The next day, just an hour after dawn, an elegant young man wearing an exquisite half-mask and black robes boarded a carriage with a simple exterior but a luxurious interior.Yi Ting Zhe could be seen beside the carriage, riding on top of a powerful horse-type spirit beast called a Stallion Drake which had a body of a horse only bigger and covered with reptillian-like scales on it"s head, legs and majorit of his body, making it look as if it is wearing some form of armor.
Seeing the carriage curtain being pulled back, Yi Ting Zhe immediately focused his attention to it and saw the young master"s half-covered face peek out and look at him.
"Ting Zhe, this time if you still don"t find anything after a month come back, alright?"
"As you wish Young Master."
"Good... Then go ahead, you know where to find me." with that as his parting words, the young man let go of the curtains before issuing out an order to depart, leaving Yi Ting Zhe to stare after the carriage that was also being pulled by Stallion Drakes until it was lost from his view before turning his mount around and galloping off to the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, the young man man remained silent as he calmly sipped tea that was prepared for him with the carriage while leaning back against the silk cus.h.i.+ons with his eyes closed.
Before long, their carriage arrived in front of the city gates and with the driver showing the token of the Wu Family Head, they were let in without a hitch.
Unsure of where to go, the carriage driver took advantage of the crowded streets and the moment he had to stop, he leaned down and called out to ask the young man inside.
"Young Master, where do you want to go? Would you like to head back to the Wu residence first?"
"Go to the Wu residence first. I still need to let Uncle Zhang that I"ve arrived." the young man said as he lazily replied.
"Right away Young Master!"
After that, the carriage driver quickly flicked the reins of the Stallion Drakes that were pulling the carriage and which made the spirit beasts let out a little roar which made the nearby pedestrians take a couple of steps back which made it easier for the carriage to move forward as the Stallion Drakes thundered forward, easily pulling the carriage behind it.
Soon, the carriage made it"s way out of the capital city"s main streets and in to less crowded streets which still had a few business establishments but were not as noisy and populated as the ones in the main streets.
The noise coming outside the carriage slowly lessened and only a few sounds were heard; a few people talking, the sounds of things being moved around and the clattering of hooves as other carriages were pulled past them.
After a short while, the carriage"s speed could be felt slowing down which prompted the young man to open his eyes and gently put down the empty cup of tea he had in his hand before pulling back the carriage curtains slightly and peeking out.
What he saw were two large elegants gates situated on either side of the road, perpendicular to each other.
The gate that they stopped at was the first one which was on the left, while the other one was just several tens of meters away from them and was shut tightly with two guards standing on either side, just outside the gate.
This made the young man eye the gate with curiosity before his attention was drawn by the sound of the gate where the carriage stopped be pulle open which enabled the driver to maneuver their carriage inside.
Letting go of the curtains, the young man let it fall back to it"s original place and waited for the carriage to come to a full stop.
Outside of the carriage, inside the main manor of the residence, a tall distinguished looking man wearing white robes was seen rus.h.i.+ng towards the main entrance.
As soon as he saw the incoming carriage, a grin appeared on the man"s mature and handsome face making him look all the more eye-catching.
The moment the carriage came to a stop, the driver immediately jumped down from his seat and told the pa.s.senger inside that they have arrived and upon hearing the young man"s response from inside, he then opened the carriage door while simultaneously placing a rectangular stool on the ground to serve as a stepping aid to get down from the carriage.
Amidst the watching gaze of the residence servants as well as the lord of the residence himself; Wu Zhang He, the white-robed man, a young man wearing black robes and an intricately detailed half-mask that covered half of his face which still couldn"t hide the obvious beauty of his handsome countenance disembark from the carriage gracefully before walking and making his way to Wu Zhang He with a small wry smile on his lips.
"Uncle Zhang..." the young man cordially greeted Wu Zhang He while nodding in respect and acknowledgement to his direction.
The numerous servants were surprised at his words and his actions since to them, this unknown young man had not even bowed properly towards their lord which made it seem like he didn"t show proper respect.
They thought that their master would get angry but to their immense surprise, instead of anger, Wu Zhang He suddenly laughed and pulled the young man into a hug before pus.h.i.+ng youth back while keeping his hands on the young man"s shoulders as he studied him while smiling.
"You look great my boy! How have you been Jun Qiao?" Wu Zhang He questioned after he finished examining the young man in front of him.
Grinning, the young man named Jun Qiao replied, "I have been doing very well thanks to uncle"s help."
"Ah no need for thanks between family! Remember, I have already taken you in as my son!" Wu Zhang He responded with a meaningful gaze which Jun Qiao acknowledged with an inperceptible nod while the servants went into shock.
This young man was the supposed youth that was adopted by their lord?!
Then wouldn"t that mean that he"s the future heir of the Wu family unless their lord marries and gets a child of his own?
The servants were knocked out of their shocked reverie when they heard the young man laugh before sheepishly saying, "Of course! I am sorry, I"m still a bit unused to everything."
"That"s completely fine, completely fine... There"s no problem and besides you"ll eventually get used to it with time." Wu Zhang He replied before patting Jun Qiao twice on his shoulder and stepping back before turning to the servants who had their heads lowered to show them respect.
Scanning them, Wu Zhang He"s eyes landed on an old lady with white hair tied into a single bun on top of her head.
With a smile, Wu Zhang He called out, "Granny Fang, can you have someone prepare Jun Qiao"s quarters so that he may take a rest later?"
"Of course Master. If you"ll excuse me... Master. Young Master." excusing herself, the old lady bowed to them both and smiled at them before calling out to the servants and leaving orders to prepare tea for their masters before leaving and bring a couple of the servants with her.
After she left, Wu Zhang He glanced at the young man besides him and gave him a grin the moment their eyes met.
"Come along Jun Qiao, let me show you around..."