Hua Fengliu stared at the magnificent palace. Ye Futian's words went straight to his heart. Would there be a day that they would beg him to enter?
His handsome face lit up with a bright smile. He said in all seriousness, "I believe you."
Hua Fengliu had no confidence in himself, but he had the utmost confidence in Ye Futian.
"Let's go," Hua Fengliu said lowly. No one wanted to enter that palace more than he did. The two women he loved most were in there.
"Master, you did this on purpose didn't you?" asked Ye Futian. Obviously he was not really trying to run into the palace to look for his girlfriend. Hua Fengliu was handsome, talented, and known as the Qin Devil. Even if he was not welcomed into the palace, Ye Futian was definitely not welcomed either. Even though he knew that he was handsome, to walk in and say that the sixteen-year-old princess was his girlfriend as a Glory Plane cultivator would probably get his legs broken, and then he'd be thrown out of the palace.
"I wanted to give you a little motivation," chuckled Hua Fengliu.
The three of them returned to sit on the black wind eagle. They were up in the air once again. Their clothes shook violently in the wind. Ye Futian looked down at the palace as the view got blurrier. This was going to be his number one goal, whether it was for Hua Jieyu or Hua Fengliu.
When the black wind eagle touched land again, they were outside of another residence. This one was not as intimidating as the Nandou family, but it was obviously still the residence of nobility.
After landing, they were able to see the entrance of the residence. Guards stood on watch outside and above the doors was a plaque: "The Mu House."
"Let's go," said Hua Fengliu. Ye Futian carried him towards the entrance, but was blocked by the guards. "Is there something I can help you guys with?" asked one of the guards.
"Please relay a message to your master, Mu Hong. Tell him Hua Fengliu is here to see him," Hua Fengliu told the guard. The guard looked over at his colleague and nodded. One of them headed into the residence.
Not long after, a young man looking to be about seventeen years old arrived. He saw Hua Fengliu on Ye Futian's back and gave a look of interest. He bowed lightly and said, "Greetings, Senior. I am Mu Yunqing."
"I can't believe Mu Hong's child is already all grown up," smiled Hua Fengliu. "Is your father not home?"
"My father is inside, preparing the house to receive your presence. If you'll please follow me," said Mu Yunqing. His arm was outstretched, inviting the trio inside, so Ye Futian carried Hua Fengliu into the home.
The Mu family house was huge. Their group arrived at one of the buildings within the residence. A stern looking middle-aged man stood there. When he saw Hua Fengliu, a look of confusion crossed his eyes. "Hua Fengliu, what has happened to you?" he asked.
"My old sport, Mu Hong. It's a long story," sighed Hua Fengliu.
"Come have a seat," Mu Hong said and a servant girl walked up with tea for everyone. A young girl beside Mu Hong sized up their little group.
After everyone took their seats, Mu Hong spoke again, "Hua Fengliu, you've already met Mu Yunqing. This is my daughter, Mu Yunni."
"This is Ye Futian and Yu Sheng. Ye Futian is my disciple and it is because of him that I have come to you," Hua Fengliu said.
"What do you mean?" asked Mu Hong.
"You know that I have enemies in Donghai City, I don't want to drag Ye Futian into it. So, if you are willing, I was hoping he could stay here with you. You can treat him like a nephew, or even take him in as your disciple," explained Hua Fengliu. His intentions were now clear to Ye Futian.
Hua Fengliu wanted to find support for Ye Futian, even if he had to beg.
"My father won't take just anyone under his wing," Mu Yunni glared coldly at Ye Futian.
"Yunni, watch what you say," reprimanded Mu Hong.
"You don't have to worry about his talent, old sport," Hua Fengliu reassured him.
"You had your powers disabled by the Art Saint. How powerful can your disciple be? Now that you're like this, you want to drag my father down as well?" said Mu Yunni unwelcomingly.
"Be quiet!" shouted Mu Hong sternly. Then, to Hua Fengliu he said, "My daughter is undisciplined. Please do not mind her."
Mu Hong picked up his cup and sipped on his tea. The room was quiet and he did not answer to Hua Fengliu's request.
Of course, Hua Fengliu knew what this meant. At that moment, Ye Futian spoke up, "Master, let's be on our way now."
"Okay," nodded Hua Fengliu. "Please excuse us now, old sport," he said to Mu Hong.
"Aren't you going to finish your tea first?" asked Mu Hong casually. He had no intentions of asking them to stay.
Ye Futian already had Hua Fengliu on his back. Hua Fengliu smiled and shook his head. "There's no need."
"Very well then. Mu Yunqing, Mu Yunni, go send off Uncle Hua Fengliu," said Mu Hong. The Mu siblings nodded and followed behind Ye Futian as they made their way out. After they left, Mu Hong let out a sinister look. Disciple? If he was willing? He had no lack of disciples.
Hua Fengliu's powers had already been disabled. Plus, he has made enemies of the Art Saint and the Nandou family. Did he really think it would be easy to find someone to back him up?
Ye Futian's trio stepped out of the residence and Mu Yunqing spoke, "Take care now, Senior."
The trio continued on their way but from behind they could hear Mu Yunni. "Shouldn't they have known better? How shameless."
"They have it tough," laughed Mu Yunqing, no longer keeping up with his previous proper image.
They made no attempts to hide their conversation. The words stung as they reached Ye Futian's ears. Yu Sheng had his fists clenched. Hua Fengliu felt guilty and said, "I'm sorry, Ye Futian. You've suffered because of me."
"No, I haven't. Mu Hong is ignorant and blind. He just gave up a chance to be the master of the future emperor," Ye Futian said nonchalantly.
"You rascal," laughed Hua Fengliu. It looked like he was worried for no reason. "With a handicapped man like me, people will only look down on you. They won't see your true potential. When you are able to control the world, they'll regret everything."
"Master, don't say that about yourself," Ye Futian felt terrible. He knew well and clear it was for him, and that Hua Fengliu had gone to beg Mu Hong.
As the legendary Qin Devil, Hua Fengliu was extremely prideful. Now that his powers had been disabled, he did not care about his enemies. If it weren't for Ye Futian, Hua Fengliu would have never returned to the City of Donghai.
"It's okay; I still have some friends here. Let's go find them," said Hua Fengliu.
"Master, I don't want you begging others for me," said Ye Futian.
"Coming to Donghai City was my idea. Xia Fan wanted to kill you back on Mount Tianyao. Even though this city is huge, there's no way to say that we won't run into him. I can't protect you in my disabled state. I can't just let you be on your own," explained Hua Fengliu. "Don't worry, this is just the plan for now. We won't have to do this after a while."
"Master, don't you understand? All those years ago, when your Life Spirit was destroyed and you were kicked out of Donghai City, none of your friends stood up for you. Now that you've returned abjected, who do you think is willing to help you?" asked Ye Futian. "I'll be careful and take care of myself. Don't worry about me. I didn't even die on Mount Tianyao, I won't die so easily."
Hua Fengliu sighed and said, "Alright then. Let's go take a look around the Qin Gardens."
"Is that where you used to live?" Ye Futian guessed.
"Yeah, but it's probably deserted now," nodded Hua Fengliu. They set off on the black wind eagle once again.
Hua Fengliu and Ye Futian stood in front of the Qin Gardens, shocked. The residence in front of them looked lively. They noticed this even from up in the air. It was definitely not deserted.
"Yu Sheng, go find out who the new owner of the Qin Gardens is," said Hua Fengliu.
"Okay," answered Yu Sheng. He walked up to ask the guard but did not get a name. All the guard told him was that the new owner's surname was Tang.
"Let's leave," Hua Fengliu said. His expression changed. Ye Futian thought this was peculiar but turned to follow.
"What's so scary about my last name?" a voice rang out behind them. Ye Futian stopped in his tracks and looked back. A woman had walked out from the Qin Gardens. She looked to be in her thirties. She was very beautiful. One could only imagine how much more beautiful she was in her youth.
Hua Fengliu saw the woman and smiled bitterly. "I didn't think you would be living in the Qin Gardens."
The woman looked at Hua Fengliu and began to give off an icy aura. She looked like she was about to erupt in anger. Ye Futian shuddered. She couldn't be an enemy of Hua Fengliu, could she?
"Who did it?" she asked in a cold demeanor. She was referring to Hua Fengliu's disability. Maybe she wasn't an enemy after all.
"Forget about that. How have you been?" Hua Fengliu asked.
"How do you think I've been?" she asked him in return. Ye Futian was confused. Could she be Hua Fengliu's wife? Didn't she live in the Nandou Family Palace though?
"Who's he?" the woman asked looking at Ye Futian.
"Senior, I'm Master's disciple," Ye Futian answered.
"Who caused his disability?" she continued to inquire.
"Vice Chief Xia Fan of the East Sea Prefecture wanted to kill me. Master is like this now because he tried to protect me," said Ye Futian.
"That useless son of the Xia family? He dared to lay a hand on you? I'm going to kill him," said the woman.
"Stop acting crazy," Hua Fengliu stared at her. "It's been so long. Can't you control your temper a little?
"If I hadn't been abandoned by a certain someone, would I have become like this?" she asked. Ye Futian felt weak in the legs. So, it was an old lover.
"You still haven't married?" Hua Fengliu's tone became gentler.
"Do you want me to marry that badly?" Tang Lan retorted. Hua Fengliu did not know what to say.
"Come in. This used to be your home. Now, that you're back, it should be returned to its rightful owner. You can live here from now on," Tang Lan's tone also lightened.
"No," Hua Fengliu rejected, shaking his head.
"Why? Afraid I'll swallow you alive?" She was furious. "If you had married me all those years ago things wouldn't have turned out like this. Don't you feel like you were dragged down by that woman?" asked Tang Lan.
Ye Futian burst out in cold sweat. This....
"Let's not talk about the past," Hua Fengliu tried to brush it off. "Who else lives in the Qin Gardens?"
"I took in two female disciples," she answered.
"Young and pretty?" asked Hua Fengliu.
"There is one," replied Tang Lan. "Why? You like them young now?"
Hua Fengliu was dumbstruck. "Stop with the nonsense. I just don't want your disciples to follow in your footsteps. So, it's best if I don't go in."
"Follow in my footsteps?" At first, she seemed confused. Then, she glanced at Ye Futian and finally understood what he meant. Ye Futian was young and handsome. In a couple of years there would be another Hua Fengliu.
"Even the disciple you took in resembles you; but don't worry, my disciples have higher standards than I did," said Tang Lan. "Come inside."
Hua Fengliu smiled bitterly. He thought to himself, With a guy like Ye Futian, it wouldn't matter how high their standards were.
"Don't regret it," Hua Fengliu sighed. Then, he turned to look at Ye Futian. "Hey kid, behave yourself."
"Master, I'm really not the person you think I am!" Ye Futian was completely speechless. Who was that defensive against their own disciple?
His handsome face lit up with a bright smile. He said in all seriousness, "I believe you."
Hua Fengliu had no confidence in himself, but he had the utmost confidence in Ye Futian.
"Let's go," Hua Fengliu said lowly. No one wanted to enter that palace more than he did. The two women he loved most were in there.
"Master, you did this on purpose didn't you?" asked Ye Futian. Obviously he was not really trying to run into the palace to look for his girlfriend. Hua Fengliu was handsome, talented, and known as the Qin Devil. Even if he was not welcomed into the palace, Ye Futian was definitely not welcomed either. Even though he knew that he was handsome, to walk in and say that the sixteen-year-old princess was his girlfriend as a Glory Plane cultivator would probably get his legs broken, and then he'd be thrown out of the palace.
"I wanted to give you a little motivation," chuckled Hua Fengliu.
The three of them returned to sit on the black wind eagle. They were up in the air once again. Their clothes shook violently in the wind. Ye Futian looked down at the palace as the view got blurrier. This was going to be his number one goal, whether it was for Hua Jieyu or Hua Fengliu.
When the black wind eagle touched land again, they were outside of another residence. This one was not as intimidating as the Nandou family, but it was obviously still the residence of nobility.
After landing, they were able to see the entrance of the residence. Guards stood on watch outside and above the doors was a plaque: "The Mu House."
"Let's go," said Hua Fengliu. Ye Futian carried him towards the entrance, but was blocked by the guards. "Is there something I can help you guys with?" asked one of the guards.
"Please relay a message to your master, Mu Hong. Tell him Hua Fengliu is here to see him," Hua Fengliu told the guard. The guard looked over at his colleague and nodded. One of them headed into the residence.
Not long after, a young man looking to be about seventeen years old arrived. He saw Hua Fengliu on Ye Futian's back and gave a look of interest. He bowed lightly and said, "Greetings, Senior. I am Mu Yunqing."
"I can't believe Mu Hong's child is already all grown up," smiled Hua Fengliu. "Is your father not home?"
"My father is inside, preparing the house to receive your presence. If you'll please follow me," said Mu Yunqing. His arm was outstretched, inviting the trio inside, so Ye Futian carried Hua Fengliu into the home.
The Mu family house was huge. Their group arrived at one of the buildings within the residence. A stern looking middle-aged man stood there. When he saw Hua Fengliu, a look of confusion crossed his eyes. "Hua Fengliu, what has happened to you?" he asked.
"My old sport, Mu Hong. It's a long story," sighed Hua Fengliu.
"Come have a seat," Mu Hong said and a servant girl walked up with tea for everyone. A young girl beside Mu Hong sized up their little group.
After everyone took their seats, Mu Hong spoke again, "Hua Fengliu, you've already met Mu Yunqing. This is my daughter, Mu Yunni."
"This is Ye Futian and Yu Sheng. Ye Futian is my disciple and it is because of him that I have come to you," Hua Fengliu said.
"What do you mean?" asked Mu Hong.
"You know that I have enemies in Donghai City, I don't want to drag Ye Futian into it. So, if you are willing, I was hoping he could stay here with you. You can treat him like a nephew, or even take him in as your disciple," explained Hua Fengliu. His intentions were now clear to Ye Futian.
Hua Fengliu wanted to find support for Ye Futian, even if he had to beg.
"My father won't take just anyone under his wing," Mu Yunni glared coldly at Ye Futian.
"Yunni, watch what you say," reprimanded Mu Hong.
"You don't have to worry about his talent, old sport," Hua Fengliu reassured him.
"You had your powers disabled by the Art Saint. How powerful can your disciple be? Now that you're like this, you want to drag my father down as well?" said Mu Yunni unwelcomingly.
"Be quiet!" shouted Mu Hong sternly. Then, to Hua Fengliu he said, "My daughter is undisciplined. Please do not mind her."
Mu Hong picked up his cup and sipped on his tea. The room was quiet and he did not answer to Hua Fengliu's request.
Of course, Hua Fengliu knew what this meant. At that moment, Ye Futian spoke up, "Master, let's be on our way now."
"Okay," nodded Hua Fengliu. "Please excuse us now, old sport," he said to Mu Hong.
"Aren't you going to finish your tea first?" asked Mu Hong casually. He had no intentions of asking them to stay.
Ye Futian already had Hua Fengliu on his back. Hua Fengliu smiled and shook his head. "There's no need."
"Very well then. Mu Yunqing, Mu Yunni, go send off Uncle Hua Fengliu," said Mu Hong. The Mu siblings nodded and followed behind Ye Futian as they made their way out. After they left, Mu Hong let out a sinister look. Disciple? If he was willing? He had no lack of disciples.
Hua Fengliu's powers had already been disabled. Plus, he has made enemies of the Art Saint and the Nandou family. Did he really think it would be easy to find someone to back him up?
Ye Futian's trio stepped out of the residence and Mu Yunqing spoke, "Take care now, Senior."
The trio continued on their way but from behind they could hear Mu Yunni. "Shouldn't they have known better? How shameless."
"They have it tough," laughed Mu Yunqing, no longer keeping up with his previous proper image.
They made no attempts to hide their conversation. The words stung as they reached Ye Futian's ears. Yu Sheng had his fists clenched. Hua Fengliu felt guilty and said, "I'm sorry, Ye Futian. You've suffered because of me."
"No, I haven't. Mu Hong is ignorant and blind. He just gave up a chance to be the master of the future emperor," Ye Futian said nonchalantly.
"You rascal," laughed Hua Fengliu. It looked like he was worried for no reason. "With a handicapped man like me, people will only look down on you. They won't see your true potential. When you are able to control the world, they'll regret everything."
"Master, don't say that about yourself," Ye Futian felt terrible. He knew well and clear it was for him, and that Hua Fengliu had gone to beg Mu Hong.
As the legendary Qin Devil, Hua Fengliu was extremely prideful. Now that his powers had been disabled, he did not care about his enemies. If it weren't for Ye Futian, Hua Fengliu would have never returned to the City of Donghai.
"It's okay; I still have some friends here. Let's go find them," said Hua Fengliu.
"Master, I don't want you begging others for me," said Ye Futian.
"Coming to Donghai City was my idea. Xia Fan wanted to kill you back on Mount Tianyao. Even though this city is huge, there's no way to say that we won't run into him. I can't protect you in my disabled state. I can't just let you be on your own," explained Hua Fengliu. "Don't worry, this is just the plan for now. We won't have to do this after a while."
"Master, don't you understand? All those years ago, when your Life Spirit was destroyed and you were kicked out of Donghai City, none of your friends stood up for you. Now that you've returned abjected, who do you think is willing to help you?" asked Ye Futian. "I'll be careful and take care of myself. Don't worry about me. I didn't even die on Mount Tianyao, I won't die so easily."
Hua Fengliu sighed and said, "Alright then. Let's go take a look around the Qin Gardens."
"Is that where you used to live?" Ye Futian guessed.
"Yeah, but it's probably deserted now," nodded Hua Fengliu. They set off on the black wind eagle once again.
Hua Fengliu and Ye Futian stood in front of the Qin Gardens, shocked. The residence in front of them looked lively. They noticed this even from up in the air. It was definitely not deserted.
"Yu Sheng, go find out who the new owner of the Qin Gardens is," said Hua Fengliu.
"Okay," answered Yu Sheng. He walked up to ask the guard but did not get a name. All the guard told him was that the new owner's surname was Tang.
"Let's leave," Hua Fengliu said. His expression changed. Ye Futian thought this was peculiar but turned to follow.
"What's so scary about my last name?" a voice rang out behind them. Ye Futian stopped in his tracks and looked back. A woman had walked out from the Qin Gardens. She looked to be in her thirties. She was very beautiful. One could only imagine how much more beautiful she was in her youth.
Hua Fengliu saw the woman and smiled bitterly. "I didn't think you would be living in the Qin Gardens."
The woman looked at Hua Fengliu and began to give off an icy aura. She looked like she was about to erupt in anger. Ye Futian shuddered. She couldn't be an enemy of Hua Fengliu, could she?
"Who did it?" she asked in a cold demeanor. She was referring to Hua Fengliu's disability. Maybe she wasn't an enemy after all.
"Forget about that. How have you been?" Hua Fengliu asked.
"How do you think I've been?" she asked him in return. Ye Futian was confused. Could she be Hua Fengliu's wife? Didn't she live in the Nandou Family Palace though?
"Who's he?" the woman asked looking at Ye Futian.
"Senior, I'm Master's disciple," Ye Futian answered.
"Who caused his disability?" she continued to inquire.
"Vice Chief Xia Fan of the East Sea Prefecture wanted to kill me. Master is like this now because he tried to protect me," said Ye Futian.
"That useless son of the Xia family? He dared to lay a hand on you? I'm going to kill him," said the woman.
"Stop acting crazy," Hua Fengliu stared at her. "It's been so long. Can't you control your temper a little?
"If I hadn't been abandoned by a certain someone, would I have become like this?" she asked. Ye Futian felt weak in the legs. So, it was an old lover.
"You still haven't married?" Hua Fengliu's tone became gentler.
"Do you want me to marry that badly?" Tang Lan retorted. Hua Fengliu did not know what to say.
"Come in. This used to be your home. Now, that you're back, it should be returned to its rightful owner. You can live here from now on," Tang Lan's tone also lightened.
"No," Hua Fengliu rejected, shaking his head.
"Why? Afraid I'll swallow you alive?" She was furious. "If you had married me all those years ago things wouldn't have turned out like this. Don't you feel like you were dragged down by that woman?" asked Tang Lan.
Ye Futian burst out in cold sweat. This....
"Let's not talk about the past," Hua Fengliu tried to brush it off. "Who else lives in the Qin Gardens?"
"I took in two female disciples," she answered.
"Young and pretty?" asked Hua Fengliu.
"There is one," replied Tang Lan. "Why? You like them young now?"
Hua Fengliu was dumbstruck. "Stop with the nonsense. I just don't want your disciples to follow in your footsteps. So, it's best if I don't go in."
"Follow in my footsteps?" At first, she seemed confused. Then, she glanced at Ye Futian and finally understood what he meant. Ye Futian was young and handsome. In a couple of years there would be another Hua Fengliu.
"Even the disciple you took in resembles you; but don't worry, my disciples have higher standards than I did," said Tang Lan. "Come inside."
Hua Fengliu smiled bitterly. He thought to himself, With a guy like Ye Futian, it wouldn't matter how high their standards were.
"Don't regret it," Hua Fengliu sighed. Then, he turned to look at Ye Futian. "Hey kid, behave yourself."
"Master, I'm really not the person you think I am!" Ye Futian was completely speechless. Who was that defensive against their own disciple?
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