Once, the Demon Spirit Wood, Mu Ping'an, left a branch hairpin for Shen Youling. He then destroyed the dical Immortal Sect before entering a deep slumber within the prival forest.
While Mu Ping'an slept, a mysterious entity called out to him ceaselessly. Now, within Shen Youling's dream, that very sa voice was calling to her. The voice originated from the hairpin, which had shattered into a stream of light and rged with her mind. It was so warm and kind, like a mother's, making it easy for Shen Youling to trust it and lose herself in its call.
Yet another voice, one that sounded exactly like her own, would always erge at crucial monts, making her feel alert and vigilant. No matter how she listened, her own voice felt safer and far more trustworthy. She wanted to walk in the opposite direction, to get as far away from the mysterious entity as possible, but the ferocious beasts and monsters chasing her only grew in number.
Shen Youling grew frantic. They're deliberately herding toward the direction of that call! This must be a trap! What should I do? What should I do?
Should she stop and let the beasts tear her apart? No! I'll definitely die! That was her instinct. So, she could only run, continuing to flee without end.
Initially, the mysterious entity had only been gently coaxing her, applying pressure bit by bit. But when Lin Tang's Divine Sense invaded the dream, it panicked. The illusory beasts it conjured grew larger and uglier, terrifying Shen Youling to the verge of collapse. Simultaneously, a deep, pitch-black cave materialized before her, generating a powerful suction force that tried to pull her in.
"HMPH!"
At the critical mont, Lin Tang's consciousness took the form of a dragon, viciously tearing all the monsters to shreds before colliding thunderously with the cave. In the next instant, the dragon's shadow carried Shen Youling and soared away into the sky.
On the ground below, the cave spread open in all directions, forming an ever-widening chasm that resembled a gaping maw, roaring in pursuit. But just as it was about to snap shut, Lin Tang and Shen Youling slipped through the teeth and escaped.
Ultimately, the entity could only fade away, seething with unwillingness. The forest vanished along with it. The void of black, white, and gray grew hazier and more unstable, becoming more like a proper dream.
"Where am I?" Shen Youling was bewildered, having completely forgotten everything that had just happened. She couldn't even recall the voice that had warned her not to go.
"You are sleeping. You are dreaming," Lin Tang's voice echoed softly.
"Dreaming?!" Startled, Shen Youling turned to look and found herself being held in Lin Tang's arms. Realization dawned on her.
The next mont, the dream shattered completely.
WHOOSH—
Her eyes snapped open in the real world, and the first thing she saw was Lin Tang's face, re inches away.
"You... you took advantage of while I was sleeping? What kind of perverted hobby is this?" Shen Youling didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Just as Lin Tang was about to speak, Mo Pinglan's angry voice rang out from beyond the door. "Lin Tang is in the middle of sothing very important, you can't go in! Didn't you hear ? How can you do this?!"
Imdiately after, the door was shoved open with force.
Before it opened, however, Martial Saint Number Seven had already vanished out the window—on a secret command from Lin Tang, of course.
"Uh, so this is your so-called 'important matter'?" Yan Qinghe strode in, accompanied by several people. When he saw Lin Tang and Shen Youling lying together in an embrace, he was exasperatedly amused.
"Lin Tang, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you!" Yan Qinghe grumbled, full of resentnt. For a man of his status to wait here for Lin Tang, only to be nearly wiped out by Long Tianji in the process—how could he not be furious?
Another man with him was even more impatient. He casually tossed the struggling Mo Pinglan aside and opened with a stern warning, "Lin Tang, I'm asking you, are you really Lin Tianyang? If you're an imposter, the consequences will be severe."
His na was Tong Xinwei, and he was ranked in the top three among the masters of the Central Guard. He had originally been summoned by Yan Qinghe for protection. While he was no match for Long Tianji, he still offered a far greater sense of security than any ordinary bodyguard. Upon arrival, he learned that Lin Tang might be Lin Tianyang and had been restless ever since.
Having woken Shen Youling up by a stroke of luck, Lin Tang was in a good mood and didn't want to kill anyone in front of her. As he got out of bed, he stated coldly, "First, my wife and I were sleeping. For a bunch of shaless old n to barge in like this is incredibly rude. Second, whether I'm Lin Tianyang or not is none of your business."
Tong Xinwei's face darkened. "I see you haven't grasped the situation. Forget it, let's skip the chatter. We'll just arrest you and run a blood test!"
He was about to make his move when Lin Tang's eyes narrowed. Even if he didn't want to kill, he wouldn't mind teaching a lesson to soone who kept pushing their luck...
"Xinwei!" Yan Qinghe shouted, stopping him. If Lin Tang wasn't Lin Tianyang, they could deal with him however they wanted. But if he was, they were still counting on him to obediently reveal the Lin Family's great secret. Why start things off with such a tense confrontation?
"Lin Tang, don't get agitated. Get yourselves decent, and we'll wait outside for you," he said, pulling Tong Xinwei and the others out.
Lin Tang hopped off the bed. Shen Youling wanted to follow, intensely curious about his true identity, but a wave of dizziness washed over her. Unable to support herself, she could only say, "I need to sleep a bit longer..."
"Okay, you get so rest." Lin Tang touched her forehead, confirming that she was fine.
Shen Youling was slightly taken aback by his gentle touch. Soon, her eyelids grew heavy, and she fell asleep in an instant.
In her dreams, she heard her own voice again. "You must not reveal my existence to anyone, including that damned husband of yours..."
What? Who... who are you? Am I schizophrenic? Why did 'she' call Lin Tang 'damned'? She sounded like she despises him... Could it be that I subconsciously hate Lin Tang? That can't be right!
Her mind was in turmoil. She continued to probe for answers, but the voice was like a broken record, only repeating its one instruction: do not reveal her existence to anyone. There was no other response.
「Outside.」
Lin Tang asked Mo Pinglan to leave. Mo Pinglan had wanted to stay and listen, so she looked quite disappointed as she obediently left. Yan Qinghe also dismissed his other bodyguards, keeping only Tong Xinwei by his side.
"Lin Tang, whether you are Lin Tianyang or not, I need to draw so of your blood. I hope you will cooperate," Yan Qinghe said with a smile, but his tone left no room for argunt.
Lin Tang, naturally, was not about to be pushed around. With his arms crossed, he retorted, "And why should I cooperate?"
"Heh, you really are an arrogant one. But since you are a citizen of Central Earth, isn't cooperation your duty?" Yan Qinghe said, exasperated but trying to remain patient. "Don't be so resistant; this is a matter of great importance. If we can confirm your identity, it will only benefit you... You may not know this, but you're in an extrely dangerous situation! Only by cooperating can we better protect you."
"Oh?" Lin Tang said, unconvinced.
"Be serious! What kind of attitude is that!" Tong Xinwei snapped coldly. "Do you really think we have ti to waste on you? Let tell you, anyone with a connection to Lin Tianyang is at risk of being killed anywhere in the world! Only we, the governnt, can protect you!"
"Why are you yelling so loud?!" Lin Tang rolled his eyes. "Can't I just choose to die on my own terms?"
"You—" Tong Xinwei looked like he wanted to slap him.
Yan Qinghe's head throbbed. He waved Tong Xinwei back again before turning to Lin Tang with a placating smile. "We're truly not joking. The recent attack on your wife, Shen Youling, was orchestrated by a foreign power. Before that, she and Gan Leixin's daughter, Gan Nianyun, also faced a dangerous situation..."
He explained the specifics one by one.
Lin Tang's eyebrows twitched. So, Gan Nianyun was the one who first exposed my identity? She even put a bounty on and said she wanted crippled? Good. Very good! And it all happened right after Gan Leixin turned on . Then, a strange shadow appeared and nearly killed Shen Youling... That shadow might very well be connected to Gan Leixin! A flash of murderous intent crossed his mind.
"...So, even if you aren't afraid of death, you have to consider your wife, her family, and everyone else connected to you," Yan Qinghe concluded, his expression earnest, as if he only had Lin Tang's best interests at heart.
"Fine, fine. Forget the blood test. Here are a few strands of my hair. Now you can leave." Lin Tang plucked a few hairs from his head and shoved them at the man.
Yan Qinghe imdiately had soone rush them off for testing. Under expedited circumstances, the results ca back quickly. Compared with Lin Jianyi's DNA, Lin Tang's identity was confird with one hundred percent certainty.
"Tianyang, my boy, where have you been for five whole years! Why didn't you co to us sooner?" Yan Qinghe imdiately shared the news with the other elders, then turned to Lin Tang, pulling him close with a grandfatherly affection.
Tong Xinwei was also filled with emotion. "I've been looking for you for so long. I'm relieved to see you're still alive." He even apologized, explaining that he'd once received a favor from the Lin Family and had always intended to repay the debt. He said his poor attitude earlier was because he had personally uncovered several impostors over the years and had grown to despise them.
Tong Xinwei thumped his chest righteously. "Child, rest assured! Anyone who dares to harm you will have to step over my dead body first!"
Yan Qinghe then added, "Tianyang, to ensure your safety, we'll have to inconvenience you a bit..."
He had decided to have Lin Tang arrested, held accountable, and sentenced. The official reason would be that Lin Tang was a fraud who had not only deceived the renowned entrepreneur Gan Leixin but had also attempted to deceive the governnt. Yan Qinghe would fabricate a fake DNA report "proving" that Lin Tang had absolutely no connection to Lin Tianyang.
Lin Tang was speechless at first, but after a mont's thought, he agreed. He had never planned to reveal his identity anyway, precisely to avoid endangering Shen Youling. If not for the unfortunate encounter with Qiu Yuxian and Gan Leixin, she never would have been in this danger.
And so, it was settled. When Shen Youling woke up again, she was t with shocking news.
"What? Lin Tang was arrested? Because a DNA test proved he was impersonating Lin Tianyang? Then... what do we do now?" she asked, extrely anxious.
Mo Pinglan comforted her, "Brother Lin said before he left that it's not a big issue and told you not to worry. He probably won't be locked up for more than a few days."
There was one thing she didn't say: with Lin Tang's incredible abilities, who could truly keep him imprisoned? He was likely just playing along with them.
However, Shen Youling was still sick with worry. Sigh. I hope he can regain his freedom soon. He was desperate back then, about to be forced to donate his cornea. He had no choice but to impersonate soone else.
She turned on her parents. "Dad, Mom, this is all your fault! Why did you sign that donation agreent! You've ruined Lin Tang!"
Under Yan Qinghe's covert machinations, the news that Lin Tang was a grand fraudster who had even faked being Lin Tianyang soon spread across the globe. Anyone paying attention to the matter could easily obtain the intelligence.
When Gan Leixin and Qiu Yuxian heard it, they scoffed, imdiately seeing it for the diversion it was. However, those less familiar with the Lin Family's situation were skeptical. After all, there had been other cases of people impersonating Lin Tianyang in recent years; Lin Tang wasn't the first.
"Words are wind, but seeing is believing!"
"Capturing Lin Tang himself would be best. If not, we must get his hair or blood to run our own tests!"
"Search! Keep searching! We have to find out where Lin Tang is being held!"
"What? Yan Qinghe was so enraged he decided to punish him severely? He sent him to Central Earth's most terrifying Ten Directions Absolute Prison?!"
"Gods... That's the prison reserved for the most vicious, irredeemable super-criminals who, for various reasons, are spared execution! Not a single inmate sent there has ever seen the light of day again!"
"Is that really necessary for just impersonating Lin Tianyang?"
"This Lin Tang... he's finished!"
When Shen Youling and Shen Qiushi learned that Lin Tang had been sent to the Ten Directions Absolute Prison, Shen Qiushi fainted on the spot. Shen Youling's face turned deathly pale, and she swayed as if she might collapse at any mont.
"Mo Pinglan," she cried, "didn't you say it wasn't a big deal?"
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