139 Surprise (2/2)
”Hmm?” Ed tilted his head. ”Your son is trying to marry Yuki, right? I never knew she was the granddaughter of the leader of the Purple Origin Sect until recently, but I thought it was common knowledge she was OP Baldy's daughter.”
”Ed...” Huo grabbed him by the shoulders. It looked rather intimidating with the way his body towered above him. ”Are you absolutely sure that Yuki is that bastard's daughter?”
”Yeah...” He nodded. ”Yuki and I met at the Hunter Academy in Steam Work City. Her father, Mr. Sai, taught the students there. Also, she's pretty obsessive about listening to him. You'll almost definitely need his approval for this.”
”FUCK!” Huo cursed aloud. ”How the hell did Chonglin keep this under wraps for so damn long?! I never saw that bastard Tama show up to the sect once whenever I visited!” He began pacing back-and-forth, rubbing his chin while thinking.
”Wait, then whose daughter did you think Yuki was?” Ed curiously questioned.
”I assumed she was Hao Fang's daughter!” He complained. ”They were always together until that brat went to Europe to play around with Sinless as a captain!”
”Ah, I see.” Ed nodded. He had known already that Captain Fang was the son of the sect he was visiting in China. He also knew that Yuki was the granddaughter of a sect leader. As soon as he found out from Tai that the Purple Origin Sect was where he was supposed to go because of the Mortal Dragon Technique, and that Yuki was a member, he had put two and two together. Fang Chonglin, whose name he learned from Huo, was the leader of the Purple Origin Sect. His two sons were Huo Fang, also known as Captain Fang, and Tama Sai, also known as OP Baldy. Lastly was Yuki, who is Mr. Sai's daughter. 'Looks like things are going to get interesting.' He grinned to himself when thinking of Tai trying to get OP Baldy's permission. 'I might as well just sit back and enjoy the drama.' He chuckled to himself.
”Damn.” Huo finally stopped pacing and calmed down. ”It's been a longtime since I've gotten worked up like that, and in front of a junior no less.” He looked to Ed. ”I apologize for my unsightly behavior.”
”Ah, sure. No problem.” He waved his hand. 'Maybe Tai and him are blood related after all... They've certainly got some similar habits.'
”Follow me.” Huo said as he hurried down the tunnel.
Ed quickly followed behind him.
”Whatever Tai prepared won't be enough.” Huo frowned. ”A dowry for the Purple Origin Sect Leader's granddaughter is one thing, but for OP Baldy? It's entirely different! We'll need to double... no, triple the dowry! It'll help show our sincerity and respect. Yes.” He nodded. ”That should work.”
”Is it really that big a deal?” Ed questioned. ”I know he's supposed to be the strongest esper in the world or whatever, but is he really that important? Honestly, he never seemed as strong as the American President to me.”
”Humph.” Huo snorted. ”That's obviously because you've never seen him get serious. Do you know what makes him such a strong cultivator?”
”His control over mana and efficient fighting style?” Ed guessed.
”Wrong! Completely wrong!” He shook his head. ”Plenty of espers have mastered perfect mana control. There may even be one or two freaks out there better at it than Tama. There are two reasons he's so powerful. The first reason is obvious. He holds the most golden faith energy in the entire world by a long shot. In fact, all golden faith energy cultivators on Earth probably barely match him when combined.”
”That much?!” Ed's eyes widened in surprise.
”Of course, that much.” Huo nodded. ”He's basically worshiped as a god in every country on the planet. He's a household name, and people even build shrines of him. The only other person that comes close to him is the Indian Buddha.”
”Like the religion?” Ed questioned, never having heard of the Indian Buddha, though he had heard of just Buddha.
”No.” Huo shook his head. ”The Indian Buddha is a man living in India, within a region that was part of the former country of Nepal before it fell during the apocalypse. He holds the 2nd most golden faith energy in the world, but he doesn't even come close to Tama.”
”Never heard of him.” Ed replied.
”Exactly.” Huo nodded. ”That goes to show just how famous and worshiped Tama is. But that pales in comparison to the 2nd reason Tama's the strongest.”
”Which is?” Ed curiously questioned. He and OP Baldy weren't exactly on the best terms, and even Nexus had failed to provide him with any decent information on the man. It was in his best interest to learn as much as possible.
”That...” Huo hesitated. ”Forget it. It's not my secret to tell.”
'Damn.' Ed sighed to himself.
Soon, the two left the tunnels by using flames to fly through the same hole Ed had entered from. They appeared in the small office with the same lady working behind the desk as the previous time.
Surprisingly, Tai was there waiting for them. ”Father.” He said respectfully. ”I have prepared the dowry and was just about to go get you. Are you ready?” He smiled.
”Put that plan on hold for a few days.” Huo frowned. ”We need to prepare more. Yuki is OP Baldy's daughter.”
”What?!” Tai replied in shock. ”Are you sure?”
”Your friend was the one who told me.” He nodded. ”But just to be safe, I should contact Nexus. Fortunately, they gave me a way to contact them whenever I want. In the meantime, you focus on increasing the dowry.” Huo quickly walked away.
'Eh? The Fire Dragon Sect is working with Nexus?' Ed wondered worriedly.
Tai was speechless for a moment before speaking. ”I'm sorry, Ed. I've got work to do. Can you return to the mansion yourself?” He didn't wait for an answer as he hurriedly left the building.