The Prodigies War-Chapter 2620 Unwanted Obtrusion
Old Kun gently patted his daughter's shoulder, “Don't put too much pressure on yourself.”
Wanrou whispered, “Father, I am just a little worried about your injuries...”
Old Kun laughed brightly, “They are serious, but they can’t take my old life.”
“My lord, we have guests,” the respectful voice of a servant suddenly sounded outside the hall.
Who would come by at such a late hour?
As Old Kun pondered, the doors to the hall were pushed open, through which a slender and tall figure strode in.
It was a stern man with a powerful aura, who laughed as soon as he entered, “You won’t blame me for visiting in the middle of the night, right, Old Kun?”
Old Kun put on a hospitable smile, “Blaming you? You know I’m delighted by your presence, Dao Brother. Please make yourself at home.”
Standing next to her father, Wanrou imperceptibly frowned as she recognized the visitor.
Heng Tianxiao! He was an Emperor Ancestor elder of the Immortal Imperial Heng Clan. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
“Hahaha, there's no need to stand on ceremony. I’m here with a request,” said Heng Tianxiao before looking outside the hall, “All of you, come in.”
Immediately, a group of people walked in. At the front were a few young men and women in brocade garments and extraordinary auras, their eyes carrying a kind of reserved conceit. Over a dozen escorts clustered around them like stars cupping the moon.
Old Kun was stunned, “And they are?”
“The juniors of my clan.” Heng Tianxiao pointed at the well-dressed ones and said, “I intend to let them experience the world by traveling to the Rowdy Demon Sea. The tempering during such a journey is bound to be of great benefit to their cultivation.”
Old Kun's face slightly sank, “Dao Brother, we all know how perilous the Rowdy Demon Sea...”
Heng Tianxiao waved his hand and cut him off, “But you’ll be there, no? Unrefined jade can’t shine. These juniors have superb cultivation and aptitude but lack the grinding of real dangers. The Rowdy Demon Sea can provide just that, so all you need to do is take them on a trip there.”
Old Kun laughed bitterly, “There’s something you don't know yet, Dao Brother. The one who will be leading the team this time is my daughter, so her ability is of concern here. If something goes wrong, I can't afford the consequences.”
A handsome man in a golden robe coldly said, “This senior, are you looking down on us?”
The other Heng Clan juniors also revealed indignant looks.
Old Kun cursed in his heart while his mouth hastily curled into an obsequious smile, “This old man wouldn't dare, it's just...”
Heng Tianxiao waved his hand and helped Old Kun make a decision, “Alright, then it’s settled.”
Old Kun's expression darkened. After a long silence, he finally said, “If you insist, then this old man must make one thing clear first, as unpleasant as it will sound: You cannot blame me in the case that something untoward happens, Dao Brother.”
Heng Tianxiao burst out laughing and swept a look at the youngsters, "Hear that? In Old Kun's eyes, you are just a bunch of dead weight! Remember, if you want to be looked up to, then perform well on this journey and don't disgrace the Heng Clan!"
Having said that, he turned to Old Kun, “Don't worry, there is no mediocre character among the sons and daughters of our clan. You won’t be to blame if anything bad really befalls them.”
Old Kun sneered inside. You can say all of that stuff now, but this old man knows that when something like that really happens, you’ll dump all the responsibility on me!
Meanwhile, Heng Tianxiao looked at the escorts, "Besides, look at these guards who are all loyal guest elders of the Heng Clan, which one of them isn’t an Emperor Ancestor? As long as the opponent isn’t an immortal expert, they are capable of diffusing any danger."
Old Kun had also noticed that the dozen or so escorts were not simple. Each of them had the aura of an Emperor Ancestor, with some even stronger than that of Heng Tianxiao!
They had been reduced to mere guards of the juniors despite their strength, which seemed absurd at first glance, but it was actually an extremely common occurrence in big Immortal Imperial Clans of the Sixth Heaven Domain.
After all, in this world, too many cultivators aspired to join an Immortal Imperial Clan! An example was Nie Qingrong and Leng Qingxue. They were both Emperor Ancestors, but during all the years they were working in the First Heaven Domain, they also yearned to be brought to the Sixth Heaven Domain by the He and the Hong Clans.
Therefore, even when being in the same cultivation stage, the status of a clan member like Heng Tianxiao was far higher than that of the clan’s guest elders.
In the end, Old Kun could only compromise and oblige. Heng Tianxiao’s group did not linger around after getting what they wanted and quickly left.
When only Old Kun and Wanrou were left in the hall, the young woman could no longer hold it back, “Father, allowing Shi Yu to follow us during this operation is already the limit of what I can tolerate. Now the Heng Clan is stuffing over so many people at once, how can I...how can I look after them all?”
Old Kun inhaled deeply, and there was a cold flash in his eyes, “You don't have to look after them, just bringing them along is enough. It doesn’t matter if something goes wrong; I have my ways to deal with the Heng Clan.”
He then frowned, “But you still have to be on your guard. For Heng Tianxiao to bring a group of people to visit so late at night, requesting to go to the Rowdy Demon Sea, there’s definitely something else behind this.”
Wanrou also realized that something was wrong after his reminder, “You're saying that the Heng Clan has an ulterior motive?”
Old Kun shook his head, “No, they aren’t targeting us. I mean that they aren’t sending their juniors to the Rowdy Demon Sea to hone them, but for another purpose!”
Wanrou's eyes glinted. “What might that purpose be...”
Old Kun instructed, “You don't need to consider this. It suffices that you do your role as a guide.”
Wanrou nodded.
......
Three days later, a treasure ship floated before the Nine Leaf Merchant House. Above the mast of the ship, the unique brand totem of the business was suspended: a continuous circle formed of nine green leaves.
“Nine is the final single digit, after which everything returns to one and completes the great dao. This brand totem is something else...” Lin Xun stood at a corner as he assessed the treasure ship.
Peng Tianxiang had already left the previous night. Yu Ting’s death was destined to invite retaliation from Yun Muzhe, so Peng Tianxiang needed to return to his clan and discuss it with them.
Not far away from where Lin Xun was, the beautiful Wanrou stood, still wearing a plain dress. She looked at him, who was standing there alone, and then thought for a moment before beckoning a maid over.
“Runyue, you’ll be serving by Mister Shi’s side from now on. Show no negligence,” said Wanrou.
The maid was definitely beautiful with fair skin and a delicate figure clad in a well-tailored, pale pink dress. Her lips bloomed with a cute smile as she replied, “As you order, Miss.”
Wanrou transmitted, “Keep an eye on him. Should he display any abnormal behavior, inform me right away.”
Runyue blinked and assented in a low voice.
Meanwhile, Lin Xun finally saw the clansmen of the Heng Clan. In fact, it was hard not to notice such an eye-catching group who had nearly twenty people including the guards.
Runyue came to Lin Xun's side and explained the situation through transmission, her voice crisp and melodious, “They are from the Heng Clan, and they will be traveling with us to the Rowdy Demon Sea. The man in the golden robe at the very front is Heng Xinghai, said to be the third son of the clan head. The two men and the woman beside him are his cousins...”
The Heng Clan!
A strange gleam crossed the depths of Lin Xun's eyes.
The first Emperor Ancestor he killed in the Great Thousand Battle Domain was Heng Tianshuo, which marked the start of his feud with the Heng Clan. Even up until the recent years after he had entered the Eternal True Realm, their force was always present among the Immortal Imperial Clans that had been hunting for him.
“Miss Wanrou, can we depart already?” asked Heng Xinghai in a loud voice. He had a robust physique under the golden robe, and his eyes revealed his unrestrained character.
“Wait a moment,” replied Wanrou who then turned her gaze to Old Kun in the distance. “Father, everyone is here. You can go back.”
Old Kun nodded and said to an old servant, “My old friend, I’ll have to trouble you with her on this journey.”
The old servant was skinny and had thinning hair. From his forehead, three gruesome scars ran straight down his face like three hideous centipedes, giving him a savage look.
His voice was hoarse and low, “Yes, Master. I will take good care of the young miss.”
“Uncle Jiao, let's go.” Wanrou glanced at the old servant and then at Old Kun, before turning around and walking toward the distance. “Depart!”
Minutes later, the treasure ship carried the crowd as it took into the air at an astonishing speed, crushing the clouds.
“Please be safe...” Old Kun watched the ship disappear from view. Remembering the thing Wanrou was about to do, he inexplicably grew worried.
Ten days later, the Nine Leaf Merchant House's treasure ship smoothly made its way into the territory of Blood Wind Divine State.
If nothing unexpected occurred, it would be able to embark on the road to the Rowdy Demon Sea in another seven days, which would be a long road filled with perils. However, with Wanrou presiding over the journey, Lin Xun wasn't worried about getting lost.
Compared to the boundary ships that roamed the starry void, this treasure ship of the Nine Leaf Merchant House wasn't as big, but it was still comparable to a magnificent palace. Covered in heavy restrictive measures with many superimposed spaces constructed in the cabin, this was where Lin Xun and the other crew members resided.
In a room that was elegantly and neatly decorated, Wanrou, who was sitting at the desk, put down the jade slip in her hand, rubbed her eyebrows, and casually asked, “Uncle Jiao, has Mister Shi been staying in his room the whole time?”
Standing not far away, the skinny old servant replied in a low voice, “Indeed.”
Wanrou seemed taken aback, “I didn’t think he’d be so well-behaved and cooperative.”
She had assumed that a character who hung around with a noble like Peng Tianxiang was bound to be hard to handle. She had even been prepared to teach Lin Xun a good lesson once he tried anything funny.
Who would have thought that from the moment he boarded the ship, he had closed the doors and stayed in his room the entire time, never causing a hint of trouble to them. This was out of her expectation.
