Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 87 Ling Cang

It was afternoon.

on the street.

Ye Ci walked slowly, a metallic taste rising in her throat, but she kept her eyes downcast and didn't utter a word of resentment.

He was dressed in Huangguoshu clothing, while the latter was shirtless, waving his hands arrogantly as he spoke to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man, who called himself Ling Cang, had watched Murong Yanyu grow up since childhood. He considered himself her teacher, but regarded her as his own daughter.

So even though he was kicked by Huangguoshu, he didn't fight back.

He didn't even brush the dust off his chest in an attempt to express his apology.

He earnestly explained to Ye Ci, hoping to gain her understanding.

"If it weren't for my older brother, that girl would have been dead long ago. Even if she hadn't died, she would have been working hard in the village, and who knows, she might have married some lame old man."

"Now, she's my older brother's personal maid. She eats better than me, dresses better than me, and spends all her time reading all sorts of random novels. As a man, let's be frank, you're the teacher, you have to keep an eye on her, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause my older brother when she grows up."

"Even if you are a master and can defeat the sect leader of the prefectural city, I, Huang Guoshu, am not afraid of you, because I am going to become a martial saint."

Faced with the cacophony of Huangguoshu Waterfall, Ling Cang could only manage a wry smile.

Childlike mentality.

Ye Ci was secretly surprised.

Who would have thought that this person was actually the barbarian master who caused a commotion in the prefectural city?

The person who dared to come to the Great Qian alone, who regarded all the masters in the world as nothing, was actually Murong Yanyu's teacher.

Who is that girl?

A fallen nobleman?

Who would have thought that the little quail we picked up had such a background?

""

But—should we let Mumu go home?

Ye Ci is having a hard time deciding; let's see what she chooses!

The group returned to the Shen residence, where the servants looked at Huang Guoshu, who was shirtless, with rather strange expressions.

After passing through the winding corridors, you arrive at the bamboo grove. Following the path, the Listening Bamboo Pavilion comes into view.

Ling Cang inwardly scoffed; although this was a family in the county, their wealth was no less than that of the nobles of the barbarian kingdom.

The Great Qian Dynasty was truly prosperous.

Upon entering, Murong Yanyu was resting her chin on her hand, looking at the large pit in the courtyard with a worried expression. That pit was the osmanthus tree that Ye Ci had damaged, and it had already been moved away.

Hearing the noise, she immediately spotted Ye Ci, stood up, and complained.

"Young master, you've damaged the tree where we were taking shelter. Who knows when it will grow again if we plant another one?"

But as soon as she finished speaking, her eyes froze, and she quickly took a few steps to meet him.

"What's wrong with you?"

Her voice carried a hint of fear, and her gaze fell on Ye Ci's pale face. Her tone, which had just been somewhat complaining, suddenly became trembling.

"Something unexpected happened."

Ye Ci spoke softly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

This time, he took a serious look at Murong Yanyu. Apart from not being as fair-skinned as Shen Yixi, she already had the features of a pretty girl.

The little girl has grown up a bit, and her ruqun dress accentuates her narrow shoulders and slender waist. Her figure is graceful, and the slight movement of the skirt makes her legs appear even longer and more upright. Her eyebrows, eyes, and figure are all perfectly proportioned and beautiful.

Huang Guoshu peeked out from behind, shirtless, and indignantly complained: "Your Uncle Ling beat up my Brother Ye, even tore his clothes to shreds. Now he's wearing mine. Oh, and he even tried to stab him with a knife."

"Luckily, I was there. I kicked him so hard that he fell to the ground."

"Huh? Who?"

Murong Yanyu shifted her gaze from Ye Ci's face and then noticed the figure behind her.

Ling Cang looked at her and sighed, "Xiaoyu, I've been searching so hard for you. Your brother is almost obsessed; he just gained control of several armies and he's gone crazy trying to save you. He'll be so happy to know you're alright."

To outsiders, he was Murong Yanyu's teacher; to inside, the two were like family, and he addressed her as "uncle."

Upon seeing Ling Cang, Murong Yanyu froze, lowered her eyes, and carefully grasped Ye Ci's sleeve, her voice filled with a girlish stubbornness: "I don't want to go home."

After saying that, her eyes reddened, and large tears fell unexpectedly. Then she pulled Ye Ci into the inner room: "Young master, let's eat. The food is getting cold."

Ling Cang stood there, at a loss.

Throughout his life, he was decisive and ruthless, and he had never been so flustered, even when facing thousands of troops.

Unexpectedly, Xiaoyu didn't even call out to him, but instead held Ye Ci's hand tightly.

Looking more closely at Murong Yanyu, she had grown taller, her face was rosy, and she was dressed in fine silk, indicating that she was living a very good life.

Moreover, she clearly felt sorry for Ye Ci, but she didn't want to blame Ling Cang, so she simply ignored him.

So, this barbarian expert stood dumbfounded at the door, filled with remorse.

Thinking that he would have killed someone directly if it weren't for the fact that he was Yang Huaichuan's disciple, Ling Cang couldn't help but shudder.

They really killed Ye Ci.

I reckon Murong Yanyu will hate me for the rest of her life.

******

"The Righteous Army, the Peaceful Merchants Association, the Heavenly Mother Cult, and the Demonic Sect—I never imagined that Guangzhitang would be involved with four different forces—"

Watching the soldiers escort Feng Ji into the prison corridor, Commandant Chen Chuan couldn't help but sigh to Commandant Qin Lie.

It was already night.

The moonlight was as clear as if it had been washed.

Qin Lie stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed intently on the scene. He glanced indifferently at the Commandant Cheng and asked, "Have the testimonies of Feng Ji and Hu Yu been recorded?"

"Reporting to the Commandant, the recording is complete."

Chen Chuan nodded hurriedly and bowed to report: "Feng Ji is weak and quickly admitted that the fourth-ranked Heavenly King of the Great Righteous Army covets Songjiang County. He was arranged to work in the county to earn money for the Righteous Army and to gather information about the county."

"In addition, the Taiping Chamber of Commerce has business dealings with rebel armies in various places, providing them with money and supplies and supporting rebels. This is a big matter, and I'm afraid it's beyond our ability to handle."

"The Heavenly Mother Sect has a cooperative relationship with them. These people have been secretly cultivating the Three Demonic Masters, but from what he said, it seems that they have only cultivated some masters of internal strength. They are not worth worrying about and we can wipe them out."

"But just by getting involved with the three members of the Demonic Sect, it's likely that the Heavenly Mother Sect has the shadow of the Demonic Sect behind it. This matter is probably not simple."

He clicked his tongue in amazement, not expecting that these four forces would all inexplicably become involved with Ye Ci.

"What about Miss Shen?" Qin Lie asked.

"The young lady is resting in her private room. It's getting late, and she's a woman, so we didn't want to disturb her any further."

Chen Chuan paused, a hint of surprise in his voice: "The strangest thing is that woman. She was there when the brothers went to arrest Feng Ji. Feng Ji initially lied because he was jealous of Ye Ci, claiming that this woman was also connected to the Taiping Chamber of Commerce, but after torturing Feng Ji—the result—"

The old strategist clicked his tongue in amazement and recounted the conversation between Feng Ji and Shen Yixi in detail. He then said, "This woman is quite intelligent! She was able to see through Feng Ji's true nature just by knowing about the attacks on the two medicines and Ye Ci. She even guessed the Taiping Chamber of Commerce's collusion with the rebel army with great accuracy. This kind of wisdom is beyond the reach of ordinary men."

Qin Lie asked, "Why didn't she report it to the authorities?"

Chen Chuan tapped the pillar lightly with his fingertips: "I asked her, and she said that the Shen family doesn't want to offend anyone in their business."

Qin Lie nodded: "A smart woman, she is a good match for Ye Ci. I had Li Hu explain the whole story to Ye Ci overnight, so that he could come and pick up the girl and resolve the misunderstanding between them."