Chapter 0943: Cousin Lingjing's Performance
When the cauldron lodged itself onto the floorboards, the ship fell into silence.
Everyone stared at the young lady that had stood up. She had a fair and pretty face, and her silky hair was rolled up in a casual manner. There was a faint smile on her lips and a bright glow in her dark eyes, exuding an indescribable charm.
The members of the Dragon's Fang Lineage were the only ones who weren’t surprised to see her.
They did not recognize Li Lingjing at all. As such, the same thought was in their minds. Just where had this girl come from? Had she really just deflected a blow from Li Wuyuan with a single strike? That was a blow from Li Wuyuan, an eight-pearl. It was not something that an ordinary person could have fended off.
Clap, clap!
At this point, Li Luo started clapping. He turned towards Li Lingjing and gave her a thumbs up. "Cousin Lingjing, beautiful strike," he praised.
Li Lingjing smiled humbly as she replied, "You flatter me."
Seeing this, Li Fengyi's eyes lit up immediately. She grabbed Li Lingjing's arm and asked, "When did you become so strong, Cousin Lingjing?"
She hadn’t interacted with Li Lingjing after they arrived at the Dragon's Fang Mountain Range from their trip to the Western Region. Back then, she was definitely nowhere near this level.
"It wasn’t a big deal. That cauldron is pretty ordinary," Li Lingjing responded with a smile.
By now, Li Fuling had recovered from the shock. She was looking at Li Lingjing with a complex expression on her face. "You've broken through?" she asked.
No matter how annoying Li Wuyuan was, his strength was undeniable. He had even secured a seat in the Dragon's Blood Guardians with his eight-pearl cultivation. Yet Li Lingjing had managed to deflect his cauldron so easily. Her strength had to be way above a seven-pearl to be able to do that.
"I am not sure." Li Lingjing shook her head gently.
She then gave Li Fuling a playful smile and continued, "I’m a very different person nowadays."
Seeing that strange response, Li Fuling took it as a yes. She was completely baffled by this. Who would have thought that Li Lingjing could return to the peak after that great incident many years ago?
It was as though the talented girl from Western City had never been set back by that disaster.
She now basked in the limelight even though she had never entered the Twenty Banners or the Dragon's Fang Guardians.
"Who are you? There's no mention of anyone like you in the Dragon's Fang Guardians," Li Wuyuan asked in a deep voice as he stared at Li Lingjing with his sharp eyes.
Clearly, he felt threatened by the strength that Li Lingjing had just displayed.
In response, Li Luo smiled a little and said, "This is Cousin Li Lingjing from the Dragon's Fang Lineage. Speaking of which, I think she's from the same generation as you, Senior Li Wuyuan. If she hadn’t faced an unfortunate setback a few years ago, she would have been in the Twenty Banners competing with you for the position of Dragon's Head."
"Li Lingjing?" Li Wuyuan frowned when he heard this. It was indeed a familiar name.
At this moment, another comrade of his walked up and whispered into his ear, reminding him of who exactly she was.
His face changed gradually after a while. "So you're Li Lingjing from Western City. I've heard quite a bit about you," Li Wuyuan said.
There were many rumors floating around when he secured the position of Dragon's Head. Many had said that Li Lingjing from Western City would have given him a tough fight for it if she were around.
However, Li Wuyuan simply scoffed at the notion and regarded those words as complaints from losers. After all, what kind of threat could a so-called genius pose if she could not even enter the Twenty Banners?
Who would have thought that he would meet Li Lingjing in such a situation after so many years?
Moreover, her strength was clear from the previous strike. She was at least an eight-pearl.
“Just what in the world did this girl go through? How could she match our progress after being gone for so many years?”
"What an honor." Li Lingjing smiled lightly in response.
She glanced over at the cauldron that had been knocked over and continued, "In that case, shall we now restart our discussion about the leader?"
Hearing this, Li Wuyuan's eyebrows tightened and he waved his hand. The cauldron flew over and shrank until it could fit in his palm before returning to its owner.
At the same time, he continued to look at Li Lingjing carefully, as though contemplating whether he should test her strength right here.
At this point, Li Hongli voiced out with a cold laugh, "Since you're neither from the Twenty Banners nor the Five Guardian Armies, what gives you the right to be here?"
Li Lingjing thought about it for a moment before she replied, "Well... I'm the personal bodyguard for Cousin Li Luo. This is the mission given to me by the Lineage Chief. If you have any questions, you may want to clarify with the Lineage Chief yourself."
Hearing this, Li Hongli froze and snorted. Going to Li Jingzhe for clarification was totally out of the question. Not to mention her, even her father would not dare to do so.
At this point, Li Guan from the Dragon's Scale Lineage chimed in to mediate the tense situation. "There's no need to get so heated, guys. After all, the so-called leader is just a title. Since both Li Wuyuan and Li Lingjing have such convincing strength, why don't the two of you be joint leaders? You can both work together and lead us in the fight for the opportunities. Isn't that much better?"
What he was trying to say was that there was no need for things to turn too ugly right here. Both of them could easily resolve this by taking a step back.
Hearing this, the others started discussing among themselves too. Many agreed to the suggestion.
The eyes of Li Wuyuan changed for a moment before his face calmed down. With a slight smile, he said, "Indeed, it's a blessing for us to have Junior Li Lingjing helping out with the Spiritual Resonance Cave. I'm fine with stepping back. We can both be joint leaders and secure this opportunity for our people."
At this point, Li Wuyuan had to retreat no matter how unwilling he was. After all, he had to be wary of Li Lingjing's true strength.
Unfortunately, this also meant that he would no longer be able to pull Li Luo down using the authority of being the leader. That plan had been completely foiled.
At the same moment, Li Lingjing smiled lightly and said, "Conversely, I am kind of introverted and not suited to be a leader. However, Cousin Li Luo is good-looking, kind-hearted, and outspoken. He is the perfect candidate in place of me."
Everyone was speechless when they heard this. How were the three mentioned qualities even relevant?
"That's not a bad suggestion. We'll be very comfortable following the lead of the Dragon's Heads of both our generations," Li Guan replied with a smile after giving it some thought.
Li Luo sighed and said, "Since Cousin Lingjing kindly pointed out my three greatest strengths, I have no choice but to accept the role reluctantly."
Hearing this, everyone stared at him in disbelief. Was this a thick-skinned person’s thought process?
Li Wuyuan could not be bothered to argue anymore. He turned around and headed off without saying a word. He had the strength of an eight-pearl. This was leagues above that of Li Luo. What made him think that he could be joint leaders with him? This was an embarrassment for Li Wuyuan.
Nonetheless, the other members of the Dragon's Blood Lineage left too, following Li Wuyuan. It seemed like this matter had been settled for now.
After all, it was a suggestion brought up by Li Wuyuan from the start. The other lineages had no objection to this, so they gradually left the venue too.
Li Luo smiled when he saw this. "You're truly the Dragon's Fang Lineage's ace. The moment you took action, we immediately crushed the Dragon's Blood Lineage's ambition."
Hearing this, Li Lingjing smiled and replied, "I'm just a helper taking instructions from you, Cousin Li Luo. Feel free to let me know if you need anything."
"I wouldn't dare. I'm afraid I'll be struck accidentally when you feel riled up," Li Luo hurriedly replied.
Li Lingjing couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle when she heard this. Bantering with Li Luo always felt so relaxing.
Despite the laughter, she suddenly frowned a little and glanced over in a specific direction. For a moment, she seemed to have felt an inexplicable chill in her heart.
……
In an extremely dark room containing a secret altar
A shadowy figure slowly strolled out of the darkness, heading towards the altar. His indifferent eyes pierced through the empty darkness and stared at the bronze lamps on the altar. The flames were as large as beans, swaying in the cold, chilly air.
"The Spiritual Resonance Cave will be opening soon, and it'll be a grand affair. Many young talents will gather in one place."
Laughter filled with desire and greed echoed from the figure at this point. "What a great opportunity. If we feed these young and exceptional talents to the Variants, surely they'll mature faster."
"After preparing for so many years, it's about time we acted," another figure hidden in the shadows muttered to himself.
"Eh?"
One of them suddenly showed a surprised reaction. Their attention was concentrated on one of the bronze lamps that had long burned out. For a moment, it let out a dim light. "This Variant... interesting."
The eyes of the mysterious figures in the black mist were steeped in abstruse mysteries. No one could guess what their intentions were.