XuanXuan and at a disadvantage, he would definitely be unable to escape!
At that intersection point, both of them went through many imagined scenarios of life and death! The subtly dangerous situation was hard to imagine and difficult to describe!
However, Ling Jian was unaware that when Ye BaiFei walked past him into the crowd, his forehead started to bead with cold sweat! That intense killing intent exuded by Ling Jian was as though he was one with the sword, a realm with Ye BaiFei had not even glimpsed yet! He secretly swore to himself, that if Ling Jian dared to appear for their duel, he had to hack him down, at the risk of revealing all his trump cards!
"You guys are enemies?" With a sense of lingering fear, Wei XuanXuan asked in a trembling voice, her eyes betraying her fright.
"Oh." This indifferent voice caused Wei XuanXuan to boil with so much anger that her previous fright was forgotten!
"Oh??!!"
What kind of answer was that? Is that a yes or a no? You might as well not answer!
You’re at most a servant of the Ling Family, to have such guts, who do you think you are?
The little Miss Wei suddenly felt a stomach-churning boiling anger, and furiously snorted before tugging her arm away from Ling Jian’s hand. Swatting her sleeve hatefully, she started walking again, without even bothering with the sedan!
Ling Jian’s gaze turned frosty, but he didn't speak, mutely following her from the back. Secretly, he was fuming to himself, Only a mere official’s daughter, what kind of princess problem are you having?! He couldn't help but sigh in admiration at Ling Tian’s ability to sit down with them day after day; it turns out that this was no easy task! Just who would be able to endure such a fickle princess temper? If it were him, he would have slapped them long ago!
With her anger fuelling her, Wei XuanXuan actually revealed a startling tenacity, walking all the way back to her house in high spirits! And she didn't even speak a word throughout the journey!
Based on his performance, Wei XuanXuan only had to look from the perspective of Yu BingYan to know that this black-robed ‘cool’ fellow was no ordinary servant in the Ling Family. He definitely had some important position as well as a strong backer, but looking at his icy cold face made her uncomfortable. This was only further exacerbated by his lack of willingness to speak, as though he had a mouth that would spew out gold every time he opened it. He looked as though he would never open his mouth for his entire life if he didn't need to speak, and coupled with a face that would repel people a mile away from him, he could totally pass as an undead vampire!
Wei XuanXuan had always been proud of her appearance. While it wasn't at the level of Ling Chen or Xiao YanXue, she could still be considered a great beauty. To think that this cold piece of wood actually seemed to ignore her beauty, treating her like a morning glory on the wall by the roadside! Even if he were to glance at her, there wouldn't be any change in his expression, as though he was looking at any Tom, Dick or Harry, or even worse, a stranger that had no relation with him! How infuriating!
Was this guy the reincarnation of a wooden block?
Darned blockhead!
Even his master Ling Tian didn't display such behavior at the palace when they had met for the first time. While he had a hint of a dismissive bearing, but he wore a happy expression and was refined and courteous! This black-robed guy looked as though he just didn't care! This aunt here is going to find a chance to give you a good lesson!
On her journey back, Wei XuanXuan’s mind was full of such vicious thoughts, scheming on how to make that jerk reveal a battered expression in front of her, or how to lead him on a merry-go-round. Her face switched from anger to glee constantly, to the point that she didn't realize that she had already reached her house’s door!
Turning back, she only noticed the slim black-robed figure already walking back from where they came from. His pace was steady and firm, with no intention of staying even a second longer! From start to finish, not only did he not speak a sentence to her, but he didn't even say goodbye after sending Wei XuanXuan back home!
It was at this moment that she recalled the fact that both of them didn't even exchange a sentence with each other throughout this whole journey, and hatefully thought, How could a mere servant from the Ling Family actually treat me in this manner! Her rage bubbled up once again, and Wei XuanXuan stomped her feet on the ground. By doing so, a wave of pain shot through her feet, immediately causing her to cry out in pain, with tears streaming down her cheeks. Because she had wanted to show her temper, the little lass had actually surpassed the limit her dainty feet could withstand on such a long journey! Her feet were probably all blistered now, thanks to that blockhead!
Gazing at the setting sun, Ling Tian softly spoke to Ling Chen, "It’s almost time, the skies are darkening."
While Ling Chen was proficient in reading his thoughts, she didn't understand Ling Tian’s meaning of ‘almost time’, and merely nodded her head in confusion, replying with an "En."
At this point, the two of them got down off their horses, and using their superior movement techniques, flew up to hide in a tree with lush leaves. Below them was a middle-sized courtyard, with statues as gatekeepers for an iron gate dotted with rust. From the dilapidated conditions, it seemed as though it had been abandoned a long time ago, yet with the couple’s extraordinary eyesight, they could see that the interior of the house was neatly arranged, even having a few teacups ready! Anyone looking from outside of the house would think that there was no one living here, but the white table in the courtyard from their vantage point was actually spotless and without dust! This completely went against common sense!
The only plausible scenario was that there was someone living here, and moreover had only recently gone out!
This place was precisely the abode of the assassin Ye BaiFei! Ling Tian had always felt that this person appeared with too opportune a timing, just when all heroes had gathered in Sky Bearing. To say that he came here to sightsee was an absolute lie!
Ye BaiFei was an assassin, and an outstanding one. To appear at such a sensitive time, his objectives could only be a few, and one of them was definitely to kill! If it was a normal day in Sky Bearing, Ling Tian wouldn't wish to provoke such a strong enemy. With Ye BaiFei’s current strength, although he wasn't Ling Tian’s match, there would definitely be organization backing him! Else, how would he be able to obtain such detailed intelligence reports on his assassination targets?
Assassins that were solitary and answered to no one only appeared in novels. Such people would have no way to exist in reality without strong support!
Accepting missions, finding the target, giving a time frame, performing reconnaissance… all the way up until the last part of killing the target, someone else was needed in the background to handle everything except for the actual killing. To have the assassin do everything on his own? Most likely, he wouldn't kill anyone, and only end up tiring himself to death! Even if he didn't die from fatigue, the lack of business would kill him!
Thus, while Ye BaiFei was not considered the strongest, he was definitely a top assassin. In his career, he had only failed once, which was the Yu Family’s Yu ManLou, as well as the Yu ManTian which obstructed him! However, while he had failed, he still escaped with all his limbs intact!
In this sensitive time, if Ye BaiFei planned to go about assassinating important characters at such a moment, it would definitely bring about chaos in the city. This is something that Ling Tian would never be able to tolerate as it would mess up his plans for sure!