Xue Beng and Xue Qinghe eyed the guards in front of the door to the meeting room. It was one of father's preferred working spaces when he really had to get work done. Ensconced by the bulk of the Castle with a viewing window that showed a carefully manicured garden, the room was one of the quietest and calmest places in the Palace.
"Beng'er, Qing'er, come in, come in. Have a seat wherever you'd like!" Xue Ye was not a physically imposing man. He had a presence that seemed to make him shorter, or perhaps, more affable. People liked to be in his presence because his reactions could be the life of a party. He wasn't someone who could lead a conversation or drive it places, Xue Ye was someone who got swept up in the wave of a conversation and made everyone with him happy to be there with him. In a different life he'd have been a fantastic second-generation nouveau-riche; one of the highlights of every event he could make it to.
""Royal Father"" Xue Qinghe and Xue Beng acknowledged before making their way to some of the chairs in front of Xue Ye, the Emperor of Tian Dou.
"Now that the pageantry in the throne room is done with, how are the two of you doing? I got some numbers from my informants but those never tell me how things actually are." Xue Ye complained playfully, Xue Beng could see how his body language angled towards them as if he was preparing to listen closely to their every word.
"We're doing better now that we're home father! Being here is like breathing easier after the hard work of the last two months." Xue Beng saw his father relax in joy at Xue Qinghe's words, "And then we'd come here to the palace and had to wait for hours before meeting you only to be 'rewarded' with more work. I don't even know if you actually want us around~." Xue Qinghe's voice rapidly change between sincere flattery and the teasing a child does to get their parent's attention.
Xue Ye acted as if injected with chicken blood. "Of course you're welcome in your own home Qing'er. If you want me to call off this-"
Xue Qinghe hurriedly interrupted, "No father, that's not it. I'm glad to be able to do this for you and the Empire. Master Ning and all the ministers and generals will also be able to see that all of my training hasn't gone to waste. I just wanted to come home and stay with you and all of the people we left behind for two months." Xue Beng could see Xue Ye shrink on himself a bit as if under the weight of Xue Qinghe's recrimination.
"Even though we can't be layabouts for quite as long, surely we could spend a day or two out in the city for the festival, as a family." Xue Qinghe implored a little morosely before a spark lit up in his eyes and he stared up at father. "In fact, a little time together could help us work together on the preparations for managing Balak and Fasinuo. Brother Beng certainly has people to see, as do I." Xue Ye appeared to perk up a bit as he turned to regard his other son.
With two of the heads in the room turning to him, Xue Beng could only nod and affirm, "I could certainly spend a day or two with the both of you and a few evenings meeting with, uh, individuals I should have said goodbye to in person instead of through a letter." Xue Beng admitted with a little shame.
"Ha-ha my son, if that is what you're asking then I'll grant it." Xue Ye said excitedly. "We'll spend tomorrow together as a family while I spend this evening getting some affairs in order. I have all the preparations for your trip ready but I can have the ministers involved gather so you can ask them some questions of your own this evening."
Xue Ye smirked a little before continuing, "You both can also get around to saying hello to 'individuals' that required a personal goodbye."
The Emperor of Tian Dou took a look at his desk before sighing a little and then turned back to them, "The two of you can spend the rest of today getting your own affairs in order and we can have more business talk when the conversation tomorrow gets stale!" Xue Ye winked at them and shooed them away.
—
Xue Beng walked through the courtyards of Tian Dou academy. The buildings were clean and polished. What trees and greenery that were allowed to be around were obviously cared for. Statues and banners with couplets or famous sayings on them were visible everywhere he cared to look.
The academy was the pride of the city and its attempt to live up to that could be felt in the air.
Xue Beng found himself in the part of the academy set aside for the Heaven-class students. That was, of course, everyone of a certain talent and pedigree.
The sounds of fighting could be heard from a nearby field. Xue Beng made his way closer before stopping to watch.
Spirit energy roiled around the field like wind in a storm. Spirit masters raced their way around each other wielding weapons and spirit skills about, and at, each other.
Xue Beng noted the waves of energy coming off each of the figures and the martial spirits they wielded or infused their bodies with.
A possessor of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit clashed with two defensive spirit masters that possessed Black Turtle martial spirits. There was two agility type spirit masters dancing around the defensive combatants; one had a Wind Chime Bird martial spirit and the other had a Black Leopard martial spirit.
Xue Beng made his way onto the field and flared his own energy out and suppressed the entire field for a breath before stopping.
"""Your Highness.""" Shouts echoed from around the field as he made his way towards Qin Ming.
"Relax!" Xue Beng shouted to the field before turning towards his target.
"Teacher Qin Ming, I'm here for Dugu Yan and Ye LingLing." Xue Beng notified him before turning again towards the people he mentioned.
"Big Brother Xue!" "Brother Xue!"
Xue Beng smiled at the familiar voices but he decided that they could talk in the carriage he rode here, "Yan'er, Ling'er, it is good to see you. I've come to bring you to your grandfather for a personal matter."
Dugu Yan and Ye LingLing looked at him and at each other before saying their goodbyes and gathering their things.
Xue Beng took Dugu Yan and Ye LingLing and made way for the outside of the academy towards his carriage.