226 Liu Hongshan Showing Up Again
Seeing that Lin Ran was silent, the empress couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What are you thinking? Are you worried that they will send people to assassinate us on the way back?”
Lin Ran shook his head. Then, he explained his doubts. He paused for a moment and said, “At first, I thought that there was something strange about the 15 cities, such as a secret treasure or something, but later on, I realized that it wasn’t.”
“It’s because Xuan Wushang didn’t specify which 15 cities, right?”
The empress pondered for a moment and said, “It’s entirely up to me which 15 cities to cede, so this matter has nothing to do with the cities themselves. He just wants 15 cities.”
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“Yes, that’s right.”
Lin Ran nodded in agreement. “If he has designs on one city, and there happens to be the one he wants among the 15 cities you cede, the probability of that happening is too low.”
The empress was about to nod when she suddenly thought of something and her expression changed slightly. “In fact… the probability of this happening might not be small.”
Lin Ran was stunned. “What do you mean?”
The empress did not answer immediately. Instead, she asked, “Think about it. Under normal circumstances, if I were to cede 15 cities, which 15 cities would I give out?”
Lin Ran frowned and said in confusion, “Didn’t you already say that you wanted to cut fifteen cities from the border to Great Yong?”
“That’s right, but after listening to you just now, I realized that there’s something fishy going on.”
The empress explained with a faint smile, “Since I’m ceding the cities to Great Yong, my first choice is naturally the ones in the Heavenly Saint Northern Border. However, there are only about 30 cities in the Northern Border.”
Lin Ran instantly understood what the empress meant. “Are you saying that Xuan Wushang actually has a 50% chance of obtaining the city he wants?”
Seeing the empress nod, Lin Ran was puzzled. “But even so, the probability is still a little low, right? Since Xuan Wushang spent so much effort to get this city, how can he tolerate a 50% chance of failure?”
The empress nodded in agreement. “I can’t figure that out either.”
Lin Ran’s heart skipped a beat. “You’ve already thought of a solution?”
The empress pretended to be mysterious and smiled. “Benevolence.”
Lin Ran was confused, but the empress had her own plans and was unwilling to explain, so he did not ask further. He changed the topic and said, “We encountered a lot of unexpected things this time… You must be exhausted, right?”
The empress’s eyes darkened when she heard this. She knew that Lin Ran was talking about Liu Ruxi. After a moment of silence, she replied softly, “Now that I know the truth, honestly, I don’t know what to make of it.”
“I understand. After all, she is your mother.”
Lin Ran forced a smile and said after some hesitation, “If you really don’t know what to do… you can leave this to me.”
The empress knew what Lin Ran meant. She paused for a moment and waved her hand. “Let’s put it off for now. Lord Lin, I’m not a soft-hearted person. It’s just that you consumed a lot of energy this time. I really can’t bear to let you put yourself in danger again.”
Lin Ran didn’t say anything. The empress thought that he didn’t believe her. Then, she said seriously, “Lord Lin, you can rest assured. Although I haven’t thought of what to do with Liu Ruxi, since she has decided to become the Heavenly Saint Dynasty’s enemy, I definitely won’t be merciful.”
“It’s just that her status in Great Yong is very special. We just caused a mess in Nanjiang Town. Xuan Wushang will definitely protect her. Now is not the time to make a move. I hope Lord Lin can be more patient.”
The empress said this sincerely, but Lin Ran didn’t respond.
This time, the empress was a little unhappy. She looked up and wanted to question Lin Ran, but she realized that he was frowning with his eyes closed, as if he was trying his best to sense something.
The empress immediately realized that something was wrong and quickly moved closer to Lin Ran. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
“There’s something going on.”
Lin Ran slowly opened his eyes with a strange expression. “But I’m not sure if it’s a problem or not.”
Just as the empress was wondering what he meant, she heard a deep voice outside. “The former Heavenly Saint Dynasty’s General of the Northern Battlefront, Liu Hongshan, greets Your Majesty!”
“Liu Hongshan!”
The empress’s expression changed drastically. She immediately looked at Lin Ran beside her. “How did he find us?”
“It’s a long story…”
Lin Ran smiled strangely and roughly explained how he challenged Liu Hongshan to a death duel in the secret place of the Hundred Fragrance Palace.
After the empress heard this, she had a strange expression. “In other words, you originally wanted to hunt him down with a death duel, but in the end, he used the death duel to find where we’re hiding?”
“That seems to be the case…”
Lin Ran nodded awkwardly. Without waiting for the empress to speak, he continued, “But you don’t have to worry too much. I’ve already used my divine sense to investigate. Within 15 kilometers, other than the Great Yong border army, there’s only Liu Hongshan. He must have come without telling Xuan Wushang.”
When the empress heard this, she looked suspicious. “Are you sure?”
Lin Ran laughed dryly and didn’t say anything because he really wasn’t sure.
It was true that Liu Hongshan came alone, but his cultivation was slightly higher than Lin Ran’s. In addition, after a series of hard battles, Lin Ran was at the limit of his mental and physical strength. If Liu Hongshan was sent to chase after the two of them, it would be enough even if he was alone.
“Greetings, Your Majesty! The former Heavenly Saint Dynasty’s General of the Northern Battlefront, Liu Hongshan, requests an audience with you.”
Because the two of them had not responded for too long, Liu Hongshan shouted outside again. However, this time, the voice sounded directly under the tree. It was obvious that he had already confirmed their location.
Lin Ran and the empress looked at each other. Then, Lin Ran pushed aside the branch and jumped down awkwardly.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Lin Ran summoned the Thunderball Sword and the Yin-Yang Sword at the same time. Then, he looked at Liu Hongshan warily.
Unexpectedly, after not seeing him for a few days, Liu Hongshan seemed to have changed into a different person. The stubble on his face had been shaved off, and his hair was combed neatly. He was no longer as sloppy as before. He did not look like the wandering martial artist he used to be, but like a wise official in a high position.
On the other hand, Lin Ran was in a sorry state. Not only were his clothes tattered, but many places were also stained with blood. Compared to Liu Hongshan, who smelt nice, he looked more like a bandit.
Seeing Lin Ran like this, Liu Hongshan couldn’t help but cross his arms and tease, “It’s been a few days since we last met. Lord Lin, your taste in clothes is getting more stylish.”
“Cut the crap! Get straight to the point.”
Lin Ran frowned and replied coldly, but he was a little puzzled because he noticed that Liu Hongshan did not bring the Dragon Roar Short Sword. In other words, Liu Hongshan was not here to fight.
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