3RD P.O.V.
Who's this guy? Ye Qing silently thought to himself. Seeing the spatial ring on Jiang Ming's palm, the first thing that came to his mind is that his background must be something he can't afford to mess with. Although spatial rings aren't important treasures, that doesn't mean everyone can afford them. Ye Qing, a powerful and prestigious Ye family member, doesn't own one, yet an unknown cultivator does?
"I must have made young master Jiang laugh," Ye Qing cupped his fist and politely said to Jiang Ming. He is a person that would dare offend the weak but bend once a strong man appears, and right now, he believes that Jiang Ming should be a strong man or, more specifically, he has a strong background.
"What joke? If young master Ye wishes to check my ring, I won't take offense," Jiang Ming's face shone with an imperceptible grin seeing Ye Qing start to hesitate. Ye Qing, hearing Jiang Ming's words, was even more unwilling to come forward and investigate his ring after all, if a keen person were to listen to his words, they would easily decipher the hidden message; I wouldn't take offense to mean he has the capability of taking offense and reacting to it.
The poor Kong Lin struggled to his feet while nursing some superficial wounds, seeing the polite Ye Qing shattered his worldly vision. What's happening? He thought to himself as he looked at the two with suspicion, according to him. Ye Qing wouldn't indulge in nonsense with someone weaker than him, thinking like that, he used a secret technique to spy on Jiang Ming's cultivation. What! Isn't he a first layer? It hasn't been long since he used his aura to suppress Jiang Ming, but now he is stronger than him.
"Spatial rings are a great secret for cultivators. Young master Jiang shouldn't casually let others see it," Ye Qing resolutely refused to check the spatial ring. In his mind, the more Jiang Ming was willing to allow him to check it, the more he felt something wasn't right. Apart from that, he closely studied him since his arrival, but Jiang Ming didn't show any fear even after announcing his surname.
"Ooh!... Then I'll take young master Ye's advice," Jiang Ming pretended to nod appreciatively and wore the ring back to his finger.
"If there's nothing else, I will leave," Ye Qing gestured for Kong Lin to follow him and started for the door. Jiang Ming didn't talk anymore, closed his eyes, and continued his meditation. His indifference frustrated Ye Qing; it is common courtesy that you should bid farewell if someone is departing, but Jiang Ming didn't bother. "Is it because he is ignorant, or he doesn't put me in his eyes?" Ye Qing angrily murmured to himself as they left the gravity tower.
***
"Young master, why didn't you…."
*Pa!*
Kong Lin wanted to ask why Ye Qing left without searching Jiang Ming's ring, but a hot slap to his face stopped him from talking.
"You idiot, what troubles did you bring me?" Ye Qing's eyes burned with anger.
"But…"
*Slam!*
Ye Qing kicked him before he could speak again, causing his burly body to roll like snow during an avalanche. A scene like this would normally attract onlookers who want to feed their eyes with a good show, but in this case, everyone avoided the two like the plague; it is not that they don't want to. Rather, they don't dare. Although the sect is against violence, that only applies if you are caught, or someone reports you and who would dare to report Ye Qing? The sect's rule applies only inside the sect, so you can decide to report him if you plan on staying inside the sect forever. Even that isn't a good strategy if you have attachments like family.
A word from Ye Qing would be enough to mobilize forces to wipe out a small family secretly, and no one would bat an eye. In fact, other small families can use that as an opportunity to wipe out another small family to curry favor with the Ye family.
"If it weren't for your sister, I would have killed you," Ye Qing viciously stamped on Kong Lin's head. The latter didn't flinch or dare show dissatisfaction. It can be seen that his body is already used to such abuses.
After he was done punishing Kong Lin, Ye Qing finally let him go and started to think about Jiang Ming.
"Tell me what you know about him," he ordered Kong Lin, who was already back on his feet with tattered robes. Like a dog ordered to bark, he narrated everything he knew about Jiang Ming, not daring to omit a word.
"So you know nothing?" Ye Qing realized that all Kong Lin knew about was what he could already guess by himself. Kong Lin nodded and drooped his head.
"If young master Ye would allow this dog to speak," Kong Lin politely said, and Ye Qing motioned for him to continue. "Why didn't you check if he had the pill? If he gets out of the tower, we won't get it back even if we kill him." Of course, Kong Lin knew his question was challenging his master's decision, but what could he do? If the pill isn't found, doesn't that mean the blame would fall to him? And his dog life wouldn't be enough to pay the consequences.
Ye Qing wanted to hit him again but eventually decided against it. After all, it isn't a dog's job to think only to follow its master's orders.
"Didn't you see his ring? What do you think that means?" Ye Qing looked at Kong Lin and asked, the latter adopted a pondering expression but apart from thinking that Jiang Ming is rich, nothing else came to his mind.
"Young master, this slave is stupid and can't figure it out," years of following Ye Qing taught Kong Lin how to handle him best; stroke his ego, and he would be kind enough. It's not that he understands the concept behind his actions, but he has learnt to associate certain words to Ye Qing's happiness, just like when a dog is thought to associate food with a certain action.
*Sigh*
"Have you ever seen this lord with a space ring?" Ye Qing sighed and asked Kong Lin. The latter shook his big head to refute. "Then do you know how much a space ring is worth?" Kong Lin nodded but still found nothing strange. "Then do you think anybody can have it?" Finally, Kong Lin connected the dots.
"Young master means he comes from a powerful family?" Ye Qing nodded. "But, isn't it possible that he picked it in a cave or from the ancient ruins?" Kong Lin asked again. His question is, in fact, logical as the treasures that cultivators boast of are normally acquired that way.
"That's possible, but if he picked it somewhere, do you think he would dare show it to me?" Kong Lin didn't ask further questions leaving Ye Qing to ponder.
What exactly is he? Ye Qing's brain kept thinking of various families in Star-light city, but none used the surname Jiang, at least none that he should be paying attention to.
Four great families govern Star-light city; The Ye family, the Long family, the Nangong family and the Feng family. None of the four families is stronger than the other, on paper at least. Decisions like which small family can grow are usually decided by the four inform of a vote. In case of a tie, the city lord's mansion steps in.
As a possible future successor of the Ye family, Ye Qing made it his duty to study all families, including the subordinate families, but none shared Jiang's surname. So it is natural for him to be confused.
"Or maybe he has acknowledged an elder as his master?" Ye Qing felt the answer was getting closer yet at the same time further, but what was certain is that, before he dared to act against Jiang Ming, he would need to know who was backing him. Naturally, he could tell at a glance that he had taken his precious pill. After all, Kong Lin wouldn't dare to go against him.
"Pass my orders to everyone in the faction; all of you should avoid messing with Jiang Ming until I investigate his background," Ye Qing ordered Kong Lin, and the latter ran off to fulfill his master's wishes.
"Hmph! If your background is something I can handle, then you and your family are done," Ye Qing clenched his fists and swore.
***
In the gravity tower, Jiang Ming, who was already in a room practicing his martial technique, suddenly sneezed. "Who is thinking about me? Is it Zhu Ling?"
***
Time flew like an arrow launched from a bow. In a blink of an eye, two months passed. Jiang Ming was finally getting used to the life of cultivators, meditating and comprehending. His life revolved around the gravity tower and the beast forest. In the two months, his cultivation soared to the eight-layer of qi gathering. That might seem to be mediocre but compared to his peers. He is a dragon among men like a carp that ascended the dragon's gate.
Jiang Ming might not know his cultivation is fast because the people he associates himself with are all heaven-defying; Hong Lin is already at the sixth layer, Zhu Ling, after awakening her body and dual cultivating with Jiang Ming, managed to reach the seventh layer as for Feng Lin, she is still at the fifth layer. Although hers might seem like a joke compared to the others, it must be known that her opportunity isn't the same as theirs. That plus the constant worry in her heart that Jiang Ming might leave her, in fact, she's so entangled in it to the point that it might backlash her cultivation due to a heart demon.
"Soon you will surpass me," walking in a group of four is Feng Lin, Hu Ninger, Hong Lin and Jiang Ming. Hu Ninger, in two months, discovered Jiang Ming's friends. Her relationship with them can't be said to be good. She has a good impression of Feng Lin but a bad one of Hong Lin. It can't be blamed on her as the moment she met Hong Lin, the latter started to antagonize her for no reason. For a moment, Hu Ninger thought he was a jealous maiden disguised as a male, but that should be impossible as she couldn't sense any Yin qi from him unless he was using a powerful concealment treasure.
"If you weren't so lazy, how could I catch up to you?" Jiang Ming answered Hu Ninger's question with a question. In his opinion, his cultivation is slow. What makes him think Hu Ninger was lazy is the fact that instead of continuing climbing the tower and hunting beasts on her own, she always sticks to him like glue; hence all their efforts end up being divided equally and as a stronger cultivator, what is useful to Jiang Ming won't be as useful to her.
Hu Ninger didn't refute Jiang Ming's words. Deep down, she knew that no matter how hard she tried, her cultivation wouldn't improve. What surprised her the most was Jiang Ming and Hong Lin's cultivation speed. To her, though exaggerated, Feng Lin's speed is what she would expect from a super-hard working geniusl, as for the two, their speed is not what she can comprehend.
The four don't know that Jiang Ming has a locket that helps him refine the spiritual qi of Heaven and earth, Hong Lin also has something, but that is a story for another day. Technically, a cultivator should be able to advance endlessly, but the reality is often disappointing. Even if you give cultivators enough energy to break through to the next realm, they would have to refine it, a process that takes forever. They would also have to deal with bottlenecks and many other factors. As for Jiang Ming, he doesn't have a problem with refining, which is usually the biggest obstacle. As long as he has resources, he would endlessly advance, but an issue arises; the resource that would allow another to advance would be useless to him. Also, his body becomes resistant to the same energy if used for a long period.
"Anyway, what do you think about…."
Patreon
