CHAPTER 1590: CHAPTER 1590: A CONVERSATION AMONG THE CLEVER

"Liangzi, I think it’s been too long since you last got a beating, your skin must be itching, huh?"

Zi Ling glared at Cheng Liang, her eyes icy cold. As soon as she finished speaking, she threw a punch at Cheng Liang’s head.

"Ouch..."

Cheng Liang immediately felt the pain and hurriedly covered his head.

"Senior Sister Zi Ling, you’re so unreasonable! You can be all lovey-dovey right in front of me, but I can’t even make a comment?" Cheng Liang looked at Zi Ling, expressing his dissatisfaction.

Hearing this, Zi Ling didn’t bother to argue with him any further and immediately threw another punch toward his forehead.

Cheng Liang saw it coming but had no time to defend himself before the punch landed, causing him to see black and faint on the spot.

Lin Chen witnessed this violent scene from Zi Ling, feeling a surge of fear inside, secretly thinking that he was lucky to have decisively refused Zi Ling back then. Otherwise, if he ever annoyed her in the future, he might get knocked out by her with one punch.

Though Liu Qingxia and Zhao Lingxi sometimes tangled with Lin Chen, they never laid a hand on him, only making things difficult for him with their words. But if Zi Ling were to become his woman, Lin Chen feared he wouldn’t even dare to go home.

"What? Do you have an opinion about what I just did?"

Zi Ling looked at Lin Chen and, seeing his expression, immediately questioned him.

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen was so startled he trembled all over and quickly waved his hand.

"No opinion, how could I possibly have an opinion on Senior Sister Zi Ling’s actions."

"Senior Brother Cheng Liang indeed does need some straightening out, and Senior Sister Zi Ling’s actions were entirely correct."

"If it weren’t for Senior Sister Zi Ling stepping in to teach him a lesson, who knows what kind of trouble he would cause in the future."

Lin Chen looked at Zi Ling and slowly began to speak.

Upon hearing this, Zi Ling finally nodded in satisfaction, then picked up Cheng Liang like a dead dog, left the room, and dumped him in the room next to Lin Chen’s, while she returned to another room next to Lin Chen’s to rest.

Lin Chen only let out a sigh of relief after Zi Ling left.

Zhang Lin took Zhang Caiyun and Zhang Hongying back to the campsite set up by the Zhang Family outside the ruins.

"Brother Tang, that matter earlier, did you plan it all by yourself? The Elder didn’t actually ask us to stay and wait for the other members to return together, did he?"

When Zhang Hongying returned to the campsite, she approached Zhang Lin and asked.

Back in that border town, Zhang Hongying already felt something was amiss. After all, what a coincidence it was that just when Lin Chen and Gu Zixuan were about to sign the Blood Contract, the clan Elder sent a message.

But Zhang Hongying considered Zhang Lin’s face and chose not to expose him on the spot. After all, doing so could strain the relationship between their Zhang family and Lin Chen or even the Yellow Hall, which wouldn’t be good for the Zhang family.

However, just because Zhang Hongying didn’t expose Zhang Lin at the time, it didn’t mean she would let him continue like this. Lin Chen had saved them several times before and even saved Zhang Lin from Yun Xinrui’s clutches; without Lin Chen, Zhang Lin might already be dead.

Zhang Lin looked at Zhang Hongying, knowing that this matter couldn’t be hidden any longer, and nodded to admit it.

"That’s right, I orchestrated this myself; no Elder sent me a message." Zhang Lin admitted.

"Brother, I used to respect you, but I never imagined you were such a person. I’m not a saint, but I do understand the simple principle of repaying kindness. How could we leave Young Master Lin Chen behind in that situation? You’ve really let me down."

Zhang Hongying coldly looked at Zhang Lin, eyes full of disappointment, before turning to leave.

"Sister Hongying, it’s not what you think; let me explain."

Zhang Lin hurried forward, stopping Zhang Hongying. He knew that if he didn’t clarify things today, it would become a thorn stuck in her heart.

"What does Brother want to explain? I’m listening."

Zhang Hongying paused and looked at Zhang Lin, speaking indifferently, curious to see what he had to say.

"Young Master Lin Chen saved my life; if he were in danger, I, Zhang Lin, would go through fire and water without batting an eye."

"But the problem is, Young Master Lin Chen had already noticed that Gu Zixuan and others laid a trap for them and had other intentions. Even so, Young Master Lin Chen chose to jump in, which indicates that he has other plans and intends to turn the trap to his advantage."

"With Young Master Lin Chen’s methods and wisdom, since he chose to enter the trap, he must have the assurance to handle Gu Zixuan and the others, so I didn’t want us to be dragged in, as it might cost us our lives."

"I did not avoid it because I’m afraid of dying; it may, in fact, be good for Young Master Lin Chen if we don’t get in his way."

"Without us in the way, Young Master Lin Chen might be able to act more freely."

"Thus, us voluntarily leaving is beneficial for both us and Young Master Lin Chen."

Zhang Lin looked at Zhang Hongying and earnestly explained.

After hearing Zhang Lin’s explanation, Zhang Hongying’s anger slowly dissipated, and upon thinking it over, it did seem to make sense.

Previously, she had underestimated her senior brother, not expecting him to have such foresight.

"So it turns out Brother thought things through so thoroughly; perhaps I oversimplified the matter."

"I just wonder if Young Master Lin Chen can truly handle Gu Zixuan and the others."

Zhang Hongying looked at Zhang Lin and spoke calmly, Lin Chen’s image flashing in her mind, her heart full of concern.

"Ah, it’s because my talent in martial arts isn’t outstanding, so I had to hide my abilities to protect myself."

Zhang Lin looked at Zhang Hongying and replied helplessly.

Among these aristocratic families, a direct descendant like Zhang Lin, with mediocre talent and not cared for by the family, would die even quicker if he showed too much intelligence.

These principles, Zhang Lin became increasingly aware of after observing Lin Chen.

For someone as exceptionally intelligent as Lin Chen, Zhang Lin naturally wouldn’t hide things. After all, with smart people, Zhang Lin’s petty tricks wouldn’t fool anyone; they would see through them at a glance.

So, it was better to show his true self honestly, which could win goodwill from the other party.

Indeed, just as Zhang Lin expected, Lin Chen had seen through the Zhang Family Elder’s message at a glance.

It was precisely because Lin Chen understood Zhang Lin’s true intentions that when Cheng Liang expressed dissatisfaction with Zhang Lin, Lin Chen explained on his behalf.