Second Patriarch: Rise Of The Liu Clan

Liu Zhu sighed as he exited the third bar he'd been to that day. Before he left he wanted to speak to his older brother's friends and make sure he didn't go wild while he was gone, but they didn't seem particularly interested in helping him. Well, at least no one could say he hadn't tried. He exited the downtown portion of the city, heading towards the center. While he was there he visited the Dozen Treasures Pavilion again and made sure that the manager remembered he was still on probation. After that he made his last stop at the Dai family's manor to pick up the list of plants.

Dai He and Liu Zhu cut to the chase, ignoring small talk as Dai He went over the list of medicinal plants to purchase. Liu Zhu was impressed with how much consideration he'd put into it given that he'd only had a couple of days. After hearing that he would be leaving for a few months Dai He even managed to write up a second set that Liu Zhu could purchase somewhere else and sell off in Vermilion City without looking terribly suspicious.

Once his business with Dai He was taken care of, Liu Zhu had finished everything he needed to do before he left. The next couple of days passed in a blur as Liu Zhu cultivated and patiently waited for Zhu Chao to tell him that everything had been confirmed. The proposition had been sudden, but now that it was almost set in stone Liu Zhu was excited to improve his guandao technique. There wasn't anything wrong with hand to hand combat, but Liu Zhu had been looking forward to being able to wield a weapon for a long time, as even before his father's generation and the founding of the Liu Clan, receiving a weapon was part of becoming a man.

It didn't take long for the letter to reach the Yu family where Liu Zhu would be training, and things began rolling once it did. Liu Zhu was told he could set off in the morning after one of the elders was notified and the servants gathered up the relevant supplies. As Liu Zhu was preparing the first son of the Yu family, Yu Bai, was also preparing to set off for the Liu Clan. The preparations on both ends went smoothly, and at the crack of dawn Liu Zhu woke up and readied his personal items.

Liu Zhu stepped out into the dark, fog-covered yard of the Liu Estate. Birds occasionally chirped, but besides that it was almost dead silent. He stood still, trying to peer through the mist, before he heard footsteps behind him. Glancing behind him he saw Zhu Chao and Liu Xuan. His older brother smiled as he wished Liu Zhu the best. "I hope you enjoy the trip. Good luck with advancing your, er, guandao technique was it?" After Liu Xuan finished talking there was a short pause before he awkwardly chuckled. "I would chat with you a bit more, but to be frank it's too damn early for me to be up. It wasn't long ago that I was out, I have a bit of a headache and... well, you know how it is." As Liu Xuan fled into the mansion, Liu Zhu could only think that he really didn't 'know how it is', and that was probably a good thing.

Once Liu Xuan left Zhu Chao informed Liu Zhu that Elder Chu would be ready in a moment. Liu Zhu nodded, and as he returned to waiting Zhu Chao pulled a red bead the size of a marble and a necklace from his pocket. Liu Zhu recognized neither object and stared at Zhu Chao, perplexed. "Elder Chu will be with you until you arrive at Yu Mountain, but there's a still a chance you'll run into danger. Just to avoid any accidents, I've decided to give you a couple of life-saving items I've gathered over the years."

Zhu Chao handed the necklace and bead to Liu Zhu as he explained in more detail. "The necklace was forged by a friend of mine some time ago, and I haven't had a chance to use it until now. It functions by using the stone set in the middle as a power source, and can protect you from a blow up to Dantian Creation. The only downside is that it's not actually made to trigger against anything below Qi Refinement- it can't detect attacks at that level. Still, it will help you in case you run into anything far beyond your abilities."

Zhu Chao pointed to the bead next. "The other item is more directly useful. Put some energy into it, chuck it out, and when it hits something it explodes. It will kill anything below Qi Emission, granted you can hit it, and even above that can cause severe injuries. Just... be careful where you keep it."

Liu Zhu put on the necklace and gingerly placed the bead in his pocket. "Thanks for the gifts Grand Elder Zhu, hopefully I won't have to use them." "Yes, hopefully not." As the two stood there, Zhu Chao muttered to himself. "Where's Elder Ch... ah, speak of the devil."

An old man sitting on a horse approached the two as they stood there in the fog. He wore an almost pitch-black outfit, and if one looked closely they could see numerous scars underneath his greyish-black facial hair. Despite his imposing appearance, the old man was genial and easy to get along with. This man was Elder Chu, the only elder to remain in the Liu Clan since before Liu King's disappearance. He was barely at Acupoint Opening, but he had served in the war against Hiqui Sect with Liu King, and was the elder Liu Zhu trusted the most besides Zhu Chao. Elder Chu would be escorting Liu Zhu to Yu Mountain, the home of the Yu family, as he had business along the way anyways.

"I suppose you're ready then?" Elder Chu looked at Liu Zhu, who had immediately picked up his pack upon seeing him. Liu Zhu nodded and hurriedly began to mount his horse. Elder Chu laughed after seeing Liu Zhu so excited and followed after him, muttering to himself. "It's good to see them happy again. Makes it worth it."

A few minutes later the two left the Liu Clan's estate on horseback, ready for their five day journey to the Yu family. If one really wanted to they could probably cut it down to four days, but apparently Elder Chu was planning to visit someone in the middle of the trip and so they'd stop for a while along the way.