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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 190: Entering Ling'er's Mansion
The Constable brought Lin Feng to the Official Office. Just as the interrogation began, several other Constables hurried over and whispered a few words in his ear. After that, the Constable released Lin Feng.
"Hey, why am I being let go? I was involved in a robbery," Lin Feng asked.
"We made a mistake. Someone just testified that you were acting in self-defense," the Constable replied with a grim expression.
"Are you sure? I knocked those Eastern Samurai around pretty badly; you should be interrogating me. At least leave a Palm Seal on my face," Lin Feng requested.
Feeling somewhat dejected, Lin Feng walked out of the Official Office and immediately spotted Ling'er. Her bright eyes shone as she stood quietly outside the door. Upon seeing Lin Feng emerge, Ling'er smiled sweetly and said, "They didn't give you any trouble, did they?"
Seeing Ling'er's smile, Lin Feng asked, "Did you have something to do with them letting me go?"
"Yes, I have some connections in Baytai."
"What a pity. My ten thousand taels of gold just flew away like that," Lin Feng lamented.
"You... what?"
"Nothing. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way," Lin Feng said with an awkward smile.
"Where are you planning to go? From your attire and manner of speaking, it seems you're from out of town and not familiar with Baytai," Ling'er inquired.
"That's right. I heard this place is bustling, so I came to take a look. I really don't know where to go now."
"I have a mansion here. If you don't mind, why not come with me? It would be my way of expressing my gratitude," Ling'er suggested with a light laugh.
"Well..."
Just as Lin Feng was about to refuse, a handsome young man dressed in white approached and waved at Ling'er, saying, "Ling'er."
With the arrival of this man, everyone from the Official Office, regardless of their rank, showed him utmost respect. Soon, the young man in white stood before Ling'er.
Ling'er slightly bent her knees in greeting and said, "I appreciate Young Master Ouyang for coming to my aid this time."
"It's nothing," the young man replied. "Those Eastern Samurai are becoming increasingly unruly. Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Ling'er said with a light smile.
"That's good," the young man finally relaxed and smiled. Then he asked, "Are you free tonight? I would like to invite you to my home for dinner."
Ling'er smiled apologetically and said, "Unfortunately, I have a friend visiting from afar, so I must accompany him tonight."
It was then that the young man noticed Lin Feng standing beside Ling'er. He scrutinized Lin Feng for a moment and disdainfully asked, "Is this him? May I ask who he is?"
Just as Lin Feng was about to speak, the young man continued, "I've heard about your actions. You injured a foreign friend in the street. In my Baytai region, we value harmony above all else. This time, I'll let it go for Ling'er's sake."
Lin Feng had initially held a favorable impression of the Ouyang Family, but the events of the day and the people he encountered made him feel disgusted. He sneered and said, "People from the Eastern Lands run rampant here. They bully weak women without anyone intervening. Such things would never happen in my Tang Dynasty."
The young man's brows furrowed in anger at Lin Feng's words. He coldly replied, "What a sharp tongue you have."
Turning to Ling'er, he said, "Ling'er, you come from a noble background; do not associate with those lowly commoners. It will only tarnish your reputation."
Lin Feng retorted sarcastically, "What you say is quite true; one must be cautious in choosing friends—especially those who come from privileged backgrounds yet are ignorant and arrogant. There is absolutely no need to associate with them."
"You..."
The young man was about to reprimand Lin Feng when Lin Feng seized the opportunity to speak again. He turned to Ling'er and said, "Ling'er, didn't you just invite me to stay at your residence tonight? That's wonderful! If you have time over the next few days, I hope you can be my guide and show me around the beautiful scenery and culture of Baytai."
At that moment, an old man hurried over and respectfully whispered a few words to the man in white. The man’s expression turned serious as he looked at Ling'er and said, "Ling'er, I have urgent matters to attend to. I will visit again once I am done."
"Please, Young Master Ouyang," Ling'er replied politely.
Before leaving, the man in white glanced at Lin Feng with a look of disdain and said, "Lazy frog, don't think about eating goose meat."
With that, the man mounted his steed and galloped away, quickly disappearing from sight.
Lin Feng watched his retreating figure and remarked, "Who is he? He seems quite impressive."
Ling'er replied earnestly, "To put it simply, he will be the successor of the Ouyang Family's Naval Commander."
"He's really someone of significance," Lin Feng couldn't help but say.
Lin Feng followed Ling'er to her residence. It was still early for dinner, so he took a nap alone in the guest room. When he woke up, he noticed snowflakes drifting down outside the window.
Watching the snowflakes fall and blanket the ground in white layers, Lin Feng couldn't help but recall his journey to the southern border and think of Princess Jian'an. With the turmoil in the Great Tang now, he wondered how she was faring.
If the Northern Frontier Army were to engage in battle, would it change the situation? However, they were tasked with guarding the Wind Nation's forces and could not be deployed for now.
"It would be great if we could reach an alliance with the Wind Nation. Then I could lead the Northern Frontier Army to assist in resolving Great Tang's crisis," Lin Feng sighed.
Knock knock knock.
The sound of knocking interrupted Lin Feng's thoughts. He called out, "Come in."
"Young Master Feng, dinner is ready."
"Alright, I'm coming."
At the dining table, Lin Feng was not the only one present. To his surprise, the man in white was also there.
"The pajamas are too heavy, and I arrived late. My apologies," Lin Feng said, glancing at Ling'er.
"Feng Gongzi, you’re too polite. We just sat down," Ling'er replied with a polite smile.
The man in white looked at Lin Feng with indifference, but when he turned to Ling'er, his gaze softened with affection.
"This dish tastes good," Lin Feng remarked after sampling some seafood he rarely ate, quickly devouring it as if he were at home.
The man in white observed Lin Feng with increasing disdain. "Vulgar," he said dismissively.
Tonight's dinner made Lin Feng feel quite uncomfortable. Ling'er, who was originally beautiful and charming, now seemed enveloped in silence. The sadness on her face was so profound that it appeared desolate.
Unable to hold back, Lin Feng asked, "Ling'er, are you... alright?"
"I'm fine," she replied politely before falling silent again, a stark contrast to the Ling'er he had met before.
An instinct told Lin Feng that something must have happened while he was asleep—something that had deeply saddened Ling'er. However, their relationship was still somewhat distant; they were not close enough to share personal feelings, so he refrained from asking further.
The man in white spoke up again. "I heard you come from the Northern Frontier of the Tang Dynasty?"
"That's correct," Lin Feng replied coolly.
"I heard a new Commander has been appointed in the Northern Frontier of the Tang Dynasty named Lin Feng, who is quite young. Do you know this person?" the man in white inquired further.
When Ling'er heard the name Lin Feng, she couldn't help but glance at him, seemingly eager for his response.
"Suddenly, this guy mentioned my name. Could it be that he has discovered my identity?" Lin Feng thought to himself, but on the surface, he smiled and said, "Lin Commander? Of course I've heard of him; his reputation precedes him. I heard he single-handedly rescued Princess Jian'an from the Demon Army. You know, at that time, his cultivation was only at the early stage of Fate Realization. Later, at the Jiuzhou Gathering Conference, Lin Commander achieved first place on the three rankings with his mid-stage Fate Foundation. This is unprecedented in the history of the Jiuzhou Conference. He is truly a talent. Incredible! All of us citizens of the Tang Dynasty hope he lives a long life to bring glory to our nation."
"Enough," the man in white interrupted, unable to tolerate it any longer. He sneered, "Is that so? But what I see and hear is that after he took office, he immediately thought of ways to undermine my Ouyang Family. He accepts bribes without hesitation and only takes money without doing anything in return. Moreover, he is quite lecherous; his subordinates collect Peerless Women from various places and send them to his room."
"Oh? Is that so? How could the Tang Dynasty send such an unreliable person to be the Commander of the Northern Frontier?" Lin Feng pretended not to understand, secretly thinking to himself. This guy wants to extract information from me? Not a chance. If I were to defend Lin Feng's reputation, it would be overdoing it and would play right into the hands of the man in white.
"The Tang Dynasty is in a battle; if there were capable generals, they would naturally be kept to deal with the demon race. Only useless and incompetent people would be sent to the Northern Frontier," the man in white seemed to have a strong aversion to Lin Feng.
"Perhaps he has hardships that others do not know about? None of us have met Lin Commander; how can we know why he loves wealth so much? It’s possible that he takes money to help the Tang Dynasty," Lin Feng tried various ways to defend himself.
"A useless person, greedy and insatiable. Just after taking office, he plunders the people's wealth for his own pleasures. How long can such a shortsighted person remain as Commander?" The man in white scoffed.
Lin Feng did not want to continue discussing with someone like him; it was completely meaningless. He found an excuse to leave, leaving only Ling'er and the man in white at the table.
The room fell silent, and Ling'er's expression grew even more sorrowful.
The man in white comforted her, "With the passing of Wind Emperor, our Ouyang Family feels great pain. Ling'er, please accept my condolences. Additionally, my uncle has heard that you wish to meet Lin Feng. He has had some dealings with Lin Feng recently and has promised me to arrange it for you."
"Thank you then. I am willing to disguise myself as Elder Ouyang's attendant," Ling'er said softly.
"That won't do. Wouldn't that belittle your status?"
"If he knew my true identity, how would he dare meet me?"
"Yes, yes..."
Lin Feng pretended to leave, but he stayed by the door to listen for some news. He then coughed and walked in. Looking at Ling Er, he said, "You want to see Lin Commander? What a coincidence. I have a brother who is very close to me, and he works under Lin Commander. It seems he is one of Lin Commander's personal guards."
"Really? That's great!" Ling Er finally smiled.
"Is that true? As far as I know, you can only meet that Lin Commander if you pay," the man in white mocked.
"Is that so? However, my bond with that brother is quite special. If I ask him to help me out, I should have a chance to get close to Lin Commander," Lin Feng pondered.
"Enough, Mr. Feng. When I passed by the border today, I casually checked the entry roster. There is no one named Feng Ling at all. Moreover, your travel permit is forged."
"This place is hundreds of miles from the border; you seem to be quite on your way," Lin Feng retorted sarcastically.
"Don't change the subject. What exactly is your identity? Why did you create a fake travel permit? What are you trying to achieve in my Baytai?" The man in white suddenly pressed him sternly. (To be continued...)
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