LingLing's knuckles are white as she curls her hands under her sleeves suppressing her internal power from striking XiXi.
With a smile plastered on her face she looks at XiXi and says, "I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I will take my leave first, I'm in need of a relaxing soak in the hot spring. It is one of my most pleasurable activities when I come to my brother's home"
XiXi quickly jumps up almost falling into Feng Tian's lap, "The hot spring! That is one of the most relaxing and beautiful spots on the property!" Eager to start sister bonding, she forgets about her father waiting for her to study. "May I join you?"
LingLing is seething with hatred because it was only the wave of her hand from under her sleeve that prevented XiXi from completely tumbling onto Feng Tian.
Hiding her rage, she sweetly replies with a smile, "I would love to go to the hot spring with you, but don't you have lessons that have been delayed once all ready?"
Slut, if I am alone with you I might not be able to restrain myself from strangling you. So you might not return if you joined me in the hot spring, that could raise questions. I can wait until the bustle of the streets of Myriad Cloud City to dispose of you.
Dejected XiXi puffs out her cheeks and pouts, "That's right my father is waiting for me."
She bows to LingLing ignoring Feng Tian, " I should hurry over there. I will make a special dinner to celebrate meeting you!"
Feng Tian rises after she leaves, he has preparations to make to go to the Plum Blossom Cliffs when XiXi finishes studying with her father.
I need Cloud Berry wine, or maybe Peach Blossom wine and see if the boat is usable, no one has been on that lake in a hundred years.
What would the little beauty like to eat, ah, I should get some pastries when I go to get the gold and silver teals in Myriad Cloud City. There is the Royal Cloud Restaurant that is famous for its Osthamus cakes made with honey from celestial bees.
She seems to get excited for sweets, picturing her with the Spikey fruit at the gazebo he chuckles. Little glutton!
What else, I could stop by our kitchen and get some of our cooks specialties, no she is cooking dinner for LingLing .I love watching her flit around the kitchen.
LingLing sees his absentminded expression, "Tian, what are you thinking about?
"Just what I need to do when I go home today. I should go now, it will take time and I want to be back by late afternoon."
Anxious to spend time with him she says, "Wait and I will go with you, I haven't seen your family in quite awhile."
He wrinkles his forehead and with an exasperated tone replies,"I don't plan on going to the see them this afternoon. I will be too busy and you know how once I am there they hang all over me. I don't have time for that."
Feng Tian doesn't want her to accompany him he has some secret plans to take care of while he is there.
I want to find the little man named Sung Wu who makes the bracelets out of stones from glimmering ore.
He is an expert craftsman able to carve intricate tiny flowers on the small beads. After seeing the red lotus behind XiXi's ear, Feng Tian thinks she might like the bracelet as a gift.
He is going to have him use red stones and carve lotuses on the beads.
But, Feng Tian purses his lips, that withered old man only accepts ultra grade fire spirit stones in payment, he never deals with money. I will have to locate Chen Jue to see if he can acquire some quickly.
Chen Jue is one of the brothers that are part of Feng Che's shadow guards. Those brothers always know where to find anything in Myriad Cloud City on short notice.
Of course because of their skills his brother retained them as shadow guards and Feng Tian loves to bribe them to do jobs for him. He doesn't know Feng Che told the two brothers to do whatever Feng Tian asks of them, within reason.
" LingLing, anyway I thought you were going to the hot spring. Don't let me hold you up."
Feng Tian quickly bows and heads to the gate through the courtyard with his robe fluttering in the wind. His abrupt departure leaves LingLing standing there wondering why he was in such a hurry to go to Myriad Cloud City.
Well, I will go soak for awhile, maybe put relaxing potion in the water... I will be rid of that irritating gnat soon enough.
In the bamboo house, XiXi yawns while listening to her father explain the Tenets of the Zhang Family.
All of the tenets are based on morality. Their family never uses sorcery to change the course of the past, never uses their sorcery for evil, always lives and practices the way of the Dao.
He explains the course the new Council of the Sorcerers Society is deviating from the core beliefs of the Zhang Family. He plans on finding a way to separate his family from the Society.
Right now though the present day Zhang family is in debt to them because they had the cure for XiXi's grandfather's rare sickness. Zhang Yu was forced to bend and come to this island.
After learning quite a bit of her family's situation XiXi understands her father's reluctance to burden her.
Zhang continues to explain the basics of Sorcery to her while she fidgets in her seat.
According to him, unlike a wizard who needs to study books of spells, a pure Sorcerer has innate talent , merely has to practice to hone their skills. Sorcerers use their brainpower to harness mana.
Bloodlines being diluted and abilities lost through the ages led to the creation of The Sorcerers Academy, where many of the modern day sorcerers study.
Unfortunately, since her grandfather's abilities had been partially sealed he needed to study, same for Zhang Yu and will be for XiXi.
The unusual aspect of the Zhang Family was they weren't only Sorcerers but they also knew alchemy and were cultivators.
The original ancestors possessed fortune telling skills and foresaw the Zhang Family eventually would clash with the same society they had helped create.
They wanted their descendants to be protected and formidable in several areas. Aware that at some point because of their high moral standards they would be at odds with the elders.
Six major Sorcerer families had created the Sorcerer Society now the Huang Family had become the strongest, manipulating the course it was now taking.
Zhang Yu doesn't want to go into more detail with XiXi, this seems enough to absorb the first day.
XiXi bends over fixing her shoe and Zhang Yu looks at the Red Lotus design behind her ear.
The Red Lotus design behind her ear has only been found on one other member of the Zhang family and that was hundreds of years ago.
He wasn't even clear about that part of the story and he did not have any Ancestor journals with him.
He knew through some stories past down that his father told him. She was a very powerful Sorceress and had numerous abilities. A beauty with an enchanting voice, his father told him when she sang was able to charm animals and speak to them.
She was deeply in love which made her powers grow infinitely. He doesn't know the circumstances, but she was killed by a Demon King, he knew that much.
He always assumed that Red Lotus was there behind XiXi's ear was to seal her powers and he hoped she would never know of her ancestry. Now he wonders...
"Let's begin" Zhang Yu pulled out a book from his space and opened to the first page. One of your abilities and I think this will be simple for you to learn, is to manipulate water."
He put a basin of water on the table and demonstrated for her. Zhang Yu put his hands with the fingertips from each hand touching and spread apart. Raised his hands to chest level then concentrated his energy to his hands.
"XiXi, you think what you want the water to do as you concentrate your energy." He chants only seven words, as he does he reminds her there has to be only three seconds between speaking the next word, exactly three seconds or it won't work.
The water starts swirling around and rising like a geyser from the basin. XiXi is amazed at the sight of her father manipulating the water.
She rushes over to him. "Dad let me try! That looks so cool!"
She has no trouble remembering the hand position, but the words rhyme and sound alike so it takes her several tries to remember them. The order would get mixed up. The three seconds in between was easy enough.
Her first mishap sprays water in Zhang Yu's face and all over the wall, "Oops!" XiXi laughs as her dad wipes away the water then she fills the basin again.
The second one barely moves the water and she sighs... so sad... She giggles, "Well, at least I don't need to get more water"
Watching his daughter fail at her attempt to manipulate the water he scratches his beard. Maybe, I should tell her how separating a wall of water saved my life in the Land of the Akanji Water Beasts, no I think I will just let her practice some more. I don't want to frighten her.
With the third attempt she replicates her father's geyser.
"XiXi, I think you should read the first book later in your room. I don't want you wandering around with it so you can get it from me then return it."
XiXi isn't listening because she is having fun making geysers one after another.
"Sure Dad, do you have a yellow highlighter in your Space? I study better if I highlight important parts.
"No! Don't write in the book!