Chapter 51

Jiang Xiaotong, Lai Meihui, Luo Huifang, and the baby clapped their hands. Kaijun made a spectacle of clasping his fists and bowing, saying his gratitude to the praises they sung for him. Li Jiayi was nose deep into a book, his hand holding a brush, recording whatever Kaijun had told him into a book. A book that had "Ming Yongnian" written on the covers.

The baby who was cheered up by Kaijun's story was bubbly again. "Ah, ah!" After receiving Mo Huijun's "love" the baby had been silent and shrouded by a dark cloud. Now Kaijun's story of her papa cheered her up so much she couldn't help but break out a smile.

"Thank you for your loving praise Xiaobao!" Kaijun tried to steal the baby away from Ming Yongnian, but the Immortal avoided the Kaijun's hands. Pouting Kaijun mumbled, "So territorial…" Then the air around Kaijun changed from bubbly to restrained. "Remember to choose carefully Nian."

The choice to make a sect as a country, or a separate sect and government.

Ming Yongnian only stated, "We'll wait for Feng Delun."

The cultivators within the room collectively sensed someone approaching the building.

Jiang Xiaotong got off his back and stood up. "They're not a cultivator, they should be one of the villagers."

"Let me see why they came." Jin Liwei strode to the door.

"I'll go with you." Jiang Xiaotong quickly caught up to Jin Liwei who was stepping out of the house."

The two closed the door behind them.

Luo Huifang wondered out loud, "I wonder why they suddenly came?"

Even though Jiang Xiaotong and Jin Liwei were a ways away from the house, with their current cultivation all of them -- except for the baby -- could hear the conversation outside. Like Jiang Xiaotong had guessed, it was one of the villagers approaching their house.

In Jin Liwei fashion the man in gold directly asked, "What matters do you have?"

Jiang Xiaotong nudged his elbow to Jin Liwei's ribs. "Liwei, you're too blunt. Do you need any help young man?"

The young man with lanky stature and bones shown beneath his skin was shaking. Clearly he was malnourished and nervous. "I-I, we, we wish to say our gratitude for the… ermm rain. Yes! For the rain! Thank you so much!!!" The young man bowed down, his body a little crooked with how malnourished he was.

Just a small rain made this boy flutter in joy, Jin Liwei glanced towards Jiang Xiaotong. There were no ripples of emotions on Jiang Xiaotong's face.

Jiang Xiaotong made a gesture with his hand. "It's nothing but a little rain. We are going to live here in the future. Leaving this realm with nothing but dry cracked land is too miserable for my brothers and sisters to live in."

The boy lifted his head quickly. He was not expecting any cultivators to live in their Barren realm.

"Thanking us is not the only reason why you are here." Jin Liwei did not want to waste any time. He roughly knows why the boy was here.

He lowered his head again and spoke with a trembling voice, but this time the boy's words came clear. "Immortal ever since you made the sky rain our crops have been growing well. There is no shortage of clean water for us. The grasses you plant also made the heat in this realm far more bearable." The boy gulped. "But the people from other villages have noticed this and they came to our village. If it's just one or two we can handle it but--"

Jin Liwei spoke before the boy does, "But an entire village moved to yours?"

They were all a Nascent Soul cultivator and higher. Naturally they sensed a group of people moving towards their directions. Why might a scholar cultivator like Jin Liwei be aware of these people's movement? Although Jin Liwei, Lan Jianhong, and Li Jiayi are scholars, they were still a Nascent Soul cultivator. They could sense these people who were not trying to cloak their breath of life.

The boy nodded.

Jin Liwei asked in a bored tone, "What would you have us do?"

This earned Jin Liwei another nudge from Jiang Xiaotong. To which Jin Liwei merely clicked his tongue. Jiang Xiaotong smiled at the boy who was frightened by Jin Liwei's blunt question. "They moved here because of us." Jiang Xiaotong was not asking this, he was merely stating.

The boy nodded again as an answer. "They came here to seek shelter with the immortal's. Life in the barren realm is harsh for us. If there is a chance for us to live a better life we will do our best to chase it." Desperate times call for desperate measures. "We've told them that the immortals may not like their presence. They still won't leave after we told them this."

Jiang Xiaotong calmed the young boy down before sending him back to the village. When Jin Liwei and Jiang Xiaotong came back into the house they didn't need to explain anything. Everyone in this house should hear the conversation outside.

Collectively they looked towards Ming Yongnian.

Kaijun who saw this moment of "little ducklings following the mother" scene chuckled. "Nian it looks like you are forced to make a decision where the sect will be going forward to."

Li Jiayi frowned. "The direction the sect will take in the future?"

Nodding Kaijun said, "That's about right whether we will have the sect dominate the entire realm and claim ourselves as a ruling government. Or have our sect be separate from the government and control the masses from the shadows."

That sounded like a big deal. So they all looked towards Ming Yongnian once more.

"We'll wait for Feng Delun to return and also Luo Huifang." Was Ming Yongnian's firm answer.

"Hmm, where did Meihui go again?" Jie Qiqiang asked.

"She's taking her disciple back to see the old ghost." Lai Meihui answered.

Lan Jianhong blinked. "Which old ghost?"

"Mimi."

They all blinked, was that a person's name?

***

"Then Shifu will come back for you in a few hours." Luo Huifang bid her goodbye to Tian Mengshen and left the tea shop.

With just the two of them the old ghost stared at the little ghost's back. "Little lord, why have you returned so fast? Could it be that Huifang has grown tired of you?"

What kind of imagination was running through Mimi's head right now, Tian Mengshen could not imagine. "..." But this old ghost was thankfully too useful for Tian Mengshen to kill. His hand might as well slip if the old ghost was not. "I need you to look over a contract for me."

Mimi had a large question mark above his head. "A contract."

Tian Mengshen handed the contract Li Jiayi had written and gave it to Mimi.

The old ghost's eyes began reading through the contract. At first Mimi's eyes slowly took in what was written on the pages, the old man was even sipping his tea's essence. As the old man read further into the contract clear black lines formed on the old ghost's forehead. Until eventually the old ghost hopped out of his chair and spit his tea. "Little Lord! What is this abomination?"

"A contract." Tian Mengshen said flatly.

"I can see that, but what exactly is this?" Mimi waved the contract around in the air. Shaking it like he was trying to throw away what was written on the parchment.

"A contract."

"You've said that. This couldn't be a disciple contract. No Sect makes up this kind of abomination." Mimi recite a line from the contract, "[If in the future the disciple should try to challenge the heavens and shatter the world they must not drag the sect into such conflicts.] Do they know what we are planning?"

Tian Mengshen lifted a brow. "You think?" He began drumming his little ghostly fingers onto the table. "It's impossible for them to know our plans."

When Mimi heard how certain Tian Mengshen sounded, his shoulders slumped. "Yes, yes, it's impossible for anyone to know. We've prepared so well this time. We will succeed this time, Little Lord." Mimi nodded, in a way he was trying to convince himself. Then his eyes fell on the hot piece of cake in his hand, the contract. "Won't this 'thing'," Mimi shook the contract again. "Be of hindrance to our plans?"

The corners of Tian Mengshen's lips slowly curled upwards. "It won't, not when they will agree to our plans."

Mimi was confused for a split second then his face lit up with realization. "The Devil Venerable."

"Yes, Mo Huijun."

Combing through his long white beard Mimi spoke, "Mo Huijun and Ming Yongnian's strings of fate are inevitably tied. Any momentous decision Mo Huijun makes, Ming Yongnian will be splashed by the tide. After all those two share one little lotus."

"That is why in the final grand calculus of life their little lotus is a vital key."

Mimi solemnly agreed in his heart with what Tian Mengshen stated. "Thus the heavens, earth, and the raging flames below had spoken. A heavy burden one child must bear."