Taking a sip out of her wine glass, Sentra inspected her reflection in the golden spatial ring that rested on her left thumb. She was sitting in the seat of honor, being the person that the celebration was held for in the first place. Normally, Sentra would be happy to be the center of attention, but having to sit with the older generation instead of partying with her peers had her annoyed. She was spacing out, casually going through the information in the inheritance and only rarely saying something. On top of that, the conversation Sentra had with the elders after coming out of the cave kept replaying in her mind. 

After ordering some people around, Veera dragged her all the way to the elders’ lodge where she told the other elders what exactly happened. 

-So, there was an ancestor just waiting in that tunnel?- Elder Zoss doubtfully asked, caressing his long beard. -Junior, why is that I find it hard to believe that a holy immortal would just stay in our realm?-

-Elder, Master is sealed in there,- Sentra replied.

-Preposterous!- a different middle-aged elder roared. 

Normally, Sentra would be afraid, but she felt confident this time. -Elder, Master entrusted me with a mission to seek out the ways to break her seal. I wouldn’t dare lie about it. Ignoring that, Elder Veera saw my Master’s manifested visage. There is also the fact that my cultivation reached the peak of Flesh Circle.-

-Indeed, watch your words,- Veera sharply said, glaring at that elder. She then looked back at Sentra, -My dear, how did our holy ancestor end up like this?-

Sentra cupped her hands. -Seniors, this seems to be the result of a marital argument at an immortal level. Master wasn’t willing to go into details.- Sentra was half-lying through her teeth, for her own interests, of course.

The elders exchanged glances, speaking to each other through their divine sense, a way that Sentra could not listen on with her cultivation level. They agreed on something and Veera cleared her throat.

-Dear, do you know what happened to the juniors that entered the tunnel in the past?- Veera asked.

Sentra already had an answer prepared, so she wasn’t too surprised when this question came up. -It would seem that they all died when receiving the inheritance. Compatibility issues.-

The elders once again discussed through their divine sense before Veera said: -Perhaps you are a descendant of this particular ancestor. What a lucky girl you are.-

-Perhaps,- Sentra replied, cold sweat on her back. She absolutely didn’t want anyone in the clan to know that her Master dual cultivated them to death, using them as her cultivation cauldrons.

-Hear our edict,- Veera said and all of the elders stood up. Realizing what was happening, Sentra knelt down and bowed. -Sentra Eas, daughter of Gentra Eas and Zamos Jool, you are hereby bestowed with the title of the chosen daughter of Eas clan. Your status will be different from the past, but so will be our expectations towards you.-

-Junior understands and thanks elders for this gift,- Sentra said, kowtowing once. 

-You may rise,- Veera said. -From now on you are allowed to enter our restricted cultivation grounds. I’m afraid that Maren is the only other junior that can enter them, so it may be a bit boring for someone your age. We will also bestow you with a room-sized spatial ring. You will find some useful things inside.-

-Junior thanks elders for this gift,- Sentra bowed, doing her best to hide her excitement. Not only is she getting free shit on top of the immortal inheritance, but she would even have a chance to get closer to that stud. There was only one thing left to do. She cleared her throat and asked, -Elders, may I know how will my marriage be handled?-

-Well,- Veera awkwardly swished her sleeves. -It would seem that the Duho clan’s emissaries are already on their way. Don’t worry though, we will handle them for you.-

Sentra held her breath and asked, -Elders, am I... free to choose?-

-I’m afraid not,- Veera sighed. -The only reason Wen Duho was picked as the groom from Duho clan was that the only other unmarried junior in your age bracket is a woman. Don’t look at me like that, we can’t propose that to them.-

-What will happen then?- Sentra asked, -I really would prefer a woman than the Butcher.-

-I know, but you know that the alliance marriages need to be between two sexes as to produce offspring that will bind the allied clans,- Veera calmly explained. -It simply wouldn’t fit our agenda.-

Sentra pressed her lips together, realizing that she wouldn’t be able to have children anyway. Homosexual marriages and pairs were nothing weird amongst the free and unfettered cultivators, but being a filial clan member took precedence over one’s personal preferences. Sentra fought against the urge to tell the elders that she couldn’t bear children and the audience ended soon after. In the end, she was sent away after receiving the golden thumb ring without being told what would become of her marriage. 

-Sen?-

Waking from her stupor, Sentra remembered that she was at the celebration and not in the elder’s lodge. She looked to her right, -Yes, dad?-

-You can join your friends now that the official part is over,- he said, a doting smile on his face. 

Sentra placed her wine glass onto the table, -Finally. Catch you later.-

Zamos looked as if he wanted to say something, but he caught his tongue. Instead, he said, -Enjoy yourself, sweety.-

Sentra left the main hall and headed into the garden. The stars were sparkling and yellow lamps released during the celebration danced amongst them. Following the stone path, Sentra quickly found the tent that was set up for the celebration. There were a few dozen youths there, some drinking and some playing various party games.

-There goes Sen!- someone shouted after spotting her.

She was swarmed by everyone, all of them asking her questions at the same time. Someone gave her a new glass of wine, it was Roen, an awkward smile on his face. Sentra wanted to raise a toast but someone had a bright idea.

-Raise her up!-

The crowd cheered in approval and everyone rushed at her, ready to hoist her up. Sentra laughed, enjoying the attention, but Roen wasn’t too happy.

-Hands off the chosen daughter of our clan!- he shouted, half-jokingly.

-You just want her for yourself!- Den, his friend, laughed. -Share!-

The rest joined him in the chant. -Share!-

Sentra giggled and raised her hand. -No sharing! Roen!- With some help on his part, she climbed onto his shoulders. Everyone clapped and laughed when Roen spun her around for all to see. -You okay down there?!- Sentra laughed.

-Haven’t been better!- Roen laughed back, raising her far above the crowd.

Sentra raised her wine glass. -Everyone has a drink?!- When she received a positive reply from the crowd, she shouted: -Then toast with me and to the sandbox we go!-

Everyone cheered and downed their drinks. Sentra wanted to get off Roen’s shoulders, but the crowd had him carry her all the way to the sandbox, not allowing her to jump off until they reached it. Their group separated into teams to play some games, Sentra was having the time of her life through the entire night. The first few games were rather peaceful, but someone had a bright idea to bring the wine to the sandbox. It didn’t take long for the game to devolve and some arguments to break out whether a point was scored fairly or not. 

A few hours later, most of the juniors were either too drunk to continue and fell asleep in the sandbox, or separated into their usual cliques. Sentra and Roen were sitting at the tables near the sandbox, playing chess. He made a move and downed his glass.

-That’s a check,- he said.

-Yeah,- Sentra grumbled and finished her own glass. -I give up.-

Roen looked around. -Seems that most people are done for the night.-

-Seems so,- Sentra chuckled. The alcohol was getting to her head, so she closed her eyes and hurriedly circulated lifeforce through her veins, speeding up her metabolism in the process. She burped a puff of pure, steamy alcohol and giggled, her face growing redder. -Sorry about that.-

-How unsightly for a chosen daughter of the clan!- Roen grimaced, struggling to hide his laughter. -Learn some manners!-

-I will, I will,- Sentra chuckled. She looked around, realizing that no one was paying attention to her anymore. -Want to go for a walk? Down to the lake.-

-Why not,- Roen replied and stood up. He drank less but being at the lower dantian stage, he could not cleanse his system from alcohol. -Catch me if I fall.-

-Will do,- Sentra replied. 

The two of them didn’t talk much, appreciating the sky and the mist rolling over the lesser mountains below. Soon, the path opened up and the beautiful lake, a reflection of the night’s sky, appeared before them. They walked by the edge of the water, finding a fallen tree to sit on.

Roen was the first to speak. -So, you left me in the dust with your cultivation. Congrats.-

-Yeah,- Sentra absentmindedly replied, a hard task ahead of her. 

Roen chuckled. -I’m happy for you, really.-

Sentra looked at him and leaned in, planting a kiss on his cheek. -Thank you.-

He smiled at her and sighed. -My promise may not mean anything now, but I won’t stop training. Say a word and I’ll drop everything for you.-

Sentra felt bittersweet, she really didn’t want to hurt him, but some things just had to be done. She put her hand on his and squeezed it, -Roen, you’re a great guy, really. But I think you should just forget about me.-

-I expected you to say something like this,- he nodded to himself, heaving a sigh. -I hate this.-

-We can still be friends, but we need to go our own separate ways for now. Or it would be painful,- Sentra said, carefully weighing her words.

-Like it isn’t now?- Roen mumbled, his eyes glued to the glittering stars reflected on the surface of the lake.

-It is. But it won’t be in the future,- Sentra said. -Please, take care of your wife and cherish her.-

-Alright,- Roen stood up, fighting back the tears welling up in his eyes.

Sentra sighed and stood up after him. -Can I get a final hug?-

He looked at her, clearly hesitating, but choose to shake his head in the end. -No.-

-Maybe that’s for the better,- Sentra sighed and let go of his hand. -Take care.-

-You too,- Roen replied before storming off.

Sentra escorted him with her gaze, sighing when he broke a log in half with a kick. She really liked the guy, which was the only reason why she decided to be fair to him like that. Shaking her head at herself, Sentra dropped back onto the log and appreciated the serene sight before her. 

meleveal

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