Second Patriarch: Rise Of The Liu Clan

After the all-out spar between Tian Ru and Liu Zhu, not much else of note took place during Liu Zhu's stay at the Yu Clan. The fatigue in his arms recovered by the next day, and he returned to cultivating and training 3 D.e.s.i.r.es to a point where he'd be able to continue fighting after using it. As he did so his foundation solidified, and he quickly began to close in on Late Flesh Tempering. The time he had left in the Yu Clan disappeared before he knew it, and soon it was time to give his farewells to everyone and return home.

"I'm sure you're aware, but this will be our last training session." Yu Qiang said this as he demonstrated a few movements with his guandao. "I wish you the best of luck in your future training, and I suppose I'll get a chance to check up on your progress when you return my jade slip in a few years." Yu Qiang put away his guandao as he said this. "Now then, recreate what I just did." Liu Zhu's and Yu Qiang's training session lasted far longer than usual that morning, and by the time it ended even Liu Zhu was beginning to tire.

After his last training session with Yu Qiang, Liu Zhu was dragged out of cultivation by Yu Bai and Tian Ru. He'd be departing the next morning, so in their words it was "criminal" for him to spend it locked up cultivating again. Despite Liu Zhu's occasional nutty dedication to training he shared their sentiments, so he agreed to stop training and to just go along with whatever they wanted for the day.

To Liu Zhu's surprise, the two roped him into a going away party with most of the Yu Clan's juniors. Most of the juniors weren't particularly well acquainted with him, but after watching him send Tian Ru and Yu Shi flying he'd gained some clout in the Yu Clan. As a result, almost everyone to give him some face and showed up when Yu Bai mentioned the occasion. Liu Zhu didn't expect to see so many people, but he could handle himself socially and smoothly slipped into everyone's conversations.

During the celebration quite a bit of alcohol was thrown around, and despite Liu Zhu preferring to remain sober he had a few glasses for politeness' sake. He wasn't going to be like his brother and get drunk every other day, but it'd offend the hosts not to drink anything. Unfortunately Liu Zhu underestimated the strength of the alcohol and still ended up a bit out of it despite his caution. This resulted in a few bad decisions, and Yu Shi and Yu Bai left his coin purse slightly lighter after an ill-advised poker game.

Still, Liu Zhu didn't do anything horribly stupid, although this wasn't true for everyone else. He watched from the sidelines for most of the day, quietly laughing at a few people's drunken antics and horrible, random outbursts of singing. He ended up finding a chance to leave in the early evening. All things said he appreciated the thought, although he would've planned something more subdued.

In the morning Liu Zhu gave his thanks and farewells to everyone before meeting up with Elder Chu at the gates. The two traveled down the mountain, chatting, as they began their journey home. The trip back wasn't eventful, although they did make a short stop at Fang Qi's manor once again. Upon hearing that Liu Zhu and Elder Chu would be visiting, Fang Wu immediately left the city, going on a "camping trip". The speed he left at was truly impressive given that he only had 10 minutes warning, but he managed to avoid speaking to Liu Zhu again, preserving his slowly recovering funds in the process.

After a few days of travelling, the two returned to the Liu Clan's estate early in the morning. Elder Chu had been here only a week before, but for Liu Zhu it'd been three months. He had enjoyed his visit to the Yu Clan and the chance to sharply improve his guandao technique, but there was something to be said about being home. Liu Zhu first returned to his room, unpacking his things and making sure that nothing had been disturbed while he was gone.

A few minutes after Liu Zhu entered into his room, he heard a knock on the door. He told the person to come in as he continued sorting through things. To his surprise the person who entered wasn't a servant, but Zhu Chao. Liu Zhu hurriedly stood up and bowed slightly as he greeted him. "Grand Elder Zhu Chao, I didn't expect you to visit me. What's the occasion?"

Zhu Chao stared at Liu Zhu for a moment, an awkward look on his face. This carried on for a few seconds before he sighed. "I came to visit you because some major news came up while you were gone. I'm not sure how best to tell you this, but... your brother is engaged." Liu Zhu's eyebrows raised, surprised, but he wasn't particularly concerned. His brother had courted plenty of women, so he supposed that it was only natural he'd get hitched at some point. "Really? Are you sure he didn't just gift someone a ring- he's done that a few times if I recall correctly..." Zhu Chao shook his head, not laughing at the remark. "It seems your brother has developed some skills after years of his... activities. Just not the ones you use in battle. That's the only reason I can think of for this."

Liu Zhu carried on the conversation, confused by Zhu Chao's attitude. "It's not that odd, is it? He's not a model person, but he gives out gifts and is easy enough to get along with." Zhu Chao shook his head. "No, it normally wouldn't be that odd. The main point of this is who he's engaged to. It's the young miss of the Ji family." Liu Zhu's brows furrowed as he heard this. "But there isn't a Ji family in Vermilion City." He paused as he tried to think of what family Zhu Chao could possibly be referring to, before a flabbergasted expression appeared on his face.

"...You couldn't possibly mean..." As Liu Zhu trailed off, Zhu Chao nodded. "Yes, the Ji family of Blue Mount City. I'm sure you're aware, but they're larger than the Liu Clan has ever been, and aren't far below the major families." Zhu Chao cleared his throat before continuing. "...and this leads to the most important point. I'm afraid if nothing changes, this means your brother will become the clan's second patriarch."