Chapter 122: Chapter 122
Hearing that Xiaoli wasn't prepared to battle, Auntie Yimin sighed.
"It's going to be a long wait…"
Hei spoke up.
"If you want to do more battle, the place I'm going to next just so happens to be one where there will be many opponents."
"Oh? Where is that?"
"A second-grade demonic sect."
These words caused the eyes of everyone around Hei to sharpen. Auntie Yimin asked for clarification.
"A demonic sect?"
Xiaoli answered.
"Mm. From what I heard, they should be the same people who infiltrated our clan. Is that right?"
Hei turned to Xiaoli.
"It is. I and my companion will be heading there to deal with them."
Hei omitted the fact that this was more of a rescue mission than anything else, but he got the desired effect.
Auntie Yimin clenched her fists.
"Count me in."
"Me too."
Xiaoli's eyes narrowed as she thought about the source of all this trouble.
But the one who was most enthused was Jing'er.
"I also wish to go."
Auntie Yimin and Xiaoli turned to Jing'er.
"It's too dangerous, Jing'er. This is a second-grade sect, meaning there will be quite a few minute realm cultivators."
"That's right. You should leave this to Auntie Yimin and me and the masked one and his friend. We'll make sure not to let any of them get away."
Jing'er smiled.
"With all due respect, Auntie Yimin, the two of you speak as if you've left me far behind."
He released his aura, that of a peak transcendent realm cultivator.
He walked up to Hei and bowed his head. It felt quite strange to do so to one of the people who led his father to his death but now was not the time to stubbornly hold himself back.
"Please help me break through to the minute realm. I'll be sure to repay you in the future."
Even after a while, there was no response, so Jing'er started to wonder if the means which he used for Auntie Yimin and Xiaoli were of limited use.
"What kind of spirit roots do you have?"
Jing'er stood back up.
"Does this mean you accept?"
"Mm."
"I have earth and metal, dual element roots."
"The essence of the minute realm is…"
Hei began his explanation of the minute realm, repeating the same information he had given to Auntie Yimin and Xiaoli.
Auntie Yimin watched as the masked one was explaining the minute realm as a whole. There were sounds of realisation from time to time, and she could almost see the scales falling from the peoples' eyes. All difficulty seemed to be removed when this person was speaking.
That was the same thing she had experienced when he was explaining things to her, and even though she had already heard what he was saying, being in the minute realm this time allowed her to see even more of the truths hidden in his words.
It was quite impressive for someone who hadn't reached it himself. Even more so when one considered the fact that he had devised this explanation right before her eyes.
She saw it turn from scattered thoughts to a cohesive and well-rounded explanation.
After speaking of the concepts of the minute realm, he went on to describe the earth element, giving general advice on how to visualise the individual aspects of it and how to modify one's own internal representation to match those aspects.
In no time, there were lightning sparks dancing on the bodies of 11 people. Those being the ten elders who had surrounded her earlier and Jing'er.
After a moment of unspeakable joy, everyone's faces went pale.
"Not good!"
"Ah! The ascension hall can only handle three at a time!"
"Well, this is going to hurt."
The ascension hall was quite useful in overcoming tribulation lighting, but it wasn't the only way. There was always the more simple and painful approach of facing the lightning directly, but anyone who had access to an ascension hall would forgo that option.
It simply didn't have any benefits and would result in one being immobilised for a few days at the very least. Though rare, death itself wasn't an impossibility.
"So… Who gets to use the ascension hall?"
One elder spoke as he looked up to the sky, which was swirling with dark clouds.
Since the day had gotten quite late, they were more difficult to distinguish than when Auntie Yimin and Xiaoli had their breakthroughs, but the streaks of lightning were a sure sign of what was to come.
"I call dibs!"
"As if. It's first come first served."
Jing'er coughed.
"As always, we should allow the younger generation to advance first."
He started walking towards the ascension hall, but a hand grabbed the back of his robe and pulled him back.
"A fine young lad like yourself shouldn't have any problem facing his tribulation lightning. Allow this old man to go first."
"Old man? Nonsense. This frail body of mine wouldn't be able to withstand the fury of the Heavens. You, on the other hand, have experienced much and have tempered your mind. What issue is a small tribulation lighting?"
-Rumble.
As if in response to being called small, the skies rumbled with the sounds of thunder.
"Jing'er! Shut up! Are you trying to kill us all?"
"Ah. My mistake. As you see, this junior has already offended the Heavens. It wouldn't do for me to face my tribulation without any support."
"No. That's precisely why you should step up and face your mistakes."
Auntie Yimin watched as the 11 bickered. Since when had elders and juniors entered heated arguments like this? She felt like finding a place to hide.
Hei didn't care for the racket either.
He opened his storage space in a sea of black flames and took the 8 people closest to him into it.
Immediately, the thunder clouds lessened.
It seemed his hunch was correct. The tribulation lightning couldn't locate them when they were in his storage space so their tribulations would be postponed until they reemerged.
"Now, three of you can face your tribulations at a time. I will release three more when you complete yours."
Auntie Yimin gave Hei a look of thanks, then grabbed the three people, Jing'er and two elders, who were still arguing, by the sleeves and threw them into the ascension hall.
"You've caused enough embarrassment. Go cool your heads."
The three flew unceremoniously into the ascension hall, where they were greeted by a few elders who had blank expressions as they looked at the three fellows who all had lightning warnings.
What was happening in the Zhu Clan today? Was there a minute realm bargain sale out there? Why hadn't they heard anything about it?
After straightening themselves up, Jing'er and the two elders went off to separate chambers to go through their tribulations.
***
"I would like to witness the tribulation process, would that be possible?"
To this point, Hei had still yet to witness someone go through a lighting tribulation, so he asked Auntie Yimin in hopes that she would agree.
Auntie Yimin was confused for a moment, but then she remembered the technique he had shared with her. Apparently, those who practised it wouldn't face tribulation lightning.
It reminded her of the stories her parents used to tell her when she was a small child. Of the Envoys of the Heavens.
"Of course. We wouldn't refuse such a simple request from someone who has already helped us so much."
Auntie Yimin led the way into the ascension hall and Hei and Xiaoli followed after her.
Once inside, Auntie Yimin asked which person Hei wanted to see, and he chose the patriarch's son.
***
"Whoa! Why is his tribulation so fierce?"
Xiaoli's mouth opened wide as she saw how severe Jing'er's tribulation was in comparison to her own.
If hers were likened to a shower of lightning, then Jing'er's was a torrential downpour.
"Is it because he insulted the clouds?"
Auntie Yimin answered.
"No. Mine was also like this. Yours was different?"
She had experienced a similarly severe tribulation when she was undergoing her breakthrough and had assumed most were the same. It seemed different cultivators triggered different levels of tribulation.
"Mine was much less than this. It looks like the pillars are having a hard time keeping up."
By pillars, Xiaoli was speaking of the various thick rods that were placed around Jing'er who was sitting on a platform with his eyes closed as he focused on his internal state.
The tribulation lightning would come down to his body, but before it could reach him, it would be absorbed by five pillars spaced evenly around him, forming a pentagon.
Once the lightning was absorbed by these pillars, it was redirected to Jing'er's body through several spikes placed on the pillars, which allowed for the lightning to strike the cultivator's body in precise locations.
This method of assisting a cultivator to break through was devised in order to prevent the usual rest period required after facing a tribulation without any assistance.
By having the lightning hit targeted areas, the cultivator could focus on those places and allow the lightning to temper their bodies rather than damaging them.
This was one of the reasons Hei wanted to observe this process. To see how exactly the lightning was manipulated by these ascension halls.
Other than that, he wanted to confirm an idea he had.
"May I examine one of those pillars?"
Auntie Yimin's brows raised.
"I can take you to an empty chamber for transcendent realm breakthroughs if you would like."
"It's better if it's in use. An empty one serves me no purpose."
"But if you get too close, you may be struck by the lightning."
"That isn't a problem."
"I suppose it wouldn't be for you. You can examine these ones if you want... but be careful not to disturb Jing'er's breakthrough."
Auntie Yimin found it hard to refuse his request. Not only had he helped her with her personal problem, but he had also exposed the ugly underbelly of the Zhu Clan and was about to increase their overall strength, all within a matter of hours. That's not even mentioning the fact that he brought the legendary Evil Slaying to them.
All of that, and he didn't make a single difficult request of them.
If she said no, how could she hold her head up?
But even with that being said, she still didn't want anything to happen to Jing'er.
"You needn't worry about that. It'll only take a moment."
"Mm."
Auntie Yimin and Xiaoli watched as Hei approached one of the pillars, which was crackling with lightning.
As Xiaoli had said, Jing'er's breakthrough was putting a lot of strain on the pillars' ability to absorb and redirect the lightning, so every now and then, a bolt would strike out randomly.
Hei placed his hand on the pillar, and the excess lightning immediately rushed to his body, dancing furiously all over him from head to toe.
That was how it looked to Auntie Yimin and Xiaoli who had worried expressions.
But to Hei, he was hearing joyful chirping as the lightning seemed to be interested in him.
He opened and closed his hand as he examined the lightning.
'As I thought. It's null element.'
He tried absorbing the lightning into his circulation paths, and sure enough, it entered without any issue.
Interestingly, he couldn't get it to assimilate with the rest of his null element qi. It seemed the lighting was of a different nature and couldn't be directly cultivated. It remained free and unrelated to the rest of what was going on in his body.
Seeing the lightning enter his body, Auntie Yimin's and Xiaoli's eyes opened wide.
Especially Auntie Yimin's. He had already told her that he hadn't entered the minute realm yet, and obviously both his comprehension and accumulation weren't lacking.
Now that he had absorbed tribulation lightning, didn't that mean he was now a minute realm cultivator?
But… wasn't that far too easy?
Before she could congratulate him, she saw him point his finger and the lightning went straight back to the pillar as if nothing had happened.
Though, it did seem to want to cling on before it accepted the fact that they had to part ways.
Hei walked back to the duo who had blank expressions.
"You have my thanks. That was a valuable experience."
Hei was thinking of how this could be of benefit in the future. Perhaps he could gather tribulation lightning and use it as a hidden weapon.
"… Think nothing of it…"
Auntie Yimin found it hard to understand anything that happened around this boy. He brought too many surprises.
What made it worse was the fact that he was acting as if all of this was normal everyday stuff.
It most definitely wasn't!
She watched as he walked past, heading back out of the ascension hall.
"Are you done observing? The tribulation has only just started."
Hei turned to face her.
"I wouldn't derive any more benefits from observing any longer."
"I see…"
All three exited the ascension hall.
***
"I didn't think the minute realm would feel this different."
Jing'er walked out of the ascension hall accompanied by the two elders who were breaking through at the same time.
Hei released three more elders from his storage space, who rushed into the ascension hall.
Jing'er walked up to Xiaoli with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Didn't you want to have a match earlier? I'm game."
"… About that… I had some comprehensions just now from observing the masked one interacting with tribulation lightning and I need to consolidate them. It will probably take a few months so…"
"You don't have to make excuses. Just treat me as an elder from now on."
"You wish!"
-Hahaha.
After laughing with Xiaoli, Jing'er's expression turned serious as he bowed to Hei.
"I'll be sure to repay this favour in the future."
"There's no need for that."
What Hei was saying was that there was nothing this boy could offer that would enter his eyes. That, and he was going to squeeze all the worth out of him in the coming hours. But to everyone there, it sounded like the magnanimous words of a generous expert.
The Zhu Clan always believed that there were virtuous individuals out there, but reality strained this belief on a daily basis.
To see the embodiment of that here was deeply impactful.
Even the elders couldn't help changing the way they saw Hei. He had given them far too much and had asked for nothing in return. If everyone were like this, then there wouldn't be a need for demon slayers.
Alas. Such people were few and far between. But seeing someone like this masked one; there was hope yet. That's what everyone thought.
Everyone, that is, except Yuying, who already knew that her business partner was masterfully pulling the strings. To so thoroughly manipulate people he had only met in the past few hours, and converting an extremely bad impression to that of a saviour even… How enviable.
As she saw the looks of admiration in the eyes of the Zhu Clan's people, she decided to take a few notes down. It was a good thing all of this was being recorded.
***
After a while, all of the elders had completed their breakthroughs, and the Zhu Clan now had thirteen minute realm cultivators in total.
This was an unprecedented occurrence.
Not since they split ways with the other faction had they been this powerful, to the extent that they could easily rival a second-grade power.
"How can we thank you, Masked One?"
The elders all shared this sentiment. It wouldn't do to leave this debt unpaid.
"If you wish to thank me, then you can lend me your assistance in ridding the lower continent of the Crimson Moon Sect. A place rife with evil. After learning of what they've done, I can no longer tolerate their existence."
His words caused a stir in the surrounding people.
"Isn't that the sect who infected our clan with demonic cultivators?"
"Even if you hadn't mentioned it, we would have gone after them ourselves!"
"Of course we'll help! They can't be allowed to get away with this!"
These thoughts were shared by many, who actively voiced their support.
"But… This can hardly be considered equivalent to what you've done for us. Speak, we'll gladly offer more than just this."
Hei released a suppressive aura over the crowd.
"What could be more important than assuring the safety of the people? I only wish to rescue the victims who continue to suffer under the hands of these fiends, and to appease the souls of those who have succumbed to their vile acts."
He undid his suppression and spoke quietly.
"I ask you not to stain my convictions with material temptations."
The elder who spoke felt ashamed of himself. How could he have done such a thing? It was the way of the world that there was no such thing as a free meal, and yet, this fellow, this hero, wouldn't accept any form of payment.
The admiration for the masked one only grew with every word he spoke. With every action he made. It was all for the good of others.
To reach such a level of altruism, even in a world such as this. Was it not the dream of every member of the Zhu Clan?
Yuying watched as all of this was going on. It really was something to behold.
[You're working them real well.]
[What do you mean?]
['Don't stain my convictions with material temptations'. You're really laying it on thick.]
[Ah. Well, it's partly true. I really don't want to be burdened with their useless items. My spatial fold is already more occupied than I would like, and Honghuo is likely to bring more people who I'll need to bring with me.]
[You see? If you said those words, their looks of worship would disappear in an instant.]
[Your point?]
[Teach me oh wise one.]
[How much are you willing to pay?]
[Don't stain my convictions with material prices, Partner. I wish to learn in earnest. Don't you think it's only proper to help this disciple?]
[This disciple needs to start looking at reality.]
[No fair. If I change my family name to Zhu, will you help me then?]
[Perhaps if you managed to show yourself here I would be somewhat inclined to accept.]
[Then what if I switch on the picture mode? Will that work?]
[No.]
[Insufferable. I hope you get struck by tribulation lightning for the way you treat your business partners.]
[Speaking of tribulation lightning.]
Yuying waited for Hei to continue, but he didn't say anything else.
[Speaking of tribulation lightning?]
[Honghuo has returned.]
How did that have anything to do with tribulation lightning? Yuying decided not to ask.
[Ah. That boy?]
[Yes.]
[His name isn't really something like Honghuo, is it? And he calls you-]
[It would be best if you didn't say it.]
[Oh? What's this?]
Yuying was like a cat who had found a new toy to play with.
[Heihu-]
[I'm not unwilling to destroy this jade, you know? Choose your words wisely.]
She smiled.
[Then I'll wait until I see you in person.]
[Then we shan't meet again. It's been an experience knowing you.]
[An experience? Most people would say it's been nice.]
[It seems most people exaggerate.]
[Well, you're quite the experience yourself.]
[I see.]
Yuying failed to elicit the reaction she was looking for and could only take a deep breath. This fellow was really something. But at least he wasn't boring.
[To answer your question, both of those names were created by that fellow. I don't know his real name either.]
[You don't like names, huh? You haven't asked for mine either.]
[Is it important?]
[Not particularly. After all, we have these jades to talk with.]
[But my intention when I gave-]
[I know, I know. Important issues only. But I honestly don't have anything better to do than talk to you.]
[I thought you wanted to go on a cultivation journey like your mother.]
[I do, but I have to go home first. There's no point going on a journey in the lower continent. And my father still seems to have some business here.]
[I see.]
[You aren't bothered by me, are you? If you really want me to stop, then I won't call you any more.]
[That would be preferred.]
[A…]
Yuying was left speechless. It seemed she was more of a disturbance than she thought she was. But if that were truly the case, then she didn't want to be somewhere she wasn't wanted.
[Relax. It was a joke.]
[It wasn't very funny.]
[I'm working on it.]
[Then, how do you really feel about me?]
[Minor inconvenience.]
Yuying's mouth twitched.
[Then I'll work my way up to calamity!]
[It's a long road ahead.]
[Heihu-]
[You have reached your destination.]
-Hahaha.
'She laughed. Though… I wasn't joking that time…'
"Heihuo, what did I miss?"
Honghuo walked up to the crowd, and the people opened up a path for him and the people behind him who were dressed shabbily.
"I saw a whole bunch of tribulation lightning falling around here. Don't tell me you forgot that you promised to help me."
"I didn't forget. Are those the victims?"
Honghuo turned to the people behind him.
"This fellow will take you all to a safe place."
When the people saw Hei's appearance, they couldn't help but feel intimidated.
Honghuo had the look of a valiant young man who would do things like rescuing strangers, so they didn't feel too insecure around him, but what about this fellow? He was wearing a mask, and why did it have to be so ominous? On top of that, he was dressed in all black.
It evoked thoughts that he was up to no good.
Even so, their concern for their daughters and sisters was more than their fear of the unknown.
"My daughter, have you seen her? We were separated when they took us."
"My sister's missing too. Please tell me she's okay."
"My best friend…"
Similar concern was seen in many of the people.
"Calm down. We have already rescued over 100 women from captivity, so it is likely that your loved ones are among them, but even if they aren't we are still aiming to rescue the rest."
Hearing this, the people were able to ease their worries, if only a little.
Hei continued.
"However, for those for whom it is too late…"
He bowed.
"I can only apologise for not acting sooner."
He straightened himself back up.
"But I can promise you that those who have harmed them will face justice."
Seeing his sincerity, no one spoke a word. They were just glad that there were actually people out there who wanted to protect others. They could only hope that their loved ones were among those who were able to be rescued.
After they calmed down, Hei opened his storage space and had two of the women come out to invite them in.
They walked out with smiles on their faces and slightly expanded stomachs. Still, it didn't prevent them from carrying their bread with them. The competition in there was truly fierce.
"Come on in, everyone. The dark days are behind us now."
"But the bread is only for us! You can't have any!"
The other woman slapped her friend on the arm, who then realised that she had placed rules on someone else's provisions.
She bowed to Hei.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
Hei raised his hand, signalling her to stop.
"I'll bake some more bread, so all of you share with each other."
She had a bright smile on her face as she nodded her head and hummed in agreement.
But then she was randomly assaulted.
"Ling'er! I'm so glad you're okay"
By the time she was able to separate herself from the person who had hugged her head, tears were welling up in her eyes.
"Mother."
The two hugged each other while crying and brought smiles to everyone there.
Everyone, except Hei.
The sun was now setting, so it was about time to move out.
He turned to the people.
"Any of you who aren't willing to come with me should step back. I'll bring the rest into my spatial fold."
Of course, no one stepped back, so Hei swallowed the lot.
He then turned to the Auntie Yimin and the rest.
"This is a general map of the area. I've marked the location of the Crimson Moon Sect. It should take around two hours to get there on foot. Those of you who want to contribute can follow the battle plan outlined on the back. Remember, our primary goal is search and rescue. Refrain from causing large amounts of damage which could harm the victims."
The elders took the maps in hand and nodded. They would all be contributing.
"Wait. Is this really doable with just ten of us?"
One elder had read the battle strategy and was shocked to see what it detailed. Apparently, ten of them would stay outside of the sect and perform actions there to hinder the enemies on the inside. Only three, along with the masked one and his accomplice would be heading inside.
It seemed like a misuse of the power they had on their side.
What's more, the plan wasn't very detailed. They were each supposed to split up some seemingly miscellaneous tasks among themselves and it would somehow affect the situation.
"You don't need to worry about that. If the situation takes a turn for the worst, you are the back line. Now, three of you will accompany me and Honghuo as we launch a frontal assault."
Auntie Yimin, Xiaoli and Jing'er stepped forward without hesitation.
No one had a problem with the first and the third, but everyone turned to Xiaoli.
One elder spoke his concerns.
"Xiaoli… Don't you think you should… How do I say this…"
Auntie Yimin decided to help him out.
"She's the weakest of us all. That's how you say it."
"Well…"
Xiaoli puffed her cheeks out.
"I'm the only one with wind element roots, so I'll be faster than you guys and harder to detect. Don't you think that's better for a rescue mission than combat strength?"
No one was buying it.
Xiaoli struggled to find a better argument.
"That's it! How will I ever be a great demon slayer like Lady Shufang if I stay away from the front lines?"
Partway through, it turned from an excuse to her true feelings.
"Let me be there at the moment when we bring the fear of Evil Slaying back to the hearts of demonic cultivators!"
Seeing the vicious glint in Xiaoli's eyes, the others decided not to speak. Besides, there was no way Auntie Yimin would let someone she viewed as her niece to lose her life.
Now that there weren't any more arguments, Xiaoli pointed her finger at Jing'er.
"Why doesn't anyone say anything about Jing'er? Aren't we about equal?"
There was a long silence before one elder spoke.
"Do you really believe those words, Xiaoli?"
The others nodded their heads twice while humming in agreement.
"…"
Xiaoli's face turned red as she looked to the ground.
"It's time to move."
Hei saw that this distraction was over, so he brought the focus back to the issue at hand.
"Wait a minute, Heihuo. What about me?"
"What about you?"
"Ahem. My breakthrough?"
"Ah. The essence of the minute realm…"
Hei shared his comprehensions with Honghuo, and after speaking about the fire element, Honghuo's lightning warning came, along with the corresponding tribulation clouds.
"Now, Honghuo, you should insult the clouds."
"Hm?"
"Say things like they're weak and that you won't have any trouble. Things like that."
"Yeah… why? Won't that just make the tribulation worse?"
"That's what we want."
"Why?"
'Your role is that of a suicide bomber.'
Hei decided not to say those words.
"The stronger the tribulation, the greater the tempering of one's body. Surely, you know this."
"I do, but it also leaves you bedridden. How would I-"
"I'll bring you into my spatial fold before the lightning falls, then I'll release you in the sect so that you can save your energy and do some damage at the same time. As for overcoming the tribulation itself, I can assist you with that."
Hearing this explanation, Yuying had a question.
[Are you making him a suicide bomber?]
She wasn't the only one.
"This… You're saying I'm a suicide bomber, aren't you?"
"... Essentially."
"..."
"..."
After a long silence, Honghuo shrugged his shoulders.
"Hey! Puny tribulation clouds! How do you expect to bring me to my knees with just that much? Weren't the heavens supposed to be revered across the land? Maybe for being blue in the daylight, but for inspiring fear and awe? Humph. My little sister is more fearsome!"
Honghuo poured out the insults and watched as the tribulation clouds grew larger and more turbulent. At some point, the familiar blue of the lightning bolts had become a blood red as if to signify intent to kill.
"Yeah… Heihuo. Isn't it about time to, you know."
Honghuo was looking up to the clouds as he spoke and near the end of his words he turned to Hei, who was also looking at the clouds and musing over it.
"So, such a thing can also occur. I wonder if it's gained some new properties or if it's just a cosmetic change."
"Heihuo! Let's move!"
Honghuo waved his hands in front of Hei's face but got no response.
-Rumble.
Honghuo flinched as he heard the sounds of thunder echoing across the sky.
He grabbed Hei's shoulders.
"Uncle! You can't do this to me!"
"Relax. Why don't you take one strike so I can analyse the lightning?"
"Eh? Let's not. You can do that for your own tribulation, but don't take this little life of mine. I still need to find out what happened to my sister!"
Hei's head tilted such that the holes in his mask were looking into Honghuo's eyes.
"A shame."
That was the last thing Honghuo heard before everything turned red.
He closed his eyes and braced himself for the excruciating pain, but it didn't come.
When he opened them again, he found himself in a small black room with a table, a night pearl for light, and some bread.
"Did I die?"
Shortly afterword, three more people appeared in the room with him. They were Xiaoli and two people he didn't know the names of.
Honghuo breathed in a sharp breath and took the other woman's hand as he got on one knee. He hadn't noticed her earlier, but she was the most beautiful woman he had seen today. Even more so than Miss business partner. And it didn't seem Heihuo had wormed his way in yet.
"Beautiful miss, it's a shame that Heihuo took your life too, but we can spend our days in the afterlife together."
Xiaoli blinked a few times as she looked at Auntie Yimin who also had a blank expression.
"Ahem. No."
Auntie Yimin took her hand back and placed it on Xiaoli's shoulder.
"Do you see what I was saying? This is what happens when your chest doesn't sag. They even lose all sensibility."
She shook her head.
"It's ones like the little boy that you want to look for. He's less likely to stray."
Xiaoli nodded her head.
"Of course, It's better if it isn't an actual little boy."
Xiaoli's face turned red.
Honghuo, on the other hand, was frozen in place. Today wasn't the best day. He had been rejected by four different women now.
He sighed internally. There was always tomorrow.
Jing'er, on the other hand, found someone to share his passion with.
"Hey."
"Hm?"
Honghuo turned to him.
Jing'er crouched down and held out a piece of paper between them with a glint in his eye. He activated a barrier before speaking.
"She's my fiancee. What do you think?"
Honghuo turned his uninterested gaze to the sheet of paper, but when his eyes met the figure drawn onto it, they opened wide. He grabbed the paper from Jing'er's hand.
"You can't be serious!"
"Oh, but I am."
"How in the world did you get engaged to her? Were your parents childhood friends or something?"
This was what Jing'er came for. He would brag about his fiancee at every opportunity, and when she became his wife, he would show her off even more.
"It doesn't matter how it happened. The only thing that matters is that I'm the luckiest man in the world."
After saying these words, Jing'er realised that the timing was slightly off.
"Well, that's if you discount the tragedy I've just suffered."
"Tragedy?"
Jing'er sat down. He found it easier to talk to a stranger than to his fellow clansmen.
"Yeah. Turns out my father was a demonic cultivator. You know him, the patriarch you and your friend killed."
"Ugh…"
Honghuo didn't know what to say here, but on second thought, he wasn't in the wrong. He also sat down.
"Technically speaking, your father killed himself. I was just standing there."
"It's arguable."
"I suppose."
There was a long silence before Honghuo continued.
"Well, I may not be the luckiest man in the world, but when it comes to tragedy, I've got you beat."
"Oh?"
"You haven't heard? My clan was wiped out by some self-righteous jackasses who thought they were dealing with demonic cultivators. You know them, the Zhu Clan. I think that patriarch fellow was at the lead."
"I see..."
"Yeah…"
There was another long silence before Jing'er took back his drawing and stood up.
"Well, the Crimson Moon Sect is the root cause of our problems. We can both agree on that, right?"
He held his hand out to Honghuo, who took it.
"No argument here."
"Then…"
Jing'er bowed slightly in leaving.
"Yeah…"
Honghuo did the same and the two parted ways.
Jing'er returned to Xiaoli and Auntie Yimin who were eating bread with sparkling eyes.
"Sho. Wha dij je choo oh oo chalk abouh?"
Xiaoli didn't bother to swallow the mouthful of bread she was chewing before asking her question.
"Man stuff."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone