Chapter 29: Whose Woman
Ling Song was a madman, but Xie Bailu found that he surprisingly loved to laugh, and it wasn’t the kind of crazed laughter of a madman in a typical movie. On the contrary, his laughter was actually very normal, even pleasing to the eye.
But at this moment, he was not smiling.
His gaze fell on his brother’s pitch-black long knife. He suddenly raised his hand, and a sword qi shot out, landing on the ground in front of the Golden Core cultivator who wanted to snatch the Five-Star Cauldron, sending dirt flying.
He said impatiently, “Did I say you could leave?”
It turned out that the Golden Core cultivator, seeing that Ling Song had actually appeared and that the two brothers were in a standoff, had wanted to leave quietly. Unfortunately, as soon as he moved, Ling Song reacted.
The Golden Core cultivator had no choice but to freeze.
Ling Song looked at his half-brother, his expression somewhat annoyed. “What are you doing here?”
Zong Sheng said with a grin, “I’m here to see brother’s woman on behalf of mother! Brother, you’ve been traveling for many years, and this is the first time you’ve cared so much about someone, right? Mother heard about it and is very happy!”
Ling Song stared at Zong Sheng, his cold gaze not at all like he was looking at his own brother. After a moment, he said, “What does she want?”
Zong Sheng seemed to not see Ling Song’s gaze, his voice obviously light. “Of course, she wants to invite your woman home as a guest. Mother really wants to see what kind of woman can make you care so much!”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…” Meeting the parents? So soon? If I go, will I even have a life left? This is not a good match…
Ling Song’s smile was dangerous. “What if I’m not willing?”
Zong Sheng cheerfully shook the black long knife in his hand. “Then I’ll kill her.”
Ling Song gripped Shishang in his hand and smiled coldly. “Alright, you kill her, and I’ll kill you.”
Zong Sheng pretended to be scared and shrank his neck, grinning. “Brother, you really love her so much!”
Xie Bailu’s expression was numb. Love your ass. If he really loved me, he wouldn’t have waited until I was dead to help me get revenge!
She said weakly, “I’m willing to go!”
The two men’s attention finally fell on Xie Bailu. She said with a moved expression, “I didn’t expect Ling Song’s mother to think so highly of me. How can I not fulfill her old lady’s expectations? I also want to see the place where Ling Song grew up.”
“Pfft!” Zong Sheng couldn’t help but burst out laughing. His hand trembled, and he almost cut Xie Bailu’s throat, startling her into shrinking back.
Zong Sheng looked at Ling Song meaningfully. “Brother, you seem to have a lot of things you haven’t told your woman.”
Ling Song looked at Xie Bailu, and she also looked at him pitifully, hoping he wouldn’t end her life here.
After a long time, Ling Song shrugged and said nonchalantly, “Alright.”
With that, he walked towards the Golden Core cultivator.
The Golden Core cultivator’s situation was immediately not good. He said in a panic, “Young Master Ling, I…”
Ling Song interrupted him impatiently. “Draw your sword.”
This Golden Core cultivator had been cultivating for hundreds of years. Seeing this, he also felt a surge of fighting spirit. Although Ling Song was indeed said to be a god, his cultivation was not weaker than the other party’s, and he was not without a chance to fight!
Seeing this, Zong Sheng laughed and said, “Brother, you fight. I’ll take your woman and go first.”
Zong Sheng didn’t wait for Ling Song’s reply and flew away with Xie Bailu on his knife.
Xie Bailu looked back. Ling Song didn’t turn to look at her being taken away by Zong Sheng. His back was like it was wrapped in a fierce snowstorm, sweeping towards the Golden Core cultivator.
“Are you that worried about him?” Zong Sheng’s voice sounded beside Xie Bailu. “You love him so much too!”
Seeing that Ling Song hadn’t denied the others’ misunderstanding, she naturally wouldn’t deny it either. If Ling Song’s mother felt that she was not worthy of him and wanted to do something to her when they met, it wouldn’t be too late to tell her that it was all a misunderstanding.
For now, it seemed that there was no danger in her going to see Ling Song’s mother. On the contrary, it would help her to understand Ling Song’s background, which would be more conducive to her plan to kill him.
With this in mind, Xie Bailu completely calmed down.
Anyway, her life and death were in the hands of others. It was useless for her to think too much.
Zong Sheng seemed to be full of curiosity about Xie Bailu and asked, “I’m Ling Song’s younger brother, Zong Sheng. Has he mentioned me to you?”
Xie Bailu thought to herself, We’re not that close.
She smiled. “When I’m with him, we don’t talk much about our families.” We’re all busy scheming and fighting.
Zong Sheng seemed very disappointed and pouted. “I wanted to hear how he talks about me to others!”
Xie Bailu thought to herself, What else could it be? You two brothers are crazy in your own ways!
She smiled quietly.
Zong Sheng clicked his tongue in wonder. “What’s this? My brother is so crazy. I thought he would like a female cultivator like Teng Anlan who is also good at fighting. You look so ordinary!”
Xie Bailu said, “Thank you for the compliment.”
Zong Sheng said strangely, “I wasn’t complimenting you.”
Xie Bailu said, “Ordinary is a compliment to me.”
Zong Sheng frowned. “You’re so strange. My brother is also strange. How could he have taken a fancy to you?”
He leaned over and stared into Xie Bailu’s eyes. “What do you have?”
His eyes were very similar to Ling Song’s, but Ling Song often lowered his gaze slightly, making his long, narrow eyes always look very hard to provoke. But he had his eyes wide open, clearly showing the disdain and coldness in them, not hiding his feigned innocence at all.
Xie Bailu calmly did not shrink back. “You should ask your brother that question. It’s useless to ask me.”
Zong Sheng chuckled. “He definitely won’t answer me. He hates me.”
Xie Bailu retorted, “You don’t seem to like him either.”
“Wow, are you standing up for my brother?” Zong Sheng laughed. “Does a bastard with an unknown father like him deserve my affection?”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…?”
What a touching brotherly love. Calling him ‘brother’ to his face and ‘bastard’ behind his back. You’re amazing, bro.
But at this moment, Xie Bailu, who had the persona of loving Ling Song, could only retort, “He’s your brother. How can you say that about him?”
Zong Sheng said, “I’m not talking nonsense. He definitely didn’t tell you that when my mother gave birth to me in the Zong family and took care of me, he was fighting with wild dogs for food in the Ling family.”
Here it comes, here it comes. Behind every madman is a tragic past.
Xie Bailu wanted to cry with pity, but she couldn’t. She could only retort, “Really? I don’t believe you.”
“When you go to the Ling family, you can just ask anyone and you’ll know I’m not lying,” Zong Sheng said with a regretful expression. “It’s a pity that didn’t kill him. His talent is so high, and the older he gets, the harder it is to kill him. Sigh!”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…”
Zong Sheng stared at Xie Bailu with dissatisfaction. “What’s with that expression? It’s not like I’m the only one who wants him dead. He wanted to kill me when I was a child. If mother hadn’t come in time, he would have succeeded.”
He then pulled down his belt and pulled his clothes to the sides, revealing an old scar below his heart. “Look, this is the old wound from when he stabbed me back then. I’m not lying to you.”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…?!” Ahhh, don’t just take off your clothes! I don’t want to see!
Zong Sheng’s skin was deathly pale, making the old sword scar appear all the more savage and hideous, coiled across his flesh like a vicious, petrified centipede.
But, normally, a cultivator could easily heal a scar, but he had deliberately left it.
Xie Bailu quickly looked away, politely not lingering on his lean figure. “…Your brotherly relationship is quite creative.”
Zong Sheng didn’t understand what “creative” meant, but that didn’t stop him from laughing loudly and proudly. He straightened his clothes and said, “He can’t kill me now. My mother gave me many magical treasures. He doesn’t have any.”
Xie Bailu felt that Zong Sheng’s words confirmed her previous guess. The Ling family didn’t care much about Ling Song.
She pretended to be confused. “Since your mother favors you and doesn’t care about him, why does she want to see me?”
Zong Sheng glanced at Xie Bailu and suddenly leaned over with a low laugh. “It’s not good to be Ling Song’s woman. Why don’t you reconsider? You might die a miserable death.”
Xie Bailu said with a steadfast expression, “I’m not afraid. Since I love him, I won’t tarnish this love.”
Zong Sheng pouted with disinterest. “What do you see in him? He’s so crazy and fights with his life on the line. You could be a widow at any time!”
Xie Bailu thought to herself, Then I’ll have to thank the heavens and you for your auspicious words.
She put on a worried expression, which then turned to determination. “This is the complete him. I can’t just love his beautiful appearance and excellent inner qualities. I have to love his madness and his badness as well.”
She was almost moved by her own words. She was such a good lover! She even rhymed! Rhyming words always sounded so reasonable!
Zong Sheng stared at Xie Bailu, his expression cold. At this moment, his expression was somewhat similar to Ling Song’s, and they looked more like brothers.
The two of them probably took after their respective fathers more. They had inherited limited looks from their mother, and their similarity was not very high.
He said with displeasure, “A bastard like him should be unloved, like a lonely ghost.”
He grabbed Xie Bailu’s neck with one hand and ordered, just like before, “You are not allowed to love him anymore, or I will kill you.”
Xie Bailu, who was instantly suffocating, said, “…That’s fine too.”
Zong Sheng paused. “Really?”
Xie Bailu said, “…Really.”
Zong Sheng’s eyes flickered, as if he had thought of something interesting. “Why don’t you love me instead? We can anger my brother together.”
Xie Bailu said, “…That’s not impossible.”
He didn’t hear the perfunctory tone in Xie Bailu’s voice at all and imagined with great interest, “When he comes back later and finds that his woman has fallen in love with someone else, I wonder what the expression on his face will be! When he comes later, you’ll tell him that you’ve fallen in love with me and don’t want him anymore!”
Xie Bailu said, “…Alright.”
Only then did Zong Sheng look at Xie Bailu and notice that something was wrong. “Are you being perfunctory with me?”
Xie Bailu thought to herself, You’re only just realizing that now? You’re so slow.
She looked at him innocently and grabbed the wrist that was choking her, indicating for him to look at the current situation and how she could do anything but be perfunctory.
Zong Sheng let go of Xie Bailu, and she quickly rubbed her neck.
Zong Sheng seemed to be sizing up Xie Bailu seriously for the first time, as if thinking about something. “What’s your name, and what’s your background?”
Xie Bailu answered honestly this time. “Xie Bailu, a rogue cultivator.”
Zong Sheng said with great interest, “How did you and my brother meet? Did he really wipe out a sect for you?”
Xie Bailu answered honestly again. “That really had nothing to do with me.”
But Zong Sheng didn’t seem to believe her. He sized up Xie Bailu, but in the end, he didn’t say anything and just focused on traveling.
Xie Bailu was outwardly obedient, but inwardly she was thinking, Ling Song’s mother is probably not easy to deal with. Both of these brothers are crazy, so it must be their mother’s fault.
She didn’t know if Ling Song would be able to pick her up when he caught up. If she had to choose between these two brothers, she would definitely choose Ling Song. At least his emotions were more stable.
Meanwhile, Ling Song sheathed his sword, looking relaxed, not at all like he had just been in a fight. His opponent, the Golden Core cultivator, was already lifeless.
He was about to turn and leave, but his steps faltered. He walked to the Golden Core cultivator’s body, picked up his storage bag with his sword, and when he passed by the three bodies that had been killed by Xie Bailu earlier, he also casually picked up their storage bags.
He gathered all the spirit stones from the four storage bags into one and threw the rest away.
Then, he chased in the direction of the spiritual sense imprint.
He hadn’t appeared here today to go back on his word. He had just seen that Xie Bailu’s spiritual sense imprint had been stationary for a long time, so he had come to take a look. If she was fine, then it was fine. Later, she had finally left the city, but not long after, the spiritual sense imprint had become stationary again, so he had come to take a look, only to see his half-brother holding Xie Bailu hostage and forcing her to call him ‘husband’.
He was not at all surprised by Xie Bailu’s reaction. She had never had the pride of a cultivator. Let alone calling him ‘husband’, she would probably not hesitate to call him ‘father’.
Hmm… I can try that next time.
But before that… the killing intent he had not felt for Zong Sheng for a long time had once again become strong. Xie Bailu was his. He could force her and play with her as he pleased. How dare Zong Sheng touch her?
When Xie Bailu saw Ling Song again, he was exuding an undisguised killing intent, his gaze fixed on her.
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…?” Wait, is this killing intent aimed at me?!
Could it be that he suddenly felt that her being taken to the Ling family was very troublesome for him, so troublesome that it was boring, so he wanted to kill her and be done with it?
Xie Bailu couldn’t help but shrink towards Zong Sheng, trying to hide her figure.
If these two were to fight, she could escape. So could they fight?
Seeing Xie Bailu’s action, Ling Song frowned. With the momentum of his forward flight, he slashed out with his sword.
Zong Sheng cried out, “Ahhh,” and pulled Xie Bailu to the side to dodge, shouting, “Brother, are you crazy! You don’t want your woman anymore?”
Xie Bailu’s expression was tense, but she said, “He seems to really want to fight you. Why don’t you let me go, and you two brothers can have a good spar?”
Zong Sheng said sarcastically, “Spar? It’s more like he’ll cut me up!”
Ling Song attacked with his sword again. Zong Sheng couldn’t dodge in time, but fortunately, the Zong and Ling families had prepared many powerful magical treasures for him, one of which completely blocked Ling Song’s sword strike.
Zong Sheng’s talent was also very high, but it was still no match for Ling Song. He was younger than Ling Song and didn’t fight as desperately. He had only just advanced to the Golden Core realm last year.
A Golden Core cultivator in his twenties was a genius anywhere, but with Ling Song as a precedent, both he and Teng Anlan were completely overshadowed.
Ling Song stared at Zong Sheng, his smile contemptuous. “Why are you hiding? You have so many magical treasures. I can’t kill you.”
Zong Sheng shouted, “Magical treasures don’t fall from the sky! It will hurt if you break them!”
He pulled Xie Bailu in front of him. “If you attack again, I’ll use your woman to block the sword!”
Xie Bailu quickly said, “Don’t involve the innocent in your brotherly fight!”
Zong Sheng said, “How are you innocent? Look at my brother’s ferocious expression. Isn’t it all for you?”
He seemed to have finally thought of something and placed his long knife on Xie Bailu’s arm, smiling smugly. “Brother, if you cut me again, I’ll cut her. Let’s see who loses.”
Xie Bailu: I’m the one who loses! Me!
She watched as Ling Song gripped his sword, afraid that he would immediately slash at her regardless of her life and death. She quickly said, “Ling Song, I don’t love you anymore! I’ve decided to love your brother from now on!”
Zong Sheng was speechless. “…?”
Although he had mentioned this to her before to anger his brother, wasn’t she being perfunctory?
Ling Song paused slightly and looked up at Xie Bailu.
Xie Bailu continued, “Zong Sheng, didn’t you say you wanted me to love you before? I agree. I’m your woman now! Look at your brother. Does he want to kill us both?”
Zong Sheng said, “…Yes.”
Xie Bailu said, “So, it’s useless for you to use me to threaten him. Hurry up and throw me away. Don’t let me drag you down. You can have a good fight with him. I believe you can definitely survive!”
In three sentences, she had immediately made herself a useless hostage!
Zong Sheng was speechless. “…?”
Zong Sheng had never expected that the hostage he could have used to threaten Ling Song could be gone in just a few sentences!
He looked at the smiling Ling Song, who was giving him the creeps, and wanted to say that Xie Bailu was just deliberately talking nonsense, but would Ling Song listen? Regardless of whether what Xie Bailu said was true or false, as long as Ling Song was provoked, this hostage would be useless. This madman Ling Song would not reason with him.
And Ling Song also timely slashed out with his sword, his long, narrow eyes as cold as ice.
Zong Sheng didn’t have time to think and quickly threw Xie Bailu down, blocking with his long knife in time, but was still pushed back more than a zhang.
Zong Sheng reminded him, “Brother, mother wants to see her. Let’s not keep her waiting.”
He was already starting to feel sorry for his magical treasures.
Ling Song smiled. “It won’t take long to kill you.”
In an instant, his aura surged, and thousands of sword qi, with him and Shishang at the center, shot towards Zong Sheng.
Zong Sheng hurriedly dodged and evaded, so he didn’t notice that Ling Song had thrown something to the ground.
Zong Sheng was not high above the ground. When Xie Bailu landed, besides stumbling a little, she was fine. Then she felt something shoot towards her, and she quickly dodged to the side. The thing also landed lightly on the ground in front of her.
She looked closely and saw that it was a storage bag.
She looked up at the two brothers fighting in the sky, confused, and wanted to ask which one of them had been so careless as to drop their storage bag. But when she looked, she saw that their storage bags were still hanging at their waists.
Xie Bailu picked up the storage bag with confusion, and when she looked inside, she gasped.
It was full of spirit stones.
She suddenly had a flash of insight and understood that this was from Ling Song.
Could this show of goodwill mean that Ling Song knew what she was doing and didn’t object?
Xie Bailu ran. This time, she didn’t have to worry about Ling Song chasing after her to kill her, so she didn’t use the Divine Movement Art. She believed that Ling Song could either hold Zong Sheng off for a long time or beat him until he was unable to come after her.
As for Ling Song’s mother wanting to see her… anyway, she and Ling Song were not a real couple. If he didn’t want her to see her, then of course she wouldn’t. Otherwise, she was afraid he would kill her when no one was looking.
After running far enough, Xie Bailu had the leisure to look at the storage bag Ling Song had given her. She saw a sense of familiarity. How was it a bit like one of the three storage bags she had killed people for but hadn’t had time to take?
The number of spirit stones inside was not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator could have. That is to say, Ling Song had most likely killed that Golden Core cultivator as well, and had even collected the spirit stones from the three storage bags she hadn’t had time to pick up and put them in one of the storage bags for her.
He really, she could cry. He was a pretty good person. But—she only wanted the evil cultivator’s spirit stones because she didn’t dare to use their magical treasures! But she could use the magical treasures of a righteous cultivator! He had thrown them all away, hadn’t he