Chapter 0858: Li Lingjing
Li Luo had not expected to learn so much from talking to Li Feng. Although he had called Zhao Jingyu a wood-brained idiot, he had made a note deep in his heart on how dangerous that guy could actually be.
He had to be one of the more powerful idiots if he was able to squeeze into the position of rank two amongst the younger generation of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao... right? Li Luo was never one to underestimate his opponents. If they encountered each other in the Dark Domain later on, he would definitely spare no mercy. Moreover, the two of them were already in opposing camps, so there was no need to worry about further repercussions.
At this moment, Li Feng gave it some thought before he said with a smile, "Banner Leader Li Luo, I am afraid that many Dukes from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao might come along with Zhao Jingyu. For your safety, please let me accompany you all safely into the Dark Domain. After which, I'll wait outside the seal for you all to return."
Hearing this, Li Luo asked in response, "City lord Li Feng, are you worried that the Dukes from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao will attack us? Are they that unruly?"
"It's mainly because of Zhao Jingyu's infamous reputation for being vicious and dominant. I am afraid that when he goes crazy, he'll order the Dukes to attack you all. Although it's indeed a shameless act that will attract criticism, there's no harm in playing it safe here," Li Feng explained.
At this point, Li Feng smiled helplessly and continued, "Besides, if anything were to happen to the three of you in this western region, my head would roll for sure."
Li Luo took a look at Li Fengyi and the rest before he nodded. "We'll be in your care then, City Lord Li Feng."
Since the other party had said it like this, they did not raise any objections. Besides, Li Feng was only escorting them to the entrance of the Dark Domain's seal. He would not help them directly in completing the task, so it would not be considered a violation of rules.
At the next moment, Li Feng changed the conversation topic, sharing details about the local culture in the western region. The atmosphere became more and more lively as the hosts and guests enjoyed their time.
When the banquet came to an end, Li Luo took the chance to ask, "May I trouble you for a moment, City Lord? Aunt Yun has actually asked me to pay Cousin Li Lingjing a visit."
Li Feng was taken aback when he heard this. With a bitter smile, he replied, "Rouyun is still worried about that little girl."
He stood up from his seat and continued, "In that case, please come with me, Banner Leader Li Luo. That little girl changed completely after the incident years ago. She no longer accepts any outside visitors, so we did not ask her along for this occasion."
Li Luo nodded and informed Li Fengyi and the gang before he followed Li Feng into the backyard.
As the two of them strolled along in the hallway, Li Luo said in a curious tone, "I heard that Cousin Li Lingjing used to be a gifted child."
Li Feng nodded and responded with a sigh, "Indeed, Li Clan hasn’t seen a remarkable genius like Lingjing in centuries. She's only slightly older than you. If not for the incident, she'd definitely have made it into the Twenty Banners in the previous selection. Furthermore, she may even have been pulled into the Green Nether Banner considering her close ties to Rouyun. If that had been the case, I am confident that Lingjing would be a potential candidate for the Dragon's Head in the last batch of the Twenty Banners!"
Li Luo was a little surprised when he heard this. This cousin of his nearly got into the Green Nether Banner too? If Li Feng was not exaggerating, the Green Nether Banner would have made their comeback in the previous generation. There would have been no need to wait until his return at all.
It seemed that things always turned out in unexpected ways.
At this moment, Li Feng's old face turned a little gloomy as he continued, "What a pity... That little girl was once so lively and high-spirited, but she encountered a True Devil Other in the Dark Domain. Although she managed to stay alive in the end, her mental state and foundation were severely damaged and corrupted. Even after we purified the corruption within her later on, her mind and fighting spirit were already lost. Her cultivation progress has been extremely slow since then. Those who used to be far behind her have caught up and overtaken her during these years."
Li Feng looked rather bitter as he recalled that young, sword-wielding girl that once shocked Western City. She was so close to becoming the new dazzling star of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li.
"Due to all this, Lingjing's personality became a lot more withdrawn. She has alienated herself from even the people who used to be close to her. As a result, some of them inevitably hold some resentment towards her. Moreover, the rumors going around have made her even more unwilling to interact with anyone.
"That child used to have a very close relationship with Rouyun. After Rouyun took charge of matters in the Dragon Tooth Mountain Range, she's been collecting rare materials for her, hoping to cure her injuries. Sadly, nothing has had much of an effect. It is almost as if that True Devil Other permanently eroded her mental state back then."
When he heard about this, Li Luo also felt sad for her. It was an extremely unfortunate thing for a genius of the generation to turn into such a total wreck.
As the two continued speaking, Li Feng started to slow down. Li Luo could see a quiet courtyard in front of him, filled with weeds and dead leaves on the ground. There was an air of decay and abandon surrounding it, followed by a seemingly cold and spooky gust.
When the two of them walked into the courtyard, Li Luo spotted a wheelchair in a stone pavilion covered with dead leaves. On the wheelchair was a girl dressed in white.
There was no makeup on the girl’s face, but her fair skin and facial features were extremely beautiful. Yet her eyes seemed empty as they stared blankly at the dead leaves falling down. There was an eerily cold air blowing around her from time to time, keeping people from approaching her.
When Li Feng brought Li Luo into the stone pavilion, there was no reaction from the girl.
"Lingjing." Li Feng called out to her in a soft voice. "This is Li Luo, Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner. Rouyun has entrusted him to pay you a visit."
Initially, there was totally no reaction from the white-dressed girl. However, her empty eyes wavered a little as soon as she heard the word “Rouyun.” She said in a really soft voice, "A… Aunt."
She slowly raised her pale face and took a look at Li Luo.
In response, Li Luo gave her a warm and friendly smile as he swiped his pocket sphere. He took out the pills and medicinal ingredients that Li Rouyun had entrusted to him and placed them in front of her.
Li Lingjing stared blankly at the pills and medicinal ingredients, but she did not say anything. Her pathetic appearance was truly a sight that made people sigh.
This was an unbearable sight for Li Feng. His old face was filled with sadness as he waved to Li Luo before turning around and walking out of the courtyard.
At this moment, Li Luo took a seat at the side. He empathized with Li Lingjing's encounter. Moreover, Li Rouyun had used a precious treasure that was originally meant for her to help alleviate the Sacrificial Ignition of Jiang Qing'e's Heart of Light. Hence, he was also really grateful to Li Lingjing.
"Sister Lingjing, don't be filled with despair. There is a solution to every problem," Li Luo told her in a warm tone.
Li Lingjing did not say anything in response—she merely continued staring blankly into the air.
Li Luo continued speaking to himself. "Let me share something with you. In the past, I was someone with a blank palace with no way to cultivate. I felt hopeless just like you. However, I still found a solution in the end."
Hearing this, Li Lingjing took another look at him before she finally opened her mouth. There was little fluctuation in her tone, but she said, "It's useless. Half of my spirit was eaten up by the Other. I'm just a useless person with no chance to progress anymore."
"Other? Was it a True Devil?" Li Luo asked.
Li Lingjing kept quiet for another moment before she said, "It was the Soul Eater True Devil. If you're going into the Dark Domain in the Western Region, you should be careful. This True Devil Other loves talented individuals the most."
Li Luo frowned a little when he heard about this. Was this True Devil Other really that weird? It would purposely go for opponents that were strong and talented?
"If this Other is so powerful, we should send our elites to annihilate it," Li Luo said.
In response, Li Lingjing shook her head slowly and explained, "It's different from the common True Devil Others. It's really intelligent. The Patriarch and the others tried to surround and annihilate it before, but they couldn't find any traces of it. It can be considered the most mysterious Other in this Western Region's Dark Domain."
Hearing this, Li Luo pondered for a moment and said, "If we annihilate this True Devil Other, will you be able to recover?"
Li Lingjing paused for a moment before she replied, "I don't know. It might have digested the eaten half of my spirit, turning it into corruption."
Li Luo sighed in his heart. If that was indeed the case, it would be really troublesome.
"Sister Lingjing, after I'm done with my mission, you can follow me back to the Dragon's Fang Mountain Range. I'll ask the Respected Elder to examine you and see if there's any solution to your issue," Li Luo told her after giving it some thought.
"The Lineage Chief...." Li Lingjing whispered in reply before she shook her head.
Seeing this, Li Luo was a little puzzled.
However, Li Lingjing did not speak any further. She simply stared at the pills and medicinal ingredients on the stone table before she took out a jade ornament and handed it to Li Luo.
"Please help me pass this jade ornament to my aunt. Tell her that there's no need to help me search for all these pills and medicinal ingredients anymore." When she finished her sentence, she closed her eyes and did not say more.
"Go ahead. Be careful in the Dark Domain."
Li Luo accepted the jade ornament as he stared at Li Lingjing, who refused to communicate any further. He let out a sigh in his heart before he turned around and left.