“You can’t force matters of the heart. Captain Hua, please don’t do such childish things again in future. If I had really struck just now, you would already be…”
Ling Xiao said calmly, “It’s late. You should head back. I have matters to attend to tomorrow, so I won’t be able to keep you company any longer.”
“Young Hero Ling, I can leave, but tonight I came not only of my own accord. I also carry a task from my elder sister,” Hua Lüyying suddenly grew serious and said.
“Oh? Your sister has business with me?”
“Indeed. My sister hopes you will join our Twin Flowers Pirate Crew,” Hua Lüyying replied.
“I have no interest in becoming a pirate.”
Ling Xiao shook his head and refused outright.
After all, he was the Heavenly Dragon King of the Divine Phoenix Empire, the Heavenly Emperor of the Celestial Dynasty. How could he stoop to being a pirate?
“Young Hero Ling may look down on our Twin Flowers Pirate Crew, but you might not realise that in the Mysterious World, the oceans cover nearly seventy percent of the surface while land accounts for little more than thirty percent. The powers that rule the seas are far stronger than you imagine.
If you join us, you will see an entirely new world.”
Hua Lüyying continued to persuade him.
Ling Xiao fell silent for a moment after hearing this.
He believed her words. If the Twin Flowers really had no great power backing them, they could never have thrived so well in these waters.
After all, there was more than one pirate crew near Sin City, and several matched them in strength.
Take the notorious One-Eyed Pirate Crew, for example.
Their captain, One-Eye, was extremely powerful. Though not quite on par with Hua Fuguang, he far surpassed Hua Lüyying.
“I’m sorry. I’m not interested in whatever great power stands behind you. I appreciate the kindness, however. We can be friends, but I have no intention of joining you.”
Ling Xiao’s stance was clear.
Joining an unknown great power meant shouldering unknown risks, which was simply not worth it for him.
He disliked that feeling.
“Young Hero Ling, I still hope you will think it over carefully,” Hua Lüyying said very earnestly. “If you join us, you will gain the abundant cultivation resources you currently lack, including pills, martial arts, and more besides.
You will also enjoy the protection of the great power behind us. Let alone here, even across the entire Divine Phoenix Continent, nobody would dare offend you lightly.”
“The conditions are certainly generous, but I truly have no interest. Captain Hua, please convey my answer directly to your sister when you return,” Ling Xiao said calmly. “Moreover, this so-called great power of yours shows very little sincerity. If they truly wanted me, why didn’t they come personally instead of sending you?”
Hua Lüyying did not know how to respond. Could she really admit that the great power behind them had never spared Ling Xiao a proper glance?
It was only she and her sister who believed in his immense potential and had decided on their own to extend the invitation.
Yet she still found it hard to understand, how could Ling Xiao show no interest at all in pills or martial arts?
She did not know that, with the Human King’s guidance, Ling Xiao already possessed a complete cultivation system. He had no need for external martial arts to disturb his progress.
As for pills, he himself was a masterful alchemist. Why should he rely on others?
Above all, he hated being bound, especially by some unknown great power. It felt like being penned and raised, utterly suffocating.
“Young Hero Ling, forgive my bluntness, but the great power behind us has never truly taken notice of you. It is only my sister and I who see your potential, which is why we came to invite you. If you miss this chance, I fear that in future even if you wished to join, it would be impossible,” Hua Lüyying warned.
“Heh, there has yet to appear a great power in this world that Ling Xiao would beg to join,” Ling Xiao replied with a faint smile.
Before joining the Moonlight Sect he might have considered it, but after everything he had experienced, he already possessed everything he needed. There was no reason to depend on any great power, so he naturally would not do so now.
“You are too arrogant,” Hua Lüyying sighed. “You probably don’t realise that someone has already set their sights on you. If the Gluttonous Martial Soul had fallen into the hands of the Black Python Clan, perhaps no one would dare say a word, but now that it is yours, that may not be the case.”
“Thank you for the reminder, Captain Hua. I know what I’m doing.”
Was Ling Xiao afraid?
He did not even fear the Black Python Clan, so how could he fear someone who had to tread carefully around them?
“Very well. In that case I won’t say more. Young Hero Ling, please think it over carefully. I will be staying at Black Wind Inn in Sin City these next few days. If you change your mind, you can find me anytime. Farewell.”
Hua Lüyying could see that Ling Xiao was extraordinarily stubborn and determined. Threatening him was all but impossible.
She did not wish to push too hard, so she stopped there and took her leave.
“Let me see you out. I’m afraid you don’t think you realise that the moment you entered this residence, you were already being watched. Leaving alone would not be easy,” Ling Xiao said as he stood up.
“Impossible. I was extremely careful when I arrived,” Hua Lüyying replied.
“Then try it.”
Ling Xiao smiled faintly.
Hua Lüyying hesitated for a moment, then leapt away. Yet only moments later she returned, looking rather dishevelled.
“Heh, believe me now? In future, if you wish to find me, just use the front gate. That way no one will mistake you for an assassin,” Ling Xiao chuckled, then walked ahead toward the exit.
Hua Lüyying followed behind him and only then managed to leave Princess Yunya’s residence without trouble.
“Thank you for escorting me, Young Hero Ling. I’ll be on my way.”
Hua Lüyying had suffered repeated blows tonight. The pride she had arrived with was gone.
“Mm. Take care on the road.”
Ling Xiao watched her leave, then turned and went back inside.
After turning a corner, Hua Lüyying came upon a small street stall. Beneath the night sky, an oil lamp flickered as it sold wontons and other snacks.
This was hardly unusual. In Sin City, many retired martial artists liked to run such stalls.
They had grown weary of江湖 strife and treated this as a pleasure.
At that moment, a woman sat at the wonton stall. Her beautiful face bore nine-tenths resemblance to Hua Lüyying, only she appeared more mature and steady.
She wore soft armour and looked heroic, clearly someone accustomed to battle.
Although wicked glances occasionally drifted her way, once people saw her face they hurriedly looked away in fear.
Hua Fuguang, captain of the Twin Flowers Pirate Crew, was a murderous female devil. Even in Sin City, few dared provoke her.
“Sis, I really lost face this time,” Hua Lüyying said as she sat beside Hua Fuguang. In the darkness, the two of them formed a strikingly beautiful sight.
The twin sisters were both exceptionally attractive and utterly captivating.
