The attempted abdication of Darkness Palace had been suppressed by Lin Dong’s timely actions and Qingtan’s brilliance before it could go out of control.
This not only enabled Darkness Palace to remain largely intact, but also allowed Qingtan to cement her grasp of power. Henceforth, she would be the true palace master of Darkness Palace. Of course, given the position of Darkness Palace within the Northern Xuan Region, it would not be wrong to call her the empress of the Northern Xuan Region.
Such a situation was something Lin Dong would never have even dreamed of. He never expected that the day would come where this little tag along would attain accomplishments that would make even himself speechless.
However, these achievements made him feel quite helpless. He had only wished for her to be how she was in the past; a cute, silly and pampered girl who could be merry all day long...
Regardless, there was now nothing that could be done, and Lin Dong could only accept it. This was especially so whenever he was about to get angry. The lass would immediately become resentful and display a look of resignation to any scolding or beating, causing him to both laugh and his mood to improve. Hence, he could only let the matter of her final punishment rest.
In the end, what made Lin Dong heave a sigh of relief, was that at the very least, the same sincere feelings from the heart from many years ago remained when facing Qingtan; this pure feeling was the main reason why Lin Dong allowed the pitiful-acting Qingtan to fool around in the past.
Although he was exceedingly doting towards her, if she was to use underhanded tactics on those close to her, Lin Dong would be truly disappointed in her. This was his greatest taboo.
Following the end of the ceremony, Lin Dong spent the subsequent days resting in Darkness City. With the situation in Darkness Palace having just stabilized, Qingtan obviously had many matters to settle. As a result, it was impossible for Lin Dong to forcefully take her away.
At present, he could only wait for her to conclude all these matters.
……
A few bamboo houses stood within a secluded bamboo forest. The clear view through the dark green scenery made one feel carefree and relaxed.
Lin Dong was lying on his back in front of a bamboo house with a bamboo leaf in his mouth. Warm sunlight shone down onto his body, causing him to feel lazy all over. After lying in this position for awhile, he pushed his upperbody up and looked to his front where a beautiful lady in a white dress held a three-foot long sword. As the sword lightly danced, her graceful figure was akin to a butterfly. It was a beautiful sight that shook one’s very core.
Watching a lady perform a sword dance was exceedingly pleasing to the eye, especially when this lady had a devastatingly beautiful appearance.
He was unable to take his eyes off her beautiful silhouette. The latter seemed to have sensed his gaze. With a light twitch of her sword and a light tap of her fingertips, a dozen bamboo leaves shot towards Lin Dong like sharp blade glows.
Lin Dong remained motionless, allowing the sharp bamboo leaves to brush past his body and leave deep scars on the ground around him.
Ling Qingzhu kept her sword, walked over and helplessly shook her head as she glanced at Lin Dong. The numerous martial arts she practiced were for pursuing a calm and tranquil state of mind, and she was rather proud of her mental fortitude. Even exceptional experts who led magnificent armies were unable to shake her. The only exception was the man in front of her. A single look from him made her unable to calm her heart.
Just what exactly had she trained for?
Lin Dong gazed at Ling Qingzhu’s expression and involuntary chuckled. “Take a seat and rest, you must be rather tired after following me across such great distances to the Northern Xuan Region, no?”
Ling Qingzhu hesitated slightly. She slightly brushed at the ground with her lily-white hands, before she gently sat down in front of the bamboo house. Subsequently, she extended a slender hand to block the ray of sunlight that shone through the cracks of the bamboo leaves. The radiance of the sunlight on her hand caused the cold and distant expression in her eyes to slowly become more gentle. She turned her head slightly and gazed upon Lin Dong’s languid face. Biting her lips slightly, she remained silent for a long time before suddenly asking, “Are you not asking about Zenith Sensing Art just because I told you not to?”
Lin Dong was stunned by her sudden question. Soon after, he turned to face Ling Qingzhu’s beautiful veiled face. When she saw him look straight at her, she shifted her gaze away instead.
“You must naturally have your own reason to ask me to not inquire about it.”
Lin Dong chuckled and looked at Ling Qingzhu. She had lowered her eyes in response to his words. After which, he said, “Also, a part of me hopes that I’ll be unable to learn it; there still are some things that .... I’m afraid that I can’t do.”
Ling Qingzhu replied, “My Nine Heavens Supreme Purity Palace owes you a debt, it will not be unreasonable even if you were to request to learn the Zenith Sensing Art.”
“If your Nine Heavens Supreme Purity Palace owed a debt to anyone else, would you be willing to teach them?” Lin Dong replied while staring at Ling Qingzhu.
“You!”
Ling Qingzhu’s slightly chilly gaze was abruptly awashed with rage. She immediately stood up and tried to storm off in a huff, but Lin Dong suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand.
Touching her hand felt like touching perfect jade; smooth and supple with a hint of coolness. It was a feeling that made one reluctant to part with it.
Their bodies seemed to stiffen at that very moment. Ling Qingzhu definitely did not expect such an action from him. She was initially stunned, but soon attempted to retract her hand. However, Lin Dong reacted by tightly grasping it, making her struggles futile.
“You, what are you doing!” At this moment, Ling Qingzhu’s heart had already plunged into panic as she hurriedly blurted out.
Lin Dong continued to hold her hand. He did not doing anything else, but merely smiled. “So what else are you going to do to stop me?”
Ling Qingzhu lightly clenched her teeth. The warmth spreading from her hand caused her to feel a little weak. Soon after, she turned her head and looked at Lin Dong’s smiling face. In the end, she sighed in her heart and stopped struggling.
The bamboo forest was exceptionally quiet under the sunlight. Two figures held hands, one standing and one sitting. Light seemed to form a halo around the two figures, creating an exceptionally tranquil scene.
This scene seemed to go on forever, before footsteps sounded in the distance, Qingtan’s voice arrived from the distance, “Big brother Lin Dong!”
This sound instantly shattered the tranquility. Ling Qingzhu hurriedly retracted her hand from Lin Dong’s grasp and stood to one side. She did not look at him, but a blush had emerged on her face.
Lin Dong chuckled as if he wished to continue before standing up. A lovely figure flew over from far away before rushing into his embrace like a hungry swallow.
Behind her were several experts from Darkness Palace. However, upon witnessing this scene, they hurriedly lowered their heads and carefully retreated.
Lin Dong looked at the girl wearing a black skirt in his arms and caressed her little head. “Done with today’s matters?”
“More or less.” Qingtan stretched lazily, displaying her exquisite figure. She hugged Lin Dong’s arm as she giggled and saying, “Did big brother Lin Dong miss me?”
“It has only been so long, what are you trying to get at?” Lin Dong shook his head while laughing. “However, father and mother miss you terribly. Hurry and get your matters in order, then follow me back to the Eastern Xuan Region to meet father and mother.”
“When we’re back, father’s definitely going to show his unhappiness, and mother might even smack my bottom. Big brother Lin Dong, you must protect me.” Qingtan fearfully said in a hesitant manner. When she had argued with Liu Yan before she left home back then...
“You reap what you sow. You can only blame yourself and accept your punishment.” Lin Dong shook his head and replied indifferently.
Seeing how unwavering Lin Dong was, Qingtan’s expression instantly turned sour.
Upon hearing this conversation, Ling Qingzhu could not help but smile.
“Sister Qingzhu, have you been living comfortably here?” Qingtan looked towards Ling Qingzhu with a lovely smile as she inquired.
Ling Qingzhu replied with a slight smile and a nod.
Lin Dong watched the two ladies converse and did not interrupt. After a moment, he pulled Qingtan over. “Qingtan, I have something to ask you. You know about the Yimo, right?”
“Yimo?” Qingtan was startled for a moment, before nodding. “I currently possess the Darkness Ancestral Symbol and naturally know about the Yimo.”
“In that case, have you found any traces of Yimos in the Northern Xuan Region?” Lin Dong asked. The Yimo had been so active In the Eastern Xuan Region, it was impossible that there wasn’t any activity here in the Northern Xuan Region, right?
Qingtan scrunched her eyebrows and pondered, before shaking her head. “Our Darkness Palace is the overlord of the Northern Xuan Region. After so many years, we’ve naturally faced off against those evil Yimo, but there wasn’t anything particularly shocking.”
Lin Dong was inwardly surprised. Could it be that the Northern Xuan Region was really so clean? Given Devil Prison’s overbearing methods that had even enabled them to invade the Celestial Demon Marten tribe, no matter how powerful the Darkness Palace was, they wouldn’t be able to force Devil Prison into helplessness, right? Could they really be so wary of the Darkness Ancestral Symbol?
Unable to reach a conclusion, Lin Dong could only shake his head and put the matter aside for the time being.
Because Qingtan had settled the internal affairs of the palace, she stayed here with them. Night quickly fell while the trio engaged in hearty conversation. Qingtan seemed to become extremely indolent once she was at Lin Dong’s side. Under the cover of the moonlight, she simply fell into a deep sleep in Lin Dong’s embrace.
Lin Dong looked at Qingtan, who was lying on his legs like a kitten. Smiling, he carefully carried her and moved her onto the bed in the bamboo house. Only after making sure she was nicely tucked in did he stealthily leave the house.
Under the moonlight, Ling Qingzhu stood in a simple yet elegant manner. She watched Lin Dong walk out and suddenly commented in a soft voice, “Qingtan is really fond of you.”
“She has been like this since young.” Lin Dong replied while nodding.
Ling Qingzhu glanced at him. Just as she was about to speak again, both of their expressions suddenly changed slightly. Looking up, both of them saw a black silhouette standing silently on a bamboo under the crescent moon. A pair of black eyes seemed exceptionally strange under the moonlight.
Lin Dong stared at the silhouette as his pupils slightly contracted.
“Hehe, you’re the Lin Dong that the Fourth Seat King mentioned, right?” The black figure looked at Lin Dong and asked with a soft laugh.
“And which venerable one of Devil Prison might you be?” Lin Dong asked with an icy chuckle.
The black figure lifted his head slightly. Under the moonlight, a face covered with demonic runes was revealed. He grinned, revealing a row of sinisterly white teeth that exuded an eerie aura.
“I’m the Seventh Seat King, and I’m here for you.”