Villains: Starting with the Landlady

Page 131

After she finished speaking, her body began to tremble violently, as if she might disappear from this place at any moment.

"Lingyun, I can't say any more. If there's a chance, we'll meet again..."

After she finished speaking, the world crumbled and scattered like fragments, Nuwa shattered like a mirror, and Lingyun's consciousness once again vanished into nothingness.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself still holding Zhao Ling'er, as if it were all a dream.

"Brother Lingyun?"

Hearing the girl's questioning tone, Ling Yun released her waist and said softly, "Ling'er, I should go."

"Yes!" The girl nodded, then took his hand and asked, "Brother Lingyun, will you come back?"

"I definitely will, I promise you!"

Chapter 312 Mountain God Temple [Bonus Chapter for Donations]

On the way back by boat, apart from Zhang Sige occasionally saying a few words to Lingyun, Sun Lan remained silent the whole time.

Once the boat docked, Sun Lan walked towards the inn without saying a word, and Ling Yun could only follow.

After returning to the inn, she went straight to her room. Ling Yun closed the inn door and strolled over to her room.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered, Sun Lan immediately hugged him...

“Auntie, if you don’t agree, I’ll explain it to them. I’ll stay here with you from now on and won’t go anywhere else.”

Ling Yun held Sun Lan in his arms, inhaling the mature woman's fragrance emanating from her body.

"Lingyun, that girl's name is Zhao Ling'er, right?"

"Ah."

"She's very nice, beautiful inside and out. The elixir you gave your aunt was a gift from her, wasn't it?"

"correct."

Sun Lan made up her mind and looked up at him: "Yun'er, it's not that your aunt doesn't want you to marry her. It's just that we haven't saved much money over the years, plus some of the silver your father left you. I'm afraid that if we use it as a bride price, people will laugh at us."

“It’s alright, Auntie.” Ling Yun used his mind-reading ability on her and realized that Sun Lan wasn’t actually reluctant to see him leave, but was worried about these things. He couldn’t help but find it a little funny. “The Immortal Spirit Island family is big and powerful, they don’t care about our little bit of money.”

"You, do you still want to marry into the family?! Then our Li family line will end!"

“I’m surnamed Ling, the Li family line has long since died out.”

"You little rascal!" Sun Lan tapped his head with her finger and laughed, "Are you still blaming your aunt for changing your name back then?"

"Nothing!"

Ling Yun kissed her on the corner of her mouth, then stood up: "Auntie, I'll give them my answer tomorrow. It's better to settle this matter sooner rather than later, so they won't suspect that I have ulterior motives."

"Alright."

Sun Lan nodded, straightened her clothes, stood up, and went outside to continue operating her shop.

Seeing that there were few customers, Ling Yun lazily ran out again, bumping into the Ding sisters who were rushing over.

Ling Yun was naturally reluctant to let the beauties fall, so he picked them up and held them in his arms. This scene made Sun Lan roll her eyes again.

"Oh, Lingyun, you... Aunt Li is still here!"

Ding Xianglan blushed deeply and tried to break free from Ling Yun's embrace, but the young man was too strong, and she tried for a long time without success.

"Well then, I need to talk to you about something. Is your home convenient right now? Is Uncle Ding home?"

“My father has gone out and won’t be back until evening,” said Ding Xiulan, the younger sister.

"That's great! No... cough cough, I mean, let's go first."

Before they could reply, Ling Yun picked them up, one in each arm, and carried them out.

Seeing Ling Yun enjoying the blessings of having two women, Little Tiger at the door wasn't too envious. Right now, he was only thinking about how Ling Yun would instruct him in swordsmanship and palm techniques so that he could become a great hero in the future and uphold justice.

Upon arriving at the Ding family's residence, Ling Yun closed the door with a wicked grin...

That night, after calming the sleeping Sun Lan down, he tiptoed out of the house and headed toward the mountain god temple in Shilipo.

Along the way, he encountered many will-o'-the-wisps. This Shili Slope used to be a famous mass grave, with constant wailing at night, so even the bravest hunters dared not venture deep into it.

Ling Yun wasn't afraid at all. After slapping several little demons away, the little monsters behind him all avoided him.

He arrived at the mountain god temple and sat there for half an hour, but no one came. Just as he was about to doze off, a sudden gust of wind blew up outside the door.

Ling Yun immediately took his sword and went outside. Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man in a blue-white Taoist robe riding a flying sword under the moonlight.

Flying through the sky on a sword—this is the dream of countless men. Ling Yun only experienced it once in his dreams; the feeling was simply too dashing.

Even someone with weaker strength can master this technique, but it belongs to the advanced techniques of the Shu Mountain sect and is generally not passed on to outsiders.

After the Sword Immortal landed, Ling Yun stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Senior!"

"Not bad, not bad!" The Drunken Sword Immortal smiled and stroked his beard. "Yesterday I was drunk... no, I deliberately didn't come yesterday, just to see how sincere you were. I didn't expect you to come today. Not bad, not bad!"

Ling Yun suppressed a laugh. The old drunkard was indeed too drunk to come over, but he didn't show up anyway.

"Alright, I'll teach you a move. This is the one I've learned my whole life. Watch closely!"

He pointed his sword, and the sword behind him flew out.

His steps were ethereal and incredibly fast, quickly reaching an open space.

"Is this the Drunken Immortal Gazing at the Moon Step?" Ling Yun stared at his gait, noting its slight resemblance to his Free and Unfettered Wind-Riding Technique, suggesting he could take inspiration from it.

The Sword Immortal didn't expect him to fully master the moves he taught him. After all, in his view, just revealing a little bit of his technique through his fingers would be enough for the young man to benefit from. But at the same time, he didn't hold back at all, throwing himself wholeheartedly into the move.

Guided by him, the flying sword first danced wildly ahead at an extremely fast speed, with gusts of sword wind whistling past, plowing through the trees and grass along the way.

Then it fell from the sky like a cannonball, crashing to the ground and causing a small earthquake that made Ling Yun unsteady.

"Have you learned it?"

Ling Yun closed his eyes, carefully recalling the moves he had just made, then shook his head blankly.

"Whether you learn it or not, our friendship ends here. If fate allows, we may have the chance to meet again."

Without saying much, the Sword Immortal prepared to return on his sword.

"Senior, please take this wine!"

Ling Yun tossed him a large gourd filled with the very same Guojiao liquor that the Sword Immortal had praised so highly last time.

He took it steadily, pulled out the stopper, and smelled it; he was almost drunk instantly.

"You're quite the gentleman!" The Drunken Sword Immortal chuckled. "So, what else do you want?"

"Um, I'd like to learn your sword-flying technique!"

"No, no, if my senior brother finds out I've passed this technique on to others, he'll probably skin me alive!"

"Just reveal a tiny bit, is that alright?"

The Sword Immortal struggled for a moment, then shook his head, but said as if unintentionally, "If you have grasped the swordsmanship I just taught you, you may be able to understand some of the mysteries of flying on a sword."

After saying that, he remained silent and gracefully departed on his flying sword.

The man is gone, but his voice still echoes in the empty mountain temple.

"Riding the wind on my sword, I vanquish demons across the land. With wine, I revel in carefree joy; without wine, I am but a leper. One drink empties rivers, another swallows the sun and moon. Cheers, I will never be drunk, for I am the Drunken Sword Immortal!"

These sophisticated verses made Ling Yun a little envious, and he decided to get a set for himself as well.

But after thinking about it, he still felt it was too childish and left with a smile.

As he passed by a small demon, he found its will-o'-the-wisps too annoying, so he casually drew his sword and slashed at it.

Perhaps because he had just observed the swordsmanship of the Drunken Sword Immortal, his move, though lacking in spirit, carried a similar feel to sword control techniques, and he killed the little demon.

[Sword Mastery Proficiency +40 (Exceptional Talent +20, Sword and Blade Mastery Doubled)!]

"what?"

Ling Yun stopped in his tracks. He clearly hadn't taken out the wooden dummy. Could it be that killing the little demon counted?

He immediately brought out the wooden dummy, but found that it had no effect.

"Nana, what's going on?" When in doubt, just ask Nana.

【Dear Master, the wooden dummy only works on techniques you've already mastered, but you haven't mastered sword control yet!】

"Then just now..."

[This involves the game mechanics! Originally, the game had a leveling system, but the master doesn't need it now, so Nana changed the experience gained from leveling up to increasing proficiency in sword control!]

Upon hearing this, Ling Yun suddenly remembered a joke about this game from years ago.

Chapter 313 The Sword God of Shili Slope

In the original Legend of Sword and Fairy 1, there was no concept of time. You could spend years grinding monsters in one place without triggering any plot events, and not a single second would pass in the game.

In the early days of the forum, a netizen shared his story.

He was young then, and his family only had this game, which his cousin had given him, so he played it all the time, but he didn't know how to trigger the plot. He just mechanically fought monsters behind Shilipo.

At first, I found it boring, but later I found that after leveling up, I would unlock new skills, which gave me motivation.

Li Xiaoyao's strongest skill is [Sword God], which he unlocks around level 35. After learning it, he didn't know it was the last skill he could acquire, so he kept grinding for it. He played for half a year until his character reached level 71 before he realized he could take a boat to continue the story.

Because he leveled up by killing monsters in the beginner village of Shili Slope and learned the strongest sword technique, he was jokingly called the "Shili Slope Sword God" by netizens.

To verify the credibility of his statement and to find out if low-level monsters could be used to reach level 71 within six months, a player started the challenge on November 30, 2018, and completed it on March 24, 2019, thus verifying his claim.

Lingyun now feels that Xiaona seems to be hinting at something to him.

He glanced at the moonlight; it was probably past 10 p.m. He gripped his sword tightly and began sweeping away the monsters on Shili Slope.

The next morning, when the woodcutters who had gone up the mountain to chop firewood reached the vicinity of Shili Slope, they saw Lingyun, who was covered in a menacing aura.

They all stopped in their tracks. At this moment, Lingyun gave them an indescribable feeling, as if he were a newly born sword, extremely sharp, and dazzling to the eye at a glance.

[Congratulations, Master, on achieving the "Sword God of Shili Slope" achievement! The reward is "Immunity to All Poisons" upgraded to LV3, granting immunity to toxins of level EX or higher!]

[Congratulations, Master, you have learned "Sword Control Technique"! Your current level is "Beginner". You can accelerate your training by using the wooden dummy. Upon reaching the True Nature stage, you will be able to learn sword flight!]

After a night of fighting, he wiped out all the lantern ghosts, grass demons, and spirits in Shili Slope.

He lived up to expectations and mastered the art of sword control.

This is not just a simple move, but a technique that allows for long-range combat using a sword, with power comparable to his own Meteor Blade Technique.

Furthermore, he can multitask; while using his sword to engage in close combat, he can also use his flying sword to fight from mid-air.

After he walked a distance away and reached a secluded spot, he took out the Ink White sword to test the feeling of the swords clashing together, when a strange fluctuation emanated from the blade.

It seems like...you're unhappy?

He was somewhat dazed. How could this knife be so human-like? And even if it had feelings, why wasn't it happy?

"Mo Bai, what's wrong?"

Mo Bai let out a buzzing sound, once again expressing its dissatisfaction.

"Is it because I didn't use you to kill monsters?"

Mo Bai transmitted another wave of energy, and this time Ling Yun understood that Mo Bai was unhappy because he hadn't used it.

"Okay, I'll definitely use you in both battles against enemies and against allies from now on, is that alright?"

Feeling happy, Ling Yun chuckled and hung it on his waist, then slung his longsword behind his back.

Today was the day to give Jiang a reply, but Ling Yun was still a little tired after fighting all night. He returned to the inn and took a short nap. After waking up, he greeted Sun Lan and took her to Immortal Spirit Island.

After arriving on the island, Lingyun took his hand and led him through the array to the palace.

Upon seeing this, several female disciples quickly went inside and invited Jiang Shi and Zhao Ling'er out.

"It seems you've made your decision." Madam Jiang smiled, while Zhao Ling'er blushed with excitement.

"As long as Ling'er doesn't mind, I'm willing to stay by her side forever."

Upon receiving Ling Yun's promise, Zhao Ling'er felt like she was about to faint. Ignoring the large crowd around her, she lunged forward, and Ling Yun caught her.

Seeing the two so sweet together, Sun Lan felt a little envious, but more than that, she felt a sense of pride that her own pig had finally learned to pluck the cabbage.

Jiang pulled Sun Lan aside, and the two women had a private conversation before returning to Ling Yun's side.