The meeting between the elites and the elders was early in the morning, and after it was over, the elites were all provided carriages to take us down to Dragon Gate City. While I noticed a group of Martial Masters shadowing us—likely to both protect us and ensure that no one tried to run off—openly, we were being given a bit of free time to explore the city. I wouldn’t need to report to TaiZu until the next day, so I had a bit of time on my hands to get everything prepared.
LiTing shook her head. “We… won’t be ready for that.”
“No worries. Take your time. The clan’s warriors are powerful enough to deal with anyone in the Wastes. I’ll just need your help for what comes after.”
We talked for a little while longer, then I left them to continue their work.
“System, teleport me to a secluded spot in the Twin Mountains Sect.”
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When I arrived, I immediately attached my sect token to my waist and went to find Bao. Then, after I returned his memories to him, we grabbed Cao, and the three of us found a remote location for a private discussion.
“Bao, Cao, I’m looking to take over the Twin Mountains Sect. Which one of you would like to become the new Sect Master?”
They both blinked at me.
Slowly, Bao raised a hand. “Master, where is SuYin?”
“She’s in the Verdant Fields Sect. She’s going to try to become the Sect Master there. I was hoping that one of you would be willing to take the job here. Of course, if you want to head up there and join her, that’s fine as well.”
Bao looked at Cao who was still just staring at me. “I don’t want to be the new Sect Master, but I can help Cao. SuYin should be fine on her own. We did a lot of work on soul cultivation while we were in the Nine Rivers Sect, so she shouldn’t be having the same memory issues as last time.”
I raised an eyebrow at that. “Really?”
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He nodded. “At least, that was the idea. I don’t know how well it actually worked. She was learning to use her soul to determine which memories were stored in her mind and which were stored in her blessing. A lot of her early memories would have still been lost, but she should at least remember the important bits.”
“Good to know. So, Cao, are you willing to become a Sect Master?”
She looked between the two of us. “I… don’t know…”
I smiled at her. “No need to rush your decision. You should already be more skilled than nearly anyone else in the sect, and Bao is here to support you. Just focus on improving your cultivation base so that you can suppress anyone who wants to cause trouble. I can send others here to deal with the administrative work.”
Reaching into my inner world, I pulled out a couple of jade boxes containing Profound-Rank spirit fires.
“These should help.”
Then, after a few parting words, I left.
“System, send me back to the hotel in Dragon Gate City.”
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Arriving back in the hotel suite with YuLong and the others, I thought through my internal list of Revered Elders.
Bao, SuYin, and Cao were in the sects, and LuYao was cultivating here in the city. They represented Wood, Fire, and Light.
As for the group that I had met at the Yellow Orchid Academy, YuLong and LiTing were here, and Yan was back in the Zhuge Clan. They represented Earth, Metal, and Dark.
Wind was set to the side, and as for Lightning, I was hoping to recruit Murong NaYun, an old man who I had only seen a single time—during a competition in this very city. I didn’t know much about him, but his blessing was top-notch. With any luck, he would be a good fit for the position of Revered Elder of Lightning.
That only left water. I looked around… “Has anyone heard from JiaQi? I sent her back to calm down LuLu, but I don’t know what happened to her afterward.”
LiTing shook her head. “No, she hasn’t been here. Maybe she sent a message?”
A slight frown crossed my face. “I’ll go check.”
LiTing stepped forward. “Let me come with you.”
Smiling, I waved a hand toward the door. “Alright, let’s go.”
After leaving the inn, LiTing and I headed straight to the Blue Wind Pavilion since, if JiaQi was going to send us a letter, she would use their message service to do so. When we set out, I expected this trip to be rather routine, but it didn’t take long for me to learn just how wrong I was.
Halfway to our destination, we ran into Su ShouDu.
“Cousin, so great to see you.” He looked at LiTing. “Is this your new peasant whore?”
LiTing blushed and looked away, but I just laughed. LiTing might appear to be a frail little girl, but she had the necessary skills to pass the Nine Rivers Sect’s combat tests. Considering the fact that she also had a higher cultivation base than him, ShouDu wouldn’t be able to hurt her even if he wanted to.
That said, the Martial Master who was shadowing ShouDu was a bit of a different story. If he stepped in, then I might have to stop him personally.
My reaction caused ShouDu’s upper lip to curl. “Are you heading to the Blue Wind Pavilion as well? It seems that getting a bit of money has given you a taste for the finer things in life. Why don’t I show you around?”
While I didn’t want to spend any more time with ShouDu than necessary, this could be an opportunity to advance my goal of helping ShouLi repay her debt to him. So, with a nod of agreement, I followed him, and we made our way to the Pavilion together.
As we entered the building, no one came to greet us.
For me, this had become commonplace, and while I didn’t know exactly why it was happening, I had a decent idea. For ShouDu, though, the lack of an immediate greeting was a personal affront.
“Where is our attendant? How dare you keep me waiting!?”
As ShouDu’s shout echoed across the floor of the Pavilion’s emporium, the Martial Master who had been following us ran up and whispered into his ear.
“Young Master, we mustn’t cause any trouble here. The Blue Wind Pavilion has a powerful backer.”
Shrugging the Master away, ShouDu snarled. “I know that, fool, but just because they have a backer doesn’t mean that they can insult their overlords.”
Outwardly, I put on a look of concern, matching LiTing. Inwardly, I smiled. If ShouDu caused too much of a ruckus, it would end poorly for him, his immediate family, and potentially, the entirety of the Su Clan.
While ShouDu’s shout drew the attention of nearly everyone on the Pavilion’s first floor, still, no one rushed over to greet us.
Just as ShouDu was about to explode, a familiar young woman in the blue and silver qipao of a Pavilion attendant approached us on shaky legs. As she looked at us, her eyes darted from one person to the next, but they refused to lock onto anyone for more than a second. Finally, she focused on me and her rapid breathing slowed.
She bowed to me. “Greetings, my name is Pei LiMei, how… how may I help you today?”
Before I could respond, ShouDu shoved me to the side. “How dare you ignore me? Do you truly wish to face the Su Clan’s wrath?”
Warily, the Master stepped forward to pull ShouDu back, but his caution made him hesitate for just a bit too long.
Staring at ShouDu, a variety of emotions flickered across Mei’s face. Chief among them were fear and anxiety. There were also flashes of a deep, abiding calm, but they were brief and were quickly overpowered.
She didn’t respond to ShouDu’s inquiry. Instead, she turned to look at me.
When she did, the fear and anxiety remained, but she was no longer being constantly pulled toward calmness. While this didn’t allow her to relax, it did allow her to stabilize herself.
Closing her eyes, Mei began to give me a bow, but before she could, ShouDu reached out and slapped her across the face.
Seeing this, the Master who was acting as his guard rushed forward and pulled him back. “Young Master—”
“You dare ignore me!?”
Finally, this commotion drew the attention of others from the Pavilion, and a man who looked faintly familiar ran over and gave ShouDu a short bow. “Young Master ShouDu, what seems to be the issue?”
ShouDu snarled. “Manager Liu, this woman deliberately insulted both me and the Su Clan. I demand that you expel her immediately.”
Manager Liu smiled ingratiatingly. “Of course, Young Master ShouDu.”
He turned to Mei and spoke in a cold tone. “Miss Pei, your services are no longer required. Leave, now.”
ShouDu chuckled evilly. “No reason for that. She’s rather attractive. Why don’t I take care of her for you? She can help warm my bed tonight.”
The manager lowered his head. “Young Master ShouDu, Miss Pei is no longer associated with our Pavilion. You may do as you wish.”
From what he said, one might assume that he was acting this way to please the young master of the Su Clan, but as I studied him, I could tell that something deeper was at play. He wanted to get rid of Mei, and ShouDu had given him an excuse to do so.
This finally allowed me to remember where I had met this manager before. I once spent a period of a few decades serving as an alchemist for this branch of the Pavilion. During that time, one of the managers actively worked to harm both me and WuJing. I was pretty sure that this was that manager, so he was likely targeting Mei as a way to attack WuJing.
Still, this whole situation seemed rather dramatic. Was it all a setup? Was it all the doing of Mei’s blessing? Maybe… But even if it was, I still knew what I had to do. “Is this how the Blue Wind Pavilion deals with people who threaten its workers? I must admit, I am a bit surprised.”
Manager Liu narrowed his eyes at me. A quick appraisal of my clothing left him unsure of how to respond.
“Who are you?”
ShouDu snorted disdainfully. “He’s just an up-jumped peasant.”
This caused the manager to sneer at me. “How the Pavilion manages its business is none of your concern.”
I bowed my head to him, accepting his decision. “Understood.”
During this conversation, Mei had scrambled away, but with my immediate capitulation, ShouDu strode toward her menacingly.
LiTing pulled on the sleeve of my robe. “Fang…”
I took in a deep breath and then let out a long sigh. This had been a long time coming, and I had put it off for as long as I could.
I reached forward, toward ShouDu. He tried to evade, but it was no use.
I grabbed his shoulder. He tried to break free, but doing so was impossible.
“How dare you!?”
I clicked my tongue. “Go back home. Now. If you don’t, I will break every bone in your body.”
His Master-level protector tried to intervene, but with an exertion of soul power, I kept him contained.
I squeezed ShouDu’s shoulder hard enough to crack his collarbone. Then, I wrenched him off his feet and threw him into the Master’s arms.
Manager Liu's expression turned horrified. “What are you doing? How dare you behave atrociously in the Blue Wind Pavilion?”
I gave him a polite and honest smile. “How the Su Clan manages its business is none of your concern.”
Ignoring both ShouDu and the manager, I walked over to where Mei was still cowering on the ground and held out a hand. “Would you please come with me, miss?”