Chapter 359: Prelude to Ultimate Defeat
Zou Tian’s instincts had changed in the months that he’d lived undercover in the city. Being worried that everyone you passed on the street might suspect you’re actually a cultivator spying on two of the three ruling sects had made him almost paranoid. And that wasn’t a bad thing according to the manuals.
Or at least it hadn’t been. Now that he was in from the cold, he found himself looking at his sect mates with suspicion. That was a habit he needed to break.
Probably, anyway. There could be value in making sure no internal spies sought to betray the sect. He’d have to discuss the matter with Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu.
Other than that bit of weirdness, it felt incredible to be back with his sect mates, and Wan Ai most of all, obviously. The relationship between the two of them picked up where they’d left off. If anything, absence had made them cherish each other all the more.
Only one minor issue arose. At first, she studied his face intently every time she talked about their impending marriage, checking for signs he was as committed as he’d said. She found nothing. As an orphaned street rat, he hadn’t had a family growing up, not until Master plucked him out of that alley. The idea of marriage and being a father appealed to Zou Tian in a way he’d never realized was possible. He wanted to give his wife and kids the life he never had.
His only concern was that she honestly believed Master would let them get away with a quiet ceremony in the mayor’s house. She obviously didn’t know the man nearly as well as Zou Tian did. But he didn’t dissuade her from the notion. Better to let her have her little fantasy. Besides, he was sure it wouldn’t be as bad as she thought it would be.
Probably. Maybe.
Actually… Yeah. Yeah, it would be exactly that bad. Master would surely throw a party to rival the birthday bash, and Wan Ai would hate it. Honestly, though, it would be interesting to see what he’d do. Colorful glowing orbs, a massive cake, and gliders had come out of the last one. Surely, a wedding topped a birthday, right?
Zou Tian hesitated. Something didn’t seem right about the situation, so he rethought things. And it didn’t take long for him to determine what was wrong.
Something amazing that his girlfriend—no, fiancée—hated wasn’t truly amazing. If Wan Ai wanted a quiet wedding in the mayor’s office, that was what she would get. Zou Tian would just have to go to Master and explain the situation. He’d be disappointed, but he cared a lot more about making his sect members happy than he did about what he wanted. It was just that sometimes he could be a little blind to what actually made others happy.
Another interesting change in Zou Tian was that he’d picked up a gut feel for the atmosphere of a place. Things like whether a crowded tavern was likely to have a brawl that night or if a particular street might be frequented by criminal elements had become obvious. He’d partially formed those senses as a street rat, but the techniques, manuals, and experience of living as a spy had sharpened them to acute accuracy.
As he walked into the arena every other day to watch Jin LiJuan fight, he felt attitudes grow more tense with each round. His own sect mates were the least affected, but everyone else, including commoners, demonstrated consistently more strain as the last division of the tournament progressed toward the end.