Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Tian Lanbing
Ling Hongyun never left.
He just decided to take over the room next to theirs—not that anyone used it in the first place—and stayed there, it was almost as if he had always been there. The entire Tian family has been kept on their toes ever since Tian Leiji was born, now there was another child who was akin to her, Hongyun walked around like he owned the place and demanded anyone with a higher cultivation level to fight him—the head guard squealed like a child when he suddenly broke through to Civilian Rank 5 in the middle of their duel. The fight wasn't even worth mentioning.
Leiji really wanted to know what sort of wild imagination the people around her have, because the next thing she knew, she had the title of demon general in the process of making her army. To take over the kingdom. So they started trying to kill her, both in public and not, everyone only cheered the Tian family on to kill the demon.
She was really dumbfounded by the horrible attempt of poisoning that even a child that was locked inside their entire life would find suspicious. This was actually an exaggeration, since it was called "done by an elite assassin". Not even looking at that ability, the poison would only make her have a fever at most.
You know what, never mind all that, could someone tell her why the he-n would Tian Yulong be talking about making her learn how to play a fu-dge-ing konghou in a public school despite the supposed threats she poses towards them and the kingdom as a whole?
…regarding school, she did end up attending in pure curiosity, the konghou was a rather interesting instrument to relearn. The other world's her used to play the harp and cello.
Also, they really needed to soundproof the walls.
Tian traced the veins on her hands, giving a rare smile to Yanhei who had her hand running through the silky silver threads. Her beautiful eyes melted and narrowed in delight, in love as she leaned against Lu Yanhei, acting like a spoiled child, one that was in accordance to her current physical age.
"Happy birthday, Ji'er," Lu took a black ribbon, it reminded Tian Leiji of Lu Yanhei's eyes, tying the toddler's four-year-old hair into a low ponytail. Tian Leiji is reminded that today was her fourth year in this world. She saw from the corner of her eye that Ling was glaring at her, probably for not telling him anything. "Little girl, you never told me your birthday is today."
It was Lu Yanhei's first time hearing Ling Hongyun's nickname for Tian Leiji, she showed a odd then amused face. Indeed, her child can be very mischievous like this, not to mention she doesn't have any "male pride" nor does she show any interest in the opposite sex. "Ah? But Ji'er is a boy?"
The stunned silence and the look on Ling Hongyun's face was utterly worth it, to Yanhei. Leiji was suddenly reminded at that time that no one knew she still considered herself a girl even though she sees that thing every time she needed to do a number one. Tian dug her nails into her palms. An unwanted, unexplained sense of loneliness suddenly envelopes her, there was no one here who knew…
Tian Leiji didn't want to know how the people would react if she ever revealed this little fact.
The gleam of darkness in her eyes went unnoticed, she very quickly snapped out of it, only to hear her mother say, "Oh dear, were you trying to court him this whole time?"
The rare flustered blush and angry glare was more than enough to answer Lu Yanhei's question. Leiji questioned just who actually considered that she was only four-years-old at this point. No one? Ah well.
A little girl with long, wavy black hair and in blue robes sneaked around a sleeping guard, doing a small victory dance right after, her feet running towards a said-to-be haunted courtyard. She was an adorable child, one that when people saw, couldn't help but pinch her cheeks. Two big, limpid hazel eyes, a tall nose and plump petal-like lips, the baby fat on her cheeks are still abundant.
She checks her bonds and confirms that nobody is suspicious yet, knocking on a door that a lot of people downright avoided. If her parents were to ever hear of this, they would accuse her of trying to kill them through heart-attacks, bring her back and burn down the courtyard. The child was really curious, always hearing about this one step-brother that was apparently the incarnation of the devil. This child has seen first-hand how everyone around her was utterly two-faced, wondering just what could make them take their masks off.
The three people inside the room were naturally shocked to hear a knock on the door. Tian Leiji turned to look at Lu Yanhei who merely nudged her to it, Tian Leiji gave her an accusing stare and swung open the door, looking at the little girl in blue robes, immediately recognizing her as that step-sister that everyone dotes on, Tian Lanbing. The one who will have her own birthday in a week, one that actually liked her. In Leiji's evaluation, Tian Lanbing was adorable and far too curious and full of doubt.
Tian Lanbing liked Tian Leiji more than her other cousins and step-siblings. They were all too stuck-up an arrogant.
The Tian family has been trying desperately to get the two of them separate and as far as possible for reasons that Tian Leiji couldn't understand even if she tried to. Nonsensical things, like they were actually trying to be the joke of the century when they were already the joke of the millennia. One would be "making the little miss look bad" when they were never seen by literally no one outside the Tian and their servants. Even so, they could attribute it to childish curiosity and no one would question it otherwise.
Oh well, no one outside of the trio beside Leiji ever liked her anyways.
Ling Hongyun had never left, Lu Yanhei was her mother who has been anything but bad to her for three whole years of life in this world. Tian Lanbing was probably the only one in the Tian family to currently see her as Tian Leiji and not the illegitimate son of Tian Yulong or the Tian family's leashed monster.
While Tian Leiji didn't actually know what they were keeping her for, as long as they didn't hurt the ones she loved, she was fine with it. They could not control Leiji, they will not. Tian Leiji was Tian Leiji and she would only bow down to those she deemed worthy.
Lanbing dragged Hongyun and Leiji around the place that belonged to Tian Family. Five courtyards, they were actually rather big and Tian Leiji who obviously did not know about what they mean and all that would of course act like everything she was seeing is normal. Tian Lanbing who was used to this only ran around freely.
Ling Hongyun who actually understands things, 'I thought these belonged to someone else…' he would've never imagined that this Tian family was actually—
He said nothing about it, his hands twitching, asking for a fight. He looked at Tian Leiji before lunging at her…him? He truly didn't know what to think of this little child anymore. Ling completely ignored that he called a three-year-old a child when he himself was only seven.
Apparently, this was normal by now. Tian Lanbing stared at the two brawling playmates of hers and the trembling guards that pass by while on patrol. The guards look about as ready to pee on their pants as ready as they usually are to get rid of intruders. Tian Leiji probably was tired of everything and caught Ling Hongyun in a headlock. Not that they knew that, Tian Lanbing's eyes were sparkling and she wanted to try that. To fight. Her parents would never agree to this though, such a shame.
Tian Lanbing suddenly had the greatest idea. Didn't her cousin and step-siblings like to play tricks on each other and blame someone else? Why don't they try it?
Tian Yulong walked down the long winding hallway, asking each and every servant that passed if they had seen his sweet little daughter. All of them answered negatively, asking if they should help find her. He replied each one with an irritated refusal, not bothering with all these corrupted servants. All they wanted to do was to somehow get his favor, but he had set his mind on his only lover from now on.
Of course nearly everyone knew about the Young Master's current affections, but most of them still had hope that he still had the past him somewhere in there.
Tian Yulong, in the hidden chambers of his mind, apologized to that monster—what was her name again? Dianji or something similar—for being born with such features. His wife was scared that it was because of a demon cursing the child's mother.
It was Tian Yulong's own mercy that let them stay in this household.
It was also Tian Yulong's mercy that had unknowingly sealed the fate of the Tian family.
A whine and a very familiar voice made him turn around and open the door to a room he had previously ignored for reasons anyone else would know. An Fangcheng, Tian Yulong's beloved, sighed with grief. "I still can't find my Lanbing, ah. What if she, what if she had met that monster?"
Her voice was laden with fear, it was to a lot of people who "that monster" was, but it never struck Tian Yulong that Tian Lanbing would ever try to find that child. He should've known! That daughter of his was always so curious, how could she let go of the fact that she had a sister everyone hated? And so, with that in mind, he marched towards the small place exclusive for that monster and her mother…and that other monster that the monster had adopted or something.
He took a step out of the courtyard he was in only to sink his foot into the ground. Confused, Tian Yulong looked down only to see his leg slowly being pulled into mud. He looked around and saw various different people, one of them already waist deep into the mud. Incensed by this nonsensical prank, Tian Yulong yelled at them. "Get me out of this thing right now!"
A flurry of, "Yes, young master!" immediately answered him…
Then the idiots went and all got themselves trapped into the mud alongside him. Tian Yulong nearly burst a vein; this would take a long time.
To Tian Leiji, these were good sorts of times. How fun it was to watch Tian Yulong become a tomato from the anger. They had—rightfully, but it wasn't like they knew—blamed her for it anyways.
It was about a few months after that that another family actually tried to look at what had gotten the Tian family so riled up for a few years now. Tian Leiji didn't mind it, since it had gotten the Tian family horribly on edge. Lanbing had been happy so far, apparently there was a child who was around her age that was brought along and she had gotten along with him.
The whispers around the house have told her that it was the Bai family, apparently a stronger family than the Tian. Stronger means the people they had were stronger and therefore better to fight, right? This was Tian Leiji and Ling Hongyun's logic. Unfortunately, Lu Yanhei wanted them to not do what they were going to do—storm the Bai family and finally get a good fight—Ling Hongyun sulked for days on end, beating up all the guards in the Tian estate at least once every day.
It was about this time that the people realized that trying to kill "the monster" like they have been doing would not work and started targeting the others. The others include Lu Yanhei and Ling Hongyun, which was exceptionally stupid because Ling Hongyun ended up giving everyone involved with it a beat down.
At least Tian Lanbing wasn't involved with it, considering they still think of her as their beloved Young Miss.
She didn't need to know, the girl was still too young.
Quite some time later.
(On a side note, she was five now and an Aurora Scholar.)
It had been a lovely day, also including the fact that it was Ling Hongyun's birthday. His birthday gift from the world was an easy breakthrough, to which he relentlessly chased Tian Leiji around. Apparently, the world was in a good mood and also brought him a little stalker—not so much as stalker but a kid who is idolizing someone, but still—as another present.
The boy introduced himself as Bai Shaoxue and decidedly was amazed with Ling Hongyun.
Long silky hair tied into a sagging ponytail with a dark green ribbon, matching his big eyes, strands escaping to frame his chubby face and a big innocent smile that made one want to smile back and hide from the cruelty of the world. Tian Leiji did not wonder about it too much, how the hildren around here were so cute when the adults were all so treacherous.
"Eh? Bai Shaoxue?" Lanbing—and wow she was getting really good at sneaking around the rest of the estate—popped her head in, brightening when she saw the new child. "Xuexue!"
"Bingbing?" He gasped, before turning back and confirming, "Bingbing!"
Apparently those two knew each other. It wasn't too much of a surprise, considering the fact that the Tian and Bai family have been in contact for a little bit now. Tian Lanbing was the most loved mistress of Tian and Bai Shaoxue was probably a son of the current head.
Oh goodness, Tian Leiji realized, there were two Tian Lanbing-s now. That meant either better pranks or more pranks or both of them at the same time. She and Hongyun would always get wrapped up in it no matter what.
Oh goodness, she thinks with amusement. This was going to be fun.
(Tian Leiji was seven when the Tian family was destroyed, which after looking back, was the start of everything. There were so many things he regretted that time, but he wouldn't change what he had for the world.)
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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