Since General Leng's mansion was not far from the Cold King's mansion, only a few streets away, Leng Jinyu, with his considerable martial arts skills, should be able to reach it safely. Leng Ruo Li thought this, and therefore, she did not escort Leng Jinyu back to General Leng's mansion.
However, after Leng Jinyu left the Cold King's mansion, he walked back to General Leng's mansion as if he had lost his soul.
Tonight, Leng Jinyu's mind was in a mess, and he was somewhat at a loss, because he was certain that his precious daughter with Wan'er was truly no longer in this world.
Although he had some doubts before, he had always been unwilling to believe them. Tonight, he was truly certain. His current daughter was not his real daughter; her essence had been replaced.
Although his current daughter was not bad-hearted and was filial to him, he still felt that he had failed that poor child (the original host).
Back then, the Emperor had ordered him to guard the northern border, quell the rebellion, and resist foreign enemies. He had originally planned to return to the imperial court immediately after pacifying the northern territories to spend quality time with his two children. But… but he had been betrayed by those despicable individuals. During the final suppression of the rebellion, he fell into an enemy trap. He barely escaped with his life and was severely injured, falling into a coma.
He recuperated in the northern territories for three years before his body gradually recovered. Therefore, his two pitiable children…
Alas…
Wan'er, I am truly sorry!
I failed to take good care of the only two bloodlines you left behind.
As he thought, Leng Jinyu felt his entire body go numb, as if he were a walking corpse. The only sensation he had was a gaping hole in his heart, through which cold wind was constantly blowing. It didn't hurt, but it chilled him to the bone.
As Leng Jinyu was lost in thought, several dark figures flashed across the rooftops of the nearby street, unnoticed by him.
"My Lord, the man walking below appears to be Leng Jinyu, the Cold King's consort's father," one of Lin Zhenfan's elite guards said indifferently.
"Yes, this man is Leng Jinyu."
Lin Zhenfan's tone was sinister, his dark, deep eyes bloodshot and filled with a cold chill.
"Then, shall we..."
As he spoke, the guard made a throat-slitting gesture.
"Kill!"
With that, Lin Zhenfan drew his sword and leaped into the air. Holding a sharp long sword, he flew towards Leng Jinyu from behind.
But just as he was about to stab Leng Jinyu in the back, someone from the shadows threw a folding fan, swiftly deflecting Lin Zhenfan's sword.
At this moment, Leng Jinyu also realized someone was attempting to assassinate him, so he quickly drew a dagger he carried and engaged Lin Zhenfan in a fight.
"Who are you? How dare you try to assassinate this general!" Leng Jinyu asked as they fought.
"Heh heh, Leng Jinyu, if someone hadn't thrown that folding fan to block my sword just now, you would already be a dead man under my blade."
Lin Zhenfan let out a cold laugh, his gaze sinister as he looked at Leng Jinyu. He had also altered his voice, making it sharp and hoarse, like a vengeful spirit from hell, making it impossible for Leng Jinyu to identify him.
"I've seen plenty of despicable people like you who take advantage of others. If you want to fight, then fight me honorably," Leng Jinyu said coldly.
Although he hadn't brought his sword with him tonight, he was not afraid of such a scoundrel.
With that, Leng Jinyu maintained a distance from Lin Zhenfan, who was clad in black night-clothes and wearing a mask. He raised his hands, gathering internal energy in his palms, and then slammed them towards Lin Zhenfan. Lin Zhenfan similarly gathered internal energy in his palms and struck towards Leng Jinyu. Where the two forces collided, a blinding flash of light erupted. Their internal energies were evenly matched, and they remained in a stalemate for a long time.
Later, the four guards behind Lin Zhenfan quickly rushed over to assist him, one after another injecting their internal energy into Lin Zhenfan, making it increasingly difficult for Leng Jinyu to resist.
Seeing that Leng Jinyu was about to lose, Lin Zhenfan's eyes revealed a hint of triumph.
At this moment, a person dressed in a white robe, holding a sword, descended from the sky towards Leng Jinyu's side. His ink-black hair fell upon the white robe, with only a white ribbon tying back the front section of his hair. He wore a silver mask, as cold as his sword.
"Attacking a single person with numbers is not an honorable way to win, even if you succeed," the white-robed man's voice was clear and pure, yet it carried a magnetic and imposing deterrence.
"This matter has nothing to do with you. Get lost immediately, or I'll kill you too," Lin Zhenfan looked up at the white-robed man, his eyes churning with murderous intent.
"Indeed! This matter truly has nothing to do with me, but what if I just like to meddle tonight?" The thin lips of the white-robed man parted slightly, revealing cleverness and spirit.
With that, the white-robed man lightly flicked his sleeve and struck Lin Zhenfan and his group with a palm.
Unfortunately, Lin Zhenfan could not free his hands to resist and took the full force of the white-robed man's palm. Lin Zhenfan and his four men were sent flying several meters, and a bloody taste instantly welled up in their throats.
Leng Jinyu's footsteps also faltered twice.
"You! De! Spicable!"
Lin Zhenfan struggled to sit up, clutching his chest with his right hand and pointing at the white-robed man with his left. His lips twitched a few times as he spat out each word from between his teeth.
"Weren't you the one who sneak-attacked from behind someone else just now? We're pretty much the same!" the white-robed man retorted provocatively.
"You..."
After saying the word "you," Lin Zhenfan suddenly began to cough.
He secretly mused: With this white-robed man assisting Leng Jinyu tonight, he certainly wouldn't be able to kill Leng Jinyu. It was better to conserve his internal energy and leave quickly.
Therefore, his eyes flickered. He immediately took out three small white balls from his waist, casually threw them not far in front of himself, and then a thick white mist instantly filled the air.
After the white mist dissipated, Leng Jinyu and the white-robed man saw that the place where Lin Zhenfan and his group had been was now empty.
"Young Master, thank you so much for your timely rescue tonight. I, Leng, am truly grateful. May I invite you to my mansion for a chat?"
Leng Jinyu looked up at the white-robed man, who was half a head taller than him. Instantly, his breath hitched, and his body felt as if it had been struck by a hammer. Why did this young master's eyes look so familiar?
"I was merely passing by and could not tolerate such arrogance. You needn't trouble yourself, I shall take my leave now."
The white-robed man cupped his hands towards Leng Jinyu and turned to fly away.
Leng Jinyu only came to his senses after the white-robed man had left and shouted loudly into the air, "Young Master, Young Master, please wait!"
But the white-robed man had already vanished into the night sky.