Chapter 25 - The Ascent

Pfff...*Cough* *Cough*

It seemed that Gu Xian'er had hit the proverbial nail on the head when Dong Zǐmò, who had begun to sip his tea, suddenly spit it out and entered a mild coughing fit once her words reach his ears.

"Sigh..." with an expression that resembled someone who had swallowed a bitter medicine, Dong Zǐmò admitted that he was indeed sent for such a reason, albeit reluctantly,"I suppose there is no use in hiding the truth, given my sudden and overly dramatic appearance. Yes, Young Master Shaoyang indeed instructed me to threaten you, Junior Xin."

Dong Zǐmò clearly didn't look like he enjoyed being sent on such a lowly, petty mission.

Xin Jin could clearly detect from his expression and tone of voice that he detested being used in such an over the top manner.

Dong Zǐmò was a powerful, and well respected Spirit Grandmaster as well as the Grand Elder of a Top 3 Martial Sect on the continent. So how could he be used as a mere errand boy for an arrogant, spoiled child?

Of course, it wasn't just Huo Shaoyang's status as the Young Master of the Holy Dragon Fire Sect that made him come to Sky City in search of Xin Jin, but also the request from the Sect Master, Huo Yang, due to the life debt Dong Zǐmò owed him for saving his life more than 150 years ago.

Sect Master Huo Yang had asked him, after hearing the complaints of Huo Shaoyang, to solve this issue as quickly and quietly as possible, regardless of the method.

"I see." Xin Jin replied calmly,"May I ask exactly what the reason is behind him asking you to come here?"

"Ahem, I believe there are a few tiny issues that seem to have resulted in you gaining his ire. Firstly, he accused you of insulting his honor by referring to him as a "Dancing Monkey" when he attempted to introduce himself at the Abundant Treasures Imporium auction just recently."

Xin Jin was a tad bit surprised, as well as intrigued, that Huo Shaoyang would use such an obvious lie to try a smear him.

It is true that he called Huo Shaoyang a Monkey, but only after the arrogant prick had deliberately insulted him first, despite never meeting before.

Instead of defending himself however, Xin Jin simply nodded and allowed Dong Zǐmò to continue.

"Secondly," said Dong Zǐmò,"When Young Master Huo attempted to purchase a Grade 3 Ice based sword Treasure at a reasonable price from you, not only did you refuse, you also needlessly assaulted his bodyguard without warning or just cause, injuring him greatly."

At this point, Gu Xian'er, who was silent until this point, suddenly broke out into a melodious chuckle.

"Haha, and here I thought Huo Shaoyang would at least come up with something believable." She said while shaking her head with a broad smile.

Even Luo Mei couldn't help but reveal a charming smile as she listened to these obviously biased accusations.

Han Yi, for her part, was simply staring at Dong Zǐmò with a less than pleased expression as she remembered what happened during their first interaction with Huo Shaoyang.

Dong Zǐmò, who was already trying his best to resolve this situation peacefully, frowned deeply when he heard Gu Xian'er.

"Miss, I would ask you, unless you are directly involved in this situation, to refrain from interrupting." He said with barely disguised annoyance.

"Oh, but I am involved, since everything happened on my property after all." Gu Xian'er replied with a sly smirk, all while ignoring Dong Zǐmò's obvious rudeness.

"Oh?" Dong Zǐmò replied with a raised eyebrow, as well as a sinking feeling that perhaps the situation was getting out of hand,"May I ask your name, miss...?" He asked, hoping that she wasn't the person he was thinking of.

"Xian'er, Gu Xian'er." She introduced herself with a smug expression as she watched the middle-aged scholars eyes widen as his complexion noticeably paled.

'Dammit! Why the hell does this kid have not just a Spirit Grandmaster on one arm, but also the Gu families Young Miss Xian'er on the other!?'

This wasn't supposed to be how things went!

Based on their investigation, Xin Jin was supposed to be someone without any background. A nobody. Albeit a wealthy one.

While gritting his teeth to point he heard them crack, he once again turned his gaze to the Grandmaster on Xin Jin's right.

"And this other Miss would be...?" Dong Zǐmò asked shakily, dreading the possible answer he would receive.

"Luo Mei." She introduced herself with a smile and a friendly tone of voice.

"Ah, It's Miss Luo..." suddenly, he froze.

Luo Mei...it was a name that was somewhat familiar...Luo Mei...Luo...Mei...

Suddenly, the sinking feeling in his heart became a deep, suffocating dread.

No, it couldn't be. It was impossible. But, what if...?

*Gulp*

With a throat that was so dry it felt like he had swallowed sand, he asked nervously, hoping he was mistaken,"Miss Luo wouldn't happen to be acquainted with Madame Luo Meixue, would you?"

"Oh? You know of my mother?" she replied with a big smile.

'Fuck! This has to be a nightmare!' Dong Zǐmò screamed in disbelief,'This is bad! Very, Very bad!' he thought as beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

"Ahaha, indeed. I did have the honor of being spared by your mother during a scuffle we had back in my early adventurer days." He explained bitterly.

Suddenly, Xin Jin spoke up, trying to hury the meeting along,"So, Senior Zǐmò, how should we resolve this minor conflict? I believe it shouldn't be too difficult, right?" He asked with a confident smile.

Dong Zǐmò suddenly stood up and went before Xin Jin and offered the young man before him a courteous bow.

"There is no need, Young Master Xin. I believe we both know who is in the wrong here. I will take my leave and report back to the Sect Master that an understanding has been reached." He stated humbly.

"Very well. I hope that we can put this childish silliness behind us as well." Xin Jin stated amicably as he stood up and came forth, returning Dong Zǐmò's bow.

After a few more words were exchanged, Xin Jin and the others accompanied the Flood Dragon outside.

But, just as Dong Zǐmò was preparing to leave, a massive, shining pillar of light burst forth from the ground and shot into the sky roughly 200 kilometers to the north of Sky City shocking everyone.