章 62: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
*Things like sexism and racism are purely for worldbuilding and to make it more realistic. Thank you for your understanding.*
Only days after Qing Fang entered his seclusion, a hooded figure stood atop a building as he overlooked the Freedom Alliance.
Orange eyes pierced through the night and overlooked the huge gates that cornered off the Freedom Alliance's territory. Beyond them, huge pagodas and winding streets full of bustling movement roared with noise. The lights would be mesmerising if one hadn't seen anything grander.
The orange eyes were shrouded beneath the hood of a long-sleeved shirt, which showed the toned and skinny body of its wearer. A pair of tight leggings showed off the flexible and dexterous legs beneath.
Naturally, it was Jiang.
'Tch. Why hasn't he come out even after all this time? This is just slowing things down.' Jiang thought as an expression of annoyance surfaced on his youthful face.
Ever since his King had ordered him to infiltrate the Freedom Alliance, Jiang had his eye on a particular disciple that would be key to his plans.
His King had given him a few formations to use so he could infiltrate the Freedom Alliance. They lay upon jade slips that would activate as soon as they were broken. Among them, a slave branding formation that could even suppress Stage 4s resided. Jiang wanted to use this formation to help him enter without much fuss.
However, after picking out the perfect Stage 4 disciple, the bastard had never come out of the gates once after five entire days! Jiang was starting to get impatient, and every day he thought of picking another target, but then what if his current target came out the next day?
Jiang sat on his hands on the tiled roof of the building when he suddenly perked up.
'Oh? What's this?' With Jiang's powerful Stage 5 eyes, the tiny dots in the distance revealed a vibrant young man that was chattering with the guards as he exited the gates. He was extremely graceful in every movement and his long, black hair was tired up splendidly.
Other disciples followed him like lost puppies as a large group of disciples headed out leisurely under the lead of the charming young man.
'Finally decided to show up, huh?' Jiang thought mischievously as a smile came across his face. His lean body abruptly flashed in the night and disappeared from where it was.
Jiang's shadow was cast over the rooftops for a fraction of a second as he dashed through the night. He stopped abruptly on a low roof overlooking a rich street that only rich people and illustrious cultivators could walk down.
There, he saw his target once again.
...
Wang Yufei was walking down the street leisurely with his followers just behind him.
Their endless praises entered his dulled ears and he could only inwardly sneer that them for being lowly sycophants. What useless trash would spend their time praising another, more talented person?
However, a benevolent smile was merely put across his face.
"Senior Wang, I heard that Fairy Chu Hua is your junior sister? What's she like? I heard she's a real beauty."
A young and handsome man asked with a sickening look in his eyes. The females of the group scoffed coldly at his remark while the males smiled mischievously and pricked up their ears.
"Haha, she is indeed a talented and interesting girl. But, what kind of person would I, Wang Yufei, be if I had designs on my junior sister?"
Wang Yufei righteously declared with his chest puffed out and his eyes gleaming with an insidious undertone.
"Of course, Senior Wang is the picture of justice!"
"Naturally, naturally, Senior Wang!"
"Ah! Senior Wang, you make my heart flutter!"
Wang Yufei smiled benevolently as he heard the responses of his followers. What useless trash they were. They didn't even deserve the air they breathed.
Wang Yufei was indeed Chu Hua's most senior brother and was the strongest disciple under Elder Lan Pi Xing. With a cultivation of higher Stage 4 at just twenty-eight years old, he was indeed a real genius with true cultivation talent. Most people would reach that stage at the age of sixty years!
He didn't pay much mind to his new junior sister as she was a weakling that had just broken through to Stage 3. Wang Yufei simply looked down on her, even more so than his master's granddaughter that had recently been cast from his tutelage.
Wang Yufei walked down the street with a lax expression until he suddenly frowned.
Feeling a gaze of malice fall upon him, his neck suddenly arched as he looked up to the rooftops and saw a small figure crouching there. A wide smile was visible under the hood of the figure and it made Wang Yufei feel endlessly uneasy.
But, who was he? He was Wang Yufei, the top disciple of an Elder in the Freedom Alliance!
"What's wrong, Senior Wang?"
Seeing the strange actions of Wang Yufei, the others trailing behind suddenly spoke up.
"Stay here."
However, he just waved his hand towards them and suddenly shot forwards with speed that they couldn't hope to match even if they tried.
Wang Yufei followed the shadow of the fleeing figure and inwardly sneered as he ran close to the speed of sound.
'Hmph. If this is all the speed you have, how can you hope to match me?'
Wang Yufei thought as he saw himself catching up to the figure that was running atop the roofs. His eyes were glued to the shadow as they weaved through the streets at an insane speed that would've only been seen as a flash of wind and a thunderous noise.
'Finally decided to surrender?'
Wang Yufei saw the figure stop just ahead of him. They had run all the way to a desolate area of the city. All the while, Wang Yufei did not even break a sweat when he saw his opponent spluttering and panting like a beaten dog.
"State your name!"
Wang Yufei shouted roughly as he displayed his power that shimmered the air and almost splintered the earth beneath his feet. Wondrous arcs of electricity pulsed across his figure and they were a shade of pale white. It made him seem dazzling as he stood there like a thunder god.
"Hmph, why don't you kneel instead, boy." However, the crisp voice that came from beneath the hood was coupled with a pair of bright orange eyes.
All of a sudden, Wang Yufei felt something was wrong. Just now, the cultivator before him was panting and heaving, but now he seemed as serene as a summer night! However, as he heard the words come into his ears, Wang Yufei's face turned blue as anger surged into him!
"Die!"
Wang Yufei shouted fiercely and shot from his spot, leaving the earth in tatters.
However, before he could even travel a meter, a disgusting expression overcame his face as a pressure overwhelmed him and pushed his body down! In an instant, the figure pulsing with lightning and thunder was pushed down to one knee and even struggled to keep his head up!
Golden symbols suddenly vibrated through the dirt on the ground and shone through, revealing the hidden formation that was planted in this spot!
'What is this?! A trap?!'
Wang Yufei screamed internally as danger signals were screaming in his head. He could barely keep his body from falling to the floor, let alone move. His Laws felt as though they were swimming in mud and he simply couldn't move them to attack!
The figure came over to the kneeling Wang Yufei that was vicious gnashing his teeth and placed a dirty boot directly onto his silky hair!
'This bastard...'
Wang Yufei thought before the boot violently pushed him to the ground. His face planted into the dirty floor and mud browned his pearly teeth!
"Why don't you lie down like a good dog."
A sniping voice came from beneath the hood once again as the orange eyes looked down with playful ridicule!
"I will have your head for this! Your family will be dead by next week!"
Wang Yufei hissed as he tried to shake the boot from his head, but he found the pressuring force increased by several times, making his eyes widen! He could not move at all!
A green shimmering jade slip that pulsed with golden runes was taken out of the shirt of the figure before he broke it between his fingers. After that, golden runes turned into golden rivers as they flooded down towards Wang Yufei and encompassed his entire body in a waterfall of golden light!
The hateful expression that was on his face suddenly became blank before shining with understanding and showing a complex expression. The golden runes bonded themselves to his skin and burnt into it amidst smoke.
Pain flashed across the eyes of Wang Yufei, but it disappeared in an instant.
Burns that were in the form of strange patterns tore through his robes and were all over his upper body. It was almost as if they clung to his skin like wiry snakes, however, the strange feeling the burns emanated showed they weren't simple burns but a formation.
Specifically, a Slave Branding formation. And it was to a good tier 2 level, which could affect Stage 4s. Such a thing was incredibly rare. The rarest formations, other than mystical formations in legends, were slave formations. They weren't hard to learn, but incredibly difficult for one to obtain.
...
Jiang's eyes flashed with an orange light as he saw a large golden rune appear next to his "human essence". It was nearly the same size as its wand it pulsed with a strong feeling of restrictive powers.
'Finally, this bastard is mine.' Jiang smiled with satisfaction as he sent fluctuations to the rune next to his "human essence" and watched Wang Yufei scream in pain on the floor before him. The brands lit up with golden light that seemed to be cooking his flesh and gripping Wang Yufei's "human essence".
Such was the Slave Branding formation. It was a scary thing.
After the brands dimmed once again, Wang Yufei solemnly kneeled on the floor.
"Master."
The arrogance from before had vanished into thin air. Now, there was only fear and respect in the young genius' voice.
"Call me Cousin Jiang. Now, let us go get me signed up to the Freedom Alliance!" Jiang majestically pointed to the sky eccentrically as he yelled. He was quite weird.
Wang Yufei stood off the floor with a beautiful smile that could charm anyone.
"Come then, Cousin Jiang."
"Of course!"
They walked leisurely through the streets, with Wang Yufei leading the way. His clothes were still burnt and torn from the imprinting of the slave formation, and the brands themselves were visible.
Jiang hurriedly felt the need to cover them up so the two headed to a fine clothing shop. It appeared that Wang Yufei was extremely rich, so there was no trouble in getting some luxurious robes for the two of them.
'Oh, how could I forget?'
While walking, Jiang suddenly remembered something and he took another jade slip from his new robes. It glimmered with the light of a formation, just like the other ones. Except, this one was extremely intricate.
'Big Boss spent months designing this one, trying to mimic the methods of Forge Masters. Let's see if this works...'
Jiang thought before he crushed the jade slip between his two fingers with a clean snap.
Instantly, translucent golden light that could only be seen in the World of Laws flooded into Jiang's Dao Body. The strong higher Stage 5 Dao Body that shone with the orange Explosion Law instantly had golden runes wrapped over every inch of it.
And then, under Jiang's surprised eyes, he saw his Dao Body weakening before his eyes.
Higher Stage 5...
Lower Stage 5...
Lower Stage 4...
Lower Stage 3...
Jiang watched as his Dao Body shrunk all the way down to lower Stage 3! He could feel the strength of his Laws regressing to a relatively pitiful level!
Jiang's eyes seemed to shed tears. The only reason he didn't cry out in misery is because he knew his cultivation was restricted by the formation. Once the formation was removed, everything would return.
'Sigh, the Big Boss did indeed fail.' Jiang sighed depressingly as he saw the results of the formation. This effect was only plan B...
After all, his King, who was a powerful Formation Master, had tried to mimic the effects of Forge Masters' treasures to hide cultivation. However, with formations, it was much more difficult.
So, Jiang's King had just decided to truly restrict the cultivation to achieve the same effects as "hiding" the true cultivation. Instead of "being strong and appearing weaker", it was "becoming weak to appear weak."
However, Jiang didn't mind too much as his higher Stage 5 Law of Strength remained! He still had the prowess of a Stage 5 cultivator, just only with his body this time!
Although his powerful Stage 5 Laws were temporarily gone, Jiang was confident he could crush middle Stage 5s. Higher Stage 5s were an uncertainty though...
"Ahh, young masters, you both look so handsome!"
The young mortal girl attendant said with sparkles in her eyes to the "strong handsome cultivators".
Wang Yufei was in lovely layered white and blue robes. He cleaned himself up and his silky long black hair was now in a ponytail that came over his shoulders. His blue eyes sparkled and he was truly a pretty boy. With his cultivation, even though Wang Yufei was twenty-eight, he looked to be merely nineteen.
However, even though Wang Yufei was a rare handsome man, the little girl's eyes were glued to Jiang instead!
The hood he always wore was nowhere in sight and revealed his face and features.
Bright blonde hair was cut short and fell onto the forehead of the boy, with his smooth white skin and gentle-sloping eyebrows. Sparkling orange eyes that glittered with stars and a pair of full pink lips beneath a straight nose!
He was too handsome!
The attention of all the young ladies was drawn over towards the handsome Jiang as his eyes were childish and playful! Whisperings of wonder and yearning in squealing voices came from all around and made Wang Yufei dryly smile as he also looked over at his "Cousin Jiang".
He was used to being the centre of attention, but it seems that would change now...
"Thank you ladies, you all look very beautiful. Haha." Jiang said as he waved the big sleeves of his new robe.
It was a deep orange with pale yellow-beige as a secondary colour. The robe matched his eyes and made Jiang seem complete, as well as stunningly handsome.
There was an explosion of "kyaas" as the young women blushed violently and giggled with their friends after the words of Jiang.
Wang Yufei put a hand on Jiang's shoulder and let him know that it was time to leave. Jiang nodded while directing glances at the ladies that followed him out.
"Cousin Jiang, I would've never thought you were so handsome under that hood. You will be the centre of all the junior sisters' admiration once you join the Alliance, haha."
Wang Yufei laughed along as the two slowly walked towards the Freedom Alliance. On the surface, there was peace between the three factions of the city, and it only seemed an issue of prosperity that the City Administration was growing while the other two were regressing.
"I did not know I was so handsome either, Cousin Wang! I've never really had a chance to socialise with the young beauties."
Jiang said with a smile. Although Wang Yufei was his slave, he still had his free will. Wang Yufei was just verbally bound to obey Jiang with the clasps on his "human essence" and body.
So, a slave was not a puppet, just a subordinate. After all, crude Slave formations that would only give you puppets were unpopular compared to the more advanced ones like the Slave Branding formation.
Wang Yufei did not ask anymore after Jiang had said that. Maybe he was being truthful, maybe he was lying and indirectly telling him not to get too comfortable. He couldn't tell.
"Here we are. The monthly recruitment ceremony is not for another two weeks, but with me here, I can get you in just like that."
Wang Yufei said with a smile before walking towards the huge white stone and golden metal gates. They were incredibly intimidating and shone with the golden light of formations. Before Jiang restricted his cultivation, even he could not break through. Only people in the legendary realm above Stage 5 could, he thought.
There was a smaller entrance to the side, with blue-robed individuals chattering there relaxedly. Wang Yufei saw them and put on a respectful expression. Just by looking, he knew they were the Lord Protectors of the Freedom Alliance.
There were hundreds of them and they were the main force of the Alliance. Although they did not have the authority that Elders had, they had similar strengths.
"Greetings, Lords." Wang Yufei said loudly as he bowed his head.
"Ah, if it isn't Pi Xing's disciple!"
Wang Yufei humbly smiled at the greetings of the Lords and asked for passage with his "Cousin". They didn't pay it much mind and let them pass through the golden gates that turned translucent.
After all, Wang Yufei was one of the most talented in the younger generation and would certainly be a big figure when he grows up!
Jiang got registered as an inner court disciple easily under the lead of Wang Yufei. It seemed like he was very illustrious in the Alliance and had friends everywhere.
Jiang could only rejoice that he had picked the perfect disciple to enslave.
Wang Yufei walked Jiang to his residence before they bumped into a young girl. She had lovely black hair and a pair of large beautiful eyes.
"Senior Wang!"
Wang Yufei would normally ignore the screechings of young girls; if that young girl wasn't his newest junior sister, Fairy Chu Hua...
*3,048/3,000 words*
クリエイターの想い 
PSYcho_72
PSYcho_72 What's gonna happen? Feel free to guess~
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット