This scene also fell into Tian Denghu's eyes. The intimate attitude of the youth with Feng Tao made Tian Denghu's eyes turn a little red. Although it was only a thousand zhang away, with the Feng family's ancestor and Martial Uncle Fang leading the group, he knew what was appropriate and didn't dare to release his Divine Sense to eavesdrop on what Feng Tao and the others were saying.
Li Yan was walking right beside Tian Denghu. Seeing this, he found it amusing. However, as the low-voiced conversation from afar reached his ears, he too was taken aback. Because he heard Feng Tao call that rather handsome youth "Father."
A cultivator's age, of course, cannot be judged by their appearance. But in Li Yan's mind, Feng Tao's father should look to be around thirty years old; that would be reasonable. But now, they clearly looked like a pair of siblings or lovers. Li Yan, of course, wouldn't remind Tian Denghu. It was fine just to watch.
Just as Li Yan was idly looking around like this, he didn't expect a voice to suddenly ring in his mind.
"Junior Brother Zhang, you completed this mission quite easily. At that time, could you also have charged Junior Sister Feng a little less for the spirit stones?"
Hearing this voice, Li Yan knew it was that aloof Tang Tian without even turning his head. Ever since the battle with the ghost creatures ended, this guy had been staring at him intermittently. It turned out he thought he had demanded a lot of spirit stones from his junior sister.
Li Yan didn't pay him any mind, as if he hadn't heard, and continued walking towards the castle with the people in front.
"Damn it, how dare he be so disrespectful!"
Seeing Zhang Ming ignore him, Tang Tian couldn't help but feel annoyed. He had given him enough face. Just now, seeing him walking at the back of the crowd, he had deliberately slowed down to fall back, wanting to have a private word with this Junior Brother Zhang. Since he hadn't put in much effort just now, getting some spirit stones would be a big gain. How many spirit stones could he get in a month?
"Junior Brother Zhang, this is not good of you. When a senior brother speaks to you, you should still be polite. A large sect is not comparable to a small sect. With many senior and junior brothers, one must also be considerate in their conduct."
A cold glint flashed in Tang Tian's eyes as he continued to send a voice transmission. This time, although Zhang Ming still didn't turn his head, he finally replied with a voice transmission, but it was just a single sentence.
"Could Junior Sister Feng have known this would be the result before we came? For the agreed-upon conditions, I only take what I deserve."
Then, there was silence again.
Tang Tian was stunned at first, then his face slowly darkened. This person was not giving him any face. He had wanted to give his junior sister a surprise, but the other party was clearly unwilling to let him achieve his wish. Moreover, this Zhang Ming didn't even address him respectfully as "Senior Brother."
'I didn't realize. You've been so low-key all along, but you're so arrogant on the inside. It seems your former sect treated you like some kind of prodigy, and you really think it's the same everywhere? I was already very polite to you just now...'
Just as Tang Tian was thinking about whether to find an opportunity later to let this Zhang Ming know his own strength, Tian Denghu in front suddenly rushed out of the crowd. At the same time, he called out anxiously, "Junior Sister Feng, are you alright!"
At a distance of a thousand zhang, Li Yan's group quickly arrived in front of the castle. Seeing the group coming over, the handsome youth stopped talking to Feng Tao. He hurriedly bowed respectfully to Fang Guangjun in the middle with a smile. Beside him, Wu Yizhen and Feng Tao, who had come over first, also bowed at the same time.
Tian Denghu was a youth, after all. His anxiety was plain to see. Not knowing who the handsome youth was, the moment he got close, he hurriedly rushed towards Feng Tao. The concern on his face was extremely thick, and his gaze towards the handsome youth carried a trace of hostility. The youth's immaturity was on full display.
"Denghu, what are you doing? How can you be so rude? What kind of behavior is this? You all, come and pay your respects to the Feng family's elder."
Fang Guangjun frowned upon seeing this. He was here representing Falling Star Valley. How could this disciple be so rude, shouting randomly here? And that Tang Tian and Zhang Ming were also walking at the very back, with many Feng family disciples in between, making it seem as if they were being deliberately snubbed.
Being scolded by Fang Guangjun, Tian Denghu immediately stood still, stammering. He was, of course, terrified of a Foundation Establishment cultivator's displeasure.
At this time, Tang Tian could no longer continue to entangle with this Zhang Ming. He hurriedly left a sentence and walked forward.
"I hope you will consider my words carefully, Junior Brother. This is something that will be extremely beneficial to you in the future. The Feng family is not a large family, and the reward they can offer is limited. If you can take this opportunity to befriend Junior Sister Feng, this is also your fortune. You all entered the sect together, so you should know better than others what kind of spirit root aptitude Junior Sister Feng has."
Li Yan blinked his eyes but still didn't reply, and then followed.
After the Feng family's ancestor personally led Fang Guangjun into the castle first, the handsome youth exchanged a few pleasantries with Tang Tian and the others and then led them inside as well.
By this time, Tian Denghu had also figured out the handsome youth's identity. While relieved, his face was also flushed red. But his attitude towards the handsome youth thereafter was one of extreme respect.
Feng Tao's father was named Feng Zaiyu. His name suited him; he was gentle and elegant. Although he was a high-level Qi Condensation cultivator, his cultivation was the same as Tang Tian's, at the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation. In the cultivation world, they should be considered peers. But with Feng Tao present, it was inconvenient for Tang Tian and the others to address him as "Brother Feng," but they also wouldn't call him "Senior." They just added a few more "you's" (the respectful form) in their polite conversation, which was already giving Feng Tao enough face.
Wu Yizhen had been taking care of her little junior sister, Feng Tao, all along and had fulfilled her duty as a senior sister. She had seen Tang Tian fight three ghost creatures just now. Now, knowing he was fine, she still came over with a worried look on her face and spoke a few words to Tang Tian in a low voice. Only then did she show a relaxed expression.
When Feng Tao introduced Li Yan to Feng Zaiyu, she also had a look of emotion on her face. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation where she had to make her own decisions. At that time, she wished she could have brought the two Golden Core martial grand-ancestors from Falling Star Valley. Now that her family's crisis was resolved, she was also greatly relieved.
This time, Eldest Senior Brother Tang Tian had fought against three ghost creatures alone without falling behind. In the subsequent chaos, he even seized the opportunity to kill one of them. His strength was truly astonishing. She and Senior Sister Yizhen had also worked together to kill a ninth-layer Qi Condensation ghost creature and heavily injured and captured a seventh-layer one, which was also not easy.
It was just that Zhang Ming and Tian Denghu both had a hard time dealing with one low-level ghost creature each, looking like they were struggling and their strength was really unsatisfactory. If not for the help of others, it was hard to say whether the two would have perished.
Tian Denghu was fine, after all, he had taken the initiative to come and help without any reward. But thinking that this Zhang Ming had not helped at all, and was not as formidable as her master had said, Feng Tao felt that she had been desperate and had sought help from the wrong person. She still had to honor her promise about the "Shattered Star Chamber" in the future. Thinking about it made her even more depressed. Although she should be able to do this in the future, it would require pleading with her master. Favors were things that you used up, no matter how close you were, even as master and disciple.
Although Feng Tao thought this way in her heart, and even thought about whether she needed to find Zhang Ming to renegotiate the terms, she felt that she was not going back on her word, it was just that the help Zhang Ming had given was too far from the reward she was paying. But now was not the time to talk about this. She still led the group into the castle with a smile on her face.
In the main hall of the Feng family, everyone took their seats. After the Feng family's servants served tea, they retreated, leaving only about thirty people. Apart from Li Yan and the others, the rest were mostly elite members of the Feng family. Some others had gone with another Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Feng family to clean up the battlefield.
Above, the Feng family's ancestor was talking to Fang Guangjun in a low voice. He didn't seem to have any intention of asking the people below to leave, letting them chat in low voices, as if waiting for something. Under these circumstances, the Feng family disciples were basically looking at Tang Tian and the others curiously, occasionally whispering a few words to the person next to them.
Tang Tian was also talking to Feng Zaiyu. After all, their cultivation levels were comparable, so it was most appropriate for them to communicate. The two seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. Of course, this was all thanks to Feng Zaiyu. With Tang Tian's somewhat cold and proud personality, it was difficult for him to take the initiative to talk much with others.
Li Yan didn't care about what the others were doing. He picked up a cup of tea and held it in his palm, his head down and silent, occasionally taking a sip, as if lost in thought.
Time passed bit by bit. After about half a cup of tea's time, a figure flashed outside the main hall door. Then, in the middle of the hall, a thin, tall middle-aged man appeared there. He looked up, and a stiff smile appeared on his somewhat greenish face. He cupped his hands towards Fang Guangjun above and then strode over. This person seemed to have not smiled for many years, and his smile appeared very forced. But his movement skill was as fast as lightning. None of the disciples in the hall noticed him.
Only when he revealed his figure and then walked forward was he noticed by the others. Those Feng family disciples hurriedly bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Third Grand-uncle!"
Zhang Ming, who had been silent with his head down, also looked up at this time, his eyes revealing a look of uncertainty and astonishment, as if he was startled by the other party's unpredictable movement skill.
All of his expressions were caught by Tang Tian in the distance.
'Hmph, a frog in a well. It seems you've never seen a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator before. With such short-sightedness, without being taught a lesson, how would you know the cruelty of the cultivation world? What our Human Clan needs on the Forsaken Continent is a succession of elites, so that the Demon Clan will be polite. We don't need arrogant people like you...'
The thin, tall middle-aged man ignored the others and walked straight to the top, sitting down next to the Feng family's ancestor. With the arrival of the thin, tall middle-aged man, the gazes of the others in the hall involuntarily focused on the three people at the top. They stopped talking, and the hall quickly quieted down.
Soon, the three people at the top sat up straight again. The Feng family's ancestor then truly spoke for the first time. The Feng family's ancestor was also a middle-aged cultivator, very similar in appearance to Feng Zaiyu. Amidst his cold and handsome features, there was an abnormal paleness, as if he hadn't seen the sun for many years, giving people the feeling of a gentle and feminine scholar.
His voice sounded weak, but it was clearly audible in the large hall, reaching every corner.
"The abnormal appearance of the ghost creatures in the back mountain this time is indeed a rare event in a thousand years. And there was the grand formation of the Yin Tomb separating them, so our defenses were lax, causing casualties among the family's disciples. This is indeed the family's mistake. As for the deceased disciples, Zaiyu will arrange for their affairs later. For each family that lost a person, they will be paid an extra five spirit stones per month for the next ten years..."
As soon as he said this, the disciples below couldn't help but stir. Feng Zaiyu also had a look of astonishment, but he didn't speak. As the main branch of the Feng family and the one in charge, he knew exactly how much income the Feng family had in a year. The decision made by the ancestor and third ancestor this time was greatly beyond his expectations.