The next day, before they left Feicui Long says goodbye to his in-laws and tells them: "That is all for now mother and father, we will leave, I hope to see you soon for the end of year party and celebrate new year together and maybe you should come to visit my small village."
Johan answers him smiling kindly as always: "Of course we will see each other at the party and I hope to see my granddaughters soon."
Cecilia on the other hand stays silent for a while and says: "Hmm we will see each other at the new year party… as for visiting your village, I think it will have to wait… I am going to try to awaken my bloodline."
Hearing this, all the companions fall silent, most because they don't understand everything, but those who do understand because of what Isabella told them look at her astonished.
Isabella looks at her mother very worried and tells her: "Are you sure mom?, isn't it better to wait a little longer?"
Cecilia shakes her head: "No, soon the war will break out and I want to avenge my grandfather and great-grandfather with my own hands, I want to avenge the blood of the innocents spilled with my own strength, my cultivation was stuck a long time in the earthly palace realm grade 5 advanced stage and thanks to my son-in-law, I was able to advance a little more."
Then she adds: "But even so it is insufficient, if I want to rise in cultivation quickly I will need to awaken my lineage, besides that will increase my combat power, so with that my desire will be fulfilled."
Isabella looks at her mother very agitated and worried, she herself knows how hard that trial was… Feicui Long who is watching this finally speaks and says: "It is fine mother, but then take this, I think you will really need it."
Feicui Long gives her recovery medicines, healing and some spare support and defense talismans, but the most important is a bottle made of conservation quartz.
He tells her: "In this bottle there is 1 pill of the celestial sovereign's mental calm, it will serve you greatly, it can totally calm your mind and soothe it, free it temporarily from all that could hinder you temporarily, take it before entering the last trial."
Cecilia was going to reject it, but Feicui Long put his hand on his mother-in-law's shoulder and shakes his head and says: "The last trial is too difficult… Isabella passed it because she is stubborn and with a heart of iron, but even I could lose it, because there are times that the worst enemy is not a powerful enemy or even oneself… but your own regrets and the demons you carry inside you."
Feicui Long was not lying, although the last trial is difficult, since it is really hard to face yourself, an exact copy with the same cultivation realm, powers and artifacts, combat memories and abilities.
But that really is nothing, when that copy can use your worst demons against yourself, exploit your fears and insecurities, all this in a battle between equals, it can lead you to a certain death, because a single distraction is enough for the rival to end you with a single blow.
Cecilia then a little trembling squeezes the bottle in her hand and without asking anything she keeps it in her personal ring, it was impossible not to realize that Feicui Long is right, just like him, she has many regrets and remorse, her own demons that torment her day after day… and although she is not afraid, she cannot avoid trembling at the idea of facing them…
After this brief exchange, Feicui Long and his people march back to the forest to cross it and go to their village, to their new home…
…
At the entrance of the forest… a small group of five women all dressed in different ways, some with silk clothes and imposing patterns, another with cotton clothes but covered with an armor, another brought a silk robe but with discreet patterns and so the other two also had slight differences.
One of the women tells the one who wears a plate armor with emerald engravings: "Emma… Are you sure that it is here where the venerable great emerald-golden dragon told you to come?"
Emma Stein being as calm and careless as always says: "Of course yes, Mila, why would I bring you all with me if I lied?, I swear it by the supreme dragon god, the venerable lord of power, space and time." During the last part Emma raised her hand and hit her chest with the other.
All then sighs and simply waits…
Soon in front of them a group of people was approaching finally to them, in the front a very handsome man could be seen while riding a wild wind mare in company of another very beautiful woman.
The group approached the 5 women who traveled in a small cart full of religious symbols and two horses with green scales, then the two groups stopped and looked at each other for a while.
Emma Stein looks at this man… it was him, the very same who returned the lost techniques to the temple of the emerald dragon god.
hen she falls on one knee and lowers her head, her four companions do the same following her example.
In the other group all the women are left astonished, opening their eyes wide and with their mouths open barely breathing, while they thought that all of this was too sudden and wondering where the hell these crazy ones came from.
Only the leader… Feicui Long is calm. Since he called this girl using his restored connection with that specific temple in Vienna already 3 months ago, he had already calculated that they would arrive today.
Then Feicui Long smiles and says: "You may rise Miss Emma Stein, you don't need to be so formal with me, I see that you decided to change from being a warrior priestess to the path of a draconic paladin."
When all the companions of Feicui Long and his troops heard this, they finally calmed down, they looked at the five girls from top to bottom, then the symbols on the simple carriage and saw the symbol of a western emerald dragon and an eastern emerald dragon chasing each other, they realized that they were from the temple of the emerald dragon god… that is, believers of Feicui Long.
Emma stands up and says looking into his eyes with shining eyes: "This… is thanks to you young lord, the gratitude we have is enormous, your contributions are incredible, even the great priestess says that you are the hero of our temple."
Feicui Long denies that with his hand and says: "I did nothing more than deliver to you what is legitimately yours by right, so you don't have to thank me much for that… on the other hand, why do I have the pleasure of finding you around here?"
Emma embarrassed scratches her cheek: "You see young lord… it is that I received an oracle from the newly returned emerald dragon god, he told me to come here and wait for you, that you would be the one who could guide me on my path and that thus I could fulfill a mission that he had for me."
All her companions turned to look at him with a very strange look, also his nieces, even his troops who don't look at him so directly out of respect, throw short and strange glances.
Isabella at his side pinches him and looks at him with a raised eyebrow saying: "Darling what is this about?"
Feicui Long coughs and tells her whispering: "I'll explain later… for the moment let me continue."
Feicui Long turns his gaze to the four women clearing his throat and says: "I see, it so happens that yes, I was just looking for someone from the emerald-golden dragon temple."
Feicui Long interrupts his dialogue to give it suspense and then adds: "I was planning to open a temple in honor of the emerald-golden dragon god in my newly founded village, but I needed someone to take control over it, I don't know if you would like to take charge."
The paladin girl named Emma has her eyes shine almost like stars and says: "Of course yes young lord!, How could we refuse!? or am I wrong Mila!"
The girl named Mila who obviously is a dragon priestess answers a little shyly saying: "Emma is right… helping the hero of the temple is a great honor, but helping him even more in the establishment of a temple in honor of the sovereign of power, is a great honor… especially for a minor priestess like me…"
The other girls also respond in unison: "For us it is a great honor to be able to take control of this temple!"
Feicui Long then says: "Alright, then it will be a pleasure for us that you accompany us on this journey."
…
During the one-week journey, Isabella, Caroline, Freja and the twins became familiar with this group of five and learned the name of all of them, each one fulfilled a different role.
The leader is Emma Stein an initiated paladin, while she was accompanied by her right hand, childhood friend and best friend, Mila Schmidt a minor priestess, Lily Freedman member of the commerce and economy branch of the temple and friend of the two.
The other two are also part of the group of friends, one is Haru Hayashima member of the administrative branch of the temple and the last is Carla Gutiérrez a combat priestess, a role similar but different to a warrior priestess, since the combat priestess specializes in long-distance combat.
In the same way although Lily and Haru belong to auxiliary branches and not combat, they also know how to fight and support, being also cultivators.
But all this calm was interrupted by a question from Emma: "Young lord… I have been wondering, what is that emblem that is embedded in the breastplate of your troops?"
The question of fire has finally arrived…