When Lu Ming arrived at the Ward Office, he followed the familiar path straight toward the inner courtyard.
Upon entering, however, he paused in slight surprise. Zhou Xuan and Zhou Fuling were nowhere to be seen; instead, three unfamiliar figures occupied the courtyard.
Sitting lazily in a stone pavilion was a beautiful, mature woman dressed in ornate palace robes. She possessed a voluptuous figure and striking, gorgeous features, though her slightly arched brows lent her an aloof, arrogant air that made her seem difficult to approach.
Behind her stood a pair of young people, a young man and a girl.
The young man wore black robes and stood tall and straight like a pine, cutting a rather handsome figure. The girl was dressed similarly, her dark hair gathered into a high ponytail. Her slender figure was graceful and budding like a flower in bloom, and her delicate, pretty features were complemented by a high, well-defined bridge of her nose that gave her face a distinct sculptured look.
Lu Ming felt a prickle of doubt at the sight of these three strangers. This inner courtyard was the residence of Zhou Xuan and Zhou Fuling; anyone permitted here had to be well acquainted with Zhou Xuan.
Thinking it best not to intrude, Lu Ming prepared to step back and leave.
“You there, boy. Come here.”
Before he could retreat, the woman in the palace robes glanced up. Her cool, imperious voice carried an unmistakable tone of arrogant command.
Lu Ming hesitated for a moment before stepping into the courtyard. Halting outside the stone pavilion, he clasped his fists and bowed. “Greetings, Senior.”
He could vaguely sense the faint yet unmistakable pressure radiating from her. She had to be a Divine Ability Master.
“What senior? Am I really that old?” At his greeting, the woman's brow furrowed, her tone laced with displeasure.
Lu Ming was speechless. What a foul temper this woman had. If he didn't call her Senior, was he supposed to call her Auntie?
“Haha, Aunt Shan, he is only showing you respect. There is no need to take it to heart,” the black-robed youth standing behind her chuckled, stepping in to smooth things over.
The girl cast a casual glance at Lu Ming before looking away, paying him no further mind.
Placated by the youth's soothing words, the mature woman gave a soft huff. “You are Lu Ming, correct? The prospect Zhou Xuan found to cultivate the Golden Sun Flame Banner?”
Lu Ming was startled to hear her mention the secret of the Golden Sun Flame Banner. However, unable to ascertain her background, he found it unwise to answer rashly. Playing deaf and dumb, he kept his head lowered, pretending to count the ants on the ground.
“Aunt Shan asked you a question. Why aren't you answering?” the girl chimed in, her tone reproachful.
Lu Ming felt a headache coming on. Just who were these people? Where were Zhou Xuan and his senior sister? Where had they gone off to?
“Cheng Shan, you truly are an obnoxious guest. What is the point of venting your temper on a young boy?” Just as Lu Ming was growing restless, Zhou Xuan's familiar voice finally rang out, bringing him immense relief.
Lu Ming looked up to see Zhou Xuan and Zhou Fuling walking in from the outer courtyard, having presumably been attending to official business earlier.
Zhou Fuling briskly stepped up beside Lu Ming, smiling brightly as she patted him on the shoulder.
Seeing this gesture, the girl behind the mature woman slightly knitted her willow brows. Then, breaking into a beaming smile, she stepped forward to greet her. “Fuling, long time no see.”
A smile touched Zhou Fuling's pretty face as she nodded back at the enthusiastic girl. “Ye Ling, long time no see.”
“Heehee, my brother is here too!”
The girl named Ye Ling promptly waved at the black-robed youth in the stone pavilion. Helpless, he could only walk forward and nod to Zhou Fuling with a smile. “Fuling, we meet again.”
Zhou Fuling smiled and nodded, then gestured toward Lu Ming. “This is Lu Ming, the candidate my Fourth Uncle found to cultivate the Golden Sun Flame Banner. This kid is quite formidable; he possesses a High-grade Divine Ability Bone and became a Grand Divine Ability Practitioner only a few short months after his Bone-Opening. On top of that, his talent for cultivating divine ability techniques is extraordinary.”
Ye Ling cast a glance at Lu Ming, remarking indifferently, “I heard he's a mud-legged bumpkin from a Grade 3 Divine Ability Hall?”
“What's wrong with a Grade 3 Divine Ability Hall? Heroes rise from humble origins! Since ancient times, countless Divine Ability Grandmasters have emerged from Divine Ability Halls,” Zhou Fuling countered in dissatisfaction, picking up on the disdain laced in Ye Ling's words.
Seeing that Zhou Fuling was slightly irritated, Ye Ling sheepishly stuck out her tongue.
Meanwhile, the black-robed youth gave Lu Ming a warm, quiet smile. “Greetings. My name is Ye Yuan.”
“This is my younger sister, Ye Ling. She has had a sharp tongue since childhood, so please bear with her. Just pay her no mind and act as if you didn't hear it.”
His smile was easygoing and his eyes held genuine sincerity; he did not look down on Lu Ming for his Grade 3 Divine Ability Hall background the way Ye Ling did, making it easy to form a favorable impression of him.
Sensing his open attitude and the goodwill he projected, Lu Ming smiled and nodded in return. “Hello. I am Lu Ming.”
“Little Sister, apologize to him,” Ye Yuan scolded.
Only then did Ye Ling pout reluctantly, muttering under her breath, “Fine, my bad.”
“It's fine.”
Lu Ming had no desire to entangle himself with spoiled, willful girls, so he merely nodded politely.
“Senior Sister, since you have distinguished guests, I will come back another time,” Lu Ming said, turning to Zhou Fuling.
“Oh, there's no need for that.”
Zhou Fuling gave a hearty chuckle, then whispered to him, “Your senior sister has your back. No one can bully you here.”
“By the way, Ye Yuan has also been cultivating the Golden Sun Flame Banner.”
Hearing this, Lu Ming looked at the youth named Ye Yuan in some surprise. He, too, was cultivating the Golden Sun Flame Banner?
He fell into contemplation. Zhou Xuan had mentioned before that the grand noble was looking for candidates to cultivate the Golden Sun Flame Banner and certainly wouldn't stop at just one. Evidently, Ye Yuan was the prospect recruited by that woman in palace attire.
What was more, the people searching for candidates likely weren't limited to just Zhou Xuan and that woman—there might be even more...
Looked at this way, the grand noble was casting a wide net to select the most suitable candidate.
It was truly an impressive undertaking.
Furthermore, their status had to be terrifyingly high; otherwise, how could they command so many Divine Ability Masters to scurry about scouring for prospects on their behalf?
“My brother has already cultivated the Golden Sun Flame Banner to the Initial Success stage,” Ye Ling said with a touch of pride. “With some diligent effort from here on, he might well reach the Great Success stage by the time Her Highness arrives.”
Her Highness?
Beside them, Lu Ming's heart stirred as he caught this crucial piece of information. Could this so-called “Her Highness” be the grand noble Zhou Xuan had spoken of?
Throughout the entirety of Great Shang, only two kinds of people dared style themselves as “Your Highness”: direct descendants of a Territory Master—Great Shang comprised seven territories, each governed by a Territory Master of transcendent might, supreme status, and immense authority—or genuine imperial royalty of Great Shang.
Sss.
Lu Ming took a quiet, sharp breath inwardly. Whichever it was, that person truly qualified as a grand noble of immense stature. No wonder Zhou Xuan had dared claim that so long as the noble spoke, even the Divine Ability Grandmasters of the Great Golden Crow Hall would show deference.
“And what about this kid? What stage has he reached?” After exchanging a few words with Zhou Xuan, the palace-attired woman named Cheng Shan cast her gaze toward Lu Ming, asking with a scrutinizing look.
Zhou Xuan smiled nonchalantly. “This kid has only reached Entry.”
Cheng Shan immediately pursed her lips. “Aren't you being far too perfunctory with the task Her Highness assigned? He has only barely reached Entry at this point? When Her Highness arrives, do you intend to present a candidate who has only reached Initial Success?”
Zhou Xuan chuckled. “With so many candidates, one more or less hardly makes a difference.”
He paused briefly, then continued, “Besides, with me, his primary focus is studying the Dao of Alchemy; the Golden Sun Flame Banner is purely secondary. Heh, as you well know, finding a gifted alchemy genius is vastly harder than finding a High-grade Divine Ability Bone.”
The moment these words left his mouth, Cheng Shan, Ye Yuan, and Ye Ling were all taken aback. Stunned disbelief surfaced on their faces for the first time as their gazes swept over Lu Ming anew.
“Him?”
“An alchemy genius?”
Rate on N.U.
