Chapter 721 – Leave Now!

　　Feng Jingyu suddenly raised his head and stared at the pale-faced Ling Chigu with bloodshot eyes. He said hoarsely, “Even if I die today, I will still drag a blind bastard like you down with me!”

　　However, even though he made such a ferocious declaration, his hands merely charged up the attack. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to attack.

　　Ling Chigu moved his lips when he saw a flutter of black clothes out of the corner of his eyes. He stared into Feng Jingyu’s eyes and opened his lips slightly as he mouthed soundlessly, ‘Leave now!’

　　Originally, Feng Jingyu was despairing from the bottom of his heart. His only thought was how to resolve himself to kill the person in front of him, but he froze all of a sudden.

　　Leave now?

　　Ling Chigu’s hand, which was hanging to the side, moved slightly. In a place blocked by Feng Jingyu, he quickly and deftly wrote these two words on Feng Jingyu’s thigh again.

　　‘Leave now!’

　　‘Leave quickly!’

　　‘It’s very dangerous here!’

　　He wrote hastily, fearful that someone would notice something.

　　Anxiousness gathered in Ling Chigu’s eyes. Soon after, his palm suddenly slammed towards Feng Jingyu’s shoulder. The strike looked strong on the surface, but in reality, it didn’t actually contain any power.

　　Feng Jingyu realized something and followed the flow, putting on an act of having suffered serious injuries and stumbling backward. He staggered back a few steps and was finally able to regain his footing after much difficulty.

　　“Ling Chigu—you ungrateful bastard!” Feng Jingyu was so heartbroken and indignant that even breathing was difficult. He retreated a few more steps unsteadily, gave a shrill, weeping cry, and turned into a phoenix that soon flew into the air.

　　He said sternly, “Ling Chigu, from now on, you will walk your bridge and I will walk my road. The West Land and the North Land’s northernmost region will sever all relations, and all contact will be forbidden for the next five hundred years!”

　　With another shrill, ear-piercing cry full of despair, the phoenix flapped his wings and flew into the air. With a single flap of his wings, he was already thousands of miles away.

　　Ling Chigu watched unblinkingly as Feng Jingyu disappeared completely from his sight. Only then did he sigh with relief.

　　“He sure fled quickly.” A mass of purplish-black Qi came out of the cracks in the crumbling fences and dilapidated walls. In the blink of an eye, the Qi turned into a man with black robes and silver hair.

　　The man landed on the ground beside Ling Chigu. He said with a smile, “The West Phoenix Monarch is truly genuine and sincere towards you. He would rather hurt himself than hurt you. Since he treats you so well, why didn’t you leave with him?”

　　Lign Chigu stood up, straightened his clothes, and said indifferently, “A subject cannot serve two masters. Not to mention, he disrespected the lord.”

　　When he mentioned Yan Huaizhen, hints of fanatical obsession appeared in Ling Chigu’s eyes, as if he was affected by a gu technique.

　　The silver-haired man studied Ling Chigu. A moment later, he nodded in satisfaction. “No wonder Ah Zhen likes you and trusts you so much. Little General Ling is indeed extraordinary.”

　　But if Ling Chigu didn’t hold even the slightest bit of kind feelings towards Yan Huaizhen, then even the Synchronized Heart Gu—which was able to make the target indifferent to everyone outside of the holder of the other Synchronized Heart Gu and induce a fanatical zeal for the holder within the victim’s heart—wouldn’t possibly have had such a miraculous effect. In the end, Ling Chigu still cared about Yan Huaizhen in his heart.

　　This also simplified everything.

　　Speaking of which, Feng Jingyu really became the laughingstock of the Nine Lands. From beginning to end, he had been sewing a wedding address for someone else.

　　Ling Chigu’s ice-cold gaze swept across the silver-haired man as he narrowed his eyes slightly. “And where did you come from? I’ve never heard of someone like you staying by Ah Zhen’s side.”

　　Yan Huaizhen came over and stood beside Ling Chigu, gazing at him gently and answering, “This person is called Tu Feng. He’s a distinguished guest from an outside world. That year, you and I were being hunted down by Yan Zizhang’s subordinates. Your Ling family was destroyed, and we were also separated. Tu Feng suddenly appeared at a critical moment and saved me. He even killed those pursuers for me. He helped me reorganize the troops and make a comeback. If it wasn’t for Tu Feng, I would never have been able to meet you today.”

　　Ling Chigu curled his lips slightly and looked at Tu Feng with the confidence and unrestrained spirit characteristic of Little General Ling. “Since you saved Ah Zhen’s life, then you’re also my benefactor. If there are any matters you want me to do in the future, just say the word.”

　　Tu Feng gave a free and easy smile. “Since General Ling said so, I’ll keep that in mind.”

　　Then Ling Chigu pretended to ask curiously, “But just what does a guest from an outside world mean? Is Fellow Tu Feng from other big worlds?”

　　Tu Feng smiled mysteriously and said with profound meaning, “You will understand in the future.”

　　Ling Chigu nodded thoughtfully.

　　Yan Huaizhen stared at Ling Chigu and sighed, his face full of sadness. “Ah Gu, Yan Zizhang really was wicked. Not only did he ignore the bond of brotherly affection, but he even killed your entire Ling family, which had always been loyal and devoted. If it wasn’t for your friendship with me, the Ling family wouldn’t have met such an end—I’ve wronged you. In fact, I haven’t been able to face you for a long time.”

　　Threads of pain wove through Ling Chigu’s entire heart. The destruction of the Ling family was an excruciating event that he would never forget in his lifetime. Moreover, he had already vowed to himself a long time ago that he wouldn’t let even a single person involved in the Ling family’s annihilation get away—be they Yan Huaizhen, Yan Zizhang, or the Black and White Crow Guards.

　　It’s just that when he first regained consciousness, he thought of the Ling family and already felt extreme sorrow. Now that this was mentioned again, he was finally calm.

　　“No,” Ling Chigu said indifferently. He seemed unconcerned and also seemed cold and ruthless. “I will naturally pin the blame for the Ling family’s destruction on Yan Zizhang’s head. Why should Ah Zhen blame himself?”

　　Yan Huaizhen, on the other hand, still looked distressed. He grieved and lamented with tearful eyes, “In the end… It was all because of me. If you had listened to Feng Jingyu’s words back then and left the northern border in time, you wouldn’t have been implicated by me.”

　　But Ling Chigu merely sneered, “He was simply indulging in fantasy. My Ling family has defended the northern border for generations. Even if we die in battle, we will never ignore our ancestor’s words and become traitors who turn against our lord and ancestors.”

　　Tu Feng couldn’t help asking curiously, “General Ling, after all’s said and done, the West Phoenix Monarch has still done a lot for you and risked his life. Don’t you feel even a little thankful?”

　　Ling Chigu, however, said, “If the reason someone tried his best to help you was to have you give yourself wholly to him, then no matter how much he helped you, you would only feel… disgusted to the extreme.”

　　Towards the end, Ling Chigu’s voice became narrow and low, full of abhorrence. No one would think that he was acting.

　　Tu Feng and Yan Huaizhen exchanged a silent glance and revealed a smug smile.

　　……

　　Feng Jingyu flew away angrily. After a few flaps of his wings, he had already thrown his pursuers way behind him. He put out the fire all over his body and stopped, landing on the top branch of a tree and overlooking the Northern Liang City in the desert from his location on the mountain.

　　Feng Jingyu’s face looked bewildered, and his hand gripped the branch so hard that his fingers sank deep into the tree.

　　Ling Chigu said, “Leave now.”

　　He must have discovered danger, so he forced me to leave. Ling Chigu was putting on an act.

　　Thinking of this, Feng Jingyu’s heart felt both bitter and sweet, finally turning into a long sigh that was full of worry.

　　“What are you standing so high up for? Do you want to take off?” A voice that was practically asking for a beating came from the foot of the tree.

　　Startled, Feng Jingyu looked down and saw You Ming and Yan Zhonghua standing together. They looked at him with raised heads.

　　He quickly flew down and asked in surprise, “Why are you guys here?”

　　You Ming answered with a smile, “Just now, I saw a disheveled bird that set itself on fire flying out from the city. It flew in this direction, so I wanted to see if I could make the most of this and find that silly bird who burnt itself up, so that Yan Zhonghua and I can enjoy a nice meal. Thus, we came over.”

　　Feng Jingyu, “…”

　　Alright, I can confirm that this You Ming is not an imposter.

　　Feng Jingyu asked, “I meant—why are you guys in Northern Liang?”

　　You Ming replied, “I heard that you took Ling Chigu and decided to pledge loyalty to Yan Huaizhen, so I came to see if a radish has entered your brain.”

　　Feng Jingyu’s expression twisted immediately, and he gave the tree a fierce kick. “Radish, my foot! That fucking Yan Huaizhen schemed us. He took Ah Gu’s soul consciousness and made Ah Gu serve him unconditionally, unable to free himself for the rest of his life!”

　　Although Feng Jingyu’s words were vague, You Ming and Yan Zhonghua were experienced and knowledgeable people, so they were able to understand what happened from a few key words.

　　You Ming asked, “How is Ling Chigu now?”

　　Feng Jingyu pursed his lips. “Cold to me and courteous to Yan Huaizhen.”

　　You Ming raised his eyebrows.

　　Feng Jingyu continued, “But I think there’s something more to it.”

　　“What about it?” Yan Zhonghua asked.

　　So Feng Jingyu vividly described the mutual love, followed by mutual killing, and finally mutual love again between him and Ling Chigu, as well as the progression of his own psychological state throughout all this—from stifling pain to the sky clearing after the rain. Regardless of importance, Feng Jingyu recounted everything in excruciating detail.

　　During this process, the veins on You Ming’s forehead twitched, and he tried to interrupt Feng Jingyu’s off-track story several times and make him get to the main point. Ultimately, You Ming was forced to give up on such a fruitless endeavor upon seeing Feng Jingyu fall into an eerie state where he alternated between tearing up one moment and chuckling like a fool the next.

　　“…He told me to leave now.” Feng Jingyu sighed. “Say, do you think he likes me?”

　　You Ming: “…”

　　Yan Zhonghua: “…”

　　You Ming wiped his face and said with difficulty, “Don’t you think that Ling Chigu is in danger right now?”

　　Feng Jingyu nodded. “That’s why I have to be ready to save him at any time.”

　　You Ming asked in surprise, “You’re just going to let him remain beside Yan Huaizhen? How can you still be so calm and collected, even knowing that?”

　　Feng Jingyu waved his hand. “Ah Gu isn’t naive. He knows the gravity of the situation. Since he chose to stay there, he naturally has a reason why he must remain behind. All I need to do is to protect him from the shadows.”

　　Remembering Yan Huaizhen’s gloating face as he strutted around smugly, Feng Jingyu became angry again. He glanced at Yan Zhonghua out of the corner of his eyes. “That damned brother of yours really isn’t anything good.”

　　Yan Zhonghua said calmly, “Even a good bamboo will produce bad shoots.”

　　Feng Jingyu calmed down and asked, “Did you make any special discoveries here in Northern Liang?”

　　You Ming raised a brow. “I discovered that you’re especially stupid—does that count?”

　　Feng Jingyu: “…I’m being serious here. Don’t you think that more and more soldiers have been going to Northern Liang recently, but fewer and fewer people are coming back?”

　　You Ming and Yan Zhonghua exchanged a glance, then simultaneously stared at Feng Jingyu.

　　“What?”

　　“So you noticed it too.” You Ming rubbed his chin. “Zhonghua and I paid a visit to the edge of the northern border. If I’m right, the cause of this abnormality should be the evil spirits making a comeback.”

　　Feng Jingyu froze. “Evil spirits? Are they what I think they are?”

　　“If you meant those evil spirits that killed your old phoenix ancestor and made his subsequent rebirth fail, then yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about,” You Ming hit the nail on the head.