"Dongbin is still a child, compared to Fox Princess Yan."The wife of the GuBaiJin sect leader spoke in a low voice that held plat.i.tude towards the head teacher of the sect.
It was no secret that the people from the fox clan outlived many immortals and other cultivators. Unless they chose to share their immortality with their significant other, which in itself was a rarity. Jin Caihe did not know what to make of the words spoken by the mistress of the GuBaiJin sect.
"Wasn"t he also a child compared to her?! Or was it because Young master Jin was their child, that was why they were being so hesistant to allow him to marry her?! Would it have been any different if he was born in the same position as head teacher?!"
The thought ran through the mind of Jin Caihe, not that he was trying to be disloyal, but he thought that Jin Dongbin was the best fit to become the husband to the granddaughter of the Fox King.
"Apart from Dongbin, is there anyone that would be a good match for Fox Princess Yan?"
Jin Ruimin was still keeping up the appearance of not having a selection in mind. His wife was beginning to fidget by his side, not able to keep the deception well hidden.
"Any of the highly skilled disciples could also be considered."
"What do you mean by this?"
Sect Leader Jin looked with interest, as though just discovering that the words of the head teacher was starting to make sense.
"Sect Leader Jin, Why don"t we hold a compet.i.tion to determine the disciple that would be sent to the fox clan?!"
A look of disappointment came over the face of Jin Ruimin, to him holding a compet.i.tion felt too far away and required much planning to achieve. He"d rather that the head teacher offer himself as the sacrificial lamb to the royal family of the fox clan. At this point, the sect leader knew that they were not getting anywhere.
"Head teacher Jin, what about you?!"
Jin Ruimin threw caution to the wind and decided to pose the question to the head teacher of the sect.
"I"m sorry, but I do not think that I am worthy to be considered as the husband to Princess Yan."
Jin Caihe lowered his head, as he refused the suggestion of the sect leader to be considered as the potential groom to the possible future ruler of the fox clan.
"Head teacher Jin, I and Lady Jin are not trying to force you into a union with the Fox king"s daughter, but this could make them our allies. Familial bond are not easily broken!"
The sect leader was almost about to become agitated by the lack of ambition in the head teacher. If their position were to be reversed, Jin Ruimin would not hesistate to marry into the fox clan, especially one that was of the Royal house of Yan!
The Yan family was known to possess tremendous amount of spirit energy and outlived even the immortals that spent years trying to achieve G.o.dhood. It was said that, anyone that was their other half would share the enormous powers and gifts that they possessed. Not everyone from the fox clan married that better half, some chose to marry someone that their soul didn"t resonate with, other may marry their destined one but not share their immortality with them. Each had their reasons for doing what they did, in the end it was the need for companions.h.i.+p and love that drew two unlikely souls together.
"I speak not to look down on the Fox King and his granddaughter, but because I am lacking in so many ways and would only stain their name with my shortcomings."
Jin Ruimin could not hold back anymore, as he lashed out at the other cultivator in anger, "If you say you are unworthy! Then the whole disciples of the GuBaiJin sect had better look for a place and end their miserable existence! Since they are less worthy in comparison to you!
"Ruimin! Please do not speak in that manner! Words have power!"
For a moment, the sect leader had to calm himself when he heard the distress in the voice of his wife. To him, he thought Jin Caihe was being hypocritical.
"Didn"t he know of how everyone at the sect sang his praise of being the most prominent cultivator next to him! Why is he acting so difficulty?!"
Jin Ruimin had to bite his tongue from saying the words that were buried in his heart. It was then that Jin Huiyan had to plead with the head teacher to reconsider the marriage prospect to the fox princess.
"Head teacher Jin, please rethink and give us your reply when you are ready. It is so sad that you ma not have much time."
That was when Jin Caihe raised his head to face the mistress of the GuBaiJin sect.
"Lady Jin, what do you mean that I may not have much time?!"
"Huiyan, it"s okay. You do not need to persuade him any more than this."
It was at this moment that Jin Ruimin was now playing the part of a loving husband to his wife.
"The young master of the ShenJiangs.h.i.+ sect, sent a letter detailing the possibility of a demon invasion. I was about to do a spirit travel when news came in from the fox clan that Princess Yan was seeking marriage to a disciple of the GuBaiJin sect."
"We are under attack by demons?!"
The sect leader had to temporarily put aside his anger to reveal to the head teacher the plight of the cultivation world.
"It hasn"t been confirmed yet, but it seems demons may be invading various sects."
Typical of the GuBaiJin sect leader to stretch the truth for his own benefit, since he already knew that the other sects had been wiped out by the Demon Lord and his armies.
"Sect leader Jin, spirit travelling is very dangerous!"
Jin Caihe forgot himself and spoke in a raised voice, so shaken by the thought of the merciless people from the demon realm killing cultivators from other sects.
"That is why I brought you here, both to safeguard my body and to become the husband of the fox princess."
Not wasting any time, the sect leader then revealed his thought to the head teacher, whose face was a kaleidoscope of emotions.
"It seems that I have no choice in the matter."
The mistakable tone of defeat came through the voice of Jin Caihe. His future was already coldly planned by the sect leader in pretense of knowing his thought regarding a marriage alliance with the fox clan.
"Head teacher Jin, don"t take it that way. Your sacrifice would not be forgotten by everyone at the GuBaiJin sect."
The mistress of the GuBaiJin sect had to look away with guilt, knowing that she also played a role in tying Jin Caihe to the fox princess. Her silence spoke volumes of where she stood regarding her husband"s decision.
The sect leader rose from where he sat, to take a seat on the floor in preparation for the "spirit travelling" in order to find out if the cultivation world was raided by those from the demon realm.
"Sect leader Jin, please allow me to use try another method."
The grave voice of Jin Caihe made the sect leader stop from doing what he had in mind.
"What is it that you want to try?!"
Jin Huiyan leaned forward, as though wanting to see firsthand what the head teacher had under his sleeves.
"It is a well guarded secret that I possess a rare beast."
There was hardly any inflection in the voice of Jin Caihe as he spoke to the sect leader and his wife. He knew that they were both using him for their gain, to bring the GuBaiJin sect greater prestige and dominating the cultivation world to the fullest. An alliance with the fox clan would made them unstoppable and other sects would not have mouth to contradict anything they did.
The look on both Jin Ruimin and Jin Huiyan was as though someone had slapped them in the face, what color they had left fled at the news that Jin Caihe dropped on their laps. It wasn"t that they didn"t know of the beast that was sealed inside his body, which was in actuality the symbol of their clan. The vengeful beast soul lived within the body of the head teacher, as a result of the curse placed on the GuBaiJin sect when their sect leader killed it during a nighthunt before he became the leader of the sect. The creature plagued the dreams of Jin Ruimin as a youth, warning that it would return one day into the body of a disciple of the sect and be reborn again and again. In arrogance, Jin Ruimin made the creature a symbol of the GuBaijin sect, which was to serve as a remainder of his valiant act.
Only a few knew the history behind the GuBaiJin sect"s winged creature and that it dwelt inside the one that was heavily wors.h.i.+pped by all the disciples.
While the creature lived inside the body of Jin Caihe, it was able to reveal some of its abilities to the head teacher.
It took a while for the sect leader and his wife to regain their composure, with trembling hands Jin Huiyan patted the sleeves of her robes, while Jin Ruimin had to clear his throat in nervousness.
"Why did you have to bring up such a distasteful thing!"
Rather than owning up, the sect leader chose to use anger and accusation to hide the guilt inside his heart.
"How was I to know that the beast would come back and haunt us?! There is no sect that hasn"t gotten any blood on their hands!"
Although he thought himself not to be at fault by making all sort of excuses, the sect leader could not quench the fire of wrongdoing that kept burning inside of him.
"How does the beast help us know what could be happening at other sects?! Moreover, you have never shown any interest in knowing about the creature whenever I and Lady Jin brought the matter up?!"
It was indeed true that Jin Caihe had chosen to shun anything that reminded him of the beast that lived inside of him, "Why wouldn"t he?! When the creature was slowly eaten away at his spirit energy and taking over his body!"
The head teacher went back to the time when he first discovered that he had a magicial beast sharing his body, he felt so betrayed and angry that he could not live as other disciples of the GuBaiJin sect. Everyday was spent in the library searching for how to get rid of the creature, everything he did, the beast would see through his eyes and laugh at him for going on such a time wasting effort.
Everyday was a fight to remain sane while going about his duties as a disciple of the GuBaiJin sect. Not wanting to depend on the good graces of the sect leader, Jin Caihe strove to get the beast out of him or die trying.
It didn"t take long for the head teacher to realize that his efforts were all for nothing, the beast was not going anywhere, instead its powers had began to affect him on a deeper level.
"You will die and I will be reborn into a new body!"
The harsh laughter of the beast tormented after he told Jin Caihe of the truth he didn"t want to face, sent chill down his spine.
"I"ll sent it to find out what we need."
Not the type to talk at length, the sect leader and his wife watched in astonishment as what appeared to be the embodiment of the slain beast slid from underneath the robes of the head teacher. Right in front of their eyes, the serpent shrouded by a ma.s.s of green spirit energy pa.s.sed through the floor and disappeared to fulfill it"s master"s order.