14 Dragon and Phoenix 3 (1/2)
”No, it's really fine. I have my own plans for Yao Ling. All you guys have to do is not interfere. I'll take care of her.” Seeing the dazzling smile on Yin Mei's face, the girls all agreed, feeling that that Yao Ling's end wouldn't be too pretty now that Feng Hua and the phoenix clan had set their eyes on her.
The five continued chatting amicably and a few hours later they left one by one as the day grew later. Feng Hua promised to visit Gui Neng later as she saw her off. It was when Yao Lan was about to leave that she stopped her.
”Yao Lan,” Yin Mei said. Feng Hua's voice was very beautiful, the type that would sound like an angel's voice when she sang.
It had a sort of magnetic pull, causing Yao Lan to even feel a little mesmerized as she came to a stop. ”Yes?” She asked, turning around to look at Feng Hua, who had on a faint smile. For some reason, Yao Lan felt that this Feng Hua was a little different from usual, but she couldn't pinpoint why.
”Don't bother helping out the dragon clan. I know that you like Long Aotian, but a person who cheats once will cheat again. It isn't worth losing your head and heart over him. There are plenty better people out there in the world. As for Yao Ling, your clan shouldn't interfere. Our phoenix clan definitely won't let her go.” Feng Hua said, her advice very sincere. She felt bad for Yao Lan, this girl that was constantly nursing this unrequited love of hers.
Yao Lan seemed to blank, looking at Feng Hua as if she was looking at an alien. After all, this was completely out of character for Feng Hua. But, Yin Mei was never a good actor and she didn't even plan on bothering to try and act at Feng Hua, instead just being herself.
”I...” Yao Lan started, but didn't finish before Yin Mei interrupted her.
”A man who isn't able to keep it in his pants is definitely not worth any effort.” She almost choked at how vulgar Feng Hua was, but thinking of Long Aotian together with Yao Ling really did make her feel a little sick. Was he really worth it? But, things like feelings, they really couldn't be controlled. Yin Mei didn't push Yao Lan, just telling her to think on her words before bidding her farewell.
She was just worried that the medicine king wouldn't take kindly toward others disciplining his clan members, but if Yao Lan said something, she didn't have to worry much. As to withdrawing their business deals, among the families, she knew that the ghost king and the demon king were likely to withdraw. This was because the ghost king doted on his daughter excessively, and their families had a very good relationship, with Feng Hua and Gui Neng being especially good friends. As for the demon king, he would withdraw firstly because it would be interesting, secondly because he was the type to hit others when they were down, and thirdly because they had a closer business relationship with the phoenix clan then the dragon clan.
As for the beast king and medicine king, these two that were very concerned with honor and reputation, they probably wouldn't make a move, and may even warn the dragon king. Yin Mei wasn't sure what choice they would make, but she wasn't too worried. After all, this time around Long Aotian was definitely in the wrong, so they would at least give the phoenix clan some face.
But, like Yin Mei thought, just this was not enough to take care of the dragon clan. When the phoenix clan, ghost clan, demon king's clan, and even the medicine king's clan withdrew their business deals with the dragon clan all it once, it certainly caused the dragon king to be flustered. He flew in a rage against his useless son, who, with one move, caused such a disaster.
Yin Mei was pleasantly surprised that the medicine king's clan had actually withdrawn their support. It was clear that they did not like that a branch family member's daughter had gone over their heads to get together with the dragon clan's young prince. The medicine king was afraid that this would damage their relationship with the phoenix clan. Not only that, but with his daughter whispering in his ear, the result was that their family joined the other three clans in withdrawing from business with the dragon clan. As for the beast clan, after all, they were too honorable to also withdraw, and still gave the dragon clan their support. But, they made their disapproval over Long Aotian's actions clear.
”Seeing as it's true love, their relationship shouldn't collapse with just this, right?” Yin Mei murmured as Mei Lan skewered a piece of preserved mandarin orange for Yin Mei, feeding it to her.
It had already been a week or two since the tea party, and Yin Mei was enjoying the spring breeze out in the garden. Aside from perhaps the Jade Emperor's garden, the phoenix clan had the next best garden the upper realm. Phoenixes loved beauty, so they surrounded themselves with beautiful things. From their garden, to their clothes and jewelry, to their servants, it all had to be beautiful.
Currently Yin Mei was alone, save for her personal maidservant, and was taking the time to think. She couldn't leave things just like this, or the dragon clan would eventually recover in give or take a few years. She felt that it was no longer at the level of just throwing rocks at them while they were down, she would need to take a boulder and throw it.
The solution that she came to was one that she seemed to always favor - steal treasures. It seemed that habits die hard, and she could only come back to her old trade, treasure stealing.
But, it wasn't just treasures that were up for stealing. For example, the campaign that allowed Long Aotian to regain his reputation. In the original storyline, Long Aotian's reputation had taken a hit after he had broken the engagement with Feng Hua and insisted on marrying Yao Ling. Although it wasn't as bad as it had been now, and the dragon clan didn't suffer as much in the original storyline either, it was still by a decent amount. In the end, it was only after he had been assigned another campaign by the Jade Emperor and came back with a crushing victory that he regained his former glory.