New and dark light years

Chapter 529 Arrogant at First, Pampered Later

Li Mansion!

It wasn't Li Lin's house, but Chu Feng's newly purchased residence.

There were red firecracker fragments scattered on the ground at the entrance.

A housewarming party should be a lively occasion, but this place felt rather deserted.

Apart from Li Lin bringing a few personal guards, there was no one else outside.

The main gate of the house was open.

A middle-aged man was standing at the door, looking around. When he saw Li Lin, his eyes lit up and he immediately ran over.

But several guards blocked his way.

The middle-aged man immediately bowed and said, "Are you the military governor?"

Li Lin nodded.

"Young Master has been waiting in the front courtyard for quite some time. Please."

Several guards wanted to go in first to check the situation, but Li Lin shook his head and stopped them. He then became the first to enter the mansion.

Upon entering, one sees Chu Feng, dressed in new clothes, walking briskly towards them.

His eyes lit up when he saw Li Lin, and he quickened his pace.

"Brother Li, you've finally arrived. We've been waiting for you for a long time."

"Sorry, some personal matters have kept me waiting." Li Lin returned the greeting with clasped hands, then looked around and asked, "Isn't your housewarming celebration today?"

"It's today."

"Then why is it so deserted?"

Chu Feng smiled and said, "A true confidant is enough."

Li Lin raised an eyebrow: "I am very pleased with those words."

"This is the best way to express my sincere opinion. This way, please." Chu Feng gestured.

The two arrived at the main hall in the front courtyard and sat down as host and guest, respectively.

Li Lin looked around and found that although the house was large, it didn't have many furnishings, and... it wasn't luxurious enough.

Given Li Lin's impression of Zhaixinglou's wealth, it shouldn't be this shabby.

There is only one reason: the move to this house was very rushed, so rushed that it was only barely completed.

However, Li Lin would not say this. He took out a brocade box from his pocket, pushed it over and said, "A small gift, nothing more."

"Thank you." Chu Feng cupped his hands in thanks.

A butler came over and took the brocade box away.

Li Lin asked curiously, "Brother Chu, why is this the Li residence and not the Chu residence?"

Chu Feng had anticipated Li Lin's question, so he stood up first, cupped his hands in greeting, and then said seriously, "I must apologize to Brother Li for this, because I am Li Feng, not Chu Feng. Chu Feng is just an alias I use for convenience when traveling the martial world."

Li Lin nodded slightly; this made sense.

Too many people in the martial arts world use aliases.

But then Li Lin felt something was off. After thinking for a while, he recalled everything the other party had done since he appeared, including giving him a house in the capital. Finally, he asked, "Is Zhaixing Tower part of the Li family of Jin County?"

Chu Feng… who should now be called Li Feng, laughed upon hearing this, “Brother Li is indeed extremely intelligent. I only mentioned my real surname, and you guessed where I came from.”

Li Lin shook his head helplessly: "You really kept this a secret."

"It's not that I intentionally concealed it from you, Brother Li, it's just that my Li family is really not presentable enough to be discussed in public," Li Feng said with a wry smile.

Li Lin expressed his understanding of this.

Just then, a young girl dressed in a tight-fitting outfit walked quickly over.

She walked quickly with her head down, radiating unhappiness.

Li Lin had already seen the other person out of the corner of his eye.

At this moment, Li Feng introduced, "This is my younger sister, her name is Hong."

Li Lin nodded.

He remembered that Li Feng's days were numbered, probably within the next three or four years.

The fact that they sent me here at this time, without inviting anyone else, and even having my sister come out, most likely means they are handling my funeral arrangements.

Li Hong walked over and placed the tea tray she was holding on the table. Although it looked normal, Li Lin could still sense that she seemed reluctant.

Two cups of hot tea were placed on the tea tray, and the girl kept her head down, so her face could not be seen.

However, it's clear that the other person has a rather graceful figure.

Li Feng was somewhat displeased and said, "Little sister, you should know your manners and greet Brother Li."

Li Hong reluctantly looked up, forcing a strained smile, and said in a stiff tone, "Little sister greets Brother Li..."

At this moment, Li Hong's voice changed.

It quickly went from being stiff and hard to being soft and cute.

Moreover, her expression changed from unhappiness to blankness, then her eyes widened and trembled slightly, like spring water rippling in a gentle breeze.

Finally, her face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at anyone.

"Greetings, Brother Li... Brother!"

The voice was already as faint as a red flower falling into the dust.

Seeing her like this, Li Feng couldn't help but scold her: "Why are you being so coy and blushing? You're so pathetic."

Li Hong stepped behind Li Feng, placed her hands in front of her abdomen, and twisted them together, while whispering, "Big brother is right."

They looked so adorable.

"I, Li, have met Miss Hong." Li Lin returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

Li Hong bowed slightly, saying nothing, only keeping her head down.

Li Lin didn't take it seriously.

Women from aristocratic families are mostly quite shy.

Four years ago, when he first met Huang Qing, the latter also stared at him with wide eyes and then hid.

Li Hong's continued presence here is considered bold, or rather, poised, compared to the average woman.

Li Lin then chatted casually with Li Feng for about half an hour. Just as Li Lin was about to take his leave, a woman walked over from the inner courtyard.

She looked nervous, but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Li Hong standing behind Li Feng.

At this moment, Li Lin naturally noticed the woman as well, after all, his senses were already very strong.

Li Feng also saw her and introduced her, saying, "This is my mother, her maiden name is Lu'er."

Upon hearing this, Li Lin was drinking tea when he choked on a mouthful of tea and couldn't help but cough twice.

Then Li Lin looked at Li Feng with a strange expression.

Li Feng seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then he laughed awkwardly, "Phew, our Li family has been living in seclusion in the mountains for too long, and we've forgotten the rules of ordinary families. Our mother's name cannot be known to outsiders. Brother Li, please forget about it."

"I really didn't hear anything," Li Lin said cooperatively.

Li Hong secretly glanced at Li Lin, then quickly lowered her head again.

Her ears seemed to be a little red.

The woman stood in the backyard passageway, staring at Li Lin for a few moments before gracefully bowing and turning to leave. This seemed impolite, but it was precisely the most appropriate course of action in the situation.

Li Lin chatted with Li Feng for a few more minutes before getting up to say goodbye.

Li Feng didn't try to stop him. After seeing Li Lin to the door, he turned back.

Then he saw his younger sister walk over with a blush on her face and ask cautiously, "Brother, is that... the military governor you mentioned, the future head of our Li family?"

"What, didn't you say you didn't like this person?"

Li Hong was speechless for a moment, then she stomped her foot hard: "Big brother, you didn't say that he was such a... such a person."

Li Feng rarely saw his younger sister acting so girlishly, and laughed, "Such a... person? What do you mean? I don't understand."

"Big brother!" Li Hong said anxiously.

At that moment, the woman came out from the backyard.

Li Hong ran up to the woman and complained, "Mother, my older brother is bullying me."

Li Feng walked over, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Mother, why are you out here too?"

"I noticed that Hong'er hadn't returned, and I was afraid that you would send her directly to someone else's house, so I came out to check."

Li Hong muttered to herself, "It's not that it's impossible..."

The woman turned her head and asked, "Hong'er, what did you say?"

Li Hong shook her head vigorously: "She didn't say anything."

Li Feng smiled and then asked, "Mother, what do you think of Brother Li?"

The woman looked around and saw that the servants were all far away. She frowned and lowered her voice, saying, "Feng'er, I am your mother. You really want to..."

“Mother, I still maintain that this matter may not be impossible.”

"It's against ethics." The woman's expression was already angry: "And what do you take me for? A prostitute from a brothel? You think you can just give her away like that? What kind of son is that!"

Li Feng shook his head: "I would never dare to do such a thing, but Brother Li is truly worthy of our trust. Whether it is Mother or Little Sister, as long as you are in his sights, the two of you, as well as our entire Li family, will be protected."

“Our Li family has been a prominent family for hundreds of years. Why should we... live under someone else’s roof?”

"His surname is Li. He can refine pills and cultivate. He has everything that our Li family has, and he is even stronger than us."

Li Hong wanted to argue, but when she thought of Li Lin sitting there looking at her, she couldn't say anything.

The woman sighed and said, "Feng'er, why do you belittle yourself so much?"

“I have carefully examined Li Lin’s growth trajectory.” Li Feng’s eyes were full of admiration: “He was all alone, without the help of his family. He first became a Spirit Hunter, and in just half a year, he won over the Huang family, making them marry their eldest daughter. Furthermore, while repeatedly achieving great feats, his strength also steadily increased. In just over three years, he went from a lowly Spirit Hunter to a military governor, controlling three prefectures!”

Upon hearing this, the woman fell silent.

Li Hong sighed softly, "That's really impressive."

Li Feng laughed and said, "Compared to you, what am I... I have the support of my family and a lot of money. I started out at the age of seventeen to make my way in the world, and what's the result... I've accomplished nothing."

Looking at his two closest relatives, Li Feng continued, "I've already told Li Lin that he will take care of you two if I'm not around anymore. As for Mother and Little Sister, it's up to you to decide which of you will catch his eye."

Li Hong blushed slightly. She secretly glanced at her mother, her eyes filled with confidence.

The woman's face turned deathly pale. She said, "Feng'er, you must have a way to prolong your life."

"Don't worry, Mother, I will take care of everything before I leave." Li Feng looked at the sky: "Lianxin should be finding out who the traitor is by now. Then we can clean up the Li family and let Brother Li... no, let the head of the family have a clean Li family."

“Child, you don’t need to go to that extent.”

“Mother, revitalizing the Li family is the destiny of every family head, and there is no escaping it. Father died young because of this, and I am just following the same path as our ancestors.”

……

Yu Commandery, Anyang County.

A palace nestled deep within the mountains, yet it has retained the integrity and functionality of most of its areas.

The swordsman of the Immortal Execution Society has changed from an old man to a young man.

He carried a five-colored jade sword and walked along a winding path.

It was very dark here, with only the occasional strange, glowing insect bringing a hazy light.

Following these lights, the swordsman can walk through the darkness and find the direction he wants to go.

He didn't know how long he walked in the darkness, but finally he came to an altar.

He looked up, then knelt down and lowered his head.

"Sword Slave requests an audience with Master."

His voice echoed in the darkness, then gradually faded away.

Soon, a circle of red candles lit up on the altar, where a gaunt figure sat.

The candle wasn't very bright, but you could still tell that the thin man was a man.

Then, the man opened his eyes.

His pupils had no luster and did not reflect the light of the surrounding candles, as if they had completely absorbed the light that shone into them.

"What's the matter?"

The swordsman's expression was tinged with fear. He pressed his forehead to the ground and whispered, "Master, a giant insect has appeared outside. I, the swordsman, am no match for it. I've disgraced you."

"Insects?" The gaunt man sat cross-legged, his face covered in the dry, wrinkled, brownish skin typical of the elderly, but his voice was surprisingly youthful: "More than two hundred years ago, I killed all the insects. Where did these insects come from?"

“Sword Slave wouldn’t dare lie to you. That insect was red, like a giant centipede, but with wings on its back.”

"Oh, it's the Crimson Abyss!" The gaunt man chuckled contemptuously. "So there were still some survivors. That thing is very good at hiding when it's young; I must have missed it before. It's quite troublesome once it matures; it's normal that you couldn't defeat it. By the way, are there still people cultivating in this world?"

"Yes, the sword slaves are dealing with them. They kill one group and another just pops up; it's very troublesome."

The gaunt man nodded: "Try to kill those cultivators. If you encounter any you can't defeat, then wake me up."

"Yes."

The gaunt man pondered for a moment and said, "As for the Red Demon, let's keep it for now. It will taste best when it grows bigger and turns white. Go to my room and get a blue sword. With that, the Red Demon won't dare to do anything to you."

Upon hearing this, the swordsman was filled with admiration.

Those big insects were impossible for him to defeat, but to his master they were just food.

"By the way, after all these years, have you found out what Shuo is?"

The swordsman shook his head.

The gaunt man closed his eyes: "Then keep looking. I still have plenty of time, but you don't have much time left."

"Yes, sir. I will investigate thoroughly."

At this moment, the gaunt man fell silent, and the circle of red candles went out on their own.

The swordsman stood up, preparing to leave.

Just as he turned around, a voice suddenly sounded from behind.

"Wait, that jade sword in your hand is quite interesting."

The circle of red candles was lit again.

The swordsman immediately knelt down and offered up the sword.

With a casual flick of his wrist, the gaunt man sent the longsword flying into his hand.

He stared at the longsword for a while and said, "The talismanic array on this sword is quite well-organized. Although it's clearly not my work, it contains the essence of my array formations. In other words, someone outside has broken my array? Whose sword is this?"

The swordsman replied, "Li Lin, a descendant of the Li family of Jin County! He is currently the military governor of the three counties of Cangwu Road."

(End of this chapter)