At the other corner of the carriage, the young man glanced at Fu Kai and lightly nodded his head.
Fu Kai frowned and then looked at the forest around them; he asked, "Brother Feng Yun, I don't see the person who came with you. Will he also be staying with you? Or did he leave?"
"He will look after himself." Feng Yun replied.
"Oh, alright," Fu Kai nodded and then closed the curtains.
Feng Yun closed his eyes and resumed his cultivation.
Jun Xie turned towards Feng Yun and cupped his fists, "I am Jun Xie, a disciple from the Gracious Sword Sect. We haven't talked much along the way, and know that our destination is close, I figured we should at least get acquainted with each other."
Feng Yun stared at Jun Xie for a moment, and then, cupping his fists, he greeted, "I am Feng Yun.."
Jun Xie smiled, "If I may ask, where is Brother Feng heading to?"
Feng Yun thought for a moment and then said, "I am out to experience the cultivation world."
"Oh?" Jun Xie raised his eyebrows, "Are you part of any sect?"
"No," Feng Yun shook his head, "I come from a very remote clan."
"Ah," Jun Xie smiled. 'These days remote clans have powerful guards?'
He didn't pursue the subject and changed the topic, "Well, at least you know about your clan. I grew up in the Gracious Sword Sect, so I never had the chance to live the life of a young master."
Feng Yun had an amused expression, "I can assure you that you're not missing anything. Anyway, are you an alchemist?"
Jun Xie nodded, "Yes. How did you notice?"
"How can I not?" Feng Yun smiled, "With your proficiency in the illusion technique, it would be a waste of talent if you weren't an alchemist."
Jun Xie gave a slight smile, "It's not much. I am an average alchemist at best."
Feng Yun nodded, "That's true."
"..."
….
The carriages soon reached the Capital City, and after about fifteen more minutes, they halted in front of a huge tavern.
Fu Kai once again knocked on the carriage and called out from outside, "Guys, we have reached our destination; you should come out."
One by one, the three travelers came out and stood in front of the tavern.
"I have already made arrangements," Fu Kai said, "The servants will take you to your rooms. Let's meet on the second floor after freshening up a bit. I am sure we all are hungry."
Jun Xie glanced at Wu Qingwu and then nodded at Fu Kai. He said, "Alright."
Feng Yun also agreed with the arrangements.
…
The tavern belonged to the Fu Clan and was one of the biggest taverns in the capital city.
About half an hour later, four people were having a sumptuous dinner.
"Here," Fu Kai personally served the other three while saying, "You can stay in this tavern as long as you want; the Fu Clan owes a lot to your three."
Jun Xie smiled, "Brother Fu, it wasn't much. And most of the enemies were killed by the senior who came with Brother Feng Yun."
"YOu still gave your best," Fu Kai smiled, "That's the most I could have ever asked for."
Then glancing at Feng Yun, he asked, "Brother Feng, the senior…."
"He won't appear." Feng Yun shook his head, "He doesn't like to be the center of attention."
"Alright, I won't ask again then," Fu Kai smiled.
"Sister-in-law," He then turned his head towards Wu Qingwu and asked, "You haven't spoken at all ever since we met. I hope you haven't forgotten me, haha!"
Wu Qingwu let out a calm smile, "No, Brother Fu. You're the one who saved me in the Silver Mist City; how can I forget you."
"Hahaha, It wasn't much," Fu Kai sat down, and everyone began the dinner.
"Brother Jun, will you be heading to the Fang Clan early in the morning?" Fu Kai asked.
Jun Xie nodded, "Yes, I have already delayed the schedule. What happened?"
Fu Kai gave a wry smile, "I informed my father about the situation. He wanted to meet you guys."
"Oh," Jun Xie let out a sigh, "How about I visit your clan after I have met with Fang Chen?"
Fu Kai pursed his lips and lowered his voice. He said, "Um, actually, there's a small problem."
"Hm?" The three glanced at them.
"Remember when I said there won't be much problem even if you stay?" Fu Kai said.
"Yes," Jun Xie nodded.
"Well, while that part is true, that's not the whole situation. After you have visited the Fang Clan, it will be hard for us to meet and impossible for my father to meet you."
"What? Why?" Jun Xie asked.
"Politics." Fu Kai let out a sigh, "Things are a bit complicated between my clan and the Fang Clan when it comes to the political standing in the Royal Court."
"Oh," Jun Xie frowned, "Then it's better if I don't meet Clan Head Fu at all. It won't create any misunderstandings at all."
"It's your choice," Fu Kai shrugged, "I was just asking if you wished you could meet my father."
He then glanced at Feng Yun and asked, "What about you, Brother Feng? Where are you heading?"
Feng Yun smiled, "I am a free spirit. I don't have any destination in my mind."
"Hahaha, that's nice," Fu Kai laughed, "Honestly, brother Feng, I am more curious about your background. I am pretty sure it's very powerful because your guard alone had a very high cultivation realm."
Feng Yun shook his head, "I am no bigshot, and my background won't matter much here."
After a moment of pause, he asked, "Brother Fu Kai, how is your clan's relation with the Ling Clan?"
"Ling Clan?" Fu Kai frowned, "I will assume you're talking about one of the big fours. Well, Clan Head Ling Xiaochun and my father are good friends."
"Oh?" Feng Yun was a bit surprised, "Then I hope you don't mind because I will be visiting the Ling Clan."
"Ah, that will be wonderful," Fu Kai smiled, "Young Master Ling Yun is a good friend of mine. How about I take you to the Ling Clan tomorrow? I am free anyway."
"That will be great, thank you, Brother Fu."
"Hahaha, it's my pleasure."
…
The chat in the Fu Clan's Tavern continued till late night, and by the time everyone retired to their rooms, the sun had already begun to rise.
A new day had begun for the people of the Lower Heavens.
Ye Tian Yun opened his eyes and got out of the bed.
After a few minutes, once he had freshened up, he headed for the breakfast room.
A similar scenario played out, but there wasn't any worth noting discussion or argument this time.
However, there was one slight change.
Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing'er were now part of the table.
Madam Fang had personally invited them for breakfast.
After the uneventful breakfast, Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing'er followed Ye Tian Yun headed for the garden in Ye Tian Yun's courtyard, where they started to practice.
Just then, an unexpected name joined their ground.
Fang Yunru.
"Xiao Chen, I am here to learn Sword Intent." He didn't waste any time and got straight to the point.
His words attracted Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing'er's attention.
"Alright, show me your Sword Intent first," Ye Tian Yun said, "I have never taught anyone, so don't have high expectations."
Fang Yunru smiled, "I know. But any help is good enough for me."
Saying this, he took out a sword from his spatial ring and jumped away from the group.
Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing'er also stopped practicing and coming closer to Ye Tian Yun; they began to observe Fang Yunru's sword moves.
Siu-!
Siu-!
Zzz-!
Zhen-!
Siu-!
Fang Yunru performed his sword arts and released his sword intent on the third move.
A sudden gust of wind exploded with Fang Yunru as the center.
"Peak Manifestation Realm of Sword Intent!"
Zheng Xiang and Bai Qing'er were surprised.
They were also sword cultivators, and Bai Qing'er had even comprehended the Sword Intent long ago.
Still, she was surprised because Fang Yunru's Sword Intent realm was higher than hers.
'He's talented.'
Both of them thought.
Ye Tian Yun, however, didn't think this way.
It wasn't hard for him to point out a few flaws in Fang Yunru's sword movements.
He raised his hand and gestured for Fang Yunru to stop.
Sik-!
Fang Yunru put the sword back in his spatial ring and jumped back to Ye Tian Yun.
"How was it?" He asked.
Ye Tian Yun stared at him for a few moments before giving his conclusion, "Too stiff."
"Stiff?"
"Yes," He nodded, "Your sword movements are very stiff. Are you feeling some hesitation?"
"No…" Fang Yunru frowned.
"Hmm," Ye Tian Yun scratched his chin, "Your moves felt stiff. But they were stiff during the whole part; rather, things only went downhill when you reached a certain stage of your sword arts moves."
"I don't understand," Fang Yunru frowned,
Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It's pretty simple. The first half of your sword moves were very smooth, but during the fifth move, your movement became stiff. It was as if you were hesitating in completing the move. I feel like something is holding you back."
Fang Yunru fell in a thought, "Xiao Chen, I think I understand what you're trying to say, but I don't get the hesitation part. I don't feel any hesitation or anything that's holding me back."
Ye Tian Yun smiled, "It's not necessary that you feel it. Sometimes, it's the body's reflexive actions."
"Here's what you can do. Focus on-"
"First Young Master!"
A guard's voice interrupted the discussion.
As Ye Tian Yun turned his head towards him, the former continued, "First Young Master, there are two disciples from the Gracious Sword Sect who claim to be your friends and are currently in the Guest Hall."
"Oh…" Ye Tian Yun smiled.
'They are here.'