The Luck of the Li Family

Li Palace -- Main Hall

Li Sihan sat on a throne-like chair set in the Main Hall of the Li Residence. Li Zhenming and Ren Ziming were standing near Li Sihan's chair, Madam Li's face as white as a sheet.

"Little Bun, here-- this is Xi Yun, a pretty big sister for you," Li Sihan rubbed Little Bun's fat cheeks and casually pointed to Flaming Spear Xi Yun. Jun Ru's mouth twitched. Pretty big sister? She started killing when she was nine. She was currently the top ace assassin with a fetish of digging out her victims eyeballs. Flaming Spear was not nice at all. It was only when facing the Grand Chief that she was docile like a baby cat.

Flaming Spear quickly went down on one knee. Cupping her hands over her sword, she lowered her head respectfully.

"Xi Yun greets the Grand Chief's sister,"

"Young Miss," Li Sihan corrected.

"Xi Yun greets the Young Miss!"

Li Sihan introduced three others; Charming Leopard, Red Monkey and Storm Sword, the second, third and fourth ranked mercenaries on the continent. They were also the three other Seniors of the Si Lak Mercenaries, the Grand Chief's own disciples. Li Sihan placed Little Bun's imprint on them just as she had done with Jun Ru.

"I have a task for you--" Li Sihan's expressionless face turned sharp, and everyone in the room straightened their backs subconsciously.

"My lord--" the butler of the Li family opened the door to the main hall at this moment. He felt the oppressive aura of about thirty people directed at him and broke out in cold sweat.

"What is the matter?" Li Zhenming hurried over to him and asked, afraid of disturbing the unparalleled existences in the main hall.

"There-- there are many people outsode-- wanting to see you," the butler reported, "representatives of prestigious families-- even the Imperial Family sent the Fourth Prince--!"

It was actually like this. The detractors of the Li family sent some spies to find out what befell the first class family such that the Si Lak Mercenaries came knocking at their door. But they got nothing after half a day. Then they began to get frightened. Perhaps-- perhaps they were mistaken? Could it be that the Li family had summoned the Si Lak Mercenaries with a priceless treasure? Were they doomed then, as Li Zhenming's enemies?

Other prestigious families who were not on bad terms with the Li family were stunned when they heard that it did not seem that the Si Lak Mercenaries meant any harm. Then they got really jealous. Forming a connection, no matter how little, with the Si Lak Mercenaries?! Li Zhenming was really lucky! They desperately wished they were in his place. And then they thanked their ancestors that they were on neutral ground. Then they hurried to cosy up to him! Perhaps a few benefits could get to them too!

The Imperial Family was greatly displeased at the news. The Emperor immediately summoned his best sons to an emergency meeting.

"Whatever the Si Lak Mercenaries want, they should have come to us first," the third prince, Xi Ziyun, spoke pompously, "Even if they wanted to kill Li Zhenming, wouldn't we deliver him to them on a gold plate?"

"Shut up, Ziyun," the crown prince, Xi Zimin hissed. They were both sons of the empress, the crown prince being the elder. Xi Ziyun sniggered and rolled his eyes. He had been spoilt by his mother and elder brother, so he took no one seriously.

"What do you know about the Si Lak Mercenaries," Xi Zimin chided him, "they act as they please and no one tells them what to do. Learn!"

The Emperor set down his goblet.

"Well, they're not killing him. They've come to our Phoenix Empire and they made straight for the Li manor. And now everyone wants to lick Li Zhenming's boots. Even the Prime Minister has sent his younger brother and eldest son there. Our Imperial Family is tossed aside. We are nothing in the eyes of the Si Lak Mercenaries." The emperor gritted his teeth.

"Royal Father," the second prince, Xi Huayu, spoke up, "you should not be aggrieved by this. The prestigious families will of course rush to Li Zhenming's door. They are not there for him. He was nothing as at yesterday. But the involvement of a single entity can turn the tides. This entity is so powerful that they can't be ignored. We have heard countless stories about the Si Lak Mercenaries that they are almost becoming legends. At the moment, Li Zhenming is the most powerful person in our Phoenix Empire, being the Si Lak Mercenaries host,"

"Royal Father," the second prince continued, "you must calm your heart and stop to think of what must be going on in the minds of our neighbouring empires now. They will be on their teethers, fearing we have come into an agreement with the Mercenaries with the aim of unifying the continent under Phoenix's banner. And that is why we must. People don't catch a glimpse of the Si Lak Mercenaries throughout their lifetime. And here they are in our own kingdom! What will we say befell us if we don't have anything to show for it?"

The second prince's speech swayed the emperor. He nodded with satisfaction. This was truly his best son. If only he were not born to a concubine, he would have been the crown prince.

Xi Zimin the crown prince felt threatened when he noticed the emperor's satisfied expression. With just a few words, Xi Huayu had changed the emperor's mood! He quickly opened his mouth as well.

"Let us also take this opportunity to see the Mercenaries then," he said, "who shall we send to the Li Manor?"

The emperor was silent for a while, then he turned to Xi Huayu. The crown prince gritted his teeth. Xi Huayu glanced at him unconcernedly and smirked lightly.

"It would be best if we sent my royal brother, the fourth prince, to the Li Manor. Permit me to out forward my reasons," Xi Huayu paused, and the emperor nodded so he continued, "First of all, the fourth prince's mother, Consort Ruang, is the Li patriarch's cousin. Li Zhenming would without doubt receive his nephew with open arms. Second, the only thing that the Si Lak Mercenaries care for is strength, and the fourth prince is the only one of us blessed with cultivation talent. He needs a place to hone his skills. That being the case, we would present him to be accepted as a disciple by the Si Lak Mercenaries,"

"You want Us to release Our son to be trained as an assassin?" The emperor growled.

"That's not the only thing the Si Lak Mercenaries do," a soft voice like a gentle passing breeze murmured. His aura was fluctuating and almost non-existent. One would not even know he was in the room if he didn't speak. He was the fourth prince, Xi Huazing, a handsome young man with peach blossom eyes, clear and vibrant.

"The Si Lak Mercenaries train unparalleled cultivators," he said, "I will go to the Li Manor to pay my respects to my uncle, and secure for the imperial family the unwavering support of the Si Lak Mercenaries,"

Across the capital, the Prime Minister's manor, in his study, he was seated at his desk and his eldest son Ji Hanming stood before him.

"Hurry to the Li manor and secure us a place as Li Zhenming's supporter before nightfall. Take your uncle with you. You are wise, I don't have to tell you what to say,"

"Yes father," the young man bowed and exited the study.

Many families more prestigious than the Li family sent representatives to congratulate Master Li, Li Zhenming, on his "good luck" and "prosperous return to the capital" with priceless treasures and expensive gifts. He was suddenly the most sought out person in the empire, who before time was just only quite notable. Li Zhenming walked to the entrance of his manor in bewilderment. It was his great mental strength that prevented him from going mad, what with all the emotional upheaval he had been through in just a few hours.

"My lord--" the butler of the Li family was hopping from one foot to the other. All those delegates, ah! His pockets and sleeves were full to the brim with bribes!

The gates were thrown open. Li Zhenming's face turned dark at seeing the crowd. The fourth prince's royal carriage stood out, the opulence of the imperial family being communicated without words.

"..."

Master Li approached the fourth prince's carriage first. That scheming emperor-- he surely knows my weak spot is my nephew, he thought. Xi Huazing got down and greeted his uncle respectfully.

"How is your health? Mother asks after you everyday," he smiled softly.

"What brings the fourth prince here?" Li Zhenming was neither friendly nor cold. He was fully aware of the imperial family's schemes. They were here to snatch the meat, if they couldn't have some of it.

"Can we talk inside?" Xi Huazing gestured towards the manor, "I want to pay my respects to aunt too,"

Li Zhenming pursed his lips and frowned slightly.

"I have important guests, and my whole manor is currently at their disposal. My hands are tied, forgive me for my impoliteness, your highness," Li Zhenming was not yet completely sure of the situation within his manor. He couldn't disrupt the mix now. Who knew what would happen if these people out here annoyed those existenses? In the end, who would carry the blame? They would not take responsibility. They were here to cosy up to him solely because of the presence of the Si Lak Mercenaries. In that case, he would also thicken his skin and treat them impolitely.

Xi Huazing smiled and nodded gently as if he understood all his uncle's concerns.

"Uncle Zhenming need not be anxious. I am your near kin; I might as well be a member of this manor. My servants are well trained. They will cause no commotion,"

Li Zhenming shook his head obstinately.

"Those people cannot be offended in the slightest. Having another visitor while they are in full control of my manor is akin to slapping them on the face. Don't make things difficult for me, your highness,"

"Alright then," Xi Huazing relented, "Uncle," he suddenly took on the face of a quirky inquisitive teenager, "may I ask why the Si Lak Mercenaries are here in our Phoenix Empire?"

Li Zhenming was caught off guard. He really did not know. They had just barged in, saying they were summoned by their Grand Chief-- who turned out to be-- he was not willing to disclose this yet. What if those people were mistaken-- he shuddered you think about the outcome.

Xi Huazing noticed the flustered expression of his uncle and smirked. It was just as he guessed; the Li patriarch couldn't make sense of the visit. His own hypothesis was this: the Si Lak Mercenaries had a business to do in the Phoenix Empire,and they barged in, as was their custom. Then they realised, rather to their consternation, that they had nowhere to stay. They looked down on all the inns and avoided the imperial palace because they didn't have the strength to deal with the crowds cozying up to them without really getting anything tangible in return. Therefore, they sought out a beautiful manor that belonged to a small nuclear family: the Li manor!

Xi Huazing opened his mouth to say something, but the other 'well wishers' had gotten impatient. Hey, they were here too! Why was the Fourth Prince monopolizing the Li patriarch? The first to approach was a Marquis Rong, a high ranked court official in the crown prince's party. His son, Jia Xuhei, the crown prince's reading partner, also accompanied him.

"Master Li!" Marquis Rong cupped his hands to Li Zhenming, "your Highness, fourth prince," he lowered his head curtly, but he was clearly looking down on Xi Huazing. Jia Xuhei also greeted the two.

"I didn't know Marquis Rong came personally," Xi Huazing cupped his hands.

"Haha, of course! Li Zhenming is my friend! I have to congratulate him on his great luck!" Marquis Rong replied obsequiously. Li Zhenming raised his eyebrows. He had never seen the tassel of Marquis Rong's robes before, much less be on speaking terms with him! So when did he become this great man's friend?!

But, with Marquis Rong taking the lead, all the others also rushed towards them. Li Zhenming's face grew dark as these ones didn't have any scruples at all. They simply started asking questions and making requests! One small patrician family offered their eldest daughter to be his concubine. Marquis Xu of the Palace Affairs Bureau wanted to initiate a business venture with the Li family. The Empress's estranged sixth brother, wanted to apprentice his son to Li Zhenming. All of them were trying to make connections with the Li patriarch in every and any way possible! To whoever went against them, they would say, I know Li Zhenming, and Li Zhenming knows the Si Lak Mercenaries!

"Why is there so much noise?" A deep voice suddenly boomed. Everyone looked in the direction of the interruption and froze. It was a man standing on the steps that led up to the gate of the Li Manor, dressed in the Si Lak Mercenaries colours of purple, scarlet and black, with a viscous eagle mask covering his face. Li Zhenming's eyelids spasmed. Did the noise of these delegates go all the way to the main hall in the centre of the Li Manor?! But then, maybe the prodigies sensed a lot of people outside the manor and that bothered them.

When all present became mutes and wouldn't even so much as breathe, Li Zhenming resigned to his fate.

"Esteemed Senior--"

"Don't call me that," the man snapped back at once. Hells, the Grand Chief probably took this man being her father seriously. What would happen if she were to hear her father calling him esteemed senior? He still needed this measly life of his, ah.

"You can call me Tao He," he said, causing everyone to gasp. Sword Saint Tao He! The number one swordmaster in the entire continent, who had joined the Si Lak Mercenaries six years ago!"

"Esteemed Master! It's my honour to meet you!" Xi Huazing immediately paid respect. Six years ago, all the arrangements were made and he was about to become this man's disciple! And then Sword Saint Tao He had joined the Si Lak Mercenaries, causing Xi Huazing to lose a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was part of the reason why so many people could look down on him now, including that idiot Marquis Rong. Would they they dare if this unparalleled man was his master?

While everyone else was feeling immensely lucky to meet the Sword Saint, Li Zhenming was doused with sweat instead.

"Sword Saint Tao He, this--"

"Please don't call me Sword Saint either," the man obstinately shook his head, "and anyway, what are all these people?"

Li Zhenming lowered his head.

"It's my mistake for allowing you to be disturbed-- Lord Tao,"

Sword Saint Tao He pinched his forehead.

"There is no need to apologize, Master Li. My Seniors wish to meet these people,"

The crowd was flabbergasted. They-- they would be able to meet with the Seniors from the Si Lak Mercenaries face to face! Sheesh, what luck! They would boast about this throughout their lives!!