“Hmm?”
As soon as he arrived at the main entrance of the Magnolia Guild, Zhou Donghuang saw three large horses standing before the stairs of the main entrance, hesitating as if they could not decide whether to proceed.
On the lead horse sat a small girl, and judging from her physique, she was about eight or nine years old. Her delicate and attractive side profile was enough to make an observer fall in love with her.
On the two horses behind her sat two youths who looked about twelve or thirteen years old, one with his long hair tied behind him and the other with neat, short hair.
“Boss, are you sure you’re not mistaken, and that the name on the plaque really is the ‘Magnolia Guild’ that Sir Freezing Wind spoke of?”
The short-haired youth questioned the little girl, and his question indicated that he could not read.
A twelve or thirteen-year-old youth addressing an eight or nine-year-old girl as “boss” seemed strange whichever way one looked at it, but the short-haired youth did not seem to mind in the least.
“Just because you can’t read doesn’t mean I can’t.”
The little girl turned with her arms akimbo and gave the short-haired youth an annoyed look; then she leaped off the horse nimbly. “Let’s go! We’ll go in and look for our benefactor and Uncle Freezing Wind.”
“Yes, boss,” the two youths replied obediently and leaped off their horses. Although their technique was good, the little girl was better, and their performance was slightly inferior compared to the little girl’s.
It was then that Zhou Donghuang deduced their identities.
These were the three orphans that Freezing Wind had carefully selected on his orders for their perseverance and resilience.
The three of them watched Zhou Donghuang as he approached and walked up the stairs at the main entrance of the Magnolia guild.
“Benefactor!”
Just as Zhou Donghuang reached the balcony and was about to enter, he heard the delicate, moving voice of the little girl, followed by the thud of someone kneeling down.
“Benefactor?”
Seeing the girl kneeling down before Zhou Donghuang, the two youths exchanged a glance and promptly followed by kneeling down behind the girl.
“Why call me benefactor?”
When he heard the girl’s voice, Zhou Donghuang knew that she had recognized him, and he could not help smiling casually as he turned around.
“What a clever girl.”
Zhou Donghuang looked at the delicate and pretty little girl and sighed in his heart. It was difficult to imagine how such a girl could endure the pain of the Nerve-Easing, Marrow-Cleansing Needle.
“Benefactor, Uncle Freezing Wind said… if you had not ordered him to find us, we would not have what we have today. Therefore, you are our benefactor.”
The little girl was not casual towards Zhou Donghuang like how she had been casual with the two youths, and her severe expression made her look like a miniature adult.
“How did you know who I am?”
Zhou Donghuang smiled casually.
“From the time Uncle Freezing Wind mentioned you, benefactor, I was especially eager to meet you, and Uncle Freezing Wind drew a portrait of you especially for me… although the portrait did not do your good looks justice, the posture when you clasped your hands looks exactly like you.”
The girl took out a folded piece of paper as she spoke and carefully unfolded it. The image of a youth could be seen, and the image was of Zhou Donghuang.
However, the outline of the image of Zhou Donghuang’s face was slightly smudged and was indeed not as good-looking as in reality, but the posture of him clasping his hands behind his back was exactly the same as in reality.
“I never knew Freezing Wind could do this.”
Zhou Donghuang raised his eyebrows and said to the girl and the youths, “Get up and follow me in.”
“Yes, Benefactor.”
The three of them stood up and followed Zhou Donghuang into the Magnolia Guild.
“What is your name?” Zhou Donghuang asked with a slight smile as he walked beside the little girl. He gave the girl a tender look as he reached out and patted her head.
“Benefactor, I am Yun Lu.”
Even as the girl was introducing herself, she did not forget to introduce the two youths behind her. “As for them… the short-haired one is Zhou Han. The long-haired one is called Zhou Feng.”
“Zhou Han? Zhou Feng?”
Zhou Donghuang gave a start.
“Benefactor, they did not have proper names at first… Elder Freezing Wind gave them names consisting of your surname, and first names taken from his own name,” Yun Lu said.
“No wonder it sounds so familiar.”
Zhou Donghuang nodded and proceeded to bring the three of them to see Granny Lian so that she could arrange accommodation for them.
The three of them had been carefully selected by Freezing Wind from among a group of orphans, and not only had they endured the pain of the Nerve-easing, Marrow-Cleansing Needle, but they had also passed Freezing Wind’s test of loyalty and would surely remain loyal.
The great majority of orphans would be grateful and loyal to the benefactors who had changed their lives and never betray them.
After handing the three of them over to Granny Lian, Zhou Donghuang returned to his room to continue practicing. He was only waiting for Fu to be ready before leaving Yunfeng prefecture and heading for the Chu royal city.
Fu would need at least two or three days to completely absorb the effect of the potion made from the thousand-year red fruit.
In the following days, what surprised Zhou Donghuang the most was that his mother had taken a great liking to Yun Lu and came to tell him that she wanted to take Yun Lu as an adopted daughter.
Zhou Donghuang knew well that his mother had always wanted a daughter. She had Chen Dandan at first, but after Chen Dandan’s betrayal, the place in his mother’s heart previously occupied by her daughter was once again hollow.
“Xiao Lu, from now on you don’t have to call me benefactor, just call me Big Brother.”
Since Lin Lan wanted to take Yun Lu as her adopted daughter, Zhou Donghuang was happy to oblige, and after interacting with her over these few days, he took a great liking to Yun Lu as well.
Although she was only nine years old, Yun Lu was extremely mature, and the details of her daily life displayed Yun Lu’s kind heart.
“Big Brother.”
However strong Yun Lu seemed to be, she was, after all, still a girl, and the time spent with the family over these few days also made her fall in love with the warmth of the family. Hearing Zhou Donghuang’s words, she could not help the tears streaming freely down her face.
“What’s there to cry about? Silly girl.”
Zhou Donghuang reached his hand out and wiped Yun Lu’s tears and stroked her head, giving her an indulgent smile.
“Xiao Lu, Mother will bring you shopping to buy some nice outfits.”
Lin Lan arrived, and seeing that Zhou Donghuang was there as well, she asked promptly with a smile, “Donghuang, would you like to come shopping with us both?”
“Mother, please go ahead.”
Zhou Donghuang gave her a smile. “I still have some matters to assign Freezing Wind.”
He planned to leave Yunfeng prefecture the next day for the Chu royal city. Of course, he had not yet told Lin Lan this.
“Bye, Big Brother.”
Yun Lu said goodbye to Zhou Donghuang and left with Lin Lan.
After the two of them left, Zhou Donghuang instructed Fu to summon Freezing Wind.
“Xiao Lu has already acknowledged my mother as her adopted mother, from now on, let her follow my mother… when you leave to carry out duties, just bring Zhou Han and Zhou Feng with you,” Zhou Donghuang said casually.
He had instructed Freezing Wind to find orphans and select the cream of the crop so that Freezing Wind would have the opportunity to create his own source of strength. This source of strength was not to help him in any way, but was so that his family could be better protected and they could travel onwards without worrying about matters at home!
“Yes, Young Master,” Freezing Wind replied respectfully. Now, after his experience with the thousand-year red fruit, he revered this youth before him as a god.
To be able to use a one-thousand-year red fruit to get the effect of ten thousand-year red fruits, never mind in the country of Yunyang, but who on the whole planet of Ziyun could do this?
Freezing Wind had now smoothly attained level-four of Qi-gathering after consuming the potion made from the thousand-year red fruit, and he became a level-four adept of Qi-gathering with the strength of four bulls.
The Freezing Wind of the past could never have imagined in his wildest dreams that he could achieve this in such a short period of time.
If I was still at Green Wolf Bastion… I would only have just attained level-two of Qi-gathering, Freezing Wind thought to himself.
“Take these two bottles of potion… based on your evaluation, if you are more certain that Zhou Han and Zhou Feng have the potential, give these to them,” Zhou Donghuang instructed Freezing Wind, casually tossing the two bottles made from the thousand-year red fruit to him.
After this, only two bottles of potion remained in Zhou Donghuang’s possession.
He planned to give one of them to Yun Lu before he left the next day.
…
April 1, 1228 of the Ziyun Era.
Lin Lan and Yun Lu stood at side by side at the main entrance of the Magnolia Guild, staring at the carriage drawn by the three ferghana horses as it vanished into the distance.
“This child… he only told me last night that he would be leaving this morning.”
Lin Lan shook her head with a sigh and a bitter smile.
“Mother, Big Brother was worried that if you knew too early, you would not be able to bear it.”
Yun Lu consoled her gently. “Mother, even though Big Brother is gone, you still have Xiao Lu to keep you company, so don’t feel too sad.”
“Silly girl, Mother isn’t sad… your big brother has a bright future, and I am happy for him.”
Lin Lan smiled as she stroked Yun Lu’s little head, and despite what she said, she could not fully conceal the longing in her eyes.
…
Elsewhere.
In the cabin of the carriage, Wu Nanxun looked at Zhou Donghuang incredulously. “You… you are really going to send me home?”
“Why else would I have let you live?”
Zhou Donghuang swept an indifferent gaze over Wu Nanxun. “For the remainder of the journey, you’d better not disrupt my practice… if you annoy me, I will not hesitate to leave you halfway permanently.”
Hearing Zhou Donghuang, Wu Nanxun promptly shut his mouth but kept thinking over what he could do to Zhou Donghuang once he reached home.
He has destroyed my meridians and made me a martial invalid, and my life is ruined… when I get home, I’ll have to personally cut up his corpse into ten thousand pieces to sate my thirst for vengeance!
While Zhou Donghuang shut his eyes and practiced, Wu Nanxun’s eyes burned with hatred as he stared at Zhou Donghuang, rage rising in his heart and threatening to spill out.
On this journey, Fu did not take on the role as Zhou Donghuang’s driver, but sat beside Zhou Donghuang, leaning on the door as he practiced.
Now, the carriage was being driven by the two drivers who had driven Wu Nanxun, both side relatives of the governing Wu family of Guangling prefecture.
