NOVEL NEXT 120: Who Doesn’t Love Young Master Stereotypes?
Climbing on top of the carriages, Lin Songmei staggered, grabbing the railing as the carriages began moving. She, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying had all been delegated to guard the front two carriages while the ragtag group of cultivators had been given the back two.
In position on top of the carriages from where they’d be fighting from, Songmei looked around for Yang Tianshu. A moment later, getting a tap on the shoulder, Songmei whirled around to see Yang Tianshu behind her with his usual smile.
“Looking for me?” He asked, tapping his can against the carriage below them. “I’ll be on the second carriage, this one, or the one right behind us, the third. I assume you’re a backline combatant if you’re here with me?”
“Yeah, use a bow and stuff,” Songmei shrugged, looking to see where the others were.
They were all on the first carriage...
Turning back to Yang Tianshu, Songmei motioned towards the four on the first carriage. “Want me to call them over? You said you still had some stuff to say.”
“Sure, why not?” Yang Tianshu laughed, sitting down on the bench circling the inside of the railing. “I was going to let you all chill out for a bit, but if you don’t mind I might as well get all the information out of the way.”
Not knowing what else to say, Songmei nodded. Thumbs up. She’d get right on gathering the others...
With her best shout, Songmei made an attempt to wave the others over, faltering as Mingqing walked over alone. Giving Mingqing a thankful hug, Songmei took a moment to enjoy the hug, giving a few squeezes before detaching. “Uhm, the person? Yang Tianshu, he wants to give us some more information... Could you get the others over here? You’re a little more, persuasive, one could say, than I am.”
----
One harsh scolding and vintage ice queen performance later, Mingqing, driven by a mysterious power (that was definitely not love), had gathered the rest of the group. Forming a semi-circle around Yang Tianshu, Youhong, Taigang, and the new addition, Zhao Liying, all stood there like obedient ducklings, waiting for the information session to start.
“You know, I’ve never been more excited for an information session,” Youhong murmured with a tone so sincere it looped back around to sarcasm. “I don’t know why I didn’t come earlier when Songmei called for us. How could I be so stupid? I’m glad I’ve now opened my eyes to the truth.”
“Mhm,” Taigang agreed, nodding along with every statement Youhong made. “As a sun cultivator, how could I close my eyes to the light? I’m glad I’ve been guided back to the right path. What an enlightened cultivator Mingqing is.”
Resisting the urge to crack up, Zhao Liying coughed into her fist as Mingqing began to give the apparently just formed comedy trio the side-eye. Committing to the bit, Zhao Liying added her own self-reflection. “You know, as the senior of the group. It’s really my responsibility to keep my juniors on track, I just can’t help but praise the amazing Yan for her immense wisdom. Wise beyond her years.”
With her eyes almost becoming knives with how sharp her side-eye was, Mingqing decided to let it go and grabbed Songmei’s hand before looking back towards Yang Tianshu.
Chuckling to himself as the antics of the five young masters and mistresses transpired in front of him, Yang Tianshu cleared his throat, composing himself. “Hmm... where to start. Why not address the question you all mentioned earlier. I assure you I won’t hold any of you all back, I’m quite strong. I’ve opened all twelve of my main meridians and a couple of my extraordinary meridians.”
With a chorus of “Ohh”’s and apologies, Yang Tianshu shook his head and waved them off. “I’m not as skillful as you all. I’ve long forgotten many of my techniques. I can defend myself, but I’m not too useful in combat. I could probably beat any of you one on one with sheer strength, but I’m out of practice. If you all came at me at once, I’m sure I’d lose.”
“Are you going to fight then? Help guard the carriages?” Zhao Liying asked, leaning back onto the railing while using her spear as a glorified walking stick.
“I’ll try my best. This old man is out of shape, so I can’t fight for long, but I can do my best,” Yang Tianshu laughed, “Moving on though, I just wanted to make it clear that you won’t die, but you can’t kill anyone either.”
Seeing Songmei let out a sigh of relief, Yang Tianshu laughed, giving her a few pats on the shoulder. “No need to worry, we need all the people we can get around here. I have to say this though, just to make sure. We’re not savages. More than that, if anyone of really high status gets killed, this whole city might get razed to the ground.”
“That’s good... and very true,” Songmei mused, squeezing Mingqing’s hand. She was pretty sure Xueli had mentioned something along similar lines in the past, but it was nice to get a reminder. Songmei, being friends with Mingqing, no, girlfriends with Mingqing, could imagine the force of the entire Kunpeng Clan turning Westriver into a flaming crater.
It was only two days prior when she and Mingqing spent some time talking about Mingqing’s family... If the grandiose ceremonies were any indicator, the Kunpeng Clan was stacked.
“I have to make sure to mention this, especially around the... higher status disciples that come around.” Yang Tianshu emphasized with a stern tone. “Too often do they come around thinking they’re the center of the universe. It’s no longer the past, you can’t go around just slapping people and turning their heads into blood mist.”
With Yang Tianshu’s words just leaving the tip of his tongue, Songmei and the others began to laugh, pointing to each other while shouting the classic line. “Do you even know who my father is??”
Mystified, Yang Tianshu watched as the five youngsters exchanged line after line—all of which flew over his head.
“Do you even young master?”
“You dare breathe the same air as me?”
“You’re courting death!”
“You have eyes, yet you’re unable to see Mount Tai!”
“I achieve twice the result with half the effort! Heavens shake the earth!”
What even were these lines?
Wiping a tear from her eye, Songmei pulled a water bottle out of her spatial storage ring, taking a sip as everyone else calmed down as well.
Though they made jokes, Songmei was glad she lived in the current period. She and Mingqing, during one of their many late night conversations had talked about how they were glad they lived in the present day. Because the non-cultivating world was making leaps and bounds of progress, leaping into what the media dubbed the “Age of Innovation,” several of their ideas were spreading into the cultivation world.
Things such as not committing wanton murder.
Pretty cool if Songmei had to say so herself.
Of course, the next day when the conversation topic came up once more at the breakfast table with Liu Xueli, Songmei and Mingqing had learned the—apparently—bigger reason. The hidden agenda one could say from the higher ups.
Apparently they really just needed people to stay alive so they could reach the stage where they could travel to the central continent. Then, once on the central continent, they could be of use fighting off the demons.
That was a boring reason though...
With Yang Tianshu finishing up with some idle conversation, he walked off to the third carriage to talk to the other cultivators. “Just get into position, once the battle starts, we’ll stop the carriage so you all can actually use your full fighting potential.”
