Gu Ming looked at his daughter with a face that told her 'good job'. Actually he was quite interested in the Battle Technique that Arianne used. Of course, as a healthy middle-aged man who lived as a widower, he also was entranced with her voluptuous body.
But to think that this very day he would get another wife after a few years of being a single dad. And look at her, she was beautiful and stronger than him. What a perfect woman to be his partner to raise the purity of his Fire Qi. This was probably the first time he wanted to pour an ocean of praise to Gu Fenglin.
Gu Ming then properly talk it out with Gu Fenglin. He apologized for what he did and also said something to explain himself. Overall, it was a heart-warming scene that could never be wrong. But there was this peculiar gaze from Gu Ming directed to Arianne full of lustful thought.
Arianne on the other side looked like she wanted to puke. If the mask that covered the lower part of her face was put off, then she would look like a person who disgusted to death.
Yes, by age she was beyond that of the ideal age to be a mother. Actually, even though she never formally married, she takes care of a few children back when she was a Mage Tower Master. All of them were her pupils, but she took care of them like a mother.
She wasn't that mind with how Gu Fenglin called her 'mother'. Though, she was a bit perplexed for some time. She could accept that.
But the problem this time lied with the hopeful face of Gu Ming. That face was the same as the perverted uncle who couldn't hold back for the taste of a virgin maiden. She wasn't a virgin nor a maiden, still, she wanted to vomit watching that face.
Arianne calmed down her mind. It was such a mistake on her to be minded by that perverted uncle. There was never a chance for this uncle to be with her when she had her Lord.
"Don't ever think about it!" she coldly said with narrowed eyes to the pervert-faced Gu Ming.
Gu Ming averting his eyes said, "I-I don't know what are you talking about."
"Alright then, back to the serious business. I have something to say to you. Let's change the place!" she said before jumped back to her horse.
In the Xianjing City Lord's Mansion.
The building on Xianjing City mostly made out of well-cut masonry, or for the poorer commoner made out of wooden materials. The City Lord Mansion was also made from said material.
The main building was a four-story stone structure with a simple ''|_|'' shape. Behind the main building, there were a servant's courtyards. There was a flower garden surrounding it. And lastly, there were stone walls with eight-meter height and three-meter thick.
After changing to a new robe(because the extravagant red-robe he wore was burned and tattered), Gu Ming then led Arianne and Dian Luze to the Guest Room. He sat on a sofa facing Arianne who leisurely enjoying the tea and sweets prepared by the maids, while the butler was standing behind her.
"This Miss, let me properly introduce myself this time. My name is Gu Ming, and now I am ruling this city as the City Lord. Nevertheless, I apologize for the poor reception and me and my daughter's conduct from before." Gu Ming introduced himself before he bowed for what was just happened.
Arianne nodded her head and said, "Arianne Auburn, nice to meet you City Lord Gu."
"Ahahaha ..., nice to meet you too, Miss Arianne. As for you, senior, who might you be?" Gu Ming turned toward Dian Luze.
The butler cupped his hand and respectfully said, "forgive for the late introduction, City Lord Gu. I myself am the Dali City Lord Manor's butler, Dian Luze."
"Dali City's Dian family ...?"
Gu Ming did not expect this group to be from the Dali City Lord's Dian family. He sent out his disciples to welcome and guide this guest because he felt the suppressed cultivation of a high-level cultivator.
He just hoped that this man would either give him a face and not making any ruckus inside the city or leave without unnecessary damage. However, not long after that the suppressed pressure exuded from the said expert, and for some reason, his daughter's protective talisman torn not long after.
This made him who was in the middle of tending City matter to get out with spear ready on his hand.
And the rest of the story was like what happened just before this. He went, he fought, he lost.
"Let's cut it straight to the point, the reason for my visit is to represent Dian Family's Young Master-Dian Xianli to ask for your clan assistance."
Basically, right now Arianne had the upper hand on everything she said. She beat up Gu Ming like there was nothing left for him to have the right to refuse. Even if she demanded something out of the range of his authority, perhaps Gu Ming would give it without the consent of the Clan Elders.
But she just wanted some assistance for tiny and insignificant Dian family, Gu Ming was rather perplexed. Never he thought that this young and strong lady was someone who worked for the Dian family.
Another doubt filled his mind in instant. Dian family managed to gain such an expert like this Arianne to their side, so what kind of problem they faced that even she couldn't solve?
"...? And by assistance, what does the Dian family required us to do?" Gu Ming asked, intrigued by what kind of nightmarish problem that even this beautiful expert could not solve.
"Not that difficult, he just needs your clansmen to help for the upcoming battle they will face. Just send some of your men to help my Lord, and that is enough." Arianne said, leaning her back on the soft leather sofa.
Gu Ming frowned hearing this answer. What was the meaning of this?
From the battle with her before, he clearly knew that she was at least on Grand Knight Level like him or perhaps even above it. A cultivator at this level could easily destroy a nation with a single stroke of his weapon. It was the true powerhouse of this continent because advancing to the next stage was very hard to do.
Even in the Gu Clan with thousand years of legacy, in one generation they would only have at most two experts at this stage. This generation had only one, and that was Gu Ming. It should be two with the other person was his wife, but she died fifteen years ago.
But the Dian family was different, it was a newly risen noble family that separated himself from the merchant clan, the Dian Clan. And looking at the Clan's foundation, their first ancestor was just someone who was chased out from the Silent Heaven Sect. A small-time cultivator with tiny bits of power that led a group of people to do trade in this region.
With their shallow foundation, even getting a Knight Stage cultivator would be considered an amazing achievement for this minor clan. And Dian Family was just a portion of the said Clan.
If Dian Family managed to recruit such high-level experts like this, then why? Why there was still something that Dian family, no, this Arianne over here could not defeat?
Perchance, had they provoked a lofty expert that capable flew through the clear sky, a Fundamental Saint? But the cultivators who reached that stage was only the old monsters who had no time left in this life.
They hardly care about worldly affairs and spent their day cultivating with the last bit of life force from their body. Even if their clan in a perilous situation, unless it would result in total destruction, they would not come out from their closed-door cultivation.
But there was no rumor circulating about such thing happened recently. The thing that happened around the Dian family was that they were chased from the royal court of Bai, and they retreated back to Dali city. He already heard some news that their convoy arrived in Dali City, but this convoy was without the presence of City Lord, Dian Yuanli.
'Is it for rescuing Dian Yuanli?'
Gu Ming couldn't stop guessing. Still, there were many more thought that circulating on his mind. Like, rescuing from who and where?
But this speculation was immediately rejected because she said that she needs it to help her Lord's battle.
'Wait a minute ... maybe ...'
Maybe this was something like a test from the Dian family. To ascertain what stance would Gu Clan took when Dian Family was in crisis.
As a matter of fact, of course, there was no way that Gu Ming did not know what trouble they faced right now. They were chased and treated like a man with a bounty on its head, especially the nobles clan from the State of Bai, they couldn't wait any longer to see the death of Dian Yuanli. And even after all of this Dian Family still regarded their own Clan as an enemy.
It was true that Gu Ming amazed by the capabilities of Dian Yuanli. Someone who born with great wit and natural diplomatic excellence was his assessment of Dian Yuanli. Though, his foundation on cultivation was a tad bit too weak.
This probably the first and foremost reason why he wanted to made Dian Yuanli his friend and to forge an alliance. If he could gain Dian Yuanli as his vassal, what else could be the best ending for both of them?
But looking at the thing unfolded right then, it was not him, the Gu Clan who would take Dian Family as its vassal. With a Grand Knight level powerhouse with them, which even Bai royal family of State of Bai have at least three to four of them on each generation, it was clear that Dian Family cleverly hid their strength all this time.
Thinking up to this, Gu Ming became more and more convinced with the superbly wrong conclusion.
He hissed in a cold breath because of how clever and cunning the Dian family was. To think that some infinitesimal entity like them concealing such deep secret without anyone noticing. What a move, what a surprise.
But if he found out that Arianne's strength yesterday was a puny Level 27 and just overnight she was promoted into a level 71, perhaps he would faint out of surprise.
"I understand, I'll arrange a hundred men from Head Warrior level, and ten Elder Warrior-level men to assist you. If you want, then I will also arrange five hundred Intermediate Warrior to assist. Though all of them are Clan's younger generation, if they can provide some help then they will gladly help."
She already understood the basic power level in this continent. The Head Warrior was a melee in the level range of 21-30, while the Elder Warrior was from 31-40, and the Intermediate Warrior was a level 11-20.
In her eyes, they were not that strong. She could destroy them in a Tier-7 spell, though it needs some preparation and ritual beforehand. Nevertheless, dealing with a huge number of enemies at that level was a hassle without a wide-area massive magic spell.
The requirement Xianli gave was just some mob to help defend the City Lord Manor. He didn't give specific detail about their level of power.
"Excuse me ...," at this time, the figure of Gu Fenglin entered the room and strutting to her father's side.
Clothed in a new piece of dress, the girl now showing such a different expression than before. And it was a smile, a pure and innocent smile true to her age. She sat down on the sofa beside her father, and he just let her be.
"Then, it's a deal ..." Arianne nodded her head, "to show Lord's sincerity,"
She took out the [Sword of Blaze(R)] and [Vermillion Orb(R)] from her inventory and put it on the table. It was still in the wooden box made of sandalwood, but the qi emanated from the artifact could never be hidden with just a wooden box.
Gu Ming widened his eyes in surprise and curiosity but he didn't say anything. When Arianne opened the box and revealed the thing inside, he couldn't stop himself from shouting.
"Rank 9 Natural Treasure! And Mid-rank artifact!"
"he gifts these two objects to his fiancee. Take it, young girl!" Arianne ignored his exaggerated reaction and said to the young girl.
'No, no, no, no ..., how can you easily say this kind of divine treasure as a mere 'object'! What's wrong with you!? Is the Dian family has escalated to the degree that they can easily send out a High-rank treasure as a gift? What the hell were they doing all along these years? I can't understand, I can't make sense any of this!'
Gu Ming really wanted to shout out that ramble in front of her face.
By his share of experience, he already knew that this round crystal ball was a true High-rank treasure even without the usage of Item Appraiser. The fire qi that exuded from it was so pure and so ample. To the point that it literally exploded into this room and filled it with the fire qi. But even after that happened, the concentration of the qi of this round crystal ball was not diminished a bit.
If a fire-element cultivator could get a hand of this round crystal ball, and absorb it to become the qi on his/her dantian. Then his/her strength would rise significantly. Perhaps even Gu Ming who stuck on the middle-stage of Grand Knight all these years would have a breakthrough and finally made a progress.
This kind of natural treasure was something covered by many and eyed by everybody. This could even make war and conflict just to get the treasure.
And she, no, her Lord gave it to his daughter just like giving some trifling vegetables! Was High-rank treasure something like cabbage that grew on the street! It was basically a complete nonsensical thing to do.
"But I can't use a sword!" Gu Fenglin protested, looking at the rapier with blazing hot aura with a frown.
'The hell are you saying, now! Just keep silent, will you? This is Mid-rank Artifact, you know! Our clan only collected ten of that! And all of that worth three whopping million golds!'
"Of course, of course, we will gladly accept the gift. Miss Arianne. Please don't mind her, even if she cannot use sword right now, I'll make her learn the art after this."
Gu Ming was all smile while rubbing his hand, sending a vicious glare to remind his daughter to shut up a little bit.
Although he was puzzled as to why the Dian clan this generous to gift such treasure, he would not let the gold raining from the sky go away just like this.
He then let the two from the Dian family to the guesthouse to take a rest because the day was already dark. He promised to get his men ready at dawn and they could immediately depart back to Dali City. Arianne nodded at his arrangement and agree to go back to the first hour in the morning.