With such looks, no way she wasn’t a big hit in the entertainment industry. Song Guanjing stared at the girl standing in front of her for a while before her senses finally returned. Judging from how cautious Xiang Kun was acting, this girl must be no simpleton. In fact, she was probably the sort of person who looked down on people working in the entertainment field.
“Mr. Xiang.” Gu Xiqiao nodded her head slightly at the agent.
Her voice sounded clear but gentle. In any other context, it should have been comforting to hear her speak.
And yet, hearing Gu Xiqiao call out to him made Xiang Kun tremble with fear. There was still the bracelet on his wrist that was made out of black obsidian beads. It has been a few days since he last experienced nightmares. His sleep schedule no longer disturbed, he slept like a baby last night and the food he ate tasted better than ever. The better he felt, the more he found Gu Xiqiao to be an extraordinary person.
Thus, he had decided to pass this bracelet down to his children as a family treasure.
“You can stop referring to me as Mr. Xiang. I am slightly older than you after all. Just call me Brother Xiang. Likewise, you can call me that too, Xiao Yun.” Was being called ‘brother’ any better than before? Anyhow, it didn’t matter to Gu Xiqiao.
“Brother Xiang,” repeated Gu Xiqiao.
Xiang Kun was elated upon hearing her call him ‘Brother Xiang’. Song Guanjing was shocked to see that look on his face during that moment.
Everyone in the industry knew that Xiang Kun was a gold-tier agent who has only had A-list celebrities working under him. However, his contracts with these celebrities would never last longer than two years. With his wide connections and a near endless pool of resources, two years’ time was more than enough for him to turn a rookie actress into an A-list celebrity.
This was her first time seeing him suck up to another person. Of course, Song Guanjing was at a loss for words. She shifted her gaze over to the young woman and when their eyes met, she flashed her a warm, gentle smile. “Nice to meet you two, I’m Song Guanjing.”
Xiao Yun shot up from her seat instantly. “Nice to meet you too, Sister Song. My name’s Xiao Yun.”
“Xiao Yun?” Song Guanjing scanned her from head to toe. She was no doubt, a looker and what caught her eye was the cold, distant vibe Xiao Yun gave off. “You should be the rookie Brother Xiang’s working with. I guess we’re colleagues then. You can refer to me as your ‘senior’ from now on.”
Li Yu, who had just finished acting in a scene too, walked over. Back then, he worked alongside Song Guanjing under Xiang Kun. Hence, they were already well-acquainted with each other. “Guanjing, the director needs you to head over to the dressing room and put some makeup on.”
Song Guanjing sighed. “I’ve just come back and he’s already making a slave out of me. I guess little has changed about Director Cheng.”
“You should hurry up too. Else there’ll be no end when Director Cheng starts babbling away.” Remembering how Cheng Zhou was murmuring to himself just now, Li Yu jabbed at his old friend.
“Seems like he’s in a pretty foul mood today, doesn’t he?” Song Guanjing smacked her forehead. This was one of Cheng Zhou’s issues. Whenever he gets pissed off, it would turn into an ordeal for the people working under him. “Which one of you did that to him?”
Li Yu looked over in Gu Xiqiao’s direction. “No one, he’s just a little frustrated, I think.”
Frustrated? Song Guanjing seemed skeptical about it but she headed for the dressing room nonetheless. No way in hell was she going to risk getting a lecture by Cheng Zhou.
“Please let me practice my lines with you. The next scene’s going to be me and Senior Song and I’m a little scared that I might not handle the pressure,” pleaded Xiao Yun as soon as she saw Song Guanjing leave.
Gu Xiqiao replied, “… You didn’t seem afraid when you first acted with Li Yu, so why are you afraid now?”
There should technically be zero difference between a film king and a film queen, right?
“You don’t know this but.” Xiao Yun sighed a long sigh. “Senior Song is different from Li Yu. The latter’s a really gentle person. We both can control our auras so they are in perfect harmony no matter what scene we are acting in. Senior Song’s not the same. For some reason, I feel tremendous pressure when standing in front of her.”
Song Guanjing was a one-of-a-kind type of beauty. She was an elegant woman, the type of elegance that would make your knees weak from sheer intimidation. She must’ve probably been born to emit such a strong aura.
“Go ahead then. I’ll be standing right here.” Gu Xiqiao remained seated as she looked back at Xiao Yun with a deadpan expression.
Xiao Yun pushed the script toward her.
Gu Xiqiao pushed it back. “I don’t need it.”
“No, I need you to check if I’ve messed up the words.” Xiao Yun pushed the script in her direction the second time.
“I’ve got it all in my head.” Gu Xiqiao then made an expression that said ‘if you don’t hurry up and practice, we’ll run out of time soon.’
Understanding what Gu Xiqiao was implying, Xiao Yun immediately raised her head. “So you’re telling me that from flipping through my script, you’ve already memorised every single detail in the script?”
“I’ve always thought that these were extremely easy to remember.” Gu Xiqiao was serious when she said this. This script contained even less content than the pile of documents she had on her desk at Nine Heavens.
Xiao Yun, who had been desperately memorizing her lines thought to herself, ‘If you continue acting like that, I’m afraid our friendship will be no more in the future.’
Li Yu, who was observing their exchange was surprised. “…”
‘Is she for real?’
Xiang Kun, who was still nearby froze in his tracks. Silently, he wept in his heart. ‘Look at this person, she’s great at acting, has an incredible memory and is unrivaled in terms of looks. Why the hell did she choose the path of becoming a doctor?!’
“Why do you look as if your wife had just passed away?” asked Tang Qingqiu curiously.
Xiang Kun gave him a glare. “Bah, the only dead person here is your wife!”
“Care to repeat that again?” Tang Qingqiu loosened his wrists. His expression was serious and intimidating; he was totally not joking about it.
Xiang Kun was quite obviously shocked. ‘I was just joking, why you gotta be so serious?’ The witty Xiang Kun decided to switch topics to save his butt. Nosily, he asked, “Qingqiu, I heard that you came here to meet Song Guanjing in person?”
“From whom?” asked Tang Qingqiu with a raised brow. No way in hell was he here to meet Song Guanjing. In fact, who was Song Guanjing to him? ╮(╯▽╰)╭
“The media of course.” Xiang Kun whipped out his phone and showed today’s headlines on the media section of the news.
‘Film Star, Song Guanjing Returns To Motherland. A Mysterious Man, Suspected To Be The President Of Tang Enterprise Gives Studio A Visit!’
Tang Qingqiu thought to himself, ‘Those darned paparazzi can never run out of nonsense to talk about can they?’
Realizing that nothing good would come out of him staying there, Tang Qingqiu thought it was time for him to leave the place. The film crew, who had been working like zombies, were finally resurrected as soon as the president left.
And yet, their mood once again, received a heavy blow as Gu Xiqiao too, left the scene shortly after.
The makeup artist and her assistant were reluctant to see Gu Xiqiao leave. “Goddess! You must remember to keep visiting us, okay? We’ll be right here waiting for you!”
Even Xixi had been given N amount of kisses before they left.
It was already quite a while after Gu Xiqiao left when Song Guanjing was done with her photoshoot. She was a bit regretful to not see her one final time before she left. Suddenly, she remembered something.
“Brother Xiang, who was that young lady from before?”
‘Why did you appear as if you were afraid of her?’ was what she wanted to ask him but she did not have to courage to ask such an outrageous question.
“She is, as I have said, the one who was born to become an actress.” No, as soon as he was reminded of this fact, his heart would start throbbing in pain. Xiang Kun was carrying a great deal of sadness on his shoulders. It seems like Cheng Zhou was the only one who understood his own pain.
Song Guanjing already knew about the girl who Xiang Kun told her was an insanely talented young girl. She also knew about Xiang Kun’s hobby, which was to turn rookie actors and actresses with potential, like her, into a movie star.
And yet, it was also rare to see Xiang Kun being so attached to a rookie. There were countless others waiting to work under him; to think that there was someone in this world that willingly turned down an opportunity to work under him.
She thought back to that girl’s face. Song Guanjing was sure that based on her looks alone, it would only take a few minutes before she became a nation-wide sensation.
But, even if she was a rookie, even if she refused to work under him, there was no reason for Xiang Kun to be afraid of her, right?
Song Guanjing eyed Xiang Kun, who went silent after that. Fine, she’d go with the assumption that the young lady had a pretty high social status. After all, people like that were not uncommon in the Imperial Capital. Song Guanjing didn’t want to dwell too long on this either. However, she was definitely curious about how great that girl’s acting skill was to make Xiang Kun insist that she work under him.
***
Around the same time, at the legacy base of the Tang family, back in the ancient martial arts world.
A group of men formed into a massive circle, with a handsome young man in the epicenter of said circle.
“There is no other choice. We have already informed the Jiang family and subsequently, we have already received their reply. Someone will be coming by in a moment,” said an old man with a long flowing white beard, dressed in a traditional Tang dynasty attire. “Yanling, I have wronged you. I really never expected that your son would be unsuitable for our Tang family’s practices.”
Tang Yanling peered at Yin Shaoyuan, who, despite being unconscious, still had a healthy complexion. No one knew the specific reason for Yin Shaoyuan’s coma and those who were close to Tang Yanling had started panicking. And yet, the victim’s mother was as calm as a still body of water.
“Hmph! Nothing but false pretense!” yelled the young man who was standing nearby.
“Silence!” bellowed an elder man. “She is the daughter of our family’s patriarch!”
The young man gritted his teeth and responded aggressively. “Am I wrong?! She is someone who had been expelled from our family a long time ago. Twenty long years have passed and now she’s back to snatch our resources?! What right does she have to do so? All because she’s the daughter of the leader?! Her son’s condition is precisely because he’s the mixed-breed between our family and an outsider! He’s unconscious because the legacy base is rejecting him! The Jiang family? I find it weird that the Jiang family’s even sending someone over!”
Tang Yanling had finally come back after so many years, only to occupy space in the legacy base; naturally, there would be dissenting voices against her actions.
While his voice wasn’t particularly loud, everyone present on the scene could hear every word clearly. The answers they had in their heart was also equally clear.
Their leader’s decision, they felt, was gravely wrong. They might have treated Tang Yanling with respect but they still felt like they had gotten the short end of the stick. In any other case, marriage with an outsider was frowned upon, with the person being cast out from their family like a piece of rotten wood.
When news broke out that Tang Yanling was marrying an outsider, there were quite a few that laughed at her in the dark. Now that she has returned, her son’s current state was said by many to be a result of divine retribution.
As such, they treated the situation as if it was nothing major.
“Could you repeat that?” A hand came out of nowhere and gripped tightly on the young man’s neck. Craning his neck backward, he saw Tang Qinghong’s face, accompanied by his ice-cold voice.
Tang Qinghong was the most accomplished young man the Tang family had ever produced in recent years. The same held true for the rest of the ancient martial arts world. No one ever doubted that he would be the next leader of the Tang family.
“No, please, I won’t say it again Young Master Tang, I swear!” The young man started pleading for his life in an instant. Even if Tang Qinghong was to strangle that man to death, no one else would dare make a sound in protest.
Like a piece of garbage, he threw the man aside. Slowly, Tang Qinghong walked over. “Aunt.” He started speaking in a respectful tone to Tang Yanling.
Tang Qinghong’s attitude towards her was also partly the reason why these men would treat Tang Yanling with respect on the surface. Still, the feelings they harbored toward her couldn’t be any different under the surface. They knew that strength was how one ruled the ancient martial arts world; Tang Yanling’s family was weak, so no way they were going to bow down at them willingly.
Not to mention the fact that she was using up a large part of their resources every day she continued to stay here.
There were already some who were starting to plot against Tang Yanling. However, it seemed like there was some great treasure she was holding that shielded her against their chi, rendering their tricks utterly useless.
They figured that it must’ve been a protective talisman given to her by the leader.
How biased could that man be?! This led to a growing sense of discontent among the men gathered there. The Tang family had only a handful of prized treasures and to give them both a piece of the loot only made them even more envious of Tang Yanling and her son.
Tang Yanling smiled at Tang Qinghong. No matter how much pressure she was going through, she would never show it on her face. She’d always remind herself that this was the Tang family. Although she wished to bring Yin Shaoyuan out of this place as soon as possible, these people were still his relatives; this was still Yin Shaoyuan’s safe harbor.
She was also well-aware of what the rest were thinking. However, she had no other choice. Luckily, there was Tang Qinghong here to support her. Though, she was unsure why Tang Qinghong was treating her so nicely and why the Tang family as a whole was so accommodating toward her. During such desperate times, she no longer cared so much about this.
“J-Jiang… someone from the Jiang family has arrived!” Suddenly, a man came stumbling in with an excited look on his face.
Has someone from the Jiang family truly come? The juniors of the Tang family also began discussing quietly upon hearing this. They did not expect things to turn out this way. It also raises a question–who from the Jiang family did they decide to send this time?
As if he could read their minds, the man announced solemnly: “He is the Keeper of The Seven Frost Swords!”
The scene went dead silent in an instant.
That video that floated around The Forum started playing in their minds as soon as they heard that name. The man who destroyed an entire realm with just a sword in hand. The strongest man in the ancient martial arts world, the one who no one in the world could match up to.
“Why is he here?”
“Is something wrong with my hearing?”
“I feel my blood flowing backward now…”
Before they could finish speaking, a figure appeared in the distance, slowly walking toward their direction. He was not wearing the majestic clothes most of the people here in the ancient martial arts world was wearing. Instead, he wore only a casual white shirt and a pair of trousers. His figure was tall and slender, his gaze, cold and distant. As he walked, the moisture contained in the air around him froze into frost crystals.
They went silent as he slowly approached them.
A pair of eyes scanned the horizon. Although he had kept his sword sheathed the entire time, these men were so intimidated that they kept their heads down, not daring to look directly at the man.
“Young Master Jiang,” said the white-bearded elder respectfully who rose from his seat to greet Jiang Shuxuan personally.
Apart from Jiang Shuxuan, the Jiang family was similar to the Tang family in almost every regard. His powers alone had greatly exceeded that of most of his peers, as well as a couple of other elders. The Seven Frost Swords was a treasure that was handed down by the Jiang family for over a millennium. He was the only one who successfully mastered the family art.
Jiang Shuxuan nodded in response before turning toward Tang Yanling. His expression warmed up instantly as he greeted her, “Aunt.”
“Shuxuan, quick, take a look at him. What’s happening with Shaoyuan?” Finally, someone whom she could rely on had appeared. Tang Yanling felt like if this went on any longer, she’d be having a mental breakdown.
The rest, including Tang Qinghong, were dumbfounded at what they heard. What did Tang Yanling call Jiang Shuxuan just now?
She called him by his name? Even the elders had to refer to him using the honorific of ‘Young Master’. Why on earth was Tang Yanling entitled to refer to him by name?
“Don’t panic. You sit down here, I’ll try my best to see what’s wrong with Shaoyuan.” Jiang Shuxuan’s finger twitched and out came a wooden recliner. If Gu Xiqiao was here, she’d instantly recognize it to be his favorite chair to do his reading on.
Tang Yanling calmed herself down as she climbed onto Jiang Shuxuan’s chair, observing him as he worked.
On the surface, Yin Shaoyuan seemed to be in a relatively normal condition. Using his mental strength, Jiang Shuxuan checked on his current physical condition before a stunned look appeared on his face. “The restriction in his body has already disappeared. To jump so suddenly into the Bone Refinement realm, did any of you feed him anything unusual? He’s currently digesting a ball of energy.”
The elder was shocked upon hearing Jiang Shuxuan’s words. “You’re saying that he’s already reached the Bone Refinement realm?”
How was this possible?! The men were caught by disbelief. How did he manage to attain Bone Refinement from being in a comatose state? Some people dedicated their entire lives to obtain this ability and would always end up in failure!
“I remember now! Qinghong fed him a pill before!” said the elder as he peered at Tang Qinghong. His eyes were fiery with rage. If it truly was the work of this pill, then it should be used on the elders… upon realizing this, the elder changed the look on his face as he smiled at Tang Qinghong.
The rest too, looked at Tang Qinghong with glowing eyes.
Tang Qinghong retrieved a bag of pills from his pocket. “You talking about this?”
The elder looked over to see Jiang Shuxuan nodding his head slowly.
This was a game-changer! As expected!
Excitement swelled up among the men in an instant. If a piece of trash was able to reach the Bone Refinement realm through the use of this pill, it was hard to say to what heights they would reach.
Tang Qinghong never thought the pills would possess so much power. He remembered how calm Gu Xiqiao was when she handed over to him this bag of pills. Perhaps that was why he thought nothing of them before this happened.
She must be pretty close to Yin Shaoyuan to give him such a huge bag of precious items, no?
Sensing the wild thoughts of the men around him, Tang Qinghong chuckled at Tang Yanling. “Aunt, this is what Miss Gu handed over to me. She wanted me to hand it to Shaoyuan 49 of these pills. Since he’d already eaten one of them, there are still 48 of them left in this bag.”