Chapter 214: Temporary Farewell
Mae, the lady who gave orders on the Sky Knights, had long black hair and pearly white skin. Her eyes were deep brown and she was on the shorter side of the spectrum. Well, not that short, probably 5'1 feet or so in height. She's also on the proportionately thin side but it suits her quite well. That aside, I have no idea how she was able to move with her armor on.
After knowing the names of each Sky Knights member, I decided to ask Mae all of my questions since she seemed like the leader of the Sky Knights. I didn't want to bother the other members since they may get impatient with me and start destroying the entire Settlement after fixing it. It's not like I don't trust them, but when you're in front of greater power, it's perfectly normal to be wary of them. These guys could flatten the Graudon Settlement in a snap of a finger and I'm not overexagerrating. That's why the last thing I'd want is to rile them up by asking unnecessary questions.
"Who exactly are my parents... and grandparents?" I suppressed my nervousness by pinching myself before asking the question. It worked, but my voice was still as shaky as ever. I badly wanted to bow towards these guys and pay my respects but they did it first towards me. It would seem rude if I bowed towards them when they see me as a higher figure.
"Young Master, I'm afraid this place is too unstable. For now, we have to get to the Sky Kingdom first, and then we'll talk there. I hope that wouldn't bother you too much since you just arrived here. If you still have some things to discuss with the Settlement Leader here then please do so. We wouldn't want to ruin your schedule by taking you to the Sky Kingdom at once."
White, and his Dad, Luxor, stared at me in shock, their expression showed that they didn't want me to leave but they couldn't voice it out either. They were afraid that going against the request of the Sky Knights would be extremely dangerous. They were on thin ice as it is and they owe a lot to the Sky Knights, that's why they didn't speak up. Zenith and Rutgard, the acting leader of the Fourth Battalion, also stared at me expectantly, hoping that I would reject the offer.
However, I've already decided. These guys know me more than I know myself. If that was the case, then I should go with them as soon as possible, solve my identity crisis or something, and hopefully, they will aid us in getting rid of the Black Spirit Sect. Right now, they act like they're my subordinates. If I were to go contrary to their wishes, then that would just decrease the chance of them helping us in our quest. I wouldn't want that, they're invaluable allies although I don't fully trust them yet.
"Then, tell me just this one thing," I said, almost choking on my dry saliva. I contemplated on whether I should ask them this question... but if I didn't, that would leave one of the most important questions unanswered in my mind. "How can I trust you?" I told her.
"Young Master, we are very trustworthy, we came all this way to greet you and bring you back to your ki— " Leonard try to explain his way out but he was immediately interrupted by Mae.
"Shut it, Leonard, mere words cannot convince Young Master." Mae continued. "While it is true that we came all the way here to greet him and guide him back to the kingdom, he doesn't know much about us."
"Don't tell me— are you going to show t-t-that thing?! Right now?!" Leonard exclaimed. "That's dangerous! If someone were to see that, we might necessarily put ourselves in danger. You know what happened to elder Tang Se, right?"
"Leonard, I very well know the risks, that's why you'd best be prepared." After saying that, Mae nodded towards some of the members of the Sky Knights and they immediately surrounded the whole Graudon Settlement with another barrier. Judging from the amount of Qi Energy the barrier possessed, I could tell that it's not a normal one. It's probably a high-level barrier, stronger than the initial barrier they put up.
"Yongrui, that's the high-class Barrier called the Space Altering Barrier. It may sound simple but it essentially blocks everyone from viewing what's happening inside the whole Graudon Settlement." Hui-ying quickly explained.
"The Space Altering Barrier, huh," I muttered.
"I'm surprised you know of it, Young Master." She smiled, genuinely surprised. "Now, please don't be shocked at what you're going to see next." She continued.
Before I could say something, Mae suddenly undid her robe and pulled it down, showing off a considerable amount of cleavage, but not everything. I averted my eyes but before I did, I noticed something on his right collarbone... something that seemed familiar.
It was an imprint of the Blue Tiger, sort of like a tattoo but I could tell that it wasn't a tattoo. It was like a blessing or an ancient family crest that's passed down to generations. And then I remembered something— a memory that came from the depths of my mind, suddenly resurfacing as the Blue Tiger triggered it.
"This is the family crest of the Tang Family, and after swearing my allegiance to serving the Young Master, a blessing was bestowed upon me. It's a blessing of one of the most powerful Cultivation Techniques that's passed down to the next generations of the Tang Clan. Upon learning this technique, a Blue Tiger would emerge on any part of the body, proof that one had accepted his or her duty as a retainer, and as a servant that would serve the Young Master for his lifetime."
Of course, that crest of a Blue Tiger is something that I recognized as well, if she had that, then that means she was telling the truth. She really is a part of the Tang Clan, and if what she said is true, then the Sky Knights are really under my rulership. "That's... I remember my grandfather showing me this before he died. He told me to always remember this insignia... so it was the symbol of the Tang Clan. How could I not think of that."
One by one, the other Sky Knight members showed the symbol on their bodies. Some of them had it on their thighs, on their backs, on their stomach, and on their necks. But as for Leonard, he didn't show his.
"Is yours on your third leg, or something?" I asked out of the blue, purely as a joke.
"Shut up, it's not like I wanted it to appear there." He mumbled, receiving a couple of chuckles coming from the others.
An awkward atmosphere fell on us as soon as Leonard said that. By then, I knew that they were awaiting my response, do I go with them or do I stay in the Graudon Settlement? It was a tough choice, considering that I just got here. Luxor also had a lot of plans with me, like assigning the Fourth Battalion to me and planning the next attack on the Black Spirit Sect with my help.
"I'm going. White, Luxor, you're free to come with us, along with every people here." I told them. "Although our meeting is just short, I know that you all are genuine people. And also, White is basically my brother now after everything we've been through. I also recruited Rembrandt and Zenith to my Sect so I can't really leave them behind."
The announcement didn't really come as a shock to everyone since that was the best option there is. In order to find out more about my past and to bring these Sky Knights over to my side, then I have to do this. This is what one would call an investment. And if it were to be successful, then there's a greater chance that we'd win against the Black Spirit Sect.
After saying that, Natalia and Zenith approached me and stood beside me. They didn't say a single word since their actions already spoke for themselves. The Fourth Battalion, to my surprise, also stood beside me. "We look forward to your guidance, Leader," Rutgard said, once again cupping his hands towards me while the others followed.
"I'm sorry, Yongrui. Even though we want to come with you, we know that we'll just be troubling the Sky Knights and the other people over there. And also, it would be quite rude to these people after they'ver rebuilt the Settlement."
"We won't mind if you leave this behind." Mae interrupted.
"Yes, but after everything you've done. We know that we'll be safe here. I fear that we might not belong to the people of your kingdom and I wouldn't want that. At least here, you've provided more than enough for us and we can go on with our plan of overturning the Black Spirit Sect's rule over the Middle Plane. Yongrui, despite our short meeting, I know that you're a good man. With the help of these Sky Knights, I know that you'll grow to become stronger."
"Aren't you going to keep me here, don't you need the ancient power in your, you know," I asked, surprised.
"It's fine, Yongrui. I know that you need to come with them for now, but that doesn't mean that we won't meet again, perhaps we'll meet each other while attacking the Black Spirit Sect." White answered.
"Then, I'll be going. But I promise I'll come back and help you guys. I, Tang Yongrui, am a man of my word." I declared.
A pinkish orb surrounded us, and a split second later, we were gone for good, leaving the Graudon Settlement behind. Zenith, and the Fourth Battalion didn't back down as well, and now, they're with us, onwards to the Sky Kingdom.