Taiping Lie 397. Family Ties Are Hard to Break

"Who is it?!"

A man dressed in black walked out of the woods. The dim moonlight made it possible to see his resolute face. The middle-aged man, who already had some wrinkles, had a deep face and sharp edges like those carved by a knife. His hair was already a little gray, and he looked at the people in the moonlight with an indifferent expression.

"Mu Qingcang?" Ling Tiehan asked in a deep voice.

"Master Ling, long time no see." Mu Qingcang nodded calmly. The person who came was Mu Qingcang, the former top master of Da Chu who suddenly disappeared. Mu Qingcang looked at Ye Li standing aside and said, "Princess, you can take the others and go first."

Ye Li walked over and helped Zhuo Jing and Lin Han up, nodded and said, "Mr. Lao Mu is here."

Ling Tiehan watched Ye Li and his men leave in silence, and did not chase after them. He knew very well that if he did not deal with Mu Qingcang first, he would not be able to touch Ye Li tonight. Although he was confident that he could defeat Mu Qingcang, one of the four great masters in the world in the past could not be dealt with casually. Moreover, he could feel that Mu Qingcang seemed to be a little different from ten years ago. Ten years ago, he had a chance to fight with Mu Qingcang, and at that time he clearly felt that Mu Qingcang was regressing. So from then on, he never took Mu Qingcang seriously again. As he got older, it was inevitable that his strength would decline, but at that time, Mu Qingcang was clearly still in his prime. But when they met this time, he found that Mu Qingcang was not as bad as he had expected, and he had even made some progress.

Moreover, Ling Tiehan also didn't understand some things. Frowning, Ling Tiehan said: "I didn't know that Mu Qingcang would return to the Dingwang Mansion." Outsiders might not know, but Ling Tiehan, who holds the Yanwang Pavilion, would know the true identity of Mu Qingcang. Mu Yang and Mu Jingmin had just fallen into the hands of the Dingwang Mansion, but Mu Qingcang came to save the Dingwang Princess, which was really beyond Ling Tiehan's expectations.

"I'm not from Prince Ding's Mansion." Mu Qingcang said coldly.

Ling Tiehan raised his eyebrows, "What is this, Brother Mu?"

Mu Qingcang said, "It's just a deal with Prince Ding's Mansion. I promised Prince Ding's Mansion to protect Princess Ding for three days. After three days, you can kill or plunder her as you wish." Ling Tiehan sighed helplessly and said, "Although I don't want to fight Brother Mu now, it seems that I have to do it now." Three days later, Ye Li had already returned to the Mo Family Army camp. By then, there would be hundreds of thousands of Mo Family soldiers and thousands of Qilin protecting them. Let alone killing Ye Li, it would be difficult to get close to Ye Li.

"Please." Mu Qingcang nodded nonchalantly.

Soon, two figures on the ancient road started to fight fiercely. Under the moonlight, the two figures separated and joined, and the sword energy was radiating and the wind was intimidating. The momentum of the real masters fighting was completely different from the fight with Ye Li and others just now.

In the dark, Leng Liuyue and the others watched Ye Li and the others riding away. Leng Liuyue frowned and said, "Should we help big brother to stop them?" Although they did not agree to move the princess, since big brother insisted on doing it, they, as his younger brothers and sisters, could only support him as much as they could.

The sick scholar shook his head and said, "No, let them go. Prince Ding's Mansion is not that easy to mess with, and... my elder brother just let them go." With Ling Tiehan's kung fu, if he really wanted to kill Ye Li, he could just hide in the dark and attack directly. Even if Mo Xiuyao came in person without any precautions, he would not be able to stop him. They are killers, why should they stand by the roadside and wait for someone to come and talk nonsense for a long time.

Leng Liuyue frowned and thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Yes, big brother promised to kill Ye Li on the road. If Ye Li escapes and returns to the Mo family army, it will be none of our business." Moreover, the opponent also has the help of one of the four great masters in the world, so even if big brother fails, no one can say anything.

As assassins, whether it is the cold-blooded Leng Liuyue or the sinister and unruly sick scholar, they are essentially calm and rational people. With the power of Yanwang Pavilion, it is not a good thing to face the Dingwang Mansion, which now has power over most of Xiling and Dachu. Regardless of whether Mo Xiuyao is seriously injured or not, as long as Mo Xiuyao is not dead, the Mo family army and Dingwang Mansion are still extremely feared. You know, Mo Xiuyao was disabled in both legs and was poisoned, but he still saved the then shaky Dingwang Mansion. Not to mention that the power of Dingwang Mansion is now at its peak.

If Lei Zhenting hadn't sent someone to find the eldest brother this time, they would never have known that the eldest brother, who had been an orphan since childhood, was actually a prince of the Xiling royal family. However, the Xiling royal family had nothing to do with them for so many years, and the eldest brother had never received any benefits from the Xiling royal family. They were even suppressed by Lei Zhenting. Why should the eldest brother go against the Dingwang Mansion for the Xiling royal family?

The battle between Ling Tiehan and Mu Qingcang lasted until the next morning. The morning light fell on the ancient road. Ling Tiehan stood on the roadside with his iron sword in his hand, looking down at Mu Qingcang not far away. Blood quietly flowed down his sleeves and arms and fell into the dust at his feet. "The number one master in Da Chu is indeed worthy of his reputation." Ling Tiehan said lightly.

Not far from him, Mu Qingcang was half-kneeling on the ground with a pale face. His right shoulder was almost pierced through, and his abdomen was already stained red with blood. This time, the two of them were different from the previous competition between Ling Tiehan and Mo Xiuyao. This was a real life-and-death battle. In the past few years, Mu Qingcang has been hiding his identity and focusing on martial arts. Throwing away the shackles that had been imposed on him, Mu Qingcang gradually recovered and even made further progress in martial arts. Although he was slightly inferior to Ling Tiehan, when he fought with his life, Ling Tiehan was actually trapped here for a whole night.

Mu Qingcang wiped the blood from his lips and said with a faint bitter smile: "Master Ling, you are too kind. I admit defeat."

Ling Tiehan shook his head and said nothing. Leng Liuyue and the sick scholar appeared in front of him. Seeing the dark red bloodstains on the ground beside Ling Tiehan, they stared at Mu Qingcang, who was kneeling on the ground and seriously injured, with unfriendly expressions, "Brother..."

Mu Qingcang reached out to stop the sick scholar who wanted to kill him and said, "The winner has been decided, there is no need to cause any more trouble." The sick scholar nodded and asked, "Brother...are you still chasing me?"

Ling Tiehan glanced at his two worried brothers and sisters with a smile, raised his sword-holding hand and said, "I have internal injuries. Let's go back."

There was a glimmer of surprise in Leng Liuyue and the sick scholar's eyes. It turned out that the eldest brother did not really intend to kill the princess.

"Yes, big brother, let's go back." Leng Liuyue stepped forward and supported Ling Tiehan. Ling Tiehan waved his hand and said, "No need, Brother Mu, do you need me to send someone to take you back?"

"Thank you, Master Ling. Mr. Mu will take care of you in Prince Ding's Mansion." Mo Hua appeared at the edge of the ancient road at some point, looking at the three people in front of him with a cold expression. Seeing Mo Hua, Ling Tiehan frowned. The many assassins of Prince Yan's Mansion who were sent to stop Qilin and the secret guards of the Mo family army were probably finished. Ling Tiehan did not know Mo Hua, but he could see that Mo Hua's martial arts were far superior to those of Zhuo Jing and Lin Han. Such a person had no reputation in the court or in the martial arts world. It can be seen that Prince Ding's Mansion is really a hidden dragon and crouching tiger.

Anyway, Prince Yan's Pavilion... He was a little bored after being there for too long. Ling Tiehan nodded and said, "Goodbye, if Prince Ding wants to take revenge, I'll be waiting for you anytime." Leng Liuyue wanted to say something, but Ling Tiehan glanced at her and she had no choice but to shut her mouth and followed Ling Tiehan away.

Only Mo Hua and Mu Qingcang were left on the roadside. Mo Hua said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Mu. How are your injuries?"

Mu Qingcang stood up, but his body was shaky and about to fall. Although he had fought with Ling Tiehan for several hours, his injuries were far more serious than Ling Tiehan's. Ling Tiehan said that he had internal injuries, but Mu Qingcang knew that Ling Tiehan had only suffered some flesh wounds.

"Fortunately, I hope Prince Ding's Mansion can keep its promise." Mu Qingcang stared at Mo Hua and said.

Mo Hua nodded, raised his hands and clapped his hands. Two men in black came over with an old man. It would be better to say that they carried him. The old man had white hair like snow, and his face looked like an old man who was already over 70 years old. But people who knew him knew that he was even two years away from 60, and even half a month ago he looked like a middle-aged man in his 40s.

"What did you do to him?!" Mu Qingcang's eyes turned cold and he asked in a sharp voice.

Mo Hua said calmly, "Nothing was done. It was like this when I brought it back." Ever since he saw Mu Yang's body, Marquis Mu Yang seemed to have aged twenty or thirty years overnight. He was also a little confused. He was in a daze and had no reaction to what others said to him. Occasionally, when he woke up, he would call anyone "Yang'er". Even Mo Xiuyao, who originally wanted to see him, had no interest in him. If not for this, Mu Qingcang would probably not be able to see him either.

Mu Qingcang walked forward with his shaky body, supported Marquis Mu Yang, and whispered, "Father...Father?"

As if hearing the word "father", Marquis Mu Yang's dull and blank eyes turned for a moment, staring at Mu Qingcang steadily, and after a while he spoke: "Yang... Yang'er?" A trace of sadness flashed across Mu Qingcang's eyes, and he helped Marquis Mu Yang from the hands of the two black-clad guards and said: "Father, let's go home."

Marquis Muyang allowed Mu Qingcang to help him walk away without any objection. Behind him, Mo Hua said in a deep voice: "In exchange for saving the princess, Marquis Muyang will be at your disposal. But... if he does something he shouldn't do again, Mr. Mu had better remember the prince's words."

Mu Qingcang paused and said in a deep voice, "I know that you will never see him or me again in the future." Looking at the figures of Mu Qingcang and Mu Yanghou going away, the secret guard beside Mo Hua asked in a low voice, "Commander, are you just going to let them go like this?"

Mo Hua nodded and said in a deep voice, "Mu Qingcang saved the princess." When it comes to matters related to the princess, the prince always keeps his word. Moreover, the prince has not killed Mu Qingcang for so many years, so he naturally has no interest in killing him now. "Go back, there are still things to do in the army." Soon, the three men in black disappeared at the edge of the ancient road.

On the official road, in an inconspicuous roadside post, Lei Tengfeng was sitting leisurely drinking tea. Although he was played by Mo Xiuyao before, which made him rush back to Yuming Pass, the subsequent development did not have any bad effects on Xiling and Zhennan Palace. On the contrary... Unexpectedly, Mo Jingli made a surprising move, which made the Xiling army, which was originally somewhat passive on the battlefield, feel much more comfortable. So Lei Tengfeng has been in a good mood these days.

Seeing the three people walking not far away, Lei Tengfeng's smile widened. He even stood up and greeted them, "Tengfeng meets the emperor's uncle."

Ling Tiehan looked at the man in front of him indifferently, "I am just a commoner in the martial arts world, I don't dare to accept the gift from the prince."

Lei Tengfeng smiled and said, "How could that be? The emperor's uncle is the biological son of the emperor's grandfather, and is also a blood relative of my Xiling royal family. It is natural for Tengfeng to pay his respects." Ling Tiehan frowned and looked at him for a moment, and suddenly showed a cold smile, "Lei Tengfeng, didn't your father tell you to stay away from me...?"

Lei Tengfeng was shocked. His father had indeed warned him. But he was really anxious to take over, so he came in person. He didn't expect to lose his sense of proportion. Although he had a lot of thoughts in his mind, Lei Tengfeng's face was calm. He said respectfully: "My nephew is rude, please forgive me, Master Lingge."

Ling Tiehan snorted and walked forward. Lei Tengfeng glanced at Ling Tiehan's bloodstained sleeves and frowned slightly. He hurriedly followed him and said, "Master Ling, I wonder if Princess Ding..."

"Princess Ding is gone." Ling Tiehan said calmly.

"What?!" Lei Tengfeng couldn't help but cry out. He really didn't expect that even the head of Yanwang Pavilion couldn't kill Ye Li. His father had clearly said that Ling Tiehan's current martial arts skills were likely to be better than his. How could he not be able to kill Ye Li, whose martial arts skills were not top-notch?

Ling Tiehan turned around and glanced at the shocked man behind him. Lei Tengfeng felt his scalp tingling, but he still had to withstand the pressure from Ling Tiehan and said, "Master Ling, you clearly promised my father..."

"I said I'll try my best." Ling Tiehan interrupted him and said, "I've already tried my best."

"But, the martial arts of Ye Li and those around her..." Lei Tengfeng said in disbelief. The sick scholar glanced at Lei Tengfeng sinisterly and said, "Can't you see that Big Brother is already injured? If you think that someone can catch up with Ye Li and kill her after fighting with Mu Qingcang, why are you still looking for Big Brother?"

"Mu Qingcang..." Lei Tengfeng's heart sank. Even if they had planned for it, they could not have expected that there would be a Mu Qingcang. The former number one master of the Great Chu, after being silent for nearly ten years, the first thing he did when he reappeared was to ruin the Dingwang Mansion! "But..." Looking at the three people strolling so leisurely, even if Lei Tengfeng felt that he had a good temper, he felt a little uncomfortable. With Ling Tiehan like this, who would believe that he didn't let him win?

Perhaps Lei Tengfeng's expression was too obvious, Ling Tiehan frowned, looked at Lei Tengfeng and said: "Lei Tengfeng... do you think that I dare not kill you because I am injured?"

Lei Tengfeng's expression changed slightly, and he lowered his eyes and said, "I dare not. In this case, I will take my leave now."

Ling Tiehan did not comment, but simply said: "Go back and tell Lei Zhenting that I have repaid the favor I owe him. From now on... it is time to resolve the grudge between him and me."

Lei Tengfeng said silently: "My nephew will definitely pass this message to my father. Goodbye."

Lei Tengfeng said silently: "I will definitely tell my father what's going on. Goodbye." Although he didn't know what kind of grudges there were between his father and Ling Tiehan, Lei Tengfeng knew that the reason why Ling Tiehan hadn't really caused trouble for the Zhennan Palace in recent years was because Ling Tiehan owed his father a great favor. Otherwise, as long as Ling Tiehan chose to support the Xiling Emperor, coupled with the power of the Yanwang Pavilion, it would also be a headache for the Zhennan Palace.

In the eyes of people like Ling Tiehan, there is obviously no such thing as settling grudges. After the debt is repaid, it is time to collect the debt. At this moment, Lei Tengfeng couldn't help but wonder, did his father and he do something wrong by asking Ling Tiehan to deal with Ye Li?

After bidding farewell to Ling Tiehan, Lei Tengfeng rushed back to the Xiling Army without stopping. Lei Zhenting couldn't help but sigh when he saw the frustrated look on his face, and before Lei Tengfeng could speak, he asked, "Did Ling Tiehan fail?"

Lei Tengfeng nodded, "Father..."

"Did Ling Tiehan deliberately let Ye Li go?" Lei Zhenting asked with a somewhat unpleasant expression. Although he did consider this possibility when he went to find Ling Tiehan, Ling Tiehan always kept his word, and there was indeed no one more suitable than him, so he had to choose to believe Ling Tiehan. Lei Tengfeng said uncertainly: "Ling Tiehan was also injured. It was Mu Qingcang, the first master of Da Chu who had disappeared, who stopped Ling Tiehan. The two fought fiercely all night, and when the winner was decided at dawn, Ye Li and others had already entered the area controlled by Prince Ding's Mansion." He didn't know whether Ling Tiehan let Ye Li go, but at least, Ling Tiehan was not so active in killing Ye Li.

"Mu Qingcang?" Lei Zhenting frowned and said, "Ridiculous, Ye Li just destroyed the Marquis Muyang's Mansion, why would Mu Qingcang save her?"

Lei Tengfeng said, "My son sent someone to investigate. It was indeed Mu Qingcang who suddenly appeared and blocked Ling Tiehan's sword. After the two fought, Mu Qingcang was seriously injured and took away an old man from the people in Prince Ding's Mansion. According to the report of my subordinates, it is very likely that it was the old Marquis Mu Yang, Mu Jingmin. Originally... Ling Tiehan almost killed Ye Li." At this point, Lei Tengfeng also felt a little regretful. Although he admired Ye Li's ability and intelligence, they were enemies. How could Lei Tengfeng not secretly regret that he had lost the opportunity to get rid of such a powerful enemy.

Lei Zhenting shook his head and said, "Forget it, it's God's will. As long as Mo Xiuyao is really dying, Ye Li can live. Now we should focus on the situation on the battlefield." Lei Tengfeng nodded, put away the slight frustration in his heart, and said in a deep voice, "Father is right. Mo Xiuyao is seriously injured and can't come out. Although we don't know whether he is dead or alive. But looking at the performance of the Mo family army in the past few days, Mo Xiuyao is probably really injured. Otherwise, Feng Zhiyao would not be in a hurry to rush Princess Ding back." In the past few days, the Mo family army has been elusive on the battlefield, which is a change for people. It is obvious that the leader of the army has changed. Mo Xiuyao has been seriously injured to the point where he can't even preside over military affairs. This is definitely good news for Xiling.

"Mo Jingli's hundreds of thousands of reinforcements have already arrived in the north, and I'm afraid they are preparing for a counterattack. As long as we take down the Mo family army here as soon as possible, by then, I'm afraid Lu Jinxian won't be able to get back to reinforce." Lei Tengfeng said.

Speaking of Mo Jingli, Lei Zhenting frowned slightly and said, "Let him do whatever he wants. He is only this little bit of use. But... Teng Feng, Mo Jingli is narrow-minded and vindictive. He will definitely bear a grudge against me for this incident. Be careful of him if you meet him on the battlefield. If necessary... find a way to get rid of him!"

"Father?" Lei Tengfeng was startled, looking at Lei Zhenting with a vague sense of uneasiness. Although his father would teach him many things on weekdays, he would never tell him about dealing with the king of a country. Lei Zhenting smiled calmly and said, "You are not a child anymore, you should have been able to stand on your own. When this war is over, the Zhennan Palace will be handed over to you."

"Father?!" Lei Tengfeng was startled and looked at Lei Zhenting worriedly. Lei Zhenting smiled indifferently and waved his hand, saying, "Forget it, don't worry about these things for now. We must pay attention to the defense of Yuming Pass. After all, in the eyes of the Mohist Army, we are the real enemy. When the crisis comes, Lu Jinxian may not give up Mo Jingli and bring troops back to help." Even if they are reluctant to admit it, the hostility of the Mohist Army to the Chu Army is actually far less than that to Xiling. Even on the battlefield, the confrontation between the Mohist Army and the Chu Army was not as fierce as that of the Xiling Army. It's not that the army under Lu Jinxian is not brave and strong enough, but that the troops on both sides actually still recognize that they were once a family. Therefore, if the Dingwang Mansion really faced a crisis, Lu Jinxian would most likely abandon all places except Yuming Pass and attack the Xiling army instead.

Lei Tengfeng nodded and said, "Son understands."

Lei Zhenting nodded with satisfaction and said, "Forget it, go and get busy."

Lei Tengfeng thought for a moment and asked, "Father, did you know that Ling Tiehan couldn't kill Ye Li?" When he came back to report just now, although his father was a little unhappy, he was not very surprised or angry. Lei Zhenting shook his head and said, "It would be best if he could kill her, but it doesn't matter if he can't."

Lei Tengfeng looked at Lei Zhenting in confusion, his sword-like brows furrowed. Over the years, Ling Tiehan had not taken action against the Zhennan Palace because he owed his father a favor. Now that he had repaid the favor, wouldn't the Zhennan Palace have another enemy?

Lei Zhenting sighed, "Even if this incident had not happened, I would still find a way to make him return the favor."

"My child is stupid." Lei Tengfeng really didn't understand what his father was thinking.

"Silly boy, Ling Tiehan owes me a favor, not you." In Ling Tiehan's heart, there is no such thing as settling grudges, nor is there such a thing as passing on favors to the next generation. However, most of those who had wronged Ling Tiehan in the past were still alive under the protection of the Zhennan Palace. Either he killed Ling Tiehan before he died, or he killed them all when he was dying. Otherwise, Ling Tiehan would still cause trouble for Lei Tengfeng in the future. However, neither of these two options was very realistic.

Lei Tengfeng retreated in confusion, and when he reached the door, he paused and suddenly understood what his father meant. Lei Tengfeng frowned and gritted his teeth but did not go back. He was indeed not strong enough, so his father was so worried about him...