Those words shocked the two of them all over again. When they came to their senses and wanted to ask what rank the token was, they found that Liu Shan had already gone.
They could only stare at each other in frustration, feeling as though a cat were scratching at their hearts. Liu Fei even stamped her foot.
"Uncle really is something. He always does this, stopping just when he gets to the important part. Cousin, don't you ever learn that from him, or else..."
She trailed off and threatened Liu Qing with a glare.
"I know, I know!" Liu Qing waved a dismissive hand, still turning over in his mind what the token's true identity could be.
Seeing him like that, Liu Fei could not help kicking him in the leg. "Blockhead."
Under Liu Qing's bewildered gaze, she walked into the manor.
\ \ \
Three days passed in a flash. In that time, besides cultivating, Xiao Tian and his three companions went out to explore and try all sorts of interesting things.
On Xiao Tian's instruction, the Liu Family took over all of the Cheng Family's territory during those three days. The whole of Tianhuang City now fell under the Liu Family's management, making them the overlords of the city. But they did not grow arrogant. Tianhuang City was, in the end, a city controlled by Burning Flame Valley. With the Cheng Family gone, the Valley might simply install a Li Family or a Wu Family in its place.
During those three days, Xuan Yi tried many amusing things as well. Many of them seemed childish, yet once she tried them, she found them very enjoyable, perhaps because Xiao Tian was at her side.
The mark that a certain person had once left on her heart had vanished completely long ago. In these three days, Xiao Tian's mark had been etched there, growing clearer as time passed.
In the northwest, several streaks of light drew near Tianhuang City.
When the city's defenders saw them, one of the guards wanted to shout a warning and stop them. But a man in a captain's uniform behind him clamped a hand over his mouth. After the streaks of light faded, the captain let him go. The guard took several deep breaths and asked, "Captain, why did you cover my mouth? Those people broke the rules of Tianhuang City."
The captain slapped him on the helmet. "Are you really a fool, or just blind? Didn't you see the emblem on their clothes? That's Burning Flame Valley! You'd dare stop them? If you went up there, you'd die for nothing. If you want to die, don't drag the rest of us down with you."
\ \ \
At the Liu Family manor, Xiao Tian and Xuan Yi sat arm in arm on a swing. Xiao Tian had made it specially for Xuan Yi, Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng.
They sat on the swing, watching the two girls practice Dou Techniques, chatting and pointing out where the girls fell short.
Then Xiao Tian and Xuan Yi turned their heads at the same moment toward the direction from which the Burning Flame Valley party was approaching.
"After waiting so long, they're finally here? They're slow. Look at that speed."
Hearing his complaint, Xuan Yi shook her head gently. "Do you think everyone has a sound transmission stone like you?"
In the past few days, Xuan Yi had seen for herself the marvelous sound transmission stones in the hands of Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng. With her experience, she could tell that although the stones seemed made for convenient messages, their real function was extraordinarily powerful.
The forces of the continent still passed information by carrier eagles or other special tools, and none of them could match a sound transmission stone for speed. That difference between fast and slow would create an information gap, and an information gap was the most terrifying thing of all. It could decide life and death, victory and defeat, and even change the shape of the whole continent. Timely intelligence could turn the course of a battle at any moment, and could even give one side a crushing advantage. An information gap was a gap between life and death. Whoever could grasp the latest intelligence first could control the situation.
"What can I do? Our family doesn't have much else, only a lot of good things. Who can blame me for being so outstanding?" Xiao Tian laughed heartily.
"You childish narcissist." Xuan Yi looked at him and could not help patting her forehead.
"And what do you mean, 'our family'? Don't talk nonsense. It isn't." She said it quickly when she heard him say "our," but her expression was the opposite of her words. Her eyes were even smiling.
"Right, right, it isn't. We'll talk about the details later."
Xiao Tian found her reaction very amusing. A mature older sister who had never been in love, once she was caught in the whirlpool of love, turned out to be full of contrasts.
\ \ \
The streaks of light arrived above the Cheng Family manor. By now the manor was deserted and desolate. It had clearly been looted. Most of the valuables had been taken by the Liu Family, and a small part had either been pilfered by servants as they fled or simply smashed.
The leader of the Burning Flame Valley group was an old man in a crimson robe, his face covered with red spots. He glanced at the ruins of the Cheng Family below and said indifferently, "To the Liu Family."
"Yes, Elder Chihuo!" the people behind him answered with a measure of respect.
From the messages sent earlier, they already knew that the Liu Family had been responsible for the Cheng Family's destruction, and that several people of unknown origin had been involved as well. After receiving this intelligence, Burning Flame Valley had dispatched Elder Chihuo, who was the closest to Tianhuang City. A vassal force meddled with by people of unknown origin might affect the Valley's later control of other cities. He had come to investigate the strangers' origins and to uphold the Valley's prestige.
The group changed direction and headed for the Liu Family manor. On arrival, they did not use the main gate. They landed instead on the open ground before the manor's largest building, the Council Hall.
"Who are you, and why do you trespass on the Liu Family's land?" The captain of the guards in charge of security led several men to stand before the party and looked at them with a grave gaze. He had just seen that the leader was walking on air, clearly a Dou Zong expert.
At that moment, Liu Shan appeared in the center of the Council Hall, with two other Dou Zong-level experts of the Liu Family behind him.
"I never expected Elder Chihuo to honor us with his presence." Liu Shan stepped forward slowly, his gaze sweeping over the Burning Flame Valley party, a polite smile on his lips.
Elder Chihuo gave an indifferent nod.
Liu Shan did not mind the other man's attitude. It was not the first time he had seen it. "You have come a long way, and this is no place to talk. Why don't you all follow me inside? I'll have fine wine and delicacies prepared, and we can talk as we drink."
Elder Chihuo glanced at Liu Shan and did not refuse. Though the man's strength was not equal to his own, he was still a Dou Zong expert. "Then let's go in and talk. Lead the way."
"Please." Liu Shan bowed slightly and made a gesture of invitation.
Elder Chihuo walked slowly past Liu Shan, then stopped and said something meaningful to him...