Escaping Fate

by Tinalynge

  Looking around, the masked man’s eyes landed upon the young Tang Jing. “You there,” he said, while pointing at the young master, “Lead me out of these damned underground tunnels and make sure that I don’t get lost. I’ll leave the scheming to you guys.”

  Having said that, the man started walking and didn’t give Tang Jing any time to consider what to do. He rushed out to the masked man and tried to show him respect as he humbly led the lord out.

  Looking at the closing door, Tang Ye sighed deeply. The smile never vanished from his face as he turned around and looked at the four remaining masked men within the room. “Sorry about that, let us start discussing how we will deal with the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.”

  ….

  That night as Yong Meilin finally understood her own feelings, she was unable to sleep. Half of the night was spent filled with happiness and eagerness to see the young man the following day. At the same time, she was filled with worry. What if he did not share her feelings? What if she was acting weird? She knew that she was pretty, but was she to his liking? Having spoken with him as often as she had, she knew that Xu Min valued inner values far more than the outer looks. Was she good enough for him?

  The rest of the night was spent pacing her floor as she switched between eagerness and happiness or sadness and nervousness. She could not understand her own emotions because she had never felt this way before. Should she tell her grandfather about this? Should she keep it a secret? Should she tell Xu Min or perhaps sneak it in the conversation somehow? Maybe asking him quietly about what he thought about her, but did she have the courage to do so? Thinking about all these things, her cheeks flushed red. She felt as though she was too hot within the room. As she opened the windows and looked out at the beautiful and starry sky, her mood was the best it had ever been. She knew that, under these stars, Xu Min was sitting still and cultivating. Although he was not thinking about her, she knew he was close by. It was a closeness that finally helped her calm down.

  ….

  Xu Min was standing in his courtyard. Within his hand was his sword given by Wang Li. He had brought it with him for a long time, but he had never actually used it. Although he knew that this weapon was a fierce weapon because it was a large and could be used both defensively and offensively, he was unskilled with swords. Even holding it in his hand felt foreign. But after standing still for some time, his muscles tensed. One sword stroke was drawn through the air.

  *Zhing*

  As the sword swung through the air, a sound could be heard. The heavy sword required Xu Min to use his full strength to carry it, let alone swing it. On his face, a brilliant smile was visible. Not only would training with the sword familiarize himself with it, but also it would also help him with his physical training. He swung the sword again and again. The sounds resounded within the courtyard as sweat started to appear on his body. Wielding a sword this big was hard work, but it was also a rewarding experience for Xu Min. He was filled with excitement as he stood still and made the same swing again and again. He slowly opened the world of a swordsman.

  Xu Min was so focused on training that he did not hear the knocking on his courtyard. Yong Meiling was not one who enjoyed waiting, so she entered through the gate even though no one gave her permission to go in. Her heart was beating rapidly and as she entered the room, red spots appeared on her pale cheeks. Her throat turned dry and she was incapable of saying anything. Her entire body was controlled by her emotions.

  While Xu Min was training, Cao Cao was usually sleeping. However, the snake had noticed the strange behavior of Yong Meilin and slithered down to the ground. He drew close to Yong Meilin and slithered onto her arm where it observed her curiously.

  Although Cao Cao could converse with Xu Min, the two of them conversed spiritually. For him to talk out loud was still impossible; thus, it was not possible for him to speak with Yong Meiling. However, the young woman had guessed as to why the snake had appeared, and with a trembling finger did she shush the small snake.

  “Don’t say anything,” she whispered to the snake as she petted its head. “I’ll give you the most delicious food as long as you promise me not to tell Xu Min anything.”

  Hearing the words “delicious food”, Cao Cao was instantly sold as his eyes glistened. Drool could be seen on his small mouth as he snuck closer to Yong Meilin. Although Cao Cao was against most humans, he had gotten some kind of trust when it came to Yong Meilin. He was further tempted by the prospect of delicious food, so it was an impossible task to not accept the offer to him.

  Looking with one long glance towards Xu Min, Yong Meiling quickly understood that the young man was simply too deeply immersed within his training to notice anything at all. A wry smile appeared on her face. She alone had gotten all worked up about visiting him today; however, he did not even notice her.

  With mixed emotions and a final glance towards Xu Min, Yong Meilin stood up. With Cao Cao on her arm, she left the courtyard and moved towards the main mansion of the Yong family.

  “I know someone who would be very honored to meet you,” Yong Meiling said to the snake on her arm. Together, the two of them entered the main mansion and headed towards the office where Yong Meilin’s grandfather worked on the matters that concerned the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

  Chapter 39 - Younger Generation Geniuses

  “Grandfather,” Yong Meilin said respectfully as she entered the door into the office where the elderly man was seated. She was currently looking at a scroll within his hand that made him frown slightly. The news he had received was anything but jubilous.

  “Grandfather,” Yong Meilin repeated, to ensure that he had heard her. It seemed as though the second call had managed to return the grandfather to the room. His mind no longer circulated about whatever information it was that he had read within the scroll between his hands.

  “Little Meilin,” he said with a gentle smile on his face. Looking at the young girl in front of him, the smile froze as his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw what was curled around the woman’s arm looking completely comfortable and smug.

  Seeing the snake, the elderly man stood up and slowly approached Cao Cao, who did not mind it at all as he adored getting a lot of attention. Instead, he slithered around and made himself look very big and important. Seeing this, Yong Meilin could not help but giggle at the young snake, but she still petted it gently on its head. Her beautiful face shook slightly with a gentle smile on her face.

  “Grandfather. This is Cao Cao, Xu Min’s companion.” Yong Meilin said respectfully and the snake understood the cue and moved towards the elderly man. It slithered up his arm and resting gently on the shoulder.

  “Grandfather, I promised to give Cao Cao a good meal. He adores the delicacies from Ri Chu City and I would have invited you to come with us,” she said smiling, but the elderly man showed a depressed smile as he shook his head.

  “We have received an invitation to a tournament held by the Tang family,” he said. His voice was devoid of all emotions, making it impossible for Yong Meilin to determine whether or not this was a good thing.

  “This is a tournament held by the young generation of Ri Chu City and we have also gotten an invitation.”

  “But Grandfather, we do not have any young cultivators who are suitable for such a competition,” Yong Meilin complained and her grandfather nodded gently.

  “Usually, we would have had no one in our family participating and we would not have been given an invitation. But it is obvious that they expect Xu Min to make an appearance on behalf of us.” Contemplating for some time, the elderly man finally smiled.

  “After you have given the snake some food, go to Xu Min’s courtyard. Get him to come visit me, I need to talk with him about this offer.”

  Hearing this, Yong Meilin nodded and accepted the order given by her grandfather. Small butterflies started to appear in her stomach as she thought about going to visit Xu Min once more. Her entire mind was about the young man as she had changed seve
rely over the past day after she had accepted her emotions. Without showing even the smallest change to her personality, Yong Meiling went towards the kitchens to get some food for the hungry snake.

  While Yong Meilin and Cao Cao were enjoying food, Xu Min finally felt like he was getting the hang of his heavy sword. The sword kept creating energy ripples in the air every time it was swung. The ripples changed drastically from earlier when they were first impossible to control and followed the sword. However now, after having trained the exact same sword stroke all day, his control had increased tremendously. By turning the sword slightly, he could control the energy ripples, and even use them to attack the enemies in front of him.

  Controlling the energy ripples was as hard as controlling the sword itself, but as the day was passing by, Xu Min kept training the same sword strike as before. He would continue to train until the day he had perfected it. Only then would he switch to another strike, another strike that he would then train until perfection.

  As the sun was starting to descent in the sky, the gates to the courtyard opened and Yong Meiling stepped inside, bringing Cao Cao with her. The two looked at Xu Min who was still training and had sweat running down his entire body. He knew that using such a heavy sword as the one he used now was currently a disadvantage as it required too much strength. Instead, it would assist him when he grew stronger.

  Although Xu Min knew this, he still kept training with the sword. Transcending his limits was what had allowed for him to become stronger physically than the average One-Star Warrior and this was the training he kept improving on. But it has to be said that although Xu Min was transcending his limits, he knew when to stop and relax. As the sun had completely gone down behind the city wall, Xu Min finally came to a stop. Looking around, a smile adorned his face as he saw both Yong Meilin and Cao Cao waiting for him at a grassy patch in the courtyard.

  “Xu Min, my grandfather requested to talk with you,” Yong Meilin said instantly, her voice serious. Although she wished to spend time with him, she wanted to ensure that her grandfather’s task was handled first. Seeing her serious face, Xu Min lifted his arm and the snake slithered up his arm to coil around his neck. He camouflaged himself once more as Xu Min wiped his sweaty body and found a clean set of clothes.

  Changing in front of Yong Meilin was no problem for Xu Min; however, the poor girl was completely astonished and embarrassed by it. Her hands covered her eyes as her face grew red, something that caused Xu Min to laugh out loud.

  “Show me the way,” he said after having finished dressing. A sly smile was sent towards the girl who still had red cheeks. She could not help but pout, making her seem absolutely adorable. Even Xu Min who for the most part was capable of ignoring her beauty had to admit that her pouting was incredibly attractive.

  Clearing his throat and looking away, Xu Min started to walk in the direction he thought the office was. Not given any more time to pout, Yong Meilin quickly followed suit. She gathered her courage to pick up Xu Min’s hand and lead him by hand towards the office in which her grandfather was awaiting them.

  Knocking on the door, Xu Min stepped through the the opening. His bearings were not like a young man, but instead he managed to seem far taller than he was. His personal calmness was something which easily smote those around him. An aura of strength was what the grandfather felt when he looked at the young man.

  “Young man, I hope you stay here at the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. We are very grateful to be looking after you, and it seems as though my dear grandchild has taken a fancy to you,” the man chuckled. His words were a way to tell him that he too approved of their connection, but he had never expected that Yong Meilin would turn beet red and her fingers fidgeting.

  The smile on his face grew larger as he observed the two youngsters. He had expected that Xu Min would have turned embarrassed in some way, and at the same time happy. But the only reaction he got was Xu Min smiling slightly and his grandchild beet red and flustered.

  “As you might have noticed, the Yong family does not have any young men who are strong enough to be considered a part of the geniuses of the younger generation within Ri Chu City. It turns out that the Tang family is holding a celebration tournament to celebrate the twenty-fifth birthday of their young master and they have invited us. We are not capable of producing such a genius to the tournament so I wondered if you were interested on joining? You will be heavily rewarded depending on how well you do.”

  Xu Min was contemplating for some time, his face not displaying any of his thoughts. He kept both the elder and the young girl holding their breaths as they were waiting for the answer.

  “How strong are the opponents?” Xu Min suddenly asked, his question bringing some joy to the elder as he now knew the young man was seriously contemplating it.

  “The strongest opponents will be Three-Star Warriors,” the elder said, “But you only do one battle a day and the contest runs for a whole week. At the same time. There will be a festival within Ri Chu City, a festival to celebrate the birth of the city.”

  “Three-Stars, huh,” Xu Min said to himself, his eyes were shining with excitement. “Are weapons approved of?” He suddenly asked. Defeating Three-Star Warriors without a weapon was an impossible task, unless he relied on Cao Cao. However, he saw no reason to do so for a simple tournament held within the city.

  “Weapons are approved of, but killing is frowned upon. If you cannot control your strength then be aware that you are likely to be disqualified.” The elder said with a neutral voice. He had not heard about the fights Xu Min had participated in so far. He had also not heard about him using a weapon making him slightly sceptical about the abilities belonging to this young man. He was already spectacular but if he could wield a weapon, it would be even more astonishing.

  “When is this tournament?” Xu Min continued to ask questions until he felt like he had gotten all the answers he needed.

  It turned out that the tournament would be held two months from now and that every major family within Ri Chu City would be participating within the tournament. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion had never participated within a tournament before. Although they knew about the rules and such from watching the tournaments, this was the first time they dared step into the ranks of the big cities within Ri Chu City.

  Xu Min finally understood that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion was new to Ri Chu City. This was but a small branch of one of the largest merchant companies within the continent. In Ri Chu City, they had only just entered ten years ago.

  Although they had arrived ten years ago, they had managed to pave out a road for themselves and they had become the richest of all the families within Ri Chu City, something which every other family hungered to become a part of.

  Even though The Alluring Treasure Pavilion had managed to make a large amount of money and found a niche for themselves within the city, they were still looked upon as newcomers. The Yong family was not particularly successful when it came to cultivation. However, they were great at making a profit, something which caused many to envy them.

  Everyone knew that the next in line to the position as a branch leader was Yong Meilin, which was another reason as to why the families had allowed their sons to woo her. Unfortunately, she had been known as an ice-queen who enjoyed to mingle within the younger generation. But as soon as it came to relationships, she would back away like a cat hit by lightning and never let herself be bound by one person.

  The elder was aware that inviting Xu Min to this tournament was done for the sake of killing him and making it out as an accident. However, the elder felt that Xu Min would not die from such a simple tournament. The elder was aware that somewhere on Xu Min’s neck was the snake Cao Cao, a beast who would keep him safe. Lost in his thoughts, a smile appeared on his face, “Join for us and we will reward you heavily. We can even find some medicinal pills for you, should you wish for stronger pills than those you got last time.”

  Contemplating the many different reasons for why he
should join and not join, Xu Min came to the conclusion that a Three-Star Warrior was incapable of endangering him. He smiled towards the elderly man, “Of course I’ll attend the tournament as your representative, but I will need to focus on my training in the time I have before the tournament starts. I am afraid that the way I am right now is not good enough.”

  Hearing the words, the elder’s eyes were gleaming with excitement. He stood up and shook the hand of the young man, sealing their agreement.

  “Well in that case, please excuse me,” Xu Min said as he bowed towards the elder and then left the room. He headed back to the courtyard where he was going to train harder than he had ever trained before.

  Staying back within the room, the elder looked at Yong Meilin. A large smile was his face, “Good job little Meilin, keep up the hard work!”

  Chapter 40 - Mastering the Sword

  Standing back in the courtyard, Xu Min thrust the sword forward. He maneuvered it in an elegant, but strong manner as he sliced through the air. One minute passed after another as Xu Min was fully focused on mastering the sword in front of him. His hands were slowly getting used to the feeling of the heavy sword within his hands.