Chapter 7: The father of my brother

With my bathing done I said my farewell to Laohu with the promise that I will soon call for him so he better not slack off. I got back to Du Ze's home just in time to see them crawl out of their rooms, with auntie holding little Xi. As soon as the little rascal saw me she stretched out her hands in my direction and so I had no choice but to be her hostage again.

"Good morning." Du Ze yawned "Did you sleep well?" he asked politely. He had stayed up a bit after I went to cultivate to speak with his father who had returned later that night.

Shaking my head I answered "It was such a nice night that I cultivated throughout the entirety of it."

Unfortunately auntie heard me and her face took on a worried look "Oh dear, you must be exhausted." she tried to take Xi out of my hands but I gently moved her out of the way.

Du Ze intervened "It's all right mother. Silver rank demon spiritualists can even go for a week without sleep and not feel any ill effects. Even then, Long Wan has been cultivating. When we cultivate we actually strengthen our bodies and freshen our minds. You could say that cultivating is in some ways even better than sleeping."

Seeing the doubtful expression I continued "In short I feel fine. It means a lot for me that you show this much concern but you don't have to worry. Besides, I can always go to bed whenever my body tells me to. I think both Du Ze and I have earned that right this vacation considering how well our studies have gone."

Auntie's eyes softened and she gently stroked Du Ze's hair "You're right. Son, you should take it easy as Long Wan said. You're our family's pride as well as it's hope so let us spoil you a bit." My brother nodded and thanked us before auntie rolled up her sleeves to prepare us a nice home-cooked breakfast.

After eating, Du Ze and I took to doing some light exercises so as for our bodies not to loose pace to our cultivation. By light exercising we meant running laps around the village at a speed that made us seem like blurs to the untrained eye followed by throwing a boulder half the size of a grown man and nearly five times the weight between us like a beach ball. Finally we concluded with a spar.

Well, to be more precise it was mostly me manhandling Du Ze. While I was 5-star Silver in strength and he was 4-star that didn't make up the difference. No, the difference was that Du Ze chose to spend more time on cultivation rather than practicing martial arts with Nie Li and I. It showed as, compared to the demonic ginger from the seventh hell, Du Ze was too honest in his strikes. Together with my void sense and overall slightly greater experience than him resulted in me kicking his feet to the side while locking his hands and legs in my arms, followed by quite literally me using him like a broom to sweep the ground. He spent five minutes picking leaves out of his hair afterwards, all the time giving me the stink eye.

I laughed "You're too direct in your strikes. Every battle must be fought like a game of Go. Anticipate at least three steps ahead and strike without leaving your defenses open." it was a lesson painfully engraved in my body by Nie Li. Unfortunately, he always explained very little. 'You're overextending.' or 'You retreat and I will attack instead.' He picked at my openings until I closed them and then made sure I wouldn't show them again. His strikes wrote in bruises on my body exactly why you never go into battle thinking only of the first move. I learned to be cunning and unconventional in fights, using basic moves to their fullest. Du Ze still had a lot to learn. On the other hand, I finally understood why Nie Li never skipped a session with me unless it was important. Fighting a scrub was fun!

Du Ze dusted himself "Brother Long is too viscous. Your way of fighting is not honorable." he hummed. This kid was pure like that. Unfortunately that could get him killed or taken advantage of. It was something he could do without.

"Imagine this next scenario. An evil man comes to rape or kill your mother and to save her I kick his balls in from behind. Would you think of me as being a coward for using such underhanded methods or a hero for saving your loved ones?" I asked him while shaking my head.

Du Ze's eyes widened in realization before he too chucked "Leaving behind such an absurd and absolutely horrifying idea, I understand what you mean."

"Fight with honor when the situation permits you to do so but do not be stubborn enough to die for it. For the victor writes the history." I continued, making sure to engrave this notion into his heart.

He nodded "Initiate an honorable battle but do not be afraid of a flexible mind. That is a philosophy I can respect."

I hummed in acceptance "Another point you need to correct is the honesty in your strikes. Learn to use faints and blind spots more often. Otherwise, you leave yourself open for counterattacks."

Du Ze smirked "Like you often did when sparing with Nie Li." His amusement suddenly turned into slight terror, probably due to the expression of absolute solace I had right now. "Do I at least get a head start?"

"You have a tanzhi and a half." I answered, same deadpan expression on my face.

"That's not a lot..."

"A tanzhi and a quarter... A tanzhi and a tenth..." I began counting down and Du Ze bolted away.

Xiao Qi and Du Meng laughed like maniacs as auntie kept on pulling leaves and branches out of her son's hair. Even with the speed of a Silver rank, he couldn't get far. So, a few teleports later and he was once again a struggling broom in my hands. "I still can't believe you got used as a broom, haha. The yard's never been cleaner pfff..." Auntie laughed as she kept cleaning his hair as his cheeks kept getting redder and redder.

We enjoyed some more conversations before evening finally came. Noticing this Du Ze and I parted with them before heading towards Du Rong's place. The sun began to set as we finally reached our destination and knocked on the large but decrepit gate. A young lady in her teens opened the door with a sort of indifferent expression on her face, expression which soon soothed to a more welcoming one "Du Ze!" she cheered before turning to me "And you must be young master Long Wan. Grandpa Du Rong told us to expect you. Please, come in!" she invited and stood to the side allowing my brother and I to enter. Seems Du Ze was a little familiar with the place as he took to walking in the middle between me and the young lady, while striking up a pleasant conversation. Listening in was rude but they didn't seem to value privacy while next to me, so it was from their exchange that I found out that her name was Du Fan and she knew Du Ze since his father always cared for her grandfather Du Rong.

After passing through the clean but rundown courtyard we found ourselves face to face with an old wooden and paper door about twice the size of a grown man. Thanks to my void sense I could tell that Du Rong was waiting for us on the other side together with another person, although smaller in size. If you're wondering how I could tell well... In the movie 'The Matrix' there is a time when the person monitoring a screen filled with cascading code says he doesn't even see the code anymore, just images of what they represent. For me it was something like that as well. Focusing on it overlaid a translucent fuzzy image of the sensed area on my vision, kind of like shapes in static on a television screen. If I just let it run on auto then I would just feel pressure on my skin depending on what I had sensed.

Still though, you didn't need any supernatural sense to tell that the other person was a kid. No, not with all the high pitched sniveling he was giving off. "Grampa Du Rong, you've got to do something!"

That sniveling sounded so familiar...

"Du Mi, I thought I told you but a 'young boy turning into some kind of wolf demon and threatening to kill you' isn't enough to go by on." Answered the voice of the elder man "Besides, you were on cleaning duty yesterday but you pretended to be smoke and vanished. By all accounts you should be punished right now so don't think my generosity is abundant like grass." Translation: you skipped on chores so don't take my leniency for granted.

The young Du Fan seemed oblivious to the exchange (or she ignored it like a pro) as she called out to Du Rong "Grampa, Du Ze and young master Long Wan are here!"

"Ah, of course. Please welcome them in!" Du Rong answered with a bit more joy in his voice.

The door slid open and we stepped in "Grampa Du Rong, it's nice to see you again!" I greeted the chuckling old man.

Unfortunately my boozin... I mean, my reunion with my unofficial adopted drink... uh, adopted grandfather was cut short by an accusatory "Ah! It's you, you bastard!"

It was now obvious that the earlier voice definitely belonged to a kid, specifically a boy of the same age as Du Ze and my current body. He had a mop of hair spikey enough to make you think he was used as a condom by a lightning type demon beast taking part in an orgy "Yes. I'm me. I've been me since I was born." Came my bored reply. Calling me a bastard didn't phase me at all. I've been called worse...

The aged patriarch's squinted eyes shot open in surprise at the kid's words. Turning to him with a raised eyebrow I greeted "Grampa Du Rong, if this is a bad moment I can return at a later time."

The man didn't get to reply as the younger kid got in close, taking up quite a bit of my personal space "Don't refer to my grandfather so casually you bastard!" Ok, this little goblin was starting to get both annoying, as well as slightly familiar. I could swear I knew him from somewhere, but where?

A growl escaped my throat. Even the great Buddha forgives only once. "Listen 'Du-mmy'! Disregarding the fact that your grandfather, the patriarch of the clan, extended to me perpetual family gratitude, the only one in the entire village who could prevent me from outright strangling you right now would be Du Ze. So even if your grandfather tried to stop me, it still wouldn't mean more than a warm fart during a freezing morning. So stick your top lip to your lower one, then make like a bitch and flea!" I spoke while my aura flared. Well, what I said at the end was 'be like a sneeze in a storm' but this was a much better translation, what with all the bitching he did.

Also, most of what I said is true. At worse I would get a heavy fine and a few strikes with a cane for retaliating against non-cultivators but even that was unlikely since I'm someone under the care of the Alchemy Association and the Divine Family, as well as sir Ye Shuo's disciple and one of the most promising geniuses of my generation. Under these circumstances I could easily pass off Dummy's actions as inciteful and in Glory City power was law so those actions can be answered with retaliation. It was the main reason why commoners feared nobles. While revenge was forbidden, responding to provocation was not.

Of course, this was valid if I truly intended to lay my hands on the kid, which I didn't. It was only a scare tactic to get him to back off and I was in no mood to injure or kill a kid who barely has any hair growing on his dick, regardless of how much of a dumbass he is.

To his credit Dummy finally understood that a whelp like him was barking at a Silver rank demon spiritualist and took a few cautious steps backwards while looking at Du Ze hopefully. Unfortunately for him, my brother just crossed his hands and closed his eyes as if to say he will not intervene. He did throw a knowing smirk at me which only I seemed to catch. He truly did know me pretty well.

"Grandson Long Wan please wait!" Du Rong intervened in a panic "Du Mi is just a child that doesn't know any better. I will have him caned later as penance so please be lenient!" The man continued before breaking into a coughing fit.

"L-Long Wan?!" Dummy called out in a panic. "You're young master Long Wan?! Why would someone like you defend that trash Du Laohu?" His hands flew in the air to clamp his own mouth as color drained from his face.

His earlier words did not escape Du Fan as she questioned out in surprise "Du Laohu? What does he have to do with this?". She stepped forward and grabbed him by the ear before bringing him in close while waiting for an answer.

"Oh!" I slammed my fist into my palm "Now I remember you! You were part of the gang that was beating that mushroom kid last night by the creek." I explained, though it was more to myself than to the audience. You know when you remember something that was itching the back of your brain and you just blurt it out, well that happened to me now.

"Mushroom kid?" Du Fan and Du Rong asked at the same time.

I shrugged "Tall, pale and skinny with a bowl shaped hair that covers his eyes. Doesn't talk much either." Du Laohu's appearance was that of a mushroom, hence 'mushroom kid'.

Du Fan let go of her little brother's ear and grabbed a handful of his shirt bringing him in closer to her face, his heels lifting off the ground in the process. She began whispering in an aggressive growling tone "Dad told you to make peace with Du Laohu! Do you really want to go to prison? Grampa barely managed to prevent that after you injured Du Laohu's eye last time." Thanks to having a Silver rank constitution I could hear a fly fart on the other side of the room if I focused hard enough. This conversation was basically spoken in my ear. Du Fei wasn't done yet as she shouted "Idiot!" while burring her fist on the crown of his head sending him crashing down face first into the old wood floor. Grabbing him by the scuff of his shirt she started dragging him out of the room with an annoyed and angry expression.

Turning to Du Rong with a raised eyebrow "Is he going to be alright?" I asked while pointing towards Du Mi.

"Ah!" the aged patriarch reset and bowed his head "You needn't be worried. I will personally make sure he is seriously punished for his transgressions." he said with urgency.

Waving in front of me like I just smelled something funny I swayed my head while saying "I wasn't asking about that. Truthfully, I just didn't like his arrogant attitude and planned to scare him a little. It's not like I was going to injure one of brother Du Ze's family members." I chuckled.

Du Rong's complexion lightened a little after hearing my words "Ah, thank you for your leniency. It is truthful that I've been spoiling him rotten ever since my daughter-in-law died. But now I fear I may have been mistaken in raising him up to be like that. I will need to see to it." the aged man hummed.

"Don't beat him." I answered causing the man to hum at me once again, this time in doubt "Beating a kid won't make them understand what they did wrong, only that they need to hide better. There will come a time when he will no longer fear the rod and then you will lose control of them." Fearing a spanking isn't the same as growing up to be a decent human.

The man rubbed his stubble "Then what do you propose?" I could hear the doubt in his voice. It's hard to teach an old geezer new tricks. Beating kids was how this culture raised them afterall so changing their ways wasn't going to be straightforward.

Producing a ten thousand coin card from my ring I handed it to him "Send him off to learn a trade. Something like blacksmith or cook. That money should be enough to cover his apprenticeship. Du Mi should mellow down once he realizes how tough the world really is."

Du Rong nodded but pushed back the card "It's because of me that he has become like that so I can't burden grandson Long Wan. My responsibilities are my own." he chuckled.

I had none of it and set the card forcibly in his hand "You accepted me as your grandson so let me care for my family. Also, if my little 'cousin' complains just let me know and see how I'll handle him."

We all laughed as Du Rong nodded and put the card in his sleeve. "So be it. But I think we have had enough of this negativity for one night. I remember that I called you for a celebration. Du Fei!" he called out and the bubbly girl entered a split second later. How did she do that?

"Yes grampa!" she hummed in a happy tone "Sorry about leaving. I had to take out the trash." yeesh, what an elder sister…

"Escort our guests to the dining hall and then bring out the aged baiju from the cellar!" Du Rong chuckled.

Just as we were about to leave I felt the two spirits inside began to stir while metaphysical energy links shot from my soul realm and into Nie Li's. Turning to Du Ze I spoke in a tone that denoted seriousness and urgency "Nie Li is in trouble! I'm sorry but I must go! Tell your mother she's been kind and save me some of grampa's alcohol for when we see each other again!".

Du Ze's eyes widened "How do you...?" he started asking but I raised my hand.

Shaking my head I interrupted him before he could finish "Nie Li and I share a special bond since our trip to ancient Orchid city. Sorry, there's no time to explain more.

He nodded with a frown, fist clenching into trembling balls, most likely feeling useless right now. Sorry brother, if I could take you with me I would but this ability doesn't work like that. Little did I realize that my own feelings were echoing in my soul realm, which took note of my limitations and began working on correcting them once more.

Closing my eyes I once again found myself floating in the shared space linking my soul realm with Nie Li's. Speaking of the redhead, he appeared not one split second later in his spirit's adult form. No sooner did that happen did I feel a great amount of anxiety and excitement mirrored in my heart. "This isn't a good time." he frowned and closed his eyes to leave.

"Wait!" I called out, quite forcefully if I might add. Nie Li impatiently opened one eye to glance at me. The earlier feelings were starting to be replaced with mild annoyance "Did you already forget that no time passes while we converse in here?" I chuckled and he relaxed, both visibly as well as in his heart. "You needn't answer that. Anyway, I know that the Dark Guild has sent some henchmen to target your family. I'm coming to help you."

He waved me off dismissively but his feelings told me he was touched by my willingness to help "I can handle them without much effort."

I nodded "I know you can, however it's me that needs the experience. Anyway, this isn't up for debate. Either let me through or I'm telling Ziyun you tried to peep on her in Kong Ming's tomb."

He shook his head in an amused yet defeated fashion and disappeared.

Back in the real world, I focused on my link with the reincarnated redhead and sent forth a request to accept my soul force. There were two seconds of delay before the request was accepted and I saw the familiar stretching of space as the scene shifted. A moment later I was standing next to Nie Li and the corpse of a Silver rank fighter dressed in the Dark Guild's robes.

Nie Li nodded with a grim smile "Hi." he greeted curtly.

"Hnn." I moved my head in a swift reply before turning to the body "Yun Hua will smell the blood and be here any moment." I said as I stored the body in my ring.

"There are four more of them with the highest being a 5-star Silver spiritualist, most likely it's him." Nie Li confirmed before we both jumped away, Nie Li's form melding into the night. Four more? In the novel there were only three in total. Damn, another annoying ripple in the continuity.

I took to hiding in the canopy of a large tree and extended my void sense. Finding the four I began to assess their capabilities. Judging by the way the surrounding soul force was reacting I could assume two were Silver ranked spiritualists, one 4-stars and one 5-star. The 5-star one was probably Yun Hua. The other two were 2-star Silver fighter scrubs that were easy pickings. Still though, ambush was the best tactic in the forest of the Heavenly Marks family. At this moment Nie Li using the Shadow Devil was for the best as his stealth capabilities were vastly superior to mine. Still though, I sure do wish I could use it too…

A split second later I felt a stir in my soul force and my form shifted to the mutated Shadow Devil. Upon a closer introspection, I noticed that the link between it and Nie Li was still going so that means that we were both using the same spirit. I didn't know we could do that!

'Well, fuck me sideways with a spiked pole if I don't French kiss the ass of Lady Luck if I ever meet her!' Is what I thought as I teleported behind a scrub that had strayed a step behind the group and sank my venom tipped tail a bit into his neck. He jumped and tried to roundhouse me but I simply blocked his strike. I then grabbed him and threw him at the 4-star spiritualist to halt his charge.

The spiritualist knocked the flying fighter away and moved to strike me but I teleported away to behind a tree and melded into the ethereal form and sneaked away, being careful not to step on anything that would give me away. The ethereal form of the Shadow Devil was special in that it somehow phased you out of reality. What I couldn't figure out is why you didn't just pass through the ground. I like to think that it just shifted you to a different dimension. However, that means that when you stepped, you didn't float but actually pushed back on the earth. Objects that existed in all dimensions like the rocks beneath your feet could give your location away. I found this out the hard way when sparing with Nie Li.

Also, the spectrum that I normally saw as a human shifted, my eyes losing the ability to determine color but the level of detail was greatly enhanced. So much so even that I could actually see others that were using the void form, specifically Nie Li. By the way he turned towards me I could tell that he could see me too.

Once safely hidden behind a rock some distance away we both exited the ethereal form, Nie Li greeting me with a shocked expression. "We can use the same spirit at once?" he asked in a raspy whisper, shock evident in his voice.

I nodded "Can't blame you for being shocked, I just found out about this as well. Wonder why we never tried it though."

"Only one person can merge with a particular spirit and that spirit can't be transferred is a foundation notion of demon spiritualists. That thinking must've kept us from thinking of trying it." Nie Li answered sagely with me nodding in acceptance. Cognitive bias was a bitch. "I can distract the spiritualists. Do you think you can take out the remaining fighter?" my friend asked me as I sensed the three Dark Guild members approaching.

All feeling sank from my body. Sneak attacks with intent to disable were off the table. Now that I've paralyzed the previous scrub, my only option was to hide or kill. Could I really do it? Bile rose up to my throat as I remembered the smell of human blood from the time I crippled that Silver ranked fighter of the Sacred Family. That sound of squelching flesh was something I didn't fancy hearing the rest of my life.

Everything was suppressed in an instant when I glanced at Nie Li who looked back at me almost grandfatherly. I remembered that he now had a father and a mother, and even a little cousin who looked up to him like a brother. 'The family of my brother is my family!' is what I kept telling myself since I started my new life. These shitheads came to fuck with them? Over my fucking corpse!

Anxiety was replaced with serenity, my cultivation's effects finally taking over. The Void God part of the Heavenly Void Dragon God technique was really mysterious, to depths which I had yet to fully grasp. But it's main attribute was that it granted me a supernatural clarity of mind and peace of heart. It had limits, evident by me losing my lunch the first time I drew blood but it still granted me superb mental adaptability. Void energies began rippling through the air as I glanced at Nie Li and gave a short nod, to which he responded in kind, face steeled and ready for war.

Both of us melded to the ether and snuck up on the trio who were now back to back, guarding whatever side they could. Suddenly, they all jumped high to avoid a sickle to their mid regions, courtesy of Nie Li. My friend attacked closest the side of the spiritualists and from such an angle that it forced the fighter to jump away and separate from the other two.

At that moment I chose to strike, shifting from the Shadow Devil to the Nighttime Direwolf in less then a second and teleporting above the mid air fighter. Rotating in the air I sent an axe kick to his head which he guarded by crossing his arms. Unfortunately for him, I was now much heavier and stronger. A little lesson in physics: As per the laws of motion, when a more massive object collides with a lighter one, the heavier object will impart some of it's momentum unless acted upon by an outside force.

Well, I took the scrub to school with this, performing a painful demonstration on his body. The strike launched him in the ground, burying him a few palms deep in it. Knowing that I couldn't stop there, I angled my fall so that I would drop knee first onto his thighs.

A sickening crunch was heard and the scrub yelled out in pain before finally succumbing to the shock and passing out. Raising a void tendril in the air, I thrust it at his head with the intent to lobotomize him. The sharp piece of void mass embed itself deep, no resistance felt whatsoever.

The tendril lodged itself into the ground besides the fighter's head. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't, regardless how much I wanted to. The necessity of extinguishing human life, that was something that my mind had come to accept but it seems my heart failed to follow. Regardless, this guy was passed out and his legs were broken. So I summoned some rope from my ring which I used to quickly bind him to a nearby tree.

Not having the luxury to admire my work I turned towards the remaining Dark Guilders who were engaged in battle with Nie Li. It seems my brother had taken the form of the Nighttime Direwolf and was using it incredibly well, with much more finesse and precision against the opponent's Black Star Tiger and, what looked like a spider demon beast.

The agility of the Direwolf combined with Nie Li's experience meant that these two were pushed against the ropes, with deacon Yun Hua stumbling backwards while holding a stump that used to be his left forearm. Guess he tried to block the Direwolf's Dark Claw attack and ended up losing everything just slightly below his elbow. That attack is unstoppable unless you can manipulate the very fabric of space-time. It's the ultimate sword.

Regardless, I saw the spider demon spiritualist shoot out silk from his four wrists and, judging by how they smelled, they were laced with poison. Sensing this, Nie Li quickly changed to the Shadow Devil and dissolved into thin air before it could hit him.

This was no time to be a spectator. Preparing a Dark Claw, I steadied my nerves and focused on one thing: kill. I needed to temper my heart and steel my resolve. Energies vibrated within the tips of my fingers and I teleported behind the 4-star Silver spiritualist prepared to cleave him in half.

By the sheer will of Lady Luck and of my own subconscious hesitation, the bastard jumped away a nanosecond before I made my move, the attack cleaving away his four lower limbs out of his total eight. He screamed bloody murder as the shock and pain probably threw him out of the transformed state. The bastard was now a just a legless torso that was writhing on the ground.

With those injuries he would probably bleed to death in agony. Shaking my head I prepared to finish him off. My heart was pounding harder than I did Yang Xin and my legs nearly gave out but still, I needed to put this wretch out of its misery.

Just as I finally strode close enough to deliver the final blow, I was distracted by the bruised and bloody body of Yun Hua flying backwards a hair's breadth away from my nose. The Dark Guild deacon's body hit a nearby tree, splintering the bark and slowly sliding down. He then rolled away to avoid a quick strike from Nie Li and jumped in the canopy before disappearing into the forest.

"Che!" Nie Li clicked his teeth "He got away..." He was clearly dissatisfied with this outcome.

"Should we give chase?" I asked, ready to teleport after Yun Hua.

Nie Li shook his head "No need. The Dark Guild will not forgive his failure and he is too crippled to pose any real threat in the future." He sighed before letting the transformation dissolve, leaving him in human form.

I nodded and did the same. Taking out a dagger I returned to my original task of finishing off thee 4-star Silver spiritualist. "Wait!" Nie Li called out "Let him live, he may have useful intel."

Shrugging I pointed towards the man "He won't live much longer with how much blood he is losing." Even a Silver rank needs blood to survive.

Nie Li nodded and quickly made his way towards the man. The redhead activated the Daoyin technique and pressed the acupuncture points in the man's thighs. Instantly the pulsing torrents of blood began turning into light trickles, no more than a shallow cut's worth. So the Daoyin could be used like that as well. Good to know...

Just then I sensed three figures enter my void sense range and a moment later they landed next to us with urgency. They were a sturdy built middle aged man and two younger ones in their late teens to early twenties. They looked at Nie Li and I for a moment before getting in a fighting pose. One of the younger men launched at me while the other yelled to him "Wait, Xiaori!"

Xiaori? I remember him. Hell I always thought his name was Nie Ri and his brother always called him Xiao Ri out of closeness. No time to contemplate that as he launched at me with a jump kick, dynamic entry style. I simply spun on my heel out of the way and placed my elbow in the path of his solar plexus. The impact knocked most of the air out of his lungs and left him gasping on the ground, saliva rushing down the edge of his mouth.

A jump kick was a perfect move from an ambush position but otherwise idiotic. It left you with little options to defend from your position in the air. What's more, anyone with half a brain and literally mere months of experience fighting could find ways to counter. I could've ducked under him and jabbed his balls or even knocked the leading leg down bringing his face in to meet my knuckles. Had I been particularly bloodthirsty I could've used all those moves but with void tendrils, ending his life or crippling him.

Once more spinning on my heel, I connected a roundhouse to his face and sent him in his brother's arms.

"You!" the long haired young man growled at me seeing his close relative had passed out.

His aura flared. He was a Silver rank demon spiritualist, to be more specific 1 or 2 star , I don't remember which. Before he could though, the elder put his hand in front of him signalling for the young man to hold his position. However, the old man didn't take his eyes off me for a bit.

"Nie Li, what's going on here?" the elder asked, using the corner of his eye to peek at my friend. If my guess was right, that old man must be Nie En. He's a 1-star Gold rank Fighter. If push comes to shove and he attacks me I can use my demon spirits to match him. And if they team up I can always use my abilities to get the fuck out fast.

Nie Li cupped his hands "Good evening elder Nie En. Some Dark Guild members came looking for trouble but my friend and I managed to chase them off." he admitted, pointing to me. In the novel he hid the fact that he was the one to beat the invaders but this time he no longer needed to hide his rank nor his abilities.

"Friend?" Nie En asked with a raised eyebrow.

I cupped my hands and made a slight bow "Good evening elder Nie En. My name is Long Wan. I am Nie Li's classmate and sworn brother."

Nie En nodded but his suspicion was evident on his face "I haven't heard of anyone from outside the family coming to visit. Why are you here?" He was the elder in charge of security. If anyone knows who comes and goes, it's him.

"Brother Li and I share a bond that is difficult to explain. But we can sense each other's state of being. So I came rushing to his aid." I admitted. Half truths are better than lies.

"Our family grounds are not small. Even for us who live here, it took a while to get to this place. How did you manage to outpace us?" Nie En continued his interrogation.

This was a tricky question. I was never one to brag to anyone other than myself. "I'm afraid I'm not at a liberty to tell. Please ask my shifu, sir Ye Shuo of the Blizard Family for details."

The moment he heard that name, Nie En's body twitched a bit. While he may not know of Shuo directly, he most certainly should know of the Ye family name. The Blizzard family is the ruling one afterall. What's more, Nie En was smart. It shouldn't take him long to put two and two together, realize that only a high ranking member could and would take on a student.

His mannerisms and atmosphere changed instantly "Ah! No need. No need." He waved me off with a smile "Everyone has their secrets."

By this time Nie Xiaori had woken up and, upon seeing En act like this, a growl escaped his throat "Elder! You can't be serious! He hit me."

His brother slapped him upside the head and whispered "You attacked first without thought even though I told you to stop. Besides, didn't you hear that he has a personal teacher from the Blizzard family?" Having a shifu meant that you carried the personal honor and prestige. Anyone having beef against you was indirectly attacking said teacher. In short: you attack me, you attack Ye Shuo of the Blizzard family (a.k.a You're fucked!).

Xiaori grit his teeth "Nevermind..." he pouted and looked away.

Sighing I pointed at the passed out body of the 4-star Silver spiritualist "Someone should take care of that. We managed to stop the bleeding but there is no telling how long he will last. Also, you should keep him in isolation, with only the most trusted people around. The Dark Guild may have methods to take him out from afar."

"What do you mean?" Asked the long haired youth whose name I didn't remember (the elder brother).

l looked towards the place where we had lost sight of Yun Hua "Don't you find it strange that, for such an infamous organization, Glory City rarely gets any useful information about them? Most captives from this organization usually don't last the night."

Nie En nodded and then motioned to the two brothers to pick up the two captives, namely the spider demon spiritualist and the two Silver rank fighter that I crippled and poisoned at the start of the showdown.

"Also, there is body in my ring. Would you like to have it as well?" I asked Nie En.

The man shook his head "No need. I ask you to join us at the family hall. Please keep it until then." His tone had changed to a more neutral and respectful one. Nie En was still my elder but he couldn't afford to insult a master of the Blizzard family.

It was then that the elder brother gasped. He was crouching near the demon spiritualist. "Nie Xiaofeng, what's wrong?" asked Nie En

Nie En and the elder of the brothers nodded. The middle aged man then pointed to the downed spiritualist. "He's a 4-star Spiritualist. Did you two really beat someone like this?" He accused. It wasn't that strange for him to say that considering our bodies were only around eleven or twelve years old.

Sharing a look with Nie Li, we both nodded at the same time, with him smirking mischievously. Our 3-star Silver auras flared illuminating the forest night.

The newcomers' jaws fell unhinged. Xiaofeng should be around 1-star Silver in his early twenties. Then again my former memory sucked ass. Still though, that's besides the point. We were barely teens yet already had surpassed him. I wonder what he would think if we revealed our physical level.

"Y-you two. You're Silver rank?" Nie En stammered, a shaky finger pointing at us. Nie Li let his aura calm down and nodded. "Haha! This is great! Patriarch Nie Hai will surely take you under his wing."

The lovable redhead just chuckled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head "Actually, I also have been approached by a master of the Blizzard family."

Hearing this I retreated to the shared space and invited him. Immediately he appeared in his adult form and took to floating in the air in lotus position. "What's up now?"

I chuckled with an embarrassed tone "Sorry, force of habit from my old life."

His raised eyebrow signaled me to go on.

"I tended to forget questions if I didn't ask them on the spot. My memory was used as an example in the dictionary for the expression 'Scatter brained'." Came my half-assed excuse earning a friendly chuckle from Nie Li.

"So, what did you want to ask?" His tone was soft and his feelings changed from curious to warm, like a teacher towards an endeared student.

Nodding I continued "Your shifu, who is it?". Considering he scored the highest during testing, it could be either Ye Mo or Ye Zzong.

He shrugged "I've barely talked to him. His name's Ye Xiu and he's the right hand man of the City Lord."

I felt his amusement at my surprise "To be honest, I was expecting Ye Mo to volunteer." Came my reply.

He chuckled "They couldn't find him so Ye Xiu took up the role."

"Ye Xiu is a good man. He is one of the few that can handle Ziyun's father." Amusement filled me as I remembered how he was the one to usually placate things between Nie Li and Ye Zzong.

Nie Li tilted his head in a confused gesture but still nodded at my words before fading out of the shared space.

I didn't linger any longer myself and returned to reality, back in the courtyard of the Heavenly Marks family.

Nie En requested that we follow him to see the patriarch to sort out this mess as the two brothers carried the prisoners. Any dead bodies were stored in my ring. One thing I forgot to mention was why this was possible. You see all living beings have soul force in this world, regardless of how small that is. Rings use soul force to open a dimensional pocket within the inscription pattern etched on it. The addition of another soul force source would instantly destabilize the matrix causing the pocket dimension window to collapse and this was why it wouldn't work. It took me the better part of two months to understand that. Cadavers on the other hand had no soul force other than some negligible scraps and thus could be stored away like any piece of meat.

While I was musing on that I failed to take in that we had already reached the main building, only taking notice once we stepped through the courtyard and entered the main hall where the patriarch and the elders were in session.

"Nie En what's going on?" The patriarch, Nie Hai asked. The anime and manga left me an impression that he was a pushover with a greedy yet crazy uncle persona. However, the man standing in the center seat let none of that show. Instead, in front of me was a seasoned Gold rank spiritualist. He didn't radiate nearly as much pressure as Xiao Yunfeng indicating that his cultivation was lower. However, there was something familiar about his aura. It reminded me of grampa Rong, something that old guys have in this world where life expectancy isn't that high.

Nie En cupped his hands "Patriarch, a group of individuals from the Dark Guild attacked. There were five men with two Silver rank spiritualists and three Silver rank fighters. We have a spiritualist and two fighters alive and in custody while one is dead and another one escaped."

The chambers lit up with whispers and discussions related to the Dark Guild.

Soon enough Nie Hai lifted his hand and the murmurs died down "Ho? You've managed to capture them alive? That is great news. Glory City has so few prisoners from their side. Nie En, good job!" he cheered, the outcome leaving him visibly worried yet satisfied.

Nie En shook his head "Patriarch, it wasn't me that captured them."

This was not the answer that Nie Hai was expecting, if the way he leaned back in his chair was any indication "Then it must be Nie Xiaori and Nie Xiaofeng. To think that your cultivations would reach such a high level at your age, impressive!"

The two brothers shared a look before they cupped their hands with Xiaofeng answering "Lord Patriarch, it wasn't us."

Nie Hai tilted his head in surprise "Then who?"

Nie En and the duo moved to the side revealing Nie Li and I for them to finally take notice.

"Elder Nie En, is this some kind of joke?" An old man, seemingly older than Nie Hai barked from the right side of the patriarch.

"Grand Elder Nie Wei, I assure you it is no joke. These two were the only ones standing when I arrived." Nie En said while respectfully pointing at us.

Nie Hai squinted his eyes to take a better look at us "Nie...Li, is that you?"

Nie Li cupped his hands and bowed "Nie Li salutes the Patriarch."

The old man waved him off kindly "I received news about how during school testing you've broken through to 3-star Silver demon spiritualist and been accepted into the Genius class. Now this?! You are amazing!" He laughed wholeheartedly while the rest of the family were picking up their jaws from the floor. Never underestimate the information network of a seasoned veteran. "Anyway Nie En, take these three to the holding cells and send someone to inform the City Lord. Nie Li, this must've been exhausting. Go home and rest. Come see me tomorrow and we will discuss things properly." Nie Hai offered gently.

My brother cupped his hands and then turned towards me.

"Hold it!" Nie Wei barked "Nie Li, do you admit your wrongs?" His voice boomed through the hallway. Now I remember this ancient asshole!

Nie Li cupped his hands towards the elder "Grand Elder, please clarify what wrongs are you referring to."

After retreating a few steps, I focused my soul force in my throat and whispered in his direction "Be careful. Not only is this old prune out to get you for being from a different branch, he also has his lips thoroughly stuck to Shen Hong's ass."

My friend's eyes widened for a second before his expression became so serious I actually felt a little sorry for Nie Wei. Speaking of that wrinkled wretch...

"You haven't been focusing on your studies and provoked the Sacred Family causing distress to the family. Do you admit to this?" The elder growled and pointed his fan accusingly.

Nie Li nodded "It is true that I have clashed with the Sacred Family but did our family suffer any hardships?" He shot back causing the elder to blink in surprise.

Nie Wei was not one to back down "You insolent brat! How dare you talk back to your elders! Our family didn't suffer because of our good fortune. You on the other hand only brought trouble. You need punishment! Three hundred strikes with the cane!"

This fossil was planning to cripple Nie Li. If one hundred cane strikes would leave a Bronze rank bedridden, what would three hundred do to a Silver rank? Even though I knew something like this would happen, seeing it in front of me made my temper boil.

"Nie Li!" A man's voice boomed from the entrance way. Soon enough that voice was followed by a middle aged man with ginger hair, although a bit more sunburnt. The man kowtowed in front of Nie Wei so fast that he almost slid on the polished wooden floor. "Elder, Nie Li is but an unknowing child. Let me have the punishment in his stead."

"Father..." For once I saw Nie Li's steady and sure expression he always wore fall apart. Regardless of one's mental age, they will always be their father's child.

"Nie Li, what are you doing? This isn't how I've raised you!" Nie Li's father scolded. Those words had so much disappointment dripping from them that even I felt ashamed. So I didn't need an emphatic link to realize the kind of damage they must be doing to Nie Li.

"That's enough!" I said softly but firmly as I slowly made my way towards the father -son duo while also swallowing the anger that threatened to make me bust Nie Wei's lip.

"What? Who are you?!" Nie Hai asked as he finally took notice of me. Two guards stepped forward but Nie En put a muscled hand in front of them and shook his head silently telling them to stand down.

Ignoring him, I gently grabbed the father's arm and slowly lifted him up. There was no resistance to my actions as he stared at me with a dumbfounded expression. Seeing the man on his feet again, I turned towards Nie Wei and imagined ripping his balls off before feeding them to him. I guess some intent leaked out as his legs started trembling uncontrollably.

Exhaling to clear my thoughts I returned to Nie Li's father and cupped my hands and bowed "Greetings uncle. I am Nie Li's sworn brother Long Wan."

"Wha?" Was the most intelligent reply he could muster.

My attention then shifted to Nie Hai "When I asked my dear Yang Xin to take the Heavenly Marks family under the Association's wing, I did so under the impression that you all are just people. What I see now is just a bunch of cowards who will throw their own family to the wolves to appease the Sacred Family."

Hearing some scrunching sounds to my left I turned my head to see Nie Wei gritting his teeth so hard that it was audible "How dare you! You think anyone will believe that a brat that stinks of his mother's milk has that kind of influence? Guards! Teach this insolent child a lesson!"

From the corner of my eyes I could see that the guards looked towards Nie Hai for permission. However the patriarch stood still with many questions etched on his face, neither approving nor rejecting Nie Wei's order.

Scoffing, I turned to the elder "Why don't we ask her then?" I replied while pointing at the door.

A second later a young man entered the room and bowed to Nie Hai "Lord Patriarch, Director Yang Xin and Young Master Chen Linjian have arrived!"

"What?!" This news got Hai to jump out of his seat "Don't just stand there. Invite them in!" He ordered and the audience parted, leaving just me on the red carpet. Nie Li had been discretely pulled to the side by his father.

Two breaths later the guests entered. Upon seeing me Yang Xin's eyes lit up in surprise and happiness. Her step became livelier as I made way forward and took her hands in mine.

"Nice of you to join us love." I said with a smile which made her blush and flirtatiously brush a strand of her hair behind an ear.

She giggled "I couldn't let you have all the fun my dear future husband."

"Well this is new." Chen Linjian coughed while visibly trying to suppress a blush "It's good to see you little brother."

I nodded to him but refused to let go of Xin's hands "Likewise big bro Linjian. But what brings you here?"

Chen Linjian crossed his arms in front of his chest "My family's markets have been opened to the Heavenly Marks for some time now. Coupled with the fact that we got news that the Dark Guild had attacked, I thought it would be wise to come check things out personally." His breathing was pretty heavy implying that he ran here full speed.

I tilted my head in confusion "You opened your markets to the Heavenly Marks?"

Yang Xin giggled angelically "Little bro Linjian often comes to discuss business. One day I let it slip that you requested we lend a hand to the Heavenly Marks and he took action on his own."

Linjian shrugged "Any loss of the Sacred Family is a win for my Divine Family."

The Divine Family getting involved was a surprise but I guess it was because Linjian often came to discuss business with my beloved Xin. "Come, I'm sure the patriarch Nie Hai will welcome you two warmly."

"Of course! Director Yang Xin and Young Master Chen Linjian are always welcome here!" Nie Hai nearly coughed as he spoke these words, even stuttering a couple of times.

Putting on fake sadness I looked away "Then I guess I'm not." My tone was pouty and immature for comedic effect but it had an unintended effect of my brother and lover glaring at the patriarch.

"Nonono!" He raised his hands in a placating gesture "Of course Young Master is just as welcome. We even prepared a seat for you as well!"

Can't deny the facts that there were now three extra seats to the left of him, although one was out of alignment indicating it had been prepared in much more haste. No matter is what I thought as I led Xin by the hand to her seat while Linjian shadowed my other side. We took our seats, with me in the middle, though I couldn't help but throw a 'you were saying?' look at Nie Wei. The elder was now sweating bullets but still managed to hide most of it behind a wall of dignity.

Yang Xin smiled "Patriarch Nie Hai, is it true that that the Dark Guild attacked your family tonight?" she asked as a conversation starter.

Nie Hai nodded with tense muscles while keeping his eyes glued on me. Both Linjian as well as Xin had more than enough financial power to utterly crush the Heavenly Marks family, and their favors depended a lot on both Nie Li's mood, as well as my own. Knowing how politics worked in Glory City, he would swallow crushed glass to be able to take back what happened earlier. "The elder in charge of this evening's security, Nie En, has reported it so. We even have three in custody as we speak." He answered.

"Glory City doesn't get many such chances. Respect to elder Nie En." Linjian praised.

Nie En bowed and cupped his hands "This one is grateful for the praise but it is unwarranted. When I arrived they were already beaten by young Nie Li and young master Long Wan. We only had to take them to the holding cells."

Nodding Linjian took a glance at Nie Li "Little brothers, once again you prove yourselves invaluable to Glory City."

Nie Li couldn't help but blush and rub the back of his hair but was quickly pushed into a bow by his father, earning a chuckle from all three of us who were sitting.

My bile rose to my throat while catching a glimpse at Nie Wei's conflicted expression. Turning to Nie Hai my tone became sharp enough to cut flesh "And yet, this night not only was brother Li not commended for his valiant efforts by his family, but he was actually threatened with punishment."

Nie Wei jumped at that statement "Young Master Long Wan, that was a completely different subject. It wasn't..."

I cut him off "Elder Nie Wei, I am addressing the patriarch, so why are you interrupting? Have you no shame?" Turning to Yang Xin I let out an exasperated sigh. "It seems I made a grave mistake love. The Heavenly Marks family isn't as upright as I had hoped."

Nie Hai coughed loudly to get our attention "Young Master Long Wan, that was just a trivial matter. Grandson Nie Li has not, and will not be punished, by my decision as the patriarch." He tried to save the situation. If these two powerhouses were to leave the Heavenly Marks family then the Sacred Family would pounce on them like starving wolves. Xin and Linjian were my, pardon the expression, steel balls in this case.

Speaking of the two, they were visibly itching to verbally smash Nie Hai, but were staying silent since I was most likely saying what they wanted to say and more. Linjian's personality made him think he owed a great debt to Nie Li and Yang Xin had her Association's success linked to him. These two would… How did that expression go? Ah yes 'climb the blade mountains and swim in the sea of flames' for him.

Anger boiled inside me "You call proposing that my brother be sentenced to three hundred lashes with the cane 'trivial'?" My soul force aura erupted around me as the wooden floor cracked underneath my seat. "Not only that, elder Nie Wei called me a liar and directly insulted me. How can I trust your family with him in a managerial position?"

Nie Hai stood up and stretched out his hand "As of this moment, elder Nie Wei shall no longer have power of decision within the Heavenly Marks. The roles of Grand Elder and Enforcement Elder shall be taken up by Nie En. Not only that, the roles of Head of Internal Affairs and Head of Agriculture shall be awarded to Nie Ming and Nie Kai!" His voice boomed within the halls. Such a decision was usually highly debated. However, at this moment everyone was silent. One wrong word could set me off and apparently no one here was suicidal enough to do so.

Nie Li's father, as well as a man with similar features as him ran out of the crowd and kowtowed in front of Nie Hai "Many thanks to the patriarch."

Nie Hai saw the looks of absolute disapproval both Nie Li and I shot him and replied without missing a beat "Both of you quickly stand up. You needn't bow to me any longer, now and forever."

What a royal kissass... Well, I got what I wanted so I can't really argue here.

Linjian stood up "I need to return to my family. Do you mind if I took the prisoners with me? They will be more secure in my family's holding cells."

Nie Hai nodded "It would be of great help if Young Master Chen would do so."

Yang Xin squeezed my hand with a reluctant expression "There is some important business that needs my attention as well so I must also take my leave. But if the Heavenly Marks is willing to accept then I can leave some Gold rank spiritualists and fighters to guard you in case the Dark Guild returns."

Linjian nodded "Excellent idea big sis. Would patriarch Nie Hai also be willing to accept two Black Gold fighters from my ranks as well?"

Nie Hai cupped his hands, an action mirrored by Nie En "We most humbly accept your kind generosity."

"Do you need me to escort you home love?" I asked Xin who blushed deeply.

She shook her head "It would be wonderful of you, but you can't. I left some alchemy running as I hurried here. If I merge with my Wind Condor demon spirit I might have just enough time to go back. You're still a Silver rank, so I doubt you can keep up." Her tone leaked no insult. She was just a woman who spoke her mind without mincing words. Also, she must've forgotten that I could literally teleport. Then again, this suits me just fine as well as I'm no helicopter fiancée. Besides, I had promised to visit as many of my brothers and their families as I could this vacation period. And since I'm already here… Yang Xin placed a gentle hand on my left cheek and kissed my other one "See you tomorrow?"

I raised my eyebrow in confusion but then realization hit me. The auction! "Of course. At what time?" I asked while returning the kiss but on her hand.

"The auction starts at noon so we will meet there at around that time." she answered and waved before jumping away followed by her personal guards of Gold and Black Gold fighters and demon spiritualists.

My eyes were glued to her ever shrinking form until she disappeared from my line of sight. "Brother Wan." Nie Li greeted once more as he approached from the rear followed closely by his father and uncle. I then felt a pull on my soul force and let my consciousness fade into the shared space to be greeted by Nie Li's alternate form.

"Hmm… so this is how it feels to be summoned here." I observed out loud. It wasn't that bad of a feeling so I could see why Nie Li didn't refuse a summons. It was like you knew instinctively that someone 'needed you' for something and was quite hard to quantify in words.

Nie Li raised an eyebrow "You know I could've handled that situation myself, don't you?" he said, annoyance and thankfulness being transmitted at once.

I nodded in response "Yep. " To be honest, I probably know more about you than you yourself do. For example, there is a chance that Nie Li is directly descended from the creator of the Tiny World, but that is something he needn't know yet. It serves no purpose other than a distraction. "But if I had let you handle it, then there would've been a chance that some people there would figure out your link to the Alchemist Association. For your loved ones' sake, that link must never escape least they be targeted by the higher ups of the Dark Guild. Just so you know, if the top executive and the leader of the Dark Guild team up then even Ye Mo would probably not survive and they wouldn't miss the chance to get the recipes for those pills. Tonight's raid was just retaliation from the Sacred Family for their lost face. Since I have no people close to me that are easy to target they probably decided to go after you as the next best thing."

He cupped his chin and nodded "The Alchemy Association are fiercely loyal to Glory City has means to ensure that their secrets remain hidden but it's a different story if they get my father and mother. While it would prove to be wasted effort to go after Director Yang Xin or president Gu Yan, my parents would be easier targets than newborn animals."

Nodding I continued: "Yes." my expression turned cheeky as a giant toothy smirk sneaked it's way on my face "Besides, I'd be lying if I said Nie Wei wasn't royally pissing me off."

My words took him by surprise as he broke into a hearty laugh "I've been waiting for over two centuries to see that smug face of his come crashing down. Had it not been for father I would've been rolling on the floor laughing seeing his wet panda look when he lost his position."

The world shifted as I willed to leave our shared space. As soon as I returned to reality I noticed Nie Li's red cheeks and toothy grin with a tear forming in the corner of his eye. Seems he kept on laughing so hard in the shared space that it actually reflected in the real world. Considering how time doesn't flow there, he could've been laughing for hours for all I know and it would've lasted less than a moment in the real world.

Nie Li's noticed that my attention had turned to them and bowed while cupping his hands. "Uncle, don't bow to me." He stood up again, more confused than before. It was my turn to show respect as I leaned forward at the waist with my hands showing respect "I owe brother Li more than I could ever repay. But forgive my rudeness, I am Long Wan."

"Ah!" He started rubbing the back of his head. Like father like son. "My name is Nie Ming of the Heavenly Marks family and father of Nie Li." he replied courtly.

Turning to the elders in the main family hall I let my voice carry out "Hear me! The father of my brother is my father as well. Treat Nie Ming as if you would be dealing with me."

Nie Hai and Nie En nodded briefly in unison while the other elders stayed silent and still. If they didn't object then you could consider it a silent agreement so that outcome was fine.

Nie Ming laughed awkwardly "Young Master Long Wan didn't need to do that."

I waved him off "Uncle, why are you treating your son's brother so distantly?" Each time they said Young Master, Shen Yue's face would come to mind and haunt me. While it was nice to be treated like you're a priceless urn filled with nitroglycerine, it wasn't something that I could get used to.

Nie Ming nodded "Then… is it alright to call you nephew Long Wan?" He was still talking like he was dealing with a VIP.

I nodded. This was enough and there was no sense to pushing him too far. "Oh man." I sighed "Damn Dark Guild, I was this close to drinking some Guardian family baiju."

And booze was something I could really enjoy right now.

"The Guardian family?" Asked a confused Nie Ming "Isn't that at least a day's carriage ride away from here?"

It wasn't that strange for him to be confused "As a demon spiritualist, I have ways. However, I can't return the same way." That was something I needed to fix and hopefully I could ripoff a certain anime character to make it work.

Nie Ming extended a hand "In that case, perhaps nephew would want to come stay with us?"

Nodding I smiled "If I'm not imposing."

The man laughed "Nonsense! Both my brother and I owe you our promotion and more. Besides, didn't you say you are my son's brother? How could family impose on family?"

Touché. "Very well..." I replied and we began walking towards their residence.

"Is Nie Yu safe?" I asked, both to break the silence as well as out of general concern. Back on Earth I had a little niece that she reminded me of. In the original story, Nie Yu would've returned to the scene of the crime after elder Nie En chased away Yun Hua.

Nie Li shot a concerned look to his uncle. Nie Kai nodded with a smile "She is back home with her mother and aunt. Nie Yu was the one to let us know what was happening in the first place. Big bro rushed out the door before she could even finish." He laughed.

"I...Why you..." Nie Ming stammered with a red face.

Placing a hand on his shoulder I silently sent a message to him that everything was fine "There is nothing shameful about a father wanting to protect his child."

Nie Ming stayed silent and nodded but you could see that he had visibly calmed down.

Well, even if he still had some lingering embarrassment, he would have to shed it in his own home for we had arrived at their courtyard.

Nie Li's close family courtyard was gorgeous and well maintained, similar to Du Ze's, and it carried the same feeling of warmth and closeness.

Nie Ming and Nie Kai politely invited me to step inside the yard, an action made easier by the fact that there was only a privacy wall surrounding the area, but no gate.

Just as I stepped inside, a twin-tailed missile hit me square in the abdomen. "Big brother Nie Li, you're safe!" A little girl's muffled sob resounded from my jacket.

All of us were taken aback by the sudden action. However, my mind was the quickest to reset, mostly thanks to my cultivation. Resting a comforting hand on the crown of her head, I spoke in the most soothing and kind voice I could muster "Yes. He is safe."

Her sobbing stopped instantly and she finally peeled her face off my jacket to take a red-eyed look at my face. Her cheeks became cherry red as she realized her mistake, and she stood there, mouth agape with words refusing to leave her mouth.

Summoning a piece of silk fabric, I took to one knee and gently began wiping the tears from her cheeks "My name is Long Wan and I am Nie Li's good friend. You must be little Nie Yu." My toothy smile could light up a moonless night. Xiao Yu just nodded, a dumbfound expression plastered on her face. The silk fabric while guided by my hand found its way to her little nose "Blow please!" I said and she obeyed as if on reflex.

The now wet cloth found its way back in my ring as I stood up, smile never leaving my face. Nie Yu really did remind me of my beloved niece so my soul was feeling incredibly satisfied "There, all better!" I exclaimed while adjusting the collar of her shirt.

"Hehe. Did Nie Yu already replace her big brother?" Nie Li teased while coming out from behind me.

"Big brother Nie Li!" the little missile shot again, this time striking true.

The lovable redhair chuckled as he continued his verbal assault "Eh, you confused me for someone else. Do I really matter so little to Nie Y-owowowowow!!!"

His teasing turned to hissing as I pulled his ear up "Stop that you big bully! Pick on someone your own size."

He sucked in air as he tried to remove my hand "Stop! I wasn't picking on her!"

Dragging his flailing form in a figure eight I continued "Do you expect me to believe that? Apologize to your little cousin or I'll have a word with Ziyun about this."

"Fine fine! I was in the wrong. Nowletgoofmyear!" he flailed and I let go. He threw me the stink eye as he was holding the offended lobe but said nothing. What could he say. I had him by the proverbial Ziyun.

Nie Yu blinked twice at me manhandling her beloved cousin before bursting into a cute giggle. Nie Kai then scooped up his daughter and we all went inside to sit at the table, with Yu sitting right of Nie Li and myself taking the left.

"Honey, brother-in-law, you should've told me we were expecting guests. The spare rooms are all so dusty." a woman, whom I assume was Nie Li's mother admonished the two men while the one who should be his aunt nodded from a little ways behind her.

Thinking fast I summoned some sweets I bought during one of my dates with the girls. Thanks to the temporal effects of the ring, they were basically as fresh as the day they were bought years ago. Besides them, there were also some more select soap samples that I got for approval from the Alchemy Association. Seems some members got creative and started infusing various elixirs and herbs in the base recipe.

I smiled and handed them the hastily prepared gifts "It's alright auntie, you needn't concern yourself with me. In fact it should be me who should thank you for the accommodations. Also, in spite my clothes I'm actually a first generation so modest conditions suit me more." A first generation meant a self-made rich person, opposite to a second-generation who was basically set to inherit their position.

Nie Li's mother nodded and respectfully received her share. His aunt however was a bit more brash and actually looked inside the silk wrappings "These!" She stammered "They're Golden Tiger pastries! Even the higher noble families have to reserve them in advance."

Really? I just went in and made an order so I thought it was just a run of the mill patisserie. It was strange that the shopkeeper knew me by name though.

The mother also got curious and took out a piece of soap. A strong floral fresh scent filled the room as soon as she undid the paper wrapping. Nie Li sniffed twice before he slammed his palms on the table and stood up "That smell is from a Moonshard Lotus concentrate!" He exclaimed in surprise.

"What?" I asked. It was something I wasn't familiar with as there was no mention about it in the novel.

Nie Li sat back down and turned towards me "Moonshard Lotus is a special flower that grows in incredibly poisonous stagnant water. However it is actually one of the purest plants out there. Because of its origin it has the power to neutralize even the most foul of toxins. Even a petal has the ability to remove poison from a Black Gold Demon Beast. It is a priceless flower that is not easily found. What's more, a scent this strong can only be due to it being a concentrated extract from ten to fifteen entire flowers. If you use that to wash your skin then it would have the same detox effect as a high level cultivation technique." He explained, putting emphasis on the word priceless.

"We can't accept these!" Both women said in unison and tried to return them but I simply crossed my arms.

"They would just go to waste with me. I alone couldn't possibly finish the stock that I have." It was true. Every week I would be hounded by some senior apprentice seeking approval to change something in my recipe. I told them that as long as I get the standard deal agreed with Yang Xin they could do what they wanted and as such they kept showering me with so many variations of soap that I had to buy another ring only for that.

Nie Kai turned to me "How did nephew managed to get them?" Seems he was a bit more relaxed than his older brother.

"Oh, I actually own the copyright to the entire of the Alchemists Association's production of soap." I said while sipping my tea.

Unfortunately, this caused the women to choke on theirs. They then turned to me after clearing their airways "That's... Soap is currently the most wanted thing in every household after salt. Since it can be used for anything related to cleaning every woman wants it." Nie Li's mother began.

"Since it came out on the market our workload was basically cut in half. We don't have to spend hours scraping away at bowls or even more on washing the dirt off of our clothes." His aunt continued.

"You're every housewife and working woman's hero!" They said in unison making me feel like my face was about to boil off. It was so fucking embarrassing I could just dig a hole for myself and crawl in it. It didn't help that Nie Li was basically turning blue from holding in his laughter, though his trembling shoulders easily gave him away.

Little Nie Yu peeked her head from behind her cousin. "Eh? Sir Long Wan is amazing." She spoke with sparkles in her eyes like she was meeting a movie superstar.

I took a hold of Nie Li's shoulder "How rude of you." I told him before yanking it back making him fall with it. Turning back to Nie Yu I smiled "Thank you Nie Yu. But you can call me big bro Wan. Calling me 'sir' makes me feel old."

Nie Li had meanwhile recovered and shot up while pointing a finger at me "Hey! What was that for?!" He yelled out.

Waving him off I answered "Xiao Yu was talking to me and you were in between."

He calmed down after hearing this and peeking at his cousin from the corner of his eye "You could've just ask." He sulked.

"Yes. But my way was more fun." I chuckled which caused Nie Yu to giggle. This had a cascade effect where everyone else joined in and we continued having a good time until later in the evening.