When Long Yi’s group stepped across the border into the Violent Dragon Empire, they could feel that the temperature was hotter than the Nalan Empire. At this moment, it was nearing the tenth month of the year. In the past, the weather would gradually get colder. However, this year, the weather was extremely abnormal. The high temperature which lasted for six months caused drought across the entire Blue Waves Continent. Coupled with the fact that there was a war, the population fell sharply. Many villages had already been abandoned and weeds grew everywhere. The people felt sad and dreary.
Along the way, Long Yi was mostly silent. Other than a few jokes he shared with the women around him, Long Yi was frowning most of the time. Now, the situation of the Blue Waves Continent was not as confusing as before. According to the intelligence report sent from the Proud Moon Empire by the Skynet Intelligence Organization, the current situation was pretty good. The allied forces of the two empires had already surrounded Ice Wind City, the capital city of Proud Moon Empire. More than half of the cities and towns had been taken over by the officials of the two empires. Right now, the situation seemed to be quite hopeless for the Proud Moon Empire.
Long Yi had nothing to worry about right now. Although the title of the reigning dynasty of the Nalan Empire had not been changed, anyone who had a discerning eye could see that Nalan Empire had fallen into the Ximen Clan’s hand. The most important matter right now was the competition between the Ximen Clan and the imperial Long Clan in Soaring Dragon City. The moment the imperial Long Clan fell from power, the Ximen Clan would be the overlord of the Blue Waves Continent.
However, the imperial Long Clan had been standing tall for more than 500 years without toppling. The forces it had on the surface and in the dark were deeply-rooted. Not to mention the fact that they had the backing of an unknown dark force. It would be extremely difficult for the Ximen Clan to seize the power.
Long Yi lifted the curtain of the luxurious carriage and saw the busy flow of traveling merchants and passing travelers on the public road. He knitted brows loosened and he said, “Not too far away in front, there is a southern first tier city belonging to the Violent Dragon Empire. It is called the White Cloud City. Let’s rest there for a bit before carrying on with our journey.”
After analyzing the intelligence reports, Long Yi knew that White Cloud City was under the control of the imperial Long Clan. White Cloud City was an important big city located at the border of the Nalan Empire and the Violent Dragon Empire. It could be said that it was located at the key juncture between the two empires. Long Zhan had everything planned out well. Once the violent conflict between the imperial Long Clan and the Ximen Clan broke out, as long as this White Cloud City was locked down, reinforcements from the Nalan Empire would be stopped at the gate. That was because, in order for the troops from the Nalan Empire to enter the Violent Dragon Empire, they had to pass through White Cloud City.
“My husband, I heard that White Cloud City is teeming with beauties. I wonder if that is true?” Feng Ling asked with a smile.
“That is true. White Cloud City is surrounded by verdant hills and limpid water. It is full of spiritual qi. Women who grew up in White Cloud City had flesh of ice, bones of jade, flower-like features, and a moonlike face.” When he talked about the women in White Cloud City, Long Yi’s wolfish nature was completely awakened. He became full of energy.
White Cloud City was well known in the Blue Waves Continent for its beautiful women. Many nobles from different countries would feel proud of themselves if they were able to marry women from White Cloud City. When Long Yi and Nalan Ruyue were on their way to the Nalan Empire, they passed through White Cloud City. However, they were in a rush and Long Yi didn’t have time to enjoy his time in the city. White Cloud City was not only well-known for its beauties. It was also famous for its ecstasy dens. On the bank of the White Cloud Lake at the center of the city, there were many gaily-painted pleasure-boats.
“My husband, you are thinking about something bad again! It is fine to relax in White Moon City… However, you are not allowed to run wild!” Feng Ling rolled her eyes and snorted.
“Hehe, talking about beauties, there are not many people in this world who can match my beautiful Lingr. There are only a few people in this world who can make your husband’s mind dirty.” Long Yi hugged Feng Ling’s slender waist and said with a smile. Among the women around him, who wasn’t lovely enough to cause the fall of a state? The words he spoke were not lies.
Feng Ling took advantage of this opportunity to lean into Long Yi’s bosom. She lightly pounded her fists against his chest. She didn’t know how much good fortune Long Yi amassed throughout his past lives. There were actually so many unrivaled beauties who fell in love with him. Even she had fallen into his devil’s curse and her heart was firmly attached to him.
White Cloud City. This name was perfect for the city. The city wall and buildings inside the city were built with special white rocks found on the nearby mountains. In addition, the architectural style combined the imposing atmosphere of the Violent Dragon Empire and the elegance of the Nalan Empire. The overall look of the city appeared ethereal and it made people feel comfortable.
At this moment, there was a row of soldiers in front of that spacious city gate leading to White Cloud City. Every single traveler and traveling merchant entering the city were strictly questioned and examined. This was something that was never done before.
Long Yi raised his eyebrows. Were they doing this all in order to look for him? He caressed the beard stubble on his chin and said with a smile, “Lingr, you know appearance changing magic, don’t you? We should all change our appearances. Let’s try to find the actual situation happening in White Cloud City within two days.”
With Feng Ling’s highly skilled hands, Long Yi’s handsome face quickly became ordinary. He had a fake mustache stuck on his face. However, that cheeky smile on his face wasn’t concealable. Liuli changed into a delicate and pretty maid. As for Liuxu and Feng Ling, they changed into two wives as they stood beside Long Yi. As for Niur, needless to say, she was Long Yi’s daughter.
When Long Yi heard that Liuxu agreed to pretend to be his wife, he was extremely surprised. In the past, Long Yi felt as though taking cheap advantage of her was harder than ascending to the heaven. However, he didn’t think about this any longer. Anyway, she was just pretending to be his wife, nothing more.
The group entered the White Cloud City along with the stream of people. Long Yi’s unassuming group did not attract any kind of attention. They lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the scenery outside along their way into White Cloud City. This place was not inferior to Soaring Dragon City and Blue Moon City in the slightest. However, it was very rich in local conditions and customs. There were too many things for their eyes to take in.
After asking a passerby where the Phoenix Inn was located, the group made their way towards it. From the start of their travels, they would stay in the Phoenix Inn as long as they passed by a city. Every time Long Yi arrived at a Phoenix Inn, he would think about the mother and daughter duo.
According to the Matriarch Phoenix, Yu Feng was training in seclusion somewhere on Flames Mountain. He didn’t know when they would meet each other again. The moment he thought about her, Yu Feng’s figure appeared in Long Yi’s mind. That heroic beautiful face, that golden sunlight-like dazzling hair, her fiery red skintight leather armor hugging her body, and that fiery red huge sword in her hand. Even if she stood tall in the middle of a crowd, she would attract everyone’s attention. She was like the sun. That was Yu Feng, the one and only Yu Feng.
Long Yi seemed to be lost in his thoughts and his black pupils became somewhat blurred. A warm smile gradually appeared on his face.
“My husband, we have arrived.” The luxurious carriage had stopped in front of the entrance of the Phoenix Inn for quite some time, the smile of the waiter who had come to welcome them had already stiffened. However, Long Yi was still in a daze. As such, Feng Ling lightly shook Long Yi’s arm and softly cried out to him.
“Oh, that was fast…” Long Yi came back to his senses and when he saw the signboard hanging in front of the inn, he smiled and jumped off the carriage.
This Phoenix Inn was located at the flourishing commercial center in White Cloud City. The business of this inn was booming. When they entered, Long Yi heard that their last two guest rooms had already been booked. The guests who didn’t manage to book the room became endlessly vexed.
“Guests, I am truly embarrassed. The inn is fully booked, please forgive me.” When the innkeeper saw that Long Yi and his group entered the inn, he bowed and apologized.
Long Yi smiled. The reason why the Phoenix Inn had such a good reputation was because their attitude at handling guests was extremely good. This was the main reason everyone liked the Phoenix Inn. Long Yi didn’t reply the innkeeper. Instead, he took out a fiery tablet which was red and round. Above this tablet, a phoenix could be seen going through rebirth in a sea of fire.
When the innkeeper saw the tablet, his eyes immediately shone. He said respectfully, “Patriarch has already instructed us. Please follow me.”
The innkeeper led Long Yi and his group to the top floor of this Phoenix Inn. After bringing them to a super luxurious room, he went back to the ground floor.
“My husband, this Matriarch Phoenix treats you really well. There is a suite left specifically for you at every branch.” Feng Ling smiled and said.
“Of course she treats me well. We are all from the same family.” Long Yi said to Feng Ling as he sat on the soft sofa in the hall. After opening a bottle of fruit wine, he started to drink.
When Feng Ling heard him, the smile on her face instantly disappeared and a dejected expression filled her face. With a soft voice, she said, “Yes, one household. Since you are the husband of younger sister Yu Feng, the Phoenix Matriarch treats you extremely well…”
When Long Yi saw the depressed expression on Feng Ling’s face, he was startled. He instantly knew what Feng Ling was thinking about. She remembered her mother… That woman who didn’t hesitate to use her as a bait in order to draw Long Yi into the net. As a matter of fact, Long Yi never believed that cultivators of dark magic were evil. For instance, Feng Ling and Leng Youyou. They were not evil people! However, there were people like Feng Ling’s mother…
When Long Yi thought about Feng Ling’s mother, his body shook. His expression suddenly changed. Feng Ling was the young master of the Dark Church… Wouldn’t her mother be the wife of the Dark Pope? She was also Shui Ruoyan’s mother! Long Yi was able to make the connection and a vague idea of who the Dark Pope was formed in his mind.
“How is that possible? The Dark Pope is Shui Linglong’s son?” Long Yi frowned and thought in his heart.
“My husband, what are you thinking of? When Feng Ling saw Long Yi’s expression change, she couldn’t help but worry.
“It’s nothing. Liuli, Liuxu, take Niur with you and go take a bath first. I want to talk to Lingr alone.” Long Yi said to Liuli and Liuxu. In his mind, Long Yi never wanted to hide anything from them. However, everything he was about to say was related to Feng Ling. He had to respect Feng Ling’s privacy.
Liuli and Liuxu didn’t have any objection. The two of them entered the bedroom with Niur. Only Long Yi and Feng Ling remained in the hall.
“My husband… What are you going to talk to me about?” Seeing Long Yi’s serious expression, Feng Ling couldn’t help but become nervous as well.
Long Yi patted Feng Ling’s shoulders and asked her, “Lingr, I want to know the relationship between you and the Dark Pope.”
“The Dark Pope was my grandfather. However, I’ve never seen him before. I only know that my mother is the only child of my grandfather. After my mother married my father, grandfather passed on the position of the Dark Pope to my father.” When Feng Ling told Long Yi everything, her gaze never left his face. She intuitively knew that Long Yi must have noticed something important about her.
“I think… I think that I might know about your past.” Long Yi looked back at Feng Ling and softly said. He used his hand to hold Feng Ling’s beautiful face.
