Chapter 174: Agni Comes Over.
Hao Ren and Han Lingshi spent a few more days in the Sun God Village, and during this time, they moved the houses of the people away from the crater. Then they used Han Lingshi to fill the crater with frost and Hao Ren melted the ice with his flame control to create a pond. This will restrict the movements of the investigative team from the DEHB.
After they were done with the important things, they assigned the robot in the foundation office to look over the work and then packed up to leave the place. Rati came over to them with Agni in tow.
The girl did not look happy, but she seemed to be behaving well. Hao Ren sighed as he knew what this might be about. Rati knew that the couple was strong and they were rich. She was getting old and as much as she cared about the little girl, the couple was the right people to look after her. There was nothing wrong in wanting the best for the ones you love.
However, Hao Ren thought that the child might demand too much time and commitment from them and it would hinder the path of cultivation for the both of them. It had not been a long time since the couple had attained union, having a child around would put them through a great test.
Hao Ren left under the excuse of packing his stuff but Han Lingshi, who had come to love Agni a lot, decided to stay and talk to the elderly lady.
Rati looked at Hao Ren's receding back and said, "It seems that Hao Ren is not happy with us coming here."
Han Lingshi also knew the reservations he had in his heart, and replied, "It is not that he do not want to talk to you all, but he is a man with his own dreams and ambitions. All this while he had been working very hard, and he is afraid of the responsibility that comes along with a child. Please do not misunderstand him."
Rati shook her head gently and said, "I am not misunderstanding him at all. However, I cannot help but act selfishly. After me, the village people might take care of her, but the resources here are very limited and a parentless child often gets sidelined.
I came to you two because you two are the people who give hope to those around you. My village had never had such a positive air around. Only after the two of you came did the things change. Now that you have taken the flames away, the village will gradually prosper and I cannot rest in peace knowing the power struggle that would be coming in the future."
The young lady smiled and clasped her hand before she said, "Elder, you do not have to worry, I will talk to him and it won't be an issue to look after Agni, but I just hope that you look after her for a few more days. If you send her off now, it would be too abrupt and effect her mind badly."
Rati nodded and said, "Then I will do it but I don't think this body will hold for much longer."
Han Lingshi was now a cultivator and using the yin and yang eyes she could see a little grey aura around Rati, the spark of spirit energy that had been extending her life would now run out and then her health would decline and death was imminent. After talking with the old lady for a few minutes, Han Lingshi walked up to Hao Ren who was dusting the bike.
As he sensed the young lady approach him, he said, "I know what you want to say, but can you tell me that Agni's presence will not ask too much from us?"
Han Lingshi smiled at him and said, "I did not expect for you to know my heart so well. But similarly, I also know that you are afraid of the responsibility. You are worried that she will hinder us, but you are forgetting one thing."
Hao Ren frowned and the young lady said, "We have our families to look after her. She will grow up to be a fine human. If you are worried that she will not understand things, then we can teach her cultivation or such things. However, she will not be a hinderance, and I promise you that."
Hao Ren sighed and asked, "So do we have to bring her along now, or later?"
Han Lingshi smiled and said, "Later, for now, it is just us."
The two packed up and bade farewell to everyone before leaving the village. They took stops in all the places where the foundation had an office. The media covered their trip but at the same time they respected the privacy of the two people. Hao Ren was not someone they wanted to mess with.
...
In the mountains, a stone pavilion stood proudly, and a few old men could be seen sitting on the ground and a young lady was serving them tea slowly. One of the old man said, "What do you think happened in the Sun God Village? How did Nate go down without leaving behind a trace?"
Another old man looked at him and said, "In the Han Nation, the three of us have the supreme strength. I do not think their is any master hiding in recluse here. Had they been hiding, those people from the Spirit Shimmer Continent would have come to hunt them."
Another old man said, "It is not necessary, some people might be living here, but they have not came out to cause trouble. The people did not find even a single trace of foul play. Nate fell under the hands of his greed. That guy thought he could absorb natural spiritual treasures without condensing a foundation. Serves him right."
The three old men nodded, and one of them asked, "Miss Tara, what do you think?"
Tara was the young lady who was serving tea, she smiled and said, "The land in that place had been so barren that most of the spiritual energy had already been absorbed before anyone could go there to probe. So, I think that Nate destroyed the treasure in the process of absorbing it. Otherwise, we would have picked up his traces by now."
One of the old men asked, "What about that guy, Hao Ren, was it? Why was he there?"
Tara replied, "Investigation shows that he and his wife were on the tour of their foundation offices. They did not even go near that area until the earthquake damage was assessed by their companies. They are clear."
The old people nodded, Tara was their liaison with the other extraordinary men. In reality they were the fallen and trash scions from the Spirit Shimmer Continent. They fed the people with poison pills to ensure that all their instructions were followed. They would provide them with a dosage of antidote pills, but that was only to be eaten when the month was up or they might explode.
After finishing their tea, the old men vanished from their spots, and only Tara was left behind sitting alone. After a few minutes, she mumbled, "No wonder, things are like this."
A young man appeared behind her and asked, "What do you mean?"
Tara replied, "These men are all worth nothing in there, but here they want all of us to dance to their tune. This is why things are turning out worst. The order of the mortal world is in jeopardy because they are doing thing in such a manner."
The young man replied, "But, is that not what is necessary to keep the strong people under control?"
Tara shook her head and replied, "Max, if the people with power are suppressed and then made into slave, how long do you think they will tolerate this shit? It is only a matter of time before someone revolts or die trying."
Max sighed and said, "What can we do? We don't have the power to deal with them, at least not just yet."
Tara nodded and sighed as the two of them began to discuss some other issues.
...
On the other hand, Hao Ren and Han Lingshi were riding their bikes through the night to reach the Jade Capital City faster. Han Lingshi asked, "So, we have three months left before the wedding ceremony, any ideas how you want it to be?"
Hao Ren replied, "Yes, you can handle the business and sit back while I get you a dress, and fix the venue."
Han Lingshi chuckled and asked, "Why does it seem like you are going to give me a big surprise?"
The young man lined his bike beside her and turned to look at her as he said, "Yes. I do, actually."
After a few minutes, Han Lingshi said, "How dare you keep me in the dark when it is about my wedding ceremony?"
Hao Ren chuckled and turned the throttle to full as he rode away, and Han Lingshi chased behind him. Han Lingshi had tried asking Xiao Mei about it all, and found that Hao Ren has put a password that she could not crack.
...
After they reached the city, life returned to normal. Hao Ren dedicated himself to the holographic projection project, cooking meals for his wife, and cultivating like a maniac. After two weeks, Han Lingshi got a call that Village Head Rati has passed away. She took a flight and went there to pick up Agni. She delivered on what she promised and Rati had prepared Agni for this too.
She even went ahead and named the young couple as the potential nominee as Agni's guardians. Han Lingshi came along with Hao Ren's signed letter and the city officials approved the proceedings. Two days later, Han Lingshi flew in with Agni, and Hao Ren went there to pick them up.
The young man drove an off road vehicle, and he found Agni following the young lady wearing an identical pair of clothing. He smiled and embraced Han Lingshi before he said, "You look so nice."
Han Lingshi pinched him sneakily and said, "Don't act like this, I was only gone for three days."
Hao Ren winced but then he spotted a little head looking around with almost no emotion flickering through her eyes. The young man sighed, he could understand, that Rati was the only person she could have called family and now that person was gone, so she was indeed detached from the world.
He crouched down before her and said, "Agni, are you not going to greet me?"
Agni looked at him and said, "Good Evening."
Hao Ren reached out and patted her head as he said, "Would you like to eat something nice?"
Agni shook her head but Hao Ren knew how to make her eat and how to bring her back to full bloom. Then they drove back to the villa, and Hao Ren entered the kitchen directly. Han Lingshi went in to change, and Agni was left alone in the living room with Grace.
When Han Lingshi returned, she found that the girl was no where to be found. It turned out that Hao Ren had made a soup and awakened the demon in Agni's stomach.
The time seemed to have grown wings and in a blink two months have went by, today, Hao Ren was holding a press conference.