68 Future rulers. (1/2)
The sun had just barely risen over the headquarters of the Tian clan as Tian Gong slowly made his way towards a certain building. The building he was heading to was a one-story, one room house made out of stone that was a deep gray in color. Once he reached the door to the house, he stopped and took a deep breath, putting a pleasant smile on his face and pushing open the door, speaking out with a cheerful and admiring voice.
”Good morning, Junior Sister Ying. I see that you are already diligently training, truly a role model one should aspire to follow.”
Tian Gong closed the door behind him and took a step to the side, politely standing there and waiting for a response. The inside of the house was far larger than it looked from the outside, a powerful array compressing space inside the building, much like an interspatial ring. Even though it was called a room, it was, in fact, a wide-open plain, tall trees and several stones of varying colors spread around.
Fang Ying was currently clad in a pair of white tight-fitting shirt and pants which were drenched in sweat, causing them to stick to her skin and accentuate her curves. She was in the midst of doing push-ups, a black rock the size of a human head placed on her back. The black rock was a special type of material simply called a Gravity Stone, and it weighed tens of times more than any rock its size. Fang Ying turned towards Tian Gong, the black rock sliding off her back as she moved. Langshen was curled up on the ground at her side, glaring at Tian Gong, but it calmed down as she pat it on the head and spoke up.
”Senior Brother Gong, to what do I owe the pleasure of your unannounced visit?”
Her voice was calm, but it contained a tinge of anger that Tian Gong immediately detected. Very few women liked being seen when they were covered in sweat, their clothing sticking to their skin. Tian Gong stealthily swept his eyes over Fang Ying's body, swallowing a bit of saliva as he quickly responded.
”What else but Elder Brother Zeng? The people we sent to the Cloud Wilderness have returned, so Elder Brother Zeng is having a meeting with some of the people from the clans and sects to discuss the results. He would like to extend an invitation to you, hoping that you would grace them with your delightful presence. What do...”
Before Tian Gong was able to finish his sentence, the door to the building was flung open once again, an adorable 10-year-old brown-haired girl clad in a light pink robe running in, waving a piece of paper as she called out in an excited voice.
”Big Sis! Another letter has arrived for you!”
Tian Gong was standing very close to the door, so in her excitement, the girl could not avoid bumping into him and interrupting his sentence. Tian Gong glanced at the girl, his eyebrows scrunched up slightly as he acted on instinct, slapping out with his hand and scolding the girl.
”Do not interrupt me.”
The girl was a bastard, a child born between someone from the Tian clan and an outsider. If she had good talent, that would not matter, she would be considered a true Tian clan member. But her talent was only ordinary, so she was lower than even the weakest Tian clan member. If it was anywhere else, no one would pay any mind to his slap, considering it completely normal. But Tian Gong had completely forgotten exactly where he was. Before his slap managed to hit the girl, Xuegang, his arm stopped mid-air. The veins on his arm protruded, wriggling like snakes as his arm was forced back, the calm voice of Fang Ying sounding out.
”Elder Brother Gong, I do believe you should already know how I feel about violence against my aides?”
Tian Gong's entire face paled, pain flooding his arm as it refused to listen to his orders, his own blood revolting against him. He turned his head back to Fang Ying, whose calm gaze seemed to drill into his very soul. He quickly swallowed some saliva, giving her a deep bow.
”Please...Please forgive me... It was a mere moment of forgetfulness.”
Only when his arm had returned to hanging at his side did he regain control over it, stealthily heaving a sigh of relief. When he regained control over his arm, he suddenly noticed a slight burning pain on his throat, a thin red line having appeared on it without him noticing it. His eyes landed on Langshen, who was still glaring at him with narrowed eyes. He once again swallowed a deep breath, his gaze returning to Fang Ying as she spoke up.
”Please do not repeat it in the future. You can tell Senior Brother Zheng that I will certainly accept his invitation, but first I must take a shower.”
Fang Ying waved her hand, showing Tian Gong that it was time for him to leave. He quickly gave her a bow and thanked her, hurrying out of the building, leaving only Fang Ying and Xuegang. Fang Ying quickly stood up, bringing out a towel from her interspatial ring and wiping her sweat as she moved towards Xue Gang.
”Little Xue, you said that a new letter arrived?”
Fang Ying's voice was filled with joy as she questioned because she knew that Xuegang would only be this rushed to bring her the letter if it came from the sender she had told Xuegang about. Just like she thought, Xuegang quickly nodded her small head, handing Fang Ying the small piece of paper.
”Yes, we received it from the Royal Dragon Pavilion not too long ago. The letter was signed with the same name as the previous one, so I did as you said and got it to you as quickly as possible!”
Fang Ying grabbed the paper, which seemed to only contain two short lines of text. She put on a sweet smile, patting Xuegang on the head and ruffling her hair.
”I see, thank you.”
Xuegang rubbed her head against Fang Ying's hand, letting out a cute giggle as she enjoyed the sensation. When she got assigned as Fang Ying's aide, she had resigned herself to spending her life as a Tian clan slave, but Fang Ying had always been good to her, treating her like a friend.
Fang Ying quickly read the letter, which indeed only contained two short lines of text. 'You won't believe the surprise I have for you, Li Yang.' After reading the very short message, she could not help but let out a cute snort, puffing out her cheeks slightly.
”Trying to surprise me, so you won't say where you are? Just you wait and see how I am going to bully you once we finally do meet up again, don't think that it will end like it used to.”
Fang Ying grumbled slightly, as she had hoped Li Yang would at least tell her where he was so that they could meet up ahead of time. But she also knew that while he usually didn't act like it, he still had his own pride as a man. If he was too weak, he would not meet up with Fang Ying, as he would only be a burden on her. Seeing Fang Ying mumbling like this, Xuegang could not help but speak out in a slightly uncertain voice.
”Big Sis...”
Fang Ying quickly stopped her mumbling, her face blooming into a smile as she grabbed Xuegang's small hand, dragging her along as she left the building.
”It's nothing to worry about. Come, Little Xue, help me take a shower before meeting Senior Brother Zheng.”
Fang Ying returned to her own home and took a quick shower, changing into a delicate and exquisite robe that was light green in color. She had Xuegang braid her hair into a neat braided ponytail, and then brought along Langshen and headed towards the place where she was to meet with Tian Zheng.
The place where she was going to meet Tian Zheng was one of the nine spires that surrounded the headquarters, the tower known as the Ascended Jade Tower. The tower was constructed entirely out of white jade that automatically absorbed the Qi from the sky, using it as fertilizer for the rare plants that served as decorations inside the tower.
When she arrived outside the tower, Tian Zheng was already standing outside the door that was engraved with the emblem of the Tian clan, a tall mountain that pierced a lone cloud. Tian Zheng looked like a youth in his twenties, but he was already over 200 years old, his high cultivation having preserved his youth.
He had silky hair that was emerald green in color, it was tied into a neat ponytail that stretched out behind him, swaying in the wind. He had skin as smooth as a woman's, and light brown eyes that contained a warm light. His nose was a bit short, emphasizing his delicate features. He was clad in an emerald robe, his face blooming into a bright smile when he spotted Fang Ying.
”Junior Sister Ying! It is wonderful that you have decided to grace us with your presence!”
He bent his body slightly, trying to grab onto her hand so that he could give it a kiss, but Fang Ying pulled it back slightly just before he could get a hold of it. He quickly straightened up his back, acting like nothing as he pushed open the door and speaking casually.
”I heard that you have received a letter today. Is it perhaps from someone I know?”
Tian Zheng was the future patriarch of the Tian clan, so he had no shortage of loyal subordinates that constantly fed him information. The moment Fang Ying, one of the women he had settled on as one of his future wives, received a letter from an unknown sender, he was immediately informed. Fang Ying stepped into the tower, letting out a light laughter and giving a slight shake of her head.
”Senior Brother Zheng, are you trying to pry into the privacy of a fair maiden?”
She had no interest in telling Tian Zheng about Li Yang, nor did she have a reason to, so she simply refused to answer. Tian Zheng followed her into the tower, letting out a calm chuckle as he waved his hand in an unconcerned manner.
”Forgive my rude words, it was simply a moment of curiosity. Sister Liuxian, Brother Hanying, Brother Peng, Sister Xiuying and Brother Xieren have already arrived, they are waiting for us inside. Sister Qing and Brother Zemin will also arrive shortly, but I am uncertain whether or not Sister Jingyi and Brother Yunshi will join us. But you know how those two are, so please don't hold it against them.”
The inside of the tower that they stepped into was filled with colorful plants and flowers, each one releasing a sweet and calming fragrance, Qi radiating from them and showing how valuable they were. This was only the first room in the tower, the waiting room, so the only pieces of furniture were two crystal tables and four silk couches.
Fang Ying could not help but be slightly surprised after hearing all the names that Tian Zheng listed, as each of the listed people was the future leader of their respective clan or sect. It was exceedingly rare for all of them to gather together. The two walked towards the door that was located at the other end of the room, Langshen calmly following at Fang Ying's side as she let out a casual laugh.
”Of course not, they are certainly very busy with their respective sects.”
Fang Ying did not really have any interest in the meeting that was taking place here, or in Tian Zheng for that matter. But the Tian clan had adopted her before she had regained all her memories, so she had already been living here for quite a while already. Because of that, she had to at least humor Tian Zheng slightly and pretend that she was interested.
The two passed through the door, entering the room where meetings were supposed to take place. The room was surprisingly simple, a long jade table placed at the center of the room, carved crystal chairs surrounding the table.There were multicolored lotuses lined up against the walls, filling the room with their intoxicating fragrance.
The jade table was covered with various tables filled with food as well as several porcelain kettles filled with fragrant tea. Sitting around the table were five youths, three men and two women. When Tian Zheng and Fang Ying entered the room, the five youths stood up and cupped their fists in greeting, one of the men speaking out in a loud voice.
”Fairy Ying, Brother Zheng said that you would delight us with your presence, but I assumed him to merely be boasting!”
The man who spoke was Yuan Peng, the future patriarch of the Yuan clan. He had a bald head that was polished until it shone, a tattoo of a crimson eagle covering the left side of his face. He was a bit short, but his body was very rugged and burly, rippling with muscles. Unlike normal people, his eyes were two different colors, his left blue, and his right crimson. Fang Ying cupped her hands in greeting, taking a seat at the table.
”Greetings Elder Brother Peng. Please do not mind me, I will do my best to not disturb your pleasant mood.”
A light laughter sounded out after she spoke up, another one of the men speaking out as he chuckled.
”Nonsense, how could you possibly disturb our mood, you even serve to raise it!”