[Bonus chapter for another 50 golden ticket milestone... It feels like I should increase this...(?_?)]
Chains rattled as Ryu was pulled along. He felt that all his strength had been locked. His qi couldn't move as it pleased, there was a barrier stopping him from communicating with his Mental Realm, and even his blood had slowed to a crawl, blocking him from accessing more than nine tenths of his bodily strength.
Though Captain Zu feared City Lord Loom far too much to ignore his words, the sneer on his face only grew fiercer as he dragged Ryu along at a pace he knew the seals on his body wouldn't allow. In the end, he was still a member of the Zu Clan, as long as he didn't go too far, the City Lord wouldn't dare to arbitrarily end his life.
In the end, the City Lord knew this, which was why though he warned Captain Zu to not go overboard, he didn't make any remarks about treating Ryu well. The City Lord felt that Ryu's arrogance needed to be tempered down, so other than protecting his life, he didn't bother with anything else.
So, like this, Ryu had gone from sitting tall upon the back of a Bloodied Steed to being dragged through the streets of Looming City.
Many couldn't help but shake their heads. In truth, their evaluation of City Lord Loom raised by several levels. Contrary to one might expect, his reputation rose instead of falling. There simply weren't many of his stature who would still preserve this young man's life after Ryu's words and actions.
As for their thoughts of Ryu, how could there be anything other than disdain. Even those who normally didn't look down on individuals couldn't help but feel disgust toward him. In the martial world, everything was placed within a strict hierarchy. No matter how talented you were, there was no guarantee you'd reach the heights of the seniors above you. This is why youths must remain humble.
Even with Ryu's level of talent, his Great Grandfather hardly blinked. Had he known that Ryu was thinking of revenge against him, maybe his expressionless visage would have cracked to reveal an uncontrollable laughter. Even if Ryu's talent was directly doubled, there was still no guarantee he would reach even the World Sea Realm, let alone becoming a Sky God capable of matching him!
This was how experts thought. Cultivation required too much luck, too much good fortune, and too much coincidence. The amount of each needed when you didn't have a backer was multiplied several times over. Who did this nameless child think he was, beating his chest before the City Lord as a mere Qi Refinement Realm expert?
In the carriage of beauties, Erea giggled, causing Tae to frown.
"What exactly are you laughing at?"
"You don't find this funny, Little Tae? I find it hilarious." Swinging her ample bosom, Erea emphasized the word 'Little'. "Plus, he disrespected your grandfather just now, you should be laughing more than me."
Even Mao couldn't help but giggle a bit. That was right, the seemingly young City Lord was already a grandfather of such a mature young lady. This was the world of cultivation.
"What is there to laugh about." Tae said, unamused. "At the end of the day, wasn't he correct? Grandfather Loom didn't dare to kill him."
Mao and Erea looked at each other, finding Tae's words reasonable. But in the end, they still laughed. So what if her words were reasonable? At best, he'd just end up being a puppet to fulfill the City Lord's wishes. And even after that, he might just die anyway.
Maybe if he had been more reasonable, with the City Lord's gentle and easy-going personality, he would have been allowed to live. But why would the City Lord allow such a talent to go back into the wild? Even if there was no guarantee that Ryu would reach his level, there was no denying that it would be easier for him than most others. Since clearing this potential problem would be as easy as swatting a bug for him, why not do it?
Erea wiped the tears from her eyes. "Since you want to know why I'm laughing so much, I don't mind telling you… Don't you think he looks quite like a Bloodied Steed right now?"
Tae's frown only deepened, instantly understanding Erea's words.
"How ironic, just a moment ago, Great Uncle Loom was explaining the Basteel Clan's method of tempering down the arrogance of their beasts, and now he's using the same tactics on another beast. I find this to be funnier than anything else." Erea's giggling rippled through her lithe body. Luckily there were no men in the carriage, or else they'd lose face before such a sight.
Seeing that Tae was quickly losing patience with Erea, Mao, who had been giggling as well, stepped forward to mediate the situation, unsure why Tae was willing to get so angry for a complete stranger. It wasn't like they could even see much of his face anyway, they could only faintly tell that he was kind of young, the rest was obscured by the mask's qi field.
"Why do you two think that City Lord needs him for?"
Tae and Erea paused their squabble, they too were curious.
"He might want this Ryu to represent him. After all, there are rumors that the Zu Clan has been preparing to move to the Center Region. By then, the balance of the Inner Ring will shift once more. If Grandfather Loom could break the final barrier to become an Immortal Ring Expert, our Clan would no longer lose out to those other four Clans. If he can get that item, he might have the necessary confidence to do so…"
"He wants to rely on an outsider for such a thing?" Mao said with a frown.
A complicated look flashed within Tae's eyes before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
Erea sneered. "The best mainline talent of our Loom Clan is none other than Little Miss Tae. But the Clan can't be inherited by a woman, nor can it be represented by one. My brother would be a good option… But it seems Great Uncle Loom would prefer an outsider rather than giving his own family too much power."
Tae's eyes sharpened. "That enough!"
Mao felt another headache coming on. She wondered why she even bothered. At least when she was pretending to be dumb, Erea would point her viper tongue toward her.
**
"Where is your spatial ring?!" Captain Zu raged, losing his control palming Ryu in the chest and into the wall of the dark cell. He couldn't believe it, he had been with Ryu the whole time, so why weren't his treasures on him? And why couldn't he remove his mask?
Blood flew Ryu's lips, but he remained silent, his gaze trained toward the damp molded stone ground.