Chapter 16 Six Petals Lotus Flower
Among Shadow Guards who were still present in the hall, there was one particular member who was restlessly watching the whole situation. That person was the leader of Shadow Guards called Wuying. Liu Xiaobei tried to name her under their surname Liu, but she preferred only Wuying.
She thought that Xuefeng likes cute and elegant women, so she hid the fact that she belonged to Shadow Guard. It was well known that they were natural born killers. What if he discards her after knowing she killed many people already?
She was having a mental battle with herself, while Xuefeng was receiving the last two Lightning. She wanted to help, but she didn't know how. If she could, she would even receive the lightning for him, but Heavenly Tribulation doesn't work like that.
Even if she tried to block the Lightning he would still be hit.
'I will help him afterwards if he is injured. I don't care about exposing myself anymore.' He decided determined.
Everyone held their breaths as two bloody red Thunderbolts descended on Xuefeng Body. This time, not only his soul was targeted but also his physical body. The moment he was hit, he felt like his organs were crushed. He spat out a mouthful of blood as he kneeled on the ground.
"Xuefeng!" Mu Lan and Wuying called out simultaneously and jumped on the stage to help him. Black clouds were finally retreating so they knew that Heavenly Tribulation is over.
Hearing familiar voices, he said "I'm fine" as he tried to stand up. His mother and a Black Shadow appeared on his side and helped him by throwing his arms around their shoulders.
Feeling with their Spirit Qi that his injuries weren't that serious, they sighed in relief.
Xuefeng smiled bitterly. He underestimated the Tribulation. He thought that he can make it out without any injuries, but you can't get benefits without sacrifices.
The rewards for enduring Heavenly Tribulation were enormous. The girls didn't notice yet because they were only concerned about his condition, but after absorbing some Lightning Essence, he broke through another wall in his dantian.
He also produced what he called a Lightning Qi in his dantian. He hasn't read anything about Lightning Qi in the books about cultivation. His reason he thought of was simple. Who would be crazy enough to absorb lightning while undergoing life and death Lightning Tribulation?
"Son, I'm proud of you. Take this healing pill and go rest, we will take later." Liu Xiaobei came to them and gave Xuefeng a round white pill.
"Thanks, dad." He took the pill and swallowed it. It instantly melted on his tongue and the cooling liquid went down his throat. The blood taste in his mouth disappeared which brought him a relief.
"Wuying, take him to his courtyard so he can rest, we will take care of the aftermath." Mu Lan said gently to the Shadow Guard who was helping.
"Wuying?" Xuefeng asked surprised as he looked at head covered in a black hood. Before he could see anything underneath, he vanished from the stage.
"Call someone to clean the mess on the stage. Tell everyone the ceremony will end now. We will continue with the second part tomorrow." Liu Xiaobei said to Elder Ming.
"Yes, Clan Leader." Elder Ming acknowledged the command and left.
The whole hall was a mess with dishes and debris from the ceiling lying everywhere. When the duo returned to the main table, various Clan Leaders offered congratulations. They knew that their daughters now had no chance with Xuefeng, so they didn't bring that up. They had to admit he now deserved better as a Black Talent.
"To think that your son forcefully increased his talent from a Red to Black. Do you maybe know how he did it?" Lu Clan Leader asked the question everyone wanted to know.
"I have actually no idea. If I knew, I wouldn't invite all of you here, and instead used that method on all my clan youngsters. Don't you think that makes much more sense?" Liu Xiaobei smiled.
Hearing his answer, they nodded with understanding. What he said made sense.
"Anyway, if you get a method from your son, Lu Clan will definitely buy it with a high sum." Lu Clan Leader proposed.
"We will buy it as well." Others said at the same time.
"En, if my son really knows a method like that, I will definitely share it with the world, but I don't think it exists." Liu Xiaobei agreed.
"Liu Xiaobei might be right." A female voice confirmed Xiaobei hypothesis. It was Manager Wu voice.
"I once heard a legend of a Six Petals Lotus Flower which can help a cultivator increase his talent by six stages. That's exactly what we saw here. It's an extremely rare herb that grows randomly around the world. There usually grow one in a hundred years. For most people, it's useless as it only works on people without any cultivation." She continued.
Although Clan Leaders had a hard time believing the story, they didn't have a choice.
"As the ceremony is over, I will take my leave. I will come tomorrow to propose a cooperation between Trade Union and Liu Clan. We would love to deepen our relationship." She said before walking out of the hall.
"Liu Clan sure is lucky today. First a purple talent then a black one, and now they can even collaborate with the biggest trading firm." One Clan leader commented.
The face of Emperor Shang was dark right now. He planned to use his daughter as a bait to fish in Liu Clan waters, but he doesn't think it will be possible now.
'Why my son isn't that lucky, damn… And now with Trade Union protection, they might even compete with Royal Family for various resources.' He thought irritated.
"We are also going then. Thank you for the hospitality." He decided to leave as soon as possible and report to the kingdom.
He stood up and Zhen Ping followed unhappily. He knew that he lost this small battle.
When they arrived by the exit, they felt something was wrong. They were only two of them.
'Where is Zhen Shan?' They both thought and turned around to see her still sitting by the table.
"Zhen Shan? We are going back." The Emperor called out. He thought that maybe she didn't hear.
"I'm not going." She said in a sweet modulated voice. It was the first thing she said since she stepped into the Liu Clan.
"Liu Clan Leader can I stay in your clan for some time? I won't be a burden." She asked Liu Xiaobei directly.
"No problem, we have enough rooms to spare." He answered calmly.
"Shan, you decided to stay for that nobody?!" Zhen Ping asked angrily.
"If he is a nobody, then who are you?" She said without even looking at him.
That angered him even more but before he said anything else, he was stopped by his father. He looked speechless as her daughter decision, but there is nothing he could do.
He thought for a moment and nodded.
"I hope you can take care of my daughter then." He said to Liu Xiaobei before dragging his son out.