192 A Big Shot Under the Mask
The dozen or so black dots were extremely fast, as if they were being chased by someone.
When Lin Ran first saw them, they were still more than ten miles away, but in just a moment, they arrived in front of him. They were the 30 martial artists he had arranged previously.
After recognizing the people, Lin Ran’s expression instantly turned solemn.
Previously, he had instructed these people to set off in groups of five because he was worried that they would be discovered by the Great Yong Dynasty border.
In the end, they came in flocks. Unless the archers at the Great Yong Dynasty border were blind, they could spot them even with their eyes closed!
Lin Ran hurriedly sent out his divine sense in the direction where they came from, but he didn’t find anyone chasing after them.
“Could it be that they’re too fast for the Great Yong Dynasty to catch up?”
Lin Ran was puzzled. At the same time, the dozen or so people in the air saw him and landed.
“Sword God!”
As soon as everyone landed, one of the young men went forward to greet him.
“Xiang Tiancong from the Immortal Cliff Cave?”
Lin Ran asked tentatively. As soon as the other party nodded, he slapped him on the head.
He gritted his teeth and asked, “What did I tell you? I asked you to set off in groups of five at fifteen minutes intervals. Are you afraid that the Great Yong Dynasty can’t notice you so you swarmed over?”
“Sword God, we…”
Xiang Tiancong looked aggrieved, but just as he spoke, someone in the crowd suddenly coughed lightly.
Hearing the cough, Xiang Tiancong’s expression immediately changed. He nodded obediently and admitted his mistake. “Sword God, it’s our fault, but don’t worry. I can guarantee that we are not discovered!”
Lin Ran ignored him and looked at the crowd where the light cough came from. Then, he realized something strange.
These dozen or so people surrounded one person in the middle. No matter from which angle, it was hard to see that person’s figure and appearance.
Lin Ran raised his chin at the crowd and glanced at Xiang Tiancong. “What’s going on?”
Xiang Tiancong pursed his lips and didn’t say anything, but his reaction clearly showed that something was wrong.
Lin Ran couldn’t be bothered to ask him anymore. He walked to the front of the crowd and swept his sharp gaze across everyone’s faces. The dozen or so people looked at each other before silently retreating to the side.
As soon as the people dispersed, the “big shot” in the middle was revealed. It was a skinny young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
Without the cover of others, the young man immediately lowered his head, not daring to look Lin Ran in the eye. Unfortunately, he was still a step slower. When he lowered his head, Lin Ran had already seen his face clearly.
Almost instantly, Lin Ran frowned.
Lin Ran found this young man familiar, but he couldn’t remember exactly who he was.
If he was from one of the larger sects, such as Mount Baiyun or Immortal Cliff Cave, Lin Ran could call him by his name. However, he couldn’t call this young man by his name, which meant that the sect he belonged to was not famous.
How could a small fry from a small sect be protected by so many people?
Lin Ran narrowed his eyes and released a faint pressure. “Who are you?”
The young man did not speak, but his head was lowered even deeper, looking like he was bowing.
Lin Ran was about to interrogate further when his eyes suddenly widened. He noticed a small bulge on the side of the young man’s left earlobe.
If others saw this, they might not think too much of it, but Lin Ran was too familiar with what it was. It was the part where one grabbed to strip off the human skin mask!
Without this small bulge, it was nearly impossible to strip off the human skin mask after wearing it.
Lin Ran’s expression instantly turned ugly because he was suddenly struck by an idea.
Without hesitation, Lin Ran reached out and grabbed the bulge. At the same time, the young man took a step back in shock.
With a soft sound, the human skin was stripped off, and the young man finally revealed his true appearance.
He had sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, fair skin, and cherry lips. Although he looked a little feminine, he also had a heroic aura that ordinary men did not have.
The air instantly froze.
A hint of embarrassment appeared on the empress’s face. After a few seconds, she pretended to be calm and said, “Lord Lin, what a coincidence. You’re also here…”
“Yes, what a coincidence.”
Lin Ran replied expressionlessly. At this moment, he felt that he was about to explode with anger. He twirled the human skin mask in his hand. “Don’t you want to explain?”
“Well…”
The empress was speechless for a moment. Her clear eyes darted to Xiang Tiancong and the others, but no one dared to say anything. They looked up at the sky as if it was none of their business and quietly hid behind the surrounding stone pillars.
Seeing that no one was willing to help, the empress’s eyes darkened. She muttered to herself, “These cowards. How dare they disobey my order!”
“Why are you here?”
Lin Ran said coldly, his gaze piercing. He lowered his voice and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Did I not make myself clear? Or do you not know where this place is and how dangerous this operation is?”
Seeing that Lin Ran didn’t fly into a rage, the empress immediately relaxed a little. She frowned slightly and said, “You didn’t bring me along. I had no choice but to do this…”
At this point, the empress suddenly said seriously, “I was the one who planned this. They were just following the order. I know you’re very angry now, but please don’t blame them.”
“You put yourself in great danger and yet you are still worried about others.”
Lin Ran was so angry that he laughed. After thinking for a moment, he looked at the empress. “The one I saw in the general’s residence was not you, right? You deliberately made that mask very rough so that I would not pay attention to your actual face shape.”
The empress bit her lower lip and did not say anything, but this reaction said it all.
“No wonder the person under the mask kept quiet and spoke very softly. It turns out that he was afraid that I would find out…”
Lin Ran understood this and was speechless.
As the emperor of a country, why didn’t the empress spend her time thinking about how to deal with the Great Yong Dynasty? Why did she have to play tricks with him all day?