(Thanks to reader "Bookworm Since '08" for the tip.)
Yao Chen and Ling Ying's pursuit had come to nothing, leaving both men looking grave.
"Since things have come to this, I must return and report to my young lady. Farewell."
Ling Ying cupped his hands and bowed to Yao Chen, who returned the gesture. After a slight nod, Ling Ying flew away with a heavy expression.
"Teacher, how exactly did Ling Feng escape just now? And why did that black-robed old man help us?"
As soon as Ling Ying left, Yao Chen heard Xiao Yan's puzzled questions.
"That black-robed old man serves your little girlfriend."
"Xun'er? How is that possible?!"
Disbelief colored Xiao Yan's voice. Yao Chen offered a vague hint. "Little Yanzi, your little girlfriend has a terrifying background. If you want to be with her, I'm afraid it won't be easy."
Xiao Yan fell silent at those words, but Yao Chen continued, "As for how that Ling Feng brat escaped, that was an extremely powerful method. Only once you come into contact with spatial power will you truly understand it. When your cultivation reaches that level, you'll naturally understand. Telling you too much now would do you no good. But there is one thing I must tell you: both your little girlfriend and that Ling Feng have extraordinary backgrounds. From now on, you must work even harder if you want to stand on equal footing with them."
"Yes, I understand, Teacher."
Hearing the gravity in Yao Chen's voice, Xiao Yan answered earnestly. Yet Yao Chen remained worried, sighing inwardly. Ah, Little Yanzi, you have no idea what a monstrous talent you've provoked...
Ling Feng's seemingly endless methods and the subordinates who pledged their lives to him convinced Yao Chen that his background could not be as simple as the commoner origins the Xiao Clan's earlier inquiries had suggested.
The speed of Ling Feng's advancement also convinced Yao Chen that he was a cultivation genius, making him feel that this would be a tremendous headache.
"Teacher, what should we do now?"
While Yao Chen was lost in thought, Xiao Yan's voice reached him again.
The question reminded Yao Chen of something. His eyes narrowed, and he said coldly, "Since we've already made an enemy of him, we must drive him into the jaws of death. His mother is still at the Jia Lie Residence. She will be our best bargaining chip against Ling Feng."
With that, Yao Chen flew over to Jia Lie Bi and ordered him to lead the way. However, when they reached Liu Qingqing's room, they found it long since deserted.
"My lord, Ling Feng's mother, Liu Qingqing, is gone. The guards Ling Feng assigned to protect her have all disappeared as well."
Before Yao Chen, Jia Lie Bi hardly dared to breathe. He bent slightly at the waist and spoke apprehensively.
To avoid startling the snake by rustling the grass, Jia Lie Bi had proposed taking Ling Feng down first, also hoping to prove that his claims were true. But now Ling Feng had escaped, and they had failed to capture his mother, leaving Jia Lie Bi deeply worried that Yao Chen would blame him.
At that moment, he was terribly uneasy.
Yet Yao Chen could not even be bothered to spare him a glance. Staring at the deserted room with a dark expression, he mused inwardly with both emotion and admiration, Well played, brat. You had already calculated everything while we were fighting. Such meticulous planning hardly belongs to a youth. Even I find an enemy like you troublesome...
For a moment, Yao Chen felt an inexplicable surge of pressure, as though a trace of wariness toward Ling Feng had taken root in him.
After standing silently for a long while, Yao Chen finally swept his black robe aside and flew straight toward the Xiao Clan's grounds, ignoring Jia Lie Bi.
Little did he know that Wutan City had already descended into chaos. Rumors and reports flew everywhere, all discussing the great battle at the Jia Lie Residence.
Meanwhile.
The Mittel Auction House.
Ya Fei stood atop the pavilion, looking gravely toward the Jia Lie Residence. She had watched the earlier battle from afar, but the distance between the two places had prevented her from making out what was really happening.
Just then, Ya Fei bit her red lip and suddenly asked, a flicker of worry crossing her beautiful eyes, "Uncle Gu Ni, do you think that battle could have had something to do with Ling Feng?"
"The sounds of fighting came from near the Jia Lie Residence, and that Ling Feng boy lives there too. It's possible, but it might not have involved him."
Beside Ya Fei, Gu Ni answered solemnly, his expression dark.
"Uncle Gu Ni, what level do you think the fighters in that battle were?"
Ya Fei parted her red lips and pressed him with another question.
"Those two black-robed men were probably both Dou Emperors, especially the one who arrived later-he was even stronger! As for the person fighting them, he was at least above the Dou Ling level, perhaps higher still."
With his hands clasped behind his back, Gu Ni said gravely, "Young lady, with experts of that level suddenly appearing in Wutan City, I fear this place will no longer be peaceful. I think we should report this to the Imperial Capital. It would be best if you returned ahead of schedule."
Ya Fei fell silent. For some reason, an inexplicable unease stirred in her heart, as though she were deeply worried about something.
"Who's there!"
Suddenly, Gu Ni seemed to sense something. He gave a low shout, his aged eyes turning sharply behind him as he readied himself for battle.
Ya Fei snapped out of her daze as well and looked warily in the direction Gu Ni was watching.
"Don't worry. It's me."
As the voice fell, a figure suddenly appeared atop the pavilion's enclosing wall.
"Mr. Itachi!"
Seeing Itachi Uchiha dressed in Shadow Attire, Ya Fei and Gu Ni were somewhat startled, but their vigilance eased a little.
The next moment, Ya Fei hurried forward and fired off her questions. "Mr. Itachi, do you know what happened in that battle? Did it have anything to do with Ling Feng?"
Itachi Uchiha answered bluntly. "Jia Lie Bi betrayed Young Master Ling and secretly joined forces with a mysterious expert from the Xiao Clan to surround and attack him."
"What?! Is Ling Feng all right?"
Ya Fei pressed him anxiously.
"Miss Ya Fei, there's no need to worry. Young Master Ling is unharmed. He sent me to tell you that the Mittel Auction House no longer needs to restrain the Xiao Clan. Even if you choose to cooperate with the Xiao Clan and announce that you've severed ties with him, he won't blame you..."
"Does he think I'm like Jia Lie Bi, someone who bends with the wind and betrays her word?!"
Hearing that Ling Feng was unharmed, Ya Fei first breathed a sigh of relief. But at Itachi Uchiha's next words, her brows knitted, and she interrupted him in displeasure before he could finish.
"You've misunderstood, Miss Ya Fei. Young Master Ling is merely worried that the expert behind the Xiao Clan will target you. He said that if you're unwilling to do that, it would be best to leave for the Imperial Capital as soon as possible. Once he returns, he'll settle accounts with the Xiao Clan. I will also remain at your side and follow your orders until Young Master Ling returns."
Only then did Ya Fei's displeasure ease. After a slight hesitation, she asked Itachi Uchiha again, "Is he... really all right?"
Itachi Uchiha understood that by "he," Ya Fei meant his master, Young Master Ling. He shook his head and said calmly, "If anything happened to Young Master Ling, I wouldn't survive either."
Itachi Uchiha had been created by Ling Feng. If Ling Feng died, he too would disappear. Ya Fei, however, knew nothing of this and assumed he meant he would be executed if anything happened to Ling Feng. In other words, Ling Feng was safe.
Only after hearing that did Ya Fei feel a little more at ease.
Her beautiful eyes shifted as she gazed toward the Jia Lie Residence, a complicated light flickering within them. At one point, she parted her lips slightly, then gently bit her red lip, silently murmuring in her heart:
Ling Feng, you must come back safely. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait for you. I'll wait to take on the Xiao Clan together with you. Please, don't let anything happen to you...