It was the next day and Jing was waiting outside her home with Li Li. Her son was happily splashing about inside the pool of water she made for him. It was a strange but cute sight of the bird playing around in a pool made entirely of water floating in the air. Jing made sure to add some bubbles inside and around the water for him to play with as well.
In a few minutes or so, her “Angels” should be showing up soon. It was a funny name for a group like hers. Their images of angels must be different from hers in some way. When Jing thinks of angels, she thinks of winged messengers of a divine being. Messengers being all about righteousness, justice, and goodness. In a way their goal could be twisted in such a fashion but Jing didn’t plan on doing any twisting or turning of what she plans to do for this sect or her goals after that. If anyone asked, she’d choose to tell them honestly or tell them nothing at all.
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Deep within the Inner Court, a sly handsome man could be seen with a few disciples bowing their heads to him.
“Elder!” The youths greeted.
“I doubt you all are aware but soon everyone in the sect will know of this matter. Have any of you heard of the name Jing?” The youthful-looking elder asked. None of the disciples answered.
“She’s one of the most talented disciples this sect has ever accepted and if unhindered, will become the new Sect Leader in a few years.” He honestly told them.
“She can’t be that talented, can she?” One disciple questioned.
“I’ve heard rumors of a Qi Gatherer lately ever since leaving the Treasured Plains. Is this who you are talking about?” Another disciple asked.
“That’s exactly who I'm speaking of. A prodigy of her level has never been seen in the history of the Golden Serpent Sect. And there are even talks of the Sect Leader thinking about personally taking her as their main student.” The elder told them.
The disciples were speechless at this announcement. Was this girl really such a big deal? What was her background? Did she have a certain special bloodline? Could it be she was from some ancient martial arts family?
“What sort of background does this Jing hold?”
“I haven’t had the time to investigate but as of now none.”
“Should we deal with her...?” One disciple asked hesitantly.
“For now, no. We sit and watch the muddled waters. The announcement of her talent should soon be making waves across the sect and even soon outside the sect. If she survives or proves to be of use to us, we’ll make sure to get involved with her.” The elder said.
“Understood!”
“So, continue your training for the Grand Tournament and stay out of any conflicts involving Jing. You may leave.”
“Yes, Elder Sun!”
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“What kind of bullshit are you speaking to me right now!?” Elder Tao shouted.
“My apologies Elder Tao.” The disciple smiled calmly despite the spittle flying at his face. “This Jing, you spoke of, has no background whatsoever.”
“Then what use are you!? Are you telling me she just fell from the sky and was suddenly here!? No one just comes from out of thin air! And if you don’t find anything about her background, consider yourself dead to me!”
“Elder Tao, please calm yourself. Just because we cannot find any information about her as of now, doesn’t mean we won’t be able to in the future.” The disciple ignored the threat and wiped his face with a handkerchief. “Plus, there is no doubt that every elder in the sect is also digging around to try and find out who this Jing girl is. Eventually, something will pop up and if need be, I can take it from them myself.” He offered.
“You may be talented, you fucking brat, but she’s on a different level. If we cannot bring her under me then there is only one choice left.” A deadly gleam appeared in his eyes.
“Wouldn’t that be considered bullying, Elder Tao? A person of my stature lowering himself to deal with a girl 3 major stages below myself.” He wasn’t completely sure of his master’s intent.
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“Is that brain of yours only for decoration!? Why in the hell would I have you go after her?! Hire some disciples to make her an offer of coming under me under the pretense of a duel. If she refuses, they’ll kill her in the ring. If she accepts, they’ll lose.” Elder Tao spoke.
“And I'm to make sure that this hit of yours doesn’t come back to us, am I correct?”
“Heh. You know how this works by now. Now get on out of here. By the end of the week, I want know of a dead body or Jing standing here before me.” He shooed his only disciple out.
“Yes, Elder Tao. I’ll do my best to produce adequate results.” He smiled.
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A very beautiful man could be seen skipping through the grass. A number of disciples were bowing their heads, not daring to say a word. This feminine man in particular happened to be a powerful elder within the Golden Serpent Sect despite his whimsical and girlish nature. Due to this strength, many insults made towards him have caused several deaths once he’s learned who spoke of them. Right now, he may look like a silly man dancing through a flower garden. But the strength hidden within his slim and soft looking body was anything but silly.
“Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!” He hummed. “To think there was such a hidden gem within the pile of trash in the Outer Court! A girl of her strength absolutely must be brought to my side! A Qi Gatherer being able to face off against a Core Stage spirit beast and survive! She must be the only prodigy of her kind within this part of the continent!” He cheerfully spoke to himself.
None of the disciples said a word. Their master’s temperament was not a consistent one. One minute he might be in the best mood, cheerily laughing and joking with those close to him. And the other, he was brutally beating them half to death for daring to speak on something he said. The safest choice these disciples learned was to stay silent and just follow instructions. Elder Tu was one of the greatest teachers within the sect. All the disciples he’s taught have become someone great after his teachings. So, even with his dangerous and strange personality, many were still willing to learn from him in hopes of becoming powerful cultivators.
“The task I have for you cuties is to bring her over to my side no matter what! Oop! Wait, you might get confused if I say it that way. You absolutely cannot hurt or threaten Jingy. She’s too precious and smart to be dealt with by force or with threats. Here take this Ju Ju.” He handed a storage ring to the petite girl.
“This is just a gift from me while this is the actual bargaining resources. Don’t use the bargaining gift if you all can get her to agree to the greeting gift. For a Qi Gatherer of her stage, there is no doubt that she must be lacking in resources. Especially with the way she’s so adorably hidden herself all this time. Oh Jingy! You just have to become one of mine!” Elder Tu sung. “You all can go now. I have something to discuss with my wife.” His disciples nodded and left as soon as he dismissed them.
“I hope you don’t disappoint me Jing...”
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“What the hell is this stuff?! It tastes nasty as hell!” Hu Tao complained as the yellow bar was forced on his tongue.
“This is just a countermeasure for the future.” Jing explained. “And stop complaining. Normally this soap should be in your mouth for an hour or so. You only have to withstand it for a single lick.”
“It still tastes like shit.” He grumbled, using his hands to wipe off the nasty flavor of the yellow soap.
“So, what exactly is it for?” Wan Qing asked.
“Defending against those trying to gather information from one of you and checking for impersonators.” Jing answered.
“If someone was trying to get information about the group out of me, what would happen?” Ying wondered.
“Think of a question they might ask.” Jing told her.
“Who is your leader?” Bing asked Ying.
“BLEEP.” She answered.
Ying covered her mouth as that one sound took over her entire sentence! She tried saying, “Jing is my leader.” Only to have her words not come out at all! Her mouth moved like she was saying the words “Jing is my leader.” but the only sound to come out was a bleep!
“BLEEP?” It did it again when she tried saying that she was a part of Jing’s group.
“Whoa. That’s kind of funny. Let me try.” Hu Tao was amused. “BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP!”
“Okay! We get it!” Ying yelled at him.
“BLEEP! BLEEP. Princess.” Hu Tao insulted.
Ying may not have understood what the hell he just said but she sure as hell knew it pissed her off!
“Go BLEEP yourself!” She stood up, clutching her fists, ready to pounce at Hu Tao if he said another word towards her.
“Let’s calm down everyone...” Lei Zhi tried to step in. “There’s no need to fight over nothing.” He tried to reason.
“There’s always a reason to fight old man. And if Fire Crotch wants to go, I'm more than happy to show her how her BLEEP is worthless against my BLEEP.” He smugly smiled.
That smile was all it took for Ying to lose it. She leapt towards Hu Tao with her fists covered in flames. Hu Tao’s small smile widened into toothy grin at this action. Everyone watched as the two took part in another fight that could only be broken up by Jing, Li Li, or Wan Qing. If Ying and Hu Tao started to go too far in their fight, that was when Wan Qing would attempt to diffuse it by placing them both under illusions. Jing normally wouldn’t intervene unless she needed both of their undivided attention. She could tell that the fights between the two were good for their martial arts. Ying was improving bit by bit when she fought with Hu Tao. It was a substantial growth in skill. Too substantial...
“Here we go again...” Wan Qing sighed.
“Should we come back tomorrow, Empress?” Bing asked.
“There’s no need to but feel free if you wish. Your tasks will be ready in due time.” Jing said.
Hu Tao and Ying continued their fighting as everyone else left for other matters