"What are you doing here?" inquired Tang Lin.
*Silence*
Snapping out of his daze, he finally replied, "I-I forgot to come and remind you that servants who are aged 16 or below are to assemble in the meeting hall within the Servant District".
"Oh, I'm not late, am I?" asked Tang Lin, panting heavily.
Old Gu replied, "No, the meeting will start when we get back, so follow me back to the hall".
Walking back with Old Gu, Tang Lin could feel his body aching with his clothes soaked from his sweat. After arriving in the meeting hall, Tang Lin could see many young servants gathered around, bustling with chatter.
"Silence", Gu Dong howled as he walked to the front of the crowd.
Seeing that Gu Dong had returned, the servants quickly arranged themselves in an orderly fashion as Tang Lin joined them at the very front.
"It has been reported that a mysterious realm has been discovered, which only allows people who are 16 years old or younger. Thus, all of you as the Xu family servants must comply with the decision of the family to go and assist the young masters in the Tianshan mountains. If you're fated, you might even be able to obtain some treasures for yourself," announced Gu Dong.
"Mysterious realm? But at our level we're probably going to just be used as cannon fodder", thought Tang Lin.
Gu Dong then continued to add, "You will have a month to prepare before the realm opens. That is all, you're dismissed".
After the announcement, chatter filled the room. Some were excited, some fearful and some indifferent. Nevertheless, the young servants started to separate as they headed back to their dorms or rooms to rest for the night.
Completely exhausted, Tang Lin returned to his room thinking about what Old Gu had revealed. After clearing his mind, Tang Lin entered a state of meditation as he tried to accelerate his recovery throughout the night.
As the sun rose, Tang Lin slowly opened his eyes, his exterior wounds now closed, but he could still feel a stinging sensation that lingered within his body. Gradually getting up, he breathed in the fresh air before walking to the door.
The sound of bustling clamours resonated within the hallway as Tang Lin walked out.
"Is it just me or does everyone seem livelier than usual?" he thought.
It was then that, by coincidence, a piece of information fell into his ears.
"Did you hear? The Fang Clan has released a proclamation! If anyone is able to obtain the inheritance of the supreme expert, they are qualified to have Miss Fang Yue's hand in marriage." revealed the servant excitedly to another servant.
"Yeah, but what's the point of being happy? It's not like any of us are going to have a chance besides Master Xu Yang", he retorted enviously.
As Tang Lin listened to their conversation, he was utterly shocked.
"A chance to have Miss Fang Yue's hand in marriage", thought Tang Lin.
Thinking back to Miss Fang Yue, the image of her delicate figure and starry eyes re-emerged within his mind. His heartbeat started to throb faster as his face became slightly flushed.
Now too far away to hear them, Tang Lin started to walk faster towards his working area. Due to having his head down, he accidentally bumped into someone.
*Bump*
"Ouch", Tang Lin complained, rubbing his forehead.
"What are you doing?! Watch where you're going you trash or do you want to die?" shouted Xu Ming.
Seeing that it was Xu Ming, a sense of disgust and anger started to boil. He could clearly remember his mother's desperate and smiling façade that tried to hide her sorrow and unwilling emotions deeply filled with regrets before dying.
After attempting to endure his provocations, Tang Lin finally couldn't hold it in when a hand gripped his shoulder pulling him back.
"I'm really sorry about this, but Master Xu Ming knows he is a newcomer and I hope you won't be petty about this trivial matter. I will be sure to discipline him well after this", Gu Dong uttered calmly, slightly bowing.
"Hmph, you're right. He probably won't even make it out alive from the mysterious realm", Xu Ming grunted as he continued walking past arrogantly.
After he had walked out of sight, Old Gu pulled Tang Lin to the side of the hallway.
"Didn't I tell you to be more careful in restraining yourself. At this rate, you're really going to get yourself killed. I can't save you all the time just because you're new and as he mentioned, you're about to go to the mysterious realm. So, you need to suppress your emotions or you won't even have the chance to settle whatever grudges you have if you don't make it out of there", reminded Old Gu.
"I know", he replied gloomily.
"Dammit, the only reason I have to suffer under their control is because I'm still too weak. I need to go train even more and more!" Tang Lin thought as he rushed back near the forest.