"Ming, I will be heading up first to get some sleep; you and Qing can spend that time giving Ji Min a tour of the residence." Old Lao added before flying off into the trees.
"Heading up –where is Lord Li flying to, aren't we at his residence?"
Ji Min asked in confusion as the little girls simply stared at him with weird looks.
"Sorry, I slept all through the journey; so, Lord Lao and I weren't able to talk about anything." Ji Min added, dispelling the girls' confusion.
"Oh."
Both girls said in unison before they bowed slightly toward Ji Min;
"Thank you for saving me earlier, young master."
"Thanks for helping Sister Ming earlier." Both girls chimed in unison.
"You know you can just call me Ji Min, right?" Ji Min said with an awkward chuckle; he was really not comfortable with the title he had been abruptly bestowed.
Little did Ji Min know that Old Lao was so solitary that no one really visited him; instead, he would rather go to visit others like the Royal Family whenever he was called upon.
Due to this, seeing him bring someone home of his own accord was something everyone within the domain had thought was impossible, thus, they all believed he must be very closely related to the royal physician.
"Alright, young master." Little Ming paid him no heed as she had no intention of treating Ji Min casually, rather she dared not to.
"Young master; this way, please follow me." She said as Ji Min finally realized that he would be fighting a losing battle if he insisted that he be called by his name alone.
"Alright, have it your way." He relented with a sigh whilst Little Ming nodded and led the way whilst Little Qing took Cui to where Old Lao had sent her.
As they began to walk; or more like taking a stroll around the residence, Little Ming began to give a detailed narration of the residence.
According to her; when Old Lao was taken in by the Royal Family, he was asked to pick any land of his choice that wasn't occupied by any noble.
But whilst the King was expecting him to claim a piece of land within the capital, Old Lao had instead decided to pick a solitary plateau that was located within a small forest that was situated between the Royal Capital and its borders.
When asked about the reason behind his choice, Old Lao claimed that the place was the most ideal location for him to go about his business without any disturbance or interference.
The King was very pleased by the lack of greed Old Lao had displayed and since he also knew that Old Lao loved to do his concocting, grow his herbs and do his research in private, the King ordered that the area around the plateau of about 10km radius be cleared.
Then he also built a solid defensive wall around the plateau at the 10km perimeter before ordering a few of his royal guards who were already at their peak in terms of cultivation to accompany Old Lao and become his guards.
The few Royal Guards knew that staying with a physician who was also an alchemist was their best shot in terms of advancing a little further on their cultivation path; thus, they readily accepted the order and retired.
Old Lao was also well aware of the respective dangers that lurked within the forest; thus, having about twelve guards who were at the Peak Qi Sea Stage was a no-brainer to him, and as a result, he gladly accepted the King's goodwill; a deed which pleased the King greatly.
To show how happy he was with Old Lao, the King also ordered his attendants and gardeners to help Old Lao gather some rare herbs of his choice and help him set up a garden at the top of the plateau.
Afterward, the King placed a massive plaque right above the huge gate that protected the entire landscape, reading;
"The Domain of The Royal Physician."
The plaque also had the insignia of the royal family carved into it which would serve as an indication that the entire landscape was a restricted area.
Then the King told Old Lao to send an image or painting about how he would like the structures within the domain to be built, and three days later, several masons came from the capital to begin the construction.
Apparently, the top of the plateau was 2 kilometers tall and 20 square kilometers in size, with a natural carriage-sized path spiraling its way around to the top.
Once the constructions were done, Old Lao hired another dozen trusted veteran hunters and six female servants.
He then told all of them that they could bring their families over to the domain and build their homes within 10 kilometers encircling the plateau.
"This is the densest part of this grove, and it separates the plateau from the rest of the domain where everyone else lives, asides from Lord Lao, Sister Qing, and I.
Once we walk a little further the trees will become sparser and you can see everything for yourself." Little Ming explained.
True to her words, after they had walked for a few minutes, the cluster of trees did become sparser, and from here, Ji Min was able to see the towering plateau up ahead.
The plateau was whitish and it shot straight through the clouds whilst radiating a very imposing presence.
"Lord Lao's mansion is located at the top of the plateau, and that is also where his workplace and herb garden is, but all of that is Sister Qing's duty to tell and describe." Little Ming explained as Little Qing arrived just in time to ascend the plateau together.
The trio shared a little bit of information about themselves, and where they were from.
From this information, Ji Min got to know that Little Ming and Little Qing were twins and they had been sold off to slave traders after their drunkard of a father got so addicted to gambling that he acquired more debt than four of his generations could pay.
He mortgaged everything they had including all of their late mother's belongings save for the ordinary-looking necklace and bracelet which their mother had given them both on the day their meridians were revealed.
But despite having a very high talent for cultivation, they were just too poor to be able to afford the cultivation resources, and their mother had to work herself to death to save enough money to buy them one.
But as fate would have it, their drunkard of a father stole her savings and gambled them away causing their mother to die from fury.