In truth, An Fei wasn’t exactly wrong about Ming Xia’s condition after he had been hurled into the air by the Heavenly Talisman of [Thunder].
Having been awarded with a free ticket to the lower bounds of the atmosphere with little investment on his part, how could the esoteric and mysterious Young Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect not enjoy a relaxing glide?
Compared to the mysteries of the stratosphere and the pure, fresh air conveying its majesty, a scuffle with a mere young brat was hardly of interest.
In the span of a few engrossed moments, Ming Xia had relaxed his anger towards the ugly young girl by a significant margin.
Relaxing his anger, however, did not instantiate that he had forgiven her for assaulting his servant and subordinates, as well as inflicting vast amounts of aggravated battery onto his possessions…
“When combining that to the massive amount of loot she must be running off with at the moment, that would exceed the theoretical tolerance of misdemeanors, and enter into the realm of grand larceny and subsequent felonies…”
Could he then possibly attain a landslide of a victory if he presented his case to the Supreme Court?
Ming Xia’s lips fluttered in a pale mutter, his irises twinkling with an interested gleam.
The delicate youth stared at the vast nobility of the empty sky untainted by the pollution generated by the modernization of man, a deep shiver of awe and respect racing through his heart.
“Looks like the novelists back there… were indeed telling the truth. The clear blue sky, how majestic… ah. Earth used to have such a sight as well?”
A virgin sky yet to be tainted and defiled by manmade technology was free and unfettered, graceful with a hint of innocent charm in its breeze.
Thus, Ming Xia allowed for his emotions to relax as he gradually drifted down towards the earth, as to avoid tainting the heavenly paradise that surrounded him.
As for the pesky and annoying young girl, the Young Master felt confident of a second and even third meeting.
He didn’t know why, but Ming Xia was certain of it – as though there existed a subtle connection that thoroughly bound the two together.
Regardless of how indistinct and fleeting her figure appeared, he could recognize her at a single glance.
“Still, she dared insinuate that I was a shota? Just you wait – I’ll sue you for that, you pesky little brat!”
The delicate youth clenched his fists in an abrupt fit of uncontrollable anger and shame.
So what if he was short and appeared baby-like to others his age?
His great-grandfather had finally discovered a person who had matched all of his conditions for marriage – and thus he was on a journey to visit that person…
To think that on his way, he would encounter a lass who would demean the essence of his soul and mock the grievous wound on his heart – that whoever married him would be labeled as a shotacon!?
Thus, the man named Ming Xia, the genius Young Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the man wrapped in a myriad of secrets, spent the remainder of his glide in a brooding manner.
He really wished to be able to remove such a degrading title.
–
Tianfeng City.
Upon first glance, An Fei couldn’t find a major difference compared to Dong Lin City. The structure and arrangement of the walls, as well as the outward appearance of the city – they were practically identical.
Granted, that could be so as the environment housing the two cities were highly similar, but to think that even the uniform for the patrolling guards would be the same…
Did she come to the wrong place?
“Or is the uniform and equipment a standard issue of the power that rules the city?”
An Fei rubbed at the center of her brows to ease the furrow that had mysteriously appeared without warning.
The young girl glanced back towards the monolith of black steel behind her, finding her current task rather difficult to complete.
“Without knowing who is in charge of Tianfeng City… bringing this in would be rather difficult and troublesome… though it would probably be troublesome either way?”
After tall, she wasn’t certain that the delicate Young Master whom she had snatched the former black steel carriage from a different location that wasn’t Tianfeng City…
If the make of the carriage was owned by a single family and she strolled past the gates with the giant monolith trailing behind her, wasn’t that essentially painting a permanent target on the back of her neck?
“Just what do I do with this, ah…”
The young girl released a light and exasperated sigh, her fingers laced behind her back as she glanced towards the everlastingly clear and brilliant sky.
An Fei turned to return to the comforts of the carriage, when the little raven perched onto her shoulder with a faint cry.
“Xiao Hei?”
Caw!
“You can deal with the issue regarding the carriage?” the young girl’s frown immediately returned, dubious beyond doubt.
Caw! Caw!
“Oh, then thanks for the help – hey! Was the second half even necessary!?”
Ruthlessly discarded by a stream of disdainful cries by a little raven, An Fei stamped her feet onto the ground in annoyance.
The young girl took a deep breath to calm her rampant emotions, stepping away from the black steel carriage as per the condescending instructions.
This little creature dared to hurl insults towards her – she deeply wished to witness its greatness and capability!
After all, to insult her so grievously, the little raven had to pay an appropriate price!
Caw!
A first shout erupted through the final stretch of the plains that oversaw the land underneath Jiang’an, and a flash of violet streaked through the sky.
This time, there was nothing but sound – not even the strands of grass under her feat were affected by the raven’s cry, much less An Fei who had her temperamental <Steps of Underlying Shadow> as protection.
There was nothing but sound, yet…
Neigh!
The eight warhorses stamped their hooves in acknowledgement, and before the young girl’s astonished eyes, the wooden carriage containing the comatose Wang Qinian was separated from its hitchhiking mechanism, and the black steel carriage morphed into a dark-colored figure as it disappeared into the distance in the span of a few seconds.
As if on an afterthought, a familiar leather bag was hurled backwards to land before the young girl’s stiffened feet.
While An Fei stared into the distance with no small amount of resentment and disappointment, the little raven returned to its soft and ‘comfortable’ perch with a prideful squawk.
“You call this a solution?”
Caw!
“Making the horses run off into the distance was the solution?”
Caw!
“Are you f*cking kidding me… how am I supposed to get it back in the future?”
Caw!
“What do you mean – you just set them free, how will those prideful and arrogant horses decide to return in the future?”
Caw!
“Oh, oh, oh, you think horses can comprehend gratitude? How naïve of a little raven!”
Caw! Caw! Caw!
The young girl could have it no longer.
“Fine, fine, fine! The horses will return when you call for them, and the sun will set to your wishes!”
An Fei stormed away from the prideful yet equally confused little raven, her countenance glum and dark as she climbed into the discarded wooden carriage.
…caw?
But the horses really would return when he called for them, since he had marked their souls with a clearly distinctive brand?
Moreover, the sun really would set whenever he wanted to – since it only took a word to his younger brother?
What was this young lass playing at?
The little raven and young girl simultaneously shook their heads at the thought.
An Fei leaned against the edge of the cabin door, her eyes peering towards the unconscious figure laying in the midst of cotton blankets and pillows.
“When did this old thing wake up?”
The terracotta containers all displayed signs that their lids had been removed… but she had checked on the elderly shopkeeper’s status each day – when did he manage to wake up from his comatose state, much less break open the seal of a container to feed himself?
Caw.
“Cold water?”
The little raven squawked from the side, its crimson eyes gleaming with malice and schadenfreude. The little creature even spread its wings to maximize its imposing presence, prompting An Fei’s brows to furrow in contemplation.
“No water, I don’t want to deal with wet blankets.”
“Deal with what wet blankets?”
A pair of gaunt and wizened eyelids shot open at the careless remark that had been tossed into the air, and Wang Qinian’s countenance blanched after his groggy brain comprehended its content.
The elderly shopkeeper quickly sat upright in a seated pattern, his eyes narrowed into a fearsome glare mired in disbelief and fury.
“Lingxue, you’re about to off your Master for his techniques?”
The elderly shopkeeper raised a piteous expression towards the young girl, his saintly demeanor exuding an aura of pity and depression.
“I haven’t thought about that,” An Fei nodded in surprise.
“After all, we’ve already arrived at Tianfeng City, while a certain elderly man spent his splendid time sleeping instead of properly guiding people around, ah.”
Wang Qinian gulped at the scathing remark that boxed him around the ears. A single glance outside towards the circular wall of carved stone caused the elderly shopkeeper to make a compassionate decision on the spot.
“Looks like I have done wrong to Lingxue,” the elderly man exhaled with a great sigh, leaping out of the wooden carriage with an agile tap of his toes.
“Come, Master will take a pail of –“
Splat!
Just as Wang Qinian spread apart his arms to righteously withstand a pail’s worth of cold water, a torrential flood splattered from the heavens to soak the old man to his feet, leaving him spluttering in helplessness, shock, and pure confusion.
Heavens!
Such an evil raven could even exist?
And why was this water so f*cking cold!?
