"The master of ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber?" the Great Elder Mo Wu Xin muttered to himself. He then rolled his eyes and spoke, "That girl said so?"
"Yes." Mo Xing Chen was sitting upright in a chair, and was rubbing his brows.
"Ha-ha... it seems that the master of ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber doesn’t have the knowledge of divine. To think that he gifted such a precious saber to a little girl as if it were a toy…"
Mo Wu Xin slowly strolled two steps forward, and spoke with a dark smile on his face, "However, Tian Ji had once said that the master of ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber is looking for the divine drug that can treat the damaged Three Yin Meridians of our little girl… and he also said… that this man will be here in as early as one year… or as late as three years, right?"
"That’s correct." Mo Xing Chen’s eyes lit up as he recalled that day when Mo Qing Wu and Mo Tian Ji had returned to the clan, and Mo Tian Ji had spoken these words.
"Our Mo Clan will have one more expert with boundless future prospects if Little Wu’s Three Yin Meridians are to be restored. In fact, I can say for sure that she will become an Emperor level expert. In fact, her chances of becoming one are even higher than Tian Ji and Tian Yun." Mo Wu Xin muttered to himself, "It will be very unfortunate if such a promising daughter ends up becoming a trivial concubine of Meng Luo’s... anyway..."
"Yes, the question is that we aren’t sure whether the master of ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber can genuinely cure her Three Yin Meridians or not. And, we will be missing out on a powerful ally like the Meng Clan if he can’t…" Mo Xing Chen sighed deeply and said.
"Then, shall we wait for another year?" Mo Wu Xin suggested. It seemed as if he was asking himself, "There shouldn’t be any problem taking her young age into consideration. The young females of influential clans are generally considered of marriageable age at the age of 12 – as long as their marriage hasn’t been fixed since childhood. So, I believe that the Meng Clan won’t have any objection... However, we must pretend as in-laws, and pledge our alliance with them during this phase…"
"That… should work."
"We will plan what to do next if Little Wu’s Three Yin Meridians get repaired a year later. After all, it’s not like Meng Luo wants to make her his concubine because of her extraordinary beauty or anything. He’s only looking for a powerful ally… that’s all…" Mo Wu Xin chuckled.
"The Great Elder is right."
"In addition, I’m more curious about the master of the ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber… he may not be able to treat Little Wu’s Three Yin Meridians… but, he’s certainly not an ordinary person; that’s for sure. If we can use him somehow…" Mo Wu Xin’s eyes sparkled as he said, "This is something to be talked about later. We just have to wait for his arrival for the time being."
"But, what if he doesn’t come within a year?"
"Little Wu will become a member of the Meng Clan if he doesn’t come within a year! Our Mo Clan is willing to wait for one year for him in-exchange for a gift like the ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber. And, we are showing enough benevolence by doing that!" Mo Wu Xin coldly replied.
As if his Mo Clan was doing that stranger a big favor by delaying the marriage of their daughter by a year…
"This matter is decided then," Mo Xing Chen solemnly said.
A trace of smile appeared on Mo Wu Xin’s face as he saw Mo Xin Chen going out in a hurry. He then muttered to himself, "A man who can casually gift a precious item like the ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber has to have lots of incredible treasures. It doesn’t matter even if he’s incredibly skilled. Where can he possibly go once he arrives at our Mo Clan? We will obtain powerful treasures from him… or may even manipulate the person himself… the Mo Clan will become very powerful after that. It will be like obtaining a massive gain in one fell swoop. Forming an alliance with the Meng Clan can’t even come close to this gain. Clan Lord Xing Chen lacks cleverness after all…"
...
"Postponed by a year?" Mo Qing Wu opened her eyes to look at her father.
"Yes, we will wait for the person who has gifted you the ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber." Mo Xing Chen said, "However, if there’s no news of him after a year... then."
"I understand." Mo Qing Wu was extremely intelligent. She had grown-up in an influential clan. How could she not have understood what these words meant?
The juniors of the imperial family know from the age of 7 or 8 that they must struggle against each other, and use plots and manipulation to compete with each other over the throne. Similarly, the concept of putting the family interests above oneself is instilled into the clan juniors from an early age. But, the juniors of ordinary clans might not necessarily gain such awareness even at the age of 20… this was precisely the difference between the two.
How could Mo Qing Wu not understand that her clan had taken a fancy to the master of ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber? Moreover, it was a case of ‘benefit from both sides’ for them. They would either obtain the resources of the master of the ‘Dreaming of a Gentle Dance’ saber, and may as well win him over directly. Or… they would sell her, and become the Meng Clan’s ally to gain their support.
However, there’s only one key figure in the final analysis. And, that was she herself – a useless person who didn’t have any worth or use thus far. However, she had suddenly become a disabled person with value!
Mo Qing Wu suddenly felt every hope turned to dust at this moment!
"I know." Mo Qing Wu gently turned around, and no longer looked at her father.
"Little Wu… we are a family..." Mo Xing Chen sighed helplessly.
"I know. Father, you go back now," Mo Qing Wu coldly replied. Then, she suddenly remembered what Chu Yang had spoken to her once. She couldn’t help but turn around. She looked at her father indifferently as she spoke in a low voice, "Clan is Clan, but... when there’s no human touch, and only the interests of the Clan are prioritized… then… the fall of the Clan isn’t far. And, when the destruction’s time arrives — it can’t be stopped even if there are 100 daughters to be sacrificed by forcing them into marriage."
"When you turn your own flesh and blood into a tool of the clan…" Mo Qing Wu bit her lip, and said slowly, "Its better not to bear them in the first place!"
Mo Xing Chen’s facial muscles distorted as he shouted loudly, "You devil! What nonsense are you talking about?" He raised his hand… as if he was going to slap her.
Mo Qing Wu stubbornly raised her face, and looked at her father. There was endless sorrow in her limpid eyes.
Mo Xing Chen finally lowered his hand, and saw his daughter’s limpid eyes. Suddenly, he was deeply ashamed in his heart. He coldly snorted, and then turned around and walked out. He only left a few words behind.
"There’s a buffer of one year only. I hope you understand this clearly! As a daughter of Mo Clan… you must be ready to sacrifice yourself for the clan when the time comes! Otherwise, what’s the point of the clan raising you?"
"What’s the use of the clan raising me?" Mo Qing Wu stood there powerlessly. She suddenly shouted in her heart, [do parents raise their children for them to be useful in the future? Does the clan raise children for them to be beneficial later?]
[Even the ordinary clans aren’t this heartless.]
[I don’t wish to be a part of such a clan! I just don’t!]
[Big Brother Chu Yang, you come soon… I can’t stay here even for a moment… I really want to get out of here…]
Mo Qing Wu’s trembling hands clutched her scabbard tightly as she curled-up in a fetal position on the ground.
She felt ice-cold in her heart and body… even in this burning hot midsummer. In fact, there wasn’t the slightest touch of warmth in her body…
...
This used to be a three-way intersection of roads, but it had turned into a small town now; it was a small market to be precise.
There used to be a lone restaurant here. It stood here alone, but it still provided a resting place for the pedestrians on journey.
Moreover, it was located at the entrance of the Cang Lan Battlefront. So, it was always bustling with people. And, those who arrived here weren’t ordinary people. The ordinary people were unable to come here. It wasn’t like each of the visitors were very wealthy individuals, but that also didn’t mean that they didn’t have family fortunes...
This place only used to have a restaurant in the past. But, it had slowly turned into an inn. This was eventually followed by a gambling house, a brothel, and so on…
All sorts of businesses began to flourish here with the passage of time. And, this place gradually developed into a marketplace. As long as one could think of something… one could find it here. Even those things one couldn’t think of… could be found here!
One could buy and sell, one could trade, one could pawn stuff, and one could choose a variety of ways to relax in this place...
These business places had placed their own flags at their entrances; without exception. This was done in order to indicate the place of origin of these ‘businessmen’. And, this would also indicate which forces they were affiliated to.
For example… an inn was named — Black Devil Inn... just these three words. There was also an Eastern Tavern… a Gu Clan restaurant, and so on…
There were obviously two rows of green and juicy bamboos planted in front of the entrances of most places. And, these places often had the most flourishing business too. There wouldn’t be any safety without them!
Who didn’t know that the Bamboo was the biggest dark organization in the Middle Three Heavens?
There were several markets like this one in the vicinity of the Cang Lan Battlefront. And, the businesses owned by the bamboo organization in those markets were thriving and prosperous.
For example, the most luxurious restaurant in this marketplace had two rows of bluish-green bamboo planted before its entrance.
Chu Yang’s black robes fluttered as he strolled into the restaurant. There was still an hour to go before the lunch time. Yet, the restaurant was already overflowing with people.
Most people were savoring fragrant tea, and were engaged in loud discussions. The teahouses and wine-shops are the places where the news spreads the fastest.
Chu Yang had walked up to the front door, and the people in the restaurant had suddenly felt a surge of chilling aura. Moreover, this chill aura gradually pervaded in the air, and shrouded the entire place.
[Has an expert arrived here?]
These people were the frequent visitors of the Cang Lan Battlefront. So, they all had sharp visions. They felt cold in their hearts. So, they turned their heads to look.
They saw a youth emerging from the stairway. He was clad in a black robe. There was a cold and detached expression on his face. He slowly strode forward, and looked around. His malicious eyes glanced around, and seemed to be looking for a seat.
A waited then approached to welcome him, "Dear customer, please come in. Would you like to drink tea or have a meal?"
"Wine. Food." Chu Yang coldly replied, and casually gave a gold ingot to the waiter. Then, he added, "I want a seat in the middle." The middle seat was a table placed at the center of the entire restaurant. The one who would sit there basically wouldn’t need to use their martial power. But, they would still be able to hear the sounds from all four directions with ease. In short, this was the best seat to gather information.
The general requirements for requesting this spot were – if the person was in need of information… or the person was some kind of detective. This was also a usual practice of the Middle Three Heavens.
Therefore, the waiter immediately understood this when Chu Yang made this request.
"This..." The waiter was clutching the gold in his hand. He somewhat awkwardly turned his head to look at the table in the middle. That spot had already been occupied by two people… A troubled look appeared on the waiter’s face.
"Don’t worry. You go fetch food and wine. I will take care of this. No harm… you get food and wine; I get this!" Chu Yang solemnly spoke-up. The waiter nodded promptly. Then, a gentle look appeared on his face. This was a look one would only give to ‘an old and regular customer’. He seemed quite relieved as he left.
This was also the convention of this restaurant. After all, it was the restaurant of bamboo. Chu Yang put forward the request, and handed over the gold. This was like giving respect to the bamboo. And, this was also equivalent to using a gold ingot to buy a pass — No one will interfere as long as I’m not crossing the line since the bamboo has received the gold.
Chu Yang’s body seemingly drifted over to that table, and carried his strong and chilling aura along. He arrived next to that table, and insipidly spoke, "Hello, you two. Have you eaten your fill? Had enough to drink?"
It seemed like his strong and chilling aura had found its target. So, it surged forth like a massive wave, and pressed upon those two men!