Piao Ling'er pondered and said, "Perhaps it's because of my father, the Emperor. He knows me and is afraid of me."
"Who is your father?" Ming Zhi Tian asked.
"Emperor Piao Yan," Piao Ling'er replied.
"Oh." Ming Zhi Tian had never heard of him.
Piao Ling'er continued, "I think you're quite formidable. Just last time, when you single-handedly slew the Obsidian Demon Beast, I could tell you were no ordinary person. Given time, I believe you could defeat not only those at the tenth level of the Awakening Realm but even those at the first level of the Divine Luo Realm."
Ming Zhi Tian smiled faintly. "You have a good eye."
"Naturally," Piao Ling'er said proudly. "You forget whose daughter I am."
"Where are we going?" Ming Zhi Tian asked.
Piao Ling'er pointed in a direction. "Come visit my home. I have a gift for you that would suit you quite well."
"What gift?" Ming Zhi Tian inquired.
Piao Ling'er placed a slender, fair finger to her lips. "Shh... It's a secret. You'll know when we get there. I guarantee you'll like it."
Ming Zhi Tian scratched his head. "You just saved me, and I haven't had a chance to repay you, yet you want to give me a gift? Isn't that a bit much?"
Piao Ling'er pouted. "Are you even a man? So hesitant and indecisive. Are you coming or not?"
"I..." Ming Zhi Tian began.
Piao Ling'er grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Alright, let's go."
As he felt her delicate hand, her long and beautiful fingers, Ming Zhi Tian felt a stir in his heart. Her hand was so soft.
She walked very close to him. Along the way, breathing in Piao Ling'er's natural feminine scent, they arrived at the Sacred Imperial Land Sect.
The palace was magnificent and vast, its structure entirely composed of white bricks and golden tiles. A beggar thrown at the entrance could pick up a brick and become rich.
Upon entering the Sacred Imperial Land Sect, the young masters from various families gawked with slack jaws at Piao Ling'er's exquisite figure, their eyes never leaving her.
Even the women were envious, touching their own faces and lamenting their short statures, feeling utterly inferior.
Soon, whispers began to spread, as Piao Ling'er had never brought a strange man home before.
They entered the sect's manor, and Piao Ling'er led him through a corridor to her private chamber. "Ming Zhi Tian, please wait here for me."
A chamber was not easily entered by men, and Ming Zhi Tian nodded understandingly. "Okay."
Before long, Piao Ling'er emerged, having changed her attire and carrying a box.
She had swapped her original rosy makeup and embroidered robes for a light purple silken gown, exuding a different charm.
Piao Ling'er glanced at him and smiled slightly. "Here, this is for you. Open it and see if you like it."
Ming Zhi Tian accepted the box. "Thank you."
He opened it to reveal a pair of Immortal-grade gauntlets. They bore a three-clawed dragon pattern, with white outer shells, emitting spiritual fluctuations. They were actually a magical artifact capable of evolving!
Ming Zhi Tian handed the gauntlets back. "This is too precious. I can't accept it."
Piao Ling'er immediately looked displeased. "Ming Zhi Tian, do you look down on me?"
Ming Zhi Tian frowned. "No, why would you say that?"
Piao Ling'er explained, "I, Piao Ling'er, have never taken back anything I've given away. Since I'm gifting it to you, I won't take it back. If you don't want it, then so be it. I'll just throw it away."
"Don't!" Ming Zhi Tian quickly took the box back. "My dear young lady, aren't you being a bit too extravagant? An Immortal-grade magical artifact, and you'd just throw it away?"
"Do you want it or not?" Piao Ling'er asked.
"Yes, yes, absolutely! Who wouldn't want it? I'd be a fool not to." Ming Zhi Tian put them on to test their fit.
They fit quite well. "Do they have a name?"
"Dragon Tamer Gauntlets," Piao Ling'er replied.
Ming Zhi Tian's eyes lit up. "A good name! Are they perhaps the treasure of some powerful being?"
Piao Ling'er shook her head. "I don't know. Anyway, they were given to me by someone else. I practice with a long whip, so I have no use for them."
Ming Zhi Tian then placed the Dragon Tamer Gauntlets into his storage bag. "Since you're giving me something, I should give you something too."
"You don't have to..." Piao Ling'er waved her hand.