Film & TV: Public Enemy of Justice

Zhao Ling'er deeply resented Lin Yaoxie, who had intruded into her world, so she didn't want to say a word, or even look at him.

However, Lin Yaoxie had no regrets about what he had done. In his opinion, it was an honor for the thing that he had taken a liking to, and Zhao Ling'er should feel honored.

Therefore, Lin Yaoxie did not intend to say a word.

An endless silence filled the space between the two, just like the vast expanse of water; the waterway to Minami-no-Numa was still long.

During this seemingly endless journey, the reason why Lin Yaoxie was able to bear it and cooperate with Zhao Ling'er's pursuit of silence was not because Lin Yaoxie had any guilt or anything like that, but because he was trying to make Zhao Ling'er feel better.

Rather, the cunning old man saw that Zhao Ling'er's heart was beginning to undergo changes that she herself was unaware of.

Having traversed so many worlds and seen the world, Lin Yaoxie is not one of those impetuous, hot-headed youths. Conquering the soul and the heart is what he is truly passionate about, and it is also one of the few things that he finds interesting in the current situation.

After all, in this world, the only person he could crush like an ant with a flick of his finger seems to be the Moon Worship Cult Leader.

"Only Zhao Ling'er would be troubled by such a rabble," Lin Yaoxie thought to himself. "That poor guy seems interesting too, his name is Li Xiaoyao, right?" Lin Yaoxie pondered for a while, his thoughts drifting.

After a while, Lin Yaoxie decided not to think about the Moon Worship Cult, Li Xiaoyao, and Zhao Ling'er. Instead, he decided to spend his time on the Southern Marsh Road in his own way.

During the day, he would watch Zhao Ling'er, who seemed lost in thought, while applying pressure to her with an intriguing expression. After all, neither the idle farmers on the shore nor the scenery of the forest could be as interesting as Zhao Ling'er's ever-changing expressions. From her furrowed brows to her determination to the hateful look she gave him, every expression became a tool for Lin Yaoxie to amuse himself.

As night fell, Lin Yaoxie would gaze at the clear river and the bright moonlight, drinking and idly passing the time. He would occasionally make footsteps on the deck, heading towards Zhao Ling'er's cabin, using his already unparalleled ability to detect enemies to observe the little girl's startled expressions.

Lin Yaoxie enjoyed these two completely different yet equally entertaining atmospheres on the road in Nanzhao.

Everyone on the shore and others were baffled by the strange interaction between the man and woman, but Lin Yaoxie didn't care about such things. After all, he was Lin Yaoxie.

As for Zhao Ling'er, it took her most of the day to decide to ignore that annoying Lin Yaoxie, and the rest of the time she was tormented by repeated thinking.

Since Li Xiaoyao betrayed her, the real Li Xiaoyao is now completely different from the ideal man she has been dreaming of for ten years.

Moreover, the lover she thought she had been waiting for all these years turned out to be a scoundrel who stole her innocence with a mouthful of lies.

The constant stream of events, like a sudden storm, brought endless torment and suffering, far exceeding Zhao Ling'er's capacity to bear it.

And it made her want to rethink the meaning of her ten-year wait and to carefully consider what she really wanted to do.

During the ten years of waiting, the ideal Li Xiaoyao is the world-renowned hero in the dreams of young girls, the kind of person who would spare no effort to rescue you from all dangers, rather than foolishly bringing your enemies to your doorstep.

Zhao Ling'er didn't want to speculate on whether Li Xiaoyao did it on purpose or not, because no matter what the situation was, Zhao Ling'er couldn't imagine herself forgiving him.

If betrayal merely transformed the idealized Li Xiaoyao from a dream lover floating in the clouds into a detestable enemy, then Zhao Ling'er could choose to forget or seek revenge.

But in Yuhang Town, at the Yunlaiyunqu Inn, which belonged to Li Xiaoyao's own family, the enemy pretended to be nonchalant, his wooden expression and attitude clearly showing his disdain for him.

Zhao Ling'er only wanted to return to Nanzhao, to escape this place of trouble and this painful experience.

Zhao Ling'er's pride would never allow an enemy to treat her like this. If Li Xiaoyao was filling the ten years she had waited with a despairing ending, then...

0oo is asking for flowers....

Lin Yaoxie completely disrupted her life plans, leaving her unsure of what to do in the future.

"Leaving here for the Southern Swamp is merely an escape from the Moon Worship Cult and Li Xiaoyao." Zhao Ling'er knew this very well, but she was still hampered by the incomprehensible power she had witnessed firsthand.

In front of a man, all her plans for her future are just foolish attempts; she is nothing more than Lin Yaoxie's toy.

"The Moon Worship Cult, which I want to take revenge on, is nothing more than a butterfly in front of him. Why not try to use his power to avenge myself and my mother?"

Zhao Ling'er made up her mind and unconsciously looked in the direction of Lin Yaoxie, only to find that the man had been watching her all along.

0 ....

An overwhelming sense of resentment welled up within her. Zhao Ling'er stared intently at Lin Yaoxie, only to be met with his smirking face.

"Lin Yaoxie." Zhao Ling'er thought of this shameless bastard. When she was suffering the double blow of losing her innocence and being betrayed by Li Xiaoyao, it was he who defeated the group of Moon Worship Cultists and brought a hope that was neither illusory nor real.

When she was looked down upon by Li Xiaoyao, the man she thought would mock her stayed by her side, accompanying her on this journey of escape.

Zhao Ling'er could no longer sort out her feelings for Lin Yaoxie. She once thought Lin Yaoxie was a man worthy of her sincere devotion, but he showed her in a simple and direct way what fleeting happiness truly meant.

Just when she thought she could only get disappointment and pain from him, he brought her a faint hope.

She hated the urge to believe him, yet she couldn't help but realize that Lin Yaoxie was the kind of powerful man she wanted to rely on.

She thought he would do whatever he wanted to her on the street, but she found that he was just playing with her like a child playing with a favorite toy.

Zhao Ling'er's confused state of mind contrasted sharply with the elegant and beautiful scenery along Nanzhao Road.

Lin Yaoxie and Zhao Ling'er, lost in thought and pondering different things, had unknowingly walked quite a distance along the same South Marsh Road.

Chapter Eight: First Arrival in Suzhou

After a long journey, the two arrived at a place called Linjiabao in Suzhou City. In high spirits, Lin Yaoxie took Zhao Ling'er ashore.

Lin Yaoxie and Zhao Ling'er found an inn near the Suzhou city dock, slapped a few pieces of silver in front of the innkeeper, and asked for two rooms. The innkeeper, seeing the eerie atmosphere emanating from the guests, barely glanced at them before calling over a waiter who led the two to their rooms.

Lin Yaoxie had finished tidying up his luggage and was about to leave the room when he suddenly noticed that Zhao Ling'er had already walked out of the inn and was walking away silently.

"This woman is still thinking about those things," Lin Yaoxie thought, looking at Zhao Ling'er's worried face.

However, Lin Yaoxie did not intend to spend much time monitoring Zhao Ling'er. Instead, he went to the dining room on the first floor of the inn and tried to find out some information.

After all, ever since arriving at the Suzhou city wharf, the passersby on the street had been talking about local tycoons and the new "893" top scholar.

"The newly crowned top scorer is back!"

"The Lin family is about to be honored once again."

"I saw with my own eyes the eight-bearer sedan chair being carried into Linjiabao."

"Liu Jinyuan, the newly appointed top scholar, is going to become the eldest son-in-law of the Lin family."

The entire city of Suzhou seemed to be buzzing with excitement surrounding the Lin Family Fort and the top scholar. The streets were filled with an atmosphere of excitement, as everyone wanted to see what the top scholar looked like and how he differed from their own children.

The names Linjiabao and Liu Jinyuan seemed somewhat familiar, which piqued Lin Yaoxie's interest, so he decided to start searching for this person and place.

Down in the inn's lobby, there were only two or three tables occupied by idle people; there were no other guests. The waiter and the innkeeper were chatting about the top scholar. Clearly, it wasn't a restaurant yet, so Lin Yaoxie casually walked over to an empty table and sat down.

The innkeeper saw Lin Yaoxie walk to the table and sit down, so he winked at the waiter and gave him a few instructions. The waiter reluctantly walked towards Lin Yaoxie, his face showing a mixture of impatience and disdain.

Just as the waiter was about to speak, Lin Yaoxie stared at him with a fierce look. The waiter's usual tone and expression towards commoners immediately changed to that of someone dealing with a tyrannical landlord.

"Sir, what would you like to order?" the waiter said timidly. "The manager told me that the money you pay can cover your stay for a few days, but if you include the cost of meals..."

"That's not what I want to know. I have plenty of money." Lin Yaoxie deliberately stopped, his eyes growing increasingly fierce, and a murderous aura began to fill the inn.

Sensing this aura, the customers at the other two or three tables also began to panic, looking over along with the shopkeeper in the distance. The faces of everyone in the shop, like the waiter, grew increasingly grim.

Seeing the startled reactions of the group of rascals in the shop, Lin Yaoxie felt satisfied and continued, "I'm not interested in any of you, but that Liu Jinyuan seems a bit interesting. Can you introduce him to me?"

The waiter said timidly, "Liu Jinyuan is the son of Minister Liu of the capital, a relative of the Liu family, a prominent local family and the leader of the martial arts alliance. He is the top scholar in the imperial examination. He is a great man in the hearts of us ordinary people, handsome and dashing..."

The waiter was about to continue, but noticed that Lin Yaoxie was clearly unhappy, so he stopped talking, served Lin Yaoxie a pot of hot tea, and then slunk away to the side.

Lin Yaoxie became extremely annoyed upon hearing these praises of Liu Jinyuan and immediately asked loudly, "What does Liu Jinyuan look like? Where does he usually act like he's the top scholar?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the bald, burly man who seemed to be the leader of the group of guests slammed his fist on the table and stood up, cursing in his hoarse voice, "Where did this piece of trash come from, daring to spout such nonsense in Suzhou! Get the hell out of here!"

The people at the table were originally going to cheer for the leader of this idle group. As people who were involved in the underworld, they naturally had some connection with the Liu family, so they had to give him face.

But they couldn't utter a single word, because just as they were about to cheer, their lead actor's throat suddenly mingled with the teacup that had been in Lin Yaoxie's hand a moment earlier, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Looks like you two have a good relationship," Lin said with a wicked smile. "Then you must know, right?"

"In the market! Young Master Liu—no, Liu the Dude—is in the market! We don't know him! Please spare us, hero!" The remaining two tables of people all lay down on the ground, while the shopkeeper and waiter immediately hid behind the counter.

Seeing this group of seven-foot-tall men, who were usually cowards and bullies, now trembling with fear, Lin Yao couldn't help but smirk. He then secretly channeled his inner energy and began to observe the market next to the dock.

Before long, Lin Yaoxie realized something was wrong, and immediately rushed out the door, taking the bald man's corpse with him to the market.

When Zhao Ling'er went out for a stroll, she was so preoccupied that she didn't pay attention to her surroundings and unintentionally ended up at the market next to the dock.

Coincidentally, Liu Jinyuan was also taking a walk in the market. Liu Jinyuan himself had something on his mind, and the Lin family's men next to him were also speculating about it day and night, using it as gossip. Liu Jinyuan pretended not to know, but he was still unhappy.

Just as he was feeling unhappy, he looked up and saw the stunningly beautiful Zhao Ling'er. Although she was completely different from the one in his heart, she was still indescribably pleasing to the eye. Liu Jinyuan glanced at the chattering Lin family subordinates beside him and decided to catch up with Zhao Ling'er.

"Miss, would you mind telling me your name?" "..."

"Miss, take a look at this oil-paper umbrella. If you like it, I might as well buy it for you as a gift."

Liu Jinyuan tried every means to get in touch with Zhao Ling'er, but Zhao Ling'er's mind was not on him at all. Liu Jinyuan seemed to hear the laughter and gossip of the Lin family's subordinates, and the crowd in the market also began to whisper among themselves.

Growing increasingly enraged, Liu Jinyuan grabbed Zhao Ling'er's arm and said loudly, "Miss, I am the top scholar in the imperial examination. Is it inappropriate for me to be so rude?"

Only then did Zhao Ling'er notice Liu Jinyuan. Looking at the arm that was gripping her, which was even weaker than her own, and the tense burly men behind him, Zhao Ling'er said softly, "Young Master should be mindful of his status. Who is it that is bullying the weak and being extremely rude?"

Just as Liu Jinyuan was about to retort, Lin Yaoxie's laughter came from the sky. "Well said," Lin Yaoxie said, "A self-righteous bastard deserves to be scolded! And he deserves to be beaten!" A small object flew towards Liu Jinyuan.

Liu Jinyuan was stunned on the spot, and Lin's men immediately rushed forward to block him. A bodyguard who was a head taller than Liu Jinyuan and had a big, thick waist rushed between the two, only to find that a man's little finger suddenly appeared on his shoulder. Just as he was enduring the pain and looked at Lin Yaoxie, he saw Lin Yaoxie look up at the sky and signal him to look up.

A grown man's body crashed down on the poor bodyguard with the force of a thunderbolt, shoving the two men—no, the two corpses—more than ten inches into the stone pavement. And they were less than an arm's length away from Liu Jinyuan.

"What a pity." Lin Yaoxie landed next to Zhao Ling'er. "A weakling like you can't protect anything, can't grasp anything you want, and the people you love and those around you probably look down on you."

Before Liu Jinyuan could react, Lin Yaoxie took Zhao Ling'er and left.

Having been hit where it hurt, Liu Jinyuan, pale with fright, could only feel a deep sense of powerlessness and a hot, wet sensation in his groin. He stood frozen in place like a wooden stake, pinned down by Lin Yaoxie's actions.

Chapter Nine: Visitors from Nanzhao

After Lin Yaoxie's reorganization, Liu Jinyuan never dared to harass Zhao Ling'er again, and the following days passed peacefully.

During her few days in Suzhou, Zhao Ling'er was like a young girl entering the mortal world for the first time, finding everything new and exciting.

On this day, Lin Yaoxie and Zhao Ling'er were sightseeing by a picturesque lake in the city.

"Ling'er, look what I brought you!"

Lin Yao, the evil god, rushed from outside the Orchid Pavilion to Zhao Ling'er, who was sitting at the tea table. He stood with his hands behind his back and gave her a mysterious, ghostly smile. Zhao Ling'er kept her eyes slightly closed, seemingly unmoved.

"Hey, you don't have to be such a spoilsport..." Lin Yaoxie, who had been so lively, suddenly slumped into a chair, fiddling with the wind chime he had just picked up from outside. Zhao Ling'er was stubborn; she just wouldn't go along with Lin Yaoxie.

However, Lin Yaoxie just liked Zhao Ling'er's quirky personality.

Zhao Ling'er feigned a smile, then suddenly pulled down her cheeks, glared at him, and turned her head away.

Lin Yaoxie saw it all, but just smiled indifferently.

04 Meanwhile, people who had traveled a long way from the southern border also arrived in Suzhou.

"Young hero, spare my life! I'll never dare to do it again! I'll never dare to do it again!" A ruffian covered in whip marks was being trampled under the feet of a "handsome young man."

"You dare to steal my stuff! Let me tell you, if I ever see you again, I'll show you what it means to skin someone alive!" The "kid" tossed his hair and rubbed his nose with his thumb from right to left.

"What, a beauty is sparing your life, so get lost!" the man in the long robe said to him, bowing his head. The ruffian glanced at him, looking puzzled. "...This is clearly just a greenhorn, and a beauty...tch..." Then he slunk away into the grass and disappeared without a trace.

It turns out these two people are Anu and Tang Niu Xiaobao. Their purpose in coming here is to bring Zhao Ling'er back to Nanzhao.