Part 6: Mr. Frozen Water

The man looked at Xie Lan. That look made Xie Lan think, "Where have I seen this person before?" It was only a moment, but it felt like five whole minutes to Xie Lan. The man finally looked away, and only then did Xie Lan feel relieved.

His hair was black, and his eyes were such a light shade of blue that you'd almost doubt they were blue at all. He spoke in an angry tone,

"Diren, what are you doing here? Did you skip the first class? If your elder brother finds out, he's going to be upset."

Those words startled Diren.

"No! I didn't tell my brother. I just wanted to see the new student! I–I really didn't mean any harm," he said, struggling to find the right words.

The man turned to look at Meng Shu. Meng Shu grew nervous, bowed, and said loudly,

"Lord of Frozen Water, I apologize for not being able to resolve the issue. But this isn't the new student's fault! I was just teaching him how to control beasts, but then Diren came and tried to steal the ice tiger—even though he already has three beasts. He wanted to take this one too!"

When he finished speaking, he felt he hadn't explained clearly enough. But either way, he trusted that Lord of Frozen Water would understand. Indeed, the lord looked at Diren angrily.

"Huo Shi Diren, you know a controller can't manage five beasts! You already have three. So how did you plan to control the ice tiger?"

Xie Lan was surprised and looked at him. Diren bowed and apologized, but he couldn't comprehend it.

"How can the Lord of Frozen Water scold me for something like this? Even Meng Shu... We weren't friends, but we weren't enemies either."

He looked at Xie Lan, who only smiled at him gently. That smile made Diren even more furious. But Xie Lan ignored him and asked:

"Sir, you said that Lord Huo Shi Diren cannot control four beasts..."

He paused and looked at the tiger still cuddled in his arms, then turned his eyes back to the Lord of Frozen Water and continued,

"Then how is it possible for the sect leader to own eight beasts?"

The Lord of Frozen Water looked at him with a smile and replied,

"That's because beast controllers must be strong and must cultivate for a long time in order to develop spiritual essence. Beasts won't acknowledge a controller unless he's stronger than them. This takes three or four years of cultivation.

As for Huo Shi Diren, he doesn't have that experience yet. Even so, most people his age can only control two beasts, but he's already managed to control three."

The Lord of Frozen Water looked at Xie Lan thoughtfully. Xie Lan noticed and nodded politely.

"Thank you for the explanation," he said softly. "I understand now."

He smiled gently. His shiny violet eyes were incredibly beautiful under the sunlight, which made them glow even more. And with his fair, golden skin, the effect was dazzling. The Lord of Frozen Water looked at this beauty and smiled.

"Then... will you take this legendary tiger?" he asked.

Xie Lan replied calmly,

"No, I don't want to take a tiger away from its family just to protect me."

The Lord was about to respond, but Xie Lan continued,

"And I don't mean that those who control beasts are bad people. Many beasts enjoy fighting enemies. But this little tiger doesn't know anything about that. That's why I refuse to take him."

The Lord of Frozen Water stared at him in astonishment, then smiled and said,

"Alright, I understand. Either way, all the beasts are going to love you, so there's no point in teaching you beast control.

What do you think about starting your daily lessons instead? That would be better for you."

Xie Lan nodded and smiled. The mother tiger came over, looked at Xie Lan, and nodded as if saying "thank you." Xie Lan understood and smiled, and she took her cub away—though the cub tried to stay with Xie Lan.

The Lord of Frozen Water looked at the ice tiger, thought for a moment, then sighed and said in a warning tone:

"Huo Shi Diren, let's go. You have punishment today."

Diren was annoyed but didn't speak and left with him. The Lord of Frozen Water looked at Meng Shu and said,

"Take Xie Lan to the Frozen Water Lake."

Meng Shu bowed. "Yes, Lord of Frozen Water." Then he followed after Diren.

Xie Lan felt a bit sad for Huo Shi Diren.

"Did he want the tiger that badly? But... the tiger is too young for that. And besides, Diren already has other beasts, doesn't he?"

Even though Xie Lan didn't want Diren to take the cub from its mother, he still felt a little guilty—because clearly Diren wanted the ice tiger.

Meng Shu looked at Xie Lan, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Are you alright? If so, let's go quickly."

Xie Lan nodded and apologized. Meng Shu was annoyed by the constant apologizing, but said nothing and kept walking.

No one noticed that a white dove was watching them the entire time.