Chapter 90: Roleplay (52K, Second Update)

"Mother..."

Li Lingling looked at her father and Senior Brother, who were chatting happily nearby, with a pained expression, then looked helplessly toward her mother.

Her small heart had received a massive shock.

"Father, he, he... what on earth is he doing?"

Seriously, what exactly is going on?

The Twelfth Princess, who had only ever used her hands and never cursed anyone in her life, really wanted to say some disrespectful words just now.

If Senior Brother Ren didn't know the truth and caused a misunderstanding, that would be one thing.

But how could her wise and martial father do something that deepened the misunderstanding?

He is a child, but are you one too!?

Does he really think that calling his daughter's Senior Brother 'brother' is something worth being proud of?

Ah!?

What do you expect me to do!

You call him 'worthy brother', so am I supposed to call him Senior Uncle Ren later!

Her lips moved, but in the end, she couldn't think of any aggressive vocabulary, so she could only sadly bury herself in her mother's embrace.

Mother, please talk to Father...

"Hehe, Ling'er, don't fret over it."

Imperial Concubine Ran, however, had no strange look on her face; she glanced at Li Long, who was enjoying himself over there, and then withdrew her gaze.

Men, they are just like that.

She smiled and hugged her daughter, whispering into her ear:

"Your father used to play around in the Earthly Realm like this before, it's just that there has been less of it in recent years, so you haven't seen it."

When your father was young, he played much more wildly than he does now.

There are many things that, because you are still young, it is not convenient for me to tell you.

Looking at Imperial Concubine Ran's meaningful gaze, Li Lingling blinked; she instinctively felt that it was best not to continue touching upon this topic...

Otherwise, it might open the door to a new world!

While changing the subject, Li Lingling thought of another thing she needed to do upon returning, and asked cautiously:

"Oh right, Mother, the matter I mentioned to you before about swearing an oath of sisterhood with someone, do you agree?"

Nervously raising her eyes to observe Imperial Concubine Ran's expression, Li Lingling felt a bit uneasy in her heart.

What if Father and the others don't agree?

Should I secretly swear an oath with Senior Sister Yu...

Watching her daughter's constantly rolling eyes, Imperial Concubine Ran shook her head silently, then looked toward Yu Yu.

"Is that the little girl you were talking about?"

Yu Yu sat beside Ren Yidao, eating her meal as obediently as a porcelain doll, looking at the two of them enthusiastically drinking with a blank, innocent expression.

"Yes, Yu Yu, Senior Sister Yu."

"She is truly a very good person; she is very gentle toward me and also takes great care of me."

Although she isn't actually strong, and she can't really guide me in cultivation either.

But being sisters or whatever has nothing to do with strength.

"I know this is somewhat against etiquette, but I really want to become sisters with her."

After nearly a month of thinking about this sudden idea of swearing an oath, Li Lingling ultimately had no regrets.

Especially after Li Qiushui traveled with her but had no conversation, this idea became even firmer in her heart.

Compared to a sister who has blood ties but is cold and silent, Li Lingling wants a sister who can truly cherish her!

"Is it okay?"

Looking at her daughter's firm eyes, Imperial Concubine Ran smiled and asked:

"When did I ever say it wasn't okay?"

"Then that means!"

Imperial Concubine Ran stroked Li Lingling's smooth hair and sighed lightly:

"I agree, but I still want to advise you to think it through; this is a major event that will affect your whole life."

"When I was young, I also had a sworn sister; come to think of it, you should even call her Auntie Mei."

Raising her head, Li Lingling looked at Imperial Concubine Ran's gentle and nostalgic expression with some surprise.

"Auntie Mei? Why have I never heard you mention her?"

Imperial Concubine Ran shook her head, her gaze shifting elsewhere, and finally she sighed softly.

"Because she, she has long since... never mind, you will know in the future."

Why stop talking at a time like this!

Do you know that only saying half of it is very uncomfortable for people.

Although Li Lingling really wanted to know the rest of the story, looking at her mother's sorrowful eyes, she finally closed her mouth sensibly.

Let it be uncomfortable; Mother's heart must be even more uncomfortable.

Li Lingling hugged Imperial Concubine Ran tightly, burying her face in her chest, trying her best to pass her warmth to her.

"Hehe."

"Your father and I are of the same opinion; if you want to swear an oath, then do it. We will always agree with your ideas."

"After this, you don't need to ask us about similar things again; you can make your own decisions."

"Because, this is your life."

"Although there is no affection in the Imperial family, fortunately, His Majesty values love and righteousness; this is the life I have been able to secure for you."

Feeling her eyes grow moist, Li Lingling did not look up, remaining buried in Ran Guifei's chest, tightening her arms as she said in a muffled voice:

"Mm!"

……

"Brother Yidao, you have truly opened my eyes."

"Brother Long, why do you say that?"

"Hahaha, very few people can see the relationship between Ling'er and me at a glance; everyone always takes me for her uncle."

"Then they are far too unobservant; Brother Long's appearance is so youthful, you are clearly a young talent."

"Ah, yes, yes, yes! They are all fools; only you, virtuous brother, know my heart! Come, come, let us continue to drink!"

……

The welcome banquet was enjoyed by both host and guest.

It was mainly Ren Yidao and Li Long, two grown men, who seemed to have found a kindred spirit.

They hit it off immediately, doing nothing but drinking.

Shi Xue had slipped away early to return to the Shi Family, Ran Guifei had taken her daughter and Yu Yu to perform a sworn sisterhood ceremony, and Yang Wusheng was not even qualified to attend this family banquet, remaining on guard outside.

After three rounds of drinks, only Ren Yidao and Li Long remained at the table.

And after downing another jar of rare fine wine, Li Long's gaze became somewhat distant.

This game was about to end.

He sighed, the playful and irreverent air fading from his body as a majestic aura gradually took the upper hand.

Watching Ren Yidao, whose eyelids were beginning to fight each other, Li Long changed his form of address:

"Daoist Ren, do you know? I once thought I would lose Ling'er."

"I have never told anyone about her destiny, not even her mother."

From the very beginning, Li Long chose to shoulder it alone.

"Sending Ling'er to the Divine Path Sect was a move, a gamble."

"I am truly grateful that you were able to save Ling'er, truly."

He raised his wine cup toward Ren Yidao and sighed deeply:

"I toast you with this cup."

For someone of his status to toast a disciple of the Divine Path Sect was highly improper according to etiquette.

But for the merit of saving Li Lingling alone, Ren Yidao was worthy of this cup.

Yet after this cup, this game of playing house would be over.

He was no longer Brother Long, but the Emperor of Beigan.

And watching Li Long drain his cup in one gulp, Ren Yidao did not drink with him.

He shook his head, appearing as if he were dead drunk, ignoring the Heavenly Son Dragon Qi rising from Li Long's body.

Ren Yidao waved his hand and said with complete indifference:

"That won't do! That won't do at all!"

"If Brother Long wants to give thanks, you have found the wrong person."

Li Long: "Oh?"

At this point, do you still intend to continue acting out this play?

Swirling his wine cup, Ren Yidao spoke eloquently:

"First of all, I am not the person who helped Ling'er; it was not I who changed her destiny."

"I don't know the specific details, only that a certain great figure in the sect took action."

That person could be me, or it could not be me.

So, was it me or not?

Like me.

As long as I don't take the initiative to reveal that it was me, even if you are the Emperor, I cannot admit it!

"Furthermore, that person wouldn't have been able to go back sixteen years to save Junior Sister Li, would they?"

Seeing Li Long's thoughtful expression, Ren Yidao struck while the iron was hot and continued:

"Junior Sister Li is very lucky; she received help from many people, holding on until that great figure offered assistance."

"But in my view, apart from her own persistence, what truly allowed her to hold on until this day cannot be separated from two factors."

Dipping his finger in the wine, Ren Yidao tapped two points on the table.

"On one hand, someone shielded her from the gossip of the outside world, allowing her to grow up in peace and cultivate a tenacious and sound mind."

"This allowed her not to collapse the moment the incident occurred."

"On the other hand, someone, from the very beginning, bore the pain and torment brought by that destiny for her."

"And this is what gave her the time to hold on until now."

Someone had snatched a full sixteen years from Heaven for her.

With a hint of admiration in his voice, Ren Yidao remarked with emotion:

"That person was not skilled in the Dao of fate and did not know how to shift destiny, but he possessed an incomparably tenacious spirit."

Looking at the now-quiet Brother Long before him, Ren Yidao truly felt admiration in his heart.

He was Li Long, the Emperor of Beigan, and at the same time, a father.

He could not harm the fortune of the dynasty for the sake of his daughter, yet he was unwilling to abandon his innocent child.

Since ancient times, it has been difficult to balance family and country.

Yet he was unwilling to give up either, nor could he give them up.

Before truly meeting Li Long in person, Ren Yidao had also assumed that Li Long relied on the Dragon Vein of Beigan to suppress Li Lingling's Blood Star Fate.

But after meeting, he knew he had thought wrong.

Ren Yidao understood that he had still underestimated the heroes of the world.

Li Long had chosen the most arduous path.

"He forcibly established a connection through the link between their bloodlines, relying on powerful Dharma Power to forcibly transfer all the harm of the Blood Star Fate onto himself."

"Damaging his own destiny to supplement her fate."

If the Dragon Vein could suppress it, then my own fate could do the same!

"He resisted that heart-gouging and bone-drilling pain alone, for one day, one month, one year... even for sixteen whole years."

Li Long was not only a hero, but a hero of the highest order in the world.

With clarity restored to his eyes for a moment, Ren Yidao and Li Long looked at each other quietly.

"Brother Li, I don't know who that person is, but I would like to toast him; please drink on his behalf."

Ren Yidao raised his wine cup toward the silent Li Long.

"Please tell him for me."

"His heart's blood was not spent in vain!"

Thump!

Draining the wine in his cup in one gulp and pressing the cup onto the table, Ren Yidao, unable to hold his liquor, slumped over the table.

Ren Yidao was drunk.

He was not faking it this time; even his Demon Beast body could not resist it—he was truly drunk.

Li Long's wine was no ordinary product; it was truly capable of overwhelming even a Heaven Realm cultivator.

"..."

And after Ren Yidao passed out from drunkenness, Li Long did not speak for a long time.

In the quiet residence, the Emperor looked silently at the drunken youth.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh.

Hu...

He said:

"Who could have known that the person in this world who best understands my feelings would actually be you?"

"How could it be you?"

Laughing helplessly and shaking his head, Li Long picked up an entire jar of fine wine.

"The truth that the noble families don't understand and the concubines of the Inner Palace can't see through, was actually seen through by you, a fellow who has only met me once."

"What an Evil you are."

"This is simply the least funny joke, hahahaha..."

He said it wasn't funny, but he burst into loud laughter himself, laughing until tears came out.

Then he tilted his head back and poured the entire jar of wine down his throat.

"Hahahaha!!!"

"My heart's blood was not spent in vain!"

Crack!

The wine jar was smashed heavily onto the ground, and Li Long leaned against the back of his chair and fell into a deep sleep.

This was the most restful sleep he had had in so many years!

After both of them had fallen asleep for a while, Ran Guifei walked in with two young girls and covered them with a blanket.

The three of them exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and withdrew from the room.

The next day, in front of the residence.

"Brother Yidao, let's stop here!"

"Brother Long, take care!"

Ren Yidao and Li Long stood arm in arm, looking at each other with deep affection in their eyes.

These two completely disregarded the mental state of Li Lingling, who was standing to the side and on the verge of being traumatized to death.

When the two of them woke up at the wine table in the morning, they both burst into laughter.

Li Long laughed because he had found a wonderful person.

Li Long wanted to continue playing this game of brotherhood with Ren Yidao.

Because he had a feeling that this newly recognized little brother would not make him feel bored.

Ren Yidao laughed because he discovered that, by some twist of fate, he and this Li Long seemed to have truly become brothers.

How truly interesting!

A scholar dies for one who understands him.

Their relationship at this moment could not yet be called that of soulmates, but they appreciated each other and shared a mutual sympathy.

After the two of them had been clingy for a long time, Ran Guifei finally couldn't watch anymore, curled her lip at Li Long and said:

"Little Long, come and see your aunt back to the palace."

"Aunt, who... oh! Alright, leaving now!"

Stunned for a moment, the reacting Li Long happily abandoned his newly recognized little brother and hurried to the side of his "aunt," supporting her arm as she boarded the carriage.

"Then I shall be off first. If you have any business, Yidao, my virtuous brother, just have Ling'er bring you to find me; she will be able to find me."

"Very well, very well, please take your time, you two."

Ren Yidao watched the carriage, which began to sway slightly as soon as it started moving, and shook his head with a sigh.

These two, they've already started shaking.

Role-playing seems to be quite to your liking.

You two sure know how to play.

As expected of my brother Li Long!

Truly a kindred spirit of mine!

……

……

North of Wentian City, the Wang Family.

The corpse of Wang Yuchen lay in the open coffin, his wide-open eyes staring straight at the ceiling.

He died with his eyes wide open in resentment.

A woman who looked like she still possessed some charm, but upon closer inspection showed wrinkles covering her face, lay across the edge of the coffin, wailing in agony:

"Chen'er, my Chen'er, how could you die so miserably!"

"Now that you are gone, how is your mother supposed to live!"

Beside her, a middle-aged man with a long beard wore an equally cold and unsightly expression.

But he did not speak, only staring at the corpse in the coffin with an inscrutable expression.

In his eyes were regret, pain, and hesitation... but the only thing missing was sorrow.

After wailing for a long time, the woman suddenly raised her head and shrieked at the middle-aged man:

"I want her dead! She must pay with her life for Chen'er!"

Slap.

"Shut up."

Clutching her face, the woman had not expected her husband to slap her at a time like this.

"You!?"

"You dare hit me?"

Slap!

"I told you to shut up."

This time, she was knocked directly to the ground, spitting out a bloody tooth from her mouth.

"Wang Jingping! Have you gone mad? Our son is dead, and instead of seeking revenge, you are showing off your power on me!?"

"So what if she is the Ninth Princess? She dares to kill in the middle of the street?"

"Can she just disregard the law?"

"Is there no law left!?"

This time, Wang Jingping did not move, he looked coldly at his wife who had fallen into madness, and said chillingly:

"Here in Beigan, the Li Family is the law!"

The woman was clearly unwilling to give up, and not taking the Li Family to heart, she retorted angrily:

"Then did Chen'er just die in vain? He was so sensible, how can you bear to watch him die so pointlessly? Are you even his father?"

Thud!

Wang Jingping kicked the woman directly in the shoulder, causing her to slam hard against the coffin.

"It was all that good son you raised; do you not know what he did before this?"

"Forcibly seizing a woman in the street and clashing with the retainers of the Prime Minister's estate, does he think he is some kind of playboy? A piece of trash! It's better that he's dead!"

Ignoring the woman who had hit her head and fainted, he walked out of the room and roared at the clansmen kneeling outside:

"Get out, get out, get out! Why are you still staying here? All of you, get out!"

"No one is allowed to make a move regarding this matter! If anyone acts rashly and implicates the family, that entire branch will be struck from the genealogy!"

Having said this, Wang Jingping turned and walked back into the mourning hall.

"Absolutely no handle must be left for him!"

Meanwhile, in another part of Wentian City, the Song Family, also dressed in mourning, presented a different scene.

In the massive mourning hall, a crowd of people wore hempen mourning clothes, bowing deeply toward the coffin of Song Chengyi.

"Chengyi was a talent of the righteous path, speaking out for justice and acting bravely, yet he was wantonly murdered by the unreasonable Li Qiushui!"

"Our Song Family cultivates the vast righteous Qi; can we just sit by and do nothing about such a matter?"

"No!"

"We cannot accept this, Chengyi cannot accept this from beyond the grave, and the people of the world cannot accept this either."

"Then, there is only one thing we must do!"

"We must seek justice for Chengyi!"

Hundreds of Song clansmen, dressed in mourning, carried Song Chengyi's coffin and marched toward the residence of the Ninth Princess.

They wailed along the streets, scattering paper money.

Their Song Family would seek justice for the people of this world!

And then...

There was no then.

Before they could reach the residence of Li Qiushui, they were surrounded by three squads of Imperial Guard.

The leading general did not listen to the Song Family's explanations at all.

Those who dared to resist were killed on the spot, and those who did not were all escorted to the Heavenly Prison.

Regarding this, Shi Anqi, who was secretly in charge of this operation, expressed it to his subordinates this way.

"This bunch of idiots from the Song Family! Do they still think this is Jiangnan? Who are they putting on a show for? Themselves?"

"They've been putting on a show for so long that they ended up deceiving themselves."

"The Wang Family is at most just brainless, but the Song Family is both evil and stupid."

……

Everyone watching this farce was stunned.

They had seen the Song Family's grandstanding, and they had also guessed that the Li Family would send people to intercept them.

It was Li Qiushui who had killed someone first, so the Song Family's reaction could be considered understandable, and they certainly wouldn't lose too much face.

But none of the noble families expected the Li Family's reaction to this matter to be so intense, actually arresting people directly without giving any reason at all.

Had the Li Family gone mad?

But afterwards, they knew: the Li Family had not gone mad.

At least, the Li Family at this moment could not yet be considered mad.

The next day, all one hundred and seventy-three people from the Song Family who participated in the disturbance were escorted from the Heavenly Prison to the execution ground...

All of them were beheaded!

Not a single one was left!

The sixth day of ten thousand words, please praise me—

Seeking Monthly Ticket, I want to collect enough for one thousand to draw a prize this month; I haven't drawn even once yet.

Mwah—