Amelia slowly opened her eyes and was confused about what Ying Yu was discussing. She asked, “What letter?”
Ying Yu smiled as she handed her the neatly folded letter. Amelia had been working hard to prepare and leave the sect to locate Shi Lang. However, when she looked at the letter, she was shocked. On the front of the letter was a symbol. She could not forget this symbol, the monogram of the federal military.
She smiled and opened the letter. She was surprised but found that the letter was written in one of the most basic codes driven by humans in the lower realms, the Morse code. She was certain who could have sent her this letter. Her heart was filled with warmth as she did not expect him to come looking for her so quickly.
The letter read, ‘Amy, my love. I cannot tell you how much I have missed you by my side in this chaotic world. I am glad you have managed to cross through, and I hope everyone back home is fine, too. I miss Tao and the others. I was worried when you ascended and the communicator broke. Could those useless people not have invented something that could prevent the damage?
I learned about you from an intelligence trading company, Cloud Pavilion. You can reach me through them, but they are costly as fuck. I have reached the Immortal Lord level and am traveling across the central plain to strengthen for the upcoming Centurian tournament. You should be able to come there, given your talent.
There are many things that I wish to say and do, but I cannot. I wish you are well, and if you find this letter and want to tell me something, pass on a reply to the Cloud Pavilion. I will get it from them and use the same code. 𝓞𝒱𝑳𝐞xt.𝕔𝑶𝗆
I love you, yours forever, Lang.’
Amelia did not realize that tears slid down her cheeks as she read the letter. Ying Yu was worried and asked cautiously, “Amelia, are you okay?”
The terran lady raised her head and wiped her tears with the ends of her sleeves. She replied, “Everything is fine, Senior Sister Ying. This letter is from my husband.”
Ying Yu was surprised and relieved at the same time. She asked, “How did he find out about you?”
Amelia smiled and replied, “Cloud Pavilion.”
She had gained a deep understanding of Ying Yu’s nature and knew that this girl was not dishonest. Ying Yu clicked her tongue and said, “Your man knows how to make things work.”
Amelia smiled, stood up to bring up a piece of parchment, and began marking it with code. She folded the page neatly and said, “Senior Sister Ying, can you help me pass this letter to the person who bought it here? He mentioned that I can pass a reply.”
Ying Yu nodded and said doubtfully, “I wonder if the carrier is still outside.”
Amelia nodded, and Ying Yu left with the letter. The former smiled, gazing at the letter from Shi Lang, and then mumbled, “Do not worry. I will make sure that my name resounds in the Centurian Tournament.”
…
Shi Lang did not know what was going on in the outer world. He had just finished organizing the management structure of the Lost Bird Sect. At this moment, he was breaking bread with the two hundred disciples of the sect left. After the crisis and espionage, many people thought the sect was unsafe, so they decided to leave.
Shi Lang did not say anything to them. He did not let Yang Niao stop anyone either. It has been a week since the last person left. Yang Naio asked, “Brother Ace, can you tell me why you did not stop anyone from leaving the sect?”
Shi Lang smiled and nodded. He did not speak immediately, looked at all the people around him for a minute, and said, “All those who stayed behind with the belief that the sect is still the place you can call home and that the people here are your family. Those are the only people you need. As for those with doubt in their hearts, they will not be able to do anything in their lives and drag those around them into the mud, too. That is why I did not stop any of them.”
Yang Niao and the rest of the people were surprised, but they thought and could not help but exchange gazes. Yang Niao was sure that, at this moment, he sensed true warmth from the people’s gazes. Earlier, he and Shi Lang had the people walk through the array to invoke the true nature of everyone.
None of these people had the slightest ill will for each other, and it proved that this group of two hundred people was a real family. One of the disciples stood up from his seat and held the glass of wine high before he said loudly, “Brother Ace, you came and rescued our home from a great danger. You showed us what a real family should be like. I will honor you with this toast.”
Shi Lang did not shy away; he raised his glass high, and the two people chugged down the drink. The terran spotted other people also inching for their glasses, and he said, “Wait! Before you all decide to get drunk, let us finish dealing with an important matter.”
The people stopped and looked at him in confusion. Shi Lang said, “The sect needs to have a leader and a group of elders that can manage the various aspects of the sect. Although we have established a basic management system, it will not be upheld in the long run. A chain of commands is necessary.”
Yang Naio and the few other top disciples nodded in agreement. They have been very busy and found things difficult to deal with without a chain of command. Shi Lang said, “I will say the heads of the departments should take responsibility for the elder’s powers. If any of you wish to be the sect leader, you can stand up, and the sect members will vote for the one they prefer for the position.”
The disciples looked at each other, and they nodded. Yang Niao said, “Let us discuss and devise a proper solution. What do you all think?”
The people expressed their agreement, and Shi Lang did not comment. After all, he was an outsider and had little say in these matters. He sat silently and ate his meal slowly. Yang Niao and the rest of the heads of departments held a discussion. They did not move anywhere else but communicated with spiritual communication.
After half an hour, Yang Niao nodded and asked, “Has everyone heard our proposal?”
The disciples replied in unison, “Yes, Elder Brother.”
Shi Lang was surprised and asked, “What is going on?”
Yang Niao said, “Brother Ace, we all have been watching you and learned a lot from you. Whether it is your strength or wisdom, you are better than us. We have no hope of competing against you, even in the same realm. Thus, all of us have agreed that if you could accept the position of the sect leader, we will be grateful to you, and maybe there will be hope for Lost Bird Sect to grow in strength and leave a mark on the world.”
Shi Lang was shocked into a daze. He did not expect these people to come up with such a proposal. He shook his head and said, “No, this cannot be done.”
Yang Niao smiled and said, “We know that you do not wish to be bound to one place, and believe it, we will not ask you to stay behind. However, we hope you can also lead us to the peak.”
The terran was overwhelmed for the first time in a while. He did not know how to react, and a female disciple said, “Brother Ace, please accept the position of the sect leader and take us along with you.”
That said, she bowed to him. Following her example, all the disciples stood up one by one and bowed to Shi Lang. They all said the same thing and the terran did not know how to react. When he turned to look at Yang Niao, he found that the heads of the department were all bowing to him, too.
Shi Lang stood up and said, “Have you all drunk a bit too much? Do you know what you are asking for? If I accept this position, first of all, I will change this gypsy name of the sect, and then I will drive you all through hell. Let me tell you the truth: I come from the lower realms and am a general in my world’s army. I do not like weakness, and I never let my subordinates be weak, either. You want me to accept this position, right? Fine, I will accept, but you have to swear on heavens that you will listen to my words without any doubt, and if I ask you to stab yourself, you will do it without hesitation. Do you agree? Do you have the resolve to reach the peak?”