Amid his pondering, Sheng Xuan heard his mother's voice echo.
"Lan'er. Xuan'er."
The moment Wei Lan heard the voice, she panicked. She hurriedly got up and began to dress up. To her frustration, Sheng Xuan took this time to ogle her wantonly.
"So pretty," he said.
"You leech," she muttered in annoyance.
Sheng Xuan grinned. Sadly, she dressed fast, tied up her hair and rushed to open the door.
As the door opened, color drained from Wei Lan's face. Wen Zhi stood right ahead with a teasing smile.
"Is Xuan'er inside?" She craned her neck.
"Yes, Mom, I am here," he waved his hand, not bothering to wear his robe.
"Ohoh, I wonder what you two have been doing?" She teased.
"Auntie!" Wei Lan was flustered, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Just cultivating, Mom," Sheng Xuan calmly said.
Passing a glance between them, she said, "Alright, I am here for Lan'er. You keep cultivating."
Wei Lan raised her eyebrows, curiosity peeking past the shame in her eyes.
"Come with me," Wen Zhi beckoned.
They went into the kitchen and sat around a round table.
"I came here to check up on you." Wen Zhi grabbed her hand. "Are you alright? Has Lan'er bullied you?"
Wei Lan's face turned red, her eyes darting around. Wen Zhi's care made her heart flutter.
"No, Auntie. Brother Xuan has been very sweet," she softly said.
"That's good," Wen Zhi smiled, rubbing her head, drawing a sweet smile from her.
Wen Zhi accompanied her for a while, gossiping over a few things. Wei Lan made her tea and wanted her to stay for lunch. Not wanting to ruin the young couple's mood, she was about to leave.
"Lan'er, tomorrow, accompany me during alchemy. About time, I start teaching you about that," Wen Zhi casually said.
"Ah, Auntie... that's..." Wei Lan's heart raced. "Is that okay?"
Wen Zhi snorted. "I say it's okay, so it's okay. Or do you not want to be my disciple?"
"No, of course, I would love to be your disciple!" Wei Lan excitedly said.
She did a full ninety-degree bow and cupped her fist. "Disciple greets master."
Wen Zhi smiled in satisfaction. She helped her get up. "Alright, now, we don't have to be so formal. You can call me Auntie or master, whichever you like."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
Wen Zhi did not linger around any longer, bidding farewell.
Wei Lan stood under the eaves, sunlight reflecting off her face. What had happened was rather surreal. This had been one of her deepest unsaid wishes. Now, having it realized made her want to jump around.
Wanting to share the news, she walked inside her room.
"You look happy," Sheng Xuan remarked.
Wei Lan showed her teeth. "Auntie accepted me as her disciple."
"Oh, awesome. It was only a matter of time. You are a perfect candidate," he said.
Wei Lan giggled. "Brother Xuan~" She pounced on him.
"Ah."
...
At the moment, Sheng Kuo stood respectfully in a large hall. A middle-aged man was seated on the main seat in front.
"All of the greater-grades in your cohort completed their initiation before you. Why is that?" Sheng Gang asked, staring down at his son.
A cold pressure surrounded Sheng Kuo. He gritted his teeth. In the grand scheme of things, a bit of delay like this was nothing. The thing with his father was, it did not matter. Either you were ahead or behind.
"Sorry, Father. I have disappointed you. I got distracted," Sheng Kuo said.
"Distracted?" Sheng Gang's voice dropped low. "Why was your brother not distracted? How did he finish his initiation before you?"
Sheng Kuo was annoyed. He was not his real brother and if Sheng Gang had given him the same amount of resources, would he have to skimp?
"I am sorry, Father. It won't happen again," Sheng Kuo flatly said.
Sheng Gang tapped the arm rest. The nonchalant responses irked him but he held off on his anger.
"I don't want to see it repeated or I will have to reconsider your resource allocation. You may leave." He waved his hand.
Sheng Kuo wanted to argue back, only to clench his jaw, bow, and leave. His chest tightened. Same level of talent but he was treated so differently. He did not get it. His father was a pig-brained fool. He let out a heavy breath.
Sheng Kuo had passed a corner when he saw a figure leaning against the wall. His irritation deepened. He ignored him, and continued to walk.
"Did you get scolded again, Brother Kuo?" Sheng Chao asked in a mocking voice.
Sheng Kuo did not respond. He continued toward his house.
"Tsk. Do you think you are above talking to me now?" Sheng Chao spat. "No wonder father does not like you with that attitude."
Sheng Kuo never stopped. Soon, he turned another corner, disappearing.
Sheng Chao cast a thoughtful glance. He had to weaken his Dao Heart while they were still young. It would be easier to compete with Sheng Kuo later on for inheritance.
After a few turns, Sheng Kuo arrived at his house.
"Kuo'er, you returned?" A female voice echoed.
Turning his head, Sheng Kuo saw his mother, Gu Hui. "Yes, Mother, I am back."
"Did you go see your Father?" she asked, concerned.
"I did."
Gu Hui looked at her son for a bit. She sighed. "Are you having issues? How come you were the last to finish initiation?"
"Who told you that?"
"Sister Rong came around, saying Chao'er had already promoted."
"Of course," Sheng Kuo's voice was chilly.
Gu Hui glossed past that. She emphasized, "Son, can you pay more attention to your cultivation? You are my only hope. If you do well, your Father will be proud." She caressed his face.
Sheng Kuo looked at the gentle expression on his mother's pretty face. Same expression as always. Same gentle words. It was always why don't you do something? Never why don't they fix their attitude toward him?
"I will try, Mother. You try too. Try the new fragrance I brought," Sheng Kuo said.
"Ah, yes," she said. "Your grandfather sent a message yesterday pushing me to bear more heirs for your father. It's just not easy. Your father is so busy."
"Hmph. He always seems to have for Madam Rong," Sheng Kuo said.
"Be polite, Kuo'er. He is your father," Gu Hui's delicate eyebrows sharpened.
Sheng Kuo passed an annoyed glance and entered his room. Gu Hui opened and closed her mouth, furrowing her eyebrows. Finally, she sighed and went to her room to try the new fragrance.
In his room, Sheng Kuo lay down on the bed, exhausted. How come he did not feel like he had greater-grade talent? He was being treated no different than a lesser-grade.
Suddenly, he sensed something. Turning onto his back, he took out a square jade, covered in dense, dark formation patterns. A voice came from it.
"Young Master Kuo, are you there?" Caretaker Bing asked, panicking.
Sheng Kuo did not reply, sensing something amiss.
"Young Master Kuo, I have been fired. Please do something," Caretaker Bing sounded urgent and scared. "I have mouths to feed. Please help me, Young Master Kuo!"
Sheng Kuo frowned. He did not reply; instead, he cut off the line.
In an overly decorated room, Caretaker Bing looked at the jade token in his palm, grey and broken. His heart sank to the bottom. His mind buzzed. He stumbled and sat on the bed.
"What have I done! What have I done!" He was filled with regret.
This would not have been a big deal if not for the people he had bullied and taken advantage of. The moment his enemies knew he was no longer a part of the Sheng Clan, he was finished. He would be an ordinary martial artist like them and he was old to boot.
"It's all your fault!" He nearly slapped his groin.
"No, no. I can not sit still," Caretaker Bing jumped up. He began to pack things and waited for the night fall. Although wanting, he did not take any of his family or inform them.
Looking at the dark night, Caretaker Bing steeled his resolve, cast one last glance at this large house and rushed out. His direction was the slum areas of the Sheng District, where hoodlums mingled.
Caretaker Bing had only just stepped foot into the slum area when the clouds unveiled the Moon, moonlight reflected off his black clothes. A chill ran down his spine. His eyes scanned the quiet surrounding.
Suddenly, a black ball landed in front of him, followed by several others. Caretaker Bing's eyes dilated. "Bastards!" He hurriedly stepped back but his vitality was not what it used to be.
Boom!
A cloud of black mist covered the area. Several black-clothed figures entered the mist.
A clash of blades and martial arts began.
Caretaker Bing cursed nonstop but none of the black-clothed figures uttered a single word. Instead, their attacks became more and more frenzied like Caretaker Bing was their sworn enemy.
Although Caretaker Bing had weakened, he had still been part of a great clan, and was a martial grandmaster, so he held out for a long time. Alas, no one came to help, and he ultimately perished.
One of the cloaked figures pulled down his eye mask, viciously staring down at the butchered figure, missing limbs, flesh, and eyes. Especially the groin area, nothing much was left of it.
"Wife, we can live in peace now." He murmured. His gaze shifted to the direction Caretaker Bing's house was in.
"Brothers, we have a long night ahead of us," he cackled and sprinted.
Other cloaked figures rushed after him.
...
"Did you hear what happened to Bing's family?" a caretaker asked in a hushed voice.
"No, what happened?" The other caretaker looked on curiously.
First caretaker looked around before he spoke. "It's bad. Yesterday, bandits raided their house. And oh heavens. They took away all valuables. Some men killed, some were left with severe injuries. As for the women, well, you can imagine," first caretaker whispered in an uneven tone.
Second caretaker paused his chewing, slack-jawed. "How audacious. Do they take the Sheng Clan for nothing?"
"Here is the thing," first caretaker built some suspense. "Bing was fired yesterday, so the clan has nothing to do with this matter anymore."
"What?!" Second caretaker quickly realized. Right, the clan did not care about these non-surnamed, bottom-of-the-ladder people. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he realized he had made too many enemies.
Satisfied at the second caretaker's reaction, first caretaker went to chat with another. From a small hill, surrounded by trees, Steward Ze watched the scene, nodding in approval.