Chapter 12: I'll Bring You a Gift
The trees were being hit hard by the midday sun, rare flowers slowly beginning to bloom and small animals skittering around. Ban Shanzuo, on a two-horsed carriage, was on his way back from restocking ingredients and other things from the capital. By chance, he happened to see Shen Muo fly over him, and both of them locked gazes. Shen Muo clicked his tongue with gritted teeth, increasing his speed, while Ban Shanzuo slowly stroked his beard while following him with his eyes, taking note of his swollen cheeks.
"Ning'er must have been fed up with that kid to give him such a beating, it's really satisfying," he said, laughing heartily as he looked back to the road and flipped the reins, causing the carriage to speed up.
Back at the restaurant
Luo Ning and Tang Feng reopened the door to the restaurant and were welcomed by the mess before them caused by the earlier surge of energy. He let go of Luo Ning's hand, and Luo Ning, pouting, wanted to ignore the condition of the shop and sit her brother down to ask him all kinds of questions. But they only had two hours to opening hours, and Ban Shanzuo was likely on his way back from restocking ingredients.
Looking at her brother, she wore a worried look, her eyes glistening.
"Brother, what do we do?" she asked.
Tang Feng didn't reply but was in his own thoughts.
'This is going to be a bit troublesome. Su Yan, how long before we can clear up everything?' he asked.
'How long will you get it done?' he asked, knowing full well she could do it.
<30 minutes,> she replied.
Tang Feng wasn't surprised. He had already known Su Yan's capabilities weren't normal, and he had also witnessed them firsthand, so he just smiled. He was about to give her the order to begin sorting out the mess when Luo Ning grabbed a hold of him with two of her fingers.
"Brother, are you alright? Is something bothering you?" she said worriedly.
Tang Feng knew that she wasn't referring to him, but rather to Luo Zeng, her brother. But he had already vowed to protect his family.
'I am here to take revenge, I can't be swayed by these emotions. That's right, I only have to protect Luo Zeng's sister, not be her brother,' Tang Feng said, trying to find an excuse to rid himself of the warm feelings in his heart.
But for now, he decided to keep on acting as Luo Ning's older brother so his plans would have a smooth flow.
Luo Ning looked at her brother, who looked disturbed and lost, but when she was about to say something, Tang Feng snapped out of his trance and looked at Luo Ning with a warm smile on his face.
"I'm fine," he said.
Luo Ning thought that her brother was acting strange, but she smiled and brushed it off as her imagination.
"Zeng'ge, are you going to stay long this time or is your break from the sect short again?" she asked, hoping to spend more time with Luo Zeng.
Tang Feng was surprised that Luo Zeng was too busy so he didn't have much time to spend with his sister, making her lonely. Tang Feng was now in a bind; he didn't know if Luo Zeng was still on duty when he was killed, so he had to make up a lie.
"I snuck out this time and will only be staying for a while before going back," he said.
Luo Ning's face dropped after hearing this. She had initially thought her brother would stay for at least a week or a month before going back.
"Although I don't know how long I'll be staying, I can spend all the time with you, can't I?" Tang Feng said, wanting to cheer her up after seeing the sad look on her face.
Luo Ning's face lit up at that moment.
"Is this really true?" she asked, thinking of what to do with her brother to make the most of the little break.
"It's true, and I promise you that on my next break, I'll bring you a gift," he said, his finger raised to the air.
The promise was an excuse to give Luo Ning one of those four eggs he had taken from the cave. Luo Ning's eyes lit up at the thought of her brother getting her a gift on his next visit. She jumped on him, causing him to fall off the chair he was sitting on.
"Zeng'ge, thank you," she said, hugging him tight.
Tang Feng smiled, unaware that Luo Ning had already penetrated his stone heart.
'Su Yan, how long will it take for the eggs to hatch?' Tang Feng asked, wanting to match that period with his supposed 'next break.'
Tang Feng naturally wanted the one strong enough to protect Ning'er even when he was away. So while Luo Ning was still holding on to him, he asked,
'How can we identify what creatures are inside the eggs?'
Su Yan replied almost immediately.
Tang Feng nodded, thinking to himself about which skills he would need to fuse to be able to see the creatures in the eggs.
Luo Ning saw that her brother had been quiet for a while, so she raised her head to see if something was wrong, but she saw her brother's eyes were closed, so she assumed he had slept off. She placed her head back on Tang Feng's chest, basking in his warmth.
'Idiot brother, you don't have to work so hard for my sake, you should also rely on Ning'er too,' she thought.
'I know brother has his reasons. I just have to trust him and wait for him to reveal everything to me,' she thought to herself again, holding both of her arms to her chest and closing her eyes as if lost in the feeling of the bitter past.
Later that evening, Tang Feng went for a walk around the neighborhood. Luo Ning wanted to come along but Ban Shanzuo told her that they'd have a busy night ahead of them and that he'd need her help, so she stayed behind.
This worked in Tang Feng's favor, because he didn't want Luo Ning to figure out what he wanted to do.
Tang Feng went to the Celestial Pavilion Sect to inquire about his supposed job. When he was at the gate, the two guards stationed there cast him a questionable gaze that made him question his appearance.
"Luo Zeng, why are you just coming back? Haven't you heard the news?" one of the guards asked.
Tang Feng sighed in relief, as he thought he was starting to arouse suspicions.
"I was not around, so naturally I don't know. What was the order?" Tang Feng asked.
"The First Elder was killed by an intruder this afternoon, and Sect Master has ordered that nobody should leave the sect until they finish the investigation," the other guard explained the situation.
Tang Feng looked at the sect gates and back at the path he followed. Certain people were seen walking into and out of the gates, probably sect disciples and people who had some business with the sect. Tang Feng thought about what Luo Ning would do if she found out about him not coming back again.
The thought of her tantrums made him smile, causing the guards to question his sanity amongst themselves.
"Thank you, brothers, for telling me," Tang Feng said.
"As fellow guards of the sect, naturally, we have to look out for each other. Now, hurry up and go back to your post before the boss sees you," the guards said.
Tang Feng, although now aware of his job in the sect, didn't know where he was supposed to be guarding, but he decided to find out himself.
'Su Yan, can you identify how many gates the sect has and which of them are currently lacking?' Tang Feng asked. He thought this was better than going around asking about his post.
Su Yan brought up a layout of the sect's exterior and the gates it had.
Tang Feng took the liberty to search for his location, using it to find his way to the east gate.
"Luo Zeng, where have you been?" the guard stationed there asked when he saw Tang Feng flying towards him.
"Sorry, I got lost when I went out for a while. Thanks to Brother Zuo for covering for me," Tang Feng said, expressing his gratitude.
The guard, who apparently was called Zuo Hai, dismissed him.
"Nothing much, but more importantly, something about you has changed."
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