My mother’s courtyard within the Dragon Palace looked much as I remembered it, though the red upholstered couch and the dozens of wine bottles were now gone. Crystal lamps filled the area with gentle light, which was more than enough for a group of cultivators to see by.

  On the way here, Harlow split off with a reluctant expression on her face. She said that since she and I weren’t married (yet), it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to participate in the upcoming discussion. I didn’t see how that mattered since she already knew everything, the important parts at least. However, Harlow remained adamant and left.

  Even without her, my mother’s courtyard felt a little crowded when our entire group arrived. Ellen and Elliot accompanied me as I walked beside my mother and Big Sis Sidra. There was also Willow and Grandmother Ava, in addition to my uncle and Lucius. It didn’t help that many of the people here were powerful experts, capable of crushing mountains and splitting seas.

  After we all arrived, my mother activated some privacy restrictions, to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. She then pulled the red upholstered couch out of her storage ring and tossed it towards one corner of her courtyard. She laid down on it and started drinking.

  “I don’t feel like dealing with all the fiddly details.” She said in a lazy voice. “You do it, Sidra.”

  My eldest sister nodded.

  “Very well, Mother.” She said.

  Grandmother Ava gave my mother a baffled look, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to make of this. I didn’t blame her. My mother was rather difficult to deal with at times. I didn’t think she was sane, or at least she thought differently from most humans. At the moment, my mother looked nothing like her moniker, the Frenzied Fiend. Instead, she more resembled a cat taking a lazy nap. Well, a cat that liked to drink wine.

  My uncle wore a disgusted expression. At this rate, I felt like it would be permanently etched onto his face. Lucius maintained his icy mask, making it difficult to read him. What was he thinking? Was he angry with me for attacking and kidnapping his mother? I wouldn’t blame him if he was. However, I did so to prevent her from killing a building full of innocent people. Did that make a difference? I didn’t know.

  Right now, Lucius felt like a stranger to me, confirming my worst fears about our relationship.

  Big Sis Sidra pulled a large round table made of green jade out of her storage ring. She placed it in the center of the courtyard, before pulling out jade chairs and placing them around the table. There were enough seats for everyone.

  “Please,” Big Sis Sidra said, gesturing to the table. “Everyone sit. We have much to discuss, so we might as well make ourselves comfortable.”

  Everyone sat down at the jade table. Big Sis Sidra and Grandmother Ava sat next to each other. I ended up next to Willow, while Ellen and Elliot stood behind me. The jade chairs felt warm and comfortable.

  My uncle remained standing, with Lucius following his lead.

  “I would rather not.” My uncle said with a snort. “Just give me back my wife, so we can leave this accursed place.”

  My eldest sister narrowed her eyes at him. She shared a look with Grandmother Ava, before facing me.

  ‘You take the lead, Little Demon.’ Big Sis Sidra said to me through telepathy. ‘I’ll intervene when necessary, but otherwise leave everything to you.’

  I nodded, before crossing my arms and gave my uncle an annoyed look.

  “Did you think we would just return Senior Lucille, Uncle?” I asked. “No. You need to pay the right price first.”

  My uncle clenched his jaw.

  “So, you’re holding my wife hostage, is that it?” he asked, speaking in a civil tone despite his anger. “She’s your kin, Darian. Your aunt.”

  I snorted.

  “Really?” I asked. “She didn’t treat me like kin, back when I lived on Mt. Wind Dance.” I paused. “Well, I suppose she was better than the rest of Clan Wind Dance. At least she only treated me with indifference.” I narrowed my eyes at my uncle. “Unlike you.”

  My uncle clenched his fists and took a step towards me, but stopped and looked at my mother. Despite the latter’s lackadaisical attitude, she was still a Domain Creation cultivator. She could deal with a Golden Core cultivator like my uncle without batting an eyelid. He knew this, so he dared not act rashly. Instead, he took a deep breath to regain his composure.

  “Is this your revenge for the way we treated you, Darian?” My uncle asked. “Yes, we may not have treated you well, but this is going too far! Not only did you attack and kidnap my wife, but you damaged my relationship with Senior Brother Righteous Fury, perhaps beyond repair. I spent decades appeasing that man, flattering him, all for the sake of our clan’s future. Joining the Thousand Blade Sect would have brought our clan to new heights.” He sighed with resignation and shook his head. “All that effort wasted, because of you. Are you happy? Is this what you wanted?”

  I scoffed.

  “May not have treated me well?” I asked in disbelief. “You and the rest of Clan Wind Dance abused me, suppressed me, and humiliated me. I endured a hellish existence because of you. You ask me if I’m happy about destroying the glorious future you envisioned?” I leaned forward and looked my uncle right in the eyes. “The answer is yes. Seeing you brought low like this fills me with immense joy.”

  My uncle sneered at me.

  “What about Lucius?” He asked. “His future as a core disciple of Flowing Blade Peak had been all but assured. You ruined that. He would be lucky to remain as an inner disciple. You may despise me and the rest of our clan for our actions, but Lucius always treated you well. He was innocent.”

  Guilt stabbed me in the gut, though I kept it from showing on my expression.

  “You keep saying that what happened was my fault,” I said, “But all I did was reveal the truth. You’re the one who chose to hide it. Stop blaming me for your mistake.”

  “My only mistake was letting you stay on Mt. Wind Dance, my uncle said. “I should have just driven you away or let you live among the mortals. If I had, none of this would have happened.”

  I smiled at him.

  “On that, we agree,” I said. “However, as much as I would like to continue venting my grievances against you, we should return to the matter at hand. The sooner we finish here, the better. The Rising Heroes Tournament starts in a few hours, and I don’t want to miss it.”

  My uncle frowned at me, but nodded.

  “Very well.” He said. “I want to leave this place as soon as possible.”

  Both he and Lucius sat down at the jade table.

  “What do you want?” my uncle demanded. “The sooner you tell me, the sooner we can get this over with.”

  I thought about answering but decided to let Willow take the lead here. This involved her future as well. Willow nodded at me, before facing my uncle.

  “Simple,” she said, “Approve of my marriage with Darian.”

  My uncle stared at us with wide eyes.

  “You two…?” He started, before trailing off.

  We nodded. Anger twisted his features.

  “What game are you playing Cultivator Ava?” He asked, turning towards her. “While we were in the midst of finalizing your granddaughter’s betrothal to my nephew, you let her gallivant with another man? Have you no shame?”

  Grandma Ava scoffed.

  “That’s rich, coming from you.” She said. “You lied to me and said that Zayne Wind Dance was Connor Wind Dance’s son.”

  My uncle slammed his fist on the jade table.

  “That’s because you insisted that your granddaughter marry my brother’s son!” he said. “Lucius has a heavenly spirit root, unrivaled talent with the sword, and is the future head of Clan Wind Dance. Yet, that wasn’t good enough for you.”

  “I admit that your son is a talented young man with a bright future ahead of him,” Grandmother Ava said. “Tonight’s events will set him back, but I have no doubt that he’ll persevere and prosper. Under his leadership, Clan Wind Dance will soar to new heights.”

  My uncle gave her a baffled look.

  “Then why not let your granddaughter marry him?” He asked.

  Grandmother Ava narrowed her eyes at him.

  “If my granddaughter married into Clan Wind Dance, she would have withered away.” she said. “I could not let that happen. You wouldn’t have let your son marry into Clan Stone Pillar, so I needed someone who could. That was why I didn’t want Willow to marry your son.” She shrugged. “Not that it matters now. It all worked out in the end. Let Darian and Willow marry one another, so we can fulfill the agreement I made with your father and put this matter to rest once and for all.”

  My uncle regarded her for a moment, before turning towards Willow and I. He studied us for several long seconds.

  “This was what you were after all along, wasn’t it?” My uncle asked. “I found this entire situation suspicious from the beginning. It wasn’t a coincidence that you both showed up at the House of Heavenly Pleasure while Nephew Zayne was there. You schemed against Clan Wind Dance from the very beginning.”

  “Yes,” I said without hesitation. “Initially, we planned on breaking the agreement while making it Zayne’s fault.” I grimaced. “However, after he called Senior Lucille for help, we needed to adapt. If you want to blame anyone, blame him for running to Senior Lucille at the first sign of trouble.”

  My uncle stared at me in disbelief.

  “Shameless!” He shouted. “Utterly shameless! How could my brother have sired such a deceitful, conniving demon like you? He was always a paragon of righteousness. You? You're a disgrace to his memory.”

  My uncle’s words pierced my heart. After everything I endured at his hands, I didn’t think anything he could say would hurt me. I was wrong. My reaction must have shown on my face, because my uncle gave me a satisfied smile.

  “Careful,” my mother called out in a lazy voice, “That’s my son you’re talking to.”

  Her aura filled the courtyard with suffocating pressure for a single second. Despite this, that was enough to make my uncle break out into a sweat. After she retracted her aura, he glanced at her with fear in his eyes.

  My mother’s intervention gave me the time I needed to take a deep breath and regain my composure. I wanted to kick myself for letting my uncle’s words get to me. Showing such weakness would only prove that he still had power over me, and that was the last thing I wanted.

  “Fine,” my uncle said, a slight tremble in his voice, “As long as we adhere to the terms that Cultivator Ava and I discussed before, it doesn’t matter to me who ends up marrying Cultivator Willow.”

  By terms, I assumed he meant Willow’s dowry, which included a mine that produced Wind elemental stones. That was what my uncle wanted all along.

  “What makes you think we’ll keep to those terms?” I asked. “Don’t forget that your wife’s life is on the line. You’re not in a position to negotiate. That elemental stone mine is Willow’s dowry, which means it goes to me.” I looked over at Willow and smiled. “Of course, I’m prepared to pay an appropriate bride price in return.”

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  Willow returned my smile with one of her own. On the other hand, my uncle’s face turned so red that I feared his heart might give out. It was unheard of for a cultivator to die of a heart attack. My uncle might be the first one to do so. I almost looked forward to it. However, before he could explode with rage, Lucius spoke up.

  “Darian,” my cousin said, still speaking in an even voice. “Please reconsider. That elemental stone mine is vital to the future of our clan. Tonight’s events will set us back by decades.” He gestured to me. “Of course, we won’t ask for something and pay nothing in return.”

  I studied Lucius’ face, trying to gauge his thoughts. However, his icy mask kept me at bay. It was like trying to climb a sheer cliff without using internal qi, difficult and frustrating.

  “What did you have in mind?” I asked.

  Regardless of what Lucius thought of me now, I still loved him. He was my cousin and one of the few members of Clan Wind Dance that I liked. Without his help, I would have had a much more difficult time growing up.

  “The clan’s archives.” Lucius said. “While you don’t have any aptitude for most of the clan’s cultivation techniques, martial arts, and mystic arts, the clan’s archives still contain scriptures that you can use. Movement techniques, for example. While our clan is famous for its sword dancers, we are Wind cultivators, which are renowned for their movement techniques. While I wouldn’t say that our clan’s movement techniques are unparalleled, they are definitely among the best available in the entire Northern region.”

  I had to admit, this offer tempted me. As a member of Clan Wind Dance’s main family, I should have had access to the clan’s archives. However, my uncle never allowed it. This was a chance to receive what should have been mine in the first place.

  The look on my uncle’s face deepened my interest. Several times, it looked like he wanted to interrupt Lucius. However, my uncle kept his mouth shut. He must have wanted that elemental stone mine more than I thought.

  “We also have several dancing techniques that aren’t related to the sword,” Lucius continued. “You always were a superb dancer.”

  Hmm, that gave me an idea.

  “Does this offer include information on the Resonating Dance innate ability?” I asked.

  Both Lucius and my uncle froze at that.

  “How do you know about that?” my uncle asked.

  I raised an eyebrow at him.

  “I have the Resonating Dance innate ability.” I said.

  “No.” My uncle said. “I refuse to believe it. There is no way that you have the Resonating Dance innate ability. It is one of our clan’s rarest gifts.”

  I smirked at him.

  “Would you like a demonstration?” I asked. “It has been a long time since you last saw me dance, Uncle.”

  My uncle looked ready to leap over the table and throttle me, but Lucius put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Father, please let me handle this.” He said.

  For a moment, I thought my uncle wouldn’t listen to Lucius. However, in the end, he crossed his arms and looked away from me.

  “To answer your question, Darian,” Lucius said, facing me once more, “Yes, this offer does include all the clan’s knowledge of the Resonating Dance innate ability. In fact, you’re entitled to it since…” He glanced at Willow. “… There is a chance that your descendants may inherit it from you.”

  Willow and I glanced at one another, before we looked away, blushing. We hadn’t discussed the matter of children, at least not yet. I wondered what our children would look like. Burly. That was the first word that came to mind. Muscular and burly.

  I shook my head and focused on the present situation. Lucius’ offer interested me for many reasons. The most obvious one was all the techniques I would gain access to. The movement techniques, in particular, would prove beneficial to me. Best of all, I could share these techniques with Clarissa. As a Wind Dance, this was her heritage too.

  The biggest reason, however, was Clan Wind Dance’s knowledge of the Resonating Dance innate ability. The little I knew about it I either learned through trial and error, or from my mother. Gaining Clan Wind Dance’s knowledge would save me a lot of time and effort.

  “What do you think?” I asked Willow. “The elemental stone mine is your dowry. I’ll leave the final decision up to you.”

  Willow mulled it over for several moments, before nodding.

  “Accept it.” She said. “I’m keen to get my hands on those movement techniques.” She smirked at me. “Assuming you’ll share them with me.”

  I took Willow’s hand and kissed the back of it.

  “Of course.” I said.

  I sent a telepathic message to Ellen.

  ‘I’ll also share them with you as well, my dear.’ I said. ‘As my main wife, I can’t leave you out.’

  I felt Ellen’s amusement and gratitude through our telepathic connection.

  ‘Thank you, Darian.’ She said.

  After that, we negotiated the finer details with my uncle and Lucius. There was a lot to figure out, since my marriage to Willow involved the fate of our two clans. Grandmother Ava and my uncle already worked out the most important parts, which gave us a foundation to build upon. However, these details also needed to include my maternal family, which took us a while. By the end, I felt mentally and emotionally exhausted, on top of my physical exhaustion.

  “Finally, we’re done.” My uncle said, leaning back in his chair. “I gave you what you wanted. Now, fulfill your end of the deal and give me back my wife.”

  “Very well, Uncle.” I said in a tired voice. “Elliot.”

  My brother-in-law nodded, before heading into the main residence of my mother’s courtyard. Due to my exhausted state, it took me a moment to realize that I didn’t actually know where Senior Lucille was. However, Elliot must have, because he walked out of the main residence a few minutes later with the still unconscious Senior Lucille in his arms.

  She was in better shape than when I last saw her. All of her injuries were gone and she wore a beautiful dress, though not the same one as before. This one was a mundane dress, not a defensive magic treasure.

  “Lucille!”

  “Mother!”

  Lucius and my uncle both rushed towards Senior Lucille. My uncle took her from Elliot’s arms. After giving her a brief examination, his expression grew worried. He shook her a few times, but she remained unconscious.

  “Why isn’t she waking up?” my uncle asked, frantic.

  “She’s just resting after recovering from her injuries.” Big Sis Sidra said. “She’ll wake up in a few hours.”

  My uncle looked a little relieved by this, but worried still marred his features.

  “I shall take her back and have someone examine her.” He said. “No need to see me out. I hope to never see any of you people ever again.”

  With that, my uncle marched out of my mother’s courtyard with Senior Lucille in his arms. However, Lucius remained in place.

  “What about Zayne?” He asked.

  I raised an eyebrow at him.

  “What about Zayne? I never said anything about releasing him.”

  Lucius gave me a slight frown. If I hadn’t been looking for any flaw in his icy mask, I wouldn’t have seen it.

  “Don’t worry,” I said with a sigh. “I’m not going to kill or cripple him, much as I want to.” I gave him a flat look. “I’m just going to pay him back for everything he put me through.”

  Lucius studied me for several long moments.

  “Very well,” he said, “As long as you return Zayne to us. My mother… Well, you know how much she cares for him.”

  This was the perfect opportunity for me to speak with Lucius alone.

  “Let me walk you out.” I said, standing up.

  I glanced at my mother for permission.

  “Go right ahead.” She said, waving at me. “I’ll be here, getting to know your new grandmother.” She held up an unopened bottle of spirit wine. “Would you care to join me for a drink, Cultivator Ava?”

  Grandmother Ava hesitated before answering.

  “I’d be honored to, Hall Master Nova.” she said.

  My mother smiled at her.

  “Please,” she said, “Just call me Nova. We’re going to be family after all.”

  Willow stood up as well.

  “The twins and I will return to our own courtyard.” She said. “Don’t keep us waiting.”

  She gave me a meaningful look, before leaving my mother’s courtyard with Ellen and Elliot.

  “As usual,” Big Sis Sidra said in an aggrieved tone, “It falls to me to tie up all the loose ends.”

  My mother snorted.

  “Please,” she said, “You enjoy it. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

  Big Sis Sidra ignored her.

  I gestured for Lucius to follow me and the two of us left my mother’s courtyard. We had Dragon Palace, and Divine Beast Palace as a whole, all to ourselves. Everyone else was still in their quarters resting, training, or cultivating. We didn’t even see any servants or outer disciples. It felt as if Lucius and I were the only ones awake in the world.

  I decided to walk Lucius out because I wanted to speak with him. However, now that I had the opportunity, I didn’t know what to say. His icy mask, and the fact that I kidnapped his mother, created a gap between us. I didn’t know how to bridge that gap. We walked for several minutes without saying a word to one another. I opened my mouth several times to say something, but nothing came out.

  “This place is good enough.” Lucius said all of a sudden.

  My head snapped towards him. Crystal lamps illuminated Divine Beast Palace, creating islands of light amidst a sea of darkness. Shadows pooled in the gaps between each island. We stood in one such gap. I tensed, ready for the worst.

  Lucius rushed towards me and pulled me into his arms. The sudden embrace caught me off guard and I didn’t know how to react. I expected some kind of attack, either verbal or physical, not this.

  “You have no idea how much I missed you.” Lucius said, his voice thick with emotion.

  Oh.

  I had been worried over nothing. The Lucius I knew was still there. He just hid himself behind an icy mask and an even voice. Tears pricked my eyes as I realized that my cousin, who I idolized like an older brother, didn’t hate me.

  “I missed you, too.” I said, returning his embrace.

  The two of us stood there, holding each other. A part of me pointed out that if someone saw us, they would’ve mistaken us for lovers. I didn’t care. Some emotions could only be expressed through actions, not words. After a while, the two of us pulled apart.

  “You have no idea how scared I was.” I said. “I thought you hated me for… Well, everything.”

  Lucius gripped my shoulders.

  “Don’t misunderstand,” he said, giving me a sharp look, “I’m angry with you for attacking and kidnapping my mother.” His expression softened. “However, that doesn’t lessen my joy and relief. When you disappeared, I almost went crazy looking for you. Father and I almost came to blows over it.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, “I would’ve left a letter, but everything happened so fast that I didn’t have the time.”

  Lucius let go of my shoulders and shook his head.

  “No need to apologize.” He said. “I’m just glad you’re alright.” He chuckled. “No. You’re not just alright. You’re thriving. I know I’m late, but congratulations on reaching Foundation Establishment.”

  I nodded and smiled at him.

  “Thank you,” I said, “It’s all thanks to my maternal family. They’ve treated me well.”

  Lucius’ expression grew complicated at that.

  “You have no idea how shocked I felt when I heard that you were the Frenzied Fiend’s son.” He said. “Your mother is rather famous, or infamous I should say. I can’t believe Uncle Connor sired a child with her.”

  I let out an awkward laugh.

  “It’s a bit of a story.” I said.

  “You’ll have to tell it to me later.” Lucius said. “Right now, I don’t have much time to spare.” He sighed. “Father will be too focused on Mother to pay attention to clan affairs, so it will fall on me to take care of them in his stead.” He grimaced. “After what happened tonight, I’m going to be busy.”

  My guilt from earlier came back in full force.

  “I’m… Sorry.” I said. “I don’t regret my actions, but I regret how they’ll affect you.”

  “Don’t apologize.” Lucius said. “Father shouldn’t have concealed your existence from Peak Master Righteous Fury. I warned him against it, but he refused to listen.”

  That didn’t lessen my guilt. When I met with Cultivator Vivian in the Violet Desert hidden realm and asked her about Lucius, she told me that he was a rising star in Flowing Sword Peak. My actions ruined his future.

  “Even so,” I said, “I destroyed your chances of becoming a core disciple of the Thousand Blade Sect.”

  Lucius reached over and flicked my forehead. It hurt far more than I expected. As a dual refiner, I was tougher than most cultivators with the same cultivation base as me.

  “Ow!” I said, rubbing my forehead. “What was that for?”

  Lucius snorted.

  “Worry about yourself.” He said. “I’ll be fine. Clan Wind Dance will weather this storm. Peak Master Righteous may be more ambitious and cunning than his name suggests, but he respects ability and merit above all else. As long as I perform well in the Rising Heroes Tournament, he will still take me in as his disciple, even if he now despises my father for lying to him.”

  That reassured me.

  “Speaking of which, we should get going.” I said. “Registration starts in a few hours. You’re not the only one looking forward to the tournament.”

  Lucius nodded, before we continued on our way. The moment we stepped out of the shadows, he resumed wearing an icy expression. It took me a moment to figure out why. Our two sects were hostile to one another. While we couldn’t hide our familial connection, we could hide how close we were to one another. Even if others suspected us, as long as we kept up appearances, it would be fine.

  I escorted Lucius to the entrance of Divine Beast Palace, which was guarded by a pair of Foundation Establishment disciples. They gave me odd looks when they saw me with a disciple from the Thousand Blade Sect, but they didn’t say anything. Lucius and I said our goodbyes, before I returned to my courtyard.

  I found both Ellen and Willow waiting for me in my bedroom. The former seemed amused, while the latter wore a vulnerable expression on her face.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, cautious.

  Willow fidgeted in place.

  “Can… Can the three of us sleep together?” She asked. “Not like that, I’m not ready for it yet, but… I want to be held.”

  Her face grew red with embarrassment. I found her request cute and endearing. Ellen and I shared a glance. From the look in her eyes, she felt the same way.

  “I have no objection,” I said, “But I am curious. What brought this on?”

  “I’ve worried this entire time that we would fail and my clan wouldn’t approve of our marriage.” Willow said. “We’ve succeeded, but it doesn’t feel real yet. I want to be held. I want you two to tell me that everything is going to be alright.”

  My heart just about melted when I heard this. I walked over and embraced Willow from one side. Ellen mirrored my actions, embracing Willow the other side. We must have made for an interesting sight. Willow towered over the both of us, but we were the ones comforting her.

  “This is real.” Ellen said in a soothing tone.

  “Everything is going to be alright.” I said.

  Willow wrapped her arms around us and let out a contented sigh. Together, the three of us went to bed together to get what little rest we could. After all, it was almost time for the Rising Heroes Tournament to start.

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  This chapter was edited by Radriel7