Yao Yating looked around at the gathered members of the Yao clan side branch in Lilium City. He was hoping to see one face he longed to be reunited with, but to his disappointment and aligned with his expectations, he did not show up.
Sighing, Yating examined Zedong smiling face. "Was Yao Gui aware that I will be heading the main branch's emissary?"
Zedong shook his head negatively. "I have always kept him informed of the clan's affairs, but I did not mention you when I told him of the main branch intentions laid in the letter we received. Let it go, Yating. What you desire will never happen. The man does not have a single mean bone in his body; even so, he will rather watch the entire main branch burned alive before he ever gives a shit about it."
Yao Yating grimaced. "It has been so long already..."
Zedong approached Yating, invaded his personal space, and whispered in his ear.
"Take a good look at your baby girl, really look at her...What is she? Fifteen? How old was Annchi back then? Nine, Eight?"
Yating dug his nails deep in his closed fists, shaking in anger. "Nothing terrible happened. It was over before it even started. Why wouldn't he let it go? I'm his only brother."
Zedong sneered. "We were not the ones to put an end to it, were we? Not you, his own brother, or me, his closest friend. No, we cowardly nodded our heads to our now dead Patriarch may he suffer eternally the same way he died."
Yating grasped Zedong's robes with his bleeding hands. "We were young and weak, what could have we possibly done to stop the mighty Patriarch of the Yao clan from taking what he wanted? He had the entire might of our clan behind him...should we have died pointlessly?"
Zedong tilted his head slightly, his eyes filled with righteous indignation. "Die honorably, not pointlessly. But we could not do that, could we? Cowardice runs deep in our veins, just like the man who wanted to bed a married woman and her little child forcefully. If they were the wife and child of our Sovereign Count, would he have dared?
Do you know after all those years why I have not withered in self-loathing, and I'm able to sleep peacefully every night? Because an old woman happened to pass by our city that day...because of what she did after she discovered what was about to happen.
The suffering she delivered on behalf of the wrathful heavens, his shrieks, his cries for mercy, his bitter struggle for air, they are my lullaby. I could not close my eyes without playing it in my head and hearing it all over again like it just happened. Tell me, old friend, what lullaby do you listen to in your head to be able to sleep every night?"
Yating let go of Zedong robes, intending to end their whispering match under the eyes of everyone around them. He smiled widely and brightly before he spoke.
"Let us get to work, the sooner we start, the sooner we can all leave to answer our young Patriarch's summons. Bai, why don't you take your cousins on tour around the city and introduce them to your friends?
Make sure to first register with Yao Zan over there with your friends before you leave. Can't have you, young ones, running around without counting you for our trip to Green Hill City."
"Of course, uncle Yating. Young master Delan, young miss Hai, I will be with you shortly." Said Yao Bai while motioning to his cronies to come and register their details with Yao Zan.
***
After registering and walking away from the main gate, Yao Bai started introducing his group to the siblings.
"This is Yao Yi, his sister Yao Mei and this is Yao Hua. We have been friends since we have learned to walk on our own." Introduced Yao Bai.
The three cupped their fists towards the sibling and bowed slightly in greeting.
Yao Hai showed little interest in them and instead focused on her elder brother. "What was that about big brother?"
Delan raised an eyebrow at his sister.
"I mean our father. What was he whispering with the other old man about? He dug his own nails in his hand from anger, then suddenly he started smiling and laughing. I can't tell if he was mad or happy to see an old friend." Said Yao Hai.
Delan opened his arms wide, a sign of his own confusion. "No idea, little Hai'er. Perhaps it was about the uncle we never met. I thought I heard my father mention his name before they started their hushed conversation."
Hai gripped her brother's long sleeve. "An uncle? Like a real one? Our father has a brother we never met?"
"I only know about it because I heard our parents mention him once. Father does not like to talk about him openly, I think. Who knows, he might be the family's shame, and that's why we never met him or never told about him." Said Delan.
Yao Hua looked at Yao Bai then at Yao Yi. "Weren't they talking about uncle Gui? Is he Elder Yating's brother? Eh...Would that not make him part of the main branch?"
Yao Yi shrugged. "Would not matter anyhow. He is not a practitioner, we only lower our head to him because the First Elder would beat us silly if we didn't, and he has one hell of a sexy daughter."
Yao Bai smacked Yao Yi's head. "Do not talk about her like this!"
"What did you hit me for? We already lost her, give up, she has a boyfriend, and if the rumors are true, they are soon to be engaged." Shouted Yao Yi.
Yao Bai gnashed his teeth to the point of almost breaking them. "NEVER! IF I CAN'T HAVE HER, NO ONE CAN."
Yi sneered. "We got beat up silly the last time. He is not even a cultivator. If you want to get beat up again, do it on your own."
The siblings appeared confused by the ruckus happening around them. Yao Mei approached them. "Pay them no mind. They are just stupid boys in love with a girl that never gave them a second of her time. Now she has a boyfriend, and Bai has been losing his mind ever since."
Before arriving here, Delan promised himself not to look down on the side branch. They were family, after all. But now? He could not help but detest them.
"It is just a girl. Who the hell cares? There is plenty of fish in the sea and more beautiful out there. All you must do is cultivate, and you can have all the women you want in time. The more a girl cultivate, the higher her beauty becomes, why fight over a little commoner girl? This is why the side branches are looked down upon by the main branch...wasting your youth chasing skirts."
Yao Bai's head snapped to Yao Delan. "So easy for you to say. You will never understand, you have not seen her, you have not lived your whole life near her but could never breathe the same air as her.
Plenty of fish in the sea? No...There is no one like her. Young miss Hai must turn a lot of heads back at Green Hill City, but to us here? She is just another girl like Mei here. Our senses for beauty have been twisted forever by a single girl you are mocking us over. If you saw her, you will be like us, panting loudly while your tongue is out anywhere near her."
Delan was thoroughly offended. He walked over, grabbing Bai by the neck, he lifted him high up. Bai kicked his legs around, helplessly struggling for air. "Little Elementary Realm boy dare compare me to a dog?"
A rolled parchment fell from Bai's shirt as he fought for his life. Delan let go of Bai, letting him thump ungracefully to the hard ground. Delan picked up the rolled parchment and wanted to open it, but like a rabid dog, Bai bit his arm.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
Bai, while biting Delan arm, flailed his arms widely, trying to snatch the rolled parchment back, his eyes displaying obvious madness.
Delan delivered a solid punch to Bai's stomach with the hand that held the rolled parchment, ending Bai's incompetent exertion.
Sneering disdainfully, Delan unrolled the parchment Bai was willing to die for. Once he did, his sneer slowly disappeared from his face. Frozen stiff, his mouth opened, and his eyes could not believe the painting in front of him was real.
Hai approached her brother and snatched the small painting from his hand. Jealousy immediately filled her young heart, she now knew, compared to the one in the painting, she was akin to an old overused shoe.
"This is fake, right?" Said Hai.
Mei walked to her to see the painting. "Yeah, it is. It does not capture her authentic grace; she is much more beautiful than this painting tries to illustrate. Hey perverted Bai, how did you get this? She would kill you if she knew you had a portrait of her."
Bai was out cold, Delan walked over to Mei. "What is her name?"
"Yao Ning, Yao Gui's daughter."
Delan nodded and switched his attention to Yi and Hua. "What is the story of her boyfriend? Who is he, and are they truly engaged?"
Yi stepped forward and told him everything he knew about Amon and the rumors they heard coming from some of Gui's servants.
"So, a random guy appears out of nowhere, with no clear background or backing, beat the living shit out of you with no cultivation and snatch away the girl you never had any hope with...truly pathetic. Come, Hai, I wish to speak to father." Said Delan.
Delan walked away, followed by his sister, who shredded Ning's small portrait to pieces. Yi and Hua picked the unconscious Bai and followed the sibling.
***
First Elder Office.
"When do we leave, now that you have everyone counted and recorded down?" Said Zedong.
"Two or three more days. My escort needs some time to inspect every house in the city to make sure we did not miss anyone. Do not look at me like that. I have my orders." Said Yating.
A knock on the door stopped the conversation.
"What is it?" Said Zedong.
"The young masters and misses are requesting an audience." Said the door guard.
"Let them in."
Delan quickly approached his seated father, followed by the others.
"Father, there is a commoner girl I wish to take with us to Green Hill City. She is an excellent candidate to be mother's servant." Said Delan.
"Oh? Pray tell, son." Said Yating.
"Her name is Yao Ning, Ya..."
Zedong disappeared from his chair, slamming Delan to the floor, then lifting him up from his hair.
"Boy, I'm trying hard to remember any Ning in my little city, but the only one I could think of is Yao Gui's daughter, were you perhaps speaking of her?" Zedong's eyes were red from the boiling anger that started to stir in his heart.
Delan eyes were wide open, not believing a side branch elder of their family dare touch him and slam him right in front of his father.
"Zedong, let go of my son; he does not know anything." Said Yating calmly.
"No, I want to hear every little detail." Said Zedong.
"Let go of my brother! He did not do anything. He just saw a portrait of her from your son!" Shouted Hai.
Zedong let go of Delan's hair, a vein throbbing in his head. He walked towards his unconscious son and started slapping him awake.
"You unfilial son, from where did you get a portrait of Yao Gui's daughter? Did you steal it from his home? What am I to do with you?" Zedong kept slapping his son's face, lost in his anger.
Yating moved and stopped Zedong from killing his own son. "Enough. Do you wish to kill both our sons then kill yourself afterward? They are both young and foolish. I doubt you ever told your son about who stands behind Yao Gui's daughters."
Delan stood up, disheveled and angry. "What is going on? I thought Yao Gui was just a brother you cut ties with because he is not a practitioner. His daughter is just like him, a commoner girl."
"Son, shut it before I release this old dog on you. Yao Gui is indeed my brother, and he is indeed a commoner. However, his eldest daughter is one of the Eternal Rain Palace's Ten Fairies, disciples of the Rain Banshee. So, unless you want to start a losing war between our Yao clan and the Eternal Rain Palace, I suggest you keep your mouth shut and stay away from Yao Gui's daughters. Do I make myself clear?" Said Yao Yating.