Deep in a cave complex.
The Gao family sent a search party to search for Gao Chen. After some investigation, they discovered he was last seen going on a mission to the Deserted City of Mannan.
"Over here", a man called out.
A few people dressed in black and grey quickly gathered upon hearing the man, but what they saw made them furrow their brows. There was a trail of dried blood connecting two caves together. The originally ordinary looking cave suddenly looked like it was the entrance to hell.
"Elder, do you think...", Gao Zexian spoke with a shakey voice.
"I can't say for sure. I'll go in first, the rest of you can stay here".
"I'm going with you", Gao Zexian said.
"Young miss, I fear you might get hurt".
"Do you think someone with my strength can be hurt so easily? Don't forget I am an inner court disciple in the Black Paradise sect, don't look down on me. Quickly, lead the way", she spoke with an authoritative tone.
The elder knew Gao Zexian's character well. Once she's made up her mind it would be almost impossible to make her change it.
"In that case please stay close to me".
Before entering the cave he closed his eyes to strengthen his mental fortitude. After a few breaths of time he opened them up again, but once he did he began to exude a much more powerful aura which brought comfort to the people around him.
"Let's go. Stay sharp and follow me".
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The deeper they went the more terrifying the cave seemed. It didn't take long for Gao Zexian to regret her decision. The elder on the other hand was still exuding a powerful aura.
'To be expected from an expert in the profound spirit realm', she thought as she looked at him admiringly.
Upon seeing the end of the trail they both froze. The elder was thick skinned and had experienced his fair share of gore and brutality in his days, but the way the blood smeared on the floor and walls made his stomachs turn. Gao Zexian on the other hand couldn't hold it in so she immediately vomited.
Although there were no bodies, which was expected in a cave full of beast rats, there were still a few pieces of ripped clothes here and there.
There were plenty of depressions on the ground meaning there must have been a fearsome fight.
After scanning the area, the elder suddenly made an ugly expression. He walked into the center of a relatively large crater then picked something up. It didn't take him long to understand everything that happened in the cave so he turned to Gao Zexian and decided to leave.
"Young miss, let's head back now".
She was still nauseated by what she saw so she had no objections to what he said.
They walked back out of the cave and found the rest of the group still standing where they left them.
"So... did you find anything?", one man asked hesitantly.
They saw the horrified expression on Gao Zexian face, so they could only expect the worst.
"Report back to the Patriarch, Gao Chen is dead".
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Xiao Fang and the girls had been traveling to the Divine Sword sect for the past few days. They were in no rush, so they would always find good food to eat and a nice bed to cultivate on.
Even with the three of them they were still no match for Xiao Fang and his naked sword. Every night they'd try their hardest to make him climax first, but the more they cultivated with him the easier it became for him to make them climax. Eventually they stopped trying to beat him and just enjoyed the ride.
Besides Xun Wei, no one really slept much. As martial practitioners in the Solid Body realm, Xiao Fang and Chun Hua didn't need nearly as much sleep as someone in the body strengthening or refinement realm did. He could stay awake for nearly a week without feeling tired, but that's given that he doesn't partake in any physically straining activities, such as dual cultivating or body cultivating for an extended period of time.
Li Lian, on the other hand, didn't get a proper night of sleep since Xiao Fang gifted her the Heavenly Fire technique. Strangely, it seemed the more she practiced it the less sleep she actually needed.
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[ On the Road ]
"Xiao Fang, are we there yet?", Xun Wei asked impatiently every so often.
She had been learning so much about swordsmanship from Xiao Fang that she could hardly wait to enter a sect that was full of swordsman.
"Not long now", Xiao Fang replied.
Truth was, he intentionally took the long route back because he was nervous about what his father would do to him if he knew he was going to be a grandfather. No matter how he thought about it, in one way or another, his dad was definitely going to kick his ass.
"Xiao Fang, what are your parents like?", Chun Hua asked.
Li Lian and Xun Wei both turned around to listen to Xiao Fang talk about their future father and mother in laws.
"They're just like any other parents", he shrugged.
He didn't want to scare them so soon, so he only told them what they already knew, but that didn't stop them from asking more questions along the way.
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Just as they reached the territory owned by the Divine Sword sect they were stopped by an extremely fit young man.
He was shirtless, but had the Divine Sword sect's emblem stitched on his silver colored pants. Silver, meaning he was an inner court disciple.
Though this was the sect's standard attire, not many people actually went around shirtless as brazenly as he did. The only disciples that did were the ones that wanted to show off their battle scars to intimidate the enemy.
"It's good to see you back, Xiao Fang", he said with a welcoming smile.
"It's good to be back", Xiao Fang replied.
The man looked over Xiao Fang's shoulder, then smirked.
"You are blind, yet you still manage to find the greatest beauties I've ever seen. How does this make sense?" He complained jokingly.
"Beauty comes in many forms. Isn't that right, Sister Yun".
A girl walked through them soundlessly, almost as if she were a highly trained assassin.
"That's right little brother. It's a shame the men in this sect don't seem to understand that", she said almost disappointedly.
She was wearing the same type of pants the guy wore, but she wasn't topless like he was. She wore a black tight top with her arms exposed and a large oval shape hole on her back. Though her back was mostly naked, it was decorated by a large tattoo.
Xun Wei couldn't take her eyes off it. The girl saw how intently she was staring at her tattoo so she smirked before turning to face them.
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The two divine sword sect disciples spoke to Xiao Fang for a little while before the man suggested to escort them to the main gates. Xiao Fang nodded then the man turned to lead the way, while sister Yun stayed to gaurd their post alone.
As soon as the man turned around the girls immediately noticed the tattoo on his back. It was an image of a magnificent dragon twisting and turning and a long sword running down his spine. As he walked, it looked as if the dragon was coming to life. It was the same tattoo the girl had.
As the girls stared at his back, Xiao Fang and the man spoke to each other about recent affairs.
"The Black Paradise sect?!", the man exclaimed in surprise.
"I should have known. Is it true what they say, that there are more beautiful women in that sect then there are stars in the night sky?", the man said admiringly.
"You seem to have forgotten that I am blind, brother. To me, all I see is the starless night sky, an eternal black".
"Aiya, as if anyone would believe that. Stop messing with me already".
Xiao Fang smirked before leaning in as if to tell him an incredible secret.
"Yes, there are countless beauties in that sect. More beauties than there are fish in the sea".
"Waaaahw~", the man started drooling, but then his expression suddenly became stern as if he were going to ask an incredibly important question.
"Xiao Fang, be honest. How many of them have you slept with?".
Li Lian pinched his arm. The pinch itself didn't hurt, but he felt like his arm was being held dangerously close over a flame
"Yeah... how many", she said in a low tone and squinted eyes.
"Ahahaha", he laughed nervously.
"What could you possibly be talking about brother. I haven't slept with any of them of course", Xiao Fang smiled bitterly. Meanwhile Xun Wei shook her head sympathetically.
The man could tell he made a mistake when he saw his pained expression, but he was also surprised.
'Who is this girl that could hurt Xiao Fang with just a pinch?', the man thought.
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Once they were in the sect, the man escorting them went back to his post, and Xun Wei looked at his back one last time.
Xun Wei knew Xiao Fang's body like the back of her hand, so she was certain Xiao Fang didn't have a tattoo like that on his back. Eventually, Xun Wei asked:
"Xiao Fang, why don't you have the Divine Sword sect's tattoo on your back?"
"Hm? Well, Strictly speaking, I was never really a member of the sect. It's a special symbol given to those that reach the inner court, so it only makes sense that I wouldn't have it", he explained.
Xiao Fang never told her about it because he assumed she'd be a bit intimidated by it like most people were. He didn't think she'd be interested in those kind of things.
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Xiao Fang took his girls to visit his mother first. When he was at her door he didn't bother knocking and just invited himself in before telling his girls to wait outside for him.
"Mother, I've returned", Xiao Fang said as he walked around the house.
Suddenly, one of the doors bursted open and Xiao Fang's mother came rushing out.
"Fang'er, I can't believe you're back so soon!", she hugged him tightly.
Xiao Fang was shocked to see her act this way, but eventually hugged her back.
"Did you miss me that much?", Xiao Fang said a bit teasingly.
"Of course, you have no idea how bored I was without you. I was even considering having another baby with your father", she said with a bit of disgust.
"I've only been gone for 6 months, could it really be that bad being here alone?"
Xiao Fang smiled bitterly as he listened to her complain about stuff that never seemed to bother her before. She eventually stopped rambling as she stared at his blindfolds.
"You're still wearing your blindfold? Did the elixir not work?", she asked.
He didn't immediately respond, instead, he unraveled the blindfold that wrapped around his head. This was an exciting moment for the both of them, more so for Xiao Fang's mom whom hadn't seen it yet.
All his life, there was nothing Xiao Fang wanted more than to see like a normal person. One of his greatest wish had been achieved and she was so happy that her child would now be able to see like everyone else.
His blindfold fell, but his eyes remained closed as he tied his hair back neatly into a ponytail.
"Xiao Fang stop stalling, I want to see", she said impatiently.
Xiao Fang smiled then opened his eyes slowly. The more his eyes opened the more her expression changed to shock.
This was the first time he could see his mother with all her colors, and it almost made his eyes water, but then he suddenly realized something was off. Her mouth was a bit open in shock. Why would she be shocked? Did she not expect the elixir to work?
"Mother, what's wrong?".
"Your eyes... they look just like his".