Chapter 200: Chapter 170: A Piece of Good News

Ling Xiao pushed open the door and came in. Seeing Shangguan Yutong, he smiled gently and said, "Teacher, are you okay?"

Shangguan Yutong’s eyes went wide. The man before her was plain-looking, with a dark complexion, and even seemed shorter. Other than his voice, he bore no resemblance to Ling Xiao whatsoever! A chill shot up her spine, and goosebumps erupted all over her skin. She sprang to her feet, pointed at Ling Xiao, and demanded harshly, "You... who are you?"

A powerful aura erupted from her. Shangguan Yutong’s elegant brows knitted in fury as her aura locked onto Ling Xiao. She was poised to draw her sword at the slightest unusual movement.

Ling Xiao gave a wry smile and said, "It really is me, Teacher. I came in disguise."

Shangguan Yutong’s expression softened slightly, but she asked, still full of suspicion, "How can there be such a magical Disguise Elixir?"

Ling Xiao laughed and said, "If a medicine as miraculous as the Beauty Pill exists, why can’t a medicine for disguise?"

As soon as Ling Xiao said this, Shangguan Yutong finally let out a sigh of relief. She shot him a glare and said reproachfully, "You scared me to death! Besides, if you’re going to use a disguise, why make yourself so ugly? Really!" Although she complained, Shangguan Yutong didn’t childishly demand that Ling Xiao change his appearance back. She immediately guessed why he had come.

"There’s been no word from Yisha for several days." Shangguan Yutong poured Ling Xiao a cup of tea, her face tinged with worry. "A few days ago, she told me she was going back to her clan for a high-level meeting, and she never came back. Sigh. Ling Xiao, to be honest, I’m really worried! You know, those Beauty Pills... they sold for over thirteen million Gold Coins in total! That’s a staggering fortune, equivalent to the entire assets of a medium-sized clan."

"That’s also why I came. The Yisha Clan wouldn’t just brazenly hold onto the money, would they? Even if Yisha agreed to it, it’s not like I can’t just find someone else to handle this for me in the future!"

Ling Xiao said calmly, "My biggest worry is whether Yisha will be harmed because of this."

Shangguan Yutong thought for a moment, then nodded. "Whatever the case, let’s wait until we see Yisha to talk more. Is the clown here? It should be able to find her, right?"

Ling Xiao nodded. The clown was also very familiar with Yisha. As long as she was still in the Imperial Capital, it shouldn’t be hard to find her.

Shangguan Yutong said softly, "Did you come back this time mainly to get that money?"

Ling Xiao said, "I plan to build up Penzes City, so I need a large amount of capital. But I also missed you all, so I came to visit. In a little while, I plan to go see Marshal Qiu."

"Heh." A happy expression appeared on Shangguan Yutong’s face. She thought to herself, ’You little rascal, you do have a heart after all. My affection wasn’t wasted.’ Out loud, she asked, "Is Uncle Fu doing well? I haven’t seen him in so long."

Ling Xiao smiled. "Uncle Fu is well. He should... be on the verge of a breakthrough, I think?"

"Ah, that’s wonderful!"

Shangguan Yutong said admiringly, then looked at Ling Xiao. "It couldn’t be that you have another magical Spirit Medicine, could it? Speaking of which, Ling Xiao, you are truly full of surprises! So amazing. But you must be extremely careful yourself. Don’t let anyone find out about these things... Sigh. Before you have enough power to protect yourself, it’s best to be cautious."

Ling Xiao smiled and took out an exquisite porcelain bottle from his robes, placing it on the table. "There are ten elixirs in here. Take one every month. This type of elixir won’t raise your rank, but it can purify the Inner Strength in your body! Moreover, it can also widen your meridians. In other words, for Demon Swordsmen of the same second rank, the Sword Qi you unleash will be more powerful than others’!"

"Heavens... such a miraculous Spirit Medicine actually exists... Ling Xiao, thank you!"

Shangguan Yutong had been an Adventurer in her youth and possessed the same wild streak as Ling Su. She had a straightforward personality, just like when she had given Ling Xiao the second-rank Enchanted Sword without the hesitation others might have shown.

Ling Xiao chuckled. Teacher Shangguan was as genuine as ever in his presence, which made him feel very comfortable, dispelling any sense of distance that might have grown from their time apart.

"Ling Xiao, I heard there was trouble where you were during the festival. There’s a rumor that you repelled a Sword Sect expert with a single sword strike. A lot of people are treating it as a joke, but I know it could be true. How did you do it?"

Shangguan Yutong asked with a solemn expression.

"The sword technique I cultivate allows me to instantly concentrate all the power in my body into a single point, unleashing immense might. But... it’s just that one move." Ling Xiao shrugged and said with a helpless air.

"That person... was he really a Sword Sect-level expert?"

Seeing Ling Xiao nod, Shangguan Yutong excitedly clenched her fists. When she relaxed her slender hands, a more complicated look appeared on her face. She looked at Ling Xiao and said, "Don’t worry. Your teacher will never betray you!"

Ling Xiao gave a gentle smile. With his immense Spiritual Power, he had long since sensed Shangguan Yutong’s special feelings for him, and that there was not a hint of malice in them. Otherwise, how could he have spoken of such matters so easily?

Shangguan Yutong added, "Since that’s the case, you need to be careful. After all, many people are unscrupulous. Even if you can repel a Sword Sect master with one strike, what if there were several of them? Wouldn’t you be in a bind? Besides... with the Beauty Pills being so profitable, there’s no shortage of people who’ll get ideas. You need to be careful in your dealings with Yisha, too, lest they trace things back to you. Sigh. Why do I suddenly feel that anything involving you is just so worrying?"

Shangguan Yutong sighed softly.

Ling Xiao said with a smile, "Don’t worry. Right now, even if I walked down the street, no one would recognize me."

"That’s true. In any case, just be extra careful. If you need your teacher’s help with anything, just ask!" Shangguan Yutong said seriously. "You may not be clear about your teacher’s background. The sect behind me is a hidden one. Although it’s only a second-rate sect, it’s not one that just anyone can bully! So, when the time is right, Ling Xiao, you could bring out some Beauty Pills to give to the women of my sect. Heh, Lengning Palace is full of beauties. You’re so outstanding, perhaps one of the Core Disciples might take a liking to you. Then you’d be the son-in-law of Lengning Palace! At that point, you’d have a powerful backer!"

Ling Xiao was slightly surprised. His understanding of the continent’s hidden clans and sects was much clearer now than it had been half a year ago. Shangguan Yutong spoke of a second-rate sect so casually, but considering how desperately Feng Ling’s clan had fought to squeeze into the ranks of third-rate sects, one could only imagine how powerful a second-rate sect must be!

Ling Xiao blushed a little at Shangguan Yutong’s teasing, but inwardly, he strongly disagreed. ’A man must rely on himself! If I’m going to find a woman to be my backer, I might as well give up on cultivating to become an Immortal. Otherwise, even if I ascend in the future, I’d just be a spineless Immortal!’

After bidding farewell to Shangguan Yutong, Ling Xiao went to see Qiu Chen for a chat. The Old Marshal saw everything with perfect clarity and reminded Ling Xiao to be wary of the people from the Yisha Clan.

In the face of fame and fortune, few people could remain rational, especially merchants.

Regarding the matter of the Southern King, the Old Marshal approved of Ling Xiao’s actions. The old man had spent his life on the battlefield and had a bit of a rogue streak in him; he believed it was foolish not to seize such an opportunity! He then told Ling Xiao that the old King was already making moves in secret. The Crown Prince’s position was basically lost. The King could tolerate his sons fighting amongst themselves for power, but he could not tolerate a son poisoning him!

As for the Southern King, his chances of inheriting the throne were also extremely slim. Because after the Queen regained her youthful appearance, the old King had apparently regained his... interest. The two of them had spent more nights together, and the Queen... was pregnant again!

And the Imperial Physician had already determined that it was a boy!

Hearing this, a smile spread across Ling Xiao’s face. ’Now things are getting interesting. The Crown Prince and the Southern King must be panicking right now. They probably won’t have time to worry about me for a while.’

This was good news!