"Wow, this looks great!" Gu Yuwei exclaimed at the carriage Han Yuefeng had prepared to take them down into Si Lak town. The friends were all here; Han Yuefeng, divulged of her elder's attire; Feng Chusan, in a heroic hanfu with a belt at the waist, carrying her sword; Su Hanlin, in a graceful robe with a butterfly hairstyle; Gu Yuwei was also dressed like Feng Chusan, and she carried a small black cat on her shoulder. Li Beiyao was clothed in popping pink, a leather bag slung across her shoulder. Of all of them, Ye Haobei was the least dressed, only wearing a simple blue hanfu that had been washed a few times.
"Let's go!" Li Beiyao was the first to jump into the carriage. The others followed her. It was very big and contained all of them without it being stuffy. As expected, the friends talked all the way to Si Lak town, the talking mostly done by Gu Yuwei and Li Beiyao, the others only having to respond.
"This cute little thing is my contract creature," Gu Yuwei poked the cat's belly. It had been passed around a few times and the cat was miffed. "It's a black tiger,"
"Huh?" Ye Haobei exclaimed, pulling her outstretched hands back, "really?!"
"Yeah. It hasn't reached full maturity, but can already change into battle mode. It's about four feet when in battle mode," Gu Yuwei continued conversationally, "taming it was very difficult! But I had Fulan-jie to help me,"
"Now's the time to fill us in on the story," Li Beiyao leaned back.
"Alright. Well, this is the summary of it. We have different fathers, but the same mother. Fulan-jie's father sold her to the Si Lak Mercenaries thinking he was doing a bad thing, but it actually turned out well for her. I was a baby when she saw me for the first and only time, but she remembered the name my mother gave me. Also, I look like my mother. So she was able to recognise me immediately,"
"Wait, wait," Feng Chusan shook her head, "you're mixing the whole thing up. That's not how to tell stories! How did you enter the mercenaries yourself?"
Gu Yuwei smiled self-depreciatingly.
"It's like fate. My mother made a mistake the second time around in choosing a husband. Though Gu Wang looked like a good person on the surface, he was even worse than Ning Ke, her former husband. Gu Wang sold my mother and I to a brothel. My mother wanted to kill herself in order to use the confusion that would follow to give me an opportunity to escape. However, the owner of that brothel had a death warrant on his head. While the mercenaries were killing everyone else who were loyal to him, my mother begged that we were innocent. Seeing I had a trace of a cultivator's aura, one of them agreed to take me in."
"What about your mother?" Ye Haobei asked.
"At that time, the mercenary said she didn't have the right to bring her to Si Lak town. She told her to take care of herself and wait until I would be able to come get her. So my mother told me where she would be living while waiting and I followed the mercenary, who brought me to the hatchery. The following day, Fulan-jie came in to teach as usual. Her eyes fell on me and she knew who I looked like immediately. But until she asked my name, she couldn't be sure,"
"I remember that day," said Su Hanlin, "the way she looked at you was weird. I thought she was going to throw you out of the hatchery. But after you told her your name, her attitude took a 180 degree turn,"
"But," murmured Han Yuefeng, "you should have told her where your mother is. Surely she has the right to bring someone in now?"
"My mother is in Si Lak town. Fulan-jie already brought her back," Gu Yuwei revealed a smile, "but I've not been given permission to see her yet. Thanks to Yuefeng, I can see her now!" And she laughed loudly. The others all looked happy for her.
"Elder Han, we've arrived," the Spear Squad member driving the carriage spoke. Su Hanlin reached out to lift the curtain and disembarked. The others also got down behind her. Si Lak town was like a frontier city, with tall walls and a gate manned by viscous looking guards. The carriage had stopped just outside the gate. There was quite a long line of people exiting and entering the city, being first checked by the guards. The friends glanced at one another, and then Han Yuefeng stepped forward. Naturally, they all followed her.
"Halt!" The guard raised his hand when Han Yuefeng attempted to walk past him, "state your identity!"
Han Yuefeng shook back her sleeve as she raised her elder token. The guard reached out to collect it but she withdrew her hand immediately.
"Pardon?" She glowered. The guard smirked.
"Who's the owner of the token! Don't tell me you expect me to believe that you skinny thing are the owner," he snorted.
Han Yuefeng frowned.
"I'm Elder Night Whisper of the Spear School, the fifth disciple of Top Senior Flaming Spear. Do you think you can really afford to offend me?"
The guard stared at her for a second, then burst out laughing, calling his comrades.
"Hahahaha! This is the most ridiculous thibg I've ever heard in my life! Bai Yang, Mo Su, come over here and listen to what this loli is saying! Hah!"
The named individuals approached menacingly. Feng Chusan moved closer to Han Yuefeng, her hand on the hilt of her sword. What was up with these guards? Couldn't they see that the elder token was genuine?
"Little girl," one of the others, Mo Su, growled, "this place is not a place for any riff raff to enter. Where are you from and what do you want here?"
Han Yuefeng's eyes were red with fury. Never, never since she had become an elder, had she been disrespected like this. What was up with these guards? Were they blind?
"Look, she said she's the fifth disciple of the Top Senior. What a likely story. Who in these parts doesn't know that the Top Senior only has four disciples?"
"Maybe you're not up to date, then," Feng Chusan snapped, "do you know everything that goes on in the Si Lak Mercenaries while you're stuck here?"
"Quiet! You, state your identity!" The guard shouted. Feng Chusan rose to her full height as she raised the identity token of the Spear School.
"What's your mercenary name?" Mo Su narrowed his eyes.
"I don't have one yet,"
"Hah! Then you have no right to be here! Only mercenaries who have completed their first mission and thereby have received their mercenary name have the right to enter Si Lak town!"
"However," the Spear Squad member who drove their carriage stepped forward leisurely, his mask menacing in the sunlight, "if they are chaperoned by a senior disciple with a mercenary name, or a tutor, squad leader, elder, guardian or any other higher up within the mercenaries," he said, "they can enter the town. The fact that this person," and he pointed at Su Hanlin, "is with them already qualifies them. Now, though," he smirked, "not only have you gone against the orders of the Grand Chief," he cupped his hands to the side respectfully at the title, "by not conducting a thorough investigation before refusing these people entry; you have also disrespected an Elder, a disciple of the Top Senior no less. Before you dismiss me too as a yammering nobody, here is my identity token," he raised a bronze token carved with the characters: Spear Squad.
"By the orders of Elder Nalan Yu of the Spear Squad, I, White Tiger, am tasked with chaperoning Elder Night Whisper of the Spear School and those with her to Si Lak town!"
At the mention of his mercenary name, the guards shivered and took a few steps back. What-- what was he doing here?!! Could-- could this small girl really be an elder? Otherwise, why would a top mercenary like White Tiger, who was among the Top Thirty, be here?!
"These subordinates are in the wrong! We beg superior White Tiger to have mercy!" The guards bowed deeply.
"Hmph," White Tiger snorted, and stepped forward, "I'm not the one you're supposed to be apologizing to. This person you disrespected is of higher rank than I am,"
"Please forgive us for not recognising your benevolent presence, Elder!!" The guards immediately went down on one knee before Han Yuefeng. White Tiger moved forward and kicked the three guards aside viciously, then turned his body towards Han Yuefeng and bowed as he gestured towards the city.
"Elder, please,"
Ignoring the groaning guards on the floor, Han Yuefeng marched through the gate, and the others followed her. The city opened up before them, bustling and busy.
"Where are we going first?" Feng Chusan jumped forward. Han Yuefeng turned to White Tiger.
"Since you are quite familiar with the city, why don't you show us around?"
"Sure, elder," White Tiger smiled. He then directed them to a large teahouse that had three floors. Gu Yuwei ran off to see her mother, telling the others that she would meet up with them later.
***
Yang Sect
There was an unnatural hush as the purple and red clad masked mercenaries entered the hall. Hall Protector Hu's eyes constricted, and he pursed his lips. As for the other sects, their mouths were open in surprise at the size of the Si Lak Mercenaries' contestants. Surely...surely this was a joke?!? Would they really have these top mercenaries compete with their own disciples? This was not fair!
"Elder Qin," the sect leader of the Flower Sect immediately turned to Qin Wu, "are the Si Lak Mercenaries not aware of the rules of the cultivators gathering?"
Qin Wu smirked.
"I'm sure they do," he stepped forward, "welcome to the Yang Sect, ...elder....?" He was not too familiar with Hao Ren and Fei Ning.
"I'm Red Monkey, and this is my junior Sect Brother Storm Sword." Fei Ning cupped her hands to him, "I heard that lady over there saying something about some rules," she tilted her doupeng, "what was it about?"
Qin Wu chuckled in his heart.
"Elder Red Monkey, that is the sect leader of the Flower Sect. And, about the rules, you can disregard it. You've not broken any rules,"
"I supposed as well," Red Monkey glanced at Hall Protector Hu, her lips curling under her veil. Nice.
"I'd like to ask you something, Elder Qin," Storm Sword said. Elder Qin nodded.
"We can kill during the competition, right?" He asked as he glared daggers at the Scorpion Hall through his mask.
There was a sharp intake of breath by the others. Qin Wu felt a headache coming on.
"No, no! No, that's against the rules. This is a peaceful gathering of cultivators to--"
"Never mind, we can kill after," Storm Sword said dismissively, "well. Show us to our quarters, then. Make sure it's nowhere near those slimy bastards, or I might slip," he added grimly.
Cat Whisker suddenly laughed out loud. Yu Yinan glanced at her father in horror. What happened to keeping a low profile? Did he want to die? Why was he mocking this huge scary man with a viscous mask that was radiating killing intent so deep that the room was suffocating!?! What level of cultivation was he???
"Aah, it's so good to meet my former sect brother again," and Cat Whisker stepped forward, bowing reverently, "this junior greets my superiors,"
Red Monkey and Storm Sword looked over at the same time.
"Who are you?" Red Monkey asked. She did not recognise this person.
But Yi Hei did.
"It's you?" He smirked, walking forward, "wow. What a party. Why is it full of people we want to kill?" He asked as he scanned the Yan Sect in his peripheral vision.
"Father!" Unable to contain her tension, Yu Yinan jumped in front of her father, and glared at Yi Hei, "what's with you? This is a peaceful cultivators gathering. Killing is not allowed!"
Cat Whisker pulled his daughter behind him and bowed to Yi Hei as well.
"Guardian Yi Hei, you're a sight for sore eyes,"
"Keep those sore eyes of yours before I pluck them out," Yi Hei snorted.
"Black Fox," Red Monkey called Yi Hei by his mercenary name, "enough,"
Sneering, Yi Hei returned to her side. Qin Wu sighed with relief.
"Hem hem," he coughed to get everyone's attention, "now that the Six Sects are converged, I declare the Cultivators Gathering open! Everyone, please follow our Yang sect's disciples who will show you to your lodgings. If there is anything lacking, please inform them immediately. Since you've all had a long rough journey, we shall allow you to rest and recuperate for today. Tomorrow, the Gathering will start." He clapped his hands and six Yang Sect disciples came forward.
"Please," with that, each sect slowly left the hall. Just as Red Monkey was about to make a move, Qin Wu stopped her.
"Pardon me, Elder Red Monkey. Our sect leader would like to meet with you-- privately. It has nothing to do with the Gathering, so rest assured,"
Red Monkey raised her eyebrows.
"Just me?"
"And Elder Storm Sword, if he will,"
"Sure," Storm Sword shrugged. Qin Wu eyed the disciple meant to lead the Si Lak Mercenaries to their quarters and she nodded.
"This way," she led the way for the others while Qin Wu took Red Monkey and Storm Sword towards a secret door. Yi Hei frowned but said nothing. His mind was full of the loathsome face of his mortal enemy Yan Sheng.
If not for the Grand Chief who had saved him back then...he would already have been dead for a long long while. Nice. Just nice. The Scorpion Hall were here, the Yan Sect were here, and that crazy idiot Cat Whisker was here. Just nice.
"Puppet King," He stopped walking for a while until he was next to her, "I want you to do something for me,"
Puppet King glanced quizzically at hi
m.
"I'll tell you when it's time," Yi Hei smiled his charming smile, and even Puppet King shivered. Yi Hei frowned. Why were all of them scared of him? He was a nice guy!