Chapter 971: A Casual Remark, A Casual Matter
Sparrow God Mountain.
The space of this world was divided into two layers. The lower layer was a normal range of mountains, while the upper layer was a giant city of palaces hanging upside down, its foundation mirroring the shape of the mountains. A thousand pillars of sunset-red light connected the upper and lower layers.
Ke Yanqing and the others had just returned to this realm and before the golden sparrow could fly upwards into the true Sparrow God Mountain realm, a guard in bright golden-red armor flew from afar, followed by a middle-aged man. Although the figures on the golden sparrow’s back were obscured by a special force field, the guard recognized the golden sparrow as the method of the maid-in-waiting, Ke Yanqing.
He stood outside the golden sparrow, bowing respectfully, and said in a deep voice, “Maid-in-waiting, this man has been waiting here for three days and says he has something important to report to you.”
Behind the guard stood Uncle Lin Han, the middle-aged man. Lin Han was a member of Ke Nan’s guard team. Previously, when Xia Feng rushed to Weiyang Academy, he had seen through the Eye of Reversed Time how Nian Gengcheng tortured Lin Han, forcing him to submit by brutally killing his daughter, Lin Xi.
Thinking of this, Xia Feng’s black eyes narrowed. Nian Gengcheng seemed to have given Lin Han a knife carrying the Heavenly Gifted Calamity Poison.
The middle-aged man stood behind the guard, his head bowed, his messy hair covering half his eyebrows, his entire demeanor one of deep dejection, his eyes, gazing at the ground, were vacant. Everyone perceived that the middle-aged man was not right.
The guard’s right hand was already on the sword hilt at his waist. He was familiar with Lin Han, but if Old Lin did anything extreme and was a threat to the maid-in-waiting, he would not hesitate!
As expected, Lin Han slowly took out a short knife from his embrace. However, his casual movement suggested he wasn’t about to do something foolish like assassination. Lin Han looked at the short knife in his hand, somewhat dazed, but quickly regained his senses and bowed respectfully, saying in a deep voice, “Maid-in-waiting, this is something the Burning Angel Disciple gave to your subordinate. It carries the Heavenly Gifted Calamity Poison…”
Lin Han quickly explained the entire story of what happened three days ago, including Nian Gengcheng’s plan to have him kill Ke Nan with the calamity-poisoned knife. The plan was for Ke Nan’s corpse to be transported back to Sparrow God Mountain, where a corpse transformation would erupt, spreading the calamity poison and devastating Sparrow God Mountain.
Concerning his little brother, Ke Yanqing listened quietly and seriously, her brows furrowing deeper as she listened. She stepped down from the golden sparrow and appeared before Lin Han. After inspecting the short knife, she wiped away the Heavenly Gifted Mark and destroyed the knife, then raised her eyes and said, “Three days ago?” Ke Yanqing’s tone was slightly cold. “Why did you only report it today, and why did you specifically seek me out to report it?”
The maid-in-waiting’s superior aura made Lin Han subconsciously feel physical fear. This was his first time facing the maid-in-waiting directly, a big figure closest to Mother. He had only heard of her in casual conversations with colleagues. However, his daughter’s death had already turned his heart to ash, leaving him no room for other thoughts. His vacant eyes drooped, his voice low, “Because your subordinate heard… that the maid-in-waiting is the most…”
“Kind.”
Hearing this, Ke Yanqing couldn’t help but be startled. This was indeed the persona she presented to the outside world. Kind, approachable, easy to interact with – what ridiculous words. As the eldest daughter of the Ke family, Miss Ke, how could she be such a lamb? However, as Mother’s representative, someone had to play such a role, and she, Ke Yanqing, did not mind exerting some effort to play the role of a saintly mother. Clearly, Lin Han had been fooled by her saintly mother image.
Lin Han had not fallen for Nian Gengcheng’s deception, nor did he intend to revive his daughter by killing someone. Instead, he chose to report the matter to Jin Que Hua, hoping to seek her help in reviving his daughter. However, he feared that Jin Que Hua might not care about his modest achievement. Thus, he chose to wait outside Sparrow God Mountain for three days and approach Ke Yanqing directly. The subtext was clear: he wanted her to help revive his daughter, which was a normal request from a father.
Thinking of this, Ke Yanqing nodded and said gently, “Alright, I understand your request.” “Rest assured, since you have voluntarily surrendered and harbored no intention of harm, I will agree to the matter of resurrecting your daughter. However, I will only do my best, so do not hold too much hope.” Ke Yanqing was always adept at playing the saintly mother figure in front of these Hua Shen citizens, her tone as gentle and soft as a spring breeze.
Lin Han’s vacant eyes shot up, the hidden boundless hope within them instantly turning to surprised delight. He had actually prepared for the worst. But he never expected Ke Yanqing to actually agree to it! This made him overjoyed and full of gratitude, and he immediately kowtowed! However, as he trembled and knelt down, the woman with the umbrella had already turned back to the golden sparrow and disappeared.
Between heaven and earth, the thousand pillars of sunset-red light between the upper and lower layers became even brighter. The golden sparrow flapped its wings, and a cry rang out. Following a most prominent and majestic pillar of light, it soared towards the higher heavens. Clouds and mist patrolled by red-armored soldiers parted, and they raised their long spears in unison, bowing their heads in unison. Passing through layers of light gate seals, the golden sparrow shot straight into the clouds, entering the upside-down palace city in the upper layer.
Xia Feng’s vision flickered. He looked up, and the continuous mountain range had become an inverted mountain. He then looked down, and the interior of the sacred and magnificent palace city came into view, truly like the abode of all gods, standing among the clouds, large and small.
An Xingjia looked down from the golden sparrow, his dark circles drooping, and yawned, “Finally, we’re back.” As he spoke, he looked at the woman with the umbrella not far away. “By the way, Maid-in-waiting, are you really going to help Lin Han revive his daughter? Even though the Fate World is entering its settlement phase with rewards, the cost of reviving his daughter will likely not be low, right?”
The umbrella trembled, her delicate jaw slightly raised, and her red lips said softly, “I know.” Xia Feng beside her was surprised. He hadn’t expected this Miss Ke to actually be willing to help Lin Han. It seemed this woman had a rather good heart…
“After all, it’s just a promise. Promises are the cheapest things in this world,” the woman with the umbrella said faintly, her words carried away by the wind.
“…” Fine, Xia Feng decided to retract his previous statement. The woman meant that she agreed, but whether she would fulfill it was another matter. It was, after all, a casual remark.
“So malicious, just as malicious as I, Xia, am,” Xia Feng thought silently, his gaze darkening. He inexplicably thought of the scene of Lin Han’s desgred roar when Lin Xi was brutally killed by Nian Gengcheng.
“Eh, forget it. Anyway, the settlement rewards aren’t anything particularly good that I, the Sumeru Realm Lord, would covet.” Xia Feng’s thoughts wandered, considering that if he had the chance, he, Xia, would revive Lin Xi. While it was a “casual remark” for Ke Yanqing, for him, Xia Feng, it was a “casual matter.”
However, under the rules of Calamity, to revive someone during the settlement phase, one would probably have to kill at least one significant person? Xia Feng’s black eyes narrowed. So, who should he kill?
(End of Chapter)
