Father

“What did you just say?” Deng Tsang Ying asked in a startled voice. He was currently looking at his calm and collected son. It seemed as though his son had become someone else. This boy was currently kneeling on the floor in front of his father while holding a memory stone in his hand.

“It is as I have said father,” Deng Wu said respectfully while gently nudging the gemstone, allowing a set of paper scrolls to appear within his hands.

This memory stone was another storage stone, although it was one of a lower quality. The only thing which had been stored within it were the blueprints to create watermills and any adjustments necessary to change the items they produced.

“These are drawings that depict an amazing mechanism which will allow us to use the river as a power source without any need for spiritual energy,” Deng Wu decided to reiterate Hui Yue’s words. He slowly moved towards his father and respectfully handed over the two paper scrolls.

A flash of coldness gleamed within the middle-aged man’s dark eyes while a smile spread upon his face.

“A way to get power without the need for spiritual energy?” he repeated, clearly very satisfied with his son. At first, Deng Tsang Ying had been unhappy when Deng Wu had requested an audience with all the elders of the clan. Considering Deng Wu’s rank in the family, Deng Tsang Ying had no choice but to call the family elders together.

Deng Tsang Ying was jealous of his son. Although Deng Tsang Ying was a King ranked expert, his talent had never been as frightening as his son’s. Currently, the elders only allowed Deng Tsang Ying to stay as the family leader because of his son’s achievements.

This was one of many reasons why Deng Tsang Ying hated his son. It was obvious that one day the elders would remove him so Deng Wu could become the new leader. Fortunately, right now he was still studying, and Deng Tsang Ying was still able to contemplate what he was willing to do to keep his position.

Unfortunately for him, the family had gained quite a bit of face from Deng Wu revealing a relationship with this unknown female expert. As such the hatred for his son, which Deng Tsang Ying held within him, had grown even more. Despite all this, Deng Wu was still considered a youngster. Everything he owned belonged to the family, which in turn, belonged to Deng Tsang Ying.

This had caused Deng Tsang Ying to wish that he could meet this unknown expert. It seemed as if she had vanished as quickly as she had arrived, having left the town the same day as the auction, and having not returned.

Be that as it may, now, a week after the auction, Deng Wu suddenly arrived with a gift from this expert. A gift which was worth much more than the two high-ranked skills she had sold.

“If we are to try out these watermills, Li Fen has required five percent of the revenue, for drawing the machines for us. She also said she might help us again, at some later date, with other mechanisms that work without spiritual power,” Deng Wu continued slowly and deliberately to ensure that everyone heard that his friend had demanded five percent.

“Outrageous!” Deng Tsang Ying exclaimed. “When giving away a cow, one does not return for the meat!”

“She was not giving it for our benefit alone, but for the sake of collaboration. Also, please do consider that it is only five percent. We are still in control of the remaining ninety-five percent.” Having heard this, the elders all nodded their heads slightly agreeing with what Deng Wu was saying.

“We need to remember that these watermills can more than double our current production. Is it too much to show this much gratitude? Hopefully, we can create an outstanding relationship with an extreme expert in the process. This is definitely an extremely beneficial situation for us.”

The elders behind Deng Tsang Ying all nodded their heads and gave voice to their agreement. None of them understood that Deng Tsang Ying was in actuality jealous of his son. These elders were making it worse.

“Did you say we could double our current revenue?” Deng Tsang Ying asked in a voice hoarse with strife. These watermills could definitely help him strengthen his position so that he could better deal with his son at a later date.

Dealing with Deng Wu was something that would take a very long time, especially considering that not even he knew what Deng Wu’s real level of cultivation was at.

Deng Wu’s eyes were filled with disdain as he stood to explain the watermill to his father. Although the elders were unaware of the hostility between father and son, how could Deng Wu possibly be oblivious to this hostility?

Even though Deng Tsang Ying was hateful towards Deng Wu, it wasn’t anything that bothered Deng Wu much. Deng Wu was also well aware that the elders were supporting him so that one day he would take over as the family head. Then his father could rant all he wanted to.

“Young Master Wu,” one of the elders said after they had all looked at the sketches for some time, “please tell the esteemed expert that we greatly appreciate the opportunity she has provided us with. We will always have our doors open to her if she is in need of a place to stay.”

Hearing this almost caused Deng Wu to snort with disbelief as he was completely aware of who Li Fen actually was. Nonetheless, Deng Wu was as respectful as ever as he assured the elder that he would inform her of this.

Deng Wu excused himself and went back to his courtyard where he rested a little before it was time to return to the academy. His usually smiling face was firm and filled with an icy coldness. Anyone who saw him would be unable to recognize him, as he was usually a cheerful guy.

Deng Wu did not feel much love for his father. At the same time, the Deng family was where he belonged. He was grateful to Hui Yue not only for giving him face but also for handing over such a treasured machine as the watermill.

Hui Yue interested Deng Wu in a way that he hadn’t been interested since he had found his azure figurine. There was a profound strength within both of them and a perplexity which he had never experienced elsewhere.

Deng Wu’s signature smile returned to his face as he thought about the many adventures which were waiting for him. It was obvious that this little runt, Hui Yue, was in no way a normal person. It was also apparent that by befriending such an extraordinary child, not only would his family gain fame and prestige, but he would also gain a way to escape this boring childhood city of his.

After Deng Wu left the hall, Deng Tsang Ying sat looking at the drawings for some time.

“We will begin to act when we have implemented all of these new watermills and confirm that they actually work,” he said to the elders, all of whom solemnly nodded their heads.

“Why not tell young Master Wu about our plans?” one of the elders asked, only to notice rage flash through the eyes of Deng Tsang Ying.

This rage was due to once again being told that he should include his son in something in which he thought the younger generation should have no say. The elder, however, assumed it was due to the danger of their plan. To involve Deng Wu would also give him an equal share of the danger.

“For now no one is to know anything,” Deng Tsang Ying said in a stern voice. He then picked up a memory stone which he handed to one of the elders present. “Hand this to our informant and have him act in accordance with the order. Under no circumstances are you allowed to read it yourself.”

Dusk was drawing near as Hui Yue and Ma Kong finally left the manager’s office. Outside of the Black Market Auction House the Rong twins and Gao Yan were waiting for them. Together these five friends started making their way towards the Deng family compound.

Deng Wu was the only one in the group who had his own carriage. It was natural for their group to rely on him when it came to transporting them back to the academy.

Rong Xing used a message memory stone to contact Deng Wu, who informed them that he was currently at home, causing the five of them to move towards Deng Wu’s home.

Hui Yue was slightly apprehensive about visiting the Deng family compound once again. At the same time, he felt a slight curiosity as he wished to see how terrible the Shan family compound looked in the daylight, a week after the devastating fire.

Hui Yue still felt no guilt over what had happened to the Shan family. Shan Ping had caused trouble for him previously. Although his family compound had been burned to ashes, no one had died. The guards had seen the fire upon its collision with the walls that surrounded the main hall and acted quickly to ensure the family’s safety.

Walking through the streets the lot of them spoke about the events that had transpired that day. The twins and Gao Yan had enjoyed their visit to the Martial Arts School where they had been assistant teachers, giving the students the impression that as long as they worked hard, they would definitely make it to the Royal Academy. Gao Yan had turned into their hero.

Upon reaching the previous Shan family compound, Hui Yue raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had expected to find an area still showing the great destruction; however, this was not the case.

The entire area had been demolished. The only things which remained were a few barracks from which the Shan family guards patrolled the grounds. These guards were to be here until the grounds went up for auction. Multiple noble delegations had been sent here to discuss a buyout price.

Astonishment filled Hui Yue as he realized that within a week even after losing their home the Shan family had actually managed to reorganize themselves so perfectly.

Although the Shan family was a low-ranked noble family within Riluo City, they still had numerous cultivators who had unlocked their middle dantian. Be that as it may, they still had not produced a cultivator who could break into the upper dantian; that would then give their family new prestige.

By now it was easy for Hui Yue to see what kind of a world he lived in. It was a world where the strong survived, and the weak died. A world where family mattered. They provided for you as long as you helped them. There would always be safety in numbers. This safety had implemented an immensely strong martial law. Even if chaos were to descend upon this world, Hui Yue now understood that the astounded reaction that would have occurred in his old world wouldn’t transpire here.

As Hui Yue gazed upon this demolished family compound in front of him, it made him realize that his world had changed. His world had undergone such a drastic change. Even with all of the changes to his surroundings, Hui Yue had changed the most.

Not only had his appearance and age drastically changed, but his way of thinking had also been affected by the surroundings.

Destroying the home of hundreds of people while not feeling guilty was one thing that the old Hui Yue would never have accepted. A new awareness had grown within Hui Yue after his ten years of life within this world. Previously Hui Yue believed that people could be trusted until proven otherwise. He now firmly believed that strangers were not to be trusted.