Chapter 667: Gathering of Bandits

Even the few fellows from Sky Alliance began an internal argument because of this issue. This was also because Ling Jian was unwilling to consider them as groups but only as individuals. For example, the letter of notice that Ling Jian sent to them was: 'Ling One: ** taels of silver; Ling Two: ** taels of silver...'

The most outrageous thing was the fact that Ling Chi had added on another two phrases at the end: 'The top ten shall not have a price, the last ten shall be punished!'

If they were not grouped together, how many taels of silver would each of them be able to take out? In order to not fall behind, they would naturally try to fight for more silver! Every one of them was afraid that they would fall into the last ten positions! They were all extremely clear that the prize of the top ten places was negligible. However, the punishment of the last ten places was definitely something that could take their lives. Even if it doesn't take their lives, a layer of skin would probably be shed...

Especially when they found out that this notice was sent by Ling Jian personally. The eyes of all the more than forty people who saw this notice turned red immediately.

In just a short few days, any of the various aristocratic families on the three continents that had the slightest bit of a bad record were wiped out!

At the same time, auctions could be seen all around and treasures were being sold for silver. There were even two bolder individuals who joined hands to rob the grain for the troops of the Yu Family in broad daylight. With the aid of the insider, XiMen Sa, they easily robbed the Yu Family and sold the grain meant for the 200,000 men of the Yu Family army to the poor commoners at a tenth of the original price. They then took the funds they earned and escaped without a trace. The 200,000 men of the Yu Family army were forced to starve for a few days and Yu ManLou was enraged to the point he almost puked blood!

On the Heavenly Wind Continent, the Shui Family was the only one that was spared. The various heads of the Sky Alliance were all too embarrassed to rob their new alliance partner. But despite that, an extremely odd scene took place. Over the past few days, the Shui Family experienced a theft every night. Shui ManKong, who guessed the reason behind this, let out a long sigh. He ordered all of his guards to go to sleep and opened up three silver vaults. When he took a look at the vaults the next day, the three vaults were cleaned out completely and even the rats would come out with a face full of tears...

After the ceremony, the entire Divine Prefecture Empire became extremely peaceful and the wealth of the entire world became extremely balanced. In many places, even if someone wanted to be corrupt, there was nothing for them embezzle! This also resulted in the entire society being extremely stable.

Apart from that, the other effect was the bountiful wealth of the Divine Prefecture Empire. As such, Ling Tian announced that he would not collect taxes of any form for the next ten years. As such, the entire world was able to progress prosperously and the wheels of history began moving forward.

It could be said that those so-called bandits had made a huge contribution towards the stability of Ling Tian's empire!

Such a weird occurrence was one that even Ling Tian had never seen before in his two lifetimes!

Such an odd occurrence wasn't only the first of its kind but would probably be the last of its kind as well!

The current Sky Bearing City had become busy once again after the previous gathering. The bustle in Sky Bearing was more than ten times more lively than the previous time!

In the midst of all the bustle and excitement, the Ling Family officials in charge of receiving guests were extremely bitter. They originally thought that this job of receiving guests would definitely be an easy one but never imagined that it would be an extremely hectic job! All the officials in the Ling Family in charge of receiving guests ran around until their legs were about to break, regardless of how high their rank was.

In truth, the various envoys from the different aristocratic families were extremely polite. They would be full of pleasantries, consoling words, and rewards. They would be extremely polite whenever they met the officials of the Ling Family and even if the officials were tired, they carried on joyfully. However, the problem was the sudden appearance of a couple of young teens that were like bandits. While they weren't old, their tempers weren't small and they didn't treat themselves as outsiders at all. All of them were either filled with the valor of youth, a face full of frustration, or arrogance as high as the heavens. Whenever they met the officials in charge of receiving them, they would order the officials around without standing on ceremony. As for the 'consoling words' and rewards, as long as these young teens spotted such behavior, they would confiscate all the rewards. The moment they spotted behaviors that went too far, these officials would immediately be beaten up and sent into jail.

It wasn't that these officials did not think about fighting back. However, none of these teens were pushovers. They were all highly skilled in martial arts and had a high-ranking individual backing them. Anyone who complained about these teens was either executed, fired, or firmly reprimanded by their higher-ups. In the end, none of the officials dared to let out a single word of complaint. Who knows where these young teens came from?

The happiest people in Sky Bearing City would be the inn owners in the city. With the overwhelming crowd entering the city, the Ling Family could only host less than 1% of the crowd and could only neglect the rest. As such, this became a golden opportunity for the bosses of the various inns. All of the guests were extremely wealthy individuals and a casual tip of theirs would be equivalent to a couple of days of earnings...

The biggest winner would naturally be the Smoky Thea Tower. Gu XiYan counted silver to the point her fingers ached...

If one stood at the city gates and looked afar, one would be able to see the never-ending crowd of people approaching the city. They were like bees who had seen a pot of honey.

The envoy of the DongFang Family had arrived...

The Xiao Family had arrived...

The envoy of the Moon Deity Empire had arrived...

Even the envoy from Water of Heavenly Wind had arrived...

...

The most eye-catching group was a bunch of fellows who traveled together with carriages of metal chests as though they were moving their residence...

Furthermore, all of these individuals seem to know each other and their conversation could be heard.

"Ah, isn't this older brother pomegranate (sixteen)? How much did brother pomegranate prepare?" A tanned young man greeted.

"Ah, it's younger brother 'third uncle' (thirty-nine). Ah ah, not much, just a little bit. I truly wasn't able to take much out. What about you? It should definitely be more than be right?" A burly man with a curly beard chuckled in response.

"Err... hehehe, I am just a poor broke man. Even with all of my strength, I was only able to get a small bit of silver. How would I be a match for brother pomegranate's wealth? I will probably end up in the ten last places," the tanned young man replied.

When the others heard the conversation between the two, they were immediately bewildered. There was actually someone with the name of pomegranate? Furthermore, the way this 'brother pomegranate' addressed the other teen was even stranger. Little brother third uncle? What kind of an address was this? So was he your little brother or third uncle? Was he your cousin from your third uncle's house? If that's the case, why don't you just call him your cousin? What's the point of going such a big round?!

This was not the strangest.

"Aiyah, big brother dead already (forty-six), you are here. This little brother has missed you."

"Haha... little brother go and die (forty-eight). It has truly been a long time, how much did you gather this time?"

"Cough cough cough... just a little bit, just a little bit.... what about big brother dead already?"

"Little brother go and die still has the same temper. Hahaha, this older brother is definitely going end up at the end for sure."

"No no no..."

"Ah, is it big brother dead already and big brother go and die, hehehe, this little brother has truly missed all of you."

"Hahaha, little brother fourth uncle (forty-nine) is here. Looking at this little brat's delightful appearance, he must definitely be rich."

......

All the officials in charge of receiving them were completely confused by the names of these individuals. Big brother dead already? Big brother go and die? Little brother fourth uncle? What kind of strange names are these? Would anyone have such a name full of bad luck?

However, all of these people seem to know each other. If they were together... not good! The officials immediately wrote a note and submitted it with a solemn expression, "Quickly submit this to young noble. This is an urgent note and there may be changes if we are late!"

Such news was definitely one of great importance and it was swiftly placed on Ling Tian's desk.

Ling Tian was currently drinking the love porridge that Yu BingYan made for him. The moment he saw the note, he spat a mouthful of porridge right on Ling Jian's face. Ling Jian's face was full of black lines. Just what was with his young noble today?!

If the one spitting porridge in his face wasn't Ling Tian but someone else, Ling Jian would probably be unsheathing his sword and shouting out in anger!

They were obviously discussing something serious but was suddenly sprayed with a face full of porridge.

He then looked at Ling Tian who was coughing incessantly as he burst out laughing. One of his hands slapped the table while the other slapped his thighs and laughed till his sides ache.

Wiping his face full of porridge, Ling Jian asked, "Young noble, what exactly happened? What is so funny? I just took a bath yesterday and bathing would harm my vitality the most. Look at my whole body and face!"

Ling Tian laughed without stopping and pointed at the piece of paper, "Take a look yourself!"

Ling Jian grabbed a piece of paper over with the words 'brother pomegranate', 'little brother third uncle', 'little brother go and die', 'big brother dead already', 'little brother fourth uncle'... when he saw all of these weird names, Ling Jian's eyes widened. A short while later, he burst out into laughter as well, laughing to the point his body trembled.

Li Xue who was by Ling Tian's side saw the note and could not help but chuckle before lamenting, "This official is truly too..."

"The envoy from the Xiao Family was actually second master Xiao FengYang. He just escaped from here and actually returned on his own accord again. But with his personality, he shouldn't have made such a choice. Aren't his actions no different from provocation?" As Ling Tian smiled, he looked at another slip of paper, "Apart from his guards and followers, another six top-notch experts followed him. They are probably from Above Heavens."

"Members from Above Heavens..." Ling Jian stopped laughing and a powerful battle intent shot out from his eyes.

Li Xue and Ling Tian looked at each other with an 'it is indeed so' smile.

"Ah Xue, go and take a look at Chen'er. Does this lass really need to personally weave out a large flag for the Divine Prefecture Empire? She is truly a stubborn one. Why can't she hand this over to the servants?!" Ling Tian shook his head with satisfaction.

"In truth, I also think. However..." Li Xue looked at Ling Tian, "I will never fight with Ling Chen for anything. As a lady, being able to love someone with all of her heart without any reservation! This is something that only Ling Chen is able to accomplish. I cannot be compared to her." Her final few words were said in an extremely low voice and Ling Tian could only barely hear it.

When Ling Tian lifted his head up, Li Xue had already left hurriedly.

Ling Tian could not help but fall into a daze.

Yu BingYan has her father, Shui QianRou has her parents, Xiao YanXue has her kin and Princess JiaoYue has her mother and kin. Even if Li Xue didn't have any kin in this life of hers, she still had her kin from her previous life in her heart and Ling Tian from her previous life! Only Ling Chen had only Ling Tian in her entire world! This lonely lady, Ling Chen, only had Ling Tian in her entire life and world!

Ling Tian suddenly felt a warm feeling in his heart together with a tinge of sourness. After staring out into space for a long while, Ling Tian let out a long breath before looking at Ling Jian, "Ah Jian, our brothers are back. Let us see what kind of a surprise these bandits have brought for us."

Ling Jian's eyes lit up, "Alright!"

In the Smoky Thea Tower.

The Smoky Thea Tower today was still arranged as per Ling Tian's arrangement back then. But in the present world, the original XiMen Family, NanGong Family, and Yang Family had already become a part of history. Appearing at Smoky Thea Tower again, Ling Tian had a sudden feeling as though the entire world was different from before.

It was currently noon.

The various important guests from all around had their own personal dining area but a couple of them would still dine in the main hall to join in the crowd. Naturally, there were many of them who had other intentions.

For example...

On a table at the east of the hall, there were a couple of young teens dressed in luxurious robes as they chattered excitedly. When Ling Tian and Ling Jian saw these young teens, they could not help but have a bright smile on their faces!

On the table far to the west of the hall, seven individuals were seated together. Six of them were had a stern expression on their faces and the seventh was a blue-robed young lady. While this lady was beautiful, her face was cold and there was a thick layer of frost on her face. Even when the people by her table was talking to her, she would ignore them coldly as though she was an extremely frosty piece of jade.

Ling Tian looked at Ling Jian who was like a blob of ice beside him and laughed in his heart. It seems like the two of them are truly alike. A blob of ice and a piece of jade, they are truly a match made in heaven!

Apart from these two tables, there were another five or six tables who were eating silently. Looking at their dressing, these individuals came from all over the continent. But for them to be capable of dining in the Smoky Thea Tower, they must definitely be wealthy individuals.

Ling Tian and Ling Jian looked at each other and walked into the hall.

In that instant, twenty or more gazes were directed to the two of them. However, they ignored all the stares and found somewhere to sit down calmly.

The looks of the few teens at the east table burned with excitement and one of the teens could not help but stand up. He looked as though he was about to open his mouth to say something but was immediately kicked by his companion under the table. The words that were about to leave his mouth were forced back and he sat down obediently.

The six from the west table looked at Ling Tian and Ling Jian with enmity in their eyes. It was as though they had guessed the identities of the two individuals. One of the elders in the group muttered under his breath, "Could one of them be Ling Tian? Did we meet him despite just arriving at Sky Bearing? Isn't this far too coincidental?"

The elder frowned and immediately transmitted to his companions, "Test him!" The other six did not open their mouths and nodded their heads slowly.

The waiter of the Smoky Thea Tower hurried over to Ling Tian's table and asked respectfully, "What do Sirs want to eat?"

Ling Jian replied coldly, "Bring up a few specialties and two jars of wine." The waiter acknowledged the order respectfully and left.

All of a sudden, a slapping sound could be heard and someone let out a groan in the hall. With both his hands covering his mouth, blood could be seen flowing out from the gaps of his fingers. Lowering his head, he spat out a few teeth and even half a segment of the chopstick was spat out.

Of the six people on that table, a round middle-aged man stood up angrily and scolded, "Dammit, why can't you just eat your meal peacefully? Why do your eyes have to dart around like a thief? Despicable scum!" While he scolded, he snuck a glance at Ling Tian and Ling Jian with wariness.

With faces full of anger, those at his table also stood up and glared at the fat middle-aged man, "We do not know each other and there is no enmity between us. For Sir to be so callous in your means, what is the meaning of this?!"

The fat middle-aged man scolded in response, "No enmity between us? Why is that fellow staring at my little sister? His thieving eyes obviously shows that he doesn't mean well! Isn't he thinking about something despicable? Is this daddy here wrong to teach him a lesson?!"

Those with keen eyes would be able to easily tell that the fat middle-aged man was intentionally seeking trouble. Was it a crime to sneak a glance at someone when dining? Everyone in the world would have eyes for beauties and making use of such a reason to start trouble was no different from intentionally stirring trouble!

Ling Tian looked over expressionlessly and said softly, "That fellow did not even sneak a single glance and the fatty's intention is probably us." Ling Jian could also notice this. While the two tables were at odds with each other, the attention of those at the west table was on themselves.

"It seems like they are suspecting young noble's identity." Ling Jian asked softly.

"I came here with my true appearance and did not think about hiding anything. There's no need to suspect me at all." Ling Tian clicked his tongue and laughed, "They probably want to make use of this opportunity to understand my strength better. It seems like these few are probably the Above Heavens so-called experts."

Ling Jian's eyes flashed and he said, "Only that old man in the middle has some strength and would be able to fight me. As for the rest, they aren't worth mentioning."

Ling Tian nodded his head and did not say anything.

The injured individual was full of pent up anger as he hollered, "Why are you so unreasonable? I am eating my meal in peace. Since when did I even look at her? Besides that, while this lady is pretty, but..." As he said that, he paused without continuing. He obviously wanted to say that while that lady is pretty, she is truly too cold. Looking at her will make me tremble, why would I have the interest to continue looking?

The fat middle-aged man frowned and said with a malevolent aura, "What do you mean by that? You actually dare to say that my little sister isn't good looking? Are you looking for death?"

As the few teens at the east table saw the scene, a teen with a full beard stood up with a gruff voice, "I have seen unreasonable people before, but I have never seen someone so unreasonable! He first maligned the other party for staring at his little sister. When the other party felt that his sister was ugly and like a block of ice, he decided to blame the other party for not having any taste. Tsk tsk. This big brother is truly too shameless. It is probably because his little sister can't be married out. He probably wants to even extort a betrothal gift from the other party, otherwise he wouldn't be so tyrannical."

"That's right, that's right." The other teens echoed. They were originally lawless individuals and had always been the boss when they were on the outside. With Ling Tian and Ling Jian being around and them being in Sky Bearing's Smoky Thea Tower, they were naturally extremely confident. Not to mention the fact that they weren't aware that the other party was from Above Heavens. If they had known, their words would probably have been even more vicious.