Chapter 28:
“And you,” Scarface said, pointing at me.
It made me want to look up at the heavens and ask just what I did to deserve getting caught up in this whole situation. Especially since neither Lin nor Jianfeng were here to help me navigate it. This was supposed to be a quick sign-up for the trial and that’s it. Not, whatever this was turning into.
“Don’t think we haven’t noticed your disrespect either,” Scarface said with a glare. “Others in the hall said that you were indulging this bumpkin. Listening to his ridiculous claims. You think you can get away with something like that?”
I held up my hands placatingly. “Hey, I just met this man,” I said, taking a small step away from Pan Song. He seemed like a good guy, and I did believe his story. But I didn’t want to make enemies with some young master of one of the three great clans in the city. Even if they were assholes. I would hopefully be able to make it up to the guy discretely later. “And I didn’t know anything about your Young Master or any claims he made. I was just talking to Pan Song because I was curious about Arrays and don’t know much about them myself.”
“As if your ignorance is an excuse,” Scarface said, making a cutting motion with the hand he’d been pointing at me. “You should be made an example of along with the lying bumpkin.”
Was this asshole really threatening me just because I talked to Pan Song? Were the people here really that crazy? Lin and Jianfeng had warned me about not making enemies, but I hadn’t thought it would be this bad. Not with how normal everyone in the Sun Compound seemed.
“Are you serious?” I asked, unable to keep how incredulous I felt out of my voice. But then I realized I might still have a way to defuse this ridiculous situation. The Young Master behind this guy still looked bored and not all too invested in this. Maybe I could use that. “Like, I just talked to the guy. I’m sure a Young Master of the Qian Clan has much more important matters to deal with than some ignorant guy like me talking to someone he called a liar. Shouldn’t you be ashamed of wasting your Young Master's time with something like this?”
“As if that is for some nobody like you to decide,” Scarface said with a scoff, looking me up and down.
“Of course not. But is it for you to decide then?” I challenged, looking towards the Young Master. “Are you saying that you speak for your Young Master, then? And he cares about something so small and petty?”
Scarface scoffed at that but got a nervous look on his face. Instead of replying, he turned to look at the bored-looking Young Master. The younger man just raised an eyebrow at that, then turned to look at the fox around his shoulder. Which, to my surprise, seemed to be glaring at me.
What the fuck?
“Hmm…” the Young Master said as if in thought. “This does sound a bit petty. But Little White here is a pretty good judge of character, and his opinion right now seems pretty clear. Perhaps not everyone willing to indulge the bumpkin is disrespecting me. But in this particular case.” The Young Master turned to give me an amused and cruel smile. “Perhaps I am being disrespected. What do you think, Yin Tai?”
That last question was directed to the other man standing next to the Young Master. He looked at the fox for a moment and then turned to look at me with a small frown. “If the Young Master thinks that, then it must be so. We should make an example out of both of them then.“
I scowled at that. So much for hoping that it was just this guy's goons that were the unreasonable ones. And all because of a fox? What the hell? I was starting to think those damned things were bad luck. First I got bit by one. Then another saved the Black Wind. And now a third had ruined my chance of not getting mixed up in this situation.
“This is going too far,” Pan Song said as I tried to think of just what could defuse this situation. “You called me a liar, and now even seek to punish those kind enough to give me a chance. Since you are so sure that I’m a fake, why don’t you dare test me now in front of so many people? If you are correct, then you have nothing to fear.”
“As if the Young Master has so much time to waste with talentless frauds like you,” Yin Tai said dismissively as he waved a hand. “Why should he—”
“If that’s the case, I wonder why Young Master Qian Zhi bothers with you, Little Bastard Tai,” A voice said, cutting him off. A very familiar voice.
I spun in the direction of the speaker and slumped in relief when I saw Lin standing there along with Jianfeng. I’d gotten so caught up in this whole stupid situation that I hadn’t noticed them arrive.
Yin Tai turned to look at Lin as well, a furious look on his face. When he actually caught sight of Lin, however, he seemed to scoff, and his expression turned dismissive. The Young Master—Qian Zhi apparently—turned to look as well, his neutral expression replaced with a small frown.
“Ah, Ming Lin and Shui Jianfeng,” Yin Tai said, shaking his head with a dismissive scoff. “Come to make baseless claims again? Or have you two truly stooped so low as to fall for this charlatan's lies as well? I would have thought that even you two would have more common sense than that.”
I couldn’t help but glance between the two sides curiously. This was rather unexpected. It seemed that this asshole and Lin and Jianfeng already knew each other. And there was clearly bad blood between the two. Though I suppose that shouldn’t be too big of a surprise, given how belligerent these guys seemed.
“I know nothing about this man,” Lin said, nodding at Pan Song. “Just heard a familiar bastard dog barking and thought I’d see why you're causing a scene. Pretty pathetic that you feel the need to harass a man with so many people. Or that you feel so petty as to feel the need to randomly harass other people barely involved in whatever disagreement you might have.”
“Careful, Ming Lin,” Yin Tai said, losing the dismissive aura he was trying to project. Instead, he glared. “You would be wise not to provoke the Qian Clan so brazenly. Only a rabid dog would try to bite their betters.”
“I’m hardly provoking the Qian Clan,” Lin said, grinning. “You are just one of their servants, after all. You should hardly be making such statements as if you had much greater authority. It's quite presumptuous of you.”
“And what if he’s speaking for me?” Qian Zhi asked, his tone still bored but with a hint of warning in it.
Lin was not cowed. “Then I wonder if things have changed so much in the Qian Clan that you’re willing to go against Young Miss Qian Chi. After all, she has declared that my Young Miss Sun Xia is a good friend of the Qian Clan. Starting a conflict over words with one of her retainers would be… unwise, don’t you think?”
There was a long pause after that with only mutterings from further away in the large room keeping it from being totally silent. The two sides stared each other down. Jianfeng and Lin on one side and Yin Tai, Qian Zhi, and the three other Qian Clan members on the other.
“You would do well not to rely on such protections forever,” Qian Zhi said after a long moment, still sounding bored and aloof. “Qian Chi is the current heir. But her ascension to head of the clan is a long time away. Many things can change before then.“
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Lin said, a smile on her face. “Now, I’m sure such important members of the Qian Clan have better things to do than harass some—what did Tai call him?—A random country bumpkin? Why don’t we all just go about our day? Doesn’t an important person like Young Master Qian Zhi have more important things to do?”
Qian Zhi narrowed his eyes at that before turning a dull glare at Pan Song. “I do. I was just here to sign up for the upcoming Starguard Trial. But then my men heard from others in the hall that this fool was still going around trying to con others with his lies. As a member of the esteemed and noble Qian Clan, I took it as a duty to put a stop to such nonsense.”
“If he is a liar, then I’m sure it will come to light in time,” Lin said, sounding dismissive. “No need for Young Master Qian Zhi to go out of his way. Going after some unknown like this is hardly worth the time of someone so… esteemed.”
Lin stressed that last word in a way that made it quite clear that esteemed wasn’t the word she’d actually use to describe him.
Qian Zhi narrowed his eyes at that. Then he turned his gaze back over to Pan Song and me as well. Damn, I was hoping he’d forget about me at least. But judging from the smirk on his face as he looked between me and Lin, that was not the case. And he knew that we were friends or connected as well.
Just great.
“I suppose I do have better things to do,” Qian Zhi said with an amused note in his voice. “The Starguard trial is only a week away. I should prepare. And should I still feel the need to put uppity fools in their place, I can make my displeasure known then.”
Pan Song gulped at that, looking nervous. I frowned as well. Well, fuck.
Lin seemed to notice Qian Zhi looking between me and her too, given the frown forming on her face as she looked at me. Guess she’d hope that he wouldn’t notice as well. That was probably why she hadn’t looked at or acknowledged me this whole time.
Lin shook her head and sighed. “If the Young Master feels the need to compete with his peers in such a manner, who am I to say anything about it? After all, I suppose you have to compete with somebody as you just so happened to delay your joining the Starguard to avoid Young Master Guan Li and Young Master Shen Zhu.”
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That seemed to hit a nerve as Qian Zhi's smile disappeared, and he glared hard. “I have no need to compete with those two love-struck fools,” he said, almost snarling. Then he took a quick breath to calm himself and shook his head. “And now I’ve tired of this distasteful conversation. I have better things to do.“ Before he left, however, he grinned a vicious grin again, looking at both Pan Song and I. “But I suppose we will see each other again during the Starguard trial.”
With that said, he walked off, the other members of the Qian Clan rushing to follow. All except for Tai, who took a moment to shake his head. “Always so impulsive, Ming Lin. I hope lashing out a me was worth earning the Young Master's ire. Especially for your friend there. If the Young Master was going to show some mercy to him before, he most certainly will not now.“
“I don’t want to hear anything about impulsiveness from you, you bastard,” Lin said, her voice cold as ice. The venom there took me back just a little. It seemed that the issues between her and Yin Tai were much worse than I thought. “And we both know that Young Master Qian Zhi is hardly the sort to give mercy to even the smallest of slights.”
Yin Tai just shook his head before turning away. “You need to get over whatever you think happened, Lin,” he said and started walking away. “Try to learn from Shui Jianfeng. He seems to have gotten over it.”
“I really haven’t,” Jianfeng said, finally speaking up. He sounded his normal upbeat self for the most part. But there was a little bit of strain to it. “You should do well to remember that Tai. Because I will repay you for what you did one day. No matter how long it takes.”
“Well, good luck with that,” Tai said, not bothering to look back as he walked off to go join the rest of his people.
When they were finally gone, I walked up beside Lin and sighed. “Well, that was a thing.”
Pan Song came over to join us as well, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand why any of that had to happen. They already rejected me, and now this just feels petty.”
“It is petty,” Lin said, shaking her head. “And it's the sort of thing you should expect from people like that.” She then turned to me with a raised eyebrow. “So, just what was that all about? And who is this?” She gestured at Pan Song.
Quickly, I explained everything that had led up to this and introduced Pan Song.
When I was done, Lin turned to give Pan Song a narrowed-eyed stare. “Are you actually an Array Master?”
“I am no liar,” Pan Song said seriously, meeting Lin’s gaze. “I am an Array Master. And I can prove it if given a chance.”
“Alright, then prove it,” Lin said, crossing her arms.
Pan Song seemed surprised for a moment before he nodded. “Okay, I will. But we will need somewhere with more space, and not within somewhere as important as the Starguard Hall. I doubt they will be all that pleased if I just start trying to set up formations here. I also need to get my materials if I am to demonstrate full mastery and not just adeptness.”
Lin shrugged at that and gestured at the entryway to the Hall. “Then let’s go and make sure that you at least can set up proper formations. We can look into your mastery after. If your offer is genuine and you aren’t lying then, we are interested. Especially if it will make that bastard Tai and his damned master look like fools.“
Pan Song seemed to shrink a bit at that. “I’m not certain that’s something I want to do. I have only been in the city for a small while, but the Qian Clan does not seem like something I would want to trifle with.”
Lin shrugged. “It's already too late. Even before this scene, if others heard about the Young Master's claims about your skills, only to be proven so wrong later, then conflict would have been inevitable. It would be a slap to his face and his credibility to lose out on recruiting such a young Array Master. His only option is to prove you wrong or not allow you to prove yourself.”
Pan Song slumped at Lin’s words.
“Things aren’t all bad,” Lin said, trying to comfort the large young man. “If you really are an Array Master, then our Young Miss would be more than happy to allow you to work under her. She has a good relationship with most of the Qian Clan, and that should stop the conflict from escalating into a larger issue with their whole clan.”
Pan Song still looked a bit nervous and turned to me as if wanting to know if she was telling the truth.
I just shrugged and nodded. Lin had no reason to lie, after all. And what she said fit with what I’ve learned about Sun Xia over the last week.
“I suppose that would make things easier,” he said after a moment. “Then let us go.”
With that said, we all left the Starguard Hall. It didn’t take us long to find a suitable place for the demonstration. Apparently, in the Cultivator District, there were many wide-open grassy areas that people could make use of. Officially, they were just places for rest and relaxation. In reality, according to Lin and Jianfeng, they were used by cultivators to settle disputes more often than not.
Apparently, before these places were created, the beautiful and clean cobblestone of the streets would often get destroyed in conflicts. But the introduction of these green places—unofficially called arenas—had helped keep damages down.
It was one of these places that we went for Pan Song to prove his worth. Something I really hoped he managed to do. It would have been rather disappointing if he’d had been just a conman or something. Especially since I now had to watch out for that Qian Zhi jerk and whatever goons might join him in the coming trial.
“So you are at least quite adept,” Lin said, taking in the formation that Pan Song had set up.
He’d done it quickly, pulling formation flags out of the large leather bag he carried. He’d then shot them all around the clearing, just like I’d seen Sun Xia do before. Finally, after running through some quick hand seals, a semi-transparent dome appeared in the grassy clearing.
“A simple barrier,” Pan Song said, shaking his head. “Nothing special, but the speed of my execution should be proof enough that I know a thing or two. Feel free to test it.”
Not needing to be asked twice, Lin lunged toward it with a sudden rush of speed. Her fist met the dome, and a crack rang out. Spider web cracks appeared in the barrier which seemed to expand more and more. A moment later, the whole barrier shattered.
Well, shit. That didn’t seem all that—
“Impressive,” Lin said, making me blink in surprise. “Setting up a formation strong enough to block one of my punches so fast is pretty good. Especially with such cheap-looking equipment.”
Cheap looking? I stared at one of the nearby flags that had created the barrier, taking a better look at them. And I immediately noticed what Lin must have as well. These honestly just looked like random cloth and some sticks. The edges of the flag were sharp and clean, and the writing looked beautiful, but the material itself looked incredibly common.
“It's not a big deal,” Pan Song said, shaking his head. “If you don’t mind waiting, I can set up something more impressive.”
Lin shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Admittedly, neither Jianfeng nor I know enough about Arrays to figure out if you are a master. But you are clearly no novice. So how about this, tell me where I can send you a message. I will speak with our Young Miss Sun Xia, a disciple of Master Alchemist Fan Hong.”
Pan Song’s eyes widened at the mention of Fan Hong. He must have recognized the name or maybe the title Master Alchemist.
“She should be able to fully evaluate you,” Lin continued, not acknowledging the bug-eyed look she was being given, “and you need time to gather supplies anyway. If you can prove yourself to her, then she will want to sponsor you. And if you still wish to open that ruin, we would be willing to accompany you if the offer you gave Lan still holds.”
Pan Song continued to look at Lin with a shocked expression for a moment before he managed to shake himself out of his stupor. Then he grinned widely. “Of course, that would be amazing! You can send a message to…”
The two of them quickly exchanged information on how we could get in contact with Pan Song later. After that, Pang Song thanked all of us profusely—me especially for listening to him first—before he left to ensure that he had all the supplies needed. Lin told him that it would likely be at least a day or so before Sun Xia would be able to make the time, but he wanted to make sure he had everything set for a demonstration.
He hadn’t expected to get a chance to show off to such a prominent figure.
It was only once he was gone did I realized I probably should have talked to him about us teaming up for the Starguard trial. Because Qian Zhi was going to be targeting both of us. I would have to speak to him about that the next time I saw him.
“So, what’s up with you two and that Yin Tai guy?” I asked when the three of us were alone. I couldn’t help but be a bit curious about it given what I saw of their interaction.
“How about we go get lunch first,” Lin said, a frown on her face. “I need something to cheer me up before I talk about that bastard.”
“Alright,” I said as we left the grassy clearing.
We ended up at a prominent restaurant called the Plum Blossom Delight. We got a private booth that had some sort of privacy formation built into it, keeping our conversation from being overheard. After getting tea and ordering our food, Jianfeng decided to be the one to talk about their history with Yin Tai and how that led to their conflict with Qian Zhi.
It wasn’t a long story, and he finished by the time the food came. Still, it became very clear just why both Lin and Jianfeng hated the guy so much. I would feel the same way too if someone who was like a brother to me tried to kill me over treasure.
We ate in solemn silence for a bit afterward, but thankfully, that didn’t last too long as we began to discuss other topics. Like Lin’s encounter with the Ice Fairy and what she wanted. Lin couldn’t go into details just yet—not before speaking to Sun Xia—but needless to say, Jianfeng was incredibly jealous.
He would have probably bugged Lin more about it if she hadn’t threatened to tell Feifei and Sun Yun about his interest.
After that, and with the meal done, we nursed some tea while going back to discuss less savory things. Like how I would deal with Qian Zhi during the trials. Part of me considered just waiting him out and taking the next Starguard Trial. But the idea of running away from that pompous bastard pissed me off. Especially since he would likely target me elsewhere if I didn’t take the trial, and it might be best to confront him in a situation where he couldn’t kill me.
It also wasn’t like I didn’t have a chance. Yes, the guy was quite talented. He was already at Mid Qi-Gathering and was younger than the rest of us at only 16 years old. He also had the benefit of the resources of the richest of the three great clans, and he would probably be taking more of his goons with him into the trial.
But I had my own advantages.
Advantages that we would need to leave the city for me to make use of. I needed to go hunting for both cores and special abilities to harvest. Lin and Jianfeng had given me what cores they had saved up to let me cultivate over the last week. But they didn’t have many as they usually just sold the cores instead of stockpiling them.
So because of that, we decided that unless Sun Xia had time for Pan Song tomorrow—something Lin found unlikely—the three of us would go hunting the next day. To plan for that, the three of us went through the bestiaries Jianfeng got from the Starguard Repository. It didn’t take us long to find several very interesting spirit beasts that would be good to hunt. Ones with powers that might give me the boost I needed to deal with being targeted by Qian Zhi, as well as being close enough to the city to reach.
When we finished with that, we left the restaurant and went to buy some supplies for our trip before finally making our way back to the compound. I could explore the city more another day. For the moment, we needed to report to Sun Xia.
Tomorrow, we would go hunt, and perhaps I would be able to get a Skill to make Qian Zhi regret making an enemy of me.