Li Tan and Tang Leyin were chatting happily. After a while, Tang Leyin’s expression suddenly turned serious, and she asked with a hint of nervousness,
“I wonder, Master Li, who is your teacher?”
“This” was an expected question, yet a very troublesome one. After all, his previous remarks almost explicitly indicated his extraordinary background. However, he had indeed stayed in Linjiang for more than ten years, which created a contradiction. To explain it would require revealing his rebirth, but even if he said it out loud, no one would believe him.
Li Tan pondered for a moment, pinching his chin, and gave a vague answer.
“Apologies, my master prefers to remain unknown and has instructed me not to reveal her name to outsiders.”
“I see. Your master must be incredibly powerful then?”
“Haha, if he were to appear, all sorts of rankings would probably be reshuffled entirely.”
“Eh?” Tang Leyin looked surprised, her curiosity about Li Tan increasing slightly. However, she didn’t press further and considerately changed the topic, though the question she asked next wasn’t much easier to answer either—like why he ended up in a small place like Linjiang.
This question was similar in nature to the previous one, making it difficult to answer. Thus, Li Tan gave another ambiguous response with a helpless expression.
“So, why did Miss Tang come here?”
“Uh—” This time, it was Li Tan who asked. Although he already knew the answer, he couldn’t help but ask anyway.
Tang Leyin hesitated briefly before replying.
“I’m just traveling around.”
This was a lie, as the real situation was more complicated, so it won’t be elaborated here. In any case, Li Tan didn’t expose her, merely smiling faintly, with a flash of pity in his eyes.
As the sun rose higher, Li Tan, in a cheerful mood, took Tang Leyin, who had come to Linjiang “for traveling,” to have breakfast and planned to go shopping afterward. The two walked along, chatting and laughing.
However, suddenly—”Li Tan!”
A furious roar rang out from behind, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps and clashing armor. One after another, guards of varying heights and builds, all at the middle stage of the Post-Heaven realm, emerged from both sides, blocking all nearby exits under the eaves.
Frowning, Li Tan turned around, clearly displeased.
The one who had just shouted was Lin Ge, his body wrapped in bandages and a cruel expression on his face. Beside him stood an old man of about fifty—his father, the second elder of the Lin family.
A similar situation had occurred not long ago, so their intentions were obvious. However, this time was different: Tang Leyin was now by Li Tan’s side.
“What’s going on?”
Up until now, Tang Leyin had assumed Li Tan was merely staying at the Lin household as a guest and didn’t know he was actually the eldest son of the Li family. Therefore, she found the scene before her bewildering.
Noticing the young girl beside Li Tan, Lin Ge’s face briefly showed greed, but it was quickly replaced by anger.
“Look at you, Li Tan! Daring to flirt openly with another woman, do you even have the Lin family in your eyes anymore?
Your crime just got worse!”
“Sorry, a few mad dogs have jumped out. Let me deal with them first. I’ll explain to you afterward.”
Li Tan whispered quietly to Tang Leyin, then turned to face the Lin father and son with a disdainful smirk.
“If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, stop barking in front of me.”
“Bark? You dare call me a dog!”
Lin Ge’s neck swelled in rage.
Li Tan remained indifferent.
“What you think is your own business. If you have something to do, do it quickly. Don’t waste my time.”
The last time this happened, Li Tan still cared a little, but this time, he didn’t care at all.
With his current strength, nearly reaching Pre-Heaven, if not for the restrictions of that strange cultivation method, even a peak Pre-Heaven expert would have no chance against him. The only real threat was the mysterious force lurking in the shadows. Moreover, now that he had Tang Leyin by his side, he feared them even less. Therefore, the Lin family was truly insignificant to him.
But Lin Ge and his group didn’t see it that way.
Li Tan was just a nobody. Even if he had hidden his strength all along and fabricated the lie about being unable to cultivate, he couldn’t be more than a peak Post-Heaven at best. With their powerful backers, what was there to fear?
“What a reckless move! Last time, Lin Long bailed you out, but this time, not even the gods can save you!”
The second elder sneered coldly, shifting his gaze to Tang Leyin, slightly frowning.
“If you don’t want to be dragged into this, stay away from this person.”
Before Tang Leyin could respond, Lin Ge spoke up first.
“No, this woman—” But before he could finish, the elder cut him off.
“Silence! Do you think I don’t know your little schemes?
Control yourself.”
“Yes,” Lin Ge muttered unhappily, lowering his head while his eyes betrayed his disappointment as he looked at Tang Leyin. The elder, however, regarded Tang Leyin with more caution. He had been informed by spies beforehand about Tang Leyin’s arrival. Naturally, such a beautiful girl caught his attention. Upon investigation, he found out she wasn’t from Linjiang and that someone had seen her emerging alone from the Domain of Fallen Immortals a few days ago.
This was deeply suspicious. Anyone daring enough to enter the Domain of Fallen Immortals alone was certainly no ordinary person. Therefore, he tried his best not to offend Tang Leyin.
A moment after the words were spoken, Tang Leyin didn’t respond to the warning but instead asked curiously,
“Why are you trying to arrest Master Li?”
“He injured my son severely last night without reason. If such lawlessness goes unpunished, how can we maintain order and justice?”
The second elder replied with a righteous expression. However, Tang Leyin’s next question immediately left him speechless.
“Can someone who’s shouting and yelling so energetically really be considered severely injured?”
The so-called serious injury was merely an excuse. Thus, Tang Leyin’s question left the second elder at a loss for words.
He had never considered how to explain this excuse in detail, nor had he anticipated Tang Leyin’s presence.
“Tsk, Dad, forget this woman. Anyway, we have those elders backing us. Even if she’s unhappy, what can she do? We haven’t done anything to her anyway.”
The second elder glared at Li Tan and Tang Leyin for a while, his face darkening. Then, gritting his teeth, he made a ruthless decision and acted stubbornly.
“Today, I’m taking Li Tan. Miss, please step aside.”
He had considered various possible responses from Tang Leyin, but he never expected her to react this way.
She pouted angrily, her eyes shining with a sense of justice as she stared directly at Lin Ge and his father.
“How can you arrest someone without evidence?
That’s wrong.”
“This is our Lin family’s internal matter.”
“Even if it’s your internal affair, you can’t just frame someone unjustly.”
Tang Leyin seemed ready to argue with the elder, but at this moment, Li Tan smiled calmly and tugged at her sleeve.
“Miss Tang, what they said is not entirely wrong. This matter has nothing to do with you in the first place. It would be awkward to drag you into it. Besides, it’s not a big deal. Leave it to me to handle.”
“But—”
“But what? Do you think I can’t even handle such a small matter, Miss Tang?”
Tang Leyin hesitated, standing still. Taking advantage of her momentary hesitation, Li Tan stepped forward directly and smiled at the second elder.
“You can try to arrest me if you want, but I doubt you have the courage.”
“Big talk.”
The second elder scoffed disdainfully at Li Tan.
“Hehe, then why don’t you try laying a hand on me?”
“Ridiculous! Ridiculous! Although I don’t know where your confidence comes from, I’ll grant your wish.”
Upon hearing Li Tan’s provocation, the second elder sneered coldly, raised his hand, and swung it down forcefully, shouting,
“Seize him!”
The guards sprang into action at his command. Tang Leyin didn’t seem worried but curiously waited to see how Li Tan would respond. As for Li Tan, he slightly lifted the corner of his mouth, shook the storage ring on his hand, and a yellowish-brown robe appeared in his hand.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage