Ch145 – Past Life’s Friend
Lin Liuchun squinted his eyes, thought for a moment, then put his hands under his head and spoke as he gazed up at the roof of the carriage. “I suddenly recall — thirty years ago — I also accompanied your father to the Middle Continent to partic.i.p.ate in the Hundred Families Gathering. That year, he was the supervising officer of the Lin family for the excursion and was a naughty kid as well. In the blink of an eye, thirty years have already pa.s.sed…”
Lin Liuchun sighed with emotion and closed his eyes, seemingly asleep.
Lin Xuanzhi originally wanted to ask about his father’s past, but after seeing that Lin Liuchun had no intention of continuing this conversation, he paused before gently stepping out, leaping onto the speeding horse carriage behind him.
Inside the carriage, Duan Yuyang’s face was angry and fl.u.s.tered. “Why did you have to tie me up just before you got off the carriage earlier?”
Lin Xuanzhi sat beside Yan Tianhen, offhandedly grabbing Ah Bai and plopping him onto his lap. While petting Ah Bai, he said “I want to stop you from going out and stirring things up.”
Duan Yuyang rolled his eyes. “How did I stir things up? You’re not treating me like a friend.”
“It’s because you are my friend that I don’t want you to be implicated.” Lin Xuanzhi said. “If you stand up for me, then they will focus on the entire Duan family.”
Duan Yuyang’s face darkened. He ground his teeth and said: “Right now, I am very eager to drag the Duan family into the water.”
Lin Xuanzhi said flatly, “There’s only a few people in the Duan family who wronged you. It’s not the best policy to drag the entire family underwater.”
Duan Yuyang snorted coldly and said dismissively, “I’m not planning to go back to the Duan family. How the Duan family fares, what does that have anything to do with me?”
Lin Xuanzhi looked at him and said, “I think you should take back the Duan family instead of handing it over.”
Duan Yuyang’s eyes flashed as he snorted. “How’s that possible? I am heavily outnumbered. Will you help me rob them?”
“If you want to rob them, then I will naturally help you.” Lin Xuanzhi replied. “But I am only one person. It’s too difficult. We might as well add another one.”
“Who?” Asked Duan Yuyang.
“Naturally, Yuan Tianwen.” Lin Xuanzhi said with unusual calmness.
Duan Yuyang stared at Lin Xuanzhi, speechless. After a long time, he exclaimed angrily, “You’re really too mean! You actually want me to find that b.a.s.t.a.r.d? You obviously know about honourable me and him. f.u.c.k, let him go!”
Lin Xuanzhi turned a blind eye to Duan Yuyang’s dissatisfaction and said, “He owes you. Don’t tell me that you’re just going to let this go?”
“You think he owes me?” Duan Yuyang’s anger ceased, and instead he thought of something, then smiled and said carelessly, “He does not owe me anything. Everything I did, I did willingly. You can say that I’m inviting this upon myself, or that I’m shameless, but I was pretty happy being together with him, so I didn’t suffer. Plus, I don’t have the habit of trying again and again just to be shot down. He has rejected me twice and blindly found someone who’s a good actor. I’m too lazy to pay any attention to him. The road ahead is wide. In the future, we’ll go our separate paths.”
Yan Tianhen stared at Duan Yuyang, blinked, and said, “I suspect that Yuan Tianwen is blind. He didn’t want such a nice person like you and even deliberately chased after that Han Yuran.”
“Don’t tell me your Dage was never blind?” Duan Yuyang asked back.
Yan Tianhen looked at Lin Xuanzhi and closed his mouth.
Lin Xuanzhi drew down the corner of his lips and said, “The current me is no longer blind. Blindness can be cured.”
In reality, he never liked Han Yuran much.
If it weren’t for his father personally setting up the marriage, he would never have spared a second glance at Han Yuran.
Duan Yuyang sighed, hesitated, then looked at Lin Xuanzhi. “A few days ago, weren’t you the one who encouraged me to draw a clear line between myself and the Duan family and walk away?”
“I wouldn’t say I encouraged you.” Lin Xuanzhi raised his eyebrows slightly and said, “You were still angry a few days ago. You must have calmed down. If I were you, I would take back everything that belongs to me and give those who hurt me the punishment they deserve.”
Duan Yuyang thought for a moment and said hesitantly, “This, I have to think about carefully. After all, the enemy is strong whilst I am weak, and they’re in the dark while I am in the light.”
“Now, the enemy is already out in the light while you are hidden in the dark.” Lin Xuanzhi said meaningfully.
Startled, Duan Yuyang stared into Lin Xuanzhi’s pair of eyes — deep like the autumn waters — for a moment before turning away.
A strange seed had been planted in his heart.
“Dage, it’s almost time to rest.” When the procession stopped, Yan Tianhen pulled open the curtain and said lightly.
However, he did not hear Lin Xuanzhi’s reply.
Yan Tianhen looked back and saw Lin Xuanzhi leaning by the window, his downcast eyes deep in thought.
Thick eyelashes obscured the look in his eyes, making it impossible to tell what emotions were in them. There was only a calm and collected expression on his impeccable face.
Lin Xuanzhi pursed his thin lips slightly. An onlooker would feel a sense of inexplicable sadness from his countenance.
Yan Tianhen paused and went to crouch beside Lin Xuanzhi’s leg. He looked up at Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes and said, “Dage, were you and Huangfu Jin old friends?”
Lin Xuanzhi’s gaze landed on Yan Tianhen’s face. His heart tightened and stopped for a few beats. A flash of panic appeared in his eyes.
In that moment, he thought Yan Tianhen was actually the Yan Tianhen of his previous life.
However, Lin Xuanzhi soon returned to normal.
He pulled up Yan Tianhen and said, “Why do you ask?”
Yan Tianhen said, “Dage has been strange ever since you saw Huangfu Jin today. You’ve been absentminded thrice, and you neither hear nor respond to what I say. This has never happened before.”
Lin Xuanzhi paused and realized that he really seemed to be immersed in the memories of his previous life, consequently not noticing and even ignoring the people around him.
Lin Xuanzhi led Yan Tianhen down the carriage. Before they exited, he said, “I have never known him before. I just remembered some stories about the Huangfu family and was preoccupied.”
Yan Tianhen stared at the back of Lin Xuanzhi’s head and said, “Those stories must have had a big impact on Dage.”
Lin Xuanzhi got off the carriage first and turned around, placing his right hand in front of Yan Tianhen. “There is some impact, but it’s not that important.”
Yan Tianhen put his hand in Lin Xuanzhi’s and was pulled by the other party, jumping down from the carriage.
They began to prepare dinner. These things were all taken care of by the death knights and naturally did not require the young masters or mistresses to personally take action. Lin Xuanzhi stood aside, staring into the burning flame, and couldn’t resist turning his head to gaze at the Yan Tianhen sitting beside him engrossed in playing with Ah Bai and Hu Po.
Yan Tianhen’s head was lowered as he played with enthusiasm and did not notice Lin Xuanzhi’s gaze.
The sentence Yan Tianhen uttered earlier made Lin Xuanzhi realize that his Ah Hen was far more perceptive than he ever imagined.
Huangfu Jin was indeed an old acquaintance of Lin Xuanzhi in his past life.
Moreover, the relations.h.i.+p between them could be said to be convoluted.
But, the person who triggered Lin Xuanzhi’s memories was not actually Huangfu Jin.
Huangfu Jin was only a medium through which the shadow who actually had great ties of causality with Lin Xuanzhi could be seen.
He and Huangfu Jin were regarded as friends who fought side-by-side, but due to the existence of certain people and certain things, they eventually became enemies.
Lin Xuanzhi came to his senses and realized that he was once again lost in his thoughts.
Yan Tianhen stood in front of him with Ah Bai in his arms and observed Lin Xuanzhi, his eyes filled with unspeakable worry and uneasiness.
Lin Xuanzhi lifted the corners of his mouth and said, “I am not in my best condition today. Perhaps I will recover after resting for a while.”
Yan Tianhen stared at Lin Xuanzhi and said, “Dage, do you really not know Huangfu Jin?”
Lin Xuanzhi couldn’t lie to that pair of clear eyes and said, “I know him today. Ah Hen, Huangfu Jin is only a pa.s.serby and is not very important. You don’t have to mention him again and again.”
Yan Tianhen felt a little sad and said, “But because of him, I keep finding my Dage staring blankly into s.p.a.ce. I don’t like seeing my Dage like this.”
Lin Xuanzhi was silent for a moment, then sighed softly and said, “I won’t in the future. Dage promises you.”
Yan Tianhen was stunned. “It turns out that the reason Dage keeps staring into s.p.a.ce really is because of Huangfu Jin.”
Lin Xuanzhi, “….”
Yan Tianhen frowned and said, “Actually, even though Huangfu Jin looks scary, Dage need not worry so much. After all, he is the Young Master of his family. He certainly knows better than those who can’t even carry their heads clearly that even if he offends someone, it’s unwise to casually offend craftsmen. Furthermore, today, they really did provoke us first.”
Lin Xuanzhi suddenly felt relieved from his heart.
Just moments ago, he was still worried about Yan Tianwen being perceptive enough to see through him. Unexpectedly, it was not long before Yan Tianhen’s youthful mentality was exposed.
He himself had a guilty conscience, fearful that Yan Tianhen could speculate on some events from the past life that he didn’t want to mention.
Lin Xuanzhi nodded and said, “Ah Hen’s a.n.a.lysis is very reasonable. Huangfu Jin should not be so under-handed.”
Yan Tianhen smiled and pulled Lin Xuanzhi’s hand as he said, “Besides, even if the sky falls down, there’s still Fourth Elder holding it up!”
Lin Xuanzhi, “……”
He was indeed brought up by Lin Zhan!
Even though Lin Xuanzhi unexpectedly met a person whom he did not meet until a few years later in his previous life, Huangfu Jin actually did not leave too many waves in his heart.
After that initial impression, Lin Xuanzhi threw the memories of his past life to the back of his mind.
Three days later, the Lin family’s procession bypa.s.sed Yudai Mountain and finally arrived at the main city of the Middle Continent smoothly along the s.p.a.cious forest road.
Sky Peak City.
From a distance, the Sky Peak gate inlaid in the center of the gray city wall was a hundred meters high and a hundred zhang wide. The gate looked magnificent, and the huge fierce beasts carved onto it were also extremely deterrent and daunting.
However, it was impossible to fully open the gate. Only an 8-zhang wide pa.s.sage had been set aside for people to enter and leave.
Lin family’s pupils all leaned their heads out of their carriages and showered the s.p.a.cious and mighty Sky Peak City with gazes of admiration.
When Yan Tianhen was following Lin Zhan around, he seldom went out. He only paid occasional visits even to Qing City’s commercial street. When he saw Sky Peak City, his curiosity was hard to hide.
He stared at the Sky Peak gate with great interest.
Duan Yuyang held his chin and looked at the gate. “If you look at this Sky Peak City for a long time, you’ll feel dizzy. It’s better to look less.”
Yan Tianhen inquired, “Why is this?”
Lin Xuanzhi said, “Because this Sky Peak City is said to be a large array in and of itself. The formation is enigmatic and contains the essence of ancient array masters. It can only be viewed from a distance and cannot be profaned.”
Yan Tianhen stared at the city for a while in disbelief and indeed felt the expected dizziness. He hurriedly closed his eyes and shook his head in order to expel that uncomfortable feeling.
Although the gate was wide, it was not easy to enter.
Because Sky Peak City housed the Five Continents’ core first-cla.s.s families, major sects, and business tyc.o.o.ns, it had very strict control over cultivators’ pa.s.sage to and from the city.
The natives of Sky Peak City all had a token issued personally by the city lord’s government to enter and leave the city gates. Foreign or wandering cultivators from elsewhere would have to pay a high fee to enter the city gates. Thus, Sky Peak City had been able to ensure its transcendent and extraordinary status for so many years.
There was already a long queue ahead. From the looks of things, it should be late in the evening before the Lin family’s turn can arrive.
However, apart from the Lin family, Lin Xuanzhi also saw many other third-cla.s.s and second-cla.s.s families lining up throughout the queue.