33 XiXi's First Lesson

LingLing's knuckles are white as she curls her hands under her sleeves suppressing her internal power from striking XiXi.

Smiling she looks at XiXi and says, "I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I will take my leave first, I'm in need of a relaxing soak in the hot spring. It is one of my most pleasurable activities when I come to Yun Tai's."

XiXi quickly jumps up almost falling into Feng Tian's lap, "The hot spring! That is one of the most relaxing and beautiful spots, may I join you? Eager to start sister bonding, she forgets about her father waiting for her.

LingLing seething, it was the wave of her hand from under her sleeve that prevent XiXi from tumbling onto Feng Tian, replies, "I would love to go there with you, but didn't I hear you have lessons that have been delayed once all ready?"

{you might not return though, that could raise questions. I can wait until the bustle of the streets of Myriad Cloud City to dispose of you}

XiXi looks dejected and says "That's right my father is waiting for me."

I should hurry over there," She bows at Ling Ling ignoring Feng Tian, "I will make a special dinner to celebrate meeting you!"

Feng Tian rises after she leaves, he has preparations to make to go to the Plum Blossom Cliffs when XiXi is finished with her father.

I need cloud berry wine, or maybe some peach blossom wine,see if the boat is usable, no one has been on that lake in a hundred years.

What would she like to eat, ah, I should get some pastries when I go to get the gold and silver taels in Myriad Cloud City. There is the Royal Cloud Restaurant that is famous for its Osthamus cakes made with honey from the celestial bees.

She seems to get excited for sweets, briefly picturing her with the Spikey fruit at the gazebo.

What else, I could stop by our kitchen and get some of our cooks specialties, no she is cooking dinner for LingLing {I love watching her flit around the kitchen}

"Tian, what are you thinking about? She has always called him by his name since the days in the mountain.

"Just what I need to do when I go home today. I should go now it will take time and I want to be back by late afternoon."

"Wait and I will go with you, I haven't seen your family in quite awhile." LingLing wants to spend time with him it's been too long.

"I don't plan on going to the see them this afternoon. I will be too busy and you know how once I am there they hang all over me. I don't have time for that."

Feng Tian doesn't want her to accompany him he has some secret plans to take care of while he is there.

He is going to find that little man Sung Wu who makes the bracelets out of stones from the glimmering ore.

He then carves tiny flowers on the beads that are very intricate. After seeing the red lotus behind XiXi's ear, Feng Tian thought she might like that as a gift.

He is going to have him use red and carve lotuses on the beads.

That withered old man only accepts ultra grade fire spirit stones in payment, he never deals with money. Feng Tian will have to locate Chen Jue to see if he can acquire some quickly.

Chen Jue is one of the brothers that are part of Feng Che's shadow guards. Those brothers always know where to find anything in Myriad Cloud City on short notice.

Of course his brother would retain them as shadow guards and Feng Tian loves to bribe them to do jobs for him. He doesn't know Feng Che told them to do whatever Feng Tian asks of them, within reason.

" LingLing, anyway I thought you were going to the hot spring. Don't let me hold you up."

Feng Tian quickly bows and heads out through the courtyard leaving LingLing standing there wondering why he was in such a hurry to go to Myriad Cloud City.

He had a strange look on his face. Well, she will go soak for awhile , maybe put some of that relaxing potion in the water.

She will be rid of that knat soon enough.

XiXi is sitting in a chair listening to her father explain the Tenets of the Zhang Family.

All of them were based on morality. Their family never used sorcery to change the course of the past, never used their sorcery for evil, always lived and practiced the way of the Dao.

He explained the course the new Council of the Sorcerers Society was deviating from the core beliefs of the Zhang Family, and he was going to try a find a way to separate his family from the Society.

Right now though the present day Zhangs were in debt to them because they had the cure for her grandfather's rare sickness. He was forced to bend and come to this island.

After learning quite a bit of her family's situation XiXi understood what her father was saying.

Zhang continued to explain the basics of Sorcery to her.

Unlike a wizard who needed to study books of spells, a pure Sorcerer had innate talent , merely had to practice to hone their skills. Sorcerers use their brainpower to harness mana.

Bloodlines being diluted and abilities lost through the ages had led to the creation of The Sorcerers Academy,where many of the modern day sorcerers study.

Unfortunately since her grandfather's abilities had been partially sealed he needed to study, same for Zhang Yu and will be for XiXi.

The unusual aspect of the Zhang Family was they weren't only Sorcerers but they also knew alchemy and practiced some cultivation.

The original ancestors had fortune telling skills and forsaw the Zhang Family eventually would clash with the same society they had helped create.

They wanted their descendants to be protected and formidable in several areas. At some point because of their high moral standards they would be at odds with the elders.

Six major Sorcerer families had created the Sorcerer Society now the Huang Family had become the strongest, manipulating the course it was now taking.

Zhang Yu didn't want to go into more detail yet with XiXi this seemed enough to absorb the first day.

XiXi was bending over fixing her shoe and Zhang Yu was looking at the Red Lotus design behind her ear.

The Red Lotus design behind her ear has only been found on one other member of the Zhang family and that was hundreds of years ago.

He wasn't even clear about that part of the story and he did not have any Ancestor journals with him.

He knew through some stories past down that his father told him. She was a very powerful Sorceress and had numerous abilities. A beauty with an enchanting voice, his father told him when she sang was able to charm animals and speak to them.

She was deeply in love which made her powers grow infinitely. He doesn't know the circumstances, but she was killed by a Demon King, he knew that much.

He always assumed that Red Lotus was there behind XiXi's ear was to seal her powers and he hoped she would never know of her ancestry. Now he wonders...

"Let's begin" Zhang Yu pulled out a book from his space and opened to the first page. One of your abilities and I think this will be simple for you to learn, is to manipulate water."

He put a basin of water on the table and demonstrated for her. Zhang Yu put his hands with the fingertips from each hand touching and spread apart. Raised his hands to chest level then concentrated his energy to his hands.

"XiXi you think what you want the water to do as you concentrate your energy." He then chanted only seven words, as he did he reminded her there had to be only three seconds between speaking the next word, exactly three seconds or it wouldn't work.

The water started swirling around and rising like a geyser from the basin. XiXi was amazed at the sight of her father manipulating the water.

"Dad let me try! That looks so cool!" she exclaimed.

She had no trouble remembering the hand position, but the words rhymed and sounded alike so it took her several tries to remember them. The order would get mixed up. The three seconds in between was easy enough.

Her first mishap sprayed water in Zhang Yu's face and all over the wall, "Oops!" XiXi laughed as her dad wiped away the water. She went and filled the basin again.

The second one barely moved the water it looked so sad. "Well, at least I don't need to get more water" she laughs.

{Maybe I should tell her how separating a wall of water saved my life in the Land of the Akanji Water Beasts, no I think I will just let her practice some more.}

But, by the third attempt she had replicated her father's geyser.

XiXi was very excited at this minor feat, her Dad thought she needs to concentrate harder.

Zhang Yu said XiXi I think you should read the first book later in your room. I don't want you wandering around with it so you can get it from me then return it.

XiXi isn't listening she is having fun making geysers one after another.

"Sure Dad, do you have a yellow highlighter in your Space? I study better if I highlight important parts.

"No, and don't write in the book!

"I was teasing you!

"..."