“Ha-ha, what does a god eater rat eat! Unbelievable!”

Dazzling jagged arcs spring from the lightning sword... Several bolts explode on the hard inner shell of the the hall roof, sending a sizzling golden shower of sparks over all and sundry.

Father is in such a fantastic mood... Kong Wang belatedly decides he might as well bring up that bloody book.

“Uh, father, I also discovered this ratty old book in his spatial ring.” As his father approaches, he twists the ring on his own finger a few times, instantly a leather-bound collection of parchments appear on his palm.

Whoosh. They are sucked out his hand and fly to his father’s. External qi manifestation, the hallmark of a real chengxian expert...So cool!

Kong Wang can’t wait. It will be so useful… In the mornings he could fetch his clothes and shoes without getting up out of bed… Then he won’t even have to call some slowpoke maid to come and do it… Save a lot of time and effort for him...

He came out of his daydream to find his father furiously flicking through the stupid book with interest. Kong Wang can tell he isn’t just being polite either.

“Is this the Shining Phoenix Sect ledger?” His father gazes down at it with glazed eyes, then at his son with amazed eyes.

“Yes, a ledger…It has entries in it… Various entries…Mostly different...”

In a flurry of swirling cloaks, a line of elders rise as one and scurry towards the throne like whirling dervishes - just to see the stupid book! Like it was a prize, his father hands it to the first ancient to arrive, soon a whole flock of them are clucking over it like pecking chickens. The rest are ducking for cover, due to the lightning sword being drawn again.

“Ha-ha, my good son and heir, has infiltrated the enemy camp and stolen crucial information!”

That isn’t strictly how it happened, but no-one is arguing. Especially with that dreadful sword swinging every which way...

Safely away from the blade, in his father’s blind spot, Kong Wang nods to himself at his father’s actions. Again Brother Cheng had the right of it.

One shouldn’t let actual facts get in the way of a good story.

After all, the victor is crowned king, while the loser becomes a bandit...

This is much more like the reaction he’d been after earlier. It occurs to him that perhaps he should show some interest in the book too? In case they forget he was the one – technically one of the two – who found it. He actually does have a question in mind...

“Father, why are the Tang Clan in there? I thought they were our allies.”

A stony silence echoes around the hall. You could hear a pin drop... Or a page turn. Flick, flick, flick…

“Your highness, the crown prince is indeed correct…”

The elder held the open ledger out with two hands facing towards Zhao Wang. Within a minute, his father’s frown has evolved into a scowl and then finally a snarl.

“Good... Good… The Tang Clan is about to learn that stabbing a tortoise in the back will only break your sword.” His father stares at a smouldering patch on the ceiling and cracks his knuckles.

“Soon, when my brother gets back we will have a reckoning with those ungrateful wretches.”

His baleful stare circles the whole hall, halting only when it gets to Kong Wang. The hard eyes, soften...

“Good work son, we’ll make a sect leader out of you yet!”

“Uh, about that… Um, I seem to have already started a new branch of our sect...”

“What?!” Zhao Wang’s head tilts slightly.

“Well, in my travels, I discovered these three talented seedlings, so I started a small branch of our sect… A very small branch… More like a twig really…”

His father is giving him that all too familiar quizzical look. Kong Wang can only continue bringing up the positive points, the ones he discussed with Brother Cheng.

“You always worry about our enemies joining arms against us and eliminating the entire sect--”

“So, my son is thinking long term…” His father strokes his bearded chin thoughtfully.

“This is actually not a bad tactic to hide our strength this way,” he muses, obviously warming to the concept. “Also, new blood, new ideas…They swore the oath?”

“It’s only natural that they would.” Blurring the truth truly gets easier with practise.

“You taught them sect techniques?”

“Only the very basics, because they’re only younglings…”

“Oh, what stage experts are they then? Yuanying? Or chengxian? Zhao Wang asks hopefully.

“They’re a little younger than me…”

“Jidan then?”

“Around little sister’s age.

“Zhuji?”

“Um, they haven’t quite broken through to the zhuji stage yet.

“Still ninqi? How pitiful..." Zhao Wang shudders. “However, since nothing will likely ever come of it, there’s no harm done.

He strokes his chin.

"In fact, it’s good practise for you to have these little pet projects – maybe you can start a few more in the future... Without a doubt your sister will want one too…

The concept has clearly caught his father’s attention. It will definitely intrigue his scheming little sister.

“Where are they by the way? No wait… Don’t tell me, it’s best kept a secret so our enemies don’t simply eradicate them.”

Good, because Kong Wang had no clue what that world was called, or even where it was...

“Hah! Who’d have thought my son has already started his own sect at only 16!”

Before Kong Wang could say “seventeen”, a deep voice boomed out from behind him...

“How ruthlessly domineering!”

All eyes are drawn to the hall entrance, where a bulky shadow is framed in the heavy double doorway. “Though it is only to be expected of a nephew of mine!”

“Uncle Tie” Delight spread across Kong Wang’s face. It even infected his father, whose eyes suddenly shine. “Brother you’ve returned! What an auspicious day this has been. How goes the campaign against the Drunken Tiger clan?”

“Put it this way,” the advancing brute halts, a few chi short of the throne steps, his hands on his hips and a broad smile on his lips.

A hush falls over the hall. The eerie silence and sudden attention seemed to unsettle the huge warrior somewhat...

“Um…” It appears that a suitable analogy has escaped him... And fled far, far away...

Amongst the rows of elders, several of those expectant eyes actually began to roll.

“Ahh…” The big man frowns at his massive feet that are shuffling nervously. Spying his spatial ring he grins again, and with a wave of his thick fingers a sack appears on the ground in front of him.

“Does this answer your question?”

Kong Wang’s eyes narrow for a moment, before he nods agreeably. However, his father is still plainly puzzled.

“A sack of flour? Hmm…”

“Oops, wrong sack…” Tie Wang mutters to himself. Soon a second sack lands with a thump on top of the first causing a puff of flour to form like a fog cloud in an eye catching manner. Many stare at the cloud, clearly expecting a misty vision or mystical images of some sort...

Meanwhile, unnoticed underneath, several lightly-dusted white tiger heads roll out onto the floor in front of the father and son group.

“Oh, I see!” Zhao Wang exclaims. “It’s Bu Hu and Tu Hu the Drunken Tiger chiefs !”

The surrounding crowd, several zhang away in the elders’ seats can’t quite see it though.

“Hmm, chief’s chengxian vision is indeed beyond our level- we must cultivate harder!”

A lot lean forward to peer even more intently into the smokescreen hoping to see what their leader saw. A brazen few even pretend they do...

A strange, stilted silence ensues as the surrounding elders wrestle with what events have actually occurred. A few breaths later, low murmurs indicate that most still haven’t gotten to grips with the gory details... But suddenly a shout is heard.

’Elder brother! You’re alive!”

Kong Wang half-turns at the tippety-tap of tiny running feet, only to find himself enveloped in a fierce hug. Short arms are flung around his waist and a sniffling face was buried in his sternum. Softly sighing Kong Wang pats his sister’s shuddering shoulders.

“Little Li-Li of course I’m alive,” he mumbled. “I’d let you know if I was dead.”

“It’s really you alright.” A cheeky grin belies the misty eyes staring up at him.

Suddenly, his sister shoves him away and steps back. “You missed my birthday!” she accuses, stamping her feet.

“You did it on purpose. Next year, I want… three presents!”

“You mean two?” He can do some maths.

“Don’t tell me what I mean, you missed my birthday!”

“’I didn’t forget though, I went all the way to another world and got you a thoughtful and unique gift. Behold.”

Jian Cheng’s dagger appears out of thin air on his outstretched palm.

“Cool a wolf, how fierce...” The short weapon is soon wrested out his hand. “I love it. Look how sharp the blade is...” The little girl twirls the glinting dagger with practised fingers.

“Humph, it’s not very ladylike for the princess to be concerned with weapons,” Elder Shan comments from the side.

"Oh, Uncle Shan, how convenient, can I cut your beard off?“Li Wang asks sweetly, but the elder’s face blanches in real fear. She really is a wilful little madam, who can do no wrong in her father’s eyes...Though not for lack of trying...

“Why not? Some of it will grow back...” She bats her eyelids at the elder. It turns her father into putty, but sends shudders down every other elder’s spine. “Fine. I’ll just wait until you’re sleeping then...”

Uncle Shan is already beating a hasty retreat, when another shout is heard.

“Aargh, it moved!”

All eyes turned to Little Li, who has drawn back clutching her hands to her chest like she's just been bitten.

She sucks her pricked finger while staring daggers at the dagger that lays on the floor discarded in haste. A breath of time later, a thought flashes across her eyes. She dashes forward and snatches the small blade up again.

“My mistake. Never-mind,” she calls back cheerily over her shoulder, before fleeing for the nearest exit, leaving nothing but a small splotch of blood to show she was ever there.