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Chapter 436: Fishing by the Misty Sea

When Nie Qingqing recounted the situation outside to Ling\'er, Ling\'er\'s small mouth formed an \'O\' shape in astonishment.

Four hundred tables were set up, each with someone organizing the cloths full of blessings, which were then handed to the tailors to be sewn together piece by piece.

"Are there really that many people?" Tian Ling\'er asked, somewhat unsure.

"Take a look from the floating island at the four hundred long dragons in the Sacred Capital of Lihuo, and you\'ll understand," Nie Qingqing said with deep emotion.

In the Nanning Tribute Hall, Zhong Shan and Mr. Corpse stood not far from the Treasure Viewing Hall.

"Everything is proceeding in an orderly fashion," Mr. Corpse said.

"Good. From now on, the safety of this \'Elixir of Immortality\' will depend entirely on you, Mr. Corpse," Zhong Shan said.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. The bodies of the two Bodhisattvas are beneath the \'Elixir of Immortality.\' Unless it\'s an emperor-level expert, no one can take it," Mr. Corpse replied.

"Hmm. You just need to handle those below the emperor level. As for those above, Nie Fanchan and the palace\'s other experts will take care of them," Zhong Shan said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Mr. Corpse responded.

Countless strong individuals continued to arrive at the Sacred Capital of Lihuo, standing in awe and lining up in a daze. The reaction outside was now beyond words.

Meanwhile, the day for the four suitors to meet Princess Ling\'er had arrived.

The location was to the north of the Sacred Capital of Lihuo, by the Misty Sea, where they would accompany the princess in fishing.

Fishing—this was an idea that Nie Qingqing had come up with after much thought. Princess Ling\'er, truth be told, had a fragile and endearing image. She wasn\'t particularly interested in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, or cultivation. Hosting a banquet for the four suitors to eat and drink would quickly bore Ling\'er. Moreover, Nie Qingqing remembered a story from Zhong Shan about Ling\'er fishing at his home.

Zhong Shan received Nie Qingqing\'s "secret report" and was the first to arrive at the Misty Sea.

It was an inland sea! At one corner of the sea, the waves surged, yet this corner remained relatively calm. The shore was lined with numerous palaces, clearly just set up.

When Zhong Shan arrived, Ling\'er and Nie Qingqing were directing subordinates to set up various platforms and sunshades.

Zhong Shan brought three people with him: General Blazing Fire Wolf, Lin Xiao, and Liu Wushuang.

Upon arrival, Zhong Shan immediately spotted Qing Hong looking bored in the distance.

"Blazing Fire!" Zhong Shan kicked General Blazing Fire Wolf.

General Blazing Fire Wolf was still a bit hesitant.

"Commander, don\'t worry. I\'m here!" Lin Xiao said.

"Hmm!" Zhong Shan nodded. With Lin Xiao helping Blazing Fire come up with strategies, Zhong Shan felt relieved. Even if Blazing Fire was still clueless, Lin Xiao could create opportunities for them.

In the distance, Nie Qingqing noticed Zhong Shan immediately.

"Ling\'er, there\'s not much left to do. Go test the fishing rods first. You don\'t want to catch nothing later!" Nie Qingqing said.

"Okay!" Ling\'er quickly ran to a long pavilion by the sea. Inside were rows of seats, with long fishing rods extending into the sea before them.

Ling\'er sat down and grabbed a fishing rod, starting to fish.

Grasping the fishing rod, Ling\'er suddenly felt a wave of familiarity. In her memory, she had never fished before, so why did this feel so familiar? Could it be true, as Zhong Shan had said, that she had fished in the pond at his home in the past?

Just like back then, Tian Ling\'er fished for a while without catching anything. Watching the fish swim lazily in the sea, she started to curse at them in frustration, just like she did before.

The vermilion bird on her shoulder tilted its head, looking puzzled as it watched Ling\'er\'s nose wrinkle in irritation.

"That\'s not how you fish!"

Just as Ling\'er was about to throw the rod in frustration, a gentle voice came from beside her, a voice that felt familiar, like someone speaking to her in a dream. She turned her head and saw Zhong Shan\'s smiling face.

Seeing Zhong Shan, Tian Ling\'er\'s face turned red. She clearly didn\'t know how to respond.

Zhong Shan, understanding her embarrassment, didn\'t say much. He simply picked up a fishing rod and said, "Follow my lead."

Zhong Shan skillfully replaced the hook, set the bait, and cast the line, waiting patiently.

Ling\'er mimicked Zhong Shan\'s actions step by step.

"Fishing requires patience. If you\'re anxious, the fish won\'t be. But if you\'re calm, they\'ll get anxious, and when they do, they\'ll bite the hook in a frenzy," Zhong Shan explained with a smile.

"Really?" Ling\'er asked, half-believing, half-doubting. The little vermilion bird on her shoulder tilted its head, looking at Zhong Shan with a puzzled expression.

"Of course!" Zhong Shan replied confidently.

Zhong Shan patiently taught Ling\'er, and after a while, it happened.

"Oh, oh, oh, the fish is biting! The fish is biting!" Ling\'er suddenly exclaimed, grabbing the fishing rod with excitement.

The fishing rod moved suddenly, pulling at Ling\'er\'s hand.

Excited, Ling\'er quickly reeled in the line. Soon, a large sea fish was pulled out of the water, flopping energetically on the beach. Several guards quickly came over to hold it down, while Ling\'er was overjoyed—she had caught a fish!

Zhong Shan watched with a satisfied smile.

"Zhong Shan, your method is amazing!" Ling\'er praised in her excitement.

In the distance, under the palace, Nie Qingqing watched Ling\'er\'s excitement with a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Watching the large fish being captured by her guards and placed into a nearby small pond, Ling\'er was filled with joy. Sure, catching fish with spells would have been easy for cultivators—just a scan with divine sense and a spell would bring up a fish—but Ling\'er hadn\'t used any spells at all. How could she not be excited? It was like a billionaire choosing between buying a wife or winning her heart through genuine feelings—which would the billionaire cherish more?

As Ling\'er was basking in her joy, a group of figures flew in from a distance.

All dressed in black robes, about fifty people in total, led by none other than the Crown Prince of Dacheng, Zhao Tiansha!

Zhao Tiansha and his entourage descended from the sky, and Ling\'er\'s attention shifted from the fish to Zhao Tiansha, her eyes lighting up with excitement and admiration.

"Senior Brother!" Ling\'er called out joyfully.

At this moment, Zhong Shan also walked over slowly.

"Ling\'er, we meet again!" Zhao Tiansha said warmly. Clearly, he had learned about Tian Ling\'er\'s amnesia, so he was unusually enthusiastic.

Senior Brother smiled at me? Ling\'er felt a wave of happiness and a shiver of delight.

Suddenly, she saw Zhong Shan walking over, and noticed the slightly forlorn look in his eyes.

In that instant, her excited heart clenched, as if a giant hand had gripped her heart tightly. A wave of inexplicable sadness washed away her previous happiness.

"Greetings, Princess Qingqing!" Zhao Tiansha called out to Nie Qingqing, who had approached.

"Greetings, Crown Prince of Dacheng," Nie Qingqing responded with a bow.

"Zhong Shan! We meet again!" Zhao Tiansha said, looking at Zhong Shan with a hint of provocation.

Originally, Zhao Tiansha pursued Ling\'er for her sake, but now, his twisted mind was driven by a new determination—to pursue Ling\'er because of Zhong Shan. His hatred for Zhong Shan was deep-seated.

He wished he could skin Zhong Shan alive, pull out his tendons, and drink his blood!

Decades ago, two women who should have been his ended up leaving him because of Zhong Shan. Zhao Tiansha had sworn revenge, not only physically but also mentally. Ling\'er had become Zhong Shan\'s wife? Hmph, he would take her back right in front of Zhong Shan.

Zhao Tiansha\'s hatred was deeply ingrained. He had come to collect his debt.

"Senior Brother!" Zhong Shan greeted with a smile.

Zhao Tiansha frowned slightly, his expression strange. Ling\'er might not know, but surely Zhong Shan knew he had been expelled from the Kaiyang Sect?

At that moment, another group of thirty people flew in from the distance.

Leading them was Nie Kuang, the Carefree Marquis! Behind him were twenty-nine supreme experts, the same emperor-level experts they had encountered during the Great Jin Dynasty.

"Ling\'er!" The Carefree Marquis landed and immediately flashed a sinister smile.

Ling\'er\'s face showed disgust, and she ignored him.

"Ling\'er, I know you don\'t have a good impression of me, but those are just rumors! You wouldn\'t believe such slander, would you?" The Carefree Marquis pleaded, looking innocent.

Ling\'er continued to ignore him.

Zhong Shan glanced at the Carefree Marquis and said, "Carefree Marquis, it\'s been a while."

The Carefree Marquis\'s expression tightened upon seeing Zhong Shan, his eyes showing a hint of fear. After all, no one had ever dared to bully him since he was young—no one except Zhong Shan, who had beaten him twice. The psychological shadow was indelible.

"Hmm!" The Carefree Marquis responded deeply.

Hmph! So Ling\'er is your wife? I\'ll win her over and repay you a hundredfold, a thousandfold for everything you did to me. I\'ll make sure you and her can neither live nor die in peace!

Zhong Shan, Zhao Tiansha, and the Carefree Marquis—three out of four suitors had arrived. Only one was left.

As everyone wondered, a small black dot rapidly approached from the distance.

There were only two people. One was the Marquis of Soaring Flight.

Seeing the other person, Zhong Shan felt his mind go blank. The Marquis of Soaring Flight was too audacious!

In the Marquis\'s arms was a woman.

No, a girl—his daughter, Bing Bing.

The Marquis of Soaring Flight brought his daughter to pursue Ling\'er?

"Dad, is it here?" Bing Bing asked excitedly.

"Yes," the Marquis nodded, showing a wry smile. Clearly, he spoiled his daughter too much.

Soon, the Marquis of Soaring Flight landed in front of the four.

"Greetings, Princess Ling\'er! Greetings, Princess Qingqing!" the Marquis of Soaring Flight said upon landing.

"Marquis, this is...?" Princess Qingqing asked curiously.

"He\'s my dad!" Bing Bing answered cheerfully.

Dad? Everyone was stunned. The Marquis of Soaring Flight truly dared to do anything!

"Tsk tsk, the Marquis of Soaring Flight really has some nerve. Pursuing Ling\'er and bringing his daughter along?" the Carefree Marquis mocked.

"Yes, so what?" The Marquis of Soaring Flight replied disdainfully to the Carefree Marquis.