Chapter 4 - All that is precious (pt 2

A dark misty aura surrounded me for a fraction of a second and the next instant I was between the wall and my beloved, catching her while my feet skidded across the ground. Gently cradling her I moved some strands that had come undone from her bow to see an angry red bruise on her left cheek and blood dripping from her nostril, and my mind snapped. Letting her unconscious form rest I stood up, my back turned to Shen Yue and his cronies, dark emotions boiling inside me like never before. I tended to be a pacifist so I truly despised killing, but here and now all I wanted was retribution.

"What… What did you idiots do!?" Shen Yue screamed at the cronies. Ning'er was his elder brother's fiancé. If Shen Fei found out about this he would definitely be in a world of pain. He shouldn't worry so much though, since I'll make sure he's not going to see another sunrise…

"I didn't… She got in the way! I couldn't stop." stuttered one bastard lackey, clearly in fright.

My teeth clenched so hard you could hear them creak and my fingernails drew blood from my palms. Void tendrils shot out from back like I was some demonic incarnation of the archangel Tyrael, but there would be no justice this hour, only vengeance. Mist surrounded me again and the next instant my fist was digging a deep crater in that bastard's face. With a sickening crunch he was launched backwards at high speeds, taking another lackey with him, crushing a couple of bamboo shoots before hitting firmly into the wall behind them leaving imprints of their bodies.

The rest of the bunch once again pounced on me. One threw a punch but I avoided and crushed his wrist between my elbow and knee. His screams of anguish didn't last long as I grabbed him by the face and planted his head a couple of inches in the dirt, knocking him unconscious.

Seeing this his comrades growled "Bastard, you're courting death!"

Letting my soul force explode outwards they finally knew who they were dealing with. The remaining gorillas took a few steps back before running away. I had knocked out their strongest meaning that the ones behind were 1 star Bronze at most. They had no way to deal with me so they dashed passed Shen Yue who screamed at them "Bunch of cowards, get back and fight!"

Moments later I launched myself at Shen Yue, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him hard in the wall behind him leaving cracks in it. He coughed up a little blood that spewed on my face "Bastard" he growled "Let me go!". This only caused my grip to tighten around his neck until he could only grunt and heave. My other hand moved to the side and the tendrils of void energy began to spin together in a spiral, a tip forming slowly. A very sharp pointy tip.

Instantly I removed my grip from Shen Yue's neck and let him scurry off after catching his breath. My worry was now Ning'er who was looking at me with equal concern.

"Are you alright?" we both asked at the same time, my heart paining after seeing a little red liquid seep out as her words came out. Flexing my hand I took out three pills from my ring, before moving to gently place them in her mouth. She blushed a little but put up no resistance, surprising Ye Ziyun who was still holding her by the waist. Instantly the effect washed over her as the bruise vanished away without a trace , the small crack in her lips healed up without leaving a scar and her senses returned fully to her head, slowly letting go of Ziyun and blushing up a storm. She now probably fully realized that she just let a boy feed her.

Ye Sheng's eyes widened "Were those Nine Transformation Pills?" he said with mirth gaining looks of question from both girls "They're the strongest recovery pill. Each one is capable of saving someone on death's door. At the last auction, sets of ten pills went on average for twenty million coins.". This made Ning'er put her hand on her mouth. She had just swallowed six million demon spirit coins to heal a bruise.

She turned to me with mild annoyance as if to ask how could I waste those pills on her but smiling I waved my hand to signal I don't want to hear it. She was far more valuable to me than any stinking pill.

Seeing this, Ye Ziyun's mind started working. There was no way she wouldn't figure out that something was going on between us. However, she was also someone to be trusted, and so was Ye Sheng. Speaking of Ye Sheng, he sighed as he rubbed his beard "Long Wan, you're causing one headache after another. Looking at this mess, it is unavoidable that the Sacred family will ask for you to be punished, maybe even expelled." he said and the girls put their hands to their mouths

"But, that's not fair!" cried Ning'er. Tears were forming in her eyes and that is what pained me the most. Expulsion was no big deal for me. There was little to no useful information useful to me in this place. I had money, a super technique and Nie Li. And I could just buy any non-confidential book in Glory City, not that there was much to read. As for safety, I'm sure the Alchemist Association would welcome me dearly, regardless of the Sacred family's bitching.

"That is indeed unfair vice-principal!" came a voice from behind us. Turning around I saw that it was that regal looking teen from before.

"Brother Ye Hong!" Ziyun cried out in a happy greeting. Ye Hong, Ye Hong… now where have I heard that name. I think… he is Ziyun's cousin and Shen Fei's rival in class or something.

Ye Sheng frowned "Why is it unfair?" he asked although he already knew the truth but he had to play these political games to cover all spots.

Nodding Ye Sheng smiled "Hmmm… so that's what that noise was. Indeed this changes everything. If the Sacred family wants to complain the can but they will have no ground to stand on."

"I concur." came another a.d.u.l.t voice from behind us. It was master Huyan Ming from the Alchemist Association. Seeing him, Ye Sheng cupped his hands and bowed. The Alchemy Association now had equal power to the Snow Wind family, perhaps even more so economically. Huyan Ming was a high ranking official from the said association so it was natural to show respect "I was in the area when I heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. Everything that student said is true." he confirmed.

Ye Sheng accepted this but frowned "Then can I expect your testimony when the time comes?"

Huyan Ming nodded and moved towards me. Taking out a robe and some books he handed them to me "These are the senior apprentice robes and books you forgot last time." he said with a wink before turning to the vice-principal "You can expect my testimony. The Alchemist Association takes care of our own, and the Sacred family would be gravely mistaken to see us as herbivores." In this place, being a herbivore meant you were pray for carnivores. In layman terms, a pushover.

"Then I won't bother the students with any of this anymore. You can return to your homes and rest." he said dismissing us and we left after cupping our hands leaving the a.d.u.l.ts to talk, the two girls joining me as the gate was in the same direction as the dorms.

We started walking the first few steps in silence, with Ning'er on my right and Ziyun to hers. They were awkwardly taking in each other's presence, obviously trying to say something but didn't know what. My hand moved up and a wooden jewelry box and some bottles appeared in my palm from my ring surprising both girls. Turning a little towards them I passed Ning'er the box and Ziyun the bottles "In that box there should be five hundred Soul Nurturing Pills, three hundred Soul Concentrating Pills, one hundred Soul Temper Pills, fifty Nine Transformation Pills, and fifty Scarlet Body Enhancing Pill. I was planning to give this to Ning'er next time I saw you. However it wouldn't be polite to leave classmate Ye Ziyun out of it so you should find some of those pills as well in those bottles."

Both girls gasped. Even they knew how enormously expensive this gift was. They moved to return them but I just put my hands behind my back smiling "A gift once given cannot be returned."

"Long Wan, I can't take this, it's too much!" Ning'er cried out desperately trying to return the box. Ziyun also moved to return them also but I was having none of it.

"I have a lot more of those. Let me know if you run out." I winked at Ning'er while pushing the bottles back to Ziyun and telling her "And classmate Ye Ziyun, you can consider those pills as a gift from Nie Li. He asked me to take care of you in anyway you need." my words came with a smile but it surprised me when her expression turned sour with a blush. Sighing I facepalmed "Let me guess, that knucklehead bragged that he knows about a butterfly mark on your c.h.e.s.t. "

The city lord's little girl's anger washed away and she shot me a look of surprise "A dream?"

Amused at her expression I smiled knowingly "A very vivid dream. In his dream you also eh… cooked rice together (made love). And naturally, you did so in your birthday suits where he saw a butterfly mark on your c.h.e.s.t. Due to this he started to believe you two were husband and wife in another life."

One of Ziyun's hands flew to her mouth while the other covered an area above her right b.r.e.a.s.t "So Nie Li didn't peep on me…" she said in surprise before she abruptly shut up and blushed. Brother Li, I owe you a lot, consider this the first payment.

My smile widened before acting surprised "Ehhh? Peep?! How could he? Don't you live in a mansion where not even a fly could enter unannounced?" I asked and she nodded. She was the city lord's little girl. Naturally she would be incredibly well protected at home. "Also, if he did I would need to knock some sense into him! "raising my fist in the air ,tightening it until it crunched. This got a small giggle from the girls "How could he dare peep on Ning'er's friend!"

Hearing my words both girls looked at each other before turning to the ground in silence. Looking at that I smiled sadly before asking "You two are childhood friends, right?" Ning'er turned to me in surprise before looking away. She wanted to ask how I knew but couldn't as painful memories probably returned to her. Lovable or not she was an easy to read honest girl. "I heard some stories and pieced together the truth on how you two used to be the best of friends until Ning'er got forcefully engaged to that sc.u.m Shen Fei." Small tears began wetting the corner of both girl's eyes. "I can imagine that Ning'er was envious of the power classmate Ye Zyiun's family granted her. Afterall, nobody can force the City Lord's daughter to marry against her will. One small, childish fight later and all that frustration caused large wounds to open…"

"Ning'er, I…" Ziyun's tears began falling as she covered her mouth with both hands and looked longingly at Ning'er who was crying while looking ahead.

Not letting this go one I continued "This is the problem when you don't let wounds heal: They tend to fester. More so when surrounded by dirt and trash like the Sacred Family." I said before grabbing Ning'er's hand. This snapped her out of her state and she turned to me with wet eyes, a little makeup running down both her cheeks "Ning'er~" I let her catch her breath a bit. Crying can leave you gasping for air, "Ziyun is also suffering hardsh.i.p.s. While you have the fate of your family to tend to, as the City Lord's daughter she has the responsibility of the entire city's wellbeing. While surrounded by many people, I doubt there is anyone amongst them with true enough intentions to be called friends. That loneliness is not something one can easily imagine."

Ning'er head turned to Ziyun so fast that I was afraid she would snap her neck. It was so quick that a few strands of her ponytail slapped me over the face. "Ziyun..I.. Is that.."

Ziyun just nodded, eyes full of tears. She couldn't form any words right now, much less complete sentences.

Not a second after I said this they flew at each other in a hug, grabbing hair, cloth and whatever they could to prevent the other from leaving again. It was enough to bring a tear even to my eyes. Even men can shed tears, especially those of joy. It took some time for them to calm down before stepping a bit back from one another, hands and arms still tangled together, refusing to let go.

Ning'er was the first to break the silence saying, "Your makeup is a mess. You look terrible." with a cheeky smile.

Her friend puffed her cheeks "Well, you don't look too good yourself." and with this both girls burst into laughter, before Ziyun took out her handkerchief and started cleaning Ning'er's face. Ning'er smiled warmly and gave into her friend's actions before repeating them herself.

After fixing themselves up a bit Ning'er turned to me to say something but paused. She tilted her head a bit with a smile before once again taking her handkerchief and moving towards my face, wiping some tears that I missed to wipe myself.

"Classmate Long Wan, thank you!" Ye Ziyun said with a warm smile. She was indeed someone with competing looks with Ning'er. Unfortunately my heart belonged just to one girl.

"Wan." I responded "You can call me just Wan. Long Wan if it feels too close." before I turned to the other girl "That applies to you too. Or you can call me 'honey' or 'dear' if you so prefer." I joked as her face lit up like a setting sun. This didn't last a long time as she lightly stomped on my foot.

"Yeouch! Joking! I was joking!" I said jumping around on one foot while holding the other "Or not!" I stuck out my tongue and had to duck as a hand whooshed over the crown of my hair. All this time the two girls were giggling sweetly. "Ah, this is my stop." I said as I reached the dorms. The girls were not residents as they lived close by. "It was refreshing walking with two beauties besides me. I will see you both tomorrow. Ah, and please don't make any plans for the evening. I wish to formally introduce you two to our cultivating group. Ning'er, classmate Ye Ziyun walk slowly." It was an expression in this world, equivalent to 'have a safe trip'.

"Ziyun!" the little miss ye stated "Please call me Ziyun…"

Nodding I smiled "Nice to finally meet you Ziyun. Lets all be friends from now on!" I put my forearm out diagonally in front of me. I figured she wouldn't have any problem touching me through our sleeves. She looked puzzled for a bit before she touched it with her own, effectively giving me a friendly bump.

Hearing my words, Ning'er's hands tightened around mine as she looked at the ground. The smile she had however sweetened the sour look she had in her eyes. Swallowing hard she turned to me and said with soothing gentleness "Long Wan, don't … The Sacred family won't forgive you." she said but I put a finger on her soft cherry lips. Ziyun twitched as she hid her own lips behind her hands. Ning'er however, didn't react except for her blush widening.

"I think I showed you today that I can take care of myself, and both the Divine family and the Alchemist Association will take care of my needs." I smiled soothingly "Regardless of how strong the Sacred family is, they can't match the power of both entities at once. And don't worry about Shen Fei. I have a solid plan. By the middle of the school break, you will no longer be engaged." Frowning hard I continued "My parents died when I was little and there is no other family alive that I know of. I have no-one in this world that the Sacred family can use to harm, other than you."

Taking her hands I moved them towards Ye Ziyun before letting go and moving a half step away "Please take care of her. She is what I have most precious to me."

Ziyun blushed and nodded but then frowned hard "Do you think you can confront the Sacred family alone?"

My head moved from side to side "No, I can't. But I'm not alone. There is an unstoppable force by my side: Nie Li."

She tilted her head in surprise "Is Nie Li all that great?" she asked.

Nodding I responded without missing a beat "He is someone in whose hands I can entrust my very life and soul. If you give him a chance I'm sure you'll eventually feel the same way."

"Maybe…" she said longingly.

"It's getting late. Let's continue this conversation tomorrow. Once again, walk slowly both of you."

"Have a good night… honey!" Ning'er said with a cheeky smile before she quickly turned away and started pacing, pulling Ziyun with her. As she was getting further away I caught a glimpse of her megawatt neon blush in a polished bronze ornament that was on her way. In the novel she was always the boldest between her and Ziyun. She was the first to give red jade, a symbol of love to Nie Li and was also more direct than her friend. However even I didn't expect that she'd turn out to be this mischievous of a girl. Sigh, women are indeed an enigmatic species...

I leaned against a wooden post holding up the roof of the porch, wishing I had a cigarette right about now. Maybe I should invent those as well... Hmm, this reminds me of something amusing. The expression 'To smoke a fag' has very different meanings in american English vs british English but I should return to the matter at hand..

Turning towards the seemingly empty pathway I said with a tired tone, "You can stop hiding now."

The area shimmered and Huyan Ming appeared where there was nothing but air before "Impressive." he said with a smile.

Cupping my hands towards him "Master Huyan Ming. To what I owe another visit? I take it you didn't remain behind just to observe some teenage love unfolding."

Ming chuckled a little while petting his beard "I admit that that scene was very interesting. Though I am curious how you will cancel the little miss's engagement to young lord Shen Fei."

Waving my hand in front of me I said nonchalantly "I have three plans and am consolidating the fourth. If nothing else works then I could just pray that the young lord meets an unfortunate accident. It's terrible when people just slip and fall backwards fifteen times on a dagger…" I said with a chuckle but quickly corrected as I saw his serious expression "Of course I'm joking."

Ming hummed "Actually, that might not be that much of an improbability." he said thoughtfully. Turning to him and tilting my head I invited him to continue. He nodded "The favor you asked director Yang Xin, it bore the worst results."

Nodding, I tucked my hands behind my head. Giving Xin the same story I told Ning'er the night I met her in the forest, I asked that she follows the Sacred Family's transactions of pills. To prevent any complaints from the higher ups I asked that any wasted funds to be covered from my shares.

Huyan Ming continued "As you requested we put tracking ingredients in their pills and then sent a Spiritualist with a hound spirit to track them. He found out that four out of five large shipments of pills were smuggled out of the city where they were given to mysterious robed individuals. The expert we sent unintentionally killed one of them, and he found the Dark Guild insignia on that individual. The expert was trying to capture the robed individual but something went wrong and it turned into a kill."

Frowning, I turned to Ming "Did that expert at least cover his tracks?"

Ming nodded "En, he made it look like a demon beast attacked and ate the corpse. Neither the Guild nor the Sacred family suspect anything."

Crossing my arms in front of my c.h.e.s.t I looked at the master alchemist "It's sad that a prestigious family is running with the wrong crowd but it's good to find out early. Thank you for your and everyone's hard work!" Prestigious my a.s.s. Those assholes have been gaining power by pulling back their troops during demon beast attacks. So while other families fought harder they preserved their strength.

"All for Glory City!" he said nodding to me before disappearing.

Grabbing a long straw of grass I put it in my mouth to simulate a smoke as I sighed and said nothing more...

The next day I was once again standing at the back of the class together with our gang of misfits. Shen Xiu was glaring daggers at me and her little brat nephew kept on turning once every often to mirror her image. They probably tried to get me in trouble but failed miserably. To rub some salt in their wounds I would put on such an innocent face when they looked towards me that you could almost see a halo on my head. This pissed them off even more if the looks they shot me gave any indication.

At one point they stopped looking altogether, probably to stop themselves from getting aneurisms. Or maybe they liked to pretend I didn't exist. Either way this was fine with me as I turned to Nie Li with a pressing concern "Nie Li" I asked getting his attention "Do you know any silencing inscriptions or something that would grant us privacy when we meet today at the library?"

Nie Li thought a few moments before smiling "I think I have exactly what you need and the materials to make it is in my storage ring."

Nodding with a smile I moved on to the next subject. There was no way I would miss a golden opportunity like this. "Speaking of the library, I apologize for missing out yesterday. My hands were busy taking out some trash."

Lu Piao chuckled "I heard about that. That was twice in one day that Shen Yue pissed himself haha!"

Du Ze nodded towards me "I didn't know that brother Wan had the skill to take on so many opponents." He said giving me a look of respect.

I quickly raised my hands to refute "Actually I've never fought before in my life. I never even punched someone. It's just that Shen Yue and his cronies were so much weaker than me. It almost felt unfair."

Wei Nan crossed his hands "If you think that beating seven people who came to maim you is unfair, then I am truly frightened on what is your definition of fairness." The rest nodded in approval making my face heat up in embarrassment.

"Does anyone here know any kung-fu? I realized that I am woefully inadequate so I would like some lessons." I let the bait hang, hopefully shifu Nie will bite.

Nie Li nodded "I know a little. We can do that during our physical training. Our techniques refine our bodies as well so we don't really need to do much physical exercise."

Accepting it gratefully I remembered something from yesterday "Also Nie Li, did you really make Ye Ziyun mad yesterday?"

His face turned into a surprised one "En, we talked a little yesterday and she suddenly got mad. Today though she greeted me kindly and acted as if nothing happened. I don't know what to understand anymore" he admitted as he put his hands behind his head

Sighing, my hands moved to grab his ear and he began to struggle in my grip. I was stronger than him now so unless he used my acupuncture points or some secret technique then he wouldn't get me to let go "Listen here you numbskull, I worked hard yesterday to get her to forgive you. Don't put your foot in your mouth again."

His struggling stopped as he tried to turn his eyes to look at me but I didn't let go of his ear. Actually I started tugging it around as he started telling me to let go "I can't believe you would tell her that you knew about a butterfly birthmark on her c.h.e.s.t. How the hell are you supposed to know that? Did you really peep on her as she was bathing?"

"What!?" he said in surprise as he once again looked at Ziyun who was dutifully paying attention "So that's why she was mad… ouchouchouch!" he stated as I began to tug his ear again.

"'So that's why she was mad' my ass! Learn to speak to girls before you open your mouth around her." I ordered and finally let go of his angry red ear.

He put his palm on it and turned towards me "How did you know about that?" he asked in a tone akin to desperation.

Sighing I put my hands on my h.i.p.s and leaned in his face "Shen Yue was mad as a wet hen yesterday, both because of my actions and of yours. He stated clearly it was revenge for that. I later learned from Ning'er where the mark was located." I said and he blushed in embarrassment "Honestly, I doubt that even you could infiltrate the city lord's mansion to peek in on girls bathing. Besides, that kind of despicable deed is something only Lu Piao would do."

"Hey!" Lu Piao protested. However he didn't deny.

Shaking my head I leaned in even further in Nie Li's face and whispered "I cooked up a lie and told her you saw it in a dream where you were husband and wife in another life. Don't blow it! I don't want to be known as a peeping tom's brother."

The ginger's face filled with blood and nodded, not being able to say anything other than "I messed up. And thanks brother Wan."

My arms entangled in front of my c.h.e.s.t "Don't mention it. We are brothers after all. Ah~, and I had to spend most of the pills I had to fix that little mess…" I threw it in the wind. Truthfully, I still had around a quarter of the initial pill count but having a restock couldn't hurt.

"Pills?" Nie Li said before smiling and taking out another ring from his ring (ringception mk2) "Here are some more. I said last time not to hesitate to let me know if you need more and I mean it. And once again thanks Long Wan."

Absorbing the ring with my own I cupped my hands in thanks and he waved it off.

"By the way brother Wan." interrupted Du Ze "You said you learned about… things from Xiao Ning'er, and you referred to her with a very intimate tone." he let it hang in the air awaiting my reply.

Smiling, my sight fell on the girl. She was still so radiatingly beautiful, ink black hair flowing like a waterfall down her back. Shaking away I looked at Du Ze with a smile on my face "That's because she is my woman." My hand shot forward to clamp Lu Piao's mouth otherwise that moron would've screamed out to the heavens.

Du Ze looked at me with both admiration and pity "Long Wan…"

Nodding I continued "She is engaged to Shen Fei, that I know but that won't be a problem for long. Nie Li isn't the only one who can plan and scheme." I laughed lightly.

"I don't scheme…" said Nie Li as he drew circles on the floor while an imaginary rain cloud formed above him.

Chuckling some more I put my hand on Du Ze's shoulder. He was getting fitter as I could feel his muscles were much more defined than a week ago "Let me fill you in tonight. It's very important, so don't miss it. Also, Ning'er and Ziyun will be joining us so don't be surprised."

"Really?" Lu Piao said with expectations and rosy cheeks

I nodded and continued while scanning both girls backs "I befriended Ziyun last night after she helped Ning'er recover from getting hit by one Shen Yue's bonehead bastards." biting my nail I growled remembering yesterday's event. Each time I remember Ning'er flying in the air I turn to Shen Yue's back, darkness nearly filling me as I suppress my killing intent.

Wei Nan also looked in Shen Yue's direction in disgust "Though I'm happy you didn't kill him I don't understand how you could let him live. If it was me I would've ripped out his heart for hitting my woman." he said before realizing that everyone was staring at him in surprise.

"That's pretty gruesome. I didn't know you had it in you brother Nan. Wouldn't want to be your enemy" I said while laughing at his blush "And trust me, I couldn't sleep last night asking myself the same questions." Before I used to think that he's just a poor kid stuck in circ.u.mstances of his birth and wanted to give him a second chance. Now, I just see him as a dog to be put down. And don't get me started about that sonovabitch brother of his.

Nie Li sighed "That sentiment I can share but, like Wei Nan said it's a good thing you didn't." he said tapping my shoulder calming me down. I think he just hit a pressure point because my entire back relaxed.

Shaking my head to clear the negative thoughts I smiled at Nie Li "Thanks. By the way, I wanted to warn you something. The Lightning Dragon technique, I shared it with Ning'er."

He raised his eyebrows "Really? How come." he said as he relaxed against the wall, letting his head dangle slightly.

"We used a soul crystal and I saw that she had a compatible attribute for it. Her crystal showed a jiao dragon with huge wings flying through a ravaging lightning storm." came my explanation.

Bang! Nie Li was holding the crown of his head. Seems like a repeat of the first day I got here. He recovered quickly and turned to me "That's the Winged Dragon soul form. It's a legendary soul realm, as rare as Ziyun's and only one in every few million people have it."

I continued nodding "I suspected it. It was one of the few soul forms detailed in that book I read."

Nie Li frowned as he looked at her "She gets explosive growth and increased efficiency in cultivation. For every step she grows, the following step, and even the step after that one will be much easier to reach. And her attribute is indeed wind lightning making the Lightning Dragon technique the best one suited for her. She might leave us in the dust soon…"

Lu Piao whistled softly "That's so unfair…" he w.h.i.n.ed

Turning to him I hummed "So says mr sleeping cultivator."

This made him throw me a toothy smile and to stick out his tongue. Why this cheeky brat! My hand moved like lightning and I grabbed his tongue and started shaking it around, his head following my actions as he tried to pry me off his mouth organ. Returning to Nie Li I questioned, "You're not angry I shared your technique? " It was a matter of curtesy.

The said ginger waved me off "It fits her best and you trust her. Its enough reason for me. Besides, knowledge is meant to be shared."

"En." I cupped my hands in thanks and continued "You said that Ziyun's soul form is just as rare. What is it?"

Nie Li nodded and turned to look at Ziyun "Snow Wind attribute, Ice Phoenix soul form. It's properties…"

My hand stopped in front of his face interrupting him "Knowing you, you analyzed her soul form and gave her a special cultivation technique without explaining anything. Am I wrong?" He blushed a bit before shaking his head "Then you can explain it this evening." He nodded in acceptance.

I was seriously pushing my luck with Nie Li. Well, even if he thought something was amiss I had what I needed from now on. If anything, we can just go our separate paths, though that would be the saddest option possible. However, I had faith in him. We were both somewhat strangers in this world. You know how it's like when you move to a different country? Even if everyone is friendly and kind, you still miss having someone who experienced similar feelings to discuss with. He was someone outside of his time and I was outside of my place, and I suspected he knew had a feeling about that but just let it happen.

Evening came fast and I went with Nie Li to retrieve the girls. Ning'er was first and she greeted us kindly before following in silence. Moving onwards we came to Ziyun's desk and she stood up to hug Ning'er before bowing slightly to me. "Long Wan!" she said, a little excitement and happiness in her voce before she turned to Nie Li and a little blush adorned her marble cheeks "Nie Li…" she whispered softly.

Nie Li beamed a million watt smile at her "Hello Ziyun!" he greeted and waved.

Ziyun grabbed her little purse bag and squeezed it a little "Yesterday, I… was wrong to call you a scoundrel when you helped me so much. I'm sorry!"

Impossible as it was the teenage geriatric ginger smiled wider and swung his hand over her waist pulling her closer "If it's you then it was nothing."

"Nie Li let go!" she growled at him like an angry puppy.

"Whoa~ boy!" My hand flew and chopped him on the crown of his head leaving a bump where it contacted. It made him let go of Ziyun and clutch his head.

"What was that for!?" he yelled in my face before I pushed him away a bit.

Cleaning my ear with my pinky "You were pushing your luck."

"You still didn't have to hit me on the head!" he pointed at me.

"Eh, I didn't hit anything important anyway…" I shrugged.

Both girls remained stunned at our antics at first before they started giggling. It was as if birds were singing of spring.

"Ning'er./Ziyun." we both said with awe as we looked at our girls, lights shining around them.

"Ziyu~n!" Nie Li launched himself at her to hug her again.

Moving faster I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt as he kept pulling towards her. "Whoa~ boy! Whoa~!" I called out but he acted as if he didn't hear me. Reaching the limit of my patience a large vein appeared on my forehead as I called forth my inner Yosemite "When I say 'Whoa~!'…" my palm heated up from atmospheric friction as it came crashing down on his head at Mach speed. BOOM! "I~ mean WHOA!" and the next moment Nie Li was face down on the floor as a new smoking bump appeared next to the previous one.

Along the way to the library Nie Li had a mock sour mood as he cradled his head. Ziyun was looking at him with worry as she walked on his left. Ning'er was to my right and we were making small jokes, mostly about the Sacred family such as Shen Hong already being a grandfather with his son's promiscuity. Unfortunately this also brought her some mild disgust and nobody could blame her.

We arrived at the library where everyone was waiting for us. The trio greeted us normally. Du Ze made a more formal reception and Lu Piao just Lu Piao'd. We sat down in silence at the table, the girls sitting together with Nie Li and myself framing each of their free sides respectively, much to Lu Piao's disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. We had a few small moments of silence as Nie Li worked some inscriptions to ensure our privacy. He finished quickly and set it in the middle of he desk as he activated it. The scribblings shined a bit before Nie Li sighed.

"It's done." Said Nie Li with a smile and a little pride in his voice.

"What is it?" asked Ziyun gently. She probably never saw such complicated inscriptions before. Even I barely understood it since there were no primary inscriptions from anything in the school's studies.

Humming gravely I willed my face to turn stone cold "Something that will ensure our privacy. I asked Nie Li to prepare this for us as I have something of the utmost importance to tell you. First of all, some of you may know and others not so much, both Nie Li and I are big partners of the Alchemy Association with honorary Senior Master and Senior Apprentice titles respectively." Nie Li nodded and the girls looked at both of us in admiration. It wasn't easy to achieve such titles. Even my own required years, perhaps decades of study.

Coughing I continued "You are all here because you are people I trust the most in this world. I ask that if you trust me, then you extend that same feeling to each other." Looking at each other I saw them nod seriously. Even Lu Piao could tell this is no time for goofing around.

Nodding I said "As the boys know I created the soap that every household now uses and, while not hard for the guys who have been in this group longer to figure out, Nie Li is the source of the new pills that hit the market recently. I mean how hard is it to realize that Nie Li went to the Association one day and less than a week later they release not one, not two but five legendary pills? " Both girls once again looked at us, Ning'er at me with her mouth wide open and Ziyun at Nie Li with her hand gingerly over her lips and he just goofily smiled before taking out a lot of pill bottles and handing them to the girls who tried in vain to refuse.

"I am telling you this so you would understand how I discovered what I'm about to share. Nie Li…" I turned to him and he motioned me to go on "Have you met with the Association recently?" I asked and he shook his head "Last night primary master Huyan Ming visited me bearing news. Long story short they discovered evidence to something I suspected a long time ago: The Sacred Family is working with the Dark Guild."

Bang! Nie Li fists hit the table leaving indents and nearly splitting it in two. "Those bastards!" he growled, his soul force radiating outwards like a volcano ready to explode.

Ziyun extended a hand towards him but timidly retracted it before turning to me and mouthing "How?"

Nodding I continued "I once came upon a meeting between the two factions. When I got some authority in the Alchemy Association I asked them to track the shipments of the Sacred Family and they discovered that most of them had been smuggled out of town. They also killed one of the smugglers and found the Dark Guild insignia on that person."

This news made Ning'er growl unladylike as she uttered "Sacred Family…". Since we were sitting at a low table I covertly touched her leg to calm her down. We were soundproof but we could still be seen so I couldn't be too bold and cause trouble yet. A blush spread across her perfect face and she turned to me in shock before nodding with a smile, even gently pushing her leg towards to my hand. That innocently feminine yet bold nature of hers was what I loved the most.

Turning to the rest I resumed my serious tone "Also, through some other means I discovered that the Dark Guild has the means to provoke the demon beasts to hoard and attack the city." Nie Li twitched, his eyes going wide with PTSD. Poor guy "We have all reasons to suspect that they will act if they feel that their power base becomes shaky in the city. This is why we must do our best to act with haste but also do so with care. Financially we are secure on every front. Nie Li and myself receive close to thirty percent of the profits the Alchemy Association makes. Politically, we mainly have the Association on our side and on a minor note we can count on the Snow-Wind backing Ziyun and the Divine Family being on my side. While the later two can't act directly against the Sacred Family, they will protect me and Ziyun from minor backlash." Ziyun nodded in confirmation.

"What about us?" asked Wei Nan.

I smiled "First of all the rest of you are under our care. Second of all, you aren't targets. The only link between us is that we are the troublemakers who stood together." I said and they all nodded "I will be incredibly straight forward but thinking strictly strategy you're all useless as you are now." my heart sank a little as I saw Du Ze with a painful expression. It was a face only someone who felt powerless could have "All the information I shared with you was to get you to understand how important it is for you to get stronger. If you had no reason to practice seriously before then I think that this would change your mind completely. That is your job right now and it's something only you can do! Imagine our political pull if we all reach gold rank before next year."

"I agree." interrupted Nie Li "Long Wan said it the best. Leave the Sacred Family to me for now. You focus on growing powerful." he growled.

"To us!" I corrected.

He looked shocked before smiling "To us." he nodded.

"Right. Another thing that I ask is that you keep silent about all that is said tonight. And should anything happen to Nie Li or myself then you keep it to yourself at least until reaching Legend Rank." Pausing I looked at everyone at the table expectantly with Nie Li backing me up. Everyone else nodded seriously so I let out a breath to relax.

Sighing before smiling I resumed "One more thing. In order to fight better we need to understand each other as best we can. To achieve this we should tell a little about yourselves such as likes, dislikes, abilities so on and so forth." I was ripping off Naruto but I also saw this as a really good way to strengthen our bonds. It was corny as a cob but we needed trust more than anything.

" I'll start. My name is Long Wan. I'm an orphan who's family died in the service of the Divine family so they took it upon themselves to secure my needs. While growing up I was mostly a loner and didn't have any friends until I got to know this group. I dislike the Sacred Family especially Shen Fei, Shen Yue and Shen Xiu, demon beasts, overly insistent people and spicy food. My dream is to grow into a rich and powerful man who can protect his loved ones and live a carefree life, maybe have a loving wife or several, have a few dozen kids and give my wife or wives headaches as I grow old next to my friends. As for what I like, I love Ning'er and care for everyone else at this table. " I detailed earning a huge blush from Ning'er, a smaller one from Ziyun and a wolf whistle from Lu Piao.

"You already know of my titles and my fortune. I am a two star Bronze rank demon spiritualist with a void element attributed soul realm and an unknown mutated soul form that grants me mysterious abilities, such as the ability to make solid all-consuming shadows, the ability to detect hidden tangible beings, the automatic absorption of Yin energy during the night to increase my cultivation and the ability to teleport distances proportional to my strength, the later of which I discovered barely yesterday.

I cultivate a technique of my own creation called the Heavenly Void Dragon God which grants me the ability to merge with up to four dark aligned demon spirits, increased mental fortitude, higher communion with heaven and earth and the ability to refine the breath and then use it to refine the body. "

When I put it this way I had the feeling I was some kind of monster. Looking at Ning'er I could see nothing but admiration and wonder in her eyes, her mouth slightly opened in surprise. My fears had surfaced a little as I had to admit I had expected some negative feedback from Ning'er when I said I wanted more than one wife but she didn't even flinch. Polygamous and polyandrous societies are awesome!

Smiling I motioned for her to be next.

She nodded and began with a sweet tone that soothed my soul "My name is Xiao Ning'er of the Winged Dragon noble family. Umm, I don't have any friends except Long Wan and Ziyun…" she lingered a bit so Lu Piao perked up immediately

"I'll be your friend!" he said with a beaming smile.

Du Ze also shot a kind but cool smirk "So will I…"

"As will I!" "Me too!" "Here here!" the trio shot one after the other.

This made Ning'er smile warmly and bow her head "Thank you all for having me!" she said softly before continuing "Technically I am the daughter of the patriarch and heir to the Xiao name but I am also set to marry Shen Fei. As for finances, they treat me well but we are a declining Noble family so we aren't that well off compared to some others. Umm, I dislike Shen Fei and the Sacred family. My dream is to have a nice family with the man I love. I like cooking, Ziyun, my friends and umm… I… lo… ILOVELONGWAN!" That last part she yelled out after getting the courage and inhaling a lot of air. We were lucky that the area was silenced otherwise I don't doubt that even Shen Fei would've heard that.

Her head was now imitating a very ripe apple so I discreetly grabbed her hand lovingly and squeezed it for reassurance with Ziyun launching herself around her neck in a big hug with the rest applauding, with the exception of Lu Piao who was frozen stiff because of some Void tendrils swirling around me like I was some unholy spawn of Cthulhu itself and a look on my face that promised him that I would eat his very soul if he made her feel even more embarrassed.

Seeing all the support around her Ning'er recovered quickly so she coughed before continuing "I have a wind lightning (storm) affinity with the Winged Dragon soul form. It grants me higher cultivation efficiency. I just became a two star bronze demon spiritualist last night. I practice the Lightning Dragon technique given to me by Long Wan which is a really powerful technique suited for wind-lightning combat."

"This is fun! I guess I'll go next." Said Nie Li "I am Nie Li of a branch of the Heavenly Marks family. Even though we are an aristocratic family we are the lowest with below average income. We mostly guard the northern outskirts of the city where the family grows herbs as a main source of funding. Long Wan already explained my position and fortune so I'll skip that. My expertise lies in cultivation but I know a little about all manor of subjects so don't hesitate to ask and I'll do my best to help. I dislike the Sacred family, demon beasts with one in particular that I must kill in the future and the Dark Guild. My dream is to secure the safety of Glory City and of the woman I love, have a family with her and give her many headaches with my brothers like Long Wan said. I hold my friends dear to me and love Ye Ziyun!" he finished without missing a beat making the poor girl's face light up like Rudolph the reindeer's nose "As for my combat abilities, I haven't yet entered Bronze Rank but I have a soul force of 89 at the moment. I posses an attributeless and formless soul realm, though I do feel something changing, perhaps mutating like Long Wan's but the change is still to small for me to identity yet. I have a bit of knowledge on most Daos such as Sword Dao, Martial Dao and Cultivation Dao. Cultivation wise, I practice the Heavenly God technique which is the most suitable for me. It grants me the ability to merge with up to seven demon spirits of any alignment, higher communion with heaven and earth, some secret techniques like one to temporarily increase my strength well passed my level but at a much higher strain on my body and soul realm, and the ability to refine the breath and then use it to refine the body." He finished and then turned to Ziyun who was looking at him intensely with a lot of admiration.

Seeing him turn towards her she flinched and blushed but also recovered quickly. She was an innocent girl, even by this world's standards. Coughing she began "My name is Ye Ziyun of the Snow Wind family. I am the daughter of the City Lord and the granddaughter of legend rank Ye Mo. However, even though I hold that position, I don't have much authority with the exception of appealing to my father and grandfather. My family protects but will not overindulge me. Even though I am the city lord's daughter I grew up mostly alone without any friend except Ning'er before we had a falling out some years ago. We did reconnect yesterday thanks to Long Wan. I dislike the Sacred Family, the Dark Guild and demon beasts. My dream is to grow strong and help my family protect the city. I also hope to have a loving family with my future husband. I like Ning'er as if she was my sister, my friends and…" she looked towards Nie Li who smiled expectantly. Ziyun however blushed and looked away with a small 'eep'. Sorry brother Li. Better luck next time. "I am at the peak of 1 star bronze rank and have a snow-wind (blizzard) attribute and some kind of bird soul form. I practice the Nine Revolving Ice Phoenix technique but I don't know anything about it other than it's a very strong snow wind technique." she hummed at the end with a finger on her chin in thought.

Frowning I glared hard at Nie Li who pretended not to see me "Nie Li~" I growled making a chopping motion and he started to sweat profusely. "Why do you never take the time to properly explain things?" I sighed as I raked my hair in frustration.

He started to laugh awkwardly before taking over the conversation "Your soul realm is the Ice Phoenix. While it's in egg form you will suffer maybe average or below average cultivation speed." he said and his face softened when he saw her dejected face "However, when you reach Black-Gold rank the phoenix will hatch and you will have unparalleled godlike cultivation ability if paired with a suitable technique." Ye Ziyun instantly beamed up in surprise. She looked in wonder and disbelief. I remember that all her life she was compared with her father and adopted brother and was shown to be mediocre in comparison, when in truth she was just a very late bloomer, at least by Tiny World standards. In the Draconic Ruins Realm Black Gold was something that ten year old kids were expected to reach.

Nie Li laughed and continued "As for the technique, while it's not the strongest in terms of combat ability, it is the most mysterious. If you successfully cultivate and as long as your soul is not destroyed, you can resurrect up to nine times even if your entire body is reduced to ash. I gave you that technique to protect you. Everything in my power, even my life, I will give it all to see you safe!" he said kindly as he looked at her and took her hand. She flinched hard and tried to pull back but looking at how she moved she didn't really put that much effort in it. No protests erupted from her mouth either.

Seeing her grow more uncomfortable by the moment, happy but also uncomfortable, I called out "Whoa~ boy!" causing Nie Li to instantly let go and shield his head. Feeling the lack of impact he relaxed his guard and shot a glare at me. I smirked knowingly. Conditional programming is a bitch.

The rest followed shortly though I tuned them out since I was already familiar with their capabilities. When they finished we moved on to our devices. Ning'er and I took a soul nurturing pill each and began cultivating. The Heavenly Dragon Void God was nearly unmatched at absorbing the power of the pill but Ning'er soul form gave it serious competition. Next to us Nie Li was discussing inscription patterns with Ziyun, the trio were debating the most effective form of spear combat. Du Ze was doing his homework for class and Lu Piao was off to lalaland in the corner, sometimes sleep-mumbling something about b.o.o.b.s.

I had just finished absorbing the pill when I checked my soul crystal to see it now showed a soul force of 288. In a couple of days I will be three star bronze.

"You're amazing!" came from Ning'er, her angelic voice singing my praises with a radiant smile on her l.u.s.trous cherry lips. She lifted her soul crystal to show 234.

Shaking my head I smiled back "I had a head start and a lot of high quality pills. Even so, you nearly caught up to me in less than a few days. If anyone is the greatest here, then it's you."

She pouted sweetly and gently grabbed my ear "A week ago your soul force was at 11 while mine was at 78 so don't pull that head start nonsense on me mister!" Ning'er admonished with a blush. Though the way she grabbed my ear sent shivers down my spine. She didn't squeeze nor pull, but it felt like a massage. Her fingers moved softly along the lobe. She could have a thing for ears for all I know.

Melting in her touch I exhaled contently "If this is punishment then know that I've been a very naughty~ boy." It seems that her movements were somewhat subconscious because after realizing what she was doing she retracted her hands with lightning speed, blood rushing to her skin and virtual steam came out of her ears. Even Ziyun got so red that her sweat was starting to evaporate. Pouting, I started grumbling "She stopped... Me and my big mouth." earning a light giggle from both girls.

Suddenly a large group of people entered my range of sense and I turned around to see that a bunch of upperclassmen were surrounding a student that was proudly showing off his red armour. Smiling I stood up while making my way to the group. "This piece of armour in my hand is called Flaming dark armour. It's bronze ranked and unless one had hundreds of thousands of demon spirit coins, they wouldn't be able to get it! Putting on this Flaming dark armour, invincible under silver rank!" he said before taking it off and throwing it to a person in the crowd "I gift this to you!" Upon seeing it, several girls beside revealed envious expression. Among them quite a few of them threw flirtatious glance towards the generous youth from time to time.

Laughing faintly, the youth continued , "There are six stalks of 5-year old Holy Dark Grass here. I brought them from my home. As long as you follow me and work hard, there will be many benefits for you guys!" Holy Dark Grass is solely the Divine Family's. It has the effect of strengthening one's soul force based on the age of the grass, the older it is, the stronger it becomes. A single 5-year Holy Dark Grass is worth 50 thousand demon spirit coins, as for 10-year and 20-year Holy Dark Grasses, they are several or even dozen times more expensive.

Long Wan's memories surged forward. This teen, Chen Linjian was a somewhat dear person to him, one of the few nobles who treated him like an equal. He could be pretty stern and upright but never without justification or reason. However, as we aged and he took on more responsibility for the Divine family we drifted apart, barely seeing each other from time to time.

"Big brother Linjian!" I called out from behind the group.

The teen turned towards me with surprise before it turned into a warm smile "Xiao Wan!" he said and went over to meet me halfway. When we were a step apart we locked arms in a brotherly fashion, giving a slight squeeze of reassurance. "I remember when you used to cling to my pant legs. Now look at you, almost as tall as I am." he said as he wrapped an arm around my neck and started to mess with my hair.

"Ahaha, I had a growth spurt." I said as I let him have his fun with my head.

"Who is this young man?" some people began whispering.

"I didn't know that young master had a younger brother!' others soon followed.

Chen Linjian let me go and took my shoulders in his hands before showing me a sombre look "I heard you've been making trouble for the Sacred family. You should know that I can only help you so much. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Nodding I cupped my hands towards him "Thank you big brother but I know what I'm doing. Considering your position I cannot possibly ask you to interfere."

He frowned and lightly knocked me upside the head "Nonsense! What good is my position if I can't help my dear little brother?"

Fisting him in the c.h.e.s.t I replied "Just trust me!"

Chen Linjian nodded and turned towards the crowd "Everyone, this is Long Wan. His parents committed a great sacrifice for my Divine Family so I've been helping raise him as if he is my little brother. I hope you receive him with the same kindness you've shown me."

"Long Wan? You mean that Long Wan?" one girl whispered

"What do you mean?" another one asked.

"Supposedly he upset the Sacred Family very much so they attacked him 7 vs 1." she said while looking at me like I was a puzzle to be solved

"Oh no! What happened then?" her friend asked again

One boy approached them and said "The Sacred family attackers were beaten, some within an inch of their lives..."

"Really?" they both asked at the same time, throwing towards me expressions of both respect as well as fear.

"I was there. He was screaming for help until the princess of the Winged Dragon family tried to help him but got hurt in accident. Next thing you know, he came upon them like an angel of death and sent three men to the infirmary, scared off three more and made Shen Yue urinate himself." the boy answered.

Nodding, Chen Linjian struck my c.h.e.s.t "About that, just how strong have you become?"

Nie Li needed to hide his strength to keep the Dark Guild away from his family but I had no such concerns "I'm at the peak of 2 star Bronze demon spiritualist and close to middle 3 star in strength."

Linjian whistled "When I was your age, I was barely scraping one star. Even now I'm only 5 star bronze." For Glory City, 5 star bronze at 15 was genius level.

"Then I still have a while to catch up." Who am I kidding? A 'while' for me means at most two months.

Chen Linjian laughed "Listen, do you want to join my group? I can care for you better this way." he offered sincerely

Shaking my head I let go of him and took a step back "Apologies big brother but I've already got a group. But if you see fit then we can still work together." As I said this the rest of the group started coming to us "Allow me to introduce my friends."

Linjian nodded towards the group "Any friend of xiao Wan is a friend of mine.". They cupped their hands in return.

"Young master Linjian, would you be willing to accept us on your team?" Nie Li said respectfully but firmly.

"We?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nodding Nie Li continued "Ziyun wants to join as well. I tried to dissuade her but you know how women are." Well, well, well... Seems like the little ice princess is melting. Though that last comment earned Nie Li a stomp on the foot from the same girl and the laughter of everyone as he was jumping around on one foot while cradling the other.

One of Linjian's men barked "Brat, have you reached bronze rank? Do you think this is a game we are playing?"

"Enough!" ordered Chen Linjian "I said that they are my friends so I expect you to avoid any disrespectful tones." he said glaring at the man

"Apologies young master!" the man cupped his hands while bowing.

The noble teen turned to me with a raised eyebrow. "I can vouch for any one of them with my life. Actually, I would also like to join." I confirmed

"Would you be able to accept me as well?" asked Ning'er.

Linjian nodded with a smile but then asked in a serious tone "Do any of you have an idea on what we are planning here?" he then started scanning our group.

"Of course. You people are preparing to explore the Ancient Orchid City Ruins, right?" Nie Li answered without missing a beat.

Chen Linjian showed hint of astonishment on his face. "Big brother Linjian meet Nie Li." I laughed at his surprised face.

Linjian thought for a second before realization hit him. He looked at Nie Li and smiled "They say that you have read all sorts of ancient books."

"That is correct. I have read anything that can be found in the library." Nie Li slightly nodded, revealing strong sense of self-confidence.

"Ha ha, such big words!"

"You are still to grow a bush, but actually dare to say that you've read all the ancient books in the library, how amusing. Even if you have been reading since you were in your mother's w.o.m.b, you couldn't have possibly read so many books." Linjian's men started talking amongst themselves mockingly. Sigh, big bro you need to run with a smarter crowd.

"Silence!" Linjian ordered before switching to Nie Li "Since you have read so many books, do you know what era the Ancient Orchid City Ruins belong to?"

Nie Li nodded "According to the present clues found, Ancient Orchid City Ruins' buildings are round, however the whole city is square, and with such construction there are only two compatible eras. One would be the Snow Wind Empire Era and the other would be the Sacred Empire Era."

I cut him off there "Hold on! The specific lotus murals and the layout of the roads were only found during the Sacred Empire era and during the Woodland Empire that descended from the Sacred Empire and inherited their style and language.

Nie Li raised an eyebrow at me but nodded in acceptance "True, but the city is much too large. The Woodland empire didn't have time to expand so much."

I cupped my chin "However since the murals are still intelligible then it means that they didn't have time to sunbleach and fade, so the city can't be too old either."

The ginger nodded "En, which means that it was late Sacred Empire era."

Nodding I accepted the reasoning "Close to the beginning of the Dark Age."

Judging by their expressions it was obvious that the rest of Chen Linjian's squad had no f.u.c.k.i.n.g clue about what we were talking about. "Good!" Chen Linjian suddenly got up. Swinging an arm above both Nie Li's and mine's shoulders he tilted towards me "Xiao Wan, when did you get so knowledgeable? You used to ask me if demon beasts pee or not ha ha!"

"Did he?" Ning'er asked with a mischievous smile. Oh no!

Linjian started laughing "He did!" he confessed and Ning'er started giggling as she looked at me with the corner of her eyes "That's not the best one! At one time during a celebration he actually..."

"Say another word about that and no pill in existence will fix what I'm going to do to you!" I growled like a rabid demon beasts.

He started sweating a little but insisted on pushing his luck "Oh come on Xiao Wan, it's just a funny story about..." A sharp void tendril was instantly aimed dangerously close to his family jewels.

"Would you like to be called young master, or little miss? Your choice..." I said smiling as sweetly as I could.

Now he started sweating profusely "Uhh... Actually, what did you do then? I don't remember well, ehehehe..."

The tendril vanished as I patted his back "You chose wisely."

Ning'er approached my side and pulled my sleeve as she started whispering with a smile "Now I'm really curious." she bat her eyelashes at me and I almost gave in and told her.

Grinning mischievously I whispered back "Tell you what. You tell me a really embarrassing story about yourself and I will tell you mine, I promise. "

She pouted but didn't push it. Ning'er is still a girl afterall. Embarrassing stories are even more so to her species. As she walked away she suddenly turned and before moving close to my ear and speaking with an extremely hushed tone. I nodded a few times to answer some whispered questions before my face instantly became cherry red listening to her story and I clamped a hand over my mouth, my shoulders trembling in contained laughter. This went on for many seconds as Ning'er just stood there timid and blushing harder then an erupting volcano.

As soon as I recovered I turned to look at the little miss Xiao and shook my head "A promise is a promise… " I muttered as I leaned in and whispered back in her ear. Her face lit up like never before she tried to contain her giggle but she couldn't and let it run out loud. Her feminine giggle filled my ear as she wiped her eyes that had watered from all that laughing "I can't believe it! You really ran out with her pa…"

She began recalling when I interrupted with a smirk "At least I'm not the one who went crying to her daddy thinking she was dying when she had her first…"

"Aaaaahhhh~!" she shot towards me to clamp my mouth shut with both hands "Don'tsayitoutloud!Don'tsayitoutloud!Don'tsayitoutloud!" she said in one breath until she was distracted by Lu Piao who let out a wolf whistle. She then realized that her hands were both on my face as she stuck her body onto mine. Blush returned with a vengeance reaching critical levels. The next instant she was all the way across the room behaving all timid and shy.

Shaking my head I smiled and decided to pretend I didn't notice anything. I turned to big bro Linjian who was discussing with Nie Li "You want to choose one item first? Okay, it's a deal. And if you reconsider in the future know that my offer still stands." he said and Nie Li just nodded. He probably tried to get Nie Li as his subordinate. It pained to be the only one who knows that Linjian would be better of with HIM being Nie Li's underling.

"Hope that we can cooperate happily." Nie Li calmly said then turned around and left.

"Three days from now at 6 o'clock in the morning. We'll set off from here!" Chen Linjian looked at the back of Nie Li who is currently walking away, and revealed a little playful smile on his face.

Three days?! F.u.c.k my shitty Earth memory sideways with a spiked dildo. I thought it would be tomorrow. Well, this gives me plenty of time to get the armor, the scroll and learn some moves. Speaking of moves…

Bidding my fare well I ran after Nie Li, the gang following close behind "Nie LI! Can you teach me some kung-fu right now?"

My friend though a second about it but then he answered with a smile "It's a little late but why not. Let's go to the academy combat grounds." It took at most five minutes to get there. As soon as we entered the arena both of us took to the center while the others remained at a distance watching us. "Show me what you can do and we can work from there." he said tucking his hands behind his back.

I scratched the back of my head with an awkward expression "But, I told you I'm a rank amateur. The time with Shen Yue was the first time I hit anything."

He just smiled kindly and made a come hither motion "We need to get a grasp on how your body and mind moves so we can work from there. I promise I'll be gentle." he said with a smile that promised pain.

Frowning, I thought for a couple of seconds as I lifted my hands in a simple guard, imitating Muay Thai. Going in with unfamiliar big moves would earn me a love session with the ground. This meant I needed to start small and keep at it. So swallowing hard and gritting my teeth I launched myself at Nie Li with the plans to throw simple left handed jabs. Next thing I knew was that the sky was full of pretty clouds.

Nie Li tsked "You think too much. Planning too much ahead only means more chances for things not to go according to plan." This sonovabitch swiped my legs and sent me to the floor. I didn't feel much due to my 2 star Bronze physique but my pride did take a serious hit.

This pissed me off to no regards as I looked towards him. No more mister nice guy. I steadied my body and raised my fists again on the side of my face and launched myself at him, focused on guarding my lower portion, only to land with my face in his fist as it found it's way perfectly through my sideways guard.

"And this time you let anger cloud you and thought too little. You really are a beginner."

Hearing what he said I growled as a fly landed on my nose due to my sprawled position. Angry I swatted the fly, giving myself the mother of all wakeup slaps. This cooled me down. He was right, I was a beginner. Hell *I* said I was an amateur.

I stood up and dusted myself as I closed my eyes and focused my other senses, especially my void sense, to overdrive. My sight was my biggest weakness. It gave my intentions away and gave me tunnel vision. I wasn't angry anymore, I just wanted this f.u.c.ker to hit the ground at least once. Since I had a body that moved how I wanted it, why not use it to the fullest. Relaxing my arms I shot forward in a curved direction aiming for his left, my void sense giving me a perfect outline to his body. As I shot a jab forward I could feel him... f.u.c.k, I could 'see' him sigh disappointingly as he once again made to take me out.

However just before he could prepare his move I accelerated, using soul force on the soles of my feet for explosive results. Grabbing his arm with my jabbing one I jumped forward and crossed my legs over his c.h.e.s.t, and pulling his arm towards mine letting both of us fall.

This was my first armbar and as we both hit the ground I opened my eyes to find Nie Li looking impressed at my performance before he moved in a way I didn't think was humanly possible and reversed the situation on me so that now it was I who was in a hold. Knowing that I had no way to get out I wanted to surrender to him but I just didn't want him to get the satisfaction so I grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at his face. He managed to avoid it but had to let go of me.

"That wasn't very honorable… " he pouted.

Smirking I replied "I would rather it be effective than honorable. There are no second chances in real battles."

From a disappointed frown it turned into an approving nod from Shifu Li. One couldn't live centuries in a place like the Draconic Ruins Realm and still be honourable. "That's enough. " he said "There are some flashes of genius from time to time but you think too much on the first move and little to none on the following ones. In short, you're an absolute novice with some knowledge of kung-fu but no experience." he told me.

Sighing "That's what I told you at the start. Was there any need for all of this?" I asked with frustration and tiredness.

Nie Li nodded "There was. For one I know exactly what I have to work with now. As for the other, let's call it stress relief." he said with an evil smile.

"Did you just hold a grudge?" I asked more rhetorically than not.

Nie Li shrugged "Eh, I didn't hit anything important anyway…" he chuckled.

My grin overcame me hard as my left eye twitched 'This~ mother~f.u.c.ker~!'