Eric stepped out of the bathhouse feeling refreshed. His freshly cleaned cloud emblem was resting nicely on his fresh set of robes and his unruly hair was finally combed and tied back.
'Feels good to not look like a madman again.'
A female house servant was standing at the ready by the door as he walked out, "If you will please follow me, sir guest." She bowed slightly and began walking without looking back.
Eric allowed his eyes to wonder around this new environment since he had basically been thrown into the bathhouse before he had a chance to get his bearings.
He was in the Peace Keeper lord's mansion. Its immaculately clean halls and perfectly maintained courtyards sent a message of order and discipline. There weren't many decorations and the few that were present were mostly geometric in design. It reminded him of modern home designs back on earth, only without the colors and with a utilitarian aesthetic.
He rounded a few corners before the demure house servant opened a sliding door and announced his arrival, "Lord Jian Gang, the last guest has arrived."
Eric walked into a room that resembled a dojo and saw Ying Yue and a clearly freshened up Pen Yushui sitting formally on floor mats. Eric almost laughed out loud at the once wild haired and scruffy faced Pen Yushui, the tied back mane and cleanly shaved face nearly transformed him beyond recognition. Ying Yue looked the same as she had in the village square, not a hair out of place or a spec of dust to be seen, her work worn hands resting formally in her lap.
The two were facing the imposing lord of this mansion, Qianggong Jian Gang. Leader of the Peace Keeper's force and younger brother of clan chief Qianggong Zhufu Feng.
The austere man was sitting upright in a solid ironwood chair that was devoid of useless decoration. He glanced at Eric briefly before saying, "Good. Now have a seat, young man and we shall get the formalities out of the way."
...
Eric's legs were numb and his body felt slightly dehydrated by the time he and Ying Yue were dismissed.
The conversation had actually gone much better than he had expected. Even though it was beyond boring. Eric had trouble associating the explosive entrance Jian Gang had arrived with and the stern, militarian like man he had spoken with.
Well, less spoken and more so listened to.
The Peace Keeper captain allowed none of Pen Yushui's usual wild behavior and he seemed to respect Ying Yue in a way that was similar to his brother. "This is not a combat division of the Lightning Sect. Raise too much of a fuss and we will be forced to remove anyone that would bring calamity upon the Thunder Clan." Eric actually didn't even need to defend himself much and was simply given a reminder to handle disputes in a formal challenge while under the supervision of an elder, should the need arise.
Eric stifled a yawn while stretching his arms. Qianggong Jian Gang was a nice guy behind that stern face of his. He was just so incredibly dry and long winded. Eric actually felt bad that Pen Yushui had to stay behind for even more exposure to it.
'Elders huh.'
As Eric walked alongside Ying Yue, he recalled that he hadn't interacted with many elders at all. In fact, the only ones he had spoken with briefly were in charge of uniforms and room assignments. Leisurely jobs that allowed ample time for cultivation or other interests.
It seemed to him that "elders" in this clan weren't of great importance. He doubted most of them had surpassed Viscera Training, let alone the Altering Muscle realm. Hell, even the imposing Qianggong Jian Gang couldn't be higher than Pulse Condensation, since his older brother was the only one in the clan to reach the early Houtian stage in the last century.
'Odd that Pen Yushui would behave better in front of someone weaker than the chief... well, I guess either of them could beat him senseless if they wanted to. Probably a matter of willingness rather than one of ability.'
He recalled the large sword that was almost as tall as him. The amount of strength required to simply carry that thing could not be underestimated, let alone the required force to throw it.
Eric's inner musings were interrupted by a soft voice, "Did you know you furrow your eyebrows when you are deep in thought?" Ying Yue was leaning forward and looking up at him with a curious expression, her hands held behind her back.
Eric lightly rubbed his nose and looked away.
"Yeah that's something I'll have to work on."
She giggled in amusement, "Be sure you do, I'd hate to find out that you have scared small children yet again simply because you couldn't decide on a meal."
He blinked in surprise.
"Now who is making fun of who?"
Eric felt a warmth he hadn't in a long time as they laughed and stepped out into the cold night air. It was moments like this that made life worth living. Small, happy and otherwise seemingly insignificant moments like this.
They continued on the path that followed the central river. Eric admired the moon's rippling reflection on the clear river water, its image ephemeral and captivating.
His eyes followed the river up to the shear face of the black Mt. Quixuan, resting on the reflection of the moon on its surface. Its image appeared to be larger than the actual moon in the sky.
He felt a nudge on his right side as his eyes returned to the river and looked down at Ying Yue's smiling face, he really couldn't understand why people insulted her appearance so much, "Don't think that you can look over me just because you are so tall." They had been walking west, with the river on their right, so he had been caught admiring the night's beauty while essentially overlooking her in the process.
Eric simply chuckled and continued walking.
He could feel her stop in her tracks while he knitted his hands behind his head. Her glare, as he lightly closed his eyes and started whistling, left a chill down his spine.
Just as his sense of danger had reached its critical level, he felt a sharp pain radiate from the space on his right side just below his rib cage.
"Ouch!"
Eric jumped to the side and looked at his attacker, only to see Ying Yue staring daggers at him while making a pincer-like motion with her fingers. Her pressed lips, puffed cheeks and wrinkled nose really were quite adorable.
"Okay! Okay... you're right! Okay? I'm sorry."
Ying Yue's face redded when she saw the playful grin on his face, "Hmph!" She stomped her foot and crossed her arms in mock indignation, "If you do not mean it, then do not say it." She turned her head and closed her eyes in dismissal.
Only to screech as she felt her left cheek radiate in pain. She jumped back in horror, only to see Eric imitating her own pincers motion with his fingers "Oh heavens, are you alright!?" she asked, visibly panicking.
Eric was stunned at her response.
'Am I okay?'
Eric wondered why she would ask something like that when he was the one that pinched her on the cheek. Several recent memories passed through his mind at once.
The fact that Ying Yue's humble home was located noticeably far from the nearest villager's home. The rough state of her hands from obvious manual labor, something none of the other women in the village shared. Not to mention the near perfect ten meter space the locals gave her at all times. The constant feeling of his internal primal essence trying to leave his body and the fact that Pen Yushui elected to use a weapon against an unarmed Ying Yue when he clearly had the element of surprise and an advantage in size. The respect the clan leader and his brother held for her...
All things led to a conclusion that was not exactly pleasant.
It didn't matter however, he steeled his resolve that he would live with the consequences of his carelessness as he brought his hand closer to his view.