Two Candidates are Talking About Girl

Chapter 18: Two Candidates are Talking About Girl

While Lin Wutang and Yu Huiqin discussed their plan for the future of their faction in cryptic. It was then, someone came and greeted them.

"A very good day to you, fellow candidate Lin. And of course, Young Miss Yu Huiqin too." the one who greeted them was a young man in purple robe. A very handsome and dashing young man, beside him were a beautiful young lady wearing dress of the same color.

"It's nice to meet you in such great health ..., fellow candidate Xiao. And miss ...,"

"Xue ..., it's the first time we meet, right? I'm Xue Hongjun, nice to meet you Your Excellency Lin." the young lady beside Xiao Yun introduced herself with a smile.

As a Dragon King candidate, they were automatically and immediately bestowed with a honorary title of Prince. Even if they were of common or lowborn before, there was no exception. And thus, the candidates would be fighting over the throne on a same social standing. It was because of this, Xue Hongjun called him Your Excellency. As a subject would to the Royal Prince.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Miss Xue." Lin Wutang returned the greeting with a nod and smile.

Xiao Yun was the second candidate for the Lordship. But before Lin Wutang joined the competition, he was the one with lowest status of them all. After all, the first and fourth candidate are from Great Clan, while the third is the prince of the late Dragon King. Xiao Yun himself was from noble of Count rank.

Before, Xiao Yun wanted to befriend with one of the Great Clan who haven't choose a camp to support his faction. It'd be better if he could gain the support of the mysterious Tang clan, but even entering their gate is impossible. Thus, he changed the target to Yu clan and Yu Huiqin in particular. 

But now, it was infeasible because Yu Huiqin supported this nobody that popped out of nowhere. He bore a grudge to Lin Wutang, as well as immense jealousy because in the future ..., he might claimed the Priceless Pearl Yu Huiqin to himself.

"Right, fellow candidate Lin, I heard that your trip to the south is quite unpleasant one."

Xiao Yun suddenly brought the topic which Lin Wutang troubled these days. Just like the other candidates, he was sent out to the troubled region and to check their situation. And he was sent to Blackforest Region in the south. 

But there, he met and killed Yang Xian, the first-in-line to inherit Yang noble clan. He don't know why someone like Yang Xian end up in that place, but because he with his men assaulted him with the intention to kill ..., Lin Wutang retaliated and killed them all. Though, he was quite troubled with that because it would definitely sow seed of discord for him and Yang clan. He discussed it with Yu Huiqin and decided to stay silent about the matter until it was found out.

He already prepared the such answer for the question. With flat tone, he then said.

"Eee ..., bandits run rampant there, I swear I'll definitely uproot them till they're no longer exist!"

"Huh? Is that ..., so?" Xiao Yun sounded like didn't expect such answer from him, but instantly he changed his face and then changed the topic. "So the problem in the south is bandit huh, I guess even those bands of brigand are troubling. I also ..., met with some difficulty in the west."

"I heard the local tribe of the valley is raising an armed rebellion. Was the rumor true?" 

Xiao Yun went silent as he sipped the juice in his hand and then answered with serious voice.

"It's true, those ..., I don't know how to call them, but they are madmen. They did what sane person would never do."

"Madmen ...? The local tribes? How so?"

"They kidnaped the citizens, especially the child and pregnant woman. If it's a female child then they would defile her until she met her torturous death, if it's a male then they would flay him with a fanged whip until they no longer breathing. If it's a pregnant woman they would slice her belly, took the unborn baby and sacrificed it to what they call Old God. All of this is to gain the supernatural power. If they aren't madmen, then what is? They are really crazy bunch of heretics!"

Listening to his narrative, Xue Hongjun and Yu Huiqin crumpled their face in horror and felt something churning inside their stomach. After all, even they were a cultivator and considerably strong, they were still a women in the end. Listening to such cruel story, they would certainly feel something.

"That's ..., to think that ..., such thing is happening. Just how could a person do such cruel thing?" 

Even this former slum pickpocket closed his mouth with his hand trying to imagine the suffering of those unfortunate victim. He thought he has seen his share of misfortune event in this world, but it seems he was too naïve and hadn't see the true world.

"They are no person ..., they're monsters in human skin." Xiao Yun said with a tinge of hatred. 

Xue Hongjun grabbed his arm and looked at him with worried eyes. Xiao Yun then shook his head to forgo of the unpleasant memories.

The group went silent for a bit. Even if they competed for the throne, they were still a subject to the kingdom right now. Hearing their fellow countrymen suffering while they are enjoying luxury, it caused an immense guilt on Lin Wutang's heart.

"Are the local noble clans ..., didn't do something about them?"

"They ..., I shouldn't say this because some of them are here, but they just ignored the local tribes. As long as they didn't touch their cities, then it'd be fine. Of course, I dragged them to help me annihilate those madmen."

"Then, what about now? Are they ..."

"Dead?" Xiao Yun took a sip of the juice and nodded, "Yeah, I've slaughtered most of them, but I couldn't get a whiff of their core leader and the priests. It's already dealt with for now, but I feared them to rise up once again. Oh my ...,"

He was distracted as someone in white qipao embroidered with gold-thread descended from the second floor. Her grey hair matched perfectly with her white-themed apparel. It was tied into high-bun, displaying her clean and flawless nape. And because the qipao was also sleeveless and tight, she looks very elegant as well as seductive. 

As Xiao Yun's dumbfounded expression was too abrupt, Lin Wutang turned to see what he's looking at. And was equally stunned with the grey-haired lady in white qipao. He was quite used with the aloof, high and mighty noble lady because of Yu Huiqin. But it was his first time to see someone with the elegance of a noble birth as well as seductiveness of an entertainer.

The girl group looked at the dumbstruck men as they followed their line of sight. And then turned sour because of the woman who make them shown such unsightly expression. 

"Young Master Xiao, where are you looking at?" 

Xue Hongjun tighten the grip of her hand on Xiao Yun's arm. She asked the question with a smile on her face, but her eyes were scary.

"Ah, n-no, I didn't see a thing. No ..., it's not like that." Xiao Yun tried to defuse the bomb known as 'jealous woman' but it was apparent that he was clumsy at doing his job. Xue Hongjun ran away leaving him, with Xiao Yun tailing behind.

Yu Huiqin on the other hand just coldly looked at Lin Wutang. She never put her eyes on other Noble Young Masters, particularly because she has seen their true personality ..., and most of them were too darn ugly. But she ..., holds a certain unknown feeling for this slum pickpocket after six month of interaction. 

He's not as handsome or dashing as those of Young Masters. And his brain was not as clever or exceptionally genius like some of them. But he was diligent and hardworking. Though, sometime there's the time when he become incredibly difficult and moody like what happened before in the carriage ..., but he's a reliable man when the time needed.

'Why I felt unpleasant when he's just nobody to me?' Yu Huiqin thought to herself.

Yu Huiqin don't know how she feel about him. If before, she would never even give a single damn about someone like him. But now, after she saw who he truly is and dedicated to advise him for his own betterment. She couldn't stop the unpleasant feeling that rose within her heart when he was looking at another woman with greedy eyes. 

'No, he's not just nobody ... Lin is the faction leader, if he won the throne then my family will hold higher standing in the court and become pivotal in the kingdom's decision making. He's an important person. Wait, important ..., person ? Does he, this unrefined, crude, and doff of a man is really that important person ..., to me?'

She don't know if it's because she become fond of him and was starting to take a liking to him, and thus the jealousy. 

"Yu Huiqin ..., who is she, I never saw her before in those banquet, haven't I?"

Hearing the question, flames in Yu Huiqin's heart grew more rampant as she was submerged in the hell of a jealousy which she hasn't noticed it yet. She showed a slight pout on her lovely mouth which was pretty rare on her. Even Lin Wutang was stunned with her sullen look, she never for once showed such face to him before this.

"Err Yu--, Miss Yu?" he called to her once again, but she turned around and walked few steps before busying herself with the cake and snack on the table. Ignoring him.

"Whew ..., just what's happening?"

"My brother, that's a woman in 'J' ...," 

Xiao Yun returned with a defeated look. He grabbed a big glutton rice cake and ate it in a big motion.

"'J' ..., what 'J'?"

"..., it stands for Jealousy. One of the branch from the seven cardinal sin, under the main branch Envy." 

"Branch of the seven cardinal sin ..., err, what?" Lin Wutang parroted, although he learnt about religion and worship ..., he never heard of such thing before.

"This might be the first time you hear it. Oh well, let me give you a small lecture on this ..., envy is when you have the craving, an abnormal wanting of another person's belonging. But that's not the case for jealousy, it's basically happen when the person you hold dear show interest to another person and you feel unpleasant sensation in your heart, that's a jealousy."

After listening to Xiao Yun's explanation, he know what that is. But still, there's something he felt off about it.

"But why Miss Yu jealous, and to whom he jealous off? I don't understand. Why should she feel something of short?"

"Think about it yourself ...," said Xiao Yun after giving Lin Wutang despising look. He took another bite of the rice cake and then said. "But still, to see that pretty lady again tonight. I thought I would never see her again in this short life. And to think she's actually that renowned Fang Tongxin ..., just what a coincidence."

"You know that grey-haired lady?" Lin Wutang hurriedly asked, his voice contained excitement and hidden desire.

"See ..., this is why you men are! Though I'm also a male myself but I at least never set my sight on another women. You have Yu Huiqin as your partner, but you set your sight on another women ..., you're a jerk you know that?" Xiao Yun accused him with dirty look.

"Oh ..., wait, what? No, you misunderstood ..., Miss Yu and I are nothing like that. I would never dare to have such thought about her." Lin Wutang hastily denied his word without much thought. Yu Huiqin who was not that far from the two heard his every word and her beautiful face frowned even more. Lin Wutang then asked. "So, about the grey-haired lady ...,"

"Miss Fang Tongxin ...? Ahh, she's Fang clan beloved princess ..., from the rumor she's smart, capable in business, and is a transcendental beauty. But seeing her appearance now, I think that rumor contain some truth. Even blind person could somehow know that she's bewitchingly beautiful by standing near her."

They gossiped about the girl while watching her from afar. At that time, the said girl was smiling sweetly showing her dimple on her cheek as she greeted a guest. That smile stunned the both of them as their soul almost lost heir body.

"What a dangerous smile ...," Lin Wutang shook his head as he returned from the stupor.

"I admit, the man who'll lucky enough to marry her would be happy for the rest of his life. And I know that his life will be too short. Just seeing that smile everyday would cut the half of his lifespan."

"She might be even more beautiful than Princess Yunna."

"You're placing a diamond and amethyst on same table and compared both ..., I still think Princess Yunna is more beautiful than Fang Tongxin."

"..., didn't you say you meet her but don't know she's Fang Tongxin. Where did you guys meet?" Lin Wutang remembered what Xiao Yun said a moment ago.

"Oh, it was when I returned from the Westrock Valley. Me and my men met a convoy heading to the capital. As our destination is coincide, I invite them to come along with us. We traveled together and I even invited her to diner. Back then I never seen her face because she wore muslin gauze to hide her face. But I never forget her diamond-bright eyes and her silver hair."

"So she never introduce herself to you? Despite traveling together for few days ..."

"I don't have the courage to ask ..., and I feared her identity at that time. It's rude to probe her when she's unwilling to introduce her identity. Ah, did I ever mention that her bodyguard is ten Gold-rank Warrior? I even had the thought that she's some kind of royalty from other kingdom. But she come from the south, so it's practically impossible ...,"

The strongest cultivator of a kingdom is Blademaster, but even the king isn't one. Most of the case, the king and his loyal subjects were from Gold-rank. If a contributing soldier retired when he already reached a Gold-rank in cultivation, then he would be bestowed with a land to manage. A Gold-rank is basically the most strongest fighting force of a kingdom, it mainly because General Convention forbid a Blademaster to participate in any war. 

Ten Gold-rank warrior as a bodyguard was like a wastage of resource. Even a Princess or the Queen never received such kind of protection when they were travelling.

"That ..., isn't that too extravagant? Fang clan ..., isn't they basically the strongest clan in the kingdom?" Lin Wutang asked slightly curious. 

"The richest doesn't mean the strongest. Their foundation is built using money, bought their power with money. That kind of power is unstable, if there's no money to pay the underlings ..., then they will collapse. That's why they aren't a part of Four Great Clan, despite having the power to compete with us." 

The one who answer wasn't Xiao Yun, it was actually Yu Huiqin who already joined them in the conversation. Both don't know since when she stood right behind them.

"Mi-miss Yu, are you acquainted with her, that Fang Tongxin?" Lin Wutang asked as he slipped tongue at the beginning.

"I am, we attend same academy years ago." Yu Huiqin cold eyes narrowed slightly, glaring at him.

"Then, can you please introduce me to her ...?" Lin Wutang asked. But the lack of response from Yu Huiqin made him awkward, he then followed by saying. "Isn't it Miss Yu, yourself who said I must use this event to get acquainted with more peoples. Isn't this a good chance to do so?"

"And didn't I said that you couldn't strike a conversation with the ladies?" Yu Huiqin retorted slightly annoyed.

"That's why I asked for you to introduce me. It won't be me who strike the conversation ..., but it's gonna be you. Isn't that good enough, now?"

"...," with such comeback, Yu Huiqin couldn't actually oppose his word. And with her accompanying, there won't be a chance for him to flirt with her. "Fine, let's go then."

The two walked away, leaving Xiao Yun by himself there. The person himself was munching another rice cake as he looked at Lin Wutang and Yu Huiqin. He shook his head as he didn't believe what he just saw.

"To think he could persuade Yu's Priceless Pearl like that. I guess he got the glib tongue. I should really look for Hongjun, where is she now, really?"