Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Wutian got Shishi to stand behind him. His face was bitter, and the Essence energy in his Sea of Qi billowed. He was sure he could certainly defeat this woman, despite knowing that she was at the Reborn Alpha stage in her cultivation.
“So what if I am? You better comply, or else, things are going to end up messy for you.” The woman was unfazed and calm.
As they were in the open grassland with nothing in the surroundings, there was an unobstructed field of vision. So the tussle quickly attracted attention. Curious rubberneckers started to gather.
“She is Zhao Qing, the second young lady of the Zhao family of this town. I heard that she is arrogant and overbearing, riding on the strength of her family to become a bully. Now that she is laying her eyes on the Flying Fox. If they still insist not to sell it to her, they might end up losing everything.”
“To be honest, this young lady of the Zhao family is nasty. She has been bullying the people in this town. Now she even targets such an adorable little girl. This is shameful.”
The whisper of the passersby had drifted into Zhao Qing’s ear. Her face turned bitter, and she shot them a glare. Those passersby quickly shut up and left the scene in a hurry.
The Zhao family was the overlord of Ironstone, controlling half of the resources here. They could not afford to offend the family. Otherwise, they would be harassed and their lives would be made difficult when they came to do business here.
Wutian carefully listened and learned that the head of the Zhao family was an elder of the Yan Clan, which was a surprise. He did not expect to embitter somebody who looked much like Linshan.
There were tens of thousands of disciples in a major clan. Adding to the number were the many figures such as the elders. Their expenses were high. Especially those genius disciples; they consumed several times the resources of what the others did. So the clan would usually dispatch some capable disciples, putting them in charge of the secular affair to earn money and resources for the clan.
In fact, these people had relatively low attainment in cultivation and were not that talented. So it was a waste of resources for these people to continue cultivating. But one thing was beyond reproach; they were loyal to the clan. Otherwise, the clan would not have put them in charge of money matters.
Such a tyrant was nasty.
Zhao Qing fiddled with the strand of hair in front of her chest. “It looks like you are here for the test. I tell you what, you hand over the Flying Fox and you will still get three Essence cores. Besides, I will recommend you to my father and your joining of Yan Clan will be guaranteed.”
“Stop it, Qing!”
Right then, a forceful voice was heard coming from afar. A hideous monster beast was running toward them. This beast looked like a tiger, standing at one meter tall and two-meter long, its body dark-brown.
It was a Thundergale Panther. This creature was agile, its limbs muscular and strong. The earth would shake and rumble and dust rising when it ran. Riding on its back was a young man. He was dressed in black, almost seven-feet tall, long hair and cold-looking.
He was Zhao Kuang, the young master of the Zhao family. Upon hearing that his trouble-making sister was raising a ruckus at the town entrance, he came to stop her. Onlookers knew who this young man was and cleared out a path for him.
With the flip of his body, the young man came down. “Don’t be rude, Qing!” he chided.
“Why are you here, my brother?” Zhao Qing bowed her head, not wanting to have eye contact. She was fearful of this young man.
“Had I not come, you would have gotten into trouble again. Father is already up to his neck preparing for the test next month. You not only help nothing but also create trouble everywhere. If Father knows this, you wouldn’t be allowed to step out of the house.
“Don’t tell Father, please. Apart from practicing cultivation, there is still cultivation at home. I am already bored to death.”
“The entire town has known what happens, yet you still expect Father not to know? Get ready for punishment.” Zhao Kuang then looked at Wutian and cupped his fists. “I am sorry, young man. Please forgive my sister if she has done anything that wrongs you.”
“We are leaving now, Shishi.” Wutian ignored him, bringing Shishi to leave.
“Wait a second, young man.”
“Is there anything else?” Wutian furrowed his brow with displeasure.
“Don’t get me wrong. I come in peace. I think you should already know that the Yan Clan will hold a test one month from now. Many people have arrived in the town for the past few days. All the inns are full. I am afraid that you would have to stay on the street now. Why not come to my house? Treat it as reparations for my sister’s misbehavior,” said Zhao Kuang.
“That won’t be necessary,” replied Wutian coldly before he brought Shishi into the town.
“What a rude bugger!” Zhao Qing puckered his lips, curled her hands around Zhao Qing’s arm, and used her puppy dog eyes on him. “My dear brother, that little fox is so cute. Could you please buy it for me? I really like it!”
“Don’t forget what Father says. There are all kinds of people coming to the town these few days. Among them are kids of major families and terrible people. You had better be careful lest bring trouble to yourself.”
“There were just kids there. What’s the big deal?” Zhao Qing mumbled.
Zhao Kuang shook his head, knowing that his sister was still too inexperienced, naïve, and arrogant. “Don’t underestimate these two people, Qing. I saw from the lookout tower that they were arriving on the back of the Thunderbolt Eagle. Besides, that little girl has a Flying Fox as a pet, meaning she is probably a rare Light Being. This is of great importance. We have got to inform Father.”
He then brought Zhao Qing leaping onto the back of the Thundergale Panther and left in a whirlwind.
“Things are lively here, Wutian.”
The sound of the hustle and bustle of the streets came to ear the moment they stepped into the town. Ahead of them was a ten-mile-long street, filled with a constant stream of people and traffic.
Shops selling all kinds of merchandise lined the streets.
“These things are beautiful. Can I have a look, Mister?”
Shishi looked around and touched the items like a cute little white angel. The vendors adored her, and some even gave her accessories as gifts.
“Thank you, mister!” Shishi was a sweet talker. Those vendors were all smiles as they all liked her.
It was Wutian’s first time coming to such a large town, too. His eyes darted around as shopkeepers screamed offers at the top of their voices, and customers desperately tried to bargain for the best possible prices. This was a bustling place.
“You hungry, Shishi? Let me bring you to have something to eat.”
He brought Shishi and found a restaurant. It was crowded inside. Men and women were discussing the Yan Clan in low voices. By the looks of them, they were coming for the test.
Wutian booked a private dining room and ordered a lot of dishes. Little Tian was drooling at seeing the food, gobbling them up at once. Without restraint, Yi competed with Little Tian and polished off all the food. Its black pearl-like eyes gleamed, apparently liking it very much.
“The food here is so good, Wutian.” Shishi dug into the rich food with ravenous hunger, getting oil stains all over her face. She was snappy and cute.
The two little creatures had a massive appetite. The restaurant had a hard time keeping up serving the food. It was not until they finished five whole pig roasts and four grilled whole lambs they stopped. But they were still hungry for more. The waiters looked on with their jaws dropping to the floor.
Wutian wanted to stay for the night there, but the staff told him that there was no room left. Having no choice, he left with Shishi and looked for accommodation. The test of the Yan Clan was still over a month away. They could not possibly sleep in the street. Not that he minded. But Shishi looked ethereally fragile. He could not bring himself to let her endure this hardship.
The sun went down, and it was night.
Wutian had gone to all the inns in the town, and none of them had a room for them. Even homestays were not available. Someone suggested that they put up a tent at the town entrance. Otherwise, there would be even more people coming in the following days.
“Can we have some more fun here, Wutian? The night scene here is so beautiful!” Shishi had been having fun the entire day. She still had not enough and was not willing to leave.
Wutian could not help but laugh. He could not feel his legs anymore after walking the entire day. But this little girl was still so enthusiastic, not feeling exhausted at all.
“It’s late now. I’m exhausted. We can come back the next time.”
He tactfully said no, bringing her back to the town entrance. It was crowded as people had put up their tents with light shining through from within and illuminated the place, turning the night into day.
“I have been waiting for you, young man.”
Right then, a young man scurried up to him. This man was tall and attractive with a smile on his face. But the smile was unnatural, which showed that he was used to being serious and unsmiling.
It was none other than Zhao Kuang. He had gone home and reported what he found to his father. Just like what he had expected, his father was surprised, asking him to bring those two persons back and make them their guests.
Looking for someone in a town as large as Ironstone was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. So he waited here.
“It’s you. What can I do for you?” After the morning’s incident, Wutian did not look friendly.
Zhao Kuang cupped his fists in a greeting. “My name is Zhao Kuang. Nice to meet you.”
“If there is nothing else, please don’t disturb us anymore.”
“Looks like what my sister did in the morning had really pissed you off. She did not mean it. She was just attracted to the Flying Fox. Father has punished her, sending her to reflect on her mistake in isolation. Here, I genuinely invite you two to be our guests,” Zhao Kuang explained.
He continued. “I know that you are a cultivator. Making the earth your bed and heaven your blanket. It is normal for you, but not for this little girl. The night is chilly here. She might not be able to endure it.”
Wutian’s brows were knitted together. He looked at Shishi; there was only a thin layer of clothes on her. She hugged herself with both hands, slightly shivering. But she just smiled at him, basically telling him it was okay, not wanting to put him into a difficult situation.
Seeing this, Wutian made up his mind. “If so, I would have no reason to decline.” He cupped his hands.
“Then please follow me. I already have the rooms ready for you two.”
Not long after, they came in front of a house. The doors at the entrance were made of impressive rosewood. Two lifelike stone lions guarded the entrance, each on one side. There was a plaque above the doors with the character for “Zhao” engraved on it. The calligraphy looked like a dragon, and a phoenix danced together.
“This is our house. You two will be staying at the house in the backyard. Follow me.”
Stepping through the entrance, Zhao Kuang brought them to come to a lake where pairs of mandarin ducks were swimming in the crystal-clear water, and dozens of buildings in the surroundings. The place was quiet and beautiful.