There was a training room in the hall. Sitting in a cross-legged position on the ground was an elderly man who appeared to be seventy to eighty years old. However, his stature was very tall and st.u.r.dy. In the s.p.a.ce between his eyebrows was the wisp of a purple cloud [1], and his eyes shone with a divine light. It was obvious that his cultivation level was very high.
What was his temperament like… It was totally different from those martial artists Gu Zuo saw before.
After they came in, Gu Zuo followed Dragon One and stuck to his post against the wall, determined to blend his existence, and stopped moving.
At first, that elderly man's taut face was very solemn. After one look at his family's Tianheng, a smile immediately blossomed across his whole face like a chrysanthemum. He cheered, not unkindly: “Tianheng has returned? It could make this grandfather believe that he's died and gone to heaven!”
Likewise, apart from his patron with his Prince Charming charisma [2], that guy's younger siblings all relaxed quite a bit.
Gongyi Tianheng's expression looked a little helpless.
In the next moment, the group of Gongyi family members did something that surprised Gu Zuo.
Unexpectedly, they all — directly sat on the floor.
His patron also wasn't an exception!
Of course, his patron was still embodying Mr. Perfect, seeing as how his first-cla.s.s manners were all exceptional in appearance.
Previously, Gu Zuo didn't dare size him up by his looks. After coming into this inner hall though, his gaze swept over the profiles of his patron's family at lightning speed.
Undoubtedly, the people from this Great Clan all had been marrying beautiful women, generation after generation. With good genes, their appearances were certainly unlikely to have too many blemishes. They'd been practicing martial arts since childhood, and only persevered to the end. Also, their temperaments were unlikely to be wretched.
Indeed, his patron's younger brother and father were handsome, and his younger sister and mother were beautiful. Against reason, even though they shared some resemblances with his patron, these excessive similarities caused their appearance's worth to rise at least several levels. [3]
This was, more or less, a comparison between simple congee and appetizers, and a sumptuous imperial feast… Sure, while both served green vegetables, in reality their quality was different.
Gu Zuo concluded that this public enemy of all men was super cool. His patron had an outstanding IQ from the womb, and smoothly filtered out all the inferior genes. From this root sprouted a male G.o.d.
Just as he was letting his imagination run wild, he suddenly felt that something was amiss. He lifted his head, and discovered that he was already the center of attention from various gazes!
— As it turned out, Gongyi Tianheng and his family members already conducted an earnest and fast conversation. And now, everyone was uniformly looking over at him.
Gu Zuo stared blankly, then at once he turned towards his patron and cast a look that cried for help.
Gongyi Tianheng smiled, and beckoned him over with a wave of his hand: “Ah Zuo, come here.”
Ah…again with the come over, huh?
Gu Zuo stifled the blush on his face and slowly walked over. Tianheng dragged him to sit beside him.
Then, he was carrying an extra weight in his arms.
He looked down. It was plump and chubby. It couldn't have been his patron's three year old baby brother, Gongyi Tianteng? How could they just stuff him in his arms?!
What was he supposed to do if he was nervous? He was a bit stiff for a while.
This small, chubby block was originally sitting next to his patron's sister, Gongyi Mingxia. Meeting Gu Zuo made this small three year old stand up and move. Seeing that Gu Zuo was too nervous, he wanted to lighten the mood.
As a result, it actually made Gu Zuo even more nervous.
Gongyi Mingxia pursed her lips and smiled. Her eyes rippled back and forth between the two, and she was particularly quick-witted and adorable about it: “No wonder big brother likes brother Ah Zuo so much. Brother Ah Zuo's temper is really interesting.”
The other Gongyi family members' faces expressed benevolence.
Gu Zuo's face was very red.
Liking him and what not… He wasn't a child, okay.
Gongyi Tianheng laughed: “The prescription I mentioned was the one Ah Zuo gave me. If nothing unexpected happens, thanks to this prescription, it'll let me live a few more years. In that time, I'll slowly look for a cure.”
After hearing his patron's words, Gu Zuo's nerves lessened a lot in a short while.
His patron was too smart! There was a lot of leeway in his words; if his patron recovered in the future, they still had justification!
Upon hearing this, the current head [4] of the Gongyi Clan eased the tension in his gaze: “Many thanks to you. Someday, when you follow Tianheng at his side, make sure he takes very good care of you.”
The current head's wife, Liu Suyan [5], also smiled for a bit before she worriedly asked her son: “Heng'Er, is that pharmacist not trustworthy?”
Gongyi Tianheng patiently replied: “Rest a.s.sured, mother. Your son is already taking care of that pharmacist in a secret place. In the future, other people won't be able to find him.”
Gu Zuo whispered in his heart: Naturally I'm being cared for, and I've still delivered myself right to your doorstep.
He thought as such, and the other Gongyi family members also let go of the matter.
Afterwards the Gongyi family was harmonious and happy. For the most part, they worried over how he was doing at the other residence: if he was okay eating and living over there, and if his day-to-day activities were bearable or not.
Gongyi Tianyang had already been practicing martial arts for a very long time. He was still doing impromptu combat techniques. Presently, he showed off his strength for a bit, and faced Tianheng to try and garner some praise.
Tianheng praised him seriously, which resulted in the young girl Mingxia to deflate a bit. Like her brother, she also took to the stage and wielded her sword, wanting to get her big brother's compliments. And likewise, she was content.
In the end, even the young Tianleng swayed and shook in Gu Zuo's embrace to let him stand up. He imitated the martial arts he saw and gestured with both hands. The young and old in the hall were amused and everyone began smiling.
Gu Zuo watched the play in front of him and was somewhat envious.
His family was also very good. His father, dad, and himself were all happy from the very beginning. If it weren't for… Originally, it was only his dad and him who could rely on each other. In the end, he was sent here, and he didn't know how many years it'd take before he could return.
He continuously suppressed these nostalgic feelings deep down in his heart. After watching the interactions among his patron's family, he couldn't help but cherish those memories for a while. Perhaps, the only thing worth celebrating was that no matter how long he stayed here, in the end, he'd be able to go back if he kept on living. So long as he searched for the correct time and place of his dad in the world, maybe it'd be possible his dad would never find out he disappeared?
— So long as he was alive, his dad wouldn't be heartbroken.
The gathering here was brief. Even after they warmly comforted each other, in a Great Clan, everything still had to be done according to the Clan's customs.
Gongyi Tianheng had returned. He had to meet his clansmen, both among the older and younger generations, have a formal dinner with everyone, and so on. While the others knew his health wasn't good, they should still complete their duties, even though it wouldn't be few.
Gu Zuo acted as Tianheng's attendant, so it went without saying that he followed him.
However, Gu Zuo wasn't useful as an attendant. Therefore, the Tianlong Guard's second-in-command, Dragon Two, quickly took him along. Arrangements were made at Tianheng's terrace where Gu Zuo could refine medicine using similar pill cauldron equipment and medicinal ingredients.
This was exactly what Gu Zuo intended — making him go with his patron and looking at all those kinds of people until it was late, he'd rather stay behind closed doors and refine medicine!
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Two days later, the time of the Clan War had arrived.
This kind of martial arts compet.i.tion occurred once every three years, and was arranged by the imperial family. Don't just focus on Gongyi Tianheng's age being only eighteen; he was a partic.i.p.ant since he was twelve. Now, it was already his third time joining in.
The martial arts compet.i.tion was at the royal martial arts field, located beyond the imperial palace's towering gates. All sides were surrounded by the imperial family's royal army; the Five Great Clans also had their own martial arts soldiers. It was their responsibility to expel excessive spectators and to keep order among the fights.
Along the palace walls could be seen a few negligible shadows. They were wearing magnificent robes, and were seated in optimally selected views for the battles. They were members of the imperial family who were about to preside over their first Clan War.
The Five Great Clans would take their places very soon.
It had to be said that each of the Clan's hidden a.s.sets were utterly powerful. Each martial artist had their muscles flexing and blood pumping. They were continuously taking deep breaths as they carried five immense stone platforms.
One could only hear the sound of a rumbling boom as these stone platforms fell to the ground. It seemed to make the entire imperial city quake.
These stone platforms were all thirty meters long, fifteen meters tall, and divided into as much as five layers. Each layer contained many slightly convex stone seats. The number of seats were arranged such that there were many at the bottom and only a few at the top.
Not long after, the sound of rustling clothes could constantly be heard.
Following this noise were swift shadows that moved like thunder and lightning, which quickly fell upon each of the Clan's stone platforms.
In the interval between the breaths of an old laborer, all the stone platforms were filled with people.
When Gu Zuo sat next to Gongyi Tianheng, he didn't respond in the least.
Just a moment ago, Gu Zuo seemed to only sway a few times. He was already put in place, in a daze.
His patron seemed very accustomed to being carried over the shoulder by Tianyang. And he was rushed over by Dragon One, who lifted him by his shirt collar, then called out Soaring Cloud Sailing Mist [6]. He was dazzled to the point of distraction.
Gu Zuo looked in all directions. He was on the fourth level, which seemed to seat all of the younger generation. All he could see were young faces. The ages of those at the very top were comparatively high. His patron's father was also at the top, so it should be a layer with people who supervised the Gongyi Clan. And below that, on the third level, were martial artists with strong vitality. They were in the prime of their lives with a valiant air about them; they ought to be people from outside the Clan.
Thinking about such things, he felt that this fourth level had a good view. Indeed, it was still thanks to his patron's good fortune.
Listening to an imperial family member's speech — His inner qi was really excessive! His voice could transmit all the way here from so very far away. Gu Zuo felt a little bored.
Whether it was the previous world or this Tianwu continent, it seemed like the matters of this kind of speech were always unavoidable.
Truly boring.
Actually, the imperial family was explaining the rules for the martial arts fights. Gu Zuo naturally felt that he didn't have to pay attention to the details. And certainly, there were things he wouldn't understand, things contained in that speech that would leave him unprepared.
At this time, he was still in high spirits, and he quietly asked his patron: “Young master Tianheng, who are the other four eldest young masters? Can't you point them out to me?”
Gongyi Tianheng faintly smiled: “They still haven't arrived.”
Gu Zuo blanked: “If not, then won't they be arriving late?”
Tianheng smothered a laugh: “Tardiness won't cause any harm.”
Gu Zuo suddenly understood.
They were exercising their privilege, got it.
Upon seeing this, Tianheng felt the urge to laugh rising.
It definitely wasn't just for the sake of showing off their privilege. Even more than that, they wanted to reveal their ident.i.ty and status, as well as being martial artists on the road of cultivation who were on the brink of crushing their peers.
If this happened, then once they appeared on the scene, wouldn't they be the focus of a crowd of ten thousand?
However, Gongyi Tianheng didn't try to explain these things to Gu Zuo. Rather, as he watched from above, two martial artists were already walking onto the platform. He said to him: “Ah Zuo, watch carefully.”
Gu Zuo naively nodded his head: “Oh.”
He quickly discovered that he'd been tricked.
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[1] 紫气 - Zi qi, an auspicious symbol that brings good luck.
[2] 范儿 - Fan er, the style, fashion, or charisma of a person, or the heritage of something.
[3] This is basically a very roundabout way of saying that Gu Zuo thought Tianheng was so handsome that even a little bit of resemblance improved his family members' appearances.
[4] It was mentioned in an earlier chapter that the grandfather was the current head and the father was in line to take over. From this chapter, it seems that the father has already taken on the duties as the head of the Clan.
[5] 刘素颜 - Liu (regular surname) Su Yan (a face without makeup).
[6] 腾云驾雾 - Teng yun jia wu, literal translation. Not sure if it was a martial arts technique or a magic vehicle/tool.
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