bdsm-fiction Chapter 157 8 Exquisite!
Chapter 157 8 Exquisite!
"I know absolutely nothing about the mystery of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions." Lin Tian shook his head and chuckled. "The destiny I'm talking about is completely different from what you're thinking."
He couldn't very well say directly—"You are living in the history books, while I have turned the page on the ending." If he said that, even Zi Nu, who trusted him the most, would probably think he was talking nonsense.
Upon hearing that he had no connection whatsoever with the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon, everyone's expressions immediately darkened. Over the past few days, Lin Tian had become, in their eyes, a reclusive genius who understood the secrets of heaven and was knowledgeable about the past and present. They had thought he had unraveled that earth-shattering secret, but it turned out to be nothing but empty joy.
Seeing the atmosphere become tense, Lin Tian laughed loudly, his gaze fixed on Ying Zheng: "Eight Exquisite Dragons—have you heard of them?"
Ying Zheng trembled again. Today, in his eyes, Lin Tian seemed to be able to peel away the skin to see the bone structure, and even the speed of his heartbeat could not escape those eyes.
"Eight Exquisite Beauties?" Zi Nu's eyes flickered slightly, a smile playing on her lips. "Young Master Lin, are you... eyeing them?"
Lin Tian sensed the barb in her words and said frankly, "Don't worry, I will never lead anyone to Zilan Pavilion, Miss Zinu."
"Hmph! That's easy for you to say. These days, my little shop is deserted, and even my wine is barely selling."
Lin Tian had heard that Zilan Pavilion's business had been sluggish lately, and he understood. With a slightly embarrassed look, he pointed at Ying Zheng and said, "He owes me 150,000 gold coins, saying it's to pay off Han Fei's debt. If I'm not around, put the debt on your Zilan Pavilion's account."
Zi Nu glanced at him sideways: "Where can you go? Fine, the future king of the six kingdoms owes you money, and I, this little tavern, am going to foot the bill for the whole world..."
Nongyu, sitting next to Lin Tian, suddenly froze, her fingertips quietly clenching his sleeve.
Han Fei snapped out of his reverie, his voice steady: "The Eight Exquisites are an alliance of eight top assassins with vastly different personalities and unparalleled skills. They belong to the Qin state, yet they do not obey orders; they have different appearances and each possesses unique strengths in martial arts. Their attacks are like the wind from all directions, leaving no opening and making them impossible to defend against."
Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang stood silently to the side, rarely speaking. Only after the words "Eight Linglong" were uttered did Gai Nie calmly continue, "They are loyal to the Qin state, yet they operate outside the Qin laws."
Wei Zhuang added with a cold laugh, "Xuan Jian, along with Hei Bai, is under Lü Buwei's command. If the Eight Linglong appear, Xuan Jian will surely arrive."
Upon mentioning Hei Bai Xuan Jian, Gai Nie's tone hardened slightly: "This man's strength is no less than mine."
"Not inferior to you?" Lin Tian said bluntly, "It should be that I crushed the Sword Saint with one hand and fought against the Ghost Valley Twin Swords with both hands."
These words hit the nail on the head—at this moment, Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang were still two inexperienced young men. If it weren't for his interference, according to the original course of events, the two would have only realized what it meant to be outmatched when they actually faced Xuan Jian.
Wei Zhuang's brows furrowed, his right hand already resting on the hilt of the Shark Tooth sword, his gaze sharp as a blade: "That's an exaggeration."
Gai Nie remained silent, neither refuting nor agreeing. Lin Tian smiled inwardly.
Looking at the bigger picture, those two truly honed disciples of Guigu will indeed be able to crush Hei Bai Xuan Jian in the mud. But for now—even their sword sheaths still carry the chill of youthful immaturity.
"The Eight Exquisite Blades and the Black and White Mysterious Blades are the sharpest blades in Qin's hands," Han Fei said slowly. "Sir, there must be a deeper meaning behind your sudden mention of them."
"It's not that complicated." Lin Tian raised his eyes and looked directly at Ying Zheng. "It's just saying—someone is waiting to kill you."
Before the words were even finished, Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang simultaneously raised their brows, drew their swords, and looked out the window in unison, shouting, "They're here! The Eight Linglong!"
Lin Tian, however, poured himself a full cup of wine, his fingertips tracing the rough cloud and thunder patterns on the bronze cup, before tilting his head back and drinking it all in one gulp.
He suddenly raised his voice, sharp as tearing silk: "Peeping under the eaves, that's the work of a scoundrel! Get down here now!"
Sixty-six
The two words "Get out of here" exploded like thunder, and the atmosphere of death suddenly descended, spreading out with Zilanxuan as the eye of the storm.
In an instant, all was silent—human voices ceased, insect chirps vanished, even the faint sound of the wind rustling through the eaves disappeared, as if one had fallen into a vacuum abyss. But just when this deathly silence was at its deepest, a piercing shriek suddenly erupted from the ground, like the lamentation of a hundred ghosts and the wailing of a thousand souls, so mournful that it chilled one to the bone. A coldness pierced straight to the top of one's head, and limbs and bones instantly froze, leaving only the chest rising and falling weakly, unable even to lift one's eyelashes.
The surrounding space seemed to be crumpled by a giant hand, the sky collapsed, the earth rolled up, and the familiar houses and streets of the daytime were all dragged into a dark and gloomy realm. Even the candlelight faded to a pale blue, flickering like ghost lamps in front of a grave.
Lin Tian slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping across the entire room—everyone stood frozen in place, their pupils constricted, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads, their Adam's apples bobbing up and down but unable to utter a sound.
"Snap!" He snapped his fingers crisply, turned around, pushed open the door, and said in a cold voice, "Ba Linglong is outside. If you want to see her, come out yourself."
The echo of the snap had barely faded when everyone's limbs suddenly warmed up and their breathing returned to normal. But as soon as they regained their mobility, disbelief and shock appeared on their faces. Han Fei looked around at the strange phenomena on the walls and blurted out, "Brother Lin... is this even human?"
Wei Zhuang caught a glimpse of Gai Nie gritting his teeth and forcing himself to stand, yet his eyes involuntarily revealed a sense of awe. He smiled slightly and said, "Senior brother, do you understand what I meant earlier now?"
Ying Zheng took a step forward, but Zhang Liang stopped him, saying, "The Eight Linglongs are heading straight for the King of Qin. Their appearance now is extremely dangerous."
Ying Zheng gazed at Lin Tian's retreating figure outside the door, his tone resolute as iron: "With you here, sir, who dares to lay a finger on me?" Before he finished speaking, he strode out. Zhang Liang was taken aback, then shook his head helplessly. Han Fei patted him on the shoulder, and the two exchanged a bitter smile—a smile born of the instinctive insignificance and powerlessness of mortals in the face of immeasurable power.
Zi Nu and Nong Yu followed closely behind and rushed out of the house; Yan Ling Ji, however, stopped and focused, her fingertips lightly touching the window frame, carefully sensing the lingering chill in the air, before leaping onto Wu Shuang Gui's shoulder and being steadily carried into the night.
Outside, the world has been transformed.
Within a radius of several miles, all life was extinguished: the grass and trees withered, the streams stagnant, and even the embers of the most ordinary stoves were completely extinguished, leaving not a trace of human warmth. The bright moon in the sky was stained with a thick, blood-red color, pressing heavily on the rooftops. Further away, a vast expanse of white mist silently spread, like a living wall, sealing off all escape routes.
Meanwhile, the innocent civilians had already collapsed to the ground, drifting into a deep sleep, oblivious to everything.
Lin Tian stood with his hands behind his back, quietly observing the death realm he had created with his own hands, a satisfied smile playing on his lips—this was what true death realm should be.
Just then, eight dark figures turned back from the mist and landed lightly on the roof opposite the Purple Orchid Pavilion. They stared at Lin Tian in unison, their robes remaining perfectly still under the blood moon.
"Come here!" Lin Tian's voice was as cold as a blade. "The man behind me is Ying Zheng! Since you are driven by profit and will take lives with you—then tell me, is he dead or alive today? Or... none of you eight will escape?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire world suddenly sank. The wailing of ghosts abruptly rose in pitch, and layers of grayish-white phantoms emerged from the cracks in the ground, twisting and writhing, spreading towards the eaves like a tide.
Ying Zheng stood beside Lin Tian. Even as a king, he knew that the power of gods and spirits should not be underestimated. What he had seen during the day was already astonishing, but now he realized that Lin Tian was unfathomable, his power far exceeding common sense, and his influence enough to throw the world into chaos and cause the collapse of people's hearts.