"So, what you are trying to say is that you want to stay in the Ma clan, am I right?" The Clan leader of the Ma clan asked a man and a woman sitting in front of him, they were Cu Gil and Yua Emi.
Both of them had left the Bai clan and came to the Ma clan to seek refuge. It was to be expected; after all, the Ma clan was going against the Bai clan in secret because of the competition.
"Yes, we want to stay here for only a little while, after that, we will leave. In the meantime, we can be of assistance to you if you need any help." Cu Gil said.
"And why do you want to stay here, did something happen?"
"Simple, I have grown tired of the clan leader's behavior. Not just that, but the rules of the Clan are also unbelievable. They don't care for the surrounding villages and the other clans, what do they think they are? I can't even kill the murderer of my daughter." Cu Gil clenched his fists when saying this. He was clearly dissatisfied with the Bai clan.
"Oh, it's understandable for you to be dissatisfied with Tai Qi, but even his wife is dissatisfied with him? Is he not a man?" Wan Liu understood everything just from a single glance.
Yua Emi running away with Cu Gil, definitely, this relationship was not built overnight. They must have been meeting each other for a while now. That's why Wan Luo indicated indirectly that he knew what was going on by saying "if Tai Qi was not a man".
However, Yua Emi and Cu Gil did not feel ashamed at all. Instead, they were relieved that they wouldn't have to pretend every day and wait so many days to meet each other. Now, they could live together as they wanted. However, they couldn't feel happy as the cost of living together was Ci An, Cu Gil's daughter.
"So, what do you say, can we stay here?" Cu Gil asked Wan Liu.
"Hmm, you can stay as long as you want. But in return, you will have to provide me with information about the Bai clan. How does that sound?"
"Very well, I don't mind at all. After all, I already left the Bai clan, so I don't care." Cu Gil agreed to Wan Liu's condition without even hesitating.
"Good, very good, you are an understanding man, Cu Gil. I am satisfied with your attitude. You can stay here as long as you want." Wan Liu then summoned a servant and asked the servant to show Cu Gil and Yua Emi their living place.
"Clan leader, are you sure about letting them stay?" A Man walked into the room after Cu Gil and Yua Emi left the residence. He came and bowed respectfully to Wan Liu before saying.
"Do you have any objections, Jil Lu?" Wan Liu asked with narrowed eyes.
"Of course not, why would I have any objections against your decision, it's just that I was worried about them doing something to the village, after all, they are from the Bai clan." Jil Lu hurriedly shook his head and spoke respectively.
"And whose fault is that? You are really a fool. I had wasted so many of my resources in order for you to infiltrate the Bai clan when you were a kid, but you ruined it all. You directly went and controlled an elder's daughter. And not just that, you went and even killed her. I always told you to not be impatient about things, but you wouldn't listen. You could have waited for a good opportunity to arrive before acting." Wan Liu spoke with narrowed eyes, showing his dissatisfaction with Jil Lu.
"Ha…ha," Jil Lu laughed awkwardly. He could not say anything, as he had really messed things up this time.
"Anyway, investigate why Cu Gil and Yua Emi suddenly decided to leave the Bai clan. Did someone else find out about their relationship and threaten them, so they had no choice? Or, did Tai Qi himself discover this? If someone else did it, then find out about that person, and we might be able to use that person for our benefit. After all, if Tai Qi was the one who discovered their relationship, then Cu Gil would not be here alive." Wan Liu ordered Jil Lu after contemplating.
"Okay, clan leader, I will get to it right away." Jil Lu left after saying this.
A girl was waiting for Cu Gil and Yua Emi outside Wan Luo's residence. She had short gray hair, and had green irises, and was wearing a beautiful purple Hanfu. Her name was Mah Qi.
"Very well, everything's done Mah, let's go."Yua Emi came to Mah Qi and said with a smile.
"You traitor, I really can't believe you. You said that you wanted to show me something and took me with you. And what did you show me, this man? Then, you suddenly told me that this man is my real father. Not just that, by the time you told me this, we had already crossed half of the Si Mountain, I could not even return back from there as you knew I feared traveling alone. And then what, you told me that we betrayed the Bai clan. What's more is that you took me with you. Really, what is wrong with you guys? You tricked me so many times, how could I even be trapped by you?" However, Mah Qi was not so smiling and began to tell her sorrows.
She had been tricked not just once, but again and again. When Yang Zhai sent the letter to Cu Gil to kill Jil Lu, he had decided to leave the Bai clan. He knew that if he listened to Yang Zhai even once, he would be threatened by Yang Zhai again and again.
Thus, he told this to Yua Emi. Yua Emi also agreed with Cu Gil. She went to Mah Qi, who was sleeping on the day Cu Gil, and they were about to leave. Yua Emi woke Mah Qi up and told her that she wanted to show her(Mah Qi) something.
At first, Mah Emi disagreed: however, she was still convinced by Yua Emi somehow. But later, when Mah Qi discovered what had happened, her mouth opened wide. Her life changed in just one night. She was sleeping when she was woken up by her mother.
"Hey, don't talk to your mother like this, do you know how much hard work it took me to take you here? You should be happy and prideful, you have a new father." Yua Emi pouted when she heard her daughter talk to her like this.
"Whaaaaa!!!" Mah Qi's mouth opened wide when she heard her mother. She could not even say the word 'what' because of the shock.
"What the hell!!!! Who would feel prideful that their father changed in one night? Have you gone crazy, mom? Not just you betrayed the Clan, but you even made me betray it unknowingly. By the time I realized it, it was one week, a whole fuc*i*g week, a whole week. And now you say that I should be happy that I have a new father."
"Can fathers even be new?!!! He was my father from the moment I was born, you idiot." Mah Qi began to scold Yua Emi. She could not believe her mother. Her father changed in a day, and her mother wanted her to feel pride?
"You are right about that. Then you should be happy that you have an old father."
"Are you seriously serious, mom? How could a woman like you betray father(Tai Qi) anyway?"
Yua Emi shook her head.
Cu Gil was seeing all this from the side. How come I became their topic?
"Anyway, Mah, know that this is a test. You have to get through this. This is the world, this is how everything goes. Anything can happen in this world. You can be forced to kill even the one you love more than yourself. But, some just can't do that, the people who can even kill the ones they love more than themselves are beyond this world. I can't do that, so I chose to run away with your father rather than see him dead." Yua Emi looked at Mah Qi and continued,
"Instead of living with grief for my whole life, I chose this life. I know people will mock me and even scoff at me, but I will still be happy as long as I can be with my love. A person can go against the whole world as long as their partner is with them, it doesn't matter whether that partner is weak or strong. Just forget about Tai Qi, I know this will be difficult as you see him as your father, but you have to do this, he is not your real father. Otherwise, you might lose me."
…..
Yang Zhai was standing alone, looking at the moon. There was no one behind him or in front of him, but only the moon. He was alone, this was the price of what he chose.
Nothing was his, not even himself. He had lost himself a long time ago. The self that he had stuck to for two lives was not in him anymore.
"I tried so hard to save, but first heart
Then home was burned. The secret that
I hid in my chest, lost through eyes,
Everything ended that was between us."
…..
A week passed, and the day of the competition had arrived. Everyone was gathered in the center of the village's square.
"Everyone, as always, the competition is between the Bai academy and the Si academy. As everyone knows, until today, nobody could win this competition. Of course, it is to be expected as the rewards are just as good. Especially, when you can have one of your wishes granted."
!*****!*****!