Chapter Two.
Lord Du Yuan is the governor of Long Gong County with a handful of county officials giving him a helping hand to govern different ministries. Today is Lord Du Yuan's 40th birthday. Since he's sure many people will attend,the banquet is being held outdoors at his residence. The guests' seats have been arranged in a way that creates a hallway for the guests to pass through to their seats. Lord Du Yuan is seated on the governor's seat at the podium at the end of the hallway. The seat is decorated with dragon like patterns. Lord Du Yuan is wearing Dragon robes and a ceremonial headdress just like an emperor.
Most of the seats have been occupied by guests but Lord Du Yuan seems to be waiting for someone. A fine young lady in a white Hanfu dress walks along the hallway attracting everyone's attention. She is Du Bai Xin,Lord Du Yuan's only daughter also known as the 'Alchemy Fairy' due to her superb skills in alchemy. She curtseys to Lord Du Yuan while smiling. Lord Du Yuan's serious face brightens as his lips curve into a smile.
"Father, forgive me for being late,"she speaks elegantly.
"I'm glad you're here ."
Du Bai Xin walks towards an empty seat on the right column. The seat is next to where her mother Zhou Lian is seated . Zhou Lian smiles as Du Bai Xin reaches for the seat.
"Mother I missed you."
"If you missed me why didn't you arrive earlier then?"Zhou Lian asks while pinching Du Bai Xin's ear playfully
"I had to instruct the disciples what to do while I'm not around."
Zhou Lian frowns,"You and your disciples. Do they even call a young girl like you Shifu?(Shifu meaning 'Master') Why don't you quit and settle down for marriage. Look, your fiancé is there."
They both look at a guy seated on the left column. The guy's eyes coincidentally lock with theirs. The guy smiles and looks away shyly. The guy is Xu Han,Du Bai Xin's childhood fiancé.
"Mother, it's dad's birthday let's not talk about marriage."
Xu Han's attendant Yu Lang who is standing behind him,stoops to talk to him. He seems to be excited about something.
"Young Master,Miss Du looked at you for the first time,"he smiles.
Xu Han is grinning ear to ear with excitement . Du Bai Xin and Zhou Lian on the other side go on silent mode. Du Bai Xin is an alchemy master at Ziran Sect. She's only seventeen years old but she has mastered alchemy perfectly. She rarely comes home due to her parents' constant urge to get married especially to a guy she doesn't like. As the guests chatter amongst themselves,Lord Du Yuan's attendant Xue Feng walks over to him and whispers something to him.
"My Lord,Young Master is at the gate with the entertainers from Qingfeng Pavilion.
"Let them in,"Lord Du Yuan whispers back.
"Sure,my Lord,"Xue Feng bows and walks hurriedly towards the gate.
Lord Du Yuan's son Du Yichen who is also Du Bai Xin's elder brother is at the gate with the showgirls from Qingfeng Pavilion. The showgirls are surrounding him,others caressing him. He's clearly a womanizer as he seems to enjoy being touched by their tiny tender hands and their beautiful voices constantly asking for his attention. Duan Xinyue is standing a distance away from them. From the look on his face he isn't pleased to be there. Xue Feng approaches them.
Xue Feng bows,"Young Master,you can bring them in."
Du Yichen instructs the showgirls to follow him. Before they walk in,a carriage being pulled by two strong horses halts outside the gate. A man in black robes controlling the horses gets off the horses and sets up a portable staircase for the one in the carriage. A handsome young man in dark brown robes alights from the carriage.As he steps down the girls can't help but scream excitedly. The jealous Duan Xinyue shuts them up. This ethereal beauty is clearly Lei Qiang,the Master of Ziran Sect,the most handsome man in Long Gong County,how can the girls hold back their desire to acknowledge his beauty. Lei Qiang approaches Du Yichen and greets him then he walks in without looking back.