Chapter 979 - Visiting Eternal Lotuses
Before entering the Eternal Lotuses' Headquarters, Yuan wore a mask on his face.
"Why are you wearing a mask now?" Yu Rou couldn't help but ask him.
"I don't want to ruin your life in this place. From this point forth, I will be 'Yuan', not Yu Tian." He said.
"I don't care if people find out that you're my brother… In fact, that's something I can brag about."
"I'm only doing this because of the Legacy Families. They're a bunch of annoying people that you don't want to deal with, and I am trying to save you from them."
'A-A bunch of annoying people…' White Lotus sighed inwardly after hearing his words.
As she was from a Legacy Family, she couldn't help but feel like she was part of these annoying people. However, she couldn't refute such claims either, as she found other Legacy Families to be pretty annoying as well.
"Welcome back, Leader Bai, Elder Yin. Welcome to the Eternal Lotuses, Guests." The disciples at the front gate greeted them.
They didn't immediately realize that there was a man amongst their group because Yuan was wearing a mask, and he had long hair tied into a ponytail.
Although his body structure was larger than the ladies there, it wasn't enough to raise any suspicions.
"Is there anything you want to see first, or should I just give you a tour around our faction?" White Lotus asked Yuan after they entered the faction.
"I'll let you decide where we go. I just want to see what Yu Rou's life has been like for the past few months."
"I understand. Then let's do a walkthrough of our disciples' daily routine. There should still be some disciples doing morning training right now."
Yuan nodded, and they proceeded to follow White Lotus around the faction, starting from the area where most disciples go to train.
White Lotus would give them a brief explanation of the place while Yu Rou would recall her experience there.
The disciples there eventually realized that there was a man amongst them, and rumors quickly began to spread like wildfire.
"Did you hear? Senior Bai brought a man into the faction!"
"What! This is the first time a man has stepped foot inside this place since its founding!"
"I heard that not even Leader Bai's father could enter this place. Who is this man that she finds more important than her own father?"
"I couldn't get a look at his face because he was wearing a mask, but I swear I heard Leader Bai addressing him as 'Yuan'!"
"What?! It must be Player Yuan! I heard that she had an encounter with him in Cultivation Online. They probably agreed to meet in real life!"
"Oh my! This is so exciting!"
Meanwhile, in one of the guest rooms, Fiery Queen overheard some of the disciples in the hallway talking about Yuan.
"What? Player Yuan is here? That crafty bitch! No wonder why she's been gone for the last few days! She actually snuck out to meet him! And she even lied to me about it!"
She left her room shortly after to look for White Lotus and Yuan.
Sometime later, Fiery Lotus found them resting under a pavilion.
"What do you think of my faction?" White Lotus asked him as they sipped on hot tea.
"It's very peaceful here, and the disciples are full of enthusiasm. Honestly, I feel a little embarrassed to even call my place a faction after seeing how organized this place is. It's more like a home than a headquarter."
"I think most factions are like that. Only those with enough funds and reputation dare to build such a large headquarter." White Lotus said.
Suddenly—
"E-Excuse me! You can't go in there!" Someone there said in a nervous voice.
White Lotus turned around to see Fiery Queen approaching them with a nonchalant expression on her face.
"Yuan, that's Sasha Walkers, also known as Fiery Queen. She's a top 10 Player in Cultivation Online, and she's from the Walkers Family that is ranked 10th in the Legacy Ranking." White Lotus quickly introduced her to Yuan.
Once she arrived before their table, Fiery Queen combed her short orange hair with her fingers and spoke, "Are you really Player Yuan?"
Feeling her sharp gaze, Yuan smiled and nodded, "How can I help you, Miss Walkers?"
"Oh? You know about me?"
"I only know of your name."
"I see… Well, I don't like beating around the bush, so I am going to ask you directly. Join my Walkers Family, Player Yuan!"
"What can you offer me?" Yuan didn't immediately reject her offer.
'Is this what he meant by entertaining them?' White Lotus wondered inwardly.
"I will double— No, triple what the Bai Family has offered you!"
"Are you sure you can afford it?" White Lotus could no longer remain quiet now that Fiery Queen brought her family into the conversation.
"Your Bai Family may be higher in the Legacy Rankings, but my Walkers Family is ranked second in terms of wealth."
"Tell me, what did your Bai Family offer him to join your family?" Fiery Queen asked.
White Lotus smiled and said, "Actually, we didn't offer him anything."
"What?" Fiery Queen's eyes widened with disbelief.
"Y-You think I would fall for such a cheap trick? Why would he come here if you didn't pay him?"
"It's true." Yuan said.
And he continued, "Neither the Bai Family nor White Lotus has asked me to join their family. I am here on my own accord. In fact, I was the one who requested to be here."
"N-No way… Why would you do such a thing? Aren't you aware that every Legacy Family is trying to acquire you? If you do something like this, it's only natural for people to think that the Bai Family had bought you."
"I have my own reasons for being here." Yuan calmly said.
Fiery Queen gritted her teeth in frustration.
'Is he here because of White Lotus? Did he get charmed by her? This is bad… At this rate, the Bai Family will acquire him! What can I do in this situation?'