NOVEL WEB AZI Vol 2 Chapter 26 to 30
Chapter 26
“Fr-… Uh?”
“…”
Towards Long Hua’s expression—that seems to be looking at a fool, Bai Wen looks back at the former with confusion; but before the latter could get a chance to ask the former, why they are reacting in such a manner—
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!* consecutively, roars of thunderous volume go off, as the MAUs fire their cannons!
(Is this guy just an idiot?)
Having positioned himself in a good spot, all the shots had landed on Bai Wen, and thinking them to have died from the cannon fire, Long Hua shakes his head.
However, just as Long Hua takes a step forward—
“…?”
“…”
Blowing the settling clouds of dust aside with a wave of his hand—that conjures up a gentle blast of wind, Bai Wen reveals himself to be completely unscathed, despite having received all the cannon fire with his back.
“Friend, why don’t we step to the side, and have a chat? Those swords you’re holding, I seem to recall seeing them from somewhere else, and in the hands of different people.”
Towards these words, Long Hua’s frown deepens.
If this person has seen Bai Zhe and Kun in the past, then he can only be a Ling Yuan family clansman.
“Your nonsense can wait.”
Bolting pass Bai Wen, Long Hua pushes his way through the remaining RS800s, and just as he is about to arrive at the hotel’s front entrance—
“How long must I wait then? At least give me an estimation.”
Seemingly unable to read the mood, Bai Wen appears to Long Hua’s left—almost as if he had teleported there.
“…”
Ignoring Bai Wen, Long Hua glares at the Moon Guards in front of him—while directing both swords to his right.
Transferring the sword Qi that acts as his armor onto his weapons—Long Hua’s striking range surpasses ten meters.
“…”
*…!* following the winds’ eerie howl, Long Hua rotates his body in place—while swinging his swords to the left, with the intent to draw out a full circle.
(This must be the same sword Qi that killed that clansman of mine.)
Towards the approach of Long Hua’s blades, Bai Wen constricts his one eye, as he leaps into the air, and just barely avoids this slash by the smallest possible margin.
Compared to Bai Wen, the Moon Guards are not as fortunate, as their blood scatters into the air in the next instance.
“…”
Looking down, a Moon Guard widens his eyes—to see that he is distancing himself from his own lower body.
“…!”
Perhaps, the most horrifying aspect of this surreal experience is the painlessness of it all, and even if these Moon Guards wished to scream—there was simply no time for them to do so; for the moment their upper bodies and limbs land, they are abruptly awakened from their state of trance, and simultaneously, they draw their final breath.
(He shouldn’t even be in the Foundation Establishment realm, and yet…)
Landing onto the blood-smeared ground, Bai Wen throws a glance at this scenery of gore—before directing a look of great interest towards Long Hua.
(Tch… This weirdo has good reflexes.)
Lowering his arms, Long Hua inwardly clicks his tongue, as a sense of fatigue washes over him.
Had he not held himself up by using Kun as a support, he would have surely fallen onto his knees.
(Not much, but should still help.)
Seeing the spirit Qi that emanates from the fallen Moon Guards, Long Hua draws in a deep breath of air, and upon absorbing this bit of spirit Qi into his body, his fatigue is alleviated by a minor amount.
Following this—
*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!* the upper bodies of the five MAUs land heavily onto the ground.
“…”
Surrounded by incomplete corpses and large masses of scrap metal, Long Hua straightens his stance, as he directs a cold glare at Nian Tao Tao—who is standing within the hotel with no more than five Moon Guards left to defend her.
(…Even with this many enemies, he still managed to come out on top?)
Having witnessed most of her forces fall right in front of her eyes, beads of sweat form on Nian Tao Tao’s forehead.
“That-”
“Well then, friend, what say you and I have a chat about those swords?”
Before Long Hua can ask Nian Tao Tao about the magic array she had used, Bai Wen forces the former to redirect his attention.
Glancing at Bai Wen, Long Hua answers—
“No time.”
Towards this reply, which is said with a tone that couldn’t be colder, a light chuckle comes from Bai Wen, as he suggests—
“Then make the time.”
“…”
An amicable smile appears on Long Hua’s face in response to Bai Wen’s suggestion, as he replies with—
“No time, means no time, friend.”
Taking a step back to place some distance between them, Long Hua swings both swords at Bai Wen.
“…”
With a composed smile on his face—
*Klang!* Bai Wen draws out a sword of his own from his storage pouch, and defends himself using it.
“Since you’re able to lash your swords out at me, doesn’t this mean that you’ve got plenty of time to spare, friend?”
The sword held in Bai Wen’s right hand is completely white from pommel to blade tip, and measures at three feet in length—with a lotus flower shaped handguard.
“This is a fine sword.”
Compared to Bai Zhe and Kun, Bai Wen’s sword is well above them in grade. This should be a Core Formation realm magic treasure or greater.
“Qiū Shuǐ (秋水) has caught your eyes, has it? However, I’m afraid this sword is too precious for me to give away.”
“Then, I’ll just cut your arms off, and take it.”
Chapter 27
“Then, I’ll just cut your arms off, and take it.”
“Is there a need to be so vicious?”
*Klang!* rotating his cultivation base, Bai Wen pushes Long Hua back with a swing of his sword—causing sparks to fly in the air between them.
(The fact that this weirdo is able to use his cultivation base out in the open is unfair to say the least.)
Recovering his balance by stomping his right foot back, Long Hua kicks off against the ground, and closes in on Bai Wen—while lunging his sword forward.
*Klang!* defending himself with Qiu Shui, Bai Wen is just about to counter, however—
“Uh…!”
As Bai Zhe’s blade bends—to allow Long Hua to close the gap further, he takes advantage of his opponent’s surprise to slash with Kun.
(Right, this is a soft sword.)
Before his opponent’s blade can bite into his neck, Bai Wen bends his legs to evade the incoming attack—while allowing Long Hua to fly right pass him.
Stabbing Kun into the lower body of an MAU, Long Hua halts his flight—prior to landing with a flip.
Grasping Qiu Shui with both hands, Bai Wen recovers his stance in the same instance, prior to leaping into the air—to close the gap that separates him from his opponent.
Looming a few meters above Long Hua, Bai Wen cleaves the sword down towards his opponent’s head.
“…”
Focusing his eyes on Qiu Shui’s blade, Long Hua reverses his grip on Kun’s handle, as he pulls it out of the MAU, and raises it pommel-side up.
Just as Qiu Shui is less than an arm’s length away from splitting him in half, Long Hua presses Kun’s pommel against its blade, and—
“Kuh…!”
*Klangggggg!* the collision of the two weapons—releases a sonorous ring, while the impact of Bai Wen’s attack, causes Long Hua’s left arm to turn numb!
(Oh?)
(Dammit!)
*Kakaka!!!* as the force of Bai Wen’s attack is transferred onto the MAU that is beneath him, Long Hua feels his feet caving into the crippled war machine’s armor!
“…”
Allowing Kun to slip from his numbed hand, Long Hua slashes at Bai Wen with his second sword.
(I really do wish to see how he’d fight with his cultivation base active. What sort of divine arts would he be able to deploy then?)
As Long Hua’s sword closes in on his head, Bai Wen smiles with amusement, as he snatches Kun out of the air, and—
*Klang!* defends himself with it.
Simultaneously, Bai Wen also borrows the force of Long Hua’s attack to distance himself from the latter, upon landing—
“You’ve really made this sword your own.”
Tossing Kun back at Long Hua, Bai Wen glances down on his right hand.
The invisible shroud of spirit Qi that he uses to defend himself with—has been shredded by the weapon’s backlash.
“Why do most of the people that I’m meeting tonight all choose to wear a mask?”
Recovering the feel in his left arm, Long Hua catches Kun out of the air, and adds—
“Are they all that shy about having their faces seen?”
“Friend, with you shrouding yourself in such a dense layer of mystery, you’re not any better than me.”
“…”
Glancing at the last few Moon Guards that continue to protect Nian Tao Tao, Long Hua thought—
(Ai, screw this. I’ve already ripped out a good chunk of meat. Leaving a bit of it behind for next time is fine.)
Feeling satisfied with this result, all the anger Long Hua had previously felt dissipates for the most part.
As for this practitioner that he had just exchanged some hits with—
(So long as this weirdo can use his cultivation base—without the city’s alarm system blasting off, I’m at a clear disadvantage, even if I used my Relic. Fighting him with such a handicap… Not worth it. To make matters worse, his cultivation base is probably higher than mine…)
Rising to a stand, Long Hua sheaths Bai Zhe into his belt, while storing Kun away into his storage pouch.
Doing the same with Qiu Shui, Bai Wen asks—
“Does you withdrawing your weapon—mean you’ve got time to have a chat now?”
“Not like I have a choice.”
Begrudgingly, Long Hua answers as such, and begins to walk down the staircase—where he retrieves Tian Cheng’s body and Kun’s scabbard.
“………”
(Beware of women, especially those with good looks and talent. One misstep in how you interact with them could lead to your death. In other words, do not ever trust them, and know to maintain a proper amount of distance from them.)
Deciding to keep these words close to heart, Long Hua avoids making eye contact with Nian Yao Yao, as he continues to walk down the staircase with Bai Wen tailing after him.
“…”
“…”
Gradually, the two walk further and further away, and upon realizing that her plan for the night has been canceled, Nian Yao Yao says—
“He’s leaving without a word?”
“It’s only nine, but I feel like calling it a day after all this.”
Taking out her phone, and looking at the time, Jing Yao sighs.
“But what about the search for the village?”
“Aren’t you tired as well?”
“I-”
Just as Nian Yao Yao is about to answer, rummaging sounds come from the semi-truck that was cut in half.
Following five flashes, an uneven hole is cut open on the truck’s trailer, and from this hole, a Moon Guard wearing a white mask emerges.
“She actually survived that?”
Towards Zhui Yun’s remark, a chill runs down Qing Yue’s spine—causing her posture to stiffen. Momentarily, she begins to look around in a frantic manner, as if searching for something.
“He-… Hua already left.”
“Ah… I-I see.”
Clearly traumatized by the aforementioned person that almost killed her, Qing Yue’s shoulders turned lax at the news.
It was also then that Nian Tao Tao and Jing Yin had stepped off the third staircase’s final step.
“Mo…- Madame Nian.”
Correcting herself quickly, Qing Yue calls out to Nian Tao Tao, and approaches her.
“What happened to everyone else?”
Towards the question, Nian Tao Tao closes her eyes in silence, while Jing Yin answers—
“Aside from you and the others behind us, they’ve all died.”
“Oh…”
Though saddened, Qing Yue wasn’t very surprised to hear this outcome—considering their opponent’s strength.
“Old hag, start explaining why you did that.”
Cutting into their conversation, Nian Yao Yao glares at her mother with a hint of genuine anger.
“He’s an Immortal. What other reason do I need to do what I did? Aren’t you afraid of him stabbing you in the back when you least expect it?”
With a matter-of-fact tone, Nian Tao Tao answers as such.
“He’s my employee before that.”
With an air of righteousness, Nian Yao Yao seems intent on getting an explanation out of her mother for Long Hua’s sake, to which, Nian Tao Tao replies—
“The person himself isn’t even here, so who are you trying to fool and impress, my idiotic daughter? You got your looks from me; do you think me blind in not being able to tell that you have plans to exploit him? In fact, I’m starting to feel pity for him to be working under you.”
Unable to maintain her poker face, Nian Yao Yao clicks her tongue.
“…Just a bit.”
“In this family, just a bit means a lot in the eyes of commoners.”
Chapter 28
“Friend, how much longer are we going to walk for?”
For an entire one-mile radius around the hotel, there was not a single soul to be seen.
“I was hoping you’d just get bored and leave. But if you want a real answer, well… Wherever the closest bathhouse is.”
Halting his footsteps, Long Hua answers as such.
“Hmm.”
Waving his hand, Bai Wen casts a cleansing spell to remove the oil and coolant that had seeped into Long Hua’s clothes.
“I won’t leave until we’ve had that chat, and I’d suggest you—to just get it over with, unless you want me to follow you to the ends of this earth.”
On account of Bai Wen having cleaned his clothes for him, Long Hua raises a sigh; and reluctantly, turns toward an open-air café, and begins to move in its direction.
The tables and chairs are made entirely out of cheap metal, but the furniture themselves are more than sturdy enough for what they are intended for.
“You wanted to chat, in that case, answer me this. How is it that you’re able to use your cultivation base without triggering the city’s detection system?”
Upon Bai Wen sitting down on the opposite side of the table, Long Hua immediately asks this question, to which, the former asks back—
“Friend, before asking a question, shouldn’t you at least introduce yourself first?”
“Before asking for someone else’s name, you should introduce yourself first, don’t you think, friend?”
Unable to think of a counter to this argument, Bai Wen sighs, and answers—
“Bai Wen. Bai as in emptiness, and wen as in to ask.”
“And that mask?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Bai Wen proceeds to take off his plain mask—revealing a face that many would consider to be handsome. However, he still chooses to keep the cloth that hid his left eye on.
“Now would you introduce yourself, friend?”
“Hmm, what a coincidence really. I’m also surnamed Bai, call me… Bai Zhe.”
“Isn’t that the name of your sword?”
At the wave of Bai Wen’s hand, a set of ceramic tea ware appears on the table—with steam spewing out of the kettle’s spout.
Filling two cups, Bai Wen slides one of the cups to Long Hua, and asks—
“Why not be a bit more honest?”
“…”
Picking up the cup and sniffing it, Long Hua takes a sip.
The refreshing taste of this tea comes as a pleasant surprise to him, clearing away the rest of his unpleasant mood.
“Not even going to suspect if it was poisoned?”
Towards this question, Long Hua asks back—
“Why come all this way just to kill a person?”
“Hah, talking with a smart person is indeed much more enjoyable.”
As the two set their cups down, Bai Wen continues the conversation, and says—
“That sword, Kun, belongs to a clansman of mine.”
“If you’re here to retrieve it, then you can forget it.”
“I don’t need it back, nor do I have a grudge against you.”
Raising an eye, Long Hua remarks—
“Even though I killed your clansman? Isn’t this generally where a long chain of grudges begins to form? Kill the young, come the old, kill the old, then comes the ancestors?”
“The Ling Yuan family has over a hundred branch households.”
Constricting his eyes, Long Hua pays careful attention to the light in Bai Wen’s right eye, as the latter adds—
“Cousins, nieces, uncles, aunts, it doesn’t matter. In an organization of this size, those outside of your birth parents and siblings of the same blood—might as well be the same as strangers.”
“Strangers? You seem to think of them to be enemies instead.”
Towards Long Hua’s remark, Bai Wen simply smiles, and the former asks—
“Why did you seek me out for, if it’s not over a grudge?”
“Can’t my reason to be—to just make a friend?”
Sniffing the air, Long Hua asks—
“You smell that?”
“What?”
“Your own bullshit.”
A dry laugh comes from Bai Wen in response to this reply, before he clears his throat, and says—
“You asked me how I was able to avoid the city’s detection system when using my cultivation base. The answer to that is because…”
“…”
Despite being interested in the answer, Long Hua wasn’t willing to play along with Bai Wen’s antics—for the latter seems to be the type, who would take a mile when given an inch.
“…Friend, are you seriously so unwilling to give me your name? Isn’t this a cheap price to pay for information of great value to you?”
Raising a fist with his index finger straightened, Long Hua answers—
“One, I do not know if this method of yours is something that I can use as an outsider of your household.”
Raising his second finger, Long Hua adds—
“Two, who knows if the method you’re giving me is genuine. Three, wipe that passionate light in your eye away because I’m not interested in men.”
Lowering his hand that has three fingers raised, Long Hua picks up his cup for a sip, whereas Bai Wen remarks—
“The fact that you can say three—means you must really think your face to be a masterpiece.”
Placing a hand to his chin, Bai Wen thought for a moment before making an expression of realization.
“…Is your current face a mask?”
“Surnamed Bai, either you tell me something useful, or scram. I don’t have the patience to entertain you.”
At the snap of his fingers, Bai Wen causes a stack of emerald-green stones to appear on the table, and pushes them to Long Hua.
“And now?”
Directing an incredulous look at Bai Wen, Long Hua thought to refuse, but the stones that the former had just pushed towards him were spirit stones.
The amount of spirit Qi contained in these stones is probably worth more than three months of him attempting to draw the energy directly from the air.
“Long Hua.”
Storing the spirit stones into his storage pouch, Long Hua gives out his name.
“Long Hua? Long as in dragon, and hua as in prosperous? A name that befits someone with refined looks.”
“Move on.”
“I guess I’ll call you Lao Long.”
“Am I supposed to call you Lao Bai, then?”
“A friend of mine calls me that as well, so why not?”
Chapter 29
(If only I could rewind time…)
Unknown as to why, but for some reason—Long Hua suddenly regrets giving his name to Bai Wen.
“Lao Long, you’re right in guessing that my method of avoiding the city’s detection system is something that you are not capable of using. This is because it’s directly related to the Gears of Descension.”
Raising a sigh, Long Hua is clearly disappointed to find out about this, despite having guessed it beforehand.
Sipping a cup of tea, Bai Wen adds—
“Minor magic like dirt removal magic, and anything that consumes spirit Qi in small amounts is still usable—your sword Qi is one such thing. As for the deployment of large-scale divine arts—well, it’s not like it’s impossible to cover them up using alternative means.”
“Such as?”
“Why not use a magic array that isolates you from the outside world, and prevents your spirit Qi from seething outward? So long as you fight within the confines of this array, you should be able to avoid detection.”
“Magic array… Like the one that Nian Tao Tao used on me?”
Thinking of this method in detail, Long Hua does find it to be doable, however—
“Special materials are needed for this.”
“Buy them from Lao Zhen then.”
“Lao Zhen?”
“New Moon Village’s chief.”
Raising an eye, Long Hua asks—
“He’s also a Ling Yuan family clansman?”
“No, but their family has special permission to do business in the Leng Bing Realm.”
“Lao Bai, do I look rich to you?”
“The village should give you some face—if you say I was the one who referred you to them.”
(So, it’s a question of how big of a face they’ll give in response to his name?)
Directing a look of doubt towards Bai Wen, who is refilling his cup, Long Hua asks—
“Nothing is worth more than what is free. What do you want from me?”
More times than not, knowing what the other side wishes to obtain—can bring a better sense of comfort and security to oneself.
“Lao Long, I like how straight to the point you are. In that case, do you have a cultivation method that’s designed for the Spirit Assimilation realm?”
“…Is that the realm after Nascent Soul realm?”
“What else could it possibly be?”
Blinking his eyes, an expression of uncertainty appears on Long Hua’s face, as he thought—
(………Strange, I seem to recall the realm after Nascent Soul to be Soul Ascension. …He doesn’t seem to be lying, nor would he have any reason to do so, then…?)
(This uncertainty on his face… He really does hail from outside of the Everlasting Spirit Realm. After all this time, I’ve finally got a lead on where to start.)
Inwardly, a pleased smile appears on Bai Wen’s face.
“What’s the realm after Spirit Assimilation?”
Asking this question, a feeling of unease wells up in Long Hua’s heart.
“Dao Manifestation.”
“…After that?”
Hearing this answer, the unease increases in scale—causing Long Hua’s expression to darken. Within his head, he already has a guess as to why these realms of cultivation are different from his memories.
“Lao Long, does the name of these realms really matter?”
“Just answer me.”
Surprised by the coldness in Long Hua’s tone, Bai Wen blinks his one eye. But thinking for a bit, he quickly realizes what the former is concerned about.
“Immortal realm after that.”
(So that really is the case…)
Drawing in a deep breath of air, Long Hua turns away from Bai Wen, as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
(The universe is vast. Though they all share the same heaven, each world operates under a different set of laws, and because of this, what we call the Soul Ascension realm here—may be called something different in another land. It is also because of these laws—that time flows differently from world to world; perhaps, one day that will change, but I doubt it will happen any time soon.)
As these words appear in his head, a bitter smile forms on Long Hua’s face, as he thought—
(So even if I managed to break out of the Leng Bing Realm… I may not be able to find shizun because I’m in a different world from where he is? Then I’m basically…?)
Realizing that he is basically alone in a foreign land, a headache wells up, causing Long Hua to press a hand to his temple.
(Has life been fun?)
Exhaling a sigh, Long Hua looks up at the gear-filled skies, while recalling this question that came from Nian Yao Yao.
(I suppose, recovering my cultivation base is a change, along with my establishment of a goal. But this goal—currently, proves to be much more difficult than what I had originally anticipated.)
From his fragmented memories, Long Hua can make a rough estimate on just how difficult this task would be to accomplish.
(Spirit Assimilation, Dao Manifestation, the Immortal realm… Neither of these three realms would allow me to accomplish my goal of returning home… I would need to go far beyond them, but it would be impossible to reach those realms of cultivation in this Leng Bing Realm.)
“…”
Glancing at Long Hua—who had a solemn expression on his face, Bai Wen waits patiently for him to emerge from his thoughts.
(In the end…- …My first step is still to get out of this world. Once I’m outside… I’ll figure things out then. Although…)
Recalling how calm he had been in the face of death, Long Hua frowns, as he felt there to be something amiss about his own behavior at the time.
“Lao Bai, how would you react in the face of death?”
“Hm? Wouldn’t I attempt to do everything in my power to go against it—like any other sane person would?”
Hearing this answer that is spoken with an unusual amount of determination, Long Hua smiles with a light chuckle.
“So, I guess there really is something wrong with me…”
“…? What do you-?”
“You asked me for a cultivation method that’s designed for the Spirit Assimilation realm.”
Without letting Bai Wen finish his sentence, Long Hua forcefully shifts the topic of their discussion to something that the former would be interested in.
Chapter 30
“You asked me for a cultivation method that’s designed for the Spirit Assimilation realm.”
“…”
Despite feeling a bit off—with how abrupt this change in topic had happened, Bai Wen still chooses to follow along.
Much like Long Hua, Bai Wen also has matters that cannot be said to someone that he had just met.
“That I did.”
With his memories being in the current state that they are in, Long Hua has no idea if he actually does possess such a cultivation method.
“Lao Long, I’m more than willing to compensate you for it. Money in the form of spirit stones isn’t an issue, so long as I am given ample time to prepare them.”
“…?”
Towards Bai Wen’s words, Long Hua can’t help but ponder about the former’s standing in the Ling Yuan family—for them to be so frivolous with money.
“My memories are in a fragmented state, so I currently don’t have what it is that you’re looking for.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Bai Wen replies—
“Your honesty is appreciated. Now, about what you said, it’s not surprising—since you are someone who hails from another world. You most likely arrived here through reincarnation; otherwise, your memories wouldn’t be in their current state.”
Having his secret spoken aloud in such a blunt manner, Long Hua constricts his eyes with a frown.
(My reaction when we talked about the names of this world’s cultivation realms must hav-… No, he probably came looking for me because he already had his suspicions, and my reaction only serves to confirm his theory.)
Arriving at this conclusion, Long Hua asks—
“A cultivation method, that’s the true reason for why you sought me out, correct?”
Nodding his head with a chuckle, Bai Wen answers—
“I have… Let’s say, a special problem, that requires a special solution—that cannot be found in this world; hence your knowledge that comes from another realm is of extreme value to me. In any case, is there a specific method that can aid you to hasten the recovery of your previous life’s memories?”
“You’re saying it as if it’s inevitable that I will recover them.”
Picking his tea cup up, Bai Wen replies—
“Reincarnation is something that is seen often in the Everlasting Spirit Realm. All those who have undergone it—will eventually recover their memories; I would assume, there’s no real difference, even if you came from another world.”
“Everlasting Spirit Realm?”
“That is the name of the world you are currently in.”
(I wonder what the name of the world shizun is in is called…?)
Setting these thoughts aside, Long Hua goes on to say—
“You say—reincarnation is seen often in this world; then you should know how I can go about recovering my memories better than me.”
“You don’t have any specific method that works best? Generally speaking, the higher the individual’s cultivation base is, the more memories they can recover. At least, that’s the case under normal circumstances.”
“Normal circumstances?”
Taking a sip of tea, Bai Wen answers—
“By the time an individual reaches the Nascent Soul realm, they should instantly recover all their memories. It’s a safety feature that is incorporated into the standard methods used to perform reincarnation. Reason for it being this realm of cultivation specifically—is because prior to the Nascent Soul realm, an individual simply doesn’t have a divine sense that is strong enough to process the information flood that they are made to go through.”
“So, if I don’t recover my memories upon reaching the Nascent Soul realm, I would fall under the unusual circumstances category?”
“Even then, it’s theorized and believed that any of these unusual circumstances—are just a matter of the individual needing to raise their cultivation base further. If that really doesn’t work, then there are outside factors interfering with the memory recovery process. Usually…- Let’s not go on a tangent.”
Picking up his cup for a sip, Long Hua contemplates for a brief instance, before asking—
“And what if—after I recover my memories, I still don’t have what you want?”
“I would very much doubt that.”
“And where does your confidence come from?”
Being asked this, Bai Wen smiles in an odd manner, and points to his right eye, while answering—
“I have faith in my one eye—in being able to judge a person’s worth; the average individual couldn’t possibly demonstrate a sword Qi as refined as yours.”
Refilling his cup, Long Hua says—
“That sword Qi isn’t a creation of mine. It was… Something akin to a legacy—passed over to me by my shizun.”
“In that case, let’s say I have faith in your shizun—for having taught you plenty of knowledge that would prove to be useful to me; hence I am willing to gamble on you.”
“To gamble means you must fork out a sum of cash first.”
“Didn’t I already give you some spirit stones?”
Raising his head, Long Hua puts on a smile of amusement, and replies—
“That was the price for my name.”
“…”
Despite not having much attachment for these materialistic resources, Bai Wen still feels the price to be a bit unjustified.
(Hmm. Well, a person with an average background cannot possibly hope to reincarnate from one world to another, and that sword Qi… Whoever his shizun is—they cannot possibly be any weaker than some of the elders in the Ling Yuan family.)
Contemplating about these matters, Bai Wen asks—
“Lao Long, other than you, did your shizun take in any other disciples?”
“As far as I know right now, I don’t think so.”
“In that case, you would be considered something similar to a sect’s legacy disciple—where the mentor’s core teachings are taught to you alone.”
Turning the cup in his hand, Long Hua asks—
“Does that make me more worthwhile to gamble on?”
“It does. However, I wish to see some concrete evidence of your worth—before putting more cash down on the table.”
Sipping away a portion of the tea, Long Hua asks—
“Meaning?”
“Pass Lao Zhen’s test.”
“Test?”
“Content of the test is something that you’ll have to take up with Lao Zhen. For all I know, it could just be a show of brute strength, or a business conversation over a cup of tea.”
Raising an eye, Long Hua remarks—
“This Lao Zhen…? Would you consider them to be a person—who is very strict in business dealings?”
Despite not having met this person yet, Long Hua’s instincts told him, that this should be the case, and towards the former’s question, Bai Wen chuckles, while answering—
“Their family is renowned for being shrewd merchants in the practitioners’ circle, so yes. Finding the village shouldn’t be too difficult—since you are a practitioner.”
“Does the sewer network have something that I can use—to navigate my way there, without using the map that my employer has?”
“You’ll know when you head down there.”
“…”
“No need to give me that look. Some things are better off to be discovered, and experienced on your own—rather than to be told by another.”