Chapter 21: The Overbearing Ling Yanlan—He's Still So Young!
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“Brother, I want to establish a faction, but I lack manpower. I wonder…”
As he pondered, Ling Tian’s gaze landed on Ling Shuo, who stood nearby.
He was unfamiliar with the Ling Family, but Ling Shuo was well versed in such matters. Surely, it would not be difficult for him to recruit some children.
Yet Ling Tian was uncertain whether these children could be considered his childhood companions. How could he know if he had ever interacted with them? His memory was incomplete!
This was precisely where the difficulty of the task lay.
Ling Tian held fast to the idea that it was better to cast a wide net, even if a few fish slipped through, than to let the net come up empty. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be a waste of time?
“Big brother, I have a plan, but…”
Ling Shuo, seeing his brother troubled, naturally wished to help. Yet before he could voice his idea, a crimson whip lashed across his face, sending him flying.
“Scoundrel! Rogue! We meet again. Didn’t I tell you that every time I see you, I’ll beat you?”
A girl, clad in red, vibrant and youthful, with the first traces of graceful beauty, appeared beside Ling Tian.
Her gaze toward Ling Shuo was filled with disdain and anger.
Ling Tian tugged at the corner of his mouth, sensing something was amiss. Ling Shuo’s reputation seemed rather dubious—would it ruin his own name as well?
Ling Tian studied the girl, stunned. She was indeed beautiful, but that was not the reason he was surprised. Above her head, a striking line appeared:
[Childhood Companion!]
My goodness!
He hadn’t expected such a prompt.
Ling Tian sighed inwardly. This would make his task all the more challenging. Such a mark meant he could only recruit those who bore it into his faction.
How time-consuming and laborious!
Fortunately, the task had no deadline, though it offered no reward if left undone.
“Little brother, did he ever try to sell you those booklets…?”
Ling Yanlan bent down, her voice gentle, lacking the fierceness from before, her red eyes searching Ling Tian.
This child was unfamiliar to her.
Ling Tian shook his head. The booklet earlier had been his own doing; he wasn’t the sort to set up his own little brother.
“That’s good. If you see him again, just ignore him.”
Ling Yanlan straightened and pulled Ling Tian behind her, staring at Ling Shuo.
“Ling Yanlan, I’ve already apologized for this. What more do you want?”
Fear flickered in Ling Shuo’s eyes, though he tried to sound tough.
“Apologized? Do you know how young my brother is? He’s just a child—how could you let him see that stuff? Do you realize how much harm it could do to his innocent mind? He’s been hiding in his room ever since! You are a poison in the Ling Family. If you weren’t the son of the Grand Elder, I would have…”
Ling Yanlan bit her silver teeth, fuming.
Ling Tian, watching, sighed. So, there was such a rift between them.
But to bring that up at such a young age—wasn’t it too early?
Ling Tian remembered the booklet Ling Shuo had tried to show him, its allure evident.
“You can’t be so unreasonable. I warned him, I didn’t force him to buy anything. It was mutual…”
Before Ling Shuo could finish, Ling Yanlan lashed out with her whip once again.
This time, Ling Shuo was prepared and narrowly dodged.
“Ling Yanlan, you’d better not go too far! Even a cornered dog will jump the wall!”
Seeing her whip strike again, Ling Shuo’s face darkened, the spot where he’d been hit still burning.
“Too far? I’ll go as far as I wish—what can you do about it?”
Ling Yanlan’s lips curled into a cold smile, her hand never stopping.
Having broken through to the first rank of the King-Sealing Realm, she was leagues above Ling Shuo.
She was confident Ling Shuo could not challenge her.
Of course, she held back her strength—otherwise, Ling Shuo would have been crippled if not dead.
Ling Tian, standing aside, couldn’t help but marvel at her power.
“You… Boss, help me!”
Ling Shuo slid across the ground, clutching Ling Tian’s waist.
Ling Tian…
What a fine case of diverting disaster!
When Ling Yanlan’s eyes fell upon him, Ling Tian shook his head and muttered,
Having you is my luck!
“Boss, are you two in league?”
Ling Yanlan put away her whip, one hand on her waist, her beautiful eyes fixed on the pair.
She refrained from attacking, fearing she might hurt Ling Tian.
“Cousin, don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t involved, but he is indeed my little brother.
My father is the Ling Family Patriarch.”
Ling Tian sighed, admitting Ling Shuo as his little brother but making it clear the selling of booklets had nothing to do with him.
Finally, he revealed his identity, knowing it was necessary for the situation to be resolved smoothly.
“So you’re the Emperor’s son! No wonder you seemed unfamiliar. I am Ling Family’s third Divine Maiden, Ling Yanlan.”
Ling Yanlan was silent for a moment, then spoke, revealing her identity.
The Emperor’s son was called the Imperial Heir—it was fitting.
Ling Yanlan’s beautiful eyes scrutinized Ling Tian. They said the Patriarch’s son was of mediocre talent, but now, at such a young age, he seemed logical and composed—rare qualities.
Ling Tian, upon hearing Ling Yanlan’s identity, understood why she possessed such cultivation at her age.
She was indeed a prodigy among prodigies.
The Ling Family was a top clan, boasting several Divine Sons and Maidens.
Bluntly put, they existed to put pressure on the future Young Lord.
If the Patriarch’s child lacked talent, the Young Lord would be chosen from among them.
No wonder Ling Yanlan’s gaze carried a hint of battle spirit.
Still, to challenge Ling Tian and seize the position of Young Lord, she would have to wait until he came of age.
“Hmph, for the sake of the Imperial Heir, I’ll let you off this time. I have matters to attend to—so I’ll be leaving now.”
As a Divine Maiden, Ling Yanlan’s status was exalted; before Ling Tian, she owed no courtesy, for he as yet held no official title.
Ling Shuo, seeing her about to depart, breathed a long sigh of relief. Last time, he’d been beaten so badly by this woman he couldn’t get out of bed for half a month.
Luckily, he’d latched onto the big brother’s thigh this time and avoided another thrashing.
“Cousin, wait…”
Ling Tian called out to Ling Yanlan.
Ling Shuo’s heart, just calmed, leapt back into his throat.
Oh, my good brother, don’t stir up trouble—you can beat me, but you really can’t beat her!
If things go wrong, both of them might get a beating.
“Imperial Heir, what instructions do you have?”
Ling Yanlan looked at Ling Tian, her tone calm—she would grant him this favor.
“I wish to establish a faction, and I’d like to invite you to join. Or perhaps we can make a wager? If you lose, you join.”
Before Ling Yanlan could refuse, Ling Tian made his proposal, hoping to repeat the trick he’d used in his contest with Lin Xue.
Ling Yanlan looked at him with amused interest and nodded lightly.
“All right…”
Ling Tian’s face had just broken into a smile when she blinked and added,
“But we’re not competing to see who can pee the farthest…”