A few days after Liang Chen and Yan Ling finished resisting the heavenly tribulation, the flying chariot they rode landed a few kilometers away from Eternal Stream city. Even Yan Ling, who was used to some of the marvelous sights within the Storm Wolf sect, was slightly spellbound when she saw the tall mountain and the deep-blue waterfall that gave Eternal Stream city its name.
After Yan Ling stored the chariot into her interspatial ring and the two started heading towards the distant city, Liang Chen turned his head slightly and spoke up.
"Before we go to find my friend, there is one other place I want to check out. It won't take long, it'll just be a quick check."
Yan Ling didn't mind spending more time away from the sect, so she of course did not have a problem with this arrangement, curiously looking at the city around her while they walked through it. Liang Chen didn't know too much about this city, but he still did his best to introduce the few places in the city he knew a little about. Both of them wore the Heaven Altering Masks, so they didn't have to worry about being recognized.
They swiftly reached the location that Liang Chen wished to check out, a small butcher shop by the name of Fire's Embrace. Liang Chen didn't enter the butcher shop, he only looked at it from the outside for a bit before turning around and leaving, a somewhat curious Yan Ling following after him.
This butcher shop was the one owned by the parents of Huo Yantian, one of the caravan guards who had died while Liang Chen was hitching a ride with a caravan that passed by the Mystic's Hidden Realm. Huo Yantian's death had allowed Liang Chen to learn a lesson, so Liang Chen had fulfilled Huo Yantian's wish after leaving the Mystic's Hidden Realm, buying his parents' old butcher shop and returning it to them. When Liang Chen bought this butcher shop it was called Heaven's Slicer, so it seemed like Huo Yantian's parents had changed its name after getting it back.
After checking up on the butcher shop, Liang Chen and Yan Ling took a detour through the city, checking out some of the various stores and street vendors. Liang Chen still had quite a bit of normal money on him, so he and Yan Ling tasted quite a bit of the various dishes that the street side vendors sold.
It was only four hours after arriving in the city that Liang Chen and Yan Ling arrived at the military academy where Lei Qiang worked. To avoid announcing their identities, the two of them entered the building marked 'Visitor Waiting Room', entering the waiting room that only contained a few couches and tables, and told the three people behind the counter at one end of the room that they were friends of Lei Qiang who were looking for him.
They were told to sit down and wait, so they did just that. A little over a minute later, the tall and tanned Lei Qiang entered the room through a door behind the counter. His brown hair was a bit unruly and messy, so it seemed like he had been in the middle of training. He was looking at Liang Chen and Yan Ling with a confused gaze, trying to figure out who they were. Just as he was about to tell the people behind the counter that he had no idea who Liang Chen and Yan Ling were, Liang Chen had a faint glimmer of lightning flash past his eyes. This was enough for Lei Qiang to realize that this was Liang Chen in disguise, so he hurriedly swallowed his words and stepped forward.
"My brother, you've returned! Shen Tu, tell Garrison Commander Youyin that an old friend has come to visit so I'll leave the remaining training up to her."
Lei Qiang was able to tell that Liang Chen was trying not to be recognized, so he did not refer to him by his usual 'Chen'. He did not bother waiting for the youth he ordered around to respond, walking over to Liang Chen and Yan Ling. He looked at Yan Ling with a curious gaze but knew that this wasn't the place to talk, swiftly bringing the two of them out of the building and heading towards his own house.
The three of them swiftly reached his house, a two-story building located a few kilometers away from the academy. The house had a small garden which held a single well and a small table surrounded by four chairs. Unlike last time Liang Chen had been here, the entire garden was now lined with what seemed to be pear trees, making it so that one could not see what was going on in the garden. When the three reached the house, Lei Qiang called out in a loud voice.
"Wen'er, Xun'er, we have visitors!"
The three of them entered the garden as Lei Qiang called out, two people stepping out of the house shortly after. The two people were Lei Qiang's wife, the black-eyed and orange-haired Xun Wen, as well as his three-year-old daughter, the black-eyed and brown-haired Lei Qiuxun. Xue Wen tilted her head slightly as she looked at the disguised Liang Chen and Yan Ling, wondering who they were.
Since the pear trees were blocking the garden from view, Liang Chen and Yan Ling removed their disguises and returned to their original looks. With his original appearance restored, Xue Wen finally remembered Liang Chen, so she greeted him with a smile, sitting down on one of the chairs and placing her daughter on her lap.
"So it's Mister Chen. It's good to see you again."
Lei Qiang sat down next to his wife, Liang Chen and Yan Ling sitting down on the two chairs opposite of them. Lei Qiang started to fish out cups and a pitcher of wine from his interspatial ring, so Liang Chen moved to introduce Yan Ling. But before he got to do so, Lei Qiang cut him off with a chuckle.
"No need for you to introduce her, Chen. You should be Miss Yan Ling, the young mistress of the Storm Wolf sect, right?"
Liang Chen was somewhat surprised that Lei Qiang had figured out her identity immediately. But before he got the chance to state his surprise, Yan Ling leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table and resting her head in her hands.
"Yup! Did he talk about me that much last time he was here?"
She nodded at Liang Chen as she spoke, making it clear who she was talking to. But contrary to what she expected, Lei Qiang shook his head, pouring some warm and spicy wine into four cups.
"He talked a bit about you, but that's not the reason I was able to recognize you. I was only able to recognize you immediately thanks to your appearance on the Mortal Titan List. Let me tell you, it's good that the two of you are using disguises, otherwise, the streets would be a bit chaotic right about now."
Now it was Liang Chen's turn to lean forward in interest. He had almost completely forgotten about the Mortal Titan List, the ranking list of the top 100 Heaven's Gate realm cultivators. He knew that he had been given a special mention on the list thanks to his actions in the Mystic's Hidden Realm, but now it seemed like Yan Ling had received the same, surprising him slightly.
"She was mentioned on the Mortal Titan List as well? When was this?"
Liang Chen had some guesses as to why she might have appeared on the Mortal Titan list, but it was still best to get proper confirmation. Yan Ling, of course, knew about the Mortal Titan List, she just hadn't really looked at it that much. So to hear that she had been mentioned in it, she was also rather curious about it. Lei Qiang seemed to have expected their questions, swiping his interspatial ring and taking out a jade slip, handing it to the two of them as he explained.
"She appeared on the list about two months ago. Just like your first appearance, she only received a special mention. This one was given out thanks to her show of strength in the Snow Mirror nation, where she apparently took on six cultivators at the early or middle stage of the Heaven's Gate realm and then joined you in taking down one at the late stage of the Heaven's Gate realm. Due to her status, and the way she appeared after activating some technique, she was granted the title of Bloody Wolf Queen. As for you, you once again got a special mention on the list, this time because you apparently took down a cultivator at the late stage of the Heaven's Gate realm on your own, fully cementing your title of Scourge King."
Liang Chen and Yan Ling both read over the info while Lei Qiang explained, getting a more detailed explanation. Yan Ling's battle against the six cultivators in Snow Mirror nation was widely known, mostly because it took place very close to the exit of the castle area of Snow Mirror nation, in a location that was clearly visible. The place where Liang Chen had fought was more hidden from sight, so there were no witnesses.
But thanks to their spies in the various sects, the Eternal Dragon Pavillion knew that two cultivators at the late stage of the Heaven's Gate realm were sent to take part in the assassination. Thanks to the fact that one of the assassins tried to flee and thus ended up being seen by others, the Eternal Dragon Pavillion knew that Liang Chen and Yan Ling had worked together to kill him. But that left one assassin unaccounted for, and looking at the fact that the other assassin tried to flee, it was easy to guess that Liang Chen had likely already killed the other one.
A cultivator at the early stage of the Heaven's Gate realm fighting against two at the late stage of the Heaven's Gate realm, even killing one of them, just how great of a tale was this? If such a person didn't receive a mention on the Mortal Titan List, then who deserved such an honor? After reading over the entire information, Liang Chen's lips couldn't help but curl up slightly as he stretched out an arm and poked Yan Ling in the side.
"Bloody Wolf Queen, eh? Oh, ye great ruler, please haveth mercy on this lowly servant, thou must be righteous and just."
Now that Yan Ling had received such an over-dramatic title like Bloody Wolf Queen, how could Liang Chen not tease her while he had the chance? Yan Ling let out a snort, puffing out her chest and raising her head high, her lips curling into a smirk.
"You think you have any right to talk, oh ye magnificent Scourge King? At least I have some royal demeanor, much better than a brute like you."
Even if she had a somewhat embarrassing title, she could at least find solace in the fact that Liang Chen had a title that was equally embarrassing. Faced with this retort, which poked right at the heart of the matter, Liang Chen could only admit defeat, picking up the cup of wine that Lei Qiang handed over with a warm and relieved smile. Yan Ling also accepted her cup, taking a drink of the wine and then swiftly spitting it out with a grimace.
"Geh! Yikes, that's spicy!"
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Yan Ling looked at the clay cup with a grimace, puckering up her mouth. She had seen Liang Chen drink the wine easily, but when she herself tasted it, she found that it was far too spicy for her to drink, it practically burned her mouth and throat. Lei Qiang was a bit caught off guard by Yan Ling's sudden action, but his wife, Xue Wen was quick to respond, letting out a soft laughter.
"Oh, sorry, you probably prefer something milder. We're out right now, but I was going to head out to buy some later, so I might as well do so now."
She handed Lei Qiuxun to Lei Qiang, standing up from her seat and giving her robe a quick brush with her hands to straighten it up. Liang Chen downed the rest of the wine in his cup, standing up and giving his body a slight stretch.
"I'll join you, I came here to buy some wine anyway."
One of the reasons he came to this city was to buy some of the wine that Lei Qiang was serving them right now, so he decided that he might as well follow Xue Wen now. He was surprisingly fond of this warm and spicy wine, it filled him with a comfortable and peaceful feeling.
Neither Lei Qiang or Yan Ling said anything about this arrangement. Yan Ling knew that Liang Chen came here to buy some wine, so he might as well get it out of the way now. As for Lei Qiang, he would of course not say anything against this. With someone like the Scourge King following his wife to the store, she couldn't be any safer.
Liang Chen put on his disguise again and followed Xue Wen, the two of them swiftly leaving the garden and heading for the store where they usually bought wine. After the two left, Yan Ling and Lei Qiang sat in silence, Lei Qiang playing with his daughter and occasionally feeding her some snacks.
Lei Qiuxun was still young, so she quickly grew tired thanks to the playing, so Lei Qiang carried her into the house and put her to sleep. After he came back out again and sat down, his eyes landed on Yan Ling, his expression growing a bit warmer as he gave her a deep nod of his head.
"I don't know what your relationship with Chen is, but please, take good care of him."
Yan Ling was somewhat surprised at the sudden request, involuntarily raising an eyebrow as she looked at Lei Qiang. Lei Qiang picked up his cup of wine, gazing into it as his eyes turned a bit distant, as if he was recalling a scene from the past.
"I'm not going to lie or assume that I know more than I do. To be frank, I barely know Chen, I've only spent a few days with him, so there is probably quite a lot that I don't know. But when I first met him in the Mystic's Hidden Realm, he had those eyes. They contained a mixture of sorrow, loneliness, determination, resentment, and pain."
When Lei Qiang met Liang Chen, it hadn't been long since Liang Chen's parents had been executed. It was also right after Liang Chen had come to the conclusion that if the heavens weren't just, it simply meant that he had to take over for them, it was a rather complex time for him. Lei Qiang took a sip of the spicy wine, taking a short break before he continued talking, his eyes landing on his own house.
"When I saw those eyes, even though I didn't know him, I pitied him. He was no more than a child back then, his somewhat small and thin body looked like it was carrying so much on his back, his body covered in tales only scars could tell. And then when our teammates betrayed us, his eyes once again caught my attention. They didn't seem surprised or even angry at the betrayal, only disappointed and hurt. I don't know what caused him to be like that, what gave him eyes like that, but no one should have eyes like that, especially not a child like him. I have seen veterans have eyes like that before, and all of them ended up falling into an abyss they were never able to escape from. Just imagining my daughter having eyes like that at his age fills me with fear and sadness."
Yan Ling knew a little about the things Liang Chen had done in the Mystic's Hidden Realm before meeting up with her big brother, but she only knew the bare minimum. Now that she had a chance to learn more, she listened with great interest. Lei Qiang placed down his cup of wine, bowing his head so deep that his forehead nearly touched the table.
"When he was here last time, he looked a bit better. But I have always been somewhat good at reading people, so I knew that even though he had gotten somewhat better, he was still hiding a lot deep within him, bottling it up and hiding it somewhere it would never see the light of day. Looking at him now, he looks far better, his eyes far clearer than before. I'd like to believe that I can consider myself a friend of his, so please allow me to say this. Thank you for saving him before he fell too deep, and please continue to take care of him in the future."
Looking at the mention the two of them had gotten in the Mortal Titan List, as well as the fact that he brought her here, it was not hard for Lei Qiang to guess that it was Yan Ling who had allowed Liang Chen to release all the pent up emotions he had bottled away. After Lei Qiang finished talking, Yan Ling's lips curled into a charming smile as she turned her head and looked in the direction that Liang Chen had left.
"Raise your head, I would do that even if you didn't ask me. I'll continue to take good care of him and save him if he needs it, because he did the same for me."
Lei Qiang didn't know what Yan Ling meant when she said that Liang Chen had done the same for her, but seeing that she didn't intend to explain it, he didn't pry into it. Everyone had a secret or two, and this was clearly one of Yan Ling's.
The two continued to talk, Lei Qiang telling Yan Ling about the things Liang Chen had done while they traveled together and she telling him about the things Liang Chen had done in the sect. After a few minutes, Liang Chen and Xue Wen returned, sitting down in their seats again, Liang Chen joining the conversation.
"So what are we talking about?"
Lei Qiang sent a quick glimpse at Yan Ling, his lips curling into a somewhat mischievous smile as he leaned back in his seat and sipped some more wine while responding.
"Talking about how you were unable to keep your eyes off of Sun Xia while we were traveling together, what else?"
This was something he had not told Yan Ling about, so the moment he mentioned it, he could see her eyebrows prick up slightly. Liang Chen also seemed to notice this, quickly clicking his tongue and defending himself.
"Geh, I already told you, it was nothing like that."
Sun Xia was the female party member that had been traveling with him and Lei Qiang for a short while, one of the two people that had betrayed them in hopes of getting her hands on the Elemental Lotus. Liang Chen had indeed been looking at her quite a bit back then, but that was because he had yet to get his instincts under control so they were telling him to sink his teeth into her soft flesh and eat her.
Lei Qing simply shrugged his shoulders, casting another glance at Yan Ling before turning his eyes back to Liang Chen. He sent Liang Chen a quick wink, tapping his own nose and speaking up with an intentionally vague tone.
"Whatever you say. But Chen, make sure you remember the advice I gave you back then, seems like you still need it."
The advice he was talking about was the advice he had mentioned when he thought Liang Chen fancied Sun Xia. The advice was very simple, just go for it. There was no telling how long one would be able to live, so there was no shame in following one's heart and acting as you pleased. The two of them understood what he was talking about, but Yan Ling and Xue Wen were kept in the dark. Since she didn't understand what they were talking about, Yan Ling decided to ignore it, turning to Liang Chen with expectant eyes.
"What did you get for me?"
Her eyes were practically sparkling as she looked at Liang Chen, fully convinced that he had picked up something for her while they were out shopping. Liang Chen did not disappoint, swiping his interspatial ring and pulling out a few skewers of glazed meat and a few jugs of wine.
"Fruit wine so sweet and juicy that just smelling it is enough to nearly make my teeth fall out, as well as a few skewers of roasted meat a vendor was selling."
Liang Chen knew Yan Ling well enough to know that she liked sweet things and that she had a rather voracious appetite, so he made sure to come prepared. Yan Ling showed no restraint, practically jumping on the meat and wine. Her mood turned out to be infectious, as Liang Chen and Lei Qiang and his wife also joined her, eating and drinking to their heart's content.