by Catofdreams
Lang Jie was too overwhelmed by the situation and quickly closed his eyes. Xue Yan looked so cool when she did that, so he couldn't help but feel that it was just too much for him.
Xue Yan laughed and sat back down on her seat. Lang Jie jokingly glared at her.
"I should be the one doing the cool things to you!", Lang Jie let out a humph as he looked at his wife, who seemed to be enjoying the moment.
Xue Yan knew that, in a way, she had to be thankful to the guy that approached her back at the Purple Lotus Hotel. Even though he caused a misunderstanding between her and Lang Jie, the fact that they were talking like this now was a great blessing. Before, their interactions seemed to be the same every day, not that it was a bad thing. Now, Lang Jie seemed to be showing her many more sides of him, which she made her feel extremely happy.
She also seemed to be able to feel that she wanted to do new things to her husband which she didn't dare to do before, just like how she felt now. She wanted to tease him since he looked so cute when he was flustered.
"Oh… but there was this one guy that I liked…", Xue Yan decided that she would go through with teasing Lang Jie since it seemed to match the atmosphere.
"W-what?! Really?! Who was it?", Lang Jie slammed his hands on the table and stood up. He looked clearly worked up as his curiosity was at an all-time high. Although it was something that he was worried about earlier, he still wanted to know about it now. Knowing any bit of Xue Yan's past felt like finding a treasure to him.
"Hmm… I think his name was Tzu…? Sun Tzu? I'm not sure…", Xue Yan tried to recall the name of a general in the past that she looked up to. She recalled that the general had a great reputation for being a brilliant strategist and philosopher, and since she was fully absorbed on fighting before, she looked up to his way of battle.
"S-Sun Tzu…?", Lang Jie couldn't help but feel shocked as he heard the name.
"D-do you mean the guy that wrote the Art of War?", Lang Jie tried to confirm it. He didn't want to jump to conclusions since the man that Xue Yan was talking about could just be someone with the same name as the great general.
"Yes! Him! I'm surprised you know him…", Xue Yan immediately felt happy knowing that her husband seemed to know about the man she looked up to. She thought that she could perhaps discuss Sun Tzu's philosophy with Lang Jie since she really did enjoy his way of battle.
"Have you seen him in action…?", Lang Jie felt even more shocked as he listened to Xue Yan talking.
"Of course! I personally met him before, back when the King of Wu wanted to test his abilities by telling him to train concubines into soldiers.", Xue Yan happily told her husband as she recalled the scene in her head.
"H-honey… wasn't that over 2000 years ago?", Lang Jie told his wife, who suddenly realized that she had said too much.
She cleared her throat and averted her husband's gaze.
"H-honey… do you mind if I ask…?", Lang Jie tried to match her gaze, but Xue Yan stayed silent and continued avoiding his eyes as she knew that he was about to ask something big.
"… How old are you?", Lang Jie finally dropped the bomb.
This time, Xue Yan slammed her hands on the table and stood up.
"Hmph! Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman her age!", Xue Yan got up and made her way towards their room while pouting.
"H-honey! Wait! I'm sorry!"
CHAPTER 24 – “THE LANG JIE FANCLUB’S TWO DIVISIONS FINALLY MEET!”
Today, in a certain abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of the city where Lang Jie and Xue Yan lived, an important event was taking place.
Mao Cheng stood fearlessly in front of his men. He had to assert dominance in order to maintain his position as Xue Yan's right-hand man.
In front of him, an elderly man also stood valiantly in front of a small group of people. Although the men behind him were young, they were all incredibly powerful martial artists. They were all inner disciples of the former Heavenly Duan Sect, which meant that they all had exceptional talent.
The elderly man stepped forward and saw that the first generation of the group they were now in was filled with mortals. He couldn't even feel a single speck of qi emanating from any of them, which made him feel disappointed.
Since Mao Cheng and his men were not cultivators, they didn't feel any fear as they faced the former Heavenly Duan Sect's patriarch and his disciples.
"My name is Hao Liuxian. I am the patriarch of the former Heavenly Duan Sect, now known as…", Hao Liuxian couldn't bear to say the new name of his sect, but he knew he had to so that he won't upset Xue Yan.
"As… the Lang Jie Fanclub…", he managed to push out the last few words of his introduction.
Mao Cheng stared at Hao Liuxian. Although he was old, he seemed to be quite powerful. Mao Cheng also thought that he must be someone special since he said he was a patriarch of a sect. He thought that maybe Hao Liuxian meant he was the principal of a school or something along those lines since martial art sects were very rare nowadays.
Despite Hao Liuxian telling the man in front of him who he was, the man didn't seem to falter. Mao Cheng was determined to teach the newcomers to know their place and to follow the hierarchy. Although Mao Cheng did notice that they all seemed to be well-dressed and stood proudly, which made them look like they were some big shots, it didn't faze him at all since he knew that his boss was far more powerful than them.
"I am Mao Cheng. Although you newcomers seem to be from some powerful group, you should know that I am this group's leader!", Mao Cheng told all of them with confidence but then realized that if they told on his boss, he'd probably be punished for acting so arrogantly.
"Ehem… of course, after boss Xue Yan!", he continued in order to prevent a mess.
Hao Liuxian listened to the man's rambling, but he didn't show any interest in the slightest. After Mao Cheng introduced himself, Hao Liuxian looked around and saw that the supposed 'boss' wasn't around.
"Where is Xue Yan? Didn't she say she'll be here?", Hao Liuxian asked the man in front of him.
Mao Cheng was being considerate and fixed his arrogant tone earlier, but when he saw Hao Liuxian being the one who was arrogant, he felt his blood slowly start to boil out of anger.
"How dare you refer to the boss with her full name?! Show some respect, newbie!", Mao Cheng stepped forward and grabbed Hao Liuxian by the collar of his shirt. Hao Liuxian saw him move towards him to grab him and intentionally let him do so in order to check if he really was just a mortal. Alas, his movement was extremely slow to his eyes. Hao Liuxian could not believe that despite being so powerful, he would still have to follow the orders of a mere mortal.
"Are you mute?! Show some respect to your superiors! Or do you want me to teach you personally?", Mao Cheng raised his fist to threaten Hao Liuxian, but he didn't seem to be fazed. Hao Liuxian's disciples were about to move to intercept Mao Cheng, but Hao Liuxian raised a hand to signal them to stop.
"I don't see how you're qualified enough to teach me.", Hao Liuxian tried to provoke Mao Cheng, which seemed to work well. Bulging veins started to be visible on Mao Cheng's forehead. His face was now turning red out of anger. He had never allowed anyone to disrespect him except for Xue Yan.
Hao Liuxian didn't feel any fear at all. In fact, he wanted Mao Cheng to hit him. If the man in front of him ran out of patience and dared to hit him, he knew that the presence that was watching them since the beginning would make a move. He looked up towards the presence he felt earlier and saw Xue Yan, who was just watching over them silently.
If Mao Cheng were to lose his temper, Hao Liuxian thought that she would see that he was not fit to be the Lang Jie Fanclub's vice leader. As the patriarch of the former Heavenly Duan Sect, he had high ambitions. He could not bear to let anyone weaker than him have a position above him.
As Mao Cheng's fist drew closer to his cheek, he let out a smile and thought that it was his victory. In his eyes, the fist moved at a snail's pace, and he also felt that the power that it
packed was nothing for someone at his level.
Xue Yan watched the entire thing and thought that Hao Liuxian was indeed a cunning man. She could now see Mao Cheng's temperament and how he acts impulsively. She also felt a bit of resentment for him since he made the renovations to her home.
The fist was now a few millimeters away from his face. Hao Liuxian was then filled with celebratory thoughts as to how he should be Xue Yan's right-hand man. He knew of the benefits that the Purple Lotus Clan's patriarch received from her, so he thought that if he served directly under her, he could also gain more power.
He closed his eyes and waited for Xue Yan's intervention.
*BANG*
An unholy sound came from the contact between Mao Cheng's fist and Hao Liuxian's left cheek. Hao Liuxian did not feel any fear when he watched the fist slowly drawing closer to him since the power was one that came from a mortal, but for some reason, the fist sent him flying. His left cheek immediately started swelling as he felt like he had a concussion from the sheer impact of Mao Cheng's punch.
"H-how could it be…? I forged my body to the Tempering Orichalcum Stage… yet a mere mortal could break my defenses…", Hao Liuxian couldn't help but ramble like a senile old man as he felt the power from Mao Cheng's punch.
Hao Liuxian looked up at Xue Yan, who was now laughing as she watched the entire scene unfold.
She jumped down and slowly walked towards Mao Cheng.
"Good job… although you were being quite rash, you proved to be quite the man since you defended this Venerable One's name from being disrespected.", Xue Yan told Mao Cheng, who bowed towards her as he listened to her praises.
Mao Cheng couldn't believe how strong his punch was. He thought that maybe everything that Xue Yan made them do was part of some kind of training, which made him incredibly powerful.
What really happened was, when Mao Cheng's fist made contact with Hao Liuixian's cheek, Xue Yan delivered her own blow using her qi. After all, the resentment she felt towards Hao Liuxian was far greater than what she felt for Mao Cheng since Hao Liuxian dared to harm her husband.
Xue Yan slowly approached Hao Liuxian, who was being swarmed by his disciples in order to heal him.
"Are you okay?", Xue Yan asked him as she extended a hand towards him.
Hao Liuxian immediately got up on his own since he didn't dare to touch Xue Yan's hand. He had an inkling that Xue Yan lent a hand on the blow that Mao Cheng delivered, but he didn't dare to ask her about it.
"This lowly one is okay. Thank you for your concern, oh Venerable One!", Mao Cheng bowed towards Xue Yan in order to pay his respects. His disciples did the same, although they were all trembling out of fear as they faced the woman that eradicated their sect in a few seconds.
"Good! Now, let us start the discussion about how the Lang Jie Fanclub should operate as an organization. This Venerable One has to go back soon in order to prepare dinner for my husband.", Xue Yan told everybody as she made her way to a chair in the middle of the warehouse and sat on it. Everyone followed her and stood a good distance away from her.
Some of Mao Cheng's men went and fetched chairs for everyone, as well as for the people on Hao Liuxian's side. Although their bosses were in conflict, they knew that they were now all under one group, so they should all get along.
As soon as everyone was comfortably seated in the abandoned warehouse, Xue Yan clapped her hands and begun the discussion.
"So, for the first problem, we have to establish where our main headquarters should be located.", Xue Yan decisively started the talks. She kept glancing at her watch and wanted to get everything over with as soon as possible since the dish she wanted to make for Lang Jie would take quite a bit of time to prepare.
"How about we build our foundations back at the mountain where the Heavenly Duan Sect used to reside in?", Hao Liuxian immediately jumped at the chance to restore the damaged area of his sect. If the place would become their headquarters, then the Heavenly Duan Sect would be able to continue to operate as it used to, but under a different name.
Xue Yan shook her head and rejected the idea immediately.
"It needs to be somewhere close. This Venerable One wants everyone to respond to my calls as fast as possible.", Xue Yan explained the reason for the rejection. Hao Liuixian could do nothing else but to nod his head in agreement.
"How about in this warehouse? We could make some changes and turn it into a better place.", Mao Cheng offered his suggestion.
Xue Yan's eyes widened as she thought that his suggestion was quite plausible. She already knew how good they were with construction since she saw how Mao Cheng and his men were able to transform their home into a grander version with double the floors.
"That's a good idea. Buy the land at any price and start working on it as soon as possible.", Xue Yan liked his idea and approved it. Mao Cheng smiled triumphantly and gave Hao Liuxian a mocking look as he knew that he now had an edge over Hao Liuxian.
Hao Liuxian was furious. His name and reputation have been tarnished enough for even a mortal to make fun of him.
"Now, onto the next matter…", Xue Yan ignored the two's rivalry and moved on to the next topic. She really felt like she had to rush everything now since the dish she wants to cook might not be finished by the time her husband arrives.
"In order to secure enough budget, we need to have some kind of business in order to financially support our group. I will handle the capital costs, but do you have any idea on what business we should do?", Xue Yan asked everyone in the room.
Hao Liuxian racked his head, trying to look for something to say in order to get an edge over Mao Cheng. The patriarch that is three steps into the Divine Realm, able to make his qi physically manifest and able to single-handedly eradicate an entire city with a wave of his hand, was now competing with a mortal over petty matters.
"How about we offer protection services? Or anything that involves combat? After all, the disciples of my sect are all very well-versed. We could even deal with underground matters with force and offer black market services such as assassination!", Hao Liuxian immediately blurted out the first thing he thought of in order to be able to present his idea before his mortal rival.
Although the idea was rushed, he felt that it was still a good one. Only a handful of people could go against his top disciples, so dealing with anything that comes their way would be a cinch. Also, those kinds of services easily fetch a large sum of money.
Hao Liuxian was feeling proud of his wits, but then he saw that Xue Yan was shaking her head.
"We can't do that. The Lang Jie Fanclub should not offer any services that only brutes provide. Those services will tarnish the name of this Venerable One's husband.", Xue Yan immediately shot down Hao Liuxian's suggestion once again.
"Boss… how about we set up a construction company? I'm sure you've seen how good we are at the job! Even Boss Lang Jie says that we should do it since he also thinks we're good at it!", Mao Cheng raised his suggestion as soon as Xue Yan finished rejecting Hao Liuxian's idea.
Xue Yan looked like she was deep in thought. Everyone in the room thought that she was thinking about Mao Cheng's suggestion, but she was actually thinking of ways on how to cook tonight's braised pork shoulder in a quicker way since time really wasn't in her favor.
Moments later, she started nodding her head.
"Good idea. Let's do that. Although I have no idea how those things work, just ask me if there's anything you need that I can provide. I'll leave everything to you.", Xue Yan told Mao Cheng, who once again showed off a triumphant look.
Hao Liuxian bowed his head in shame as he realized that he had just lost to his rival, but it didn't take long for him to recover. After all, he knew that there would be more chances for him to enact his revenge. This time, he conceded victory to Mao Cheng.
Xue Yan stood up and checked her watch. She only had two hours left, and her recipe for braised pork shoulder required three hours to cook, and that didn't include preparations yet.
"So, is there anything else? There's nothing else, right?", Xue Yan asked everyone.
"Ah, boss! How about the-", Mao Cheng wanted to ask about the hierarchy and the corporate ladder in the group, but Xue Yan immediately cut him off.
"There's nothing else… right?!", Xue Yan glared at him, which immediately made him shut up.
Everyone sat in silence as they were all forced to keep their mouths shut.
"Good! Now, let's all go and perform our very first activity together as the Lang Jie Fanclub!", Xue Yan happily told everyone and urged them to follow her.
Everyone else looked at each other in confusion. They thought that they were just going to talk about the organization and plan stuff ahead. They didn't know that there was a planned event beforehand.
Xue Yan actually didn't plan anything, but she thought that since it was because of the Lang Jie Fanclub that she didn't have any more time to cook her braised pork shoulder, they should take responsibility and help her cook it. After all, she wouldn't bother scheduling a meeting herself. She was only forced to do so since Hao Liuxian kept pestering her about meeting the first generation of the Lang Jie Fanclub.