Chapter 2

The speaker slowly walked over to the table where Ti Jiang and Xiang Zhen enjoyed their meals. The person stopped in front of the table and looked at Xiang Zhen with a rather annoyed look on her face before speaking again.

„Father, you need to speak a bit more quietly, else I cannot teach your lovely daughter."

„My apologies, my dear!" he laughed.

Standing close to her father, Xiang Fei giggled as she watched their guest staring at her sister. Ti Jiang stared at the woman that stood inches away from him with wide eyes and his mouth a bit open. She wore a simple dark purple robe and a golden headdress was on the top of her head. Her long black hair was partially down but part of it was in a bun, that was tied with a purple ribbon. She also had two thin golden earrings in her ears. She had stunning facial features. Her voice was absolutely beautiful. Her whole presence was striking in Ti Jiang's opinion. It was love at first sight for him.

S-she must be…the one…that I heard…so many things of…Xiang...Lian…" hethought.

„Anyways, I am very happy that you are here my dear. We have a guest now if you did not notice it!" Xiang Zhen continued happily.

The girl raised her eyebrows and turned to look at Ti Jiang, who quickly stood up and bowed deeply before her.

„I apologize for my rudeness for not greeting you and for not introducing myself earlier my lady. My name is Ti Jiang and I am a wanderer."

She analyzed Ti Jiang from head to toes with her eyes. „Ti…what…? Wanderer…? …really…now …"

She nodded and coldly spoke back to him. „I am Xiang Lian."

Ti Jiang blinked as she stared at him in a weird way. „I…I don't…get it…?"

„Lian! Where are your manners!" said Xiang Fei.

Xiang Lian turned away with a snort. Just then someone ran into the room.

„WAAAAAH!" cried the newcomer and ran up to Xiang Zhen and hugged him tightly.

„What is the matter Hua-Hua?" asked Zhen.

„Daddy, daddy!!! Lian is soooo mean to me!" whined the girl.

„What did your sister do to you?"

„She keeps yelling at me and she orders me around! I can never do what I want!"

„Lian is this true?"

Xiang Lian shook her head. „Hua does not pay attention. No matter how or what I teach her, she always loses focus. She keeps playing around."

Xiang Zhen sweatdropped as he stared at his youngest daughter. Xiang Hua was the „blacksheep" of the family. His son was as dutiful and strong like his grandfather. His eldest daughter was the exact copy of her mother. Xiang Lian was the mirror image of her grandmother...but what about Hua? Who did Hua resemble? Nobody in the family was like Hua. He sweatdropped again as he saw the loving look on her cute face. The little girl was already too busy staring at Ti Jiang. Xiang Zhen sighed deeply and prepared for the worst.

Xiang Hua gasped and slowly walked over to Ti Jiang. She grinned at him happily and loudly introduced herself to him. „Hi! I am Xiang Hua! I am very happy to meet you!!!"

Ti Jiang blinked and bowed to her. „I am Ti Jiang, a wanderer and I am also happy to meet you too."

With the exception of Ti Jiang and Xiang Lian, everybody sighed in the room as Hua giggled and winked at him.

„Great. Just what I have expected from Hua. Again acting like a cheap little singer-girl." Xiang Lian rolled her eyes.

„Shhh, don't say mean things about her." Xiang Fei whispered to her.

„Whatever you say, my dearest sister, but I don't want to see this yet again. I have much more better things to do than to see Hua going lusty over another man. So if you all please, I will excuse myself now." And with that she left the room in a haste.

„Um…um…father, I think I will leave too, so that I can calm Lian down." Fei announced and ran after her.

Xiang Zhen sighed. He felt sorry for poor Ti Jiang, as he would be soon victimized by his daughter, Hua. Ti Jiang sweatdropped and looked around as the petite girl stood before him and kept staring at him lovingly.

---

Xiang Lian walked down the stairs, ignoring her sister's callings to her. As she passed their house's inner gardens, she thought her sister would give up on her, but her way of thinking proved to be incorrect.

„Sister!"

She kept walking.

„Sister…"

And she still kept walking, until Xiang Fei finally caught up to her.

„Sister, what's the matter with you? Why so rude to Hua and to our guest?"

„I don't think I need to explain that to you."

„I saw the way he looked at you. He seemed falling for you!" Fei smiled.

„Just like all the other men around this area."

„Lian, he is different."

„And how would you know that?" asked Lian curiously raising one of her eyebrows at her.

„I feel it. Lord Ti Jiang seems like an honourable man. I am sure he will be the man for you! How nice that would be…my little sister married and having children…" Fei smiled happily.

„If you think he is that good, why not offering Hua to him? He could teach her a thing or two…and who knows, she might turn into a totally different person." She laughed.

„Oh don't be so mean to poor Hua! You know what she is like..."

„Like a pr-…"

„Don't even say it!"

„Fine. Is that all what you wanted to tell me?"

„Well…yes…"

Xiang Fei stopped talking and stared at her sister who turned around and took a few steps towards a lily pond that was close to them. She then stared up at the sky.

„How long do you plan to keep it away from father?" Lian asked her simply.

„What?"

„You know it well what I am talking about…"

„…"

---

Ti Jiang sighed in relief as nobody was left in the room but him and the lord Xiang Zhen. Not that he was bothered by the elder lady Xiangs, but the younger one made him feel uneasy. She was quite clingy and childish. He snapped out of his thoughts and stared at the man seated across him as he spoke.

„Please, forgive my daughters' rude behaviour."

„It is alright Lord Zhen. Nothing happend" he nodded.

The lord sighed and took a sip from his tea, while Ti Jiang's eyes wandered on the paintings that decorated the wall. In total, there were six hanging on the wall, two portraits and one featuring the whole family. Noticing his guest's curiousity of the paintings, Xiang Zhen spoke up.

„That is my late wife."

„She just looks like Lady Xiang Fei."

„She is the exact copy of her mother, both in appearance and in personality." He nodded.

Ti Jiang nodded. The woman looked indeed beautiful, with her gentle eyes and with her radiant smile. He sadly thought that Xiang Lian did not have them, but had sad eyes and she did not smile at all. Xiang Zhen noticed Ti Jiang frowning and continued.

„She passed away giving birth to my youngest son. All of us were deeply affected by her passing. Especially my middle daughter, Lian." Pointing to the other portrait he continued to speak more. „That young lad was my youngest son, Xiang Jiao. He died not so long ago."

„I am sorry Lord Xiang…"

„And that would be our big family." smiled Xiang Zhen proudly at the huge painting.

Ti Jiang stared at it and was amazed by the size of the picture and also that it had sixteen people on it. Ti Jiang's eyes caught two things on the painting. First, that on the left side of the picture, someone's hand was only being painted on the picture, as if the painting was imcomplete and there was a missing part of it. The other was an elderly lady who had a child on her lap and was embracing her. As if knowing what Ti Jiang was thinking, Xiang Zhen looked at him and suprised him with his words.

„That lady is my mother, Xu Lian Yi. She is holding her precious granddaughter Xiang Lian."

Ti Jiang gasped. The lady thought being old, had similar facial features as Xiang Lian. Her lips, her nose, her face's shape, they were the same! „So then she resembles her grandmother…"

„And that man on the left was supposed to be my friend, Ma Teng, but the painting was already too big for us." laughed Xiang Zhen. „Don't worry, he got his own family portrait."

Ti Jiang got suprised that Xiang Zhen would know of the great Ma Teng.

„Lord Xiang, how do you know Lord Ma Teng?"

„For generations, the Xiang family was always in friendly terms with the Ma Clan in the north. It is a lifetime dream of me, that one day our families would become one!" he laughed.

Before Ti Jiang could ask more, a servant boy rushed in to the room. He bowed deeply to the both of them.

„I hope it is very important sonny." stood up Xiang Zhen from his seat sighing.

„Lord Xiang Zhen! You have recieved a message!"

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A/N : I apologize for how late I have posted this! I had lots of problems (will not whine about it lol), but what matters now, that I am here and will work on this fic! (at least will try my best to do so lol)

Let me say thank you to all who have read my fic! Especially to celzlie who will have now a special place in my heart, since she reviewed it first. Thank you very much celzlie!

Celzlie : Thanks for your lovely review! This chapter, I think answers your question, since it implies of the Mas (Ma Chao and his family), but to make it clear yes. Yes of course. Our favourite heros will have important roles in this fic. Mostly everybody will appear in this fic.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you all enjoyed it! Until the next chapter (that hopefully will come out soon)!!!