Chapter 232: Unbearable Anger, Hidden Enemies Arrive
After a brief moment of tenderness, Cheng Yishi quickly pulled away from the embrace, a blush lingering on her pretty face. “There are other people in this private room… Eh?”
She blinked in surprise, looking at the now empty dining table. “Miss Yang, she just now—”
“She’s already left.”
Lin Tianlu said with a strange expression. “Perhaps she didn’t want to disturb us? However, I’m curious why Miss Yang would appear in Changling County.”
“It’s a long story. I’ll explain it to you properly later, Tianlu.”
Cheng Yishi then looked at the recently closed secret door. “Also, the people from Golden Phoenix Tower and Manager Ji helped us today out of goodwill.”
Creak
The secret door was pushed open a crack, and Manager Ji could be seen cautiously peering inside.
After spotting Lin Tianlu, he immediately opened the door with a delighted expression. “Mr. Lin!”
“Manager Ji, it’s been a while.”
Lin Tianlu smiled and cupped his hands. “Judging by the bustling scene inside and outside Ascension Immortal Restaurant today, business is booming!”
“Mr. Lin, today…”
“About today’s incident, I must apologize to you, Manager Ji.”
Lin Tianlu showed a hint of apology. “I accidentally damaged the wall. Such a large dent will likely require a considerable sum to repair. I’ll deliver the compensation in full later.”
“Absolutely not!” Manager Ji quickly waved his hands. “I couldn’t be of any help during today’s incident, and I’m already deeply ashamed. How could I accept any payment?”
“We’re neighbors. There’s no need to be so polite.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled. “As for Miss Cheng and myself, we’ll be heading back now. Ascension Immortal Restaurant is so busy, Manager Ji, you should focus on attending to your guests. We won’t disturb you any further. Lest we cause any more unexpected trouble and disrupt your thriving business.”
“This…”
Manager Ji was quick-witted. Just by glancing at the mess in the private room, he had already guessed most of what had happened. He quickly nodded with a serious expression. “Mr. Lin, please feel free to return home. I’ll take care of the aftermath here and try my best to prevent the incident from spreading within the county.”
“Thank you. If you encounter any difficulties, Manager Ji, please don’t hesitate to speak. I will certainly offer my assistance in return.”
After a hurried farewell, they quickly left Ascension Immortal Restaurant.
However, after getting into the carriage, the accompanying young maidservant was clearly still dazed and bewildered, as if she hadn’t woken up from a dream.
What happened today was…
Truly beyond her comprehension as an ordinary person.
…
Inside the Cheng residence courtyard.
The young maidservant, her face filled with complex emotions, brought over a teapot and poured tea for Lin Tianlu, who had just taken a seat.
Seeing her hands trembling slightly, Lin Tianlu couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s rare to see you so frightened.”
“Master did such a ‘feat.’ I’m just an ordinary servant, naturally scared witless.”
The maidservant pouted, her face pale. “Although no one outside noticed, he’s still a member of the imperial family, and Master sent him flying with a single punch… It might have been momentarily satisfying, but if he comes back later to seek retribution, we’ll all be in trouble.”
Seeing her trembling pitifully, Lin Tianlu teased, “Since you know the Cheng residence is in danger, why didn’t you take the opportunity to escape?”
“If something really happened to Miss, how could I live on alone…”
The maidservant mumbled dejectedly. “Naturally, I can only accompany Miss and Master to the underworld.”
“Is that so?”
“It… Eh?”
She blinked her lively eyes.
After a moment of silence, the maidservant revealed a disinterested expression. “Master, you’re deliberately teasing me, aren’t you?”
Lin Tianlu took a sip of tea. “I’ve more or less seen through your thoughts. Although you were initially shocked and bewildered, you’ve already calmed down and are deliberately pretending to be afraid in front of me.”
He chuckled. “Are you trying to get me to comfort you?”
“I just wanted to emphasize Master’s bravery and might.”
The maidservant’s initially calm expression gradually showed a hint of admiration. “After all, Master’s punch earlier… was truly satisfying to me.”
She clenched her small fist and shook it, humming softly. “That Pei Yan, always pretending to be gentle and refined, is truly unpleasant. Even though I’ve hinted and driven him away many times, he still shamelessly comes here. If it weren’t for his noble status, I would have wanted to punch him myself and teach him a lesson about his nauseating way of speaking.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled awkwardly.
He didn’t expect this little maidservant to be quite violent.
“However, Master, do you really not regret hitting Pei Yan?”
The maidservant’s indignation subsided, and she murmured, “Although I know, more or less, that Master possesses extraordinary abilities and is quite remarkable, Pei Yan is still from a powerful family. That one punch… I’m afraid the dangers that follow will be endless.”
“If I saw my beloved being teased and harassed by someone else, which man would just stand by and do nothing?”
Lin Tianlu shrugged. “As for any retaliation, I will naturally deal with it one by one.”
The maidservant looked at him approvingly, smiling sweetly. “Master is truly masculine, even braver than I imagined.”
“There’s no need for such flattery. How much of it is true and how much is false, only you know.”
Lin Tianlu chuckled.
The maidservant was about to say something more, but she cocked her head and quickly excused herself. “Master, I’ll take my leave. Please spend some quality time with Miss. If you need anything, just call the other servants.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly turned and left.
At the same time, Cheng Yishi’s graceful figure appeared from around the corner of the corridor, walking towards them gracefully. She glanced curiously at the departing maidservant.
“Did that girl say something strange to you again, Tianlu?”
“Just some idle chatter.”
Lin Tianlu turned to look at the beautiful young woman approaching him. She had already taken off her formal outer robe and changed into a vibrant, youthful high-waisted ruqun. The embroidered dark blue fabric, cinched at the waist and draped over her shoulders, accentuated her slender figure. The slightly exposed fair skin shimmered like jade, flawless and radiant like exquisite porcelain.
“I know her personality well enough. She definitely couldn’t keep her mouth shut…”
Cheng Yishi gently stroked the braid falling over her chest, her eyes flickering. “Where are Madam Mao and the others now?”
“I sensed that there might be some trouble here, so I set off ahead of time.” Lin Tianlu smiled. “As for now, they should be cleaning up the house. After all, they’ve been away for nearly half a month. However, they might have heard some rumors on their way home and are probably worried. I’ll have to go back and reassure them later.”
“It seems we’ve caused you some trouble.”
The young woman sighed softly.
Lin Tianlu put down his teacup and asked curiously, “Tell me, what has happened these past few days? And why is Miss Yang staying in Changling?”
“It’s a bit of a long story.”
Cheng Yishi pondered for a moment, then replied, “The reason Miss Yang is here is probably because of you, Tianlu. She seems to be very curious and concerned about your identity, so she’s staying here to observe from afar. The reason she accompanied me today is because she discovered Pei Yan and the others plotting something in secret, so she wanted to protect me.”
Miss Yang is so kind and thoughtful?
Lin Tianlu was slightly surprised.
“If it weren’t for Miss Yang’s presence in Changling, secretly helping me out of dangerous situations time and again, I would have had a hard time dealing with Pei Yan’s harassment on my own.”
Cheng Yishi spoke calmly. “Thanks to her investigations, I’m absolutely certain that Pei Yan has malicious intentions.”
It seems I really must find Miss Yang tomorrow and thank her personally.
Lin Tianlu thought to himself.
“However, what were your plans earlier, Yishi?”
“Seeing him secretly engaging in shady activities in Changling, I wanted to uncover his plot.”
Cheng Yishi frowned slightly and said in a low voice, “Moreover, he repeatedly spoke frivolously, completely disregarding your existence, Tianlu. Naturally, I was angry and wanted to set a trap to toy with him and let him know how foolish his actions were. If I could have him killed, that would be even better!”
As she spoke, a chilling killing intent flashed in the usually elegant young woman’s eyes, her eyes turning crimson.
“To have him, a prince, humiliated and disgraced in front of countless commoners and martial artists, betrayed by everyone, and finally die in despair… I really wanted to witness such a scene with my own eyes, and then chop him into pieces with an axe, crush all the bones in his body, and let him taste pain and regret—”
Lin Tianlu’s eyes twitched, his smile stiffening.
His Cheng Yishi…
Seemed even angrier than he imagined.
He hadn’t noticed it from her calm and composed demeanor earlier, but she had been harboring such anger and humiliation in her heart. This murderous aura, as if she wanted to devour Pei Yan alive, was truly frightening. Anyone else who saw it would be terrified.
“Ah.”
At this moment, Cheng Yishi seemed to realize her loss of composure. Her furious expression faltered, and the bloody murderous aura surrounding her instantly dissipated as if it had never existed. She was once again the dignified young mistress that could captivate anyone.
Then, she quickly raised her sleeve to cover her lips, her cheeks slightly flushed. “I lost control for a moment, Tianlu, and let you hear some strange things.”
“It’s alright. It’s good to vent your frustrations. Keeping it bottled up inside is not good for you.”
Lin Tianlu smiled apologetically again. “Moreover, your unwavering devotion makes me feel guilty. It was wrong of me to leave you alone in Changling to wait.”
“I-it’s alright. I didn’t take it too seriously.”
The corners of Cheng Yishi’s lips curled up in joy as she recalled the scene at the restaurant, a warmth spreading through her chest. “I’m already content with Tianlu’s affection.”
“You’re being too humble, Yishi.” Lin Tianlu reached out and gently caressed her smooth shoulder. “If you have any worries or frustrations in the future, just tell me openly.”
“…Mm.”
The young woman composed herself and asked with concern, “However, Tianlu, do you have a plan to deal with the current situation? Although Pei Yan and the others’ cultivation is no match for yours, they seem to be concocting some mysterious rituals in secret. And from the intelligence gathered, not only will more martial artists arrive, but even some… ‘important figures’ are coming. By then, Changling County will inevitably become more chaotic, with various factions involved.”
After a moment of contemplation, she continued, “Now that we’ve made an enemy of Pei Yan and the others, even if they restrain themselves for a few days, after a while, they might—”
“I understand.”
Lin Tianlu nodded seriously. “I could tell something about the Prince’s character just by looking at his face. He must be very good at hiding his true intentions. On the surface, he might continue to greet us with a smile, but behind our backs, he will definitely resort to some underhanded methods to ‘repay’ the humiliation he suffered today a hundredfold.”
Cheng Yishi looked puzzled. “Then why did Tianlu only give him a verbal warning and let him go?”
Letting the tiger return to the mountain was indeed fraught with danger.
“—Judging by the time, it should be about time.”
However, Lin Tianlu looked up at the sky and smiled meaningfully. “If a conflict had truly broken out earlier, I was worried that innocent guests in the restaurant would be caught in the crossfire. If there really are powerful figures lurking in the shadows, I might not be able to protect all of you, including Yishi. So I let Pei Yan and his group return to their residence, saving us a lot of trouble. As for now… I’ll just spend a little time and pay them another visit.”
Cheng Yishi suddenly understood. After a moment of thought, she took a stack of documents from her sleeve. “Tianlu, please take this with you.”
Lin Tianlu’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the documents. He quickly took them, smiled, and stood up. “Yishi, please wait here for a while. I’ll be back soon.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure turned into an afterimage and gradually disappeared.
…
At that very moment, inside the Pei residence.
“—Bah!”
Pei Yan, his face bruised and swollen, spat out a mouthful of blood. With a grim expression, he circulated his Qi to heal his injuries.
His gaze, sharp as a predator’s, slowly swept across the guards kneeling on the floor of the main hall. “You useless bunch of trash!”
“…”
The guards remained silent, their faces covered in cold sweat.
As his personal guards, they had watched helplessly as their master was sent flying with a single punch. They couldn’t have been more derelict in their duty.
Several elders sat on both sides of the hall with grave expressions. Recalling the previous incident, their faces grew even uglier.
“My, Pei Yan’s, guards are actually this useless bunch of trash. This is utterly humiliating!” Pei Yan flung his sleeve and roared, “Someone! Drag these good-for-nothing pieces of garbage out and execute them!”
“—Prince Pei, why so angry?”
A slightly amused voice suddenly echoed through the hall.
Pei Yan’s cold gaze abruptly shifted towards the door, where a handsome young man with a wicked smile was strolling in, fanning himself.
“Could it be that you suffered a setback at the hands of Miss Cheng?”
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