An entourage of guards, clad in resplendent silver and azure uniforms, formed a protective phalanx around a grand carriage—the heart of a bustling departure scene in Cloudweaver City.
Their polished breastplates shimmered in the sun, adorned with the Huang emblem.
"The Barren Land Goddess must be inside…" one of the onlookers said in yearning.
"I-I presume so… If only I can see the goddess for just a second. I'm willing to do anything for her…" another man said vigorously, with a burning gaze.
The women in the group looked at the men with disdain. Nevertheless, everyone was curious about the rumored goddess of the barren land. How beautiful could she be?
"Do you know why the goddess came to the Su sacred clan?" a person asked, with their gaze still on the departing carriage.
"How would we know?" another person scoffed. "But I guess it must be very important for the goddess to come."
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Huang Yan didn't care about the gossip and shouts coming from outside. She was lost in thought.
'He's so damn good with the zither…' she exclaimed in her heart. 'I thought no one in the barren land could compare to me in music… But how wrong I am…'
'His ethereal being complements the music beautifully. Every pluck of the string sends ripples down my very soul.'
'How beautiful was that… I-I would love to hear him play once again…'
'Huh! He looks more charming and pleasing to the eyes while playing the music…'
'What's the name of the music… hmm… hmm… Yes! I remember… The Brightest Star in the Night Sky.' Thinking of the name, a rare mesmerized smile crept up on her face.
"Elder sister! Elder sister!" Huang Rou called, raising her voice with palpable shock on her face.
"What!" Huang Yan snapped out of her fantasy land and looked at Huang Rou with annoyance.
"Sister, what are you thinking that makes you continue to smile like a fool?" she asked, still not believing her cold elder sister could smile so beautifully.
"You are the one smiling like a fool," Huang Yan tried to sound serious, but the shade of red from her ear to her neck gave her away.
"Why is your ear red?" she widened her eyes and gasped. "Don't tell me…"
"Tell me what?!" she averted her gaze, feeling shy.
She knew how rebellious and playful her niece was. If she were to know she was thinking about the rogue clan master of the Su sacred clan, she should forget her lifelong image as the goddess because the whole of the barren land would hear about it.
Subsequently, inside the Su sacred clan, three people were staring at Su Yen's calm face with various thoughts running through their minds. Frequently, the three would exchange knowing smiles.
"Can you tell why you are all looking at me like that?" Su Yen finally spoke, as he couldn't bear their gaze any longer.
"Clan master, I thought you said you don't know the goddess and didn't have interest?" Elder Jie said, with a knowing smile, smoothing his long white beard.
Realizing why they were scrutinizing him like a rare specimen for an experiment, he shook his head slightly.
"Old man, you are already too old to be poking your nose into young people's business," Su Yen said, rolling his eyes.
"What do you mean I'm old… I'm hale and healthy like a young calf. If I lay my hand on any young maiden, she would have to beg me to release her…" Elder Jie said proudly, puffing out his chest.
Hearing this, Su Lan blushed and averted her gaze. 'What is this rascal old man saying… How can he be so shameless.'
As for Su Yen and Su Ming, they exchanged glances, not knowing how to react.
"Little brother, what was the deal with the Huang clan master…" Su Ming finally said, breaking the ice.
When the three heard the deal between Su Yen and Huang Yan, their jaws dropped and their eyes widened.
"C-Clan master, are you telling the truth?" Elder Jie stammered.
"Why would I lie? As long as she prepares her end… We'll send the Metal Bone Construct."
"Two large ships, private space in the southern sea harbor, and forty percent from the sale of the construct… Am I missing anything?" Su Lan asked, staring at Su Ming.
Su Ming shook his head. "Little brother… I never realized you were this good…"
"How will the Huang clan profit from this partnership?" Su Lan asked, still not believing this.
"Simple. First, they can equip all their soldiers with the construct and won't have to fear the pirates. Second, they can choose to sell the construct in any amount they desire to rake in profit."
"Don't forget there are many lone islands in the southern sea. With this construct, do you know how much profit they are going to make?"
Hearing this, the three realized that it was not that Huang Yan was stupid but meticulous about the partnership.
"So that's it…" Su Lan murmured.
"But brother, there are many smaller clans that wanted to cooperate with us, but you didn't allow it," she asked.
"Because they don't have what I need," Su Yen responded.
"Which is?" Su Ming asked.
"That's for you to find out," he said and departed.
Seeing his backside, the three looked at each other, not knowing what to say or how to react.
In his chamber, Su Yen lay on his massive bed, relaxing his nerves. From the brutal killing by the ape to the mental and emotional game with Huang Yan, everything had taken a toll on his mental strength.
As a Qi Refinement cultivator, after resting for a couple of hours, he was back to his peak. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he gazed around his room and noticed a kind of otherworldly aura in his room.
'W-What's this…'
'It seems I've felt this aura from somewhere before… but I can't remember...'
He thought in puzzlement. The more he thought about it, the less he had any clue about the strange aura.
'System, can you tell me about this strange aura?'
[Ding!]
[To know more about this strange aura, you need to pay a gas fee.]
[Gas Fee: 100 Destiny Points]
[Should I deduct it? Yes | No]
'Yes.'
[Gas fee payment successful.]
[The strange aura in your room is related to the Celestial Heavenly Pagoda. This is the aura from it. As a numinous artifact related to predicting destiny, the aura from it must encompass everything. And since you only bring it out in your room, its aura has spread through your room.]
[You should take out the Celestial Heavenly Pagoda from your storage ring and place it in a secure permanent place for its aura to spread.]
'How wide can its aura spread?'
[Everything under the heaven is under its reach, as long as it continues to grow stronger.]
'What!'
Su Yen was shocked for a moment before he recovered quickly and asked another question.
'How long will it take to cover the whole of the barren land and… Lotus World?'
[For the barren land, half a day, and for Lotus World, a week.]
*********
[AN: I need gifts...crying...who is going to give me my first gift? Sad for not receiving any gifts.