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Chapter 30 (Vol-1)
🕑 Added 2024-11-23 10:04:28 +0000 UTCWang Lei, the City Lord of Starfall City, was sweating bullets as he stared at the twelve-year-old girl and the twenty-year-old young man in front of him.
The reason for his discomfort was none other than the token of the Dark Guild placed in front of him along with the name uttered by the girl.
Wang Lei had been the City Lord for more than two centuries by this point and was a peak Core Formation realm expert. However, he was not always such a respected and powerful cultivator.
A long time ago, he was a weakling whose only strength was his family name and wealth. These advantages allowed him to trade with the Dark Guild for a certain task he had carried out in the past and indebted him to the Guild.
A debt that he had forgotten about until this day.
“Young Lady, please understand. If I were to send two of my four Core Formation realm experts with you, I would be leaving the city vulnerable to any attacks from unsavory individuals. How about I send one Core Formation realm expert and a group of peak Foundation Establishment Realm experts from my personal forces with you?”
The young lady, Da Ling gave Wang Lei a confused expression.
“But, Old Li said to take two Core Formation realm experts at the very least and that you would definitely have them with you. Did that old man lie to me?”
Wang Lei barely suppressed a shudder at the casual way the girl mentioned that demon’s name and once again thanked his lucky stars that his people had not treated the girl and her companion harshly when they first requested a meeting with him.
Who knows what would have happened to him and his city if she had gone back and complained to that monster?
Wang Lei was not ready to see the rampage of the Black Demon once again in his lifetime. Once was enough to scar him for all eternity.
Intellectually, Wang Lei knew that Li Qiang was no longer the powerhouse that he once was, especially since the crippling of his cultivation by his master and exiled to that remote village. However, emotionally, he was still extremely scared of the man who once bathed the empire in blood while avenging his wife.
“He did not lie. But, as I said, If I send those people with you, I would be leaving the city vulnerable to attacks. Especially since an important individual is going to arrive here as the Winter months end.”
“I see. Then, I guess I will have to make arrangements on my own.”
Da Ling got up and started to walk towards the door but stopped when her companion that she called junior brother whispered something into her ear, causing her to look at him with confusion before shrugging and sitting back down.
Wang Lei felt confused as well when Da Ling took out a Communication artifact and activated it.
When the other side accepted the call and revealed her face, Wang Lei’s face paled in fright as his life flashed in front of his eyes in abject horror.
‘It's Over!! I am done for!!’
“Oh? It’s rare for Ling’er to call me like this. How are you?”
“Big Sister Lingxi! I need some help.”
The image of Yin Lingxi, the princess and the soon-to-be Empress of the Yin Long Empire had a concerned face as she heard Da Ling’s words, ignoring the shaking City Lord who looked on the verge of fainting while Jin Tianrui gave a smug look at the horrified City lord.
As Da Ling explained her circumstances and her plan, Yin Lingxi’s expressions relaxed considerably before chuckling in amusement.
When Yin Lingxi gave Da Ling the communication artifact in secret without telling Da Wei, she had done so out of concern for the girl. She had never expected that the girl would use the artifact to ask for her help in such a task. However, she was not annoyed. Instead, Yin Lingxi felt happy since this showed that Da Ling now trusted her enough to talk to her casually and ask for her help with normal things instead of treating her in a hostile way like she did when they first met.
It also helped that Da Ling’s call of ‘Big Sister’ was filled with genuine affection, something that Yin Lingxi had longed to hear since childhood from her own brother but never did thanks to her birth as an Imperial Family member.
“Only you and your Master can make something extraordinary like capturing a Core Formation realm Demonic Beast alive as a Dao Familiar sound easy. Anyways, Please leave the room for a bit with your junior brother while I negotiate with the City Lord for you.”
“Okay! Thanks for the help Big Sister Lingxi!”
As the girl left with her junior brother, the City Lord wasted no time in directly kowtowing in front of the Princess’s image as Yin Lingxi’s warm look faded and an ice-cold expression appeared instead.
“This servant greets the princess-“
“Enough with the bootlicking. You know what you need to do, right?”
“This servant knows! I will immediately gather all of my top experts to accompany Young Miss Da Ling.”
“Good. It is quite a coincidence that we got to talk like this since I was going to discuss a few things with you when I got there, but this works as well. “
“Please command this servant!”
“Once Winter ends, Da Ling’s master and adopted father, Da Wei, will be meeting you to discuss a project of his. He will be seeking you for negotiations and permission to build something that would be very beneficial for the mortals of the frontier villages and Starfall City. However, it will not bring much benefit for the Cultivators.”
Yin Lingxi sat forward in the image and stared intently at Wang Lei as the man trembled in fright.
“I have no doubt that the so-called martial families of your city will try to oppose or cause problems for him due to their nature and way of doing things. Let me tell you this right now if something happens to him or his project-“
“Your Highness! Please leave it to me. Rest assured, I will make sure to give all the permissions that Lord Da Wei asks for and will give anything he desires for free. I will also make sure that those fools don’t interfere with anything that Lord Da Wei has planned.’
“Good. However, don’t give him anything he wants for free. He will realize immediately that something is wrong and will leave without taking anything. Strike a deal with him with terms that are favorable for both yourself and him. Only then will he accept the deal. Also, no matter what happens, do not reveal that we had this conversation.”
“Your servant understands!!”
With a nod, the image faded as the artifact fell silent, finally allowing the City Lord to breathe a sigh of relief as his back was covered in cold sweat.
Somehow, he managed to survive an encounter with the lunatic princess, even if it was only a remote communication.
Controlling his trembling body with great effort, he sent a pulse of his Qi filled with his intent to his guard, informing him to guide the distinguished guests back into the room.
For the poor City Lord, today has been a day filled with hidden dangers that he barely survived thanks to his luck.
As Da Ling and Jin Tianrui walked back into the room, he squeezed out a smile and spoke in a calm voice.
“Young Miss, the Princess has convinced me to part with my Core Formation realm experts as a deal. Rest assured, I will have them assembled soon so you can depart on your journey as soon as possible.”
Given the way the princess did not wish for her name to be known to the man called Da Wei, the City Lord tacitly understood that he must not reveal the fact that he had been threatened into giving up his forces to the duo. As such, he skillfully wove a lie on the spot about reaching a ‘deal’ with the princess.
As the child with ruby red eyes and crimson hair brightened up considerably at his words, the young man gave the City Lord a knowing smile, causing Wang Lei’s strained smile to turn even more brittle, realizing that the child had seen through his hastily put together lie and see the truth.
Wang Lei could not help but complain in his heart.
‘Oh Heavens! Why did you two not reveal your connection with the princess from the very beginning? Isn’t this just a plot from you two to get me killed in the worst way possible? Even if I dared to oppose that Black Demon I don’t have the guts to defy that lunatic of a princess!! I would have worshipped you two as my own ancestors if you had revealed the truth from the beginning! So evil at such a young age’
“Thank you, City Lord Wang!”
As Da Ling gave a small bow, Wang Lei felt his heart leap into his throat as he hastily had her stand up.
‘Are you kidding me? If the princess knows that you bowed to me, Oh Heavens! I can’t even imagine the consequences!!’
“There is no need for such formalities, Young Miss.”
“But, master says that I must always give proper respect to those older than me?”
“Your master is right but you must understand that I am not the kind of man to observe such formalities. Please, treat me casually as you would any elder of your village.”
“Oh! In that case, can I call you Old Wang?”
“Of course!”
‘Call me whatever you want, you little devil. But please leave me alone as quickly as possible! I can’t handle this kind of stress for too long!’
Da Ling gave a complicated look towards Wang Lei before nodding and leaving with her junior brother, heading out of the City Lord’s manor, causing the City Lord to practically melt into his seat in relief before he sent for his Experts to assemble in the courtyard.
He also made sure to remind his guards and servants that should a person by the name of Da Wei ever appear at the manor to meet him, he is to be treated with the same respect as himself.
And also to inform Wang Lei beforehand so that he can mentally prepare himself for that calamity.
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“Junior Brother, why was the City Lord so afraid of us?”
“Afraid? I don’t think he was afraid of us.”
Da Ling gave a flat look to her junior brother whose words were quite contrary to the joyful and vindicated emotion that she felt from him.
It was the same way with the City Lord who spoke cheerfully but felt terror the likes of which Da Ling hadn’t felt since her time in the slums more than a year ago.
Strangely enough, that terror only increased exponentially in intensity after his talk with her big sister.
‘What did big sister Lingxi say to make him feel such terror?’
It was a mystery that Da Ling could never hope to resolve without exposing her ability to feel the emotions of others, something that she was reluctant to do as she feared she would be seen as a monster or an anomaly by those she loved because of this ability. Even worse, she was horrified of what would happen if the man who killed her birth father in her childhood because that man coveted her abilities were to know about her location through rumors that would no doubt spread if she were to reveal her power.
Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, Da Ling focused back on the task at hand.
She had a beast to capture and she needed to do it before her Master’s birthday.
