Bab 4: Section 4: I have a scheming mind
Editor: Henyee Translations
The two continued to clean up the battlefield.
The two deceased guards, one dressed in leather armor which was now tattered beyond recognition. The other wore a helmet and chainmail.
Zhenjin first took the iron armguard and replaced it on himself—his original leather armguard had just been pierced by the centipede legs of the venomous snake.
Then, he removed the iron chainmail and helmet, and put them on.
A sense of security instantly surged within him.
The equipment could compensate for the difference in the level of life to a certain extent.
For example, even a Blue-Furred Evil Wolf would not want to pit its teeth against a helmet in a head-on collision.
As for the iron boots, they did not fit the boy's feet, so Zhenjin discarded them.
Apart from protective gear, there were also weapons.
One guard used a longsword, and the other wielded a scimitar.
One side of the longsword was already broken, but the scimitar was in good condition.
Zhenjin grasped the scimitar in his hand and swung it around, frowning slightly.
He put down the scimitar and picked up the longsword.
Just as he was about to swing it, a memory was triggered, surfacing in the boy's mind.
The gloomy sky, with drizzle falling.
An open training ground.
A group of boys formed a circle, and Zhenjin lay on the ground, surrounded by the others.
The boys looked down at Zhenjin, laughing and mocking him with faces full of disdain.
The leading boy, tall and burly with blue hair standing like steel needles on his scalp.
The blue-haired boy crossed his arms, stepping on Zhenjin's shoulder: "Zhenjin, remember this well, your Hundred Needle Family is nothing but a defeated Viscount Domain! How dare a guy like you want to be on equal footing with us?"
The blue-haired boy suddenly lifted his foot and stomped on Zhenjin's head, laughing viciously: "Today I'll teach you a lesson! From now on, whenever you see us, no matter where in the castle, bow your head and make way!"
"Lower nobles should act like lower nobles. If I catch you looking at me, Qing Kui, I'll cripple you."
"Understood?"
Qing Kui growled, pressing Zhenjin's head into the mud.
"Un…understood. *Cough cough cough!*" Zhenjin struggled to speak.
"Hahaha." Qing Kui laughed triumphantly, releasing his foot and leaving.
Before leaving, he left a parting sentence: "Of course, Zhenjin, if you're unconvinced, you can challenge me anytime. I'll be waiting!"
"*Cough cough cough.*" Zhenjin struggled to sit up. As he spoke, muddy water flowed into his throat, triggering another bout of coughing.
Seeing his pathetic appearance, the boys lost interest.
"Ugh, what a loser!"
"He wants to challenge Qing Kui? With what?"
"With his embroidery needle, hahaha."
As the rain grew heavier, the boys clustered around Qing Kui, laughing and entering the castle.
Zhenjin sat in the mud, letting the rain pour down on him.
He was covered in wounds, his face pale. After a moment of daze, his gaze shifted slightly, spotting a sword in the mud.
It was his sword.
A very slender stabbing sword.
The stabbing sword, soaked in the muddy water, seemed to lack its former sharpness.
The memory ended there.
Back to reality, Zhenjin couldn't help frowning slightly: "So I'm from the Hundred Needle Family? The territory seems to be in the south. It joined the Empire in the past century, probably an Earl Domain once?"
Despite his amnesia, he found that he had retained much of his knowledge and common sense.
"My lord, what happened?" came the concerned voice of Zi Di from beside him.
Zhenjin shook his head: "I regained another memory."
"That's wonderful," Zi Di said joyfully.
Zhenjin smiled bitterly but didn't explain further. He glanced at the sky, it was nearly dusk.
The boy and girl carefully chose a spot and hastily set up a place to spend the night.
Collecting dry branches and leaves wasn't difficult.
By the firewood pile, Zi Di knelt, holding a Starfire Stone in each hand.
Crack, crack.
She struck the Starfire Stones together, soon creating azure sparks.
The sparks fell into the dry grass, turning into tiny orange embers that quickly spread and ignited.
A thin trail of smoke rose.
Zi Di quickly put away the Starfire Stones and blew gently.
With a help of the wind, the fire expanded rapidly, the light smoke turning into thick smoke, then flames leapt up, forming a campfire.
"It's done," Zi Di said happily, standing up and stepping back.
In no time, the flames spread and blazed, creating a fire.
Zi Di carefully stowed the Starfire Stones away.
In the past, she could start a fire with a snap of her fingers.
It was one of the Mage's tricks.
But on this island, Black Iron level magic was completely suppressed, making the Starfire Stones much more useful.
Without these Starfire Stones, starting a fire from scratch would be quite troublesome.
The blazing campfire brought warmth and light, dispelling the darkness of night.
Although there was nothing roasting over the fire, the boy and girl sat around it, munching on dry rations and sipping water from their water bags.
All of it—Starfire Stones, dry rations, and water—was scavenged from the bodies of the two guards.
The dry rations were hard to swallow, but in these circumstances, they couldn't afford to be picky.
The day's journey was fraught with danger; surviving the Golden and Silver level Magic Beasts and gaining some equipment, as well as sufficient food and water, was a stroke of luck for the two of them. They couldn't ask for more.
After eating and drinking, the boy and girl carefully organized the remaining food and water.
The boy began to maintain his equipment.
He took out the longsword and wiped the blade with an oiled cloth.
Weapons needed maintenance.
Although the longsword was quite ordinary, it gave Zhenjin a tangible sense of security.
"Too bad there's no crossbow."
After wiping the sword, Zi Di approached: "My lord, let me check your wound."
Zhenjin nodded.
Removing the bandage, he found that the wound on his arm had mostly healed.
"The medicine is quite effective," Zhenjin praised.
Sitting on a rock, Zhenjin watched as Zi Di knelt by his side.
She took out medicine powder from her waist pouch and evenly sprinkled it on the wound. Then she pulled out a new bandage and carefully wrapped it around Zhenjin.
Finally, she fitted the protective arm back on Zhenjin.
Zi Di looked at the protective armguard and sighed: "If only we had this iron armguard earlier, you wouldn't have been hurt by the Bloodline Centipede Snake."
The firelight reflected off the armguard, casting a dull orange glow, and it also fell on the tips of Zi Di's hair.
Zi Di's black hair shimmered in the firelight, with a halo around it.
Her wheat-colored skin carried the delicate softness unique to girls her age. At this moment, a pure fragrance seemed to emanate through the firelight, filling Zhenjin's heart.
Zhenjin couldn't help but feel moved, and unconsciously reached out to stroke Zi Di's hair.
Zi Di trembled slightly.
"M-m-my lord," Zi Di lowered her head, seemingly startled by Zhenjin's action, holding her breath like a nervous kitten.
However, Zhenjin's thoughts were not on romantic feelings. He quickly withdrew his hand and asked indifferently: "Zi Di, tell me about myself."
Along the way, the boy had been forcing himself to suppress his curiosity. Only now, when they were finally settled, did he have the chance to inquire.
The girl sat across from the boy, contemplating her answer: "My lord, you are a Holy Temple Knight, the sole heir of the Hundred Needle Family, and publicly recognized to have Black Iron Level strength."
Zhenjin couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
Zi Di's answer was intriguing.
"Publicly recognized?" Zhenjin asked again.
"Yes," Zi Di nodded, "the strength you usually display is at Black Iron Level. But based on my estimation, it's definitely more. Because this time, you crossed the sea to compete for the White Sand City Lord position. And a city lord must have at least Silver Cultivation to command respect."
In the Main World, the Human Race was undoubtedly dominant.
The Holy Emperor of the Human Race not only unified the human continent but also formed an Expeditionary Army to cross the seas and invade the Wilderness Continent.
White Sand City was one of the fortresses built by the Human Race on the Wilderness Continent, a nail driven into the land by the Holy Emperor.
Like White Sand City, there were over a dozen of such bridgeheads, and the number kept growing.
"So I'm competing to become the White Sand City Lord?"
"Although there are some Black Iron level city lords, it's unlikely for White Sand City in the Wilderness Continent to have an underqualified Black Iron city lord."
Both fighting energy and magic cultivation led to an enhancement of Life Essence.
Bronze Level, Black Iron Level, Silver Level, Golden Level.
Bronze Level were the elites, usually serving as captains in the army.
Black Iron Level was higher than Bronze, with Life Essence a step above. They were typically the mainstay of organizations and forces, just like Zi Di.
Silver Level had the qualifications to serve as a city lord, able to control a region.
Golden Level were even rarer, often the pillar of noble forces or small kingdoms.
Seeing the boy's contemplative expression, Zi Di continued: "Based on my estimation, you must have Silver Level Cultivation."
The boy nodded slightly, agreeing with her deduction.
"So, I should have Silver level fighting energy. There's no way the Empire would allow a Black Iron Knight to compete for the city lord position."
"How old am I?" the boy suddenly asked.
Zi Di replied: "My lord, you're sixteen, and I'm fifteen."
"Sixteen... Silver Level..."
A word crossed the boy's mind—genius!
To have such cultivation at that age was undoubtedly a sign of genius.
"But publicly, I'm only recognized to have Black Iron cultivation. Am I deliberately hiding it? If so, I must be quite cunning."
Zhenjin deepened his understanding of himself.
Thinking about the second memory, he recalled being bullied in the Holy Temple Knights: "Am I showing weakness?"
"What's the state of the Hundred Needle Family?" the boy asked.
Zi Di hesitated, looking troubled: "Not very good."
The boy nodded again.
He understood the reason.
Over a hundred years ago, to quickly end the final unification war of the Human Race Continent, the Holy Emperor offered amnesty to the last remnants of stubborn forces.
These forces became new nobles of the Holy Bright Empire. The Hundred Needle Family was one of them.
However, the brutal war had caused a deep-seated hatred between these new nobles and the Holy Emperor's old nobles.
Many friends and family members had died on both sides, and both sides were covered in each other's blood.
Thus, Zhenjin, a representative of the new nobles joining the Holy Temple Knights, naturally faced oppression, suppression, and exclusion from the old nobles.
"Honestly, it's a humiliating memory. But as I recall it, I feel quite calm, like a bystander."
If it were true humiliation, there should be a lingering feeling of anger or hatred, right?
Zi Di continued: "Zhenjin, my lord, I don't actually know much about you."
"But according to rumors, you usually keep away from women, prefer solitude, and even in big events, you rarely show any emotions."
"You spend most of your time in harsh Holy Temple training, always serious, silent. Your manner and behavior are always elegant and noble."
"Although you have few friends, you help others willingly, especially protecting the weak and aiding the poor. So, your reputation among the lower class is very good."
"Moreover, joining the competition for White Sand City Lord's position this time shocked many Holy Temple Knights."
"Oh?" Zhenjin raised his eyebrows.
Zi Di's words painted a picture of a cunning boy, affirming that his memory self was deliberately showing weakness.
However, what surprised him was Zi Di's limited understanding of him.
"What's going on?"
"Isn't she my fiancée?"
"If she isn't deeply in love, why would she stick by me?"
"What is the relationship between us?"
Just as Zhenjin was about to ask more, a buzzing noise suddenly came.
They turned quickly and saw numerous "firelights" appearing in the jungle under the night sky.
These "firelights" swarmed towards Zhenjin and Zi Di, aggressive and fierce.
"What is that?" Zhenjin quickly stood up, shielding Zi Di, looking extremely grave.
A small part of those "firelights" gave off Bronze-level Life Breath.
"This is?!" Seeing the "firelights" clearly, Zi Di's face turned ashen.
"It's Fire Poison Bees, my lord, run. I'll cover you!" Zi Di's face was resolute, stepping forward to protect Zhenjin.
"Run, my lord!!" Zi Di shouted urgently, showing a resolve to die.
Hadiah
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