Capítulo 47: This Mortal

A young boy who doesn't even have his first pubes yet stands in a man-to-man stare-down competition with an old man. The atmosphere is tense, and the rowdy cry of those who hear Lu Gao's 'I am Lu Gao' declaration isn't helping at all.

I wait, giving the stage to Lu Gao.

Lu Gao just stares at the old man remaining unmoving. He has this masterful poker face not letting out even a bit of his emotions to show. I slowly realize what Lu Gao is aiming for as the rowdy cultivators inside the inn devolve into silent hushes regaling the story of the Little General.

"Lu Gao, was it that kid? There is no way, right? He should be dead..."

"I was there! I saw him, the Little General, so I cannot be mistaken."

"What are you lot talking about? Wait, such a young cultivator actually exists!?"

"No, it's that he has resurrected and returned from the dead!"

"That is impossible, right? But clearly what we see is proof enough."

The old bastard very disrespectfully raises his qi in his vile attempt to control the crowd, and pressure them. Quickly, the inn falls into silence, but clearly, Lu Gao wins that round for just his renown alone.

This is exciting me to the max! My dear youngest pupil was able to confront a fifth-stage cultivator already at this stage! I admit, the old man, has some strength, but to me, or at least old Fu Shi, he is just pickles. When my players reach the 11th stage, this world is as good as conquered.

Before my mind start wandering to more dangerous thoughts, the old man directs his anger at me.

"What are you smiling at, you mortal!?"

I didn't realize it, but I am really smiling. It looks like the thought of achieving my dream of turning this world into an MMORPG is just that exciting… I mean, when I was but an immature teen, I once had this wild fantasy of reincarnating in the game…

I quickly make up a reason.

"Forgive me, lord… It just brings me so much joy that my grandson has actually been able to achieve this renown, and even has the heart of taking care of this old man… Forgive me if I have offended you…"

"How dare a mortal speak to me like that!?" He angrily yelps, but I cannot really blame him.

I really am a mortal, from the outside and inside. As I proceed with my new method of cultivation, of cultivating my mind, the traces of qi from my body starts purging themselves. Even the remains of the broken Dantian are no longer there.

Lu Gao not liking the way the old man treats us spitefully scolds the Sun's Scripture in a very scholarly manner. "Did the sun just rise from the west, for all people on this world, of a righteous sect to resort to this? Or perhaps the eclipse has come to your sect and thus explains the gloomy clouds above your head?"

Poetic, and has just enough flair, Lu Gao's words astound the people who are watching the debacle. I am similarly in awe as it wasn't in my expectations for this young boy to possess this much talent. Not to mention the weirdly blushing Yin Shu who was whispering under her breath of how handsome her husband is… This little girl… have problems… You are too young! I want to tell her that, but I stop being aware of what is best for me.

Lu Gao mercilessly reloads his armada as more words flow from his mouth. "You call yourself sect master of Sun's Scripture, yet I don't see the sun in you… Perhaps, even with a 'scripture,' you only amount to this much. Cultivation base will forever be below a cultivator's contemplation of the world…"

Oooh! That is some sick disses!

That aside, I want to try this 'being poetic' too.

"Yeah, burn, bu~uuurn!"

I am not really a poetic person. I didn't have much time to deliberate on what to say so my spit opens fire, inflicting enormous emotional damage on the old man. I see the veins in his forehead visibly showing themselves.

Maybe, I am actually a very poetic person as I was able to get the message across with such short words.

"You humiliate me, and now you insult me!" The old man draws a fiery fan under his crimson robes.

I feel the old man's fan to be a superior artifact which is already very rare in the whole continent, and maybe even 'unique' to this kingdom. My greedy heart tells me to do the criminal thing here, but I am a law-abiding citizen.

With a calculated rage, the old man withdraws his fan and returns to calm. I realize what the sly old man's aim was. Using his cultivation base, treasure, and his flashy display of anger, he was able to sway the attention of the watching people.

I find this inn-brawl very unique, and novel. To think cultivators can fight this way? It is baffling…

Faking a cough, the old man addresses the watching bystanders, yet his eyes don't leave Lu Gao. "I am sorry to have disturbed your meal, but I really cannot find it in myself to stay quiet for this… I have important news to share!" Halting midsentence, the old man builds suspense in the crowd.

"I am suspicious, of you, lord Lu Gao… Is the face you show really your face? You are so young, yet you are already in this level of cultivation… There must be a reason, correct? My assumption is you used a rejuvenating art, but I was doubtful… Such a thing is the stuff of legend! Then, how about reincarnation? While this is more unbelievable, the chances are high that it is true… After all, there are living records of such individuals, but you are different… To be able to reach the 3rd stage easily means that you possess your past life's memories! Truthfully, I thought that you are practicing just secret unorthodox arts, but now, I have reasons to believe that you are practicing demonic arts!"

Wait, there is no way they will believe that, right? I look around me only for the truth to slap in my face… Humans, cultivator or not, always had a tendency to fear 'evil' even a 'fake' evil. This old man from the Sun's Scripture has really done it. To be able to twist this truth to some extent, I find him very suspicious.

Yin Shu who was quiet suddenly bursts into anger as she bares her teeth at the old man. "Easy!? The 3rd stage is easy? You are a fool if you think it's easy. For you, it must've been easy, because the only thing you know is to eat herbs and elixirs. You must've enjoyed medicinal baths since you were a toddler. You just happen to be a random guy who had a more solid spiritual root than others and is lucky enough to be spoiled in the abundance of cultivation resources."

Remembering her younger days as a talentless princess, Yin Shu feels a phantom pain gripping her heart. She also remembers the dreadful 'initiation mission' that is a prerequisite for activating the Healer Class. She recalls bleeding her wrist worth 8 liters by the river. As long as it is cultivation-related, Yin Shu knows that it would require her more than just grit if she wants to move forward on the path of cultivation.

The old man's anger is near the breaking point. He has been civil, yet the people in front of him continue to do this to him. Cultivators seem full of sophistication and may seem to value their honor quite exaggeratedly, but no, they are just pathological egoists.

And it seems some of my players were able to inherit this too as I recall the verbal duel between Lu Gao and the old man a while ago.

I watch Lu Gao remain still as ice with a quiet anger simmering in his heart. Lu Gao is one of my earliest players, and my interactions with him in his soul state were able to tell me a lot of things about him.

I pat the young princess who was about to make a tantrum, I tap her shoulder. If the old man really does hurt her, though it wasn't me, I will still be liable. In fact, I fear that the kingdom might put me on trial for kidnapping the princess, despite it being the princess who came to me first.

I don't have any qi, but I still have my Telekinesis, my proudest superpower. With invisible tendrils slithering underground, surface wooden floors, and the air, I make my presence occupy the whole inn and beyond.

The old man in front of me I reckon might not even be a tenth of old Fu Shi's age, nervously starts sweating as I proceed forward. Reaching a space barely a meter between us, I announce to him what will happen next. "This mortal will challenge you into a bet, and you will accept. After that… You will learn not to judge a book by its cover…"