novelSide Story 3: Sun Qiang
| ← Ch.2267 |
"They must be the sweetest lovebirds in the Firmament..."
Every time that Fairy Linglong recalled how Zhang Xuan, together with Nie Lingxi and Luo Qiqi, flitted through the air to depart with the blessings of masses of experts, she could not help but feel deeply envious of them.
Born as one of the God Monarchs, she was destined to live a life very different from the others. Yet, she craved for the love of the mortals.
All this while, she had been hoping to meet a man far stronger than her that she could rely on.
However, the God Monarchs were mostly around her level of strength, and there were some who were even slightly weaker than her. Even though some had professed their feelings for her at one point in time, she was simply uninterested in them.
It was not that she was too ambitious, but what she craved for was the romantic and passionate kind of love that one would see in the mortal world.
This was not something that the Cloud Dragon Monarch and the others could bring her.
She simply knew them too well, and for that reason, she could not bring herself to be interested in them.
The Cloud Dragon Monarch was a philander, and he had countless descendants all over the world.
The Deathless Monarch spent his days thinking about how he could kill himself, reminiscent of a useless, pessimistic shut-in. On top of that, he was not interested in girls at all.
God Monarch Fumeng was a very hot-tempered person who hardly had any patience.
Demon Monarch Qiankun was simply too feminine for her liking.
God Monarch Zhuoyang was a reckless and insensitive person who tended to overlook the details. There were even rumors going around that he often did not put his undergarments on. Ew.
The Heavenly Sword God Monarch was married to his sword. Was there any need to say more?
The Heaven Subjugation Monarch was without any desires in the world, just like an ascetic monk.
And God Monarch Lingxi was a female...
See! There was simply no suitable person for her among the God Monarchs, and that was also why she had remained single over the years.
But... as she watched how lovey-dovey some couples were, she could not help but wonder when her spring would come?
As a woman, she dearly hoped to have someone reliable and dependable to stand by her side, supporting her through whatever she was facing.
She might be a God Monarch, but she was not completely free of desires. Perhaps due to her overwhelming desire for a companion, she found herself suffering from insomnia. No matter how she tried, she simply could not fall asleep.
This was truly frustrating for her.
That was why she felt deeply envious when she saw Luo Ruoxin and Luo Qiqi getting married.
How she wished that she had been in their place!
Sighing deeply, Fairy Linglong threw those thoughts to the back of her head as she walked through the streets of Linglong Royal City.
A month had already passed since Zhang Xuan and God Monarch Lingxi's grand wedding, but the commotion still had not died down. There were many people talking about that matter excitedly.
Fairy Linglong listened to their gossips for a moment before walking into a relatively high-class tavern.
She had already disguised herself before descending to the streets, so it was impossible for anyone to recognize her.
Even God Monarchs would not stay in their massive and cold palaces all day long. That would be dead boring! So, from time to time, they would disguise themselves as mortals to experience an ordinary life.
She took the window seat and ordered a few dishes before slowly savoring their flavors.
Just as the frustrations bubbling within her were finally starting to heal from the delicious food, a large group of people dressed in similar uniforms suddenly walked into the tavern.
"It's him!"
There was a suppressed exclamation, and the dozens of people who had just entered the tavern immediately turned their gazes to a middle-aged man sitting not too far away from her.
The middle-aged man had a slightly plump figure. As his back was facing her, Fairy Linglong was unable to catch a clear glimpse of his face.
The middle-aged man seemed to be oblivious to the fact that there were many people looking at him. He was still holding his wine glass with a relaxed posture, sipping on it calmly.
There was a set of red braised pork belly and meat and pig trotters on the table, and the middle-aged man ate them heartily till oil was dripping from his lips.
"Surround him!"
After confirming the target, the leader of the group, a middle-aged man, raised his hand and gestured to his men.
Huala!
Dozens of men immediately surrounded the middle-aged man. Before they even made their move, one could already feel a terrifying killing intent emanating from them.
The leader of the group clasped his fist as he addressed the crowd all around."Friends, there are some things that I have to handle in here, so I'll have to ask you to excuse yourselves for a moment. You can count the tab for whatever you have bought on me today!"
"Yes yes, we'll leave right away..."
"They are from the Shangguan Clan!"
"Shangguan Clan?"
"Yes! After Conferred God King Baiye Qinghong died, Conferred God King Shangguan's clan ended up becoming the dominant power in Linglong Royal City. As such, we mustn't offend them at any cost!"
"Who is the fatty then? Why are they here to capture him?"
"I don't know about that, and it doesn't seem wise to poke our nose into this matter. Hurry up—let's go!"
...
Amid hushed discussions, the crowd hurriedly left the tavern.
This matter did not concern them, and it would be wise not to butt into the affairs of the number one clan of Linglong Royal City as well.
Soon, the only ones left in the tavern were the dozens of people, the fatty, and Fairy Linglong.
She was not in a good mood, and it had not been easy for her to find a place to rest and take a breather. Naturally, she was not willing to leave the area.
Seeing that there was someone who still had not left, the leader frowned."Friend, our Shangguan Clan has something to handle. I hope that you can leave the area, or else we might just end up hurting you by accident. That would truly be a huge regret, wouldn't it?"
"You can continue doing whatever you are doing. I'm just a bystander..." Fairy Linglong said as she poured herself a glass of wine.
But before she could finish her words, she saw a huge shadow looming above her. Looking upward, the fatty had already sat down opposite her, and he passed a plate of pig trotters over to her. With a smile on his lips, he said, "Young lady, it would be best for you to leave the tavern. They are here to deal with me, and it would be terrible if they hurt you by accident..."
It was only when the fatty took his seat opposite to her that she finally managed to see his face closeup. He had a friendly-looking face. Even though she would not call him handsome, he did have a unique charm around him.
Instead of accepting the plate of pig trotter, Fairy Linglong looked at him and asked curiously, "They are from the Shangguan Clan—do you not fear them?"
With her eye of discernment, she could tell that the fatty was only a high-tier Celestial God. Yet, he showed no fear before the experts of the Shangguan Clan, and he was even able to worry about her. It seemed like this fatty was more strong-willed than she had initially thought.
"Fear? What is there to fear about them?" the fatty replied with a laugh."They are just a bunch of weaklings coming together!"
Sensing that the fatty really did not fear the opponents before him, Fairy Linglong grew curious.
Shangguan Yunwan was someone whom she had conferred. Even though she was unmarried, she had seven younger brothers. Due to that, the Shangguan Clan was huge, even compared to the other major clans in the Firmament.
The fatty was just a high-tier Celestial God, yet he was completely fearless. Just where did he get his confidence from?
Hearing those words, the leader's eyebrows shot up as he glared with Sun Qiang with eyes that could kill."You're seeking death!"
Sun Qiang knew that a fight could not be avoided, so he placed his plate of pig trotters down before standing up. He swung his sleeves to the back as he spoke to the crowd around him with a nonchalant expression on his face."I don't know this young lady here, and she has nothing to do with me. Feel free to come at me, but don't make things difficult for her."
Seeing how the other party was still protecting her despite the danger he was in, Fairy Linglong could not help but see the fatty in a new light.
Putting aside whether he was in the right or wrong, just his attitude and disposition were already something that the group from the Shangguan Clan could not hope to match.
Gentlemanly and thoughtful, the fatty must have been quite a lady killer in his earlier days.
This was the first time that Fairy Linglong had encountered such a situation in her long life.
"Humph! We are here to deal with you in the first place anyway!" The leader harrumphed coldly before signaling his subordinates to attack.
In that instant, innumerable surges of sword qi burst forth to strike the fatty.
Without any hint of anxiety on his face, the fatty chuckled softly as he began to thread through the attacks of the crowd with the same ease as how butterflies weaved across a cluster of flowers. Surprisingly, not even a single attack landed on him.
Peng peng peng peng!
With a few dull thuds, the dozens of middle-tier Celestial Gods were soon lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
"What incredible combat sense he has!" Fairy Linglong nodded in approval.
With her eye of discernment, she could easily see through the fight.
The fatty appeared to be an ordinary high-tier Celestial God at first glance, but through his deep comprehension of combat, he was able to overcome his numerical disadvantage and subdue so many middle-tier Celestial Gods easily.
It was as if he could see through everyone's flaws. That allowed him to predict their actions and retaliate against their attacks beforehand.
Due to that, those from the Shangguan Clan were unable to hurt the fatty at all despite having swarmed at him all at once. Instead, they were all swiftly defeated.
"Those idiots... Don't you dare get gleeful just because you defeated my subordinates!"
Seeing how his subordinates had been defeated so easily, the leader's face darkened. He took a step forward and exerted his cultivation, revealing his cultivation as a Half-God King.
Be it in terms of cultivation or strength, the leader was far stronger than the fatty. Judging from his exquisite moves, he had likely received the heritage of the Shangguan Clan's core lineage. That meant that he was one of the higher-ranking members in the Shangguan Clan.
Hu hu!
Without any hesitation, the leader launched a barrage of sword qi toward the fatty.
Despite the fatty's superior combat skills, it was still hard for him to cope with so much sword qi simultaneously with his current cultivation, so he ended up being forced back continuously.
"Be careful, " Fairy Linglong said with a frown.
The fatty had left a very good impression on her, so she did not wish for him to get injured.
"I appreciate your worry, but I'm fine. Like I said before, they are just a bunch of weaklings!" The fatty chuckled as he took a step back and grabbed a pig trotter from the table. He heartily took a bite of it before looking haughtily at the leader with the aura of a valiant warrior."Allow me to see how strong you are!"
Right after saying those words, he dashed forward with his mountain-like body.
"That must be what they call... the air of a hero, " Fairy Linglong murmured with sparkling eyes as she felt something ripple in her mind, which had remained calm and placid for many years now.
She had thought that it would be impossible for her to meet a man whom she could fall in love with in the world, but who could have known that this average-looking fatty would catch her eye?
He might be weak, but he had an air of confidence and assurance that allowed him to stand unfazed even before experts far stronger than him.
This was definitely not something an ordinary man could do.
Overwhelmed by the fatty's imposing disposition, the leader cowered for a moment, but eventually, he gritted his teeth and charged forward as well.
Peng peng peng!
After trading a few blows, the confident fatty was still knocked back by the leader.
His confidence was still insufficient to make up for the deficiency in his strength.
"Audacious! How dare you lay your hands on me! Do you know who I am?" the fatty bellowed with a voice carrying the ferocity of a mighty lion.
"Who are you?" the leader asked with a slightly taken aback expression.
The fatty had spoken with such gusto that, despite having the backing of the Shangguan Clan, the leader was starting to doubt his actions.
It was true that the Shangguan Clan was powerful, but there were still quite a few people that they could not afford to offend. For example, before Baiye Qinghong's downfall, if they had dealt with her carelessly, that vindictive woman would have surely made their Shangguan Clan suffer terribly for it.
"I am the butler of the heavens!" the fatty declared as he gazed down loftily on the leader, as if there was no one who was qualified to stand on equal grounds with him."By daring to raise your hand against me, you are raising your hand against the Firmament itself. Are you trying to rebel against the heavens? You must be courting death!"
Hula!
With a flick of his wrist, the fatty took out a token and held it in his palm. Despite its small size, the token seemed to carry the weight of the heavens in it. Anyone who dared act out of line would suffer divine retribution for their insolence.
"This is... Sovereign Zhang Xuan's aura?" Fairy Linglong was taken aback, already familiar with the aura in the jade token.
Could it be that the fatty who had moved her heart was related to Zhang Xuan?
Peng!
While Fairy Linglong was still frowning in bewilderment, the fatty, after taking out the token, swiftly claimed the advantage in the battle and defeated the leader. After that, he shook his head with a look of disappointment on his face as he remarked, "Yet another unworthy opponent..."
He put down his pig trotters and placed his hands behind his back before he walked away with such light footsteps that seemed almost as if nothing had happened earlier.
"Friend, please wait a moment!"
It was the first time that Fairy Linglong had met someone as carefree as this. Unable to hold herself back anymore, she quickly rose to her feet and called after him."May I know your name?"
"I am..." The fatty tilted his chin upward, and his eyes glowed in confidence."Sun Qiang!"
"Sun Qiang?" Fairy Linglong jotted down the name in her mind, and with a smile, she gestured to the table and asked, "Your pig trotters..."
Sun Qiang turned his head around coolly and said, "They're your pig trotters now..."
Fairy Linglong's face reddened a little.
...
A year later, Fairy Linglong and Sun Qiang had a grand wedding.
And from that day onward, Fairy Linglong never lost a wink of sleep at night again.
| ← Ch. 2267 |