Zombie Bodyguard

Chapter 1901 - 1898: Not So Innocent

Zhang Ruyan watched the old man laughing heartily, but inwardly sighed, hoping that after you learn the truth, you will still be able to smile.

"Remember our bet, you owe me a favor. I will go to Siguoya to bring Lin Tian back. You do as you please," Zhang Ruyan said lightly, turning away from the Observatory.

Watching her silver hair sway as she left, Zhang Heyuan also shook his head, letting out a quiet sigh.

Within Siguoya, Lin Tian followed the small path through the gorge. Unable to see the outside from the gorge, he couldn’t determine the specific location of the Zhang Family and could only choose to move upward to exit Siguoya first.

After walking for a while, fog began to rise in the gorge, causing everything around to blur. Lin Tian, with his skills and courage, wasn’t afraid of falling and continued forward.

Suddenly, he heard voices ahead. Lin Tian was thrilled in his heart, having finally encountered someone after being in here for so long. He quickened his pace and, turning a corner, saw the owners of the voices—several young people.

However, upon seeing one of them, Lin Tian frowned. The saying "enemies meet on a narrow road" truly wasn’t wrong. The other person also recognized Lin Tian, and a face that was just full of laughter immediately became stiff.

"Brother Zhicheng, do you know him? He looks unfamiliar, not one of our clan,"

The person in the center was Zhang Zhicheng, Zhang Lingyu’s senior brother—a Demon Exorcist who had an overly high opinion of himself. During the last operation assisting Ning Luoxi, Lin Tian had an unpleasant encounter with him. To Lin Tian, he was an arrogant, petty person, and a little dim-witted.

"Who are you? How did you appear in Siguoya?" another person loudly demanded.

"Look at his hair, all messy, like he’s been struck by lightning, and his clothes are so shabby. He’s definitely not someone proper. Let’s capture him first and talk later," yet another person suggested.

Lin Tian, previously tied by Flower Vine and then struck by lightning, had messy hair, clothes with holes, and looked like he could beg on the streets with a broken bowl.

Of course, nowadays, even beggars are not what they seem. Behind them might be an organized beggar group—it has essentially become a formal profession, even a lucrative one, richer than many.

"He is the Lin Tian I’ve mentioned to you," Zhang Zhicheng said coolly, though the playful sneer in his eyes didn’t escape Lin Tian’s notice.

Trying to rely on your host’s status to take revenge on me? All I can say is, anyone who dares to embarrass themselves is welcomed to try! Lin Tian thought coldly.

And Zhang Zhicheng’s tactic worked; upon hearing it was Lin Tian, the others immediately surrounded him. The mountain path in Siguoya was already narrow, and with them close in, all of Lin Tian’s escape routes were blocked.

"You want to stir up trouble, huh? Hope you’ve made progress during this time, or it’ll be embarrassing." Lin Tian glanced at the people around him, utterly unfazed.

"Embarrassing? Hahaha..." Zhang Zhicheng suddenly laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. Then his laughter stopped, and he arrogantly said, "Do you know on whose land you’re standing? The Zhang Family’s!"

"Do you know what that means? Talk about incomprehensible to a hillbilly like you, a country bumpkin with short sight probably doesn’t even know what a Great Barrier is..." Zhang Zhicheng kept calling Lin Tian a bumpkin, utterly looking down on him.

Scions of great families tend to have this problem, feeling inherently superior. For families with legacies spanning hundreds of years, they indeed have the prerogative, but they are dealing with Lin Tian.

Lin Tian replied coldly, "Are you just trying to say the Zhang Family’s Great Barrier can empower you?"

"You know?" Zhang Zhicheng and the young people were momentarily stunned, though Zhang Zhicheng quickly resumed his proud demeanor: "It’s better you know, so you don’t make a fool of yourself and remain clueless. You embarrassed me last time, got me punished with wall-facing; this time, I’ll let you taste the same shame..."

"Who dares touch Lin Tian!"

Zhang Zhicheng hadn’t even finished speaking when a cold voice rang out. Then, a tall, graceful figure slowly walked out from the mist, with a glimpse of silver-white hair reaching the waist.

"Who..." Zhang Zhicheng was very annoyed, ready to lash out, but when he saw who it was, his expression changed drastically, as did the other young disciples, even looking frightened.

"Pa... pay respects to the Martial Aunt," one disciple could barely speak properly, filled with awe, and quickly paid respects to the newcomer.

"Pay respects to the Martial Aunt..." the others also hurriedly paid respects, including the arrogant Zhang Zhicheng.

The beautiful woman with the long silver-white hair could only be Zhang Ruyan, and no one else. Despite her youth, her rank in cultivation was as high as Zhang Heyuan’s.

Zhang Ruyan’s eyes coldly swept over them, unceremoniously commanding, "Get lost, all of you!"

"Disciple takes leave..." The young people dared not linger and slunk away.

As Zhang Zhicheng passed by Lin Tian, he muttered, "You’re lucky. With Martial Aunt here today, don’t let me catch you next time." After speaking, he completely left, heading down the mountain.

Lin Tian paid no heed to the threat, too lazy even to acknowledge it, instead smiling at Zhang Ruyan: "They seem to be quite scared of you."

"Who isn’t afraid of a mad woman? Especially one stronger than them," Zhang Ruyan said quite frankly.

"You’re really straightforward," Lin Tian chuckled, then recalled the confusion about the maze, and just as he was about to ask something, Zhang Ruyan spoke again.

"You don’t need to say anything. The maze has several exits, and the one you came out leads right to Siguoya," Zhang Ruyan explained.

Lin Tian blinked, curiously asking, "Siguoya? Such a strange name, is it for wall-facing repentance?"

"You guessed it. That Zhang Zhicheng just finished wall-facing and happened to run into you," Zhang Ruyan confirmed Lin Tian’s assumption.

Lin Tian frowned, then asked, "As far as I know, Zhang Zhicheng is an outsider, adopted the Zhang surname for climbing the mountain to cultivate. Why does an outsider become a central figure among core disciples?"

By logic, an outsider would be looked down upon by clan disciples, possibly even bullied, but in Zhang Zhicheng’s case, it seemed reversed, with those disciples evidently taking him as their leader.

"Hmph..." Zhang Ruyan coldly snorted, hatred flashing in her eyes. "The Great Elder is his maternal grandfather, who wouldn’t show him respect among the young disciples?"

"You seem to have a... deep hatred for this Great Elder," Lin Tian noted her unusual expression and speculated.

"The one most diligent in tearing me and Bai apart was the Great Elder. Wouldn’t you hold a grudge?!" Zhang Ruyan replied icily.

"I wouldn’t hate..." Lin Tian said lightly, causing Zhang Ruyan to pause, then he continued: "I wouldn’t hate him; I would just beat him up."

A genuine, rare smile appeared on Zhang Ruyan’s beautiful face: "You and your mouth, how many girls has it fooled? Is Lingyu one of the girls you’ve sweet-talked into your hands?"

"Wow, Miss Ruyan, that’s a serious accusation! Lingyu and I have a pure relationship," Lin Tian protested.

"Then, do you want this relationship to remain so pure?" Zhang Ruyan glanced at Lin Tian, with a slight smile at the corner of her mouth.