13. Beneath The Pine
.
Tea and snacks were served after they settled in a garden pagoda.
Zhang Furen and Xu Furen went off to discuss, leaving Xu Weiyan with Lord Zhang and Lord Xu.
Lord Zhang and Lord Xu started off with small talk, and Lord Zhang asked Weiyan how she was, commending her accomplishments again.
Tea was served with flower cakes, as the two men lightly discussed the daily happenings of Yue City, and Weiyan busied herself by admiring the garden.
But soon the discussion moved to a more serious topic, which made Lord Zhang's brows draw together.
"I hear the disciples went after ten ghosts this month alone?" Lord Zhang began. "What could be causing this?"
Weiyan's ears twitched. Having just returned, she had not completely caught wind of the Sect's problems.
"Hmmmm." Lord Xu sounded tired. "The ghosts aren't really the problem. Sometimes, all we must do is help them solve their grievances... But in addition to the ghosts, there are too many evil spirits!
"We've faced sixteen this month alone, and five were so powerful that I and the elders personally stepped in."
"What?!" Lord Zhang dropped his own cup. "Those are at least level nine spirits!"
Sect Missions were ranked from One to Twelve based on severity, and these levels applied to beasts and evil spirits as well.
Anything above Level Nine wasn't placed on the Sect's mission board, as it was too powerful for anyone below Elder Rank, and anything above Level Twelve wasn't even ranked, as it was too powerful for anyone in the sect.
"We've been keeping the evil spirits a secret, so there won't be mass panic, especially in the cities. The City Heads personally send word once there's an evil spirit at play."
The Yueyan Sect owned the entire Yueyan Mountain, which was a large sprawling mass, though smaller when compared to Huo and Yun Mountain, the two largest in Baishan.
Yueyan Mountain was rich in flora and fauna, with two large waterfalls and one major river, called the Yan River, which flowed throughout the mountain.
All these prime conditions had attracted settlers through centuries...
On the mountain itself were seven cities and six small settlements at different altitudes, but at the mountain's base were over twenty cities, and they were all indirectly governed by the Yueyan Sect.
These Cities were populated by regular humans who didn't cultivate, so the Sect left them to City Heads or County Heads and this sometimes led to rebellion, as younger generations might be tempted to 'forget' who the actual rulers were...
But with a beating or two, they were usually put back in line.
If the city leaders didn't do well, the people could also write petitions to the Sect, and the Sect Elder in charge of the external cities would descend and investigate, replacing the leaders if need be.
But most importantly, these cities depended on the Sect for protection.
Since residents were regular humans with no cultivation, they sent in requests to the Sect.
These requests could range from catching criminals that elude the magistrate, or escorting a wealthy man, or goods, or delivering precious items, breaking feuds, creating talismans, casting protective spells or formations, expelling ghosts, and the like.
Once a request came in, payments were made to the Sect based on the danger level, and then a mission was created and ranked on the Sect's mission board.
Then Disciples, Sect warriors, or Elders could select based on their rank. They get paid by the Sect if they succeed, and the rewards could be gold, Silver, Qi stones, rare herbs, pills, or rare weapons.
But with the recent influx of evil spirits, there had been a wave of high-ranked requests...
Lord Xu shook his head. "It's bothersome! And then there's that strange attack in Tian Yue temple!"
"Aiya..."
The old woman in the temple had been torn apart so badly that they still didn't know who she was!
"In the end, I had a few Ice cultivators preserve her remains and the temple in ice... Who knows whose grandmother she is?" Lord Xu finished, and both men sighed, drinking their tea in silence.
But then Lord Zhang eventually spoke.
"Xu Feng, you came to visit me, though I saw you yesterday?"
The Sky Emperor's Decree had asked every notable person to greet Weiyan at Yue City's gates, and that included Lord Zhang, though he left early to attend some business, so he didn't see Weiyan arrive.
Lord Xu nodded. "I came to discuss with your son today. Forgive us for intruding."
"Ah, you are here for A-Cheng's marriage to Weiyan? A-Cheng has been away on secluded cultivation, but he'll be back today! Don't worry! If you want the wedding to happen sooner, we will be accommodating!"
Weiyan stiffened, but Lord Xu quickly waved a hand in front of his face.
"Ah no no, it's not that! Ehehe, We agreed to let the children achieve a certain potential before marriage. Yan yan is a genius, and I still want her to serve as a Disciple for a while... Perhaps in four years?"
Lord Zhang gave no reply, and Lord Xu gave a small cough.
"Ahem! For today, we came to see the 2nd Young Master."
Lord Zhang nearly dropped his teacup. 'Luoyin?!' He thought with some surprise, then forced a smile. "Haha, hope Luoyin hasn't done anything to offend you or your family?!"
But Lord Xu shook his head. "On the contrary! The 2nd Young Master greatly helped us yesterday! If not for him, I'm afraid High Immortal Sun would have cheated Yan Yan.
"We have come to thank the young man!" Lord Xu finished. "His knowledge on beasts is also commendable. If possible, I want him to oversee the whole process with the Divine Light Tiger and her cub!"
"Our A-Yin?!" Lord Zhang had already left by the time Weiyan arrived with the procession, so he had only heard the story from one of the servants.
But he hadn't believe it!
Recently, 'useless' was an understatement for his second son, and the boy didn't even show his face or speak! In fact, he just realized he had not seen Luoyin in months.
Xu Fengyan lifted his teacup for a sip, resisting the urge to shake his head as he noted his friend's bad habit.
The habit of measuring a person's worth, based on how they could benefit him, his level, his status, or his family.
He could see the disbelief in his friend's eyes, and yet he had suddenly referred to Luoyin as 'Our A-Yin'. An endearing term he hadn't used in years, simply because Xu Fengyan was suddenly interested in Luoyin
He had seen a similar attitude in Zhang Cheng, and that was why he couldn't let Weiyan marry now.
He wanted her to be older and strong enough to handle any changing tides within the Zhang household.
Meanwhile, Weiyan sat properly, keeping quiet as the men discussed.
She pretended she couldn't hear them, and she looked around the garden, her irises taking in the beautiful scenery.
She had always liked this particular garden, but hadn't visited in years, and her last time here had also been the last time she had spoken to Zhang Luoyin before the previous night.
A memory drifted forth, reminding her of how a ten year old Luoyin had brought her to this garden and boldly declared, "You will be my wife in the future! Don't worry, I will become a capable cultivator, and take care of you! Hehe!"
How ironic.
The last time she had seen him here, he had boldly cancelled their engagement in front of her father.
Weiyan sighed.
~"Yan Wei."~ A voice whispered in her head, and she started in surprise.
It was the softest whisper. As if it came from within her.
~"Yan Wei."~ The whisper repeated.
'Telepathy!' She guessed, looking around.
But she saw no one but Lord Zhang and her father.
Also, the voice had said 'Yan Wei', instead of 'Weiyan', and it sounded nothing like the Light Tiger, or Immortal Sun Liang. The fairies had also left, once they settled in the Light Tiger.
Yet it felt familiar, and there was a mild pull urging her to leave and follow the voice.
~"Yan Wei."~ The whisper sounded softer, yet closer. Like someone whispering right in her ear.
Weiyan instantly shot to her feet, and the two men looked up at her.
"Yan Yan, are you okay?" Her father asked with some concern, and she hastily cupped her hands and bowed to both of them.
"My apologies." She thought quickly. "I just remembered I prepared a gift for 2nd Young Master Zhang. The households are not too far apart, so I will hurry and get it."
"Ah, how thoughtful! Our *'Erudite Swordsman' is so well-mannered!" Zhang Guo praised her, conveniently forgetting there was a time he hadn't wanted Xu Weiyan in the Zhang family.
(*One of her new titles)
At her father's nod of permission, Weiyan politely bowed again, then excused herself and hurried out toward the outer courtyard.
But she changed direction suddenly, and headed inwards, going further into the Zhang residence.
She couldn't hear the voice again, but she still felt that mild pull, and her feet moved on their own till she reached a large pine tree in a small garden.
The Pine tree had existed for several generations, and it was one of the prides of the Zhang household.
It was also one of the things Weiyan liked the most about this place.
She had always loved pine trees, and had spent a large part of her childhood climbing the ones in the forest, and then reading in their shadowy branches.
Now facing the aged pine, Weiyan could spot a shadow in its shade, and she approached cautiously.
But as she got closer, she concluded that this was the most disheveled immortal she ever met!
She stopped behind him, cupped her hands and bowed.
"Greetings, Immortal... Did you call me here?"
The figure beneath the pine tree went rigid as he heard Weiyan's voice.
'Why is she here again?!' He complained internally, then turned slowly.
Weiyan's brows raised. "2nd Young Master Zhang?!"
.