"Young Master Quan! Young Master Quan, there is a mortal woman at the steps of our gates!"
The one who was called 'Young Master Quan' turned his gaze at the junior cultivator who delivered the news. Their sect wore robes that were pure white, and the only flush of color were the red petal designs scattered at the lower regions of the outer robe. However, if one looks closely, these petal shapes have dots in the middle of them….
Resembling several eyes.
The Young Master Quan was standing by a pagoda-style pavilion overlooking the mountain ranges of Mt. Kunlun. Their sect was not designed to be luxurious or imposing. Just from the architecture alone, you could tell that they valued simplicity and closeness to nature. The cobblestones that formed the buildings were naturally uneven, and so too were the stairs and elevations.
And this young master does not appear like a grand character at all. He wore a toothy, bright smile towards everyone, even to the birds and the trees. He has sunkissed skin and a warm, idle aura that makes you believe he was the type to not think too much of life and just breeze through it.
He gave a pat on the alarmed junior cultivator's shoulder and smiled at him. "Calm yourself, Junior Zhou Qian. Have you told Father of this?
"No, young master! Sect Leader had gone into the woods to hunt with Junior Fu in the Huang He river!" Zhou Qian said. "What shall we do, young master? The woman asks for help, but we cannot taint the purity of this sect by having a mortal enter the gates!"
The young master sighed. "The Hui Xin sect follows too many rules that may be of detriment to those in need. Isn't the true mission of our righteous sect to oversee and deliver justice to the mortal realms?"
Young Master Quan stepped down the rocks of the small hill where the pavilion was. "If she may not enter inside, then I shall meet with her outside the gates."
Zhou Qian's eyes widened, but he followed the eccentric Young Master. Young Master Quan follows all of the rules in the sect, and yet he was willing to disregard the unspoken rule of immortals: To avoid direct interaction with mortals as much as possible.
What's worse was that the woman had approached the steps, without even being able to see anything there. For mortals, the Hui Xin sect's grounds were nothing more but an abandoned temple.
How did she know that it served as the immortal righteous sect's abode? Isn't Young Master Quan being too careless?
"Do not make assumptions, my friend." Young Master Quan suddenly said. "Yes, it may not be a mortal that we are dealing with. It may be a treacherous demoness or a beast that has transfigured. But…."
He squinted his eyes. "What if it was truly a mortal in need? And due to suspicion, we were not able to attend to our duties as Overseers of Justice?"
Junior Zhou Qian's face turned red with how easily the young master read his mind. He became even more flustered when he had given a legitimately good point.
"I apologize for being so anxious, Young Master….." He bowed his head.
The jovial young master just patted his head. "Ah, do not bow your head so. You may be right in the end and have the chance to gloat to an ignorant young master like me."
The large brass door of the Hui Xin's heavenly sect opened with just a gesture of Master Quan's hand. In the mortal realms, the door was nothing grand and made simply of oak wood. The shivering woman was surprised by this, and blinked.
"Have….. Have the immortals heard my pleas?" She peered around at the temple and saw nothing. "I hope so…. Oh my poor father and mother…. Sob…"
It was raining in the mortal plane. The woman's crimson hair was drenched and her simple green robes were soaking wet. Her cherry-red lips quivered, and she hugged herself at the steps. She had walked for miles just to reach this temple, and looked very fatigued.
Young Master Quan's heart was touched by this. He made himself seen….
And stepped out of the gates, appearing in front of the lady.
"What is it that you need aid with, lady?" He asked with a comforting voice. "A young and fair woman like you should not be shivering in the rain like this."
The woman was startled, and stood up straight. Her green eyes were wide as she looked at Young Master Quan's gentle face, and tried to clean herself up. She stuttered as she spoke.
"A-Are you…. an immortal, Sir?" She asked.
The young master smiled. "You may simply call me Quan Neng. That is my given name."
"Master Quan Neng….." She bowed her head low. "My name is Xi Hua! I have come to ask you to save my Father and Mother from the demonic clan An Xin!"
He narrowed his eyes. "What grievous deeds did the An Xin sect do this time?"
"Many years ago, the An Xin sect had plundered our village and created children that they would claim once they found suitable. Those light-haired, light-eyed, light-skinned demonic bastards were our ancestors, much as it disgusts me!" Xi Hua gritted her teeth. "My great grandfathers are part of An Xin. Both sides of the family are descendants of that demonic sect."
She pointed at her hair and her eyes.
"That is why my mother's hair was red like a peach blossom. And my father's eyes are green like a snake's. But my mother is a simple gardener, and my father is a simple fisherman. We only survive by selling our mother's flowers and my father's caught carps in the market."
Young Master Quan Neng had the ability to determine if she was saying the truth or not. And he could confirm it. He could also sense for the village she had come from, and the atrocities the An Xin clan had done to its people.
"Where is your mother and father now?" He asked.
"My father is kept under a well, and my mother was….. grabbed and toyed with by several members of the clan….. Sob…." Xi Hua cried and cried. "They made me fake my death by setting our house on fire and spilling the blood of our chickens. I hid at the chicken coop for several days, almost starving to death."
She shivered more just by remembering the events. "When I was on the brink of death, I was fortunate enough to encounter someone from your clan that goes by the surname Fu. He told me that you could help me…."
"Ah, that must be my adoptive brother. He is still a junior and so he could visit the mortal realms often and cultivate there." Quan Neng said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry, Xi Hua."
He promised sincerely:
"I will save your family and return them to you, so you may continue to live a peaceful life. This is the beginning of An Xin's end."
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A/N: This is the last of the free chapters. You can use coins or Fast Passes that you gain from daily log-in and rewards. I hope you'd still continue to read this book as the story is far from over. Thanks for reading so far, and if you can't unlock the Premium chapters, I hope you enjoyed this story at least. :)
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