"Ey, new guy! Here, over here!"
Liang Chen heard a voice calling to him as he stared at the courtyard where he could feel Yan Ling. His head turned slightly and landed on the one that called out to him, one of the only two people who wasn't currently within their own courtyard. A young man was sitting there in loose robes, holding a string that connected to a gourd while he waved. His dark brown hair hung down in an almost unruly manner and there was a subdued light in his amber pupils.
Sitting opposite of this youth was another young man, his pupils black like coal and his hair a glittering shade of dark blue. This youth wasn't waving at him and instead greeted him with a cordial nod of his head, a sheet of paper with some pencil lines sprawled out in front of him. They looked cheerful and amiable, like actual teens out on a trip. But he could sense the aura that seeped out from within them, the energy they had hidden away. Sovereign Gods, both of them, and probably strong ones at that.
"Haa... You really like playing some annoying games..."
Liang Chen muttered quietly, casting a sharp glance at the distant courtyard before he made his way over to the two other youths. Yan Ling was definitely watching him right now, hidden away while snickering at the fun she had created. But he would have to disappoint her, he would take this little game of hers and completely smash it.
"The name's Zhongzhi, wanderer so no last name to speak of. This is..."
"Arie Ryung Agnis, it's nice to meet you."
The two youths introduced themselves as Liang Chen walked over, Arie putting away the paper he had been scrawling on as he gave another polite nod. His robes were a fair bit finer than Zhongzhi's, they were probably made using some type of silk, so Liang Chen guessed that he most likely came from some greater backing.
"I'm Liang Chen, this is Ao Fentian."
Liang Chen returned the greeting as he stood beside the table, using his chin to gesture towards the infant he carried in his arms. Ao Fentian was clinging to him, almost burying himself in Liang Chen's chest, but he still curiously looked at the two unfamiliar youths.
"He's supposed to be with his caretaker right now, but he has a tendency to cry if I'm away for longer than just a bit so I brought him along for now."
Yes, Ao Fentian was supposed to be with Jiao Hui Xin and the other disciples that were currently within his interspatial ring, but she told him that Ao Fentian made an unimaginable racket whenever Liang Chen left. It was just too distracting to bear. Zhongzhi nodded his head vigorously as Liang Chen spoke about the infant, this was clearly the topic he wanted to delve into.
"Yeah yeah, he's part of the reason I called you over! You brought your kid here? You know where this is, ya? Not the best idea to bring a kid here, don't you think? And oh ya, where are you from? Arie here's a rich kid from a big family, I take it you're the same since you're wearing clothes like that?"
Zhongzhi looked like he wanted to reach out and poke Fentian's cheeks, just to make sure he was actually real. He didn't even want to think about how much guts it took to bring your kid to a groom selection like this, it was probably one step above just spitting in the face of the Wolf Queen. Fentian retreated further into Liang Chen's chest as Zhongzhi spoke, his amber eyes lingering curiously on the infant.
"He's not my child. I adopted him since I failed to save his mother."
Liang Chen set the record straight and gently stroked Ao Fentian's head. His mother had died because of Liang Chen, and he had failed to save her even though he should have been strong enough to do so. Now all that remained of her was this child and the name she had given him, the least Liang Chen could do was make sure that he grew up happy and safe.
"Aigoo, life really is rough, isn't it? But that's good, gotta take responsibility for your failures, you're a good man in that regard."
Zhongzhi shook his head lightly as he spoke. He was a wanderer so he had seen his fair share of gruesome scenes, especially now that this blasted war had started. Death really was far too... common in times like this, especially in non-cultivators who didn't even get to have a say in the war.
"And your robes? The stitching doesn't look rushed or rough so whoever made them clearly took great care to make it right. Is it perhaps custom ordered rather than standard fare?"
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The one who moved on to the next topic was Arie, his gaze quietly inspecting Liang Chen's robes. He came from a larger clan so he had a plethora of experience in a multitude of things, he had even studied tailoring for a while. That was why he could see that the robe was meticulously made. The fabric wasn't of the highest quality, but the care put into each stitch, each pattern, it was extraordinary and definitely worthy of attention.
"Ah, my wife made it for me, I guess it can be considered an engagement gift."
Liang Chen responded casually, a soft smile on his face. The first time he handed Yan Ling the ring and the promise, she had given him this robe. But he had never worn it before, he was too worried that it would be ruined since he had been constantly fighting back then. But now he had to wear it, on this day, during this meeting, he had to wear it no matter what.
"You... You... Your wife?? Did I get that right? I did, didn't I? Boy, you're one crazy motherfucker, anyone ever told you that?"
Zhongzhi's eyes looked like they were about to bulge out as he sputtered out the words. Bringing a kid here was one thing, at least he had a reasonable explanation for it. But already having a wife? That was an entirely different matter in this context. Polygamy was fairly common, but the stronger a person was the more loyalty they wanted. The Wolf Queen was one of the youngest Sovereign Gods to date, she had the right to be arrogant and grand. Would a person like that really be fine with being the second wife, or even just a mistress?
"You... I gotta ask, but you didn't come here to insult the Wolf Queen, yeah? Cause it really looks like you're trying to push her buttons here."
So far, everything Liang Chen had shown made it look like he was just trying to piss off the Wolf Queen. Did they maybe have some prior grudge that he now came to settle since she made such a public event?
"You're quite calm about it. You don't seem foolish enough to not understand what you're saying, so can I take it that you've got something lined up?"
Arie's reaction was a bit more subdued than Zhongzhi's, but his eyes were still somewhat narrowed. The creepy sensation that had washed over them when Liang Chen first arrived showed that he was far from ordinary, and getting to a place like theirs while having a habit of doing stupid things was... difficult to say the least. So he was likely planning something, something that could take care of any fallout. But contrary to his expectations, Liang Chen simply shook his head.
"No? I'm just going to meet my wife, why would there be anything wrong with wearing what she made for me while doing so?"
He naturally understood why the two reacted so strongly, the corners of his lips curving up slightly. Who could possibly imagine that the exalted Wolf Queen that set up this groom selection was already taken, it was all just a game. But what exactly the point of the game was, Liang Chen wasn't sure. It could either be to draw plenty of attention to the wedding, to how great her man was, or more likely, just to annoy Liang Chen.
"...Your wife... Where is she now?"
Arie seemed to catch onto something from how Liang Chen spoke and his earlier actions, his gaze narrowing further. Was it confidence or truth? He couldn't be sure just yet, but things would certainly get chaotic if it was the second option. He wasn't sure which answer Liang Chen could give that would be preferable, but he was certain that the answer Liang Chen gave was not the right one.
"Right over there."
Liang Chen's free arm stretched out and pointed towards that distant raised courtyard, solitary and dignified as it overlooked all the others. And then Arie and Zhongzhi felt the Qi in the area move, a slight crackle echoing in their ears.
A golden light flashed out from Liang Chen's outstretched finger, the horrifying roar of thunder blotting out all other sounds. The bolt appeared and vanished in the same blink, it was just a bright flash of light and then destruction. A path had been carved directly from their courtyard to the raised one, over half of the raised courtyard had vanished once the light faded. And as was to be expected, Liang Chen stood at the base of the path that had burnt itself into the area, a slightly lopsided smile on his face.
"Didn't you want to play a nice game, isn't that why you prepared all this? Well, I gotta get some payback for what you did to my poor Yumao so we'll be playing my game, not yours."