socalfunplaces Chapter 168 I hope you'll stuff yourself to death!
Chapter 168 I hope you'll stuff yourself to death!
No one stopped them, and no one questioned them. Although the crowd didn't understand the cryptic exchange between Lin Tian and Xuan Jian, they all believed him.
Only Han Fei, with a bitter expression, scratched his head with a silly grin and sighed to Zhang Liang, "Alas... it seems that I, Han Sikou, will have to pack my bags and leave."
Zhang Liang joked, "With Brother Lin Tian around, you can forget about being a leisurely and good official for the rest of your life." Before he finished speaking, he added, "However... your ambitions shouldn't be limited to just Xinzheng."
Han Fei looked at his close friend, his eyes flickering slightly, as if he had understood something; Zhang Liang only smiled and remained silent, still with that gentle and modest demeanor.
"What time is it? Go back to your room and sleep!" Lin Tian looked up and saw a bright moon hanging high in the sky. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Nongyu's wrist, and rushed into Zilan Pavilion.
Caught off guard, Nongyu gasped softly, then hurriedly covered her mouth, her ears burning and her cheeks flushed crimson—she knew perfectly well what was going on. Here we go again!
Zi Nu stamped her foot in anger and snorted coldly, "A whole bunch of people standing in front of my shop, it's an eyesore—don't bother coming back!"
Before she finished speaking, she clenched her fists, turned around, and went inside. Yan Lingji followed closely behind, arm in arm with Wushuang Gui; Li Wu, however, paused for a moment, gazing at the rooftop opposite the Purple Orchid Pavilion from yesterday. Her beautiful eyes dimmed slightly, a trace of sorrow flashing across them, but it vanished in an instant. She then stepped inside.
Ying Zheng bowed to Han Fei and Zhang Liang to take his leave, but then quietly returned to the depths of the streets with Gai Nie by himself.
Wei Zhuang glanced at his senior brother indifferently, then turned and walked towards another long street.
Han Fei and Zhang Liang then led their troops away and returned to the palace to report back.
On the way, Han Fei rubbed his temples and sighed, "They're just gone like that? How are we going to explain this?"
Zhang Liang calmly replied, "The King of Qin intends to recruit this man; simply report the truth."
Han Fei's eyes lit up, but then his face darkened, and he said in a low voice, "With the seven states vying for supremacy, what will become of the Han dynasty? The world is on the verge of collapse, how can our Han region stand firm?"
"Do your best and leave the rest to fate." Zhang Liang murmured, his gaze drifting silently into the distance—the name had already silently surfaced in his heart: Lin Tian.
Three days later, at dawn, Lin Tian had just opened the door when he saw Li Wujing standing on the steps.
"Something wrong? Can't sleep this early?" He yawned and stretched lazily.
Li Wu's expression was aloof, and her tone was calm: "He has arrived, at the entrance of Zilan Pavilion."
"Oh? Okay then—let's go eat." Lin Tian acted as if he hadn't heard, and strode off, looking relaxed as if he was going to find breakfast.
Before leaving, he laughed loudly, "Some people may seem cold and hard on the surface, but they actually have fire burning inside."
Li Wu's ears twitched slightly, knowing who he was talking about, but she pursed her lips and snorted softly, "I'm not."
Despite this, Li Wu still followed, always staying half a step behind Lin Tian, neither too close nor too far, silent as a shadow, responding only with her footsteps.
Lin Tian understood perfectly—why had she followed? Humans aren't made of stone; how could they truly be heartless? Hei Bai Xuan Jian, nominally Ba Linglong's superior, was also, in reality, a colleague who had shared life and death with her…
The woman's face was covered in frost, as cold as an unsheathed sword. But ever since Lin Tian personally broke the curse mark on her neck and pulled her back from the brink of death, that layer of ice had quietly cracked.
Especially during her time living in Zilan Pavilion, the sharpness in her eyes faded, the fierceness in her brows softened, and even the force with which she occasionally touched the flute was lighter than before—this change was exactly what Lin Tian tacitly approved of and was happy to see.
Finally, unable to suppress her surging curiosity, she abandoned her aloof demeanor and asked bluntly, "You intend to take Hei Bai Xuan Jian into the Quicksand?"
"I'll accept it, or I won't." Lin Tian always harbored a degree of wariness towards Quicksand. Wei Zhuang was still young, but the fate of the nation was unpredictable. After the fall of Han, would his temperament be tempered by blood and fire, becoming even more ruthless and solitary? Who dared to say?
Hei Bai Xuan Jian was a hidden mob he secretly planted—not for power struggles, but as a backup plan.
The tide had turned, and Lin Tian trusted Ying Zheng's side; but the real danger often lurked in the most nearby corner of the body. Quicksand… he had to be wary. After all, Nongyu was still alive, in this Purple Orchid Pavilion, laughing and waiting.
Even if Wei Zhuang changes as he grows up, he will not draw his sword against Zi Lan Xuan—he has no reason to. But if he gets caught up in the vortex of power struggles in the future, a single thought or a misjudgment would be enough to drag the entire building into the mire.
If Zilan Pavilion were to fall into danger, Lin Tian would rather cut off his own arm than let it be stained with a single drop of blood.
The words "accept it or not" startled Li Wu slightly, but the next moment, she lowered her eyes and whispered, "He... is rather pitiful."
"Pathetic?" Lin Tian sneered, his words like blades slicing through the air. "In this chaotic world, can you even count the number of lives you've taken with a single stroke? Aren't those who died by your swords pitiful? When their parents were weeping their hearts out, who spoke up for them?"
Li Wu's throat tightened, and she couldn't answer.
These assassins, who live on the edge of death, have long treated human lives like firewood. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, even innocent civilians become the tinder to start the fire.
Lin Tian loathed the word "pitiful"—having traversed several worlds, he had long since seen through it all: those who wield knives have no right to speak of compassion. What talk of laying down the butcher's knife and instantly becoming a Buddha? He just wanted to spit out, "Stop talking nonsense!"
With Li Wu guarding one side, Yan Ling Ji suppressing the other, and Hei Bai Xuan Jian providing backup... these three people were enough for him to turn around with peace of mind.
All he wanted was for the eaves of Zilan Pavilion to still be upturned and the warm light to still shine through the window paper before the flames of war broke out.
No matter how small the hidden danger, even if it's as small as a needle tip or as tiny as a speck of dust, he will crush it with his own hands. He owes Dongfang and Xiaolongnu too much, but they have their own abilities to protect themselves. Although he feels guilty, he doesn't need to worry.
Only Nongyu... how could he let her go?
He didn't know when it started, but all those faces in Zilan Pavilion, even Zi Nu who always argued with him, had quietly taken root deep in his heart—he wanted to protect them all, not one of them could be missing.
Zilan Pavilion was no longer a temporary residence, but a piece of his heart, something that would hurt at the slightest touch and leave him feeling empty at the slightest separation.
"Hey, you rascal! You just crawled out of your cozy nest in broad daylight and are already leading this cold beauty around the yard? That Nongyu girl is quite the bold one!"
As soon as Lin Tian stepped down the stairs, he saw the food laid out on the central table. When he looked up, he met Zi Nu's teasing gaze as she leaned against the counter. His heart warmed instantly.
"If you want, come anytime! I'd love to have you around—especially since you're Nongyu's best friend!" He plopped down, his chopsticks barely touching the plate before he launched into a tirade.
Zi Nu snorted lightly, turned her face away, and muttered, "I hope you get too full! Your skin is thicker than a city wall."
Her ears were already red, but her eyes were like newly formed spring water, sparkling and flowing, with an irrepressible coquettishness in every corner of her eyes and brows.
Just then, Yan Lingji pushed open the door and entered, leaning against the doorframe at the entrance of the hall. Looking at Lin Tian, who was engrossed in his meal, she said crisply, "That idiot is still kneeling at the door, dragging two coffins around. It's creepy. Master, aren't you going to take a look?"
"What are you looking at? Looking at coffins and dead people so early in the morning? That's bad luck! Tell him to move away and not block the door." Lin Tian picked up some food and casually gave the order.
Yan Lingji called out loudly, "Did you hear what Master said?"
The voice outside the door answered crisply and decisively: "Yes! Xuanjian understands."