16 Welcome to Taiyi Sect!

Everyone spent their entire night in the rest house while few of the well trained disciples of the Jin Sect guarded Ying Yue's room. Fu Shui Jin specifically requested that since he promised her father her maximum security.

The next morning with the sun, everyone rose to resume their journey. For now they were right on time and with the correct pace they would reach within noon. Their speed did slow down a bit due to the scorching sun above them, but regardless they reached in due time.

Taiyi Sect was situated on a secluded island that was impossible to view from the land. Due to its large number of disciples they made sure that the place was protected with utmost security compared to any other sect. At the bayou they found four boats, each with a capacity of not more than four people awaiting for them.

On one of the boats stood a young man who looked around the age of Fu Shui Jin. His hair however, even though of the same length, is pitch black in colour. Upon seeing them he bowed and greeted all of them but mentioned only Young Lord Fu and Young Lord Ying (Daisung). "I am disciple Zhangsun Shan. I shall be escorting all of you to Taiyi Sect safely. Please board the boats". He requested in his calm deep voice, keeping his eyes to the ground the entire time either out of respect or shyness.

As it so happens, before their departure the Water Lord, Fai Zhen, made sure to inform the Taiyi sect of their upcoming arrival via his messenger technique, a technique involving his Qi. Since they were expecting them, the leader, Rui Hongchang made sure to send extra boats.

Even though Ying Yue was a professional swimmer she was not very fond of rivers or boats. Being on the water had always made her seasick and thus she was reluctant to get on the boat. 'What if I vomit'? That's all she could think of while she got on the boat. She decided to keep her concerns to herself because she did not want to embarrass herself in front of the unknown man with them. She was determined to learn cultivation and prove her family here that she would be fine without a marriage.

She boarded the same boat as Shan Zhangsun, while her brother and Young Lord Fu followed her to the boat. The other people boarded the other boats and then sailed off. Ying Yue was absorbed in her thoughts regarding upcoming training and impending sea sickness when she found bear tiny fishes swimming just beneath the river. She was so mesmerized by their tiny beauty that she almost touched them. She extended her hand and the moment she was about to dip her finger she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She paused and turned around to see Fu Shui Jin looking at her with the same expressionless face. "I apologize for stopping you, but please refrain from touching the water". He asked politely.

"Why"? She asked, while she pouted. She was a free spirited young girl. Getting prompted so many times to the things she is not supposed to do irritated her quite a lot.

"The water here absorbs Qi that is not in its finest form. It is one of the defense mechanisms of the Taiyi sect that is supposed to prevent anyone with killing intent or that seeks chaos from achieving their target. It weakens them enough to sabotage their evil intentions". Fu Shui Jin explained.

"Why would that bother me? I am not evil. I don't have any plans on killing anyone. I am just going to learn". Ying Yue pouted.

"Miss Yue, I am aware that you have no ill intentions. However, as I mentioned before, your Qi is indeed quite unstable and which is why you need to train here. Perhaps one day when you have achieved a certain level of cultivation skills, you can touch this water without any harm. I, for one, am looking forward to that day". He gave a tiny smile.

Ying Yue nodded as she understood most of it. Not knowing much about cultivation disabled her from understanding anything fully that had anything to do with cultivation. With a frown she looked around herself hoping to enjoy the scenery when she noticed that the boats had no oars. These were pretty simple boats without any of the motors that are there in her century, then how come the boat sailed so flawlessly? "Is this a magic boat"? She muttered.

"What"? Fu Shui Jin, who heard her asked. She looked at him and then everyone who gawked at her as if she said something crazy. She decided not to ask anything further as she predicted even the oarless boats are a part of cultivation or something. She was starting to get nauseous to care.

After around twenty minutes they spotted the island. They halted, when Zhangsun Shan moved his hands in a graceful manner that brought a shiny green light to his hands. He hit some kind of invisible wall with his palm and the light spread there in a sheet like manner for a moment before disappearing.

The boats moved further along and soon enough they reached their destination. Ying Yue found a few people there. A man who looked around her father's age wearing a dark green robe that showcased his masculine figure splendidly. With his uptight posture he emitted the aura of an accomplished leader. "Is he that Rui Hongchan they were talking about yesterday"? Ying Yue pondered.

"Welcome to Taiyi Sect, Young Lord Fu..." he bowed at the Fu brothers slightly before turning his head to Daisung repeating the same action, "Young Lord Dai" and finally looking at Ying Yue, "Young Lady Ying".

All of them excluding Ying Yue returned the greeting before the man proceeded further. "I am extremely honored to accept the child of none other than the Fire lord himself for training purposes. I hope you achieve your goals on the journey you embarked upon". He gave a polite smile to Ying Yue.

All of them walked inside their sect whose entrance was guarded by a beautiful Paifang ( traditional chinese gate). The place was different from Jin sect, which was comparatively smaller as it was situated in a hilly area. The people here wore robes in different shades of green, most common colour being the emerald green. It seemed that every sect had their own color code that helped to distinguish between the members of different sects.

The roads were beautifully decorated while joy surrounded the whole place. It appeared as if the whole town was preparing for some upcoming festival.

Ying Yue was mesmerized by the ambience when she heard sect leader, Rui Hongchan speak, "Lady Qiu, will you escort Miss Yue to her chamber". He asked a woman who was accompanying them who bowed at the request. "Follow me miss" she requested Ying Yue who followed her.

After walking for a while they reached a premises that had multiple rooms. The whole place was crowded by women of varying ages. Lady Qiu led her to a chamber that was completely empty before she spoke, "You can ask me if you need anything. Meanwhile I will try to arrange the essentials for your stay here" she bowed and left.

Ying yue looked around the room which seemed quite ordinary before she peeked out of the window where she saw a few kids and preteens playing with each other in a pond.

She reminisced her old days with a tiny poignantly smile. When she was little she used to play around the pool before she discovered her talent for swimming and decided to build a career upon it. She has swimmed almost her whole life but if she were to choose the time when she enjoyed it the most, she will pick those particular memories of childhood.