[Thoughts: Long Sha] – "Hmph! If not for our intervention and Elder Jun's sacrifice, wouldn't that Chi Ning fellow have cut you into bits and fed your remains to his beast…"

[Elder Long Jun] – "Hmm, what strong confidence. He must have really gone through several life and death scenarios to have such a belief. I haven't misjudged, you are truly someone with a potential definitely worth to watching out for…"

​​

--------------------------------------

*Elder Long Jun Clears Throat…*

"Oh, young master, these are our benefactors. Apparently, they belong to what is known as a Super Clan; The Long Clan and this is Elder Long Jun, an elder of the clan and this is their young master; Long Sha, the heir to the position of the Long Clan Head."

Elder Yun introduced the Elder Jun duo to Min Hong, but didn't introduce Min Hong to them for some reasons.

"Yes master, it was this golden-haired old man that stepped in and saved you from the ultimate attack of that despicable and wretched fellow from the Chi Super Clan called Chi Ning." Little Ming added seemingly not caring about the way she addressed Elder Jun.

"Is that how you address your benefactors whenever you speak about them?" Min Hong frowned slightly as he chastised.

But he didn't go too far because the soul connection between him and Little Ming made him understand that, she did that on purpose so that when Min Hong corrects her, he would appear more favourable to both Elder Long Jun and Long Sha.

"Hong-ge, they are also the ones who helped you recover. It was also Elder Long Jun who did a quick check on your injuries and actually used a peak-grade spirit stone to speed up your recovery."

The Min Qing trio split the explanation amongst themselves, so no one amongst them would come across a little unconcerned or ungrateful.

After they finished explaining everything that had transpired after Min Hong fell unconscious, Min Hong simply cupped his hands towards Elder Long Jun and Long Sha as he thanked them;

"I am deeply grateful venerable Elder Jun and young master Long Sha; firstly, for saving me from being killed by Chi Ning. Secondly, for intervening in the battle amongst my friends and saving them from further harm. Then lastly, for your hospitality which has aided my recovery."

"It's nothing really. Though we rarely involve ourselves in other people's affairs, we are still cultivators in the end, and we would naturally not turn a blind eye to injustice or despicable acts such as that of the Chi and Zi Clan."

Long Sha didn't even spare Min Hong a single glance, he was looking out the window of the carriage into the streets as he lazily responded.

But after a brief instance, Elder Long Jun noticed that Long Sha seemed to have said all he had to say.

So, he cleared his throat once again, seemingly reminding Long Sha of something.

"Furthermore, I am used to doing things alone, but teacher has warned me that, such mindset is not healthy to anyone who wishes accomplish great things in life, or in my case lead a Super Clan. So, if you don't mind, I would like us to acquaint one another from now on?"

Long Sha spoke with a stifled tone, seemingly forcing himself to do something he was naturally unaccustomed to.

"Ha ha, you don't need to be so courteous. This is nothing compared to the amount of kindness you have shown us. We are also new here, and having someone who is a native of the area is absolutely needed, if we are to learn about this place as quick as possible."

"So, it is more like we are the one still troubling you. But, if we ever have the chance to repay your kindness, we would surely help out without batting an eyelid, as long as it is within our capacity."

Min Hong responded with a slight laugh. He obviously knew what Elder Long Jun was trying to do.

It was a very similar tactic to the one Little Ming had just used earlier with him. So, he tried to help Elder Jun achieve his aim, using that opportunity to improve the views of these duo on his group.

Moreover, from all the information he had heard, he could easily deduce that though the Long Clan was also just another Super Clan, they were definitely stronger than the Chi and Zi Clan.

Furthermore, he was also aware that the duo wanted something from him, or at least their group. So, he would play along for now till he finds out what they are after.

If it is something that would conflict his interest, then he would just return their favour and end their cooperation, and if it is not anything that conflicts their interest, then he wouldn't mind forging connections with them and if possible, gain the backing of their clan.

"This is great. Since you have already gotten a brief introduction about who we are, I hope young master Hong won't mind doing likewise."

Elder Long Jun smiled happily as he spoke not concealing his intentions behind his form of addressing Min Hong.

He felt that by addressing Min Hong as 'young master', it would help Min Hong see himself as a peer to Long Sha rather than seeing him as a superior.

Furthermore, this would also help lower and eventually shed off Long Sha's stuck-up and uncaring attitude.

Perhaps, that would help him open up more and make speaking with others and eventually making friends, an easy and normal thing for him.

"Oh, sorry about that. I am Fei Hong. This is my sister Fei Qing and our two companions; Elder Fei Yun and Fei Ming respectively. We are members a Fei Family far away from here."

"We were recently invaded by other neighbouring Families, who greedily sought after the region where our Family had settled down due to the discovery that it was an oasis of myriad resources."

"They all came under the pretence of allying all the neighbouring families to establish a clan, and though we were planning on accepting this proposal with a few conditions of ours."

"But they abruptly started a massacre on our family and in the end, we were the only ones lucky enough to escape due to the sacrifices of our family members and loved ones."

"I lost everything in that massacre. My grandfather; the Family Head. His granddaughter, who was my mother. My Uncles and best friends and lastly, my cultivation was also lost on that day."

Min Hong went silent after he finished explaining as an aura of intense grief washed over all of them.

Min Qing buried her face into Min Hong's chest once again as she silently bawled her eyes out once again, prompting Min Hong to console her by caressing her flowing hair...

This pure and original aura of grief was enough to convince Elder Long Jun and Long Sha that their stories were true to the extent that, the stuck-up Long Sha finally showed emotions as his eyes finally went red.

"I know there is nothing I can say that will change anything, neither can I say anything that can bring back the dead, at least no one in the Dogon Empire has that power yet. The only thing I can say is that we are surely going to assist you to the best of our abilities."

Elder Long Jun tried his best to console Min Hong's group as he sighed deeply. Though he had heard many similar stories from other people, he had never experienced it before.

Furthermore, this is the first time he will come in direct contact with people who had gone through such a tragic experience.

"Fei Qing, Fei Hong, do you want to get even with these families?"

Long Sha asked with a flat expression, but from his tone, one could vividly tell that he was really irritated and pissed off.

"We plan to, but we need to first possess the power to do so..."

Min Qing sat up as she spoke with certainty, like as if their revenge was a given and not even something worth asking.

"I plan on returning when we at least possess Saint stage cultivation power. That way, we would be able to complete our comeback no matter any unexpected events that occur."

Min Hong also voiced his own plan prompting Long Sha to nod in acknowledgement.

Elder Long Jun just stood to one side, smiling happily within that these young ones have found a common thing which would enable them relate more and grow more familiar with themselves.

So, he didn't say a word anymore and left the discussion to the kids.

"Good! I will help you…" Long Sha spoke calmly and decisively before adding; "What are your plans."

"We don't have anything set in stone yet, we only have an overview of the plan, which is to get to the Saint stage and return to the region we came from to get our revenge." Min Hong replied.

"I may be able to help you guys with that…" Elder Long Jun finally spoke as everyone within the carriage instantly poured their attention on him, slightly catching him off-guard.

He never expected all of them to possess such unifying drive to exact their vengeance, and what was even more shocking to him was that, even Long Sha was currently paying rapt attention.

"Okay, so normally, I was just supposed to escort my young master to the Dogon Empire and wait till he is accepted into the Desert Sun Sect before returning to the clan. But with such an interesting adventure in sight, I guess I might as well stay around for much longer."

"So, I will map this plan by setting three goals for the three of you." Elder Long Jun explained as he gazed at both Elder Yun and Little Ming before adding; "You two will be coming with me, to a place where you can get the most effective training for yourselves."

"Don't worry, I have no malicious or disadvantageous intentions towards them. The place I am taking them to is a well-known place to every one of the top ten Super Clans of the Empire."

Elder Long Jun quickly added, thinking Min Hong and Min Qing would be reluctant to allow their companion beasts go anywhere which they know nothing about.

But little did he know that the Min Hong duo had full confidence that these two magic beasts would be able to handle themselves fully well.

"Firstly, you three must enter into the Desert Sun Sect and become core disciples within three years. Then you will come to the Long Clan to train for one year after you have become core disciples."

"Then lastly, you will join the Long Clan's Army of Mad Saints for another year to gain battle experience and better familiarize yourselves with your Daos, techniques and arts."

"Unh? Elder Jun, what are you saying? Are you trying to get them killed or something?"

A little bit of fear crept onto Long Sha's face when he heard the last part of Elder Jun's statement.

"Uh, sorry. What is this Army of Mad Saints all about?" Min Hong asked.

He could sense Long Sha's fear, and he knew that whatever was capable of scaring this talented heir with such a limitless potential, would definitely not be something the likes of him could scoff at.

"To put it in the simplest of terms…let's just say, if you don't possess a Mid-Level Saint stage cultivation base by then, you might not survive a month with the Army of Mad Saints…" Elder Long Jun added.

"To be more precise, whatever your cultivation base is, you must be able to use it to defeat at least a 3-Star Saint stage expert. The Army of Mad Saints is the backbone of our Long Super Clan and the only reason why we were able to conquer other Super Clans."

Long Sha was looking at Elder Jun with a gaze of disapproval as he explained to Min Hong.

"Oh. If that is the case, we will do as you have suggested then…" Min Hong responded.

"What?!" Loong Sha was stunned. "You truly have to reconsider this… the amount of people who graduate from the Mad Saints Army are less than three in every hundred years of our Long Clan. Even I will only be going there because it is mandatory for every potential Clan Head to."

"We have made our decision, please don't try to sway us otherwise." Min Qing chimed in.

"Us too." Little Ming added in for both herself and Elder Yun.

"Fine! Since you wish to meet your ends earlier than expected, I will make sure they properly burn your bodies and scatter your ashes…"

Long Sha returned his gaze to the streets as he added subtly;

"Elder Jun, this was your suggestion. If any irrecoverable harm should befall any one of them, I will have your head. So, you had better add that condition into your plans."

"Elder Long Jun, you can continue with your explanations…" Min Hong urged.

"For now, the only thing you would need to focus on is just the first part of our plan, which is to become core disciples of the Desert Sun Sect within three years of being accepted."

Before Elder Jun could continue, he was interrupted as their carriage came to a sudden stop.

So, he looked out of the carriage window and noticed that they had arrived at the City trading district.

"Give me a few moments, I need to go buy us a residence to stay till you guys are accepted into the Sect."

Elder Long Jun spoke as he exited the carriage and entered one of the massive structures in the market which was exquisitely built and luxuriously decorated.

"If you are the heir to a Super Clan like yours, why do you still have to go through all this stress, when you can just announce your arrival and everything would get done for you?"

Min Hong asked as the attention of everyone within the carriage gathered on Long Sha.

"Though our Long Clan is famous, we are famous as a unit not individually. If possible, we would prefer not to have any fame at all, because that will only make our enemies more wary."

"Moreover, no member of our clan is brought up that way, and although we have some black sheep amongst us, they still understand the clan's tolerance limits of such attitudes."

Long Sha explained turning to look at Min Hong and, the Min Qing who was still clinging to his arm like his sleeves, but after a brief moment, he switched back to sightseeing as he added;

"This right here, is the reason why I don't allow anyone announce my arrival anywhere I go…"

Long Sha pointed to the row of beggars in front of the massive structure Elder Jun just entered to purchase a residence.

"But, if I announce my arrival, then the City Lord would have sent some patrol guards to come clean up the streets, and as a result, I will never get to see this side of life in this town…"

"I am not the only heir to my Long Clan, I still have a sister and a brother, and though my sister is still pretty young, we have been raised to compete with one another since birth."

"To my elder brother who is already an inner disciple in the Desert Sun Sect, the prosperity of a clan resides in the military power it holds; though a good opinion, it is not the best to me."

"To my younger sister, it is all about the financial status of the clan; she would most likely turn our clan into a merchant clan, if given the opportunity, which is good but not the best to me…"

"So, what opinion do you hold about it?" This time it was Min Qing who asked freeing Min Hong's arm to sit properly, seemingly engrossed in the conversation, stunning both Min Hong and even momentarily stumping Long Sha himself.

"To me, the prosperity of any Clan, Kingdom or Empire and even Dynasty should be measured by the amount of innocent people suffering within it. To me, a Clan that has half of its clan members suffering or living a below average life is not prosperous."