Purple Bamboo City

"Uh!" He had only meant to scare Zi Yun, but who could have known his grandfather would suddenly barge in? Tang Yan tipped the bucket over himself with a splash, hastily rinsed his body, then grabbed his clothes and rushed toward his room.

"Heehee..." Seeing Tang Yan's flustered state, Cui'er could not help laughing. Then, realizing it was improper, she hurried over and bowed. "Greetings, Old Master."

"No need for formalities. And this young lady is...?" Old Master Tang studied Zi Yun curiously. Having met countless people throughout his life, he could naturally tell that her bearing was not something an ordinary woman possessed.

Zi Yun smiled faintly. Without any visible movement of her hands, a jade token appeared out of thin air.

The jade token was white as fine fat, translucent and smooth, with the words "Purple Bamboo" engraved in the center and a single character, "Yun," in the lower-right corner.

Old Master Tang's pupils contracted, and he made no attempt to hide the astonishment in his eyes. He hurriedly asked, "Could you be Miss Zi Yun of Purple Bamboo City?"

"To think Old Master Tang knows of me. I'm truly honored!" Zi Yun offered a graceful bow.

At her confirmation, Old Master Tang could not help drawing in a sharp breath. Aside from the imperial family, the Fragrance-Hearing Kingdom had three great powers: Purple Bamboo City, the Rakshasa Gate, and the Immortal-Gathering Palace.

The three powers stood supreme in the Fragrance-Hearing Kingdom, with Purple Bamboo City the strongest among them.

Purple Bamboo City produced one outstanding talent after another, and many enjoyed great renown throughout the Fragrance-Hearing Kingdom-Zi Yun, standing before him, was one such person.

Rumor had it that she had entered the Heaven Tier at just thirty years of age, her brilliant talent dazzling all four corners of the land.

Forcing down his surprise, Old Master Tang said politely, "Your name is renowned far and wide, miss. How could I not have heard of you? Why didn't you send word before visiting our Tang Family? If word got out, people might think we had neglected an honored guest."

Zi Yun's thoughts raced, and she soon came up with an idea. With a charming smile, she said, "I happened to have some business in Cloud City. I originally intended to keep my whereabouts hidden and avoid troubling anyone, but I happened to run into Young Master Tang."

Remembering that Tang Yan had been wearing only that one garment in front of Zi Yun, Old Master Tang broke into a sweat. "That boy is unruly. If he has offended you, I hope you'll forgive him."

"A little boldness in the young isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"May I ask how you came to be with Yan'er, Miss Zi?" Tang Ling asked curiously.

Zi Yun did not explain the reason, merely smiling as she said, "I met him by chance and happened to discover that he had potential worth nurturing. I feared his talent would be buried here in little Cloud City, so I thought of taking him to Purple Bamboo City to train him properly."

Hearing this, Old Master Tang's heart began pounding. Purple Bamboo City was one of the Fragrance-Hearing Kingdom's foremost powers, its resources as vast as the sea.

If Tang Yan entered and received special attention, reaching the Heaven Tier would not be impossible.

But Tang Yan was the Tang Family's only seedling, and the old master truly could not bear to send him away. He hesitated for a time before finally sighing. "There's something you don't know, miss. Tang Yan already has a master, so he cannot rashly join another power. Why don't we ask Yan'er what he thinks in a little while?"

"Who is Tang Yan's master?" Zi Yun now understood somewhat. No wonder Tang Yan had shown such monstrous talent; an expert had been guiding him behind the scenes.

"I don't know either. All I know is that his master lives like an idle cloud and a wild crane, unconcerned with worldly affairs, and rarely appears." Old Master Tang shook his head and sighed. "That senior has done our Tang Family many great favors, yet we've never had the chance to thank him properly."

"I see." Zi Yun nodded. "In that case, I won't insist. Still, Tang Yan truly has potential worth nurturing and possesses unique insights into the Martial Dao. If I simply left like this, I would regret it later. I'll stay for a while and give him a little guidance. What do you think, Old Master Tang?"

Tang Ling was overjoyed. What objection could he possibly have? You'd be welcome even if you stayed here forever! He immediately smiled and said, "Of course, of course. Stay as long as you like, Miss Zi. Make yourself at home. Xiao Cui, take Miss Zi to prepare one of our finest rooms in a little while."

"There's no need for all that trouble. I think this little courtyard is quite nice, and there are still empty rooms. I'll stay here." Zi Yun shook her head, declining Tang Ling's kind offer.

Tang Ling had no objection to where Zi Yun stayed. Feeling that some time had passed, he frowned. "Why hasn't that little brat come out yet? Xiao Cui, go get him!"

Before long, Tang Yan emerged with his head drooping.

He had thought things would be awkward between that silly woman and his grandfather, but when he came out, he found his grandfather's face lit up with a radiant smile.

"Yan'er, Miss Zi Yun is a renowned Heaven Tier expert in the Fragrance-Hearing Kingdom. She sees a little aptitude in you and wishes to give you some guidance. From now on, show Miss Zi the utmost respect and learn from her humbly. Do you hear me?" Tang Ling demanded, glaring at him.

"What? A renowned Heaven Tier expert? How come I've never heard of her?" Having only just emerged, Tang Yan stared at Zi Yun in surprise. Renowned? More renowned than Miss Wang, the star courtesan of the Red Chamber by the Bright Moon River?

"Have you heard of Purple Bamboo City?" Tang Ling asked.

"I think so."

"Miss Zi Yun is Purple Bamboo City's third young lady. Receiving her guidance is your good fortune. If you upset her, no one else will need to lift a hand-I'll beat you to death myself!" Tang Ling warned.

Seeing that his grandfather did not seem to be joking, Tang Yan wanted to cry but had no tears. What on earth was this? Hadn't I only gone inside to change my clothes? What could possibly have happened in such a short time?

He stole another glance at Zi Yun, who winked playfully at him, a sly gleam of victory in her eyes. Tang Yan knew that silly woman must have fed his grandfather some kind of bewildering potion.

Knowing his grandfather's temper well, he feared that refusing to nod now would earn him another long lecture, so he hurriedly agreed. "I'll do exactly as you say! Exactly as you say!"

"That's more like it. You two talk for now. I have things to attend to, so I'll be going." Tang Ling had no desire to waste the time Zi Yun could spend guiding Tang Yan.

Once Old Master Tang had left, Tang Yan sprang up and asked, "Silly woman, what did you tell my grandfather?"

"Hmm? Is that how you speak to me? Believe me, I'll tell the old master and have him beat you to death." Zi Yun deliberately put on a stern face and warned him icily.

Tang Yan could not help rolling his eyes. Helplessly, he said, "I was planning to refine a batch of pills for you so you could recover your strength quickly. Now I suppose I'd better focus on my training and stop meddling in other people's business."

At the mention of recovering her strength, Zi Yun immediately perked up and asked eagerly, "Tang Yan, how long will it take me to recover?"

"At your current rate, half a year." Tang Yan made sure to add, "Of course, you'll only start recovering after half a year. As for how many years a full recovery will take, I'm not sure either. Three to five years if it goes quickly; twenty or thirty if it's slow."

"What?" Hearing that it would take so long, Zi Yun's face turned deathly pale.

Seeing her reaction, Tang Yan thought, This girl really can't take a scare. Smiling, he said, "However, with this young master's pills, you could regain your peak strength in three months at most. You might even improve further."