Crunchââ
The thick wooden door of the firewood room was pushed open from the outside, letting a gush of cold wind blow in. Li Shinian couldnât help but shrink back, wrapping her tattered clothes more tightly around her body.
Wind City was located in the northern frontier of the kingdom, thus the wind was colder and the snow was heavier than in Tiandu. Every time the cold wind blew, it was as though a fragmented knife was scraping across a personâs face.
Li Shinian, who was new to the area, was not accustomed to the harsh environment at this side of the country. Her face was dry, and lips and skin were cracked. It was only when she smeared some golden-eyed snake ointment that she felt a little better.
Li Shinian hated the weather in Wind City.
And hated everything about this Wind City.
Lu Lin stood at the door of the firewood room, looking at Li Shinian on the cold floor, and drew back the corners of his mouth in a smile.
Before the smile could bloom on his face, he heard his âhissingâ inhaling sound.
Lu Lin covered his red and swollen cheeks, and snapped: âLi Shinian, you really want to do it the hard way. I didnât want to hurt you, if you hadnât suddenly gone mad at me, you wouldnât have ended up in such a miserable state.â
âI hate myself for not killing you with that punch.â Li Shinian fumed, glowering coldly at Lu Lin.
âKill me? If you hit me with that punch, you most likely would have been dead now.â
âWhatâs the difference between now and death?â
âThere is obviously a difference.â Lu Lin went over to Li Shinian, glancing around at the harsh environment of the firewood room, and then gently sighed, âThere is still time to regret your decision now. Iâll give you another chance, as long as you are willing to be my womanâââ
âPah.â Li Shinian very rudely interrupted Lu Lin: âYou think youâre good enough?â
âYouâââ Lu Linâs face went pale. âWho do you think you are? Youâre just the daughter of a servant. I am the future Lord of Wind city, the rising star of the Kingdom. We are greatly valued by the imperial familyââI am not good enough for you?â
âYou are not worthy of me from head to toe, every hair on your head, every thread of your clothes. Lu Lin, you and father had betrayed your family, you have let down the ancestors of the Lu clan. Arenât you afraid of being struck by lightning?â
âStruck by lightning?â Lu Lin burst into wild laughter. Pointing to the sky, he said, âIf God really thinks weâre wrong, then strike me with a bolt of lightningââstrike me with lightningâââ
Rumbleâââ
In the sky there were bursts of rumbling, like some unknown objects were exploding.
Unfortunately, it was just a thunderclap, which soon disappeared.
Lu Lin went blank for a moment, before bursting into laughter again, âDid you hear that? Thunder flew over my head, why did it not descend and strike me? That proves it also feels that we made the right choice.â
âYou think we wanted to do something like this? You think we wanted to betray Lu Xingkong? Would our Lu clan fall into such a state had it not been for the old man doing things his own ways? Had it not been for Fatherâs timely contact with them, even the Lu clanâs Wind City would have been destroyed. If the entire Lu clan is wiped out and all of them diedâââit is also brought about by Lu Xingkong.â
âThat Lu Xingkong is loyal to the Emperor and Kingdom, that Lu Xingkong wanted to be an important minister throughout all ages. We are not willing to give up our lives for thatââYou saw the result, didnât you? Lu Xingkong had died, the Lu family and all people under them had been rooted out by the Song family. They are like stray dogs, being hunted, and then beheaded one after anotherââthis is the bad luck and disaster that the old guy brought to the Lu family.â
Lu Linâs expression was arrogant, laughing wildly. âWhy should we follow them to die?â
âThe evil people are able to find hundreds of high-sounding excuses for the evil they have done.â Li Shinian stated with a contemptuous face. âThe lightning didnât strike you, because it was afraid of dirtying itselfââyell louder, see if the lightning will strike you this time.â
âCome lightning, come strike meââcome lightning, come strike meâââ Lu Lin raised his voice, shouting at the sky.
The guards at the door also stifled a laugh when they heard these words.
The servants outside quickly lowered their head to stare at their toes when they heard it.
The dog in the courtyard also howled along with him.
âIdiot.â Li Shinian spat out this word from her dried mouth.
âLi Shinianâââ Lu Linâs expression suddenly became crazy and terrifying, even his eyes had turned blood red. âYoung Master, I, is willing to stand here for you to make fun of, because I care about you. If I turn away now, do you know what your destiny will be? Youâll be locked up in this firewood room, with no food, no water, until you freeze to deathââââ
âThen let me freeze to death.â Li Shinian said in a deep voice.
Thinking of all the rumours that she had heard, the little girlâs eyes welled up with tears.
âGrandpa Lu had died in battle and the Lu family had disappeared. The whereabouts of Uncle Lu and my brother are unknownââFather and Mother are imprisoned, Uncle Xu and the others has been killed by youââwhatâs the point of living?â
âYou donât have to die.â
âWhen living is more painful than death, why not die?â
âYouâââ
âLu Lin, donât you get it?â
âWhat?â
âI donât like you. I feel sick when I see youââfrom the first time I saw you, when you appeared in front of me with a fake smile on your face, I began to hate you. At that time I did not expose you, because youâre part of the Lu family and I gave face to the Lu family. Now that you have betrayed the Lu family and become worse than a beastââI have no reason to hide my attitude towards you.â
âLu Lin, youâre a clown.â
âLi Shinianââââ Lu Linâs eyes were bloodshot, staring fiercely at Li Shinian. âArenât you afraid that Iâll kill you?â
ââââââââ
âGet him out.â Li Muyang glowered at Song Gudu. âGet him out, and this deal can go on. If they hurt Li Shinian, even a strand of her hair, I will kill youââeven if I die, I will never let you know the secret of the Dragonâs longevity.â
Song Gudu flicked his finger, letting the black ball of light fall into his palms.
As the light screen vanished, Li Muyang also lost trace of Li Shinian.
Song Gudu stored the black ball of light into his sleeves, looked at Li Muyang and said, âYou have seen that Miss Shinian is now safe, but what happens nextâââI cannot control.â
âYou despicableââââ
âDespicable?â Song Gudu impatiently interrupted Li Muyang. âI do not care about these things. Li Muyang, whatâs your answer?â
ââââ Li Muyang did not respond.
He didnât want to make a deal with Song Gudu, let alone let him know of the secret of the dragonâs longevity.
However, if he did not make this deal, the safety of his parents and Li Shinianââ
âLet my parents and sister go, as well as all the people of the Lu clan that you have captured.â Li Muyang tried to bargain with Song Gudu. âThen I will tell you the secret of the dragonâs longevityââhundreds of years of life in exchange for the lives of a few people, it should be a very good deal for you, right?â
âLi Muyang, youâre trying to trick me.â Song Gudu calmly looked at Li Muyang. âYou do not want to do this deal with me, you just want to stall for time to save your parents and sister and the Lu clanââDo you think you can blind my eyes with such a poor technique?â
âHow do I know if you would turn around and kill us all after I tell you the secret of the dragonâs longevityâââ
âI will swear on my honourâââ
âA man who has just killed the Emperor and committed such a great crime is going to swear on his honourââwho would believe him?â
âDo you have a better way?â
âAs I have just said, let my parents and sister go, as well as all the people of the Lu family, if you can guarantee their lives and safety, I promise to give you the secret of the longevity of the dragonsââEven if I deceive you, where can I go in the starry sky?â
âI have a simpler solution.â
âWhat?â
Song Gudu stretched out his hand and clutched at Li Muyangâs throat.
It was incredibly bizarre. They were clearly far apart, and in order to guard against Song Guduâs sudden attack, Li Muyang was already on the alert all along and dared not get too close to him.
But when he reached out his hand, it was still so simple and easy to clutch Li Muyangâs neckâââ
It was as though Li Muyangâs neck had been waiting for him to grab it.
Li Muyang had no chance of fighting back at all, even [The Art of Traveling through Clouds and Summoning Rain] could not be used.
He had been in preparation and planning all this time, thinking that if Song Gudu launched an attack at him he would first use [The Art of Traveling through Clouds and Summoning Rain], a bodywork technique of the dragon clan to dodge, and then retaliate with a violent counterattack.
âHow could this be?â
âEither make a deal with me or let me kill you.â Song Guduâs thin and shrivelled face was a very short distance away, and his eyes were as deep as the starry river of the night sky. âIsnât that a little simpler?â