"Immortal like?"
"Correct."
Following Jing Yin's answer, the conversation pauses, as Nian Tao Tao positions a hand near her chin in thought, to which the former remarks—
"This is why you brought me out here to talk about this."
"Immortals have all kinds of methods available to them that I am unable to keep track of. Being more cautious in front of them is always a good thing, at least according to the ancestors."
"Their divine sense, you mean?"
"Yes, and if he's really an Immortal, that charade we saw just now could be genuine."
Realizing what it is that Nian Tao Tao is concerned about, the same concern manifests in Jing Yin's heart, and it was also then that—
"Mother."
"Qing Yue."
Turning around, Nian Tao Tao sees Qing Yue—who has just taken her mask off.
"Perfect timing. You've fought with the one surnamed Long; what do you make of him?"
"He's a scumbag."
Between being asked the question and her reply being voiced, not even a second had passed. Clearing her throat, Nian Tao Tao says—
"…Let me rephrase my question. Did he seem like he could have been utilizing the same energy as an Immortal?"
"…"
Towards this question, Qing Yue's expression turns solemn, as she attempts to recall her fight with Long Hua.
"My combat experience against Immortals is insufficient, so I wouldn't be able to say for certain, but when I fought him in an enclosed space, umm…"
A sense of embarrassment washes over Qing Yue, as she recalls that miserable experience, while recounting it with a begrudging tone, saying—
"I should have had the advantage in that sort of environment, but all of a sudden it was as if he…"
Finding it difficult to put what had occurred during the fight into words, Qing Yue pauses in contemplation before continuing with—
"You'd think that being in an enclosed space with a sword of that length would hinder him somewhat, but that sword easily cut across the walls as if they were butter. Leaving me with basically… Well, I figured I could use my Demon King to end it all."
"Oh? So, it was as if you were fighting against a natural disaster, then?"
Upon Qing Yue replying with a nod, Nian Tao Tao narrows her eyes.
Hearing Qing Yue's reports to her—regarding the events that occurred in the city's wastelands—Nian Tao Tao was already suspicious of Long Hua's origins. Her reason for agreeing to that wager back on the 99th floor of the hotel is related to her preexisting doubts.
"…"
Recalling the wager that occurred, along with Qing Yue's reply to her question, it's all but confirmed that Long Hua is indeed an Immortal.
"Yin…"
"According to the records kept in the Long Yue family's archives, there is mentioning of Immortals capable of using a special force of energy related to sword arts. Maybe that's how he managed to bypass the city's detection system?"
"Sword Qi, was it? Didn't think I'd live to see the day—in which, I'd encounter a genuine Immortal that speaks our tongue."
"But the question now is…"
"Why is he here, putting on the guise of a Sinner? If there's a chance, I'd love to sit down and chat, but not knowing what his intentions are is quite an issue."
Thinking of her household's deepest secrets that must never be revealed to the Immortals, a light of hostility emanates from Nian Tao Tao's golden eyes.
"All that aside, you still haven't answered how we should go about dealing with the current issue."
Towards Jing Yin's remark, Nian Tao Tao replies—
"Hmm, the hostage situation at a glance is quite ridiculous. On the surface it's nonsense, and comical, something right out of a comedy skit. But with him being an Immortal—there's reason to believe that he may just kill that idiotic daughter of mine, if we push him hard enough."
"Does him being an Immortal automatically make him a Ling Yuan family clansman? Aren't there records saying that there are other Immortal households outside of this realm?"
"You're saying—that he may not be affiliated with the Ling Yuan family? Hmm."
The possibility of this being the case is rather slim in Nian Tao Tao's opinion, but even if it were the case—
"Affiliations do not matter much, so long as he is an Immortal of the outside world. Just this identity alone means that I'm forced to treat this situation as him genuinely holding that daughter of mine hostage…"
"Then do we just give up on the map?"
"…We give up on the map; we give up our future in the process."
"It's just one opportunity we-"
Before Jing Yin can even finish her sentence, Nian Tao Tao shakes her head, and says—
"Fact of the matter is, keeping him—who is an Immortal with unknown intentions and origins by my daughter's side would be problematic. Ideally, we take him out of the picture right now."
"…How do you plan to do that?"
Turning to Qing Yue, Nian Tao Tao says—
"Qing Yue, go get the rifle, and load it with the AI round. Also, throw an invisibility cloak onto yourself. Other than that… Do whatever else you can to avoid detection."
"Understood."
Putting her mask back on, Qing Yue moves pass Nian Tao Tao, and heads for one of the black SUVs, while Jing Yin asks—
"You plan to blast him with an AI round?"
"We've been meaning to test these bullets out, have we not?"
"With him being so close to the young lady and my sister, I do not believe it's safe."
"I'll make preparations to prevent him from acting against them."
Pinching the ring in her right hand, Nian Tao Tao mutters a short phrase.
As the ring gives off a flash of green light, four knives appear in Nian Tao Tao's right hand.
Each knife is inscribed with foreign runes, and should Long Hua be here to see them, he would realize immediately that these knives were of Immortal origin.
As Nian Tao Tao examines the knives, Jing Yin says—
"Aren't these knives one-time use only?"
"A new batch will be finished in another month. No point in keeping these around when there's spares coming in."
"...…"
Turning to Jing Yin, Nian Tao Tao asks—
"You're against this?"
"So long as he's not affiliated with the Ling Yuan family, I don't see a reason to agitate him. In fact, I'd see more reason to keep him in a good mood—if his affiliation was neutral."
Towards what Jing Yin is suggesting, Nian Tao Tao closes her eyes, and sinks into contemplation, as she lowers her right hand.
"According to the ancestors of my family, Immortals that come into this realm do not harbor good intentions. The denizens of this realm and my ancestors have suffered much under their brutality, and I had grown up listening to these tales as bedtime stories. I'm old, and attempting to change at my age proves to be difficult."
Raising a sigh, Nian Tao Tao reopens her eyes, and looks up at the night skies that are filled with gears.
"They do say that traditions fade over the passage of time. If that Immortal is indeed an ally, then his appearance here might be the world telling me to take a step back, and just leave everything to a new generation. Your suggestion, you wish to tell me that this is an opportunity for us?"
"Correct."
Turning silent, Nian Tao Tao begins to weigh her options at hand.
"Ai, well, I did say in the past that if my idiotic daughter could find a way to break through this current predicament, I'd readily hand over my position as family head to her."
"Then…?"
"Seems like that time might be around the corner."
Sitting down together on the cold floor with five bamboo steamers in front of them, Long Hua and the others munched on steamed buns and gyozas.
"You know, this isn't quite what I had in mind when I gave you this sword."
With a steamed bun in hand, Nian Yao Yao glares to her left.
"Not quite what I had in mind either."
Receiving her glare, Long Hua shrugs his left shoulder.
"…So?"
"So what?
Unsure if the other side is being serious or not, Nian Yao Yao sighs, and asks—
"So, as in, are you seriously going to maintain this posture until the end?"
"I have to make it convincing, don't I?"
"Just drop it. You're making it difficult for me to eat."
Seeing Nian Yao Yao—who must actively void the edge of his blade while eating her steamed bun, Long Hua lowers his sword with a sigh.
"Zhui Yun, I could always position the sword back in place."
"Tch."
Clicking her tongue, Zhui Yun lowers the knife in her hand, and resumes her meal.
"…"
Silently, Tian Cheng lowers her sword as well—allowing Jing Yao to heave a sigh of relief.
"In any case, what do you think they're even talking about?"
Replying to Long Hua's question, Nian Yao Yao says—
"What else could they be talking about—other than how to deal with this ridiculous situation that you've created?"
"You know as well as I do that they aren't."
Chewing her food, Nian Yao Yao begins to sort through her thoughts, and eventually, she replies—
"I'm pretty sure they aren't buying your cringeworthy hostage act."
"Even though I put so much effort into it?"
"They're at a clear disadvantage when it comes to dealing with us. So long as I'm nearby—it's impossible for them to use any sort of heavy firearms. Those MAUs are nothing more than them putting on a strong front to intimidate us with."
Ignoring Long Hua's remark, Nian Yao Yao begins to lay everything out in a clear manner.
"Their goal is the map in my hand. Until they get this thing, they won't stop harassing us. It should already be clear, but their ideal condition for victory is to isolate me from the rest of you. That way, I'd be left with no choice but to give them the map."
"Meaning I'd have to guard you at all times."
Saying this, Long Hua can't help but feel the situation to be unfair.
No harm could possibly come to Nian Yao Yao—since the enemy commander is her own mother; but because Long Hua is the former's guard, he has no choice but to expose himself to life-threatening danger.
"Pretty much. If we want out of this crappy situation, we'd have to find New Moon Village tonight—and seal the business deal. After that, we destroy the map."
Towards Nian Yao Yao's idea of ending everything tonight, silence fills the air.
Momentarily, Long Hua says—
"Wait, this still doesn't answer the original question."
"Hard to answer really. They might be discussing how they could do a temporary retreat—only to redo their attack at a later date when they're more prepared."
"Aren't they already well-prepped?"
Taking a bite out of a steamed bun, Nian Yao Yao replies—
"They might appear to be organized on the surface, but they clearly didn't come into this city with a detailed plan in mind."
"How can you tell?"
Turning to Long Hua, Tian Cheng says—
"Master, their firearms are loaded with lead-based bullets."
Nodding her head, Nian Yao Yao adds—
"Just as your doll here says, the fact that they didn't load their guns with tranquilizer rounds is proof of them not having enough time to make thorough preparations. Lead-based bullets are always in high demand by the general populace because Sinners occasionally run rampant. Your first thought on how to deal with a Sinner—who is charging at you with killing intent surely wouldn't be to put them to sleep now, would it?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Long Hua answers—
"Killing them before they can kill me is always my first thought."
"Exactly, so tranquilizer rounds are almost never in stock."
If it was in the distant past, where wildlife was "tamer" in nature, hunting for games through the use of tranquilizer rounds was a common practice among the wealthy—for those who were interested in keeping them as exotic pets.
"You'd have to get them ordered ahead of time—if you were planning to perform an operation with them in mind. Them being ill-prepped also means that I did a decent job at concealing my tracks."
As if pointing out something that couldn't be more obvious, Nian Yao Yao shrugs her shoulders, prior to eating a gyoza.
Looking at Nian Yao Yao with narrowed eyes, Long Hua asks—
"Should you really be tacking self-praise onto yourself when you screwed up at the last moment that is the most crucial?"
"A person should try to maintain a bit of self-esteem at all times, even if they fail."
Judging by Nian Yao Yao's air when she says this, she seems to be speaking from plenty of experience.
"I'm impressed. The skin on your face is way thicker than mine."
"You demanded for them to bring you food and drinks after creating this farce, your skin isn't any thinner than mine."
Left without a comeback, Long Hua presses a steamed bun to his mouth.
Momentarily, Jing Yao asks—
"This will probably sound rather random—but, Yao Yao, how much do you really know about your family?"
"Hm? That is quite random, what do you really mean to ask, Jing?"
"Aside from the Bloodline Project, did your mother keep anything else from you?"
Being asked this, Nian Yao Yao frowns at first—with the intent to just brush it aside, but momentarily, her expression turns solemn.
(That old hag would occasionally vanish for more than two months. I've no idea what she does during those absences, and since she won't ever answer me honestly, I've long given up on asking. I wonder, if she still does this to this day?)
Looking to Jing Yao, Nian Yao Yao answers—
"She's always doing something behind my back, so it's hard to say for certain. When I was still in the estate, she would occasionally vanish for more than two months. This happens once a year. You think whatever it is that she does—during those absences is related to why they had to take this outside?"
"I'm only guessing. But once a year, and for more than two months… Hmm."
"Something the matter?"
Constricting her eyes, Jing Yao answers—
"When I was still working in the Long Yue family's estate with my older sister, she would also vanish with Madame Nian for that amount of time once a year."
"So, she still does it to this day, I'd assume?"
Listening in on the conversation, Long Hua and Zhui Yun thought—
(It's as if the two's family members are having a tryst with one another while these two, the children have only just caught on to it.)
(Hm? This reminds me of a sappy drama about a woman cheating on her husband—who is always away from home due to work. The main character—who is the woman's child, is introduced to a stranger, who will be living with them two episodes in.)
Coming to the same conclusion as one another, Long Hua and Zhui Yun shook their heads to dismiss the image from their minds.
Clearing his throat, Long Hua redirects their focus—
"Never mind it all for now. Whatever they had to talk about outside shouldn't be our concern. You mentioned how you wanted to find New Moon Village tonight. How are you going to do that—when we're stuck in this place?"
Looking at the ground, Nian Yao Yao turns to Long Hua, and asks—
"Sword Saint Long, you got any confidence in being able to cut us a way down to the sewers from where we currently are?"
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