Chapter 113: Uninvited
Bai Luochu left with Cai Ling after she spoke. When Ying Lan saw that there was nothing wrong with his mistress, he left while feeling reassured as he prepared himself for the task ahead.
As soon as Bai Luochu returned to her room, she instructed Cai Ling. “Cai Ling, make more trips to Ying Lan’s side these two weeks. Firstly, we need to quickly construct our faction on the mountain. Ying Lan still has to manage the business at the Remote Paddy Inn and there will be times where he will be too busy to deal with anything else. You are already familiar with the mountain and will be able to assist him during the construction process. Secondly, I will probably be immersed in cultivation and it won’t be safe in the residence as I won’t be there to protect you. It will be safer for you to head out.”
Bai Luochu didn’t forget to snort as she was expressing her dissatisfaction for her uncle’s family.
Cai Ling understood her mistress’ arrangement and didn’t say anything else. A simple nod of the head showed Bai Luochu that Cai Ling knew what she had to do.
On the other side, Ying Lan was awfully busy. First, he had to arrange the division of work for the members of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence, then he had to arrange the schedule for the next two weeks. He then lined up all the capable craftsmen in the capital and prepared to visit them early in the morning in order to avoid others from snatching them away. If they didn’t have enough manpower for the tasks, their schedule would be delayed.
After making all the arrangements, it was already late at night. Just as Ying Lan was preparing to rest for the day, the waiter at the front of the inn came up to make a report. “Commander Ying, there is someone looking for you.”
Ying Lan frowned and thought about the people who would visit him at this hour. “It is already very late. I shall not be meeting that person. Tell him that I am already resting and if he wants to meet me, he can come earlier tomorrow.” Ying Lan replied and he prepared to head back to his room.
The waiter quickly stopped Ying Lan. “Commander Ying Lan, that person has silver hair and he said that if I bring this up, you will definitely meet him.”
When Ying Lan heard the waiter, he paused for a second. He turned around and asked, “Silver hair? Are you certain?” Among all the people he knew, there was only one person with silver hair. Why would he look for Ying Lan at such an hour? What were his intentions?
When the waiter saw that Ying Lan was still having doubts, he quickly said, “It’s true. Even his eyes are silver in color. His personality is cold too, like an ice cube.”
After hearing the waiter’s description, Ying Lan knew that the person was definitely someone he knew. He then instructed the waiter, “Bring him to my study room and steep a pot of superior tea.” Finishing his statement, Ying Lan turned around and headed towards his study room.
A moment later, the door of the study room creaked as they swung open. The silver-haired man strolled in casually. The waiter quickly left after placing down the pot of tea.
“Why are you looking for me so late at night?” Ying Lan spoke and poured some tea for the silver-haired man.
The silver-haired man wasn’t reserved at all and drank it with a single gulp. He then replied to Ying Lan. “Are you fully recovered?”
When Ying Lan heard the silver-haired man’s words, he spoke calmly, “I am thankful for your concern. You were beside me when we resisted the Phoenix King Valley’s pursuit and I’m really touched at how you are showing so much concern for me. Surely there is no way you will visit me so late at night just to speak of this, right?”
The silver-haired man laughed and his originally cold expression became somewhat charming.
“I have something important I need to tell you.” The silver-haired man thought that Ying Lan was really incredible. Just a few statements were enough to force him to talk about his true objective.
“In fact, it isn’t anything important. I just feel that you must be having a hard time recently because you have to manage this inn and supervise the construction of the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence. I want to offer my humble service in order to share your worries.” The silver-haired man spoke rather gracefully, but Ying Lan’s expression changed instantly.
Ying Lan raised his hand and gathered spirit qi in his palm before drawing his sword. His sword shot out from the sheath that hung on the wall and the moment the sword fell into his hand, Ying Lan adjusted the trajectory and placed the edge of the sword on the silver-haired man’s neck.
The blade of the sword was extremely thin and it reflected layers of cold light from the illumination of the moon. The sword hilt was rather plain and only had a special totem of a dark pattern carved on it. His sword moved like the wind and it didn’t break the skin on the silver-haired man’s neck.
The silver-haired man was rather shocked by Ying Lan’s abrupt change in attitude. Long before Ying Land placed the sword on his neck, he had already detected the cold sword intent and the concentrated aura of death. Had it not been for Ying Lan’s cautious nature, the silver-haired man wouldn’t be able to escape from the hands of death with his level of cultivation.
It was fortunate that the silver-haired man was considered someone who had experienced much of life. When Ying Lan drew his sword, the silver-haired man’s mind rumbled and he felt a chill run down his spine. His fingers started to move in order to counter Ying Lan’s move but he was still a step too slow.
It seemed like apart from having an extremely high level of cultivation, Ying Lan also had vicious moves that allowed him to hold his own against people stronger than himself. It was no wonder he could still hold on for such a long time even after being surrounded by the Phoenix King Valley in his severely injured state.
“Why are you so flustered?” The silver-haired man attempted to alleviate the tension in the room. “Since I am here, I have brought along ample sincerity and extreme goodwill. Towards you, towards the Palace of Brilliance Resurgence, even towards your Master, I am a friend and not a foe.”
When Ying Lan heard what the silver-haired man said, he shifted his sword a little. The distance between the edge of the blade and the silver-haired man’s neck increased by a hair’s breadth. If the silver-haired man tried anything funny, Ying Lan wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter him mercilessly.
Ying Lan’s hands might have relaxed a little, but his mind was on full alert. He then asked the silver-haired man with extreme caution. “I am not very familiar with you and we’ve only met once. How are you going to convince me you mean no harm?”