The Yong Family

Following behind Yong Meilin, Xu Min looked around at his surroundings. The beautiful woman had dragged him by the hand through the pavilion. They traveled through the building in the back and finally to an area located behind the building. This was an area where a great deal of small houses were situated. All of them had small courtyards outside, and guards were patrolling the area.

“This is the humble abode of the Yong Clan,” Yong Meilin said as she still held Xu Min by his hand. She led him further into the maze of streets and alleys towards a small one-story house where she finally let go of his hand.

“You can stay here for now,” she said with her gentle voice. With a flick of her hand, a set of keys appeared from the pouch which hung around her waist. Seeing the curious look on Xu Min’s face, Yong Meilin could not help but chuckle slightly. She felt very satisfied with herself for having something that caused the young man to be interested.

Yong Meilin was as old as Xu Min. However, she seemed much more mature as she had grown up within a family of merchants. She had learned during her childhood that the more mysterious you were, the more attractive you could become, and the better you would do. Yet, here was a man who had appeared to be unaffected by her. Somehow, he had triggered an interest from the beautiful woman.

Seeing that Yong Meiling was deep in thought, Xu Min looked at the keys in his hands. He quickly entered the building and found a place where he could sit down and meditate. He had to find a way to let go of all the overflowing energy from when he ate a medicinal pill.

Xu Min was unaware of what determined the capacity of the energy from the medicinal pill he had absorbed. The energy floated through the meridians and veins within the body. It was the strength of the body that determined how much extra energy it would be able to handle. Someone who had trained his body from the day he was born had a great advantage over the young masters who had never before trained their bodies.

This was also the reason why the young master of the Zhong family had been capable of keeping up with Xu Min. He had undergone the same physical training as the servants to become strong. His body was well nurtured and looked after by the Zhong family.

Having such a strong body and eating medicinal herbs allowed for a stronger effect. This was the same feeling that Xu Min was experiencing now.

Having found the building that was filled with Arenas, Xu Min felt slight disappointment that he could not go there again for a full month. However, he had already waited this long so enduring for one more month was doable.

Thinking like this, Xu Min sat down on a bed that was inside the house. He closed his eyes as he started cultivating. The snake around his neck slithered down and placed itself within his lap where it once more coiled into a round circle. Its eyelids closed, which allowed for the small snake to fall into a deep sleep.

….

“Little Meilin, I heard some crude gossip about you from the Hall of Champions,” an elderly man said as he looked at the beautiful woman who was standing right in front of him.

“Grandpa, it’s the young man whom I’ve relocated over to our own guest wing.” she started. Her voice had none of the usual haughtiness or arrogance. Her entire personality was incredibly respectful towards the elder.

“He is the one who has provided both of the Yearning Sunflowers, and I am of the impression that he possesses even more legendary herbs. Not only that, he managed to kill the first champion of the Four Star Warriors without moving. Later on, I was sure the attack he used was the legendary Falling Night Sky.”

Hearing these words, the elderly man narrowed his eyes and looked at the girl. He was determining whether or not she was lying. As he saw that she was completely honest with him, the elderly man could not help but sigh.

“The medicinal herbs I can understand. He must have come across a patch of good fortune on his way towards this city. As for killing the first of the fourth champions, he must possess some treasure which allows him to kill opponents that are stronger than him. However, I imagine that it only works once or twice and that he too must pay a great price in order to use it. As for the Falling Night Sky, I refuse to believe it. It must have been a cheap trick. There is only one person who can execute Fallen Night Sky, and he had died millennia ago.”

The man was quiet for some time as he contemplated, “We cannot steal from our customers. Our reputation is clean, and we wish to keep it this way. If he truly possesses more of these legendary herbs, then it is indeed beneficial for us to befriend him and get him to sell them through us. Also, he must be quite a talented child to be able to withstand your beauty. I will go and visit him tomorrow.”

Having said that, Yong Meilin was very well aware that she was dismissed. With a deep bow, she left the office. Yong Meilin headed towards her own courtyard with mixed feelings swirling around inside of her.

For one, she wished for the young man to stay. She wished to get to know him a bit better and hear what his story was like. She wanted to hear about how the world was on the outside of the city. But at the same time, her pride told her that she was the one who had men dancing to her song. She did not follow other men like a cheap girl would.

While Yong Meilin was filled with mixed emotions, Xu Min was feeling great as he was seated within the room. His eyes closed, and golden specks of light surrounded him. They enveloped him in a golden gleam, almost like a blanket.

The young boy was fully absorbed in refining the essence of the heavens and the earth. He was invested in his cultivation so much that he did not show any signs of noticing that the door to the small building had opened. A person stepped inside the room.

Looking around, the elderly man was curious as he sat down on a chair. He quickly noticed that the young man had touched almost nothing within the house. All that he had touched was the bed which was where he was currently cultivating.

Upon closer inspection, he also noticed the sleeping snake which was asleep on his lap. The small snake instantly gave the elderly man a chill down his spine. His eyes widened in surprise, and he no longer stayed within the room to observe the meditating young man. Instead, he instantly rushed outside.

As the older man left the house, Xu Min opened one eye narrowly. A smirk appeared on his face as he gently padded the sleeping snake in his lap. How could someone who has been on high alert the majority of his life not notice when someone enters his room? Even if that someone is a higher ranked warrior, Xu Min will always notice it unless he used special items to conceal his aura.

Ensuring that the old man did not enter once more, Xu Min stayed awake without cultivating for roughly an hour. The only thing he could see was the moonlight cascading down through the window. After the hour had passed, he no longer bothered wasting more time. Once more, he entered the cultivation trance, and his body once more became completely relaxed as golden specks of light appeared around him.

….

“Grandpa? Why did you call for me?” Yong Meilin asked confusedly as she was standing in front of her grandfather within the room once more. She had never before been fetched by a guard from her grandfather in the middle of the night. As to why this was something she could never imagine.

“This young man is not as ordinary as I thought,” the elderly man said with a pondering look upon his face. “He is in possession of a green snake. Green snakes are valuable, and all of them are born with the strength of the Third Star. If I am guessing correctly, then this snake is at least a snake of the fourth star. It is obvious that this snake was the cause of the death of the Four Star Warrior earlier that day.”

“But Grandpa, what does this have to do with me?” Yong Meilin asked curiously, but the elderly man just shook his head and sighed deeply, “You are the one who has brought him to the Yong family. He is indeed a rare gem. He is already a Warrior of the First Star, but he is not even twenty years of age yet. He even has a green snake with him. Although I am incapable of truly determining what kind of snake he is, it is of great benefit to the young man. He is also likely to have more herbs. Your job is to make him feel comfortable. If you manage to make him fall for you, then that would be even better. I have no idea where such a talented youth could have appeared from, but we can use him.”

Yong Melin was stunned as she heard what her grandfather had said. After a short while, she nodded her head. She was a member of the younger generation of the Yong Clan. It was her responsibility that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion and the Hall of Champions were flourishing. If that meant that she had to spend a lot of time on this mysterious young man, then so be it.

“That was it for tonight. Tomorrow, convince the young man to enter the town with you. We cannot allow for him to leave the city just because he cannot join the Hall of Champions for a month. We need to keep him here in Ri Chu City. I am leaving him for you to take care of,” the elderly man finished. He stood up and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. The grandfather gave her a small squeeze as a way of wishing her good luck. Before he left the office, there was a stunned and confused young woman who slowly came to her senses left behind.

The only reason that she had invited Xu Min inside was because of his potential. She had seen great potential of both business and cultivation wise when it came to this young boy. After hearing her grandfather’s assessment of him, she was still thoroughly shocked.

Looking at the empty office she was standing in, Yong Meilin left the room dazed. Her brain was working in highest gear as she wondered how to change the first-hand impression Xu Min had of her. She was thinking of how she could con the young man to stay within the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

Gritting her teeth, she felt as though something dangerous was approaching her from the shadows. A shiver ran down her spine, and she looked towards the location where she had left Xu Min. A desire to run over and see how he was doing was pulling at her. Eventually, she forced herself back to her own home. Her heart was clearly affected.

While Yong Meilin was feeling worried, Xu Min was focused fully on cultivation. His eyes closed as he felt the essence of the heavens and the earth enter his body. He was completely unaware of the conversation which had transpired between Yong Meilin and her grandfather.

Although he had noticed the elderly man, Xu Min had no way of knowing who he was. Since he did not know the old man’s identity, the young man paid no attention towards him. Moving to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was definitely done for the sake of protecting him. Xu Min was certain that what truly had made Yong Meilin assist him was the pouch filled with herbs alongside whatever the ability he had used to kill the Four Star Warrior.

Knowing that Yong Meilin intended to use him and his abilities, Xu Min saw no reason as to why he should not use her in return. Being under the protection of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was something which could help him greatly. No one would dare to touch him when he had such a large faction backing him.