...
That morning, Li Ling, who had just finished his seclusion a few days earlier, was practicing a sword technique in the training ground when a servant suddenly reported: "Zhang Junbao requests an audience."
Upon receiving the news, Li Ling didn't delay. After tidying up, she went to the reception room, where she saw Zhang Junbao waiting with Ming Daohong and Qin Sirong.
Zhang Junbao is now supporting two people at once!
Upon seeing this, Li Ling immediately laughed and said, "Brother Junbao, instead of spending the night with your two beauties on Wudang Mountain, how come you have time to come to our Famous Sword Manor!"
“Young Master Yi is too kind. The main reason I’ve come here is to apologize for any offense I may have caused during my last visit to Mingjian Manor. I hope you won’t take offense.”
Zhang Junbao was an upright and honest person, and he apologized to Li Ling as soon as he saw him.
Li Ling waved his hand: "Hehe, Brother Junbao, there's no need to apologize. It's good that you've found out about your father's death."
"Oh, and congratulations to Brother Junbao! You've managed to persuade Miss Qin to abandon her darkness and embrace the light, leading to a happy ending. I truly admire you!"
The next sentence was spoken while looking at Qin Sirong, who was very close to Zhang Junbao.
Zhang Junbao chuckled as he looked at the beautiful woman beside him and nodded, saying, "Indeed, I have figured it out. I must thank Young Master Yi for his earlier reminder, otherwise I would not have known that my third uncle was the mastermind behind my father's death."
"One reason I'm here is to thank Young Master Yi for the reminder. Secondly, I have another important matter to discuss with you."
Li Ling smiled and said, "Brother Junbao, you're too kind. We've known each other for a long time, and I admire your character. Please feel free to speak your mind!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Junbao smiled and said directly, "Then I'll get straight to the point. I wonder if Brother Yi has ever heard of the Carefree King?"
"As expected." Li Ling confirmed his guess and said to Zhang Junbao, "I do know about the Carefree King! More than a month ago, the Carefree King came to our Famous Sword Manor. I fought with him once, and we were both badly injured in that battle."
"It's really true!" Zhang Junbao exclaimed. "I never imagined that the Carefree King would be so powerful that even Brother Yi is no match for him!"
As he spoke, Zhang Junbao frowned: "This makes things complicated!"
After Zhang Qiqiao used Zhang Tao's name to bring Zhang Junbao and other martial arts figures to cause trouble for Mingjian Villa, and was then strongly countered by Li Ling, Zhang Junbao believed that Li Ling's martial arts represented the pinnacle of the martial arts world. However, he did not expect that the Carefree King could actually fight Li Ling to a standstill.
At this moment, Li Ling gave Zhang Junbao confidence: "Brother Junbao, you can rest assured about the Prince of Xiaoyao. Last time I fought the Prince of Xiaoyao, I was indeed seriously injured, but the Prince of Xiaoyao was not in a good position either."
Moreover, after my full recovery, my skills have improved even further, and I am confident I can defeat the Carefree King!
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Zhang Junbao said happily. "I've just received news that the Carefree King is hunting down righteous people in the martial arts world, imprisoning them in the Heavenly Prison, and even finding his disciple to impersonate a princess of the Song Dynasty."
"I've come here today to ask Brother Yi for your help. Let's work together to deal with the Carefree King and expose his conspiracy."
Li Ling nodded and replied, "I see. Please rest assured, Brother Junbao. I originally intended to deal with the Prince of Xiaoyao. Now that Brother Junbao is working together with me, that would be even better. I believe that we will definitely achieve great success in dealing with the Prince of Xiaoyao this time!"
Moreover, Brother Junbao, you possess the information Marshal Yue entrusted to you, which should enable you to expose the fake princess's true nature. I will then handle the matter of the Carefree King. As for the Carefree King's disciples, Brother Junbao and your fellow martial artists will have to worry about them.”
The two reached an agreement and then made plans. Soon, Li Ling, along with Xueyan, who had already recovered, and Zhang Junbao and others, headed to Lin'an to deal with the Prince of Xiaoyao.
Yu'er originally wanted to come along, but her martial arts skills were only at the beginner level. Li Ling was worried about her safety, so he let her stay at Mingjian Manor.
Moreover, Yu'er's mother has just arrived and is still unfamiliar with everything in the manor, so it would be better if Yu'er accompanied her.
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Chapter 207: Zhang Junbao's Two-on-One Support (Thanks to 'Yiyun' for the donation)
"Thump thump thump thump." A series of hurried footsteps came.
"Old Master, is the Young Master alright?"
It was Zhang Sen who arrived with the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals. He saw Li Ling, who was meditating with his eyes closed next to Yi Yun and had a few drops of blood on his chest, and asked him with concern.
"I'm fine, just some internal injuries. Everyone, get ready to form the formation!" Li Ling opened his eyes at this moment and directly ordered the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals.
At this time, most of the thirty-six Heavenly Generals had already entered the first-class realm, and the rest were not far from entering the first-class realm as well.
They jointly set up the protective formation of Mingjian Villa, which was no less powerful than the Arhat Formation of Shaolin Temple. Even a master of innate skill like Zhang Qiqiao would not fare well if he fell into the formation.
"Hmph, let's go!"
Not far away, the Carefree King saw that the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals had also appeared at this moment, and he knew that he had completely lost the opportunity to deal with the Famous Sword Manor.
He stared at Li Ling and said, "Yi Jifeng of Mingjian Manor truly lives up to his reputation. I will come back to learn from him again in the future! Duopo, let's go!"
He turned around and, as if teleporting, instantly appeared in the distance. Zhang Qiqiao, Lightning, and Thunder also hurriedly left. Without the support of the Carefree King, they dared not act recklessly in front of the Famous Sword Manor.
"Grandpa, let's go back!" Li Ling said to Yi Yun, relaxing after watching Xiaoyao Wang and the others disappear from sight.
Yi Yun helped him up and nodded: "Yes, that's good. Your injuries are quite serious, you'll need at least a month to rest!"
At this point, Yi Yun's expression turned somewhat solemn. He said in a deep voice, "The sudden appearance of the Carefree King in the Central Plains suggests that the martial arts world is about to be in turmoil again. However, no matter what, you must first recover from your injuries."
Li Ling, however, was not too worried. He said confidently, "Grandpa, don't worry. I fought to a draw with the Prince of Xiaoyao this time, but I'm sure I'll win next time!"
This wasn't Li Ling boasting. His duel with the Carefree King was simply because he had just broken through to the Grandmaster level and his techniques and use of true energy were still immature.
Although he was still slightly weaker than the Carefree King in this battle, Li Ling had gained insight into the mysteries of the Innate Grandmaster realm. Coupled with his extraordinary combat awareness from the world of the 'King of Destruction', Li Ling was confident of victory.
If he takes this time to refine his true energy and techniques, he will be able to truly stabilize at the Grandmaster level. At that time, his martial arts cultivation will definitely reach a new level, and it will not be difficult for him to surpass the Carefree King.
Although Li Ling's internal injuries were more severe than those of the Carefree King after this battle, Li Ling was in his prime, strong and healthy. With the repair from the World Essence and the super self-healing ability he gained from Ju Ziyun, his recovery would definitely far surpass that of the aging Carefree King. Time was on Li Ling's side.
Therefore, Li Ling had no worries at all, and Yi Yun, who had a very keen eye, also saw this very clearly.
After everyone returned to the Famous Sword Manor, Li Ling began to seclude himself to heal his injuries. At this point, Yu'er no longer cared about getting information from her mother, since the Song Dynasty princess really didn't have much to do with her.
Now she doesn't need to use this Song princess to gain fame and fortune like in the original story. It's just that Yi Yun and Xue Yan mentioned it by chance, which made her a little curious. At the same time, she also wanted to find out about this matter in order to win Yi Yun's favor.