Over The World, Beyond Heaven

Hah!?

Passed the test!?

The ten children looked puzzled when they heard Zheng-Fu say that. They did not understand what Zheng-Fu meant. What was the test, and when did it start?

"I just tested ten of you to see if you were suitable for me to accept into my clan. I have seen that you all are suitable. Are you interested in becoming a part of my clan?" This was Zheng-Fu's true purpose. He did not take those children into his care in the first place because he wanted to test their minds and attitudes first.

The ten of them did very well. They were all loyal and loving towards each other, no different from the youths in his Ten Youngster Demigods Squad. Thus, they passed the mind test and could become a part of his Tian-Tang Clan.

"Mas… Master, you mean that... you want to adopt us?" Although their big brother did not go to school, he was smart enough to deduce the meaning of Zheng-Fu's words.

"Yes, that's right! How about it? Are you interested?"

"If we accept…, we'll have our own family, right, sir?" Little Nine asked with an innocent face that was full of anticipation. She had dreamed that one day she and her brothers and sisters would have their own family, but that dream gradually faded away as time passed. Until that day, that dream had become clear again. She had high expectations.

"That's right! Once you all agree, you'll be considered family with me and the others. It won't be long before you meet them. So, it depends on your answer." Zheng-Fu nodded at the little girl fondly and repeated it to make everyone understand.

Erm!

"Brothers and sisters, I want to have my own family. What about you? I believe that Master will take good care of us, so I'd like to accept his good wishes. I hope that you all agree too!" The little girl did not immediately agree. She turned to ask her brothers and sisters first, but she also told them her intentions.

"We… we…"

"I also want to have a family, so I'm willing to join Master's clan no matter what the future holds. But I believe that everything will be better than we are now!" As a Big Brother, the boy had to instill confidence in his sisters and brothers. And he believed that joining the clan with Zheng-Fu was the best choice. There were two reasons why he made that decision. One was that he believed in Zheng-Fu. The other was that he believed in Little Nine's decision. She had never made a wrong decision in her entire life.

Umm...

"Actually, I also want to have a family. If everyone agrees, then I agree!"

"I want to!"

Me too!

Me as well!

The other children answered according to their true feelings. They all wanted to have their own families all along. So the answer was that all ten of them agreed to join Zheng-Fu's clan.

Good!

"Since you're all Tian-Tang Clan members, from now on, your surnames are Tian-Tang. As for names, I'll think of them for you later. Let's go now." Zheng-Fu nodded in satisfaction with the ten children. Since they were part of the clan, calling them by numbers would not be appropriate, so he thought of giving them names, but not for now.

"Where are we going, sir, Master?" Little Nine asked. She did not look scared or nervous anymore.

"I'll take you to find a place to stay, because I still have work to do, and it's too dangerous to take all of you with me."

Oh, we understand, sir!

In that city, Zheng-Fu did not have a permanent place to stay, so he had to find a temporary place for the children. As for the tent at the defense line, he could not take the children to stay there, because it was too dangerous. The best option was to find a good tavern. But suddenly, …

Young Master Zheng-Fu!?

Hah!?

Oh, Miss Ma!

While Zheng-Fu was talking to the children, a young woman called out to him, and it was Ma-Ying-Tian, Ma-Li-Wei's daughter.

"I didn't expect to meet Young Master Zheng-Fu here. Earlier, you were busy in a meeting with my father and the City Governor, so I didn't have a chance to talk to you. Young Master, are you free now? Can I have a meal with you?" Ma-Ying-Tian had been looking for a chance to talk to Zheng-Fu all along. Just now, she went to find him at the tent after he had finished his meeting, but she found that Zheng-Fu was not there and he had gone out to eat. She followed him out and finally found him.

"I apologize to Miss Ma for not being able to have a meal with you. Because I have just had a big meal with these children and we're full. Let's do it another time. I'll treat Miss Ma to a meal to atone for this time." However, Zheng-Fu rejected Ma Ying-Tian's invitation because he had just eaten and needed to find a place for the children to stay.

Umm…

"By the way, who are these children?"

"They're orphans for whom I feel affection, so I adopted them," Zheng-Fu answered honestly because he thought it was not a secret.

Umm…

"I never thought that Young Master Zheng-Fu would not only be so capable, but also so generous and compassionate!"

"Miss Ma, you're overpraising me. I just think that they're pitiful and have talents that need to be promoted. So, I want to help take care of them. Also, Miss Ma, you can just call me Zheng-Fu."

Umm…

"All right! Then you should just call me Ying-Tian. Otherwise, I'll just call you like before!"

Ma-Ying-Tian felt indescribably happy after talking to Zheng-Fu. Although she had talked to many men before, none of them could make her feel comfortable and relaxed without putting on a fake face. Moreover, Zheng-Fu was someone she was interested in and wanted to find out about.

"Sure! By the way, where are you going next, Ying-Tian?" Zheng-Fu did not mind calling her that, so he spoke naturally when calling Ma-Ying-Tian's name in short.

"At first, I thought of inviting you to eat, but since you've already eaten, I won't. But… I'd like to follow you instead. Can I? I just have a lot of things I want to talk about with you, Zheng-Fu!" Ma-Ying-Tian did not feel embarrassed at all to call Zheng-Fu by just his name, either. Not only did she call Zheng-Fu in a friendly manner, but she also acted casually as if she and Zheng-Fu had known each other for a long time.

"Sure! If you want to go, I have no right to stop you."

Wonderful!

"By the way, where are you taking these children?"

"Since I don't have a private place to stay in this city, I'm thinking of finding them a temporary place to stay. Can you recommend me a good tavern?" Zheng-Fu said honestly, and he remembered that Ma-Ying-Tian was a citizen of that city, so she should know which tavern was the best.

"Oh, for this, you can trust me. My Ma Clan also runs a tavern business, so you can take the children to stay at one of Ma Clan's taverns. Plus, you don't have to pay a single coin." Ma-Ying-Tian smiled meaningfully before suggesting a tavern in the Ma Clan's chain. And she even let Zheng-Fu take the children to stay there for free.

"Thank you, Ying-Tian. But I don't like to take advantage of you. So, if you have anything you need me to do, just tell me. If I can do it, I'll do my best." Zheng-Fu knew that Ma-Ying-Tian would not help him for free, so he asked her directly what she wanted from him in return.

"Am I that easy to read?!" Ma-Ying-Tian was a little embarrassed at being seen through from the start. However, she continued, "That's right, I want something from you. But don't be afraid, Zheng-Fu. I'm not asking for anything beyond your ability. I just heard Master Elder Zi-Leng-Kong say that with your guidance, I can improve a lot." Ma-Ying-Tian spoke frankly about what she wanted.

Umm…

"If you want me to give you some guidance, I can. But let me tell you first, I can't guarantee how much you'll benefit from it." Zheng-Fu did not think Ma-Ying-Tian wanted something that easy, and there was no reason for him not to agree. It was just that he could not guarantee the outcome for her.

"No problem, anything goes for me. Then let's go. I'll take you and the kids to the Ma Clan's tavern. It's not far from here." Ma-Ying-Tian did not care about the outcome anyway. She just wanted to get to know Zheng-Fu better and confirm what the others said.

While Zheng-Fu and Ma-Ying-Tian were talking, the kids were also listening. They stood there with their mouths wide open and shocked because they knew Ma-Ying-Tian very well. She was the Young Miss of Ma Clan, one of the major clans in the city. She was also a beautiful young woman whom everyone talked about. Even though they were children, they knew about it. The young man who had accepted them into the clan also knew and seemed to be close to Young Miss.

"Master is amazing, Big Brother!"

"That's right! I never thought that we would have such a great family like everyone else!"

"I feel so happy!"

After recovering from the shock for a while, the children felt very happy and proud to have joined Zheng-Fu's Tian-Tang Clan. Although they had not seen or known anyone else in the clan except Zheng-Fu, and did not know where the clan was located, their thoughts about the clan had already gone far away.

"Let's go. If you guys delay, I won't wait for you!"

Ah!!!

Master, please wait for us!!!

Of course, Zheng-Fu heard those children's words clearly, but he did not say anything and just let them think whatever they wanted. Because they probably could not accept the fact that his clan in Deity Land at that time only had a few members. Moreover, it was a newly established clan in Deity Land.