NOVEL WEB AZI Vol 1 Chapter 26 to 30
Chapter 26
“Well, hurry the hell up then.”
Getting off the phone, Ye Chen who had just contacted GC012’s main command tower drops the device into the cup holder.
“What did they say?”
“Same old BS about how it would take time to get people here.”
“Any regrets on taking this task up?”
“…”
Towards Li Xue’s question, Ye Chen can’t help but wince.
Indeed, had he not taken this task up, or if he had performed a proper investigation ahead of time into this patrol zone, they wouldn’t have had the chance to encounter that thing.
“Ai, guess I was in far too great of a rush. New place, new rules, new crap to get used to.”
Maintaining the speed of the truck, Ye Chen and the others headed for the next patrol area.
………
“…”
Glancing back behind him, Long Hua can’t help but notice that the steel hound is starting to grow larger in size—making it capable of covering greater distances with each leap.
At the same time, all the damage it had sustained during its exchange with everyone else had already vanished.
(The red mist that appears during stage two…)
Although Long Hua has never seen or fought an Apotheosized Sinner until today, he has nevertheless read some research articles about them during his time spent in S09.
“Hm?”
Looking up at the skies and into the far distance, Long Hua sees a gear rotating faster than the others.
If it is an ordinary animal that is being transported into this realm, then the gears wouldn’t be spinning as fast as it is doing so right now.
(What is up with today? An Apotheosized Sinner and now an Immortal is about to descend. I’ve basically got the entire threat to humanity package here.)
Thinking for a bit, a smile appears on Long Hua’s face as an idea pops into his head.
(That Immortal should be able to handle this thing better than me.)
Having a direction on where to go now, Long Hua sends one of his serpents to the front.
With it biting onto a piece of rubble firmly, he begins to retract it causing his body to be pulled forward.
Maintaining this method of movement, Long Hua heads for the area that is directly beneath the rotating gear.
………
*…!* beneath a rotating gear, a pillar of white light descends, and from within this pillar, a figure—dressed in white Han robes, emerges from within.
Held in the Immortal’s right hand is a sword that measures at three feet in length with a taotie patterned handguard. Attached to its pommel is a decorative white tassel.
(So this is the Lěng Bīng (冷兵) Realm?)
Looking at the barren landscape that surrounds him, the black-haired Immortal, Huāng Wú (荒芜) smirks with contempt, as he stands above a swirling platform of invisible energy to take in the scenery.
As the pillar of white light behind his back dissipates fully, Huang Wu is just about to take a single step forward, but—
(Hm?)
A figure dressed in black leaps towards him from the ground, and following behind this figure, is another figure, which turns out to be a steel hound—emanating red mist from its joints!
(Two weapon spirits?)
Seeing the two aforementioned weapon spirits, the smile of contempt on Huang Wu’s face widens, as he takes a step forward.
………
(Fast.)
As the Immortal approaches him in less than the time it would take to blink, Long Hua narrows his eyes, and before the Immortal could draw their sword, Long Hua reaches his right hand out and presses them by the shoulder.
Using the Immortal as a piece of footing, Long Hua leaps forward while tossing the aforementioned Immortal towards the steel hound that had been a thorn by his side.
………
(This bastard!)
Realizing that he is being used as a tool by the figure in black, rage flares within Huang Wu’s heart, but right now he can only choose to focus on the steel hound that is approaching him with its claws lunged outwards.
*Scrrrr…!* drawing out his sword with a blade that is etched with the image of a kūnpéng (鲲鹏) divine beast in flight, Huang Wu slashes at the steel hound and sends it falling towards the ground.
In the same instance, Long Hua lands on top of a building with half of its rooftop missing.
“…”
Looking down at his right hand that had touched the Immortal, Long Hua couldn’t help but frown in confusion.
(Strange… What kind of feeling is this? Ling…- Spirit Qi…?)
The term rolls off Long Hua’s tongue with a strange sense of familiarity.
(Sit in lotus posture. Eyes shut, clear your mind of all thoughts, breath lightly, feel the spirit Qi that dwells in all of nature.)
A strict voice speaks within Long Hua’s mind, instructing him.
“…”
*Thud.* hearing this strict voice, Long Hua instinctively folds his legs and assumes a lotus seating posture while closing his eyes.
Rather quickly, he clears his head of all thoughts and adjusts his breathing.
(Spirit Qi, dwells in all of nature.)
Leaving everything to instinct, Long Hua attempts to capture the flow of spirit Qi that is in the air.
In the same instance—
(Over 3,000 Daos to choose from and walk through; not one is more superior than the other—for there exists only what’s the most suitable for the individual.)
The same voice that had instructed him speaks once more.
(Cultivate not the Dao, but the heart—for the Dao is within your heart.)
(With the flesh and blood body of a mortal, challenge the natural orders of life. Even if you must burn yourself to ashes, you must transmit your message of not wanting to be confined by the natural orders to the law makers above. That is what it means to cultivate; that is what it means to be a cultivator.)
(The Heavens is a furnace, what makes it impossible for the human body to be the same?)
(Five great elements emerge from the depths of the Earthen realms, their names are metal, wood, water, fire, and the earth itself. Absorb any one of them and you attain a foundation to build upon. Absorb all five, you perfect the grand circles of mortal realm cultivation and ascend to the basic realms of immortality.)
(What is it my foolish disciple? You say, the fortune was taken by someone else? So what? The many missed opportunities that you fail to grasp in life are missed because the best choice that is exclusively yours is always meant to be last.)
“…”
Hearing this voice—that is at times gentle, at times strict, but at all times caring—Long Hua can’t help but smile, as the world of darkness that he sees through his mind’s eye transforms.
At this time, thin strands of spirit Qi are scattered throughout the air.
Chapter 27
(Tough one, but that will just make it even more worthwhile—when I slay it!)
*Klang! Klang! Klang!* fending off the steel hound’s claws with his sword, Huang Wu can’t help but feel a rush of excitement coursing through his body with each hit that he manages to land on the former’s body.
As someone that is labeled as an Immortal by the residents of this world, this beast couldn’t be anything less than prey to him with his current level of cultivation.
*Grawr!* as the steel hound raises a roar, the red mist that emanates from its joints turns denser, causing Huang Wu to constrict his eyes in surprise.
(This thing… Seems like it’s capable of strengthening itself further. What a find!)
Thinking of this, Huang Wu laughs aloud, as his attacks increase in aggression—forcing the steel hound to take on defensive maneuvers.
“Heh.”
Just as Huang Wu takes another step forward—
*Boom!!!* thunder roars, and abruptly rain begins to fall.
“What’s going on?”
Startled by the sudden change in weather, Huang Wu looks around in confusion.
Exploiting this opportunity, the steel hound turns the other way and begins to flee. Its instincts told it that it couldn’t possibly hope to defeat the Immortal in its current state.
“What?”
Directing his eyes towards a damaged building that is missing half its rooftop, Huang Wu sees the figure of Long Hua sitting in lotus posture.
(Who is this person? Isn’t he a weapon spirit? How is he…?)
In a world that is only visible to Immortals like Huang Wu, all the thin strands of spirit Qi that are in the air are being gathered towards Long Hua—almost as if he is a black hole.
(…Is he a rogue practitioner who wandered into this realm?)
As this thought crosses Huang Wu’s mind, 28 bolts of lightning simultaneously descend from above, and head towards Long Hua.
(28 bolts? This…)
The event of lightning descending upon practitioners, who are ascending to another realm of cultivation is called a tribulation.
Only by accepting these bolts of lightning with their body and surviving through them can a practitioner be deemed to have successfully taken another step forward—on their long journey towards true immortality.
“…”
Opening his eyes with them emanating a pale white glow, Long Hua raises his head towards the dark skies.
In that instance, the 28 bolts of lightning merge together to become a single bolt that is as thick as a tree truck, and towards it—
(Rotate your cultivation base and transfer the energy to your fists. Strike firmly with the intent to-)
“Destroy.”
Maintaining his lotus seating posture, Long Hua strikes the falling bolt of lightning with his right fist, and upon contact—
*BOOM!!!* the lightning bolt shatters!
“…”
Dusting off the static electricity that is coiling around his hand, Long Hua looks to Huang Wu—who is gazing back at him with an expression of astonishment.
(This person… One hit and he cleared his tribulation?)
As the rainfall worsens, Long Hua rises to a stand and descends from the rooftop to land a few meters away from Huang Wu.
“Who are you? What are you doing here in Leng Bing Realm?”
At first a look of surprise appears on Long Hua’s face towards his own ability to understand the Immortal’s tongue.
To the residents of this world, the tongue spoken by the Immortals is a language that they haven’t had much luck wrapping their heads around.
“Leng Bing Realm?”
“You don’t know what the Leng Bing Realm is? Must be a rogue practitioner for sure.”
Almost as soon as he had said this, doubt appeared in Huang Wu’s head.
(Strange… Without a special medallion like the one that I’m carrying, a person can’t possibly hope to use their cultivation base here in Leng Beng Realm, and yet…)
Directing an odd look towards Long Hua, Huang Wu asks—
“You’ve at least heard of the Líng Yuán (灵源) family have you not?”
“Ling Yuan?”
Finally, it is Huang Wu’s turn to make a look of surprise, as he asks—
“What sort of countryside bumpkin are you to not have heard of my household’s name? We’re-”
“Forget it. You got a storage type magic treasure on you?”
“I have a storage pouch.”
“Oh? I see.”
Towards Huang Wu’s answer, Long Hua smirks as he holds his right hand out flattened.
“Hand it over.”
Approaching Huang Wu with a speed that left behind afterimages, Long Hua makes a grab towards the green drawstring pouch that is hanging from the former’s black sash.
Towards Long Hua’s approach, Huang Wu immediately takes a step back while lashing his sword outwards!
“…”
Bending his knees, Long Hua evades the sword that is being swung at him.
Just as the sword is positioned directly above his face, Long Hua transfers his entire body weight onto his left foot while launching his right leg upwards!
“Ack!”
Having been kicked beneath his wrist, Huang Wu loosens the grip of his sword causing it to fly into the air.
“…”
Straightening his posture, Long Hua takes one step forward and grounds himself firmly in place, while launching a palm strike aimed at Huang Wu’s chest.
(The spirit Qi contained in one’s body is not inexhaustible. With your current level of cultivation, it wouldn’t do for you to always shroud your body with it. Only rotate your cultivation base—when you are given the opportunity to attack, and only shroud the portion of your body that you are striking with.)
Recalling these instructions, Long Hua lands his attack causing Huang Wu to grimace with pain as he takes five steps backwards.
Simultaneously, Huang Wu’s sword that was knocked out of his hand lands and stabs itself into the ground.
“You…! What sort of cultivation method did you utilize…? You can’t possibly be at Foundation Establishment yet.”
Towards Huang Wu’s disbelief, Long Hua clenches his hand into a fist and holds it out to the former.
“Cultivation method? Is that your excuse? In that case, my cultivation method is called Beating My Son on a Rainy Day Because I’m Bored.”
Chapter 28
“Cultivation method? Is that your excuse? In that case, my cultivation method is called Beating My Son on a Rainy Day Because I’m Bored.”
Having said these words, Long Hua closes the distance and throws out a series of punches and kicks that are either avoided or are blocked by Huang Wu in haste.
“What is this? Losing your sword makes you only know how to dodge and block? Is that it?”
With a sharp roundhouse kick, Long Hua knocks the scabbard of the sword out of Huang Wu’s left hand.
“Piss off! If you’re a practitioner, why are you fighting like a barbarian?”
Distancing himself from Long Hua, Huang Wu performs a series of incantation gestures and at the point of his index finger—
“Eat this!”
From the tip of Huang Wu’s finger, a beam of light shoots forth and towards its approach, Long Hua kicks off the ground to retreat.
“…”
Glancing behind him, Long Hua sees Huang Wu’s sword that is stabbed into the ground. Intent on grabbing it, he aligns his right hand with its handle.
(Hmph. That magic treasure has already acknowledged me as its owner, you can’t possibly hope to use it.)
Expecting Long Hua to experience a backlash from attempting to grasp the weapon, Huang Wu smirks with contempt on the inside.
“…Oh?”
Pulling the sword out of the ground, Long Hua does indeed feel a discomforting sense of pain in his right hand along with the warmth of his own blood.
Should this pain that is akin to having numerous needles stabbed into one’s flesh be prolonged, it wouldn’t be strange for his right hand to become crippled.
(Divine Weapon of Tai Xuan!)
Upon Long Hua speaking the full name of Tai Xuan in his head, the pain subsides and with it, a veil of golden radiance emanates from Huang Wu’s sword.
Raising the sword, Long Hua divides the beam of light that Huang Wu had fired off.
“Uh?”
As the sword’s golden radiance begins to dim, Huang Wu’s expression abruptly freezes.
Even from this distance, he can evidently feel that his sword has become a lot stronger than before.
“Kūn, (鲲) the kun used in kunpeng.”
Looking at the sword’s black handle that had the character for kun carved onto it, Long Hua nods his head.
“Charming name this is indeed. Long-mou, humbly receives your gift, fellow Daoist.”
Addressing himself with his surname that is attached to an honorific, while speaking in an archaic dialect, Long Hua cups his hands together with the sword in his grip, and bows mockingly towards Huang Wu’s direction.
With how perfectly this formal bow had been performed; one would surely believe Long Hua to be someone from the same homeland as Huang Wu should he be dressed in a similar attire.
“You…!”
Sensing his connection to his sword severed, Huang Wu holds down the urge to spew out a mouthful of blood as a vein pops on his forehead.
“Just who the hell are you?”
Straightening his posture, Long Hua smiles, and answers—
“Who knows?”
Looking towards the cloud filled skies, Long Hua felt the urge to smash it apart along with the numerous gears that lie beyond the layers.
(Ai, with my strength right now, I can only dream of doing that.)
Redirecting his gaze back at Huang Wu, Long Hua speaks with contempt.
“Your cultivation base should be anywhere between Qi Condensation stage one to stage five; can’t be higher than six for certain. Mine… 28 bolts rained on me, so I should be at Qi Condensation stage seven.”
“…”
Hearing this assessment, and recalling that 28 lightning bolts had indeed rained upon Long Hua a few moments ago, Huang Wu can’t help but turn pale, as the former begins to approach him with a calm smile on his face.
“W-Wait, you said, you wanted my storage pouch, you can have it if you just let me go. Realistically speaking, neither of us have a blood feud with one another. Can’t we just sit down and talk like civilized gentlemen? Besides, my household would surely realize my death and they’d-”
Towards Huang Wu’s words, Long Hua continues to smile, and answers—
“My shīzūn (师尊) taught me that come hell and highwaters, trouble can be found anywhere in the pugilistic world—where deaths and betrayals occur on a daily basis over the opportunity to obtain fortune. Greed, hatred, ignorance, contempt, there’s numerous words that can be used to describe both the environment and the people involved with this world. If you wish to kill someone, do so with the conviction that they will kill you, and if they bring up their backers as an excuse to let them go…”
Towards these words, Huang Wu gulps down his spit.
“Kill them with the conviction that you shall be chased from one end of the world to the other.”
“That’s exactly why you shou-”
“However, if I don’t kill you, you might leak my identity to your clansmen, and then drag over ten buddies of yours forward to take revenge. I may be able to kill you and those buddies of yours as well, but then…”
With less than a few more meters to cover before he has Huang Wu within the reach of his blade, Long Hua presses his brows together with the flavor of his smile turning cruel.
“I invite myself to have to deal with the old for killing the young.”
“…”
“Before I send you off on your way, let me show you how to really use a sword—as taught to me by my shizun.”
With a laxed hold over the sword, Long Hua recalls his shizun’s Dao of the sword.
(Sword, to cultivate the sword is to cultivate the mind and body—for the sake of seeking out one’s sword intent. To this day, my sword intent focuses on the words—sharpness, precision, and flexibility. Even if I am holding a blunt stick in my hand, I am still able to cleave a boulder in half with it.)
Raising the sword with his right hand, Long Hua focuses on the words—sharpness, precision, and flexibility, prior to lowering the sword in an extremely simplistic manner.
“…!”
*…!* despite the small bit of distance separating them from one another, the invisible sword Qi that is fired off the cold blade devours the gap, leaving a straight line that starts 36 inches away from Long Hua’s feet until it ends behind Huang Wu’s back.
*Thud! Thud!* as Huang Wu’s body splits in half, a pool of blood is created.
“…”
Inhaling deeply, the spirit Qi that is erupting from Huang Wu’s corpse is absorbed by Long Hua.
(Shizun … I still can’t recall his face. As for my own history with him… Tch, nothing comes to mind. Just how did we separate, and how did I end up here? What was I…-?)
Shaking his head, Long Hua approaches Huang Wu’s corpse while collecting the sword’s scabbard on the way.
Sheathing the sword, Long Hua takes Huang Wu’s storage pouch and tosses the weapon in along with the corpse.
(This corpse could be used to make more IB-09s… They call it an elixir in this world, but it’s probably something similar to what practitioners call pills, which are concocted through alchemy.)
This magic treasure called a storage pouch—is capable of keeping a large number of items within itself, while maintaining them in a fresh state.
“Ai…”
Folding his legs, and seating himself in lotus posture, Long Hua raises a light sigh.
(Forget it. If I can’t remember anything, so be it. That guy mentioned that this world is called Leng Bing… Leng as in cold, bing as in weapon. And this Ling Yuan family…)
Shaking his head, Long Hua dismisses these thoughts and focuses entirely on processing the spirit Qi that he had just absorbed.
(The spirit Qi of this world is far too thin. Unless I kill more practitioners, I can’t possibly advance to the Foundation Establishment realm.)
Had he left Huang Wu alive, he may have been able to acquire more information, but it wouldn’t be wise to do that if the latter had hidden methods to call for reinforcements.
The truth of this world at this time is unimportant when he lacks the strength to confront that truth, so why bother to expose himself to the risks that accompany it?
Chapter 29
“Tch.”
Kicking a rock, Ye Chen clicks his tongue.
It was already nighttime, and Long Hua was still nowhere to be seen.
While there was still daylight out, they had searched the area a bit more, but nothing was found.
“Take a breather. The fact that we haven’t found a corpse, means he’s still alive somewhere.”
Leaning against the truck, Li Xue remarks on this.
“An Immortal descended as well a few hours ago. The longer we stay here, the worse it seems to get.”
“Ai, captain, we really drew the short end of the stick, didn’t we?”
“Next time we take an odd job, I’m doing a roll first. If it’s R, it’s a no go.”
“Captain, you seriously going to decide whether or not to take a job based off that?”
“You got a better idea, 2nd Lieut. Yu Ji?”
Cutting Ye Chen and Yu Ji off, Li Xue says—
“Ai, knock it off you two. Let’s eat first. We can always search more tomorrow.”
“Right? I’m starving. C’mon, captain get the pot out.”
It was also then that another voice joined the conversation, and it was not Qing Yue’s.
“So be it I guess.”
“…”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Welcome back.”
Compared to Ye Chen, Qing Yue, and Yu Ji—who all looked as if they had seen a ghost, Li Xue’s reaction to Long Hua’s sudden appearance at the camp site is much calmer.
“Well then, 2nd lieutenant Long Hua, anything to say for yourself before I knock you on the head?”
“Captain, have a heart. I’ve been chased by a dog, then ran into an Immortal while trying to lose that dog. My body on the outside might seem fine, but I’m pretty battered up on the inside.”
To make it seem more convincing, Long Hua shows his right hand that was scratched up from grabbing onto Kun when it was still connected to Huang Wu as their personal magic treasure.
“Tch. When I say, not to stray too far from the search area, I mean it, so keep it in mind next time.”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
“You ain’t regretting it for shit.”
“As the one who lead that beast to the squad, I felt it to be my responsibility to act as decoy. What’s there to feel regret over now that the task is done, and I’m still alive?”
Placing a hand in front of his chest, Long Hua presents himself as a responsible recruit while smiling on the inside.
“That face of yours right now only makes me want to beat you even more, but whatever. So, what happened to the hound and the Immortal in the end?”
“Hopefully, they killed each other off. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out.”
It goes without saying that the steel hound is still alive, but since it had fled during his exchange with Huang Wu, Long Hua wasn’t interested in chasing after it.
At the same time, that steel hound can also be considered his lucky star for having held Huang Wu back for as long as it did—to buy him time to ascend to Qi Condensation stage seven.
(I get the feeling that I’ll meet that hound again in the future.)
………
Back in the area where Long Hua and Huang Wu had their exchange—
“Hmm this should be the area, but…”
A man who looks to be in his early twenties appears on the site.
With him being dressed in a fancy white suit, along with a pair of black leather shoes, he couldn’t be anything but an odd sight amidst this land of barren rubble.
Other than the man’s white hair being an odd trait, his left eye is covered up with a cloth styled eyepatch.
“Nuó’er (傩儿), what do you think?”
Turning his one golden eye towards his small companion, the white-haired man with the eyepatch smiles.
“Bái Wén (白文), I’m hungry.”
The expressionless companion of the man answers as such.
Much like the man, she also possesses white hair but has purple eyes.
Worn on top of the girl’s head is a black military cap, while the rest of her body is wrapped around a uniform of the same color with a skirt.
“Ai, hold it in for now. A clansman had died a… Most unusual death.”
Kicking a rock with her black boot, Nuo’er tilts her head to the side in boredom, while Bai Wen shuts his right eye and concentrates.
(Interesting. Not only was there an Apotheosized Sinner—as the people of this world would call them, but there was another practitioner here as well. However, they are not a clansman of mine, and…)
A solemn expression appears on the handsome man’s face.
“Sword intent, one that not even I can hope to understand…”
Smiling suddenly, the white-haired man seems amused.
“As he is not a clansman of my household, he shouldn’t have a medallion on his person, and yet he was still able to rotate his cultivation base… Whoever this visitor of Ling Beng Realm is, I do hope to invite them over for a cup of wine or tea.”
“They might not be interested.”
“So be it if they are not. Nay, even if they refuse, I’ll still force them to sit at the same table for a bit. Should this individual come close to an Immortal detection system, they’ll be found immediately. Shouldn’t be too difficult to find them.”
Turning around, Bai Wen nods to himself.
“Come then, Nuo’er. Let us return for a meal.”
………
“Mm anything tastes good when you’re starved.”
Unaware of what had happened back at the site where he had fought Huang Wu, Long Hua eats his meal with an expression of satisfaction.
Using a special method that came from his fragmented memories, he has sealed off his cultivation base completely.
Prior to returning to the squad, he had also tested himself with a computer terminal that had been on the way.
(Still how interesting. This world has machines capable of detecting spirit Qi.)
Chapter 30
Everlasting Spirit Realm, one of the many star regions that exists within the great voids of the outer heavens.
This universe is made up of over 50,000 planets with its center occupied by a colossal landmass of great scale.
Circling around this landmass—that a mortal wouldn’t be able to walk from one end to the other in their entire lifetime—are three suns and three moons, with each of them giving off a resplendent shine that wouldn’t lose to the other.
Within this colossal landmass is a territory that belongs exclusively to an ancient family called Ling Yuan.
The territory of this family spans for many miles; so vast is the Ling Yuan family’s domain that many teleportation magic arrays are setup throughout the various parts of their estate to make moving from one location to the other easier.
The further inward one moves into the Ling Yuan family’s territory, the older the buildings become while the newer buildings tend to be located in the outermost area. That means to say that the deeper one lives within this territory, the higher their standings are within the entire household.
Encompassing the entirety of the Ling Yuan family’s territory is a powerful defensive barrier, which takes on the form of three rings that surround the skies of this household’s estate.
This grand barrier that has protected this household for numerous generations is held up by a total of nine stone pillars—each of which, are inscribed with archaic runes of a lost tongue.
With how large these pillars are, they can easily be mistaken for stone towers at a distance.
Due to the presence of this barrier, a large amount of spirit Qi is constantly being siphoned from the air, making the lands surrounding the Ling Yuan family’s domain not as abundant in this energy compared to the average cultivation households’ domains.
But with this barrier serving to both siphon and to trap spirit Qi within, the Ling Yuan family’s estate is turned into an ideal cultivation environment for the clansmen of this ancient household.
At the center of the estate is the Ling Yuan family’s oldest building, a large temple built out of precious wood and decorated in an extravagant manner with precisely cut shards of immortal jade, one of the two main forms of currency within this realm.
Fireworks dazzle the night skies, for today is considered a festive day for the Ling Yuan family.
Once every 50 years, a celebration would be held to worship the family’s founding ancestor, who came to be known to the masses of this world as the Ling Yuan Ancestor—originally, one of the suns that circled around this vast continent.
That means to say, each sun and moon that resides in the skies are meant to represent an individual of great strength.
A myriad number of tables and chairs are setup throughout the various paths of the family’s estate with guests from afar invited to attend the celebration that is accompanied by wine and meals made from exotic ingredients.
(As expected of a family that belongs to one of the suns of our world. Even though that ancestor of theirs is already gone, they still have a powerful foundation to stand on. I doubt this foundation can be shaken by other cultivation households for the next ten centuries.)
Standing at a less crowded corner is a young girl who looks to be 16 years of age with pink hair and pale purple eyes. If one looks closely, there are a few strands of silver hair hidden away by the dominant pink colors.
Her attire consists of a crane patterned set of white robes over a black layer. Wrapped around her waist is a red sash.
And to the young girl’s side are three individuals dressed in black robes of lesser quality, who serve as her bodyguards.
The young girl’s name is Chén Shì Yào Yīng (尘世耀婴), a descendant of the Chen Shi family and the current clan chief’s second daughter.
“…Oh?”
Taking a sip of the juice from her bronze cup, Yao Ying smiles in reaction to the sweet taste.
“Lady Yao Ying, may I ask that you not drink too much? As it’s a festive day for the Ling Yuan family, all the drinks contain a bit of alcohol in them.”
Seeing the young girl having taken a liking to the flavor of the drink, one of the bodyguards spoke up.
“Ai, this lady rarely gets to come out of the family estate. Shouldn’t I at least enjoy myself when I get the chance?”
Considered to be Chen Shi family’s greatest prodigy seen in the past 200 years, Yao Ying has always been pampered by her family’s older generation clansmen.
But this pampering comes at the cost of her being made to stay within her family’s domain and cultivate in diligence.
Had her elder brother and elder sister not begged their father to let her come out and gain some experience on how to dutifully present herself to others as a member of their family in the future, she would have surely continued to stay cooped up within the Chen Shi family’s territory.
“Your maternal grandfather has instructed us to protect you, so-”
“Two cups. At least grant me that much.”
“Very well.”
Finishing off the bronze cup’s remaining content, Yao Ying thought to head for a nearby table to grab another drink, but—
“Lady Yao Ying, I’m afraid I’ve come bearing you bad news.”
A servant of the Ling Yuan family with sweat covering his forehead runs up to Yao Ying with an expression of great urgency.
“What happened?”
Towards the servant, Yao Ying can’t help but frown.
“Your maternal grandfather, Mò Tóngzǐ (墨童子) was on his way here, but on the road a group of assassins attacked him.”
Handing the bronze cup to one of her bodyguards, Yao Ying asks—
“Did he get injured?”
“The person who came to deliver the news fainted right after, so I wouldn’t kno-”
“Where is he right now?”
“He’s coming in from the northern entrance s-”
“We’re leaving.”
Without waiting for the servant to finish, Yao Ying calls for her bodyguards to leave.
“…”
As both Yao Ying and her bodyguards vanish from sight, the servant’s eyes give off an unusual gleam of sinister intent.
(Ai, young girl is far too inexperienced. Old man Mo Tongzi isn’t someone that just any ordinary group of assassins can hope to injure, much less kill.)