Divine Emperor Demon Emperor
Chapter 372: The Wind City Bai Family
The sheer scale and magnificence of Wind City defied description. Even now, Lin Yun had only seen a small corner of it.
Outside the walls of Wind City, a special place had been built for the traveling Martial Artists and merchants to house their Demon Beasts. The locals called it Beast City.
And it was, in fact, a city unto itself—one dedicated solely to housing Demon Beasts.
As a Tier Four Demon Beast belonging to the Flawless Palace, the Firebird received the best possible treatment in Beast City. It was given not only a large area of Space to move around in but also excellent food every day.
After giving the Firebird a few instructions—telling it not to cause trouble and that he would be leaving in three days at most—Lin Yun followed the four Primordial Ocean Realm experts toward the city gate.
Lin Yun sat alone in a comfortable, luxurious carriage. Outside, the four Primordial Ocean Realm experts rode alongside on fine, tall steeds, guarding his flanks. This was the highest form of treatment the Bai Family of Wind City could offer.
As Lin Yun’s carriage approached the city gate, many people preparing to enter or leave Wind City gazed at it with envy.
They naturally recognized it as a carriage of the Bai Family, and the four guards surrounding it were Bai Family Martial Artists.
For the Bai Family to dispatch four Primordial Ocean Realm guards at once, it was clear that the person inside the carriage had an extraordinary status.
"If only I could receive such treatment someday," someone remarked with envy.
"Get real! You? You couldn’t even pass the exam to become a Flawless Palace servant disciple, and you want this kind of treatment?" Hearing this, his companion beside him retorted mercilessly.
"I was just imagining it. Is that a crime?" the man shot back.
Riding in the carriage, Lin Yun entered Wind City without any hindrance. The city guards were all from the Bai Family.
The relationship between the Bai Family of Wind City and the Flawless Palace was extraordinary. One might say that with just a single word from the Flawless Palace, the entire power structure among Wind City’s great families could change in an instant.
After all, the whole of Wind City was dependent on the Flawless Palace, so the great families within it naturally were as well.
The Bai Family’s rise to become the number one family in Wind City was entirely due to the relationship between Bai Ling and Luo Feng. The Flawless Palace had now entrusted the administration and security of the entire city to the Bai Family. On the strength of this endorsement, the Bai Family had leaped to the top.
Of course, the Bai Family wasn’t the only family in Wind City. The city was home to countless powerful families.
To put it bluntly, any family of note in Wind City could annihilate the Yanhuang Royal Family with ease. That was because any family worth its salt was guaranteed to have a Celestial Spirit Realm expert.
Among the great families of Wind City, the only one besides the Bai Family that warranted special attention was the He Family.
As the second-greatest family in Wind City, the He Family’s overall strength was nearly on par with the Bai Family’s. It was only because the Flawless Palace currently showed more favor to the Bai Family that they held the upper hand and the title of the city’s number one family.
However, the He Family had never given up on the title of the number one family. Both families had significant connections within the Flawless Palace, and the most outstanding disciples from both had joined the sect.
The rivalry between the He and Bai families in Wind City had raged for hundreds of years. But from the looks of it, the Bai Family currently had the edge. With the Flawless Palace’s backing, the He Family didn’t dare utter a single word of complaint.
Upon entering Wind City, one of the Bai Family guards addressed Lin Yun, "Sir, our Patriarch learned of your arrival in Wind City and has already prepared a banquet and lodging for you. If you do not mind, you are welcome to stay at the Bai Family estate, so you won’t need to find an inn."
Hearing this, Lin Yun lifted the carriage’s curtain and smiled at the guard. "Then I’ll be in your care."
"You’re too kind, Sir. It is my duty. Let us proceed to the Bai Family estate, then. The Patriarch is already waiting."
Lin Yun nodded, and under the escort of the four Bai Family guards, the carriage proceeded toward the Bai Family estate.
Lin Yun was unaware that news of his arrival in Wind City had already reached certain interested parties. At that very moment, the He Family Master was in his study. Standing before him was a middle-aged man dressed entirely in black.
"Are you certain it’s him?" the He Family Master asked.
"Yes." The man in black gave a simple nod.
"Very good. As long as it’s him, that’s all that matters. Yuntian sent a message back yesterday telling us to assassinate this person, and it must be done inside the Bai Family estate..." the He Family Master said quietly.
The "Yuntian" he mentioned was his son, He Yuntian, who, like Bai Zhicheng, was one of the Ten Core Disciples of the Flawless Palace.
Why assassinate Lin Yun? And why insist on doing it within the Bai Family’s estate? The reasoning wasn’t hard to grasp. First, the He and Bai families had been rivals for many years, with each wanting to crush and absorb the other.
And while Lin Yun’s exact status was still unconfirmed, Luo Feng’s behavior clearly showed he was very fond of him. Otherwise, why would he let Lin Yun stay at his own residence?
From this, it was easy to deduce that if Lin Yun were to suddenly die at the Bai Family estate, the Flawless Palace’s wrath would descend upon them, and the Bai Family would inevitably be implicated. The He Family could then make their move, seize the opportunity, and possibly crush the Bai Family in one fell swoop.
Furthermore, with Lin Yun dead, Bai Zhicheng couldn’t escape involvement. As both were among the Ten Core Disciples, getting rid of Bai Zhicheng meant eliminating a competitor. It was a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone.
Most importantly, even if the assassination failed and Lin Yun survived, an attempt on his life inside the Bai Family estate would surely lead him to believe Bai Zhicheng or the Bai Family was behind it. This would have no negative repercussions for the He Family; on the contrary, the Bai Family would have made a powerful new enemy for no reason.
No matter how one looked at it, He Yuntian’s scheme was truly brilliant.
Lin Yun, of course, knew nothing of He Yuntian’s plan. By now, he had arrived at the Bai Family estate and, in the main hall, met Bai Ling.
He hadn’t expected the Patriarch of Wind City’s number one family to be such a stunningly beautiful woman. With looks that could topple nations and a mature, elegant aura, Bai Ling made Lin Yun’s eyes light up the moment he saw her.
Though stunned by Bai Ling’s beauty, Lin Yun’s admiration was purely aesthetic; he had no other intentions toward her.
He gave Bai Ling a proper bow. "Patriarch Bai, Disciple Lin Yun has imposed on you today."
Seeing Lin Yun’s respectable speech, his proper bearing, and the clarity in his eyes, Bai Ling smiled faintly, her approval of him growing.
As Luo Feng’s confidante, Bai Ling had heard him speak of Lin Yun and knew what kind of person he was—a future Demon Fiend whose talent was in no way inferior to that of the Ten Core Disciples.
"There’s no need for such formalities. You are our guest. Please, have a seat," Bai Ling said with a gentle smile.
Without ceremony, Lin Yun went to a chair and sat down.
From the moment he entered, Bai Ling had been sizing Lin Yun up. Although he was young—not even twenty-five this year—his will was firm, and he handled himself with maturity. ’Combined with his terrifying talent, this young man’s future accomplishments will surely be extraordinary.’
With a slight nod, Bai Ling showed her great satisfaction with Lin Yun.