第三千四百七十章 进退两难

“ gōng zhǔ xī nù ， qū qū yí gè wàng tíng lóu suàn bù liǎo shén me ， kě nà zhōng tú dǎo luàn de dù jié qī lǎo guài wù ， shí lì què fēi tóng xiǎo kě ， qí tā de shén tōng fǎ shù qiě bù tí ， jìn zhàn zhī lì ， jū rán lián lǎo fū yě yǒu suǒ bù jí ， fǒu zé zěn me huì ràng tā táo le qù ？”

“公主息怒，区区一个望亭楼算不了什么，可那中途捣乱的渡劫期老怪物，实力却非同小可，其他的神通法术且不提，近战之力，居然连老夫也有所不及，否则怎么会让他逃了去？”

"Princess, calm down. A mere lookout tower is nothing to worry about, but that old monster from the Tribulation Period who caused trouble in the middle of our journey... his strength was truly formidable. Even without mentioning his other divine techniques and spells, his close combat prowess surpassed even mine. How could he have escaped otherwise?"

fēng lǎo guài de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， dàn tā de liǎn shàng què nán yǎn xiū cán zhī sè ， bù guǎn yuán yīn rú hé ， shēn wèi yāo zú ， jìn shēn ròu bó jū rán dǎ bù guò yī rén lèi xiū xiān zhě ， dōu shì diū liǎn dào le jí chù 。

风老怪的声音传入耳朵，但他的脸上却难掩羞惭之色，不管原因如何，身为妖族，近身肉搏居然打不过一人类修仙者，都是丢脸到了极处。

The voice of the Wind Elder entered his ears, yet a hint of shame colored his face. As a demon, being unable to defeat an ordinary human cultivator in hand-to-hand combat was a matter of great disgrace.

“ fēng shū shū ……”

“风叔叔……”

"Uncle Wind..."

wàn jiāo gōng zhǔ de pí qì ， gù rán shì bào zào yì nù ， dàn yě bìng fēi yī wèi de mán bù jiǎng lǐ ， yǎn qián de fēng lǎo guài kě shì tā fù qīn shǒu xià de dà jiàng zhī yī 。

万蛟公主的脾气，固然是暴躁易怒，但也并非一味的蛮不讲理，眼前的风老怪可是她父亲手下的大将之一。

Princess Ten Thousand Serpents had a fiery temper but wasn't entirely unreasonable. The Wind Elder was one of her father's top generals, skilled in the speed technique and praised by her father for his close combat prowess. He certainly couldn't be considered a weakling.

jīng shàn sù dù fǎ zé ， pèi hé shì sú de gōng fu ， jìn zhàn zhī lì ， lián tā fù wáng yě chēng zàn guò ， zì rán bú huì shì wú néng de rén wù 。

精擅速度法则，配合世俗的功夫，近战之力，连她父王也称赞过，自然不会是无能的人物。

However, even he was severely injured upon returning, indicating that it wasn't due to poor fighting skills.

kě lián tā yě zhòng shāng ér huí ， zì rán fēi zhàn zhī zuì 。

可连他也重伤而回，自然非战之罪。

Thinking this over, Princess Ten Thousand Serpents frowned: "Is that boy Lin really as troublesome as you say?"

niàn jí zhì cǐ ， wàn jiāo gōng zhǔ de shuāng méi zhòu zài yì qǐ ：“ nà lín xiǎo zi zhēn rú nǐ men suǒ yán ， nán chán yǐ jí ？”

念及至此，万蛟公主的双眉皱在一起：“那林小子真如你们所言，难缠以极？”

"Indeed, the other's divine techniques are incredibly difficult. While not on par with later-stage cultivators, in his peer group, he truly stands out."

“ bù cuò ， duì fāng de shén tōng què shí nán chán wú bǐ ， suī rán bù jí hòu qī de xiū xiān zhě ， dàn zài tóng jiē cún zài zhōng ， jué duì chū lèi bá cuì méi cuò 。”

“不错，对方的神通确实难缠无比，虽然不及后期的修仙者，但在同阶存在中，绝对出类拔萃没错。”

The Wind Elder spoke decisively. This evaluation might sound impressive, but it was still a gross underestimation of Lin Xuan's strength.

fēng lǎo guài zhǎn dīng jié tiě de shuō ， zhè píng jià kàn shì bù sú ， qí shí duì yú lín xuān shí lì de yù gū ， yī jiù shì dī dé lí pǔ 。

风老怪斩钉截铁的说，这评价看似不俗，其实对于林轩实力的预估，依旧是低得离谱。

Lin Xuan's abilities went beyond mere excellence; even the Ghost Mother from the Netherworld had been eradicated by him during his earlier stages. Now that both his second spirit embryo and demon core had advanced to the Tribulation Period, his power far surpassed what it was before.

lín xuān de shí lì qǐ zhǐ shì chū lèi bá cuì jiù néng náng kuò ， huáng quán guǐ mǔ ， zhè yàng de hòu qī xiū shì ， yě céng bèi tā miè chú 。

林轩的实力岂止是出类拔萃就能囊括，黄泉鬼母，这样的后期修士，也曾被他灭除。

To be blunt, he wouldn't fall short in a confrontation with later-stage cultivators. If he were to use True Spirit Sword Art, the odds would likely favor him.

ér qiě nà shí hòu ， dì èr yuán yīng yǔ yāo dān shàng wèi jìn jí ， rú jīn shuāng shuāng mài rù le dù jié qī ， shí lì zì rán gèng fēi wǎng xī kě bǐ 。

而且那时候，第二元婴与妖丹尚未晋级，如今双双迈入了渡劫期，实力自然更非往昔可比。

The battle against the Wind Elder was sudden, leaving Lin Xuan little time to unleash all of his divine techniques. It had been merely a taste test for the other party, leading to an inaccurate assessment of his strength. He thought he had already gauged it well, but in reality, he didn't know just how formidable he truly was.

shuō jù bú kè qì de yán yǔ ， jiù suàn duì shàng hòu qī xiū shì ， yě bú huì xiāng xíng jiàn zhuō ， ruò shì jiāng zhēn líng huà jiàn jué shī zhǎn chū ， yíng miàn kǒng pà hái zhàn dà duō shù 。

说句不客气的言语，就算对上后期修士，也不会相形见拙，若是将真灵化剑诀施展出，赢面恐怕还占大多数。

Princess Ten Thousand Serpents wasn't aware of this.

yǔ fēng lǎo guài yī zhàn ， biàn qǐ cāng cù ， lín xuān jué dà duō shù shén tōng gēn běn lái bù jí shī zhǎn chū ， bù guò shì niú dāo xiǎo shì ér yǐ ， duì fāng yǐ cǐ tuī cè tā de shí lì 。 zì rán shì yǒu shī piān pǒ ， zì yǐ wéi yǐ jīng jiāng lín xuān kàn dé gòu gāo le ， qí shí gēn běn bù zhī dào tā de kě pà zhī chù 。

与风老怪一战，变起仓促，林轩绝大多数神通根本来不及施展出，不过是牛刀小试而已，对方以此推测他的实力。自然是有失偏颇，自以为已经将林轩看得够高了，其实根本不知道他的可怕之处。

As her father's beloved daughter, she couldn't possibly be intimidated by a mere mid-Tribulation cultivator.

zhè yī qiè ， wàn jiāo gōng zhǔ bìng bù qīng chǔ 。

这一切，万蛟公主并不清楚。

She hated Lin Xuan to the core for helping the lookout tower escape. She would send someone after it and wouldn't let that annoying little boy off either.

shēn wèi wàn jiāo wáng de ài nǚ ， qū qū yī dù jié zhōng qī de xiū xiān zhě ， yòu zěn me kě néng ràng tā xīn shēng jì dàn zhī yì ？

身为万蛟王的爱女，区区一渡劫中期的修仙者，又怎么可能让她心生忌惮之意？

Turning her head, she said: "Uncle Wind, don't say so much. Have you found out who that troublesome little guy is?"

duì fāng zhù wàng tíng lóu táo tuō ， tā xīn zhōng hèn lín xuān rù gǔ ， tíng lóu yào pài rén zhuō ， nà kě wù de xiǎo jiā huo yě bù kě fàng guò 。

对方助望亭楼逃脱，她心中恨林轩入骨，亭楼要派人捉，那可恶的小家伙也不可放过。

"The Fireling Lady knows, your highness. Just ask her, and everything will be clear."

yú shì zhè wèi gōng zhǔ diàn xià zhuǎn guò tóu lú ：“ fēng shū shū ， nǐ bú yào shuō nà me duō 。 nà kě wù xiǎo jiā huo de shēn fèn ， kě yǒu chá qīng chǔ ？”

于是这位公主殿下转过头颅：“风叔叔，你不要说那么多。那可恶小家伙的身份，可有查清楚？”

"Oh?"

“ zhè ， huǒ ér gū niáng xīn zhōng yǒu shù ， nǐ yī wèn tā ， zì rán jiù quán dōu qīng chǔ 。”

“这，火儿姑娘心中有数，你一问她，自然就全都清楚。”

Princess Ten Thousand Serpents looked ahead; a dozen or so demon maidens were kneeling before her.

“ ó ？”

“哦？”

They must have been the ones sent to capture the lookout tower.

wàn jiāo gōng zhǔ tīng le ， mù guāng cháo zhe shēn qián sǎo guò ， jiù zài qián miàn bù yuǎn ， yǒu shí jǐ míng yāo zú shào nǚ zhí tǐng tǐng de guì zhe 。

万蛟公主听了，目光朝着身前扫过，就在前面不远，有十几名妖族少女直挺挺的跪着。

Her gaze fell on a petite maiden: "Fireling, Uncle Wind said you know. Don't you recognize that guy who ruined your plans?"

bú yòng shuō ， jiù shì pài qù qín ná wàng tíng lóu de rén le 。

不用说，就是派去擒拿望亭楼的人了。

"Princess, please calm down. Your servant has never met him. How could I possibly know him? It was just by chance that I heard of his name."

zuì hòu 。 tā de mù guāng luò zài yī jiāo xiǎo líng lóng de shào nǚ shēn shàng le ：“ huǒ ér ， fēng shū shū shuō nǐ xiǎo de ， mò fēi nǐ rèn shí nà huài wǒ hǎo shì de xiū xiān zhě ？”

最后。她的目光落在一娇小玲珑的少女身上了：“火儿，风叔叔说你晓得，莫非你认识那坏我好事的修仙者？”

The Fireling maiden was alarmed and quickly tried to explain.

“ gōng zhǔ xī nù ， nú bì yǔ tā cóng wèi jiàn guò 。 zěn me kě néng yǒu rèn shí yī shuō ， zhǐ shì jī yuán qiǎo hé ， tīng dào guò tā de míng qì bà le 。”

“公主息怒，奴婢与他从未见过。怎么可能有认识一说，只是机缘巧合，听到过他的名气罢了。”

Princess Ten Thousand Serpents clearly hated Lin Xuan deeply; she didn't want to be unjustly blamed.

nà míng jiào huǒ ér de shào nǚ dà jīng shī sè ， máng kāi kǒu fēn biàn qǐ lái le 。

那名叫火儿的少女大惊失色，忙开口分辨起来了。

"Oh, so this Lin boy has quite a reputation?"

gōng zhǔ diàn xià míng xiǎn hèn lín xuān rù gǔ 。 tā kě bù xiǎng mò míng qí miào de bèi qiān nù 。

公主殿下明显恨林轩入骨。她可不想莫名其妙的被迁怒。

"Not necessarily," the Fireling's face still showed some anxiety as she carefully chose her words: "This Lin... that Lin boy..."

“ ó ， zhào nǐ zhè me shuō ， nà xìng lín de xiǎo zi hái hěn yǒu míng qì le ？”

“哦，照你这么说，那姓林的小子还很有名气了？”

She wanted to call him 'predecessor,' but reconsidered and called him 'boy' instead.

“ zhè dào yě wèi bì 。”

“这倒也未必。”

"How is he?" Princess Ten Thousand Serpents wore an impatient expression.

huǒ ér de liǎn shàng yī jiù yǒu xiē huáng jí 。 què nǔ lì zhēn zhuó le yī xià yán cí ：“ zhè xìng lín …… xìng lín de xiǎo zi ……”

火儿的脸上依旧有些惶急。却努力斟酌了一下言辞：“这姓林……姓林的小子……”

The Fireling didn't dare hesitate any longer. She continued: "This Lin boy was originally unknown, gaining fame only in the past two or three months."

tā běn xiǎng shuō qián bèi ， yòu pāi gōng zhǔ shēng qì ， gù ér gǎi kǒu chēng hū xiǎo zi 。

她本想说前辈，又拍公主生气，故而改口称呼小子。

"Oh?"

“ lín xiǎo zi rú hé ？”

“林小子如何？”

Princess Ten Thousand Serpents showed some interest at this point. In the Rain桐 Realm, there were many powerful cultivators, but even a Tribulation Period old monster couldn't be considered obscure.

wàn jiāo gōng zhǔ de liǎn shàng lù chū bù nài fán de shén sè 。

万蛟公主的脸上露出不耐烦的神色。

This was too bizarre; could he be one of those legendary recluses who had been secluded in the Great Wilderness for years before recently breaking through?

huǒ ér bù gǎn zài chí yí ， máng jiē zhe shuō xià qù 。

火儿不敢再迟疑，忙接着说下去。

Hmm, that theory seemed reasonable. If not an unknown recluse, how could he have dared to offend her father without knowing his fame?

“ zhè lín xiǎo zi běn lái jí jí wú míng dì ， shēng míng què qǐ ， hái shì jìn liǎng sān gè yuè de shì 。”

“这林小子本来籍籍无名地，声名鹊起，还是近两三个月的事。”

In any case, she couldn't blame him too much; after all, ignorance was no sin.

“ ó ？”

“哦？”

With this thought, although she didn't plan to let Lin Xuan off the hook, her dislike for him had diminished significantly.

wàn jiāo gōng zhǔ tīng dào zhè lǐ ， què lái le yī sī xìng qù 。

万蛟公主听到这里，却来了一丝兴趣。

"Your servant doesn't know."

méi cuò ， yǔ tóng jiè shì gāo shǒu zhòng duō ， dàn bù guǎn rú hé ， dù jié qī lǎo guài wù yě méi yǒu jí jí wú míng yī shuō 。

没错，雨桐界是高手众多，但不管如何，渡劫期老怪物也没有籍籍无名一说。

The Fireling spoke honestly.

cǐ shì tài guò lí pǔ ， nán dào duì fāng shì chuán shuō zhōng de kǔ xiū zhī shì 。

此事太过离谱，难道对方是传说中的苦修之士。

"Very well. Tell me what you do know."

yǐ qián yì zhí zài hóng huāng dà zé zhōng xiū xíng ， zuì jìn cái pò guān chū lái ， sì chù yóu lì 。

以前一直在洪荒大泽中修行，最近才破关出来，四处游历。

"Yes, Princess."

ń ， zhè ge tuī cè dào yě hé lǐ ， duì fāng ruò fēi bù wén shì shì de kǔ xiū zhě ， yòu zěn me kě néng méi tīng guò fù wáng de míng qì ， dǎn dà bāo tiān de dé zuì zì jǐ 。

嗯，这个推测倒也合理，对方若非不闻世事的苦修者，又怎么可能没听过父王的名气，胆大包天的得罪自己。

The Fireling lowered her head and organized her thoughts before recounting every detail of Lin Xuan's actions in the Boundless Sea as if pouring out a stream of beans from a bamboo tube.

zhè me shuō ， dào yě guài tā bù dé ， bì jìng bù zhī zhě ， bù wèi guò 。

这么说，倒也怪他不得，毕竟不知者，不为过。

Of course, she had only heard these details secondhand; some specifics were unclear to her. But the general direction was correct.

wàn jiāo gōng zhǔ rú cǐ xiǎng zhe ， suī rán méi dǎ suàn jiù zhè yàng jiāng lín xuān fàng guò ， dàn xīn zhōng duì tā de è gǎn ， què yě jiǎn le xǔ duō 。

万蛟公主如此想着，虽然没打算就这样将林轩放过，但心中对他的恶感，却也减了许多。

Princess Ten Thousand Serpents wore a strange expression: "So this person is actually quite good."

“ zhè …… nú bì jiù bìng bù xiǎo de 。”

“这……奴婢就并不晓得。”

"I am foolish, please let Princess decide," the Fireling hesitated to interject further.

huǒ ér lǎo shí de shuō 。

火儿老实的说。

Although in her heart, she believed Lin Xuan's actions were indeed commendable, he had overstepped by meddling and offending the princess. Whether or not he was a good person was irrelevant; she didn't want to be unjustly blamed by the princess.

“ hǎo ， nà nǐ jiù jiāng zhī dào de ， jiē zhe wǎng xià shuō 。”

“好，那你就将知道的，接着往下说。”

"Hmph, this Lin boy is侠义，确实是个热心肠。但管闲事管到本公主身上，就有些过分了。罢了，这小子死罪可免，活罪难逃。传下法谕，一定要将他抓到。”

“ shì ， gōng zhǔ 。”

“是，公主。”

“还有，寻找望亭楼的悬赏可以再增加一些，总之不会让这两个家伙从我的掌心里溜走。”

huǒ ér dī xià tou lú ， zhěng lǐ le yī xià sī xù ， suí hòu biàn jiāng lín xuān zài wú biān hǎi de suǒ zuò suǒ wéi ， rú zhú tǒng dǎo dòu zi bān ， zǎi zǐ xì xì de wěi wěi jiǎng shù 。

火儿低下头颅，整理了一下思绪，随后便将林轩在无边海的所作所为，如竹筒倒豆子般，仔仔细细的娓娓讲述。

……

dāng rán ， tā yuán běn jiù shì dào tīng tú shuō ， yú yī xiē xì jié bìng bù qīng chǔ 。

当然，她原本就是道听途说，于一些细节并不清楚。

这一切林轩并不知情，此时他已经从望亭楼口中得知事情始末。

dàn dà tǐ de fāng xiàng zǒng shì méi cuò 。

但大体的方向总是没错。

嫣姐姐也在雨桐界，这真是意外之喜。只是大海捞针般想要找到她的踪迹，实在不易。

wàn jiāo gōng zhǔ de liǎn shàng lù chū yī sī gǔ guài zhī sè ：“ zhè me shuō ， cǐ rén hái shì yī dà dà de hǎo rén le 。”

万蛟公主的脸上露出一丝古怪之色：“这么说，此人还是一大大的好人了。”

这需要机缘巧合，刻意寻找多半无用。

“ nú bì yú dùn ， yī qiè hái qǐng gōng zhǔ dìng duó 。”

“奴婢愚钝，一切还请公主定夺。”

“望亭楼，你接下来有什么打算？”

zhè huà ， huǒ ér kě jiù bù gǎn qīng yì jiē kǒu 。

这话，火儿可就不敢轻易接口。

“这个……”

suī rán tā xīn zhōng ， jué de lín xuān suǒ zuò suǒ wéi ， shì dà dà de hǎo rén méi cuò 。

虽然她心中，觉得林轩所作所为，是大大的好人没错。

望亭楼脸上露出一丝难色。原本他计划在这雨桐界游玩，寻找机会，同时探查嫣姐姐的线索，但如今公主看上了自己，要招赘为婿，并且不达目的誓不罢休。

dàn tā qiān bù gāi ， wàn bù gāi ， bù yīng duō guǎn xián shì ， dé zuì gōng zhǔ 、

但他千不该，万不该，不应多管闲事，得罪公主、

三大妖王之一的十万蛇王之女自然惹不起，此时与自己有关的悬赏恐怕已经传遍了整个雨桐界的宗门家族和各处仙山洞府。留在这里步步艰难。

tā shì bú shì hǎo rén ， dōu yǔ zì jǐ sī háo guān xì yě wú ， huǒ ér cái bù xiǎng mò míng qí miào de bèi gōng zhǔ diàn xià qiān nù 。

他是不是好人，都与自己丝毫关系也无，火儿才不想莫名其妙的被公主殿下迁怒。

虽然他也会一些易容敛形之术，但任何秘术都有破绽，自己只是分神期，说不定什么时候就会被识破。