Chapter Six: Opportunity knocks at the door only once. (Lan's POV)

The silence that followed my proposal was deafening, so much so that I wanted to say something, anything that would end this suffering silence. However, just as I opened my mouth to speak, Kai responded with a thoughtful look.

"Could I have some time to consider it? While it would be my greatest honor to become Master Lan's disciple, I want to talk to my family first." Kai cupped his hands before me in a respectful bow, but with the look on his face, it was clear he thought I would take offense to his response.

Keeping my gaze steadily on Kai, I flicked open the fan and brought it to my mouth, trying to appear thoughtful despite knowing that this was a possible outcome. "Very well. I will be in the village for another day or two since we still have some... pests to take care of." I paused for a moment, wondering if Xinyi'er made her way back to the Lord's mansion. I needed to get started on the next part of the mission to feel more comfortable taking Kai away from here.

Kai was watching me intently, for how long I wasn't quite sure. I tilted my head in a silent question which I was surprised to see that he caught on quickly given his returning smile. "It's nothing, Master Lan. I hope your quest goes well, and I will give you my answer ere long."

I nodded once more and brushed past him, intent on making it back to the mansion to begin our next phase. Quietly I hoped that everything went smoothly so I could go back home quickly.

[Inner Dialogue] "Home, huh? I guess I've started to feel more at peace here. I've never thought about having a home. Before I died, I had a little apartment, but it never made me feel like this. Having people welcome me back with smiles. Ahh, I want to go back now. I don't want to deal with this unpleasant pest." Despite my gripes, I still smiled at myself. It was a nice feeling to look forward to something so much. "Don't hate me, Lan, but I am glad to be here. Don't worry, I'll make sure no one harms those that we love."

The trek back to the Lord's mansion was quiet, the sleepily peaceful stillness, with the only sound coming from the birds that hovered overhead. Once again, I was greeted by the massive gates that led to the mansion's inner courtyard. Every time I thought about the Lord, I wondered what punishment would best befit this glutton. Stripping his title and beating him? It seemed superficial to me. I'd instead take his head and display it at the village gates, but I was still trying to figure out the laws that operated in this world. I couldn't be careless.

Striding through the inner courtyard, I quickly walked into the building, passing by flustered attendants. However, I didn't stop walking until I reached the inner hall where the Lord would be lounging, as stated by an incredibly bewildered servant that hurried to follow behind. Perhaps my stone face was a bit more effective right now due to the blood?

The guards at the door took one look at me, and their faces paled as my gaze came to rest on them. Then, bowing pathetically, they opened the doors, and the lackey following me breathlessly announced my arrival.

The Lord was lounging on the same bench where I had left him previously, and when his face blanched as he saw, I almost laughed. I mean, I would've, but it wasn't very Lan-like, so I refrained for now. But, of course, I could always laugh at their expense later in the room provided for me.

"G-great Master Lan! You have returned so quickly! Tell me, are we finally rid of the ghouls?" The Lord sat up rigidly and gave me a shaky smile. It seemed like he thought this would be too much for me. When he saw my eyes narrow and my brow twitch, he flinched and quickly stated, "O-of course, I didn't think that this would be too much for the great Forest Monarch! I just didn't know what to think when I saw so many ghouls pour out of the Bloody Forest!"

It still seemed a bit strange to me that these ghouls started being a problem so suddenly. But, according to Brother Yue, the issue began early this week after an Official visited the Lord. He was probably bribing this Official or whomever he worked for, and the Village Lord may have received an item from him that was the cause of all of this.

If so, then this would be difficult to figure out unless I gained access to the treasure he kept squirreled away. That meant I had to get this done before nightfall to ensure that the ghouls wouldn't be drawn to the town again. This will be easy as long as nothing interrupts my plans since I have complete faith in my disciple!

"Mn. Since this was taken care of quickly, I assume you will be preparing something that will entertain me while I am still here," I kept my tone neutral and, from the way that the Lord withered under my gaze, it seemed the natural icy stare was quite effective. It wasn't until he gave it some thought that he seemed to perk back up with an A-ha moment.

"Rest assured, Master Lan! We will prepare a feast for you presently and plenty of entertainment!" He was quick to please me, rattling off many entertainment ideas and foods. As if I would enjoy the beautiful dance of imprisoned women or taste the food plucked from the emaciated villagers.

I simply nodded to his ideas before turning on my heel and left with a few parting words, "I will be waiting then. Do not disappoint me."

It was a quick walk through the corridor to the room for Xinyi'er and me, one that didn't allow much time for me to think the plan through thoroughly. But, as I entered the room, I was greeted by the carefree smile of my disciple, and the relief I felt nearly made me smile through the mask.

"Welcome back, Master!" Xinyi chirped as she cupped her hands respectfully. The blood of the ghouls had been washed from her hands and face, and it seemed that she had time to change her outfit before I arrived. Instead of her usual green robe, a staple of his disciples was the various shades of green that colored their robes; she wore a simple black daopao and had her hair in a tight bun that sat at the top of her head.

"Are you prepared for the next part of your mission?" I asked quietly as I walked over to the bowl of water to wash the blood off of my hands and face. The water quickly turned a murky black as I struggled to clean my hands thoroughly. It must've been a terrifying sight to the people of this house, not to mention for Kai, to see me practically painted in dark blood! Maybe that was why he was hesitant to agree to my proposal.

I sighed to myself before Xinyi'er chimed in, "Don't worry, Master, you looked very cool!" The confusion must've been apparent on my face because she elaborated, "To Kai, I mean. I'm sure you made a favorable impression on him! You were thinking of making him a disciple, right?" The look of excitement shining in her eyes was making my head spin.

[Inner Dialogue] "How did she know? Was I that apparent? I thought this face was supposed to make it easier for me to look calm and collected! What if Kai is apprehensive because I showed too much interest?" My mind whirled around and around like a spinning top as complete chaos erupted within me.

"Mn," I turned my gaze back to the water and reached for a spare towel that was expertly placed right next to the bowl. I buried my face into the towel to collect my thoughts for a moment before continuing, "There will be a banquet soon. During that time, make sure you find what we need. Be thorough since we have to end this before tonight."

"Tonight?" She questioned, leaning against the window as she waited for my elaboration. When I glanced at her, I could find no hint of the carefree girl I had grown accustomed to. However, I knew she would take this seriously, so I had no worries about how she would perform.

"Yes. I believe the Village Lord has an item on him that is summoning the ghouls to this village. It's a miracle that there have been so few deaths since they began roaming closer to the gates." Bemused, I wondered if this had anything to do with Kai's demonic blood. Maybe the ghouls were too scared of his presence to do any lasting damage.

Xinyi'er had gone mute as she mulled over this information. The look on her face ranged from understanding to unbridled animosity before finally settling on a calm determination. She understood how grave this really was, and I again wondered if I would have to watch her so she wouldn't take the Lord's head too early.

"I understand, Master. Your disciple will leave now and wait to begin," at times like this, did Xinyi'er ever become this respectful. She had already left through the open window without waiting for my agreement. I've never sighed as much as I have in my eighteen years of living during my past life than I have in the few days I've been here. Shaking my head at her antics, I quickly changed into my spare robe and redid my hair to prepare for the banquet.

Judging by how far the sun had risen in the sky, a few hours have passed since I arrived in my room. Then, just as I was beginning to wonder if they would ever be ready to start the banquet, a knock came on my door.

"Master Lan, I am here to escort you to the banquet...eep!" It seemed the attendant wasn't expecting me to throw open the door with force and speed. Instead, in his stupor, he stood there for a moment before registering the tick of my eyebrow and quickly scurrying ahead. He didn't even look back to ensure I was following; perhaps I really did scare him so much.

I knew I shouldn't have been surprised, but the banquet hall was far greater than the lounge that the Village Lord often rested in. Numerous valuables, ranging from gold to jade pieces, decorated the dark oak walls, while an exquisite rug stretched from the doors to the far end of the room. Several tables of fragrant food surrounded a raised stage where delicate young women floated about, dancing sensually to the leering eyes of the Village Lord.

I was feeling sick by the extravagance and strong incense that wafted through the room, but I stepped further into the room. I walked until I found a seat near the Village Lord, but still a reasonable distance away if he had any ideas of grabbing me again.

"Ah! Master Lan, welcome! I hope this is enough to satisfy you, though I assure you we still have some entertainment prepared for later!" The Lord boasted a hearty laugh before gesturing to the boy sitting at his side. "I wanted to introduce you to my son, Zou. I'm sure he'll be a great addition to your Sect!"

The child, Zou, stood and cupped his hands before responding in full bravado, "Greetings, great Master Lan!" I studied the child for a moment, he looked vaguely familiar to me, but besides that, I could tell this child had zero talent that could be useful to the Sect. Not surprising seeing who the father was.

[Inner Dialogue] "What kind of name is Zou? Isn't that a weed? He doesn't resemble one physically. He looks like a smaller version of this Lord!" I grumbled, already annoyed by the exchange. "Ah, I hope Xinyi'er finishes quickly!"

"Mn," I commented uncommittedly, watching as a servant poured me a cup of some sort of green tea. The bitterness made my nose twitch making me swear inside. I hated bitter things the most, and of course, that is what I was served for a drink! But, is this a sign of things to come? Am I supposed to expect that this banquet won't go as smoothly as I hoped? Oh, Deities above, please no more bitter foods tonight!

Gingerly I took a sip of the steaming tea, instantly wanting to spit out the vile liquid. Tolerance. Tolerance. Think of anything else; just don't spit it out! Finally, chanting some words of encouragement to myself, I could swallow the tart tea with some difficulty. I wanted my Sweet Rose tea back, and I will make Brother Yue drink it with me as payback!

I focused on the music between idle chatter with the Lord as the banquet continued, offering neutral words to his boasts and sleazy comments on the dancers. It felt like a few hours had passed, but I was unsure if that was just because I wanted this to be done already. I couldn't enjoy anything at the banquet, not the rich food nor the beautiful dance. Everything in this room had been stolen from the hardworking commoners, and it was evident by the marking on the dancers' ankles that they were kept prisoner here for the Lord's enjoyment.

This was giving me a headache, and it was made worse when I tried to recall where I had seen the Young Master Weed. When an attendant came over, whispering to the Lord, a sick feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. His lips upturned into a pleasant smile, making my hair stand on end as I wondered if Xinyi'er had been discovered.

"Master Lan, it seems that our next bit of entertainment has arrived! You see, earlier, my dear boy had been walking through town and was assaulted by some commoner youth. His arm was bruised in the process, and it pains him so." The Lord lamented, patting his son's head affectionately.

Ah, that was why I knew him. This weed was the one that had attacked Kai! However, the comment about Kai and entertainment made my blood run cold. My bad feeling was confirmed as the doors to the hall burst open with guards dragging in the struggling black-haired youth, followed by a procession of irritated villagers.

The Lord sat up and threw his hands in the air, "How terrible! I even found a group of rebellious commoners that were planning on attacking you despite everything you have done for them!" The Lord bemoaned, shaking his head in despair at the villagers' protests.

Horse. Shit. This was pure horseshit! However, I couldn't come to their defense just yet, so I simply answered with a lazy, "Oh?" I wanted to pretend that the whole affair had nothing to do with me, but I couldn't disguise the ice in my tone. The Lord smiled as if my anger wasn't directed at him while the villagers flinched with panic clear across their faces.

"Master Lan, please! We would never attack you, especially after what you did for us!" Cried a familiar voice. Kai's father stepped forward from the crowd and kowtowed, placing his forehead against the rug as he pleaded for his son's safety.

During the heated exchange between Lord and villagers, I leveled my gaze at Kai, who was already watching me intently. If I could convey my thoughts through my eyes, I hoped Kai would understand that I wouldn't let anything happen to him or the villagers. The youth surprised me by dipping his head slightly, and a slight smile twitched at his lips.

Zou seemed to catch that Kai wasn't intimidated by the display of power and whined loudly to his father, "Father! Stop arguing with these peasants and punish this bastard!"

I bristled as the Lord turned to one of the guards that had been holding Kai. The guard took a step and removed a thick black whip from his waist, unfurling it as the villagers behind him cried in protest. Kai had closed his eyes, bracing him for the pain that would never come, not while I was watching. Gathering Qi into my fingers, I quickly shot it at the guard's feet, where vines began growing from the soft light that covered the floor around him. The vines grabbed onto the whip just before the guard could bring it down upon Kai's back, yanking him back in an almost comical game of tug-o-war.

"Master Lan! What is the meaning of this?" The Lord roared, his face flushed red as he stood while his son gaped at his side. It was probably the first time anyone had opposed his father so brazenly.

I locked eyes with Kai once more before I leaned back in my chair and slowly swirled the tea in my cup. Their reaction made me smile openly when I finally settled my gaze on the Lord and son duo. I felt like a cat when the mice finally realized they were being hunted. Of course, the Lord thought that no one would dare to go against him when he had so much power; however, I was not one of his lackeys. Therefore, I had no reason to play by his rules.

"What do you mean? I dislike seeing bloodshed when I enjoy tea, but you want to call this entertainment. You should reconsider your definition of entertainment." Pausing, I brought flicked open my fan and brought it to my lips to hide my smile. Indeed, it was only at times of intense emotion did my mask crack.

I could smell the familiar scent of Jasmine from behind me and a crazed elation spread through me. I was sure the ice in my tone could freeze Netherfire as I mused, "Certainly, opportunity only knocks at the door once, so I should thank you for providing this chance for me."