Me and countless me.

Chapter 509 A Heart of Doubt

Li Ke's back was instantly covered in cold sweat, because the moment he heard the name Duan Yu, he immediately had an unusually reasonable explanation for the feeling of kinship he had with Duan Yu!

"Mom...could it be that you..."

Thinking of his late father, the Duke, and his will that required him to marry a woman from his own clan, and the fact that the Emperor had even granted such an outrageous request, large beads of sweat streamed down his forehead!
It wasn't that he didn't trust his mother, but rather that in the novel *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, Duan Yu's adoptive father, Prince Duan, was renowned for his infidelity and womanizing, a fact well-known to all. Moreover, Prince Duan had frequently visited the Central Plains in his youth, so it was quite normal for him to have an affair with his mother...

"It's normal!"

Covering his forehead, Li Ke tried to calm himself down. Firstly, he was much older than Duan Yu. Duan Zhengchun should have just debuted at that time, so there was no reason why he would have the ability to win over his princess mother.

Secondly, a dignified Duke would not take advantage of a situation, and even if he did, his dead father did not take any concubines or anything like that. Surely he would have at least one illegitimate child?
The more Li Ke thought about it, the more cold sweat he broke out in. It wasn't that he was so greedy for the position of Duke; after all, if his father really died of anger because of this matter, how would Li Ke face himself? How would he face his uncles who had doted on him all these years? And his father who had taken such good care of him when he was young?
However, he felt he still needed to trust his mother, since it might be a misunderstanding, or perhaps his sexual orientation really was problematic!

But, but, but...

"Really not?"

Looking at Duan Yu, whom he felt a deep sense of familiarity with, Li Ke still couldn't be sure about the matter; he was absolutely not sure.

"No, should I go home and ask my mom or Duan Zhengchun? Or should I keep it a secret?"

At this moment, Li Ke's inner emotions were in complete turmoil, to the point where he was speechless. When Duan Yu saw the cold sweat on Li Ke's forehead and his face turn pale, he thought that Li Ke had discovered his identity. In addition, he suddenly remembered that he had seemed a little too eager just now, and was afraid that he had been misunderstood. So he smiled awkwardly.

"Please rest assured, young master, I was just out for a stroll. I felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing you, and I had no other intentions."

Li Ke glanced at Duan Yu, who seemed to know nothing, and felt a mix of emotions. If it were true, Duan Yu's situation would become quite awkward once the matter was exposed. After all, he was the son of the former Crown Prince Duan Yanqing, and if Li Ke, the legitimate son of Duan Zhengchun, appeared, Duan Yu's situation would be extremely awkward!
But as soon as Li Ke thought about this, she slapped her forehead again to calm herself down.

"No...when did I start to feel like I was Duan Zhengchun's son?"

Seeing that Li Ke remained silent, Duan Yu became increasingly embarrassed, so he tentatively spoke up.

"Excuse me, sir, are you also planning to visit Wuliang Mountain to enjoy the scenery?"

He was just making conversation for no reason. Under normal circumstances, he would have left by now. But just looking at the young master in front of him, he felt an unparalleled sense of closeness, as if he had met the most intimate person in the world. Therefore, he was somewhat reluctant to part with Li Ke and wanted to exchange names and sleep side by side with him.

It wasn't that he was interested in Li Ke's past, but rather that he felt that if he could make a friend like Li Ke, his life would be worthwhile.

Li Ke couldn't help but look Duan Yu up and down. Although he felt that his mother's reputation was guaranteed, well, how should he put it?

What if something unexpected happens? What if I really am Duan Zhengchun's son? Then wouldn't Zhong Ling and the like be my sisters? Thinking about it this way, my sister actually married Duan Yu, this guy who's a bit of a sycophant. Wouldn't that be heartbreaking? Wouldn't that be a terrible thing?
Although Duan Yu was a very good person, Li Ke was still somewhat unhappy. After all, Duan Yu's true love was the jade statue at the foot of Wuliang Mountain, not someone like Wang Yuyan or Zhong Ling.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Ke coughed lightly and spoke in a slightly dry voice.

"So... right?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Yu was overjoyed and instinctively grabbed Li Ke's hand, his face beaming with delight.

"Would you like to stroll with me, brother? To be honest, I feel an instant connection with you, as if we were brothers since birth. And I think you feel the same way about me! Isn't that right?"

His intuition was very reliable, because he saw the struggle in Li Ke's eyes, the struggle of doubting whether he was having homosexual relations. But Duan Yu was upright and honest, so there was no way he could have such a problem. Therefore, they must be destined friends and brothers!

"alright."

Li Ke sighed. He thought it over and over and realized that if he were Duan Zhengchun's son, then if he didn't take some precautions, his sister would fall in love with Duan Yu and suffer the pain of love. But if he wasn't Duan Zhengchun's son, it would just be a trip to Wuliang Mountain, which wouldn't take much time, and he would also be able to get a glimpse of the Beiming Divine Skill.

Although Li Ke had already created countless similar techniques, he still wanted to see the original version of the Northern Darkness Divine Art, hoping it might provide some inspiration.

Anyway, I don't want to see Li Qiushui and the others make a big fuss!
"However, Brother Duan, please wait a moment. I have some business to attend to at the bank, so please rest here for the time being."

Li Ke pointed to the money shop in front of him, and Duan Yu immediately looked over. After seeing the sign of Li Ke's family's money shop, he laughed.

"So this is the money exchange. To be honest, my family has some connections with the owner of this money exchange, but my mother doesn't really like it."

Upon hearing Duan Yu's words, Li Ke's trust in his mother wavered somewhat, but he still went to the money exchange with a stiff upper lip. He didn't withdraw much money, but instead had someone take him into the gold and silver vaults to look around, and then took out some gold.

Upon entering the gold and silver vaults, he immediately absorbed a considerable amount of worldly power. Without hesitation, he used it to enhance his five senses and physique, resulting in a qualitative leap in his physical abilities. Unfortunately, the silver and gold in these vaults were not in high demand, so worldly power was less valuable than copper coins and modern banknotes.

As for buying League of Legends equipment with gold, Li Ke wasn't in a hurry. After all, it would cost hundreds of gold coins at a time. It would be more convenient for him after he returned to Bianliang, where the banks required gold and silver as collateral for transactions, making it harder to extract them.

Fortunately, the worldly power provided by the money shop also gave him the ability to protect himself, so he didn't have to worry about being easily killed by some low-level guys.

Therefore, with this in mind, he poured all the remaining worldly power into the Star River Martial Scripture, so that this manual full of affection would not be easily discarded. Then he left the money shop and came to Duan Yu, who was holding a copy of the Book of Changes.

"Young Master Duan, everything here is finished, and we can set off now."

Upon seeing Duan Yu again, Li Ke had calmed down. After all, he was an adult and could control his emotions well.

When Duan Yu saw that Li Ke had calmed down, he also smiled.

"Then, brother, can you tell me your name now?" Li Ke hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"My name is Li Ke, and like Young Master Duan, I have come to Wuliang Mountain for a spring outing."

Duan Yu didn't think too much about it and smiled with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Then I will call you Brother Li. Come on, Brother Li, I have a lot to say to you."

As he spoke, Duan Yu grabbed Li Ke's sleeve and eagerly began to tell her about various things. He talked about the conflicts between his parents, how he didn't want to learn martial arts but was forced to by his family, and where he wanted to go and see the scenery after escaping.

Even after they arrived at Wuliang Mountain, Duan Yu continued to talk incessantly, which made Li Ke feel admiring.

However, at this moment, Wuliang Mountain was also blocked by several disciples wielding sharp swords. The moment they saw Li Ke and Duan Yu arriving with their men, they drew their swords and shouted loudly.

"The Wuliang Sword Sect is ahead! Halt!"

These disciples were not polite at all, and it seemed that if they didn't leave immediately, they would draw their swords and attack. Li Ke frowned as he watched, and Duan Yu was also quite annoyed, so he directly questioned them.

"We are just travelers who came to Wuliang Mountain to collect folk songs and paintings. Are you going to stop us?"

However, the disciples of the Wuliang Sword Sect showed no mercy and directly drew their swords.

"Enough with the nonsense! Today is the grand competition of our Wuliang Sword Sect. Someone as insignificant as you would be better off leaving now!"

Duan Yu was startled by the sharp sword thrust in front of him and quickly retreated several steps, looking quite disheveled. Li Ke, on the other hand, couldn't remember how Duan Yu had climbed the mountain in the original story. But just as he put away his folding fan and was about to say something, he noticed that many green snakes had appeared by the roadside at some point.

Li Ke instinctively shielded Duan Yu behind him, then gently swayed his folding fan, creating gusts of wind that protected Duan Yu and his entourage.

But the disciples of the Wuliang Sword Sect were not so lucky. Almost instantly, they were all bitten by venomous snakes and fell to the ground screaming in agony.

"It's the Shennong Gang!"

Those who knew their stuff shouted out, followed by screams of agony. It turned out that the Shennong Gang disciples didn't care whether they were from the Wuliang Sword Sect or not, and launched a coordinated attack, employing an indiscriminate assault.

Li Ke frowned slightly, because the snakes couldn't get close to him, and several Shennong Gang disciples rushed towards him with weapons.

So he stopped being polite, waved his folding fan, his true energy surged, and the Star River Martial Scripture immediately circulated smoothly, with surging internal energy flowing continuously and gathering on the folding fan in his hand.

"Have all of you Shennong Gang members gone mad?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ke suddenly shook his folding fan, creating a gust of wind. This gust of wind contained thirteen hidden forces of energy, which instantly pierced through the weapons in the hands of the Shennong Gang disciples who were rushing over, knocking their weapons away and knocking them to the ground!
Such an astonishing move not only shocked the many martial arts figures present, but also puzzled Li Ke, because according to Li Ke's experience in Campus Apocalypse, even if he had strengthened the Star River Martial Scripture, there was no way it could be so powerful.

He had intended to knock the weapons out of those people's hands, but instead, he sent them flying more than three meters away. This was completely unusual. A scream came from the mountaintop, followed by a furious roar.

"Grab this little brat! Make her hand over the antidote!"

With that sound, a girl dressed in a blue robe, holding a mink in her hand, darted out from the mountain gate with a playful laugh, sticking out her tongue at the crowd chasing after her.

"Ha! Serves you right for looking down on me! Weasel, bite them!"

This woman was exceptionally beautiful and youthful, with a lively and charming demeanor in every smile and gesture. If there were no surprises, she should be the daughter of Duan Zhengchun and another man's wife, and thus Duan Yu's cousin, Zhong Ling.

The moment Li Ke saw the woman, looking at her beautiful face, he felt an instant sense of goodwill and warmth. Duan Yu, standing beside him, spoke up when Li Ke realized this.

"Why does this woman remind me of you, Brother Li? Just looking at her makes me feel familiar and close to her?"

Li Ke fell silent. He truly didn't want to be Duan Zhengchun's child, but at this moment, although he didn't feel the same strong sense of closeness as he did with Duan Yu, he did indeed feel a strong liking for what should be Zhong Ling...

This……

In a daze, Li Ke saw the Shennong Gang disciples scream in pain after being bitten by the weasel. Without hesitation, he pulled out a handful of hidden weapons and threw them directly at the girl.

The girl was no match for the barrage of hidden weapons, and in an instant, her expression turned panicked.

Upon seeing this, Li Ke's body moved even faster than his reaction. He arrived in front of the woman almost instantly, his hand skillfully placing itself on the girl's waist and pulling her into his arms. Then, he swung his folding fan sharply, sending out another gust of wind. The countless hidden weapons flew backward, instead piercing the Shennong Gang disciple.

Amidst screams, the girl stared blankly into Li Ke's bright, star-like eyes, her cheeks flushing rapidly. However, she did not move away, for just looking at Li Ke's face and graceful figure, she felt an instant connection with him.

Especially when Li Ke waved his folding fan, faint starlight fell, further highlighting his exquisite face and making it appear dreamlike, as if the girl were in a dream.

So, she looked at Li Ke and spoke in a murmured tone.

Why do I feel so close to you, brother? Zhong Ling, haven't I seen you somewhere before?

Li Ke: "…………"

Li Ke didn't really want to answer the question, because he himself wanted to know the answer!
(End of this chapter)