The Assessment

“What? You want to join the Guest Clan? You want to become a Guest Warrior?”

Before Lady Yi quite settled down after she brought Lu Ling and Lu Li back to the Liu Family Compound, Lady Yi had been informed of shocking news.

Lu Li answered with certainty, “Yes, I want to join the Guest Clan. As long as it is 0kay with the Liu Family, I am willing to risk any danger to do my duty if god forbids something should happen to the Liu Family!”

Lu Ling had made it very clear to him. Lu Li could join any family, but only as a Guest Warrior. There was no way that he could join the External Clan, not to mention the Internal Clan. But of course, usually, only disciples of the same family could join the Internal Clan.

Lu Li rarely went against what his sister told him. He was so concerned about his sister now that he heard about what she had endured, so it was even less likely for him to disobey.

“Wait a minute!”

Lady Yi took a sip of her tea and seriously talked to Lu Li, “Lu Li, maybe it is because you have little knowledge about Big Families, or the difference between Guest Clan and External Clan. If…”

“I understand it all!”

Lu Li interrupted Lady Yi, and replied with some guilt, “I understand that joining the Guest Clan will mean a very low status, and not much recourse, or power or salary. But I have some difficulties I wish not to be discussed. All I can do is to give you my words that as long as Liu Family is willing to admit me to the Guest Clan, should anything happen to the Liu Family, I am willing to risk any danger…”

“Stop. What you are saying is meaningless.”

Seeing Lu Li was about to make vows, she shook her head and responded, “Rules are rules. I am not the one that calls the shots here. Not even my father has the right or power to grant the treatment of External Clan to Guest Warriors. Also… you have offended Di Ba who is now the External Clan Patriarch. It is Okay if you stay inside the County. But we cannot protect you once you go out!”

“I understand!” Lu Li said with a nod again, “But I insist!”

He clearly felt Lady Yi had grown unhappy after his answer. So did some escorts outside the hall. They were even looking at him with a bit of mocking. It was like… they were silently blaming Lu Li for not being able to appreciate the goodness given to him.

Lu Ling was standing next to Lu Li the whole time, but she said nothing. Her face was covered with a veil. Standing there obediently, she did not show what was on her mind.

“Alright!”

Lady Yi did not want to waste her breath to talk Lu Li out of it. She got up and said, “To join the Guest Clan, you need to accomplish a mission. You may need to go out of the County. You’d better be careful. As long as you can pull the task off, you will be a Guest Warrior of the Liu Family. I hope you cultivate with efforts. If…you are going to change your mind, you can ask for me at any time. Liu Yu, bring them to the Guest Clan and tell the Patriarch of that Clan what I said.”

Lady Yi stood up and left with someone accompanying her. The Escort Liu Yu said to Lu Li and his sister with a poker face, “Follow me.”

Lu Li could understand the change in Liu Yu’s attitude. Guest Warriors were not highly received in any family as a matter of fact. Unless Lu Li had enormous fighting abilities, otherwise, no family would like to keep him in exchange for nothing, let alone he might join an enemy family in the future…

…

The Compound of the Liu Family was very large. Buildings emerged after buildings, with pavilions and water features scattering around. There were candles lit everywhere. Elegance was still present among all the luxuries. It was the first time for Lu Li and Lu Ling to see such a novel scene, so they had no time to take it all in.

“Here is not like staying in your tribe. We have many rules here. You cannot wander around randomly. You can only walk in the Guest Clan. If you want to go out of the Liu Family Compound, you must take the west gate. But your sister cannot come and go at will. The Guest Clan Patriarch will give you a detailed catalogue later and tell you about the rules.”

Liu Yu explained while talking. Lu Li nodded. Lu Ling lowered her head and stopped looking around.

After some time, Liu Yu led the two into a big yard inside, where there were more than a dozen independent smaller yards. Many small yards had candles and lights on. So, it seemed that there were some Guest Warriors at the Liu Family.

“Patriarch Cheng, this is a newly joined Guest Warrior, Lu Li. Lady Yi wants you to take care of the rest of the matter.”

After arriving at a small yard, Liu Yu immediately walked away after leaving the two to the elderly with a white beard without even looking at them. The white-bearded elder was kind and smiling. He pointed to a small yard and said, “My name is Cheng Qu. I am the Patriarch of the Guest Clan. Go settle down in that yard, and we will talk about the rest tomorrow.”

The white-bearded elderly then threw an inscribed wooden slip to Lu Li. “On it are the rules of the Guest Clan. Take a look first and ask me tomorrow if anything escapes your understanding.”

Lu Li and Lu Ling retired to their yard in the corner, and then did an obeisance by cupping one hand in the other before their chest. This small yard was still bigger than the one they had back in the tribe. It had four rooms. Even though the furnishings and decorations were of nothing special, it was still much better than their yard in the Di Long Tribe.

Lu Ling circled around the yard after putting down her bundle. She came in and said, “It’s quite good. It’s safe and quiet here, which is suitable for closed-door cultivation. Without any surprises, we are going to be living here for a year or two.”

Lu Li was reading the catalogue given by Cheng Qu to get a sense of the rules of the Liu Family. He looked up to Lu Ling when he heard her words. “Sis, only a year or two? Where are we heading?”

“The south!”

Lu Ling pointed to the south and answered, “You are not fit here in the small place of the Wu Ling County. You have much more important things to do. You must go to Heaven Martial City, Heaven Frigid City or Heaven Cold City within three years, join and become a Guest Warrior of one of the largest three Fifth Rank Royal Families of the Northern Desert!”

“Heaven Martial City, Heaven Frigid City, Heaven Cold City? Royal Family?”

Lu Li was yet again stunned by Lu Ling. The three cities were the three Royal Cities of the Northern Family, the capitals of the three largest countries on the Northern Desert, the Heaven Martial Kingdom, Heaven Frigid Kingdom, and Heaven Cold Kingdom.

Lu Ling wanted him to go to the three Royal Cities and join one of the three Royal Families? What was he? He was just some civilian from a small tribe. He was more than lucky to join Liu Family, the Overlord of a County.

Royal Family?

Those were the Super Overlords overlooking the whole Northern Desert. The Family Patriarch of the Liu Family was not even worthy enough to be their doormen. What had he done to deserve to become a Guest Warrior of a Royal Family?

“Lu Li, you mustn’t underestimate yourself. I already told you that your identity is quite unusual. There is no limit as to what you can achieve in your future. As long as you make efforts and work hard enough, one day, you will standing at the top of the Northern Desert, and have the entire Northern Desert shake under your feet. You have the genes of the Lu Family inside you. You are destined to be extraordinary.”

Lu Ling explained seriously. After a pause, she continued, “It is your first goal to join a family of the Fifth Rank. There is a long way for you to cover. Now… think about it no more. You need to cultivate and mind the rest after you awaken your Bloodline.”

Lu Li was yet again speechless because of bewilderment. Lu Ling always kept something unsaid, making him confused all the time. It just so happened that she has a stubborn character. Lu Li could not get answers out of her if she did not wish to share it.

Lu Li had to take the catalogue back to his room. Lu Ling was going to spend her time here inside the yard, so she did not need this. Lu Li, on the other hand, had to study the various rules of the Guest Clan of the Liu Family carefully, lest he were to be evicted from the Liu Family.

After browsing through the catalogue, Lu Li had some understanding of the rules of the Guest Clan. There was not much constraint on Guest Warriors from the Liu Family. As long as they did not act reckless in the name of the Liu Family or inside the Liu Family, they should be fine.

The Liu Family would distribute their salary on a monthly basis and give them some resources. Normally, the Family would not mobilize the Guest Warriors unless the Family was in face of great calamity. It was equal to… raising a group of idlers wishing nothing in return.

But, every Guest Warrior must be assessed before joining the Guest Clan to show his capacity or potential. It was unlikely that the Liu Family would support a team of losers.

“Test?”

Lady Yi also mentioned the test. Lu Li frowned and prayed for the test not to be outside the County. Otherwise, Di Ba would come up with many ways he could think of to ambush and kill him. Once he was dead on mission, Lu Ling would lose her eligibility to stay here and be evicted. The fate that thus awaited her would be miserable…