0p0 Chapter 91 Mei Yanyan
Chapter 91 Mei Yanyan
When King Ling heard the little girl mention the calamity that had befallen her family, he became curious and asked her in a low voice.
"Young lady, could you tell me in detail what happened to your family?"
The young girl was startled when she heard the handsome man call himself "this king," but she didn't think much of it and slowly spoke.
My real name is Mei Yanyan, and I am eighteen years old.
My home was originally located in a small town called Wind Chimes, near the border of the Xia Dynasty and the Xian Dynasty.
The area boasts beautiful mountains and clear waters, and its people are simple and honest, living a peaceful and tranquil life.
However, about a year and a half ago, misfortune struck without warning.
That day, everything in town seemed normal, with people busy with their own things.
But in the midst of this tranquility, a group of fierce-looking people suddenly barged in; they were all members of the Poisonous Yin Sect.
These people, upon seeing anyone, would immediately brandish their knives and slaughter innocent civilians without saying a word.
Not only that, they also released all sorts of deadly poisons, plunging the entire town into panic and chaos in an instant.
My family, along with several other families of martial arts practitioners, lived in the town. Seeing our fellow villagers suffer such a tragedy, we naturally could not sit idly by.
Everyone stepped forward and engaged in a fierce battle with them. Unfortunately, their poison was too potent; even with our martial arts skills, we were ultimately unable to withstand its corrosive effects.
As everyone was poisoned, their bodies gradually became weak and powerless, their weapons grew heavier, and they could exert less and less strength.
Even so, we gritted our teeth and persevered, just to protect the lives of our families and the people in the town.
In the end, after a fierce battle, most of the townspeople fell in pools of blood.
As for me, I was fortunate enough to escape that terrible calamity thanks to the desperate protection of my grandfather and several guards.
Since then, I have embarked on a journey of escape alone.
They endured hardships and spent more than half a year traveling before finally arriving at this place.
When I first arrived here, I met Daheizi and his group, which led to our temporary settlement here.
"My original intention was simply to focus on cultivating my martial arts, and once I achieved some success, I would definitely find those villains of the Poisonous Yin Sect and avenge my blood feud!"
At this point, a determined light shone in the little girl's eyes, and her hands unconsciously clenched tightly.
Upon hearing Mei Yanyan's words, King Ling did not show any trust on his face. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly, staring sharply at her, and spoke slowly.
"You claim to be a native of the Xia Dynasty, but that's just talk. Do you have any items on you that can prove your identity?"
When questioned by King Ling, Mei Yanyan looked distressed and inwardly groaned.
She hesitated for a moment before stammering, "The situation was critical at the time. We were too busy escaping to even think about getting any travel permits or other credentials!"
However… I do carry something with me, something my grandfather gave me. He said it's a family heirloom martial arts manual.
When King Ling heard Mei Yanyan mention his family's cultivation technique, he was startled and began to ponder it to himself.
This young woman seems so innocent and naive, yet she is so unaware of the seriousness of her own actions. How could she so easily reveal her family's martial arts techniques to outsiders?
If one were to unfortunately encounter a person with ulterior motives, wouldn't one suffer a terrible misfortune, and wouldn't the martial arts technique fall into the hands of others?
After a moment of silence, King Ling slowly nodded and said in a deep voice, "Very well, I will believe your words for now. Guards!"
With King Ling's shout, the surrounding bandits were all startled.
They initially thought this man with an extraordinary demeanor and handsome appearance was just an ordinary person, but they never expected that he would dare to refer to himself as "this king".
For a moment, everyone looked at each other, their eyes filled with astonishment and confusion.
At that moment, the people of the Illusionary Spirit Garden, who had been hiding in the shadows, heard the Spirit King's summons and immediately appeared like ghosts.
Two of them quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and replied in unison, "Your subordinates are here!"
King Ling, with a cold and stern expression, calmly issued his orders: "You two must immediately proceed to Fengling Town in the Xia Dynasty and thoroughly investigate whether what happened here is truly as this girl described."
Once the truth is ascertained, immediately proceed to the Imperial Auction House to report to me. Do not delay!
"Yes, I obey."
The two subordinates respectfully accepted the order, and then their figures flashed and disappeared into the vast night. Then the two subordinates headed towards Wind Chime Town.
King Ling glanced at Mei Yanyan, then turned to look at the dozen or so bandits, his thoughts unreadable.
After seeing that the Spirit King finished giving his instructions and there was no follow-up, Da Ya stepped forward.
"King Ling, how does Your Majesty intend to deal with them?"
When the bandits heard Da Ya call the handsome man "Spirit King", they were so frightened that they all knelt down on the ground.
King Ling glanced at them but ignored them, then looked at Daya and replied, "Lin Yunjiao, what do you think I should do with them?"
Daya cupped her hands to King Ling and said, “King Ling, I once warned us that we must thoroughly investigate whether a person is good or evil.”
I remember Xiaoya once asked us, "If someone is oppressed by officials, landlords, or bullies and then becomes an outlaw, would you call them a good person or a bad person?"
We were young then, living only in Sujia Village, and didn't understand these principles.
It was only through the teachings of Confucius that we came to understand these principles.
Good people can sometimes do bad things, while bad people can sometimes do good things.
Therefore, based on their actions just now, Daya realized that they weren't all malicious people, and wanted to ask the Spirit King to take them in.
When King Ling heard what Daya said, he replied, "Alright, I understand."
He turned to look at the group of bandits and asked, "Where are you all from?"
Some people said he was from the Ling Kingdom, while two or three others said he was from the Si Dynasty.
After listening, King Ling coldly continued, "I ask you, do you want to continue being bandits, or do you want a stable life with land to cultivate?"
Upon hearing what the Spirit King said, everyone suddenly became chaotic, each saying their own thing.
However, most people hope to live a peaceful life without having to rob people on the road every day. There are also one or two people who feel that farming is not a promising career and that it is better to be a bandit and live a carefree life.
Hearing what they said, the big, dark-skinned Cheng Peng slapped each of them and shouted angrily.
"Damn it, you have land to farm, yet you still want to be a bandit. It's not like you have no other choice. Who wants to be a bandit?"
Fortunately, we encountered the Spirit King; if we had met someone with superior martial arts skills, they would have killed us instantly.
Those two or three people had been taught a lesson by Cheng Peng, so they could only obediently listen to him.
The Spirit King summoned one of his subordinates and ordered him to lead his group back to Illusionary Spirit City.
Then settle them and give them a field to cultivate.
Seeing this, the big black man quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Highness, there are still a group of women and children in our mountain stronghold who need to be settled."
We earnestly request that you allow us to return to the mountain stronghold first to make proper arrangements before we leave with them.”
After speaking, he stared nervously at the Spirit King, waiting for a reply.
King Ling nodded slightly in agreement, then turned and returned to his magnificent carriage.
The subsequent matters were then handled entirely by his subordinates.
Mei Yanyan kept watching the departing figure of the Spirit King, her heart filled with unease.
Since the Spirit King had never mentioned anything about her, she was completely at a loss and stood there helplessly.
Xiaoyue noticed Mei Yanyan's predicament, so she moved over to her side and gently comforted her.
"You can come with us for now. We'll see how the Spirit King arranges things for you after the two ladies from the Illusionary Spirit Garden return."
Upon hearing what Xiaoyue said, the burly Cheng Peng had a sudden thought: if he could follow them, he might be able to learn more about the situation.
So he asked, "Miss, may I travel with you as well?"
After some discussion, everyone finally decided to grant his request.
Immediately afterwards, the burly Cheng Peng hurriedly ran to inform the people in the mountain stronghold that they should follow the instructions of that person and set off first.
He also reassured us, "Once we reach the Kingdom of Spirits, we will no longer have to live in fear and anxiety."
Thus, although the original team lost a few people, it gained two new members: Mei Yanyan and the big, dark-skinned Cheng Peng.
After packing up, the group resumed their journey, heading towards the Si Chao Auction House.
Along the way, everyone's feelings were different; some were full of anticipation for the future, while others were filled with worry...