Chapter 571 Inner Thoughts of an Assassin

Translator: chuchutrain | Editor: DavidT /Rock

Ling Jian and Chi moved simultaneously, both of their swords cleaving open the blood rain that filled the sky! This was closely followed by Feng Mo, who brought numerous warriors as they violently shouted out, engaging into the fray once more! For the enemies who already had their courage stolen, they were akin to a bunch of lambs, bleating out their final wails. They had already lost all thoughts of resistance!

It was akin to a tsunami sweeping across the remnant enemies. On the ground, other than Ling Tian’s forces, there was no other living being!

A complete wipe-out!

On the other side, Ling Jian pointed at Ling Chi as he spoke, “Go over to where the battle started. There are still a lot of wounded on the ground. Finish them off with a stab, make sure that there are none left alive.”

……

The winds of autumn screamed around Ling Tian while he and his horse stood at the mountain pass, his hands clutching a falcon’s messenger tube. From his vantage point, he could see the war flags of the Xiao Family from afar. His face remained indifferent, as though wishing to see how the Xiao Family would live up to their fantasies of charging into Sky Bearing Empire like a hot knife through butter!

Behind him stood row after row of knights, their rough and weathered expressions giving off a sense of sturdiness as well as unconcealed battle intent.

Farther back, in a pool of blood, lay more than ten bodies cut in two. Those were the original leaders of the soldiers stationed here.

After successfully resolving the problem with the Xiao Family’s elite troops, Ling Tian’s first action was to continuously slaughter his way until he reached this particular location. The mountain pass defense of a country, who dared to look down on it? Since they knew the existence of a traitor, then eliminating the dissident would be the natural course of action to take. In regards to dealing with them, he was even impatient about it, creating a whirlwind of blood the moment he arrived. In just minutes the leaders of the Wang family had already been mercilessly purged by him.

“Feng Mo, send out two people to return to the Ling Family Courtyard at the fastest speed and relay my command. The Imperial Tutor of the dynasty, Wang ZhiHong, has betrayed the country. This is an unpardonable crime, and all his family members are to be beheaded without a single one remaining! All those related to the Wang Family, be they officials or generals, are all to cease their current roles and be captured to await judgment in Sky Bearing. Any who resist will be killed without mercy! As for the vacated roles, the Ling Family Courtyard will deploy a substitute within one day at the latest without fail.” Ling Tian’s mouth and hand moved non-stop, as he speedily also wrote a letter for Feng Mo to pass on.

“Understood!” Feng Mo’s huge face remained impassive and he signaled to his men to take the notice. Both of them received the command, flipping up onto their horses and disappearing in a cloud of dust.

Ling Tian gazed at the huge military camp of the Xiao Family, a thought of annihilating every last one of them surfacing inside his mind.

Only when you truly saw the elite bearings of the Xiao Family troops, the rigor of Xiao FengYang in training his soldiers, that you would understand that they surpassed whatever reputation they had! Even at such a far distance, one would coldly shiver at the solemn majesty of the army. One could imagine what sort of force they would be during a battle.

“Young Noble, since in reality the Xiao Family is already in control of this area, why don’t they occupy it, but rather stand there and guard the area instead of going on the offensive? Isn’t that a waste of manpower? If they really brought all their armies in to occupy this area, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be as easy for us to take it back!” Feng Mo walked up two steps, staring warily at the scene opposite him as he spoke his thoughts, “Even though the Xiao Family has unrivaled financial power, money should never be wasted like this. This subordinate cannot even predict their thoughts as it doesn’t go with logic and common sense!”

Feng Mo was originally under the command of Ling Xiao and was someone who had been through many wars. Of course, he had a certain understanding towards military and war strategy. However, even so, this was what boosted his suspicions in his heart about the Xiao Family’s performance.

“Waste? Where is this a waste?! How is this a waste?!” Ling Tian coldly smiled in return. “The current Xiao Family’s actions are more than treacherous! Stationing their soldiers here, yet not moving forward, what country would not be worried about a 200,000 strong army staring covetously at you? This is as good as them choking our necks, making us uncomfortable! Right now, Shen RuHu in the East is tied up, not daring to move, and my father in the South also doesn’t dare to shift his armies for fear that the situation will collapse. Thus, the Xiao army here actually has sufficient place to showcase their abilities, and since the so-called impregnable fortress was actually filled with their men, it would be a piece of cake to enter. However, they do not do so, for it will remove all their advantages!”

“The moment they move they will suffer the greatest losses as well. Other than revealing the truth about their spies, they would also induce us to gather our elites to wipe out all their spies in the shortest time! Furthermore, this would also allow Eastern Zhao and Southern Zheng to look for opportunities to exploit. After all, this would allow them to expel the thorn in their bosom. Since they can threaten us without moving, then naturally they would be unwilling to destroy this balance. A war without guarantees would only give their enemies an opportunity. In addition, they still have a huge army southeast of here waiting for us.”

“Thus, they have to maintain this deadlocked position, consuming vast amounts of resources on the backlines. With the wealth of the Xiao Family, I believe they will not pay much attention to it. However, for us at Sky Bearing, who are besieged on three sides, we have to be worried. Southern Zheng is furthermore pincered to both ends, possibly entering a state of annihilation at any given moment. As such, there will be a family that cannot take the pressure any longer and will initiate the war. Whichever family it is, it will definitely not be the Xiao Family. As the war grows and the casualties mount, there will come a day where one side can’t hold on any longer, and it will be this time when the Xiao Family swoops in.”

Ling Tian coldly laughed, “The scheme of the Xiao Family can be said to be beautifully planned, using hundreds of years of amassed resources to achieve the ultimate victory in the battlefield. This is their objective! Such a scheme is brilliant and furthermore feasible! And this plan, when compared against the rest of the world, is unfeasible because of the huge amount of resources required. Not even the Ling Family could afford it!”

“As such, war is about who’s wealthier. If you have enough wealth, enough power, then you would have won half the battle!”

“In addition, even with such overwhelming odds of success, they still chose to launch such a contradictory method of a sneak attack. No matter from what viewpoint we can see that their plans were deliberately and methodically laid out! To the point of ensuring not a single loss while enjoying the best piece of meat, they’re really dreaming to the point they blur fantasy with reality.”

“But…. since Young Noble knows about all this, then why don’t you…” Feng Mo wanted to ask, why did Ling Tian still choose to deploy his soldiers? Was this not creating a chance for the enemy? However, he realized that it was out of his authority to question, and immediately clamped his mouth shut.

But Ling Tian laughed in a depressed manner.

“Boor!” Ling Jian coldly looked at Feng Mo, as he softly spat.

“You… you dumb f**k!” Feng Mo looked utterly discomfited. His hair bristled up as he shivered in anger. In the Ling Family Courtyard, other than a select few, everyone was afraid of Ling Jian. But it just so happened that one of the exceptions was Feng Mo!

Thinking about the time in the past, this little kid couldn’t even keep up with them during their practices. Who knew that in a few years he would become an earth-shaking killer? However, one point did not change, and that was his deadpan expression that was still as stone cold as ever. Inside the Ling Family Courtyard, Feng Mo was the oldest Blood Iron Warrior leader present, and one of the few who wasn’t scared of Ling Jian at all. However, he conveniently did not dare to mention the fact that he used to call him with the nickname of Little JianJian in the past.

“You… you dumb f**k!” As such, while he actually wanted to call him a “Little Lowly Thing” he, in the end, could not bear to say it. Ling Jian’s body had started to exude cold killing intent, and even if the hardened veteran that was Feng Mo, he could not bear too much.

“YOU’RE the pig.” Ling Jian replied without any sense of courtesy. “Why, are you unsatisfied? You’ve followed the Young Noble for close to a decade now from when he was a kid. When have you discovered a situation that would strangle the throat of Young Noble? You really possess the brain of a pig. Other than wasting resources, you’re good for nothing.”

“Are you any better? You brainless murderer, other than pretending to be a corpse the whole day and killing people, what else can you do? Whenever I see this dead face, I feel like puking! It’s not like you understand the plans of our Young Noble, so on what grounds are you insulting me!” Feng Mo spat back.

“I admit that I don’t know, but I don’t need to know either. I just need to be able to carry out the Young Noble’s actions. I’m unlike some others, who don’t know and yet pretend that they understand, spewing out nonsense…” Ling Jian continued his tirade.

“That’s enough.” Ling Tian pinched his brows. “Every time you two meet you always quarrel. Even after placing you two in the Ling Family Courtyard to oppose each other day and night, you two still haven’t had enough? This place is the battlefield, not your own backyard where you can argue freely!”

Feng Mo chuckled in embarrassment before using a reminiscing voice as he said, “Young Noble, you might not know it but I, Old Feng, especially cherish those memories from a decade ago. At that time, the moment I did not see eye to eye with a certain someone, I would just need to grab his leg, pull down his pants and give him a good spanking. That sort of sort, that crispness, that touch, really brings back fond memories! Now that the certain someone is old, he thinks he can bully me. Sigh, the time has gone by so fast!”

Ling Jian’s face turned pale, and he glared at him. In the entire courtyard, those who could have said to have beat Ling Jian were practically nil, but this Old Feng just happened to always be an exception. Even without the “Little JianJian” nickname, there was still a lot of dirty linen he could bring up.

Ling Tian couldn’t help but smile, looking at Ling Jian with interest as he pretended to ponder, “Hmm, Little JianJian’s buttocks have also been smacked by me. At that time, the feeling was really quite splendid. Even now I still think about it now and then. The crisp sound boasts of so much appeal akin to what Confucius spoke about ‘going three months without meat’, that kind of feeling.” Ling Tian stopped talking about the battlefield as though he decided that the Ling Family Courtyard was now in this place!

Ling Jian had a deep scowl on his face!

The reason why Ling Tian worked in tandem with Feng Mo wasn’t just to purely poke fun at him, but also because he found out that Ling Jian had become colder and more eccentric after his battle with Li Xue. Other than talking with Ling Tian, Ling Chen and a few others, he put on a cold expression to everyone else and frequently sat in a corner with his sword, ignoring everyone. His sword had become quicker, his moves more ruthless.

If one were to talk about just becoming a peerless killer, it might not be a bad thing, but to be a good brother then it definitely wouldn’t be good!

Ling Tian always had this worry that if Ling Jian was to continue developing down this line he would enter the path of a true cold-blooded sword murderer. When that time came, while his skills might take a quantitative and qualitative leap, he would also fully turn into a slaughterer without any emotions whatsoever!

While this would provide more help for Ling Tian, Ling Jian would end up being alone for the rest of his life, destined to only be a tool to be used for killing! Ling Tian aspired for Ling Jian to be a killer with emotions and feelings, to become a true brother which would share weal and woe, not a simple treasured sword meant to kill. Ling Tian was willing to see Ling Jian progress at a slower pace, progressively stepping up towards the peak of martial arts, rather than to see him use this sort of extreme method to ruin himself!

Thus, upon seeing this rare chance where Ling Jian spoke so much, Ling Tian took the chance to work together with Old Feng to poke fun at him.

Ling Tian’s words made many of the Blood Iron Warriors recount the past, and as they looked at Ling Jian, they seemed to see that strict and severe little child of yesteryear. Everyone felt a stirring in their hearts, and crowded around Ling Jian, smiling and teasing him.

Walking into the circle, Ling Tian warmly stared at the red-faced Ling Jian as he gently said, “Ah’Jian, you’re already nineteen, right? Do you have any lady in your heart that you fancy? Just look at our Ling Chi, he’s almost at the home run stage now, but you as the big brother, how could you be behind him?”

Ling Jian did not expect the latter to suddenly bring out this question and could only hang his head down on embarrassment. It was only after a long time did he finally speak, “Young Noble, stop teasing Ling Jian. I’ve never considered this matter at all. To tell you the truth, Young Noble, I only need to have the sword in my hand to feel at ease. As for familial matters, I’ve never truly thought about it, I just wish to protect Young Noble for all my life!”

Ling Tian laughed, “Ah’Jian, please don’t, your young noble here only likes ladies, and have no interest towards handsome guys. Please don’t say you’re going to accompany me for my whole life!”

Ling Jian’s eyes shone, and his tone was unnaturally grave, “Young Noble should understand my meaning. Ling Jian has no regrets in this life!”

Ling Tian kept his smiling face, slowly breathing out as he heavily replied, “I thought so. In actual fact, when I left Sky Bearing, I could see that you had always followed what I said to you that year. To take yourself as a sword, a sword that belongs to only me. Isn’t that so? If so, what do you actually think inside your heart?”

Ling Jian smiled thinly, and the expression on his face originally settled down as he replied, “Not entirely so. Of course, Young Noble has an ambition to surpass the heavens, as well as the ability to do so. In that case, Ling Jian is willing to be the sword that helps Young Noble to surpass the heavens, and this is also my lifetime’s dream. However, in my many years of killing, I’ve immersed myself more and more in this feeling of grasping everyone’s lives in my hands. With only the sword in my hands, with blood on the sword, will I then feel happy and will I then feel truly alive.”

He took two steps forward, gazing on the void in the distance as an expression of solitude appeared on his face. “Ever since my family was wiped out, I’ve already lost my sense of direction. When I was at my lowest, you picked me up, gave me the strength to take my revenge! During that period of time, no matter how difficult it was, I held on so as not to betray your hopes and expectations of me and also to personally kill all my enemies. I did not dare to slack off one bit! However, the very instant where I reaped the lives of all 300 of my enemies, I suddenly felt a mysterious void, but strangely, a strange satisfaction within that sense of emptiness in my heart.”

Ling Jian bitterly smiled, “It was as though, from the very beginning, I was thirsting to reap the lives of others. Seeing my sword let out a radiant shine from all the blood coated on it I truly felt alive, and with all my enemies dead, I was happy, I was inspired! This made me anticipate my next killing!”

“However, with each killing, after that momentarily rush of happiness, I could also feel my own heart getting colder. However, I never truly thought of wanting to change anything.”

Ling Jian turned his head around to look at Ling Tian. In his eyes was a burning passion, “Others might follow their young nobles for honor and glory, or perhaps for a high post and generous salary. Some even follow to be written down in history’s annals. However, I Ling Jian, follow my young noble only because I want to help my young noble settle some of his burdens. To purge all obstacles for my young noble, this and nothing more! Since young noble wishes to surpass the heavens, then killing cannot be avoided! Even without Ling Jian here, there will still be others who will step up to do such a matter rather than having yourself to do it. I have nothing to repay Young Noble with, so let me shoulder this crime of killing on my own!”

“Let me shoulder this crime of killing on my own!” Hearing this, Ling Tian was silent for a long time.

In the end, he could only lightly sigh as he faced Ling Jian, saying, “Ah’Jian, if not for me asking you, you would probably not say it even in your grave, right?”

Ling Jian lowered his head and did not answer. The autumn wind blew up his hair and robes, creating a rustling sound. At this moment, he seemed to have integrated into the cold wind, symbolizing desolation and solitude.

This was the first time since Ling Jian followed Ling Tian that he did not answer Ling Tian immediately!

“I remember telling you that day that I needed a sword, a sword that could cut through all my obstacles, kill all those who obstruct me.” Ling Tian finally breathed out. “However, what happens after I conquer the entire world? Ah’Jian, to unite all under heavens, one needs a sword, one needs to kill. But in the end, there is a limit to killing, and we cannot continue like this forever. There will be one day where peace reigns and our time of slaughter will also have passed. We still have so many years ahead of us, and even if there are still wars and slaughter, that would be for the future generations to worry about, not us.”

“Other than a sword, do you know what I lack the most right now, Ah’Jian?”

Ling Jian suddenly raised his head up.

Ling Tian shook his head as he bitterly laughed, “I, Ling Tian, can also be considered as a hegemon with authority and influence. With a wave of my hand, I can create rivers of blood that flow from ten thousand people! As for my confidante, I have Ling Chen, BingYan, and YanXue, all who are heaven-toppling beauties! For a family, my parents and grandparents are healthy and well, without ailment, and they treasure me dearly. Having reached this state, to the ordinary person, I’m practically flawless. Is that so? I’m still missing something. And this something, is similar to those I’ve stated above, that you cannot buy with money.”

“Ah’Jian, do you know what I’m lacking?” Ling Tian warmly looked at Ling Jian. “Are you willing to give me that thing?”

“So long as Ling Jian has it, he will definitely provide it for Young Noble, without hesitation!” Ling Jian resolutely replied.

“Good! A gentleman never goes back on his word!” Ling Tian lightly shouted. His eyes narrowed as he smiled, “I’m still lacking a brother, a true brother who will go through heaven and hell for me. I lack a brother, who is willing to forge bonds of brotherhood with me. I lack a brother, who is willing to boast and talk crap with me during our free time, to share weal and woe. Such a brother cannot be replaced by any woman on earth. How is it? Didn’t you say you would want to accompany me for a lifetime? I now ask you to accompany me, to chat, and to boast!”

Ling Jian’s face turned green, “Young Noble, it’s alright if you ask me to kill and to plunder. However, to chitchat and boast… I don’t know how!”

Ling Tian smiled as he looked at him, “This is something every male is inborn with, how could you not know this? I’m very expectant of your reply, just like how you decisively replied me that year, to be my sword!”

Without waiting for Ling Jian to open his mouth, he suddenly laughed and continued, “I’ll take your silence as consent then. When we return to Sky Bearing, I’ll send out a command, giving you a matchmaking session.”

“Ah?! Matchmaking?” Ling Jian was stunned silly. He was still absorbing what Ling Tian had said and did not fully understand the contents. What was it about a man being innately able to chitchat and boast, and suddenly having this bombshell dropped on him, he could not help but exclaim out loud.

“Yep, matchmaking. You’re already nineteen and you’re not of a young age anymore. You should have thoughts of forming a family. If you continue like this, I’m afraid you’ll really become a cold-blooded sword!” Ling Tian chuckled. “And a woman is the best weapon to allow hundred times forged steel to become soft and supple!”

Ling Jian began to sweat, sweat buckets, sweat out a waterfall…

“Matchmaking? Even announcing to the entire world?! Ling Jian might be cold and unfeeling, but apparently, even a corpse could change its expression. “Young Noble… this, I can’t do it…”

“What can’t? Why can’t you?!” Ling Tian rolled his eyes as he rejected, “Just look at me, I have three to four wives already, and they can even form a clique. You’re still a bachelor so don’t you feel envious?”

Ling Jian did not know whether to laugh or cry as he replied, “Young Noble, I’m not jealous… I’ve never thought of such a matter before. Besides, I also do not wish to be burdened by family matters.”

“Never thought of it? No, this will not do! From now on I want you to think about it. I don’t wish to have a bachelor on my side forever, that will not give me a sense of security!” Ling Tian tyrannically growled. “Ah’Jian, I might need you to kill for me, but I need you to be a normal person even more for me. Let’s not talk about others, do you wish to let your family bloodline end in your generation?”

Ling Tian fell silent. There existed an ancient saying, ‘There are three ways to be unfilial, of which not having descendants is the worst’. Especially since Ling Jian’s family only had him left, the duty was even heavier. Ling Tian mentioning his point was to drive him into his grave.

In this particular era, to bear offspring was something everyone deemed a necessity!

Ling Tian laughed to himself as he stopped speaking. He did not need to continue. Ling Jian was a smart person, and saying too much would instead produce a negative effect. So long as he continued thinking down this line, he would naturally come to his senses. Instead, if he was thoroughly cornered, then he would instead reveal his stupidly loyal persona.

Feng Mo took this opportune time to say, “Young Noble, since Little JianJian scolded me for not having a brain, could you enlighten me and explain your plans?”

Ling Tian smiled as he spoke, “Actually, to break the scheme of the Xiao Family, it’s simpler than one thinks. Just like the theory in martial arts, where the strongest part of a skill could actually also be its flaw, the most clever part of the Xiao Family’s scheme is where it’s crucial point lies!

Ling Jian and Feng Mo immediately caught on, “Young Noble is saying that within this entire setup, the Xiao Family could have easily obtained what they wanted, yet they kept themselves hidden behind an intricate set up. However, if this perfect set up were to be countered, then it would completely offset all their plans?!”

“That’s right, Ah’Jian, look at the opposite. Can you think of a method that will drive the 200,000 strong army to retreat, and even vanish?”

“Young Noble, how about I’ll bring the brothers down and charge for it? Trample them to bits! With our current strength, even if we don’t succeed, to retreat without losses is not a problem!” Ling Jian narrowed his eyes, eager to try it out. Recalling the time when he charged together with Ling Tian into the 400,000 strong army, that arrogance, that power, made his blood boil. Right now, the 200,000 strong army seemed a little small in comparison!

“Trample?! Retreat safely?!” Ling Tian stared with wide eyes at Ling Jian, as he suddenly laughed. “My dear Ah’Jian, you can really fantasize. This is a 200,000 strong army that has pitched camp for a few days! How are you going to rush them?! I believe, even Heavenly Justice would not be able to retreat even if he were to rush them right now! With just your skills, you are merely seeking death!”

“The last time we rushed an army of 400,000 troops, yet we ended up fine!” Ling Jian grumbled, a little miffed.

“That was then, this is now. The last time, both parties were on a foreign battlefield, without preparation or traps. And we chose the most chaotic time when the armies clashed to rush in, thus we had an advantage.” Ling Tian solemnly replied. “However, the Xiao Family has already pitched camp for over 10 days. How would they not take precautions against ambushes? Let’s not speak of 200,000 people, even a company of 2,000 men who have pitched camp and dug their heels into the ground would be hard to overcome!”

“Even if we can’t rush in, to blend in and set their items on fire is still possible, right?” Ling Jian pursed up his lips, coolly looking at the opposite armed forces.

“Setting fire…. Is indeed a good idea.” Ling Tian’s eyes lit up, and he commanded, “Let’s go, we’ll look for the nearby bandits to say hi to.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep