204 Discussions always take the wrong turns at the right times 3 (1/2)

”Who is… your Patriarch? And what is this ?”

The young girl's dull reply left the Second Elder of the Shen Family completely flabbergasted, and the woman's eyes widened in disbelief.

The entire bedchamber became submerged within the suffocating tension that emanated from the darkness, devoid of sound save for the hastened breathing of the occupants.

Having been absent from the education of the fundamentals necessary to integrate into the jianghu, An Fei truly lacked any insight regarding the situation's drastic curls and turns.

The young girl palmed her cheek as she gazed at the curtained bed, an oblique thought floating in her mind.

What was this ?

Was it a martial arts technique, similar to the that her lotus petals were derived from?

”Then… why call it , can't she make things much simpler for my ears…”

An Fei grumbled in a barely audible voice as she stretched her limbs, eagerly awaiting the Second Elder's reply.

The little raven perched on her shoulder directed a lazy glance towards the curtained bed, the pair of purple eyes piercing through all illusions to reveal the truth.

”The compass isn't revealing any signs of a seven-tailed fox's blood…”

The woman's low voice rang from within the curtained bed as she murmured to herself, the voice aghast and tinged with shock.

Behind the silken curtains, the Second Elder of the Shen Family groaned in pain as her mind threw a fit at the unexpected error.

”The compass revealed its presence a few weeks ago at this rotten town… but it's no longer functioning as it should… what just happened?” the woman hoarsely scowled to herself, before directing her voice towards the young girl.

”Esteemed Guest, this lowly one of the Shen Family must bequeath a dire request of you.”

”A dire request?” An Fei's eyebrow flinched in response.

”Surely… you aren't asking for a fox's blood from me?”

The young girl's grip on the strap of her leather bag tightened as she stood in silence.

Not long after, An Fei could hear a hasty intake of breath, followed by the rustling of cloth.

”Esteemed Guest, that is exactly the case – the Shen Family must obtain the fox's blood at all costs. However, we will not leave you without compensation, for we are not an unrighteous clan!”

The bedchamber quivered at the agitation within the Second Elder's voice, the darkness encompassing the room releasing a keen cry of expectation and insanity.

At the unexpected rise in aura emanating from the elusive figure on the other side of the curtains, An Fei's lips twitched, prompting her fingers to latch onto and wrap around the slender and cold hilt of the qama.

”I do not fully understand what the Second Elder means by compensation, nor have I yet to understand why this request is being pushed onto my shoulders,” the young girl calmly uttered as her scarlet irises flashed with a tinge of glacial intent.

”The blood of a seven tailed fox – the creature of a legend within the jianghu – why attempt to entrust a task onto my shoulders, when I am not even a practitioner of the mystic path of cultivation?”

”Because the Patriarch's cannot lie unless the opposition is of the Nascent Soul Realm,” the Second Elder pursed her lips in angst.

”The results have divined that at some point of the Esteemed Guest's life, the Esteemed Guest will encounter a seven-tailed fox. Hence, this lowly one's request.”

The Second Elder's voice returned to its respectful state, the tone smooth and flowery as though it had received the baptisms of spring.

”The Shen Family, as of this instance, has numerous enemies; some are equally powerful, whilst others are weaker in overall strength. Of course, our Shen Family is not the only clan that is in possession of a divining technique such as the – hence this lowly one's offer of penance to the Esteemed Guest.”

”Oh, so that's why…” the young girl bobbed her head in a disinterested mood, her right cheek puffed with a tinge of exasperation.

”Trying to get the most delicious slice of a pie before the others, that's not a… hold on. What did you say?”

An Fei's eyes rapidly blinked in confusion, a tinge of befuddlement racing through her irises as her head abruptly snapped towards the Second Elder's direction.

The woman on the other side of the curtains trembled at the sudden, forceful display, her mind nearly shorting from the surprise.

”The Esteemed Guest… is asking for?”

The Second Elder blinked with concern, her mouth drooping into a bewitching pout.

”Can you repeat… what you just said?”