Chapter 692 – The Overprotective Lord (Part 2)
Just as Jiang Pengji was about to squeeze in, Feng Zhen had already taken the lead, straining to carve a path with his small frame.
“Our Lord is different from others; how can she risk her precious body to jostle with commoners?”
Despite Feng Zhen’s cheekiness, he had indeed absorbed Yang Si’s words.
“What precious body? It’s just flesh and bones! Your Lord isn’t made of glass; she won’t shatter so easily.” Jiang Pengji understood his good intentions but really didn’t need it. She was willing to reveal her identity and gender not to receive special treatment. “You should talk to Jing Rong too; there’s no need to be so cautious. It feels awkward… Everything can just stay the same.”
Feng Zhen lowered his gaze and dutifully used his body to block others off, finally having enough energy to focus on the training ground.
On the training ground were two familiar faces: one was Li Yun, and the other was Dian Yin.
Jiang Pengji frowned. What was Dian Yin doing here? Did this have something to do with him?
Feng Zhen said, “My Lord, you might not believe this, but they were the ones trying to poach him first.”
Jiang Pengji: “…”
Feng Zhen explained the circumstances.
Dian Yin was a studious student. Since joining Jiang Pengji’s loving crew, he felt the gap between himself and others—the disparity in martial arts and knowledge was quite severe. While he earnestly learned and read, he also didn’t neglect his martial skills.
Usually, he should be practicing martial arts for an hour now.
However, before the training ground was fully set up, he had found a secluded spot to show off his skills, not expecting to be seen by outsiders.
That outsider was a subordinate of Yang Jian, who valued talent highly. Seeing Dian Yin, dressed in patched-up shabby clothes, he mistakenly thought he was just a useless soldier, naturally feeling the urge to recruit him.
Yang Jian’s troop excelled in water battles, and while their land combat wasn’t bad, it was still a weak point.
Having Dian Yin join would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Just as he expressed his intentions, the honest Li Yun arrived.
Upon seeing Li Yun’s face, the outsider looked like he’d received a huge shock, and without a word, charged straight into combat.
Is there a cat pastry?
Li Yun was mindful of the situation. This was the allied camp; casually killing someone could cause trouble for the Lord.
Han Mei, the little angel, had exceptional marksmanship, a figure even Jiang Pengji took seriously.
Even if he was on the defensive, he could still hold his ground against his opponent.
The two had different mindsets; Li Yun was calm as water, unfazed by the situation, while his opponent grew increasingly anxious and irritable, making numerous mistakes.
Finding an opportunity, Li Yun struck down the opponent’s weapon and skillfully restrained him,with his long spear threading under the man’s arm, binding him behind his back.
At that moment, the individual’s guard brought reinforcements, and the leader was none other than East Gate County Commandant—Yang Jian.
Upon seeing Li Yun’s face, even the middle-aged Yang Jian momentarily looked flustered.
He blurted out, “What’s your relationship with Xie Qian?”
Master’s old adversary?
Li Yun smirked internally, glancing down at the unwilling opponent, pushing the weight of his spear down firmly to keep him restrained.
“Xie Qian is my master.”
Yang Jian, a robust man in his forties, had a well-built physique, a handsome face, and bright, piercing eyes that seemed to glow with golden light—a truly righteous warrior. He stood tall, with legs that stretched half again longer than average.
Hearing Li Yun’s words, he countered, “You mean he isn’t your biological father?”
Li Yun pressed his lips together, fixating his gaze on Yang Jian.
Similar words had come from Liu Zhi—the Lord’s father—who mentioned that he might be Xie Qian’s biological child.
“Do I really look that much like my master?” Li Yun was curious.
Yang Jian replied, “When you were both young, it was as if they were cut from the same mold; strikingly similar.”
While perhaps not identical, it wasn’t entirely false either.
Xie Qian’s looks were more rugged; even in scholarly robes, a martial aura emanated from him.
Li Yun’s appearance resembled a gentler version of Xie Qian—handsomely stunning yet still maintaining a masculine charm, fitting more into the mold of ordinary people’s aesthetic.
“Do you know my master well?”
Li Yun still didn’t dare to release his grip on the struggling opponent; the guy was still desperately attempting to break free, his gaze towards Li Yun filled with resentment.
Li Yun had never met this person before, much less held any grudge against him, so he understood where the animosity was directed.
“We used to be friends… Friends through martial arts; you don’t fight without knowing each other.”
Yang Jian chuckled heartily, completely unfazed by Li Yun’s rudeness.
Used to be friends?
In other words, now it’s all enemies, no longer friends?
No wonder, the moment Yang Jian’s subordinate saw him, he charged in without hesitation.
If not for Li Yun’s solid martial skills, he might have been severely injured in just one encounter.
Yang Jian inquired, “How are your parents doing? You look quite young; they actually let you venture out like this?”
Not a trace of malice was apparent, leaving Li Yun utterly baffled.
Did Yang Jian really think his parents were his master and master’s wife?
Li Yun responded, “My master is currently traveling in Zhong Zhao, supposedly to attend to important matters. My mistress passed away during childbirth long ago; she is no longer with us.”
Yang Jian’s expression turned solemn upon hearing this.
Such a tough man exhibited a fleeting look of youthfully nostalgic sorrow.
“She’s already gone?” Yang Jian sighed, his expression returning to normal. “By the way, I haven’t asked your name yet; what do they call you?”
“I am surnamed Li, with the given name Yun, courtesy name Han Mei.”
Yang Jian bore no ill will, and Li Yun was gracious enough to give him face, allowing him an easy exit from his predicament.
“Li Yun?” Yang Jian glanced over in surprise, realizing the surname was incorrect.
The son of Xie Qian didn’t even have the surname Xie.
His gaze shifted to the subordinate now subdued by Li Yun, filled with embarrassment.
Crushing on a goddess, only to be bested by Xie Qian was one thing, but not being able to outmatch the master’s son at such an age was still embarrassing.
“This man, is he your subordinate?”
Li Yun gestured toward the downed individual with his chin, indicating Yang Jian look at the guy.
Yang Jian’s face turned beet red; combined with his magnificent mustache, the audience might as well think he was cosplaying Guan Yu.
“My subordinate has been quite rude; allow me to apologize on his behalf.”
Saying so, Yang Jian genuinely bent down in a bow, his sincerity evident.
Li Yun, unable to keep a hold of his silver spear, hurriedly released it and approached to help the person up.
Without the constraint, the man sprang back up, intending for a sneak attack from behind, only to forget there was still Dian Yin keeping an eye nearby.
Dian Yin promptly delivered a kick that landed squarely on the man’s backside, sending him sprawling face-first into the ground.
“Bah! Attacking from behind, what kind of hero does that make you?”
Dian Yin didn’t hold back his booming voice, causing Yang Jian and his group to blush in embarrassment.
Li Yun’s expression soured as he asked Yang Jian, “Do you know why this person keeps trying to sneak attack me?”
Yang Jian’s face dyed a deeper red, utterly ashamed.
He felt awkward and somewhat embarrassed, lowering his voice as he explained, “He’s infatuated with your mother’s talent; he fell for her at first sight. Little did he know, your mother and your father had been married for months and were expecting. His rash declaration of love was obviously a no-go. As a result, he sought her hand in vain and ended up on the receiving end of your father’s wrath… Denied and beaten down has quite hurt his pride, and even now, he hasn’t moved past it.”
That fragile little heart had shattered beyond repair.
Li Yun: “……”
