Chapter 406: Driving Away the Enemy

Qin Mengtai was about to speak when Liang Liren exclaimed in shock.
“Zhengyang? How did you end up here? Weren’t you sent back to Tianjian Sect by the sect’s message, ordered by the Grand Elder?”
“It’s me, it’s me! Second Uncle, it’s Zhengyang.” Feng Zhengyang, though not very resilient, wasn’t stupid either. He cried out in panic, “Master, Second Uncle, I was on my way to Tianjian Sect. When I passed by Lingnan City, I thought I’d say goodbye to Manager Lin at Lin’s Inn. But unexpectedly, Manager Lin captured me. Master, Second Uncle, Yunlan… save me!”
Lin Dong laughed.
“Brute! I told you to hurry back to Tianjian Sect—why did you come to Lin’s Inn?” Qin Mengtai slammed his palm on the table, turning it to dust in an instant.
Lin Dong grinned. In less than half a year, another stone table was destroyed.
“Master, I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong!” Feng Zhengyang cried out in remorse.
“What’s the use of admitting fault? I’ll kill you, you beast!” The next moment, Qin Mengtai leaped up, his palm aimed at Feng Zhengyang.
Qiao Tianhao, standing beside Feng Zhengyang, didn’t dare stay. He stepped back quickly, retreating over ten meters before stopping.
Whoosh…
The wind from Qin Mengtai’s palm stopped just above Feng Zhengyang’s forehead. With a resentful wave of his sleeve, as if unwilling to strike, Qin Mengtai turned away, his face pale with anger.
Feng Zhengyang was instantly free. He pulled off his mask; though his face was swollen, he seemed energized.
“Master, it’s him! He secretly attacked me and knocked me out,” Feng Zhengyang pointed at Lin Dong, shouting in anger. “A coward who only knows how to strike from behind! He knocked me out and even put on night clothes to frame me! Master, please stand up for me!”
Qin Mengtai raised his gaze, staring coldly at Lin Dong. “Is this how you treat guests?”
“Elder Brother!” Liang Liren panicked. The other party wasn’t even angry yet, or on the verge of exploding, yet these two kept provoking each other. Wasn’t this deliberately stirring up trouble?
“Enough, enough. Everyone knows what’s going on. If we keep arguing, no one will resolve this.” Lin Dong waved his hand. “If there’s nothing else, you can leave.”
“Are you scolding me?” Qin Mengtai clenched his right fist, staring at Lin Dong like an enraged lion.
“Elder Brother!” Liang Liren quickly stepped between them, reminding him, “Manager Lin is a friend of Yunlan. Elder Brother, you can’t really quarrel over a junior, right?”
Qin Mengtai’s murderous intent faded, and he regained his clarity.

“Jian Chen, take Brother Feng with you, let’s go,” Liang Liren said.
Mo Jian Chen hurried forward, but was pushed away by Feng Zhengyang with a slap. Glaring resentfully at Lin Dong, he exclaimed urgently, “Master, Second Uncle, how can we just give up like this?”
“Brute, it’s your own fault—who else can you blame?” Qin Mengtai snapped, casting a cold glance at Lin Dong before bowing and saying, “Shopkeeper Lin, I hope we’ll meet again.”
With that, he strode toward the courtyard gate.
Mo Jian Chen quickly helped Feng Zhengyang follow, while Liang Liren smiled bitterly, bowed to Lin Dong, and followed as well. Losing face this time was the least of their worries. Given the situation, Yun Lan surely could see through it. Even if she refrained from acting out out of respect for Qin Mengtai’s status, it would likely be difficult for them to coexist under the same roof in the future.
“Elder!” Less than ten meters away, Lin Dong suddenly raised his head and shouted.
“He’s coming!”
The door to Old Ding’s room creaked open.
Carrying a wine jar in each hand, the drunken Old Ding appeared before Lin Dong in a blink, his eyes blurred. He raised Lin Dong’s chin toward Feng Zhengyang and said, “Identify this man!”
“Sure!” Stumbling, Old Ding turned, pouring fine wine that filled the entire backyard while glancing at Feng Zhengyang.
“I’ve recognized him.”
“He’s a disciple of the Tianjian Sect,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “If anything happens to me someday, or if I feel like it, I was wondering if you could help me tear this kid to pieces?”
“Lin Dong!” Qin Mengtai flew into a rage, but was pulled back by Liang Liren.
“Sure!” Old Ding readily agreed without hesitation. “Even if Yun Cangqiong stands in the way, even if he escapes to the ends of the earth, I promise to tear him to pieces—no piece left out!”
“What boldness, old man! Do you think…”
Feng Zhengyang had already thrown away his pride, but before he could finish speaking, Qin Mengtai suddenly swung his arm.
Slap!
A loud, crisp slap echoed on Feng Zhengyang’s face.
As soon as Qin Mengtai pulled back his hand, Feng Zhengyang’s already swollen face swelled even more.
“M-Master?” Feng Zhengyang stared at Qin Mengtai, trembling and frozen in shock.
“Elder Ding, this wayward disciple has offended you greatly. Please forgive him,” Qin Mengtai said, bowing slightly to Old Ding.

“Get lost! If you’re not sure you can kill that old man, make sure no one from the Tianjian Sect sets foot in Linji Inn for the next three to five years. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you and your disciple never see the next sunrise.” The drunk old man’s eyes suddenly widened, and Qin Mengtai lost control of his body, shooting forward like a cannonball toward him. Their faces were less than ten centimeters apart! Lin Dong felt helpless. He had gone through so much trouble to hide the Yu Tian Jue, only to find that the old man had already used it. Qin Mengtai was terrified; no matter how much spiritual energy he tried to muster, he couldn’t move an inch. “That old man is just a lowly guard. He’s old and unsteady on his feet. I don’t want to hurt him seriously. So…” The old man stretched out his hand, still wet with wine, and gently patted Qin Mengtai’s face, saying politely, “So please don’t make things difficult for me.” Qin Mengtai’s expression changed drastically as fury surged within him. A peak-level warrior might threaten him, but they couldn’t insult him either. “Elder Ding, I’m sorry for any offense,” Liang Liren stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Get lost! Don’t try to be tough with me. If I weren’t forced to act as a lowly guard now, the Tianjian Sect wouldn’t even be worth the old man’s attention.” The old man snorted, and Qin Mengtai, struck like by lightning, retreated several steps before stopping. After taking a swig of wine, the old man burped and said, “If you don’t want to die, try attacking. I’m not afraid of adding another coffin to yours.” Qin Mengtai was ready to fight to the death, but Liang Liren blocked him behind him. “Let’s go! When Elder Ding was feared throughout the Great Han Kingdom, we were just kids. It’s only right to be scolded. Besides, if this escalates, the Tianjian Sect will be destroyed. Our senior should know what the sect master will do once he learns about this conflict!” Qin Mengtai’s body trembled, and the killing intent in his eyes receded like retreating tide. The interests of the Tianjian Sect were supreme! The person Qin Mengtai wanted to kill the most in his life was Yun Cangqiong. The greatest humiliation he had ever suffered also came from Yun Cangqiong. Yet, within the Tianjian Sect, although Qin Mengtai had never treated Yun Cangqiong kindly, he had always dedicated himself to handling the sect’s affairs and never thought of plotting against him. The reason was that as long as Yun Cangqiong was around, the Tianjian Sect could remain invincible forever. Moreover, despite not wanting to admit it, Qin Mengtai had to acknowledge that no one, not even himself, could compare to Yun Cangqiong in terms of courage and ability.

Qin Mengtai believed that if Yun Cangqiong were in his position, he would surely think of a way to kill the other party within three to five months after enduring patiently. But he couldn’t do that—to avoid causing severe damage to the interests of the Tianjian Sect, he had to endure, and after enduring, he would endure again.

“Return to the Tianjian Sect!” Qin Mengtai said indifferently before turning and leaving.

Liang Liren and the others followed.

“Enough, old man, go back and drink.” Old Ding vanished in a flash, and the next moment, the door to the room closed with a creak.

Watching the four leave, Yun Lan slowly stood up and said helplessly, “Thank you!”

“What’s there to thank for? Mo Jianchen and the Second Elder are quite decent people. Besides, it’s good enough that you’re not blaming me for ruining your relationship with Qin Mengtai.” Lin Dong smiled bitterly. He knew what Yun Lan meant to thank him for. If it weren’t for their relationship, he could have asked Old Ding to intervene and keep everyone there.

In the dark and windy forest path, a murder could be committed without anyone knowing who did it, let alone suspecting it to be related to the Lin’s Inn.

The problem was that Lin Dong had a fairly good impression of Mo Jianchen and Liang Liren. Even without Yun Lan’s connection, he wouldn’t have dared to kill them.

Yun Lan shook her head. “This would have happened sooner or later; it’s just happened a bit earlier. Actually… the First Elder is also a decent person, just too strict.”

“It’s just different perspectives depending on one’s position,” Lin Dong said with a smile, shaking his head. He and Qin Mengtai had reached a point where they could no longer coexist—either he would be defeated or Qin Mengtai would.

The reason wasn’t entirely due to the Tianjian Sect’s rules. It was because Qin Mengtai completely dismissed ordinary people. Lin Dong believed that if Qin Mengtai could be like Liang Liren—addressing issues through peaceful discussion and resorting to strength only if talks failed—then even if Feng Zhengyang remained the same and Qin Mengtai continued to be arrogant, Lin Dong wouldn’t have let things escalate to this extent. To avoid causing trouble for Yun Lan, he would endure as much as possible; if he couldn’t, he’d just stay out of the way for now.

Being threatened with death at the slightest provocation was already Lin Dong’s limit.

Yun Lan fell silent for a moment before suddenly smiling. “Let’s not talk about this. What’s meant to happen will happen sooner or later. We can think of a plan when we have time. If all else fails, just run away with me.”

“Run away?” Lin Dong was stunned, hardly believing such words could come from Yun Lan.

“Unwilling?” Yun Lan asked softly.

“Just joking. Anyway…” Lin Dong said carefully, “Should we run away now? That way, Tianhao and Xiaoshuang will be able to meet their spouses next year.”

Rosy clouds filled the sky, and Yun Lan was too stunned to say a word for a long time.
“Never mind,” Lin Dong said helplessly, changing the subject—something that wasn’t appropriate for unmarried men and women in the Great Han Nation. “Have you fully studied the spiritual array inside the Wuyou Cave?”
Yun Lan regained some composure and nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about this just now. Inside the Wuyou Cave’s spiritual array, there’s a magical illusion array that helps practice spiritual techniques. I’ve tried to modify it to see if it can suit your practice of the Sky Commanding Art and the Ethereal Step.”
“It’s already past noon. How about we go to the kitchen and chat while cooking?”
Lin Dong didn’t care about whether it was magical or not; what he was more concerned about was finding an opportunity to touch her, thereby soothing his wounded heart.