Chapter 280: Distant Worries
Chapter 280: Distant Worries
Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT , Rock
A day and night had passed, but the secret chamber had no sound nor movement, causing Ling Chen and Yu BingYan to be filled with anxiety! After all, it should have taken only a short amount of time for his experiment. However, they couldn't attempt to go in for fear of disturbing him and so could only wait outside. They had cried until no tears were left, and they were only left with self-reproach.
The door of the secret chamber suddenly opened with a clack sound, and the eyes of both ladies suddenly widened. They saw the door opening up a crack, followed by a head full of disheveled hair poking out. Who was this person? Both ladies jumped up and let out a cry of fright.
A bitter smile surfaced on the face in question. Who else could it be but Ling Tian?
"Tian'ge, are… are you alright? How did you become like this?" After the initial shock, Yu BingYan finally recognized him, and while she felt reassured, she realized that something was off somewhere, and couldn't help but curiously ask.
"Young noble…" Feelings of warmth surfaced in the eyes of Ling Chen. She had heard Ling Tian mention that the refinement of pellets was a dangerous task, and this one day and night felt like an eternity of slow torture to Ling Chen. She regretted that she hadn't insisted on following her young noble in to assist him! Many a time she considered smashing the stone door to enter, but was afraid of the consequences and so held herself back. Now that Ling Tian was safe and sound, she felt full of joy but unable to speak a single word.
"Oh, Chen'er, don't panic. I only got my clothes dirty." Ling Tian seemed to have more to say but stopped himself there. "Help me get a new set of clothes, I'll change before meeting you two."
The two females were already euphoric upon seeing his presence. What more would they care about what he said? With a uniform squeal, they threw themselves at the door and at his naked body.
Ling Tian helplessly raised his head to lament at the sky: I've been completely exposed, now this is really what it means to have one's reputation go down the drain! I can't believe how these two could be so emotional! His chest was already hot and wet with all their tears.
"AHH!" After the brief emotional moment, the two ladies discovered that something was different, and looked downwards… only to immediately let out an ear piercing scream. The two heaven toppling beauties were blushing so much they looked like monkey's bottoms, and they immediately covered their eyes with their hands, rushing out as though they had seen a ghost!
"Chen'er, don't forget about my clothes…" The great young noble Ling was left standing there with a reddened face, his hands covering his essential part as he anxiously called out. However, he stopped in mid-sentence, as he realized that the two lasses were already long gone with even their shadows nowhere to be seen.
A sneaky thought rose in his head, and after looking around, he ended up with one hand holding onto a jade bottle, and the other clutching on a cloth wrapped around his waist as he sneakily exited the secret chamber. Haiz, streaking in public, a 100% streaker!
Ling Tian leisurely sat down on the chair, lightly blowing at the froth of his hot tea, appearing contented and relaxed. His hand unconsciously rubbed his belly as he let out a bitter smile.
After Ling Chen and Yu BingYan had run away due to the shameful sight, they actually both agreed to go to the kitchen and whip up something for him. Each dish was furthermore personally handmade by the ladies, and the two of them sat beside him as they watched him eat, as though it was some beautiful once in a lifetime scene.
Not too much and not too little, a total of eight dishes. Ling Chen and Yu BingYan both made four dishes, and every dish was extremely bountiful, heaped up in a pile, as though they were afraid that their dinner guest wouldn't be full.
As such, this meal was, of course, unbearably painful for Ling Tian!
Whichever plate he took more from, he would immediately be greeted with a supercilious look from the other party. The eight dishes seemed to have become a battleground in which the two ladies fought to be the ultimate winner. Ling Chen was naturally familiar with Ling Tian's taste, and thus the 'sweet and sour carp' that she made was delicious beyond words. Ling Tian unknowingly finished the dish in one go, which almost caused the Little Miss of the Yu Family to cry out in frustration. As such, he had no choice but to send the 'pig ears in soy sauce' down his stomach. However, how much of an expectation could you have of a lass that grew up in an aristocratic family? Ling Tian just had to grin and bear it, and with every successive dish, it was one of wonderful, vibrant tastes, followed by a tearful experience, all the way till the eight dishes were finished!
There was no other alternative, and as the two ladies happily took the plates and went off, our poor young noble Ling was left there with a belly bulging like a soccer ball. He was unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes at them, but also repeatedly praised their cooking, saying that he was able to eat a few more plates of such delicacies!
Seeing that Ling Tian was already full, Ling Chen went over to the study to gather all the reports and intelligence and rushed over. This apparently had the effect of Ling Tian forgetting the pain of his splitting stomach, and as he stared at the reports his face grew stern and worried.
This was because Ling Tian realized that he was not only a warrior and a leader but also the spiritual support for all of his underlings! Whether it was an unsolvable problem for them or a matter that needed clarification, they would all deliver it to his place to await his decisions. While such a system might seem like it was united and tight-knit, it was also frail beyond compare, as the entire group would crumble the moment something happened to him!
This was because everyone relied on him in the end. What would happen if he were to disappear one day? If something like a few days ago happened again, and he was occupied and unable to deal with any matters at hand, then what would happen? Other than him, there needed to be someone who could step up and handle his position!
It was a lucky thing that nothing major had happened, and after half a day, he managed to settle everything. However, from a different viewpoint, what would happen if it was a life and death matter? If there was a sudden power struggle in the continent, what would happen? When experts battle, even a slight difference becomes obvious, this phrase couldn't be more aptly used right here!
Considering all this, Ling Tian broke out in a cold sweat! While he was inclined to take responsibility, he was after all still human. As a martial artist, he had to make time to cultivate and analyze his own comprehension. As the soul of his army, he also couldn't avoid going out to the battlefield. All these would definitely affect the way he handled his documents, and in an urgent scenario, these harmless defects would actually add up to form a life-threatening wound!
Such a situation had to change! But what should be the turning point?
Or a better way to put it would be, what was the crucial factor that needed to be amended?
Ling Tian stood up and paced. He suddenly commanded in a grave tone, "Chen'er, inform all the heads in my organization, as well as their second in command to drop everything they have and rush to the Ling Family Courtyard within two days. Those that fail to do so, behead them!"
Ling Chen immediately straightened and replied respectfully, "Yes, young noble!" This was the first time Ling Tian had ever delivered an order with the words 'Those that fail to do so, behead them'. Ling Chen noticed something out of the ordinary, and thus didn't dare tarry, rushing to her room to send out the order.
Yu BingYan also felt the atmosphere of the room change somewhat, and looking at the stern look on Ling Tian's face, she quietly remained in the corner, not daring to let out a sound.
Ling Tian furrowed his brows as he played with a piece of small paper. From the news received, he realized that while the news from outside his city was getting lesser and lesser, those within his city were actually increasing in number. From all these little intelligence papers, Ling Tian could already smell the approaching storm!
Every influential power was being extremely prudent, carefully minimizing their actions in maintaining their empires without showing their exact strength of troops. Every empire didn't involve themselves in any large-scale military activities, instead going through their daily affairs being as ordinary as they could be.
However, Ling Tian astutely discovered that every major power was secretly augmenting the troops in their countries, and each one of them also carried an objective with them. The crucial point was that all these elite soldiers seemed to be converging at a point in the continent: Sky Bearing!
The central point of Heavenly Star Continent, Sky Bearing was the only place that was governing over fertile plains instead of mountainous regions, with plentiful rations and satisfied peasants. Now it seemed like the greedy monarchs from all the different empires in all directions were eyeing this fat piece of meat!
The prosperity and decline of Sky Bearing was something that concerned the direction of where worldly affairs would head towards and was also the place most sought after by armies. Since time immemorial, there existed a saying, "If one wished to conquer all under heavens, one had to take down Sky Bearing first. Before conquering Sky Bearing, everything else would be difficult!"
Judging by the restlessness of all the other countries, these ambitious folks appear to be unable to conceal themselves for much longer! Of course, with the appearance of the Heaven Splitter, it was enough to be the catalyst to increase the pace leading to a blown out war!
Ling Tian let out a long sigh.
Ling Chen walked in from the outside, standing up her spot behind him, silently standing there.
"Regarding Ye BaiFei," Ling Tian waved the note he was holding, "What is going on?"