Summoned by Duty

Su Yan…

That was the name of the attractive young woman who seemed incredibly mature.

She had the appearance of an extremely attractive woman, possessing huge, round breasts and a large, plump backside that could turn heads. Her long brown hair flowed like silk down to her buttocks, framing a face as round and fair as a full moon. Despite her cold expression, there was a sense of holiness about her, as if she hailed from a divine realm. Her beauty was mesmerizing yet not imposing, much like a celestial fairy or a flawless immortal peach.

Wrapped in a snug red Daoist robe, every curve of her voluptuous body popped out, displaying a charm that captivated all who beheld her.

Su Yan opened her mouth and spoke, "I am Su Yan, a disciple of the Sacred Cloud School. I have come here on the orders of the Great Demon Immortal Dragon Emperor, Maomao."

The title sounded significant, but the villagers just stared blankly, the silence growing louder.

Liu Ming showed a hint of familiarity but remained silent.

Su Yan's expression changed from emotionless to mildly surprised.

'Has our sect really fallen this far? Nobody even knows the name of our interim sect master, even though he claims he's famous in every cultivation world in the Lower Regions.'

She sighed and continued, "I have come here to retrieve the grandson of the Heavenly Sword Patriarch and Young Master of the Sacred Cloud School, Liu Ming."

To her surprise, that name resonated with the villagers.

Immediately, all eyes turned to Liu Ming.

That gesture was enough for Su Yan to identify him. Her cold gaze fell on the ordinary-looking Liu Ming, and her eyebrows rose. She was surprised by how much he resembled her revered patriarch, Liu Changsheng. She hadn't seen him in his younger days, but she had seen several paintings of him.

'Hrmm, but his cultivation level is still only Mid Heavenly Grotto-Spirit. Even though that's impressive, the way Sect Father always talked about him made it seem like he was a genius above everyone else. Still, I shouldn't judge too quickly. I remember Sect Father saying he only let him cultivate for a year before sending him here.'

The villagers whispered among themselves, casting curious side-glances at Liu Ming.

"Wow, I always knew Liu Ming was special, but I never thought it would be something this significant."

"Yeah, if a sect is interested in him, he must be really talented!"

"He should get engaged to my daughter before he starts his cultivation journey. It would greatly benefit my bloodline!"

"Ha! Even if he did, it wouldn't make you important at all!"

There were already several speculations and pieces of gossip flying back and forth.

Naturally, Su Yan ignored the mortals. Her only interest was in the man she came here to find. "Are you Liu Ming, the grandson of Patriarch Heavenly Sword?" she asked.

Liu Ming's face instantly shifted to one of complete hatred.

His eyes filled with venom as he stared back at Su Yan.

"No. I'm nobody to him."

With that, he started walking away, ignoring the beauty floating in the sky above him.

Of course, Su Yan wasn't planning to let him simply leave.

She descended towards Liu Ming, allowing the villagers to get a better look at her appearance.

She was practically glowing, with skin as smooth as jade and as fair as the first snowflake on a mountain.

"Our Sacred Cloud School is declining, and we need you to help us maintain relevance among the Five Great Sects, or we'll be forced into submission." Su Yan's words were gentle but carried a sense of urgency.

Liu Ming, however, didn't even bat an eye at her plea and continued walking.

Su Yan's frustration was evident as she squeezed her fists tightly, feeling the urge to hit something. "Do you not care about your sect?" she asked, her voice firm.

Liu Ming still didn't look back. He simply waved and said, "To be honest, I'm happy that old bastard's sect is declining. That's the best news I've heard in the last twelve years."

Su Yan's phoenix-like eyes widened at Liu Ming's disrespectful words. Her fingers unfurled from her fists but were so stiff they looked like claws.

"That 'old bastard' you speak so ill of has gone missing…"

Liu Ming's body stopped moving despite his mind screaming at him to leave. He turned to get a better look at Su Yan and asked, "Wh-, what do you mean he's gone missing?"

Su Yan's normally elegant and composed features turned worried.

"We haven't seen him in the last three years. He left without a word, and not even the pillars of the sect know where he could have gone. We tried to consult the Sacred Hall, but it's been sealed, along with most parts of the Sacred Cloud Mountain Range."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Liu Ming shouted back.

Su Yan remained unfazed. "If you think so, then come with me. I refuse to say more to someone unwilling to help their own sect."

Liu Ming hesitated. Unsure of what to say, he exhaled to clear his head and relax his nerves before making a decision.

"Alright, take me there."

Su Yan nodded, and suddenly, they were flying.

The villagers didn't even see when Su Yan moved or when she and Liu Ming vanished.

It felt like a frame skip.

Now, Su Yan and Liu Ming were flying together on a sword through a sea of clouds.

The ground was far below.

Such a sight drained the blood from Liu Ming's face. It had been so long since he'd done this that he was no longer used to it. He dropped immediately his basket of herbs and grabbed onto Su Yan's round waist.

"──?!!"

Su Yan was immediately surprised.

She perked up when his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, though she didn't know whether to hit him or ignore him.

Liu Changsheng had always taught her that if any man touched her inappropriately, they should be dead seconds later. However, he hadn't taught her how to react if his grandson touched her that way.

"Hrmm…" she uttered, feeling a bit at a loss.

"Is there a problem?" Liu Ming asked with innocent eyes.

Su Yan shook her head and faced forward. "No." Her response was dry and barely carried any weight.

Soon, they reached the Sacred Cloud School, deep within the Sacred Cloud Mountain Range. A strange mist pervaded the air, and four huge stone statues flanked the gate, two on each side. They resembled asura statues.

Liu Ming was surprised to see that there wasn't a single disciple around, not even a guard at the gates.

It looked vastly different from twelve years ago.

This comparison made Liu Ming frown.

"You can see it... right?" Su Yan asked solemnly.

Liu Ming responded sadly, "Y-, yes..."

Su Yan didn't say anything more and increased the sword's speed, making it fly even faster. They moved like a beam of light across the Sacred Cloud School.

So far, they had flown past six mountains, and Liu Ming realized that during his absence, his grandfather had expanded the sect. This made him even more curious about what had happened.

'The more I try to figure out why Grandfather disappeared, the more confused I get. Considering how it's expanded, the sect was obviously doing well. Even if he wanted to pursue his cultivation in a higher cultivation world, he could've at least said something first. It's really not like him.'

He was starting to look worried.

'What's really surprising is how the sect fell apart in just three years. Weren't there other patriarchs or a sect master? Don't these disciples care about the sect at all?'

Hrmm~

Before long, they arrived.

Ancient Script Mountain.

Su Yan adjusted the angle of the sword until they were descending straight down.

Despite their arrival, Liu Ming was still tightly gripping her waist.

Su Yan gave him a side-eye, not out of anger or irritation, but because it was the easiest way to look at him from her position.

"Hm?" Liu Ming uttered. "We've arrived?"

Su Yan nodded, then glanced down at where he was holding her waist.

Liu Ming followed her gaze and realized. "Oh?!" He immediately jumped off the sword, putting some distance between them. "I'm sorry. I forgot!"

Su Yan gracefully stepped off her sword and sheathed it. "It's fine," she said.

Looking around, this place didn't look familiar to Liu Ming.

"Hmm, so… where are we?" he asked.

Su Yan started walking forward. "It's one of the few mountains that wasn't sealed after Sect Father's disappearance."

"Sect Father?" Liu Ming raised an eyebrow.

"Forget about that. We're going to meet with Sect Master Maomao."

"Oh, he's the Great Drag…"

Su Yan interjected, "Great Demon Immortal Dragon Emperor. Get it right."

"Uh… sure."