Far away, bustling sound pervaded the hall and grew louder and louder.
Luo Jianqing stopped walking and turned back to see what’s going on. He didn’t wait for a long time till a muscular middle-age man approached them with a bunch of younger fellows behind him. They were surprised to see Luo Jianqing and Xuan Lingzi here. Stunned for a few seconds, the man stepped forward and smiled, “So, you are Yue’s guests. I believe.”
Luo Jianqing’s mouth curved up. He showed him a comely smile and nodded, “That’s right. You are…?”
The man said, “I am Zhao Yue’s father, the master of State Minister’s Maison, Zhao Tian. Your reputation proceeds you. I visited your yard last night. I’m so busy managing the family these days. Please accept my apology for my lack of hospitality.”
It was the first time for Luo Jianqing to meet Zhao Tian in person. If he hadn’t heard it himself, he wouldn’t have believed that it was this man who called his own daughter a “crap”. Though last night Zhao Tian kept his voice as low as possible, given that Luo Jianqing and Xuan Lingzi was inside the house, the family head wasn’t expecting them to hear that.
However, they all did.
Right now, Zhao Tian was standing in front of them, wearing a polite mask of proper manner. However, recalling what they heard last night, Luo Jianqing smiled even more brightly, “It’s totally alright. We are the one who need to apologize for our sudden visit. We are leaving today. Do you know where we can find Mrs. Lin? We want to say goodbye.”
Hearing this, Zhao Tian’s eyes glittered with wily idea coming up in his mind. He asked casually, “Leaving so soon? You are more than welcome to stay if you want.”
Luo Jianqing shook his head.
Zhao Tian fixed his eyes on Xuan Lingzi who stood there quietly, slightly behind Luo Jianqing. All the cultivator in white robe did was only staring at Luo Jianqing, nothing else. Zhao Tian was confused and then came up with an explanation which sounded reasonable to himself. “Perhaps, Cultivator Luo is the leader among the two, while Cultivator Wu is the subordinate one.”
Zhao Tian said, “That’s a pity. Few days later the disciples of Yu Dao Sect are going to visit our city. If you are disciples of Yu Dao Sect, maybe you can rejoin your fellow brothers and sisters.”
His words sounded like a simple comment, but actually Zhao Tian was inquiring Luo Jianqing and Xuan Lingzi’s background.
Though Luo Jianqing spent years on Tai Hua Mountain and paid little attention to these complicated interpersonal things, he was no fool. He gave the answer to Zhao Tian directly, “We are not disciples of Yu Dao Sect.”
Stunned, Zhao Tian asked subconsciously, “You are not? Is your sect far away from Wu Sha Kingdom?”
“Ma… my brother and I come from Yu Xiao Sect.”
“Yu Xiao Sect?”
Mumbling the sect name, Zhao Tian tried to find the corresponding cultivation sect in his mind but failed. Raising his head again, he saw this winsome young cultivator looking at him with a suave smile. The smile seemed gentle and kind but that touch of mystery made Zhao Tian – an early-stage Gold Core Period cultivator – fluster.
On the other hand, Zhao Yue got the message and then hurried her way here with Mr. Wang. Taking Rongrong on her left hand, Zhao Yue arrived at the gate and saw the crowd. She stepped between Luo Jianqing and Zhao Tian and said, “Father, Childe Luo and Childe Wu are leaving today. Are you here to say goodbye to them?”
These words ruined Zhao Tian’s plan.
Zhao Tian was going to find some excuses to ask Luo Jianqing and Xuan Lingzi to stay here. Even though they are not disciples of Yu Dao Sect, he could tell that they are no common cultivators. If the Maison of State Minister could somehow have them as part of the family, the status of the Zhao family would surely rise to an upper level.
The only problem was that, Zhao Tian thought, my father was in seclusion right now. If the old State Minister were here, there were million ways to keep these two young cultivators for as long as the family needed. One day they might become his sons in law! With them in hand, one hundred years later maybe the Zhao Family would have another Nascent Soul Period cultivator!
However, now that Zhao Yue already said that Luo Jianqing and his brother were leaving, it would be insane if Zhao Tian commanded them “You cannot leave without my permission”.
Suddenly, Zhao Tian stopped pretending to be polite. Face turning dark, he shouted at his daughter, “Yue, stand behind me! That’s where you should be!”
Zhao Yue sighed, hung her head low, and walked toward Zhao Tian with Rongrong.
She had done what she was capable of. If she had known the family might take some action on Luo Jianqing and Xuan Lingzi, she would have never invited them to come by. She knew what her father was up to. After all, she was her father’s daughter. Whatever it was that made Luo Jianqing and Xuan Lingzi unable to leave, one day, eventually, they would marry a daughter of the Zhao Family.
If you ask why was that, well, if they deflowered a daughter of the Zhao Family, what else could they do except marry that girl? If they refused, they were setting themselves against the whole Zhao Family!
Without saying a word, Zhao Yue approached his father and others, while Rongrong was also staring at the ground, and didn’t dare to speak. The little girl held her mother’s hand tight, as if in this way she could give her mother some support.
Luo Jianqing’s expression changed when he saw this. At last, he sighed. The next moment a piece of delicate dessert appeared in his palm. The aroma of the dessert attracted Rongrong’s attention. Sniffing around, the girl raised her head in excitement and looked at Luo Jianqing, “Wind Cake!”
Beaming, Luo Jianqing stepped up and put this piece of Wind Cake into Rongrong’s hands. “Rongrong, the Sand City is far away from here. It would be a little bit difficult for you to have another Wind Cake in the future. This is the last piece of it in my Interspatial Ring and I want you to have it. Take it. It’s my goodbye gift for you.”
What a good girl she was. Though still at a very young age, hearing this, Rongrong immediately knew that she should give it back to Luo Jianqing, and she did so as well, but Luo Jianqing insisted. The girl swallowed her saliva – she wanted it so much. Turning back to look at her mother, she saw Zhao Yue nodding at her with a smile.
It’s just a cake. There’s nothing wrong for the little girl to accept that gift.
Getting the permission from her mother, Rongrong quickly took a bite of the Wind Cake and, at that instant, a delighting, thick Pill Aroma dispersed from that missing part of the Wind Cake, wafting in the air. Everyone felt a sense of clarity and relief.
Zhao Tian and others didn’t take that dessert seriously at first, but now they were all staring at the Wind Cake in shock. Eyes wide open, Zhao Tian yelled when Rong Rong couldn’t wait to take another bite, “Stop!”
The early-stage Gold Core Period cultivator teleported in front of the girl and reached for that Wind Cake.
Seeing this, Luo Jianqing curved his mouth grimly and tapped the ground with the tip of his foot.
Boom!
Massive powerful waves of Spiritual Power attacked Zhao Tian. The man was forced to reel back.
So eager to get that Wind Cake, Zhao Tian didn’t even realize he was kept away from the girl. He was in a rage, “Stop! You are not allowed to have this! Keep that pill untouched! I won’t be wrong. This type of aroma…it’s at least a Fifth Grade Pill! If we save it for father, his cultivation base will definitely be boosted and might even breakthrough the next Period!”
Rongrong was petrified to hear this. She just stood there and looked at her grandfather, having no idea what to do.
Seeing this, Zhao Tian relieved. He softened his voice and said, “This Wind Cake at least contains the power equivalent to a Fifth Grade Pill. If we give it to my father, we would make a huge contribution to our family. Yue, you did well today.” As he spoke, Zhao Tian reached for that Wind Cake once again.
Frowning, Luo Jianqing still remained silent. He wanted to see what Zhao Yue was going to do.
At the last millisecond when Zhao Tian was about to get the dessert in his hand, Zhao Yue suddenly opened her arms and blocked his way. Shocked to see his daughter disobeying his order in public, Zhao Tian heard Zhao Yue saying, “Father! Wind Cake is Rongrong’s favorite dessert, which I’ve been telling you in the letters I sent you these years. Why are you taking that piece of cake away from her? It’s just a piece of Wind Cake!”
Stunned for a few seconds, Zhao Tian let out the anger, “Stop that childish nonsense of yours! Rongrong is just a kid. What does she need the Fifth Grade Pill for? This thing must be given to father.”
Expressionlessly, Zhao Yue questioned him, “My grandfather is still in seclusion. Whom are you saving this pill for? Him? Or you?”
“A bunch of, a bunch of nonsense!”
Zhao Yue closed her eyes and smiled wryly, “Father, you haven’t paid me any respect since the day I came back. Mother was no longer here, so I thought you, my senior brother, my younger sister and Rongrong are the last few families I have in this world. We came here all the way from Ying Feng City and were almost killed by a group of killers. I don’t want to know who gave them the order to take our lives. I don’t dare to know. Today, however, you are trying to snatch a dessert from the hand of your own granddaughter! How could you do that!?”