NOVEL NEXT 132: A Brother’s Urge To Gossip
With the conversation quieting down once more, Yan Mingliang zoned out of the conversation. Those few sentences were enough for the day—there was no need to give himself heart palpitations from interacting too much with the spiritual beasts.
[So... what exactly sets Yan Mingqing apart from her brother Yan Mingliang?] The host asked, posing an open-ended question for the experts to answer however they’d like.
[There are tons of differences between the siblings. It’s expected with their fifteen year age gap.] The woman from earlier answered, tapping her fingers against the table as the camera centered on her. [I think the most important difference for the viewers to know about is the difference in fighting style. On the surface, these two siblings are very similar. They both use a sword, and they both use a fighting style that revolves around the stars and ocean. They’re both from the Kunpeng family after all, everyone in their lineage fights along these lines.]
With some silent videos of Mingqing fighting beginning to play, the woman’s explanation was edited over to become a voiceover. [Yan Mingliang, the ice savant as he’s known, fights primarily using ice, with his sword as more of an auxiliary piece. Most of the time we see it being used more as a wand or just a fancy baton rather than an actual sword. Yan Mingqing, on the other hand, is very connected with her sword. She’s a true sword cultivator through and through.]
[Yes. In fact, her cultivation art, though similar in attributes to Yan Mingliang’s, gives her a different sword style for each of the major constellations.] Another expert pitched in, [Though difficult, it’s a cultivation art that has one of the highest ceilings we’ve seen for a while. Twelve sword styles, each with a form for each major star. If she can fully master them, she’ll be a force to be reckoned with.]
With six experts sitting with him at the table, the host let them talk. He nodded along, providing some reactions as the “common man” at the table.
[For the last thing,] the old man with the long beard murmured. [Her personality is very different from Yan Mingliang’s. We all know Yan Mingliang as the flamboyant, talkative, exemplary leader he is. He can take control of any room, any stage, and any battlefield. However, Yan Mingqing is quite far from this. I have some connections with families in the higher echelons, and from a young age, Yan Mingqing has been known as an ice queen with a cold, aloof demeanor. As someone unafraid to get into a fight, both verbally and physically.]
Snorting in his seat, Yan Mingliang tried not to choke on his wine as he listened to the hosts blabber on about Yan Mingqing’s personality. It was just her being shy. Or maybe just her being anti-social. Yan Mingliang prided himself, but he had managed to pry open his little sister. They both had busy schedules, so they didn’t text much, but Yan Mingliang saw how Yan Mingqing was really quite warm.
In fact, Yan Mingliang couldn’t help but chuckle as he remembered the long chains of texts he had received. Turns out, Mingqing was quite the romantic. She had even asked him for advice! Yan Mingliang knew she had been... a bit of a player growing up, had a couple flings that never became official, but her current relationship...
He saw potential in it. This Lin Songmei girl was the only one so far who had managed to really open Yan Mingqing up. In fact, Yan Mingliang felt a little aggrieved at times! Yan Mingqing was closer, and probably more warm to this girl than him! Her gracious, awesome, heaven-sent older brother!
But she really cared, enough to put aside her pride to ask Yan Mingliang for advice... and date ideas.
Zoning back in—now that he was no longer at risk of dying due to choking on wine—Yan Mingliang listened in as they did some more analysis on the “Ghost Legion”’s internal dynamics.
[You’d think someone like Yan Mingqing would work alone, or at the minimum have an iron grip over the power in any party she joins, that’s the historical trend with people like her. Going into this class, that was the only knock on her potential. These types of people generally get assassinated or die off somewhere alone.] One expert explained, a graphic popping up on screen of a few other famous cultivators who had fallen prey to this very fate. [However, in a stunning turn of events, Yan Mingqing seems perfectly content with taking a step back. She, at most, is a vice-leader in the party with Zhao Liying. From what we’ve seen though, it’s honestly more likely she pushes the work and responsibilities towards Zhao Liying, content with being the third.]
With the experts not having anything to add, the host looked around, offering the floor for anyone to make a parting comment. Watching everyone just shake their heads, content, the host transitioned. [Speaking of leadership, let’s transition then, to the de facto leader of the party: Wang Taigang. Give me a rundown, let me and the viewers gain some... enlightenment.]
Snorting, Yan Mingliang sighed. It seemed the Daoist Times were still making their horrendous jokes. Though, if he had any say, he’d tell them to make some more of those jokes...
Tilting his head, Yan Mingliang grinned as froze. “Wait a second...”
He would have a say... one day he would. Their family did own the umbrella company owning the Daoist Times.
[So Wang Taigang really is interesting, he’s truly come into his own and has been living up to all the buzz around him.] An expert began, sparking the discussion. [Born with an absolute Yang constitution, his potential was clear from a young age. Wang Taigang, we must praise though, has really put the work in, improving beyond his natural gifts.]
[Which are?] The host interjected with a short statement, motioning for the expert to elaborate on the specific point before moving on.
[Ah, yes! Sorry, his constitution, obviously, and also his unique frame and status.] The expert explained. [He doesn’t rely on them anymore and has really come into his own. He’s a leader, from head-to-toe. It’s because of this that many of us rank him right around the same level as Yan Mingqing and Zhao Liying. He’s been able to elevate himself up a tier one could say.]
[Yes, I agree with that, well said. Going into this year, no one expected that Wang Taigang would be able to compete with the two at the top. But he’s managed to at least put himself in the conversation.] A different expert added, [As a tank, he’s planted himself in the conversation as the best in the year. Once we’re done with the Ghost Legion, we’ll go into these other top recruits, but only one tank is able to compare with Wang Taigang. For the most part too, I’d give Wang Taigang the slight edge as of now.]
With the conversation continuing on, Yan Mingliang began to zone out as the panel began praising Wang Taigang as the “emotional rock of the group.” He wasn’t interested in hearing about the party dynamics from these experts, they didn’t have any concrete sources.
From his texts with his little sister, Yan Mingliang was pretty clear on the party dynamics already, the stories Yan Mingqing told from their game nights were... salient to say the least. Yan Mingliang was pretty sure the emotional rock of the group was far from Wang Taigang. If anything, from the game night stories, Wang Taigang was the joker, or even clown of the group.
Refilling his wine glass, Yan Mingliang closed his eyes. He’d zone back in when they got to Han Youhong and Lin Songmei.
