Book 5, Zifu Disciple, Chapter 11 – Ji Ning’s Sword
The six youths from the Ji clan’s Central Prefecture disembarked. From the island, four figures walked over, the leader being a beautiful woman dressed in simple, plain clothes. By her side was a youth dressed in blue, while two Crimson Guards followed them from the side. There were a total of a hundred Crimson Guards on the island, which Ji Ninefire had especially stationed here.
“I imagine you are Manager Autumn Leaf.” Ji Mo, the leader of the six youths, extended his hand, and within it, a beast skin appeared which had some words written atop it. “We are here at the commands of our Central Prefecutre Lord, and we have come to pay our respects to young master Ji Ning.”
“Oh?” Autumn Leaf accepted the beast skin parchment and glanced at it.
All of the various matters pertaining to Brightheart Island were under Autumn Leaf’s control, and she had been appointed as the General Manager by Ji Ning.
Autumn Leaf carefully read through the beast skin parchment, then lifted her head and smiled. “We had already received the news previously and had been informed that six outstanding talents of the Central Prefecture were coming. Everyone, please follow me.”
“We have come to pay our respects to young master Ji Ning. Might I ask when young master Ji Ning will be able to see us?”
While following Autumn Leaf, the six youths asked this question.
Autumn Leaf just said, “Everyone, don’t be hasty. You will definitely see the young master today.”
Soon, the six youths were led to a quiet, reclusive residence which was specially used for receiving guests. Autumn Leaf instructed a pair of maidservants, “These six are our esteemed guests from the Central Prefecture. Take good care of them.”
“Yes.” The two maidservants acknowledged.
“Everyone.” Autumn Leaf looked at the six of them and laughed. “Once our young master has time, I will definitely come inform the six of you. Everyone, you must be tired from your journey. You can rest here for now.”
After speaking, Autumn Leaf led Bluestone and the others away.
“Hmph, people of high status really are troublesome!” The tall, muscular youth, Ji Tongzhan, was so angry his eyes bulged. “What could this young master Ji Ning possibly be worrying about, living here in such a secluded, quiet little lake island? This female manager even said ‘when our young master has free time’. Jeeze…they really hold us in no regard at all.”
“The Central Prefecture ordered someone to convey the letter long ago to inform them of our arrival. It’s one thing for young master Ji Ning to not come welcome us, but he won’t even let us know when he will meet with us, and instead just has us wait here like fools?”
These youths were all the talented, favored sons of heaven.
Although they believed that Ji Ning was one level stronger than them, they were still people of the same age. For them to be slighted like this…they were rather unhappy.
“Endure it!” Ji Mo just sat there and called out to them quietly. “We are here to pay our respects. Thus, wait here obediently for young master Ji Ning to summon us.”
“We’re just discontent, that’s all.”
“Right. Everyone talks about how powerful young master Ji Ning is, but none of us have ever met him. He’s only sixteen years old. How powerful can he be?” These youths all chatted amongst themselves. Even Ji Mo, seated there, in his bones had the untamed arrogance inherent to all geniuses. What one heard didn’t matter. What one saw was what really mattered!
Until he personally witnessed Ji Ning’s abilities, in Mo’s heart, he too had a small ball of fiery anger that was currently smoldering.
……..
The sun had already set, and the night fog had covered the entire western horizons. The setting sun’s red glow covered the earth, causing the surface of Serpentwing Lake to appear as beautiful as a painting. Far away on the surface of the lake in this ‘painting’, a small boat was swaying as the water pushed it forward.
“It’s the young master’s boat.”
“It’s the young master.”
The maidservants had noticed long ago, and they had immediately informed Manager Autumn Leaf. Autumn Leaf and Bluestone quickly arrived on the beach, staring at that distant little boat.
Within the boat.
Ning was comfortably lying there, his eyes shut. The lake around him was completely silent, as silent as a painting. Suddenly, he could vaguely sense the auras of many people in the distance, and as he did, his eyelids twitched, then opened.
“I’m here.” Ning immediately stood up, stretching lazily.
He was still dressed in those beast fur clothes. However, these were formed from the transformation of a protective magic-treasure…after all, he only had a few sets of beast fur clothes which his mother had sown for him. If he always wore them, they would eventually be ruined. Ning couldn’t bear for that to happen, and so he stored them away. However, he still changed the appearance of his armor-type magic treasure into beast furs. He felt the mos