Age of Heroes

IN A SECLUDED HUT IN DARK PEAK

The torch fire can be seen inside a large secluded hut. Eight torches giving off a faint light in that secluded hut provide some warmth in the windy night. 

The sound of crickets and Night hopper can be heard and the moon can be seen high up in the sky, showing that faint luster of light near the dark and gloomy forest. 

The flame sometimes flickers because of the harsh and cold wind of the nights. The sound of wolf howling and the hooting of the Big Eyed Bird can also be heard.

In that hut there are eight figures sitting while another eight figures are standing with a torch in their hand, each one beside the eight figures. 

The eight figures are the Elders of each sect and some sect leader.

They are the Elders of Sun Moon Sect, Blinding Sword sect, Yilin, Taojing, Limitless Blade Sect, Five Finger Peak, Wuhao, and Lishan. 

The Ermeishan is not present in this meeting. the evil sect is also not present in this meeting.

'Have we been reduced to this?' 

One of the elders of Taojing scoffed, looking at the faces of the other elders and sect leaders.

'Hiding in a hut. A man should be upright and brave.' 

'Upright and brave?' Five Finger Peak Elders snicker. 

'Go then. Be brave and upright. Go greet the dragon in his house and let see how being brave and upright help you.' 

And Taojing Elders glares at the Five Finger Peak Elder. Yet they did not answer Five Finger Peak.

'There should be a middle ground with the All-Conquering Sect and the other schools. There must be a way. Why should we make such enemies when there is yet no great enmity between us and him? What is the benefit of angering such a man?'

One of the elders from Sun Moon Sect said advising the other elders, to not be discouraged. Xiao De the representative of the school in the meet nodded.

'True. I could not believe that even an expert of his caliber would be unreasonable. We could talk to him' One of Wuhao elders speaks smiling. 

After all, they secretly grinning looking at their enemy leader, Abbess Lin humiliated in that fight. Of course they would rather make friends with the dragon rather than their enemies.

'Tell that to my disciple. Tell that to my school!' Revered Erlanger of Yilin shouted. 

'He broke Sigrid bone and inflicts internal injuries on him. If not for Revered Eastern Devil Divine Flower Ointment my disciple will be crippled if not a disable person.' 

Sigrid just dropped his head. 

'And whose fault is that?' the sect leader of Blinding Sword Sect, Fan Huang asked. 

'Isn't he is at fault? Isn't he too arrogant to measure his own abilities? Why blame the dragon?' Fan Huang rebuking Revered Erlanger outburst of anger.

'And not to mention we did gang up on him. No wonder the dragon feels angry. Even I would have felt the same.' He continued glaring at the other sect.

The other elders and sect leader also feel embarrassed by this fact. 

But during that time, they never thought that the sect leader of the All-Conquering Sect to be so formidable. 

Or so stubborn

They recognize the dragon talent but of course they never once think that this dragon at that age could yet equal them. 

But their eyes were opened that night. Abbess Lin is even injured and her disciple has her vocal chords broken just by a choke. 

That palm attack and that dragon roars opens the eyes of the martial arts world and forces them to look and listen

That night if not for the All-conquering sect held back all those three figures would probably die meaninglessly under Arial power. 

'Hmmm' the others Elder could only sigh at this matter. 

They have made themselves an enemy. A formidable enemy at that. They all know what each other are so bothered about. 

That night they all think if they all accompany the Ermeishan, Arial would not have resisted too much and handed them the girl. 

After all, even though there might be a perfectly reasonable reason for Xiyun to run away from Ermeishan sect, Arial should not have interfered. 

In their misunderstanding they thought Arial is smitten by the young girl and kidnapped her, or persuade her to change school. 

They all have their misunderstanding. 

Some thought Arial kidnapped Xiyun. Some thought that Arial stole Xiyun away from Ermeishan. 

Some thought Xiyun is running away from the Ermeishan after doing some wrong in the sect and ask Arial help in shielding her.

Who would have thought that the girl is his disciple and have changed her school? 

Of course what the people didn't know is the real reason why the Abbess wanted Xiyun so badly. 

When the Abbes found the letter, she could care less whether Xiyun change her school or not but that all change when she went to her storeroom and found out that her Laojing wine is missing and also the herbs and the tea. 

She was furious like a lion mother, screaming ad cursing. How could she not? She vowed to get it back. 

Even though she did not want to offend the All-Conquering Sect, this is the last straw.

All her works from twenty-seven of age, cultivating, making the pill and then grinding it, and fused it with so many herbs she got from Eastern Devil and Western Serpent only to have all of it missing. 

Yes. What the people didn't know was that the Laojing tea and Wujing Wine that Xiyun had steal from the Abbess is not some normal Laojing tea and Wujing Wine.

All of those that were mixed with those tea and wine are not normal ingredient. It looks like ordinary Laojing tea and Wujing wine but it's not. 

The Abbess has painstakingly ground her cultivation inner energy pill that would increase one internal energy and power by leaps and bound and also increase their longevity. 

And all of that were mixed into that tea and wine.

Whoever drinks those tea and wine will be blessed with a sudden increase of internal energy and strength. 

Usually such medicine will shorten one longevity 

even though it blessed the one who eat it will increase his or her internal energy but sacrifice one own longevity and life force

But the Abbess had learned under the Medicine Fairy during her youth

The Medicine Fairy is the rival of Poison King during her youth and she learn secretly how to counteract the harmful nature of her pill and how best to distribute it. 

And that method is by food, letting the intestines to absorb it and spread evenly in the blood nerve travelling all the way absorbing at every veins of the body until it reaches to the center of energy. 

But, the most important is how to grind and mixes the herbs into food. It would take a long time.

Process of synthesizing after being eaten will take seven days. 

From her tender age of twenty-seven she has bene refining those mixes of teas and those wine drink and never drink it.

She had the desire to rises up as a contender for one of the Immortals when she drink that tea and wine. 

Because of how important it is to her, she did not dare leave the tea and wine in the sect. 

She fears it would be drunk by some naughty and mischievous disciple. 

Who would have thought that even by bringing those tea and wine into the Heaven Mountain it will still be stolen?

And by a disciple who had betrayed the school which makes the pain even more unbearable for the Abbess.

That is the reason she wanted Xiyun so badly. Who would have thought she is so easily defeated by Arial thus creating this predicament? 

And who could have predicted both Arial and Xiyun is drinking that wine and tea every day, draining decades of the Abbess hard work into the mouth of another, without ever fully knowing their power is being increased every time they sipped the tea and drink the wine.

'Let us meet him and discuss this thing. Tell him we mean him no harm, no bad intention and maybe he will listen.'

'Maybe, he would. Maybe he wouldn't. Who knows? People as strong as him, they do what they want when they wanted to.'

The rest of the Elder also nodded in agreement. This matter is not so simple. They all know how martial arts expert acted. 

Fang Huang once met a martial arts expert.

He met one martial arts expert that secluded himself deep in mountains or caves by a fortunate encounter during his younger days, roaming the martial art world

At that time, he was accompanied with his friends, with burning desire and dreams in his heart of becoming a respectable figure in the martial art world community.

He has the opportunity to meet Blind Monk Wen. He is eccentric. That is how Fang Huang describes him every time he told his story.

Do what he wants on the time he wants. He could as easily kill you as he saved you. There is no rhyme or reason with such martial arts expert. 

Even though the schools have many experts but to claim that they are martial arts expert only a few would dare to boast like that. 

Abbess Lin is a martial arts expert, so does the Abbot of Yilin which is still at the temple sending his reverend and the other elders. 

Only a few sects come with their sect leader. Martial arts expert is only just below the Four Immortals, if they have to rank them. 

Sect leader is a rank beneath martial arts expert. 

That is how they make such distinction. 

After all, it's not like they can measure their strength in objective numbers like that person have ten thousand power and that other person have twenty thousand power.

And making Arial, their enemy is not their intention.

'If he is only a lord we can still find a way to live but he is also martial arts expert of such caliber. If we offend him, it will not be easy.' Fang Huang said and Yilin Reverend grudgingly nodded.

They all know Arial is a noble lord, with vast region and a commands tens of thousands of soldiers under him. 

But if that is the only reason they are afraid they will not be here, whispering in a cold windy night.

It is because Arial is also a martial arts expert. 

'What if-' Xiao De said and then he shut his mouth. 

'What Xiao-er?'

'What if we try to approach him softly?'

'Softly?'

'How do we do that?' 

'He has a disciple right. A master heart is on his disciple' he said and the other nodded. 

'We befriend his disciple and then we throw a banquet and ask her to bring her teacher. That way he might be open to our reasoning.'

The other elders look at each other and they all nodded in agreement. 

'That doesn't sound like such a bad idea.' That night they agree on the plan and began their preparations.

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