Chapter 570: On a Whim

After some introspection, it can be noted that the Dictum of Death had not made its appearance for quite some time. The one who had possession of it must not be a man of simple character. For him to execute this dictum, whatever the reason, it would mean that the consequences as a result of the Dictum of Death's emergence this time around would be no minor thing.

Those involved with the Dictum of Death would not be able to profit easily from it either. Before the Dictum of Death's possessor could say anything more, the many assassins would serve as the first sacrificial batch. Then, the dark clouds and its intimidating aura were not something that they could easily shrug off!

All in all, it was better for them to continue their observation for a few more days before deciding their next move.

Yun Yang did not act either. Firstly, his initial plans had lost its timing due to the current change of events. It was no longer beneficial to make a reckless move. Secondly, the conflict between the Four Seasons Tower and the assassins had not yet erupted from this incident. Thirdly, and also the most basic reason, the several assassins whom Yun Yang had hoped to see - mainly Ouyang Xiaoshe - were not here yet.

For the past few days, Yun Yang had been pondering about the strange red light that had emanated from Ji Lingxi . He mused about the man in black's strike, his dismemberment in the air, and the mysterious origins of the red light.

Yun Yang was certain now that the man clad in black must have died in the explosion, utterly disintegrated to the point of no return. He was also certain that the man had not held back his strike. All his strength had been exerted on Ji Lingxi. Then, it that beam of red light... It was that red light that blocked the attack!

Yun Yang boldly made an unsettling inference; the red light did not only defend against the man's attack, it actually made a counterattack of its own. The man dressed in black was flung away at a speed that Yun Yang was stunned by; it was not due to the former's ability, it was due to the explosive force of the red light. To make matters more interesting, he was dismembered upon landing!

Yes, he had been flung to his death...

When Yun Yang gathered his thoughts on this point, he was tempted to reject his assumptions almost immediately! It made no sense and was completely unreasonable.

He was well aware of Ji Lingxi's cultivation base. Her cultivation base was much weaker than his. How could she possess the capability to fling the man away and even cause his death? However, upon more careful contemplation, it seemed that this was the only explanation that fit the bill of all that had happened.

That left only one possibility. While the beam of red light possessed an incredibly powerful force, it was not from Ji Lingxi's personal cultivation base or skill! It was only effective when Ji Lingxi's personal safety was threatened.

As he thought about this, Yun Yang broke out in a cold sweat. He recalled the episode when he had been flung away the other day and compared his situation to that of the man in black. Had he almost met a similarly horrible fate the other day as well?

According to the timing, he should be the one who preceded the man in black's death!

Yun Yang calmed his mind down and collected himself. He considered what the red light was again. How could it possess such a terrible force? He could not figure it out. The only thing he knew of was that Ji Lingxi's identity must be absolutely intimidating.

She, as the direct party involved, did not even know about the red light's existence!

That red light must be a restraint cast on her by a peerless expert whose standard could not be gauged by Yun Yang's current level. It was most likely set to protect her. Perhaps it would not appear in any normal circumstance, but when something threatened the girl's reputation and life, the red light would emerge.

To this day, the red light had appeared twice. The first was when Yun Yang was on the same bed as Ji Lingxi and had accidentally touched her... This time, the man in black's force was strong enough to threaten Ji Lingxi's life, so he was an absolute goner!

It was easy to discern how concerned the person who had cast this restraint on Ji Lingxi was about her.

Yun Yang wiped away the sweat on his forehead and breathed deeply. He could not help thinking about Ji Lingxi's confession and sighed, "This girl... Even if you liked me and I like you too... we can only treat each other respectfully, like acquaintances for a long period of time..."

Yun Yang had never seriously considered this aspect of his life. However, now that Ji Lingxi had barged into his heart and he had been touched as well, he could not help thinking about his marriage... Nonetheless, it seemed like it was better to be dumb and ignorant. Would any loss of control cause him to be severely injured? Crushed? Die with his soul vanquished?

"Could her father be the one who bound Lingxi with this?" Yun Yang chuckled dryly. "This old man... is really... so careful."

As his thoughts carried him to new places, Yun Yang felt as if he thought of something. With a stunned cry, he stood up abruptly. His eyes were clear. After a long, long time, he suddenly cried out, "Isn't it? Isn't it?"

Yun Yang felt his heart thumping insanely like it was about to jump out of his mouth. Another shocking thought entered his mind.

"If that red light had been left by Lingxi's elders... Lingxi and eighth brother were siblings... this is for sure. If so... wouldn't the person who did this care for both their daughter and son?"

"Wait... If they didn't just look after their daughter but after their son as well... does that mean that eighth brother may not have perished after all?"

"Could eighth brother possibly be alive?"

"Am I right to think along these lines?"

Yun Yang felt his mouth dry up. Delight filled his heart which was about to charge out of his chest.

"Furthermore, it may not only be eighth brother himself. The other brothers could have been saved too! According to this inference, Sister Yun Zuiyue's sudden disappearance... Before she vanished, she gave me so much high-quality items. While they were all ingested, I can only unleash one to two percent of their potential... But, those were rare treasured resources. It's hard enough to find a small quantity, how could she have found so much? However, it would make sense if they were given by unparalleled expert!"

"If so... does it mean that... Sister Yue isn't dead either?"

"They could have all been saved by an unparalleled expert. Sister Yue's disappearance was only because she was fifth brother's wife; that's why she was picked up and brought away!"

Yun Yang's train of thoughts ran even faster; the more he ruminated, the more worked up he was, his head growing increasingly messy. However, he was still filled with vehement hope. It was because he realized that these incidents could be connected, like a very long line, and were developing towards a favorable outcome.

"If this is really the case... if eighth brother didn't die, then Sister Lan's last letter saying she's with eighth brother and is very happy... will be the truth - the reality! Sister Lan didn't die for love, she was only brought away by eighth brother!"

Yun Yang was wheezing. He felt blood rush to the top of his head and for a moment, he felt a little dizzy. Then, he sprung up and bolted towards Ji Lingxi's room.

It was already midnight!

Since that day when Ji Lingxi had thought that she had died and had confessed her love to Yun Yang unabashedly, she had not come out of her room for two days out of embarrassment.

Even though the young lady had a huge crush, she was still mortified. Naturally, Yun Yang knew about the girl's thinking, so he did not disturb her lest she felt more awkward.

Now, though, Yun Yang could not care less about her feelings. This was related to the life and whereabouts of his brothers and sisters-in-law. He had to get the answer to his burning question. The girl was his only clue currently, there was no room for hesitation!

Bang, bang, bang!

Several knocks could be heard from her door.

Ji Lingxi was already in bed. Her face was flushed from hiding in her blanket, her eyes blinking anxiously, despite not knowing what exactly was on her mind.

Suddenly hearing the urgent knocks, she sat up and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me!"

Yun Yang's pressing voice called out from outside, "Lingxi, open the door quickly. I have something very important to tell you."

Ji Lingxi felt butterflies in her stomach, answering with a violent stutter, "You - you... what is it... it - it's late..."

The girl had subconsciously thought that maybe Yun Yang knew about her sentiment and had accepted, it thus coming ... tonight.

No! Impossible!

Ji Lingxi felt herself burning up and rejected the thought fervently.

Yun Yang said, "Open the door. I must see you tonight. Let us talk properly, I really have something serious to tell you."

"Talk properly, something serious..." Ji Lingxi panicked. What matter was it that a bachelor and a bachelorette had to talk properly about in the middle of the night? Could something serious be discussed at this hour of the day? They were both in the prime of their youth, did he think she was stupid?

This...

"No, no, no... I won't open the door, even if I die!" Ji Lingxi panicked, her voice tinged with a wistful tone, "I'm pleading to you... Yun Yang, go back. It's very late... Let us talk tomorrow, during the day..."

"It's not convenient when the sky is bright..." Yun Yang spoke desperately, "This must be done tonight..."

"Eek..." Ji Lingxi murmured shyly, almost burying her head in her blanket.

'How embarrassing!'

'This fellow!"

'How could he speak of it so easily?'

'We just... and he wants to... He doesn't even bother to mask his intentions... Knocking so loudly and calling out so urgently... how could I open this door for you now?'

'If you were softer... more discreet... I might actually have opened it.'

'What an idiot!'