She's Back

Tao He was extremely pleased with himself. Ahh, since when had he been accorded such respect and honour?! Not since he had been the top expert of Phoenix Empire's pugilistic world. To think he was now the second prince of Tian, an emperor candidate's backer! Yum, look at this Pinebreadth Sword as well! Interesting, interesting! If not that he was quite attached to his Mapleblade Sword, and the wealth of battle experience that sword had, he would have started learning the Reverse Strike Stance all over again on this one!

Tao He kept the treasure into his conscious with a satisfied expression. It was just in time too, for that annoying brat, Gold Spirit, was approaching. Tao He made his face impassive. He did not like this man.

"Yo, Tao He," Gold Spirit took a seat next to Tao He in Little Bun's gazebo. Currently, the master and madam of the house and the young miss had gone out. To Tao He and Gold Spirit's disconcertion, Li Zhenming had refused to have them accompany, insisting that the Li Manor guards were enough. Currently now, Tao He and Gold Spirit were sitting on pins and needles for fear that their Grand Chief might arrive and scold them for something that was out of their control.

"That's not how to greet a Vanguard," Tao He replied to Gold Spirit's statement.

"Haha, vanguard," Gold Spirit laughed, "I'm still wondering what underhanded methods you used to become one,"

"Skill," said Tao He, looking straight ahead.

"Skill?" Gold Spirit replied mockingly, "dare to duel?"

"The Grand Chief forbade it,"

"She's not here now. What, are you scared?"

Tao He frowned.

"I don't want to visit the Boilers again,"

Gold Spirit laughed long and hard, clutching his chest at one point.

"Oh, I forgot! Poor Tao He! Poor silly Tao He has spent two weeks in the Boilers! Two solid weeks! Tell me how it was, scary?"

"Yes," Tao He replied shortly.

"Ah!" Gold Spirit snorted, "indeed,"

"Shut up; you don't know how it is in there,"

Gold Spirit rolled his eyes. He pulled out of his conscious a jar of wine and an ornate gold cup. Tao He watched him as he poured and drank.

"Are you going to enjoy all that yourself?" Tao He grunted. It was not as if he wanted the wine; he just wanted to poke at Gold Spirit a little, too.

"Of course," Gold Spirit replied unconcernedly.

"Part of the reason you're not a Vanguard, or anything, for that matter," Tao He concluded. Gold Spirit glanced at him.

"Who cares? I'm recognised by the Grand Chief herself,"

"But you'll still get stepped over by all those spangly younglings,"

Gold Spirit sighed and closed his eyes. He swirled the wine around in his mouth, then suddenly opened his eyes and spat the mouthful at Tao He's face.

"You-!!" Tao He was shocked and rose angrily. He immediately siphoned off the wine, "mad, are you?!"

"Speak again," Gold Spirit threatened.

"And then what? I'm a Vanguard with authority, among the Chief Thirty of the Mercenaries! How dare you insult me!" Tao He had retrieved his sword and had it at Gold Spirit's throat.

"Hah," Gold Spirit grabbed the sword, and Tao He pulled it back. The other man leapt up and drew his own weapon, swinging it at Tao He's head. Tao He parried the strike and there was a loud clashing sound that startled the serving maids and servants of the Agate Pavilion.

Tao He dealt fast swift blows with his sword; blows that Gold Spirit found difficult to block. No doubt practising the Reverse Strike Stance gave him the upper hand, for naturally Gold Spirit was not a swordsmaster to be trifled with.

"You--!" Gold Spirit threw Tao He back with a wide slash, "since when were you this skilled?"

Tao He smirked and didn't reply as he closed in and followed up with another strike, and another and another, utilising a sword technique called the Trailblade. Gold Spirit leapt, doubled back sideways, turned his body at awkward angles, even as he kept blocking the blows with his own sword. He was totally unable to make an attack of his own, and was fully on the defensive.

He suddenly frowned and threw back Tao He with a gust of wind. He drew upon his essence and worked a matrix formation in the air with his sword.

"Repell!" He shouted, and brought his sword down upon Tao He with a vertical cut. Tao He raised his sword horizontally above his head to block the blow, even as a wide blue shield formation was activated by him with his other hand. Gold Spirit with a terminating matrix destroyed Tao He's shield formation, and slashed at his neck. The first blood of the duel was thus drawn.

Enraged, Tao He, who had been holding back, with a whirlwind of slashes, returned to his original position with a flick of his sleeves. Gold Spirit, after the dust that had blown up around him had settled, was seen sporting half a dozen serious injuries at the minimum.

"Admit defeat," Tao He spat, and only then noticed the extent of damage they had done to the Young Miss' gazebo. His jaw dropped open. The stone table had cracked in half, the dainty stools, and the young miss' high chair, were ripped and broken; everywhere was in chaos.

"Quick!" He spoke urgently, "let's restore the young miss' gazebo!"

Gold Spirit was examining his wounds and did not appear to hear him. The next second, the man shouldered his sword with a huff and started walking away.

"Hey!" Tao He called after him. Gold Spirit neither looked back, or responded. Cursing under his breath, Tao He started restoring the gazebo, but not quick enough...

"Little Bun! Big sis is back -- huh?"

Li Sihan had just teleported into the gazebo, dressed in a black and red hanfu robe and her hair done up in one simple ponytail. She glanced around the wrecked gazebo with unconcealed surprise. Then she noticed Tao He.

"What's going on here?" Her cold tone was unmistakable.

"Greetings to Grand Chief," Tao He went down on one knee.

"I don't care for your stupid greeting-- where's Little Bun?"

"Replying to Grand Chief, my lord and lady as well as the young miss went out today and are yet to return,"

"Went out where?" Li Sihan frowned.

"This subordinate does not know," Tao He replied honestly.

"So--" Li Sihan surveyed the carnage, "what happened here?"

"Replying to Grand Chief, this subordinate was correcting Gold Spirit,"

"You dueled with him?" Li Sihan asked in rage. Tao He lowered his head.

"No, Grand Chief. Gold Spirit spat a mouthful of wine at my face--"

"Gold Spirit!"

He teleported to the gazebo at once, going down on one knee.

"Grand Chief,"

"Return to the headquarters and visit the Boiler for a week. Then you shall return to the hatcheries,"

Gold Spirit looked up in astonishment.

"Grand Chief--!"

"I have spoken," Li Sihan frowned. Gold Spirit choked on his words. The Boilers?! And then the hatcheries?!? This--! Which squad leader would dare to re-select him?!?

"Grand Chief-- forgive me!"

"Leave!" Li Sihan roared, and leaping back in alarm, Gold Spirit immediately teleported away from the gazebo. Whether he now returned to the Mercenaries was up to him.

"Jun Ru,"

Jun Ru, who was taking his sweet time returning to the Li Manor from where he had teleported to at the other side of the capital, suddenly felt the Grand Chief's summon and had to teleport immediately!

"Grand Chief,"

"Make sure to discipline Gold Spirit," Li Sihan dropped the word before leaving the gazebo with a huff.

Jun Ru looked up at Tao He, who was heaving a sigh of relief. He shook his head lightly. Now he would chase Gold Spirit even to the seventeen levels of the underworld to discipline him to fulfil the Grand Chief's order! What a life! Wasn't it better to just return to the Headquarters at this rate?

"What the hell happened?!" Jun Ru got up and asked Tao He, who was also rising.

"That bastard spat a mouthful of wine at my face,"

"What did you do to him first?" Jun Ru raised an eyebrow. Tao He frowned.

"Hey, you brat! Can't you leave it at that?!"

"No. I don't believe that for no reason Gold Spirit would spit at you," Jun Ru replied, joining Tao He in clearing the debris.

"He's always hated me. Half of those second tier mercenaries back at the Headquarters hate me because I surpassed them when I got chosen to become a Vanguard and later as Storm Sword's disciple,"

"Hmm," Jun Ru stroked his chin.

"Gold Spirit has always been one annoying bastard, anyway," Tao He swept off the cotton fluffs from the pillows of the floor, "he had it coming to him,"

"But you still had the nerve to duel here when the Grand Chief forbade us to,"

"What was I supposed to do when he spat in my face? Sit there?"

"You're simply lucky this time," Jun Ru commented darkly. He returned the last cushion to its proper place and teleported.

*

"Big Sis!" Little Bun cried with excitement when she saw her sister lounging in the gazebo. Held in her mother's arms, she struggled to leap out. Madam Li was quite surprised and exclaimed.

"Hubby, perhaps Silan is ready to walk?"

"Put her down and let's see," Li Zhenming replied with a big smile, his eyes crinkling at the edges. Ren Ziming then bent over and placed the baby on the ground, on her two fat feet. Little Bun wobbled, tried to place one leg ahead of the other, and plop! She fell face forward!

"Oh!" Ren Ziming picked her off the floor at once, "my baby, did it hurt?"

"Waaaah!" Little Bun cried loudly, "big sis! Big sis!"

Li Sihan got up, quite unbothered, and walked over to her father and mother. She glanced at the heavy baby.

"Put her down, mother,"

"Ahh, she'll fall and hurt herself again!" Ren Ziming was unwilling.

"I'll heal her if she gets hurt. Put her down,"

"Okay," Ren Ziming lowered her daughter to the floor again. Little Bun stood on her own two feet for a quarter of a second, and plop! Once Ren Ziming released her, she fell onto her butt again!

Li Sihan frowned.

Li Zhenming felt an headache coming on.

Ren Ziming was helpless.

"How old is she again?" Li Sihan suddenly looked up and asked her mother,"

"She'll be two years old in the autumn season," Ren Ziming replied honestly. Li Sihan's face turned dark.

"Well," she turned with a sinister smile to the bawling Little Bun on the floor, "I think it's time,"

Poor Little Bun felt goosebumps all over her body. Oh no! What was her big sis about to say?!

"No more snacks," Li Sihan dropped the bombshell, "no more extra food. No more sweets. No more candies,"

Waaaahhhh! Little Bun couldn't express the injustice she felt with words. She rolled onto her back and started kicking her legs in the air.

"Bun Bun yeet! Bun Bun yeet!"

"And from now on," to her consternation, this scary yama wasn't done yet, "you will learn to walk with your own two feet,"

Little Bun choked on her tears. Why?! Was she not cute again?! Why was she being subjected to such miseries? Was it just because she couldn't walk yet?

"Big Sis, Big Sis!" She started clamouring, "carry Bun Bun, big sis!"

"No,"

Waaaaaaahhh! However, Ren Ziming couldn't stand her daughter crying, even if they were fake tears.

Little Bun: ...no they aren't fake tears!! Didn't you hear her say no more snacks?! Waaah!...

Ren Ziming picked her daughter up.

"Alright, we'll take it slowly, Sihan. First we'll start with holding her hands and helping her totter, then slowly she'll learn to walk herself,"

"Hmm. Alright," Li Sihan shrugged, "however," she locked eyes with the baby, "No. More. Snacks,"