《Sundering Nature》


 prologue

    <h4><strong>Prologue </strong></h4>


    At the summit of an imposing iron tower quietly stood a man of unimposing stature, his clothesprising of nothing more than a sleeveless shirt, a pair of shorts and a pair of flip flops. A bag with red and blue lines in a pattern dangled from his shoulders, and he held a nearly extinguished cigarette butt between his fingers.


    As he gazed at the picturesque scene of the city lights, scintiting in the distance, he slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. A trace of mncholy shed through his cid andposed face. A light flick of his fingersunched the cigarette butt into the sky. The object traced a deste arc, flickering for a brief moment under the nightly sky before what remained of it was imed by the cold wind.


    The man dropped the knit bag from his shoulder into his hand. Lifting his flip-flop adorned right foot, he took a step off the edge of the hundred meter tall tower, into the night sky immersed in the howlings of frigid wind. In the midst of his fall, a distortion surrounded his descending figure, and he reappeared standing at the bottom of the iron tower the next instant.


    The irregr cadence of his flip-flops reverberated as he strolled. Between his steps, he brought out an empty stic bottle and unhurriedly raised it to the side.


    Plop!


    Something fell out of the darkness, into the thin neck of the bottle with a barely audible noise ¡ª the cigarette butt that the man had thrown earlier. With a smooth movement, the man rather carelessly tossed the stic bottle containing the litter into a garbage can by the sidewalk. He marched until his silhouette vanished into the curtain of the night.


    ......


    Meanwhile, inside a secret room within the city.


    The top of an expensive round marble table reflected the dimmplight. A middle-aged man dressed in an expensive suit furrowed his brows as he tapped rhythmically on the table with his fingertips.


    "Why is he here?" The middle-aged man muttered to himself and the empty space around him. He lifted his hand, picked up the bottle of whiskey that was on the table and filled his ss halfway. As the man agitated the ss, the amber liquid swirled evenly within it, and a thinyer of condensation slowly climbed up the drinking ss as the warmth around it was siphoned away. The man finished off his ss of whiskey in a single gulp and shifted his attention to an empty chair in front of the table.


    "He¡¯s not here for us. Otherwise, with his temper, he would have been here long ago." An unexpected answer to the man¡¯s question came from a vacant chair. It was a soft voice, charming and indolent like a moan. Another nce at the chair showed it to bepletely empty.


    "Even if he was merely passing by, two days has passed already. Could it be that there¡¯s something keeping him here?" asked the the middle-aged man, who was not surprised in the slightest by the strange situation, and continued to voice his doubt.


    "Whatever¡¯s on his mind, we can only guess," answered the the feminine voice without much intonation.


    "Regardless, send out an order to halt all activities at hand and tell everyone to conceal themselves. Do not attempt to approach him or pry into anything. Nothing we do will escape his perception," ordered the middle-aged man as he filled his ss once again. Just like before, the lukewarm whiskey was chilled by threads of coldness that seemed to linger within the ss, never to fade away.


    "That project..."


    "The project cannot be halted. We are going against nature. Once set into motion, it cannot be stopped or all of our efforts will be for naught. From now on, you¡¯ll be in charge of watching over the experiment. We¡¯ve prepared for thirty years, that¡¯s too much time to afford even a single mistake right now."


    "But he¡¯s here. Heaven¡¯s Laws..." the woman spoke hesitantly.


    "Heaven¡¯s Laws do not govern him, and would not be able to govern him. Our preparations are enough to deceive Heaven¡¯s Laws. Monitor the experiment carefully and make sure that absolutely nothing goes wrong."


    "Fine, I only hope that nothing unexpected will arise."


    The click-ck of high-heels resounded through the hall before gradually fading into the distance. The empty seat became as silent as if it had always been empty.


    ......


    At the same time, in a faraway seaside town, a man attired in a Taoist robe sat cross-legged in a shabby apartment. He possessed handsome and bright features, a well-built physique and a crew-cut that gave off a fresh and cool impression. Yet the resolute nes of his cheeks revealed a schrly countenance.


    Three objectsid on the floor before him: the tip of a broken de, indigo remains from a shattered gourd and a broken mask to which a yellow ribbon was attached.


    The man slowly raised his hand. The space above his palm rippled and an miniature sword emerged from his skin. There was a restrained splendor to it, a daintiness from its size and its jewel-like appearance. The hilt, smooth as if it was carved from jade, was decorated with a yin-yang symbol. The de, seemingly made of jadeite, was densely decorated with inscriptions.


    "Soon, the day wille. I hope that he didn¡¯t lie to me, but if what he said is true, then what do all these years amount to..." said the man as he stared at the longsword floating in his palm. For a long while afterwards, he didn¡¯t utter a word. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the old remnants in front of him as he was gripped by emotions soplicated, words would not suffice to describe them.


    Rants Corner


    <strong>Grenn:</strong> Hehehe! I¡¯m so happy to be able to trante and bring this novel to everyone. It¡¯s apletely different genre from Bone Painting Coroner, but not any worst. I have to say that Sundering Nature is a gem not only because of the plot-driven story. It¡¯s also due to how the author can fused the satire of society (mainly asian) by highlighting the struggles and growing maturity of the protagonist as he experiences many situations and journeyed through a life that is no longer mundane.

 Volume 1 Chapter 1

    <h4><strong>Chapter 1 ¨C The Invitation Card</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming was standing under a tree. The sight of a coupleced in a tight embrace, leaning against a red Maserati, made Li Yiming¡¯s hand shiver as it sought the support of the trunk. Shock, anger, helplessness and confusion swirled within his eyes. One of the young woman¡¯s arms rested on the man¡¯s shoulders, while she gently traced circles on his chest with a finger from the other hand. Her face was red with shyness, and her eyes, watered by lust. Beneath her mini-skirt, her slender thighs, pale as freshly fallen snow, rubbed against the man¡¯s body frictionlessly.


    "Xiaoqin..." The joints in Li Yiming¡¯s right hand whitened as he sped a tree branch, but, after an ultimate effort, his arm slid down, limp. It was apanied by a silent uttering of his girlfriend¡¯s name.


    The man abruptly swept the young woman into his arms, to which she responded with a shriek of surprise, only to wrap her arms around the man¡¯s neck and bury her head shyly into his chest the next second. He walked into the entryway of a residential building with her in his arms, leaving behind the echoes of a barbaricugh.


    Li Yiming quietly deposited his rose bouquet onto the ground and turned around mechanically. At the entrance of the residential district, he raised his head and looked; he printed into his mind the blue curtains of a familiar window onest time. Then, his lonely and deste silhouette slowly faded into the veil of the night.


    Li Yiming failed to notice someone hidden in the shadows behind him. It was a man with a cigarette between his lips and a nylon bag made of criss-crossed red and blue lines in his hands. The depth of his eyes glinted with a dark luster, darker still than the shadows in which he hid. A frustrated smile hung on his lips as he followed Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming recently graduated from Hangzhou Teachers College, majoring in dance. His girlfriend, Ji Xiaoqin, was his ssmate. They had been a loving couple for two years. This year, they had nned to take their rtionship to the next step through a meeting between their parents on Chinese New Year, followedter by their engagement on the first month of the Lunar Year. After taking into consideration the housing prices as well as the living costs in Hangzhou, they decided to move back to Li Yiming¡¯s hometown, Lishui, to seek a better life after their marriage. The prestige of a degree from a Hangzhou College was still fairly admired in a small city such as Lishui, so, despite his family¡¯s modest financial situation, Li Yiming was confident that he would be able to secure a stable teaching job. He could then give dancing lessons to supplement his ie and shoulder the responsibility for the blissful family he promised to Ji Xiaoqin.


    Today was the day of his teaching interview and, at the same time, it was Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s birthday. They had spoken on the phone and nned to celebrate her birthday three dayster. Yet youthful passion is a stranger to reason, and Li Yiming rushed to the train station after the end of his interview, hurriedly boarding the train bound for Hangzhou on the same night.


    For men and women in love, this was simply screaming out romantic.


    Then, romance met reality...


    The owner of the Maserati was called Guo Xiang and he could be considered one of Li Yiming¡¯s friends. Guo Xiang used to pursue a student in Li Yiming¡¯s dancing ss, and he used to be on quite good terms with Li Yiming. Guo Xiang¡¯s grandfather was a prominent figure in the capital before his retirement, and his father was the chairman of Yunlong Construction Group: this made him the stereotypical wealthy third generation.


    Back then, Ji Xiaoqin loathed people like him, whose only virtue was to be born in an affluent family. When she talked about him, it was usually with derision and contempt. But Li Yiming would never have guessed that after leaving Hangzhou for less than a month...


    Li Yiming wandered aimlessly in the streets. Night fell, but it did little to alleviate Hangzhou¡¯s sultriness in the midst of August. As the clock ticked past two o¡¯clock, the entertainment venues closed one after another. Night¡¯s tranquility was broken by the chatters of groups of young people returning home. Li Yiming¡¯s mind was once more boiling from an emotional upheaval as the cuddling couples strolled past him.


    The love he shared with Xiaoqin bound the two together over the years like an ivy climbing up a pair of branches. He thought it strong enough to oust the shifting of mountains and the drying of seas. But now, vain was all longing for happiness; and to ashes all ns for a future together. Now, everything had been broken like fleeting spumes on an ocean wave. Was the sole purpose of these exchanged vows to show his own powerlessness and reality¡¯s cruelty?


    His steps unawarely led him to a building whose name he did not know, but remembered it as being the ce where he had his first kiss. In a dark alley behind Li Yiming, a lit cigarette butt sshed embers as it hit the ground. A dull gray flip-flop slowly rose over it and crushed it gently. The man followed Li Yiming into the building with his red and blue bag swaying back and forth,


    Li Yiming gazed into the distance as he leaned on the railing. The dazzling neonmps bore witness to the prosperousness of Hangzhou. The scenery reminded him of another moment in his happy past, and loss and defeat gripped his heart once more. He remembered Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s coquettish protests, the kind words she whispered to him. He could perceive her well-known yet now unfamiliar silhouette. The indistinct echoes of her voice continued to reverberate and amplify in his mind, resounding more and more clearly with each passing second. He closed his eyes, shutting away those memories and sounds, but in his mind, he could see Ji Xiaoqin set flight into a beautiful dance. He reopened his eyes, and could see her shadow looming behind the curtains of every lit window in the distance.


    Li Yiming removed his shoes and slowly climbed onto the rusty railing. He swayed his legs in the air as he sat on it. His eyes slowly emptied as he thought of his parents. He was only nine years old when they divorced. Then, shortly after, they both remarried and had a child with their new spouse.


    "They all have a family of their own..." Li Yiming raised his eyebrows, not knowing how else to console himself.


    "Mulling over enough? Now hurry up and jump, will you?" Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.


    The unexpected voice almost made Li Yiming fall off. He tightly grasped the railing and turned around with surprise written all over his face. He saw a man in his forties, with a sleeveless vest, colorful hawaiian shorts and a pair of flip-flops. He held a nylon bag and threw an amused nce at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming had difficulty finding the right words to say.


    Neither of them spoke as the man sat down silently. The man took out a can of beer from his bag and stared at Li Yiming without speaking.


    Li Yiming was a little embarrassed from the attention and his pensive mood waspletely obliterated. He stretched his neck unnaturally and readjusted his sitting posture to bring relief to his numbed hand. He wanted to break the ufortable silence but had nothing to say.


    ck! Psschit! The other man emptied the beer can in a few gulps and threw the can on the floor before taking another one out of his bag.


    "Thinkin¡¯ about jumping?" Finally, the man asked. Li Yiming, difited by the awkward silence, was relieved by the question.


    Li Yiming replied subconsciously, ¡°No..."


    "If you don¡¯t n to jump off then why are you sitting here? Is this a good ce to think about things?" The manughed and the facetiousness in his eyes grew.


    "Ah... I was thinking about something." Li Yiming answered truthfully; he was unable to lie under this man¡¯s stare.


    "Looks like you still haven¡¯t figured out the answer. How about venting some of it out? After all, I¡¯ve lived quite a few more years than you." With a smooth movement, the man fetched out a pack of cigarettes from his bag and pulled a cigarette out. He lit it up and inhaled deeply with an expression of nostalgia.


    "..." Li Yiming kept silent, unable to say anything. Although he feltpelled to exin his circumstances by the man¡¯s imposing manner, he didn¡¯t know where to start. Should he say that he saw his girlfriend cheat on him and his steps led him to this terrace? What was he nning to do, going on a terrace on the highest floor? Common sense would conclude that he was nning to jump off and kill himself.


    "¡¯Feeling shy? That¡¯s okay, lemme take a guess." The man noticed Li Yiming¡¯s embarrassment. He drank another mouthful and started speaking before Li Yiming could ept his proposition. "By the way you¡¯re dressed up, doesn¡¯t seem like bankruptcy. Wouldn¡¯t have enough money to start anything in the first ce."


    Li Yiming lowered his head and looked at his cheap garments and at the hole in his right sock. He awkwardly retracted his right leg and crossed it behind his left leg, hiding it from sight.


    "Doesn¡¯t seem like a failure at the university entrance test1 You are too old to want to kill yourself ¡¯cause you flunked a test and can¡¯t go to university."


    Upon hearing his words, Li Yiming instinctively reached out to stroke his unshaved chin, but he almost lost his bnce from releasing his grip on the railing, so he hurriedly mped his hand around it again.


    "Oh, you nearly bent that metal pipe! Well, that rules out the scenario of an incurable disease."


    Li Yiming looked at the man sitting beside him in semi-frustration. ¡¯Did youe here to force me to jump down?¡¯


    "Women! Am I right? A woman is the root of your problem?" Suddenly, the man snapped his fingers and loudly dered.


    Li Yiming nodded with embarrassment.


    "Really? Women... Come here,e here. Let big brother give you some advice." Suddenly the man became somewhat excited and his imposing attitude vanished.


    After this moment of confusion, Li Yiming climbed down from the railing; rather, it was a good time to do so for him since he could acutely feel the soreness in his hands. A moment ago, his heart was dying away like embers from an extinguished fire, and it removed him from all other feelings. Now, he has broken out of his trance, and he could finally feel his legs bing limped from sitting on the railing for too long.


    "Come here. Sit next to me. Big brother¡¯s gonna talk with you." The man saw Li Yiming approach him, so he pulled on the corner of his pants to signal him to sit down.


    "Women... Ah..." The man gazed at the starry sky. His expression gradually gained a certain profundity.


    One second... Five seconds... Ten seconds... A minute passed, but he was still silent.


    The man sighed heavily before taking out another can of beer from his bag. "Let¡¯s not talk about women. Those creatures are troublesome. Here, have a drink."


    "I... I don¡¯t drink" Li Yiming was a bit dumbfounded in front of such attitude. ¡¯Really... Is that the counseling you¡¯re offering? Weren¡¯t you the one who mistakenly thought that I was about to jump off the building?


    "Ah? Then, how ¡¯bout a smoke?" The man presented him a cigarette.


    "I don¡¯t smoke."


    "Ah... don¡¯t smoke or drink?" The man was a bit surprised.


    Li Yiming nodded timidly.


    "Don¡¯t say that big brother didn¡¯t warn you. A man who doesn¡¯t drink, no woman he shall have; a man who doesn¡¯t smoke, no son he shall beget. No wonder you want to jump off the building!"


    "Big Brother, do you live here?" Li Yiming hurriedly changed the topic: he found no way to continue on it. He looked at the man¡¯s clothing and came up with an attempt to do so.


    "No. I was just passing by."


    ¡¯Passing by? We¡¯re on the 21st floor.¡¯


    "Wait, wha- sigh! Well, I suppose I should thank you." It seemed like the man believed he wanted to jump off the building and was looking to talk him out of it. Although his approach was debatable, the important thing was the good intentions behind it.


    "Hehehe! Gotten over it?" The man exhaled a puff of smoke as he asked.


    "Actually... It¡¯s just..." Li Yiming remembered something and his mood sank again.


    "Okay, stop getting downcast. If you can¡¯t figure things out at the moment, stop mulling over it and think about it again when your head is clearer. Like the old people say, even if the sky copses, there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. If worstes to worst, may it be." The man got up with ease and patted off the dust on his butt before walking to the railing.


    "Look at this world. Lavish, mboyant, prosperous,plex... Then, look at the people below. There are mediocre ones and astute ones; some are happy, others are sad, the rest, angry or depressed. Some are healthy while others are sickly and on the verge of dying. Let¡¯s not forget about those who have poise and good deportment; those who beg on the streets; those who burn their fortunes to live a few more days; and the idlers, like you, who jump off buildings for trivial matters. Tell me, what¡¯s the difference between them? What¡¯s the true essence of this world?" He held a can of beer with one hand and pointed his cigarette around with the other hand, but his words had an odd lucidity.


    Li Yiming looked at the man in front of him with amazement; he became a different man. Enough so that Li Yiming had a bit of difficulty adjusting. He remained silent, unable toe up with a good answer. However, the man did not let him get away with such an answer. He turned around and fixated his gaze on Li Yiming, waiting for an answer.


    "The... The difference is in the efforts each of them invest in life..." Li Yiming gave up on dodging the question and equivocated an answer to not pour cold water on the good mood of his benefactor. Besides, when he was young, his teacher had taught him that only by making efforts in life would one be able to reap the corresponding rewards.


    "Invest... effort... Hahaha!" The manughed mockingly. "Consider this then... The first man is from a poor family, with nothing else but dreams and ambitions but he¡¯s hardworking and has the iron will to realize his wishes through the ordeals of life. The second is his opposite, a man born with a silver spoon and no redeeming quality nor goal in life. If you were a woman, which would you choose?"


    Perhaps it was unintentional, but these words hit straight at Li Yiming¡¯s sore spot. Li Yiming gazed onto a distant neonmp and remained silent for a long while. Below, a modified sport car sped up, its engine roaring in a deafening explosion. In the building across the street, a few windows, just like the stars in the nightly sky, lit up and heads stuck out of them, searching for the source of the noise. Soon after, curses poured out as the heads pulled back and the windows were shut.


    "Because... of rules." Li Yiming broke his silence but spoke grudgingly. He clenched his fists tightly and released them slowly, letting go, at the same time, of something in him that he persisted to hold onto for so many years.


    "Yes, that¡¯s right, rules! Dragon gives birth to dragon and from phoenix, new phoenix is born. A rat will give birth in a tunnel and a tortoise will forever be unable to catch up to a deer. Only a rich person can make you rich; only a leader can promote you to manager. Such are the rules! But you want to mention the rags to riches story? First of all, they follow the so-called rules. Second, they overthrow them. Without understanding them, even if you bury yourself in work, these efforts are futile. To elevate yourself as a sheepdog amongst a herd of sheeps, you have to understand the rules set by the shepherd. Only if you can understand the rules, can you be a shepherd. If you can¡¯t do either, then your only fate is to toil all your life in a sheep pen. If the shepherd is cold, your wool will be shaved for him. This is called selflessness. If the shepherd is hungry, you shally on the butcher block and scream your devotion for his cause."


    "Rules..." The man repeated the word, then turned around and stared at Li Yiming. "The Dao is incorporeal, epassing heaven and earth. The Dao is merciless, cycling along the passage of the moon and sun. The Dao is nameless and gives birth to all things. All creation possesses amon truth and merges into the Dao. These are the rules I¡¯m talking about." The man was idly chatting, but in a split second his figure towered his surroundings, bursting with an umon force and vigor like an immortal entity would.


    Li Yiming struggled to keep up with the man. ¡¯Big brother, the change in your temperament is too great. We were only chatting about philosophy, yet now it¡¯s suddenly metaphysics? I¡¯m a student majoring in dance you know?¡¯


    "Do you want to be someone who make the rules?" All of a sudden, the man asked Li Yiming with a solemn stare.


    "What?" Li Yiming had yet to extricate himself from his previous philosophical pondering.


    "If you desire to make the rules, first, you need to know them. Come, take this." Without waiting for Li Yiming to react, the man took out a sealed envelope from his knitted bag and shoved it into Li Yiming¡¯s hand.


    "What is it?"


    "Rules!" The manughed cryptically.


    Li Yiming unsealed the envelope and found a shy golden invitation card inside. Then, he opened the card and saw a row of words: August 15th, Pure Water Herb Hall in Hangzhou.


    "Big brother, what is- Huh? Big brother? Where did he go?" Li Yiming raised his head, but the man was nowhere to be seen. What remained were only three empty cans of beer and two cigarette butts littered on the floor...


    "Shit..."


    Rants Corner


    <strong>Grenn:</strong> I really like the analogy between society and the sheep pen. You have to remember that this novel is heavily based on Chinese society which have many differences whenpared to Western societies.


    The most important exam in China, called Gaokao, is a an exam on the same scale as SAT exam but has a much higher stakes. The pressure for the sess of this exam is a major cause of teenage suicides. For more information, click here: ?

 Volume 1 Chapter 2

    <h4><strong>Chapter 2 ¨C Pure Water Herb Hall</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming rested against the mattress of a hotel bed, gently rubbing the thin invitation between his thumb and forefinger as he struggled to recollect his thoughts. He did not return to his apartment as hecked the courage to confront Ji Xiaoqin. Tonight¡¯s events were one shock after another: his girlfriend¡¯s betrayal, the weird uncle thatbelled himself as a big brother and then this goldminated invitation.


    "Was he crazy or just a swindler?" The encounter with that weird man was somehow much more memorable than seeing Ji Xiaoqin cheat on him. ¡¯August 15th... It¡¯s today. To go or not to go?¡¯


    ¡¯Whatever! I¡¯ll go and take a look. It¡¯s not like my worries would disappear, but I can at least distract myself with this. I¡¯ll indulge myself this time, and even if it turns out to be a fraud, it¡¯ll be for once.¡¯


    Li Yiming got up from the bed and took out his cellphone and opened the map.


    "Is that ce downtown?" The only result of the address search showed that Pure Water Herb Hall was a teahouse located not too far away from the Second Provincial Hospital.


    He looked at the time: it was eight o¡¯clock in the morning. He washed his face, went downstairs, checked out from the hotel, ate breakfast, and took the bus to his destination. On the bus, Li Yiming didn¡¯t forget to update his status on social media ¨C Here¡¯s to a new beginning, off we go to Pure Water Herb Hall! He posted it just in case that ce was a sweatshop. At least the police would have a lead to work on if something was ever to happen to him.


    It took three bus transfers and twenty five minutes of walking before Li Yiming finally arrived at his destination. The shop front was not very big, but above it hung a very antique and eye-catching que with the name written in a bold calligraphy, giving out a certain artistic impression.


    ¡¯Well, this doesn¡¯t seem like a sweatshop to me.¡¯ The sight of the storefront made Li Yiming exclude the possibility of an obvious swindle. He pushed the door and entered the shop.


    "Wee." He heard a melodious voice. It came from a demure young woman wearing a cheongsam1 She stood calmly in front of him.


    A sh of surprise flit through Li Yiming¡¯s eyes. ¡¯How pretty! Fresh and soothing, natural and unrestrained. Elegant like a flower reflected on still water and simr to a willow fluttering in the wind when she moves. If there was someone that could make me forget my sufferings, she would be the one.¡¯


    Li Yiming raised his eyebrows. This kind of beauty is delegated to the task of weing customers? What if this is a trap? With this kind of investment, it would not end at just losing a kidney. Li Yiming looked around dubiously.


    "I apologize, sir. The shop is closed for today." She bowed to him with a professional smile.


    ¡¯A fine smile! The nascent crescent formed by her eyes, the angle of her smile, not too faint, nor too exaggerated: just enough to bring out her charm.¡¯


    "Sir?" She noticed Li Yiming staring at her. A subtle blush crept onto her face.


    "Ha? Oh... I have an invitation card." He hurriedly took it out to ease his embarrassment. "This... Is it the right ce?"


    "Yes, it is. I apologize, I didn¡¯t know you had an invitation. Please follow me." She took the invitation, scrutinized it before stroking its upper right corner. Then, she politely returned it to Li Yiming and made a gesture inviting him inside.


    Li Yiming took his card back and followed her. His eyes couldn¡¯t help but wander around the young woman¡¯s figure, not only that, he kept ncing at her legs.


    ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with me? I¡¯m a dance program graduate. I¡¯ve seen my fair share of beauties. What¡¯s more, during ss, my ssmates would always wear practice clothes covering less of their skin than a swimsuit. She¡¯s pretty, but to that point...? Did the shock fromst night make my hormones run amok?¡¯ Li Yiming found his earlier behaviour rather odd. As he mulled over this thought, his gaze uncontrobly jumped back to the long legs peeking through the gap of the cheongsam. ¡¯Nice legs! Straight and smooth, with just the right curves...¡¯


    The first thing Li Yiming saw when he entered the room was a four-piece screen. On it the following was written:


    Three millennia of recorded history, fraught with power, lust, and greed;


    Ny thousand miles of meditation, only to return to gardening, wine and poetry.2


    ck characters on yellow rice paper, the archaic rhymes of the poem embodied perfection. Li Yiming¡¯s opinion of the venue improved, and he grew ever more vignt.


    As Li Yiming went past the screen, he was finally able inspect the teahouse in its entirety. The shop facade was small and the inside was... even smaller. The ce was not meant to amodate a lot of customers, and it resembled more the study room or the living room of a wealthy family than a tea shop. It was at most 50 square meters. The inside was nicely decorated with wooden furniture: a sculpted wooden tea table,plete with a set of six chairs...


    ¡¯There¡¯s only one table in the entire shop?¡¯ thought Li Yiming.


    Three of the six wooden chairs were upied. upying one of them was an elderly woman dressed ¨¤ mode. A thick dark green shawl wrapped around her head in twoyers and covered her head like a cloak. Next to her sat a bespectacled man in a suit, whose golden rimmed sses hid eyes which showed the temperament of ayman. The third person was a woman, a big sister type with deep cleavage. Although the corners of her eyes were marked by crow¡¯s feet, they only served to entuate her elegance and maturity.


    "What took you so long?" The elderly woman looked at Li Yiming with disatisfaction. Her voice was hoarse and rough.


    "It didn¡¯t take that long, at least he¡¯s notte. " The big sister interposed with a chuckle. Her eyes glossed over the young woman in the cheongsam and thetter seamlessly nodded back. "Thank you foring today. Please take a seat. Qiaoqiao, give some tea to the customer."


    "Sir, what would you like to drink? ck tea, green tea, scented tea or fruit tea? I apologize in advance, we only have tea here." The cheongsam youngdy led Li Yiming to his seat with a beaming smile and asked courteously.


    "Hot water, please." Li Yiming looked at the patently expensive tea sets in front of the other three people. He had barely 500 yuan, including the 300 he had on his card: it was wise to stay within his limits.


    Qiaoqiao turned around and left. Meanwhile, the fashionable elderlydy stared at Li Yiming coldly, and the big sister type sized him up with a smile. As for the bespectacled man, he continued to wholeheartedly sip his tea, as if Li Yiming was nothing but air.


    "Qing Linglong. The proposer for this time. Hi!" The big sister put down her cup, and stood up with her eyes on Li Yiming. Her actions had a kind of grandeur embed with natural grace.


    "Li Yiming." Li Yiming stood up cautiously and shook her hand. It was very soft and the nails were beautifully trimmed.


    "She¡¯s called Grandma Wang and he¡¯s called Eyesses." Qing Linglong introduced the other two people, but Eyesses, just as before, remained motionless while Grandma Wang nodded coldly.


    "Your water." The little waitress in cheongsam lightly deposited the cup in front of Li Yiming.


    "She¡¯s my little sister, Qing Qiaoqiao." Qing Linglong pointed at the young girl wearing a cheongsam.


    "H-hello." Li Yiming wanted to say something else, but didn¡¯t know from where to start. This situation was quite strange. He assumed the weing big sister type was the shop owner¡¯s wife. Then, was the indifferent bespectacled man the owner or a customer? What about the unfriendly Grandma Wang? Was she Qing Linglong¡¯s mother? And this waitress was... very attractive. Her appearance might not be extraordinary, but she was very charismatic, and his gaze would always inadvertently gravitate back to her.


    "The time hase. Although it¡¯s our first cooperation, let¡¯s not waste time on formalities." The big sister returned to her seat. "Everyone should have a look at the information I provided. My main purpose is to apany my little sister Qing Qiaoqiao. She¡¯s a neer, so I hope that everyone can take care of her. What I have promised before still holds true. I, Qing Linglong, would absolutely not renege on my promise. Any questions?"


    ¡¯Cooperating? Cooperating for what?¡¯ Li Yiming was puzzled. Eyesses picked up the teapot and poured himself another half cup: it seemed like he drank red tea. Grandma Wang scrutinized Qing Qiaoqiao with squinted eyes.


    "That..." Li Yiming took out the invitation, intending to obtain some rifications from the others. He had barely opened his mouth when darkness veiled his eyes; themps in the room flickered as if the electric voltage became unstable and extinguished.


    ¡¯A ckout?¡¯


    The light returned before Li Yiming could give it another thought.


    "It has started." Grandma Wang¡¯s hoarse voice could be heard.


    ¡¯What¡¯s going on?¡¯ To his surprise, Li Yiming noticed that after the ckout, the people in front of him changed. Eyesses put down his teacup, theyman temperamentpletely gone. Grandma Wang¡¯s turban was lowered and covered her facepletely. Yet, the intimidating air she gave grew stronger. As for Qing Qiaoqiao, she stood beside her big sister with an apparent excitement and agitation, whereas her big sister, Qing Linglong, wore an unchanged smile, gentle and warm, while lightly holding her little sister¡¯s hand.


    "Since it¡¯s already started, this old one has many words to say. Linglong is the summoner. I have no say over who she chooses to invite, but, since the invitation has been epted, a pact has formed between us; we¡¯re all in the same boat. You all better be serious. If anyone stirs troubles during this period, don¡¯t me me for being ruthless!" While she spoke, Grandma Wang parted her turban, revealing a frosty re directed at Li Yiming. Her eyes were sinister and dreadful, and seeing them was enough to make one shudder.


    Grandma Wang¡¯s stare made Li Yiming¡¯s blood run cold. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and tightened his hand on the invitation card. He swallowed back the questions he wanted to ask.


    "Grandma, serious as always." Qing Linglong smiled as she interjected to smooth out Grandma Wang¡¯s harsh words. "The first stage is usually information gathering and target confirmation. I suggest that we each go our own way to gather information, what do you think?"


    Everyone nodded. As for Li Yiming, the terror that Grandma Wang incited in him made him stay silent.


    "Time is of the essence." It was the first time Eyesses spoke. Despite his unsophisticated appearance, his voice had a certain maism. As he spoke, he rummaged through his silver colored suitcase.


    ¡¯Where did thate from?¡¯ Li Yiming stared at the metal suitcase in a daze. It was no small object, and the contrast could not have been more obvious around the wooden table, but it was clearly not around a second ago.


    "Use this to stay in touch. The cellphone signal is unstable." Eyesses took out several palm-sized ck boxes from his suitcase and distributed them.


    Li Yiming received one. The object was light, and its craftsmanship fine.


    "Then, let¡¯s begin! If you find anything, please contact everyone immediately." The big sister sent a thoughtful nce at Li Yiming and pulled Qing Qiaoqiao into the depth of the teahouse.


    Grandma Wang tidied her shawl. She shed another gloomy nce at Li Yiming before getting up and leaving the teahouse. Eyesses gulped down what was left of his tea and followed suit.


    ¡¯Huh? What about his suitcase?¡¯ Li Yiming noticed that when Eyesses left, he didn¡¯t bring his suitcase with him, so he turned around and looked for it; it was not on the table, not on the floor nor behind the chair...


    ¡¯What the heck?¡¯ Li Yiming looked around him and realized he was the only one left. ¡¯This...¡¯ He looked down at the invitation card and the ck box in his hand, then nced at the cup full of hot water. ¡¯That¡¯s it?¡¯


    He promptly left the shop despite his obliviousness; he did not want to stay there for too long. By the time he left, the elderlydy and the bespectacled man were nowhere to be seen. He looked around in confusion and quickly proceeded toward the nearest bus station.


    On the bus, Li Yiming had yet to digest everything: those crazy people, the weird things they talked about. The whole thing was iprehensible. He came out of curiosity for the man he metst night, but he ended up with more questions. ¡¯Who are those people? And what exactly are they cooperating for?¡¯


    Li Yiming aimlessly wandered on the street, pondering about what just happened, but it became no more than a maze of confusion.


    "How did I end up here?" Li Yiming raised his head and realized that his steps brought him back to his apartment.


    In the afterglow of the setting sun, peaceful clouds covered the neighborhood. Behind them, unknowingly to anyone, the wheels of fate had started to turn. Li Yiming stared at the window he was so familiar with, lost in his own thoughts. He hesitated at the idea of returning to his apartment. However, unbeknownst to him, his life had already spun out of his control...


    Cheongsam is a traditional chinese apparel mostly worn by women. Click here for a visual image of it: /wp-content/uploads/2015/09/02/FMS-15150A-Birds-and-floral-Chinese-watercolor-painting-long-cheongsam-mandarin-cor-dress-002.jpg? These verses were originally inspired by a famous poem written by Tao Yuanming, about 1,500 years ago. Tao Yuanming was a famous poet that mostly wrote poem about the simple farming life and returning to rural life. For the tranted version on the inspired poem, click here (english at the end): For more information on the poet, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Yuanming?

 Volume 1 Chapter 3

    <h4><strong>Chapter 3 ¨C The Copse of the Viaduct</strong></h4>


    ¡¯Ah, habit...¡¯ He looked at the lot where the Maserati was parkedst night and saw a Hyundai instead. It seems like Guo Xiang left. Then he looked up: he must confront reality, or at least gather his belongings before his departure.


    Li Yiming climbed upstairs, opened the door, entered the room, and found it empty.


    The studio he rented costed 3,800 RMB per month. Based on Li Yiming¡¯s budget alone, it would be impossible for him to rent that kind of apartment throughout his university years. Fortunately, Ji Xiaoqin and him were both students in the dance program and often received contracts for performances here and there which helped pay the rent.


    The room was a little messy, but then again, many art students were naturally inept at domestic chores. Li Yiming glossed over the familiar room, a little overwhelmed. He found himself standing next to a trash can by the bed before he knew it, and he peered inside: a clean bag with nothing inside... He let out a sigh of relief. Even so, he did not dare to inspect the bed sheets. Instead, he slouched on the sofa with dead eyes and turned the television on. At this time, even a little bit of noise would help alleviate his loneliness.


    The news ran on the television. It seemed like a newly constructed viaduct in the outskirts of the city had copsed during rush hour, causing numerous deaths. Rescue was underway, so it seemed to have urred not too long ago.


    Nowadays, this kind of news was quitemon. In a capitalistic society, who would not skimp on the job and stint on the materials? The path between the bid proposal and the contract signing was littered with under-the-table deals. Those needed to be ounted for, so if the constructionpany did not tamper with the quality of the project itself, how could it expect to yield a profit? The only variability was what new low they were willing to reach in order to boost their ie figures.


    Li Yiming sighed. He did not continue to watch the scenes of the copse, as they wrenched his heart. His attention diverted to the half-finished pack of cigarettes sitting on the table and the exquisite lighter next to it. He did not know the name of the brand, but he guessed that it had to be something Guo Xiang left behind...


    ¡¯A man who doesn¡¯t drink, no woman he shall have; a man who doesn¡¯t smoke, no son he shall beget...¡¯ Li Yimingughed in self-derision as he remembered the saying from the man in shorts. He lit a cigarette and took a puff.


    A little bitter, and the smoke burned his throat.


    Li Yiming exhaled and watched the smoke scatter away. He sighed again. ¡¯Forget it. If it wants to scatter, then let it fall apart. The rule for campus romance: love ends at graduation.¡¯ To wish for Ji Xiaoqin to return with him to his home in Lishui was unrealistic. He should have known about it, otherwise she would not have equivocated so when he brought up finding a job there. The interview yesterday went nicely, so once he secured a position and settled down, he should be able to find a girl in Lishui and live a quiet life.


    He would pack his belongings and rush to catch the bus back home. It was time to put a period to his life here, to this city, and to its inhabitants. Many will perhaps seek an exnation, a reason behind such a betrayal. Yet, for Li Yiming, a rification was unnecessary. A confrontation would only avail to further embarrassment. Besides, what¡¯s done is done, why make things more difficult for himself and for her? Big brother in shorts was right: such are the rules...


    A man does not mature into pragmatism; he simply epts reality more readily. After "dying" oncest night, Li Yiming felt like he suddenly grew up. Since anger and hatred were not useful, then he should just learn to see the world through more empathetic eyes and to put himself in other people¡¯s shoes,. From Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s perspective, she had the right to pursue her own happiness and follow whatever path she chooses. As for the morality of her actions... morality is but a set of rules determined by the majority of society.


    After a moment of lucidity, Li Yiming got up and began to pack up his meager possessions. He had barely started when the ck box he had slid out from his pocket and dropped onto the ground.


    ¡¯This thing...¡¯ He recalled the scenes inside the teahouse. The curiosity he had deliberately restrained rushed forth once again. He stooped down, scooped it up, and sat back into the sofa.


    The ck box was made of a material unknown to Li Yiming. Yet the workmanship was meticulous, and it did not weigh much at all. It seemed like some kind of high end eyess case.


    Li Yiming did not have time to examine the object properly until now. He hesitantly opened it.


    ¡¯sses, really?¡¯


    Li Yiming found a pair of fashionable sunsses with a ck frame and tawny lenses inside. He put it on and his first reaction was to throw a nce at the mirror.


    ¡¯Cool! I look quite fashionable!¡¯


    Li Yiming looked down and noticed two other things in the case: a bead the size of a fingernail and something that looked like a lighter. The bead was soft when pinched: it was made of soft rubber.


    ¡¯What is this? Do you get a free lighter when buying sses?¡¯ Li Yiming picked up the lighter with curiosity. There was a single button on it. He pressed it.


    The space in front of him suddenly distorted. The next moment, one... two... three... four... the figures of the people in the teahouse appeared one by one in front of him. All of them were wearing the same sunsses and looked at him with surprise. He noticed Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s obvious excitement as she hurriedly stuffed something into her ear.


    ¡¯What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Li Yiming was shocked. He took his sses off in a panic... The images disappeared. He put it back on... The four faces reappeared again, with the same astonished expressions: Eyesses frowned; Grandma Wang squinted her eyes; and Qing Linglong¡¯s lips were opening and closing: she was saying something he could not hear.


    Li Yiming heard faint soundsing from the small bead on the table. He remembered what Qing Qiaoqiao did a moment before. He intuitively reached for it and put it in his ear.


    "Mr. Li?" He could now clearly hear Qing Linglong¡¯s voice.


    ¡¯Holy shit! A virtual reality conference call? This is some high-tech!¡¯ He found himself in a situation which was straight out of a Hollywood movie, which left himpletely stunned.


    "Mr. Li?" Qing Linglong called again. As for Grandma Wang, she was already showing signs of impatience.


    "Ah?" Li Yiming was still in shock.


    "Mr. Li, we haven¡¯t parted for long, and you¡¯re already contacting us. Did you find anything?" Qing Linglong noticed Li Yiming¡¯s bafflement, and her voice suggested some discontentment.


    "..." Li Yiming did not know what to say. He simply had too many questions.


    "Big Sister, look at the television." After a moment of silence, Qing Qiaoqiao suddenly eximed.


    ¡¯Television?¡¯ Li Yiming looked pass the hologram, at the television. The rescue operations after the viaduct copse were still being broadcasted. Big events such as these would certainly be closely followed for a while.


    "Eyesses, can you have a look at this?" asked Qing Linglong in a serious tone.


    "Give me ten seconds." Eyesses lowered his head. He was typing at lightning speed on a tablet. The impatience on Grandma Wang had vanished, reced by a trace of surprise.


    "On the outskirts of the city, forty two minutes ago, arge segment, over 4.23 kilometers of Highway 208, had copsed. 52 people are confirmed dead, and the amount of injured are still being estimated." Eyesses¡¯s maic voice started narrating after barely ten seconds.


    "Is this an ident or our clue?"


    "Highway 208 waspleted in April. Its constructionsted two years and seven months, and the project was inspected in June. Its inauguration was on June 24th, so it¡¯s been only two months minus nine days. For such arge scale project, no amount of skimping should have made a copse possible after such a short while." Eyesses slowly read the information from his tablet.


    "This must be our clue. Good job, Mr. Li. We ought to pay close attention to anything rted to this incident. Keep in contact." Big Sister Linglong smiled as she faded away.


    "My old eyes have underestimated you earlier." Grandma Wang nodded at him and disappeared with Eyesses.


    Li Yiming took off his sunsses and stared nkly at the TV screen.


    ¡¯Clues? What clues? The clues for what? Can someone tell me what¡¯s going on? Big brother in shorts, the invitation card, the teahouse, the four weirdos, the high-tech stuff...¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s mood was a melting pot of many things; He realized that he might have been caught up in something big. He was looking forward to it and felt a little excited for its oue. In an era of Hollywood movies, which child had not dreamt of being exceptional? However, the excitement quickly subdued into uneasiness and a fear of the unknown.


    ¡¯Since I¡¯m caught in this, there¡¯s no reason to cower. I might as well step forward and see the end of it.¡¯ Li Yiming decided speedily. When all was said, he was nothing but a hot-blooded young man who had yet to reach the age of circumspection. His curiosity was quite piqued by the novelty of the affair.


    ¡¯But what should I do exactly?¡¯ Li Yiming was at a loss.


    He took out his cellphone and look at the time ¨C 5:20PM.


    ¡¯Food first, then we¡¯ll think about it.¡¯ He was a little proud of his decision. It appeared, quite obviously from his observation of those four weirdos... Correction, those four mysterious people, that they were certainly nning to aplish something extraordinary. They seemed to consider him as one of their own, which was the perfect opportunity for him to unveil the truth.


    He even forgot about packing his luggage. The thoughts about Ji Xiaoqin lessened in his mind. Such was the power of distraction. He carefully slipped the ck box and the invitation into his bag and put the "lighter" into his pocket. He put on the sunsses, since Big Sister mentioned "keeping contact". Li Yiming hurried downstairs. The moment he closed the door to his rented studio, he felt it was a farewell to his past life, leaving behind memories, parting with his love, and soaring above the mundane.


    Yet, life never goes as one wishes. As soon as he exited the building, he was immediately pulled back to reality.


    Someone stopped him right in his tracks. A young woman. Lively and cute, yet stylish and dignified, she stood there, without any shyness, and it seemed like she was simply waiting to fly into his arms. She was the embodiment of Li Yiming¡¯s aspiration for love, a vestige of his youth.


    Ji Xiaoqin was dressed in a simple milky shoulderless T-shirt, a pink mini-skirt which added a rosy tint to her legs and sandals that supported her thin calves and the ankles Li Yiming found so attractive. She seemed baffled and somewhat shocked.


    "You¡¯re here?!" said Ji Xiaoqin. She seemed pleasantly surprised. Her mouth slightly parted, showing her teeth, followed by a lovely smile which beguiled Li Yiming. She walked toward him.


    "I arrived yesterday." Li Yiming blurted out when he saw her approach. His heart trembled as he looked at that face... that smile... He took a deep breath and noticed that she had two bags in her hands, two verymon shopping bags which seemed full of clothes. Yet, Li Yiming could only remember seeing the logos in an idol drama.


    "Yesterday? I..." The smile on Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s face vanished, reced by a mixture of mostly panic, some doubt and a sliver of guilt.


    The two stood facing each other, with a safe distance between them. It was close enough for Li Yiming to forgo any thoughts of kneeling down and begging her toe back... And far enough so that he could not injure her in a seizure of angry rage...

 Volume 1 Chapter 4

    <h4><strong>Chapter 4 ¨C Six Lobsters</strong></h4>


    "I found something!" A voice shattered the awkwardness between the two. More precisely, it broke Li Yiming¡¯s unease, as only he was able to hear it: it was Eyesses.


    "Highway 208 was contracted by Yunlong Construction Group. Yunlong Construction Group, founded in 1990..." Eyesses continued, offering a detailed description. Only a few minutes have psed, and somehow he was able to collect such aprehensive set of information. ¡¯What apetent man!¡¯ Li Yiming thought. True to being a man dedicated to his work, Li Yiming forgot about Ji Xiaoqing, who stood in front of him.


    Ji Xiaoqin could not hear Eyesses¡¯ voice; she could only see the man in front of her staring at her with eyes devoid of hope. The sight of him looking back at her like that made her heart ache. She did love Li Yiming. The two years they had spent together were not a mere dream. However, life was not simply about roses and choctes, it was also about braving its vicissitudes, about carrying the burdens of everyday life. Li Yiming could not give her the life she desired. She had to fight for it herself. What could she use to obtain what she wanted? With her dance performances? No, she understood where her advantages lie; she was young and beautiful; she had an elegant disposition. She outshone the girl Guo Xiang pursued with Li Yiming¡¯s help by far. If that swarthy, freckled girl was enough for Guo Xiang, why would she not be? A 15 year-old girl may long for her prince charming riding a white horse, but a 25 year-old woman¡¯s wish is to marry into affluence.


    Every person has the right to pursue their dream. During this journey, many things needed to be sacrificed. Love is but one of them.


    "Yiming." Ji Xiaoqin was about to say something, but Li Yiming interrupted her with a hand gesture: Eyesses was getting to something important.


    "These are more details concerning Yunlong. Do you know who¡¯s the chairman?" Comcency was noticeable through Eyesses¡¯ voice. To be honest, being able to dig out that much information on a corporation of this scale somewhat entitled him to it.


    "Guo Tai?" Li Yiming blurted out. Guo Tai was Guo Xiang¡¯s father. He once met the man when he went to thetter¡¯s ce.


    "You¡¯ve found it too?" Eyesses¡¯ zeal was slightly thwarted. He went through quite a bit of trouble to gather everything. Yet, this unimpressive person stole his finale. It seemed that invitations are not just given to anyone who shows up.


    Contrary to Eyesses¡¯ feelings of setback, when Li Yiming blurted out Guo Tai¡¯s name, Ji Xiaoqin felt as if her heart was pricked by a needle. Thest sliver of wishful thinking was gone. ¡¯He really did see us yesterday... Guo Xiang¡¯s father... Is he mockingly pointing out that Guo Xiang used to be the object of my despise?¡¯


    "Yiming." Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s guilt deepened. She had several scripts prepared in her mind, but panic struck her when she stepped onto the stage. She was at aplete loss and did not know how to broach the subject. After all, she was just a college student who barely stepped into the real world.


    Li Yiming waved his hand and interrupted her once again. Then, he strode toward the campus exit, wholeheartedly focused on his conversation with Eyesses.


    Ji Xiaoqing looked at Li Yiming¡¯s back as he left, her heart torn. ¡¯Should I stop him? With what? With ¡¯sorry¡¯ ?I¡¯ve passed the point of no return, is there even a point in apologizing?¡¯ Tears blurred her sight and dribbled down her cheeks. She clenched the bags containing branded gowns that would have been unknown to her for her entire life otherwise. She silently uttered what she couldn¡¯t say out loud: ¡¯I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    "Guo Tai is the current chairman of Yunlong Construction group. He resides at 15, Century Garden. His father was a prominent figure in the capital before his retirement, and he¡¯s in convalescence in an elderly residence in the capital as of right now. Guo Tai¡¯s son, Guo Xiang, studied Chinese literature at Hangzhou Teacher¡¯s College. He graduated in July and was known to be a yboy." Li Yiming searched his mind for information rted to Guo Xiang as he walked out of the campus gate.


    This call this time had no holograms. It appears that the video and the voiceponents could be split up. Li Yiming was unable see the astonishment on his interlocutors¡¯ faces. Everyone could more or less ept the fact that Eyesses had the ability to collect information quickly. In some sense, Eyesses was a top-level hacker, so any information stored online was only a few clicks away. But Li Yiming... could it be that his ability was simr to Eyesses?


    "Good! Do you have anything to add?" Eyesses asked, somewhat frustrated.


    "No. This is all I have for now." Li Yiming stopped at a little convenience store near the campus entrance. He turned back to look at the neighborhood and suddenly felt the urge to have a smoke.


    "Quite good, Mr Li,"plimented Qing Linglong.


    "Not bad..." slowly spat out Eyesses. "How about you take over. I feel quite useless after all you¡¯ve said. Also, another thing, Yunlong Construction is hosting a charity fundraiser tonight, at 7:30, on the top floor of Yunding Tower."


    "They¡¯re still in the mood to host a fundraiser?" Li Yiming was somewhat bbergasted. The copse ident had barely happened, and rescue operations were still ongoing. Yet, the culprit was hosting a g now, out of all times?


    "The date for this event was decided three months ago. What¡¯s more, ten minutes ago, in a press conference, Yunlong Construction¡¯s media spokesperson guaranteed that there were no defects in the quality of their project. They requested the appropriate governmental body to investigate this ident in a thorough manner. Furthermore, they will donate seventy percent of the money they raise tonight to the victims¡¯ families."


    "The usual trick... The event tonight must have required extensive preparations and rescheduling it might result in unwanted consequences. Second, this event itself is a nice opportunity to shift the public¡¯s attention. Third, with money, they can silence anyintsing from the media." Qing Qiaoqiao exined with some diffidence.


    ¡¯This girl is remarkable. Sharp reasoning.¡¯ observed Li Yiming.


    "What should we do?" asked Eyesses.


    "Eyesses, can you get your hands on a few invitation cards to this g tonight?" inquired Qing Linglong.


    "No problem. Ten minutes."


    "Sure. We¡¯ll need three. Tonight, Mr. Li, Qiaoqiao and I will attend the g. Eyesses, you will infiltrate their headquarters and look for any other avable clues. Grandma Wang, I¡¯ll trouble you with a trip to the site of the ident, since it¡¯s your strong suit. Do we agree on this n?"


    "No problem. How am I going to give you the invitation?" Eyesses answered indifferently.


    "Get everything ready. I¡¯lle to you with Qiaoqiao in a moment."


    "I¡¯ll notify you if I find anything." Grandma Wang, who remained silent the whole time, sank back into quietness after a single sentence; it seemed like she has already left.


    "Thank you, Grandma Wang." Qing Linglong was rather polite to elders. "Mr. Li, shall we meet at first floor of Yunding, 7:00 tonight?"


    "Sure, I¡¯ll head over right away." Li Yiming looked at the time: he still had more than an hour at his disposal, but getting there on time with Hangzhou¡¯s transit was no easy feat.


    The clock had ticked to 7:15, and Li Yiming was bing anxious as the encumbered bus he took remained stuck in the middle of traffic. The road ahead waspletely jammed, and, over the past fifteen minutes, the bus had barely inched forty meters forward. The traffic in Hangzhou, a headache enough usually, had been pushed to the brink ofplete paralysis after the viaduct copsed. Qing Linglong had already called twice to urge him, but there was nothing he could do. Left with no other choice, she left the invitation at a newspaper stand at the bottom of Yunding Tower and went up with Qing Qiaoqiao.


    Li Yiming looked at the bus route map: still five more stops until his destination. He gritted his teeth and jumped off the bus. He ran to a public bicycle rental station, grabbed a bicycle and pedalled furiously toward Yunding Tower.


    Li Yiming finally arrived at 7:40, drenched in sweat. He looked around and quickly found the newspaper stand. Unfortunately, there was no bicycle station: he was stuck with the bicycle he borrowed.


    ¡¯Whatever, not much I can do about that.¡¯ Li Yiming dashed toward the newspaper stand and took the envelope containing the invitation. He even asked the old shopkeeper to look after his bicycle. He dashed toward the building, without forgetting to nce back at the rented bicycle; it costs an extra fee after an hour, and three hundred RMB upon loss...


    On the top floor, he met four men in suits who scrutinized him with a look of bemusement: a forehead full of sweat, mmy hair, and uneven breath; blue t-shirt whose color had whitened slightly from being washed too many times; three quarter denims; dusty yellow sneakers; and a simple bag.


    Li Yiming noticed the formally dressed people around him and felt a mix of embarrassment, reticence, and fear at the prospect of refusal. The authenticity of Li Yiming¡¯s invitation was double-checked and then triple-checked. Just when Li Yiming was about to turn around and leave, the person in charge finally gave his assent. As Li Yiming walked through the door, the manager ordered one of his subordinates to keep an eye on him, should he cause any trouble.


    The reception hall was very ssy. The cool air brought in by the central air conditioner only took into consideration the men in suits, but not their femalepanions wearing gowns with deep back cuts, skirts at lower buttocks length or shoulder strap dresses. Li Yiming reached for napkins on a table, wiped away the beads of sweat on his forehead and looked around for the Qing sisters.


    The size of the hall was quite imposing, and it could amodate several hundreds of guests at a time. Li Yiming quickly nced around, but couldn¡¯t find the Qing sisters. On the stage, a political figure Li Yiming remembered seeing on TV was delivering a speech about today¡¯s viaduct copse, exining how different governmental bodies and Yunlong Construction group handled the emergency in a timely manner. Right next to him stood a famous anchor from a Hangzhou television station. She was dressed in a purple evening gown with a side slit, maintaining her usual sensuality.


    Li Yiming noticed the buffet tables on the side. The diversity and the quality of the food seemed outstanding. However, the guests all gathered around the center of the hall to listen to the "report", so the tables were left unattended. Li Yiming rubbed his hands: he was really famished, since the only meal he had today was an egg roll for breakfast. He nned to eat supper, but had to cancel his ns for time¡¯s sake.


    Ji Xiaoqin stood amongst the crowd, cuddling intimately with Guo Xiang. Everything around her felt surreal. She was dressed in an evening dress of a famous brand, her neck adorned by a ne that was said to be worth several hundreds of thousands of yuan. Surrounded left and right by wealthy gentry, this is was a world unimaginable to her former self. She was immersed in the deep exaltation that her sacrifices had finally bore fruit, but then, she saw someone that could not be here.


    Chen Jiawang is a college student clerk at Yunding Tower for the summer. Usually, such an event would not call upon the service of an intern like him, but, after the copse of Highway 208, one of the regrs lost contact with his family. In a moment of desperation, he requested for a leave, so Chen Jiawang ended up substituting for him.


    Chen Jiawang considered his work to be quite valuable. Being able to receive this many personalities made him feel honored. However, right now he was rather anxious: his supervisor had specifically instructed him to keep a close eye on any suspicious actions that the man in front of him makes. If there was anything abnormal, he needed to report it at once. ¡¯But... Is eating considered abnormal?¡¯


    Li Yiming felt that today¡¯s troubles were truly worth it; a plethora of delicacies to fill himself with. After an entire day without food, coupled with intense physical efforts, he found the food especially... ¡¯Hey! Is that a two kilogram lobster?¡¯


    By the time Li Yiming chomped on his sixth lobster, Chen Jiawang was beginning to lose his nerve. He felt this was certainly, absolutely, without a doubt the "suspicious" behavior his supervisor had mentioned. ¡¯But... Should I stop him from eating more lobsters, or should I go to my supervisor?¡¯ Chen Jiawang hesitated, and he secretly prayed for help to extract him from this predicament.


    When she saw Li Yiming, Ji Xiaoqin was baffled. ¡¯Why is he here? Don¡¯t tell me that Guo Xiang invited him?¡¯ By the time she saw him feast on the sixth lobster, she was also about to lose herposure. She was certain that he came here to cause trouble, and that he must have followed her all the way here. Ji Xiaoqin found an excuse to politely retreat from the crowd and scurried toward Li Yiming.


    Chen Jiawang gave a sigh of relief: his prayers have been answered. Someone wasing to relieve him from his anxiety and embarrassment. ¡¯That woman is tangled with the crown prince of Yunlong Construction group. With that kind of intimacy, I¡¯d think of her as one of his consorts. If he knows her, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. Maybe this guy just has entric tastes for clothing and food. After all, what kind of rich person doesn¡¯t have a weird habit?¡¯

 Volume 1 Chapter 5

    <h4><strong>Chapter 5 ¨C Secret Passion Inside a Cab</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming almost choked on the lobster when he saw the angry woman in front him.


    "Why are you here?"


    The same question spoken with two different voices.


    But as soon as Li Yiming blurted out his question, he realized the obvious answer. This was a Yunlong Construction Group charity event, so it was not surprising that the crown prince of the corporation brought his new favorite, so he can introduce her to upper society and show her off at the same time.


    Ji Xiaoqin frowned, ¡¯What are you still pretending at?¡¯ She turned around and nced at the crowd, ¡¯This is no ce to talk, if he starts causing trouble, my ambitions of entering the upper echelons of society would be ruined.¡¯


    "Come with me." Ji Xiaoqin pulled Li Yiming towards the nearest exit without exining herself further nor letting him answer.


    ¡¯What¡¯s going on?¡¯ When Chen Jiawang noticed the two leaving through an inner corridor, he wanted to stop them, but did not dare to voice his intentions. ¡¯Why is the crown prince¡¯s consort pulling that man into that corridor? Why is she going toward the VIP resting area?¡¯


    ¡¯Gasp! The melodramatic life of the rich and powerful!¡¯ Chen Jiawang sighed. He maintained hisposure despite his curiosity and shock, and took a few steps away from the exit. He pretended to have not seen anything as he silently recited article 19 of the staff rules ¨C See no evil, hear no evil...


    Ji Xiaoqin, stricken by panic, did not stop to think about where exactly to bring Li Yiming to. Her mind was besieged by anger, guilt, anxiety, and worry. She pushed him inside the first room she could find and looked at him in the eyes. It was not very different from their earlier confrontation back at the residential block, for both of them were at a loss for things to say. Furthermore, the circumstances seemed to haveplicated themselves further now, so the pair simply stared at each other in silence.


    "Yiming, you..." After reflecting upon the matter time and time again, Ji Xiaoqin finally decided to speak. She had yet to pronounce a syble when the sound of steady footsteps was heard through the door. With lightning speed, Ji Xiaoqin opened the door of a cab behind Li Yiming and shoved him inside before diving into it herself. The next moment, the door was flung open, and it sounded like several people entered the room.


    ¡¯Close call...¡¯ Ji Xiaoqin became quite agitated; there was no way she would be able to talk her way out of being found with Li Yiming, her ex-boyfriend, at a venue belonging to her new boyfriend. It would be a scandal of egregious proportions for the girlfriend of the prince of Yunlong to be caught red-handed like that.


    In the narrow cab, a familiar scent wafted into Li Yiming¡¯s nostrils. That fiery body, glued to him, enkindled his memories of its softness, its delicacy, the fragrance it carried and... ¡¯No more, nothing more to add...¡¯


    "Did you get to the bottom of it?" An imposing voice was heard, timely interrupting Li Yiming¡¯s litany of nostalgia.


    "Yes, mostly, Chairman Guo," respectfully replied another voice.


    ¡¯Chairman Guo?¡¯ Li Yiming and Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s hearts skipped a beat.


    "Exin!"


    "It was Wang Jianjun from the procurement department, sir. He embezzled two hundred tons of steel rebar. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be anything serious, given the overall length of the highway. Two hundred tons is only the equivalent of removing a single bar every three meters. However, it seemed that he didn¡¯tmunicate it properly to the engineering department. By the time the project was almost finished, they realized that they didn¡¯t have enough... As a result..."


    "As a result, he decided to use bamboo for thest five kilometers?"


    "Y-yes..."


    "Useless trash! IMBECILE!" Chairman Guo angrily smashed the table. "Where is he?"


    "After the ident, he escaped to his mistress¡¯s residence in Jintian. He knows that he has nowhere to run..."


    "More than a hundred lives... Let him stay. Take care of this yourself. Keep a close eye on him."


    "Yes, Chairman Guo. I¡¯ll make arrangements immediately." The footsteps were heard leaving the room.


    The two inside the cab did not dare to go out right away. The subject of the conversation froze them in ce. Ji Xiaoqin was less affected by the content itself, since her mind was still fully preupied by whirling thoughts of betrayal and having an affair, which shadowed over her hopes for a marriage into wealth, and made her deaf to the conversation outside. Li Yiming, however, sank into a deep rumination after overhearing the conversation.


    Within the pitch-ck cab, they could barely see each other, despite being only inches apart. Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s uneasiness grew as time passed. It was only yesterday when she was having an affair behind Li Yiming¡¯s back, but right now, it was as if she was having an affair with him in this cab... Her heart tingled with an indescribable feeling.


    "Let¡¯s get out." Ji Xiaoqin said with a deep breath. It took all of her courage to give the door a push. She carefully peeked around before quickly dashing out of the room.


    Li Yiming also sighed at the ridiculousness of the situation. He shook his head and followed her.


    They returned to the main hall. Fortunately, the speech was over, so everyone had dispersed into small groups, chit-chatting about all kinds of matters. No one seemed to have noticed the two people that joined in, except for a waiter who stood near the entrance. When he saw Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s flushed face and noticed her ostensible uneasiness, he once again began to chant article 19 of the staff rules.


    Ji Xiaoqin blended back into the crowd, leaving behind a bored Li Yiming. He had also lost interest in the lobsters, he grabbed a drink rather mindlessly and searched for the Qing sisters.


    "Li Yiming?" cried out someone. Guo Xiang, with Ji Xiaoqin in his arms, slowly approached Li Yiming.


    After Ji Xiaoqin returned to Guo Xiang, Guo Xiang¡¯s attention was inevitably piqued by Li Yiming¡¯s "outstanding" attire. Guo Xiang, per usual, did not dawdle and immediately walked toward Li Yiming.


    "What brings you here?" Guo Xiang looked at Li Yiming with a smile while his arm circled around Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s waist.


    The small detail caught Li Yiming¡¯s eyes, and he was annoyed by it without quite knowing the reason. However, he remained unfazed, which was something he became good at after going through today¡¯s events. He quickly organized his thoughts into an answer.


    "Finally, I found you!" A gentle and sweet voice was heard. A soft, pale hand pulled at Li Yiming¡¯s wrist. "Where were you?"


    "I went to grab something to eat..." Li Yiming turned his head and saw Qing Qiaoqiao. He secretly let out a sigh of relief, for Guo Xiang¡¯s question was quite the predicament. ¡¯What could I have said? An investigation on infidelitypelled by morality? An inquiry about corruption instigated by civic duty?¡¯


    Fortunately, Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s timely arrival had distracted Guo Xiang from the subject.


    Tonight, Qing Qiaoqiao was dressed in an emerald robe, revealing her fair arms. With high heels, her height surpassed 170 cm, adding a svelte feeling to her figure. Her beauty rivaled that of Ji Xiaoqin. However, there was a clear difference in their temperaments. Compared to Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s air of nouveau riche, which readily jumped to the eyes of any observer, Qing Qiaoqiao exuded an innate grace that was fresh and pure.


    Guo Xiang was very shocked. ¡¯How can it be?¡¯ When Guo Xiang befriended Li Yiming, it was to obtain his help for pursuing a girl in his ss. However, thetter¡¯s indifference made Guo Xiang, who was used to being spoiled and ttered, very irritated. Fortunately for Li Yiming, Guo Xiang needed his help, so he did not deign quarreling with a poor loser, that is, until Ji Xiaoqin threw herself into his arms. In fact, Guo Xiang did not give much thought about Li Yiming anymore. After seeing him today, he merely nned to approached him to unt and annoy him for daring to look down on him in the past.


    However, he did not expect that after he had barely gone to bed with his girlfriend, someone like Qing Qiaoqiao, who clearly outshone Ji Xiaoqin, would appear by his side. ¡¯The hell?¡¯ Guo Xiang felt like someone who had just bought a car and went to his friend to show it off, only to find out that thetter bought a more expensive and better car. ¡¯Not only that, the car I¡¯m using is a damned second-hand from him!¡¯ Guo Xiang, who was used to being treated like a prince, found all of this uneptable.


    "Honorabledy, your appearance is truly mesmerizing. I am Guo Xiang of Yunlong Construction Group. Guo Tai is my father. May I inquire your name?" Guo Xiang behaved with his best manners, extending his right hand toward Qing Qiaoqing like a gentleman.


    "Should you praise another woman in front of yourpanion? Is it appropriate?" Qing Qiaoqiao threw a nce at Ji Xiaoqin, who stood on the side, and ignored Guo Xiang¡¯s outstretched hand.


    "We are only friends," Guo Xiang blurted out. His eyes had not strayed away from Qing Qiaoqiao ever since she appeared.


    Li Yiming looked at Ji Xiaoqin, whose face revealed a trace of destion.


    Her face looked paler than ever. Ever since meeting Li Yiming again, her mind fell into disarray. The sudden melodramatic twist of events reminded her of one of those television dramas on TVB1.


    It was onlyst night that the rich man, with whom she had an affair with, lulled her with sweet words. Who would have thought that now, he would be flirting with another woman right in front of her! Not to mention that she was intimately tugging onto her ex-boyfriend¡¯s arm... More importantly, the reason of her difort was probably due to her self-confidence beingpletely obliterated by Qing Qiaoqiao.


    Qing Qiaoqiao was quite shaken when she heard "Guo Xiang". Qing Linglong had told her earlier that she was to obey Li Yiming tonight. ¡¯This Mr. Li... First, that outfit of his... Isn¡¯t this what he wore this morning? Why is he dressed like this to the g when, strictly speaking, we¡¯re supposed to be undercover? How can he blend into the crowd with such a conspicuous attire? Anyway, Guo Xiang, Guo Tai¡¯s only son... Big sister went to great lengths tonight to be acquainted with the people from Yunlong Construction Group without much sess. Yet, he simply walked around, and a momentter he¡¯s talking with Yunlong¡¯s inheritor? Furthermore, that crown prince¡¯s consort...¡¯ Her intuition told her that there must be something between Li Yiming and Ji Xiaoqing.


    ¡¯Big sister was right. Amongst the three people she invited, Mr. Li is the most mysterious... and probably the most dangerous one... ¡¯


    She turned toward Li Yiming and affectionately brushed off the pieces of napkins that stuck to his hair when he wiped his sweat. Afterward, she cast a passionate gaze at him. A look full of fondness; her eyes, thoroughly obsessed; her smile, deeply suggestive; and her gaze, blind to all else.


    This long stare of infatuation irritated Guo Xiang, upsetted Ji Xiaoqin and excited Chen Jiawang, who was serving wine nearby, but the one who was most moved was its recipient, Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming felt his heartbeat quicken. A feeling of dryness climbed up his throat, he thought it was rather pitiful that a simple look was enough to make him almost dizzy. Perhaps owing to the little experience he had, having only ever been in a rtionship with Ji Xiaoqin, he found this kind of hot gaze barely tolerable. If Guo Xiang and Ji Xiaoqin weren¡¯t there, he might turned into a beast and attacked her on the spot. ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with her? Didn¡¯t we just meet this morning? But, I¡¯m not that kind of man...¡¯


    "Um... Qiaoqiao, where¡¯s your sister?" Li Yiming wanted to extricate himself as soon as possible from this awkwardness; Qing Qiaoqiao was enough to make himpletely forget about Guo Xiang and Ji Xiaoqin.


    "Sis found the air here stuffy, so she went out for a change." The truth of the matter is, Qing Linglong went elsewhere to collect more information.


    "Oh! Then, let¡¯s go find her. Well, if you¡¯ll excuse me." After uttering a short excuse, he broke free from Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s grip and fled the scene without waiting for a response.


    Qing Qiaoqiao snapped out of her astonishment and chased after him. ¡¯You¡¯re leaving? Wasn¡¯t this a brilliant set-up of stirred love and drama between you two? Amidst the des of anger and the blows of jealousy, it would have been easy to collect information! How can you leave just like that? I¡¯d say my performance was pretty good. Look at Guo Xiang¡¯s expression... and hispanion¡¯s expression... Everyone is ready to dive into their roles, and like a director, you just said ¡¯cut¡¯ and leave?¡¯


    TVB (a.k.a Television Broadcast Limited) is the first wirelessmercial television station in Hong Kong. For more informations, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVB ?

 Volume 1 Chapter 6

    <h4><strong>Chapter 6 ¨C Mystery Unveiled</strong></h4>


    Guo Xiang¡¯s eyes trailed the backs of the pair leaving them, and he was struck by a sudden anger. Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s neglect, exacerbated by Li Yiming, who was nothing more than an indigent, was a novel experience. He looked at Ji Xiaoqin, who stood right beside him, and felt an abrupt tastelessness; he felt like he was putting on someone else¡¯s old shoes. He threw Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s hand coldly and walked away.


    The sky in Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s world darkened; she would not have guessed that after so great a sacrifice, she would meet such a clich¨¦d end.


    In the elevator, Li Yiming was careful to maintain his distance from Qing Qiaoqiao. He did not dare to let his eyes linger for too long anywhere near her body. This girl was a fairy... Not a sliver of provocativeness, nor suggestiveness, but there was something fatally attractive about her.


    "I found something," Li Yiming heard Grandma Wang¡¯s hoarse voice. "I¡¯m at the scene of the copse. I can confirm that it¡¯s a quality problem. I don¡¯t see a single steel beam, it¡¯s all bamboo sticks. These rapacious businessmen, they¡¯re no better than murderers."


    "I also have a few results. Yunlong Construction Group just deleted their transaction records for thest three years. I managed to copy it just in time though. I¡¯m analyzing the data as of right now." Eyesses¡¯s voice followed Grandma Wang¡¯s.


    "The executives from Yunlong are very prudent today, I didn¡¯t find anything valuable. What about you, Qiaoqiao? Where are you?" Qing Linglong seemed to be back at the main hall, and music was audible in the background while she spoke.


    Two strangers entered the elevator. Qing Qiaoqiao stuck her cell phone to her ear and pretended to be calling someone. "I¡¯m with Mr. Li in the elevator. We¡¯re headed for the lobby." She exchanged a nce with Li Yiming, and, after receiving a nod from him, she added, "Mr. Li wants you toe down too."


    "Alright, I¡¯ll be there right away."


    "I have something, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s useful." As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Li Yiming searched for an empty corner. "It has to do with what Grandma Wang said earlier. The reason they used bamboo instead of steel rebars is because of a certain Wang Jianjun from the procurement department. He kept two hundred tons of steel for himself, but didn¡¯t tell the engineering department about it, so they had to use bamboo for thest five kilometers."


    "Are you sure?" Eyesses was surprised. ¡¯How quick! Didn¡¯t he arrivete to the g? Is that why he was sote?


    "Fairly sure."


    "Where did you get this from?" Qing Linglong¡¯s voice came from behind them. She had the same question as Eyesses.


    "Well..." Li Yiming hesitated. ¡¯What am I supposed to say, I heard it while hiding in a closet with my ex-girlfriend?¡¯


    "Wang Jianjun, current VP of the procurement department of Yunlong. Fifty one years old. He¡¯s been at Yunlong for twenty three years, and was a senior that had been there since its foundation. ording to my sources, a whistle-blower exposed him for fiddling with thepany¡¯s money six years ago, but there are no records about what happened after." Eyesses¡¯s professionalism rescued Li Yiming from his predicament.


    "This is a very important lead. It seems like Wang Jianjun is most likely the person we¡¯re looking for." Qing Linglong quickly decided. "We can¡¯t afford to waste time, Eyesses, search up Wang Jianjun¡¯s address now. We¡¯ll head there as soon as possible and get him under our control. Then, we¡¯ll leave some time to collect the evidence. Congrattions everyone, this will all be over soon."


    "Found it, his address is..."


    "He¡¯s not home right now, but we should be able to find him at his mistress¡¯s house in Jintian district." Li Yiming interrupted him.


    ¡¯Are you kidding me?¡¯ A bead of cold sweat rolled down Eyesses¡¯s forehead. Qing Linglong gazed at Li Yiming with severity.


    "But I don¡¯t know about the exact address within Jintian," said Li Yiming with a humble smile as he lowered his head.


    "Well, as long as what you said is urate, I¡¯ll be able to pinpoint the exact location quite easily."


    "Really? You can do that?" Li Yiming was very surprised .


    "Elementary. Wherever she lives, Wang Jianjun¡¯s number must belong in the list of iing calls for the telephone belonging to that address. I¡¯ll simply need to check the records and verify the information with the local bureau. Hmm? I¡¯ve found it. Su Min, thirty four years old, Jintian neighbourhood, building number four,plex A, room 303." An awaited small victory for Eyesses, who finally managed to show off his ability.


    "I¡¯m the closest. I¡¯ll head over." Grandma Wang spat out tersely, per usual.


    "Understood. Eyesses, continue the search through the ounting records for Yunlong. Let¡¯s try to obtain some hard evidence as quickly as possible. Qiaoqiao, Mr. Li and I will go meet Grandma Wang on the spot."


    Upon hearing that they were going to leave, Li Yiming ran towards the newspaper stand. After thanking the old shopkeeper, he pulled his bicycle back toward the Qing sisters. Qing Linglong stared at him speechlessly, while Qing Qiaoqiao seemed caught off-guard by the object... Li Yiming returned a timid stare...


    "You came on that?"


    "Congestion on the road..."


    "Are you nning riding your way there?"


    "I was just thinking about finding a ce to return it..."


    After climbing onto the passenger seat of the Land Rover, Li Yiming became even more bashful and reserved. He stayed quiet for the entirety of the trip. As for the Qing sisters, despite their masterful pretension skills, their looks of bemusement could hardly be concealed.


    At the entrance to the neighbourhood, they were about to disembark from the car when a loud bang was hearding from inside. "Crap!" Qing Linglong shouted and flung the car door open. She dashed toward the inside with Qing Qiaoqiao close behind. Li Yiming was a little perplexed, but still followed the two speedily.


    Li Yiming stared at the thick ck smoke emerging from the windows of unit 303. He noticed, rather unexpectedly, the sparks and the glow of a me within it.


    "Wang Jianjun is dead, let¡¯s leave." Grandma Wang¡¯s figure emerged from the staircase behind the entrance. She was in a sorry state, with her left hand pressed against the right side of her chest and crimson droplets of blood seeping through her fingers.


    "Leave. Now!" Qing Linglong quickly decided.


    They took back their seats in the Land Rover in silence. Grandma Wang brought out a vial with some red liquid in it. She drank half of it and poured the other half onto her wound. Qing Qiaoqiao improvised a simple bandage. Li Yiming watched it all quietly; it was an entirely novel thing for him to be on the scene of an explosion. He looked at the bloodstains on Grandma Wang¡¯s body and wondered why they were not heading to a hospital, but he swallowed the question back into his throat.


    "A Camouger!" Grandma Wang¡¯s weak voice finally sprang up after a long silence.


    "Are you sure of it?" Qing Linglong asked grimly.


    "Yes. When I arrived, Wang Jianjun and that woman were already dead. I barely saw him, and he struck me with Thunder Palm. If I wasn¡¯t quick enough to avoid my vitals getting hit, it would have been the end of me."


    "A camouger in such a low level domain?" The car swerved, hinting at Qing Linglong¡¯s consternation.


    ¡¯Camouger? Thunder Palm? Domain?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s was fully enthralled by these words. ¡¯What the heck? What about investigative suspense? I thought we were on a taskforce against corruption, and we suddenly swap to sci-fi?"


    "Sis, what¡¯s a camouger?" asked Qing Qiaoqiao, who noticed the sudden gravity of the atmosphere. Li Yiming, upon hearing the question, also paid close attention to whatever answer that woulde out.


    "Camougers are the natural enemies of us Guardians."


    ¡¯Guardians?¡¯ Another keyword for Li Yiming.


    "I wanted to wait until the conclusion of this domain to exin it to you, so that you would already have familiarized yourself with the rules and have some first-hand experience. But with what just happened, I need to teach you a few things right now, because of how dangerous camougers are." Qing Linglong collected her thoughts and asked, "The domain that we are in, a Secret Domain to be exact, do you remember what I told you?"


    "Yes, you said that domains are created as a result of ¡¯wills¡¯. Our mission is to purge these wills."


    "All beings in this universe obey their own set of rules, and each of them is bestowed with a ¡¯will¡¯. Wills are born from the rules, exist within them and disappear into them: they are but a part of them. But some of these wills umte with time, some don¡¯t disappear and grow in strength, and some multiply. For all kinds of reasons, they are not cleansed away by the rules when they ought to be, so they eventually merge into what we call ¡¯Secret Domains¡¯, or ¡¯Domains¡¯ in short."


    "But what exactly is a ¡¯will¡¯? Where does ite from?"


    ¡¯Brilliant!¡¯ Li Yiming cheered for her curiosity.


    "A will is... It would be best exined some kind of ¡¯thought¡¯. They arise from a human being, an animal, a nt, and even the universe we live in. When the conditions are right, these thoughts grow, and the birth of a will ensues."


    "What about these so-called secret domains? Is the city we¡¯re in right now a mirage then?"


    "Yes, it¡¯s just like a dream. The domain we are in is formed from the will of the city."


    "What does this have to do with the real world?"


    "Secret domains are created out of the confluence of wills, and wills themselves are born out of reality. But within these domains, things that don¡¯t exist in real life will appear. For example, our talents... How should I put it? It¡¯s akin to an art form."


    "An art form?"


    "An art form originates from the world we live in, but elevates itself beyond it. It¡¯s a microcosm of reality. Novels, movies, dramas, dance, and even fine arts could be put into this category." An answer involuntarily slipped from Li Yiming¡¯s mouth. ¡¯Art theory sses... Required for dance majors.¡¯


    "Well exined," Qing Linglong looked at him approvingly.


    "What about camougers?"


    "The rules which governs our world, our universe¡¯s will, we call it Heaven¡¯s Laws. They govern our world and maintain its bnce, simr to the equilibria that govern a natural ecosystem. However, the existence of the secret domains, the existence of the wills beyond these Laws, destroys the bnce. Therefore, Heaven¡¯s Laws create new rules, bestow gifts upon a small group of individuals. Thus, we are born: guardians. The camougers, however, originates from our will..." Grandma Wang took the initiative. Her voice was weak and revealed a deep frustration.


    "From us? You... you¡¯re saying that camougers are the result of us... They¡¯re the result of our wills?"


    "Yes, all beings in this world possess thoughts, and, these, in turn, be wills. Us guardians are no exception... "


    "Why do the camougers attack us then?" Qing Qiaoqiao looked at Grandma Wang¡¯s wound. Fortunately, by now, the bleeding had stopped.


    "We are called guardians because we are the guardians of Heaven¡¯s Laws, the protectors of the rules of the real world. The purpose of our existence is to ensure the normal functioning of our world. The camougers, however, are created from the wills of the secret domains. Our responsibilities arise from the will of our world, by the same token, theirs stem from the domains. We protect our world; they protect domains."


    "So they¡¯re not the bad guys then..." Qing Qiaoqiao asked a rather naive question.


    "Yes. There are no differences in our moralities, only disparities in our stances."


    "Why do we have to erase domains in the first ce then?" Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s question threw her sister and Grandma Wang into a deep reflection.


    "The first important point is that when a secret domain forms, if it is not erased after a while, it will incorporate itself into reality." Qing Linglong organized her thoughts and exined patiently.


    "What happens when that happens?"


    "For us, there¡¯s little change, but for ordinary people... when the rules change... I would not know what would happen exactly, but take West Lake for instance..." Qiang Linglong turned her head towards the car window, "What would happen to it if its ecosystem was to change? Perhaps it will be a forest after many years... Perhaps a swamp... Perhaps a desert... But no matter what, it will surely not be the same West Lake of today."


    Qing Qiaoqiao remained in a pensive silence upon hearing the answer.


    "There¡¯s yet another reason we need to erase these Domains." Qing Linglong suddenly stepped on the brake and parked the car on the side of the road. She turned around with a serious expression and gazed at her sister. "You¡¯ve only climbed the Stage of Ascensionst month..." Qing Linglong took a deep breath: it seemed like she did not have the heart to continue the exnation.


    "Stage of Ascension? Wow, it really feels like fantasy now, doesn¡¯t it?¡¯ Li Yiming listened on and tried to digest the content of the conversation as thoroughly as he could.


    "Qiaoqiao, had I known, I would have stopped you no matter what..."


    "Sis..." Qing Linglong¡¯s expression made Qing Qiaoqiao a little nervous: she had never seen her sister like that.


    "Climb the stage... Receive Heaven¡¯s blessing..." Grandma Wang uttered in self-derision.


    "If you use your inner sight, you can see information about yourself, right?"


    "Yes." Qing Qiaoqiao nodded.


    "Do you see a number next to your heart?"


    "Yes, I see... twenty." Qing Qiaoqiao swept around with her head, and only continued prudently after seeing that her sister did not stop her. What one could see with one¡¯s inner vision was the biggest secret of a guardian, so anything she sees was to remain a secret.


    "There¡¯s no need to hide. It¡¯s the same for all neers, so there¡¯s no need to hide it for now. We call this number our Life Mark."


    "Life mark?"


    "This number is the sole thing we need for survival..." Eyesses¡¯ voice was heard from the earphone. It seems like he was also paying attention to the conversation.


    "This number is a direct representation of a guardian¡¯s powers. The bigger the number, the stronger you are."


    "What does this have to do with secret domains?"


    "The domains are... The only way to increase this number. Such are the rules. Life marks are only awarded to those whoplete missions."


    "What if I simply don¡¯t enter any domain? It¡¯s not as if I wanted to rule the world or anything."


    Li Yiming shook his head at the question; he noticed the severity of the three others. There was bound to be some kind ofplication.


    "Do you remember what I told you? That, unless you have absolutely no other option, you should never use your abilities in the real world?"


    Qing Qiaoqiao nodded.


    "When you are in a domain, there are no limitations about how many times you can use your abilities. However, every time you call upon your talent in the real world, you need to pay for it with your life marks... How many are consumed depend on the scale of your usage. Also... The life marks will undergo natural decay..."


    "Natural decay..."


    "...About ten percent per year..."


    "What happens when you run out?"


    "The Daofades and the body follows its fate."

 Volume 1 Chapter 7

    <h4><strong>Chapter 7 ¨C n Concoction</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming collected his thoughts, along with all the information he just received. ¡¯Wills... Domains... Guardians... Camougers... Talents... Life Marks...


    ¡¯To be is to possess a soul, and to possess a soul is to have a will. Some wills disappear naturally, and some don¡¯t. The ones that linger around will eventually form a virtual world called a Secret Domain, and, if left for long enough, these domains will merge with our world and influence it. To prevent this from happening, the Heavenly Laws that govern our world has selected a group of people and made them into Guardians. Guardians have extraordinary abilities called Talents, and they are responsible for erasing any domains that may appear. The more domains they are able to erase, the more Life Marks they are rewarded and the stronger they be. On the other hand, if they do not carry out the task properly, not only will they fail to be stronger, they will...die...¡¯


    ¡¯Finally, Camougers are the beings created by a domain to protect itself and to fight back against the guardians. They have the same kind of powers.¡¯


    ¡¯What the heck is going on?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s tumultuous thoughts echoed within his own heart. He remembered the mes from the explosion earlier and turned his head to look at the blood stains on Grandma Wang¡¯s garment. ¡¯...I knew they were doing something big, but this big?¡¯


    "What should we do now?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked, somewhat dispirited.


    "We must see through the end of this domain. The price to pay for failure is too great... but with the camouger, the rules should have changed. Shit, why is there a camouger in a low level domain?" Eyesses¡¯s voice sounded in the earphone.


    "I¡¯ve never heard of camougers in low-level domains, not even in intermediate ones." Grandma Wang remarked in a frustrated voice.


    ¡¯There are three levels? Low, intermediate, high?¡¯ Li Yiming rubbed his hands: this was no moment for him to interject.


    "My apologies, if it weren¡¯t for me..." Qing Linglong apologized dispiritedly. After all, she was the proposer for this domain."


    "This isn¡¯t your fault, taking care of domains is the natural duty of guardians. This was just an ident," interrupted Grandma Wang with a hand gesture. "Let¡¯s think about what we should do now."


    "It¡¯s unfortunate that we are isted from the outer world. Otherwise we would be able to ask other people about the reason behind such a big change." Eyesses¡¯s did not sound very happy either.


    ¡¯Wait... Could it be because of me?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    "There¡¯s no use inining now. The moment we walked into that teahouse with the invitation, our fates have been sealed together. If we try to back off now, Heavenly Law¡¯s will have no pity in wiping us out." Grandma Wang seemed to have read on Eyesses¡¯s intimation.


    ¡¯No way out? Wiping us out?¡¯ Li Yiming, who, just now, was thinking about finding a way to leave the ce, sat straight at once.


    "The only way to erase this domain is to follow its rules and finish the mission. From the information we¡¯ve already gathered, the copse of Highway 208, for which undeniable responsibility lies with the Yunlong Construction Group, should be the key. We need to collect enough evidence to put the people in Yunlong behind bars. This should be enough for toplete the domain¡¯s mission, since it was a low-level domain in the first ce. The highest person we would need to pull down is probably the chairman, Guo Tai, and not to his father who is retired in the capital." Qing Linglong held the wheel and spoke out her thoughts with a pensive look. "But with a camouger, and the first target of our mission dead.... The rules of this domain must have changed..."


    "How did you handle it thest time you encountered a camouger?" Qiaoqiao tried to bring some ideas out of the group, but her question was met with embarrassment from all sides.


    "I¡¯ve never met a camouger..."


    "Me neither..."


    "Me neither..."


    Eyesses, Grandma Wang and Qing Linglong said one after another. Then, after a brief pause, they looked in unison toward Li Yiming. ¡¯He didn¡¯t say anything yet, unless this mysterious young man...¡¯


    "I haven¡¯t either," said Li Yiming as soon as he noticed their attention.


    The three turned their heads back, disappointed.


    "Well then, if no one here has ever met one, then how can you be so sure that whoever Grandma Wang saw was actually a camouger?" Qiaoqiao indeed has a sharp mind, and her question brought some hope to Li Yiming.


    "There¡¯s no mistaking it. There¡¯s no way a normal person would know something like Thunder Palm. As for other guardians, they wouldn¡¯t try to damage the rules of a domain, that would only lead to everyone¡¯s demise." Grandma Wang twisted her right wrist; it seemed like the drug had extraordinary effects. It was probably some kind of item only guardians would be able to get their hands on.


    "I¡¯ve seen a post once about camougers on an online forum ran by guardians," said Eyesses, with serious self-doubt in his voice.


    "About camougers?"


    "Yes, but it was a cursory post andcked details. After all, you guys all know that whatever happens in a domain cannot be talked about."


    "Tell us."


    "It mentioned two ways to deal with camougers when you meet one inside a secret domain."


    "Oh?" Everyone¡¯s attention was aroused.


    "The first one is to kill the camouger. The rules will then be restored."


    Grandma squinted as she reminisced her encounter with the camouger, and weighed out the risks.


    "The second way is to circumvent the camouger, and forcefully terminate the domain despite its existence. It goes without saying that when the domain is erased, the camougers disappear along with it."


    "Forceful termination... Does it mean that we ought to proceed as if the rules never changed? But the camouger will no doubt be there to foil our efforts... Killing the camouger... Either way, a confrontation is inevitable... Grandma Wang, you¡¯ve exchanged a few blows with him, how strong is he?" Linglong seemed to have gained back herposure, and along with it, her usual quick wits.


    "I wasn¡¯t exactly prepared for it, so you could say that it was an ambush. But his strength is unquestionable, I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle him alone."


    "If not one on one, then how about five on one?"


    "We can try." Grandma Wang thought about it and nodded.


    "As for going around him... This domain should have been created by the enmity of the people against the businessmen and their illegal practices... These emotions have umted into a will. Therefore, if we can find a way to dispel it, it should mean the end of this domain... But how...?"


    "We need to find a way to get them all." Qiaoqiao said with a swing of her fist.


    "Get them with what? Guns?" answered Eyesses lethargically. "The only evidence we have right now points to Wang Jianjun, but he just got killed. There¡¯s no way we can seed if we aim for Guo Tai right now, and don¡¯t forget his father in the capital."


    "Most importantly, how much time do we have left?" Li Yiming scrutinized at the others carefully as he asked, afraid that it might give his true identity away.


    "Two days..." sighed Linglong. "If we had more time, it wouldn¡¯t be hard at all to gather information at our own pace and take down someone like Guo Tai."


    "In low-level domains, since the mission itself is simple, we usually don¡¯t get more than seventy-two hours to finish it. After three days, the domain will start to merge with the outside world, and who knows what kind ofplications would arise."


    ¡¯Well, I guess that¡¯s a fair time limit. After all, sending a group of people with superpowers after a simple corrupt businessman, I¡¯d be surprised if it took more than one day. If it weren¡¯t for this camouger, we¡¯d be done with it already.¡¯ thought Li Yiming. He collected his thoughts together and dared a proposal. "Two days... Then our only option is Guo Tai."


    "How are we going to do it? We don¡¯t have enough evidence." Eyesses sounded a little irritated: Li Yimingpletely ignored what he said just earlier.


    "What if he confesses?"


    "We wouldn¡¯t need any evidence then. Why would he even do that?"


    "Because he¡¯d die otherwise," said Li Yiming cruelly, without forgetting to repeat in his head, ¡¯This is not the real world, this is fake, this is virtual.¡¯


    "You want to kill him?" Qing Linglong said with some rm. "There¡¯s no way the rules would allow you to kill him. Even if you did it, it would only make matters worse."


    "Oh, we¡¯re not going to kill him, the camouger will," said Li Yiming with a squint that made him look like a movie antagonist.


    "The camouger?"


    "Yes, let the camouger go after him, just like with Wang Jianjun." Li Yiming took off his sunsses and massaged on the sores of his nose bridge from its weight. "Guo Tai is a businessman, even if he goes to prison, he¡¯ll be able to regain what he lost with his connections and the power of his family. Against the threat of death... If he has managed to climb to where he is today, he¡¯ll know what to do."


    "Who are we to make the camouger go and try to kill him? What if he actually seeds." Eyesses was still a little hesitant.


    "We¡¯ll go tell Guo Tai ourselves, and offer our protection." Li Yiming raised his head to look at Linglong. "We¡¯ll build a story for the camouger. He¡¯ll be a internationally famous gun-for-hire who has a reason to kill Guo Tai. We¡¯ll use Wang Jianjun¡¯s death as our proof to convince him. Then, we¡¯ll convince him to turn himself in. The camouger is fated to fight against us, so, if we¡¯re with Guo Tai, his target, he¡¯ll inevitablye to us."


    "If the camougeres, we can try to kill him. If we fail, then we can use the camouger to force Guo Tai to give himself up." Qing Linglong sank into a deep pondering.


    "Doable."


    * * *


    At 1:20 AM on August 16th, the doorbell of building 15 in Century Garden, a luxurious residential district in Hanzhou, was rung by three people dressed in ck suits and sunsses, looking like stereotypical spy agents.


    The butler at the Guo Mansion came to the door with half-opened eye-lids. Before he could say anything, he saw a little booklet with a golden national emblem.


    "Ministry of State Security. Here for your boss. Now." Eyesses said in a cool, authoritative voice while brandishing his booklet.


    "State Security?" The butler was a little perplexed, but these two words woke him up enough.


    "If I were you, I¡¯d turn around at this moment, and call your boss down. Maybe you¡¯d be able to live a quieter life if you do so." Eyesses put his booklet back and leaned forward, almost touching the butler¡¯s nose with his own.


    "Uh.... Please wait..." The butler seemedpletely intimidated by Eyesses. He turned around without even remembering to close the door.


    Eyesses did not mind him and simply walked into the building. Qing Linglong nodded at Grandma Wang and followed suit. They arrived at a simple decorated living room, with barely anything inside of it, which was quite unexpected, given Guo Xiang¡¯s usual frivolity. Qing Linglong sat down right next to Eyesses and whispered to him, "Are you sure that our IDs will do? This guy¡¯s old man is in a hospital in the capital right now..."


    "Don¡¯t worry about it, the domain is isted from the real world. Even if he tried contacting his father, he¡¯d only get in touch with a fake one the domain created. Who would he be then to use us of forgery?"

 Volume 1 Chapter 8

    <h4><strong>Chapter 8 ¨C No Money</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming and Qing Qiaoqiao looked at the Maserati parked in front of Hanzhou¡¯s Golden Shine Nightclub. "There¡¯s no mistake, he¡¯s in there."


    The city¡¯s sophisticated surveincework finally proved its usefulness. After Li Yiming provided the license te number, it took Eyesses less than five minutes to find the exact location of the vehicle.


    "Oh yeah, did you bring any money?" As they were about to enter the building, Li Yiming suddenly asked. ¡¯She¡¯s driving a Land Rover, I¡¯d bet on her having at least some cash...¡¯


    "Y-, Yes..." Qing Qiaoqiao was not quite sure how to answer.


    "Do you have enough?" Li Yiming asked once again to confirm.


    "A few thousand yuan in cash..., And a few hundred thousand in my debit card... Why?"


    "Nothing..." Li Yiming sighed. ¡¯As expected, she¡¯s loaded.¡¯


    * * *


    Following behind his butler, Guo Tai arrived into the living room in his pyjamas with a concerned look. "Mr. Guo." Eyesses and Qing Linglong stood up from their seats.


    "National Security?" Guo Tai was expressionless.


    Eyesses did not bother with an introduction and directly gave Guo Tai his ID. Thetter handed it to his butler without even looking at it. The butler, by now, had recovered hisposure, and, after a slight bow, turned away and left to verify its authenticity.


    "What are you here for?" Guo Tai sat down in the host¡¯s seat with a condescending air.


    "Mr. Guo, surely you have heard the news about the assassination of your subordinate, Mr. Wang Jianjun recently, have you not?" Qing Linglong spoke out instead of Eyesses. Thetter sufficed for the task of silent intimidation, but his indigent temperament put him at a disadvantage in a face-to-face negotiation.


    "I¡¯ve heard about it. So what? Any progress?" Guo Tai¡¯s impassivity remained unbroken.


    "We¡¯ve narrowed it down to a prime suspect."


    "Oh?¡±


    "The culprit is called Zhang Qiang. A man of Chinese descent with no nationality. He served in the U.S. Navy SEALs, and joined international mercenary organizations after his retirement. He¡¯s a bloodthirsty person, both cruel and immoral. As long as he¡¯s paid, he¡¯ll do anything. We have enough evidence suggesting that he¡¯s been part of many incidents, even civilian massacres. Our current estimates show that at least 152 people have fallen victim to him, including women and children..." Qing Linglong¡¯s confidence dwindled as she regurgitated the information Eyesses had prepared.


    "What does this have to do with me?" Guo Tai¡¯s brows furrowed into a slight frown, and he asked with more doubt.


    "There¡¯s enough evidence to show that you will be his next target."


    "Ah?" Guo Tai¡¯s countenance finally changed. "What evidence?"


    "As of right now, there have been 132 victims rted to the viaduct copse. Zhang Qiang¡¯s adopted daughter is one of them."


    Guo Tai kept silent with a frown. The butler returned just in time with four imposing-looking men behind him, most likely bodyguards. He gave the identity pieces back to Eyesses and nodded at his master.


    * * *


    Inside the corridors of the nightclub, Li Yiming stared back at Qing Qiaoqiao with a bizarre look. "So you asked, and he told you. Just like that?"


    "How else?" Qing Qiaoqiao answered nonchntly.


    Just a moment ago Li Yiming considered the difficulty of finding Guo Xiang in a nightclub with several hundreds of private rooms and three big halls with dance floors a nearly impossible task. Then, he saw Qing Qiaoqiao approach a head waiter, smile at him and ask, "Can you tell me where Mr. Guo, Guo Xiang is?"


    "Second table in the Windy Flowers and Snowy Moon Hall," answered the waiter politely.


    ¡¯What? This is the Golden Shine! There¡¯s no way a customer¡¯s privacy can be breached just like that! How did this guy even get his job?¡¯ Li Yiming was shocked.


    "If he¡¯s that rich, why would he want to stay in a hall?" Qing Qiaoqiao pushed on the button in the elevator and arranged her hair using the mirror on the walls of thepartment. ¡¯Things will get troublesome in such an open ce...¡¯


    "He¡¯s a rich second generation, and he wants to show it... How can a little private room satisfy his desire to unt?"


    * * *


    "Why did he kill Wang Jianjun?" Guo Tai¡¯s question was clever. First, he avoided all mention of himself, thus lowering the risks of being dragged into the affair. At the same time, he would be able to get the information he wanted.


    "The copse of Highway 208 this afternoon resulted in 104 deaths and counting. Zhang Qiang¡¯s only adopted daughter is one of them."


    "Highway 208 was indeed our project, but the results of the investigation from the governmental bodies aren¡¯t out yet, are they?"


    "If Zhang Qiang was someone who cared about obeying thew, his hands wouldn¡¯t be stained with the blood of 152 civilians..." Qing Linglong looked at Guo Tai suggestively.


    "And you are here for..."


    "We are here to protect you, Mr. Guo. This is the superintending officer for this operation, vicemissioner Wang, Ms. Wang Xue." Qing Linglong pointed at Grandma Wang, who sat still like a monk in a deep meditative trance. Thetter traded her shawl for a marine blue suit, which, when taken together with her air of coldness, made her appear just the way one would expect from the head of a secret agency.


    "The protection of citizens can be carried out by the police..." Guo Tai was still wary of his visitors.


    "Of course, you have the right to refuse to cooperate with us and invite the local police instead, in which case we will do all we can to assist them. However, I¡¯d like to respectfully remind you that Zhang Qiang is one of the most dangerous assassins in the entire world."


    "Please allow me a moment to consider this. Butler, tea." answered Guo Tai as he headed for his office.


    * * *


    The moment the two pushed open the door to the hall, an odor blending the smells of tobo, alcohol, and sweat reached their nostrils. Qing Qiaoqiao frowned and said, "Paying to torture yourself."


    "A brief moment of respite from all worries..." Li Yiming was quite used to the scene, since he often worked part-time in such ces when he was a student. However, he has never visited such a high-grade venue before.


    It was 1:30 AM, and the dance floor was almost empty. The people typically out for fun were already home, and those who lingered sat down in their seats, either looking to spend the entire night in insobriety or for some other untold purpose. As soon as the two walked into the hall, they saw Guo Xiang right in its center. He was installed in the biggestpartment of the hall with a group of friends. Instead of going close, Li Yiming led Qing Qiaoqiao to a dark corner and sat down.


    "Would you like something to drink?" A waitress wearing mini-shorts greeted them, threw a nce at Qing Qiaoqiao and then stared at Li Yiming rather suggestively. She thought his intentions to be quite evident with a femalepanion at this time.


    "Tequ Pop." Li Yiming was about to answer that he does not drink when he suddenly remembered the wise words once again, "A man who does not drink..." He read the name of the first item on the rmendation list.


    ¡¯Tequ Pop huh. A nice drink, but isn¡¯t this just soft drink with tequ? Sure, it looks nice when you shake it and the bubblese out, but the taste...¡¯


    "Martini." Qing Qiaoqiao said without paying much attention.


    The waitress noted down the order and, instead of leaving, she looked back at Li Yiming with a smile. Li Yiming himself looked at Qing Qiaoqiao with a smile of his own... Thetter stared back at him with a polite smile as well...


    "Wait, what?" Qing Qiaoqiao finally noticed the oddity of the situation after half a minute.


    "You need to pay first in the hall..." Li Yiming uttered with some frustration.


    "Why aren¡¯t you paying?"


    "I¡¯m broke."


    ¡¯Oh, so that¡¯s why he asked me earlier. But a guardian without money...?¡¯ Qing Qiaoqiao found it very strange... The waitress looked at Li Yiming with disdain... While the man himself raised his head and admired the shing lights... ¡¯sh, sh, O how pretty you are...¡¯


    * * *


    In his office, Guo Tai called his father¡¯s assigned serviceman1. The confirmation came quickly. ¡¯Shit, that damned Wang Jiang Jun... Fortunately, my father is going to send a four-man squad of spec ops staff to protect me. Let¡¯s just hope that they arrive on time tomorrow afternoon.


    Guo Tai returned to the living room with a grave expression and ignored Eyesses and Qing Linglong. Instead, he went to Grandma Wang directly: he was used to talking to people of equal ranks. Based on the information he had received, she was the vicemissioner of the secret service department in the Ministry of State Security, and she was the one who oversaw all counter-terrorist operations in the country... If someone like her was here, there had to be some kind ofplication.


    "Commissioner Wang2, I have some money, that¡¯s correct, but I wouldn¡¯t think that I¡¯d deserve personal protection from someone like you, would I?"


    Grandma Wang cursed Eyesses inwardly, ¡¯Why did you give me such a high rank? How am I supposed to answer him now?¡¯


    Eyesses took out his cellphone and pretended to be busy. Meanwhile, behind the lenses of Grandma Wang¡¯s sses, a line of text small enough so that only she could see appeared.


    After a short while, Grandma Wang answered, "I wouldn¡¯t want to lie to you, Mr. Guo. Zhang Qiang is a wanted fugitive internationally. I¡¯m sure that you have just verified the veracity of this im. But there¡¯s also something particr about him: he doesn¡¯t operate within the country. This time, it¡¯s more of a personal grudge..." Grandma Wang paused and looked at Guo Tai, "Zhang Qiang has stolen valuable military intelligence from a certain country on the behalf of an unknown organization two months ago... I cannot say more, it¡¯s ssified."


    "You¡¯re using me as bait?"


    "Of course, and it¡¯s also part of our duty to ensure your personal safety, Mr. Guo," answered Grandma Wang with a rare smile. If she concocted a too well-intentioned pretext, Guo Tai, conversely, would have a hard time believing her.


    "Just the three of you?"


    Grandma Wang smiled back at him.


    "I consent to your staying here. But I need to contact the police right away."


    "Of course, poweres in numbers."


    Guo Tai beckoned to his butler and whispered a few words into his ear. Thetter nodded repeatedly and strode away.


    Grandma Wang turned her head and signaled to Eyesses. Thetter rose from his seat and said, "Can we get some help with the equipment?"


    The two cocktails, whose names Li Yiming thought of as being very shy, were quickly served. Li Yiming took a light sip and shuddered as the taste reminded him of the legendary Chinese Medicine drink Laoshan Snake Herb Water, and he resolved to not drink a single drop more tonight. 3


    Qing Qiaoqiao gulped down a mouthful of her martini and said, "Most loved by Xing Ye." 4


    ¡¯Pffft, the debaucheries of wealth.¡¯ Li Yiming uttered. He turned his head towards the table where Guo Xiang sat, and, to his surprise, he saw Ji Xiaoqin there. She had on a simple vest, her coat nowhere to be seen, and leaned against a man she did not know with her eyes closed. Her skirt had been rolled up to her waist, but she seemed too intoxicated to be able to notice it. Guo Xiang sat nearby, with another luscious girl hanging against him, and looked at the scene coldly, without doing anything.


    Li Yiming¡¯s heart was stung by the scene. He forcefully repressed his urge to rush to Ji Xiaoqin and clenched his hands into shaking fists. His reaction surprised Qiaoqiao, she threw a nce at Guo Xiang, and back at Li Yiming. ¡¯Does he hate rich people? Is that why he¡¯s not carrying any money with him?¡¯


    Assigned serviceman: this is a term used to designate a soldier assigned to high ranking military officers in the People¡¯s Liberation Army(PLA). (Basically a secretary in military uniform with the associated privileges).? Note the omission of <i>vice</i> here, which is part of polite speech in China, making the person addressed seem to upy a higher position than they really are. ? This drink has been described by certain as being a heavenly liquid that can make you see the end of the universe, and by others as tasting like a pair of socks that have been unwashed for two years. Opinions may vary. There¡¯s a very funny and rather poetic description of the experience on <i>Zhihu</i>, the Chinese equivalent to Quora/Yahoo answers, if you guys want, I could trante it and release it as an extra, please tell me in thements section! ? Reference to Zhou Xingchi, Stephen Chow, a famousedian from Hongkong popr in the 1990s to 2000s. Reveals a thing or two about the author¡¯s age, and mine... Those of you interested can take a look at one of this most famous work, Shaolin Ser: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaolin_Ser ?

 Volume 1 Chapter 9

    <h4><strong>Chapter 9 ¨C More Than Twenty</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming had no attention to spare for Qing Qiaoqiao. His eyes remained fixated on Ji Xiaoqin. He noticed the man starting to grope her, all the while observing Guo Xiang¡¯s reaction with quick nces.


    Guo Xiang looked at the whole scene without doing anything. He did not care particrly for Ji Xiaoqin, especially after what had happened at the g. Li Yiming¡¯s disregard, and that woman¡¯s indifference, and... Especially the way she looked at Li Yiming, irritated him profoundly. After the g, he answered the invitation from a group of friends and came to the nightclub to vent off his anger. Ji Xiaoqin insisted on apanying him, and he did not oppose it. However, looking at the way she was treated by his "buddy" now, he felt the odd, twisted pleasure of retribution.


    The man kept his attention on Guo Xiang. Seeing that he was not vexed, he lifted his eyebrow. Guo Xiang was a little surprised, but nodded with a smile. The man grinned perversely, emptied his drink, took Ji Xiaoqin in his arms and walked towards the bathroom.


    Li Yiming, who had been espying the scene, fumed with indignation. He stood up and rushed towards the group. Perhaps the abnormal experiences he has had during the day gave him a newfound courage, Li Yiming yelled out in a vociferous voice, "Let her go!"


    ¡¯An overflowing sense of justice?¡¯ Qing Qiaoqiao was a little stirred; she had also noticed that girl.


    All of the heads turned towards Li Yiming. The D.J., true to his professionalism, lowered the volume of the music so that the hall sank into a dead silence.


    "Li Yiming?" Guo Xiang stood up in an excited fury. ¡¯A road to heaven yet you won¡¯t walk it, no door to hell but you insist on knocking.¡¯


    "You dare show up here?" Guo Xiang limped towards him, followed by a dozen men, all with mischievous expressions.


    "What do you think you¡¯re doing? You think you¡¯re some kind of hero who¡¯ll save the princess?" Guo Xiang stopped right in front of Li Yiming and blew out a mouthful of smoke onto his face. He turned his head to look back at Ji Xiaoqin, who still rested in the arms of his friend.


    Li Yiming¡¯s confidence waned when he looked at the crowd behind Guo Xiang. ¡¯I don¡¯t think that this was the n...¡¯


    "Oh? That little fairy¡¯s also here?" Guo Xiang suddenly noticed Qing Qiaoqiao, who walked over from behind Li Yiming, and his eyes shed with lewdness.


    "You... Let go of her! How can you treat her like that? You animal!" Seeing the woman he loved in the arms of another, Li Yiming felt a bitterness unlike anything he had ever experienced.


    "Ji Xiaoqin? Let her go?" Guo Xiang shifted his angry re to Li Yiming. ¡¯What a loser! How dare he insult me?¡¯ This was enough to burn away the fuse of barbarity within him. He fell into a folly exacerbated by his drunkenness. "Why? Why would she belong to you? Li Yiming, I¡¯m telling you right now, I like to screw your girls. Not only Ji Xiaoqin, but that little fairy too, and I¡¯ll screw her right in front of you!"


    "Causing trouble for master Guo? You want to f*cking die?" The man who held Ji Xiaoqin dropped her and picked up a beer bottle. To pay back a favor doubly was the appropriate behavior in their society. He had just been granted permission by Guo Xiang to "enjoy" his girl, how would his peers look at him if he just stood there and did nothing?


    Li Yiming looked at the man, who was about a head taller, leap at him. His hot blood was instantly chilled. He took a step back instinctively, but then, he clutched his hand on something Qing Qiaoqiao handed over. He lowered his head to look at the object.


    ¡¯A handgun?¡¯


    By the time the thought ran through his mind, the man had closed in, and Li Yiming could already hear the sound of the ss bottle shattering against his skull. He did not have much time to think. Bang ¨C Bang- Bang! The man copsed on the ground, struck by the three rounds he had fired. The beer bottle clunked against the floor, but, owing to its high quality, did not shatter. Instead, it rolled sideways all the way to Guo Xiang¡¯s feet.


    A scream resounded through the hall. The group of people around Li Yiming instantly backed away, and Li Yiming found himself facing Guo Xiang alone.


    Li Yiming looked at the gun in his hand, and at the muscled man, who was writhing on the floor. ¡¯I killed someone...¡¯


    The gunshot attracted the attention of security, and about twenty men dressed in ck appeared at the exit of the hall.


    Guo Xiang had too much to drink that day. The gun Li Yiming held was not enough to douse his hot-blood, but instead brought out the madman within him. After all, when was thest time Young Master Guo had been forced to swallow bitter endings in Hangzhou? He nced at the security guards and screeched with all of his might. "You dare fire? Li Yiming? You dare? You have twenty bullets tops, and we¡¯re a lot more people than that. How many can you shoot? Kill me if you dare. Listen to me, I¡¯ll give two million yuan to whomever he kills, whoever that kills him... Five million."


    Reward is mother of courage. The mobsters and the security guards were people who were used to dealing with situations like this, and so, when they heard the numbers, their eyes glittered with greed. They searched around for something convenient to use as a weapon, and those who were not too drunk to think clearly were calcting their odds. Guns were banned in the country, so if that man had a gun, it must not have been entirely legal. On top of that, he fired first, so even if they were caught by the policeter, these would be extenuating circumstances. As for the question of who will be shot by him, that was not worth their attention, five million... Unlucky is the one who gets shot.


    The group of people came closer and closer to Li Yiming with bloodthirsty eyes.


    Tatatatatatatat.... The sound of continuous firing suddenly went off, exploding a row of ss bottles on the bar counter. Everyone retracted their necks instinctively, and Li Yiming almost dropped his handgun when he heard the noise. He turned his head around slowly and saw Qing Qiaoqiao raise her shoulders, looking back at him gently. His attention then fell to the object she held in her hands.


    An assault rifle... ¡¯I¡¯ve seen that thing before in a game... Isn¡¯t that the M4...¡¯


    "I have more than twenty bullets in mine..." Qing Qiaoqiao smiled... A smile which was as beautiful as it was sweet, with shyness hidden beneath her tender gaze, and timidity wrapped within her cheerful expression...


    * * *


    When Eyesses came back with a dozen boxes and began to set up, Guo Tai finally started to appreciate the danger he was in. ¡¯Just who on Earth is trying to kill me?¡¯


    Satellite radar... Sonar sensor... Infraredser protection grid... 3D holographic surveince system... A4 anti-personnel mine... Micro anti-air signal jammer... And these were only the pieces of equipment for which his bodyguards knew the names. The bodyguards helped set up the devices, and looking at the way they moved the objects around, it seemed as if they were handling nuclear missiles.


    Guo Tai paced around in the living room. Although the clock had already ticked past three in the morning, he barely felt tired. A few dozens of patrol cars had arrived, and the shing lights made the atmosphere even tenser. Qing Linglong stood by the window with her hand covering her ear, whispering about something. Grandma Wang remained in her seat in the living room with her eyes closed and her arms crossed in front of her, just as someone of her stature ought to be. Eyesses was busy conducting tests using the dozen of monitorsyed out in front of him.


    "Commissioner Wang, how long do you think it will take before this Zhang Qiang... Tries to kill me?" Guo Tai felt rather uneasy: it was very unusual for him to be at the mercy of someone else.


    "Two days... He will surely make his move within two days. We have received information that Zhang Qiang will be participating in a deal at the national border in three days, so..." Grandma Wang kept his eyes closed as she answered the question, true to her pretense of a high-level official.


    "Two days..." It was good news for Guo Tai, since it meant that his terror willst only two more days. However, this information also inevitably made him even more nervous, since it also meant that Zhang Qiang would certainly appear before too long.


    At that precise instant, the butler rushed into the room and whispered into Guo Tai¡¯s ear nervously. "What?! Are you sure?" asked Guo Tai shockingly.


    "Yes, it was a call from the owner of Golden Shine Nightclub himself."


    "What happened exactly?"


    The butler looked left and right, and whispered a few sentences into Guo Tai¡¯s ears.


    "Bullshit! Some jealousy fit about a woman? Who the f*ck brings an assault rifle to a nightclub for a woman¡¯s sake?" Guo Tai lost his temper upon hearing that his only son, Guo Xiang, had just been kidnapped. Those who did so were armed with heavy weaponry in a country where evenpressed air guns are a rare sight. ¡¯A fit of jealousy... Pftt, unbelievable!¡¯


    "Mr. Li from Golden Shine wants to know if we should call the police..." The butler was also shocked by the news: it seemed like his master was in quite a bit of trouble. Guo Tai gestured in annoyance, and the butler knew better than to stay around him. Qing Linglong had just finished her call by the window and returned to her seat in the sofa. Grandma Wang nced at the back of the butler, who walked away and smiled inwardly. ¡¯The fish has taken the bait...¡¯


    "Did something happen?" Grandma Wang asked Guo Tai impassively.


    "My son... My son has just been kidnapped, and the kidnappers were armed with heavy weapons," said Guo Tai. With his wealth of experience, he already had a good idea of the reason behind such an event.


    "Oh?" Grandma Wang sounded surprised. "It must be Zhang Qiang... This is due to our negligence. Ah, we shouldn¡¯t have forgotten about it."


    "Mr. Guo, Zhang Qiang holds you responsible for the death of his adopted daughter, so..." Qing Linglong stood up and interjected, "What should we do now? Zhang Qiang is no ordinary criminal, he¡¯s not going to ask us for a ransom, nor leave us any time to think of countermeasures."


    Qing Linglong¡¯s exnation sufficed topletely obliterating Guo Tai¡¯s facade of calmness. ¡¯Then, my only son is probably...¡¯


    "No, we still have a chance," said Grandma Wang with a calm voice, hinting at the fact that nothing had escaped her calctions.


    "How?" asked Guo Tai in a voice filled with worry.


    "With Zhang Qiang¡¯s capabilities, he would not even need to go through the trouble of kidnapping your son. He could just kill him..."


    "You mean that..."


    "Yes. Your son was left alive for a reason. There must be an ulterior motive, so your son should be safe in the meantime... I¡¯d guess that Zhang Qiang has noticed our presence, and he¡¯s worried about confronting us. He knows that you have only one son, so he wants to increase his chips on the table..."


    "So... What happens next?" Grandma Wang¡¯s phlegmatism and her calm analysis did not bringfort to Guo Tai, since it was but a reprieve. Who knows what kind of fate might await Guo Xiang? After all, he was at the mercy of that butcher... Also, what kind of demand would Zhang Qiang make? He was after Guo Tai¡¯s own life, after all.


    "Maybe there¡¯s a way to save your son, Mr. Guo, and it can also shelter you from Zhang Qiang..." Qing Linglong hesitantly proposed.


    "Comrade Qing Linglong!" Grandma Wang yelled with a look of reproach.


    "Ah... It¡¯s nothing..." Qing Linglong understood the intimation and stopped herself.


    Guo Tai squinted his eyes and carefully thought about what just happened.

 Volume 1 Chapter 10

    <h4><strong>Chapter 10 ¨C Li Yiming¡¯s Confession</strong></h4>


    "Where did you get the gun from?" Li Yiming sat on the passenger seat of the Land Rover and shed a nce at Guo Xiang, whoid in the back with his mouth sealed shut and his limbspletely tied up, and Ji Xiaoqin, who was still in a state of unaware drunkenness. He asked the question in a rather agitated voice; although he probably would not have been able to escape alive otherwise, for such a dainty-looking girl to suddenly pull out an assault rifle out of nowhere...


    "Sis gave it to me, of course." answered Qing Qiaoqiao in a tone used to state the most obvious of truths.


    "She gave you an assault rifle just like that?"


    Qing Qiaoqiao turned her head in surprise and looked at Li Yiming, ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ "Well, I also have two AK-47s, a set of hand grenades and an anti-armor rocketuncher."


    * * *


    Kidnapping Guo Xiang was an idea Qing Linglong came up with while Eyesses was busy forging the ID pieces. Since Guo Tai was the one responsible for the death of Zhang Qiang¡¯s fictional daughter, it was only natural that "Zhang Qiang" would kidnap Guo Tai¡¯s son, and once the news reached the man himself, it would greatly increase thetter¡¯s willingness to surrender himself.


    ¡¯I guess I really have to abandon my old ways, my old values and my old habits... Even if I don¡¯t, it won¡¯t take long before she utterly obliterates them.¡¯ thought Li Yiming.


    In fact, it was not long before his initiative was proven to be a wise one. After the two arrived at a five-star hotel, Qing Qiaoqiao disembarked and strolled elegantly into the front hall,ing back out two minutester with two bodyguards who worked there.


    "It¡¯s in the backseat." She returned to the car and gave them concise instructions, waving her hand at Li Yiming before leading the way. The two bodyguards picked up the two hostages, followed Li Yiming and Qing Qiaoqiao as they crossed the lobby, entered the elevator, and walked all the way into their rooms. During the entire time, the two bodyguards acted as if they were carrying two rug sacks instead of two human beings andpletely disregarded Guo Xiang¡¯s struggles. Everyone they met on the way showed the same kind of neglect.


    The two bodyguards threw Guo Tai and Ji Xiaoqin onto the beds and turned to leave. Qing Qiaoqiao, who stood at the entrance, smirked at them yfully. "You won¡¯t remember me, right?"


    "Of course," the two bodyguards answered mechanically and scuttled away.


    "They¡¯re all obeying you?" Li Yiming finally noticed the oddity of the whole situation. He thought about the head waiter back at the nightclub... And then about what had just happened...


    "Hehe, my talent is to have anyone obey me. Isn¡¯t it amazing?" Qing Qiaoqiao smiled mischievously, like a child showing off a new toy.


    ¡¯Charm...¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly thought of it. ¡¯She really is a fairy...¡¯


    Sitting down in front of his marble table, Guo Tai recalled the scenes from a moment ago. He slowly came to a realization. ¡¯These people from National Security, if they really wanted to, they would probably be able to rescue my son and ¡¯convince¡¯ Zhang Qiang that trying to assassinate me is a bad idea. It¡¯s just that they would lose the opportunity to capture him. If that happened, they would also lose all hopes of recovering the military intelligence. They would rather gamble with their own lives than let such a thing happen... For cold-blooded people like them, they would trade their own lives for the sake of the intelligence... Not to mention the lives of civilians..."


    Guo Tai, who thought that he had finally uncovered the truth behind the motives of his visitors, regained his confidence. ¡¯Vicemissioner Wang... She¡¯s been at this job for a long time, and has been in a high position...¡¯ Guo Tai picked up his pen, and carefully wrote down a name on the sheet of paper in front of him. "Qing Linglong."


    Guo Xiang snapped out of his drunkenness. To be precise, he awoke from it the moment he saw Qing Qiaoqiao pull out the M4. He regretted his actions dearly now. ¡¯Why did I mess around with him, of all people? Who is he exactly? Isn¡¯t he just a dance graduate from Hanzhou¡¯s Teacher¡¯s College? He must be bluffing... Must be...¡¯


    Guo Xiang recalled Li Yiming¡¯sck of hesitation when he fired the gun, and the apathy after he killed someone... ¡¯That¡¯s a god-damned M4, not some toy gun! I don¡¯t even think that the city¡¯s police force has firepower like that... And what happened on the way here, this five-star hotel, they¡¯re all his f*cking people! How big would you need to be? To make everyone ignore me, and not ask a single question... What professionalism, what kind of team this guy has, so that everyone ys by his rules?¡¯


    Guo Xiang had his mouth sealed, so he could only throw an pleading gaze at Li Yiming. However, thetter ignored himpletely and sat down on the sofa with a cigarette he grabbed from the stand in the room. He thought he needed it to calm himself down. ¡¯I killed someone...¡¯ He kept reminding himself that it was all fake, that it was nothing more than a mirage, but he really did kill someone.This was a feeling which was impossible to be understood by someone who had notmitted the act.


    Qing Qiaoqiao came out of the bathroom. She shook off the water on her hands, and her eyes went from the terrified Guo Xiang to Ji Xiaoqin, who was still unconscious. "Why did we bring her along?" she went close to her and covered her body with a quilt. "Do you know each other? I mean, outside of the domain. I feel that you¡¯ve known each other for a long time."


    ¡¯This girl...¡¯ Li Yiming yed with the match he had in his hands, and nodded in exasperation.


    "Really? This big of a coincidence? How did you meet her? What¡¯s your rtionship? Friends? Lovers?" Qing Qiaoqiao looked as if she had just discovered a new continent. Even guardians were no exception to the natural inclination women had for gossiping.


    Li Yiming ignored her. He put out his cigarette, closed his eyes and pressed his back against the sofa.


    "Pfft, boring."


    * * *


    Qing Linglong sat on the sofa and read through the pages of the document she had in her hands. When she saw the butler arrive, she quickly closed the file folder and smiled at him.


    "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. My master brought some blue mountain coffee back from overseas. Please, have a taste. It¡¯s produced in limited quantity, and it has been a long night. I¡¯ll have someone prepare the breakfast soon." The butler carried a tter with three cups of coffee with his usual polite demeanor.


    "Please put it over here." Grandma Wang, per usual, did not even look in his direction, but made an effort to hide her joy. ¡¯It¡¯sing.¡¯


    "Yes, please enjoy." answered the butler. He carefully put down a cup on the table right in front of Grandma Wang, and turned around to hand over the next cup to Eyesses. Thetter took the cup from his hands, and, without caring about the temperature of the beverage, emptied the cup cleanly and went back to his work.


    The butler did not mind the indifference shown to him and went to Qing Linglong with thest cup. Thetter politely rose from her seat to receive it, but the butler¡¯s hand suddenly shook, and, the next second, Qing Linglong was doused with the hot beverage.


    ¡¯Clich¨¦d...¡¯


    ¡¯Clich¨¦d...¡¯


    ¡¯Clich¨¦d...¡¯


    The same derisory thought ran through the heads of Qing Linglong, Grandma Wang and Eyesses.


    "Ah!" Qing Linglong screeched and shook her clothes with vigor, pretending to be utmostly offended by the ident.


    "Oh, my apologies, Ms. Qing. I¡¯m sorry... But with my age... Ah... My limbs..." The butler¡¯s hand trembled in fear.


    "Ah, it¡¯s nothing." Qing Linglong shook her hands. ¡¯This old guy is quite good at acting.¡¯


    "Could you bring me to a ce where I can clean this up?" asked Qing Linglong as she took a few napkins from the table and started to wipe her clothes.


    "My sincere apologies. Please follow me. I¡¯ll bring you a spare set of clothes and have your clothes dry-cleaned right away. It¡¯ll be quick.


    * * *


    The only w of a five-star hotel room, despite all of its qualities, was the quality of the food avable, which was not enough to satisfy the demands of Lady Qiaoqiao. She had been criticizing the items on the bar counter inside the room for a while now.


    "Hey, why don¡¯t you go downstairs and get us something to eat? Don¡¯t forget to buy enough for a few days, seems like we¡¯ll be staying here," proposed Li Yiming, who was shocked by Qiaoqiao¡¯sints. ¡¯Are guardians all like that? Murder, kidnapping, illegal detainment... And now just pretending that nothing happened?¡¯


    "Why won¡¯t you go?"


    "I have no money," exined Li Yiming.


    Qing Qiaoqiao was at a loss for words.


    After Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s departure, Li Yiming stayed in silence for a while. He walked right next to Ji Qiaoqin, who moaned in her sleep from time to time, and caressed her hair. Affection, pain, loss and nostalgia swirled within his eyes. He extended his arm and peeled away the tape on Guo Xiang¡¯s mouth. Its removal was very painful, but Guo Xiang did not dare to raise his voice. He stared at the man standing in front of him as if he was some kind of demon.


    "Do you love her?" asked Li Yiming in a cold voice.


    "Hey, bro, listen to me. I really didn¡¯t do it on purpose, I didn¡¯t know that you... You... I... I can give you money. A lot of money. A million, nonono, five million, no, ten million. I¡¯ll give you a lot of women, as many as you want. Bro, please let me go... Please... I beg of you... She was the one, she was the one who tempted me. Believe me, she tempted me... Really..." Guo Xiang was scared to death. ¡¯This isn¡¯t a kidnapping, this is vengeance... With his background and his abilities, I¡¯ll never be able to get out of here alive. I don¡¯t want to die! I¡¯m the son of the founder of Yunlong Group, and my grandfather¡¯s all powerful...¡¯


    "I loved her..." Li Yiming ignored Guo Xiang and continued his monologue. "She used to be my everything. My dream, my future, everything in my life. She¡¯s the most beautiful memory I have, and the brightest star under the heavens, and the treasure within my soul. She made me believe that this world can be warm, and she made me understand how happiness cane, simply from caring for someone. I¡¯ve experienced the wildest night in my life with her, and, at daybreak, she outshone the pleasant sun that cast down its light into the room."


    Tears dribbled down Li Yiming¡¯s cheeks as he spoke. "I really, really love her, and I told myself that I already had the entire world, and more. I¡¯ll work ten times harder, a hundred times harder, a thousand times harder, ten thousand times harder, just to preserve this happiness, and defend this love. But... I saw it... On the day of her birthday... Just as I carefully prepared a surprise meant for her... I heard it... In front of our very home... Right downstairs from where we lived..."


    Li Yiming took a deep breath. "I thought that I would be angry, but I wasn¡¯t. I thought I would be go crazy... but I didn¡¯t. Want to know what I did back then?" Li Yiming turned his head toward Guo Xiang and looked at him with pity, with self-pity...


    "I slowly put down the bouquet of roses I had bought for her. They were her favourite, but I didn¡¯t buy them before because I was afraid of wasting them. I¡¯m sure that she mes me for that.


    "But I bought them that day, and I slowly ced them at the door... And I hoped for her to be happy. I gave her my best thoughts...


    "Then... I wandered in the streets alone... And I climbed up a skyscraper... I sat down on the fence bordering the roof. Do you know what I was thinking about back then?


    "In the cold breeze, I looked down upon this city of opulence, and I thought about the cruelty of reality, and about my own worthlessness... Yes, I¡¯m worthless... I couldn¡¯t protect my love, nor retain happiness, nor build a future, nor protect the past... I thought about death... I hated myself for being weak... I hated my own existence... I hated this apathetic city and the unfairness of this world... But I didn¡¯t hate her.


    "I¡¯ve never hated her. I saw her in front of our home, and I wanted to ask her, ¡¯How am I to love you?¡¯, but I couldn¡¯t open my mouth; I saw the dress she had in her hands, your gifts... I would never be able to afford those...


    "I was happy for her, because she had found her own happiness. I saw her at the cocktail party, she was dressed like a princess. Elegant, dignified... she was like an angel dancing within the crowd, pure and gentle. She seemed like a queen, attractive and graceful. I wanted to rush towards her and embrace her, embrace my youth, my love, my happiness, but I couldn¡¯t. Because I knew that she was no longer mine... She left me, my princess, my queen, my angel. She left me.


    "She left me... but I don¡¯t hate her for it. I couldn¡¯t give her what she wanted, so who am I to stop her from seeking her own happiness?


    "I thought that she had found her happiness... But I was wrong... She didn¡¯t." Li Yiming lowered his head and his lips trembled.


    "I saw it. She was nearly unconscious from all the drinking... And her clothes were barely covering her body... Her judgement clouded..."


    "And you!" Li Yiming roared in anger.


    "This was what she thought would bring her happiness... But you just sat there and did nothing... Watched as she was taken advantage of... As she was tainted..." Li Yiming stared at Guo Xiang with fiery eyes.


    "I thought you could make her happy, but what did you do? You pulled her toward an abyss! You pushed her into hell!" Li Yiming snarled furiously.


    Note from Zhao:


    Agree or not with the MC¡¯s actions. (I certainly don¡¯t agreepletely), but do take into ount that in China, right now, marriage is much more... pragmatic. Just like throughout human history, marriage is seen much more as a mean to achieve economical stability than the result of mutually shared romantic feelings. Young men, in particr, are disadvantaged in such a petition¡± to get married, and be a full member of society, because there exists a severe gender bnce as a result of the recently removed one-child policy. Ownership of property (house, apartment etc.), a car, and even the bnce of your bank ount can be deciding factors in marriage. Of course, these factors are not insignificant in the West, but they are certainly more heavily taken into consideration in China today, like it or not.


    For those curious, a 3-min video about the subject from the Economist (YouTube), with India as an unfortunate victim of coteral damage.


    Some of you can argue that Ji Xiaoqin, as a character, is an attack towards Chinese women, and I think that you would be right. Her actions, especially contrasted with Li Yiming¡¯s somewhat naive forgiveness, makes her very easy to detest. I think it¡¯s very interesting to consider this, given that most people who read online novels in China are young, and most of them who would read a novel like SN are young men, upon which the pressure of marriage can be very high and frustrating. I would think that this is a clever (although personally disagreeable) way to appeal to the readership, but it could also be that the author simply wants to criticize such phenomena which are bing the new norm.


    What do you think?

 Volume 1 Chapter 11

    <h4><strong>Chapter 11 ¨C Temptation</strong></h4>


    Inside the guest room, Qing Linglong had just finished changing into new clothes. She sat down right at the dressing table, visibly bored, and waited until the time seemed right. Then, she opened the door. As she had expected, Guo Tai was standing at the entrance.


    "Ms. Qing, I am truly sorry for my butler¡¯s mistake, and I¡¯d like to apologize on his behalf for any inconvenience he may have caused," said Guo Tai rather earnestly as he bowed down.


    "It was a simple mistake, Mr. Guo."


    "Thank you for all your hard work today," said Guo Tai.


    "It¡¯s nothing, we¡¯re just doing our job."


    "Ms. Qing, it must not have been long since you joined the security agency, I presume?"


    "Not exactly, seeing as how I joined National Security right after retiring from the army."


    "Oh? Ms. Qing, you¡¯ve been in the army?"


    "It¡¯s nothing worthy of praise," answered Qing Linglong.


    "It must be quite dangerous to work in the Secret Service department, isn¡¯t it?"


    "It¡¯s rtively low-risk for me. I don¡¯t usually conduct operations personally."


    "Oh..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    ¡¯Will you say something already? Your son is the one being held hostage by a murderer,¡¯ thought Qing Linglong, slightly annoyed.


    "Ms. Qing... You said that... There¡¯s a way to save my son?" After a long series of cursory remarks, Guo Tai finally asked.


    "Well..." Qing Linglong looked at the stairs behind him hesitantly.


    "May Ie in?" Guo Tai immediately proposed. His worries had finally settled down. ¡¯This is doable.¡¯


    "Of course." Qing Linglong moved away from the door, and Guo Tai entered the room, closing the door behind him.


    "Ms. Qing, let me make my intentions clear. If you can help me save my son..." The pair sat down on the red sandalwood office chairs. Guo Tai took out a check from his pocket, put it down on the side table, and pushed it towards Qing Linglong.


    "Mr. Guo!" Qing Linglong instantly retreated. "You... Please have some self-respect." She seemed outraged, with a look of horror at the prospect of the corrupting her own integrity and disappointing the very people she had sworn to serve...


    "Uh..." Guo Tai was dumbstruck, and quickly put the check back into his pocket.


    ¡¯God, it¡¯s a pain to work with these brain-washed government people...¡¯


    "Ms. Qing... This is a misunderstanding." Guo Tai exined hurriedly, "I was... Simply overburdened by my worry for my son... I lost my calm..."


    "I can understand your feelings... But..."


    "Xiang¡¯er¡¯s mother passed away early on... He¡¯s my only son... And you could say that I raised him all by myself... It might look like my life is blessed, but..." Guo Tai choked back a sob and his eyes reddened. It was enough to tear up anyone who saw him and distress anyone who heard him.


    "Mr. Guo..." Qing Linglong seemed moved by Guo Xiang¡¯s tale.


    "If you know of a way, any way. Please help me save Xiang¡¯er," Guo Tai snatched Qing Linglong¡¯s hand, very visibly agitated.


    "Actually... Actually..."


    "Please do not hesitate. If you can help me save Xiang¡¯er, my entire family will remember your kindness, Ms. Qing, and that of the country as well. After what had happened earlier, Guo Tai avoided all mentions ofpensation¡ªit seemed like national pride was what counted the most for these people.


    "Well..." Qing Linglong sighed and looked at the shut door. "ording to our data, Zhang Qiang was an orphan, and soon after he was born, he was abandoned by his family during winter. He was picked up by a wandering performer who raised him. Although that performer was someone whose livelihood was dependent on the generosity of passers-by, he was the heir of a n with extraordinary skills passed on from generation to generation. Of course, something else was also passed on: a moral code, the way of the Jianghu1, so to speak.


    "I see." Guo Tai nodded. It was indeed true that even now, there were still quite a few people like that¡ªindividuals who maintained set principles that others would find idiotic.


    "Zhang Qiang lived with his adopted father since his childhood, so you could say that he¡¯s no exception to these standards."


    "But he..." Guo Tai was perplexed. ¡¯Then someone like him shouldn¡¯t...¡¯


    "After his father died, Zhang Qiang, still quite young, was deceived into going to the U.S.. He went through a lot of trouble for a few years after that and, coincidentally, the navy SEALs weed him after they saw what he had learned from his father. During his years spent in service, he became ustomed to the corruption of politicians and the harshness of the world, as well as to witnessing death on a frequent basis. But he always held an unchanged respect and gratitude for his adopted father. Someone from a foreign security agency once found his father¡¯s memorial tablet at the ce where he stayed, but he escaped in time


    "His current demeanor resulted from the many years he¡¯d spent abroad, but his sense of honor was inherited from his adopted father. That¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t operate domestically."


    "I see." Guo Tai nodded. ¡¯Quite a rational exnation, these people who walk the Jianghu often have strong patriotic feelings... As to what they do abroad... Well to them, foreigners are nothing more than barbarians..."


    "What does this have to do with Xiang¡¯er? I thought he wouldn¡¯t kill innocents in the country?"


    "I don¡¯t know whether Zhang Qiang would kill innocent bystanders within the country or not, but one thing is certain, he would definitely kill Guo Xiang..."


    "Why?"


    "A debt of blood can only be repaid with blood."


    "Ugh..." Guo Tai sighed. ¡¯Well, I¡¯m to me for the death of his daughter, so he wants to kill my son. Damn those people.¡¯ "How exactly am I supposed to save Xiang¡¯er?"


    "By confessing." After spending a long while beating around the bush, they had finally arrived to the topic in question. Qing Linglong wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead with a discreet gesture.


    "Confess?" Guo Tai did not understand. ¡¯Who? Me? My son? Zhang Qiang?¡¯


    "Yes, a confession. Mr. Guo, a confession from you."


    "Me?" Guo Tai was surprised at first, but quickly grasped what Qing Linglong was trying to convey. Zhang Qiang was someone used to the manners of the Jianghu, and he was also patriotic. As long as he confessed to his own crimes and received due punishment, Zhang Qiang, for the sake of the country, would seek out no more trouble. ¡¯We would be safe... But a confession...¡¯


    "But why wouldn¡¯t Zhang Qiang... Make the policee for me instead?" Guo Tai had ast sliver of wishful thinking.


    "Those who have power disregard the rules,"2 answered Qing Linglong in a convincing tone.


    ¡¯Of course, things pertaining to the Jianghu ought to be ended in the Jianghu by someone from it. They would never seek the assistance of the government...¡¯


    Qing Qiaoqiao halted at the exit of the hotel grocery store, pushing her head against the wall as tears filled her eyes. Li Yiming might have forgotten about it, but themunication channel between Qing Qiaoqiao and him had remained open the entire time. Not a single word of what he had said escaped her ears, and, although she suspected that there was something going on between Li Yiming and Ji Xiaoqin, she never could have imagined such a story.


    Qing Qiaoqiao was angry at Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s obliviousness to her own good luck and found Li Yiming rather idiotic. But in the end, in spite of herself, her heart ached as she listened to his narration...


    "Was I mistaken?" Li Yiming picked up Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s hand and kneaded it tightly in his own, his eyes clearly hinting at an inner turmoil.


    Bang-!


    The door to the room was suddenly shattered, and pieces of debris grazed past Li Yiming¡¯s head, causing a flurry of wooden shards and cement dust to fall from the walls.


    Li Yiming looked at entrance with shock...


    At the door stood a man dressed in ck, with his face hidden behind a piece of cloth. A pair of cold eyes nced apathetically around. His presence screamed danger. Li Yiming,pelled by a burst of courage he himself did not think he had, leaped towards the M4 Qing Qiaoqiao had left on the couch.


    The man in ck raised his hand leisurely, shooting purple light out of his palm. The ray flew in a strange trajectory, which somehow allowed it to reach Li Yiming¡¯s hand just as he touched the M4. Li Yiming was sted away from the weapon as if lightning had struck him. The purple light zapped him and threw him against the wall. He fell down to the floor. The man in ck walked towards Li Yiming, who moaned in pain, with a rather strange expression. Li Yiming raised his head with difficulty and looked back at him, but could not do anything more as he remained paralyzed.


    "Save... Save me. He¡¯s a terrorist and a murderer. Save me, quickly! I can give you a lot of money." Guo Xiang squirmed on the bed at the hope of salvation.


    The man in ck turned around and scrutinized Guo Xiang withplete apathy.


    "Save me... please, save me." Guo Xiang inched closer to the man as he continued his struggle.


    The man in ck flung his wrist. Only this time, no light surged out of his palm. Instead, a dagger shot from his hand, leaving behind an after-image. Its tip pierced into Guo Xiang¡¯s forehead. Guo Xiang¡¯s body flew backwards from the momentum, spreading a thin bloody mist into the air as he collided against the bed frame behind him


    ¡¯He¡¯s... dead?¡¯ Li Yiming stared at the two with widened eyes.


    The man in ck beheld Guo Xiang¡¯s corpse with disgust and turned his head toward Ji Xiaoqing. He flicked his wrist and a second, identical dagger appeared between his fingers.


    "Li Yiming!" Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s voice came from the entrance. What followed it was the unrestrained automatic fire of the AK-47.


    The man in ck instantly turned around and leapt out the window with his hands in front of his head. He shattered the ss of the 18th floor and started to freefall. Qing Qiaoqiao dashed towards the window, reminding Li Yiming of just how much of a deadly guardian she was. She stopped right in front of the window, and a bazooka magically appeared on her shoulders. Her movements, from aiming the weapon to firing it, could not have been smoother.


    The 21-cm rocket left a trail of me behind it as well as a gaping hole in the ceiling as it flew towards the man in ck in the air with a shrieking noise. Thetter, upon hearing the sound, twisted his body into a bizarre posture and somehow managed to squeeze a dodging maneuver out of it. The projectile grazed his back and collided with a car parked on the side of the road.


    The loud thud which came out of the explosion shattered many more hotel windows, but the man in ck managed tond on the opposite side of the road. Qing Qiaoqiao aimed at him again with her AK-47, but the man¡¯s figure quickly disappeared into the end of the street after a few twists and turns. Qing Qiaoqiao threw her gun down in frustration and finally nced at Guo Xiang¡¯s corpse and the rather horrible wound he had suffered. She dashed towards Li Yiming and asked him in a worried tone, "Li Yiming, are you okay?"


    "Im... Fine..." Li Yiming managed to squeeze out a response, but his eyes remained fixated on Ji Xiaoqin, who was stillying on the bed.


    Qing Qiaoqiao read his expression and let out a somewhat frustrated sigh. She stood up, stopped by the bedside, and quickly examined Ji Xiaoqin. "She¡¯s fine."


    Li Yiming let out a sigh of relief and turned his head towards Guo Xiang.


    "We have to leave, now..." Qing Qiaoqiao returned to the broken windows and peeked outside.


    By now, the mor of a panicking crowd, with its cries, shrieks of pain and gasps of horror was clearly audible, and one could already hear the sirens of the ambnces in the distance


    "Help me get up." Li Yiming had attempted twice already, but could not manage to do so.


    For her slim figure, Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s strength was very impressive. She picked Li Yiming up from the ground rather effortlessly while looking back at Ji Xiaoqin with mixed feelings. "Should we bring her along?"


    Li Yiming opened his mouth to saying something while looking at Ji Xiaoqin, but ultimately shook his head resolutely.


    "Uh... Yiming?" Ji Xiaoqin had woken up at this precise instant. She gazed at the two people who stood in front of the bed and seemed very confused and lost.


    "Go." Li Yiming said in a low voice.


    Qing Qiaoqiao quickly dragged Li Yiming out of the room, and only after they had reached the staircase did they hear Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s screams of horrore out of it.


    Note: sentence to chew on by Han Fei. Would you care about obeying thew if you had some kind of super power? A moment of introspection and I¡¯ll tell you that I¡¯ll obey thew until it goes against my intentions. x.x


    Those of you familiar with Wuxia novel will surely have heard this notoriously difficult to trante word. Roughly underworld/brotherhood/illegal society of people who practice martial arts. ? Famous quote by Han Fei, a famous Chinese philosopher from the second century BCE. <i>Orators bendws with sophistry while Xias (as in Wuxia) break the rules with their power.</i>?

 Volume 1 Chapter 12

    <h4><strong>Chapter 12 ¨C Wanted</strong></h4>


    Grandma Wang looked at Qing Linglong, who descended the stairs, and signaled her subtly with a movement of the eyebrow. Qing Linglong approached Eyesses and pretended to be reading the information on the monitor. Eyesses¡¯s lips quirked and he pushed his sses up; the three became quite light-hearted with the thought of everything progressing smoothly. However, their rxed looks quickly changed into concern as Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s voice came out of their earbuds, and, a secondter, into consternation.


    ¡¯No... That big of a problem... But... Why? How could this happen?¡¯


    The three exchanged nces of bafflement.¡¯The camouger killed Guo Xiang? What does this have to do with him?¡¯


    All three fully appreciated the gravity of the situation, because there was no reason for the camouger tomit an unmotivated act: a problem must have existed elsewhere. ¡¯But where?¡¯ None of them could think of anything.


    "Leave, now." Qing Linglong showed her usual decisiveness, and the three left in a hurry, without even leaving time for Eyesses to pack up the equipment he brought.


    * * *


    Ji Xiaoqin sat on the edge of a parterre across the street from the hotel, wrapped in a hospital nket. A doctor was taking her pulse while three police officers, who, judging by their epaulettes, were highly ranked, stood right before her.


    "Ms. Ji, May I ask about your rtionship with the victim, Guo Xiang?" one of the officers asked her while taking her ID out of her wallet to match the picture.


    "We¡¯re... Friends." Ji Xiaoqin eyes wandered around, pausing briefly on the patrol cars, the ambnces and the firefighter trucks across the street; the people dressed in different uniforms who were busy with their respective tasks, but could not focus on a single spot for longer than a few moments.


    "How did Guo Xiang and you get into that room? There were no records of your arrival at the front desk of the hotel."


    "I... I don¡¯t know...I was at the bar..."


    "What do you mean, you don¡¯t know? You were in the same room as your friend, who had a de through his skull, and there were twenty bullet holes in the wall, an M4 with the safe open!" One of the officers shook his arms agitatedly and pointed at the other side of the street. "Do you see that? That¡¯s a portable anti-tank rocketuncher, a rocketuncher! The kind that can blow up a tank!"


    "Officer Zhang, the patient¡¯s mental state is very unstable, you..." The medical staff immediately intervened.


    "Zhang, don¡¯t get too excited." The officer with the highest rank pulled on his colleague and asked Ji Xiaoqin in an affable voice. "Did you see someone kill him?"


    Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s pupils finally constricted, and she threw a terrified look at the officer, but nodded through her trembling.


    "Do you know the murderer?"


    Ji Xiaoqin nodded again.


    "Name?"


    "Li... Li Yiming."


    * * *


    Guo Tai sat on his office chair and yed around with a Lantian1 jade pendant. A thinyer of skin from his thumb had already peeled off from all the rubbing, but Guo Tai was oblivious to it and simply stared at a note on the desk, on which one word was written in a bloody crimson. Confession. He thought back on his entire life over thest few minutes, the schemes, all the efforts he made, the birth of his son, and the passing away of his wife... Guo Tai hesitated.


    He remained in a trance-like state until his thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the telephone on his desk. He picked up the receiver. "What?" He jumped up and his finger joints whitened from the force with which he sped the object.


    "Li Yiming! Even if I shall be ruined, I¡¯ll shred your body into ten thousand pieces..." The piece of Lantian jade, worth millions, shattered and fragments of it punctured Guo Tai¡¯s left palm as he smashed the marble table.


    * * *


    Li Yiming leaned against the bed. After drinking Grandma Wang¡¯s medicine, aside from an overall soreness, he had mostly recovered.


    "This is what happened..." Qing Qiaoqiao stood right next to the bed and narrated. Grandma Wang and Qing Linglong sat on the sofa facing her while Eyesses browsed for news about the police investigation on his tablet.


    "Makes no sense..."


    "There¡¯s no reason..."


    Grandma Wang and Qing Linglong had nearly identical anxieties after hearing the tale. They exchanged a nce and sank back into their own thoughts. ¡¯Regardless of how you look at it, there¡¯s simply no reason for the camouger to kill Guo Xiang, unless... The rules?¡¯


    "The rules have changed once again..." Grandma Wang shut her eyes in powerless frustration. ¡¯This manyplications in a low level domain?¡¯


    "The municipal office has deemed this a terrorist attack and reported the incident to State Security, it seems like these two will be famous now..." Eyesses touched his chin with one hand and pushed the tablet towards Qing Linglong with a rather amused look.


    "A-level wanted?" Qing Linglong nced at the screen and pushed the tablet towards Grandma Wang.


    An internal page was pulled from the policemissariat¡¯s internal system. The relevant information about Li Yiming and Qing Qiaoqiao was posted on screen, along with ID pictures and a notementing the following. "Extremely dangerous, carrying heavy weapons. Five-star risk factor, admissible to elimination without permission."


    "Let me have a look, let me see!" Qing Qiaoqiao gabbed the tablet. "Huh... Wow, I look ugly in that picture... Haha! Li Yiming, is that from high school? Cute."


    "Do you not care a single bit?" Li Yiming was slightly annoyed by her reaction. ¡¯We¡¯re wanted now, the admissible-to-elimination kind of wanted. How many people in this world have the luxury of receiving that kind of treatment? How can she act as if nothing happened?¡¯


    "What¡¯s there to care about? This is a domain..." Qing Qiaoqiao pursed her lips.


    "Qiaoqiao," Her sister said in a low voice, "Mr. Li is right. It¡¯s very troublesome for us at this point and time."


    "Why? It¡¯s not the..."


    "If it were the usual case, or in some kind of small domain, then you¡¯d be right, it wouldn¡¯t matter. But right now... We don¡¯t have much time left..."


    In fact, they barely had a day left.


    "There are many limitations thate with this kind of wanted status. We are able to kill whomever we want, true, but we simply cannot kill everyone... That would ruin the bnce of the domain... On top of that, it¡¯s very possible for the domain to send endless waves of police, SWAT teams, special op teams, or even military personnel after us, and we can scarcely afford to waste time on them..." Grandma Wang stared at Qing Qiaoqiao. ¡¯As expected from a neer, she¡¯s still inexperienced...¡¯


    "Ah? What do we do now then?"


    "It¡¯ll take some time for an A-level notice to be processed. I¡¯ve done what I could on their system, so they won¡¯t be able to send it out immediately, but I can¡¯t dy it for too long." Eyesses removed his sses for the first time and wiped the lenses with a corner of his shirt.


    "We cannot afford to let this notice be sent out. We¡¯re heading to the city police headquarters right away."


    "We¡¯re going to the police headquarters? But we¡¯re wanted criminals, are we going there for a massacre? But you said..." The eyes of the little fairy glittered with anticipation


    Thud-


    Qing Linglong pped her head. "Who said that you were wanted criminals? We¡¯re agents from State Security..."


    * * *


    Wu Jie is a fresh graduate from the provincial police school. Owing to an outstanding performance at school, he was offered a position at the Hangzhou headquarters. Although his current job was no more than guarding the entrance to the building, Wu Jie believed that if he worked assiduously, he would be able to climb up the floors of the building behind him eventually.


    Today was a lively day, and the people that entered and exited the building were all somewhat tense, quite unlike their usualposed selves. The impact of the explosion from earlier in the morning was noticeable. It was rumored to be a terrorist attack; the incident even received exceptional attention from the capital. Secretary Ye, whom Wu Jie would barely see usually, came to administer the affairs. The high-level officials went in and out as if they were on patrol duty, and the conferences, big or small, lingered on. Even he himself, who was but a door guard, had been called to three different meetings. Of all the people rushing out of the building, Wu Jie had not seen a single one who walked.


    Wu Jie sighed inwardly as he looked at the people busy in their tasks. ¡¯When will I be able to work on a big case like them?¡¯ He was still bemoaning himself when he noticed something unusual right at the entrance: four people dressed entirely in ck and wearing sunsses, strolled toward the building. Their moderate cadence made them stand out amidst the crowd of hurried passers-by. Wu Jie did not dare to neglect them, especially given their air and the asion. He stiffened his torso, and, when the four walked by him, saluted them with a gesture he had practiced thousands of times before.


    "Please disy your..." Before he finished, the elderly woman, who led the three others, waved to him an ID badge with a golden insignia. They did not speak, or halt, or even slow down as they walked past Wu Jie.


    Wu Jie was intimidated enough by the grandeur of the four that he did not dare to stop them. However, before they went too far, the young man, who trailed the three others, turned his head back reluctantly and looked at him. The nce struck Wu Jie like lightning when he noticed it. Back then at police school, Wu Jie had a title, "The Strongest Brain of Police school", and his ability to distinguish subtle patterns, as well as his memory, were usually the subject of wonderment of his teachers. He had already thought about participating in a television show.


    Wu Jie, upon seeing that face, though only for a brief instant, hindered partially by the sunsses, and from the side, instantly made the match inside his head.


    "Li Yiming!" After making sure of it, Wu Jie felt blessed by a beam of holy light which had descended from the heavens; he was not alone in his fight. At that instant, Bao Zheng, Henry Lee, Song Ci, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Conan Edogawa...2 The spirits of these heroes were all by his side. He had little time to ponder about why terrorists woulde to the police headquarters, and he did not think about the fact that ording to the documents, they possessed heavy weaponry. He saw the medals.. The banners... And a bright future for himself.


    "Stop right there! On the ground, with your hands around your head!" Wu Jie pulled out his baton, took a deep breath that reach all the way to his abdomen, and roared mightily. His sonorous voice likely rivalled that of Zhang Fei at the battle of Changban. 3


    The shout was loud enough to send tremors down Li Yiming¡¯s legs. He almost fell to the ground, but, fortunately, Qing Linglong pulled him up. She threw a bizarre look at him. ¡¯That Thunder Palm is strong... He¡¯s still not recovered?¡¯¡¯


    Grandma Wang turned around and lowered her head slightly, pulling her sunsses down her nose bridge. She threw a cold nced mingled with surprise at Wu Jie. The flow of people had also stopped, and most of them looked at the scene with confusion.


    "He¡¯s... Li Yiming." Wu Jie¡¯s hot blood was instantly frozen by the few stares he received, but he nevertheless yelled loudly.


    The crowd scattered after the initial moment of bafflement. Those who had a gun pulled it out, while the others looked for cover. Paper files were flung to the ground and the continuous noises of doors and windows closing were heard.


    Li Yiming¡¯s palms started to sweat... He remembered "Elimination without approval". The Qing sisters stood there as if nothing happened... Grandma Wang looked around and, after finding someone with a high-ranking insignia, threw her ID badge to the ground.


    "Tell your secretary toe and see me." Grandma Wang¡¯s demeanor and her tone made her seem like an old regime public minister on a voyage amongstmoners.


    Lantian, a prefecture in Shan¡¯xi province, location where one of the four famous jades of China is produced ? The first and the third one are famous detective in Chinese history. The third a famous forensic scientist. ? Zhang Fei, legendary general of the Shu during the three kingdom era. ording to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he intimidated the Wei army after a bridge broke, and even scared someone to death with his shout. ?

 Volume 1 Chapter 13

    <h4><strong>Chapter 13 ¨C I Am an Agent</strong></h4>


    In the ninth conference room of the police headquarters of Hangzhou. The officers who led the task force on the terrorist attack of August 16th sat in a single row, facing the four people across the table.


    "How did you arrive to the conclusion that Li Yiming and Qing Qiaoqiao were the culprits?" Grandma Wang¡¯s finger joints paled as she pushed down against the top of the table, suppressing a ring rage.


    "Vice-Commissioner Wang, we have witnesses testifying their presence at the scene of the incident. We also have testimonies for their participation in the kidnapping of Guo Xiang at the Golden Shine Nightclub," Secretary Ye, head of the police department at Hangzhou, answered her question. ¡¯What a blunder today. First, the copse of the viaduc. Then, some murder incident and now, a terrorist attack? I¡¯m going to retire in half a year... Why such a mess now? She¡¯s only a vicemissioner at State Security, but her authority is beyond mine, and it doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s here to help...¡¯


    "Testimonies for Li Yiming murdering the victim? Testimonies for him causing the explosion?" Grandma Wang pressed on, but avoided the topic of the kidnapping at the Nightclub, since that one was much harder to exin.


    "From what we¡¯ve seen at the scene... We believe that..."


    Thud! Grandma smashed the table. Everyone, including Li Yiming, jumped from their seat.


    "From what you¡¯ve seen? You believe?" Grandma Wang took a deep breath, and pointed at Secretary Ye with one finger, pretending to outraged. "You exposed two of our best agents, agents that we¡¯ve trained through blood, sweat and tears, to the media, based on groundless spections? They are now known. Known by the media, known by other countries, known by our enemies. Do you have any idea how much time and effort it took for their training? Do you know how much the country spent on them? This... This is treason!"


    "He¡¯s... They¡¯re agents?" Secretary Ye almost slid off his chair. ¡¯Treason... With that usation...¡¯


    "Hmpf!" Grandma Wang snorted in discontent. Qing Linglong gave her a file folder, and she threw it in front of Secretary Ye. Thetter carefully opened it and pulled out a thick pile of documents.


    Wait..." Qing Linglong stopped him. She pulled out another sheet of paper out of her bag and said, "Please sign this non-disclosure agreement before proceeding. I¡¯m talking to everyone here."


    Secretary Ye was a little surprised, but nevertheless nodded and signed his name. The other officers followed his lead. He opened the cover, and found an abundance of information inside, whose naturalplexity,pounded by the presence of ck ink covering most of the key passages, made it so that he could only grasp its rough outlines. The documents delineated a special program in which children aged from 12 to 16 were recruited for espionage and counter-espionage purposes.


    A bead of cold sweat rolled down Secretary Ye¡¯s forehead as he read on. ¡¯If we really put on an A-level wanted notice for these two, although it would make sense, this old hag is probably going to fabricate some kind of treason allegation against me. That¡¯s their job after all, and they¡¯re the kind of people who would use any mean to get the desired results...¡¯


    "They received orders to stop the murder." Qing Linglong noticed Secretary Ye¡¯s hesitation and exined in a dignified manner.


    "Then the true culprit is..."


    Thud! Grandma Wang smashed the table again. "Did we not send you a memo about Zhang Qiang¡¯s arrival? Were you not sent a notice about Zhang Qiang¡¯s intention to assassinate Guo Tai, the chairman of Yunlong Group?"


    Secretary Ye swallowed back his words: he had known about that and sent two teams for follow-up. "What about the kidnapping at the nightclub...?"


    "If you want to know the details about that, go through the usual outlets." Grandma Wang was inflexible. ¡¯That one is simply unexinable. Who would have known...¡¯


    "Officer Zhang, go downstairs and immediately revoke the arrest orders for our agentrades."


    The officer at the end of the table stood up, saluted the secretary and left the room.


    "Vicemissioner Wang, the terrorist attack has brought a lot of bad press for Hangzhou. The whole country, and even the whole world is watching us. Since you are already here... Can I ask for your cooperation on the matter?" Grandma Wang¡¯s harsh attitude, which added to the pressure thest few days had brought, made Secretary Ye seek the second avable option.


    Grandma Wang frowned and did not answer him. Qing Linglong brushed her hair back with her hand and pointed at her ear inconspicuously. "Secretary Ye, the terrorist attack here has also brought a lot of pressure on our department. I¡¯ve received orders to cooperate with the local police. Since our... Misunderstanding has been cleared, I would hope that we can join forces to get to the end of this as quickly as we can, so that we can fulfill the expectations of those watching us, whether they are in Hangzhou, elsewhere in the country or even abroad.


    "Yes, through our cooperation, we will let the criminals of this world know that they cannot simplye and do whatever they want in Hangzhou, in our great country." Secretary Ye stood up and shook hands with Grandma Wang.


    "I¡¯ll leaverade Li Yiming to you, since he is the most knowledgeable person on the matter. More detailed information wille from our headquarters soon. Let¡¯s keep contact." Grandma Wangmunicated her intentions by shing a nce at Li Yiming as she performed a handshake.


    "Oh yes, we¡¯ve also received intelligence that the chairman of Yunlong group, Guo Tai, is looking to hire someone to avenge his son after having received false information from you..." This came from Eyesses, who stayed outside to monitor the flow of information, but also to keep an eye on Guo Tai, in case the camouger would target him again.


    "We will take care of this. Officer Zhang, you¡¯ll be responsible for cooperating with agent Li Yiming."


    "Yes." The captain who had been responsible for extracting the information out of Ji Xiaoqin before saluted Li Yiming.


    While Grandma Wang and the Qing sisters split up to search for more clues, Eyesses made use of the municipal surveincework to hunt for information. Li Yiming followed officer Zhang into the control center of the police headquarters. It did not look quite so different from a stocks exchange office; big screens, smallputers all over the ce, with a moving board on the side filled with paper clips of different sizes and Li Yiming¡¯s photo. One officer was packing the papers away. Both him and his colleagues threw a distracted look at Li Yiming: just a moment before, their work consisted of analyzing and tracking thetter down, but now, by some twist of fate, Li Yiming was standing in front of them and had be one of them.


    "Captain Zhang, the information from State Security is here. It¡¯s very detailed. Please have a look."


    A picture of Zhang Qiang appeared on the big screen in the center of the room. The information was provided by Eyesses. Li Yiming was very disinterested by it, so he looked around until he found a chair to sit down andpose his thoughts after all the wild things that had ured over thest two days. ¡¯I was a criminal when I arrived, and now I¡¯m a secret agent...¡¯


    ¡¯Guardian...¡¯


    No one paid any attention to Li Yiming, since their eyes were glued to the information disyed on the screen. The information hade from Li Yiming¡¯s own department, so it was expected to not be anything novel for him. No one expected any kind of meaningful contribution from him either, given hisck of seniority. He was at most an outlet to contact State Security should the need arise.


    Li Yiming, a little bored, searched through the documents on the desk right beside him. He picked up a set of pictures, which seemed to have been taken back inside the hotel room. The professionalism of the photographer was evident in thepleteness of angles and the meticulousness of details. Li Yiming looked at Guo Xiang¡¯s wide open eyes and suddenly felt unsettled. ¡¯If I didn¡¯t kidnap him, would he have been spared?¡¯


    Li Yiming sighed and looked at the photo once again. The gaping eyes and the dagger drilled into Guo Xiang¡¯s skull. ¡¯That dagger...¡¯ Li Yiming was onto something.


    ¡¯The camouger has his own special technique, so why would he use a dagger to kill people? He used his lightning to attack me. Same for Grandma Wang... Unless the spells are only usable against guardians? But I¡¯m not a guardian, strictly speaking, so that doesn¡¯t make any sense...


    ¡¯That dagger...¡¯


    "Where¡¯s that dagger?" Li Yiming asked the officer right next to him.


    "In the evidence room."


    "Can I have a look?"


    "Well..." The officer hesitated and turned his head towards officer Zhang. Thetter, after a brief moment of contemtion, nodded: they wished to show their good will to their colleagues and honor their promise of unreserved cooperation.


    "Please wait a moment." The evidence room was not far away, so it would be better to bring the item out of storage rather than to lead aplete stranger into it. The officer strode away and came back a few minutester with a sealed bag decorated by a piece ofbel full of numbers on its corner and the dagger inside of it.


    Li Yiming examined the weapon. ¡¯Rustic, fine, no motifs or any decoration. Rather ordinary...¡¯


    "Haven¡¯t found anything about its origins. No fingerprints either," Captain Zhang added a short exnation before continuing to read Zhang Qiang¡¯s file.


    "Wait, I¡¯ve seen this dagger before," a female officer suddenly remarked.


    "You¡¯ve seen it?" Both Li Yiming and captain Zhang turned their head toward her.


    "Let me have a look." The officer came closer and scrutinized the item. "Yes, I¡¯ve seen this before. The same kind of weapon was used to kill Wang Jianjun."


    "What?" The two were utterly shocked.


    The female officer did not belong to their team. She was transferred from the team which worked on the murder of Wang Jianjun as a result of theck of manpower following the terrorist attack.


    "Are you sure?" asked Li Yiming.


    "We¡¯d know for sure with a simple analysis. Put the information about Wang Jianjun¡¯s case on the main screen," said captain Zhang, who saw a chance for a breakthrough in the link between the two cases. One was a murder case whereas the other was a terrorist attack. Although the two ured in rapid session, rting the two was not obvious, especially given the fact that the investigations were conducted by two different teams.


    A set of pictures quickly appeared on the main screen. Li Yiming suppressed his repulsion as he looked at the foreheads of the two burnt corpses. ¡¯Daggers... The daggers...;¡¯


    "Zoom in andpare the two pictures," said captain Zhang, whose excitement was audible.


    "Simrity of 99%, the daggers are the same," answered an officer quickly.


    "Quick, call the secretary."


    "Allow me to ry the findings to my superior," Li Yiming walked to a corner and took out his cellphone, pretending to use it.


    "Eyesses."


    "Yes?"


    Li Yiming quickly exined the new findings.


    "Wait a second." Eyesses was a little surprised.


    "I¡¯ve taken a look at Wang Jianjun¡¯s information before. Nothing special, he¡¯s greedy and lustful, but rather low-profile. That¡¯s pretty normal, I¡¯d say. In fact, aren¡¯t most men like that...?" 1 Eyesses searched through his data and interpreted it as he read on.


    ¡¯Low-profile? This has nothing to do with Guo Xiang... The onlymon trait... Lustfulness?¡¯ Li Yiming shed another nce at the two corpses disyed on the screen. ¡¯Two victims... The mistress..¡¯


    "Can you look up his mistress?"


    "Mistress? Su Ming... Hold on, there¡¯s nothing special about her either. Full-time sugar baby, no kids."


    "What about his wife?"


    "His wife? Give me a second... His wife is as normal as she can be. She¡¯s currently living in her maternal home with the two kids. Hmm... Last year, Wang Jianjun tried to divorce her, so she tried tomit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills, but she was rescued. After that, Wang Jianjun never pressed her again and they¡¯ve each lived on their own."


    ¡¯Suicide... Rescued...¡¯


    Rant Corner


    Twist twist twist of the plot.


    Rofl xD ?

 Volume 1 Chapter 14

    <h4><strong>Chapter 14 ¨C Fast and Furious</strong></h4>


    ¡¯Tried to kill herself...Rescued...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    "Wait, there¡¯s something unusual with her bank ount," Eyesses suddenly remarked, "After that incident, she was paid arge sum of money..."


    "How much?"


    "Just enough to buy 200 tons of steel... Shit!" Eyesses struck his thigh with his fist.


    "We¡¯ve had it wrong since the start...¡¯ Qing Linglong rubbed her forehead in frustration.


    They had incorrectly interpreted the rules since the beginning, especially about the nature of the will at the root of the domain.


    The first clue was the copse of the viaduct. Yunlong Construction Group and Wang Jianjun¡¯s embezzlement emerged as the points of interest following its urence. However, despite the ostensible conclusion of "corruption", or even "politics" at first sight, if one dug a little deeper, they would quickly realize that these clues were all but a distraction from the true nature of this domain, "infidelity".


    The excesses of modern society had weakened themitment of its members to family and marital fidelity, creating an environment rife with men who sought sensuality and women who had ulterior motives for maintaining rtionships with such men. This is nothing out of the ordinary, and yet, precisely because of its normality, a will was born out of the phenomenon. Unbeknownst to his wife, Wang Jianjun had a mistress of his own, and, for thetter¡¯s sake, forced his wife down the path of suicide. After the incident, Wang Jianjun used the money he embezzled to buy peace from the former.


    Contemting the matter in hindsight made the chain of events seem evident. Had they been able to control Wang Jianjun from the start, it would not have taken long before the bare truth was exposed. However, the interference of the camouger befogged their investigation, and, with the trails broken, they had no choice but to follow their original deductions...


    "What do we do now? We know the truth about the mission now, but the next clue isn¡¯t anywhere in sight. Also, why would the camouger kill Guo Xiang? What does he have to do with Wang Jianjun? I can¡¯t find a link between them." Eyesses was restless and continued to type on hisputer at a furious speed; there was not much time left for him, and he had to start everything anew.


    ¡¯The camouger¡¯s targeting of Guo Xiang, could it be...¡¯ Qing Qiaoqiao thought about Li Yiming.


    The same thought ran through Li Yiming¡¯s mind. The way the camouger looked at him, the second dagger he held, Li Yiming¡¯s intuition was that it had something to do with himself.


    "Where¡¯s Ji Xiaoqin right now?" A terrible conjecture suddenly urred to Li Yiming. He yelled out loudly enough to arouse the attention of the police officers around him.


    "That girl at the scene? She¡¯s in the Second Provincial Hospital, undergoing psychological therapy..." A petite officer jumped upon hearing Li Yiming¡¯s loud voice, and the answer slipped out of her mouth almost instinctively.


    "Therapeutic division of the Second Provincial Hospital." Eyesses¡¯s answer came at nearly the same speed.


    "What?"


    "You¡¯ve got something?"


    The two identical questions came from Captain Zhang and Qing Linglong. Li Yiming did not answer them. He grabbed a set of car keys from the table and dashed toward the exit. He was praying with his entire soul that he was wrong.


    "Where are you going?" Captain Zhang¡¯s voice came from behind. "Quick, contact secretary Ye. There might be a breakthrough on their side."


    "The camouger, the camouger wants to kill Ji Xiaoqin." Qing Qiaoqiao suspected.


    "Why?"


    "There¡¯s no time to exin. Quick, we have to go to the hospital." Qing Qiaoqiao answered anxiously: she knew exactly how much Ji Xiaoqin mattered to Li Yiming.


    The praise Wu Jie had just received from his superiors warmed his heart. He received acknowledgement for his meticulousness, his daring approach, and even a promise for a promotion, despite the fact that he had barely finished his internship. When he saw Li Yiming running towards him, he did not feel embarrassed in the slightest, and he was instead very moved by thetter. ¡¯He¡¯s as old as I am, yet already a key member of State Security. A secret agent, wow! Look at him, he¡¯s only been there for a few minutes, and he¡¯spletely absorbed by his work. Look at the anxiousness on his face! It¡¯s almost as if his own life was at stake... Look at the speed at which he¡¯s running! He already beats everyone I¡¯ve seen today with just that.¡¯


    Wu Jie straightened his shoulders and saluted Li Yiming while thetter was still far away, but Li Yiming stopped right in front of him. Wu Jie was a little scared, ¡¯Does he have a grudge against me...¡¯


    "Do you know how to drive?"


    "Yes... Yes, I do."


    "You have been enlisted," said Li Yiming as he pulled on him. Wu Jie felt a mixture of bewilderment, excitement and anticipation as Li Yiming pushed him into the driver seat of the car. Li Yiming himself did not know how to drive...


    "Get to the Second Provincial Hospital as fast as you can. You can save the world and be a national hero," said Li Yiming between heavy gasps for air.


    "Yes, sir! I won¡¯t disappoint you." Wu Jie sat upright and stepped on the gas pedal. The car bolted out of the police station with the sirens wailing. ¡¯Saving the world... National hero...¡¯


    "Li Yiming, Li Yiming..." Captain Zhang¡¯s voice came from the telmunication device. Li Yiming pulled the wires and threw the device out of the window. ¡¯Who has the time to mind a Non-yer Character?¡¯


    Wu Jie nced at Li Yiming in surprise, but thetter¡¯s visible anxiety intimidated him into silence. "If I can¡¯t get there on time... I¡¯ll be damned..." Li Yiming uttered to himself as he clenched his fists in front of his chest.


    This was the spark which set aze Wu Jie¡¯s heroic aspirations. His reaction speed, which he had trained so much back at school, and his aptitude at fine-tuning, were on full disy as the patrol car sped up to more than 120 kilometers per hour on the bustling streets of Hangzhou. Although it was not the rush hour, and the terrorist attack made the residents of the city hesitate to leave their homes, such a speed was beyond amazing for anyone familiar with the city¡¯s infrastructures. However, they were soon blocked by a BMW with its signalling lights on: it seemed like the car mistakenly entered the fastne and intended to merge into the rightne. A middle-aged woman with voluminous hair was speaking on her cell phone in the car, and, upon hearing the honking and the sirening, she shed a nce and went back to looking at the front, without showing any intention to yield the way. 1


    "Ram it!" Li Yiming noticed the deceleration and made a crazy decision.


    ¡¯For the safety of the country...¡¯ Wu Jie pushed on the pedal he had just moved his feet away from as hard as he could.


    Bam! The BMW spun two full turns, and a piece of the patrol car fell onto the pavement. The car hood was severely deformed as a result of the collision.


    Wu Jie threw a furtive look at the rear-viewing mirror, and, instead of feeling panic for what was essentially a hit and run, he felt an odd excitement. Since he had made the decision to enroll in the police academy, it meant that he would have few opportunities to drive like this in his life. Wu Jie¡¯s blood boiled, and his eyes glittered with buzz. He remembered the slogan he was taught during the ethics course of the academy, ¡¯For the safety of the country!¡¯


    As a student from the police academy destined for greatness, Wu Jie inherited all of his hot-blood, his energy from the likes of Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Takumi Fujiwara 2: he was speed and fury itself, and he was not alone in his fight. Today was the day the world witnessed the birth of someone blessed with the attention of modern media, tomorrow was the day he was going to be on the headlines of all of the news outlets.


    Sidewalks, pedestrian-only streets, green belts... Equipped with shing lights and wailing sirens, Wu Jie was ready to race through any segment of this crowded city. Wherever he went,motion ensued. BMW, Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota, no car could match him. Police, firefighters, traffic regtors, city administration, all could but bite his dust.


    With a beautiful drift, the damaged patrol car stopped right in front of the Second Provincial Hospital, causing screams left and right from the pedestrians. A trip of 17.8 kilometers within the heart of Hangzhou only took 4 minutes and 32 seconds. Li Yiming opened his car door, a little disoriented, and threw a fearful look at Wu Jie. ¡¯Is this guy a guardian?¡¯


    Wu Jie also disembarked, and he was struck by a sense of pride as he turned back to look at the road he had driven on.


    Beep beep! A white Land Rover arrived quickly after from behind, stopped on the side of the road and honked at the two.


    Qing Linglong came out of the car with a frown, and nced at the broken patrol car. ¡¯We¡¯re barely 5 kilometers away, and they came from the headquarters, yet they arrived first?¡¯


    "Pick up your gear," Qing Linglong did not ask any further and signalled Li Yiming to the trunk of the car.


    ¡¯Are all secret agents this attractive? Does she really have what it takes? She doesn¡¯t look like someone made for the harshness of the job...¡¯ Wu Jie looked on with curiosity and followed Li Yiming, but the next moment, he was dumbstruck and swallowed back all the pride and madness which he felt from his crazy car ride. ¡¯A full car load of weapons... Heavy weaponry...¡¯


    Ji Xiaoqinid on the white hospital bed with a vacant stare. The doctor had just injected a dose of tranquilizer, but she could not fall asleep at all. ¡¯Guo Xiang is dead? Li Yiming killed him? Did he do it for me? That girl by his side, she was beautiful... More than me... How do they know each other?¡¯


    Her thoughts were curious to say the least, for she did not think about how she appeared inside that hotel room, or why there was a terrorist attack: these questionspletely slipped by her mind.


    Ji Xiaoqin was put inside an intensive care unit with sealed windows and a reinforced door. Not only was she the only patient inside the room, two guards were also posted at the entrance to protect her.


    * * *


    Guo Tai had lost his reason: his son was dead and all that mattered to him now was vindication. The soldiers his father sent to protect him had arrived, and he gave five million to each of them for the task of avenging Guo Xiang. However, news soon came from the police. Secretary Ye called him in person to inform him that Li Yiming was not the real culprit, and that he was in fact trying to protect his son. Now that Li Yiming, the only outlet upon which he could vent his boundless rage, was off the radar, Guo Tai was driven even closer to the brink of madness.


    However, he quickly found another target. ¡¯Yes, Ji Xiaoqin. She disappeared with my son, was kidnapped along with my son. He¡¯s dead but she¡¯s still alive? No, she will die along with my son. I will have her die right in front of his funeral hall. She will apany my son in life and in death; she will live as a Guo and die as one...¡¯


    * * *


    The two officers at the door were very nervous; although the mission they were tasked with consisted of protecting a witness to a terrorist attack, which carried significantly less risk than being on the front line with their colleagues, when they saw the imposing figures of the four soldiers in front them, they lost the littleposure they had. The four-man squad had asked to take over the eyewitness and refused to allow them to contact their superiors for permission. The two officers were convinced by a handgun to not sacrifice their lives to futile infighting among the proletariat...


    The four soldiers rushed into Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s room when thetter was about to fall asleep. They dragged her out of her bed without asking, while the two police officers posted to protect her observed from the entrance. The group of five had barely exited the room when one of the soldiers suddenly copsed to the side, dragging a nurse down in his fall. A scalpel was gouged into his temple.


    Rants Corner


    Action action action! For those of you who have been waiting for 13 chapters already.


    Apparently this isn¡¯t an exaggeration. Not yielding to emergency vehicles is a problem in China. As reported in ? Racers most of whom I don¡¯t know the name ?

 Volume 1 Chapter 15

    <h4><strong>Chapter 15 ¨C Heaven¡¯s Blessing</strong></h4>


    The three remaining soldiers, owing to their rigorous training, quickly reacted to the death of theirrade. While one of them pushed Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s head down and returned to the patient¡¯s room with her, the two remaining drew out their guns and searched for cover. At the end of the corridor, a dark figure emerged, slowly walking towards them with another scalpel in his right hand. The delicate but sharp de of the weapon danced between his fingers like a butterfly, sending out dazzling rays of reflected light.


    One of the soldiers fired a shot, and it turned out also to be hisst one: the moment he peeked his head from his cover, the butterfly flew straight into his throat. He dropped his weapon and covered his throat with both of his hands, but he could only emit a choking sound as the figure in ck bent his neck and easily dodged the bullet he fired without even stopping for a second. The gunshot caused a general panic within the corridor as patients and doctors scattered and scrambled for the stairs.


    The remaining soldier squinted his eyes as he listened to the footsteps of the man in ck and calcted the distance that thetter had travelled. The gun he had was given to him by Guo Tai. Walther P99, made in Germany, 9mm caliber with a magazine of 15 bullets, internal striker, double action only trigger and a rate of fire of 0.72 per second. He nodded to hispanion guarding Ji Xiaoqin and leaped out of his cover, firing sessive shots at the man in ck. Meanwhile, his partner pulled Ji Xiaoqin out of the ward and ran for the stairs.


    The man in ck¡¯s silhouette snaked left and right as he pounced on the soldier in front of him. The next instant, a gloved fist emerged out of the soldier¡¯s back, holding between its fingers a beating heart: the soldier only had time to fire four shots.


    Thest soldier had barely taken three steps when he realized the gunshots had stopped. The ruthlessness he had acquired during his life as a member of the special forcespelled him to ast-ditch effort: he pulled out his tri-edged dagger and stabbed at Ji Xiaoqin.


    The de pierced Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s clothes and its tip grazed the generous curves of her chest. However, it would not go forward a hundredth of an inch more: the man in ck had appeared in front of the soldier, and grasped his wrist so that he could no longer push his dagger forward. The man in ck moved his bloodstained right hand until he wed the soldier¡¯s neck and lifted him from the ground. The soldier feet kicked in the air as he struggled to no avail. Ji Xiaoqin, who fell to the ground upon losing her support, crawled away from the two: five more meters and she would reach the staircase.


    Thest soldier¡¯s struggle weakened gradually until it became no more than jerking, and then his body became limp. The man in ck did not release him, but instead stared at his distorted figure.


    "Kill her... I can... You... Cannot..." The man in ck closed his fist tightly andpletely ripped his prey¡¯s neck apart.


    Ji Xiaoqin was still two meters away from the stairs, but when she heard the man in ck¡¯s voice, she turned around with her mouth wide open in disbelief, almost forgetting to breathe for a moment. The voice was hoarse, cold, dry, and devoid of emotions, but Ji Xiaoqin recognized it instantly. "Yi... Yiming?"


    Bang! The window ss next to the man in ck shattered into pieces. He himself spun around and fell down on one knee. A gaping hole appeared in his left shoulder. He had barely touched the ground before he quickly rolled to the side andid prone on the floor.


    Bang! Another loud noise was heard. This time, the wall was suddenly blown open, and a crater appeared where the man knelt a split second ago. The glint of reflected sunlight projected from a skyscraper right across the street was visible to anyone who dared to look through the breach in the wall.


    Sniper...


    Eyesses remained immobile in his proning position at the window and adjusted the aim of his rifle slightly. His talent mainly revolved around hacking electronics, so although he could handle a few ordinary people in close-quarters, it would be suicide for him to try to challenge the camouger. The rifle he used was the NTW-20, 14.5 mm caliber with an effective range of about 2300 meters. From where he was, he could punch a hole through an armored vehicle with a single bullet. On top of that, the rifle lived up to the Made in Secret Domain standard.


    When she saw the wound on the camouger¡¯s shoulder, Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s first instinct was to run toward him. However, Li Yiming¡¯s voice came from behind her. "Let¡¯s get out of here!" Li Yiming picked her up and retreated towards the staircase. The camouger stood back up again, only to be stopped in his tracks by another loud bang and a cavity that appeared about half a meter in front of him. He attempted to crawl through the hallway, but a sudden string of gunshot noises forced him to roll sideways into a ward.


    The Qing sisters, one with an AK in her hands and the other one armed with an M4, sprayed the bullets in their magazines furiously into the entrance of the ward. When they heard the gunshots from the floor below, Li Yiming and the Qing sisters climbed two different staircases, aiming to surround the camouger. They had arrived just in the nick of time.


    "Yiming?" Ji Xiaoqin looked at Li Yiming with confusion with her head against his chest.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let him hurt you." Li Yiming held Ji Xiaoqin with a firm grip and raced down the stairs. All these college years spent together dancing as a couple made him quite used to carrying her weight.


    Wu Jie was rather disappointed. While the two Qing beauties had a M4 in one¡¯s hands and an AK on the second¡¯s shoulder, agent Li only gave him a Desert Eagle. Although the Desert Eagle could be considered the king of handguns, he did see the L86A2 rifle inside the trunk. ¡¯That¡¯s something I¡¯ve only seen in magazines. Made in the U.K., 5.56 mm caliber, 900 mm barrel length, effective range of 650 meters, firing rate of 700 rounds per minutes. That¡¯s a gun made for a true man... I¡¯ll forget about not receiving that one, but can¡¯t you at least let mee up with you? "Stay here and stay on guard, this is an order." And then you leave with the two fragile looking girls...? What am I going to do with my boiling blood now? Is this how I am to remember my passionate youth? All I can do is grow more and more nervous while the firefight rages on above.¡¯


    Suddenly, Li Yiming emerged from the entrance to the hospital with a girl in his arms. This instantly elevated Wu Jie to the peak of alertness and he jumped into the driver seat of the Land Rover. They had agreed that he, with his skillsparable to a guardian, would be the driver. However, before Li Yiming could exit the building, a figure dropped down from above with a loud thud, splintering the concrete ground right in front of the car. The figure in ck was wrapped by a ribbon of purple light, and he stood up straight with a cold expression, blocking off Li Yiming¡¯s escape route.


    Confronting the camouger now was even worse than their previous encounter. Li Yiming felt as if he was wading through a marsh, and he had difficulty moving his limbs merely an inch forward. "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let him hurt you," Li Yiming held onto Ji Xiaoqin tightly


    "You¡¯re not ming me?" Ji Xiaoqin, wrapped by the embrace she had be so familiar with, asked a question that seemedpletely out of context.


    "I never did..."


    "Lin-!" 1


    A hoarse voice rung in the distance...


    "Bin-!"


    The voice became audible: it came from the alley across the street.


    "Dou-!"


    Grandma Wang¡¯s figure appeared, and she traversed the street as if she walked out of broken movie film roll, pausing regrly and elerating in between until she arrived right outside of the hospital¡¯s main entrance.


    "Zhe-!"


    Grandma Wang performed a sequence of seals with her hands, and a sudden gust of wind blew around her. The sun, which was projecting down warm beams of sunlight, hid itself beneath imprableyers of cloud.


    "Jie-!"


    Grandma Wang formed another seal with her hands. Li Yiming felt the heaviness around him suddenly alleviated.


    "Zhen-!"


    The man in ck turned around and looked at Grandma Wang with severity. The purple glow around his body brightened.


    "Lie-!"


    Grandma Wang performed yet more seals. Her voice was as loud as a roaring thunder and her frame was blurred by the distortion of the air around her.


    "Qian-!"


    The corners of Grandma Wang¡¯s lips were tinged in crimson, but the shadow behind her silhouette became even more pronounced, and a form materialized out of thin air.


    "Xing-!"


    Grandma Wang spat out a mouthful of blood. A greenish glow was visible within the red liquid, and it vaporized before touching the ground. Grandma Wang¡¯s face nched.


    "Xiang Liu?" Eyesses, who had been observing the scene through a hacked satellite, eximed. He was on the other side of the building, searching for a new vantage point.


    This was Grandma Wang¡¯s talent: the summoning of Xiang Liu. Xiang Liu is a mythical monster described in the legends as being a snake with nine heads that feasted on humans. The water it spat out was poisonous and after its passage, it would leave behind a destend on which nothing could grow. ording to ancient scriptures, Xiang Liu was a servant of the god of water, Gong Gong, and its immensity allowed it to eat from nine different mountains at the same time. The saliva its heads spat out created huge poisonous marshes, and it was rumored that the leader Yu had tried to fill these marshes up three times to no avail. Therefore, he turned the marsh into ake and used the earth he had dug up to build a sanctuary for the gods in the north of the Kunlun mountains. 2


    "I was off my guard thest time we met. This old one will see what challenges you can bring today." Grandma Wang¡¯s hoarse voice sounded weaker than ever: summoning Xiang Liu had to be a significant burden.


    The camouger looked at the nearly five meters tall nine-headed snake. He dropped his headband to the ground as a purple me surrounded his body and his hair billowed without theing of any wind. "If you had summoned the real Xiang Liu... I would have killed myself without hesitation... But this mere imitation..." The man in ck smiled coldly as he darted towards the creature.


    Xiang Liu sent out a ferocious screech from its nine heads and twisted itself into the melee against the camouger. Li Yiming retreated with Ji Xiaoqin to the side, fully aware that he could not be of any use in such circumstances. Ji Xiaoqin cuddled against his chest, and, although it was a warm embrace, there was something more real about the man surrounded by purple fire.


    Xiang Liu¡¯s nine heads danced left and right while the man in ck maneuvered between them with agility. The vicious battle between the two soon caused the copse of the section of the building near the entrance and the emergency department right next to it. One of Xiang Liu¡¯s head feigned a weakness and limped after receiving a kick from the man, only to surge up and bite him in the left leg as he moved closer. Grandma Wang had barely the time to celebrate the sudden sess when she noticed that man¡¯s figure slowly faded away: an after image.


    A ck figure suddenly appeared behind Xiang Liu and sliced through its body with his palm, leaving behind a bright purple trail. One of Xiang Liu¡¯s heads flew off and turned into a muddy liquid in the air with a terrible screech.


    Eight heads remained...


    The man in ck took advantage of his proximity to Xiang Liu with a purple orb in his left palm. He pushed the orb into the mouth of another head that gnawed at him. Bang! The head was obliterated.


    Seven heads...


    After losing two heads, Xiang Liu¡¯s body seemed to have faded away a little. It became more transparent, more aery-like. Grandma Wang¡¯s countenance paled again, and her limbs trembled violently. Li Yiming¡¯s nervousness grew as he witnessed the change.


    The next ¡°chapter¡± is an addition about the creature which has appeared, Xiang Liu, and what Grandma Wang did to summon it. Feel free to skip it if you wish so.


    A note on this chantter. ? A note about thister, as well ?

 Volume 1 Chapter 16

    <h4><strong>Chapter 16 ¨C Salvation</strong></h4>


    A figure in white suddenly zipped past Li Yiming and Ji Xiaoqin. In the midst of her jump, Qing Linglong closed her fists. Two daggers, each reminiscent of the crescent of a nascent moon, appeared in her hands. Glowing indigo markings were carved onto the short, rustic des. These des were her talent¡ªMoonshadow Daggers. Every time Qing Linglong spun her body, and the daggers sliced through the air, crescent-shaped indigo res would follow the des where they traveled.


    With Qing Linglong now joining the fray, the situation improved slightly, but the prospects were still grim. Xiang Liu¡¯s body had be nearly transparent now. Suddenly, the violet me around the camouger¡¯s body was extinguished, only to erupt ever stronger in the next instant. He suffered two strikes from Qing Linglong to his back and reached out for another two of Xiang Liu¡¯s heads. Two more purple blossoms and the heads liquefied.


    Now only five heads remained, and Xiang Liu itself was stripped of all of its ferociousness. Not only did its body seem more ethereal than ever, its size had shrunk down to barely three meters.


    The camouger dashed towards Xiang Liu, stopping Qing Linglong¡¯s daggers once again with his left hand. A swift kick directed at Qing Linglong¡¯s face forced her to retract her weapons and cross them together to block the blow.


    Thud! Although Qing Linglong managed to protect her head, the momentum of the strike sent her flying until she crashed into the building on the opposite side of the street.


    The camouger nced at Xiang Liu, who was no longer a threat, and strolled towards Li Yiming. The fierce fight that had barely concluded seemed to not have affected him at all.


    One step... Two steps...


    As the camouger came closer and closer, Li Yiming wrapped his arms around Ji Xiaoqin tightly.


    Tatatatatatat... The continuous firing of the L86A2 machine gun was heard¡ªWu Jie had taken the rifle and jumped out from behind the car.


    "You¡¯ve been enlisted by National Security..." Upon hearing this short sentence, Wu Jie knew that today would be unlike any other in his life. ¡¯Speeding... Beauties... Heavy weapons... And this man who fell from the sky, then Vice-Commissioner Wang and that weird snake...¡¯ Wu Jie was beyond excited. He realized that it was not just a different day for him, but a different world he had just stepped into. One that he had dreamt about ever since he was a child.


    ¡¯National Security? To hell with that... These guys are the Dragon Team. The most mysterious and the strongest organization in the country!¡¯ Wu Jie, who had since long been poisoned by the clich¨¦s of online novels, cried out inwardly. 1


    With the L86A2¡¯s rapid rate of fire, Wu Jie had emptied his bullets within thirty seconds. A clicking noise could be heard as he continued pushing the trigger down. However, the three hundred bullets he had fired resulted in nothing more than a rippling of the purple fire which surrounded the camouger¡¯s body. Thetter swung his arm in contempt and Wu Jie, to his surprise, was sted away by a bolt of lightning, falling limply down on the ground.


    Bang! Another gun shot was heard. The camouger jumped back, and a slowly expanding crater appeared where he had stood. He turned his head around and threw a cold look at a skyscraper in the distance; he recognized the gun which inflicted a wound upon him a while ago. The bullets, also Made in Secret Domain, were capable of breaking his self-protection spell. The light around him concentrated into another dark purple orb in his right palm, and he hurled it toward the skyscraper.


    "Eyesses! Run!" Qing Qiaoqiao cried.


    fraction of secondter, the center of the skyscraper was obliterated. The projectile inflicted a simr damage on the several buildings behind its initial target and flew into the distance. Then, a deafening explosion could be heard.


    Li Yiming was speechless as he looked at the gaping hole left in the middle of the skyscraper. The camouger, by that time, however, had turned back and looked back at where Qing Linglong had crashed with severity. The clouds and winds above her were sucked down from the sky in a spiral and formed a shape reminiscent of Qing Linglong¡¯s Moonshadow Daggers.


    Grandma Wang, with visible traces of despair etched on her face, firmed her determination and performed another seal with her hands. After spitting out three mouthfuls of blood, Xiang Liu¡¯s body convulsed and its five remaining heads disappeared one by one, until only one remained. Then, its form shrunk until it was no longer than two meters and suddenly snaked towards the camouger, binding him in ce. Thetter realized the seriousness of the threat and once again discharged his me around his body. However, despite the shrills of pain, Xiang Liu did not allow the camouger to escape its restraint.


    The huge de that had materialized as a result of the confluence of clouds swung down on the camouger at that precise instant. Thetter met it with zing eyes as ck lightning bolts ran down the intensifying purple ze that surrounded him. Right before the de struck him, the snake that coiled around his body was cut to pieces by a sudden surge of ck light. The camouger joined his hands together and pushed upward, creating a shrieking noise as his palm met the billowing de.


    Qing Linglong clenched her teeth as the indigo light around her converged into her projected weapon. The me around the camouger danced as if it was boiling and onyx sparks umted in his palms. "Go!" With a mighty roar, his ck garments were pulverized into smithereens and a ray of pure ckness rose into the sky, obliterating the cloudy dagger that had held it to the ground.


    Qing Linglong had finally reached her limit. She fell down unconscious from where her summoned wind had lifted her. With a panting breath, the camouger cast away his ck lightning, and what little remained from the purple me dwindled in the wind. Only his right palm remained tainted by a purple color. He threw a cold look in Li Yiming¡¯s direction. Both Li Yiming and Ji Xiaoqin shuddered when they saw his unmasked face.


    The camouger¡¯s appearance brought shock and fear to Li Yiming... Whereas Ji Xiaoqin threw at him a look full of guilt, as if she had known him for a long time. The camouger looked just like Li Yiming. Even the wrinkles around his eyes and the unshaved chin were the same. The only difference was in the expressions they wore. One was full of naivety whereas the other was cruel and cold.


    "Li Yiming-!" Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s shout came from the ruins of the emergency building. "Shoot him!"


    ¡¯Shoot?¡¯ Li Yiming instinctively reached for the Desert Eagle stuffed into his belt. He had taken the gun before he had entered the hospital. He shared the pair of pistols with Wu Jie. When the camouger heard Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s shout, he raised his eyebrow mockingly and did not even bother to turn his head. His emotionally turmoiled gaze remained fixated upon Ji Xiaoqin


    "Shoot! Now!" Qing Qiaoqiao aligned the index and middle finger on both of her hands and pointed at her temples. Her pupils suddenly shifted to a bright red color. To the camouger¡¯s shock, he found himself unable to move an inch. It was finally the turn for Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s talent: charm. Her attempt would not have seeded under normal circumstances, but when the camouger had also exhausted his strength, she was able to achieve a temporary paralysis.


    "Quick!" Blood seeped out of Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth.


    Li Yiming pulled out his pistol, aimed and shot.


    "NOOOO!" Ji Xiaoqin, who had stayed in his arms until now, suddenly leaped toward the camouger.


    Bang! Li Yiming had already pressed the trigger.


    The 8.8 mm bullet was catapulted from the barrel and heated up to an amber red streak as it cut through the air. It entered Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s body through the back and emerged from the front; it even had enough power left to cause blood to spray from the camouger¡¯s chest. Ji Xiaoqin fell into the camouger¡¯s arms from the momentum of her leap.


    "Yi... Ming... I¡¯m... Sorry..." Ji Xiaoqin copsed against the camouger¡¯s body. Her breathing gradually became strained and had to be forced out. Every now and then, she coughed up blood from her mouth. The camougerpletely ignored his wounds, and his attention remained solely focused on Ji Xiaoqin, visibly shocked by her actions.


    "I... I regret it so much... I... Really... Really... Really regret it... Please... Forgive me..." Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s voice waned. She lifted her hand with difficulty to caress the camouger¡¯s face as her pupils gradually dted.


    "Forg... Forgive me... Please... Okay..." Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s arm fell down, limp, and became still after a few gentle swings.


    The camouger did not speak a single word, only nodding his head mechanically. He clung onto Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s body as tightly as he could as tears dribbled down his cheeks. Li Yiming could not bear looking at the two. His pistol slid down and fell onto the ground. He forgot about everything else as he looked at the couple in front of him. For a moment, he felt the truest, most genuine kind of happiness.


    The camouger¡¯s body started to fade away, and it was not long before he turned into thousands of light orbs that spread out in the oing wind. However, one of them, a purple orb, entered Li Yiming¡¯s left palm after a barely noticeable change in its trajectory. The buildings, the people, everything that had surrounded Li Yiming suddenly distorted and vanished. The crumbling skyscraper, the craters on the ground¡ªthey all disappeared as if time itself had rewinded, reced gradually by noisy crowds and hurrying pedestrians. The entrance to the hospital had finally regained its usual busy state.


    Sitting on the stairs right in front of Li Yiming, a middle-aged woman, inly dressed and carrying her medical records in a stic bag, listened to a song which was being yed on her cell phone with her eyes shut.


    If love lives on sharing and chains you like fetters,


    Then hate, more than anything, depends on freedom.


    Love and hate coiling and twisting togetherTell me, what can I do to save you?


    If love is spilt milk,Then who can protect whom?


    For whom will my heart wait?Tell me, what can I do to save you?If passion is a fatal poison,


    Then who can protect whom?How can I make this love immortal? 2


    "Low level secret domainpleted. Ten life marks awarded."


    "Special secret domainpleted. Twenty life marks awarded."


    "Camouger eliminated. One hundred life marks awarded."


    "Self-will erased. Talent awarded: innate summon."


    "Team award distributed, please distribute ordingly."


    ¡¯It¡¯s over...¡¯ Li Yiming let out a heavy sigh. It was difficult to describe how he felt after all of it. He nced at his watch: August 15th, 10:30 AM. Exactly the time he arrived at Pure Water Herb Hall...


    "Hey, someone has fainted here." A sudden cry was heard, and members of the crowd ran toward the hospital, which fortunately happened to be nearby. A few paramedics quickly arrived to treat Qing Qiaoqiao, who had fallen unconscious right at the entrance of the emergency department.


    "There¡¯s another one over here!" Grandma Wang had also been found.


    Li Yiming looked at where Ji Xiaoqin had been shot. Instead of her, he found two middle-aged man engaged in a relieved exchange about the results of their health check-ups. ¡¯Everything really is over...¡¯


    Another team of paramedics rushed out of the hospital, pushing a wheeled stretcher and headed for the building on the opposite side of the street¡ªQing Linglong had also been found, and someone had called the emergency services.


    "Are any of you still alive? Help..." Eyesses¡¯ feeble voice came out of Li Yiming¡¯s earphone.


    "Eyesses?"


    This concludes the first book. Please stay tuned for the double chapter release tomorrow! A new adventure awaits Li Yiming. Also a reminder that domains are <i>fictional</i>, so when people die (except for the guardians), they don¡¯t die in reality, since it¡¯s only the replicate that ¡°died¡±. Therefore, don¡¯t be surprised when you see Ji Xiaoqin and Guo Xiang alive!


    Note: the ¡°Dragon Team¡± is amonly used name for what¡¯s essentially the national superhero squad in other FreeWebNovels. I think the author is making a meme out of it. ? Taken from song by the artist Sun Nan, avable on Youtube ?

 Volume 2 Chapter 1

    <h4>Book 2 Chapter 1 ¨C The Starting Point</h4>


    Original and most updated trantions are from vre. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.


    Li Yiming sat down before the tea table at Pure Water Herb Hall and sipped the tea infused by Qing Qiaoqiao herself. He swept his eyes across the chairs around him and felt as if he had begun a new life.


    ¡°I was really lucky this time...¡± Eyesses slid his hand across his broken limb and sighed emotionally. He had begun his retreat the moment the man in ck noticed him and sessfully avoided the center of the explosion. Nheless, he lost a leg in the process. As for the others, they quickly came back to their senses once they were transported to the hospital and walked out of it on the same day after taking Grandma Wang¡¯s potion.


    ¡°That domain...¡± sighed Qing Qiaoqiao.


    ¡°Qiaoqiao,¡± scolded Qing Linglong, ¡°Did you forget what I told you? What happens in domains stay in domains, and we don¡¯t talk about them afterwards. These are the rules, you better forget about all that happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and, to say the least, our efforts bore fruit.¡± Grandma Wang was once again wearing a green scarf around her head, and she threw a deep look at Li Yiming.


    ¡°Speaking of fruits...¡¯ said Qing Linglong with a smile as she drew out an elegantly decorated chest. ¡°We haven¡¯t split the rewards yet...


    ¡°One Dragonsnake fruit, two essories for increasing focus, one intermediate movement technique tome, and a storage bracelet. I think that the unexpected changes were worth it... How should we split it?¡± asked Qing Linglong as she opened the container.


    An apple, a ne, a jade pendant, a book and a bracelet.


    ¡°Give me the Dragonsnake fruit, it¡¯s useless for you anyways,¡± said Grandma Wang first.


    ¡°I want the ne...¡±


    ¡°I want the pendant...¡±


    Qing Qiaoqiao and Eyesses voiced their desires simultaneously.


    ¡°What about Mr. Li?¡± Qing Linglong did not answer them, and instead sought Li Yiming¡¯s decision.


    The item Qing Linglong craved was the movement technique tome, since it would suit her talent the most. From a value perspective, the least valuable item was the storage bracelet. These were plentiful in domains, and almost every guardian could get their hands on one, the only difference being the amount of storage space avable. Since Qing Qiaoqiao had indicated her preference first, Qing Linglong, despite being the interim leader of the group, needed to wait until the end.


    ¡°Then give me the bracelet.¡± Li Yiming knew what he wanted: what use would he have for a tome he cannot learn anything from? However, with that bracelet... Li Yiming was somewhat eager to possess an item like that.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have the technique tome.¡± Qing Linglong looked at Li Yiming with gratitude and split the items ordingly.


    Grandma Wang waved her hand and the apple disappeared from sight. Eyesses and Qing Qiaoqiao put on their essories immediately, while Li Yiming fastened the bracelet around his left wrist; it was a trinket of atavistic design, not made of metal nor of wood, but Li Yiming knew that it was not the right moment to scrutinize it.


    ¡°So...As promised,¡± Qing Linglong pulled out three small boxes and gave one to each person.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Eyesses. Grandma Wang did not say anything, but nodded at her with a smile.


    Li Yiming received the box without looking at it and stuffed it into his pocket.


    Suddenly, an invitation appeared in front of each person; they were all the same as the one given by Big Bro in shorts. They burned slowly in the air until nothing, not even ashes, remained.


    ¡°To a fruitful cooperation,¡± Qing Linglong said with a smile as she stood up.


    Li Yiming walked out of Pure Water Herb Hall. He felt as if he hade back to a different life when he gazed at the bustling entrance of the Second Provincial Hospital from the crossroads he had traversed many times before. The afternoon sun in August was one that burned the skin, but Li Yiming enjoyed its warmth. The crowded street, the mor of the passers-by. ¡®It¡¯s good to be normal.¡¯ thought Li Yiming as he reached for his left ear, only to remember that he had already given his transmitter back to Eyesses. To the surprise of the other pedestrians, hiszy stretch came to a halt halfway through itspletion when a sudden thought urred to him.


    ¡®Everything from the domain was fake. Then, Ji Xiaoqin... No. The domain started at 10:30 on the morning of August 15th, but I arrived in Hangzhou on the evening of the 14th...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart was assailed by a renewed despair.


    ¡®Should I go see her?¡¯ Li Yiming hesitated as shbacks of what had happened in the domain unfolded in his mind.


    ¡®The will of that domain was ¡°love¡±. The invitation from Big Bro in shorts was enough to bring me into the domain with the other guardians. Perhaps it was because of my own emotional state at the time, which matched the will of the domain. Was it intentional from Big Bro, or was it simply a coincidence? My own thoughts fermented into a will, and created that camouger. His existence was erased by the fake Ji Xiaoqin in the end, which prompted the end of that domain... That¡¯s how it should be... But, how am I going to face the real Ji Xiaoqin?¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s chaotic thoughts brought him back to his apartment before he could notice it.


    ¡®A maserati?¡¯ Li Yiming immediately noticed the luxury car in its conspicuousness right outside of the apartment. Two silhouettes emerged from the entrance with a smile on their face; Ji Xiaoqin cuddled happily against Guo Xiang.


    Li Yiming instinctively retreated behind the green belt on the side. The mirage of the domain had faded, but reality emerged from behind it. Guo Xiang opened the car door with gentleman-like manners, and, after quickly kissing him on the cheek, Ji Xiaoqin dove into the car with crity. Tonight was Yunlong Construction Group¡¯s charity g... The car¡¯s engine roared as the vehicle dashed out of the neighbourhood, trailed by regards of scorn and envy.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Li Yiming sighed. ¡®Just let it go...¡¯ He pulled out his key and opened the door; everything looked the same as before. Li Yimingid out his travel bag and started to gather the few pieces of clothing he had. Slippers, toothbrush, underwear... At the sight of every item he picked up, one of his heart-string was tugged at. These simple, mundane everyday objects embodied too many memories of his past.


    It was not long before Li Yiming was finished, given the few articles he had. He dropped his bag and sat down on the sofa, rummaging through his pockets until he found an opened pack of cigarettes, which, he remembered, was brought out from the domain. Suddenly, he was affected by a strong wish to dy his departure. He lit up a cigarette and turned the television on. A scene of Guo Tai, speaking to a journalist with a smile, appeared on the screen. Li Yiming found it rather uninteresting and switched it off. ¡®Let it go...¡¯ Li Yiming crushed the cigarette he had barely begun to smoke, picked up his travel bag and walked toward the door.


    Before his hand reached the door knob, the door was opened. Ji Xiaoqin appeared in front of him,pletely baffled. ¡°Haven¡¯t you left?¡± The question slipped out between Li Yiming¡¯s lips.


    ¡°I... I forgot my phone...¡± Ji Xiaoqin seemed utterly dumbstruck.


    ¡°I...¡± Li Yiming waved the hand which held the travel bag, and suddenly smiled in relief. ¡°I¡¯m here to pick up a few things.¡±


    ¡°Yiming...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it... I know.¡± Li Yiming smiled earnestly. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Yiming...¡±


    ¡°Really, there¡¯s no need to say anything,¡± said Li Yiming with a gentle, earnest voice. He remembered the Ji Xiaoqin who leaped in front of the camouger to block the bullet she shot: that was love, and that was enough.


    ¡°The cellphone¡¯s on the nightstand. Come on, you should hurry, don¡¯t make him wait for too long,¡± added Li Yiming as he stared at her with tenderness and moved away so she could pass through.


    ¡°Yiming...¡±


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll wait a bit before going down. It wouldn¡¯t be good if he saw me...¡±


    Ji Xiaoqin left with her cellphone. Li Yiming looked at the back of her figure through the slits of the curtain. Beauty, hesitation, allure... Some things can only be understood once experienced. The domain was a fleeting dream, so who could say with certainty that anything that happened within it would be replicated in the real world? Highway 208 sat stably at the center of Hangzhou, and, just as no one knows when it will copse, no one can be certain of Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s fate from this point onward.


    Perhaps she will be happy, or perhaps she will suffer, but it will be her own life and her own experiences. No one, not even Li Yiming, can make the decisions in her instance. Such... Were the rules, the rules of this world, Heaven¡¯s Laws...


    The maturity of a man ought not toe from his own pragmatism, but rather from his ability to ept this trait shown in others. To be gentle, gentle toward others, to let go of grudges and to look at the world with a pair of sympathetic eyes and apassionate heart. It was not about how many epigrams one could spew out to indicate that they had reached a higher level of wisdom, or about one¡¯s ability to convince others with impressive speech, but rather about the habit of ming others less and understanding them more. The true sign of maturity was tolerance and the absence of animosity... Those from the top did notpete, whereas those at the bottom fought for every inch. A man of virtue does not show it, whereas those purporting it will unt constantly. 1


    Li Yiming leaned against the door, lit up and finished another cigarette. He walked out of the apartment. The moment he shut the door, he also shut inside his memories and thoughts belonging to the past.


    August was the peak season of tourism, Li Yiming realized, with amused frustration, that the train tickets were sold out for the day. The earliest he would be able to leave for Lishui would be the day after, at six in the morning. ¡®I need to find somewhere to stay for the night.¡¯


    The room of the little inn right next to the train station was miles behind the suite of the five-star hotel. The carpet was dirtied to the point of making the motif indistinguishable, and the cheap stic slippers produced a squeaking sound each time a step was taken. The 19 inch television had no sound, and its screen was sprinkled with snowy pixels. Li Yiming took a quick shower and copsed onto the bed which sheets of a rather odd color. ¡®Ah... This is my life...¡¯


    ¡®I wonder what that little fairy is doing?¡¯ Li Yiming thought of Qing Qiaoqiao and suddenly jumped out of his bed. He searched his bag and pulled out a wooden box which was about as big as a ping pong ball. Its design was simple, but a certain elegance was bestowed by the fluidity of the patterns that decorated it. This was Qing Linglong¡¯s ¡°payment¡±.


    Li Yiming opened it with eager curiosity. Inside, he found a lucent leaf, about the size of his thumb, with an emerald glint that reminded observers of its obvious particrity. ¡®Made in Domain?¡¯


    Li Yiming carefully took the leaf out from its container and scrutinized it. The veins running within it were clear-cut, and the leaf was enveloped by a luster which asionally sent down a ripple of light through its body. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Li Yiming wondered. He pushed the leaf against his own forehead. Nothing happened. ¡®Maybe... Oral route?¡¯ Li Yiming shook his head at the idea: he would not dare to try something this dangerous without knowing what he was doing, especially with things that originated from a domain.


    Li Yiming put the leaf back into the wooden box in frustration and carefully put the casing away. He then pulled out his bracelet. ¡®A storage bracelet!¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s eyes glittered with anticipation. The body of the bracelet was a dark crimson, and he could not discern the material it was made with. It was not wood nor metal. There was nothing special about the essory, and it looked like nothing more than just one of those athletic bracelets. Upon closer inspection, Li Yiming noticed specks of silver within the redness, just like one would find in the best kind of red sandalwood.


    Li Yiming yed around with the item and his anger slowly crept up: he had no idea how to use it. He had already tried rubbing, caressing, tapping, biting, licking... Everything he could think of. ¡®There¡¯s no instructions manual? What a rip-off... I¡¯m guessing that I won¡¯t find a how-to guide on the inte either. Unless... Blood? That¡¯s usually how it works in FreeWebNovels...¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly came up with another idea.


    Li Yiming searched for the sewing kit avable in the hotel room, and, after picking up a slightly rusted needle and surmounting his fear of a tetanus infection, he thrust the needle resolutely into his own finger. The abundance of nerves within his finger made Li Yiming sweat with pain, but he ignored it and quickly squeezed his finger to extrude a droplet of blood, which he dripped onto the bracelet. He looked at the bracelet with eagerness. ¡®Any time now... The shining lights that will pierce the heavens...¡¯


    Ten minutes went by, and Li Yiming started to doubt himself. ¡®Maybe there¡¯s not enough blood?¡¯ He clenched his jaw and was about to squeeze his finger another time.


    ¡°You might as well sh your wrist and wash the bracelet with your blood!¡± A voice hinting at utter exasperation came from behind.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

 Volume 2 Chapter 2

    <h4>Book 2 Chapter 2 ¨C The True Reward </h4>


    Original and most updated trantions are from vre. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.


    Li Yiming turned around and saw a little girl, about seven or eight years old, with delicate features, rosy cheeks, and traces of baby fat that had yet to recede, which made for a very cute appearance. She stood right behind him and had an expression that was enough to make any heart melt. However, Li Yiming¡¯s limbs were frozen from terror upon seeing her. Ever since watching a certain Japanese horror movie a while ago, the sight of a little girl by herself would always make his blood run cold, not to mention the circumstances in which he found himself.


    The little girl had her hairbed neatly into a bun. A wooden hairpin pierced through the knot of hair. She wore a white taoist robe and t bottom cloth boots. Had Li Yiming met her elsewhere, he would havemented on how cute the little girl was, but now... It was terrifying beyond description.


    ¡°Who... Who are you?¡± Li Yiming took three steps back, until his back was touching the wall.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of Innate Summons?¡±


    ¡°Innate summons?¡± Li Yiming was dumbfounded.


    Pat The little girl palmed her forehead, and rolled her eyes in exasperation. Her look of annoyance made her even more lovable.


    ¡°Do you know anything at all?¡± The little girl blinked over and over again.


    ¡°Know what?¡±


    The little girl let out a long sigh and sat down on the bed in frustration. She lowered her head and kicked her legs in the air abjectly.


    ¡°Uh... Little girl... Who are you? How did you get in here?¡± Li Yiming tried his hardest to make his tone sound as affable as possible. The innocence of that little girl had tugged on his heartstrings and brought out a natural friendliness.


    The little girl turned her head toward him and took a deep breath before staring at him in the eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly stopped and copsed back onto the bed. She pulled over a pillow from the side and stuffed her face into it while her limbs kicked in the air and a muffled peevish roar was heard.


    ¡°What¡¯s this smell?¡± She suddenly raised her head in surprise and looked at the pillow in her hands. The next moment, she threw it far away with a look of terror... To bury one¡¯s face in a pillow from an inn at a train station...


    ¡°Little girl...¡±


    ¡°Stop.¡± She raised her hands and gestured with her plump fingers to interrupt Li Yiming. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything, just listen to me.¡±


    She sat up straight and looked at Li Yiming with seriousness, but her expression somehow conveyed a resignation for an undesirable fate. ¡°I am Bai Ze, your innate summon.¡±


    ¡°Bai Ze? Innate summon?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and listen to me.¡± The little girl was very angry all of a sudden, but her round, flushed cheeks made it seem more like a childish outburst than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what on Earth made Heaven¡¯s Laws summon me to here, but now that I¡¯m here, I need to ept my predicament and obey the rules. We¡¯re stuck together from now on. Don¡¯t look at me like that, do you think that I¡¯m happy with this match? Do you think that I¡¯m content with following a clueless idiot? Look at yourself, how are you even a remote fit for me?¡±


    Li Yiming quirked his lips. There was something odd for suchnguage to emerge out of the mouth of a seven or eight-year old little girl. But Li Yiming understood one thing, at the least: this had to do with the Heavenly Laws.


    ¡°Stop staring at me. I¡¯m your innate summon, the reward from your previous sess in the domain. I don¡¯t know how you managed to expel your self-will, but such are the rules. If you manage to destroy it, you¡¯re rewarded with an innate summon.¡±


    Li Yiming finally connected the dots. ¡®So that camouger in ck clothes...¡¯


    ¡°Are all innate summons like you?¡± Li Yiming looked at the little girl, and the only use he could find for her was in bringing affection out of those with a soft heart. ¡®It sounds like a really impressive reward, but...¡¯


    The little girl threw another look of disdain at Li Yiming, indicating that she has had enough of him. ¡°Look, I¡¯ll exin it to you, innate summons are a designation, not some kind of biological species. You can consider it as a talent, a technique of some kind, bestowed by the Heavenly Laws. Get it?¡±


    Li Yiming shook his head.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± The little girl sighed again and picked up a ss cup from the table. After smelling its interior, she put it back down with a frown. ¡°You erased your self-will, so the Heavenly Laws has rewarded you with a technique. A technique to summon... a helper.¡± She organized her thoughts into words with some difficulty. ¡°The summon exists thanks to you, but it could be anything. A dragon, a bird, or even a fly. And you, you are very lucky, because I became your helper. I¡¯ve told you, don¡¯t look at me like that, I¡¯m Bai Ze, Bai Ze!¡± 1


    ¡°Bai Ze is your name?¡± Li Yiming finally understood.


    ¡°I... You don¡¯t know what Bai Ze implies? I seriously doubt yourpetence as a guardian,¡± said the little girl as she swung her fists in the air with bitterness.


    ¡°Bai Ze, the one rumored to know everything. From the heavenly bodies to the movements of the mountains. The one who knows about every fragment of forgotten knowledge, about the past, the future, the living and the dead. The one who perceives the essence of all things with a single nce. I am a divine beast, one thates from the Kunlun mountains, one only found in legends!¡± shouted the little girl with an infinite frustration and a face set aze.


    ¡°So... What¡¯s your name?¡± It was nearly impossible for Li Yiming to think of the little girl as a mythical creature that existed only in fairy tales.


    ¡°Just call me Bai Ze...¡± Little Bai Ze sighed at Li Yiming¡¯s dullness.


    ¡°Okay, Bai Ze,¡± answered Li Yiming with a smile: he was starting to like this little girl who sounded older than she was. ¡°So you know everything and anything?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t happen to know what you¡¯re thinking about right now, to say the least...¡± Little Bai Ze sat down on the bed in exasperation. She looked at Li Yiming with an odd expression.


    ¡°Can I trust you?¡± Li Yiming had a strange feeling when he looked at that little girl. A bond of blood? A tie of souls? Telepathy? An eager desire to know her? It was something else; when he looked at her, he felt as if he was looking at himself in a mirror, despite the stark differences between them. Also, Li Yiming knew that she was worth his trust, hisplete trust for everything. It was truly a special feeling.


    ¡°Yes, I owe my birth to you. My existence depends on yours and our souls are one. Even if you don¡¯t trust your own judgement, you can trust me.¡± Little Bai Ze answered his questionnguidly.


    ¡°So can I ask you questions?¡±


    ¡°Ask away...¡±


    ¡°Do you know what the Stage of Ascension is?¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Bai Ze suddenly stood up from the bed. She looked at Li Yiming with shock. ¡°You don¡¯t know about the Stage of Ascension?¡±


    Li Yiming nodded timidly.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Little Bai Ze¡¯s eyes glittered with curiosity. She transformed into a beam of white light that shot toward Li Yiming¡¯s chest and vanished upon touching him, as if it had melted into his body.


    ¡°130 life marks... Heavenly vein which has yet to reach level one... Path progression... 130 points? Talent... Nil? Additional talent: summon Bai Ze...¡± Little Bai Ze¡¯s voice rung inside Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    This was followed by another sh of white light, and Bai Ze reappeared in front of Li Yiming, with a severe countenance and a total absence of her typical childish carelessness. ¡°You. Are. Not. A. Guardian,¡± said she with a pause between each word.


    Li Yiming nodded with seriousness.


    ¡°Tell me what you know.¡± Bai Ze¡¯s demeanor was starting to convince Li Yiming that she did have an impressive background.


    Li Yiming retold everything since he met Big Bro in shorts: the invitation, the tea shop, and the domain... Of course, he did not tell her about Ji Xiaoqin, since he did not think that the topic was suitable for someone of her age.


    ¡°You did not step onto the Stage of Ascension. Instead, you took the invitation, the key to the domain and were taken into the domain forcefully... Youpleted the domain, so a reward was given to you, such are the rules... But the rules would never allow an ordinary person like you to enter a domain. There¡¯s simply no way for such a mistake to be made by the Heavenly Laws...¡± Bai Ze analyzed his story attentively.


    ¡°That man in shorts... who is he? How is it possible that he...? To make an ordinary person seed in binding a contract with an invitation? A domain key should be useless in the hands of a normal person.¡± Bai Ze¡¯s confusion grew stronger, and she raised her head to look at Li Yiming. Thetter shook his shoulders nonchntly; he was even more puzzled by all of it.


    Little Bai Ze circled around the room with her hands behind her with an asional, momentary frown. She understood less and less as she pondered the matter. Suddenly, she lifted her chin and her astonishment was gradually reced by excitement and a curious smile. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure of it yet, but maybe it¡¯s not as bad as I¡¯ve imagined to be stuck with you... You are a mistake... A miscalction of the Heavenly Laws...¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Li Yiming was a little flustered by Bai Ze¡¯s stare.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, ask slowly. I¡¯ll tell you everything you want to know, one question at a time. I¡¯d reckon my life to be quite exciting from now on.¡± A smile indicating such aplexity of emotions shown by a little girl difited Li Yiming.


    ¡°You asked about the Stage of Ascension. It¡¯s quite simple actually. It¡¯s a stone stage which descends from the sky to wee those who have been selected by the Heavenly Laws. When that person climbs on top of it, he or she will receive a technique, or a talent, I should say.¡±


    ¡°A talent? What kind of talents are there? Does one get to choose?¡±


    ¡°Chance. Completely random. Anything is possible. Martial techniques, sword techniques, spells, or even technology rted.¡±


    ¡°Technology?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Artifices, ships, weapons, guns... Scientific advancements are part of the Heavenly Laws.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve met an olddy in the domain. She summoned a nine-headed snake called Xiang Liu. Is that an innate summon as well?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Based on your description, it should be no more than a mundane invocation. Were it an innate summon, it would have not have been that powerless.¡±


    ¡°About the heavenly vein that you mentioned...¡± It was the first time Li Yiming had heard about such a term.


    ¡°The heavenly vein is another kind of power granted upon guardians by the Heavenly Laws. You can interpret it as being the innate aptitude of a guardian: strength, speed, constitution, dexterity, spells, and much more. Every guardian can augment his or her own vein ording to need, and the existence of this vein is also an importantponent, aside from the talent, of the strength of a guardian. A guardian¡¯s vein grants strength at a fundamental level, and there are seven levels to it.¡±


    ¡°What about path progression...?¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of ways to consolidate one¡¯s vein. Training is one way, and using acquired items is another. However, the most direct way remains strengthening oneself through the consumption of path progression points. When a life mark is obtained inside a domain, you will also receive a path progression for your heavenly vein.¡±


    ¡®Completing a domain grants certain rewards and path progression, which can be used to strengthen one¡¯s heavenly vein. The vein is a direct reflection of one¡¯s physical firmness. I see.¡¯ Li Yiming summarized what he just heard.


    ¡°What about me...¡±


    ¡°Can you use your inner sight?¡±


    Li Yiming shook his head: he had heard about this ¡°inner sight¡± from Qing Linglong, but had no idea what she meant.


    ¡°You are not a guardian, so it¡¯s impossible for you to use your divine consciousness. Therefore, you will not be able to use your inner sight, nor see your heavenly vein and path progression. Although you have some path progression points at your disposal, you cannot use them to augment your vein.¡±


    ¡°Can anything be done about that?¡± Now that he was embroiled into all of this, Li Yiming naturally hoped to be able to be stronger. It was already pitiful enough that he did not have any talent. If, on top of that, he also lost the benefits of his vein, he would not know how to handle future domains.


    ¡°Nothing that I can think of right now.¡± Little Bai Ze was also a little disappointed: it was not enviable to her either that her master was such a weakling.


    ¡°You mentioned training?¡±


    ¡°You can train yourself physically, increase exercising and eat better, basically the same as a normal person.¡± Bai Ze gave a rather disappointing answer. ¡°You can also acquire items within domains to develop your vein, but it won¡¯t be very effective.¡±


    ¡®Well, it seems like I¡¯m destined for misery.¡¯ thought Li Yiming discouragingly. He then looked at his storage bracelet and asked, ¡°How can I use this?¡± This was the little bit offort he could seek, since at least he would have some kind of storage equipment.


    ¡°You need tomunicate with it using your focus and be its master...¡±


    ¡°Focus?¡±


    ¡°The same used for inner sight...¡± answered Bai Ze.


    ¡°Crap...¡±

 Volume 2 Chapter 3

    <h4>Book 2 Chapter 3 ¨C Newborn Hope</h4>


    Original and most updated trantions are from vre. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.


    ¡°However, I can help you with that.¡± It seemed like Bai Ze took pity of Li Yiming¡¯s dejection, and gave him at least some semnce of good news. ¡°I am your innate summon, so, technically speaking, we are but two parts from the same whole. If I can use it, then so can you.¡±


    Little Bai Ze took the bracelet from Li Yiming¡¯s hands and held it on her palm with her eyes closed. A glow could be seening from the object and Li Yiming suddenly noticed that some kind of link appeared between himself and the trinket, as if an invisible pocket of about three cubic meters hovered over it.


    ¡°So I can put things inside of it now?¡± It all seemed surreal to Li Yiming.


    Bai Ze nodded without saying anything.


    Li Yiming looked around and picked up the remote controller by the bed. He thought about putting the controller away. The next moment, it vanished, and he could feel it appear inside the pocket. The instant Li Yiming thought about bringing it out of the pocket, it appeared right in his hand. ¡®Oh hey, that¡¯s so cool... So this is how Qing Qiaoqiao made her weapons appear out of nowhere.¡¯ Li Yiming smiled with pleasure.


    Vanish, appear, vanish, appear... Li Yiming yed around with the bracelet.


    ¡°You...¡± Bai Ze was about to stop him, but her eyes suddenly opened wide, and she transformed again into a ray of light that shot into Li Yiming¡¯s body.


    ¡°Quick.. Redo what you just did.¡± Li Yiming heard Bai Ze¡¯s voice in his mind.


    Li Yiming did not quite know the reason behind the request, but still obeyed it. He put the remote controller into the bracelet and waited a moment before taking it back out. Another sh of light and Bai Ze reappeared in front of him, in a state of shocked thrill.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Li Yiming asked.


    ¡°You...¡± Bai Ze quirked her lips.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°When you use your abilities outside of domains, you need to pay with life marks. This is a rule. Therefore, every time you use your bracelet or any other storage item, you will consume a life mark.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Li Yiming froze in horror. He knew that the life marks could be thought as an indication of how much time a guardian had left to live, dwindling with every usage until the host¡¯s demise. This was the main reason thatpelled guardians to brave the difficulties of domains without rest.


    ¡°But your marks have not decreased.¡± Bai Ze¡¯s puzzlement furthered.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a guardian.¡± Little Bai Ze grinned, and she resumed her affectation of cuteness.


    ¡°How long does it take for a domain to appear?¡±


    ¡°It depends.¡±


    ¡°What about where?¡±


    ¡°Random.¡±


    ¡°What about its nature?¡±


    ¡°Random.¡±


    ¡°The difficulty?¡±


    ¡°Random.¡±


    ¡°Do dragons exist?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What about gods?¡±


    ¡°Guardians are the closest to bing one...¡±


    ¡°Why do you know everything?¡±


    ¡°I was born this way...¡±


    To see light at the end of the darkest tunnel, or for hope to burn once again from the embers of despair. 1 Satisfied by the long-awaited favorable constatations, Li Yiming and Bai Ze spent a happy night chit-chatting with each other. As dawn was about to break, Li Yiming suddenly thought about the leaf inside the wooden box and asked, ¡°Oh yeah, what¡¯s this thing?¡±


    ¡°A bodhi leaf? Where did you get that from?¡±


    Li Yiming exined what happened with Qing Linglong. ¡°What can I do with this? Should I eat it?¡±


    ¡°Eat it? It¡¯lle out exactly the same as when you ingested it.¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to use it then?¡±


    ¡°Let it sit in water, and its essence will slowly diffuse out. If you drink that water, it¡¯lll sharpen your mind,¡± exined Bai Ze.


    ¡°Tea?¡± asked Li Yiming.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate this. It will improve your percipience significantly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Li Yiming was a little disappointed.


    ¡°But...¡± Bai Ze hesitated.


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°The bodhi leaf, along with the Water of the Past Life and the Fruit of Nirvana can be used to make a Fate Pill.¡± Bai Ze¡¯s expression brightened as she spoke.


    ¡°What¡¯s the use for that?¡±


    ¡°It allows one to reset one¡¯s talent randomly...¡±


    ¡°Reset? You mean...¡±


    ¡°Yes, it might just grant you the talent you seek. Just maybe... And, maybe it can also bestow a heavenly vein.¡±


    The two exchanged a nce and saw the fiery hope burning in each other¡¯s eyes.


    When Li Yiming checked out in the morning, the clerk at the front desk intentionally slowed down her movements to have more time to observe Li Yiming. Bai Ze¡¯s appearance alone was enough to incite a desire to protect her within the heart of every observer. After making sure that the intimacy between Li Yiming and her was not feigned, and that she was not being held against her will, the clerk finallypleted the procedure and let Li Yiming walk out. After all, the train station was a hotspot for child abduction. 2


    Li Yiming let out a long sigh of relief once he reached his seat on the train set for Lishui. The short distance he had to travel with Bai Ze from the hotel to the vehicle was filled with more than a dozen interrogations. Policemen, passers-by, train crew members, college students and even the people who profited from selling overpriced tickets to those in a rush right outside of the station. One was poor-looking and inly dressed, whereas the other was a princess-like little girl. One¡¯s countenance was pale from theck of rest, while the other seemed energetic and innocent. Most importantly, theck of luggage made the pair very apt at arousing the suspicions of any observer.


    ¡°Could you...?¡± Li Yiming pointed at his chest, but was answered by a menacing stare from his summon.


    Li Yiming turned his head around in exasperation. Before boarding the train, they had passed by an ice-cream stand. Bai Ze¡¯s demand for a fudge stick was refused by Li Yiming with the exnation that children ought to not eat icy desserts in the morning. However, after Bai Ze sudden cried out for her life to be saved, the merchant almost hammered Li Yiming down with a swing of his bench. In the end, once the misunderstanding was cleared, Bai Ze was offered arger-than-usual treat.


    ¡°Brother, I want to eat chicken feet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, can I have a pack of chicken feet please?¡±


    ¡°Brother, I want popcorn.¡±


    ¡°Sorry...¡±


    ¡°Brother, I want instant noodles.¡±


    ¡°Sorry...¡±


    ¡°Brother, I want...¡±


    ¡°Xiao Ze 3 , look at your brother¡¯s wallet. Take it, and help me count the money that¡¯s left, will you?¡± In the end, Li Yiming simply gave his wallet to Bai Ze. If it were not for the fact that Bai Ze¡¯s height was below 1.2 meter, he might not even have the money to buy her a train ticket. Even so, after a while on the road, the content of Li Yiming¡¯s wallet was reduced to a pittance of 50 yuan. ¡®Well, it seems like Heaven¡¯s Laws dug a trap for me.¡¯


    ¡®Why are you so poor?¡± asked Bai Ze with amazement as she rummaged through Li Yiming¡¯s wallet.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be? I just graduated, and I have yet to find a job,¡± said Li Yiming as he licked his teeth to brush away the pieces of instant noodle.


    ¡°But guardians shouldn¡¯t be short on money.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not one...¡± spat out Li Yiming.


    ¡°This has nothing to do with being a guardian. The most important thing is that you¡¯ve been in a domain.¡± Bai Ze looked around, bent over and whispered into Li Yiming¡¯s ears.


    ¡°What does this have to do with anything?¡± Li Yiming was confused and asked back in a low, discreet voice.


    ¡°Domains are fake, but the things inside them are real,¡± hinted Bai Ze. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve guessed it. You can go rob a bank inside the domain and bring back out all the money.¡± Her casual tone made it seem more like a trip to the supermarket rather than a bank heist.


    ¡°Really?¡± Li Yiming suddenly remembered the pack of cigarettes he brought out of the domain...


    ¡°Of course, benefits courtesy of Heaven¡¯s Laws, you could say. After all, you should get at least a few things back for all your efforts. How can an emperor expect to conquer the world with hungry soldiers? How can you save the world without first saving your own stomach?¡±


    ¡®It seems like I still have much to learn. Aplex world we live in indeed...¡¯


    The middle-aged woman who sat across them smiled with contentment as she noticed the two siblings whispering to each other. To her, it was a warm scene of affection between brother and sister, for it did not seem like the brother was well off, yet he did everything to satisfy his little sister. ¡®Well, it seems like I was indeed wrong in thinking that he could be a child abductor...¡¯ thought the woman as she stopped recording ¡°evidence¡± on her cellphone and put it back into her pocket.


    After a tiresome voyage, the two finally arrived at Li Yiming¡¯s home town, Lishui. Li Yiming took a deep breath as he stood still in the middle of the public square in front of the train station. He nced at the Horse-on-a-Sparrow monument in the middle of the square and felt relieved by the nostalgic smell of home. Before he could exit the train station, however, he had to go through another screening as a potential child abductor. ¡®Who said that the citizens from the mothendcked sympathy? Those who im that have only seen the tip of the iceberg. I say, look at our core socialist values: prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule ofw, patriotism, dedication, integrity and friendship...¡¯ 4


    ¡°All are governed by Heaven¡¯s rules. What are these rules? I say that it¡¯s the life we live. The different experiences we go through, the different opinions we hear in this big city. This is everyday life. To understand it is to understand the essence of these rules. See through it and you will see the truth. These are Heaven¡¯s rules... Let us go, and experience life as it is.¡±


    ¡°Brother, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard someone elevate ¡®being squished in a bus¡¯ to such a grand philosophical consideration...¡±


    Li Yiming¡¯s parents divorced when he was still young, and each remarried. In the pursuit of their own happiness, they gave Li Yiming ample freedom. A 70 square meters apartment, usually big enough to house a family of three, was reserved for Li Yiming¡¯s personal usage. For someone like Li Yiming, who had just graduated from College, it was reassuring to have property within the city, and, right now, rather fortunate, or else he would have a hard time exining things to his family about Bai Ze.


    Li Yiming returned to his own home, it was messy and somewhat battered, but had theforting feeling of home to it. Li Yiming called his father, and could find nothing to say but to respond with broken sentences to his exhortations, warnings, advices and finally notice that 2000 yuan was abound for his bank ount. ¡®Next time, even if I don¡¯t finish my mission, I¡¯ll rob a bank at least,¡¯ Li Yiming decided.


    ¡°Oh yeah, what happens if guardians participate in a domain but are unable to finish the mission?¡± The question suddenly urred to Li Yiming.


    ¡°Zeroing of life marks...¡± Bai Ze picked up Li Yiming¡¯s bed sheets with disgust and sniffed it carefully.


    ¡°What? Immediate death?¡± asked Li Yiming. ¡®No wonder Grandma Wang and Qing Linglong put their lives on the line against that camouger, despite knowing that they were no match for him.¡¯


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it immediate. In fact, you won¡¯t die immediately when you lose all your life marks. Heaven¡¯s Laws will grant you ast-chance period, it doesn¡¯tst very long, so you¡¯ll need to find a domain right away and participate in it. If you canplete that one sessfully, you¡¯ll be awarded life marks, and you¡¯ll be able to save yourself.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s not that scary after all? What clemency from Heaven¡¯s Laws,¡± said Li Yiming as he unpacked a set of new bedsheets and reced his old ones.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as what you¡¯re thinking. Guardians are able to sense the apparition of domains beforehand, and, not only that, they can also estimate the strength of the domain¡¯s will, or, in other words, its difficulty. But if you have failed your previous domain, then you have no choice but to participate in the next one, which, for low level guardians, is tantamount to suicide if misfortune ever throws a higher level domain in their way.¡±


    ¡°The domains are fake, so when it¡¯s over, everything will return to how they were. What if a guardian dies in one...¡± Li Yiming stopped what he was doing: it seemed like he neglected to ask that.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re out of luck. Not even your corpse will remain. Do you really think that all of these inexplicable disappearances over the years can be exined by murders and kidnappings?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you should pay utmost attention to your own safety. If you die, I¡¯ll disappear too.¡± Little Bai Ze picked up Li Yiming¡¯s cell phone and started ying on it.

 Volume 2 Chapter 4

    <h4>Book 2 Chapter 4 ¨C Renewed Disappointment</h4>


    Original and most updated trantions are from vre. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.


    After a hasty ordering of his room, Li Yiming marked the start of his new life with Bai Ze. Aside from having a penchant for snacks, Li Yiming was relieved by Little Bai Ze¡¯s tractability, since she ate just about everything and it did not take much food to fill her uppletely. However, little did he know that she did not need to eat anything all all. Owing to her bloodline, she could simply absorb the essence of the heavens and the earth, and of the sun and the moon.


    In the afternoon, Li Yiming went to the market on an errand to buy a few sets of clothes for Bai Ze. After swapping her Dao robe for a normal attire, her ostentatiousness finally settled down. A week flew by and the end of August marked the arrival of an important day for Li Yiming: he would know today whether he was hired or not for the interview he had taken earlier.


    Li Yiming sat in front of hisputer and entered the address of the local school board in his browser with strong expectations. He quickly found the notice on the front page. ¡®...And down into despair...¡¯ Li Yiming checked the list carefully three times but was unable to find his name. ¡®I wasn¡¯t chosen? But I finished first in the theory exam, and I was eleven points ahead of the guy in second ce! Seven candidates retained and I¡¯m eighth? Wow, my interview must have beenplete trash. I remember the people at the interview asking me a bunch of follow-up questions and even some personal ones. They seemed pretty satisfied, but why...¡¯


    ¡®This has to be nepotism...¡¯ Li Yiming was bitterly disappointed. ¡®I¡¯ve been blinded by overconfidence after the good results I obtained on the theory exam. I thought that there would be no problems at all. But seriously, how much in this world is decided bypetence? Three percent capability, seven percent luck, ny percent connections...


    ¡®I was too naive... Even the world cup has cheating referees, so why would I expect anything different from such a small job offering? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you told me that a lot of these institutions don¡¯t hire people based on the demand, but rather based on what kind of person is looking for a job. Creating a position because someone needs it, ha, what a banality. These teaching jobs might not be as highly esteemed as public officials, but at least there¡¯s less public scrutiny and thus more opportunities for maniptions.


    ¡®A stable job and long vacations. Not the best ie or benefits, but a perfect retirement job for the rtives of those who do not need money.¡¯


    ¡°What is it?¡± Bai Ze noticed Li Yiming¡¯s disgruntlement as he stared at theputer screen and threw a nce at him, temporarily shifting her attention away from the game she was ying on his cellphone.


    ¡°I¡¯ve lost my job,¡± said Li Yiming, visibly disheartened.


    ¡°Why would you need a job?¡± Bai Ze lowered her head and resumed her game. ¡®This game is hard. I know that I¡¯m better. I know it, but why can¡¯t I just beat this guy?¡¯ 1


    ¡°I need money to feed you.¡± Li Yiming stood up in displeasure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have domains? How about we just grab some money on the way next time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we¡¯ll probably die of hunger before we can even make it to the next domain.¡± Li Yiming quickly snatched his cellphone away from Bai Ze.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Little Bai Ze was annoyed.


    ¡°Looking for a job!¡± Li Yiming strode in exasperation towards the balcony.


    ¡°Pfft...¡± Little Bai Ze quirked her lips in dissatisfaction and ran toward theputer: at least the game was avable there as well.


    Li Yiming lit up a cigarette on the balcony. The habit had slowly crept into him, as it did with many other smokers. Li Yiming first thought of it only as a way to entertain himself a little and did not mind it very much, but eventually it became a preferred outlet for venting out stress. So, every single time Li Yiming was irritated, he would always seek the reprieve from a cigarette out of habit. And then... And then nothing. A habit once formed was hard to change, and rather than im that he was physically dependant on it, it would be more urate to call it a mental routine. 2


    Li Yiming opened up the chat application and sent a message to his ssmates group. ¡°Any of you grandmasters have a job? Don¡¯t even have rice to put onto the stove anymore.¡± The best way to find a small job was not to look online, but rather sending a message within this group. After all, they knew each other very well, and would usually call each other for work opportunities or small jobs back at school. ¡®Well, I guess ny percent connections isn¡¯t exactly wrong.¡¯


    Li Yiming had yet to finish his cigarette when his cell phone rang: the freight of friendship sails for the distance, and the solidarity between brothers outlives heaven and earth...


    ¡°Ah, my Lady Liu! Good Fortune to you!¡± Li Yiming picked up his phone with an inted greeting. With his ssmates, he had no need for reservation or pretension. This was especially true given the fact that they studied dance. They lived a student life which was quite different from the average university student, and thus forgedpletely different bonds.


    For a normal student, in a ss with more than a hundred people, aside from the few dormitory roommates, it was not unusual for someone to not even know about the names of the other students until graduation. It was amon sight for students to sleep on their tables or y with their cellphones during a lecture, and y games or go on dates after school. It was to each their own, with everyone left to their own devices.


    However, things were a little different for those who studied dance. First of all, everyone could in fact see each other ¡°fully¡± during ss. In addition to lectures, there were many performances and rehearsals, which meant that a simple backstage dance studio can be a ce where students lived twenty four hours out of twenty four. Li Yiming himself had experienced living inside a studio for a full week in order to prepare for a performance. Eating, caring to each one¡¯s own needs, everything had to be done as a group. And, as such, the men thought of their female ssmates as brothers, and the women thought of their male ssmates as animals.


    ¡°So it seems like my little boy has had it rough recently?¡± Liu Meng¡¯s yful voice came out of the phone. Liu Meng was Li Yiming¡¯s bro, and before Li Yiming started his rtionship with Ji Xiaoqin, she was his dancing partner. Beneath her beautiful traits hid a tomboy demeanor and often crazy thoughts.


    ¡°Bah, don¡¯t bring that up.¡± Li Yiming answered in a dispirited voice.


    ¡°Really? Are you serious? Didn¡¯t you just do your interview a few days ago? I¡¯ve heard that you had quite a good showing at the theoretical exam.¡± Liu Meng sounded very surprised.


    ¡°Ever heard of nepotism? It¡¯s hard for amoner to eat royal rice, really.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Li Yiming heard Liu Meng¡¯s mockingugh, but was ratherforted by it after all he had lived through.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t call me just to listen to my disappointment, did you?¡±


    ¡°Are you reallypletely dry?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not right... I remember you being the most hard-working back at school. You took every job possible and lived frugally...¡±


    ¡°I had a family to feed...¡± Li Yiming quirked his lips. ¡®Girlfriend during university, especially a pretty one. Whoever has done it should know...¡¯


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about Ji Xiaoqin... I¡¯ve forgotten about her. Money flows like water with her... Is she still in Hangzhou?¡± Liu Meng was also on fairly decent terms with her.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Li Yiming stayed silent for a while and answered sloppily.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Liu Meng immediately caught onto the little abnormality, since she had known him for so long.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Li Yiming equivocated.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you split up?¡± Liu Meng¡¯s voice suddenly jumped up by an octave. ¡°You¡¯ve barely danced Butterfly Lovers 3 at graduation, that was only a few days ago!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about itter.¡± Li Yiming did not want to talk about that.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have cheated on you, would she?¡± Liu Meng knew just how much Ji Xiaoqin meant to Li Yiming, and her tone suddenly shifted.


    ¡°Hey, Madame Liu, I think that my life-or-death problem is slightly more important than love and butterflies, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± Li Yiming detected Liu Meng¡¯s concern and said half-jokingly. He had learnt that the most important trait of maturity was to be able to joke about everyone, including himself.


    ¡°I do have something. But it¡¯s short term.¡± Liu Meng caught Li Yiming¡¯s hint and did not insist.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m looking for. I already have long term ns, so as long as I manage to get through the short term, I should be okay,¡± said Li Yiming. ¡®Wait until the next domain, and I¡¯ll be filthy rich!¡¯


    ¡°Alright then. It¡¯s background dancing job for a music video shooting. It¡¯s not very far from your home, but the rehearsals are in Wen City.¡±


    ¡°MV dancing? Rehearsal in Wen City?¡± The format itself was not a problem, since, strictly speaking, being able to record multiple times alleviates the pressure significantlypared to a live performance. In addition, the cameras are usually focused on the lead singer, so it should not be something terribly hard. However, Li Yiming hesitated upon hearing about the location of the filming. ¡®Wen City. Two hours away by car, but with Bai Ze...¡¯


    ¡°Could you let me hear the music first? Maybe if you tell me about the format, I can rehearse by myself and join you on site?¡± Li Yiming proposed.


    ¡°Drop that thought. Do you know who we are dancing for? Fang¡ªShui¡ªEr.¡±


    ¡°Fang Shui¡¯er? The imperial consort? How did you get into contact with her?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er was a prime-time star in the country, and she surged to fame after a breakthrough role in an imperial harem drama a while back. She had been involved in TV dramas, movies, and the musical industry. She was more popr than ever now, and there are even rumors about her being the highest paid actress in the country.


    ¡°My roommate¡¯s boyfriend is a manager for Five Horses Entertainment. They¡¯ve received the job, and so they wanted me to help them look for people. Five in total, two women and three men, and I thought of you. How¡¯s that for a real bro?¡± said Liu Meng in a smug voice.


    ¡°Damn, doing quite well aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Do you regret refusing me when I asked you be my minion?¡±


    ¡°But to Wen City... When¡¯s the rehearsal, and when are we going to shoot?¡±


    ¡°Rehearsal starts in three days,sting for nine until filming on the thirteenth of September. The filming willst two days, and thepensation is going to be ten thousand yuan. Don¡¯t worry about food or aodations, just stay at my ce. I¡¯ll ask my roommate to go stay with her boyfriend for a little while. It¡¯ll be my pleasure to let you leech off me,¡± said Liu Meng with self-confidence.


    ¡°Well, the thing is, I need to take care of a child,¡± Li Yiming voiced his main concern.


    ¡°A child? You...¡±


    ¡°Stop it right there. No need to overthink. It¡¯s my rtives¡¯ child. The parents are out of the country and they threw the kid to me since I had nothing to do. I¡¯ll be watching over her. She¡¯s eight years old.¡± Li Yiming quickly interrupted Liu Meng¡¯s wild fancies. She had a natural talent for them, just like any other person who had made art their living.


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is? How¡¯s that little girl, can she sit still?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty well-behaved.¡±


    ¡°Okay, well bring her over then. In the worst-case scenario, we¡¯ll just leave her to my mom. That¡¯ll teach her to always urge me about getting married,¡± said Liu Meng.


    Li Yiming returned to his room and looked at Bai Ze. ¡°Good news and bad news. The good news is that I¡¯ve found a job, so we don¡¯t have to worry about going homeless. Bad news is that we¡¯ll have to go live in someone¡¯s ce for while.¡±


    ¡°I also have good news and bad news.¡± Little Bai Ze did not answer him and instead blinked her eyes yfully, since she was not interested at all by whatever Li Yiming had to say. ¡°The good news is that I can sense a domain approaching us.¡±


    ¡°What, really?¡± Li Yiming, unlike the usual guardian, who would treat such news with at least some fear, was ecstatic.


    ¡°Yes, but the problem is that I don¡¯t know anything about the exact time and location.¡± Bai Ze stretched herself with a frustrated expression.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not a guardian.¡±


    ¡°But I...¡±


    ¡°Yes, you aren¡¯t one either.¡±

 Volume 2 Chapter 5

    <h4>Book 2 Chapter 5 ¨C I Thought of You as a Bro</h4>


    Original and most updated trantions are from vre. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.


    Li Yiming saw Liu Meng¡¯s tall figure approach him from afar as he walked out of the bus station. Clean, short-cut hair framed her enticing facial features and conferred to her an impression of capability that perfected her charm. Curvy legs wrapped tightly in cropped jeans, and translucent high-heels supporting feet with perfect skin. Her arms were crossed, and it did not seem like she realized just how much her posture entuated her generous bosom, which were ready to burst out of her ck blouse at any given moment.


    When Li Yiming saw Liu Meng, thetter, of course, also noticed him. She extended her arms with a smile and walked toward him. A tight hug that made Li Yiming¡¯s heart skip a beat at the softness he felt pressed against own chest. ¡®Did I miss out on that before? I think I was too young back then.¡¯


    Liu Meng pushed on Li Yiming¡¯s shoulders and slightly distanced herself from him to stare at him with eyes that revealed a myriad of emotions. Then, another hug that aroused the fantasies of onlookers.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it. That dumb girl, I won¡¯t speak to her for five years.¡± As soon as Liu Meng spoke, however, her true demeanor was exposed; it was already the end of her friendship with Ji Xiaoqin, and, had she not known her to start with, she probably would have led a gang to her ce.


    ¡°Is this the little girl you were talking about? How cute.¡± While Li Yiming was still trying toe up with an exnation about how he had already thought everything through and had already let it go, Liu Meng¡¯s attention shifted to Bai Ze.


    ¡°Did you just notice me?¡± Little Bai Ze pursed her lips. Hher cheap checker-pattern dress was not enough to reduce the attention she received.


    ¡°Ah, moe~¡± Liu Meng pushed Li Yiming away, knelt down and wrapped her arms around Bai Ze. ¡°Are you sure that you didn¡¯t kidnap her from somewhere?¡±


    Li Yiming sighed in semi-amusement. By now, he had be habituated to the treatment he received. That sudden feeling of emptiness, however...


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, little girl?¡± Liu Meng produced a squeaky voice to make herself seem more affable.


    ¡°Bai Ze. Bai as in the color white, and Ze as in a marsh. I¡¯m eight years old, I like to eat sweets and yputer games. I don¡¯t know how to sing, how to dance, nor how to recite children¡¯s songs... Did I forget anything?¡± Bai Ze rolled her eyes: the thing she hated the most was to be asked these kinds of stupid questions, and she had obviously heard enough of them on the way here.


    ¡°Ah? Did you teach her that?¡± Liu Meng was clearly surprised by Bai Ze¡¯s answer. Li Yiming shook his head as hard as he could.


    ¡°Sis, can we leave? There¡¯s a lot of people staring at us.¡± This was not much of a surprise, a sensual goddess and a cute little girl was enough to crane any neck.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, follow sis. I have a tablet in my car, and we¡¯ll buy you some sweetster.¡± Liu Meng picked Bai Ze up and walked toward her car, a red Chevrolet. Li Yiming trailed behind with a suitcase, for which he had no real need, since he could use his storage bracelet, but at least pretense was required.


    ¡°Did you just buy this?¡± Li Yiming noticed that everything inside was new.


    ¡°A premature dowry from my mom. Easier to get married when you own a car,¡± answered Liu Meng casually. She nced at Li Yiming. ¡°You seem to be doing well.¡±


    ¡°How else? What else can I do?¡± Li Yiming understood the real meaning behind the question and shrugged his shoulders in self-derision.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Be a man. Sis will soon introduce you to a nice one. The ones I have are all of high quality.¡± Liu Meng sounded like a manager in a hostess club.


    Liu Meng¡¯s apartment was in a decent neighborhood right in the middle of the city. It was rathermodious too, equipped with a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look cheap,¡± remarked Li Yiming as he dropped his luggage and looked around.


    ¡°It¡¯s called an investment. How can I attract good men if I don¡¯t live in a nice ce? Oh, feel free to take a drink.¡± Liu Meng¡¯s kicked off her crystal high-heels carelessly and walked to the fridge. She took out two ice cream bars, one for herself, and one for little Bai Ze. Li Yiming wanted tough: she had not changed at all.


    ¡°You can sleep in my room, and I¡¯ll sleep in the other one. I¡¯ve talked to my roommate, and she¡¯s going home for a few days and then staying at her boyfriend¡¯s ce.¡± Liu Meng pointed at a door and sat down right next to Bai Ze to help her open her treat. Li Yiming nodded and pulled his luggage into the room; there was no need for any formalities after this many years of friendship.


    The room was very clean and it looked like Liu Meng had prepared it for his arrival, since it stood in stark contrast with the messy living room. The visible folding marks on the bed sheets indicated that they were newly reced. The furniture in the room was simple, but had a cozy feeling: a desk, a workstation, and a make-up stand with the inside emptied out beforehand.


    ¡°Hey, by the way, I hope that your boyfriend won¡¯te here in the middle of the night, only to find me here,¡± Li Yiming returned to Liu Meng and poked at her jokingly.


    ¡°Have I ever hidden anything to you about my celibacy?¡± Liu Meng answered in her usual brusque way.


    ¡°Ah, no boyfriend yet?¡±


    ¡°You know what they say, qualityes with slowness. Why hurry?¡± Liu Meng finished her ice cream and wiped her hands with a tissue. ¡°Go get your things set up, I¡¯ll go take a shower. I¡¯m all sticky from sweating. Let¡¯s go eat somewhere after.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Li Yiming acquiesced. He carried his luggage to a corner and dropped it down. The container itself was almost empty, so he turned around and opened the door, but his action came to a sudden halt when he saw Liu Meng busy removing her belt with her feet bare and the buttons on her blouse half detached, partially revealing a ckced bra. Her long, pale neck, the deep valley formed by her vicles, the t stomach, and above it... ¡®The underwear must have been expensive, wrapping around like that. I feel like it¡¯s going to explode! It¡¯s not my first time seeing this, with all the time we¡¯ve spent backstage and inside the studios, no one really noticed these things. But this close...¡¯ Li Yiming gulped down his saliva, and, after doing so, his Adam¡¯s apple was not the only thing that moved upward.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Liu Meng turned around and saw Li Yiming¡¯s baffled expression, and then she moved her eyes down. ¡°Are you serious? I¡¯m thinking of you as brother and you¡¯re thinking about getting into my bed?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it...¡± Li Yiming tried to squeeze an exnation through his embarrassment.


    ¡°Go to hell.¡± Liu Meng did not try to conceal herself. Instead, she kicked at Li Yiming while keeping her blouse on her shoulders. ¡°There¡¯s a kid here. Can you be a little mindful?¡± She walked into the washroom and the clicking sound of the lock was heard.


    Li Yiming looked rather dodgingly at Bai Ze, and his regard was met with an supercilious look from her. He walked to the balcony in humiliation and lit up a cigarette. ¡®I don¡¯t think that things will be very smooth at all during the next few days.¡¯


    Li Yiming had enough tact to remain on the balcony until after Liu Meng emerged from the bathroom with only a towel on her. However, he could not stop himself from imagining the luscious scene inside of his head. After Liu Meng finished changing, the three descended from Liu Meng¡¯s home and went to a small family restaurant just across the street. Liu Meng was wearing a jade one-piece with straps on her shoulders, revealing the same vicles that were sculpted out of her flesh and had an inexplicable attractiveness to them. Her legs disappeared and reappeared between the cover of her skirt, and they were mas for the eyes of onlookers.


    Liu Meng seemed to be used to all of this. She pulled Bai Ze toward a seat by the window and sat down right next to her. Li Yiming sat down in the seat across the table, somewhat sheepish. He thought of a family of three: the mother, beautiful and seductive; the daughter, lively and cute; the father... Well, at least he had a nice figure, owing to his height and the form he had trained through dance. Combined with soft traits but a chiseled jaw, although had an unshaven chin, he could be considered handsome enough.


    ¡°What do you want to eat? Pick anything you want, big sis will mend your traumatized heart,¡± Liu Meng pushed the menu toward Little Bai Ze. Thetter¡¯s eyes glittered with excitement: with Li Yiming, she could barely feed herself, much less be treated like this.


    ¡°When did you start smoking?¡± Liu Meng asked, true to her observant mind.


    ¡°I met a big brother. He said something along the lines of not being able to have kids if a man doesn¡¯t smoke... So I picked up the habit.¡± Li Yiming lips quirked in a yful manner.


    ¡°What? That¡¯s some wisdom if I¡¯ve ever heard any. Maybe you can introduce him to me?¡± Liu Meng was astonished by such a deeply philosophical statement.


    At that moment, the song which was being yed by speakers in the restaurants finished, and another one started. The hoarse voice of a bald man was heard,


    Free of suspicion or worries,


    You suddenly appeared in my world.


    Bringing to me surprised joy and a tempest of emotions,


    But then, in the same manner.


    You disappeared before I could notice it,


    And you¡¯ve left nothing but memories in my world. 1


    Li Yiming listened to the song and ruminated on the deep emotion conveyed by the lyrics.


    ¡°Who are you thinking of right now?¡± Liu Meng gazed at Li Yiming and asked in a whimsical voice. Time was thought of as being the best cure for the ill of a lost love, but Liu Meng¡¯s temperament judged it to be too slow. She liked the quick and violent method much better. To condense one¡¯s grief and pain into a short period of saturation, and to be relieved of it afterwards.


    ¡°You want to hear the truth?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°To be honest... I¡¯m thinking of man wearing shorts...¡± Li Yiming¡¯s attention was fixated on the veranda of a building across the street. ¡®You appear just like that in my life, gave me a surprise and then scared the crap out of me. And then you disappeared, and not even a godly beast knows anything about you, and the only thing I remember are those mboyant shorts...¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯repletely fine then. ¡° Liu Meng grinned and lowered her eyes to check on the menu. Li Yiming¡¯s long stare into the distance, with the setting sun¡¯s shining dapples on his visage, the alternations between shadow and light reminded her of a long lost dream... Something strange... She was gradually sinking into it, losing herself into it... And a long slumbering memory was going to be awakened...


    ¡°Did you abuse her?¡± Bai Ze made her attention shift, however. Liu Meng read the order slip the little girl had produced, and, at first sight, she was surprised by the quality of the calligraphy: small characters traced with a sharpness and vivacity even she herself could not produce. And then, she looked at the content... Bai Ze copied down the entire menu, and the desserts portion twice...


    ¡°Ignore her, she¡¯s just ying around.¡± Li Yiming jumped on the order slip and threw a menacing stare at Bai Ze.


    ¡°After you go rob a bank, I¡¯ll eat a restaurant dry.¡± Little Bai Ze pursed her lips in irritation.


    ¡°Rob a bank?¡± Liu Meng was amused by what Bai Ze said.


    ¡°Yeah, she wants me to go rob a bank so I can feed her.¡± Li Yiming took the menu and ordered a few dishes here and there without thinking about being reserved, and handed the order over to a waiter on the side, who was also smiling at the whole scene.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sis will add a few more desserts for you.¡± Liu Meng¡¯s heart once again melted at Bai Ze¡¯s peevishness, and she rubbed Bai Ze¡¯s head a few times. By the time she set her eyes back on Li Yiming, the fleeting thoughts she had earlier hadpletely vanished.


    The dishes were served in a timely manner, and Bai Ze did not disappoint in proving Li Yiming¡¯s remark right: she took a mouthful from each dish, and soon resumed ying her game on the cell phone. It seemed like she had tasting rather than eating in mind.


    ¡°A few words about the performance. The rehearsal starts tomorrow at eight. The song is Fang Shui¡¯er new piece, ¡°Chirping Poems From a Thousand Mountains.¡± Typical cadence, slow-fast-flow. Our main responsibility is to apany the dance during the fast part, and we¡¯ll simply be in the background for the slow portion.¡± Liu Meng squeezed a simple exnation between mouthfuls of the meal.


    ¡°What about the director and the choreographer?¡±


    ¡°One and the same. Fang Shui¡¯er brings her own people. Rumor has it that he¡¯s also a big shot.¡±

 Volume 2 Chapter 6

    <h4>Book 2 Chapter 6 ¨C Another Domain</h4>


    Original and most updated trantions are from vre. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.


    The rehearsals for the video shooting progressed smoothly. The director was called Zheng Mo. He was quite knowledgeable in his field, had quick wits and a plenitude of creativity. He called himself Xiao Hei and invited everyone to do so as well. Li Yiming found him certainly more agreeable than one of these producers who would take on an English name after a small surge in fame and, to his irritation, kept mixing their unrefined, feminine speech with English words. 1 The three other people invited by Liu Meng were also very capable, and the project progressed smoothly to the joy of all. The rehearsal, which was nned tost nine days, was finished in six, so Li Yiming could even afford to visit around in Wen City with Bai Ze and Liu Meng for the remainder of the allotted time.


    A point worthy of mention, however, is that on the first day, Liu Meng and Li Yiming fought for the guardianship of Bai Ze during theing night. Although Bai Ze was on very friendly terms with Liu Meng, she adamantly resisted the idea of sleeping with her. Liu Meng insisted, fruitlessly, until little Bai Zemented that perhaps Liu Meng was desirous of the pretense of staying with her only so that she could sneak out during the night to his big brother. This remark put an abrupt end to the conversation as Liu Meng strided out of the room in frustration, mming the door behind her and never brought up the topic again.


    Another unforeseen change was that Xiao Hei, the producer and director of the MV, screeched with amazement when he saw Bai Ze, and, true to his temperament of being a very proud person mixed with a tinge of effeminate manners, insisted vehemently that for the sake of his art he needed Bai Ze to also take part in the filming. He was toe up with an improvised role for the little girl, and, Li Yiming, under the dual-pronged attack of both him and little Bai Ze herself, conceded.


    On the ninth day of the rehearsal, Fang Shui¡¯er, the main character of the show, had finally arrived. She was to participate in the final revision and voice her opinion on the set-up. She hid her head behind a big, orange sombrero and her eyes behind a pair of aviator sunsses. However, even with a casualbination of a pale yellow jacket and everything else in in white, she projected an air of such elegance and dignity that the moment she stepped into the studio, everyone became breathless. Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s presence furthered Li Yiming¡¯s reserve, making him momentarily forget that he was a guardian who had seen the life and death of others. After all, not too long ago he was but a poor nobody. Liu Meng too, unlike her usual nonchnt manners, acted in a way that conformed much more to what others expected.


    The only one who stayed unchanged was Xiao Hei. He stayed as proud as ever and did not abase himself much beyond the usual politeness. He nodded his head in politeness and talked with Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s manager. He pointed at Bai Ze, undoubtedly exining her unforeseen addition to the video shooting. Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s assistant seemed to oppose the idea, since adding an extra person was no easy task, especially when improvised.


    Bai Ze wore a red gym suit today, the front of her jacket was decorated with a big cartoonish figure, which made her baby-face seem even more adorable. She sat alone in a corner of the studio and remained focused on her cellphone. Her vivid smiles, frowns, sighs and teeth-clenching were enough to melt the heart of any onlooker.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s manager looked at her with an impassive smile, not too moved by it. Li Yiming guessed the content of their conversation, but did not care to intervene neither. He thought that it was a funny idea for a mythical beast to film a musical video, but there was nothing toment if it did not work out. On top of it, it would be hard to exin the existence of Bai Ze herself if anyone ever started wondering, since he did not have any paperwork to back up his ims.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s manager, who was at the same time her secretary, was called Zeng Qian. She was in her thirties, short, and slightly overweight from afortable life with a paleplexion. She squinted her eyes in a professional smile as she listened to Xiao Hei, but it did not seem like the negotiations progressed smoothly. The improvised changes did not seem to please this woman, who wore a suit despite the torrid sun.


    Fang Shui¡¯er, however, did not seem to be even remotely arrogant, and she mingled with the staff present and even took pictures, to the delight of all of those who were present. Li Yiming and Liu Meng were no exception. These photos would be the object of quite some boasting once uploaded to social media, and, indirectly, they can also aid in Li Yiming and Liu Men¡¯s respective careers, who required the help of others in their own quest of ascension to fame. This was a goal that could not be achieved with hard work alone: such were the rules.


    ¡°Shui¡¯er.¡± The quarrel seemed to have reached an impasse. Xiao Hei insisted on his decision regarding Bai Ze, and, Zeng Qian, out of arguments, sought the support of Fang Shui¡¯er.


    ¡°Director Zheng changed the script. He wants to add a little girl in. The one over there. What do you think?¡± said Zeng Qian as she pointed at Bai Ze, who was still ying on the cellphone. True to her professionalism, Zeng Qian exined the situation without revealing her own stance.


    ¡°Shui¡¯er, that little girl over there is made to be a child star. She¡¯s very photogenic. I¡¯m sure that the video will be improved with her addition,¡± Xiao Hei insisted on selling Bai Ze to Fang Shui¡¯er.


    Fang Shui¡¯er did not hurry to express her opinion. She scrutinized Zeng Qian first, only to find her staring in front of her with an inscrutable countenance. She then turned her head to look at Bai Ze, and was very pleased by what she saw: thetter was indeed destined for fame. ¡°Hey, little girl, could youe here to let sis have a look at you?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er called out affably.


    Bai Ze did not answer. She continued ying on the call phone until Li Yiming jogged towards her, snatched the object away and pulled her towards Fang Shui¡¯er. ¡°Hello Teacher Fang. This is my little sister. Come on, Bai Ze, be polite,¡± said Li Yiming as he gave her a gently tap in her back. 2


    ¡°Hello sis,¡± Little Bai Ze seemed rather irritated by the confiscation of her toy.


    ¡°Haha, how cute,¡± Fang Shui¡¯er smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s take director Zheng¡¯s advice. He¡¯s the expert on the subject after all, and this little girl is really adorable.¡± Zeng Qian nodded and quietly retreated upon hearing the decision.


    The final rehearsal began with galvanized energy brought by the arrival of a superstar. Fang Shui¡¯er showed an attitude which befitted her status, and her seriousness and concentration furthered everyone¡¯s admiration of her. Bai Ze also found her own task very interesting, and she was naturally good at acting, often requiring no more than a simple idea from Xiao Hei for a nearly wless performance. Li Yiming looked at her and thought, ¡®At this rate, maybe I¡¯ll be rich without even needing to rob a bank...¡¯


    The practice sessionsted until three in the afternoon. Fang Shui¡¯er left with Zeng Qian and two bodyguards after that point, leaving a crowd behind that was still in the mood for more. ¡°Alright, tomorrow at seven in the morning, we¡¯ll gather up and leave. It¡¯ll be two hours on the road. Please don¡¯t bete.¡± Xiao Hei pped his hands and praised Bai Ze onest time. ¡°Little girl, amazing performance. Please keep it up tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you teacher.¡± Everyone bowed down to Xiao Hei, just like students in a school, and bid him goodbye. Xiao Hei¡¯s dignity, unaffected by Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s imposing reputation, had earned their respect as well. It was not umon for producers to act as if they were the masters of minor actors, only to beplete sycophants in the presence of those who were famous. Someone like Xiao Hei was a true artist.


    ¡°Fang Shui¡¯er is beautiful. Much more than on-screen,¡± remarked Liu Meng as she looked at the picture in her cellphone.


    ¡°Well, on the bright side, her chest is not as big as yours.¡±


    ¡°Well, if she¡¯s lying naked on a bed, would you look at her face or at her chest?¡± Liu Meng asked a question typical to her character.


    ¡°...¡± Li Yiming was wordless.


    On the morning of September 13th, the group departed. Xiao Hei was not present, and, instead, another manager from hispany oversaw the logistics the trip. The dancers, the equipment, and technical staff totalled four small buses, which were all headed for the same destination: Jing Prefecture. The precise location for the filming had been decided to be Ning Vige. Jing Prefecture was the only self-autonomous region governed by ethnic minorities in the province, and upied an area of 1950 square kilometers. Ning Vige was a cultural heritage site under national scrutiny in this small prefecture. It was rumored that the majority of indigenous traditions had been preserved even to this day, and, although it was not far away from Li Yiming¡¯s home town, Lishui, he never had a chance to visit the ce.


    For the young men and women of nowadays, who were limated to a nocturnal lifestyle, it was a challenge to get up so early in the morning, and, although this task was aplished, most of them were now napping with their heads against the back of their seats. Liu Meng sat right next to Li Yiming, so her head naturally fell onto his shoulders as she fell asleep. The sight of what was partially hidden by her round-cor shirt from Li Yiming¡¯s angle and the soft sensation that came from his armpletely expelled any drowsiness that would otherwise have been present. Li Yiming, rather embarrassingly, kept a hand on his thigh and watched over her to protect Liu Meng against any peekers, without realizing that he himself was the greatest offender of them all. Fortunately, since everyone was fast asleep, the two escaped their attention.


    Little Bai Ze was preupied with her cell phone game,pletely unaffected by the tiredness which gued the others around her. Ever since she had fallen prey to mobile games, it was difficult to make her care about anything else: another case of a young child ruined by video games.


    As nine o¡¯clock neared, the sun had risen far above the horizon. The piercing rays roused the upants of the buses from their slumber, and, fortunately, since there was still a little bit of distance to cover, they had the time to tidy up before their arrival. Liu Meng, when she woke up, instantly noticed Li Yiming¡¯s bloodshot eyes staring at her cor. She quickly lifted her shirt and looked around, but was relieved upon realizing that no one else in particr was looking at her. She then pinched at Li Yiming¡¯s thigh with enough strength to bring out a grimace out of him, but her face reddened as she felt the presence of something else there... She smiled as she arranged her hair using the screen of her phone as a mirror, while Li Yiming produced an exaggerated reaction of pain and looked outside of the window to hide his unease.


    The buses were about to traverse the boundaries of Jing Prefecture. The mountains were lush with vegetation and a pure, limpid water ran in the streams between the rocks. This was a national-grade city for tourism at its finest; a scenery of white clouds, an azure sky, lulling songbirds and the sweet aroma of flowers. September was the season for camellia, and theseplemented the bright colors of the azalea bushes flowering right next to them. The scene brought serenity and contentment to Li Yiming, who had grown ustomed to the cosmopolitan environment of Hangzhou.


    Suddenly, the sun in the sky dimmed, as if an eclipse had just gebun. Li Yiming lifted his head in shock. A ghastly purple distortion shed through the sky and disappeared before Li Yiming could let out a cry of stupefaction. Everything returned back to normal. Li Yiming looked around, and saw Liu Meng still busy with her make-up. She noticed Li Yiming¡¯s attention and sent back another menacing stare for what had happened earlier. Li Yiming then looked at the other people in the filming crew: it seemed like they were all oblivious just what had just happened. But then, he noticed Bai Ze finally putting her cell phone down and throw a look of severity and confusion at him. Li Yiming thought about what happened back at Pure Water Herb Hall.


    ¡®Something¡¯s wrong...¡¯

 Volume 2 Chapter 7

    <h4><strong>Book 2 Chapter 7 ¨C Meeting Guo Xiang Again</strong></h4>


    The convoy of buses stopped right in front of Hotel Yunda, the only four-star hotel in the entire prefecture. A manager of thepany exined that due to the efforts to preserve Ning Vige¡¯s environment, there were no hotels on-site, and, as such, it was impossible to amodate all of them. Therefore, they had to stay here for the night, and there was still another thirty minutes of bus ride until their final destination. Bai Ze pulled Li Yiming to the side during the break time. "So you¡¯ve guessed it?" she asked with a grim expression.


    "Is it really a domain?" Li Yiming was still quite unsure of his conjecture.


    "Yes." Bai Ze nodded, somewhat seemed distraught.


    "Why are they inside here too?" Li Yiming looked at Liu Meng and the rest of the filming crew, who were receiving ess cards to their rooms in the hotel.


    "That¡¯s the least of my concerns. It¡¯s you that I¡¯m wondering about." Bai Ze looked like she waspletely lost in her thoughts.


    "Me? What is it about me?"


    "These people here are all fake. Nothing more than copies that have been produced by the domain. But you¡¯re real. Domains cannot produce a copy of guardians. Although you¡¯re not a guardian, strictly speaking, the fact that you have life marks shows that Heaven¡¯s Laws have recognized your status. But you had no key for entry into the domain. So how did you get in here?"


    "You need a key for entry?" asked Li Yiming.


    "Yes, something like the invitation you had before. That was the key to the domain, and the only way to enter it," exined Bai Ze.


    "How do you obtain a key?"


    "Right before the opening of the domain, guardians will be shown a sign from Heaven¡¯s Laws. Guardians can assess their own abilities and choose which domain to enter. Once participation is confirmed, a key will be given to each participant and it will both serve as the proof of joining in and as the embodiment of the contract."


    ¡¯So guardians are contract workers?¡¯ An odd thought ured to Li Yiming.


    "What do we do now then?" Li Yiming was at a loss. ¡¯Why me again?¡¯


    "I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m not one of you." Bai Ze rolled her eyes.


    "I¡¯m not one neither," Li Yiming retorted.


    "But it thinks that you are one," Bai Ze extended one of her plump fingers and pointed at the sky.


    Li Yiming lifted his head in frustration and wanted to extend a finger of his own: his middle one.


    "You should be careful about Fang Shui¡¯er and her assistant," Little Bai Ze suddenly added.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er?"


    "Yes. I thought that it was odd, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. Since the domain is here and now open, then they are the prime suspects."


    "You¡¯re saying that they are guardians?" Li Yiming was baffled.


    "I¡¯m fairly certain."


    "You can tell?" Li Yiming found the fact very difficult to ept. An international star, the idol of the entire country, the goddess in the dreams of single men, a guardian?


    "Even I can¡¯t confirm it unless they use their talents. But I have strong reasons to believe so."


    "What kind of reasons?" asked Li Yiming.


    "They were too calm when they saw us for the first time."


    "What?" Li Yiming thought the exnation to be not nearly sufficient.


    "Think about it. The very first reaction of people who had the chance to meet me..." Little Bai Ze stated the fact without any narcissism.


    Li Yiming recalled the details of their first meeting. Bai Ze was an instant ma for the affection of any woman, and none were immune to her cute appearance. Were it not for that, she would not have been able to attract the attention of director Zheng, Xiao Hei, who had met his share of people, andpelled him to add a role just for her. However, Fang Shui¡¯er seemed to have only shown a slight approval, and her assistant, Zeng Qian, seemed to even oppose the idea of Bai Ze participating in the filming. But from these two clues alone, to suspect that they are guardians... ¡¯Isn¡¯t this a little far-fetched?¡¯


    "There¡¯s no fault in prudence. I doubt that you understand the world of guardians. For them, someone that joins the domain without a key is extremely dangerous."


    "Why?"


    "Because of the rules. Everything that happens within the domain has to obey the rules, but you are different. These rules don¡¯t apply to you. You are the unforeseen change, the bug that can cause unexpected things to happen. And any such risks..." Bai Ze did not continue her exnation.


    Li Yiming remembered the unanticipated dangers in the Hangzhou domain. "What happens if other guardians find out about me?"


    "They will seek to eliminate the unwanted risk..."


    "So you¡¯re saying..."


    "Better mypatriots die than myself... Survival of the fittest, thew of the jungle. These are also Heaven¡¯s Laws..." said Bai Ze in a cial tone.


    The filming staff quickly concluded their brief stop at the hotel and returned to their seats on the buses. Li Yiming was to share his room with another male dancer for the night, but he was too absorbed by the domain to be giving any attention to these trivial details. The site of the shooting, Ning Vige, was amunity with a simple beauty to it, blended into thendscape. It was as if they had just discovered a utopia isted from the world, and the production crew was evidently mesmerized. Liu Meng took a deep breath, and extended her arms in a gesture that made her chest bounce in a very exaggerated manner.


    "Hey, did I actually hurt you with that pinch?" Liu Meng noticed Li Yiming¡¯s odd behavior.


    "What?" Li Yiming finally reacted.


    "Pfft, pretense!" Liu Meng rolled her eyes.


    Xiao Hei had arrived prior to everyone, and was busy giving instructions to the floor manager. A middle-aged man, adorned in a traditional attire, followed them around: he had to be the local official responsible for amodations and coordination. Fang Shui¡¯er was absent, since she would not deign participating in these pre-filming routines. The cameras and background set-up were being installed, and a costumer soon arrived with a bag of clothes to be distributed to the actors and actresses. Li Yiming received his outfit and changed his clothes in the tent reserved for that purpose. ¡¯If I don¡¯t know what¡¯sing, I might as well wait and react to whatever change that¡¯ll happen.¡¯


    Bai Ze was treated much better than Li Yiming, who yed only a background role. She had her own preparation room, which was rented out from a local residence. After Li Yiming finished preparing himself, he was allowed to visit Bai Ze, since he was her legal guardian. Little Bai Ze seemed to havepletely forgotten about the domain, and she was plunged into an excited eagerness as the make-up artist helped her dress up for the performance. She wore a costume blue as the ocean with mboyant trims and a golden phoenix ready to take flight embroidered on its center. With the silvery essories and the prominent crown she wore, Bai Ze herself seemed to be transformed into a different kind of mythical beast. The make-up artist was happy with the results of her work and took a picture. Xiao Hei entered the room at that moment and also looked at Bai Ze with full approval.


    "Wait a second for the make-up. We want this natural feeling of hers. If it turns out that we need make-up, we¡¯ll simply add itter," Xiao Hei said to the make-up artist, who herself was dithering about the matter: she did not know where to start for Bai Ze, who seemed perfect even without any embellishment


    "Please get ready for the shooting soon. Fang Shui¡¯er is doing her make-up, and she¡¯ll be ready soon. Please go to your assigned spot." Due to Bai Ze¡¯s presence, Xiao Hei was on very friendly terms with Li Yiming.


    "Alright, Bai Ze, be nice and don¡¯t wander off, okay?" Li Yiming left in a hurry after a final word of advice.


    The decorations at the shooting scene were very colorful, with red flowersplementing green willow leaves. Aside from the background dancers, there was also a crowd of extras recruited locally. Each were adorned in a traditional outfit and seemed eager to start the performance. The floor manager gave out instructions using a megaphone, with the general guidelines revolving around obeying the instructions and remainingposed in the presence of a celebrity. ording to what was decided during the rehearsals, Li Yiming and Liu Meng were to y a loving couple during the first scene, so they were guided to their respective positions by the floor manager, with some final adjustments to be made depending on Xiao Hei¡¯s judgement after the filming started.


    Liu Meng also changed into her costume. She wore an intricate crown which matched the vivid colors of her garments. The make-up artist, in a stroke of spontaneity, decided to draw the caricature of a ming phoenix on her neck, right below her left ear. The tattoo added a tint of wildness to Liu Meng¡¯s beauty. "Wow, you look like an educated youth sent into the countryside back in Red China!" Liu Meng bantered with Li Yiming while covering her smile with one hand. 1


    "You don¡¯t look like a native either. Have you seen anyone with a chest like yours?" Li Yiming retorted.


    "Oh, you¡¯re wrong about that. Look at her over there, and her." Liu Meng pointed at two middle-aged women who were participating as background actresses. What she observed was true, although their waists were nowhere near as thin as hers. "It seems like the water and thend here really nourishes people. I wonder if the ce will be flooded with t-chests once the video is released."


    "You¡¯re thinking about making the camera point at you? Then you¡¯re wearing too manyyers. Also I don¡¯t think that the Ministry of Culture would allow a video like that to be released,"mented Li Yiming.


    "What do you know about the Ministry? The videos that are censored are the ones that will be popr," Liu Meng stated an odd truth.


    "Has Fang Shui¡¯er arrived?" Li Yiming minded her particrly, especially after his conversation with Bai Ze earlier.


    "Oh, it¡¯ll take a while before she gets here. With her status, I¡¯d think that we need to do at least twenty cuts." Liu Meng sat down on the stairs, revealing her slender legs from beneath the folds of her skirt. Li Yiming swept around with his eyes, and sat down facing her inconspicuously, so that he would block the gaze of anyone who peeked that way. Liu Meng seemed to have noticed his intention and quirked her lips while pulling her skirt down slightly.


    "Alright everyone, first scene, first cut..." The studio floor manager concluded his set of instructions. The camera cranes started their rotation around the stage while the light projectors switched on and off continuously for the final adjustment.


    Suddenly, the roar of a car engine was heard in the distance. The heads in the crowd turned in the direction soon saw two Cherokees headed their way, whose modern design stood out particrly in andscape of preserved traditional buildings. A mor was heard from the crowd, mingled with chit chat spoken with a local dialect Li Yiming could not understand, but he did notice the hostile tone of those who were talking.


    The two cars and the trail of dust they left behind stopped only right outside of the video shooting perimeters. Seven or eight people stepped down from the cars, all dressed in ck close fitting T-shirts, ck pants and sunsses¡ªtypical mobsters. Only one of the men wore a red v-neck shirt with a white jacket on the outside. With his foppish rainbow sunsses, he stood out from hispanions.


    "Guo Xiang?" Li Yiming recognized him, and stood up instinctively. ¡¯Him again?¡¯ He looked around carefully, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Ji Xiaoqin was not here with him.


    Liu Meng also recognized Guo Xiang, since she knew him as well. Guo Xiang once even pursued her, but, of course, he was not sessful with Lady Liu. She was a little concerned about Li Yiming¡¯s emotional state, and, instead of saying anything, she stood behind him in silence, wrapped her fingers around his hand and kneaded it with firmness. Li Yiming turned his head back towards her upon noticing her act, smiled and also added some strength to his grip.


    Although Li Yiming maintained a facade of calmness, he was quite rmed by Guo Xiang¡¯s showing up. Thetter had to have arrived for a reason, and the reason must be linked with the opening of the secret domain. Although Li Yiming had confirmed with Bai Ze that he would not suffer life marks losses from using his talent outside of domains, and that he was even immune to natural decay, they had yet to confirm whether he would suffer Heaven¡¯s punishment for a failed mission. Li Yiming did not want to take the risk at all, so he maintained his prudence.


    "Wow, how lively!" Guo Xiang, surrounded from all sides by his followers dressed in ck, sauntered towards the crowd in his typical exaggerated style.


    Surprise surprise (Or maybe not so, given the name of the chapter.)


    Reference to the Maoist era, when young people were sent to the countryside for the purpose of their ¡°re-education¡± and also to help increase productivity. ?

 Volume 2 Chapter 8

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± The manager had just asked the people responsible for aodations in Ning Vige when someone dashed out of the crowd and greeted Guo Xiang with a broad grin.


    ¡°Young Master Guo, what gives us the pleasure to have you here in person?¡± The oing greeter was a man in his thirties. His hair, which was nearly yellow from all the grease stuck to it, peppered the shoulder portion of his decrepit grey suit with a thinyer of dandruff. He rushed toward Guo Xiang with utmost excitement, but worries about the cleanliness of his own hands stopped him from extending it in thetter¡¯s direction. Instead, he rubbed his hands against his pants in visible abashedness.


    ¡°This is Guo Xiang, the crown prince of Yunlong Construction Group. They are trying to build a vacation resort in the vige, so they used their connections and sent someone from the city to negotiate with us. However, the negotiations failed since the vigers didn¡¯t agree to sell their ancestralnds. Why is he back here now?¡± The official in charge whispered an exnation to the floor manager.


    ¡°Is it going to affect the filming?¡± The manager voiced his sole concern.


    ¡°Ah, of course not. The filming is very important, as much for the city as it is for us.¡±


    Guo Xiang looked at the viger in front of him and enjoyed the reverential reception he received. Guo Xiang had chosen to attend the Teachers¡¯ College because the student body was rumored to be full of beauties. As for bing a teacher, there was no bigger joke. For the likes of him, the only thing a teacher was good for was perhaps for some kind of uniform fetish. Being bored out of his mind after graduating, he traveled around with a group of friends, and, recently, hade to the vige with a group of amateurs in body art photography. A model remarked about the beauty of the vige in his bed, and, in a moment of impulsive ostentatiousness, he promised her that he would offer the vige to her as a gift. ¡®Don¡¯t all these bully CEOs want to buy fish ponds? I¡¯ll buy an entire vige to show them who¡¯s boss.¡¯ 1


    After throwing up the big promise, Guo Xiang considered it more carefully and was impressed by the quality of his own impetuous idea. Seeing some hope for sess, he quickly motivated himself into realizing his n. Guo Tai, upon seeing that his indulging son had finally woken up, and, also upon realizing that it was not just a naive fantasy, was ecstatic and quickly gave his unreserved support.


    The man with a displeasing appearance standing in front of him was called Lei San¡¯er, a ruffian from the Ning vige. In his youth, he had a gambling addiction and eventually sold his family¡¯snd to fuel his obsession. His parents died shortly after, with some saying that it was due to the fury caused by his actions. He went out of the vige with other people for a few loose jobs, but he was unable to handle the roughness of such jobs and returned home after a few days. Since then, he stayed in the vige, living in a constant state of semi-hunger and misery. Nearly all the vigers resented him, but if there was one thing Lei San¡¯er was good at, it was to stir trouble. Therefore, everyone tried as hard as they can to stay away from him.


    Guo Xiang noticed his presence the first time he visited the vige for negotiations. His wretched appearance was enough to convince Guo Tai that he was the subordinate he was looking for, the kind of dog that wouldsh out at anyone if enough meat was given. The cooperation was nearly instantaneous between the pair, and, after promising Lei San¡¯er a position as the security manager at the new resort, Lei San¡¯er became Guo Xiang¡¯s full-fledged representative in Ning Vige fornd acquisition.


    Guo Xiang thought the execution of n to be smooth and without obstacles, but little did he expect that the vigers would love thend on which they had lived for generations, the farnd which fed them, to such an extent. No one was willing to sellnd, and this infuriated Guo Xiang. Just as Guo Xiang was facing the predicament of disappointing his promise, the beautiful model he slept with, and his own father, he had heard from Lei San¡¯er that Fang Shui¡¯er wasing to film a video at Ning vige. ¡®Holy shit, that¡¯s Fang Shui¡¯er, the woman in many of my wet dreams.This is an opportunity I can¡¯t miss. What if she¡¯s impressed by my sincerity...? Not enough sincerity? If one million is not enough, then two will be. If two is not enough, then four will be. I have plenty of sincerity, and well, it¡¯s good for a field-trip to the actual location of investment.¡¯


    ¡°How¡¯s the progression?¡± Guo Xiang asked Lei San¡¯er. ¡®No need to hurry about Fang Shui¡¯er. By the looks of it, she won¡¯t run away. I¡¯m a business magnate in real-estate development, time to start acting like one.¡¯


    ¡°Ah... We¡¯re almost there. The people in the vige don¡¯t know how good young Master Guo is. I¡¯m sure that they woulde running once they know. Everyone¡¯s looking to get rich with you.¡± Lei San¡¯er ingratiated Guo Xiang withpliments. He sought an opportunity to showcase the progress, yet although everyone seemed to let him have it his way normally, when it came to the ancestral farnd, all of them were so stubborn as to not back an inch.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you hurry? I¡¯m wasting a few hundred thousands every minute. I don¡¯t have time to waste on you. The faster we get the plot, the faster we can start the construction, and the faster you¡¯ll be able to be my new security manager.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll hurry up.¡±


    ¡°So, where¡¯s Fang Shui¡¯er?¡± Guo Xiang looked around and, when he failed to spot his target, asked in a purported nonchnt voice.


    ¡°In the home of the Lei widow, I think she¡¯s putting make-up and changing her clothes right now. The widow rented her home to the production crew.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way. I¡¯ll go see my new friends.¡± Guo Xiang gestured with his typical cockiness and followed Lei San¡¯er, who led the way with a slow jog. A team of bodyguards in ck suits followed him closely.


    The vige spanned no more than a few hundred meters, so the group quickly arrived to their destination. By pure coincidence, Xiao Hei was just heading out of the house after having finished delivering instructions to Fang Shui¡¯er. The two bumped into each other right outside of the house.


    ¡°This is director Zheng.¡± Lei San¡¯er promptly introduced Xiao Hei to Guo Xiang. He was very aware of Guo Xiang¡¯s motives, so he had investigated the filming crew beforehand, although he still had some difficulty understanding the difference between a musical video and a movie.


    ¡°Oh, director Zheng? I¡¯ve been looking forward to meet you. Please allow me to humbly introduce myself. I¡¯m the owner of the vacation resort in Ning Vige, Guo Xiang from the Yunlong Construction Group. I hope to call upon your services for the future promotional video of my resort.¡± Guo Xiang introduced himself with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re being too kind.¡± Xiao Hei was a little surprised by what Guo Xiang had said. ¡®A vacation resort, here in Ning Vige? Howe I¡¯ve never heard of it?¡¯ But it was good manners to not offend someone who had approached him so nicely, and, judging by the amounts of followers behind Guo Xiang, he was indeed no ordinary person. After exchanging a few formalities and their business cards, Xiao Hei quickly left for filming. Fang Shui¡¯er was a rather busy personality, and every minute wasted with her standing there was to his own detriment.


    ¡°Could you please tell Miss Fang Shui¡¯er that Guo Xiang from Yunlong Construction Group is here to see her?¡± After Xiao Hei¡¯s departure, Guo Xiang said to Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s two bodyguards in his typical self-aggrandizing tone. The two bodyguards, stood tall at the entrance, ignored himpletely and did not move an inch. Guo Xiang was about to lose his temper once again due to their negligence when a voice came from inside.


    ¡°Hello Mr. Guo,¡± A voice was heard before the door was pushed open. Zeng Qian emerged from behind it with her professional smile. ¡°I¡¯m Shui¡¯er¡¯s assistant. She is busy preparing for the video shooting right now. Could we ask you to wait for another time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, of course. I just happened to have received news that Shui¡¯er is filming a video at my vacation resort, so I came to see if everything was alright. Of course I¡¯ll avoid disturbing her work. Let¡¯s meet on another time, another time. I want to invite you to a g in Jing City once the filming is over to thank Shui¡¯er for her support of the tourism at Ning Vige.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Mr. Guo owns a resort here?¡± Zeng Qian was surprised. She had done her research and did not find any such things here.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told the filming crew?¡± Guo Tai pretended to be surprised while signaling at Lei San¡¯er with his eyes.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had the time.¡± Lei San¡¯er immediately answered.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s perfectly normal that you haven¡¯t heard about it.¡± Guo Xiang gestured for Lei San¡¯er to retreat to the side. ¡°We¡¯ve barelypleted the blueprints, and construction has yet to start. I wouldn¡¯t expect anyone to know about it, and I prefer it this way, since I am a low-profile person. But, I would like to know if there¡¯s a possibility to invite Shui¡¯er to be the spokesperson for the resort once construction is finished? It¡¯s a five-A grade resort after all, and it will not tarnish Shui¡¯er¡¯s reputation.¡± Guo Xiang suddenly came up with a brilliant idea, and he had to stop himself from crying out with joy. ¡®If Fang Shui¡¯er agrees to be the spokesperson, then who knows how many birds killed with one stone. If nothing else, the one closest to her...


    ¡°Spokesperson?¡± Zeng Qian frowned, and she quickly assessed the situation. ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk about it with Shui¡¯er in person.¡±


    ¡®It might work!¡¯ Guo Xiang burst with joy. ¡°Then I shall await Miss Shui¡¯er arrival at hotel Yunda tonight?¡±


    ¡°The filming is set to start soon, could we...¡± Zeng Qian equivocated. Her aptitude at dealing with these kind of situations had been trained to perfection by years on the job.


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Guo Xiang thoughts ran wild at the thought of an eptance. ¡°I¡¯ll go reserve the seats right away. Please carry on with your work. Please. I find the most admirable thing on Earth to be a girl focused in her work. It¡¯s such a rare sight to see a celebrity with such outstanding work ethics.¡± Guo Xiang threw apliment as a farewell and left with a broad smile on his face and his team of bodyguards trailing behind him. ¡®I need to find a way to get thatnd from the vige now.¡¯


    Seeing that Guo Xiang is leaving, Zeng Qian beckoned to the guard in front of the door. He read her intimation and quickly left the scene.


    Xiao Hei returned to his work and quicklymenced the shooting. Time was of the essence, so he tried to squeeze in as many segments as he could. The extras were very excited by this rare opportunity to participate in something new, and, fortunately, this was exactly the kind of mood Xiao Hei was seeking. Xiao Hei sighed in relief at the smooth progress of the project: his biggest fear was for the performance of the extras, since he had very little control over them. Unlike professional staff, they were also poor at repeating multiple segments to select for the best one, and very prone to entering a state of despondency once the initial sense of novelty faded away.


    Xiao Hei furrowed his brows when he saw at Liu Meng and Li Yiming through the camera. He was quite satisfied with Li Yiming, since he had exactly the demeanor of goodness mixed with a little bit of naivete he was looking for. But Liu Meng... She was wild, but a little too sensual... ¡®Why haven¡¯t I thought of this before? Her breasts are too prominent on her form. What about the other actress... Not any better. Ugh, I guess even those blessed by nature have their own share of troubles.¡¯


    ¡°Yiming, can you move a little forward? Liu Meng, turn a little more to the side,¡± Xiao Hei said into the megaphone as he looked at the couple on the camera¡¯s screen. ¡°Camera number two, a little bit to the left. A little higher. Alright.¡± Xiao Hei let out a sigh: he finally managed to hide it from sight. He intended this scene to depict the coziness and the beauty of life in the countryside, not to highlight a pair of sensual breasts.


    ¡°Yiming? Liu Meng?¡± Guo Xiang, who was making his way through the crowd heard Xiao Hei¡¯s voice and lifted his head.


    ¡°Ha, old friends...¡± Guo Xiang smiled capriciously.

 Volume 2 Chapter 9-10

    <h4>Book 2 Chapter 9 ¨C Sudden Crisis</h4>


    A small upheaval urred in the audience when Fang Shui¡¯er and Bai Ze climbed the stairs to the scene. After all, most of the extras showed up for the former. Screams of joys came from the vigers, and it took extensive efforts from the manager to subdue them. Fortunately for him, this remained a private session, since themotion would have undoubtedly been ten times worse had Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s fans been present.


    During breaktime, Li Yiming finally met the person he wanted to avoid the most, but also somehow wanted to see: Guo Xiang. Thetter came to him alone, and he found Li Yiming crouched on the ground with a lit cigarette between his lips. Guo Xiang lit one of his own and approached him like an old friend who had not been in contact for a long while, without any sense of guilt or awkwardness about what he had done. "Not bad I see. You¡¯ve gotten a position working with Fang Shui¡¯er?" Guo Xiang exhaled a ring of smoke and bumped his shoulder against Li Yiming¡¯s.


    "Barely making a living. Can¡¯tpare to you." Li Yiming felt the tinge of bitterness as he licked his lips; some things could not be forgotten simply because one wished to. What had happened in the domain resurfaced in his mind.


    "I heard you became a teacher? Is this some kind of part-time job?" Guo Xiang searched for anything to say that could allow him to further his stay within the filming crew, since it would also allow him to stay near Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "What are you doing here?" An angry scolding voice sounded from behind, and they saw Liu Menge close with a frown.


    "Oh, Meng Meng, you are here too? I saw you earlier. Beautiful as always." Guo Xiang squinted his eyes. ¡¯What a waste. Such a body with this kind of character. Do women not know how to take care of themselves nowadays?¡¯


    "Meng Meng is not a name for you to call. What are you here for?" Liu Meng interposed herself between Guo Xiang and Li Yiming, pulling thetter behind her like a lion protecting its cub.


    "What a question. This is my resort, why wouldn¡¯t I be here?" Guo Xiang crushed his cigarette with his shoe sole and stretched himself. He cast down a look ofcent authority on the vige, as if he was an emperor and the vigers, his subjects.


    "Your resort?" Li Yiming was surprised. ¡¯Perhaps this is the key.¡¯


    "Of course, I¡¯m nning to build a vacation resort. Look over there, and here, and at that forest. I¡¯ll be building my resort there. Thisnd will all belong to me." Guo Xiang pointed at the lush mountains and at the rivers with pride. ¡¯Don¡¯t regret your decision now, little Meng Meng.¡¯


    "Brother," a child¡¯s voice was heard from behind. Bai Ze came to see Li Yiming with her lips pursed. Fang Shui¡¯er was following her close behind.


    Guo Xiang¡¯s eyes lit up. "This guy is really my fortune star! Exactly when I wanted it. Is she that loser¡¯s sister? I¡¯ll make good use of this opportunity, and the next toe.¡¯


    "She wanted to see her brother, and since I was on a break, I offered toe with her." Fang Shui¡¯er greeted the three with an uncondescending smile.


    "Thank you, Teacher Fang." Li Yiming said while pulling Bai Ze to his side.


    "You¡¯re here as well, Mr. Guo?" Fang Shui¡¯er shifted her attention.


    "Oh, we were schoolmates, and I just wanted to chat with him for a bit after seeing him here. It¡¯s a small world. To think that I¡¯d be able to meet an old friend here." Guo Xiang removed his sunsses and answered in an affable voice.


    "Oh? That¡¯s indeed a coincidence." Fang Shui¡¯er looked at the two with surprise. Her eyes paused briefly on the storage bracelet Li Yiming wore and strayed away inconspicuously. "I heard from Qian Qian that Mr. Guo is nning to build a resort here?"


    "Yes, the ns have already been made. It¡¯s going to be over there!" Guo Xiang said in a spurt of enthusiasm.


    "It¡¯s beautiful here. I think it¡¯s love at first sight. I really hope that I can live here in the future." Fang Shui¡¯er said in a wishful voice as she admired thendscape in the distance.


    "Oh, that¡¯s a very simple thing. Once the resort is built, I¡¯ll have a custom-designed suite built for you, and it¡¯ll be kept for your usage whenever you feel the desire to visit." Guo Xiang burst with joy. ¡¯What luck today!¡¯ He concocted an answer that would not offend Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s pride by giving her the impression that he was giving her a gift, since she waspletely unlike the fameless models he had talked to before.


    "Oh?" Fang Shui¡¯er was delighted. "Thank you, Mr. Guo." The smile alone was enough to make Guo Xiang shudder from head to toe.


    "Ah, it¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s all within my duty. I¡¯d like to thank Shui¡¯er on the behalf of the people at Ning Vige for you contributions to the booming tourism industry here, after all." Guo Xiang had his ways of manipting words.


    "But I heard that the project has encountered some difficulties?" Shui¡¯er furrowed her brows.


    "It¡¯s a small thing. Nothing to be worried about. It¡¯s just that the acquisition contracts has yet to be signed with a few families. It¡¯ll take no more than a few days." Guo Xiang patted his own chest and boasted.


    "That¡¯s good then, I¡¯ll give Mr. Guo my best wishes. Please continue your talk, I¡¯ll leave for a quick brush up of my make-up right before my segment." Fang Shui¡¯er smiled sweetly and turned away, leaving behind the echoes of a nascent love.


    "Pah! What an animal. I feel bad for Xiaoqin." Liu Meng despised, but turned around the next moment to look at Li Yiming after realizing what she had just said. When she saw that Li Yiming was sunken deep in his own thoughts, she grimaced with guilt.


    * * * (Please support the trantion by reading at the original uploaded site, vrenovels(dot!)* * *


    Inside Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s room, Zeng Qian was putting the finishing touches of make-up on her face with a powder puff. She sat on her chair with eyes closed and said without much emotion. "We can be fairly sure that Guo Xiang is our clue."


    "A vacation resort... It¡¯ll have something to do with thend then." Zeng Qian voiced her thoughts as she continued her work.


    "I did what you told me. I tested him, and we should able to see the results of it soon. The main concern is that we don¡¯t know whether the key lies in Jing Prefecture or in Ning Vige, but..." Fang Shui¡¯er gestured to stop Zeng Qian from applying make-up. "You¡¯ve guessed right about that Li Yiming, he really is a guardian."


    "Are you sure?" Zeng Qian asked with a grave countenance.


    "Fairly. That bracelet is a storage bracelet, and it¡¯s not a low-grade item either. Is there another group of people in this domain?" said Fang Shui¡¯er as she reached habitually for the pendant which hung from her neck.


    "I wouldn¡¯t think so, and even if there was, we would know about it. This is an intermediate-level domain after all, perhaps Heaven¡¯s Laws have another purpose."


    "Heaven¡¯s Laws... Let¡¯s keep our guard up." Fang Shui¡¯er shut her eyes again.


    "Yes, I¡¯ve told Zhi Wen to follow that Guo Xiang." Zeng Qian pulled out lipgloss from the kit and carefully traced on Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s lips. As she studied thetter¡¯s dainty beauty, her own lips curled up into a bizarre smile which worked a sinister air into her expression.


    * * *


    "The clue is Guo Xiang." Li Yiming stared at Bai Ze with a deep frown. ¡¯I only have her with me now. I wish Qing Linglong and Eyesses were here. They woulde up with an interpretation right away, now I need to do all the thinking myself.¡¯


    "Guo Xiang and the vacation resort are both very important clues." Bai Ze, for once, paused her game on the cell phone. "Also, I¡¯ve ascertained my guess about Fang Shui¡¯er."


    "What do you mean?"


    "She was the one who wanted toe here." Bai Ze nced at Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s room. "I was ying my game, when she suddenly proposed a walk and brought me here."


    "She¡¯sing for me? No, she¡¯s here for Guo Xiang. They¡¯re already on the trail," Li Yiming came to a sudden realization.


    "Right. Haven¡¯t you noticed her over-eagerness for Guo Xiang?" asked Bai Ze.


    "Yes. Someone as famous as her should be used to dealing with rich princelings like Guo Xiang. She¡¯s had no scandals ever since her rise to fame, I wouldn¡¯t think that she¡¯d be interested in someone like Guo Xiang."


    "Then we¡¯re sure. You need to be careful, she¡¯s noticed you." Bai Ze warned him in a low voice.


    "Noticed me?"


    "Yes, your bracelet."


    * * *


    Guo Xiang enjoyed a cigarette on the passenger seat of his car while Lei San¡¯er waited for him dutifully outside. ¡¯Seems like that girl is interested in the resort. Great. I was just getting worried that she wouldn¡¯t like it. Pfft, she¡¯s nothing more than an actress after all. But I need to get my hands on thend first. How am I to talk to her without it?¡¯


    He flicked the cigarette butt out of the window and pulled a briefcase out from under the seat. He beckoned to Lei San¡¯er, who approached with a obsequious smile. Thack- Lei San¡¯er was struck dumb by the content of the case, and he held his breath as he looked at the piles of bills within it: probably over a million, more than he could ever dream about.


    "Tomorrow. Show me your results tomorrow at thetest, and this will be yours." Guo Xiang threw two stacks out of the window. The notes were cleanly lined up and still bound by the paper strip from the bank: twenty thousand yuan.


    "This is for me?" Lei San¡¯er quickly picked up the money from the ground and asked in an euphoric voice.


    "Everything I have shown to you, if you seed, it¡¯ll all be yours." Guo Xiang said slowly as he stared at Lei San¡¯er. He enjoyed this feeling of power very much.


    ¡¯All... All mine... This much...¡¯ Lei San¡¯er held a gasp. "Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely. Tomorrow, no, tonight, I¡¯ll give you an answer, young Master Guo."


    A confident smile hung on Guo Xiang¡¯s lips as the car departed with a hand signal. ¡¯There are no problems in this world that can¡¯t be solved with money. If it doesn¡¯t work the first time, then try again with more money.¡¯


    Lei San¡¯er did not care about the filming anymore. He returned to his home and circled around in his room just like a wolf at the zoo waiting to be fed. He sped the two stacks of bills with reddened eyes: the only thing on his mind was the suitcase of bank notes. ¡¯If this works out, the money will all be mine. All mine. That whole suitcase! That much money!¡¯ His breathing quickened and the flush on his face spread to his neck.


    ¡¯One day, how can I do it in one day? To convince those old fossils to sell theirnd? It¡¯s going to be the fall harvest soon, and of course these peasants wouldn¡¯t agree to sell theirnd once they reap the reward of theirbor for the year. The harvest...¡¯ Lei San¡¯er suddenly conceived a daring n.


    * * *


    Xiao Hei kept his eyes on the monitor. He rejoiced even more in his decision of letting Bai Ze join the filming. Bai Ze was simply too photogenic. If Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s performance could be rated as an eighty, then Bai Ze¡¯s would receive a ny from Xiao Hei. It was as if she was born for the camera. ¡¯And she¡¯s only eight, on top of that... After this, we only need to wait for the dance choreography during the night. The dancers are also verypetent, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. My task isplete, A few more scenes tomorrow for a perfect conclusion, and then...¡¯ Xiao Hei let out a sigh of relief.


    He raised his head and exchanged a nce with Zeng Qian, who looked at him from far away. He then went back to stare at Li Yiming, who stood on the stage, with an impassive expression.


    "Fire¡ª!" A piercing scream that resounded throughout the vige was suddenly heard.


    === <h4>Book 2 Chapter 10 ¨C Mystery Case in the Vige</h4>


    Original and most updated trantions are from vre. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.


    Panic spread throughout the crowd as the sound of gongs alerted the vige of the situation. The solidarity of a smallmunity was put on full disy as the vigers dropped whatever task they had at hand and rushed towards the scene of the ze. With the thick smoke that gradually spread into the corners of the vige, filming naturally ceased. The crew guarded the equipment in an orderly manner, ording to the ns devised during the professional training they had received.


    ¡°Could it be that the fire and lightning division...¡± The floor manager scurried to Xiao Hei with a worried expression: the filming crew had some mmable items used for filming. Xiao Hei shook his head in silence and gazed at the fire in a pondering stance.


    Li Yiming did not rush to the site of the incident. Instead, he dragged Bai Ze and Liu Meng to the side, and observed Fang Shui¡¯er together with his summon from a far-away corner.


    ¡°Guo Xiang?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er gulped down a mouthful of water from the bottle given to her by Zeng Qian and asked in a calm voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s that Lei San¡¯er¡± Zeng Qian answered with a smile.


    ¡°Daring, to set the mountain aze like that.¡±


    ¡°But not unusual. I¡¯d reckon that Guo Xiang has promised him some kind of reward. Money will always bring out the lunatics, especially for these people who have learned to avoid poverty at all costs after struggling with it for so long. Doesn¡¯t surprise me in the slightest,¡± said Zeng Qian.


    ¡°I¡¯dmend him for his initiative. With the forest and the crops gone, the fruits of the vigers¡¯bor for the year is burnt to the ground as well. How are they going to sustain themselves for the uing year? It wouldn¡¯t be so bad if only the crops were burned, but these fruit trees, worked on for many years, will be ruined. Of course the vigers would have to resort to selling theirnd once they lose the means to feed themselves. But has he thought about how to build a resort on a ravaged wastnd?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve given him too much credit for evening up with the idea, to ask him to think about the consequences?¡± Zeng Qian had a cold smile.


    ¡°Anything from their side?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. We¡¯ve kept an eye on them since the start of the fire.¡±


    ¡°Trouble. We don¡¯t even know if they¡¯re friends or foes,¡± said Fang Shui¡¯er with her back turned against Li Yiming. She drank another mouthful. ¡°What of Guo Xiang?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve yet to hear news of him. I told Zhi Wen to keep an eye on him.¡±


    ¡°Okay, tell Zhi Wu to watch Li Yiming as well.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    The fire spread quickly, despite the efforts of the vigers fighting against it. Fortunately, the leaders of the vige had the foresight to order the vigers to cut down a row of trees to contain the congration. Five fire trucks carrying what seemed to be the entire department of Jing Prefecture had finally arrived, and teams of firefighters dove into the burning forest with their equipment.


    The members of the filming crew were quite distraught by the idea that they might have caused the fire. Some of them joined in helping the efforts of the firefighters after gathering the filming equipment together. Liu Meng had barely taken a step in that direction when Li Yiming pulled her back; he himself would have voluntarily joined the fray, but this was a domain. With Fang Shui¡¯er and her friends watching from the side and the cause of the fire still unknown, Li Yiming did not dare to make a move.


    The situation finally returned within the boundaries of control as dusk fell. Deste hills still smoldering with white smoke reced the otherwise beautifulndscape. The lush vegetation was gone, and so were the pools of untainted, limpid water. Many of the vigers held themselves together to seekfort and cried at their misfortune. However, they were at least able to find sce in the constatation that no one had perished from the incident. The results of the investigation of the firefighters came as a quick shock: evidence pointed towards arson. Not only were there remnants of mmable material around where the fire started, the ze itself was found to have originated from four different locations, so the possibility of it being an ident was minimal.


    ¡°Lei San¡¯er, it has to be him. He wants to help that rich guy take all of ournd. So he set fire to the forest and the mountains,¡± an old orchard owner eximed.


    Some vigers had considered the filming crew to be the culprits, only to find no motives to support such an usation. But Lei San¡¯er, although his motivation existed, his audacity baffled all vigers: he cut off the only way for the vigers to make a living.


    ¡°Lei San¡¯er, it¡¯s him! It has to be. I¡¯ll kill him¡ª¡± The old man squeezed through the crowd in an untempered rage. Several vigers who still hesitated to believe it followed him. A few firefighters followed the group in a hurry after receiving a signal from their superior; they had called the police already, but they would need to control the situation before the arrival of authority.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go have a look too.¡± Li Yiming picked Bai Ze up and trailed behind them.


    Lei San¡¯er¡¯s residence was at the edge of the vige. A deste earthen house with a half-rotten wooden nk serving as its door. It did not look like a ce where someone could live at all. The old viger who led the way was very agitated. With a bamboo pole in his hands, he sent the nk flying with a kick. A few uttered cursester, he was inside with a couple of other vigers. Most of those who followed them, however, had to wait outside since there was barely enough room for a few people inside the residence. As the firefighters, who arrivedst, pushed through the crowd and made ready to enter the building, the vigers inside dashed out of the building, stricken with an expression aghast from terror. One of them sought the support of the wall and vomited without minding those around him. The old viger who led the way had to be dragged out of the building by someone else. He had quivering lips and a nched face and his weapon was nowhere to be seen.


    The firefighters were surprised and quickly dove into the entrance. However, they also quickly retreated. A few guarded the entrance with a horrific countenance while one went to report to their superior.


    ¡°It¡¯s karma... It¡¯s karma...¡± The old orchard owner uttered as he recovered slightly from his shock. His followers who had also entered the building were whispering to the others. Different reactions were seen, other than the shockmon to all; some quickly pulled their rtives away, while others wanted to take a look inside as well. However, with the firefighters posted at the entrance, they could not satisfy their curiosity.


    Li Yiming stood far away from them, so he could only hear fragments of what was being said. ¡°Karma¡±, ¡°gone¡±, ¡°eaten¡±.


    He looked at Bai Ze, who shook her head. ¡°It smells strongly of blood.¡± She said after a long silence.


    As night slowly fell, the crowd dispersed. Some dared to stay around and await the results, while most of the vigers left hurriedly. A tense atmosphere was slowly creeping into the minds of each and everyone present.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er and her assistant appeared behind Li Yiming. He heard her question, but did not turn his head back to answer it: he had too many reasons to stay on his guard against Fang Shui¡¯er.


    Fang Shui¡¯er did not repeat her question; she was as wary as he was. The two groups of people, each with their own consideration, stood side by side without speaking much. Zeng Qian, however, looked at Bai Ze more than a few times, as if she was waiting for something to happen.


    The highest-ranked firefighter soon arrived on scene, and he went through the same routine as those before him. He stayed on his phone after a brief visit inside the room, and his subordinates set up a perimeter around the entrance. The officials of Ning Vige had also arrived, but instead of entering the room, they worked on those who lingered and attempted to convince them to go home. Li Yiming had the courage to stop a viger after putting Bai Ze under Liu Meng¡¯s supervision. ¡°Hey big bro, do you know what happened here?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead. Lei San¡¯er is dead. Apparently his body has been shredded to pieces. It¡¯s horrible. You should leave as quickly as you can, the police will be here soon. I think that they¡¯ll question everyone. Get ready for it.¡± a cursory answer, and the viger hurried away: he evidently did not want to discuss the matter, but still slipped a few words since Fang Shui¡¯er was there.


    Li Yiming frowned upon hearing the answer. Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian exchanged a nce. Bai Ze lowered her head in contemtion and Liu Meng paled. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the filming site.¡± Fang Shui¡¯er left with Zeng Qian. Li Yiming turned around to look at the entrance to Lei San¡¯er¡¯s home, which was still guarded by the firefighters, and proceeded to lead Bai Ze away.


    The filming staff began to gather their equipment; it seemed inevitable that the filming would be dyed, and the sudden turn for the worse took a toll on the moods of everyone present. Xiao Hei sat in a corner by himself, and, when he saw that Fang Shui¡¯er came back, he weed her with nothing more than a cold nce. A gasp was heard from the crowd when news about the death of Lei San¡¯er had reached them, and chattering began. The vige official who weed them scuttled to Xiao Hei and whispered into his ear. Xiao Hei beckoned to the floor manager and he joined the negotiation as well.


    ¡°Alright everyone, please calm down. There has been an ident in the vige. We¡¯re going to do a headcount now and return to our hotel to await the investigation by the police department. We¡¯d like to ask you for your cooperation. We¡¯ll decide on the filming scheduleter,¡± the manager said through a megaphone. He did not exin the reasons behind his decision and simply exhorted the staff to go back to the buses.


    The suddenness of it all left little room for objections. As Li Yiming carried Bai Ze in the middle of the others, Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly proposed. ¡°Yiming, how about you ride in my car?¡±


    This came to the astonishment of the filming crew and roused Li Yiming¡¯s alertness. ¡°With all that¡¯s going on, I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯ll scare Bai Ze. My car is morefortable,¡± Fang Shui¡¯er exined gently with her soft voice.


    The exnation satisfied the curiosity of many, but Li Yiming became more vignt than ever. ¡®You think that I would dare to get into your car? I¡¯ll be lucky if you dump my corpse into the wilderness.¡¯ He shed a nce at Liu Meng and declined the invitation. ¡°Thank you for your kindness. We¡¯ll be just fine with everyone else,¡± said Li Yiming as he mounted the bus without even turning his head. It brought a renewed surprise to those watching: he would have to be mad to refuse an invitation from Fang Shui¡¯er like that. Liu Meng, whose thoughts had run wild from the nce Li Yiming threw at her, was the only exception, and the flush on her cheekssted until she took her seat.


    ¡°He¡¯s not so friendly.¡± Fang Shui¡¯er looked at the bus¡¯ departure and sat into her own car.


    ¡°We can¡¯t assume that. Maybe he¡¯s thinking the same thing as us, and he¡¯s simply not sure about what¡¯s going on, so it¡¯s normal for him to be cautious. Guardians who aren¡¯t so don¡¯t live very long.¡± Zeng Qian pulled on the car door and sat facing Fang Shui¡¯er.


    ¡°But this prudent?. Is he alone?¡±


    ¡°It would be dangerous for us if that¡¯s the case. Don¡¯t forget that this is an intermediate domain,¡± said Zeng Qian as she brought down the back of her seat andid down.


    ¡°Troublesome...¡± Fang Shui¡¯er massaged the corners of her eyes and removed her high-heels. She sat cross-legged on her chair. ¡°What happened to Lei San¡¯er exactly?¡±


    ¡°Zhi Wu went to have a look. His head and half of his calf were left. It looks like he¡¯s been torn apart.¡±


    ¡°Any guesses about how it could have happened?¡± asked Fang Shui¡¯er.


    ¡°Zhi Wu guessed that it could be some kind of wild beast.¡±


    ¡°It would be our luck if it was actually just a wild animal.¡± Fang Shui¡¯er twisted her body and settled down in afortable position. ¡°Tell Zhi Wu to work a little and look around. This is just the beginning, I¡¯ll take a quick nap, tell me when we arrive,¡± she said as she closed her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already instructed him. Rest assured.¡± Zeng Qian turned her head to look at the window with a light-hearted expression. Her cryptic stare pierced into the deep mountains hidden by the veil of night.


    Each member returned to their room in the hotel. Li Yiming found a discreet corner around the entrance and he crouched down with Bai Ze. ¡°What happened exactly?¡± Li Yiming asked.


    ¡°How would I know?¡± Bai Ze started ying on the cell phone again, as if it all had little to do with her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know everything?¡± Li Yiming was not ready to give up.


    ¡°I¡¯m a mythical beast, not some kind of cheat you can type into a game,¡± Bai Ze answered impatiently, without even moving her eyes away from the screen. ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Li Yiming was enthusiastic at the prospect of a breakthrough.


    ¡°This guy¡¯s cheating. I¡¯m sure of it. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t win. Damn it, put money into my ount. I also want to buy cheats,¡± Bai Ze yelled as she pointed at the cell phone.

 Volume 2 Chapter 11

    <h4>Book 2 Chapter 11 ¨C Water </h4>


    Original and most updated trantions are from vre. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.


    ¡®Guo Xiang...¡¯ Li Yiming ignored the mythical beast who had now be addicted to online games. ¡®Guo Xiang is a key character in all of this. He wants to build a vacation resort, but the vigers didn¡¯t want to sell theirnd... So he set fire to the mountain? He¡¯s the culprit?¡¯ Li Yiming drew the link between the several pieces of information he had. ¡®But why would he kill Lei San¡¯er? For fear of leaking his secret? I wouldn¡¯t think that he would do something like that. How did he kill him? They said that only pieces of his body remained... Unless he hired someone to do it?¡¯


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going back to your room?¡± Liu Meng, who had waited inside the lobby for a while, came back out searching for Li Yiming.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about something,¡± said Li Yiming.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep youpany. The manager¡¯s telling us to stay in the hotel since we¡¯re all potential suspects.¡± Liu Meng settled right beside Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming nodded and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. He was about to light it up until Liu Meng snatched it. ¡°There¡¯s a kid here,¡± said Liu Meng as she took the pack as well and stuffed it into her own bag. ¡°Also, you probably shouldn¡¯t smoke that much, you might risk erectile dysfunction.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a kid here,¡± Li Yiming retorted. Liu Meng grimaced and cast down a guilty nce at Bai Ze, who was stillpletely absorbed by her game.


    ¡°Where do you think Guo Xiang is right now?¡± Li Yiming suddenly asked.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Liu Meng asked with alertness.


    ¡°Stop your wild thoughts, I have a few questions to ask him. It¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Li Yiming exined.


    ¡°He¡¯s probably in the suite on the top floor? That one¡¯s the most expensive in the entire city so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising with his character.¡±


    ¡°Do you have his number?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Give him a call.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it yourself?¡± Liu Meng did not want toply.


    ¡°You think that he¡¯d pick up his phone if the call came from a guy at this time?¡± Li Yiming pointed at the sky; it was already past nine.


    ¡°You really have something to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very important.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Liu Meng took out her cellphone and pushed down a button.


    ¡°No answer, seems like he¡¯s putting me in the same category as you.¡± Liu Mengughed in self-ridicule.


    ¡°Can you help me with something else?¡±


    ¡°Not if it involves escorting the emperor to bed,¡± Liu Meng recovered.


    ¡°There¡¯s a kid here,¡± Li Yiming reminded her powerlessly.


    ¡°Shoot. As long as it¡¯s not to damn someone else, and it¡¯s not against thew...¡±


    ¡°Help me ask for Guo Xiang¡¯s room number at the front desk,¡± Li Yiming stopped her run-off answer and said directly.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go?¡±


    ¡°You think that I¡¯ll be able to get an answer?¡±


    ¡°You really do want to see him huh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of urgency,¡± Li Yiming answered very seriously.


    ¡°I¡¯lle along,¡± Liu Meng rarely saw such a look of concern on Li Yiming¡¯s face, so she was worried about something bad happening to him.


    ¡°Deal,¡± Li Yiming considered the proposal and nodded.


    With Lady Liu¡¯s charm, although she did not have the guardian talent Qing Qiaoqiao possessed, the fact that she made her living as a performer on stage made it very easy to convince the clerk at the front desk to tell her what she wanted in a suggestive voice. Li Yiming saw Fang Shui¡¯er car arrive at the hotel, and he quickly pulled Liu Meng into the elevator.


    ¡°You seem scared of Fang Shui¡¯er?¡± Liu Meng asked Li Yiming in the elevator.


    ¡°Beauty brings disaster.¡± Li Yiming improvised.


    ¡°Oh? So you mean that I¡¯m ugly?¡±


    ¡°You have big... Ow...¡± Li Yiming received a blow on his chest.


    ¡°This room, the door isn¡¯t locked.¡± Liu Meng noticed the door being ajar when they arrived.


    ¡°Wait a second...¡± Li Yiming warned her and pulled her back. He signaled to Bai Ze, who crept up and slowly pushed open the door. ¡®What? If there¡¯s danger, let the little girl go first?¡¯ Liu Meng was surprised.


    The three prowled into the room without breaking the quietude within. ¡°Look...¡± Liu Meng cried out, and Li Yiming saw Guo Xiang lying on the floor.


    Li Yiming went closer and closer to him until Guo Xiang¡¯s moans of pain became audible. ¡°He¡¯s alive.¡± He quickly knelt down beside him and put a hand on his chest; a weak heartbeat. ¡°He fainted.¡±


    ¡°Pinch him,¡± Liu Meng was also nervous. It was one thing for her to dislike Guo Xiang, but another to not be a good Samaritan. Li Yiming obeyed her, and, since the knowledge passed down from ancient times was true, Guo Xiang quickly woke up.


    ¡°Water... Water..¡± Guo Xiang groaned before he opened his eyes.


    ¡°Quick, water,¡± Li Yiming repeated nervously.


    ¡°Water,¡± Liu Meng looked around and handed to Li Yiming a bottle of half-finished spring water she found on the counter. Li Yiming poured its content down Guo Xiang¡¯s throat without waiting.


    Guo Xiang¡¯s next, moreplete sentence only came out after his parched throat had been wetted by the liquid. ¡°Water... It¡¯s poisoned...¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Both Li Yiming and Liu Meng stared at the bottle of water vacantly. ¡®You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡¯ they cursed. They looked back at Guo Xiang and saw his lips whiten. A grey liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth. Li Yiming let go of him in a scare, and he fell down onto the floor with protruding eyes and visible veins on his neck. The sound of police sirens was heard in the distance.


    Li Yiming looked at Guo Xiang, at the water bottle, and at the room¡¯s door. ¡°Let¡¯s leave,¡± he picked up Bai Ze and pulled Liu Meng towards the exit. Instead of taking the elevator, they ran down the emergency stairs.


    ¡°Why are we leaving?¡± Liu Meng was perplexed.


    ¡°Guo Xiang was poisoned, and our fingerprints are all over that water bottle. That¡¯ll be hard to exin to the police.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not as if we killed him. We tried to save him.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time to exin,¡± Li Yiming elerated. He really wished Eyesses was here; why would a secret agent from National Security need to run from petty prefectural police?


    Liu Meng was puzzled by his answer, but still obeyed since Li Yiming seemed so nervous. They left the hotel and made for a small alley nearby. Li Yiming¡¯s first priority was to leave the ce. However, the moment he stepped into the alleyway, he froze and ced himself in front of Liu Meng with anxiety. In front of him, under the dim streetlight, someone waited for him, and his figure seemed especially terrifying in the darkness.


    ¡°Can we talk?¡± A voice came from the shadows.


    ¡°Director Zheng?¡± Liu Meng had also noticed the presence of the man, but she was baffled upon hearing his voice: it was the director, Xiao Hei.


    ¡°Tell me your intentions. Maybe we can join forces,¡± Xiao Hei did not mind Liu Meng, and instead stared at Li Yiming.


    ¡°You¡¯re a guardian?¡± Li Yiming squinted and his fear grew.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? Okay, I won¡¯t waste my time with you. Tell Bai Ze¡¯s master to show himself, and we¡¯ll have a talk. This domain isn¡¯t as simple as you imagine. We could work together.¡±


    ¡°Bai Ze¡¯s master?¡± Li Yiming was shaken by his proposal. ¡®How does he know about that?¡¯


    ¡°Ugh... Qianqian was right, you¡¯re a cautious man. I¡¯m not going to lie to you, I saw through her disguise right away, she¡¯s not even human,¡± Xiao Hei sighed.


    ¡°You cannot see through my technique,¡± Bai Ze suddenly stepped forward and said in a voice that made her unrecognizable.


    ¡°Well, the first time I saw you, I knew that you were no ordinary little girl. You are perfect, and that simply isn¡¯t a human characteristic. So I spent life marks to use my ability and pierced through your illusion. Just as I thought... And with your name, it was quite easy, really.¡±


    ¡®So that¡¯s how it is,¡¯ Li Yiming thought.


    ¡°Stop wasting time, tell your master toe out. We need to talk.¡±


    ¡°He is my master.¡±


    ¡°Stop kidding around. I know that that kid isn¡¯t just anyone, either, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have you protect him in person. As for him being your master? For a mythical beast like you, even a single summon would consume an astounding amount of life marks, not to say longer term. It¡¯s impossible for him to have that kind of capacity.¡± Xiao Hei deduced.


    ¡®He doesn¡¯t need to spend any life marks at all, okay?¡¯ Bai Ze mocked him inwardly.


    ¡°Did you kill Guo Xiang?¡± Li Yiming suddenly asked.


    ¡°No, you killed him,¡± Xiao Hei had an almost diabolical smile.


    ¡°You poisoned him.¡±


    ¡°I did poison him, but I controlled the amount very well. One mouthful and he would go unconscious, not die, but you were the one that gave him the lethal dose.¡±


    ¡°You... I...¡± Li Yiming had no answer.


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t killed him, maybe I wouldn¡¯t even be here right now.¡± Xiao Hei seemed very irritated. ¡°He¡¯s the key to the domain, if you kill him, it would be as if you terminated the domain. Now we must seek an alternate way.¡±


    ¡®Terminate the domain? Isn¡¯t that a good thing, unless... They have something else in mind?¡¯ Li Yiming wondered at the meaning of Xiao Hei¡¯sin. ¡°What do you want exactly?¡±


    ¡°An object. As to what it is precisely, unless the person you work for show up, I won¡¯t tell you,¡± said Xiao Hei. He suddenly paused and bent his head slightly, as if he was listening to someone else speak to him.


    Li Yiming realized what he was doing: livemunication with his partners. ¡®Who is it? Fang Shui¡¯er, or Zeng Qian?¡¯


    ¡°You have no choice,¡± A smile surfaced on Xiao Hei¡¯s face, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the person behind you, we wouldn¡¯t even bother with you. You wouldn¡¯t even be able to make it out alive.¡±


    ¡°Where do you get the confidence to say that?¡± Bai Ze stepped forward and asked in a cial tone. Xiao Hei frowned slightly: it seemed like he was quite wary of her. Bai Ze suddenly stopped in her track, looking grimmer than ever, and she shifted her attention to the darkness behind Xiao Hei.


    In the small, quiet alleyway, beyond the blurry shadows projected by the faint roadmp, the pitch ckness seemed like the opened mouth of a terrible beast, ready to swallow them whole.


    Tap¡ª A sound came from the darkness beyond, and Bai Ze came closer to Li Yiming.


    Tap¡ª


    Another noise, Xiao Hei turned around in severity.


    Tap¡ª


    Li Yiming could now distinguish the sound as being footsteps, light-footed but steady.


    ¡°Careful,¡± Bai Ze whispered a warning. Li Yiming reached out for Liu Meng¡¯s trembling hand.


    Tap¡ª Tap¡ª It came closer and faster.


    ¡°It¡¯s already here? Has it already begun?¡± Xiao Hei muttered, he stared into the obscurity in the distance firmly, but the corners of his lips twisted into an odd smile and he slowly lifted his right arm until it was parallel with his shoulders.


    Tap¡ª Tap¡ª Tap¡ª The noise neared and its pace elerated. Li Yiming could see movement in the shadows; something that looked like arge dog racing toward them.


    Xiao Hei bent his knees slightly and clenched his right hand into a fist. The skin of his arm was suddenly colored by a metallic tint; ayer of alloy assembled around his arm, and a momentter, Xiao Hei was armed with a giant bionic arm. The silhouette in the distance had alreadye close, and it ran at a steady, but speeding pace. Li Yiming could finally distinguish it: a dog, a husky, but with intimidating fangs, reddened eyes and hair that stood up like a porcupine¡ªit cried out danger.


    Rarrgh¡ª With a low roar, the husky suddenly elerated, and leaped towards Xiao Hei by pushing its hind legs against the corners of the alleyway.


    For those of you who might have missed the post, I¡¯ve made a mistake yesterday and only uploaded about 90% of Chapter 10. It¡¯s fixed now, so you can scroll back (hopefully its¡¯s not toote at this point) and read thest few lines before continuing! x.x

 Volume 2 Chapter 12

    Thud! Xiao Hei¡¯s metal fist collided with the beast midair, and a loud noise was heard. Xiao Hei took a step backward while the beast twisted its limbs for a renewed leap after barely touching the ground. Xiao Hei lifted his fist again and attempted to smash the animal, but his attack was dodged by a nimble twist of the body, and a crater appeared on the ground.


    ¡°Leave.¡± Bai Ze said in a low voice and pulled Li Yiming and Liu Meng out of the alleyway.


    ¡°Look! Over there!¡± They had barely returned to the street when Liu Meng cried out in horror and pointed at the green belt on the other end of the street; another dog, with golden pelt this time, waited there, and it seemed just as menacing as the husky earlier.


    ¡°Another one?¡± Li Yiming was shocked. ¡®If this one¡¯s the same as the previous one, then there¡¯s no way I can handle it.¡¯ He suddenly noticed the patrol car parked in front of the hotel¡¯s entrance. It belonged to the officers who hade to the hotel for interrogation. He knew that officers had the habit of not locking their car doors when they were on duty. After all, who would dare to steal a police car? 1


    ¡°Get in!¡± Li Yiming yelled as he dashed toward the passenger seat of the patrol car with Bai Ze in his arms. Liu Meng quickly followed him, only she made it for the driver¡¯s seat: Li Yiming did not know how to drive.


    ¡®God bless, the keys are there.¡¯


    ¡°Quick.¡± Li Yiming threw Bai Ze onto the back seat and tapped at the front windshield. Liu Meng did not have much time to think. She started the engine and the vehicle bolted out onto the road. Li Yiming turned his head around to look at the enraged golden dog they left behind and saw it jump on a jogger, leaving a scream of terror that weakened as they drove away.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Liu Meng finally had the opportunity to ask in a panicked voice.


    ¡°They¡¯re Dragondogs,¡± Bai Ze¡¯s voice came from the backseat.


    ¡°Dragondogs?¡±


    ¡°A mythical beast. I think I know what the will of this domain is.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are you talking about?¡± Liu Meng did not understand any of these crazy words.


    ¡°I¡¯ll exin to youter. Bai Ze, continue your story.¡±


    ¡°ording to legends, there used to be an emperor called Gao Xin in the past. His queen had a pain in her ear, and, after three years, a bug crawled out of her ear. The insect was golden and shone light around it, so the queen liked it very much, and asked the servants to put it in a golden basin and feed it. After a while, the bug slowly grew into a puppy. Only, instead of fur, its body was covered with scales. The emperor also liked the animal, so he gave it a name: Dragondog.¡± 2


    ¡°That¡¯s the Dragondog you¡¯re talking about? But the ones we saw...¡± Liu Meng interrupted.


    ¡°Their metamorphosis hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet.¡± Bai Ze crawled up from her seat and looked through the car window.


    ¡°Continue, we have to know more about them.¡± Li Yiming pressed on.


    ¡°Later, enemies of the empire invaded, and the emperor proimed that whoever that could help defeat the enemies would be married to the princess. The Dragondog went to the task alone, sneaked into the enemy camp during the night and tore the neck of the enemy general apart. Without a leader, the enemies were quickly vanquished. However, when the Dragondog returned to the imperial pce, the emperor didn¡¯t like the way it looked and wanted to go back on his promise. The Dragondog told him that he would be able to transform into a human if given seven days. The emperor decreed that seven days should be given to him, and the Dragondog asked the servant of the pce to cover him with a gold basin so that he could begin his transformation. However, on the seventh day, the princess, who had been worried about the Dragondog starving, lifted the basin open to feed him food. Due to the interruption, the Dragondog now had a human¡¯s body, but his head remained that of a dog. The princess, true to her kindness, agreed to marry the Dragondog regardless. The people of the kingdom came to view the Dragondog as an ancestral protector, and called themselves the ¡°descendants of the Dragondog¡±. The ce where those people used to live is here, in Ning Vige, Jing Prefecture.¡± Bai Ze tried her best to condense the knowledge she had of the mythical tale.


    ¡°Then this domain...¡± Even after hearing the story, Li Yiming still found it hard to connect the dots.


    ¡°Since the Dragondog appeared, the will of this domain should be ¡°protection¡±.¡±


    ¡°Protection...¡± Li Yiming quickly went over the sequence of events inside his head. ¡°Okay, I get it. Guo Xiang wants to forcefully purchase thend, so he¡¯s considered the enemy. Lei San¡¯er set fire to the mountains, so the Dragondogs killed him. He was bitten into pieces.¡±


    ¡°This should be right.¡±


    ¡°But Guo Xiang¡¯s already dead, so this domain should be...¡±


    ¡°Remember what Xiao Hei said earlier?¡±


    ¡°They must have something else in mind, and they altered the nature of the domain...¡± The situation became lucid to Li Yiming. ¡°With the Dragondogs killing people... They must have done something terrible.¡±


    The patrol car came to a sudden halt with a screech of the tires. Li Yiming almost crashed into the windshield while Bai Ze collided against the front seat with a thud. Li Yiming pushed himself back and was about to ask for an exnation when he noticed the terrified look on Liu Meng¡¯s face. He followed her eyes and saw three... No, four Dragondogs on the street in front of him. They were not as big as the two earlier, but their hair had receded and one could see shining golden scales beneath the pelt. The four Dragondogs walked with their heads lowered, staring at the front coldly, in a rhythmic cadence and with their tails still behind them.


    They were headed for Bingshui Road, a street famous for its traditional food and a tourist hotspot in Jing Prefecture. 10 PM was the peak time for an evening snack. On the bustling street stood noisy crowds whose chatter was asionally broken by the ngor of the food stand nearby and the loud sizzling of meat being cooked on a grill. It was the liveliness of a small town at its finest, especially at an hour where everyone could enjoy, in an attitude typical to the slow lifestyle of the countryside, the refreshing night wind carrying away with it the sultriness of the day. No one had noticed the four animals who wereing closer and closer.


    ¡°We have to warn them...¡± Li Yiming said with urgency, but it was toote: the four pairs of eyes suddenly lit up with a bloodthirsty lust and the Dragondogs jumped into the crowd with a low roar.


    One of themnded on a grill stand and sunk its teeth into a little girl who was looking at her food with anticipation. Just a moment before, the little girl was thinking about how delicious the grilled duck neck would be, only to have blood gush out of her own neck the next moment. 3


    The four beasts ravaged through the crowd, biting whomever they came across. Every swing of their fangs and every gnawing of their teeth brought forth spurts of blood and the loss of another life. The crowd quickly dispersed, and it became a race with one¡¯s life at stake. Who would have thought that something this terrible would happen on a simple night out for food? Some thought about fighting back, but how could they stop the Dragondogs with their limbs made of flesh and foldable chairs as their weapon? More and more fell to the ground, and two other dogs emerged from another street corner. It was a living hell; broken bodies, torn limbs, a pool of blood and bones. Fewer and fewer people were able to run, and more and more Dragondogs joined the massacre silently.


    Li Yiming could not hear the shrieks and yells of pain through the car window. He thought that he ought to do something, but he was powerless.


    ¡°Quick, leave!¡± Bai Ze yelled. She noticed one special Dragondog across the street, whose size was smaller than the others, but whose entire body shone with a golden light, staring at their car with crimson eyes that hid a predatory ferocity.


    Liu Meng waspletely aghast, she stepped on the gas pedal instinctively upon hearing Bai Ze¡¯s urging, and the car made for the opposite end of the street.


    ¡°What exactly did they do?¡± Li Yiming clenched his teeth and veins appeared beneath the skin on his forehead. ¡®These people are dying...¡¯


    A van driving on the opposite side of the road suddenly lost control and rammed toward the patrol car. Withst-second maneuver, Liu Meng barely avoided the collision, and the van struck an electric pole on the side of the street.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Liu Meng shook her head helplessly, and her finger joints whitened as she held the steering wheel as tightly as she could. Through the speakers of the radio transmitter in the patrol car came an incessant string of shrieks, yells, and cries from different parts of the city.


    ng!


    The window on Li Yiming¡¯s side suddenly shattered. An opened jaw dove into the car. Li Yiming ducked to dodge the attack while Liu Meng shrieked in horror. The Dragondog twisted its body outside the car in an effort to get in. Li Yiming grabbed a police baton on and jabbed the chin of the beast with all his strength. The Dragondog was pushed out of the window and rolled several times before it resumed its chase at a limping pace.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Bai Ze did not even have time to intervene before the animal was ejected from the car.


    Li Yiming looked at the three streaks of blood on his right arm with a barely settled heart and shook his head with a look of ferocity. ¡®A true man only after seeing blood.¡¯ He firmed his resolution.¡°Ning vige. No matter what it is, it has to be at Ning Vige.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to Ning Vige?¡± Liu Meng asked in a panicked voice. No matter how daring she seemed usually, with something like this happening, although she was much better most people of her age, she hadpletely lost herposure.


    ¡°Yes, now.¡± Li Yiming answered confidently.


    Little Bai Ze stayed quiet. She looked at Li Yiming¡¯s face approvingly. ¡®Finally, that¡¯s more like a guardian.¡¯


    Liu Meng made a U-turn and drove toward Ning Vige with a speed she had never dared to reach in her life. Li Yiming looked outside; Dragondogs running through the crowd with screams left and right; someone falling from a residential building with a long cry, with a Dragondognding right next to the corpse an instantter and seeking for another prey following the trail of blood. Behind that corpse, an LED panel with ¡°People¡¯s Bank¡± written on it shed in the darkness. Li Yimingughed in self-derision as he thought about his bank-robbing n and tightened his grip on the baton.


    ¡®Baton...¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly thought. He had no weapons. He searched the patrol car for a firearm, but could not find any. ¡®Not surprising. In this small city, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they didn¡¯t have a single gun.¡¯


    ¡°Hey, can we make a stop there?¡± As Li Yiming sought an alternative, he suddenly noticed a shop ahead. ¡°Long Quan¡¯s Swords¡±: a shop that specializes in decorative des.


    Liu Meng obeyed whatever Li Yiming said and slowly parked the car in front of the shop. Instead of disembarking, the trio observed their surroundings carefully. ¡°It¡¯s safe for now,¡± Bai Ze remarked with a sniff.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. Keep the engine running.¡± Li Yiming opened the door on his side.

 Volume 2 Chapter 13

    <h4><strong>Book 2 Chapter 13 ¨C The Massacre</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming smashed the window and opened the door to the side-entrance of the shop. The three carefully entered the shop and found nothing abnormal inside. Li Yiming searched for the light switch in the darkness, and, a momentter, the shop was lit up. ¡¯Knives, swords... Wow, everything¡¯s here.¡¯


    He dropped his police baton and picked up a Tang-style de. He examined the edge of the de. ¡¯Unsharpened, of course. There¡¯s no way that in a country like ours a small shop like this sells sharpened des.¡¯ 1


    ¡¯Well, I suppose that it¡¯s better than nothing.¡¯ Li Yiming swung the weapon in his hand and felt his confidence improved. Suddenly, he noticed a huge sword hanging in the middle of the shop. The colorful hilt of the weapon was decorated with a coiling dragon, and a ming pattern ran across the body of the de. Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up as he strode towards the sword and removed it from where it hung. ¡¯Oof, heavy. Ten, fifteen kilograms? This metal reflects the light well, oh, and it looks sharp too...¡¯


    ¡¯Nice sword¡ª!¡¯


    Li Yiming suddenly felt as if he was invincible. He raised the sword above his head and brought it down on the counter mightily with an inward roar. ¡¯Demacia!¡¯ This was a swing worthy of someone who ruled the world, a swing that reminded onlookers of the true nature of the Jianghu, a swing that brought out an unequaled courage.


    Bang!


    The sound of the de breaking echoed within the room, along with the noise from its collision against the counter. The broken piece almost hit Liu Meng and brought a scream out of her. Bai Ze brought her palm to her forehead and rolled her eyes. Liu Meng panted from the scare while Li Yiming stared vacantly at the remnants of the sword still connected to the hilt.


    "What did you expect to find here? The Excalibur? These are only artistic renderings." Bai Ze picked up the Tang de Li Yiming had dropped and weighed it out. It seemed odd for her to hold a weapon taller than herself.


    "Take all of the simple, robust-looking ones." Bai Ze had no time to mind Li Yiming. She handed a small dagger to Liu Meng and turned around and rummaged through the weapons in the shop one by one. After a quick examination and weighing, the weapon would disappear into Li Yiming¡¯s storage bracelet with a flick of her wrist.


    By now, Liu Meng had grown ustomed to these oddities and did not even question what she saw. She tried swinging the dagger in her hand and looked back at the Tang de that Bai Ze held. She seemed unsatisfied with the size of her dagger, so she picked up a sword that looked simr to what Bai Ze had.


    Li Yiming threw away his broken sword in embarrassment and imitated Bai Ze. Whenever he found something satisfying, it would vanish with a flick of the wrist.


    Suddenly, Bai Ze gestured to them with her left hand and turned her head toward the window they had broken to enter into the shop. Li Yiming understood her intimation and walked in front of Liu Meng. A golden silhouette suddenly pounced on Bai Ze, who stood at the front, bringing with it a breeze of putrid smell. Bai Ze lifted the de above her head and swung it down, just like what Li Yiming did earlier, only the results werepletely different. A shower of blood fell as the Dragondog was cut into two halves and continued sliding on the floor after it had fallen. One half bumped against the wall whereas the other half stopped right in front of Li Yiming.


    "Let¡¯s go, they¡¯ll pick up the smell." Bai Ze looked like she had just killed a fly. She wiped away the droplets of blood on her cheeks with the corner of her skirt, cleaned her weapon with a vigorous shake of the wrist and headed for the exit, without even looking at the corpse.


    Li Yiming gulped down a mouthful of saliva and dragged Liu Meng to follow her; he found the dainty figure in front him to be the most reassuring thing in the world.


    Back into their card, with their newfound weapons and the fresh memories of that seemingly-invincible strike by Bai Ze, Li Yiming found himself to be much moreposed. Even Liu Meng had improved at driving, and she swung the tail of the car in a drift that reminded him of Wu Jie. But it was not long before Li Yiming¡¯s cool was broken; soon after the car hit the road, he noticed several golden shadows trailing behind with ferocious growls.


    "Quick."


    "Their blood¡¯s on us, and they can smell it. Mengmeng sis, could you go faster? They¡¯ll catch up otherwise," said Bai Ze calmly as she turned her head around.


    Liu Meng nced at the rear-view mirror and clenched her teeth; she pressed as hard as she could on the gas pedal. Li Yiming looked at her bloodless cheeks and sighed, ¡¯I really need to get a driver¡¯s license...¡¯


    The car raced to its destination. As it left Jing City¡¯s center, Li Yiming noticed that there were fewer and fewer cars on the road. asionally, there would be a car parked, sometimes horizontally or even flipped over on the side of the road. The Dragondogs that had been chasing them from the start vanished from sight, but it would not take long before another few jumped on the road and resumed their chase; the chase would only end with their deaths or Li Yiming¡¯s.


    By the time the vehicle reached the outskirts of the city and started its traversal of a river on the Yunjing Bridge, there were only a few Dragondogs trailing far behind and an asional howl.


    "Stop." When the car had reached the middle of the bridge, Bai Ze suddenly ordered.


    Liu Meng obeyed her and quickly stepped on the brakes. After the car came to a halt, they saw a man jump down onto the road. Strictly speaking, it was not a man; it was about three meters tall, and its body was covered by golden scales which, under the road light, looked like a set of expensive armor. Its chest and limbs were robust and muscr, and, most shockingly, its head was that of a dog. The monster stood in the middle of the road without moving and threw a menacing re at the patrol car.


    "What is that?" Liu Meng asked in a shaking voice.


    "A Dragondog, the real Dragondog..." Bai Ze answered. She looked at the back, saw the few dogs that chased after them already on the bridge and sighed in frustration. "Well, Yiming, looks like it¡¯s up to you."


    "What?" Li Yiming had barely recovered from the horror of seeing that monster, but Bai Ze had already opened the car door and disembarked.


    "That¡¯s the real Dragondog, the one rumored to be the protector of Ning Vige," Bai Ze continued as she set foot on the road, "We need to get to there, but with this guy blocking the way, we won¡¯t be able to pass through, even the little puppies are going to catch up to us. "


    Bai Ze seemed veryposed, her countenance inscrutable. She closed the door and extended both of her arms, as if she was reaching for something. Two des appeared in her hands. The left one, taller than herself, she held in front of her horizontally, projecting a cold, metallic re into the eyes of onlookers. She dragged the other one behind her, leaving a trail of sparks and an unbroken series of clinking as its tip grazed the surface of the road.


    "I¡¯ll keep them busy. I might not be able to kill the big one, but making him stay..." The corners of Bai Ze¡¯s lips curled into a half-smile, and her scarlet hair-tie fell down in two pieces. Her long hair billowed in the still air of the night. "I¡¯ll leave Ning Vige to you."


    "Go!" Bai Ze cried out, and, without waiting for an answer from Li Yiming, the patrol car made for the opposite side of the bridge, slipping right by the chimeric creature.


    The monster had also felt the menace from Bai Ze and slowly assumed a prowling position as it dropped its arms to the ground as the car went by it, without doing anything to stop the vehicle. Li Yiming turned his head to look back to throw onest deep look at the small figure with two swords in her hands as the patrol car drove away. The Dragondog pounced on Bai Ze, but was met with a blow from both hands by her.


    ck! ck!


    The two des shed with the monster¡¯s fangs in midair.


    "Qianqian, that boy doesn¡¯t want to cooperate." Xiao Hei panted as he stepped onto the broken corpses of a Dragondog, his bionic arm coated in a thickyer of blood and minced flesh.


    "You¡¯re the one who insisted on bringing that mythical beast along. I told you that whoever that could control such a beast would be beyond our reach. Oh well, we¡¯ve made preparations for them in the first ce." Zeng Qian answered him in a cold voice. "Are you alright?"


    "I¡¯m fine, but the Dragondogs are quickly reacting to us, and the gue has spread out through the entire city by now." Xiao Hei waved his hand, and the over-sized mechanical extension of his arm quickly shrunk into a bracelet. "What about your side?"


    "Everything¡¯s going well. We¡¯ve killed all the dogs in the vige before proceeding. Things are calm."


    "What about Shui¡¯er?"


    "She contacted me a few times, I didn¡¯t answer her." Zeng Qian pulled at her hair nervously and threw an rmed look at Zhi Wen and Zhi Wu standing in the distance.


    "We can¡¯t hide it from her forever, she¡¯ll know sooner orter." Xiao Hei¡¯s answered in a frustrated voice.


    "Theter the better. Come here as quickly as possible. It¡¯s almost time."


    "I¡¯ll be there right away. Stay put for the moment." Xiao Hei waved his hand again, and a backpack appeared behind him. He pulled on a level, and he was propelled into the sky with a zing trail behind him: a jetpack.


    Fang Shui¡¯er lowered the bow she held and examined the corpse of the Dragondog nailed to the wall by her arrows with a severe countenance. ¡¯What happened? Is this Li Yiming¡¯s doing? I can¡¯t get into contact with Qianqian, Xiao Hei, Zhi Wen and Zhi Wu. What happened to them?¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er looked in the direction of Ning Vige, clenched her teeth and departed in its direction. Her silhouette vanished in the darkness in the distance after a few light hops between the buildings.


    The patrol car continued its journey on the gloomy road as the quiet forest around it thickened. Both Li Yiming and Liu Meng stayed in silence, still yet to recover from the sight of Bai Ze earlier. "If, I¡¯m saying if, we get out of this alive, you owe me an exnation." Liu Meng said calmly without moving her eyes away from the road.


    "Can you stay in the car?" Li Yiming did not dare to look at Liu Meng in the eyes, and instead faced the front of the road.


    "Do you think that I¡¯ll be safer in the car?" Liu Meng retorted.


    "Ugh..." Li Yiming sighed. "We¡¯re almost here, turn off the headlights."


    As the car drove into the vige at a slow speed, Liu Meng extinguished the lights and Li Yiming tightened his grip on his weapon. "Something¡¯s wrong." The two exchanged a nce in the darkness as the car progressed inward.


    It was simply too quiet. Although it was nearly midnight, with the exception of the noise of the road light whistling as it was battered by the wind, not a single sound was heard.


    "Look!" Liu Meng stopped the car and pointed at a house. It was the one rented out to Bai Ze during the filming. Someoneid at the entrance in a pool of blood.


    Li Yiming descended and walked towards to the person. It was the corpse of the owner of the house, a middle-aged woman.


    "Gunshot wound..." Li Yiming frowned.


    "Look inside..." Liu Meng covered her mouth with her hand and pointed at the door.


    ¡¯Corpses... Corpses everywhere.¡¯ This was the only thing in Li Yiming¡¯s mind. A terrible thought suddenly urred to him, and he dashed into the neighboring houses to check.The entire vige had been massacred.


    No more reserve chapters left ??


    The Tang style de is a weapon simr to a katana. ?

 Volume 2 Chapter 14

    The entire vige was dead. The elders, women, children... Those who danced and chanted during the filming in the morning had been turned into cold corpses now. Li Yiming was struck with an incredible anger. This was different from the Dragondogs, who were savage beasts: the bullet holes through the skull, cuts of a de through the chest, necks broken... someone had done all of this.


    ¡®Fang Shui¡¯er¡ª!¡¯


    Li Yiming cried out inwardly. He would never have imagined that the idol who amazed all with her grace and elegance, the one that wasparable to a beautiful goddess, would be capable ofmitting such a cold-blooded massacre.


    ¡°Ah¡ª!¡± Li Yiming let out a cry of rage as he ran toward the center of the vige. He left Liu Meng, who seemed dumbstruck by what she saw, behind him. His only thought was about going to ask her whether the lives of the people really didn¡¯t mean anything at all within domains.


    Liu Meng stared vacantly at the gruesome scene. The only color she could see was red... the color of blood, a veil of crimson that slowly expanded and painted every corner of her world. She could not hear Li Yiming¡¯s angry roar. The world had first be mute, and then colorless. Her senses vanished one by one as she sank deeper and deeper into a sea of crimson.


    ¡°Li Yiming?¡±Zeng Qian frowned upon hearing Li Yiming¡¯s angry cry. Zhi Wen and Zhi Wu went closer to her with their guns drawn; information showed that Li Yiming was much more menacing than he seemed, and there was no room for unforeseen changes at this point.


    Li Yiming found three people at the filming location, the only three who could still stand in Ning Vige. Zeng Qian leaned her back against an aged pagoda-tree with emerald leaves and robust branches while Zhi Wen and Zhi Wu stood by her side. The unchanged smile which hung on her lips made for a very different feeling now. Li Yiming recognized the two as being Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s bodyguards.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Fang Shui¡¯er? Tell her toe out.¡± Li Yiming stared at the three coldly and pointed his weapon at Zeng Qian. Zeng Qian smiled back at him with squinted eyes, while the two bodyguard brothers raised their guns as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± A figure suddenly appeared behind Li Yiming with hastened breath.


    ¡°Shui¡¯er?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s arrival broke Zeng Qian¡¯sposure. She stood up from where she was while the two bodyguards lowered their weapons.


    Fang Shui¡¯er had a pale countenance and her chest heaved from what seemed like a very long run. She turned toward Li Yiming while brushing away her disordered hair and noticed the sadness and anger on his face. She then looked at her threepanions and realized something. Anger slowly lit up in her eyes as she looked at Zeng Qian. ¡°Tell me that it¡¯s not you.¡± She said as her shoulders shuddered from a repressed indignation.


    Zeng Qian¡¯s lips moved without a wording out of them. The polite smile on her face seemed forced and very unnatural at this point. The two bodyguards looked away.


    Li Yiming calmed down a little and observed the exchange. ¡®What¡¯s happening?¡¯


    ¡°We had to do it¡± Xiao Hei¡¯s voice came from above. Li Yiming raised his head and saw Xiao Hei slowlynd near Zeng Qian.


    ¡°Why?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er asked in a cial tone. The four who stood in front of her were her best friends, and the only people she could trust ever since she had be a guardian, but now...


    ¡°For Qianqian,¡± Xiao Hei answered and wrapped his fingers around Zen Qian¡¯s hand.


    ¡°For Qianqian? Give me a reason.¡±


    ¡°A reason?¡± Zeng Qian suddenly broke away from Xiao Hei¡¯s hand and stepped forward. She pulled on her cheeks, and to Li Yiming¡¯s shock, the skin came off cleanly. ¡°How¡¯s that for your reason?¡±


    ¡®Holy..¡¯ Li Yiming gasped. Even after two domains, life and death, and after seeing people devoured by savage beasts... The face in front of him could barely qualify as one, given how horribly distorted it was, the odd, entangled muscles, the craters and bumps in the skin, and the dark, greenish color of rotten flesh...


    ¡°Look at this face! Is this enough of an exnation?¡± Zeng Qian stepped forward in a furious rage.


    When Fang Shui¡¯er saw her face, her coldness instantly melted and all that was left was grief andpassion.


    ¡°We¡¯ve found out that there¡¯s a phoenix hidden in this domain. If we can y it, we¡¯ll be able to obtain a fruit of Nirvana.¡± Xiao Hei slowly interposed himself between Zeng Qian and Fang Shui¡¯er, and, without minding her terrifying appearance, wrapped his arms around her.


    ¡®Fruit of Nirvana?¡¯ This came as a surprise for Li Yiming. He remembered what Bai Ze told him.


    ¡°Fruit of Nirvana? You still haven¡¯t given up on that?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er seemed surprised.


    ¡°Give up?¡± Zeng Qian broke free from Xiao Hei¡¯s embrace again. ¡°Of course you¡¯d give up. You¡¯re as beautiful as a goddess, an international star, a national idol. Your charm is unrivaled and you have the whole world at your feet. When you climb onto the stage and stand beneath the spotlights, do you remember this face? When you smile to the thousands of cameras, have you given a thought about my feelings? When countless crowds be mesmerized by your beauty, have you felt my pain?¡± Zeng Qian roared in a frenzied rage.


    ¡°This... I could¡¯ve enjoyed all of that too. To hell with Heaven¡¯s Laws, and to hell with the talent! Have you seen my pain after using my talent? Look at my body, look at my face... It rotted inch by inch. We used to look the same! Look at us now!¡±


    Fang Shui¡¯er shuddered at Zeng Qian¡¯s bitter screech.


    ¡°Look at me!¡± Zeng Qian ripped her own cor open, revealing hideous dark crust that seemed little better than the skin from a mummified corpse.


    ¡®So that¡¯s why she¡¯s wearing a suit in the summer...¡¯ Li Yiming pitied her a little.


    ¡°My face used to be the same as yours. The same beautiful, graceful traits, the same charming features. Do you know how long it¡¯s been since I looked at myself in a mirror? Do you know how disgusted and scared I feel when I take a bath? Do you know how I feel when I look at you? Every single time I do your makeup, I try to imagine that it¡¯s my face I¡¯m working on, I¡¯m embellishing myself... and I see you walk toward the crowd. I can only stand and watch, hidden behind a mask as you beguile the entire world. Have you noticed the tears hidden behind the smile on my chubby mask? Have you ever taken a look at me properly, at your own sister?¡± Zeng Qian sobbed. ¡°And you want me to give up? How can I ever give up?¡±


    ¡®Sister?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s eyes widened at the revtion. He suddenly remembered something he read on the inte a long time ago. ¡®I remember that it said Fang Shui¡¯er had a twin sister. She was called Fang Qian¡¯er. They debuted at the same time, but Fang Qian¡¯er was like a shooting star, vanishing from public eyes after a very short while. Fang Qian¡¯er... Zeng Qian... Zeng... ¡°used to be¡±?... used to be alluring...?¡¯


    ¡°Only the Fruit of Nirvana can cleanse the poison in her body... and restore her appearance. We have no choice.¡± Xiao Hei removed his jacket and gently wrapped it around Zeng Qian¡¯s body. He then took out his handkerchief and carefully wiped away Zeng Qian¡¯s tears.


    ¡°So you killed everyone here? And you made the Dragondogs go on a rampage on the entire prefecture?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er took a deep breath and slowly collected herself.


    Li Yiming¡¯s tightened his grip on his weapon. ¡®So the Dragondogs, it¡¯s also them?¡¯


    ¡°The phoenix is the totem of this vige, it¡¯s the only way,¡± answered Xiao Hei in a frustrated voice.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been chosen by Heaven¡¯s Law to guard the bnce of this world, and you...¡± Fang Shui¡¯er looked at herpanions with growing reproach. ¡°For your own desires, you...¡±


    ¡°This is a domain, it¡¯s all fake,¡± Zeng Qian retorted.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s fake, it¡¯s human life,¡± Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly raised her tone, and her answer brought a revtion to Li Yiming. ¡®It¡¯s still human life.¡¯


    ¡°They were alive, you witnessed it with your own eyes! Just this morning, she boiled a bowl of eggs for you!¡± Fang Shui¡¯er pointed at a corpse on the stairs nearby. It was Lei widow. She was staring nkly at the sky with arge wound on her chest. ¡°How can you do something like that?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er pointed at another corpse, that of a child in a pool of blood. ¡°He was only two years old, and you gave him candy today...¡± She teared up.


    ¡°We¡¯re guardians, and we¡¯re supposed to protect this world!¡± Two drops of tears dribbled down her cheeks andnded on her shaking arm.


    ¡°Beauty is the life of a woman, and I was blessed with it... I won¡¯t give up, even if I forsake Heaven¡¯s Laws.¡± Zeng Qian answered, and the ferociousness in her eyes worked a chilling expression on her ruined visage.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er dodged her sister¡¯s eyes and looked at Xiao Hei.


    ¡°I love her.¡± A simple answer.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Fang Shui¡¯er shut her eyelids for a moment and, when she opened them, she threw a deep look at the two bodyguard brothers.


    ¡°Shui¡¯er...¡± Zhi Wen called her name, but could not say anything more.


    ¡°We grew up together. We can¡¯t bear seeing Qianqian like this,¡± Zhi Wu gathered his courage and answered.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Fang Shui¡¯er took a deep breath; it seemed like she had made a difficult decision, ¡°Then today...¡±


    ¡°Today you shall die here...¡± An airy voice interrupted her. Li Yiming lifted his head promptly and saw a woman floating in the air, a seducing figure with beautiful traits. She cast down a hollow look lit up by a ghostly red me dancing within her irises.


    ¡®Liu Meng?¡¯


    * * *


    A carpet of blood, decorated from time to time by a broken limb, covered the ruined pavement of Yunjing Bridge. The Dragondog corpses had been put together to form a small, putrid pile of flesh. Bai Ze, bathed in blood, leaned against a broken pir with a weak breath. Her wrist was twisted to an abnormal angle and her left hand hung down limp from the forearm. Blood slowly seeped through the right hand ced on her left abdomen. Her swords were nowhere to be seen, and, a wound deep enough to reach the bone cut through her right thigh.


    ¡°How troublesome...¡± Bai Zeughed scornfully with her head lowered. She then looked at the figure standing in front of her.


    The Dragondog towered over her with his tall, imposing figure, his eyes gazing at the moon. However, his right hand had been cut off, and he had a gaping hole, about the size of a ser ball, right in the middle of his chest. Bai Ze looked at the night sky through it, at the crescent moon which hung quietly from the tip of the mountains in the distance.


    She tried to stand up by supporting herself with her right hand, only to stumble and fallpletely t down. Bai Ze sat back down in frustration and looked at Ning Vige. ¡®This is the best I can do, the rest is up to you...¡¯

 Volume 2 Chapter 15

    <h4><strong>Book 2 Chapter 15 ¨C Phoenix Possession</strong></h4>


    "She¡¯s not Liu Meng!" Zeng Qian stared excitedly at the girl who was floating in the air. "The phoenix... it¡¯s finally here."


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming did not mind her and called out her name with all of his strength.


    "She¡¯s been possessed by the phoenix. The information is right, the phoenix is already wounded..." Xiao Hei ced himself in front of Zeng Qian, shook his right hand and his mechanical arm resurfaced from beneath his skin.


    Fang Shui¡¯er took a step back and a bow with elegant curves appeared as she threw a hesitant look at Liu Meng.


    Tatat... Tatat... The sound of gunshots resounded. Zhi Wen and Zhi Wu, quick-thinking as they were, started shooting right away. Liu Meng¡¯s figure faded into a form made of red smoke before materializing in front of Zhi Wei the next instant.


    "Ha!" Zhi Wen quickly threw his gun away and pulled out a sword as big as a door with a pitch-ck de. He swung the weapon down onto Liu Meng with all of his strength.


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming cried out in shock.


    The dark de traced a huge arc in front of Zhi Wen and came crashing down towards Liu Meng. However, the de came to a halt three inches away from Liu Meng¡¯s body as she had extended two pale fingers from her hand and pinched the de.


    "Killed my people... ughtered my vige... You... punished by a hundred deaths..." The airy voice was heard again. A red glow spurted out of Liu Meng¡¯s fingertips, transforming itself into a dancing me as it ran down towards the hilt.


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯ Zhi Wen threw his weapon away and rolled backward. An instantter, the sword was liquefied in an outburst of mes. A sizzling sound was heard as the melted metal dripped onto the ground


    "Zhi Wen!" Xiao Hei yelled out. Zhi Wen had yet to stand up again when the phantom-like silhouette appeared behind him and pushed her hand down onto his head. He knelt down and parried the blow with his right hand. However, instead of the full blow he had expected, Liu Meng barely grazed his arm with her fingers. A red spark and fire lit up on Zhi Wen¡¯s arm. After an initial moment of panic, Zhi Wen quickly rolled to the side, and, with a fierce look, pulled on his right arm with his left one. He tore his own limb off, and it proved to be the right decision: his armbusted before it could even touch the ground.


    "NOO!" Zhi Wu, upon seeing that his brother had lost his arm, roared in anger and leaped at Liu Meng. A screeching sound was heard as he cut through the air at an unimaginable speed and a huge shield, on the surface of which runic glyphs appeared and disappeared following the tides of a colorful luster, appeared in front of him. His intervention forced Liu Meng to abandon her attack on Zhi Wen. She raised her hand once again and pushed forward steadily as another re germinated in her palm.


    Bang! A deafening noise was heard as a visible shockwave rippled through the air. Zhi Wu flew backward,nded with one knee touching the ground and nted his shield into the earth in front of him. Liu Meng¡¯s figure disappeared once again and reappeared a little farther away. She looked at her shaking right hand and furrowed her brows slightly.


    Zhi Wu stood up with his shield once again and stared coldly at Liu Meng. His brother, who had just lost an arm, took out a bottle of red potion and gulped it down. Then, without minding his bleeding wound, he pulled out a dagger and readied himself for the next attack. Li Yiming, who had been thrown away to the side from the st earlier, stared at Liu Meng with widened eyes.


    "Kill her!" Zeng Qian cried with a hoarse voice. Her flesh clumped and squirmed, and a green slime slowly seeped out from beneath her skin, making her appear more repulsive than ever.


    With a sudden ming outburst from his jetpack, Xiao Heiunched himself into the air. As hepleted his ascent, his right arm transformed into a hollow cylinder inside of which white light was quickly gathering intensity. As he charged his attack, his partnersunched themselves toward Liu Meng. Liu Meng raised her head and looked at Xiao Hei gravely, and, with a swing of her arm, a small ming bird suddenly burst out of her own body and flew toward Zhi Wu. Zhi Wu seemed terrified by the sight of the small, delicate apparition. He ced his giant shield in front of him and crouched down in order to shield himself from the attack.


    The bird flew towards Zhi Wu, but as it was about to collide against the shield, it suddenly changed its trajectory with a p of its wings, skirted past the obstacle and made for Zhi Wen instead, who was behind his brother. Zhi Wen let out a cry of surprise and evaded to the side, but with another p, the bird reoriented itself once again, as if it had nned to do so all along, and hit Zhi Wen while he was still in midair.


    Boom!


    A small crack was heard, and Zhi Wenbusted into a human torch. A charred form emerged out of the smoke of the explosion, only to disintegratepletely before it could reach the ground.


    "Zhi Wen¡ª!" Xiao Hei roared in agony. "Mana Cannon!" A sudden sh and a white orb of light shot out of his right arm toward Liu Meng, carrying with it a terrible destructive power.


    Red me gathered around Liu Meng and her hair lengthened, its color changing into a vivid scarlet as she dove away to dodge the attack. Zhi Wu, however, did not allow her to get away scot-free after killing his brother. He jumped toward her with bloodshot eyes and blocked her escape with a bash of his shield. Liu Meng raised her hands to counter Zhi Wu¡¯s blow, but this dyed her long enough for Xiao Hei¡¯s strike to arrive. The moment Liu Meng made contact with the white orb, the fire around her body suddenly transformed into a red glow that shot upward toward the sky.


    Bang¡ª!


    A deafening explosion and a blinding sh of light. Li Yiming was once again thrown away by the st.


    Zhi Wu suffered the same fate, only that he was still able to protect himself with his shield and kept his eyes resolutely fixated on the center of the explosion. The glow on his shield, by now, had dimmed to an almost indistinguishable degree. Xiao Hei stayed in the air and looked at the carnage below. The entire vige was nearly wiped out; trees uprooted, buildings reduced to nothing but deste ruins, and a giant crater of more than fifty meters in diameter that formed right at the center of the impact. However, as soon as the light dimmed out and the smoke dissipated, Xiao Hei noticed the presence of a sphere of me in the center of the crater.


    Xiao Hei cast down a grave look and pulled out a small metallic bead that he kneaded tightly. Zhi Wu slowly stood up and moved his shield towards the front. Li Yiming, lying prone, sighed in relief.


    The sphere split into two halves that each extended to the side, forming a pair of wings. Liu Meng appeared from behind the veil of me with a sliver of irritation in her vacant eyes. With one light p, the me resumed its dance within her irises, and Liu Meng¡¯s hair fluttered in an almost satanic way. However, there was also an odd purity and holiness to the way the me burned and cleansed everything around her. The sight of this, despite the waves of heat that could be felt, chilled the hearts of all watching her.


    "Shui¡¯er!" Xiao Hei cried out. He merged the metallic bead with his right arm and the metallicyer transformed once again, this time covering his entire body; Xiao Hei was looking more like a robot than a human now.


    "Zhi Wen¡¯s dead¡ª" Zhi Wu threw a bitter look at Fang Shui¡¯er. He raised his left hand and brought it down to his own heart. A syringe appeared as he thrust his palm down, and a blue liquid was injected into his body. Zhi Wu¡¯s body convulsed as his expanding muscles and veins tore apart his shirt, and his body grew to more than two meters in height. Even his shield had be bigger.


    Fang Shui¡¯er looked at herpanions hesitantly. The longbow in her hand shook violently as her emotional turmoil had reached a climax.


    Zeng Qian underwent a transformation even more terrible than the others. A thick liquid oozed out from her pores and, as it dripped down, small, squiggling worms, were seen crawling within the fluid. As soon as they made contact with the ground, ck smoke carrying a putrid smell rose and the vegetation around them burned with a putrid smell.


    Liu Meng looked at her and seemed evidently disgusted. She extended her arms, and suddenly three more ming birds appeared from behind her and made for Zeng Qian. Thetter stared at the dangerous oners and emitted a dry screech. The bugs which crept on her body suddenly burst into a tornado of emerald-winged flies. The bugs that flew around her grew more and more in numbers and they gathered into a thick cloud that becamerge enough to upy half of the horizon.


    As the birds entered the darkness, their ming bodies boiled and sparked. Countless bugs were burnt into ashes, but the smoke that was emitted from theirbustion made the cloud even thicker, and it corroded the invaders gradually. After a short-lived flight, the three birds dimmed, extinguished, and disappeared.


    Zhi Wu, now plunged into a furious frenzy, pounced on Liu Meng once again, leaving a trail of dust and earth behind him. Each step he took produced a small crater, and the glyphs on his shield brightened as he approached his target. Xiao Hei, who was still flying, transformed once more, and this time, four cannon tubes emerged from his back, each charging a blow destined for Liu Meng. The ck mist around Zeng Qian billowed and suddenly shot toward Liu Meng with a buzzing noise, intent on swallowing her full.


    Zhi Wu was the first to reach Liu Meng. His charge had produced a gust that caused Liu Meng¡¯s hair to fly in the opposite direction before he even touched her. Liu Meng spun around and blocked Zhi Wu¡¯s charge with a diagonal sh of her giant wings. She then waved her arm and another ming bird took flight toward Xiao Hei. This one was much brighter than the previous ones, and Xiao Hei had to interrupt his attack in order to evade it. The apparition grazed past his left arm and left a burning mark on its passage. Finally, Liu Meng dove in Zeng Qian¡¯s direction, as shepleted her spin. Burnt flies fell down like rain as Liu Meng extended her arm and reached for Zeng Qian¡¯s head.


    "AHHH¡ª!" Zeng Qian emitted a terrible screech. She suddenly sped her hands together in front of her chest, and her insects, following her motion, had gathered into two giant smoke fists that aimed to crush Liu Meng. However, even they could not stop Liu Meng. As the ck smoke thickened and the glow on Liu Meng¡¯s wings dimmed, she came closer and closer to Zeng Qian.


    Zhi Wu, with a distressed expression, jumped to Zeng Qian¡¯s rescue by bringing his shield over his head and swinging it down, but he was toote. Xiao Hei, who had just managed to recover from Liu Meng¡¯s attack, also turned around and channeled as much energy into his cannons as he could with bloodshot eyes.


    Suddenly, Liu Meng halted and wrapped her wings around her body. A beam of light, as colorful as a fragment from a shattered rainbow, streaked toward Liu Meng. It pushed her back nearly twenty meters and bought enough time for Zhi Wu to interpose himself between Liu Meng and Zeng Qian. As Liu Meng¡¯s retreat came to a slow halt, she extended her wings once more, and nailed onto her left wing was an arrow that seemed to be made of painted ss.


    "Starfall Arrow?" Liu Meng looked at the figure that blended into the shadows in the distance and uttered in her flimsy voice.


    Fang Shui¡¯er was standing there, wrapped in a set of translucent armor. She seemed like a goddess of war with the ribbons of lights that wrapped around her armor. Hervishly decorated bow had be almost as tall as she was, and, as she gently pulled back the bowstring with her left hand, the glittering light around her bow gathered and solidified into a translucent shaft that reflected a cold beam of light toward Liu Meng.


    Hello hello, fresh chapter out of the oven!

 Volume 2 Chapter 16

    <h4><strong>Book 2 Chapter 16 ¨C Battle to the Death</strong></h4>


    Bai Ze leaned against a broken wall as she tried her best to focus the energy inside her body towards the recovery of her wounds. The echoes of the loud explosion and the halos of light, bearing testimony to the ferocity of the battle, unsettled her quite a bit. What made her worry even more what that presence she felt, the presence of a phoenix. If she was in her full form, perhaps she would not have worried so much, but now, and with how weak Li Yiming was...


    ¡¯Please don¡¯t die...¡¯ Bai Ze cried inwardly. Suddenly, her bitterness turned into shock, and then fear.


    Someone appeared in front of her. A man, skinny, not very tall, dressed in square pajamas and with his pants rolled up to his knees. He wore a pair of stic slippers and had a knit-bag in his hands.


    What scared Bai Ze the most was not the attire of her visitor, but the way he hade. ¡¯How...? I didn¡¯t even sense his presence, and I¡¯m Bai Ze! Even now, he¡¯s standing in front of me, but it feels like as if he doesn¡¯t exist! But my eyes aren¡¯t lying to me...¡¯


    The man did not mind Bai Ze and instead gazed at the Dragondog. Ah¡ª The man sighed. He remarked mncholically. "This guy¡¯s also someone worthy of praise." Then, with a swift swing of his arm, the Dragondog¡¯s corpse disappeared.


    "Who are you?" Bai Ze squinted as she gathered thest bits of energy she had left. If this stranger was an enemy, then she would not go down without a fight.


    "Calm down." The man raised his hand, and Bai Ze¡¯s eyes widened; the energy she had just gathered had faded away.


    "Not bad, little girl. The Bai Ze beasts aren¡¯t renowned for their fighting capabilities, yet you managed to defeat the Dragondog," the man knelt down right in front of Bai Ze and examined her wounds.


    "Just who are you?" Bai Ze asked in a grave, mistrustful voice.


    "Oh, I just happened to walk by, and I want to see what the ruckus was all about," the man answered casually. "You seem quite hurt, and it¡¯s probably going to take quite a few years if you¡¯re left to recover by yourself. Here, take this."


    The man took out a ck pill from his bag, and, before Bai Ze could react, shot it into Bai Ze¡¯s mouth with a flick of his fingers. The pill had already melted inside of her mouth before she could spit it out, and she felt a feeling of warmness reach deep inside her.


    Bai Ze moved her lips without saying a word. As the feeling of warmth reached her abdomen, she could feel her wounds healing quickly. The bad cut she had suffered on her thigh had also begun to regenerate, and the flesh was renewing itself almost visibly. "Nine Transformations Life Lengthening Pills?" Bai Ze was shocked once again when she felt the changes within her body. ¡¯This is a holy pill for healing wounds. Rumored to be of the rarest kind, and he just...?¡¯ She nced at the knit bag and it seemed like the pill furnace of the Taishang Laojun. 1


    "Incredible knowledge for a little girl. Oh well, Bai Ze, from the stars to below the earth, from important matters to trivial details. Hmmm, interesting."


    "Thank you for your help, mister." Bai Ze struggled to get up for a salutation. It was natural for her to repay kindness with politeness.


    "Ah, sit down, sit down." The man raised his hand, and Bai Ze was pushed back down. "You¡¯re too hurt to do anything right now. If you don¡¯t take care of yourself, you won¡¯t be pretty when you grow up. Your outer wounds may be mended, but you still haven¡¯tpletely recovered. Refrain from using your powers for a while, otherwise you¡¯ll suffer permanent consequences."


    "Mister..." Bai Ze hesitated.


    "Look at that light and fire. I¡¯ll go have a look over there. It seemed like they¡¯ve brought out that little bird. You should take a rest," the man uttered, and, before Bai Ze could stop him, he started walking toward Ning Vige. It was a slow and leisurely pace, but every step he took carried him arge distance forward, and he vanished from Bai Ze¡¯s sight soon afterward.


    ¡¯Who was that?¡¯ Bai Ze wondered. Despite her wealth of knowledge, she could not find anything useful about that man, and, as he left, Bai Ze realized that even his face was starting to fade away in her mind. ¡¯Dream-like? This is a Dao technique! Just who is he?¡¯


    Little Bai Ze struggled to get up and limped toward Ning Vige. This man was full of mysteries, ¡ª and he could be dangerous, so she was worried about Li Yiming.


    Liu Meng looked at the few people in front of her and pursed her lips into a macabre smile. "Starfall Deste Moon Armor¡ª White Beast ck Turtle Shield ¡ª Bugs of Corrupting Heart and Dying Love ¡ª" She raised her chin and looked at Xiao Hei, "Nano-light Armor¡ª" and then at the pile of ashes that Zhi Wen had be, "True Water Emerald Heart Sword¡ª I didn¡¯t think that a small domain like this could attract a group of people like you. What are you here for?"


    "Give us the Fruit of Nirvana and we¡¯ll let you live," Xiao Hei¡¯s voice came from above. The phoenix had been much stronger than they had expected, and that was without considering the fact that it was injured in the first ce.


    "Oh, you¡¯re here for the Fruit of Nirvana? Ahahaha¡ª" Liu Meng suddenly let out a high-pitched hystericalugh that resounded in the valley. She bent her wing and plucked out the arrow which was stuck on it, just like someone would pick up a flower, and scrutinized it. A momentter, she closed her fingers. The arrow burned to ashes and dispersed in theing wind.


    "Where did you find such boldness?" Liu Meng¡¯s voice suddenly changed into a strident, menacing tone, and the fire around her body grew bigger until the me turned orange. Then, her wings suddenly splintered into thousands of small fire birds that flew toward her foes.


    Xiao Hei elevated himself once more, and rained down on the birds with all four of his cannons. Fang Shui¡¯er shot out one arrow that split into two, and then four, and then as many shafts as there could be to cover the sky. Zhi Wu raised his shield and nted into the ground, and his weapon emitted a huge fan-shaped indigo ripple as the runic glyph inscribed on it glowed brighter than ever. Zeng Qian sped her shoulders with her hands, and her bugs gathered into a giant skull form that flew forward with its mouth open.


    The rain of light, the arrows, the indigo ripple and the skull collided against the ming birds in the air, and loud noises were heard over and over again. The light faded, the arrows were broken, the bugs were burned and the birds slowly died out.


    Liu Meng, without her wings now, jumped forward and made for Zhi Wu, who had the strongest defense out of the four. A small ze appeared in her palm, its color changing from red to orange, and then from orange to ck. She pushed it down slowly on Zhi Wu¡¯s shield.


    Bang!


    An explosion of indigo and Zhi Wu sank into the ground. Before he could recuperate, Liu Meng brought down her other hand.


    Bang!


    Another st. The shield shook, and Zhi Wu¡¯s finger bled. He was now knee-deep in the ground. Liu Meng, however, continued her onught and struck down again with her right hand.


    Bang!


    The light on the shield dimmed. Zhi Wu¡¯s lips were colored by blood, and he pushed his shield upward with his right shoulder; he was now waist deep.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Liu Meng did not stop until a dozen blowster. The giant shield has shattered and Zhi Wu could no longer be seen. Liu Meng then took a step back, waved her right hand and all of the fire birds gathered around her and formed a pair of giant wings, just like before.


    "The second one..." Liu Meng ascended into the air again and stared at her foes coldly.


    "Zhi Wu..." Xiao Hei roared in sadness and dove toward the ground. "Buy me thirty seconds," he yelled, and his metallic armor expanded once again with a series of loud thuds until a giant cannon was seen. A small vortex formed around the mouth of the cannon tube as the energy within it gathered for a terrible strike.


    "High-energy ionic beam..." Liu Meng raised her eyebrows: she felt threatened for the first time. She dove toward Xiao Hei to stop him from charging his attack, but was stopped in her track by another arrow which grazed past her ear and cut down a lock of hair.


    ¡¯Starfall Arrow...¡¯ Liu Meng¡¯s thought was interrupted by an avnche of projectiles that Fang Shui¡¯er barraged toward her. Each arrow was aimed towards her from a different angle, following a beautiful arc-like trajectory. Liu Meng fastened her pace and barely managed to avoid the attack.


    The skull formed by the insects had spread out into streaks of ckness that each assailed Liu Meng on their own. As the insects fell one by one, the putrid smell intensified. Zeng Qian emitted another terrible screech and her mouth opened until it seemed like her lower jaw had dislocated. Another torrent of insects suddenly came out of her throat and flew toward Liu Meng, enveloping her in a dark tornado. The tornado grew in size until it seemed like Zeng Qian¡¯s body had disintegrated.


    Caught between the arrow and the bugs, Liu Meng was in quite a difficult situation. The me on her wings dimmed out after three arrows pierced through them, and the ck smoke emitted from the insects being burned thickened. Liu Meng gave a severe look to the cannon tube in the distance.


    "Phoenix Wee!" she said in a panting voice, and nine shes of red light shot out from her body. Nine crimson birds with burning feathers pierced through the ck mist and flew toward Fang Shui¡¯er. Thetter squinted and after a sh of colored light within her eyes, shot nine arrows to meet the oers. However, the birds each pped their wings and managed to barely dodge the projectiles. Fang Shui¡¯er quickly pounced to the side and shot more arrows while running away from the birds.


    Without the distraction of the arrows, Liu Mengnded back on the ground and pushed upward with her hands. Herrge wings pped until the me rose and pushed away the ck cloud.


    Bang!


    A hole suddenly appeared in the ground. An imposing silhouette jumped out of it: it was Zhi Wu. He seemed more ferocious than ever, and his height had reached three meters. There was a second syringe stuck to his abdomen. He leaped toward Liu Meng and locked her between his arms. Liu Meng¡¯s me produced a sizzling sound and white smoke as it burned through Zhi Wu¡¯s flesh. Zeng Qian¡¯s insects suddenly gathered into a ck ribbon that closed in on the two and bound them together.


    Fang Shui¡¯er clenched her teeth, turned around and shot three more arrows in quick session at Liu Meng¡¯s right shoulder, left abdomen, and right leg. An instantter and she felt the nine consecutive blows of the fire birds colliding with her body. However, Liu Meng, who was already caught by the dual-pronged grasp of Zhi Wu and Zeng Qian, could no longer dodge her arrows, and the shafts pierced through Zhi Wu and Liu Meng¡¯s body, holding them together.


    Finally, a sh of white light came out of the cannon tube. It traveled slowly toward Liu Meng, but on its pace, even space itself was ripped apart by its destructive power.


    "Liu Meng¡ª" Li Yiming cried out.


    2 more chapters until the conclusion of Book 2!! ??


    Famous deity in Chinese Mythology known for making potions and pills. ?

 Volume 2 Chapter 17

    <h4><strong>Book 2 Chapter 17 ¨C Passer-by</strong></h4>


    As the ray of white light neared, despair shed in Liu Meng¡¯s eyes and she stopped struggling. The me receded as she shut her eyes. However, the next moment, she opened them wide again and a pir of fire pierced the clouds above her.


    "Nine-phoenix soaring through the skies!" A sonorous, bird-like shriek was heard and everything around Liu Meng was set aze; the vige, the forest, the mountains and even the water in the rivers. Thend and half of the sky were now painted in only one color: red. Red, just like the blood of the vigers who were ughtered.


    The ck ribbon around Liu Meng snapped open, and with it, half of Zhi Wu¡¯s body was reduced to ashes. The destructive attack that Xiao Hei had prepared for so long simply vanished when it came into contact with the pir of light. Fang Shui¡¯er knelt on the ground on one knee, unable to hold her bow up anymore. Her armor had broken into pieces and, after brushing her disordered hair aside, she looked at the scene with mingled emotions; fear, guilt, and even fascination at the beauty of the carnage. The broken belt of insects gathered and the smoke within billowed until Zeng Qian appeared with a vacant look. Her repulsive, mummy-like body shuddered from fear, or perhaps anger as she awaited her fate.


    The cannon that Xiao Hei had transformed into disappeared. What remained of it was Xiao Hei, lyingnguidly against the ground. Instead of looking at the fire, he stared at Zeng Qian with despair. Only half of Zhi Wu¡¯s body still remained, and white smoke came out of his carcass as it was slowly consumed by the mes. This was a grim reminder of the kind of demise that they were soon to share.


    Li Yiming had jumped into a small pond nearby to alleviate the unbearable heat from the giant congration. However, he could feel that even the water was slowly warming up. Li Yiming stared at the sky as the red light faded away and a clump of ming cloud gathered above it, too bewildered to even be able to formte a coherent thought.


    "Phoenix..." Xiao Hei sighed in frustration. This was the real phoenix. He had been far too naive in thinking that with guardian powers, he would be able to achieve anything. What little strength or knowledge he possessed mattered little when facing a real mythical beast.


    Lines and shapes slowly emerged out of the clump of clouds, and slowly, the shape of a giant phoenix became distinguishable. The upper body of a <i>Q</i>ilin, but the lower body of a deer, the head of a snake but the tail of a fish, the mouth of a sparrow but the beak of a chicken, and three long, colorful feathers that burned behind is tail. Its bright eyes cast down a cold look. "Not bad, you¡¯ve forced me to this point..." They heard a voice ring directly inside their heads; it was not Liu Meng¡¯s voice anymore, but one that did not belong to a human. 1


    The phoenix, in her boundless anger, shrieked and pped its wings. As she flew upward, the curtains of fire were pulled up behind her, and the mes slowly gathered. "It¡¯s over." Fang Shui¡¯er dropped her bow and sat down on the ground. Her broken armor, as if it was mourning its fate, emitted a high-pitched screech as it scratched against the pebbles.


    "So this is a mythical beast." Xiao Hei looked at Zeng Qian, who seemed drained of all her strength and vitality. ¡¯Well, we tried our hardest, and to die with Qianqian... At least I have thefort of that.¡¯ He struggled to get up and limped as fast as he could toward his lover.


    Zeng Qian had also given up all hope. She smiled when she saw Xiao Heiing at her. ¡¯At least he¡¯s by my side.¡¯ She huddled against him as she could and they awaited their punishment together. Xiao Hei looked around, at Fang Shui¡¯er, who was barely able to stand, at the remains of Zhi Wu and Zhi Wen¡¯s corpses, and finally at Li Yiming, who stood in the little pond.


    ¡¯Li Yiming? What about Bai Ze...¡¯ A thought suddenly urred to Xiao Hei.


    "Li Yiming, if you stand there and do nothing, we¡¯re all going to die. " Xiao Hei lifted Zeng Qian and pulled her toward Li Yiming. ¡¯It doesn¡¯t matter that I die, but for Qianqian¡¯s sake, if there¡¯s a chance at life, I¡¯m not going to give up. The phoenix may be a mythical beast, but so is Bai Ze, and that Li Yiming hasn¡¯t done a single thing until now, and his master...¡¯


    ¡¯Li Yiming?¡¯ Hope suddenly gushed back into Fang Shui¡¯er vacant stare. She had also forgotten about him. She picked up her bow and moved as fast as she could toward Li Yiming: a guardian would not give up even if there was only a sliver of hope.


    The phoenix suddenly dove toward them, leaving a zing trail behind her.


    Li Yiming was staring at the pond water absent-mindedly when he noticed the three people approaching him. He instinctively brought out a weapon from his storage bracelet. A very mundane decorative sword, about three feet long, and two inches wide, a Yinyang symbol was carved onto the hilt, and a little red thread knot hung from its tip. Xiao Hei was joyously surprised by Li Yiming¡¯s initiative and elerated his pace. He arrived behind Li Yiming at the same time as Fang Shui¡¯er, and the two looked at his sword very eagerly.


    Li Yiming was baffled by their looks. ¡¯Why are you looking at me? Do I look like someone who can handle that thing?¡¯


    The phoenix elerated her descent. With another strident shriek that resounded through the mountains, she brought down imminent destruction. Li Yiming could feel that if the phoenix was ever tond, not only himself, but Ning Vige and even the entire Prefecture would be destroyed.


    Fang Shui¡¯er looked at Li Yiming rather nervously. ¡¯What is he waiting for?¡¯


    The phoenix was enraged; she used to soar the nine heavens, and now she was reduced to such a pitiful state first by a severe wound, then by some humans that were as feeble as insects had she been at her prime. Not only were several years of recovery lost, but the humans were here for the Fruit of Nirvana, the one thing that she needed to save herself. The phoenix¡¯s boundless anger and ragepelled her to destroy everything, to burn everything until only ashes remain. She aimed for Li Yiming, who was at the head of her foes.


    Li Yiming who had been, until now, only a spectator, was frozen in terror by the mightiness and the furor of the mythical beast. As it flew closer and closer, Li Yiming found himself unable to move. The only thing he could do was to stare at the oing sh of red light as it became bigger and brighter. The pond water sizzled as it heated up, and even his clothes were beginning to burn...


    Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of Li Yiming. He stood on the surface of the pond water: it seemed like his stic slippers somehow allowed him to stay on top of the liquid instead of sinking down. His rolled-up square pajamas exposed a pair of hairy legs. He carried a knit-bag with his left hand, and slowly extended his right hand in the direction of the phoenix.


    The phoenix¡¯s course came to a sudden stop when the red halo around her body collided with the palm of the man. Although the vegetation and the mountains were devastated, the strange man and the four people behind him werepletely unaffected.


    "Calm down, birdy," said the man calmly, in slightly a displeased voice. The fire was suddenly extinguished and the giant phoenix shrunk until a girl fell into the man¡¯s arms.


    ¡¯That¡¯s it? It¡¯s over, just like that?¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er was astonished. ¡¯So this is the guy behind Li Yiming? The end of the world a second ago and now, nothing?¡¯


    "Sorry, the birdie has a bad temper. She¡¯s pretty angry, so I¡¯ll let her sleep for a bit. Are you okay?" The man turned around with a smile and asked. Although he was dressed poorly and spoke in azy voice, something about him conveyed a sense of refinement.


    "Mis... mister..." Fang Shui¡¯er was the fastest to salute him. Xiao Hei and Zeng Qian quickly followed.


    "Big bro?" Li Yiming had the biggest reaction. ¡¯Isn¡¯t this the guy who gave me the invitation and dragged me into all of this. He¡¯s... that strong?¡¯


    ¡¯Big bro...?¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er and her friends were shocked. ¡¯Just as we thought, this Li Yiming is a big shot.¡¯


    The man¡¯s smile broadened, and he nodded.


    "Liu Meng..." Li Yiming looked at Liu Meng, who seemed asleep, in the man¡¯s arms. Her hair and her clothes were just as they were before she was possessed, and her cheeks were of a healthy rose.


    "Who are you?" Li Yiming suddenly snapped out of his shock and asked. ¡¯I don¡¯t know how to describe the opportunity that he gave to me... Good? Bad?¡¯


    ¡¯They don¡¯t know each other?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s question surprised Fang Shui¡¯er and her friends.


    "I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m just a passer-by." The man waved his arm and walked toward the edge of the pond.


    "Why me?" Li Yiming followed him. He had a thousand questions for the man but didn¡¯t know where to start. He nced at the three people behind him and started with the one he was most curious about.


    The man sat down on a rock by the shore. Although his seat was still red from the burning a moment before, by the time he lowered himself, the heat was gone. The man set Liu Meng down and pulled out a cigarette from his bag. He held one between his lips and gave another to Li Yiming. Li Yiming received the object without thinking, and the smile on the man¡¯s face broadened. He waved with a cigarette in his hand at the three who followed, and all of them shook their heads promptly; Xiao Hei was a smoker, but he did not dare to ept the offer.


    Li Yiming did not notice the reactions of those behind him. He brought a lighter out of his bracelet and offered to light up the man¡¯s cigarette. Thetter answered with a loudugh. Li Yiming did not understand this response, but still stared at the man seriously, waiting for an answer. This question was very important to him. ¡¯I wouldn¡¯t think that I¡¯m special in any way, so why me?¡¯


    ¡¯Buddhists care about karma, and Taoists speak of inheritance. What do you believe in?" The man took a deep whiff and looked at Li Yiming calmly. 2


    ¡¯Karma, inheritance? Can you not give an answer like this every single time?¡¯ Li Yiming was puzzled. "Could you give a more... concrete answer?" Li Yiming was a little embarrassed, so he lit up his own cigarette and knelt down beside the man: he did not dare to try to sit on the still-burning rocks. "Maybe you don¡¯t know, big bro, but I studied dance, so I¡¯m not very well-versed on things like that," he squeezed out a euphemism.


    Fang Shui¡¯er and her friends waited cautiously on the side, looking at the two as they spoke casually, careful to not even risk an interruption. ¡¯Don¡¯t know each other? Who are you kidding?¡¯


    "It¡¯s just like this cigarette," said the man as he flicked away the ash on its tip, smiling gently as always.


    "Yes." Li Yiming nodded.


    "The first time I offered one, you refused."


    "Yes."


    "The second time I tried, you epted."


    "Yes."


    "And you even lit up one for me."


    "Yes."


    "And then you lit the one I gave to you."


    "Yes."


    "Get it?"


    "What?"


    One more chapter until the end of Book 2, Defense of Ning Vige. Are you ready for the next adventure?


    The Qilin, or Kirin, is a famous mythical beast in Eastern Mythology, usually a sign of auspices. Also the Chinese phoenix might be a little different from the Western one. ? Inheritance, ³Ð¸º, is essentially the same as karma. You¡¯ll eventually get rewarded for your good deeds and punished for your bad ones. ?

 Volume 2 Chapter 18

    <h4><strong>Book 2 Chapter 18 ¨C Two Karmas Sown with One Stone</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming was baffled. He stared at the cigarette the man was talking about. ¡¯What do you mean, "Get it?" I... what does this have to do with cigarettes anyway?¡¯ He wanted to get to the end of it; he would not give up getting an answer this easily, especially after all the gunshots, the sword battles, the fantastic beasts and the burning sky. "Big bro..."


    The man took another whiff and raised his head to look at the sky. He gazed at it deeply, with a gentle smile on his face. This strange behavior impressed Fang Shui¡¯er and her friends greatly; it was truly worthy of someone exceptional. Li Yiming, on the other hand, had a bad feeling about what he saw; he had seen that before...


    "You¡¯ll understand when the time is right." After a long gaze, the man answered in a quiet voice.


    ¡¯I knew it...¡¯ Li Yiming cried inwardly. ¡¯You changed my life. Could you at least assume the responsibility for that?¡¯ He had so many more questions, but the man suddenly turned toward Jing Prefecture.


    "What a stubborn little girl..." He turned around and nced at Li Yiming. "You should go see her. She¡¯s been hurt, and... Ah, she¡¯s one to make people worry about her."


    "What?" Li Yiming followed his stare and noticed a shaking silhouette on the mountain road ahead.


    "Bai Ze?" Xiao Hei was the first one to distinguish the neer, owing to his talent.


    "Little Bai Ze?" Li Yiming was shocked, and he suddenly remembered the imposing figure of the Dragondogs and its ferocious minions. He threw everything else to the side and rushed toward her.


    The man kept his smile until Li Yiming left. Then, he threw the cigarette butt into the pond and stood up. "You¡¯ve done a little too much," he said as he looked at the three. Fang Shui¡¯er and herpanions¡¯ hearts skipped a beat: this was exactly what they were fearing.


    "It¡¯s good that the birdie is asleep. Alright, mind your own things, I¡¯ll go back to sleep." The sudden change of tone surprised all three, who had yet to be used to such entric behavior. However, the man did not mind them and headed for Li Yiming.


    "Mister!" Xiao Hei suddenly fell to his knees. The man turned back, surprised.


    "Please save Qianqian," Xiao Hei pleaded with his forehead to the ground.


    "Please help save my little sister¡¯s life," Fang Shui¡¯er followed Xiao Hei¡¯s lead. ¡¯This man¡¯s very strong, he just stopped the phoenix with a single blow. He might just be ourst chance at saving Qianqian.¡¯


    The man squinted and looked at Zeng Qian. Thetter had also fallen to the ground. She knew very well what this opportunity meant. "I can¡¯t save her. And I can tell you that even if you were to obtain the Fruit of Nirvana, you still wouldn¡¯t be able to save her," he answered in a calm voice.


    "Why?" Zeng Qian asked. All her efforts were for the sake of getting her beauty back, was it doomed to be impossible?


    "I¡¯ve mentioned karma and inheritance. Did you not understand a single word of what I said?" The man answered, only this time more coldly.


    The three frowned.


    "Your appearance is the result of these bugs running through your body. Every time you call upon the power of your talent, the poison will be stronger. Even if you didn¡¯t use it at all, you¡¯d still be slowly poisoned."


    "You¡¯re saying that it¡¯s a punishment from Heaven¡¯s Laws?" Zeng Qian asked very bitterly.


    "Buddhism speaks of karma and the Dao is all about inheritance. The talents bestowed by Heaven¡¯s Law are different for each and every person. It may seem like chance alone decides what you receive, but that¡¯s not the case. Have you ever given a thought about why your talent turned out to be what it is in the first ce?" He turned around and stared at Zeng Qian.


    "You¡¯re saying I deserve all of this?" Zeng Qian stood up angrily. "If it weren¡¯t for Heaven¡¯s Laws, I¡¯d never be in such a state."


    "To speak good, to see good, to do good, these are three things you can do every day, and should you be diligent, the heavens will reward you. To speak evil, to see evil, to do evil. Commit these and you¡¯ll be punished."


    "I..."


    "The Bugs of Corrupting Heart and Dying Love. These are creatures of jealousy, and proximity in blood feeds them." The man looked at Fang Shui¡¯er. "The fiercer the fire of jealousy burning within your heart, the quicker they will poison you, the closer the bond of blood, the more painful the poison."


    "It¡¯s because of Shui¡¯er?" Zeng Qian threw a savage look at her sister. Fang Shui¡¯er could barely recognize her in her unhidden ferociousness, and it stung her heart to think that her own sister had be like that because of jealousy.


    "Qianqian, you... It¡¯s because Shui¡¯er became famous?" Xiao Hei suddenly remembered how Zeng Qian had changed after Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s surge to fame. Although she tried her best to hide it, she could notpletely conceal it from Xiao Hei, who stayed with her day and night.


    "Yes, I¡¯m jealous of her. Wee from the same family, the same background, we even have the same face! I¡¯m as talented as she is, so why did she be famous, and not me? In what way am I inferior? Why can she be the star of the nation, but I can only watch from the darkness? This... I... !" Zeng Qian roared frantically.


    The man looked at Zeng Qian¡¯s passionate outburst and remembered someone he knew. ¡¯He used to be like that too...¡¯ He quickly snapped out of it, but the thought lingered in his mind.


    "Let me tell you a tale," said the man with a calm smile once again. Somehow his stare had the power to calm Zeng Qian down and make her listen to him.


    "There used to be a giant stone buried deep in the mountains. One day, the vigers wanted to build a temple and pulled it out of where it was. They split the rocks in two, half of it was put right in front of the entrance to the temple, on the ground, while the other half was sculpted into a stone statue of the god worshipped by the people. After the temple was built, many people visited it, and the half sat on the ground at the entrance grew discontented. ¡¯We used to be the same stone, so why am I here, trampled day and night by the visitors, wetted by the rain and baked by the sun, while you sit inside the temple and receive the respect and veneration of all?¡¯ he asked the statue."


    Zeng Qian raised an eyebrow; she knew this story just like her own.


    "The statue answered, ¡¯To be the stairs, you¡¯ve only been cut once. Yet I¡¯ve gone through the pain of being sliced and carved upon ten thousand times to be what I am today. That¡¯s why you¡¯ve be the stairs and I¡¯ve be a god,¡¯" said the man in a harsh tone.


    Zeng Qian could do nothing but stare back at him with a vacant stare.


    "Did she use her talent to be famous? Is that why she became famous? This is what I mean. Give it some thought..." The man turned around and disappeared without adding more.


    Li Yiming rushed toward Bai Ze. The faltering steps she took made his heart ache, and he remembered how she stood in front of him and shielded him from iing danger. He remembered how resolutely she walked with the two swords in her hands. He remembered her figure covered in blood. Suddenly, Li Yiming once more hated himself for being so weak and incapable, just as he did when he was back on the rooftop not too long ago.


    "Not dead yet?" Bai Ze supported herself against the tree and asked in a teasing voice, but the relief in her eyes could not be hidden.


    "Are you okay?" Li Yiming picked her up and looked around for wounds. Her skirt had be nothing more than strips of fabric dyed crimson by blood. Li Yiming hovered over her wounds with shaking hands, not even daring to touch her.


    "I¡¯m a little girl, are you sure it¡¯s okay for you to stare at me like that? How about you get me some clothes?" Bai Ze rolled her eyes and put her hands in front of her chest exaggeratedly. ¡¯Ah, everything¡¯s good as long as he¡¯s safe and sound.¡¯


    It was hard for Li Yiming to smile back, given how hurt Bai Ze looked. He took out a jacket from his bracelet and carefully wrapped it around Bai Ze.


    "Where¡¯s Liu Meng?" Bai Ze rested in Li Yiming¡¯s arms, exhausted from the efforts that it took for her to walk all the way to Ning Vige.


    "She¡¯s okay." Li Yiming pulled on his sleeves and wiped away the bloodstains on Bai Ze¡¯s face. "What about you? You look hurt."


    "Well, I wasn¡¯t doing so great, but then this mysterious guy showed up and gave me a pill that healed my wounds, at least for the moment. Oh yeah, that guy came over here, did you see him?"


    "Mysterious guy?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Yes, well, he¡¯s dressed pretty poorly. Oh, also, he had a knit bag."


    "You mean big bro in shorts?"


    "So he¡¯s that big bro you mentioned?"


    The two exchanged a nce and Li Yiming told Bai Ze what had happened after the man¡¯s arrival.


    "You mean that he stopped the phoenix with one hand and then somehow subdued her?" Bai Ze was at a loss for words. She had esteemed the man to be quite strong, but to that extent? It was beyond her imagination. "Who is he?" She asked Li Yiming.


    "You mean, you don¡¯t know?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Nope. But he¡¯s very strong, that¡¯s for sure. His intentions are also unclear," Bai Ze said.


    "I don¡¯t think that he means bad though. His smile is a little... weird, but he had very sincere eyes."


    "Wait, what do you mean? You mean that you remember his eyes and his smile?" Bai Ze suddenly broke free from Li Yiming¡¯s arms and stared at him in surprise.


    "I¡¯ve seen him twice, and with the way he looks, it¡¯s pretty hard to not remember it, really," Li Yiming answered.


    "That¡¯s impossible," Bai Ze suddenly raised her voice. "That man has a technique, In a Dream. It¡¯s impossible for anyone to remember the way he looks unless you¡¯re even stronger than he is."


    "In a Dream?"


    "Yes, it¡¯s an advanced Dao technique. You won¡¯t be able to remember his appearance until the next time you meet him."


    "But I do remember..." Li Yiming recalled. ¡¯Not too tall, not too short, skinny, full brows, bright eyes, low nose bridge, nose isn¡¯t too big, that gentle smile, elegant, nonchnt... There¡¯s no mistake, I remember exactly how he looks.¡¯


    "Oh well, you were an abnormality from the start. Do you know his name?"


    "No..."


    "What do you mean, ¡¯no¡¯?"


    "Well, he didn¡¯t tell me."


    "And you didn¡¯t ask?"


    "I did, but he didn¡¯t answer."


    "You¡¯ll always impress me. Where is he now?" Bai Ze extended her arms.


    "He should still be over there. Liu Meng and Fang Shui¡¯er are there too. Let¡¯s go." Li Yiming also thought it rather embarrassing that he did not know the man¡¯s name despite having been saved a couple of times by him.


    "Carry me, I¡¯m too weak to walk," said Little Bai Ze, just like a real child.


    "Oh." Li Yiming obeyed her.


    Mission Failed, Punishment: zeroing of life marks.¡¯ A voice suddenly rang in his head.


    ¡¯Shit! Are you serious?¡¯ Li Yiming froze.


    End of Book 2, Tomorrow Book 3 begins: Monsters in the City

 Volume 3 Chapter 1

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 1 ¨C Xiao Hei¡¯s Visit </strong>


    <strong> </strong></h4>


    "Ugh¡ª" Li Yiming wanted to vomit. The world around him was first distorted and then shattered just like ss. Li Yiming felt like he was thrown into a washer, but when he tried throwing up, he could only produce a dry, choking sound.


    "Car sickness?" The people in the front turned back and looked at him with disgust.


    ¡¯This guy... the floor manager? And I...¡¯ Li Yiming looked around and found himself to be on a small bus. The floor manager looked at him despisingly. Liu Meng was still sound asleep, and the other passengers were busy preparing themselves for the shooting. Bai Ze was right next to him, and she threw a frustrated look at him.


    ¡¯This is the bus of the filming crew! We¡¯re back in Jing Prefecture, right before the start of the domain.¡¯ Li Yiming remembered.


    "Alright everyone, we¡¯re here. Let¡¯s take a break, get your room cards, drop your luggage and we¡¯ll head to Ning Vige in half an hour." The floor manager yelled through a megaphone. The members of the filming crew slowly disembarked.


    Li Yiming stayed in his seat and looked at Bai Ze. "Well, we¡¯re done," said Bai Ze in an annoyed voice after only the two of them were left.


    "But I wasn¡¯t brought back to the Tea Shop thest time." Li Yiming remembered that nothing had happened when the domain in Hang Zhou had concluded.


    "Well, nobody ever said that you¡¯d always stay where you are. This is a domain, there are a lot of things that you still don¡¯t know." Bai Ze ignored his question and resumed her game on the cell phone. "How are the rewards?"


    "Uh... Domain failure... Zeroing of life marks." Li Yiming remembered what the voice said when he was about to exit the domain.


    "What?" A sh of white light and Bai Ze vanished. A second sh a few momentster and she reappeared in front of Li Yiming. "What happened, your life marks are really gone. Didn¡¯t the phoenix get taken down the end?" Bai Ze asked in a confused voice.


    Li Yiming did not understand his misfortune better than Bai Ze. He looked at Liu Meng, who seemed still asleep, and yed around with his own fingers as he pondered about.


    "Well, there are two possibilities," Bai Ze, true to her wisdom, interpreted the situation. "The first is that the domain¡¯s will was ¡¯protection¡¯, so the goal was to protect Ning Vige. Of course, with the entire vige dead and even most of the Prefecture gone, Heaven¡¯s Laws has decided that you have failed your mission.


    "What about the second possibility?"


    "The second one..." Bai Ze seemed perplexed. "The second possibility is that that Big Bro of yours isn¡¯t a guardian. Although he subdued the phoenix and ended the domain, Heaven¡¯s Laws doesn¡¯t recognize it."


    The two exchanged a nce that fermented more questions instead of producing an answer.


    "Why aren¡¯t you off yet? You should get off the bus. I¡¯ve heard that there are someplications for the filming, so the manager told us to go back to our rooms and rest," one of the extras came back for her umbre.


    "I¡¯ming," Li Yiming answered. "Hey, let¡¯s go down. Liu Meng, Liu Meng, wake up!" Li Yiming pushed on Liu Meng, but he froze in horror when he realized that she would not answer.


    "Coma..." Bai Ze said as she put her hand on Liu Meng¡¯s forehead. "But this doesn¡¯t make sense. She should be back to normal now that the domain is over. In fact, the person in the domain, strictly speaking, isn¡¯t even ¡¯her¡¯."


    "What do we do now?" Li Yiming was in a state ofplete panic at the possibility that his best friend was going stay like this.


    "What would you do if you found someone in aa, usually?"


    "I¡¯d... call the ambnce?" Li Yiming stuttered.


    "Then call an ambnce..." Bai Ze answered in an exhausted voice.


    * * *


    Right outside of a ward in the Prefectural Hospital, Li Yiming stared at his cell phone screen hesitantly. The manager for the filming crew was decent enough to have brought Liu Meng to the hospital after finding out about her condition and even agreed to pay the deposit for her entry into a ward. He stayed on his phone for the entire duration of the trip, very disappointed by the sudden turn of events. Although the money needed for Liu Meng¡¯s residency in the hospital was not a problem anymore, Li Yiming still faced the difficulty of finding enough money to feed himself. He used to leech off Liu Meng, but now he had to care for her, and it was not cheap at all in a hospital like this. ¡¯They¡¯ve written "Needs further observation", and god knows how much time that¡¯ll take. Seems like I really need to start nning for the bank robbery.¡¯


    Bai Ze, who had yet topletely recover from her wounds, had returned into Li Yiming¡¯s body, since it was the best ce for her convalescence.


    "Dad..." Li Yiming finally decided to go ahead with his call.


    "Hey! How are you doing? How¡¯s the filming going? Your step-mother had a smile on her face for quite a few days after she heard that you were dancing for Fang Shui¡¯er. Tell me, when are we going to get to see it?" His father¡¯s proudugh came from the phone.


    "Well, I think it¡¯s gonna take a while. We¡¯ve barely started filming, and then they have to go through editing and all that stuff, you know," Li Yiming mumbled.


    "Oh yeah, have you seen Fang Shui¡¯er? How is she in person? Prettier than on TV?" His father suddenly asked a question that seemed more appropriate to havee out of a paparazzi journalist.


    "Beautiful, even more than on TV." Li Yiming remembered the goddess of war wearing her crystal armor.


    "Is there something you want to say to me?" Li Yiming¡¯s father suddenly asked. He knew his son better than anyone.


    "Well, one of my friends is in the hospital right now..."


    "You need money?"


    "Yeah."


    "A friend... a girl?"


    "Yeah."


    "What about her family?"


    "They¡¯re not here."


    "Alright, wait up, I¡¯ll send you five thousand right away," Li Yiming¡¯s father said after a moment of silence. "Be nice to her, and you can bring her back here once she¡¯s out of the hospital too. Your step-mom will take care of her if needed."


    "What?" Li Yiming was very surprised. ¡¯Since when did dad be this easy to convince?¡¯


    "What do you mean, what? Do you know how to care for the sick?" His father scolded him, but he sounded more pleased than anything.


    "I..."


    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll take care of this right away." His father quickly hung up on him. Li Yiming wondered about the reason behind his father¡¯s leniency, as he walked back to the ward, but, before he could open the door, his phone rang again: it was his mother this time.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Li Yiming picked up his phone, a little confused.


    ¡°I heard from your dad that you got someone pregnant?¡± His mother¡¯s first question almost made him fall to the ground.


    ¡°What? Who said that?¡± Li Yiming¡¯s voice suddenly jumped up. ¡®Is this a joke? I barely split up with her, and you¡¯re telling me that Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s pregnant?¡¯


    ¡°No need to deny it, your dad already told me. A thousand models to imitate and you choose to follow the example of your father? It¡¯s hard for the girl, you know. Does her family know? Have I met her? Is it the one you came home withst time?¡±


    ¡°This... uh... mom... Listen to me...¡± Li Yiming finally realized what went wrong. He tried his hardest and finally convinced his persistent mother to hang up the phone and returned to the ward with cold sweat on his forehead.


    Liu Meng slept peacefully on the hospital bed. Li Yiming¡¯s eyes went from her rosy cheeks to her closed eyelids, from which the eyeshes hung like two sets of curtain, and remembered that red-haired girl who couldmand fire and ze, and move mountains and dry up seas, and the final destructive figure of the phoenix. ¡®I have to say, she really did look cool...¡¯


    The door suddenly opened. A group of dancers had arrived with a basket of fruit. ¡°Oh, hey, why are you here?¡± Li Yiming stood up to greet them.


    ¡°Something happened for the filming, and since we have nothing to do, we decided toe here.¡± One of the girls put down the basket on the shelf at the front of the bed.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The director¡¯s gone, and so is Fang Shui¡¯er. They¡¯re trying to contact her assistant, but she can¡¯t be reached either, and the manager¡¯s going crazy.¡± Another girl approached the bed and slowly picked up Liu Meng¡¯s hand.


    Li Yiming was not too surprised. ¡®They were here for the domain anyway. Two dead and three grievously injured, and that¡¯s without mentioning the punishment from Heaven¡¯s Laws. Who would have time to film a video?¡¯


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t look too bad, what did the doctor say?¡± The girl held Liu Meng¡¯s hand and whispered. She was a good friend of Liu Meng¡¯s.


    ¡°The results of the preliminary tests are inconclusive. The more detailed ones have yet toe out.¡±


    ¡°Ah... A fall cribbled with problems...¡± The girl sighed.


    <i>¡®Yes, full of problems...¡¯</i> Li Yiming agreed with her. After a brief chit-chat, since Liu Meng stayed unconscious, her friends left for the hotel.


    The group had barely left when the door was opened again. This time, the visitor was someone Li Yiming would never have expected. ¡°Director Zheng?¡± Li Yiming stood up in surprise. It was Xiao Hei, who had vanished after the domain, the guardian with the nano-armor.


    ¡°I want to talk to you.¡± Instead of entering the ward, Xiao Hei stood in the corridor and threw a look of mingled emotions inside.


    Li Yiming hesitated, ¡®I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s a friend or a foe, and now he¡¯s here for me...¡¯


    ¡°I actually have a favor to ask.¡± Xiao Hei suddenly pleaded. Li Yiming remembered, back in the domain, when Xiao Hei held Zeng Qian who looked like a dried corpse, in his arms and said ¡®I love her¡±, and he suddenly found it impossible to refuse him. He turned back and nced at Liu Meng, who was still sound asleep, nodded, and followed Xiao Hei out of the hospital.


    Xiao Hei led the way silently. His figure, seen from the back, conveyed a sense of despair. They stopped at a little park right behind the hospital. The park was southwest of the hospital, right by a small hill, and next to it was the parking lot. The midday sun charred the skin of those who were still out at this time, and it seemed like Xiao Hei and Li Yiming were the only ones who dared to venture so.


    ¡°The domain was a failure,¡± Xiao Hei said dejectedly.


    Li Yiming nodded and stayed silent; he was still trying to guess his intentions.


    ¡°In the domain...¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we not supposed to talk about what happens in a domain?¡± Li Yiming interrupted him. He remembered what Qing Linglong and Grandma Wang had taught him.


    Xiao Hei sank into a dead silence. After licking on his dry lips, he brought out a pack of cigarette. Li Yiming waved his hand and refused his offer: he was not going to smoke until he figured out what exactly big bro in shorts meant with his nebulous answer. Xiao Hei did not mind him and lit up one for himself. ¡°You know about Qianqian.¡±


    Li Yiming nodded. When he saw Xiao Hei¡¯s blood-shot eyes, he could not help but pity him a little.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be straightforward, I¡¯d like to ask your big bro to save her,¡± Xiao Hei said earnestly.


    ¡°He¡¯s not my big bro.¡±


    ¡°We failed our mission.¡± Xiao Hei continued on his own, ¡°With the way things are for us, there¡¯s no way we can seed in the next one. Although we should¡¯ve known that it would inevitablye to this from the moment we became guardians, Qianqian...¡±


    ¡°Xiao Hei, he¡¯s not my big bro, I have no ways of contacting him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Xiao Hei suddenly burst out angrily. ¡°How can you be so cruel? I just want Qianqian to have a chance at recovering her looks before she dies, I just want her to die peacefully!¡± 1


    ¡°I...¡± Li Yiming was about toe up with an exnation, but he suddenly stopped and looked at Xiao Hei¡¯s hand with terror.


    A gun had appeared on his hand, and Li Yiming recognized it: a Desert Eagle, silenced.


    "Xiao Hei, you..."


    Here¡¯s the chapter due for March 2nd.


    Cruel, lol? ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 2

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 2 ¨C The Awakening</strong></h4>


    ¡°I have no choice, just as when I nned the massacre of the 317 vigers back at Ning Vige,¡± Xiao Hei¡¯s words made Li Yiming shudder. ¡®This is no joke, he¡¯s massacred an entire vige! Not to mention the tens of thousands of people in Jing Prefecture who died because of the Dragondogs...¡¯


    ¡°Tell your Big Bro to show himself. He¡¯s all powerful, if he can cure Qianqian, then I¡¯ll do anything. It doesn¡¯t matter that I die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t know where he is," Li Yiming could not find an answer to Xiao Hei¡¯s insistence.


    Pew!


    A small puff of white smoke suddenly shot up from the ground in front of Li Yiming. Dust and dirt flew onto Li Yiming¡¯s shoes. ¡¯Is he actually going to shoot? It¡¯s not as if we¡¯re inside a domain.¡¯


    "Give it up and call your Big Bro. There¡¯s no way you can handle me unarmed. With all of our life marks gone, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to use your talent," Xiao Hei said in with a cold-blooded countenance. He had everything thought out before deciding toe and confront Li Yiming.


    A sh of white light and Bai Ze appeared in front of Li Yiming with a sword in her right hand. She looked at Xiao Hei with severity.


    "Bai Ze?" Xiao Hei eyes lit up with hope.¡¯If she¡¯s there, then that mysterious man has to be somewhere around.¡¯ "Tell your master toe out and see me."


    "I¡¯ve told you already, Li Yiming is my master," Bai Ze answered with a cold voice. She lowered her weapon slightly as she made ready to strike. At that distance, she would be able to chop Xiao Hei¡¯s hand off before he had the chance to fire a single shot.


    "Come out, all of you." Xiao Hei frowned and suddenly his expression changed to one of folly. The doors of two vans in the parking lot were opened, and a few dozen people emerged from within the vehicles. They were all dressed like typical thugs, with hair of all sorts of colors and their body decorated with chains and piercings. Bai Ze was very rmed by their sudden appearance and took a step back to be right in front of Li Yiming. Li Yiming himself was very shocked when he saw that each one of them had a gun.


    "Your typical criminal. With a lot of money and guns, they¡¯ll do just about anything." Xiao Hei cast a cial stare at the two; he nned this out perfectly. "I¡¯ve seen how terrifying mythical beasts can be in a domain, but don¡¯t forget where we are right now, how much of her power can she actually use? She won¡¯t be able to protect you."


    The thugs slowly closed in and circled around Li Yiming and Bai Ze after Xiao Hei nced a few times at them.


    "I¡¯ll show you how much power I can use." Bai Ze dashed forward with the intent to kill in her eyes, but instantly jumped back an instantter, pulling Li Yiming to the ground and rolling sideways.


    Pew! Pew! Pew!


    As the two rolled on the ground, soil and dust from where they stood a moment ago once again flew into the air.


    "Stop." Xiao Hei gestured and the gunshots stopped.


    Li Yiming raised his head to look at Xiao Hei, stunned by his decision; if it were not for Bai Ze, he would have been turned into a human sieve.


    "I told you that it¡¯s no use. Bai Ze can¡¯t protect you." Xiao Hei took another step forward, his face contorted into a resentful and cruel grimace.


    "Li Yiming," Bai Ze said in an impassive voice, as she slowly stood up. "Run as far as you can, and don¡¯t look back."


    "And do you think he¡¯ll be able to?" Another step taken by Xiao Hei.


    "What do you think?" Bai Ze¡¯s features suddenly changed. She took on the air of a different person, something different.


    "What are you doing?" Xiao Hei asked, as consterned as he was angry.


    "If I¡¯m going to die here, then I might as well bring a few down with me." Several gusts of wind suddenly blew upward, twisting and mingling as they ascended, like a small tornado. The string around Bai Ze hair fell down, broken into two pieces. Her long hair had gained a silvery glow as they billowed in the current of air.


    "Shoot!" Xiao Hei cried, and his order was followed by a string of uninterrupted gunshots. Li Yiming closed his eyes instinctively, but, after a small while with nothing happening, opened them again. He saw a curtain of bullets floating still in front of him as if they were frozen in a chunk of ice. More and more projectiles approached, which made theyer denser and denser.


    "Are you crazy? Aren¡¯t you afraid of Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" Xiao Hei¡¯s expression had turned into one of frenzied rage.


    "You¡¯re not the one to tell me whether I should be scared or not." Bai Ze¡¯s hair had turned silver, and something else appeared within her eyes, something that does not belong to a human. A crimson, bloody snake climbed onto the corners of her mouth, and she appeared more powerful than ever. A weak halo of light appeared at her feet, and within it mysterious glyphs made of light swirled. The sky suddenly darkened, and the sun hid itself behind a thick sheet dark cloud that was pierced repeatedly by purple lightning.


    "Is it really worth it? For this kid? You¡¯re a mythical beast!" Xiao Hei seemed to havepletely lost his sanity. The gunshots had stopped as the thugs threw away their guns and attempted to escape, but found it impossible to even take a single step.


    "You don¡¯t understand me." Bai Ze¡¯s voice was no longer childish. Instead, it came down from between the clouds. "Take a good look before you leave, Li Yiming. The mythical beast, Bai¡ªZe¡ª!"


    Swish!


    The small tornado, the glyphs, all of it suddenly sank into Bai Ze¡¯s body. The halo beneath her feet expanded and her figure slowly vanished. What appeared then was a lion-like beast with snow-white fur, a pair of wings, a single horn on its head and a recurved tip tail. 1


    Boom!


    Lightning suddenly shed through the ckened sky. The giant lion disappeared, only to appear on top of Xiao Hei¡¯s head. Her paw came down on him the next second, and, before Xiao Hei could even emit a cry of terror, he was crushed into a small fountain of blood.The bullets that were floating in the air dropped down with a few clink-clunks.


    "AHHH¡ª!" One of the thugs suddenly shrieked, and a warm, foul-smelling liquid came out from between his legs.


    "ARRR¡ª!" The lion suddenly turned around and roared at them. A visible ripple traversed through the air until contact was made with their bodies and simply disintegrated them like sand statues, leaving no trace of their existences behind.


    "Bai Ze?" Li Yiming stood up, still yet shocked by what he had just seen. ¡¯This is the little girl who¡¯s been ying on the cell phone games the whole time? Holy shit! She¡¯s so strong, look at that, a real, mythical beast! With her around, what would I have to fear?"


    "You can run now." Bai Ze turned back to look at him frustratingly.


    "Run?" Li Yiming was dumbfounded.¡¯Didn¡¯t she just take care of them all?¡¯


    "Run! As far away as you can!" Bai Ze raised her head and looked at the clouds above her that came lower and lower. Instead of settling back down, she extended her wings and stared above with an ever-intensifying gaze.


    "Bai Ze..."


    "The purpose of guardians is to protect Heaven¡¯s Laws and watch over our world. But their very existence is the biggest threat to the bnce of this world. " Bai Ze kept her head in the sky¡¯s direction. "The consequence of consuming life marks whenever you use your talent outside of a domain is in itself a limit imposed by Heaven¡¯s Laws. The restrictions regarding the scale of talent usage are even greater."


    "Limit?" Li Yiming had a bad feeling.


    "If you exceed the limitations and call upon a power that¡¯s not permitted, Heaven¡¯s Laws will bestow its punishment." Bai Ze turned around to look at Li Yiming sorrowfully. "Another way to call is it Heaven¡¯s Punishment."


    "Heaven¡¯s punishment?" Li Yiming raised his head in shock and saw a purple light that shone stronger and stronger within the thick clouds that billowed and surged.


    "Run. There are no uncertainties. This is a rule." Bai Ze raised her head again and looked up defiantly; she was going to stay proud even until herst moment. "I had no choice earlier. If you died, I would¡¯ve died too. If I die, nothing will happen to you."


    "Bai Ze..."


    "Go!" The wind that came along with the angry roar blew Li Yiming back a dozen meters.


    Li Yiming crawled up from where he was and was about to try once more to reach Bai Ze when a sudden waterfall of purple light fell from the menacing clouds. The pressure and the sense of danger it brought were even worse than the phoenix: this was Heaven¡¯s will. Bai Ze roared again and stood up straight with her wings extended, meeting the sh with a fiery, but slightly bitter stare.


    There was no noise to shatter heaven and earth. Instead, Bai Ze shook, and trembled, and struggled as the light entered her body and destroyed all in its path. As it faded away, Bai Ze was left lying on the ground with her wings broken, her fur and her breath weak.


    "Bai Ze?" Li Yiming rushed towards her. ¡¯Maybe she¡¯s done it!¡¯ He thought, a little happy.


    "Go!" Bai Ze¡¯s weak voice was heard. She knew that there were nine strikes in total, and that one was only the first.


    Li Yiming raised his head as he heard Bai Ze¡¯s urging. The clouds in the sky, instead of dissipating, had further thickened and were the presage of imminent destruction.


    ¡¯Bai Ze...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at her deste figure and remembered the frustrated look of the little girl in the Taoist robe at the train station; the look of disdain she had as she kicked around with her bare feet; her yful smile, under the setting sun, of ordering the entire menu at the family restaurant; her look of excitement as she prepared for the video filming; her determination as she walked to confront the Dragondogs with her two swords... and now, her look of concern she had as she was about to die. ¡¯No, she isn¡¯t my summon, she¡¯s my family!¡¯


    Li Yiming looked at the light that was about to fall a second time, and, instead of running away, ran toward Bai Ze. "Get out of here!" Bai Ze yelled out. Her weak voice was full of anger, her distressed regard mixed with concern, and her shocked expressionced with attachment.


    As the bolt of light fell, Li Yiming leaped forward: even if it was hopeless, he would fight for Bai Ze¡¯s life. Bai Ze was touched by his effort, but quickly despaired as she realized that he would also receive the same punishment as her.


    Bai Ze¡¯s limbs shook again as the lightning touched her, but she kept her eyes on Li Yiming. Before dying, she would remember him, that ignorant, weak, idiotic, incapable face. That person who would try his best despite knowing that certain death awaits him. Li Yiming stopped moving, halted by Heaven¡¯s punishment. He felt as if each fiber of his body was slowly being split apart as he shook more and more violently.


    Bai Ze suddenly looked at Li Yiming¡¯s left wrist. A bright purple orb appeared on his skin: this was where the one little orb of light, back in the Hangzhou domain, had lodged itself after the camouger¡¯s defeat. Its color was the same as the lightning, but somehow it was clearly visible in the sea of purple that Li Yiming bather in. It slowly expanded along Li Yiming¡¯s skin just like a drop of water, and soon covered his entire body.


    ¡¯The Source of Thunder? Where¡¯d he get this? Is this his talent? He¡¯s going to be awakened?¡¯ Bai Ze had already reached her limit. Being still not fully grown, and having yet to recoverpletely from her injuries, there was no way that she would be able to live through the second strike. She gritted her teeth and transformed into a ray of white light as she endured an excruciating pain. ¡¯Well, if I¡¯m going to lose my life anyway, might as well fight for it.¡¯ She lost her consciousness as she entered Li Yiming¡¯s body.


    Li Yiming closed his eyes as the lightning touched him: he had done what he could. As the sparks ran through his body, he felt a torturous pain, but then the next moment, the unpleasant sensation vanished. He opened his eyes and saw a sh of white light that vanished as it touched his chest. Then, an ocean of purple, but, oddly, there was no pain this time, only a tingling,fortable feeling.


    ¡¯What happened?¡¯ The purple light vanished. Li Yiming stared at the ck crater in front of him, dumbfounded. ¡¯I¡¯m sure that Bai Ze¡¯s inside of me right now...¡¯ He lifted his head and looked at the dark swirling clouds that continued to convey the same menace.


    The third purple lightning fell, and Li Yiming raised his hand instinctively to block it. The attempt, of course, waspletely useless, however, as the light touched his body, it did nothing more than raise a curtain of light behind him. The fourth strike fell soon afterward, and after it the fifth, the sixth... until the ninth. The ck clouds receded, and the familiar twisting and shattering of everything around him happened again. Li Yiming looked around with a vacant gaze as the little park, with its chirping birds, the baking sun, and the pleasant summer breeze was restored to its usual quietness.


    ¡¯What... just...?¡¯ Suddenly, Li Yiming felt a change happen to him. He knew that he could now see through his own body if he wanted. He focused his attention and a semi-transparent shape that resembled his own body suddenly appeared inside of his mind. Right next to where his heart was supposed to be, he saw a number. Life marks: 0.


    Five shining ribbons of light, each of a different color, ran through his limbs. Next to each, a small line of text was written:


    Power: level 3


    Stamina: level 3


    Agility: level 3


    Technique: level 3


    Spell: level 4


    Between them was a little white light orb. Next to it was written:


    Path progression: 130


    Beneath the human form were another few lines of text:


    Talent: inactive


    Additional talent: summon Bai Ze (hibernating)


    Passive talent: immunity to thunder element


    ¡¯Jackpot!¡¯ Li Yiming swirled in shock, excitement, and eagerness; what he had dreamt of for so long had finally arrived. This is what it meant to be a guardian, a true guardian.


    ¡¯So what¡¯s next to my heart is the counter for the life marks, the most important number for guardians. I just failed a domain, so that¡¯s why it¡¯s at zero. These five colored veins must be the heavenly veins, the ones that provide me power. That white orb has to be progression path, which is used to strengthen my veins. I can spend a life mark to obtain a progression path point, and since I obtained 130 of those back in Hangzhou, I also received 130 progression points. What about my talent... Not active? Come on, do I still not get one? What about my additional talent, hmmm, summon Bai Ze, but hibernating, well, good news is that Little Bai Ze seems to be fine.¡¯ Li Yiming waved his arms in excitement. ¡¯What about that passive talent, immunity to thunder? I¡¯ve never heard of something like that, not even from Bai Ze. So is that why I survived the lightning strikes? Does that mean that I won¡¯t have to be scared of getting zapped ever again?¡¯ Li Yiming was wild with happiness. After struggling as an outsider for two domains, he had finally entered the world of guardians, although he was still missing his talent.


    ¡¯Wait a second, Bai Ze told me earlier that my heavenly veins hadn¡¯t even reached level one, so how are they level three now? I don¡¯t really feel any different...¡¯ He clenched his hand into a fist and swung it at a small tree right next to him.


    Crack!


    The tree was torn into two, as it was made of paper instead of wood. ¡¯Holy shit! I¡¯m that strong now?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the broken trunk in amazement. He then tried a jump and shot up nearly two meters into the air. He lost his bnce midair and fell on his buttocks, but, instead of crying out in pain, he was grinning dumbly. ¡¯Ahahahaha... Heaven¡¯s punishment? Well, I braved through it. I think that ording to tradition I¡¯m supposed to open a portal or fly up to the next world? Oh well, at least I did be a lot stronger, I¡¯ll ask Bai Ze when she wakes up.¡¯


    ¡¯Path progression... That¡¯s for strengthening the heavenly veins. But I¡¯m already a superhuman now, so even stronger than that...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart itched with anticipation as he thought about how he would use his points. He remembered Liu Meng being possessed by the phoenix, the ck-clothed camouger back in Hangzhou, the gods and goddesses in folklore legends...


    ¡¯Ah, so this is the spell level! I remember Bai Ze telling that power, stamina and agility are for strengthening the body, technique is for improving one¡¯s ability with a sword or with martial arts, and spell is for enhancing one¡¯s spell power. Since I¡¯m already a level ahead, I might as well invest more points my strongest ability.¡¯ Li Yiming carefully added a point into spell power, however, he was disappointed by apleteck of response, despite the point having been subtracted from his Path Progression. ¡¯Did I not add enough?¡¯


    Instead of giving up, Li Yiming continued adding more points stubbornly. ¡¯Ten points, nothing. Fifty points, nothing. A hundred and thirty points, nothing... Holy shit, did I get something wrong? Is it because Heaven¡¯s Laws still won¡¯t acknowledge my status? I thought that I¡¯d be able to improve my vein with these points? Unless... I have to be struck by lightning again to be stronger? Oh well, I¡¯ll ask Bai Zeter, I¡¯ll try a spell out first.¡¯ As Li Yiming rubbed his hands in anticipation to cast a spell, he soon realized that he, in fact, did not know any spells.


    Hmm... Sometimes I wish there was an ¡°INT¡± attribute into which Li Yiming could add some points. Just sometimes though. Also thank god Bai Ze is not dead. Otherwise I would be... let¡¯s say pretty sad.


    Also, I¡¯m back! Time to catch up with the lost chapters!


    Those who have not checked it out can have a look at a ¡°picture¡± of Bai Ze here: /sundering-nature/sn-addition-bai-ze/ ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 3

    Book 3: Chapter 3: Liu Meng


    When Li Yiming pushed open the door of the ward, he saw Liu Meng throw a deep gaze at him from her bed. ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± Li Yiming rushed toward her, evidently happy when at constating her recovery.


    ¡°Barely.¡± Liu Meng brushed aside the hair on her forehead. She did not look sick at all anymore. Not a single trace of the unhealthy countenance that was usually found on the faces of bedridden patients.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Li Yiming was still worried. Her suddena had to have something to do with the domain.


    ¡°I think you owe me an exnation.¡± Liu Meng pressed her palms and her fingers against each together and asked with a yful smile.


    Liu Meng¡¯s calm voice, however, was nothing short of a tsunami of emotions within Li Yiming¡¯s head.<em>¡®Exnation? She remembers? But¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°Okay, look at you, why do you look so surprised?¡± Liu Meng smiled and looked at the window. ¡°I really didn¡¯t think that it was possible. It still feels like it was all just a dream.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Li Yiming could not regain hisposure.<em>¡®With the way she¡¯s acting¡­¡¯</em>


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I know everything now. Weren¡¯t you in my situation when you first started?¡± Liu Meng raised her eyes and gazed at Li Yiming, not very sure how to broach the subject.


    Li Yiming stayed quiet with a serious countenance. He had wild guesses and uncertain conjectures, but would not dare to open his mouth to ask for a confirmation.


    ¡°Heaven¡¯s Laws, guardians, secret domains, talents¡­¡± Liu Meng lowered her head and whispered as she stared at her own hands.


    Li Yiming¡¯s expression changed upon hearing these words: he had guessed it right. ¡°Stage of Ascension?¡±


    Liu Meng quirked her lips and nodded lightly. She seemed a little confused. Li Yiming let out a big sigh of relief.<em>¡®Well, at least she¡¯s not like me.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Ha, I didn¡¯t think that I had taken in a superhero! When did this all start?¡± Liu Meng asked.


    ¡°Not that long, really¡­¡± Li Yiming was short of an answer at this unexpected turn of events.


    ¡°What about Little Bai Ze? Your talent?¡± Liu Meng looked around for her.


    ¡°She¡¯s hurt. Hibernating.¡± Li Yiming pointed at his own chest.


    ¡°Is she going to be okay?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± said Li Yiming, who himself was not quite sure about Bai Ze¡¯s status.


    ¡°What about that Fang Shui¡¯er?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a guardian too, and the director, Xiao Hei, and her assistant.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s unexpected. But, I¡¯m a superhero too now!¡± Instead of being joyful, Liu Meng was absent-minded and sunk deeply into her own thoughts. ¡°So why was I chosen?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s¡­ because of me¡­?¡± Li Yiming¡¯s heart was ridden with guilt.<em>¡®If it wasn¡¯t for me, maybe Liu Meng wouldn¡¯t have been dragged into all of this. Being a guardian isn¡¯t just about having superhuman powers at all. One mistake under the immense pressure could cost your own life.¡¯</em>


    ¡°Pffft, you? Do you really think that Heaven¡¯s Laws would do things differently because of you?¡± A smile suddenly resurfaced on Liu Meng¡¯s lips. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just that the Heavens has noticed me, a beautiful and talented individual, and has decided that it would be my duty to protect our world and the people living in it.¡±


    <em>¡®That¡¯s the Liu Meng I know.¡¯</em>Li Yiming felt warmed up by her familiar, yful remark. He looked at Liu Meng sorrily, and, before he knew it, reached out for her hand.


    ¡°But, I<em>am</em>d that you¡¯re here with me.¡± Liu Meng said as she lowered her head and wrapped her fingers around Li Yiming¡¯s.


    ¡°Yes, whatever difficulties that lie ahead, we¡¯ll brave through them together.¡± Li Yiming knew well from experience that solitude, fear, and confusion are a lot more likely than excitement or eagerness when such a drastic change urs.


    The door to the ward was suddenly pushed open and a nurse who conducted the regr check-ups walked in. At first, she seemed surprised by the fact that Liu Meng had already woken up, but upon seeing those two so closely together, she tactfully stepped back out and closed the door behind her. Liu Meng blushed when she noticed just how intimate she had be with Li Yiming and pushed away his hand. Li Yiming pulled on the corner of his shirt, a little embarrassed, and it seemed, all of a sudden, that he had just begun to notice just how charming Liu Meng¡¯s shyness was. [1]


    ¡°So that phoenix you were talking about, it¡¯s real?¡± Liu Meng changed the subject of the conversation.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t talk about things that urred in the domain,¡± Li Yiming reminded her in a low voice and pointed at the ceiling of the room.


    Liu Meng made a cute silly grimace and tried something else. ¡°Then, what¡¯s going on with my body¡­¡±


    ¡°We can talk about that.¡±


    ¡°What about here?¡± Liu Meng immediately sat up and pointed at her chest. Her finger sank deeply into the folds of her shirt, and this alone was enough to set free Li Yiming wild fancies as his eyes followed her hand. When Liu Meng realized what she had just done, she threw a menacing nce at Li Yiming and moved her hand a little further away from herself. ¡°What about this number?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a life mark, it¡¯s the most important thing for a guardian¡­¡± Li Yiming began exining to Liu Meng the basics about being a guardian as much as he could.


    The polite young nurse quickly returned with the doctor responsible for Liu Meng. After a simple examination that still failed to reveal the cause of Liu Meng¡¯s sudden recovery, the two insisted on leaving the hospital against the medical advice of staying for further observation. Liu Meng signed a document and left for Yunda Hotel with Li Yiming behind her. When they arrived, they found everyone from the filming crew busy putting away their equipment. The floor management had an ashen face as he announced to everyone that filming would be canceled upon further notice since both the director and the main actress had gone missing. He was even kind enough to not ask to be reimbursed for the hospital fees.


    ¡°So, are we going back to my ce or are we going to yours?¡± Liu Meng gave Li Yiming his three thousand yuans of trainingpensation and asked a question to Li Yiming that caught the attention of many in the hotel lobby around her.


    ¡°How about mine?¡± said Li Yiming as he took his hard-earned money, without minding the stares of those around him who were sinking deeper and deeper into a big misunderstanding. ¡°How about my ce? Lishui is closer to Jing Prefecture, and we¡¯d need to cover more distance if we went back with the crew.¡±


    ¡°To your ce?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go there now. No one¡¯s there.¡± His answer produced another round of bafflement. Li Yiming was still a little worried about Liu Meng.


    ¡°Alright then, shall we head out? I¡¯ll go talk to the manager.¡± Liu Meng turned around and left. Someone who worked for setting up the stage showed a thumbs up to Li Yiming, to which he responded with a self-content raise of the eyebrow.


    * * *


    ¡°So,<em>this</em>is your home?¡± Liu Meng stood right outside of Li Yiming¡¯s little apartment, and looked inside with disdain just like Bai Ze did not too long ago. Ever since the freeloader started living with him, snack packagings and the skin of fruits could be found scattered across the worn-out room, and there was even a half-empty bottle of spilled drink on the floor, whose original content was hard to tell by now.


    ¡°Well, my name¡¯s on the paper, yes.¡± Li Yiming sat down rather proudly on the sofa.


    ¡°Your dad gave it to you?¡±


    ¡°Yep, marriage property.¡± Li Yiming kicked off his slippers and crossed his legs on the tea table.


    ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t look too bad with a little renovation.¡± Liu Meng pushed her luggage to the side and looked around as if she were its future owner. [2]


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Li Yiming looked at Liu Meng¡¯s luggage and walked to the window, peeking out like a thief to see if someone was looking. When he saw the neighboring old man Wang watering his nts, he smiled at him with embarrassment and pulled the curtains in together.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Liu Meng took a few steps back, feeling a little nervous.


    ¡°Let me show you something.¡± Li Yiming pulled a ring out of his pocket. It had a modern, metallic design and glittered as light fell on its dark, undecorated edges.


    ¡°Are you proposing to me right now?¡± Liu Meng stepped back once again. She sounded confused, but excited more than anything.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Yiming had an awkward expression. ¡°Use your¡­ Take a look at this with your inner sight,¡± said Li Yiming as he gave the ring to her.


    ¡°This¡­¡± The moment she touched the ring, her expression changed from confusion to bewilderment, but her eagerness remained the same.


    ¡°It¡¯s a storage ring. Do you know how to use it?¡± Li Yiming asked.


    ¡°Is this for me?¡± Liu Meng seemed overjoyed.


    ¡°Yeah, I already have one.¡± Li Yiming waved his own hand.


    Liu Meng wasted no time on formalities, especially with Li Yiming. She dropped the essory onto her palm and closed her eyes. An almost imperceptible sh of lightter and she opened eyes, visibly very happy.


    <em>¡®As I thought, it¡¯s only natural that a true guardian would know how to use these things right away¡­¡¯</em>Li Yiming found all of this a little unfair. The ring belonged to Xiao Hei, and Li Yiming had already emptied its content into his own bracelet, but he had yet to find time to check the items one by one.


    ¡°Did you get this from a domain?¡± Liu Meng scrutinized the ring with excitement and searched around for an object to test it on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try it here.¡± Li Yiming saw through Liu Meng¡¯s intentions and quickly rushed to stop her. ¡°It¡¯ll consume a life mark with every usage here.¡±


    ¡°Come on, just let me try it once.¡±


    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t. You¡¯ll get plenty of chances to try it outter. You¡¯d literally be throwing your life away.¡±


    ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Liu Meng sat down on the sofa but quickly frowned as she realized it was covered with chips.


    ¡°No way I can live here without cleaning this ce up.¡± Liu Meng suddenly stood up and walked to the window to let in some fresh air. The old couple on the balcony in the building facing the window seemed a little surprised, but then they looked away; in the aged neighborhood where Li Yiming lived, the distance between buildings was nearly nonexistent. Liu Meng, however, did not mind them and turned around to clean the room.


    Li Yiming tried offering his help to Liu Meng since he could not simply stand there and watch her clean his own apartment, but he was scolded back into where he was after identally spilling the contents of a bottle he picked up from the floor. He went out to the balcony and looked at Liu Meng with his back against the railing. The sight her visage, focused on her work, made Li Yiming¡¯s thoughts run wild once again.<em>¡®Maybe¡­ Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad if everything stayed like this¡­</em>


    <em>¡®To seek the extraordinary, to want to be ¡°special¡±... Hmm, I guess these desires belong to young minds. After all that¡¯s happened, I think that I¡¯d be happy with a stable, quiet life. Is this maturity? Maybe. But I don¡¯t think that everyone needs to be on the verge of death like I was toe to this realization, sometimes all we need is to spend some time, live through a few experiences.¡¯</em>


    As Li Yiming ruminated on these thoughts, Liu Meng¡¯s silhouette slowly faded away, reced by another one in his memories: his mother. He remembered how his father sat on the sofa, smoking a cigarette while his mother wiped the floor and grumbled. He remembered himself as a child, ying around with a water gun and smiling at his parents. His eyes watered as he remembered these faraway, blissful times. [3]


    <em>Knock¡ª Knock¡ª Knock¡ª </em>


    A quick string of knocking noise suddenly pulled Li Yiming back to reality. Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming with a mop in her hands. Li Yiming himself was puzzled.<em>¡®A visitor? No one other than Bai Ze and Liu Meng has evere to this ce ever since I entered college.¡¯</em>


    <em>Knock¡ª Knock¡ª Knock¡ª </em>


    The knocking sound came once again, and it seemed like the visitor was growing impatient. Li Yiming walked to the door, unsure about what to do, and took a deep breath as he decided to meet his guest. However, he also prepared for the encounter by readying himself to pull out a pistol he found in Xiao Hei¡¯s ring. He would be able to bring out the weapon in a fraction of a second if needed. With all that¡¯s happened recently, Li Yiming had finally learned that prudence was the best way to care for his own life.


    Li Yiming turned the doorknob slowly and carefully pulled the door open. He looked through the slit while he raised his other hand in front of him, in a position to use his handgun. However, his visitor did not give him much more time, the door was immediately flung open and bumped against him with such speed that he almost fell down. As Li Yiming bent backward, however, he moved his fingers and a P99 Walt appeared in his hand. He made ready to fire his weapon as quickly as he could.


    Liu Meng, who had been looking at Li Yiming, knew that she would need to ready herself to help him from the moment she saw his grave countenance. She prepared to deliver a blow with her mop: this was the synergy from the many years they had spent together, and it was more valuable than anything now that they have be guardians. She raised the mop high above her head and swung it down in a mighty strike as Li Yiming was pushed back by the door.


    However, the next instant, Li Yiming¡¯s cry of surprise made her stop her blow in midair, and she fell to the floor after tripping and losing her bnce.


    ¡°Mom?¡±


    Who''s in the mood for some family drama? :o

 Volume 3 Chapter 4

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 4 ¨C Signs from the Heavens</strong></h4>


    The visitor had ruddy cheeks and seemed more excited than ever as she broke through the entrance. When she saw Liu Meng fall down, she cried out in shock and rushed toward her with a speed that defied thews of physics and stopped her fall. Her angry voice was heard before Liu Meng could have a good look at her face. "What are you doing? Letting her clean the floor in her situation? Why are you just like that stupid father of yours? Do you even know how to take care of her? Don¡¯t you know that she needs your affection and protection? Pfft, how blind can you be? Hey, girl,e, take a break, my Yiming is a little fool, so don¡¯t take it to heart, okay? Leave this to me, I¡¯ll make some soup for you too."


    The angry-sounding woman was Li Yiming¡¯s mother, and, after scolding her son, pulled Liu Meng to a seat on the sofa with a gentle smile. She scrutinized Liu Meng from head to toe and seemed very satisfied. The wrinkles around her eyes pulled in closer together as she smiled andplimented her. "What a beautiful girl, sorry, you haven¡¯t been treated too well." She reached out for Liu Meng¡¯s hand in the most natural way.


    "Ah... Hello aunt..." Liu Meng squeezed out a smile. She was far too surprised by the suddenness of it all. ¡¯What exactly is happening? ¡¯


    "Mom, why are you here?" Li Yiming¡¯s hand trembled behind his back. Just a moment ago, he was ready to send a bullet into the forehead of his mother. ¡¯Phew, what a close call...¡¯


    "Yiming! Why didn¡¯t you tell me you wereing back home? If it weren¡¯t for old man Wang¡¯s wife, who called aunt Liu at my workce, I wouldn¡¯t even have known." Li Yiming¡¯s mother threw another reprimanding nce at him and resumed her examination of Liu Meng. ¡¯Wow, what a beautiful girl. Look at this face, look at this body! A perfect fit for Yiming.¡¯


    ¡¯Old man Wang and aunt Liu?¡¯ Li Yiming nced at the balcony of the apartment facing his, a little surprised, and it all suddenly became clear to him: old man Wang saw it all before he closed the curtains after arriving with Liu Meng. ¡¯Holy crap, does gossip spread this quickly nowadays? I¡¯ve barely arrived and mom¡¯s already here? That¡¯s the power of the neighborhood crowd I guess, no wonder some celebrities are ruined by rumors that spread far too quickly.¡¯


    "Have a seat, okay? I¡¯ll clean up the room and make you some food." After setting Liu Meng down, Li Yiming¡¯s mother quickly began her work. Needless to say, the efficiency of a professional was iparable to theirs, and between the asional turning back of the head to smile at Liu Meng, the room was tidied up in no time. Liu Meng stood up to help her on several asions, only to be stopped firmly and told to sit back down. She sat back with a freshly peeled apple and stared at Li Yiming innocently.


    Li Yiming hunched his shoulders and sat down next to Liu Meng with a half-amused smile. He knew that his mother was making the wrong assumptions about himself and Liu Meng based on what his father had told her. However, Li Yiming did not want to exin the situation to her right away as he found the whole misunderstanding to be quite droll.


    A sumptuous supper was soon made ready and the three took their meal happily together. Li Yiming¡¯s mother¡¯s eagerness and enthusiasm almost scared Liu Meng, and not only did she insist on Liu Meng drinking a lot of chicken soup, she constantly bombarded her with reminders such as not walking around too quickly, not washing her head, and not using cold water. This surprised Li Yiming at first, who thought that even his mother would not treat a girl he had just brought home in such an exaggerated way. However, right after his mother left, Li Yiming suddenly caught the reason behind such an odd behavior.


    "What¡¯s wrong with your mom?" Liu Meng asked him in a shaking voice. "I feel like she¡¯s treating me as if I was pregnant."


    "That¡¯s exactly what she¡¯s thinking." Li Yiming remembered the call he made back at the hospital in Jing Prefecture and wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead.


    "What?"


    As night, but Liu Meng still turned left and right on the fresh bed sheets that Li Yiming¡¯s mother had just put on. Li Yiming himself was sleeping in the living room. For a reason unknown to him, Liu Meng did not lock the door to her room and left it ajar.


    Li Yiming lied on the sofa with a quilt that made it too warm once it was put on, but once he took it off, he would be freezing. He also turned left and right, and, after looking at the slit of the bedroom for the twenty-first time, he searched for a Buddhist scripture on his cellphone and went over it inside his head over and over again.


    Avalokiteshvara


    while practicing deeply with


    the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore,


    suddenly discovered that


    all of the five Skandhas are equally empty,


    and with this realization


    he overcame all Ill-being.


    "Listen Sariputra,


    this Body itself is Emptiness


    and Emptiness itself is this Body.


    This Body is not other than Emptiness


    and Emptiness is not other than this Body.


    The same is true of Feelings,


    Perceptions, Mental Formations,


    and Consciousness. 1


    The door to the bedroom was flung opened silently, and Liu Meng scuttled to where Li Yiming slept with her feet bare. He quickly put his cell phone down, just like a junior high student when the school residency is being checked. "Don¡¯t you feel anything?" Liu Meng asked in a quiet voice, but her heavy breathing betrayed an inner turmoil.


    "Feeling... yes." Li Yiming gulped down some saliva. His eyes wandered about her svelte, white legs, but he did not dare to climb upward.


    "Then why aren¡¯t you making a move?" Liu Meng asked in a surprised voice.


    "I..." Li Yiming was unsure about what to say. ¡¯Aren¡¯t we bros, how can I...¡¯


    "What do we do now?"


    ¡¯What do we do now? With you like that, what is the only thing for me to do?¡¯ Li Yiming threw his nket to the side and stood up in a surge of passion. ¡¯So, in the bedroom, or right here on the sofa?¡¯ Li Yiming wondered.


    "The domain is very far away, are we going to make it?"


    ¡¯Domain?¡¯ This came to Li Yiming like a bucket of icy water.


    "It would take us six hours by train to go to Shangbei. We should be good for time. When should we leave?" Liu Meng sat down on the sofa and covered her legs with Li Yiming¡¯s nket. With how short her pajamas were, between its ends and the nket lied a very attractive sight.


    "You can feel the entrance of the next domain?" Li Yiming sat down right next to her without minding the lusciousness of it all.


    "Yeah, I saw it. The Mingzhu tower in Shangbei. Also the time, it¡¯s tomorrow." Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming. It was obvious that she was terrified from "feeling" Heaven¡¯s Laws for the first time. 2


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know about this... Even with my vein activated, I¡¯m still not an official guardian. Should I even go? Even with my life marks zeroed, I don¡¯t actually have to participate in it, and I¡¯ve verified before with Bai Ze. But Liu Meng... No, I have to do it.¡¯ Li Yiming pondered over the situation. "Let me search online, we¡¯ll take the train as soon as possible."


    "I¡¯ll go get our things ready then." Liu Meng ran for the bedroom.


    ¡¯Domain... Shangbei...¡¯


    Li Yiming put his cell phone back into his pocket with a frustrated expression. His mother had just called him; she hade again to his home in the morning with a pot of red beans porridge, only to find the apartment vacant. She made an angry call to her son that was only appeased by repeated exnations from Li Yiming that he was simply escorting Liu Meng home. She only agreed to hang up after repetitively urging him to be tactful when he would visit Liu Meng¡¯s parents and to not hesitate to give her a call if necessary.


    Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming andughed when he scratched his head in frustration. She grimaced at him yfully and that alone was enough to bend the necks of those who were around her.


    The two found their seats on a train that was making a brief stop in Lishui. The size of the city meant that there would be no departures from it. Li Yiming had put away their luggage into his bracelet. Liu Meng, without knowing about Li Yiming¡¯s "exceptional" case, was very moved by his sacrifice.


    September was the off season for traveling, with students already back in school. When Li Yiming and Liu Meng got into the seemingly empty train to find their seats, they found only one out of the six seats in thepartment upied. The stranger who was there smiled politely at them when they arrived. Li Yiming nodded and sat down with Liu Meng facing him. However, when he had the time to look at the man more carefully, his mood worsened slightly.


    The man was in his thirties, with pale skin and handsome features. His cleanly cut short hair that supported a defined jaw which let through a feeling of conviction and determination. Although the muscles which were showing through his shirt conferred to him a pleasant air of masculinity, the pair of silvery metallic sses he wore also made him seem like a knowledgeable person. With the way he smiled and the way he looked at the others around him, he was like a ma for attention.


    ¡¯A perfect man.¡¯ Li Yiming thought. This was a little irritating to him, especially since Liu Meng was with him.


    "Are you headed to Shangbei?" The man asked with a maic voice, just like one on the radio at midnight.


    "Yes, and you?" Li Yiming did not answer him, but Liu Meng did. It was natural for alikes to attract each other.


    "Ah, then we arepanions for the road. Li Huaibei." Li Huaibei extended his right hand and revealed a bracelet of scarlet wooden Buddhist beads bracelet on his wrist. By the looks of it, the essory must have cost a fortune. ¡¯Why would someone as rich as him take the train?¡¯ Li Yiming thought a little sourly. However, the man was very tactful; although he spoke to Liu Meng, he extended his hand in Li Yiming¡¯s direction. Since it would be extremely rude to not reciprocate such a showing of good will, Li Yiming squeezed out a smile and shook his hand.


    "Li Yiming."


    "Liu Meng." Liu Meng extended her right hand toward Li Huabei. When thetter shook her hand, he had very gentleman-like manners and did not linger a moment more, which pleased Li Yiming quite a lot.


    "Are you going to school?"


    "We¡¯re actually going to see a musical show." Li Yiming answered. This was from an advertisement he saw when he ordered the tickets online. It was a performance from a famous troupe overseas, which was the perfect exnation for why they did not have any luggage.


    "Moonlight Forest?"


    "Oh? You like musical shows too?"


    "I go to one from time to time, but honestly I can¡¯t quite understand them." Li Huaibei answered earnestly. The two continued their conversation for a while, and, while Li Huaibei seemed to be very knowledgeable and could talk about seemingly anything, he was also very clever in his speech. He would spend just enough time on a topic to build a conversation, but not enough as to make Li Yiming or Liu Meng feel like they were being patronized. This was enough to quickly improve Li Yiming¡¯s opinion of him. Liu Meng, upon noticing that Li Yiming was starting to appreciate thepany of this newfound friend, leaned closer to him and rested her hand on his wrist, which brought to him a lot offort.


    Time went by quickly as the two chit-chatted. A crew member passed by theirpartment with a trolley of food. Li Yiming was generous enough to treat Li Huaibei to a 25 yuan chicken rice meal.


    "It¡¯s been a long time since someone has treated me to a meal." Li Huaibei remarked as he split the bamboo chopsticks in two and cleaned away the splinters of wood.


    "Ah, it¡¯s nothing," said Li Yiming. ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with this guy? I thought he was rich? I wouldn¡¯t have paid for him if he didn¡¯t just sit there and waited. I¡¯ve gotten 3000 from the rehearsal, and 5000 from my dad, that¡¯s not going tost me very long. Hmmm, I have a gun now. Maybe I should go look for a bank and get some money while I¡¯m at Shanbei?¡¯


    Liu Meng helped Li Yiming open his food box and poured the drink for him as if she was his wife. She pushed the paper cup in front of Li Yiming and was about to do the same for Li Huaibei when Li Yiming¡¯s phone suddenly rang. Li Yiming retracted his hand instinctively for his cellphone, but Liu Meng had already pulled back her hand too. With the vibration of the train, the cup full of drink slipped from the edge of the table and began its fall toward the ground.


    Li Yiming had just picked up his phone when he noticed the cup. He reached for it without thinking, and, with a scooping motion, even managed to catch all of the liquid that was above it. He looked at his phone: it was a call from overseas. ¡¯I don¡¯t remember having a friend outside of the country.¡¯ He picked up the phone and an automated female voice came from the speaker. "Dear client, congrattions on being the lucky recipient of the grand prize that we are offering. You will receive a gift bundle valued at more than 18888 yuan! To im your prize, please first register at (dot)screwyou(dot."3


    "......" Li Yiming hung up his phone, speechless. He sipped his drink: this was his seventeenth prize this year.


    "Good reflexes." Li Huaibei remarked as he finished his chicken leg.


    "I just got lucky..." Li Yiming realized what he had just aplished. To be able to catch a falling cup like that without even looking, and to be able to put its content back inside, this was no stroke of luck. This was all thanks to his improved body after Heaven¡¯s punishment.


    "Well, I think that with that alone, you would be able to do decently in Shangbei." Li Huaibei smiled and continued to work on his chicken leg. Although eating a chicken leg was by no means an elegant task, it was somehow possible for him to do it as if it were a form of art.


    A new acquaintance and some old friends will show up soon... :


    Passage from the <i>Heart Sutra</i>, especially the part about body being empty has been absorbed into Chinese culture and is a verymon saying. ? Shangbei is a fictional name that¡¯s the obvious fusion of ¡°Shanghai¡± and ¡°Beijing¡±, however, the ce Shangbei refers to would be real life Shanghai, since there¡¯s a tower, the <i>Oriental Pearl, </i>or otherwise the Mingzhu tower there. ? The naming of that site name is just to prevent it from being rendered as an URL, also xD at that name. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 5

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 5 ¨C Mingzhu Tower</strong></h4>


    Shangbei is the cultural and economic capital of the country, standing proudly at the top of the world for its bustling neighborhoods and the endless opportunities they provided. It is an international metropolis with more than twenty million inhabitants. Li Yiming gazed at thendscape in the distance as he exited the train station. ¡¯This is where Ji Xiaoqin and I... Now that I think about it, it might¡¯ve been an ident since the very beginning.¡¯


    "Where are we going now?" Liu Meng¡¯s question stopped his pondering. Li Yiming looked at her and a nascent guilt suddenly sprang up in his mind.


    "Where are you going? If we¡¯re going to the same ce, I can give you a ride. You know, to thank you for the lunch," Li Huaibei proposed.


    "We¡¯re going to Mingzhu Tower." Liu Meng was about to refuse him, but Li Yiming interjected before she had the chance to do so.


    "Well, we¡¯re going to the same ce then." Li Huaibei said with a smile and gestured for the two to follow him into the parking lot.


    Liu Meng was about to say something, but Li Yiming stopped her with a nce. The two followed Li Huaibei quietly. His car was a top-grade Cadic SUV. After getting into the vehicle, Li Yiming wrapped his arm around Liu Meng¡¯s waist. Liu Meng twisted around a little at first, but settled down after Li Yiming gave her another nce. She was not quite sure about his intentions, but still cooperated and even leaned a little more into his chest.


    "Showing off your affection?" Li Huaibei looked at the two through the rear-view mirror and joked.


    "It¡¯s just habit." Li Yiming answered with a calm voice. However, a gun appeared in the hand he hid behind Liu Meng.


    Li Huabei smiled again and said nothing more. The car exited the station, and, as it traveled, Li Yiming stared at Li Huaibei¡¯s face from the side. He seemed calm, but tightened his grip on his pistol as he remembered what Xiao Hei said about Bai Ze. ¡¯Perfect. It¡¯s simply impossible for a normal human being to be this perfect. This Li Huaibei, there has to be something wrong with him.¡¯


    Li Huaibei drove silently until he suddenly reached for the storagepartment between the front row seats. Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he slowly lifted his pistol. Liu Meng, who had felt Li Yiming¡¯s gesture, stiffened herself and leaned even tighter against Li Yiming. Li Huaibei opened the cover and waved a pack of cigarettes at Li Yiming.


    "I don¡¯t smoke." Li Yiming let out a sigh of relief, but still held his pistol tightly.


    "Do you mind me smoking then?" Li Huaibei brought the package to his mouth, bit on one and pulled it out of the box.


    "Sure, go ahead." Li Yiming stretched his sore shoulder slightly.


    "I also used to not smoke." Li Huaibei lowered the car window and turned on the electrical lighter. "But someone told me that ¡¯a man who does not smoke...¡¯


    "No son he shall beget." Li Yiming finished his sentence before he could stop himself. He was all too familiar with that saying.


    Squeak!


    The tires emitted a painful, high-pitched screech as they left ck smears behind them. The Cadic, which had been speeding on the road, came to a sudden halt. The car behind almost collided against its rear, and its driver was quick to let its anger known through a string of insults.


    "Where did you hear that from?" Li Huabei looked at Li Yiming with severity, without minding for a second pistol pointed at his face.


    "A man." Li Yiming was very nervous; he had not expected a casual answer to provoke this big of a response.


    "What kind of man?" Li Huaibei¡¯s gaze intensified.


    "How should I describe it? With a knit bag?" Li Yiming picked the most conspicuous characteristic.


    "You¡¯ve met Mr. Kong?" Li Huaibei¡¯s seriousness was reced by surprise.


    "That¡¯s his name?"


    "Everyone calls him that." Li Huaibei seemed to be reminiscing about something. His imposing air suddenly vanished, reced by his former elegant self.


    "Put your toy away, okay? You haven¡¯t even unlocked the safety. Are you new?" Li Huaibei started his car again and picked up the cigarette he had dropped.


    "I..." Li Yiming wanted to say to him that his handgun was not just a toy, but he then looked at it and realized that the safety was indeed still on. He put down the gun, a little unsatisfied with his own performance. ¡¯Well, at least I don¡¯t need to fight him.¡¯


    "It¡¯s rare for a neer to see Mr. Kong." Li Huaibei blew a puff of smoke out of the car window, but it was sent back into Li Yiming¡¯s face by the wind.


    "You¡¯ve also met him?" Li Yiming was not yet ready to trust him.


    "It was quite a while ago. Are you only two?"


    "Yes." Li Yiming did not hide this from him. ¡¯Well, he¡¯s a guardian, that¡¯s for sure, and he knows about Big Bro too. Most importantly, he doesn¡¯t seem to be an enemy, could he be in the same situation as I am?¡¯ This was what preupied him the most.


    "It won¡¯t be easy for the two of you in Shangbei. But if Mr. Kong has been willing to show himself to you, it must have been because you¡¯re special in some way."


    "What did your Stage of Ascension look like?" Li Yiming suddenly asked.


    "Stage of Ascension? Isn¡¯t it the same for everyone?" The man turned his head back, a little surprised.


    "Mr. Kong said that it would be a little... different for some of us." Li Yiming came up with an exnation.


    "Oh really? That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard something like that. My Stage of Ascension was a simple yin-yang tform. What about you?"


    "Same," Li Yiming answered, a little discouraged.


    "Me too." Liu Meng was a little confused; she was still thinking about Mr. Kong. It was quite strange for her since she could remember meeting him vaguely, but none of the details.


    "Okay, we¡¯re almost here." Li Huaibei pulled his car door open and looked at Mingzhu tower from the parking lot. This was the distinguishingndmark of Shangbei.


    "Are we waiting here?" Li Yiming and Liu Meng also disembarked.


    "Come, neers, it¡¯ll be quite a show today with a domain of this size." Li Huaibei led the way and strode toward the center of Mingzhu Public Square.


    "Are there a lot of people in big-sized domains?" Liu Meng looked at the tower in the distance. A 350-meter tall tower with a 50-meter diameter sphere on top of it. It looked like a lollipop more than anything.


    ¡¯Big-sized domain? So it¡¯s not just low-level, intermediate and high-level? Is this another way of ssifying the domains?¡¯ Li Yiming followed in silence. He knew that he would receive no guidance at all from Heaven¡¯s Laws and that he simply had to deal with whatever was thrown in his way.


    "Big-sized domains are special kinds of domain. It¡¯s a little different from a normal domain. Domains are usually split into low, intermediate or high based on their difficulty. A goodparison would be the difficulty of the homework given to you by your teacher. The harder it is, the more praise you¡¯ll receive when you finish it. However, big-sized domains are like exams: the difficulty is the same for everyone. But the more things you do, the higher you score, and the more rewards you¡¯ll receive, so everything is up to you. Usually, there¡¯s a lot of participants." Li Huaibei seemed to have guessed Li Yiming¡¯s confusion and exined tersely.


    Ever since the erection of the Mingzhu tower in the city, the tourists visiting thendmark prompted the development of amercial district around it. To appeal to all kinds of visitors, the variety of products being sold was also almost endless. The three stopped next to a fountain near the center of the public square. Li Huaibei raised his head and gazed at the peak of the tower, evidently sunken into his own thoughts. Liu Meng pulled out her cell phone, just like a normal tourist, and was about to take a selfie. Li Yiming looked around, a little bored by the waiting.


    ¡¯Qing Linglong?¡¯ Li Yiming quickly saw someone he knew amidst the crowd. Qing Qiaoqiao was also with her sister, and, just like Liu Meng, she was taking a selfie with her phone. Eyesses and Grandma Wang were also there. Eyesses was ying on his tablet as always, but something, most likely a prosthetic leg, made his standing posture seem a little odd. As for Grandma Wang, she sat still on a stone bench with her eyes closed.


    ¡¯Maybe I should go greet them?¡¯ Li Yiming did not have many acquaintances amongst other guardians, so meeting them again made him feel a little morefortable.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er?" Liu Meng suddenly eximed. Li Yiming instantly turned his head in her direction. Fang Shui¡¯er hid behind a casual, ck outfit, a white hat and a pair of giant sunsses. She also covered half of her face with a mask, just like the first time he saw her. However, it was easy for Li Yiming to know that it was indeed her since someone else trailed her: Zeng Qian, with her unchanged smile and her slightlyrge figure. When Li Yiming saw Zeng Qian, he remembered Ning Vige, and what hid behind the smile that hung on those full cheeks.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s group also spotted Li Yiming and Liu Meng, and Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian were looking in their direction hesitantly. Three other people followed them, one man with a patch around his eye, another man, as obese as a small mountain, and a third one with an imposing beard. They did not look like bodyguards, and, based on their actions, it seemed like the bearded man was the leader of the trio.


    "People you know?" Li Huaibei turned around and asked.


    "Yeah, we¡¯ve worked together before," Li Yiming answered truthfully.


    "Save the greetings forter. If you don¡¯t know them too well, it might not be a good idea to see someone you know here.


    "Why?" Li Yiming was a little confused. ¡¯I thought that power came with numbers?¡¯


    "I¡¯ll exin to youter. Just stay here for now, okay?" Li Huaibei looked around him and lit up another cigarette. Li Yiming suddenly realized that the people around him were all looking in his direction, but something stopped them from getting too close.


    "Sis, look!" Qing Qiaoqiao saw Li Yiming. She was quite fond of him, so she started walking in his direction and was about to shout a greeting until Qing Linglong pulled her back.


    "Is that the Sword of the North?" Qing Linglong asked Grandma Wang for confirmation.


    "It¡¯s him alright. Why is he here?" Grandma Wang nced at Li Huaibei and stood up with a concerned look.


    ¡¯Look at that girl. She¡¯s a neer, that¡¯s for sure. The Sword of the North with a neer?" Eyesses pushed up his sses and whispered.


    "I was thinking about inviting Li Yiming to our team this time, since he seemed to have a strong background. I wouldn¡¯t have thought that he would be with him. That Li Yiming, he¡¯s definitely not as simple as he looks." Qing Linglong sighed. "But he seems to enjoy staying with first-timers?"


    "That man is called Sword of the North? Is he really strong?" Qing Qiaoqiao could tell that her sister stopped her because of that handsome man.


    "It¡¯s more than that. He¡¯s the only person who has survived Eden." Eyesses quirked his lips, threw a fearful nce at Li Huaibei, and said in an even lower voice.


    "Eden?"


    "Qiaoqiao, this isn¡¯t something you should ask about. I hope that you never learn about Eden." Qing Linglong nced at Li Yiming again with a cryptic expression.


    "Shui¡¯er, you know that kid?" The eye-patch man nced at Li Yiming. He noticed the change in the behavior of the Fang sisters ever since they noticed Li Yiming¡¯s presence.


    "We¡¯re working together for the first time, but I¡¯d think that we should at least share information with each other," The bearded man said, "We should pay attention to the fact that Li Huaibei has agreed to team up with a neer. I thought he always operated alone."


    "For the sess of the mission, the best advice I can give you is to not mess around with him." Zeng Qian said with a cial smile.


    "Is it because of Li Huaibei?" The eye-patch man snorted scornfully.


    "You shouldn¡¯t underestimate him. That boy isn¡¯t as simple as he looks. He was in our domainst time." Fang Shui¡¯er turned around and her eyes broke away from Li Yiming.


    "Strong?" The bearded man removed his sunsses and threw a cold, cruel look at Li Yiming.


    "I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s strong or not, since I¡¯ve never seen him do anything, but he has background..."


    "I wouldn¡¯t think that Li Huaibei alone would be enough to intimidate us, would he?"


    "It¡¯s Mr. Kong." Zeng Qian had an awkward smile. They had searched through a lot of information after the Ning Vige domain, and confirmed that the man they saw was indeed Mr. Kong; it was rather easy with how shy the knit-bag was. On top of that, they would not think that anyone would dare to pretend to be him. Zeng Qian, perhaps due to what Mr. Kong had said, had rekindled her rtionship with her sister, but Xiao Hei had disappeared even since the conclusion of the Ning Vige domain. ¡¯Does he dislike me now...?¡¯


    "Mr. Kong?" The bearded man asked in an incredulous voice mingled with shock.


    Zeng Qian did not answer him. Fang Shui¡¯er nodded as she remembered, a little stirred, what had happened in the previous domain. The fat man sat down silently, while the eye-patch man turned his head around in concern and looked in another direction.


    Happy to see the good ol¡¯ squad reunited. ??

 Volume 3 Chapter 6

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 6 ¨C The One Who Always Shows Up </strong></h4>


    More and more people gathered around the Tower, and, although at first sight they didn¡¯t seem any different from normal tourists, a closer look revealed an odditymon to all; instead of admiring thendscape in the distance or the tower itself, they were mostly preupied with observing those around them. Most clustered into small groups of three to five people, and a certain distance was always maintained. The people that looked at Li Huaibei had cautious and alerted expressions, save for a few who saluted him with a nod. However, when their attention shifted toward Li Yiming and Liu Meng, their cautiousness turned into curiosity.


    "Quite a lot of people, I see." Li Yiming had also noticed the flow of people around him, including those who were different. With his experience and acquired alertness, he spotted at least forty people.


    "These are only the ones you can see easily. There are others who are even more prudent and hide themselves." Li Huaibei eyes swept across the residential building around the square, halting briefly at a few windows.


    Suddenly, a sh of light tore through the sky, illuminating the tip of Mingzhu Tower briefly. Then, a rainbow-like halo spread out above the city like the ripple on the surface of ake. Everyone raised their heads to look at the supernatural manifestation.


    "It¡¯s starting." A shout was heard from the crowd.


    The characters on the giant advertisement panel beneath the tower twisted and wriggled until one single word remained: Survival.


    Whispering was heard.


    "A survival domain?" A few exchanged their worries.


    "A survival domain?" Li Huaibei uttered. "Well, this is going to be interesting."


    The single word remained on the advertisement panel for about three minutes, then it slowly faded away and something else appeared. This time, it was a number: 30.


    "Thirty days?" Another wave of surprised cries came from the guardians on the public square.


    "Do you know what a survival domain is?" Li Huaibei turned around and asked Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming shook his head earnestly.


    "Usually, in a domain, you need to look for clues and figure out yourself what the goal of the domain is. However, withrge-sized domains, things are a little different. I¡¯ve said earlier that this is just like an examination, you¡¯ll get plenty of mouth-watering rewards if you pass, and if you fail, well that¡¯s just how it is. This survival domain exemplifies what I¡¯ve said perfectly. The goal is simple: survival. That¡¯s the will of the domain, and if you can survive for the number of days indicated on the panel, thirty days, then you¡¯ll have seeded in this domain."


    "I only need to survive?" Li Yiming was baffled. ¡¯Well that¡¯s pretty easy isn¡¯t it? All I need to do is find a ce and hide for a bit.¡¯


    Li Huaibei chuckled at his question and lit up another cigarette. "The purpose of therge-sized domain is to filter out the weaklings. To make those who are strong even stronger. There¡¯s a lot of opportunities that you wouldn¡¯t want to miss. Also, look at those around you... Do you think that hiding will work?"


    Li Yiming looked left and right and saw the gravity written on his peers¡¯ faces.


    "The rewards are very simple. If you can kill or subdue specified targets, you¡¯ll be able to obtain life marks."


    "Targets?" Li Yiming looked around rmingly.


    "The targets aren¡¯t the other guardians. Beasts or monsters, most likely."


    "Beasts..." Li Yiming thought about the Dragondogs. At least that was more agreeable to him than having to kill other guardians.


    "But you shouldn¡¯t let your guard down. Many guardians die in the hands of their peers in big-sized domains like this." Li Huaibei reminded him.


    "Why?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Well, it¡¯s only human to be selfish. Not to mention that each guardian usually has a treasure of his or her own." Li Huaibei said in a voice that let through a little bit of frustration.


    ¡¯Kill for loot?¡¯ Li Yiming thought about the storage ring he took from Xiao Hei.


    "Oh yeah, onest thing."


    Both Li Yiming and Liu Meng stayed quiet and listened attentively.


    "Thew of survival, simply put, is thew of the jungle. That being said, don¡¯t destroy the jungle itself."


    "Don¡¯t destroy the jungle?" Liu Meng was a little confused as she raised her head to look at the skyscrapers around them.


    "We should be careful to not disrupt the order of the city?" Li Yiming was a little faster.


    "Right. If you disrupt the city within the domain, you¡¯ll soon realize stronger enemies matching your carelessness will show up to confront you. So, if you show no self-restraint and cause havoc simply because you are able to, the other guardians will be the first ones toe and end you, since they¡¯ll have to live with the consequences you¡¯ve brought about."


    Li Yiming and Liu Meng exchanged a nce and nodded.


    "Alright, I¡¯ve told you what I needed to. I¡¯ll leave you then." Li Huaibei walked away to a garbage can nearby and extinguished his cigarette.


    "You¡¯re not staying with us?" Liu Meng was a little disappointed. ¡¯This guy looks pretty strong, and I thought that we could rely on him for a safe journey.¡¯


    "You¡¯ve met Mr. Kong. You should know better than anyone that the rules need to be personally experienced. I think that I¡¯ve done enough for you." Li Huaibei looked around as he exined. "I don¡¯t mean to brag, but my name does carry a certain weight. Remember your reward will be better if you can capture or kill many targets. Pay attention to your surroundings and try to not miss any opportunities that show up." Li Huaibei waved his hand in their direction as a goodbye and left for the parking lot without lingering.


    "Oh. I presume that you¡¯ve heard of camougers?" Li Huaibei suddenly turned around and asked.


    "Yes." Li Yiming answered.


    "Well, you can be sure to find at least one of them in the domain. Be careful." With thesest words, Li Huaibei left them for good.


    ¡¯Camougers too?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the giant number that shed on the panel and turned back to look at Liu Meng. ¡¯Are we really going to be alright?¡¯


    "What do we do now?" For a first-timer like Liu Meng, it was a little hard to decide on a n of approach right away. Most of the guardians had already spread out and slowly vanished around the intersections in the distance. Qing Linglong led her group into a high-grade restaurant right around the corner.


    "Let¡¯s eat first." Li Yiming decided. ¡¯I¡¯ll think of a solution when the problem shows up. All we can do for now is try our best to steer ourselves into a favorable situation.¡¯ He followed Qing Linglong and her friends into the restaurant. He did not know how many stars the restaurant had, but based on the rows of luxury cars parked in the lot in front of it, a meal there had to be rather expensive. ¡¯Hmm, I still have around 8000 yuan on me, that should be enough at least for a dinner for two. With deathing anytime around the corner, I should at least make the most out of any time I¡¯m alive. Wouldn¡¯t want to die without having enjoyed my life. Well, in the worst case scenario I¡¯ll go rob a bank after I¡¯m done eating. If 8000 isn¡¯t enough for a meal, then I¡¯ll rob the restaurant first, and the bank second.¡¯


    Ever since she woke up from her slumber in the hospital, Liu Meng¡¯s character had changed from her usually dominant self into one of docility, especially for Li Yiming¡¯s decisions. As they passed through the entrance, a waiter with a tie came to greet them with a grin.


    "Wee sir, may I know if you have a reservation?" A polite inquiry, despite Li Yiming and Liu Meng¡¯s in garments.


    "No." Li Yiming answered coldly. He forced himself to keep his eyes straight ahead of himself, as to not let their wandering around ruin the impressive demeanor he purported.


    "May I know how many seats you require then?" The waiter asked, polite as always.


    Li Yiming extended two fingers: to say too much was a sure way to betray himself.


    "Alright, please follow me." The waited turned around. Aside from a quick nce at first toward Liu Meng, owing to his professionalism, he refrained from looking at her for too long.


    Li Yiming followed him with his eyes always on the waiter, and the two soon arrived to apartment seat near the window. Liu Meng sat down with a grin on her face. She knew that Li Yiming was acting like that because he was afraid to embarrass himself.


    "Please take a look at the menu," the waiter said with a bow and gave a tablet each to Li Yiming and Liu Meng.


    ¡¯Holy shit, even ordering food is done with a tablet here?¡¯ Li Yiming thought, a little impressed. He only stretched his stiff neck after the waiter left them, and turned to look outside of the window. This was indeed the golden neighborhood for admiring the Mingzhu tower; from where he sat, Li Yiming could see it shoot up toward the sky like a spear, its wall glittering under the afternoon sun.


    "You should have a look at that, I don¡¯t really understand the fancy names." Li Yiming put his tablet down on the table and said to Liu Meng.


    "It¡¯s also my first time in a ce like this." Liu Meng felt likeughing.


    "Well, pick whatever you want, as long and it¡¯s not all soups." Li Yiming looked around in the restaurant, evidently not at all concerned by the choice of the meal. When he raised his head, however, and looked behind Liu Meng, he saw a someone staring back at him with a shocked expression.


    ¡¯Ji Xiaoqin?¡¯ A couple sat around the table behind Liu Meng. The girl facing Li Yiming was Ji Xiaoqin, as for the one with his back turned against him... He did not recognize him right away, but it was a familiar figure...


    "What is it?¡¯ Liu Meng noticed Li Yiming¡¯s stare and quickly turned around. She was on her guard as well, given their precarious situation..


    "Guo Xiang? Ji Xiaoqin?" Liu Meng¡¯s eyes met Guo Xiang¡¯s, who had done the same after seeing Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s baffled expression.


    ¡¯Why are they here?¡¯ The same question ran through all of their minds.


    "Coincidence?" The first one to snap out of the surprise of the moment was Guo Xiang, who had the least to worry about. Ji Xiaoqin was a little embarrassed with meeting her former boyfriend, while Li Yiming and Liu Meng were a little surprised to see Guo Xiang yet again. ¡¯Are you serious? This is a domain. What¡¯s wrong with him? He was there for no good reason once, and he¡¯s here again now? Wow, the author must really hate you.¡¯


    "It¡¯s only the two of you?" Guo Xiang stood up with a smile and skirted around the table with a confident pace. "So, how¡¯s life? Did you find a job? It mustn¡¯t be too bad since you can actually afford toe here for a meal." This was golden chance for Guo Xiang to humiliate the one who had refused him and the one who had looked at him with scorn. Since he was here with Ji Xiaoqin, how else would he prove to her that her decision was a great one?


    "Guo Xiang..." Ji Xiaoqin stood up timidly. She knew well about his temperament, and Liu Meng¡¯s burning stare made her scared and shameful.


    "Ah, it¡¯s nothing. We¡¯re old friends. Since we¡¯re all here, why don¡¯t we eat together?" Guo Xiang pulled Ji Xiaoqin over forcefully. "Hey, would you mind adding two chairs here? We¡¯re going to put our tables together. Can we get the same things here?" Guo Xiang yelled out to the restaurant staff in a loud voice. "Have you ordered? Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be on me."


    "Please mind the chair, sir." The waiter had already arrived with Guo Xiang¡¯s chair just as he finished shouting: prime quality service. "Sir, the bill for this table has already been paid by the woman over there." The waiter set down the chair and exined with a smile, but his thoughts were much less polite. ¡¯Wow, I guess I really shouldn¡¯t judge people by their appearance. Just now I thought that he was going over his means when he brought that girl here, and then, only a few minutester, and already two groups of people are fighting to pay for him?¡¯


    "Someone paid?" Both Guo Xiang and Li Yiming were surprised. They followed the waiter¡¯s hand and saw Qing Linglong lift her ss in their direction from a few tables away.


    Not sure why he¡¯s here again x.x

 Volume 3 Chapter 7

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 7 ¨C Jealousy</strong></h4>


    ¡¯Wow, what a beauty.¡¯ Guo Xiang thought. But his surprise quickly turned to scorn. ¡¯I knew he wasn¡¯t gonna be able to afford eating here without having someone else paying for him.¡¯


    Li Yiming nodded courteously in Qing Linglong¡¯s direction: paying for a meal was a small favor after what they had gone through together.


    Qing Linglong had the same thought as Li Yiming. After braving through the domain back in Hangzhou together, and given his disy of a strong familiarity with Li Huaibei, Qing Linglong thought that it was best to stay on good terms with the mysterious young man. If she was ever to encounter any kind of danger in this domain, perhaps he would be able to help him. Qing Linglong was a little surprised when she saw Guo Xiang, however. ¡¯An NPC appearing twice in a domain that knows Li Yiming?¡¯


    Guo Xiang had turned his head back and was searching through his mind for another way to embarrass Li Yiming when he noticed the young girl who came close from behind him. She wore a dark marine casual outfit with a white shirt tucked underneath. Her trousers were wrapped tightly around her slender legs: just thin enough at the calves and gaining a pleasant, attractive curvature at her thighs. Her hair was tied into a ponytail behind her head that swung left and right as she walked and brought with it fresh winds of youthful energy. And then, her face, the rosy cheeks that were colored the same as peach blossoms in a warm spring, the bright eyes watered by kindness and innocence, the slightly shy smile that carried the beauty of one¡¯s first love.


    ¡¯Wow, how can such a beauty exist?¡¯ Guo Xiang was just thinking about how to start a conversation with this beautiful stranger when she sat down right next to Li Yiming. She dropped one of her arms onto Li Yiming¡¯s shoulders and stared at him with her big, radiant eyes.


    "I knew that you were going toe. I wanted to say hello to you earlier, but sis didn¡¯t let me." It was Qing Qiaoqiao. She was passing by from a trip to the bathroom, and the good impression she had of Li Yiming after eavesdropping on his monologue to Ji Xiaoqinpelled her to approach him. Her age predisposed her to be easily moved by such tragic tales of love, especially when it was one that happened so close to her.


    Guo Xiang gulped down a full throatful of bitterness as he looked at the two. Ji Xiaoqin, who was not so surprised by Li Yiming¡¯s intimacy with Liu Meng, given that they had also been friends for so many years, was very surprised by Qing Qiaoqiao. ¡¯Who is she? I wasn¡¯t aware that Li Yiming knew someone like that. Judging by the looks of it, they aren¡¯t just normal friends.¡¯


    Liu Meng looked at Qing Qiaoqiao, and an impulse of alertness suddenly sprung up in her heart. She had heard about these "friends" of Li Yiming¡¯s when he talked with Li Huaibei. ¡¯So she¡¯s one of them? How long have they known each other to be this intimate?¡¯ Liu Meng slowly put down her tablet and faked a light cough.


    "Are these your friend? Why don¡¯t you introduce me to them?" Qing Qiaoqiao answered to the coughing and her eyes collided with Liu Meng¡¯s provocative stare.


    "This is my friend from college, Liu Meng. Liu Meng, this is Qing Qiaoqiao. We¡¯ve worked together and..." Li Yiming could not say anything more, given theck of privacy.


    Li Yiming wanted to introduce Guo Xiang and Ji Xiaoqin as well since the "domain version" of them had yet to meet her. However, Qing Qiaoqiao ignored thempletely and interrupted him by extending her hand in Liu Meng¡¯s direction. "Very happy to meet you, you¡¯re so pretty!"


    "You¡¯re beautiful too. I like your hair cord." A tersepliment from Liu Meng. The two shook hands. Li Yiming could have sworn to have seen a spark emerge out of each¡¯s palm as their hands touched.


    "Oh, really? I used to keep my hair loose. It¡¯s just that Yiming told mest time that it would look better if I tied it up, so I wanted to try it." Qing Qiaoqiao brought her hand back to her head and flicked her ponytail up into the air.


    ¡¯Did I say something like that?¡¯ Li Yiming kept his head lowered and took a long sip of water from his cup: it somehow brought a feeling of sourness to the roots of his teeth.


    "Oh? I thought he preferred short hair?" Liu Meng crossed her fingers on the table and smiled menacingly at Li Yiming.


    "Both, both look good." Li Yiming equivocated between two sips of water.


    "Haha, enjoy your meal, I¡¯ll go to my sister." Qing Qiaoqiao caught the warning nce her sister had thrown at her and knew that she had done something she was not supposed to do. She quickly stood up, but, before walking away, she lowered her head and whispered into Li Yiming¡¯s ears, "Remember to save me when I¡¯m in danger!" She smiled, waved goodbye to Liu Meng and made for her sister¡¯s table.


    This was adding fuel to the fire that burned within Guo Xiang¡¯s heart. From where he sat, it seems as if Qing Qiaoqiao was kissing Li Yiming on his cheek.


    "Miss Qiaoqiao." Guo Xiang suppressed his irritation and stood up with a smile. ¡¯I can¡¯t give up just yet, I can take one from you and so I can take another one.¡¯ However, before he could even open his mouth, Qing Qiaoqiao condemned him back into an awkward silence with a contemptuous and abhorring nce.


    "Do you know each other well?" Liu Meng did not spare even a sliver of her attention for Guo Xiang. Of course, the same was true for Ji Xiaoqin, since she had sworn to not talk to her for five years.


    "Not really." Li Yiming was not so oblivious as to not notice Liu Meng¡¯s sour tone, but he was too embarrassed to meet her eyes.


    "Hmmpf!" Liu Meng grunted lightly and scooped up the tablet with the menu inside.


    ¡¯Wait a second, these two...¡¯ Ji Xiaoqin looked at the pair and pondered over their rtionship. Guo Xiang sat down, a little discouraged, and reached out for Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s waist abruptly. He held her in his arms; this was the only way for him to regain some morale. However, it was quick before his anger was distracted by the arrival of another group of people. The person who led the way had an imposing stature and a very eye-catching beard. However, he was not the recipient of Guo Xiang¡¯s attention as thetter quickly shifted his attention to the woman behind him. She walked gracefully with light steps and had a charm unlike anyone Guo Xiang had ever seen. ¡¯Is there a beauty contest here today?¡¯


    "Fang Shui¡¯er?" When Ji Xiaoqin saw the me in Guo Xiang¡¯s eyes, she instantly guessed the cause of it. She looked at the entrance frustratingly, only to be happily surprised when she recognized the neer. She was also a diehard fan of Fang Shui¡¯er, so she had grown very excited at the prospect of being able to meet her in person.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s appearance in the restaurant was enough to draw the attention of most of its upants. However, those who had the means to dine in such a ce also usually had the manners to not rush to her and ask for a signature or a picture together. Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s group followed the waiter across the hall and sat down around a table not too far away from Li Yiming¡¯s. Li Yiming squinted his eyes while Liu Meng put on a frown. Both Ji Xiaoqin and Guo Xiang were excited, but for different reasons.


    "Yiming, what about your job?" When Guo Xiang noticed that Fang Shui¡¯er wasing closer, he instantly pulled his hand away from Ji Xiaoqin. He picked up the ss of water in front of him and asked in aposed voice, behaving as gracefully as he could. He did not talk in a very loud voice, but it was just enough for Fang Shui¡¯er, who sat on the neighboring table, to hear it clearly.


    Fang Shui¡¯er had noticed Li Yiming¡¯s presence the moment she stepped through the door. After all, they came here with ulterior goals in mind. Just like Qing Linglong, she wanted to start the domain on a positive note, and so she came with the goal of clearing away some of the grudges and embarrassments from the previous domain.


    "I¡¯m telling you, you shouldn¡¯t be this courteous with me. Listen to me, I¡¯ll invest in a dance studio for you. That¡¯ll give you and Meng Meng a ce to settle down at least, and Xiaoqin can also have some fun when she has nothing to do. We¡¯ve been friends for this many years, so there¡¯s no reason to refuse, really. It¡¯s okay, it¡¯ll be a few million at most, and I¡¯d certainly be grieved to see you wander around without a ce to settle down." Guo Xiang tried his best to create the image of a graceful, magnanimous heir to a bigpany.


    Guo Xiang, of course, was using Li Yiming as a stone to elevate himself, and, while the old Li Yiming might have grown irritated, all it managed to bring out of him now was an inward sigh. Liu Meng turned her head toward the window: they hadpletely elevated themselves above such petty considerations. Fang Shui¡¯er had seen Liu Meng in the public square, and, while she was initially surprised at her bing a guardian, it made sense once she thought about Mr. Kong¡¯s involvement in the previous domain. However, when she saw with whom Li Yiming was seated, she also grew puzzled. ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with this NPC, why is he here again?¡¯


    "Yiming, Guo Xiang has good will." Ji Xiaoqin, who still had yet to get rid of her guilt toward Li Yiming, naively thought of Guo Xiang¡¯s words as a genuine proposal to mending up their rtionship and was a little moved by his sudden gentleness.


    "Good will?" Liu Meng could not hold it in anymore and broke her oath of silence.


    "Well, Guo Xiang..." Ji Xiaoqin started to exin.


    "Ah! Yiming! What a coincidence!" A voice suddenly interrupted her. Fang Shui¡¯er skirted around Guo Xiang and sat down right next to Li Yiming as if she had known him for a long time. Having overheard the conversation between Guo Xiang and Li Yiming, Fang Shui¡¯er easily figured out his true intentions. After all, her clever perception skills were what brought her to her current stature. It all sounded like a joke to a guardian, but she thought of it as a precious opportunity to improve her rtionship with Li Yiming. Fully manipting the result of such human weakness was where her advantage lied after all: she herself rose to fame this way.


    "Yes, what a coincidence..." Li Yiming moved a little bit further away from her in frustration. ¡¯Can I have my meal in peace?¡¯


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s sitting down right to Li Yiming astonished Guo Xiang and Ji Xiaoqin. ¡¯Wait, he knows her?¡¯ Guo Xiang was incapable of forming a coherent thought. As for Ji Xiaoqin, she found her former boyfriend to have be even more unrecognizable and wondered what had happened to him during thest two months. Fang Shui¡¯er stayed silent, but she swayed toward Li Yiming with an affectionate expression. If she were a flower, then all of her magnificence, her aroma would be destined to him only. Li Yiming guessed her intentions somewhat and could not help but feel a slight tinge of guilt as he peeked at Liu Meng.


    "Do we know each other?" Unsurprisingly, Lady Liu was quick to voice her dissatisfaction. She stretched herself onto the table and cast a hostile look at Fang Shui¡¯er. ¡¯I¡¯d have born with it if it was just that Qing Qiaoqiao earlier, but you too? Do you really think that I¡¯m invisible? Also, did you really think that I already forgot about the fact that you tried to kill me with your arrows?¡¯


    "Ah, Meng Meng, you¡¯re also here?" Fang Shui¡¯er answered Liu Meng¡¯s osting with a smile and put down her hand on Li Yiming¡¯s thigh. ¡¯She¡¯s still holding a grudge because of the domain. Seems likeing over this time was the right decision. I¡¯d think that my goals are aplished looking when I look at that Guo Xiang.¡¯


    "Oh yeah? You¡¯ve noticed me? Then why are you putting your hand on my man¡¯s thigh?" Liu Meng stood up and vented her anger. Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s flirty gesture was a fresh addition to her dislike for her, especially after being attacked by her back at Ning Vige.


    Liu Meng¡¯s loud voice, along with her standing up abruptly, was enough to attract the attention of the other diners. Guo Xiang fell back against his seat with a gaping mouth. Ji Xiaoqin was staring vacantly at the table. ¡¯They¡¯re really going out with each other...¡¯


    "Your man?" Fang Shui¡¯er was shocked, but found an exnation. ¡¯Last time I saw them, based on the way they acted, I¡¯m pretty sure that they weren¡¯t a couple. And now... I see, she has seen through my intentions. Well, I should congratte her for the initiative and her acting ability. Smart. Are dance actors this witty nowadays? Well, this is a nice opportunity to further my interests.¡¯


    "As far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re not married to Yiming, are you?" Fang Shui¡¯er stood up slowly with her smile unbroken. However, she had gained a new air: the Imperial consort from the Eastern Pce of the TV show was back, and she plunged head first into her role.


    As the two faced off against each other, a mor of surprise was hearding from the spectators. Fang Shui¡¯er, the star who has never had a scandal ever since her surge to fame, was fighting for a man against another girl in a restaurant? Was this a scene for an uing show, or some kind reality TV programme? Quite a few people searched around for a better angle to observe the scene, and some even pulled out their cell phones as discreetly as they could. Qing Qiaoqiao looked at them with a surprised frown, while Qing Linglong and Grandma Wang exchanged an amused smile. Eyesses had the expression of someone very interested in fresh gossip, while Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s group, including Zeng Qian, seemed to not care at all about the development of the situation and kept their heads lowered on the menu. Guo Xiang waspletely baffled while Ji Xiaoqin looked at Li Yiming as if he were a ghost. ¡¯My friend and a superstar fighting for my former boyfriend?¡¯


    "So that¡¯s it, you¡¯re going to fight with me for him?" Liu Meng was very irritated: does this woman have no shame?


    "It¡¯s not about fighting. It¡¯s only fairpetition." Fang Shui¡¯er did not disappoint those looking for drama. Her words had turned the eyes of the onlookers wide. The meal today was one well worthy of the price.


    "Hey, can we stop? We¡¯re here to eat." Li Yiming looked at the two who had sunken into their on-stage stance.


    "Stop what? You should make your position clear right here, right now. Is it her or me?" Liu Meng had finally awoken her impulsive habits once again.


    Fang Shui¡¯er, once the other hand, stood facing her in an elegant posture. The skin of her cheeks was as smooth as silk, and she exuded gracefullness and magnanimity, just as when she yed her popr role on TV.


    Li Yiming was at a loss for words. ¡¯Are you really going to y around like that?¡¯ He swept around with his eyes on the people in the restaurant and noticed that almost everyone was looking in his direction. Qing Qiaoqiao seemed curious for the next turn of events while the waiter looked at him with the eyes of a worshipper. Guo Xiang seemed to have had the life crushed out of him whereas Ji Xiaoqin threw a look surprise mingled with other more ambiguous feelings.


    "I choose you, of course." Li Yiming smiled earnestly as he met Liu Meng¡¯s eyes. The sincerity he saw almost made him believe that she was being serious when she asked her question.


    "Hmmpf!" Liu Meng raised her eyebrows in satisfaction and smiled happily.


    "Everything¡¯s still yet possible. I¡¯ll see youter." Fang Shui¡¯er answered with aposed smile. She threw a nce at Guo Xiang, who was still too shocked to express any kind of emotion, and turned around slowly toward her seat. ¡¯My goal is aplished, and with this, I¡¯d think that our rtionship has slightly improved.¡¯


    Those around sighed in disappointment, but the fire of gossip was burning fiercely; Fang Shui¡¯er had just lost to a no-name girl in fighting for the favor of a man. Who was he? Also, that girl was indeed remarkably beautiful.


    Li Yiming and Liu Meng sat back down. Guo Xiang and Ji Xiaoqin were at a loss for what to do. The turmoil of emotion was written all over their faces. Li Yiming did not care much at all about their reactions, he was just a little amused by Liu Meng¡¯s lingering smile of satisfaction, and secretly happy about it too. unting had to be one of the greatest possible satisfaction ever known to men. He gestured to the waiter, who came close with an expression of frenzied veneration, and was about to order a meal and fulfill his initial goal when his attention was suddenly drawn by another person who walked in his direction.


    The kind of plot device that I like slightly less... a harem-ish? Also as an exnation, Liu Meng is ¡°acting¡± when she fights with Fang Shui¡¯er, since she has figured out that what Fang Shui¡¯er really wanted was to embarrass Guo Xiang for making fun/manipting Li Yiming. Although the author is a little ambiguous as to whether she¡¯s really acting or not. (Is this a half-assed confession, I wonder.)

 Volume 3 Chapter 8

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 8 ¨C First Contact</strong></h4>


    The man who walked toward them was dressed in a cook¡¯s uniform and wore a chef hat. His sleeves were rolled up and his apron was stained with oil and grease. It seemed like he had just walked out of the kitchen, which was nothing unusual. However, what made Li Yiming wary were his eyes, the vacant stare full of frenzied rage that reminded him of the Dragondogs. As he came closer and closer, Li Yiming saw the object that he held. ¡¯A knife!¡¯


    Just as Li Yiming made his shocking discovery, the odd-looking cook bumped into a man. With a swift swinging of his knife, the man fell onto the floor, writhing as he yelled out in pain. Cries of panic and fear were heard throughout the restaurant, along with the noise of chairs and tables bumping against each other and the shattering of ssware. The cook continued to march toward Li Yiming¡¯s table without minding his victim.


    Fang Shui¡¯er and her group stayed still around their table, but looked at the man with serious countenances. Qing Qiaoqiao was about to stand up, but her sister pushed her back down. The cook had now reached Li Yiming¡¯s table.


    Guo Xiang, upon hearing the screams of pain, turned his head around in bafflement, only to see a man with a crazed expression walking toward him with a kitchen knife. His eyes went from the blood that dripped from the tip of the de to the man squirming in pain on the floor. Guo Xiang stood up, terrified, and turned around to escape. In his panic, he reached out to the closest person and shoved the first thing he grasped in the direction of the iing madman. That person turned out to be Ji Xiaoqin.


    When Ji Xiaoqin saw the cook approach him, the first thought she had was to seek her boyfriend for protection. However, Guo Xiang actually offered her to the oing assant.


    Li Yiming had been keeping a close eye on the cook and readied himself for any move the cook would make. When he saw that the other guardians all stayed seated, he also did not dare to risk a move himself. However, when Guo Xiang pushed Ji Xiaoqin toward the cook, Li Yiming panicked. He had enough confidence in himself to handle the man with the knife without too much of a problem, especially since he could also pull his pistol out of his bracelet as a backup n. As the cook swung down his knife, Li Yiming¡¯s mind went nk. Despite having fought through Heaven¡¯s punishment and being stronger than even some guardians, hecked actualbat experience. Throughout the two previous domains, he never had to fight, not even once, so he did not possess the judgment required to handle even a small altercation like this one.


    "Xiaoqin!" Li Yiming cried out in shock and leaped toward her. He managed to grab one of the arms she waved hysterically and pulled her into his arms. He turned around and shielded her body with his own.


    sh!


    The sound of a sharp de cutting through fabric and flesh was heard. A ssh of blood and Li Yiming rolled onto the ground with Ji Xiaoqin.


    "Yiming?" Liu Meng yelled. She picked up a ss of water from her table and hurled it towards the cook¡¯s head. Thetter bent his neck and dodged the projectile, and ignored herpletely, instead resuming his march toward Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s table.


    The bearded man stood up expressionlessly. As the cook brought his knife down on him, he reached out for the hand wielding the weapon and nailed it in ce while he punched him in the stomach with his other hand. The cook¡¯s pupils dted as he copsed to the ground, and the bearded man brought his fists back.


    "Yiming, are you okay?" Liu Meng rushed toward him and helped him stand up. A bloody bruise traversed his back, and blood slowly seeped out of it, staining his vest. However, a closer look and one would notice that the bleeding was minor.


    "Sis?" Qing Qiaoqiao turned her head and looked at Qing Linglong, wondering why she had stopped her from intervening earlier despite having said that she wanted to stay on good terms with Li Yiming.


    "Haven¡¯t you noticed the cook¡¯s unusual behavior?" Qing Linglong said in a grave voice. Her eyes remained fixated on Li Yiming.


    "That cook?" Qing Qiaoqiao tried to recall.


    "Odd behavior, vacant stare and inexplicably violent conduct," Grandma Wang hinted.


    "He¡¯s being influenced." Qing Qiaoqiao knew right away, since she herself was an expert at it.


    "Exactly. He was used to probe us, you could say."


    "That Li Yiming is indeed not simple..." Grandma Wang pulled down her scarf and said with a sigh.


    Right after the bearded man knocked down the insane cook, he guided his own team away from the scene. Someone had already called the ambnce and the police, and the staff of the restaurant was busy establishing a perimeter around the scene of the incident.


    "By the looks of it, he has at least two levels in speed, or perhaps even three. With that, it wouldn¡¯t be hard at all for him to take down the cook, but he chose to take the blow with his back?" The eye-patch man yed around with his dining knife and whispered his thoughts to his friends.


    "He probably noticed that it was an attempt to measure his real strength, and he didn¡¯t want to expose himself. Good acting skills, I have to say. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that we knew that he was a guardian from the start, maybe we would¡¯ve been fooled too." The obese man¡¯s pendulous cheeks shook as he spoke. His friendly expression made him seem very naive, almost childish, but the light of cleverness shone within his eyes.


    "Did you see the muscle contractions on his back? Completely avoided the vitals. That¡¯s a natural reaction he couldn¡¯t hide. I¡¯d think that his stamina is also at least level three. You¡¯ve said that you¡¯ve never seen him fight?" The bearded man asked Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "Yes." Zeng Qian nodded. "Not at all. He was very prudent, even within the domain."


    "With level threes in both speed and stamina, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was a close-rangebater type. His power attribute shouldn¡¯t begging too far behind either. Hmm, someone who understands the importance of bnce, and he¡¯s this prudent... A hard one to handle. We should be careful around him. Fang Shui¡¯er was right, even without Mr. Kong¡¯s involvement, we should try to stay." The bearded man reminded his subordinates.


    "Another question, who¡¯s behind all of this?" The eye-patched man asked.


    Qing Qiaoqiao was also a novice guardian, but she immediately understood the hint that Grandma Wang gave to her. A dim red glow shed from one corner of her eyes to the other as she looked around. "Whoever it is, it¡¯s gone. The traces left behind are weak, so I don¡¯t really know anything more specific about the technique used." Qing Qiaoqiao concluded.


    "Should be some kind of beast with the ability to influence other people¡¯s minds easily. Guardians wouldn¡¯t make a move on their own this early and camougers wouldn¡¯t even bother."


    "Well, we know what our targets are..." Eyesses pushed up his sses.


    Li Yiming¡¯s back burned, but after standing up, his first reaction was to see if Ji Xiaoqin was unharmed. She seemed traumatized by the incident, and the only thing she could do was to stare nkly at toward Li Yiming.


    "Are you okay?" Liu Meng asked him. She picked up a napkin and tried to do as much as she could to stop the bleeding, but stopped when she realized that the wound was not nearly as severe as she thought it to be. The bleeding was only minor and the cut itself was healing at an almost perceptible speed. This was the power of level four in stamina.


    "Let¡¯s get him to the hospital." Qing Linglong¡¯s voice was heard. She kept her eyes on Li Yiming, but hinted him with an inconspicuous nce at the bearded man¡¯s group, who was leaving through a side entrance.


    Li Yiming followed Qing Linglong¡¯s eyes and understood her intimation. He nodded and lifted Ji Xiaoqin from the ground. Guo Xiang was nowhere to be seen. "Xiaoqin, it¡¯s safe here now. Just stay here for the moment, okay? The police will be here soon, and you¡¯ll be alright." Li Yiming checked her quickly and found her to be unharmed except for a slight mental trauma.


    "You..." Ji Xiaoqin looked at the bloodstain on Li Yiming¡¯s back with a shaken heart. The man she had abandoned rushed in to block a knife sh for her, but the one she had chosen actually pushed her into the abyss of danger.


    "I¡¯m alright now. A simple bandage in the hospital and I¡¯ll be fine." Li Yiming moved his arm around. He could already feel the charring sensation in his back recede.


    "I..." Ji Xiaoqin wanted to stay with Li Yiming, but a warning nce from Liu Meng silenced her. She then saw Qing Qiaoqiao, that alluring yet young girl on his other side, carefully supporting him, and found no reason, no excuse to further her stay.


    "You should stay here, the police will no doubt arrive soon for testimonies." Qing Linglong noticed her predicament and gave her an easy way out.


    "We should leave." Li Yiming understood the trouble that they would be in if they had to deal with police.


    The group left an emotionally stirred Ji Xiaoqin in the restaurant. The other clients, who had witnessed the selfless actions of Li Yiming in protecting her, started pping as they made for the exit. It started out as nothing more than a few sparse apuses here and there, but it soon spread through the crowd like a roaring thunder. Li Yiming was rather embarrassed by the cheering. ¡¯I think I would¡¯ve been able to take care of that cook without any trouble, and yet I took a knife to the back. Shameful.¡¯


    Li Yiming followed Qing Linglong into a ck travel trailer parked outside of the restaurant. It was quitemodious, just like the kind that was used for live broadcasting by TV crews, and the inside was full of electronics that belonged to Eyesses. ¡¯Wow, all of this equipment...¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly realized how lucky he was to have not died in thest two domains. Grandma Wang took out a small ss bottle and gave it to Qing Qiaoqiao. The younger Qing sister was quick to remove Li Yiming¡¯s shirt and carefully applied the potion on his wound.


    "No big deal, it¡¯ll heal in no time. Grandma Wang¡¯s medicine will guarantee that not a single trace of the scar will remain." Qing Qiaoqiao kept her eyes on Liu Meng, who held one of Li Yiming¡¯s hand tightly.


    "What are your ns Mr. Li?" Qing Linglong gave to Li Yiming and Liu Meng each a bottle of water and sat down in front of them.


    "Nothing nned for the moment." Li Yiming answered truthfully. He could only feel a cool and refreshing tingling sensation on this back now: Grandma Wang¡¯s medicine was very potent.


    "We were actually nning on getting our hands on a few items. Want to go together? Eyesses found a good ce." Qing Linglong said.


    "Is that girl new? Bringing a first-timer to a big-sized domain? You¡¯re pretty daring." Eyesses pulled down the zipper on his pants and adjusted his prosthetic leg. Liu Meng stared at it, baffled.


    "I wasn¡¯t careful in thest domain and lost a leg. I wouldn¡¯t be here if it weren¡¯t for him." Eyesses exined to Liu Meng when he noticed her surprise.


    ¡¯Oh, so that¡¯s how they became friends.¡¯ This slightly improved Liu Meng¡¯s opinion of Qing Qiaoqiao. She helped Li Yiming dress up with a spare set of clothes he had taken out of his bracelet as Qing Qiaoqiao wiped her hand with a paper towel after she had finished applying the medicine.


    "You were saying that you¡¯re going to get Items?" Li Yiming¡¯s first thought was a gun, and then he thought about his n of robbing a bank.


    "From what happened in the restaurant, we can deduce that our targets are beasts. I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve also figured this out." Grandma Wang¡¯s hoarse voice made Liu Meng jump with fright.


    ¡¯Beasts? Testing us?¡¯ Li Yiming caught the gist of what Grandma Wang said and recalled what had happened. He reminded himself of Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s talent.


    "It¡¯s simr to my talent, but I wasn¡¯t able to retrace them quick enough." Qing Qiaoqiao exined when Li Yiming looked at her, but she was rather absent-minded. Most of her attention was on Liu Meng. ¡¯Is this his new girlfriend?¡¯


    "What are you nning exactly?" Li Yiming asked. It would be a good idea to cooperate with Qing Lingling¡¯s group again, since he really did not have the confidence tost through thirty days with Liu Meng in this domain, and given their past experience working together.


    "The Historical Museum of Shangbei." Eyesses slid open the zipper from the bottom of his pants and moved his robotic leg around. It seemed like he had yet to get used to the metallic substitute for his limb.


    "Historical museum?" Li Yiming was surprised. ¡¯There are weapons there?¡¯


    "Yeah, there¡¯s usually a lot of opportunities like this withrge domains. We¡¯re guessing that it means that we have to look for precious items ourselves. There are without a doubt many ancient items within that museum, and hidden amongst them could be guardian equipment. We should give it a try," Qing Linglong exined. She knew that Li Yiming was the silent yet prudent type, so if she did not exin properly, he might have his suspicions about her motives.


    ¡¯Oh, so this is what it¡¯s all about.¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart burned with desire as he remembered about the rewards he had received from the first domain.


    "Why are you together again? I thought you were cooperating for the first time back in Hangzhou." Li Yiming asked another question instead of answering Qing Linglong¡¯s proposal. If they had indeed formed a permanent team, then his intrusion would not be so wise. Just as it was the case with Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s team before, who were willing to risk everything for the sake of one of its member, a team like that was desirable for those who were part of it, but it also meant the exclusion of any neer.


    "They¡¯re taking care of me." Eyesses said in self-derision.


    "We had a great time cooperatingst time, so we contacted each other when we sensed the apparition of this domain. I wanted to contact you too, but unfortunately I didn¡¯t have a way to reach you. Lucky that we were able to bump into each other," Qing Linglong said, friendly as always.


    "Alright, let¡¯s go together. But keep in mind that my friend is a first-timer." Li Yiming pulled on Liu Meng¡¯s hand and made his stance very clear.


    "It¡¯s not our first time doing something like that, isn¡¯t it?" Eyesses smiled as he nced at their kneaded hands and walked toward the driver¡¯s seat.


    "To a fruitful cooperation."


    "To a fruitful cooperation."


    Autobots, move out! xD

 Volume 3 Chapter 9

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 9 ¨C Master Thieves</strong></h4>


    "Shangbei Historical Museum, established in 1952, upying 39 200 square meters, 11 000 of which is indoor. Two floors underground and five above, for a height of 29.5 meters. There are eleven dedicated collections and three galleries. The exposition area alone amounts to 2 800 square meters, and there are over one million artifacts here, 120 000 of which are top-ss. This ce alone can be said to hold half of our country¡¯s historical collection." Eyesses looked at the huge, spherical dome through the inked ss of the driver¡¯s window and summarized the information he had gathered.


    If there are indeed any guardian equipment within the domain, this would be where we can find them." Qing Linglong examined the building with a pair of binocrs.


    Li Yiming left the nning entirely to Qing Linglong and Eyesses. With her strategies and his ability to gather information, all he needed to do was follow instructions: at least he was aware of his own limitations. He was most preupied by Liu Meng and Qing Qiaoqiao. After the two sat down together, they spent most of their timeplimenting each other and acted like two best friends who had been separated for a long time. However, when Li Yiming listened to the tone with which they expressed their mutual admiration, he could not help but notice a strong dissonance, a strange feeling that made him doubt their sincerity. Qing Linglong smiled when she looked back at the two, obviously aware of what was happening, but did not do anything to break them apart.


    "What¡¯s the n?" Li Yiming asked. ¡¯I hope that¡¯s it¡¯s not just busting into the museum with AK-47s. But then again, with Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s blowing up the carst time, this might just be the n.¡¯


    "Let¡¯s have a look inside first. We¡¯ll search for artifacts of interest and n ordingly."


    "Then we should hurry, the museum closes in two hours."


    "Let¡¯s split up into pairs, shall we? We should avoid staying alone as much as possible," Grandma Wang proposed, prudent as she always was.


    "How about I stay with sis Liu Meng? I¡¯m having a fun time chatting with her." Qing Qiaoqiao voiced her opinion before Li Yiming could say anything.


    "I also want to stay with Qiaoqiao. Is that okay?" Liu Meng asked Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming did not know what to say. He had a bad feeling about the two teaming up, and, if it was up for him to decide, he would have kept them apart no matter what.


    "It¡¯s a casual walk, just be a little careful, okay?" Qing Linglong did not mind the two.


    "Alright. Yiming, will you keep an olddypany?" Curiously, a smile climbed up Grandma Wang¡¯s usually cold and gloomy face.


    "Let¡¯s go then. Eyesses?"


    "Please don¡¯t lose this." Eyesses took out some ck cases from his silver suitcase. Li Yiming now finally knew where these came from, only this time it was without the sses. "I didn¡¯t have time to resupply, so we¡¯re going to have to make do with this," Eyesses added.


    With Eyesses¡¯ equipment in their ears, the group split into three pairs and each proceeded toward the gate of the museum. When Li Yiming and Grandma Wang reached the entrance, Li Yiming had to regretfully pull out three hundred yuan from his own wallet to purchase two tickets. After all, he could let not let someone older than his own mother pay for them. He was about to enter the museum with the tickets, but turned around when he realized that Grandma Wang was not following him. Instead, she stood still at the entrance.


    "There are some wheelchairs there. How about we rent one so we don¡¯t have to wait in line?" Grandma Wang said without a hint of guilt.


    A drop of cold sweat ran down Li Yiming¡¯s forehead. ¡¯Wow, these people...¡¯


    Li Yiming pushed Grandma Wang into the "Green Corridor" for express entry. They bumped into Eyesses and Qing Linglong inside. Eyesses actually had a disability card with him. ¡¯I wonder how he would exin it to police if they ever catch him driving,¡¯ Li Yiming grumbled. 1


    Li Yiming walked past Qing Linglong, as if they did not know each other, and made for the fifth floor directly: they had split the work ording to the floors of the museum. There were many visitors, and, of course, a kind grandsoning here with his grandmother would not be an unusual sight.


    "Are all of these real? A question suddenly urred to Li Yiming. He had heard from others before that most artifacts on disy in a museum, especially those who were very valuable, were replicates, and the real thing would be hidden or stored somewhere else. ¡¯What if after all the efforts I only get a fake one?¡¯


    "I don¡¯t know about the real world, but these have to be real," Grandma Wang answered in a monotonous voice. She had her eyes closed the entire time, as if she had fallen asleep.


    "If we bring a couple out of the domain, wouldn¡¯t we be rich then?" Li Yiming thought about his bank-robbing n and found the current method to be more profitable, especially since they were about to steal things anyways.


    "Bring out and sell?" Grandma Wang looked at Li Yiming questioningly, making sure that he was not kidding.


    "I mean, these are precious artifacts, right?" Li Yiming himself was rather confused when he noticed Grandma Wang¡¯s disapproval. ¡¯So it¡¯s okay to rob a bank, but not okay to sell artifacts?¡¯


    "There¡¯s a difference between selling precious items to collectors and selling national treasures..." Grandma Wang shut her eyes again after another terse exnation.


    ¡¯Oh, right.¡¯ Li Yiming realized his mistake. The artifacts here were all owned by the country, and, if he took them and tried to sell them outside of the domain... ¡¯Ah, well, I¡¯ll have to stick with the bank then. Simple and direct.¡¯


    "Yiming," Grandma Wang suddenly called him with a serious voice. She stared at a set of armor from the Song Dynasty that was disy to their left. Li Yiming scrutinized the item and soon noticed a weak glow that shrouded it. However, the other visitors in the museum seemed to bepletely oblivious to it. ¡¯Is this a guardian¡¯s equipment?¡¯


    "5A09534," Grandma said a string of a number in a low voice and looked elsewhere. Li Yiming nced at the serial number carved on thebel next to the item and understood what she meant. He pushed her forward.


    "2C24324." Eyesses¡¯ voice came through the earphone.


    "4D87856."


    "3A33231."


    * * *


    "Thirteen items in total, even if we missed some, it probably wouldn¡¯t be a big deal." After their visit, they met in a coffee shop across the street. Eyessespiled the barcode numbers into hisputer and marked the locations down on a rendered 3-D model."


    "Thirteen? It would be great if we could get all of them." Qing Linglong sipped her coffee gracefully, as she always did, but even her good manners could not hide her eager excitement.


    Li Yiming was busy finishing off his dessert. He was rather irritated by the fact that the coffee shop did not sell chicken rice, since he was really hungry from not having been able to take a single bite out of his "free" meal back in the restaurant earlier. Liu Meng and Qing Qiaoqiao sat on opposite sides of the table, each sunken into their own thoughts.


    "The best way I can think of right now is to sneak into the museum during night time. I¡¯ve analyzed their security system. It¡¯s well-designed, but rather meaningless against us. Everything can be done quickly if we¡¯re careful." Eyesses rotated the 3-D model of the museum in hisputer. Data and graphs appeared on the screen. Li Yiming nced at it without understanding anything.


    "Sneak in? Why don¡¯t we just make Qing Qiaoqiao charm someone in the museum?" Li Yiming mumbled while chewing on his cake. He remembered just how effective and scary Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s talent was.


    "Can¡¯t do it. I saw someone who¡¯s probably a manager in the museum. He had a mark on him that will shield him from being influenced. That¡¯s probably a limitation imposed by the domain." Qing Qiaoqiao picked up a doughnut from Li Yiming¡¯s te and nced at Liu Meng before taking a bite from it.


    "That¡¯s normal, otherwise it would be too easy for those with that kind of talent," Grandma Wang exined.


    "Well, then I guess our only option is to steal. We¡¯d cause far too much trouble if we were to rob the museum directly," Li Yiming remembered Li Huaibei¡¯s counsel: he should not destroy the forest.


    "It shouldn¡¯t be too hard, should it?" Liu Meng snatched a half-finished piece of cake from Li Yiming¡¯s hand, took a bite out of it and returned a challenging nce at Qing Qiaoqiao.


    "No, it shouldn¡¯t be. Let¡¯s split the work," Eyesses said with a repressed smile. He pushed hisptop to the center of the table. "There are thirteen targets. Three on the fifth floor, three on the fourth floor, two on the third floor, one on the second floor, two on the first floor and two underground. There¡¯s another floor underground, but since it¡¯s not open right now, I¡¯d rmend that we y it safe and get our hands on the ones we¡¯ve spotted. I¡¯ve devised three ways to infiltrate the museum based on the internalyouts and the information I¡¯ve gathered about the security personnel. Have a look." After a few more clicks and taps on the keyboard, thirteen red dots were disyed on the 3-D hologram, with three green lines going through each of them.


    "The first entryway is through the sewers into the underground floor. I can take care of the infrared and the photodetector-based sensors there. Then, you¡¯ll just need to follow this path, turn here... and get out with five items from the terrace on the second floor." Eyesses paused briefly, waited for any opposition, and continued when he saw that there was none.


    "The second path is through the emergency exit on the side of the building on the ground level. There are four bodyguards there, so we¡¯re going to have to put Qiaoqiao. Also, I¡¯ll shut down all the surveince camera in the meantime, so you don¡¯t have to worry about getting spotted. After going through here, here and there, you¡¯ll exit from another emergency exit on the first floor." Eyesses stopped again and looked at Qiaoqiao, who nodded approvingly.


    "The third and final route is the hardest. The n is to enter through the roof, and, since the ss panes there are bulletproof, we¡¯re going to need to blow a hole in it with controlled explosives. The calction of the load will need to be minute. Also..." Eyesses looked at Li Yiming. "You¡¯ll need to reach the roof via the skyscraper on the other side of the public square, since there are light projectors around the museum and they would make climbing the walls too risky."


    "From the skyscraper?" Li Yiming blurted out; the nce from Eyesses was hinting at him doing the work.


    "You can slide down on a cable."


    "Aren¡¯t there other entrances? Why take such a high risk?" Li Yiming was not ready to yield.


    "After the closing of the museum, internal walls will be lowered topartmentalize the museum halls. That makes the roof entrance the only choice, especially given the patrol data I¡¯ve obtained."


    Li Yiming found no other excuse. He sipped on his coffee. Its bitterness echoed his frustration.


    "There are 134 infrared motion sensors, 78 weight sensors, 83 photosensors, 21 heat sensors and 69 touch rms. All of the electronics can be ignored, but the patrol of security once every forty-five minutes cannot be. The rm system is connected to the four policemissariats nearby, so whenever triggered, it¡¯ll only take three minutes before the police arrive."


    ¡¯And that¡¯s supposed to be easy?¡¯ Li Yiming took another sip of his coffee without thinking.


    "Well, that¡¯s the n. Let¡¯s split up the work then. Eyesses has to stay here for remote control and support, and Qiaoqiao¡¯s choice is already made. Volunteers for the remaining two?" Qing Linglong looked at Li Yiming as she asked the question.


    "Let¡¯s send Liu Meng in with Qiaoqiao," Li Yiming proposed, but he did not have much of a choice. ¡¯With Qiaoqiao¡¯s charming ability, that should be the safest option. What else am I going to propose, make her dive the sewers or try an acrobatic stunt?¡¯


    "And the roof..." Qing Linglong waited for an answer.


    "I¡¯ll go." Li Yiming answered unwillingly.


    "Well then, Grandma Wang and I will have to go through the sewers then." Qing Linglong put down her cup as if she had just the worst job. Grandma Wang shrugged her shoulders. Liu Meng seemed a little worried.


    "It¡¯s okay, it¡¯ll be just like one of those in an amusement park, except a little bit higher in the air," Li Yiming reassured her.


    Anyone yed Uncharted or Payday 2 here... This museum ¡°mission¡± reminds me of an infinite amount of frustration of getting wrecked by level design x.x


    The ¡°Green Corridor¡± is amon feature found in public buildings, government offices, etc. that allows disabled people, the elderly etc. To shorten their wait in line. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 10

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 10 ¨C The Mantis Stalks the Cicada</strong></h4>


    1


    The city of Shang Bei plunged into the darkness of the night was beautiful, especially around the museum. The sight was particrly impressive when seen from where Li Yiming was. However, to Li Yiming, the colorful lights shining below were tantamount to the calling of the grim reaper himself. ¡¯I must be at least seventy meters above the ground... Oh, my legs feel weak when I look below. If I am ever to fall, there would probably be nothing left...¡¯


    "Uh, Eyesses, is it possible to get there from a less elevated ce?" Li Yiming whispered into his transmitter.


    "This is the best angle I can find. Anywhere lower and the risk of being noticed will increase," Eyesses answered impassively.


    ¡¯Alright.¡¯ Li Yiming raised his grappling-hook gun and aimed it at the location Eyesses had calcted. He pulled the trigger and a ck arrow with a thin steel cable attached to the shaft shot toward the rooftop of the museum. Li Yiming pulled on the cable lightly after itnded; he did not dare to use too much of his level three strength, but it did at least seem stable enough.


    "Alright, let¡¯s check our time. We will start in exactly four minutes, when the current patrol finishes," Eyesses gave his orders, "We have thirty-five minutes. Remember that you can see the rm devices using the contact lenses I gave you. Red for infrared, green for motion, blue for weight, orange for noise and yellow for body heat. Avoid triggering the rm at all cost."


    "Eyesses, can you y some music so we can rx a bit?" Qing Qiaoqiao did not sound nervous in the slightest.


    "Just not from Fang Shui¡¯er, please," Liu Meng added.


    Li Yiming took a deep breath and checked the hook he had strapped to his own clothes onest time. He put on his protective gloves, wrapped a mask around his face, and tried his best not to think about the cars below that looked like ants. "How about "A Man Needs to Be Brave"? That¡¯ll help me, at least." Li Yiming¡¯s muffled voice made Qing Linglong chuckle.


    Eyessesplied, and soon, the energetic, rhythmic song was heard through Li Yiming¡¯s earphone. Li Yiming closed his eyes and pictured the giant red rising sun that was supposed to bring all the courage out of him, but somehow the sun soon crashed towards the ground.


    "Ready," Eyesses said in a low voice, "Go."


    Li Yiming gritted his teeth, held onto his trolley and gave a kick with his legs. He set flight into the darkness. Thendscape became fuzzy as he picked up more and more speed. The wind whistled loudly by his ears.


    "Wow, it really is a loss for the world that you didn¡¯t make it into Hollywood," Eyesses said as he admired the spectacle of the flying man in his screen.


    "Oh, will you shut up." Li Yiming¡¯s voice shook as he gritted his teeth.


    "You have to slow down!" Eyesses yelled.


    In his nervousness, Li Yiming hesitated to slow down, and the extra speed he still had when hended made him roll for about seven or eight meters until he collided against a stone pir. He sat back up with his head still swirling.


    "I¡¯ll give you nine out of ten for the imperfectnding," Eyesses joked when he saw Li Yiming stand up again, a little shaken from his fall.


    "Are you okay?" Liu Meng was a little worried.


    "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m just never going to y Angry Birds ever again." Li Yiming shook the dizziness out of his head and removed his mask. He looked at the ground: a sea of blue light. These were all weight sensors, and the closest was barely two meters away from him.


    "Are you sure that the load is correct?" Li Yiming took out the explosives from his bracelet. He did not have much time left, and one mistake could mean that he "flew" for nothing.


    "It should be alright, in theory."


    "In theory..." Li Yiming searched for the nned location, shot another arrow with a cable into the ground and set the explosives around it. He retreated three meters: this was the best he could do with all the sensors around.


    "What about me, am I safe?" Li Yiming looked at the detonator in his hand.


    "You aren¡¯t going to die, that¡¯s for sure. Wait for a second, Linglong, I¡¯m going to cut the cameras for you, you have five seconds." Eyesses was quite busy with handling three different operations at the same time.


    Li Yiming lied prone on the ground, and, with a deep breath, closed his eyes and pushed the button on the detonator.


    Boom!


    A low-pitched noise was heard, and the steel cable Li Yiming held almost slipped from his hands. Li Yiming gritted his teeth and pulled it back up, along with the piece of the roof that had been segmented. ¡¯Phew, if it weren¡¯t for my level three strength, I wouldn¡¯t even think that I¡¯d be able to pull this block back up.¡¯


    A hole of about one meter in diameter had been created. Through it Li Yiming could see the exposition hall of the fifth floor and the myriad of colored lines within. The sight made Li Yiming even more nervous. However, he did not hesitate; he made a nearly four meters fall from where he stood, and somehow managed to not make a single noise when hended. ¡¯Well, at least guardians are really good for things like that.¡¯


    He quickly located the armor they had marked down during their visit. There were twelve red lines in the area around it and a faint green glow around the ss casement that protected it. ¡¯Alright, so this is the motion sensor.¡¯


    Li Yiming pulled on this gloves to tighten them in preparation. ¡¯Good thing that I studied dance. At least I have flexibility and a good bnce. Now, these twelve red lines...¡¯


    "2C24324 obtained." Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s voice was heard. Li Yiming had barely made his way through seven of the twelve red lines.


    "1E08933 obtained." Qing Linglong¡¯s voice was heard. Li Yiming had just reached the ss casement.


    "Eyesses, the sensor around the casement of 5A09534, please..." said Li Yiming between two breaths.


    "Wait, five, four, three... Alright."


    Li Yiming inserted his fingers as quickly as he could into the slit between the ss casement and the pedestal. He dove inside as soon as he could and dropped the ss casing back down lightly. "I¡¯m inside."


    After a sigh of relief, Li Yiming started to remove the leather armor from the mannequin and nced at the rusty sword right next to it. ¡¯Well, I guess I shouldn¡¯t think about taking that too.¡¯


    "5A09534 obtained. Eyesses, I need to exit." After putting the armor away in his bracelet, Li Yiming notified Eyesses.


    "Alright, ready in the five, four... Go." However, Li Yiming did not answer Eyesses¡¯ timely signal.


    "Hey, why aren¡¯t you moving?" Eyesses saw that Li Yiming stayed immobile through the surveince camera.


    "What is it, Yiming?" Liu Meng¡¯s voice came through.


    "Li Yiming?" Qing Linglong and Grandma Wang stopped in their tracks and quickly sought cover. No precautions were exaggerated in a domain.


    "Eyesses, do you know what¡¯s going on?" Grandma Wang asked in a low voice.


    "I cut the rm around the sensor, but Li Yiming didn¡¯te out, and I don¡¯t see anything abnormal on my side. He¡¯s just standing there." Eyesses was very confused.


    The sudden apparition of someone else, also dressed and masked in ck, and throwing an interested look at him, made Li Yiming stop short in his tracks despite Eyesses¡¯ giving him the signal to move. He stood still, and the stranger outside did the same. Li Yiming had heard the calls from his friends, but he could not answer him; the man in ck conveyed a heightened sense of danger. Li Yiming searched for the most powerful handgun in his bracelet, his Desert Eagle, and readied himself to bring it out if needed.


    The man in ck shook his head and raised his arm. Li Yiming squinted and made ready to break the ss casement, since his movements were too restricted within it. He could no longer afford to worry about triggering the rm. For a man to appear like that, he had to be a guardian. However, the man simply raised his thumb in Li Yiming¡¯s direction, nodded slightly, turned around, and walked through the sensors without triggering any of them.


    Li Yiming let out a long sigh of relief. His back was soaked with cold sweat.


    "Eyesses, cut the rm again, please." Li Yiming whispered.


    "Five, four, three... Go." Eyesses obeyed without asking.


    "There are other people here." Li Yiming carefully made his way back across the red lines and said at the same time.


    "Other people? Guardians?" Qing Linglong was shocked.


    "That¡¯s impossible, I don¡¯t see them here." Eyesses was the most surprised, since he could see the interior of the museumpletely through the cameras.


    "I just confronted him, but for some reason, he didn¡¯t do anything." Li Yiming stared at the direction the man made for as he walked out of the sensor zone.


    "Let¡¯s halt everything for now and take cover. If we can think of the museum, then it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise that others can, too. They¡¯re probably concerned about triggering the rm if they try to fight us. Any suggestions for what to do?" Qing Linglong analyzed the situation calmly, without even doubting Li Yiming for a fraction of a second. In a domain, cooperation and trust was everything, and the stakes were way too high for a bad joke.


    "I don¡¯t see anything on the surveince cameras, so we don¡¯t know how many of them there are." Eyesses scanned through the camera feeds, but could not find anything useful.


    "Well, if they are not doing anything, then is it a mutual agreement for non-interference? Should we proceed as nned?" Qing Qiaoqiao said.


    Quietness in themunication channel: this was a hard decision to make. The neers¡¯ intentions, as well as their strength, were difficult to estimate, and everything could be lost if a fight suddenly broke out.


    "I see someone." Liu Meng suddenly said. She noticed a silhouette that moved speedily, not too far away from her, passing through the rms as if they did not exist.


    "He¡¯s going for 2F39023. Are we ceding it or fighting for it?" Qing Qiaoqiao had also noticed the stranger and made ready to make a move.


    "Cede." Li Yiming did not hesitate. He would not allow Liu Meng to be put at risk when they did not know who their enemies were.


    "We leave right now." Qing Linglong was quick to decide, and crucially, to unify the opinions within the team.


    Qing Qiaoqiao threw an irritated stare at the man in ck and proceeded with Liu Meng toward their nned exit.


    Li Yiming returned to where hended and jumped nearly three meters into the air. He reached for the edges of the hole in the roof and pulled himself up. After confirming the direction, he ran toward the edge of the roof and jumped down. As he fell from the rooftop of the museum, Li Yiming extended his arms and directed himself using the wingsuit he wore. As he approached the ground, he brought his arms closer to his body, causing his fall to suddenly elerate. After a few rolls in the green belt, he speedily stood up and climbed into a ck trailer that drove by. Qing Qiaoqiao and Liu Meng were already inside.


    The car stopped briefly at a dark cross-section about one hundred meters away from the museum. Grandma wang and Qing Linglong hopped onto the vehicle and the car zipped into the distance. A figure gazed at the vehicle from the balcony of the third floor as it faded into the darkness in the distance. "Hmm, decisive. We¡¯ve been kind to you."


    "We should have struck at them earlier." Another shadow appeared and then vanished on the fifth-floor balcony.


    And... obviously nothing ever goes ording to n xD


    The title of the chapteres from the saying <i>The mantis stalks the cicada</i>, unaware<i> of the oriole behind, </i>essentially meaning covet gains ahead without being aware of danger behind. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 11

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 11 ¨C Bronze Coin</strong></h4>


    "Three in total." Qing Linglong took out a thumb ring from her storage item.


    "This is ours." Liu Meng pulled out a wine cup from her storage ring. Qing Qiaoqiao was mindful to let her handle the artifact, even if just temporarily.


    "Let¡¯s put everything together." Li Yiming saw through Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s intentions the moment Liu Meng took out the artifact. He also brought out the armor he had collected.


    "Let¡¯s split it up." Qing Linglong put the armor with the other two items. Things like this had to be done for a temporary team, since any unfairness in splitting up the loot would make future endeavors together much harder.


    "A spell-blocking armor, a talent-enhancing ring, and a stamina increasing potion wine-cup. Mr. Li, I¡¯ll let you choose first." Qing Linglong checked the artifacts and gave the priority to Li Yiming.


    "We¡¯ve worked together for quite some time now, so just call me by my name. Mr. Li is way too polite," Li Yiming grinned and said, "I¡¯ll pass for this time, you go first."


    Qing Linglong frowned slightly. ¡¯Using courtesy to push his advantages?¡¯


    "Let¡¯s give the armor to Linglong, the wine cup to Eyesses and the ring to Ms. Liu. Are we okay with that?" Since she herself did not im any of the items, it made sense that Grandma Wang would be the one partitioning the loot.


    "No problems with that," Li Yiming answered when he saw the heads turn in his direction. Liu Meng, of course, did not object either, and all were happy with what they received. The real reason for Li Yiming¡¯s abandoning the priority given to him was because he did not know much about the items at all. By forfeiting his privilege, in fact, just as Qing Linglong guessed, he was hoping for something valuable to be given to Liu Meng as a disy of good will. In addition, none brought up the topic of the other group of guardians they had encountered back in the museum. It was already fortunate enough that a fight did not break out, and it was their own decision to not further push their luck.


    "What do we do now?" Eyesses, who was the driver, asked after putting away his wine cup.


    "Yiming, I want to have some time alone." Liu Meng suddenly said.


    "Alone?" Li Yiming was a little surprised.


    "Yes." Liu Meng answered with her head lowered: it seemed she had something in mind.


    "I¡¯ll keep youpany." Li Yiming caught the message.


    "Well, we¡¯ll be looking forward to our next cooperation then," Qing Linglong smiled as she looked at the two: she had guessed Liu Meng¡¯s intentions.


    "Us as well. Eyesses, I¡¯ll give this back to you." Li Yiming took the transmitter out of his ear.


    "Keep it. Maybe it¡¯ll be useful again sometime. At least I¡¯d hope so." Eyesses waved his hand and said in a friendly tone. In survival domains, an extra friend meant an extra chance to obtain help. Besides, it was useless to Li Yiming for anything other than contacting him.


    "Alright, thank you then," Li Yiming epted the gift without pretending at courtesy. "Can you drop us at the next intersection?"


    The car made a brief halt by the sidewalk, and Li Yiming and Liu Meng disembarked with a dejected stare from Qing Qiaoqiao trailing behind them. The car slowly drove away.


    "Is Li Yiming dissatisfied with the way we split the items?" Qing Qiaoqiao pursed his lips and said in a slightly sour voice.


    "I think Liu Meng is just worried about losing her treasure." Eyesses joked from the driver¡¯spartment.


    "What treasure? I can tell. They aren¡¯t even a couple." Qing Qiaoqiao retorted, making her intentions clear in a daring manner


    "It doesn¡¯t matter whether you can tell or not. They¡¯ll be a couple soon enough. You should give up." Qing Linglong said without the slightest euphemism for the sake of her sister.


    "Yiming¡¯s a nice kid. I support you. You should fight for what you want, and even if you fail, at least you¡¯ll have tried. It¡¯s still better than the people who don¡¯t even try and end up regretting it for the rest of their lives." Grandma Wang caressed Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s head lovingly, as if she was her own granddaughter, and threw a sorry nce at Qing Linglong.


    Qing Linglong froze when she heard what Grandma Wang had said and turned her head toward the window. She gazed at thendscape outside vacantly.


    "What is it?" After getting off the car, Li Yiming could not wait to ask Liu Meng. His heart swelled with happiness at the thought of what might be soon toe.


    Liu Meng stayed silent. She turned around to look at the car that was going further and further away and pointed at his ear.


    "I already took it off." Li Yiming swung his arm with the bracelet around it.


    "How was my acting?" The air of yfulness suddenly came back to her eyes. Li Yiming could hear his own heart crack at the same time. ¡¯Looks like I¡¯ve been thinking too much... ¡¯


    "Alright, so what is it exactly?"


    "I have an idea," Liu Meng said capriciously.


    "What?" Li Yiming lowered his voice and brought his head closer to her own. They seemed just like a couple having a sweet moment on the street plunged in the darkness of midnight.


    "Is this thing really valuable?" Liu Meng took out the ring they had just received. It was a silver thumb ring with an encrusted ruby. The material itself did not look very valuable, so it must have been stored in the museum for its historical value. Unfortunately, Li Yiming did not go to the second floor, so he did not know much more about the ring.


    "It¡¯s something that¡¯ll help improve your talent. It¡¯s very valuable and typically you only get one afterpleting an entire domain."


    "Well, I¡¯m saying that if we can find this in the museum, then we can..."


    "You¡¯re saying..." Li Yiming¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up with eagerness.


    "Yes. To put it inly, this is simply something that¡¯s been around for a while. We just need to go somewhere where we can find more of them, and you and I both know where that might be," Liu Meng said with a self-satisfied raise of the eyebrow. Li Yiming¡¯s eyes ran from her lifted chin to her neck, and to her cor. He looked at her lips that she so yfully pursed, at her white teeth, at her beautiful, inky hair, and her rosy cheeks. She would have kissed her if it were not for the fact that she had her eyes open.


    "Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?" Li Yiming¡¯s heart and soul trembled with envy at the sight, and he lost his ability to think coolly.


    "Why would I? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re close to them, so of course we should try to keep as much as we can for ourselves." Liu Meng poked at Li Yiming¡¯s forehead with one of her fingers and scolded him like a wife scolding her wasteful husband. Li Yiming¡¯s heart once again skipped a beat, and he enjoyed every instant of this heart-warming moment.


    "Alright, well it¡¯s getting reallyte. We should find somewhere to stay for the night and search for an artifact market within the city." Li Yiming walked with Liu Meng toward the nearest hotel.


    "Big brother Eyesses..." Qing Qiaoqiao said in a sweet voice while staring at him with her big eyes.


    "Oh please, just spill it out. I¡¯ve never been good with sweet food."


    "Can you look for where Li Yiming is right now?" Qing Qiaoqiao whispered to him after ncing inconspicuously at her sister seated in the back.


    "Are you sure?" Eyesses took out his tablet and started using it while keeping only one hand on the wheel.


    "Yes." Qing Qiaoqiao said firmly.


    "Hongyun Hotel. It¡¯s not far from where they got off," Eyesses said to Qing Qiaoqiao, who became visibly upset. "Also, they only checked-in for one room," Eyesses added,pleting hisbo attack.


    However, what actually happened within the hotel room was not nearly as suggestive as one would imagine it to be. After working hard for the entire day, between taking a knife blow to the back and flying in the air, Li Yiming fell asleep on the sofa before Liu Meng could even finish washing her face. Liu Meng carefully wrapped a nket around him and stared at his slumbering face. She remembered how he had jumped to the rescue of Ji Xiaoqin.


    "Would you do the same for me?" Liu Meng muttered.


    On the morning of the next day, after quick preparations, the two left for the City God Temple of Shangbei, which was the location for the biggest market of antiques. They were going to look for ancient artifacts, but, obviously, real, valuable artifacts were not going to be easily essible to all, and most of the transactions of such items would ur in select auctioning houses. With their hopes for obtaining a real artifact ruined, they would at least try their luck with small trinkets. After paying a painful price out of their wallet for the sake of time, they took the taxi all the way to the temple district. Since it was still quite early in the morning, some of the shops were still closed. However, the flow of people was already growing endlessly, and, after buying a breakfast consisting of sesame seed cakes and deep-fried dough sticks, they followed the crowd in the streets.


    "Are you kidding me?" As the two entered themercial district, Li Yiming froze and stood there dumbly while Liu Meng took a long sip from her soy milk that left her lips trembling from the burning hot feeling.


    The two were staring at a stall with goods spread onto the ground. A man old enough to be their grandfather was keeping the "shop", or rather, the tablecloth that was beneath the piles of trinkets and the small stic bench on which he was sitting. He was reading newspapers which were covered with oil stains, indicating that he had probably just wiped his hands with it. On the tablecloth, one could find rows of small trinkets and other items, includingic books whose pages had turned yellow from age, porcin wares with scratches and unorthodox colors, poorly carved wooden decorations, oddly shaped river stones, and, in a stic basket in a corner, a pile of rusty bronze coins.


    What attracted the attention of Liu Meng and Li Yiming was one coin amongst that pile. They could see it shining like an 80 watts light bulb.


    ¡¯It¡¯s that easy?¡¯ Li Yiming was not sure if he could even believe what he saw. He looked around and carefully approached the tablecloth. The old man, when he saw that a customer had shown up, dropped his newspaper.


    "Hey boy, have a look, these are all precious items! The name of the Old Chen¡¯s Shop is one that¡¯s renowned on this street. You can count on me for quality and trust!" The old man smiled at the two. ¡¯A hot-blooded boy with a beautiful girlfriend. Just the kind of people for making good money. They¡¯ll do anything to impress their girlfriend with just a little bit of... guidance. What a good day today.¡¯


    Li Yiming did not answer him. He handed over the sesame cake he had to Liu Meng and knelt down in front of the stic basket. He picked up the single coin that was glowing and scrutinized it. It was poorly made, with the inscriptions on the surface damaged and illegible. He weighed it in his hand and found it to be too light to be made of bronze. Even to Li Yiming, who was not an expert, this was undoubtedly a low-quality replicate produced in one of these family workshops in the countryside.


    "Ah, you have sharp eyes, young man! This coin is one of the most precious things in the entire shop! Look at that..."


    Li Yiming picked up the ttened cigarette box that he found in the basket. "Three for ten yuan."


    "Haha." The old shopkeeper smiled awkwardly, and he regretted putting the cardboard into the basket today of all days. "Do you want to look at something else? Look at this back scratcher made of bo-tree root! Look at the exceptional color! Come on, don¡¯t hesitate to touch it, I¡¯m telling you, this is the work of a grandmaster... " The old shopkeeper picked up another item and tried to sell it to the two, but he was mostly looking at Liu Meng when he talked.


    "Do I look like someone who can afford something like that?" Li Yiming interrupted him. "I¡¯m just looking for a coin to hang on my cell phone. As Li Yiming said so, he took out his cell phone that was domestically made. It was almost as big as a brick, and the old man shuddered when he saw it.


    "Ah okay, then take your time then." The old shopkeeper had given up and picked his newspaper back up. Liu Meng brought a hand to her mouth to hide her smile.


    "Well, I¡¯ll take this one then." Li Yiming searched the basket and only found one magical coin. He took out four yuan from his pocket. "I only need one, so I¡¯ll give you four yuan for it." Li Yiming was even nice enough to not bargain for a lower price.


    The old shopkeeper opened his mouth to say something, looked at Li Yiming¡¯s brick-sized cell phone and swallowed his words back. He simply took the four coins Li Yiming handed to him.


    "Hey, can I have a red cord to hang it with?" Li Yiming happily put away the coin and said jokingly. The old shopkeeper seemed to have given it all up and quickly gave him one of the pieces of red cord that hung from his stic bench.


    "Thank you. Prosperity to you." Li Yiming smiled when the old man gave him the red cord. ¡¯Wow, big-sized domains really do have big opportunities. And only for the capable!¡¯


    He exchanged a nce with Liu Meng, and both saw the eager anticipation in each other¡¯s eyes for their adventure during the day.


    Finally, a sensible, intelligent female lead in a novel where the MC is male. A sight as rare as the great panda. Also, tell me what you think about having an article/chapter published on the ¡°wheres¡± of sundering nature (Shanghai, Lishui, Hangzhou, Ning Vige), and the even the food. (Aren¡¯t you curious about sesame cake and deep fried dough sticks?)

 Volume 3 Chapter 12

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 12 ¨C Sudden Change</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming took back his unfinished sesame cake from Liu Meng and searched for the coin he put away in his pocket. He used his focus to inspect the object, and, a secondter, his sesame cake fell to the ground.


    "What is it?" Liu Meng asked, a little concerned.


    "I think we¡¯ve found a treasure," said Li Yiming with a vacant stare.


    He did not have time to check earlier, but he could finally analyze the information about the bronze coin now. "Dao equipment. Technique included: Thunderous Strike. One-use thunder-type attack activated by focus. Empties the user¡¯s avable energy into one single strike. The more energy avable, the stronger the attack."


    This was perhapspletely useless for other guardians, but, for Li Yiming, the technique included within the bronze coin was nothing short of a dreame true. Although he had reached level four in spell, he did not know any techniques, and, unlike the other guardians, he also did not have his own talent. With this coin, his vein would no longer be wasted. This would be hisst resort in a dire situation.


    "Is it really strong?" Liu Meng was rather excited.


    "I love you so much," Li Yiming said earnestly when he remembered that it was Liu Meng¡¯s idea toe to the antique market.


    "Ah, stop it!" Liu Meng blushed and smiled. Li Yiming found himself once again drowned in Liu Meng¡¯s loving features; the gentleness of her brows warmed him like a gust of wind in the sunny spring; her scarlet lips reminded him of the fiery fire of love; and her shyness, just like the rainfall after a long drought in the winter, brought life and charm to it all. For a moment, Li Yimingpletely forgot about the bronze coin.


    * * *


    Li Huaibei calmly stood on the rooftop of a skyscraper, casting down a sharp look at the city of Shangbei below. His stare pierced through the skyscrapers and the buildings in the distance until it reached a red-haired young man who was chit-chatting with the shopkeeper of a newspaper stand. The young man had a cigarette between his ear and his head and a piercing on his lower lip. Together with the metallic spikes on his shirt and his spiky hair, which was dyed red, he looked like someone who had just dropped out of high school. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that the young man would be quite handsome if he was to change his attire and improve his style.


    The young man was busy joking with the middle-aged woman about the female celebrities that were on the cover of the magazines, about which one was the most attractive, and which picture was the most provocative one. His remarks made the woman, already in her fifties,ugh incessantly as theyers of fat on her belly rippled like the surface of ake. Suddenly, the young man turned his head and threw a nce toward the rooftop of a building in the distance. His eyes had a coldness that should not have belonged to someone of his age, but a momentter, he shrugged his shoulders and continued his conversation.


    * * *


    Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian sat in the terrasse of a cafe. The elder sister was talking on the phone. "You¡¯re right Big Beard, they¡¯reing for us. There¡¯s six of them."


    "Seven, to be exact," Zeng Qian added while sipping her coffee.


    "Just hang in there. We¡¯ll take care of it as soon as we¡¯re done dealing with that fox." The bearded man¡¯s cold voice came through the phone. Fang Shui¡¯er hung up and used the phone¡¯s screen to look at her hair while reaching for her own cup for a sip of her own.


    * * *


    "Found it. There¡¯s a basement in that house, that¡¯s where the antique collection is hidden. When are we doing it?" Eyesses closed hisptop screen and took a bite out of the slice of pizza on the table.


    "Let¡¯s n this out first. We¡¯ll try to minimize the ruckus and act as soon as the opportunity presents itself." Qing Linglong was busy applying her eyeliner right in front of the dressing stand.


    "Stupid Li Yiming. We¡¯re giving him things for free and he doesn¡¯t want it." Qing Qiaoqiao was curled up on the sofa and was slowly ripping apart the thick telephone repertoire found within the hotel suite. The floor was already covered with paper pieces. Grandma Wang, who meditated on the side, peeked at her and closed her eyes with a repressed smile.


    * * *


    After an entire morning spent in the antique market district, Li Yiming finally realized how lucky he was to have found the bronze coin right away. Despite their lucky find, they did not find a single item of interest in the hundreds of shops they visitedter. Li Yiming rubbed his eyes that had be sore searching in all directions constantly. "Let¡¯s go get something to eat, we¡¯ll go to the north sideter."


    "Sure!" Liu Meng was thrilled and seemed to enjoy wandering around with Li Yiming quite a lot.


    "I¡¯ve heard that the snacks here are great. Let¡¯s go have a taste of what Shangbei has to offer!" Li Yiming was in a very good mood himself, already content enough to have obtained the bronze coin.


    As the two walked side by side, Li Yiming¡¯s fingers grazed Liu Meng¡¯s. The momentary sensation of touching Liu Meng¡¯s hand made Li Yiming¡¯s heart skip a beat: this waspletely different from when they were dancing together. Li Yiming kept his eyes straight, but his thoughts were in turmoil. ¡¯Should I hold her hand, or not... Is she going to hit me if I try?¡¯


    Li Yiming was still undecided when he suddenly felt a warmness climb up his fingers: Liu Meng had sped his fingers tightly between her own. ¡¯What a joke, is this really happening again? I should be more of a man and make the first move instead.¡¯ Li Yiming thought lowly of himself, but had his smile of a shy teenager betrayed his happiness.


    "Yiming, look." Liu Meng suddenly stopped.


    "What?" Li Yiming turned his head and saw Liu Meng stare at the intersection ahead with excitement. It was a busy intersection in the district, and an endless flow of people traversed through it, but what caught Li Yiming¡¯s attention was a boy, about sixteen or seventeen years old, not very tall, with disordered hair and in clothes standing in the middle of the crowd. He was shy and nervous, and, by the looks of his gestures, he was trying to sell something wrapped in a scarf to the passers-by. However, one could notice, by the expression of defeat he had, that his endeavor was not sessful. To sell something on the street like that was something shunned upon nowadays, especially for a boy like that, since others could rightfully assume that the merchandise he had came from a dubious source. No one even bothered to stop for him, and even those who were curious enough to spare the slightest amount of attention for the young boy turned away after an instant.


    "Let¡¯s go have a look." Li Yiming pulled Liu Meng by her hand. His face had reddened and he could feel his own heart thump in his chest, but he was not sure whether it was because of Liu Meng¡¯s hand or the scarf surrounded by a halo of light in the young boy¡¯s hand.


    "Hey sir, do you want to buy a bracelet?" The boy asked shyly when he saw Li Yiming in front of him. Liu Meng¡¯s beauty made him even more reserved.


    The object wrapped in the scarf was a jade bracelet. The crystalline stone had a beautiful color and seemed to be of the highest quality, but there were three spots where the jade was surrounded by ayer of gold. The gold itself was decently sculpted, but, most likely due to age, the pattern was a little worn out and even seemed somewhat dirty.


    "How much is it?" Li Yiming asked after examining the object carefully. A faint halo of light surrounded the essory, but it was, without doubt, a guardian¡¯s equipment. Li Yiming¡¯s main concern was now its price. By the looks of it, the price would certainly not be a small sum, and, if it was out of his means, he would have to consider a different way to "acquire" it.


    "Ten... twenty thousand," The boy said hesitantly.


    "Ten or twenty thousand?" Liu Meng came closer Li Yiming. It was better that she handled things like that.


    "Twenty, no bargaining." The boy said after gritting his teeth.


    ¡¯Twenty thousand...¡¯ The price was not unreasonable, or at least a lot lower than what Li Yiming had thought. Li Yiming was worried about an outrageous price like hundreds of thousands or even millions. As to whether the item was authentic or not, this was not Li Yiming¡¯s concern, since there was no way to fake that halo of light. ¡¯Well, even if it¡¯s fake, I doubt anything will beat this four yuan bronze coin...¡¯


    "You want twenty thousand for the bracelet?" Liu Meng frowned. "The gold is for reparation, isn¡¯t it? The bracelet must have been shattered."


    "I, I don¡¯t know, but the bracelet was given to me by my grandmother, and it¡¯s been my family¡¯s heirloom for a long time, so it must be an antique." The boy seemed a little nervous, since Li Yiming was the first person of the day who actually bothered to ask him about the price.


    "I think the bracelet has been broken into three pieces and repaired using gold. Judging by the looks of it, the thickness and the quality of the gold has a lot left to be desired," Liu Meng made a reasonable guess about the state of the item and tried the best she could to make the boy lower his price.


    "But it¡¯s really an antique! My grandmother left it as a treasure of the family." The boy¡¯s eyes turned red, and he seemed very worried by the fact that he was not going to be able to sell his bracelet for the intended price.


    "You want twenty thousand for this thing?" Someone else overheard the conversation and asked in curiosity.


    "Yes, twenty thousand and I won¡¯t bargain." The boy regained some of his confidence when someone else asked him about his ware.


    The man stopped to examine the bracelet the boy was selling and took a step back with a smile. This wasmon decency for antique deals: one would not interfere while two other parties bargained, but the man had an obvious smile of waiting for something interesting to happen instead of someone genuinely interested by the bracelet.


    "Why are you selling it if it¡¯s been passed down in the family?" Li Yiming¡¯s heart was touched by the boy¡¯s pitiful look. He reached for Liu Meng¡¯s fingers and signaled her.


    "My, my mother was caught in a car ident, and I don¡¯t have enough money to save her." Tears seeped out of the boy¡¯s eyes as he exined, and his hands, which until now held onto the scarf tightly, trembled.


    "Car ident? What about the person who did it?"


    "He ran away." The boy bit his lips. Anger shed through his teary eyes.


    "What¡¯s your name?" Li Yiming asked with a gentle voice. He looked at the boy standing in front of him; he was angry, anxious, stubborn and perhaps more than anything, helpless. His story moved Li Yiming enough to make him throw a slightly reproachful nce at Liu Meng for pushing him so. Even after a few adventures of life and death and bing a guardian, Li Yiming was, at his core, someone who had a romantic mind.


    "Yang He."


    "Alright, Yang He, we¡¯ll buy your bracelet." Liu Meng was a little upset at being looked at like that. ¡¯That¡¯s an old, rotten story if I¡¯ve ever heard one. Do they even do things like that in K-dramas?¡¯ But, given the value of the item as a guardian equipment, she decided not to dwell on it further.


    "You¡¯re buying it?" Yang He smiled and quickly wiped away his tears.


    "Yes. Are you okay with transfers or do you need cash?" Li Yiming answered the boy¡¯s smile with a smile of his own. He caressed the back of Liu Meng¡¯s hand, and, although she moved her arm around a bit to evade him, she did not retract her arm. 1


    "Transfers are fine." The boy took out his cellphone merrily.


    "You¡¯re buying it for real?" The onlooker was very surprised. The bracelet itself looked fine and would have actually been worth that price if it had not been broken and repaired. However, in its current mended state, even with its age, unless there were special circumstances, there would be no way that the item would be worth such a price. ¡¯The damage on the gold pattern too... Well, these two are idiots.¡¯


    Not only him, a few other people who had stopped in their tracks to look at the transaction as it happened sighed at Li Yiming¡¯s ostensible stupidity. Some even wondered about whether it was possible for them to sell something unworthy of its price to Li Yiming, since he seemed like the obvious idiot who was rich enough to pay to boost his ego in front of his girlfriend.


    "How much money do you have?" Li Yiming asked Liu Meng. He himself did not have enough.


    "About thirty thousand." Liu Meng made the count inside of her head.


    "Lend it to me."


    "All of it?"


    "Yeah."


    Liu Meng took out her cell phone and prepared to make the transfer. Li Yiming, likewise, took out his own to receive the payment. It was harder to operate their phones with one hand, especially for Li Yiming, with his brick-sized phone. However, both did not want to let go of each other¡¯s hand.


    "What¡¯s your ount number?" Li Yiming moved his sore thumb around after receiving the money from Liu Meng.


    Yang He spelled out a string of number with eager anticipation.


    "Here¡¯s thirty-five thousand. Just confirm to make sure that you received it." Li Yiming inputted the boy¡¯s ount number and the amount of money. Liu Meng had given him thirty thousand and he had about seven thousand on his card. ¡¯Oh, looks like we¡¯re going to have to rob someone tonight.¡¯


    "Thirty-five thousand?" The boy was beyond surprised, and even Liu Meng herself was baffled. However, the boy was quick to see the number on his phone. "But... I was selling it for twenty..." said the boy in an incredulous voice.


    "It¡¯s okay, just keep the rest for your mom¡¯s injuries. Can I have the bracelet now?" Li Yiming smiled to the boy. The heartwarming feeling of doing something altruistic satisfied him greatly.


    "Thank you, you¡¯re a good man." The boy¡¯s eyes filled up with tears once again, and he gave the bracelet to Li Yiming with shaking arms.


    "You should go. Your mother is still waiting for you." Li Yiming looked up at the sky and suddenly felt that he himself had be much taller than he really was.


    "Thank you, I¡¯ll remember you forever." The boy looked at his cellphone once again to confirm and quickly ran away.


    "You..." Liu Meng hesitated.


    "I think we should do what we can, it¡¯s easy for us anyways." Li Yiming rubbed on the bracelet with his finger and used his focus to inspect the item. "Level one virus purification." The information about the bracelet reached his mind. It was a rather useless ability, but Li Yiming did not regret his act in the slightest. There were twenty-nine days left in the domain, and he did not even know whether he was going to get out of here alive, so he might as well as do as much good as he can.


    Liu Meng shrugged her shoulders and smiled sweetly. ¡¯This is the Li Yiming I know.¡¯


    The people around him remained speechless. They would haveughed at his stupidity if he had really spent twenty thousand yuan on a broken husk, but add fifteen thousand and it became charity more than anything. If Li Yiming himself did not mind, who were they tough at him or be against it?


    "Hey, young man, can I have a look at your bracelet?"


    Li Yiming entering junior high mode... And one of the most interesting developments (in my opinion) so far, soon toe!


    Note the prevalence of e-money. Apparently, everyone is using WeChat to pay for things in China nowadays. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 13

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 13 ¨C Deputy Director</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming turned around to look at his visitor. It was a man in his sixties, not too old by today¡¯s standards, but he looked frail and weak. He made his way through the crowd with the aid of an assistant.


    "Are you talking about this bracelet?" Li Yiming was rmed by his sudden intrusion and waved the jade bracelet he had just bought. He sped his fingers around Liu Meng¡¯s hand and pulled her behind him. Liu Meng herself hid her hand with the storage ring behind her back.


    "No, I¡¯m talking about the one you¡¯re wearing," The old man smiled gently and limped toward Li Yiming. He was staring at Li Yiming¡¯s storage bracelet.


    "I can¡¯t," Li Yiming swiftly refused. He was even more unnerved by the fact that the old man was interested in his storage bracelet. He was ready to strike if something was ever to happen. With three levels in speed, he would be able to strike at the old man¡¯s vitals before thetter could hit him.


    The old man froze: he did not seem to have expected a refusal. His extended hand remained still in the air awkwardly, and then he began coughing violently. His chest heaved as he produced a low, empty cough, just like an old venttor.


    ¡¯Swindling?¡¯ As a precaution, Li Yiming took two steps back and put himself as far away from the old man, just enough so that he would not be used of anything he did notmit. 1


    The assistant quickly patted his back gently and threw an angry nce at Li Yiming. "My apologies, too sudden of a question." The old man struggled to breathe normally and smiled sorrily at Li Yiming.


    "This is Mr. Ye. He¡¯s the deputy director of the Shangbei Historical Museum and the chairman of the National Antique Collector Association," said the helper.


    ¡¯The deputy-director of the Historical Museum? The chairman of the Antique Collector Association?¡¯ For those who had gathered around to watch, it was a shock that this old man had such an impressive background. Some already spected that Li Yiming might have found a treasure by his act of good will while others, who had spent enough time in the district to recognize the old man, wereing forth to greet the old man.


    Li Yiming was also shocked, and he felt a little awkward to be approached by the old man now. ¡¯Really? I just robbed the museumst night, and now the deputy-director finds me? This guy seems also pretty carefree, wandering the streets like that when the museum has just been robbed...¡¯


    What Li Yiming did not know, however, was that the old man, a famed antique collected in the country had stopped working at the museum since half a year ago. This was because he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and is currently undergoing chemotherapy, which has caused him to lose most of his hoary hair. After receiving the bad news about this morning, director Ye knew that despite his best intentions, he could not be of any use. Therefore, the only thing he could do was to at least relieve his emotional stress by taking a stroll in a familiar ce. He noticed Li Yiming¡¯s purchasing of the broken jade bracelet to help Yang He and initially thought of Li Yiming as a rather admirable young man with a good heart. However, a few more ncester and his attention was drawn to the bracelet Li Yiming wore. He found it to be an object of a simple design with rustic carved patterns, but he could not tell with what material it was made, despite his lifetime of experience in antique appraisal. Then, he saw Liu Meng¡¯s ring, and, once again, despite its modern design, he could tell that it was an ancient item from the tarnish of the silver. The intricate emblems carved onto the ring reminded him of something he saw in a book about ancient artifacts a long time ago. His interest had been piqued by these two young people, who were not as simple as they seemed. He wanted to try his best to at least have a look at the two objects.


    "Well, it doesn¡¯t matter that he¡¯s the deputy-director. It¡¯s my bracelet," Li Yiming maintained his refusal: he would not let his guard down so easily in a domain, especially it was about his storage bracelet. Although the content of the item was only essible by himself only through the focus link, Li Yiming simply did not want to take the risk.


    The onlookers¡¯ eyes lit up with curiosity when they heard Li Yiming¡¯s refusal. They knew that Li Yiming was no ordinary young man after his disy of seemingly meaningless benevolence, and now, with such a stiff attitude even toward someone who was famous in the antique field... Thoughts and spections ran wild once again for the kind of background Li Yiming must have possessed.


    "Can I have a look at the ring on this miss¡¯ hand then?" The old man asked again with an inscrutable countenance: if not the bracelet, then the ring.


    "I¡¯m sorry," Li Yiming refused once again. The ring was no different from the bracelet.


    "Young man, I mean no harm. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m a little curious after a lifetime spent working on artifacts. The two items you possess are truly one-of-a-kind," The old man exined with a smile. ¡¯Well, I should me myself for being too eager. If the bracelet and the ring really are treasures, I doubt that he would just let me y around with them, and I would do the same if I was in his shoes.¡¯


    "I¡¯m sorry, but we really need to go," Li Yiming¡¯s voice softened after seeing the old man¡¯s attitude change, but he still did not want to risk their storage items.


    "Don¡¯t be in such a hurry, we are very sincere. This might not be the best ce to talk, so how about we have a cup of tea together? Mr. Ye¡¯s knowledge about antiques is recognized in the field, and who knows? It might even benefit you to have a talk with him." The assistant was quick to move forward and stop Li Yiming as thetter made ready to leave. It was the first time he had seen the old man be this interested in an artifact ever since he had been diagnosed with cancer.


    "Excuse me, my shop might not be big, but I could arrange a few seats for you here. How would that be?" A shop owner on the street was quick to intervene. He was a quick-thinker, and he started considering the proposal from the moment the old man revealed his identity. The world of artifact appraisal was one of bragging, extraordinary tales and of curious audiences, and if one such great story was to originate from his shop, then without a doubt it would help his business greatly. Additionally, he would be doing a favor to the old man, which in itself was something that could be quite useful in the future. The shop owner ordered his clerks to bring a table and a few chairs out of the store and set them down right at the front. Of course, the reason for doing so was partly due to the fact that the store itself was not too big, since it was located in such an expensive district, but the other reason was that if Li Yiming and the old man were to enter the shop, then it would be a lot harder for the story to spread around. The shop owner hoped that the crowd would all be helpers for doing free publicity.


    "Hey, young man, could you please stay a little while? I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re a kind-hearted person, and this won¡¯t take much of your time, okay?" When the director¡¯s assistant heard the shop owner¡¯s proposal, he was afraid that Li Yiming would simply turn around and walk away, so he insisted in a low voice.


    "Fine." Li Yiming found it hard to refuse the request of an old man tortured by disease.


    As they took their seats, the shop owner quickly brought tea to the table and even set up the shade roof at the front of the antique shop now turned tea house.


    Suddenly, the crowd split up, and a few municipal employees made their way through the people. It was hard for them to ignore themotion, since the group of onlookers had grown significantly. Director Ye¡¯s assistant quickly scuttled in their direction, and the municipal security seemed to have recognized him. After a few words, the security staff nodded with a smile and started to disperse the crowd. Most left, since they were simply curious onlookers. Only a few people who were genuinely interested in antique collection stayed, and the security found no reason to chase them away as well. Two guards stayed around just in case anything bad was to happen, and the rest resumed their patrol.


    The shop owner, who stood at the door, looked at them frustratingly. ¡¯Oh well, I should be satisfied with the few that stayed. They¡¯ll be my main helpers for advertisement.¡¯ He gritted his teeth and ordered a few more chairs to be moved to the front; he betted on the fact that the security would not intervene for the deputy director¡¯s sake. He invited the onlookers to sit down as well, and his shop was officially converted into a tea shop.


    "May I know your name, young man?" The old man seemed quite pleased and asked with a smile. Antique collectors are usually quite patient, and the old man¡¯s earlier loss ofposure was an unfortunate result of his rarely aroused natural curiosity and the burden of his disease.


    "I¡¯m Li Yiming, and this is Liu Meng." Li Yiming usually paid reverence to elderly people, it was just that the special circumstances of the domain made him more prudent than usual.


    "Oh, Yiming? Your girlfriend is beautiful. You seem like a loving couple." The old manplimented while looking at their joined hands.


    Liu Meng started to blush. She threw a shy look at Li Yiming and retracted her hand back into her sleeve. Li Yiming rubbed the jade bracelet in embarrassment.


    "Can I have a look at that jade bracelet then?" Owing to his wealth of experience, the old director was very apt at finding a way to open up the conversation.


    "Yes, go ahead." Li Yiming gave him the jade bracelet. Although the object was also a guardian equipment, it was not nearly as valuable, and Li Yiming did not want to continue to act impolitely.


    The director, instead of taking the item directly, opened a bag that his assistant gave to him and took out a ck package from it. He spread it out on the table, revealing what looked like a set of deer leather gloves. He only picked up the bracelet from Li Yiming after putting on the gloves. There was only one word fit to describe his attitude: devotion.


    "The stone looks good, transparent, not too many impurities, and the gold used to join the pieces is also well made. This looks like something old and worthy of your intentions," said the director. Instead of addressing the value of the object directly, he simply praised Li Yiming¡¯s noble intentions euphemistically.


    "So it¡¯s real?" Li Yiming was surprised.


    "Did you spend thirty-five thousand thinking that it was a fake? Interesting," the director joked.


    "I thought that it looked good, that¡¯s all. Can you tell how old it is?" Li Yiming was a little curious about the first antique item he had ever bought and thought that it would be good if he could know more about it.


    "The age... well, that¡¯s a hard one to tell." The director removed his gloves and touched the gold soldering. The motifs carved on it were eroded and indistinguishable. However, when the old man touched the jade bracelet, he suddenly paused and frowned.


    "What is it?" Li Yiming suddenly had a bad feeling.


    "This..." The old man seemed perplexed. He took two deep breaths, looked at Li Yiming and at his assistant, and then gazed at the bracelet again. He put the bracelet back on the table, and took two more deep breaths. He then picked the object back up and resumed his respiration, and suddenly, his expression changed drastically.


    The onlookers were baffled: they had not expected the bracelet to be a rare find that fooled their judgment.


    "Can you sell this bracelet to me?" The old man suddenly said. Instead of looking like someone dying from cancer, he seemed like a bridegroom on the night of his marriage.


    "What?" Li Yiming frowned as a thought suddenly urred to him. ¡¯Unless...¡¯ 2


    "Can you sell the bracelet to me?" The old man¡¯s face turned red and his eyes glittered with hope.


    "Are you sick?" Li Yiming asked carefully. He thought about the effect of the bracelet: level one virus cleansing. It was apletely useless ability to him, but for someone else...


    "What?" The old man¡¯s assistant was furious, who had not thought Li Yiming to be someone who would suddenly say something this disrespectful to an old man he had just met.


    The onlookers were also surprised. The young man¡¯s temper had shifted far too many times within a short while: first, an idiot, then a warm-hearted idiot, then very cold, and then insulting an old man?


    The director raised his hand to appease his assistant and gazed with severity at Li Yiming.


    "You know?¡¯ asked the old man.


    Li Yiming nodded with a serious expression, but was very worried. ¡¯What would happen if the bracelet goes into the hands of a normal person? Would there be a chain reaction of some kind?¡¯


    "How did you know?"


    Li Yiming shook his head without answering.


    "Please, I have cancer, and it¡¯s terminal." The old man stopped asking questions and instead threw a begging stare at Li Yiming.


    The onlookers around them were all confused. ¡¯What are they talking about? The old man¡¯s not angry at being insulted? And that bracelet... he¡¯s begging for it? What¡¯s happening?¡¯


    I haven¡¯t lived that many years in China, but I¡¯m not sure whether people would gather around just randomly like that. Maybe they do that in Shanghai, in a busy antique district?


    Another one of these unfortunate things that happen (less now?) in China. Elderly pretending to be sick/ injured for usually for scamming the person who goes to help, since there¡¯s no insurance.) ? A lot of cancers, with exceptions such as HPV/cervical cancer, are not viral in origin. Certainly, lung cancer tends to not be due to a viral infection, so this is a plot hole. Actual reasons include smoking, asbestos, air pollution, radon etc. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 14

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 14 ¨C The Human Heart</strong></h4>


    "One million," The old man proposed. He gave the bracelet back to Li Yiming, as it was the custom for this kind of deal. The old deputy director had first-hand experience of the magical effects of the bracelet. When he held the object in his hands, he could feel his breathing be noticeably easier, and his pains lessen. He tried it again and again, and every single time he could feel the rejuvenating effects of the jade bracelet. From that and his conversation with Li Yiming, he was now sure that the bracelet could cure his cancer. Li Yiming answered his proposal with a long silence.


    "Mr. Ye?" The assistant said in an unsure voice. After staying with the old man around for so long, he had grown an expertise of his own for the appraisal of antique, and he could see clearly that the bracelet was nothing more than a broken husk. ¡¯And yet, Mr. Ye wants to pay such an astronomical sum for it... Has he gone mad from his sickness?¡¯


    The old man¡¯s proposal also shocked the few who listened to their conversation from afar. The shop owner almost dropped his teacup to the ground. He craned his neck and stared at the bracelet in Li Yiming¡¯s hand. ¡¯Yes, yes! I was right!¡¯


    Li Yiming, however, was preupied with another thought. ¡¯So that boy said that the bracelet was passed down in the family since his grandmother, but I¡¯d think that the special effect of the bracelet must¡¯ve only been activated after I touched it. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t think that he would be selling such a treasure in the first ce, since it might¡¯ve helped his mother recover. I wonder if all guardian equipments are like that? Do they work on normal people, or is this bracelet an exception?¡¯


    "Two million." The old man was worried by Li Yiming¡¯s silence and decided that he could not risk it when his life was at stake. He gritted his teeth and doubled the amount he offered.


    Another round of sighs and chattering from the crowd.


    The assistant looked at the old man nervously, and he tried several times to bring some sense into the deputy direct, but every single time he was silenced by a stare from thetter. The only time he had seen this kind of furious obsession within the old man¡¯s eyes was when they were attending an auction overseas for a lost artifact. ¡¯So... this bracelet is a truly precious artifact?¡¯


    "Mr. Ye, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to sell it, it¡¯s just..." Li Yiming had far too many concerns about giving a guardian equipment to a normal person.


    "Three million." The old man¡¯s eyes lit up with frenzy, but more than anything, he showed to Li Yiming that he was begging for his life to be saved.


    ¡¯Is this a setup?¡¯ The people who were watching werepletely astonished. ¡¯This young man bought a broken bracelet for thirty-five thousand, and, a momentter, he¡¯s going to sell it for a hundredfold the price? This is a textbook example of how to strike a good deal!¡¯


    Li Yiming was tempted now. To be precise, it was only now that he began to appreciate the magnitude of the sum that was being offered. ¡¯Three million! That¡¯s more than I can ever imagine!¡¯ Li Yiming turned around to look at Liu Meng and found her staring at him. She gazed at him intensely. She did not seem to not even have the slightest of worries, and instead, she was sunken in her admiration for Li Yiming¡¯s soon-to-be extraordinary aplishment.


    "Five million. I can only offer this much." The old director saw the change in Li Yiming¡¯s countenance as he turned his head toward Liu Meng and knew that Li Yiming was hesitating about the offer. He raised his bid once again with the hope that it would suffice to convince Li Yiming. He also showed his limits, so that even if Li Yiming wanted a better price, he would not dare to push it too high. .


    "Alright, sold." As he had expected it, the sum was enough to tilt Li Yiming over. The only thing Li Yiming could think off was the huge sum of five million. It was a lot easier than robbing a bank, and, instead of keeping a mostly useless equipment, he might as well turn it into a tangible benefit.


    The old directorughed loudly when he heard Li Yiming¡¯s answer, as if his disease had already left him.


    "Please, everyone, please allow me to exin myself. The value of this jade bracelet is not very high, as you have imagined. However, I found a personal liking for the object, it¡¯s as simple as that." The old director had to exin his odd behavior, especially since there was the concern of damaging rumors circting around. If people thought that he intentionally raised the price on a worthless item for personal benefits, his carefully preserved reputation would be ruined.


    His exnation was enough to appease the onlookers, but then a more important question popped into their mind. ¡¯What kind of personal liking could be worth five million? By the looks of it, he would pay even more than five million for it, unless...¡¯


    "Yiming, please wait a second. I¡¯ll transfer the money to you right away. Just give me your ount number." Director Ye ignored the baffled looks of the spectators and walked straight into the shop after Li Yiming gave him his ount number. The shop owner himself was tactful enough to temporarily reserve the interior for director Ye¡¯s sole usage. ¡¯Well, whatever the reason, I¡¯ll be doing great. Something bought for thirty-five thousand and sold for five million a few minutester, and it happened right here, in my shop? Great!¡¯


    The old deputy director was very fast, and it really seems like he had all that money in his ount ready at any given time. It took less than ten minutes before Li Yiming received a notification on this cell phone: current bnce 5 002 406.21 yuan.


    "Where are we going now?" Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming enthusiastically.


    "Let¡¯s go to the bank and get the cash."


    "Why? Isn¡¯t it okay if it stays in the bank?"


    "The numbers within the banking system can¡¯t be taken out of the domain, but the bills can."


    * * *


    "What¡¯s happening Eyesses? Didn¡¯t you say that the old guy is in the hospital and hasn¡¯t returned home in a long time? Why are they here for the content of the safe all of a sudden?" Qing Linglong looked at the two people, one man, and one woman,ying on the ground, unconscious.


    "I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve heard from their conversation that the old man bought something and he needed cash for it. She should be his daughter, and she just put the items on mortgage," answered Eyesses, who was a little frustrated by the unfortunate turn of events. They bumped right into the owners of the house as they tried to sneak into it and empty the content of the safe.


    "That old man¡¯s almost dead, and he wants to buy something, now of all time? What do we do now?" Qing Qiaoqiao covered the faces of the two victims with towels. She was the first one to react to their sudden appearance and knocked them unconscious before they could do anything.


    "Well, there¡¯s nothing inside now, and I assume that they¡¯re going to wake up in a bit. We should clean up and retreat. Eyesses, go check the surveince system to make sure that we haven¡¯t been spotted. We wouldn¡¯t want the policeing after us with this much time left in the domain," Qing Linglong said as she put a flower vase back to where it was.


    "Hey, sis, I really like this hairpin, can I take it?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked as she picked up a wooden pin made of Zhennan wood.


    "Stop it. I¡¯ll buy you er if you want it." Qing Linglong scolded her sister and put the room back in order.


    "Hmmpf!" Qing Qiaoqiao snorted in discontent, but nevertheless dropped the wooden pin and helped her sister in her task.


    * * *


    Li Huaibei had been waiting at the entrance of the gaming hall for twenty minutes. He pulled out his fourth cigarette, with three already finished ones inside an empty stic bottle. He inhaled, and the cigarette lit up on its own without needing a lighter. After a while and a ring of smoke, Li Huaibei smiled, amused by what he was seeing. The light on his cigarette extinguished abruptly, and he put what remained of it into his bottle.


    Inside the arcade, a young man with his hair dyed red was focused on his game. However, the kids around him threw a scornful look at him as his character was being beaten down without the slightest ability to fight back. This did not seem to affect the young man, however, who licked his lips and seemed happily confident. A fiery red light shed in his eyes.


    * * *


    As he walked out of the bank, Li Yiming straightened his back and stood tall with the confidence of his newfound wealth.


    "Where are we going now?" Liu Meng was a little amused by Li Yiming¡¯s air of grandeur. ¡¯Well, am I a friend of the wealthy now? He just gave me one million earlier, and the look on that employee¡¯s face... Haha.¡¯


    "Let¡¯s go back to rest. We¡¯ll deal with the restter. I want to have a look at the bronze coin.


    Also, if we have time, we should try to find Yang He¡¯s mother and see in which hospital she¡¯s staying at. If they still need money, we should help them out."


    "Alright." Liu Meng held onto Li Yiming¡¯s arm and nodded gently. This was what was the most attractive to her: Li Yiming¡¯s kindness.


    "Are you Mr. Li?" As the two were about to leave, a young man waiting at the entrance of the bank came to greet them.


    "Do I know you?" Li Yiming frowned. The stranger did not seem like someone trustworthy. Li Yiming could easily see the malevolence in his eyes.


    "It¡¯s my cousin. He wants to thank you." The young man pointed at group of people standing at the entrance of a small alleyway on the opposite side of the street.


    "Yang He?" Li Yiming saw the boy he met earlier standing in the middle of the group, looking a little frightened. His small, thin frame was quite unfitting to the group of mobsters that surrounded him.


    "Yes, it¡¯s him. He wants to thank you." The young mobster nced at Liu Meng¡¯s alluring figure and signaled for the two to follow him.


    "Go." Li Yiming¡¯s countenance darkened. He knew that these people had nothing to do with Yang He whatsoever. Thetter was probably coerced into helping them. ¡¯Well, that¡¯ll spare me the trouble of going to find him to try to repay the favor.¡¯


    After they crossed the street, the group of mobsters came to meet them. Their eyes glittered with greed and lust. Their leader was a rtively well-dressed chubby man who showed his yellow teeth with a broad smile. "Mr. Li?" The leader asked, but his attempt at purporting friendliness could not conceal his greed.


    "Are you okay?" Li Yiming ignored him and looked at Yang He. However, when their eyes crossed, thetter looked away and said nothing.


    "My cousin¡¯s a little shy. He wants to thank you but he doesn¡¯t know how, so he asked me for help. How about we drink some tea together?" The man who had been waiting at the entrance of the bank said, "He¡¯s my big bro, Huang Fei."


    "Drink tea, here?" Li Yiming looked at Huang Fei and had to conceal his cold, contemptuous smile.¡¯I¡¯d think that he heard about what happened back in the antique district, and he wants my five million.¡¯


    "Of course. How can we so disrespectful? Are you free right now?" The fat man rubbed his oily hands and said with a smile that shook his hanging cheeks.


    "Yes. Let¡¯s go." Li Yiming answered. He felt a little bit of pity for Yang He when he looked at his frail frame.


    Just the kind of stuff I love ! ??

 Volume 3 Chapter 15

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 15 ¨C Prey</strong></h4>


    "Alright, this ce seems isted enough." Li Yiming said after following the mobsters around for awhile in the alleyway. It had been a few minutes since he had seen thest passer-by.


    "What do you mean, Mr. Li?" Huang Fei looked around and asked. ¡¯He knows our intentions, I wonder what he¡¯s up to?¡¯


    "Yang He, did they threaten you?" Li Yiming inched closer to the boy so that he can protect the young boy if a fight was ever to break out.


    "Did you know from the start that my bracelet was an artifact?" Yang He, who stayed quiet the whole time, suddenly raised his head to look at Li Yiming. His timidity and reluctance had been reced by bitterness.


    "What?" Li Yiming was surprised.


    "Stop pretending. I know that people like this don¡¯t exist. You gave me fifteen thousand extra because you felt bad about swindling a child, didn¡¯t you?" Yang He could not hold it in anymore.


    "Did they tell you that?" Li Yiming¡¯s heart shook: he could not believe that what he perceived to be a timid yet strong-hearted child could stare at him so venomously.


    Huang Fei kept his smile and backed off slightly. The mobsters spread around and surrounded Liu Meng and Li Yiming. Some of them had already begun to take out the metal rods they had concealed in old journals.


    "No one told me anything. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m an idiot. I¡¯m not selling my bracelet anymore. Give me back my bracelet, I¡¯ll give you back the money." Yang He said with heavy breathing and flushed cheeks. He looked like someone who was rightfully angry at being deceived.


    Li Yiming did not know what to say. He looked at the young man in front of him. ¡¯Is this... human nature?¡¯


    "Mr. Li, I¡¯m not going to waste your time. I know that you sold the bracelet, so you can¡¯t return it anymore. Just give us the money, and we¡¯ll leave it at that, okay?" Huang Fei proposed to the two while keeping his smile, as if he was a fair mediator of the conflict.


    "Hey, we didn¡¯t force you to sell it, did we?" Liu Meng spat out angrily. She did not care so much for Yang He¡¯s betrayal, only it hurt her to see Li Yiming¡¯s goodwill be trampled on like that.


    "My mother needs the money to stay in the hospital, and yet you¡¯re preying on a defenseless child? That¡¯s inexcusable," Yang He retorted.


    "You..." Liu Meng¡¯s anger boiled, and she was about to say something, but Li Yiming stopped her with a pat on the shoulder.


    "Just tell me what you want," Li Yiming suppressed his rage and answered in a calm voice. He had to repeat the thought in his head. ¡¯This is a domain, not reality... This is a domain, not reality...¡¯


    "Give the money back to Yang He. As for swindling him, you can give us your bracelet and the ring on that girl¡¯s finger." Huang Fei took a step forward in an effort to intimidate Li Yiming.


    "Oh? You want my bracelet?" Li Yiming suddenly burst intoughter. His odd reaction brought an ominous feeling to Huang Fei. ¡¯This guy is way too calm, smiling in this kind of situation. But the reward... Damn it, I¡¯ll never get anything if I don¡¯t risk it. At worst I¡¯ll just run away after this and find another ce to prosper.¡¯


    "Well, since we¡¯re all here, you¡¯d have to pay for our... discement, wouldn¡¯t you?" Huang Fei thought about the worst-case scenario and firmed his tone. He also started to look at Liu Meng in an effort to hint at the consequences of his demands not being fulfilled.


    "You¡¯ve gone mad from being poor, haven¡¯t you?" Liu Meng was very ufortable from being looked at like that. She red menacingly at Huang Fei and put her arms in front of her chest.


    "Little girl, if I told you that I¡¯d strip you naked and hang you from that pole, would you believe me?" Huang Fei looked at Liu Meng with undisguised lust.


    "And I¡¯m telling you that this is a toy, how about that?" Li Yiming said coldly.


    Huang Fei froze. He looked at the gun barrel pointed at his forehead. ¡¯A gun? Wait a second, in our country? Do you think this is a movie?¡¯ A defiant smile appeared on Huang Fei¡¯s lips. "Do you think that I¡¯ll be scared that easily? I..."


    Bang!


    Instead of bickering further, Li Yiming aimed at Huang Fei¡¯s leg and pulled the trigger. The sound of the gunshot, untempered by a silence, resounded in the alley way. It was immediately followed by an ear-piercing scream from Huang Fei. His followers backed off as soon as they saw what happened, and Yang He fell to the ground in the scare of the moment.


    "How about now?" Li Yiming moved back his gun to Huang Fei¡¯s forehead and repeated calmly. The screeches of pain were cut short.


    Bang!


    Another gunshot. Another gun appeared in Li Yiming¡¯s left hand, and, this time, the bullet flew into one of the mobsters who thought that it would be a good idea to attack him from behind. The mobster fell onto the ground with a silent thud.


    "That¡¯s what I thought, not even scared of death," Li Yiming said coldly. He could no longer repress his anger. His goodwill had been rewarded with this, and he thought that it was very ironic that just a moment earlier he was thinking about finding Yang He and repaying the favor.


    "Tell me, did hee to you, or did you find him?" Li Yiming looked at Yang He, very disappointed. He wanted to know the answer to his question for he had ast sliver of hope.


    "He... he came to us." Huang Fei said in a trembling voice. ¡¯A real gun! And he just killed someone. Who is this guy?"


    "Really?" Li Yiming was disappointed. He turned around to look at Yang He, who was so frightened that he sat on the ground dumbly without being able to do anything.


    "Yes, yes! The man who came with him also said that if we can take your ring and your bracelet, he¡¯d give me ten million. Don¡¯t kill me please, I was just following orders!" Huang Fei hurriedly exined.


    "The man who came with him?" Li Yiming was shocked by the revtion. Suddenly, he felt a gust of winde from behind. He wrapped around Liu Meng and dragged her down onto the ground.


    Bang!


    A gunshot. But Li Yiming was not the one who fired. One of the mobsters behind Liu Meng fell to the ground, and the rest scattered away with panicked screams.


    ¡¯Sniper?¡¯ Li Yiming peeked at the direction from which the noise came. It was the building facing them.


    "Stay here." Li Yiming yelled to Liu Meng and climbed onto the fence at the end of the alleyway. He dashed toward the entrance of the building.


    Bang!


    A bulletnded right behind Li Yiming, missing him by an inch. Li Yiming raised his head and looked at the fourth floor. He saw someone pull back a rifle from the window.


    Li Yiming elerated his pace and as he got closer to the balconies, he crouched and pushed as hard as he could with his legs, shooting up like a cannonball onto the balcony of the second floor. Li Yiming pulled on the railings of the balcony to give himself another push upward using the air conditioner that hung by the window. The metal grid outside of the window of the third floor helped him climb up yet another floor, and, when he arrived at the window of the fourth floor, he pulled on the metal bars and split them apart with his level three strength. 1


    Huang Fei had a gaping mouth as he watched Li Yiming dive into the opening in the metal. For a brief moment, he forgot about the excruciating pain from the bleeding wound on his leg. He then nced at Liu Meng, who seemed a little nervous, but unfazed. He secretly decided. ¡¯From now on I¡¯ll be a good man. The world of evil is far too dangerous.¡¯


    When Liu Meng saw Li Yiming disappear behind the window, she gritted her teeth and ran toward the entrance of the building as well.


    Li Yiming ran toward the door of the apartment unit once he entered the building. He saw the door leading to the corridor swaying. When he caught a shadow moving toward the stairs as he rushed past it and fired a round in its direction. He was met with a blow to the face right as he entered the stairs. Li Yiming ducked as quickly as he could, avoiding a scrape that left a deep marking on the wall behind him and sent pieces of it flying around. However, before he could react, Li Yiming was sent flying back by a kick to his chest. He dropped his handgun during his fall and nearly had his breath knocked out of him when he collided against the wall.


    "A neer?" He could now see his opponent clearly: a short, skinny man with his head shaved except for a single spot, where the long hair had been woven into a braid. Oddly, his arms were extremely long for his height.


    ¡¯A guardian?¡¯ Li Yiming crawled back up and stared at the man¡¯s yellow irises. The blow he had just received was vicious, but not enough to hurt him seriously through his level three stamina.


    "Give me your bracelet and I¡¯ll spare you." The short man said.


    Li Yiming lunged at him without hesitation. The man was not quick enough to dodge his tackle, and Li Yiming wrapped his arms around him tightly. This was a tactic Li Yiming had thought of after his encounter with the cook at the restaurant. He knew that hecked the experience in hand-to-handbat, therefore he resorted to the simplest method of ousting the stamina of his opponent. He was confident in his abilities despite the fact that his opponent was no ordinary person either.


    Li Yiming held onto his opponent and sprinted forward. They broke through the wall of the building and fell toward the ground together. The man seemed terrified and punched Li Yiming¡¯s back repeatedly, but Li Yiming held on as hard as he could.


    The twonded on the ground. The impact of the collision made Li Yiming loosen his grip. The man spat out a mouthful of blood, but managed to roll sideward and freed himself from Li Yiming¡¯s grip.


    "Crazy bastard!" The short man wiped away the blood around the corners of his lips and looked at the holes in the wall.


    Li Yiming stood up with a sword in his hand. He knew from experience just how of little use guns were against guardians.


    "I surrender!" Li Yiming was surprised when he heard the cry. He was about to push his advantage when the man suddenly raised both of his arms and knelt down on the ground.


    "Surrender?" Li Yiming did not know what to do. He kept his weapon in the air with caution.


    "Yiming?" Liu Meng approached them from the opposite direction. She threw a worried nce at the crater on the ground and the hole in the wall of the fourth floor.


    "Die!" The man on the ground yelled and jumped toward Liu Meng. As he neared Liu Meng, his figure transformed into a fuzzy shadow of yellow light.


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming cried out. ¡¯Oh no! I hesitated. If something is to happen to her...¡¯


    A sh of red light suddenly shot out of Liu Meng¡¯s body. A pir of me emerged from the ground and the man, already in the air, collided against it and emitted an ear-piercing screech. The fire reminded Li Yiming of the scenes back in Ning Vige. Li Yiming¡¯s eyes went from Liu Meng to the silhouette struggling in the fire. He stood there and looked with surprise as the me died out and a charred corpse fell onto the ground.


    "Long-arm monkey eliminated. Path progression rewarded: five points." A voice was heard.


    "These are our targets, beasts?" Liu Meng looked at the carcass of the man, which slowly dissipated, as if it was made of smoke.


    "I think so," Li Yiming answered hesitantly, still a little unsettled from the fight.


    "How many points did you get?" Liu Meng was a little excited, since it was the first time she received an award.


    "Five."


    "I got ten."


    "Well you were the one who finished him off, so that¡¯s not surprising. Your talent is fire?"


    "Yeah," Liu Meng answered.


    "Alright, just don¡¯t tell anyone else, okay?" Li Yiming nodded.


    "Alright. Are you okay?" Liu Meng nced at the hole in the wall of the building once again.


    "I¡¯m okay. I can take a few hits. I didn¡¯t think that it was a beast though." Li Yiming answered, his voice still somewhat shaken.


    "Your talent is Bai Ze?" Liu Meng¡¯s thoughts had shifted to somewhere else.


    "Yeah." Li Yiming thought that this was the best way to exin his situation.


    ¡¯And he said that I shouldn¡¯t tell anyone else about it. Haha, I¡¯m not just anyone else it seems.¡¯ Liu Meng was very happy at bing Li Yiming¡¯s confidant.


    "What level is your vein for spell?" Li Yiming suddenly asked.


    "Level two after that equipment we got." Liu Meng answered candidly.


    ¡¯Level two and she¡¯s that strong? Then level four...¡¯


    Not gonna lie, that transition from uh kind-hearted fool to cold-hearted murderer was a little abrupt... (although domain lives don¡¯t really matter apparently(?))


    The windows of apartments in China, especially on lower floors, are often protected with a metal grid to protect against thieves. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 16

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 16 ¨C Hotel Room for Couples</strong></h4>


    "Where to now?" Liu Meng looked around. The sound of the gunshots was already attracting the attention of the most daring onlookers, some of which had opened their windows and cast down a look of curiosity.


    "Let¡¯s go back. What happened to the mobsters?"


    "They all ran away. I was worried about you so I ignored them."


    "It¡¯s okay," Li Yiming answered, in a slightly low-spirited voice.


    "It¡¯s a domain, you shouldn¡¯t overthink it." Liu Meng knew that Li Yiming still had Yang He¡¯s words in mind.


    "Poor kid." Li Yiming sighed. He turned around and quickly left the scene with Liu Meng.


    * * *


    "Li Yiming¡¯s calling us." Eyesses noticed the window on his screen. He turned around to look at Qing Linglong for her say in the matter.


    "He¡¯s looking for you?" Qing Qiaoqiao suddenly sat up.


    "Answer it. See what he wants." Qing Linglong nodded, a little surprised.


    "Yiming? It¡¯s me, Eyesses. What is it?"


    "There¡¯s something... I need help with," Li Yiming said, a little hesitant.


    "It¡¯s okay, just say it. We¡¯ve been through too much for that kind of formality." Eyesses¡¯ affability reassured Li Yiming.


    "Could you make two ID cards for me? Just like the ones we used back in Hangzhou."


    "Oh, those?" Eyesses did not expect such a sudden request.


    "Yes."


    "What happened?"


    "We bumped into one of the beasts, a monkey, and I had to use my gun," Li Yiming answered truthfully to reciprocate Eyesses¡¯ generosity. He had immediately thought about seeking help, since the mobsters who had escaped would no doubt provide testimonies about them when the police would investigate the death of one of them. He could not afford to spend the next twenty-nine days of the domain hiding from the authorities.


    Eyesses turned around and looked at Qing Linglong. Thetter nodded after considering the matter summarily. "Alright, how should I give the stuff to you?" Eyesses said.


    "Where are you right now? Maybe I cane to meet you?" Li Yiming was not so brazen as to ask for a delivery on top of the favor.


    "We¡¯re around the Jingming skyscraper, but we¡¯re leaving soon. How about I leave them in a storage locker for you?" Eyesses looked at Qing Linglong again. It was one thing to help each other out, but for prudence¡¯s sake it would be best to hide their exact whereabouts.


    "Alright, thanks!"


    "It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll contact you soon." Eyesses ended the call.


    "They fought with a beast?" Grandma Wang asked.


    "Is he okay?" Qing Qiaoqiao was a little worried.


    "The monkey they fought against is a low-level beast. With Li Yiming¡¯s abilities, he should be able to take care of it easily, even with that neer. I¡¯m just surprised that he didn¡¯t prepare something beforehand for the authorities." Qing Linglong was perplexed.


    "It¡¯s probably because of that girl." Eyesses analyzed.


    "That¡¯s what I think too," Qing Linglong agreed.


    "So it hasn¡¯t been long since they¡¯ve met each other then." Qing Qiaoqiao suddenly. Grandma Wang smiled at her quick wits and nodded as encouragement. Eyesses shook his head with an amused smile. Qing Linglong facepalmed and turned around.


    "Alright Eyesses, let¡¯s get this done quickly. It¡¯s good that we¡¯re able to buy a favor from him, but our target is on the move. We can¡¯t afford to lose it." Grandma Wang closed her eyes to maintain the tracking link she created and urged Eyesses.


    "Right away." Eyesses nced at the surveince feed from one of the cameras they had set up and started typing.


    * * *


    Fang Shui¡¯er closed the door behind her slowly after she entered the hotel room. She nced Zeng Qian, and thetter immediately stood up from her seat and crouched down right by the door. A thread of green vapor disappeared into the floor as Zeng Qian swept across the carpet with one of her fingers.


    "They¡¯re being very careful. I tried baiting them with a feigned weakness. They didn¡¯t fall for it." Fang Shui¡¯er walked to the window and peeked from the corner of the curtain she lifted.


    "Well, I don¡¯t sense any reinforcements. I wonder if they have hidden backup." Zeng Qian sat back down on the sofa.


    "What about the others?" Fang Shui¡¯er dropped the curtains and sat down facing her sister.


    "I lost contact. Haven¡¯t received anything from them since almost an hour ago."


    "Then they¡¯re not done yet. Is the fox really that strong?" Fang Shui¡¯er picked up the cup from the table and took a long sip.


    "If only Xiao Hei was here. We wouldn¡¯t be in such a predicament." Zeng Qian stared at the ceiling expressionlessly.


    Fang Shui¡¯er stayed quiet and looked away.


    Back inside the hotel, Li Yiming quickly realized that something was off. The staff in the lobby had all been reced, and the janitor seemedpletely absent-minded and unfocused in his work. A man reading his journal was looking at the entrance furtively, as if he was awaiting his arrival. He seemed very nervous when he saw Li Yiming. Shortly after Li Yiming walked through the entrance, two cars arrived at the front of the building, but the doors remained shut. ¡¯Wow, who is it that said that the police efficiency in the country is terrible?¡¯ Li Yiming thought.


    The man was visibly surprised by such a confession, but he still hesitantly put the handcuffs on Li Yiming¡¯s wrists. Liu Meng also raised her hands over her head. The woman who was cleaning the floor behind her quickly walked up and cuffed her as well. The two were then body-searched. ¡¯Looks like everyone here is a concealed agent.¡¯ Li Yiming thought. Seven or eight more people came out of the cars, all looking very nervous.


    "Captain!" The man who had searched Li Yiming gave the ID card he had found to one of the men who were in the car. The woman did the same for Liu Meng.


    "National Security?" The captain frowned. "Go check it," he ordered as he gave the two IDs to someone behind him. ¡¯That¡¯s a little different from what I thought.¡¯


    "I wouldn¡¯t think that you can just fire shots like that here, even if you¡¯re from National Security," the police officer asked.


    Li Yiming kept quiet but moved his head to hint at the wish for a more discrete environment.


    "Bring them inside." The captain told his subordinates and led the way to the manager¡¯s office.


    The polite treatment the two received once they were inside showed that Eyesses¡¯s forged pieces were enough for intimidation, to say the least. After bringing Li Yiming and Liu Meng to their seats, they left them alone with their captain. Thetter used the time to scrutinize the two. ¡¯Hmmm, very young. That girl¡¯s beauty is remarkable. Are they agents?¡¯


    Li Yiming remained silent and prepared an exnation in his head while waiting. It was not long before someone knocked on the door. The ID cards were brought back to the table and a few words were whispered into the police captain¡¯s ears. It produced in him an obvious change of countenance. Thea captain nodded and signaled for his subordinate to open Li Yiming and Liu Meng¡¯s cuffs. Li Yiming let out a sigh of relief: Eyesses was reliable after all.


    "Is there anything you need from me?" An unexpected question came out of the mouth of the captain.


    "Not for now." Li Yiming answered calmly. ¡¯Wow, what kind of background did Eyessese up for me this time?¡¯


    "Well, I¡¯ll call the operation off then. Please keep contact if you need anything. We¡¯ll take care of the eyewitnesses and of the mobsters. But I¡¯ll have to beg you to change your ns for amodations, since this location has beenpromised. I apologize, it was per protocol procedure." The captain left after saluting Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming stood where he was, a little shocked by the treatment he received. What he did not know was that not only did Eyesses produce authentic ID cards from National Security, but he was also able to add a passage about their having the highest privileges for the mobilization of localw enforcement for the sake of their mission. All other information regarding them had been inked out. Eyesses really sought perfection in his gift.


    "Wow. I didn¡¯t expect that." Liu Meng¡¯s eyes glittered with excitement as the officer walked out of the room. "So we¡¯re agents now?" She picked up the two ID cards from the table and scrutinized them.


    "I trust his expertise. We should hurry up and leave. We can¡¯t stay here." Li Yiming shoved the objects back into his pocket. He was a little amused by Liu Meng¡¯s childish question.


    They found another hotel three streets away. Li Yiming hesitated when asked about the kind of room they required. ¡¯One or two? We don¡¯t need to save money anymore, and I think Liu Meng has shown that she can defend herself... Wait, but this is a domain, it¡¯s safer to stay together. I¡¯m doing this for her sake.¡¯ He gritted his teeth and decided. "Two... Make it one standard room."


    The employee at the front desk noticed Li Yiming¡¯s hesitation and nced at Liu Meng. After seeing that she kept ying her games on her cell phone and did not seem to object at all, the employee gave a single card to Li Yiming and even nodded to him as a sign of encouragement.


    "How about you take a bath first? You¡¯re faster." Liu Meng jumped on her bed and stretched her legs. She shrunk back a slight bit when she noticed Li Yiming¡¯s stare and fixated her eyes on her phone, but from time to time she would peek at Li Yiming to see what he was doing.


    "Alright." Li Yiming looked away awkwardly. He entered the bathroom and took a quick shower. He dressed back up, even putting on his socks before pushing the door open after two deep breaths. He found Liu Meng still on the bed, watching a new live show that aired on the television. The actress was performing a stunt of inserting a fist down her throat.


    "You should take a bath too. It¡¯s been a long day." Li Yiming said with his eyes glued to the television. He did not dare to look at Liu Meng in the eyes, since no matter how long their friendship had been, "going a hotel" was always going to be a somewhat delicate thing. With Bai Ze¡¯s absence, the atmosphere took a turn for unnaturalness, and both of them were somewhat embarrassed.


    Liu Meng went into the bathroom without saying anything. As the sound of water hitting the floor reached Li Yiming¡¯s ears, his emotions had also run wild: anticipation, nervousness, hesitation. He nced at the bathroom and what he saw almost brought blood out of his nose. Since Li Yiming did not think about renting a suite, the room they stayed in being an ordinary one. However, the employee, in his immense "appreciation" of the situation, actually offered a room destined to couples. Although the beds were split and everything else was identical, the wall of the bathroom, from the bed¡¯s side, was transparent.


    This little detail has escaped Li Yiming and Liu Meng¡¯s observation when Li Yiming went into the shower, since they were each preupied by their own thoughts. However, as Li Yiming nced across the room, he saw Liu Meng, half-hidden by the misty moisture that climbed onto the ss. Her body and its beautiful curves swayed left and right as she scrubbed her body. Her fingers slid smoothly across her pale skin smooth as a piece of jade, and Li Yiming found himself unable to get the scene out of his mind.


    Li Yiming clenched his fists. He felt a sudden dryness in his throat and his heart thumping. Just as Li Yiming was about to jump out his bed and do something unreasonable, he suddenly heard a screech so loud that he brought his hands to protect his ears. He looked outside, and, to his surprise, he saw a veil of blue light fall from the clouds, shrouding a significant portion of a neighborhood nearby. Li Yiming walked closer to the window to stare at the light curtain, whose brightness was increasing by the minute.


    "Did you hear anything?" Li Yiming could not believe what he saw.


    "What did you say?" Liu Meng closed the water and turned around. "AH!!" She yelled when she looked at the wall between Li Yiming and her. She covered her chest with her arms and squatted down.


    "Wait here, I¡¯ll be back right away." Li Yiming was too preupied with what he saw to notice Liu Meng¡¯s embarrassment. He opened the door and rushed to the exit. ¡¯This has to be a guardian.¡¯


    Liu Meng stood up slowly after hearing the door close. She peeked at the empty room through the mist on the ss. ¡¯Did he just ask me about having ¡¯that?¡¯ Wow, how could he ask me such a question? What kind of girl would carry ¡¯that¡¯? Did he just go down to buy some? I thought there would be some in the room.¡¯ Liu Meng looked at a small box on top of the nightstand with flushed cheeks. Her heart beat faster and faster, and she redoubled her efforts of cleaning every corner of her body.


    This chapter is actually like an anime. Also sorry for beingte ??

 Volume 3 Chapter 17

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 17 ¨C Sword of the North</strong></h4>


    Whether Li Yiming would still have left the room if he knew what Liu Meng had thought of was a question whose answer could not be known, but having traded the opportunity for his curiosity, Li Yiming quickly arrived to its boundaries. From far away, he judged its size to be at least a few kilometers in diameter. Upon closer inspection, Li Yiming realized that the barrier was actually very thin and nearly transparent. After grazing it carefully and not feeling anything at all when he did so, Li Yiming decided to take the risk and dove head first into it. Nothing seemed to have changed after he entered, but as he progressed deeper inside, he quickly became unsettled by the ominous silence in the streets. There were no pedestrians, no cars, nothing at all except the projected light of the streetmps. Li Yiming took out a long de from his bracelet and advanced carefully with the weapon in front of him.


    "You¡¯ve been following me for the entire day. Are you alone?" The young man with red hair squatted down on top of a car with a half-finished hamburger and looked at the man in front of him.


    "Am I not enough?" Li Huaibei threw his cigarette butt into his stic bottle and tightened the cap. He swung his arm and the bottlended right inside a garbage can behind him after a beautiful parabolic flight.


    "You should quit smoking. It¡¯s bad for your health," The young man with red hair slurred between two bites of his hamburger.


    "What you¡¯re eating right now is junk food, and that¡¯s also terrible for your health," Li Huaibei answered in his usual,posed voice.


    "I want to eat good food, but it¡¯s hard to find. I¡¯ve waited the entire day yet only you showed up." The young man put the burger back into its packaging paper carefully and licked away the ketchup on the corners of the lips.


    "I¡¯ve been observing you for the entire day. You¡¯re a funny guy. Be the spirit of my sword and I¡¯ll spare you," Li Huaibei said, calm as ever.


    "Ha? Confident I see. Do you know who I am?" The young man stood up. The metallic essories he wore clinked against each other as he jumped down from the car.


    "Of course, Bi Fang."


    "Well then, why are you so arrogant? Are all guardians this full of themselves now?" Bi Fang dashed towards Li Huaibei as he spoke thest word, leaving a scarlet shadow behind him. His hand was enveloped by a red halo of light.


    Li Huaibei raised his hand and challenged Bi Fang with his own ray of white light. Thetter twisted his body, dodged the attack and continued on his path toward Li Huaibei. Bi Fang extended his fingers like the ws of a beast after spotting its prey and made ready to tear through Li Huaibei¡¯s chest once he reached him. Li Huaibei moved his hand left and right, as if he was working on an invisible drawing. Luminous lines appeared one by one as he moved his fingers, forming a of light in front of him. The wrapped itself around Bi Fang and a sizzling sound was heard as it touched him. Bi Fang gazed at the of light that came closer and closer to his limbs. Suddenly, his figure shrunk until he became small enough to slip through between the threads of light. As he approached Li Huaibei, Bi Fang extended one single finger, on which the skin had turned scarlet, and smiled confidently in expectation of the result of his attack. However, a fraction of a secondter, Bi Fang¡¯s countenance changed and he quickly moved to the side. A beam of silver light grazed past the corner of his eye, leaving behind it a bloody wound. Bi Fang jumped back thrice as hended and ced himself far away from Li Huaibei.


    "The projection of your de? Interesting." Bi Fang wiped away the blood on his face and channeled his energy into a red me that enveloped his body. The light rose and tumbled and became more and more intense.


    "You should have done this from the start." Li Huaibei extended his right hand with a t palm. The silver light that covered his palm rippled and the tip of a slowly spinning sword emerged. The de was about two feet long and two inches wide, with a yin yang symbol carved on the hilt. It was an ancient, rustic-looking de that has seen the bloodshed of many battles. The weapon¡¯s motion slowly came to a halt and it floated quietly above Li Huaibei¡¯s palm.


    "The sword in the palm, you¡¯re Li Huaibei?" Bi Fang was a little nervous at first, but it quickly turned into excitement. "Eden? I¡¯ll see today if your flesh is as delicious as rumors make it to be." Bi Fang¡¯s figure once again morphed into a glowing red shadow and shot toward Li Huaibei. He circled around him and sought every opportunity to strike. Li Huaibei endured the attacks and stood still, and it seemed like he did not find it difficult at all to keep Bi Fang at bay.


    "You¡¯re wasting your time. My sword has just been improved, and I¡¯m only missing a spirit for the de. Serve me and you shall not be disappointed," Li Huaibei said calmly with one hand behind his back.


    "Bullshit. I¡¯m Bi Fang, and you want me to serve the will of your sword? How about you be my nightly snack, you won¡¯t be disappointed either." Bi Fang stopped moving. The fire that surrounded his body turned from bright red to orange. His metal essories melted into droplets of iron that floated hung him like the stars in the sky. It was a beautiful sight.


    Li Huaibei chuckled and extended his right arm. The hilt of his floating sword slid into his fingers and, after a shockwave that emanated from where he stood, he himself seemed to have changed. He was sharp, just like the sword he held. Bi Fang let out a long, beast-like screech and the melted droplets of metal around him shot toward Li Huaibei like bullets. Li Huaibei weaved a tight barrier with the shadows of his sword that stopped all the oing projectiles.


    "How many do you have left?" Li Huaibei said, still standing still.


    "Oh, I¡¯m just getting started." Bi Fang¡¯s irises had turned from an inky darkness to an incandescent crimson. He raised his hands far above his head and the dozens of cars parked on the street suddenly lifted off the ground. Just like his essories, the vehicles melted into a puddle of liquid metal as they approached him. The cars merged into a huge fireball that hung above Bi Fang like a small sun. Its surface boiled and rippled, and its heat was even enough to bring a visible distortion to its surface. If the whole fireball was to be brought down upon the city, it would no doubt have apocalyptic consequences.


    "So, are we going to have a barbecue or a braising today? I forgot to bring the condiments by the way," Bi Fang said jokingly.


    Li Huaibei answered his challenge by putting his sword t in front of his chest and taunting Bi Fang.


    "Die!" Bi Fang screeched, and his voice resonated like a bird¡¯s hum. He thrust his arms forward and the huge sphere of fire began its descent.


    Li Huaibei looked at the oing projectile with a serious countenance. He raised his sword above his head and shed downward. A crescent of silver, shaped like the nascent moon, flew toward the fireball. When the two collided, the crescent sliced through its opponent easily and continued its flight toward Bi Fang. Thetter dodged swiftly and with a movement of his arms, he redirected the two halves of his attack toward Li Huaibei. Li Huaibei had finally moved from where he stood, and, instead of retreating, he moved forward and slid through the two smaller fireballs, seemingly unaffected by their intense heat.


    Bi Fang¡¯s fireballs merged back together after surpassing Li Huaibei, and, with a pull of his arm, turned around and flew it back. To finish his attack, Bi Fang retracted his arms and pushed inward on his thorax. He opened his mouth, and, just like a dragon, spat out a jet of fire.


    Beset from both the front and the back, Li Huaibei stopped moving and jumped high. The fire Bi Fang spat out collided against his fireball, and the sphere¡¯s color brightened further. The ming projectile changed its course once again and chased after Li Huaibei. Li Huaibei still held hisposure despite the projectile¡¯s slowly catching up to him. He swung his sword quickly beneath him, once again weaving a of light to stop Bi Fang¡¯s attack. When the fireball collided against the, it was minced into thousands of orbs that rained down and pursued Li Huaibei, at a much faster pace than before. Bi Fang smiled when he saw it and knew that his victory was close.


    Li Huaibei sank his energy into his fall and managed to outrace the droplets of light. The instant he touched the ground, he flipped his de around his wrist and thrust it downward. A silver curtain extended above his head and the rain of fire extinguished itself with an uninterrupted sizzling sound. "Not bad, it seems like you¡¯re worth the day I¡¯ve spent on you." Li Huaibei slowly stood up. His white clothing remained untainted despite the intensity of the battle.


    "I expected nothing less from you, Sword of the North." Bi Fang gritted his teeth and raised his hands over his head again. The skyscrapers around him began to tremble: he was going to repeat his attack, only this time he would use the building around him.


    "I think that you should call it a day for now." Li Huaibei swung his sword three times, and three silvery rays shot toward Bi Fang. Bi Fang retracted his arms and jumped to dodge the attacks. However, despite avoiding the first two, the third one hit his left arm and caused a shower of blood. Li Huaibei pounced onto Bi Fang, aiming for his back with the tip of his de.


    Bi Fang¡¯s eyes burned with craze and he suddenly brought his limbs back and curled up like a ball. A split secondter, an explosion erupted and a bird soared into the open sky. The body of the bird was a burning red, decorated in some ces by specks of blue. Its beak was white and it possessed only one leg that supported its crane-like body: this was the true form of the beast, Bi Fang.


    Bi Fang let out a high-pitched screech and tried to fly away. Li Huaibei trailed behind him and elerated until he was close enough to reach out for his leg with his hand. Li Huaibei ignored the ze that surrounded Bi Fang¡¯s body and threw him down. Despite his size, Bi Fang crashed down into the ground like a meteorite and produced a crater of remarkable size. Li Huaibei elevated himself further and raised his sword. His weapon had turned into a shadowy de that pierced the clouds.


    "Serve me, or die," Li Huabei said coldly while casting down a dominating look upon his enemy. The smile on his face had vanished.


    "Serve you? I¡¯d rather die." Bi Fang limped to stand up on his only leg and stared back at Li Huaibei with fierce eyes. He pped his fiery wings and the mes around him heaved in preparation for his next attack.


    The immense sword-shaped shadow swung down, bringing with it imminent destruction for anything in its path. The me around Bi Fang¡¯s body boiled as it touched the de, and after a while, it suddenly copsedpletely and spread out into light specks like sparks from a dying ember. However, if one was to take a closer look, one would notice that each of the glowing specks looked like a miniature Bi Fang.


    "A surprising move." Li Huaibei smirked. He ced his sword in front of him with its de pointing toward the sky. His weapon split into two, and then four, and then a cloud of shining light dissipated as the rays chased after the specks of red light. Each speck had precisely one silver ray chasing after it, and both flew around the buildings of the city like a swarm of fireflies.


    Li Huaibei let out a contemptuous snort and waited for the oue of his blow. He suddenly frowned and turned his head.


    "The mantis stalks the cicada, and yet you dare to be the oriole?" Li Huaibei dashed with bright eyes toward a parking lot nearby. 1


    Finally, a <i>real</i> fight. xD Let¡¯s hope that our Yiming will grow to this level one day. ??


    Same proverb from a few chapters ago, basically A hunts B while unaware that itself is being hunted by C. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 18

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 18 ¨C Eden¡¯s Secrets</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming tried to conceal his astonishment from the battle that unfolded before his eyes, especially when he saw Li Huaibei holding the power to destroy the city at his will. ¡¯Wow, so I meet a random person on the train and he turns out to be this strong? I wouldn¡¯t think that this weird bird is any weaker than the phoenix back in Ning Vige, and it got simply... handled by him.¡¯ He was still sunken into his thoughts and mumbling when the chilling feeling of a de pressed against his neck derailed his thoughts.


    "Li Yiming?" Li Huaibei was very curious at discovering the identity of his target. He knew that the barrier he had cast was imprable to anyone below his own level. ¡¯So, this kid is level seven?¡¯


    "Ah, uh, Mr. Li." Li Yiming hesitated. They had enjoyed each other¡¯spany when they first met, but it was a different story when they were inside a domain.


    "Why are you here?" Li Huaibei asked with a cial voice as he stared at Li Yiming coldly.


    "I, I saw that there were guardians fighting, and I just wanted to have a look."


    "You came from outside?"


    "Yeah, I saw that blue barrier, so I was curious and I came in just to see," Li Yiming answered truthfully. He would not dare hide anything, especially now of all time.


    "Wait, you¡¯re saying that you traversed my barrier?" Li Huaibei moved his sword away from Li Yiming¡¯s neck, but still kept it unsheathed. ¡¯Odd, if he was inside in the first ce, it wouldn¡¯t be that hard to escape being sensed. Buting in after I put down my barrier... Unless he¡¯s a level above me, he wouldn¡¯t be able to. To be a sage at level seven and a god at level nine. He... he¡¯s a level eight lord?¡¯


    "What¡¯s your highest heavenly vein level?"


    "Level four," Li Yiming answered truthfully again, but he did not mention that he had reached level three for everything else as well.


    Li Huaibei frowned and suddenly wrapped his fingers around Li Yiming¡¯s wrist. ¡¯I can¡¯t sense the strength of his vein, but there¡¯s no doubt, from the strength of his limbs. Then how? Unless...¡¯


    A thought suddenly urred to Li Huaibei and his eyes lit up. "You¡¯ve met Mr. Kong, right?" He asked once more.


    "Yes," Li Yiming was perplexed. ¡¯Hasn¡¯t he asked me about that already? But I guess I don¡¯t have much of a choice now. There¡¯s no sword on my neck, but I wouldn¡¯t think that I¡¯d be able to escape from him.¡¯


    "So it¡¯s true, you¡¯re just like him." Li Huaibei suddenlyughed wholeheartedly.


    "Just like who? Him?" Li Yiming was puzzled.


    "Mr. Kong! You¡¯re just like him!" Li Huaibei answered excitedly.


    "What? Me, the same as him? What do you mean?" Li Yiming remembered the frowzy man who didn¡¯t seem to have much interest in anything, the same man who, with elegant movements and utterposure, stopped the apocalyptic attack of the phoenix. ¡¯I¡¯m the same... as him?¡¯


    "I can¡¯t say," Li Huaibei said with a smile.


    ¡¯Are you serious? The same thing every time? A charade when it really matters?¡¯


    "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to say it, it¡¯s that you won¡¯t be able to hear it even if I did," Li Huaibei noticed Li Yiming¡¯s disappointment and exined.


    "I won¡¯t be able to hear?"


    "You¡¯re just like Mr. Kong..." Li Yiming listened carefully, but when Li Huaibei arrived at the crucial part, he suddenly stopped. It seemed as if the time-flow of the domain had skipped forward just enough to prevent Li Yiming from hearing anything useful, like watching a video with a bad inte connection.


    "That¡¯s what I mean. Do you get it now?" Li Huaibei said with a smile.


    "That¡¯s it?" Li Yiming was a little disappointed.


    "You know, instead of saying that you won¡¯t be able to hear it, I think that it¡¯s more urate to say that I won¡¯t be able to say it." Li Huaibei sighed.


    "Why?"


    Li Huaibei answered by pointing at the sky.


    ¡¯Heaven¡¯s Laws? And it has to do with me? Even Li Huaibei, being as strong as he is, can¡¯t say it?¡¯ The answer came to Li Yiming¡¯s wonderment.


    "What? He¡¯s gone?" Li Huaibei turned his head and looked at the sky far away. He then shook his head and waved his hand at the sky. The thousands of sword shadows receded into his palm.


    ¡¯Is he talking about that bird?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly remembered the terrible fight between Li Huaibei and his target.


    "Well, it¡¯s too bad that Bi Fang escaped. I¡¯ll just go look for himter." Li Huaibei did not seem to be frustrated at all by his temporary setback. He extended his arm and the giant blue bubble shrank until it turned into a ss bead and fell into his palm. The liveliness of the streets was restored.


    "What is that?" Li Yiming looked at the blue bead with eagerness.


    "I would call this a... Boundary. It¡¯s a technique that you can learn when you reach level seven. When you reach that level, your power is enough to destroy the world, so to prevent that from happening, Heaven¡¯s Law gives you a way to shield the world from unintended destruction." Li Huaibei flicked his wrist, and the bead melted into hs skin.


    "Boundary?Wow. Wait... Level seven sage... You¡¯re level seven?" Li Yiming caught the most important part of Li Huaibei¡¯s exnation. ¡¯I remember hearing from Bai Ze that level seven is nearly the peak of what guardians are known to reach. Apparently, no one has ever reached level nine.¡¯


    "Are you surprised?" Li Huaibei lit up a cigarette. He took out another bottle of water, emptied its content and used it as an ashtray.


    "No wonder the people were scared of you back at Mingzhu tower," Li Yiming said.


    "They¡¯re scared of me... not because of my strength. In fact, I¡¯ve only reached level seven not too long ago, and I don¡¯t think that most of them even know about it yet," Li Huaibei answered. He sounded a little distracted by his own reflections.


    "Why then?"


    "Have you ever heard of Eden?" Li Huaibei sat down on the fence of the parking lot,pletely ruining his image of being an elite guardian.


    "Eden?" Li Yiming asked. It was the first time he had heard about that.


    "Yes. Eden. The utopia isted from the world described in that poem." Li Huaibei¡¯s eyes remained fixated on his cigarette. The color of its tip dimmed and intensified as gusts of nightly winds blew in from an unknown corner. 1


    "Is that a domain?" Li Yiming tried his best to guess. He noticed that Li Huaibei was slowly sinking into dejection.


    "I wouldn¡¯t call it a domain. It¡¯s a real... I don¡¯t know how to describe it. Eden is an independent world outside of ours," Li Huaibei reminisced in a sad voice.


    "Independent?"


    "Yes. Eden is a world just like our own."


    "The same as ours?" Li Yiming was incredulous.


    "It¡¯s a lot smaller than our world. In fact, it¡¯s only the size of a vige." Li Huaibei turned his head toward Li Yiming, but his vacant gaze suggested that he was thinking about something else entirely. "Eight years ago, I received a sign for the heaven that led me to participate in a special "domain". The rewards for it were unlike anything we¡¯ve ever seen. My friends and I were very excited, and our strength made us believe that nothing was impossible, so all four of us entered Eden."


    Li Yiming sat down beside him quietly. His eye lit up with curiosity at Li Huaibei¡¯s tale. It was bound to be no small thing.


    "When we arrived, we realized that it was arge domain. There were a lot of participants, more than three hundred in fact, and all of them seemed very strong. It was only until after the domain had started that we realized that ess to it was restricted, and only those who were level five or above could participate."


    "Three hundred level five guardians? What kind of mission would require that?" Li Yiming could not hold the question in.


    "The mission was simple. We needed to destroy Eden." Even remembering about it seemed to be painful for Li Huaibei.


    "Three hundred guardians to destroy a vige?" Li Yiming thought of the massacre of Ning vige by Zeng Qian and her friends. He knew that none of them were even close to level five.


    Li Huaibei froze when he heard the question. He stayed silent and still like a statue for a long while, not even reacting to the cigarette that shortened until it burned his finger. After a while, he finally nodded stiffly.


    "So? Did it work out?" Li Yiming wanted to know more. ¡¯With a team like that, even the real world would be destroyed in a few moments. But he...¡¯


    Li Huaibei did not answer him. He extinguished his cigarette and threw its remnants into the stic bottle. He slowly stood up from where he sat and gazed hesitantly at Li Yiming. "I¡¯ll make you see it.¡¯ Li Huaibei sighed after pondering the matter for a long while.


    "Make me see...?" Li Huaibei reached for his forehead. Li Yiming instinctively craned his neck to the side, but to his horror, he realized that he could not move an inch of his own body. The world began to spin as Li Huaibei¡¯s hand touched him, and when Li Yiming was conscious once again, he found himself standing on the top of a cliff.


    "Ahh!" Li Yiming yelled out. He looked at the clouds below him and was unable to see the bottom of the abyss. The wind whistled loudly in his ears and stung his face. Li Yiming wanted to moved away from the edge of the cliff, but he found himself unable to control "himself". He could see, hear and think, but not move.


    "Below is where our mission is." Azy voice was heard. A man wearing blue clothes stood in front of him. His squinted eyes made him seem like he was about to fall asleep. He had a big gourd behind his back and was kneeling down in front of Li Yiming.


    "Don¡¯t let your guard down Fu Shan. There¡¯s something weird about this domain." A woman dressed in old-fashioned clothing came from behind. Her long, silky hair billowed in the wind along with the veil that hid her face. The eyes that stayed visible suggested a breathtaking beauty beneath the piece of fabric.


    "Xiao Bei, she¡¯s worried about you!" The man who was called Fu Shan turned around and looked at Li Yiming with an amused expression.


    ¡¯Xiao Bei?¡¯ Li Yiming wondered. Then suddenly, a de the size of a door was thrust down into the ground before him. He saw his own reflection in the cold steel. ¡¯I¡¯m... Li Huaibei?¡¯


    "And Little Lu here is right. We should be careful. I have a bad feeling about this." The de spun around and the face of the person behind it became visible to Li Yiming: a high nose bridge, short-cut hair, a poorly shaven beard, a prominent scar on the forehead and a pair of eyes that shone with determination.


    "Let¡¯s be careful. There must be a reason for the Heaven Laws¡¯ gathering of all of us here. I¡¯ve looked around a bit, and none of them seem weaker than any of us. We would have trouble finding even one of them usually, and now three hundred of us are gathered here." It was very strange for Li Yiming to hear "himself" talking. ¡¯So this is what Li Huaibei meant by ¡¯seeing¡¯?¡¯


    "It¡¯s begun. We should go down. Stay together." The man with the big knife jumped down the cliff afterunching himself and breaking the stone beneath him.


    Fu Shan stretched himselfzily and slowly stepped into the clouds.


    "Be careful." Li Huaibei turned around and looked at the girl and followed Fu Shan with his hands behind his back.


    Epic music rollin¡¯ in


    This refers to aposition written by the poet Tao Yuanming, and now famous for representing the idea of a utopia isted from the world. I¡¯ll call Eden. A trantion of the original poem can be found here. /question/54739175.html ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 19

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 19 ¨C Bloodshed at the Summit</strong></h4>


    The sudden weightlessness from the fall and the billowing clouds that blinded him made Li Yiming nauseous. He could see two almost indistinguishable silhouettes ahead of him as the cliff flew by. As he elerated further and further, Li Yiming became closer and closer to losing his consciousness. But, even after what seemed like an eternity,


    ¡¯Wow, how tall is that thing?¡¯ Li Yiming was counting the duration of his fall, and he became more and more impressed.


    Suddenly, theyers of cloud cleared away, and apletely differentndscape entered his eyes. The world Li Yiming was plunged in a moment ago was one of shadowiness and mistiness, but what he saw now was a lushful valley, with a river meandering through the mountains, tall pine trees and a green, emerald-like tapestry of grass. A vige, consisting of no more than a few grass huts, showed that there were people living in this paradise.


    As Li Yiming continued in his fall, he noticed a few ck dots on the ground, moving rapidly toward the vige. To Li Yiming¡¯s surprise, a yellow mist slowly wrapped around his body, and suddenly he began to slow down. It was not long before it became a slow forward glide.


    "So what¡¯s the n boss? Is it okay to go in just like that?" Fu Shan askedzily.


    "Little Lu, drop us down on the other side of the river. We¡¯ll wait before crossing it." The man with the door-sized de, who was the leader of the group, gripped the hilt of his weapon tightly.


    Li Yiming looked around and saw the girl with the veil right beside him. Her irises shone with a golden radiance as she held her hand in front of her with two fingers pointed upward. Although the wind that whistled in her ears dragged her hair back and forth, her veil stood still as a rock.


    "Do you see that? That¡¯s our target." The leader of the group, Leader Ma, nted his de into the soil and turned around to examine the other guardians who were slowlynding behind them. Some of them, with a brisk movement, already jumped across the river, whereas others chose to be more prudent and waited. Beams of light shed across the sky, and, upon a closer look, Li Yiming realized that they were mythical beasts. Although Li Yiming had been in several domains before, he still found it hard to swallow down a scene this removed from reality.


    "Three hundred people, for that?" Little Lu frowned.


    "Stay on your guards. I¡¯m sure that this ce is more dangerous than it seems." Li Huaibei extended his arm forward and a sword emerged from his palm. This was the same sword Li Yiming himself saw earlier, although the re that surrounded the de was not as intense. Li Huaibei turned around to look at the cliff from which they fell and saw it covered in vegetation instead of the deste pile of rocks it was above the clouds.


    "Well, since we¡¯re here, we shouldn¡¯t just stand and watch, should we?" Fu Shan kicked a pebble into the river, scaring off a band of small fishes. Despite the width of the river, he easily reached the other side with one casual hop.


    "Stay together." Leader Ma pulled out his weapon out of the ground and followed Fu Shan.


    "Stay with me, okay?" After the two left, Li Huaibei bid Little Lu. She nodded and looked back at him with a gentle expression.


    The group of guardians approached the vige, all in their own fashion, some had ancient weapons, others wore mech suits, and finally, some were riding on top of fierce beasts.


    "Eden is split from the world, and we do not participate in its conflicts. Why are you here?" A voice was heard in the heads of all. Those who were ahead stopped and looked at the sky rmingly. However, they could see nothing but the blue sky and the white clouds that floated quietly above them.


    "He¡¯s in the vige." Fu Shan held his gourd backward. A sweet aroma of wine emanated from where he stood.


    "Heaven¡¯s Laws has given us orders. It¡¯s not our wish, and we are sorry for it," someone in the crowd answered loudly as he dashed toward the vige. Lotus flowers appeared under his feet as he climbed into the air, supported by them at every step.


    "Sorry!" Those behind him repeated and continued on their way.


    A long sigh,ing from the same voice was heard. As the voice reached the ears of those who were the furthest away, the ground suddenly began to tremble: something was running beneath in the earth beneath.


    "Careful!" Leader Ma leaped into the air and swung his de down from above his head with a loud whistling noise. As the metal struck the ground, a loud crack was heard and a green shadow suddenly emerged.


    "Sage Restricting Vine?" Fu Shan yelled in a surprised tone. He released his gourd and pushed his palms down from over his head. A huge, translucent hand appeared in front of him and came crashing down at the green vine.


    The vine was as thick as a bucket, and red, bloody veins ran across its inky green skin along with recurved thorns. It twisted and spun madly in the air, but Fu Shan¡¯s hand was enough to crush it down to the side. As soon as its movement slowed, Leader Ma arrived with his weapon and cut the vine in two. A blood-like red liquid gushed out from the incision and the segment severed from the main body fell down, twisting and writhing like a snake.


    "This is only an offshoot. The main one is over there." Leader Ma pointed toward another direction. Rows and rows of craters appeared on the grass ins as the huge vines erupted from underground, and one of them was particrly thick and almost touched the clouds. The visible part of it must have been over one hundred meters long.


    "They¡¯ll take care of it, we can enter the vige." Fu Shang turned his head. The man with lotuses under his feet had already rushed toward the main stem of the giant vine.


    "Look!" Lu cried out in surprise. The group turned around to look at the river they had just traversed and found the water bubbling violently, as if the entire river was boiling. White beasts began to jump out of the water bringing with them gusts of chilling winds. They darted toward the guardians with a low growl. There were so many that one could not even count all of them.


    "These are Water Guardians." Li Huaibei put his sword in from of him and scrutinized the pack of beasts that came in their direction.


    "Are we going forward or backward?" The golden irises had reappeared on Lu¡¯s visage, only this time the light was intense enough to even veil her body in a pale yellow halo.


    "We can¡¯t go forward." Leader Ma said with a grave countenance as he looked at the entrance of the vige. A man was standing there, his features indistinguishable from a ball of mist that veiled his face. However, it could be seen that he was holding a big golden pan. The man looked at those who were about to invade his vige and threw his pan into the air. An endless rain of golden beans poured out of it and umted into a big pile in front of him.


    The few guardians had noticed the man leaped at him with their weapons ready. The mysterious man answered their efforts with a chuckle and swept his right arm. Suddenly the mountain of beans scattered, and thousands of golden warriors appeared out of nowhere. Some of them had knives, others swords, spears, or halberds. They stood in an imposing line and guarded the entrance of the vige. The few guardians who had rushed forward quickly disappeared into the golden wave.


    "Making an army out of beans?" Fu Shan seemed shocked by what he saw. He still had his habitualzy voice, but the smile on his lips had faded away. 1


    "There should be more." Li Huaibei raised his head and looked at the sky. A bright red spark could be seen. It slowly became bigger, and bigger until it was a tornado of fire that painted the sky red. The shadow of a huge bird, seemingly made of fire, was visible behind the mes. It had a white beak, a long neck, a single leg and blue specks on its feathers.


    "Bi Fang!" The golden halo around Lu has materialized into a curved armor that covered her entire body.


    "The mountains!" Leader Ma suddenly smile. His weapon, along with its master, trembled with excitement for the battle soon toe.


    ¡°So the five elements are all present. Just who are living in this vige, some big shots?" Fu Shang joked. He took his gourd, removed the cap and poured its content down his throat. He wiped away the liquid with his sleeve and looked at the two mountains near the vige¡¯s entrance that slowly became to move. 2


    "If we get out of this alive, marry me." Lu suddenly turned around to look at Li Huaibei. She spoke slowly, but firmly, with her golden irises fixated on Li Huaibei.


    "Yes." Li Huaibei nodded. The glow on his de could barely conceal its murderous sharpness.


    After seeing the vine, the water beasts, the golden warriors, Bi Fang, and the rock giants, the guardians finally understood why they were all needed. At the same time, they also realized that most of them would forever sleep in the earth they stood on.


    A chaotic battle erupted as the guardians charged into their enemies without waiting or trying to devise a strategy. The tranquility of the valley was soon broken by loud explosions, shes of light of all colors that ran across the sky, and rainbow-colored halos. It was a dance of swords and knives, a downpour of arrows and different techniques, and above clouds and beneath the earth, dragons of fire shed with pirs of water, mists of poison with des of wind. Li Huaibei himself rushed toward the water beasts, his sword transforming into a hundred des as it sliced through his enemies before reuniting into one whole and flew back into his hand.


    Li Yiming, who had been" watching" it all, was shocked wordless. It was the first time he had seen that many high-level guardians, this many mythical beasts and that many different talents andbat techniques. It was not until dusk had slowly crept in that Li Yiming realized something. ¡¯Wait, Li Huabei is showing me this... to teach me? He¡¯s hoping that I¡¯ll learn something from hisbat. This is an invaluable opportunity!¡¯


    Thebat experience between a high-level guardian and a beast itself was treasure, and Li Huaibei wanted to give it to Li Yiming. Li Yiming, after realizing his intentions, scrutinized Li Huaibei¡¯s every movement carefully, forgetting even to breathe as he became wholly enthralled by thebat. He was only looking at Li Huaibei, for he knew that he could spare no attention for anyone else, and it was also the best person to look at, since he could feel "himself" wholly. He looked at his every move, the slices, and chops, the spins, the thrusts, and the movements of his limbs. It was not long before Li Yiming forgot about why he was there, forgot about the other guardians, and all that remained in his mind was his swords and the beasts that came across its edges. ¡¯Attack, dodge, anticipate, being wounded...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯sbat consciousness was quickly growing.


    This is kind of a ssic Daoist ¡°magic trick¡±, kind of like pulling a bunny out of the hat. ? The five Chinese elements are fire, water, wood, metal, and earth. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 20

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 20 ¨C Mr. Kong</strong></h4>


    The sun rose and set again. The stars shifted and the moon traversed the sky. As dusk slowly set once again after three whole days of bloodshed, abined attack of the guardians blew thest stone golem into pebbles. The ground now covered with craters, torn segments of vine and shards of golden armor. The river had dried up, and Bi Fang decapitatedid motionless on the ground. Less than two hundred of them were still standing.


    The tip of Li Huaibei¡¯s sword had been chipped, and innumerable fissures ran down the de¡¯s body. The girl he had promised to marry lied in his arm with her armor fragmented and her hands shaking. Fu Shan¡¯s gourd was broken, and he was busy applying a bandage to his bleeding calf. Leader Ma was tending another guardian who had almost half of his body missing.


    The guardians who remained were mostly wounded and had to support each other to stay standing. Instead of smiling after the long-awaited victory, most of them had a grave expression and looked at the entrance of the small vige; none of them had managed to even take a single step in that direction, and it was without the shadow of a doubt that inside of it they would find the greatest danger. Their expectations were answered by the appearance of seven figures in the mist, right at the entrance to the vige. The seven vigers were of all ages and sex, and the man who had the pan was amongst them.


    "Why?" One of the elders sighed while looking as if he pitied the guardians. Judging by the voice, he was the one who tried to convince the guardians to leave earlier.


    "Pfft, Heaven¡¯s Laws." The child who stood amongst them showed a scornful look which seemed unfit for his age.


    "Let¡¯s just end this quickly." One of the woman, dressed in antique-style clothing, said as she unfolded a scarf with an embroidered Kyrin.


    "Let me do it. You¡¯re better off staying out of this. Otherwise, you¡¯ll be tainted as well." The man with the pan stepped forward and said in a voice that revealed some frustration. The mist that shrouded his face slowly dissipated.


    ¡¯Mr. Kong?¡¯ Li Yiming was bewildered when he saw the face of the man. ¡¯The man who created an army out of beans is Mr. Kong?¡¯ This face was all too familiar to Li Yiming, especially after Bai Ze had told him that no one would be able to remember his face due to his Dao technique. Li Yiming constantly thought of Mr. Kong, of his thick eyebrows and his odd smile.


    The man who led the seven vigers had a slim figure, and he was not too tall nor too short. A pair of thick eyebrows hung above his t nose bridge, and his eyes glittered like two ck pearls. Aside from the slightly unsettling smile, he looked exactly like Mr. Kong. However, there was also something different about him. The Mr. Kong Li Yiming knew was someone cid, rxed and refined, if not in attire then certainly in attitude. However, this Mr. Kong, under his diabolical smile, seemed to conceal a volcano that was about to erupt.


    "So you finally decided to show up?" The man dressed in blue jumped into the air, supported by lotus flowers. He was one of the few guardians who was strong enough to turn the tide of the battle around earlier, and his surviving colleagues all respected him.


    "Why do you bother?" Mr. Kong had a golden toothpick between his teeth. He trotted forward at a leisurely pace, as if he was taking a stroll more than anything.


    "I have nothing to say, since things are already as they are. Lotus Heart¡ªLiu Yi, here to learn from you." The lotus flowers faded from the man¡¯s feet and merged into his body. He jumped further upward, and, with each step he took, new rainbow-colored lotus flowers blossomed beneath his feet, turning the previous ones into orbs of light that spun around his body. 1


    "A lotus with every step? He¡¯s Liu Yi! Lotus Heart Liu Yi!" Someone from the crowd of guardians yelled, and it seemed like the spectacle brought some morale back to them.


    "Liu Yi? I knew this guy liked to show off, I didn¡¯t think that he was a Sage." Fu Shan copsed onto the ground with a weak smile.


    "Look at it, Little Yu." Leader Ma turned his head around and nced at Li Huaibei. He picked up his weapon and held it horizontally, in front of his chest. "I¡¯ve heard about him and his power since a long time ago. I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d be fighting my final battle alongside him."


    Leader Ma spoke quietly, but his words did not escape the ears of anyone present, since all were guardians with heightened senses.


    "So you¡¯re not confident either?" Liu Yi did not seem to be bothered in the slightest. He cast down a look of concern at Leader Ma.


    "How confident are you?" Leader Ma asked a question instead. His giant de was trembling on its own between his fingers, and it would have fallen out of his grip had he not held it so tightly.


    "With you, thirty percent." Liu Yi continued to gain more height. Orbs flew in continuously and joined the intensifying ribbon of light that circted around his body.


    "Thirty percent? And here I thought you had all the confidence in the world." Leader Ma¡¯s body suddenly bulked up. The veins that ran beneath his muscles became visible, and with each heartbeat they moved rhythmically as well.


    "Have you ever seen me use a knife?" Liu Yi frowned. He nodded toward Mr. Kong, who waited in the distance. He did not know whether his opponent waited out of respect for the strength of an equal, or out of pity for a man who was about to die.


    "I can use a weapon." A woman dressed in ck suddenly jumped out of the crowd. Her cape burst into pieces midair, revealing ayer of crimson scales with glowing glyphs inscribed on them. Her right arm suddenly grew until it was longer than her own body andrger than her thin waist.


    "Blood-hand?" Fu Shan sat up from where he liedzily; he had started to regain some hope.


    "Arggh!" Leader Ma roared in a low voice. The veins on his body suddenly burst out into a bloody mist, and his flesh began to quickly wither down. It was not long before his entire body had disappeared, leaving only hisrge weapon floated quietly in the air. The de absorbed all of the red vapor, and suddenly shot up a bone-chilling ray that pierced through the clouds.


    "Tyrant-de Ma Dafang? Blood-hand? They¡¯re all Sages! We have three of them!" The crowd was getting excited. They had previously lost all hope, only to discover that there were three Sage level guardians amidst their ranks.


    Blood-hand reached out with her giant right arm, and the crimson sword flew into her hand. She spun around and created a wild tornado of blood that flew toward Mr. Kong with theirbined might.


    As for Liu Yi, he leaped into the air, supported by a rainbow-colored cloud beneath his feet that slowly transformed into a lotus tform. The tform,posed of forty-nine crystalline lotus flowers, slowly rotated as it came crashing down, bringing with it an imposing aura of holiness.


    Mr. Kong kept his smile, but the bloodthirstiness in his eyes, which he had to keep down until this moment, finally burst out in all of its fury. He pinched his golden toothpick and pulled it out of his mouth. The object quickly grew until it became a shiny staff. Mr. Kong swung it slowly against the red tornado that assailed him.


    Bang!


    A deafening metallic clunk was heard, and the shockwave from the collision between the golden staff and the crimson sword rippled in the air like the wave of a tsunami. The guardians had to each use their own talents to protect themselves.


    Li Huaibei held his lover in his arms and stood in the air, motionless. His broken sword floating quietly in front of him. The shockwave split into two as it touched the edge of his de. Fu Shan stayed seated on the ground, his body shielded by a nearly transparent gourd which cleared away the shockwave like dust under the wind. However, both of them seemed worried about the oue of thebat.


    "Lao Ma..." Fu Shan whispered. The bloody tornado had disappeared. Blood-hand¡¯s body flew high in the air, limp, with her hand distorted into an unnatural angle, while the weapon she held had been shattered into a cloud of red orbs.


    "They¡¯re dead? Two sages and they couldn¡¯t even deal one blow?" A gasp of shock was heard from the crowd.


    "Lotus Stars in the Emerald Sea!" Liu Yi¡¯s echoing roar came from the sky. The forty-nine lotus flowers bloomed further and expanded as they fell toward the ground. They gained more and more speed until they seemed like forty-nine meteorites that crashed down on Mr. Kong. Liu Yi¡¯s figure disappeared; the Heavens controlled forty-nine strings of fate, but one¡¯s own will could also move one of them. Liu Yi had put all he had into his attack.


    Mr. Kong scratched his neckzily with his left hand and spun his golden staff around with a scornful smile as he raised his head to look at the meteor shower. His figure suddenly vanished. An instantter, he appeared right in the middle of the shower and thrust his staff onto one of the meteorites. As the projectile shattered into pieces, Liu Yi¡¯s figure was revealed. The golden staff pierced through him, bringing an end to his attack.


    The lives of three sages traded for two blows from Mr. Kong.


    "Are you going to run away?" Mr. Kong, floating in the air, cast down a look on the rest of the guardians as Liu Yi¡¯s corpse fell from the sky.


    What answered him was the simultaneous rising of nearly two hundred rays of light. To be a guardian was to pursue the path and to protect it. No other distraction could cloud their judgment, and, if their fate was to die in the domain, then they would give their everything and die fighting.


    Mr. Kong smiled cidly, as always, and his figure split up into two, then four, then eight... Each clone sought one guardian, and whomever they encountered would be destroyedpletely, without even a chance for fighting back. Some were reduced to nothingness, whereas others were decapitated, and others still were dismembered.


    Li Huaibei held his lover in one arm and his sword in the other. He saw Ma Da Fang¡¯s body turned into a blood mist and Fu Shan with a staff through his chest. He merged his own de into his own body; he would be the sword strikes at his enemy. However, when he met one of the clones of Mr. Kong, the tip of his sword shattered. At the same time, the frame of his lover was also utterly obliterated¡ªshe was too weak to endure such a collision. Li Huaibei maintained his firm look and continued to travel upward, but he knew that it was all over.


    "There are five disadvantages and three deficiencies to fullymitting to something. You should leave one of them alive." Li Huaibei was suddenly stopped, his limbs set in ce by invisible strings. Someone appeared in front of him and stopped the golden staff that was about to smash his body. He was skinny, short, and held a knit-bag in his left hand.


    Li Huaibei cked out.


    * * *


    Lights slowly returned to Li Yiming¡¯s eyes. The first thing he saw when he opened them was a hand on his forehead sliding down. He looked around, at the neon lights and at the busy night streets of Shangbei; he was in the parking lot where he was at earlier. He could move once again, but his mind had yet to recover from the shock of the three whole days of intensebat.


    Suddenly, Li Huaibei trembled violently and spat out a mouthful of blood. Li Yiming rushed to help him, but was stopped by a gesture of the hand. "It¡¯s okay, nothing more than Heaven¡¯s punishment, it¡¯s not that big of a deal." Li Huaibei showed a smile that was as charming as ever, but Li Yiming could read the solitude that it concealed.


    "Is it because of me?" Li Yiming felt a little guilty.


    "I¡¯ve shown you things that you shouldn¡¯t have seen, so it¡¯s in the order of things to receive a punishment for it, in fact, it¡¯s quite light, I would say." Li Huaibei leaned down against a wall, his legs trembling. Li Yiming knew that it was not as light as Li Huaibei was purporting it to be, since he knew well how terrifying Heaven¡¯s punishment could be.


    "Why are you helping me?"


    "Helping? You¡¯re overthinking it. I¡¯m just paying back a favor." Li Huaibei smiled. He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and tried to light it up, but missed twice due to his hands¡¯ shaking violently.


    "Just which one is Mr. Kong?" Li Yiming took the lighter and helped him out.


    "I don¡¯t know," Li Huai answered and took a deep puff, "You¡¯ll have to walk your own path, and it might be a path to glory, or to hell. But no one will be able to help you in it, not even Mr. Kong." Li Huaibei dropped his cigarette onto the ground, Li Yiming wanted to help, but was stopped once again.


    "I wanted to show you this. You¡¯re now level four, and I was level five in that domain. How much you can learn from it depends on you. Just remember that you have your own path to walk." Li Huaibei stood up, still a little shaken. Li Yiming wanted to support him, but he remembered what he "saw" earlier and stopped. He now knew what it meant to be a guardian, and what it mean to be proud of it.


    "Let¡¯s meet again someday! Live." Li Huaibei straightened his back and limped into the distance, he was elegant andposed, yet also lonely and sorrowful. Li Yiming watched him silently from the darkness, with the winds of the night blowing on his back.


    Note: I think a <strong>very important</strong> piece of information here is that at this point, to any Chinese viewer, it is obvious that Mr. Kong refers to the character of Sun Wukong(Monkey King) in the Journey to the West. Aside from the name simrity, more importantly, the golden staff that can shrink/extend is a signature weapon.


    The lotus flower is a holy symbol in Buddhism. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 21

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 21 ¨C Liu Meng¡¯s Disappearance</strong></h4>


    The volume of the television was turned to a loud volume, but the incessant noises from a group of musicians dancing on stage did not prove to be enough to distract Liu Meng. She stared nkly at the emergency escape route map next to the wooden door of the hotel as she remembered something far, far away that evoked a mixture of nervousness, shyness, and anticipation. She had put on a white one-piece, and ckced underwear underneath. She had no time to do her makeup properly, but at least enough time to put some perfume.


    Liu Meng thought about the first time she met Li Yiming, four years ago, about that crazy night two years ago, about the silent wishes for bliss during these past two years, and finally for what had unfolded just recently. She was suddenly very grateful for it all, grateful for what Heaven¡¯s Laws bestowed upon her. If it were not for her bing a guardian, her secret might have been buried forever. However, today she would have a chance to dig up those words hidden for so long, and to shed light on a secret she had decided to never think about again.


    Before she could get to the end of her thoughts, she was suddenly pulled back to reality by the loud noise of the window¡¯s shattering. A small, red bird, about the size of her hand, came flying in through the breach. It had a white beak, a long neck, a single leg and blue specks on its feathers.


    "Can you save me? There¡¯s someoneing after me," the bird said.


    "You¡¯re a beast?" Liu Meng looked at the little animal and at the sparks of fire that flew off from its feathers. Oddly, instead of being scared, she felt an urge to approach and help.


    "Yes, I¡¯m Bi Fang."


    "Bi Fang? Someone¡¯s after you?"


    "Yes." Bi Fang had just barely escaped Li Huaibei¡¯s attack. ording to the legends, he was to be on the same level as other mythical birds, such as Zhu Que, or Qing Luan. His natural pride and ferociousness prompted him to fight to the death rather than submit to Li Huaibei. Now grievously wounded, he knew that it would not be long before Li Huaibei came for him again, and, during his search for a hiding ce, he bumped into Liu Meng. ¡¯What? A human with a body of fire purity? And this scent, the phoenix?¡¯ he thought, very surprised by his discovery. 1


    "How can I help you? I¡¯m just a neer, and I¡¯m powerless." Liu Meng felt a natural and inexplicable urge to help Bi Fang, but she also knew her limits very well in the present circumstances.


    "Let¡¯s form a pact. From now on, I¡¯ll live inside your body." Bi Fang knew that it would be very difficult to escape Li Huaibei, and, he would rather risk it all with Liu Meng than be his sword spirit.


    "A pact?" Liu Meng suddenly remembered the monkey earlier who feigned submission and became more suspicious of Bi Fang¡¯s intentions.


    "We¡¯ll have a master-servant pact. You¡¯ll be the master and I¡¯ll be the servant. Your talent is fire, and I¡¯m a high-level fire beast, everything is in your favor." Bi Fang turned to stare at the window, a little impatient when he saw Liu Meng hesitate: he knew that it would not be long before Li Huaibei tracked him down. Little did he know that Li Huaibei was being distracted by Li Yiming, at least for the moment.


    "Alright." Liu Meng decided. The nature of such a pact had been taught to her by the Stage of Ascension, and although she was notpletely sure yet of the benefits, she knew that she could suffer no loss.


    A beam of red light rippled across Bi Fang¡¯s body. He spat out a small me that traveled slowly toward Liu Meng. A paragraph of brazen runic glyphs suddenly appeared inside Liu Meng¡¯s mind. The characters werepletely unknown to Liu Meng, but somehow she could understand its meaning: it was about epting Bi Fang as herbat summon. She epted and the small me melted into her forehead. The next moment, Bi Fang disappeared with a sh of red light.


    "That¡¯s it?" Liu Meng blinked and focused her attention on what was going on inside her body. She could not feel anything being different.


    "High-level beast subdued, Bi Fang. Path progression awarded: 50 points."


    "High-level battle pet acquired. Talent upgraded."


    A familiar voice was heard in her head.


    "Upgraded talent?" Liu Meng was bewildered. Unlike the heavenly vein, the opportunities for upgrading one¡¯s talent were mostly dependent on one¡¯s perception, and, most importantly, luck. It was a true feat for Liu Meng to be able to upgrade her talent in her first domain.


    Liu Meng "saw" a new frame appear near where the details regarding her own status were. "Bi Fang (hibernating)". Also, an addition was made to her talent. "Fire control II". ¡¯Fire control II? What does that mean? So everyone is ¡¯I¡¯ by default, and you only get to see the number behind it once it levels up?¡¯ Liu Meng closed her eyes and tried her best to feel the improvement that her upgraded talent had brought about.


    nk!


    Another loud noise came from the window¡¯s direction. This time, the window in its entirety, along with the frame, was shattered. A man wearing a grey sleeveless jacket with the zipper open appeared on the sill in a crouched down stance. The muscles around his abdomen were clearly defined, and, with the tight bell bottom pants, and his white pointy leather shoes decorated on the rear by metallic cogs, he seemed like someone straight out of a fashion magazine. His brows were narrow, just like his eyes, below which one could find a high nose bridge and scarlet lips. There was an odd feminine charm to his features and his stylized short-cut hair. Liu Meng would surely have mistaken him for a woman if it were not for his bare chest.


    "Who are you?" Liu Meng sat up from the bed with a red spark between her fingers. The man¡¯s appearance was abrupt, and, most importantly, unlike Bi Fang, he conveyed a feeling of ominousness and ill-intent.


    "You took him?" The man jumped down from the sill and brought his hand to his chin in a pondering stance.


    "You¡¯re a guardian?" Liu Meng was surprised by her ownck of reaction at the evident mismatch between the body and the features of the man.


    The man stayed silent and shook his head, seemingly amused by Liu Meng¡¯s question.


    "You¡¯re a beast?" Liu Meng asked. ¡¯I don¡¯t think that humans would look this way...¡¯


    The stranger still kept silent and shook his head.


    "Well then..." Liu Meng¡¯s alertness grew. ¡¯Someone who can break through a window on the thirteenth floor, and he¡¯s not a guardian or a beast... then...¡¯


    "The only possibility is the right one, isn¡¯t it?" The man¡¯s lips quirked into a smile as he extended his hand toward Liu Meng.


    * * *


    The green ball of poisonous gas in Zeng Qian¡¯s palm billowed as dark streaks spread out from where she stood into the distance in the sewers. She seemed extremely irritated about something that just happened.


    "Still nothing from them?" Fang Shui¡¯er had her back against Zeng Qian, her longbow hanging from one hand. Her clothes were disordered and her eyes let through an unconceble nervousness.


    "I knew we shouldn¡¯t have relied on people we just met. I think they¡¯re just using us as bait for dying them." Zeng Qian crouched down and dipped her finger into the sewage water. The green gas slowly spread out into the soiled liquid.


    "I wouldn¡¯t think so. I did my research about him. He¡¯s not the kind of person to betray his teammates." Fang Shui¡¯er pulled her bowstring back and aimed at the darkness in the distance.


    "We need to find a way to get out of here. They¡¯re still hesitating because of my poison, but the longer we wait, the more difficult it¡¯ll be to escape."


    "You go first, I¡¯ll cover you." Fang Shui¡¯er knelt down and kept her arrow directed at where she was looking. Zeng Qian waved her hand and a handful of small bugs disappeared silently into the darkness. Zeng Qian looked at her sister onest time and followed the insects.


    * * *


    "So this is our target?" Qing Qiaoqiao looked at the old man on the screen. He was down on the ground, wearing a shredded jacket and holding his baseball cap in front of him. At first sight, he looked like nothing more than an old beggar.


    "ording to the information we have, there¡¯s no doubt it¡¯s him. If I¡¯m not mistaken, he¡¯s already eaten three civilians." Eyesses was wiping his rifle meticulously. It was an NTW-20 with the ability to pierce through barriers, the same made-in-a-domain weapon that was used against the camouger a while back.


    "Any guesses about what his true form might be?" Qing Linglong asked in a very serious tone, with her eyes fixated on the screen.


    "Can¡¯t tell, but based on the remains of the three victims and the scene of the crime, it¡¯s possible that it¡¯s a Yayu." Grandma Wang seemed like she was ready to pounce on the target as she joined her hands and put them in front of her. 2


    "Well, if it¡¯s the Yayu, then with the four of us..." Qing Linglong hesitated and looked at her sister.


    "Wait, there are other people. Seven of them." Eyesses suddenly retracted his sniper rifle and checked the light indicator right beside the panel. He started typing on theputer. "Yes, seven people, and based on the way they¡¯re positioned, I¡¯d bet that they have the same target." He turned around to look at Qing Linglong.


    "We¡¯re out." Qing Linglong stayed silent for a while and then decided without hesitating.


    "We¡¯re letting them take it again?" Qing Qiaoqiao pursed her lips in discontent.


    "Prudence is the only reason why I¡¯m still standing right here." Grandma Wang pulled her scarf up and leaned back against her seat.


    Eyesses started the car without speaking, and the vehicle quietly zipped into the distance.


    * * *


    Li Huaibei was quietly sipping a bottle of Er Guo Tou in a bar right around the street. He had asked the waiter to purchase the bottle of liquor from a supermarket nearby with five bills of one hundred yuan. It was a rare sight to see him without a cigarette, but today was one such day. He stared nkly at the cup he held as he sunk into his memories. 3


    "You¡¯re called Li Huaibei? Alright, just stick with me from now on..."


    "Xiao Bei, you want to know more about wine? Well, you¡¯vee to the right guy..."


    "Marry me if we get out of here alive."


    For thest eight years, Li Huaibei had lived like that; whenever he would have a brief moment of idleness, his thoughts would inevitably wander to his friends and the time he spent with them. Today, he did what he would not usually dare to do, and he voluntarily sought to think about the events on that fateful day.


    ¡¯Just which one of them is Mr. Kong? The same face and the same unfathomable power. Is he the one who murdered all my friends with a giant staff, or the one who saved me from death with a knit bag?"


    When he had woken up back in Eden, he found the mountains to be as green as when he first arrived, the river still meandering quietly through the valley, the grass verdant as always and the red flowers blooming beautifully. It was as if nothing had ever happened, with the only exception being that the little vige hadpletely vanished. A man, dressed slovenly, gave him a cigarette and said something about not bing a father if one does not smoke. Li Huaibei remembered what the man said about Heaven¡¯s Laws. ¡¯Is what he said really true? But...¡¯


    * * *


    When Li Yiming pushed open the door to the hotel room, he was almost driven mad by the guilt, shock, and helplessness that struck him. The window had been utterly destroyed, and its distorted frame suggested that an intruder hade from the outside. There was a burning mark left on the bed sheets, and Liu Meng was nowhere to be found.


    ¡¯This is a domain, how could I ever leave her alone?¡¯ Li Yiming could not forgive himself for his mistake. He ran into the security office of the hotel in a frenzy and used his agent ID to look at the surveince footage, but was disappointed when he could not find anything. He tried contacting Eyesses, and smashed the transmitter angrily when he did not receive a response. He then wandered the streets of Shangbei frantically in the hopes of finding Liu Meng, and even spent two hundred thousand yuan to buy a minivan that passed by to speed up his search. Despite knowing only the basics about driving, he smashed the gas pedal and the vehicle zipped away into the darkness of the night.


    Liu Meng¡¯s monologue at the start made me formte a hypothesis about the rtionship between Liu Meng, Li Yiming, and Ji Xiaoqin that makes me... Uh... want to flip a table. Hopefully, it won¡¯t be right. Also, please read the release post for this chapter, there¡¯s some important information in there!


    Zhu Que, known as the guardian of the south, or the Vermillion Bird, is a famous legendary beast in Chinese Mythology. Qing Luan, literally meaning <i>Blue Bird</i>, is also rted to the phoenix. ? Yayu, a beast in Chinese mythology known to liking to eat humans. ? Er Guo To, the equivalent of vodka in China, famously high in alcohol content, up to 56% ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 22-23

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 22 ¨C Thunderous Strike</strong></h4>


    ¡¯A guardian, or a beast?¡¯ Li Yiming dropped his head down against the steering wheel. His desperation grew as dawn came and he came to the realization that his entire night had been fruitless. ¡¯Oh no... Liu Meng, it doesn¡¯t matter who it is, she¡¯s...¡¯ Li Yiming opened his car door, dejected, and sat down on a stone bench in a park nearby. Before he knew it, he took out a half finished pack of cigarette from his bracelet and was looking for a lighter. However, even that task ended with frustration.


    He stared nkly at the sewer cover as he once again sank into deep regret. The cigarette between his fingers had been torn into several pieces. Suddenly, a few bugs that flew out of the venttion holes caught his attention. He quickly rolled back and hid amidst the vegetation while keeping his attention wholly on the sewer cover.


    ¡¯These bugs... Zeng Qian?¡¯


    The little bugs spiraled around above the cap and spread out into different directions. They seemed no different from the ones that could be found in a park in the morning. After a little while, the sewage cap suddenly moved and slowly opened. A slightly swollen hand with white skin emerged, and it was not long before its owner fully revealed herself: Zeng Qian was there.


    ¡¯Why is she...¡¯ Li Yiming was puzzled. But Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s appearance broke his train of thoughts. The two sisters emerged from the sewers with dirty clothes and covered in stains, but it seemed like their foremost concern was to inspect their surroundings for potential threats.


    "They know." Zeng Qian said with a frown. She could no longer sense any of the bugs she sent out. It seemed like their enemies had expected them to take such a escape route and nned an ambush.


    "I¡¯m so sorry. If I had taken your advice before, maybe we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation." Fang Shui¡¯er sighed in self-reproach. Ever since the incident in Ning Vige, she always thought about finding a way to make up with her sister. She did not think that the team she had spent so much time finding would betray them.


    "No use saying that now. I wouldn¡¯t think that they would dare fight us in the open anyways." The smile on Zeng Qian¡¯s mask remained unchanged, but her eyes let through a ferociousness indicating that she was ready to fight for her life.


    "And why would we need to fight you?" A voice suggesting at some amusement was heard. A couple descended from the skies with their hands held together. The man had a ck tailcoat and his partner, a red one-piece. Both looked fashionable enough to attend a cocktail party.


    "What do you want?" Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s hand trembled while holding her bow. She interposed herself between the couple and her sister.


    "Haha!" Both smiled, revealing their sharp canine teeth.


    "Vampires?" Zeng Qian seemed even more rmed.


    "Don¡¯t use such indecent words. A difference in our talents, that¡¯s all. How would I call these poisonous bugs of yours, otherwise?" The woman had a vicious smile, and her breasts, partially revealed by the deep neckline of her robe, trembled as she spoke.


    "Give us your storage items and we¡¯ll grant you a quick death." Five other people appeared behind the two, they all seemed to have absolute confidence in their victory.


    When Fang Shui¡¯er saw the five followers, she took a step closer to her sister. A halo of light slid across her skin and her beautiful armor was fading in and out of existence. Zeng Qian made seals with her hands and her skin began to glow green.


    ¡¯They¡¯re chasing them for items?¡¯ Li Yiming was struck by anger when he thought that Liu Meng could have suffered the same fate. He stood up from where he was without thinking.


    "Li Yiming?" Fang Shui¡¯er had the entirety of her attention on the seven opponents in front of her. The sudden noise behind her almost made her jump back, but her fear quickly turned into surprise when she saw that it was Li Yiming. ¡¯Why is he here? Maybe, just maybe...¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er had begun to hope once again.


    In the same way Fang Shui¡¯er was surprised by Li Yiming¡¯s sudden appearance, the group of seven were also confused. Most of them turned their heads to look at an elderly man amidst their ranks.


    "That¡¯s impossible! I scanned the whole area with my focus. There shouldn¡¯t be anyone else here. How did you evade my perception?" The old man asked loudly, shocked and terrified by the consideration that someone could slip through his attention. He had been relying on his focus probing technique to seed in domains until now, and the thought of it failing distressed him greatly.


    ¡¯He has a technique like that? No wonder we couldn¡¯t run away no matter how hard we tried.¡¯ The revtion, at least, made Fang Shui¡¯er realize that her previous efforts had been futile.


    ¡¯Focus scan? Even Li Huaibei¡¯s technique couldn¡¯t do anything to me, who do you think you are?¡¯ Li Yimingughed inwardly at the old man and paced steadily toward the group of seven.


    "Stop!" One of them, a vile-looking man, suddenly swung his arm and shot out a purple ball toward Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming was about to dodge the projectile until a closer look convinced him otherwise. ¡¯A lightning ball? I¡¯ll gamble.¡¯


    Li Yiming paused his march as the lightning ball neared him. He continued to walk steadily, projecting an air of calmness, just like Li Huaibei did. This was no surprise, since he had "been" Li Huaibei for the past few days. When Li Yiming thought about Li Huaibei¡¯s technique, it was natural that he would also imitate his air.


    The ball of lightning hit Li Yiming and sank into his body like a droplet of water into the surface of ake. Not even his sleeves moved from the impact.


    Fang Shui¡¯er eyes shone with hope. She knew that Li Yiming was strong, but not that strong. The ball of lightning that struck him looked ordinary, but it was at least a level-two technique, and the fact that Li Yiming could disregard itpletely made her think that he might just be the one that can save her. ¡¯It seems like I¡¯ll get repaid for my efforts back in the restaurant.¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s opponents also seemed impressed.They had recognized Li Yiming, and, some were already whispering about how it should not be a surprise that someone who stayed with Li Huaibei had this kind of strength. The man who threw the ball of lightning was even more shocked, and, above all, enraged by the humiliation of being disregarded. He let out a long cry and spread out his arms. Purple sparks ran down his entire body as he prepared his next attack.


    "Die¡ª!" The man roared. He swung his arms and the numerous purple orbs that had formed around him shot toward Li Yiming. His friends also readied themselves to deliver a fatal blow if Li Yiming was ever to show an opening. It was one thing to fear Li Huaibei¡¯s reputation, but another to back off so easily in a domain, especially since they had alreadymitted to hunting the Fang sisters down for their belongings.


    The hundreds of purple orbs coalesced into a single purple beam and hit Li Yiming in its entirety. However, just like before, except for the blinding explosion of light, it did nothing to stop Li Yiming. Li Yiming continued his slow pace toward the man, feeling more and more like Li Huaibei as he remembered the bloodbath that had ured back in Eden. As the light faded out, the anger in Li Yiming¡¯s eyes was no longer visible. What shone was the silent intent to kill.


    "Lightning? I have some too." An idea suddenly urred to Li Yiming and he took out a broken bronze coin. He flicked it towards the man who just attacked him and shouted, "Thunder!"


    The calmness of the cloudless morning sky was suddenly broken. A purple light shed across the sky and struck the man Li Yiming pointed at. An instantter there was a burst of white light so intense that everyone had to close their eyes.


    Katcha!


    The loud explosion noise thatgged behind the light was heard. It was strong enough to make one¡¯s ear ring.


    A huge, smoldering crater was seen when the light receded, and three people were copsed on the ground right next to it, one of them moaning in pain while the two others had passed out. The man Li Yiming had directed his attack at was nowhere to be seen.


    Even Fang Shui¡¯er was shocked by the power of Li Yiming¡¯s attack. She had thought Li Yiming to be quite capable, but this was still beyond her expectations. ¡¯One dead and three grievously injured with a single blow, and you tell me that he¡¯s a close-quarterbat guardian? But that lightning has to be above level-four, probably level five. So level three in stamina, three in speed, three in power and five in spell? Who is he?¡¯


    The three who were still left standing were the couple of vampires at the start and the old man. They were all beyond scared by what had just happened.¡¯A random person in the park turns out to be someone this powerful? Howe we¡¯ve never heard of his name?


    "Do you mind if I ask for your name?" The old man tried his best to calm himself down and asked in a shaky voice that betrayed his nervousness. He tried as much as he could to get close to his two friends who were still standing andpletely ignored the three that lied on the ground.


    Li Yiming was actually quite nervous as well. The power of Thunderous Strike caught him off guard. But he could also fully appreciate the reason behind the word "strike" being singr: it was indeed a single strike whichprised all of the power that was found within his enhanced faculties of a guardian, so it was no wonder that its power had surpassed the limits for level five. He stopped walking toward his enemies and stood still as he no longer had the strength to move his legs. It would not be an exaggeration to say that even a frightened bunny would be able to tip him off to the ground.


    Instead of answering the old man, Li Yiming decided it was simply best to stare coldly at him. He suddenly had the idea of pulling out an antique-looking longsword he kept from the store back in Jing Prefecture. An imitation valued at 698 yuans, three feet long, two inches wide with a lively carved dragon decorating the de. The pendant that hung at its hilt swayed in the wind, and it seemed like Li Yiming was ready for an elegant killing without anypromise.


    ¡¯He knows how to use a sword? Right, I remember what he did back when we faced the phoenix. Judging by the looks of it, the sword must be his strongest technique. It makes sense when I think of his overall abilities, but what was that thunder all about? What level is his sword technique?¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er and her sister back away from Li Yiming, a little intimidated. By now, Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s bow and Zeng Qian¡¯s green light had both vanished; they knew that their contribution was no longer needed.


    The old man and the vampire couple noticed Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian¡¯s backing away from Li Yiming and dreaded what was about toe. ¡¯Oh no! Even his friends are backing off. His next attack is no joke. A sword? What about the lightning that just killed one of us? Does he practice both techniques? But this sword of his, it¡¯s just an imitation, the de isn¡¯t even sharpened! But we did make the mistake of underestimating this young man before based on his innocuous look. The sword must have some kind of hidden power.¡¯


    The old man extended his hands and slowly put them on the shoulders of his two friends. He then knelt down with an expression that suggested that he had abandoned all hopes of resisting. "We surrender. We hope that you can at least spare our lives, since we¡¯re all guardians. We can also offer our storage items if you wish," the old man said in a sincere voice full of resignation. The vampire couple were also throwing begging nces at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming was embarrassed by what was happening in front of him, but he could not even spare the strength to answer the old man. He knew that if he dyed it any longer, the old man might notice what was going on, and the worse could happen to him then. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and managed to squeeze out a single, barely audible word.


    "Leave."


    Zeng Qian wanted to intervene, but Fang Shui¡¯er stopped her.


    The old man seemed to be overjoyed by Li Yiming¡¯s magnanimity. He left the seven storage items on the ground, picked up those who were injured with his friends and left in a hurry. However, even in his hastiness, there was something that made him seem less like someone running for his life, and more like a martial arts master epting his temporary defeat. His final salutation, in particr, was straight out of a <i>wuxia</i> novel. <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 23 ¨C To Each Their Own Thoughts</strong></h4>


    "Thank you, Mr. Li." Fang Shui¡¯er bowed down to Li Yiming after seeing their enemies leave.


    Li Yiming finally had recovered enough strength to put his sword away and put his hands behind his back. He stayed quiet and looked coldly at Fang Shui¡¯er, just as one would expect from someone as "powerful" as he was.


    "We¡¯ve been injured from the chase earlier and need some time to recuperate. Would it be possible to ask Mr. Li to help us a little more and protect us while we¡¯re recovering? It won¡¯t take longer than an hour." Li Yiming¡¯s cool stare made Fang Shui¡¯er shiver, and the first thought she had was to leave immediately after thanking him. However, she changed her mind when she thought about her current situation; both her and Zeng Qian were injured, and their former "teammates" were nowhere to be seen. It would be very hard for them to seed in the domain now, unless they received help, and Li Yiming would be a perfect partner, given his amazing performance in both Ning Vige and just now. ¡¯He seemed like someone kind enough to lend us a hand. How did someone as naive as him survive all these domains and even reach this level of strength though?¡¯


    Li Yiming had to repress his grimace when he heard Fang Shui¡¯er proposition. ¡¯Does it look like I can refuse? Judging by Zeng Qian¡¯s bottom line, who knows what would happen to me if she knew about my situation.¡¯


    Li Yiming nodded with a slight frown. He kept quiet and sat down with his legs crossed and eyes closed. Liu Meng would have kicked him if she saw him feigning "elegance" like that.


    "Thank you Mr. Li," Fang Shui¡¯er answered in a reverent voice and tried her best to hide her joy. She called Zeng Qian forward and sat down right next to Li Yiming. Zeng Qian seemed a little surprised by the events, especially so when she looked at the seven storage items which lied untouched on the ground. ¡¯I¡¯d think that the belongings of these seven people are not insignificant in the slightest, especially if they¡¯ve been robbing other guardians. But this guy isn¡¯t even looking at these things, does he not care for such little treasures, or... could this be a test?¡¯


    Li Yiming tried his best to maintain his posture, but it was not long before an unbearable fatigue reached him. He was struggling to maintain his regr breathing. However, the beads of sweat that rolled down his forehead were out of his control. As he continued to sweat, his back became soaked and he was bing more and more nervous despite keeping his facade of calmness.


    "Are you injured?" Fang Shui¡¯er, who had been paying attention to Li Yiming the whole time, asked with a curious expression when she saw his pale countenance and the sweat.


    "I fought with Bi Fang yesterday. He got away." Li Yiming improvised an exnation.


    ¡¯Bi Fang? Ran away? He didn¡¯t admit that he was injured, but that¡¯s Bi Fang, nheless!¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er was amazed by his answer once again. ¡¯Despite his injuries, he was still that strong?¡¯ It never urred to Fang Shui¡¯er that Li Yiming might be lying, since honesty was crucial to maintaining one¡¯s mental fortitude on the path of cultivation. In addition, even if Li Yiming was really injured, he would most likely have some kind ofst resort technique that would be way beyond what she and her sister could handle. ¡¯Yes, the best thing we can do is to work earnestly together.¡¯


    "This is a Ki Recovering Pill we¡¯ve obtained earlier. It¡¯s not really useful to us now, so please use it to recover. We owe you at least this much for saving our lives." A small, in-looking wooden box appeared in Zeng Qian¡¯s palm. This was something they had obtained previously. It was not verymon, but nor was it an amazing treasure. But it would be what Li Yiming needed, and both Fang sisters were masters at developing rtionships with others.


    ¡¯Ki Recovering Pill?¡¯ Li Yiming took the box hesitantly. ¡¯Wait, this is a chocte marble!¡¯


    The pill was about asrge as Li Yiming¡¯s thumbnail and its surface was uneven. It looked just like a chocte marble from both texture and appearance. In fact, this was a chocte marble: Fang Shui¡¯er was simply looking for a snack when she bought a bag of chocte, but found this surprise instead. Inside arge size domain, anything was possible, and even four yuan could open the way to a treasure. Who said that chocte was ipatible with cultivation pills.


    ¡¯Should I really eat this? Isn¡¯t Zeng Qian full of poison? But I wouldn¡¯t think that she¡¯d try to poison me right now, and if not with this, when would I be able to recover? I can¡¯t afford to spend more time in such a state...¡¯ Li Yiming threw the pill into his mouth after thinking about it shortly.


    The pill melted as soon as it touched his tongue without producing any vor in particr. Li Yiming felt a coolness that reached his stomach, and then afortable warmth that reached the extremities of his limbs. He could feel his strength recovering.


    Fang Shui¡¯er was happy when she saw Li Yiming take the pill. ¡¯Yes, we have insurance now. People like him usually don¡¯t like to owe favors, and although he saved our lives earlier, I¡¯d think that he¡¯d consider this a favor he¡¯d want to repay.¡¯


    More and more ordinary people came to the park as it becameter in the morning. The ck crater was enough to attract a few curious onlookers, but not enough to elicit a big reaction, since lightning striking the ground in itself was nothing to be surprised of. The seven storage items stayed on the ground. The popce of Shangbei, thoroughly educated through the inte about the dangers of picking something up for free, especially when there were three suspicious figures sitting down right next to the objects, left the items untouched.


    Owing to her dirty garments and the stains on her body, no one recognized Fang Shui¡¯er. Li Yiming slowly opened his eyes after sensing that the effects of the pill fading away. It was indeed effective: Li Yiming had recovered more than half of his strength.


    "Thank you, Mr. Li. It¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve saved us." Fang Shui¡¯er noticed the change in Li Yiming and rushed forward to voice her gratitude. She was also pondering about how to approach him for the partnership.


    "It¡¯s just a coincidence. I should thank you for the medicine," Li Yiming answered earnestly. The most important thing to him was being able to defend himself in the short while.


    "It was used for the best purpose. What are you nning to do now?" Fang Shui¡¯er was struck with a secret joy. ¡¯This is exactly what I was hoping for.¡¯


    "I need to look for someone." Li Yiming¡¯s mood suddenly sank.


    "Look for someone?"


    "Yes, Liu Meng¡¯s gone." Li Yiming hesitated, but still decided to tell the truth just in case a clue might be obtained from Fang Shui¡¯er and her sister.


    "Gone?" Fang Shui¡¯er was puzzled. ¡¯Gone with your abilities?¡¯


    "I went after Bi Fang alone when I found himst night. When I came back..." Li Yiming was getting better at using the tale as an excuse.


    ¡¯What a heaven-sent opportunity!¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er quickly voiced her proposition. "If it¡¯s just a matter of finding her, perhaps we can help. You know, with Qianqian¡¯s talent..."


    "If you can help me, then it would be greatly appreciated." Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up with hope. He remembered the bugs that flew out of the sewers: this would be much more efficient than him wandering the streets aimlessly.


    "It would be our pleasure to help. We were just wondering about how to repay our debt to you." Zeng Qian offered her help while artfully concocting a ttering speech.


    "I appreciate the help. We should perhaps find a ce to change clothes first." Li Yiming hesitantly proposed while looking at Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian. It was one thing to be in a rush, but another to ask them to help him in such a state, especially when Fang Shui¡¯er was a national idol.


    "Sorry," Fang Shui¡¯er wiped away a stain on her face, a little embarrassed.


    "Let¡¯s go, my car is parked over there."


    "Mr. Li..." Zeng Qian hesitated. She turned her head toward the storage items on the ground.


    "Oh, right! I forgot." Li Yiming bent down and put the items into his pocket with a casual smile. He did not have the time to spare attention for the items when he was weakened, especially with Liu Meng¡¯s disappearance upying his mind.


    Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian exchanged a nce, thinking the same thing. ¡¯He was indeed testing us... Good thing that we didn¡¯t fall for it...¡¯


    Fang Shui¡¯er seemed surprised when she saw Li Yiming¡¯s car. An old, derelict SAIC-GM-Wuling with rust marks and a half-opened window. A parking ticket was stuck between the windshield and the wiper. ¡¯Is this... some kind of personal preference as well?¡¯ 1


    "Get in." Li Yiming was not shy in the slightest. It was the first car he owned after all.


    "Please allow me to drive. I¡¯m used to doing it as an assistant." Zeng Qian dove into the driver¡¯s seat before Li Yiming could open the car door. She would not dare to let Li Yiming be their chauffeur.


    "Alright then." Li Yiming shrugged his shoulder: he was actually hoping for that to happen, since he did not have a driving license. If a police officer was to stop him, he would need to resort to something ridiculous like his special agent ID.


    They found a hotel nearby and Zeng Qian reserved a room. After ordering breakfast, Fang Shui¡¯er quickly headed into the shower and emerged from it soon after, since she had noticed Li Yiming¡¯s repressed eagerness. Zeng Qian followed her, but she would inevitably take more time due to the whole-body camouge she wore. The breakfast arrived soon after, and Fang Shui¡¯er was the one to open the door. The hotel clerk was visibly stunned when he saw her, and even more so when he saw Li Yiming sitting on the sofa. The thought of Fang Shui¡¯er being alone in a hotel room with another man made the fire of curiosity burn within him, but Fang Shui¡¯er quickly took over the meal cart and closed the door.


    The meal was simple, but well prepared. Li Yiming gulped down his portion quickly without any reserve. Fang Shui¡¯er poured herself a cup of milk and picked up a piece of pastry. Her movements were quick, but quiet and elegant. Zeng Qian walked out of the bathroom in her usual business outfit. Her mask had been cleaned up, and she even applied some make-up onto it. Instead ofing to her meal, Zeng Qian went to the window and put one of her hands on the sill. An endless stream of bugs climbed out of her sleeves and disappeared into the distance.


    Zeng Qian turned back, nodded at Li Yiming, and sat down to start her breakfast. Li Yiming could easily see that the Fang sisters were still very reticent and nervous around him.


    * * *


    Li Huaibei was at the window of an apartment, staring at the street in the distance. His countenance was still pale, and his right hand trembled from sporadically. ¡¯Save, or not save? I could do it easily, even in my current state, but what then? Are they going tost by themselves until the end of the domain? It¡¯s just the beginning right now.¡¯


    He slowly retracted his hand and sat back down on the sofa, sping his hands together and crossing his legs. His breathing, along with his thoughts, slowly settled down. ¡¯Being a guardian is all about protecting the way, seeing the way and focusing on it. If Heaven¡¯s Laws shows you the way, then what is there to doubt, even when facing death? Good luck.¡¯


    Not entirely sure why Li Yiming agrees to work with people who are ¡°evil¡± enough (at least to him) to have massacred a vige. But hey, who needs principles when they are inconvenient.


    SAIC-GM-Wuling, a joint-venture between SAIC Motor, General Motors and Liuzhou Wuling Motors Co Ltd. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 24

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 24 ¨C Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s Plea</strong></h4>


    The room sank into a dead silence once again as each pondered about their own worries. Li Yiming was very distraught, because he realized for the first time that despite being much more able than an average person, he was still powerless, powerless to help Liu Meng, and powerless against any obstacles the domain might throw in his way. Instead of nning his progress like the other guardians, it seemed like he was always on the passive end. His worries about Liu Meng also made him ponder about the right way to act in the future.


    The silence was suddenly broken by Li Yiming¡¯s cellphone¡¯s ringing. Ever since Liu Meng¡¯s disappearance, Li Yiming had been paying more attention to his phone, hoping for a miracle. Zeng Qian looked at Li Yiming¡¯s brick-sized, extra-long battery life phone and wondered what kind of special purpose it served. An unknown number was shown on the caller¡¯s disy, but Li Yiming swiped the screen without thinking about it.


    "Li Yiming?" A nervous, almost crying voice came out of speakers.


    "Qiaoqiao?" Li Yiming recognized her voice. ¡¯How does she know my number? I don¡¯t remember giving it to her.¡¯ He realized she must probably have gotten it from Eyesses.


    "Yes! Help, we need help!" Qing Qiaoqiao seemed overjoyed about hearing Li Yiming voice, but it also sounded like she was going to burst into tears.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Li Yiming was a little disappointed by the fact that it was not Liu Meng, but Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s distress woke him up from his low mood: it seemed like she was in trouble.


    "Grandma¡¯s dead, Eyesses¡¯s hurt badly and sis isn¡¯t waking up." Qing Qiaoqiao finally could not hold back the tears. She sobbed loudly as she told the bad news to Li Yiming.


    "What? What happened?" Li Yiming jumped up from where he sat before he knew it. His sudden movement knocked over the water carafe. The object fell onto the soft tapestry and wet the floor around it. Although Fang Shui¡¯er was close enough to stop the spill, she did nothing and also stood up in shock. The sound of Li Yiming¡¯s phone was loud enough such that she and Zeng Qian also heard what Qing Qiaoqiao said fairly easily. She remembered her from the restaurant at the start of the domain, but Qing Qiaoqiao had already gone back to her seat by the time she arrived, so she did not know much about her friendship with Li Yiming. ¡¯By the looks of it, it seems like she¡¯s in trouble. I wouldn¡¯t think that Li Yiming would refuse to help her, but what about us? Do we want to take that risk?¡¯


    "My friends are in trouble, I need to go help them." As Fang Shui¡¯er expected, Li Yiming put the phone back into his pocket and hurried toward the exit.


    "Let¡¯s go together. Maybe we can help?" Zeng Qian stepped forward and proposed. She looked at her sister, who seemed hesitant about intervening.


    "Thank you." Li Yiming noticed Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s indecision and knew the cause of it. He kept silent and walked toward the door. Fang Shui¡¯er read her sister¡¯s intentions when their eyes crossed: ¡¯How can we expect Li Yiming to help us out if we¡¯re not willing to help him out?¡¯


    The three arrived at the address Qing Qiaoqiao provided to them. Zeng Qian stepped off from the driver¡¯s seat with a mingled expression of surprise and amusement: it was the first time that she had driven a vehicle like that. She wanted to offer to have the hotel arrange for a car, but did not dare to run the risk of offending Li Yiming for his entricity. Now, more than ever, Li Yiming became someone iprehensible to Zeng Qian at least.


    The person who came to answer the door was an old man whose empty eyes gave away the fact that Qing Qiaoqiao had used her talent on him. Li Yiming pushed the door open and entered inside promptly. The first person he saw was Eyesses. He was sitting on the sofa with his face full of sweat and his left hand around his right shoulder. All that remained below his right shoulder was a bloody mess. He had his right leg on the tea table and his left bionic leg was on the ground, broken beyond recognition. Qing Qiaoqiao dove into Li Yiming¡¯s embrace when she saw him and cried her heart out.


    "It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay." Li Yiming patted her back gently, but could not find the words tofort her. He looked at Eyesses and was answered with a faint smile.


    "Qianqian, help." Fang Shui¡¯er did not waste her time with words. It seemed like she had been through the same kind of traumatic experience many times before. She nced around the room and walked toward the bedroom in which Qing Linglong stayed.


    Zeng Qian walked up to Eyesses, removed the cotton bandages that helped stop the bleeding and examined the gaping wound closely. "Was it bitten off?" She asked.


    Eyesses answered with a weak nod of the head.


    "The flesh around it has already died. It needs to be removed. You¡¯re going to have to endure some pain." Zeng Qian spoke in an emotionless voice that resembled that of a surgeon about to perform an operation. A razor-sharp dagger appeared in her hand as she looked at Eyesses and sought his permission.


    Eyesses nodded silently again. Zeng Qian began to slice the dead flesh right away. She looked like a butcher preparing his merchandise more than anything, and the asional drip of blood that flew onto Zeng Qian¡¯s face did not even make her stop for an instant. Li Yiming was barely able to keep watching it all and covered Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes with his hand so she would not have to witness the bloody scene.


    "Your talent is focus maniption?" Fang Shui¡¯er walked out of the bedroom and nced at the old couple that was standing still right next to her.


    "How¡¯s my sister?" Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s sobs were cut short and she promptly asked.


    "She¡¯s fallen into aa due to head trauma. It¡¯s not anything difficult to cure. I¡¯ll tell you what to do and she¡¯lle back to us." Fang Shui¡¯er said calmly. The air of authority that dominated the emperor¡¯s harem had returned once again.


    "Qiaoqiao, listen to her." Li Yiming patted Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s back once again. He was now thinking about how fortunate it was for the Fang sisters to havee with him; if he was alone in this situation, he would have been as helpless as Qing Qiaoqiao. However, the Fang sisters seemed to be veterans for dealing with scenarios like this.


    Qiaoqiao wiped away her tears and followed Fang Shui¡¯er into the room. The weight of the emotional burden was nearly unbearable for someone her age, and the sense of security that Li Yiming¡¯s presence instilled made her obey him without any questions. Li Yiming knelt down right next to Eyesses and held his still intact hand to show his support. Zeng Qian was very efficient in her work and had already begun to put a final ointment and bandages over it.


    "Ouch, not too hard, please. There¡¯s not that much of me left." Eyesses joked when he saw Li Yiming offer his support. He was very moved by the fact that Li Yiming asked for the address right away when Qing Qiaoqiao sought his help. This was not as simple as an act of convenient sympathy, and it was a rare sight in a domain.


    Li Yiming noticed the dejection behind the facade of the jest and held onto Eyesses¡¯ hand even more tightly to show his support.


    "A few more times and I¡¯ll be a robot." Eyesses smiled bitterly as he looked at his deformed bionic leg. The sadness in his voice was almost contagious.


    "Okay, the wound is taken care of. But I could only stop the bleeding, so you should stay still for a while." Zeng Qian put the cotton cloth back down and wiped away the blood and the sweat on her face.


    "Is there anything in here that you can use?" Li Yiming suddenly remembered about the storage items he had obtained earlier in the morning. He took all of them out of his bracelet and put them into Zeng Qian¡¯s hands.


    Zeng Qian was surprised. ¡¯He¡¯s giving them to me just like that? Does this mean that he trusts me, or is this another test of my goodwill?¡¯ Zeng Qian carefully inspected the content of one of the items and split part of her attention to observe Li Yiming¡¯s reaction. However, all she decipher from Li Yiming was an obvious anticipation.


    "Ki recovering pill." Zeng Qian took out a small bottle. Instead of administering it to Eyesses, she put it on the table.


    Li Yiming opened the bottle and looked at its content without thinking much about it. He saw five chocte marbles, just like the one he ate. He picked one up and put it into Eyesses¡¯ mouth. Zeng Qian, upon seeing that, suddenly realized something. ¡¯So is this the reason why he has walked this far... Far beyond us? Is this his Dao?¡¯ Zeng Qian quickly searched through the other items. 1


    Zeng Qian found two more bottles of recovering pills with two and one pills inside each, thus bringing the sum to eight pills. She also found a level one recovery glyph, and, after taking it for a brief moment to learn how to use it, Li Yiming stuck it onto Eyesses¡¯ chest. This made Zeng Qian believe even more in her assertion. Eyesses rapidly recovered after being given the medicine, and his pale countenance and heaving chest quickly improved.


    "Vampire serum?" Zeng Qian suddenly took out a small bottle when she was nearing the end of her search. The container was about the size of Li Yiming¡¯s thumb, and through its transparent walls Li Yiming could see a crimson liquid that seemed almost alive.


    "Is that medicine?" Li Yiming looked at Zeng Qian and saw that she stared at the liquid.


    "Once you take the vampiric serum, you¡¯ll join their ranks. The convenient thing is that vampires can regenerate their limbs." Zeng Qian put the bottle back on the table hesitantly. She had done some research on the substance for being a potential remedy to her own flesh problems, but the detrimental side-effects and the uncertainty of its being an effective cure made her abandon the option.


    "Limb regeneration?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard Zeng Qian¡¯s words.


    "But the side-effects..." Zeng Qian began.


    "I know about them," Eyesses interrupted. He also looked at the bottle hesitantly. It was one thing to obtain the ability to regenerate one¡¯s limbs and to stay youthful forever, but unlike a vampiric talent, drinking the serum would mean that one would be infected by the vampiric virus, which was very different from a guardian¡¯s talent. A talent was one¡¯s skill, but to drink the serum was to change one¡¯s being. Otherwise it would be easy to mass-produce guardians by simply offering the serum, and there was no way that Heaven¡¯s Laws could tolerate such a failing. He would be condemned to drinking human blood as his only source of nourishment, and, until he grows to a certain level, he would not even be able to endure the light from the sun.


    ¡¯Drink that and I won¡¯t be human anymore...¡¯


    "Eyesses." Qing Linglong had emerged from the bedroom with the support of her sister. She was listening into the conversation the entire time and looked at Eyesses to listen for his decision.


    "Do I have a choice?" Eyesses sighed with a frustrated smile. He could at least trade some strength back with his humanity, and strength he would need to survive the future domains. With only half of his limbs still intact, it would be a miracle to survive this one, not to say the next one that would inevitablye. Care for those disabled could not be expected of in a domain.


    Li Yiming realized that the consequences of the transformation would be far beyond its apparent benefits and decided to stay quiet. He looked at Qing Linglong to see what she had to say.


    "Could you let me transform inside the room? It¡¯s an ugly thing, and I wouldn¡¯t want to scare Qiaoqiao." Eyesses smiled as he usually did and said in a calm voice, but hisposure in itself had an incredible sadness to it.


    "Are you sure of it? We could...


    "I¡¯ve decided. There¡¯s no way you can take care of me forever. I¡¯ll just bring everyone down if I keep on going like this. Please, bring me inside." Qing Linglong wanted to try once more, but Eyesses cut her off with a resolute voice: he seemed to have made his decision.


    Li Yiming turned his head toward Qing Linglong again and saw her turn her head away as tears seeped out of her eyes.


    Out of the window goes the theory that Li Yiming agrees to cooperate with the vige-butchering sisters because he was very worried about Liu Meng. I definitely wouldn¡¯t want to be this guy¡¯s girlfriends, that¡¯s for sure xD.


    Here <i>Dao</i> refers to one¡¯s beliefs and values. The author means that every single person who achieves greatness as a guardian must solid faith in what they¡¯re doing and not doubt themselves. (This doesn¡¯t mean that their beliefs make sense, just that they believe firmly in them) ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 25-26

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 25 ¨C Renewed Cooperation </strong></h4>


    Li Yiming sighed as he shut the door. He could hear the muffled roars of pain from Eyesses inside. "Tell me, what happened?" Li Yiming asked as he sat down next to Qing Linglong. The Fang sisters had retreated to the kitchen, since they did not know whether Li Yiming wished to have a private conversation or not. Qing Qiaoqiao had prepared two beds for them after a long night so that Li Yiming could have his conversation undisturbed.


    "You didn¡¯t tell him?" Qing Linglong looked at her sister, a little surprised by the question.


    "I didn¡¯t have time." Qiaoqiao had yet to settle downpletely. It was a strange thing that despite her sister waking up, she chose to sit next to Li Yiming. Somehow, thetter could give her a feeling of security no one else could.


    Qing Linglong was very touched when she heard that Li Yiming had offered his help without even asking what the problem was in the first ce. ¡¯I don¡¯t think that we¡¯re on that level of friendship yet, but... The two people that came with him...¡¯


    "We were nning on ambushing a beast, but we bumped into another group of guardians as we were ready to strike." Regardless of the reason behind Li Yiming¡¯s generosity, answering truthfully was the least Qing Linglong could do.


    "Did the other guardians attack you?" Li Yiming remembered what happened at the park in the morning.


    "No. In fact, we retreated right after noticing that they were there." The only thing worth of rejoicing in it all was Qing Linglong¡¯s swift decision for a retreat at that time. If it were not for her


    ¡¯Looks like these people are quite cautious. We wouldn¡¯t be in this situation if our ¡¯team¡¯ was half as careful.¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er looked at her sister from across the kitchen.


    "Then..."


    "It¡¯s the beast we were tracking. We thought that it would be intermediate-level at most. But it was the Ya Yu."


    "Ya Yu?" Zeng Qian, let out a cry of surprise from the kitchen when she heard what Qing Linglong said. ¡¯In the morning, Li Yiming said that he met Bi Fang, and now the Ya Yu also shows up? What¡¯s wrong with this domain? Why do the high-level beasts keep showing up here?¡¯


    "The team that attacked before us, the seven of themsted only an instant against Ya Yu. We thought we were safe, but little did we know that he was aware of our presence and came for us. Grandma stayed to buy us some time..."


    "How did you escape then?" Fang Shui¡¯er walked out of the kitchen with the key question in mind. She had to know, since she herself was embroiled in the situation now. She could not believe that Qing Qiaoqiao would be able to save her unconscious sister and injured friend from the Ya Yu all by herself, unless that "Grandma" who stayed to buy some time reached level six.


    "I fell unconscious after Grandma died, so I¡¯m not sure what happened." Qing Linglong turned her head toward her sister. She herself was curious about what had happened, since it was obvious that Li Yiming¡¯s group had only arrived after they had reached safety.


    "It was a man, someone who looked very... weird. He jumped out of nowhere and the Ya Yu chased him instead." Qing Qiaoqiao tried her best to remember what had happened. The emotional shock she had endured from the death of someone who cared for her like a granddaughter, her sister¡¯s injuries and Eyesses made it all very hard to recall the details.


    "Weird? One person?" Fang Shui¡¯er was unsure whether she could believe Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s story.


    "Yes. A man. He looked very fashionable, and very... beautiful. Like a woman, in fact." Qing Qiaoqiao remembered the man¡¯s feminine figure and was having trouble to find the right words to describe him.


    ¡¯Led the Ya Yu off by himself? Beautiful? Looked like a woman? Fang Shui¡¯er exchanged a nce with her sister and wondered about the possibility of such a person even existing. Even Qing Linglong found it quite hard to believe the words of her sister at first. Only Li Yiming trusted Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s retellingpletely.


    "We should be more careful next time. It¡¯s good that you¡¯re well, just that Grandma Wang..."


    Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes reddened and she started sobbing once again. Li Yiming wrapped his arms around her to offer some support. Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian, who had just been through a simr situation, knew that nothing they could say would help and stayed quiet. At least those who were willing to shed tears for the sake of theirpanions, like Li Yiming and his friends, were more trustworthy than cold-hearted ones who showed no emotion.


    "That man was very dangerous, perhaps even more than the Ya Yu." The door to the bedroom opened and Eyesses appeared at the entrance. He held his broken biotic leg in one hand and moved his newly regenerated arm, which was still dripping wet. His face was still pale as ever, but he also seemed gloomier than before. Usually, even with a vampire¡¯s regenerative abilities, he would not have been able to achieve such a recovery, but thebined power of the glyph and the pill helped him achieve the impossible and regenerate two of his limbs in a short while.


    "Even more dangerous than the Ya Yu?" Zeng Qian stood up and closed the curtain: vampires did not like sunlight.


    "Yes, he looked at us as if we were helpless prey. I think that he¡¯s above level five, to say the least."


    ¡¯Level five...¡¯ A dead silence befell. Fang Shui¡¯er nced at Li Yiming. ¡¯I wonder if he¡¯ll be able to fight someone that strong...¡¯


    "So, what¡¯s next?" Zeng Qian looked around and asked, as she would often do so in her job.


    "I suggest that we work together for now." Qing Linglong looked at her sister, who was still in Li Yiming¡¯s arms. Her proposition echoed the worries of those around her; the domain had be more and more dangerous, and it would be unwise to try to survive alone.


    "I have no objections." Li Yiming realized that all eyes were fixated on him and quickly made his stance clear. "But first things first, I need to go look for Liu Meng. She disappeared."


    "Liu Meng disappeared?" Qing Qiaoqiao lifted her head. She had been wondering about where Liu Meng was, and even wondered if it was because of Fang Shui¡¯er that she was gone.


    "Well, looking for someone isn¡¯t ipatible with surviving." Eyesses sat down on the opposite side of Li Yiming and put the object he held back into his storage item.


    "We need a leader." Fang Shui¡¯er stared at Qing Linglong. By the looks of things, Qing Linglong was the captain of the team.


    "Li Yiming saved my life. I¡¯ll do whatever he tells me," Eyesses said before everyone else.


    "I agree that he¡¯s the most appropriate person to lead our team right now." Fang Shui¡¯er hurried to voice her take.


    "I agree." The approval came from Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian.


    No one sought Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s opinion, and, of course, no one asked Li Yiming either. Just like that, Li Yiming, aplete newbie, had be the captain of the impromptu team.


    "Well then, maybe we should have a look at these things and pick out whatever we need. These are the items from earlier, I didn¡¯t even go through them myself, actually. Take what you need to strengthen yourselves. The stronger we are, the more chances of survival." Since it would both help the team and help his search for Liu Meng, Li Yiming did not hesitate to share his spoils of "battle" with his new teammates.


    "From before?" Qing Linglong seemed surprised. She had noticed the storage items on the table, but did think that it would be appropriate for her to ask.


    "We were attacked by another team of guardians. Li Yiming saved us." Zeng Qian knew enough about Li Yiming now to not be shy. She already knew exactly what she wanted from earlier and picked up a bottle of ck, syrupy liquid inside.


    "Attacked by another team? Seven people?" Qing Linglong looked at the items in front of her. Bloodshed over personal belongings was not a rare sight in domains, but usually, those who attacked would only do so when they had the utmost confidence. The fact that there were seven items here meant seven opponents. ¡¯Li Yiming, alone, against an entire team?¡¯


    "Yes, a team of seven people." Fang Shui¡¯er knew the reason behind Qing Linglong¡¯s asking again and exined to her. In fact, even now she still found it hard to believe that someone like Li Yiming, who seemed not to be anything out of the ordinary, could be that strong.


    "You killed all of them?" Qing Linglong looked at Li Yiming in disbelief.


    "One of them. He let go of the rest." Zeng Qian said disapprovingly.


    "Let go?" Qing Linglong was surprised.


    "It¡¯s not easy being a guardian, so why push people to the bitter end? Oh, by the way, do you need this?" Li Yiming answered casually as he took out a chest full of cash. Seeing that no one needed it, he put it into his own bracelet with an undisguised happy smile.


    Seeing Li Yiming like that once again surprised those around him. ¡¯Strong but merciful, prudent but trusting. He gives away the items of value but is happy when he sees a chest full of money? An interesting future certainly awaits us with his being the captain.¡¯ Still, everyone took their turns rummaging through the items for what they needed. Just like Li Yiming said, the stronger they could be, the safer they would be.


    "Our next step is to find Liu Meng. I want to find her, alive or dead." Li Yiming put the items back and pooled everything together. With a favor given first, he felt a lot morefortable asking his teammates to assist him in his personal quest and thought that there was little chance his request would be refused.


    "Finding people is my specialty, but it¡¯s hard for me to work here. This isn¡¯t exactly the best ce for me to set up, and I can¡¯t even go outside right now..." Eyesses looked at the old couple who were sound asleep in the living room.


    "There¡¯s nothing you can do about it. Stay here for the moment and you can join us once night falls." Qing Linglong gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. It was impossible for Eyesses to go out during the day, and their current location was unsuitable to his needs.


    "I can only control my bugs until a certain distance. I¡¯ll lose them if they go too far," Zeng Qian exined. She knew what was the most important thing when one worked as a team.


    "Do we split up?" Qing Qiaoqiao still leaned her head against Li Yiming. Grandma Wang¡¯s death was a hard blow for her and she really hoped for Liu Meng to not sumb to the same horrific fate.


    "We shouldn¡¯t. There are too many unforeseen dangers right now. It would be pointless for us to form a team, only to split up in the end," Fang Shui¡¯er said.


    "Okay then. Our best bet is to drive around while using your bugs to search for her." Li Yiming stood up and tried his best to hide his worry and nervousness. The longer it took for them to find Liu Meng, the more likely of something bad happening to her.


    Zeng Qian nodded. Her eyes suddenly turned pitch-ck and started glowing in the darkness of the room. The flesh around her neck rippled from beneath and suddenly, a cloud of insect burst out of her flesh and flew toward the window. The sight terrified Qing Qiaoqiao to the point that she screeched.


    "I¡¯m sorry," Qing Qiaoqiao realized what she had just done and quickly apologized.


    "Let¡¯s go." Zeng Qian¡¯s eyes returned to normal. Her expressionless mask let no emotion through it. Qing Linglong looked at her sister disapprovingly and followed. Fang Shui¡¯er sunk into a mood upon witnessing the scene, while Qing Qiaoqiao tried her best to show how sorry she was.


    r.i.p. Grandma Wang :¡¯( <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 26 ¨C Buying A Car</strong></h4>


    With Eyesses staying behind, the remaining five exited the apartment and began their search for Liu Meng. "Wait, this is your car?" Qing Qiaoqiao stood right in front of the derelict van. She had the same reaction as the Fang sisters when they first saw the car.


    "I just bought it this morning. Let¡¯s go, who¡¯s driving? I don¡¯t have a license." Li Yiming seemed to not mind it at all and hopped onto the passenger¡¯s seat.


    "I guess I¡¯ll drive?" Zeng Qian facepalmed and looked for the car keys in her pocket, although that in itself was also futile since the lock was broken.


    "You focus on controlling the bugs, I¡¯ll drive." Qing Linglong took the keys from Zeng Qian. She was wondering whether the vehicle was some kind of guardian equipment.


    The group followed Li Yiming and embarked into the vehicle with a range of emotions ranging from curiosity to amusement. The car slowly rolled out of the neighborhood after a few painful noises from the motor.


    "Did you find anything yet?" Li Yiming asked Zeng Qian, who answered him with a shake of the head. This was the third time Li Yiming asked the question within half an hour of leaving the apartment. ¡¯Is he panicking because he¡¯s scared of losing a friend, or does that girl a special someone to him?¡¯


    "Would it be better if we drove faster?" Li Yiming tried once again. Shangbei was a big city and it would take forever to cover it in its entirety.


    "Well unfortunately, that¡¯s impossible with this car." Qing Linglong vented her frustration. She went from curiosity to speechlessness over thest thirty minutes. ¡¯This is what he likes? Not only does my back ache from the trembling of this motor, but what¡¯s with that smell of mold in the car? I would¡¯ve thought that he chose this car for being low-key, but driving this on the roads of Shangbei is the exact opposite of low-key! I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if 90% of the people wee across turned their heads when they see something like this.¡¯


    "So, should we buy a new car then?" Li Yiming had simple thoughts in mind. He was rich now, therefore it would make sense to buy a car. Not only did he get five million from selling the jade bracelet, but he also found several chests in the storage items that contained a few million as well. He was even richer than the average millionaire now.


    "I agree. It would improve our overall efficiency, and it¡¯s worth the time investment." Qing Linglong immediately agreed. She felt quite embarrassed after seeing the way the driver from the car right next to her looked at her at the intersection just before.


    "There¡¯s a pretty famous car dealership right ahead of us, we could go there." Fang Shui¡¯er was quick to decide. If a picture of her riding a car like this ever reached the media, it would certainly be front page news.


    "Alright, let¡¯s hurry then."


    Zongheng Dealership, a small shop in Shangbei. It sells numerous brands and serves a variety of customers. Instead of focusing on one single brand, like the exclusive dealerships in Shangbei, Zongheng was a reseller that worked with a variety of brands and models, or, in other words, a reseller. However, owing to its outstanding customer service, Zongheng made quite a name for itself in the industry.


    The small, crumbling minivan reached the entrance of the dealership with a trail of smoldering ck smoke spewed out of its exhaust pipes. The security staff at the dealership looked at the vehicle as if it was an iing threat to the shop. ¡¯The paint is almost all gone, the metal¡¯s rusted, the bumper¡¯s broken and the windshield wipers are dry and cracked. The trembling of the engine, how does that thing evenst on the street? There was a customer who had issues with after-sale servicesst week, and they said that they would return when they left, is this how they were going to ¡¯return?¡¯ Are they here to cause trouble?¡¯


    The small minivan stopped at the entrance, an act which brought some relief to the security officer. ¡¯Well, at least it didn¡¯t ram into the shop, that¡¯s already a plus, I guess.¡¯


    Qing Linglong, however, frowned when she saw the person at the gate look at her nervously. The drop bar to the entrance was yet to be raised. ¡¯Are they not willing to do business?¡¯


    "Hi, may I know what you¡¯re here for?" The security staff came forward despite himself, out of professionalism.


    "We¡¯re here to buy a car." Li Yiming opened the car window on his side, not without some effort from his part. The squeaks that the ss emitted as it slid down chilled the security staff¡¯s heart.


    "You¡¯re here to buy a car?" The shop employee asked. He could see through the car window that the people who sat inside the vehicle all possessed exceptional appearances. The man was handsome and the women were beautiful. One was adorably shy; the other breathtakingly beautiful; the one who drove had a certain maturity and the slightly chubby one seemed to be someone used to a life of luxury. None of them looked like they were here to seek trouble.


    "No, I¡¯m actually here to watch a movie and have a meal!" Qing Linglong, who was usuallyposed and elegant, suddenly burst out in anger. The unpleasant experience of having to put up with driving a car in such a poor condition was somethingpletely unknown to her and irritated her quite a lot.


    "Pleasee in." Qing Linglong¡¯s irritation was enough to intimidate the security staff into pulling the bar up, and Qing Linglong, despite a temporary loss of herposure, knew better than to bicker meaninglessly. She stepped on the gas pedal and the vehicle rolled shakingly into the dealership, leaving the baffled security office behind.


    The sales representatives at the dealership were obviously professionally trained, especially given the diverse customer base of the shop. "Wee!" A saleswoman dressed in a pale blue uniform came to greet them. Customers were the gods in such a ce. It did not matter what car the customers drove toe to the shop. Even if it was a wheelchair, they would get the same kind of treatment.


    The saleswoman tried to open the car door out of professional courtesy, but was hindered in the task by the door being stuck against its frame after two repeated attempts. Qing Linglong signaled for her to back away, and, with a powerful elbow strike that shook the entire car, she finally managed to burst the door open with a creak whose loudness was proportional to Qing Linglong¡¯s extreme dissatisfaction.


    A few more creakster and the other members of the team came out of the vehicle. The saleswoman seemed to be surprised by the mismatch between the car and the people inside. But she nevertheless remained as professional as ever and greeted them politely. "Hello, wee to our dealership. My name is Lu Yiyi, work ID 9527, and I will be d to help you today. May I know about the purpose of your visit?"


    "We¡¯re here to buy a car." Li Yiming looked at Lu Yiyi briefly and nced around the shop. Lu Yiyi was someone who was not too tall and rather skinny, but what stood out was her chest and the prominent line in the middle of it that seemed to be bottomless. This was the perfect look for someone who worked in sales, and also one that reminded Li Yiming of Liu Meng, which reminded him of the urgency of the situation.


    "What would you like to buy then, mister?" Lu Yiyi knew, owing to her experience, that she was talking to the decision maker of the group. She clenched both of her hands together and tried to push the "advantage" she had at her chest level, but a warning stare from Qing Qiaoqiao quickly frustrated her efforts and turned it into a shrugging of the shoulders.


    "We want something big, capable of seating at least six or seven people." Li Yiming went toward the exposition section and counted the number of seats they would need inside of his head. With Eyesses and Liu Meng, they would require at least a seven-seat, or even better, something like the mobile home that Eyesses was driving earlier.


    "Seven seats?" The saleswoman nced at the van that was parked in front of the dealership, and then at the car tents in the distance. Below them was a neat row of SAIC-GM-Wuling, just like the one Li Yiming came in. The silvery painting, along with the old-fashioned design, had a particr historical significance, and most importantly, it was a vehicle that could amodate seven people.


    Qing Linglong noticed the saleswoman¡¯s gaze and stepped to the side to block it. ¡¯Please, can¡¯t you at least have some kind of judgment based on our appearances? Do you think that we would want to ride in a SAIC-GM-Wuling?¡¯ She was afraid of Li Yiming¡¯s weird liking for this kind of cars being resuscitated.


    "May I ask you about the price range you¡¯re looking for? We have products that cover a wide range." Lu Yiyi caught Qing Linglong¡¯s sign and did not feel less happy about it: the more expensive the car, the higher themission she would get.


    "The price isn¡¯t a problem, but we need to be able to drive it off right away." Li Yiming had his eyes set on arge SUV in the middle of the exposition hall. It was an extra-long luxury grade GMC-Yukon. The aerodynamic curves of the car¡¯s body, along with the glittering road lights and its heavyweight, granted it a unique modern attractiveness.


    "You need to be able to drive it off right away?" Lu Yiyi followed Li Yiming¡¯s nce and looked at the GMC-Yukon, but she did not give it much thought. She was thinking about the kind of car that would satisfy her customers¡¯ need. ¡¯A seven-seat car? Right now? Other than the SAICs, I think that there¡¯s only Jinbeis left. I¡¯m just not sure if that woman would like it though...¡¯


    "Yes, we need to be able to drive it off right away. Please, we¡¯re in a hurry." Li Yiming was starting to grow impatient.


    "Well, the only model that can satisfy your needs right now is..." Lu Yiyi turned her head toward the car tents on the outside. Even a small sale figure was still better than nothing, and the bonus was calcted based on sale numbers strictly anyways.


    "What about this one?" Qing Linglong pointed at the GMC-Yukon in the middle of the hall and intervened to stop Lu Yiyi¡¯s efforts to cut her own fortune short. ¡¯I don¡¯t understand her, don¡¯t they get moremission when the price is higher? Why is she always thinking about those vans outside? Is she a brand specialist or something?¡¯


    "This car?" Lu Yiyi was baffled, but then subtly shifted her eyes toward the entrance and peeked that rusted little van. ¡¯You¡¯re going to buy that car? We got the car from the owner of the shop, who borrowed it from a GMC-4S shop after getting drunk on half a liter of wine! I don¡¯t think that he ever thought about selling the car. It¡¯s priced at 1 600 000 yuan! We do sell vehicles from different price ranges, but this is something different. This is luxury, and who woulde here to buy a car like that? What about repairs and after-sale services?¡¯


    "Yes, how about that one? The other ones don¡¯t really fulfill our demands anyways." Li Yiming looked around therge hall that had twenty cars parked in it, but found that one to be the only one to satisfy his needs.


    "This is the extra-long luxury GMC-Yukon model from this year. V8 engine, 6.2L capacity..." Out of habit, Lu Yiyi provided some information about the car itself. She dreamt of going to work in a 4S car dealership and worked hard to fulfill her dream. In her free time, she would often study the cars that were on disy in the dealership, even those who would normally be dismissed by other representatives as nothing more than decoration. However, she was interrupted by Li Yiming, who had already begun to walk toward the car.


    "Can you just tell us how much it is, and how long it would take for us to get it onto the road?" Li Yiming shook his hands like a nouveau-riche and examined the interior of the car. It was nowhere close to the mobile home, but capacious enough.


    "If we work on it right away, we can get the licensing done before the workday ends with the connections we have at the office." Lu Yiyi was still not quite sure that the people who stood in front of her, despite their outstanding appearances, could afford such a car.


    "There¡¯s no need to put a te on the car. We just need to be able to drive it off as quickly as we can. Are you okay with this?" Li Yiming turned to look at Qing Linglong; he would never need to worry about the car te, since he did not even have a driver¡¯s license in the first ce.


    "So this is where you work?" Before Qing Linglong could answer, an arrogant voice came from the entrance. Li Yiming, along with the rest of his friends, were all surprised when they saw who it was.


    ¡¯Guo Xiang?¡¯


    I would have wanted to see a GTA way of getting a car, but I guess they can¡¯t reall afford to do something stupid like that in this domain ??

 Volume 3 Chapter 27-28

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 27 ¨C Money Fight</strong></h4>


    The man from the couple that had just walked across the entrance was none other than Guo Xiang. He had a ck v-neck T-shirt, and his hair molded intorge locks with wax. The bloodstone jade pendant that hung from his neck was prominently put on disy, and the gold watch around his wrist shone in all of its luxurious splendor. His arrival had surprised most of Li Yiming¡¯s friends. ¡¯This guy, he¡¯s not a camouger, is he?¡¯


    Guo Xiang had another pretty-looking girl in his arms. He was also surprised at first when he saw Li Yiming¡¯s gang. After escaping the attack at the restaurant, he had a moment of guilt from pushing Ji Xiaoqin toward danger, butter convinced himself that it was simply a natural reaction, and therefore he should not be med for it. He thought about seeking Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s forgiveness, but his calls were all left unanswered. In an attempt to "revitalize" his low mood, Guo Xiang went to a club the night before and had a crazy one-night-stand with a girl he just met. She worked as a sales representative at a car dealership, and although both her looks and figure were barely above average, her perfected technique had a unique charm. This morning, he had bragged to her that he would go buy a car in the dealership where she worked to help improve her sales figure, which was a rather convenient favor to offer since he needed a car for his short stay in Shangbei. However, he did not expect to meet Li Yiming at the dealership. Thetter was thest person he wanted to meet, since the stark contrast between his fleeing and Li Yiming¡¯s fighting to defend Ji Xiaoqin irritated him quite a lot. 1


    Fang Shui¡¯er hid her features behindrge sunsses with dark-tinted lenses and a cap. She stood quietly on the side without saying anything, since it would be a nuisance for her to be recognized. Qing Qiaoqiao tried her best to mend her mistake of offending Zeng Qian by supporting her as thetter closed her eyes and focused on controlling the bugs she had sent out. Qing Linglong looked at Guo Xiang, a little surprised, but quickly turned her head around and ignored him.


    Lu Yiyi looked at the woman in Guo Xiang¡¯s arms with disdain and disgust. She was called Bai Kaini. Although she powdered her face with makeup and wore revealing clothing, she was nothing out of the ordinary. However, Lu Yiyi knew that the biggest asset she had was her boundless promiscuity. She disliked people like her, who had no bottom lines in terms of what they were willing to do in order to increase their sales number . Now, with her evidently having found someone who was both dumb and rich enough, Lu Yiyi felt the urge to frustrate her efforts, so she immediately forgot about the minivan parked at the entrance and asked Li Yiming in the softest voice and with the sweetest smile she could produce. "Sir, are you sure that you want this car?"


    "What? He¡¯s buying that car? You can¡¯t, I already sold it!" Bai Kaini¡¯s countenance shifted when she heard what Lu Yiyi said. She dragged Guo Xiang forward just quickly enough so he could intervene and said, "Master Guo, this is the car I¡¯m talking about." She had been working hard the entire night to try to sell the car, and there was no way she was going to let that shorty snatch the fruit of her victory.


    "This car is sold?" Li Yiming looked at Guo Xiang impassively and then at Lu Yiyi.


    "That¡¯s impossible." Lu Yiyi red at Jin Kaini angrily. ¡¯How can she be so shameless? This car doesn¡¯t even belong to our shop, so selling it is something incrediblyplicated, and I just heard management talking about returning the car to where it was next week! It¡¯s impossible that it was sold without them knowing!¡¯


    "Well then, we arrived first, did we not? Can we hurry up and get the procedures done?" Li Yiming said calmly. He was now truly endowed with the air of someone like Li Huaibei, who had been through mountains of corpses and tempests of blood and transcended above these obstacles.


    "Alright, I¡¯ll call the manager right away." This was Lu Yiyi¡¯s challenge to Bai Kaini. ¡¯Who said that you needed to find your biggest customers on a bed? Look at the one I found, he¡¯s not even asking for the price tag!¡¯


    "Wait, master Guo~" Bai Kaini tightened her grip around Guo Xiang like an octopus around its prey. She rubbed his arm against her chest and said in a feigned voice that could give goosebumps.


    Guo Xiang looked at Li Yiming, whom he could barely recognize, and at the beautiful women standing right next to him. His frustration and shame quickly turned into anger. ¡¯You! You ridiculed me, and you¡¯re here to cause me trouble again? I might not be able to take a knife to the back, but I don¡¯t think you can beat my wallet!¡¯


    "Well then, if the procedures aren¡¯t done yet, then it surely means that the car hasn¡¯t been sold yet. It¡¯s only fairpetition then, right?" Guo Xiang looked at Qing Linglong and smiled coldly. ¡¯I remember this woman! Beautiful, but a little old. She¡¯s the one who paid for Li Yiming at the restaurant, I didn¡¯t know he was that skillful at obtaining her favor, this car isn¡¯t that cheap.¡¯


    "Yes, fairpetition." Bai Kaini smiled with satisfaction. She stared at Guo Xiang, making it very clear what her reward for his efforts were going to be.


    The whole scene was under the close scrutiny of the manager of the dealership, who, in reality, had a hard time restraining the involuntary peeks in Li Yiming¡¯s direction, especially when rare beauties like Qing Linglong were present. However, since Lu Yiyi had already gone to meet them, it would be inappropriate for him to step in; not everyone in the industry was as shameless as Bai Kaini. However, seeing that a fight was about to erupt over that car, on which he had no authority, he quickly called for the owner of the dealership, who luckily happened to be in the shop for the day. It did not take long before thetter arrived to the scene in a slow jog.


    "Ahh, thank you for gracing my shop with your presence. My name is Fang Yuanpeng, and I should apologize for noting to greet you sooner." The owner of the dealership was a chubby man of short stature. He had a loud voice and a warm smile: the stereotypical look of a clever merchant. Of course, to be able to grant such a reputation to a second-level reseller was no trivial task.


    "He¡¯s the owner of the dealership." Bai Kaini exined to Guo Xiang when she saw Fang Yuanpeng arrive. She also profited from the asion to throw a few nces at Fang Yuanpeng, which possibly suggested at something out of the ordinary between the two.


    "So you¡¯re the owner here?" Guo Xiang lifted his chin in his usual condescending manner. "I want this car, just say the price."


    "Boss, I believe that mister over here arrived first." When Lu Yiyi noticed Fang Yuanpeng¡¯s arriving, her tone dwindled a little; everyone in the dealership knew about the "special" rtionship between thetter and Bai Kaini.


    "Well, this is a problem..." Fang Yuanpeng yed for time to observe Guo Xiang and Li Yiming. ¡¯One of them unts at every given opportunity whereas the other one seemed more reserved. Same age, but drastically different manners and airs. Well, if one thing¡¯s certain, it¡¯s that they¡¯re not from ordinary upbringings. The one who likes to show off, that has to be some kind of habit developed since a young age, some very rich second-generation I suppose. The other one though, he lookedposed, but there¡¯s something dangerous about him, could he be from the military?¡¯


    "What problem? It¡¯s just about making money right? Just tell me what the price for the car is." Guo Xiang pinched Bai Kaini¡¯s buttocks without any consideration for appropriateness and firmed his resolution of making Li Yiming embarrassed.


    "One million six hundred thousand yuan." Fang Yuanpeng, who had still yet to decide about which side to favor, offered a number that would allow him to better assess the situation.


    "One million seven hundred thousand for me." Guo Xiang spelled out a number proudly. Bai Kaini looked at him as if he was her idol.


    "Two million." Li Yiming spat out in a cial voice. He had just been thinking about what happened to Ji Xiaoqin after the incident, but, more than anything, he was worried about Liu Meng.


    "You..." Guo Xiang had barely begun to enjoy showing off his wealth when Li Yiming made him choke on his owncency. "Two million one hundred thousand." Guo Xiang said while gritting his teeth. ¡¯You, you¡¯re fighting me with the money you sold yourself for?¡¯


    "Three million," Li Yiming said, still in a calm voice. Qing Linglong had retreated to the side with the others and looked at the confrontation as if they had nothing to do with it. All of them knew that Li Yiming had aplicated rtionship with Guo Xiang, and they chose to give Li Yiming the opportunity to y around a bit with that NPC.


    The sudden jump in price scared Fang Yuanpeng himself. ¡¯Wow, this is almost double the initial price!¡¯


    "Li Yiming? You dare?" Guo Xiang¡¯s face reddened. Li Yiming nced at him coldly, as if he was nothing more than a rock.


    ¡¯They know each other?¡¯ Fang Yuanpeng caught the message. ¡¯Great, that means that the price ceiling for this car is endless!¡¯


    "Alright, Li Yiming, let¡¯s see how high you can go. Three million one hundred thousand." Guo Xiang seemed angrier than ever, but it was not enough to make him lose his reasonpletely. To buy something at more than a million over the original price seemedpletely stupid, but Guo Xiang was in fact seeking a sense of satisfaction, which, to him, was well worth the price. Based on the way Li Yiming called his price before, his next offer should be four million. He was curious as to whether that rich woman would give Li Yiming four million just so he could have it his way. If she was unwilling, then it would be his turn to put up a show.


    "Mr. Li." Zeng Qian, who until then stood spiritlessly, suddenly called out. The countenance of Li Yiming¡¯s team changed: it was not a warning about Li Yiming¡¯s careless squandering of money, but rather about something important being found by the bugs she had sent out.


    Li Yiming expression suddenly changed and he darted for the exit of the dealership. ¡¯He¡¯s running away?¡¯ Guo Xiang was baffled, but the panic he saw in Li Yiming eyes was enough to bring an immense feeling of satisfaction to his entire being. ¡¯One sentence from that woman is enough to make him run? But wait, who exactly is paying him? Is he being paid by all of them? In that case I¡¯d have to say that he¡¯s quite lucky.¡¯


    "Well, why pretend if you don¡¯t have the money? Mr. Fang, would you mind starting the procedure for us?" Guo Xiang swept his eyes around the women on Li Yiming¡¯s team with lewdness and contentment. He also squeezed Bai Kaini¡¯s butt vigorously enough to sent a shiver down her limbs.


    Fang Yuanpeng himself was also astonished when he saw Li Yiming run toward the exit. However, when he saw that the countenance of Qing Linglong remainedrgely unchanged, he knew that the matter was not as simple as it seemed, and so he stayed quiet and pretended not hearing Guo Xiang¡¯s exhortation.


    Li Yiming dove into the backseat of the small van parked at the entrance and pulled out tworge suitcases from it. The objects were actually stored in his bracelet, but he required the camouge of the vehicle since he did not want to perform "magic" within the dealership.


    Fang Yuanpeng squinted his eyes in satisfaction at his own judgment when he saw Li Yiming return with the two suitcases. Even Lu Yiyi, who became dejected after seeing Li Yiming flee, started to regain hope.


    "There should be more than four million in here. Just ask someone to count it." Li Yiming opened one of the suitcases and spilled its content onto the floor: it was full of bank notes.


    ¡¯I was right.¡¯ Fang Yuanpeng¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw the small mountain of cash. Four million was but an abstract number, something worth a lot. However, when four million yuan worth of bank notes was actually put in front of him, it was quite a shock even to someone like Fang Yuanpeng, needless to say for Lu Yiyi and Bai Kaini.


    ¡¯Cash? Is this fake?¡¯ Guo Xiang was no less shocked than the others, and his first reaction was that the bills had to be forged. ¡¯Who wanders the streets with four million yuan worth of bank notes cash?¡¯


    Note: the original statement here is "lose all face". The concept of "face" in China is something worthy of a lengthy discussion, but for now, you can interpret the emotion as a mixture of shame/anger. ? <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 28 ¨C Attacking the Police</strong></h4>


    Fang Yuanpeng had barely recovered from the shock of seeing that much cash and looked at Guo Xiang eagerly to see his response. ¡¯Wow, four million! The profit will be... That¡¯s probably as much as I can make in one year!¡¯


    "Alright, you win with four million, I¡¯ll see if it¡¯s real money." Guo Xiang spat out between his clenched teeth, suppressing a boiling rage. He had attained the goal of making Li Yiming waste more money than he should, but he could feel nothing but anger, especially when he saw Li Yiming¡¯s impassiveness.


    "Count it." Li Yiming urged Fang Yuanpeng with a cial voice. He looked at him in a way that suggested at bad consequences if his order was not obeyed immediately.


    "Fast, fast, get everyone toe out with the counting machines. Quick!" The intent to kill buried within Li Yiming¡¯s gaze made Fang Yuanpeng shiver, and he remembered the conjecture he had formted just a moment earlier. ¡¯He bought this car for an amount way above the original price. It was a fight with someone else, but what if he decides it¡¯s my fault and takes it out on me?¡¯


    Lu Yiyi felt a mixture of shock and excitement. ¡¯Wow, four million! Look at that! How much would themission be?¡¯ Due to her youth and inexperience, she did not think as much about the ramifications as her boss. She quickly brought over her colleagues along with chairs, tables, and the counting machines. All eyes within the dealership were closely riveted in Li Yiming¡¯s direction: it was not every day that one could see a fight like that.


    The clinking sounds of the cash counting machines reverberated within the hall as the staff rushed to count the cash. Every single time a beeping sound was heard due to a bill being stuck, Guo Xiang¡¯s eyes would light up at the prospect of a fake bill being found. However, when it was determined to be nothing more than a mechanical issue, Guo Xiang would resume his expression of disgust and displeasure, as if he had just swallowed a fly. He had thought about continuing to raise his bid, but when he saw the second suitcase that Li Yiming had brought with him, he knew that thetter was not at his limits yet. Buying a car worth a million and six hundred thousand yuan for four million one hundred thousand yuan was already a bad deal. Being born into a family that obtained affluence through business, he understood that bidding any higher could potentially forever taint his life.


    Fang Yuanpeng hesitated about bringing the price down for his own well-being, but with Guo Xiang around, this was a difficult task to achieve as well. "Go fill up the tank." Li Yiming was trying his best to remain calm. If it was not for the rules of the domain that prevented him from destroying order, he would have killed to get the car quicker a long time ago.


    Fang Yuanpeng was relieved to hear Li Yiming¡¯smand. He quickly pulled one of the security guards that came to assist him and ordered, "Quick, get the gasoline from the garage!" Coincidentally, the security guard happened to be the one who stopped Li Yiming¡¯s car at the gate earlier. ¡¯So I almost barred these people from entering the shop? Look at the amount of cash! If the boss knew about that, would I be fired?¡¯


    The security guard quickly came back with two full tanks of gasoline, running at a respectable pace despite the heavy burden and trying his best to show off his physical aptitude so that his boss could forgive him for his mistake. Fang Yuanpeng put the oil into the car himself, and the exertion from the task almost brought him to the ground. Lu Yiyi signaled Fang Yuanpeng to indicate to him that they had already reached four million, and judging by the looks of the stack of bills that remained, there was about three hundred thousand. "Mr. Li, we¡¯re done counting the money. The rest..." Fang Yuanpeng wiped away the sweat on his forehead and came to Li Yiming deferentially.


    "Give her the rest." Li Yiming pointed at Lu Yiyi, who became dumbstruck by what she heard. To the surprise of the shop staff, he immediately hopped onto the car and called for his friends to do the same.


    "We didn¡¯t give you the receipt yet." Fang Yuanpeng yelled while chasing the car that was already rolling toward the exit.


    "No need for that." The doors were sealed shut with a few thuds and with the low roar of the V8 engine, the massive car headed for the road.


    ¡¯No need for the receipt? But how are you going to get a license without it? Why the hurry... Could this be some kind of moneyundering scheme?¡¯ Fang Yuanpeng looked at the neatly stacked pile of cash and started to be nervous.


    Lu Yiyi had still yet to recover from the shock of hearing Li Yiming¡¯sst words. Sheughed idiotically, showered by envious stares from her co-workers. Bai Kaini was especially jealous of her good fortune and pursed her full lips to show discontentment. Guo Xiang¡¯s eyes trailed the vehicle and took out his cellphone with a sullen expression.


    * * *


    "Is it about Liu Meng?" As soon as the car went past the dealership¡¯s gate, Li Yiming asked Zeng Qian.


    "It¡¯s... Big Beard." Zeng Qian answered hesitantly and nced at Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "You found them?" Fang Shui¡¯er was still trusting the person she had initially chosen to team up with for this domain somewhat and refused to believe that he would betray her.


    "Yes, they¡¯re under Hengjiang Bridge." Zeng Qian looked at Li Yiming; this sudden discovery was quite a deviation from their original ns.


    "Big Beard? You mean the guy who was with you at the start of the domain?" Li Yiming was disappointed when he heard that it was not a breakthrough about Liu Meng¡¯s situation.


    "Our previous team disbanded after what happened in Ning Vige. Qianqian and I... we had to look for someone else. He¡¯s the person we went sought to form an interim team for this domain, and they tried to trail the beast that attacked you at the restaurant. We haven¡¯t received any news from them ever since we split up," Fang Shui¡¯er exined.


    "You mean that fox you were talking about?" Li Yiming remembered his knife injury back at the restaurant.


    "What now?" Qing Linglong, who was at the wheel, asked Li Yiming. At the intersection ahead, she would need to turn right to go to Hengjiang bridge, so a choice was required to be made.


    "What about you guys?" Li Yiming dithered. He himself thought it better to not be distracted by such matters, since finding Liu Meng should be the first and foremost priority, but the Fang sisters evinced their concern at the fate of their former squadmates.


    "What¡¯s the situation with them?" Qing Linglong slowed the speed down and mulled the matter over.


    "It seems like they¡¯re in a difficult situation." Zeng Qian closed her eyes and tried her best to assess the situation through her bugs.


    "We should go take a look at least. If there¡¯s nothing we can do, then we¡¯ll leave," Qing Linglong proposed. It was important to take into consideration the needs of each member of the newly formed team, otherwise it would inevitably lead to grudges and future issues.


    "Go then." Li Yiming understood the motives behind Qing Linglong¡¯s proposal.


    "Thank you," Fang Shui¡¯er


    Qing Linglong stepped on the gas pedal and the imposing all-terrain vehicle darted into the rightne of the street. At that precise instant, a patrol car with shing lights appeared in the rear-view mirror. "The vehicle ahead, please stop on the side of the road. I repeat, the vehicle ahead, please stop on the side of the road." A warning came out of the megaphone attached to the roof of the patrol car.


    "Traffic police? I didn¡¯t exceed the limit, did I?" Qing Linglong slowed down with a frown and parked the car onto the shoulder. The patrol car overtook them and stopped in front of them. Three police officers descended from the car. 1


    "Please show us your driver¡¯s license and vehicle permit." One of the officers came to the window and asked Qing Linglong after a salute.


    "We just bought the car. There¡¯s no vehicle permit yet." Qing Linglong handed her license to the officer. She abided to themand as it was the usual procedure for traffic control.


    "What about the temporary permit?" The officer looked at the driver¡¯s license and at Qing Linglong¡¯s face, a little surprised by the inscribed age of almost forty years old.


    "We forgot about it. We¡¯re about to go back to the dealership to retrieve it," Qing Linglong exined patiently. Usually traffic police would ignore such trivial problems, especially when nows were broken.


    "A new car?"


    "Yes, we¡¯ve just taken it onto the road, actually."


    "What about the receipt then?"


    "We¡¯ve forgotten about that as well."


    "No receipt?" The officer seemed stunned, but something about his expression suggested that he had actually expected the answer. Li Yiming caught the detail and realized that the officer could have ulterior motives.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to ask you to disembark from your vehicle." The officer pushed a button on his radio and shut it down.


    "What is it? I¡¯m not aware that we broke anyw." Qing Linglong was growing impatient.


    "We¡¯ve received a report that a vehicle of the same model was just stolen nearby. Please cooperate in helping us investigate." The officer¡¯s two colleagues also came forward.


    Qing Linglong was somewhat surprised by such a turn of events. She exchanged a nce with Li Yiming and they both stepped out of the car. "Everyone, disembark." The leader officer¡¯s phone suddenly rang. He nced at the caller¡¯s disy, gave an order to his two subordinates and retreated to the side.


    Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up with anger when he saw what was disyed on the screen. ¡¯Master Guo?¡¯ He signaled to his friends to remain seated in the car and strode toward the police who was on the phone. Thetter¡¯s two underlings did nothing to stop him, and even they seemed to find the whole affair very disagreeable. By the time the officer had realized that Li Yiming was behind him, stopped his conversation and turned around to look at him, Li Yiming had already reached out for his wrist and snatched his phone with his other hand.


    "What are you doing?" The traffic police officer seemed shocked by the fact that he was being assaulted in broad daylight.


    "Guo Xiang?" Li Yiming ignored the scream from the officer. He pinched the officer¡¯s wrist so he could not pull his arm back and brought the phone to his ears.


    "Li Yiming?" As expected, Guo Xiang¡¯s surprised voice came out of the device.


    ¡¯Well, that¡¯s already proof enough.¡¯ Li Yiming threw the phone into the green belt and stared at the officer coldly. "This is what you¡¯re wearing that uniform for?"


    "What are you doing? You¡¯re crazy! You¡¯re attacking an officer in uniform, you..." The officer seemed to be frightened. His features were distorted by the excruciating pain that came from his wrist. Only now did his two fellow officers react to the situation ande forward to try to help him.


    "You don¡¯t deserve to be wearing that uniform." Li Yiming did not give the officer the time to finish his statement. He increased the force he put into his grip. A light crack and a roar of pain from the officer suggested that his bone was broken. However, his screech of pain was cut short by Li Yiming, who punched him in the stomach with the other hand. Although Li Yiming did not use all of his strength, it was enough to make officer¡¯s entire body arch forward. The officer¡¯s eyes remained gaping wide while a yellow liquid seeped out of the corners of his mouth. Li Yiming pulled the officer back up and threw him into the air both arms. The officer¡¯s body spun a whole revolution in the air beforending on the hood of the patrol car with a loud bang.


    Li Yiming¡¯s movements were so fluid that by the time the cry of pain was heard after the loud bang produced against the car hood, the two other police officers had barely taken two steps forward. What they saw made them stop in their tracks; they knew from the telephone conversation in the patrol car earlier that this was no ordinary mission, and that their captain was simply helping someone cause trouble. As such, there was no need to be that eager to risk their own well-being for the cause.


    Li Yiming looked at the two officers who were still standing and pulled out an ID booklet. He threw the object toward one of the officers: this was the piece forged by Eyesses. "Report to your superiors with this, and someone wille to take your testimonies." Li Yiming imitated Grandma Wang¡¯s demeanor back at the police station in Hangzhou and walked past the two officers coldly.


    The car¡¯s engine was started and the vehicle quickly left the scene after skirting around the patrol car, leaving behind two dumbstruck officers staring at each other and the third one moaning on the car hood.


    Things Li Yiming will do before saving Liu Meng:


    [x] Have a long distance urination contest with Guo Xiang to buy a car


    [ ] Help out Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s temporary teammates


    [ ] Eradicate world hunger and poverty


    [ ] Achieve world peace


    [ ] Answer the question ¡°why are we alive?¡±


    The police department responsible for traffic regtion in China are usually separate from the department responsible for violent crimes etc. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 29

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 29 ¨C Illusion</strong></h4>


    "It¡¯s Guo Xiang?" Qing Linglong was visibly surprised.


    Li Yiming did not answer her. He nodded and pondered the reason behind Guo Xiang¡¯s repeated appearances.


    "You know him?" Fang Shui¡¯er was dumbfounded.


    "He showed up in the previous domain, a key figure," Qing Linglong equivocated.


    "What? It was the same for us..." Fang Shui¡¯er was astonished by the revtion. She stared at Li Yiming, who was the onlymon denominator in both "coincidences".


    "It¡¯s the third time." Li Yiming knew exactly why Fang Shui¡¯er was looking at him. He himself was just wondering whether it was due to him or due to something in particr with Guo Xiang himself.


    "This is no trivial matter. It¡¯s definitely not normal that someone with seemingly little to no relevance somehow manages to fulfill a pivotal role two times in a row." Qing Linglong made a mental note to herself and for the sake of the team.


    "Let¡¯s focus on what¡¯s ahead of us. We¡¯ll think about thister." Li Yiming was overwhelmed by the quick session of events unfolding around him and found it hard to settle down and consider the whole issue meticulously.


    "Turn left at the next intersection and go below the bridge. You¡¯ll find Big Beard there," Zeng Qian pointed ahead. Qing Linglong turned toward a narrow entrance on the other side of the road, and the car made its way down a poorly paved road.


    Hengjiang Bridge was a bridge connecting the newer and the older neighborhoods of Shangbei. It was built along the East-West axis, and the bridge itself was quite aged. Due to a new bridge built at Shangyou, the traffic on this bridge had declined. The outgrowths of weed and other undesirable vegetation, which were especially prominent under the structure itself, were the only forms of life still present in a deste nook forgotten by all within the bustling metropolis.


    "Over there." Zeng Qian pointed in a direction after getting out of the car and led the way. A few bugs could be seen flying around her body.


    "Careful." Li Yiming reminded her and followed.


    After a fair bit of walking, they arrived at where Zeng Qian wanted to bring them to. They found there a white dome of light, only about ten meters in radius, right next to a concrete pir. They kept their distances and made sure to hide.


    "He¡¯s inside, but my bugs can¡¯t prate the barrier," Zeng Qian remarked.


    "How do you know?" Qing Linglong could not understand where Zeng Qian got the confidence to make the assertion.


    "Look over there." Zeng Qian pointed at a rudimentary marking carved onto the pir right next to the dome of light. "That¡¯s what we agreed on being the S.O.S. signal. With his character, I wouldn¡¯t think that he would call for help so easily. I initially thought that it was Liu Meng when I discovered the dome of light, but I found out about the marking when I made my insects circle around the dome, since they couldn¡¯t enter inside."


    "Well, it seems like he didn¡¯t betray us. Rather, he was stuck here the whole time," Fang Shui¡¯er sighed. Somehow, the discovery had brought a sense of relief to her and lessened her sense of guilt.


    "Is this a Combat Boundary?" Qing Linglong¡¯s apprehension was growing. ¡¯This does fit the description. But if it¡¯s the real thing, then isn¡¯t it suicide for us to be here?¡¯


    "This is just an Illusion Boundary. It¡¯s slightly different from abat one. If I tried my hardest, I could probably achieve the thing, but it would be really small and it wouldn¡¯tst very long." Qing Qiaoqiao, who was the expert on focus-based techniques, reassured her sister after a careful observation.


    "How many days has it been since you¡¯ve lost contact with them? If we base our assessment on the area and the duration of this boundary, our enemy would be very strong." Qing Linglong analyzed the situation.


    "The beast should be close by. If the fight is still ongoing and we can somehow y it, then surely this barrier will also disappear." Fang Shui¡¯er looked at around. Since she now knew that Big Beard had not betrayed her, she could not simply leave him to die; after all, they were a team.


    "It¡¯s pointless to look around. The beast must be within the dome. It¡¯s the safest ce," Qing Qiaoqiao said.


    "Well, it¡¯s true that it would be great if we could somehow get their help after we rescue the three of them." Qing Linglong made a fair assessment of the gains and losses of the situation.


    "There¡¯s only Big Beard left. That person with one eye and the fat guy are dead," Li Yiming suddenly said something that shocked his teammates. He could see Big Beard on his knees, visibly tired out, with both of his hands in front of him as he fought a bitter struggle for his own life. Two lifeless bodies were on the ground, one of them skinny and the other plumpy, but both had a hideous expression of someone having died painfully, with their tongues sticking out their mouth and only the white of their eyes visible.


    "You can see what¡¯s going on inside?" Qing Qiaoqiao was impressed. Although she herself, through the simrity of her talent to the technique used to build the dome of light, could sense vaguely what was happening inside, she could say nothing about the details. It was even worse for the others, who could see nothing but a huge ball of light.


    Li Yiming nodded without exining the reason behind his ability to see through the dome of light. ¡¯Is this what Li Huaibei meant when he said that I was ¡¯special¡¯?¡¯


    "One-eye and Meat Mountain are dead?" Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s mood sank when she heard the dreadful news.


    "What now?" Qing Linglong looked at Li Yiming and awaited the decision from the captain of the team.


    "I¡¯ll go have a look. I think I can get inside." Li Yiming hesitated, but became a little more confident when he thought about the bronze coin he had. There was also a secret desire within him to try out the skills he had learned from Li Huaibei. Moreover, with Fang Shui¡¯er and her sister now being on his team, he feltpelled to help them.


    "Are you sure? This beast is no trivial enemy." Qing Linglong seemed worried. Qing Qiaoqiao wanted to stop Li Yiming from taking the risk, but she found it hard to intervene when she saw Fang Shui¡¯er look at him with anticipation. Unlike the Qing sisters, the Fang sister held a blind belief in Li Yiming¡¯s capabilities.


    "I¡¯ll try to force the beast toe out. We¡¯ll take it on together if that happens, or, if that doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll try to bring Big Beard out." Li Yiming brought out a sword from his storage bracelet: it was the same splendid-looking decorative sword he had used earlier.


    "Put this on, at least it¡¯ll be better than nothing." Qing Qiaoqiao took out a pendant and put around Li Yiming¡¯s neck. She also removed her hair cord and fixed it around Li Yiming¡¯s wrist with a beautiful butterfly tie. Both of these essories were guardian equipment for enhancing one¡¯s focus, and although they could mitigate the threat of being charmed to a certain extent, their low level of strength meant that they could not be life-savers.


    Li Yiming nodded and carefully trodded toward the dome of light with his teammates watching him nervously. As he had imagined, he traversed it as if it never existed. On the outside, all of Li Yiming¡¯s teammates focused their attention and made ready to intervene.


    Beneath the veil of light, an alluring figure raised its head to look at the intruder. She had a pointy chin and beautiful green eyes. She slowly licked one of her fingers, as if she was making ready to feast on another prey. A huge, scaly tail, which, unlike Fang Shui¡¯er had guessed, was not that of a fox, but rather that of a snake, slowly slid across the ground with a rattling sound.


    When the light in front of Li Yiming faded away, the first thing he saw was a field track under the warm setting sun. A group of students were busy shedding droplets of sweat and expending their youthful energy in the middle of the field. The girls who were slowly jogging along the tracks had beautiful figures supported by long legs. ¡¯Is this... a mirage?¡¯ Li Yiming frowned. This ce was very familiar to him. He lowered his head to look at himself and saw that the sword he held was gone. He himself was wearing ck sweatpants and a T-shirt with a leaping dancer performing a move called the "reverse kick to the golden crown", as it was called in his school. ¡¯Wait, this is the practice uniform... I¡¯m back in College?¡¯


    "Hey, you¡¯ve been looking at that girl for two minutes already. Is she prettier than me?" When Li Yiming heard the joking voice, it struck him how dearly he missed the one who spoke and just how fond he was of simply being around her.


    "Liu Meng?" Li Yiming turned around. Liu Meng was wearing clothes simr to his. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail that wagged left and right tirelessly, which happened to be an urate reflection of her own personality.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to treat me to a meal? I hope you don¡¯t mind that I¡¯m bringing someone else." Liu Meng smiled sweetly. Her radiant smile, which Li Yiming had not seen for so long, tucked at his heartstrings. Ji Xiaoqin stood behind her, but with her hair loose, covering her shoulders. Her slightly red cheeks suggested at shyness from meeting him.


    Li Yiming stayed quiet as the memories flowed back into his mind. This was the first time he would eat with Liu Meng and Ji Xiaoqing, on the third day on his first year.


    "Hey, why are you so quiet? You¡¯re not going back on your promise aren¡¯t you?" Liu Meng walked forward and gave Li Yiming a light tap on the shoulder, as a very good friend would do.


    "Of course not. Where are we going? Make a choice." Li Yiming suddenly smiled. It was the most genuine moment of happiness that happened in quite a while. ¡¯If this is really a dream, then...¡¯


    "Haha, that¡¯s the spirit! I¡¯ll give you a lesson your wallet won¡¯t be able to forget!" Liu Meng led Ji Xiaoqin, who was still trailing her shyly. The ponytail behind her back bounced around as she scuttled toward the school¡¯s gate, giving her the air of a yful fairy, which stood in stark contrast with Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s demureness.


    ¡¯Wow, I don¡¯t remember Liu Meng being this beautiful with long hair.¡¯


    As the three walked on the street, thebined charm of Liu Meng and Ji Xiaoqin were sufficient to turn quite a few heads and elicit the envy of all the other male students. This gave Li Yiming a feeling of nostalgic vanity that he had not felt in a long time. More than that, Li Yiming enjoyed the feeling of freedom and carefreeness of being young. Liu Meng was as candid as he had remembered and Ji Xiaoqin, as shy as he had known her to be. This was his story and his youthful years.


    "Hey, how about this one? I asked around, and apparently, this one is the most expensive one." Liu Meng stopped right in front of a hot pot restaurant and smiled capriciously. Li Yiming¡¯s heart almost melted when he saw that familiar smile again.


    "Alright, let¡¯s go!" Li Yiming waved his hand rather proudly; he was a changed man now, someone who could buy a car worth a million and six hundred thousand for four million without even asking for change. He remembered this shop being a reason for quite some embarrassment, since he originally did not have enough money to pay the bill at the end of the meal and required Liu Meng¡¯s help. But this time... Li Yiming smiled confidently and touched the storage bracelet around his wrist. ¡¯Wait, where did the bracelet go? Crap, no equipment in here? Am I...¡¯ He took out his old wallet. ¡¯Two hundred fifteen yuan and thirty cents? Oh no, is history going to repeat itself?¡¯


    Liu Meng did not see Li Yiming¡¯s panic and pulled Ji Xiaoqin into the shop. Li Yiming followed suit despite dreading what was about toe. However, when he pushed open the door to the shop, what he saw was not its noisy interior, but rather the dance studio he had trained in for so many years. Ji Xiaoqin sat on the ground with dancing shoes and her hair tied up, as quiet as a princess, while Liu Meng was pushing her leg on the practicing bar and staring at him with half-opened eyes from sleepiness. She still had a box of unfinished yogurt from breakfast. The people around them moved around slowly under the rising sun. ¡¯This is... morning practice.¡¯


    Is male vanity proportional to the size of one¡¯s non-existent harem? <i>(:thinkingface)</i>

 Volume 3 Chapter 30

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 30 ¨C Memory Shards</strong></h4>


    "You¡¯rete. The old witch has already taken the names for the ss." Liu Meng leaned against the supporting bar. It seemed like she was stretching her leg, but, in reality, she was simply trying her best to salvage some of her lost sleep.


    ¡¯This?¡¯ Li Yiming turned around to look at the busy street he stood on a second earlier and found a quiet corridor instead. ¡¯Morning practice?¡¯ Li Yiming entered the studio, a little perplexed. All of his ssmates were inside the room practicing. The event itself offered no clues about when exactly he "was", since he spent most of his mornings during his four years at college this way.


    "Come here." Liu Meng waved her hand at him. Li Yiming removed his shoes and walked toward Liu Meng. He stopped right next to her and pushed his leg against the supporting bar out of habit. However, it was not long before Li Yiming realized that he was much more flexible than he remembered himself to be. He lifted his leg slowly, more and and more until it almost formed a straight line with the one that supported his body. ¡¯180 degree stretch? And I feel like I could go for more if I wanted. Well, the equipment is gone, but my body¡¯s unchanged.¡¯


    "Hey, you¡¯re here to show off? You think that I can¡¯t do that?" Liu Meng raised her voice, and the ruckus she created drew quite a fewughs from those nearby. A few of them were also surprised at Li Yiming¡¯s hard work for improving his basic aptitude, and his determination for excelling at the stage performance that was soon to happen.


    "Well, you know, it¡¯s morning training, so we should train and give it our best." Li Yiming dropped his leg back down, a little embarrassed. He took on another position by supporting himself with both of his arms against the metal bar and appreciated his newfound ability. He saw Ji Xiaoqin spinning around in front of the mirror with pointe shoes. Her arms were supple and she seemed at ease despite her quick cadence. Ji Xiaoqin specialized in ballet and her pirouetteswere an absolute pleasure to watch.


    "Hey, do you think that our choreography will be selected?" Liu Meng whispered to Li Yiming with a droplet of yogurt still hanging on the corner of her lips. The mention of the uing performance made Li Yiming¡¯s mind go astray. He looked at Liu Meng¡¯s long hair, which was tied up above her head, revealing her ears and her sensual neck. ¡¯She still has long hair. I remember she cut her long hair after the show in second year and kept it short since then.¡¯


    "Of course," Li Yiming answered confidently. He knew that their two-person choreography would be chosen for the performance at the theater of Shangbei. ¡¯That was also when Ji Xiaoqin and I...¡¯ He turned his head toward Ji Xiaoqin, who was still busy practicing her ballet moves. He looked at her focused expression, at the fabric of her robe that billowed in the air with Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s swift movements, and at the beads of sweats that rolled down her neck. Finally, his eyes went to her heaving chest and stopped there for an instant.


    "Where did that confidencee from?" The drowsiness on Liu Meng¡¯s face subsided, reced by worry. The public show was a matter of significance to every student, and, most importantly, Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s solo had already been chosen. Liu Meng did not want to lose out to her, despite being very good friends with Ji Xiaoqin. Li Yiming also had another one of his choreographies chosen, and Liu Meng was scared of being left behind. She also thought that Li Yiming and Ji Xiaoqin were growing unusually close and did not like it at all.


    "Look at this stretch. You really think that we¡¯d fail?" Li Yiming looked away from Ji Xiaoqin and switched legs. He pulled it further with his arm in a unting manner and almost stretched it to 240 degrees.


    "Pfft." Liu Meng rolled her eyes. "Speaking of which, pretty amazing progress you¡¯ve done recently. But what happened when we were auditioning? Are you dragging me down on purpose?"


    "Dancing is about conveying a sense of beauty, not just technical prowess. Otherwise I¡¯d be doing gymnastics." Li Yiming dropped his leg back down, showered by looks of amazement from those around him. It was a nice feeling, since he remembered himself to be fairly bad with the basics back in college, actually.


    "Yiming, I brought breakfast, do you want to eat together?" As the music from the morning warm-up stopped, Ji Xiaoqin walked toward Liu Meng and Li Yiming with a ck bag. The students had just a few minutes of rest before ss began.


    "Sure, what about you, Liu Meng?" Li Yiming epted and turned around to ask Liu Meng as naturally as possible.


    Liu Meng did not answer and smiled while showing her yogurt to Li Yiming. Her eyes paused briefly on a ck bag right next to her backpack; she also knew that Li Yiming did not usually bring breakfast to the morning sessions.


    "Wow, how much did you buy?" Li Yiming knelt down on the ground and started to empty the content of her bag: sandwiches, little steamed buns, sesame seed cakes, fried dough sticks and even two cans of soy milk.


    "It¡¯s okay, we will have fair amount of practiceter and it¡¯s going to be tiring." Ji Xiaoqin smiled sweetly and opened the bag containing the soy milk for Li Yiming like a wife taking care of her husband.


    "Oh? Showing love in this early in the morning?" A student walked by Li Yiming, gave him a light nudge and ran awayughing. Li Yiming did not mind the jibe, since he was on fairly good terms with all of his ssmates. Ji Xiaoqin, on the other hand, lowered her head shyly and then peeked at Liu Meng furtively, but she recoiled immediately and seemed a little scared of Liu Meng.


    Liu Meng pretended not to see any of it, sat down on the floor without minding the others and took out a piece of sesame cake. "You¡¯re eating two? Careful, Li Yiming won¡¯t be able to lift you at this rate." The ssmate who had just joked to Li Yiming walked past Liu Meng andughed at her when she saw the other sesame cake in her bag.


    "I¡¯m still growing, okay?" Liu Meng seemed insulted and stiffened her chest. This prompted the ssmate to look at her own and walk away silently, seemingly defeated.


    ¡¯Two sesame cakes?¡¯ Li Yiming caught the detail. He remembered seeing the scene often. Sometimes he would take one out of convenience, while at other times he would see Liu Meng throw it away. ¡¯Was that... for me?¡¯


    "The old witch called us. The studio has been reserved by the people doing folk dance in fourth year, so we need to leave now." One of Li Yiming¡¯s ssmates came back with his cell phone in his hand and started to pick up his own things.


    "Alright, we should go. We¡¯ll finish the rest on the way." Li Yiming gulped down a small bun and saw Liu Meng throw the rest of her sesame cakes into the trash can.


    As the rest of his ssmates spilled out into the corridor, Li Yiming lingered and only followed behind Liu Meng when everyone had already exited the room. When he pushed open the studio¡¯s door, he saw a blinding light. The world around him spun and he felt as if the floor beneath him vanished. Then, a mixture of noises, ngor, people talking loudly and the asional screech of excitement came into his ears.


    "What happened? It took you this long to go to the bathroom? Don¡¯t tell me you puked in there," Li Yiming saw someone talk to him when he opened his eyes. It was a friend of his back in college, but he could not remember his name anymore. Li Yiming¡¯s head was heavy, and he found it extraordinarily difficult to formte a coherent thought. ¡¯Where is... the hot pot shop?¡¯


    "Yiming¡¯s at his limits. He can¡¯t drink anymore." Ji Xiaoqin sat right next to Li Yiming and looked at him with a worried expression.


    "Bah. Enough of that for today. His duo was the best choreography today! You haven¡¯t seen the look on the old witch... our teacher¡¯s face! She¡¯s never looked happier. Right, Ms. Yu?" The man had his arm around Li Yiming¡¯s neck and spoke in a very loud voice while nodding at an old woman in the distance.


    "Yiming and Liu Meng put on quite a show today. It¡¯s okay to have fun now, just don¡¯t overdo it." The old "witch", Ms. Yu, the dance teacher, had a broad smile. Even she, who was usually very strict, allowed her students to have a moment of freedom and enjoy themselves.


    ¡¯The celebration? Is this... after the performance at Shangbei Theatre?¡¯ Li Yiming tried his best to focus on what he wanted to do and looked around to see the faces of those sitting beside him. He recognized the restaurantpartment instantly, as well as the people within it: the ssmates who had also performed in the show, the teachers who supervised them, Ji Xiaoqin, who sat quietly right next to the teacher and was the only one to not have taken a drink, and finally Liu Meng, who sat in the middle of the group and talked loudly.


    "So, you¡¯re not drinking today. Are you going to let Liu Meng drink for you?" Li Yiming¡¯s ssmate picked up the beer on the table and looked around for Li Yiming¡¯s cup.


    "I¡¯ll drink, I¡¯ll drink. Have you ever seen me scared of that?" Liu Meng pushed the people blocking her way and snatched the beer from her ssmate. "So tell me, how are we going to drink?" Liu Meng pushed Li Yiming back into his seat and stepped onto the chair with one leg. She looked at Li Yiming¡¯s ssmate as if she was ready to take on any challenge he proposed.


    Teacher Yu looked at the scene with a smile. Amongst the entire cohort, Liu Meng and Ji Xiaoqin were her favorites. One was extroverted and had the character of an ardent me whereas the other was reserved and gentle in every way, just like the water that flowed quietly in a small stream.


    Li Yiming looked at Liu Meng¡¯s feet. Unlike Ji Xiaoqin, who had to work with pointe shoes, Liu Meng was not so apt at ballet, so she did not have the calluses on her toes that Ji Xiaoqin did. The skin on her feet had a healthy rosy color and were as smooth as jade. 1


    "Hey small bean, I¡¯m your opponent." Li Yiming loosened the buttons around his neck and said with a heroic air that induced an uproar from his ssmates.


    And then, Li Yiming slowly lost consciousness within the cheering and the rounds of apuse.


    When his senses came back, he found himself lying on a bed. Every corner of his body itched with a burning feeling, but he could feel something smooth sliding back and forth on his face. He opened his eyes with difficulty and saw a face inches away from his own. Her long hair dropped down and grazed the side of his face, and with each breath, Li Yiming could feel the hot and humid aire out of her mouth warming his flushed cheeks and stir up the desires buried within his heart.


    It was not long before judgment sumbed to the raw outpour of passion. This was the night that Li Yiming remembered losing control of himself after Ji Xiaoqin came to look after him following his getting drunk at the celebration. Li Yiming could barely distinguish reality from illusion he was plunged in as he wrapped his arms around her in a crazy fervor mingled with jealousy and anger about her "eventual" betrayal. Li Yiming became a ve to his drunkenness and the hurricane of emotions that raged violently within him. He vented it all out on the girl in his arms, who reciprocated timidly by locking her own arms around Li Yiming¡¯s neck and emitting low-pitched moans that reverberated within the quiet darkness of the room.


    "What do you like the most about me?" The tempest had settled, and Li Yiming heard the questione from the girl that curled up in the bed andid against his chest.


    "Your long hair," Li Yiming answered as if he had just woken up from a dream. The next moment, the voice hit him like lightning. ¡¯Liu Meng?¡¯


    Light returned to Li Yiming¡¯s eyes. When he could see again, he found Ji Xiaoqin standing in front of him. She seemed surprised, timid, but also very happy. Contrary to her usual reserved self, she opened her arms and jumped daringly into Li Yiming¡¯s embrace in front of everyone at the hotel¡¯s lobby. Li Yiming caught her instinctively and looked around, at his ssmates and at the teachers who were about toplete the check-out procedure. Some of them were envious, while others seemed surprised, and others still seemed entertained. Then, Li Yiming eyes crossed Liu Meng¡¯s, and it was clear to him that there was nothing other than shock and disappointment buried within her irises.


    No... No... I thought about the possibility of this when it was hinted at in previous chapters. No like this man...


    I¡¯ll add a noteter, if you are curious, about why you will often seen female characters in CN novelspared to jade/other things like flowers. While this also happens in western literature, this is a tradition deeply rooted within Chinese culture. (People have been doing it literally for more than a thousand year.) ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 31

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 31 ¨C Picking a Side</strong></h4>


    Seeing Liu Meng¡¯s eyes was just like receiving a hammer blow to the head. Li Yiming felt the world around him spin once again, only this time, alcohol was not at fault. Rather, it was the result of a swirling vortex of emotions and thoughts. ¡¯I confessed to Ji Xiaoqin the day after because I thought I should take on the responsibility for my mistake. But if it was actually Liu Meng... How badly I must have hurt her.


    ¡¯She cut her hair. Was she only seeking a change in style, or was she looking for a change of heart as well? Why did she keep mepany for all these years? Was it as a friend, or as a good ¡¯bro¡¯?¡¯ The conjectures, guesses, questions came crashing down and Li Yiming felt suffocated under the overwhelming weight of it all.


    The color in Li Yiming¡¯s world receded, leaving only two things still warmed by colors amidst the greyness. One was Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s supple and warm body, still in his arms, her heart beating at a steady pace, and the other one was Liu Meng, who stayed still as a statue. Looking into her eyes was just like staring into an abyss of despair.


    "I, I think I made a mistake," Li Yiming pushed Ji Xiaoqin away from him and said in a low voice.


    "What?" Ji Xiaoqin, who smiled like a flower in full blossom bathing in the sunlight of happiness., turned her head shyly toward Li Yiming.


    "Where were youst night?" Li Yiming remembered seeing Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s phone on the nightstand when he woke up in the morning, and after hearing from a ssmate that it was Ji Xiaoqin who brought him to his room the night before, he assumed that the one with whom he had consumed his passion was also Ji Xiaoqin. However, this time, unlike in his memory, he still had enough judgment to remember what he heard during that crazy night.


    "I went back to my room after bringing you to yours, what is it?" Ji Xiaoqin was surprised by the question.


    "It... wasn¡¯t youst night?" Li Yiming hesitated.


    "What?" Ji Xiaoqin reacted just as he had expected.


    "Sorry, I think I made a mistake." Li Yiming pushed Ji Xiaoqin further away from himself. ¡¯How could I not have asked her. How could I?¡¯


    "Yiming, what are you talking about?" Ji Xiaoqin noticed the oddity in Li Yiming¡¯s expression. Seeing him like that gave her a terrible feeling about what was about toe.


    "Sorry." Li Yiming turned around and looked at Liu Meng. A smile still clung to the lips of thetter, but there was an incredible sadness hidden beneath it.


    Li Yiming walked closer and closer to Liu Meng. Dragging both of his legs toward her became an incredibly difficult task, and, with each step, Li Yiming¡¯s heart trembled. As the two drew closer and closer, Li Yiming could see Liu Meng¡¯s radiant smile more and more in full details. But the happier she seemed, the more sorrowful Li Yiming became. He stopped as he remembered the streak of scarlet he found the next day on the bed sheet; there was barely a meter left, but to take thatst step was harder than to travel through the entire world.


    "Congrattions!" What came out of her mouth was a blessing for bliss, but a droplet of tear was seeping out of the corners of her eyes. The tip of her nose had turned red, and her knuckles whitened from the strength with which she sped her hands.


    ¡¯She hid that secret and after liking me secretly for that long. She¡¯s the one who gave me a ce to stay when I was exhausted. She¡¯s the one who faced me with a smile and wept her pain and sorrow alone. You¡¯re brave and you sacrificed yourself for the sake of love, but have you given a thought about who¡¯s going to mend you? Who is going to heal the wounds in your heart and protect you?¡¯


    "I¡¯m so sorry!" Li Yiming pulled Liu Meng and locked his arms tightly around her, as if he wanted to print her being into his very soul. It was the same "sorry" he said to Ji Xaoqin, except that one was an apology, whereas this one was nothing but bitter regret.


    "Yiming, you..." Liu Meng¡¯s body stiffened. She raised her hand, unsure of what to do.


    Li Yiming held Liu Meng¡¯s face right in front of his own, and, after a deep stare, he kissed her. He could feel the softness of her tongue, the familiar wetness between her lips, but also a bitterness that was not present the night before.


    "Li Yiming¡ª!" A loud screech was heard. Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s shameful and angry outburst reverberated within the lobby of the hotel.


    Liu Meng tried to break free, but Li Yiming continued his long kiss that meant to show how sorry he was. Liu Meng quickly melted into nothing more than raw passion and reciprocated his kiss fervently.


    "You... You... I won¡¯t let you get away with this!" Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s limbs trembled with anger. Her voice had be hoarse. She could not bear seeing the scene any longer and ran out of the hotel with her hand covering her face. Two of Li Yiming¡¯s ssmates, who were close to Ji Xiaoqin, followed after a reproachful look thrown in Li Yiming¡¯s direction.


    "Li Yiming, what are you doing?" Teacher Yu was also indignant. She was just rejoicing the happy union between two of her students, only for it to turn into a heartless man deceiving his lover a momentter. The transition from a scene taken out of an idol love drama into a real-life tragedy was too brusque.


    "Forgive me, it¡¯s my fault." Li Yiming let Liu Meng escape his embrace, but still kneaded her hand tightly. He disregarded all of the surprised faces surrounding him; the only thing he wanted to do was to make up for his mistake.


    "Who¡¯s Li Yiming?" A group of men suddenly rushed into the hotel lobby. There were about seven or eight of them, and each was holding a metallic weapon in their hand and had an ill-disposed expression.


    "I am." Li Yiming turned around and put himself in front of Liu Meng. He was rather rmed by the sudden deviation from what he remembered.


    "You¡¯re the little punk who dared shame the sister-inw of our boss?" The man who led the gang asked him angrily.


    "You¡¯re talking about Ji Xiaoqin? I didn¡¯t know she had such a brother-inw." Li Yiming squinted his eyes. ¡¯They came way too quickly, Ji Xiaoqin just left! Something¡¯s wrong here.¡¯


    "That¡¯s not a question you should ask. Is she that shameless slut? Send the man to the hospital and take her away." The man ordered. He raised his metal rod and swung it down at Li Yiming¡¯s head. A horrified gasp was heard from those looked at the scene, but no one, not even Li Yiming¡¯s teachers and ssmates rushed to help him: after all, Li Yiming seemed to have brought this upon himself.


    Li Yiming snatched the metal rod calmly with his right hand and reached out for the man¡¯s throat with his left one. He raised him rather effortlessly into the air with one hand and looked at his friends menacingly. The mobster underlings were surprised by the instant demise of their leader and halted their advance. After another sweeping of his eyes around, Li Yiming raised the man higher still and then threw him toward the ground. A loud thud was heard and the marble floor tile fissured with a crack. The man spat out a mouthful of blood and went limp.


    ¡¯That should be enough to scare them.¡¯ Li Yiming thought.


    "Kill him!" The gang of mobsters was surprised, but instead of backing down, they were enraged. The rest of them jumped at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming frowned and spared some of his attention for Liu Meng. She seemed terrified by what she saw. Li Yiming dashed into the group of mobsters and made full usage of his level three strength. Wherever he went, whether it was with his fists, his elbows or his knees, a loud crack of bones breaking would ensue. It was not long before all seven of the mobsters were down on the ground, limp. The whole process happened so fast, they did not even have time to emit a moan of pain. Li Yiming¡¯s thoughts were simple: he was going to do everything to make sure that Liu Meng remains unharmed.


    "Yiming..." Liu Meng stepped forward, visibly worried, but she had barely time to voice her concern before the screeching sound of cars brakes was heard. Two minivans had stopped in front of the hotel, and a group of people, wearing the same clothes as the group that came before them, descended from the vehicles. Each had a bloodthirsty expression and some kind of weapon in their hands.


    "Go." Li Yiming picked up a chair near him and threw it toward the mobsters. He pulled Liu Meng toward the side exit. Although the projectile slowed down the mobsters, it was not long before they caught up. Despite the mobsters having the number advantage, Li Yiming could have easily taken them down by himself, but he decided to run with Liu Meng instead as he did not want to take the risk of Liu Meng getting hurt.


    Li Yiming sprinted with Liu Meng on the road. Liu Meng was quick to tire out, so Li Yiming picked her up and carried her while running. With his current abilities, he could actually run faster like that instead of dragging Liu Meng behind. However, as he continued his escape, he realized how odd the situation was: not a single car on the road or a single pedestrian, yet the sea of men wearing ck clothes chasing him seemed endless. They came out from every corner, and by now, their numbers had grown to a point that it was impossible to count them at a nce.


    "So that¡¯s what the illusion is all about?" Li Yiming considered the solutions to his current problem.


    As the group of people chasing after him grewrger andrger, and more of them appeared from different directions, Li Yiming knew he had to do something before he lost all of his space for maneuvering. Li Yiming found a structure erected for sightseeing purposes in a park nearby. Stairs circled the body of the antique but stylish tower, which was about eight or nine meters tall.


    ¡¯There!¡¯ Li Yiming dashed toward the structure and rushed to the top with Liu Meng in his arms.


    "Stay here. No matter what happens, don¡¯te down, okay? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here." Li Yiming dropped Liu Meng down. Before she could answer him, he darted toward the stairs and gave it a vigorous kick. His blow was strong enough to cause the metallic structure to copse.


    Li Yiming turned back to nce onest time at Liu Meng and jumped down without hesitation. He looked at the sea of ckness that surrounded the park and came closer and closer with the intent to kill.


    * * *


    "It¡¯s been three days already. Is Yiming okay?" Qing Qiaoqiao looked at the dome of light in the distance. She wanted to approach it on several asions, but her sister stopped her every time.


    "It¡¯s useless. I can¡¯t get in." Zeng Qian dropped her hands down, a little discouraged. The buzzing cloud of insects flew away from the dome of light and gathered above her instead.


    "How could you let Li Yiming go inside alone?" Eyesses seemed irritated as he lifted his head to look at the starry sky. He had arrived two nights ago and almost fought with Fang Shui¡¯er when he learned that Li Yiming had entered the structure alone.


    "Li Yiming will be fine, you have no idea how strong he is," Fang Shui¡¯er said with a determined look. She held an almost religious belief in Li Yiming¡¯s power.


    "But it¡¯s been three days already," Qing Qiaoqiao retorted. If it was not because it was physically impossible for her to enter the dome of light, she would have ignored her sister¡¯s exhortations entirely.


    "There¡¯s no other way. We can¡¯t get inside so all we can do is wait." Qing Linglong walked toward her sister and put her hand on her shoulder to calm her down. ¡¯Who would have guessed that he would be trapped inside when he seemed that confident? Well, Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian are certainly going to wait for him, and same for Eyesses. As for Qiaoqiao, I think she¡¯ll turn against me if I was to tell her that I wanted to leave.¡¯


    * * *


    On the other side of the light barrier, Big Beard was down on the ground with a pale face, shallow breaths, and brows furrowed. His shaking fists revealed his unwillingness at meeting his end in such a way. With his abilities, he would be able to kill the beast that trapped him here with one blow. However, he was in a situation in which he could use none of that strength and could only watch it fade away as time went by.


    Li Yiming was still standing with his eyes closed, just like when he had entered inside. He seemed asleep, with steady breathing. The bracelet that hung from his neck and the ribbon around his wrist glowed with an intense white light. Suddenly, Li Yiming frowned and the ribbon was obliterated. The dust scattered as a weak wind blew in his way.


    "Coming in like that with his guard down. That really gave me scare. But looks like he¡¯s nothing special after all." The silhouette hidden underground had a smile on her lips. Her silvery tail slowly slid across the ground and wrapped around her sensual body.


    Next chapter marks the return of my favorite character! :3

 Volume 3 Chapter 32

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 32 ¨C The Awakening of Bai Ze</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming parried another metal rod strike directed at him and tackled his attacker. He reached for the man¡¯s knee, grabbed his leg and used his body like a weapon. After sweeping all of the enemies in front of him to the ground, Li Yiming threw the man into the crowd, bringing another few ones down.


    Li Yiming looked around coldly, he could not count the number of men in ck that surrounded him. He could see, in the distance, an endless sea of men yet stilling out of the alleyways. Finally, he looked at those who were on the ground, moaning in pain, and readied himself to kill; he had no choice now, since the men in ck no longer had long metal rods, but machetes. He had failed to dodge a strike earlier, although luckily for him the cut on his right arm was not that deep.


    The mobsters, who had been forced to retreat by Li Yiming¡¯s throwing of one of theirrades into them, closed in again. Li Yiming picked up a machete and dove into the sea of ckness. This was a rather familiar experience simr to when Li Huaibei fought wave after wave of beasts back in Eden. Li Yiming¡¯s movements quickened, but he waited longer before striking, despite the number of opponents increasing, and had more and more time to think about what he wanted to do. Whatever Li Huaibei intended to teach him, he would use this opportunity to fully digest and internalize. Whether this mirage was a coincidence or preordained by fate, he did not know, but he would not let this precious chance escape him.


    Slowly, it got to the point where Li Yiming could only see the machetes that the mobsters held and their exposed necks. He only required one blow directed at the throat for each enemy. It was a simple sequence: dodge, strike, rinse and repeat. After receiving his ninth wound, Li Yiming had begun to perfect his routine. By the time he sliced open the one hundred and thirty-seventh throat, it was nothing more than instinct.


    The droplets of blood that sshed onto his cheeks were warm, and when the cold steel of the machetes cut through his own flesh they brought a cold, stinging sensation. Li Yiming could barely keep track of how many wounds he had sustained, or of how many enemies he had in. He continued his routine amidst the sea of mobsters. Not too long ago, he would not even have dared to kill a chicken, but now, with no other choice, he was cutting his enemies down as if they were grass.


    As more and more men in ck fell to the ground, their corpses piled up around Li Yiming. However, the bloodbath did not stop more of them froming forth to rece theirrades. They formed an endless stream, waving their machetes and stepping on the corpses of theirrades. As dusk settled, the streetmps lit up, only to dim down a moment afterward. Even the wind that began to blow failed to carry away the pungent scent of blood, and in the middle of it all, one could see Li Yiming standing there like a devil, his body entirely showered with blood.


    Li Yiming had already swapped machetes many times. He stood in the middle of the pile of corpses and turned his head to look at Liu Meng, who was the only light that could guide him back to his humanity. This was the seventh time. He saw her tremble silently in the gusts that blew at the top of the tower, her voice had died out a long time ago from screaming and her heart already numb with dread. She had just lived the most important night of her life, and yet, instead of happiness and bliss weing her on the day after it, she found a living nightmare.


    ¡¯I won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡¯ Li Yiming firmed his will and turned his head away once again. From the first time he turned back to look at Liu Meng to the seventh, he had gradually lost the need to raise his head: the pile of corpses beneath his feet had now umted to nearly the height of the tower itself. He was starting to lose his strength, but his machete was still sharp and his technique was never closer to perfection.


    The mobsters had finally stopped their onught. However, they still surrounded the scene of the massacre and had no intentions of backing off. Li Yiming finally had some time to rest. He dropped down his arm and looked at the distance while carefully adjusting his breathing pace.


    "Quick and pitiless. You¡¯ve done beyond my expectations. Tell me, what have you gone through ever since bing a guardian?" A familiar voice was heard. The sea of mobsters split up. A figure appeared at the end of the newly formed path; it was a figure that upied many of Li Yiming¡¯s thoughts and appeared in many of his dreams. Her svelte form seemed ever so alluring as she walked out of the darkness. However, Li Yiming could not recognize her anymore.


    "Who are you?" Li Yiming asked calmly as he gazed coldly at Ji Xiaoqin. He knew that everything he found in this world was an illusion, things that were even faker than the things in a. That was why he was able to be as ruthless as he was. Ji Xiaoqin was fake, and so was Liu Meng. To protect Liu Meng was about perpetuating his own will and making up for his past mistake more than anything. Even if it was just an illusion, he would not allow anything to happen to Liu Meng.


    "Why, I¡¯m Ji Xiaoqin, of course." Ji Xiaoqin arrived at the bottom of the mountain of corpses. Four mobsters kneeled down docilely on the ground, and Ji Xiaoqin, in all of her grace, sat down onto the chair built with human flesh ratherzily. She raised her right leg, exposing quite a bit of skin from beneath the folds of her skirt, and swayed it back and forth in the air. She was possessed with an air of lustfulness that Li Yiming had never seen before, with her wandering eyes lost in a long stare at the distance. Li Yiming would never have thought that the same visage could be so different, and so alluring with a simple change.


    "What do you want?" Li Yiming moved his eyes away from Ji Xiaoqin. He looked at the mobsters, who stood still with military discipline, and estimated the amount of time he wouldst against them. He did not regret entering the dome of light in blind self-confidence in the slightest, since it led him to discover the truth that mattered the most in his entire life. He had doubted the veracity of what was shown to him in the mirage, but when he thought back about the careful distance that Liu Meng maintained around him, about the asional dejection she disyed, about the word "bro" that she said so often, and about the hair she had cut short, he could now easily see the reason behind it all. Li Yiming did not know how the mirage managed to replicate all of it faithfully, but this had to be the truth, Li Yiming was sure of it.


    "I wanted both of you to die. But I¡¯ve changed my mind now." Ji Xiaoqin raised one of her long, pale fingers. She pointed at Liu Meng. "Give her to me, and I¡¯ll let you go. We can even be together once again."


    Li Yiming turned around to look at Liu Meng, who stood still like a lifeless statue. Her hair billowed in the wind and her limbs shook in the coldness.


    "I won¡¯t let youy a single finger on her, not until I die," Li Yiming replied calmly, but the firmness of his voice made his resolution unquestionable.


    "Why? Weren¡¯t we happy together? Two years of sleeping side by side, and yet you choose her over me and your own life? I know still love me, why won¡¯t you ept me again? Is it because I once betrayed you?" Ji Xiaoqin stood up slowly and stepped on the corpses while twisting her sensual waist.


    "Making one mistake was enough. Even though this is all fake, I won¡¯t walk down the same path again." Li Yiming stared at Ji Xiaoqin as she trod toward him. Although it was clear now that their rtionship had start as a result of a misunderstanding, the two years they had spent together was enough to make Li Yiming think fondly of Ji Xiaoqin; there was no denying that.


    "Don¡¯t you think that I¡¯m even more attractive than before? I can make you feel like you¡¯re in heaven." Ji Xiaoqin opened her mouth and licked her teeth slowly, suggesting at an enticing reward if Li Yiming agreed.


    "You always did make me feel that way." Li Yiming looked at Ji Xiaoqin, who was now right in front of him. He moved his machete slightly, but then dropped it back down.


    "Why?" Ji Xiaoqin was surprised. "If you killed me, perhaps all of this would be over."


    "You don¡¯t understand." Li Yiming dropped his machete and jumped onto the tower. He gently pulled Liu Meng into his arms.


    "I don¡¯t know where you are, and I¡¯m really worried. I know that I should try my best to get out of this illusion and go look for you, but I don¡¯t know how. It might be easy to kill her just now, but I know that she must have something up her sleeve if she dares to approach me directly. I don¡¯t want to burden myself further, I really did love her, even if it¡¯s no longer the case." Li Yiming slid his finger beneath Liu Meng¡¯s long hair and grazed her stiff shoulders.


    "The illusion reflects the weakness in my heart. Even if I can take lives like one reaps the grass, I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ve changed fundamentally. I know that you also don¡¯t want to see me be like that. I didn¡¯t have much of a choice since I¡¯ve been dragged into all of this domain stuff, but this time, I want to make my own choice and see what¡¯s inside my own heard." Li Yiming lifted Liu Meng¡¯s face and tried his best to show to her how much he loved her.


    "You won¡¯t get a chance," Liu Meng, who stood still as if she had lost her soul, suddenly said with a cold voice. Li Yiming felt a sudden tightening of his chest. The tip of Liu Meng¡¯s fingers lit up with a metallic tint as she thrust her hand into his flesh.


    "It¡¯s okay, I owe you that." Li Yiming closed his eyes, ignoring the pain that tore through his chest, and wrapped his arms around Liu Meng.


    * * *


    The rocky ground melted as a beautiful woman with barely any clothing on her emerged from below. Below her waist, instead of her legs, one would find a giant tail covered with silver scales. Her tail contorted and rxed as she slowly made her way toward Li Yiming.


    "The lonely music of zither and flute in the smoke; and the sigh mourning the departure of that feeling which none can rival. If Wentian loved me half as much as you did for that girl, I wouldn¡¯t be here today." The snake-woman stopped still in front of Li Yiming and scraped his face gently with the sharp tip of her nails.


    "Who are you? You walked through my barrier as if it was nothing. You kill without hesitating and stay impassive in front of a mountain of corpses, and yet you are weak emotionally and you refuse to leave her. How did you survive and grow in the domains?" The woman¡¯s nail had moved to where Li Yiming¡¯s heart was, and she traced circles on his skin, as if they were caresses of love. With a little push, she would be able to pierce his heart. The jade pendant which hung from Li Yiming¡¯s neck had been reduced to dust a long while ago.


    "What an interesting guardian. I¡¯m almost tempted to spare you." The snake-woman had a charming smile and seemed to hesitate about finishing Li Yiming off.


    "You should consider yourself lucky to have hesitated. Give me your inner pill now and I¡¯ll let you go." The voice of a child suddenly came out of Li Yiming¡¯s chest. The woman backed off, her beguiling smile changing into an expression of fear of seeing her worst enemy.


    A small figure appeared in front of Li Yiming. She wore a white one piece and had long leather boots. Her ck braids, slightly plumpy cheeks, and the rosy skin of her arms gave her an air of a y doll. She stood in front of Li Yiming with a childish, innocent expression.


    Drum rolls! :3

 Volume 3 Chapter 33

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 33 ¨C Trouble Yet Settled</strong></h4>


    "Bai Ze?" The woman looked at the innocent-looking little girl in front of her fearfully. She rattled her silvery tails as she made ready to strike.


    "You know, Bai Xi, based on our lineage, we are technically blood-rted, aren¡¯t we?" Bai Ze blinked at the woman. Bai Xi was a reputable figure herself, being one of the direct descendants of the Empress N¨¹wa herself. 1


    "I was wondering why this kid had so much confidence. Now I see, it¡¯s because he thinks that you¡¯ll be able to protect him. But what about you? Are you absolutely confident that you can take me on? He¡¯s not going to be able to help you, you know?" Bai Xi had recovered from her shock and gradually regained herposure.


    "And you think that I¡¯ll give you the time to cast one of your illusions?" Bai Ze threw the question back to Bai Xi like a peevish child talking back to her mother.


    Bai Xi jumped back, the ground beneath her had begun to shake, and her body was about to sink beneath it. Bai Ze¡¯s lips pursed into a smile as she dashed toward Bai Xi and wrapped her hands around Bai Xi¡¯s tail. She pulled as hard as she could, and, with a loud thud, managed to drag Bai Xipletely out of her hiding spot. This time, unlike when Bai Xi moved into the earth at her own will, a huge crater was produced, along with flying rock debris and a cloud of dust. Bai Ze swung her arms over her head and threw Bai Xi into the air. She looked at Bai Xi¡¯s tail, which stiffened as she fell back down, and snatched it. She then pitilessly smashed her toward the ground.


    Bang!


    Bai Xi waved her arms helplessly as she collided against the ground. A cavity whose shape matched the allurings curves of her body was imprinted. Before she could react, however, she felt herself lifted up once more.


    Bang!


    Another collision that made Bai Xi¡¯s head spin. She opened her mouth in an attempt to yell out an insult, but once again, the sensation weightlessness came. Bai Ze seemed to have found a hated enemy in the ground beneath her feet. She whipped it repeatedly using Bai Xi¡¯s body, and, from her expression, one could see that she was enjoying herself greatly in the task.


    The ground splintered and puffs of dust clouds emanated from it as loud thuds continued to reverberate within the tiny light dome. Bai Xi could do nothing but worry as Bai Ze happened to counter her techniques perfectly. It was just like Big Beard, who could have easily in Bai Xi if he was to meet her face-to-face, but was doomed to a slow death in one of her crafted illusions. Now, the tables had turned and she herself was going to meet the same fate unless a miracle was to happen.


    The conclusion to the game of whack-a-mole left Bai Xiying still on the ground, looking dirty and flustered while Bai Ze¡¯s pressed one of her small hands against her chest. When she opened her eyes once again, she saw a face with delicate featurese closer and closer to her own.


    "Give me your inner pill, and I¡¯ll let you live." Bai Ze smiled earnestly.


    "You¡¯re asking for my life here. I¡¯ll lose everything I have." Bai Xi spat out. Although Bai Ze¡¯s attacks had created a big ruckus, it was not enough to harm her seriously. Bai Ze had only intended to intimidate Bai Xi and have some fun for herself.


    "It¡¯s not easy, but at least you¡¯ll be able to recover one day. Think about it carefully, I wouldn¡¯t mind swallowing you whole." The smile still hung on Bai Ze¡¯s lips, but the tint of purple in her eyes and the fading projection of a white lion with wings on its back made it obvious to Bai Xi that she was not joking at all.


    "You¡¯ve been through Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" Bai Xi was shocked. Being a mythical beast herself, she was extremely sensitive to anything that had to do with the scent of lightning.


    "What do you think?" The purple glow in Bai Ze¡¯s eyes brightened and her smile faded away.


    Bai Xi hesitated a little more, but finally, under the overwhelming pressure, she had to opt for the painful decision. She opened her mouth and spat out a white glowing marble. Bai Ze immediately exhaled a stream of purple smoke on the object that wrapped around it like a tentacle and pulled the pill back into her own stomach.


    "Alright, leave." Bai Ze cleaned away the dust stuck on her clothes with a few pats and walked away from Bai Xi. When she turned her head away, signs of deep relief appeared on her face.


    Bai Xi crawled up from where sheid, visibly weakened by the donation of her inner pill. When she saw Bai Ze spit out the purple fume, she gave up all hopes of recovering her pill. Just as she had expected, that was the aura of Heaven¡¯s Punishment; she had lost it all now. Bai Xi threw onest nce at Li Yiming, who was still on the ground with his eyes closed, and crawled all the way to the shores of the Shangbei River. A small sshter and she waspletely gone.


    When Li Yiming opened his eyes, he saw a pretty but angry face right in front of him.


    "Bai Ze?" Li Yiming was overjoyed. He quickly snapped out of the emotions of the illusion.


    "Hey, would you mind being a little smarter?" Bai Ze waved her fists in anger. "You know you would have died if it wasn¡¯t for me? What¡¯s wrong with you? First, the phoenix and now Bai Xi, don¡¯t you know how to pick enemies that you can handle?"


    "You killed her? Bai Xi, was that her name? Have you recovered?" Li Yiming ignored her outburst and looked at the devastation around him; by all indications, a terrible fight had just urred.


    "Recover my ass! It¡¯s Heaven¡¯s Punishment, you know." Bai Ze¡¯s exasperated outburst had gone down a pitch when she remembered that it was Li Yiming who saved her life.


    "Then how did you...?"


    "I bluffed her." Bei Ze pursed her lips, visibly satisfied with her achievement. "I scared her into giving me her inner pill, so there¡¯s nothing she can do to us now. But there¡¯s so much power inside that pill, I¡¯ll need all my strength just to keep it contained. Be careful, okay?" Bai Ze vanished after a streak of white light that shot toward Li Yiming¡¯s chest.


    "Hey! I still have a lot of things to ask you!" Li Yiming yelled out, but Bai Ze did not answer him.


    ¡¯Bai Xi¡¯s illusion destroyed. Bai Xi repelled. Bai Xi¡¯s inner pilled obtained: Path Progression obtained, thirty points.¡¯ Li Yiming heard a familiar voice in his head.


    ¡¯Bai Xi? As in that half-snake Bai Xi? Bai Ze bluffed her?¡¯ Li Yiming looked around and went to help Big Beard, whoid on the ground, barely alive. Luckily, the light dome vanished soon after Bai Xi left, and the others on the outside quickly joined them.


    "Yiming, are you okay?" Qing Qiaoqiao was ahead of her friends. Li Yiming reacted quickly enough to catch her shoulders and stopped her from jumping into his arms.


    "I¡¯m okay, just have a look at him, I¡¯m not good this kind of thing." Li Yiming directed his friends¡¯ attention toward Big Beard.


    "He¡¯s exhausted, that¡¯s all. But the two others..." Zeng Qian examined Big Beard promptly.


    Li Yiming shook his head to mean that he was sorry. He had not seen the corpses ever since waking up. Bai Xi must have disposed of the two before leaving.


    "Thank you." Fang Shui¡¯er stepped forward and expressed her gratitude.


    "We¡¯re on the same team, don¡¯t say things like that." Li Yiming¡¯s mind was still preupied with what had happened within the illusion. What he had learned from it was invaluable.


    "What did you see?" Qing Qiaoqiao, sharp as she always was, noticed the change in Li Yiming¡¯s air. He seemed a lot more distant, and there was also something deadly about him now.


    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯d rather not talk about it. How long have I been inside?" Li Yiming tried to change the subject of the conversation, since he did not really want to share the details about his past with anyone else, especially Qing Qiaoqiao, whose intentions were obvious to everyone in the group. In fact, he wanted to avoid talking to her about that at all costs.


    "Almost five days." Qing Linglong came forward and put a hand on her younger sister¡¯s shoulder, signaling her to stop asking further. She could also feel the subtle change in Li Yiming¡¯s temperament.


    "Five days?" Li Yiming was surprised. He knew that he had spent quite a bit of time inside the illusion, but five days was still beyond his initial estimation.


    "It seems like I¡¯mte again." A soft voice was heard. Li Yiming lifted his head and saw three people standing on the bridge above them. One was dressed stylishly, although it was hard to tell whether it was a woman or a man, the other was an old man with a hunched back, while thest had an alluring figure and had her face hidden behind a veil.


    "Liu Meng?" Li Yiming jumped up. Even with her face hidden, Li Yiming recognized her instantly.


    "Ya Yu?" Qing Linglong pulled out both of her knives and walked in front of her sister.


    "He¡¯s the one who brought Ya Yu away," Qing Qiaoqiao said loudly while pointing at the man who was more beautiful than most women Li Yiming had ever seen. Meanwhile, Fang Shui¡¯er took out her bow and a swarm of bugs flew out of Zeng Qian¡¯s body, wrapping themselves around herself and Big Beard.


    "Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re not my target." The effeminate man smiled as he cast down a look on the group from the bridge. Fang Shui¡¯er could now see why Qing Qiaoqiao had such a hard time describing the man, since he was such a chaotic mixture of distinctive and sometimes conflicting qualities.


    "Liu Meng, are you okay?" Li Yiming did not move his eyes away from Liu Meng. Seeing her unharmed brought great relief to him.


    "You know each other?" Liu Meng stayed silent, and, instead, the man who headed the group asked Li Yiming.


    "Who are you?" Li Yiming noticed the oddity in Liu Meng¡¯s behavior. She expressed absolutely no emotion at seeing him again and was simply staring vacantly at the distance.


    "You¡¯ll know about my identity soon enough. Well, since I¡¯mte, I¡¯ll leave you to yourselves. I hope that you¡¯ll stay alive for at least a little while, you¡¯re quite the interesting people." The man waved his hand as if he was saying goodbye to old friends and disappeared with a smile.


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming rushed toward the bridge. However, the nearly thirty meters of elevation was beyond what he could reach by jumping, so he had to look for a way to climb up.


    "Wait, calm down!" Qing Linglong warned Li Yiming, but, instead of stopping him, she followed with her weapons in hand. She knew that Li Yiming was not the kind of person to give up that easily, and the rest of the group knew as well, so they all followed him cautiously.


    By the time they had reached the top, Liu Meng was long gone. The road waspletely empty, without even a single car. "My bugs have lost them, they knew." Zeng Qian put Big Beard, who had yet to wake up, into a car. She herself wasgging behind her teammates, and although she had sent her bugs to trail Liu Meng, they were to no avail.


    "Liu Meng, she looked really... weird." Li Yiming turned back to look at his friends.


    "I think she¡¯s under the influence of some kind of spell. It doesn¡¯t look like a focus-based technique though." Qing Qiaoqiao looked at Li Yiming, who seemed worried sick, and her own mood sank as well.


    "Very odd indeed. I don¡¯t think that normal focus-based technique would be enough to control Ya Yu. A cruel beast like him has barely enough mental substance to formte a thought beyond the desire for blood, I doubt that it could ever be made to stay calm like that," Qing Linglong said with a frown.


    "Where¡¯s Eyesses?" Li Yiming took a deep breath. ¡¯Whether she¡¯s hypnotized, or under the control of someone else, at least she¡¯s still alive, and that¡¯s already good news.¡¯ He found at least some reconciliation in that fact.


    "In a hotel ahead."


    "We should go there and rest briefly. We¡¯ll need his help." Li Yiming knew that just being worried would aplish nothing, and Eyesses would the best help he could obtain for finding Liu Meng.


    I¡¯m a little sick right now x.x . Hopefully this won¡¯t degenerate into a fever.


    N¨¹wa is the Gaia figure in Chinese mythology, who is credited with the creation of mankind of mud. For that reason, she¡¯s obviously very famous and holds an important position. She¡¯s usually depicted as being half-human with a snake¡¯s tail, kind of like the <i>naga. </i>The blood-rted Bai Ze talks about is probably due to themon <i>Bai</i> that her and Bai Xi shares, but beyond that, there¡¯s nothing that suggested at an actual rtionship between Bai Ze and Bai Xi. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 34

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 34 ¨C Li Yiming¡¯s Conjecture</strong></h4>


    The team quickly arrived at the hotel in which Eyesses was staying at. Its size allowed the existence of only two suites, and since Eyesses had already reserved one of them, they all had to squeeze into the remaining one, which was made avable promptly after Li Yiming dropped a stack of money worth about one hundred thousand onto the counter. None of them wanted to share a room with Eyesses, since they did not know what vampires did during the day, and neither were they eager to find out.


    "Alright, let¡¯s talk about what happened there." Li Yiming put Big Beard on the bed and sat back down on the sofa in the living room. Qing Qiaoqiao poured him a ss of water.


    "It¡¯s pretty obvious to me. That man has taken control of both Ya Yu and Liu Meng. We want to find her, then we need to look for that man." Zeng Qian had one hand against the wall of the room. A green gas seeped from between her fingers into the wall; it had be a habit for her to do that.


    "It¡¯ll be hard to search for a specific person in such a big city, especially when she¡¯s a guardian. If she conceals herself, it¡¯ll impossible to find her. Remember the group of people we met back at the museum? They were right next to us and Eyesses didn¡¯t even notice them." Qing Linglong took a bottle of beer out of the fridge. She had a sudden craving for it amidst her frustration of having the feeling that she had neglected something important, but could not quite remember what it was exactly.


    "I have a question." Fang Shui¡¯er removed her high-heels and sat down on the sofa. "I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but that man was able to control Ya Yu. That would take an inconceivable amount of focus."


    "Of course, and Liu Meng at the same time? Guardians aren¡¯t normal people. It¡¯s no simple task to control one either," Qing Qiaoqiao added.


    "Well, if we assume that he¡¯s not ridiculously strong, then there¡¯s only one exnation left: he has some kind of talent that¡¯s not focus-based," Fang Shui¡¯er said.


    "Talent? Not focus-based. You mean... beast taming?" Qing Longlong realized that this lead was exactly what she had forgotten about.


    "Yes, that¡¯s the only exnation."


    "Remember what he said when he showed up?" Qing Linglong¡¯s confidence in her own guess grew.


    "He said, ¡¯I¡¯mte¡¯. Doesn¡¯t that mean he was there for that beast? But he saw that Li Yiming had already taken care of her, so he left." Qing Qiaoqiao read her sister¡¯s thoughts like a book.


    "His talent has to be beast taming. He¡¯s gathering the beasts to increase his own strength," Fang Shui¡¯er concluded.


    "With that talent, he can borrow the force of Heaven¡¯s Laws and force beasts to fight for him after a contract has been sealed. That would make sense, but what about Liu Meng? She looked like she was in the same state as Ya Yu, is she a beast? I¡¯ve never heard of beast tamers who could control guardians." Zeng Qian sat right next to her sister, in a rather formal posture that made it seem like she was participating in a politicalmittee.


    "What¡¯s Liu Meng¡¯s talent?" Qing Linglong asked.


    "Fire." Li Yiming had his hands stuffed in his pockets. He tried his best to formte an idea, but could think of nothing due to his ownck of knowledge. The only thing he could do was to wait for something toe out of his teammates.


    His answer disappointed his teammates, who at least hoped for something simr such as "beast transformation", but fire had nothing to do with it. The room sank into a dead silence.


    "This isplicated." Qing Qiaoqiao looked at Li Yiming. She could not understand the change in Li Yiming¡¯s attitude after he came out of the illusion. ¡¯What did he go through? Why is he so... cold?¡¯


    "There¡¯s something else." Qing Linglong finished her beer and looked at Li Yiming with a serious countenance. "I¡¯m seriously doubting our ability to fight that man even if we find him. If he can control Ya Yu, then surely he¡¯s not that weak himself. With Ya Yu, Liu Meng and perhaps other beasts we don¡¯t know about at this point, can we even take him on in a fight?"


    "Well, even if we can¡¯t fight him we should at least search." Li Yiming suddenly stood up in irritation. He mmed the bedroom¡¯s door shut behind. Qing Linglong was clearly surprised by such an outburst while Qing Qiaoqiao seemed somewhat understand the reason behind it.


    "You know, if that man was really as strong as you say he is, why didn¡¯t he attack us?" A sudden thought urred to Zeng Qian.


    All heads were turned toward the bedroom with the same question in mind. ¡¯Was he afraid of Li Yiming?¡¯


    Li Yiming sank into the soft mattress. He knew exactly why he was angry: he was all too familiar with this feeling of helplessness and powerlessness at his own fate. He recalled the night inside the illusion, he thought about all the years Liu Meng spent with that secret buried inside her heart. ¡¯How, how am I supposed to find you and make up for my own mistake?¡¯


    ¡¯I thought you had improved your character by a bit, but here we are once again.¡¯ He heard Bai Ze¡¯s voice in his head.


    "You¡¯ve recovered?" Li Yiming got up with excitement. It was just the right moment for the awakening of a know-it-all like Bai Ze.


    "I¡¯m still pretty far from that. I just felt a big emotional turbulence, and I was afraid that you were going to do something stupid, so I came out and had a look. " Bai Ze¡¯s joking tone suggested at a good mood.


    "Liu Meng has been influenced." Li Yiming was a little annoyed by Bai Ze¡¯s nonchnce.


    "It¡¯s not influence. She¡¯s been sealed."


    "Sealed, you know what happened to her?"


    "Of course, your eyes are mine. More precisely, something else is controlling her."


    "What?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Do you know about Bi Fang?" Bai Ze said.


    "Bi Fang? You mean that firebird with one leg, blue feathers, and a white beak?" Li Yiming was surprised.


    "You¡¯ve seen him?" It was Bai Ze¡¯s turn to be baffled.


    "I¡¯ve met him before." Li Yiming briefly retold her what had happened between Li Huaibei and Bi Fang.


    "Then it¡¯s pretty obvious what happened. Bi Fang lost that fightpletely, and he knew that he couldn¡¯t escape being chased down by that sage-level guy, so he tried to seal Liu Meng¡¯s consciousness and take control of her body, but he didn¡¯t think that he would fall prey to a beast tamer. In the end, he still became a ve. Also, how did you get to know someone who¡¯s sage-level?" Bai Ze asked.


    "Is Liu Meng okay right now?" Li Yiming ignored Bai Ze¡¯s question and asked about the only thing that concerned him.


    "I would think that she¡¯s unharmed, at least for now. But if we wait any longer, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. How did Liu Meng be a guardian by the way?" Bai Ze went off on another tangent. She was even more surprised than Li Yiming when she saw his Heavenly Vein. ¡¯He waspletely powerless only a few days ago, what happened? It would take an incredible amount of Progression Path points to get him to where he is now.¡¯


    "I¡¯m not sure. Liu Meng became a guardian after she woke up from hera in Ning Vige. She told me about going on the Stage of Ascension." Li Yiming was led astray by Bai Ze¡¯s question.


    " I guess there¡¯s nothing wrong with Heaven¡¯s Laws picking those best suited for the task. What about you? How did you be that strong?"


    "Do you remember that lightning? I became like that after getting struck by it. I was just going to ask you about it."


    "Lightning?" Bai Ze stopped talking for a moment. She was still caught in a moment of after-scare at how she narrowly escaped certain death. "Now that you mention it, since our fates are tied together, any rewards I receive for braving through Heaven¡¯s Punishment should be extended to you as well. I guess it makes sense that instead of strengthening the abilities you didn¡¯t have in the first ce, they were made essible. So, what¡¯s your n now? Are you nning on focusing on spell? Did you use all of your points in there?" Bai Ze asked after noticing that "spell" was the only ability exceeding level three.


    "You know, that¡¯s exactly what I wanted to ask you." Li Yiming stretched himself on the bed, a little discouraged. "I used all of my points into spell, but nothing happened. I don¡¯t even know how I got to level four."


    "You used everything?" Bai Ze was surprised.


    "Yes, I used all 130 points and nothing happened."


    "Give it another try." Bai Ze was still incredulous. Li Yiming listened to her and added just a little bit of the points he had just obtained into spell once again.


    "This doesn¡¯t make sense. You¡¯ve just activated your Heavenly vein, so howe you can¡¯t improve it with Progression Path points? That would doom you to being stuck at your current level forever." Bai Ze¡¯s despair was growing; she had thought that after such a long wait, especially after seeing that Li Yiming had improved to level three in all categories, which was way beyond the limits of a normal person and even respectable ording to guardian standards, things would be different. However, she only realized now that maybe it would be impossible for him to grow further. If it was really the case, then the future would be bleak for both herself and Li Yiming.


    "Maybe it¡¯s because of Heaven¡¯s Laws." Li Yiming was also concerned by seemingly not having the ability to grow further, especially after seeing all the high-level guardians battle back in Eden.


    "That¡¯s probably it. This is a lot moreplicated than I thought it would be." Bai Ze calmed down and searched in her mind for something that might be useful.


    "But you know, it¡¯s a lot better than before. At least I¡¯m level three in everything now." Li Yiming noticed Bai Ze¡¯s mood sinking down and smiled optimistically. "Also there¡¯s something else. I think that all of the focus techniques for probing and barriers of any kind are useless against me, even sage-level Boundaries. Isn¡¯t that great?"


    "What? Boundaries don¡¯t affect you?" Bai Ze¡¯s voice jumped up an octave. "You better exin this to me properly. This is no small matter."


    "Remember that sage guy, Li Huaibei..." Li Yiming retold Bai Ze of what happened when he saw Li Huaibei fighting Bi Fang.


    "Combat Boundary..." Bai Ze seemed to have remembered something, but she hesitated.


    "I also bumped into another guardian who admitted that his talent of probing an area with his focus failed to find me. Also, Bai Xi¡¯s illusion barrier, I managed to walk inside without any trouble, and I could even see what was happening inside when I stood outside." Li Yiming gave Bai Ze another few examples of his "skill" in a rather showing-off tone to make up for his low-mood after the constatation that his Heavenly Vein could not grow normally like the others.


    "That is an impressive ability indeed. Used cleverly that is..."


    "Oh yeah. Li Huaibei told me that I¡¯m just like Mr. Kong, but due to some limitation imposed by Heaven¡¯s Law, he couldn¡¯t tell me the details." Li Yiming suddenly remembered what Li Huaibei told him before parting ways.


    "What? The same as Mr. Kong? Limitations?" Bai Ze was astonished; a clue about Mr. Kong, the mysterious figure that had preupied her mind ever since Ning Vige, had finally been obtained.


    "So I¡¯m guessing that..."


    "Mr. Kong is a bug, just like you!" Bai Zepleted Li Yiming¡¯s conjecture in a voice trembling with excitement.

 Volume 3 Chapter 35

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 35 ¨C Pay-to-win</strong></h4>


    "It would make sense if he was a bug in the system like you."


    "I¡¯ve been thinking about this. Why would he choose me, out of everyone? Am I special in any way? Was I a bug in the system in the first ce, or did he create a bug by choosing me?"


    "I¡¯d think that you were a bug in Heaven¡¯s Laws in the first ce. It would be nearly impossible to create a bug out of nothing, even for Mr. Kong. But why and how?" Bai Ze shook her head in frustration at herck of insight, despite being a mythical beast reputed for wisdom and knowledge.


    "Speaking of which, there are two Mr. Kongs." Li Yiming threw out the doubt that lingered in his mind ever since his encounter with Li Huaibei.


    "Two?" This revtion once again came to the shock of Bai Ze.


    "Yeah, Li Huaibei pulled me into his own memory. I saw it in Eden..." Li Yiming retold the details to Bai Ze.


    "Eden... Mr. Kong..." The mention of what Li Huaibei experienced brought a terrible feeling to Bai Ze. She had never heard of Eden before, but Li Yiming¡¯s tale did remind her of something else she knew about, a ce she did not even dare to think about...


    "Give me some time for this, okay?" Bai Ze answered rather spiritlessly.


    "Oh yeah, I see something called ¡¯immunity to thunder¡¯, is that my talent?" Li Yiming changed the topic of the conversation after noticing Bai Ze¡¯s low mood. If things were soplicated as to confuse a mythical beast like her, then there was no point for someone that joined the party halfway to worry about that.


    "No, it¡¯s not. That¡¯s just a passive skill you obtained after the Source of Thunder merged with your body. Your talent is still empty, I can see it clearly. Oh! I know why your spell improved, it¡¯s because you took in the Source of Thunder." Bai Ze answered him in a voice that suggested at her still being distracted by Li Yiming¡¯s story.


    "Source of Thunder? Passive skill?" Li Yiming could also see how he reached level four in spell now, but he was dumbfounded by Bai Ze¡¯s exnation.


    "You don¡¯t know about the Source of Thunder? It¡¯s inside you, how¡¯s that even possible?" Li Yiming¡¯s diversion tactic worked; Bai Ze was now too busy being frustrated by his naiveness to think about Eden.


    "I told you, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve been kind of dragged forcefully to where I am today, you know. Didn¡¯t really have a chance to learn much on the way" Li Yiming was speechless.


    "You know, I¡¯ll never cease to be impressed by the amount of surprises I get when I talk to you. The Source of Thunder is something produced by Heaven¡¯s Laws. Sources exist for all elements, but no one knows where they are, or how to obtain them. It can improve your Heavenly Vein and even the talents that have to do with its element of origin. Well, lucky you, I guess there are at least a few benefits to being a bug. For the passive talent thing, it¡¯s hard to exin... I¡¯m sure that you wouldn¡¯t understand even if I told you. At least you don¡¯t have to worry about being struck by lightning now."


    "So, you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m immune to Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" A thought suddenly urred to Li Yiming.


    "Yes, that is correct." Bai Ze said in a discouraged voice. ¡¯I really don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good thing to be stuck with him.¡¯


    "If guardians do anything out of the ordinary in the real world, Heaven¡¯s Punishment would befall them, right?"


    "Didn¡¯t you experience that yourself?" Something in the way Li Yiming asked the question alerted Bai Ze. ¡¯What is he thinking about again?¡¯


    "If I can survive through a punishment, I¡¯ll get some kind of reward, right?"


    "Yes, what are you trying to say?" Bai Ze stared at Li Yiming and tried to guess what he was up to.


    "I¡¯m immune to thunder, so what if I just go find myself a spot with no one and abuse my power? It doesn¡¯t use any life marks anyways, so I¡¯ll just keep triggering the punishments and I¡¯ll be invincible in no time!" Li Yiming finally revealed his master n. ¡¯Ha! Using Heaven¡¯s Punishment to be stronger, that¡¯ll be way faster than obtaining Progression Path points!¡¯


    "There are other ways to die you know? Who told you that it would be lightning every single time?" Bai Ze answered, not very impressed by Li Yiming¡¯s proposal. ¡¯Oh, no... This guy, this newbie is a deadweight... I¡¯ll have to keep an eye on him so he doesn¡¯t do something stupid from now on.¡¯


    "There are other kinds of punishments?" Li Yiming was clueless.


    "Yes, whirlwinds, skyfire, ckwater, inner demon.... All kinds, really. How can you be sure that it¡¯ll be lightning every single time?" Bai Ze exined in a dispirited voice. "You know, what happened earlier was already beyond lucky. You¡¯re greedy for wanting to replicate that."


    "Okay, okay. I was just thinking about it, okay? By the way, is level three considered strong? Aside from the people I¡¯ve seen in Eden, it seems like level three is already quite impressive." Li Yiming remembered his Thunderous Strike that resulted in one dead and three grievously injured guardians not so long ago.


    "Let me exin. If you don¡¯t find other ways to strengthen your Heavenly Vein, and all you do is add points to it, then you¡¯ll need seven times more points to for each level. From level one to level two, you¡¯ll need fifty, three hundred fifty for level two to level three, and so forth. Beyond level seven, it bes something moreplicated than just using points. But that¡¯s not going to happen in a long while, so there¡¯s no use talking about it now."


    "Your level three in every category is all thanks to Heaven¡¯s Punishment. Normally, guardians would have to go through many domains to achieve what you did. You¡¯re still weakpared to the people you saw in Eden, but by the standards of a normal domain, you¡¯re already like a minor boss figure. Your friends outside probably achieved level three in one category at most," Bai Ze exined patiently.


    ¡¯Seems like I still have a long path in front of me, especially since I have no way to improve my Heavenly Vein. But at least I know why my Thunderous Strike was so strong now.¡¯ Li Yiming decided to try something else to impress Bai Ze. "Hey, look at this!" He said as he took out that old bronze coin from his bracelet.


    "A Dao Treasure? Where did you get that?" Bai Ze asked, very surprised.


    "I bought it for four yuan." Li Yiming bragged about his achievement, and this time it was an achievement indeed.


    "I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t hear you. Can you repeat what you just said?" Bai Ze said with an unamused expression.


    "I bought it for four yuan at the entrance of the antique market, from a stall." Li Yiming had to try very to hard to repress a smug smile.


    Bai Ze gave a long sigh. ¡¯Wait a second, is this guy some kind of pay-to-win yer?¡¯ "I¡¯m calling this a Dao Treasure because it¡¯s different from normal guardian equipment. There¡¯s something special about these items that make them even more valuable than Sage Artifacts.


    "Sage Artifact?" Li Yiming stared at the rust marks on the bronze coin.


    "Guardian equipment can also be ssified into levels. It¡¯s pretty simple actually, use your focus to check the object, and you¡¯ll see a runic glyph with a certain color. The colors correspond to the levels, white for level one, green for two, blue for three, purple for four, red for five, ck for six and rainbow for seven. Level sevens are called Sage Artifacts."


    "Really? So this thing is even better than level seven?" Li Yiming eyes lit up with hope.


    "Oh please." Bai Ze rolled her eyes. "Dao Treasures fall into their own category. They¡¯re special in a way, but it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that their levels are high. The coin you have here is level four at most. If it did exceed that level, I doubt that you¡¯d even be able to use it. Forget about obtaining a powerful weapon and ying enemies that are stronger than you; that won¡¯t happen; you won¡¯t even be able to unleash the item¡¯s full power. The special thing about Dao Treasures is that they can merge with their owner, or rather, their essence is extractable."


    Li Yiming nodded and listened carefully.


    "By extraction, I mean that you can use a certain method to extract the technique sealed within this item and make it be yours. Get it?"


    "So I can learn Thunderous Strike from this coin, and I¡¯ll be able to use it even without it?" Li Yiming¡¯s mental acuity improved after the recent events, and he was quick to grasp the gist of Bai Ze¡¯s teaching.


    "Exactly." Bai Ze looked at him like a teacher proud of her pupil.


    "Can you teach me how?" Li Yiming could not wait. He thought from the beginning that having a bronze coin between his fingers at the start of every fight would not only hinder his image, but also his performance. Especially since people would eventually learn to prepare for the attack that was going toe once they saw the bronze coin. If he could learn the technique sealed within the object, however, it would be the same as learning a spell, so it would aid him greatly.


    "Sure, it¡¯s pretty simple. Just focus on the glyph sealed within the item, and think about writing that pattern down inside your head." Bai Ze threw the coin into Li Yiming¡¯s hand and sat down right beside him.


    Li Yiming held the coin and listened to Bai Ze¡¯s instructions. It was not long before he could feel the appearance of a glyph representing Thunderous Strike inside of his mind. As the edges of the light glyph finished forming inside of his mind, the bronze coin turned into dust that fell onto the bed. Li Yiming closed and his eyes and was overjoyed when he realized that he had learned the technique and could use it whenever he wanted. ¡¯Yes, finally, a real spell!¡¯


    "Does this only work with Dao Treasures?" Li Yiming was overflowing with enthusiasm.


    "Of course, that¡¯s exactly why Dao Treasures are considered to be as precious as sage-level items." Bai Ze looked at Li Yiming, who took out an worn-out leather armor from his storage bracelet. This was a level two green item he had obtained earlier.


    "You know what... Have fun, I¡¯ll go rest for a bit." Bai Ze knew exactly what Li Yiming was up to this time and did not even bother stopping him.


    "You..." Bai Ze suddenly opened her eyes wide. Her breath quickened and she trembled, not believing what she saw just as she was going to transform into a ray of white light once more.


    The leather armor in Li Yiming¡¯s hand turned into a thin dust and spread out onto the ground. "Wait, my stamina increased by a bit?" Li Yiming was dumb with astonishment. He did not anticipate sess at all, and simply did it for the sake of trying.


    "How did you do that?" Bai Ze leaped at Li Yiming and exhorted. She picked up some of the dust from the ground. It was grey, and so thin that it slipped through her fingers and coated the bedsheets with ayer of dirt.


    "I... just did what you told me..." Li Yiming himself was unsure of what had just happened.


    "Do you have other items? We have to try again." Bai Ze¡¯s interest was piqued. If Li Yiming could repeat what he did with the leather armor, then she would not need to worry a single bit about him not having a talent or not being able to strengthen his Heavenly Vein: this would be an ability beyond the level of pay-to-win, and most likely a fatal mistake from Heaven¡¯s Law.


    Li Yiming dropped a pile of equipments on the bed.


    "Don¡¯t tell me you got all of this stuff at the antique market?" Bai Ze jumped when she saw the pile of items.


    "Of course not. We took these from other guardians. I gave away a few items out to the team and kept the rest." Li Yiming did not wait further and picked up a leather belt. A beam of light ran down the object, and it turned into dust just like the armor before.


    "So?" Bai Ze looked at Li Yiming with bright eyes.


    "Extraction failed?" Li Yiming closed his eyes. The runic glyph he had tried to capture from the item faded out slowly in his mind.


    "There¡¯s a sess rate? Was it a coincidence earlier then? Try again!" Bai Ze urged Li Yiming. She was even more eager than him to know the final oue.


    As the mountain of items shrank, Li Yiming and Bai Ze finally figured out the "rules" that governed the process of extracting an item. Aside from pills, Li Yiming was able to extract any kind of guardian equipment. The only catch was that the sess rate would be dependent on the equipment¡¯s level, and, regardless of whether the extraction was sessful or not, the equipment would be destroyed. The ability obtained from an equipment would also differ, depending on the equipment in question, but it was usually the strongest ability that the object had to offer. For example, from the bronze coin, Li Yiming obtained the Thunderous Strike technique, whereas from the armor, he obtained stamina that was worth about five points.


    By the time he exhausted his stock of guardian equipments, Li Yiming had sessfully extracted eleven equipments. One of his best results was the extractions of two storage items, which allowed him to have his own, personal storage space. Li Yiming was overjoyed when he realized that his storage space could be expanded indefinitely as long as he found more storage items to extract from. Another fruitful result was from a jade pendant, from which he obtained a level-three purification technique. From the rest of the items, he obtained mostly small improvements to his general abilities.


    "So you¡¯re a bug that can use hacks? Do I get a reward for reporting you?" Bai Ze asked when all was done.


    The gaming-ish system seems a little odd for the settings of the novel, but I guess they help clearly define levels of strength in a systematic way. Hopefully, with these you¡¯ll understand better the strength of the characters. Also, I love the interactions between Bai Ze and Li Yiming :3

 Volume 3 Chapter 36

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 36 ¨C ns and Schemes</strong></h4>


    "You¡¯ve seen that beast tamer. What are your thoughts? What about Bi Fang and Ya Yu? You heard the discussion earlier, can we even handle him?" Bai Ze¡¯s aid answered a lot of Li Yiming¡¯s questions. As dusk was about to settle in, Li Yiming directed the topic of the conversation toward the more pressing problem at hand.


    "I don¡¯t know much about that beast tamer. I can tell that he¡¯s very strong, so with Ya Yu under his control, I wouldn¡¯t be so confident. Bi Fang shouldn¡¯t be cause for worry though. I don¡¯t think that anyone can survive an encounter with a sage without paying a high price, on top of that he¡¯s not even in his own body. I also didn¡¯t feel the aura of any other beasts on that tamer," Bai Ze said.


    "You mean that the only beast under his control is Ya Yu? But that¡¯s impossible! If his talent really is beast control, then how did he subdue Ya Yu in the first ce?" Li Yiming remembered the conversation with his friends earlier.


    "You know, I was wondering the same thing. Unless he¡¯s naturally gifted with that level of strength after awakening?" Bai Ze was also perplexed.


    "Awakening?" Li Yiming seemed to have caught something.


    "That¡¯s pretty unlikely too. I told you earlier that the growth of guardians is a slow process that is very difficult to elerate. It¡¯s very improbable that Heaven¡¯s Laws wouldmit such a mistake, and you can see that even a bug like you has to follow the rules and do it step-by-step."


    "What if he¡¯s not a guardian?" Li Yiming smiled: he knew the answer.


    "You mean that..." Bai Ze¡¯s tone changed at the thought of what Li Yiming was proposing.


    "A camouger!" The verdict came out in unison.


    * * *


    "Where¡¯s Li Yiming?" Eyesses appeared at the entrance of the suite as soon as dusk fell. His face was so pale, he almost seemed like a spirit, but he was clearly in a state of excitation.


    "You¡¯re awake?" Li Yiming opened the bedroom door. He had now learned to conceal his emotions perfectly.


    "Are you okay?" Eyesses seemed a bit nervous.


    "I¡¯m okay. Let¡¯s talk about the matter at hand, alright?" Li Yiming led the group to the table and each took their seat.


    "It¡¯s okay, I already know about it. I¡¯m using everything I have ess to for the search, but I haven¡¯t found anything yet. Actually, I couldn¡¯t even see how they arrived at the bridge earlier in the day, and I can¡¯t figure out how they left, either." Eyesses seemed a little defeated and self-reproachful.


    "I think our goal now is to look for a snake rather than the beast tamer or Liu Meng." Li Yiming looked at Eyesses.


    "Snake?" Qing Linglong asked. She was reassured by the fact that Li Yiming had recovered hisposure, else it would could his judgment and put the entire team in danger.


    "Yes, Bai Xi, the one who created the dome of light earlier."


    "Bai Xi, the mythical beast? It was her?" Qing Qiaoqiao was surprised at hearing that their enemy was such a renowned being.


    "You didn¡¯t kill her?" Zeng Qian looked at Li Yiming, a little surprised. ¡¯He spared her? Or was he not able to finish her off?¡¯


    "It was beyond my capabilities. But I did take her inner pill, which is about the same thing." Li Yiming knew exactly what Zeng Qian was thinking and exined himself immediately.


    "Why are we looking for her again?" Qing Linglong asked with the bottle of beer in her hand. The thoughts in her mind wereing and going faster than ever.


    "That tamer, he¡¯s looking for her too. If we track Bai Xi down, surely we can find Liu Meng."


    "How do you know?" Qing Linglong questioned Li Yiming¡¯s proposition again. Even though she hadplete trust in Li Yiming¡¯s abilities by now, she was still used to nning everything carefully before making a decision. Since Bai Xi had lost her inner pill, she would probably not be of much value to the beast tamer, who had plenty of alternatives.


    "First of all, the tamer doesn¡¯t know that I took her inner pill. Second thing, he¡¯s looking for a quick way to increase his own strength," Li Yiming answered confidently.


    "Increase his own strength? But I thought tamers could only control up to a certain number of beasts? We just discussed how that tamer might have reached his limit already, since he seemed so strong."


    "No, you¡¯re wrong. I don¡¯t know about the level of that tamer, or how many beasts he can control, but I¡¯m sure that he hasn¡¯t reached his limit yet. It¡¯s very possible that the only ones under his control are Ya Yu and Liu Meng. That¡¯s because he has only just awakened recently." Li Yiming offered a calm exnation that shocked everyone present.


    "That¡¯s impossible! How can he be that strong then?" Qing Linglong questioned Li Yiming once again. It was her habit to question every assumption and verify every premise before formting a conclusion.


    "That¡¯s because he¡¯s not a guardian." Li Yiming stared at Qing Linglong with an intense gaze that suggested at his conviction. With the life-and-death experiences he had also came a sense of authority that was best left unquestioned.


    "Not a guardian?" Qing Qiaoqiao was dumbfounded.


    "He¡¯s a camouger?" Qing Linglong was the fastest to understand Li Yiming¡¯s intimation. She remembered what happened in the domain back in Hangzhou.


    A nod from Li Yiming was enough to bring awe to all of his friends. Camougers were amongst the most mysterious beings a guardian could ever encounter, and it was not rare for guardians to live their entire life without ever meeting one. Even the Fang sisters had only heard about them.


    "A camouger, Ya Yu, and Bai Xi. They¡¯re not going to be easy to take down." Eyesses smiled as he noticed Li Yiming¡¯s confidence.


    "There¡¯s something else I wanted to tell you. Liu Meng¡¯s consciousness has been sealed away. The one controlling her body right now, or the one being controlled by the tamer I should say, is Bi Fang." Li Yiming put forward another shocking revtion.


    "Bi Fang?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked in shock.


    "Yes, the one I encountered before." Li Yiming looked at her right in the eyes and nodded once again.


    Beads of cold sweat rolled down the foreheads of Li Yiming¡¯s teammates. ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with this domain? Camougers and mythical beasts everywhere? If it weren¡¯t for him, maybe we wouldn¡¯t be able to survive this domain...¡¯


    "What are your ns then?" Zeng Qian had also noticed Li Yiming¡¯s unusual calmness while facing the seemingly dire situation.


    "Bai Xi lost her inner pill, so she¡¯s powerless right now. She won¡¯t be able to cast any illusions, so it shouldn¡¯t be hard to find her. Once we track her down, we can simply wait for the camouger to appear. Bi Fang has sustained grave injuries before taking control of Liu Meng, so I don¡¯t think that he¡¯ll be much of a challenge. We should be able to handle the camouger by ourselves, as for Ya Yu..."


    "Leave Ya Yu to me." A low voice was heard from behind. Big Beard appeared, shirtless, with his body resting against the door frame. The scars hidden beneath the hair on his chest were grim reminders of his past struggles.


    "You¡¯re awake!" Fang Shui¡¯er stood up, happy at seeing her teammate¡¯s recovery.


    "I¡¯m not that good with words, but I know how to pay back a favor." Big Beard ignored Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s interjection and stared at Li Yiming. It had been a while since he had woken up, and he caught the start of the conversation. He knew about Fang Shui¡¯er and Zeng Qian¡¯s strengths, and he could easily see through that of the others present, but only Li Yiming remained aplete mystery. ¡¯The person who saved me from Bai Xi. It had to be this guy.¡¯


    "You can handle him?" Li Yiming was unsure about Big Bead¡¯s proposition. His initial n was to have Bai Ze buy some time against Ya Yu so he could find an opportunity to save Liu Meng.


    "If it¡¯s only him, then it shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem." Big Beard seemed eager to unleash some of his power as he was still frustrated at not being able to fight back against Bai Xi and losing his two friends to her.


    "He¡¯s a level five mecha pilot," Fang Shui¡¯er said.


    With Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s addition, Li Yiming and his friends understood where Big Beard¡¯s confidence came from; with the appropriate mech, a level five pilot could go head-to-head against a level six enemy. Li Yiming nodded and turned his head toward Eyesses.


    "I¡¯ll go change my target to Bai Xi right away." Eyesses disappeared with an impressive speed that was characteristic of vampires.


    Although the n was set in motion, contrary to Li Yiming¡¯s hopes, he did not receive any news of Bai Xi for the following five days. It seemed like both Bai Xi and the camouger had vanished from this world. Although Li Yiming and his friends attempted other search methods, they did not dare to split up when they were facing an enemy as strong as the beast tamer. The frustrating dy extended until the sixth day.


    "Still nothing?" Qing Qiaoqiao took out a metallic box out of her storage ring and gave it to Eyesses: it was human blood she had stolen from a hospital nearby.


    "Nothing. Eyesses opened the lid and grabbed a bag of blood. He bit open a corner and sipped it like yogurt without shifting his eyes away from the screen for even a second.


    "You should go rest. It¡¯s almost dawn." Qing Qiaoqiao sat down in front of theputer. Over the past few days, Fang Shui¡¯er and she had learned the basics of manipting the municipal surveince system in order to rece Eyesses during daytime.


    "I¡¯ll just finish eating here." Eyesses smiled in self-derision and looked at the greying sky outside.


    Beep beep!


    An rm was suddenly heard. Eyesses, who had been sinking into dejection, threw the bag of blood to the side and began typing rapidly on the keyboard.


    "Is it the camouger or Bai Xi?" Qing Qiaoqiao looked at the screen nervously.


    "Guardians?" Eyesses was surprised by what appeared on the screen. The disyed location was Bingshui Park, the park with the biggest man-madeke in the entire city.


    "Guardians?" Qing Qiaoqiao saw the team of the five people who were busy setting-up around theke.


    "Call the others," Eyesses said while adjusting the camera angles. The rest of the group soon showed up.


    "What are they doing?" Zeng Qian squinted and tried to read the guardians¡¯ movements. The group of guardians seemed to be dumping something into theke.


    "There¡¯s something in theke, look!" Qing Linglong¡¯s eyes were sharp enough to notice that an unnatural ripple ran down the surface of theke.


    "It¡¯s Bai Xi!" Li Yiming cried out when he saw a long, silvery shadow beneath the surface.


    "They¡¯re going after her. We have to hurry!" Fang Shui¡¯er darted toward the door.


    "Bai Xi doesn¡¯t have much power left. She¡¯s not going tost long. We¡¯re going to go there first. You guys get the car!" Qing Linglong yelled out to the rest of the group as she followed Fang Shui¡¯er out of the room. She and Fang Shui¡¯er were the only speed-focused guardians in the group. In a city filled with skyscrapers, they would be able to move at lightning speed.


    "Qiaoqiao, Zeng Qian, can you guys ride the car with Big Beard? Eyesses, you should stay here. It¡¯s going to be day soon. I¡¯ll follow Linglong." Li Yiming shouted out some orders and followed suit.


    Qing Qiaoqiao, Zeng Qian, and Big Beard ran out of the room in a hurry and headed for the parking lot. Big Beard did not use his mech to cover the distance more rapidly, since its power came at the price of obvious burdens to his body, which was an unwise tradeoff whenbat was a foreseeable need. Eyesses looked at the brightening sky outside and smashed the wall in frustration.


    Ahh, seeing Li Yiming¡¯s growth is so satisfying. Also sorry for the irregrities in the past week, I had exams followed by a cold, which made my days very unenjoyable. I promise that I¡¯ll work assiduously and make up for the dys from now on ??

 Volume 3 Chapter 37

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 37 ¨C Mythical Beast Ya Yu </strong></h4>


    A man stood on the surface of theke as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Streams of cold air spread out from where he touched the water, and the liquid beneath his feet crystallized at a perceptible speed. It was not long before ayer of ice covered the entire surface of theke. Four other men were waiting on the shore, one wielding axe, two others with katanas, while thest one had a portable cannon on his shoulders. All of them seemed rxed and confident in their imminent victory.


    "Don¡¯t overdo it. It¡¯ll be a pain to blow it open if the ice is too thick. I don¡¯t think that animal¡¯s going to be able to do much after taking the VN219," one of the men who held a katana spoke out coldly. His voice sounded like someone scratching at ss with nails.


    "We should stay on our guard. It¡¯s a mythical beast after all." The man with the cannon on his shoulders reminded his friends, but his expression indicated otherwise.


    "So this is the infamous Bai Xi? She must be quite the beauty, I presume? I haven¡¯t had a taste of a mythical beast yet. Don¡¯t kill it right away, okay? Let me have some fun," The first man said with a lewd smile, without minding the warning from his friend.


    The other men stayed quiet: it seemed like they were used to their friend¡¯s decadence. Suddenly, the man who was above theke smiled contemptuously and dashed to the side. A flower made purely of ice appeared where hended. The ice beneath where he stood a moment ago suddenly shattered, and a slender silver silhouette emerged from theke and chased after him.


    "Risking it all, huh?" The man performed a hand-seal. A wall made of ice appeared and blocked off Bai Xi¡¯s desperate attack.


    "I¡¯ve waited long enough." The other man with a katana, who stayed quiet the entire time, darted toward Bai Xi and swung down at her with his weapon.


    "Wait! Don¡¯t kill her right away!" The lewd man of the gang rushed toward Bai Xi with his weapon. He found her irresistibly charming, despite her having a long tail instead of legs. ¡¯Ah, I love out of the ordinary things!¡¯


    Bai Xi, who was caught in the air, struggled to dodge the blows directed at her. Green blood gushed out from her fresh wound and caused her to shriek in pain.


    "A focus discharge? You think that you can do anything under the effect of VN219? Look at this barrier, we¡¯re one step ahead of you." The vulgar man walked forward with a smile. A thin, almost transparent veil of light hovered above his head; this was a shield to protect him against focus based attacks.


    The man¡¯s arrogance angered Bai Xi. ¡¯If I still had my inner pill, you think this pitiful drug and barrier of yours would be enough to stop me?¡¯


    The next moment, Bai Xi sustained another blow that almost cut part of her tail off. She fell down to the ground and writhed in pain. The lewd man picked up his katana on the backhand and impaled Bai Xi¡¯s right shoulder, nailing her to the ground.


    "Do you guys want to try her out too? It¡¯s a mythical beast! Look at this body. Oh oh oh, I can¡¯t wait anymore. If you¡¯re going to stand around, then I¡¯ll be the first!" The lewd man said in an exaggerated voice. He ripped his own shirt off, revealing a lean, muscr torso.


    "Careful!" The man with the cannon on his shoulder suddenly yelled out. He jumped into a bush nearby and sought cover.


    The palms of the man who could control ice lit up with a white light, and his ice wall, which had just disappeared a moment ago, appeared in front of him. However, the sense of security provided by his wall was short-lived; the man sensed an oing danger and craned his neck. The next second, a rainbow-colored arrow pierced through the ice wall, grazing his ear as it flew through theyer of ice on the surface of theke, leaving behind a wide gaping hole.


    A few secondster, two other streaks of light whizzed across the sky. One of themnded at the spot where Bai Xi emerged from the water, whereas the second was shot at where the lewd man stood a moment ago when he attacked Bai Xi. The projectiles seemed like missiles more than anything, flying with deadly precision at lightning speed.


    "This scent of blood..." The rough-looking man with the axes turned around to look at the direction from which the arrows came.


    "Three people," The man who struck first said in a low voice.


    Just as he said so, Qing Linglong appeared, standing still in the distance with an indigo halo around her body. A fraction of a secondter and a crater appeared in front of her. A man dressed in ck appeared: it was Li Yiming, who tried his best to make his entrance as intimidating as possible. Fang Shui¡¯er was nowhere to be seen; she had already found a perfect ce from which she would be able to snipe their enemies.


    "It¡¯s you?" The man who struck first was surprised.


    "You know us?" Li Yiming stepped forward with his sword pointing toward the ground and made ready to use Thunderous Strike. He saw the bloody wounds on Bai Xi and was worried by how grave her injuries seemed. ¡¯She can¡¯t die. Otherwise, I¡¯ll never be able to find Liu Meng!¡¯


    "I see that you¡¯re a forgetful man. We spared you back at the museum and now you show up looking for trouble again? Are you that eager to die?" The man answered Li Yiming¡¯s question with a scornful smile, but his worry actually grew. ¡¯It¡¯s a good thing that we didn¡¯t fight him at the museum. The scent of blood on this guy, how many men has he killed?¡¯


    ¡¯So it was them.¡¯ Qing Linglong¡¯s body stiffened. ¡¯It¡¯s not an easy thing to remain undetected with Eyesses watching. These guys aren¡¯t definitely not incapable idiots.¡¯


    "We let you have your chance back at the museum, how about you do the same for us here?" Li Yiming proposed. Thest thing he wanted was toplicate matters even further.


    "What? Ahahahaha! What are you dreaming about?" The lewd man reacted as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "We spared youst time, and instead of gratitude, you¡¯re acting as if we owe you a favor?"


    "Go!" The man with the axes yelled. He threw one of the giant axes he held toward Li Yiming and bolted toward him with the other one in his hand. At the same time, a beam of light shot toward Li Yiming from the forest in the distance. The man with the katana leaped at Qing Linglong while his friend ran around with icicles forming around him and sought an opportunity to strike. As for the lewd man, he rushed toward a tree in the distance: it was Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s hiding spot.


    Li Yiming rolled forward, dodging both the axe and the beam of light, and tackled the man who ran at him. Qing Linglong brandished both of her daggers and met up with the man who jumped at her. Three more arrows flew out of the forest, targeting the man with the icicles this time. Fang Shui¡¯er ran between the trees and continued to fire while the man with the lewd smile chased after her.


    ¡¯That woman has the body of a goddess beneath her armor! Also that one with the two daggers... What a day today, is this a reward from Heaven¡¯s Laws? Hahaha!¡¯ The thought of Fang Shui¡¯er made all of the lewd man¡¯s blood rush toward his lower body. However, his thoughts were interrupted by a fist that suddenly punched through his skull from the left side and came out on the right. The hand held between its fingers the man¡¯s brain. The lewd man was still moving forward with a smile hanging on his lips and did not stop until he did a full spin around the arm. His body then fell down, limp, in a pool of his own blood.


    "Shit! Careful, they have more people!" The man with the cannon yelled out. He shot two shells toward where his friend died, and quickly grouped up with the icicle man. The rest of his group also retreated quickly after a few brief parries.


    Suddenly the sky darkened, but instead of rain, fireballs about the size of a basketball rained down from the clouds that had gathered. They flew rtively slowly and did not carry a lot of power, but the entireke was being targeted. The projectiles of fire rained down, striking at both friends and foes within the perimeter. Li Yiming¡¯s group and the other guardians split up and focused on dodging the attack instead of fighting with each other.


    "It¡¯s Liu Meng." Li Yiming nced at Qing Linglong to ask for her help and looked around eagerly for Liu Meng.


    "Careful! Ya Yu!" Qing Linglong was also apprehensive about how quickly things got out of control.


    A shadownded right next to Bai Xi, who was still moaning in pain on the surface of theke. The camouger smiled as he approached her. "I finally found you. Don¡¯t worry, your suffering is over. You can leave the rest to me and go to sleep now." The camouger extended his hand and caressed Bai Xi¡¯s face as if she was his lover. Bai Xi¡¯s struggles andmentations gradually ceased, and her pupils slowly dted until she gained the empty stare that Liu Meng and Ya Yu had.


    "Where¡¯s your inner pill?" The camouger suddenly burst out in anger. All of his elegance and charm vanished in an instant, and he turned into nothing more than the embodiment of rage and anger.


    "You destroyed my pet!" The camouger wrapped his arms around Bai Xi, staring at Li Yiming and the other guardians with eyes filled with frenzy and rage. "Kill them all, Ya Yu! Spare no one."


    A hoarse, low-pitched roar was heard. Two of the big trees around theke were suddenly obliterated. When the cloud of dust had settled, a man with the body of a cow, ws of a tiger and legs of a horse appeared. It had bloodshot eyes and muscles that seemed like they were about to burst open due to their massive size. Its heavy breathing indicated that it was hungry for blood.


    "Ya Yu?" The man with the two axes yelled out in surprise, but he was not intimidated by the appearance of the beast. Instead, he was ready to fight it. He looked at Li Yiming, and then back at Ya Yu, and tried to guess the rtionship between the two.


    "That guy¡¯s a camouger. Ya Yu is under his control. We were trying to lure him out from the start." Qing Linglong saw through the man¡¯s hesitation and tried to weave a temporary alliance against the camouger, who was by nature a mortal enemy of the guardians.


    "A camouger?" The man with the katana looked at the beast tamer and began to consider Qing Linglong¡¯s offer.


    "Moooh¡ª!" A strange roar came out of Ya Yu, and he galloped in their direction.


    The leader of the other group of guardians did not have much time to think. He nced at one of his friends and both quickly jumped back. He did not think that a seemingly easy pursuit of Bai Xi would turn into such a vicious struggle. Already, Li Yiming¡¯s appearance made him wary. Now, with Ya Yu and one casualty already sustained, it would be very unwise to continue to linger around any longer.


    "Arghh!" The man with the giant axes knew what his leader wanted. He leaped high into the air and came crashing down like a meteorite. The dark glint on his axes shone vividly as he struck the ground beneath him.


    Bang!


    A deafening noise was heard. The ground of the park splintered, producing a shockwave mixed with a streak of dark light that flew toward Ya Yu.


    At the same time, the ice maniptor performed a seal and started chanting on the surface of theke. A whirlpool quickly formed, and when thest seal was performed, a giant snake made of ice emerged from theke and gnawed at Ya Yu.


    For some reason I find it very funny when I picture Ya Yu as a big cow

 Volume 3 Chapter 38

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 38 ¨C Fallout</strong></h4>


    Ya Yu raised his front paws and stomped the ground violently. A halo of pale, yellow light was created at the point of impact. The imposing shockwave produced by the man wielding axes, to the horror of the guardians, was easily bounced off upon contact. The giant ice python, who was about to swallow him whole, had its head ripped apart by thetter¡¯s tiger ws with another odd-sounding roar. Ya Yu was already on its way towards the man wielding axes with a powerful push form his hind legs before the shards of ice even touched the ground.


    "Careful!" The man who held the katana screamed in terror. The man with the axes threw his weapons in Ya Yu¡¯s direction to try to slow him down, only to realize that a smaller yellow halo around his legs held him to where he stood.


    "NOO¡ª!" The ice manipting guardian, who was still on top of theke, yelled out in agony at being forced to witness the demise of his friend. Ya Yu, with a gentle tap of his ws, easily repelled the flying axes and appeared right in front of his target. The next second, he pierced through the guardian¡¯s chest with both of his ws.


    "Mooh¡ª!" Another strange growl from Ya Yu. Ya Yu moved his w outward and tore through the guardian¡¯s torso, creating a small firework of blood. Ya Yu snatched a piece of intestine with his bloody ws and slowly chewed it while staring at his next target, the man with the katana, with bloodthirsty eyes.


    They were nothing more than a feast for Ya Yu.


    "Yiming!" The bloodbath after a mere instant of facing Ya Yu caught Qing Linglong off guard. Although it was not the first time she encountered the monster, the emotional shock from this scene of excessive violence,pounded by unpleasant memories of what happenedst time she fought Ya Yu, froze her with fear for a second.


    "Let¡¯s go look for Liu Meng!" Li Yiming looked coldly at Ya Yu, whose entire body was painted red, and bolted toward the forest at the outer edge of the park with Qing Linglong following him closely.


    At the same moment, the man with the shoulder cannon, who stood far away from the scene of terror, had finished charging his attack. A beam of light traveled silently toward Ya Yu from the back. Thetter, instead of dodging the attack, crouched down and put his right arm in front of his face.


    Bam!


    The beam of light hit Ya Yu right on and sent him flying off backward. However, before the man with the cannon could celebrate his victory, he realized that Ya Yu had been targeting his friend, the ice-maniptor, who stood behind him, and used the speed from his attack to close the distance quickly.


    The ice manipting guardian reacted quickly and jumped upwards, but Ya Yu managed to snatch his ankle mid-flight. Both of them fell into theke, locked in their struggle. It was not long before they disappeared beneath the surface. The leader of the group, once again, wanted to yell out, but he knew that it was to no avail, and the cry of pain stayed stuck in his throat. He turned his head toward his friend with the cannon and found his staring at the distance nkly while a half-human half-snake figure appeared in front of him.


    "Fusion..." The leader of the group knew that the half-man, half-beast creature was no longer Bai Xi. Its tail was no longer silver, but gold, and although the human top-half still had a unique charm to it, Bai Xi¡¯s face had been reced by that of the camouger.


    ¡¯He¡¯s gone.¡¯ The thought barely urred to the leader when the camouger extended his right hand and slowly caressed his friend¡¯s neck. The next moment, blood poured out like a fountain as a human head fell to the ground at the same time as the cannon.


    Crack!


    The ice on the surface of theke was broken again. Ya Yu emerged alone, holding a human leg with his paw. Its mouth continued to chew as he showed a thirst for the next target toe.


    ¡¯There¡¯s no way I can run now.¡¯ The leader of the group knew that he would not be able to escape. Everything had happened so quickly, despite his intentions to retreat from the moment he saw Ya Yu. His friends had all died, and it already was toote for him to run for his life.


    "I didn¡¯t want to destroy this beautiful city, but you¡¯re leaving me no choice. Enjoy your own demise." The camouger turned his head to look at where Li Yiming left to, and slowly slithered toward thest target. The light that shone in his eyes made them seem more charming than ever, but this time they also concealed an intent to kill.


    "From the moment I walked down from the Stage of Ascension, I knew that this day would inevitablye. I guess I should consider myself honored to have a camouger and Ya Yu be the ones to finish the deed. And my buddy wasining a while ago that he hadn¡¯t seen a camouger after all these years, I guess his wish was heard." The leader of the guardians knew that there was no chance to survive, and giving up on life actually made him feel more cid than ever. He walked slowly toward Ya Yu while a small tornado that gradually increased in size slowly formed around him as he stepped forward: this was the embodiment of everything he had learned as a guardian, the will of his de.


    "Level five? Let¡¯s see how long you canst against Ya Yu." The rising aura surrounding the man with the katana surprised the camouger, but concern soon turned into a scornful smile. ¡¯Level five? That¡¯s nothing for Ya Yu.¡¯


    Ya Yu bit off a chunk from the leg he held and threw the rest into theke. He had realized that the man standing in front of him was probably going to be more tasteful than what he had at hand. His saliva, blood and the fragments of flesh had formed a thick, viscous substance around the corner of his lips, making him seem like an infernal monster straight out of hell.


    Ya Yu bent down and suddenlyunched himself toward hisst prey. The man continued his slow walk while the small tornado graduallypacted around his body. Thirty meters, ten meters, five meters... The man waited until Ya Yu was right in front of him before striking. It was a simple sh, nothing out of the ordinary, seemingly simr to a little kid swinging a wooden stick, but it came crashing down on Ya Yu at an incredible speed.


    Ya Yu crossed his front paws and met the strike head-on.


    Clink!


    A metallic noise resonated throughout the entire park. The leader had sunken a foot into the earth, but his strike was enough to stop Ya Yu in its course. The shockwave from the hit sent small debris and rock shrapnels flying around.


    "Release!" The man suddenly said with a resolute voice. His body fragmented and broke into shards like a mirror being hit with a rock, and all the fragments melted into his de. The luminescence which clung onto his weapon, repressed for so long, finally burst out in a bright explosion. The sudden outburst was enough to stun Ya Yu, who stood still in confusion.


    "Dodge!" The camouger shouted in surprise, but it was toote. The sh of light had already vanished. The single strike that carried the boundless anger and blood of the guardian had already carried away one of Ya Yu¡¯s paws with it. Ya Yu sank to the ground with painful moans and held his wound with his other paw.


    "Weapon fusion... Did he learn that before dying? A suicidal attack for the sake of living. IS that what it means to be guardian?" The camouger looked at the disintegrating katana that fell to the ground and sighed.


    Li Yiming ran between the tree, his worry growing as time went by. He could hear that the fighting behind him had slowly died down, and he knew that once the camouger took care of the other guardians, which should not take very long based on the brief encounter he had witnessed, it would be considerably more difficult for him to search for Liu Meng.


    "Li Yiming!" A calm and cold voice called him. Fang Shui¡¯er jumped down from a tree wearing her full armor. She stood quietly, right beside Li Yiming. Liu Meng was resting on her shoulders.


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming leaped in Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s direction when he saw Liu Meng. He picked her up and asked in a worried voice. "Is she alright?" He asked as he checked her over.


    "It¡¯s just as you¡¯ve said. Bi Fang lost his ability to fight after one strike, since he was probably very injured himself. I knocked her unconscious with one strike," Fang Shui¡¯er exined calmly, but she seemed cold andcked the trustful attitude she had a while earlier.


    Li Yiming did not notice Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s oddity at all. He checked every inch of Liu Meng¡¯s body carefully. Qing Linglong frowned slightly and threw an inconspicuous nce at Fang Shui¡¯er. Although thetter¡¯s armor hid her facepletely, Qing Linglong, who was by nature prudent, noticed that something was off. She slowly moved to a position between Fang Shui¡¯er and Li Yiming, and lowered her daggers; this was her usual position before delivering a strike.


    "They¡¯re all dead. Five lives for one of Ya Yu¡¯s paw. What about you? What will you trade your lives for?" A calm, feminine voice was heard, followed by the sound of scales sliding against the ground. A robust but alluring figure appeared in the distance.


    "You¡¯re fast." Li Yiming picked Liu Meng up from the ground and stared coldly at the camouger.


    "Careful, it¡¯s been quiet over there for a while. Ya Yu¡¯s probably hiding somewhere nearby." Qing Linglong whispered to Li Yiming. She no longer had the attention to spare for Fang Shui¡¯er, and instead, ced herself in front of Li Yiming.


    "You ruined my Bai Xi, and now you want to take my Bi Fang away? I spared your livesst time, don¡¯t you know to make good use of my pity?" The camouger leanedzily against a tree and swaying his tail left and right.


    "Keep an eye on Liu Meng. I¡¯ll handle both of them." Li Yiming transferred Liu Meng into Qing Linglong¡¯s hand. He pulled out a sword from his storage space. Since the reinforcements had not arrived yet, he would need to fight alone. He had already talked with Bai Ze about how to handle this fight. Bai Ze and he would try to eliminate Ya Yu as quickly as possible. He did not know much about the camouger, so even a surprise attack might not work against him. However, Bai Ze already knew everything about Ya Yu, so she would know precisely where to strike


    "Hmm?" The camouger frowned. He looked past Li Yiming, at the horizon. In the distance, a small tornado of insects was forming. However, the camouger was not looking at that strange apparition. Rather, he was looking at the sky above the tornado, which did not seem abnormal in any way.


    "A mech? I hope you won¡¯t die right away. Take good care of my Bi Fang." The camouger¡¯s figure vanished slowly after leaving a menace behind.


    Fang Shui¡¯er raised her bow to shoot, but Li Yiming stopped her. "We¡¯ve already gotten what we wanted. There¡¯s no point in chasing him." Li Yiming knew from seeing the cloud of insects that the rest of his teammates had arrived. Although he was fairly confident that he would be able to defeat the camouger with the help of Big Beard and Bai Ze, he did not want to take the risk of sustaining any casualties, especially with Liu Meng¡¯s being present.


    Fang Shui¡¯er lowered her bow after a long stare at Li Yiming from beneath her mask. She retreated quietly to the side and looked at the cloud of insects that wasing closer and closer. Qing Linglong carefully put Liu Meng on the ground and looked around rmingly, just in case the camouger woulde back sneakily. The cloud of insects split up as it approached, forming a belt that surrounded the group. Zeng Qian walked out from behind the ck curtain, emotionless as always.


    "He¡¯s gone." Zeng Qian said after closing her eyes for a moment.


    A giant mech slowly appeared above Li Yiming. It was Big Beard, who had deactivated the camouge function on his mech. After Big Beard walked out of his mech, the robot gradually shrank into a prism which was about two meters tall. Big Beard put it away into his storage item.


    "They went that way. Are we going after them? I think Ya Yu is injured." Big Beard asked after a nce at Liu Meng. He came here to help, so he would obey Li Yiming¡¯s order.


    "No need for that. We¡¯ve already achieved what we wanted. We should go back and focus on helping her wake up." Li Yiming was relieved by the camouger being intimidated to leave, and especially happy when Bai Ze told me that she could easily make Liu Meng wake up from her slumber.


    "Is she okay?" Qing Qiaoqiao, who had been hiding until now, sincebat was not her aptitude, finally showed up and scuttled toward the group.


    "She¡¯s fine. She¡¯s unconscious, that¡¯s all. We should go back to our hiding spot. This ce will be swarming with people soon." Li Yiming picked up Liu Meng and led the retreat toward the outer part of the park. Everyone else followed, except for Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er?" Qing Linglong asked. Fang Shui¡¯er had saved her life, but the way she was acting was a valid reason for staying on her guards.


    Li Yiming turned his head back to look at Fang Shui¡¯er, a little confused by her unresponsiveness. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat; after what happened at Eden, he was too familiar with this sensation of someone wanting to take his life. He jumped back, looking at where the danger came from. He was surprised when he saw Zeng Qian.


    "You... you killed Xiao Hei?" Zeng Qian asked with a trembling voice. The rage and fury that shone in her eyes gave a clue about the tempest of emotion that raged beneath her mask. Her eyes remained fixated on the trendy-looking ring on Liu Meng¡¯s finger.


    Uh oh...

 Volume 3 Chapter 39

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 39 ¨C Bai Ze¡¯s Spell</strong></h4>


    ¡¯Crap, I totally forgot about that... Zeng Qian¡¯s rtionship with Xiao Hei.¡¯ Li Yiming knew that this was a terrible development.


    "Yes, I killed him." Li Yiming took a deep breath an answered calmly. After all Zeng Qian had done to help him search for Liu Meng, he could not bring himself to lie to her.


    "Why?" Zeng Qian roared. The bugs around her danced around violently while the buzzing noise gained more and more volume.


    "He found me after what happened in Ning Vige and wanted the Fruit of Nirvana to save you. After I told him that I didn¡¯t have it, he tried to kill me to get Mr. Kong to show up." Li Yiming retold his encounter with Xiao Hei rather straightforwardly.


    "So you killed him?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked with a voice that suggested at some hesitation aboutying the me on Li Yiming.


    "Yes, I had no choice." Li Yiming sighed. ¡¯Bai Ze was punished by Heaven¡¯s Laws for unleashing her strength and killing Xiao Hei, and I almost died along with her. But there¡¯s no point in saying that now, the fact is that Xiao Hei is dead, and I¡¯m the one who killed him.¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s answer made the rest of the group frown. The spite between Zeng Qian and Li Yiming was now as clear as day. Qing Linglong stood still, expressionless, while lowering her crescent des to ready for a strike. Big Beard took a step back when no one was looking and turned toward Fang Shui¡¯er. Qing Qiaoqiao had disbelief written all over her face; she refused to believe that Li Yiming could be a killer.


    After a long silence, the bugs dispersed and flew away. Zeng Qian¡¯s anger slowly died down, and with it, she felt that she no longer wanted Li Yiming¡¯s life, at least for now. She turned away and walked away silently.


    "We paid back the favor. We¡¯re done now." Fang Shui¡¯er followed her sister and left thesest words without even turning around to look at Li Yiming, although shock and ambivalence were apparent in her voice.


    "Who¡¯s Xiao Hei?" Qing Qiaoqiao came close to Li Yiming and asked cautiously. Her sister wanted to stop her, but the question jumped out of Qiaoqiao¡¯s mouth before she could.


    "He¡¯s Zeng Qian¡¯s lover. They were really in love with each other." Li Yiming said bitterly. He had nothing but fate to me for such a twist of events.


    "I¡¯ll look for a way to return to you the favor, I promise." Big Beard walked toward Li Yiming and said earnestly. He was ready to intervene should Zeng Qian and Fang Shui¡¯er attack Li Yiming on the spot, since thetter had saved his life after all. But to stay here right now meant that he would abandon his teammates, and he held himself to higher principles than that. After all, he was the captain of the team that the Fang sisters chose to join.


    "Alright, thanks." Li Yiming expressed his sincere thanks,


    "We¡¯ll meet again then." Big Beard did not linger any longer and chased after Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "We should go now. It¡¯s not safe here." Qing Linglong looked at Big Beard¡¯s back. ¡¯An abrupt end to a temporary and circumstantial alliance.¡¯


    * * *


    "We¡¯re reporting thetest news report about the incident at the municipal Binshui park. An explosion has causedrge-scale damage to the infrastructure within the park, as well as causing at least five deaths. The concerned departments are investigating the matter..."


    The television was broadcasting the news with a volume that was nearly inaudible. Qing Qiaoqiao sat on the sofa with her lips puckered and turned around to look at the door of Li Yiming¡¯s room from time to time. He had brought Liu Meng inside ever since returning from the park and had yet toe out. On several instances, she wanted to knock on the door, but her sister stopped her every time.


    Qing Linglong was busy finishing a meal brought by the hotel staff and looked at her sister disapprovingly. Li Yiming was no longer the naive boy she had thought him to be a while earlier. The more she learned about Li Yiming, the more mysterious he seemed to her.


    Inside the room, Li Yiming was standing next to the bed. His eyes wandering to every corner and nook of the room. "Are you sure you can save her that way? If it¡¯s just charming, wouldn¡¯t it be better to ask Qiaoqiao for help? She¡¯s the expert for that, after all." Li Yiming hesitantly proposed.


    "Please. What is she going to aplish with her feeble abilities?" Bai Ze dismissed Li Yiming¡¯s proposal right away. Liu Mengid naked on the bed with her limbs spread out, and Bai Ze was busy drawing on her body with a brush. Liu Meng¡¯s eyes remained closed and her breathing was steady. "I¡¯m a legendary beast, you know? Have you ever tried looking up some information about me online? Do you even know what I¡¯m drawing right now? Watch and learn, this is called a Spell Breaker, okay? The number of people that know how to draw this can be counted with one hand. You should count yourself lucky that I¡¯m here, otherwise Liu Meng would never be able to wake up from the dual seals of being controlled by the camouger and Bi Fang."


    "...And you¡¯re drawing that with water?" Li Yiming asked, a little doubtful of Bai Ze¡¯s overconfidence.


    "Do you even know what you¡¯re talking about? Water is the source of all life. It¡¯s capable of purifying the entire world. I mean, I¡¯d like to have the highest grade red ink made from the costliest pigment, but how would you get that for me? By the way, are you sure it¡¯s appropriate for you to stare at her like that?" Bai Ze suddenly turned her head back to look at Li Yiming with a grin that was aplete mismatch for her young age.


    "Stay focused, okay?" Li Yiming¡¯s face reddened. He walked to the side and gulped down a mouthful of water beforeing back to stare at the tip of Bai Ze¡¯s brush. ¡¯Yes, the tip of the brush, what a soft brush, but such elegant strokes. And the canvas, the skin, it¡¯s rosy, bouncy...¡¯ Li Yiming swallowed down some saliva and continued his staring.


    "Wow, that was tiring." Bai Ze retracted her brush and wiped away the sweat on her forehead: drawing the Spell Breaker was not as easy as she made it be.


    "Are you done?" Li Yiming could not see anything despite carefully examining Liu Meng¡¯s body. Since Bai Ze used water as her ink, the liquid had already dried up for a long time, leaving no traces behind.


    "Of course not, it¡¯s not that simple?" Bai Ze steadied her breath, performed a hand seal and started chanting. As she did so, the markings she had produced on Liu Meng¡¯s skin lit up with a golden color and danced on Liu Meng¡¯s body, gradually appearing one by one and eventually covering her entire body in gold.


    "Careful, there¡¯s a possibility of Bi Fanging out if she wakes up." Bai Ze warned Li Yiming after finishing her spell.


    Li Yiming raised his sword and stared at Liu Meng, expecting the worst to happen.


    "What? Bi Fang already recognized her as his master?" Bai Ze was surprised when she saw a little fiery emblem appear on Liu Meng¡¯s forehead. It was the shape of a bird with a long neck and a single leg setting flight.


    "What did you say?" Li Yiming, who was focused on stopping Bi Fang if he was ever toe out, did not pay attention to Bai Ze¡¯s mumbling.


    "I said that Liu Meng¡¯s awake." Bai Ze smiled. A sh of white lightter and she was gone.


    "What?" Li Yiming turned around, only to find emptiness behind him. He looked at Liu Meng, who seemed to be on the verge of opening her eye again. Her breathing quickened gradually and her long eyshes trembled.


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming was ecstatic. He put his sword away and quickly walked right next to her. He understood that Bai Ze only left him because there was no immediate danger.


    "Yiming?" Liu Meng slowly opened her eyes. She was still too confused to be able to understand what was going on.


    "You¡¯re awake! I¡¯m so d!" Li Yiming kneaded her hand, unable to repress his joy.


    "What? I..." Liu Meng looked down after hearing Li Yiming¡¯s remark.


    "AHHH¡ª!"


    It was a scream that pierced through the clouds above the building. Liu Meng scrambled for something, anythingthat she could use to cover herself, but Bai Ze had already thrown the quilt and the pillow to a corner earlier. She brought her hands to her chest, and, in the suddenness of the movement, squished and pushed around what she tried to conceal. Her entire body had gained a healthy flush.


    Li Yiming¡¯s reaction was even more exaggerated. After a brief moment of shock, he darted toward the door like a weasel being scared off by something while hunting for food. He left a remnant image behind him as he smashed through the door, obliterating itpletely.


    "What happened?" Qing Qiaoqiao jumped up from the sofa, confused by the sudden scream and the noise of the door¡¯s being destroyed. Qing Linglong was already readying herself to deliver a fatal blow with her des.


    "Uh, well, Liu Meng¡¯s awake." Li Yiming gave an embarrassing exnation that extinguished the indigo glow on Qing Linglong¡¯s des. He opened the front door and walked out.


    "Liu Meng¡¯s awake? Hmmpf!" Qing Linglong looked at the doorless entrance to the bedroom. She could see someone without any clothes on rush toward the shower.


    Qing Linglong jumped down from the vantage point she had taken with an amused expression. The des in her hands traced beautiful arcs in the air as she yed around with them.


    * * *


    Inside an apartment near downtown Shangbei, the camouger stood on the balcony with a gloomy expression, quietly observing the busy streets below him. "You¡¯re awake! I stitched your hand back, but you shouldn¡¯t use it too much for a while, otherwise, the wound might break open again," The camouger said when he saw an old man appear from behind him.


    The man nodded and stayed silent. He lowered his head to look at his bandaged left wrist.


    "You were reckless. There¡¯s no one else to me for that. You should expect all guardians to have some kind of life-saving technique, especially those who are higher level. It¡¯s just a mere coincidence for them to have survived domain after domain. But I hope that you learned your lesson this time." The camouger turned around and patted the old man¡¯s head as if he was a child, which made the whole scene very odd.


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that. I know what you¡¯re thinking. I told you that you can¡¯t eat normal people. Bai Xi¡¯s still unconscious so we can¡¯t leave her alone. We¡¯ll go look for guardians once she wakes up. If you really want some, I¡¯ll go get a few prisoners sentenced to death for you." 1


    Ya Yu nodded again, this time even more intensely than thest time. The wrinkles on his face made him seem like nothing more than an old farmer. No one would be able to guess at the cruel beast that hid under his innocuous appearance.


    * * *


    "You still can¡¯t find her?" Big Beard asked when he saw Fang Shui¡¯er enter the room.


    "Qianqian loved Xiao Hei. I¡¯m worried that she¡¯ll do something stupid." Fang Shui¡¯er sat down facing Big Beard, frustrated by the fact that her efforts had not bore fruit.


    "I understand your feelings as a friend," Big Beard said as moved around a bit in his seat to find a morefortable position, "But I also have to remind you that Zeng Qian left on her own. She abandoned the team, and there is no way we can take unnecessary risks for her. These are the rules."


    "But..." Fang Shui¡¯er hesitated.


    "I know what you want to say. I was wondering about it since the start. What pushed you to form a team with that Li Yiming? Did you all decide to fool around together?" Big Beard said with a frown.


    "He¡¯s Li Yiming, that¡¯s all." Fang Shui¡¯er lowered her head to look at the ankle chain that hung on her leg. Its metallic design was not impressive, but nevertheless enough to add a modern style of beauty and a certain suggestiveness its owner This was a guardian equipment given to her by Li Yiming, and she forgot to give it back before leaving.


    "Li Yiming..." Big Beard sank into his own thoughts while mumbling the name.


    Ahh, good ol¡¯ Bai Ze. Also I have three exams tomorrow, wish me luck... (Hopefully I won¡¯t need it.)


    For those of you wondering, China still does have the death penalty. It is seen as a naturalponent of the crime code, although recently there has been reforms to change the kind of crimes that could be subject to capital punishment. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 40

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 40 ¨C Bug-Fixing</strong></h4>


    Li Huabei waited quietly with his sword brandished in ones of the abandoned brick factories situated in the suburbs of Shangbei. A small and plumpy man was down on the ground in front of him, with dust, dirt and resignation all over his face and sword wounds on his limbs He stared at Li Huaibei venomously. "Even if I did agree to be your de spirit, you wouldn¡¯t even be able tost until the end of the domain." The fat man spat out between two quick gasps for air.


    "I¡¯m leaving right after I get my de spirit." Li Huaibei answered calmly.


    "You can do that?" The chunky man stared at Li Huaibei in disbelief. ¡¯ording to the rules, after a domain has been opened, all links with the outside world should be cut, and no one is able to leave before its ending, unless...¡¯


    "Being a sage doese with its favors from Heaven¡¯s Laws."


    "I knew it! So the sudden change in this domain is all because of you?" The fat asked, visibly shocked. He could feelthat was wrong and the domain was not progressing as it should have.


    "It¡¯s not me. Someone else is responsible for it." Li Huaibei turned his head and looked at the horizon. "Have you decided, Di Jiang? I don¡¯t have much time left."


    "Why me?" Di Jiang was curious about that "someone else" Li Huaibei had mentioned, but the more pressing issue was his own fate. Unlike a beast summon, if he decides to be Li Huaibei de spirit, he would forever relinquish his freedom.


    "I¡¯ll be honest with you, at first I chose Bi Fang. But there has been a little...plication, so I searched for you instead," Li Yiming answered.


    "Bi Fang? But he¡¯s a fire-type beast, and I¡¯m a water-type. How can we be used for the same purpose? You..."


    "All I need is your level. I don¡¯t care much about the rest," Li Huaibei said. He was still calm andposed, but his pale countenance and the beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his underlying weakness.


    "What? What do you want? " Di Jiang could not understand Li Huaibei. ¡¯ The Soul Weapon is the object that is the culmination of one¡¯s talent and has all of the guardian¡¯s strength sealed within it. How can he be this careless?¡¯


    "You don¡¯t need to know for now."


    "Are you going to leave as soon as you¡¯re done with me? You¡¯re not staying for the rewards of the domain?" Di Jiang asked again.


    "I¡¯m not here for the rewards, I have no need for them. I came here for the purpose of my de spirit."


    Di Jiang mulled over the choice he was forced to make. ¡¯This man, there¡¯s no doubt he¡¯s sage level. I can see the gravity of his wounds and how weak he is, yet he was still able to defeat me. Sage...¡¯


    "Alright, I ept." Di Jiao decided. He could tell that Li Huaibei walked a straight path as a guardian andmitted no evil from his temperament; Following Li Huaibei¡¯s lead was probably going to be better than risking it all for the sake of dignity, which had very little practical use anyways. ¡¯Maybe something good wille out of this decision.¡¯


    "Thank you for your trust." Li Huaibei smiled. He slowly released the fingers around the hilt of his sword, and the weapon flew toward Di Jiang.


    Di Jiang closed his eyes and steadied his breath. His fat body quickly shrunk and turned into a ball of pale blue light that merged with the steel of the de. Ripples of light ran down the edge of Li Huaibei¡¯s sword, and the weapon itself emitted a light buzzing noise from a violent trembling. The picture of a round beast with four wings and six feet gradually appeared on the weapon. 1


    Rosiness climbed into Li Huaibei¡¯s cheeks. His eyes seemed brighter than ever. He took back his weapon and looked in the direction of Shangbei¡¯s downtown. "You¡¯ll have to face the changes you¡¯ve brought upon alone. I hope that you¡¯ll live until that day..."


    * * *


    Liu Meng sat on the sofa with flushed cheeks, still pretending that she was somewhat angry with Li Yiming about the incident earlier. Li Yiming tried his best to not look at her and tried to have a serious discussion with Qing Linglong about their ns for the next few days. Eyesses listened to it all carefully and would asionally interject, offering his own take on the issue, but, more than anything, his eyes wandered from Li Yiming to Liu Meng, and back to Li Yiming. He tried his best to suppress his curiosity. Qing Qiaoqiao did not seem to care about the conversation at all; instead, she was ying games on her phone, but Li Yiming could tell that she was paying attention to them, and to Liu Meng in particr, from the asional sneaky nce.


    It was an atmosphere that did not seem appropriate for the dangerous domain they were in at all.


    "Nine days. In nine days, we¡¯re going to be done," Eyesses sighed. Although he was talking about a deadline that was soon going toe, for him, the fight extended way beyond nine days.


    "Don¡¯t be so worried. I¡¯ve heard that a lot of guardian equipment have special effects, and maybe we¡¯ll even be able to find one that will allow you to keep only the benefits of vampirism." Qing Linglong understood Eyesses worries; to be unable to see the sun ever again and to have to resort to feeding on human blood were no easy things to endure.


    "Vampire?" Liu Meng said. Girls of her age had a natural curiosity and interest in the word "vampire".


    "He..." Li Yiming was worried that Liu Meng would ask an insensitive question, so he rushed to exin what had happened with Eyesses and the vampiric serum.


    "Ah?" After hearing the story, Liu Meng ignored Li Yiming¡¯s reminder and the circumstances that forced Eyesses¡¯ sad choice. "So you¡¯re going to stay young forever now?" She asked with eyes glittering with interest.


    "Yeah, that¡¯s not going to happen. I think you¡¯ve watched too many TV dramas. I¡¯m just a monster that feeds on human blood for survival now." Eyesses smiled in self-derision, but he did seem happy about receiving Liu Meng¡¯s praise and idol-like worship.


    "Do things like that really exist?" Li Yiming looked at Liu Meng, a little unhappy that she had ignored his warning, but thetter stared back fiercely to mean that she still held a grudge for what happened earlier.


    "I think so. Guardian equipments are just like our talents, there are many kinds, so I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll be able to find a cure," Qing Linglong answered without a serious countenance.


    "That¡¯s true. We found a bracelet that can cure cancer if you wear it," Liu Meng said.


    "Cure cancer?" Qing Linglong was a little surprised. ¡¯I didn¡¯t know guardians could get cancer.¡¯


    "It¡¯s a level one restoration technique." Li Yiming knew that mentioning the bracelet was a mistake. He nced at Liu Meng, who understood the message and shrugged her shoulders instead of answering Qing Linglong.


    ¡¯Bai Ze!¡¯ Li Yiming hurriedly called out. He stood up and pretended to be simply going to the balcony for some fresh air.


    ¡¯What is it now? Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m still recovering?¡¯ Bai Ze sounded a little annoyed.


    ¡¯Can guardian equipments be used by normal people?¡¯ Li Yiming remembered the deputy director who had bought the jade bracelet from him.


    ¡¯What kind of question is that?. Of course not! If normal people were able to use guardian equipment, wouldn¡¯t that mean that you can just mass-produce a superhuman army with objects alone? What¡¯s the use for guardians then?¡¯ Bai Ze sounded like she was frustrated by Li Yiming¡¯s borderline idiotic question.


    ¡¯But I had something that could be used by a normal person.¡¯ He had also given some thought to what Bai Ze said, and the more he thought about it, the more worried he became when he realized the implications of that almost meaningless incident.


    ¡¯What?¡¯ By now, Bai Ze could tell that Li Yiming was not joking around. She was surprised, but more concerned than anything else.


    "Yiming!" Liu Meng joined him on the balcony.


    "Look!" Liu Meng was so close to Li Yiming that it looked like she was flirting with him, which irritated Qing Qiaoqiao quite a bit. In fact, she was actually positioning herself in a way so that only she and Li Yiming could read what was disyed on her cellphone.


    Li Yiming looked at the screen. It was a news feed application with an article that did not seem to be very important. ¡¯The deputy director of Shangbei Historical Museum recovers miraculously from cancer.¡¯


    "It¡¯s him." Li Yiming knew that this was bad news for him. A picture of the old man Ye was included in the article. He waved his right hand at the camera, and the jade and gold bracelet was prominently put on disy.


    "You¡¯re saying that...?" Bai Ze looked at Li Yiming, overwhelmed by what she just saw.


    ¡¯I sold him the bracelet. He had terminal cancer." Li Yiming stared nkly at the screen: he realized that he might have done something stupid.


    "Are you serious? That¡¯s an exploit... I can¡¯t believe it worked..." Bai Ze was at a loss for words.


    "What should we do now?"


    "What else? Try and get the item back! If others hear about this, you¡¯ll be done for. The other guardians will get you before Heaven¡¯s Law and try to dissect you or something."


    "Yiming?" Liu Meng was worried. She knew from Li Yiming¡¯s hint earlier that there wereplications, so she came to Li Yiming soon after seeing the news article.


    "I¡¯m fine. Come with me." Li Yiming picked up Liu Meng¡¯s hand and walked back into the room.


    "Something came up. We need to go out," Li Yiming looked at his other friends in the room and said calmly.


    "Only the two of you?" Qing Linglong frowned. ¡¯He¡¯s picking now out of all moments to go out alone? Is he serious?¡¯


    "Yes, we have some... private matters." Li Yiming squeezed the hand he held slightly, and Liu Meng leaned closer to him, resuming the role someone blinded by love and the joy of being reunited.


    "Hmmpf!" Qing Qiaoqiao snorted in discontent and left for the bedroom.


    Qing Linglong¡¯s was speechless at Li Yiming¡¯s sudden decision. ¡¯What? He doesn¡¯t look like someone with bad priorities. Are you telling me that the reason he was so fixated on finding Liu Meng was for this? Seriously?¡¯


    Eyesses, however, sympathized a lot more with Li Yiming. He knew just how much pressure being in a domain caused, so it was understandable that Li Yiming would want to blow off some steam. In fact, he thought it was quite smart for Li Yiming to go somewhere else to do what he wanted to do: with Qing Qiaoqiao present, the whole thing might turn into a civil war.


    "Be careful. Unless you absolutely need to leave, just stay inside until Ie back. I¡¯ll return soon." Li Yiming exhorted his three friends, a little worried about what could happen during his absence.


    "He¡¯s going off to have ¡¯fun¡¯ alone, and we¡¯re stuck here? What a way to be a captain." Qing Qiaoqiao rushed to the living room right after Li Yiming closed the room andined sourly. "And she looked so serious just a moment ago. True nature shows, what a fox!"


    "I¡¯ll go set up a defensive perimeter then." Eyesses escaped into his own room. ¡¯Well, if nothing else, at least this shows that he made the right decision indeed.¡¯


    ¡¯Lust? Is that really what he has in mind?¡¯ Qing Linglong looked at the front door and frowned deeply.


    Li Yiming: ¡°I think I did something stupid.¡±


    Me: ¡°hmmmpf, you don¡¯t say...¡± xD


    For a feeling of how that looks like /tag/dijiang, but seriously <i>what </i>on Earth is that. 0.0 ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 41

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 41 ¨C Coincidence</strong></h4>


    "Please wait for a short while. Master Ye is still conducting his physical exam. You know how important their thoroughness is for someone who has just recovered from cancer." The butler at the Ye Mansion brought tea to the three visitors and stood on the side quietly, just in case he would be needed. The three visitorsprised of an old man, who was dressed elegantly in traditional garments and a young couple who had nearly wless appearances.


    These three were deputy director Ye¡¯s guests. They imed that they had precious artifacts and required deputy director Ye¡¯s expertise to identify them, a request which was taken very seriously after pictures of these artifacts were sent. On top of that, the butler, who had worked for his master for so long, knew from the air of the three visitors that they were not to be trifled with.


    "It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll wait. Mister Ye¡¯s health is certainly more important." The old man, who led the group, answered courteously.


    Beep beep...


    The butler¡¯s phone rang. He apologized to his visitors and walked to the side.


    "What? Friends from the antique market district? Are you sure?" It was a call from the security guard at the entrance to the neighborhood.


    "The antique market?" The butler was shocked. He knew about his master¡¯s extraordinary purchase of the jade bracelet at the antique market district. Deputy director Ye had been talking about it ever since he had recovered from his cancer and always talked about the two young people who sold him the object with praise.


    "Tell them to stay where they are. I¡¯lle out to wee them myself." The butler was overjoyed when he received the confirmation from the security guard. "I¡¯m sorry, sir, but there¡¯s an important guest. I¡¯ll have to leave for a moment." The butler left the mansion after a simple exnation.


    "Important guest?" The old man squinted and seemed irritated.


    "Well, I didn¡¯t see anyonee to greet us when we arrived." The young womanmented angrily.


    "We shouldn¡¯t care about strangers. We should focus on what we came here for. There¡¯s no point in risking aplication when we¡¯re in an already difficult situation."


    "If it weren¡¯t for the rules, I would have sucked all of them dry instead of wasting time." The woman said with a dissatisfied frown.


    "Wu Hao is right, we shouldn¡¯t be risking it." The old man recovered his rxed countenance, swallowing down both his pride and vexation.


    "Wait!" The old man, who had just begun to smile again, suddenly raised his head and looked at the gate with alertness.


    "What is it?" The young couple noticed his sudden nervousness.


    The old man did not answer his two friends. Instead, he kept staring at the entrance to the living room, expecting a terrible enemy toe in.


    "Please,e inside. We¡¯re very happy to receive you as our guests. Master Ye has been talking about you over and over again these past few days," the butler¡¯s loudughter could be hearding from the entrance.


    Before the young couple could ask again, the butler arrived with two young people, who not only looked as handsome as they did, but also possessed that air of grandeur.


    "It¡¯s him?" The three who were seated in the living room jumped up like a cat who just had its tail stomped on. They were at aplete loss for what to do.


    "Why are they here?" Li Yiming curious; he met these three back in the park when he saved the Fang sisters. It was the old man who could use his focus radar technique and the vampire couple.


    "You..." The butler hesitated. ¡¯These three people are in the main seats for guests, but these two are clearly more important to Master Ye. Should I ask them to swap seats? I can¡¯t do that.¡¯


    "It¡¯s okay, we know each other." Li Yiming saw the panic on the three guardians¡¯ face and knew what they were thinking. He smiled at the butler and sat down right beside them with Liu Meng.


    "Sit down,e on. Why are you standing?" Li Yiming asked them calmly.


    "Yes." The three nodded and sat down at once with movements cleaner than soldiers in a politics course.


    "It¡¯ll take a while for Mr. Ye, I presume?" Li Yiming did not mind the three in front of him, who were trembling with fear, and asked the butler with a smile.


    "He should be done soon. Maybe... I should go ask?" The sight of the group of three in such a state, while a second ago they seemed soposed, almost scared the butler.


    "Oh, it¡¯s okay if it takes a while for the physical check-up. It¡¯s better to leave Mr. Ye undisturbed for the moment. I can use this time to talk with my friends here." Li Yiming pointed at the three guardian, who sat there dumbfounded.


    "I¡¯ll go prepare tea right away then." The butler took the opportunity to escape the room. He sensed that trouble might being and did not want to be caught in any of it.


    "Why are you here?" Li Yiming looked at the trio, a little amused by their attitude. Liu Meng sat silently next to him, curious about why they would have such a reaction upon seeing Li Yiming.


    "We..." The old man swallowed his saliva with difficulty. His throat remained dry. ¡¯What kind of bad luck is this! Why is he here again?¡¯ He had activated his sensory abilities out of habit after seeing the butler rush to the door to wee the "important guests". What he was able to sense brought a chill down his spine. Li Yiming, of course, escaped his perceptionpletely, but the old mannded right on Liu Meng.


    ¡¯This young girl, she¡¯s not human! She¡¯s a beast ready to devour us all!¡¯ After seeing Li Yiming appear with Liu Meng, the old man had lost all hope. ¡¯Are you telling me that this beast is his servant?¡¯ The old man foundl Bi Fang, who remained dormant within Liu Meng¡¯s body. Although he had yet to wake up, the anger and fury from being forced to seek refuge within a human spilled over and terrified the old man.


    "Our friend was injured after our encounter. We lost everything we had, and, after seeing the news, we thought that there might be some of equipment here that would be useful, so we came to visit." The young woman, worried that the old man, who was frozen in his trepidation, would irritate Li Yiming, answered fearfully. The scene of Li Yiming calling down thunder at a slight disagreement was still fresh in her head.


    "How did you get the information?" Li Yiming squinted his eye; the woman¡¯s response aroused his alertness greatly. He was ready to do anything to make sure that the fact that he was the one who sold the jade bracelet stayed a secret. Anything.


    "We saw it on the news, and we thought that the bracelet might... be..." The woman¡¯s voice trembled, and her answer turned into an erratic mess when she began to feel that Li Yiming could take her life at any time.


    "Guessed it?" Li Yiming knew that the matter was too important for him to rush to any conclusion.


    ¡¯They¡¯re not lying.¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice was heard.


    ¡¯You¡¯re saying that I shouldn¡¯t kill them?¡¯ Li Yiming asked in a calm voice.


    ¡¯Never said that.¡¯ Bai Ze sank back into silence after a terse reply.


    ¡¯Kill, or not to kill.¡¯ Li Yiming hesitated once again. He looked at the group of three in front of him, who were awaiting their fate helplessly. He had already made a mistake, so he must not make another one. Bai Ze would not lie to him, so they had to be there by coincidence alone, but his secret was too important to take a gamble on. If there was a potential threat, then the best thing he could do was to not leave it to chance and eliminate any potential threat.


    "We, we¡¯re just here to try our luck. We really didn¡¯t know about your rtionship with Mr. Ye. Please, we would never dare to offend you." The old man noticed Li Yiming¡¯s hesitation and pleaded with a crying voice. He now hated himself for even having the time to watch the news out of all things.


    Li Yiming looked at the old man, who was about to fall down to his knees again to beg for his life. He took a deep breath, and suddenly a terrible thought urred to his mind. ¡¯What happened to me? Since when have I be someone who thinks about killing people right away? Was it because of Eden, or because of Bai Xi¡¯s illusion? A month ago, I would feel bad for a fish that was about to be someone¡¯s meal, and now I¡¯m ready to ughter an old man who¡¯s begging for his life just because he might know something he shouldn¡¯t know about?¡¯


    Li Yiming mood sank and he felt a sudden sadness. ¡¯What have I... Is this the fate of all guardians?¡¯


    Thud! Thud! Thud!


    The three guardians kneeled down one by one. Li Yiming felt as if he was about to lose something very dear to him.


    "Yiming." Liu Meng did not even nce at the trio on the ground. Instead, she kept her eyes on Li Yiming. She could see the internal struggle that he was going through.


    Li Yiming turned his head around to look at Liu Meng. She remained unchanged, charming and good-natured as always, despite being possessed by the phoenix and bing Bi Fang¡¯s host. But what about him? Was he still the same Li Yiming that was worth her love?


    "Get up. There¡¯s no need for that. I was curious, that¡¯s all. I don¡¯t know Mr. Ye. I just came here after seeing him on the news. I¡¯m as curious as you guys are." Li Yiming suddenly smiled. He picked up Liu Meng¡¯s hand. As he made it clear that he would not harm the trio, he felt as if he had just been freed from invisible fetters that chained him. He was no longer possessed with self-preservative bloodthirstiness, instead, he smiled, and this time his smile was the gentle, kind and innocuous one Liu Meng had known for so long.


    The trio also felt the sudden change in Li Yiming¡¯s intentions. The tension was gone, but they had difficulty standing up after such a rollercoaster of emotions. It was especially hard for the old man since he was extremely sensitive to people¡¯s auras, so he was the most affected. He knew that Li Yiming really did want to take their lives just a moment ago. Sweat had soaked the back of his clothespletely and he struggled to stand up, despite using the sofa as support.


    "We will leave then. Please take your time." The young man in the group helped the old man get up. It was not necessarily a gesture ofpassion, but rather one that was made from being worried about Li Yiming¡¯s growing irritated.


    "Wait, I have something to ask you," Li Yiming suddenly said. His pity for the trio grew as he watched them leave carefully for the door.


    "Please." A unanimous answer.


    "Do you know anything that can repress the vampiric virus?" Since the young couple had vampiric talents, and the serum itself originated from them, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to find out more about vampires for Eyesses¡¯ sake. Li Yiming had asked Bai Ze earlier, but the fact that vampires themselves were a young species meant that Bai Ze could not offer much help.


    "When you say repress..." The young man carefully asked back. There was a big difference between eliminating the side-effects and removing the viruspletely. A mistake while answering the question could have disastrous consequences.


    "I¡¯m talking about the side-effects from injecting the serum. What can I do to eliminate them?"


    "If you just want to be able to walk under the sun again, then you¡¯d be fine with finding something like a Shadowless Pearl," the man continued when he saw no response from Li Yiming, "but if you want to purify the viruspletely, then you¡¯ll need a Fate Pill."


    "A Fate Pill? You mean the one made with the Water of the Past Life, the bodhi leaf and the Fruit of Nirvana?" Li Yiming remembered what Bai Ze told him when he asked her how he could gain a talent of his own. 1


    "Yes, that¡¯s the only way. It¡¯s the only way to reset one¡¯s talentpletely. You¡¯ll be given a new body by the power of the Heavens." The vampiric guardian was surprised: not a lot of people knew about the Fate Pill, and he only obtained the information about it after many years of research and asking around However, not only did Li Yiming seem to be very knowledgeable about the pill, but he did not even bother to keep the ingredients a secret.


    "Alright, thank you. You can leave." Li Yiming waved at the three guardians. ¡¯Shadowless Pearl, Fate Pill!¡¯


    Ahhhh! Brilliant chapter! Brilliant. I never bought much into the typical MC who just turns from a naive guy into cold-blooded madman within a few dozens of chapters. And also, he who fights monsters, be careful...


    See Book 2, Chapter 3 ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 42

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 42 ¨C Epidemic</strong></h4>


    "Who were they?" Liu Meng asked after the trio left.


    "I¡¯ll exin to youter, it¡¯s kind ofplicated." Li Yiming shook his head. He remembered the bodhi leaf in his storage space. ¡¯A Fate Pill...¡¯


    "AHHH¡ª!" A high-pitched screeched pierced through the ceiling of the first floor. Li Yiming and Liu Meng exchanged a nced and rushed upstairs.


    When they opened the door to the bedroom, they bumped into the butler. Thetter had one hand against the wall to stop himself from falling over. A man who looked like a doctor was copsed on the ground, with pale lips and his hand on one of the table legs. A nurse was right next to him, and from her pale countenance, it seemed like she had just witnessed the most terrifying thing in the world. All three quivered with terror.


    "Where¡¯s Mr. Ye?" Li Yiming asked. He looked around; it seemed deputy-director Ye had been conducting his physical examination in this room. The folds on the bed sheets suggesting that someone wasying there just a moment ago. ¡¯Where is he? There¡¯s nowhere for him to hide... Did I get tricked by those three? How did they do it?¡¯


    "Master Ye... Master Ye... the butler pointed with a trembling finger at the bed. There was nothing on it, except for a brown pajama robe. Beneath was the jade bracelet with its golden joinings still glowing weakly.


    Li Yiming walked forward and picked up the bracelet. ¡¯This is the bracelet, but where is the deputy director?¡¯


    "I can feel that there was a fire here. A very pure, refined fire." Liu Meng frowned when she noticed what was wrong with the room.


    "A fire?" Li Yiming was confused by Liu Meng¡¯s suggestion. He looked around, and all he could see was the baffled faces of the people who were inside the room when he arrived.


    "Master Ye... Master Ye..." The butler repeated, but his voice died out, as if someone suddenly choked him.


    "What happened to the deputy-director?" Li Yiming asked. He used his aura to intimidate the butler into producing a response.


    "Mr. Ye suddenly caught fire... and then he was gone." The doctor, who was still down the ground, recovered some of hisposure after being urged by Li Yiming. He tried to crawl up, but instead, he knocked over a small metal stand that contained some medical instruments.


    "Caught fire?" Li Yiming nced at the doctor and then back at Liu Meng.


    "Yes. He was on the bed, and then he suddenly caught fire. There was fire all over his body. And then... he was gone." The doctor was already at the door.


    ¡¯It¡¯s the Heart Fire punishment¡¯ Li Yiming heard Bai Ze¡¯s interpretation.


    "Could you all go outside for a moment? Don¡¯te in until I tell you to," Li Yiming said calmly as he turned his head toward the undamaged bed.


    The doctor, the nurse, and the butler left as soon as Li Yiming ordered them to. They were itching to leave such a terrifying ce. The butler, on his way out, shut the door: he was afraid of a monstering out of the room.


    ¡¯Can you exin what happened?¡¯


    "It¡¯s Heart Fire, one of Heaven¡¯s Punishments. There¡¯s no mistake, Heaven¡¯s Laws has intervened." Bai Ze appeared after a sh of white light. She grazed the top of the bed sheets with the tip of her finger and said in a grave voice.


    "You¡¯re awake!" Liu Meng was happy to see Bai Ze again. She had a new understanding of the nature of Bai Ze¡¯s existence after sealing her own contract with Bi Fang.


    "Yes, I¡¯ve been awake for a while. Liu Meng, what can you feel?"


    "Fire. A very high-level fire. At leastpared to mine. It¡¯s gentle but scary. Strange... It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been scared of fire ever since awakening." Liu Meng knew that it was not the appropriate time for chit-chatting, so she left her questions for Bai Ze toter.


    "Heart Fire?" Li Yiming remembered the lightning that fell down on Bai Ze and himself a while ago.


    "I think I know what happened," Bai Ze¡¯s started to reconstruct the scene with her intelligent deductions. "The deputy-director is a normal person, but he recovered from his disease thanks to your gift. But, as I¡¯ve said, Heaven¡¯s Laws will not allow for such an intervention, so..."


    "So it befell its punishment and killed Mr. Ye?" Li Yiming stared at Bai Ze. ¡¯So I¡¯m the one who killed him?¡¯


    "There are intolerable consequences for normal people who use guardian equipment. That is the bottom line for Heaven¡¯s Laws."


    "He had terminal cancer. Don¡¯t overthink it." Liu Meng knew that Li Yiming felt some guilt for elerating the deputy-director¡¯s death.


    "So you¡¯re saying that we use our abilities on normal people?" It was a hard reality for Li Yiming to ept.


    "Not exactly. If you did use your talent on a normal person, whether it¡¯s to attack them or to help them, you would be the one shouldering the responsibility from the Heavens. But if you give them a piece of equipment, then it would be their burden to bear, and it¡¯s a burden that they cannot tolerate," Bai Ze exined patiently. She was relieved by the fact that Li Yiming could not simply confer the ability to use guardian equipments to any ordinary person, because with a bug in the system that big would undoubtedlye terrible consequences for the stability of Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    "What if we use our talents to alter a normal person?" Li Yiming asked. He thought about the vampire virus that could be administered.


    "I see what you mean. But that¡¯ll only end up in the same way as you see here. You can go search online; this deputy director is certainly not the first person to have suddenly died from selfbustion. Heaven¡¯s Laws will not tolerate the artificial creation of guardians or people with supernatural abilities. That would damage its foundations."


    "What about me?" Li Yiming suddenly raised his voice.


    "You... I don¡¯t know." A thought seemed to have urred to Bai Ze, but she looked at Liu Meng and hesitated. A sh of white lightter and she was gone. She had her guesses about Li Yiming¡¯s joining of the guardians¡¯ rank, but did not want to share them for the moment.


    "What do we do now?" Liu Meng did notpletely follow the conversation between Bai Ze and Li Yiming, but she knew that Li Yiming was not feeling very well, so she tried to change the subject of the conversation.


    "Let¡¯s go. We got the bracelet." Li Yiming was starting to grow irritated again from the familiar feeling of powerlessness and knowing absolutely nothing.


    "What about Mr. Ye...?"


    "Bai Ze said it. He¡¯s not the first one to die from selfbustion. We¡¯ll let the doctor exin what he saw to the police. Let¡¯s leave."


    * * *


    "Nothing?" Big Beard was trimming his beard with a pair of miniature scissors. It was his habit to do so everything single time he felt like he needed to calm down and consider things with a cool head.


    "Nothing. I¡¯m worried..." Fang Shui¡¯er looked at Big Beard, but hesitated to speak her thoughts.


    "You¡¯re worried that she¡¯s gone to seek revenge from Li Yiming?" Big Beard thought of the worst-case scenario.


    "She grew up with Xiao Hei. Knowing her, she..." Fang Shui¡¯er was in a state of panic. She hoped for counsel from Big Beard. ¡¯Li Yiming is too scary of a foe. It would be suicide for Qianqian to go fight him alone.¡¯


    "We could go have a look..." Big Beard put his scissors down and examined his face carefully. He had just created a nick in his beard when his hand trembled right before a cut a second earlier.


    * * *


    "Linglong,e have a look. There¡¯s something wrong." Eyesses was surprised by what he saw on hisputer and called Qing Linglong over.


    "What is it?" Qing Linglong put down the TV remote and walked to Eyesses¡¯ workstation.


    "Look at this." Eyesses pulled out one of the windows on his screen. It was a surveince feed from a camera in an ordinary neighborhood in the city. Everything seemed quiet and still, but in the corner someone was down on the ground, still as a statue. "Look at this. That person just fell down. Also, have a look at the other feed."


    Eyesses switched to another camera. The same kind of residential neighborhood, judging by the buildings and the background, but this time, a man and a woman were down on the ground, right in the middle of the screen. "I found this three minutes ago." Eyesses looked at Qing Linglong.


    "Is this far from us?" Qing Linglong frowned. ¡¯It¡¯s not unusual to see one person passed out in the street in the middle of the night. But several? Something¡¯s off.¡¯


    "Three street corners."


    "Can you have a look around?" Qing Linglong pulled over a chair.


    "This is a 24/7 convenience store nearby." Eyesses changed the input again. This time, a small supermarket was shown. A store employee was ying on his phone, visibly bored, while a shabbily dressed young man who seemed to be falling asleep was waiting for his noodles to heat up in the microwave."


    "Look!" Something strange happened. The young man fell to the ground, limp, as if someone had removed all of the bones in his body. The same thing happened to the cashier. His cell phone fell down to the ground with a "nk" and slid a fair distance. "It¡¯s the same as what I¡¯ve just seen!"


    "Look at that!" Qing Linglong pointed at the screen. On the window ss of the store, there was the reflection of a car. Eyesses switched the input to a camera on the street and found a red Hyundai ¡ª the one they saw an instant before, smoldering in the green belt, while a ck BMW rammed into a closed storefront.


    "Something¡¯s wrong. We should contact Li Yiming." Qing Linglong walked to the window with a grim countenance.


    "Their transmitters are not open."


    "I¡¯ll call them." Qing Linglong looked at the pitch-ck sky outside. As she stared at the darkness of Shangbei, she had the feeling that she was looking at a monster that was opening its mouth wide to swallow her whole.


    Li Yiming picked up his phone after only three rings; even after bing a guardian. Li Yiming could still not get rid of his habit of never leaving his phone.


    "Where are you?" Qing Linglong seemed a little unhappy that Li Yiming abandoned them at a crucial moment.


    "We¡¯re on our way back." Li Yiming¡¯s mood was still affected by what had just happened.


    "They¡¯re about to arrive at the scene." Eyesses immediately switched to Li Yiming¡¯s position.


    "Turn back right away! Get away from the neighborhood ahead of you!" Qing Linglong yelled through the phone. It was far too dangerous for Li Yiming to enter the neighborhood when they were unaware of the reason behind the strange events.


    "Turn back!" Li Yiming ryed the message to Liu Meng without questioning. He knew enough about his teammates to trust them unconditionally.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Liu Meng obeyed and made a U-turn. She looked at Li Yiming and waited for an exnation as the car darted out danger zone.


    "There¡¯s something wrong in that neighborhood. People are fainting there for no apparent reason." Qing Linglong quickly exined what she and Eyesses had found.


    "Let¡¯s meet up at Shangbei TV station building. It¡¯s pretty far from that neighborhood and at about equal distance from all of us." Eyesses interjected through the microphone he had on his desk: he had already hacked his way into the telephone conversation.


    "We¡¯re heading there right away. Liu Meng, Shangbei TV station." Li Yiming hung up with a frown. ¡¯Eight days left...¡¯


    For those curious /entry/china-surveince-camera-big-brother_us_5a2ff4dfe4b01598ac484, here is an interesting article about the surveince system in China. That¡¯s probably why Eyesses seems so useful. The benefit of the system is that it allows for crime prevention (maybe?), but the name of the article essentially shows the negative effects. Do keep in mind, though that the Chinese people have different views about privacypared to western countries.

 Volume 3 Chapter 43

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 43 ¨C To Hell Together</strong></h4>


    "What¡¯s your take on this?" Li Yiming asked as he met up with his teammates in the parking lot beneath the TV station building.


    "It¡¯s some kind infectious disease. Look." Eyesses handed his tablet to Li Yiming. A gruesome scene was shown on screen. Whether it was on the sidewalks, in the stores, or in the security room, not a single person was left standing. The people who were on the ground were already dead, and thick fluids were seeping out of the corpses. Li Yiming could almost smell the pungent odor despite it being only a video feed.


    "When did this start?" Li Yiming tried his best to contain his repulsion and asked.


    "Just now. It¡¯s been less than 10 minutes since I found the first victim. It was in the neighborhood that you were driving into when we called you. It¡¯s rapidly spreading. I¡¯d think that there are more than 5000 victims by now, and the rate of infection is only increasing. " Qing Linglong nced at Liu Meng and spoke as she looked at another tablet Eyesses gave her.


    "Could this be the work of a beast?" Li Yiming asked.


    "There¡¯s no way that it¡¯s a normal virus." Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s head popped out of the car. She scrutinized Liu Meng and tried to find a change between now and before she left with Li Yiming.


    "I wouldn¡¯t think that this is a beast either. The beasts¡¯ only natural enemies are guardians. They wouldn¡¯t do anything to the normal people inside this domain. If the rules within the domain itself were disturbed, it would be bad for guardians and beasts alike," Qing Linglong exined.


    "So we can be sure that¡¯s it¡¯s not the work of a camouger either?" Li Yiming asked; he had a bad feeling and an ever more terrible hypothesis.


    Both Qing Linglong and Eyesses nodded with grave countenances.


    "Zeng Qian?" Thest possible person urred to Li Yiming.


    "It would be the only exnation that would make sense." Qing Linglong had already discussed the matter with Eyesses on their way here.


    "What? You¡¯re saying that Zeng Qian is behind all of this?" Liu Meng paled when she thought of the massacre in Ning Vige, which was also orchestrated by Zeng Qian.


    "Li Yiming killed her lover, and she wants revenge for that. But she¡¯s too weak to fight Li Yiming directly, so..."


    "Surely that¡¯s no reason to just kill everyone in the domain? I understand that the people in here are all fake, but... Is she doing that just to vent out her anger?" Liu Meng interrupted Qing Linglong before she could finish. Being as kind-hearted as she was, she had difficulty epting the implications of Qing Linglong¡¯s guess.


    "She¡¯s trying to disrupt the domain. Consequences wille, and their magnitude will be proportional to the havoc she wreaks." Eyesses forced himself toplete his exnation despite an overwhelming feeling of dread. He knew just how much damage Zeng Qian¡¯s talent could cause in a big city such as this fictional Shangbei.


    "She¡¯s not thinking about..." Liu Meng found the answer to her question in her friends¡¯ eyes.


    "Is she crazy?" Li Yiming smashed amp post nearby. The post fell to the ground and the light bulb protector shattered into a thousand pieces.


    "I tried looking for her, but I couldn¡¯t find her. Also, it¡¯s going to be hard since she doesn¡¯t even need to release the virus herself." Eyesses looked at the debris that resulted from Li Yiming¡¯s rage; he could somewhat understand his fury.


    "Do we have a way to stop the disease from spreading?" Liu Meng nced at the surveince feed shown on Qing Linglong¡¯s tablet. It was hard to keep one eyes¡¯ fixated onto the screen.


    "Unless we find Zeng Qian, there¡¯s no other way." Qing Linglong looked at Li Yiming. It was hard for her to say who is right and who is wrong in all of this.


    "Officer Wang?" Li Yiming took out his phone and dialed a number.


    "Agent Li?" A drowsy voice came. It was the officer who came to arrest Li Yiming at the hotel earlier.


    "It¡¯s me. Listen to me. My mission was a failure. The virus has been leaked, and it¡¯s spreading." Li Yiming tried his best to exin the emergency of the situation as concisely as possible.


    "Wait, what? Mission? Virus?" Officer Wang sounded like he was still asleep and did not understand the meaning behind Li Yiming¡¯s words.


    "Yes, remember the case I told you about earlier? I¡¯m working on tracking down a deadly virus, but I failed my mission. The virus is spreading and already caused at least 5000 deaths."


    "What? In Shangbei?" Officer Wang¡¯s professional mannerism kicked in and he woke up instantly.


    "Yes, in the Fuyuan neighborhood. It¡¯s spreading out as we speak, and much faster than I¡¯d hope. Listen, there¡¯s no cure for this virus. Those who are exposed will rot to their bones almost instantly. You need to contact your superiors and n a city-wide emergency evacuation."


    "Emergency evacuation? That¡¯s impossible! Do you know what kind of consequences that would bring? Shangbei is one of the world¡¯s financial centers! Even if we could, it would require many procedures and approvals. Is it really bad as you say it is?" Officer Wang questioned Li Yiming¡¯s assertion. ¡¯Even back for the SARS epidemic, it was only a quarantine...¡¯ 1


    "Then you should run. Bring your family along with you." Li Yiming hung up the call in frustration. He put his cell phone back into his storage space. ¡¯Well, at least I tried. That is the only thing I can think of right now.¡¯


    "Eyesses, continue the search for Zeng Qian. Actually, include both Fang Shui¡¯er and Big Beard in your search as well. Tell me if you find anything. Linglong, can you find a shelter to protect us from the virus? Liu Meng, stay with the others, okay?" Li Yiming put one of Eyesses¡¯ transmitter into his ear and made his order.


    "You¡¯re going alone?" Liu Meng was the first to understand Li Yiming¡¯s intent.


    "This happened because of me. I have to do this." Li Yiming put his hands on Liu Meng¡¯s shoulders and implored her.


    "No way. We¡¯re going together," Liu Meng insisted.


    "Liu Meng is right. We move as a team. We should do this together. We already let you face Bai Xi alone, we won¡¯t repeat the mistake again." Eyesses supported Liu Meng¡¯s request.


    Li Yiming looked back at Eyasses with gratitude and then shifted his attention to Qing Linglong, who seemed to be hesitating. "It¡¯s going to be dawn soon," Li Yiming said slowly. He could feel Eyesses¡¯ sincerity and understood Qing Linglong¡¯s hesitation.


    Eyesses turned his head toward the sky, in apparent irritation at his physical limitations; the sky was starting to whiten, and the light from the moon and the stars had already be nearly imperceptible.


    "I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll stay with you no matter what." Liu Meng¡¯s snatched a corner of Li Yiming¡¯s shirt and firmly maintained her demand.


    "I just found you. I can¡¯t let you face off against danger and risk losing you again." Li Yiming whispered gently into Liu Meng¡¯s ears. He moved his hand slowly from Liu Meng¡¯s shoulder to her face. He slid his fingers across the smooth skin on Liu Meng¡¯s cheeks.


    "I can¡¯t risk losing you either!" Liu Meng burst out. Her eyes were watered with tears.


    "I don¡¯t think that the virus has much of an impact on us at all, does it?" Qing Qiaoqiao hade off of the car and sank into a low mood when she witnessed the embrace between Li Yiming and Liu Meng. She also did not want Li Yiming to risk his life again.


    "The scary thing isn¡¯t the virus. It¡¯s the punishment from the rules that wille along with it." Qing Linglong exined to her sister; this was her main worry and the reason behind Li Yiming¡¯s decision to go alone.


    "I¡¯ll go have a look alone. If it¡¯s too dangerous, I¡¯ll just run away, okay? It would actually be easier for me that way." Li Yiming tried to convince Liu Meng with his best-fabricated excuse. It was the first time he had ever spoken like that to Liu Meng.


    "Why are you even going then? There are only eight days left. How about we just find a spot to hide for eight days, and then the domain will be over. On top of it, we¡¯re in a domain... These people are all fake," Qing Linglong proposed her n. It was characterized by her usual conservatism and risk-averse considerations. The painful disagreement between Li Yiming and Liu Meng reminded her of a scene from her own past she thought she had forgotten.


    "You don¡¯t understand. They¡¯re all the same to me," Li Yiming said calmly. He suddenly ttened his hand and chopped the back of Liu Meng¡¯s neck. Liu Meng fell into Li Yiming¡¯s arm, her eyes still open with disbelief. "Promise me to take good care of her." Li Yiming stared into Qing Linglong¡¯s eyes as he handed Liu Meng over to her. 2


    "Alright." Qing Linglong agreed to Li Yiming¡¯s request, but she was lost her own thoughts. ¡¯They... They¡¯re the same.¡¯


    * * *


    "It¡¯s Qianqian. What is she trying to do?" Fang Shui¡¯er stood at a street corner that should have been lively and busy at this time, but is instead filled with the acrid smell of rotting corpses.


    "She¡¯s crazy..." Big Beard was right beside her. His grim countenance suggested at his firm resolution to stop what happening at all cost.


    "Why..." Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s body trembled. She was overwhelmed by the suddenness the horrifying gue that befell the city.


    "She wants revenge, and she¡¯ll make all of us die for it." Big Beard sprung into action. He broke the window of an Audi parked nearby with a clean punch and jumped into the driver¡¯s seat.


    After putting his hand on the central control panel and a brief sh of light, the car¡¯s engine started on its own.


    "Where are you going?" Fang Shui¡¯er looked at Big Beard helplessly.


    "I¡¯ll go find her and kill her." Big Beard spat out. He stepped down on the gas pedal and the car darted toward the epicenter of the epidemic with a shrill screech of the tires, leaving behind a trail of white smoke.


    "Qianqian..." Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s gaze trailed the car. She took a deep breath and jumped onto the roof of a building nearby with superhuman speed, the light on her armor shining brighter than ever.


    * * *


    "Who¡¯s behind this? What¡¯s going on, this is crazy..." In an office building nearby, three silhouettes cast down looks of horror at what was happening outside of the French casement; it was the group of three that had just left deputy-director Ye¡¯s mansion.


    "This domain was supposed to be a simple trial. Why so manyplications? Duan Mu, did you find anything?" The young man wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at the old man right next to him.


    "Nothing. I¡¯m not sensing any guardians or beasts." The old man called Duan Mu had his fingers on his temples and tried his best to search the surroundings with his focus technique.


    "It looks like something big is about to happen..." The young woman wrapped a towel around her body, but she was still trembling violently.


    "Do you think that this has to do with Li Huaibei?" The young man tapped the window pane lightly while he pondered. He remembered the rumors about Eden.


    "This domain has been one catastrophe after another. The high-level beasts that Duan Mu found earlier were dangerous enough, and I don¡¯t even want to get started on Li Huaibei. Also, what¡¯s wrong with this Li Yiming? Where did this guye out of?" The woman sat down on the office desk and put her long, slender legs on the chair, without minding what her two other friends would see if they turned their heads around.


    "I don¡¯t know if this has to do with Li Huaibei, but I would think that it has something to do with Li Yiming." Duan Mu opened his eyes slowly. The air of intelligentposure he had waspletely different from what Li Yiming had seen before.


    "Why?"


    "This Li Yiming... he came out of nowhere. I¡¯ve never even heard his name before. That doesn¡¯t make much sense for someone with that level of strength. Also, he was able to avoid my technique." Duan Mu seemed very wary of Li Yiming.


    "I hope that the others are okay. The virus is spreading so quickly, they..."


    "Your friends have left this world peacefully." A voice was suddenly heard. The door to the office flew open, and three human heads were hurled onto the tapestry with a thud.


    "Who is it?" The trio yelled in surprise. The female vampire rolled over and jumped toward a corner while his boyfriend crouched down. The male vampire¡¯s canine teeth grew longer all of a sudden, and his fingernails gained a dangerous, metallic glint. Duan Mu used his talent to create a focus barrier in front of him, but he was still in a state of shock that someone else had managed to avoid his technique. ¡¯I probed all around us, and I couldn¡¯t tell that these people wereing? Did something happen to my talent? I¡¯ve hidden our friends 50 meters beneath the ground! How did they...¡¯


    The trio stared at the entrance. Three figures that mirrored the trio inside the room walked in: a young man and a young woman, both very physically attractive, and an old man with shaggy clothes.


    "You killed our friends?" The young female vampire roared angrily.


    The young man at the entrance¡ªthe camouger, answered her question with a movement of his fist. It was as if he was throwing an invisible punch at her from the distance. The female vampire¡¯s body blew up like a balloon and ruptured in an explosion of blood and flesh.


    "Reina?" The male vampire cried out in horror. He was about to leap at his enemies, but Ya Yu appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. Before he could react to it, Ya Yu had already pierced through his chest and snatched his still-beating heart.


    "I didn¡¯t want to kill you, but I am very angry right now. Guardians... you have destroyed my home." The camouger¡¯s eyes were lit up with rage and fury.


    "You... you..." Duan Mu stammered as he looked at Ya Yu¡¯s bloodied hand. His focus barrier vanished slowly; he had already given up.


    "Your talent is the focus radar?" The camouger stood at the door and caressed the woman beside him.


    "Yes." Duan Mu answered obediently. His stomach turned from seeing Ya Yu bring the human heart to his mouth.


    "Help me search for someone and I¡¯ll spare your life." The camouger turned around and started walking toward the door, not even waiting for a response from Duan Mu.


    "Tell me how you escaped my sensory abilities." Duan Mu let out a sigh of relief. But he could not stop himself from his curiosity about the second defeat he had suffered from the object of his pride in such a short while.


    "You¡¯re not the only one blessed with extraordinary focus." The woman, who had been standing quietly behind the camouger until now, answered Duan Mu. She licked her lips with her tongue as she said these words. Her irises scintited with silver light.


    I¡¯m imagining the scene between Li Yiming and Liu Meng, and somehow the scene about Vegeta at the end of his fight against fat Majin Buu alwayses to mind. Ah, maybe I¡¯m old now.


    The SARS-coronavirus outbreak in 2003 was one that provoked one of the most serious responses from the Chinese government in my memory. A dreadfulbo of severe acute respiratory symptoms and aerosol transmission... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SARS_coronavirus#Symptoms ? Just wanted to rify that it is assumed that Liu Meng is knocked unconscious. Also for those interested, this is a pretty interesting debate about knocking someone unconscious. /Is-it-really-possible-to-knock-someone-unconscious-by-chopping-them-on-the-back-of-their-neck ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 44

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 44 ¨C The Punishment</strong></h4>


    "Zeng Qian! Come out if you want to kill me!" Li Yiming yelled as loudly as he could. He looked at the rotting corpses around him; the street near the entrance to Fengyuan neighborhood had turned into a scene of hell on Earth.


    A military helicopter flew by above his head. ¡¯Looks like the government received the news. I wonder if they started evacuating.¡¯


    Before Li Yiming could give it more thought, however, the helicopter suddenly deviated from its course and crashed into a skyscraper. A loud bang was heard, and what remained of the helicopter crashed down to the ground along with blocks of concrete adding. It seemed like the end of the world had begun. ¡¯Even those in the air aren¡¯t spared... Zeng Qian...¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s heart burned with anger. It was spite he had never felt before. He hated Zeng Qian for what she had done, hated the guardians for what they were able to do, and hated Heaven¡¯s Laws for allowing such a thing to be done. ¡¯She¡¯s massacring the entire city... again! Is this what guardians are made for? Destruction and killing rather than protection?¡¯


    The loud roar of a car engine was heard. An Audi appeared in a street corner nearby. It stopped right in front of Li Yiming a drift that seemed barabaric in its suddenness.


    "Big Beard?" A sword appeared in Li Yiming¡¯s hand, his hand glowed purple as he prepared himself for a fight.


    "I¡¯m also looking for her." Big Beard kicked the car door fly open and walked down the car. He looked at Li Yiming coldly.


    "You¡¯re not with her?" Li Yiming frowned, lowered his sword, but the purple light in his hand did not go away.


    "She disappeared after what happened back at the park. If I knew she would do something like this, I would have killed her back then." Big Beard shook his right hand and moved around. The metallicponents of what looked like a heavy machinegun gradually climbed up his forearm from the tip of his fingers, turning his hand into a weapon he could use at will.


    "Li Yiming, Zeng Qian is in the south of the city. She¡¯s fighting the camouger!" Qing Linglong¡¯s voice came from Eyesses¡¯ transmitter. With dawn breaking, Eyesses had gone to sleep, and Qing Linglong was the one who continued the search for Zeng Qian.


    "South?" Li Yiming looked southward


    "What¡¯s happening? Big Beard asked.


    "Zeng Qian is in the southern part of the city. She¡¯s fighting the camouger," Li Yiming answered truthfully. Big Beard was no enemy of his, at least for the moment.


    "Get on." A metal chest appeared in front of Big Beard. The chest melted into a puddle of liquid metal after falling to the ground. The substance covered Big Beard¡¯s body and gained in size until it became a giant mech of about five meters tall that gradually lifted itself off the ground by spitting fire from its back.


    Li Yiming hopped aboard in a hurry and grabbed one of the metallic bars on the shoulder of the mech avoid falling off. After a burst of fire from the back, the mech flew toward the southern part of the city. It traversed Shangbei in almost an instant and arrived at a neighborhood over which dark clouds loomed. A ck tornado whirled ravaged the neighborhood, and bestial roars could be hearding from within it.


    "It¡¯s Ya Yu. They¡¯re over there!" Li Yiming yelled when he heard the inhuman roars


    "They¡¯re all there. The camouger, Bai Xi, and Ya Yu. They know that we¡¯re here." Big Beard¡¯s voice came out of the mech. Amplified by the speakers attached to the mech, Big Beard¡¯s voice sounded robotic and colder than ever.


    Thebat unfolding below them pitted Ya Yu against a ck tornado apparition. The camouger and Bai Xi stood quietly in the distance, waiting with hands behind their back while the old man Duan Mu hid behind them, terrified by what he was witnessing.


    "That tornado... Is it Zeng Qian? How did she be that strong? She¡¯s fighting on even footing with Ya Yu!" Li Yiming was astounded by what he saw. Ya Yu¡¯s eyes shone with a red luminescence as he roared and tore through the tornado, but it was like cutting through water with a knife; the wall of bugs would soon close in and drown him once again, as if Ya Yu¡¯s strike had achieved nothing at all.


    "Something¡¯s wrong. I¡¯ve seen Zeng Qian before. She¡¯s level three at most. There¡¯s no way she can hold her own against Ya Yu." Bai Ze¡¯s sounded confused.


    "Looks like we¡¯ve got some visitors. That¡¯ll spare me the trouble to go look for them." The camouger looked at the mech in the sky and made his intentions clear.


    Duan Mu avoided looking at Li Yiming, but he was also curious about his sudden appearance. ¡¯He¡¯s riding on top of a level-five mech... I wonder how many high-level guardians are still hiding in this domain. Where¡¯s Li Huaibei?¡¯


    "We have the same goal in mind." Li Yiming could feel that the camouger was about to attack him, so he rushed to exin his own motives. He knew that the most important thing was to stop Zeng Qian and the spreading of the virus.


    "Same goal?" The camouger snorted in discontent, but the receding aura around him indicated that he understood Li Yiming¡¯s message.


    The tornado of bugs suddenly scattered. The stream of bugs flew into a somewhere in the distance and gathered once again. Ya Yu roar and was about to chase after the bugs, but the camouger signaled for him to stop. Ya Yu stood where he was, repressing his frustration from fighting an enemy he could not hit.


    "Li... Yi... Ming..." A hoarse screech came from the ck shadow that was formed. The bugs congregated into a human form. It had a hideous appearance; a hunched back, dried skin reminiscent of a mummy, skeletal limbs and a green glow that illuminated the flesh beneath the skin. Its eyes were fixated Li Yiming. This was Zeng Qian¡¯s true form.


    "You deserve to die!" Li Yiming looked at the monstrous apparition. He had never felt such a desire to kill someone before. This was not a matter of who was right and who was wrong anymore. Zeng Qian had to pay for the catastrophe she had created.


    "Let them fight." The camouger once again ryed his message to Ya Yu and Bai Xi. Zeng Qian was a fish in a barrel, and if the two guardians wanted to do the job themselves, he would let them fight and kill whomever that stayed aliveter.


    "We should be careful about the camouger." Big Beard reminded Li Yiming and carefully adjusted the height of his mech.


    "You will pay for Xiao Hei¡ª!" Zeng Qian roared. The lower part of her jaw fell down, her mouth was opened wide like that of a snake. A stream of bugs, carrying with it a disgusting stench, shot toward Li Yiming with loud buzzing noises.


    Big Beard¡¯s mech trembled violently, and a beam of white light shot of out its chest. The two beams, one ck and one white, collided in midair, and vanished without leaving trace of it behind.


    Li Yiming¡¯s countenance changed. ¡¯That attack of hers. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop it without Thunderous Strike... How did she be this strong?¡¯


    ¡¯I can feel traces of the domain¡¯s will on her...¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice came again.


    ¡¯The domain¡¯s will? Is that what happened to Zeng Qian?¡¯


    ¡¯It¡¯s odd. Zeng Qian¡¯s acts are clearly against the will of the domain, so why would the domain grant her so much strength?¡¯ Bai Ze sounded confused and also concerned.


    "Something¡¯s wrong with her." Big Beard, who had just fended off Zeng Qian¡¯s attack, knew that it was impossible that she had grown to such a level by herself in such a short time.


    After her fruitless attack, Zeng Qian¡¯s body shrank even more. The bugs that flew around her body seemed to also have decreased in number and were barely visible anymore. "Kill Li Yiming... Revenge... Kill Li Yiming... Revenge... Kill Li Yiming... Revenge..." Zeng Qian¡¯s skeletal body was about to fall over, but the echoes of this bone-chilling sentence still resonated around her.


    "Come back, Ya Yu!" The camouger suddenly sensed an impending danger and hurried to call for Ya Yu¡¯s retreat. He also grabbed Duan Mu on his way and jumped back.


    "AHHHH¡ª!" Another scream from Zeng Qian. The scale-like skin that covered her body splintered, producing fissures that let through an intensifying green light. The bugs that flew around her body also blew up one by one, spreading out a thin mist of poisonous gas around her.


    "She¡¯s about to blow up!" Big Beard yelled. The mech flew back, and two panels beneath the arms of the mech flew open, and Big Beard took out two giant shields from the twopartments. Another dome-shaped light barrier covered both the mech and Li Yiming, who stood on its shoulder.


    Boom!


    A deafening st was heard, but instead of the shockwave and the destruction that Li Yiming had anticipated, all he could see was a ray of inky green light that shot toward the sky. The st of light flew into the clouds above the city and, instead of sting the clouds away, painted them into an even darker color.


    "That¡¯s it?" Big Beard lowered the two shields in front of his mech, but still maintained the dome barrier.


    "She¡¯s dead?" The camouger frowned and looked at Duan Mu, who was right next to him.


    "Her aura... She¡¯s gone." Duan Mu was baffled, but he hurried to activate his talent after receiving a nce from the camouger; he knew that it was the only reason for which he was kept alive.


    "Zeng Qian¡¯s dead?" Li Yiming looked at where Zeng Qian stood a moment ago. Her final attack had failed to produce even a small crater.


    ¡¯That¡¯s impossible. Her suicidal attack shouldn¡¯t have been this weak.¡¯ Bai Ze sounded a little nervous; she knew that the situation was getting out control.


    "Rain?" Li Yiming looked at the clouds above him, baffled. The mass of dark clouds continually expanded, and mixed within the darkness was a faint green glow.


    "Shit!" The camouger also noticed the change in the clouds. He made a punching gesture and a deep crater appeared in the ground. Duan Mu crawled away from it in terror.


    "Guardians! I will make you regret being born!" The camouger stared at Li Yiming, furious about what was going to happen very soon. "Ya Yu, Bai Xi, kill them."


    With the camouger¡¯s order, Ya Yu, who seemed unsettled, roared mightily and leaped at Li Yiming. Bai Xi, on the other hand, bent down as her legs morphed into a giant snake¡¯s tail. She screeched and a transparent sword flew in Li Yiming¡¯s direction.


    ¡¯There¡¯s no point in fighting them now. We need to leave," Big Bead said. Twelve cannons sprung up from the should portion of his mech and fired a volley of suppressive fire. Meanwhile, a jet of fire burst out from behind the mech and beneath its feet, carrying it into the distance.


    "I¡¯ll kill you even if you run to the corner of the Earth!" The camouger roared at the mech that was leaving the scene. He snatched Duan Bu by the neck and choked him. "Find them, or I¡¯ll make you want to die."


    Crack!


    A lightning suddenly traversed the sky, but oddly, it was green light. A momentyer and droplets of water started to pour down from the clouds.


    The rain had started.


    uh oh...

 Volume 3 Chapter 45

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 45 ¨C Dead-end</strong></h4>


    Rain had started to fall in the city of Shangbei. It was not long before the entire city was showered by droplets of liquid jade.


    The rain that cascaded onto the city looked like a beautiful green waterfall that turned both the sky and the city into a single realm of lush greenness. The humidity in the air carried a fascinating scent. Wine from the heavens hade down to Earth, and the smell of it alone was enough to make one want to go out and have a long drink.


    The citizens of Shangbei stood in awe at this miracle, and most of them rushed outside to be showered by the rain... Until nothing was left...


    The rain disintegrated everything that it touched. It eroded the pirs of concrete and destroyed the steel beams that supported the skyscrapers. The buildings, the bridges, nothing was left. The metropolis that had the highest poption density, one of the greatest cities in the world, had melted away in this sublime downpour.


    Li Yiming entered the third nuclear underground shelter of Shangbei and looked at the few refugees that were hiding there. The shelter was a location found by Eyesses and it was one of the few left in the city that escaped the destruction that came from the sky. Barely two hundred people were there when they arrived, and no one hade in ever since then.


    "Thirty million people in the city... and they¡¯re the only ones left?" Li Yiming put his head on Liu Meng¡¯s shoulders, sunken into a low mood.


    "Don¡¯t think too much about it. There are only two days left. It¡¯ll all be over in two days." Li Yiming brushed Li Yiming¡¯s hair gently. She was trying her best to repress a sob.


    The fear of death overshadowed the minds of all those who stayed in the shelter. The asional sob that echoed through the hall reminded the survivors that even those who were physically unharmed had endured some kind of emotional trauma. Some were praying while others were cursing, but most of them were simply numb. To them, it was all real, and this was the end of the world.


    Eyesses tried to use the cameras outside of the shelter, but all he could see were snowkes. He switched the input feed, but to no avail. They had the choice to go out and have a look, since they could very easily resist the corrosion of the rain for a short while, but the rain was not the only danger outside; there was also a frenzied camouger waiting for them. The will of the domain was survival, yet a guardian had kill everything that lived, so it was no surprise that the camouger would be infuriated.


    ¡¯What about the punishment? The rules were clear: thew of the jungle, but the jungle itself was not to be touched. Yet everything has been razed down, what about the punishment for that? Was is the rain?¡¯ Eyesses¡¯ worry grew.


    Qing Qiaoqiao was down on the ground in the middle of the group, with her legs crossed. Although her expression was serene, the thinyer of sweat that covered her face indicated that she had been making an effort for quite a while already. The focus barrier she had created would have been broken a long time ago if it was not for Li Yiming¡¯s ki-recovering pills.


    Qing Linglong could not bear looking at her sister overexerting herself. The barrier was to stop Duan Mu from finding out about them. Although its size was small and did not require a great amount of focus to maintain it, Qing Qiaoqiao had gone sleepless for several nights already.


    "If you really can¡¯t keep going, it¡¯s okay to stop. Even if the camouger does find us, we still have a chance at winning against him. It¡¯s not worth it to overexert yourself right now." Big Beard looked at Qing Qiaoqiao, who stabilized her breath. ¡¯Who would have thought that such a little girl could endure this burden for so long? I wonder what¡¯s keeping her going...¡¯


    ¡¯The rain has stopped,¡¯ Bai Ze said.


    "I think the rain stopped," Eyesses said immediately after Bai Ze.


    Whispering and chattering spread throughout the crowd of survivors when they heard Eyesses. Some seemed hopeful while others doubted the veracity of Eyesses¡¯ assertion, but above all, most were lost at what to even do about the newly found freedom. They would go out to a barren wastnd instead of the ces they called home not so long ago.


    "My friend confirmed it. The rain has stopped, but I suggest that you wait for two more days. It¡¯ll be safer outside after two more days, I¡¯m sure. Everything¡¯s going to be fine, trust me." Li Yiming saw the reactions from the survivors and knew that it was his time to step up; the survivors in the shelters needed hope, and he would give it to them. ¡¯Just two more days, two days. After two days, all of this will be over.¡¯


    * * *


    "You worthless scum!" The camouger raised his foot and crushed Duan Mu¡¯s right leg pitilessly. A loud crack was heard and thetter shrieked in pain.


    "I¡¯ll make you regret being born if you don¡¯t find them soon!" The camouger seemed ready to ughter anyone he could set his eyes upon. He ignored Duan Mu¡¯s screams, pulled him up from the ground and threw it toward Ya Yu. "From now on, you will take a bite out of him every hour until he finds the group guardians."


    Duan Mu remained curled up in Ya Yu¡¯s grip. His eyes lit up with despair when he heard the camouger¡¯s order. He had thought about fighting for his life and dignity, but every single time the thought urred to him, his will would copse under the stare of Ya Yu.


    "Tsk tsk tsk, how cruel!" A sweet and elegant voice was heard.


    "Who is it?" The camouger turned around and found a woman standing in a puddle of rainwater. She wore a green robe and her long hair touched the ground beneath her feet. Her eyes were of a dark color, but they also possessed a green tint that reminded one of an emerald gem. She looked like someone who had walked out of a painting, with each of her features having been worked on carefully by a master painter, a perfectbination of elegance and allurement.


    "It¡¯s you?" The camouger was surprised when he saw the woman. ¡¯Fang Shui¡¯er?¡¯ He was pleased by the fact that he was being spared the trouble to go look for her, but then he threw a venomous stare at Duan Mu. ¡¯She¡¯s right there and you didn¡¯t tell me about it?¡¯


    Duan Mu felt very wronged when he saw the camouger¡¯s stare. ¡¯I couldn¡¯t sense her! My talent was active the whole time!¡¯ He had started to doubt his own talent after the numerous failures he had suffered in this domain. ¡¯How many time has it been already? Has my talent ever worked properly here?¡¯


    "You know me?" The woman asked. She frowned lightly and brushed her hair back gently with her right hand.


    "A path to heaven and you won¡¯t walk, no door to hell..."


    Plock!


    A cracking noise was heard. Before the camouger could finish his sentence, the woman had closed her fingers together, and with it, Duan Mu¡¯s head blew up in a firework of blood.


    "Are all camougers this wordy?" The woman chuckled. Her smile was as beautiful as the full blossoms of peach flowers in the spring.


    "You... you¡¯re not Fang Shui¡¯er!" The camouger was baffled. He was not shocked by the woman¡¯s sudden attack, but rather by the fact that he could not even see what happened.


    "Look at you. The game has just started." The woman walked out of the puddle of water calmly, as if she was just taking a casual afternoon stroll. She looked at Ya Yu, who had begun to sh with a yellow glow, at Bai Xi, who had revealed her long tail, and at the camouger; she was ying a game, and they were all going to be her prey.


    * * *


    Bai Ze suddenly appeared in front of Li Yiming after a sh of white light. She showed up as a two-meter tall white lion with a horn on her head and wings on her back instead of the little girl that Li Yiming was used to seeing. She seemed shocked and her eyes concealed panic and fear.


    Her sudden appearance had caused a ruckus among the survivors. Li Yiming¡¯s friends sprang to action. Qing Linglong lowered her des, two guns appeared in Big Beard¡¯s hand, Qing Qiaoqiao opened her eyes suddenly, her irises glowing pink, while Eyesses jumped back and took out his sniper rifle.


    "She¡¯s a friend!" Li Yiming yelled and ced himself in front of Bai Ze.


    ¡¯A friend?¡¯ The weapons were lowered. ¡¯Li Yiming, he still has a trump card? This... Bai Ze?¡¯


    "What is it?" Li Yiming was surprised by Bai Ze¡¯s sudden appearance. There was no reason for her to show up as she could talk to his mind directly.


    "Tell that little girl to remove her barrier. There¡¯s no point now," Bai Ze sighed. She looked at Qing Qiaoqiao briefly and turned back to stare at Li Yiming.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Liu Meng asked. She was the one who knew the most about Bai Ze in the group.


    "The thing I worried about the most just happened." Bai Ze¡¯s eyes swept across the team of guardians as she calcted what each could provide in directbat.


    "Do you mean Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" Li Yiming hesitantly asked.


    "Yes. The punishment hase."


    "What? The punishment?" Qing Linglong promptly asked. Bai Ze¡¯s appearance gave her some confidence. As to why Li Yiming had a mythical beast with him, she had already given up cracking the Li Yiming enigma.


    "Xiang Liu!" Bai Ze spat out.


    "Xiang Liu? Are you sure?" Big Beard frowned and sat down slowly. Qing Linglong and the others also looked relieved. All of them, including Li Yiming, still thought of Xiang Liu as being what was summoned by Grandma Wang. After seeing Bi Fang, Bai Xi, Ya Yu, and Bai Ze, they were not even surprised to hear Xiang Liu¡¯s name.


    "I don¡¯t think you understand what I¡¯m saying." Bai Ze read their expressions. "This Xiang Liu is different from the one you know. The other beasts you¡¯ve met before, Bi Fang, Bai Xi, Ya Yu, and even myself, even though we are high-level mythical beasts, our power is limited by Heaven¡¯s Laws. We are not in ourplete form But this Xiang Liu..."


    "You¡¯re saying that this Xiang Liu is in itsplete form?" Big Beard jumped back up in astonishment.


    Bai Ze did not answer him and instead looked at Li Yiming.


    "Complete form? What¡¯s the difference?" Li Yiming asked. He had seen his fair share of high-level beasts, and he was the master of one. Even Liu Meng had her own summon.


    "You¡¯ve seen the power of that phoenix in Ning Vige. She was about to die too. Don¡¯t you think that she¡¯s different from Ya Yu and Bai Xi?" Bai Ze seemed to have lost all hope; there was very little she could do now.


    Li Yiming¡¯s thoughts went back to Ning Vige. He remembered the power Liu Meng possessed and the power of Bi Fang from Li Huaibei¡¯s memories. ¡¯There¡¯s a big difference indeed.¡¯


    "That¡¯s impossible. How can Xiang Liu show up in its full form here? It¡¯s a legendary monster!" Qing Linglong stared at Bai Ze. Thetter looked imposing and powerful, but she brought nothing but bad news.


    "The domain is in shambles, and so its will has changed. I was worried this was going to happen. Thirty million souls, all of their wills converging into one... Xiang Liu..." Big Beard muttered his thoughts to himself.


    "We have two choices. We can try to hide from Xiang Liu for the two days remaining. Shangbei isn¡¯t small, but neither is it big enough to make it hard for Xiang Liu to find us. The other option is that we work with that camouger outside and try to take down Xiang Liu." Qing Linglong quickly came up with two ns. She was still confident in Li Yiming¡¯s abilities.


    "What¡¯s the level-equivalent power for the full form of Xiang Liu?" Li Yiming reluctantly asked.


    "Level seven." Bai Ze answered slowly.


    ¡¯Level seven... Sage...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart sank into dread. He had seen what a sage-level guardian was capable of in Eden. All were but insects beneath a sage.


    So about the title of Book 3, ¡°Monster¡¯s in the city.¡± I find interesting, as <i>mr.tanen</i> pointed out with the name of the previous chapter, that there are a lot of ways you can interpret it. The original wording in Chinese makes it very clear that it¡¯s monsters as in ¡°non-human beasts¡± more than anything. The English version is more nuanced and suits my tastes more :).


    By the way, I would say that Zeng Qian is the real monster. I mean sure, Ya Yu likes to eat humans, but maybe that¡¯s because he has no other choice, but Zeng Qian... oh ho ho. Also thinking about our world...

 Volume 3 Chapter 46

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 46 ¨C Xiang Liu¡¯s True Form</strong></h4>


    "Li Huabei!" Big Beard said hesitantly. Li Huaibei was the only survivor from Eden, and he was level five when he escaped it. After this many years, perhaps Li Huaibei had reached level seven, and even if he did not, he would still be a great asset in the fight against Xiang Liu. ¡¯On top of that, it looks like Li Huaibei has a special rtionship with Li Yiming.¡¯


    Qing Linglong¡¯s eyes also lit up with hope, and she looked at Li Yiming.


    "I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be able to help us." Li Yiming shook his head in despair when he thought about Li Huaibei¡¯s weakened state after showing to him the memories of Eden.


    "Li Huaibei has probably already left the domain. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve done something about Zeng Qian¡¯s madness before." Bai Ze wagged her tail and pped her wings once.


    "He left?" Big Beard frowned.


    "Yes, most likely. He probably came to this domain for another purpose," Bai Ze answered.


    "How could he leave before the ending?" Qing Linglong was surprised by Bai Ze¡¯s answer.


    "Sage privileges." Bai Ze answered in a discouraged voice. ¡¯Things wouldn¡¯t be so bad if Li Huaibei had stayed.¡¯


    "Sage..." Big Beard sighed. ¡¯Just as I thought.¡¯


    "What now..." Eyesses wanted to say something to uplift the mood of the group, but he could note up with anything.


    "If we can¡¯t hide, and then the only thing we can do is to fight." Li Yiming¡¯s firmed his will. The thirst forbat he had acquired from Bai Xi¡¯s illusion and Eden resurfaced in his eyes. He remembered the unshattered resolve of the guardians in Eden, who fought until theirst breath. ¡¯Is this the fight destined by the Heavens, or our struggle against our destiny?¡¯


    "Fight?" Qing Linglong looked at her sister reluctantly. She was inclined to hiding separately, since there were only two days left after all.


    "Xiang Liu is the embodiment of the hate of those who perished here. It¡¯s different from the camouger, whose goal is to protect the domain. We won¡¯t be able to hide from the destruction it brings." Li Yiming looked at his friends, "Also, the camouger and Xiang Liu are fundamentally of the same nature. The collision of two different wills Perhaps we¡¯ll have a chance."


    "The camouger?" Li Yiming¡¯s words reminded Big Beard that there was someone else who still walked the ruins of Shangbei. He was so focused on Xiang Liu to the point that he had forgotten about the camouger. The camouger, with Bai Xi, Ya Yu, his own mech, Bai Ze, and Li Yiming meant that they still had a chance.


    "Let¡¯s go, we can¡¯t waste any time." Li Yiming looked at Liu Meng and walked toward the exit of the shelter. It was a profound nce that contained all of his love for her.


    "I..." Eyesses said.


    "You should stay here and wait until the sun sets." Qing Linglong tapped Eyesses¡¯ shoulder; it was impossible for Eyesses to go out into the radiant afternoon sun.


    "Be careful." Eyesses was dejected, but this was his burden to shoulder from the moment he decided to take the vampiric serum.


    The mecha lifted off with the Qing sisters on its back while Li Yiming and Liu Meng rode on Bai Ze¡¯s back. Li Yiming cast down a look at the broken walls, at the craters that covered the ground, and at the remnants of those who were still alive a few days ago. There was nothing left. ¡¯Is this the power of Heaven¡¯s Laws? If this happened in real life...¡¯


    "Yiming, do you think we¡¯ll make it out of this alive?" Liu Meng pushed her back as firmly as she could against Li Yiming¡¯s chest. Instead of looking at the living hell below her, she tried her best to savour her potentialst moment with him.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you." Li Yiming brought her face close to Liu Meng¡¯s and took a deep breath while wrapping his arms tightly around her. He wanted to be one with her; he wanted to remember her scent and her warmth.


    "I¡¯ll be happy even if this is the end." Liu Meng smiled and whispered when at Li Yiming¡¯s disy of affection.


    "We¡¯re here," Bai Ze said as she slowed down the speed of her flight.


    Li Yiming looked forward. He found two silhouettes facing each other in the distance. The woman with long hair was dressed in ck and was elegant andposed, while the creature facing her was had a bull¡¯s body, a serpent¡¯s tail, a tiger¡¯s w and golden scales on its limbs. The camouger had already merged with both of his summons.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er?" Liu Meng was surprised when she recognized the woman in ck.


    "She¡¯s Zeng Qian. They¡¯re twins." Li Yiming could tell the difference. ¡¯By the looks of it, Zeng Qian used to be even more alluring than Fang Shui¡¯er. No wonder she broke down back in Ning Vige... To possess such beauty and to then lose it...¡¯


    "Don¡¯t be fooled by her appearance, she¡¯s not Zeng Qian," Bai Ze said coldly. She could feel the immense pressure that frail-looking woman generated. ¡¯This is Xiang Liu in itsplete form! The monster that terrorized the world in the legendary tales!¡¯


    "Let¡¯s go." Li Yiming looked at Big Beard¡¯s armor, which was hovering right next to him. This was the strongest foe he had ever faced, a foe who was different from what he had seen in Eden, or the gravely injured phoenix he had encountered in Ning Vige.


    "Oh, it seems like everyone is here. Shall we start the game, then?" Xiang Liu said in a sweet voice that sounded like a TV show host.


    "Are you nning to destroy the city?" Li Yiming hopped off of Bai Ze¡¯s back and interposed himself between Xiang Liu and Liu Meng.


    "You seem to have the wrong idea." Xiang Liu¡¯s smile disappeared. She gazed at those around her coldly. "I didn¡¯t turn this city into a wastnd. On the contrary, I came because you made this city into a graveyard. You call yourself a guardian, a protector of Heaven¡¯s Laws, and yet you are blind to the consequences of your own actions?"


    Li Yiming could not say anything back to that statement.


    "This is only a trial!" Big Beard¡¯s mechnded right next to Li Yiming.


    "Ha! You speak the truth now. Only a trial! This is only a game for you. Why should you care about the lives of other people? You¡¯re just like Heaven¡¯s Laws, full of hypocrisy. All you¡¯re doing is ying around with other people¡¯s lives and fool the entire world!" Xiang Liu¡¯s voice grew angrier and angrier.


    ¡¯y around with other people¡¯s lives? Fool the entire world?¡¯ Xiang Liu¡¯s words struck Li Yiming¡¯s mind like lightning. A terrible but fleeting thought slipped by his mind.


    "You see, everything is a game. It¡¯s my turn to make the rules now. Heaven¡¯s Laws has picked the yers, let¡¯s see how long you canst in front of an NPC such as myself. But,e to think of it, I¡¯m some kind of hidden boss, am I not?" Xiang Liu raised her arm and moved her finger. A thread of green light followed her fingertip and her hair spread out and billowed.


    ¡¯I can freeze her for three seconds.¡¯ A voice was heard.


    ¡¯The camouger?¡¯ Li Yiming kept his poker face. He recognized the voice.


    The fastest to react to the camouger¡¯s message was Qing Linglong. She retracted her des down to her waist and lowered them. A spiral of indigo wind appeared behind her, on the left side; this was the start of a charged attack.


    Big Beard was just a bit slower. The two arms of his mecha fused and transformed into a cannon in front of his chest. A faint white glow could be seen inside the hollow cannon tube.


    Liu Meng nced at Li Yiming and split her hands with her palms facing upward. Her hair turned into red, fiery threads. The mark of Bi Fang on her forehead lit up and the temperature around her quickly rose, emitting wave after wave of scorching heat.


    Qing Qiaoqiao knew that it was hard for her attack to hurt Xiang Liu, so she wrapped arms around her body and created a barrier that protected Liu Meng and herself.


    Li Yiming held his sword in one hand while a purple glow formed in his trembling left hand.


    "Oh? A futile attempt before your demise? That¡¯s right, show me that I¡¯ve note here for nothing." Xiang Liu said nonchntly, but she was growing more and more cautious of the attack which was soon toe. The green light around her hand shone, and the puddle of water beneath her started to boil, producing puffs of poisonous gas.


    Arrgh!


    Bai Ze, who had been standing still in front of Li Yiming until now, roared mightily. White light gathered at the tip of her horn. She pped her wings vigorously and dashed toward Xiang Liu without fear or second though, just like when sheunched herself against Heaven¡¯s Punishment.


    "Pitiful." Xiang Liu, who was about tounch an attack on the guardians, shifted her attention to Bai Ze. She snorted in disdain and waved her right hand. A ribbon of green light wrapped around Bai Ze, bringing with it a pleasant aroma. However, this beautiful apparition was a vine that would wrap around and suffocate its target.


    Li Yiming was horrified by the fate Bai Ze was about to suffer while Xiang Liu smiled coldly.


    Arrgh!


    Another shriek from Bai Ze. The band of light around her splintered. Bai Ze emerged, surrounded by a white and slightly purple halo of light. Bai Ze had ruptured the space around her with a swipe of her ws.


    Xiang Liu¡¯s yful smile froze. She could not understand what she was seeing. She dodged Bai Ze¡¯s attack, but not before it carried away a few of her hair. As soon as Bai Zended after he missed attack, she thrust her tail at Xiang Liu¡¯s face like a spear while shing at her waist with her wings.


    "You¡¯ve survived Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" Xiang Liu was baffled by the purple spark on the tip of Bai Ze¡¯s tail. She dodged Bai Ze¡¯s attack. Instead of striking back, she tried to snatch Bai Ze¡¯s wing. ¡¯This Bai Ze... How is it possible that she has survived Heaven¡¯s Punishment? I need to capture her alive.¡¯


    "NOW!" The camouger, who had stayed silent until now, suddenly roared. A ghost-like shade burst out of his body and flew toward Xiang Liu. The spirit looked just like the camouger, but it quickly shrank after emerging and gained a noticeable golden tint. As for the camouger¡¯s body, it remained still, starting at the distance vacantly, as if the soul that inhabited it had left.


    Xiang Liu turned her head to look at the camouger. She put her arm in front of her body and extended the fingers of her other hand. A diamond-shaped barrier that looked like a piece of liquid emerald appeared in front of her.


    The golden spirit arrived in an instant and collided against the barrier. However, it passed through it as if it was nothing and sank directly into Xiang Liu¡¯s body.


    "Beast-taming? You¡¯re dreaming if you think that you can control me!" Xiang Liu¡¯s eyes gradually settled down, and her body went limp, but an angry roar came from her direction.


    Bai Ze¡¯s wing hit against Xiang Liu¡¯s right hand. The blow sent sparks flying around, and Bai Ze used the recoiling force from her strike to jump back.


    "Moonshadow Descent!" Qing Linglong swung her daggers, and an indigo crescent flew toward Xiang Liu.


    "Light Cannon!" A ball of white light wasunched from the cannon tube in front of Big Beard¡¯s mech. The giant mech flew back from the recoil of the st and trembled violently.


    "Weing Phoenix!" An image of Bi Fang appeared in front of Liu Meng. It was the same firebird with a white beak and blue specks on its body, but this time its wings, spanning more than five meters in length, had turned into those of a phoenix. The bird flew toward Xiang Liu after a high-pitched cry, bring with it fire that melted and ruptured the air around it.


    "Thunderous Strike!" Li Yiming had not much time for thinking. He pointed toward Xiang Liu with his left hand and thought about activating his attack. A fissure appeared in the sky above Xiang Liu. On the other side was a huge ball of purple light. Suddenly, a portion of the purple light split away from the main mass and fell onto Xiang Liu.


    Bai Ze turned her head back in midair and opened her mouth. She spat out a purple and light ray of light that was also aimed at Xiang Liu.


    The crescent, the cannonball, the firebird, the lightning and the breath of light all struck Xiang Liu at once. First came a blinding light, and then a deafening noise. Li Yiming had to look away. The dirt and smoke that was blown into the sky from the explosion formed a mushroom cloud, and a shockwave spread throughout the remains of the city. The few buildings which were still standing werepletely obliterated, leaving behind nothing but ayer of fine grain sand.


    The camouger, whose soul was out of his body, was sted into the distance. Big Beard barely stabilized his mech after channeling all of the energy her had into the propulsion system, but not without leaving a long mark in the ground beneath him. Qing Linglong sliced the iing shockwave with her daggers and split thempletely. Bai Ze crouched down and shielded herself with her wings. She created a perfectly aerodynamic curve that allowed the gusts of wind to fly by without affecting her. Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s barrier transformed from its circr shape to a triangr one and cut the violent gusts of wind into two.


    Finally, Li Yiming, who had lost all of his strength, was about to be blown off by the shockwave when Liu Meng intercepted him. Liu Meng¡¯s fire formed a protective barrier around them that mped both of them to the ground.


    Li Yiming¡¯s ears was still ringing from the explosion, but he had no time to mind his own unease. He struggled to turn his head toward the center of the explosion. As the light faded away, he saw that where Xiang Liu stood a second ago waspletely empty.


    ¡¯We did it?¡¯ Li Yiming was hopeful.


    Bai Ze retracted her wings and stood up slowly. The tip of her horn shed with white light as she sensed the surroundings. "Wait, something¡¯s wrong!" She dashed toward Li Yiming.


    "Hehe... hehe... hehe... Not bad... You¡¯ve injured me..." A surprised and angry voice resonated in the sky above Li Yiming. It sounded like several people were speaking at the same time.


    The ground suddenly began to shake. The grains of sand melted one by one, turning into a thick, green gas that soon covered the entire city. Li Yiming could no longer see Bai Ze, who was still rushing toward him, or even feel her through the psychic link he shared with her.


    "Yiming, look!" Liu Meng was in a lot better shape than Li Yiming. She supported him and pointed toward the sky.


    A shadow emerged. It was a giant snake, about one hundred meters long, with nine heads. Its eighteen eyes shone through the green fog likenterns, emitting an intense green light as its body wriggled left and right.


    Xiang Liu... a snake with nine heads that feasted on humans. The water it spat out was poisonous and leaves behind a destend on which nothing could grow. Its immensity allowed it to eat from nine different mountains at the same time. The saliva it spat out created huge poisonous marshes, and it was rumored that the leader Yu had tried to fill these marshes up three times to no avail. Therefore, he turned the marsh into ake and used the earth he had dug up to build a sanctuary for the gods in the north of the Kunlun mountains.


    This was Xiang Liu¡¯s true form.


    This scene with people yelling out the names of their attacks is so anime like xD

 Volume 3 Chapter 47

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 47 ¨C Fruit of Nirvana</strong></h4>


    "Why isn¡¯t she killing us right away?" Liu Meng knelt down beside Li Yiming. The poisonous fog grew thicker by the minute. They tried to search for their friends at first, but gave up after realizing they could not even see where they were going. Even the link between Li Yiming and Bai Ze had been cut off, so there was no way their voice could reach their friends.


    "I think Xiang Liu wants to poison us to death. She wants us to suffer the same fate as the rest of the people who lived in this city." Li Yiming answered weakly. He was no longer able to remain standing, or even sitting up after all of his strength was funneled into Thunderous Strike. His ki-recovering pills were used to help Qing Qiaoqiao put up her barrier against Duan Mu a few days ago, so his recovery was very slow. What made matters worse was that the poisonous gas was also bing more and more corrosive as time went by.


    For Liu Meng, the fog was not that big of a deal, since her fire was naturally effective against it, but Li Yiming¡¯s skin had already begun to rot due to the exposure. Liu Meng tried to help Li Yiming with her fire, but it only reced the rotting flesh with a burn mark on Li Yiming¡¯s calf as Li Yiming was not immune to fire, unlike herself. Liu Meng then wanted to spread her fire out and burn away the gas around them, but Li Yiming stopped her, knowing full well that with her level three spell power, she would not be able tost long, and that it would only elerate their deaths.


    "You know, for all of it to end like this, it¡¯s not that bad." Liu Meng extinguished the fire on her right hand and reached out for Li Yiming¡¯s. The moment the mes receded, a sizzling sound was heard as the poison began to eat away at her flesh. Liu Meng frowned, but instead of moving her hand away, she held Li Yiming¡¯s hand even more tightly.


    "Liu Meng..." Bitterness and dejection gushed into Li Yiming¡¯s heard. Just when he finally reached found Liu Meng, his true love, both physically and metaphorically, the end hade.


    "You know, I really do think that I¡¯ll be happy for all of it to end like that." Liu Meng had a gentle smile. Her stare grew more and more vacant as she reminisced the time she had spent with Li Yiming and the things she had done with him. "I¡¯m thankful to Heaven¡¯s Laws."


    "I..." Li Yiming extended his arm. He wanted to touch Liu Meng, but he stopped when he saw the ck specks on the back of his hand.


    "Can you sing for me? I¡¯ve seen you dance many times, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard you sing." Liu Meng smiled and moved in closer toward Li Yiming while also extinguished arger portion of the fire around her body.


    "I had love in my hands and lost it,


    I¡¯ve tasted its joy and pains.


    I escaped the caprices of fate,


    Now,


    I know what I want and need:


    It¡¯s a feeling that I cannot exin,


    There¡¯s no need to worry anymore,


    And think that there¡¯s nothing in this world worth living for.


    If it wasn¡¯t for you..."


    Li Yiming voice was off-key, but he still sang without hesitation when he heard Liu Meng¡¯s request; this might thest thing he could do for her.


    "I¡¯ve gazed at the mountains peaks far away,


    But missed the crossroad I just walked by.


    I turned around,


    And I saw you there.


    I knew that you never left me.


    I¡¯ve sought the end of the seas,


    But I ignored the little stream that trickled quietly.


    I rowed upstream,


    And you were there,


    Pushing me and helping me go..."


    Li Yiming¡¯s voice was growing weaker, and his breathing became even more broken. The poisonous air which gushed into his throat with each inspiration turned his song into a hoarse chant that sounded like it came from someone who had not taken a single droplet of water for several days. However, Liu Meng was still listening to his song wholeheartedly. The watery mist in her eyes grew as the fire around her limbs extinguished, and she fell into Li Yiming¡¯s arms, locked in a tight embrace.


    "I know,


    That I can have it all,


    Because you¡¯ll mend every little unhappiness with your love.


    Right now,


    I want to take you in my arms,


    Gently and sweetly,


    And sing a love song to you."


    1


    Li Yiming¡¯s voice grew even weaker with Liu Meng¡¯s weight on him. But Liu Meng climbed closer to his face and continued to listen. Beads of tear trickled out of her eyes, but her heart was inundated by happiness.


    "So you do know now?" Liu Meng¡¯s whispering ended with a weak sob.


    "Yes, I¡¯m so sorry that it took me so long." Li Yiming closed his eyes. Droplets of tear slowly seeped out. He raised his left hand and brushed Liu Meng¡¯s hair gently. He approached her head and took a deep breath; despite the rotting smell of poison, he could still easily distinguish Liu Meng¡¯s scent.


    "I don¡¯t regret it. Not a single bit. I would do the same over again. Meeting you was the best thing that happened to me." Liu Meng suddenly raised her head and gave Li Yiming a long kiss.


    "I have no regrets now." Liu Meng raised her head and whispered into Li Yiming¡¯s ear. "That night was the happiest night of my life. Promise me that you¡¯ll live well after this, okay?"


    "Liu Meng..." Li Yiming¡¯s heart was still sunken in sadness and dejection, but he did notice Liu Meng¡¯s abnormal tone.


    "You have a technique, that Thunderous Strike thing, right? You can unleash all of your energy at once?" Liu Meng did not wait for Li Yiming to ask. She slowly crawled up and sat facing Li Yiming. She had a happy smile and looked like someone who had just woken up on a sunny morning with her lover instead of someone who was about to die.


    "Yes." Li Yiming was not sure why Liu Meng asked him about that, but he still answered.


    "I¡¯ll tell you a secret. I have a technique too." Liu Meng grimaced yfully.


    "My talent isn¡¯t just about controlling fire. The camouger said that I had fire purity, but he was wrong. I actually have the essence of a phoenix enclosed in my body. I am a phoenix! Aren¡¯t you happy? Your girlfriend is a phoenix!"


    Li Yiming frowned. He had a terrible feeling about all of this.


    "You do know about the legend of phoenixes being reborn from fire, right? They¡¯¡¯re immortal, but if..." Liu Meng paused for an instant and her eyes lingered on Li Yiming, "But if I burn my fruit of Nirvana, then I¡¯ll be able to deliver a single blow that contains the energy from many lifetimes. I wouldn¡¯t think that Xiang Liu can win against that."


    Liu Meng stood up slowly, her body once again enveloped by raging mes. However, the odd thing was that despite the fire burning more fiercely than ever, Li Yiming could not feel its heat anymore.


    "No, Liu Meng! You cannot do that." Li Yiming understood Liu Meng¡¯s exnation; even if Liu Meng did die here, she would be reborn by Heaven¡¯s power somewhere else. However, if she used the power of her essence...


    "You said that you liked my long hair, didn¡¯t you?" Liu Meng smiled again. Her short hair suddenly turned crimson red. The threads of red billowed behind her back and grew longer and longer.


    "Live well." Liu Meng turned around calmly and disappeared in the fog.


    "NO!" Li Yiming struggled to stand up and limped in Liu Meng¡¯s direction, but an instantter he saw a sh of red light and heard an angry voice.


    "Come! Bring it on! I¡¯m sick and tired of this shit! First Li Huaibei, and then the camouger, and now this nine-headed insect? I¡¯m Bi Fang, not some weakling that can be squashed around by anyone! I¡¯ll show you who¡¯s the boss! Little girl, I made the right decision to follow you." A voice that sounded like a young man¡¯s but talked like someone much older was heard. It was the rebellious teenager, Bi Fang.


    "Liu Meng..." Li Yiming called out, heartbroken.


    An ear-piercing shriek was heard in the distance, and the fog suddenly cleared up a little. A giant firebird appeared in the sky. It wore a cor of me proudly, and the holy fire that burned on its wings was the one that cleansed all evils. The tail was long and elegant, and a few specks of blue decorated the phoenix¡¯s body, making it look even more beautiful and imposing.


    "A phoenix? How is that possible?" Xiang Liu¡¯s sounded terrified.


    "I will burn the world¡ªFlight of the phoenix!" An airy and sonorous cry was heard ¡ª It was Liu Meng¡¯s voice. After a few circles, the phoenix pped its wings and flew toward Xiang Liu.


    Xiang Liu stared at the oing phoenix fiercely and spat out jets of concentrated toxic gas from her heads. It was a showdown between two mythical beasts, but Xiang Liu had already created a favorable environment for itself. However, when the phoenix came close, it body suddenly disintegrated into a curtain of fire that wrapped around Xiang Liu.


    "What? You! You¡¯re crazy!" Xiang Liu realized, to its horror, that the phoenix had note looking for a fight, but rather for a suicide attack. Xiang Liu knew that this was the life-fire of a phoenix. What she did not know about, however, was the price that Liu Meng had to pay for such an attack: she would relinquish her ability to be reborn and her immortality.


    "Arrgh...!" A painful shriek came from Xiang Liu. The giant snake¡¯s body contorted violently to try to get rid of the fire, but a fire powered by the essence of a phoenix was impossible to get rid of.


    "Arrgh!" Xiang Liu¡¯s screeches of pain continued. The poisonous fog that veiled the city quickly receded andpacted around Xiang Liu, but all of it was burned away before it even had a chance to touch the fire. This was a natural disadvantage no amount of poison would ovee.


    Bai Ze stood up with difficulty as the gas around her faded away. She looked around and found Qing Linglong and Qing Qiaoqiao together, already unconscious from their injuries. On the other side was Big Beard¡¯s mech, which looked broken down, and Big Beard himself nowhere to be found. However, Bai Ze had little time for the other guardians, and she rushed toward Li Yiming.


    "It¡¯s Liu Meng?" Bai Ze had heard what Bi Fang said earlier, and even she was shocked at Liu Meng¡¯s having a phoenix¡¯s essence; it was not just that she had inherited the power of phoenix, one could say that she was a phoenix.


    "Is she going to die?" Li Yiming looked at Xiang Liu, who was still writhing in pain.


    "She¡¯s going to lose her fruit of nirvana. There¡¯s no way she can live through that." Bai Ze knew that this was not the moment for a euphemistic answer.


    Xiang Liu¡¯s cries of pain gradually ceased. The thick fog had cleared up entirely, and a blue, sunny sky had returned to Shangbei. The giant snake was gone, turned into ashes, and so was Liu Meng.


    uh... Plot armor?


    On the other hand, +1 for a protagonist that is weak (emotionally and physically) at times. (That¡¯s part of being human).


    Segment taken from ¡°Never Left¡± by Ang Zhang, /watch?v=XRqnuQcdw_I. Fits the context pretty nicely, at least by the looks of the lyrics. ?

 Volume 3 Chapter 48

    <h4><strong>Book 3 Chapter 48 ¨C Phoenix¡¯s Love</strong></h4>


    "Are you sure about this? There¡¯s no turning back from this, you know." A skinny figure holding a knit bag on his left hand stood on top of the clouds, cast down a look at the ruins of Shangbei.


    "Thank you for bringing me here. I have given it a lot of thought already. Doesn¡¯t this remind you of what happened many years ago? People know about phoenixes, but do they know that we always live in pairs? If it weren¡¯t for..." A voice which came from the man¡¯s chest was heard; it was the voice of the phoenix Li Yiming had met back in Ning Vige.


    "I¡¯ve lived for the sake of living ever since then, but I¡¯ve lost my purpose a long time ago. I¡¯ve just sensed the explosion of that fruit of Nirvana, and it made think. Maybe this is the reason I stayed alive, for this little girl. Maybe helping her will help me pay back some of the debt that I owe you. I can¡¯t help you with what you want to do, but maybe she will be able to," the phoenix said calmly. It waspletely unlike how it acted back in Ning Vige.


    "Well, it¡¯s your choice, and if you¡¯ve thought this through." Mr. Kong waved his hand and the cloud that supported him fell quickly.


    "Thank you," the phoenix answered sincerely.


    Li Yiming gazed at the sky, hoping to see a miracleing down from the clouds. It was not long before he really did see something.


    "What is that? Bai Ze? Come look!" Li Yiming saw a silhouette drop down from the sky.


    "Mr. Kong?" Bai Ze¡¯s eyes were better than Li Yiming, and she recognized the neer. Mr. Kong¡¯s technique only made it hard to remember him after meeting him, but once he actually showed up, the memories woulde back easily.


    "Mr. Kong? He was there all along?" Anger shed in Li Yiming¡¯s eyes. ¡¯If he was here the whole time, why didn¡¯t he save Liu Meng?¡¯ Li Yiming knew that it would have been very easy for Mr. Kong to save Liu Meng.


    Mr. Kong stopped his descent right above Li Yiming and took out a red egg.


    "What is he trying to do?" Li Yiming squinted and observed Mr. Kong¡¯s movements carefully. The moment the egg appeared, the burning fire in the sky had reappeared and gushed toward the egg.


    "This is a phoenix that¡¯s about to be reborn! It¡¯s the one at Ning Vige! What is he trying to do?" Bai Ze recognized the object, but she was not quite sure what Mr. Kong was up to.


    "The fire that vanished a moment ago quickly gathered around Mr. Kong as hended on the ground." Mr. Kong stood in front of Li Yiming with his countenance unchanged, phlegmatic as always.


    "Mr. Kong." Bai Ze greeted him first. She lowered her head, as it was typical for a beast salutation.


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that. I arrived after sensing Liu Meng¡¯s sacrifice. There was nothing I could do." It was as if Mr. Kong could read Li Yiming¡¯s mind.


    "Is there anything you can do for Liu Meng?" Li Yiming did not mind Mr. Kong¡¯s remark. Instead, he looked at him helplessly; this was going to be hisst hope.


    "I can¡¯t save her. But she can." Mr. Kong raised the red egg.


    "The phoenix? She can save Liu Meng?" Li Yiming was overjoyed.


    "I¡¯ve already gathered the fragments of Liu Meng¡¯s soul. The phoenix has decided to sacrifice her own fruit and offer it to Liu Meng," Mr. Kong exined concisely.


    "Sacrifice? Offer her fruit of Nirvana?" Bai Ze was baffled. ¡¯The fruit of Nirvana... It¡¯s the equivalent of the human heart for a phoenix! What¡¯s going on today? Two phoenixes that don¡¯t care at all about their immortality?¡¯


    "So Liu Meng can be saved?" Li Yiming ignored everything else and only focused on what was the most important to him.


    "She won¡¯t die, but a phoenix is a phoenix, and Liu Meng is still just a guardian. I don¡¯t think that I need to exin how big of a difference that is. It¡¯s going to take her a while to merge with the new fruit of Nirvana, and, if she was left alone, it would be impossible for Liu Meng to ever hatch from this egg."


    "What should I do then?"


    "Someone is going to have to incubate the egg."


    "Incubation?" The word rung a bell in Bai Ze¡¯s mind.


    "I can¡¯t help you with that, so you¡¯ll need to do it yourself." Mr. Kong looked at Li Yiming calmly.


    "What do I need to do?" Li Yiming was growing more and more excited; he was ready to do anything to save Liu Meng.


    "Sage-level. You need to reach sage-level. Only then will you have the ability to incubate the phoenix egg," Mr. Kong said calmly.


    "Sage? Yes, I¡¯ll do my best and reach that level as quickly as I can." Li Yiming said with a determined countenance, and he swore inwardly that he would do it as quickly as he can.


    "Until then, I¡¯ll keep that egg for you; you¡¯re not ready to handle the energy contained within it yet," Mr. Kong said. With a swift movement of his hand, he put the egg away into his storage space.


    "How will I find you when I be a sage?" Li Yiming looked at Mr. Kong with determination.


    "I¡¯lle for you. Until then, I need you to help me with something." Mr. Kong smiled: something which was a true rare sight.


    "Yes. I¡¯ll help you if it¡¯s within my capabilities," Li Yiming answered enthusiastically; he wanted to help Mr. Kong back, since he had changed his life and even saved his life many times.


    "I need you to go here and protect this person." Mr. Kong took out a photo from his bag. On it was written an address and a name.


    Second Wen District, Hangzhou. Qing He. 1


    "For how long do we need to protect this person?" Bai Ze asked rather timidly. ¡¯What if we need to protect him for life? Doesn¡¯t that mean that we¡¯re done for? I hope Mr. Kong isn¡¯t someone to make that kind of irrational demand.¡¯


    "Not very long. Three months at most." Mr. Kong looked at Bai Ze, still smiling. He suddenly tapped Bai Ze¡¯s head yfully, like one would do to a little child.


    "Alright, I promise you. Three months. As long as I¡¯m alive, I won¡¯t let him get hurt." Li Yiming said with conviction as he put the card away into his own storage space.


    "Alright. I¡¯m not going to make you work for free. I¡¯ll teach you a way to be stronger." Mr. Kong¡¯s eyes glittered.


    "Oh?" Both Li Yiming and Bai Ze were surprised. ¡¯Mr. Kong¡¯s about to teach us something? That¡¯s an unimaginable opportunity!¡¯


    "It¡¯s quite simple, really. Just get struck by lightning. You¡¯ll be surprised once you find out what happens next." Mr. Kong picked up his knit bag and turned back.


    ¡¯Just get hit by lightning? I don¡¯t think I need you to teach me that. I¡¯m a lightning-powered machine now!¡¯ Li Yiming was not very impressed by Mr. Kong¡¯s counsel.


    "Are you talking about Heaven¡¯s Punishment?¡¯ Bai Ze asked once again to confirm. ¡¯It doesn¡¯t make sense for someone like Mr. Kong to say somethingpletely trivial...¡¯


    "That¡¯s not what I said" Mr. Kong suddenly smiled. He scratched his back with his left hand. "Anyway, the rewards are about toe soon, and I¡¯ll spoil the party if I stay. See you!" A flock of colorful cloud gathered beneath Mr. Kong¡¯s feet, and he disappeared in an instant.


    "Not Heaven¡¯s Punishment? What does that mean? Is Mr. Kong saying that normal lightning would also work?" Li Yiming looked at Bai Ze hesitantly.


    "I think so..." Bai Ze answered rather absent-mindedly. She stared at the direction in which Mr. Kong disappeared. She thought about Mr. Kong¡¯s gesture before he left. ¡¯The way he did it...¡¯


    "The Source of Thunder is within my body. Maybe it really can work. How did I not think of this before?" Li Yiming pped his hand. A huge burden was obviated from knowing that Liu Meng was safe and sound now.


    "No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about," Bai Ze said hesitantly.


    "What is it?"


    "I think that I know who Mr. Kong just might be." Bai Ze¡¯s body turned into a sh of white light and vanished.


    ¡¯What is it?¡¯ Li Yiming understood why Bai Ze did what she did; some things could not be said out loud.


    ¡¯Mr. Kong¡¯s power truly is impressive.¡¯


    ¡¯Yes.¡¯


    ¡¯Mr. Kong could also be a bug in Heaven¡¯s Laws.¡¯


    ¡¯Yes, we¡¯ve talked about that before.¡¯


    ¡¯Mr. Kong, that¡¯s his name...¡¯


    ¡¯What exactly did you discover?¡¯


    ¡¯Well, you know what it means to be a bug. Think about it. From all of the stories and legends that you know. How many beings fall in such a category? Someone that doesn¡¯t belong to any of the three realms, and someone that isn¡¯t described by any of the five elements?¡¯ 2


    ¡¯I... I only know one...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he held his breath.


    ¡¯That¡¯s what being a bug means. Right?¡¯


    ¡¯Yes.¡¯


    Both Li Yiming¡¯s and Bai Ze¡¯s voice began shaking.


    ¡¯And he¡¯s also called Mr. Kong.¡¯


    ¡¯Are you serious?¡¯ It was as if Li Yiming¡¯s mind was struck with lightning. ¡¯The Big Bro in shorts I¡¯ve known for so long is you? ...Wukong??¡¯


    ¡¯Survival aplished. Five hundred life marks awarded.¡¯


    ¡¯Hidden missionplete. Xiang Liu in. One thousand life marks awarded.¡¯


    ¡¯Hidden missionplete. Xiang Liu in. Adaptable guardian equipment obtained.¡¯


    Before Li Yiming snapped out of his shock, the usual voice from Heaven¡¯s Law rung in his head. After a sh of white light, a longsword suddenly appeared in front of him.


    Li Yiming was beyond excited. He picked up the longsword and examined it carefully. This was something he had dreamt about for so long. He had made it to this moment with the sheer good luck of nothing having to fight against someone with his trinket worth 698 yuan. He ignored the notification about the Progression points since those were useless anyways.


    ¡¯Wow! Look at this sword! Level five, Thunderous Mirage. With a technique to increase the attack of the weapon by covering the de with lightning! Wow! That¡¯s what I expected from a hidden boss.¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the sword, and he habitually tried to print the rune within the weapon into his mind.


    Ding!


    A metallic tink was heard, and the sword turned to dust.


    ¡¯Extraction failed? What the heck?¡¯


    ¡¯What did you expect? You¡¯re level four, and you just tried to extract a level-five item... You know, it would be easier for you to just go extract a level-nine item, and then you¡¯ll be invincible! How about that?¡¯ Bai Ze was speechless. ¡¯Well, that¡¯s the danger with newbies. Move your eyes from them for one second, and they¡¯ll do something stupid.¡¯


    ¡¯I...¡¯


    Suddenly, the ruins of Shangbei copsed like a mirror being broken into pieces. A momentter, when Li Yiming opened his eyes once again, he found himself standing at the bottom of Mingzhu Tower, Shangbei¡¯s most famousndmark. Busy crowds skirted around him, with tourists visibly enjoying themselves and some of them talking selfies.


    ¡¯We¡¯re back.¡¯


    He looked around and found Big Beard unconscious, leaning against a tree nearby. The Qing sisters were down on a patch of grass nearby, but the poison scars had vanished. Li Yiming¡¯s phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and heard Eyesses relieved voice.


    Plot armor triumphes!


    Also, the end of Book 3!


    Note, funny how the author inserts himself into the story, since his pen name is Qing He Lao Shi (Teacher Clear River) ? The three realms is a concept in Buddhism, and most likely the inspiration for titles such as Sovereign of the Three Realms ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 1

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 1 ¨C New Team</strong></h4>


    Inside a hotel suite, the survivors from the Shangbei domain gathered around a table. All seemed happy and were still in disbelief at their good luck. Qing Qiaoqiao was the only person who was not so relieved. She did not believe Li Yiming¡¯s exnation about Liu Meng¡¯s absence and instead judged it to be a pretense aimed at lessening the psychological burdens of those that did survive. The more she looked at Li Yiming,


    "Eyesses!?" Qing Linglong yelled out in horror; the vampiric virus was not something that was cured by at the end of a domain.


    "Look at this!" Eyesses yed around with a ck rock that hung from his neck. It was made of an unknown material, and the craftsmanship was rather crude. This was Eyesses¡¯ reward: an adaptive guardian equipment.


    "Shadowless Pearl?" Li Yiming knew exactly what the object was; the vampiric couple had told him about it. He was happy that Eyesses had found just the right item right away.


    "Yes. Ah, it feels good to be under the sun again." Eyesses took a deep breath and sat down next to the window. Being bathed in the warmth of the sun seemed to bring greatfort to Eyesses¡¯, at least judging by the expression on his pale visage. However, Li Yiming noticed that the rays of light did not produce a shadow beneath Eyesses.


    "What is done is done. We should make ns for the future now." Qing Linglong was nning ahead, as it was in her habit to do so.


    "I want to rest." Big Beard took out a can of beer from the fridge, opened it by biting, and took a long sip.


    "That¡¯s not what I mean, and you know it." Qing Linglong stared directly into his eyes.


    "I know what you mean. Just give me some time to think." Big Beard took another sip.


    "Can you find anyone better than Li Yiming?" Qing Linglong pressed on, determined to get an answer from Big Beard.


    ¡¯Li Yiming...¡¯ Big Beard squinted as he pondered Qing Linglong¡¯s proposal. He looked at Li Yiming and tried to remember what happened in the domain, but his memories were cut off the moment he fell unconscious. What happened at the end of the Shangbei domain, he did not know, but one thing was for sure; Li Yiming was thest man standing, and Liu Meng was gone. ¡¯He said that Liu Meng was gone for convalescence, but is that true? Regardless, the sage level Xiang Liu was in, there¡¯s no doubt about that from what Heaven¡¯s Laws told me.¡¯


    "I agree too. We can make better use of our strengths as a team. I have a feeling that we¡¯ll be able to do great things." Eyesses also had his eyes fixated on Li Yiming. "Li Yiming, you don¡¯t belong to a permanent team, do you?


    "A permanent team?" Li Yiming snapped out of his reflections. He had been thinking about the seemingly cryptic exchanges between Qing Linglong and Big Beard.


    "So you don¡¯t have one? Great. Let¡¯s make a team, and you¡¯ll be the captain, okay?" Qing Linglong said with a grin.


    "How is it any different from what we did before?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Of course. Permanent teams are recognized by Heaven¡¯s Laws. So in the future, whether it¡¯s a domain or anything else, we¡¯ll be treated as a single unit. That¡¯s a big difference from impromptu teams. Most guardians would usually join such a team to maximize mutual self-interest," Eyesses exined.


    "I used to be part of a team before, but after Qiaoqiao¡¯s awakening, I was told that the team wouldn¡¯t wee neers, so I chose to leave them," Qing Linglong added and looked at Big Beard. On paper at least, to pool their power together and to work together for amon goal was a n with no losses and only gains.


    "I¡¯m okay with it if you¡¯re all okay with it." Li Yiming nodded. ¡¯It¡¯s way too hard to survive alone in a domain. I can tell first-hand how important it is to have a team to rely on.¡¯


    "What about you?" Qing Linglong looked at Big Beard, who had already finished two beers and was working on his third one.


    "I ept." Big Beard put his beer can down. He threw an intense gaze at Li Yiming.


    "I¡¯m not actually insisting on being the team captain. I think that Big Beard could do it, since he was the captain of his own team before." Li Yiming caught the message.


    "No, the captain has to be you. You¡¯re someone who¡¯s worth my trust. I was just hesitating because I missed the people from the old team. We¡¯ve been together for quite many years after all," Big Beard sighed.


    "If everything is settled, then we shouldn¡¯t dy any further. For now, the first thing on the agenda is a vacation to rx for a while," Qing Linglong said with a broad smile.


    "How does that... work?" Li Yiming hesitated; he was afraid that it might betray hisck of experience.


    "It¡¯s simple. All you need is a team token from the Stage of Ascension. Then, we¡¯ll send the request to join the team. As long as there are more than four members, the team official status is recognized by Heaven¡¯s Laws," Eyesses said. He seemed to be the expert on the appropriate procedures to undertake.


    "The Stage of Ascension?" Li Yiming was dumbfounded.


    "What is it?" Qing Linglong noticed Li Yiming¡¯s awkwardness.


    "Do I really need to go to the Stage of Ascension?" Li Yiming hesitantly asked. He was already trying his best toe up with an excuse.


    "Of course, the exchange system is only avable from the Stage." Eyesses was surprised by such a strange question.


    "Uh... Well for personal reasons, I can¡¯t really go to the Stage of Ascension." With the little time he had, Li Yiming failed to find a better exnation.


    ¡¯Personal reasons?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s friends wondered what the exact reason could be, but they all refrained from asking him further, since secrecy was a natural thing amongst guardians.


    "Uh..." Qing Linglong hesitated.


    "How about you just join my team? I¡¯m the only member in the team now. I¡¯ll transfer the captain status to you. It¡¯ll cost a few life marks, but it¡¯s no big deal." Big Beard suddenly took out a tablet and gave it to Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming reached out for the object instinctively when Big Beard handed it over, but he was very surprised. ¡¯This is a team token? A tablet?¡¯


    He probed the tablet with his focus, and soon, an avnche of information flurried into his mind. ¡¯Team information, member information, domainpletion log, exchange sheet...¡¯


    "Just join the team first, then I¡¯ll give you the leader privilege." Big Beard took the tablet back and started using it.


    ¡¯Big Beard has invited you to join his team, do you ept?¡¯ A voice was suddenly heard inside of Li Yiming¡¯s head. It was just like one of Heaven¡¯s Laws¡¯ notifications when hepleted a domain.


    ¡¯Yes.¡¯ Li Yiming epted without hesitation.


    ¡¯You have sessfully joined Team Big Beard. You are now an official member of Team Big Beard.¡¯


    ¡¯Qing Linglong has joined the team.¡¯


    ¡¯Qing Qiaoqiao has joined the team.¡¯


    ¡¯Yin Mao has joined the team.¡¯


    The notifications came one by one. Li Yiming listened to the notifications carefully, but he raised his eyebrow when he heard thest name. "Who the hell is Yin Mao? What a weird name."1


    Qing Linglong had a smile that faded away after a moment. Qing Qiaoqiao, however, wasughing loudly. Big Beard frowned in surprise, while Eyesses turned his head away, visibly not in his best mood. ¡¯Wait, so Eyesses... No wonder he didn¡¯t want to tell me his name. What did his parents think when they gave him this name? Oh, I can already seen pain and tears in his childhood...¡¯


    "Okay, I¡¯ll give you the leader position." Big Beard repressed his smile, but the twitching on his face betrayed his amusement.


    ¡¯Wang Meng is giving you the captain¡¯s position. Do you ept?¡¯


    "Are you sure?" Li Yiming took a deep breath and looked at Big Beard.


    "Of course." Big Beard waved his hand.


    ¡¯You are now the new captain of team Big Beard. Please select a new name for the team.¡¯


    ¡¯A new name?¡¯ Li Yiming was surprised by the notification.


    "I don¡¯t really know what name to take." Li Yiming knew that thinking of a clever name was one of the things he was the worst at.


    "It¡¯s okay. Just pick whatever you want. It doesn¡¯t matter," Big Beard answered Li Yiming with a big smile. It seemed like giving away the captain¡¯s position also meant removing an imposing psychological burden.


    "No! We need a good name for the team!" Qing Qiaoqiao yelled. It was her first team, so she was boiling with enthusiasm.


    "Yiming. Dissonance. How about that?" Qing Linglong came up with a clever idea. 2


    "A dissonance in Heaven¡¯s Laws? A nice name. I agree with that." Eyesses gave his approval.


    "I don¡¯t really care. You¡¯re the captain, you decide." Big Beard¡¯s attitude was made abundantly clear by the way the team was named previously.


    "This is it! That¡¯s a good name. Li Yiming, Dissonance." Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes glittered with excitement.


    "Alright."


    ¡¯Team name changed: Dissonance. 10 life marks deducted from the team¡¯s captain¡¯


    ¡¯What? It costs life marks to change a name? Wow, this is a mechanic taken straight out of a poorly-made MMORPG.¡¯ Li Yiming was unimpressed; after all, a low-level domain usually only yielded thirty life marks.


    "Alright, if this is the first time you¡¯ve joined a team, then you¡¯ll need some time to y around with the functions in the tablet. Contact me through the team channel for the next domain. I¡¯ll leave for now. Don¡¯t want to stay a minute more in Shangbei. See you!" Big Beard waved his hand and walked toward the exit.


    "Have fun." Qing Linglong stood up to see Big Beard off.


    Li Yiming nodded without really paying attention to what Big Beard said. He had already be fully engrossed by what was shown on the tablet.


    "Well, Qiaoqiao and I are going to the salon. Damn that poisonous fog, I think it added a few wrinkles onto my face." Qing Linglong said after taking out a pocket-mirror and checking herself closely. She led Qing Qiaoqiao out of the room.


    "I¡¯ll also go rx a bit. I want to see if I¡¯ve lostthe ability to... Well, you know, after receiving the virus. Are youing?" Once the Qing sisters were gone, Eyesses took on a lewd smile and looked at Li Yiming. 3


    "That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll stay here and have a look at this." Li Yiming waved his hand. Eyesses, as if he had been expecting a refusal, shrugged his shoulder and left while humming a merry tone.


    ¡¯Team information:


    Li Yiming. Location: ShangbeiWang Meng. Location: Shangbei


    Qing Linglong. Location: Shangbei


    Qing Qiaoqiao. Location: Shangbei


    Yin Mao. Location: Shangbei¡¯


    Only the current locations of the team members were shown. The limited information was most likely to grant some privacy to each member of the team. Li Yiming walked into his room and settled downfortably on the bed before continuing his exploration.


    ¡¯Hmm, there aren¡¯t a lot of functions. It seems like whatever this ¡¯team¡¯ thing is, it¡¯s not that different from a guild in an online game. The information is shared and so is the loot, so that guarantees sincerity between team members. Also, only a single team invitation is needed instead of multiple individual invitations for entering a domain. Does that mean that I¡¯ll be the one to decide which domain we participate in?¡¯


    ¡¯Team exchange?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly noticed something. He touched the button with a hand that was shivering a little from excitement. ¡¯A shopping website?¡¯


    The start of a new adventure! Also, what happened to Fang Shui¡¯er in Shangbei...? Did she just hide somewhere? 0.0


    Note, Yin Mao in Chinese is a homophone for "pubic hair", so you can imagine why LYM would find the name weird. This is something that is much more likely to happen in Chinese, since the way Chinese characters are pronounced (usually 1 sound per character) makes it such that most words are usually only 1-2 sybles long. Names are usually 2-3 characters long, so it happens that a name has the same pronunciation as amon noun. ? Yiming is a homophone for "dissonance". See above note for why this is likely. ? In case this was too subtle, Eyesses is suggesting at going to a club or perhaps ever soliciting the service of a prostitute. Not sure how this fits Eyesses¡¯ personality, or why he thinks it¡¯s a good idea to invite Li Yiming along... ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 2

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 2 ¨C Web-shopping</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming opened the shopping app and a very crowded interface appeared on the screen. "Hey Bai Ze? Do you know how to use this?" Li Yiming hesitated when he looked at all of the different kind of merchandise being sold.


    A sh of white light and Bai Ze appeared right beside Li Yiming, leaning over to see what was on the screen. She did not seem more confident than Li Yiming.


    "You¡¯ve never seen this before?"


    "Of course not. How long has it been since online shopping has been invented? Heaven¡¯s Laws keeps up with new technologies, at least."


    "Let¡¯s check it out. Seems promising." Li Yiming rubbed his hands together and started browsing through the shops. The set-up was just like that of a normal shopping website, except articles such as armor, weapons, pills, forging materials, beast summons, technology and even Dao techniques were being advertised instead of normal merchandise. Anything Li Yiming could think of, he could find it there.


    "Wait, the currency used is life marks?" Li Yiming made an important discovery.


    "What did you expect? Cash? E-money?" Bai Ze looked at Li Yiming, unimpressed by histe realization.


    "Wow, these are so expensive." Li Yiming was very discouraged. He thought he would be able to easily get his hands on a pile of equipments to extract from and thus grow stronger much more quickly. Without this shortcut, it would be difficult for him to get his hands on more than the few he can hope to encounter in a domain.


    ¡¯But even a level-two item costs 100 life marks... And a level-five costs 1000. I¡¯m not going to be able to get a whole lot with the 1500 points I have, and that¡¯s assuming my extraction works a hundred percent of the time. Oh no... what have I done with that sword... It was worth 1150 points!¡¯ Li Yiming was now deeply regretting his rash decision of trying to extract the lightning sword awarded to him earlier.


    "It¡¯s probably normal for items to be this expensive. Otherwise, guardians would be nothing more than fools who are armed to the teeth." It did not take long for Bai Ze to make sense of the high price of the items being sold.


    "Well, I guess it¡¯s better than nothing. Is there anything that would be useful for me?" Li Yiming asked in a rather defeated voice. He opened the interface for techniques. ¡¯Thunderous Strike is a good technique, but it only works once. I need to find something else. Hmmm, 100 for level one, 500 for level two, 1000 for level three, 2000 for level four, 4000 for level five, 8000 for level six and nothing for level seven.¡¯


    ¡¯That¡¯s it? I can only afford a single level three spell?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s mood sank once again; level one and two spells were rtively useless, but beyond that, the price tag soared.


    "Let¡¯s have a look at consumables instead." Bai Ze pointed at a button on the screen.


    Li Yiming opened the consumables marketce. ¡¯Pills, raw materials, one-use spell scrolls. Wow, a Ki-recovering pill costs ten life marks? What a rip-off...¡¯


    "Take a look at the spell scrolls!" Bai Ze had an idea in mind.


    Li Yiming obeyed her. Rows of yellow paper scrolls with some glyphs written on appeared. None of them were very cheap, the cheapest level one spell, Thunder Palm, cost ten life marks and the more expensive Firebats cost three hundred.


    "They sell those?" Bai Ze sounded very excited.


    "These aren¡¯t that useful, are they? One-time use and expensive." Li Yiming was rather discouraged.


    "They¡¯re still a lot cheaper than any of the other things you can buy." Bai Ze left the rest of the thinking to Li Yiming.


    "You¡¯re saying that..." Li Yiming


    "Extraction!" Both of them said loudly.


    "Let¡¯s buy a Thunder Palm scroll first." Bai Ze smiled like a mischievous child.


    ¡¯Purchasing a spell scroll. Confirm?¡¯ A voice was heard in Li Yiming¡¯s head after he tapped on the Thunder Palm scroll icon. Then, he noticed that ten points had been deducted, and a piece of golden paper with glyph traced on it suddenly appeared in front of him.


    Li Yiming grabbed it and examined the indecipherable characters; he could feel that there was some kind of power sealed within the innocuous-looking piece of paper.


    "Come on, let¡¯s try extracting." Bai Ze seemed even more eager than Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming picked up the scroll and closed his eyes. He could feel that the inside was just like any other guardian equipment. After practicing for so long with his stash of equipment in the Shangbei domain, it did not take long before he found the glyph which was buried inside of the item. A momentter, thee scroll turned into a small pile of dust. Li Yiming had a euphoric smile. ¡¯Yes! Thunder Palm! I did it!¡¯


    "Are you serious? This guy and his hacks..." Bai Ze raised her head and looked at the sky, but she seemed even more excited than Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming continued to abuse the "loophole" and learned just about every thunder spell below level four. Bai Ze stopped him from trying any other kind of spell, since the cost efficiency was the highest with thunder due to his having the Source of Thunder.


    "I still have 475 points left." Li Yiming was shocked by his own good luck. "Is it normal that all of the extractions were sessful? Is that what the Source of Thunder does?" He had nned to use all of his life marks to buy scrolls; unlike normal guardians, life marks were nothing more than currency to him.


    "You should keep what you have for now. We have enough."


    "Alright." Li Yiming rubbed his hands together and made a mental list of the spells he had learned today. ¡¯It¡¯s a pity I can¡¯t use what I¡¯ve learned right now. Otherwise, I would be throwing thunder all over the ce and making the Earth tremble with my might!¡¯


    "Wait a second." Li Yiming suddenly yelled out in surprise.


    "What is it?" Bai Ze had stolen a bag of chips from Li Yiming¡¯s storage space and was chomping on a particrly big one.


    "My vein. It changed." Li Yiming felt that something was different within his body.


    "What?" Bai Ze started to get worried. She immediately dropped her bag of chips and turned into a ray of white light.


    ¡¯Your spell power increased by half? Oh right, when you learn a new spell, the vein changes ordingly. It¡¯s a shame that you can¡¯t improve your vein the normal. Otherwise you¡¯d be even closer to level five now. But at least you¡¯ve found a sure way to be stronger now. All we need to do is to collect more equipment and more life marks, so it¡¯s not really any different from the other guardians out there.¡¯


    ¡¯But I¡¯m still more than halfway until level five.¡¯ Li Yiming sighed, a little disheartened by his slow progress. ¡¯It¡¯s going to take a while to get to level five. I still have 1500 progression path points idly sitting there. If only I could use them...¡¯


    ¡¯You shouldn¡¯t be too greedy. You already have a huge advantagepared to others.¡¯ Bai Ze reminded him.


    ¡¯That¡¯s true.¡¯ Li Yiming nodded. ¡¯The higher level I am, the more valuable my trick will be. It would have taken me forever to reach even my current level if it weren¡¯t for a few happy coincidences.¡¯


    "Speaking of which, I¡¯ve thought about a way to improve your strength. Care to try?" Bai Ze appeared in front of Li Yiming once again with glittering eyes.


    "What?"


    "Remember what Mr. Kong told us?"


    "You mean... lightning?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up with anticipation: another opportunity to grow stronger.


    "I don¡¯t think he would lie to us, would he?"


    "Yeah, but where am I going to find lightning?"


    "You¡¯re hopeless. Let¡¯s just ignore the fact that you can create your own lightning. Lightning is electricity, and you think that it¡¯s hard to find that in the twenty-first century?"


    "You mean..." Li Yiming looked at the power outlet in the corner of the room.


    "Give it a shot." Bai Ze encouraged Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming knelt down in front of the outlet and forcefully ripped the wires out. However, when he looked at the exposed copper, he hesitated. All the safety knowledge he had since he was a child was not that easy to forget.


    "Heaven¡¯s Punishment did nothing, and you¡¯re afraid of 220 volts?" Bai Ze was unimpressed. 1


    Li Yiming gritted his teeth and grabbed both wires with his hands. A sizzling noise was heard and then a thud. The room had gone pitch-ck, the short-circuit having caused the jumper to go off.


    "Nothing." Li Yiming focused on the changes in his body and was disappointed.


    "The voltage here isn¡¯t enough. Let¡¯s go find somewhere else." Bai Ze looked at the electric cables which ran outside of the building and had another idea. ¡¯I would bring shame to the Bai Ze name if I didn¡¯t ¡¯dissect¡¯ this abnormal guardian specimen and analyze him thoroughly...¡¯


    * * *


    "Are you sure about this? This isn¡¯t a domain," Li Yiming asked Bai Ze hesitantly. They had found a high-voltage pole in the suburbs of Shangbei.


    "Of course. I¡¯ve checked around. There aren¡¯t any cameras and at most, you would cause a few streets to go out of power for a little while. That¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be fixed by a team of repair workers. Come on." Bai Ze was doing his best to convince Li Yiming to attempt extracting from the city¡¯s grid. In fact, if it was not for the fact that overusing one¡¯s ability might result in Heaven¡¯s Punishment, she would have asked Li Yiming to try zapping himself.


    Li Yiming took a deep breath, and, after a sh of purple light, appeared at the top of the electric pole. This was a new technique he had learned: Thundersh. He was now able to teleport short distances by turning into lightning. Li Yiming put his hands on the transformer module, and easily removed the insting cover. As he made contact with the copper wires with both of his hands, his body started to irradiate a purple light.


    "Anything?" Bai Ze yelled out as loudly as she could from below.


    Li Yiming frowned. There were no changes to his vein, but he did feel something strange when the electricity flowed into his body for the first time; after all, there was quite a significant difference between high-voltage electricity he found here and the one found in normal power outlets. Something was stirred up inside him, and, as time went by, the tingling sensation became stronger and stronger. Suddenly, Li Yiming realized that he could control the electricity that flowed inside him.


    ¡¯Come!¡¯ Li Yiming whispered, and the electricity suddenly gushed into his body. The purple halo around his body grew and small popcorn-like noises were heard.


    ¡¯Go!¡¯ Li Yiming tried the opposite. The electricity left, without leaving a single bit behind. Even the segment of copper cable Li Yiming touched had be some kind of instor through which no current could flow.


    ¡¯I can control electricity?¡¯ Li Yiming was perplexed by his new skill. This was not a guardian technique, but rather, something that felt much more natural. Li Yiming retracted his hands and looked at his palm; he still had that feeling.


    Li Yiming carefully put his hand back onto the copper wire. A weak stream of electricity flowed into his hand. A sh of purple lightter and he appeared in front of Bai Ze.


    "It seems like..." Li Yiming exined the situation to Bai Ze.


    ¡¯It¡¯s the Source of Thunder within your body. The electricity generated by humans isn¡¯t anything spectacr, buting into contact with it has awakened your ability to control electricity. It¡¯s simr to how Liu Meng is able to control fire at her will. It seems like there¡¯s a lot about the Source of Thunder that we don¡¯t know yet." Bai Ze swiftly arrived to her conclusion, as she always did.


    Li Yiming took out his phone and dialed the number used to report a power leakage incident. After all, he did not want someone else to be injured due to his vandalism. He then called for a cab using his cellphone. On his way back to the hotel, Li Yiming yed around with his ability like a child with a newly bought toy. He frowned and the roadsidemp suddenly extinguished. When he thought about restoring power, it lit back up.


    "There¡¯s no burden on your body for using the ability?" Bai Ze was perplexed.


    For those of you who have yed infamous...


    By the way, unlike North America and Japan, the voltage in China, just like Europe, is 220 volts. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 3

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 3 ¨C Catastrophe in the Sky</strong></h4>


    "Yiming, are you sure you don¡¯t want toe with us?" The way Qing Qiaoqiao looked at Li Yiming showed that she was going to miss him dearly. She held her boarding pass and lingered at the lobby of the airport instead of walking toward the gate. Qiaoqiao had to go back with her elder sister to the Northern part of the country. Qing Linglong owned an oil field there, and it was fair to say that she was the true hidden millionaire in the group.


    "I can¡¯t. I have things to do back in Hangzhou." Li Yiming refused politely. He knew Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s intentions, but, right now, it was simply impossible for anyone else to find a ce inside his heart.


    "The ne is about to leave. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re never going to see each other again, so why be this dramatic." Eyesses waited on the side. He was fashionably dressed, and his suit, together with his pale countenance from his vampiric transformation, gave him an air of coldness that was much more imposing than the image of someone who seemed socially awkward.


    "Call me then." Qing Qiaoqiao pursed her lips as her sister pulled her into the boarding gate. Eyesses turned back and waved his hand at Li Yiming before following the Qing sisters. He was headed for the same ce, since they lived in the same city.


    "Alright. Time to do some work." After seeing his friends leave, Li Yiming made a long,zy stretch and took out his boarding pass. He needed to go back to Hangzhou and start the mission Mr. Kong had assigned to him.


    After receiving the generous rewards from the Shangbei domain, Li Yiming suggested for the team to take some time off and to rest at least three months before going into the next one. The n was to meet up at the end of the long vacation and to discuss their next course of action. Li Yiming had chosen three months for a specific purpose; Mr. Kong asked his help for precisely three months.


    "Flight H3882 from Shangbei to Hangzhou will soon depart. Please..." Li Yiming stood up from his seat and queued up at the end of the line.


    "Excuse me..." The voice belonging to a middle-aged man was heard as he squeezed his way through the crowd. Unfortunately, his course came to a halt when he collided against a frail-looking young man who was behind Li Yiming. The young man was thrown to the ground from the impact and hisputer bag slid several meters on the floor.


    "I¡¯m sorry. I got the wrong gate." The middle-aged man apologized but did not slow down. He ran away from the crowd and disappeared after a few seconds.


    "What¡¯s wrong with him?" A few were revolted by the man¡¯s recklessness, but no one did anything about it. Li Yiming looked at the young man on the ground but did not intervene as he noticed that the young man seemed uninjured. After all, there was no point in risking aplication when his ne was about to depart. ¡¯Well, that other guy was in a heck of a hurry... This young man, he¡¯s going to Hangzhou too?¡¯


    "Are you okay?" Li Yiming did what he could. He turned around and helped the young man stand up. It was someone who looked barely in his twenties, with soft features and about a few inches shorter than him. His pale skin and his skinny limbs suggested at a lifestyle with ack of exercise.


    "Yeah. I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m used to stuff like this. Thank you." The young man stood up and smiled. However, his warm smile turned into bafflement when he saw Li Yiming¡¯s face. After a long pause, he finally recovered from the shock. What followed surprise was a strange expression. It was as if the young man knew Li Yiming, but he hesitated to speak to him, and he even seemed to doubt whether Li Yiming was a real person or some kind of spectral apparition.


    "Do we know... each other?" Li Yiming was a little frightened by the young man¡¯s intense gaze, and he took a step back.


    "No. I don¡¯t think so. But you really do look like a friend of mine. Oh, thank you, by the way." The young man smiled shyly once again, picked up his bag and examined it carefully.


    Li Yiming returned to where he stood in the line. However, as he inched forward slowly, he could feel that the young man behind him was staring at him. ¡¯Wait... he? I don¡¯t think that I know him.¡¯


    * * *


    Li Yiming looked out of the cabin¡¯s window as the ne took off. He stared at the buildings and the streets as they shrank in size. Images of the post-apocalyptic Shangbei from the domain shed in his mind, and he thought about what Xiang Liu said. ¡¯Heaven¡¯s Laws... Manipting everyone and the entire world?¡¯


    Thinking about Xiang Liu¡¯s words brought a sudden unease to Li Yiming. He shook his head and suddenly noticed that the young man from earlier was seated behind him, and he seemed to have been observing him for a good while already. As their eyes met, the young man, who seemed a little embarrassed at being caught peeking, nodded with a smile and looked away.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s interested in me in that way?¡¯ Li Yiming shivered and shook his head as hard as he could to remove all of the distracting thoughts from his mind. He then tried to express where his interest lie by staring into the slender legs of one of the air stewardesses who happened to walk by.


    "Is there anything I can do for you?" The stewardess noticed Li Yiming¡¯s invasive gaze, and her well-kept professional habitspelled her to stop right in front of him with a smile that hid away hercency and pride. ¡¯Well, this boy sure has good taste.¡¯


    "Uh... Could I have a cup of water please? I feel a little sick." Li Yiming looked away while trying his best to maintain his facade of calmness and hide his embarrassment.


    "Of course. Please wait for a moment." The stewardess nodded politely and turned away.


    Li Yiming let out a long sigh of relief, but it was not long before another bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead; he could sense the young man behind him scrutinizing him again. ¡¯This isn¡¯t going to be fun for me, is it...¡¯


    ¡¯Yiming, we¡¯re in trouble.¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice came right as Li Yiming was thinking about his misfortune, as if everything had been concerted in advance.


    "What is it?" Li Yiming awareness was brought to a peak. He adjusted his seating position so that he would not be caught off-guard if the young man behind him was ever to attack him.


    ¡¯There¡¯s a thunderstorm ahead.¡¯ Bai Ze sounded like she was about tough; they had been waiting for lightning for days in Shangbei, only to be met with a cloudless sky. Yet, as soon as they hopped on a ne, they run into a thunderstorm.


    ¡¯A thunderstorm? Wasn¡¯t it a clear sky a moment ago? Is it going to rain?¡¯ Li Yiming recalled the blue sky from the airport and looked out. The sun which shone so brightly earlier was hidden behind a grey curtain of clouds.


    ¡¯Well, that¡¯s just bad luck then. There¡¯s nothing we can do about it. We¡¯ll get the next one.¡¯ Li Yiming thought that Bai Ze was simply unhappy due to the fact that they had missed a chance to be struck by lightning.


    ¡¯Do you even understand what I¡¯m saying? I¡¯m saying that we¡¯re in trouble.¡¯ Bai Ze was unimpressed by Li Yiming¡¯s slow reaction.


    ¡¯Trouble? You mean the storm ahead?¡¯


    ¡¯Yes. The clouds ahead carry a violent storm.¡¯ Bai Ze said in a worried voice.


    ¡¯So what?¡¯ Li Yiming was perplexed. ¡¯It¡¯s just a normal thunderstorm. It¡¯s not like as if it¡¯s going to be stronger than Heaven¡¯s Punishment.¡¯


    "Here¡¯s your water, sir." The stewardess came back with the cup of water that Li Yiming had asked for. She bowed down and gave the paper cup to Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming did not notice the stewardess¡¯s arrival, being solely focused on his conversation with Bai Ze. He stared forward vacantly, and any ordinary onlooker would have thought that he was looking at the stewardess¡¯ chest.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t forget where we are right now.¡¯ Bai Ze reminded him.


    ¡¯I¡¯m on a ne... Wait a second...¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly gasped, and his eyes widened. "I¡¯m on a ne!"


    "Sir! Your water." The stewardess looked away, a little shy at being looked at like that. She could feel the blood rush into her head and cause her cheeks to burn, and she bit her lower lip to try to contain her embarrassment. Li Yiming¡¯s Heavenly Vein added a certain unique charm to his usual warm-hearted attitude. Deep within his eyes, one would be able to find a shade of purple from the trial of lightning he had endured. Even traces of Mr. Kong¡¯sposure and Li Huaibei¡¯s elegance remained within him. All of these elementsbined to make Li Yiming extremely attractive.


    Li Yiming did not pay any attention to the stewardess, emptied his cup of water in one gulp and gave it back to her. When Li Yiming lowered his head, the stewardess brought her legs in together and tried her best to show her attractive side to Li Yiming. She was already thinking about the exchange of contact information that was going to happen soon.


    ¡¯We¡¯re heading toward the storm?¡¯ Li Yiming finally understood the gravity of the situation.


    ¡¯At our current speed, we¡¯re going to enter the danger in three minutes and the center area in about ten.¡¯


    ¡¯Is the ne going to be affected?¡¯


    ¡¯The ne won¡¯t make it out in one piece.¡¯ Bai Ze made her conviction clear. 1


    ¡¯Are there no rms on the ne?¡¯ Li Yiming knew Bai Ze well enough to tell that she was not going to joke with him on a matter of such importance. He craned his neck to look at the head of the ne, where the pilot¡¯s cabin was, only to find the air stewardess from earlier looking back at him with rosy cheeks, watery eyes, and a suggestive gaze.


    ¡¯What¡¯s wrong with her?¡¯ Li Yiming frowned and looked outside. The sky was getting even darker.


    "Dear passengers, due to the storm ahead, we will be asking you to return to your seats and attach your seat belt. Please refrain from using the bathrooms. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation." The announcement Li Yiming had waited for finally came.


    ¡¯That¡¯s it? No changes in the flight course?¡¯ This was not at all what Li Yiming wanted to hear.


    ¡¯Even Heaven¡¯s Laws make mistakes from time to time, and you expect the forecast to be always urate?¡¯ Bai Ze scoffed at Li Yiming¡¯s expectation of the pilot to save himself and all of the passengers.


    ¡¯What do we do now?¡¯ Li Yiming looked around him. The other passengers did not seem to be even slightly aware of the danger they were heading into. People were chatting, sleeping, reading newspapers, or eating their meal; no one seemed to think that they were in any kind of danger.


    ¡¯What can we do about it? Prepare yourself. You¡¯re not going to die, but the people on this ne...¡¯ Bai Ze was hinting at the obvious.


    ¡¯No way!¡¯ Li Yiming loosened his seatbelt and stood up. There was no way he was going to let the hundreds of passengers on the ne die.


    ¡¯What are you doing? There¡¯s nothing you can do! Even if you went to the captain and told him that the ne is going blow up, you¡¯ll make a fool out of yourself! Also, It¡¯s toote for a course change anyways.¡¯ Bai Ze advised against any kind of direct intervention.


    "Sir, please return to your seat and fasten your seatbelt. The thunderstorm could cause some turbulence," The stewardess raised her voice as soon as she saw Li Yiming stand up. She did seem genuinely worried about Li Yiming¡¯s well-being.


    The airne cabin shook before Li Yiming coulde up with an answer. Li Yiming fell back into his seat and looked outside. The purple sparks in the clouds seemed more and more menacing. He looked around and saw that the stewardesses were also settling down in their seats and tying their seatbelts. One of them was instructing the passengers about the routine emergency procedures. The nervousness that was present on their faces suggested that they had received the bad news from the pilot.


    "I can¡¯t let this happen.¡¯ Li Yiming leaned against his seat and closed his eye. He tried to use his focus to sense whatever that was happening outside of the cabin.


    ¡¯It¡¯s no use. There are too many hindrances. The airne is mostly made of insting material, so even if you could control thunder, you wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything.¡¯ Bai Ze knew what Li Yiming was nning, and she felt the need to remind him that it was going to be a futile attempt.


    ¡¯If I can¡¯t do it inside, then what about outside of the cabin?¡¯ Li Yiming could now hear the thunder outside, and a crazy idea suddenly entered his mind.


    If you can¡¯t save the world. You should at least save those around you.


    Bai Ze is not a reader of Scientific American, and neither is she familiar with the rigorousness of safety standards in aerospace engineering. Here is an excerpt of an interesting article:


    Thest confirmedmercial ne crash in the U.S. directly attributed to lightning urred in 1967, when lightning caused a catastrophic fuel tank explosion. Since then, much has been learned about how lightning can affect airnes. As a result, protection techniques have improved. Today, airnes receive a rigorous set of lightning certification tests to verify the safety of their designs.


    Although passengers and crew may see a sh and hear a loud noise if lightning strikes their ne, nothing serious should happen because of the careful lightning protection engineered into the aircraft and its sensitiveponents. Initially, the lightning will attach to an extremity such as the nose or wing tip. The airne then flies through the lightning sh, which reattaches itself to the fusge at other locations while the airne is in the electric ¡°circuit¡± between the cloud regions of opposite prity. The current will travel through the conductive exterior skin and structures of the aircraft and exit off some other extremity, such as the tail. Pilots asionally report temporary flickering of lights or short-lived interference with instruments.


    Most aircraft skins consist primarily of aluminum, which conducts electricity very well. By making sure that no gaps exist in this conductive path, the engineer can assure that most of the lightning current will remain on the exterior of the aircraft. Some modern aircraft are made of advancedposite materials, which by themselves are significantly less conductive than aluminum. In this case, theposites contain an embeddedyer of conductive fibers or screens designed to carry lightning currents.


    Source:


    Fair point, the above doesn¡¯t include troll bolts of lightning produced by Heaven¡¯s Laws though. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 4

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 4 ¨C Trial by Lightning</strong></h4>


    ¡¯Outside of the cabin? Are you crazy? We¡¯re not in a domain.¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s crazy idea scared Bai Ze, but she did not have a better alternative. It was indeed possible for Li Yiming to use his technique to blink out of the ne cabin and intercept the bolt of lightning right before it strikes the ne. It was a dangerous idea, but not an impossible one.


    ¡¯You¡¯re exactly right. This isn¡¯t a domain. That¡¯s another reason to not stand around and watch.¡¯ Li Yiming was firm in his decision.


    ¡¯Who do you think you are?¡¯ Bai Ze was slightly irritated by Li Yiming¡¯s response.


    ¡¯You know what they say, with great poweres great responsibility. I can¡¯t change the world, but I can at least save the people around me. I want to try before giving up.¡¯ Li Yiming closed his eyes once more and tried to look for the best opportunity to intervene.


    ¡¯Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do for you. If I even show up in my true form, I¡¯ll cause another Punishment.¡¯ Bai Ze stayed silent for a moment, having no words to convince Li Yiming to abandon his endeavor. Her final protest amounted to giving Li Yiming a grim reminder that he was in it alone.


    ¡¯Alright. So don¡¯t do anything. Even if I fail, it wouldn¡¯t amount to anything terrible, would it?¡¯


    ¡¯Remember, level three. Level three is the red line you can¡¯t cross. If you go beyond that, you¡¯ll bring the wrath of Heaven¡¯s Laws.¡¯ Bai Ze knew that Li Yiming had already decided. ¡¯Well, that¡¯s Li Yiming for you. Yes, the same one who was ready to sacrifice himself to save me from a bolt of lightning,e to think of it. It wouldn¡¯t be him otherwise, would it?¡¯


    As sky around the ne darkened further, the turbulences also became more violent. Even if the flight crew tried their best to reassure the passengers that nothing bad was going to happen, some of them still grew worried. The passengers and the flight crew alike were slowly falling prey to panic and anxiety. Li Yiming nced at the young man behind him and noticed that he was looking outside, visibly scared, instead of scrutinizing him.


    ¡¯Now!¡¯ Li Yiming could feel a particrly strong bolt of lightninging for the ne¡¯s right wing. If it was to hit, then the ne would be doomed.


    The cabin suddenly went pitch-ck; Li Yiming had cut off the power to the lights. It was enough to provoke an outburst of panic amongst the passengers, but it also gave Li Yiming the opportunity to blink himself out of the ne unseen. He appeared on top of the ne with a sh of purple light. However, before he couldnd on the ne fusge, he was blown off of his feet. Li Yiming, without minding his own dire situation, focused on the bolt of lightning and tried his best to deviate it from its course.


    ¡¯Move!¡¯ Li Yiming stared at the bolt of lightning and managed to bend it slightly, causing it to miss the wing of the ne by inches. The proximity of it was enough to produce another violent tremor within the cabin.


    ¡¯I did it!¡¯ Li Yiming was overjoyed. He looked at the ne, who made it into the distance unscathed. ¡¯This is what it means to be a guardian, to protect the world and the people living in it.¡¯


    Li Yiming tried his best to stabilize himself and catch up to the ne using Thundersh. A final blink brought him to the tail of the ne, and he mped onto the fusge,ying down as low as possible to reduce the intensity of the wind. Unlike when he rode on Bai Ze¡¯s back, he had difficulty even keeping his eyes open in the storm.


    ¡¯I think you should give up. This is only the beginning. We¡¯re not even in the heart of the thunderstorm yet.¡¯ Bai Ze reminded him once again. She was worried that he would use powers beyond the limit of what was possible without suffering dire consequences.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t give up without trying!¡¯ Li Yiming squeezed out an answer. He closed his eyes. Since it was so difficult to keep them open and they didn¡¯t help much anyways, he would rely on his other senses instead.


    ¡¯It¡¯sing.¡¯ Bai Ze warned Li Yiming. She tried her best to help him detect any oing bolts of lightning ahead of time.


    ¡¯Ha!¡¯


    Li Yimingunched himself into intercepting another bolt lightning that came with his control ability. However, the second thunderbolt, which was much stronger than the previous one, barely bent itself, and it grazed past the tip of the ne¡¯s wing. The effort required made blood gush out of Li Yiming¡¯s nostrils, producing a line of crimson in the air as the wind blew away the beads of blood one by one.


    ¡¯You¡¯re already going beyond your limits. If you continue on like this, you won¡¯t be able to survive.¡¯ Bai Ze reminded Li Yiming again in a worried voice.


    Li Yiming stayed silent. He frowned when he thought about what had just happened. ¡¯That bolt of lightning, it grazed the ne. That should have done at least something... But I didn¡¯t see anything. Did I absorb it? Wait a second! Absorb? Why didn¡¯t I think of this before? Heaven¡¯s Punishment didn¡¯t kill me, so why am I trying to redirect the lightning instead of trying to absorb it?¡¯ A brilliant idea hatched in Li Yiming¡¯s mind. Now was the best time tofollow Mr. Kong¡¯s advice and test his luck with normal lightning.


    The next bolt came. Although it was still very far away from the ne, Li Yiming gritted teeth, activated Thundersh, and met bolt of lightning head one.


    ¡¯What are you...?¡¯ Bai Ze yelled out in surprise, but she swallowed down the rest of the sentence when she saw what happened.


    The bolt of lightning that hit Li Yiming¡¯s body caused an explosion of purple light. The veins on Li Yiming¡¯s forehead became obvious visible, and his limbs almost turned transparent. The veins and bones within him all shed with a purple glow.


    ¡¯Are you serious?¡¯ Bai Ze could feel first-hand the change that was urring within Li Yiming¡¯s body, and she was more excited than even Li Yiming himself.


    ¡¯Yes! I knew it!¡¯ Li Yiming was overjoyed. Not only was it painless, but he had also recovered entirely. Every bit of his body was now filled with energy, and he was itching to do more to save the ne and its passengers.


    Another sh of light and Li Yiming blinked not toward the ne, but above it. As another bolt of lightning struck him, Li Yiming¡¯s body was stained with an even more prominent purple. Even the blood that ran through his veins gained a violet tint.


    Meanwhile, inside the ne, after witnessing the raging storm outside, the flight crew had abandoned their efforts to calm down the passengers and began to pray instead. However, what they could not see due to the heavy rain and the limited field of view from the windows was a god-like silhouette who was teleporting himself between the clouds and using his own body to intercept the blows of thunder that would have hit the ne instead.


    Bang!


    Li Yiming felt something inside of him had been set loose. He suddenly stopped moving and stayed still in the air. Every single cell inside his body was ripped apart and remade stronger than before. His bones turned into a purple, crystalline liquid, and light orbs reced his flesh.


    "AHHH!"


    Li Yiming let out a long scream, but it was suffocated into something barely audible by the raging thunder around him. The sparks in the clouds converged toward him, as if they were being summoned by some kind of mysterious force, and merged with the light around his body.


    The sky and the earth were colored into a single purple realm, and Li Yiming stood in the middle of it like a deity that had just awakened. Specks of light could be seen in his dark irises, just like the stars that illuminated the nightly sky.


    ¡¯Source of Thunder awakened. Thunder Immunity improved into Thunder Purity¡¯


    ¡¯Thunder Purity awakened. Thunder spells cost reduced by half and power doubled.¡¯


    ¡¯Heavenly Vein promoted. Spell is now level five.¡¯


    As Li Yiming heard the voice inside of his head, a gently smile climbed up Li Yiming¡¯s lips.


    The clouds around him quickly dissipated, as if all of their power had been sucked out. It did not take long before the sun returned, without any traces of the purple light or the storm being left behind.


    ¡¯I did it.¡¯ Li Yiming was relieved as he watched the ne fly away into the distance. ¡¯This is my first step. To acquire great power and to protect the world with it.¡¯


    ¡¯It¡¯s not over yet!¡¯ Bai Ze did not share Li Yiming¡¯s light mood. She spoke with a grim voice, just like when she found out about Xiang Liu back in Shangbei.


    ¡¯What¡¯s wrong? The storm is over, and this kind of height...¡¯ The space in front of him warped before Li Yiming could finish his sentence. A stream of ck gas came out of nowhere and formed a shadow that looked like a human being.


    Li Yiming was shocked when he saw the sudden apparition. He tried to back off, but he found himself unable to do so quickly enough with nothing around him tounch himself off from.


    "Hehehe...."


    The shadow in front of him showed a creepy smile and rushed toward Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming pushed forward with both of his hands and shot a st of lightning at the shadow. However, his attack passed through the shadow without doing anything. The next moment, the shadow dashed toward him and melted into his body.


    ¡¯What was that?¡¯ Li Yiming was horrified; when the shadow closed in, he recognized his own features on the shadow¡¯s face.


    ¡¯Heart Trial Punishment.¡¯ Bai Ze spoke in a grave tone, but it also sounded like she was relieved.


    ¡¯Heaven¡¯s Punishment?¡¯ Li Yiming frowned. He could feel that something had changed within him, but he did not know what exactly.


    ¡¯Of course it¡¯s Heaven¡¯s Punishment. What else? What you did at the end exceeded level five! Do you really think that you can get away with anything simply because you¡¯re a bug?¡¯ Bai Ze was annoyed. ording to her n, Li Yiming should have been able to progress to level five without causing any major problems, but now...


    ¡¯So..¡¯


    ¡¯Well, at least you¡¯re lucky that the punishment that came was the Heart¡¯s Trial. It¡¯s going to take some time before it manifests itself, so we still have time on our side. But you shouldn¡¯t let your guard down. It¡¯s a terrifying thing that will corrupt your mind and your thoughts until you lose sight of yourself and be its ve.¡¯


    ¡¯Is there anything I can do to remove it?¡¯ Li Yiming asked.


    ¡¯Have you ever heard of ying your own inner demon?¡¯


    ¡¯No.¡¯


    ¡¯Alright, I¡¯ll exin that to you. The inner demon is the fire of evil karma from the Buddhist scriptures and the vile spawn from Taoism. Guardians obey the will of the Heaven¡¯s Laws, but at the same time they pay a price for changing the fate of the world with their mortal bodies. These changes will umte inside their own body until it forms something with a will of its own.¡¯


    ¡¯The self-will?¡¯ Li Yiming said hesitantly.


    ¡¯Yes. Exactly that.¡¯


    ¡¯But I thought that my self-will...¡¯ Li Yiming remembered the camouger back in Hangzhou.


    ¡¯Well, there¡¯s a new one now, and ites from Heaven¡¯s Punishment.¡¯ Bai Ze grew frustrated when she thought about the fact that Li Yiming had cleared the biggest obstacle to bing a sage, only to have an even more difficult challenge imposed upon him now.


    ¡¯Well, that¡¯ll be a problem for the future then, and I¡¯ll think of something. At least I did what I could today, and I saved that ne.¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly smiled. He did not know where Heaven¡¯s Laws lie, or what it meant to follow the way, but he knew that he should do something to help those he could see. If he saw someone begging for food in the streets, he would at least share what he can, be it a piece of bread or a bottle of water. Perhaps he could not do much to change their lives or lift them out of their poverty, but at least he could help relieve their hunger for a moment, and that was enough.


    As the gusts of wind that lifted him into the air from being promoted to level five slowly faded away, Li Yiming fell down. He rxed his limbs as he crashed through what remained of the thunderstorm clouds. Li Yiming smiled when he saw the azure sky once again; he had found what he wanted to fight for, and he knew what he wanted to do now. He closed his eyes and smiled again as he listened to the wind roared in his ears. He now had a purpose and he was at peace with himself.


    Li Yiming did not worry at all about the oue of his fall. His level three stamina meant that he did not need to worry about losing consciousness from the speed of the fall, and he could always activate Thundersh when he was about to touch the ground to secure hisnding. It was particrly easy for him to activate the spell now, since it was a whole two levels below his current level five spell.


    Li Yiming enjoyed a brief moment of quietness and tranquility.


    ¡¯Alright, I¡¯ll concede that you don¡¯t worry about things as much as I do, and maybe that¡¯s a good thing. But, I just wanted to ask something. You used your own ID when you bought the ne ticket, right?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s answer seemed to have had quite an impact on Bai Ze. After a long moment of silence, she finally asked about an entirely different topic, only this time she sounded amused instead of angry.


    ¡¯Yeah, of course. This isn¡¯t a domain, so I didn¡¯t need to fake anything, right?¡¯


    ¡¯Well, the ne is gone.¡¯


    ¡¯Yeah. So what?¡¯ Li Yiming could tell that Bai Ze was waiting to make fun of him, as if she wanted to have her revenge.


    ¡¯You know, I was just wondering what the reaction would be once the people on the ne find out that someone is missing? You¡¯re going to make the headlines!¡¯


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯ Li Yiming opened his eyes wide. He looked at the direction in which the ne flew away, and left behind him a trail of after-images and purple light as he chased after the ne with difficulty.


    This chapter has made me think quite a bit. And you? :3

 Volume 4 Chapter 5

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 5 ¨C The Beef Noodles that Disappeared</strong></h4>


    With every cast of Lightning sh, Li Yiming could teleport about 500 meters. This was his only way to catch up to the ne, since he did not have any other ways to fly. It took him thebined power of his newly acquired level five and the Thunder Purity form to catch up to the ne right as it was about tond. Even so, Li Yiming appeared on his seat with a red face and a forehead covered with sweat.


    As the cabin door opened, the passengers, who had narrowly escaped death, rushed out, each feeling incredibly lucky for their good fortune. Li Yiming¡¯s cutting off the power in the cabin proved to be a great idea; amidst the panic, no one actually noticed that someone had gone missing and reappearedter on.


    Instead of leaving the ne in a hurry like the other people, Li Yiming sat quietly and listened to the other passengers. He felt immensely satisfied knowing that he deserved these words of gratitude, and it brought a dumb-looking smile onto his face. He closed his eyes and wiped away his sweat, still panting heavily from his effort to catch up to the ne.


    "Sir, the ne hasnded. You can disembark now." The stewardess¡¯ soft voice was heard.


    "Can I just have a moment?" Li Yiming raised his head with difficulty. He could feel that the front of his shirt was beginning to be damp with sweat.


    "But..." The stewardess was the same one who had been fantasizing about an encounterter with Li Yiming, but seeing him in such a state made her frown. ¡¯This guy, he looks charming and courageous, but he¡¯s actually a wimp? Look at him, being scared like this after a storm. Don¡¯t tell me that he pissed in his pants?¡¯


    "What happened to him?" Another flight crew walked up and looked at the whole scene curiously. Li Yiming was the only passenger still left on the ne.


    "I think he¡¯s frightened." The first stewardess did not hide her contempt when she answered.


    ¡¯Frightened?¡¯ Li Yiming was baffled. He could see the derision on the stewardess¡¯ face. He sighed, a little annoyed, and started a shaking walk toward the exit of the cabin.


    "Are you okay? Do I need to call for medical personnel?" The other stewardess, who had not been affected by her emotions, was worried about Li Yiming¡¯s well-being.


    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m a little scared, that¡¯s all." Li Yiming waved his arm and answered in a rather disappointed tone.


    However, as soon as he left the airport, Li Yiming recovered from his bad mood. He was proud of what he had just aplished. ¡¯I have found my direction. To guard the way, to see it through, and to protect others with my power. That¡¯s the way I have found.¡¯ 1


    Li Yiming hopped into a cab and took a deep breath. ¡¯Hangzhou, I¡¯m back.¡¯


    He rode the taxi to the Second Wen District, the ce Mr. Kong had told him about. After getting off the taxi, he checked into a hotel room, took a shower to wash off his fatigue and started wandering the streets.


    "Hello, sir. May I ask if there¡¯s someone called Qing He lives in this neighborhood?" Li Yiming arrived at the window of the security room and pushed a pack of cigarettes across the counter.


    "What is it?" The old door-guard looked at the pack of cigarettes with an rmed expression and did not reach out for it.


    "Someone ordered a cake here, but I lost the delivery ticket on the way. I remember that the person lives here. Could you..." Li Yiming feigned at embarrassment as he took out a cake he had bought in a shop right around the hotel.


    "The only thing you have is a name?" The old man¡¯s suspicions lessened when he saw the cake. He picked up Li Yiming¡¯s cigarette and stood up with the little amount of authority he could garnish. It seemed like the only ce someone like him could find some kind of self-worth was in front of a delivery boy.


    "Please, if I can¡¯t deliver this cake on time, I¡¯ll get in trouble at work. My boss... She¡¯s very strict for things like that." Li Yiming put another pack of cigarettes on the office desk and squeezed out a ttering smile.


    "Young people nowadays. You¡¯re way too careless. How could you lose the delivery ticket? How do you expect me to remember the hundreds of people that live here?" The old man straightened his outfit, threw his newspaper on his desk at just the right spot so that it removed the cigarette from sight, and pulled out a small notebook from the drawer.


    "Nothing. I have all of the delivery records here. Either you¡¯ve got the wrong address or the people you¡¯re looking for never shops online." After searching through the logs with squinted eyes for a while, the old man gave a disappointing answer.


    "There¡¯s no one by that name?"


    "The logs for all deliveries into the neighborhood are here. If you really wanted to find out, then you could go ask the managing office. But I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll find what you¡¯re looking for over there either. It sounds like an inte username more than a real name. There¡¯s no way you would find an inte name there. You should just call back and ask again. Young men like you should be courageous and ept the responsibility for your mistake. It¡¯s not that big of a deal to lose the delivery ticket. If you just talk to your boss, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll understand. Life isn¡¯t easy for anyone, I remember back in my days..." The packet of cigarette has had its intended effects almost immediately. The old man dropped his facade of authority and started to lecture Li Yiming.


    "Yes, yes. You¡¯re absolutely right. I¡¯ll give a call to the shop right away." A bead of cold sweat rolled down Li Yiming¡¯s forehead, and he made a polite escape from the security booth. ¡¯Well, that didn¡¯t work. But with only Qing He and the name of this district, how am I going to find him? Even if I did go to the residential office, it¡¯s not like if they¡¯re going to give me information just like that. It¡¯ll take way more than just a pack of cigarette. On top of it, that old man is right. Qing He sounds like a username more than anything.¡¯


    Li Yiming wandered into a small noodle restaurant with his cake. Finding Qing He would be a long shot, so he decided to take a break and eat first.


    "A bowl of beef noodle, please. With extra beef and an egg." Li Yiming looked at the menu that hung on the wall and ordered a meal without thinking much about it.


    "One moment please." The waiter took Li Yiming¡¯s money and walked away. In a small shop like this, due to the customer flow, it was customary to pay first.


    ¡¯If only Eyesses was here.¡¯ Li Yiming tapped at the table with his fingers, having no ideas what to do to find Qing He. However, as he looked around the shop, he suddenly noticed something shocking.


    ¡¯It¡¯s him?¡¯ Li Yiming was baffled. Sitting in a corner by the window was the young man he met on the ne. He was busy typing something and had a bowl of noodle right beside hisptop.


    "Beef with an extra egg." It did not take very long before the steaming hot noodles Li Yiming had ordered arrived. The waiter was a little too quick in his movements, and a few drops of the soup, along with the sliced green onion, was spilled onto the table, casting a delicious smell into the air. However, Li Yiming had no attention to spare for the food. Instead, he was looking at the young man and wondering whether he should run right away; the young man¡¯s intense gaze was truly traumatizing.


    The young man suddenly stretched himself. He smiled and closed his eyes slowly, and then closed hisptop. Li Yiming was about to stand up when the young man, who had noticed his gesture, turned his head.


    ¡¯Oh no!¡¯ Li Yiming looked right into the young man¡¯s eyes. In contrast with his dread, he saw that the young man was surprised, but happily so. Li Yiming forced out a smile and sat back down stiffly; it would be far too strange for him to leave right as his meal arrived.


    But Li Yiming regretted his decision the moment he touched the chair. Even without turning his head around, he could feel the young man staring at him. It was the gaze of a child looking at his new toy, of an old man looking at his childhood buddy, of a pervert looking at a beauty in short skirts...


    ¡¯Alright, I¡¯ll just take a few bites and get the heck out. If hees any closer...¡¯ Li Yiming clenched his fists and firmed his resolve. However, the moment he picked up his chopsticks, his expression stiffened again. Not only that, his alertness jumped to a spike, sparks of electricity appeared at his fingertips, and he was ready to kill or to use Thundersh.


    His noodles had disappeared. The smell was there, but the noodles were gone.


    ¡¯Bai Ze? Did you see anything?¡¯ Li Yiming did not care about the noodles at all, but the fact that someone had taken something away right in front of him without him knowing was simply bone-chilling.


    ¡¯I didn¡¯t pay attention to it. I was looking at that man.¡¯ Bai Ze answered with a grim voice.


    ¡¯Bai Ze didn¡¯t see it either? This is bad.¡¯ Li Yiming turned his head away from the creepy young man and started to examine the other people in the restaurant. On the three other tables were a young couple, a mother and her daughter, and an old man. ¡¯They all seem normal to me. Unless... it¡¯s the waiter?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the waiter, who was walking toward him. He was a young man with an average height, dark skin and skinny limbs.


    "Can I take your order?" The waiter seemed calm, but if one observed him carefully, one would notice that he seemed a little annoyed and impatient.


    "What?" Li Yiming raised his head and looked at the waiter with alertness. He moved his right hand behind his back and started preparing forbat.


    "We have ramen, knife-cut noodles, dumplings, meat pies, yeah... It¡¯s all written on the wall," the waiter frowned, but still exined patiently.


    "But I already ordered my food." Li Yiming answered cautiously and checked around himself once again.


    "You already ordered?"


    "Yes. I ordered beef noodles with extra beef and an extra egg. I already paid." After a fruitless attempt at finding out what was wrong, Li Yiming grew even more alerted.


    "Oh? You already paid?" When the waiter heard Li Yiming¡¯s exnation, he seemed confused at first, but it soon turned into a smile. He threw his wiping cloth onto the table and rolled his sleeve up, revealing his tattoo on the left arm.


    ¡¯The crimson rose with a skull.¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the waiter¡¯s arm and tried to guess what his talent was.


    "Also, you already brought to me the food." Li Yiming answered carefully. ¡¯Why is he here? Is it because of Qing He?¡¯


    "So the food came? And you ate already? Then what are you doing here? Don¡¯t ruin our business." The waiter seemed amused by Li Yiming¡¯s answer. He kept his scornful smile as he picked up his piece of wet cloth and left for the kitchen.


    ¡¯We should leave. There¡¯s something wrong with this ce.¡¯ Bai Ze reminded Li Yiming that this was not a domain, and they could not afford to do anything rash.


    Li Yiming¡¯s eyes followed the waiter as thetter walked away, and then he looked at the table in front of him. Even the soup that had been spilled out had disappeared.


    Those of you that want to see the mysterious young man at the airport again are not disappointed!


    Note the "way" here refers to the Dao, a philosophical contemtion that forms the basis of Taoism. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 6

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 6 ¨C New Home</strong></h4>


    "Hey, hey! Wait a second!" A voice came from behind after Li Yiming walked out of the noodle shop. It was the young man from the airport, who came out of the restaurant running.


    "What is it?" Li Yiming stopped and turned around with a grave countenance. He performed a seal with his right hand, which he did behind his back. At this point, it was not simply about the young man being creepy. There was something strange, almost frightening. As expected, Mr. Kong¡¯s mission was not as simple as it seemed.


    "You forgot something." The young man was panting after just jogging for a short distance. He handed over the cake to Li Yiming.


    "Thanks." Li Yiming took the cake without letting his guard down.


    "You¡¯re wee." The young man answered between shallow gasps for air. It did not seem like he was faking his exhaustion after a slow jog.


    "Is there anything else?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Uh... nothing." The young man was visibly startled, not expecting Li Yixing¡¯s distanced tone and aloofness.


    "I¡¯ll be leaving now if that¡¯s all. Thanks for bringing my cake to me." Li Yiming said as he turned around. The thunder in his hand slowly began to coalesce as he focused on preparing for anything the young man could do. However, thetter just shrugged awkwardly and left with his worn-outputer bag on his back.


    ¡¯Doesn¡¯t seem to be him. I don¡¯t sense anything abnormal.¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice rang out in Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    After returning to the hotel, Li Yiming called room service and ordered dinner for two.


    "There¡¯s definitely something wrong with that noodle shop. How can any normal guardian inhibit both of our senses at the same time?" Li Yiming said with a grave tone as he slurped his noodles.


    "It seems they aren¡¯t openly hostile yet. It sounded more like a warning than anything. Do you remember what the waiter said in the end?" Bai Ze sat at the front of the bed and kicked her feet around.


    "To not hinder their business?" Li Yiming caught onto Bai Ze¡¯s hint.


    "Yeah, they probably gave the warning after noticing that you were there. If they were malicious, then it wouldn¡¯t have been as simple as your noodles disappearing. This is no ordinary neighborhood."


    "That¡¯s precisely what I¡¯m worried about. What do they want exactly? Are they telling me to stay away from the noodle shop in particr... or this neighborhood in general?"


    "You mean they don¡¯t want you to get closer Qing He? Or maybe they¡¯re also looking for him?" Upon hearing this, Bai Ze sat up straight with a hesitant expression.


    "There should be quite a few guardians living amongst normal people. I can¡¯t avoid them all. It seems unlikely that guardians would want to drive me out of their neighborhood at sight. Unless there¡¯s a particr reason for being territorial?"


    "Never heard of something like that before... It would seem that they¡¯re most likely also concerned about Qing He. As expected, a mission from Mr. Kong isn¡¯t as simple as it seems. Already aplication before even meeting the person in our charge."


    "Regardless, we mustplete Mr. Kong¡¯s mission." Li Yiming stated with determination. The oue of this mission could affect Liu Meng, so he cannot afford to go about this carelessly.


    "About the mission... Have you considered how to find him? That¡¯s the first step, right? As of right now, you don¡¯t even know what Qing He looks like. This neighborhood isn¡¯t a small one. Do you really want to just go looking for this person from door to door?" Bai Ze leaned back against the bed and picked up a chicken paw.


    "It¡¯s hard to find the information about who lives where and even if I did, I would probably just find the same things that the old security guard found. Qing He is most likely not his real name, so trying to search for him with official records wouldn¡¯t amount to anything." Li Yiming set his chopsticks down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Bai Ze furrowed her brows in disgust, picked up a box of tissue from the front of the bed, and threw it toward Li Yiming.


    "Why don¡¯t you just move into the neighborhood, that¡¯ll increase the chances of actually finding him."


    "Move in? How? Should we rent an apartment?" Li Yiming was interested by the proposition. ¡¯That sounds like a good idea.¡¯


    "Why rent? Just buy the apartment straight up! It¡¯s not as if you don¡¯t have the money, right? It¡¯s easier to do things as a new owner rather than a tenant, don¡¯t you think?" Bai Ze was unimpressed by Li Yiming¡¯s answer. ¡¯It¡¯s impossible to change for him to change his old ways to thinking even if he did be rich overnight, I guess.¡¯


    "Buy? This is Hangzhou, do you know how much one square meter costs? I cannot afford this kind of expenditure." Li Yiming recalled rather painfully the four million he spent on the luxury car in the Shangbei domain. When the domain conclusion, the money was flushed down the drain.


    "This is the real world, not a domain, remember? Purchasing an apartment now is considered an investment." Bai Ze covered her face in frustration and pointed at the news reporting the steadily rising real-estate prices, in contrast to the falling stocks market.


    "Oh right." Li Yiming realized that his apartment would not disappear, unlike the car he bought.


    The next morning, Li Yiming eagerly visited a property agent. ¡¯To purchase a house in Hangzhou... This is my dream from universitye true!¡¯


    The agent¡¯s office was a single small room. The walls were covered with notices and fliers. At a nce, most were second-hand transactions that included a great variety of prices, location, and area.


    "I want to buy an apartment." Li Yiming, who did not want to waste time, went straight to the counter.


    Only one person was in the room, a middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner himself. He was slightly overweight and had unkempt hair, but the eyes behind his borderless sses shone with the shrewdness typical of a businessman.


    "Buy?" The owner looked away from hisputer and examined Li Yiming from head to toe. He had been sizing up Li Yiming ever since thetter entered the office. There were many youngsters like him who came to rent an apartment, since there was a renowned university nearby. However, most property owners were not keen on students as they were not financially stable and might leave at a moment¡¯s notice. As such, his attitude was a little nonchnt. ¡¯Purchase an apartment? Bring your parents and then maybe we¡¯ll talk about it.¡¯


    "Yup, in the Second Wen District." Li Yiming did not notice the man¡¯s attitude and was still absorbed in his dream of home ownership.


    "The Second Wen District? Are you looking for anything in particr? The owner replied casually, but stood up hesitantly. He dissected Li Yiming from the way he spoke. When a young man like Li Yiming would ask to buy an apartment as if he was purchasing cup noodles, there were only two possibilities. Either he is an ignorant youngster who hadpletely lost sight of reality, or he is a rich heir to whom money was just a number. Even if the chance of being right was only fifty percent, he should treat Li Yiming with seriousness. ¡¯Didn¡¯t the same thing happen to Old Zhang from across the street? He thought it was a young couple at first, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention. Turned out it was some rich kid buying a ce for his girlfriend. Three million just like that. In the same district too, and I struggled to sell it not too long ago...¡¯


    "Nothing in particr, as long as it¡¯s in the Second Wen District." Li Yiming replied with a smile as he nced around at the fliers on the walls.


    "What about the size?" The agent was puzzled. However, once again, this confirmed his suspicions; who else would seemingly not care at all when it came to something as big as purchasing a home?


    "I¡¯d like to buy a small apartment if possible, but if not, arger one would also be okay," Li Yiming replied as he calcted how much money he had. Also, he figured that it would be best if he could avoid arge purchase, since it seemed Liu Meng did not like Hangzhou very much, so he probably would not stay in the city for the long term.


    "If you want an apartment that¡¯s for sale right now, I only have two for you to choose from. The first is closer to the northern entrance, on the ninth floor. 142 square meters with four bedrooms and two living rooms. The other is on the second floor, 68 square meters with two bedrooms and a living room. The first one¡¯s around five million and the second one¡¯s around two." The owner pulled these numbers quickly off the top of his head, as he always did when it came to business. Despite being increasingly puzzled by Li Yiming¡¯s intentions, he secretly hoped for a big deal to happen.


    "Can I see them?" Li Yiming weighed the options and found that he could afford either apartment without a problem.


    "You would have to make a deposit first," The agent answered hesitantly. He was not sure about Li Yiming¡¯s intentions. If he was indeed an ignorant youngster, not only would his trip be wasted, but there probably would be troubles even afterward. As such, he made an unreasonable request. ¡¯Fight the strange with even stranger I guess.¡¯


    "Deposit? Just to see the apartment?" Li Yiming was obviously not an idiot the owner thought his to be. He was baffled by such a demand.


    "It¡¯s mainly the consultation fee. With the recent jump of property prices, there are a lot clients who juste to observe but not to purchase. To reduce the wasting of human resources, thepany has set a rule. Of course, if the final transaction goes through, the deposit will be counted as the agent fee and you wouldn¡¯t have to pay twice." The shop owner, true to his keen mind, improved an excuse. Of course, the pany" consisted of just him and his wife.


    "Sure. How much is the deposit?" After a little consideration, Li Yiming thought it to be reasonable andplied.


    "500 yuan." The agent resolutely asked a big sum. The number did not really matter anyways, since he was breaking the rules anyhow.


    "500 per apartment?"


    "Oh, no, no, no. It¡¯s a one-time fee and even if you don¡¯t find an apartment you want this time, you¡¯re wee to return free of charge." The shop owner still seemed to have a resemnce of a conscience.


    Without hesitating, Li Yiming paid the sum, and the shop owner produced a fake receipt for the fake fee. ¡¯Wait, this guy is for real? He¡¯s actually paying?¡¯


    "Let¡¯s go now. I¡¯m in a rush. By the way, if I make the purchase right away, can you guys also take care of the moving and the paperwork?"


    "Of course, all of these services are included in themission." The agent locked his office up and led the way with enthusiasm; his gamble with Li Yiming had paid off.


    As he walked into the Second Wen District, Li Yiming did not see the same old security guard in the security booth. ¡¯I guess his changed shifts.¡¯


    The real-estate agent had his own considerations and first brought Li Yiming to see therger apartment. If one could afford it, one would naturally gravitate towards therger one. It was only human nature to dislike something after being given the chance to obtain a better alternative first. Most importantly, the higher the final transaction value, the higher themission.


    "This is it, four bedrooms, two living rooms, one kitchen and two bathrooms, with minimal renovation. If you want to use it as a family home, renovation wouldn¡¯t be too troublesome." The agent opened the door and presented his product with enthusiasm. Even if Li Yiming ended up not purchasing it, he was going to get paid, so he would at least deliver on the professionalism


    Li Yiming did not enter yet. He looked at his neighbor¡¯s door. The two of them would share the same elevator. He remembered what happened when Liu Meng paid him a visit. ¡¯How long did it take before everyone knew about it...?¡¯


    "The main bedroom has its own balcony while the study has French windows. This is the nursery. Of course, if you don¡¯t need it, you can turn it into a storeroom or a walk-in closet. I assure you that your wife will love it." The shop owner continued his energetic narration as Li Yiming entered the apartment.


    A moldy smell was the first thing Li Yiming perceived, suggesting that the apartment had been empty for a while already. However, the interior design was nice, and the rooms seemed especially huge since they were mostly empty. For someone like Li Yiming, who had lived in a small apartment for most of his life, this was a very wee change.


    After looking around for a while, seemingly affected by the agent¡¯s numerous mentions of the word "bride", Li Yiming¡¯s thoughts went astray. ¡¯Let¡¯s put the reclined chair Liu Meng likes so much here, and her makeup cab here, and some flowers and nts in the balcony. I remember her saying that she loved those.... The toilet is spacious, perhaps we can fit a bathtub...¡¯


    A happy smile appeared on Li Yiming¡¯s face as he contemted the beautiful scenery from therge ss panes of the French windows in the study.


    ¡¯Yiming.¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s sudden call dragged Li Yiming back into reality


    "What is it?" Li Yiming returned to reality, he was still half-sunken in his daydream.


    "The agent...¡¯ Bai Ze had a grave tone.


    ¡¯The agent?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly realized that he could not hear the shop owner anymore, despite thetter having been talking non-stop ever since they entered the apartment. Even after extending his senses, he could not sense a single thing.


    ¡¯Where did he go?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s shock and worry grew.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know. He disappeared the moment you entered the study.¡¯


    "What?" Li Yiming was shocked. It made sense that he did not notice anything happen, since he was distracted. But for Bai Ze to noticed nothing?


    Li Yiming hurried out of the study.


    "How is it? Are you happy with this apartment?" Li Yiming was met with a wide grin. The agent was holding onto the doorframe of a bedroom with one hand while wiping away the sweat on his forehead with the other.


    Li Yiming slowly took one step back. Nothing happened.


    Two more steps and the agent disappeared. However, when he moved forward, the agent appeared once again, visibly puzzled by his odd behavior.


    "When can I move in?" Li Yiming with a calm and confident smile.


    For reference, ~5 million yuan is about 800k USD. That¡¯s a lot of money, especially when the GDP per capita is ~8k in China. (Most likely higher in the cities, but probably not much more than 12 ¨C 15k USD in a city such as Hangzhou, since the value is reported to being right above 19k USD in Shanghai). As you can easily imagine, the pressure of home ownership, of marriage (which is very hard to do without home ownership), and conforming to society can be a very stressful burden, especially for those who are not as sessful as their peers atpeting in a capitalistic society.

 Volume 4 Chapter 7

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 7 ¨C Neighbor</strong></h4>


    ¡¯Money makes the world go round.¡¯ Li Yiming realized this when the troublesome procedures and formalities of ownership transfer were settled in less than three days after adding an extra one thousand yuan to the agent fee. After hiring a housekeepingpany to tidy up his apartment, Li Yiming finally moved in on the fourth day with a newly-bought double-sized bed.


    Two days have passed since then. During those two days, the only thing Li Yiming has focused on doing one thing, and one thing only; he sat in the study and stared at the walls with a bowl of cup noodles.


    <i>¡®It¡¯s here... It¡¯s half an hourter thanst night.¡¯</i> Li Yiming put the bowl down on the floor and approached the wall, carefully cing one hand on it.


    ¡¯As expected, any business that has to do with Mr.Kong is no simple matter. Things are bing more troublesome...¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s sounded a little nervous.


    ¡¯What do you think I¡¯ll find beyond this wall?¡¯ Li Yiming asked as he slowly slid his hand across the wall, feeling every inch of it.


    ¡¯Regardless of what you¡¯ll find, I still suggest that you avoid it and move away from it. I have a terrible feeling about this,¡¯ Bai Ze said.


    ¡®Hey, do you think it¡¯s a sage? When they create a Boundary, they split reality, right?¡¯ Li Yiming recalled Li Huaibei¡¯s boundary.


    ¡¯Bullshit. You think a sage can just create a Boundary without drawing any attention from Heaven¡¯s Laws? Look outside the window, if it wasn¡¯t because I can¡¯t see the people down the in the streets, I wouldn¡¯t even have noticed anything. Also, haven¡¯t you noticed? The barrier, or whatever it is, prevents you from seeing other living beings beyond it. Do you know what this means?¡¯


    ¡¯This means that it¡¯s barely big enough to cover the whole study, and the reason why I can even enter inside is because I¡¯m a bug in the system.¡¯ Li Yiming answered with a grave voice; he had the same concerns as Bai Ze.


    ¡¯Yiming, this... this isn¡¯t a boundary. Try and remember this feeling. This is a secret domain.¡¯ Bai Ze voice trembled as she exins the situation to Li Yiming.


    ¡¯What kind of secret domain starts and ends seemingly on a whim and only covers two rooms? My study and the room beyond this wall...¡¯


    <i>¡®I want to go over and take a look. Get to know my neighbor a bit.¡¯</i> Li Yiming said with a look of curiosity.


    ¡¯Did you not hear a single word of I just said? This is a secret domain and most likely, a man-made one. Do you know what it means to create a secret domain? It means that your neighbor might very well be able to bend Heaven¡¯s Laws!¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s roared in frustration. After two days worth of observations, Bai Ze was almost certain that the person responsible for this, unlike Li Yiming, was not only beyond Heaven¡¯s Laws, but was also powerful enough to bend them to his or her will. This knowledge unsettled Bai Ze, and it brought out the instinctive bear for Heaven¡¯s Laws that her mythical bloodmanded in her.


    <i>¡®Mr. Kong isn¡¯t someone who would do pointless things. If he wanted to harm me, he could have just done it himself, no need for such a roundabout way. Aren¡¯t you curious at all?</i>¡® Li Yiming replied calmly.


    ¡¯Our mission is only to locate a person. That¡¯s all we need to do!¡¯ Bai Ze roared in anger as she was frustrated with Li Yiming¡¯s decision to court death and tempt fate.


    "I have a feeling that the person we¡¯re looking for is just beyond this wall." Li Yiming rubbed his sore neck and began to walk toward the door.


    * * *


    Inside the basement of one of the vis at the heart of Hangzhouid a naked man on a uniquely designed stone tform. The man¡¯s eyes were shut, but his tightly knitted brows suggested that he was experiencing an unspeakable pain in his sleep. A mysterious, golden glyph shone and dimmed on his skin, and, as it did so, the veins on the man¡¯s body throbbed visibly and faint pulses of light ran beneath his skin. If Li Yiming was there, he would have recognized the man instantly: it was Guo Xiang.


    Three figures, two men, and one woman surrounded the stone tform. Two were standing while one knelt down to check on Guo Xiang.


    "Any progress?" The middle-aged man who stood at the edge of the stone tform asked with a stone-cold voice. The snow-white Chinese tunic suit he wore and his mannerism gave off a dominating aura that reminded anyone he met that he was the authoritative figure in the room.


    "Look, Bing Shuai, the rune glyphs are flowing normally. Looks like we had the right idea. Well, even so, progress is still slow." The woman who stood on the side answered Bing Shuai¡¯s question carefully. Upon receiving no response from Bing Shuai, she continued,"We¡¯ve been nning this before this kid was even born. The ritual has to gather Heavenly Karma into his body has beenpleted a few months ago. He has already gone through three secret domains and has been affected by all of them. But, even so, it¡¯s barely at three percent of our target. At this rate, it would take him a least two more years to be able to climb the Stage of Ascension."


    "Two years, huh...." Bing Shuai muttered as he squinted his eyes in contemtion.


    "Compared to the decades we spent preparing for this, two years is nothing. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m worried about..." The woman replied hesitantly, seemingly unwilling to finish this particr train of thought.


    "You think Tian Yan¡¯s can¡¯t take it?" Bing Shuai¡¯s gaze shifted to the long-haired girl who knelt in front of Guo Xiang and he was briefly overtaken by something that resembled pity.


    "To gather Heavenly Karma and forcefully change people¡¯s destinies is to cheat Heaven¡¯s Laws. Even with the aid of the runic formation, being the onemand of it, her burden is still immense. If we were just gathering Heavenly Karma for this kid alone, she might still be able to pull through. But, our n is much bigger than that..."


    "Cheating the Heavens..." Bing Shuai once again muttered to himself as he stared vacantly at the corner of the room, still sunken in darkness.


    Thirty years ago, he had the bold idea of seeking a way to produce guardians artificially. He and hispanions tried everything they could think of but to no avail. As they were about to give up, they found a blind girl who could see people¡¯s destiny and Karmas. She received the name of Tian Yan, Heaven¡¯s Eye, and their ns were rebooted with her at the center.


    ¡¯If I could mass produce his own guardians, then I¡¯d be able to rece the Heaven¡¯s Laws and truly control everything.¡¯


    "At this point, we must continue regardless of the result. If not, the past thirty years will all be down the drain. We¡¯re already better off than we ever were. Just make sure that Tian Yan takes good care of her health. Ying Mei, it may be hard to do, but you must keep a lookout on the kid. It would foil our ns if anything was to happen to him." Bing Shuai said to the woman, only this time, he had a voice that was a little gentler than his usual cial tone.


    "As you wish." Ying Mei bowed her head down, seemingly afraid to meet Bing Shuai¡¯s gaze. However, in her fright, one could also find some trace of happiness.


    The silence was suddenly broken by a vibration and a sh of flight from Ying Mei¡¯s cell phone. She retreated to a corner of the room and answered the call. The longer the call went, the more troubled her expression became.


    "What is it?" Bing Shuai asked, reading Ying Mei¡¯s mood from her countenance. He wanted to be in control of everything, and the first step to control was knowledge.


    "It¡¯s the butler. There is a girl in the vi who hase to look for Guo Xiang. It seems to be his girl." Ying Me finished her call and answered truthfully.


    "This kid is just like his father, a real yboy. Just send her off with an excuse." Bing Shuai sighed and with a wave of his hand.


    "I have already told the butler so." Ying Mei replied with a smile and put away her phone.


    "Wait!"


    Tian Yan, who had been concentrating on her work, suddenly raised her head and intervened. Her hair fell to the side, revealing a face with delicate features, just like that of a doll. However, a closer look and one would be frightened by the sight of her eyes. These had no pupils, and they shone like smallnterns. asionally, a spark of indigo light would traverse its surface.


    "What is it?" The two others asked in unison.


    "That girl... There is something strange about her..." Tian Yan stared at the ceiling, as if her eyes were able to pierce through theyers of stone and reality itself.


    * * *


    With the scorching sun high in the sky at high noon, passersby on the street were not keen to remain and walked hastily. No one noticed a carelessly dressed man sitting at the steps that led to the entrance of the shopping mall. Even those who did just looked at him with disdain and hurried away.


    He was slightly tanned with unkempt hair. Although he was in fact fairly clean, his unruly appearance made him seem sloppy. He wore an unbuttoned grey shirt that exposed parts of his chest and maroon shorts that left bare a pair of hairy legs. He tapped on the pavement with his stic slippers, seemingly following some kind of beat.


    The man tugged on his worn-out woven bag beneath his feet and took out a wrinkled cigarette. He lit it up, taking his time, and took a deep drag as he looked at the huge advertisement screen across the street. On it, the promotional clip of the newest movie, "Monkey King Subdues White Skeletal Demon", was being yed.


    The was a great work of art. The White Skeletal Demon looked seductive and voluptuous while Sun Wukong was heroic and awe-inspiring. The scenes from the age-old ssic <i>Journey to the West </i>were perfectly brought to life by modern filmmaking techniques.


    The man¡¯s stare slowly grew empty, and he did not notice it even when his cigarette burned all the way up his fingers. The ashes fell onto the pavement and were scattered away by the hurried footsteps of the people who walked hurriedly past him.


    "To reign one¡¯s will and to tame one¡¯s heart. Never break the eight precepts, and you shall see the way1. All of this is but an illusion..." The man muttered to himself with a resigned expression. He took out a piece of a paper to wrap up what remained of his cigarettes began cleaning the pavement with a rag.


    A young man in a suit hurried past and furrowed his brows when he saw the man. He gulped down his coke and walked toward the dustbin, shaking the can to make sure he drank it all. However, he realized something right before he threw his bottle away. The young man turned around, wiped the exterior of his bottle, tightened the cap, and walked toward what he thought was a beggar. The young man bent down and put his empty bottle into the worn-out woven bag.


    The man raised his head in puzzlement and met the young man¡¯s rather shy stare. He nodded his head in gratitude, said a quick thank-you and put the bottle into his bag.


    A simr smile also surfaced on the young man¡¯s face, who saluted back and then left in a hurry.


    Suddenly, the shadows on the ground moved. A ss advertisement board to one of the buildings fell, reflecting the rays of the sunlight like a giant mirror as it made for the head of the young man. It looked like it was going to slice the young man into two. The passersby behind him had already closed their eyes and was about to emit a piercing scream, but the soon-to-be victim himself still had a shy, oblivious smile on his face.


    However, the ss ne suddenly trembled, and it deviated ever so from its original trajectory. Instead of hitting the young man, it grazed past his shoulder and shattered on the pavement with a deafening thud.


    Shouts and screams of surprise rang out from the other pedestrians. The young man remained still with his eyes wide open and his muscles cramped up. He knew from seeing the ss fragments that he had just missed a rendezvous with death. He nced at the derelict frame that held the pane above him, confused, but also incredibly happy for his own good fortune.


    The reactions from the other pedestrians were also of all sorts; some took pictures while others informed their friends, and some called the police. Many marveled at how lucky the young man was, but no one noticed the lone figure of a man whose sandals resounded against the pavement slowly leaving the scene. His stic straw bag swayed back and off as he strolled toward the end of the street.


    When ites to helping others, it is the thought that matters. Kindness, no matter how insignificant it can seem at the moment, can often steer one¡¯s life into another, and usually better direction.


    The precepts are codes of ethics in Buddism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Precepts#Other_precepts?

 Volume 4 Chapter 8

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 8 ¨C It¡¯s You?</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming pushed on his neighbor¡¯s doorbell button and waited anxiously. He formed a seal with his right hand behind his back and prepared to use Thundersh at the first sign of danger.


    Although he was resolved to unfold the truth, Li Yiming was still afraid. After all, the existence of an unknown threatening enough for Bai Ze to feel an instinctive fear warranted all of his nervousness.


    When the metal door opened, Li Yiming was surprised when he recognized the person beyond the door, and he could see this surprise mirrored in his interlocutor.


    "It¡¯s you?"


    What followed was a long and enduring awkward silence. Li Yiming released the lightning that coalesced at his fingertips. Cold sweat trickled on the side of his face as the quietude of the situation began to be unbearable.


    ¡¯Why is Ji Xiaoqin here?¡¯ This was the only question in Li Yiming¡¯s mind. He looked at her polka-dot outfit and her pink hairpin. Her face was still a little damp; it seemed like she had a facial mask just a second ago..


    "How...How did you know I¡¯m staying here?" Ji Xiaoqin stammered as she desperately tried to hide her panic.


    "I live here. I just wanted toe over and greet my neighbor. That¡¯s all..." Li Yiming formted an incoherent answer. Before ringing the doorbell, he had imagined an old man, a mean-looking thug, a bewitching woman, or even a devilish imping to answer him. He also thought about what kind of attack would greet him when he opened the door. A wall of fire? A cloud of poison gas? A flying dagger or even a ferocious beast? s, what greeted him was beyond his wildest imaginations. Who would have thought that it would be his ex-girlfriend, Ji Xiaoqin?


    "You, you live here?" From her expression, it was clear that Ji Xiaoqin was just as shocked by this unexpected twist of fate as Li Yiming was.


    "Uhh...Yeah, in the apartment just across from you." Li Yiming sidestepped and pointed behind.


    Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s gaze followed his finger andnded on the opened door. A blend of surprise, confusion, helplessness, and guilt began to brew inside of her.


    The motion sensor controlled corridor lights began to flicker on and off following the fidgeting of the two as if they were also participating in toying with them.


    "Do you want toe in?" Ji Xiaoqin finally offered hesitantly as she could no longer withstand the awkward silence.


    "No... No, it¡¯s fine... It¡¯s gettingte and I wouldn¡¯t want to... I... I¡¯m gonna go back." Li Yiming shook his hands in refusal and ran back to his apartment.


    Ji Xiaoqin sighed in relief when she saw the door across the hallway closed shut. Although she offered to wee Li Yiming into her home, she was actually really worried about him epting. She knew that if he came in, the situation would have quickly gotten out of control. Not because she did not trust Li Yiming but because she did not think that she could stop herself.


    Deep inside Ji Xiaoqin, there was always a part of her that cannot forgive herself for two-timing Li Yiming. Her guilt and self-loathing only grew when she thought about Li Yiming¡¯s understanding of her and forgiving her. Often, in the dead of night, she would recall her past with Li Yiming, especially the words he left for her. She could never forget his bright personality and gentleness, his respect for her opinions, and his willingness to spoil her. Sometimes, Li Yiming¡¯s name almost came out of her lips instead of Guo Xiang¡¯s in the middle of the night, as she woke up from a dream from her past.


    In the end, as if she was cutting ties with her past and her youthful years, Ji Xiaoqin decided to move out of her apartment that haunted her dreams and memories. In the end, it seemed that her sacrifice had not been in vain. Although Guo Xiang neglected her, he still gifted her an apartment without hesitation when he heard that she was looking for a new home. The apartment was not veryrge, with only two bedrooms and a living room, but being at the heart of Hangzhou ensured that its price was still very high, at almost three million yen. To have an apartment in such a prime location was once Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s dream, and she had paid for it with genuine love.


    Contrary to her expectations, she found that the flood of memories about her time with Li Yiming did not cease at all, and along with came the same stream of negative emotions. Not only does she think of him when she was alone, but Li Yiming also started to appear in her dreams. She began to distinctly remember the attractive parts of Li Yiming ¡ª his gentle smile, his long and slim figure, wide shoulders and toned abs...


    Panic began to slowly creep up on Ji Xiaoqin, who had no idea why this was happening to her or why she was feeling this way. ¡¯I decided to give everything up, I have no other option, and it paid off, so why am I still thinking about him? Why can¡¯t I forget him? Is it because he was my first lover?¡¯


    As confusion, fear, and panic consumed her, Ji Xiaoqin had no choice but to look for an answer by forcing herself to love Guo Xiang. She knew that this was the only option left for her.


    However, at the crucial moment, Guo Xiang suddenly disappeared. Nothing she did could reach him, whether it was telephone or text messages. If not for the apartment, she would have assumed that she had been abandoned after he had his fill of fun with her.


    ¡¯Is this it? Is this the end?¡¯ It seemed that she got a fair deal; a few months of her time for a three million yuan apartment. However, she did not care about money right now. She needed to know that she made the right choice; she wanted more, she wanted love.


    Ji Xiaoqin mustered her courage and went to Guo Xiang¡¯s home. There, she learned that he was overseas for an investment project. This came to her as a relief. Just as she was about to leave, someone who proimed himself to be Guo Xiang¡¯s uncle came in and greeted her. Ji Xiaoqin was extremely anxious, since it was the first time she was meeting Guo Xiang¡¯s family, and this "uncle" exuded the mannerism of someone who was used to be in a position of authority. She also noticed that the obedience of the butler around this man, which cemented her belief she was talking to someone who was held in extremely high regard, even in the Guo family.


    Guo Xiang¡¯s uncle was very courteous and, despite his unmoved countenance, he talked amicably and spoke to her as if she was a future family member. His questions were specific and they ranged from her education to her job, her hobbies, her eating habits, and even the exact time and date of her birth. When Ji Xiaoqin departed, he arranged for someone to send her home. The driver, probably with specific instructions in mind, apanied her all the way to the lift, and Ji Xiaoqin only saw the Lincoln leave the neighborhood twenty minutester.


    The attention given to her by an elder from the Guo family set Ji Xiaoqin back in her old path toward money and prestige and washed away her worry and panic. It satisfied her because it strengthened her conviction.


    * * *


    However, Li Yiming came knocking at this precise moment at her door, and it was a call that reached her soul. Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s heart once again sank into confusion, and the peace that she had previously attained waspletely dismantled.


    ¡¯So, the person whom you said that we can¡¯t afford to displease is Ji Xiaoqin? What is going on?¡¯ Li Yiming asked Bai Ze as he leaned against his front door, wiping off the cold sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. ¡¯Well, on one hand, it is true that I really don¡¯t want to have anything to do with her anymore...¡¯


    The sight of Ji Xiaoqin did not stir up any emotion Li Yiming anymore. He had chosen to ept Ji Xiaoqin as someone from his past at the end first domain. After the illusion of Bai Xi, he knew that his rtionship with her had been a mistake from the very start. It seemed that Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s betrayal led to a good for him. Now, he had only one girl in his heart, someone he had once lost but had the good fortune to find again, someone who willingly waited for him and devoted everything without expecting reciprocation. When Liu Meng attacked Xiang Liu in ast-ditch attempt to save his life with no regard of her own, Li Yiming knew that there was no way for him to think of anyone else now.


    But what happened earlier was aplete shock; after all the foreboding phenomenon and Bai Ze¡¯s warning, Ji Xiaoqin of all people would be the one to open the door. Li Yiming found a stare into his past still too much for him, and he decided to flee instead of fighting to endure it.


    ¡¯When did I ever say that domain originated from the apartment right across? On another note, that girl was your ex? She pales inparison to Liu Meng. How did you end up with her? I feel really bad for Liu Meng.¡¯ Bai Ze teased Li Yiming. She wanted Li Yiming to relinquish his idea of meeting whoever that was behind the domain, so she did not tell him exactly which apartment it was, but she would have never thought it would end with such a bizarre twist of fate.


    ¡¯Not from the apartment across? I thought it was pretty clear that it came from the neighbor?¡¯ Li Yiming hurried back to the study. When he entered the room, the scenery outside the window rippled. It was a subtle change that he would have missed had he not been paying attention. Li Yiming stared at the wall and he knew that beyond it was Ji Xiaoqin.


    ¡¯First of all, the term ¡¯neighbor¡¯ is general and doesn¡¯t just include the people living on the same floor as you. Secondly, there are six walls here, and three are connected with another apartment.¡¯ Bai Ze hesitated for a second, but she gave in to Li Yiming¡¯s insistence. She knew enough about Li Yiming¡¯s personality at this point to hope for him to give up for prudence¡¯s sake when Liu Meng¡¯s life was at stake. Li Yiming was emotional and indecisive at times, but he would do anything within his means to help those he cared for.


    "You mean..." Li Yiming understood what Bai Ze meant and nced above and below. "Above us or below?"


    "Below... Are you sure you still want to do this?"


    "Of course." Li Yiming replied. The confusion Ji Xiaoqin brought about was superseded by the sole thought of getting to the bottom of Mr. Kong¡¯s mission.


    * * *


    "Ying Mei, what¡¯s your opinion?" Bing Shuai asked as he fidgeted with a thumb ring made of jade.


    "Ji Xiaoqin, twenty-five years old. She just graduated this year, two-timed her boyfriend three months ago with Guo Xiang. The strange thing is, I¡¯ve checked her background and I didn¡¯t find anything remote out of the ordinary. None of her rtives, not even five generations back, had any sign of being or being rted to a guardian," Ying Mei answered with a frown.


    "Could it be because of Guo Xiang?" Bing Shuai leaned forward and peeked at the stack of documents in Ying Mei¡¯s hands.


    "You mean because of her rtion with Guo Xiang? Unlikely. I¡¯ve discussed with Tian Yan and she told me that even if she herself used her powers, the density of karma would not be at such a high percentage. It¡¯s at thirty percent right now. Even what we¡¯ve gathered in Guo Xiang pales inparison to her." Ying Mei rejected Bing Shuai¡¯s hypothesis with a shake of her head.


    "Thirty percent... Heavenly karma is closely tied to one¡¯s fate from birth. It¡¯s either zero for an average person of or one hundred percent for a future. Thirty... there¡¯s something wrong with her "


    "Tian Yan also thinks so. Do you think someone else is doing the same thing?" Ying Mei carefully suggested an alternative.


    "Regardless, we must find out the reason behind this. If..." Bing Shuai¡¯s expression darkened. The emerald thumb ring suddenly split into halves and fell on the desk.


    Ying Mei¡¯s heart trembled at Bing Shuai¡¯s outburst and backed off a step in fear. "That was no ordinary ring. It was guardian equipment...¡¯


    "Go approach her tomorrow as Guo Xiang¡¯s cousin. Observe her closely and look out for those around her." Bing Shuai took a deep breath topose himself and picked up the broken pieces of his thumb ring.


    "Very well. It seems Guo Xiang cares about this girl, having gifted her an apartment just recently. She seems to wish to marry into the Guo family so it should not be too difficult of a task." Ying Mei steeled her nerves against Bing Shuai¡¯s cold eyes, closed her notebook, and tried her best to say something positive to lighten the mood.


    "Be cautious. If she turns out to be an experiment, do not rm whoever¡¯s behind her."


    "I understand. I¡¯ll keep my guard up." Ying Mei nodded and left.


    "Ji Xiaoqin..." Bing Shuai muttered as he crossed his hands together and put his chin down. He seemed colder than ever.

 Volume 4 Chapter 9

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 9 ¨C Fu Bo</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming steadied his breathing and pushed on the doorbell button again. This time, he was much more prepared andposed.


    ¡¯Are you sure we got the right person this time?¡¯ As the door opened, Li Yiming asked Bai Ze once again.


    ¡¯I¡¯m positive.¡¯ Bai Ze sounded nervous, but she answered Li Yiming¡¯s question with conviction.


    "You...?" Both Li Yiming and his neighbor were greeted with a look of surprise.


    "I..." Another half-hearted attempt at asking a question.


    It was the young man Li Yiming had met back at the airport, and he was genuinely surprised when he saw Li Yiming. ¡¯A few days ago, it seemed like thest thing he wanted in the world was to have anything to do with me, and now he shows up at my door?¡¯


    "I¡¯m your new neighbor. I live right above you, and I just wanted toe to say hello. I didn¡¯t think that it would end up being such a coincidence." After receiving Bai Ze¡¯s reassurance, Li Yiming quickly settled down and tried his best to fabricate an excuse. ¡¯If what Bai Ze said is true, then this guy should be some kind of hidden sage. I don¡¯t think that he would bother doing something bad to me, would he...?¡¯


    "You live right above me? And you still remember me?" The young man seemed very excited by what Li Yiming had said.


    "Of course. Do you mind if Ie in?" Li Yiming was a little intimidated by the young man¡¯s intense gaze. ¡¯When you act like that, it¡¯s pretty hard to forget, even if I wanted to...¡¯


    "Yes, yes. Of course. Pleasee inside." The young man hurried to offer his hospitality to Li Yiming. His over-friendliness made Li Yiming feel very ufortable; he would rather have had a ferocious beast open the door instead.


    "I live alone so the apartment is a mess. Please sit wherever you¡¯d like. I¡¯ll go get you some water." The young man led Li Yiming to the living room and hurried into the kitchen.


    Li Yiming sat on the sofa without letting his guard down and looked around. ¡¯Hmmm, the interior design is the exact same as my apartment. He says it¡¯s messy, but it looks pretty tidy to me, although the decorations are a bit old-fashioned. Solid-wood sofa, some Chinese paintings, and even a calligraphy passage about flowers and trees. Are you kidding me? This isn¡¯t messy at all! I bet this guy has some kind of obsessivepulsive disorder. Even the patterns on the teacups are perfectly aligned!¡¯


    "Please have some water. I usually don¡¯t have any guests, so I¡¯m out of good tea." The young man came out of the kitchen with a thermos bottle in one hand and a cup in the other.


    "Oh, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m just here to say hello and to make a new friend. I hope we¡¯ll be good neighbors." Li Yiming took the cup and answered politely. ¡¯This guy might be on the same level as Mr. Kong. I can¡¯tck manners.¡¯


    "Of course, of course. The saying goes that a distant rtive isn¡¯t as helpful as a close neighbor. Since we¡¯re of the same age, I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll find a lot of things to talk about." The young man sat down next to Li Yiming and fixated his gaze on him.


    "You know, I think that it was a nice coincidence for us to have been on the same ne, and to have met again in that noodle shop. And now, we live in the same apartment! Speaking of which, I forgot to give you my thanks for reminding me about the cake. I would have forgotten about it otherwise." Li Yiming avoided looking at the young man as he spoke and picked a topic that would open up a conversation.


    "So you really do remember me?" The young man was pleasantly surprised when he heard Li Yiming retell their past encounters.


    Li Yiming did not know how to answer him. ¡¯Is it that weird that I remember you? We¡¯ve met a couple of times in such a short period of time... Unless...¡¯ Li Yiming remembered about Mr. Kong¡¯s technique, and his heart skipped a beat. ¡¯Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have said that?¡¯


    "Everyone I¡¯ve met over thest few years usually forget about meeting me right away. I¡¯m just a little excited that you still remember about me." The young man exined nervously, but he seemed miserable when he did.


    "Everyone forgets about meeting you?" Li Yiming asked. ¡¯Isn¡¯t that Mr. Kong¡¯s technique?¡¯


    "Well you know, strange things happen in this world. Anyways, enough about that. What¡¯s your name? My name is Fu Bo." The sadness on the young man¡¯s countenance was reced by a gentle smile as he extended his right hand in Li Yiming¡¯s direction.


    "Li Yiming." It was a routine handshake that did not mean anything in particr. However, Li Yiming did notice that there was a big callus near the bottom of his palm. ¡¯Is this guy a shut-in? These kind of things usually appear when you use theputer for too long.¡¯


    "Li Yiming?" Fu Bo¡¯s seemed both perplexed and amused when he heard Li Yiming¡¯s name.


    "What is it?" Fu Bo¡¯s attitude unsettled Li Yiming. ¡¯Is there something wrong with my name?¡¯


    "It¡¯s nothing. Just out of curiosity, are you from Hangzhou?" Fu Bo took a deep breath and tried his best to appearposed.


    "I¡¯m from Lishui, actually. I moved to Hangzhou for college. I attended Hangzhou Teachers¡¯ College, what about you?" Li Yiming answered truthfully in a show of goodwill. ¡¯This guy looks a little younger than me. Unless he did something to his appearance, he should still be in school.¡¯


    "I was born and raised in Hangzhou. I heard Hangzhou Teacher¡¯s College is quite the prestigious school." Fu Bo smiled, but he did not answer Li Yiming¡¯s question. Instead, he seemed a little dejected.


    "You live alone?" Li Yiming read Fu Bo¡¯s mood and switched the topic of the conversation. ¡¯It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s living alone from the way things are set in the apartment, but everything else tells me that he is. Weird.¡¯


    "Yeah. I¡¯ve been living alone for quite a few years now." Fu Bo looked around. It was obvious to any onlooker that he was unhappy about it.


    ¡¯He¡¯s showing his emotions? Is he acting or is he actually...?¡¯


    "Well, I¡¯m living alone too, so hopefully we can be good friends." Li Yiming tried his best to answer Fu Bo in a way that would open up the conversation further and build up their friendship. After seeing the sincerity in Fu Bo¡¯s answers, he could now at least cope with how Fu Bo had shown an unusual amount of interest in him.


    "Really?" Fu Bo grinned. Unlike the strange smile of anticipation Li Yiming had seen before, this one seemed to be one of bliss.


    Li Yiming continued his careful maneuver and, just like a psychologist, he used well-crafted dialogue to stimte Fu Bo. This produced a very positive result, and he soon gained Fu Bo¡¯s trust as the conversation shifted to much more personal matters.


    Instead of finding answers to the questions he had, Li Yiming ended up being more confused than he was. ¡¯This kid, he looks like he¡¯s desperate for some kind of social interaction, and it¡¯s so easy to make him spill all of the beans, with just a little shove in the right direction...¡¯


    Li Yiming slowly came to know more and more about Fu Bo¡¯s past. ¡¯Unless he¡¯s lying to me right now, then my guess was correct. But then, what about that strange domain?¡¯ This was the main concern that Li Yiming still had.


    Fu Bo was twenty-four years old, barely a year younger than him. Five years ago, his parents died in a ne ident while on public duties abroad. Fu Bo was in high school at the time, and the only positive thing in all of this misfortune was that his family was fairly affluent. His parents had a business and owned real estate in Hangzhou, so at least poverty was not an immediate concern.


    However, strange urrences happened right after Fu Bo¡¯s parents¡¯ funeral. As he returned to school, still heartbroken by the incident, he found out that everyone there seemed to have forgotten about his existence. His teacher even brought him to the administrator¡¯s office and only allowed him to return to the ssroom with disbelief after he showed them his ID and student card.


    What was even worse was that even his rtives, those who had cherished him ever since he was born and had sworn to take good care of him at his parents¡¯ funeral, alsopletely forgot about him.


    Bo Fu ended up having to live a life of solitude without anyone to rely on. However, owing to the optimistic and resilient character his parents had instilled in him, he managed to endure thest five years.


    "So you¡¯ve lived inplete istion for five years?" Li Yiming could not help but feel some pity for Fu Bo, who looked like he had been through many hardships despite being so young.


    "How else?" Fu Bo shrugged his shoulders. Five years was enough to make most people used to anything.


    "So what do you do usually?" Li Yiming could hardly imagine a life devoid of any kind of social interaction in a modern city.


    "I¡¯m writing a novel to kill time."


    "Oh really? You¡¯re an author?" Li Yiming raised his voice and tried his best to lighten up the mood.


    "Not really an author. Someone who likes reading online novels at most." Fu Bo smiled, a little embarrassed; Li Yiming¡¯s tactic worked brilliantly.


    "Really? Online? That¡¯s great, I love to read them too! Where do you uploading to?" Li Yiming asked with a grin.


    "On Zongheng, but the viewership numbers are... you know."


    "Really, even online?" Li Yiming felt sorry for Fu Bo, but it was not terribly surprising. After all, if everyone who read about the novel forgot about it after a few days, then it would be doomed no matter how well written it was.


    "I¡¯m used to it. I¡¯m not counting on it to make money. It¡¯s just for killing time." Fu Bo waved his hand, not looking very affected.


    "What¡¯s the name of the novel? I¡¯d love to support you!"


    "¡¯Adventure to the East¡¯. Hopefully, you¡¯ll be the first reader to finish the book." Fu Bo smiled bitterly.


    "Is it finished?"


    "Yeah. I finished the first bookst year, and I¡¯m writing the second one, but I haven¡¯t uploaded it yet. Do you know why I was so surprised the first time I saw you?" Bu Fo asked with the exact same intense gaze that unsettled Li Yiming at the airport.


    "Why?" Li Yiming was a little nervous.


    "It¡¯s because you¡¯re the real-life version of the main character for my second novel. You know, I¡¯ve never met you before, and I sure didn¡¯t know about you when I thought about the book. Even your names is the same. I thought that you walked out of my book the first time I saw you," Bo Fu said.


    "Really?" Li Yiming was dumbfounded. ¡¯So that¡¯s why he looked at me that way? And I thought he had other thoughts...¡¯


    "Of course. I¡¯ll send you the book when ites out. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be surprised."


    "Alright then, if we really are the same, I¡¯ll go buy a bunch ofmenting bots and make you famous."


    Novel-ception?

 Volume 4 Chapter 10

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 10 ¨C Li Huaibei¡¯s Surprise</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming remained sleepless on his bed, staring at the window until the darkness outside gradually turned into dawn, still thinking about his encounter with Fu Bo earlier.


    "He¡¯s probably a guardian, but he hasn¡¯t realized it yet." Bai Ze knelt down right beside his bed with a cup of milk made from powder.


    "I¡¯ve thought about that, but don¡¯t all guardians have to climb the Stage of Ascension during their awakening? So how is it possible that he isn¡¯t aware of his own identity? Also, his situation about everyone forgetting him, is that the same technique as Mr. Kong?" Li Yiming asked.


    "No. In a Dream only makes you forget about the person¡¯s appearance, but you¡¯ll remember once you meet that person again. This Fu Bo... he has something else. From Another Life." Bai Ze sipped the milk and licked her lips with a grave countenance.


    "From Another Life...?" Li Yiming recalled the details of his conversation with Fu Bo. "What is it exactly?"


    "A passive talent, I guess. It¡¯s the same thing as your Thunder Immunity, or Thunder Purity."


    "Is thatmon?" Li Yiming suddenly thought about the four people he knew who each had a passive talent.


    "Definitely not. Passive talents are extremely rare. You¡¯d be struggling to find one person in ten thousand." Bai Ze rolled her eyes. ¡¯Speaking of which, am I getting something wrong here? Passive talents everywhere?¡¯


    "So I can still remember him because I¡¯m a bug in the system, right?" Li Yiming was pleased when he heard "one in ten thousand".


    "Most likely. That¡¯s probably why he sees you as such a valuable friend. If you really want to get to the bottom of Mr. Kong¡¯s case, you should work on this lead. Also, have you noticed? When we entered the room, the domain disappeared."


    ¡¯A guardian who is unaware of his own identity... A small, chaotic domain... A poor young kid tortured by solitude... Can I trust what I see? Or is he making all of this up? What about Qing He? Mr. Kong... What kind of mission is this?¡¯ Li Yiming put his chin on his hands and stared at the wooden floor as if he wanted to pierce through it and see the young man on the other side.


    * * *


    In a small coastal city in the South, Li Huaibei had been sitting at his work desk for a while already. His attention was focused on a web novel being shown on the monitor in front of him. He had been reading it for nine consecutive days and nights already. He scrutinized each character, and even punctuation mark attentively, not letting a single bit of information escape his eyes.


    It was a new book, and although it had been finished recently, it had barely five hundred views, which was a rather pitiful result. It unpopr to the point that Li Huaibei could not even find it in one of the website that routinely uploaded pirated content.


    With a final scroll of the mouse wheel, Li Huaibei reached the end of the novel. He closed his eyes slowly and tried topose himself. He touched his forehead and gazed at the drops of sweat on his fingertips. ¡¯Sweat... I haven¡¯t felt like this is in a long time...¡¯


    Li Huaibei knew that his cold sweat was not due to exhaustion from being awake for nine days, but rather to the shock and fear he received from the novel he had just finished.


    Nine days ago, Li Huaibei was having a drink in a bar and remembering old times, as it had be an old habit of his, when he ran into a young couple who looked like nothing out of the ordinary.


    "Hey, honey, let me tell you a secret."


    "What is it?"


    "I can hold a cell phone with my chest now." The woman craned her neck and whispered into her partner¡¯s ear.


    "Really?" The man threw a surprised nce at his girlfriend¡¯s green shirt. ¡¯Sizable to say the least, but I don¡¯t think she would be able to hold a cellphone between them.¡¯


    "Well, too bad if you don¡¯t believe me." The woman pursed her lips and turned her head to the side.


    "No, I believe you. Show me then." The man¡¯s curiosity was piqued.


    "No~!"


    "Come on, show it to me." The man wanted to know the answer, his interest having been aroused.


    "N~o~" The woman produced a soft moan and dodged away, pretending to be ying her cell phone.


    "Babe, how about just once?" The man insisted. He seemed like a wolf who had found a long-sought prey.


    "Really?" The woman raised her head and looked back at her boyfriend shyly.


    The man nodded as vigorously as he could.


    The woman made sure no one was looking in her direction by looking around and finally put her cellphone between her breasts. She then raised her head and looked back at her boyfriend.


    "Good luck," the man said with a suggestive smile.


    The moment the woman released her hands, under the ear gaze of her boyfriend, the cell phone fell toward the ground and crashed with a thud.


    "Hey, look at this, the cell phone is broken! It¡¯s all your fault! I told you that I didn¡¯t want to try it, and you insisted! What am I supposed to do now?" The woman suddenlyined to her boyfriend, as if it was entirely his fault.


    "I..." The man was speechless. He looked at the cellphone; it had slid a fair distance on the floor, and the screen was visibly cracked.


    "I don¡¯t care, you need to buy a 6S for me. I want the rose gold one." The woman pursed her lips and turned away, not minding her half-broken phone.


    Li Huabeiughed at that point; the world was a stage, and everyone had their own scripts to y and their own lines to say. He nced at the cellphone on the ground. The screen had just lit up from a notification, and it was not hard for him to read what was written on the screen. ¡¯A novel-reading application? She must have been reading.¡¯


    Li Huaibei continued to swirl his drink, but his smile froze a secondter. ¡¯The content on the novel... I¡¯m forgetting about it...? I can only remember half of it now, and the rest is fading away from my mind!¡¯


    Li Huaibei tried as hard as he could, but he still found himself unable to remember more than half of what he just read. Even with his enhanced faculties, he could only preserve only a fragment of the text in his memory, and the rest was simply gone.


    "May I have a look at that cell phone?" Li Huaibei took a deep breath, approached the young couple, and asked politely.


    "What is it? Are you a cell phone repairer?" The woman seemed to be rmed by Li Huaibei¡¯s appearance. It would be quite the hindrance to her ns if someone were to offer to repair her old cell phone nowl.


    "You seem to be thinking about buying a new phone. How about you sell this old one to me?" Li Huaibei asked.


    "Oh, you recycle electronics? How much are you going to pay?" The man knew that he had fallen into his girlfriend¡¯s trap, but at that point, there was nothing he could do exceptugh it off as a way to add some fun into the rtionship. However, if the man in front of him was willing to buy the old phone, then he would at least be able to cut his losses.


    "I¡¯ll need to have a look at it first." Li Huaibei smiled back with his usual mannerism. A simple probing with his senses indicated that the two in front of him were definitely not guardians.


    The man did not hesitate and gave the broken phone to Li Huaibei right away. Li Huaibei pretended to look at the broken screen, but he was actually using his focus to prate into the phone and inspects the inside of it.


    ¡¯Nothing wrong there...¡¯ Li Huaibei tapped at the screen and the window from earlier appeared. ¡¯A novel-reading application. It¡¯s the start of a book. I remember the second half, but the beginning... It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve never read it!¡¯ Li Yiming opened a chapter and read through it quickly. He closed his eyes, and he could feel the content of the chapter fading away inside of his mind.


    ¡¯It¡¯s the text...¡¯


    Li Huaibei took out a stack of bills, pulled out a single one and put his wine cup over it. He left the rest together with the broken cell phone on the table in front of the young couple.


    "Thanks." Li Huaibei saluted them and left for the street.


    "What?" The man was perplexed. He looked at Li Huaibei and then at the stack of banknotes. It was obvious that the bills were taken freshly out of the bank, as seen from the paper band that held them together. However, it was clear from the thickness that there had to be one hundred bills in the stack, which meant that aside from the one bill Li Huaibei used to pay for his drink, there was nine thousand nine hundred yuan left.


    The woman stayed silent. She was still entirely captivated by Li Huaibei¡¯s air of elegance and handsomeness, and especially the carelessness he showed when he pulled out such a big sum of money from his pocket.


    Li Huaibei did not even give a moment of attention to the mesmerized gaze that trailed him. He was solely focused on remembering the very brief title of the book he had just read.


    "Adventure to the East."


    * * *


    Just like Li Huaibei, Ji Xiaoqin had been sleepness the entire night. The conviction she had built up from meeting the Guo family members had been shaken by meeting with Li Yiming once again. The silhouette which lingered in her mind for so long became defined. She could see his tall figure, his warm and shy smile, and hear his voice whisper to her gently, just like in her dreams.


    ¡¯He¡¯s back. His eyes are brighter than I remember... There¡¯s a light that shines within them, just like the stars in the sky. He¡¯s back...¡¯ Ji Xiaoqin could feel herself in Li Yiming¡¯s warm embrace when she closed her eyes. His familiar scent, his muscr arms, his steady heartbeat, his hand gently caressing her. This fantasy was a sweet wine that enticed her and inebriated her, and she savored its aroma with her heart and her soul.


    The doorbell rang once again. Ji Xiaoqin shuddered, and she rushed to the door in a hurry, without even putting her slippers on.


    When she pulled the door open, she was greeted by a beautiful woman, dressed in a robe decorated with ckces. The crystal high-heels she wore conferred to her figure a charming svelteness. Her long hair was tied up, revealing naturally alluring features that showed that she had been born into and lived a life of luxury.


    Ah... Greed, aren¡¯t you a beautifully human thing. Also get memed on Shakespeare lel.

 Volume 4 Chapter 11

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 11 - Scam</strong></h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    ¡°You are¡­?¡± Ji Xiaoqin hid away her disappointment when an unknown woman appeared instead of who she had been hoping for. She retreated toward behind the door and tried her best to tidy her messy clothes.


    ¡°I¡¯m Guo Ying, Guo Xiang¡¯s cousin.¡± It was Ying Mei, and she looked at Ji Xiaoqin scornfully. ¡®Messy clothes, red face, quick breathing, eyes watered by lust? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was another man hiding inside the apartment right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve just heard my dad talk about you. He said that my cousin had a new girlfriend. I just came back from abroad, and I don¡¯t have a lot friends in Hangzhou, so I figured I could take this opportunity to get to know you while going shopping. Is that okay?¡± Ying Mei walked into the room before Ji Xiaoqin could answer, and she did it with such confidence and authority that Ji Xiaoqin did not even dare to voice her opposition. She closed the door slowly and followed behind.


    ¡®There¡¯s no man here?¡¯ Ying Mei circled around in the apartment and quickly realized that her first instincts were wrong. In fact, the only aura she could capture was the one from Guo Xiang, which had almostpletely faded away.


    ¡°Is it okay? I called you before, but your cell phone was turned off.¡± Ying Mei sat down in the living room without shying herself. Instead, she acted as if she was the owner of the home, which was perfect for the heiress she purported to be.


    ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s fine, totally fine. It¡¯s just that I just got up, sorry about that.¡± Ji Xiaoqin did not know what to do, and amidst her panic she did not have the attention to spare for doubting what Ying Mei said.


    ¡°So I¡¯ll leave you some time for preparing yourself?¡± Ying Mei smiled and looked at Ji Xiaoqin from head to toe. ¡®Revealing silk pyjamas, attractive features even without any makeup¡­ I can see why Guo Xiang is so enthralled. Not bad, but the way she looked earlier¡­ Is that why she came looking for Guo Xiang yesterday? Does she crave it that much?¡¯


    ¡°Please wait for a moment.¡± Ji Xiaoqin knew what Ying Mei was thinking from the way thetter examined her, and it embarrassed her to the point that she sought to escape to the bathroom.


    ¡°Please take your time. It¡¯s still early.¡± Ying Mei sank back into the sofa and took out a small, old-fashioned looking mirror. She pretended to use it to check her own makeup, but as soon as Ji Xiaoqin entered the bathroom, her smile faded away. She directed the mirror in Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s direction, and it shot out a ray of silver light.


    ¡®What?¡¯ Ying Mei was shocked by what she saw. The mirror she used was a guardian equipment given to her by Tian Yan specifically for determining the heavenly karmas of those close to Ji Xiaoqin. She used it on Ji Xiaoqin merely out of prudence, to check whether it was working or not, only to find out that there had been an enormous change in her karma.


    With trembling hands, Ying Mei took out her cell phone and sent a message to Bing Shuai. ¡°Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s heavenly karma is over fifty percent.¡±


    Li Yiming did not have to wait long before Fu Bo came to answer the door; they had agreed to go eat breakfast together.


    ¡°You know, I was really afraid that you were going to forget toe.¡± Fu Bo smiled, visibly relieved by Li Yiming¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯m getting hungry!¡± Li Yiming gave a friendly tap to Fu Bo and turned around. ¡®Bai Ze was right. He really thinks of me as a friend, but I¡­¡¯


    Although his chest hurt a little from Li Yiming¡¯s tap, Fu Bo was actually happy. It had been five years since he had experienced anything close to that.


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Li Yiming tried his best to assume the figure of the big brother.


    ¡°The wheat buns from the noodle shop I ate at yesterday were really good. They only sell those before nine, so I don¡¯t think that you¡¯ve had a chance at tasting them yet. I think we should try those.¡± Fu Bo proposed with a smile, visibly happy by the fact that he could decide.


    ¡°The noodle shop from yesterday?¡± Li Yiming stared back at Fu Bo, unsure what his intentions were.


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t like it?¡± Fu Bo asked carefully. He seemed to be very scared of upsetting Li Yiming, and this made thetter feel a little sad for his sake.


    ¡°Is it a very famous restaurant or something?¡± Li Yiming acted as if there was nothing in particr. ¡®I¡¯m still worried about that bowl of noodles¡­¡¯


    ¡°It has a good reputation. It has been there for more than twenty years, after all.¡±


    ¡°Twenty years? You mean the same owner was there the whole time?¡± Li Yiming asked. ¡®Well, if the owner is has been there for that long, then it should make sense that they¡¯re not there for Qing He, at least. Did I do something I shouldn¡¯t have done that offended them?¡¯


    ¡°Who would sell such a good business. It has been renovated a few times, though.¡± Fu Bo was unsure why Li Yiming asked such a question, but answered nheless.


    ¡°Alright. Well, since it¡¯s the first time, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal, of course we would need to eat something better than buns. Let¡¯s go find somewhere more expensive.¡± Li Yiming waved his hand and pulled Fu Bo away. ¡®Regardless, I shouldn¡¯t take the risk toplicate matters further right now.¡±


    ¡°Alright. You decide.¡± Fu Bo gave the decision to Li Yiming. He was not so worried about the meal costing a fortune, since he had quite a bit of saving. He also did not even think about letting Li Yiming pay, since it was normal to not expect a recent university graduate to have a forgiving budget; only Fu Bo did not know that Li Yiming had actually bought the apartment right above his.


    After walking around for while, the two chose a restaurant that had just been newly opened. It was not located on the busiest street, but its luxurious storefront conferred to it an air of grandeur. However, when they entered the restaurant, perhaps it was due to the fact that the people of Hangzhou preferred to eat buns and fried dough sticks for breakfast, they found the shop to be empty. After Li Yiming called for someone, a waiter with unkempt hair emerged from the kitchen.


    ¡°Can I take your order?¡± The waiter asked with a yawn. He came to the table with a pocket notebook in his hands and seemed to be still half-asleep.


    Li Yiming looked at the menu and then back at the waiter. ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like the price fits the quality of service, at least.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m okay with anything. You decide.¡± Fu Bo did not seem to mind theck of appropriateness from the waiter. He thought that Li Yiming wanted him to decide, since he stayed silent.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the Abo then. What about you?¡± Li Yiming shook his head: he was treating Fu Bo to a meal after all, so it would not be good for him to bicker with the waiter. He put the menu to the side after choosing the first thing that he saw.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the same thing then. Thank you.¡± Fu Bo smiled and said politely to the waiter. After the waiter left, he picked up the teacup to pour some tea for Li Yiming, only to realize that the water inside was cold.


    ¡°Excuse me, could I have some hot water please?¡± Fu Bo raised his voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s at the front door. Help yourself.¡± The waiter¡¯s impatient reply came from the kitchen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Li Yiming frowned. ¡®Really? This kind of service? I guess the reason why there are no customers here isn¡¯t just because people want street food.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll go, I¡¯ll go.¡± Fu Bo quickly stood up and tried to take over the teacup when he saw Li Yiming stand up. He was thinking of Li Yiming as being the most important person in his life right now, so there was no way he would let Li Yiming go get the water for him.


    In his hurry, Fu Bo pulled a little too hard on the teacup. The container fell from Li Yiming¡¯s hands, and shattered against the ground. It would have been easy to Li Yiming to dodge Fu Bo¡¯s grasp, but he did not want to upset him. Li Yiming could have stopped the teacup midair, but after meeting Li Huaibei, Li Yiming learned to conceal his faculties and lower the risks of exposing himself. After all, it was just an ordinary teacup.


    The teacup shattered with a loud crack that barely produced a reaction from Li Yiming. Fu Bo seemed embarrassed by his mistake, whereas the waiter from earlier appeared with a cold expression and looked at the pieces of the teacup with a frown.


    ¡°Could you clean this up please?¡± Li Yiming was quite annoyed by the attitude of the waiter. ¡®It was an ident, and you show up looking like this?¡¯


    ¡°You need to pay forpensation first. The teacup costs five hundred yuan. Please pay.¡± The waiter answered in a cold voice.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Yiming could not hold it in anymore. He had yet to see any food, but he already had plenty of anger.


    ¡°Are you serious? Five hundred for a ceramic teapot?¡± Fu Bo asked. He seemed a little embarrassed by his own mistake.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying it¡¯s five hundred. Are you not going to pay?¡± The waiter answered in a harsh tone. He rolled up his sleeves and stared at Fu Bo menacingly.


    ¡°I want to see the owner of the restaurant.¡± Li Yiming took a deep breath to calm himself down once again. ¡®No, I will notsh out at an insignificant character.¡¯


    ¡°Alright, you asked for it.¡± The waiter turned around and disappeared into the kitchen.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We should just give him five hundred. We¡¯ll go somewhere else to eat.¡± Fu Bo could see that Li Yiming was irritated, and he did not want for this small amount of money to ruin their pleasant mood.


    ¡°It''s not just about the money.¡± Li Yiming waved his hand and licked his lips.


    It did not take very long before the waiter came back out with a fat man from the kitchen. Thetter still had yellow crusts in the corner of his eyes. Five or six other people followed him, one shirtless and two others with cigarettes. All of them looked like they have not slept for the entire night. The shirtless guy, in particr, walked away from the group, pulled a chair to the front of the restaurant, and lit up a cigarette after looking around in his pockets for a while.


    ¡°Your employee said that we need to pay five hundred yuan for breaking the teacup.¡± When Li Yiming¡¯s saw the way the people at the restaurant looked, his anger died down. Instead, he asked the fat man in a calm voice.


    ¡°Bullshit! Five hundred? What are you thinking, you imbecile!¡± The fat man suddenly roared in anger at the waiter.


    ¡°Uh, we broke the teacup, so I think we should pay something for it¡­¡± Fu Bo pitied the waiter who was being med by his boss, so he offered somepensation, but what the fat man said next made his swallow his words back.


    ¡°Who told you that this teacup costs five hundred? This is cdon from Jing De. You wouldn¡¯t be able to buy it even with five thousand! Are you going to pay the rest?¡±


    ¡®Exactly what I thought.¡¯ Li Yiming smiled, somewhat amused by the way things were unfolding.


    At this point, even Fu Bo knew what was going on. He was only regretting the mistake that put Li Yiming and himself into such trouble.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve said it right. Five thousand. Cash or card?¡± The fat guy stared at Fu Bo; it seemed he was quite angry at having his sleep disturbed.


    Fishy restaurant with no people inside. "Hey let''s pick that one because why not". xD

 Volume 4 Chapter 12

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 12 ¨C Drug Dealer</strong></h4>


    "We came for breakfast. We don¡¯t have that much cash on us. I didn¡¯t bring my credit card either." Fu Bo said with a shaking voice as his gaze fell on the row of well-built men behind the fat cook. His fear grew along with his guilt for involving Li Yiming in the mess.


    "Hmm? Is that so...?" The fat man¡¯s expression took a turn for the sinister. His underlings stepped forth to intimidate Li Yiming and Fu Bo.


    "Don¡¯t look at me. I didn¡¯t bring any money either." Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the fat man in the eyes. He began to think about his next course of action.


    ¡¯How should I settle this? It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to use force with Fu Bo here..¡¯


    "I¡¯ll go get it. I¡¯ll go home and get the money for you." Afraid of troubling Li Yiming any further, Fu Bo hurriedly offered.


    "Fine, you go. But the other stays here. The leader of the gang of thugs agreed, since a quick look at the duo made it clear that they would not be the type of people to have such an amount of money on them at anytime.


    "But..." Fu Bo was worried.


    "It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll wait for you." Li Yiming urged Fu Bo. He was just wondering about how to get Fu Bo to leave, and this was exactly what he needed.


    "Then... Be careful. I¡¯ll be back." Left with no other choice, Fu Bo begrudgingly began to walk towards the exit, looking back at Li Yiming as he did.


    "Wait," The fat own suddenly called out and looked at one of the men behind him. "Go with him."


    The underling smirked and followed Fu Bo closely out of the shop.


    Li Yiming stretchedzily, stood up, and casually walked towards the window of the restaurant. Since he did not head for the exit, the thugs simply stayed still and observed him coldly.


    Li Yiming looked out. He could only see a few pedestrians and an asional car driving past. He raised his hand and released the tied up curtains. The interior of the restaurant was plunged into darkness.


    "The hell you doing?" One thug shouted.


    "I don¡¯t want the people outside to see what¡¯s about to happen." Li Yiming answered calmly.


    "Hmm... Hahahaha! This kid is interesting. Watch and learn, you dipshits." The fat manughed out loud. Some of the anger and sleepiness he showed for being awakened disappeared.


    A shirtless thug by the door extinguished his cigarette, closed the door, and turned on the ceiling lights. Li Yiming smiled at him rather approvingly. ¡¯This guy knows what¡¯s up.¡¯


    "The f*ck you looking at? What are youughing at?" The shirtless thug felt a tingle down his spine when he looked at Li Yiming and shouted angrily.


    Li Yiming¡¯s pointed at the door and then at the men around him with a smirk. "The doors are closed. Time to beat the trapped dogs." 1


    "The f*ck? You wanna die?" Thest person Li Yiming pointed at immediately roared in anger. He had lost every single round of mahjongst night and he was just looking for an outlet for his frustration.


    Theckey rushed forward with raised fists as others stood up in support of their own while a cruel smile climbed up the fat man¡¯s lips.


    Li Yiming raised his right leg and kicked on the figure charging towards him.


    With Li Yiming¡¯s current strength, the kick could be fatal. In order to avoid killing the thug, he carefully unleashed his strength as his foot made contact with him, resulting in something closer to a shove than a kick. It was still a blow that contained around eighty percent of his power.


    The fat man was about to instruct his men to not hurt Li Yiming too bad, but before he could say anything, a shadow zipped past his head and mmed into the wall behind him. He turned around and saw his underling spit out a mouthful of blood before falling down, unconscious, leaving a crater in the wall.


    Li Yiming kept his smile and looked at the thugs as if nothing had happened.


    But the fat man did not share Li Yiming¡¯s joyfulness. ¡¯ What? Are we in a movie? How the hell did he make him fly that far? If there wasn¡¯t a wall there, he would have gone even further!¡¯


    "F*ck you!!" Another thug was a bit slow at appreciating the strength of Li Yiming¡¯s kick. He grabbed a chair and mmed it down on Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    As if it were a scene straight out of a movie, Li Yiming shattered the heavy wooden chair with a swipe of his right leg, showering the floor in wooden splinters. Li Yiming changed the target of his kick from the chair to the thug in front of him, and another shadowunched itself into the crater in the wall, sharing the fate of his friend earlier.


    All of this was over before the wood dust in the air settled down. The leader of the thugs could not believe what he was witnessing.


    Li Yiming did not give them time to regroup and continuouslyshed out. Three thudster, three other thugs found themselves lying at the top of a pile of inanimate bodies, and the crater in the wall was even deeper than before.


    One thug who sat by the door turned around for an escape. But before his hand could reach the doorknob, a chopstick flew right past him and pierced the wooden door. The thug looked at the half that was still visible, gulped down a mouthful of saliva, and slowly turned around in fear.


    "Surely you¡¯re not thinking about leaving, right?" Li Yiming asked as he twirled around another chopstick in his right hand.


    The shirtless thug shook his head and squatted down with his hands around his head. It seemed like he had done the same thing many times before.


    "Now we can talk." Li Yiming pulled over a chair and sat down in front of the fat man with a gentle smile. He had done just enough to "convince" thetter to listen to him.


    The fat leader tried to squeeze out a smile, but he could not even manage to do that. Instead, he produced a kind of grimace that looked like a fly had justnded on his face.


    "It doesn¡¯t look like your business is doing great." Li Yiming asked as though he was talking to an old friend.


    "It... It¡¯s alright... It¡¯s alright.." The fat man stammered as beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.


    "Firstly, how about you call the one who went with my friend? You know what to say."


    "Ah... Yes, yes, of course." The leader of the gang took out his phone with a shivering hand and dialed away.


    " Come back immediately... Juste back... Why? Cuz I told you to! Quickly... Just leave him..." Fatty cut the line and looked for Li Yiming¡¯s approval. Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something and gave his phone to Li Yiming.


    " No, not me. Keep calling, gather all of your men here." Li Yiming said as he nced at the thug by the door, and his gaze turned cold. ¡¯This goes beyond a simple illegal business. The thugs here probably all have history. A normal person would be powerless against them, but since I¡¯m here, I might as well take out the trash. I may not be able to change the world, but I can at least take care of what¡¯s happening in my vicinity.¡¯


    "No, no, no... This is a misunderstanding, a simple misunderstanding..." The fat man read Li Yiming¡¯s intentions and hurriedly refused. Revenge was not something to be nned until he knew everything about Li Yiming.


    "I know what you¡¯re thinking. I¡¯m sure that your gang is actually bigger than this." Li Yiming replied coldly. He slowly withdrew a silenced pistol from behind his back.


    Upon seeing the firearm, the fat man¡¯s eyes opened wide and he found it difficult to breathe. ¡¯We live in awful society that bans guns! Who the hell is this kid?¡¯


    "I once told a guy that this was a toy. He believed me. What about you?" Li Yiming yed with the gun in his hands with a bemused expression.


    "I...I...I don¡¯t believe you." Fatty shook his head energetically. ¡¯Are you joking? After the flying bodies, I¡¯d believe it even if you told me that it¡¯s an energy rifle.¡¯


    "Hmm... It seems you aren¡¯t as dumb as you look." Li Yiming removed the clip, put it in back inside the chamber, and cocked the gun.


    Despite Li Yiming¡¯s slow movement, every single moment of it was a torture for the fat man. When he heard the sound of the bullet being loaded into the barrel, he gulped heavily and copsed into his chair. One could no longer tell whether the bright reflections of light on his skin were due to the grease fumes from the kitchen or to hisyer of sweat.


    "Come on. Don¡¯t be like that. I have a permit." Li Yiming took out his special agent booklet and opened it. It was not enough for a police station check but could easily be used to bluff a few gangsters.


    After recognizing the gold-imprinted emblem of the country, the leader of the thugs finally understood where Li Yiming¡¯s strength came from. At the same time, he was relieved that Li Yiming was not a terrorist of some kind that had no regard for human life. ¡¯Surely a government agent would not kill innocent citizens. The government wouldn¡¯t let them. Scamming and extortion are petty crimes, we should be able to get ourselves out of this easily.¡¯


    Li Yiming noticed the hope in the fat man¡¯s eyes and smiled. He fumbled around the pocket of his jacket for a while, eventually taking out a small bag of white powdery substance. It was the milk powder that Bai Ze bought, but with the packaging removed.


    "Now, if I told you this was milk powder, would you believe me?" Li Yiming asked with a smirk.


    "Umm... Umm. .Uhh..." The man made the connection. ¡¯Who the hell would carry a pack of powdered milk for no reason? Unless he had other intentions...¡¯ Numerous thoughts coursed through his mind. ¡¯I did think about selling this for quick cash before, but the risks and the death sentence...If he wants me to help him sell this stuff... This kid isn¡¯t just a normal agent, is he?¡¯


    "You.. you want us to help you sell drugs?" Fatty asked hesitantly.


    "Help me sell drugs? No, no, no. This was your stuff from the get-go." Li Yiming replied.


    "Mine...?" The fat man seemed confused.


    "Yeah. I found it while searching your store." Li Yiming dropped the bag on top of the table and looked at the fat man coldly.


    "What? You... This... You¡¯re framing me!" Fatty shouted. He finally understood why Li Yiming took out the drugs.


    "So? Executing a few drug smugglers and confiscating a kilogram of drugs seems like a pretty good deal for a promotion." Li Yiming answered with a devious smirk.


    "You..." The fat man struggled to find words to say. He finally gathered his courage and knelt down in front of Li Yiming, saying, " Brother, Big Brother. I admit my mistakes. Please forgive me. Please, I beg of you, forgive me..."


    "Bring your men to the police station and confess your crimes. Don¡¯t leave out anything. You know what I do for a living. I¡¯ll be watching you." Li Yiming put away his things and walked toward the exit.


    "Oh, right. You¡¯ll also know what to say and what not to say at the police station right? I¡¯m sure you want toe out eventually." Li Yiming left the gangsters with onest threat and headed out. He grazed past the thug who was escorting Fu Bo, who seemed confused at seeing his exiting without being stopped.


    You¡¯ve messed with the wrong dudes that walked into your <del>immensely unpop</del>r shop.


    This is a saying in Chinese ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 14

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 14 ¨C Li Ping Consulting Co.</strong></h4>


    Li Huaibei stepped out of the taxi and looked at the office building towering on him. It was a well-known site in Beijing that housed numerous multinationalpanies from various background.


    Hesitation shed on Li Huaibei¡¯s face before his gaze zeroed in on a window on the seventeenth floor. The silvery one-way ss pane stopped Li Huaibei¡¯s gaze from reaching interior of the building, but it did not block his senses. Li Huabei could feel the presence of a woman leaning on the ss ne, twirling a fountain pen in her hands as she smiled. She seemed like she was expecting Li Huaibei, but was a little shocked when he actually did show up.


    With a long sigh, Li Huaibei made his way toward the main entrance.


    As the elevator opened on the seventeenth floor, Li Huaibei was weed by a lobby with minimalistic decors. Behind the counter, a framed sign with " Li Ping Consulting Co" written in traditional calligraphy was put to prominent disy, which was quite unfit for design theme of the room. Despite a name that evoked the countryside, this was the most prestigious marketingpany in Beijing. 1


    "Good morning sir! Wee to Li Ping Consulting Co. Do you have an appointment?" Thedy at the counter bowed down with a gracious smile.


    Li Huaibei smiled back at the young girl¡¯s good manners. He shook his head and looked at the telephone on the counter instead.


    Just as the receptionist was growing confused, the office phone rang. She gave him an apologetic smile and picked up the phone swiftly.


    "Alright. Please wait a moment." The youngdy hung up the phone after a brief exchange. She seemed even more baffled. ¡¯That was a priority line call<i>from the CEO</i>. I¡¯ve never even seen her before. Who is this handsome man? What¡¯s his rtionship with the boss?¡¯ The fire of curiosity was burning fiercely in her heart.


    "This way, sir." The youngdy gestured, inviting Li Huaibei inside.


    Li Huaibei was led through a wooden door that concealed apletely different world from the lobby. Stepping into the door felt like a trip back in time. The floor was covered by dark ceramic tiles while the walls were lined with a crimson wood. Carvings of birds and mythical beasts decorated every corner and nook. On the office desk, there was noputer, only a set of stationary for calligraphy. Next to the set of brushes was a little incense burner which held all of the smoke inside of it, but diffused a soothing aroma throughout the office. At the window, the ss panes were concealed by a mural of the hundred bird and the phoenix. The disjointed rays of morning sunlight that prated into the room almost made it seem like an ethereal realm that did not belong to the mortal ne.


    Behind the desk stood a wooden chair whose build and design hinted at its history and value.


    On the chair sat a beautiful woman dressed in a gray robe. She did wear have any essories except for a singr ck wooden hairpin that pierced through the ball of hair on her back. Instead of standing up and greeting Li Huaibei, she contemted him with her chin still resting on her left hand.


    Li Huaibei did not seem to care and sat down right in front of her. He picked up one of the iridescent white jade teacup, filled it up, and graciously took a sip.


    ¡¯Wuyi Guanmi?¡¯ Li Huaibei asked, a little surprised by what he was tasting.


    "Impressive, few can discern it with a single mouthful." Thedy raised her cup at Li Huaibei.


    "Should I call you Supervisor Wang or Stargaze?" Li Huaibei asked with a smile as he once again sipped the high-grade red tea.


    "Why the pretentiousness after bing a sage?" The woman chuckled and yed around with her teacup.


    "You can tell?" Li Huaibei was a little shocked. ¡¯News should not have spread so fast, and she can tell with a single nce?¡¯


    "Is that strange?" Thedy asked back with a smile. It was as though she could see through all lies with the fire of wisdom hidden behind her enthralling eyes.


    "Looks like the rumors were true. I¡¯ve found what I¡¯ve been looking for."


    Stargaze is one of the three sages who were publicly known, alongside Bing Shuai and Yun Qiang. It is said that she could move her soul to the celestial realm and know about the future. Among the three sages, she was the most mysterious.


    "I¡¯m sure the rumors must have also told you of my consultation fees." Stargaze put the teacup down and stared Li Huaibei. Despite this being their first face-to-face, she had paid attention to Li Huaibei even since Eden. ¡¯A recent sage, and hees with a request? This is not going to be a simple task.¡¯


    "I wish to look for someone," Li Huaibei said bluntly as he removed a sandalwood bracelet adorned with leaves on the table. It was a level six guardian gear and his most valuable item besides his sword.


    "Who are you looking for?" Stargaze¡¯s eyes stayed fixated on Li Huaibei.


    "Mr.Kong."


    "Mr. Kong?" Stargaze¡¯s smile faded away. Her countenance began to be colored with doubt, and she seemed to have sunken into her own thoughts.


    Li Huaibei poured another cup of tea for himself and savored it slowly, waiting patiently for Stargaze¡¯s answer.


    "Why? ...I shouldn¡¯t ask. And you wouldn¡¯t answer truthfully even if I did. Finding him isn¡¯t difficult, but..." After a long silence, Stargaze shifted her attention toward the wooden bracelet that rested on top of the table.


    "If it¡¯s not enough, I can raise my bid." Li Huaibei answered. Mr. Kong was no simple man to look for, and even for sages, Mr. Kong was closer to a character in a mythical tale than a real man.


    "I don¡¯t need payment." Suddenly, Stargaze said with furrowed brows; she seemed to have something else in mind.


    "Whatever happens in a domain stays in it." Li Huaibei cut Stargaze¡¯s thoughts short. He knew that Eden was the only thing that could be of interest to someone who knew as much as she did.


    "You¡¯re mistaken. I wouldn¡¯t deny my interest in the events that have transpired in the Eden, but I will not force you to do anything. Our fear of heaven grows with our strength and our understanding of it." Stargazed pointed to the ceiling.


    "Then what do you?"


    "I wish for you to do something for me." Stargaze stood up and slowly picked up a calligraphy brush from the table. "You must have heard some rumors beforeing here. I can tell you that they¡¯re true. However, recently, there has been a ce... somewhere I can¡¯t quite see clearly."


    Stargaze¡¯s long fingers slowly dragged the brush on the paper. Two characters emerged from her strokes.


    "I can¡¯t approach that area, but I¡¯m curious as to what is blocking my vision. I would like you to investigate that ce." Stargaze put the brush down and blow-dried the ink. She then pushed the piece of paper toward her guest.


    "Hangzhou? This is the ce you can¡¯t see?" Seeing the yet powerful strokes on the paper, Li Huaibei asked with a cocked brow.


    "So?" Stargaze sat down once again and stared at Li Huaibei, hiding all her emotions behind a smile.


    "Hopefully you¡¯ll tell me of Mr.Kong¡¯s whereabouts when Ie back to you." Li Huaibei picked up the paper and strode toward the exit.


    As Li Huaibei left, Stargaze walked toward the window and raised her head toward the sky. ¡¯What exactly blocks my vision...? And this feeling of unease...¡¯


    * * *


    After breakfast, Li Yiming entered a furniture store with Fu Bo. Li Yiming feared arousing Fu Bo¡¯s suspicions if thetter was ever to see that he only had a bed in his apartment, so he might as well spend a little extra toplete his disguise.


    As for Fu Bo, he was genuinely surprised by Li Yiming¡¯s financial ease. He had thought of Li Yiming as no more than a graduate seeking for a job in Hangzhou, so he was quite surprised to learn that Li Yiming had actually bought his apartment. ¡¯Wow... I didn¡¯t think that his family was this rich. The price for real estate here is very different from back when my parents bought the apartment...¡¯ 2


    However, Fu Bo¡¯s surprise subsided after witnessing Li Yiming¡¯s rather careless purchases. ¡¯If my parents can leave an apartment for me, then what is so surprising about him having the same kind of luck?¡¯


    "It would be one-hundred twenty thousand after discount. Would you like to pay cash or by card?" The sales representative asked with a big smile. ¡¯This big of a bill this early in the morning, and everything here? Could me be here for me...?¡¯


    "Cash please." Li Yiming answered nonchntly. He did not pay attention to what he was picking, and he ended up being surprised by the bill himself. ¡¯I had only nned to buy enough to fool Fu Bo but it seems like I ended up with a full home set after all.¡¯


    "Sure, please enter your... I¡¯m sorry. Cash?" The cashier answered, not expecting anyone to bring so much cash with them. ¡¯Are you kidding me? Who does that nowadays?¡¯


    "Yeah, because... I... Yeah, forgot my card at home," Li Yiming answered awkwardly. He regretted not squeezing out some time for a trip to the bank now. ¡¯On the other hand, I don¡¯t know what the reaction would be if I brought a backpack to the bank with five million yuan inside.¡¯


    "Sure. Please wait a moment." The sales girl looked at Li Yiming¡¯s seemingly empty and hesitated. ¡¯That bag does not look like it has that much money inside, is he pulling a prank?¡¯


    The manager quickly arrived. Thepany¡¯s policies stipted that whoever handled the transaction would be responsible for it, and the saleswoman did not want to burden herself with it.


    The young woman and the managed stared at Li Yiming with widened eyes as he brought out stack after stack of cash from his backpack like a magician. Fu Bo watched the spectacle, rather speechless at Li Yiming¡¯sck of ss. ¡¯I really should talk to him about this. This is definitely not the best way to impress women.¡¯


    "Your sofa came from this store, right? Guo Xiang is really insensitive... Why would he want you to use an old sofa? Not only is it ugly, but it¡¯s also not very hygienic. Who knows who the previous user was? You should throw it away. I¡¯ll buy one for you."


    "You are too kind. It¡¯s actually not that bad. You have already given me a lot of gifts."


    "I¡¯ll visit you frequently enough from now on. Don¡¯t be shy, just think of it as me buying myself a seat."


    As Li Yiming continued to put cash on the counter, he heard a familiar voice behind him and turned his head around.


    Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s hands were full of shopping bags, as she walked into the store with the same attractive woman who was driving the car in the morning. Their attention was soon attracted by the huge pile of banknotes on the counter.


    Fu Bo¡¯s eyes shone with interest when he saw the duo, while Ying Mei frowned. Li Yiming seemed surprised at seeing Ji Xiaoqin while thetter¡¯s countenance sank greatly.


    I¡¯m backkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!


    The name Li Ping is often used for "farmgirls in Chinese, kind of like... Caroline (?) for English. (At least ording to a quick Google search). ? Note the interesting conclusion that it was Li Yiming¡¯s parents who bought the apartment. This ismon in China, as parents who have the means will help their kids purchase real-estate, in return for hopes of marriage and children soon afterward... A well-oiled machine if you ask me. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 15

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 15 ¨C Chance Encounter</strong></h4>


    Ying Mei walked to a sofa on disy nearby and sat down, closely scrutinizing Li Yiming and Fu Bo every step of the way. She felt that something was off with Li Yiming since he gave her a strange feeling, but she could not quite tell what it was exactly. As for Fu Bo, she had already "forgotten" about him.


    Ji Xiaoqin followed Ying Mei around with an embarrassed expression. Her dream from the night before came to her mind again and she felt the strength in her limbs fading away.


    "Are you tired? We can take a break if you want." Ying Mei no longer had her attention on Ji Xiaoqin and attributed thetter¡¯s unease to nothing more than ack of sleep. She thought that Ji Xiaoqin was a nocturnal person, since otherwise there was no way she could have met Guo Xiang.


    "Hey, didn¡¯t you say that she was your ssmate? Show me what you can do." Fu Bo poked at Li Yiming with his elbow and exhorted him with a smirk.


    "Stop it." Li Yiming rolled his eyes and turned around. Ji Xiaoqin was thest person he wanted to have a face-to-face with right now.


    "Well, if you¡¯re not going, then I will." Fu Bo grimaced and walked toward Ying Mei before Li Yiming could stop him. His misfortune had already instilled in him a rather shameless character, since he was going to be forgotten right after.


    "Can I sit here?" Fu Bo addressed Ying Mei politely, but instead of waiting for an answer, he sat down straight next to Ying Mei.


    "This ce is filled with sofas, can¡¯t you find somewhere else to sit?" Ying Mei frowned and replied coldly. She had chosen her spot to observe Li Yiming and Fu Bo from a distance, but she did not expect Fu Bo to approach her on his own.


    "It¡¯s because you¡¯re here." Fu Bo said with a firm voice and a rather aggressive stare that surprised Ying Mei, given his frail physical appearance.


    "Oh?" Owing to her cold air, it had been a while since Ying Mei hadst met someone who dared to try to start a conversation out of the blue with her.


    "You¡¯re also buying furniture?" Ying Mei looked at Li Yiming, who was still busy at the register.


    "My friend¡¯s moving into a new apartment. He¡¯s setting himself up in his new home." Fu Bo smiled; he knew he was getting close to sess. ¡¯The women who possess a cold air, especially those who always seem to be pushing others away, are actually the most fragile and are sensitive inside. Just the right amount of initiative and the protective bubble will be easily shattered. I¡¯m already halfway there if she¡¯s willing to talk to me.¡¯


    "Here¡¯s your receipt, sir. Please conserve it. Just to verify, the delivery address is room 906 of building 139, Second District, correct?" The cashier wiped away the sweat on her forehead and gave the receipt to Li Yiming with trembling fingers. For some reason, she wrote down her phone number on the receipt.


    "Yes, that¡¯s right." Li Yimingpletely disregarded the cashier and walked toward Fu Bo unwillingly. ¡¯And here I thought he led a sad life. Can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s the experiences that make someone¡¯s character or the other way around...¡¯


    "Your friend lives in building 139?" Ying Mei, who had been paying close attention to Li Yiming the whole time, grew nervous. ¡¯That¡¯s right in front of Ji Xiaoqin!¡¯


    "Are you done?" Fu Bo was also rmed at hearing Ying Mei¡¯s remark; unlike himself, Li Yiming was not going to be forgotten, so it would be appropriate if everyone knew about his address. He acted as if he did not hear the question, offered no confirmation, and turned toward Li Yiming.


    "You¡¯re here? What a coincidence." Li Yiming tried his best to ovee his embarrassment and greeted Ji Xiaoqin. He could not simply ignore her, but he could at least pretend that he was barely an acquaintance.


    "What... a coincidence." Ji Xiaoqin looked away. Although she had recovered from the weakness in her limbs, a tingling sensation remained between her legs. ¡¯Guo Xiang¡¯s cousin is right here...¡¯


    "You know each other?"


    "So you actually do know each other?"


    Ying Mei and Fu Bo asked the same question. Only Fu Bo seemed to be amused whereas Ying Mei was baffled.


    "College ssmates." Li Yiming exined, a little frustrated. Seeing that Fu Bo had no intentions to leave, he sat down right next to him.


    "Hi, I¡¯m Guo Ying. I¡¯m Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s cousin." 1


    "Hi, I¡¯m Li Yiming. This is my friend, Fu Bo." Li Yiming was confused when he heard Ying Mei¡¯s self-introduction. ¡¯A cousin? I¡¯ve never heard about Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s having a cousin. The shopping bags, these are all from designer stores... Guo Ying... Unless?¡¯


    Fu Bo smiled politely and looked away. He had given up by now, since Li Yiming¡¯s "bragging" turned out to be true. It would a mess when there was the possibility of him seeing Ji Xiaoqin again. ¡¯Not only that, by the looks of it... I¡¯d bet that these two weren¡¯t just "friends".¡¯


    "You live right next to each other?" Ying Mei finally noticed Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s unease. She then thought about what happened in the morning. ¡¯Wait... I didn¡¯t find anyone in her apartment... unless it happened somewhere else?¡¯


    "It¡¯s a pretty big coincidence. I¡¯ve only moved here recently," Li Yiming admitted the fact without hesitation, since it was not something that could be covered up. ¡¯Regardless of whether this Guo Ying is actually Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s cousin or not, it¡¯ll be hard to avoid seeing her again. I might as well be honest. I¡¯ll just move away after three months.¡¯


    Fu Bo seemed a little suspicious by Li Yiming¡¯s answer. ¡¯Don¡¯t tell me he bought the apartment because of this girl...?¡¯


    "Oh really? That¡¯s quite the coincidence then." The answer also caught Ying Mei¡¯s attention. ¡¯I need to have this investigated thoroughly. It might just be the single most valuable piece of information I¡¯ve obtained today.¡¯


    "Well, we need to go. The delivery is going to arrive soon." Li Yiming nced at Ji Xiaoqin, who still seemed paralyzed by nervousness, sighed, and pulled Fu Bo away from the sofa.


    "Bye." Ying Mei stood up with a smile. Ji Xiaoqin managed to stammer out a farewell and followed suit.


    "What is it, are you tired? You should get some sleep." After Li Yiming and Fu Bo left, Ying Mei continued her shopping trip with Ji Xiaoqin as if nothing had happened, but her attention was soon caught by someone who passed through the shop¡¯s entrance in a wheelchair as Li Yiming left the shop.


    It was a young woman dressed in a white one-piece with a pair of sunsses. The long hair that framed her face fell down onto her chest, and, with her delicate features, conferred to her the air of a princess on an afternoon break. However, her skin was pale to the point of hinting at some kind of long-term illness. A bodyguard in a ck suit pushed her wheelchair from behind. When she grazed past Li Yiming, although she stayed expressionless, she noticed something that unsettled her.


    The bodyguard noticed her reaction and slowed down, a little confused. However, the woman frowned and waved with her hand, prompting the bodyguard to resume his pace.


    "A shame..." Fu Bo, with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the esctor, seemed to be deploring the woman¡¯s condition.


    "Maybe she¡¯s just injured, you know?" Li Yiming knew from Fu Bo¡¯s tone that he was referring to the young woman, who was given beautiful features and a gentle air, only to lose the ability to move around like a normal person. However, Li Yiming was still too preupied with finding a way to handle his "neighbor", so he did not have much attention to spare for the young woman.


    "I¡¯m not talking about her legs. I don¡¯t think the problem lies with her legs."


    "What do you mean then?"


    "She¡¯s in a wheelchair, but her legs look healthy enough. I didn¡¯t notice any kind of muscle problem. I¡¯d bet that she¡¯s on a wheelchair is because she¡¯s blind."


    "What?" Li Yiming looked back, a little surprised, but the girl had already vanished from sight.


    "She just walked past two handsome young men, and I didn¡¯t see any response at all. I¡¯d understand if she was the kind of person to be naturally cold or shy, but I don¡¯t see her belonging in either category. Also, she¡¯s wearing sunsses inside a building. I find it hard to exin otherwise." Fu Bo also looked back; he was the professional who was exining his expertise to Li Yiming.


    "That¡¯s why you¡¯re saying that she¡¯s blind?" Li Yiming was speechless. ¡¯Is this some kind of hidden talent for stay-at-home shut-ins?¡¯


    "Did you see the knot on her braces? She didn¡¯t tie those herself, and the way they were done was also unfit for the dress. She should have used invisible braces... forget that, with the size of her chest, she doesn¡¯t even need them. The most important thing is the pair of sunsses. The color of the lenses has is a very poor pick given her skin tone and is also a mismatch for her facial features. Someone else must have picked them for her. I don¡¯t think a girl with her appearance would make such a rudimentary mistake. Unless... she can¡¯t see what she¡¯s wearing."


    "What the hell?" Li Yiming was impressed. ¡¯We just walked past her, and he caught that many details? Are you serious?¡¯ Somehow this gave Fu Bo¡¯s one-night-stand tales some credibility.


    "What else can I do aside from observing the world itself unfold before me?" Fu Bo shook his head and pushed open the mall¡¯s door, somewhat proud of the disy of his skills.


    * * *


    "Ying Mei was mistaken." Inside a coffee shop, Tian Yan removed her sunsses and massaged her sore nose bridge; she usually had no need for the apparel, since she barely went out at all. She had borrowed the pair of sses from Ying Mei, and the size was not a great fit for her nose.


    "Mistaken?" Bing Shuai waved his hand. The two bodyguards standing behind him caught the signal and backed away.


    "It¡¯s not fifty percent. It¡¯s sixty." Tian Yan took a deep breath and looked at the door of the coffee shop. On the other side of the floor, Ying Mei and Ji Xiaoqin were buying shoes. Ying Mei, who was trying on a pair of stiletto heels, nced at the ss pane of the coffee shop inconspicuously from time to time.


    "Sixty..." Bing Shuai stirred the coffee with his spoon and his countenance sank. The more unexpected the change, the bigger the problem. He had worked with Ying Mei ever since she was a child, and he knew about her prudence enough to be confident that she would not make such a grave mistake. In other words, between the time Ying Mei reported to him and just now, Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s karma had grown by another ten percent.


    "Also, these two people at the elevator earlier." Tian Yan paid no attention to Bing Shuai¡¯s change of countenance and continued her monologue.


    "I noticed them. They were talking to Ying Mei earlier." Bing Shuai put his spoon down and pushed his cup to the side. It was just a habit for him to order some coffee. He did not actually like drinking it.


    "One of them was very ordinary, but the other one..." Tian Yan paused. She seemed to be somewhat confused.


    Bing Shuai stared at Tian Yan and waited patiently for Tian Yan to organize her thoughts.


    "I couldn¡¯t see him." Tian Yan spewed out the rest of her observation slowly, without a hint of panic or shock.


    "What?"


    Some plot straight out of a Sherlock Holmes novel...


    Note, it¡¯smon for people in China to call the inws (or even before they actually be inws) the same way as their family. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 16

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 16 ¨C Bing Shuai¡¯s Worries</strong></h4>


    Bing Shuai sat reclined in the passenger seat, with his eyes closed and brows locked in a frown as the limousine wandered through the streets aimlessly. He tried to recall every single detail of his meeting with Li Yiming. ¡¯Doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s anything more than just a city boy. What about that other person...?¡¯


    Tian Yan¡¯s observation alerted him greatly. Although she was born blind, her talent allowed her to perceive others¡¯ fate. ¡¯A hidden fate? Or a barrier that prevents scrying? Regardless, this is crucial, especially with Ji Xiaoqin¡¯ case. There are people ahead of me, and their understanding of fate and karma vastly exceeds ours.¡¯


    ¡¯But who was it? The one in the checkered shirt or...?¡¯ Bing Shuai sat up with a shiver going down his spine. He suddenly realized that he could not remember anything about the other man. In fact, if it was not for Tian Yan¡¯s reminder, he would not even be sure that there were two people.


    ¡¯To be able to make me forget about him... This has only happened to me once... Mr. Kong...¡¯


    "For Mr. Kong to suddenly appear in Hangzhou and then to disappear without a trace... If Jiao Xiaoqin is rted to that man... Then...¡¯"Bing Shuai muttered to himself. He began to hesitate and started to fear the implications of his encounter.


    The window that separated the driver from hispartment was lowered. The chauffeur gazed at Bing Shuai through the rear-view mirror, as though he had something to say, but was too afraid to do so.


    "Speak." Bing Shuai closed his eyes and said coldly.


    "Young Miss has sent us a message." The chauffeur answered cautiously. It was the first time that the chauffeur has seen any disy of emotion from Bing Shuai in the entire decade he had spent working for him.


    "Print it out and give it to me." Bing Shuai listened for the printer working on board. ¡¯It must be Ying Mei¡¯s investigation.¡¯


    Tian Yanid on a beach chair on the balcony, hugging her pillow. Due to her blindness, she rarely went outside, instead preferring the darkness that reduced others to the same life she was living. But today, unlike Bing Shuai, who had been worried sick, she found herself being able to enjoy the warmth of the sun with a peaceful countenance.


    Heavenly karma was the only thing that Tian Yan could see, colorful, interwoven threads that were present in every corner of her world. However, today she was able to see the silhouette of a man. The man was ordinary in every sense of the word, but his limbs and his face were traced with a pure white evoked a certain sense of holiness.


    Tian Yan reported to Bing Shuai that she was unable to see one of the men that passed by. However, it was a lie. For the first time in her life, she was able to see a person¡¯s figure in its entirety.


    * * *


    Ying Mei¡¯s eyes scanned through the text on the monitor with furrowed brows.


    Bing Shuai had just ordered her to investigate the two men and abandon her surveince of Ji Xiaoqin for the time being. ¡¯What could be more important than Ji Xiaoqin? I only saw one person at the furniture store... Did Bing Shuai make a mistake?¡¯


    Ying Mei had even verified the security tapes of the furniture store and found that Li Yiming had been alone the entire time. ¡¯Did he... really make a mistake?¡¯


    * * *


    Fu Bo sat at his desk as he recalled his experiences after he met Li Yiming. A warm smile hinted at his happiness of finally finding a friend.


    Fu Bo felt safe around Li Yiming. Meeting Li Yiming gave him a newfound sense of purposefulness in life. He no longer felt alone, or like a spectator that was forced to see the world unfold before himself without being able to participate in it. He finally felt alive.


    Fu Bo rubbed his hands together excitedly and opened hisptop. Today was a day he could feel the inspiration overflowing within him. He licked his teeth and began to type out the ideas he had.


    "Sundering Nature... Chapter 085 ¨C Catastrophe in the Sky..."


    * * *


    Li Yiming poured himself a ss of water and downed it in one gulp, disposing of the paper cup as he walked towards the study.


    ¡¯Fu Bo, Ji Xiaoqin, Guo Xiang, Liu Meng, Mr Kong, Qing He...¡¯ Li Yiming went through the list of people that were all somehow connected him right now. ¡¯To think that a coincidental meeting with Mr. Kong would lead me to where I am today. But... what should I do now? What¡¯s my role in this supernatural world?¡¯


    ¡¯Heaven¡¯s Laws are powerful, but not omnipotent. The same with guardians, who are merely a group ofborers that struggle to survive. And what of myself? I¡¯m unbound by the rules, what is my purpose?¡¯


    ¡¯It¡¯s here.¡¯ Li Yiming stared at the floor. He could feel himself being cut off from the rest of the world. Now, it was only him and his own heartbeat. Li Yiming sat down in a meditative pose and tried to feel more sharply the change brought in by the opening of the domain. ¡¯Fu Bo... I can¡¯t change how heaven¡¯sws operate but I can decide which path to walk in my own life.¡¯


    * * *


    Bing Shuai furrowed his brows at the reports of Ying Mei¡¯s investigation of Li Yiming¡¯s life from birth to university. The report was detailed to the point of even surprising Li Yiming himself with things he did not know about himself. ¡¯How long has it been since I¡¯ve been this cautious?¡¯


    ¡¯Three points worth of attention. He was once in a rtionship with Ji Xiaoqin, but the two broke up due to Guo Xiang. Secondly, he lives on the same floor as Ji Xiaoqin, and he moved in right after Ji Xiaoqin. Finally, the money he usedes from an unknown source. There¡¯s no way he could have bought this by himself... Could he be a representative?¡¯ Bing Shuai quickly caught onto the key detail.


    A representative is hired by a team of guardians to ovee the hurdles of thetter¡¯s limitations in the real world. Although guardians wield extraordinary powers, Heaven¡¯s Laws heavily restricts their usage in reality, and they usually had more important matters to worry about. As such, many guardian teams relied on representatives to manage their assets and take care of the mundane problems that potentially threatened theirfortable lifestyles.


    Guo Tai, Guo Xiang¡¯s father, was a representative that Bing Shuai took under his wing early on in his life. In fact, Bing Shuai was the one who oversaw the founding of Yun Long Construction Group and thepany¡¯s actual owner. The speed at which Yunlong developed and prospered was alsorgely due to the support of the guardians in the background, who put it miles above thepany¡¯spetitors.


    ¡¯Everything in the report suggests that Li Yiming is also representative. Only the asset he manages isn¡¯t money, it¡¯s Ji Xiaoqin... So there¡¯s someone out there who¡¯s ahead of us. What can I do? Try for a bargain? Impossible. No one would share the fruit of their research. Use force? Who is this kid working for?¡¯ Bing Shuai massaged his temples and sank back into his reflection.


    * * *


    Ji Xiaoqin once againpsed into a confused daze. The moment she closed her own door, she nced at the door on the other end of the corridor and her thoughts began to wander again; for some reason, she imagined herself dressed in a bridal gown and being carried by Li Yiming into the entrance.


    ¡¯Why? Is he trying to make me change my mind? Or is he nning on watching and protecting me from afar? It must be financially draining to rent such an apartment... Why is he doing this? I thought he moved on?¡¯


    After the two idental encounters they had with each other during the day, Ji Xiaoqin was convinced that this was not a coincidence. She believed that Li Yiming hade back to see her and waited for her to change her mind.


    Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s heart warmed up at the thought of it, but seeing Li Yiming again also sent her thoughts into disarray. She began to second-guess her initial decision. ¡¯I¡¯ve only ever liked Guo Xiang for his wallet, not for himself. Now, I have everything I¡¯ve ever wanted... but am I happy?¡¯


    Ji Xiaoqin shivered as cold streams of water trickled down on her back, but her physical difort did little to turn her attention away from her thoughts. Hot tears soon joined the cold water that ran down her face, and its bitterness was particrly vivid on her tongue.


    Ji Xiaoqin contemted her own reflection through the ss shower door. She looked at her white skin, her supple breasts, her toned abdomen, and her long legs that had been a result of years of dancing. Her eyes then came back to her face, framed by her dripping wet long hair. Her nearly perfect body and her attractive features had always been the object of her pride, but now it became the source of her doubts. ¡¯If it wasn¡¯t for all of this... would Yiming still be so entranced...? What about Guo Xiang?¡¯


    Dear Ji Xiaoqin, allow me to carefully reflect upon your question...


    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 Volume 4 Chapter 17

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 17 ¨C Guo Ying¡¯s Invitation</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming opened his eyes and stretched his limbs. He had just spent thest three hours paying close attention to the domain. Although its duration seemed longer this time, the session was ultimately fruitless. ¡¯I wonder if I should use dinner as a pretext to learn more about Fu Bo? It makes me ufortable that I have to manipte him like that when he thinks of me as a friend, but I have no other choice...¡¯ Li Yiming hesitated.


    Ding Dong!


    The doorbell rang. Li Yiming looked at the floor of the study. ¡¯The domain isn¡¯t gone yet. Who could it possibly be?¡¯


    Li Yiming approached the door silently and looked through the peephole. ¡¯What? Guo Ying? Why is she here?¡¯


    Ding Dong! Ding Dong!


    The bell rang again. It sounded like the visitor was growing impatient.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t hide forever.¡¯ Li Yiming steadied his breathing and went to answer the door with the most convincing calmness he could produce.


    "Hello, do you remember me?" Ying Mei¡¯s tone was cold and she had an unnatural smile.


    "Of course, we just met in the morning, didn¡¯t we?" Li Yiming answered politely. He could see how forced Ying Mei¡¯s disy of friendliness was. ¡¯I wonder what kind of ulterior motives she has.¡¯


    "Xiao Qin and I have prepared a meal, would you like to eat with us? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already eaten." Ying Mei went straight to the point.


    "I..." Li Yiming was unsure of Ying Mei¡¯s true intentions, and thest thing he wanted right now was to see Ji Xiaoqin again, especially with this mysterious "cousin" of hers around.


    "Well, even if you did eat,e and join us for the meal. You were friends in college with Xiaoqin after all, and now, you¡¯re lucky enough to have be neighbors! What are you waiting for?" Ying Mei pressed on and extended her hand in Li Yiming¡¯s direction. This time, it did sound like the authority she exuded was consistent with her true character.


    "Alright." Li Yiming sighed, turned back to look at his own apartment and followed Ying Mei to the other side of the corridor.


    "Are you done with the utensils? Yiming is here." Ying Mei led Li Yiming to his seat in the kitchen as if she was the owner of the ce. Ji Xiaoqin was busy preparing a fruit tter on the counter and kept adjusting the position of a final piece of apple. In reality, she was simply looking to dy the face-to-face with Li Yiming.


    Ji Xiaoqin wanted to avoid the encounter as much as Li Yiming did, but there was little she could do to refuse Ying Mei when she showed up with a bag of food and proposed having a meal together, only to suddenly suggest inviting Li Yiming over as they finished their preparations. ¡¯Did she... notice something?¡¯


    "Alright. Come over then. The meal is going to be cold." Ying Mei sat down right next to Li Yiming and poured beer into his cup.


    "I... I don¡¯t drink." Li Yiming promptly declined.


    "What? You¡¯re in the same major as Ji Xiaoqin, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ve never heard of an artist who doesn¡¯t drink." Ying Mei ignored Li Yiming and filled his cup up.


    Li Yiming could not bring himself to say "no" to such a warm-hearted proposal and took his cup. He nced at the soup and the six tters of delicious food on the table, at the perfectly clean kitchen counter, and then at the delivery boxes piled up in a corner. ¡¯I know that it¡¯s impossible for Ji Xiaoqin to have made this... what about Ying Mei? By the looks of her nails, I don¡¯t think that it would be her either. It seems like aside from the fruit tter, everything else is delivery. At least I won¡¯t have to worry about the food tasting terrible then.¡¯


    "Alright. I¡¯ll give the first toast to the reunion of you two. Hangzhou is a big city, and you two are very lucky to be able to see each other again." Ying Mei raised her cup before Li Yiming even touched his chopsticks. She nced at Ji Xiaoqin, and thetter responded by timidly raising her own and looking away.


    Li Yiming also raised his own cup, but he could not help but look at the box of beer on the side. ¡¯If it goes on like this... there¡¯s going to be trouble today.¡¯


    The three sses clinked midair, and Ji Xiaoqin hurried to empty her cup in one gulp. Ying Mei, unlike her, only sipped a mouthful of her own drink like she would a cup of tea and frowned. Li Yiming looked at the two and hesitated and then opted to imitate Ying Mei.


    Ji Xiaoqin stared at her own empty cup vacantly and put her cup down silently. Ying Mei picked up her chopsticks and called for Li Yiming and Ji Xiaoqin to start eating.


    "Isn¡¯t that apartment of yours worth more than five million? I can tell that it¡¯s a lot bigger than this one." Ying Mei suddenly asked Li Yiming, who was busy filling up his stomach.


    "Yes. Five million two hundred thousand." The answer slipped out of Li Yiming¡¯s mouth.


    "You bought the apartment?" Ji Xiaoqin was baffled.


    "Uhm... yes..." Li Yiming knew that he had said something he should not have. ¡¯She knows about my circumstances... This will be a hard one to exin.¡¯


    "Where did you get the money from?" Ji Xiaoqin asked and immediately regretted it. She nced at Ying Mei furtively and lowered her head.


    "Well... our old house was recently demolished for a building project, and we received somepensation. Also, my parents managed to gather some funds..." Li Yiming stammered as he tried his best to craft a convincing exnation.


    "Both of you have recently graduated, haven¡¯t you? Have you found a job?" Ying Mei changed the topic of the conversation subtly.


    "Not yet. I¡¯m still adapting." Li Yiming tried his best to answer in a way that would not arouse further suspicions.


    "I have some connections with Producer Zhang at Hangzhou Opera House. He¡¯s looking to make a show, and he¡¯s missing a male lead. Interested?"


    "Hangzhou Opera? Producer Zhang? You mean Zhang Kaiming?" Li Yiming almost choked on his food when he heard the proposal. ¡¯Hangzhou Opera? That would be a dreame true! I remember Zhang Kaiming... I attended his ss back in my first year.¡¯


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that. I took a look at your graduation choreography online. A solid performance I must say. It just happened that Produced Zhang called me, so I showed him your video, and he was pretty satisfied by what he saw." Ying Mei picked up her own cup, but put it down after a second nce at the golden liquid within it.


    Simr to Li Yiming, Ji Xiaoqin was also utterly shocked by Ying Mei¡¯s proposal. But a second nce at Ying Mei made her think otherwise. ¡¯I¡¯d bet that she called Li Yiming over to test him. If she really has Guo Xiang¡¯s interest in mind, then she should be somewhat hostile, but the way she looks at him...¡¯


    Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s sixth sense was sharp, especially since it had to do with Li Yiming. She was certain that Ying Mei¡¯s disy of interest for Li Yiming did not stop there. When she thought about it, she could taste her own sourness, as if her favorite toy was about to be taken away. Ji Xiaoqin went back to staring at Li Yiming and awaited his answer. She knew that it would ease her own guilt if Li Yiming epted this opportunity and went on to live a better life. However, for the sake of her own pride, which had already suffered from Ying Mei¡¯s superiority in appearance and air, she secretly hoped that Li Yiming would refuse the offer.


    Li Yiming scratched his head, a little embarrassed at being stared like that by two beautiful women, but he quickly regained hisposure and tried his best to guess at Ying Mei¡¯s true intentions.


    "I¡¯m not looking for work yet." Li Yiming¡¯s eyes met Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s and came up with a not-so-convincing refusal. ¡¯If I guess right, Ji Xiaoqin is behind this proposal. She asked Guo Xiang¡¯s cousin to help me out in order to ease her own guilt.¡¯


    "Alright. Contact me when you think that you¡¯ll be ready then." Ying Mei knew that this was nothing more than an excuse and shrugged her shoulders. She picked up a piece of tofu and swallowed it down along with her cold smile.


    Li Yiming¡¯s nce stirred up a mixture of emotions in Ji Xiaoqin. ¡¯ He knows... and he gave up the opportunity just like that? Is he really here for me? But I just made him lose another chance at sess...¡¯


    The meal concluded with all three being too busy with their own thoughts to even taste the food. Although Ying Mei continued her seemingly innocuous chit-chat, every single question of hers was aimed at obtaining more information about Li Yiming, and she grew cautious as it became evident to her that Li Yiming was not as simple as he seemed to be.


    On the other hand, Ji Xiaoqin was now sure that Ying Mei had a personal interest in Li Yiming. ¡¯There¡¯s no way she¡¯s asking all of these questions for nothing. Also, her eyes... This is exactly how Liu Meng used to look at Li Yiming.¡¯


    Li Yiming, however, was growing more and more altert. He could notice that both Ji Xiaoqin and Ying Mei were acting strangely. ¡¯The way Xiaoqin looks at me... I know that gaze from back when we were together. But why now? Why when Guo Xiang¡¯s cousin is here? Also, this so-called cousin of Guo Xiang¡¯s, I don¡¯t think that her cold aires from just a year or two of pretense. She must have grown up in an environment like that... Why would she try toe closer to me? It doesn¡¯t seem like she enjoys eating take-out, or drinking beer, or talking to people at all. Why do I have that could possibly make her do this?¡¯


    That is why it¡¯s important to learn how to say ¡°no¡± from a very young age xD. On the flip side, if my neighbor told me they had free pizza...

 Volume 4 Chapter 18

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 18 ¨C Fu Bo¡¯s Pen Name</strong></h4>


    The dinner dragged itself slowly toward a slow and embarrassing conclusion. Li Yiming was escorted to the door by Ying Mei. Ji Xiaoqin, who trailed behind her, gazed at Li Yiming with eyes that spoke of sadness, frustration, and guilt.


    Li Yiming felt hisst ounce of strength being sapped as he looked at the door being closed shut. He passed over his face with his hand. ¡¯This... this was so tiring. As soon as I get to the bottom of this Qing He, I¡¯ll move out of here.¡¯


    Li Yiming took out his keys when he noticed a bag of fruits on the ground. ¡¯Some grapes and a few pears? Who could it be? I don¡¯t see any message... With only Ji Xiaoqin and I living here, it¡¯s impossible that someone forgot it here. Is it Fu Bo?¡¯


    Li Yiming brought the bag of fruits into his apartment and walked to the study. The domain had vanished. He put down the bag right next to the bed and sent a text message to Fu Bo. "You left me a bag of fruits?"


    "Yeah. You¡¯re home? I went out to eat earlier, and I bought some stuff on the way back. Is there a problem?"


    "Thanks. I love pears. I also went to eat out. Sorry I didn¡¯t call you."


    "It¡¯s okay. I was busy working on my novel. I wouldn¡¯t have heard you even if you yelled at my door. It¡¯s been a long day, good night."


    "Yeah, sure. Good night."


    Li Yiming put down his phone and picked up a pear from the bag. He wiped it with his hand and took a bite. ¡¯Sweet. Fu Bo... can we be friends?¡¯ Li Yiming stared at the floor and pondered. ¡¯Well, first things first. I¡¯ll pay back the favor and go have a look at his novel.¡¯ Li Yiming took out his tablet and searched up Fu Bo¡¯s novel


    The moment Li Yiming opened the page, a sudden dizziness grasped his mind.


    "Adventure to the East. Author: Qing He."


    ¡¯It was him all along? He¡¯s the one Mr. Kong wanted me to protect? But that would make perfect sense. This domain, the mysteriousness, and...¡¯ Li Yiming could barely contain his excitement. He had to stop himself from knocking at Fu Bo¡¯s door to seek answers to his questions, but he quicklyposed himself. ¡¯Mr. Kong asked me to protect him, but Fu Bo doesn¡¯t even know about his own situation. This has to be part of Mr. Kong¡¯s n. I just need to fulfill my end of the bargain.¡¯


    Li Yiming was finally able to put his mind at ease and rest on his bed. He had finally found the person that Mr. Kong that sent him to find, and it ended up being someone he was already on good terms with. ¡¯Well, since I¡¯ve found his website, I might as well take a look at his novel.¡¯


    Li Yiming did not know that this would be a task that wouldst eleven days, uninterrupted by eating, drinking, or even sleeping.


    * * *


    "Your conjecture was correct. Li Yiming is indeed a representative." Ying Mei lowered her head with reverence and reported her investigation in Bing Shuai¡¯s study.


    "What¡¯s your take on this?" Bing Shuai was at the window and cast down his stare at the swimming pool. It was rare to see Tian Yan there, peddling around in the water like a child. ¡¯It has been a long time since I¡¯ve seen this kind of child-like yfulness from her... I often forget about her age.¡¯ Bing Shuai sighed; for the first time in a while, he felt a sliver of guilt for treating Tian Yan as nothing more than a cog in his schemes.


    "The money he used to buy the apartmentes from an unknown source. He made up an excuse, but that turned out to be a lie. I tried to lure him with the promise of an ideal job, but he refused right away. There¡¯s something suspicious about him and Ji Xiaoqin. Usually, there is no way a man would treat a woman who has betrayed him with such magnanimity. It almost reminds me of... us and Guo Xiang." As Ying Mei narrated the information she had gathered, her eyes naturally followed Bing Shuai¡¯s. The sight of Tian Yan ying by the pool surprised her at first, but also made her feel somewhat envious.


    "Completely spoiled?" Bing Shuai turned around slowly and sat down in his wooden chair.


    "Yes, and I have reasons to believe that they¡¯re still in a rtionship. I could read the lust in Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s eyes when she looked at him. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they spentst night in the same bed. Ji Xiaoqin herself may be unaware of her own situation, but a girl with a character like that... Does she have no shame?" Ying Mei voice¡¯s suggested that she despised Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s actions, especially when she recalled her countenance when she visited her early in the morning. ¡¯Could it be some kind of physical need?¡¯


    "Young women these days. They seek money when they have love, and then they desire love when they¡¯re rich. That¡¯s nothing to be surprised of. Well, it has been a long day. You should rest. Let me think about this." Bing Shuai waved his hand and dismissed Ying Mei.


    ¡¯So Ji Xiaoqin is an experiment, and Li Yiming a representative? I¡¯m almost sure of it. Now the question is, who exactly is behind them?¡¯ Bing Shuai walked back to the window. The pool was empty: Tian Yan had returned inside with the help of the maid. The moonlight shone to the bottom of the pool and created a broken mirror of dancing luminous shards on the surface of the water. But amidst all of the glittering, a certain danger was awaiting.


    * * *


    The smoothness of the velvet quilt in her hand brought a rare smile to Tian Yan. She stared nkly at the ceiling and tried her best to remember the silhouette she saw, the young man that was enveloped by white, almost holy-like light. She raised her hand, and it was almost as if she could touch his cheeks, his lips, and his eyes. Tian Yan felt a warmness climb into her own ears, and then her heart. Her cheeks became gradually colored by a healthy flush.


    Were this to happen to someone that had not been raised for a single purpose since birth, to someone who had not been born blind and alone in this world, the meaning of this would have been obvious.


    Tian Yan had fallen in love.


    * * *


    Inside Li Ping Consulting¡¯s headquarters in the office tower of the Capital, the ancient furniture had all been emptied. Lines were drawn on the floor tiles, forming aplex ritual circle. Instead of simply alive, the birds painted onto the windows had be alive, flying merrily under the silvery moonlight.


    Stargaze stood at the middle of the ritual circle and slowly loosened her clothes. Her robe fell to the ground, revealing a body sculpted out of white jade and limpid flesh had colors like the water from the rivers in autumn. Her hair touched the ground as she performed a seal and a ring of light spread out from where she stood. The light around her intensified until her body resembled more that of a phantom or a lowing crystal statue. 1


    In the sky, one of the stars that had been shining brightly suddenly gained a purple tinge, as if the eye of a cyclop was suddenly opened. The violet rays it cast down on the world prated through all veils of hidden


    Stargaze could see a blue sphere in utter darkness. She would momentarily stop there every day to admire its beauty. However, the number shown near her heart did not wait for her; it decreased at a breakneck speed. This was Stargaze¡¯s lifemark count, and, although she had a very healthy reserve, it would not take long for it toe to an end.


    The blue sphere grew bigger. First, Stargaze could see the mountains, the rivers, the valleys, and the ocean. Then came the shards of light, the cities that embodied human civilization. Stargaze focused in on one city in particr: the tall skyscrapers, the neatly arranged roads, the sight of a bustling city with vibrant nightlife, Stargaze could see it all.


    Stargaze had hoped for the best when she began, but once again, a fog befell Hangzhou. A thick, grey fog covered the citypletely and shielded it from prying eyes, much like a dutiful guard that protected his holy monarch. Stagarzed frowned. Her pride as a sage was piqued by so many fruitless attempts. She persisted on focusing on a specific part of the city in particr; she had pinpointed the source of the mysterious fog after a few attempts.


    Her gaze prated theyers of fog until she arrived at a residential neighborhood. A little more effort brought her to a residential tower in particr. She descended from the rooftop...¡¯Floor fifteen... twelve... ten... nine... eight...¡¯


    ¡¯Something¡¯s wrong.¡¯ Stargaze¡¯s attention shifted back to the ninth floor. There, she found a young man on his bed, focused on reading his tablet. He wore a checkered shirt and gym shorts. His features reminded Stargaze of Li Huaibei, with the same kind of mixture between elegance and masculinity.


    ¡¯This kid...?¡¯ Stargaze did not recognize the young man. There was nothing particrly eye-catching about him, but this aroused her suspicions. ¡¯I didn¡¯t even notice that someone lived on the ninth floor on my first pass... I would have missed himpletely if it wasn¡¯t for how small my scope is.¡¯


    Stargaze suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fell down. The celestial light receded, and the sight of the interior of her office came back to her eyes. The shining lines and glyphs traced on the ground dimmed.


    Despite his pale countenance, Stargaze rushed to her desk and waved her hand. A piece of drawing paper came flying to her. She dipped the weasel hair brush in ink and began working. A few momentster, a caricature of what she saw earlier ¡ª the young man on his bed, appeared.


    The drawing was finely done, or could even be said to be a masterpiece, but Stargaze did not have time to admire her own work. She folded her drawing and beckoned at her window. One of the songbirds drawn on it flew out of the portrait that contained it andnded near her.


    "I want everything you can find about this man. As soon as possible."


    That¡¯s one fancy way to describe a talent used for stalking people. Or Google Earth.


    The river in autumn thing is an old saying in China. Since ancient times, for some unknown reason, people have started to use ¡°water in autumn¡± to describe pretty women¡¯s eyes. (I guess it¡¯s the transparency and prettiness?) This expression is seen in many poems/old texts. There¡¯s even an expression tranted literally as ¡°stare through the water of autumn¡± for when you wait for someone for a long time. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 19

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 19 ¨C Adventure to the East</strong></h4>


    In a barbecue stall by the road, two shabbily dressed men sat around a table. A tattered stic knit bag was under the feet of one while the other stepped on a stack of cardboard. Both had smiles on their swarthy faces as they ate cheap barbecue and drank equally cheap beer. Their voices added to the deafening noise of the city street at night as they exchanged stories, each one more exaggerated than thest.


    The man on the cardboard was visibly drunk. He stammered when he spoke, punctuating each pause with a p on the shoulders of his friend. The noise prompted the owner of the barbecue stall to peek out.¡¯I wonder what kind of grudge is big enough for them to do this...?¡¯


    "Don¡¯t you think my nephew is foolish? Who would quit being a manager and apply to be a civil servant? Look at what happened! Lost his job for nothing! Now, all he does is stay home and wallow in his remorse. What an eyesore!"


    "Ohhh, is that so...?" The man on the receiving end of the blows smiled and listened on quietly. He even filled up the cup of hispanion again.


    Suddenly, the man stiffened and raised his head in confusion toward the Pris star.


    "Watcha looking at? Did something happen?" His drunk friend leaned forward and followed his nce.


    "Nothing. People who don¡¯t know when to give up." The man turned around with a resigned grimace and continued to pour beer.


    "I know, right! If my dumb nephew was still a manager, I¡¯d never need to stoop to gathering scrap. I was once a vice-captain of the security team with three subordinates! How glorious those times were..." As the man slowly drawled and broke off, the drunken haze in his eyes thickened. He would have fallen off his chair if not for the quick reflexes of his drinkingpanion.


    "Owner, can I have the bill please." The man asked with a big smile, supporting his drunk friend.


    "Seventy-seven and fifty cents, but seventy is fine." The owner looked at the receipt and made a generous offer.


    "Sure. Thanks a bunch." The man took out the bills andid them out on the table.


    The owner looked at the bills and looked as if he wanted to say something.


    "What is it?" The man noticed the hesitation.


    "Alcohol¡¯s bad for your health. You should drink less." The owner replied hesitantly after a quick nce at the knit bag and the cardboard.


    "I don¡¯t drink normally. I¡¯m just happy to meet someone who¡¯s here to steal my job!" The man replied while pointing at hispanion.


    The owner shook his head with a smile. He knew the heavy drinker, who had been around for a long time, asking for alcohol to everyone he met. He pitied hispanion, who was cheated out of a meal despite not being particrly wealthy himself.


    The man slung his knit bag on his shoulders, grabbing the cardboard with one hand and dragging his friend with the other. He turned at the next intersection and soon vanished from sight.


    * * *


    Li Yiming put down the tablet and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. Even with level three stamina, he could note out of eleven sleepless nights unscathed.


    After quickly refreshing himself in the bathroom, Li Yiming wandered toward the balcony, knocking over a bowl of instant noodles on his way. A deep drag from a cigarette he had kept in his bracelet reminded him of the figure with big shorts and a knit bag on his shoulder.


    "Do you think this is real?" Li Yiming asked with a voice that had gone dry from a long silence.


    ¡¯I¡¯m... I¡¯m not sure...¡¯ Bai Ze answered mncholically.


    "Adventure to the East", Fu Bo¡¯s first novel. It was a parody of the ssic "Journey to the West". The theme was traditional and cliched, but its presentation was fresh and unique. Although the setting was exactly the same as "Journey to the West", the development was its drastic opposite.


    The story began with the four characters of Journey to the West. Only this time, they were traveling eastward, aiming to spread the teachings of Buddhism with the eight volumes of scriptures they had obtained. On their way back, they fought demons and monsters, but soon discovered that their enemies had backers that prevented them from being punished regardless of the crimes they hadmitted.


    Ba Jie and Sha Seng were furious at the unfairness of it all but were powerless. Both of them soon abandoned the quest and returned home.


    Only Sun Wukong, with his immovable dedication to upholding justice, persisted in escorting his master to the East. He continued to rid the mortal ne of beasts and demons. However, these beasts escaped from the Celestial court, and the demons came from the Buddhist sanctuary. In doing so, Wukong had angered both parties. Eventually, a pact was signed; the monk San Zang would reach the East safely, but the monkey had to die.


    In the end, Wukong fell to a nned ambush and was sealed under a mountain. Meanwhile, Bai Long, the loyal steed of San Zang, fell into an abyss after being grievously injured. San Zang abandoned his disciple and proceeded to the East alone, eventually seeding in spreading the teachings of Buddha. For his efforts, he received a royal title and enjoyed a long life full of privileges.


    Five hundred years went by and Wukong managed to escape from his prison. His wrath brought him to the Celestial Court, and he turned it upside down by himself. In the end, the Court resigned to offer him the title of a sage. However, unbeknownst to him, the Court secretly approached Ba Jie and Sha Seng, and offered them a deal; both would be returned to their former titles and glory, on the condition that they help y Wukong. Heartbroken by the betrayal of his dear friends, Wukong lost his will to fight. He sought out his old master for a path forward, eventually sealing his own powers and returning his staff into the Eastern Sea, where it became the pir of the sea and forever ensured that no more disasters would be brought by the waves. Wukong returned to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, his birthce, and lived the rest of his days with the other monkeys and turned into a giant stone when his life came to an end.


    This was the "Adventure to the East", a parody with interesting ideas. However, Li Yiming and Bai Ze realized that there was more to it than just a story; this was a FreeWebNovel of tales from secret domains and struggles of guardians.


    "If this tale is true..." Li Yiming lit another cigarette and stared at the flickering embers at its tip. His thoughts became even more confused.


    ¡¯The rumor of Eden has always circted among guardians, yet no one could tell for sure whether it¡¯s real or not. You¡¯ve been there. You know that it¡¯s more than just a legend.¡¯ Bai Ze said with a very serious tone.


    ¡¯What are you trying to say?¡¯


    ¡¯There have been rumors of mysterious domains since long ago.¡¯


    ¡¯And?¡¯ Li Yiming asked impatiently. He tousled his hair in frustration, trying to clear away the chaos within his mind.


    ¡¯It¡¯s rted. That other domain was called Mountain of Flowers and Fruit.¡¯


    ¡¯You mean...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat.


    ¡¯Eden turned out to be more than fiction. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the same was true for this mountain as well then.¡¯


    ¡¯If the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit exists, then "Adventure to the East" is...¡¯


    ¡¯I finally understand why Mr. Kong asked you toe and protect Fu Bo. If he¡¯s able to produce such a novel, then he must be...¡¯


    "I must go and see him now." Li Yiming turned on his phone to check the date: eleven days had passed since hest saw Fu Bo. He grabbed his jacket and rushed through the front door, not even bothering to make himself presentable. Unfortunately, when Li Yiming arrived at Fu Bo¡¯s apartment, his knocking at the door remained unanswered.


    ¡¯It¡¯s two in the morning. Where could he possibly be?¡¯ Li Yiming thought of the worse, but then recalled Fu Bo¡¯s prowess at picking up girls and smiled. It was difficult for him to associate the weak, lonely-looking Fu Bo with the actions of a freedom-loving yboy, despite all of the other mysteries surrounding him. Li Yiming returned to his apartment, took a shower, and decided to postpone his visit to the next day. Right now, he urgently needed to rest: eleven sleepless night had taken its toll.


    The next day, Li Yiming went back to Fu Bo¡¯s door, but again, no one answered him. Just as the thought of Fu Bo¡¯s having yet to return from his one-night-stand urred to him, a deliveryman for a milkpany arrived.


    "Hi. Are you a friend or a rtive of the person living here?" The milkman wore a red cap with thepany¡¯s logo embroidered on it.


    "I live upstairs. You¡¯re delivering milk here?" Li Yiming was intrigued at learning Fu Bo¡¯s habit of drinking fresh milk.


    "Yeah. Hey, I have a question. Did the owner go out of town? The bottles I delivered have all been left untouched. Ourpany has a refund policy for those that notice us ahead of time. I¡¯m just thinking that it¡¯s a shame to see such an old customer throw away his money," the milkman answered as he opened the delivery box. He took out a bottle that was still full and put a new one in.


    "He hasn¡¯t been taking his milk?" Li Yiming asked, confused by the remark.


    "It has been about seven or eight days, I would say? Such a waste. Ie back to pick up the milk that has turned bad every single day." The milkman took out a small notebook and ticked off a box.


    "Has this ever happened before?"


    "A few times, for a day or two, but I¡¯ve never seen something like that in the years I¡¯ve spent delivering for this address."


    "I¡¯ll call him. Thanks." Li Yiming bade the milkman farewell and took out his phone. ¡¯What? He has been missing for over a week already? Where could he be?¡¯


    "Sorry, the person you are trying to reach is currently unavable. Please try againter." Li Yiming returned home with furrowed brows after a disappointed attempt at reaching Fu Bo. Suddenly, his phone rang. He looked at the screen: a number that he had never seen before.


    "Hello? Who is this?" Li Yiming picked up the phone.


    "Hello, sir. Am I speaking to Mr. Li?" It was a woman who seemed to be excited.


    "Yes. May I know...?" Li Yiming knew that he had heard this voice before, but he could not remember where exactly.


    "Oh, it¡¯s so great to finally be able to reach you. You made an order at our store a while ago, but our delivery team was unable to get into contact with you..."


    "Oh. I recently went out of town. Sorry about that," Li Yiming crafted an excuse. ¡¯They were supposed to deliver the next day, but I left my phone in my bracelet... no signal there, I suppose.¡¯


    "Are you free? We can send our team over now."


    "Sure, when will they arrive? I¡¯m going out for breakfast soon."


    "Would nine o¡¯clock be fine?"


    "Sure, I¡¯ll wait for them." Li Yiming checked the time. He had more than enough time to eat breakfast, and it would be quite a waste for something to happen to the furniture he had spent so much money on.


    "Ah, by the way, Mr. Li, about Ms. Ji, your neighbor... Did she go out of town with you?"


    "Ms. Ji?" Li Yiming asked bemusedly. ¡¯Are they allowed to ask questions like this?"


    "Thedy who purchased the sofa set with you that day. I noticed from the delivery ticket that you¡¯re neighbors. We haven¡¯t been able to contact her either." The saleswoman noticed Li Yiming¡¯s change of tone and quickly exined.


    "You can¡¯t reach her?" The revtion caught Li Yiming¡¯s attention.


    "Yes. I saw you together that day. Since you¡¯re neighbors, I assumed..."


    "She¡¯s not with me. Why don¡¯t you try to contact her again?" Li Yiming answered truthfully. By now, the doubt in Li Yiming¡¯s heart began to grow.


    Li Yiming ended the call and went to Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s door. After a moment of hesitation, he rang the doorbell; it was just as the saleswoman said, Ji Xiaoqin was absent.


    ¡¯Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s also gone?¡¯


    Li Yiming no longer had the appetite for breakfast. He returned to his room and started pondering about the connection between the two events.


    Please have a read at the note about Journey to the West vs Adventure to the East for a better understanding of what the heck is going on.

 Volume 4 Chapter 20

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 20 ¨C Sundering Nature</strong></h4>


    "I¡¯m going to check inside." Li Yiming decided. It was perhaps not that big of a deal for Ji Xiaoqin to be absent for a few days, since she could have gone back to see her rtives, or even have gone on a trip with Guo Xiang, but things were different for Fu Bo. Fu Bo had no rtives, no friends, therefore no reason for being absent for such a prolonged period. This unsettled Li Yiming especially nervous after knowing that Fu Bo also happened to be Qing He.


    ¡¯What are you going to do? Break the lock or go through the windows?¡¯ Bai Ze was also concerned, but less so because of Fu Bo¡¯s friendship with Li Yiming, and more due to his importance in Mr. Kong¡¯s request.


    ¡¯Nothing of the sort.¡¯ Li Yiming closed his eyes. An instantter, he appeared with a sh of purple light in Fu Bo¡¯s living room.


    Li Yiming looked around; the room looked the same as when he visited. Li Yiming eventually opened the door to the study. ¡¯So this is the ce Bai Ze and I were so... scared of.¡¯ The room was nothing out of the ordinary, the furnitureprising of nothing more than a desk and two bookshelves. An aged cdon flower vase sat in a corner, and aptop rested on the top of the work desk. The screen was folded down, but the power indicator was shing on and off.


    ¡¯He¡¯s been gone for a long time.¡¯ Li Yiming swiped on the desk with two fingers, leaving traces in theyer of dust.


    ¡¯How would you know? I remember your desk back in Li City being a lot dirtier than this one, and that¡¯s when you were living in the apartment.¡¯ Bai Ze questioned the statement.


    ¡¯The dustyer is uniform. Just look at that cornerpared to right in front of theputer. It must have settled in after Fu Bo left. Also, look at the garbage can there. I looked around in the living room and the bedroom, and the cans were all empty. Fu Bo seems to be a tidy person, so why would this one be full of trash?¡¯


    ¡¯You¡¯re right. The fruits are the exact same as those inside the bag Fu Bo gave you.¡¯


    ¡¯Yes. This means that Fu Bo hasn¡¯t returned here since that day. ¡¯ Li Yiming pointed at theptop. ¡¯For him to forget about taking out the trash and turning off hisputer... he must have left in a hurry.¡¯


    Li Yiming looked around once again. Aside from the refrigerator, the power cable had been taken out of their sockets for every single electric appliance."I¡¯m afraid that something might¡¯ve happened to him." Li Yiming had a bad feeling, and he was starting to me himself for have be so enthralled by Fu Bo¡¯s novel that he had not noticed the author himself gone missing.


    ¡¯Do you think Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s disappearance has anything to do with this?¡¯ Bai Ze extended her senses and went to confirm Li Yiming¡¯s conjectures.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s go have a look.¡¯ Another sh of purple light, and Li Yiming appeared in Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s living room.


    Li Yiming entered the kitchen. He turned around after noticing the molding food packages and the putrid scent that emanated from it. In theundry basket in the bathroom, Li Yiming was surprised to find two rather daring underwear, but not the shirt that Ji Xiaoqin wore on the day they met back at the furniture store.


    ¡¯They both disappeared on the same day.¡¯ Owing to his knowledge of Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s habits, Li Yiming produced a definitive conclusion.


    ¡¯There¡¯s trash in every single can here. How do you know?¡¯ Bai Ze answered, undistracted by the stash of sensual underwears.


    ¡¯This is the shirt she wore at home when I visited her for the first time.¡¯ Li Yiming picked up a shirt full of cartoon figures. ¡¯She probably took it off that night. I don¡¯t see the shirt she wore on the next day, when I met her at the mall. I know her well enough to be able to say that she never wears the same shirt two days in a row. Also, the amount of underwear here shows that she hadn¡¯t doneundry for a few days already. The food containers left outside are from the takeout order when she and that cousin of hers invited me over.¡¯


    ¡¯Gone on the same day...¡¯ Bai Ze knew that this was not a clue to be ignored.


    ¡¯I¡¯m going to have a look at Fu Bo¡¯s ce again.¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly realized that he might have missed something important. He returned to Fu Bo¡¯s study with another Thundersh; this was his advantage of not having to pay for ability usage with life marks.


    Theptop screen lit up the moment Li Yiming raised the screen and moved the mouse around. ¡¯So it¡¯s on standby. Luckily there¡¯s no password.¡¯ As expected, the desktop was also very clean, with nothing more than the system icons and a folder named "Sundering Nature". Li Yiming¡¯s curiosity about Fu Bo¡¯s new bookpelled him to click on the folder.


    The names of the documents made Li Yiming tremble with fear. ¡¯The invitation, Pure Water Herb Hall... Meeting Guo Xiang Again... Phoenix Possession... Eden¡¯s Secrets... The Awakening of Bai Ze... Xiang Liu¡¯s True Form...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s breathing quickened, and his dread grew as he continued to scroll down the list of files. He then clicked open the first chapter.


    "Li Yiming was standing under a tree. The sight of a coupleced in a tight embrace, leaning against a red Maserati, made Li Yiming¡¯s hand shiver as it sought the support of the trunk. Shock, anger, helplessness and confusion swirled within his eyes. One of the young woman¡¯s arms rested on the man¡¯s shoulders, while she gently traced circles on his chest with a finger from the other hand. Her face was red with shyness, and her eyes, watered by lust..."


    Li Yiming waspletely aghast after reading only the first few lines. He then opened the second chapter, the third, the fourth... Finally, he looked at the title of thest chapter in the folder, "Catastrophe in the Sky". This time, he did not even need to check to know what he would find.


    ¡¯Bai Ze...¡¯ Lost for words, Li Yiming folded the screen back.


    ¡¯I know who Fu Bo is.¡¯ Unlike Li Yiming, Bai Ze sounded like she was excited by the finding. ¡¯He¡¯s a Recorder. A Recorder of Heaven¡¯s Laws!¡¯


    ¡¯A Recorder?¡¯


    ¡¯Yes. Just like the historians that write works about events which transpire in the mortal ne, the Recorder bears witness to the history of Heaven¡¯s Laws. Fu Bo must be the current Recorder, he just doesn¡¯t know it yet. I didn¡¯t think that that would be the reason Mr. Kong asked you to protect him.¡¯ Bai Ze said.


    ¡¯You mean that everything in Adventure to the East is real?¡¯


    ¡¯Exactly. Adventure to the East must be real. Think about what you¡¯ve just read. There are a lot of things that could not be known by anyone other than you. This can¡¯t be a coincidence.¡¯


    Li Yiming closed his eyes. His whole mind was now just a swirling chaos of thoughts.


    ¡¯The only thing is...why you? There are thousands and thousands of guardians out there, why would the Recorder write down your story?¡¯ Bai Ze asked.


    ¡¯Probably because I¡¯m just like Mr. Kong...¡¯ Li Yiming recalled his meeting with Li Huaibei. ¡¯Why did he risk going against Heaven¡¯s Laws to help me?¡¯


    Beep Beep... Li Yiming¡¯s phone rang.


    "Hello, are you Mr. Li? We¡¯re the delivery team..."


    "Yes, I¡¯m here. Pleasee up." Li Yiming hung up after a terse answer. He picked up theptop and put it into his bracelet. Fu Bo was gone now, but what thisptop contained was of utmost importance.


    * * *


    While the delivery team was busy preparing to carry up the furniture, in a building across the street, a tough-looking man slowly put down his binocrs and picked up his transmitter.


    "Li Yiming has returned. He¡¯s setting up some furniture in his home. He visited Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s apartment and the apartment below his floor earlier. It was too fast to be a break-in, he must have the keys."


    "Continue the surveince. Keep your distance and report timely." The voice of a woman with a cial tone came from the speakers.


    "Understood." The man put down the transmitter and picked up his binocrs again, paying close attention to Li Yiming, who was smoking a cigarette on the balcony.


    * * *


    Bing Shuai looked at the door of the tightly sealed basement and let out a smile of frustration at the rash mistake he had made. Ten days ago, after confirming that Li Yiming was a representative, the thought of observing him more closely somehow came to him. Bing Shuai rode his car to Li Yiming¡¯s neighborhood, only to bump into Fu Bo by coincidence. Thetter had received ten extra yuans from the shopkeeper when he bought his fruits, so, kind-hearted as he was, he rushed to return the money since he was worried that it would be forgotten the next day.


    Fu Bo frowned when he passed by Bing Shuai¡¯s parked car. Bing Shuai thought he had met his worst enemy. He could feel the terrifying powers of Fu Bo¡¯s technique, especially when he was focused on fighting it.


    "It¡¯s him, he spotted me!" Bing Shuai¡¯s reaction was to strike first to ensure that he would not be at a disadvantage. He leaped out of the car¡¯s window and delivered a blow to Fu Bo¡¯s head from behind. However, as soon as he made contact, he realized that something was wrong: Fu Bo was going to be decapitated if he did not retract most of his strength instantly.


    ¡¯Wait a second. That¡¯s it?¡¯ Reality only hit Bing Shuai after Fu Bo copsed in his arms. The n had been ruined due to a misunderstanding, but he no longer had a choice. Bing Shuai quickly brought Fu Bo back to his base of operation. However, a quick interrogation revealed that Fu Bo did not know a single thing about Li Yiming, which puzzled Bing Shuai greatly. ¡¯He¡¯s telling the truth, no doubt about it. But what are these people thinking? Why would they put someone like him on the frontline? His technique is powerful, but he¡¯spletely harmless!¡¯


    Bing Shuai¡¯s ns were ruined. Not only had he most likely caught the attention of the people behind Li Yiming, but hemitted to kidnapping a valueless target. Simply disposing of Fu Bo would prove to be an unwise choice, since thetter could prove to be very useful with his abilities. However, Fu Bo was no ordinary prisoner. Aside from himself, who could lock his own memories of Fu Bo with his sage powers, everyone else, from the guard to the people delivering the food, would forget about Fu Bo the next moment. This left Bing Shuai with an unpleasant dilemma: he was going to have to be the world¡¯s first save-level jailor if he wanted to keep his prisoner.


    An important point. If <i>Sundering Nature </i>is Li Yiming¡¯s tale, then <i>Adventure to the East </i>has to be Mr. Kong, which makes sense given the previous conjectures about his identity.

 Volume 4 Chapter 21

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 21 ¨C Tian Yan¡¯s Love</strong></h4>


    "Bing Shuai." Ying Mei arrived with a folder. She nced at the sealed basement door, with a confused look.


    "What is it?" Bing Shuai smiled again in frustration. He had just tried to tell his subordinates to keep an eye on the door instead of Fu Bo himself, but even that order could not be imprinted on their minds. ¡¯What a terrifying technique...¡¯


    "Li Yiming showed up again. We found him in his apartment."


    "Oh? So he finally showed up? Was there anyone else?" Bing Shuai¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡¯You go missing for ten days after I kidnap your friend? Interesting, very interesting...¡¯


    "No one else for now, but..." Ying Mei looked at one sheet of paper in the folder. "We¡¯ve just found out that another group of people is tracking Li Yiming. We would¡¯ve failed to notice them had we not taken precautionary measures.¡¯


    "Other people?" Bing Shuai frowned.


    "Yes. We¡¯ve only realized that a little while ago. They are located in an apartment facing Li Yiming, building number 137. They purchased the property on the second day we brought Ji Xiaoqin back."


    "It took you this long to find out about something this important!" Bing Shuai exploded in anger. ¡¯They move quickly... and here I thought that they haven¡¯t even mobilized yet. It mustn¡¯t be easy to hide from Ying Mei for ten days. We¡¯re dealing with a scary opponent. Maybe there¡¯s something else, another team that I haven¡¯t discovered yet.¡¯


    "All of our hands are working on Li Yiming right now..." Ying Mei stepped away, intimidated by Bing Shuai¡¯s outburst, and lowered her head.


    "Put more people around there. Make sure to check the surroundings again. We can¡¯t afford to expose ourselves, remember that we¡¯re probably facing a foe with superior strength." Bing Shuai took a deep breath topose himself. ¡¯I need to stay calm. Emotional turbulences will only lead to irreparable mistakes. Our enemy is calm and patient... I have to match these qualities.¡¯


    "As you wish." Ying Mei answered in a low voice and strode away.


    * * *


    Tian Yan rested on the wooden floor of her room. She could feel its warmth with her forehead, and she smiled shyly as the tip of her nose rubbed against the wooden nks. The light that came from below made her feel warm, made her heart race, made her face flush, and lit up her tenebrous world for the first time.


    Bing Shuai had intentionally put her bedroom right above the basement, since it was the most appropriate location to sense any changes that would ur below. Right now, Tian Yan was thanking her good fortune; the visitor that had moved into the basement was the person whom she thought about day and night.


    Tian Yan had visited Fu Bo the night before.


    ¡¯What a gentle voice. He speaks so slowly... and his jokes. Hihi. Apparently, he¡¯s an author. It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t see. Otherwise, I¡¯d ask someone to buy a copy of his book for me. But... why is he here? Is it because of Bing Shuai? It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s been harmed. I... I¡¯m so close to him... Why isn¡¯t Bing Shuai leaving? I want to go see him again.¡¯


    * * *


    Fu Bo sank into the sofa, going through TV channels rather mindlessly. The room he was in was sumptuously decorated, much like a luxury suite at a hotel, with all the food and entertainment he could want, save for the ability to contact the outside world.


    ¡¯Seems like this is my prison cell. Not sure where I am, or what my kidnappers want. I¡¯ve been rotting here ever since that weird, menacing looking man asked me some weird questions. Oh well, it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m not used to living like that, might as well make myselffortable. Only Li Yiming... I won¡¯t be able to meet him again.¡¯


    ¡¯Speaking of friends, maybe I should thank my kidnappers. I met another new friend. That cute little girl, I remember seeing her at the mall andmenting her fate...¡¯


    Tian Yan visited Fu Bo on the third day of his imprisonment. Fu Bo¡¯s first thought was to try to extract some information out of her, but he abandoned the thought as soon as he heard her speak.


    "I remember you..."


    * * *


    Li Yiming looked up at Yunding Tower, the legendary office building that stood high in Hangzhou. Both Fu Bo and Ji Xiaoqin were gone. The only clue he had was Guo Ying, whom he had met for the first time that day. However, neither Guo Ying or Guo Xiang could be found, so he would need to resort to finding Guo Xiang¡¯s father, Guo Tai, the chairman of Yunlong construction group.


    * * *


    "Li Yiming left his apartment. He arrived Yunding Tower." In a ck car behind him, the muscr man picked up his transmitter.


    "Yunding Tower? What is he doing there?" His mistress was surprised.


    "He¡¯s been standing next to a newspaper stand for about ten minutes, and it looks like he¡¯s thinking about something."


    "Where are you right now?"


    "In a parking lot right in front of Yunding." The man did not understand why he was being asked such a question, but answered nheless.


    "How long have you been there for?"


    "About eleven minutes."


    "Leave now. Buy an airne ticket to the south, treat it as a vacation until I call you back. I¡¯ll get someone to rece you."


    "Why?" The man was surprised.


    "You¡¯ve been exposed."


    "As you wish." The man did not question further. He put down his transmitter and headed straight for the airport.


    In the capital, a woman dressed in a traditional robe stared at the birds on her window, her fingers slowly brushing her white jade teacup. ¡¯Yunding... Yunlong... Guo Tai... Bing Shuai... Li Yiming, why are you seeking Bing Shuai¡¯s representative? What is your rtionship with Bing Shuai?¡¯


    "Number Three¡¯s already gone. Go rece him. Keep your distance and don¡¯t expose yourself." The woman put down her teacup.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Unless that Ying Mei shows up... hehe, these small shrimps won¡¯t even notice me if I stood right in front of them!" An amused voice answered hermand.


    "Be careful. It¡¯s Bing Shuai¡¯s base of operations." The woman frowned and said with a severe countenance.


    * * *


    ¡¯It¡¯s been the third time in ten days. What is she trying to aplish?¡¯ Bing Shuai sat in his usual spot with a cigar between his fingers. His attention was on the neighboring room. Beyond the wall, Tian Yan was slowly inching down to the basement by touching the walls.


    ¡¯She¡¯s going down to see him again. Is it out of curiosity? She goes down, peeks at him, and then forgets about him. I guess it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for Tian Yan to be curious about someone she can¡¯t see. The second time could just be her forgetting about it and repeating her attempt, but the third time...¡¯


    A knock on his door was heard.


    "Come in." Ying Mei came into the room with her usual reverence as soon as she heard Bing Shuai.


    "Li Yiming left his apartment. He¡¯s at Yunding Tower now."


    "Really? What is he doing?" Bing Shuai stopped fidgeting his cigar.


    "He¡¯s at the front desk, seeking for a meeting with Guo Tai. He presented himself as a friend of Guo Xiang."


    "Where¡¯s Guo Tai right now?"


    "He¡¯s having a meeting in Yunding right now. Twenty minutes until it¡¯s over." Ying Mei flipped open her folder again.


    "They know everything about us. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s looking to negotiate with Guo Tai..."


    "Why not you then? Why Guo Tai?"


    "Most likely to avoid an esction. If anything happens, at least it¡¯ll stay between the representatives. What of the other watcher?" Bing Shuai produced a sinister smile.


    "He was tailing Li Yiming until a while ago. He suddenly left for the airport after seeing Li Yiming enter the skyscraper. I¡¯ve asked someone to trail him."


    "He left? Did we get spotted?"


    "Unlikely. We just switched people when he moved from one area to the next."


    "There¡¯s something fishy about this... third party. I can¡¯t tell if they¡¯re Li Yiming¡¯s support team, or if it¡¯s an entirely new enemy. They know about us, and they¡¯re showing their prudence around Yunding Tower."


    "Keep your distance. If that man is going to the airport to meet reinforcements, then keep paying close attention. If he¡¯s just leaving, then let him go."


    "Understood. What about Guo Tai..."


    "Tell him to meet with Li Yiming. We don¡¯t know anything about our enemies yet. Prepare the equipment. I want to have a live broadcast of their meeting."


    "I¡¯ll set things up right away." Ying Mei left after a nod. Bing Shuai, however, continued to ponder about the possibilities nervously; it was the first time he faced an enemy he knew nothing about, and this unsettled him greatly. ¡¯I should expect reinforcements toe in through the airport. But what if he leaves... then, we¡¯ve been exposed, there¡¯s no doubt about it. Another enemy... this is getting out of hand.¡¯


    Eyesses: Hello team captain, Eyesses with hacker powers here... (although I¡¯m not sure if using that consumes life marks... hmmm...)

 Volume 4 Chapter 22

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 22 ¨C Conversation</strong></h4>


    "How are you doing today?" Tian Yan peeked out from behind the door. She grimaced and closed it behind her.


    "Doing great. A personal chef, high-grade wine, feather duvet, and a beautiful girl that visits me from time to time. Am I dreaming?" Fu Bo stood up with a smile and weed Tian Yan into his room. He had already grown very attached to Tian Yan, who was one of the only two people that could remember him.


    "Aren¡¯t you worried? You¡¯re a prisonerst time I checked." Tian Yan was mesmerized by the white, radiant light that shone into her soul.


    "I¡¯m not worried about being a prisoner of this room. I¡¯m worried about the thief who wants to steal my heart." Tian Yan¡¯s smile made Fu Bo¡¯s heart race. Her pale irises conferred to her some kind of elfish beauty. It was something unusual, yet Fu Bo found it very attractive. He involuntarily sank into his habits of using his encyclopedia of pick-up lines.


    "What are you talking about?" Tian Yan looked away from Fu Bo. Her entire neck gained a rosy tint.


    "Why don¡¯t you sit down?" Fu Bo stepped forward and grabbed Tian Yan¡¯s hands. Witnessing Tian Yan¡¯s timidity was like drinking a delicious, aged wine. It was the first time he had felt this way in his life. He knew that she would remember him and every single world he says.


    Tian Yan¡¯s first instinct was to shake off Fu Bo¡¯s hand, but the tingling sensation that ran between her fingers cut the thought off. She followed him to the sofa and sat down. It felt like a dream even after Fu Bo let go. ¡¯We¡¯re holding hands...¡¯


    Fu Bo observed every detail of Tian Yan¡¯s reaction. He med himself for being far too rash, but there was something incredibly attractive about Tian Yan¡¯s innocence. This girl waspletely different from those he met for a one-night-stand. Fu Bo once joked to Li Yiming around his guilt going away once he saw the sensual lingerie the girls wore, but his bitterness lingered well after the dawn of the second day.


    "Uhm, May I ask for your name?" Unlike his usual self, Fu Bo asked a perfectly "normal" question.


    "Tian Yan."


    "Tian Yan?" Fu Bo was baffled. He stared straight into Tian Yan¡¯s eyes.


    "It¡¯s Tian Yan actually, as in color." Tian Yan hurriedly changed her answer. 1


    "Tian Yan... beauty bestowed by the Heavens. A nice name. Your parents knew." 2


    "I... I don¡¯t have parents..." Tears glittered in Tian Yan¡¯s eyes.


    "I... I¡¯m sorry..." Fu Bo was suddenly at a loss for words. Seeing Tian Yan this sad made his own heart ache. He was seized with an urge to protect Tian Yan from every cruel thing in this world for the rest of her life.


    "It¡¯s okay, it happened a long time ago..." Tian Yan suddenly felt the desire to share her past with the figure of light in her mind.


    Tian Yan had been cruelly abandoned at birth by her parents, who were aghast by her appearance. A passer-by found her on the streets and brought her to an orphanage. Despite having to endure her fair share of suffering, her luck changed for the better at eight years old, when Bing Shuai found her.


    "My life has been a lot better even since meeting uncle Bing. He takes good care of me." Tian Yan was torn when she talked about Bing Shuai. She had already realized that Bing Shuai¡¯spassion was purely pragmatic, but his care and protection were real.


    "You¡¯re my exact opposite then. My childhood was nothing but full of happiness. However, once I got into my second year of high school..."


    The neglect that the world had showed toward both Fu Bo and Tian Yan drove the two closer and closer, and their discussion became much more personal. However, the pair failed to notice the man who had been listening at the door with a frown as he mulled over what he was hearing.


    * * *


    "Li Yiming? You¡¯re Guo Xiang¡¯s friend?" Guo Tai greeted Li Yiming with a warm grin and sat down facing him.


    "Hello uncle Guo. I am Guo Xiang¡¯s ssmate. I¡¯m sorry to bother you when you¡¯re so busy. I visited you once." Li Yiming stood up to greet Guo Tai. He remembered the man being proud and aloof, just as anyone would expect from the CEO of a respectablepany. ¡¯What happened to him? Doesn¡¯t seem like a fitting behavior for his status.¡¯


    "Ah, yes I remember. It was a big party." Guo Tai picked up a cigar from the table and offered it to Li Yiming with a smile.


    "Thank you." Li Yiming was reluctant to ept it but found it hard to refuse when Guo Tai seemed so eager. As soon as he epted the roll, Guo Tai¡¯s personal assistant rushed forward to light both Li Yiming and Guo Tai¡¯s cigars.


    * * *


    "He didn¡¯t refuse?" Bing Shuai was surprised when he saw Li Yiming smoke.


    "He didn¡¯t touch the water that was given to him before, though." Ying Mei sat right beside Bing Shuai and recording everything she saw.


    "It seems like he was wary. What is going on inside his head now? Why such a disy of confidence?"


    "Maybe he¡¯s faking it. It would give him an advantage in the negotiation."


    "That¡¯s possible. Let¡¯s keep looking." Bing Shuai lit up a cigarette and focused on the monitor in front of him.


    * * *


    "And you¡¯re here today..." Guo Tai was impressed by Li Yiming. ¡¯He¡¯s the same age as my son... and yet even Bing Shuai needs to give his full attention. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this young man manages to achieve everything I have aplished so far when he reaches my age. Yet my own son... he only knows two things, amusement and lust. I¡¯m grateful for everything that Bing Shuai has given to me, but he¡¯s spoiling Guo Xiang way too much, even more than me.¡¯


    "I¡¯m looking for Guo Xiang, but I can¡¯t seem to reach him." Li Yiming hesitated. He knew just how valuable Guo Tai¡¯s time was, and how trivial his request was inparison.


    "Guo Xiang?" Guo Tai was baffled. Ying Mei had given him a long list of instructions, but talking about Guo Xiang was not on it. He did not dare to answer. Instead, he sought for help from the invisible camera in a corner.


    * * *


    "Why is he talking about Guo Xiang all of a sudden? Is this some kind reminder? Do they know about our ns?" Bing Shuai extinguished his cigar in frustration. ¡¯Guo Xiang has always had the image of a spoilt brat, and I made sure to maintain that misleading image. The ritual has only been active for a few days, and they already know about it? I¡¯d suspect a rat if I hadn¡¯t hand-picked all of my helpers from when they were little kids...¡¯


    "It could be an excuse. He¡¯s seeking an opportunity." Ying Mei nced at Bing Shuai. She had never seen him this nervous.


    * * *


    "Young Master Guo is traveling abroad with friends." The assistant, who had stayed quiet the entire time, suddenly spoke.


    "Abroad?" Li Yiming looked at the man who seemed to be nothing more than a butler. ¡¯Average height, dark skin, calm. But his hands... these calluses... is he really a secretary? I remember the hand of Ma Dafang back in Eden, the same hands that have held a de for decades.¡¯


    "He went abroad? That little punk, all he knows is y around." Guo Tai feigned surprise and took a long sip of tea to hide his unease.


    "May I ask one more question? Do you know who exactly he is traveling with?" Li Yiming noticed Guo Tai¡¯s unnatural reaction and tried something else.


    "I don¡¯t know. Maybe with his girlfriend, knowing the young master¡¯s habits." The assistant let out a calm smile.


    "Well, I should stop taking up more of your time then. Sorry to have inconvenienced you." Li Yiming stood up with a smile. He had his doubts, but nothing convincing enough.


    ¡¯That¡¯s it? Nothing else? What about what Ying Mei told me?¡¯ Guo Tai was baffled. He quickly nced at his assistant, who ignored him. "I¡¯ll ask him to give you a call when hees back. It is urgent?" Guo Tai stood up nervously. This was the first time he had to deal with someone who had the full attention of Bing Shuai, and the pressure was quite daunting.


    "It¡¯s alright. Thank you." Li Yiming answered with a smile and made for the exit. He could tell that Guo Tai was hiding something.


    I¡¯m really not sure why Li Yiming thinks it¡¯s a brilliant idea to visit Guo Tai, especially if he thinks that the Guo family is behind both Ji Xiaoqin and Fu Bo¡¯s disappearance.


    Hey, my friend just got kidnapped! Let me go real quick and ask the people whom I suspect are behind it.


    Note that Tian Yan means Heaven¡¯s Eye, and that the word color (yan2 se4) contains a homophone with eye.? Note that eye is also a homophone with facial features/visage... ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 23

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 23 ¨C Analysis</strong></h4>


    "What do you think?" Bing Shuai switched off the monitor and turned toward Ying Mei.


    "It¡¯s a warning. A deliberate show of strength to warn us to back off." Ying Mei shut her eyes and recalled the brief encounter.


    ¡°I agree. I didn¡¯t expect this much patience... We¡¯ve underestimated him. He put up a perfect show. To be able to hide his motives so well... Looks like we have to reconsider our approach.¡± Bing Shuai offered his own analysis with furrowed brows and an apparent worry.


    "Perhaps the problem lies with Guo Tai. He was outmatched. He would¡¯ve failed us if not for Man Dao." Ying Mei was irritated by Guo Tai¡¯s ipetence.


    "It is his first encounter with a guardian. Understandable. We gave him too much pressure. It¡¯s not his fault." Bing Shuai defended Guo Tai.


    "So, what next?"


    "Hard to say... We¡¯re on our back foot. Our enemies hide in the shadows while wey exposed. We must find a way to regain the initiative. Did you catch Li Yiming¡¯s parting phrase?"


    "You mean when he said that he was not in a hurry?"


    "Yes. That was a reminder." Bing Shuai closed his eyes and leaned back slightly in his seat. ¡¯Ji Xiaoqin is one test subject. She¡¯s receable if they have mastered the production method. On the other hand, my losses are ...¡¯


    "Perhaps Li Yiming is their weakness?" Ying Mei hesitated; Li Yiming was prudent and intelligent, and therefore not an easy target.


    "Both of them are receable. It would be a nuisance for them at best, but our trump card..." Bing Shuai¡¯s looked downward.


    * * *


    Li Yiming began his analysis of his meeting with Guo Tai during his ride home on a rented bicycle. ¡¯That assistant is a guardian, I¡¯m sure. The calluses on his hand and his aura... he¡¯s no ordinary secretary. Come to think of it, why would the director of apany worth millions wee me warmly?¡¯ Li Yiming was expecting to have the door shut in on his face. It was surprising that Guo Tai agreed to meet him, and even more so that he wee him warmly.


    ¡¯He seemed surprised when I asked about Guo Tai, but why? What else would I possibly ask about?¡¯


    ¡¯The guardian... Guo Tai... Guo Xiang... Ji Xiaoqin... Fu Bo...¡¯


    Li Yiming parked the bicycle at the roadside and sat on the pavement. He listed out the key names in his mind, but failed find the connection between them. Everything remained shrouded in mystery, but he was at least sure of one thing ¡ª The Guo Family was behind the disappearance of Ji Xiaoqin. ¡¯But what about Fu Bo?¡¯


    * * *


    "You lived like that for thest few years?" Tian Yan was shocked. She could hardly imagine a lifepletely detached from society, with nothing but loneliness as one¡¯spanion. She had lost her sight, but at least she had everything else she needed: bodyguards, maids, uncle Bing, sister Ying...


    "What else can I do? Besides, life¡¯s not that bad. Being forgotten by everyone is rather liberating." Fu Bo shrugged his shoulders. This was the second time he retold his life story, and it brought him some relief.


    "Is it true that everyone forgets about you the next day?" Tian Yan was still fascinated by what she heard, despite being a guardian.


    "Not everyone... Just recently, I met someone who could remember. And now, you..." Fu Bo suddenly paused and stared at Tian Yan with a dazed smile. His thoughts began to wander. ¡¯Lady Luck is smiling upon me. First, my friendship with Li Yiming, and now, a chance at true love...¡¯


    Although Tian Yan could not see Fu Bo¡¯s passionate gaze, she shivered at its intensity. She looked down and yed around with her hair to hide her embarrassment. For a brief moment, the basementpsed into a silence in which love and warmth reverberated quietly.


    ¡°Miss Tian?¡± A middle-aged woman suddenly came down to the basement.


    Tian Yan leaped up from her seat like a startled rabbit. Fu Bo himself blushed like someone who had never experienced romance.


    "So this is where you have been? Miss Ying is looking for you." The woman looked at Fu Bo and seemed confused by the presence of a stranger in the basement. The woman¡¯s name was Xue Mei, and she was simultaneously Tian Yan¡¯s bodyguard and caretaker ever since Tian Yan¡¯s childhood.


    "Oh. I will go immediately." Tian Yan wrung her hands like a child who had made a mistake. She promptly left with Xue Mei¡¯s help, not even bothering to bid farewell to Fu Bo. Before walking out of the room, Xue Mei nced onest time at Fu Bo.


    "Who is he?" Xue Mei asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure... I passed by and saw him there, so I chatted with him for a bit.¡± Tian Yan¡¯s heart pounded. The story Fu Bo told her gave her the courage to lie.


    "Could he be the new test subject?¡¯ It never urred to Xue Mei that the little girl who been nothing but innocent and honest had learned to deceive.


    "New test subject?" Tian Yan came to a sudden stop.


    "Yes. Did they not tell you? Miss Ying wanted to test the effects of reversing the ritual formation. Bing Shuai has already given his approval." Xue Mei continued to guide Tian Yan forward, not noticing thetter¡¯s sudden halt.


    ¡¯They¡¯re going to reverse the ritual on him? But if his karma is extracted, then he¡¯ll...¡¯ Tian Yan knew very well what the consequences would be for Fu Bo if such an experiment was to take ce, since she was the once who came up with the idea in the first ce. ¡¯But... it would make sense. The slow progress on Guo Xiang calls for special measures...¡¯


    Tian Yan began to fear her work for the first time in her life.


    * * *


    Li Yiming looked at the meat juice that gushed out of his bun after one bite. He watched as the steaming liquid cooled down in his bowl and grew more and more agitated. ¡¯It¡¯s been a day already, and still nothing. I thought that things would go smoothly after reaching level five. Who would have thought that the first challenge would be this difficult already?¡¯


    Li Yiming wolfed down thest bit of his breakfast in frustration and reached out for his drink. His phone rang. ¡¯A new number? Who could it be?¡¯


    "Li Yiming? I need your help."


    "Fu Bo? Where are you?" Li Yiming threw his chopsticks down and grasped his phone.


    "I¡¯m at the Starbucks in the Five-O Shopping Mall. I¡¯m calling with a borrowed phone. I need your help." Fu Bo spoke with a low voice, but it sounded like he was on the verge of panicking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hang up. I¡¯ll be there in five minutes.¡± Li Yiming pped a bill onto the table and sprinted out of the restaurant. ¡¯Three blocks away... five minutes will be more than enough.¡¯


    Fu Bo returned the cell phone to its owner, who was starting to regret his generosity. He settled into a corner and waited nervously. Li Yiming did not disappoint his friend; he arrived within four minutes. The first thing he did when he approached Fu Bo was to drink down the cup of hot water on the table, much to the surprise of every other person in the shop.


    "Thank you." Fu Bo was touched when he saw the beads of sweat on Li Yiming¡¯s forehead. This was kind of friendship he had not experienced for a long while.


    "It¡¯s nothing. What¡¯s going on?" Li Yiming steadied his breath and stuck out his slightly burned tongue.


    "Someone kidnapped me." Fu Bo looked around and hushed an answer.


    Li Yiming nodded and waited for the rest of the tale.


    Fu Bo was shocked to see Li Yiming¡¯sck of surprise. He did not know that Li Yiming had already spent an entire day looking for him.


    "Then... Then, I..." Fu Bo knew that it was not the time for stories. He needed Li Yiming¡¯s help right away.


    * * *


    "The target has appeared. No other suspicious figures in the vicinity." A cashier at the counter, who was handing coffee to a customer, said in a low voice.


    ¡°The street is clear.¡± In a journal stand across the street, an old man closed the magazine in his hands and sipped his tea.


    ¡°The roof¡¯s clear.¡± This came from a repairman who was busy working on an air conditioning unit at the top of the skyscraper.


    "The subway¡¯s clear." On the underground level, a couple was kissing in public.


    ¡°The kitchen¡¯s clear.¡± A chef put a pastry onto a te and wiped his hands.


    "The back entrance is clear." A street cleaner emptied the trash bins at the back of coffee shop.


    Ying Mei furrowed her brows. ¡¯Did he reallye alone?¡¯


    "Continue monitoring. Proceed as nned." Ying Mei stared at the surveince feed with anxiety and fidgeted around with her pen.


    * * *


    "We lost him." Inside the shop where Li Yiming had his breakfast, a slim man looked around frantically, as if he was looking for his lost child.


    "You lost him?" The voice came from a miniature transmitter inside the man¡¯s ear. The phone was simply there to avoid suspicions.


    ¡°The kid received a call and took off like a madman.¡± The man replied.


    "Took off?" The woman on the other end was baffled.


    "That was probably a hundred kilometer per hour. Level three stamina definitely. Isn¡¯t he worried about the speed limit?" The manined. He could also reach that speed, but not in such a busy ce, and not without arousing Li Yiming¡¯s attention.


    "I¡¯ll contact the others. Don¡¯t expose yourself." The woman picked up her tablet started monitoring a real-time GPS feed instead of ming the man for his mistake.


    "Wait a second. I think the other group of people know. They wouldn¡¯t be so calm otherwise. Let me go have a look." The man hung up the phone and followed after someone who was dressed-up like a high-schooler.


    This is some AAA spy movie level stuff

 Volume 4 Chapter 24

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 24 ¨C Kidnapping</strong></h4>


    "A cult? A blind girl? Li Yiming frowned after hearing Fu Bo¡¯s tale.


    "Yeah, you have to believe me." Fu Bo knew just how bewildering his recount of the events was.


    "No, no, you¡¯ve got it wrong. I do believe you. I just need to think about this." Li Yiming sipped on histte. He knew that Fu Bo would not lie to him, only his interpretation of the events was different from Fu Bo¡¯s.


    Fu Bo¡¯s story was concise and cogently narrated; he had been kidnapped by cult believers, who first asked him some strange questions and then imprisoned him within a rather luxurious cell. He then met a blind girl who seemingly fell in love with him and helped him escape once she heard about the life-threatening ritual that was going to be performed on him. Fu Bo did not go to the police, since it was all so strange, but now he needed help to rescue the girl, who was undoubtedly going to be harshly punished for her betrayal.


    ¡¯A cult? No, it¡¯s guardian organization of some kind. That blind girl must be a guardian if she can move around freely. She can remember Fu Bo... there must be something special about her. What about the ritual? I guess it must have something to do with Mr. Kong¡¯s request... But what about Ji Xiaoqin? Why would they ask questions about Ji Xiaoqin? Is she also a guardian?¡¯ Li Yiming knew the truth behind Fu Bo¡¯s abduction, but the part about Ji Xiaoqin surprised him greatly.


    "Do you remember where you were being kept?"


    "Century Garden." Fu Bo answered without any hesitation.


    ¡¯I knew it. The Guo family is involved in this. I don¡¯t think that they¡¯d let normal peoplee into contact with him either...¡¯ Li Yiming thought. "How many people have you seen during your stay there?"


    "If I count Tian Tian, seven... no wait, eight people, including Tian Tian¡¯s maid."


    ¡¯Eight people? So at least eight guardians...¡¯ The revtion came to Li Yiming¡¯s shock.


    "Yiming, you¡¯re my only friend. I need your help." Fu Bo¡¯s agitation grew as he watched Li Yiming sink into a dead silence.


    "Calm down. We¡¯ll save her, but first..."


    "Ah!" Li Yiming¡¯s exnation was interrupted by a pregnant woman on the neighboring table, who fell to the ground with her hand on her stomach and a trail of blood between her legs. Her features were distorted by pain, but even so, her yelling did not cease. "My baby! My baby...!"


    Li Yiming panicked. Although he possessed superhuman strength, it was of no help in such a situation. He took the woman¡¯s hand gently and asked the people around to call for an ambnce.


    ¡¯Yiming! Fu Bo.¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly heard Bai Ze¡¯s call. He looked around and realized that Fu Bo was gone.


    ¡¯The backdoor!¡¯ Bai Ze said in a flustered voice.


    Li Yiming was about to make for the exit, but a hand mped him in ce; it was the pregnant woman who kept pleading about saving her child. Li Yiming frowned and extended his focus toward her stomach. ¡¯She¡¯s definitely pregnant, but the child¡¯s condition is stable. The blood is fake!¡¯


    "Let go of me!" Li Yiming stared at the pregnant woman angrily. This time, he did it with the mannerism he had learned from the bloodbaths within the recent domains. The pregnant woman shivered from head to toe, attacked by a unspeakable terror, and let go of Li Yiming¡¯s hand immediately.


    After onest cold nce at the pregnant woman, Li Yiming rushed toward the back exit. He arrived just in time to see a ck car make off into the distance. ¡¯Letting Fu Bo get kidnapped once was my mistake. I will not repeat it.¡¯


    Li Yiming ran after the car like a madman. Although he was slowly closing in, his anxiousness grew. He knew that as the number of cars on the road diminished, the kidnappers¡¯ car could afford to elerate. It was only a matter of time before he was ousted. This was not the first time Li Yiming regretted not having a driver¡¯s license.


    As Li Yiming¡¯s frustration grew, a young man on a motorcycle approached from the other side of the road. His hair was dyed into a purple and green Mohawk, and his ride followed the same fashion trend; it was decorated with metal spikes and a bright headlight that blinded Li Yiming even in broad daylight.


    ¡¯I¡¯ll teach you to illegally modify your motorcycle! I¡¯ll teach you to use fog lights in the city!¡¯ Li Yiming stared at the young man with an odd mixture of anger and gratitude at meeting him at such an opportune time. The young cyclist seemed to have noticed Li Yiming¡¯s attention and looked back. It had been a long time since someone had dared treat him like that.


    Li Yiming reached out for the handle of the motorcycle as the young man grazed past him. With a strong pull, the young man was ejected into the greenbelt before his disdainful expression turned to surprise and anger. Li Yiming hopped into vehicle and elerated at full capacity.


    ¡¯Holy shit, it¡¯s electric?¡¯ Instead of the loud roar of the engine, a high-pitched screech was heard and the motorcycle zipped toward the car. ¡¯This guy was riding an electric scooter the whole time?¡¯ 1


    However, Li Yiming¡¯s mood quickly took a turn for the better when he realized that the scooter had been modified to reach otherwise unthinkable speeds. Li Yiming lowered his body to reduce resistance and continued his chase. ¡¯Already eighty kilometers per hour. I think I can make it to one hundred.¡¯


    The car was still leading the way, but the traffic of Hangzhou no longer allowed it to outpace Li Yiming. Having realized this, after a few quick turns, the driver rammed past a few fences that guarded a viaduc which was still in construction. Li Yiming followed the car onto the viaduc, but his optimism slowly faded away when he realized that the car was slowly moving away from him, and that most importantly, his scooter seemed to be running out of power.


    * * *


    "The target has taken the bait. He¡¯s chasing after Ye Lang, but it seems like he¡¯s alone." Two workers arrived at the entrance to the viaduc construction site. One was repairing the fences while the other picked up a transmitter.


    "Have they noticed?" Ying Mei frowned when she received the update.


    "They have seen through our schemes. Everyone, help Man Dao evacuate. They¡¯re gathering their forces. Ye Lang, keep Li Yiming busy and find an opportunity to shake him off." Ying Mei decided quickly. ¡¯This is even worse than what I had imagined.¡¯


    "What if I can¡¯t shake him off?" The driver of the ck car nced at the rear-view mirror.


    "Then end him," Ying Mei answered coldly. She quickly switched the surveince feed to a mobile restaurant wagon which was making its way down the street slowly.


    Scaring Fu Bo into thinking his life was threatened and manipting Tian Yan into helping him escape was all part of Bing Shuai¡¯s n. Fu Bo would be the bait that would lure out the people behind Li Yiming. Ying Mei had further improved the strategy by making it look like Fu Bo was taken to the ck car when it fact, he had been brought to the restaurant wagon.


    ¡¯The n was perfect, but... our foes have outmatched us for scouting. Only Li Yiming has fallen for the empty car. This is a problem. Well, I suppose that our trap is still impermeable to anyone below sage-level.¡¯ Ying Mei tried to rid the frustration in her mind.


    * * *


    "He¡¯s... running again? Are you serious?" The skinny man from the breakfast shop had barely been led to the Starbucks by the high-schooler. Before he could savor his victory, there was a suddenmotion in the shop, and Li Yiming once again bolted out of the shop¡¯s door. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. ¡¯What is wrong with him?¡¯


    "Boss, I think we just bumped into a big fish." After a brief while, the man walked to a bench and took out his phone.


    "Did you find him?"


    "Yes, but he ran away again." The skinny man seemed frustrated.


    "And that big fish of yours?"


    "One... two... three... they have more than twenty people here. At least six of them are guardians." The man pushed up his sunsses and smiled with contempt.


    "Oh really? Bing Shuai has taken such measures?"


    "Yeah. The kid¡¯s gone, but these people are still here. I think they¡¯re also fishing."


    "Keep waiting."


    "Understood." The man hung up his telephone and entered a shop nearby. He came out with a cup of cold plum juice and sat down on the stairs. ¡¯What a great ce, Hangzhou. Even at this time of the year, these beauties are still in skirts.¡¯ He thought as he observed the passer-bys.


    On the other side of the line, Stargaze picked up her brush. She worked swiftly, tracing each stroke elegantly until a giant "Bei" appeared on the high-grade paper.


    "You¡¯re here as well? The ce is growing livelier by the second I see."


    Spy level stuff and Li Yiming is bing smart... I like it.


    This is most likely a joke about the abundance of legal/illegal electric scooters in Chinese cities. As you can imagine, these scooters can be quite the safety/traffic regtion problem if they can reach 70-80 km/h and ride on the sidewalks and every small alley. Although in big cities, this problem has improved a huge amount in thest 5-10 years, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to see these kind of scooters still in smaller cities. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 25

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 25 ¨C Battle</strong></h4>


    ¡¯Are you serious? Do these people ever fully charge their batteries before heading out?¡¯ Li Yiming stared at the ck car spitefully. No matter how hard he pushed on the elerator, he was still


    ¡¯Wait a second, electricity... ¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly had an idea. After a brief effort, the scooter was suddenly revitalized and elerated forward once again.


    ¡¯Holy shit, and I was worried about running out of power? I¡¯m the most powerful battery in the world!¡¯ Li Yiming roared inwardly as a purple spark climbed up his buttocks.


    Ny... One hundred... One hundred and ten... The scooter, with its speed-limiting device removed, reached an unfathomable speed when Li Yiming himself provided it with nearly infinite power.


    Ye Lang was dumbfounded when he saw the scooter close in slowly. ¡¯Are you serious? Do they really go to that kind of length to modify scooters nowadays? I have to get myself one of those. But... now that he¡¯s caught up, and no one¡¯s around... More importantly, no cameras around, I think I can get away with disobeying Ying Mei¡¯s orders. Pfft, taking care of a representative should be a piece of cake.¡¯ Ye Lang spat out of the window and slowed down the car.


    * * *


    "Finally, now¡¯s the time." The skinny man gulped down thest bit of his plum juice. ¡¯Seventeen people. Prudent enough, but prudence alone is worthless.¡¯ He picked up a napkin and stood up. He could see from the corner of his eyes that a restaurant wagon was slowly driving out of an alley nearby, and, most importantly, that quite a few people in the crowd were following the vehicle surreptitiously. He made azy stretch and headed toward a bus that had just arrived at a stop nearby. A momentter and the bus made for the opposite direction with him on board.


    * * *


    "Man Dao¡¯s on his way. All clear."


    "All clear."


    "All clear."


    "All clear."


    Ying Mei frowned when she heard the reports from her subordinates. ¡¯Where are these people... I¡¯ve spent so much time, and I haven¡¯t even found a single one of them yet. We¡¯re facing dangerous foes.¡¯ Ying Mei took a deep breath and concentrated on checking the return route once again for the car that held Fu Bo.


    * * *


    Li Yiming looked at the parked car in front of him. ¡¯Why did the car stop? I thought this viaduct led all the way out of town. Don¡¯t tell me that the car ran out of gas...¡¯


    Before Li Yiming could finish his thoughts, a muscr man wearing a ck vest and sport shorts came out with a dark countenance. ¡¯Oh, I see...¡¯ Li Yiming smiled coldly. After verifying his surroundings, he ducked down and continued to elerate.


    Seventy meters... Fifty... Thirty... Ye Lang looked at Li Yiming, who flew in like a moth into a fire pit and smiled cruelly. However, a momentter, Ye Lang¡¯s blood ran cold when he saw that Li Yiming had vanished from the seat of the scooter.


    Ye Lang suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and he was sent flying from the impact of the blow.


    ¡¯Guardian?¡¯ The shock in Li Yiming¡¯s mind mirrored that of his foe¡¯s.


    Li Yiming squinted when he saw Ye Lang turn around in midair andnd on the pavement with his hand on his stomach. ¡¯I used at least eighty percent of my strength and Thundersh. It felt like I¡¯ve punched a steel beam. Even my wrist is numb...¡¯


    The scooter continued on its course and shattered against the car with a loud thud. This was the moment Li Yiming chose to strike. He appeared above Ye Lang with his decorative longsword and brought it down in a mighty sh.


    ng!


    The clink of metal hitting metal even surpassed that of the collision between the scooter and the car. The decorative sword from Jing Prefecture had finally fulfilled its destiny: it broke into several fragments against Ye Lang¡¯s arm.


    Li Yiming was taken aback by the demise of his weapon. ¡¯Are you kidding me? I thought that the quality of modern metalworking was passable at least, yet it¡¯s giving up on me on the first blow?¡¯ As the thought ran through his mind, he felt a sudden gust of wind around his stomach. He retracted his abdomen and activated Thundersh without hesitation. When Li Yiming reappeared ten meters further away, his shirt had been ripped into pieces and three bloody marks ran down his abdomen.


    "All appearance, I see.¡¯ Ye Lang licked the tip of his fingers that had been colored into a bright crimson by Li Yiming¡¯s flesh and blood. Li Yiming noticed that Ye Lang had changed; his body had grown even more muscr, his sideburns thickened, and his chin, which had looked sharp and clean, was slowly growing in size. 1


    "We¡¯ll see about that." Li Yiming could hear the sound of the police sirens in the distance; this was a fight which had to be finished quickly.


    Ye Lang also heard the siren sounds. The bloodlust and urge to kill in his eyes intensified. He crouched down and made ready to leap toward Li Yiming. However, Li Yiming interrupted him with a gesture of the right arm. "Thunderfall!"


    The bolt of lightning that appeared above his head caught Ye Lang off guard, who had thought of Li Yiming as a close-range warrior with some kind of instant movement technique. Ye Lang attempted to roll to the side, but was intercepted mid air by a palm with purple light. Ye Lang barely had time to put his hands in front of him to block the attack. His limbs were paralyzed the moment he made contact with the tens of thousands of volt that ran between Li Yiming¡¯s fingers.


    Thest thing Ye Lang saw was another hand moving toward his heart. A crater was produced when hended onto the pavement, his limbs rigid and his body stiff. The tip of his hair had been been charred, and his eyes stared vacantly at the sky.


    Li Yiming gazed at Ye Lang¡¯s corpse coldly. Instead of disgust, he felt the thrill ofbat and the excitement of the kill. As the siren noises became louder, Li Yiming rushed toward the ck car and pulled open the backdoor.


    "Nothing? The car¡¯s empty?" Li Yiming was dumbfounded. He put his palm on the car and searched it inside and out with his senses.


    ¡¯Empty... I was tricked...¡¯ Li Yiming nced at Ye Lang¡¯s corpse, irritated by the setback, and then at the direction from which the siren sounds came. A few shes of lightter and he was gone.


    * * *


    "We¡¯ve arrived. Everything is as nned." Ying Mei¡¯s agitation grew as the confirmation of sess came. ¡¯Fu Bo¡¯s back but nothing happened? Does that mean that they¡¯ve given up on him? Or is it that they¡¯re hesitant to show a weakness...¡¯


    However, both Ying Mei and the rest of her team failed to notice the arrival of a taxi in the neighborhood. A fat woman descended from the vehicle with a basket of groceries and a friendly smile. This was the disguise of Qian Mian, Stargaze¡¯s agent. He had the ability to change his appearance at will, and he trailed Ying Mei¡¯s subordinates all the way to the neighborhood, sometimes even travelling right alongside them. 2


    Qian Mian exchanged warm greetings with the security guard and was even offered to be escorted to her door. After a few not-so-insistent refusals, Qing Mian happily hopped onto the patrol car. This all urred right under Ying Mei¡¯s watch, but failed to trigger thetter¡¯s rm. The fat woman was the very well-known owner of building 39, and her husband was a wealthy coal mine owner. The mistress had appeared alongside affluence, and her husband had not returned home for several years already. The woman¡¯s tolerance of her husband¡¯s infidelity grew along with her waistline, and given her appearance, few in the neighborhood could forget about her.


    As the patrol car went by, the fat woman saluted Ying Mei warmly. Ying Mei, who had nothing but anxiety in her mind, turned her head away. The fat woman did not mind Ying Mei¡¯s coldness and continued her conversation with the guard. However, Bing Shuai, who had been in the living room of his house, suddenly stood up and gazed in the direction of the patrol car. Terror shed on Qian Mian¡¯s face, and he vanished an instantter, leaving a terrified guard who jumped off his car and ran into the distance.


    "They¡¯ve alreadye and left." Bing Shuai approached Ying Mei with a grim expression.


    Shivers ran down Ying Mei¡¯s spine; someone had followed her agents to their base of operations, and she did not even know about it. ¡¯If they seized the opportunity...¡¯


    "Boss..." An agent suddenly ran in with a telephone. Ying Mei looked at Bing Shuai lowered her head silently.


    "Take it." Bing Shuai took a deep breath. While he worked and nned his trap meticulously, his foes sat and watched him, as if he was a monkey in a circus. It had been a long while since he had experienced this kind of humiliating failure. Bing Shuai felt the need to take a moment topose himself.


    Ying Mei picked up the phone spiritlessly. However, a few sentencester and her countenance shifted drastically, "Bing..." Ying Mei hesitat==-ed, and even looking at her master in the eyes seemed to be a difficult task.


    Bing Shuai stopped in his tracks and turned back toward Ying Mei. He had an ominous feeling for what was about toe.


    "Ye... Ye Lang is dead..."


    A tapestry of frost suddenly fell on the vegetation in the garden right outside of the mansion. Ying Mei felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave.


    I will say this again, I¡¯ll never understand the transition from warm-hearted fool to cold-blooded monster. 0.0


    Note that Ye Lang in Chinese means "wild wolf". This probably refers to some kind werewolf/semi-beast transformation. ? Note that Qian Mian means a thousand faces, so obviously some kind spy/infiltrator kind of agent. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 26

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 26 ¨C Arrested?</strong></h4>


    ¡¯That was definitely Bing Shuai. Any longer and I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it out so easily.¡¯ Qian Mian¡¯s heart was still racing in his chest, as the carousel spun around over and over again. He wore a princess dress and had a lollipop in his mouth. H ¡¯What is it that they were escorting already...? Weird, I can¡¯t to remember.¡¯ Qian Mian put a bluetooth earphone into his ear.


    "Hey Boss."


    "Did you get exposed?"


    "Yes."


    "Did you escape?"


    "Yes."


    "Did you find anything?"


    "Yes."


    "What was their target?"


    "I forgot."


    "What?"


    "I don¡¯t remember."


    * * *


    Li Yiming finally arrived home after a long journey. He needed a quiet ce to sort out his thoughts, which grew even messier than in the morning. However, right as the elevator door opened, Li Yiming was greeted by a dozen gun barrels. A moment of hesitation and a few men in uniform put him to the ground. Li Yiming could have easily escaped, but he chose to submit when he noticed the emblems on their uniform.


    ¡¯The police?¡¯


    "Li Yiming, you¡¯re hereby arrested on the grounds of robbery and murder. Here¡¯s the court order." A sheet of paper was put in front of Li Yiming¡¯s, and a man with a serious expression emerged from behind it a momentter.


    ¡¯Wait a second, this guy, I remember him. He was the one being intimidated by Grandma Wang in the domain... Only now it¡¯s not a domain.¡¯


    The metal grid fell behind Li Yiming with a loud clunk. Li Yiming, with cuffs arounds his wrists and ankles, was brought to a chair made of steel rods. A projector was directed at his face, and the light was so bright, he could barely keep his eyes open.


    "Alright, confess now and we¡¯ll make it easy for you." Captain Zhang sat down facing Li Yiming and stared at him coldly.


    "Confess what, sir?" Li Yiming sighed. He had not expected that out of all things, it was the police that would cause his ultimate downfall.


    "Robbery and murder, of course! Do you have no regard for thews of this country!?" Captain Zhang roared in anger.


    "I¡¯ve told you already. My friend was kidnapped at a Starbucks. I chased after the people who did it, and that¡¯s why I grabbed the scooter. I¡¯m willing to settle this privately."


    "You said that your friend was kidnapped. What¡¯s his name?"


    "Fu Bo. He¡¯s a web novelist. He lives one floor below me."


    Captain Zhang looked at one of the investigation reports for the case. Fu Bo¡¯s name was indeed on it.


    "Where is he right now?"


    "I don¡¯t know, he¡¯s been kidnapped!" Li Yiming was baffled by the stupidity of the question.


    "I¡¯ve read your file. Clean background, good student, and even a university graduate. With your talent in dance, maybe you¡¯ll be an artist. I think you should confess so we can try to lessen your sentence." Captain Zhang suddenly took a different tone. Instead of intimidating Li Yiming, he was now trying to convince him.


    "Sir, what is there to confess about? I¡¯ve told you everything I know. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll know that I¡¯m speaking the truth if you verify the surveince footage."


    Captain Zhang¡¯s lips quirked into a bitter smile. He knew that the conversation was going nowhere. He did not need Li Yiming¡¯s reminder. However, the surveince footage for all thirty one cameras around the area had been mysteriously erased. The only clue that led him to finding Li Yiming was the video footage taken by the owner of the scooter.


    "We¡¯ll investigate your friend¡¯s kidnapping, but right now, it remains a fact that you have robbed the scooter." Captain Zhang took a deep breath to organize his thoughts.


    Li Yiming closed his eyes and pondered. ¡¯I didn¡¯t have much of a choice back then, but now, it¡¯s going to be hard to get myself out of this one. ¡¯


    "You chased after a ck Chevrolet with te number 83728 and entered viaduct number seven. We¡¯ve found the corpse of the driver, Wu Hao, about fourteen kilometers away from the entrance. The scooter you hijacked was found along with the car. How do you exin that?"


    "I borrowed the scooter. The battery ran out, so I gave up and walked back. I was going to gather the documents needs to file the case to the police station, but then I bumped into you guys." Li Yiming knew he could get away with the usation of robbery by paying the money to hire a goodwyer. He had given up on being a teacher, and thest thing a guardian could care about was some petty crime whose punishment could be deferred. However, murder was a different matter; if he was to be convicted, he would find himself in a difficult predicament.


    "That¡¯s a poor exnation." Captain Zhang said grimly.


    "So you think that I could have caught up with the car? That car¡¯s engine is at least a two-liter, isn¡¯t it?" Li Yiming asked back.


    Captain zhang ran out of words. On-scene investigation had revealed that the scooter¡¯s battery had indeed run dry, and experts estimated that the scooter¡¯s speed must have been around one hundred fifty kilometers per hour at the moment of collision. There were far too many unexined observations in this case.


    * * *


    "Li Yiming has been caught. He¡¯s being detained right now." Ying Mei hung up the phone and reported thetest findings to Bing Shuai.


    "The police got him? He didn¡¯t resist?" Bing Shuai was as surprised as Ying Mei. ¡¯Ying Mei¡¯s original n was just to put a cap on his efficiency... but it was this simple?¡¯


    "Apparently he¡¯s given his given his full cooperation. They¡¯re still going through the usual procedures" Ying Mei was both embarrassed and irritated; it was as if Li Yiming could see through her thoughts and sought to make sure that every single one of her schemes ended in failure.


    "They got us." Bing Shuai rubbed his eyes and sighed. "An unannounced visit, seeing through our trap and killing one of us, and now he walks straight into jail when we just want to throw some trouble in his way?"


    "He wouldn¡¯t dare. I¡¯ll make sure he neveres out of jail," Ying Mei said angrily. It was doubly unpleasant to hear Bing Shuai reiterate her failures, especially when she considered herself to be the brain of the team.


    "We wouldn¡¯t gain anything by doing that. We know nothing about our enemy." Bing Shuai sighed. He has been building and maintaining hiswork in Hangzhou for thirty years already, and now, simply because of that man who carried a nylon bag...


    "So what¡¯s next..." Ying Mei was still refusing to give up.


    "Bring Tian Yan here. I need to talk with her." Bing Shuai sighed again. He had experienced more moments of helpless frustration over thest few weeks than all thirty years he had lived in Hangzhou.


    "As you wish." Ying Mei pursed her lips and left for Tian Yan¡¯s room. On her way, she picked up her phone. ¡¯At least you won¡¯t get out of there in one piece... Pfft, just a representative.¡¯


    * * *


    An icy metal fence, a wall yellowed by age, sheets that reeked with the smell of mold, and a group of buffed man who seemed ready to jump on him at any time: such was Li Yiming¡¯s first night in jail. It was hard for the police to arrive to a conclusion when the circumstances surrounding the death of Ye Lang were so abnormal, so Li Yiming ended up losing the privilege of spending the night in solitary confinement. Li Yiming looked at his jail-mates, swallowed down his disgust andid down on his bed. ¡¯I need some time to think about all of this anyways... It seems like I¡¯ll be stuck here for a little while.¡¯


    ¡¯Bai Ze, any suggestions?¡¯ Li Yiming had hoped for words of wisdom that pointed toward a path out of his cell.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know much about yourws so you¡¯re on your own.¡¯ Bai Ze went silent. She had made her opinion abundantly clear; there was nothing that held Li Yiming in this cell, it was just a matter of whether he wanted to be fugitive or not.


    ¡¯Ugh.¡¯ Li Yiming sighed and looked outside through the small aperture near the roof.


    "Hey boss, it¡¯s that kid. We¡¯ve received news from outside. We can y around as much as we want, all the better if we break him." A short man with a perverse smile ran to the fat man who sat in the middle of the group of prisoners.


    "Really? He¡¯s already here? Come, let¡¯s see who¡¯s the idiot who dared irritate our boss. I¡¯ll show you how I got my name and reputation." The leader pushed through his minions and stared at Li Yiming coldly. He waved his hand and all the inmates, who seemed clearly bored from staying in the cell all day, followed behind.


    "Hey kid, it¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve arrived. Don¡¯t you know the rules? Where¡¯s your greeting?" The men surrounded Li Yiming, and the fat man shouted loudly. This was his speech for intimidating neers, and it usually worked well. On top of it, since they had received external instructions regarding Li Yiming, the connivance of the jailguards was to be expected.


    "Hey, we¡¯re talking to you!" The minion who had brought the information to his leader kicked Li Yiming¡¯s bed. The vibration made Li Yiming turned around, and he frowned with surprise when he saw the group of men right in front of him.


    "What are you thinking? Kneel down, now!" The minion shouted, emboldened by the power of numbers.


    Thud!


    Someone suddenly fell to his knees, cutting all of the yelling and shouting short.


    Li Yiming was growing irritated. ¡¯You think someone that¡¯s been through Heaven¡¯s Punishment is going be scared of you?¡¯ He was about to teach the man who threatened him a lesson when a towering figure knelt down right in front of him, The leader of the gang, the fat man, had fallen to his knees, his whole body trembling uncontrobly. Some of the other inmates were starting to think that it was a new routine their boss had devised.


    When Li Yiming saw the face of the fat man, he suddenly felt a strange warmness in his heart. It was like seeing an old friend he had not met for a long time.


    I¡¯m not sure how the police officer manages to know about Fu Bo when everyone, even guardians forget about him.


    Also an addition from thements section of thest chapter. There are <strong>two </strong>parties stalking Li Yiming right now. One from Bing Shuai and Co., who think that Li Yiming is a representative from another powerful guardian organization. Another is the skinny man/Qian Mian sent by Stargaze. Unlike Bing Shua¡¯s gang, <strong>Qian Mian knows about Li Yiming¡¯s being a guardian</strong>.

 Volume 4 Chapter 27

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 27 ¨C Unexpected Gain </strong>


    <strong> </strong></h4>


    "You.. you really turned yourself in?" A satisfied smile appeared on Li Yiming¡¯s face. He realized that he had done at least one good deed.


    However, his smile seemed to be a smile from hell to his interlocutor, who trembled violently. The leader of the prisoners was the shop owner who had tried to extort money from Li Yiming. After Li Yiming left, his fear for his own safety superseded his fear of prison, and he turned himself in the next day. He had been livingfortably ever since, so he convinced himself that jail was nothing more than a temporary refuge.


    "Boss!?! Who¡¯s your boss? The boss is here!" The minion received a p that sent him crashing on the floor, groaning in pain. Fatty then pointed at Li Yiming to make the change in status understood by all of his subordinates.


    ¡¯What¡¯s happening?¡¯ The question shed through the minds of the inmates. All of them took two steps back when they realized that Li Yiming was going to be trouble. Although the guards would not punish them for having a little fun, it was not worth it to incur the wrath of a cold-blooded murderer, especially when they were yet to be convicted. 1


    ¡¯You monster!¡¯ The fat man never expected Li Yiming to follow him to prison. He had confessed to all his trivial crimes, but he shut his mouth about deeds involving important people. He shivered and looked at Li Yiming pleadingly. ¡¯It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to confess, I really can¡¯t, please...¡¯


    By now, the henchmen had seen enough to understand that they needed to kneel down. All the years on the street taught them the importance of switching allegiance in a timely manner.


    "Hmm...?" What are you guys doing?" This was not the first time Li Yiming had seen something like that. In Shangbei, the old guardian had begged for his life twice. However, it still remained impressive and unsettling to have a row of people fall to the ground at the same time.


    "I...I..." Cold sweat dripped down Fatty¡¯s neck from remembering his encounter with Li Yiming. ¡¯What a monster... He¡¯ll swallow me whole.¡¯


    "Come on, stand up. Why kneel in the middle of the night? We¡¯re not in a mourning hall." Li Yiming helped his "friend" stand up. He was happy to see the fat gangster again, since he sincerely believed that thetter must have changed his ways and turned himself in.


    "Get up... Get up!" The henchmen also followed suit. Most of them moved to the side and began to make guesses regarding Li Yiming¡¯s identity.


    "Go, go, shoo! All of you, go sleep and stop crowding around. Come, let¡¯s talk." Li Yiming waved his hand, dismissing the rest of the goons. He led his "old friend" to his bed and made him sit.


    "Erm... Err... I have nothing to do with this. I¡¯m just following orders. If I knew that you were the target, I never would¡¯ve dared." Fatty ended up half-squatting, too afraid to sit on the bed. Li Yiming¡¯s gentle expression terrorized him even more. It was just like when Li Yiming pulled out a gun and a bag of white powder from behind his back and started to lecture him about the value of things in life.


    "Oh? I¡¯m being targeted?" Li Yiming¡¯s was surprised by the revtion. ¡¯So he received the news before I even got in?¡¯


    Li Yiming has had his suspicions about the police¡¯s sudden arrival and the videotape evidence that happened to be conveniently avable. ¡¯Being filmed on camera while I took the scooter couldn¡¯t have been a simple coincidence. Also, the ck car... I get that Fu Bo couldn¡¯t be traced down, but he wasn¡¯t in that car, so what happened to all of the surveince footage?¡¯


    Li Yiming gazed at the fat gangster. ¡¯Maybe staying in here won¡¯t be such a waste of time after all.¡¯


    "Is Yunlong Group this powerful?" Li Yiming asked. ¡¯The only people that could be behind this are the guardians who orchestrated the kidnaping of Fu Bo. Everything points to Yunlong and the Guo family...¡¯


    "You... You knew?" Fatty was shocked. ¡¯He knows everything! Please don¡¯t involve a small fry like me in your war!¡¯


    "Let¡¯s talk about Yunlong first. You seem to be on good terms with them." Li Yiming¡¯s suspicions were confirmed by Fatty¡¯s reaction.


    "Hmm? Erm...?" Fatty countenance turned ashen. He had taken special care to avoid mentioning Yunlong when he turned himself in.


    "It¡¯s ok. The night is still young, we can have a nice, long chat." Li Yiming made himselffortable on his bed. The sheets didn¡¯t seem so disgusting to him anymore.


    "I really can¡¯t. If I told you... When I leave this ce..." Fatty begged.


    "When you leave? Do you think you¡¯ll be able to?" Li Yiming asked with a gentle smile.


    Fatty¡¯s heart skipped a beat ¡¯Talk and receive punishment for it when I get out... or keep my mouth shut and maybe not even be able to get out...¡¯¡¯ The back of his shirt was soon drenched in sweat. Once he weighed out the consequences, Fatty resolved himself and divulged everything.


    Fatty was once a construction site manager that worked for Yunlong. He had been scapegoated for an incident of "convincing" residents to move out of their to-be-demolished homes. Following media exposure, he was forced to leave the job. Yunlong Group paid him back for his sacrifice and let him handle shady deals thereon. With a strong backer, Fatty eventually became an influential figure in the city¡¯s underworld.


    ording to Fatty, Yunlong had an endless amount of powerful backers. Most of the time, he only yed the role of the bad guy on the stage. Residents who were adamant about staying in their old homes often changed their mind the very next day and willingly signed the paperwork. Fatty was perceptive and knew his ce. He knew that he was but a facade to cover up the people who were really moving the pieces. 2


    What¡¯s more was that manyrge projects or policy changes would end up favoring Yunlong. Even the contracts that were already given to Yunlong would be amended with more profitable terms. These mysterious incidents convinced Fatty that Yunlong was the biggest fish in the pond, and even though he feared his masters, he was convinced that he would be able to do anything he wanted as long as he was under Yunlong¡¯s umbre.


    ¡¯Indeed, guardians are one of the strongest backers one can ever have.¡¯ Li Yiming smiled coldly.


    "Did you receive your instructions from Guo Tai?" Li Yiming asked halfheartedly. ¡¯Guo Tai doesn¡¯t look like a guardian. Why is he involved then?¡¯


    "No way! He is the big boss after all. I¡¯ve only seen him once. Usually his assistant, Brother Dao, gives the jobs."


    "Brother Dao? The assistant with hands full of calluses?" Li Yiming remembered from his encounter with Guo Tai.


    "Yeah. Yeah, that¡¯s him." Fatty nodded. He was surprised by Li Yiming¡¯s knowledge of Yunlong Group. ¡¯Well it seems like Brother Dao does leave a strong impression on people.¡¯


    "What about Guo Xiang? How much do you know about him?" Li Yiming realized that it must be more than a simple coincidence for Guo Xiang to show up time after time in the domains.


    "Young Master Guo?" Fatty peeked at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming stared back at him silently.


    "Young Master Guo... I¡¯m quite familiar with him. Hees over to me quite often." Fatty replied hesitantly.


    "Why?"


    "Nothing much. Trivial things. I own a few reputable nightclubs in Hangzhou, so he often makes me set up the venues for him."


    "Doesn¡¯t seem like you think too highly of him." Li Yiming noticed the change from respectful reverence to contempt.


    "I¡¯m confused as to why a man as great as the big boss would have such a useless son." Fatty spoke without reserve, wanting to please Li Yiming. "Despite being the inheritor of an influentialpany, the only things on his mind are women and parties. On top of it, with how much money he has, it would be easy for him to find any kind of girl he wants, but he likes to use drugs and do it forcibly."


    "Oh?" Li Yiming was surprised. ¡¯I always thought that Guo Xiang was just a yboy, but who knew that there was such a sinister side to him?¡¯


    "Yeah. Who knows how many women he¡¯s already ruined in my nightclub?" Fatty answered with disgust. Although he was a gangster, he was an old-fashioned criminal with his own bottom line.


    "Guo Tai doesn¡¯t care?" Li Yiming did not think that Guo Tai would be the kind of person to spoil his son like that.


    "That¡¯s the most frustrating part. Big Boss spoils his son too much. Once Young Master Guo raped a college student in a bathroom while her boyfriend was right outside. After that, the girl made a ruckus about suicide, and her family called the police. However, on that very night, her family went to remove theirint, and Guo Xiang came back to the nightclub as if nothing happened on the next day."


    Fury burned in Li Yiming¡¯s heart. ¡¯Can guardians just do whatever pleases them in the real world? Isn¡¯t Heaven¡¯s Laws supposed to reign them in?¡¯


    "Are there a lot of cover-ups like this?" Li Yiming¡¯s tone turned cial.


    "Once in a while. But usually money is enough to silence them. After all, the girls that frequent my nightclubs are usually there for something... There was a beautiful girl recently though. I think she¡¯s a dance major in university? She has to be one of the most attractive girls I¡¯ve seen in a while" Fatty continued on, not noticing the change in Li Yiming¡¯s demeanor.


    Li Yiming furrowed his brows. He had a bad feeling about the ending of the tale.


    Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m a selfish asshole, but it seems to me that there¡¯s gotta be something in it for <i>me </i>to work like a dog and risk my life to save the world. Pretty sure that the satisfaction of a job well done at the end of the day isn¡¯t exactly enough incentives to make me want to be a guardian. Now, I¡¯m certainly not condoning Guo Xiang¡¯s actions, but isn¡¯t the point of bing a guardian to be able to do whatever you want when you¡¯re not about to die to a Chinese hydra or some crazy dragondogs thingy? Please enlighten me with your thoughts, O readers. ??


    Note: does it make sense for these people to be detained when they¡¯re not convicted? I¡¯m interested by the question. If I have time, I¡¯ll do a quick search on the matter and add a note.  if you¡¯re a little interested by the intricacies of Chinese criminal/civilw. ? This is a social issue in China present to this day. Essentially since the real estate in big cities is so valuable, often there¡¯s a lot of money to be made for revelopping old neighborhood in big cities and appealing to mid/high-end consumers. ("Old" usually mean 30-40 years+.) The only issue is when people don¡¯t agree to move out of their homes for the amount of money that is offered to them. Well... you can imagine the kind of "convincing" that happens. I guess this problem of rich crowding out the poor is present in every big city in the world, but unlike Silicon Valley, for example, people don¡¯t wait for your lease to end and then raise the rent 10 fold to try to get you out. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 28

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 28 ¨C Bail</strong></h4>


    "Young Master Guo brought that girl to a private room right away. After one of my managers told me that he had ordered a Verdant Fairy, I knew exactly what he was up to. Well, it didn¡¯t take long until someone heard the click of the lock. Young Master Guo stayed in there until the next morning, and some of the staff heard things being smashed and people fighting inside. I was afraid that something bad had happened, so I went to take a look. Guess what? Young Master Guo did it another time while the girl was still asleep. Isn¡¯t he afraid of overdoing it?"


    "What after?" It took a tremendous effort for Li Yiming to stayposed.


    "After? What after? After a few days, when Young Master Guo showed up, that girl was with him. She was referring to herself as his girlfriend." Fatty shook his head in disappointment.


    "Ji Xiaoqin..." Li Yiming muttered. Knowing Ji Xiaoqin, this did note to him as much of a surprise.


    "Xiaoqin? Yes, yes, that was her name. What a shame..." Fatty sighed once again. ¡¯He knows about that girl¡¯s name? Is he nning something against Yunlong?¡¯


    Li Yiming sank into a long, sour contemtion. ¡¯Guardians? If it weren¡¯t for them... Ji Xiaoqin...¡¯


    "Big Brother, why are you here?" Fatty was inconvenienced by Li Yiming¡¯s silence, since it meant that he would not longer be able to build their rtionship by talking, but he was well aware that Li Yiming was not thrown into jail because of him. Jail was in fact, a convenient ce to very personal discussions.


    "They¡¯re using me of robbery and murder." Li Yiming looked at Fatty coldly; he abetted the Guos in their wrongdoings and was not any better than them.


    "Robbery and murder? Here? In Hangzhou?" Fatty was frightened by the revtion. ¡¯That¡¯s no minor crime!¡¯


    "What do you think?" Li Yiming smiled again, but this time with a murderous, cold stare.


    "Li Yiming, yourwyer is here for you. Come out." Fatty¡¯s renewed terror was cut short by the voice of a guard.


    ¡¯Bail? For murder and robbery? He just got here!¡¯ Fatty duck down and looked at Li Yiming with even more reverence.


    Li Yiming himself was surprised. ¡¯Mywyer? I have awyer?¡¯ He had thought about contacting Eyesses and his teammates, but he decided against it when he mulled it over; he did not want to drag his friends into the dangers of Mr. Kong¡¯s mission.


    "Remember what I¡¯ve said. I¡¯ll be keeping my eye on you." Li Yiming suddenly turned back as he reached the metal grid, leaving onest warning for Fatty.


    Fatty nodded as hard as he could. ¡¯After I get out of here, I¡¯ll leave Hangzhou and nevere back!¡¯


    * * *


    "Boss, why are you here? Didn¡¯t you say..." Qian Mian was back in the disguise of the man with a slim figure. He was surprised when he recognized the woman in front of him.


    "I can¡¯t see through the fog of Hangzhou, and you forgot. I can¡¯t resist something like that..." Stargaze sighed and looked at the residential building towering over her.


    "But you..." Qian Mian hesitated.


    "It¡¯s okay, leave it toter. Just remember that your safetyes bing anything else. Don¡¯t do anything stupid." Stargaze¡¯s heart was warmed when she saw the worry written all over Qian Yan¡¯s face.


    "Alright, we should go." Stargaze led the way into the building. The elevator stopped on the ninth floor. The duo walked out and looked at the police tape which was all over the door and around the walls of the hallway.


    "How long has it been?" Stargaze asked.


    "He just got out. Someone bailed him out." Qian Mian walked forth. The door opened quietly after he grazed on it with the tip of his fingers.


    "Bail?" Stargaze stopped. ording to her sources, Li Yiming worked alone.


    "Yeah. You¡¯ll never guess who¡¯s the one brought him out of prison."


    "It¡¯s him?"


    "Yes."


    * * *


    Tian Yan was by the side of the window in her room. Tonight was another sleepless night.


    Bing Shuai just had a long talk with her. Instead of the ming and the punishment she was expecting, she heard an earnest exnation about their current predicament; the people who had brought her up were in trouble, and the source of the danger... was Fu Bo.


    Tian Yan knew just how strong Bing Shuai was, and yet, the man whom she thought was omnipotent was anxious and worried. Seeing Bing Shuai like that scared Tian Yan. Although she was no longer forbidden to go see Fu Bo in the basement, she decided against it, as she was afraid that she would only sink deeper into his "trap".


    * * *


    Li Yiming followed the guard into an office after having his handcuffs removed. There, he found someone he thought he would never see. On the office chair in front of him was Li Huaibei, wearing his clean-cut suit and his crystal eyesses. As always, Li Huaibei projected an air of elegance and confidence.


    "Li Huaibei?" Li Yiming yelled out in surprise.


    Li Huaibei nodded and gave the folder of files to Captain Zhang.


    "Mr. Li, I have to remind you of the importance of this case... " Captain Zhang did not seem have given up yet.


    "We¡¯ve talked about this enough already, haven¡¯t we? I¡¯m just following the procedure." Li Huaibei interrupted him with a smile and gestured at the file folder.


    Captain Zhang shook his head in frustration, but after onest stare at Li Huaibei, he signed the document and left in a hurry, visibly upset.


    "Let¡¯s leave." Li Huaibei put the document into his suitcase and looked at Li Yiming amusedly.


    "Why are you here?" Li Yiming could not hold the question in anymore. Of all the people that could be here for him, from his parents to Mr. Kong, he had not thought that it would be Li Huaibei.


    "Were you nning on enjoying your stay here otherwise?" Li Huaibei grinned again.


    "But how?" Li Yiming dove into the co-driver¡¯s seat. He knew that with the magnitude of the usations against him, it would be impossible for him to be released with a bail.


    Li Huaibei did not answer him. He stepped on the elerator and threw a business card in Li Yiming¡¯s direction.


    Gong Lian Law Firm. Chief Legal Officer.


    "You¡¯re awyer?" Li Yiming had heard of the name before. It was one of the topw firms in the country. ¡¯And Li Huaibei is the general counsel? It does look authentic, judging by how easily he bailed me out.¡¯


    "It¡¯s my hobby. Can¡¯t have only fighting and killing in your life, can you?" Li Huaibei lowered the car window and lit himself a cigarette.


    "Can I have one?"


    "I knew you¡¯d fall into the habit one day." Li Huaibei threw the entire pack over.


    "Thanks."


    "So, what¡¯s this all about?" Li Huaibei knew the real reason behind Li Yiming¡¯s word of gratitude. He slowed the car down and turned into a busy corner.


    * * *


    "Someone got Li Yiming out of prison." Ying Mei rushed into Bing Shuai¡¯s room without even knocking.


    "Really? How did he get out? Any clue on who¡¯s behind this?" Bing Shuai sat up with a concerned expression.


    "It¡¯s... Li Huaibei. He went there himself." Ying Mei answered with a severe countenance, after a moment of hesitation.


    "Li Huaibei?" Bing Shuai squinted. "Finally, a big fish. Where are they right now?"


    "We didn¡¯t dare to follow him." Having learned from her mistakes, Ying Mei had grown more prudent.


    "It¡¯s okay. As long as we know who it is, and they¡¯re in Hangzhou, they cannot escape." Bing Shuai started to nervously tap on the table once again. ¡¯Li Huaibei went there himself. Is that some kind of message? How did they acquire his services? I thought Li Huaibei always operated alone. This keeps getting worse, but I can¡¯t give up now, not after this long.¡¯


    "What about Tian Yan?"


    "She¡¯s in her room."


    "Has she been to the basement?"


    "No." Ying Mei was perplexed by the question. ¡¯Why is Bing Shuai so fixated on whether she¡¯s been to the basement? I thought the ritual circle was already broken?¡¯


    "Don¡¯t mind her for now. Also, avoid the basement for a while. Bring back out team, I think..." Bing Shuai suddenly stood up and turned his head away.


    "What is it?" Ying Mei was surprised Bing Shuai¡¯s expression.


    "As I expected..." Bing Shuai slowly released his clenched fists; he had been itching for a fight.


    * * *


    Guo Xiang was drinking next to the swimming pool in the yard, visibly bored. It had been three days since his father had given the order to forbid him from going out. He peeked at a bodyguard dressed in ck not too far away and spat at him in disgust. ¡¯Pfft, didn¡¯t see you this serious when you were under mymand...¡¯


    ¡¯Three days...¡¯ Guo Xiang scratched his crotch. Ji Xiaoqin was upstairs as well, but it was not his style to sleep with the same woman twice in a row.


    Just as his frustration was growing, Guo Xiang spotted someone that cut all of his thoughts short. It was a woman dressed in a grey traditional dress. Her hair was tied above her head, revealing her ears and a slender, white neck. Guo Xiang¡¯s eyes were instantly driven toward her thin waist and the little bit of cleavage that was shown from the rather deep-cut cor. ¡¯What a beauty...¡¯


    The woman stood there quietly, like a goddess who had just descended from the skies, and around her was a stream of stars and moonlight that shone so strong, it conferred to her the air of a midnight apparition.


    ¡¯It¡¯s her! She¡¯s the one!¡¯ Guo Xiang yelled inwardly. ¡¯She¡¯s the goddess that I¡¯ve been waiting for my whole life! I¡¯ve found love!¡¯


    Guo Xiang did not think about how the woman appeared there of all ces in the middle of the night. ¡¯Perhaps she¡¯s dad¡¯s mistress. Bah! I don¡¯t care. She¡¯s mine today. This is my destiny.¡¯


    Guo Xiang stood up and walked toward the woman with the wine bottle in one hand, and an bump around his crotch.


    I have to say, suppose, that I was <i>hypothetically </i>(I insist, hypothetically) in Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s shoes, I would probably do the same about her. Otherwise, what am I going to do, call the police (doesn¡¯t work), kill myself? (does that work?), pretend it never happened?(not sure if that works either).

 Volume 4 Chapter 29

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 29 ¨C nning</strong></h4>


    Stargaze looked at the man who was slowly approaching him. Guo Xiang had such a grossly indecent expression that even with Stargaze¡¯s demeanor, she had a hard time resisting the urge of blowing him to dust. "Is this your way of treating a guest? Looks likeing here was a mistake."


    Guo Xiang paused when he realized that the woman was referring to his erection. "Well, honestly is a virtue, so why hide things?" Guo Xiang came up with what he thought was a rather poetic line and continued his walk towards her.


    "Hmmph!" Guo Xiang felt an icy gust of wind graze his back. However, Stargaze¡¯s coldness aroused him even more. He licked his dry lips and made ready to pounce on his target.


    "Sorry for the inconvenience, Ms. Wang, he still has much to learn." An authoritative voice came from behind Guo Xiang.


    Guo Xiang shivered from head to toes. He turned back. ¡¯This guy?¡¯ Guo Xiang thought with irritation. Bing Shuai had lived in Guo Xiang¡¯s "home" ever since he was a child, and seeing that even his father appeared to disy extreme reverence around the man, Guo Xiang feared him from the bottom of his heart.


    "Go." Bing Shuai gave an upromising order.


    "Yes." Guo Xiang nodded. He peeked once more at Stargaze and left in irritation, his aroused desiredpletely extinguished.


    "What kind of abomination are you breeding here?" Stargaze swallowed down her anger. She would have walked away were it not for the things at stake.


    "He¡¯s the son of one of my representatives. Sorry about that. Pleasee inside." Bing Shuai said with a smile that hid away all his worries from thest few days.


    Ying Mei came with a tray of tea as soon as the two settled in the living room. She stood on the side quietly and scrutinized Stargaze. ¡¯This is the woman that¡¯s reputed to be Bing Shuai¡¯s equal?¡¯


    "We made a pact ten years ago that we wouldn¡¯t mind each other¡¯s business." Bing Shuai said rather inly.


    "It didn¡¯t forbid us from visiting each other, did it?" Stargaze picked up one of the expensive crystal cups and smelled the tea inside. She had recovered her usual calm and elegant air.


    "You aren¡¯t here just for a visit, aren¡¯t you?" Bing Shuai retorted calmly.


    "What do you think?" Stargaze appreciated the sweet aroma of the tea for a moment before putting the cup back.


    "You don¡¯t like it?"


    "Tea should be served in a teacup." Stargaze nced at Ying Mei.


    "As you wish." Ying Mei left the living room immediately.


    "You want to get involved in this?" Bing Shuai opened with a candid question they were left with to the privacy of the living room.


    "It depends on what you mean." Stargaze yed around Bing Shuai¡¯s question.


    "You know, what I¡¯ve been trying to achieve for a long time now."


    "Oh? Are you making progress?"


    "No, but other people are." Bing Shuai stared directly into Stargaze¡¯s eyes, hoping to see something that betrayed her undecryptable countenance.


    "You trust me this much?" Stargaze smiled.


    ¡¯It¡¯s not her.¡¯ Bing Shuai knew from Stargaze¡¯s reaction that she was not his enemy.


    "I have two... interesting people in my house." After a moment of consideration, Bing Shuai decided to involve Stargaze in the affair. ¡¯Li Huaibei by himself isn¡¯t too much trouble, but the people behind him... If my guesses are right, then it really is him. I¡¯ll be doomed alone, but with Wang Liping here, just maybe... She¡¯s probably here because she noticed something. I should use this opportunity to make her my ally. I¡¯m sure that with how high the stakes are, she won¡¯t stay unmoved.¡¯ 1


    Stargaze listened quietly. This was the purpose of her visit today, and she would not risk a single moment of inattention.


    "The one upstairs has seventy percent karma. The one in the basement has some kind of innate Dao technique." Bing Shuai paused and observed Stargaze¡¯s reaction. As he expected, his revtion was enough to shock even a sage-level guardian, although only briefly. ¡¯Yes. I¡¯m sure that you know what seventy percent karma means.¡¯


    It never ured to Bing Shuai that Stargaze¡¯s concern was directed toward Fu Bo.


    * * *


    The car came to an abrupt halt with a screech. "Are you sure? The Recorder?" Li Huaibei was shocked.


    "Fu Bo¡¯s a novelist. One of the books he wrote is called ¡¯Adventure to the East¡¯..."


    "I¡¯ve read that book." Li Huaibei interrupted him; he would not be here in such a hurry if it was not because of that novel.


    "You¡¯ve read it? Then..."


    "I have my own ways, it¡¯s just a little troublesome." Li Huaibei looked at Li Yiming. ¡¯And yet he can remember the content effortlessly, Li Yiming...¡¯


    "There¡¯s something else. Fu Bo¡¯s writing a second book."


    "What?"


    "It hasn¡¯t been published yet. It¡¯s called ¡¯Sundering Nature¡¯, and I¡¯m the main character..." Li Yiming shivered when he remembered the eerie feeling of reading about his own life and even his own thoughts.


    "You?"


    "Yes, everything about me ever since I became a guardian. That includes all of the domains I¡¯ve gone through, and even the memories of Eden you¡¯ve given to me."


    Li Huaibei sank into a contemtive silence. There was simply no way for anyone else to know about the memories he shared with Li Yiming. In fact, even if thetter tried to narrate what he had witnessed to someone else, his words would be muted by Heaven¡¯s Laws. ¡¯The Recorder... the one who sees the truth in history... This has to be the reason why Stargaze sent me here. But, since it¡¯s the Recorder, does that mean that I¡¯ll see Stargaze again? Also, Li Yiming must be involved in a hidden truth, or the Recorder wouldn¡¯t be writing his life down.¡¯


    "There¡¯s something else. Oftentimes, a small domain would just appear out of nowhere around Fu Bo." Li Yiming revealed his second concern to Li Huaibei.


    "That¡¯s not a domain. It¡¯s a protective realm. The Recorder¡¯s duty is to write down the history of Heaven¡¯s Laws, but Heaven¡¯s Laws doesn¡¯t... want to reveal certain truths. That realm is for the protection of the Recorder. It shields him from everything, even the authority of the Heavens."


    "So you¡¯re telling me that the realm will pop up as soon as Fu Bo starts writing, so he isn¡¯t affected by the outside?" Li Yiming remembered his bowl of noodles. It came to him that when he entered the restaurant, Fu Bo was working on his novel. The entire interior of the shop was an illusion within Fu Bo¡¯s domain, and the moment Fu Bo closed hisputer, the domain vanished, along with the bowl of noodles he had ordered. Li Yiming was brought back to the real shop and mistakenly believed that someone had stolen his food without him noticing.


    "Recorders are special entities. Most of them don¡¯t know about their own identity. They¡¯re usually authors or painters, and with each his or her own way to record the truth of Heaven¡¯s Laws. Some of these truths will be revealed when the time is right, but some of these stories could potentially destroy the very foundations of the order of this world..." Li Huaibei raised his head toward the starry sky; he remembered his friends, the woman he loved, and Eden.


    "So Heaven¡¯s Law¡¯s is concealing things?" Li Yiming started to understand the severity of the implications.


    Li Huaibei looked back at him, baffled by what he had just heard, and looked at the sky once again. ¡¯Are you serious? This kid... if I were to say such things...¡¯


    "So Fu Bo is in their hands?"


    "Yes. He should be somewhere in Century Garden right now."


    "The Recorder is too important to let him fall into the hands of our enemies." The consequences of Fu Bo being imprisoned were immediately clear to Li Huaibei; the Recorder did not necessarily have to write things down after they happened. To bend fate with one¡¯s words was not an impossibility.


    "What are we waiting for then? We should go rescue Fu Bo." Li Yiming urged.


    "Let me guess what you¡¯re thinking. We¡¯ll get there, I¡¯ll show them a little bit of my sage powers, and the people there are going to give Fu Bo back." Li Huaibei suddenly looked back at Li Yiming, half-amused.


    "Are you telling me otherwise?¡¯ Li Yiming was thinking exactly that. After witnessing Li Huaibei¡¯s abilities, Li Yiming was sure that there was nothing in Hangzhou that could stop him.


    "The Yunlong Group that you¡¯ve mentioned. They represent a group of guardians. You¡¯ll learn about what I mean by "representative" soon enough. Do you know who¡¯s behind Yunlong?"


    "Who? Is it some kind of big shot?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Yan Bing. He¡¯s known as Bing Shuai. He became a sage about fifteen years ago. That¡¯s three years earlier than my team captain, Ma Dafang."


    * * *


    Mr. Kong contemted the amber city lights in the distance that shone and moved around in the darkness, like a red Koi fish in a stream. He sat on top of a mountain peak, his knit bag swaying back and forth in the violent gusts of wind.


    "It won¡¯t be a quiet night." He sighed, sped his bag and let it drop down once again.


    He wanted to go, but could not.


    Mr. Kong raised his head toward the sky. A golden glow appeared in his irises as he did so, carrying all of his fury and rage toward somewhere above the clouds. However, a momentter and he sat down once again, taking out a stack of paper from his bag. The paper was new and in perfect condition, held together by a delicate cord on the left edge. On the cover page, the title was handwritten mboyantly: "Adventure to the East."


    "To let go of the six senses and desires and to transcend this illusive reality. And yet I can¡¯t do it. I¡¯ve turned back, only to realize that there¡¯s no shore to go back to. I¡¯ve knelt down to whom I thought was going to be my teacher, but that only brought pain and death... I..." 2


    "What is the use of this staff...?"


    The bag fell down into the abyss below. Mr. Kong held the book with both of his hands and whispered his silent frustration.


    Remember that Mr. Kong has a signature weapon, which is a staff. This is what he is referring to.


    Kind reminder that Wang Liping is Stargaze¡¯s real name. ? The six senses are hearing, taste, sight, touch, smell and mental consciousness. It¡¯s a concept of Buddhism. Also, "turn back and you shall see the shore", is an old saying in Chinese Buddhism whose meaning is pretty self-exnatory. In Mr. Kong¡¯s case, it refers to his "conversion" to help out Tang Seng on his journey after being stuck under a mountain for five hundred years. ?

 Volume 4 Chapter 30

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 30 ¨C Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s Sorrow</strong></h4>


    *Warning, some readers might find it hard to read this (Which is why I¡¯m putting this in red). This was a difficult chapter to trante...*


    Guo Xiang returned to his room, still frustrated by his encounter with Stargaze. Thetter¡¯s entrancing silhouette and delicate features fueled the fire of lust that burned within him. He then looked at Ji Xiaoqin, who was watching the television from a sofa in the corner. The cor of her sweater wrapped around her left shoulder, exposing inches of her silky smooth skin. Her legs rested on the tea table in front of her, and between her ck stockings was an utmostly erotic sight, but Guo Xiang did not find it attractive at all today. ¡¯Well, I suppose it¡¯s better than nothing.¡¯


    After receiving Ying Mei¡¯s invitation ten days ago, Ji Xiaoqin moved into the Guo mansion. This was the luxurious lifestyle she had been longing for, but somehow Ji Xiaoqin did not feel any fulfillment. Instead, the memories of that fateful night in the nightclub resurfaced in her mind over and over again, and the hollow satisfaction that followed her resignation soon turned into bitterness and regret. Guo Xiang had returned from overseas three days ago. He slept beside her every night since then, but Ji Xiaoqin was starting to feel convinced that this was not the life she wanted. Instead, every day, she longed for night to arrive and for an opportunity to meet Li Yiming in her dreams. Ji Xiaoqin knew what Guo Xiang wanted the moment she saw him approach. Frustration slipped past her eyes, and she looked away.


    "What¡¯s that expression? You should count yourself lucky that I¡¯m choosing you!" Guo Xiang grabbed Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s chin, his nails sinking into her flesh.


    Ji Xiaoqin looked at Guo Xiang fearfully, unable to speak due to the sharp pain.


    Guo Xiang stared at Ji Xiaoqin for a bit before noticing that there was something oddly arousing about Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s evident terror and distorted features. He had finally found a way to de-stress himself. He pushed Ji Xiaoqin onto the sofa, picked up her ankle, and suddenly bit into Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s thigh.


    "Ah! You¡¯re hurting me." Ji Xiaoqin screeched and tried to stop Guo Xiang.


    "Hurt? I¡¯ll make you feel like you¡¯re in heaven soon." Guo Xiang continued on. He grabbed Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s stockings and ripped them apart. It did not take long before cries of pain and sadness and a maniacalugh reached the corridors outside of the master bedroom.


    After a while, Guo Xiang stood up with a frown, looking down at his crotch. He opened the nightstand drawer and took out two blue pills from a small ck bottle. After a moment of consideration, he took out a third pill and swallowed everything down. He turned back to look at Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s bruised body and pounced on her again like a hyena onto a carcass. This time, thetter¡¯s only reaction was tears that dribbled down her cheeks silently.


    However, after another while, Guo Xiang stood up and went for the nightstand again. This time, he broke the seal on a brand-new bottle and swallowed down five pills. He then sat down on the bed and waited for the effects of the drug. Guo Xiang did not know that it was destined to be fruitless; this was Stargaze¡¯s punishment for defiling a sage.


    * * *


    "What¡¯s wrong with Guo Xiang? Does he ever take a break?" Ying Mei stomped the ground in discontent, disgusted by what she was hearing.


    "Who knows, maybe she likes it." Bing Shuai looked at the ceiling and then shook his head. With Stargaze on his side, he was much more confident. Guo Xiang had lost his value, and Ji Xiaoqin was no longer a critical asset. The most important concern at hand was the showdown that was bound to happen soon. Should Bing Shuai emerge victorious, he would be able to mass-produce experimentations like Ji Xiaoqin.


    "We shouldn¡¯t have awakened him. He¡¯s being a nuisance." Due to her young age, it bothered Ying Mei quite a lot to have to listen to such noises, especially since her heightened senses captured every detail.


    "Guo Tai has worked hard for us for decades. He¡¯s his only child, just let the kid do what he wants. At worst, we can send him overseas so we won¡¯t have to deal with him." Bing Shuai tried to convince Ying Mei. He sipped his icy vodka contently; as its strong vor filled his mouth, he felt all of his worries wash away.


    "I don¡¯t care. If he does this again, I¡¯ll make sure that this is hisst time." Ying Mei stood up and strode toward the door.


    Bing Shuai shook his head. He knew Ying Mei well enough to understand that there was no need to worry about what she was going to do. She was going to scare him at best, which would put an end to the rather annoying spectacle. He was an old man after all, and being this kind of "spectator" was not a desirable thing either. However, the next moment, Bing Shuai frowned and turned his head eastward.


    "What a busy day today. You¡¯ve all decided to show up after this long? I¡¯ll have a look at the progress you¡¯ve made." Bing Shuai smiled and vanished the next second, leaving behind his cup with the drink still swirling inside.


    * * *


    Li Yimingid low against the outer wall of the mansion. He looked at the surveince camera near the roof and frowned. A momentter, the red light on the camera suddenly went off; Li Yiming had cut off its power. He quickly dove into the kitchen from the window.


    This was the n Li Yiming had concocted with Li Huaibei. Thetter would show up and lure Bing Shuai away, while Li Yiming would infiltrate the mansion and rescue Fu Bo. As long as there was no other sage-level guardian, Li Yiming was confident in being able to carry out the mission.


    Li Yiming cated himself against the door and extended his senses. ¡¯Two people on the left and one on the right... One, two, three...¡¯


    Li Yiming appeared between the two guards on the left after a sh of light. He touched their necks with his fingers. Tens of thousands of volt brought the two guards to the ground instantly. Li Yiming then carried the their body and retreated into an empty room with prudence.


    * * *


    Ying Mei was about to enter the bedroom, but the noises inside suddenly died out. She stomped at the ground angrily and turned back. However, just as she was going to go down the stairs, her transmitter began shing.


    "Miss Ying, I think we have a situation." A hesitant voice was heard.


    "What is it?."


    "Three of our cameras had a problem. The power went out for three seconds. It seems like some kind of mechanical issue, but you¡¯ve told us to report every incident..."


    "Tell me the location!" Ying Mei cut off the man¡¯s meaningless ramble.


    "Number seven, nine, and twelve."


    "Keep an eye on number four and six. If the same thing happens, ring the rm." Ying Mei closed her eyes and pictured the locations of the three cameras. Within an instant, she narrowed the possibilities down to the single route taken by a potential infiltrator.


    After throwing out her orders, Ying Mei turned around and made for the kitchen.


    * * *


    Ji Xiaoqin wasying on the sofa, with a cushion between her arms. She looked at Guo Xiang fearfully and hid her joy at the "problem" Guo Xiang was having. Today, Guo Xiang was unlike his usual self. ¡¯Is he really the kind of person I can spend my life with?¡¯ Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s heart sank into regret once again. This time, she wrapped her fingers around her pendant. It was a stone of unknown origin that Li Yiming had given to her, and there was something strangely attractive about it, enough so that she had decided to keep it the day she moved into the Guo mansion.


    "Come here." Guo Xiang suddenly raised his head and said in a cial tone.


    Ji Xiaoqin was frozen in ce, terrified.


    "I told you to f*kinge here!" Guo Xiang suddenly roared in anger. He stood up and towered down on her.


    "Don¡¯t..." Ji Xiaoqin begged him and squirmed toward the door, refusing to let go of the cushion.


    "Shit! Trying to run away?" Guo Xiang howled and jumped down from the bed. He grabbed Ji Xiaoqin by her hair and pped her on the face.


    "Ow!" A red mark appeared on Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s cheek. She fell backward from the blow, but Guo Xiang¡¯s grip stopped her.


    "It¡¯s all your fault, you whore!" The blow brought to Guo Xiang an odd relief from the series of frustration and unsatiated cravings for lust he just had. He struck at Ji Xiaoqin again, this time even stronger than the first time. Ji Xiaoqin was sent to the ground, her head still spinning from the blow.


    Guo Xiang removed the ripped hair between his fingers, picked up the belt that hung on the bed frame, and approached Ji Xiaoqin with a monstrous expression.


    * * *


    Li Yiming was slowly inching forward in a prone position. He had been through four rooms already, but all of them were empty. What was worse was that more and more footsteps could be heard around him, but he did not dare to attack any of the guards.


    "Ah!" Li Yiming suddenly heard a scream from upstairs. ¡¯Ji Xiaoqin?¡¯ Li Yiming was shocked at hearing the voice he was so familiar with. He turned around and quickly crawled toward the second floor.


    Even from across the door, Li Yiming could hear the horrifying whipping sound. He pushed the door open, unable to repress his fury, only for a repulsing scene to unfold in front of his eyes. Guo Xiang was standing naked with a belt in his hand. Kneeling down in front of him was Ji Xiaoqin, with bruises and injuries all around her body, moaning in pain.


    "You?" Guo Xiang was about to burst out at the person who dared to interrupt his good time, but he was surprised at seeing Li Yiming. "Why are you..."


    Li Yiming rushed toward Guo Xiang, all of his spite tranting into a full powered punch directed at the Guo Xiang¡¯s face. Thetter was sent flying back with a loud crack from around his spine; even if he did recover from the blow, he would have to spend the rest of his life on a hospital bed.


    Li Yiming knelt down to check on Ji Xiaoqin. The red marks on her cheeks were difficult to even look at, and the bruises and marks on her body showed revealed just what kind of living hell she had gone through in the hands of Guo Xiang. Li Yiming knew that he had to act quickly, especially since Ji Xiaoqin was showing sign of losing consciousness. He put his hand on her forehead and activated the healing technique he learned from Shangbei. The swollen marks on Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s face receded and the marks on her body vanished.


    "Yi... Yiming?" Ji Xiaoqin recovered some of her senses and touched Li Yiming¡¯s face with her hand. She had been through the same scene so many times in her dreams already that she thought that it was just another such urrence.


    "I... thought you were going to be happy..." Li Yiming looked at Ji Xiaoqin, his voice broken by a sob.


    "Where am...I, I¡¯m very happy." Ji Xiaoqin smiled happily and mumbled. It was a dream sweeter than the other ones she had seen, for she was able to touch Li Yiming for the first time.


    "It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s get out of here." Li Yiming¡¯s heart ached as he heard her speak. He pulled off the bedsheets, wrapped it around Ji Xiaoqin and picked her up.


    "Leave? To where?" A cold voice came from the door. It was Ying Mei in a ck leather skin-tight suit. The barrel of a Desert Eagle shone under the light of the hallway, making her impression of a femme fatale almost perfect.


    The author himself states at the end of the chapter that ¡°it was one with potentially problematic content.¡±

 Volume 4 Chapter 31

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 31 ¨C Confrontation</strong></h4>


    Two men sat across from each other in the maple woods of Jingshan Park. The mboyant autumn leaves fluttered in the quiet night, while Bing Shuai and Li Huaibei looked down at the rosewood Go board between them.


    ¡°Last time was ten years ago, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Bing Shuai asked as he caressed the smooth, round Go stone. Contrary to his seemingly rxed demeanor, he was growing worried. ¡¯Why is he so calm? What¡¯s giving him the courage to confront me? Unless...¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re the reason I started ying Go, Mr. Yan.¡± Li Huaibei picked up the ck stone and reminisced. His old captain, Ma Dafang, was from Bing Shuai¡¯s generation. Ma Dafang grew up in the military and was as uncultured as one could be. Once, the two teams met in a domain where the final task was to solve a Go puzzle, and Bing Shuaiughed at thetter¡¯s obvious ineptitude. Ever since, Li Huaibei resolved to improve his skills at Go. Ten years after that incident, the two teams met again, only this time, Li Huaibei won, giving thestugh to Ma Dafang. Before leaving, Li Huaibei left Bing Shuai with a biting remark ¡ª ¡°It¡¯s meaningless topare one¡¯s strength to another¡¯s weakness¡±, reminding him that he had no right to ridicule Ma Dafang.


    ¡°Old Ma is no longer with us...¡± Bing Shuai knew what Li Huaibei was getting to. Mockery briefly shed past his features. He would not hold a grudge over a meaningless game of Go, but he wanted to remind Li Huaibei that his team was no longer alive. He also wanted to provoke a reaction in Li Huaibei, so he can obtain a clue or two about the source of his confidence.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re not ying today?¡± Li Huaibei asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in ying today... I know how it¡¯s going to end.¡± Bing Shuai threw his ivory stones on the board and stared straight into Li Huaibei¡¯s eyes. It was obvious that he was referring to something else than Go.


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re as confident as ever. How about a drink then?¡± Li Huaibei withdrew the board into his storage ring and brought out a wine jug made of jade. On the y-sealed opening, there was a piece of red paper: Peach Blossom Brew.


    ¡¯This is a brew from Eden!¡¯ Bing Shuai¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°No need to be so surprised. This is thest one.¡± Li Huaibei shook the precious jug, but seemed reluctant to open the seal.


    ¡°Are you confident that you¡¯ll be able to stall me?¡± Bing Shuai knew about Li Huaibei¡¯s intentions the moment thetter spread out his aura. ¡¯But with Stargaze back at the vi, nobody could even pose a threat. Unless he... But then, how can Li Huaibei be so confident then?¡¯


    ¡°Can¡¯t say for sure until I¡¯ve tried.¡±


    ¡°Open it then.¡±


    * * *


    Li Yiming sighed inwardly and gently put Ji Xiaoqin down. The barrel of the gun followed him as he slowly stood up. Ying Mei¡¯s mocking smirk was met with a serious and cold expression on Li Yiming¡¯s part.


    The next instant, the sound of a fired shot resonated within the room and the two jumped into action. The bullet pierced Li Yiming¡¯s after-image, and thetter appeared behind Ying Mei, striking at her with his palm. As Li Yiming¡¯s hand cut through the air, purple streaks of lightning appeared and Ying Mei was cut in two, from the left shoulder to the right ribs.


    Despite his seemingly sessful attack, Li Yiming leaped backward swiftly. He knew that he did not cut through flesh. As expected, the two broken shards of Ying Mei darkened and squiggled, eventually fusing to form a shadowy silhouette.


    ¡°You... You¡¯re not a representative? Lightning... You! You killed Ye Lang!¡± Ying Mei¡¯s angry voice rang out from within the shadows. ¡¯If I hadn¡¯t used my talent...!¡¯


    Li Yiming stayed silent, instead, looking at the end of the corridor.


    ¡°Good! It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve fought a guardian in the real world.¡± A man built like a bear with a deep, gruff voice appeared at the other end of the corridor.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate him. He defeated Ye Lang, he must have at least a few tricks up his sleeves.¡± Another voice came from the stairs. It was Guo Tai¡¯s personal assistant, Man Dao, who descended from the third floor with a wide de in his hands.


    ¡¯I have to fight them head on!¡± Li Yiming¡¯s fighting will burned. ¡¯I¡¯m taking Ji Xiaoqin and Fu Bo back with me today! I don¡¯t think Li Huaibei can stall Bing Shuai for much longer, so I need to take care of them quickly.¡¯


    Ying Mei¡¯s shadowy silhouette blurred and vanished. The muscr man at the end of the corridor charged towards Li Yiming like an unstoppable tank, while Man Dao leaped deftly from the steps of the stairs and cleaved at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming observed his foes carefully and locked-on onto Man Dao. But, to his surprise, his infallible Thundersh did not bring him to where he wanted.


    Li Yiming looked down and saw a pair of pitch-ck hands holding his feet to his own shadow. ¡¯She...!¡¯


    Li Yiming hurriedly gathered lightning in his hands and caught Man Dao¡¯s de in between his palms. However, before he could catch his breath, the man who looked like a mountain charged in. With both his hands and feet upied, Li Yiming could not defend himself from the oing attack. The blow sent him flying through the walls of the mansion.


    ¡¯They have incredible synergy. This is going to be difficult.¡¯ Despite the sharp pain, Li Yiming activated Thundersh mid-air and teleported to the courtyard below. A split secondter, the shadow of a sword shed past where he was flying to.


    ¡°Fast. As expected of someone who killed Ye Lang...¡± A hoarse voice rasped out from the osmanthus shrub in the courtyard. A man flicked his sword as he leaped down.


    ¡°This brat is strong.¡± With a deafening crash, the man who punched Li Yiming tore through the wall and jumped to the main entrance. Man Dao followed, butnded behind Li Yiming.


    ¡°No wonder you were able to mislead Bing Shuai. You¡¯re skilled indeed.¡± Ying Mei¡¯s voice echoed in the darkness, but she was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°No matter how skilled he is, he¡¯s not a sage. That caps him at level three. If he really has the guts to use power beyond that, I wouldn¡¯t mind having a first-row seat when Heaven¡¯s punishment rains down on him.¡± The man with the sword positioned himself to cut Li Yiming retreat path.


    Li Yiming furrowed his brows as his gaze shifted to a window at the corner of the first floor. ¡¯Four here and two more upstairs.¡¯


    ¡¯It seems like they¡¯re at most level three, but there¡¯s six of them... The guy with the sword is right, you can only use so much power, and I can¡¯t help you...¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s worried voice rang out. Her suggestion was clear; Li Yiming should flee ande backter.


    However, Li Yiming was too excited to heed Bai Ze¡¯s advice. He clenched both fists, and streaks of lightning coursed through his body. His hunger for battle grew, and even the numbness on his left rib cage gave him a strange feeling of satisfaction.


    * * *


    Stargaze slowly opened the door to the basement. She saw a frail young man frantically pacing around the room. Upon noticing her presence, the young man raced up to her.


    ¡°What have you guys done to Tian Tian?¡±


    ¡°Tian Tian? You mean, the blind child?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What have you done to her?¡± Fu Bo shouted with a panicked look on his face. Ever since he had been brought back here, he had not seen a living soul, Tian Yan included.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine. I just saw her upstairs.¡± Stargaze scrutinized Fu Bo. ¡¯Completely normal. There isn¡¯t a single trace of the influence of guardians on him at all.¡¯


    ¡°Really? You guys... You guys didn¡¯t do anything to..¡± The doubt was apparent in his eyes as he asked hesitantly. To his understanding, Tian Yan should have been punished severely for helping him escape.


    ¡°That girl has unique talents. She¡¯s an important asset to them. They won¡¯t harm her,¡± Stargaze exined with a gentle smile.


    ¡°Them?¡±


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯m not with them. I came to visit you. Can we have a chat?¡± Stargaze pointed at the sofa.


    ¡°You came to visit me?¡± Fu Bo walked towards the sofa and sat down. It was strangely hard to resist Stargaze¡¯s invitation.


    As Fu Bo turned around, Stargaze shut her eyes and concentrated on her own thoughts: she could feel the image of Fu Bo slowly disappearing inside her mind. When she opened her eyes, she looked at Fu Bo with utter shock. ¡¯This is... From Another Life?¡¯


    Fu Bo¡¯s thoughts raced as he sat down, trying to piece together what Stargaze just said. ¡¯Tian Tian is important? What does that mean? Is she their sacred maiden or the daughter of the head of the cult?¡¯ A million thoughts flooded his mind.


    Stargaze sat down beside Fu Bo and quietly observed him.


    ¡°She... Is she really ok?¡± Fu Bo asked again.


    ¡°You really care about her, don¡¯t you? Who is she to you?¡± Stargaze asked nonchntly while keeping eye contact with Fu Bo.


    ¡°I only have two friends in my life, and she¡¯s one of them.¡± Fu Bo¡¯s condition has led him to no longer be wary around strangers. He believed that no matter what he says, they would forget about it the very next day.


    ¡°You only have two friends?¡± Stargaze went with the flow of the conversation, but she retained every bit of information Fu Bo revealed. ¡¯How can he have friends when he has that permanent technique? Can he control its effects? Or do those two people have some sort of resistance? Besides, two people... What about the rest of his organization? ording to Bing Shuai, this kid should be from the same guardian team as Li Yiming... But, with a technique like this, how?¡¯


    Fu Bo nodded his head dejectedly but continued speaking. Stargaze¡¯s silent and gentle demeanor made her a natural listener.


    ¡°Your other friend... Li Yiming?¡± Stargaze suddenly asked.


    ¡°You know him?¡± Fu Bo was now the one who was surprised.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Stargaze nodded with a smile, ¡°He¡¯s outside right now.¡±


    ¡°What? He¡¯s outside now? Here?¡± Fu Bo leaped up.


    ¡°He¡¯s been here for a while. It seems like he¡¯s here to save someone, but he¡¯s trapped.¡± Stargaze observed Fu Bo closely, trying to spot any kind of subliminal change.


    Fu Bo felt touched upon hearing that Li Yiming was risking his life for him. However, guilt consumed him the next second. ¡¯It¡¯s because of me... I dragged him into this mess.¡¯ Fu Bo quickly snapped out of his guilt, nced at Stargaze and then at the handprint scanner by the steel door.


    ¡°Surely you¡¯re not thinking about using me as a hostage. right?¡± Stargazeughed lightly, masking her confusion. ¡¯ Li Yiming...¡¯


    Fu Bo¡¯s eyes darted back and forth between Stargaze and the door. Finally, he heaved a huge sigh and sat down helplessly. ¡¯Even now, I don¡¯t have the courage...¡¯


    ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just here to see you.¡± Stargaze¡¯s gaze remained as soft as water, and her peaceful demeanor remained unaffected.


    ¡°What is there to see? I¡¯m just a poor web novelist down on his luck.¡± Fu Bo replied, self-deprecation apparent in his tone.


    ¡°Oh? You write stories online?¡± Stargaze¡¯s heart skipped a beat; she knew that she just discovered something important.


    Fu Bo looked to the side. He was not very interested in the topic when both of his friends were in danger, especially when he was the cause of it.


    ¡°Since you can¡¯t go outside, why don¡¯t we talk about your book?¡± Despite Fu Bo¡¯s apparent disinterest, Stargaze pressed on.


    ¡°It¡¯s called "Adventure to the East." Go look it up online,¡± Fu Bo answered half-heartedly. He flopped down on the sofa and closed his eyes.


    Stargaze took out her smartphone. She found the book with a quick search. After just a few chapters, she was dumbfounded by the content. ¡¯His... his true identity is...¡¯


    Ying Mei = Shikamaru ? 0.0. Oh well her name means ¡°shadowly spectre¡± I guess...

 Volume 4 Chapter 33

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 33 ¨C Ji Xiaoqin Awakens?</strong></h4>


    Surrounded on all sides, Li Yiming was bathed in blood, yet stood proudly. Deep gashes and puncture wounds ran across his back and torso, but his eyes still shone with unsatiated bloodlust. With the addition of Xue Mei, Li Yiming struggled even harder against the attacks of his opponents.


    His stamina and energy exhausted, Li Yiming should have copsed long ago. but his desire to fight grew stronger than ever. The white of his eyes were dyed scarlet, and joining the sparks around his limb was an ebony light. This gave Li Yiming the appearance of a demon, which deterred his opponents, despite his injuries and his heaving chest.


    "This...This guy..." Man Dao looked at Li Yiming in shock and stuttered. His de was nted into the ground in front of him, and he used his sole remaining hand to tend the gaping wound on his left shoulder. When Xue Mei had entered the fray, he took advantage of a brief opening and tore three wide gashes on Li Yiming¡¯s thighs. But he was too slow in backing off and paid a heavy price for it; Li Yiming caught him by the wrist and ripped off his left arm.


    "Just keep him trapped and we¡¯ll wear him out." Xue Mei reminded herpanions. She could see that Li Yiming had little time left, and it was not wise to trade a life to elerate theing of the end.


    In the main bedroom on the second floor, Ji Xiaoqin was still in aa. Tian Yan stood by with a confused expression as she scrutinized Ji Xiaoqin with her silver pupils.


    After Xue Mei left, Tian Yan slowly made her way towards Fu Bo again. However, when she opened the door to the basement, she was greeted with an empty room. Disappointed, her thoughts strayed to Ji Xiaoqin, who was captured alongside Fu Bo. ¡¯If Fu Bo has been rescued, then surely she...¡¯


    Tian Yan rushed towards the second floor, hoping to confirm Fu Bo¡¯s safety. Upon opening the door, she was stunned at seeing Ji Xiaoqin unconscious and her heavenly karmapletely filled up.


    For as long as Tian Yan could remember, her life had revolved around the experiments rted to artificial heavenly karma. Tian Yan knew right away that Ji Xiaoqin was about to climb the Stage of Ascension and be a guardian. Tian Yan fished out hermunicator immediately and sent a message to Bing Shuai. However, since she was blind, she did not notice the strange, glowing stone on Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s neck.


    * * *


    "You know?" After Bing Shuai left, Li Huaibei turned towards Stargaze, his sword still ready for battle.


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that... We have the same goal in mind." Stargaze smiled and dispelled the light around her.


    "This kid is too important to let anything happen to him." Li Huaibei eyes were affixed on Stargaze, his stare interrupted by the asional nce at Fu Bo. "Is he the reason why you made mee to Hangzhou?"


    "Yes, and youpleted your end of the bargain. I believe I also upheld my end of the deal just now, didn¡¯t I?"


    "So... The deal is done." Li Huaibei slowly his the sword. The aura around him intensified further.


    "As I said, you don¡¯t have to be so guarded. I know what kind of person you are. We truly have the same objectives in mind, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m able to see further down the road."


    Li Huaibei hesitated. Stargaze had indeed a reputation for being a spectator, often opting to remain neutral, which was strangely simr to Fu Bo¡¯s role.


    "Your little friend¡¯s life is in peril. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go back?" Stargaze looked at the center of the city.


    LI Huaibei¡¯s gaze followed and he wavered once again. ¡¯With Bing Shuai on his way back, Li Yiming ...¡¯


    "If you¡¯re that worried, why don¡¯t I go back with you? I¡¯m also interested in this Ji Xiaoqin. Has someone truly seeded in creating a guardian? Bing Shuai seemed to believe so." Stargaze raised Fu Bo¡¯s body and traced a runic glyph in the air. A translucent light bubble appeared and enveloped Fu Bo.


    Li Huaibei seemed to have found his resolve. He nodded at Stargaze and flew toward the Guo vi. A smile appeared on Stargaze¡¯s lips and she followed close behind.


    * * *


    It did not take long before Bing Shuai arrived home. After a quick nce at the battlefield in the courtyard, he showed up in Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s room.


    "So?" Bing Shuai asked hurriedly when he saw Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s unconscious body on the floor.


    "She... she..." Tian Yan turned around with her face frozen in shock.


    "You said that she awakened?" Bing Shuai saw Guo Xiang, who sprawled on the floor, and disgust shed past his eyes. He turned back toward Ji Xiaoqin.


    "Her karma was full just now. She should be ascending to the Stage of Ascension at any moment, but... but..." Tian Yan stammered.


    "But what? Spit it out!" Bing Shuai pressed on in frustration.


    "The karma is gone. There¡¯s nothing left."


    "What? Suddenly disappeared?" Bing Shuai knelt down and ced his hand on Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s forehead. ¡¯Her vitals are stable... Did their ns also fail?¡¯


    "I¡¯m not sure... It¡¯s gone. She¡¯s no different from a normal person now..." Tian Yan was as stunned as Bing Shuai was. However, due to her blindness, Tian Yan did not notice that the stone which hung from Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s neck had vanished.


    "Man Dao!!!" A scream in the yard below broke Bing Shuai out of his daze. With furrowed brows, he walked to the window. What he saw there surprised him once again.


    Just a moment before, Li Yiming¡¯s lightning, along with his aura suddenly fizzled off. Li Yiming stood still like a statue, soaked in blood. If not for his faint breathing, Ying Mei and her friends would have believed him to be dead.


    Since the start of the battle, Li Yiming realized that something was wrong. An irrational desire for blood, battle, and death overtook his senses gradually. His consciousness sank into an ocean of darkness, and it was as though someone took control of his body and made him fight like a mindless machine.


    The feeling of tenebrous suffocationsted until a few seconds ago, when a rock about the size of a fingernail suddenly appeared in front of him. This stone was all too familiar to Li Yiming; it was something he had ever since birth, and he had barely spent a day without it since his childhood.


    Just before he graduated, Li Yiming gifted it to Ji Xiaoqin as a token of his love. Ji Xiaoqin knew about the importance of the trinket to Li Yiming and even made a little essory out of it. Li Yiming had not seen it on Ji Xiaoqin ever since he returned to Hangzhou, and he chose not to think about it, as a way to bid farewell to his past.


    However, the stone was now quietly floating in front of him. It seemed to contain a light that glowed more and more intensely. With a loud crack, the stone shattered into dust and a translucent runic glyph shed in front him. Li Yiming heard a sharp scream of pain and he regained control of his body.


    Li Yiming was met with a longsword going straight for his heart as he opened his eyes. Li Yiming moved to the side to protect his vitals, but the sword still pierced his chest.


    Li Yiming reached out for the hilt of the sword without thinking and punched out with his other hand, sending his attacker flying.


    Li Yiming scanned his surroundings and tried to make sense of the chaos before him.He was facing five enemies now, and he was afflicted by a plethora of injuries, some of which were quite grave. However, Li Yiming did not feel weakened. Rather, his wounds were closing up and his stamina was recovering at an astonishing speed.


    ¡¯You¡¯ve awakened?¡¯ Bai Ze asked in surprise.


    "Yeah, was that the Heart Trial Punishment?"


    ¡¯I think so... A secondter and you would¡¯ve gone to sleep forever...¡¯ Bai Ze still sounded worried.


    ¡¯What¡¯s happening to me? Is this a reward for surviving the trial?¡¯ Li Yiming could feel the changes urring in his body.


    ¡¯I¡¯m not sure, but it seems like you¡¯ve awakened your talent.¡¯


    ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Li Yiming took a quick look. A fuzzy mark appeared in his previously empty talent section. The colors of his five Heavenly veins were also shifting, bing brighter one moment and dimming down the next.


    ¡¯What talent is this? What happened to my veins?¡¯


    ¡¯Now¡¯s not the time to think about this!¡¯ Bai Ze reminded him.


    Li Yiming snapped out of his introspection and was greeted by Man Dao and his well-built friend charging towards him. Li Yiming leaped into the air, cracking the pavement below him with lightning. He gnawed his teeth, pulled out the sword stuck in his chest cleanly, and appeared behind Man Dao with a sh of light.


    Man Dao, who had grown familiar to Li Yiming¡¯sbat style, shed backward without even looking. The ng of metal echoed across the courtyard as Li Yiming blocked Man Dao¡¯s sh. Li Yiming noticed the opening created by Man Dao¡¯s missing arm, pushed thetter¡¯s de to the side and went straight for his throat.


    As the sword pierced through Man Dao¡¯s neck, Ying Mei screamed out in horror.


    I guess the rock is some kind of <i>deus ex machina</i> to help Li Yiming out of his predicament.

 Volume 4 Chapter 34

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 34 ¨C Stargaze¡¯s Intervention</strong></h4>


    "He... he uses the sword?" The swordsman guardian was shocked. Up until now, Li Yiming had only used his fists and the thunder that ran along his limbs to fight. Everyone had thought Li Yiming to be a closebat brute. However, Li Yiming had just disyed a mastery of the sword he could never be able to reach.


    "Fortunately, my teacher taught me well." Li Yiming smiled coldly and pulled the sword out of Man Dao¡¯s corpse. "Four left!" Li Yiming¡¯s newfound strength gave him a boost of confidence.


    The remaining four guardians backed away from Li Yiming. They were still inplete shock at such a turn of events after having Li Yiming cornered for so long. What was more important was that Li Yiming¡¯s aura seemed to have changedpletely. He was now calm andposed, and it was as if his bloodthirstiness and rage had never existed.


    "Shit!" Bing Shuai roared in anger. Man Dao was the second subordinate he had lost to Li Yiming.


    A small tornado of ice formed in Bing Shuai¡¯s palm as he made ready to unleash his wrath onto Li Yiming. However, before he could attack, Bing Shuai suddenly froze mid-air; two people stood in the front garden, staring at him coldly. ¡¯Li Huaibei and Stargaze...¡¯


    ¡¯If I...¡¯ Bing Shuai dropped his hand down in frustration. He waved his arm and a curtain of light enveloped the neighborhood.


    "Kill him! Quick!" Bing Shuai blew a hole in the floor beneath him and shouted through the opening.


    "Bing Shuai?" Ying Mei raised her head and felt the change that was brought on by Bing Shua¡¯s sage Boundary. A cruel smile appeared on her lips, and her body melted into the darkness once again, splitting into several dozens of shadows.


    "It¡¯s a sage¡¯s Boundary! You don¡¯t have to worry about Heaven¡¯s Laws anymore. Now¡¯s the time to go all out. That man on the second floor is a sage." Bai Ze immediately understood the implications of Bing Shuai¡¯s initiative. As for Bing Shuai, she did not worry about him much, since Li Huaibei was right there.


    Li Yiming activated Thundersh immediately and appeared in front of the well-built man, pulling his sword back and feigning at an attack. The well-built man immediately retracted his left arm and raised his right fist to trade a blow with Li Yiming; he trusted hisrades to take Li Yiming down if he could distract thetter for a split second.


    However, Li Yiming immediately vanished with another sh of purple light. This time, he appeared above the swordsman and thrust his de toward his enemy. The swordsman bent down as quickly as possible, but the sword was too fast. However, as his heart was about to be pierced by the de, plum blossoms suddenly appeared on the metal. Li Yiming felt as if liquid lead had been poured into his weapon, and he was forced to relinquish it. Another sh of lightter, and he moved in an inch closer, allowing him to grasp the throat of his enemy.


    Lightning shot out of Li Yiming¡¯s palm, and his foe fell onto the ground with a broken neck and charred limbs. Before the corpse even touched the ground, Li Yiming¡¯s feet were instantly chained in ce once again by Ying Mei¡¯s shadow vines. Li Yiming raised his head and saw the well-built man leaping toward him with his fists ready. At the same time, a giant plum flower appeared in the distance and flew toward Li Yiming.


    The moment Li Yiming parried the blow from above, his feet sank into the ground beneath. "Bai Ze!" Li Yiming shouted. Bai Ze¡¯s true form suddenly emerged and tore through the well-built man¡¯s abdomen with her white ws, creating a downpour of blood and flesh.


    "What?" Xue Mei screamed in horror. The giant plum flower which flew toward Li Yiming changed trajectory and sought Bai Ze instead.


    "Thunder!" Li Yiming yelled while pointing at Xue Mei with his right hand. A lightning bolt suddenly fell onto Xue Mei. Having no time to dodge the attack, she raised her hand and created a plum flower that served as a shield.


    However, the lightning did not stop. One bolt fell after another, and thetter was nailed in ce, struggling to block the thunderstorm that bombarded her. Li Yiming knowing a thunder Dao technique was not within Xue Mei¡¯s expectations, much less a summon.


    After dodging the plum flower with ease, Bai Ze quickly pounced on Xue Mei. With a clean swipe of her ws, she sliced Xue Mei¡¯s head into pieces. Li Yiming lowered his head and threw a cial stare at the shadows beneath his feet; Ying Mei was already gone.


    ¡¯It¡¯s over.¡¯


    The whole sequence of events, from Bing Shuai¡¯s putting down his Boundary and Bai Ze finishing off Xue Mei,sted only a few seconds. Bing Shuai had intended to give his subordinates the advantage, but he empowered Li Yiming instead. Bai Ze returned to Li Yiming¡¯s side and the two raised their heads toward Bing Shuai.


    "I¡¯m going to kill you!" Bing Shuai was furious. Even if Stargaze and Li Huaibei were to intervene, he would make sure that Li Yiming¡¯s life ended there. The team he had been building for decades had been annihted within seconds.


    Bai Ze immediately returned within Li Yiming¡¯s body, and Li Yiming activated Thundersh again to dodge the attack. A momentter, a giant ice palm crashed into the ground beneath him, creating a deep crater. Li Yiming stopped his fall midair with a roll and stood at the edge of the hole.


    Li Huaibei frowned and pulled out his sword.


    "Keep him busy and I¡¯ll owe you one." Bing Shuai nced at Stargaze.


    Stargaze raised her hand and an invisible barrier appeared in front of Li Huaibei, blocking him off.


    "What are you doing?" Li Huaibei looked back in indignation.


    "I want to see how far he can go." Stargaze seemed to have something else in mind as she stared at Li Yiming.


    "Move!" Li Huaibei shed at the barrier in front of him.


    "Wait..." Stargaze gritted her teeth. With a movement of her left hand, a ray of light fell from the sky and enveloped the two.


    "You!?" Li Huaibei could feel the strength of the barrier being erected around him. Stargaze had used her full strength, and although the two were technically both sage-level, Stargaze was much more experienced.


    "Li Yiming..." Bing Shuai¡¯s body slowly levitated into the air. Stargaze having epted his deal meant that he could take his time with Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming had a dreadful feeling. He had not expected the woman who came with Li Huaibei to be able to stall him so easily. He was nning to escape and run away with Thundersh, knowing that even a sage¡¯s Boundary would not be able to stop him. However, when he activated his technique, he reappeared at the same ce a split secondter.


    "He¡¯s locked down the area around you. You won¡¯t be able to teleport." Bai Ze said in a grim voice.


    "I¡¯m not going to kill you... no, I¡¯m going to remove your veins, chop up your limbs and turn you into a specimen. I¡¯ll make you wish that you died..." Bing Shuai approached Li Yiming slowly, freezing everything in his path.


    Li Yiming suddenly felt crushed by the aura around him. An icy feeling reached his spine and he felt an immense pressure on his consciousness. He could barely keep his breath, and he nearly fell to his knees. Li Yiming started to sweat profusely, and the moment the liquid came out of his pores, it would turn into frost.


    ¡¯I can¡¯te out...¡¯ Bai Ze cried out.


    Li Yiming could not answer Bai Ze¡¯s call. He felt as if a steel needle had prated into his mind and was stirring in it until his head cracked open. The coldness continued to attack his body, and he could no longer feel his limbs. By now, a thickyer of ice had umted around him, making him look more like an ice sculpture than a human being.


    "Go!" Li Huaibei¡¯s sword emitted a buzzing sound as his de trembled violently. An orb of white light appeared at the tip of the sword; it was Di Jiang¡¯s spirit, who had awakened at the fury of his master.


    "Wait..." From the menace that she felt, Stargaze could tell that Li Yiming was getting serious. However, she still kept her eyes on Li Yiming. Sparks of light danced in her irises, and she finally began to see things that Li Huaibei could not see.


    ¡¯This is the power of a sage...?¡¯ Li Yiming was losing control of his body and his sense. He had reached his limit.


    Crack!


    A cracking noise was heard from inside Li Yiming¡¯s body. A drop of blood dripped down the corner of Li Yiming¡¯s lip, and it quickly froze into a scarlet bead.


    ¡¯Your... your vein is broken!¡¯ Bai Ze shouted in surprise. She could see that the Heavenly vein that corresponded to speed had been shattered.


    Inside Li Yiming¡¯s body, the five Heavenly veins shook violently. A thickyer of frost covered them, and although the multicolored light alternated and shed frantically, it could not triumph against the devastating freeze.


    My money is on Li Yiming not actually being turned into a specimen. But I¡¯m wrong that we¡¯ll have 200 chapters about Bai Ze being the MC instead. (Which she could be, since Bing Shuai¡¯s won¡¯t kill Li Yiming)

 Volume 4 Chapter 35-36

    <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 35 ¨C Heavenly Veins Shattered</strong></h4>


    A loud crack was produced as Li Huaibei struck the barrier with his sword. The soul weapon¡¯s spirit bellowed and Stagaze¡¯s barrier shattered. Before Li Huaibei could escape, the sky was illuminated once again and another barrier was erected.


    Another crack rang out, and Stargaze began perspiring profusely. However, the light in her irises danced even more vividly. "Just wait a moment..."


    Two more light cracks followed, but this time it came from within Li Yiming¡¯s body; thetter¡¯sst two veins were gone. Bing Shuai had a look of sadistic enjoyment, his eyelids half-closed as though he was appreciating good music. ¡¯Can a guardian¡¯s talents be frozen and shattered too?¡¯ An idea suddenly came to Bing Shuai¡¯s mind, and he continued to channel his power.


    ¡¯Yiming...¡¯ Bai Ze called out to Li Yiming in despair. She could feel that Li Yiming had lost of his power, and since she was connected to him, she suffered the same fate.


    As his heavenly veins were grounded to dust, the light that otherwise upied Li Yiming¡¯s body dimmed down. His body began to age and withered down like a nt that has not been watered for too long.


    ¡¯He... He¡¯s not stopping... He¡¯s going to destroy your talent too...¡¯ Bai Ze muttered. As the freezing cold began to invade Li Yiming¡¯s consciousness, Bai Ze closed her eyes and felt her senses leave her one by one.


    "Hear me well, Stargaze... I swear that I¡¯ll take your life one day..." After hearing the five cracking noises from the garden, Li Huaibei stopped hacking at the barrier in front of him and began to prepare a powerful attack.


    "Please... Just one more moment..." Stargaze replied hesitantly as her stare pierced through Li Yiming¡¯s body and soul. She was confident that she had not imagined it. There was something within Li Yiming that even she feared. ¡¯His eyes at that moment... The fear I felt was not a mistake, something within him is beyond my understanding...¡¯


    Tian Yan stood at the edge of the swimming pool. She could see Fu Bo¡¯s silhouette within the bubble of light barrier. In her dark world, Fu Bo was light a beacon of light that guided her. However, next to him were two people with abnormally strong heavenly karma, one of whom was even stronger than Bing Shuai¡¯s, and Tian Yan did not dare to go close to them.


    However, when Stargaze pushed Fu Bo away to fight with Li Huaibei, he fell exactly around the swimming pool. Tian Yan resolved herself and crawled toward him.


    ¡¯A restriction seal has been cast over him...¡¯ Tian Yan concluded after investigating the flickering runic glyphs that enveloped Fu Bo¡¯s body. She sped her hands together and began to sing softly. She had a simple thougt. ¡¯Fu Bo¡¯s been restrained... I have to help him...¡¯


    Although Tian Yan was powerless, she had her own ways. She had been living in the mansion for more than a decade, and Bing Shuai had put something there tailored to her ¡ª runic formations.


    The stone tform in the basement lit up suddenly. Shining runic glyphs spiraled into the air. A voice which echoed Tian Yan¡¯s chanting resonated in the room. The light intensified and the chanting grew stronger and stronger.


    Suddenly, the light around the stone tform coalesced, and the tform itself turned to dust with a loud crack. Tian Yan raised her head, and two beams of silvery light shot out from her eyes toward Fu Bo.


    Tian Yan had opted for a simple but effective method. Using the powers of the runic formation, she had destroyed all of the karma threads connecting Fu Bo to the world. With the absence of a power source, the spell cast on him by Stargaze simply fizzled out.


    As the cold began to slowly overtake his consciousness, droplets of blood rolled down Li Yiming¡¯s face. There was no anger and no grievance, but only a strong desire to live.


    A desire for survival, for everything to not end like this...


    This was thest thought Li Yiming hung onto.


    Just as Li Yiming was about to copse, an orb of light deep within his consciousness flickered to life. Strangely, the way it shone seemed to echo his emotions, and it became a material expression of his sadness and bitterness.


    The glyph which had appeared where his talent should have been suddenly emitted an explosion of light. The ethereal looking character became well defined and shone like a small sun in Li Yiming¡¯s body.


    At the same time, Li Yiming¡¯s veins, which had been frozen to dust, began to regain their glow and to reassemble themselves into one single golden entity that coursed through Li Yiming¡¯s whole body.


    Although Stargaze was focusing her attention on Li Yiming, she suddenly frowned and noticed Tian Yan.


    "What are you doing?" Stargaze shouted out in anger and raised her hand, prepared to stop Tian Yan at all cost. Fu Bo was far more important than her curiosity for Li Yiming, and Stargaze did not hesitate to strike down anyone who dareding close to Fu Bo


    Her intervention was cut short by Li Huaibei, who seized the opportunity of the distraction and unleashed his anger. He directed his gleaming de at Stargaze¡¯s back.


    Clink!


    Stargaze had turned around just in time and blocked Li Huaibei¡¯s attack with her own weapon. It was a crescent dagger with stars and moons carved onto the de. However, this made her miss the opportunity to stop Yian Yan¡¯s machinations.


    "You..." Stargaze eximed in anger. Li Huaibei cut her sentence short with another frantic sh directed at her throat. Stargaze swallowed down her sigh and dove intobat against Li Huaibei.


    ¡¯I did it...¡¯


    As the white and pure silhouette began to stir, Tian Yan forced out a gentle smile and copsed on the ground. Even with the aid of the formation, it was still a heavy burden her to forcefully influence the spell of a sage.


    On the other side of the garden, the sight of Li Yiming frozen into a statue finally gave Bing Shuai dearly missed pleasure and contently. Li Yiming¡¯s veins had been destroyed, and with his talent gone, he would never be able to recover.


    Just as the thought of torturing Li Yiming produced a twisted smile on Bing Shuai¡¯s face, Li Yiming opened his eyes.


    When his eyes met those of Li Yiming¡¯s Bing Shuai felt as though he was facing a diabolical beast. Li Yiming eyes contained such a raw outburst of emotions that even through the thickyers of ice, Bing Shuai felt a shiver run down his spine.


    Roar!


    The shockwave that was released from Li Yiming¡¯s bestial roar shattered the ice that covered him.


    This roar interrupted the heated battle between Li Huaibei and Stargaze. The two split with onest sh between their weapons and turned toward Li Yiming. Li Huaibei had confusion written all over his face, while Stargaze seemed to have expected the change.


    The shockwave sent Fu Bo flying, along with some low walls in the garden, almost into the half-frozen swimming pool. When Fu Bo raised his head, he saw something that he would never be able to forget.


    Li Yiming stood half-naked from the waist up as he shone with a golden light. The rags that were once his pants fluttered in the air. Bing Shuai levitated in front of him with frost and snow fluttering at his feet. ¡¯This man... He was the one that questioned me when I was captured!¡¯


    "Impossible!" Bing Shuai raised both of his hands and performed a seal before pushing it toward Li Yiming.


    "Ice Age!" With an angry shout, a pale flood of snow and ice was released from Bing Shuai¡¯s hands. This was the technique Bing Shuai had learned after bing a sage, and this blow was


    Li Yiming subconsciously raised his right hand to block Bing Shuai¡¯s blow. The avnche of snow and ice crashed into Li Yiming¡¯s right palm, and ayer of frost began to creep up his arm.


    "Yiming!" Li Huaibei called out in concern and leaped toward Li Yiming. However, once again, Stargaze stopped him.


    "There¡¯s nothing you can do even if you go there. That¡¯s Yan Bing¡¯s ace in the hole, and he¡¯s casting it at full strength. Not even you can block that attack. Besides...", Li Huaibei finally understood what Stargaze was implying.


    "Yiming!" Li Huabei was not the only one who was concerned about Li Yiming. Fu Bo also witnessed the attack, and seeing his friend struggle made him forget everything else and limp toward Li Yiming to help him. However, he was instantly blown back by the cold gusts of wind that spread around; the power of a sage was not something he could interfere with.


    Upon hearing Fu Bo¡¯s voice, Li Yiming managed to regain control of his own body. His eyes regained their rity, and he quickly became aware of his current predicament. Li Yiming knew that even with this mysterious power that was coursing through his veins, he could not hold off a sage, especially someone like Bing Shuai, who had been working toward the next level for several decades already.


    "Write! Write down everything that is happening here!" Despite his numbing right arm, Li Yiming retrieved an oldptop from his bracelet and tossed it to Fu Bo.


    Bing Shuai snorted in disdain when he saw it. ¡¯Ha! Aptop? What could you possibly do with that?¡¯ He continued to pour more of his strength into his attack; he wanted all of this to be concluded especially after the feeling Li Yiming gave him earlier.


    Fu Bo caught theptop. After a brief period of shock and confusion, he sat down and pushed the power button. He did not have time to even begin to think about what was happening, but he knew that Li Yiming was his friend, and that he put himself in danger for his sake.


    As the sound of typing began to ring out in the garden, a semi-transparent curtain of light spread around him. The apparition was not even big enough to cover Li Yiming, but it made all three sages present


    Big brain Li Yiming <h4><strong>Book 4 Chapter 36 ¨C Forged in Divine Fire</strong></h4>


    "A protective realm...? You... You¡¯re the Recorder?" Bing Shuai turned in Fu Bo¡¯s direction, but even he could not see through Fu Bo¡¯s barrier.


    "This is bad!" Stargaze raised his head toward the skies and eximed.She had never thought that Li Yiming would use Fu Bo in such a way.


    A hole suddenly appeared in the sky, as if the dark and gloomy sky was torn asunder. Crimson thunderclouds could be seen billowing on the other side of the opening.


    "Shit!" Stargaze could not stop herself from cursing anymore. She knocked on her crescent de with her left hand, turning the starry carvings on the steel into a million shards of light that encircled her, and vanished the next second.


    "It¡¯s Heaven¡¯s Punishment! Fu Bo¡¯s realm removed Yan Bing¡¯s boundary! Nicely done, Li Yiming!" Li Huaibei raised his right hand and struck his own abdomen without hesitation, causing him to fall downward after spitting out a mouthful of blood.


    When Heaven¡¯s Punishment was summoned, it immediately locked onto the three biggest targets, Li Huaibei, Stargaze, and Bing Shuai. Stargaze escaped by destroying her own weapon, but not everyone had that luxury. Li Huaibei had opted for a more direct method ¡ª he sealed his own powers to avoid being targeted. Although Li Huaibei suffered grave injuries, he would escape Heaven¡¯s Punishment¡¯s relentless pursuit.


    Bing Shuai finally understood the reason behind Fu Bo¡¯s strange technique, and also why Stargaze and Li Huaibei were ready to do anything to protect him. ¡¯If only I had known better... It¡¯s all toote now.¡¯


    Bing Shuai decided to imitate Li Huaibei. He delivered a strike to his own abdomen and fell out of the skies, right in front of Li Yiming.


    By now, the sea of fire that raged violently within the crimson cloud was clearly seen in the skies, as though it was sent to purge all of the sins in this world.


    "It¡¯s the Divine Fire Punishment... It¡¯s the Samadhi Fire..." Bing Shuai gazed at the skies in fear. The strength of Heaven¡¯s Punishment incited by three sages was no small token.


    The next instant, he saw Li Yiming throw a venomous stare at him, unmoved by the ze above his head.


    "I hope you won¡¯t burn to ashes, Li Yiming. Once Heaven¡¯s Punishment is over, I¡¯ll show you true despair. I¡¯ll capture your friends, your family and torture them one by one in front of you. I¡¯ll let you know what hell on Earth means." Bing Shuai¡¯s anger and frustration peaked once again when he saw the maker of his misery.


    "You won¡¯t have the chance." Li Yiming replied coldly. "Thunderous Strike!"


    A small rift appeared in the sky as Li Yiming raised his right hand, and a bolt of lightning descended straight toward Bing Shuai.


    "Are you insane? You dare to attack me in the presence of Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" Bing Shuai was outraged. With the enhancement from that mysterious stone, Li Yiming had already exceeded the fifth level, and Thunderous Strike poured everyst drop of power within him into a single attack. Normally, Bing Shuai would be able to blow such a petty blow with ease, but he had already sealed his powers to escape the wrath of Heaven¡¯s Punishment. To block the attack was to call upon his powers again, and to expose himself once more.


    "No!!!" Bing Shuai roared furiously. A white light spread from his abdomen and enveloped his entire body against the purple lightning; the energy in his body mobilized to protect his life before he could react.


    The lightning bolt vanished along with the small rupture in the sky, but the next second, punishment befell. A spark erupted from where Bing Shuai¡¯sid prone, turning into a zing ball of fire that covered his entire body.


    "I... I will...remember..." Bing Shuai¡¯s voice was suddenly cut off, leaving nothing, not even dust behind.


    At the same time, a spark erupted from beneath Li Yiming¡¯s feet. Li Yiming smiled wryly and thought to himself. ¡¯If I had even a shred of energy left, I could teleport into Fu Bo¡¯s realm, and maybe escape Heaven¡¯s Punishment. But against an opponent like Bing Shuai, only Thunderous Strike would work... Oh well, my life for a sage¡¯s... It¡¯s worth it!¡¯


    The fire grew rapidly and enveloped Li Yiming instantly. Li Yiming closed his eyes and epted his fate. However, the mysterious runic glyph within Li Yiming¡¯s consciousness shone once again, emitting a barrier of golden light that protected him from the ravages of the mes.


    After not feeling any pain for an extended period of time, Li Yiming opened his eyes in confusion. ¡¯What is this?¡¯


    The mes turned Li Yiming into a human torch, but regardless of how strongly they burned, they could not prate Li Yiming¡¯s golden barrier.


    "His body is being forged in the divine fire?" Within the wreckage, Li Huaibei peeked out and his expression changed from apprehension to disbelief. ¡¯He continues to surprise me... Li Yiming...¡¯


    Eventually, the fire dispersed, and the crimson thunderclouds scattered. Li Yiming emerged out of the furnace naked, his skin glistening under the sun. The golden light around his limbs flickered a few times and vanished. Li Yiming¡¯s powers had been miraculously restored, and he had grown even stronger. As for the mysterious glyph within his body, it dimmed out and seemed even more ethereal than when it first appeared.


    Li Yiming scanned his surrounding and scratched his head in confusion. To his horror, he realized that he was now bald. He awkwardly withdrew a set of clothes from his storage bracelet and ran towards Fu Bo, who was the real hero of the day.


    Before Li Yiming could approach him, however, a rainbow-colored ray of light descended from the heavens, enveloping Fu Bo¡¯s entire protective realm.


    "Stay away!" Just as Li Yiming was about to dash in, Li Huaibei stopped him.


    "What is that?" Li Yiming turned around and asked Li Huaibei, who barely made his way out of the wreckage.


    "It¡¯s the Path of Guidance. He¡¯s been exposed. Heaven¡¯s Laws is taking him away..." Li Huaibei answered as he looked at the rainbow in the sky.


    The transparent ripples generated by Fu Bo¡¯s domain vanished, and Li Yiming could see his friend smiling at him with a brokenptop in his hand.


    "Fu Bo!"


    "You can¡¯t stop this. No one can..." Li Huaibei put his hand on Li Yiming¡¯s shoulder and held him down, worried that thetter would do something rash.


    Fu Bo continued his ascension, eventually disappearing into the crack in the sky. After that, the fissure began to slowly close off.


    "What¡¯s going to happen to him?" Li Yiming withdrew his gaze and turned toward Li Huaibei.


    "I don¡¯t know. Perhaps he¡¯ll be teleported to another ce to continue his writing, living a life that no one knows. Or perhaps another Recorder will rece him..." Li Huaibei let go of Li Yiming¡¯s shoulder and shook his head in resignation; this was the closest he had been to the truth in so many years, and yet it ended in failure once again.


    "Fu Bo..." Li Yiming looked at the sky, a tear slid down his cheek.


    "Let¡¯s go." Li Huaibei gave Li Yiming a pat on his shoulder. "You really are full of surprises." With onest stare, he was suddenly gone.


    Li Yiming did not have the luxury of considering why Li Huaibei suddenly left. He looked at the wreckage around him, and the usual sense of relief that came with the termination of a domain was missing: this was the real world, and he would have to live with the consequences of what had transpired.


    "Ji Xiaoqin?" Li Yiming suddenly remembered and leaped to the second floor. She was still unconscious, lying still in the half broken bedroom. Upon further inspection, she seemed to be unharmed. However, Li Yiming did notice the bare red string around her neck. ¡¯My stone... That glyph?¡¯


    Suddenly, the wail of sirens was heard in the distance. Li Yiming picked up Ji Xiaoqin, nced onest time at Guo Xiang, who seemed more dead than alive in a corner of the room, and vanished behind the ruined building.


    After Li Yiming left, Tian Yan slowly sat herself up by the side of the pool. She held a golden business card in her hand. Li Ping Consulting Co. ¡ª Wang Li Ping


    At the entrance of the neighborhood, a young woman in full ck tights waved to stop a car. She dove inside under the perverse stare of the driver, but not before raising her head toward the sky onest time.


    In an office in the capital, Stargaze sprawled on her office chair with blood still around the corner of her lips. She picked up her brush and wrote three big characters on the paper in front of her. Li Yiming.


    On the other side of the world, a block of ice on a frozen mountain peak began to slowly crack. A frail hand reached out as a hoarse voice rang out from within. "Li Yiming, I swear I¡¯ll kill you. I will not rest until you are dead!"


    In a small fishing vige in the northern sea, a skinny man squatted near a pond¡¯s edge, observing the perfect stillness of the water. He pulled the stic knitted bag at his feet closer to him and whispered: "Li Yiming..."


    The author himself left a note at the end of the chapter about how quickly the chapters went by, and, most importantly, that he himself did not quite know what to do or what to make of Ji Xiaoqin. I guess we¡¯ll know about her ultimate fate soon enough.

 Volume 5 Chapter 1

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 1 ¨C National Security</strong></h4>


    Ji Xiaoqin awakened from hera on the very night after the battle at the Guo Mansion. When she opened her eyes, she found herself on the hospital bed, having forgotten everything and everyone she met since she entered university. Li Yiming called her parents and walked out of the hospital after leaving some money behind toplete her rehabilitation. He had a hunch that his stone might have caused all of this, but regardless, this was one of the best ending possible for Ji Xiaoqin.


    Upon returning to his own apartment, Li Yiming found it hard to walk into the nicely furnished study again. He smiled bitterly, walked out of his home and wandered the streets for the entire night. The next day, he went to the real-estate agent who had sold him the apartment and sold the property back along with the furniture at a discount rate.


    Just as he was finishing up the paperwork for the transaction, he received a call from the police station requiring him to show up; the young man from whom Li Yiming had stolen the scooter had called, iming that he was actually Li Yiming¡¯s friend, and he only filed aint to the police due to being upset after a fight. The investigation of Li Yiming¡¯s involvement in the murder of Ye Lang was also withdrawn due to insufficient evidence. ¡¯I suppose I owe it to Li Huaibei...¡¯


    After he walked out of the police station, Li Yiming immediately headed for the train station and left Hangzhou.


    Bai Ze awakened on the seventh day after Li Yiming returned to Lishui. As soon as she woke up, she came as close as she could to Li Yiming and stared at him as if he was some kind of apparition.


    "Do you know what we call the state of your vein right now?" Bai Ze licked her lips. She seemed to want to swallow Li Yiming whole.


    "Well, if I knew I wouldn¡¯t be asking you, would I? Just tell me the answer." Li Yiming had still yet to recover from his low mood, and Bai Ze¡¯s remark only reminded him again that Fu Bo was the one who had granted him his new power.


    "Five veins into one Dao. This is the Dao vein. Do you know what that means?" Bai Ze continued, without noticing Li Yiming¡¯s dejection.


    Instead of guessing again, Li Yiming ignored Bai Ze and picked up the pack of cigarettes on the table.


    "That¡¯s a sign of bing a sage! Everyone knows it." "Bai Ze eximed, clearly unsatisfied by Li Yiming¡¯sck of interest.


    The cigarette almost slipped off from Li Yiming¡¯s fingers when he heard her. He turned to look at Bai Ze and raised his right hand. A ping pong ball-sized light orb appeared on his palm. "You¡¯re telling me that this is my boundary?"


    "What the...?" Bai Ze jumped back. "You¡¯re really a sage?"


    "Unfortunately, that¡¯s about as far as I can go." Li Yiming closed his hand and rubbed it against his thigh; he was beginning to get excited about what Bai Ze was going to tell him.


    "You... you..." Bai Ze returned into Li Yiming¡¯s body with a sh of light.


    ¡¯Wait, this makes no sense... It still shows level five, a level five sage? Also, what¡¯s wrong with your talent now?¡¯


    ¡¯I had a stone ever since I was young...¡¯ Li Yiming hesitated a little and told Bai Ze everything that happened after she fell unconscious.


    ¡¯The stone, Ji Xiaoqin, the glyph... and the fire?¡¯ Bai Ze repeated the clues Li Yiming had just given to her and grew more and more confused.


    ¡¯Any ideas?¡¯ Li Yiming asked.


    ¡¯Nope.¡¯


    ¡¯But I thought you were...¡¯


    ¡¯Don¡¯t mention my name ever again.¡¯ Bai Ze answered in frustration. It seemed like her wisdom has yet to be useful for anything when it mattered to Li Yiming.


    "Well, I should thank you then. I¡¯ve also grown stronger." Bai Ze said slowly.


    "You mean, you¡¯re sage level now?" Li Yiming was overjoyed.


    ¡¯You think that I¡¯m an anomaly like you? I¡¯m still level five.¡¯


    ¡¯Speaking of which, I didn¡¯t receive any awards for surviving Heaven¡¯s Punishment again, did I?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly remembered.


    ¡¯You¡¯ve be a sage. What better reward do you want? I¡¯d like to remind you that you aren¡¯t just any level five guardian. All of your attributes have reached level five. I don¡¯t even think that a normal level six guardian would be able to win against you.¡¯


    ¡¯I guess you¡¯re right. Hey, do I get any other perks?¡¯ Li Yiming scratched his head. After a few days, a thinyer of spiky hair had grown from his scalp, but his eyebrows were much thinner than usual, so Li Yiming did not dare to head out for thest few days.


    ¡¯That¡¯s it for the good news. I also have a bad one.¡¯ Bai Ze let out a chuckle.


    ¡¯A bad one?¡¯


    ¡¯Normally, after bing a sage, one can¡¯t use Progression Points anymore. Haven¡¯t you noticed?¡¯


    ¡¯Yeah, I¡¯ve noticed. That number is gone.¡¯


    ¡¯Well, that means that you¡¯ll need to learn things on your own, just like the other sages out there. There¡¯s no quick way to strength anymore.¡¯


    ¡¯Not even when I get struck by lightning?¡¯


    ¡¯Probably not. Heaven¡¯s Laws won¡¯t let you grow indefinitely.¡¯


    ¡¯But I¡¯m only level five.¡¯ It suddenly came to Li Yiming that the road ahead was going to be even rockier than it already is.


    ¡¯Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like it matters. Also, you won¡¯t be able to use the party purchase system anymore. That thing is made to assist neers.¡¯


    ¡¯Are you serious?¡¯ Li Yiming finally understood the implications of Bai Ze¡¯s so-called "bad news". It was his biggest "bug" to be able to extract the abilities out of the items he purchased, but it seemed that the easy path to ascension had been closed off.


    ¡¯What are you going to do now?¡¯ Bai Ze went back to being serious again and asked.


    ¡¯Haven¡¯t thought much about it. There are still two months left until the appointed day with Linglong. Maybe I¡¯ll spend some time investigating that talent glyph.¡¯ Li Yiming reached out for his captain¡¯s badge and checked the whereabouts of his teammates. The Qing sisters and Eyesses were in their hometown in the north, whereas Big Beard was overseas. All seemed to be enjoying the long vacation. Li Yiming checked the purchasing interface onest time: just as Bai Ze told him, he lost the right to purchase items from the marketce.


    ¡¯Whatever then.¡¯ The mention of the glyph seemed to have piqued Bai Ze¡¯s pride, and she went quiet after quick answer.


    ¡¯Two months... What should I do? Mr. Kong said that I¡¯d be able to save Liu Meng if I be a sage, but in my current situation... I can only wait.¡¯ After living on the edge for a few weeks, Li Yiming had difficulty settling down to a calmer everyday life.


    ¡¯Yes, my driver¡¯s license!¡¯ Li Yiming remembered. It was too much of a disadvantage to not know how to drive, so he was going to use his free time to obtain his license. Li Yiming picked up his coat and made ready to head out.


    The moment Li Yiming opened the door, he bumped into three men who were staring at him coldly.


    "Who are you?" Li Yiming was alerted by the presence of the three strangers and slowly moved his left hand behind his back. ¡¯They don¡¯t look like criminals or anything, but this smell of blood...¡¯


    "Are you Li Yiming?" One of them asked.


    Li Yiming nodded calmly.


    "National Security. Can we have a chat with you?" The man who spoke first showed his badge to Li Yiming.


    "National Security? What do you want to talk about?" Li Yiming scrutinized the golden emblem and was somewhat amused. ¡¯Well, I can¡¯t tell for sure if this thing is real or not, since I have the exact same thing in my bracelet...¡¯


    "Let¡¯s go inside, shall we?" The man smiled and pointed at the door.


    Li Yiming hesitated a little and opened the door. He walked to the sofa and sat down, not showing any of the manners that he reserved for real guests. The three men followed inside and sat down on the sofa as well after a brief examination of the living room.


    "So...¡¯ Li Yiming asked with a frown. Suddenly, one of the men jumped up and sliced at Li Yiming¡¯s throat with his fingers.


    Li Yiming snatched the man¡¯s wrist with ease and looked at his visitors coldly.


    "What¡¯s the meaning of this?" It was a blow which would have been unblockable by a normal person, but Li Yiming did it effortlessly. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that the two other men were still sitting instead of helping their friend and gave a satisfied smile instead of assisting in the attack, Li Yiming would not have stopped at parrying.


    "Alright, you can let go. It¡¯s him alright." The man who talked to Li Yiming first said again, but his friend could only smile bitterly; it was not that he did not want to let go, rather, he waspletely at Li Yiming¡¯s mercy.


    "National Security needs your help." The man who gave out the order realized what was going on and seemed even more surprised than before. He rushed to diffuse the situation.


    "My help? National Security?" Li Yiming let his opponent go and looked at the three men with surprise. He could tell that they were not lying, and nor did they had malicious intent.


    The agent who attacked Li Yiming pulled back his hand and rubbed his wrist; five red marks were clearly seen around it. His two friends seemed utterly shocked at the sight of them.


    "We¡¯re working on a case with important implications for this country, and we would like to ask for your help. I should introduce myself first. My name is Zheng Wei, and these two are my subordinates, Zhang Dong and Liu Ke." Zheng Wei pointed at the man who struck at Li Yiming first and then at the third agent.


    "Why me?" Li Yiming knew that it was hard to refuse right away, given that he had just demonstrated the extent of his abilities, but he still wanted to know why he was chosen in particr.


    Well, that marks the end of Ji Xiaoqin and Guo Xiang I suppose. Amnesia is a practical tool indeed.

 Volume 5 Chapter 2

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 2 ¨C Strange Happenings in Tianshan </strong>


    <strong> </strong></h4>


    "We¡¯ve read the file about that robbery case in Hangzhou..." Zheng Wei suddenly smiled.


    "That case is over," Li Yiming retorted calmly.


    "Of course, we¡¯re not here to investigate that case. It¡¯s just that we were rather... interested by it... After a quick investigation, an inmate from the police station told us about you." Zheng Mei adjusted his posture and tried his best to sound friendly.


    ¡¯Goddam Fatty... don¡¯t let me catch you.¡¯ Li Yiming cursed inwardly.


    "Is there anything I can do to help?" Li Yiming settled down once he was no longer suspicious about the three men. He adhered to the belief that he should use his abilities to help out others whenever he could, and so it would be his pleasure to help the government on such matters, especially when he had quite a bit of free time.


    "However, before we can disclose the information with you, you need to sign a non-disclosure act. Sorry, bureaucracy demands it." Zheng Wei said with a smile. Liu Meng quickly pulled out a piece of paper from his bag. It was about the same format as the one Eyesses had fabricated back in Hangzhou, and it stipted the usual thing about suffering due consequences if one was to divulge the information to any third party.


    Li Yiming promptly signed his name down on the paper. At the same time, Zhang Dong stood up and walked around the room with a scanner in his hand. Upon finishing his tour, he drew the curtains up and put his device on the table.


    "Please turn your cellphone off and put it on the table. My apologies," Zhang Dong said.


    Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders and obeyed; he already had a fair bit of "job experience", so he was familiar with the procedures. After everything was made ready, Zheng Wei took out an aged leather pouch and took out a stack of papers.


    "Last March, we have received news from Master Qingfeng of the Xianyun Abbey at Lianyun Peak. He ims that he had discovered the urrence of supernatural events near that area using his Dao techniques, and that a disaster is impending." As soon as Zheng Wei started speaking, Li Yiming¡¯s brows furrowed into a frown. ¡¯What? Master Qingfeng? Dao techniques? Impending disasters? Are you serious? I thought this guy was from National Security.¡¯


    "Normally, National Security does not deal with such matters, but the pictures Master Qing Feng sent us were quite... troubling, so the Minister of Religious Affairs rted the findings to us." Zheng Feng rushed to the evidence; he realized that Li Yiming was not remotely convinced by his story. He handed a set of photos to Li Yiming, who grabbed a few and examined them. ¡¯Hmm, bad quality, mountains, clouds, forests...¡¯


    "These are the ones which have been processed." Seeing that Li Yiming was even more confused, Deng Wei quickly picked up a few photos and gave them to Li Yiming.


    "Oh?" Li Yiming¡¯s attention was piqued. On one of them was a mundane picture of mountains, but in the clouds, one could see the silhouette of a giant bird. Based on the scale of the picture, the bird must have been even bigger than a jetliner. On another one was a stream in a valley, and a woman was seen in the water, only she had a golden tail instead of legs. ¡¯Bai Xi?¡¯


    "Aren¡¯t these... photo-shopped?" Li Yiming asked. Images of this quality could be produced by any high schooler with the relevant knowledge.


    "Please listen to what I have to say." Zheng Wei was a little embarrassed, and he himself knew just how incredulous his tale was.


    "After receiving these pictures, we sent two agents to investigate. They found multiple witnesses for these supernatural events. Xianyun Abbey has received much attention as a result."


    "Well, we can¡¯t exclude the possibility that the people at the Abbey staged this to attract attention, can¡¯t we?" Li Yiming asked. ¡¯Heck, if they can even fake Cao Cao¡¯s grave, then there¡¯s nothing they can¡¯t do.¡¯ 1


    "That¡¯s what we thought at first, so we sent a team of fifteen agentsst August. They entered Lianyun Peak under the pretense of geological and floral inspection."


    "What happened then?"


    "After twenty-seven days, one person came back. It was the local guide, and he died on the same day from heart failure." Zheng Wei said with a grave countenance.


    "What?" Li Yiming now understood the gravity of the situation.


    "Since then, we¡¯ve assigned a high priority to this case, so we sent another team this July. The teamprised of forty agents: thirty-two trained soldiers, six agents and two guides, all equipped with ourtest technology." Zheng Wei continued.


    "And then?"


    "Well... we haven¡¯t heard from them since..."


    "What?" Li Yiming was baffled.


    "Satellite imaging? GPS? Drones? Did you try everything?"


    "There¡¯s an abnormal electromaic field around Lianyun Peak which blocks off all transmission..." Zheng Wei was surprised that Li Yiming came up with such an assortment of methods this quickly.


    "So you have nothing? Nothing at all?" Li Yiming asked.


    "This is the picture we retrieved from the cellphone of the first team¡¯s guide. There are seven pictures in it." Zheng Wei handed another stack of photos to Li Yiming, and thetter went through them quickly.


    ¡¯Normal... normal... This is all vegetation. Wait. What¡¯s up with this picture of a woman? It looks it was taken without her consent...¡¯ However, Li Yiming froze when he saw the sixth picture.


    It was the picture of a golden wok. It also looked like a picture taken secretly, only Li Yiming had seen the object before. ¡¯This is... the same as what Mr. Kong held back in Eden... There¡¯s a slight difference, but the size, the color, everything is practically the same!¡¯


    "What do you want me to do?" Li Yiming still had his doubts, but he knew that he needed to get to the bottom of the case.


    "After the disappearance of an entirepany during the second excursion, we will try onest time." Zheng Wei paused; he did not mention what was going to happen if thest attempt failed as well. Instead, he waited for Li Yiming¡¯s response.


    "We¡¯ve read your file, and your exchange with Zhang Dong earlier is enough to prove that we need you to be part of our team," Zheng Wei said earnestly.


    "When are we leaving?"


    Zheng Wei eyes lit up with hope when he heard Li Yiming¡¯s answer, but it also shocked him to the point that he exchanged a look of disbelief with his friend. He had put some care into exining how dangerous the trip was going to be, and yet Li Yiming epted without hesitation.


    "The original departure date was to be tomorrow, but you were not part of the original team, if you could..."


    "I have no problems. I¡¯m ready to go any time." Li Yiming was in fact quite eager to get to the bottom of the affair. ¡¯That golden wok...¡¯


    "We should leave now then. If we rush to the airport, we should arrive at Tianshan by the evening." Deng Wei was overjoyed at everything proceeding so smoothly.


    "Alright, let¡¯s go." Li Yiming stood up and looked at the three agents.


    "You... you¡¯re not going to make any preparations?" Zhen Wei was dumbfounded. Especially when he saw that Li Yiming had nothing but a thin vest on him. ¡¯That bald head of his... that¡¯s a little too remarkable... and these eyebrows...¡¯


    "Oh, right. Wait a second." Li Yiming went inside the bedroom and started checking the windows and the door. After that, he went by the sink, checked the tap and unplugged all of the electric appliances. Finally, he hesitated a little in front of the fridge, but he then decided to take out two bottles of yogurt. ¡¯Well, Bai Ze bought these, and they¡¯re probably going to go bad if I leave them here. But there are also other things in the fridge, so I should probably leave it powered.¡¯


    "Alright, let¡¯s go!" Li Yiming walked to the front door with the two cups of yogurt.


    ¡¯Are you not going to bring anything else?" Zheng Wei was baffled. ¡¯That was the ¡¯preparation¡¯ he was talking about? Closing the windows, removing the plugs, and two bottles of yogurt?¡¯


    "I thought you were going to provide the equipment?" Li Yiming was rather surprised at hearing Zheng Wei¡¯s question.


    Zheng licked his lips. ¡¯Well, he¡¯s right about that, but it just feels... strange, to be honest.¡¯


    Li Yiming locked the door and followed the three agents downstairs. Two cars were parked at the entrance.


    "Well, Liu Ke is going to be the one who will apany you to Tianshan. He¡¯s the one responsible for this case. I need to go back to headquarters ." Zheng Wei shook Li Yiming¡¯s hand again, this time, with visible gratitude. Li Yiming still seemed like quite the odd person to him, but curiously, he somehow knew that Li Yiming was not the type to appreciate formalities.


    The two cars split way. Deng Meng closed the car window and shut his eyes, trying to remember every detail about his meeting with Li Yiming.


    "What do you make of this?" Zheng Wei asked Zhang Dong, who was driving.


    "His strength is beyondprehension." Zheng Dong kneaded his right hand; the red marks on it had yet to recede.


    "If you¡¯re willing to give him this much credit, then he must have a few tricks up his sleeves. But in the files..."


    "I think that whatever that was written on there might actually be true." Zhang Dong peeked at Zheng Wei.


    "True? But it said that he sent someone flying for dozens of meters!"


    "Yeah. I think that he might even be stronger than her."


    "That strong?" Zheng Wei was shocked.


    "He could probably take on ten people like me at the same time." Zhang Dong suddenly let out a bitter smile.


    "Well, you know what they say, the gods do live among us." Zheng Wei sighed.


    "It¡¯s good that he seems to be a hot-blooded young man."


    "Yeah, I really didn¡¯t expect him to ept right away. And without request forpensation, too. Compared to the other people we went to..." Zheng Wei was interrupted by his phone¡¯s ringing.


    "It¡¯s Liu Ke... Hello?"


    "Captain, it¡¯s me... I.." Liu Ke hesitated.


    "What is it?" Zheng Wei frowned.


    "Li Yiming says that he has a request."


    "Oh? He¡¯s only thought of it now? Alright, shoot." A smile still hung on Zheng Wei¡¯s lips as he exchanged a look with Zhang Dong, but he had grown more alert. His reaction would have been premature if the request was to be excessive.


    "He says that he wants a driver¡¯s license. A normal one is fine." Liu Ke found the situation quite absurd.


    "Driver¡¯s license?¡¯ Zheng Wei paused and tried his best to make sense out of Li Yiming¡¯s wish.


    "He said that he was on his way to do the exam, but he can¡¯t anymore since we¡¯ve assigned him to this mission..."


    "Alright. Tell him that we¡¯ll give him an answer soon." Zheng Wei hung up the call. ¡¯A driver¡¯s license? A normal one of top of it?¡¯ For some reason, Zhen Wei remembered Li Yiming¡¯s bald head and eyebrows again.


    "Did he have his license revoked after driving under influence or something?" Zhang Dong guessed.


    "I think we would¡¯ve found out about it if it was the case, wouldn¡¯t we? I¡¯ll send someone to check on this."


    Tianshan is a mountain chain located to the west of China. In traditional tales, it is rumored to be a ce where Gods lived.


    So apparently a few years back there has been an archeological discovery that was controversial in China because... well some expect thought that the grave was a fake one. ?

 Volume 5 Chapter 3

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 3 ¨C Reunion</strong></h4>


    ¡¯Are you serious? National Security and they can¡¯t even get me a driver¡¯s license? What do you mean, ¡¯we¡¯ll consider it?¡¯¡¯ Li Yiming was still perplexed by their answer when he walked out of Tianshan Airport.


    "We should go to the rendezvous point. They¡¯re waiting for us." Liu Ke could tell that Li Yiming was a little unsatisfied, and so he made sure to avoid getting on his bad side.


    After heading out of the airport, the car roamed on the empty roads for while until it arrived at an ordinary-looking factory. Liu Ke whispered a few words into his transmitter, and the metal gates at the front entrance opened slowly.


    ¡¯Finally, something worthy their reputation.¡¯ Li Yiming cleared his mind and stared at the entrance, eager to meet the people who were soon going to be his teammates.


    "Captain? What the hell?" Li Yiming heard a familiar voice. He turned in its direction and froze in ce.


    It was Eyesses. But Li Yiming¡¯s reaction was caused by the girl who stood next to him.


    She wore beige-colored sportswear, hiding the attractive curves of her lower body, while the zipper of the jacket was forced to a semi-open state by her voluptuous chest. Her long, ck hair was tied up and hung from the back of her cap. A beautiful smile appeared on her face when she saw Li Yiming, and she stood there, silently staring at him.


    Her eyes watered up as Li Yiming stared back into them, but her smile widened at the same time.


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming finally snapped out of it. He leaped toward the person he had been wanting to see for so long.


    It was a warm, soft embrace that Li Yiming had craved for a long time, and he wrapped his arms as firmly as he could around Liu Meng. He was afraid that all of this was just a dream, especially after all that had happened back in Hangzhou.


    "You know each other?" Liu Ke seemed surprised.


    "They¡¯re a couple." Eyesses smiled. He wore a suit that conferred to him a great change of temperament; it seemed like Eyesses had taken a liking for this kind of style after his transformation.


    "You know him too?" Liu Ke went up to Eyesses and greeted him with a nod.


    "Old friends. You guys are quite capable. These two are not easy to convince." Eyesses gave Liu Ke a friendly tap on the shoulder.


    "You¡¯ve just called him captain?"


    "Yeah, it¡¯s an online game we¡¯re ying." Eyessesughed and rubbed his hands together.


    "Pfft! Last time I checked, this isn¡¯t a field trip." A hoarse voice was suddenly heard. A man who sat on the ground removed his straw hat and spat out.


    Eyesses rolled his eyes and ignored the man. He was simply happy at witnessing Li Yiming and Liu Meng¡¯s reunion. He did not know about the details, but he could tell that the two had been through their fair share of troubles.


    ¡¯Are you the one in charge? I¡¯m trusting you with my life here. Please don¡¯t tell me that the squad is made of people like them!" The man stood up and osted Liu Ke.


    Li Yiming turned around and almost cast down a lightning bolt when he saw the face of the man who wasining.


    ¡¯Are you serious... This guy... The hair in his nose... I can see it so clearly. What¡¯s wrong with the military clothes? His pants are too long for him to wear... The small eyes, and big ears and... ¡¯


    "Every member of the team has been picked carefully. You¡¯ll be informed on itter. Follow me." Liu Ke seemed to dislike the man whoined as well and ignored himpletely as he walked toward the interior of the factory.


    The hideous man puckered his lips and threw a nce full of contempt at Li Yiming. He dragged his travel bag, which was almost as tall as he was, and followed Liu Ke with unsteady steps.


    "Why are you here?" Li Yiming asked Eyesses, his hands joining up with Liu Meng¡¯s.


    "I¡¯m an on-call agent for National Security. You¡¯ve probably already been informed about the mission, so you know what they need someone who¡¯s an expert with electronics and since I¡¯m on a break, I thought that it would be interesting to do. I didn¡¯t think that you woulde here though, I thought that you two would be happily wandering off. I suppose that you thought of this as paid travel," Eyesses exined with a rxed smile,pletely disregarding the dangers of the mission, which was understandable since he was a veteran guardian.


    "Wait, so you¡¯re actually an agent?" Li Yiming kneaded Liu Meng¡¯s fingers. He would have to wait to ask her questions.


    "What? I don¡¯t look like one?" Eyesses tidied his suit and raised his chin proudly.


    "And that guy... is he some kind mythical beast?¡¯ Li Yiming ignored Eyesses¡¯ bragging and turned his attention toward the short man in front of him.


    "His name is Chen Quan. He used to be quite the famous tomb raider, but he was arrested for taking part in a big scheme involving highly-valued artifacts. They sentenced him for life, but since we need his knowledge, we bailed him out." as always, Eyesses, knew everything that happened around him down to the minute details.


    "A tomb raider?" Liu Meng was surprised. The profession has gained quite a lot of fame owing to amazing stories from recently published novels.


    "He¡¯s an ordinary person then?" Li Yiming wondered.


    "Of course. You didn¡¯t think that he would be one of us, did you?" Eyesses was surprised.


    "Right, let¡¯s talk about thatter."


    The ground entered a cargo elevator, which brought them to an underground facility after many squeaks and metallic bangs. The ce looked like some kind of secret training base, being filled with training equipment that was ced in an orderly fashion, with even a row of targets for firearms training.


    As soon as Li Yiming entered the room, his attention was drawn to the four people who were in the resting area. One of them was a middle-aged man who wore a traditional robe and looked like he was plunged into his own world, with his eyes shut in a meditative stance. The two other men were busy handling their guns and only threw a quick, cold nce at Li Yiming¡¯s group.


    "Are you the new recruit?" The fourth person, the only woman of the group, stared at Li Yiming and asked a question that made her seem like a judge in front of a convict.


    "The guy who¡¯s meditating there is a fortune-teller. Apparently, he had easily won a debate against a few doctorate graduates from a famous overseas university. He¡¯s pretty famous in the north. The other three are special ops people. That woman..." Eyesses began to whisper into Li Yiming¡¯s ear, but he was interrupted by Liu Ke.


    "Now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s introduce ourselves" Liu Ke led the group to their seats at the resting area. The man who seemed like a Taoist priest still kept his eyes closed, whereas the two soldiers put their guns down.


    "This is Mr. You Fang. He¡¯s a master of fortune." Liu Ke pointed at the middle-aged man. You Fang ignored himpletely, and it seemed like Liu Ke was used to it.


    "This is Shen Jianming, and he is Zhang Jianjun. They¡¯re both special ops agents." The two soldiers looked at the rest of the group with expressionless countenances.


    "This is Chen Quan, a tomb raider." Thetter put his fists together and saluted the rest of the team, mostly intimidated by the table full of guns.


    "He... he¡¯s Eyesses, he¡¯s our expert in electronics." Liu Ke hesitated when it was Eyesses¡¯ turn, and Li Yiming¡¯s lips quirked when he remembered the "circumstances" around Eyesses¡¯ real name.


    "Liu Meng..."


    "Li Yiming. Combat expert." Li Yiming noticed that Liu Ke seemed rather hesitant when it was Liu Meng¡¯s turn; her joining the team was an order from the people above, and even he did not quite know what a young, beautiful girl like Liu Meng was doing there.


    "She¡¯s Lin Lu. She¡¯s part of the special ops team, and also themander for this operation. I¡¯ll let captain Lin handle the rest then. I¡¯ll go and prepare the equipment for your departure tomorrow." Liu Ke headed toward the exit after a brief introduction; it was as if he did not appreciate thepany at all.


    "I¡¯m Lin Lu. You can call me captain Lin." Lin Lu tightened her shoulder-straps and put her hands down on her knees, making it seem like she was the head of a gang of bandits.


    "Since you¡¯re all here, I assume you¡¯ve all been informed about the situation. I¡¯ll skip the unnecessary stuff and head straight to the point. I only ask one thing of you: yourplete obedience. I don¡¯t care what you were doing prior to joining this team, or what kind of skills your have. If you want to stay, you will listen to me." Lin Lu started with a domineering speech thatpletely surprised Li Yiming, who had only thought of her as a rather attractive young girl with a decisive temperament.


    "Our mission is very dangerous and of utmost importance. I don¡¯t care about whether you have any regard for your own life, if you drag the team down with you, don¡¯t me me for being ruthless." Lin Lu swept across the group with her severe countenance, and her eyes finally stopped on Li Yiming¡¯s face. For some reason, she found his bald head and his burned-out brows even more diforting than Chen Quan¡¯s rather repulsing appearance.


    "Alright. If you have no regrets, then go pick a gun and make yourselves familiar with it. We won¡¯t be able to protect you in the mountains." Lin Lu gave her first order and signaled Shen Jianming to help with selecting a weapon.


    "Is this a sandbag?" Liu Meng stood up and walked toward a sandbag which was made forbat training. It was about two meters long and one meter wide and weighted at least one hundred kilograms.


    Lin Lu frowned when she heard Liu Meng¡¯s question, which was more fitting for a child rather than someone who was going to risk her life for the country. However, the next moment, her eyes widened.


    Liu Meng suddenly lifted her left leg and propelled herself into the air with her right one. While in the air, she spun around and delivered a kick at the sandbag with her right feet after a full rotation, hitting the training bag right in its middle.


    Crack!


    The metal chain from which the bag hung shattered and the object flew straight into the fence which surrounded the training area.


    "Oops. I suppose that it wasn¡¯t robust enough. I¡¯m not going to have to pay for this, am I?" Liu Mengnded gracefully and made a yful, but somewhat provocative grimace in Lin Lu¡¯s direction.


    Flowers and confettis!

 Volume 5 Chapter 4

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 4 ¨C Preparations</strong></h4>


    "Are you...!"


    A loud sigh was heard from the crowd. You Fang jumped up from the ground, whereas the two spec ops agents were baffled. Eyesses smiled bitterly, and Chen Quan stood there with his eyes wide open. What Liu Meng had just performed was a spin that constituted a basic technique for all dance graduates.


    ¡¯Wow, that didn¡¯t just look pretty... She¡¯s at least stamina level three. Seems like she¡¯s improved a lot since her awakening. Poor Lin Lu, she incurred the wrath of damsel Liu...¡¯ Li Yiming was also quite surprised by the show Liu Meng put up, and he knew that she was doing it because she was irritated by the way Lin Lu looked at him during her speech.


    Lin Lu herself was surprised but not angry, but it quickly grew into excitement and eagerness.


    "Alright, let¡¯s have a look at the guns. You¡¯ve never used this before, haven¡¯t you" Li Yiming waved at Liu Meng with a smile, and thetter came back to his sides. She held his hand gently, and pretended as if the sandbag "incident" never happened.


    "For girls, it¡¯s usually..." Shen Jianming stood up respectfully when Liu Meng came close. Her disy of strength had left him in awe.


    "It¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll figure it out ourselves." Li Yiming nodded with a smile, picked up a Walther P99 and led Liu Meng to the targets.


    "It¡¯s actually quite simple. You just have to align the barrel with the target, but be careful of the noise, it might scare you a bit." Li Yiming showed a rather poorly executed demonstration for Liu Meng.


    The contempt in Lin Lu¡¯s eyes grew when she saw thepletely unprofessional way in which Li Yiming held the firearm.


    "Alright, I¡¯m shooting," Li Yiming gave a mindful warning.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Li Yiming shot five times, lowered his gun, and handed it to Liu Meng.


    Lin Lu¡¯s head turned toward the target. ¡¯Hmm, one hit and four misses. I suppose that even a broken clock is right twice a day.¡¯


    "You¡¯ve had good luck, but maybe I should be the one to teach her." Lin Lu picked up a handgun and approached the two; she could not bear to see the blunder anymore.


    Li Yiming moved to the side. ¡¯Now that I have a closer look, this Lin Lu does have a pretty nice body. Not as good as Liu Meng, but that t abdomen and thin waist, and that slightly tanned skin. Not bad...¡¯


    "The most important thing to keep in mind is your posture. There are a lot of ways to do it, but the problem for us is usually arm strength..." Lin Lu suddenly paused and remembered the punching bag. "Actually, nevermind. The alignment consists of..."


    Li Yiming did not bother to importune Lin Lu while she was giving a lesson to Liu Meng, so he walked back toward Eyesses, who was busy handling his equipment.


    "Who¡¯s this Lin Lu?" Li Yiming scratched his head. He could finally understand why bald people in TV shows would never stop scratching their heads; it was indeed a habit that was easy to fall into.


    "I¡¯ve wanted to warn you about her earlier. She¡¯s the cream of the cream of the military. She¡¯s won three hand-to-handbat tournaments, two survival contests, five shooting contests, and she¡¯s the most recent sharpshooting ace of the army. She¡¯s already a colonel ranked officer in the special ops." Eyesses whispered into Li Yiming¡¯s ear.


    "Are you serious?" Li Yiming was astonished. He could finally understand the reason behind her assertive pitch earlier.


    "I¡¯m not afraid to say that I can¡¯t win against her in a sniping contest."


    "What? You?" The statement surprised Li Yiming even more, since he had seen what Eyesses was capable of.


    "Well, unless I use that gun, that is. If we used normal guns, she would be miles above me." Eyesses did not seem to be embarrassed in the slightest.


    "She¡¯s... not a guardian, is she?" The thought suddenly came to Li Yiming.


    "Wouldn¡¯t think so. A guardian wouldn¡¯t be this eager to show off."


    After Lin Lu finished her brief exnation, Liu Meng checked the safety on her handgun and picked up another one from the table.


    ¡¯Wait, she¡¯s thinking about using two guns from the get-go? But that¡¯s just a myth from the movies, you can¡¯t shoot properly due to the recoil...¡¯ Liu Meng¡¯s action took Lin Lu by surprise.


    Bang! Bang! Bang! ... Bang!


    Before Lin Lu could warn Liu Meng, thetter started firing. Aside from a short pause to readjust the firing tempo, she emptied both magazines in one go.


    "Well, it¡¯s not that hard." Liu Meng puckered her lips and put the guns back down on the table. It was, in fact, a rather simple task for someone who could use their senses to lock onto the target.


    Lin Lu looked at the target and felt as if a rock had fallen on her chest. ¡¯Is she trying to mess around with me?¡¯


    The bullet holes formed a perfectly symmetrical heart on the target.


    "Yiming, how did you put five bullets in the exact same spot?" Liu Meng turned around and scuttled toward Li Yiming.


    ¡¯Five hits in the same spot? So he didn¡¯t miss?¡¯ Lin Lu stared at the target when she heard Liu Meng¡¯s question. The hole in the middle was indeed slightly bigger than the ones produced by Liu Meng. A bitter smile appeared on her lips, and Lin Lu finally began to have some real expectations for the team she had at her disposal.


    * * *


    Stargaze was in her office and tapped on her table.


    "Are you looking for me, boss?" A young girl with a flushed face entered the room. She wore thick-rimmed sses, a sailor¡¯s uniform and had her hair tied into two braids.


    "What is... this outfit?" Stargaze asked.


    ¡¯I¡¯m just getting ready for a ssmate reunion. What do you have for me?" The girl sat down right in front of Stargaze and started to y around with her braids.


    "You..." Stargaze smiled. The young girl was Qian Mian, the guardian who could change his or her appearance at will. Even Stargaze, after seven years, could not tell whether Qian Mian was young or old, or a man or a woman.


    "How is that girl doing?" Stargaze shook her head and stopped caring about Qian Mian¡¯s appearance.


    "Well, she¡¯s settled down. I¡¯ve got two maids to take care of her. But are you sure? She¡¯s been with him for so long..."


    "Help her around if you have time. She¡¯s a poor, blind girl after all." Stargaze did not answer Qian Mian¡¯s question.


    "Alright then." Qian Mian understood what Stargaze wanted to say.


    "Also, can you skip on that reunion of yours? I need you to stay here while I go out."


    "Go out? But your condition..." Qian Mian was worried.


    "That¡¯s not a big deal. Just pay close attention to the one who has juste down from the iceberg and don¡¯t provoke him. He¡¯s just like a rabid dog right now." Stargaze once again tried made the mental check inside of her head for anything she might have forgotten. The trip she was about to undertake might be a long one.


    "Do you really have to go? Is there anything I can do for you?" Qian Mian was still worried about letting Stargaze go, since the damage she had suffered from Heaven¡¯s Punishment and destroying her own weapon was noughing matter.


    "You won¡¯t be able to help for this." Stargaze smiled: she could feel that Qian Mian was genuinely worried about her.


    "Where are you going?" Qian Mian pressed on.


    "Tian Shan..."


    * * *


    Li Huaibei stared into the door of a small hut in a fishing vige near the Northern Sea, but hesitated to give it knock.


    "You didn¡¯te all this way just to be my door guard, have you?" A calm voice came from inside the hut.


    "I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere, but now that I¡¯ve found you, I¡¯m afraid." Li Huaibei suddenly let out a self-derisory smile and sat down right at the entrance.


    For a long time, there was nothing but silence.


    "I want to know the truth..." Li Huaibei suddenly murmured with his back against the door.


    "The truth... I cannot give it to you." A sigh was heard. "I¡¯ve slept for a thousand year, and I¡¯ve yet to see it."


    "But I don¡¯t know what to do." Li Huaibei seemed to have understood the cryptic answer that was given to him.


    "We¡¯re all capable to achieve illumination and see the truth. Our spirit prefers quietness, and yet our heart unsettles it. Our heart leans toward cidness, and yet our desires stir it. To get rid of one¡¯s desires is to calm one¡¯s heart and to settle down one¡¯s spirit. From there, true peacefulness can be achieved." The man inside the room recited a paragraph of scripture.


    "These are all lies." Li Huaibei spat out, his whole body trembling with anger.


    "Lies... don¡¯t we believe in them?"


    * * *


    "So, what happened? Did Mr. Kong save you?" After finishing the preparations, Li Yiming led Liu Meng into a resting room, under the strange stare of all present.


    "Yes, I woke up yesterday." Liu Meng rested still in Li Yiming chest, with her eyes closed.


    "But I thought Mr. Kong said that he couldn¡¯t save you." Li Yiming was surprised. ¡¯I thought that I needed to be a sage...¡¯


    "He wanted to let you know that the incident in Hangzhou was unexpected, but you did a really good job. To reward you, he decided to help me wake up." Liu Meng had a satisfied expression and pushed against Li Yiming¡¯s chin with her head.


    "By the way, what happened in Hangzhou? Was it a new domain? Did it have anything to do with Mr. Kong? Also, why are you bald now? What happened to your eyebrows?" Liu Meng suddenly sat up and shot a barrage of questions at Li Yiming.


    "Hangzhou..." Li Yiming reminisced and told Liu Meng everything that happened, save for that mysterious glyph within his body.


    "Then Xiaoqin..." Li Yiming¡¯s story moved Liu Meng, and she even sobbed for Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s unfortunate end when she heard about it.


    "I think it¡¯s a good ending for her. She¡¯s free from all of her burdens now. Oh yeah, I forgot to ask, why are you here...?"


    "I wanted toe to you right away, but Mr. Kong gave me a letter and asked me to find someone with it. After that, I just listened to that person¡¯s instructions and he made mee here and wait for you."


    "Who is it?"


    "I don¡¯t know. I think it was some big shot in National Security."


    "So Mr. Kong knows that I¡¯m here?"


    I¡¯ll try to get another chapter

 Volume 5 Chapter 5

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 5 ¨C Lianyun Peak</strong></h4>


    "Oh yeah, what about you? I¡¯ve seen that kick of yours. You¡¯re at least level three now, aren¡¯t you?"


    "I¡¯m not telling you." Liu Meng changed her posture and positioned herself morefortably on Li Yiming¡¯s chest.


    "Meng..." Li Yiming


    "Your bald head is so ugly..." She slid her hand across Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    "I missed you." Li Yiming tightened his embrace around Liu Meng. He could still picture very vividly Liu Meng¡¯s unwavering resolution back in Shangbei, when she ignited the phoenix¡¯s fire with her own soul. This was what he had been waiting for so long, and Li Yiming knew that Liu Meng had an even rougher journey than himself.


    "Me too..." Liu Meng closed her eyes. She bit her lips when she remembered that she had decided to be nothing more than a spectator since the start, and that she had vowed to bury the memories of that fateful night in her heart. After a reunion under extraordinary circumstances, she had decided to give everything up once again for Li Yiming to live. However, a twist of fate allowed them to be together once more, and Liu Meng was grateful to both Heaven¡¯s Laws and fate for allowing it to happen.


    Their fateful reunion fueled the desire for each other that was burning within them. Liu Meng could feel Li Yiming¡¯s body grow warmer and warmer, while her own strength was fading away. This was the first time she had been so close to Li Yiming after that night when she was drunk, only this time, her heart was as close as her body was to Li Yiming¡¯s.


    Li Yiming adjusted his position and put Liu Meng down on the bed gently. Unlike Liu Meng, he had enough experience to understand where this was leading to, and his hands were already moving around on Liu Meng¡¯s body. He bent down and brought his lips to Liu Meng¡¯s neck...


    ¡¯What the...?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly jumped away from Liu Meng like a frightened cat. He stared at Liu Meng, aghast.


    A jet of purple fire suddenly shot out of Liu Meng¡¯s chest and wrapped her entire body. She opened her eyes after realizing that Li Yiming was gone, only to find her lover with a smoldering head, colored ck by soot.


    "Ah! I forgot!" Liu Meng eximed and rushed to check Li Yiming thoroughly for any injuries.


    "What just... happened?" Li Yiming was still bewildered. ¡¯They say that the worst thing that could happen to you when you¡¯re burning with lust is to be showered by a bucket of icy water. But what about a jet of fire baking your brains?¡¯


    "Mr. Kong... he told me that he used a special technique to wake me up, so I¡¯m not entirely fused with the Phoenix yet. I can¡¯t control my powers very well, so he told me to avoid strong emotions..." Liu Meng stammered.


    "Does that mean that your fire is going to go out of control as soon as you get excited?"


    "I don¡¯t know... It¡¯s never happened to me before, but... it seems like it."


    "Really..." Li Yiming touched his scalp again, but instead of his short hair, he found ayer of ck dust.


    "Sorry..." Liu Meng finalized her check and found Li Yiming unharmed, just a little disappointed and embarrassed.


    "It¡¯s okay, even Heaven¡¯s fire didn¡¯t kill me..." Li Yiming rubbed away the cinder on her palm and watched as the fire around Liu Meng¡¯s receded. He wanted to try again, but the burning sensation on his forehead reminded him that he owed it to the glyph inside of his body more than anything else.


    "I..." Liu Meng was twirling her long hair, just like a child who had just done something bad.


    "Alright, what about... a hug? That should be fine, right?" Li Yiming slowly approached Liu Meng again and put his hand on her shoulders. He then wrapped his arms around Liu Meng carefully, taking every precaution necessary.


    "It¡¯s just a hug. Don¡¯t get too excited." Li Yiming was still worried.


    "Hmmpf! That¡¯ll teach you!" Liu Meng pinched Li Yiming on the thigh and then put her head down on his shoulders. It was actually enough for her to be able to be in Li Yiming¡¯s embrace.


    * * *


    "So, uh, is there a reason why you shaved your hair and eyebrows again?" Eyesses gave an odd look when he saw Li Yiming hop off from the jeep.


    "I like it that way. It¡¯s cooler." Li Yiming grumbled; he had burned all of his eyebrows the previous night after giving it another try with Liu Meng.


    "Alright, we¡¯re about to climb the mountain now. As I¡¯ve said before, aside from Eyesses, you all need to take care of your own equipment. Li Yiming, are you sure that you don¡¯t need this?" Lin Lu opened the trunk of the car and waved an M4 carbine at Li Yiming. She had verified that Li Yiming had reallynded all five shots.


    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m good with this." Li Yiming lifted his jacket and showed the handgun that hung around his waist to Lin Lu. Thest thing he wanted was to carry a heavy load while climbing a mountain. In fact, he did not even want to bring a handgun if it was not for the fact that he would raise one too many eyebrows.


    "Overconfidence is not something I wouldmend." Lin Lu started guessing again at Li Yiming¡¯s area of expertise when she thought about what Liu Ke said about him. ¡¯If even his girlfriend is that strong, then he must be... but


    "It¡¯s okay. He¡¯ll help me." Eyesses dragged three chests down the car. These were full of equipment he needed.


    "Seriously?" Li Yiming had a bad feeling.


    "You think I want to carry all of this?" Eyesses rolled his eyes. ¡¯If only I was alone. I would just shove these into my ring and call it a day.¡¯


    "Well, I suppose I walked right into it." Li Yiming chuckled. He picked up a bag and approached Liu Meng for a selfie. Ever since showing the picture of him and Liu Meng to Fu Bo, Li Yiming had gained a liking for taking pictures whenever he went.


    "Hey, captain, do you have any points?" Eyesses suddenly came to Li Yiming after thetter had finished taking a picture with Liu Meng.


    "What is it?"


    "I didn¡¯t bring enough blood with me. Could you go buy some animal blood for me in the marketce? I used everything to level up," Eyesses said hesitantly. He knew just how important Progression Points were for guardians.


    "But... I..." Li Yiming had a hard timeing up with an excuse. He used to not care about these points at all, since he did not rely on them to be stronger, but he had lost everything, and, most importantly, he could not reveal the reason to Eyesses.


    "You can use mine. I still have quite a lot." Liu Meng knew that there was something off right away and intervened. Last night, Li Yiming had invited her to join the "Dissonance" squad.


    "Alright, thanks. I¡¯ll give it back to you next time." Eyesses smiled and did not seem to be offended by Li Yiming¡¯s hesitation.


    "Alright, we should go. Our first stop is going to be at Xianyun Abbey. We¡¯re going to stay there for the night and enter the mountain tomorrow morning." Lin Lu turned back onest time and led the way with a rifle in her hands.


    Li Yiming turned toward the two spec ops soldier, who were handling three robots with eight legs each.


    "Spiderbots. These are provided by special ops. Domestically produced." Eyesses exined.


    "Wow." Li Yiming nced at the three robots, who were easily making their way through the mountainous terrain.


    "Well, what? Did you expect us to carry these boxes?" Eyesses rolled his eyes again.


    The group arrived at Xianyun Abbey at noon. The ce was founded more than a thousand years ago, so it had quite a bit of history. When Li Yiming stepped inside, he was immediately captivated by the building¡¯s calming atmosphere. It was a simple monastery, consisting of no more than a few rooms and a yard, and yet Li Yiming could tell that there was something unique about the discolored bricks that made up the walls and tiled the floor.


    The courtyard was clean, devoid of dust and fallen leaves, while a stick of incense burned in a rusted metal vessel. The sound of the gongs and the chanting in the distance made the visitors feel like they were entering a realm which was separate from reality. Unlike all of the other sightseeing locations Li Yiming had visited, this one was a ce of real tranquility.


    "I thought this ce was popr. What happened to the visitors?" Chen Quan put his massive backpack on the ground and sat down on the stairs at the entrance. His eyes wandered around and it seemed like he was looking for an opportunity to do his "job" more than anything.


    "After the two previous teams went missing, the government shut the whole ce down and made it forbidden for tourists to enter the area. Even Master Qingfeng chose to send all of his disciples home," Lin Lu exined while giving the signal to her two subordinates to park the robots.


    "Master Qingfeng is doing his recital right now. We should wait here for him to finish." You Fang listened to the chanting carefully and instructed the rest of the team.


    "Master Qingfeng is genuinely dedicated to his study, unlike the people who treat beliefs as nothing more than a tool to make money. The Dao Association had invited him to be their chairman several times, but he refused," Eyesses treaded carefully and whispered to Li Yiming.


    ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Li Yiming was a little surprised. He would have expected Lin Lu to give that kind ofmendation, but for Eyesses, a guardian, to give Master Qingfeng such high praise must have meant that there was something truly special about the man.


    Well then, I guess MC has a long way to go...

 Volume 5 Chapter 6

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 6 ¨C Grandpa¡¯s Tales</strong></h4>


    "But..." Li Yiming nced at Eyesses. He knew from the way he spoke that the old man was no ordinary person.


    "Well... I don¡¯t really know how to put it. You¡¯ll see for yourself soon enough." Eyesses shook his hands and pushed his Shadowless stone pendant back beneath his cor.


    However, Eyesses only piqued Li Yiming¡¯s curiosity even more. Fortunately, it was not long before Li Yiming was given an answer; the chanting in the hall had ceased, and an old man wearing a blue Dao robe appeared at the entrance. He seemed no different from any other old man, with a face wizened by wrinkles, the skin on his eyelids loosely hanging from his eyes, and his silvery hair tied up into a braid above his head. His eyes were foggy, and it seemed like he was half-blind.


    ¡¯That¡¯s... it?¡¯


    "I¡¯ve made you wait." The old man saluted the group with a bow. He spoke softly, but somehow his voice rung out loud and clear in everyone¡¯s ears.


    "We¡¯re sorry to disturb you, Master Qingfeng." You Fang answered the salutation. Everyone stood up from where they sat, save for Chen Quan, who squinted his eyes and scrutinized the old man.


    "Oh, not at all. On the contrary, I¡¯m sorry to have made youe all the way. Please,e inside." Qing Feng gestured.


    Lin Lu put her rifle on the ground and followed Qing Feng after a quick nce at Zhang Shanjun, who stood still while keeping guard. Li Yiming also put his gun down and followed along with Liu Meng.


    "It must have been a long trip. Please take a break. I¡¯ll go get the refreshments," Qing Feng said and headed for the side hall.


    "There¡¯s no need to inconvenience yourself, master. My name is Lin Lu, and I¡¯m the one responsible for this operation. We¡¯d like to know if there have been any changes in Lianyun Peak recently." Lin Lu intervened and exined herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯ll only take a little while." Qing Feng made a smile that entuated his wrinkles and insisted on showing his due hospitality.


    "Thank you, Master Qing Feng. But it would really be inappropriate for us to inconvenience you..." You Fang stepped forward and supported Qing Feng back into the crowd.


    "Oh well..." Qing Feng smiled and shook his head as he looked at each of his visitors.


    Lin Lu frowned lightly; with her way of doing things, she found it hard to deal with people like Qing Feng. After exchanging a quick nce with Mr. You Fang, she took a few steps back and gave the responsibility of interacting with Qing Feng with thetter. Qing Feng continued his examination, stopped upon noticing Li Yiming¡¯s bald head, and made another bow.


    "Oh, my apologies. I did not realize that someone who walked the way of Buddha was..." Qing Feng said. "Regardless, you are my guest the moment you walk through the door, these are the rules, and what you believe in doesn¡¯t concern me."


    "I¡¯m sorry, this is a misunderstanding. I¡¯m bald, that¡¯s all..." Li Yiming lowered his head to show that he did not have the markings that were inscribed on the head of monks.


    Liu Meng put her hand to her mouth to hide a chuckle.


    "Master Qing Feng, may I ask you about Lianyun Peak..." You Fang was also baffled. He had heard of Qing Feng¡¯s name for a long time. ¡¯But who would have known... time is really unforgiving I suppose.¡¯


    "Oh, yes. Lianyun Peak. Please follow me..." Qing Feng took on a worried expression and limped shakingly toward the back of the building. You Fang immediately stepped forward to help him.


    Li Yiming touched his bald head once again and followed with a bitter smile. As for Chen Quan, he was busy examining the hall, not sparing a single brick. His attention finally settled down on the chandelier right in front of a statue of a Taoist deity.


    "If you dare bring a leaf out of this ce, I¡¯ll bury you under the tree at the entrance." Lin Lu approached Chen Quan and threatened him with a cold voice.


    "Haha! You must be joking. This is all a matter of fate." Chen Quan let out a dry smile and looked away.


    "Well, you can test your fate with that tree." Lin Lu gave Chen Quan another warning.


    The group followed Qing Feng into a small backyard in which moss was running rampant, with only a stone desk and four chairs under arge tree. The abbey seemed even more deste, with broken walls and roofs in disrepair.


    ¡¯This monastery has a thousand year of history? But it¡¯s in shambles...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the pale blue bricks which paved the ground that formed beautiful patterns.


    "Master, you¡¯ve brought us here for..." You Fang looked at the backyard.


    "Here..." Qing Feng raised his right hand slowly and pointed forward with squinted eyes.


    "Here?" Lin Lu looked forward and saw a rather short wall half covered in moss. There was also arge crack near its base, from which a vine emerged and stretched itself to reach its top.


    "Above. The mountain." Master Qing Feng looked forward and said in a voice full of worry.


    "Mountain?" Li Yiming frowned.


    "Are you talking about the mountains in the distance?" Lin Lu took a deep breath. There were mountains in the distance, but they were so far away that they could barely be seen. ¡¯Is he getting too old?¡¯


    "No, I¡¯m talking about the peak right next there."


    "What? Are you kidding, old man?" Chen Quan had climbed onto the stone table, not being able to see anything due to his height. He looked at therge tree in the backyard and contemted climbing up that as well.


    "There are forty-nine peaks here. That one is the thirty-first... Duan¡¯Ou Peak." Qing Feng put his hand down and looked back at the group.


    "What?" Eyesses frowned. He exchanged a nce with Li Yiming and quickly took out hisputer. "Wait... there is a peak here, at least ording to satellite images, that is."


    "What?" Lin Lu approached them and stared at the screen. Liu Meng, whose curiosity was piqued, also came in to check.


    "The entire peak is gone?" Li Yiming looked at where Qing Feng was pointing. There was nothing but the blue sky and a few white clouds. ¡¯Well, that also excludes the possibility of being hidden by clouds or fog.¡¯


    "Nine days ago, I¡¯ve noticed that the peak would vanish at noon and reappear at dusk. It¡¯s been like this every day since then." Qing Feng muttered to himself quietly.


    "I thought the supernatural events only urred in Lianyun Peak?" You Fang asked, visibly surprised, and he joined the ranks of the people who came in to look at Eyesses¡¯puter.


    Qing Feng did not answer. Instead, he turned back toward the giant osmanthus tree in the backyard, which was soon about to flower.


    "I need to check this with my equipment." Eyesses put hisputer down and nced at the sky once again; this strange phenomenon was already worth this full attention.


    "We¡¯ll help you. Come, Jian Ming." Lin Lu followed and gave an order to her subordinate.


    "I¡¯ll go have a look too." Liu Meng also joined in after a quick nod at Li Yiming.


    "May I talk with you in private?" Just as Li Yiming was about to follow up, Qing Feng suddenly turned his head toward Li Yiming and asked.


    "Of course." Li Yiming was stopped in his tracks and epted. You Fang and Chen Quan were quick enough to grant privacy to Li Yiming and Qing Feng. ¡¯What does he want with me?¡¯ Li Yiming wondered.


    Qing Feng slowly paced toward the stone chair, and, without minding the fact that Chen Quan had just stepped on it a moment ago, sat down with his hands on his knees. Li Yiming sat down facing him.


    "May I know what teachings you may have for me?" Li Yiming looked at Qing Feng with a smile, unaware that his smile did not seem very friendly when paired with his bald head.


    "I was initiated to the way of the Dao since a child. I read the Yi when I was thirty-five, Luo Shu when I was forty-one, and He Tu when I was forty-nine. I started traveling the world when I was fifty-three. In ten years, I¡¯ve visited over three hundred shrines and abbeys." Qing He sighed and raised his head toward the branches of the giant osmanthus tree. 1


    Li Yiming listened carefully, but he could not help but wonder. ¡¯... and why exactly is he telling me this?¡¯


    "When I was sixty-three, I came here. Lianyun Peak of Tianshan, and I haven¡¯t left ever since." Qing Feng put his hands back into his sleeves and reminisced.


    Li Yiming nodded and waited for the next part of the tale, just like a child at school. ¡¯Is this normal...? Do all old people like doing things like this?¡¯


    "I arrived at dusk. I remember that it was a young disciple who came to open the door for me. The other ones were all busy with their training. I didn¡¯t want to disturb them, so I started to meditate in front of the hall. But curiously, I couldn¡¯t settle down. I even went over a scripture neen times in my mind, and yet something troubled me deeply in this ce where you would expect to find nothing but tranquility among mountains and streams."


    "And then?" Li Yiming was having a hard time faking being interested, so he asked a question to stay focused.


    "Well, since that day, I¡¯ve lived here for forty years."


    "Forty years? And you are..." Li Yiming was surprised, and he tried to lead the conversation to a more interesting topic.


    "I am one hundred and three years old."


    ¡¯What?¡¯


    I guess this isn¡¯t just the Loch Ness monster.


    Yi, Luo Shu and He Tu are all famous Taoist works, kind of like the Bible. ?

 Volume 5 Chapter 7-8

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 7 ¨C Strange urrences</strong></h4>


    "You see, the lush mountains and the limpid water streaming through them supposedly make Lianyun Peak a perfect ce for meditation, but I just couldn¡¯t settle down." Qing Feng tried to straighten his back, but to no avail as his aged body worked against him.


    "Couldn¡¯t settle down? Does this have anything to do with what¡¯s happening right now?" Li Yiming conjected. He had a feeling that there was a reason behind the old Dao master¡¯s storytelling.


    "I¡¯ve found the reason after eleven years."


    "Oh?" For the first time, Li Yiming was really paying attention.


    "I see a game here." Qing Feng raised his head, and Li Yiming caught a spark of light in his pupils that he would have missed had he not given his full attention.


    "A game?"


    "Perhaps the whole world is a game, and this is all just one piece in the grand scheme of things. It¡¯s unfortunate that I can¡¯t see more."


    "Master, you mean that..." An avnche of thoughts flew past Li Yiming¡¯s mind, but every single one of them seemed impossible. After all, Qing Feng was nothing more than an ordinary old man. If it were not for Eyesses, Li Yiming would not even have taken him seriously.


    "What is happening here is part of the game..." Qing Feng stared straight into Li Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    "What?"


    "The abnormalities since the end ofst year... After forty years of calctions, I¡¯m sure that we are about to see the results. If the necessary precautions aren¡¯t taken, this could end up a catastrophe for the entire world."


    "Why are you telling me this?" Li Yiming frowned. He knew that Qing Feng was getting somewhere, especially when he remembered the photograph of the golden wok.


    "I have led sixty-two people into his backyard since the first team showed up. You see, the nine-hundred and eighty-one bricks here each have a meaning of their own. Some people stepped on life, others walked on death, but you..." Qing Feng, who no longer seemed like the feeble old man from just a moment ago, gazed at Li Yiming intensely.


    Li Yiming stayed silent and lowered his head with confusion. ¡¯These bricks have such deep meanings?¡¯


    "You¡¯ve taken seventy-four steps in this backyard, and yet you avoided every single brick that betrayed your fate. Even I would not be able to do this, despite having studied the foundations of this abbey for more than forty years."


    Li Yiming was shocked. ¡¯Are you serious? Is he going to tell me that I¡¯m some kind of special genius and try to sell me a product?¡¯ If it were not for supernatural events that urred, Li Yiming would have thought Qing Feng to be some kind of swindler after such a clich¨¦d opening.


    "So you mean that..."


    "Whatever is happening here, you¡¯re not in it." Qing Feng¡¯s eyes shone as he spoke slowly.


    Li Yiming remained expressionless, but his heart was plunged into stupor. ¡¯Not in it... Does he mean that I¡¯m a bug under Heaven¡¯s Laws...?¡¯


    "Yiming,e! Eyesses found something." Liu Meng¡¯s hurried voice came from the front of the temple.


    "Coming." Li Yiming answered. He bowed to Qing Feng once again, this time with reverence. "Do you have an answer for what is happening here?"


    "You¡¯re overestimating my abilities. I¡¯m just an ordinary man who has read a few books. How could I know about the truths of this world?" Qing Feng touched his beard and the light left his eyes.


    "Master, you have been pursuing the way of the Dao your entire life. What do you think of Heaven¡¯s Dao?" Li Yiming gave Qing Feng¡¯s opinion his full respect and attention. ¡¯He ims that he¡¯s just an ordinary man, and yet he has so much insight...¡¯


    "It is said that the Way is one which nurtures our world and moves the sun and the moon. I don¡¯t know its name, so I shall confer one to it." Qing Feng mumbled a passage from a scripture.


    "There¡¯s no Dao, but everything is governed by the rules?" Li Yiming frowned, but he understood what it meant after a bit of thinking. ¡¯I see, he means that despite all of the extraordinary things I have experienced, everything was linked together and abided to Heaven¡¯s Laws... The guardians, the domains, and the wills of this world... but am I special? No, I¡¯m no exception. I can also be a victim of Heaven¡¯s Punishment. Bai Ze said that I don¡¯t fit within the rules of this world, but it doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m not bound by the rules...¡¯


    "Thank you for your wisdom." Li Yiming saluted the old man once again.


    "I am only repeating the words of the wise men that lived before us." Qing Feng waved his hand.


    Li Yiming nodded and turned away.


    In the front yard, the team had assembled together. Eyesses was busy putting his equipment together, while You Fang nced toward Duan¡¯Ou Peak from time to time. Chen Quan was staring at the ground with a severe countenance, seemingly sunken in deep thoughts.


    "Did you find anything?" Li Yiming asked Liu Meng, who had been waiting for him to arrive.


    "Everything¡¯s normal," Eyesses answered. He put his equipment back into the metal box, and looked at Li Yiming with seriousness.


    "Normal?"


    "Yes. Everything¡¯s normal. Nothing in the satellite data suggests otherwise," Liu Meng added.


    Li Yiming looked in the direction of Duan¡¯Ou Peak. ¡¯That¡¯s the worst.¡¯


    "How long will it take for us to get there?" Lin Lu put her pistol in her holster and added an M4 to her back.


    "At walking speed... about two days." Eyesses¡¯ eyes paused on You Fang, who was bound to be the slowest due to his age.


    "We¡¯re changing our ns. We¡¯ll be leaving for Duan¡¯Ou Peak right away." Lin Lu decided, without even giving a chance for the inputs of the rest of the team.


    "Wait... are we going just like that? It¡¯s a mountain, you know?"


    "That¡¯s the point of our trip, isn¡¯t it? To investigate the paranormal activities here." Shen Jianming took control of the three spider robots.


    "Let¡¯s go." Chen Quan looked at the dpidated yet still majestic abbey onest time, and tried to imprint it into his mind onest time.


    "So, what did Master Qing Feng tell you?" Eyesses slowed down to have a word with Li Yiming.


    "A thousand years of tradition cannot be taken lightly." Li Yiming looked back at the abbey gravely.


    "By the way, I haven¡¯t told you, but every single leader of the country have been here, including the one with his face on the bills." Eyesses chuckled and refrained from asking more. 1


    "Heritage..." Li Yiming whispered. ¡¯It seems like a lot of things have been lost for the sake of progress. Who would have known that there was such an amazing person living in such a ce, isted from the rest of the world?¡¯


    "Alright, I need a rest. I¡¯m not like you youngsters." You Fang said between two shallow breaths, his back leaning against tree. This was the third time he called for a break in six hours.


    "Alright. We will stop for ten minutes. Zhang Shanjun, set up the perimeter. Eyesses, please check our coordinates again," Lin Luplied, but not without some frustration. She looked at You Fang, who seemed to bepletely exhausted.


    "Did you notice?" Li Yiming let go of Liu Meng¡¯s hand and gave his water bottle to her. He then raised his head toward the tree branches above him and nced at the sun.


    "Yes. It¡¯s way too quiet." Liu Meng handed the bottle back without drinking from it. Li Yiming smiled at her and sipped it lightly.


    "What?" Lin Lu looked at the pair with her M4 ready. Even she had started to feel tired after six hours in the wild, and yet Liu Meng and Li Yiming did not even show a single drop of sweat. They seemed like a couple on a leisurely hiking trip more than anything else. ¡¯Are you kidding me? These two...¡¯


    "It¡¯s too quiet here. No animals, no birds," Eyesses said. Lianyun Peak was right in the middle of the Tianshan range, and the forest they were traveling through was leftpletely untouched, to the point of leaving a ce like Xianyun Abbey untouched.


    "Even the mosquitoes are gone. Have you noticed? There are no insects around us." Liu Meng drank a mouthful of water and closed the cap tightly. Instead of giving the bottle back to Li Yiming, she put it on her own belt.


    "This is getting stranger by the minute..." Lin Lu frowned. Despite calling for a break for the rest of the team, she clung onto her weapon; she had noticed the anomalies since a while ago.


    "What do you make of this, Mr. You Fang?" Lin Lu looked at You Fang, who was uncouthly drinking water, spilling the liquid onto his cor and the rest of his shirt. His pants and shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing a few leg hair, which stood in stark contrast with hisposed and otherworldly air a few hours ago. ¡¯Are you serious? Well, if we¡¯ve taken the trouble to bring him his far, then he should at least show us hispetence.¡¯


    "There¡¯s something dangerous... lurking around here. Please... be careful." You Fang tried to speak as he did before, but his pants ruined the act.


    "Something dangerous?" Chen Quan was using apass Li Yiming had not seen him use before. He smiled contemptuously as he listened to You Fang¡¯s warning.


    This style is borrowed from the once-popr (and maybe still popr) tomb-raiding novels back in China a few years ago.


    The one with his face on the bills is Mao Zedong. ? <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 8 ¨C Day and Night</strong></h4>


    "Chen Quan, did you find something?" Lin Lu caught Chen Quan¡¯s derision for You Fang. She found Chen Quan to be more trustworthy than You Fang, who seemed to always be talking about stars and other mysticalities. ¡¯A single mistake as a gravedigger and one can lose their life. If Chen Quan has survived long enough to make such a ruckus in the country, then he must at least bepetent.¡¯


    "Can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s a finding or not, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything abnormal here." Chen Quan put hispass back into his pocket and picked up the short shovel he had on his back.


    "Nothing?" You Fang frowned. "There¡¯s not a single thing alive here. And the Heavenly Branches..."


    "Stop it. I¡¯m not interested in hearing your stories about the stars. You can keep on looking at the stars. I¡¯ll just dig my hole." Chen Quan interrupted him and started to dig with his shovel.


    Lin Lu stayed silent but walked toward Chen Quan. Her actions spoke for themselves; she was not a big fan of You Fang¡¯s convoluted exnations neither.


    Chen Quan dug for a while and searched around in the dirt, He even took a handful and put a bit in his mouth.


    "Not only are there no bugs above the ground, but there are none in it either. There¡¯s plenty of oxygen in the earth through, and there¡¯s nothing poisonous that would make this ce uninhabitable, at least if I look at the nts." Chen Quan paused and looked at You Fang.


    "Well, ording to Fengshui, this ce is quite prosperous, actually. Look at the mountains and the rivers here..." 1


    "Well, would you care to exin what¡¯s going on here then?" You Fang was irritated at being insulted publicly. He had noticed the Fengshui elements Chen Quan spoke about, but he could not connect that finding with the absence of life, so he hoped to intimidate Lin Lu into calling the excursion off, but he did not expect Chen Quan to be somewhat knowledgeable in the subject as well and call out his bluff.


    "That¡¯s not the goal of our trip here," Lin Lu answered coldly and walked to the side.


    "Maybe one extreme turns into another one?" Eyesses whispered to Li Yiming.


    "That¡¯s not what I meant..." Li Yiming shook his head and gazed at the sky once more.


    "The sun..." Liu Meng stared at the sun, which projected down its ring rays even through the shadows of the leaves.


    "The sun? The sun!" Eyesses finally understood the message. He raised his arm and stared at the multi-function watch around his wrist.


    Eyesses¡¯ cry was a wake-up call to the entire party; they had left Xianyun Abbey at noon. After six hours of hiking, it should have been around dusk already, especially in the mountains. However, the sun still hung right in the middle of the sky and cast down a baking heat. Due to the distraction caused by the absence of life, they somehow managed to ignore the biggest abnormality.


    "The clock isn¡¯t ticking. It¡¯s stopped at 4:11." Eyesses shook his arm and walked toward the spider bot.


    "Mine has also stopped..." Lin Lu looked at her watch.


    "The time on my cell phone stopped. There¡¯s no signal either." Liu Meng looked at her cellphone.


    "It¡¯s no use. I¡¯ve tried earlier. There¡¯s some kind of maic field here I suppose. Even mypass has stopped working." Chen Quan instead nced at Li Yiming, interested by thetter had to add reaction.


    "All of our equipment has stopped working. GPS,pass, timer... Well, I suppose that it would make sense for animals and insects to avoid this area if such a strong field was present." Eyesses tried his luck with the equipment he had brought.


    "What about those?" Li Yiming pointed at the spider bots right by Eyesses.


    "These robots are equipped with anti-jammers, but if it¡¯s a field this strong..." Lin Lu said with a severe countenance. ¡¯There¡¯s no reason why these robots should be spared, and yet...¡¯


    "Give me the remote." Eyesses took the remote controller for the robots from Shen Jianming and tried the differentmands. The robots moved, stopped, turned around, and even jumped in ce without a problem.


    "Do you know what¡¯s happening here?" Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming shook his head and looked at the sky once more. He had his guesses, but he hesitated to say it in front of the rest of the squad. ¡¯The robots are working normally, but themunication equipment were made useless. No... this isn¡¯t just an electromaic field. Time itself has stopped here.¡¯


    Li Yiming also had a watch, and it was a mechanical one.


    "Zhang Shanjun, go find water and a ce to set up camp. We must stop for the night." Lin Lu knew that without a way to check their own position, they would simply end up being lost in the forest. ¡¯Is this what happened to the previous teams?¡¯


    Night had fallen by the time the party arrived at the campsite. There was no dusk, no gradual setting of the sun. Rather, the sun had simply vanished, as if someone had turned a switch off, and the entire mountain was plunged intoplete darkness. It arrived so suddenly that if Li Yiming had not wrapped his arm around Liu Meng¡¯s shoulder, she would have had to use her fire for light.


    "Turn on the lights!" Lin Lu shouted. She opened the shlight on her M4 and directed its ray of light around.


    A few other rays of light were seen, and Shen Jianming threw a few res onto the ground around the camp. The green light, along with thick smoke, slowly surrounded the area.


    "Everything¡¯s normal here!"


    "Everything¡¯s normal here!"


    Lin Lu¡¯s two subordinates remained crouched and reported to their captain. Li Yiming, along with Liu Meng, extended their senses to their surroundings, but the one who was the fastest to adapt was Eyesses, who could see very well in the darkness due to vampiric mutation.


    As for Chen Quan, he lit up a candle, which came to a surprise. You Fang let out a shriek and crouched down right next to the spider bot, aiming to seek some psychologicalfort from modern technology.


    "Everything¡¯s normal..." Li Yiming added. He could say that with confidence mainly due to being able to rely on Bai Ze.


    "We¡¯ll stick to our n then. Zhan Shanjun, you take care of guarding duties. Shen Jianming, help set up camp with the rest of the team. Li Yiming, you and I are going to get water." Lin Lu remained calm despite the supernatural events and showed why she was an ace in the military.


    "Stay with Eyesses, okay?" Li Yiming said to Liu Meng as he picked up the water bottles and walked toward Lin Lu.


    The camp had been set in a small valley, and right next to it was a small stream. After directing her shlight at the riverbed, Lin Lu took out two light sticks and threw them into the stream. They revealed a portion of the stream which was devoid of any kind of fish or shrimp.


    "You fill the bottles." Lin Lu ordered in a cold tone while keeping guard.


    Li Yiming knelt down without saying a word. It did not take long before he finished filling all of the water bottles.


    "Wait." Lin Lu took out a metallic tube and inserted it into one of the containers.


    "Nothing wrong with the water." Instead of stopping at one bottle, Lin Lu actually took the trouble to test every single one of them. It seemed like even she was on edge due to the abnormal circumstances.


    "You¡¯ve noticed something, didn¡¯t you?" Lin Lu put away the metallic probe and sent an intense stare into Li Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    "Why are you saying that?" Li Yiming met Lin Lu¡¯s stare calmly and asked in a surprised tone.


    "My instincts are telling me that."


    "My instincts tell me that your instincts are wrong..." Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders and walked toward the camp. ¡¯This woman... she shouldn¡¯t be taken lightly.¡¯


    When Li Yiming and Lin Lu arrived back at camp, they found a campfire already set-up, along with a foldable pan above it. Shen Jianming was trying to start the fire, but it seemed like the wood¡¯s humidity prevented it from burning continuously. Liu Meng seemed eager to help with her own "means" and took more interest in making sure that this "field trip" was a sess rather than worrying about the dangers around them. After all, this could not be more dangerous than a Secret Domain.


    "Use this instead." Chen Quan unpacked a parcel of waxed paper from his backpack and added some of the ck powder from it onto the mossy firewood.


    The ck powder burned intensely as soon as it was set aze, and soon a healthily burning campfire was produced.


    "What is this?" Liu Meng asked curiously.


    "It¡¯s a secret passed down by my teacher. You¡¯ll forgive me for not answering your question." Chen Quan said rather courteously; it seemed like Liu Meng¡¯s demonstration of force back in the training facility has had its effect.


    When the campfire was finally set alit, it brought light and a sense of security to the entire team. You Fang let out a sigh of relief and sat down right next to the fire with his wizened shirt.


    ¡¯Wait, this light... it¡¯s not just the fire.¡¯ Li Yiming turned his head toward the sky. Suddenly, the moon and a sea of stars appeared in the tenebrous canvas above their heads. The light of the stars connected and formed an ethereal belt of light, splitting the sky into two halves.


    Fengshui is the controversial traditional Chinese art of "fortune of houses". Some say it¡¯s a pseudoscience, while others im it¡¯s not a science at all. But there are people who are making a living off of it. ?

 Volume 5 Chapter 9

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 9 ¨C You Didn¡¯t See Them?</strong></h4>


    ¡°Ha, so it brightens up when after we make a fire?¡± Eyesses chuckled and turned off his torchlight. The sun was gone, but the stars lit up the sky and a bright moonlight fell on the jungle, allowing the group to see almost as well as during the day.


    "Let¡¯s take a break and eat." Lin Lu looked up briefly and went back to what she was doing, disinterested by the spectacr sight.


    Shen Jianming poured the water Li Yiming brought back into a saucepan and added some pressed beef. Before long, the aroma of cooked beef spread throughout the campsite. Unaffected by the fragrance, Shen Jianming kept his upright posture and looked around rmingly with his weapon ready.


    "We¡¯ll take turns eating."Lin Lu handed out a few metal lunchboxes and scooped up some beef for herself. She was not particrly hungry, but she needed to hurry for the sake of the next guarding shift.


    Both Li Yiming and Liu Meng each took a bowl of beef and began their meal. Liu Meng was visibly excited at her first time eating something of the sort. The beef was salty and had a strange vor to it, but she enjoyed its peculiar taste and even offered to feed a spoonful to Li Yiming from time to time.


    ¡¯Do they think this is a pic? How can they be so calm? Is it confidence or ignorance?¡¯ Li Lu was bing increasingly perplexed about Liu Meng and Li Yiming¡¯s behavior.


    "Are we going to be eating this for the next few days?" Mr. You took a bite of the beef and put down his box with disgust.


    "Ourbat rations willst fifteen days." Lin Lu answered.


    "Fifteen days..." Mr. You muttered to himself. "We have to live on this for fifteen days? But wait... what about after that?" A thought suddenly struck him.


    The question was met with silence.


    "Mr. You Fang, you specialize in astrology. Take a look at the stars above you. Do you see anything?" Chen Quan gulped down thest bit of his beef and taunted. He hated people like You Fang, who wanted nothing but money and a luxurious life with the little knowledge they had acquired from a few books.


    "The stars..." Faced with a sudden question about his expertise, Mr. You put down his metal container and looked upward.


    "This..." As You Feng stared into the stars above, his apparent tiredness from the journey thus far was slowly reced by his usual air of dispassion and confidence.


    "...Impossible!" You Fang leaped up from his seat with widened eyes, pointing at the skies with a shaking finger.


    "Did you notice something?" Lin Lu looked upwards and asked. Regardless of what she thought, You Fang was still an expert sent by her superiors, and she had learned her lesson after witnessing Liu Meng¡¯s abilities. ¡¯Who knows what the famous You Fang is capable of.¡¯


    "This... This formation..." You Fang stammered.


    "Just spit it out!" Chen Quan called out, surprised that his taunting might have actually led to an important clue.


    "The Dawn of Chaos... Impossible!" Mr. You turned to the others in disbelief, as if they would understand his words.


    "How would we know? You¡¯re the expert! What is this ¡¯Dawn of Chaos¡¯?" Chen Quan wed at his pants in frustration. ¡¯It seems like the rumors about his expertise in astrology are true. I can only guess that something¡¯s off, and yet he¡¯s able to find the exact cause.¡¯


    "ording to the legends, when the Heavens and Earth were first formed, this particr astrological formation lit up the skies... No, this wasn¡¯t even found in legends. It was drawn from some kind of reverse calction of ancient masters. This is not supposed to exist..."


    "Dawn of Chaos..." Eyesses repeated under his breath as he looked at the sea of stars.


    Suddenly, Li Yiming let go of Liu Meng¡¯s hand and dashed into the woods. "Stay here with Eyesses!"


    "What are you doing?" Lin Lu called out, but Li Yiming had already disappeared.


    "Yiming!" Liu Meng was stopped by Eyesses before she could chase after her boyfriend.


    "Trust him." Eyesses said to Liu Meng. Guardians that belong to a team must follow and trust their leader¡¯s decision without question. Liu Meng was no exception to this rule, despite her rtionship with Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming¡¯s confusion grew as he picked up speed in his search. ¡¯It¡¯s gone? How is this possible?¡¯


    Just as everyone¡¯s attention was on the star formation, Li Yiming lowered his head and caught a glimpse of something that shocked him. Not so far in the distance, a couple dressed in blue robes were looking at the sky together, hand in hand, joy, and satisfaction apparent on their faces.


    However, in the blink of an eye, the couple disappeared. Li Yiming dashed into the forest, even using Thundersh twice once he was out of sight, but he still could not find anything.


    ¡¯It¡¯s not a mistake. I definitely saw them.¡¯ Li Yiming stopped and closed his eyes.


    About twenty minutester, Li Yiming emerged slowly from the thick bushes and was met with nervous expectations from his teammates.


    "You didn¡¯t find you wanted?" Eyesses asked bluntly. His question spoke volumes about his experience as a guardian. He understood that Li Yiming must have seen something if he chose to leave Liu Meng behind. ¡¯Guess that chase was inconclusive.¡¯


    "What did you see?" Instead of ming Li Yiming for wandering off on his own, Lin Lu was more concerned with what he had seen.


    "I saw two people. A man and a woman, standing right there." After some thinking, Li Yiming decided to answer honestly.


    "A man and a woman?" Lin Lu furrowed her brows and turned to look at where Li Yiming was pointing.


    Chen Quan did not look at the jungle. Instead, he directed his attention to the flickering candle mes right next to him.


    "They escaped?" Eyesses looked at Li Yiming, unable to believe that anyone could escape easily from Li Yiming.


    "You mean, you didn¡¯t see them?" Li Yiming asked as he recalled the position the couple was standing in. ¡¯They stood in the open...¡¯


    The rest of the group shook their heads in puzzlement.


    ¡¯I didn¡¯t see them either...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he heard Bai Ze.


    "Be on guard and secure the perimeter. We should take shifts sleeping. We¡¯ll search the area tomorrow morning." Lin Lu took onest look at the bushes and continued, "Zhang Shanjun and I will take the first shift. Li Yiming and Shen Jianming, we¡¯ll leave the second to you. Let¡¯s rest while we can."


    Li Yiming nodded in agreement before pulling Liu Meng and Eyesses aside.


    "You guys didn¡¯t see them either, did you?" Li Yiming asked with a severe countenance.


    "No, I didn¡¯t see anything at all."


    "Be on your guard. This mission is moreplicated than it seems."


    * * *


    "To go along or against the flow of fate..." Li Huaibei muttered to himself as he stood before the empty fishing hut.


    After meditating for three days, separated by a wooden door, Mr. Kong left. Before leaving, he gave Li Huaibei a cryptic message.


    ¡¯ept the flow of fate and all shall prosper...¡¯


    ¡¯Or seek the truth and fight it.¡¯


    Li Yiming brought out the half-broken de from his storage ring. As he touched the broken inscriptions on the metal, the hesitation in his eyes was reced by resolve. ¡¯Did I note here for the truth?¡¯


    When he closed his eyes, shbacks of Eden began to overtake his mind again.


    "Tianshan..."


    * * *


    Stargaze pushed her sses upwards and gazed at the seemingly endless mountain range before her.


    This was the second time that something made her feel ufortable since she had broken through to the sage realm. The first time was in Hangzhou, and now...


    ¡¯Tianshan...¡¯


    * * *


    Within the office of Liping Consulting, a young woman wearing shades sat silently on a wooden chair. Facing her was Wang Liping, the CEO of thepany.


    "What¡¯s over here?" The youngdy pointed at the window.


    "That? I believe that is the graveyard of heroes of the revolution," Wang Li Ping answered with a smile, feeling pity for the beautiful but blind girl.


    "No. Somewhere further, much further in that direction..."


    "Further?"


    "Yes. Where your boss has gone to. Where¡¯s that ce?


    "Where my boss went?¡± Wang Liping asked, taken by surprise.


    "Your disguises don¡¯t work on the blind. I know that you are not her. Where is she?" Tian Yan raised her finger again.


    "That ce...:" ¡¯Wang Liping frowned. ¡¯That¡¯s Tianshan.¡¯


    * * *


    Recently, the news of an advertisement panel in disrepair falling on a young man has made the headlines. However, just as the tragic incident was about to ur, the falling board suddenly changed its course. In the surveince footage, it was clear that its initial trajectory should have cut the victim into two halves, yet the board grazed past his shoulders instead, not even causing a single scratch. Several experts proposed possible exnations and some even delved into religion and the ult. But there was none that was widely epted and it was simply ssified as a miracle.


    Just as no one noticed the skinny man sitting on the stairs of the mall in the surveince footage, no one bothered to pay attention to him now, when he returned to the same spot.


    The man was still dressed shabbily with a stic bag by his side. He held a crumpled cigarette while an empty stic bottle serving as an ashtray was ced before him.


    Therge advertisement board across from him was broadcasting the trailer for a new movie of a muscled man wearing a red cape who flew around and saved the world.


    ¡¯Red cape... Purple crown and golden armor...Boots of feather steps... How long has it been?¡¯ The man unconsciously clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white from the force he put in. He was expressionless, but his eyes betrayed his anguish and a well-hidden resentment.

 Volume 5 Chapter 10

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 10 ¨C A Turn for the Stranger</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming stared at the sky for the entire night,pletely absorbed by the silvery river that streamed through the sky and the asional sh of purple light.


    ¡¯That You Fang guy¡¯s got it right. This is the Dawn of Chaos...¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s final verdict came. Bai Ze was even more shocked than You Fang, since she was much more well-versed in the implications of what she was seeing.


    ¡¯You know, I don¡¯t really care about this Dawn of Chaos thing. I¡¯m just worried...¡¯ Li Yiming continued staring at the sky.


    ¡¯Worried about what?¡¯


    ¡¯I¡¯ve seen this sky before...¡¯


    ¡¯What? Where? How?¡¯ Bai Ze was baffled.


    ¡¯Eden...¡¯ After an entire night spent scrutinizing the stars, Li Yiming finally remembered what he thought he had forgotten. The sky was the exact same under which Li Huaibei struggled for his life for three consecutive days.


    ¡¯You¡¯re saying that...¡¯ Before Bai Ze could finish, a ripple propagated across the sea of stars, blurring them out. An instantter, and the burning sun appeared once again, hanging high.


    The sudden sunlight blinded Li Yiming. When he opened his eyes, he saw that aside from You Fang, who was still asleep, the rest of the team had woken up to the sudden change.


    "Let¡¯s pack up. Liu Meng, Eyesses, head south. Zhang Shanjun, Chen Quan, you¡¯re going east. Shen Jianming, Li Yiming, go north. You Fang and I are going to take care of the west. If you find anything, call the rest of the team before doing anything rash. Head back after one kilometer. I¡¯ll be seeing all of you here." After a quick breakfast, Lin Lu gave out instructions. Li Yiming¡¯s discoveryst night was no small matter, and it needed to be investigated thoroughly.


    "Be careful, okay?" Li Yiming nodded at Liu Meng, exchanged a nce with Eyesses, and followed Shen Jianming.


    Northward happened to be the direction in which Li Yiming chased the people he had seen the previous night, so he made sure to fully heighten his senses as soon as he entered the woods.


    "This was where you saw themst night?" Shen Jiaming walked slowly with a handgun ready and an assault rifle on his back. He was taking as many precautions as he could.


    "When I saw them, they were standing at the start of this trail, right next to that big rock." Li Yiming was much moreposed, not because he was ignorant of the potential dangers, but rather because he could rely on senses which were sharper than his sight alone.


    "You¡¯re saying that you saw two people? But there¡¯s only one set of footprints here, and it¡¯s probably yours." Shen Jianming looked at Li Yiming¡¯s shoes. ¡¯But the distance between these footprints...¡¯


    "We¡¯ve found something!" Li Yiming realized his mistake and was scrambling for an exnation when a cry suddenly came from the east side.


    "Go!" Shen Jianming recognized his friend¡¯s voice and quickly turned around. Li Yiming followed close behind.


    "What did you find?" Lin Lu arrived around the same time as Li Yiming. Instead of going to the site direction, she raised her assault rifle and looked around with vignce.


    "There¡¯s nothing abnormal here. Look as this! Chen Quan dug that out." Zhang Shanjun came close to Lin Lu and showed her three golden bullet casings.


    "This... Desert Eagle rounds?" Lin Lu knew right away, but she still unloaded a bullet from the handgun at her waist to make sure.


    "Where did you find this?" Lin Lu asked Chen Quan.


    "Over there. Under that tree." Chen Quan pointed at a pine tree nearby.


    Lin Lu walked to the tree in question and knelt down. Chen Quan had been careful enough to not disrupt the surroundings. Lin Lu knelt down as well and started to aim around with her gun.


    "There are only two possible angles for firing a round from this ce. Zhang Shanjun, Shen Jianming, go look for the rounds." Lin Lu gave her orders. ¡¯These rounds must belong to the second team. But they were well-trained soldiers and wouldn¡¯t easily open fire...¡¯


    "From the rust marks, I¡¯d think that they¡¯re from the second team. I wonder what happened..." Chen Quan brushed the grass away with his shovel and searched for more clues.


    "Did you find anything?" You Fang finally arrived. His breaths were short and shallow, and he clung onto his handgun.


    "Didn¡¯t I tell you that you should never point the gun at a teammate?¡¯ Lin Lu grabbed the gun from You Fang¡¯s hand.


    "It¡¯s not like I was going to shoot..." You Fang muttered and walked to the side.


    It was not long before the duo sent out to investigate the traces of the rounds fired returned.


    "We didn¡¯t find anything," The two said with a defeated voice.


    "Really?" Lin Lu was surprised.


    "We¡¯ve checked all around. A bullet of that caliber would have left an obvious mark if it hit anything in that area."


    "Did I get the angles wrong?" Lin Lu looked at the pine tree once again. "Let¡¯s check at a different angle. The rest of you, wait here." Lin Lu said as she and her two subordinates dove into a different part of the woods.


    "I¡¯ll go help out." Chen Quan said calmly and walked off with his shovel.


    "Should we help too?" Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming; they would be much more efficient at searching for clues with their heightened senses.


    Li Yiming shook his head and did not say a world.


    The search party returned after one long hour to no avail.


    "This makes no sense. The bullets shouldn¡¯t just disappear like that." Lin Lu¡¯s worry grew as she looked at the three bullet casings in her hand. ¡¯This is the first useful clue we¡¯ve found and nothing...?¡¯


    "Maybe they aimed at something in the air? You wouldn¡¯t be able to find the bullet so easily then." Eyesses proposed when he saw his teammates return empty-handed.


    "That¡¯s the only possibility left," Lin Lu said hesitantly. However, Li Yiming suddenly leaped in front of Liu Meng and raised his gun.


    Lin Lu and Zhang Shanjun reacted instantly. They ducked down and turned around, drawing their weapons, whereas Shen Jianmin rolled to behind a tree nearby. Liu Meng walked forward, and put her hand behind her back, hiding a fiery spark that danced between her fingers. As for Eyesses, he vanished, only to appear on a tree branch nearby the next instant, ready to face any oing threat.


    "What is it?" Chen Quan asked nervously. He held a dagger with one hand and pushed You Fang to the ground with his other one.


    Li Yiming stayed silent. He stared forward with a grave countenance and held his pistol still.


    ¡¯Yiming?¡¯ Bai Ze asked.


    "You didn¡¯t see?" Li Yiming asked slowly.


    "See what?" Lin Lu asked without turning her head back.


    "He¡¯s gone... " Li Yiming put his gun down.


    "What did you see? Exin yourself!" Lin Lu was a little irritated by the same thing happening again.


    "I saw a man. A man with a bamboo basket on his back." Li Yiming pointed at a tree about twenty meters away.


    "A man? He came down from the tree?" Chen Quan and the rest of the team rushed to the tree and stared into the tree trunk.


    "Where is he now?¡¯


    "I don¡¯t see any climbing marks here." Chen Quan nced at Li Yiming, evidently unconvinced. "I¡¯ll go have a look." He put his dagger between his teeth and quickly climbed up.


    Li Yiming stayed silent, but let Eyesses know with a nce that there was something terribly wrong.


    "The only exnation is a hallucination. There¡¯s something here that made him see things that don¡¯t exist." Two hourster, Chen Quan and Lin Lu tried to make sense of situation while the team was still hiking through the mountain.


    "I agree. We need to be careful then. Li Yiming is probably the strongest in our team, and yet he still fell for it..." Lin Lu looked at Li Yiming with worry. ¡¯This guy... No doubt he¡¯s very strong, but also over-confident. Why would he refuse to take the resistance drug earlier?¡¯


    Not only had Li Yiming refused to take the drug specially prepared for the purpose, but he also advised against the rest of the team taking it. In the end, only Lin Lu, her two subordinates, and You Fang injected the drug, and Chen Quan took some pills of his own.


    Li Yiming walked quietly. He went over the scene where he saw that man in his head. ¡¯No. That wasn¡¯t an illusion. I didn¡¯t just see it, I felt his heartbeat with my senses. But what happened? Hepletely ignored us, and he just left with a smile on his face, just like the people I sawst night. They wore the same kind of clothing, too.¡¯


    Spooky. My money is on Li Yiming taking drugs and getting high without his team knowing.

 Volume 5 Chapter 11

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 11 ¨C Trees</strong></h4>


    After encountering a string of supernatural events, the team became more cautious, slowing down considerably in their trek.


    As all technological gadgets have malfunctioned, the scouting team was effectively lost. Despite having no signal, Eyesses still marked a nearby tree with a tracker every few miles. The trackers only served as markings at the time, but if telmunications were to be restored, they would allow him to track their precise position.


    You Fang stepped up and took charge when the team was lost. For a man that had not been particrly useful, he managed to consistently determine where North was with a bronze bowl and a single wooden chopstick. Chen Quan nodded with approval when he saw the set-up for the first time and stated that it was an ancient and reliablepass of sorts, lending credibility to the directions that You Fang was suggesting. Simrly, Li Yiming had also checked with his exceptional memory and senses. ¡¯His directions are right... At least for now...¡¯


    ¡¯These traditional methods... It seemed that unimaginable power and methods have been buried in history, privy only to those who hail from ancient schools or sects. The skills that these people possess, Qing Feng, Chen Quan, and now You Fang. I would never have imagined before. Can we truly say that technology and knowledge have evolved or did we simply lose the knowledge that is tied to ancient cultures?¡¯ Li Yiming thought.


    After two urrences of seeing something that could not be found, the rest of the party believed that Li Yiming must have seen an illusion or was simply paranoid. However, both Eyesses and Liu Meng knew better from their trust in Li Yiming and their experiences with the supernatural.


    Eyesses believed that Li Yiming¡¯s earlier premonition came true: things were no longer as they seemed. He became much more serious, bringing up the rear and constantly surveying his surroundings.


    Li Yiming and Liu Meng were at the front, only behind the one leading the charge, Lin Lu. ¡¯She truly is a special operations soldier, always being the first one in...¡¯


    ¡¯Are you sure what you saw wasn¡¯t a mirage?¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice echoed in Li Yiming¡¯s consciousness. The difference between a mirage and an illusion was subtle. The former was a natural phenomenon and thetter, a spell of some sort. Li Yiming understood the nuance.


    ¡¯I¡¯m sure. I definitely saw actual people.¡¯ Li Yiming said as he recalled the three figures.


    ¡¯If you¡¯re sure that it wasn¡¯t a mirage and even I didn¡¯t see it... There are only some things in the world that only you can see...¡¯ Bai Ze trusted Li Yiming as much as she trusted herself.


    "I think I know what it was." Li Yiming nodded. ¡¯It¡¯s people like me... Bugs in the system...¡¯


    Suddenly, Li Yiming paused and scanned his surroundings with piercing eyes.


    ¡¯Again?¡¯ Bai Ze sensed the surroundings but to no avail.


    Upon hearing the pause in the footsteps, Lin Lu, who had been walking ahead, did not even bother turning around but crouched down on one knee and raised her gun, sweeping the area in front of her. The rest of the team all enteredbat position as her two subordinates rolled into cover. Eyesses disappeared seemingly into thin air and Chen Quan pulled Mr. You down into some nearby bushes for cover.


    "Li Yiming?" After another round of checking and finding nothing out of the ordinary, Lin Lu was beginning to get fed up with Li Yiming. ¡¯I can respect your self-confidence and choice of choosing not to take the antidote.. But to be as paranoid and jumpy as you are now, you¡¯re affecting the entire team.¡¯


    But before Lin Lu could voice her displeasure, Li Yiming drew his firearm, took aim, and fired.


    Three shots rang out and Li Yiming slowly lowered his gun with a grave countenance.¡¯It¡¯s appeared again...¡¯


    This time, trees had appeared instead of men. Trees that looked simr to the ones that surrounded them. Despite their thick trunks being rooted to the ground, they shifted positions swiftly within the forest, moving without leaving any trace behind.


    Li Yiming fired at the trees without a second thought.


    The tension that had mostly dissipated returned in full with the jarring gunshots. But, after a long period of time, nothing happened.


    "What did you see this time, Li Yiming?" Lin Lu lowered her gun and stood up slowly, ncing at Li Yiming with piercing and judgemental eyes. She could not take it anymore.


    Li Yiming did not answer and looked pointedly at Eyesses, who had appeared from the bushes. He knew from Eyesses¡¯ expression that he was the only person who had seen anything, once again.


    "I have no doubt in your abilities, but the fact of the matter is that we¡¯re a team. We are dealing with an unprecedented supernatural event and surrounded by unpredictable danger. Please follow my orders and take the antidote. As you are now, you¡¯ll bring this team down. Furthermore... Suppose there were unknown enemies around us. You have just exposed our position with your gunshots." Despite her stern countenance, Lin Lu¡¯s tone was amicable. She truly possessed the ability tomand effectively in unexpected situations and knew that during tense situations, she should not be too confrontational, especially towards a team member whom she had already acknowledged.


    Ignoring Lin Lu¡¯s usations and suggestions, Li Yiming bent down and picked up the casings of the three bullets that he had fired. "These are the casings."


    Lin Lu was visibly confused.


    "The shells are here, but where are the bullets?" Li Yiming ced the three shells in Lin Lu¡¯s hand and walked to the back of the team while holding Liu Meng¡¯s hand. He knew that Lin Lu had to go and find the bullets. ¡¯I¡¯m sure that I hit the moving tree. I even saw the splinters that flew off the bark, but the tree disappeared...¡¯


    As she fiddled with the shells in her hand, Lin Lu looked at her two subordinates. After a brief period of hesitation, she called out before dashing into the forest, "Chen Quan, Zhang Shanjun,e with me. The rest, stay here and remain on guard."


    At the back of the team, Eyesses whispered to Li Yiming. "You saw something again?"


    "Yeah. But this time it wasn¡¯t a person, but a tree."


    "A tree?¡¯ Confusion was visible in Eyesses¡¯ eyes as he wondered to himself. ¡¯We¡¯re in a forest. What else should we be seeing, if not trees?¡¯


    "It was a moving tree, and I hit it just now,"


    "What¡¯s going on? This was supposed to be a vacation trip. What happened to that?" Eyesses scratched his nose in frustration. But even then, he was more curious than worried.


    "Don¡¯t let your guard down. Forests with no animals... Reversals of day and night... Mysterious men who appear and disappear, and now moving trees..." Li Yiming hesitated briefly before continuing, " I think we might have entered a secret domain."


    "Impossible." Before Li Yiming could even finish, Eyesses refuted him and continued, " One needs a key to enter a domain. Even if there was one here right now, we still wouldn¡¯t be able to."


    ¡¯That¡¯s right...¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly remembered that with his special circumstances, he had no knowledge of keys to secret domains.


    "Are keys essential to entering a secret domain?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Of course, that¡¯s the rules..." Eyesses was baffled by such a borderline idiotic questioning from someone as experienced as Li Yiming.


    "Indeed, we were reminded numerous times on the Stage of Ascension that should we reject to participate in a secret domain, we would not receive the key. That immunite doesn¡¯t depend on the physical location." Liu Meng borated meekly, believing that Li Yiming was simply a little too nervous.


    ¡¯Not a secret domain... Then what could it be...¡¯ Li Yiming remained deep in thought.


    ¡®Yiming. There¡¯s a way for normal guardians to be swept into a secret domain, even without the key. But... If this is really the case, the situation has truly gone out of hand...¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice rang out in his consciousness in a grave tone.


    "Oh. What is it?" Li Yiming was somewhat happy at the confirmation.


    "Li Yiming! What exactly did you see just now?" Lin Lu¡¯s anxious voice rang out from afar as she approached hastily, dashing out of the woods. She almost barreled over Liu Meng, who was standing right by Li Yiming.


    After a grid by grid search of the surrounding area, the results were as Li Yiming predicted ¨C no bullets were found. This startled Lin Lu greatly as she had witnessed him firing those bullets. Judging by how he held the gun and the firepower of his firearm, those bullets should not have flown past a hundred meters. With her experience, she should have been able to easily locate them. And yet...


    To miss a single bullet in such a thick forest was understandable, but for all three to go missing meant that there was definitely something else at work.


    "I saw a moving tree. I hit it just now." Li Yiming hesitated and decided to reveal the truth. ¡¯Regardless of the situation and how it may change in the near future, these guys have already caught up in it. They have a right to know. After all, we are a team now.¡¯


    "A moving tree?" Lin Lu looked at Chen Quan with incredulous eyes, seeking his opinion.


    Chen Quan furrowed his brows and remained silent. He dealt with the dead, fable and legends on a daily basis. After all, the more legendary a tomb was, the higher the selling price of items stolen from there. However, across his years of tomb raiding, he had note across nearly as many abnormalities as he had on this trek.


    "Yes, a moving tree. It was a cedar tree."Li Yiming nodded and swept his gaze across the team. He had to gauge the response of the team, because if Bai Ze¡¯s tone was of any indication, trouble was lurking ahead.


    Just as he was sweeping the team, Li Yiming noticed, to his surprise, that they were down a man. "Wait! Where¡¯s You Fang?"


    "You Fang?" Lin Lu turned around and looked in between the three climbing machines. ¡¯He was sitting right there when I left...¡¯


    "He was still here just now." Shen Jianming shouted in surprise; he had purposely stood near You Fang to protect this seemingly defenseless old man. When Lin Lu had rushed out of the bushes to question Li Yiming, he had been distracted for only a brief moment. ¡¯Where is he?¡¯


    "He couldn¡¯t have gone far. Pair up and search the area. Do not go alone!" Lin Lu barked out her orders before diving back into the bushes.


    Li Yiming¡¯s eyes met with Eyesses¡¯ before rushing toward another direction with Liu Meng. However, he wanted more to know about what Bai Ze had to say. ¡¯Did you not see anything?¡¯


    ¡¯No...¡¯


    True leader Lin Lu.

 Volume 5 Chapter 12

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 12 ¨C A Change of Leader</strong></h4>


    A quick search around the area yielded no results ¡ª You Fang had disappeared without leaving a single trace behind. After only a day in Lian Yun peak, the expedition team had already lost a member.


    ¡¯What do you think of this?¡¯ After a fruitless search, the group returned to their campsite with severe countenances and sat down around the robots. Li Yiming sought for Bai Ze¡¯s opinion, since her quietness suggested that she knew what happened.


    ¡¯...Bai Ze?¡¯ However, Li Yiming was concerned by Bai Ze¡¯s silence after calling her name three times. This was the first time something like this had happened, aside from when she had fallen into aa.


    Li Yiming¡¯s tried his best to focus and used his inner sight. The next instant, his entire body stiffened, and he looked around, unnerved; Bai Ze was gone.


    "Li Yiming. I should apologize for earlier. I hope you can give me the details about what you saw earlier." Lin Lu said to Li Yiming while checking the bullets in her gun.


    "Excuse me for a moment. Eyesses, Liu Meng,e here." Li Yiming interrupted Lin Lu and walked away from the campsite. "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you enough, but I need to have a talk with them first."


    "Is he giving up?" Lin Lu was slightly irritated. ¡¯Well, I suppose that it shouldn¡¯t be surprising. After all, these people have either been bought into this or been forced to join this expedition.¡¯


    "No, he wants to go off on his own." Chen Quan looked at Li Yiming¡¯s back and smiled.


    "On his own?" Shen Jianming looked at Chen Quan with amazement. Shen Jianming had been quite impressed by thetter¡¯s abilities, despite his disreputable profession.


    "Well, he wants to... leave us here. How should I put it? The way he looks at Liu Meng and Eyesses... He thinks that we¡¯re holding him back." Chen Quan spat on his palm and rubbed his hands together until they were dry. "I¡¯d understand if it was only Liu Meng, since they¡¯re a couple, but what about that Eyesses guy? Isn¡¯t he from your department?"


    "Eyesses is an external recruit. He¡¯s a hacker..." Lin Lu smiled bitterly. She remembered the speed with which Eyesses jumped into the bush.


    "Have you noticed?" Chen Quan squinted his eyes and looked at Lin Lu.


    "What is it?"


    "I haven¡¯t seen Eyesses eat anything ever since we¡¯ve entered the mountains."


    Lin Lu stayed quiet. She had, in fact, noticed the oddity, but dismissed it as a symptom of not being used to living outdoors. She had thought that it would only be a matter of time before he would sumb to hunger. ¡¯Am I the overconfident one for epting this dangerous mission without even checking the backgrounds of my team properly?¡¯


    "There¡¯s something wrong..." Eyesses was trying to find a signal on his tablet but to no avail.


    "I think my guess was right after all." Li Yiming nced at the two.


    "You mean a domain? But..." Eyesses started his retort.


    "I know. But Bai Ze¡¯s gone. I tried to call her just now..." Li Yiming spoke slowly and nced at the rest of the team, who sat at the campsite.


    "What?" Liu Meng was baffled.


    "Where did she go?" Eyesses had seen Bai Ze before and knew that she was Li Yiming¡¯s summon.


    "It¡¯s not a matter of where. She¡¯s gone, just like You Fang..."


    "Are you serious? But she lives inside you! How?" Eyesses¡¯ eyes widened.


    Li Yiming nodded with a grave expression.


    "Really..." Eyesses said once again and reached out for his dagger out of instinct.


    "She agreed with me about the domain thing. She even thought that there was a way to enter a domain without a key, but..."


    "She disappeared before she could tell you?" Liu Meng finished Li Yiming¡¯s sentence.


    "Yes." Li Yiming answered bitterly.


    "What level is Bai Ze?" Eyesses asked a rather sensitive question.


    "Five." Li Yiming answered without hesitation.


    "Five..." Eyesses sank into a dead silence; it was one thing to abduct a helpless old man like You Fang, but an entirely different one to abduct a level five mythical beast.


    "What are we going to do?" Liu Meng said worriedly.


    "I wanted to hear your opinion on this, since..." Li Yiming nced in the direction of the campsite once again.


    "If we really are in a domain, then we shouldn¡¯t mind them at all. I¡¯d suggest calling the team over." Eyesses followed Li Yiming¡¯s stare and said in a serious tone.


    "The rest of the team?" Li Yiming could not quite understand what Eyesses meant.


    "Yeah, call Linglong and the rest over. Also Big Beard. We¡¯re a team after all, and I¡¯m not sure that we can handle something that snatched a level five beast away from us. The limitations imposed on technology here are too significant for me to be of any use."


    "I thought the signals were cut off here?"


    "You can try the captain¡¯s badge. We should be able to leave them a message in the team channel, and I believe that they¡¯ll head over right away."


    "Oh?" Li Yiming had never heard of such a function before. He turned around, letting Liu Meng interpose herself between him and the campsite, and took out the tabletputer for the team. After a few button presses, he turned toward Eyesses.


    "Is it not working?" Eyesses snatched the tablet from Li Yiming¡¯s hand and saw a white screen.


    "Serious?" Eyesses gave the item back to Li Yiming; he was beginning to grow nervous.


    "Li Yiming." Lin Lu could not take it anymore. She walked toward Li Yiming. "I want to remind you that we¡¯re a team right now, so..."


    "We should go." Frustrated, Li Yiming put away the tablet discreetly and walked toward Lin Lu.


    "Alright, can you tell us what¡¯s going on?" Chen Quan said calmly after noticing Liu Meng and Eyesses¡¯ grave countenance.


    "I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s happening, but one thing¡¯s sure. If we keep going, our lives are going to be in danger." Li Yiming collected his thoughts and said in a serious tone.


    "We¡¯ve been told this before we came here." Zhang Shanjun said with his rifle resting on his knee. He was a little disgruntled after hearing what Chen Quan said earlier. ¡¯They think of us as burdens? But we¡¯ve trained our entire lives for missions like these.¡¯


    "I just want to remind you that this is probably going to be unlike anything you¡¯ve ever experienced." Li Yiming emphasized.


    "The day I decided to be a tomb raider, my life was no longer mine. On top of it, if it wasn¡¯t for this mission, I¡¯d probably already be dead, so how about you make this quick." Chen Quan¡¯s expression seemed particrly sinister as he licked his dry lips.


    "The strange day and night cycles, theck of all signs of life in this forest. The three people I¡¯ve seen, and now the moving trees. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s next, but I can tell you that I¡¯ve dealt with things like that before." Li Yiming finally settled on a way to open up to the rest of the team.


    "You¡¯ve seen things like this before? Is that why you¡¯re the only one who can see these things?" Lin Lu asked in shock.


    "Yes. I have... experience in the matter, but I can¡¯t tell you the specifics." Li Yiming interrupted Lin Lu before she could press on.


    "So you mean..." Lin Lu read Li Yiming¡¯s intentions and hesitated at how to handle what was soon toe.


    "Either we stay as a team and I take charge, or we split up." Li Yiming stared back straight at her.


    "Impossible." Zhan Shanjun voiced his firm opposition; the worst thing to do in such a scenario was to fight for leadership.


    "I wouldn¡¯t be so fast to disagree." Chen Quan said while squinting his eyes, leaving an inscrutable expression.


    "You!" Zhang Shanjun roared in anger. Just a minute ago, Chen Quan seemed fairly docile.


    "I¡¯m just saying that I¡¯ve agreed to participate in this mission. As for whose orders I¡¯m obeying, it doesn¡¯t matter that much, right? Li Yiming has been chosen by you, did he?" Chen Quan shrugged his shoulders and avoided looking at Lin Lu, instead, he stared right at Li Yiming.


    "Very well. You¡¯re in charge now." Lin Lu decided after a moment of hesitation.


    "Captain..." Shen Jianming was against the decision.


    "This is an order." Lin Lu said coldly. She was, in fact, wavering about the issue. The team had already suffered a loss, and the situation they were in was unlike anything she had seen. If this was a war, she would be able to single-handedly finish off all of her enemies one by one, under the cover of the forest. However, she was not confident she could lead the team in their current situation.


    ¡¯Well, from what I¡¯ve seen, Li Yiming seems to be confident and level-headed. If he can lead us to the end of this mission, then so be it.¡¯ Lin Lu suddenly felt more rxed. "So, what should we do now?"


    Today Ie with a good surprise. Tranting is surprising rxingpared to... other things.

 Volume 5 Chapter 13

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 13 ¨C Guiding Lanterns</strong></h4>


    "Let¡¯s stick to the original n and keep going. We don¡¯t need these though. You can take care of them." Li Yiming pointed at the three spiderbots.


    Eyesses nodded and grabbed the remote controller from Shen Jianming. The spiderbots were made to walk into the woods and he returned without them a little whileter.


    ¡¯Take care? Does he mean to dispose of them?¡¯ Lin Lu frowned, but refrained from asking questions.


    "I¡¯ll lead the way. Let Eyesses stay at the rear. Keep a tight formation, we need to stay as close as possible. Chen Quan, I¡¯ll leave the directions to you." Li Yiming left Liu Meng in the middle of the column and led the way into the forest.


    Contrary to outward appearances, Li Yiming was not as calm as he seemed. Eyesses and Liu Meng were unaware that Bai Ze was not only his summon, but also his soul summon. Even when Bai Ze had been forced into a deep sleep by Heaven¡¯s Punishment, Li Yiming could still feel her presence within him. However, now, there was nothing. Li Yiming felt an indescribable loneliness, even with Eyesses and Liu Meng being right beside him.


    The team continued their journey. Night fell at the exact same time as the previous day, and the team paused briefly to wait for the moon to show up once again; it was nearly impossible to search for a suitable location to set up camp in theplete darkness. Dead silence reigned as the entire team waited quietly. They opted to only keep one shlight open, since even Li Yiming did not know how long they would be trapped in this mysterious realm, and he was confident in Eyesses¡¯ night vision for alerting them about any oing danger.


    Li Yiming was keeping track of time, and, after about half an hour, the woods were illuminated by a cascade of silvery moonlight once again.


    "Let¡¯s go." Lin Lu ordered out of habit and let out a sigh upon remembering that she was no longer the head of the team. She looked at Li Yiming to try to convey a silent apology, only to find thetter staring at the front. In fact, the entire team had their attention absorbed by a sight right in front of them. It was some kind of hollow stone pedestal, about half a meter high, in which a small me burned.


    "A Guiding Lantern?" Chen Quan mumbled. It was a rather ordinary object used for lighting up roads in ancient times, and they were not a rare sight in temples or abbeys. However, to see such antern on a mountain where no one has supposedly ever set foot, not to mention the fact that it was lit up.


    "You can all see it?" Li Yiming knew from the expressions of the rest of his team that this time, he was not alone in seeing the object.


    "What¡¯s that? A road light?" Zhang Shanjun asked hesitantly. He was finally able to believe in Li Yiming¡¯s stories about the people in the woods.


    "Let¡¯s go have a look." Li Yiming nodded at the rest of the team and signaled at Liu Meng to be careful.


    Lin Lu and her two subordinates approached the stone structure with their weapons drawn. Chen Quan, however, lit up a candle that he took out of his pocket and put it down on the ground. This was the second time Li Yiming had seen him do something like that. He initially thought that it was meant to provide light, but he was obviously mistaken. Although the candle me looked nothing out of the ordinary, it produced a thick pir of smoke that shot up the sky like a signal re, carrying with it a rather unpleasant odor.


    "The me of this candle is meant to lure ghosts away." Chen Quan exined when he saw Li Yiming¡¯s confusion.


    Li Yiming nodded. He had nothing but respect for these ancient techniques that he could not quite understand.


    Chen Quan put his candle down and walked right to the stone pir, scrutinizing the me within it.


    "It¡¯s just an ordinary fire." Liu Meng said to Li Yiming after a moment.


    Chen Quan seemed to also have reached the same conclusion. He took out his dagger and cut off a piece of the material which served as the fuel for the dancing me. He brought it to his nose and rubbed some of it between his fingers.


    "It¡¯s pine resin. We¡¯ve seen plenty of it on the road. At least the fuel for the fire is nothing out of the ordinary." Chen Quan wiped his dagger on his pants. Resin was a longsting fuel that could burn for hours.


    "There¡¯s another one!" Zhan Shanjun suddenly said and dashed into the forest.


    Li Yiming looked in the direction and could distinguish a faint light in the distance. He followed Zhang Shanjun, but after barely a few steps, he suddenly noticed that thetter was fading away. He turned back to look at the team, and was reassured when he saw nothing wrong.


    "Careful!" Li Yiming yelled. He leaped forward and reached out for Zhang Shanjun¡¯s shoulder.


    However, Li Yiming¡¯s hand went through Zhang Shanjun¡¯s body as if it was thin air. Thetter did not seem to hear Li Yiming¡¯s call and continued making his way forward until he vanished a few stepster.


    Li Yiming fell down and rolled on the ground as he missed his target. When he stood up again, a sword which sent cold reflections of steel around suddenly appeared in his hand; it was a level three sword he had kept from his encounter with Bing Shuai back in Hangzhou.


    The appearance of the sword was the least of the concerns, as the entire team had their eyes riveted to where Zhang Shanjun was a moment ago.


    "Zhang Shanjung!" Shen Jianming shouted and waved his rifle around, sending a ray of light in an arc in front of him. However, there was not a single trace left of his friend. It was as if he had never existed.


    "So that¡¯s how it happened..." Eyesses stared forward with a grave countenance. ¡¯No signs before it happens, and not a single trace left behind...¡¯


    "You¡¯ve seen things like this before?" Shen Jianming looked at Li Yiming with fiery eyes.


    "Keep your formation. Stay close to me." Li Yiming answered coldly and led the way with his sword ready.


    "Go." Lin Lu threw a nce at Shen Jianming and followed up.


    The other five team members followed Li Yiming to the next stonentern. On their way, they saw Zhang Shangjun¡¯s footprints cut short after the first two steps.


    The secondntern was as in-looking as the first one, but Li Yiming knew that that was exactly the problem.


    "There¡¯s another one there..." Liu Meng said hesitantly as she pointed forward.


    "Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s our only clue." Li Yiming looked at the faint glow of fire behind him. It was barely visible, but Li Yiming had the impression that it was the eyes of some kind of spectrel.


    But Li Yiming had no choice, he could not give up now, not after Bai Ze was gone. He would need to move forward and investigate further, regardless of whatever hellish danger that might give him cold feet. After the second stonentern came a third one, and a fourth one, all the way until the seventh, where Li Yiming paused in front of. He could see a road ahead that made its way into the depths of the forest.


    "A road here? Impossible!" Shen Jianmin peeked from behind Li Yiming. If it was not for what happened to Zhang Shanjun earlier, he would have rushed out of formation.


    "Well, the lights were man-made, so it¡¯s no surprise that there¡¯s a road here." Eyesses took out a small, metallic transmitter, about the size of a button, and threw it onto the road. The team stared at the object as itnded in the distance.


    "Nothing out of the ordinary." Eyesses said after a moment of silence.


    "We can¡¯t give up now aftering this far. Just be careful." Li Yiming took a deep breath and walked forward with his sword ready.


    "There shouldn¡¯t be anything here. At least ording to satellite images." Eyesses looked at his tablet once again and searched for their current location.


    "We¡¯ll go have a look." Li Yiming looked at the road ahead and could see a few faint haloes of light in the distance.


    "I¡¯ll lead the way." Lin Lu suddenly walked forward and turned on the shlight which hung on her rifle.


    Li Yiming stayed silent, knowing well it did not matter whether he led the way or not.


    The road was rather poorly maintained, and it seemed little more was done beyond clearing away the wooden debris, which exposed a rather moist and dustless carpet of vegetation. After another sharp turn, the eighth stone structure appeared. The road ahead made a quick descent down a steep hill and joined a stream which ran in the valley below.


    "Are we going downward?" Lin Lu turned around and waited for Li Yiming¡¯s decision. The stream grew visibly deeper ahead, and the dark water seemed like the mouth of a monster waiting for oing prey.


    "Let¡¯s go. We should hurry." Li Yiming¡¯s eagerness to get the end of it grew as he had a sudden feeling that this light was going to be thest one.

 Volume 5 Chapter 14-15

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 14 ¨C Lake</strong></h4>


    The team continued down the steep path until reaching the ninthntern. As always, everything seemed quiet, and there was nothing out of the ordinary with the stone structure, only that the road was suddenly cut short by ake. Its azure surface sat perfectly still, producing such a perfect reflection of the stars in the sky that Li Yiming could have thought them to have fallen to the ground.


    "There¡¯s nothing about thiske on the maps." Eyesses looked at his tablet.


    "Look!" Liu Meng suddenly pointed at the other end of theke.


    Theke thatid in front of them was crescent-shaped and wrapped around the small stream that Li Yiming and his teammates had followed, making them barely a hundred meters away from the opposite shore. The tenthntern which Liu Meng pointed at could be clearly seen standing across from this veryke.


    "Are we going around this?" Liu Lin gazed at theke. There was something difiting about the perfect stillness of the water.


    "The fog..." Chen Quan suddenly squinted. A pale, white mist was climbing up the shores.


    Li Yiming picked up a small pebble and threw it into theke.


    Plop!


    The canvas on which the stars were painted was broken for a short moment. Li Yiming extended his senses into the water. ¡¯Nothing... No shrimps, no crabs, no fish...¡¯


    "We¡¯re going into theke," Li Yiming said with determination. The shape of theke made it impossible to estimate how long it would take to take a detour around it, and the fog gave them little time to think.


    "Are you sure?" Shen Jianming looked at the misty film that was growing thicker by the second.


    "We won¡¯t be able to go across once the fog settles in." Chen Quan was quick to decide. He made sure that his bag was tightly sealed and put his dagger between his teeth.


    Chen Quan dove into theke with a loud ssh, and his head quickly resurfaced shortly after. Despite the weight of his bag, he swam forward speedily, not even bothering to look back once.


    "Let¡¯s go." Eyesses nced at Li Yiming and jumped ahead.


    "Stay close to me." Li Yiming held Liu Meng¡¯s hand as they both leaped into the water.


    Lin Lu looked back at Shen Jianmin, put the M4 on his back and followed suit.


    The team of six swam steadily toward the opposite shore. One could have believed this to be a rxing journey if they ignored the bone-chilling events that happened beforehand, with the beautifulndscape around theke and the sea of light illuminating the sky. However, every single person had their full attention ready for any kind of unexpected danger. As for Li Yiming, he spent most of his time staring at Liu Meng. After a quick nce ahead of, he noticed that the shore was hardly visible anymore.


    "We have to hurry," Li Yiming urged.


    "Wait!" Chen Quan, who led the way, suddenly stopped and looked around in bafflement.


    "The water¡¯s moving!" Eyesses shouted.


    Just as Eyesses finished his sentence, the water below suddenly began to form into a whirlpool.


    "We have to get out!" Li Yiming shouted, but the vortex had already grown too much in size and was swallowing up the entireke.


    ¡¯I guess I can¡¯t hide it anymore.¡¯ Frustrated, Li Yiming finally decided to use Thundersh to save himself and the rest of the team.


    "What?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes widened.


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming panicked and instinctively extended his hand toward Liu Meng. He felt more reassured when their fingers locked together, but thisfort was short-lived. The vortex quickly dragged them down, and they were already more than a hundred meters apart from Chen Quan, who was still floating at the edge of the whirlpool.


    ¡¯How deep is thiske?¡¯


    This was Li Yiming¡¯sst thoughts before he was pulled to the bottom.


    Instead of being pulled from all directions, as Li Yiming had expected, the flow of water actually carried them to the center of theke. He could barely see the surroundings; the water not only blocked the light, but it also prevented him from extending his senses. Fortunately, both Li Yiming and Liu Meng were a long way from suffocating, owing to their superior stamina. Before long, the currents finally settled down, and Li Yiming knew right away that it was the right time to make for the surface.


    "Ugh..." Li Yiming gasped for air as his head made it out of the water, and he quickly pulled Liu Meng up, who was also gasping for air, her wet hair covering her entire face.


    Li Yiming was relieved as seeing Liu Meng unharmed, and he finally had the attention to spare for what was happening around him. ¡¯The same forest, the samenterns... are we still in the sameke?¡¯ Li Yiming hurriedly pulled Liu Meng toward the shore.


    "Where are the others?" Once at the shore, Liu Meng brushed her hair to the side and turned back to look at the water.


    "I think they¡¯re still in there." Li Yiming looked at theke. He suddenly vanished with a sh of purple light and appeared on the other side of Liu Meng.


    ¡¯It¡¯s back...¡¯ The fact that he could use Thundersh brought his confidence back, since it was his go-to technique.


    "Look!" Liu Meng could see someone emerge from the water near the middle of theke.


    Li Yiming appeared right above theter the next moment and picked up the unconscious body from theke. He tossed it toward the shore and appeared there the next instant to catch it. He could teleport himself with Thundersh, but not carry a person with him as he did.


    "It¡¯s Lin Lu! How is she?" Lin Lu recognized the person Li Yiming had just rescued.


    ¡¯It¡¯s okay. She¡¯s breathed some water, but we should be able to pull her back." Li Yiming said after putting his hand on Lin Lu¡¯s neck.


    "Let me do it!" Liu Meng suddenly eximed. She grabbed Lin Lu¡¯s shoulders from Li Yiming and started to tap gently on her back.


    "What do I do now...?" After seeing that Lin Lu was still unconscious, despite spitting out some water, Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming with a guilty conscience.


    "You mean you don¡¯t know?" Li Yiming thought Liu Meng knew what she was doing based on how fast she reacted.


    "I¡¯ve seen it on television... venttion...?" Liu Meng bit her lips, her cheeks burning. She was nervous and... a little jealous.


    "Well, I don¡¯t know..." Li Yiming was also at a loss for what to do.


    Liu Meng put Lin Lu down on the floor. "I know that you have to push on her chest and blow air into her mouth... I think that you also need to do it at the same time."


    "Alright, so I¡¯ll apply pressure here, and you blow the air." Li Yiming rolled up his sleeves. He was reluctant to give mouth-to-mouth since he had been spending three days in the wilderness without brushing his teeth.


    "No no no, I¡¯ll handle the chest. You blow the air." Liu Meng intervened right as Li Yiming reached out for Lin Lu.


    "Huh? Okay..." Li Yiming was starting to understand Liu Meng¡¯s intentions.


    Li Yiming lifted Lin Lu¡¯s chin up and made ready to carry out the maneuver. She had droplets of water hanging from her long eyshes, and her tanned skin seemed spotless under the moonlight. This was the first time Li Yiming observed her this closely, since his attention had been wholly focused on Liu Meng before. ¡¯Wow... I didn¡¯t think she was this pretty. If she wore something more fashionable instead of abat outfit, she would look stunning. I should be d right now, but Liu Meng... Oh well, her life is what matters the most.¡¯


    "Wait... how about... you push and I¡¯ll do the breathing..." Liu Meng suddenly stopped Li Yiming as he lowered his head.


    "Oh..." Li Yiming almost threw Lin Lu¡¯s head away upon hearing Liu Meng¡¯s call.


    "Cough... cough..." Lin Lu began to cough violently and suddenly opened her eyes. Li Yiming and Liu Meng let out a sigh of relief; Lin Lu was a little different from an ordinary person after all, and anyone less rigorously trained could have died already as Li Yiming and Liu Meng wasted their time.


    * * *


    Eyesses dragged Chen Quan by his belt as he made his way out of the water. He looked around until his eyes were fixated on the night sky. ¡¯The sameke, the same mountain... where are we?¡¯


    "I... owe you my life." Chen Quan suddenly woke up and said with difficulty.


    "You could help me out by getting up yourself. I have a really bad feeling about thiske." Eyesses looked at Chen Quan and dropped him down.


    "Where are the others?" Chen Quan did not seem to mind the rough treatment at all and even sipped some water to rinse his mouth.


    "Don¡¯t know. Seems like we¡¯re split." Eyesses took out hisputer and started working. He was not worried about Li Yiming and Liu Meng, since they would have undoubtedly survived if he did. As for the others, he simply did not care.


    "That¡¯s a sturdyputer you¡¯ve got right here." Chen Quan sat down right next to Eyesses, still shaking a little.


    Eyesses ignored Chen Quan¡¯s remark ¡ª he had put theputer away into his storage ring before he jumped into theke. Rather, he focused on the question at hand. ¡¯Is this really a domain...? I wonder.¡¯


    "Look..." Chen Quan pointed at the bottom-right corner of the screen.


    ¡¯Four twenty-three... it moved?¡¯ Eyesses was concerned by what he was seeing.


    The number suddenly jumped to twenty-four.


    The suspense is soon over ?? <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 15 ¨C Transmigration</strong></h4>


    Shen Jianming grew up in a town right next to the sea. He joined the army when he was eighteen and was chosen for the spec ops squad when he was twenty-three. He was not the best shot in the team, nor the one with the best stamina, but he certainly held the throne for the best swimmer. His squadmates even gave him the nickname "Water Spectre."


    As soon as Shen Jianming was pulled into the water, he held his breath and rxed down. He knew that any struggling was simply a waste of stamina. As the current grew weaker, Shen Jianming, who was about to reach his limit, swam upward. The dizziness that was growing at a dangerously fast rate was finally cleared away by fresh air as he emerged from theke. He looked around in worry between heavy gasps for air. ¡¯Well, I¡¯m out, but what about captain...?¡¯


    Shen Jianming had barely turned his head around when he noticed something flying straight toward his face. His eyes went ck as the sound of something hard colliding against his head was heard. Before he fainted, he heard an angry voice in the distance.


    "That¡¯ll teach you to spy on my sis and me when we¡¯re taking a bath. Pervert!"


    * * *


    Dawn arrived. It was no longer a sudden shift of night and day, but rather a gradual one. The sky lit up slowly, and the clouds on the east side were colored by orange sunlight. Li Yiming, Liu Meng, and Lin Lu sat at the shore of theke and stared into the water: an entire night without anyone else surfacing.


    "They¡¯re..." Lin Lu lowered her head and bit her lips. She had started the mission with seven teammates, and now five of them went missing before having even achieved anything at all.


    "We¡¯ve been split, but they should be fine. We should circle around theke and look for them." Li Yiming cleaned away the mud stuck on the bottom of his pants. He had perfect confidence in Eyesses, just as thetter had for him, and he saw Eyesses near Chen Quan when the whirlpool appeared. ¡¯So Chen Quan should also be fine, it¡¯s just Shen Jianming...¡¯


    "I lost my backpack. I¡¯ll see if I can find some fruits in the forest." Lin Lu quickly settled down. If Li Yiming could regain hisposure so quickly, then she would not be so slow either.


    "It¡¯s fine. Liu Meng still has some food, let¡¯s eat first." Li Yiming nced at Liu Meng.


    "What? Oh." Liu Meng¡¯s jumped up when her name was called, and the red light beneath herbat clothing faded away.


    "Hey, how did your hair dry up so quickly?" Lin Lu suddenly noticed that Liu Meng¡¯s long hair had dried outpletely, but her own hair, which much shorter, was still wet and damp. The same was true for the clothes Liu Meng wore. l.


    "It is normal that your clothes are still wet?" Liu Meng nced at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming rolled his eyes; he had already sensed Liu Meng¡¯s fire being used to dry her own clothes for a while now.


    "We should eat first. We¡¯ll go find the others after."


    "Alright." Liu Meng grimaced and reached out for her backpack.


    Lin Lu was baffled when she saw Liu Meng take out canned food, milk, bread, and even chips from her backpack. "Did you guys really bring all of this? You really did think of this as a field trip, did you? Also, how did you fit all of this into your bag...?"


    "Ah! All done. I only brought this much." Liu Meng suddenly froze and realized the mistake she just made.


    "She was worried that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get used to the food you brought." A bead of cold sweat rolled down Li Yiming¡¯s forehead as he scrambled for an excuse, and he tried to silence Lin Lu by giving her an opened can of beef.


    "Have you noticed?" Li Yiming took a bite from a slice of bread and asked a question that would divert Lin Lu¡¯s attention.


    "Yeah." Lin Lu nodded with a severe countenance and started to chomp down on the food.


    Li Yiming took another bite and sipped on some milk as he fell into his own thoughts.


    From the moment the sun appeared above the horizon, the uninterrupted chirping of birds could be heard, and right now, there were even small fishes hopping out of the water from the time to time. A quick inspection and Li Yiming discovered the abundance of life at the bottom of theke.


    "Look at that!" Lin Lu swallowed down a mouthful of beef and pointed at the opposite shore. Two white herons flew out of the woods and were looking for food in theke.


    ¡¯This...the whirlpool from yesterday... Everything¡¯s back to normal, but did we make it out... or did we enter the domain?¡¯


    "Wait... people areing. We need to get out!" Li Yiming suddenly heard a very faint noise in the distance. After quickly cleaning up around where they sat, the three dove behind a bush nearby.


    Lin Lu grasped her dagger as sheid prone in the grass. She had lost her rifle, but the dagger which she kept around her ankle had survived.


    "Some kind of car?" Lin Lu could finally hear the noise now. It seemed like there were quite a few people heading their way. ¡¯And this noise... a wooden wheel?¡¯


    "Quick! Let¡¯s get some water and wash before going home." A loud, jovial voice was heard. About seven people appeared with two primitive-looking wooden trolleys.


    ¡¯It¡¯s them...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat; he recognized the person who led the way as the man who had jumped off a tree earlier.


    "Their clothing..."


    "Shush." Lin Lu interrupted Liu Meng. She could now see that all seven were men between twenty and forty years old. They wore robes and cloth shoes like those found in a museum around the Tang era, and had long, uncut hair. 1


    "It¡¯s quite the trip this time. Two whole carts. My little daughter loves these five-colored fruits! She¡¯ll be very happy." Another man removed his robe and started to wipe his muscr torso with a grey cloth.


    "If Xiao Min likes it so much, you should take a bit more then. We¡¯re only two in the family, and Xiao Min is a such a pleasant child," Another guy said.


    "Ah, but Aunt Li also likes these five-colored fruits a lot, doesn¡¯t she? Everyone in the neighborhood knows about your piety!"


    "What are you talking about! There are two whole carts. We¡¯ll all have more than enough!"


    The men removed their clothing one by one and washed themselves with water from theke. All seemed to be content and happy with the result of their harvest.


    ¡¯Five-colored fruits?¡¯ Lin Lu looked at the giant baskets on the trolleys, which were full of a kind of unknown five-colored fruits as big as apples.


    Li Yiming frowned. ¡¯Going home, neighborhood? They have a vige around here?¡¯


    The three waited patiently in their bush as the men concluded their routine.


    "Who are these people? They¡¯re dressed so strangely..." Liu Meng whispered after seeing the men walk away.


    ¡¯Seems like they¡¯ve just finished harvesting some kind of fruit, and they¡¯re going back to their settlement." Lin Lu had also caught the hint.


    "We should follow them." Li Yiming knew that finding Eyesses was not such a priority, since he could rely on thetter toe to him eventually. But the group of men constituted a very important clue. The trio


    * * *


    Qing Linglong sat at the end of the table and listened to the newly hired young man in the front, who was trying his best to exin his marketing strategy. However, the next moment, Qing Linglong suddenly frowned. The pencil she had been spinning around broken into two pieces and fell onto the table.


    The room fell into a dead silence, and the young man at the front looked at his boss with a ghastly expression.


    Beep! Beep!


    Qing Linglong picked up her phone without looking. She was the only one who dared kept her phone on during the meeting: it was Qiaoqiao.


    "That¡¯s a fine n. I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. I have something to do." Qing Linglong said coldly and left the conference room.


    She had just received a message from Heaven¡¯s Laws: Team Dissonance had entered a domain.


    * * *


    At a beach on the other side of the Earth, a muscr man with a big beard rested on his chairfortably with two alluring women in swimsuits. One was massaging his leg, while the other one was preparing a drink. However, both seemed to be terrified by the sudden shift in the man¡¯s countenance. They could not imagine how a man was both rich and had pleasant manners suddenly gave them the impression that he was some kind of ferocious monster.


    Big Beard looked at his tablet with a cold countenance. ¡¯Li Yiming, Eyesses, and Liu Meng? So they¡¯re really inside a domain? But what about the vacation? There are still two months left. What happened?¡¯


    His tablet was akin to Li Yiming¡¯s, and he had purchased it from the exact same marketce with progression points. The moment he saw the three names turn red on his screen, Big Beard knew that Li Yiming, Liu Meng and Eyesses had entered a domain and were going to be henceforth isted from the exterior world. ¡¯Why... are they still wary of me? But what about the Qing sisters? Is this an ident?¡¯


    At the Xianyun Abbey of Lianyun Peak, Li Huaibei bowed down reverentially to the statue of the deity in from of him and offered it his three incense sticks. Qing Feng sat right next to him, meditating with closed eyes.


    Qing Feng seemed to pretend to have seen or heard nothing of his visitor, and, in the same way, Li Huaibei alsopletely ignored Qing Feng. As Li Huaibei exited the temple and made for the mountainous peaks in the distance, Qing Feng finally opened his eyes and nced at the three incense sticks Li Huaibei had brought with him.


    "So it starts..." The two whispered simultaneously.


    In old times, people in China did not cut their hair, since hair was considered a gift from one¡¯s parents, and so it would be against filial piety to cut one¡¯s hair. ?

 Volume 5 Chapter 16

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 16 ¨C Lianyun City (1)</strong></h4>


    "We... we¡¯ve transmigrated?" As Li Yiming¡¯s group trailed the group of men through the forest, the road gradually widened.


    Although Li Yiming expected something spectacr, he was still surprised by the sight of a giant stone statue of a man with a serpent¡¯s tail at the end of the road. Unlike the stonenterns, even the most intricate of details were carefully sculpted onto the statue, including the veins on the man¡¯s arms and even the scales on his tail. When Li Yiming looked into the eyes of the statue, he had the feeling that it could be alive anytime.


    "Hey, do you think that we transmigrated?" Lin Lu asked again with confusion. Behind the giant statue was an imposing wall built out of stone that has ckened with age. Even with modern technology, it would be quite the construction project to undertake.


    ¡¯The strange urrences, the whirlpool... and now transmigration? Are we in some kind poorly-written novel?¡¯ The sequence of events hammered away at Lin Lu¡¯s sense of reality.


    "We should be careful." Li Yiming looked at the people walking through the city¡¯s gate. All of them wore blue clothing and cloth shoes. The vigers were carrying wood, stone, and fruits and vegetables with their wooden carts, just like the ones that Li Yiming was tailing.


    Li Yiming exchanged a nce with Liu Meng and led the way back to the forest.


    "Are we going inside?" Liu Meng asked.


    "We have to." Li Yiming looked at Lin Lu, who still seemed distraught from the shock. He had recognized the statue: it was Teng She, a mythical creature rted to Bai Xi. This meant that there was no mistake about them having entered a domain. ¡¯I need to follow this lead and find Bai Ze.¡¯


    "How can you be so calm?" Lin Lu asked in shock.


    "I¡¯ve told you earlier that I¡¯ve been through things like this, didn¡¯t I?" Li Yiming hesitated, but finally decided to reveal part of the truth to Lin Lu.


    "You... you mean you¡¯ve transmigrated before?" Lin Lu¡¯s eyes widened. She had her guesses about the reasons behind Li Yiming¡¯s recruitment for the mission, and she thought that she had given him enough credit already. ¡¯Are you serious...¡¯


    "Yes." Without a better exnation, Li Yiming went along with Lin Lu¡¯s guess. He could not bring himself to abandon her, so he needed to at least exin himself somewhat.


    "Which... which dynasty did you travel to?¡¯ Lin Lu followed with another question.


    "I don¡¯t think now is the time for that... Listen, we¡¯re going to be facing things that are much more dangerous that what we¡¯ve seen in the forest. If youe along..."


    "I¡¯ll be obeying your orders, sir." Lin Lu suddenly straightened her posture and saluted Li Yiming with fiery eyes.


    "Oh..." Li Yiming was caught a little off-guard by Lin Lu¡¯s sudden change of behavior. ¡¯No wonder she decided to be a soldier when she could have been a model... Well, so much for the excuses I¡¯ve prepared...¡¯


    "Alright then. Starting from now, no matter what happens, you¡¯ll need to keep control of your curiosity. We¡¯ll answer your questions when the time is right." Li Yiming nodded at Lin Lu.


    "We need to find some clothes in order to get into the city then..." Li Yiming turned back toward the gate and then looked at thebat outfits they wore.


    "I... I have some clothing, but you..." Liu Meng hesitated.


    "Wait, what?" Li Yiming was confused.


    "You know, on our way to Tianshan... I bought some costumes from that TV show. You know, that transmigration show..."


    "Really! Let me see." Li Yiming was excited at hearing the news. The show Liu Meng was talking about was the most famous historical-themed musical show in the country. Every student who studied dance knew about it, and Liu Meng had even performed a choreography rted to it during her college entrance exam.


    Liu Meng grimaced and took out two Han-style robes.


    "You..." Lin Lu¡¯s eyes widened, but she remembered what Li Yiming had told her and showed discipline, opting to stare at the ground silently instead.


    ¡¯Great. Try it on then." Li Yiming from a single nce that it was the kind of clothing they were looking for, since he was also very familiar with the show.


    "Yes." Lin Lu suddenly eximed and began to remove her clothes. It seemed like she had also received training for dressing herself; by the time Li Yiming reacted to what she was doing, only her underwear was left. Lin Lu looked at the robes Liu Meng took out. ¡¯Bare shoulders?¡¯ Lin Lu reached out with her backhand.


    Li Yiming had seen girls with athletic bodies before, especially back in college, but he had never seen a body as well-sculpted as Lin Lu¡¯s. The tanned skin, the well-defined muscles lines around her abdomen, and her attractive curves... Li Yiming was stunned at seeing a bodyparable to a work of art in front of him.


    "Turn around!" Liu Meng shouted in irritation. If it was not for the fact that they were in a domain, Li Yiming would have been greeted by a wall of fire.


    Li Yiming turned around with a red face from embarrassment.


    After a while, and most importantly, with Liu Meng¡¯s consent, Li Yiming turned back. ¡¯The wooden hairpin, the jade pendant, the long-sleeved robe...¡¯ Li Yiming remembered the Liu Meng, just like a fairy, flew from one corner of the stage to the other.


    Li Yiming then looked at Lin Lu, who seemed to have be a different person: her beautiful eyes and the gentle smile that hung on her lips... ¡¯Wow, I didn¡¯t think that she would be like... this after changing attires.¡¯


    "Are you done?" Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming with jealousy in her eyes. ¡¯Is she better than me?¡¯


    "Yes... perfect. What about mine?" Li Yiming looked away, a little embarrassed.


    "You know, that show doesn¡¯t have costumes for men..." Liu Meng was not expecting the question.


    "What?"


    "I bought this as a souvenir, so why would I get a man¡¯s outfit?" Liu Meng had also bought clothing for Li Yiming, but they weren¡¯t the type of clothing that existed back then.


    Li Yiming touched his head. ¡¯Well, at least I¡¯ve got a little bit of hair.¡¯ He looked at the gate once again and decided to try his shot.


    Lin Lu¡¯s expression changed when she saw Li Yiming take out a pair of grey pants out of his ring. ¡¯This again.¡¯


    Li Yiming ripped off parts from his pants and measured them on himself. Seemingly satisfied with the result, he did the same with the other side as well.


    "What are you doing?" Liu Meng was unsure what Li Yiming was doing.


    "It¡¯s better to be naked than wearing what I currently have. I¡¯ll find a way to get some clothing once I¡¯m inside." Li Yiming continued to work on his pants.


    "Wait." Li Yiming saw Lin Lu¡¯s expression and ran for the woods.


    When Li Yiming reappeared, his pants were now mere cloth ribbons that only hid his most "vital" parts.


    "Are you really going in like that?" Liu Meng blushed at the sight of Li Yiming¡¯s new outfit.


    "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just pretend that I ran into some kind of danger in the mountains..." Li Yiming picked up some dirt from the ground, rubbed it on his face and even used a rock to create traces of an injury.


    Liu Meng smiled when she saw the almostical way in which Li Yiming behaved. Even Lin Lu, who showed nothing but a stern expression since the start of the mission, cracked a smile.


    "I¡¯ll go first while there aren¡¯t that many people. I¡¯ll find you guyster." Li Yiming waved at Liu Meng and Lin Lu and walked toward the gate.


    At the entrance to the city, the friendly greetings of the people who were walking in and out were cut short by Li Yiming¡¯s showing up.


    "Oh! What¡¯s wrong with you?" One of the vigers who was pushing a wooden cart ran toward Li Yiming and gave his arm to support thetter, who limped on purpose.


    "What happened?"


    "Did you run into danger?"


    "Come on, sit down."


    "Have some water."


    A crowd was now forming around Li Yiming near the entrance of the city. Everyone was talking about how they could be of help to him. Some offered Li Yiming their outer coat, some helped him stand up, others gave him waters and one even offered to diagnose Li Yiming¡¯s "injuries".


    "I ran into some bandits in the mountains..." Li Yiming said with difficulty, his facepletely red. ¡¯Wait, this isn¡¯t going ording to n... I thought they would want to ignore someone who¡¯s half-naked and looks dirty! Why are they all gathering up around me...? They all seem sincerely worried about me...¡¯


    "A bandit? What¡¯s that?" Someone asked with a confused expression after donating his outer shirt to Li Yiming.


    "I¡¯ve never heard of that."


    "Me neither..."


    Every single person shook their head.


    "We don¡¯t have time for such things right now. His body is weak. We should help him. Can you do that?" An old man, who volunteered to check Li Yiming¡¯s pulse, signalled to two other men to help him carry Li Yiming into the city.


    ¡¯They don¡¯t know what a bandit is?¡¯ Someone helped Li Yiming up a wooden cart. As thetter continued to pretend being hurt from his "injuries", he caught onto the hint from the conversation.


    So a domain it is ??

 Volume 5 Chapter 17

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 17 ¨C Lianyun City (2)</strong></h4>


    As Li Yiming made his way into the city on the wooden cart, he noticed the name of the city written in crimson ink on a panel that hung above the city¡¯s entrance. ¡¯Wait... Lianyun City?¡¯


    Instead of the guards that one would expect at the gate, a pair of giant lion statues sat at each side of the road. Unlike the half-man, half-snake monument outside of the city, these statues were very poor in quality. Moreover, unlike the lion statues Li Yiming was used to seeing, these two lions gave off a sinister air, with the bloody head of an unknown creature sitting at their feet. 1


    The inside of the city did not look like what Li Yiming had expected. The buildings did not match the grandeur of the city walls at all; most of them consisted of some kind of square-shaped shared-house built with pale blue bricks, which gave the city a very neat and ordered feeling. Although it was still early in the morning, the streets were already bustling with people who somehow all had time to spare for a friendly greeting toward each other.


    "Hey, where do you live?" The man who pushed the cart asked in a friendly voice.


    "I..." Li Yiming scrambled for an answer.


    "How abouting to my home? I¡¯ll have a look at his injuries." The old man interrupted Li Yiming with a worried voice.


    "Thanks," Li Yiming equivocated, trying his best not to betray himself. ¡¯This man seems to be well-respected and well-known, so if I make a mistake in calling him out, I might be in trouble. I need to gather as much information as I can... but there¡¯s something wrong here... what is it?¡¯


    ¡¯Crap...¡¯ Li Yiming had been feeling uneasy ever since he pulled off his "show" at the gate, and he finally understood the reason. ¡¯The clothing of the people here... The style is already, but the colors... It¡¯s all blue!¡¯


    "Quick, quick! The messengers from heaven have arrived. They¡¯re at the Southern Gate!" A tall skinny man suddenly came from behind and shouted.


    "Messenger from heaven?"


    "Southern Gate?"


    Most of the passers-by stopped what they were doing and rushed southward. A few even started to run in the opposite direction and helped ry the message.


    ¡¯Is that Liu Meng...?¡¯ Li Yiming was aware that this was the appointed time for Liu Meng and Lin Lu to enter the city. ¡¯But are they simply going to believe him? No questions asked?¡¯


    "Messengers... I..." The man who pushed Li Yiming¡¯s cart stopped and turned toward the gate, visibly hesitating. The flow of people in the city was already confluencing around that area.


    "He..." The old man shook his head. He seemed to regret not being able to see the "messengers", but he knew that Li Yiming¡¯s injuries were more important.


    "Actually, I feel a lot better now. I think I can go home alone. It¡¯s a big thing for the messengers to show up, so maybe you should go and have a look." Li Yiming jumped on the opportunity to escape the custody of the old man.


    "Really..." The man who pushed the cart was already convinced.


    "I¡¯m fine. I think I can handle it from now on," Li Yiming insisted.


    "Alright. Take some time to rest then. If you still feel too weak to go home by yourself, go to the third house on the left right after that intersection. I work there. If you feel anything else after going home, pleasee and see me." The old man said hesitantly after examining Li Yiming once again and nced at the gathering crowd behind him.


    "Alright. Thank you very much," Li Yiming said and turned his head toward the city gate once again to send out his "hint".


    Upon seeing the two men leave, Li Yiming immediately jumped off the wooden cart which the young owner had insisted to leave with him, and pushed it to the side. After a few nces around, he rushed into an idle alley nearby. Li Yiming used his senses to find an empty home and jumped over the wall with ease andnded in a backyard. ¡¯Blue bricks... Earthen walls, hmmm, clothing!¡¯


    Li Yiming leaped toward the bamboo pole hanger in the corner and put the blue shirts and pants on himself, despite them not beingpletely dry yet. He also managed to find a rather broad belt and wrapped it around his head like a scarf to hide his baldness. ¡¯Phew.. now I can blend in... wait, the door!¡¯ He suddenly noticed something just as he was going to jump out of the courtyard.


    Li Yiming went to the wooden door at the entrance and pulled on it. ¡¯There¡¯s no locks here... what?¡¯ He then went to the next door that led to another building and ended up with the same result.


    ¡¯They don¡¯t lock their homes here? Wait... it¡¯s not even that, locks don¡¯t even exist here!¡¯ Li Yiming understood the meaning of his finding and made his way toward the Southern Gate as well.


    * * *


    "You saved me? Where am I?" Shen Jianming found himself in an antique-style bedroom. The room was dim, so he could barely recognize the young girl who was standing in front of him. Behind her, next to the window, was another woman whose face he could not see clearly.


    "Saved? You pervert, you..." The young girl seemed rather angry and swung her fists while she spoke.


    "Lirong!" The woman by the window stopped herpanion¡¯s outburst. Judging by her voice, she did not seem to be very old either.


    The young girl let out a snort of discontent and retreated back.


    By now, Shen Jianming¡¯s eyes were starting to get used to the darkness and he was finally able to see the second woman clearly. She had long hair that hung to her waist, a slightly plump face and some freckles on her face. She could not be said to be very beautiful, but she had a cid smile that somehow made Shen Jianming, who was more used to bloodbaths than anything, feel uneasy.


    "You¡¯re from the outside?" The woman said with a voice that was oddly pacifying.


    "Outside? Shen Jianming asked.


    The young woman pointed at the head of the bead. Shen Jianming followed the signal and found hisbat uniform, along with his weapons, in a neat pile. He then looked at himself. ¡¯I¡¯m naked... what happened?¡¯


    "Your clothes are strange. You¡¯re not from our city. That knife is also very sharp. Lirong almost cut herself when she put it away." The woman said slowly. The words she spoke seemed to flow out of her mouth like a stream in the mountains.


    "I..." It suddenly came to Shen Jianming that the two women were both dressed like actors in a historical show. At first, it seemed more natural than anything, given the way the room was decorated, but this was definitely the strangest thing of it all.


    * * *


    "Well, it seems like we¡¯re in for something big..." Eyesses stood on top of a tree fork and looked at the giant stone statue and the stone walls in the distance.


    "What is it?" Chen Quan looked at Eyesses, still shocked by the ease with which thetter had just climbed the tree. ¡¯This guy... even I would have a difficult time. Isn¡¯t he supposed to be some kind ofputer hacker?¡¯


    "You¡¯re a tomb raider, right?" Eyesses suddenly jumped down the branch. Hended slowly, like a leaf, and did not leave any trace behind when hended.


    "Yeah. That should be written in the files." Chen Quan nced at Eyesses¡¯ feet.


    "You must have seen a lot of old graves then." Eyesses sat down and took out hisputer and some steel marbles from his bag.


    "Yeah, you could say that. What about it?" Chen Quan also sat down and looked at Eyesses with curiosity. The circumstances of Eyesses were of no importance to him; all that mattered was the fact that they were now allies, not to mention the fact that his life had been saved by this man


    "I don¡¯t know about the biggest grave you¡¯ve ever been into, but there¡¯s a city that¡¯s probably big enough for a few tens of thousand people here. Are you interested?" Eyesses threw the steel marbles onto the ground. After a few click noises, each of them transformed into a small robotic dragonfly and flew into the distance.


    "A city?" Chen Quan was confused, but his curiosity was piqued.


    Is male vanity proportional to the size of one¡¯s non-existent harem? <i>(:thinkingface)</i>


    People in China like to put stone lions in front of their doors as a sign of fortune. ?

 Volume 5 Chapter 18

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 18 ¨C Sai Gao</strong></h4>


    1


    The crowd had already begun to disperse by the time Li Yiming arrived at the gate. He was a little concerned as he overheard the conversations from the people walking by. ¡¯There¡¯s no mistake, it was Liu Meng and Lin Lu.¡¯


    From what he had heard, two women who were dressed in the same clothes as depicted in ancient scrolls, and who were as beautiful as goddesses had just shown up at the Southern Gate. However, they ran away shortly after, leaving behind an astonished and curious crowd. Those who had seen the two "messengers" thought of themselves as being incredibly lucky, while those who did not regretted it deeply. However, Li Yiming did notice that, despite all the excitement, none seemed to be fanatical as one would expect.


    ¡¯I wouldn¡¯t think that their reaction would be so... mild...¡¯ Li Yiming had a hunch on why Liu Meng and Lin Lu ran away instead of entering the city. He was hesitating about whether he should join them or stay to gather more information when something caught his attention.


    ¡¯He¡¯s here?¡¯ Li Yiming lowered his head and walked behind a tree to conceal himself. He saw a man with a high nose-bridge, scarlet lips, and eyes that were so beautiful, one would have mistaken him for a woman. He had the same kind of blue hairband as the other residents of the city, but he also wore a robe that left his chest almost bare, exposing his well-built muscles.


    ¡¯The man who¡¯s prettier than a woman... this guy, he¡¯s the camouger from Shangbei! But why is he here?¡¯ Li Yiming was beyond shocked.


    * * *


    "Do you know what was that ¡¯messenger¡¯ thing they were talking about?" Liu Meng looked at the forest behind her, still visibly baffled, and removed her hairpin.


    Lin Lu shook her head. She had already developed some kind of immunity to strange happenings by now.


    "Well, he managed to get in naked, but somehow we attracted more attention when we¡¯re fully dressed. Does that mean that we¡¯ll need to try naked as well?" Liu Meng sighed.


    When she and Lin Lu appeared at the gates, the purple belts, golden capes,and silky robes they wore immediately attracted the attention of the people going in and out of the city. It was not just a matter of their outfit, but also of their alluring beauty. A secondter, someone shouted "messengers from heavens", and a crowd started to form around them. The people who came to see them seemed bted, but kept their distance in reverence.


    Liu Meng could not understand the reason for the excitement in the first ce. She had developed a natural affinity for attention and the spotlight throughout her career, but the tripleyered crowd and the tense atmosphere still made her a little nervous. She only recognized the problem as she saw more and more peoplee out of the city. ¡¯Are you kidding me? Did they cheap out on the outfit design for this domain? They¡¯re all wearing the same kind of clothing!¡¯


    Liu Meng decided to opt for prudence and chose to retreat to the forest instead of entering the city.


    After hearing Liu Meng talking to herself about going into the city naked, Lin Lu obeyed the order faithfully and began removing her clothes.


    "Wait. Don¡¯t do that yet. We can wait here for a bit. Yiming must have noticed themotion here. Maybe he¡¯ll be out with clothes for us in a bit. In the worst case, we can just sneak into the city at night. The walls look short enough for us to do so." Liu Meng rushed to stop Lin Lu, who had already removed all of her clothing except her bra, and gave thebat outfit she had put away in her storage ring.


    "Yes." Lin Lu put her camouge vest on once again. The scene at the city¡¯s gates firmed her decision to obey Liu Meng at all cost, at least until she could figure out what exactly was going on.


    * * *


    "Do I really have to wear this?" Chen Quan moved his arm around and rolled up his pants as much as he could. He had taken the clothes from a group of three men Eyesses and him had knocked unconscious, but the blue linen uniform did not fit him very well at all.


    "The people inside all wear this." Eyesses was removing a needle from the arm of one his victims. It was a tranquilizer that would ensure that they slept until nightfall.


    Eyesses could not help but nce at Chen Quan as he put his needle away. ¡¯With his height, it¡¯s going to be hard to find clothing that fits him. Somehow I think that we¡¯re likely to attract attention even more like this...¡¯


    "Can you let me have a look at what¡¯s inside?" Chen Quan was struggling to find a way to wrap the two sides of his cor together.


    Eyesses shook his head in the frustration and gave his tablet to Chen Quan. It contained a video captured by one of the small insect drones Eyesses had deployed earlier.


    As Chen Quan scrutinized the video, he decided to simply rip his shirt apart and wrapped a piece of it around his chest. Surprisingly, this makeshift outfit looked a lot better than before.


    "We should get going. This should be good enough for now. We¡¯ll think of something else when we¡¯re inside." Chen Quan lowered his head and looked at himself.


    "So first things first, once we¡¯re inside..." Eyesses looked at Chen Quan and sighed. ¡¯Well, I¡¯d have to admit that this rag fits his temperament a lot more...¡¯


    "Yes, yes, I get it. I¡¯ll obey all of the orders." Chen Quan shrugged his shoulders and threw away the nt he had between his teeth.


    * * *


    Li Yiming trailed the camouger with prudence through the crowd, until thetter turned into a small alley. As Li Yiming peeked around, he could no longer see his target. Li Yiming extended his senses right away, and jumped back with his sword ready.


    "Wanna talk? The moment I saw Liu Meng, I knew you¡¯d show up." The camouger appeared behind him.


    "Why are you here?" Li Yiming knew that the camouger must have noticed him and led him to this quiet corner of the city on purpose. ¡¯I need to be really careful about his talent... this guy isn¡¯t alone.¡¯


    The camouger let out a beautiful smile and sat down on a rock.


    "Sit and talk with me. It¡¯s not good for both of us to fight here. You¡¯re Li Yiming, right? My name is Sai Gao." The camouger pointed at a rock next to him.


    "Sai Gao? But you..." Li Yiming could tell that Sai Gao was not looking for a fight, so he loosened the grip on his sword and walked forward, but he was still wary enough to not sit right next to the camouger.


    "I know what you¡¯re thinking. I¡¯m very curious too. I should have vanished with the domain, but somehow I managed to survive. I don¡¯t know what happened in that domain, but since both Liu Meng and you are still alive, I¡¯d reckon that it has to do with you."


    "Things that happened in the domains are things of the past. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re able to talk about those things, but I can¡¯t. Tell me, why are you here?" Li Yiming asked with an expressionless face, but guesses were already starting to fly wild inside of his head. ¡¯If a camouger is the will of a domain, then he should have vanished along with the fictional Shangbei. What happened...?¡¯


    "When I woke up, I found myself in Shangbei with the domain already over. I wandered around for a while, until I received a sign that I shoulde here." Sai Gao seemed to be convicted that Li Yiming was the reason behind the abnormal termination of the Shangbei domain and decided to show his sincerity first.


    "Sign?" Li Yiming frowned.


    "Ya Yu and Bai Xi perished in the battle with Xiang Liu, but I merged with fragments of their soul. You¡¯ve seen the statue at the entrance right?" Sai Gao gestured at the Southern Gate; there was no reason to hide it to


    "You mean Teng She? So this really is a domain?" A question slipped out of Li Yiming¡¯s mouth.


    "Oh? You mean that you¡¯re not here for the domain?" Sai Gao¡¯s eyes lit up when he caught Li Yiming¡¯s slip-up.


    * * *


    Stargaze stared into the water of theke in which Li Yiming swam a few hours ago and caressed the stonentern right by the road. She seemed to be extremely shocked and nervous. ¡¯This... How is it possible? What happened to Heaven¡¯s Laws? Who¡¯s behind this?¡¯


    Stargaze thoughts had been wandering for a while already, and she hadpletely lost herposure. ¡¯Who? Who is it? A domain that has begun to merge with reality... Li Yiming, just who the hell are you?¡¯


    Aha, so we finally know what¡¯s up!


    Don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve mentioned it before, but Sai Gao is itself a memeish name on the Japanese term ¡°Saikou (×î¸ß)¡± which means ¡°the best¡± or ¡°something that cannot be surpassed¡±. ?

 Volume 5 Chapter 19

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 19 ¨C A Hidden Domain</strong></h4>


    "What? You¡¯re saying that this domain is being hidden?" Li Yiming asked in surprise.


    "Yes. I thought it was an open domain when I saw you. But it seems like you were also dragged into this against your own will." Sai Gao tried to decipher whether Li Yiming was feigning his shock.


    "But how... did we get inside here without a key?" Li Yiming asked another question. He did not know about camougers, but he did know for certain that normal guardians like Liu Meng and Eyesses would never be able to enter a domain without it.


    "That¡¯s because this domain has already begun to merge with reality." Sai Gao revealed another shocking fact upon realizing that Li Yiming was not pretending.


    "What?" Li Yiming remembered what Bai Ze said. ¡¯Well, the people that appear and disappear, the trees, the impossible alignment of the stars... It would make sense if the domain has be interwoven with the fabric of reality...¡¯


    "But if the domain is about to merge with reality, then surely Heaven¡¯s Laws wouldn¡¯t ignore that..." Li Yiming what kind of catastrophe it would mean for Heaven¡¯s Laws if the domain was topletely integrate itself into reality.


    "Remember the statue you¡¯ve seen outside of the Southern gate?" Sai Go brushed his hair back with an effeminate expression, which made Li Yiming quite ufortable. "There are two more at the Western and the Northern gates. A Thunderbird and a Turtle."


    "What are you trying to say?" Li Yiming remembered the pictures that National Security had shown him. ¡¯So that giant bird...¡¯


    "Those aren¡¯t just statues. Their sh has been sealed into stone." Sai Gao said with a rather low mood.


    "Sealed?" Li Yiming knew from the feeling he had when he saw the statue at the Southern gate that there was more to it.


    "These statues are part of a formation. Someone used these three mythical beasts to hide the entirety of Lianyun city from Heaven¡¯s Laws."


    "You mean they blocked Heaven¡¯s Laws?"


    "I wouldn¡¯t call it blocked, but tricked, yes."


    "For how long have you been here?" Li Yimingposed himself. ¡¯I need to make sure that we have somemon ground. At least in this domain.¡¯


    "Almost a month."


    "What¡¯s your purpose in all of this?"


    "I was simply confused at first, just like when you guardians enter a domain for the first time. But then I grew scared. I was led to this ce by the aura of Teng She. I wanted to rescue him..." Sai Gao paused and stared at Li Yiming with cold eyes. "But now, I want to know the truth."


    "Why talk to me then?"


    "I have a feeling that you can lead me to the truth." Sai Gao let out a charming smile.


    "I¡¯m just your average guardian. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on..."


    "Shangbei..." Sai Gao interrupted Li Yiming¡¯s exnation with fiery eyes.


    ¡¯Well then, Shangbei is a hard one to exin...¡¯ Li Yiming knew that he did not have the most convincing argument on his side, so he tried switching to another topic. "Do you know about the will of this domain?"


    "I¡¯m not sure."


    "What?" Li Yiming was confused. ¡¯But... he¡¯s the camouger. If he doesn¡¯t know, then who does?¡¯


    "Normally, I¡¯d be either pushed out of this domain, or I would integrate into it, but I haven¡¯t felt anything of the sort until now, except..." Sai Gao hesitated.


    Li Yiming waited patiently for the big revtion that was about toe.


    "...I can¡¯t leave this ce." Sai Gao finally resolved to tell Li Yiming the truth; if he was going to seek an answer from Li Yiming, then he would at least need to trust him somewhat. Furthermore, Li Yiming gave him a feeling unlike any other guardian he had encountered.


    "You can¡¯t leave?" Li Yiming frowned, unsure of what Sai Gao meant. ¡¯Does he mean that he can¡¯t leave the domain? Is that something camougers are supposed to be able to do?¡¯


    "I¡¯m not talking about the domain. I¡¯m talking about Lianyun City. I can¡¯t go beyond the walls of this city. That formation is keeping me prisoner here.


    ¡¯A domain that locks its will inside, three mythical beasts that guard it, a runic formation, and merging into reality?¡¯ Li Yiming went over the information he had just received in his head. ¡¯Seems like I¡¯ve been dragged into something big. But who¡¯s behind all of this? I thought Bai Ze said that no guardians had powers beyond that of a sage? But this... even a sage wouldn¡¯t be able to do this.¡¯


    "You¡¯ve told me about the three statues at the gates, but you didn¡¯t mention the Eastern gate. What¡¯s guarding that entrance?" Li Yiming tried asking for more information.


    "There¡¯s no statue there, but there¡¯s a wok."


    "A wok? You mean a big, golden wok?" The question slipped out of Li Yiming¡¯s mouth.


    "Yes. Exactly that." Sai Gao¡¯s eyes sparked with interest: he knew that talking to Li Yiming was a good decision.


    "Can you bring me there?" Li Yiming pressed on without noticing his slip up.


    "Let¡¯s go." Sai Gao stood up, wiped away at his perfectly clean back, and walked away like a model at a fashion show.


    Li Yiming had to look away. ¡¯Are you serious... this guy... He could be on the cover on one of these phishing socializing websites...¡¯


    * * *


    "Hey, I¡¯m telling you, we¡¯re not going to feed you for free. You better earn your right to stay here." Li Rong handed a dull knife to Shen Jianming.


    "Ah, yes, yes." Shen Jianming took the knife, tightened his belt, and walked toward a corner of the yard with his half-bare chest. He could not help but nce once or twice at the door to the other room of the house.


    "Hey, are you... okay? I did put a lot of strength into my hit..." Li Rong seemed hesitant when Shen Jianming actually obeyed him.


    "I¡¯m okay." Shen Jianming turned around and gave a strong tap on his chest.


    "Just be careful, okay... we don¡¯t actually need the wood now." Li Rong¡¯s seemed to have regretted her rather rash order.


    "It¡¯s okay, you can go rest inside now. Tell me if you need help with anything else." Shen Jianming let out a broad smile, picked up a piece of firewood and split it in two perfect halves.


    Shen Jianming looked as Li Rong went back inside the building and turned his head toward the walls of Lianyun City. ¡¯Did I really... transmigrate? The little sister who doesn¡¯t mean what she says, and... Xu Yurong...¡¯ Shen Jianming smiled.


    * * *


    "Seems likete-Tang from the way the things are built. Are you sure we didn¡¯t transmigrate?" Chen Quan tightened the piece of cloth around his body and asked Eyesses.


    "Just think of them as ghosts in a grave." Eyesses crouched down in a corner while using his straw hat to hide his tablet, and gave outmands to his little spybots.


    "Shit, if I could bring this city outside, I¡¯d be able to buy the White House..." Chen Quan gulped down a mouthful of saliva. "Everything that doesn¡¯t move here is worth a fortune!"


    "Hey! Come have a look. Is that him?" Eyesses suddenly called over.


    "Oh? It really is him. It seemed like he¡¯s good at scamming people wherever he goes." Chen Quan was surprised when he saw the footage.


    It was a ssroom inside which a dozen children sat. The teacher at the front was You Fang, who had disappeared a while ago. He had such a natural air with his blue robe and his teacher¡¯s ruler that Eyesses almost failed to recognize him.


    "He¡¯s in that direction. It¡¯s not very far away." Eyesses put away his tablet. ¡¯This Lianyun City... How did we ever get here without a key? Also, why is this Chen Quan here too? And You Fang... he¡¯s already used to this ce?¡¯


    A really song btw, on a off topic /watch?v=DA_LZFaksSw&list=RDDA_LZFaksSw&start_radio=1 , especially the lyrics.

 Volume 5 Chapter 20-21

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 20 ¨C Finding Bai Ze</strong></h4>


    "It is it...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the golden wok at the entrance to the city. It was the exact same one Mr. Kong used to create his army back in Eden. ¡¯Why is it here...? Are these people behind this domain?¡¯ He remembered the group of people that fought alongside Mr. Kong.


    What perplexed Li Yiming even more was that he could feel something within that golden wok calling out to him.


    "From what I¡¯ve heard, these three statues are supposed to be guarding the city. As for this wok, it¡¯s some kind of divine item that brings good fortune," Sai Go said as he stared at the giant golden object.


    "Is this some kind of guardian equipment?" Li Yiming asked.


    "It should be. I¡¯ve tried to have a look at it before, but something blocked me off before I could climb onto that pedestal. I didn¡¯t really dare to try again," Sai Gao said.


    "Three beasts that guard the city... an object of fortune..." Li Yiming mumbled.


    "Hey young man, I¡¯d have to correct you on that. You can¡¯t just forget about the guardian of the East just because she¡¯s not as mighty as the three others. That¡¯s very disrespectful!" A old man who walked by overheard Li Yiming and lectured him.


    "What? Are you talking about this wok?" Li Yiming was taken aback by the voice of the old man at first, but tried asking for more information upon seeing that thetter did not seem to suspect him.


    "That wok is an artifact, not a guardian of our city. I¡¯m talking about that Bai Ze statue outside of the city. You..." The old man said disappointingly.


    "The Bai Ze statue outside of the city? You mean that there¡¯s another statue?" Sai Gao was baffled.


    "Have you never gone out of the city before? Haven¡¯t the elders at home taught you about the four mythical beasts that guard our city? Teng She, Lei Ying, Xuan Gui, Bai Ze... I¡¯d think that even a three-year-old would know about this." Sai Gao¡¯s question seemed to have angered the old man, whose chest heaved violently as he talked back.


    Li Yiming exchanged a nce with Sai Gao and ran straight for the gate, leaving the old man behind. Sai Gao was aghast at the old man¡¯s revtion. ¡¯Impossible! I checked the gates many times, but how... Bai Ze? If she was there, I would¡¯ve felt it for sure.¡¯


    "Where did these twoe from... such impertinence..." The old man was quivering in anger at seeing two youngsters showing such "disrespect".


    Li Yiming noticed the Bai Ze statue right away as he walked out of the city. Unlike the Teng She statue at the Southern gate, who was about a hundred meter tall, this one was only about three meters tall. Bai Ze stood there with her wings extended, just like when she was about to face Heaven¡¯s Punishment.


    Li Yiming walked up and put his hand on Bai Ze¡¯s front paw. ¡¯There¡¯s no mistake. This feeling of family... It¡¯s her. Li Yiming called out her name repeatedly but to no avail.


    Li Yiming tried his hardest topose himself once again and went back into the city.


    "I swear this statue was not here before..." Sai Gao said firmly.


    "Is she... your summon?" Sai Gao asked hesitantly ¡ª he had seen Bai Ze in the Shangbei domain.


    "Yes. She vanished not long ago." Li Yiming nodded and mulled over what the old man told him in his head.


    "She must have been sealed by the powers of the formation." Sai Gao looked at the statue.


    "But that old man said that she¡¯s been here for a long time..." Li Yiming hesitated.


    "This confuses me as well. I¡¯ve been here for a while, and from what I¡¯ve seen there were only three beast guardians."


    Li Yiming raised his head at the sky. ¡¯I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening here, but if they want to use Bai Ze as a pawn in this formation, then I won¡¯t y by the rules either.¡¯


    * * *


    "Mr. You Fang?" Eyesses stood at the entrance of the ssroom and called out.


    "What is it?" You Fang turned around with a frown, seemingly unhappy at his ss being interrupted, but he still saluted Eyesses and Chen Quan, and approached them.


    "You don¡¯t know us?" Chen Quan leaned against a wall with a straw between his teeth.


    "You are..." You Fang frowned once again. He thought that if this odd, ill-mannered man used to be his student, he would surely have remembered him.


    "So you¡¯ve really forgotten." Chen Quan and Eyesses exchanged a nce, astonished at their finding.


    "I¡¯m sorry, I really can¡¯t remember. Who are..."


    "Oh, we¡¯re just here to ask if you epted new students. I have a rtive who¡¯s looking for a teacher." Eyesses dragged Chen Quan back and concocted an excuse that would not arouse any suspicions.


    "Where do you live? I thought every district had its own school?"


    "Yes, but we¡¯ve heard good things about your sses, so..." Eyesses said.


    "As long as the age is right, I¡¯ll ept any student." You Fang gave a terse answer, seemingly a little disgusted by Chen Quan¡¯s appearance.


    "Alright then. Thank you very much." Eyesses nodded and left the ssroom.


    "Hey, I don¡¯t think that old scammer¡¯s faking it, is he?" Chen Quan looked back, a little perplexed.


    "From now on, I want you to try to remember something from your past every once in a while. If you find yourself unable to, tell me right away," Eyesses said with a severe countenance.


    "Are you telling me that..." Chen Quan¡¯s eyes widened.


    * * *


    "It¡¯s time to climb the walls." Liu Meng and Lin Lu, back to wearing theirbat outfit, made their way toward the walls of Lianyun with caution. They followed thenterns until they reached the base of the city¡¯s walls.


    "Can you climb this?" Liu Meng looked up. Although the wall was about twenty meters talls, the many edges of the stone bricks used for building it meant that the ascent should not be too difficult of a task for Lin Lu.


    "Yes." Lin Lu nodded, looked around to make sure that no one was around, and started her climb. She moved up the wall like a lizard, and it did not take very long before she reached the top of the wall with her hands. With onest effort, she pulled herself up. Rock-climbing was part of basic training for a top agent like Lin Lu, and she had the confidence to a world-ss climber. Lin Lu reached out for the rope on her back as she made ready to pull Liu Meng up.


    "Alright, we should head down." Liu Meng¡¯s voice came from behind.


    "You!" Lin Lu froze. She jumped back and saw Liu Meng crouching down, looking for a spot tond. It seemed like she had been on top of the wall for a while already.


    Lin Lu looked at the spot where she had expected to find Liu Meng and took a deep breath as she remembered her deal with Li Yiming. ¡¯These people... where did National Security even find them?¡¯


    "I¡¯ll go first. You should hurry too." Liu Meng did not even pay attention to Lin Lu¡¯s reaction; the storage rings had already beenpletely exposed, so it no longer mattered that Lin Lu saw more than she should have. After a quick order, she leaped down the wall directly.


    ¡¯Really?¡¯ Lin Lu was baffled when she saw Liu Meng jump down without hesitation from twenty meters high.


    * * *


    Shen Jianming was busy finishing off the rice in his bowl, but between mouthfuls he would nce at Xu Yurong, who sat facing him.


    "Hurry up and eat! What are you doing, staring at my sister like that?" Li Rong knocked at Shen Jianming¡¯s bowl with her chopsticks, but she seemed more amused than angry.


    "Li Rong!" Xu Yurong turned away in shyness at her little sister¡¯s teasing, her face as red as an apple.


    "Yes, yes." Shen Jianming smiled. ¡¯They treated me like family even though I was aplete stranger. I¡¯ll try my best to protect them from now on. Ah... it¡¯s a good thing to have transmigrated, I wouldn¡¯t have dared to hope for such a tranquil life in the past... The past...?¡¯


    Shen Jianming looked at hisbat outfit, which had been neatly folded into a pile, and started to be confused.


    * * *


    Li Huaibei stood at the top of a giant tree in the forest. His right hand trembled as he gazed at the imposing city walls and the turtle statue in front of the gate. He had been through hundreds of domains since he had be a guardian, but this was only the second time he had this kind of feeling as he entered one.


    Li Huaibei clenched his fist as he took out a shred of a yellow scarf. ¡¯I¡¯ve found it.¡¯


    This makes me think whether it would be a good thing or not to forget all of one¡¯s troublets and unpleasant things and live a simple life in a ce like Lianyun City... <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 21 ¨C The Teams that Went Missing</strong></h4>


    "Over here! I see some clothes in the backyard. We should be able to find some that fit us." Liu Meng led Lin Lu to a house near the wall. "It¡¯s dark inside, so there shouldn¡¯t be anyone home." Liu Meng said and immediately hopped over the wall.


    Lin Lu followed suit and hopped over the rather low wall with ease. However, she found Liu Meng frozen in ce on the other side. Having misjudged the situation, Liu Meng found herself face to face with a man who was in the middle of his bath. The well-defined muscles and the tanned skin of the man gave off an almost metallic feeling as he cleaned himself with a towel.


    The man¡¯s first reaction to the two intruders was to cover his lower body with his towel, as he seemed just as shocked as Liu Meng was.


    "Han Tianyi?" Lin Lu asked in surprise.


    "You know him?" Liu Meng said with a frown. Unlike Lin Lu, she was quite ufortable with such a situation.


    "Han Tianyi. He¡¯s part of the second squad. I¡¯ve seen his file before. The dagger tattoo he has on his chest proves it." Lin Lu answered tersely while staring at the naked man in front of her. Embarrassment seemed to be a concept foreign to her.


    "What?" Liu Meng finally peeked at the man¡¯s chest and quickly looked away.


    "He was a member of the second team that was sent here." Lin Lu took two steps forward with fiery eyes.


    "Who are you? What do you want?" Han Tianyi seemed quite nervous at being osted by Lin Lu, but was able to muster the courage to question her intentions, although his shaking hands and his bath towel made it seem more ridiculous than anything else.


    "My name is Lin Lu. I am the captain of the spec ops division. I¡¯m here to rescue you. Where¡¯s the rest of your squad?" Lin Lu took another step forward.


    "Rescue? Team?" Lin Lu¡¯sing closer made Han Tianyi even more nervous, and he tightened his grip on his towel.


    "You..." Lin Lu frowned; she realized that something was wrong.


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Coming into here like that... That¡¯s not good manners. You should leave. Your reputation would suffer if people found out about this." Han Tianyi seemed to have pinched himself with his grip on the towel, but he finally mustered enough courage to stand up to Lin Lu.


    "He doesn¡¯t seem to know you. Did you mistake him for someone else? Maybe we can have a talk after letting him dress up." Liu Meng tried her best to look away, but it proved to be quite the challenge with the towel standing out so much.


    Lin Lu frowned. After ncing at Liu Meng, she suddenly jumped forward andunched a brutal kick at Han Tianyi¡¯s sides.


    The sudden attack made Han Tianyi go pale. He could tell right away that if he was to receive the blow directly, he would be gravely injured. Completely disregarding his embarrassment, he dropped his towel right away, using his left arm to protect his face, and his right hand to strike at Lin Lu¡¯s knee.


    Lin Lu had anticipated the move and abandoned her kick right away. Instead, she swapped her posture immediately and opted for a blow at Han Tianyi¡¯s chest with her left knee. Thetter responded by using both of his hands to block the blow. Once again Lin Lu switched her attack byunching a punch at his throat with her fist. It was a technique that was taught to everyone in the army, and it would have been, without a doubt, a fatal blow to Han Tianyi were it allowed tond.


    It was at this moment that the muscle memory from years of training from Han Tianyi finally showed. He had not expected the pretty intruder to suddenly attack him in such a violent way, but he still managed to dodge the fatal blow by bending his neck backward.


    Han Tianyi finally decided for a counter-attack by trying to wrap his arms around Lin Lu and lock her in ce. However, Lin Lu blocked the attempt, wrapped her hand around one of his arms and dove to the left side: this was a special immobilization technique.


    Han Tianyi was pulled toward Lin Lu, but he broke the motion by jumping as high as he could, performing a backflip. He pulled Lin Lu¡¯s left hand back and reached out for the back of her neck with his right hand.


    ¡¯The standard counter procedure...¡¯ Lin Lu recognized Han Tianyi¡¯s maneuver. She jumped back and gave an elbow strike to Han Tianyi¡¯s right cheek.


    This time, Lin Lu¡¯s attack found its target. The strength of the blow made Han Tianyi take a few steps back and release Lin Lu¡¯s arm. Lin Lu, instead of pursuing her attack, also used the opportunity to retreat and put some distance between herself and Han Tianyi.


    "Who are you?" Han Tianyi shook away the numbness in his head and stared at Lin Lu angrily. He clenched his fists, and veins popped out of his neck. The muscles on his chest tightened and the hair which grew from his navel down to his crotch seemed more imposing than ever.


    "He¡¯s the guy I¡¯m looking for..." Lin Lu said with a cold voice.


    "We should leave." Liu Meng frowned. The scene of a beautiful girl in a tightbat outfit fighting in close-quarters with a naked man was a little too much for her to handle.


    * * *


    "I think you were right." Chen Quan suddenly stopped walking and reached out for Eyesses¡¯ hand, but thetter dodged his grip and waited quietly for what he had to say.


    "I remember going to prison now, but not why I went there..." Chen Quan said with a deep frown as he tried his best to remember.


    "Already?" Eyesses squinted.


    "No, wait... this is even worse. I remember this mission of ours, but..." Chen Quan closed his eyes.


    "What is this?" Eyesses suddenly took out the half of Chen Quan¡¯s candle that remained.


    "This is... the candle that attracts ghosts to prevent them from blowing out the light... But why do I know this?" Chen Quan answered right away when he saw the object, but then he became confused.


    "So the memories are gone, but the knowledge is retained?" Eyesses mumbled to himself and put the candle back; this was what remained from the candle Chen Quan took out at the campsite, and he had kept it out of curiosity.


    "Listen to me. You need to remain calm no matter what happens. Even if you forget everything, just remember to follow me, okay? I don¡¯t think that just forgetting about things will harm you that much, as we saw with You Fang." Eyesses pondered for a little and spoke calmly as he stared at Chen Quan.


    "I understand," Chen Quanplied. His reverence for Eyesses grew upon realizing that thetter had not been affected at all.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do my best to ensure your safety as well. My captain wouldn¡¯t allow me to abandon you." Eyesses saw through Chen Quan¡¯s fears.


    "Thanks." Chen Quan nodded and followed Eyesses even closer.


    * * *


    "Do you know a way to break this formation?" Li Yiming looked at the Bai Ze statue and said in a low voice.


    "I¡¯ve been created from the will of a domain, but it¡¯s apletely different one. Besides, I¡¯m not a formation specialist, I¡¯m a beast trainer." Sai Gao could empathize with Li Yiming¡¯s worry for Bai Ze, but could do little to help him.


    "Do you at least know what kind of formation this is?" Li Yiming already had his guesses, judging from the fact that Sai Gao could not even leave the city.


    "I don¡¯t know. I can sense something that binds the souls of the beasts within me, and through them, I feel the existence of this formation, but nothing more than that." Sai Gao said with a frown. "Maybe we can ask someone who lives here."


    "Let¡¯s go." Li Yiming agreed. ¡¯It does seem that the people in here all know about what¡¯s going on. Otherwise that old man...¡¯


    "The formation that protects the city? I¡¯ve heard about it, but a peasant like me wouldn¡¯t know much. Maybe you can ask a teacher?" The first man Sai Gao and Li Yiming stopped, surprisingly, knew a thing or two, but he could not be of any more use.


    "A teacher?"


    "Yeah, those that teach in schools. They know a lot." The man answered with a broad smile.


    "Where... can we find a teacher?" Li Yiming asked carefully, afraid to give himself away.


    "In a school, of course. There¡¯s one on every street. But I¡¯ve heard that Mr. You Fang from the Northern side is the best at what he does. Maybe you can try asking him?" The man exined patiently, with nothing more than a few nces at Sai Gao for his odd appearance.


    "You Fang?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes widened.

 Volume 5 Chapter 22

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 22 ¨C The Four Spirits That Hid the Sky</strong></h4>


    "Why didn¡¯t you help me? I¡¯m sure that was Han Tianyi." Lin Lu asked as she tightened the oversized blue shirt around herself. Liu Meng had led her to a hidden corner in an alley and the two put on a new set of clothes.


    "Help you do what? Are we going to torture him? He doesn¡¯t seem to remember anything." Liu Meng pursed her lips. Peeking at a naked man was one thing, but exining a kidnapping story was something else entirely.


    "There¡¯s no mistake. He must have been in the army. Did you notice the scars on his left ribs and on the inner side of his right thigh?" Lin Lu put on her belt and made sure that her pants covered her shoes.


    "The scar on his inner thigh?" Lin Lu frowned. ¡¯Wow, she sure is observant... is that also part of military training?¡¯


    "Yes. It was a gunshot wound too. If we really transmigrated, then how is it possible that he has such a scar?" Lin Lu continued on her own, not minding Liu Meng¡¯s expression.


    "If he really is Han Tianyi, then it doesn¡¯t matter whether he remembers or not. Surely the rest of the team are also here." Liu Meng had no doubts that Han Tianyi was one of the people they were looking for. However, he "circumstances" did not exactly allow for his capture.


    "I agree. I wanted to capture him for questioning."


    "It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re not in a rush. As long as he stays in this city, we have as much time as we want."


    "So what should we..."


    "We should go back and have a look, of course. I¡¯d expect him to stay in contact with his teammates, and that house certainly doesn¡¯t look like it was built for one person." Liu Meng said. ¡¯He¡¯s probably dressed by now. A fit body, but I much prefer Yiming¡¯s...¡¯


    "Yes." Lin Lu¡¯s eyes lit up. In fact, she would have been able to produce a much better assessment of the situation than either Li Yiming or Liu Meng, but she had her judgment clouded by the shock of having one supernatural event ur after another.


    * * *


    "Li Yiming?" Eyesses suddenly stopped and looked at the tablet hidden in his basket.


    "Li Yiming?" Chen Quan stopped walking as well. By now, only a single thought lingered in his mind: he needed to follow the man in front of him.


    "So he also found You Fang? Let¡¯s go have a look." Eyesses had left one of his small insect drones right outside of You Fang¡¯s ssroom to monitor him.


    Li Yiming stared at the rather innocuous-looking insect by the window. It traced a pattern in the air that made Li Yiming know that Eyesses had spotted him. He signaled to Eyesses to join him and Sai Gao. ¡¯More people, more ideas. I need to share the information with Eyesses.¡¯


    Li Yiming peeked at You Fang once again. ¡¯He¡¯s not faking it... it¡¯s as if he¡¯s never met me.¡¯


    It did not take very long before Eyesses and Chen Quan arrived. After a final nce at You Fang, Li Yiming went to meet the two.


    "Yiming, he...?" Eyesses stared straight at Sai Gao; it was quite to challenge to forget someone who looked like that.


    "I¡¯ll tell you about himter. He¡¯s our ally for now. We should talk about what¡¯s going on here." Li Yiming dismissed Eyesses¡¯ question. After all, even in the Shangbei domain, Sai Gao was only a rival due to circumstances, and he could even be partially credited with saving Eyesses and the Qing sisters from Ya Yu.


    "So..." Eyesses nodded at Sai Gao and shared his findings with Li Yiming.


    "So you¡¯re telling me that the people here don¡¯t remember their past? But they¡¯re integrating into the city?" Li Yiming looked at Chen Quan. The helplessness and confusion written all over his face was apparent.


    "This is even moreplicated than I thought..." Li Yiming told his story to Eyesses.


    "What? Bai Ze has been sealed?" Eyesses was bewildered by the revtion.


    "Yes. To save her, we need to break this formation. Do you have any ideas?" Sai Gao brushed his hair back and threw a "loving" stare at Eyesses, making thetter shiver.


    "Wait a second. Let me have a look from above." Eyesses looked away from Sai Gao and started to type on hisputer. "The formation with the four beasts... It¡¯s hard to say, but it looks like a "Protection of the Four Cardinals" to me..." Eyesses did not seem to be very confident in his observation.


    "Why don¡¯t we go ask an expert?" Li Yiming sighed at looked at the ssroom; it seemed like ss was over as a dozen schoolchildren walked out of the door with their bags.


    ¡°You mean You Fang?" Eyesses asked.


    "Apparently he¡¯s the expert. Let¡¯s go." Li Yiming led the way into the building.


    * * *


    Beads of sweat rolled down Shen Jianming¡¯s back as thetter pushed on the quernstone. Li Rong was right beside him, adding more soybeans into the mill as milk dripped into the wooden bucket below.


    Xu Yurong watched the two with a smile as she worked on making a straw hat. It was the perfect scene of a happy family. By now, Shen Jianming had forgotten everything about his past, his mission, and his duty. Taking care of the two sisters right in front of his eyes was now his raison d¡¯¨ºtre.


    * * *


    Stargaze sat on wooden bench in a small, roofless tea shop. She was dressed in blue clothing that blended perfectly into her surroundings. As she stared at the water in her bowl, without minding the business around her or the antique-looking buildings, only a single thought preupied her mind. ¡¯I can¡¯t see it... Who put this formation? And this domain... It¡¯s starting to blend in with reality, but Heaven¡¯s Laws doesn¡¯t know about it. Who¡¯s behind this? No... this is not powerful to threaten Heaven¡¯s Laws. This is all a fragile dream that can be shattered instantly.¡¯


    * * *


    Li Huaibei walked on the street barefooted, looking just like one of the farmers who hade back from a hard day at the field. As he looked around, his heart was beyond shocked. A merchant had just given him a five-colored fruit, and one passer-by even offered him his owns shoes upon seeing Li Huaibei¡¯s bare feet. ¡¯These people... From all walks of life, and yet they live here in perfect harmony.The people who apologize to each other heartfeltly when they graze past each other, this tranquility... I see the will of this domain, it¡¯s ¡¯kindness¡¯ itself!¡¯


    * * *


    "You don¡¯t know about the origins of the formation that guards the city?" You Fang tapped on his hand with his ruler as he questioned his visitors.


    "I¡¯ve heard my elders talk about it when I was a kid, but I didn¡¯t understand much of what they were saying, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m here..." Li Yiming saluted You Fang politely.


    "Well, you¡¯vee to the right person, young man. It¡¯s good to want to learn new things. I¡¯m happy for you." You Fang seemed to have forgotten his past, but not his mannerism.


    "Please share your wisdom with me." Li Yiming bowed down once more.


    "Well, the Dao has no limits, and it is bred by the Heavens. After it,es the four spirits and the eight diagrams..." You Fang put down his ruler, sipped on the cup of water on the table and exined slowly.


    Li Yiming held his breath and listened, but after twenty minutes, You Fang still spewed vague things, with no signs of getting to the specifics of Lianyun City anytime soon. Chen Quan was still listening,pletely absorbed by the tale, but Li Yiming, Eyesses and Sai Gao exchanged a nce. ¡¯Are you serious... is he here to waste our time?¡¯


    Cough... You Fang sipped his water once more; it seemed like even he realized himself that he was not being useful at all.


    "The formation which guards this city was left by a messenger from the Heavens who visited a long time ago. He thought that we deserved better treatment for all the misery we¡¯ve lived through, so he..." You Fang finally got to the point, and Li Yiming¡¯s attention was aroused once again.


    However, twenty minutester and You Fang was in the midst of describing the beauty of the Heavenly messenger.


    "So, what exactly is protecting the city?" Eyesses lost his patience and interrupted You Fang¡¯s long speech.


    "Oh, this formation?" You Fang seemed a little irritated and drank another mouthful to soothe his throat, which had gone dry after an hour of speaking constantly. "This formation was built over dozens of years by four messengers. It is called ¡¯The Four Spirits that Hide the Sky¡¯."

 Volume 5 Chapter 23

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 23 ¨C Who Am I?</strong></h4>


    "The four beasts hiding the sky?" Eyesses had never heard of something of the sort before.


    "Yes. The messenger had originally intended to use the Azure Dragon, the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, and the ck Tortoise at first, but, you know, it¡¯s quite hard to find those divine creatures, so he settled for the ck Snake, the Thunder Eagle, the ck Turtle and Bai Ze. 1


    ¡¯Well, the elements certainly match...¡¯ Eyesses pondered. ¡¯A snake for the Azure Dragon, an eagle for the Vermilion Bird, a turtle for the ck Tortoise and Bai Ze for the White Tiger...¡¯


    "What are the effects of that formation then?" Sai Gao asked.


    "To protect our city and ensure its fortune, of course," You Fang exined, surprised at the question¡¯s even being asked.


    ¡¯The fortune of the city?¡¯ Li Yiming exchanged a nce with Eyesses. ¡¯Doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯re getting the whole picture here...¡¯


    "What about that golden wok right outside of the Eastern Gate?" Sai Gao pressed on.


    "Oh, that golden wok? Well... rumor has it that..." You Fang was still savoring the pleasure of being able to tell his "tales", in spite of Eyesses¡¯ interruption, and Sai Gao¡¯s question added fuel to his fiery enthusiasm.


    As a result, Li Yiming and his friends had to endure another thirty minutes of irrelevant mystic tales and legends.


    "That wok is a divine instrument, I¡¯m telling you." You Fang finally stopped, content with his speech.


    "Why do you say so?" Eyesses realized that nothing that just came out You Fang¡¯s mouth was pertinent.


    "Well, I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s nothing on the books about that, but that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard. When you think about, doesn¡¯t it make sense? After all, it takes something to be held to the same level as the four guardians of the city." You Fang picked up his ruler, tapped the table with it, and concluded his lecture.


    "That¡¯s it? Nothing more?" After a solid five minutes of silence, Sai Gao finally could not bear it anymore and tried pushing You Fang once more.


    "That¡¯s it for the protective formation and the legendary wok. If you want to hear more, I¡¯ve got..."


    "Haha, I... I think that we¡¯ll pass for today. Thank you for your lesson, sir, it was truly enlightening. We will make sure toe to you again for any other questions. It¡¯s gettingte today, unfortunately, and we need to leave." Li Yiming saw that You Fang was about to go for another round of nonsense and jumped on the opportunity to drag Sai Gao and Eyesses out of the ssroom.


    "So... what was that all about? Anything ring a bell?" Eyesses nced at You Fang and whispered to Li Yiming.


    "We need to leave." Li Yiming turned his back toward the ssroom, still slightly traumatized from the experience, and fastened his pace.


    * * *


    Liu Meng led Lin Lu back to the house where they had found Han Tianyi. The two climbed up a tree nearby and remained perched on one of the main branches, under the cover of the darkness.


    "Two pretty girls? They came in while you were taking a bath, hit you and then took your clothes?"


    Liu Meng and Lin Lu found Han Tianyi in the yard, his hands covering his face and with several other men around him. One of them, who had a goatee, was visibly doubting the story he had just heard.


    "Yes. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on right now." Han Tianyi rubbed his cheek, which was still somewhat numb; Lin Lu did not hold back at all.


    "I think you¡¯re going crazy from not having a girlfriend." Another man scooped a spoonful of water from the well and poured it down his throat.


    "Why would I lie to you about this? Look at my face." Han Tianyi moved his hands away from his swollen cheeks.


    "It does seem quite strange, though. Why would there be girls that would climb over our wall..." The man with the goatee seemed more concerned by the mysterious visitors rather than Han Tianyi¡¯s injury.


    "Hey, Lao Yu, could it be that one of these girls have fallen in love with Tianyi, and..." One of the men asked with a lewd stare.


    ¡°You know what, that might be possible. Do you know about Guo Que on the Southern Street? Well, he ¡¯lost¡¯ his ox recently, and it took him three days to find it. Guess what? It turns out that the owner of the tea shop¡¯s daughter hid his ox so that she could have a chance to look at him while he searched for it." Lao Yu touched his beard with a smile.


    "Oh really?" The man who asked the question had his interested piqued.


    "Well, the two families are talking about marriage right now."


    "Really? Wow, lucky him. I know her. She¡¯s beautiful."


    "You know about the Xu sisters to the north of the city? Well they¡¯ve also brought a man home. I saw him the other day, a pretty muscr man. He was pushing the wooden cart as well as a donkey."


    "Well then..."


    "I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was the daughter from the medicine shop. Maybe she¡¯s waiting for you to go buy something?" Lao Yuughed and tapped Han Tianyi¡¯s cheeks.


    Liu Meng and Lin Lu exchanged a nce from where they were perched. ¡¯Are you serious? Are these people... stupid?¡¯


    "Yu Guoneng, Wu Xiaoleng, Ye Qiucheng, Su Chang¡¯an, Zhang Xin, Huai Xiangshan, Chen Qincheng... these people are all from the Second Scouting Division..." Lin Lu said in a low voice.


    "They¡¯re all from the scouting team?" Liu Meng frowned. "But they seem so... " Liu Meng was having a hard time believing that the men below were elite soldiers who had spent years training forbat. ¡¯They look like ordinary farmers! If you told me that they were top ss spies, I¡¯d believe it, given the acting and all, but really? Also, how can you possibly reach that kind of conclusion about Han Tianyi?¡¯


    "I think it¡¯s because..."


    "Who¡¯s there? Come down!" Although Liu Meng and Lin Lu lowered their voices, Wu Xiaoleng, who had been a scout for his squad, still caught onto their voices with sheer reflexes.


    "We can just go down. It doesn¡¯t matter." Liu Meng shrugged her shoulders and said calmly. By now, she had learned to keep herposure, regardless of what happened in the domain.


    Liu Meng jumped down into the courtyard, and Lin Lu followed.


    "Oh, it¡¯s them..." Han Tianyi took a step back with a shy, yet happy expression.


    "Oh?" The men¡¯s eyes lit up when they saw Lin Lu and Liu Meng, and some were already beginning to feel jealous of Han Tianyi¡¯s "good luck".


    "May I ask if your parents own a medicine shop?" Lao Yu said with a smile, visibly satisfied by Lin Lu.


    Lin Lu answered with a cough, astounded by the naivety of Lao Yu.


    "We¡¯ll answer youter. First of all, when did youe here? What do you do for a living?" Liu Meng interrupted Lin Lu with a smile and asked politely.


    An hourter, Lao Yu bid farewell to Lin Lu and Liu Meng, who both walked out of the house with confused looks on their faces. They¡¯ve learned that all forty members of the second recon team were living in the city. It was most likely the case for the first team as well. Moreover, their memories have all been overwritten, and they believed that they had been living in this city ever since birth.


    Liu Meng was more concerned with the smiles that they all showed on their faces. It really seemed like they were genuinely happy in their current life.


    "They..." Lin Lu was not quite sure what to say.


    Liu Meng suddenly stopped and turned back toward Lin Lu with a grave countenance. ¡¯If the previous teams have be like that, then how long until she...¡¯


    "What is it?" Lin Lu asked.


    "I need to tell you something very serious. It¡¯s only a matter of time before you be just like them," Liu Meng said with a grave voice.


    "What?" Lin Lu¡¯s eyes widened.


    "I don¡¯t know exactly how long you have left, but I can guarantee to you that it will happen very soon."


    "I..." Lin Lu¡¯s heart was grasped by terror. Ever since trekking into the Tianshan Mountains, she had learned to unconditionally trust everything that Li Yiming and Liu Meng told her. And yet, when she remembered the smiles on the faces of her former colleagues, her fear slowly dissipated.


    Three thousand years of history,


    Nothing but tales of power and lust.


    Travel for ten thousand miles,


    Only to realize that a quiet home is one¡¯s best harbor.


    * * *


    At Xianyun Abbey, Qing Feng, who had been living inside for sixty years, finally walked out the stone gates with shaking steps. A skinny man, dressed in simple clothes and wearing a pair of slippers, sat on the stone opposite to the stairs which led to the abbey¡¯s entrance. At his feet was a worn-out knit-bag.


    "I¡¯ve been told that you never leave this ce." The man nced at Qing Feng without turning his head.


    "I¡¯ve been wrong about it. How can I possibly see the world from the confinements of this little abbey?" A rare smile appeared on Qing Feng¡¯s face.


    "So you know?"


    "I see, but I cannot say that I know."


    After a moment of silence, Qing Feng added, "I met you eight years ago..."


    "Oh?" The man frowned in surprise.


    "As I thought..." Qing Feng suddenly closed his eyes and sat down on the stairs. It was as if the three words had drained him of all of his strength.


    "What a shame..." The man puffed out some smoke and put his cigarette into a stic bottle.


    "What is?"


    "I met you toote. If only I came to you sixty years ago..."


    "Can you tell me your name?"


    "My name..." The man mumbled and looked upward, his stare piercing through the clouds above. ¡¯Yes... who am I?¡¯


    I¡¯d want to live in a ce like Lianyun City ??


    This is essentially a "downgrade", see Eyesses¡¯ thought below. ?

 Volume 5 Chapter 24

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 24 ¨C Breaking the Formation</strong></h4>


    "That formation You Fang mentioned... ¡¯The Four Spirits that Hide the Sky¡¯... have you ever heard of that?" Li Yiming looked at Eyesses and Sai Gao. It was one thing to question You Fang¡¯s lifestyle choices, but Li Yiming did not doubt hispetence in his area of expertise.


    "Nope." Eyesses shook his head and looked at Sai Gao.


    "Don¡¯t ask me, I¡¯m as clueless as you are." The "charming" way in which Sai Gao rolled his eyes made Eyesses look away.


    "It has to be something extraordinary if it¡¯s able to use the four legendary spirits. We know how it works now, but how are we supposed to break it..." Li Yiming shook his head in frustration; the trail was broken once more had been broken once more.


    "Maybe we can ask another teacher?" Sai Gao asked.


    "You want to break the formation?" Chen Quan, who had been sitting in his own corner until now, suddenly interjected.


    "Oh?" Li Yiming, Eyesses, and Sai Gao simultaneously lowered their heads toward Chen Quan, whose height made him easy to miss. Thetter had a deep frown and was taken aback at the sudden attention he received.


    "You have an idea?" Eyesses asked. He had noticed that Chen Quan was particrly captivated by You Fang¡¯s tale.


    "This formation protects the entire city. The four key elements are obviously the statues at the gates..." Chen Quan said in a low voice. Between his sentences, he nced at Eyesses nervously.


    "Right," Eyesses gave him some encouragement after exchanging a look with Li Yiming.


    "Snakes belongs to water, tortoise to earth, \eagles to fire, Bai Ze to wood, and the golden wok to metal. All five elements are present in this formation," Chen Quan said with a frown. "Lianyun City is aligned with the four cardinals. This makes for a perfectbination with the formation..." 1


    "Are you¡¯re just telling us how hard it is for us to break this formation?" Sai Gaoined with an "alluring" grimace.


    "No no no, that¡¯s not what I meant. What I want to say is that this formation is too perfect..." Chen Quan rushed to exin himself.


    "Let him speak." Li Yiming intervened. He had learned to not underestimate Chen Quan¡¯s knowledge from the few times thetter had shown his wisdom.


    "The statues are not of the same size... "


    "You mean Bai Ze?"


    "Yes. The five elements need to maintain bnce with each other in order to perpetuate the cycle of energy that runs between them. However, Bai Ze, who guards the East, is visibly smaller than the three other spirits. Maybe there¡¯s a reason for that, but if you look at the buildings in the city, you¡¯ll notice something. Let me ask you, how are houses usually oriented?" Chen Quan pointed at a building nearby as he spoke. 2


    "Front towards the North and back toward the South... but the buildings here are all facing East instead." Eyesses caught onto the clue quickly. It was a simple observation that had escaped all of them.


    "Yes, and that¡¯s because the energy of the entire city is being directed toward the East to help Bai Ze..."


    Li Yiming, Eyesses, and Sai Gao¡¯s eyes lit up at hearing the revtion; all of three of them knew for a fact that Bai Ze had been absent in the first ce, so Chen Quan¡¯s deduction could not be wrong.


    "How do you know this?" Sai Gao suddenly asked, alerted by the fact that Chen Quan had been able to make such a keen observation despite being nothing more than an ordinary man who had lost his memory.


    "I... I don¡¯t know. It was just there, in my head. I was listening to you guys talk about breaking the formation, and then I looked around and noticed the orientation of the buildings..." Chen Quan said hesitantly.


    "He used to be a tomb raider," Li Yiming exined on Chen Quan¡¯s behalf.


    "We can leave the exnations forter. So, how are suppose to break this formation?" Eyesses pressed on.


    "There¡¯s nothing hard about that. We just need to break the bnce between the five elements here. If we can find a way to destroy the seal in the East that¡¯s holding all of this energy inside the city, then surely the formation will be ruptured." Chen Quan spoke with more confidence.


    "Alright, great. I knew that it was worth my time saving you." Eyesses pped his thigh in contentment.


    "That¡¯s it?" Sai Gao frowned.


    "How are we supposed to do that?" Li Yiming was overjoyed at hearing that there¡¯s was way to rescue Bai Ze.


    "We just need to break that statue." Chen Quan said, obviously happy at receiving Eyesses¡¯ approval.


    "Break it? Is there another way?" Eyesses¡¯ smile froze; Bai Ze was more than just a statue.


    "We can also move it away from where it is. As long as it¡¯s out of the way." Chen Quan did not seem to have noticed the subtle change of expression in his three friends.


    "Shit. I knew it wasn¡¯t this simple." Sai Gao sat down in frustration. ¡¯Move it around? Easier said than done. My heart was racing from just having Li Yiming put his hand on the statue...¡¯


    "Wait... He¡¯s right!¡¯ Sai Gao jumped right back up after sitting down for a few seconds. He stared at Li Yiming with fiery eyes. "Bai Ze belongs to you, right?"


    Li Yiming nodded, despite also being somewhat disappointed.


    "If I remember correctly, your talent is thunder?" Sai Gao pressed on.


    "Yes." Li Yiming nodded again. This was a convenient facade for the fact that he did not have a talent, and he was d to be able to keep his secret.


    "The fact that Bai Ze was sealed means that she¡¯s an independent entity, which rules out the possibility of some kind of projected summon. But you¡¯ve said that your talent was thunder, so she can¡¯t be your talent. I¡¯ve seen you in action... you¡¯re way too far from being a sage, and that means that she can¡¯t some kind of weapon-spirit..." Sai Gao¡¯s theorizing scared Li Yiming; he finally understood why Bai Ze always urged him to keep his abilities a secret.


    "You¡¯ve defeated your own will... she¡¯s your innate summon..." Sai Gao stared into Li Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Yes." Li Yiming nodded, but he was highly alerted.


    "Really? Then we might have a solution..." Sai Gao let out an enigmatic smile.


    * * *


    Shen Jianming had difficulty falling asleep. All he could think of was Xu Yurong¡¯s smile and the sweets words she spoke. The door to the room was opened quietly. It was someone of average height with a rather curvy body. She seemed hesitant as she walked into the room.


    ¡¯It¡¯s Yurong!¡¯ Shen Jianming quickly identified the visitor as being the girl that preupied his mind day and night, and he jumped up from where he slept.


    "Ah!" Xu Yurong was frightened by Shen Jianming¡¯s sudden movement.


    "It¡¯s... It¡¯s quite cold recently, so I wanted to give you another nket..." Xu Yurong said in a low voice.


    "It¡¯s okay... I¡¯m not cold." Shen Jianming answered with a rather stiff voice.


    "Alright... I¡¯ll put it there then." Xu Yurong threw the nket onto the bed and ran for the door.


    "Yurong!" Shen Jianming called out.


    Xu Yurong was stopped in her tracks, but Shen Jianming did not follow up with anything. A dead silent reigned inside the room as the moonlight quietly pierced through the window. Shen Jianming¡¯s breathing grew heavier by the second.


    "I... I need to go..." Xu Yurong escaped the room, unable to bear the atmosphere any longer.


    Shen Jianming raised his hand, but could not muster the courage to say anything. ¡¯Tomorrow, I¡¯ll tell her everything tomorrow...¡¯ He resolved.


    The next morning, Shen Jianming waited in the courtyard with bloodshot eyes and unmasked excitement. As Yurong¡¯s door opened slowly, she emerged from her room, also looking rather tired and nervous. She noticed Shen Jianming right away, who stood upright like amppost with a bouquet of cauliflower.


    Before Xu Yurong could retreat back into her room, she was stopped by Shen Jianming.


    "Yurong... listen to me..." Shen Jianming walked forth and suddenly got down on one knee. He upheld his cauliflowers and said as loudly as he could. "I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll take care of you for my entire life. Let me be your man."


    Shen Jianming did not quite know how to express his love, but he had a vague idea about flowers and being on his knees. The straw on the roof vibrated as his loud voice echoed throughout the neighborhood, scaring Xu Yurong, and even waking up her younger sister. It even attracted the attention of Liu Meng and Lin Lu, who had been searching for Li Yiming for the entire night.


    "Shen Jianming?" Liu Meng climbed up and peeked into the inside of the courtyard.


    Lin Lu followed suit and saw herrade on his knees, in front of a slightly chubby young girl who had long hair that reached her waist and freckles on her face.


    The scene unfolding right before her eyes somehow reached deep inside Lin Lu and tugged at her heartstrings. This something Lin Lu had also secretly hoped for many times her dreams, but the prince charming riding a white horse would be blocked away by an armored vehicle, and the roses would subside into res of ice-cold steel daggers. The longing for love and the cruel training she had been subjected to raged a violent conflict within her mind, and she became more confused than ever.


    As her distant memories faded away, Lin Lu suddenly lost the strength in her limbs and fell into Liu Meng¡¯s arms.


    "Wait! Someone¡¯s fainted!" Xu Yurong, who had been dodging Shen Jianming¡¯s eyes, suddenly noticed the two girls standing right outside of her house. Ignoring the man kneeling in front of her, she rushed toward the door.


    I¡¯m backkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!


    The five elements, ording to ancient Chinese, are water, fire, earth, metal, and wood. Essentially the elements that can be observed in nature. (Don¡¯t ask me why "air" was not included, probably because it was invisible...) ? This is ording to ·çË® (Fengshui) which is traditional... (well pseudoscience, I¡¯ve said it) way to determining one¡¯s fortune ording to one¡¯s house¡¯s orientation, location, the furniture, etc. ?

 Volume 5 Chapter 25

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 25 ¨C Dying</strong></h4>


    "Are you sure about this?" Eyesses and Sai Gao exchanged a nce as Li Yiming walked toward the Bai Ze statue outside of the city gates.


    "It should work. At this point, it would be near impossible to break it due to how stable it is, but if we disrupt its bnce, the formation should copse. After that, we just need to leave the hard work to the three other beasts who should naturally be resisting the formation." Sai Gao said as he stared at Li Yiming


    "You¡¯ve tried something like this before?" Eyesses was not fully convinced.


    "I don¡¯t see any problems with it. Bai Ze is Li Yiming¡¯s innate summon, meaning that they share the same soul. Using my technique, Li Yiming should be able to call upon Bai Ze¡¯s consciousness and establish some kind of link with her, which will force the formation to direct its energy toward him and break its entire bnce." Sai Gao nced furtively toward the South. ¡¯Teng She... just wait a bit longer, I¡¯ll get you out of here soon. I hope Li Yiming will be able tost...¡¯


    "I hope you¡¯re right about this." Eyesses nced at Li Yiming again, with an ominous feeling about the n.


    Li Yiming slowly approached Bai Ze¡¯s statue, gradually softening his stare. ¡¯Aren¡¯t you one to cause trouble...¡¯ His palm lit up with a weak, white glow; this was the technique that Sai Gao had just taught him, and he knew from the moment he touched the statue that he had a genuine chance of awakening Bai Ze.


    Although Bai Ze was still dormant, Li Yiming could feel her presence. As he closed his eyes, he felt as if he was touching Bai Ze, only that she was simply asleep.


    ¡¯Oh?" Li Yiming suddenly felt an influx of energy from his palm. It was something unlike Li Yiming had ever felt before, and it brought vitality and strength to his limbs. ¡¯So this is life energy?¡¯


    Li Yiming clenched his fists as rays of blue glow ran down his veins. His hair was starting to grow at a visible speed on his bald head.. However, the sense offort was short-lived. The next moment, Li Yiming felt an unstoppable flow of energy gushing toward his whole body, just like a dam being broken down.


    "Ugh!" Li Yiming spat out a mouthful of blood. It was nearly impossible for him to handle what was destined for an entire city.


    "Yiming!" Eyesses yelled in surprise and rushed to his direction.


    "You can¡¯t go right now." Sai Go pulled Eyesses back.


    Li Yiming struggled to raise his hand just to signal that he was all right. He could now feel the connection between himself and the formation, as well as the changes that ured within it.


    ¡¯It¡¯s working...¡¯ Li Yiming gritted his teeth, held his breath, and embraced himself for the blow that was soon toe.


    Above Lianyun City, a violent gust of wind suddenly materialized. Its intensity slowly reshaped the clouds that floated peacefully above the city.


    "It¡¯s begun..." Sai Gao looked up and clenched his fists.


    "Yiming..." Eyesses stared anxiously at Li Yiming, who was clearly in pain. He could also feel the subtle changes happening around the city at that very moment.


    Li Yiming¡¯s limbs were shaking violently by now. His veins grew more and more visible by the minute, and his newly grown hair swayed in the wind. However, his mind was sharper and clearer than ever. Despite having to endure excruciating pain, Li Yiming felt more excited than anything. He could feel the effectiveness of Sai Gao¡¯s n, as the changes in the city¡¯s formation became apparent. More importantly that that, he could also feel himself be stronger, and he knew that it would not be long before he could reach level six with his Heavenly vein.


    Liu Mengid Lin Lu on Xu Yurong¡¯s wooden bed. She looked at Shen Jianming, who was busy preparing water, unsure of what to say, but her attention was soon attracted by the anomaly in the sky. ¡¯... The elements are disturbed, what¡¯s going on?¡¯


    "Come on...." Sai Gao held onto Eyesses¡¯ arm tightly. Although his eyes remained fixed on Li Yiming, his senses werepletely directed to the south of the city.


    "We did it!" Sai Gao suddenly yelled out and smashed the stone wall with his fist. The entire structure trembled, and fissures appeared in the closest segment of wall.


    Right as Sai Gao spoke, three beams of light shot up into the sky from the South, the West, and the North. A low roar rung in the heads of every resident of the city.


    "The guardians of the city?"


    "What happened?"


    "Surely something big, since the spirits has been awakened..."


    "Quick, we need to get back home..."


    Everyone in the city ran toward their home instantly.


    Liu Meng frowned as she looked at the busy street empty itself in a matter of seconds, without any kind of panic or ident, right after the three pirs of light appeared in the sky. ¡¯This kind of anomaly, and yet they seem to not be scared at all?¡¯


    "Someone¡¯s breaking the formation?" Li Huaibei looked at the sky with a grave countenance.


    "It shouldn¡¯t be enough to destroy the formation but... who is it? Li Yiming?" Stargaze had a deep frown as she stood in front of the turtle statue outside of the Western Gate.


    Eyesses turned back in surprise, not at the three columns of light, but at the golden wok nxt to Bai Ze. It suddenly exploded with golden light, and the oppressive feeling it brought made Eyesses¡¯ heart tighten. The three pirs of light merged together in the sky and descended on the Eastern gate like a lightning bolt.


    "What?" Sai Gao¡¯s eyes widened.


    "What is it?" Eyesses asked with a nervous voice.


    "That¡¯s... that¡¯s impossible! Teng She wouldn¡¯t act like this..." Sai Gao mumbled as he stared at the iing ray of light. It was as if he had lost his soul.


    "What are you talking about?" Eyesses knew that something was wrong. He grabbed Sai Gao by his cor and pressed on.


    "The five elements have been disturbed, and the formation is unstable, but the three beasts, they have not chosen to break out... they..." Sai Gao said with a panicked voice.


    "They¡¯re protecting the formation..." Eyesses pushed Sai Gao away. "Yiming! Come back!"


    However, it was already toote. The waterfall of blue light had already reached Bai Ze¡¯s statue.


    Li Yiming spat out another mouthful of blood and fell on his knees, but he kept his right hand on Bai Ze¡¯s statue.


    In fact, Li Yiming was the first to have noticed the changes within the formation, as well as the threat of the light that came from the three other sides of the city. But he held onto his effort precisely because of that. He could feel Bai Ze¡¯s seal weakening enough to be ruptured soon, and, more than anything, the strengthening of his vein made him reluctant to let it go. Liu Meng¡¯s sacrifice to save him and his battle with Bing Shuai had fueled his thirst for power more than ever.


    The blue light had now covered him entirely, and Li Yiming could feel life energy fill up every corner of his body. However, he soon reached his limit; he had reached thepletion of level five in a second. Li Yiming had made the mistake of overestimating his capabilities, and now, vitality was quickly bing too much. The energy sought a ce to stay, and since there was no more space left inside of Li Yiming, it was going to find a way out by itself.


    The flesh on Li Yiming¡¯s upper body splintered, starting with his shoulders, and then his abdomen. Instead of a crimson, bloody mist that one would have expected, it was an emerald gas came out of his wounds.


    "Yiming!" Eyesses tried to rush to aid his friend, but the wind that was created from the burst of energy prevented him to getting any closer.


    "Ah...!" Life energy gushed out of Li Yiming. Not only did it stop the umtion of energy inside of his body, but it also pulled what little energy Li Yiming initially had inside of him. Li Yiming¡¯s long hair slowly turned white, and he experienced the most indescribable pain of his life all while having his soul sucked out of him.


    Even though he was going through all of this suffering, Li Yiming still kept his hand glued to Bai Ze¡¯s statue, as he was certain that he was that close to breaking the seal.

 Volume 5 Chapter 26

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 26 ¨C Runic Glyph</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming¡¯s painful roar resonated throughout the entire city.


    "Yiming!" Liu Meng, who had been trying her best to wrap her head around the situation, leaped up from where she sat and rushed toward the Eastern Gate.


    "Li Yiming? Is that really you?" Stargaze said in a low voice and her silhouette slowly faded away.


    "Li Yiming..." Li Huaibei turned back to look at the neatly maintained streets behind him and picked up a leaf from the ground.


    Li Yiming¡¯s body shook violently as puffs of emerald gas gushed out from multiple sides of his body. His silvery hair was moving back and forth rapidly in the wind as his muscles dried up, aging at a visible speed. Within his body, his Heavenly Vein emitted a fervent green light as it absorbed as much life energy as it could, but it showed no signs of reaching level six.


    "He can¡¯t take it anymore!" Eyesses opened his eyes with difficulty, but he could not inch forward even the slightest.


    "Yiming... let go!" Eyesses screamed, his voice unable to reach Li Yiming.


    A nearly inaudible crack was heard. Li Yiming snapped out of his frenzy and lowered his head; on his right leg, a small crevice appeared. His muscle had shrunk like a dried up tree branch, hinting that it was going to give away.


    ¡¯But the seal... ¡¯ Li Yiming knew that his body could not keep up any longer, and despite Bai Ze¡¯s seal, which seemed as fragile ever, he had to give up. ¡¯It¡¯s no use to keep going like this. Even if I manage to free Bai Ze, if I lose my life in the process, there¡¯s no point...¡¯


    Li Yiiming gritted his teeth and pulled his hand away from Bai Ze¡¯s statue.


    Or so he thought. To his horror, Li Yiming realized that his hand was now stuck to it, and he could not sever the link between himself and Bai Ze.


    A moment of hesitation and the fissure that originated from his leg had already spread to his left ribs. Even the gaping wound on his chest appeared to have widened. Li Yiming attempted to cover up his wound using his left hand, but his life energy still escaped slowly between his fingers. Li Yiming knew that he had over-tested his luck, and he found Thundersh to be of no use.


    ¡¯Might as well give it onest try.¡¯ Li Yiming decided to make use of thest chance he had. He looked above him and uttered two words.


    "Thunderous Strike!"


    The moment Li Yiming felt the green energy vanish from his body and his vein, he knew he had seeded.


    Li Yiming looked up with a smile, only to see a fissure opening gradually in the sky above. What looked like a giant purple eyeball open up on the other side of the fissure that crossed the dimensions. Li Yiming¡¯s intervention, along with the life energy of the formation, had caused a terrifying change to the lightning which was brewing in the clouds above Lianyun City.


    A momentter, the giant eyeball turned its attention toward Li Yiming, and a bolt of ck lightning shot out toward him.


    Afterunching the attack, the giant eye retreated back into the fissure that closed itself, and vanishedpletely. The lightning that fell toward Li Yiming was not very imposing in size, but the amount of power it contained convinced him that his lightning immunity would prove to be ineffective against it.


    ¡¯Am I going to die to my own spell?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s worry was only temporary, as the bolt of lightning was suddenly blocked off just as it was a few inches away from his head. The next moment, it suddenly changed its course, flying toward a ray of blue light in the distance. The lightning melted into the ray of light and vanished a secondter.


    ¡¯The formation, it¡¯s still not done...¡¯ Li Yiming closed his eyes. His right hand started trembling again as the avnche of life energy inundated his body once more. By now, he had so little strength left, he could not do anything more than hanging onto the statue like a broken rag doll.


    ¡¯It¡¯s over...¡¯ The overflowing life energy revitalized Li Yiming for a moment, but it was followed by its inevitable escape. Li Yiming could feel his consciousness slip away slowly.


    Ding!


    A faint metallic noise, like that of a bell, suddenly rung in Li Yiming¡¯s mind. It was that mysterious runic glyph inside of his body that acted as a surrogate for his talent.


    The golden wok right outside of the Eastern Gate suddenly resonated with the noise, and its golden aura brightened.


    Ding!


    The runic glyph emitted another chime, and for the first time, it could clearly be seen.


    The golden wok suddenly burst out in golden light, like a miniature sun.


    A momentter, the golden light receded, and the golden wok regained its mundane appearance, just like when Li Yiming saw it for the first time.


    After losing the support of the wok, the blue waterfall of life energy directed at Li Yiming suddenly dissipated. Li Yiming looked at his right hand, and noticed that the muscles in his arm were recovering quickly. Instead of gushing out of his body, the life energy actually returned into him through his wounds, and soon enough, Li Yiming had enough strength to stand back up, perplexed, but reinvigorated.


    ¡¯This runic glyph... What kind of talent did I awaken?¡¯ Li Yiming touched the Bai Ze statue out of instinct, but this time, the statue turned into a ray of white light and vanished as it flew into his chest.


    ¡¯Oh?¡¯ Li Yiming turned his attention toward his inner self; Bai Ze was now resting inside of him.


    "Li Yiming!" Unobstructed by the winds, Eyesses quickly reached Li Yiming¡¯s location and examined him from head to toes.


    "You did it!" Eyesses looked at where Bai Ze¡¯s statue used to be and said in a confused voice.


    ¡°It looks like she¡¯s free." Li Yiming was not quite sure himself of what had just happened.


    "Yiming! Are you alright?" Liu Meng called as she came out of the gate.


    "I..." Li Yiming was relieved at seeing Liu Meng safe and sound, but he was still in the shock of even being alive.


    For a moment, Li Yiming was sure of his own demise. Now, he could feel that he had found his level five strength back, and Bai Ze was dormant within his body. The runic glyph inside of his body resumed its foggy appearance, and he would have thought of all the changes that urred to be a dream if it was not for his long, white hair.


    Li Yiming looked up at the sky, and at the sun which seemed strangely not as bright as before. This time, the sun somehow felt more real.


    "Careful!" Eyesses cried out and put himself in front of Li Yiming and Liu Meng. A momentter, a ray of colorful light shot out of the city andnded right in front of Li Yiming, followed by a loud shriek.


    Li Huaibei?" Li Yiming was delighted at finding out that his friend was also in Lianyun City.


    "You broke the formation?" Li Huaibei, instead of being the gentleman he always was, asked in a frigid tone.


    "Yes, I needed to save Bai Ze." Li Yiming could tell that something was off, since it was the first time he had observed this kind of expression in his friend.


    "The seventy-three thousand nine hundred twenty people that live in this city. They will die because of you." Li Huaibei seemed furious at Li Yiming, to the point that he had to restrain himself from showing aggression. He vanished a secondter, with another sh of light.


    "What?" Li Yiming was confused, he looked at Liu Meng, Eyesses, and then at the direction in which Li Huaibei vanished.


    "What?" Eyesses¡¯ countenance shifted before Li Yiming could ask, and Liu Meng opened her mouth wide.


    "What is it?" Li Yiming knew something was wrong.


    "You mean, you didn¡¯t receive it?" Eyesses asked in shock.


    "Receive what?"


    "The instructions from Heaven¡¯s Laws..." Liu Meng said. "Lianyu City is to be destroyed. No one is to be spared."


    * * *


    Stargaze stood on top of the city walls, looking down below at Li Yiming, and then at the blue sky. "Well, this is interesting..."


    * * *


    Inside the business cabin of an international flight, Big Beard sped his fingers around his bottle of brandy as he looked at the three names in red on the screen of his tablet.


    He gulped down a mouthful of liquor before making a sign to the charming flight attendant standing at the end of the corridor.


    "Get me the fastest flight to Tian Shan." Big Beard gave a card to the flight attendant. It was a limited membership card for the highest-grade VIP traveler.


    "Yes, sir." The attendant made a polite salute and walked away.


    Big Beard took another mouthful and looked at the sky outside. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the sea below reflected the blue of the sky, but Big Beard could already see the mountains of corpses and the living hell that was soon toe.


    * * *


    "Are you sure that you want to go there?" Qing Lingling said in a stern voice.


    "I have a feeling that they¡¯re over there."


    "This isn¡¯t something you should be involving yourself in..." Qing Linglong said with some regret in her voice.


    "You know you can¡¯t keep me here." Qing Qiaoqiao was not about to give up.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen it yourself, Liu Meng¡¯s back..." Qing Linglong sighed, heartbroken for her little sister¡¯s sake.


    "That¡¯s something else. We¡¯re not supposed to give up on our teammates, that¡¯s what you¡¯ve taught me."


    "But they didn¡¯t tell us when they entered the domain..."


    "Yes, and you don¡¯t know the reason for that, do you?"


    Qing Linglong was backed into a corner. She took a deep breath and walked toward the window. After a long moment of silence, she picked up her cellphone. "Hey, it¡¯s me. Could you get two tickets for us? Yes... we¡¯re going to Tian Shan..."

 Volume 5 Chapter 27

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 27 ¨C Dilemma</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming sat still, pondering about Li Huaibei¡¯s words as he stared at a pond in the backyard of Xu Yurong¡¯s home. ¡¯The people here, they¡¯ll die because of you!¡¯


    ording to Liu Meng and Eyesses, all of the guardians had received clear instructions from Heaven¡¯s Laws and were on their way to aplish their mission: theplete annihtion of Lianyun City.


    This was not something Li Yiming had foreseen when he broke the formation to free Bai Ze, but it was an inevitable consequence of removing what protected Lianyun City from the attention of Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    Li Yiming felt lost and confused as he looked at Xu Yurong, who was busy helping them settle, and Shen Jianming, who had a broad, happy smile. Liu Meng sat right beside Li Yiming and held his hand silently. Eyesses had also sunk into a dead silence ever since he returned from the city gate.


    "You¡¯re... from the same ce as Jianming?" Xu Yurong had just finished washing the clothes Lin Lu had taken off and approached Li Yiming with a bowl of hot water.


    "He told you that?" Li Yiming was surprised. ¡¯I thought Liu Meng said he forgot everything about his past?¡¯


    "No, it¡¯s the shoes. You¡¯re wearing the same kind of shoes Jianming wore when he arrived. You can¡¯t find this kind of shoes here, in Lianyun City." Xu Yurong exined with a soft voice.


    "Yes. We¡¯re from the same ce. I¡¯m sorry to intrude into your home like this..." Li Yiming stared at his rather in-looking but good-hearted host, and a sharp pain stung his heart once again.


    "Oh no, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s good fortune that you¡¯vee here, it¡¯s just that we have nothing much to wee you with." Xu Yurong seemed a little embarrassed as she waved her hand.


    "Hey, sis, should I go to the fruit orchard right outside of town?" Lirong, the younger sister, seemed to have caught her sister¡¯s emotion and proposed to go y outside, but she had intended to bring some fruits back for their guests.


    "I don¡¯t think you should go out of town at this time." A warning slipped out of Liu Meng¡¯s lips.


    "What time is it now? It¡¯s not toote, is it?" Lirong said with a grimace.


    "It¡¯s okay, let her go, she grew up ying in that forest." Xu Yurong said with a smile, visibly happy that her little sister had finally learned to be more considerate of others. Curiously, it seemed like no one living in Lianyun City was worried or even remembered what had just urred with the protective formation just moments ago.


    "I¡¯ll go with her." Li Yiming put his bowl of water down and stood up slowly.


    "Yiming..." Liu Meng said worriedly.


    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll go take some fresh air." Li Yiming made a sign to his girlfriend and followed Lirong out of the house.


    Li Yiming paid close attention to the people on the streets as he followed Lirong out of the city. ¡¯The people here... they don¡¯t have theforts and the luxuries of modern life, and yet they seem so peaceful and happy...¡¯


    Unlike Li Huaibei, Li Yiming did not have the wisdom to pinpoint the will which was behind the formation of Lianyun City, however, he could feel that every single person living in the city was genuinely happy, including his former teammates, Shen Jianming and Mr. Youfang. ¡¯Well, apparently the people from the second scouting division are also here, and they seem happy...¡¯


    ¡¯If only I hadn¡¯t epted the mission from National Security... And now, this peaceful town, along with the thousands of people that live in it... It¡¯s all my fault."


    "Big brother Yiming, are you a couple with sis Liu Meng?" Lirong seemed to have noticed Li Yiming¡¯s dejection and tried to start a conversation.


    "Yes." Li Yiming nodded and touched Lirong¡¯s head. The little girl was only about ten years old, and she had quite a frail body, perhaps due to ack of proper nutrition. The smile that always hung on her lips reminded Li Yiming of her older sister, and she even had the same freckles on her face.


    "Wow... your wife is really pretty!" Lirongplimented him earnestly.


    "Thank you. You¡¯ll be very pretty as well when you¡¯re grown up..." The rest of the sentence was stuck in Li Yiming¡¯s throat like a fishbone. ¡¯Is she... really going to get to grow up?¡¯


    Li Yiming and Lirong arrived at a fruit orchard right outside of the city. It was hill slope full of wild berry trees. Since the time for the ripening of the fruits was still yet to arrive, most of the trees were bare. Lirong, instead of being discouraged, put down the cloth bag she brought with her and climbed up a fruit tree without any difficulty.


    "Big brother Yiming, have a taste at that! It¡¯s kind of sour, but it should taste really good!" Li Rong threw one of the fruits she picked at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming stared at the fruit for a long while before deciding to put it in his mouth. It was kind of sour, and had a puckery taste.


    "Hey, I¡¯m wondering when I¡¯ll be able to see a little nephew?" Lirong suddenly jumped down from the tree branch and said in a yful voice.


    "It¡¯ll happen soon enough."


    "Yeah! I¡¯ve heard Aunt Li from the other side of the street say that girls with big bottoms are good at giving birth. Well, my older sis has a rather big one..." Lirong suddenly started tough, and she ran away, a little embarrassed by what she had just said.


    Li Yiming heart sank once again. ¡¯Sparing no one... does that include Shen Jianming?¡¯


    A sudden shriek was heard. Li Yiming leaped toward Lirong and reached out with his hand.


    It was an arrow, with the feathers on its rear still trembling. Li Yiming had caught the deadly projectile just a few inches away from Lirong¡¯s heart.


    "What is it?" Lirong turned back when she heard Li Yiming¡¯s movement.


    "It¡¯s nothing..." Li Yiming quickly hid the arrow behind him and looked at the forest in the distance with a severe countenance. ¡¯Good thing that I reacted in time. One... two... three... they¡¯ve arrived this quickly?¡¯


    "Oh, not bad! I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d be able to find someone with such skills here." An amused voice came from the woods.


    "Careful. It¡¯s only the two of us." Another voice was heard.


    Li Yiming squinted when he saw the two people that walked out of the forest. One had a short bow, while the other had a knife. Both of them were dressed rather strangely, each wearing a set of leather armor on top of an outfit consisting of jeans and camouge.


    ¡¯Two of them?¡¯ Li Yiming scrutinized his two enemies carefully. He was certain that there was a third person, perched on a branch not too far away. ¡¯A sniper? He¡¯s trying to make me lower my guard...¡¯


    "Don¡¯t worry, little girl. We¡¯re not bad people. We just want to ask a few things," The woman with the bow asked with a smile.


    "Really? What do you want to now?" Lirong smiled innocently,pletely oblivious to the situation.


    "Leave, now!" Li Yiming suddenly said in a stern voice. ¡¯These people... Li Rong would have been dead... Guardians? Of what?¡¯


    "Oh, quite the character, I see. You think that just because..." The woman with the short bow scoffed. Just as she was about to make fun of Li Yiming, she swallowed down the rest of the sentence instantly; she saw the glowing orb on Li Yiming¡¯s right hand. ¡¯Boundary... A sage?¡¯


    "Don¡¯t make me repeat myself." Li Yiming threatened in a cial tone.


    "So... sorry..." The woman retreated in a panic. The man with the knife, upon noticed Li Yiming¡¯s right hand, also fled with terror, and even stumbled before retreating to the forest.


    "They..." Lirong was confused by the two guardians, who had left as quickly as they had arrived.


    "It¡¯s okay, they¡¯re just lost." Li Yiming put the arrow away and exined with a smile.


    "Lost? Then we should help them find the city..." Lirong did not realize that she had just nearly lost her life.


    "They¡¯ll get there soon enough. It¡¯s close to the gates. We should go home soon. Otherwise, your sister will worry about us." Li Yiming tapped at Lirong¡¯s shoulder gently and looked at the woods once again. ¡¯They¡¯re gone. Including that sniper...¡¯


    "Oh, okay." Lirong was rather obedient and quickly climbed up another fruit tree.


    Back in the backyard, Li Yiming called Liu Meng and Eyesses into a room and closed the door slowly. He took out the arrow he had just collected from the three guardians.


    "This is?" Liu Meng picked up the arrow and examined it closely.


    "They almost killed Lirong," Li Yiming said calmly.


    "What? They¡¯re already here?"


    "Yes, three of them."


    "You fought them?" Eyesses finally broke his long silence.


    Li Yiming looked at his friend and shook his head.


    "They must be the closest and the first to arrive..." Eyesses looked at Li Yiming and said slowly.


    Li Yiming took a deep breath and stayed silent. He could overhear theughs of Shen Jianming and Lirong outside of the room.


    "Yiming..." Liu Meng hesitated.


    "Yiming, you¡¯re the captain of the team, so I might be saying things that are out of ce, but... listen, this is a domain. Even without you and Bai Ze, they would still be put to the same fate..." Eyesses said.


    "What is the will of this domain then?" Li Yiming asked calmly.


    "That has nothing to do with us. Heaven¡¯s Laws give the mission to us guardians!" Eyesses was getting frustrated; he had guessed what Li Yiming was thinking the moment he heard the tone of his voice.


    "Guardians of what exactly?" Li Yiming pressed on with a hoarse voice.


    "This is suicide..." Eyesses spat out.


    "I can leave the team..." Li Yiming picked up the arrow and walked to the table.


    To start by protecting oneself, and to make the entire world a better ce if one is able to. This was Li Yiming¡¯s understanding of what a guardian was. It was to guard and uphold what was right. 1


    Li Yiming would perhaps have had no hesitation to follow the instructions given to all guardians if Lianyun City was full of people whomitted evil deeds, but to ughter everyone in the peaceful city was not something Li Yiming was willing to do, even if it meant going against the will of the Heavens.


    Li Yiming had thought that sooner orter, Lianyun City would have to face the wrath of Heaven¡¯s Laws, only he did not think that not even the slightest amount of pity would be bestowed upon the quiet town.


    ohh, I like where this is going!


    A famous passage from Meng Zi, a very famous piece of work in Confucianism) ?

 Volume 5 Chapter 28

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 28 ¨C Heaven¡¯s Punishment Against Protective Formation</strong></h4>


    "You saved my life," Eyesses said after a long silence and left the room, somewhat frustrated by Li Yiming¡¯s immovable attitude.


    Liu Meng stood up and hugged Li Yiming from behind. Her thought process was simple. If she had to choose between saving the world and herself, she would undoubtedly sacrifice her own life. However, it was a different story when Li Yiming¡¯s life was at stake.


    Xu Yurong prepared a sumptuous meal with three tes full of food, a big bowl of soup, and a wok full of white rice. After Lin Lu had woken up, Eyesses went to check up on her, concluding that she was doing fine, aside from losing her memories. As for Chen Quan, thetter followed Eyesses wherever he went, like a helpless child, and from time to time, he would stare at the sky with a confused expression. As for Shen Jianming, he seemed to havepletely settled into his role as the husband of Xu Yurong, and he would show that happy smile that made even Li Yiming envious whenever he looked at Xu Yurong.


    Li Yiming stuffed his face with rice, almost like a machine. If it was not for Liu Meng, who added some vegetables into his bowl from time to time, he would not even have noticed the other tes on the table.


    Xu Yurong noticed that her guests were quite unhappy. Her own mood sank as she wondered whether it was due to to hercking politeness by preparing a meal which was too simple. ¡¯I¡¯ll try to go get a chicken or a few fishes from the neighbors tomorrow, this should work.¡¯


    As dusk settled in, the Xu sisters busied themselves with putting the dishes away, while the men idled in the backyard, admiring the crimson clouds in the sky.


    Li Yiming took out a pack of cigarettes and gave one to Shen Jianming. Thetter reached out for it before having a second thought and brought it to his mouth. He only snapped out of his habit a secondter, seemingly confused to why he was so familiar with the gesture.


    Li Yiming shook his head, took out his lighter, and lit the cigarette up for Shen Jianming. He looked on as Shen Jianming took a puff and exhaled a mouthful of smoke.


    "Are you happy right now?" Li Yiming took a deep puff himself and asked Shen Jianming.


    ¡°What?" Shen Jianming did not pay attention to Li Yiming¡¯s question, since he was fully engrossed by the cigarette he was smoking.


    "Are you happy with the life you have right now?" Li Yiming asked again.


    "Of course. With a wife like Yurong, what more can I hope for?"


    "Maybe... just maybe... if you had a choice. Would you want to be a general that rides on the battlefield for his country, or a peasant that works the field quietly?"


    ¡°You¡¯ve said it. The work of a general is to protect this life, isn¡¯t it?" Shen Jianming suddenlyughed and answered in a way that Li Yiming would have expected him to.


    "Yes... you¡¯re right." Li Yiming also smiled. He looked at the clouds, which were beginning to turn from pink to purple, and gradually firmed his resolve.


    "It¡¯s begun." Li Yiming extinguished his cigarette, nodded at Liu Meng, and nced at Eyesses apologetically. "Take good care of them." Li Yiming tapped Shen Jianming¡¯s shoulder and walked toward the main entrance to the backyard.


    "It¡¯s going to be night soon, where are you going?" Shen Jianming said hesitantly.


    "I¡¯m just going for a quick walk. I¡¯ll be back soon," Li Yiming answered with a smile.


    * * *


    Li Huaibei sat on the wall near the Southern gate. He held an old gourd, a broken knife, and stared downward serenely. ¡¯Eight years... I was outside of the walls eight years ago... and now I¡¯m sitting on top of them. To ept fate, or to fight against Heaven¡¯s will...¡¯


    * * *


    Stargaze held a cup of tea in one hand and chit-chatted with a middle-aged woman from Lianyun City. she turned her attention toward the distance. ¡¯This much trouble for the formation... what are you up to?¡¯


    * * *


    The clouds turned into a darker shade of purple as the sun finally vanished between the mountain peaks. A full moon appeared in the sky, and, just like before, the nightly sky was lit up by a waterfall of starlight. However, Li Yiming, Liu Meng and Eyesses could feel that the formation had activated itself once again.


    "Look!" Liu Meng pointed at the sky in the North, visibly shocked.


    "Shooting stars?" Li Yiming stared at the sky. He could see a few specks of red light shining in the distance, and he concluded that those were definitely not stars.


    "A meteor shower!" Eyesses was the first to assess the situation.


    "This..." Liu Meng was unsure why a meteor shower would happen at this very moment.


    "The power of the protective formation is not to be underestimated. A normal guardian would not even be able to enter into this realm. It¡¯s trying to create an opening in the formation..."


    "You mean Heaven¡¯s Laws?" Li Yiming stared at the red light that grew brighter and brighter Clearly, the meteor shower was not going to stop at only a few rocks, rather, it seemed like an endless stream of fire was headed their way.


    "Something of this scale can¡¯t be done by mere mortals... Yiming..." Eyesses tried to convince Li Yiming onest time to stay out of the affair. Once Heaven¡¯s Laws decided to intervene directly, the situation became much too dangerous to interfere in.


    "It¡¯s trembling..." Li Yiming ignored Eyesses¡¯ warning and knelt down, putting his right hand on the ground. It was a very subtle, light vibration, but Li Yiming could tell that something was off.


    "An earthquake... and a powerful one at it too..." Eyesses took out a metal rod and nted it into the ground. He looked at the red font: "Magnitude 12".


    * * *


    "Fire from the sky and shifting of the earth? How imposing..." Stargaze bid farewell to the middle-aged woman and made for the Southern Gate.


    * * *


    "You¡¯ll go first, and I¡¯lle right after." Li Huaibei put away his gourd and broken knife, took out a fragment from a yellow scarf, and carefully attached the piece of fabric to his wrist. He tapped the stones from the city wall lightly and closed his eyes. "I have been wrong once, I will not repeat my mistake."


    * * *


    "Look!" Liu Meng turned away from the meteor shower. To her surprise, she saw a grey pir of dust moving slowly toward the city from the southern side.


    "It¡¯s a tornado..." Li Yiming grew more alerted when he saw the pir of dust and debris in the distance. He had anticipated guardians to be his main foes, and with Li Huaibei by his side, at least he was somewhat reassured. However, he did not imagine that before even seeing anyone he could fight, Lianyu City would be facing a series of natural disasters that he had no answers for.


    A loud shriek was suddenly heard, and a giant shadow lifted off from the Western Gate.


    "It¡¯s the Thunder Eagle!" Li Yiming looked at the gigantic shadow in the sky. It was an eagle with purple eyes, colorful feathers, and golden ws, and it flew toward the meteorites resolutely.


    Another roar was heard, and the ground trembled violently before gradually settling down after a brief while.


    "The ck Turtle has gone underground. It stabilized the tremors!" Eyesses looked at his seismograph.


    ¡¯The south...¡¯ Li Yiming turned toward the south, and unsurprisingly, a giant snake suddenly appeared and slithered toward the tornado in the darkness.


    ¡¯Formation against Heaven¡¯s Laws... this looks manageable.¡¯ Li Yiming felt slightly better and clenched his fists.


    "Wait, the Eastern Gate!" Li Yiming suddenly realized what was wrong. Each mythical beast was supposed to guard a single cardinal, but Bai Ze was gone.


    "We need to hurry!" Li Yiming yelled and dashed eastward.


    * * *


    "Using Heaven¡¯s Punishment to repress the power of the formation, and then concentrate on the single weak point. This kind of prudence. Who is it?" Stargaze hid her aura and stared at the Eastern Gate from the yard of a home nearby.


    A golden barrier was erected right outside of the Eastern Gate. Rays of colorful light, like raindrops, battered against it, but to no avail. The guardians who were trying to break in finallymenced their assault.


    "What is this golden wok made of? No matter, an object with no will of its own won¡¯tst. It won¡¯t take too long before it breaks." Stargaze shook her head disappointingly. She then brought out a wooden chair and slowly sat down on it.


    "Li Yiming? What is he doing here? He¡¯s not thinking about..." Stargaze jumped up right after sitting down. She sensed Li Yiming¡¯s presence, who had just arrived at the Eastern Gate along with Liu Meng and Eyesses.


    "He¡¯s going to work from the inside as well? I underestimated him..." Stargaze was impressed by Li Yiming acute senses. "But how are you going to achieve something that not even I have been able to?" Stargaze had attempted to approach the golden wok twice before, and failed both times.


    <i>¡®Captain Li Yiming has left Dissonance... Member Liu Meng has left Dissonance...¡¯</i> Eyesses smiled bitterly as he looked at the rays of light barraging the golden barrier. However, he still felt bitter when he heard the voice ring out in his mind.


    "You..." Eyesses looked at the two in shock.


    "It¡¯s my personal decision. You don¡¯t need to risk it with us..." Li Yiming turned back to let Eyesses know that he was sorry.


    "You¡¯ve saved my life, I owe you..." Eyesses was angry.


    "I hope you can live on."


    "You..."


    "Leave. If you still think of me as a friend, then stay out of this."


    Eyesses smiled bitterly again. He knew what Li Yiming¡¯s decision meant. For his own sake, he could not help Li Yiming fight the guardians that had gathered outside of the city, but he would also noty a hand on the people inside the city out of consideration for Li Yiming.

 Volume 5 Chapter 29

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 29 ¨C Golden Wok</strong></h4>


    Eyesses left Lianyun City.


    He hesitated and wavered, but Li Yiming¡¯s pleas were enough to convince him to reconsider his cemented opinion about the righteousness of Heaven¡¯s Laws, which was an achievement in itself for someone who could have been called a veteran guardian.


    Liu Meng held Li Yiming¡¯s arm and slowly rested her head down on his shoulder. The two waited quietly as the barrier became closer and closer to being shattered.


    Li Yiming did not try to convince Liu Meng to leave. He knew from the moment Liu Meng sacrificed herself in Shangbei that she would never agree to abandon him and let him risk his life alone. But if there was any regret Li Yiming had about his decision, it would be to have dragged Liu Meng into the affair.


    The ground trembled rhythmically like a massive drum. The giant rainbow-colored eagle had flown headfirst into the meteor shower, and with every p of its wings, bolts of lightning obliterated the rocks around it in a giant explosion. However, there was not a hint of the meteors stopping as they formed a never-ending waterfall of fire from the sky.


    Deep in the mountains to the south of the city, a shriek was heard as the giant trees were uprooted and thrown into the tornado that raged on. A shadow slithered and twisted in the middle of it, preventing it from nearing Lianyun City by a single inch.


    As ripples continued to form on the golden barrier, Li Yiming appreciated just how strong the golden barrier was. With every explosion came a small tremor, but the barrier would recover right away. The golden light emitted by the wok continued to intensify, and it brightened to the point where it became painful to look at.


    ¡¯This feeling... rage?" Li Yiming raised his head, looking at the tform on which the wok was set. ¡¯This wok... it¡¯s feeling anger? But why am I able to capture its emotion?¡¯


    For a moment, Li Yiming almost lost control of his own emotions. ¡¯Wait... there¡¯s something wrong ...¡¯ He nced at Liu Meng, who was somehow able to notice the influence the object had on Li Yiming¡¯s mental state.


    Li Yiming focused on the wok and suddenly realized that he was no longer affected by the blinding golden light. Instead, he could see its rustic design in its entirety.


    Ding!


    Li Yiming thought he heard a chime somewhere in the distance.


    ¡¯This...¡¯ Li Yiming knew that he was onto something important; the runic glyph that had saved his life twice already lit up once again, only shing for a moment, but Li Yiming was sure that he did not hallucinate.


    "Stay here for a bit, I¡¯m gonna go have a look." Li Yiming said to Liu Meng and activated Thundersh.


    "Oh? He¡¯s going to do it?" Stargaze looked at Li Yiming, who had reached the top of the stage, right where the wokid. Thetter had given her too many surprises already.


    The golden wok looked just like a worn out piece of kitchenware one would find in any home, but Li Yiming felt a strange connection with the object, as if it was somehow his sibling, just like the first time he met Bai Ze.


    Li Yiming lifted his arm hesitantly and grazed the edge of the giant wok.


    The next moment, Li Yiming sank into a ce of total darkness. He pulled back his right hand, terrified, but the golden wok was no longer there. Instead, he was now facing a rather short man dressed in grey robes who stared nkly at him.


    "Mr. Kong?" Li Yiming cried out. Standing in front of him was Mr. Kong, the man who had started it all.


    Li Yiming¡¯s call did not provoke any kind of response. Instead, Mr. Kong continued to look at him.


    "You told me that you wanted to battle the Heavens and y the gods, and I¡¯ve followed through with joy, through pain and danger, and then..." Mr. Kong slowly closed his eyes and said in a hoarse, trembling voice.


    "The only time I didn¡¯t listen to you... I regret it... I don¡¯t..."


    Li Yiming suddenly felt an unbelievable sadness, as if his heart was being stabbed at, and his Heavenly Vein was being ripped apart.


    "He looks just like you... I thought you came back to me... and I believed everything he said..."


    "But he wasn¡¯t you... "


    "What more can I hope for? I am only a broken husk of what I once was, a splinter of the soul I once possessed, so I had to give up..."


    "I wanted to stay by that conviction until the end, until it vanished..."


    "But I was wrong once again."


    Mr. Kong suddenly reopened his eyes and stared at Li Yiming. Those eyes were unlike any Li Yiming had ever seen, and they glittered in the darkness like gemstones. Li Yiming felt as if Mr. Kong¡¯s stare pierced his entire being.


    "To exchange your body for a fresh start, and to split your soul from it... You¡¯ve been more decisive than me." Mr. Kong said with a smile and moved his boney hand toward Li Yiming¡¯s chest.


    Li Yiming¡¯s first reaction was to dodge, but he found himself unable to move. When Mr. Kong¡¯s hand touched him, his body convulsed violently and he lost consciousness.


    Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming worriedly as he climbed the stage and reached the wok. The moment Li Yiming touched the giant golden wok, it suddenly broke down into dust and Li Yiming fell from the stage.


    "Yiming!" Liu Meng cried out and dashed to catch him.


    "What did he...?" Stargaze waspletely baffled. The wok even she was unable to touch was shattered into a million pieces the moment Li Yimingid his hand on it.


    However, as the object broke, so did the barrier which protected the city.


    The giant eagle in the skies emitted a painful shriek and attempted to retreat, but a sudden intensifying of the meteor shower nailed it to where it was. As the magnitude of the tremors increased, the homes in Lianyun City began to copse, and the residents ran toward the streets. For the first time in their lives, the people of this city felt terrorized.


    In the south, the tornado spun more and more violently. All of the vegetation and the earth had been ripped away from the mountainous rocks, and even Teng She was to be unable to hold the violent gusts of winds at bay for much longer.


    "It¡¯s our chance!" A frenzied roar was heard. The next moment, hundreds of shing lights rushed toward the city gate, each being a bloodthirsty guardian.


    Liu Meng put Li Yiming down and calmly stood up against the hundreds of people in front of her as mes wrapped the entirety of her body: she had no second option.


    "Those who dare enter will die!" An angry shout was heard. A giant sword suddenly fell from the sky and left a cut a giant ditch right in front of the Eastern Gate.


    "Li Huaibei?" Liu Meng was overjoyed at the seeing the man who floated above her.


    Li Huaibei looked at the guardians below him with a stern expression. A silhouette was seen inside of the giant sword shadow behind him: it was Di Jiang, his sword spirit.


    "A sage..." Li Huaibei¡¯s blow had been enough to intimidate the guardians, who knew very well the saying that "sages cannot be defeated with numbers alone".


    "What is he trying to do?" Stargaze was unable to grasp the situation. ¡¯Is he... trying to fight against Heaven¡¯s Laws?¡¯


    "Li Huaibei? Ma Dafang would be proud of you... He can rest in peace now." A calm voice came from the guardians¡¯ side. A tall but skinny man, with his hands behind his back, walked out.


    "Yun Yiyuan..." Li Huaibei frowned when he identified his opponent. ¡¯Yun Yiyuan... the Spear That Pierces the Clouds... He¡¯s being talked about with Bing Shuai and Stargaze... And rumors has it that he defeated Bing Shuai with three moves...¡¯


    "I¡¯ve heard that there was a sage inside the city... I didn¡¯t think it was you Did you break the formation? But what are you going to do now? Go against the Heavens?" Yu Yiyuan approached the furrow Li Huaibei traced in the ground and kicked a pebble into it rather nonchntly.


    Li Huaibei stayed silent. He slowly raised his sword in Yun Yiyuan¡¯s direction.


    "Oh? Seems like you¡¯ve inherited Ma Dafang¡¯s temper at least. Let me see how you measure to him..." Yun Yiyuan¡¯s voice turned cold, and a silvery spear appeared in his hands as he leaped toward Li Huaibei.


    Right as the two sages made contact in the sky, a ripple traversed the sky, engulfing the two behind it.


    "Boundary... I wonder how long Li Huaibei willst..." Stargaze said to herself, and then looked at Liu Meng. ¡¯Is she... thinking about doing the same?¡¯


    "Little girl, are you also with him?" As the two sages vanished, the rest of the guardians looked at Liu Meng, simultaneously amused and curious about Liu Meng, who had chosen also to fight against them, which was not something one could see every day. The guardians decided to take their time with Liu Meng before attacking the people in Lianyun City, who were nothing more than ordinary citizens. Moreover, Li Huaibei¡¯s demise was only a question of time against Yun Yiyuan, who was considered to be the strongest guardian in the world.


    Well, I guess Li Yiming did something ipetent again...

 Volume 5 Chapter 30

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 30 - Protection</strong></h4>


    "The people here are innocent. How can do you such a thing?" Liu Meng spat out as the guardians encircled her and came closer.


    "Innocent? Are you new here?" A toned man, covered by a full-body armor, scoffed at Liu Meng¡¯s question.


    "We should hurry up." An old man rather short in stature walked out from behind, looking up at the thunderous sky while waving his dragon staff.


    "You brought this upon yourself." A woman wielding dual des suddenly charged toward Liu Meng. She spun around in the air, preparing to deliver a deadly sh to Liu Meng¡¯s chest, .


    "Don¡¯te here!" Liu Meng yelled and before she knew it, her hands pushed forward, erecting a wall of fire between her and her assant.


    The woman was no longer in a position to halt her attack, so she gritted her teeth and made ready to burst through the wall of mes and cut Liu Meng down. However, her body disintegrated as soon as she made contact with the fire, leaving nothing behind but cinder.


    "Phoenix fire?" Someone from the crowd recognized Liu Meng¡¯s power.


    "It¡¯s pretty high level too..." Someone else added.


    "NO! I¡¯ll kill you for that!" The man in full armor roared in anger and picked up his broadsword. He jumped over the ditch Li Huaibei carved into the earth and charged at Liu Meng.


    "Weing Phoenix!" Liu Meng waved her hand at the man, and a small bird made of mes flew toward the assaulting man.


    Although he was expecting some kind of counter-attack from Liu Meng, the bird flew at such an extraordinary speed that he could barely raise his sword to try to parry it before it touched him. Instead of a deafening explosion, there was only a sizzling noise as the broadsword melted into a liquid puddle while the bird continued its journey after burning through the man¡¯s torso.


    The guardians who stood behind him, upon seeing thetter copse with a gaping hole in his chest, scattered immediately, each fearing for their own life. The firebird continued its flight onto the city walls, traversing with no signs of slowing down and soon disappeared into the distance.


    A dead silence reigned for a moment in the crowd. Some were even starting to wonder whether Liu Meng¡¯s was yet another sage.


    "Hundreds of us, and you¡¯re scared of a little girl? Pathetic!" A voice was suddenly heard, and Liu Meng could already see her next challenger.


    Liu Meng raised her hand again, sending three firebirds toward her enemy. However, this time, the attacker proved to have a much faster reaction, and after a few leaps, he appeared behind Liu Meng and thrusted his dagger toward Liu Meng¡¯s heart.


    Clink!


    Another dagger appeared out of nowhere and blocked the one which was about to pierce Liu Meng¡¯s heart. A man with a pale countenance appeared behind Liu Meng.


    The attacker jumped back and threw a cold stare at the new arriver. ¡¯So fast...¡¯


    "Eyesses..." Liu Meng turned back and saw her friend, who did not answer her call. Eyessses held his dagger with both hands and looked around, somewhat hesitantly.


    "Another one? Today is a bargain sale for those who don¡¯t fear death, I see..." The old man who led the group of guardians said as he raised his dragon staff and smashed it down toward the ground. A shadow that had the shape of a dragon appeared from where he stood and slithered toward Liu Meng.


    "Moooooh!"


    A strange growl was heard, and the dragon shadow suddenly stopped in its track, swimming back toward the old man even faster than when it emerged. The staff itself began to vibrate violently, preventing the old man from holding his weapon still.


    "What is that!" The guardians looked in the direction of the growl and saw a hideous monstrosity appear from behind the ruins of a house.


    It was a chimerical creature with a human head, an ox¡¯ body, a tiger¡¯s ws, and a serpent¡¯s tail. It dragged its five-meter-long body toward the guardians menacingly.


    "Sai Gao..." Eyesses recognized the creature.


    "I¡¯m different from you. It¡¯s my duty to guard this ce." Sai Gao interposed himself between the guardians and Liu Meng, ncing briefly at Li Yiming, who was still unconscious.


    "A beast tamer..." A few whispers were heard. The guardians were confused at the continuous arrival of new enemies, including Li Huaibei, fighting against Heaven¡¯s Laws which they promised to serve the day they climbed the Stage of Ascension.


    "That¡¯s not for us to worry about. Their demise is set... " One guardian took down an object which hung by his belt. A momentter and aser de appeared, its tip pointing at Liu Meng.


    The other guardians also brandished their weapons, and slowly their expressions hardened. Most of them were not fearing a fight but were simply confused that someone from their ranks would oppose them on such a mission. However, the person who just spoke reminded them that reasons and motives mattered very little; what mattered ultimately was the annihtion of Lianyun City.


    A savage roar resonated throughout the battlefield. It was not the guardians who struck first, but Sai Gao, who was imbued with the powers of Ya Yu and Bai Xi. He rushed into the crowd of guardians with bloodthirsty eyes. He did not care much about Li Yiming reason for betraying his own kind. His main focus was to kill all of the guardians who stood in front of him.


    A bloody massacre erupted in an instant. Sai Gao was outnumbered by a hundred to one, and yet he used every single limb of his body to fearlessly kill his enemies, like a fierce tiger fighting a pack of wolves.


    Liu Meng, who was still enveloped by fire, shot one firebird after another. After witnessing the power of these delicate creatures earlier, no guardian dared to underestimate their destructive power.


    Eyesses also roamed around inconspicuously. After taking the vampiric serum, his speed had increased to an outstanding level, and he used it to protect Liu Meng. They both, however, could not move too far from where they stood as they needed to protect Li Yiming.


    Although Liu Meng, Eyesses, and Sai Gao were both capable in their own rights, the foes they faced were not innocuous either. Most of them waited patiently for an opening to deliver a fatal blow, and, in the absence of it, tried to create their own opportunities.


    After deflecting a bullet for a third time, a dagger suddenly appeared behind Eyesses ¡ª a vicious sh was aimed at his throat.


    Just as Eyesses bent his body backward to dodge the attack, an almost transparent, ethereal arrow was shot at him. The moment Eyesses saw the projectile, he knew that he had no way out; if he dodged, Liu Meng would be struck down by it.


    Eyesses gritted his teeth and prepared to parry the dagger at the cost of getting hit by the arrow. The man who was attacking Eyesses was ready to use the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow once the arrow was about to hit his target.


    However, the next instant, he suddenly felt the ground beneath him warm up. A pir of fire burst out from where he stood, and he was consumed by the mes in an instant. The arrow also flew into the fire and quietly burned away.


    Eyesses let out a sigh of relief, but before he could say his thanks to Liu Meng, he suddenly felt a sting at his left shoulder.


    Pow!


    A gunshot noise was heard the next instant. It was the same kind of sniper rifle he used to use. ¡¯A taste of my own medicine, huh...¡¯


    The moment Eyesses recoiled from the impact of the bullet, a blue bamboo stick appeared on the side of Liu Meng and made its way toward her chest. It was a young girl in her mid-twenties, wearing training pants, a jacket, and a pair of ck running shoes, just like one would expect from a normal city girl. She had been waiting for an opportunity for a while already, and contrary to her young and naive demeanor, she had the experience and viciousness to find the right moment for the fatal blow.


    Liu Meng had barely just finished casting her spell, leaving her defenseless, whereas Eyesses had yet to recover from being hit by the rifle shot.


    ¡¯You¡¯re dead...¡¯ The girl smiled at the sight of her bamboo stick piercing Liu Meng¡¯s heart.


    However, the scene that unraveled before the eyes of the other guardians waspletely different from what the girl was witnessing. Although she chose the opportune moment to strike, she stabbed air which was more than half a meter away from where Liu Meng stood.


    Just as the rest of the guardians wondered why she missed by such a wide margin, a blue crescent appeared right next to Liu Meng and also flew at her.


    ¡¯The perfect timing...¡¯ Some of the guardians thought.


    Instead of going for Liu Meng, it suddenly changed trajectory and cut the girl with the bamboo weapon into two. The bloodstained bamboo stick onto the ground with a clonk.


    ¡¯Seriously?¡¯ Some people were speechless. Not only had the blow missed, but it caused a friendly casualty.


    Before the guardians could try toprehend the situation a giant mech arrived right above Li Yiming, shooting outsers and projectiles from the cannon tubes at its chest. Most of the guardians scattered while uttering insults at the person who had been stupid enough to try something like that. However, they quickly realized that it was, in fact, not an area of effect attack. Li Yiming and his friends were unscathed.


    The mecha soon ceased fire and floated quietly in the air. The guardians raised their head and looked at the giant robot. Some had already recognized the model of the mecha: a level five construct.


    The woman who killed her friend by "ident" earlier jumped out of the crowd andnded in front of Liu Meng. She nced at Eyesses and shouted in an angry voice.


    "Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?"

 Volume 5 Chapter 30-31

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 30 ¨C Protection</strong></h4>


    "The people here are innocent. How can do you such a thing?" Liu Meng spat out as the guardians encircled her and came closer.


    "Innocent? Are you new here?" A toned man, covered by a full-body armor, scoffed at Liu Meng¡¯s question.


    "We should hurry up." An old man rather short in stature walked out from behind, looking up at the thunderous sky while waving his dragon staff.


    "You brought this upon yourself." A woman wielding dual des suddenly charged toward Liu Meng. She spun around in the air, preparing to deliver a deadly sh to Liu Meng¡¯s chest, .


    "Don¡¯te here!" Liu Meng yelled and before she knew it, her hands pushed forward, erecting a wall of fire between her and her assant.


    The woman was no longer in a position to halt her attack, so she gritted her teeth and made ready to burst through the wall of mes and cut Liu Meng down. However, her body disintegrated as soon as she made contact with the fire, leaving nothing behind but cinder.


    "Phoenix fire?" Someone from the crowd recognized Liu Meng¡¯s power.


    "It¡¯s pretty high level too..." Someone else added.


    "NO! I¡¯ll kill you for that!" The man in full armor roared in anger and picked up his broadsword. He jumped over the ditch Li Huaibei carved into the earth and charged at Liu Meng.


    "Weing Phoenix!" Liu Meng waved her hand at the man, and a small bird made of mes flew toward the assaulting man.


    Although he was expecting some kind of counter-attack from Liu Meng, the bird flew at such an extraordinary speed that he could barely raise his sword to try to parry it before it touched him. Instead of a deafening explosion, there was only a sizzling noise as the broadsword melted into a liquid puddle while the bird continued its journey after burning through the man¡¯s torso.


    The guardians who stood behind him, upon seeing thetter copse with a gaping hole in his chest, scattered immediately, each fearing for their own life. The firebird continued its flight onto the city walls, traversing with no signs of slowing down and soon disappeared into the distance.


    A dead silence reigned for a moment in the crowd. Some were even starting to wonder whether Liu Meng¡¯s was yet another sage.


    "Hundreds of us, and you¡¯re scared of a little girl? Pathetic!" A voice was suddenly heard, and Liu Meng could already see her next challenger.


    Liu Meng raised her hand again, sending three firebirds toward her enemy. However, this time, the attacker proved to have a much faster reaction, and after a few leaps, he appeared behind Liu Meng and thrusted his dagger toward Liu Meng¡¯s heart.


    Clink!


    Another dagger appeared out of nowhere and blocked the one which was about to pierce Liu Meng¡¯s heart. A man with a pale countenance appeared behind Liu Meng.


    The attacker jumped back and threw a cold stare at the new arriver. ¡¯So fast...¡¯


    "Eyesses..." Liu Meng turned back and saw her friend, who did not answer her call. Eyessses held his dagger with both hands and looked around, somewhat hesitantly.


    "Another one? Today is a bargain sale for those who don¡¯t fear death, I see..." The old man who led the group of guardians said as he raised his dragon staff and smashed it down toward the ground. A shadow that had the shape of a dragon appeared from where he stood and slithered toward Liu Meng.


    "Moooooh!"


    A strange growl was heard, and the dragon shadow suddenly stopped in its track, swimming back toward the old man even faster than when it emerged. The staff itself began to vibrate violently, preventing the old man from holding his weapon still.


    "What is that!" The guardians looked in the direction of the growl and saw a hideous monstrosity appear from behind the ruins of a house.


    It was a chimerical creature with a human head, an ox¡¯ body, a tiger¡¯s ws, and a serpent¡¯s tail. It dragged its five-meter-long body toward the guardians menacingly.


    "Sai Gao..." Eyesses recognized the creature.


    "I¡¯m different from you. It¡¯s my duty to guard this ce." Sai Gao interposed himself between the guardians and Liu Meng, ncing briefly at Li Yiming, who was still unconscious.


    "A beast tamer..." A few whispers were heard. The guardians were confused at the continuous arrival of new enemies, including Li Huaibei, fighting against Heaven¡¯s Laws which they promised to serve the day they climbed the Stage of Ascension.


    "That¡¯s not for us to worry about. Their demise is set... " One guardian took down an object which hung by his belt. A momentter and aser de appeared, its tip pointing at Liu Meng.


    The other guardians also brandished their weapons, and slowly their expressions hardened. Most of them were not fearing a fight but were simply confused that someone from their ranks would oppose them on such a mission. However, the person who just spoke reminded them that reasons and motives mattered very little; what mattered ultimately was the annihtion of Lianyun City.


    A savage roar resonated throughout the battlefield. It was not the guardians who struck first, but Sai Gao, who was imbued with the powers of Ya Yu and Bai Xi. He rushed into the crowd of guardians with bloodthirsty eyes. He did not care much about Li Yiming reason for betraying his own kind. His main focus was to kill all of the guardians who stood in front of him.


    A bloody massacre erupted in an instant. Sai Gao was outnumbered by a hundred to one, and yet he used every single limb of his body to fearlessly kill his enemies, like a fierce tiger fighting a pack of wolves.


    Liu Meng, who was still enveloped by fire, shot one firebird after another. After witnessing the power of these delicate creatures earlier, no guardian dared to underestimate their destructive power.


    Eyesses also roamed around inconspicuously. After taking the vampiric serum, his speed had increased to an outstanding level, and he used it to protect Liu Meng. They both, however, could not move too far from where they stood as they needed to protect Li Yiming.


    Although Liu Meng, Eyesses, and Sai Gao were both capable in their own rights, the foes they faced were not innocuous either. Most of them waited patiently for an opening to deliver a fatal blow, and, in the absence of it, tried to create their own opportunities.


    After deflecting a bullet for a third time, a dagger suddenly appeared behind Eyesses ¡ª a vicious sh was aimed at his throat.


    Just as Eyesses bent his body backward to dodge the attack, an almost transparent, ethereal arrow was shot at him. The moment Eyesses saw the projectile, he knew that he had no way out; if he dodged, Liu Meng would be struck down by it.


    Eyesses gritted his teeth and prepared to parry the dagger at the cost of getting hit by the arrow. The man who was attacking Eyesses was ready to use the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow once the arrow was about to hit his target.


    However, the next instant, he suddenly felt the ground beneath him warm up. A pir of fire burst out from where he stood, and he was consumed by the mes in an instant. The arrow also flew into the fire and quietly burned away.


    Eyesses let out a sigh of relief, but before he could say his thanks to Liu Meng, he suddenly felt a sting at his left shoulder.


    Pow!


    A gunshot noise was heard the next instant. It was the same kind of sniper rifle he used to use. ¡¯A taste of my own medicine, huh...¡¯


    The moment Eyesses recoiled from the impact of the bullet, a blue bamboo stick appeared on the side of Liu Meng and made its way toward her chest. It was a young girl in her mid-twenties, wearing training pants, a jacket, and a pair of ck running shoes, just like one would expect from a normal city girl. She had been waiting for an opportunity for a while already, and contrary to her young and naive demeanor, she had the experience and viciousness to find the right moment for the fatal blow.


    Liu Meng had barely just finished casting her spell, leaving her defenseless, whereas Eyesses had yet to recover from being hit by the rifle shot.


    ¡¯You¡¯re dead...¡¯ The girl smiled at the sight of her bamboo stick piercing Liu Meng¡¯s heart.


    However, the scene that unraveled before the eyes of the other guardians waspletely different from what the girl was witnessing. Although she chose the opportune moment to strike, she stabbed air which was more than half a meter away from where Liu Meng stood.


    Just as the rest of the guardians wondered why she missed by such a wide margin, a blue crescent appeared right next to Liu Meng and also flew at her.


    ¡¯The perfect timing...¡¯ Some of the guardians thought.


    Instead of going for Liu Meng, it suddenly changed trajectory and cut the girl with the bamboo weapon into two. The bloodstained bamboo stick onto the ground with a clonk.


    ¡¯Seriously?¡¯ Some people were speechless. Not only had the blow missed, but it caused a friendly casualty.


    Before the guardians could try toprehend the situation a giant mech arrived right above Li Yiming, shooting outsers and projectiles from the cannon tubes at its chest. Most of the guardians scattered while uttering insults at the person who had been stupid enough to try something like that. However, they quickly realized that it was, in fact, not an area of effect attack. Li Yiming and his friends were unscathed.


    The mecha soon ceased fire and floated quietly in the air. The guardians raised their head and looked at the giant robot. Some had already recognized the model of the mecha: a level five construct.


    The woman who killed her friend by "ident" earlier jumped out of the crowd andnded in front of Liu Meng. She nced at Eyesses and shouted in an angry voice.


    "Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 31 ¨C Demon¡¯s Awakening</strong></h4>


    She had barely made it to Tian Shan in time, only to receive news that Li Yiming and Liu Meng had quit the team. That was then followed by Liu Meng getting surrounded by hundreds of hostile guardians. With very little time to think, Qing Qiaoqiao used her charm to immediately hypnotize the girl with the bamboo stick, leaving Qing Linglong to finish her off.


    Then, Big Beard also showed up in time.


    "I don¡¯t think now¡¯s the time for exnations." Big Beard¡¯s voice came from the amplifiers attached to the mecha. He had an ominous feeling as he looked at the masses of guardians who surrounded Liu Meng. ¡¯Is this why you¡¯ve decided to quit the team?¡¯


    Qing Qiaoqiao stood in the crowd, worried sick about Li Yiming, whom she saw lying unconscious at Liu Meng¡¯s feet, but she knew that it was not the right time to expose herself, since her talent would be useless if she joined the rest of her team.


    "A couple more suicidal people aren¡¯t gonna change anything." A snort of contempt was heard, and the guardians pointed their weapons at the giant mecha in the air.


    Boom!


    Six mortar shells and four fireballs were simultaneously hurled at Big Beard.


    A stream of fire burst out of the left side of the mecha, swiftlyunching itself to the right, and sessfully dodging four of the iing attacks while the rest were parried by the triangr shield attached to the mecha¡¯s right arm. As the projectiles exploded, the mecha used the force of the st to propel itself higher into the air and continued to bombard the crowd of guardians with itsser guns.


    Liu Meng continued to shoot out firebirds as well, but at a significantly slower pace than at the start of the fight. Her sporadic attacks, coupled with the suppressive fire of Big Beard, made a quite deadlybo.


    Even with Qing Linglong reinforcing him, Eyesses¡¯ task of keeping the entire squad safe was no less easy. At first, the guardians were carefully testing out the waters more than anything, but as the battle prolonged, they started to show more aggression, and some had even begun to use their ace in the hole that they only reserved for their worst enemies. If it were not for Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s interference at every crucial moment, Li Yiming and his friends would have been dead a long time ago.


    Even with Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s assistance, Eyesses, Qing Linglong, and even Liu Meng, were beginning to suffer wounds. Liu Meng, in particr, had received a nasty gunshot wound to her left leg.


    However, the infighting between the guardians were nothingpared to the massacre that Sai Gaomitted. Thetter had no choice, no pity, and already lost track of how many bodies he had ripped apart.


    Sai Gao shed his paw and crushed yet another skull. With a whip of his tail, he struck away a guardian who was ready to attack him from behind. After removing the sword which was nted in his abdomen, his body grew even bigger. The golden glow on his serpent tail suddenly dimmed, and the two guardians he stared at with his red irises suddenly fell down on the ground, lifeless. This was Bai Xi¡¯s secret technique, death stare.


    However, just as Sai Gaomitted to his attack, he received four more blows in his back. Each of which cut through his flesh and reached his bones. One arrow pierced through his ribs and even brought out what looked like a piece of intestine.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Three loud explosions were heard. The stronger guardians finally made their move. Three mechas of equal size to Big Beard¡¯s mecha propelled themselves into the air, along with what looked like a golden skrk. This choked Big Beard¡¯s suppressive fire instantly, as he had to be careful when fighting as his new foes, even when each of them was one level inferior.


    Liu Meng¡¯s firebirds wereing out even slower than before, and even her walls of fire were not as imposing anymore. As the main killing threat, she had finally begun to tire herself out, but she knew full well that she could not give up, especially not with Li Yiming at her feet,pletely defenseless.


    It was obvious to the guardians that their enemies were wearing themselves out. Qing Linglong and Eyesses were covered with wounds. Eyesses had already slowed down considerably and Qing Linglong¡¯s crescent des were beginning to turn dull from the frequent shing at her enemies.


    "I¡¯m sorry..." It was an expected situation, but Liu Meng knew very well that she was the one who dragged her teammates into this deadly struggle.


    Her teammates did not answer her and simply continued to kill those who stood in front of them.


    A piercing shriek was heard in the sky. Sai Gao raised his head and his heart sank.


    It was the Thunder Eagle, who fell with a broken, charred left wing: it had finally sumbed to the rain of fire.


    After all, a mythical beast, without the augmentation from the formation, was nothing more than a mortal creature, destined for defeat against the onught of Heaven¡¯s Law. Fortunately, the meteor shower stopped as well, as if some kind of intricate bnce was being kept even amidst all the chaos.


    "Moooh!" Sai Gao emitted a painful groan and whipped the ground with his tail. Bloody tears flowed out of his red eyes.


    The next moment, an ethereal shadow came out of the eagle¡¯s corpse. It was a miniature ck sparrow with golden ws, purple eyes, and colorful feathers. It flew straight into Sai Gai¡¯s head at an incredible speed.


    As Thunder Eagle gave its soul to Sai Gao, thetter¡¯s roar grew even louder. A guardian, who had jumped into the air and was about to chop Sai Gao down with his battleax, was pinned into the air by something that had emerged from Sai Gao¡¯s back.


    It was a pair of wings, decorated with colorful feathers that were as sharp as steel des. As the wings pped, Sai Gao¡¯s size grew into an eight-meter beast.


    Sai Gao emitted another roar, only this time it was different from the cow-like noise before. Sai Gao flew into the air with his newly-acquired wings, looking more and more like an ancient dragon.


    "No more holding back. We need to finish them off quickly." An angry shout was heard from the ranks of the guardians. One of them jumped into the air with a giant cannon mounted to his shoulders. Therge, hollow cannon tube was covered with golden glyphs, and tremendous power was gathering within it.


    He knew that Liu Meng and her friends were protecting Li Yiming, who was still unconscious. Therefore, he would force them to move.


    "Southern-fire Beam? Move!" Eyesses yelled. He knew the power of a level-five st.


    Eyesses sprinted away along with Qing Linglong. A pair of wings made of fire grew out from Liu Meng¡¯s back, and she pulled Li Yiming away from where he lied.


    A deafening explosion was heard, and a small mushroom cloud formed where the three stood seconds ago. Even the guardians scattered, afraid to be caught in friendly fire.


    The violent gusts of winds resulting from the st blew Liu Meng and her friends apart and broke their defensive formation against the guardians.


    Liu Meng, who carried Li Yiming on her back, rolled a few times on the ground. Before she could even stand back up, ance that struck at her from above forced her to let go of Li Yiming and jump sideways.


    "I¡¯ll kill you first!" A blow was directed at Li Yiming.


    "Yiming!" Liu Meng yelled right as Li Yiming was about to be beheaded.


    Just as the de was barely an inch away from Li Yiming¡¯s neck, it was suddenly caught by two fingers.


    "Yiming!" Liu Meng dodged yet another attack and was overjoyed at seeing Li Yiming wake up from hisa.


    A sizzling noise was heard, and the man who struck at Li Yiming copsed with a puff of smokee out of his head. Li Yiming sat up with a sudden movement that was seemed extremely unnatural.


    "Hehehe... hehehe... hehe...." Li Yiming produced a sinisterugh that Liu Meng had never heard before.


    "Aaaah!" The three guardians around him did not care about Li Yiming¡¯s bizarre behavior. They only wanted to see their enemy dead.


    A st of electricity, and the three stopped dead in their tracks, their bodies charred by a million volts.


    "Hehehe... Hehehe..." Li Yiming let out another sinisterugh. He finally opened his eyes, which werepletely ck. It looked like he was possessed by some kind of demon, and the temperature around him suddenly fell.


    Li Yiming slowly raised his hands, his eyes fixated on his fingers, as if they were some kind of work of art.


    "Hehe... Hehehe..." The creepyughter was heard once again.


    The next moment, Li Yiming suddenly vanished and appeared in front of seven different enemies at the same time. The seven blurry silhouettes thrust their fists into the chest of their respective enemies simultaneously and disappeared right afterwards.


    Li Yiming had returned to where he stood the next moment. As his enemies copsed, he raised his hand and licked the crimson liquid on the tip of his fingers.


    Is male vanity proportional to the size of one¡¯s non-existent harem? <i>(:thinkingface)</i>

 Volume 5 Chapter 32

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 32 ¨C Massacre</strong></h4>


    "Yiming..." Liu Meng said worriedly. She knew that something was terribly wrong with Li Yiming.


    The guardians surrounding Li Yiming and his friends paused their offensive and grouped up. The abilities of this man with long, white hair waspletely unknown them, and from the looks of the attack that was just unleashed upon them, they deemed him to be someone not to be trifled with.


    "What incredible speed... I almost thought he split himself in seven too... This isn¡¯t the power of Li Yiming. Who is he?" Stargaze mumbled with a frown.


    "Hehe... Hehehe..." Li Yiming continued his maniacalughter. He raised his right hand slowly and a ball of ck thunder formed on top of his palm.


    The guardians heightened their senses and prepared for Li Yiming¡¯s oing attack. Suddenly, right as he raised his hand before lowering it again, hepletely vanished before his hand made contact with the ground. The next second, he appeared in the middle of a group of six guardians andmenced his attack.


    "Shit!" The group of guardians Li Yiming chose as his target were all too slow to deploy their defenses, and the ball of thunder hit the ground before they could react.


    A sizzling noise was heard, and the six guardians which stood around Li Yiming were enveloped by ck sparks. Only one of them was quick enough to attempt to leap out of Li Yiming¡¯s area of attack, but he realized to his horror that a hand was mped firmly around his ankle as he made his jump.


    "No!" The guardian screamed in horror. The next moment, the world around him spun as he was thrown into the air.


    As he reoriented himself with difficulty in the air, he could see his fiverades, standing still, their bodies scorched beyond recognition. The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his lower back and a hand holding an orb of purple light grazed past him. His lower body was instantly blown into the distance.


    "Hehe... Hehehe..." Li Yiming fell down slowly, his impassive smile conferring to him a demonic air.


    The deadly blows Li Yiming had delivered in the couple of seconds after his awakening were enough to intimidate the group of guardians surrounding him, causing them to take a few steps back.


    Even Eyesses and Qing Linglong were shocked at Li Yiming¡¯s disy of strength and brutality. ¡¯How strong... is he? What level is he?¡¯


    Eyesses, Liu Meng and Qing Linglong had only achieved over a dozen kills on the weaker of the bunch with theirbined efforts, owing most of them to Liu Meng¡¯s phoenix fire, but Li Yiming had surpassed that number is just a few seconds.


    As Li Yiming descended toward the ground, two more balls of thunder formed in his hands. The sparks which recoiled in his palms grew longer and longer until they took the appearance of dagger des which Li Yiming held as weapons.


    "A weapon made of thunder? He¡¯s a sage..." An old man said with a trembling voice. He had clearly not expected to encounter a third sage, especially one who was going to be their enemy.


    Those around the old man heeded his words, and it became clear to all of the guardians that it was a fight that they could not win. While they did have their own sage on their side, the person in question was currently engaged in a battle against Li Huaibei. Even though Li Huaibei was expected to lose, it would take more time than Li Yiming needed to kill all of them.


    "Run!" The guardians only had one thought in mind: a strategic retreat in the face of overwhelming odds.


    The guardians each sted away from the scene like a rocket. Li Yiming dove into the crowd, toward one particr young girl who seemed to have forgotten to flee.


    ¡°Qiaoqiao!" Qing Linglong gasped. Her sister, unlike the other guardians, did not run away, but Qing Linglong knew that Li Yiming did not have her younger sister¡¯s safety in mind when he leaped at her.


    Qing Qiaoqiao had wisely remained hidden in the crowd until then, and although her abilities were limited, she yed an important role in protecting her sister and her friends.


    She was still immersed in the immense joy of seeing Li Yiming¡¯s waking up. It had nothing to do with her affection for Li Yiming, as she was simply happy at the sight of his well-being again, and she believed that the danger had passed. As she stared into Li Yiming¡¯s tenebrous eyes, she smiled, deaf to her sister¡¯s cry of horror. She knew that Li Yiming could protect her and she trusted him entirely.


    As the des of thunder traced a long arc in the air, leaving behind a trail of dazzling light, Qing Linglong closed her eyes in desperation. Liu Meng covered her mouth, and Eyesses raised his hand in Qiaoqiao¡¯s direction as they watched Li Yiming bring his weapon down unto Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s neck.


    Li Yiming¡¯s lightning dagger paused right as it grazed Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s neck. The discharges of electricity burned Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s hair, and even made some of the skin on Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s neck turn ck.


    Li Yiming looked at the young girl in front of him with a frown.


    "Yiming..." Qing Qiaoqiao ignored the dagger which touched her neck and stared back with love and happiness.


    "Leave!" Li Yiming suddenly roared, and Qing Qiaoqiao was sent flying as Li Yiming threw his weapons away and put his hands on his forehead.


    Qing Linglong caught her sister and made a swift retreat for the distance. Eyesses let out a sigh of relief and Liu Meng continued to stare concernedly at her boyfriend.


    ¡°You again..." Stargaze squinted and her irises lit up with the same light that the stars in the sky emitted. Her expression coldened as she performed a seal with her right hand.


    "Ahhh...!" Li Yiming shook his head, his countenance distorted by an excruciating pain.


    "Get OUT!" Li Yiming yelled, and another outburst of thunder cracked the ground beneath him.


    ¡°Get out of me!" Li Yiming suddenly raised his right hand and delivered a blow to his own chest. He spat out of mouthful of blood that had turned ck as a white silhouette sprang out from his chest. The white creature extended its wings andnded right besides Liu Meng.


    "Bai Ze?" Liu Meng yelled in surprise. It was Bai Ze who had stopped Li Yiming from doing something that he would undoubtedly regret his entire life.


    "Go! This isn¡¯t him. It¡¯s Heaven¡¯s Punishment!" Bai Ze picked Liu Meng up before she could react and flew into the sky. Eyesses and Qing Linglong, who also understood that something was wrong with their friend, quickly left the scene.


    "Hehe... Hehehe..." Li Yiming stretched his neck andughed creepily once more. ck spots appeared on his face, forming an borate tattoo of strange symbols over his entire body. From time to time, smoke woulde out of his skin, producing a stringent smell. Li Yiming looked less like a human and more like a demon, with his long, silvery hair and his transformed appearance.


    "What happened to him?" Liu Meng¡¯s worry grew as she looked at Li Yiming, who seemed like apletely different entity.


    "That¡¯s not him. That¡¯s the creature sent from Heaven¡¯s Punishment which has been hidden inside of him up until now." Bai Ze pped her wings as hard as she could to gain more altitude.


    "Then..."


    "He should be fine. Otherwise I would be feeling it." Bai Ze could feel her weakness from being sealed for so long. In reality, she had be even stronger than before, which suggested that Li Yiming probably had also gained strength.


    "He¡¯s be a sage?" A giant mecha arrived right next to Bai Ze with a deafening noise. Big Beard seized of the opportunity to retreat once Li Yiming intervened in the battlefield.


    "Yes," Bai Ze answered.


    Big Beard stayed silent and continued to observe Li Yiming. ¡¯A sage...¡¯


    Somehow he not so happy at finding out that his captain had near invincible strength.


    As his long, white hair fluttered in the wind, Li Yiming moved his fingers, and the two lightning daggers he had just dropped came back flying into his hands. He looked at the guardians had nearly disappeared into thendscape and licked his ckened lips.


    Instead of chasing after his fleeing preys, he turned around and looked at the ruins of a Lianyun dwelling with a fiendish smile.


    "Shit!" Stargaze cursed angrily and walked out from the opening she had just burst in the walls.


    Is male vanity proportional to the size of one¡¯s non-existent harem? <i>(:thinkingface)</i>

 Volume 5 Chapter 33

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 33 ¨C Stargaze¡¯s Choice</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming walked toward Stargaze with a smirk on his face, the electricity on his lightning daggers cracking.


    ughtering those who were as insignificant as ants no longer satiated his urges. Instead, Li Yiming had found himself a new, much more interesting target.


    Stargaze sighed when she saw Li Yiming leap at her with a demonic air. Just as Li Yiming was about to reach her, an orb of light lit up Stargaze¡¯s palm, and its size grew until both she and Li Yiming were enveloped by a curtain of light.


    ¡°A boundary... another sage?" The guardians, who all paid close attention to Li Yiming, stopped to look back. They were relieved that Li Yiming did not chase after them, but after seeing another sage, most of them finally began to understand the dangers hidden in this seemingly innocuous domain.


    When the guardians epted the mission, upon seeing the swollen ranks of hundreds of theirrades, and even a sage, some thought of the mission as being a walk in the park. With all of them cooperating together, the dangers were minimal.


    However, not only did they bump into Li Yiming¡¯s team, who fought against the will of Heaven¡¯s Laws, sages continued to appear one after another, with two of them being on the enemy¡¯s side. By now, most of the guardians realized that the mission was not going to be as easy as they thought.


    "Let¡¯s finish the mission!" Someone suddenly said, realizing that the battle between the sages was their best opportunity to aplish their mission.


    The guardians scattered and charged toward the helpless residents of Lianyun City.


    "They... " From her resting spot on Bai Ze¡¯s back, Liu Meng noticed the movements of the guardians and immediately understood their intentions.


    "We can¡¯t stop them..." Big Beard sighed. They were already at their limits, after fighting against so many guardians for such an extended period of time.


    Bai Ze stayed silent, looking down at the ground while focusing on trying to awaken Li Yiming from his entranced state.


    The Qing sisters grouped up with Eyesses and began asking him about everything that had happened before they arrived. After hearing his exnations, they sat silently for a long while, evidently shocked to hear about Li Yiming¡¯s intentions to defy the Heavens.


    Although Liu Meng no longer had the energy to prevent the guardians from killing the citizens of Lianyun City, Sai Gao was still persistent in stopping them. He pped his ck-feathered wings and took down as many guardians with him as he could. He traded blow for blow and life for life. His left wing had been clipped, his right arm severed, and his torso full of wounds, but he continued to fight, forcing the guardians to pause briefly in their task of killing the residents of Lianyun City.


    The citizens of Lianyun finally witnessed the power of the mythical beast that guarded their home. When danger befell, it stood at the front line, fighting against anyone who posed a threat.


    For the first time in their lives, the residents of Lianyun City picked up their weapons and fought to protect their homes. However, it was a desperate struggle, and their efforts wereparable to moths flying into a fire pit.


    Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard in the south. Liu Meng almost fell off Bai Ze¡¯s back from the shockwave.


    Self-destruction..." Big Beard said with a serious countenance.


    Teng She had finally fallen. Just like the eagle, it was unable to resist the tornado which was threatened to destroy the city. When it realized that it could hold no longer, it chose to destroy itself along with the tornado. After the explosion, the violent gusts of wind finally dispersed, but there was nothing left of Teng She. A single ray of golden light flew toward the city, and disappeared into Sai Gao¡¯s forehead.


    This was Teng She¡¯s final gift: its soul.


    Inside her boundary, Stargaze looked at Li Yiming with a frown. After a few exchanged blows, she realized that something was wrong. ¡¯He... he¡¯s far too weak. This is... level five?¡¯


    Li Yiming did not give her much time for thought, however. Twenty lightning daggers appeared in front of Stargaze, each aiming to take her life. Stargaze raised her hand, and a ribbon of light appeared around her fingers. She parried each of Li Yiming¡¯s attacks with ease.


    After blocking off all of Li Yiming¡¯s attack, Stargaze took the offensive. She extended her arm and gave a tap to Li Yiming¡¯s chest, shooting his body back like a cannonball.


    However, Stargaze suddenly took a step back, realizing that her attack had not been as fruitful as it seemed. A bolt of lightning fell from the sky,nding at where she stood seconds ago. Stargaze extended her right hand to the side, and a deafening noise was produced as she parried a small ball of ck thunder that Li Yiming pushed toward her.


    Li Yiming was sent flying once more, but Stargaze took three steps back after deflecting Li Yiming¡¯s technique.


    <i>¡®</i>Thunder punishment? He braved through that too?¡¯ Stargaze looked at her own palm, which had gone a little ck from Li Yiming¡¯s attack. ¡¯Fire, thunder, and inner demon... He¡¯s been through three punishments? Is that how he became a sage at level five?¡¯


    Li Yiming halted his assault. He blinked into the sky, floating in the air.


    "Hehehe... Hehehe..." Li Yimingughed maniacally once again. He raised his hand slowly as a thunderstorm gathered around him. The purple light above his head became thicker and thicker, while his white hair started to turn ck.


    Stargaze looked at Li Yiming and slowly raised her right hand. As she performed a seal, the stars above her shone even brighter, concentrating their light into a small waterfall that fell upon her head. "Three Heavenly punishment and a sage at level five. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re the one I¡¯ve been looking for..." Stargaze mumbled to herself firmly.


    "Invoke the chaos before the Heavens and the Earth was formed..." Stargaze¡¯s irises lost their usual color and were illuminated by the same light that shone above her. The ribbon of light around her finger expanded until it became a bright cloud of light which seemed like a miniature replica of the constetions that shone above her head.


    "Thunderous skies!" Li Yiming roared and the clouds that billowed around him suddenly transformed into millions of arcs of lightning that gathered into a sphere in front of him. Li Yiming hurdled the projectile toward Stargaze with a long howl.


    "Consume the stars, go!¡¯ Stargaze pushed her own attack toward Li Yiming, putting the cloud of light against Li Yiming¡¯s thunder.


    "Devour!" Stargaze performed another seal, and the cloud she produced spun violently before sucking Li Yiming¡¯s ball of thunder into itself. Stargaze spat out a mouthful of blood, to Li Yiming¡¯splete disbelief.


    "Breaking stars... seal..." Stargaze changed her seal once more, despite the consequences of forcing such a change, and chanted once again.


    Stargaze¡¯s cloud suddenly exploded into millions of orbs of light, and formed an even bigger cloud, trapping Li Yiming.


    "You...!" The ck patterns on Li Yiming¡¯s face changed as he tried to escape Stargaze¡¯s cloud, but he was pulled back in against his will.


    "Get out!" Stargazed shouted, and the cloud of light flew back toward her, spinning violently as it did.


    Li Yiming howled in pain as a thick, ck smoke came out of his eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth, and the ck markings on his skin faded away. While continuously sucking in the ck smoke, the cloud that Stargaze had producedpressed itself before returning to its original size, and a ck shadow that was the size of Stargaze¡¯s palm emerged.


    "Impossible! How can you perform such a seal?!" The ck shadow shrieked in terror.


    "Have you forgotten where we are?" Stargaze said coldly andpressed the luminous cloud with her hands.


    "Dawn of chaos?"


    "I am known as Stargaze..."


    "So what?! I am Heaven¡¯s Punishment. You cannot kill me. The ck shadow quickly recovered itsposure.


    Stargaze did not reply and looked at Li Yiming, who broke his fall with one knee.


    Li Yiming slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. Instead of the tenebrous eyes he possessed earlier, his irises were illuminated by golden light this time. Li Yiming suddenly leaped toward Stargaze and reached out for her heart with his hand-colored by a golden light.

 Volume 5 Chapter 34

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 34 ¨C A Fight of Sages</strong></h4>


    Li Yiming firmly wrapped his fingers around the miniature shadow figure..


    "No...!" Onest shriek of terror was heard before the shadow vanished as Li Yiming clenched his fist.


    While Li Yiming¡¯s body trembled, an iridescent ray of light gleamed from the clouds. The golden light in his eyes was gone, and so was the aura around his hands.


    ¡¯Level six...¡¯ Li Yiming could feel his body be stronger, and his Heavenly vein transformed into something more resilient. Even his talent rune, which had remained elusive for so long, had one of its corners light up. However, it was still unresponsive when Li Yiming tried to activate it.


    Stargaze coughed out another mouthful of blood, and Li Yiming caught her before she fell to the ground.


    "Thank you!" Li Yiming knew that he owed her an immense favor.


    "Don¡¯t disappoint me..." Stargaze held onto Li Yiming¡¯s hand. She had paid a high price for cleansing Li Yiming of his inner demon. It would undoubtedly take a long while before she recoveredpletely. She had been injured even before arriving to Tianshan, and if it were not for the unique alignment of the stars above Lianyun City, she would never have dared such an attempt.


    "Don¡¯t mention it. You should go find your friends." Stargaze could no longer maintain control of her own Boundary, causing it to be unstable.


    * * *


    Right outside of the Eastern Gate, two men walked out of thin air. One was standing with his spear on his back, while the other knelt down with one knee.


    "Li Huaibei... If it weren¡¯t for your injury, I don¡¯t even know if I would have the finalugh. Ma Dafang can rest in peace..." Yun Yiyuan slid his finger across his spear until reaching the part that had been chipped away during his duel with Li Yiming.


    Li Huaibei had his left hand on his chest, trying to stop the profuse bleeding from the deep wound he suffered. The hilt of his sword rested on the ground, with its de ruined.


    "Oh?" Yun Yiyuan¡¯s attention was suddenly caught by a monstrous silhouette in the distance who was encircled by several smaller silhouettes. ¡¯That¡¯s...¡¯


    He suddenly noticed that out of the hundreds of guardians who had entered the domain, barely a hundred were still alive.


    "Die, you monster!" Yu Yiyuan roared in anger and dashed toward the monster. A trail of bright light followed his spear.


    Sai Gao burned with rage as the screams of terror reached his ears, telling him that the residents of Lianyun were being ughtered one after another. After receiving Teng She¡¯s gift, his body had grown to about fifteen meters in size, and his golden scale had ckened. A new left arm had grown out, and Sai Gao regained his ability to fly. However, thebined forces of hundreds of guardians were still too much for him to handle. Roaring in desperation, he consumed the essence of his soul to extract some more power.


    Sai Gao dove time and time again into the crowd of guardians. He did not know how much longer he wouldst, but he had hoped that at least he would be able to finish off the guardians in front of him, so some of the people in Lianyun City could live on.


    However, the guardians who had been strong enough to survive until now all had more than a few tricks up their sleeves, and Sai Gao gradually weakened as his life force was slowly depleting.


    Suddenly, a ray of light pierced the clouds and flew toward him. As Sai Gao moved his ws to parry the attack as he did many times before, he realized that its power was not something that he could rival. The beam pierced through his chest and nailed his battered body to the cold stone of the Southern Gate.


    Sai Gao could finally see the projectile now. He recognized it as being the silver spear that Yu Yiyuan carried with him. Despair befell him as he realized Li Huaibei had lost his fight.


    Sai Gao moved his ws with difficulty and tried to extricate the spear. Twice he tried and twice he failed, until he gave up and slowly closed his eyes. ¡¯I¡¯ve done everything I could...¡¯


    Just as Sai Gao¡¯s arm dropped down, lifeless, the ground beneath Lianyun City trembled violently. A muffled roar was heard


    A crack in the earth appeared and widened as a deafening noise was heard. The imposing gate of the city suddenly crumbled, and the walls around it copsed; the ck Turtle had lost its war against the earthquake, unable to even save its own soul.


    As the tremors raged on, the guardians all flew into the sky.


    Li Yiming emerged from the Eastern Gate with Stargaze just as the earthquake started.


    "What?" The scene that unfolded before Li Yiming shocked him. Instead of the orderly streets he remembered, all he could see were ruins of buildings and widening fissures in the ground.


    "Yiming!" Bai Zended right next to Li Yiming. She immediately felt Li Yiming¡¯s recovery and brought Liu Meng and Big Beard with her.


    "Bring her out of here." Boiling with rage, Li Yiming looked at the guardians who flew across the sky to escape the tremors. It was a relief to find Liu Meng unharmed, but to witness the scenes of cruelty which unraveled in front of his very eyes almost made him lose his sanity.


    ¡¯The 73 921 people here... They¡¯ll die because of you!¡¯ Li Huaibei¡¯s words would forever be etched into Li Yiming¡¯s mind.


    After putting Stargaze on Bai Ze¡¯s back, Li Yiming vanished with a sh of purple light.


    As one house crumbled after another, an old man hid in a corner, waiting for his life to end. Despair had superseded terror in the hearts of the people of Lianyun City, and they could finally appreciate their own insignificance against the wrath of the Heavens.


    Li Yiming appeared in front of the old man, punched away a falling wall and picked up the old man¡¯s frail body. It was a start, but there were countless people who were in the same situation.


    "Give him to me!" Li Yiming saw Bai Ze dive from the clouds while Stargaze and Liu Meng sat on Big Beard¡¯s mecha.


    Li Yiming threw the old man into the air for Bai Ze to catch him and carefully put him down on Big Beard¡¯s mecha. Li Yiming did not question Bai Ze¡¯s decision to stay instead of leaving with Liu Meng. His only thought was to save as many lives as he could.


    "That¡¯s all I can handle..." Big Beard said. Although he tried his best to fly as slowly and as low as possible, there was limited space on his mecha due to all the weaponry, even with Liu Meng who was flying by herself to make some more room.


    ¡¯Thirty-seven...¡¯ Li Yiming clenched his fist he looked at a man and his wife that he had just rescued.


    "You go first!" Li Yiming disappeared with a blink of light and dove into the ruins of the city once more. By now, the city walls hadpletely crumbled, and there was barely any building still standing within the city.


    "Go!" Bai Ze caught thest person Li Yiming threw over and pped her wings toward the outskirts of the city.


    Li Yiming dove beneath a segment of broken wall and found a child with a distorted leg. The child had stopped crying by now, and only


    Another loud crack was heard. Two giant fissures, both respectively originating from the northern and the southern sides of the city, had finally joined in at its center. The city copsed onto itself, and giant hole that looked like a gateway to hell appeared, swallowing most of the city before closing back, turning most of Lianyun City into history.


    On the slopes of a small hill right outside of the city, Liu Meng was mending wounds while Big Beard was puffing a smoke quietly. Stargaze, with frowned eyebrows, spent most of her time observing Liu Meng and exchanged a nce from time to time with Big Beard.


    "How many people do we have here?" Li Yiming asked when he arrived.


    "With him, forty one people..." Liu Meng answered. "There was someone who..." Liu Meng pointed at the lifeless body of a woman nearby. She had been hit by a stone, and when Li Yiming found her, she was already on the verge of dying.


    Li Yiming put down the little boy he found and walked to a corner.


    "Li Yiming! You better give me a good exnation for this." Qing Linglong¡¯s voice came from behind.


    Li Yiming turned back, happily surprised, only to find Qing Linglong with Xu Yurong on her back and Eyesses carrying You Fang. Qing Qiaoqiao had Lirong between her arms, while Lin Lu and Shen Jianming helped each other limp forward. Chen Quan trailed the group with a newborn in his hands.


    "You guys are okay?" Li Yiming was beyond relieved.


    "Big Brother Yiming!" Lirong struggled to get out of Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s hold and rushed into Li Yiming¡¯s arms.


    Li Yiming could not give the exnation Qing Linglong had wanted. Instead, they all silently stared at the ruins of the city in the distance. The forty or so survivors from Lianyun City, instead of crying about their misfortune or being happy of having escaped death, were too shocked and desperate to say anything.


    "It¡¯s over..." Li Yiming said with a hoarse voice.


    "Over? Far from it." Stargaze, who had stayed silent until now, suddenly interjected.


    Li Yiming turned toward here. He suddenly noticed that all the other members of his team had a stern look, as if an even an even harsher challenge was ahead.


    Rays of light lit up the sky around them; dozens of guardians were flying in their direction. They soonnded near the hill, surrounding Li Yiming and his friends.


    Li Yiming heartbeat fastened as he remembered the will of Heaven¡¯s Laws. ¡¯Total annihtion...¡¯

 Volume 5 Chapter 35

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 35 ¨C I¡¯ll Give You a Chance</strong></h4>


    "I don¡¯t understand you... Why bother?" A man came out of the crowd. It was Yun Yiyuan.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯ve never questioned whether this is right!" Li Yiming said angrily. He knew fully well the reason why he was surrounded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had my doubts, but in the end, it¡¯s just the reality of things" Yun Yiyuan replied calmly.


    "You¡¯ve killed enough." Li Yiming clenched his fists.


    "They need to die..."


    "Over my dead body." Li Yiming had no intention to yield.


    "Oh? What about you? Do you hold the same kind of conviction?" Yu Yiyuan looked at those who stood behind Li Yiming, pausing briefly on Stargaze.


    Aside from Liu Meng, who remained inflexible, the rest of Li Yiming¡¯s friends seemed to hesitate. Having sworn to serve Heaven¡¯s Laws when they climbed the Stage of Ascension, they thought that they knew where their loyalty lied. However, they were now faced with a test of faith. Torn between Li Yiming and their long-held beliefs, they had to make a decision.


    "Alright, let me just say something." The apparent wavering of Li Yiming¡¯s friends caught Stargaze¡¯s attention.


    "Wang Liping, what are you trying to say?" Yun Yiyuan asked in a cold voice. He had already tired himself with fighting Li Huaibei, and going up against another sage was thest thing he wanted.


    "Don¡¯t worry, the only one on our side who can still put up a fight is Li Yiming. As for you... Yun Yiyuan, the strongest man in the world, you would not deign winning through numbers now, would you?" Stargaze said calmly.


    "Are you saying that..." Yun Yiyuan scrutinized Li Yiming for the first time.


    "Of course. What better way to prove your righteousness than through your own hands."


    ¡¯She¡¯s asking me to duel him...¡¯ Li Yiming was aware that his friends would be left unattended against the other guardians if he were to fight Yun Yiyuan.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I promise you that they¡¯ll be safe." Stargaze saw through Li Yiming¡¯s doubt and looked around, making her will clearly known.


    "Alright!" Li Yiming turned toward Yun Yiyuan, his heart burning with a desire forbat.


    Yun Yiyuan frowned and nced at Stargaze again. His pride did not allow him to refuse the duel proposed by Stargaze. ¡¯But... why is she confident? This young man is level six at best... It¡¯s suicide to try to fight me...¡¯


    "You have potential, kid. Are you sure you want to do this?" Yun Yiyuan said with severity as he examined Li Yiming from head to toe.


    Li Yiming did not answer Yun Yiyuan, but the way he postured himself made it clear that a fight was inevitable.


    "If words are not enough to convince you, then perhaps my spear will." Yun Yiyuan was a little irritated by the fact that Li Yiming hadpletely disregarded his "well-intended" counsel.


    "Careful... Li Huaibei lost..." Liu Meng said.


    Li Yiming nodded and walked forward.


    A ripple came out of Yun Yiyuan¡¯s hands. Just as he extended his arms, both he and Li Yiming vanished.


    "Come at me. I don¡¯t want to take advantage of your youth." Although the spectators had vanished, Yun Yiyuan was still as prideful as ever.


    Li Yiming lowered his arms as sparks wrapped around his limbs. His pupils slowly turned purple.


    ¡¯Are you crazy?¡¯ Bai Ze eximed.


    Li Yiming had decided to consume the power of his Thunder Purity. This was akin to a suicidal attack, but Li Yiming had no choice; Yun Yiyuan had defeated Li Huaibei, and Li Yiming was aware of the extent of Li Huaibei¡¯s power to understand that he would nevere close to being able to defeat Li Huaibei, even less someone who was stronger.


    Against overwhelming odds, Li Yiming¡¯s only chance at winning was Thunderous Strike.However, unsure about the effectiveness of the attack at its current level, he consumed his Thunder Purity to enhance his attack power. After witnessing the power unleashed by Liu Meng when she consumed her phoenix essence, he held onto the slim chance that he would be able to defeat Yun Yiyuan with one strike.


    Yun Yiyuan prepared himself for Li Yiming¡¯s oing attack. He sped his hands around his spear and lowered the tip, ready to strike.


    "Thunderous Strike!" Li Yiming could feel the jolts of electricity raging violently within his own body. He red at Yun Yiyuan and pushed forward with both of his hands.


    A ray of purple light suddenly traversed the sky. Yun Yiyuan looked up in stupor, only to see a fissure open up in the sky, and a giant eye staring at him from across the chasm.


    "Heaven¡¯s Punishment? You¡¯re a sage?" Yun Yiyuan screamed.He would never have thought that such a young man could be a sage, much less an attack of such destructive force as the opening act.


    Yun Yiyuan retreated swiftly, but he realized that the giant eye was following him no matter how fast he went. A bolt of ck thunder came from the fissure and reached him in an instant.


    "No!" Yun Yiyuan¡¯s weapon irradiated with white light, and his power climbing to its apex as he prepared to fight for his life.


    Yun Yiyuan roared in anger as the miniature sun he created with his spear collided against the purple thunder which descended from the sky.


    A sh of light suddenly gleamed the entire area of the battle, blinding Li Yiming.


    And then nothing. No sound, no light, only dead silence. Blood colored Li Yiming¡¯s lips as he fell down to his knees. The hill that was in front of him had been obliterated, leaving a massive hole in the ground.


    "He¡¯s dead?" Li Yiming could not feel Yun Yiyuan¡¯s presence anymore.


    ¡¯He¡¯s gone... He sacrificed his own weapon...¡¯ Bai Ze said with a weak voice. Li Yiming¡¯s attack had also depleted all of her power.


    The Boundary created by Yun Yiyuan soon copsed, and Li Yiming returned to where he was a few minutes ago.


    "This fast? Where is..." Stargaze was dumbfounded when she saw Li Yiming, and even more so when she did not see Yun Yiyuan. ¡¯Did he...¡¯


    Li Yiming fell to one knee and wiped away the blood on the corner of his mouth.


    "Li Yiming!" Liu Meng rushed toward to help him stand up again.


    "Does anyone else want to try me?" Li Yiming¡¯s gaze swept across the crowd of guardians, sending a shiver down the spines of those who dared to make eye contact.


    "What happened to Yun Yiyuan?" A ruckus urred in the crowd of guardians as the implications of Li Yiming emerging from his duel first became obvious. Some of the guardians were already remembering the nightmarish scenes of Li Yiming tasting the blood of his enemies back at the Eastern Gate.


    "Run!¡¯ Someone in the crowd yelled, and the guardians scattered, each running for dear life.


    "You cannot run..." A quiet voice came. The guardians who were fleeing at full speed just a second ago were nailed in ce. A skinny, short man walked out of the shadows and appeared in front of Li Yiming. He wore in clothes and a pair of flip-flops. His right hand was held open right next to his ear, and with his other hand he held a small, knit bag.


    "Kong... Kong..." Stargaze trembled in terror as she recognized the stranger. However, to finish his full name seemed like an impossible task.


    "Ugh..." Mr. Kong sighed and clenched his right fist.


    A shower of blood fell as the guardians who were frozen in ce were crushed into balls of flesh and bones beforepletely vanishing from sight.


    "Mr. Kong..." Li Yiming was surprised at Mr. Kong¡¯s pitiless ughter.


    "They cannot stay... " Mr. kong suddenly turned his head toward the people behind Li Yiming.


    "No..." Before Li Yiming could react, Mr. kong raised his head, and all of Li Yiming¡¯s friends fell to the ground. The survivors from Lianyun City, which Li Yiming had so painstakingly saved, all disappeared, leaving only Lin Lu, Chen Quan, Shen Jianming, and You Fang behind.


    "They..." Li Yiming held Liu Meng in his arms, and her steadily beating heart calmed him down somewhat. He was not quite sure of what to say.


    "They also need to go..." Mr. Kong sat down on a rock in front of Li Yiming.


    "You¡¯ve surprised me. I don¡¯t understand you anymore..." Mr. Kong took out a pack of cigarettes and lit up one for himself without offering any to Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming stared at the mysterious man who seemed to possess unimaginable powers. He put Liu Meng down with care and approached Mr. Kong.


    "What do you think of Lianyun City?" Mr. Kong took a puff and exhaled smoke from his nostrils.


    "Is there going to be a disaster if Lianyun City merges with our world?" Li Yiming asked a question instead of answering Mr. Kong.


    "What do you think?" Mr. Kong said in a calm voice.


    Li Yiming turned his head toward Shen Jianming, who was still in aa.


    "The Dao is the one which watches over the sun and the moon as they nurture our world, but it is also pitiless..."


    "Yes..." Li Yiming looked at the sky above him.


    ¡°The Dao constitutes the rules. Before you¡¯re powerful enough to make your own rules, you should obey them."


    This essentially marks the end of Book 5

 Volume 5 Chapter 36

    <h4><strong>Book 5 Chapter 36 ¨C Departure</strong></h4>


    After Mr. Kong had left the scene, Li Yiming¡¯s mind was filled with more unanswered questions than ever. The same familiar feeling of space itself ripping apart urred shortly after Mr. Kong¡¯s departure, and the ruins of Lianyun City vanished. The sun rose from the East for the first time in many days.


    Everything was finally over once Li Yiming heard the reward notification from Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    Stargaze was the first one to wake up in the aftermath. She nced at Li Yiming and simply left without uttering a single word.


    The second person to wake up was Big Beard.


    "I¡¯ve left the team already." Li Yiming picked up Liu Meng, who was still unconscious, and disappeared after leaving onest message for Big Beard. Li Yiming did not want to leave without bidding farewell to his teammates; the path he had chosen to take was a dangerous one, and he did not want to burden his friends needlessly.


    Right after he had passed Lianyun Peak, Li Yiming took a short pause to contemte Xianyun Abbey and bowed in its direction onest time before continuing on his journey. Liu Meng woke up once the two arrived at the airport. She stayed silent and buried her head into Li Yiming¡¯s arms. The two bought tickets and boarded the earliest flight for Wen City.


    ¡¯We can finally talk about it?¡¯ Liu Meng fell asleep once more after boarding the ne. Bai Ze took advantage of the opportunity to discuss matters with Li Yiming.


    ¡¯Talk about what?¡¯


    ¡¯Your talent...¡¯


    ¡¯I was wondering about that. What¡¯s the point of having this thing inside my body anyways?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the mysterious runic glyph in his body.


    ¡¯Do you think that I¡¯d be asking the question if I knew? You¡¯re unable to get any reactions? I thought that there would be a big change...¡¯


    ¡¯Nothing. I¡¯ve tried a few times.¡¯


    ¡¯What about the part that lit up? How did that happen?¡¯ Bai Ze turned her attention toward the part of the runic glyph that had obviously changed sincest time.


    ¡¯There was this giant wok in Lianyun City...and you were asleep...¡¯ Li Yiming exined to Bai Ze.


    ¡¯You saw Mr. Kong inside the giant golden wok? Why didn¡¯t you tell him about it then?¡¯


    ¡¯I felt like it was... someone else.¡¯ Li Yiming said hesitantly.


    ¡¯Are you sure?¡¯ Bai Ze suddenly remembered that Li Yiming once mentioned that there were two Mr. Kongs in Eden.


    ¡¯The one inside the golden wok is the one who killed all the guardians in Eden.¡¯ Li Yiming gave his opinion.


    ¡¯But why...¡¯


    ¡¯That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell it to the one outside...¡¯ Li Yiming took a deep breath. He recalled the eyes of the Mr. Kong he met inside the golden wok. There was nothing but despair, bitterness, and hate, and it made Li Yiming sad to even think about it.


    Li Yiming trusted Mr. Kong without reserve, especially when thetter had made him a guardian and saved his life so many times. But now, he was unsure whether he could continue to put his trust in him. After Lianyun City, Li Yiming was now certain that Mr. Kong was nning something big, and perhaps even Lianyun City itself was just a scheme he had devised himself.


    ¡¯If Fu Bo¡¯s book tells the truth, then Mr. Kong... He should be Wukong... It wouldn¡¯t be surprising that he feels bitter and betrayed. But what about that golden wok? How did it end up bing part of what guards Lianyun City? And did the other Mr. Kong save Li Huaibei?¡¯


    ¡¯A fragment of a soul... I am him, and he is me... What is Mr. Kong talking about?¡¯ Li Yiming was sure by now that he was the person Mr.Kong had mentioned when he met him inside the golden wok, but his purpose was still a mystery to him.


    ¡¯And what he did to my runic glyph...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the runic glyph inside of his body, which had a third of it lit up. He knew that it had to do with what Mr. Kong did before he was ejected from the space inside the golden wok.


    Li Yiming remained silent as tried to decipher everything.


    ¡¯Your Thunder Purity... it¡¯s gone...¡¯ Bai Ze remarked in a discouraged voice.


    Li Yiming had obtained great power by consuming his Thunder Purity, allowing him to defeat someone whose strength he would normally not be able to rival. However, he also paid the price by losing his Purity permanently. For Li Yiming, Thunder Purity was more than just an enhancer his lightning techniques; it was also the conduit of his power. Now that it was gone, Li Yiming¡¯s arsenal of thunder techniques was reduced to nothing.


    ¡¯But I did get this...¡¯ Li Yiming looked around and opened his hand. A small sphere of grey matter sat in the middle of his palm.


    ¡¯What is that?¡¯ Bai Ze was surprised.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know, but I got this after realizing that I couldn¡¯t use my thunder techniques anymore.¡¯


    ¡¯What does it do?¡¯


    Li Yiming looked around again to make sure that no one was looking at him. The small grey sphere suddenly took the shape of a spoon.


    ¡¯Metamorphosis?¡¯ Bai Ze had her interest piqued.


    The ball of grey shifted again. This time, it turned into a lighter, then a knife, then an axe. It took on the shape of every object Li Yiming could think of, only a miniature version of them.


    ¡¯It can turn into any kind of weapon? Can it be any bigger?¡¯ Bai Ze knew that the grey sphere needed more mass if Li Yiming hoped to use it as anything more than a toy.


    ¡¯Yes, but it¡¯s very tiring.¡¯ Li Yiming put away the sphere, believing that it was not anything particrly impressive.


    ¡¯Anything else?¡¯


    ¡¯Nothing for now...¡¯


    ¡¯Well, it¡¯s better than nothing. I have a feeling you¡¯re going to have to rely on Liu Meng for protection for a while.¡¯ Bai Ze teased Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming smiled and looked at Liu Meng, who was still sound asleep. Liu Meng¡¯s long eyshes moved slightly with every slight tremor of the ne cabin. Li Yiming could no help but kiss her on the forehead, but it seemed like Liu Meng was too tired to wake up from her slumber. Liu Meng frowned slightly and turned her head to the other side.


    ¡¯Anything forpleting the domain?¡¯ Bai Ze could not bear seeing Li Yiming show off his affection for Liu Meng and tried to change the topic of the conversation.


    ¡¯My life marks are all gone.¡¯ Li Yiming answered as he pulled on Liu Meng¡¯s nket to cover her fully.


    Bai Ze was surprised at first, but then realized that Li Yiming actually had "negative" contribution, since he killed so many of his supposed allies in the Lianyun domain.


    Li Yiming apanied Liu Meng to her home after leaving the airport. Liu Meng had not returned home since the domain in Ning Vige, but Liu Meng¡¯s parents thought that she had been busy filming the music video, so she was not scolded for it.


    However, Liu Meng¡¯s mother was extremely displeased by Li Yiming¡¯s white hair. Upon noticing her discontent, Li Yiming tried to trim it down himself in a bathroom, but even after breaking the pair of expensive scissors he had bought, he did not manage to cut off a single hair.


    Li Yiming found a hair salon at night to dye his hair ck, but the coiffeur kicked him out in anger after trying for a few hours in vain. He believed that Li Yiming had used some kind of special white dye on his hair, and was looking to prank him. No matter what kind of dye he tried on Li Yiming¡¯s hair, the artificial color would always wash off, leaving Li Yiming¡¯s hair white as snow.


    Li Yiming stayed in Liu Meng¡¯s home for three days. On thest day, he had to leave for his own home in Li Shui. Liu Meng wanted to apany him, but her disgruntled mother forbade her from doing so. After nearly dying for quite a few times, Liu Meng did want thepany of her family, so she saw Li Yiming off at the train station, but not before giving him a long kiss in public.


    * * *


    Just as Li Yiming traveled home, a half-naked man with many wounds across his body emerged from the forests of Tianshan. He had a muscr body, but walked in a very effeminate way.


    Sai Gao stared forward and walked silently as blood trickled down his left hand. He sped a pot sized turtle shell in his right hand.


    A sudden roar was heard. A ck bear emerged from behind the trees, having caught the scent of the blood on Sai Gao¡¯s body.


    Sai Gao looked at the beast who was ready to attack him at any time, and smiled with relief.


    The bear roared once again, showing its razor sharp teeth and exhaling a putrid smell of flesh.


    Sai Gao¡¯s eyes suddenly started to shine with iridescent light. The bear, who was roaring a moment before, calmed down. It walked toward Sai Gao and grazed its head against Sai Gao like a dog. Sai Gao set down on the bear, using its body as a pillow, and closed his eyes, exhausted by the ordeal. However, his fingers were still tightly wrapped around the blood-stained turtle shell.


    * * *


    At the same time, in a hotel at the foot of Tianshan, a man sat on his bed, the wall on the opposite colored by blood he had just spat out. The bedsheets were covered in fallen hair and dirt.


    The man wiped away the bloodstains on the corners of his mouth and picked up a broken piece of his spear. "Li Yiming..."


    RIP lightning powers and

 Volume 6 Chapter 1

    Editing: Krisaia


    The widened eyes of the middle-aged woman at the cash register trailed Li Yiming as he walked out of the supermarket with two grocery bags full of snacks. He walked through the metal fence gate of at the entrance to the residential neighborhood, then through the little alleys he had passed by so many times before. It seemed like it had been ages since hest did take this path.


    Li Yiming noticed a familiar scent as he pushed open the door to his apartment. He was not quite sure what it was, but he knew that it was the smell of home. It was why despite being able to afford a bigger apartment, Li Yiming stuck to his old one.


    Li Yiming threw the grocery bags onto the sofa and gulped down a cup of cold water. He had bought some drinks from the supermarket, but Li Yiming had the habit of drinking from the tap whenever he came home. The faint odor of chlorine and the cold sensation as the liquid traveled down his throat made him somewhat nostalgic for his nor.


    Li Yiming removed his clothes and walked toward the shower. His ns for the day were to take a cold shower and sleep in until the next day.


    Knock! Knock!


    Someone knocked at Li Yiming¡¯s door.


    Li Yiming peeked out from the shower room, his hair still covered with foam.


    Knock! Knock!


    The knocking continued.


    Li Yiming frowned. Since he was not in a position to answer the door, he extended his senses and found the visitor to be Lin Lu.


    ¡¯It¡¯s her?¡¯


    "I¡¯ming!" Li Yiming said loudly and wiped away the foam on his hair. He did not have time to properly wash his hair so he wrapped a towel around his head and hurried to get dressed.


    Li Yiming took a deep breath as he put his hand on the door handle and hesitated. ¡¯Why is she...?¡¯


    Li Yiming found Lin Lu, looking sharp as ever and standing upright when he opened the door. Instead of her usualbat outfit, she wore a military uniform. The formal attire made her seem more reserved and polished, but the light frown she wore suggested that she was not at ease.


    "You..." Li Yiming was unsure of what to say to her.


    "Can Ie inside?" Lin Lu said.


    ¡¯Oh no...¡¯ Judging from her tone of voice, Li Yiming knew it to be bad news.


    After leading Lin Lu into his home, Li Yiming offered her a can of soft drink.


    "Thank you!" Lin Lu gulped down her drink without being overly courteous. She ended her long sip with a light burp.


    "I¡¯m here to give you something." Lin Lu took out an envelope from her pocket.


    "My driver¡¯s license?" Li Yiming looked at his license. He could finally drive legally now, but he wasn¡¯t exactly happy about it. He put down the license on the table, and the room once again sank into a long, awkward silence.


    "Shen Jianming retired..."


    "What?" Li Yiming knew that Lin Lu shared that information with him for a purpose.


    "He went to Xianyun Abbey after we came down the mountains." Lin Lu nced at the thread of silver hair which was protruding from the towel around Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    Li Yiming stayed expressionless, but what Lin Lu said definitely shocked him. ¡¯She remembers? But I thought Eyesses and Qing Qiaoqiao cleaned up? After so many times, you¡¯d think they¡¯d be able to do their jobs well enough...¡¯


    "I¡¯ve received orders from my superiors to never talk about it again, but..." Lin Lu rubbed the callus between her thumb and her index finger.


    Li Yiming opted to stay silent, unsure of what to say.


    "But something tells me that I need to talk about it with you..."


    "Talk about what?" Li Yiming looked at Lin Lu, alerted by her question. He did not know what were the consequences for him if someone figured out his true identity.


    "We went into the mountain ranges, found the remnants of the corpses of the previous teams, who died at the ws of wild beasts. After losing allmunications with the outside world due to a strong local maic field, most of us were poisoned, but Chen Quan managed to save us with his home-made medicine... Is this really what happened?" Lin Lu looked straight into Li Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    Li Yiming let out a long sigh of relief. Li Yiming adjusted his posture and settled down on the sofa.


    "But I remember that..." Lin Lu seemed to be confused and in pain.


    "You need a therapist. I don¡¯t think that you should have trouble finding one." Li Yiming rushed to stop Lin Lu from pressing him.


    "I..." Lin Lu looked back.


    Li Yiming frowned, opened a bag of chips, and started to munch on it rather loudly and impolitely.


    "I should leave." Lin Lu sighed and turned toward the door. Before leaving the apartment, she turned around and saluted Li Yiming. It was quite obvious to her that Li Yiming did not want to talk with her, most likely due to a confidentiality act or something of the kind.


    After closing the door, Li Yiming unwrapped the towel and started wiping his hair.


    ¡¯Well, looks like Eyesses didn¡¯t do a perfect job..¡¯ He thought rmingly before removing his clothes and headed toward the bathroom.


    Knock! Knock!


    Someone was knocking at the door once again.


    ¡¯Are you serious? What am I, a therapist?¡¯


    "Wait a moment!" Li Yiming yelled and resumed his shower. This time, it was Chen Quan.


    Li Yiming took his time with his bath, washing his body with soap twice and humming three songs before getting out of the shower. After drying his hair thoroughly and putting his pyjamas, nearly an hour had psed.


    "Sorry, I was taking a bath." Li Yiming did not even look at Chen Quan when he opened the door. He crashed down on the sofa and picked up the bottle of skin toner from the table.


    "We need to talk." Chen Quan closed the door behind him and sat down next to Li Yiming.


    "What is it?" Li Yiming continued to apply skin lotion, but he was growing a little irritated with people showing up at his door one after another. ¡¯Seriously? I thought Qing Qiaoqiao and Eyesses nailed it when it came to erasing people¡¯s memories!¡¯


    "This." Chen Quan took out a pile of photos after staring at Li Yiming for a while.


    "Where did you get this from?" Li Yiming froze when he saw the picture, his irritation subduing toplete coolness to allow for faster thinking.


    "Tell me what this is first." Chen Quan¡¯s hand was trembling.


    Li Yiming squinted as he scrutinized the photo. It had been produced quite recently, and the quality of the picture was exceptional. It was a golden wok cap sitting on a piece of ck cloth.


    "Why are you asking me this?" Li Yiming asked with an inscrutable expression.


    "I¡¯m not going to ask about Tianshan. I know that you won¡¯t tell me, but I can say that I have a natural resistance to poison. I have been drinking a drugged wine since I was a child. I don¡¯t buy the exnation that I Iost consciousness after inhaling some kind of poisonous gas," Chen Quan said with glittering eyes.


    Li Yiming¡¯s chest once again tightened.


    "I¡¯ve seen a wok in Tianshan... well, it turns out I¡¯ve also seen the cap before..." Chen Quan clenched his fists as his body shook uncontrobly.


    "I don¡¯t know what this is..."


    "But surely it¡¯s something important?"


    "Yes," Li Yiming said frustratingly. This golden wok cap undoubtedly formed a set with the golden pan he had seen in the domain. He remembered what Mr. Kong told him. ¡¯Golden body...¡¯


    "I know where this cap is."


    "Really?" Li Yiming nced at the photo again.


    "You do know what I do for a living, don¡¯t you?" Chen Quan knew from Li Yiming¡¯s reaction that he was onto a lead, and he grew more excited.


    "You mean you¡¯ve seen this in an old grave?" Li Yiming guessed.


    "I got my hands on it, in fact." Chen Quan let out a surprising revtion.


    "What? You have it with you right now?¡¯


    "I sold it," Chen Quan said bitterly. For the first time, he was regretting setting an artifact.


    "To whom?" Li Yiming pressed on.


    "A collector."


    "Who is it...?" Li Yiming stopped when he read Chen Quan¡¯s expression.


    "Alright, what do you want?" Li Yiming knew that Chen Quan wanted something in return for pointing him to the right person, and he was ready to pay the price for a clue of such importance.


    "I found this in a cave on the Northern side of the country three years ago. I couldn¡¯t tell what this was made of, so I tried my best to make some idiot buy it off. Of course, now the person I sold it to realized that this might not be valuable, so he¡¯s trying to sell it off."


    "He¡¯s selling it?" Li Yiming caught onto the keyword.


    "Yes, at an auction." Chen Quan confirmed.


    "Auction?"


    "An illegal one. Some things can¡¯t be sold in broad daylight."


    "You know the ce and the time?" Li Yiming squinted as he guessed the conditions on which Chen Quan would allow him to join.


    "As an old customer and seller, I do have an invitation, yes," Chen Quan answered.


    "Oh?"


    "I could bring you along, but..."


    "Speak." Li Yiming said.


    "I need to stay with you. It¡¯s a private event, and due to how sensitive it is it wouldn¡¯t take much time before they spot a neer."

 Volume 6 Chapter 2

    Editing: Krisaia


    Chen Quan picked up the opened bag of chips just like Li Yiming did a few hours ago. After so many years spent negotiating with buyers and estimating their bottom lines, he was confident that he had just made an offer Li Yiming could not refuse.


    Li Yiming put down the piece of paper, his mind working out the implications of Chen Quan¡¯s proposal as quickly as he could. It was going to be some kind of auction party for artifacts. ¡¯Well, if one thing¡¯s for sure, it¡¯s that this event is reserved for the privileged few...¡¯


    "Why me?"


    "I trust what I remember."


    "Curiosity can lead you down a dangerous path."


    "Do you want to know what I dream of in life?" Chen Quan suddenly interrupted Li Yiming and started a long narration. "My grandfather was a gravedigger, just like me. He was caught red-handed and sent to the firing squads when I was still a child. But that wasn¡¯t before he instilled in me a great interest for history and archeology. I wanted to be an archeologist when I was in junior high school, and I told my entire ss about it. Want to know what my teacher said? Heughed out loud and told me that ¡¯with how short you are, you should probably just stick to stealing things from people¡¯s¡¯ graves like your grandfather.¡¯"


    "I quit school on the second day and searched for the crate my grandpa left us, the crate that my dad always forbid me from touching. In the end, my teacher was right, and I will be the one to unveil the hidden truths of history with my own hands."


    "I¡¯ve dug up treasures, skeletons, and opened coffins to find ancient artifacts. I love these moment of rity, of finding out hidden truths more than anything..."


    "I didn¡¯t really pay attention to the wok cap when I found it. But now... after Tianshan... I¡¯ll live a life in vain if I don¡¯t find out the truth behind what happened." Chen Quan¡¯s eyes remained fixated on Li Yiming after he finished speaking.


    "The time, and the ce." Li Yiming was not quite sure how much of Chen Quan¡¯s words could be trusted, but he was moved by the sincerity in his eyes. Moreover, he knew that Chen Quan would never give him the information he wanted if he did not agree.


    "Tomorrow at three o¡¯clock, Donghai..."


    "Donghai?"


    * * *


    "How¡¯s Li Huaibei?" Stargaze was in her bed, still weakened by the incidents in Lianyun City. By her bed, someone that looked like a reflection of herself was attending to her.


    "He woke up during the night yesterday and left." Qianmian looked at Stargaze worriedly. He had just received the news; out of the three hundred guardians who attacked Lianyun City, most of them perished. The events that transpired that resulted in injuring two sages were unbeknownst to him, but he knew that the rules did not allow for Stargaze to tell him the tale of the domain.


    "Let him go..." Stargaze sighed and remembered the person she saw just before fainting. ¡¯Mr. Kong...¡¯


    "I¡¯ll have to trouble you with more work for a while. You should rest. I have some things to discuss with the little girl." Stargaze turned toward the corner of the room. On the sofa sat a young girl, who was silent and still as a statue. She wore a long skirt, and her face was mostly hidden by her long, tenebrous locks of hair. She threw an empty stare into the floor in front of her through her transparent irises.


    "Take good care of yourself." Qianmian urged before closing the door slowly.


    "Do you know Li Yiming?" Stargaze examined Tianyan¡¯s delicate features and asked her first question.


    "I¡¯ve met him, but I couldn¡¯t see him." Tian Yan answered in an impassive voice. Tianyan seemed even more detached than back in Hangzhou.


    "You can¡¯t see him?


    "I can¡¯t," Tianyan repeated her answer with conviction.


    "A hidden fate?"


    "Do you remember Ji Xiaoqin?" Tianyan dodged Stargaze¡¯s question and asked one of her own instead.


    "Li Yiming¡¯s ex-girlfriend, the one who possessed a changing karma until it went away right before she became a guardian?"


    "Yes... back in Hangzhou, when Li Yiming was on the brink of dying, Ji Xiaoqin awakened as a guardian. However, her karma vanished the next instant, and Li Yiming woke up with newfound strength..."


    "What are you suggesting?"


    "The two events were no coincidence. I remember the threads of fate which linked Ji Xiaoqin to Li Yiming, and what disappeared from one appeared on the other."


    "What?" Stargaze sat up from her bed, despite her weakness.


    "Uncle Bing paid close attention to the changes which urred to Ji Xiaoqin. At first, we thought that there was another group of guardians that had simr ns of producing guardians. However, that conjecture turned out to be a mistake. Still, it doesn¡¯t exin how Heavenly Karma umted on Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s body and suddenly vanished as it reached its peak." Tianyan continued to speak, without minding Stargaze¡¯s reaction.


    "So..."


    "Well, I think you have an idea of where I¡¯m getting at, don¡¯t you? I¡¯ve been thinking about it over thest few days..."


    ¡¯Li Yiming... he has been using Ji Xiaoqin¡¯s body to cultivate his own Dao? Is this how he became a sage at level six?¡¯ To Stargaze¡¯s shock, this was the only theory that could exin what happened to Ji Xiaoqin. To use someone else¡¯s body for one¡¯s own Dao was a simple concept, but immensely difficult to execute. It involved blending Heavenly Karma with the fate of another person, and extracting the Karma as it matured. This was not changing one¡¯s destiny; it was stealing from Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    "Qianmian, I need your help. Can you find out where Li Yiming is right now?" Stargazeid back down and picked up the transmitter at the head of her bed.


    ......


    "Did Yiming tell you anything when he left?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked Big Beard as the group waited for the n in a VIP restroom of Tianshan airport. Thetter had lost count of how many times he had been asked the same question.


    "You¡¯ll meet him in person soon enough. You can ask him yourself then." Big Beard was ying around with a cigar, visibly in a foul mood. It was to the point that the staff in the airport nced at him from time to time, wary of what he could do in an outburst of anger.


    Eyesses¡¯ eyes trailed at the nes as they took off from the runways, visibly at a loss.


    "Yiming¡¯s decision..." Qing Linglong rubbed the corners of her eyes. Li Yiming¡¯s departure seemed to have worried her to the point that even her wrinkles had be more prominent.


    "At least we¡¯re alive, and we should thankhim for it," Qing Qiaoqiao said angrily, reminding the group of what they owed to Li Yiming, which was precisely what made them so conflicted about picking a side when Li Yiming had made his stance so clear.


    It was a suicidal task to join Li Yiming¡¯s battle against Heaven¡¯s Laws, but they had managed to escape the domain unscathed precisely because they chose to do so. After witnessing Mr. Kong¡¯s massacre of the guardians and Li Huaibei¡¯s decision to betray Heaven¡¯s Laws, some of them were starting to doubt their own conviction.


    "We should ask him when we meet him again. As long as he¡¯s alive, I¡¯ll consider him a friend," Big Beard suddenly crushed the cigar he held and said firmly.


    "Is he going to be at the next domain?" Qing Qiaoqiao nced at Big Beard.


    "He doesn¡¯t have a choice." Qing Linglong picked up the cup of beer in front of her and emptied it cleanly.


    * * *


    Liu Meng curled into a ball on the sofa, bringing her knees to her chin while she observed her mother, who was busy with house chores. Although Li Yiming was no longer with her, she was enjoying the feeling of staying at home. It somehow became a pleasure to hear the long-winded remarks of her mother, which she used to find annoying. Of course, the only exception was when her motherined about Li Yiming¡¯s white hair.


    Ding Dong!


    The doorbell suddenly rang.


    "Mom, there¡¯s someone at the door," Liu Meng said ratherzily, refusing to bulge from the couch.


    "It wouldn¡¯t hurt for you to go answer it, would it?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother came out of the kitchen, and rolled her eyes when she saw Liu Meng on the sofa.


    "Yes it would..." Liu Meng smiled.


    "Yes?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother seemed to be pleasantly surprised by whomever she saw at the door.


    "Excuse me, is this where Liu Meng lives?"


    "Yes, and you are..." Liu Meng looked at the handsome and polite man in front of her.


    "I¡¯m her friend."


    "It¡¯s for me?" Liu Meng had turned her head toward the door when she recognized the voice of the visitor.


    "Li Huaibei?" Liu Meng cried out and jumped up from the sofa


    "Please, please, enter." Liu Meng¡¯s mother gave a warm wee to Li Huabei after seeing her daughter¡¯s reaction.


    "Sorry for disturbing you." Li Huaibei smiled and entered the living room.


    "Why..." Liu Meng was utterly shocked by the fact that Li Huaibei would choose to visit her at home.


    "Please have a seat. It¡¯s kind of messy around here. I¡¯ll make some tea, or would you rather have coffee? How about freshly made melon juice? Apple? Pear?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother rubbed her hands overenthusiastically, like someone who worked in a tea shop.


    "Mom?" Liu Meng was a little surprised. ¡¯I don¡¯t remember her being this warm when Yiming came over... Can she see that he¡¯s a sage? But then again, Yiming is one as well...¡¯


    "I don¡¯t want to bother you too much. Water is fine." Li Huaibei kept his rather professional smile and answered politely.


    Liu Meng¡¯s mother sighed and walked toward the kitchen without minding her daughter.


    "Why are you..." Liu Meng turned toward Li Huaibei. She did not fear Li Huaibei, as Li Yiming had also be a sage. However, she was unsure of what Li Huaibei¡¯s intentions were, since thetter had shown them great benevolence until Lianyun City, when it seemed like he wanted to kill Li Yiming.


    "Please, have a drink." Liu Meng¡¯s mother interrupted her thought. Not only did she bring a refined tea set, but also a te full of snacks.


    "Thank you." Liu Meng¡¯s mother smiled even more radiantly has Li Huaibei sat up to receive the teacup.


    "Could I have your name?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother asked.


    "Li Huaibei."


    "What do you do in life?"


    "I¡¯m awyer."


    "Lawyer? Li Huaibei?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother eyes lit up as she seemed to remember something. She quickly dug up a pile of old newspapers from beneath the table and searched through an old issue of aw journal.


    "You mean this Li Huaibei?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother pointed at an article in the corner of a page.


    "Yes, I suppose." Li Huaibei¡¯s smile was growing unnatural.


    "Wow!" Liu Meng¡¯s mother suddenly eximed.


    "Uhm... So, Huaibei, how old are you?"


    "Thirty... Six..." Li Yiming¡¯s soon to be mother-inw sessfully caused the second sage she met to sweat.


    "Thirty-six? A dragon? That¡¯s great..." Liu Meng¡¯s mother¡¯s eyes lit up. She nced at Liu Meng¡¯s who seemed to be dumbstruck by her actions. ¡¯Nicely done! Handsome, well-mannered, sessful, and a great match for the zodiac as well. Isn¡¯t he a hundred times better than that Li Yiming?¡¯

 Volume 6 Chapter 3

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "So, Huaibei, where do you live? Do you have any siblings? What about your parents? You must be terribly busy with work, aren¡¯t you?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother pushed the te of fruits toward Li Huaibei and delivered a flurry of questions.


    "Mom..." Liu Meng spat out between her clenched teeth. ¡¯Is she... my actual mother?¡¯


    "Oh, I see! I see! You talk. I just remembered that I have to go y mahjong with the neighbor. Have a great time." Liu Meng¡¯s mother smiled at the two, picked up her handbag and made for the door, but not before stopping at the front and signalling Liu Meng.


    "Uh... sorry about that..." Liu Meng said with an embarrassed smile.


    Li Huaibei, who was struggling to find an answer, picked up the cup of hot water and took a long sip without minding its burning temperature.


    "So, what are you here for?" Liu Meng took a deep breath and asked.


    "I need to speak with Li Yiming." Li Huaibei quickly regained hisposure.


    "Yiming? He¡¯s back in Lishui..." Liu Meng was quite confused as to why Li Huaibei was able to track her down but not Li Yiming.


    "He¡¯s not home, I went there. I¡¯ve tried calling him too, but he didn¡¯t answer."


    "Really? I just got a call from him this morning..."


    "What did he say?"


    "Uh... He said that he had something to do and had to leave for a few days?"


    "Leave? For what? Do you know where he went? And now of all time?" Li Huaibei was not ready for that answer.


    "He didn¡¯t... tell me about it. Maybe I can try calling him now?" Liu Meng was dumbfounded by the avnche of questions. Although Li Huaibei had shown hostility before, Liu Meng was well aware that it did not arise from malice on his part, but rather from fry at the catastrophe Li Yiming had caused unwittingly. If Li Huaibei was so concerned now for Li Yiming¡¯s whereabouts, then there had to be a good reason for it.


    "Hello, the number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment, please..."


    "Do you have something important to tell him?" Liu Meng put down her phone. ¡¯I guess I can¡¯t reach him because he probably put it away in his storage bracelet...¡¯


    "What is he up to?¡¯ Li Huaibei mumbled to himself, paying no mind to Liu Meng¡¯s question.


    "What is it exactly?"


    "He¡¯s nning on letting you face it alone?" Li Huaibei asked.


    "Face what?" Liu Meng had no idea what Li Huaibei was talking about.


    "You mean, you don¡¯t know?" Li Huaibei threw the question back at Liu Meng. ¡¯It really looks like she doesn¡¯t know... Or maybe she doesn¡¯t care? But how can she be so confident... or so ignorant?¡¯


    "What? What is it?" Liu Meng was a little irritated; she was displeased whenever people avoided her questions.


    "So you don¡¯t know..." Li Huaibei squinted.


    * * *


    After a night spent on a high-speed train, Li Yiming arrived at Donghai with Chen Quan. At a private port, the two boarded a luxurious cruise ship. Although there were only a few people who had the privilege of stepping foot onto the ship, the security procedures were beyond borate.


    Chen Quan¡¯s warning about the secrecy of the event turned out to be true. After having his cell phone confiscated and his luggage scanned for the fourth time, Li Yiming finally boarded the Pandaria.


    "My room is right next to yours. I received the invitation only because I¡¯m a potential seller at events like this, so..." Chen Quan had the cards to two second-ss rooms, which he thought of as an obvious embarrassment.


    Li Yiming nodded; he was far too concerned with the importance of the wok cap to mind such small details. He extended his senses and was about to sweep through the entire vessel, only to retract it immediately. He hid his surprise and took the room card Chen Quan handed to him, but took special care to turn away from a rather overweight man who was leaning against the fence on the upper deck.


    The man had a cigar between his teeth, and his arm wrapped around an attractive woman wearing a bikini. He worerge, mboyant shorts and a beige shirt which let through thick chest hair near the cor. Although the man was not very tall, he had an enormous beer belly which most definitely prevented him from seeing his own toes. From appearances alone, it seemed like he was nothing more than a perverted middle-aged man, but if one stared into his eyes, they would find out that he was a man capable of doing monstrous things beyond their imagination.


    As Li Yiming walked across the deck with Chen Quan and entered their cabins, he spotted the surveince camera at the end of the alleyway and frowned. ¡¯This camera...¡¯


    He quickly caught onto the fact that the camera was scanning him with a spell rather than just capturing video footage.


    ¡¯Hmmm... to be expected.¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s lips curled up as he feigned at rubbing his nose.


    "About the auction...: Chen Quan started to speak as soon as they had a little privacy, noticeably excited about the uing event, but Li Yiming signaled him to stop.


    Li Yiming closed his eyes and extended his senses once again to scan his room and swept across every nook and corner of it. ¡¯Alright, no hidden cameras or transmitters.¡¯


    "You were saying?" Li Yiming asked with a smile.


    "The auction is going to be held on international waters. We have three days..."


    "Thank you. We should probably rx a bit until then and rest. It¡¯s been a long day." Li Yiming said. "Oh yeah, do you know anything about that fat guy on the upper deck?"


    "Yu Runkai? He¡¯s the chairman of Changfeng Group. You know, the people that sell bottled water. I think he¡¯s also one of the organizers of the event. What about him?" Chen Quan said with a frown as he tried to remember the details about the man.


    "It¡¯s nothing. You should go rest. Also, don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m your nephew, and I¡¯vee here as your apprentice." Li Yiming let Chen Quan know that he could leave, took off his socks, and sat down on his bed.


    ¡¯You¡¯re right. That Yu Runkai is definitely involved with guardians. Rather, he¡¯s a representative. He¡¯s wearing some kind of equipment that¡¯s creating a focus barrier around him.¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice rang out in Li Yiming¡¯s mind.


    ¡¯There¡¯s something wrong with that camera outside too.¡¯


    ¡¯You should be careful. There¡¯s bound to be guardians at this auction.¡¯ Bai Ze advised caution, but her tone was rather nonchnt. After all, only a sage could be a threat to Li Yiming now, and there were only so many of them. Bai Ze herself had attained level six with Li Yiming, which was the major advantage of sharing her soul with Li Yiming.


    ¡¯I will.¡¯ Li Yiming agreed, but his suspicions were growing. ¡¯If there are guardians here, how can they possibly allow that wok cap to go on sale? Haven¡¯t they noticed its special properties?¡¯


    * * *


    Yunhe Prefecture is a small city with barely two-hundred thousand people located in the mountains. It gained fame across the country as a production base for high-quality wooden toys, but recently, the local government made a push for a transition toward the more lucrative tourism industry, only to have its efforts fall t. To make matters worse, the manufacturingpanies, having found more business-friendly ces to settle, vacated the city, leaving it in an economic predicament.


    At the highway exit to Yunhe Prefecture, the western-style wooden city gates, which showed signs of dpidation due to poor maintenance, was a telltale monument to the problems which gued the city.


    A group of people was standing beside arge ck jeep that was parked right under the gate, offering a vivid contrast with the derelict structure. There was a man in suits and wearing sses, who had elegant manners and pale skin, a robustly-built man whose manners were as coarse as intimidating, and two women, one who possessed the charms of maturity, whereas the other was blessed with delicate features and a seductive air.


    "They¡¯re here..." Eyesses pushed up his sses and turned his head toward the highway exit.


    "Is Li Yiming not here?" Big Beard threw his cigar on the ground and stomped on it vigorously.


    "It¡¯s Liu Meng and Li Huaibei... Why are they together? Where¡¯s Li Yiming?" Qing Linglong was confused.


    Li Huaibei got off the car with an expressionless face, while Liu Meng seemed to hesitate as she approached her former teammates.


    "Liu Meng, where is he?" Qing Qiaoqiao approached Li Huaibei¡¯s car and nced inside to make sure that there was no one inside.


    "Something came up and he couldn¡¯te."


    "He couldn¡¯te?" Qing Linglong could not believe what she had just heard.


    "How? What could possible be more important than..." Eyesses was perplexed.


    "I... I don¡¯t know..." Liu Meng nced at her cell phone worriedly; she had tried to call Li Yiming several times on the way, but to no avail.


    "Seriously?" Big Beard raised his fist and was about to smash it on the hood of the car, but paused mid-air awkwardly after noticing Li Huaibei¡¯s staring at him.


    "No useining now. I believe Li Yiming has his own considerations. Even if he doesn¡¯t, I trust Bai Ze¡¯s judgment. He must have something important at hand." Li Huaibei looked at the group with envy. ¡¯I used to have friends like that... too.¡¯


    "Eyesses, look up where Li Yiming went." Qing Linglong turned toward Eyesses and said with severity.


    "No need. Li Yiming is in Donghai. He boarded a ship, the Pandaria, about three hours ago." A voice suddenly came from behind. Everyone turned around to find, to their surprise, a beautiful woman in a traditional dress. Although she seemed weak from some kind of injury, her fragility could not conceal her air of elegance and her heavenly affectation.


    "Wang Liping?" Li Huaibei frowned.


    "I¡¯m even more injured than you are. I don¡¯t think I can handle this on my own. May I join you?" Stargaze showed a smile that was as pleasant as the warm spring wind that caressed one¡¯s face.


    "You said that Li Yiming went to Donghai?" Liu Meng came forth and took Stargaze¡¯s hand. She was the only one who had grown ustomed enough to sages as to not be too intimidated by one.


    "Going on a cruise at this time? He..."


    "I don¡¯t know. I just know that he boarded three hours ago."


    "Pandaria..." Li Huaibei scrunched his eyes once again.

 Volume 6 Chapter 4

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Sai Gao stood tall in his white skintight pants and ck batwing coat. Charmful as ever, he was the center of attention in the small town he stayed in. However, he had no time to mind the scrutiny of those around him ¡ª it took all of his focus to repress his urge to leap at the throat of the man standing in front of him.


    "You¡¯re alive?" Yun Yiyuan looked at the man whose demeanor did not match his appearance.


    "I¡¯ve disappointed you." Sai Gao smirked and slid his hand over the turtle shell he held. The shell had shrunk from pot-sized to about as big as his palm, and it had a smooth surfaceparable to jewelry.


    "Not disappointed. I¡¯m simply surprised that you¡¯re a guardian. I thought that you were a mythical beast." Yun Yiyuan replied calmly, feeling unthreatened by Sao Gao¡¯s presence. However, he was more concerned by the possibility that Li Yiming as also roaming nearby, since Sai Gao fought alongside Li Yiming in Lianyun City.


    "I hope for your sake that your path ahead will be an easy one." Sai Gao smiled coldly and turned around. He still remembered the pain from when Yun Yiyuan¡¯s spear nailed him to the city¡¯s wall. Contrary to Yun Yiyuan¡¯s supposition, he was not a guardian, giving Sai Gao leverage over thetter. However, their personal conflict had to be set aside for ater date, as he did not have the confidence to strike first. Sai Gao decided to wait patiently and strike when the time was right, knowing that Yun Yiyuan was not looking for a fight, either.


    "Li Yiming..." Yun Yiyuan whispered a name he would never be able to forget. <i>¡¯Just how strong are you? Three hundred guardians, all wiped out after dueling me. Howe I¡¯ve never heard of such a person before?¡¯ </i>


    * * *


    Li Yiming picked up a ss of martini from a waiter. He removed the little decorated umbre from the ss, briefly shifting his attention away from the women in bikinis nearby as he settled down morefortably on his long chair. There were three days left until the start of the auction, and the guests on the Pandaria were using the time to rx and enjoy themselves.


    Although the cruise ship was equipped with a myriad of facilities to entertain the guests, the main attraction remained the sea. A party had been organized on the deck, and it continued on even as night fell. One thing that Li Yiming noticed during his time on the cruise was that even though the men all looked fairly normal, the women were all extremely attractive.


    Li Yiming had been quietly minding his own business, but in the span of less than half an hour, more than three girls had tried to start a conversation with him. <i>¡¯Well, I suppose that¡¯s the purpose behind all the efforts put in to make more money in life... These women, they¡¯re part of the rules as well...¡¯ </i>


    "I¡¯m sorry, is this seat upied?" As another female voice rung from behind, Li Yiming smiled and shook his head.


    Just as Li Yiming was about to answer, he realized that this woman was different from the three before.<i> ¡¯She looks familiar... Did I see her on television before? Maybe she starred in some kind of obscure TV show before. Her looks don¡¯t stand out, at least not here. And unlike the other women, she seems to be cooler and much more reserved. She¡¯s either an invited guest, or she came here to apany someone¡¯ </i>


    "Feel free to use it." Li Yiming smiled. He was not in a position to refuse if it involved another guest.


    The woman sat down on the long chair without while ncing at Li Yiming. <i>¡¯No watches, no jewelry, and ordinary clothes? What a joke. Cheap shirt and slippers that were provided in the cabin. How did someone like him even get on this cruise? What kind of person evenes to a pool party dressed in a shirt and jean shorts?¡¯ </i>


    The TV actress started to apply sunscreen on herself while Li Yiming contemted the models by the pool. Although Li Yiming was not interested in them in the slightest, it was still a pleasant sight to behold.


    With his eyes hidden by his sunsses, Li Yiming could look wherever he wanted. The women in the pool had fit, well-proportioned bodies which came in and out of sight as they emerged from the water. They were the epitome of youth, physical appeal, and sensual pleasure, but Li Yiming suddenly found it all very tasteless; he knew that these girls were here with a specific motive in mind, and their attractive appearances were nothing more than a tool to achieve their goals.


    Despite what he thought of them, Li Yiming understood that the young women on this ship all had the freedom to make their own lifestyle choices and set their own goals in life. However... these young women bathing in lust for the material reminded Li Yiming of someone that he would rather forget about.


    Li Yiming emptied his martini and looked at the TV actress, who had finished applying lotion on herself. She seemed to be waiting for someone and was growing more impatient by the second.


    The next moment, the actress, who seemed to have burned through all of her patience andposure, jumped up from her seat and rushed toward the pool. In her hurry, she bumped into a young model who had just emerged from the water.


    The model was kneeling down right by the pool, busy removing the water from her hair as the actress rushed toward her with a knee to her face.


    "Ouch!"


    "Ow!"


    Two screams of pain were heard as the model fell back into the water and the actress knelt down with her hands around her knees.


    "Are you blind?" The woman shrieked an insult before the model even reemerged from the water.


    Li Yiming frowned. <i>¡¯You¡¯re the one who¡¯s blind. How does she even have the nerve to me the other woman?¡¯ </i>


    "Come up here!" The actress seemed to have found an outlet for her irritation. She pointed at the model, who had just emerged from the water, confused and in pain. The sudden blow and insult


    "Did you not hear me? You slut! I told you toe up here!" The actress yelled, attracting the attention of the nearby guests. The attention she received seemed to fuel her anger as she burst out. The model, who recognized the actress, seemed terrified as she swam toward the edge of the pool. Those who were ying with her all kept their distances now, and some even seemed to beughing at her misfortune.


    Li Yiming frowned once again, unsure of whether he should involve himself.


    "What¡¯s going on here? What¡¯s all themotion?" A voice came from behind. A well-built man wearing sunsses made his way through the crowd.


    "Where were you? Someone hurt me..." The woman¡¯s fury vanished the moment the man appeared, and she feigned a soft voice that made Li Yiming shiver.


    <i>¡¯Holy crap... She¡¯s damn good at acting... There¡¯s not even a slight sign of her anger left...¡¯</i> Li Yiming thought.


    "Hurt you? Where? Who?" The man asked worriedly, putting his hand on the slightly red kneecap of the actress.


    "Crap! It¡¯s red..." The man hurriedly knelt down in front of her and started to blow air with his lips framed by a poorly trimmed beard. From his expression, he would have been licking the woman had there not been a crowd of people around him.


    <i>¡¯Well, this man is certainly... special.¡¯ </i>Li Yiming was repulsed by the behavior of the man and thought the affair to be concluded since the actress had achieved what she had in mind.


    "Are you still hurt, babe? Tell me, who was it?" The man looked at the actress and asked.


    "Her!" The actress pursed her lips and pointed at the model with her plump finger.


    "What did you do? Can¡¯t you be more careful? What if you injured her?" The man turned toward the model with irritation.


    "I..." The girl, who had just climbed out of the pool, was too afraid to respond


    "What? Kneel down and apologize to her!" The man roared.


    <i>¡¯Kneel down? He¡¯s overdoing it...¡¯ </i>Li Yiming squinted. <i>¡¯To make her kneel in front of everyone, even if it was her fault...¡¯ </i>


    "Wow, what a show we have here!" Azy voice came from the direction of the pool. Li Yiming turned around to see a woman that decisively stood out from the rest like a shining star.


    She wore a blue silk robe, and beneath it a blue bikini decorated by shell-like patterns. Although she was not as tall as the models by the pool, she had an air of elegance and refinement that conferred to her a unique beauty that made her the center of attention instantly.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er?" Li Yiming¡¯s heart tightened.

 Volume 6 Chapter 5

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s showing up was aplete surprise to everyone on deck, including Li Yiming.


    The well-built man jumped up, dumbfounded at the person who stood right behind him. The TV actress, having apparently lost her ability to do anything other than stare at Fang Shui¡¯er in embarrassment, stood still like a statue. As for the model who was being bullied, she could barely control the shaking of her legs. All attention on the deck was turned in the direction of Fang Shui¡¯er, and some had even retained their breath in anticipation of the follow-up that was soon toe.


    "Ms. Fang..." The actress tried to maintain herposure and forced a smile.


    "Mrs. Qiang? Where is Mr. Qiang? Is he not with you?" Fang Shui¡¯er answered back with a grin and nodded.


    ¡¯Mrs. Qiang?¡¯ Li Yiming knew that Fang Shui¡¯er had mentioned the name for a reason.


    "He¡¯s... a little busy with work..." Mrs. Qiang replied in a low voice.


    "I remember you..." Fang Shui¡¯er ignored Mrs. Qiang¡¯s answer and turned toward the man who stood next to her. "You¡¯re Mr. Qiang¡¯s manager, aren¡¯t you?"


    "Yes! Yes! Good evening to you, Ms. Fang. My name is Ximen Song..." The man said in a loud voice, excited that someone like Fang Shui¡¯er remembered him.


    "Oh my, what a bruise. I hope you didn¡¯t chip your teeth." Fang Shui¡¯er said as she caressed the bruised cheek of the young model, ignoring Ximen Song¡¯s answer just like she did with Mrs. Qiang.


    "Ms. Fang..." Mrs. Qiang hesitated due to Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s attitude toward her.


    "A shame that people cannot keep their despicable sides to themselves. You should be more careful next time, okay?" Fang Shui¡¯er said to the model in a gentle voice.


    It was at that moment that Li Yiming finally remembered who Mrs. Qiang was. Her full name was Ma Jinliang, the wife of an international star. She had just made an appearance on the red carpet with her husband at the most recent film festival.


    ¡¯But wait... this Ximen Song guy, he¡¯s the manager of Mr. Qiang...¡¯ Li Yiming frowned as he remembered the scene of Ximen Song¡¯s kneeling down in front of Mrs. Qiang.


    It was a wonder to Li Yiming that Mrs. Qiang would choose to cheat on Mr. Qiang. After all, the man in question was a sessful and handsome man, to the point that Liu Meng chose a picture of him as her cellphone screensaver. Not only that, Mr. Qiang was also a famously generous person, having founded numerous trusts and charities in the country. Topare Ximen Song with him was something unthinkable.


    "Let¡¯s go." Mrs. Qiang, who had her mind sharpened by years of dealing with people, read Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s abundantly clear stance and knew that a retreat would be her wisest option. After onest old nce at the young model, she whispered to Ximen Song and started to walk away.


    "Oh? Leaving so soon, Mrs. Qiang?" Fang Shui¡¯er did not intend to let her off the hook so easily. "Wow, what a nice bracelet you have there. Where did you get it?"


    Li Yiming nced at Mrs. Qiang and Fang Shui¡¯er. The two each wore a silver bracelet with a ck gem embedded, which were visibly made in a pair.


    "Ms. Fang..." Mrs. Qiang looked at Fang Shui¡¯er. She tried her best to conceal the anger in her eyes, as Fang Shui¡¯er was not someone to be trifled with in the entertainment industry.


    "I like this bracelet." Fang Shui¡¯er said with a smile, only this time turning toward Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming was dumbfounded at first. After all, ever since Xiao Hei came to find him, desperate for a cure to Zeng Qian, the two were bound to be enemies. Zeng Qian was Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s sister, and blood bonds transcendent morality itself.


    Li Yiming thought that he would have to fight Fang Shui¡¯er to the death the next time they encountered, and he was ready for a battle to erupt on the cruise ship itself the moment he saw her. However, Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s gaze led him to believe that she was willing to forgive him.


    Li Yiming sighed and made his way through the crowd.


    "How much for that bracelet of yours?" Li Yiming looked at Ximen Song. He did not know the reason for which Fang Shui¡¯er decided to give up her revenge, but it did bring him some relief. As for her sincerity, having braved through Heaven¡¯s Punishment three times, he was confident enough in his own judgment.


    "Sorry, this isn¡¯t for sale." Ximen Song may have been slow, but it was evident at this point that Fang Shui¡¯er was looking to embarrass him. However, he was clueless as to why she chose to call upon such a in-looking young man to aplish the deed.


    "One million," Li Yiming stared straight at Ximen Song and said calmly.


    Li Yiming¡¯s proposal stirred up the crowd. Although those who attended the party were no ordinary people, the price that he had offered was one thatrgely exceeded the worth of the essory itself.


    "I..." Ximen Song was left speechless. Although the jewelry was custom-made for himself and Mrs. Qiang it costed no more than a few thousand.


    "Two million." Li Yiming continued. Money was only a number to Li Yiming at this point, especially after what he experienced back in Lianyun City.


    Ximen Song¡¯s expression froze as he seemed visibly torn by Li Yiming¡¯s proposal. Had Li Yiming offered one million anywhere else, he would have run toward thetter to cement the deal.


    Mrs. Qiang¡¯s expression sank as Fang Shui¡¯er remained expressionless. Most of the guests on the boat seemed baffled, whereas some of them smiled, amused by the spectacle that they were witnessing. In fact, most of them thought of Mrs. Qiang¡¯s actions with contempt, since she had chosen public humiliation as a way to vent out her emotions.


    "Three million! This is as much as I can go. I¡¯ll to think of something else if you¡¯re still inclined to refuse." Li Yiming continued in a calm voice, but threatened subtly by letting Ximen Song know that he was at the edge of his good will.


    Although he had recently sold off property in Hangzhou, he needed to keep some money for the artifact at the auction party.


    "Alright, three million." Ximen Song¡¯s clenched his teeth and started to remove his bracelet without minding the look of bafflement of Mrs. Qiang.


    Li Yiming¡¯s gaze reminded Ximen Song that he could not count on Mrs. Qiang¡¯s favor forever, especially given the fact that everyone on board now knew about their identities. He would have to think of a way out for himself if Mr. Qiang found out about his affair, and so he chose to ept Li Yiming¡¯s offer and deal with Mrs. Qiang¡¯s angerter in the cabin.


    "Well, I don¡¯t really want it anymore." Fang Shui¡¯er sighed as Ximen Song finished taking the bracelet off.


    Ximen Song¡¯s forced smile froze as he was about to give the bracelet over to Li Yiming.


    "I wanted to give it to you as apensation for what you¡¯ve gone through today, but then I thought that you might not like it. Oh well, I suppose that I should keep my mind to my own affairs." Fang Shui¡¯er said in a gentle voice to the model. The model, who had been ready to kneel down, had just woken up from her shock of seeing Fang Shui¡¯er intervene. Being used as a tool against Mrs. Qiang was thest thing she wanted to happen today.


    "Well, nevermind the bracelet, but I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll take back any favor I offer. You were going to give the bracelet to that girl, right?" Li Yiming looked at Fang Shui¡¯er.


    She answered him with a sweet smile.


    "Here¡¯s my room number. You cane tonight, I¡¯ll give you the money." Li Yiming showed his room card to the model.


    "You know what, forget about it. Hey, you over there! Can you help me make the transfer? There¡¯s no password on this card." Li Yiming realized that his proposal was suggestive to say the least, and opted for an alternative method. He called over a waiter who stood nearby and handed over his bank card. Before any more reactions coulde out of Mrs. Qiang and Ximen Song, he turned around and left.


    "How considerate." Fang Shui¡¯er nodded in Li Yiming¡¯s direction, visibly pleased.


    Li Yiming left the deck, a little dispirited. ¡¯Actors and actresses, every single one of them. On stage or in real life.¡¯


    Fang Shui¡¯er maintained her smile, while Ximen Song¡¯s paled. Mrs. Qiang¡¯s countenance became ashen, whereas the model still could not believe what had just happened. The other guests on the deck were all conjecturing about Li Yiming¡¯s true identity.


    Aside from not wanting to get himself further entangled in the dispute between Fang Shui¡¯er and Mrs. Qiang, Li Yiming left hurriedly for another reason. He had noticed that someone was watching him the whole time. It was Yu Runkai, the man with the beer belly, who was looking down from the upper deck. His presence also reminded Li Yiming that Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s actions perhaps had an ulterior motive.

 Volume 6 Chapter 6

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    ¡¯Liu Meng, we need you to return to the team. We know what Yiming is up to. We¡¯ll talk to him once we see him." Big Beard, who had now reced Li Yiming as the captain of the team, looked at Liu Meng.


    "I..." Liu Meng bit her lips and nced at Li Huaibei, seeking his counsel.


    "You¡¯ll need all the help you can get to brave through the danger ahead. It would be wise for you to join forces." Li Huaibei caught on to her hesitation.


    After taking a deep breath, Liu Meng looked at the others and nodded. The members of Team Dissonance nodded in relief, happy to see her return, not only for her strength as a spellcaster, but also a friend who had gone through life and death together.


    "Could you add me while you¡¯re at it..." Li Huaibei sighed at the joyful expressions of team Dissonance. He had never thought that he would join a team again.


    "What?" Big Beard thought he heard wrong.


    "I still owe Li Yiming a favor. I¡¯ll ensure your safety before I see him again." Li Huaibei said calmly, staring at the distance nkly as his thoughts went back to Lianyun City. Although he was genuinely angry at Li Yiming at first, thetter¡¯s efforts to preserve the city did not escape his eyes. He witnessed Li Yiming¡¯s duel against Yun Yiyuan and the final judgment delivered by Mr. Kong.


    Although Li Yiming¡¯s efforts did little to change the oue of the residents of Lianyun City, Li Huaibei still thought in earnest that he owed him something in return.


    "What about me? You don¡¯t mind adding a burden to your team?" Stargaze smiled and brushed her hair.


    "You... You..." Qing Linglong¡¯s eyes went from Stargaze to Li Huaibei. ¡¯Those are two sages! And they¡¯re offering to join our team? With Li Yiming, that¡¯s three sages...¡¯


    "Don¡¯t be too happy yet. I don¡¯t think that we¡¯ll have it too easy." Stargaze raised her chin up.


    "Ms. Wang is right. Back in Tianshan, we were the ones who made the domain more dangerous for you." Li Huaibei looked up at the cloudless sky above.


    "We¡¯ve made our own choices and it had nothing to do with Li Yiming," Big Beard suddenly said with a serious countenance.


    "You know better than us what it means to be part of a team. We wouldn¡¯t have the face to see Li Yiming again if we abandoned him now." Eyesses pushed up his sses,


    "I still can¡¯t agree with his decisions, but he¡¯s our captain." Qing Linglong reached out for her sister¡¯s hand and nced at Liu Meng.


    Li Huaibei smiled in contentment at the support shown for Li Yiming. ¡¯You do not disappoint me.¡¯


    "How long until it starts?" Li Huaibei looked at Stargaze, who had taken out a chair from her storage and sat down.


    "In about ten... nine..." Stargaze closed her eyes and started the countdown to the start of the domain.


    * * *


    Li Yiming returned to his room. After taking off his shoes, he walked to the window. ¡¯I used to be excited about a gig for five hundred, and now... how things have changed. More importantly, I need to figure out what¡¯s up with Fang Shui¡¯er and that Yun Runkai. What are they doing on this cruise ship? Are there any other guardians?¡¯


    ¡¯Crap! Yiming, I think I made a mistake!¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice suddenly rung out in his mind.


    ¡¯What is it?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s train of thought was disrupted.


    ¡¯I forgot about something.¡¯ Bai Ze seemed worried.


    Li Yiming sat down silently at the sofa and waited for the rest toe. It was rare to hear Bai Ze talk in such a tone.


    ¡¯When you failed your mission in Lianyun City, your life marks were taken away as punishment. It¡¯s going to be a disaster.¡¯


    ¡¯But I¡¯m fine for that, right? We did experiment with itst time...¡¯ Li Yiming frowned. As someone who was not a guardian, strictly speaking, he did not suffer such consequences.


    ¡¯You¡¯re right, but Liu Meng...¡¯ Bai Ze hesitated to tell Li Yiming the hard truth.


    Bai Ze¡¯s revtion hit Li Yiming like a hammer. He realized how big of a mistake he had made when he left Liu Meng. ¡¯Even the others, Linglong, Big Beard, Eyesses, Qiaoqiao...¡¯


    ¡¯How... how will they be punished?¡¯ Li Yiming asked with a trembling voice. He clenched his fist and punched the air, and then his own cheek.


    ¡¯The life marks are used to reign in guardians, so they¡¯repelled to do Heaven¡¯s Laws¡¯ bidding. Liu Meng and your friends will be sent into a punishment domain. They¡¯ll have onest chance to prove themselves...¡¯ Bai Ze knew that she herself was partly to me for this blunder.


    ¡¯A punishment domain? So it¡¯s not over?¡¯ Li Yiming took a deep breath and regained hisposure.


    ¡¯Yes, but...¡¯ Before Bai Ze could finish, Li Yiming bolted out of his room.


    Knock knock knock!


    Chen Quan peeked out of his room wearing nothing but a towel.


    "I need to make a call." Li Yiming said; his cellphone had been taken away during security clearance.


    "Is it urgent?" Chen Quan could see that Li Yiming was in a rush.


    "As urgent as it can be." Li Yiming spat out. He knew that he needed to get in touch with Liu Meng as soon as possible.


    "Follow me." Chen Quan knew enough about Li Yiming to trust him on such important matters and made straight for the hallway without even getting changed. Li Yiming followed closely behind as the two quickly climbed to the upper deck. After a quick exnation to the staff, Chen Quan brought Li Yiming to the office of the vice-captain.


    "I want information about that man today. I refuse to believe that you don¡¯t have it."


    "But Mrs. Qiang... You know about the rules for our cruise ships..."


    Li Yiming recognized Mrs. Qiang¡¯s voice instantly from the other side of the door. Chen Quan already had his hand on the door handle, but after a moment of hesitation, he decided to knock instead, not wanting to interrupt a possible private "discussion" between a guest and the vice-captain.


    "Please enter." A stern voice was heard. It sounded like whoever was talking was relieved by Li Yiming¡¯s interruption.


    Chen Quan pushed the door open and entered the office. It was a sumptuously decorated room, with a giant painting depicting two maidens taking water from a river, which was undoubtedly produced by a famous artist. Across the office desk sat a rather overweight man, with Mrs. Qiang sitting facing him.


    "You?" Mrs. Qiang turned toward the door and recognized Li Yiming¡¯s long silvery hair.


    Her humiliation at the pool put her in a foul mood ever since, despite Ximen Song¡¯s best efforts. After a moment of reflection, she decided to exact her revenge on Li Yiming, since Fang Shui¡¯er was out of her reach and the model was much too insignificant to even appease her anger.


    However, Li Yiming¡¯s confusing mixture of characteristics made Mrs. Qiang waver from her decision. He seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary young man, and yet his actions proved that he had great wealth. Furthermore, his appearance alone was rather intriguing, offering a vivid contrast between his rather ordinary attire and his maizing long, silvery hair.


    However, Mrs. Qiang had not expected Li Yiming¡¯s arrival in thepany of Chen Quan, who was practically naked.


    "What is it, Chen Quan?" The vice-captain recognized the newly arrived guests and stood up from his seat.


    "We need to make a phone call." Chen Quan nced at Mrs. Qiang, paying no mind to her since he was unaware of the drama that had just unfolded in the swimming pool.


    "You don¡¯t have a phone?" Mrs. Qiang interrupted the vice-captain before thetter had a chance to answer. ¡¯He... This guy doesn¡¯t have a cellphone, after throwing away three million just to humiliate me?¡¯

 Volume 6 Chapter 7

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming chose to ignore Mrs. Qiang as he had more important matters to attend to. It was when she interjected that he turned his head toward her and noticed a cell phone on the desk right in front of where she sat.


    ¡¯She still has her cell phone?¡¯ Given her status, Li Yiming was notpletely surprised. After all, those who participated in the auction were all important figures of society, and it would be outrageous to deprive them of their means to manage their business and assets. In reality, confiscating the cellphones of the unimportant guests was a way to control the divulgement of information and to protect the privacy of the wealthy and powerful.


    "I need to make a call, it¡¯s really important. Could you help?" Li Yiming asked the vice-captain earnestly.


    "That¡¯s not a problem, but both of us need to be in this room when making your call," The vice-captain answered with a smile after a brief nce at Mrs. Qiang.


    "That¡¯s not a problem." Li Yiming gave a grateful nod and paced toward the telephone.


    "Wait!" Mrs. Qiang suddenly intervened.


    Li Yiming stopped as he extended his hand toward the phone.


    "You need to wait in line, don¡¯t you?" Mrs. Qiang stood up from her chair and said with a sly grin.


    "Mrs. Qiang..." The vice-captain did not know the reason for her interposition. As soon as Mrs. Qiang entered the room, the vice-captain knew that she was there to ask information about another guest on the cruise ship. After all, he was the one who managed the background data files for every individual that participated in the auction.


    "I also want to use the phone. I was here first." Mrs. Qiang stared at the vice-captain.


    "Don¡¯t you have your own phone?" Chen Quan was perplexed. He pointed at the cell phone on the table, which was decorated with glittering essories, suggesting that it belonged to a woman.


    "The battery¡¯s dead." Mrs. Qiang smiled and waved her phone before putting it into her handbag. After an approving nce from the vice-captain, she picked up the satellite phone.


    "It¡¯s urgent," Chen Quan said after ncing at Li Yiming, whose countenance sunk gradually.


    "But I¡¯ve also got something urgent. Young people nowadays..." Mrs. Qiang tossed her hair behind her shoulders and nced at Li Yiming. She was pleased with the turn of events that allowed her to exact revenge. After going over the events that happened on the upper deck, she wondered what gave Li Yiming the courage to humiliate publicly. She suspected that even the money that he used to pay the young model came from Fang Shui¡¯er.


    ¡¯Fang Shui¡¯er... Did I piss you off?¡¯ Mrs. Qiang pondered as she waited for the call to go through.


    "I¡¯m sorry. She was here first. Could you please...?" The vice-captain guessed Mrs. Qiang¡¯s intentions right away. He simply did not want to be involved in personal disputes between guests. The remainder of his sentence was stuck in his throat the moment he made contact with Li Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    The vice-captain had witnessed that kind of threatening, cial look before. There had been a time when one of the rich guests had publicly humiliated his captain after drinking too much. The day after, that guest had vanished, never to be seen again. Nobody talked about thetter until the disappearance was mentioned on the news a few weekster.


    "Hey, sis Fang? It¡¯s me. Oh yeah, my phone ran out of batteries. I just wanted to ask you if you¡¯ve given Bei¡¯Er her bath on time. Remember, she¡¯s a purebred Samoyed. Dry her properly after her bath. Otherwise, she¡¯ll fall sick. Also, you¡¯ve turned on the air conditioning when she¡¯s sleeping, right?" Mrs. Qiang, who had turned her back to Li Yiming, continued to go on about her "urgent affairs".


    "Excuse me, I just remembered that I was on patrolling duty today..." The vice-captain suddenly said with a smile,pletely disregarding the rule he mentioned about his needing to be present when a guest was at the telephone. He suddenly understood that taking into ount what Chen Quan did for a living, his friends were not to be trifled with. ¡¯He¡¯s an A-listed criminal who deals with corpses! I can give Mrs. Qiang a favor, but anything more is going to be trouble.¡¯


    Li Yiming ignored the vice-captain as thetter ran out of the room. His attention remained on the woman in front of him. ¡¯Liu Meng¡¯s life is in danger, and she...¡¯


    Just as Li Yiming was about to leap on Mrs. Qiang and seize the telephone, Chen Quan tapped his hand and gave him a small square-shaped leaf.


    Chen Quan had a diabolical smile, and after showing a second, identical leaf to Li Yiming, he put it under his tongue, suggesting Li Yiming to do the same. He unwrapped his bath towel right after, causing Li Yiming to frown as he did not wear anything other than an old belt with all sorts of pouches attached to it.


    Just as Li Yiming was having a brief moment of confusion, Chen Quan reached out for one of the small pouches and threw a pinch of powder in Mrs. Qiang¡¯s direction.


    ¡¯Poison?¡¯ Li Yiming had thought about the taking the phone and teaching Mrs. Qiang a lesson, but poison seemed a little over the top to him.


    Although Chen Quan¡¯s actions werepletely unexpected, Li Yiming was quick to put the leaf Chen Quan gave to him in his mouth. He had no doubts about the potency of Chen Quan¡¯s poison, especially after witnessing thetter¡¯s ability in the Lianyun City domain. As the leaf came into contact with his mouth, an extremely sour and irritating taste invaded his throat. Li Yiming¡¯s eyes filled up with tears instantly, and he almost spat out the leaf. He nced at Chen Quan and saw thetterpletely unfazed by the unpleasant taste.


    "Oh yeah... be careful about that nt we have in the study, my husband cares a lot..." Mrs. Qiang¡¯s topic now moved from the dog to indoor nts.


    "Also..." Mrs. Qiang paused unnaturally.


    ¡¯This fast?¡¯ Li Yiming was shocked.


    "The skirt I¡¯ve sent off to the tailorst week, can you..." Mrs. Qiang continued talking, but only managed to squeeze out half a sentence before stopping again.


    "I..." Mrs. Qiang frowned and looked at Li Yiming and Chen Quan, who were waiting behind her. Li Yiming could see beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, and the shaking of her legs grew even more violent.


    ¡¯What did he...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at Mrs. Qiang, who seemed to be growing more ufortable by the second, and then at Chen Quan, who smiled diabolically.


    "I¡¯ve heard fromst time that the car washing..." Mrs. Qiang tried to continue her conversation...


    Pfffffffft!


    A loud noise was heard, one which covered Mrs. Qiang¡¯s voice. It took both Li Yiming and her by surprise. Li Yiming knew that something wet just came out of Mrs. Qiang.


    Pfffft!


    Another noise. Li Yiming took a step back and noticed that Chen Quan had already retreated back to the entrance.


    Pfft! Pffft! Pfft!


    Mrs. Qiang could barely stand up. She put the telephone to her stomach and supported herself with one hand.


    "Are you done with your call?" Chen Quan walked forth with his hand around his nose exaggeratedly.


    "If so, then we¡¯ll make ours.." Chen Quan could barely retain hisugh as he took the telephone from Mrs. Qiang. "It seems like you¡¯ve got food poisoning, you should talk to the vice-captain about it."


    Chen Quan tossed the phone to Li Yiming and rushed out of the room. The putrid smell which filled up the room began to spread into the hallways.


    Pfft! Pffft!


    Li Yiming gulped down his astringent-tasting saliva as more noises were heard, apanied by the disgusting smell.


    "Axative?" Li Yiming asked as he walked out of the room.


    "She should thank me for it. It¡¯s deep desintoxication. Very expensive, by the way..." Chen Quan shrugged his shoulders. Li Yiming thought of his appearance, with his small eyes and hisrge nostrils, to be strangely resembling that of a devilughing at others¡¯ misfortune.


    ¡¯I should never underestimate these old legacies...¡¯ Li Yiming thought to himself.

 Volume 6 Chapter 8

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    By the time Mrs. Qiang was brought out of the room on a stretcher, her clothes were stained by foul liquids and the loud noises were still being produced. The vice-captain looked at her miserable state, visibly terrified, and gossips soon began to spread on the ship after a sailor unwittingly revealed what he saw.


    Li Yiming stared into the foams and froths in silence as he pondered over what had just happened.


    He had tried every single telephone number he could think of: Qing Linglong, Qing Qiaoqiao, Eyesses, Big Beard, and Liu Meng, but not a single one of them could be reached. The only possibility he could think of was that they entered the very domain that would decide their fate. Li Yiming was fully aware that it would serve to nothing to go back now.


    The only thing that slightly calmed his worries was that when he called Liu Meng¡¯s home, Liu Meng¡¯s mother told her in an irritated voice that Liu Meng had departed with Li Huaibei.


    "Don¡¯t disappoint me..." Li Yiming whispered to himself. By now, he had witnessed the powers of all four sages he had met, and he knew that unlike him, Li Huaibei was a full-fledged sage whose powersrgely surpassed his own.


    "Deep in your own thoughts?" A pleasant voice was heard. Li Yiming took a deep breath upon hearing the voice ¡ªdealing with this guest was going to take more energy than he would have liked.


    "The stunt with Mrs. Qiang... did you do it?" The neer reached his sides.


    "My friend." Li Yiming turned back and answered calmly.


    Fang Shui¡¯er wore a golden dress with braces. Her voluptuous hair touched her shoulders and billowed in the wind. As another gust approached, the dress was pushed tightly against her body, revealing near-perfect curves.


    Li Yiming examined Fang Shui¡¯er silently. From appearances alone, Fang Shui¡¯er was truly splendid; she possessed Liu Meng¡¯s sensuality, Qing Linglong¡¯s air of maturity, and even Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s innocence. Li Yiming struggled to grasp how all of these different traits somehow blended into a perfect mixture embodied by Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "Chen Quan? He¡¯s a..."


    "He¡¯s not one of us. He knows a few things." Li Yiming took a step forward to block some of the wind for Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "I¡¯m here to rx a bit. The captain is an old friend of mine."


    "Rx?"


    "You¡¯ve heard of what happened in Tianshan, haven¡¯t you?" Fang Shui¡¯er tone suddenly changed; her temperament turned from that of a mighty empress into that of an ordinary girlining about something mundane. Li Yiming was certain that this was Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s true self.


    Li Yiming did not answer Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s question. ¡¯Tianshan? But I thought all of the guardians were dead...¡¯


    "So you¡¯ve heard of it. Of course you have. Three hundred... twelve guardians, and not a single survivor." Fang Shui¡¯er stared into Li Yiming¡¯s eyes, and despite his decision to stay silent, she obtained the answer she sought.


    ¡¯So it did spread out...¡¯ Li Yiming did not think that his silence could actually fool Fang Shui¡¯er in the first ce, who was a master of cunning and reading people¡¯s expressions.


    "A lot of us think of them as insignificant insects, but our lives are even more fragile than theirs... It is thin ice we tread every day." Fang Shui¡¯er raised her hand to cover her mouth, her eyes filling up with tears.


    "I¡¯m sorry..." Li Yiming could not help but utter an apology. He understood that Fang Shui¡¯er was not the actress who could enchant all, nor the goddess adorned in her Starfall armor, but simply a sister who had just lost her sibling.


    "It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s where her destiny led her. None of us can escape." Fang Shui¡¯er took a deep breath and bit her lips.


    "You don¡¯t hate me?" Li Yiming hesitated.


    "I do. But I hate it even more..." Fang Shui¡¯er raised her head and could barely contain the rage that boiled within her.


    Li Yiming turned his head away; this was not a conversation he wanted to continue.


    "So, tell me, why are you really here. I¡¯ve investigated Chen Quan. He¡¯s not so... ordinary, as you¡¯ve said." Fang Shui¡¯er closed eyes before reopening them, returning to her an ever-charming beauty.


    "I¡¯m here to buy something." Li Yiming answered with a smile. ¡¯I prefer Liu Meng much more...¡¯ He thought as he looked at Fang Shui¡¯er, whose countenance changed faster than the sea breeze.


    "Oh? You¡¯re into artifact collecting?" Fang Shui¡¯er was surprised, exuding the air of a young teenage girl.


    "We all need outlets, don¡¯t we?" Li Yiming was starting to get repulsed by what he was seeing. ¡¯So many masks, and yet which one is the true her? I guess I¡¯ll never know.¡¯


    "Thank you for your time. I feel better now." Fang Shui¡¯er, who guessed at Li Yiming¡¯s thought, strolled toward the lower deck with a bitter smile.


    ¡¯She wants something from you.¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice came as soon as Fang Shui¡¯er left.


    ¡¯I know.¡¯ Li Yiming licked his lips and reached for the pack of cigarettes in his pocket. He set his eyes on the horizon as he lit one up and made sure to have his back turned toward the surveince camera above him.


    Li Yiming could already see the entirety of the trip to be much more troublesome than he had wished.


    * * *


    In the town square of Yunhe Prefecture, Li Huaibei, on whom Li Yiming had ced so much hope, smiled bitterly as he looked at two children ying in the distance. Qing Linglong and the rest stood behind him with severe countenances, and even Stargaze, who was always so confident and sure of herself, was confused.


    They had but one single mission: Kill those who deserved it.


    "I knew it..." Stargaze forced a smile and retracted her extended senses. After a brief probing, she could tell that the domain itself was small in size, but over two hundred thousand people lived in Yunhe Prefecture.


    "Those who deserve it..." Li Huaibei closed his eyes in frustration. He understood the meaning behind the mission as soon as he heard it, just as Stargaze did. After refusing to kill those who did not deserve it in Tianshan, their conviction was put to the test by Heaven¡¯s Laws, who demanded that they themselves decide who was innocent and who was not.


    "The census tells me that there¡¯s a hundred sixty-seven thousand four hundred eighty-five people here, plus those who aren¡¯t permanent residents..." Eyesses finished his investigation and looked at Li Huaibei.


    "Three days... we don¡¯t have much time. No consequences for killing the innocent, but a severe punishment for letting a guilty one escape..." Big Beard inhaled deeply on his cigar to relieve his tension by filling his lungs with smoke.


    "Mecha pilot, assassin, hacker... little girl, you can manipte people¡¯s mind, right?" Stargaze looked at Qing Qiaoqiao.


    Qing Qiaoqiao nodded confidently.


    "Go to the municipal hall with your sister. We¡¯ll take care of the big targets first. You with the beard, you can go to the police station with the hacker. We¡¯ll see if anyone has escaped justice in the past sixty years. Liu Meng and I will walk around to see if there¡¯s any information circting amongst themon folks."


    "What about..." Liu Meng turned toward Li Huaibei, who was the only one that had not received an assignment from Stargaze.


    After onest nce, Li Huaibei turned around and disappeared in a sh.


    "He doesn¡¯t need to follow you around as long as there isn¡¯t any danger." Stargaze shook her head as she looked in Li Huaibei¡¯s direction. ¡¯It seems like he¡¯s still not willing to let it go, how long has it been?¡¯


    "Any objections?" Big Beard took a deep breath and swept his gaze across the rest of his team. As the captain, he had an idea of Li Huaibei¡¯s motives for joining the team.


    "Let¡¯s go..." Qing Linglong sighed and tapped at Qiaoqiao¡¯s shoulder before jumping into the white jeep they drove.


    Big Beard stomped on his cigar and dove into the other car with Eyesses.


    "Trust your intuition." As the two vehicles left, Stargaze left onest counsel for Liu Meng before vanishing into thin air.


    Liu Meng looked around. She had a feeling she had visited the city before, but could not recognize anything meaningful in the distance. A domain without Li Yiming was a first for her, and she was rather distraught due to his absence.


    "Are you looking for a taxi?" A green car stopped in front of Liu Meng, and the driver asked her politely.


    "Oh, yes! Yes!" Liu Meng hesitated a little before pulling open the door and sitting down on the passenger seat.


    "Where are you going?" Just as the driver disengaged the hand brake, he nced at Liu Meng, his eyes pausing briefly on the attractive curves of her legs wrapped by leather pants.


    "It¡¯s my first time visiting his town. Do you mind driving around for a bit?" Liu Meng did not notice the ogle from the driver and looked outside instead. ¡¯So this time, I have the power to decide between life and death... Is this meant to teach me a lesson for my discontentment with the massacre in Lianyun City? Those who deserve to die... but who exactly?¡¯

 Volume 6 Chapter 9

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Chen Quan silently ate his fried rice that he somehow was able to order at a French restaurant. Only someone who loved the "old times" like Chen Quan could bear to do such a borderline oundish thing.


    "Sir, I¡¯ve been meaning to return your card before, but couldn¡¯t find you in your room..." A waiter approached Li Yiming and said politely.


    "Oh, thank you. You¡¯ve done the transfer?" Li Yiming put down his utensils, wiped his mouth and picked up the bank card from the te the waiter presented to him.


    "Yes, sir. Here¡¯s the receipt." The waiter pointed at a small paper slip on his te.


    Li Yiming picked up the paper slip and nced at it. ¡¯It¡¯s all in English? At least I recognize the numbers...¡¯


    "I¡¯ve kept your room number confidential from thedy in order to protect your privacy. However, I did take note of hers..." The waiter continued on.


    "Thank you very much." Li Yiming put the receipt down on the table, slid the bank card back into his pocket and picked up his utensils once more.


    "Sir..." The waiter was perplexed. He could not understand why Li Yiming decided to spend the money. The only reasonable exnation now was that it was a desperate attempt to get Fang Shui¡¯er attention.


    "Oh, sorry, I forgot." Li Yiming noticed that the waiter had no intention of leaving and put down a hundred yuan bill on the waiter¡¯s te.


    "Oh, no, that¡¯s not what I meant. Sorry for interrupting for your meal. Please enjoy." The waiter promptly put the bill back onto the table. He had been a silent observer of the events that unfolded near the pool. Although he held some contempt for the models who were tantly selling their bodies in the lookout for a shortcut to wealth, he still respected Li Yiming greatly for standing out for the weak and vulnerable, especially after hearing about the "incident" with Mrs. Qiang.


    Li Yiming frowned as he trailed the waiter with his eyes and resumed on finishing his te. ¡¯Not bad, this steak... but that foie gras... it tastes like saltless tofu.¡¯


    "So... you have an affair with Fang Shui¡¯er?" For the first time, it seemed like Chen Quan could not resist the urge of gossiping.


    "What do you mean?" Li Yiming swirled the red wine in his cup, just like the people did in the movies.


    "I¡¯ve heard about what happened at the swimming pool. And... she¡¯s looking at you now." Chen Quan sipped the rice liquor bottle he ordered, which was a cheap brand sold for a rather hefty price on the ship.


    "Oh?" Li Yiming turned around. He found Fang Shui¡¯er sitting alone at a table nearby. She raised her cup of wine in his direction.


    Li Yiming reciprocated the salutation.


    "I¡¯ve met her... a few times before." Li Yiming turned back toward Chen Quan, who winked at him. Li Yiming brought his hand to his forehead, pretending to massage his brows, and peeked between his fingers at the surveince camera attached to the roof.


    ¡¯Yiming, the ship is picking up speed.¡¯ Li Yiming was about to finish his steak when Bai Ze suddenly interjected.


    ¡¯Picking up speed?¡¯


    ¡¯Yes, it¡¯s more than double the speed of what it was in the afternoon.¡¯


    "It seems the auction¡¯s about to start..." Li Yiming put down his knife and fork and emptied his cup. He then slowly rotated the ss until it projected a reflection of Fang Shui¡¯er in all of her radiant beauty.


    * * *


    Liu Meng opened the car door and jumped out, giving the driver a small fright. She walked to a stone bench and sat down. She was now back at the small za where she started her ride. Night befell the city, and the za grew livelier as middle-aged women began dancing in groups and merchants set up their stands of drinks and baked food.


    Liu Meng stared aimlessly into the bustling crowd, her mind lost in her thoughts.


    On the taxi, the driver purposely drove slowly and remained silent instead of starting a conversation. He peeked at Liu Meng¡¯s thighs from time to time, and this irritated her to the point of wanting to burst out in anger. On one asion, the driver even made an exaggerated movement to change gear in an attempt to grope Liu Meng¡¯s legs. She easily avoided his and pondered about the situation.


    ¡¯Sexual harassment... there¡¯s no mistake about it.¡¯ Under any other circumstances, Liu Meng would have given the driver a lesson he would not forget during his lifetime, but she was aware that she now had to carefully weigh her actions.


    Liu Meng continued to observe the driver silently. He was a man in his thirties, with short hair and rough-skinned cheeks colored by an unhealthy yellow tint. His seatbelt wrapped around a rather visible belly, and his unkempt grey jacket made of a worn out grey fabric, made him rather unpleasantpany.


    The driver slowly licked his lips and gulped down his saliva as he ogled Liu Meng¡¯s lower body. It took a while before he looked up and realized that Liu Meng was staring back at him. He moved around, clearly difited by Liu Meng¡¯s confrontational gaze.


    "Are you looking at me because you find me beautiful, or because you want to do more than just look?" Liu Meng suddenly asked in a cial tone.


    Liu Meng¡¯s daring question made the driver tremble, causing the car to swirl slightly off course.


    "It¡¯s not the first time you¡¯re doing something like this, isn¡¯t it?" Liu Meng turned her attention toward the nail marks that were imprinted on the neck of the driver.


    The driver seemed to want to retort, but something about Liu Meng¡¯s gaze made him swallow his words.


    "Stop the car." Liu Meng sighed and took two hundred yuan out of her handbag.


    Liu Meng¡¯s attention shifted from the middle-aged women who danced in the open to the girl who was in the middle of her nightly jog.She reminisced the horrible news she once saw on TV about young women who were victims of rape and murder when they returned homete at night. She swore that she would kill anyone like that if she met one. However, she was no longer sure of her own conviction.


    "I think we need to talk." Liu Meng scratched her hair anxiously and switched on the transmitter on her cor.


    "You found something...?" Big Beard asked.


    "Yes..." Liu Meng was unsure how to broach the subject.


    "Go on. We¡¯re all listening." Qing Linglong invited Liu Meng to speak out.


    "What exactly are we looking for him?" Liu Meng


    "The people who deserve to die, of course." Qing Qiaoqiao answered eagerly.


    "Yes, but who are those people?" Liu Meng asked back.


    "Well, those who..." Qing Qiaoqiao sank into a dead silence.


    "What I mean is, how are we supposed to decide whether someone deserves death or not? Should they obeyws, or perhaps our own morality? I just bumped into a taxi driver, and I had a strong feeling that he could have been a rapist. I hate people like that, but does he deserve to die?" Liu Meng sounded a little detached, and, above all, confused.


    Liu Meng¡¯s friends could do nothing but ponder silently.


    Big Beard stopped typing and reached out for the pack of cigars in his pocket. Eyesses took off his sses and wiped the lenses with a piece of soft cloth. Qiaoqiao looked at her sister, unsure about how to answer Liu Meng, and Qing Linglong stepped on the gas pedal with a bitter smile.


    "I believe you know more about Li Yiming than we do." Stargaze, who was sitting under a willow tree by the river, seemed somewhat amused.


    "What do you mean?" Liu Meng took a deep breath.


    "Li Yiming is someone who will think about getting an umbre if it rains, not about how to stop the floods and disasters that mighte with it. He¡¯ll even to help those around him if he can. "


    "You¡¯ll need to help yourself before helping others. That¡¯s true for the ordinary citizens who live here, and true for both you and me. We need to obey these rules, and, for the moment being, we¡¯re nothing more than enforcers."


    "You mean..." Liu Meng hesitated. She understood the gist of what Stargaze was trying to say: to follow her own heart.


    "Go. You can afford to make mistakes, but you cannot simply sit here and doubt your own conviction." Stargaze peeked at the dimmering crescent of the new moon and lowered her head once more as a faint light slowly wrapped her.


    ¡¯Can afford to make a mistake, but cannot simply sit here and do nothing...¡¯ Liu Meng clenched her fists and nced in the direction the taxi disappeared after dropping her off.


    "So you agree with Stargaze?" Qing Qiaoqiao turned toward her sister.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Better to make a mistake... than let a single one escape justice."


    Qing Linglong looked away from her sister and pushed on the brakes. The car stopped right below a residential block.


    "Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re here." Qing Linglong closed the navigation program on her cellphone and looked up at the apartment windows. Behind the curtains was shone a bright light.


    * * *


    "I am sitting on the city walls... contemting the mountains... but the shing of metal... the bellowing of gs... it was the army from Sima." From the old radio came a piece sung by a dry voice. A skinny man leaned against the back of his chair, tapping at his tea bowl with two fingers as the song kept ying. His eyelids were half closed, and if it was not for the worn-out coat he wore, he would undoubtedly have been mistaken for an old retiree. [1]


    "What a nice tune of the Empty Fort..." As the piece yed on the radio concluded, the man raised his head and slowly closed his eyespletely.


    Powered by


    1. This refers to a y adapted from the <i>Romance of the Three Kingdoms, </i>in which the famous Shu eneral/strategist Zhuge Liang tricks his opponent Sima Yi using reverse psychology.

 Volume 6 Chapter 10

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    As scheduled, the auction started at ten o¡¯clock sharp the next morning.


    Li Yiming arrived in his casual outfit,pletely unconcerned by his cheap clothing in such an event. The auction itself was being held in a meeting room with nothing more than a few dozens of sofa and a simple wooden stage for the articles to be presented to the participants.


    Chen Quan showed up in a suit which was undoubtedly custom-made judging by the quality of the fabric alone. However,ically enough, his height made him seem like a child disguising as an adult.


    Chen Quan seemed embarrassed, not due to his outfit, but rather because of the security guard who had just barricaded Li Yiming and himself right outside of the venue.


    "It¡¯s okay. They¡¯ll let us in soon enough." Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders. He knew that they needed to wait for all the other guests to arrive before being allowed to enter the meeting hall. After all, they were unofficial guests, which meant that they would not even be allowed the privilege to sit on the leather sofas, and instead had to sit on simple wooden chairs.


    "Nuisances blocking the way this early in the morning?" A feeble but angry voice came from behind just as Chen Quan peeked into the room to estimate how much longer they would have to wait.


    "I didn¡¯t use enough medicine it seems." Chen Quan smirked. The gloves have been off ever since the rumors of what he did spread on the cruise ship.


    Li Yiming pulled him out of the way, rather amused by the statement. He nced at the neers; it was Mrs. Qiang and Ximen Song, and although the former¡¯s countenance was still ashen, she did not hide her intense dislike for bumping into Li Yiming again.


    "It¡¯s okay. No need to be angry at people like them." Ximen Song tried to appease Mrs. Qiang, but seemed reluctant to cross eyes with Li Yiming or Chen Quan, especially after learning about what thetter did for a living.


    "What¡¯s wrong with the security on this ship? Is it so hard to hirepetent people these days?" Mrs. Qiang continued to vent out her irritation at the staff working on-site.


    "I¡¯m sorry, could you two gentlemen please move to the side for a moment?" The security was aware of the discontentment that he had caused. Although he formted his request to Li Yiming and Chen Quan politely, there was a trace of contempt for the ostensibly insignificant duo who had just angered an important guest.


    Chen Quan¡¯s pride was stung by the remark, and he regretted once again not using a stronger dosage for the "detoxification treatment" of Mrs. Qiang. Li Yiming remained impassive and moved out of the way with an apologetic smile.


    "Sorry for making you wait this long. The zipper was stuck and my assistant took some time trying to make it work." A pleasant voice was heard, and Li Yiming suddenly felt fingers wrap around his wrist.


    "Ms. Fang..." The security looked at Fang Shui¡¯er, who came from behind Li Yiming,pletely astounded.


    "You¡¯re not angry, are you?" Fang Shui¡¯er looked at Li Yiming and said in a charming tone.


    "I wouldn¡¯t dare." Li Yiming smiled awkwardly.


    "Let¡¯s go then!" Fang Shui¡¯er dragged Li Yiming toward into the auction hall. The security, rather than stopping Li Yiming, seemed terrified at the fact that he had unknowingly barred entrance to apanion of a renowned actress such as Fang Shui¡¯er.


    Fang Shui¡¯er paced through the hallway rapidly with Li Yiming, as if she was a young girl embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. The two soon caught up to Mrs. Qiang and Ximen Song, who were walking slowly, with the former trying her best to conceal her weakness.


    "What did you say about nuisances?" Chen Quan said in an imperious voice.


    "You?" Mrs. Qiang turned back and was about to hurl out some insults, but the sight of Fang Shui¡¯er silenced her. She instinctively leaned against Ximen Song, seeking some support from his lover. However, thetter interpreted her intentions wrong and subtly dragged her out of Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s way.


    "We should let the most vulnerable members of society have priority. I heard it¡¯s a virtue." Fang Shui¡¯er said rather innocently when she passed by Mrs. Qiang and Ximen Song.


    "Oh, yes, of course, Ms. Fang. It¡¯s only natural for us to help those who are in need of it." Chen Quan immediately feigned regret.


    "Gigolo..." Mrs. Qiang forcefully pushed Ximen Song away and stared at Li Yiming venomously. She said the word loud enough for everyone in the room to hear it.


    Chen Quan¡¯s countenance sank and he reached for something in his pockets.


    "I think that our seats are over there..." Li Yiming paid no mind to Mrs. Qiang and pointed to the wooden benches in a corner as he let go of Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "Alright, let¡¯s go then." Fang Shui¡¯er smiled sweetly, and, hand-in-hand with Li Yiming once again.


    Murmurs could be heard as those who sat around Li Yiming and Fang Shui¡¯er gave them the side-eye, unsure of what to make of the two not sitting down in a sofa like the other invited guests.


    "I¡¯m just here for fun. I don¡¯t really care about where I sit. It¡¯s nice being treated as a normal person for once instead of a superstar. Look at these people, they either fear me or want to sleep with me," Fang Shui¡¯er stared into Li Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    ¡¯Some things are different after sleeping with you...¡¯ Chen Quan thought, having obviously made the wrong assumptions about the nature of the rtionship between Li Yiming and Fang Shui¡¯er.


    The staff who was busy preparing drinks for the guests waspletely dumbfounded. He turned his attention toward Yu Runkai. Yu Runhai, who was enjoying himself with a young model, shook his head, and the waiter continued his work, pretending as if nothing happened.


    Li Yiming looked around and noticed that most of the guests were men, and a fair number of them were apanied by beauties. ¡¯Looks like the party at the pool yesterday paid off for many...¡¯


    Li Yiming looked around, but could not find the young model who was entangled with Mrs. Qiangst night.


    "You don¡¯t need to look for her. Three million is enough for people to take a hint and keep their distance from her." Fang Shui¡¯er read Li Yiming¡¯s mind and answered in a rather sour tone.


    Chen Quan stretched himself and looked away. ¡¯Impressive, Li Yiming...¡¯


    As thest guests had arrived, the auction sale finally began. The host was a middle-aged man, who, ording to Chen Quan, happened to be an authoritative figure on ancient artifacts. Instead of opening up with a speech weing the guests, he proceeded to the main show straight away and unveiled the first item.


    The first artifact that was shown was a near two meters tall rosewood screen made sometime between the Ming and Qing dynasty, with the sculptures on it depicting a scene of birds living on a mountain. The carvings in the scarlet-tinted rosewood were decorated with threads of gold, and the feathers were intricately decorated byplex motifs.


    Li Yiming was no expert on artifact collecting, but he had no doubts that the item would not be sold for cheap


    The hostpletely removed the red cloth covering the item and read a paragraph of historical text that sounded like a segment taken from the biography of a famous person. Li Yiming could not quiteprehend due to hisck of knowledge in the field.


    ¡¯That¡¯s it?¡¯ Li Yiming was surprised. ¡¯He didn¡¯t even mention what the starting price is.¡¯


    "One million!" Someone shouted.


    "One million two hundred thousand!"


    "One and two hundred twenty-five!"


    Li Yiming turned his head toward Chen Quan as the price of the wooden screens skyrocketed in a matter of seconds.


    "You sure we can sit here?" Li Yiming looked at the other participants who sat on the long bench and noticed that all of them were quite a distance away due to being intimidated by Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it." Chen Quan said nonchntly.


    Li Yiming stayed silent and scrutinized the surroundings very carefully. Only then did he realize that six out of the seven surveince cameras installed in the room were pointed in his direction.


    The rosewood screen ended up being sold for over two million yuan. Li Yiming was skeptical about whether the object was worth such a hefty sum, and the long process of people putting down their bids bored greatly. To distract himself, he asked the waiter for a cup of lemon water.


    The second item to be sold was a hairpin decorated by an elegantly designed skrk whose feathers were decorated with gems. Some of the sockets were missing their gemstones, which suggested that the item has had a fair bit of history for itself.


    Once again, the host picked up a small card and read a paragraph of ancient text. This time, Li Yiming recognized the words "From the pce of the Duke of Qin".


    "Three million!" Someone immediately jumped on the opportunity.


    "Shit!" Chen Quan grumbled. "I made a mistake."


    "How much did you sell this for?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Three hundred thousand... Who would have guessed that a silver hairpin would sell for this much..." Chen Quan pursed his lips.


    "It¡¯s made of silver?"


    "What do you think? tinum?"


    "There are no easy jobs, I guess..." Li Yiming grimaced.


    The silver hairpin ended up being sold for nearly five millions as Li Yiming and Chen Quan finished their conversations. Chen Quan asked for a bottle of beer to distract himself from the grief of missing out on such a big sum of money. He secretly resolved himself to never bezy again in doing his research before digging up a grave, especially after this painful lesson.


    As the sale of the second item concluded, the host pushed a wooden cart to the middle of the stage. The red cloth was taken off, and the object that Li Yiming had been waiting for all this time appeared right before his eyes: the golden wok cap.

 Volume 6 Chapter 11

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "That has to be fake!" Mrs. Qiang eximed as soon as she saw the item. The wok cap seemed to be have been made of pure gold, but theck of any sign of aging and fact that it would be unimaginable for anyone to want to build a cap out of valuable gold meant that it was very likely a counterfeit.


    "Maybe there¡¯s more to it. Let¡¯s wait." Ximen Song was more level-headed.


    ¡¯This is it.¡¯ This was what Li Yiming came for. He refrained himself from looking at the cap too much and pretended to be sipping his citrus water instead. Chen Quan shed a nce at Li Yiming and turned his attention to the miniskirt of a waitress nearby.


    "You¡¯re interested in that thing?" Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly remarked.


    "What?" Li Yiming turned around in awe.


    "You stared at the two items that came before. For some reason, you¡¯re refusing to look at this one for more than a few seconds... Also, ording to my sources, women are not on the top of your friend¡¯s priority list..." Fang Shui¡¯er exined rather calmly, but behind herposed demeanor was perplexity as to why Li Yiming made his interest so obvious.


    Li Yiming could not do anything other thanugh in embarrassment. ¡¯Wow, how did she know? I thought I was discreet...¡¯


    "The origins of this item is unknown..." The host swept across the hall with his gaze. "We could not find any information about it."


    A small brouhaha spread in the crowd. Although only a few thought of the wok cap as an actual counterfeit, most of them were hesitant to offer a high price right off the bat. The host retreated to the side and waited patiently for the auction to start, but only dead silence reigned in the entire room.


    "Three hundred thousand." Li Yiming said hesitantly,


    ¡¯Seriously...¡¯ Chen Quan was not impressed. ¡¯I sold this for nine hundred thousand...¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s sudden initiative caught the attention of many guests in the auction hall. Although it seemed objectionable to start with such a low price, it all made sense if Li Yiming was simply looking to test the resolves of the other participants. After all, the golden wok cap had yet to show any verified value.


    "Three hundred fifty..." Mrs. Qiang looked at Li Yiming and hesitated before offering a price barely higher than Li Yiming¡¯s. She did not have a particr interest in the item, but simply wanted to annoy Li Yiming.


    "Four hundred," Li Yiming said calmly while sipping his cup.


    "You can keep going if you want to annoy him."


    "Really?" Mrs. Qiang was about to give up, since she was not quite sure whether Li Yiming was simply fooling around or not.


    "He¡¯s too calm. But you can see from the expression of his dwarf friend that this item is of important value to them. Most importantly, look at Fang Shui¡¯er, she hasn¡¯t moved her eyes away from that thing yet," Ximen Song whispered with a confident smile.


    "One million." Mrs. Qiang raised her right hand and said loudly.


    Ximen Song shuddered when he heard the number. ¡¯Are you serious? How is he expected to follow up on such a jump?¡¯ Ximen Song was unaware of just how much spite and anger Mrs. Qiang felt for Li Yiming and vastly underestimated the extent to which she would go to thwart Li Yiming¡¯s n.


    "How much do I have to add?" Li Yiming looked at Chen Quan with a frown.


    "Ten thousand..." By know, Chen Quan understood that Mrs. Qiang only had ruining Li Yiming¡¯s ns in mind.


    "One million and ten thousand." Li Yiming raised his hand again.


    "Two million!" Mrs. Qiang pursed her lips and delivered a blow that satisfied her craving for vengeance greatly.


    Although Ximen Song let out a sigh of relief when Li Yiming continued to bid, the littlefort he had waspletely shattered when he heard the number that came out of Mrs. Qiang¡¯s mouth.


    "Two million and ten thousand." Li Yiming pressed on without hesitation.


    Fang Shui¡¯er subtly nced at the surveince cameras.


    "Three million!"


    "Three million and ten thousand."


    ¡¯Four million!"


    "Four million and ten thousand."


    At this point, it was obvious to the other guests that Li Yiming and Mrs. Qiang were locked in a struggle simply due to enmity. Moreover, Li Yiming¡¯s bids made it seem like he was the one trying to annoy Mrs. Qiang.


    "Five million!" Ximen Song had barely managed to hold Mrs. Qiang¡¯s hand down, but could not silence her quickly enough to prevent her from raising the bid once again.


    The guests all turned their attention toward Li Yiming, but the next bid had yet toe.


    "Are you giving up?" Fang Shui¡¯er was surprised, since she thought she had understood that Li Yiming was ready to get his hands on the item regardless of the cost.


    Li Yiming smiled and sipped his lemon drink calmly. He wanted to continue bidding, but he realized that he would run out of cash. After all, five million was no small sum, and Li Yiming just recently acquired a sizeable fortune.


    Beads of cold sweat rolled down Ximen Song¡¯s forehead as Li Yiming remained silent. He had started to doubt whether Li Yiming had observing their reactions the entire time and simply wanted to make him lose money. Mrs. Qiang, however, was too busy savoring her financial victory, rather than considering the long term consequences of her bidding.


    "Ten million." Just as the host was about to seal the deal with a smile, a stern voice was heard from the front row.


    ¡¯Yu Runkai?¡¯ Li Yiming frowned. It was not a big deal for the item to be bought by Mrs. Qiang, since Li Yiming could simply "retrieve" itter, but it was a different story if Yu Runkai managed to get his hands on the wok cap.


    "Twenty million!" Mrs. Qiang screeched in a moment of frenzied rage. The anger which had been simmering inside of her finally exploded.


    "Don¡¯t...¡¯ Ximen Song was toote to stop her, once again. His hands and feet went cold from just thinking about the astronomical sum Mrs. Qiang had justmitted herself to.


    As soon as Mrs. Qiang¡¯s bid was heard, amotion urred in the room. At this point, it was no longer simply a fight between Mrs. Qiang and Li Yiming, but a vicious struggle that would only end a bankruptcy. Yu Runkai raised his cup, not in the direction of Mrs. Qiang, but at Li Yiming. The rest of the crowd interpreted this as being a sign of friendliness showing that the two had been plotting together against Mrs. Qiang the entire time.


    However, Li Yiming quickly understood Yu Runkai¡¯s true intentions. ¡¯He knows...¡¯


    "Chen Quan, how much money do you have?" Li Yiming looked at his friend with a frown.


    "I have quite a bit of money, but all of it has been confiscated..." Chen Quan was willing to help Li Yiming, but he had lost most of his belongings when he went to prison.


    "Ho much do you need? I lend to you." Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly said in a soft voice.


    "How much can you give me?" Li Yiming stared at the wok cap. ¡¯Fang Shui¡¯er... Yu Runkai... and these surveince cameras...¡¯


    "I can give you one hundred million." Fang Shui¡¯er smiled sweetly and said a number that shocked Li Yiming.


    "Twenty million and ten thousand." Li Yiming spat out just as the host was about to smash the table with the hammer.


    Another ruckus arose in the crowd; Li Yiming, who had been thought to be working with Yu Runkai, turned on thetter. Even Mrs. Qiang, who had an ashen countenance from just waking up to the fact that she had been yed by Li Yiming, seemed confused, as was the case for Ximen Song


    This time, Mrs. Qiang was not stupid enough to call an even higher price. Her rage gradually settled as she bit her lips and scrutinized Li Yiming.


    "Thirty million." Yu Runkai continued to raise the price.


    "Thirty million and ten thousand." Li Yiming followed.


    "Forty million."


    "Forty and ten."


    "Fifty."


    "Fifty and ten."


    "Excuse me, sir..." The host finally intervened. "We have done our appraisal on the guests for this cruise trip. We are aware that Mr. Chen has vouched for you, but his limit stands at fifty million..."


    "I¡¯m vouching for him." Fang Shui¡¯er stood up and pushed the wooden bench to the side. She walked to where Li Yiming stood and wrapped her arm affectionately around his neck.


    "My apologies." The host nodded and excused himself.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s firm support for Li Yiming¡¯s bid once again raised eyebrows. Those who were wondering whether Li Yiming was a paid gigolo of Fang Shui¡¯er were astounded. Based on Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s attitude and actions toward Li Yiming, all clues suggested that Li Yiming was, in fact, the person in control in the rtionship.

 Volume 6 Chapter 12

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    In the eyes of all the onlookers around them, Fang Shui¡¯er was the faithful girlfriend that was willing to do whatever she could to make her man happy. Li Yiming, who previously had to endure the judgemental looks, now looked like an intimidating figure. Some were even starting to search for signs which suggested that there was more to his long, grey hair and in clothing.


    While some of the guests were specting about Li Yiming¡¯s true identity, others had their attention on the golden wok. For both Yu Runkai and Li Yiming to be so unyielding, the golden wok¡¯s worth must have not been something to scoff at.


    * * *


    The excitement was slowly building in the audience, and the host, who had retreated to the side, had to try to stop himself from smile; he knew that he had done his job well.


    "Mr. Li, you seem to be quite adamant about getting your hands on this artifact..." Yu Ruinkai stood up with a smile instead of pushing the price even higher.


    Li Yiming raised his cup in Yu Runkai¡¯s direction; he was no longer thinking about how much he would have to pay to take the wok cap home, but rather about what he would need to do.


    "Fifty-one million." One of the guests could no longer hold it. It was an old man with white hair. His small eyes, hidden behind thick presbyopic lenses, remained inscrutable.


    "Fifty-two million. I¡¯ll see what this fuss is all about myself." One of the middle-aged man said while stroking the thigh of the woman sitting right next to him.


    ¡¯How the hell are these people so rich?¡¯ Li Yiming muttered. He had just realized that he had inadvertently convinced the other guests that the golden wok cap was worth a fortune.


    However, although some dared to participate in the bidding, others remained conservative. After all, not everyone was ready to risk being ridiculed for buying a worthless piece of counterfeit with a small fortune.


    "Fifty million two hundred and ten thousand." Li Yiming continued to raise the price in the smallest possible increment, which was something that puzzled the other guests.


    "One hundred million." Yu Runkai sat down on his sofa, gave his wine cup to the model who apanied him and started to massage his own belly.


    "One hundred million and ten thousand."


    "Two hundred million." Yu Runkai said as soon as Li Yiming answered as if he was looking to conclude the deal as quickly as possible.


    Two hundred million already bing imposing enough to convince the other guests to rethink about their decision to interfere.


    "Two hundred million and ten thousand."


    Li Yiming¡¯sical way of following Yu Runkai¡¯s bid was no longer amusing when one considered the number he added ten thousand to. Mrs. Qiang, by now, waspletely dumbstruck, her face as red as a ripe apple. She was both embarrassed and ashamed at the futility of her attempt to sabotage Li Yiming¡¯s bid.


    "Well, it¡¯s just going to be a waste of time if we keep going like this. I¡¯ll go up to one billion." Yu Runkai continued staring at the wok cap while moving his hand across his beer belly slowly, as if it was some kind of antique.


    "My upper limit is one billion and ten thousand..." Li Yiming answered honestly.


    Yu Runkai stood up with a frown when he heard Li Yiming¡¯s answer, persuaded that it was an act of defiance. As he did so, the whole room was suddenly inundated by an explosion of golden light.


    As the sh subsided and sight returned to the eyes of the participants of the auction, all discovered to their shock that the golden wok cap had vanished. The host of the auction, especially, stared at the wooden pedestal with his mouth wide open.


    "Please remain in your seats. You and you! Go get the surveince footage." The head of security immediately responded to the disappearance of the artifact now deemed to be worth a fortune. The guests chattered with each other as each conjectured what could have possibly happened.


    A team of well-built rushed into the scene and quickly set up around the exits to prevent anyone from leaving. Yu Runkai stared at Li Yiming coldly, and the two¡¯s gazes collided.


    ¡¯It¡¯s not him...¡¯ Li Yiming was confused and instinctively nced at Fang Shui¡¯er, whose expression mirrored his.


    ¡¯You saw what happened?¡¯ Li Yiming asked.


    ¡¯Shit...¡¯ Bai Ze said.


    ¡¯What¡¯s going on, did someone steal the wok cap?¡¯ Li Yiming pressed on.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t you find this scene very familiar?¡¯ Bai Ze said.


    ¡¯You mean?! No...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡¯Yes. The wok cap was a key. The door to the domain has been opened...¡¯


    * * *


    "Eyesses, can you check for Li Huaibei¡¯s whereabouts?" Qing Linglong looked at the corpses in the room with a severe countenance.


    "Li Huaibei? He¡¯s in a bar...¡¯ Eyesses changed the input feed on his monitor. Li Huaibei appeared on his screen, enjoying his drink in a bar cab, as if he was not worried in the slightest.


    "He¡¯s been there the whole time? He never came here?"


    "Nope. He¡¯s been in that bar the entire time." Eyesses seemed not to have caught Qing Linglong¡¯s trembling tone.


    "What is it?" Big Beard put down the paper he was going through and asked, having noticed that something odd was happening.


    "There are other guardians in this domain."


    "What? Are you sure?" Eyesses froze.


    "I¡¯ve just arrived. Six headless corpses, clean kills, all of them..." Qing Linglong nced at her younger sister, who stood at the door with a pale face.


    "You mean at the home of the guy who was embezzling public funds?" Eyesses verified the database with hisputer once again.


    "Yes. Five adults and one child..." Qing Linglong sighed.


    "Well, you¡¯ve heard her. We need to be on our guards..." Big Beard looked at Eyesses¡¯ screen and said gravely. Normally, he would have been d to discover that other guardians were participating in the domain, especially when their interests were aligned. However, this time, he knew that this was not good news, and so did every other member of team Dissonance.


    Liu Meng looked at the taxi in the distance, and her expression became firmer and the vehicle vanished into the distance.


    Stargaze opened her eyes and stared into the river nearby. ¡¯You¡¯re here too...¡¯ She closed her eyes again.


    ......


    "Mrs. Fang, could you pleasee to the center of the room..." Two bodyguards walked up to Li Yiming but addressed Fang Shui¡¯er instead.


    "Not a problem." Li Yiming nodded and called Chen Quan.


    ¡¯The boat is changing directions...¡¯ Bai Ze reminded Li Yiming.


    As he sat down on the sofa, Li Yiming closed his eyes and extended his senses. He noticed that not only had the boat changed direction, but so did the currents of the sea. The otherwise calm ocean surface was ruptured by violence waves that gathered into a whirlpool in the distance.


    "We have given you enough time to check the footage, are you done?" The old man who had attempted to buy off the wok cap beforeined. Out of respect for the host, he cooperated with the bodyguards, but the longer the guests stayed still in their seats, the more they felt like prisoners, and this was a humiliation not of them could tolerate.


    "My apologies. You may go back to your room..." The bodyguard captain seemed to have received news from the captain and said hesitantly.


    "Let¡¯s go to the upper deck... " Li Yiming looked at Yu Runkai, who seemed to be preupied with other things. He pulled Chen Quan toward the exit while avoiding looking at Fang Shui¡¯er.


    Li Yiming sighed as he looked at the unnatural turbulences in the water below.


    "How much do you remember about Tianshan?" Li Yiming suddenly broke the silence.


    "Not much..." Chen Quan¡¯s excitement grew as he knew that he was getting closer to the truth he sought.


    "Sorry, I¡¯ve dragged you into this..." Li Yiming sighed. ¡¯If he can remember something, then that means that there¡¯s no mistake we¡¯re in a domain right now.¡¯


    "Is this not the first time something like this had happened to you?" Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s voice came from behind; she had been trailing Li Yiming the entire time.


    "Why do you ask?"


    "You certainly seem a lot calmerpared to Yu Runkai and me." Fang Shui¡¯er frowned. ¡¯Why? How did this domain open without a key? And why is this boat full of ordinary people dragged into it...¡¯


    "Maybe I¡¯m just the type of person who doesn¡¯t worry as much." Li Yiming improvised a rather poor exnation and nced at the surveince camera nearby. He turned his head back toward the sea.


    In the span of a few minutes, the azure sky was obscured by a thickyer of tenebrous clouds. There was no lightning or roaring thunder, but it did cast down a repressive, ominous feeling. A dark spot could be seen emerging in the horizon, growing rapidly in size.


    "Look, there¡¯s an ind over there..." One of the guests suddenly said. Most of the guests were aware that the cruise ship had changed course, and the news that the captain could no longer control the ship almost caused a general panic.


    "There¡¯s no such thing on the map. What the hell is going on?" One of the guests struck at the fence in anger.


    "Shit, the satellite phones are not working anymore..." Another guest tried frantically to make a call.


    The guests who were invited onto the Pandaria were all wealthier than the average person and consequently feared losing everything more as well. Everyone gathered on the deck, with the exception for the sailors who were desperately trying to regain control of the ship, seeking the littlefort to be had in thepany of each other.


    "We¡¯re going to crash onto the ind at this rate..." One of the cruise members said with despair. The cruise ship advanced at full throttle, its speed further propelled by the waves. The ind, which had been nothing but a dark speck moments ago, was now fully visible, and the ship showed no signs of slowing down.

 Volume 6 Chapter 13

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Get away from the railings! Brace for impact!" The vice-captain appeared on deck and shouted at the top of his lungs. As luck would have it, ahead of them was a sandy beach that he could use to cushion the ship.


    Li Yiming held onto the railings as tightly as he could and grabbed Chen Quan¡¯s shoulder with his other hand. He extended his senses toward the ind, only to find absolute nothingness. ¡¯What...? This is impossible...¡¯


    The cruise ship plunged into the beach at full speed, but to everyone¡¯s surprise, there was no violent shock, no loud thud, nothing. Instead, it was as if the cruise ship had run into cotton candy.


    "Do not panic. We send off a report of our location every five minutes to satellites. Even if it doesn¡¯t go through, it won¡¯t be long before the control tower sends help. This ind is a good ce to get some rest and avoid being stranded on the sea. I promise you, we¡¯ll be able to return home safely very soon." The vice-captain was a little bewildered by the way the cruise ship docked into the beach, but remained professional and tried his best to ease everybody¡¯s tension.


    The vice-captain had barely stopped speaking when a terrifying spectacle unfolded in front of his very eyes. The sand on the beach suddenly shifted, gathering into a stream of gravel that slowly confluenced and formed a staircase which extended from the deck of the Pandaria to the beach. Witnessing such a bizarre, almost terrifying phenomenon caused quite a stir within the crowd, and some shrieks of horror came from those with a faint heart.


    The next instant, beads of green light shone from beneath the sand, and a tapestry of grass suddenly appeared over the sand, forming a long strip of lushness which extended all the way to the center of the ind. The mor had died down, and all had their attention riveted at the green carpet that seemed to wee them to the ind in a way that defied all rationality.


    "Wee to the Ind of Eternity. Dear guests, you¡¯ve arrived just in time for the start of a wonderful show. So, what are you waiting for?" An ethereal voice suddenly came from the distance. Whoever was speaking sounded eager at the arrival of his new visitors.


    ¡¯This voice...¡¯ Li Yiming frowned. The voice sounded familiar to him, but he decided to wait before making a move.


    "It¡¯s getting colder...¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly said. A thinyer of frost had materialized on the surface of the deck.


    Li Yiming wrapped his fingers around the metal railings and could feel its freezing touch on his skin.


    "We should get off of here." Li Yiming sighed and tapped Chen Quan¡¯s shoulder, jumping down onto the sandy stairs before anyone else. He knew that the freezing temperature was simply a way to push them off of the ship. It would not take long for them to freeze into ice sculptures if they chose to remain.


    Chen Quan pulled on his cor, barely able to quell the excitement within him. His face had turned wine-red from the anticipation of finally uncovering the truth had sought for so long. Fang Shui¡¯er followed Li Yiming, but took the time to turn back and nce at Yu Runkai as she jumped onto the stairs made of sand.


    As soon as Li Yiming set foot on the ind, the icy gusts and freezing cold vanished. The wind became a warmte spring breeze that tickled his face, and Li Yiming took a deep breath before directing his attention toward the center of the ind. The thick, ominousyer of cloud was no longer to be seen, uncovering a starry night sky.


    "Go! Hurry! We need to get off!" The vice-captain yelled as soon as he saw Li Yiming make it to the beach safely. The quickly falling temperature had already frozen the swimming pool solid, and icicles formed on the metal fences. He had ordered some sailors to gather supplies before abandoning the ship, but he quickly realized that there was no more time for such luxuries.


    The rest of the guests on the ship made it to the sandy beach in fear and awe. Just as thest person hopped off the cruise ship and walked onto the soft, grassy carpet, someone let out a cry of shock. The crowd turned back, only to discover that the sandy stairs, along with their cruise ship, had vanished from sight.


    By now, the crowd was far too terrified to even panic at the strange phenomenon. Most of the guests remained petrified and soughtfortpacting even more tightly together.


    "O, the infinite joys of life. The beautiful spring flowers and the crescent moon of autumn. But the Heavens won¡¯t let me enjoy them!" The aery voice came again, this time singing a song in a rather joyful tone.


    As the voice resounded, the sand on the beach suddenly started to shift. A stream of sand merged in an open area in front of Li Yiming until it formed arge stage which was nearly ten meters tall. Li Yiming could see that there was someone standing on top of the newly formed structure.


    Mr. K..." Li Yiming was about to call out to the person on the stage before realizing that something was not quite right.


    ¡¯This is not Mr. Kong...¡¯ Li Yiming thought to himself as he scrutinized the person on the stage more closely. It was a skinny man with an average stature. He had small eyes, a t nose, and a smile that made him seemzy and nonchnt. Although he looked just like Mr. Kong, Li Yiming was convinced that it was a different person.


    ¡¯This man... Eden... and that time in Tianshan.¡¯ Li Yiming grew more agitated as he was certain that he had met the man before.


    "I can sense fear, confusion, and worry..." The man suddenly said. "No, no. These feelings do not belong here. The Ind of Eternity is a ce of joy and tranquility."


    "I¡¯ve prepared a show for you, as well as prizes for the winners of the game. Your life will be changed forever. Of course, if you lose..." The man suddenly started to let out a demonic, almost maniacalugh.


    ¡¯Do you know anything about this?¡¯ Li Yiming tried to contain his emotions and asked Bai Ze.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t ask me. I don¡¯t know everything about domains, especially when it¡¯s rted to Mr. Kong... Be careful.¡¯ Bai Ze sighed.


    Fang Shui¡¯er extended her fingers and clenched her fist back slowly. She seemed shocked and went back to staring at Li Yiming.


    "It¡¯s not him..." Li Yiming knew what Fang Shui¡¯er was thinking, since thetter had met Mr. Kong back in Ning Vige.


    "My talent has been sealed off..." Fang Shui¡¯er said in a low voice, revealing her trepidation. She reached out for Li Yiming¡¯s arm and slowly rested her head on his shoulder.


    ¡¯Her talents are sealed?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He was aware that the limitation did not apply to him. As he searched for Yu Runkai, he found thetter trying to conceal himself and blend into the crowd.


    "Very well. Let us all lighten up and just rx a bit. We¡¯re all here to enjoy ourselves, so no need be so reserved! I want everyone dancing and singing!" The voice of the man on the stage suddenly jumped up a pitch and he raised both arms and waved them frantically.


    Boom!


    A loud explosion was heard, and the stars in the sky exploded like fireworks, emitting a blinding sh of light. Li Yiming readied himself for an attack, only to find that the surroundings had transformed once again. The sand had turned into a solid wooden floor, and the stars became illumination light. Li Yiming found himself somewhere he could not be more familiar with: a dance stage.


    The abrupt change caused everybody to rush to the center of the stage and use other people¡¯s bodies as their shield.. Li Yiming, who stood at the front, became even more exposed, and the man crossed eyes with him.


    "Interesting..." The mysterious man waved, and a luxurious sofa appeared on stage. He sat down with crossed legs and yed around with what looked like a conductor¡¯s baton.


    "The first scene, dancing hearts and dancing words..." The man smiled and hurled the baton toward the stage. It transformed into a giant silver pir which stood at the center of the stage.


    The wooden floor suddenly split, and a small three by three grid appeared. Li Yiming looked at the formation with a frown. Aside from the middle square, the other square each had an arrow pointing in a different direction. ¡¯Is this... a dance floor?¡¯


    "Are you familiar with this game? Alright, I need a volunteer..." The man rubbed his hands together and looked at the crowd with expectation.


    ¡¯This...¡¯ Li Yiming gulped down a mouthful of saliva. He had to stop himself from jumping onto the stage, which was something he had been trained for so long to do. He stayed in ce, immobile, just as every other guest from the Pandaria, who were all deadly afraid to attract any kind of attention.


    "No one? I¡¯ll have to choose then..." The man suddenlyughed out loud and snapped his fingers.


    The lights suddenly switched off, aside from a single projector which shone a bright beam of light. A drumroll was heard as the projector moved around in the crowd.


    As the drumbeat slowly came to a halt, the projector stopped on a young model, who was shivering in terror.


    "Congrattions to this youngdy. She¡¯s the lucky one who will perform for us. Let us anticipate the amazing performance she¡¯ll deliver!" The man snapped his fingers again, and the model was slowly dragged out of the crowd by some sort of invisible force, despite her resisting. The people who surrounded her were also pushed to the side.


    "No... no... help!" The girl screeched desperately.


    Li Yiming was about to leap forward.


    ¡¯Wait...¡¯


    "Wait..."


    It was Fang Shui¡¯er and Bai Ze, who both advised against an intervention.

 Volume 6 Chapter 14

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The young model continued to shriek as she was forcefully dragged to the middle of the square. Heavy metal music started ying as a holographic arrow fell from the sky,nding on the square tile located on the left of the model.


    ¡¯This really is a dancing machine..¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the arrow as it vanished into the ground before shifting his worried look toward the girl at the center of the stage, who was paralyzed by fear.


    "That silver pir is counting the score..." Fang Shui¡¯er mumbled. Li Yiming noticed a crimson mark at the base of the pir.


    As another arrow vanished into the ground, the red mark shed.


    Li Yiming found the game to be quite lenient due to the ample time given to the performer to react to the next arrow. However, the girl did nothing but cry in terror. As the arrows fell into the ground one by one, the shing of the red mark became more and more rapid.


    "AHHH!!!" A howl of horror split the crowd into two halves. Li Yiming turned back, only to find a stone statue of a man in a suit who stared back at him confusingly.


    ¡¯Petrification...¡¯ Bai Ze exined.


    "Oh, I forgot to tell you... this is a team game. If she doesn¡¯t perform, you¡¯ll be punished as well. Now, little girl, you should put more effort into this. Of course, if someone wants to rece her..." The man who sat on the sofa said. Observing the reaction of the panicked crowd was his greatest enjoyment so far.


    "One person everyone fifteen seconds..." Fang Shui¡¯er kept herposure and observed. Her talent being sealed did not take away her basic abilities as a guardian.


    Panic spread through the crowd, and everyone scattered as far away as they could from the statue, but refrained from diving into the absolute darkness which surrounded the stage. The giant arrows continued falling from the sky, and the intensity of the bloody red mark grew more and more.


    "AHHH!"


    Another screech and the crowd further dispersed.


    "Two people..." Li Yiming frowned as he looked at the pulsating red light on the silver pir.


    "One the first time, and two this time. In fifteen seconds, there¡¯ll probably be three. It won¡¯t take very long before everyone here..." Fang Shui¡¯er said.


    "It¡¯s probably worse than that..." Li Yiming had a bad premonition.


    The crowd scattered frantically once more as if to prove Li Yiming¡¯s conjecture. To his frustration, Li Yiming¡¯s foreboding turned out to be correct ¡ª four people had been petrified, meaning that the number of people increased exponentially rather than incrementally.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡¯ Li Yiming leaped onto the stage, pushing the still sobbing girl to the side and catching an arrow just in time. He knew that the chances of himself being petrified increased vastly the longer he waited, and he had no intentions of risking it.


    The moment the arrow and Li Yiming¡¯s feet touched the ground, a particrly sonorous beat came from the background music. Li Yiming knew that the game was not so different from the one he had yed many times before and quickly moved to catch the second arrow in time.


    The girl whom Li Yiming reced seemed to have recovered from her incapacitating terror the moment she was pushed out of the dancing grid and immediately crawled back on all fours towards the crowd.


    Li Yiming observed the giant holographic arrows and realized that they would always be facing him perfectly, no matter how he looked at them. ¡¯Wow... three-dimensional...¡¯


    Li Yiming adjusted his position with ease as the arrows rained down one by one. With every single one of them, the red portion on the pir increased by a sliver.


    ¡¯Well, this isn¡¯t too hard...¡¯ Just as Li Yiming was estimating how long it would take for the silver pir to fill uppletely, the music changed pace, and the number of arrows increased drastically.


    ¡¯It¡¯s getting harder...¡¯ Li Yiming could not adjust in time and let a few arrows slip by, and the red bar fell down by almost half.


    ¡¯So it became harder at around ten percent...¡¯ Li Yiming quickly adjusted himself to the new rhythm. He looked back and was relieved by the fact that there were no new victims to the petrification spell.


    As Li Yiming continued dancing, he paid close attention to the red progress bar. As he expected, the rhythm of the arrows, as well as the background music changedpletely once the bar reached twenty percent. The heavy metal music changed into a folkloric song. Li Yiming, owing to his many years of training and his augmented dexterity, adapted to the new music seamlessly.


    "Nice!" A man from below the stage suddenly began pping energetically, as if he was a loyal fan of Li Yiming¡¯s at a concert. Although Li Yiming was far too upied to mind his cheer, it did serve the purpose of restoring spirit to the crowd, most of whom stopped shaking in fear and directed their attention toward Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming danced with an unhurried pace. His hair fluttered around as the giant holographic arrows vanished at his feet one by one. The music switched again at thirty percent, going from a fast pace to a slow one. However, the number of arrows increased drastically, and a new kind of symbol appeared: long lines of different length.


    The appearance of the new symbol froze Li Yiming in ce, resulting in the red progress bar copsing down at a monumental speed. ¡¯Crap... Am I supposed to use my hands?¡¯


    Li Yiming adjusted his pace and tried to touch the lines in midair with his fingers. As he thought, as soon as he made contact with the lines, the dissonant sounds stopped and the red bar stopped falling.


    A sigh of relief was heard from the crowd. Although most of them were stillpletely dumbfounded by the circumstances they have found themselves in, they still thought of Li Yiming as one of thest remaining hopes they could cling to.


    With the addition of the hands, the game became vastly more difficult, but that did not stop Li Yiming from performing even better than before. Sometimes, he would even add a few unnecessary gestures to make his movements seem smoother between catching the avnche of arrows which fell from the sky.


    As Li Yiming became more and more invested in his performance, the sound of apuse from below the stage also intensified. From time to time, someone would even whistle loudly, just like a die-hard fan would do at a live concert.


    The instruments used in the background music changed again and again. Although it seemed like a masterpiece that would undoubtedly top the charts, Li Yiming still found it very off to have to dance to such slow-paced, ssical-themed music. ¡¯If I did this in an arcade, people would probably think that I¡¯m crazy...¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s emotions did not affect his performance, and he soon regained the inspiration that he had lost since his performance at the college entrance examinations.


    Li Yiming entered an entranced state in which every movement of the limb, be it a slow throw of the arm, a raising of the leg, or a twisting of the entire body was synchronized with the music. Li Yiming closed his eyes and found himself knowing where he should position his feet and hands to capture all of the arrows. In fact, he found himself more in control than ever, despite depriving himself of his sight.


    Even the crowd waspletely absorbed in Li Yiming¡¯s performance. It was inconceivable for such a dance blending masculinity with suppleness and emotion with technical prowess to even exist. Li Yiming himself knew more than anyone that he was simply following the arrows as they fell one by one.


    Bong!


    A low drum noise was suddenly heard. Li Yiming extended forward with both of his hands and stayed still, waiting for the next gong sound with closed eyes.


    Li Yiming could tell that it did note from a bass drum, but rather from a traditional instrument.


    The drum noises came again, and instead of more holographic arrows, shes of light rippled through the grid beneath Li Yiming¡¯s feet. The grid quickly increased in size, going from nine to sixteen, twenty-five, thirty-six, eighty-one... It soon became a giant floor of dimly lit green tiles.

 Volume 6 Chapter 15

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Bong!


    A third drum joined the two currently-beating ones. Although no arrows had fallen as of yet, Li Yiming shook his body and slowly bent down, wrapping his arms around his knees as he did so before stayingpletely still with only his chest moving every time he breathed.


    Bong!


    Bong! Bong! Bong!


    The drumbeat continued. Li Yiming leaped forward toward the center of the newly-formed dancing arena. It was no longer holographic arrows, but rather red light orbs which fell like raindrops toward the ground.


    Fang Shui¡¯er looked at the waterfall of red light. There seemed to be


    The tentative pace given by the three drums at the start had finally consolidated into a rhythmic beat. Li Yiming knew what the piece was as soon as he heard it; it was a nostalgic song that he had danced to many times before. As he raised his right hand and traced a giant circle with it, he used the moment to swiftly spin around.


    With every step, Li Yiming caught a red orb with the tip of his toes. Whether it be waving, thrusting or twisting, his deft arm motions matched his feet movements perfectly.


    The crowd was at awe at such a captivating performance, making them momentarily forget about their precarious circumstances. Even Fang Shui¡¯er, who was well aware of the situation she was in, could not help but be enthralled by Li Yiming¡¯s dance. She gradually lowered her guard, and shortly after, all that upied her mind was Li Yiming¡¯s silhouette and his fluttering white hair.


    Li Yiming also forgot about the purpose of his own performance. He was no longer fighting for the lives of the innocent guests of the Pandaria. Rather, he became the high school student who had just climbed onto the stage that would decide his career for the first time. He enjoyed every single moment of his performance and only focused on the red orbs that continued to rain down from the sky.


    Li Yiming chained one movement after another with perfect fluidity, calling upon every single piece of knowledge he had acquired in his career as a professional dancer, and entering an entranced state in which he could not stop.


    As the red mark on the silver pir reached a new height, the genre of the music changed once again. Each round consisted of traditional dances and music from different corners of the country.


    It would be unfathomable, even for another sage, to be able to reproduce what Li Yiming was currently aplishing.


    As the music finally came to a halt, Li Yiming stood quietly with beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks and his long, silvery hair billowing in the wind. Li Yiming suddenly became immensely satisfied and became incredibly grateful that the domain allowed him such an opportunity.


    A thunderous uproar of pping and cheering was heard. Not only did it came from the mysterious man who sat on the sofa below the stage, but even from the crowd, who just minutes ago was running from inevitable petrification.


    Li Yiming closed his eyes and regretted his performance¡¯s having toe to an end.


    Yu Runkai was the first to awaken from the frenzy of the crowd. The moment he threw a nce at the silver pir, he immediately stopped pping, looking rather agitated.


    ¡¯It¡¯s not over yet.¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice snapped Li Yiming out of his trance, and he looked at the silver pir, more joyful than apprehensive.


    ¡¯Ny percent...¡¯ The music resumed just as Li Yiming raised his head.


    He smiled in anticipation. ¡¯Let¡¯s see how much you can push me this time...¡¯


    The music returned to the electronic style in which it began. Li Yiming found the first new notes quite familiar, and he frowned after a few seconds; it was too familiar. Li Yiming¡¯s confusion was short-lived as the stage immediately underwent a drastic transformation. A small, round pedestal emerged out of the floor at where he stood, and five bright red lines appeared on the ground, on which a string of golden orbs shone on and off.


    ¡¯This...¡¯ Li Yiming opened his eyes once more. A microphone had now appeared in front of him.


    ¡¯I... have to sing?¡¯ Li Yiming picked up the golden microphone rather nervously and looked at the man who sat below.


    The mysterious Mr. Kong look-alike was obviously still absorbed in Li Yiming¡¯s performance. He cheered loudly as Li Yiming made ready to sing, waving a light stick that he was somehow able to procure.


    A massive shadow fell from the air before Li Yiming could give it any more thoughts. Instead of a glowing orb, it was a line of well-traced characters which were undoubtedly the lyrics.


    Li Yiming knew that he was heading into a disaster, but he had no time to think about it. He took a deep breath and started singing as passionately as he could.


    "I¡¯ll love you until death... Until the end... and only then I can tell you clearly..."


    Li Yiming¡¯s dissonant singing pierced the clouds and the ears of those who were listening. It was a horrible scream which chilled the once enthusiastic crowd like a bucket of icy water. The mysterious man, who had been watching in anticipation, shivered and held his mouth wide open.


    Just as the crowd had previously wondered how it was humanly possible for Li Yiming to put up such a dance, most of them were now frozen in ce at just how horrible Li Yiming¡¯s singing was. His performance had none of the desirable quality of an even passable singer, not the pitch, the tone, nor the emotions. It was as if he was trying to create a new song, if such a monstrosity could be deemed one.


    "Until death... Crying until my tears turn into a smile... Even at the end of the world, my heart shall..."


    Even though Li Yiming himself was well aware of his own deficiency, he realized that he could not walk off the pedestal. He finally understood why the young model seemed to bepletely paralyzed by fear earlier. Li Yiming could do nothing but continue howling, which sent most of the crowd back on step.


    ¡¯What is he up to?¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er was also confused at the vivid contrast between the two different Li Yimings on stage.


    ¡¯Shit!¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly noticed that the red bar had sunk back to fifty percent.


    After barely two lines, Li Yiming had destroyed half of the progress he had made so far, somehow managing to miss all seventy-five notes.


    Before Fang Shui¡¯er was able to run to the stage to Li Yiming¡¯s rescue, a person ran out of the crowd and grabbed the microphone.


    To Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s surprise, it was the young model Li Yiming had helped at the pool a few days ago. It was a fortunate and convenient situation for Fang Shui¡¯er to have someone else take the spotlight so she could remain low-key and conceal her identity. After all, it was not possible for anyone to be worse than Li Yiming at singing.

 Volume 6 Chapter 16

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "On the round-the-city highway. Male, about thirty years old, average stature. Grey shirt and jeans. We¡¯ve got an eighty-five percent match on him." Eyesses reported through his phone.


    "I¡¯ll be there in three minutes." Big Beard twisted the handlebars and bolted out onto the road on his motorcycle.


    "Eyesses, can you track the location of manager Lu again?" A white Land Rover zoomed on the highway on the other end of the city.


    "He entered his workce about fifteen minutes ago. Nothing else since then." Eyesses switched the input feed to an office tower.


    "We¡¯ll be there in five then. Any clues about our ¡¯friends¡¯?" Qing Linglong asked.


    "No. Nothing." Eyesses shook his head in frustration.


    "What about the others?" Qing Linglong brushed her hair back and asked nervously.


    "Li Huaibei¡¯s been drinking the entire time. Wang Liping¡¯s been sitting at the river bank for the entire time as well. Liu Meng¡¯s has been trailing that taxi..." Eyesses was aware that Qing Linglong spoke to him in a private channel due to the blinking light on his transmitter.


    "We need to make the preparations," Qing Linglong said as she nced at Qiaoqiao¡¯s pale face.


    "I know." Eyesses took off his sses, massaged his sore nose and looked at a small metallic box which rested at his feet.


    Liu Meng was driving a rented car and followed the taxi in front of her closely. She still hesitated as even Stargaze¡¯s hint was unable to dispel her worries.


    To ask her to decide the life and deaths of others was much too overwhelming of a burden. Liu Meng kept asking herself what Li Yiming would do in such a situation. ¡¯To not let a single guilty person escape rather than to spare the innocent. But what¡¯s the point, after what we¡¯ve done in Lianyun city?¡¯


    The taxi soon picked up a young woman who wore a thickyer of cosmetics. Liu Meng could tell with her heightened senses that from the moment the young woman stepped onto the taxi, the driver¡¯s eyes never left her exposed body parts.


    ¡¯Give me a reason to kill you..." Liu Meng squinted and continued to trail the taxi.


    * * *


    "To think of every day as thest we¡¯ll be together... Every second beautiful enough to make you cry..." The young model did not have an amazing voice, but it was a definite improvement over Li Yiming¡¯s, and her pleasant voice resounded in in the empty stage.


    Li Yiming scratched his head in embarrassment as he exchanged a nce with Fang Shui¡¯er. Singing was a deadly weakness of his, and even his dance teachers once wondered how someone who was so talented at dancing could be so atrocious at singing.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter what the others think... Pick up your courage ande with me..." The song continued. The girl seemed like she knew the song from in and out. Her nervousness gradually settled, and she began offering a much more appreciable second verse.


    "Shao Xian has a beautiful voice." Ximen Song stared at the girl on the stage longly. His moral defects had little to do with his agents as a talent manager.


    "Hmmpf!" Mrs. Qiang snorted in dissatisfaction and pinched his waist. Li Yiming turned back, only to see jealousy and disgust written all over her face.


    ¡¯Is this... humanity? Not so long ago she was panicking, and yet now... Does she not understand for whom Shao Xian is singing?


    "No need for ns... just you and I, and a sweet kiss. Enjoy the moment... and if you leave me, I¡¯ll worry about you being hurt... As long as we believe in ourselves, miracles will happen..." Shao Xian seemed to have forgotten about her surroundings and became fully immersed in her song.


    Li Yiming had guessed wrong that Shao Xian had in mind the salvation of everyone on the ship. She, just like many others, was beyond shocked after witnessing Li Yiming¡¯s dance.


    His performance only solidified her admiration for Li Yiming ever since the incident at the pool. At this point, it was no longer possible for Shao Xian to ever forget about Li Yiming, who had captivated her heart.


    When she jumped onto the stage, she simply thought about helping Li Yiming when thetter was about to embarrass himself. However, as soon as she started singing, she quickly became absorbed by the morous stage, the shing lights, and being the center of attention. Every verse she sang made her feel more and more engrossed. She remembered her aspirations and her dreams, as well as everything she sacrificed to reach them. Even her decision of boarding the Pandaria, she did not know if it was proof of her conviction or a first step into the depths of hell.


    "I¡¯ll love you until death... Until the end... and only then I can tell you clearly..." A drop of tear, containing all of Shao Xian¡¯s frustration, fears, bitterness, and desires, rolled down her cheek.


    "Everyone has their own tale to tell..." Li Yiming looked at the girl who was performing her heart out. He could feel the intensity of the emotions she sought to express.


    "She had to sacrifice many things to achieve her dream. If she chose to do so, no one can me her for it not can she me anyone else for it." Fang Shui¡¯er remarked coldly. She was not looking at Shao Xian, but rather at the giant silver pir on the stage.


    After a few verses of singing, the redness had once again filled up more than half of the column.


    "The key changed. It went from a C major to an E-t major." As Fang Shui¡¯er expected, just as the red bar hit sixty percent, the music suddenly jumped up a few notes. As she had expected, the singing challenge would not prove to be so easy, just like the dancing machine.


    "Until death... Crying until my tears turn into a smile... Even at the end of the world, my heart shall..."


    ¡¯She caught up?" Fang Shui¡¯er was surprised. After such a drastic switch in the key of the song, Shao Xian adjusted without too many problems.


    Li Yiming also frowned. Although he did not possess the skills to instantly recognize the switching of the apanying music, he did notice that Shao Xian¡¯s voice jumped up three notes.


    "Impressive. I wouldn¡¯t expect an average singer to pull it off without any preparations beforehand." Fang Shui¡¯er exined as Li Yiming looked at her.


    "Until death... And not before then..." Shao Xian continued to sing, having apparently forgotten about everything else.


    "It went up by two more half-notes. And twice in one sentence, too..." Fang Shui¡¯er said and readied herself to intervene at any time.


    "Holy shit! Who wrote this song? It¡¯s genius!" Ximen Song yelled in a frenzy of admiration as he pushed Mrs. Qiang to the side. Three transitions, once after another, put together seamlessly. He knew that if he could manage to secure a contract with Shao Xian, he would never need to endure Mrs. Qiang¡¯s idiocy ever again.


    "What¡¯s so impressive with her, isn¡¯t she just..." Mrs. Qiang was angered by Ximen Song¡¯s throwing her hand away, but she swallowed back the rest of her insult when she noticed the irritated stares that were pointed towards her. Instead, she went back to ring at Shao Xian venomously.


    "Until death... Crying until my tears turn into a smile..." Shao Xian continued on with a sad, moving tone. The singing was as beautiful as always, but it now sounded slightly different from the version Li Yiming was used to hearing.


    "The rhythm changed. I didn¡¯t know you could change a song like this..." Fang Shui¡¯er, although surprised by the variation of this performance over the original song, became more worried than ever; she had a feeling that if it kept on going like this, Shao Xian was not going to be able to finish her performance.


    The bar had just reached seventy percent.

 Volume 6 Chapter 17

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Shao Xian continued to follow the sudden jumps and drops in keys as best as she could, but she was already nearing her limit. Her movements stiffened and she frowned as she tried her best to make sense of the lyrics that were continuously dropping from above.


    "She can¡¯t keep up..." Fang Shui¡¯er sighed and walked toward the stage. "You¡¯ve done well. You can leave the rest to me." She took the microphone from Shao Xian.


    Fang Shui¡¯er could no longer afford toy low. There was always the possibility of other missions toe, and they had wasted far too much time on this one already.


    As soon as Shao Xian passed on the microphone, she lost the strength that kept her going and almost fell off the stage. She put her hands on her knees to support herself and panted violently. Li Yiming rushed forward to her aid, being both worried and grateful. Shao Xian raised her head toward the stage and seemed to regret not being able to continue.


    "That was an amazing performance..." Li Yiming could resonate with Shao Xian¡¯s not wanting her performance to be over, since he had felt the exact same way.


    Fang Shui¡¯er slid her fingers on the microphone. She brushed her hair, and a gust of wind conveniently blew it backward as she recalled what it is like to be on the stage.


    "It¡¯s Fang Shui¡¯er!"


    "It¡¯s Mrs. Fang!"


    "Go, Shui¡¯er!"


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s appearance on the stage caused a massive uproar of support and anticipation from the crowd.


    Li Yiming and Shao Xian were amazed at how people could be so absorbed into a musical performance when their lives were in danger.


    ¡¯Unless...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at Chen Quan, who was cheering fervently. He understood that this domain, just like the one in Tianshan, was about the amplification of one specific aspect of life.


    Just as Fang Shui¡¯er brought the microphone to her mouth, the giant holographic characters vanished. Fang Shui¡¯er was suddenly inundated in a waterfall of colorful illumination. The different colors which crossed and ovepped on her robe were as beautiful as the stars in the nightly sky.


    The change of the stage was unexpected to Fang Shui¡¯er, but she still turned toward the man who sat on the sofa below the stage and smiled sweetly. The music resumed, this time being a piece yed with the low sound of the cello and the resounding sound of the harp. Red, near-transparent holographic arrows started falling once again.


    "What is that?" Li Yiming was confused at the change that urred.


    "It¡¯s Russian..." Shao Xian rested against Li Yiming¡¯s chest shyly.


    "A musical? It¡¯s from that dolphin guy..." Ximen Song said with a frown. He was one of the few people with enough expertise to recognize the song, and surely did not miss the opportunity to unt his skills.


    "The dolphin?" Li Yiming looked at Shao Xian.


    "It¡¯s the nickname of a famous singer in Russia. This was the song that rose him to fame. He¡¯s famous for possessing the highest human pitch..." Shao Xian whispered into Li Yiming¡¯s ears.


    "I see." Li Yiming nodded hesitantly. Shao Xian¡¯s exnation rung a bell, as he also had to study his fair share of music while he was creating choreographies as a university student.


    "Wooh.... Aaahhhh!" As soon as Fang Shui¡¯er opened her mouth, an airy, piercing voice reached Li Yiming¡¯s heart. The first note was already higher than what Li Yiming thought was humanly possible.


    "I¡¯ll die happy with a performance like this..." Someone in the crowd remarked, chilling Li Yiming¡¯s blood.


    ¡¯Seriously... We really will die if she doesn¡¯t bring out her best...¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly grew worried as he looked at the progress bar, which was still filling up slowly, and thought about all of the unexpected changes they have had to ovee thus far.


    "The song has changed. It¡¯s ¡¯The Lonely Shepherd¡¯ now." Shao Xian said as the apanying music turned into a fast-paced merry piano solo.


    "Is this a hard one?" Li Yiming looked at the lyrics, which have changed along with the music.


    "Well, the song itself isn¡¯t too hard, but there are a lot of sudden shifts that span over an octave. Also, I wonder how different the song will be this time..." Ximen Song answered Li Yiming¡¯s question. He had seen enough to know that the song would not be sung in its vani form. With the exception of Li Yiming, who was the only one with a clear head, everyone was waiting in anticipation at Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s challenging this piece.


    "Heeey.... Oh....." Fang Shui¡¯er continued to pace around the stage, not looking nervous or burdened in the slightest.


    "Two octaves at one-sixteenth notes... This piece is amazing!" Ximen Song yelled out loudly, afraid that anyone would miss out on his "expert input".


    "Wow... Mrs. Fang is amazing. She¡¯s been able to shift her pitch this rapidly without any kind of hesitation." Shao Xian looked at her in admiration.


    "Would you be able to do the same?" Li Yiming suddenly asked. He thought that Shao Xian was also an amazing singer in her own right. Given the resources, Li Yiming could definitely see her rise to fame. After all, Fang Shui¡¯er had an insurmountable edge over herpetitors due to the fact that she was a guardian.


    "You¡¯re joking..." Shao Xian¡¯s cheeks flushed and she leaned more closely against Li Yiming. Although she had recovered her strength, somehow she did not want to leave Li Yiming¡¯s embrace just yet.


    Fang Shui¡¯er continued through the songs one by one, usingnguages from different corners of the world, and progressing through different musical styles: rock, pop, blues... It was a once-in-a-lifetime concert for the crowd below. Ximen Song could only speechlessly admire the performance in awe. He could not even follow up with the rapid shift in the song yed, and the rest of the crowd even less.


    Li Yiming grew even more concerned as the progress bar continued to fill up. The Mr. Kong looked-alike scrutinized Fang Shui¡¯er calmly, and even let out a derisive smile.


    Boom!


    A giant firework blew up onstage. Snowke confetti flew through the air as the crowd cheered loudly onest time. The silver pir had finally filled up with red, and even Fang Shui¡¯er, who had just put down the microphone, was both satisfied at delivering such a performance, but also regretted that it was over so quickly.


    ¡¯It¡¯s over, just like this?¡¯ Li Yiming stared at the man on the sofa ¡ª he had a hard time believing that it was over.


    "Shui¡¯er!"


    "Shui¡¯er!"


    The crowd continued to cheer like a group of overexcited teenagers at their first concert, having beenpletely mesmerized by Fang Shui¡¯er near-impossible performance. Thetter smiled back at her audience. Her golden microphone soon dissolved into an orb of light and vanished, pulling Fang Shui¡¯er back to reality.


    Just as Fang Shui¡¯er slowly recovered, a metal chain suddenly emerged out of the ground and wrapped around her before she could dodge it.


    "Watch out!" Li Yiming yelled. Another chain appeared right in front of him. Li Yiming pulled Shao Xian back, but the metal chain soon overtook them. He raised his right fist to punch it, but his arm passed through the object as if it was made of thin air, and Li Yiming almost fell to the ground from missing his blow.


    However, as the chain went past Li Yiming, it wrapped around Shao Xian and pulled her toward the sky. Li Yiming raised his head, only to see that every woman in the crowd was a victim to the sudden ambush.


    ¡¯Only women ?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the people who ran on the stage in a panic and realized they were all men.


    "An entertaining performance... Not bad." The Mr. Kong look-alike smiled. He stood up and walked slowly toward the sky. The air rippled under his feet with every step, like water in a little pond.


    "The opening act has concluded. But the party has only begun. The princess has been kidnapped by a demon. What shall you do, O prince charming? Hahahaha, don¡¯t make me wait too long in the castle." Mr. Kong let out another echoingugh and his body slowly vanished into thin air.

 Volume 6 Chapter 18

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    After waking up, Fang Shui¡¯er found herself inside a small room resembling a jail cell. The walls were made of cold stone with only one small opening in one of them serving as the window. A table, a chair, and the stone bed upon which she lied constituted the only furniture which decorated the room.


    Fang Shui¡¯er walked toward the dpidated metal door and examined it carefully. Normally, she would have no trouble breaking through it, but as of now... She clenched her fist and released them. ¡¯Still sealed? Looks like the rules in this domain haven¡¯t changed. I¡¯ll need to figure them out.¡¯ She knew from her wealth of experience that the rules which governed the domain would the key to sess.


    Fang Shui¡¯er walked to the window and gazed at the sky from the minuscule opening. ¡¯Li Yiming... Mr. Kong...¡¯


    Shao Xian curled up on her stone bed and put her arms around her knees. Unlike the other women who had been taken prisoner, she had full confidence that her prince charming woulde to save her. She remembered Li Yiming¡¯s long silver hair and his radiant smile, and it warmed her up.


    Li Yiming was a little confused by the talk about princesses, but even more so by the sight of the plight of stairs right in front of him.


    The Mr. Kong look-alike had vanished along with the dancing stage, and the chaos which had been caused by the kidnapping of the female guests finally settled as all the other male guests, including Chen Quan and Yu Runkai, disappeared.


    As thendscape shifted from a beach at the edge of a forest to a rocky valley devoid of any vegetation and source of light, Li Yiming remained calm as he pondered over the meaning of all that had just urred. ¡¯So the dancing machine was a game, and then there was karaoke... Such as the rules of this domain. I¡¯ll have to figure out the rules for this new game if I want to keep progressing.¡¯


    ¡¯So the women have been kidnapped, and the men split up. Princes, princesses... Am I supposed to fight a dragon or something?¡¯ It was obvious that he had been pulled into some kind of new game, but he did not quite understand why he had suddenly acquired a red shirt along with bib pants.


    Li Yiming easily reached the stairs with a jump as he still retained his strength and speed. He stomped on the step to test it out and found it to be surprisingly firm. Upon further inspection, he noticed the stairs to be made of red bricks, which was a material that was surprisingly unfitting with the surroundings.


    A low roar was suddenly hearding from behind. Li Yiming turned back, only to see what looked like a giant turtle slowly crawling toward him. It had a dark greenish shell decorated with dangerous thorns and giant, menacing eyes.


    ¡¯What?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the turtle, which was over a meter tall. Although it certainly did look threatening, Li Yiming did not feel any sense of danger. He had the impression that he would be able to knock the turtle into the air by simply touching it, but his intuition seemed hardly believable.


    As Li Yiming hesitated, the turtle continued to creep closer. ¡¯Time to give it a shot...¡¯


    Li Yiming put one foot behind, clenched his right fist andunched a blow at the turtle¡¯s head. He had put quite a lot of strength into the attack, so he was confident that he could break even the shell if hended the blow.


    The punch hit the turtle right in its head, causing it to tremble violently, but the attack seemed to have caused the turtle to grow evenrger.


    ¡¯Of course it wouldn¡¯t be this simple...¡¯ Li Yiming jumped back after his fruitless blow. ¡¯Looks like my punch did nothing but make it angrier and bigger...¡¯


    ¡¯Was it because it absorbed my energy?¡¯ Li Yiming asked Bai Ze. The turtle would be a difficult opponent to beat if it did indeed possess such an ability.


    ¡¯It¡¯s not that it grew bigger. You became smaller...¡¯ Bai Ze exined while sounding as if she was snickering.


    "What?" Li Yiming looked back at the creature and then looked at the surroundings. To his stupor, Bai Ze¡¯s revtion was undeniably true.


    ¡¯Crap!¡¯ Li Yiming ran back further and looked at the turtle, which was still crawling toward him slowly.


    ¡¯Watch out, there¡¯s another oneing!¡¯ Bai Ze remarked.


    Li Yiming turned back and saw another turtleing up from behind.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t let them catch up to me... Up!¡¯ Li Yiming looked at another floating stairs above and decided to make a run for it. It was the only answer he could think of, since his attacks did not seem to have any effect against the creatures. He would not dare to risk another move until he figured out what was happening exactly.


    Li Yiming leaped toward the red-brick stairs, but to his dismay, he found out that he did not possess his usual strength anymore. It could have been due to the fact that he "shrunk" in size, but whatever the reason, his jump did not allow him to reach his refuge.


    Li Yiming decided to extend his hand to reach for the stairs, confident that he would be able to pull himself up if he was only able to get a solid grip.


    Crack!


    To his surprise, the bricks he thought to have been quite solid just moments ago shattered into powder just as he grazed them with his fingers.


    Li Yiming made a roll as hended right in front of the turtle. He had the opportunity tond another attack again, but chose not to after the result of his previous punch. He continued rolling as quickly as he could to get away from his enemy, his long, silvering hair moping the ground behind him.


    ¡¯I need to get up there...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at another turtle which was getting dangerously close. He made another jump and took off like a cannonball.


    However, the second time was no exception. Li Yiming ran out of speed as he was about to reach the stairs, causing him to wave his arms frantically as he tried to grab onto it.


    ¡¯Please, don¡¯t break...¡¯ Li Yiming begged. As miracle would have it, his desperate plea seemed to be effective, as the red bricks were unusually firm this time, not even crumbling a single bit at the contact of Li Yiming¡¯s fingers. However, the next moment, it bounced back up, shaking Li Yiming¡¯s hand off.


    Li Yiming looked at his reddened fingers once hended back down. ¡¯That thing... It¡¯s not read bricks, it¡¯s some kind of metal!¡¯


    The stairs which he had touched earlier had changed color, going from red to dark grey, making it stand out amongst the other blocks.


    ¡¯Yiming! That mushroom!¡¯ Bai Ze suddenly cried out.


    "Mushroom?" Li Yiming dodged a charge from the turtle. He noticed a giant, colorful mushroom fall down from the stairs and sliding away into the distance.


    ¡¯Don¡¯t let it escape!¡¯ Bai Ze yelled ardently.


    It was now or never for Li Yiming, and so he dashed toward the mushroom as quickly as he could. He soon caught up to it, his speed having apparently not been subject to any kind of limitation.


    ¡¯Got it!¡¯ Li Yiming put his hand on the mushroom, which disappeared as soon as he touched it.


    ¡¯What?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at his hand. ¡¯I¡¯m big again...¡¯ Li Yiming noticed his growth as soon as he touched the giant mushroom.


    Li Yiming stood back up and dusted off his clothes. He looked the turtle, who was charging toward him once again, and then at the still-floating plight of stairs.


    ¡¯I think you know how to deal with these turtles now, don¡¯t you?¡¯ Bai Ze teased him.


    Li Yiming pursed his lips and pulled on his suspenders. ¡¯Well, at least I don¡¯t have a mustache now... To hell with the prince charming fighting a dragon... I¡¯m a plumber now, and you can call me Mario...¡¯

 Volume 6 Chapter 19

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "When I got out of work today, I saw a girl standing there in the cold. My first reaction was to go help her, and so I gave her my coat and wrapped my arms around her. I couldn¡¯t change her life, but at least I was able to give her some warmth..." The man stared at his hands and said earnestly, with eyes as pure as a spring in the mountains.


    "After that, I was worried about her going home alone, so I offered to see her home. When I arrived, I saw how poorly decorated the ce was. Officer, there wasn¡¯t even a usable chair in the room! So I put three hundred yuan on her table..." The man sighed and raised his head, pausing his story briefly.


    Across the metal table sat a woman in a navy and ck uniform. She seemed to be repressing herughter as she stopped writing on her notebook and looked back at the man.


    "Very moving. I¡¯d almost believe you if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that you had your pants off when we came in. Alright, so what is it going to be, are you going to call your supervisor at work, or your family?" The police officer adjusted her hat and continued to write on her notebook.


    "Officer, you have to believe me. I was about to leave when you arrived..."


    "Alright. Let me tell you something. Your stories don¡¯t even match." Another officer who happened to pass by remarked.


    "What... what did she say?" The man asked.


    "She said that she was a saleswoman for condoms and was just about to perform a product demonstration." The officer nced at anotherpartment in the office.


    The man looked down in frustration. As he was about to devise another exnation, a pair of well-polished leather shoes appeared. He raised his head and saw a man with a stern expression.


    "Are you An Xing?" The neer said frigidly.


    "Yes..." The man answered in a low voice. Although the man did not wear a police uniform, he possessed such an authoritative air that he did not dare affront him.


    "I¡¯m sorry, you are..." The female officer stood up from her seat.


    The man did not answer back. Instead, he scrutinized An Xing with interest as he handed over a small booklet and a pile of paper to the officer.


    "National Security? Yun Yiyuan?" The police officer was baffled by the golden badge that was shown on the first page of the little booklet that she opened.


    "The files should speak for themselves. I thought about inviting you to assist me in his arrest, but you¡¯ve been faster than expected." Yu Yiyuan with a severe countenance.


    "You¡¯re here for him?" The police officer went through the files, each of which were stamped and signed by every superior she could think of.


    "You have five minutes to verify this. You should know how to do it." Yun Yiyuan looked at his watch impatiently.


    "Please wait a moment..." The female officer signaled her colleague and dashed toward the interior of the office building.


    Catching on the signal, her colleague came forth to attend to Yun Yiyuan, and naturally ced himself between An Xing and Yu Yiyuan to prevent any kind of incident.


    The female officer soon returned, looking agitated; the documents¡¯ authenticity was verified, confirming that An Xing was a big fish wanted by National Security. With such an achievement, it would not be long before she received a promotion.


    "Sorry to have made you wait. Please sign here. Do you need an escort?" The female officer threw a quick nce at the door, trying to spot any colleague of Yu Yiyuan¡¯s.


    "That won¡¯t be necessary." Yun Yiyuan signed the document and turned toward An Xing, who was at a loss for words. "Alright, let¡¯s go."


    "Go? To where? What¡¯s happening?" An Xing was a little confused. He did not know what his minor crime of calling on a prostitute had to do with National Security.


    The doors to the office were suddenly flung open, and two officers entered escorting a young blond man. As the young man was dragged forward, he continued hurling out insults and struggling, suggesting that he may have been under the influence of drugs. The moment he entered the room, the young man started to resist violently, almost freeing himself from the grasp of the policemen. Fortunately, a few more officers leaped on the man just in the nick of time and put him on the ground before he could cause further trouble.


    Yun Yiyuan looked at the blond young man and smiled coldly. He turned back toward An Xing and said in a cial voice, "So, are you going to move by yourself, or would you rather be treated like him?"


    An Xing caught up with Yun Yiyun obediently. The female officer could barely contain her excitement as she watched the two leave the station.


    "What happened?" Her colleague asked.


    "We did it! That An Xing, he¡¯s wanted by National Security!" The officer said in a low voice.


    "Are you serious?" Her colleague was ecstatic as well due to his contribution to An Xing¡¯s arrest.


    "Excuse me. I¡¯d like to know more about this person. He¡¯s just been brought in, hasn¡¯t he?" A pleasant voice interrupted their conversation.


    "Ah?" The female officer turned around, her face flushed. It was hard to know whether she could not contain her excitement, or if she was simply embarrassed for showing such a side of her at a stranger.


    "Excuse me, what are you here for?" The male officer, who was more level-headed, made a disy of professionalism.


    "I¡¯m looking for this person." Qing Linglong gave him a picture and a small booklet.


    "This person... National Security?" The male officer was bemused.


    The female officer also stared back at the Qing sisters with wide eyes.


    "What is it?" The change in the two officers¡¯ attitude caught Qing Linglong¡¯s attention.


    "Isn¡¯t he..."


    "Excuse us, we need to verify your ID first." The female officer interrupted her colleague, being more vignt and attentive. She knew that the extraordinary event which just urred had the potential of turning into a disaster.


    "We¡¯re tight on time..." Qing Linglong had a feeling that something was wrong.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re simply following procedures..." The female officer regained herposure. She scrutinized Qing Qiaoqiao, obviously suspicious of her young age, and disappeared into the hallway.


    "Can you tell me what happened here?" As soon as the female officer left, Qing Qiaoqiao turned toward the male officer with a smile, only a sh of red light appeared in her eyes.


    "We¡¯ve just caught someone called An Xing, who was involved in prostitution." The male officer narrated in an emotionless voice.


    "And then?" Qing Qiaoqiao invited him to continue.


    "One of your colleagues came and took him away..."


    "Our colleague?" Qing Qiaoqiao was surprised.


    "Yes, someone from National Security."


    "When did that happen?"


    "Just now, five minutes ago."


    "Eyesses, go get the surveince feed. We¡¯ve lost our target." Qing Linglong dashed out of the room.


    Eyesses wasted no time and went through his monitoring system with precision and speed.


    "Nothing... I can¡¯t find anything..." Eyesses threw the mouse to the side and said in frustration.


    "Linglong, are you in the police station?"


    "Yes." Qing Linglong looked left and right; the street waspletely empty.


    "Are you sure that it happened just now?" Big Beard sought confirmation.


    "Yes."


    "Well, at least we know that there are more than one of them." Big Beard sighed.


    "What is it?" Qing Linglong asked.


    "My target is also dead. Clean blow to the head, and his blood is still warm..." Big Beard said with a scorched voice.


    "Holy shit..." Eyesses pulled on his hair and changed the surveince feed once again. This time, Big Beard and his conspicuous car appeared on the screen.


    "Nothing here either..." Eyesses knew that his efforts were most likely in vain, but still opted to check.


    "Do you know someone called Yu Yiyuan?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked her teammates as she came back running from the police station with Qing Linglong¡¯s ID piece.


    "Yun Yiyuan?" Qing Linglong screamed.


    "Yes. The people in the station said that the person who came before us was called Yun Yiyuan. It¡¯s a fake name, of course." Qing Qiaoqiao looked at her sister, who seemed to have had a jump-scare as soon as she heard the name.


    "Yun Yiyuan... The Spear That Pierces the Clouds..." Big Beard almost bit his cigar into two halves.


    "Didn¡¯t Yiming..." Eyesses tried his best to adjust his breathing.


    "You mean that sage who was..." Qing Qiaoqiao was interrupted by her sister, preventing her from talking any further about the events that had urred in the previous domain.


    "What is he doing here?" Qing Linglong said with a frown. She then remembered Stargaze and Li Huaibei. ¡¯Three sages, and yet one is meditating, one is drinking, and Yun Yiyuan is busy... doing our mission?¡¯


    "He¡¯s ying around..." Azy voice was heard. Stargaze had finally put on a smile as she gazed at the cidke surface.

 Volume 6 Chapter 20

    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming leaped high in the air once again, dodging a vicious bite from one of the turtles andnding on its tail. To his surprise, the turtle¡¯s tail was soft, and even stic enough to bounce Li Yiming back into the air. The turtle then immediately shrunk all of its limbs into his shell, along with its head.


    ¡¯You have good technique...¡¯ Bai Zeplimented Li Yiming earnestly. Li Yiming¡¯s agility impressed her.


    ¡¯Well, I did grow up ying this game...¡¯ Li Yiming stopped to nce at what looked like a giant green tube in the distance. It seemedpletely out of ce amidst thendscape, but Li Yiming knew better than anyone what it represented.


    ¡¯You¡¯re not getting in there?¡¯ Bai Ze asked bemusedly as Li Yiming hopped over the tube.


    ¡¯There¡¯s nothing in this one, I think we¡¯ll find something good in the third one around the corner though.¡¯ Li Yiming smiled with confidence as he pulled on his straps once more.


    ¡¯You do seem to be enjoying this.¡¯


    ¡¯Let¡¯s just say that this makes me feel a bit... nostalgic.¡¯ Li Yiming took a deep breath and looked into the distance.


    * * *


    An Ying sat on the passenger¡¯s seat, intimidated by the aura of the rather handsome man who was driving the car. He threw a quick nce at him from time to time, when he thought it to be subtle enough.


    "Uhm... Sir, where are we going? We¡¯re going to head out of the city at this rate..." An Xing finally brought up the courage to ask.


    "Hm?" Yun Yiyuan, deep in his own thoughts, turned his head toward An Xing.


    An Xing shivered as their eyes crossed, even though Yun Yiyuan seemed somewhat friendly, especially with the smile on his face.


    "Three years ago, a car crash urred near the sixty-seventh-kilometer mark of highway 930." Yun Yiyuan looked at An Xing and said.


    An Xing who was uncontrobly nervous just a moment ago suddenly froze still as if a bucket of icy water had been poured onto his head.


    "Driving under influence, fleeing the scene, forging evidence and bribing the police..." Yun Yiyuan continued to speak in broken sentences.


    As Yun Yiyuan continued, An Xing¡¯s face grew paler and paler.


    "You¡¯re wrong. They were driving in the wrong direction. That case is already closed, who are you? You have no right to detain me like this. Let me out of this car!" An Xing suddenly grew agitated, screaming and looking like he would jump out of the car if it was not for the fact that they were on the highway.


    "A twenty-six-year-old, seven month pregnant. One corpse with two lives..."


    "I wasn¡¯t drunk. She was the one who was driving in the wrongne and with her lights off. You should have read the police report, this... this is a false usation!"


    "I wasn¡¯t looking for a confession. I just wanted to tell you that karma will always im her debt, so you can die understanding why you deserved it."


    "What do you want?" An Xing asked in a terrified voice.


    "Have you fastened your seatbelt?" Yun Yiyuan smiled.


    "What?"


    Boom!


    The car suddenly veered to the left, smashing through the fence separating the twones, right into a bus which came from ahead. Honking and the screeching of tires were heard as the bus driver tried desperately to change direction, but Yun Yiyuan had no ns on stopping and, instead, continued to elerate.


    Boom!


    Another loud metallic crank was heard as the two vehicles collided head-on. The force of the impact was enough topletely deform the front of both vehicles. An Xing flew through the windshield with his face still full of terror, and his head popped like a balloon as it hit the bus.


    The bus veered to the left from the collision, through a protective fence, and into a water reservoir nearby. A giant wave was created on the still surface, and the bus slowly sank to the bottom as muffled screams were heard.


    "You really should have fastened your seatbelt..." Yu Yiyuan stood by the severely deformed wreck and examined the headless corpse. He then turned toward the slowly sinking bus. "At least you¡¯ve left asting legacy. Do you know how much time and effort it took me to fill up this bus?"


    Yu Yiyuan looked at the starry sky and his smile slowly vanished. "Only two days left. Have you decided yet?"


    Stargaze opened her eyes. For once, she seemed to be hesitant. "Someone¡¯s going to die. Who..." Stargaze mumbled and turned her attention toward the little stream around theke, upon which the moonlight shone. An empty can floated and sank as it passed through. ¡¯Going with the flow...¡¯


    Just as the can went through the waves and rocks of the stream, Liu Meng made through the flow of cars on the road while keeping her eyes locked on the taxi in front of her. After tailing the driver for the entire night, she was only able to conclude that he was simply a quiet man who seemed dedicated to his job. Not a single trafficw was disobeyed, and courtesy was even showed whenever he arrived at an intersection at the same time as a pedestrian. It was difficult to imagine that such a person could deserve death.


    However, the scratch marks on the driver¡¯s neck, as well as the imaginated scene of the driver forcing himself on one of his female passengers, would resurface in Liu Meng¡¯s mind, prompting her to continue investigating him.


    Shortly after, the taxi driver made a right turn and parked his vehicle right next to the sidewalk. He put down his car window, lit up a cigarette, and stared at a young woman who was on her cell phone.


    ¡¯That look again...¡¯ Liu Meng mped her fingers around her steering wheel. It was the same look that initially led her to believe that there was something wrong with the driver.


    The driver continued to ogle at the fashionably dressed young woman, from head to toe, and then back up again. As he finished smoking his cigarette, the young woman finally noticed his attention and seemed a little irritated. The driver looked away in embarrassment and started his car.


    Liu Meng sighed once again and continued to follow behind.


    This time, the taxi driver finally showed a sign of suspicious behavior; although the car was empty, he ignored all of the people who were signalling it on the street. Liu Meng¡¯s expression darkened as she turned off the radio on her car and sealed the windows, focusing entirely on the taillights in front of her.


    The taxi finally made its way into a residential area with aged buildings and stopped right in front of a one-story house. As the driver got out of his car, Liu Meng also quickly jumped out of hers and slowly moved toward her target.


    The driver went for the trunk and took something out. His action made Liu Meng nervous at first, but then she realized that it was just a rose. She noticed that the petals had wilted from being in the car so long. ¡¯What is he up to...?¡¯


    As the driver carefully adjusted the petals of the rose, the door to the small house suddenly opened. A rather overweight woman with a face full of wrinkles, freckles and unkempt hair stood at the entrance, looking at the driver angrily. Her chest heaved violently from what seemed like irrepressible anger.


    ¡¯A victim?¡¯ Liu Meng was astounded, since the woman did not look like someone she would have imagined to be a victim.


    "Ho... honey, I¡¯m sorry..." The driver seemed so intimidated that he could not speak normally.


    ¡¯Honey? What?¡¯ Liu Meng was bewildered.


    "Who told you toe back?" The woman yelled with both of her hands on her waist.


    "I¡¯m sorry..." The driver went forth and gave her the rose.


    "What are you doing?" The woman faked a cold expression, but Liu Meng was perceptive enough to notice that the woman was actually trying to suppress her surprise and happiness.


    "I listened to what you said. I went to look at those young, beautiful women..."


    "What? How dare you?" The woman¡¯s voice suddenly jumped up a pitch.


    "Yes, for the entire night. They were definitely prettier than you." The driver continued, seemingly not noticing her anger.


    "Okay then, tell me. How beautiful were they?"

 Volume 6 Chapter 21

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Yes. I¡¯ve spent the whole night looking at them. They were all prettier than you." The taxi driver was oblivious to the furious aura that his wife was exuding and did not even notice her crouching down slightly as he spoke. Liu Meng, who was observing the scene from afar, suddenly had the impression that it was not an ordinary middle-aged woman who stood at the door, but rather a terrifying beast.


    "They have moist skin, long, slender legs, and their lipsticks are as red as the roses. When I see them, I think of you..." The man lowered his head and said slowly as he tightened his grip around the stem of the rose.


    "Thinking about me? You¡¯re thinking about how short, fat and ugly I am, aren¡¯t you?" The wife spat out, her huge nostrils growing in size and revealing thick nose hair as she panted angrily.


    "No, that¡¯s not it..." The driver looked back at his wife.


    "When I see theirshes thickened by mascara, I think about your bloodshot eyes when you wake up in the morning. When I see their thin waists, I picture thebor that you go through when you pick up the gas cans for cooking food in the morning. When I see their legs and stockings, I¡¯m reminded of you kneeling down to clean the floor. When I see the colorful fake nails, I remember all the house chores that you do for me every day..." His eyes reddened as he narrated and he stepped forward to take his wife hands.


    "I¡¯m sorry. If I had more money, you would be able to enjoy a life like theirs..." The driver said as he looked at the big calluses on his wife¡¯s hands.


    "Where did you learn to speak like that?" The woman suddenly retracted her hands and pped at her husband, but there was so little force put into it that one could have mistaken it for a loving caress instead. Upon grazing his face, she stopped his hand at the his neck, where the scratch marks could be seen.


    "Does it still hurt?" The woman said with tearful eyes. The driver stayed quiet but shook his head.


    "So you know what you did wrong now?" She asked in a gentle tone that one would not think possible.


    "I¡¯m sorry for saying you didn¡¯t care about your looks..."


    "Fine. How much did you spend on this?" The wife interrupted her husband and grabbed the wilted rose.


    "Five yuan. It¡¯s been in the trunk since morning, so..."


    "You¡¯re such an idiot. It only costs three yuan at the shop around the corner!" The woman rolled her eyes and dragged the man into the little house.


    As the wooden door was shut, Liu Meng stood up slowly from her hiding spot. Instead of feeling relieved or surprised, she had a heavy heart; this little feud between husband and wife almost became a reason for her to kill the taxi driver without asking any more questions.


    ¡¯They¡¯ll have their troubles and fights, and their lives aren¡¯t easy, but I should envy the feelings they hold for each other. Yet, I almost destroyed this family with my very hands. We are gods for the people living in this domain, but is this our purpose? To decide of the life and death of other people? Are we really doing the right thing? Maybe, all things considered, we¡¯re the ones who deserve to die?¡¯ As Liu Meng walked out of the residential neighborhood, she suddenly shivered. She knew that there was something wrong, and she suddenly stopped walking as a shocking realization came to her.


    "I have a question..." Liu Meng talked into her transmitter.


    "What is it?" Eyesses said.


    "Our mission is to kill those who deserve to die. I¡¯ve asked before, and you told me that we should kill all the guilty ones rather than try to spare the innocent," Liu Meng said with a cold voice.


    "I don¡¯t know what standards to use... Is itw or morality? But I¡¯m sure of one thing. The people who disregard other peoples¡¯ lives, don¡¯t they also deserve to die?" Liu Meng asked her question, only to have a deadly silence follow it.


    "...Does that include us?" Liu Meng took a deep breath and let out the question she was hesitating to ask.


    Eyesses did not answer Liu Meng¡¯s question. Instead, he picked up a small ck box, and slowly slid his fingers across the metallic cap. Big Beard suddenly stopped his motorcycle with a sunken countenance. Qing Qiaoqiao looked at her sister, surprised that despite the light turning green a while ago, she refused to go forward.


    Li Huaibei picked up his cup, stared at the liquid contained within it for a long while, and finally emptied it at once. Then, under the baffled stare of the bartender, he opened his seventeenth bottle.


    Stargaze stretched herselfzily and looked at the willow tree nearby with a smile. "Looks like she¡¯s finally realized it. Killing isn¡¯t the hard part, choosing is."


    She closed her transmitted and strolled down the path by the small stream, looking as detached as ever.


    Li Yiming swung his hand,unching a glowing ball of light toward the turtle in front of him. As the orb hit the monster, the giant turtle was blown into the air and vanished right after. He continued humming a song as he adjusted his straps. After having absorbing a rainbow-colored sunflower, the color of his hat changed from crimson to pure white, and he acquired the ability to shoot out light orbs from his hands. With his newly-acquired power, Li Yiming breezed his way through the valleys, caverns, magma fields, and even underground levels.


    Li Yiming was so indulged in nostalgia, he sometimes found it hard to attack the turtles roaring at him in anger. He soon approached a stone bridge, and past experiences told him that he was approaching the end of the game. The bridge was built above ake of magma, leading to a small stone castle with a few windows. Through the window on the highest level, Li Yiming could see a young girl with delicate features and long hair.


    ¡¯Shao Xian?¡¯ Li Yiming was surprised at seeing who his princess was, thinking that it would be Fang Shui¡¯er. However, his thoughts were interrupted by the apparition of a giant golden turtle. The creature stood at more than five meters tall, and the spikes on its shells had a metallic luster. However, instead of a turtle¡¯s head, it had the head of a dragon.


    Li Yiming had no doubt that it was the final boss, which he had seen only once during his years spent ying the game in his childhood, after receiving help from an older friend. It did not take long before the final fight concluded, with Li Yiming triumphing easily over the monster, who met its end by falling into theke ofva.


    Li Yiming leaped high into the air and caught Shao Xian, who fell from the window as the stone castle slowly vanished.


    "My princess." Li Yiming looked at the young girl who was resting in his arms.


    "Thank you, my prince." Shao Xian stared at Li Yiming lovingly and suddenly brought her lips to Li Yiming¡¯s. Before Li Yiming could react, Shao Xian had pushed her tongue past Li Yiming¡¯s teeth.


    Li Yiming closed his eyes. ¡¯Wait, is this included in the game? Oh yeah... I remember that scene at the end of the game, but it was so pixted, it was hard to see.¡¯


    However, as Shao Xian¡¯s body grew slightly hotter and became even softer, Li Yiming knew that there was something wrong. He had a bad feeling of where this was leading to, and it was impossible to think that such content could be present in the game.


    Li Yiming repressed his desires with difficulty and looked back at the young girl in his embrace.


    "Took you long enough." Li Yiming turned around upon hearing the voice, only to find that the castle and theke of magma had vanished. He was now standing in a valley covered with lush vegetation.


    Chen Quan was right behind him, and further away was Yu Runkai¡¯s rather voluptuous silhouette and Fang Shui¡¯er, who was sipping on a bottle of milk and smiled back at Li Yiming.


    "Alright. I doubt anyone else will be joining us. Let¡¯s go." Yu Runkai turned around to look at Li Yiming and Shao Xian and said coldly.

 Volume 6 Chapter 22

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    As Yu Runkai turned around, Li Yiming put Shao Xian down slowly. It took a bit for time for her to recover from everything that has happened thus far.


    "How¡¯s the situation?" Li Yiming turned toward Chen Quan.


    "I don¡¯t know. When I came here with her, the fat guy was already here." Chen Quan shrugged his shoulder and retained hisposure. He was able to keep calm despite all the supernatural happenings, owing to his many years of experience in dealing with the dead and the extraordinary.


    "You? Fang Shui¡¯er was your princess?" Li Yiming looked at Fang Shui¡¯er with wide eyes, reminiscing the hot kiss between him and Shao Xian. ¡¯Don¡¯t tell me the same happened between Fang Shui¡¯er and...¡¯


    "I don¡¯t know. Fang Shui¡¯er fell from the window of the castle when I cleared the level. Yu Runkai was already here when we arrived, but he was alone..." Chen Quan whispered into Li Yiming¡¯s ear.


    ¡¯Alone...¡¯ Li Yiming frowned.


    "Did you really think that this was a yground? The more people, the more burdening the task..." Yu Runkai said while staring at Chen Quan and Shao Xian as their whispering did not escape his attention.


    ¡¯Burden... Then his princess...¡¯ A shiver ran down Li Yiming¡¯s spine as he surmised what happened to the unfortunate person that Yu Runkai was supposed to rescue. He stepped forward and interposed himself between Yu Runkai and his two friends.


    "Whether he wants to bring people along is entirely up to him. If you have the energy to spare, why don¡¯t you help us find a way out of here?" Fang Shui¡¯er emptied her drink and put the bottle back into her storage ring.


    "You mean, we can¡¯t just walk out of here?" Li Yiming asked Fang Shui¡¯er while keeping his attention on Yu Runkai for precautionary measures.


    "There¡¯s some kind of invisible barrier up in the front." Chen Quan pointed ahead.


    Li Yiming looked in the direction Chen Quan pointed at and found an endless range of mountains and cliffs. Not too far away was a spherical building made of blue, semi-transparent ss, along with two giant stone sculptures.


    "A boundary, no doubt." Fang Shui¡¯er wiped her hands as she shed a gentle smile.


    "Alright. Well, it seems like we¡¯ll just have to clear this level like the previous ones. Shit, who would have thought that the wok cap was a key..." Yu Runkai spat on the ground.


    "No threats so far, but we should be careful..." Fang Shui¡¯er concealed her emotions.


    "Regardless, we fight together for now..." Li Yiming looked back at Yu Runkai. He had the strange feeling that thetter harbored hostile feelings toward him ever since seeing him for the first time aboard the cruise ship.


    "Of course, our interests are aligned, for now. But don¡¯t expect me to take care of those two..." Yu Runkai looked at Chen Quan and Shao Xian with disdain.


    "You won¡¯t need to." Li Yiming frowned, the remark having once again worsened his impression of Yu Runkai.


    "The boundary is gone..." Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly said.


    "Oh? So we can get out of here?" Chen Quan was brave enough to be the first one to walk out, and the others followed suit. The group stopped right next to the crystal structure, taking some time to examine it closely.


    "There are three more over there, but they¡¯re smaller..." Fang Shui¡¯er was perceptive as always.


    "What the hell is this?" Yu Runkai struck the ss structure, which was surrounded by metallic fences that glowed with a blue light.


    "Maybe we should go have a look further ahead." Yu Runkai looked ahead as a few birds flew past them.


    "We should wait and gather more information. We¡¯re not pressed on time right now." Fang Shui¡¯er said with a severe countenance as she scrutinized the two stone statues right next to the ss structure.


    Li Yiming was also looking at one of the statues, and his bafflement grew as he looked at the crystals which were mounted on a stone staff the statues held.


    "Thirty seconds until minions spawn..." A voice devoid of any emotion was heard.


    ¡¯Holy crap, it really is...¡¯ Li Yiming was now certain of his conjecture.


    "What is this? Is this some kind of battlefield?" Yu Runkai frowned. The voice sounded like it came from afar, and yet everyone could hear it very clearly.


    "Do you know anything about this?" Fang Shui¡¯er, who had been paying attention to Li Yiming the entire time, asked.


    "You mean, you don¡¯t know?" Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s ignorance caught Li Yiming off guard.


    "Know what?" Everyone turned toward Li Yiming.


    "The giant crystal, the defensive towers... This is Summoner¡¯s Rift..." Li Yiming pointed at the buildings around them.


    "What?¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er and Yu Runkai asked almost simultaneously.


    "You guys really don¡¯t know?" Li Yiming looked back at everyone except Shao Xian, who was the only one that did not seem confused.


    "We don¡¯t have much time, so exin to us quickly! We need to strategize ordingly..." Yu Runkai said with irritation. Without the power of his talents, his only way through this level would be to beat the game, and any information about the rules was crucial to it.


    "It¡¯s the hottest game right now, and you...? What do you even do with your lives?"


    "Does it look like we¡¯re the type of people who have time for games?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked back.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s words stopped Li Yiming short ¡ª he realized that she was right. ¡¯One is a superstar, the other a CEO... and thest one just... hangs around graveyards for a living...¡¯


    "Just tell us the rules!" Yu Runkai was rapidly growing impatient.


    "Okay. Well, these crystals are called nexuses. We have one, the enemy has one. We win if we destroy the enemy¡¯s nexus." Li Yiming pointed at the giant, half-spherical structure right beside them.


    "It¡¯s that simple?" Chen Quan tapped.


    "Not quite. There¡¯s a river halfway to the enemy¡¯s nexus, and three paths that lead to it. You¡¯ll find giant stone sculptures, just like this one, which act as defensive towers for the enemy. We need to start by destroying the outer towers."


    "Can¡¯t we just go to the nexus directly?"


    "No, we¡¯ll have to start with the towers. It¡¯s the rules. We won¡¯t be able to destroy the towers by ourselves, either."


    "So what should we do?"


    "Uh..." Li Yiming turned his head, only to see a line of people appear. Li Yiming recognized some of them as being the guests of the Pandaria, only they had expressionless faces and walked forward stiffly, just like zombies.


    ¡¯So that¡¯s where they ended up being...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart sank.


    "They¡¯re...?"


    "They¡¯ll be our minions... They¡¯ll appear periodically and start proceeding toward the enemy¡¯s base. We¡¯ll simply need to get rid of the enemy minions first and then destroy the towers with our own minions¡¯ help."


    "That doesn¡¯t seem too hard..." Yu Runkai frowned.


    "Well, it shouldn¡¯t be if we¡¯re only facing minions, but since we¡¯re five here, I suppose that we¡¯ll find five enemies..."


    "You mean, we¡¯ll be fighting against five people?" "


    "That¡¯s how the game is yed..."


    Yu Runkai suddenly snorted in discontentment; If it was going to be a team game, then Shao Xian and Chen Quan undoubtedly made it harder for them to win.


    Li Yiming pursed his lips; he would die before giving up on his two friends, but he did feel a little sorry for Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "How are we going to fight with our talents sealed? With our bare fists?" Even Yu Runkai was fully aware that in-fighting was not going to help in any way.


    "You can use those weapons..." Li Yiming pointed at where they stood moments ago. A rack containing all sorts of weapons appeared: axes, swords, maces...


    Yu Runkai reached for a giant two-handed axe, only to find himself unable to lift the weapon.


    "We¡¯ll need gold to buy those..."


    "Gold?"


    "Fight the monsters, level up, get gold, and buy equipment..."


    "Alright. How are we going to split the teams..." Fang Shui¡¯er picked up a wooden bow from the ground and said in a discouraged voice as she looked at Shao Xian and Chen Quan.


    It would make sense to split the guardians evenly into the three paths that led to the enemy¡¯s nexus, but that would mean two of them would need to face two foes, which was no easy task. Even Li Yiming found it quite hard to devise a n that could satisfy everyone, seeing that he was the one who brought two dead weights along.


    "I can... I can go alone..." Shao Xian volunteered upon noticing that Li Yiming did not quite know how to break it to them.


    Yu Runkai grunted again and picked up a small, wooden shield.


    "You..." Li Yiming hesitated.


    "You know, if it really is Summoner¡¯s Rift, I might be more useful than you¡¯d think."


    "What? You¡¯ve yed this game before?" Li Yiming was surprised.


    "Yes..." Shao Xian averted Li Yiming¡¯s gaze.


    "What rank...?" Li Yiming¡¯s first reaction was to ask for Shao Xian¡¯s proficiency level.


    "Challenger..." Shao Xian answered shyly. <ref>Challenger is the highest rank in the game in question, <i>League of Legends</i></ref>

 Volume 6 Chapter 23

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming held onto his dagger tightly and sat hidden in a bush. ¡¯Who would¡¯ve thought that she¡¯s a streamer...¡¯ He then thought about his own bronze rank embarrassingly.


    In the end, the teams were split so that Yu Runkai and Fang Shui¡¯er went out together, and Shao Xian and Chen Quan formed the second team while Li Yiming was alone. Even though Li Yiming knew that Shao Xian was far more knowledgeable at the game than himself, he still did not dare to let her venture out alone, given that it was more than just a game.


    Li Yiming observed from afar as the minions on his team shed against those on the enemy team. The minions on the enemy team were all wooden dolls, but were armed with bows and swords. In addition, the defensive structure also looked slightly different.


    Li Yiming looked at the giant stone statues on the opposite side of the river. ¡¯Hmmm, the stones are red instead of blue... is that it?¡¯


    Antern was suddenly ced in front of Li Yiming, causing his heart to skip a beat by its sudden appearance.


    ¡¯Is that... a ward?¡¯


    "Have a taste of my staff!" Before Li Yiming could react, a golden staff suddenly emerged from the tall grass and struck Li Yiming in the forehead.


    Li Yiming was nearly knocked out cold from the blow. He put his hands to his forehead and ran back to his defensive tower without looking back.


    He looked at the monkey in the distance, who was swinging his staff with vigor. Of all the foes he thought he would face, the monkey was thest opponent he would have wanted to fight against.


    ¡¯Adventure to the East, the knit bag... Wukong!¡¯ Li Yiming could not muster the courage to face the living legend who had helped him so many times, even if it was just a look-alike created by the domain.


    Li Yiming gulped down a red potion to recover as he looked at the monkey who possessed a strange resemnce to Mr. Kong. He examined the golden armor, the purple crown, the boots rumored to be able to tread amongst clouds, and the golden-etched staff. ¡¯This is not Mr. Kong, this is just a game...¡¯ He had to keep reminding himself of that fact.


    Wukong looked at Li Yiming defiantly and smiled in derision. He then delivered a spinning blow which reduced one of the sailors of the Pandaria to dust. As he traveled through the line of minions, he made quick work of all of Li Yiming¡¯s allies as he led the charge ahead of a file of wooden dolls.


    ¡¯Yiming, snap out of it! It¡¯s not Mr.Kong! Otherwise, the game would be over the moment he grazed you with his staff!¡¯ Bai Ze tried to pull Li Yiming back to his senses.


    ¡¯You¡¯re right. He isn¡¯t Mr. Kong.¡¯ Li Yiming clenched his teeth and dashed forward with his sword. Although he could no longer use his lightning techniques, Li Yiming was still confident in his swordsmanship.


    He rushed toward one of the wooden dolls and shed at its throat. However, just as he walked out of the range of his own defensive tower, his foe suddenly attacked him again. Wukong¡¯s staff split into three in midair. Li Yiming, who was now on his guard, did a quick roll backward and tried a backhand sh at his opponent¡¯s ribs.


    ¡¯I did it!¡¯ Li Yiming gained confidence at his quick sess. He pulled back his sword and delivered another blow at the monkey¡¯s left eye.


    Poof!


    The monkey suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke.


    Thud!


    Li Yiming received another blow to the back of the head.


    Li Yiming turned back, only to see the monkey¡¯s contemptuous smile as he swung at him with his staff again.


    ¡¯Shit, that was a clone...¡¯ Li Yiming hurried to block the attack and ran back to his tower.


    Li Yiming checked his injury; the back of his head had already begun to swell. He disposed of two other wooden dolls with the help of the tower and suddenly looked ahead audaciously. ¡¯I¡¯m not going to lose to a fake!¡¯


    Li Yiming regted his breathing as he dashed forward toward the monkey once again. As Wukong repeated his move of transforming his staff into three and striking at him simultaneously, Li Yiming bent his body backward to dodge the strike and prepared himself to deliver the fatal blow.


    Another thud was heard as the staff hit Li Yiming¡¯s left shoulder, the force of the impact almost crushing him to the ground.


    ¡¯That one isn¡¯t a fake!¡¯ Li Yiming endured through the pain of the hit and delivered three thrusts with his sword.


    Poof!


    Another puff of smoke, another swing of the golden staff, and Li Yiming fell to the ground from a hit to the right hip. He crawled back to his tower, flustered by the defeat he had just suffered.


    ¡¯How am I supposed to fight against that?!¡¯ Li Yiming rubbed his sore shoulder. As his foe stared back at him belligerently, Li Yiming wondered whether it was possible at all to beat him.


    ¡¯He¡¯s hiding and using these clones as bait. I can¡¯t sense where his true location, sorry.¡¯ Bai Ze was also powerless in the situation.


    As the next wave of minions arrived, Li Yiming retreated and carefully observed his opponent¡¯s every move. Wukong, on the other hand, seemed rxed and confident as he swung his staff and disposed of the minions with ease.


    "We can¡¯t keep going on like this. At this rate, it won¡¯t be long before I lose this tower." Li Yiming mumbled to himself as he let out a cry of anger and charged at Wukong just as thetter split into three copies again and attacked the nearby minions. onkey in front of him, only to find that it was a clone.


    ¡¯I knew it, here!¡¯ Li Yiming grasped his sword firmly and began to spin around so quickly, he created a circle around himself with his sword. ¡¯Let¡¯s see how you deal with this.¡¯


    As Li Yiming went through the ranks of the enemy minions, he unleashed a tornado of metal and de upon each of them, forcing even Wukong to retreat. He gradually increased the pace of his attack upon realizing the effectiveness of his tactic.


    Ding!


    ¡¯What¡¯s that?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly heard a metallic, bell-like noise. Before he even had the chance to think about it, the giant statue in front of him opened its eyes, and a giant light orb shot out from its staff down toward him. ¡¯Shit, I¡¯ve gone too far!¡¯


    Li Yiming stopped his spinning and retreated. However, as soon as Li Yiming abandoned his defense, the golden staff struck him again on his stomach.


    ¡¯That stupid monkey again!¡¯ Receiving another blow only further fueled Li Yiming¡¯s rage. He endured the pain of the blow and shed at Wukong¡¯s throat with his sword. ¡¯I¡¯ll kill you even if I have to die for it!¡¯


    As he stared into the eyes of Wukong, he did not find terror, but rather scorn.


    Ding!


    The second attack from the towernded Li Yiming. His body shook violently, and the world turned ck and white.


    "Li Yiming has been in. First blood!" Li Yiming slowly lost consciousness as a robotic voice was heard.


    * * *


    In a bar where deafening music raged on, only a single person was standing in the entire room. The ground was full of empty bottles, while colorful pills were scattered on the bar counter. The air was filled with an unpleasant mixture of sweat and tobo smells, along with a tinge of blood.


    It was a man with a tall figure and well-sculpted muscles entuated by his tight clothing. His hair was cut short and ironed into delicate curls. However, his delicate features were twisted into a stern frown.


    As he picked up a bottle of beer from a woman who was lying on the ground, he raised it high over his head and poured its content down. As the golden liquid and white froth streamed down his body, he licked the corners of his mouth.


    He massaged his forehead with his long, pale fingers and looked around once again, with disgust, disdain, and even madness.


    If one were to look at the bodies that piled up on the ground, one would find a hole in each person¡¯s forehead, from which blood was seeping out slowly, dripping from the eyebrows to the ears like a long streak of lipstick.


    "Debauchery... death. Evil intentions... death. Shamelessness... death." The man threw the beer bottle to the side and walked toward the door by twisting his waist in a uniquely attractive manner.

 Volume 6 Chapter 24

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming stood in front of his own nexus, staring nkly at the chip in his sword. ¡¯Well, at least I get revived whenever I die, but...¡¯


    Li Yiming pulled his hair in frustration and ran toward the river once again. He was being beaten in every aspect by his opponent. Even worse was his reliance on Thundersh for teleportation at a moment¡¯s notice, which was a luxury he could no longer afford.


    The enemy¡¯s minions marched down thene and knocked on Li Yiming¡¯s tower vigorously. What made matters worse was that Wukong had already proceeded to the next wave of friendly minions and was beginning to dispose of them.


    ¡¯You!¡¯ Li Yiming could no longer endure such humiliation. He clenched his sword and dashed toward the monkey. Thetter brushed the zombie minions to the side with ease and stared at Li Yiming challengingly.


    Li Yiming let out a low roar andunched a deadly stab aimed at Wukong¡¯s throat.


    Ding!


    Li Yiming¡¯s sword collided against the golden staff. Li Yiming quickly spun around and came back with a sh on the left side. Although he managed to drive his de right through the monkey¡¯s chest, he wasted no time in pulling back his sword and spinning.


    Poof!


    Of course, Li Yiming pierced just another clone.


    Li Yiming retreated back to his own tower while maintaining his spin. He knew that his foe was looking for an opportunity in the shadows. As he approached his tower, Li Yiming lowered his guard and began clearing the minions in range.


    Just as he shifted his attention to the minions, a golden staff suddenly appeared and struck at Li Yiming¡¯s forehead. Li Yiming, who had not been anticipating the strike, quickly dodged to the side, but not quickly enough to avoid being hit on the right shoulder.


    Ding!


    This time, Li Yiming¡¯s tower responded and targeted the monkey, who did not have time to fall back after his attack.


    ¡¯Now!¡¯ Li Yiming grabbed his sword with his left hand and stabbed Wukong¡¯s back.


    ¡¯Shouldn¡¯t have attacked me under my tower¡¯s range!¡¯ Li Yiming could almost taste the sweetness of revenge.


    Just as the tip of his sword grazed the monkey, it suddenly vanished. Right after, it appeared outside of the tower¡¯s range, showing off its armor andughing at Li Yiming.


    ¡¯What, teleportation?¡¯ Li Yiming was baffled. It was no surprise that Wukong could create clones of himself or go invisible, since that was part of his skillset in the actual game. However, he did not recall Wukong having the ability to teleport.


    ¡¯Wait a second... sh?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly remembered the skill which was given to all of the yers of the game, allowing them to teleport a short distance. ¡¯But why can¡¯t I do that?¡¯


    "Li Yiming, now!" Before Li Yiming could ponder any more about the situation, a small silhouette suddenly jumped out of the bushes. It was Chen Quan, who held a bamboo blowpipe. He brought his weapon to his lips and blew out a silver needle that glowed green, hitting Wukong and producing a small puff of ck smoke around the target.


    ¡¯Why is he here?¡¯ Li Yiming wondered.


    As the silver needle hit Wukong, thetter¡¯sugh quickly went from a mockingugh to a raging roar and he smashed down at Chen Quan with his golden staff.


    "Watch out!" Li Yiming cried out. There was no chance of survival if Chen Quan was to get hit by that attack.


    Chen Quan, however, ignored the monkey¡¯s attackpletely and stayed in position. He continued to blow out one poisoned needle one after another, all hitting Wukong over and over. Thetter let out a scream as he pushed down his staff at a dangerously fast speed.


    Li Yiming froze in horror at the sight of the staff striking Chen Quan, however, to his surprise, the attackpletely missed Chen Quan, who made no efforts to dodge at all.


    "What are you waiting for? He¡¯s blind!" Chen Quan yelled at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming quickly started to rotate with his de in hand. This was the only attack he could think of that allowed him to hit Wukong. His sword cut through the monkey¡¯s body like a giant spinning saw.


    Poof!


    The result ended up being the same as every previous attempt; his attack only managed tond on a clone. However, Chen Quan quickly threw a crystalntern onto the ground which shone with a blue light.


    "Over there!" Chen Quan said and shot out another needle. A shadow appeared right behind Li Yiming and was slowly making its way toward thetter.


    Li Yiming let out a yell as he hit the monkey¡¯s left arm with his sword. At the same time, Chen Quan¡¯s three needlesnded, causing Wukong to roll sideways. With the monkey locked in his motion, Li Yiming finally made ready to seize the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow. Just as he leaped into the air andnded down with his sword beneath him, the monkey quickly rolled back and began spinning on himself, just like Li Yiming had been previously doing.


    ¡¯Ultimate?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s chest was struck by the staff before he could react and was thrown into the air while the monkey made for his own tower.


    "You think you can leave?" Chen Quan ran toward the monkey while continuing to shoot out projectiles.


    ¡¯Fast!¡¯ Li Yiming noticed how quickly Chen Quan was moving. ¡¯He¡¯s as fast as I am!¡¯


    "Aahh!" A scream of pain was heard as the spinning monkey finally fell to the ground.


    "Chen Quan has in an enemy. Assist awarded to Li Yiming." An announcement was heard.


    "Phew. He almost got away with it." As the monkey¡¯s corpse disappeared, Chen Quan walked toward Li Yiming.


    "Why are you here?" Li Yiming was wondering why Chen Quan came to him.


    "She told me toe help you. Didn¡¯t think that you were also fighting against a monkey." Chen Quan rubbed his nose and put his blowpipe back around his belt.


    "Also?" Li Yiming was surprised.


    "Yeah. We¡¯re also fighting two monkeys. One is on fire, and the other one has green smoke all over its body..." Chen Quan looked at the enemy tower in front of him.


    "They¡¯re all monkeys?" Li Yiming looked at where the corpse disappeared and tried to remember the rules.


    "Yeah. He was also doing that fake clone thing, and it was working until Shao Xian bought a crystalntern. They call it the Eye of Truth." Chen Quan pointed toward the ground.


    ¡¯Wait... that item... how did I not think of it?" Li Yiming was ashamed of himself.


    "How¡¯s Shao Xian doing? Are you sure she¡¯s okay by herself?" Li Yiming changed the subject.


    "Oh, she¡¯s good. She¡¯s doing great with her magic. Even the two monkeys together can¡¯t do much. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t leave her alone." Chen Quan looked at the sky and said with admiration.


    "Magic?" Li Yiming was surprised. ¡¯Is she a guardian...?¡¯


    He then suddenly remembered the extraordinary speed with which Chen Quan dashed toward the monkey just moments earlier. ¡¯Wait, him too, he also blinded the monkey... Wait a second...¡¯


    "That¡¯s a skill of mine. It makes my enemy blind. Shame it onlysts for two seconds." Chen Quan shrugged his shoulders and reached out for his blowpipe.


    ¡¯Blowpipe... Blinding... Wait a second... Teemo?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly remembered that just like the Mario game previously, they were bound to be assigned a role.


    ¡¯So Chen Quan is Teemo, and Shao Xian knows magic. But what about me? Why don¡¯t I have anything? Is it because I¡¯m a guardian? What about Fang Shui¡¯er and Yu Runkai?¡¯ Li Yiming thought confusingly as he looked at the chips on his sword.


    "Can you keep an eye here for a while?" The game had only recently just started and he could not rely on Chen Quan and Shao Xian for too long.


    "Alright. I should have no issues if it¡¯s just defending against the monkey." Chen Quan said with confidence.


    "Be careful." Li Yiming looked at Chen Quan and dove into a bush in the river.

 Volume 6 Chapter 25

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Liu Meng tied her hair into a ponytail and changed into sportswear, hiding her attractive curves beneath long white pants. She also wore a pair of sunsses and a hat which covered most of her forehead.


    After exiting the residential neighborhood where the taxi driver lived, Liu Meng had decided to change her outfit to prevent her judgment from being influenced by the way people looked at her. Her thoughts were flustered from the realization she had earlier in the night, prompting her to be more cautious in the case of an irreparable mistake.


    This was the true test of the domain. The mission could not bepleted without taking another¡¯s life, and yet a single mistake would spell doom.


    As dawn broke, the streets gradually filled up with people, most of them being employees or students going through their dailymute. Liu Meng followed the flow of the crowd to a bus station.


    There, Liu Meng found a young, beautiful woman who was nicely dressed listening to music as she waited for the bus. The girl had a bag of fried chicken, and she lightly tapped her foot to the beat of the music she was listening to.


    Whenever someone would nce at her, attracted by her youthful charm, she would sh a smile.


    ¡¯A life free of worries... I miss those times.¡¯ Liu Meng thought to herself.


    "Excuse me." A voice interrupted Liu Meng¡¯s train of thought. She turned around and saw a woman in her thirties dragging a little kid along with her, looking impatient.


    Liu Meng nodded and walked back. ¡¯Looks like she¡¯s bringing her kid to school...¡¯


    The boy moved around incessantly, throwing grimaces at the people around. The mother seemed worried about her child¡¯s safety around the oing vehicles as she tightly held her son¡¯s hand.


    After a short wait, the boy noticed the fried chicken that the girl had, staring at it curiously.


    "Mommy, I want fried chicken!" He said after finally being unable to resist the temptation of the sulent-looking chicken.


    The young mother was preupied with her phone. She looked at the young girl and jokingly said to her son, "Why don¡¯t you ask her over there? Maybe she¡¯ll give some to you."


    Unabashed, the boy immediately raised his voice. "I want fried chicken!"


    The young woman, who was still listening to her music, did not hear the boy¡¯s plea. She removed her earphones and stared back at the boy, confused.


    "I want to eat fried chicken." The boy repeated in a petnt voice.


    She frowned at the way the boy talked to her, nced at the young mother, and put back her earphones.


    Although the mother was a little embarrassed at first, she eventually caught a foul mood from trying to appease the childish tantrum of her son. She directed her irritation at the girl and said in a low voice after looking at thetter¡¯s low cor. "I bet she¡¯s involved in shady work."


    Liu Meng frowned at the remark.


    Just as the bus finally arrived and the crowd gathered toward the edge of the station, the boy, who still had tears hanging by the corners of his eyes, suddenly threw her mother¡¯s hand away and approached the young woman with a venomous expression. Thetter, who was still listening to music, did not notice him approach from behind.


    The boy gave her a shove from behind, just enough to make her slightly off-bnce, but given that she was standing on the edge of the tform, she fell onto the road, right in front of the approaching bus.


    Liu Meng extended her right hand helplessly toward the young girl, but she could not catch her in time.


    The fried chicken was spread onto the asphalt as the young girl sat there dumbly, the horror in her eyes growing as the bus came closer and closer. Fortunately, the bus driver, who had been highly vignt as he approached the bus station, was able to stop the vehicle in time.


    The crowd quickly acted, despite the suddenness of it all, and dragged the girl back onto her feet, onto the waiting tform. However, the damage was already done; her face was ashen, and her lips almost purple. The young mother was also panic-stricken at first by what her son had done. However, as soon as she saw a taxi driver who had stopped his car nearby to see what themotion was all about, she instantly dragged her son into the vehicle and urged the driver to leave the scene.


    Liu Meng approached the girl, who sat on the ground of the waiting tform, still crying from the shock of what just happened. She knew that the incident would end without long-term consequences since no one was hurt in the end, and the culprit was but a mere child.


    As Liu Meng¡¯s thoughts wandered, a soothing voice suddenly came from behind.


    "I used to think that a child is good-natured at birth."


    Liu Meng jumped forward and turned back with red lights glowing at her fingertips.


    "Sai Gao?" Liu Meng asked as she recognized the visitor. Despite her temporary alliance with him back in Tianshan, he was not someone she could trust, especially after he had attempted to seize control of the phoenix within her body before. However, Sai Gao had already mped his hands around her wrists, stopping her from attacking.


    "This is no ce to fight." Sai Gao smiled and let go of Liu Meng¡¯s arms.


    "He¡¯s just being childish..." Liu Meng looked at the young girl and said.


    "Childish? Whether human nature is good or evil has been a subject of endless debate, but I believe both exist within a person¡¯s heart. Only the good is encouraged while evil is buried deep within. For every single person, there wille a day when that evil is revealed, and oftentimes it will be toote to stop them from hurting someone else," Sai Gao said as he looked in the direction of the taxi.


    Liu Meng did not know how to rebuke the statement.


    "The scary thing is that no one knows when the evil intentions that lie within us might cause us to make an irreparable mistake. Li Yiming is a good man. I hope that you¡¯re the same," Sai Gao said before walking away.


    Liu Meng once again sank into her own thoughts as she mulled over Sai Gao¡¯s words.


    As the victim¡¯s mood finally recovered, a street cleaner riding a tricycle stopped next to the fried chicken. As the cleaner picked up the food, he cursed the person who had the audacity to litter publicly. After the young girl had finally recovered from the shock enough to resume her day, Liu Meng continued to stare nkly at the street as the buses came and went.


    Suddenly, the wailing of a siren was heard in the distance. Liu Meng turned her head in the direction where the sound came from, and an ominous feelingpelled her to dash forward. As she approached what seemed to be an ident scene where a crowd had gathered, her chest tightened upon seeing the wreck of a taxi against a billboard pir.


    "Not taking the responsibility to educate her child, death." Liu Meng shivered as she heard a voiceing from the distance.


    Smoke came out of the vehicle from the collision, and the driver was trying to exin something to a bystander in an agitated voice. The spoiled boy was being held in the arms of a stranger, petrified and staring forward nkly.


    The billboard had been deformed by the shock, the stainless steel frame torn into pieces. One lone segment of steel pipe, along with the electric wires, pierced through the windshield of the taxi like a spear. The young mother of the boy, who sat on the passenger seat, was impaled with wide eyes.


    ¡¯Not taking the responsibility to educate her child, death?¡¯ Liu Meng shivered.


    * * *


    Li Yiming progressed slowly through the river, as he imagined Fang Shui¡¯er and Yu Runkai being subjected to all sorts of torture, having had their talents sealed off.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er has in an enemy. Assist awarded to Yu Runkai." A voice suddenly resonated.


    ¡¯What?¡¯ Just as Li Yiming heard the announcement, a monkey suddenly jumped out of a bush. Although the monkey was bruised and hesitated to attack, it still directed its staff toward Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    Li Yiming quickly put up a defensive stance with his sword.


    However, before the staff could reach him, a giant cask of wine fell from the sky, detonating right in front of the monkey and knocking him back with an explosion of crimson liquid. Just as he was about tond, a giant crystal blue arrow pierced him and caused an explosion of ice shards.


    "Fang shui¡¯er has achieved a double kill. Assist awarded to Yu Runkai." The voice came again.


    "Why are you here?" Fang Shui¡¯er looked at Li Yiming.


    "Just passing by..." Li Yiming looked at the monkey¡¯s corpse, which had yet to disappear, and then at the crystal bow, Fang Shui¡¯er was holding.


    "Defend your turret, and stop dying." Yu Runkai said coldly, as he still showed some hostility toward Li Yiming despite the circumstances.


    However, Li Yiming¡¯s attention was wholly upied by the giant cask of wine Yu Runkai held over his shoulders.


    ¡¯A wine barrel and frost arrows... So I¡¯m the only one who doesn¡¯t have anything?¡¯ Li Yiming thought bitterly.

 Volume 6 Chapter 26

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming returned to the river as Fang Shui¡¯er looked on, confused.


    ¡¯So why don¡¯t I have any special abilities?¡¯ Li Yiming was familiar with the game, but knowledge alone was not enough for him to beat the enemies he was facing.


    ¡¯Wait a second, equipment?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly remembered the crystal bow Fang Shui¡¯er held. He distinctly remembered that Fang Shui¡¯er had picked up a wooden bow at the start of the game.


    Li Yiming had figured out a way to be stronger. He remembered that he could defeat minions and monsters to obtain gold, which he could then use to purchase items from the weapons shop near his nexus.


    ¡¯If it¡¯s only gold I need...¡¯ Li Yiming turned his bloodthirsty eyes toward a cave in the middle of the forest. His knowledge of the game proved to be useful, allowing him to recall the location of three wolves that he could y to obtain some precious in-game currency.


    ¡¯I¡¯ll start with you...¡¯ Li Yiming walked toward the cave with a sinister smile.


    Li Yiming spotted the wolves right away as he entered the cavern. One of them was nearly as big as a buffalo, while the two other ones were around the size of an adult pig. All three stared at the intruder viciously and attacked as soon as Li Yiming charged at them with his sword.


    Li Yiming smiled with the confidence of a sage as he thrust his sword toward the throat of the biggest wolf. ¡¯I can¡¯t beat Wukong, but if you think that I¡¯ll have trouble handling a few animals...¡¯


    Ding!


    A metallic clink was heard as Li Yiming¡¯s sword bounced back against the fur of the wolf.


    ¡¯What? This hard?¡¯ His attack had produced nothing but a tiny white mark on wolf¡¯s pelt.


    The three wolves had already surrounded Li Yiming, preventing him from repositioning himself. Li Yiming moved to the side and dodged the jaw of the first animal, but the ws of the second wolf were already aimed at him.


    ¡¯Shit! They know how to cooperate?¡¯ Li Yiming ducked and rolled on the ground, barely dodging the attack after losing a few strands of hair.


    ¡¯These monsters are just as scary as the monkey!¡¯ Li Yiming could no longer afford to underestimate the wolves as they proved to be much more troublesome than he had expected.


    ¡¯I need to run.¡¯ Li Yiming decided with shame. He found it to be utterly embarrassing to run away from mere wolves as a sage.


    ¡¯Who would have thought that just some wild animals...¡¯ Li Yiming thought as he bolted toward the exit of the cave. However, the giant wolf suddenly rammed Li Yiming¡¯s back, causing him to fall down.


    "Awooooo!" The hungry wolves surrounded Li Yiming, ready to feast on him.


    "Li Yiming has been executed!" The robotic voice was heard once again. Li Yiming was speechless as he looked at the world turn ck and white.


    "Are you sure that you didn¡¯t get the wrong guy?" Yu Runkai looked at Fang Shui¡¯er as he used his wine barrel to send a minion flying.


    "That¡¯s exactly what I thought when I met him for the first time." Fang Shui¡¯er shot out a volley of arrows, pushing back the two monkeys facing them.


    "Executed?" Chen Quan scanned the area around himself, worried about a sudden ambush, and further retreated toward his tower.


    Shao Xian slipped through the lines of minions elegantly, pointed ahead of her with her magical wand and shooting out a beam of light. A monkey full of fire revealed itself as it was caught by the attack, immobilized by two rings of light.


    Shao Xian retreated swiftly as the monkey struggled to free itself, and with another movement of the wand, she created an explosion of light right where the monkey stood.


    As the ming monkey retreated back to its tower, evidently hurt by the attack, Shao Xian continued her retreat. She threw her wand out, and it flew back to her like a boomerang, creating a semi-transparent barrier around herself.


    Suddenly, a green staff appeared, smashing against the barrier. Just before the barrier shattered, Shao Xian was able to return to the protection of her tower. The monkey continued to taunt Shao Xian outside of her tower¡¯s range, hoping to lure her out. Shao Xian, who knew far better, looked back at her nexus worriedly.


    Color finally returned to Li Yiming¡¯s eyes as he reappeared next to his nexus.


    ¡¯Alright, this isn¡¯t the worst, I can alwayse back!¡¯ Li Yiming tried to cheer himself up, but could only feel discouraged after staring at his broken sword. He looked at his wristband, which showed him the amount of gold he had: 298.


    Li Yiming wanted to try his luck at the shop, but as he had expected, the amount of money he had was not even enough to buy the lowest-tier weapon. He looked at his damaged sword in frustration. Although items could not be broken in the game, things were vastly different in a domain.


    ¡¯Why don¡¯t you try extracting it?¡¯ Bai Ze reminded Li Yiming of an ability he had not used in a long time.


    ¡¯Of course!¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up and he focused his attention on his weapon.


    However, as he attempted to examine the interior of his weapon, a protective barrier around the rune inside of the sword prevented him from extracting it.


    ¡¯It¡¯s not working...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s eyes became downcast once again.


    ¡¯I can¡¯t do anything... Not even y a bunch of normal monsters... What am I supposed to do? Go out there and suicide?¡¯ Li Yiming pinched at the de of his sword, only to realize that his sword could break at any moment at its current state.


    ¡¯No talent, no character skills, even my own strength is limited. And now, my weapon¡¯s going to break. Do I have to smash my enemies with this metal ball?¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly remembered the small metallic sphere he received right at the end of the previous domain that could change shape. Although he could use the item as a weapon, it probably would not take very long before Li Yiming tired himself out trying to maintain the shape of the orb.


    "Huh?" Just as Li Yiming was flustered at the impasse he was facing, the metal orb suddenly reshaped itself into a grey replica of Li Yiming¡¯s sword.


    Li Yiming examined the item closely. ¡¯Are you serious, it¡¯s the exact same!¡¯


    Li Yiming scratched his head and thought about selling his sword.


    "Item sold, 180 gold obtained." The robotic voice was heard as the sword disappeared from Li Yiming¡¯s hand.


    ¡¯So selling works just fine... but what about selling that copy?¡¯ Li Yiming just had an audacious idea; if he was somehow able to sell the "copied" sword, it would prove to be of great use.


    ¡¯Well, no risk, no gain.¡¯ Li Yiming decided to give it a try.


    "Item sold, 180 gold obtained." Li Yiming confirmed his new bnce.


    ¡¯What if I tried to get it back?¡¯


    At the thought of it, the metal sphere reappeared in Li Yiming¡¯s hand.


    ¡¯Transform!¡¯ Li Yiming focused on the metallic ball, changing it into his sword once again.


    Li Yiming examined the sword with his senses once again, but, unlike before, he found the weapon to be a hollow husk instead.


    Li Yiming looked at the shop and bought another cheap sword.


    "Item purchased, 450 gold deducted" A brand-new sword appeared in Li Yiming¡¯s hand.


    "Item refunded, 450 gold obtained." Li Yiming was aware of the refund function in the case where the yer makes a mistake while purchasing.


    838......


    "Item sold, 180 gold obtained." Li Yiming¡¯s eyes grew red as he saw his bnce increase to 838. He yelled in excitement and kissed the metallic orb as soon as it reappeared.


    As thebat within the valley raged on, with beasts roaring and Li Yiming¡¯s allies shing against their enemies, Li Yiming continued his "shopping". When he re-entered the battlefield, he had the best equipment could possibly afford with money. A full set of armor, two swords, and even a magical item. If it was not for the limitation that he could only buy six items, he would have emptied the entire shop.


    ¡¯Tremble before me, monkey!¡¯

 Volume 6 Chapter 27

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming arrived at his second tower in the middlene, choosing to assess the situation from afar first rather than jumping into the fray right away with his new equipment. He could not afford to make another mistake, especially having died twice already.


    He observed as Chen Quan relentlessly attacked the enemy minions at every given opportunity. As soon as the monkey would try to attack a friendly minion, Chen Quan would reposition himself while shooting one of his venomous darts and retreat to his tower right away. He would repeat this process over and over, causing great annoyance to the monkey.


    ¡¯He¡¯s ying around... Not bad, I suppose all these years spent dealing with dead people did help.¡¯


    Noticing Li Yiming¡¯s arrival, Chen Quan signaled discreetly toward a bush on the left side. Li Yiming immediately understood the message and showed a broad smile.


    ¡¯Come on, I can barely wait any longer...¡¯ Li Yiming crouched down and dove into the bush, hoping to use its cover until he could arrive behind his target.


    Li Yiming crossed his two weapons in front of him and moved furtively, without making any noise. As the shing of metal became more and more audible, he knew that he


    Dong!


    Li Yiming was suddenly hit in the forehead with a golden staff, disorienting him.


    As Li Yiming struggled to recover from the blow, another staff came down striking him.


    ¡¯Really? There are two of them in the bush?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s confidence was obliterated by the sessive blows he had just suffered. He reached for the magical hourss he had bought from the shop, and he transformed into a golden statue, granting him invulnerability for a few seconds.


    ¡¯I messed up...¡¯ Li Yiming thought as he looked at the two monkeys through the golden barrier which surrounded him, his thoughts racing for a solution to get himself out of this predicament.


    A ray of light suddenly came from the side, illuminating the area around which the monkeys stood. The two monkeys¡¯ movement visibly slowed down as they became enveloped by ayer of shadow.


    "Light Binding!" A crescent of light flew by and enveloped the two monkeys, preventing them from moving despite their struggles.


    "Final Spark!" A thin line of red light appeared, turning into a giant white cylinder a momentter and causing the rings of light which bound the monkeys to explode violently.


    As the light finally subsided, the two monkeys had suffered heavy damage and quickly started their retreat toward their tower. Li Yiming came out of his golden state just in time to attack his two enemies, encouraged by the knowledge that Shao Xian was there to support him.


    Poof! Poof!


    Yet again, he had only managed to hit the clones.


    "You¡¯re not getting away!" Chen Quan appeared out of nowhere and put down another bluentern. He shot a silver dart out of his bamboo stick and struck one of the monkeys down. It writhed painfully as the poison quickly spread to its entire body.


    Li Yiming let out a long cry and leaped at the other monkey, who had been revealed by thentern, decapitating its head cleanly.


    "Chen Quan has in an enemy. Assist awarded to Li Yiming and Shao Xian."


    "Li Yiming has in an enemy. Assist awarded to Chen Quan and Shao Xian."


    "There¡¯s one more!" Li Yiming said with a sinister tone, as blood ran down his sword, emitting a dark crimson glow.


    "You can¡¯t run!" Chen Quan said with excitement as he ran off to chase the monkey.


    The three monkeys had nned to ambush Li Yiming together. However, two of them were taken care of. Thest monkey was not foolish enough to fight a lost battle and instead attempted to retreat.


    Boom!


    A giant mushroom exploded under the feet of the monkey, incapacitating it. The monkey nced back at Chen Quan in anger.


    Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up at the opportunity. He rushed forward, brandishing his sword. At the same time, Chen Quan shot out a silver dart which hit in the monkey right in the forehead, causing another puff of ck smoke to appear.


    "Light Binding!" Another crescent of light flew by and immobilized thest monkey.


    Li Yiming put his two swords to his chest and started spinning around


    "Li Yiming has in an enemy. Assist awarded to Chen Quan and Shao Xian."


    The robotic voice was heard once again as Li Yiming looked at the headless corpse on the ground with blood still dripping from his sword.


    "Go for the tower!" Shao Xian yelled at Li Yiming and turned her magical attacks towards the wooden dolls.


    Li Yiming jumped high into the air and aimed at the tower, smashing against it like a meteor. The tower shook violently and a shower of light fell down from the crystal the giant stone statue held.


    As the friendly minions continued to walk forward and turned into dust and cinder, Li Yiming and his two friends used the opportunity to continue damaging the tower.


    "Li Yiming has destroyed a tower."


    The giant stone statue soon crumbled under Li Yiming¡¯s dual sword assault.


    "Thanks for the timely help..." Li Yiming said as he looked at Shao Xian. The three proceeded to walk back down thene, returning to their tower while Chen Quan ced down two more mushrooms.


    ¡¯This guy... I was going to tell him that the monkeys were waiting in the bush...¡¯ Chen Quan wiped away the sweat on his forehead.


    "The two monkeys I was fighting suddenly disappeared, so I thought that they might havee over here." Shao Xian looked at Li Yiming in admiration, having only witnessed the part where he fought valiantly.


    "Greatbo. Exactly what I expected from a challenger level yer." Li Yiming had finally recovered his confidence.


    "Thank you." Shao Xian smiled. "So, what character are you ying as?"


    "Me?" Li Yiming looked at. He looked at his armor. "Uh... Garen!"


    "Garen?" Shao Xian looked at Li Yiming¡¯s attire bemusedly, not understanding the choices Li Yiming had made at all. She knew right away that Li Yiming had geared up for the wrong enemy, choosing an armor that would not protect him. For a moment, it did not ur to her that Li Yiming purchased items that he should not have been able to afford.


    "Let¡¯s go join up with the others and take down another tower." Shao Xian had yed the game enough to understand that questioning her teammates¡¯ judgment and infighting were the least productive things to do.


    "Let¡¯s go!" Li Yiming rushed head first into the river.


    In the tower of the bottomne, Yu Runkai and Fang Shui¡¯er looked ahead with severity.


    "There¡¯s something wrong here..." Yu Runkai took out a bottle of red potion and gulped it down before taking a long sip of wine from his barrel.


    "Something¡¯s changed. It started when Li Yiming got his first kill." Fang Shui¡¯er shot another volley of ice arrows and said while scrutinizing the monkeys.


    Their enemies remained the same in appearance. However, instead of being yful and arrogant, they became cold and machine-like. Even looking at their red pupils made Fang Shui¡¯er feel deeply uneasy.


    "Why would they be stronger now after we¡¯ve in them? We already did that before, but nothing changed then. Do they somehow have better equipment now?" Yu Runkai picked up his barrel again after his shoulder wound recovered.


    The monkeys did not just simply look stronger, their strength levels had definitely increased. Until now, Yu Runkai had been able to endure some blows from the monkeys, but he had to use his sh to dodge thetest attack in fear of losing his life.


    A crescent of light suddenly came out of the bush and immobilized the two monkeys. Fang Shui¡¯er reacted almost instantly, shooting out a giant crystal arrow from her bow just like before.


    Yu Runkai roared in anger and threw his wine barrel towards the two monkeys, while Li Yiming began his trademark spin attack, both leading the attack.


    Two roars were heard as the two monkeys suddenly jumped up, splitting into three, and then nine, until there were eighteen clones.


    Crack!


    Just as the monkeys leaped up, a lightning bolt split the sky, illuminating the mountains and the valleys. However, instead of slowly fading away, the lightning strike had turned everything it shone upon discolored and dull. The grass in the valley quickly withered as fissures appeared in the earth and the sky turned crimson.


    "This..." Shao Xian looked at the monkeys in terror. ¡¯Doom bots?¡¯


    I thought this was a five versus five game, how?¡¯ Li Yiming wondered after being beaten back by the monkeys. When he looked at his enemies again, he saw Yu Runkai being torn to shreds by the tornadoes of spinning golden staffs.


    "Run!" As soon as Yu Runkai died, Shao Xian shrieked in terror.


    Three more roars were heard as the three monkeys that Li Yiming had beaten earlier appeared behind the gang. They used the same technique and suddenly created up to fifty clones. The entire valley became a monkey circus as they spun around.


    "Yu Runkai has been in by the enemy!"


    "Chen Quan has been in by the enemy!"


    "Fang Shui¡¯er has been in by the enemy!"


    "Shao Xian has been in by the enemy!"


    "Li Yiming has been in by the enemy!"


    "Ace!"


    The robotic announcer¡¯s voice seemed to be unusually cold and cruel this time around.


    As the monkey clones achieved their purpose, they turned into puffs of smoke. The remaining five monkeys looked around at the corpses which littered the floor.


    "I¡¯m waiting for you!" One of the monkeys said before leading the others into the river.


    "The dragon has been in. The enemy has acquired a permanent boost to their strength."


    Li Yiming and his friends¡¯ corpses vanished slowly as the dragon emitted itsst roar.

 Volume 6 Chapter 28

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Right next to the giant crystal, Li Yiming and his teammates appeared one by one, staring at each other.


    "What the hell just happened?" Yu Runkai looked around with a frown and asked.


    "It¡¯s the doom bots..." Shao Xian bit her lips and answered.


    "Doom bots?" Fang Shui¡¯er had no idea what those were and looked at Li Yiming, seeking an exnation.


    "I¡¯ll let her do the exining." Li Yiming had heard of the game mode before, but never actually yed it.


    "Doom bots was a game mode the developers came up with to attract more yers, but it didn¡¯t work out too well so they gave up shortly after." Shao Xian sighed and exined.


    "What¡¯s the difference?"


    "The rules are still the same, but the enemies are much more powerful."


    "So we¡¯re basically fighting empowered monkeys now?" Yu Runkai put his wine barrel down and sat on top of it.


    "Yes. We¡¯re still fighting the same five monkeys, it¡¯s just that they have much stronger techniques now, as you¡¯ve experienced first-hand."


    "How are we supposed to defeat them then? We¡¯re at aplete disadvantage." Chen Quan asked as he scratched his back with his bamboo pipe, seemingly calm despite the dire situation.


    "Well, it¡¯s not an impossible fight. I yed this a little while ago. There¡¯s a way you can abuse the system to win." Shao Xian frowned as she tried to recall the tactics she had employed against the bots.


    "Exploits? What? Do you think this is a game?¡¯ Yu Runkai suddenly snorted in discontent.


    "Can you just tell us what you did to beat the game?" Li Yiming shook his head, noticing Yu Runkai¡¯s displeasure of having Shao Xian and Chen Quan dragging him down.


    "So the first thing we can do is to concentrate on targeting the enemy¡¯s minions. The monkeys might be strong, but we can take care of the wooden dolls with ease, and let our minions do the work for us. In the end, our goal is still the destruction of these towers."


    "I¡¯m not sure that the monkeys will let us have our way with the minions, seeing how intelligent they¡¯ve be." Fang Shui¡¯er advised against the strategy.


    "You¡¯re right, this might not work as well as in-game" Shao Xian was still fairly intimidated her idol.


    "What else can we do then?" Li Yiming pressed on.


    "We could also just avoid the monkeys for as long as possible and keep killing minions for gold under the protection of our tower."


    "And how¡¯s that gonna help?" Yu Runkai asked.


    "The monkeys are only stronger than us by a fixed margin. We can reduce that rtive difference by bing stronger, and we¡¯ll eventually be able to win."


    "So a stalling tactic..." Fang Shui¡¯er squinted and stared at her bow.


    "Makes sense." Chen Quan looked at Li Yiming.


    "It seems like it¡¯s the only way we¡¯ll have a chance..." Li Yiming sighed. ¡¯What is this stupid rule about only having six items? What¡¯s the point of having an infinite amount of gold if I can only use six items at a time?¡¯


    It was meaningless for Li Yiming to acquire any more gold, since he had bought the best items he could get, and he doubted that he would be able to be impactful if the game was to progress to a point where everyone became fully equipped.


    "The enemy has destroyed a tower." The robotic voice was heard once again.


    "Let¡¯s hurry. Let¡¯s each go to ournes and defend our towers, get try to get as much gold as possible." Fang Shui¡¯er ran toward the lowerne with Yu Runkai following her.


    Li Yiming, after onest nce at Chen Quan and Shao Xian, ran toward hisne.


    Shao Xian kept her attention on Li Yiming and sank into her own thoughts. ¡¯How did he get the gold to buy all that?¡¯


    * * *


    "Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? Seven people dead, three entire families exterminated, neen traffic idents and twelve deadly incidents? Three hundred people died today!"


    A middle-aged man in a uniform yelled at his subordinates in the conference room. Between every sentence, he would look at his cellphone, afraid of another report to prolong the unfortunate streak that began the previous afternoon.


    The entire room was silent. Every police officer had bloodshot eyes, having palpably not rested for the entire night.


    "The incidents here have already reached the capital. If we can¡¯t take care of this..." The man fell back into his seat, drained of all of his strength. Yu He was a small prefecture with less than two hundred thousand inhabitants. It was extremely unusual for this many people to die, especially when nearly ten percent of them were government officials in influential positions.


    "Sir, ording to reliable sources, there are two groups of National Security agents in town, do you think..."


    "What? Are you sure?"


    "Yes. Justst night, two groups of individuals iming to be National Security agents visited the police station..."


    "And? What did they do there?" The police chief wanted to get as much information as possible.


    "They were here for one particr person."


    "A suspect?"


    "Yes. He was called An Xing and was detained for his involvement in prostitution-rted activities. I¡¯ve read over his file. Thirty-five-year-old truck driver who was involved in a road ident three years ago..."


    "An Xing?" Someone suddenly eximed with surprise.


    "What is it?" The police chief pressed on.


    "Is that him?" The man quickly pulled out a photograph.


    "Yes. How did you know?"


    "He was the driver responsible for causing the ident around the Meilong Water Reserve."


    "Oh?" The police chief squinted and sank into a deep reflection.


    * * *


    ¡¯We¡¯re running out of time...¡¯ Eyesses rubbed his nose. After working the entire night, even with Eyesses¡¯ stamina, he was starting to feel exhausted.


    To go through two hundred thousand people in three days was truly a demanding task, but not an impossible one for Eyesses. However, he knew that the true difficulty was choosing who deserved the capital punishment, rather than simply filtering out the potential candidates.


    Eyesses closed hisptop with a bitter smile. He raised his hand, and a small metallic box appeared on his knee. His thoughts wandered as he stared nkly at thendscape outside.


    * * *


    As his motorcycle came slowly to a halt, Big Beard put his transmitter away with a grim expression. His attention wandered around for a while until he looked up at the thickyers of cloud.


    Big Beard spat out his cigar and hopped off his motorcycle, taking out arge bag from the storagepartment beneath the seat. At nine in the morning, most of the sauna centers in the city were still closed, and the one Big Beard chose to visit was no exception. When he entered, the reception was still dozing away at the front desk.


    Big Beard dropped his duffle bag on the countertop and looked at the receptionist coldly.


    "Huh?" The receptionist was still half-sleep.


    "Give me the VIP room." Big Beard¡¯s patience was being tested.


    "Sorry sir, we¡¯re not..." The receptionist answered with a frown.


    Big Beard dropped two stacks of cash onto the table.


    "Give me ten of the best girls you can find. If I¡¯m satisfied, I¡¯ll give you ten thousand for each for them. If you manage to find someone just like the girls in that picture, I¡¯ll give you another hundred thousand." Big Beard said as he pointed at a picture on the wall.


    Before the receptionist could react, Big Beard picked up his bag and walked toward the stairs lead up.


    * * *


    "Why are you stopping?" Qing Qiaoqiao looked at her sister.


    "We¡¯re resting." Qing Linglong smiled and looked back.


    "Aren¡¯t we short on time?" Qing Qiaoqiao was confused.


    "You¡¯ve been a guardian for a while now, what do you think of us?" Qing Linglong asked.


    "Us?"


    "Yes, us guardians."


    "I think we¡¯re some kind of antivirus software? There to monitor the system for any intruders." Qing Qiaoqiao was quick toe up with an answer.


    "I like that analogy. We¡¯re here to clean up whenever there¡¯s a bug, or a virus of some kind in the system. But have you thought about what would happen if we didn¡¯t do our job properly?"


    "What do you mean?


    "You said that we¡¯re here to clean up after the viruses and bugs?" Qing Linglong asked again.


    "Yes. A virus is an entity who poses a threat to the system..." Qiaoqiao answered.


    "The system will treat anything that threatens its existence as a virus. We need to take care of whatever the system throws in our way. That¡¯s because the system makes the rules..." Qing Linglong cut her sister off.


    "Sis..." Qing Qiaoqiao realized what her sister was getting at, but she didn¡¯t understand why she brought the subject up.


    "There are times when the antivirus doesn¡¯t meet the expectations of the system. Whether it¡¯s caused by imperfections or because it¡¯s been infected is inconsequential as the end-solution always leads to uninstation." Qing Linglong held onto her younger sister¡¯s hand tightly.


    * * *


    By the shore of a serene river, Liu Meng found Stargaze, whose traditional outfit made her fit perfectly into the picturesque scene of the southern country.


    "Were you looking for me?" Stargaze turned around.


    "I¡¯d like to ask you a few things." Liu Meng took a deep breath and stared at Stargaze¡¯s long robe.


    "Sit." Stargaze walked to one of the stone benches and sat down.


    "You told me that we should help ourselves before helping others and that we can afford to make mistakes, but we don¡¯t have the freedom to choose." Stargaze abstained from sitting and said in a serious tone.


    "Yes? What about it?" Stargaze smiled.


    "This domain, it¡¯s not about whether we¡¯re able to take lives..." Liu Meng¡¯s voice showed hints of anger. She had learned from Li Yiming to trust her teammates, but she feared that if she blindly abided by that rule, she would suffer grave consequences.


    "Look at the tattoo on your chest, and you¡¯ll understand what I mean by saying that you can afford to make a mistake. However, do you really think that you still have a choice at this point?" Stargaze stared back at Liu Meng.


    Liu Meng was speechless. The tattoo of the phoenix on her chest was a secret that not even Li Yiming knew about. ¡¯How did she...?¡¯


    "Some things can only be learned from experience." Stargaze shook her head.


    "You mean dying?"


    "You¡¯ll only know how to live after dying once."


    Liu Meng frowned. She knew that Stargaze was referring to the time when she nearly lost her life back in Shangbei.


    "Everyone knew about the nature of this domain. That¡¯s why Li Huaibei has been drinking the entire time, and I¡¯ve spent my time sitting here, doing nothing. Your friends are only attempting ast-ditch effort."


    "Understand what?"


    "Don¡¯t tell me that you still don¡¯t know?" Stargaze was impressed.


    Liu Meng finally woke up to the fact that she might have understood Stargaze¡¯s hint wrong the entire time.


    "It¡¯s not about killing, it¡¯s about choosing..."


    "I know, but it¡¯s not that easy to do."


    "You¡¯ve got it wrong. It¡¯s not about choosing those who deserve to die..." Stargaze looked up toward the sky with anger burning in her eyes.

 Volume 6 Chapter 29

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "I don¡¯t know what you mean." Liu Meng was unnerved by the revtion, refusing to believe what Stargaze was hinting at.


    "None of us are without fault. If you thought you could escape the wrath of Heaven¡¯s Laws bypleting a high-level domain, then you are much too naive. You still don¡¯t understand the rules enough." Stargaze looked up again.


    "We¡¯ve all made mistakes. But how many deserve to die for their sins? That I cannot say, but there is only one way to kill all those who deserve to die in this prefecture." Stargaze said calmly.


    "You need to kill all of them. This is the punishment for Tianshan."


    "But those who kill the innocent..."


    "Then choose one person to carry out these deeds..." Stargaze stood up and strolled away not minding Liu Meng one bit.


    ¡¯Choose one to carry out the deeds...¡¯ Liu Meng¡¯s hands shook as she mped her fingers around her shirt.


    This was the choice that the domain had offered: to choose someone to ughter the entire prefecture, and then to pay the ultimate price for such a horrendous act. Those who survived would be forever ridden with the guilt of having chosen one of theirrades to die.


    * * *


    In an apocalyptic-looking valley, Li Yiming and his allies were still continuing to struggle to fend off their enemies. Fang Shui¡¯er paused her shooting to look at her glove, which had been ruptured after pulling back the bowstring so often. Her fingers had be numb a long time ago.


    "We need to retreat." Yu Runkai threw another cask of wine, exploding it in midair and clearing out a path for them to reach for their tower.


    "The enemy has destroyed a tower."


    Fang Shui¡¯er finally grew anxious as their fourth tower crumbled. Even if they adjusted their tactics ordingly, the onught of the monkeys was nearly impossible to stop. Aside from the middlene which Li Yiming was guarding, they had lost all of their outer towers on the sidenes.


    "There¡¯s no way we can hold this." Yu Runkai looked at the enemy minions. Although their numbers had not changed, the enemy minions were much stronger than before. Even the material from which the dolls were made had gone from simple wood to a metal-like alloy.


    "We¡¯ll need to buy more time with the towers in our base." Fang Shui¡¯er ran back after shooting another volley.


    Compared to his friends, Li Yiming was doing rather well for himself. After all, being able to afford the best items did prove to be a significant advantage. Even after the enemy minions gained more power, Li Yiming was still able to fend off wave after wave of enemies.


    Li Yiming dove through the enemy minions like a spinning top, rejuvenated by the minions he stroke down every second. He could feel the restoring energying from his sword, allowing him to use the vitality of his enemies for himself. As he looked at the monkey, who was still waiting outside of the range of the tower, an idea surfaced in his mind. ¡¯Shao Xian was right about only the techniques of the monkey being stronger. That means that if I attack aggressively, while I still have an edge with my items, I should...¡¯


    The monkey suddenly made a move. It lowered its staff and made ready to strike.


    Li Yiming quickly retracted both of his swords, putting them horizontally in front of his chest as he made ready to parry a blow. After carefully estimating the distance, he deliberately stepped right outside of the ranger of his tower¡¯s protection.


    The monkey retracted its staff and stood still, and Li Yiming knew right away that something was odd. Suddenly, the whistling of the wind was heard on his left, and Li Yiming, who had been prepared, used his sword to parry the oing blow. At the same time, he delivered a thrusting strike with the sword on his right hand.


    The feeling of his sword cutting through flesh instead of emitting a puff of smoke confirmed his hit, producing a shower of blood at the tip of his de.


    After fighting the monkeys for so long, Li Yiming had be ustomed to the monkeys¡¯ fighting style. Whenever they stared ahead nkly, it meant that they had activated their cloning technique. This time around, he had the experience to anticipate the monkey¡¯s move and retaliate ordingly.


    Landing his first strike gave a much-needed boost to Li Yiming¡¯s confidence. He continued thrusting forward with both of his swords. The monkey had now abandoned his defense and only focused on attacking Li Yiming.


    ¡¯We¡¯ll see who canst longer!¡¯ Li Yiming had full confidence that the sword that restored him vitality would allow him toe out on top.


    The monkey suddenly emitted a loud shriek and started to spin around. The staff it held quickly gave the impression of having multiplied in numbers as he spun faster and faster.


    ¡¯This move again? I can do better!¡¯ Li Yiming shed with the monkey with his own whirlwind attack.


    As Li Yiming¡¯s swords hit the nine spinning monkey clones, his eyes lit up at the monkey¡¯s apparent exhaustion. After Li Yiming¡¯s allies had suffered defeats in the two othernes, he was now the only hope his team had.


    "Have a taste of my staff!"


    Just as Li Yiming prepared to deliver a decisive blow after the nine clones vanished, a tenth staff appeared amidst the tornadoes. This one in particr had a different color.


    ¡¯Shit, reinforcement!¡¯ Li Yiming rolled to the side and dodged the attack.


    The staff missed, hitting the ground with a loud thud. Before Li Yiming could stand up again, another staff was swung at him.


    ¡¯Two of them?¡¯ The staff collided with Li Yiming¡¯s crossed swords, cracking the earth under him.


    Li Yiming could feel his heart race as he parried the attack. He quickly initiated a counter with his left sword, slicing through his foe and drawing a long line of flood in the air, while suffering a devastating hit on his left arm.


    Crack!


    Li Yiming¡¯s arm had been bent unnaturally, and he lost his grip on his sword.


    Li Yiming¡¯s injury only made him fiercer. He jumped high into the air anding down at the first monkey ¡ª He refused to go down without taking one with him.


    "Lull in the sea!" A scream was heard, and the shadow of a giant staff came down at Li Yiming.


    Dong!


    Li Yiming was smashed back into the ground even faster than when he jumped up, creating a giant crater under him.


    ¡¯Seriously? Three of them?¡¯ Li Yiming did not anticipate the other monkeysing to hisne. He was now suffering from intense pain in his chest as a few bones had been broken from the previous hit. He would have, without a doubt, died if he had not parried in time.


    Li Yiming had no time to recuperate when another staff came down smashing at him. Li Yiming¡¯s second sword was sent flying as he tried to block. The staff hit him on the right side, knocking him back to his tower and causing the entire structure to shake violently.


    Li Yiming could hardly stand up as he looked at the monkey he was originally fighting By now, he knew that it was a hopeless endeavor to try to defend the tower, but he still refused to die without getting at least a kill.


    As a fresh wave of enemy minions approached the tower, the crystal lit up again and slowed their advance. At that precise instant, the five monkeys right outside of the tower range suddenly slowed down.


    ¡¯They¡¯reing!¡¯ Li Yiming pushed himself up with his broken arm. Hisst resort, a dark metallic ball, appeared at the palm of his right hand.


    The metallic ball slowly stretched itself as Li Yiming imagined the shape of his sword to the best of his abilities. However, it continued to lengthen itself, going way past the size of a normal sword.


    ¡¯Wait, I just want a sword!¡¯ Li Yiming was at a loss, but the metal sphere continued to grow in size uncontrobly until a giant statue took shape.


    ¡¯Is this... a tower?¡¯ While Li Yiming was dumbfounded, the monkeyspletely disregarded the giant sword and focused on finishing off Li Yiming. Li Yiming tapped on his hourss right as the monkeys approached him, and an explosion of light covered him in a protectiveyer of gold once again.


    The monkeys, having chosen to attack Li Yiming in the range of his tower, caused the tower to start attacking them. Their n was a simple one; they would attack Li Yiming together and finish him off before the tower could hurt them.


    Although Li Yiming was able to buy himself a little bit of time, it was only going to dy the inevitable. What the monkeys did not anticipate, however, was the emergence of a second tower. Ultimately, the few seconds that Li Yiming had bought himself ended up saving his life, as the two towers were already repelling the monkeys away, bombarding them with deadly firing power.


    Just as Li Yiming recovered from his frozen status, he came up with a bold idea.


    Li Yiming suddenly ran toward the group of monkey, roaring in pain as he carried the giant tower in his arms.


    "Li Yiming has in the enemy leader."


    Finally, Li Yiming¡¯s efforts yielded fruit, as his initial target crumbled to the ground. Thebination of atrocious pain from breaking his arm and ribs and the amount of energy required to maintain and carry the tower had also caused Li Yiming to copse on the ground, draining him of every bit of strength. He was nowpletely disoriented and could barely remain conscious.


    Li Yiming put away the tower he had and crawled back to his base before the monkeys could block him off again.


    "He actually did it?" Yu Runkai frowned. The disappearance of the monkeys could only mean that they all went to gang up on Li Yiming.


    "Do you believe me now?" Fang Shui¡¯er said as she shot out an arrow.


    Shao Xian, who had just retreated to the base, looked in Li Yiming¡¯s direction, trying to grasp at what had just happened.

 Volume 6 Chapter 30

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming dragged himself back to his nexus with excitement clearly showing on his face. It did not take long before the magical spring of the nexus restored him to full strength.


    ¡¯Did I just use a tower as my weapon? Is that some kind of bug?¡¯ For the first time, Li Yiming had full confidence in his abilities to defeat any enemy that happened to cross his path.


    ¡¯Too bad I can¡¯t maintain it for long.¡¯ The metal orb appeared in Li Yiming¡¯s palm again, and just as the thought of it shed in his mind, it transformed into the giant stone statue.


    Li Yiming closed his eyes to estimate how much energy it took for him to maintain the giant tower. To his surprise, he realized that as long as he stood in the spring water, he would not feel drained of his energy. ¡¯Wait a second, can I improve this with mana items?¡¯


    Li Yiming hesitated for a second, but then decided that he had very little to lose, since he could always abuse the system for even more gold. He then equipped himself up with six mana-recovering items and rushed toward the outside of the base. On his way, he ran past Shao Xian, who was just about to discuss their strategy with him.


    ¡¯Is he... serious?¡¯ Shao Xian¡¯e eyes widened as she saw Li Yiming run by with six mana-recovery items.


    "I¡¯ve found a way to deal with them!" Li Yiming waved at his friends and quickly made for the frontline.


    Li Yiming came back to his tower at the middlene, just in time to face a fresh wave of enemy minions. He put down the tower he created right next to the one that was already there, and thebined firepower of the two towers made quick work of all the enemy minions.


    ¡¯It works!¡¯ Although it took a toll on him, Li Yiming knew that with his current items, he would be able to sustain it for much longer than before. He rushed toward, apanied by his own minions.


    The five monkeys watched Li Yiming with perplexity in their eyes. Li Yiming had a cold smile as he summoned his own tower in the range of the enemy¡¯s tower, and it was not long before the two towers started to bombard each other.


    The monkeys were so thrown off by the unprecedented move that they simply stood still,pletely forgetting to attack him. However, the progress was too slow for Li Yiming¡¯s liking.


    ¡¯Wait. Can I make two towers?¡¯ Li Yiming decided to try something audacious. He put his hand on his tower, and concentrated on splitting the metal orb into two.


    With a deafening noise, another tower emerged right beside him.


    ¡¯No way...¡¯ Li Yiming could barely contain his excitement.


    The monkeys, having realized that waiting would only make Li Yiming stronger, decided to take action. They all left a clone behind and rushed toward Li Yiming.


    ¡¯Got you!¡¯ Li Yiming smiled and dropped down yet another tower.


    Just as the familiar whistling of a staff was heard once again, Li Yiming touched the hourss at his belt. The monkeys were now exposed under the firing of three towers while Li Yiming himself was immune from taking damage.


    "Li Yiming has in an enemy."


    "Li Yiming has in an enemy. Double kill!"


    "Li Yiming has in an enemy. Triple kill!"


    "Li Yiming has in an enemy. Quadra kill!"


    "Li Yiming has in an enemy. Penta kill!"


    "Ace!"


    Li Yiming¡¯s friends were all shocked beyond belief at hearing the announcer. Especially Shao Xian, who knew enough about the game to question Li Yiming¡¯s judgment in the items he bought, but had her eyes wide open at thetter¡¯s unanticipated sess.


    "Li Yiming has destroyed an enemy tower!"


    "Li Yiming has destroyed an enemy tower!"


    "Li Yiming has destroyed an enemy inhibitor!"


    "Li Yiming has destroyed the enemy nexus! Victory!"


    As a loud crack that resounded in the entire valley was heard, Li Yiming found himself teleported back to the beach where he first set foot on the ind. His four friends were all looking at him with curiosity and bewilderment.


    "How did you..." Shao Xian was the first to ask. She still could not believe what had just happened.


    "Now¡¯s not the time." Li Yiming was interrupted by Yu Runkai, who looked ahead with a grim expression. "Mr. Kong" was waiting for them, dressed in a tuxedo.


    "The seal has been broken..." Fang Shui¡¯er, who had the habit to check her talent each time they were teleported to a new ce, reminded the rest of the group that the real fight was about to start.


    "What am I supposed to think of this? You¡¯re not ying by the rules..." the Mr. Kong look-alike said.


    "I think we need to talk." Li Yiming knew that the man standing in front of him had the truth he sought. This was the reason why he decided to risk it all and get his hands on the golden wok cap.


    "Talk?" The man in front of him seemed to hesitate.


    "Yes." Li Yiming said with a smile. He knew that he was getting closer to his goal.


    "Behind you!" The man¡¯s countenance suddenly changed and yelled out.


    "Behind?" Li Yiming¡¯s surprise was cut short by a numbing pain in the back. He spat out a mouthful of blood and was thrown into the sea. Li Yiming turned back in rage, only to see Yu Runkai retract his hand with a stare devoid of emotion.


    "Are you crazy?" Fang Shui¡¯er screamed in anger and jumped back. Her armor covered her body and she pulled back her bowstring.


    Li Yiming stared back at Yu Runkai with ice-cold eyes. He knew that Yu Runkai showed animosity and was always careful around him, but he did not think that thetter would choose to strike at such a moment.


    As Li Yiming fell into the sea, he took out the small metallic orb he had which he now knew contained incredible power. However, before he could turn the orb into a weapon, the ocean surface suddenly ruptured. A hand made of ice appeared from the depths of the sea and grabbed Li Yiming¡¯s ankle.


    ¡¯An ambush?¡¯ Li Yiming could sense somethinging at him beneath the water surface.


    Another hand appeared and hit Li Yiming in the chest before he could react.


    Li Yiming spat out another mouthful of blood. The pain he had suffered from the strike was much more intense than the one he received from Yu Runkai. While Li Yiming was at most lightly injured by Yu Runkai¡¯s attack and used the opportunity to create some distance between the two, he was grievously injured just now.


    The two hands made of ice melted instantly and Li Yiming quickly escaped to the beach.


    "You¡¯ve improved..." A cruel voice was heard as a man slowly emerged from the water.


    "You? How are you still alive?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes widened in terror.


    "Are you disappointed?" The man smiled in contempt.


    "But Heaven¡¯s Punishment..."


    "Heaven¡¯s Punishment? Let¡¯s see how it¡¯ll help you this time." The man said, and the ocean surface quickly turned into an expanse of ice.


    Bing Shuai was back for his revenge...

 Volume 6 Chapter 31

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    By night, the za was still bustling with middle-aged women practicing their daily slow-paced exercise dances. They chatted with each other as thest song concluded and began their walk home shortly after.


    One of them, who had short hair, stayed behind and turned her attention toward a dark corner of the za. Her warm smile and smooth skin made her look younger than her age, although she did suffer from being slightly overweight.


    In the corner sat a man who was smoking while gazing at the night sky. He held a stic bottle in which he disposed of all of his cigarette butts. Judging by how many there were, he had been waiting for quite a while already.


    "Have you been waiting long?" The woman slowly walked to the bench in front of the man and sat down.


    "Does it matter? I¡¯m always waiting." The man smiled as he put hisst cigarette butt into his bottle and shoved the bottle into a knit bag.


    "Are you ready?" The woman took out a fresh peach out of her shopping bag and put it on the stone table next to her.


    "Everything is set." The sight of the peach enticed the man to pick one up and take a bite out of it.


    "I was going to keep one for my grandson." The middle-aged woman said with a smile.


    "Now that it¡¯s happening, I¡¯m suddenly not so sure anymore." The man finished his peach and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.


    "I¡¯ve waited forty years already, I can wait for forty more. Don¡¯t take myst peach, I need to give one to my grandson or else he¡¯ll be upset." The woman put her shopping back behind her.


    "It doesn¡¯t cost much, does it?" The man puckered his lips and took out a cigarette out of habit, but put it back in right after.


    "Enough small talk. Let¡¯s get to business. You didn¡¯te here to look at me dance and take one of my peaches, did you?"


    "I met a young man."


    "The one you mentionedst time?" The woman asked.


    "Yes."


    "What about him?"


    "He went to Donghai." The man turned his head toward the east.


    "Donghai? That doesn¡¯t sound right... Shouldn¡¯t he be..."


    "He didn¡¯t go. He went to Donghai." The man smiled.


    "He knows?" The woman seemed confused.


    "I¡¯m not sure," The man said, "I can¡¯t see through his thoughts."


    "But there¡¯s only one thing that could interest him in Donghai..."


    "I have a feeling that this young man might be him." The man looked up with a serious countenance.


    "It can¡¯t be..." The woman jumped up from her seat in terror.


    "We¡¯ve lost our setup in Tianshan..."


    "Lost it?" The woman¡¯s expression turned from showing fear to surprise, with a hint of excitement.


    "Who else could it be? Who else but him could take that item away?"


    "So he¡¯s back?" The woman stepped forward and stared at the man intently.


    "I¡¯m not sure." The man slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    "You want me to go see him?" The woman asked.


    "Li Huaibei is teaching him how to fight with a sword," The man said.


    "You want me to teach him how to use a sword?" The woman¡¯s voice jumped up.


    "I want you to make him your pupil."


    "You¡¯re kidding." The woman rolled her eyes and sat back down.


    "He probably doesn¡¯t know it himself, but it doesn¡¯t matter. We need him right now."


    "What if it really is him? What if he remembers..." The woman suddenly eximed.


    "Shit! I¡¯m in. Alright, deal!" The woman suddenly said with excitement. It was a dreame true to even have a chance at bing the master of that person.


    * * *


    Li Yiming looked ahead with a grim expression as a small iceberg emerged from the ocean. Although he was confident in defeating Yu Runkai, Bing Shuai was beyond his league.


    "Who are you? How did you enter the Ind of Eternity without my permission?" The Mr. Kong look-alike suddenly shrieked out with rage.


    "I¡¯ve been here the entire time." Bing Shuai said.


    "That¡¯s impossible! You cannot escape the games of the Ind of Eternity."


    "Sages do have certain privileges..." Bing Shuaimanded a view on "Mr. Kong" from where he stood.


    "Sages? They¡¯re worthless!" The man answered while pulling on his own cor.


    "Do you really think that you¡¯re him? You are but a will of this domain, a worthless replica. If you were really him, I¡¯ll end myself right away." The iceberg behind Bing Shuai suddenly shattered, turning into innumerable ice shards that covered the sky.


    "You... You..." The Mr. Kong look-alike could not say anything back.


    "Stay quiet. After I take care of this kid, I¡¯ll y some of your ridiculous games with you." Bing Shuai slowly approached Li Yiming.


    ¡¯You have no chance of winning.¡¯ Bai Ze reminded Li Yiming as he stood up with difficulty.


    Yu Runkai emitted a low roar and transformed into a giant pile of flesh which stood at over three meters tall. His skin turned emerald, with green liquid asionally oozing out from his open mouth.


    ¡¯Zombie Apocalypse... Yu Runkai is the same level as you are...¡¯ Bai Ze remarked. Li Yiming looked at Fang Shui¡¯er and noticed that at least she still did have her arrows pointed at Bing Shuai.


    Yu Runkai suddenly started running toward him, leaving behind a trail of rot.


    Li Yiming was not willing to give up yet, not even in the dire situation he found himself in. Feeling immense pain throughout his body as he moved at a fast pace, Li Yiming¡¯s eyes slowly became bloodshot as he approached Bing Shuai with his sword drawn.


    Li Yiming had learned that being a guardian meant fighting against the odds.


    Bing Shuai looked at Li Yiming and smiled in contempt. The ice shards behind him flew toward Li Yiming with a simple gesture of his hand.


    Li Yiming raised his sword and continued his charge, dodging the first ice shard and hacking the second one into two. Fragments rained down from the sky as more shards were being broken.


    "I¡¯ll end your life right here!" Bing Shuai squinted at the unexpected speed of which Li Yiming moved at despite his grave injuries. ¡¯Teleportation, summoning, lightning techniques... He hasn¡¯t used any of them yet.¡¯


    As soon as Yu Runkai made his way to Li Yiming, Bing Shuai prepared an attack to finish thetter off immediately, so as not to repeat the mistake he had made when he tortured him.


    Ignoring Yu Runkai, Li Yiming went directly for Bing Shuai. At the same time, Bai Ze emerged from Li Yiming¡¯s back as a white winged-beast and blocked Yu Runkai¡¯s attack, locking the two in a vicious battle.


    A blue glow wrapped around Bing Shuai¡¯s palms as he thrust his hands forward at Li Yiming.


    An arrow was then unleashed by Fang Shui¡¯er, traversing the sky in a streak of colorful light. Knowing that he needed to make good use of Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s supporting attack, Li Yiming decided to move left to thrust his sword at Bing Shuai¡¯s wrist.


    Ding!


    The shing of metal was heard as a thinyer of ice covered Bing Shuai¡¯s fingers and he reached out for Li Yiming¡¯s sword.


    Li Yiming took out his metal orb andunched a second attack at Bing Shuai with his shapeshifting weapon. Bing Shuai frowned and grabbed Li Yiming¡¯s second sword with his left hand.


    ¡¯Now!¡¯ Li Yiming seized the opportunity. He grabbed the hilt of his sword with both of his hands and lifted it high in the air, forcing Bing Shuai to do the same.


    As the whistling of Fang Shui¡¯er arrow became louder, Li Yiming prepared to deliver a fatal blow the moment Bing Shuai would need to block the iing shaft.


    However, as the sound of the arrow piercing through flesh reached his ears, Li Yiming looked down in bafflement at the arrowtip which emerged from his own chest.


    ¡¯Fang Shui¡¯er...¡¯ Li Yiming turned back to stare at Fang Shui¡¯er in incredulity.


    Being the target of Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s arrow was thest of his expectations. Having ced so much trust in her, Li Yiming synchronized his attack to the best of his abilities and even sacrificed his own defense to create an opportunity for her tond her attack.


    "Don¡¯t look at me like that. I told you that I was a friend of the captain." Fang Shui¡¯er said coldly.

 Volume 6 Chapter 32

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The arrow interrupted Li Yiming¡¯s attack and Bing Shuai quickly jumped on the asion to deliver a devastating blow to Li Yiming¡¯s chest, sending him flying back.


    The impact of Bing Shuai¡¯s attack was powerful enough to freeze the entire segment of the beach behind him solid. Before Li Yiming could fall to the ground, Bing Shuai caught up to him and snatched his neck.


    "Tell me... How did you recover after I destroyed your veinst time?" Bing Shuai asked.


    Li Yiming struggled fruitlessly as blood filled his eyes. He was on the verge of losing consciousness.


    "I told you that I wanted to make an ice sculpture out of you." Bing Shuai was savoring his revenge. Ice entered Li Yiming¡¯s body, causing his face to be white as a sheet of paper, and frost to permeate his skin and numb his muscles.


    "A sage? You¡¯re a sage?" Bing Shuai looked with fear in his eyes. His decision to take precautionary measures and attack Li Yiming by surprise turned out to be a wise one Bing a sage that early was synonymous to having endless potential. Moreover, it meant that Li Yiming was an incredibly valuable subject for his experiments.


    Bai Ze roared in anger as she freed herself from the entanglement of Yu Runkai and flew straight toward Bing Shuai.


    "Aren¡¯t you a loyal one!" Bing Shuai lowered his hand.


    A giant iceberg fell from the sky and crushed Bai Ze. Although she made every effort to free herself, she was far too young to possess the strength to rival Bing Shuai¡¯s attack.


    "You surprise me. Every time I meet you, you give me a reason to let you live." Bing Shuai turned his attention back to Li Yiming.


    "Unfortunately, you¡¯ll wish that you were dead..." Bing Shuai¡¯s palm turned blue once again as he controlled his energy and applied it on Li Yiming¡¯s four limbs, making sure to avoid his vitals.


    Fang Shui¡¯er frowned as she looked away, feeling uneasy at the sight of Bing Shuai¡¯s torturing Li Yiming.


    Yu Runkai continued tough cruelly as he walked toward Bai Ze.


    "Stop it. I¡¯ll let you get away with a quick death..." A voice suddenly came from behind.


    "Oh?" Bing Shuai turned around and smiled. The Mr. Kong look-alike, who had remained silent until now decided, had finally decided to speak up.


    "You could have decided to kill him anywhere else... but here... I cannot allow that... " The man dressed in a tuxedo said as he slowly paced toward Bing Shuai.


    "Ridiculous." Bing Shuai looked at the man coldly and sent an ice shard in his direction.


    "Mr. Kong" let out a sigh and continued walking,pletely unfazed by the attack.


    Bing Shuai¡¯s attack went through "Mr. Kong" as if he were thin air.


    ¡¯As I thought...¡¯ Bing Shuai smiled coldly and was suddenly interested by what the man had to offer. He had guessed correctly that the look-alike was a mere shadow who could do no harm.


    "All I¡¯ve ever wanted was to stay here and live a happy life, but it appears that it was never meant to be..." The man ignored Bing Shuaipletely and stopped right in front of Li Yiming. He put his hand on thetter¡¯s shoulder.


    "What are you trying to do?" Bing Shuai frowned and pulled Li Yiming¡¯s body away.


    The Mr. Kong look-alike vanished like a ghost as Li Yiming¡¯s body moved away from him.


    "I¡¯ve told you that you could have died a quick death, but you wouldn¡¯t listen." Li Yiming suddenly opened his eyes.


    His eyes stared right into Bing Shuai¡¯s, with a tinge of golden glow deep within his irises. Bing Shuai was instantly instilled with fear, recalling the same eyes back in Hangzhou, before Li Yiming made him suffer a defeat he was not going to forget anytime soon.


    Bing Shuai shuddered at the bloodthirstiness he discovered in Li Yiming¡¯s eyes and struck his chest out of panic ¡ª he could no longer afford to keep Li Yiming alive.


    Li Yiming smiled back at Bing Shuai and continued to stare straight into his eyes.


    Bing Shuai tunneled all of his energy toward Li Yiming¡¯s body, instantly encasing thetter¡¯s body in a solid chunk of ice. He then released his grip.


    The attack itself was strong enough to gravely injure a sage, but this time, Bing Shuai had his doubts. He looked at the block of ice on the ground with wariness, feeling Li Yiming¡¯s aura growing stronger by the second.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    As fissures appeared in the block of ice, Bing Shuai quickly moved to create a barrier around it. Yu Runkai had shifted his attention from Bai Ze and looked at Li Yiming with a severe countenance, while Fang Shui¡¯er drew her bow back in anticipation.


    Paff!


    The block of ice suddenly disintegrated into a huge puff of vapor.


    Yu Runkai emitted a roar and charged at the silhouette within the fog.


    Li Yiming parried Yu Runkai¡¯s attack effortlessly and struck back at Yu Runkai¡¯s stomach. Yu Runkai had his body nearly split into two, exploding into a cloud of emerald flesh and dying on the spot.


    As the water vapors gradually dispersed, Li Yiming emerged from the smoke. He looked the same as ever, only his hair had turned from white to a dark purple color.


    "Even after all these years... I still can¡¯t throw a good punch..." Li Yiming¡¯s lips curled as he looked at his own fist, unsatisfied with the blow he had just delivered.


    "You... Who are you?" Bing Shuai could feel nothing but trepidation as he asked. Li Yiming killed Yu Runkai at a speed that not even he himself could achieve.


    "Oh? Not running away? How wise of you. I¡¯ll reward you for knowing your own limits. Tell me, should I break your left hand, or crush your right leg first?" Li Yiming closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The metal orb floating right besides him slowly morphed into a long staff.


    "You..." Bing Shuai¡¯s morale was shattered after witnessing the dragon motifs and the runic glyphs on the staff, and he instantly shot himself away from the scene like a cannonball.


    "My staff... Ah... This feeling never changes..." Li Yiming stared at his weapon, entranced by its feeling andpletely ignoring Bing Shuai.


    "Why aren¡¯t you leaving?" Li Yiming looked at Fang Shui¡¯er, who remained immobile.


    "To what avail?" Fang Shui¡¯er smiled and removed her armor.


    "Interesting." Li Yiming shook his head and looked in the direction Bing Shuai escaped.


    "A shame. If I had more time I¡¯d be able to enjoy myself some more..." Li Yiming suddenly disappeared.


    Bing Shuai continued flying away at full speed, knowing that if it was truly Mr. Kong, he would have not a sliver of a chance against him. He recalled saying that he would end his own life if he was forced to fight Mr. Kong. However, even that was a luxury he could not afford as this body was his only clone left.


    Bing Shuai continued to escape on the sea, hoping that he would not be chased down by Li Yiming. He now deeply regretting showing up in this domain to dispose of Li Yiming.


    "You are a courageous one. It has been a long time since I¡¯ve met someone who dared try to run away from me." Li Yiming¡¯s voice was heard as his body gradually condensed in front of Bing Shuai.


    Bing Shuai stopped right in his tracks, looking at the man standing in front of him in horror.


    "Have you decided yet? I don¡¯t have much time." Li Yiming put his staff back on his shoulder and looked at Bing Shuai impatiently.


    Bing Shuai extended both of his arms. Nine pirs of water emerged from the ocean, transforming into colossal ice snakes,shing out at Li Yiming. Bing Shuai had no choice but to fight for his life.


    "Oh, a trick? How amusing." Li Yimingughed and directed his staff at Bing Shuai.


    "If you aren¡¯t willing to choose, then don¡¯t hate me for breaking my promise!" Li Yiming swung his staff at the ice snakes.


    Crack!


    One ice snake shattered as Li Yiming smashed its head. He thrust his staff into the mouth of the second one, piercing through its body.


    "How boring." Li Yiming looked at the ice fragments in disdain and turned his attention toward Bing Shuai.


    "Let¡¯s start with your hand..." Li Yiming slipped through the remaining ice snakes and suddenly appeared in front of Bing Shuai.


    Bing Shuai roared in anger as his arms became instantly covered by a thickyer of ice. He crossed his arms and to block Li Yiming¡¯s staff.


    Crack!


    Both of Bing Shuai¡¯s frozen arms were instantly split from the rest of his body.


    Another sweep of the staff at Bing Shuai¡¯s legs, and he fell from the sky in an explosion of blood.


    "Noooo!" Bing Shuai shrieked in agony, before getting his body drilled by the staff from below.


    "Kids sure have a lot of tricks up their sleeves nowadays..." Li Yiming smiled at the corpse which hung from his staff. With a quick shove, he threw the body into the air, and his metal staff suddenly blew up in size.


    "I¡¯ll turn you to dust..." The giant staff smashed down at Bing Shuai¡¯s corpse,pletely disintegrating it and dragging it all the way down to the bottom of the ocean. The intensity of the impact was enough to split the water into two such that the ocean floor became visible.


    "Noooo!" A second shriek, even more desperate than the first one, was heard. A shadow which hid at the bottom of the ocean was obliterated by Li Yiming¡¯s strike.


    * * *


    "What?" In the capital, a young girl with pale eyes jumped up in terror, looking toward the east.


    "Uncle Bing¡¯s life karma... It¡¯s gone! Who is it!?"


    The young girl clenched her teeth and a silver rune appeared on her forehead. A secondter, she spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. ¡¯I can¡¯t see... How is that possible?¡¯

 Volume 6 Chapter 33

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Fang Shui¡¯er picked up Shao Xiao andid down right next to Chen Quan. Her nce went from their two unconscious bodies to the tsunami generated by Li Yiming¡¯s blow.


    ¡¯Li Yiming...¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s disy of friendship was genuine on the Pandaria, and she would have given up avenging her sister if Bing Shuai had not found her. She had not anticipated that even with the help of a sage, her endeavor would utterly fail.


    "What should I do with you?" A voice that let through some frustration was heard.


    ¡¯It¡¯s over? Already?¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er turned around, finding Li Yiming sitting on top of his giant staff, ying around with his own long hair.


    "Whatever you wish." Li Yiming¡¯s quick return made the results of the battle clear. She would be lucky to get away with a quick death. If it really were Li Yiming she was facing, she could see hope in convincing him to spare her life, but she knew from the eyes of the person standing in front of her that this was not the case.


    "Well, that¡¯s a hard one..." Li Yiming continued ying with his hair. "People who betray me are truly despicable... So death will be your punishment."


    "As you desire." Fang Shui¡¯er shrugged her shoulders. The only constion she could have was that it would at least be an honor to perish struck down by the legendary staff.


    "But I don¡¯t kill women..." Li Yiming became pensive.


    "What do you want me to do?" Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s heart raced, knowing that she might have a chance at life.


    "Do you know how to cut hair? It¡¯s strange to have such long hair." Li Yimingnded and sat down on the ground. His staff had shifted into a pair of delicate-looking scissors and flew into Fang Shui¡¯er hand.


    "I¡¯ll do my best..." Fang Shui¡¯er did not know what Li Yiming was up to, but holding the pair of scissors that was once the renowned staff made her hands tremble, and she almost even threw them away.


    As Li Yiming¡¯s hair fell, one thread after another, Li Yiming yed around the bits and pieces of it and then raised his left hand.


    "Sign this..." Li Yiming said.


    "This..." Fang Shui¡¯er examined the piece of paper ¡ª it was a contract for selling her soul.


    "What about Li Yiming?" Fang Shui¡¯er hesitated.


    "I¡¯m just borrowing his body."


    "Who am I signing this with? You or him?"


    "It doesn¡¯t matter..." Li Yiming said as his hair fell piece by piece.


    * * *


    In the otherwise rowdy small restaurant at the edge of the vige, a dead silence reigned. Yu Yiyuan pushed open the wooden door slowly and picked up a piece of steamed cake from the front counter. He took a whiff before finally taking a bite.


    "Not bad..." Yu Yiyuanmented as he looked at the corpses around the table.


    "Careless, aren¡¯t you? This mushroom is poisonous, and you¡¯re making soup out of it?" Yu Yiyuan finished his cake and picked up a bottle of red wine. After one sweep of the finger, the neck of the bottle was cut into two.


    "This isn¡¯t even good.." Yun Yiyuan drank arge mouthful and frowned. He put down the wine bottle and exited the room.


    "One day left, I guess they¡¯re getting impatient. Have they decided who it¡¯s going to be? Oh well, one more day of fun." Yu Yiyuan looked at the row of luxurious cars outside of the restaurant, which stood out particrly in andscape of misery and poverty. He chose a car to his liking, found the key from a long key chain he had, and left the quiet countryside within a few minutes.


    * * *


    Qing Qiaoqiao looked at her sister with a serious countenance. "That¡¯s impossible, how could there be a mission like that?" She could not believe what she had just heard.


    "This is a punishment domain," her sister answered.


    "So who killed all the people from before?"


    "Yun Yiyuan, and hemitted clever murders too. He¡¯s taken care to make every single kill look like an idental death so he can¡¯t be directly responsible."


    "What about those headless corpses, are those idents too?" Qiaoqiao asked.


    "Sai Gao¡¯s responsible for those. He¡¯s a camouger, which means that he¡¯s bound by a different set of rules. I don¡¯t really know why he¡¯s here."


    "Is there really no other way?" Qing Qiaoqiao found it hard to ept the truth.


    Qing Linglong shook her head.


    "And you¡¯re telling me that everyone knows?" Qing Qiaoqiao said.


    "Everyone except Liu Meng..."


    "I need to tell her then." Qing Qiaoqiao instantly picked up her transmitter, but her sister stopped her before she could talk.


    "We need to make a choice." Qing Linglong said with difficulty.


    "So you¡¯re choosing... her?" Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s could notprehend her sister¡¯s decision.


    Qing Linglong shook her head again.


    "Why aren¡¯t you telling her then?"


    "Because we can¡¯t make the choice by ourselves. So it¡¯s only fair that..."


    "Fair? She doesn¡¯t even know what¡¯s happening!" Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s voice jumped up.


    "It¡¯s her responsibility to if she¡¯s to be a guardian..."


    "You¡¯re betraying her..." Qing Qiaoqiao said with bitterness.


    "Betrayal? So tell me, what should we do? Who would you pick? Yourself? Me? Eyesses? Big Beard?" Qing Linglong finally lost her calm and shouted with a hoarse voice.


    "Don¡¯t even think about asking for help from Stargaze and Li Huaibei. They won¡¯t be able to save us, but they can at least guarantee their own survival. Unlike them, we don¡¯t have that luxury. If we fail the mission, then everyone will die. So tell me, who are you going to choose? Or would you rather all of us die happily together?"


    Qing Qiaoqiao had no answer. This was the impossible dilemma Heaven¡¯s Laws had given them. Not only would they be forced to take the lives of innocent people, something they were so reluctant to do in Tianshan, but they would also need to betray one of their own.


    * * *


    Big Beard picked up his duffle bag and emptied the cash piles it contained on the bed. He left the room he had reserved in an irritated mood, despite having just engaged himself in a moment of satisfying his every need.


    "Eyesses, we need to talk..." Big Beard stopped walking and finally picked up his transmitter by the time he reached the staircase.


    "I¡¯m downstairs." A weary voice answered him.


    "Coming." Big Beard pushed the elevator button.


    After renting out a room for another hefty sum, Big Beard and Eyesses sat down on opposite ends of the table.


    "We¡¯re men. We need to take responsibility in difficult situations." Big Beard said.


    "My thoughts exactly," Eyesses said.


    "Li Yiming¡¯s not here, so I¡¯m the captain," Big Beard said.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter in times like this." Eyesses¡¯ eyebrows raised slightly.


    "Li Yiming saved my life." Big Beard said with conviction.


    "He also saved mine." Eyesses replied.


    "I¡¯ve been a captain for more than ten years. I know how valuable you are to the team. You have to stay."


    "No one in our team is receable, you¡¯re not going to convince me with that argument."


    "My friends are all dead, I¡¯m alone now..." Big Beard said despondently.


    "I¡¯m not dead yet." Eyesses looked at Big Beard with anger in his eyes.


    "That¡¯s not what I meant." Big Beard realized his misuse of words.


    "Just because you said that..." Eyesses got up from his seat and brandished a small remote controller.


    "You...!" Big Beard stared in disbelief. He rushed forward, but Eyesses retreated swiftly.


    "I won¡¯tst long if I fight you, but you won¡¯t be able to stop me from pressing a button. Not at this moment..." Eyesses said.


    "Eyesses..." Water filled up Big Beard¡¯s eyes.


    "I¡¯ve set up everything already. It¡¯ll only take thirty-one minutes for this to spread to the entire city. The only reason I told you is because I didn¡¯t want both of us to go out this way. Tell Li Yiming that I¡¯ve made my choice because I¡¯ve wanted it, and not because I owe him anything. He can be awfully emotional at times." Eyesses smiled.


    "Yeah, sure..." Big Beard forced a smile.


    "Thanks, I¡¯ll be leaving now." Eyesses turned and walked toward the exit.


    "Farewell..." Big Beard clenched his fists. His voice was choked up by a sob.

 Volume 6 Chapter 34

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Big Beard¡¯s countenance suddenly changed as Eyesses went past the door. With a simple gesture from his left hand, the watch Eyesses wore sted off in his direction, cutting Eyesses¡¯ arm along with it.


    "Big Beard?" Eyesses looked back in shock. The blood that gushed out from his wrist coagted in an instant.


    "You shouldn¡¯t have brought a watch like that. Have you forgotten my ability?" Big Beard said with a sorrowful voice.


    "Big Beard..." Eyesses uttered.


    "I¡¯m aware of the regenerative ability of vampires. I¡¯ve just called for ten girls. Make good use of them."


    "You don¡¯t need to do something like this..."


    "I have my reasons, just like you have yours. So let¡¯s stop crying. It¡¯s embarrassing for two grown men to be crying like this." Big Beard joked and wiped away his tears.


    "Listen to me..."


    Bang! Bang!


    Eyesses¡¯ plea was interrupted by two gunshots. Eyesses looked at the two gaping hole on his knees and stared back at Big Beard.


    "Sorry. I need to make sure that you stay here until I leave. I¡¯ve always wanted to tell you how happy I am to be friends with you and the others. Please don¡¯t make me shoot you again." Big Beard picked up Eyesses¡¯ severed arm and walked to the door while keeping his weapon pointed at his friend.


    The door closed with a loud crack, and tears started rolling down Eyesses¡¯ cheeks.


    * * *


    Liu Meng looked at the safe in front of her. It was an ordinary storage safe in a supermarket. She reached out for the lock, and after a sh of red light at her fingertips, it melted into a puddle of liquid metal. Liu Meng pulled the door open and found a small metallic box inside. She picked the item up and started to wander the streets aimlessly.


    As she continued walking forward, her desire to see Li Yiming grew stronger than ever. ¡¯Where are you... I miss you...¡¯


    * * *


    When Li Yiming opened his eyes, he found himself in a sea of nothingness.


    "It¡¯s time we have a talk..." He heard a voice. It was the voice of "Mr. Kong".


    "What happened?" Li Yiming asked.


    "I¡¯ve taken care of everything." The man looked back at Li Yiming.


    "Thanks." Li Yiming fully trusted the words of the man.


    "No need to thank me. I couldn¡¯t bear watching you die. There goes my life of peace and quiet..." The man looked back at Li Yiming andughed.


    "So, how did you find me?" The man asked.


    "I saw the golden wok cap."


    "Oh? So you know then?" The man did not expect Li Yiming to know about the cap¡¯s secrets.


    "Know what?" Li Yiming frowned.


    "So you don¡¯t know?" The man was as confused as ever. "But you¡¯ve been to Tianshan already, you..." The man¡¯s countenance suddenly turned severe.


    Li Yiming waited for an exnation patiently. He had far too many questions, not knowing where to start.


    "To exchange your body for a fresh start, and to split your soul from it... You¡¯ve been more decisive than us..." The man said after a long stare at Li Yiming.


    Those words ticked off Li Yiming, who remembered hearing the same sentence back in Tianshan, when he entered that strange space within the golden wok.


    "He left us after giving up all hope... ¡¯Why continue fighting when he gave up?¡¯ I thought, so I built this ind to enjoy the rest of my life." The man gradually settled down.


    "Who is he?" Li Yiming asked. He heard the same ¡¯he¡¯ when he met the Mr. Kong from inside of the golden wok. The amount of respect given to this person by the two Mr. Kongs was enough for Li Yiming to understand how important the person had to be.


    "A few yearsago hecame to me. He brought the wok with him, and asked me to help him. What a joke, I don¡¯t know how he got his hands on the wok, but who does he think he is, to try to achieve something even he was not able to do?" The Mr. Kong look-alike continued his rambling monologue.


    ¡¯Another "he"? That¡¯s just like what Mr. Kong said back in Tianshan!¡¯ Li Yiming remembered.


    "As soon as you set foot on the ind, I recognized you. Unlike you, I remember everything." The man suddenly smiled.


    ¡¯Me? What do I have to do with all of this?¡¯ Li Yiming frowned.


    "I was beyond shocked when I recognized you. I thought you were simply having fun in your life... But you actually did it... You had the guts to... Then I got scared." The man sighed. "Sometimes, I¡¯m having difficulty remembering all those years we¡¯ve spent fighting together... Maybe I just don¡¯t want to remember, what am I without him?"


    "Tell me, what are we without him? What¡¯s the point of it all?" The man suddenly lost control of his temper and waved his arms frantically.


    "You..." Li Yiming wanted to say something to appease him, as he found the man¡¯s distress strangely contagious.


    "You¡¯re still waiting for him..." The man stared right into Li Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    "Can you please tell me who that is?" Li Yiming said with determination.


    "I can¡¯t. It would make all of your efforts pointless." The man shook his head.


    "I didn¡¯t understand it when I saw you. I didn¡¯t understand why you kept clinging to hope, but then I realized that he never let us down, and he would be sad if he saw me in such a state."


    "What a joke... And I was scared when I recognized you. What¡¯s the point of living a fun life if I¡¯m no longer myself?"


    "Tell him that I¡¯m still who I was. I can fight the heavens and go down to hell with him. Tell him I¡¯ll y gods and demons... Tell him... that I was wrong." The man extended his hand in the direction of Li Yiming¡¯s chest.


    "Wait, WAIT! Tell me, who is HE?" Li Yiming yelled out before the man could reach his chest.


    "He?" The man suddenly paused right as his hand reached Li Yiming¡¯s chest.


    "He..." The man began before his bodypletely disintegrated.


    A scene suddenly shed in Li Yiming¡¯s mind. He saw someone fighting against demons and gods with his golden staff, breaking his enemies¡¯ weapons everywhere he went and defeating every single foe with a single blow.


    Then the shback suddenly stopped. Li Yiming sat back up from the beach and looked at the ocean ahead.


    "Wukong..."


    * * *


    The moment Stargaze walked into the bar, she caused a stir. It was not due to her beauty nor her elegant air, but due to the ce where she chose to sit down.


    She sat down right next to a drunkard who had been sipping bad quality alcohol for thest two days. Somehow the man was immune to the alcohol¡¯s effects and continued drinking nonstop. The way he paid for his drinks also raised quite a few eyebrows, as he would throw a huge pile of cash every time the shop closed so that the owner would be willing to stay the night with him.


    "They¡¯ve decided..." As Stargaze sat down, she picked up the ss cup and frowned as she whiffed the poorly made wine.


    "Who is it?" Li Huaibei filled up his cup again.


    "Liu Meng..."


    Li Huaibei suddenly paused his drinking and nced at Stargaze. "Did you tell her?"


    "She guessed it herself. I only confirmed her doubts." Stargaze picked up the bottle and drank a mouthful.


    "She¡¯s the most suited for it, actually. Otherwise, the team is going to break apart." Stargaze turned her attention toward the empty stage.


    "Liu Meng already used her reincarnation..." Li Huaibei gazed at Stargaze for a while and then emptied his cup.


    "What?" Stargaze did not expect the revtion.


    Li Huaibei stayed silent and continued to drink. Stargaze, who was still bewildered, did not notice the piece of cloth that Li Huaibei held ¡ª it was what remained of a yellow scarf.

 Volume 6 Chapter 35

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Big Beard checked the time ¡ª it was eleven twenty-seven AM. Everything would be over before noon if he were activate Eyesses¡¯ set-up. ¡¯A shame, they were good teammates...¡¯


    Big Beard sighed and pushed down the button on the remote controller.


    A momentter, the whistling of wind was heard as a man with bloodstained clothes appeared.


    "You¡¯rete. But I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. Shame that you¡¯re the only one though..." Big Beard joked and raised the controller to show that he had already sealed the deal.


    "I shouldn¡¯t have gone to find you..." Eyesses struggled to remain on his feet as blood gushed down his legs.


    "Do you have wine? Half an hour is more than enough for us to enjoy a drink." Big Beard asked in an apologetic voice.


    "I¡¯ll go get some..." Eyesses vanished in a sh, leaving behind a small puddle of blood.


    "Right, I forgot that you can¡¯t drink..." Big Beard muttered as he stared in the direction Eyesses left.


    * * *


    Liu Meng stood in the middle of an empty football stadium, looking at the fluffy clouds floating peacefully above her while she reveled in the sun¡¯s warmth.


    Crack!


    The small metallic box Liu Meng held was suddenly punctured. A golden liquid slowly seeped out of the fissures.


    ¡¯Looks like it¡¯s started.¡¯ Liu Meng stared at the substance flowing out nkly.


    Right after the golden liquid, a cloud of thick blue smoke burst out of the metallic container.


    ¡¯Ouch...¡¯ Pain was the first thing Liu Meng felt. As soon as the smoke came into contact with her, she felt as if her flesh was being eaten away by thousands of bugs. Following the pain, her eyes soon became numb from being burned by the toxic gas.


    Boom!


    Rays of red light burst from Liu Meng¡¯s body before setting her aze and engulfing her entirely. Protected by her barrier, Liu Meng held onto the metallic box and looked at the blue smoke as it spread into the air.


    ¡¯I wonder who is it...¡¯ Liu Meng spent her some time admiring the sky¡¯s beauty, fully aware that it was going to be herst time.


    ¡¯I¡¯m sorry, Yiming.¡¯ Liu Meng had thought that she was ready to sacrifice anything in the world just to be with Li Yiming, but when push came to shove, she found herself unable to do so. The scenes of her teammates risking their lives to protect her shes through her mind. Just like back in Tianshan, someone in her team had chosen to give up their life so that she could live. She finally understood that friendship, like love, was one of the most invaluable things she could ever have in life.


    ¡¯Yiming, I¡¯m so sorry... They risked their lives to protect usst time. Now it¡¯s time to return the favor...¡¯ The fire around Liu Meng contracted and then burst into a massive firestorm. The mes quickly caught up to the blue smoke in the sky and burned all of it away in an instant.


    "Ahhh!" A bird-like screech was heard from Liu Meng. A phoenix tattoo appeared at her torso and began pping its wings, moving around Liu Meng¡¯s skin as if it was alive. From closer, one would notice that its colorful feathers were decorated with sparse blue specks, and that the bird had only one leg.


    * * *


    "You can still stop her if you wanted to..." Stargaze was observing the scene from the rooftop of a building in the distance.


    "Let it burn. The fire of the phoenix will cleanse away all sins in this world..." Li Huaibei said as he took out a worn-out gourd and drank arge mouthful of wine.


    "Burn? And then what? You¡¯ll watch all of them die? She doesn¡¯t see where this will end, but you surely do." Stargaze was surprised at seeing Li Huaibei genuinely bing drunk. After all, it was hard to find any kind of wine that had such potency.


    "She knows..." Li Huaibei slid his hand across his gourd. He sat there for two whole days and pondered, yet could note up with an answer.


    "Are you just going to let her die?" Stargaze was confused.


    "No. She can¡¯t die..."


    "So..."


    Li Huaibei picked up his gourd with his left hand and extended his right one. A small sword appeared from his right palm and a secondter, the sword dropped out of Li Huaibei¡¯s hand, growing in size as it fell from the rooftop until it became a gigantic shadow that sliced a skyscraper into two halves cleanly.


    "Are you crazy?" Stargaze could no longer remain calm.


    "I know that I can¡¯t die right now. I have to wait until that dayes..."


    "So why?"


    "But there are some things I can¡¯t afford to lose. Otherwise, what¡¯s the point of it all?" Li Huaibei smiled as he caressed his gourd.


    * * *


    "Fire?" Qing Linglong looked at the ze which had tainted half of the sky into a bloody red.


    "It¡¯s Liu Meng!" Qing Qiaoqiao jumped onto the roof of the car.


    "She knows..." Qing Linglong knew that Liu Meng would not have unleashed such a fire to kill just one person. ¡¯So she¡¯s made her choice.¡¯


    "Liu Meng..." Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s face went pale. She finally understood why she had lost to Liu Meng, and why Liu Meng was the only one whom Li Yiming would devote his love for the rest of his life.


    * * *


    "Wait. This isn¡¯t normal. The virus couldn¡¯t have possibly made that big of an explosion!" Big Beard looked at the crimson clouds in the distance.


    "It¡¯s Liu Meng!" Eyesses suddenly eximed and rushed in the direction of the fire.


    "Shit!" Big Beard cursed and a jetpack appeared on his shoulders. He flew toward the direction where the redness shone brightest.


    * * *


    As the mes reached the clouds, yet another unexpected guest arrived in the gymnasium. It was a man who possessed a well-sculpted body, tanned skin, and every other charm of masculinity but had delicate facial features that even the most attractive women could only dream of.


    "Sai Gao?" Li Huaibei readied himself for a fight as he prepared his sword and put away his gourd.


    Sai Gao walked slowly toward Liu Meng. He even had the time to light up a very long and thin cigarette. After a long whiff, he looked at Liu Meng, who stood in the center of the ze.


    "Freeze." Sai Gao said a single word, and something flew out of his eyes and was shot into Liu Meng¡¯s forehead.


    "Wait! He¡¯s not trying to harm her." Stargaze stopped Li Huaibei, who was about to rush to Liu Meng¡¯s rescue.


    Liu Meng fell unconscious, which in turn quickly caused the mes to dissipate.


    "What is he trying to do?" Li Huaibei closed his fist slowly,manding his sword toe back to him.


    Sai Gao looked up at the blue smoke in the air and opened his mouth. Gusts of wind gradually concentrated in an area above his mouth, generating a tornado which inhaled all of the toxic gas into his body.


    Sai Gao burped after swallowing thest bit of smoke from the fire and even made a yful grimace. "I forgot I can¡¯t handle spicy."


    "Liu Meng!" Eyesses suddenly appeared between Sai Gao and Liu Meng. He rushed to Liu Meng¡¯s help despite his still-bleeding wrist.


    "Do you have water?" Sai Gao asked Eyesses as if they were old pals.


    Big Beardnded right after Eyesses had arrived. He pointed the two arms of his mecha toward Sai Gao, each one of which transformed into a giant hollow cannon tube.


    "Can you spray water out of those?" Sai Gao repeated again.


    With a loud boom, a white car broke through the fences around the stadium and stopped after drifting on the grass. Two people jumped down before the car had even haltedpletely and ran toward Liu Meng.


    "Do you have water in your car? It¡¯s so spicy..." Sao Gao asked once again, this time to the Qing sisters.

 Volume 6 Chapter 36

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Right as Li Yiming uttered the name of the person he saw fighting every possible imaginable foe, the world around him darkened. As he woke up once more, he found himself on the deck of arge cruise ship in his swimwear. Fang Shui¡¯er was on her knees in front of him, giving him a thigh massage while Bai Ze ate a giant ice cream cone right next to him. The sudden change of scenery only brought surprise and confusion to Li Yiming as he exchanged looks with the people around him.


    ¡¯It¡¯s over...¡¯ This was Li Yiming¡¯s first thought.


    ¡¯What did I just miss?¡¯ Such was Li Yiming¡¯s second thought.


    Fang Shui¡¯er stopped her massage as Li Yiming sat up. She looked at Bai Ze hesitantly but stayed quiet. Li Yiming¡¯s eyes went from Bai Ze to Fang Shui¡¯er, and then to the crowd around them.


    Li Yiming let out a cough to hide his embarrassment and stood up. After onest nce at Fang Shui¡¯er, who stayed on her knees, he picked up Bai Ze from her chair and walked to a cabin nearby.


    "What happened after I fainted?" Li Yiming asked.


    "That Mr. Kong on the ind was the real deal. He borrowed your body and finished everything with one swing of his staff. Then he made that woman sign a soul-binding contract..." Bai Ze said as she took arge bite.


    "Soul-binding contract?"


    "She gave you her soul. She¡¯s your ve now. She needs to obey your everymand."


    "So that¡¯s why..."


    "I made her do it. I was angry that she chose to betray you after you gave her your trust."


    Li Yiming sighed and threw his hair to the side out of habit, only to realize that his hair had been cut short.


    "She cut your hair for you. She¡¯s pretty good. At least you won¡¯t have to go to the salon." Bai Ze joked, obviously in a good mood after she witnessed the obvious connection between Li Yiming and Mr. Kong.


    "Anyway, did you see something after you fainted? I can¡¯t believe that was really Mr. Kong." Bai Ze¡¯s voice was full of curiosity and excitement.


    "Maybe we¡¯ve been wrong all along..." Li Yiming broached the subject.


    "What?" Bai Ze did not understand what Li Yiming meant.


    "I don¡¯t think that he was the real Wukong..." Li Yiming frowned as he remembered the conversation he had with the two different "Mr. Kongs."


    "That¡¯s impossible! You should have seen that staff... It¡¯s obvious... Who else could it have been?" Bai Ze waved her arms, and more than half of her ice cream fell from her cone.


    "I¡¯m just saying that maybe I am..." Li Yiming scratched his head.


    "No way!" The rest of Bai Ze¡¯s ice cream fell to the ground as she could tell that Li Yiming was not joking.


    "I¡¯m not sure..." Li Yiming said with frustration.


    "That¡¯s not something you should joke about..." Bai Ze stared at Li Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    "¡¯To exchange your body for a fresh start, and to split your soul from it...¡¯, how would you interpret that?"


    "That sounds like the body being split into several parts to hide from Heaven¡¯s Laws while the soul reincarnated to unbound itself from the rules..." Bai Ze said.


    "One part went to Eden and then to Tianshan, and then another to the Ind of Eternity..." The small orb of metal appeared on Li Yiming¡¯s palm.


    "You¡¯re saying you¡¯re thest part of the body?" Bai Ze asked.


    "No, I think that I¡¯m the soul..." The metal orb in Li Yiming¡¯s palm turned into a very small replica of Wukong¡¯s golden staff.


    "Then thatst part..." Bai Ze took a step back; even the sight of a replica was enough to intimidate her.


    "Mr. Kong..."


    * * *


    "The Ind of Eternity is gone... Who are you?" Mr. Kong clenched onto his bag tightly. For the first time, he seemed confused.


    "Could you really be him?"


    "No way, I saw it with my very eyes..."


    "Golden Wok... Ind of Eternity... Li Yiming..." The man continued muttering, leaving behind him one foot mark after another, until the trail was suddenly broken.


    * * *


    "Water please..." After checking on Liu Meng quickly, Eyesses threw a bottle of mineral water in Sai Gao¡¯s way and concentrated on mending his own wounds.


    Qing Linglong nced at Liu Meng and took out her weapons in case she needed to defend Liu Meng. After letting Liu Meng face the doom of the punishment domain alone, she was ridden with guilt, so thest thing she wanted was for something else to harm Liu Meng while thetter was unconscious.


    "What do you want?" Big Beard¡¯s voice came from the mecha¡¯s amplifier. He had an especially conflicting opinion of Sai Gao, since he had fought together with thetter in Tianshan, but his former team¡¯s demise could be attributed to Bai Xi as well as Sai Gao.


    "What is he up to?" Stargaze frowned at seeing Sai Gao¡¯s unexpected appearance.


    "I¡¯ll finish what you started." Sai Gao let out a sigh of contentment as he licked away the water on his lips and suddenly mmed the ground.


    "Careful!" Qing Linglong brandished her dual des and created a wall of des in front of her.


    Eyesses vanished and reappeared behind Sai Gao, ready to fire with his sniper rifle while Qing Qiaoqiao picked up Liu Meng and jumped onto the shoulder of Big Beard¡¯s mecha, which soon sted off into the sky.


    "What is he trying to do?" Stargaze closed her eyes for a moment and turned to look at Li Huaibei.


    "I owe you a favor for Tianshan. Now we¡¯re even." Sai Gao exined.


    The ground started to tremble violently. Fissures appeared on the ground and continued to grow in size.


    "It¡¯s an earthquake! Come up!" Big Beard looked at the signal which came from his mecha and shouted. Eyesses and Qing Linglong wasted no time and hopped onto his mecha.


    The earthquake¡¯s magnitude grew stronger by the second. It was not long before the small city in the distance became a barely recognizable pile of ruins.


    "He..." Eyesses looked at town which had just been razed to the ground, and then at Sai Gao, who remained standing still.


    He¡¯s helping us..." Qing Linglong put away her des.


    "That just to pay back a favor?" Big Beard was impressed by Sai Gao¡¯s righteousness, but he still had a hard time believing that a camouger would be willing to help them.


    "Is he not bound by the rules?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked hesitantly.


    "It doesn¡¯t seem like he is..." Qing Linglong said.


    The earthquake died down as quickly as it began. However, within a few minutes, the small town which was famed for its wooden toys waspletely wiped off the map. Gone along with it were its two hundred thousand residents.


    "It¡¯s over?" Eyesses let out a sigh of relief.


    "There¡¯s not a single living soul left here..." Big Beard stared at one of the monitors inside the pilot cabin.


    "He helped us..." Qing Qiaoqiao nced at Liu Meng and suddenly felt like crying.


    "It¡¯s not over yet..." Li Huaibei and Stargaze threw a cold stare down at Sai Gao.


    "What now?" Stargaze closed her eyes once again.


    Sai Gao looked at the destion around him and hid away his dejection. He took out a small stereo, put it on the ground, and pushed on the y button. A mncholic piece of cello and harp began ying.


    "What is this?" Upon hearing the music y, Qing Qiaoqiao could no longer hold in her tears. She felt indirectly responsible for the destruction of an entire city.


    "Wait, something¡¯s wrong..." Big Beard suddenly said with a severe countenance.


    "The domain isn¡¯t over..." Qing Linglong looked at Sai Gao, who just took out a beach chair andid down on it.


    "He¡¯s not immune after all..." Eyesses said hesitantly.


    The domain was indeed not over. Thest person who deserved to die was in front of them ¡ª the monster who single-handedly butchered two hundred thousand lives.


    "Go. Those two will not fight me, and you cannot defeat me. I don¡¯t want to hurt you by ident..." Sai Gao closed his eyes and saidzily.


    "What is he trying to aplish?" Eyesses could not understand the meaning of Sai Gao¡¯s message.


    Big Beard looked at Stargaze and Li Huaibei, who stood in the distance. "Aside from them and us..."


    "There¡¯s only one more person left..." Qing Linglong¡¯s eyes widened.


    "He¡¯s going to fight Yun Yiyuan!"

 Volume 6 Chapter 37

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Any ideas on who Wukong might admire?" Li Yiming asked while rubbing his temples.


    "Nope. He seems like someone who has the world at his feet, just like in Journey to the West and Adventure to the East. I doubt he would ever feel admiration for anyone," Bai Ze said.


    "Well then, who exactly was it that...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the melted puddle of ice cream on the floor. He was so close yet so far away from the truth, leaving him clueless on where to investigate next.


    "How long has it been?" Li Yiming sighed and turned his attention toward the sea.


    "Worried about Liu Meng?"


    "How could I not be."


    "Do you have a way to get us out of here?" Bai Ze looked at the horizon.


    "Yeah." Li Yiming nodded. The miniature staff in his hand transformed into a te about the size of a manhole.


    "Go!" Bai Ze turned into a ray of white light and shot toward Li Yiming¡¯s chest.


    Li Yiming ran towards the external corridor, threw the disk as far as he could and jumped on top of it.


    Fang Shui¡¯er was still sitting by the swimming pool, not minding the asional strange look she would receive from a passerby. She then jumped up and rushed toward the upper deck, staring at the long trail of white smoke left in the distance. ¡¯Did somethinge up... or does he find it hard to talk to me right now?¡¯


    * * *


    "He¡¯s paying us back for Tianshan..." Qing Linglong said.


    Sai Gao continued to listen to his musiczily, and took out a cup of wine seemingly out of nowhere.


    "He wants to fight Yun Yiyuan? What is he thinking? We can¡¯t just leave him be..." Eyesses looked at Li Huaibei and Stargaze, who flew in the distance. ¡¯If these two could help us, we would have no problem taking out Yun Yiyuan... but... what can we do by ourselves?¡¯


    "He¡¯s a man of his word..." "Big Beard said with respect.


    "Who are you calling a man? I hate it when people say that!" Sai Gao suddenlyined. He stood up and looked at the distance, his expression gradually stiffening.


    "He¡¯sing..." Stargaze frowned.


    A sh of lightter, and Yun Yiyuannded on top of a giant boulder nearby. He looked at Sai Gao, and then at Li Yiming¡¯s friends with a confident smile.


    "What¡¯s the meaning of all of this?" Yun Yiyuan said as he removed his sunsses.


    "You came quickly enough. And I thought that you were going to bete." Sai Gao chuckled.


    "You were all waiting for me?"


    "To be correct, only I am waiting for you."


    "Did you do all of this?" Yun Yiyuan pointed at the ruins around him.


    "Yes. So you would show up."


    "Are you insane? Where do you get all this confidence from?" Yun Yiyuan frowned. He had guessed that the rest would not interfere with his battle against Sai Gao.


    "You¡¯ll never know if you don¡¯t try. I thought about a way to repay the favor for what you did to mest time. The best n I coulde up with was this."


    "Oh?" Yun Yiyuan nced at Big Beard¡¯s mecha, and then at Li Huaibei and Stargaze, and his smile died down.


    "I wasining about how everything was over so quickly, and here you are, having prepared a finale for me. Alright, let¡¯s settle this for the two-hundred thousand innocent souls thaty crushed beneath the rubbles." Yun Yiyuan smiled and his half-broken spear appeared in his hands.


    Yun Yiyuan¡¯s remark about the residents of Jing Prefecture seemed to have rattled Sai Gao, who dashed toward Yun Yiyuan like a cannonball. Scales grew from his waist and turned his legs into a massive tail, while his muscles grew in size and a pair of golden wings emerged from his back. His hands transformed into the paws of a tiger, and he held a giant tortoise shell as his weapon with his left hand.


    "Bai Xi, the Teng She, Ya Yu, Thunder Eagle, and ck Turtle... his power almost rivals that of a sage..." Stargaze observed.


    "Yun Yiyuan¡¯s spear..." Li Huaibei¡¯s attention was pulled by the crack on Yun Yiyuan¡¯s weapon.


    "That should be Li Yiming¡¯s work from back in Tianshan..." Stargazemented and nced at Li Huaibei. She wondered what his reaction would be to Li Yiming defeating a foe that even he could not ovee.


    "Sai Gao cannot win against him." Li Huaibei put his sword back down slowly.


    "Yes..." Stargaze sighed and redirected her attention toward the battlefield.


    Big Beard¡¯s mecha retreated swiftly, carrying Li Yiming¡¯s friends along with him.


    "We..." Qing Qiaoqiao said hesitantly, but then swallowed back down the rest of her words, knowing full well that it would not be of any use.


    Sai Gao made it seem like it was a simple case of him paying back his debt, but everyone knew that Sai Gao was choosing to die for them. Although there was tremendous guilt in watching Sai Gao doom himself for their sake, they all knew that at this point, the only possible way for them to survive was for Sai Gao to die.


    The fight started with a violent exchange of blows. Coming into this fight, Sai Gao already knew that he had no chance of winning. He had understood the real goal of the domain and made his choice.


    After considering the options he had for a long time, and thinking about Shangbei and Tianshan, he concluded that there would be very little gains in living. Instead, it would be much more beneficial to let the small group of guardians live to defy and fight against the Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    Sai Gao roared in agony as Yun Yiyuan¡¯s spear pierced through the ck scales on his tail. He tried to retaliate with a blow from his scythe-like wings. Yu Yiyuan smiled and pushed on his attack, pouring his energy into his spear until the moment Sai Gao¡¯s attack grazed him.


    "Scarlet Slice!" Yun Yiyuan released his spear and suddenly vanished.


    A deafening explosion was heard as a puff of red smoke appeared. Sai Gao fell down from the explosion with half of his tail missing.


    "Sai Gao!" Qing Qiaoqiao put her hands to her eyes, unable to watch the bloody scene.


    "You¡¯ll only make things moreplicated if you interfere..." Stargaze said coldly as she looked at Li Huaibei¡¯s shaking sword.


    "And here I thought you made some progress. Seems like all you¡¯ve done ising back with a turtle shell. Maybe if it was big enough for you to fit inside it would have been useful..." Yun Yiyuan¡¯s spear flew back into his open hand.


    "The fight has only begun..." Sai Gao pped his wings back toward Yun Yiyuan with blood still gushing out from his tail.


    "A shame that you have to die. Otherwise, I¡¯d consider making you my mount..." Yun Yiyuan sighed and brandished his spear once again.


    Sai Gao suddenly opened his eyes wide, staring at Yun Yiyuan. A golden shadow shot out of his forehead and traveled toward his foe at light speed. Yun Yiyuan raised his spear to block the attack, but it went through his weapon and entered his head. For a brief moment, Yun Yiyuan was paralyzed.


    Sai Gao raised his paw and struck at that exact moment.


    "It¡¯s over..." Stargaze closed her eyes.


    Yun Yiyuan¡¯s frozen expression suddenly turned into a scornful smile. He dodged Sai Gao¡¯s attack with ease with a swift movement to the left and dismembered Sai Gao¡¯s paw with his spear.


    Sai Gao once again let out a scream of pain.


    "Show weakness to let your enemy¡¯s guard down. I¡¯m also familiar with that trick." Yun Yiyuan appeared behind Sai Gao.


    "Now it¡¯s time to pay the price for challenging my will." Yun Yiyuan said coldly as a small tornado appeared at the tip of his spear. He thrust his weapon into Sai Gao¡¯s back, and a giant shadow appeared on his weapon. Just like back in Tianshan, Sai Gao fell from the sky and was nailed into the ground.


    "I¡¯m curious, how many beasts did you absorb to be such a Frankenstein? What would happen if I were to take them all away one by one?" Yun Yiyuan said with a cruel smile as he pulled out both of Sai Gao¡¯s golden wings, causing an expulsion of blood and gore.


    "No..." Qing Qiaoqiao gasped again and tears flowed out of her eyes while Qing Linglong looked away. Eyesses slid his hand across Big Beard¡¯s mecha, leaving behind visible marks. As for Big Beard, he sped both of his hands on his firing switch with his eyes reddened.


    "I know what you want to do. I¡¯d like to remind you that you¡¯ll lose more than you gain..." Stargaze put Li Huaibei¡¯s sword down for the third time.


    "How boring!" Yun Yiyuan grinned and recalled his spear once again.


    "It¡¯s almost time for supper. Time to finish this..." Yun Yiyuan looked at his watch and raised his spear high above Sai Gao¡¯s head.


    "Stop it!" A furious cry was heard. A red silhouette burst away from the mecha in an explosion of mes.


    "Liu Meng!" Eyesses reached out for her, but could not stop her in time.


    Liu Meng had finally woken up. She quickly realized what was happening after looking at her surroundings. She knew very well the reason behind the inaction of her friends, but she could not allow herself to do the same.


    "Oh? You¡¯re finally here? I was under the impression that you prefer staying as a spectator." Yun Yiyuan looked at Liu Meng with contempt.


    "He¡¯s dying for you after all. I suppose he¡¯ll die happy knowing that not all of you just stood back and watched."


    "Let, him, go." Liu Meng said angrily. She could not bear to see the state in which Sai Gao was in.


    Liu Meng continued to walk forward to her savior. Her mes turned from red to orange, and the shadow of a giant phoenix formed behind her, looking down at Yun Yiyuan.


    "Don¡¯t provoke me. I¡¯ll roast your little phoenix after I¡¯m done with this insect." Yun Yiyuan threw a menacing re at Liu Meng, irritated that she dared challenge his supremacy.


    "I¡¯d like to see you try!" An angry shout was heard as a golden sword descended from the sky. The weapon nted itself into the ground right in front of Yu Yiyuan as a warning.


    "Li Huaibei?" Yun Yiyuan¡¯s first reaction was to turn around, but he found Stargaze and Li Huaibei standing still in the distance.


    "It¡¯s not him?" Yun Yiyuan looked up. Someone had just fallen from the sky like a meteor.


    Boom!


    As the smoke from the impact dissipated, it revealed a young man, looking back at him with rage filling his eyes.


    "Li Yiming?" Yun Yiyuan¡¯s countenance darkened.

 Volume 6 Chapter 38

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Yiming..." Liu Meng¡¯s voice shook at the sight of her lover she had been waiting so long to see. Her fire instantly died out and the phoenix¡¯ silhouette dissipated along with it.


    "It¡¯s okay. You can leave the rest to me..." Li Yiming gave her a relieving look.


    "Leave the rest to you? Let¡¯s see if you can repeat your stroke of luck with Heaven¡¯s Punishment!" Yun Yiyuan¡¯s heart boiled with rage after being reminded of the humiliation he had suffered during their previous encounter.


    "You¡¯ll know soon enough..." Li Yiming raised his hand, calling back his golden sword. Armed with his newfound weapon, he was ready to unleash power and fury at any time.


    "He¡¯s level six, but this power..." Li Huaibei finally put his sword down for good and looked at Li Yiming full of anticipation.


    "How did he get in here..." Stargaze looked on with a severe countenance. Normally, it would not have been possible for Li Yiming, who had been in Donghai since the start of the domain, to enter at his own will at his point.


    The aura of power which emanated from Li Yiming also brought some sense back to Yun Yiyuan.


    "You seem to be eager to fight, but it¡¯s not quite the time for it..." Yun Yiyuan took a deep breath to calm himself and turned his attention back toward Sai Gao, who had shifted back to his human form. Although he still possessed all four limbs, Sai Gao¡¯s life signs were waning.


    "He¡¯s my friend..." Li Yiming continued to push Yun Yiyuan.


    "Oh? Then I¡¯ll leave him to you." Yun Yiyuan cracked a smile. He jumped back and waited.


    "Sai Gao." Li Yiming looked at his friend worriedly. Although they had only fought together briefly, he did not question Liu Meng¡¯s decision to save him.


    "You shouldn¡¯t havee..." Sai Gao said with difficulty.


    "Shut up and concentrate on recovering."


    "Linglong!" Li Yiming yelled.


    Qing Linglong, who was happy at first when she saw Li Yiming, became increasingly worried as she saw him approach Sai Gao. Knowing full well what Li Yiming wanted from her, she sighed and threw him a bag of medical supplies.


    Not minding Qing Linglong¡¯s conflicted expression, Li Yiming took out a couple of vials and put them to Sai Gao¡¯s mouth.


    "Are you sure about this?" Sai Gao asked, warmed up by Li Yiming¡¯s gesture.


    "Drink!" Li Yiming shoved the vial into Sai Gao¡¯s mouth and emptied it at once.


    "Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve decided to save him?" Yun Yiyuan looked on with bewilderment


    "I¡¯m not going to watch my friend die," Li Yiming answered back.


    "Do you even know what you¡¯re doing?" Yun Yiyuanughed.


    "I¡¯m saving a friend, what else?" Li Yiming turned around, irritated by Yun Yiyuan¡¯s questioning.


    "How ignorant can you be? Have you thought about your other friends, then? Those over there?" Yun Yiyuan pointed in Big Beard¡¯s direction with a grin on his face.


    "What?" Li Yiming finally realized that something was wrong. In his hurry, he had only seen Liu Meng¡¯s outburst, but had not considered the reason behind the inaction of his team.


    "Yiming..." Liu Mengnded right next to him.


    "What happened?" Li Yiming picked up Sai Gao and looked at Liu Meng.


    "This domain..." Liu Meng took a deep breath and exined. Yun Yiyuan eagerly waited to witness Li Yiming¡¯s despair after learning the truth.


    "What will he choose?" Stargaze could not help but ask as she turned to look at Li Huaibei, only to find that he had already put his sword away and sat down on the ground.


    "What is it?" Stargaze asked while Li Huaibei continued to meditate.


    "He won¡¯t choose," Li Huaibei answered and closed his eyes.


    As Liu Meng finished her story, Li Yiming looked at Sai Gao with a grave expression.


    "Thank you," Li Yiming stared at Sai Gao¡¯s eyes and said earnestly.


    "You can let me go now..." Sai Gao sighed and smiled. Being able to witness Li Yiming and Liu Meng fight for his sake was more than enough for a dying wish.


    "I told you that I¡¯m not going to watch you die." Li Yiming said with determination. He had already made up his mind after learning that Sai Gao had decided to sacrifice himself so that Liu Meng could live.


    "Are you crazy?" Yun Yiyuan suddenly screamed out. "You¡¯re going to doom us all just to save him?"


    "I¡¯m not going to let my friends die for my sake. If I have to face Heaven¡¯s Punishment, then so be it. It¡¯s not going to be the first time." Li Yiming looked at Yun Yiyuan and stated.


    "You..." Sai Gao sobbed, moved by Li Yiming¡¯s deration.


    Yun Yiyuan seemed dumbfounded. When he stared into the golden light that shone within Li Yiming¡¯s eyes, he could read thetter¡¯s sincerity.


    Boom!


    Big Beard¡¯s mechanded right next to Li Yiming, his actions making his intentions evident. Qing Linglong exchanged a nce with Eyesses, both smiled at each other and hopped off the mecha, preparing themselves for the fight.


    "You¡¯re crazy... All of you, crazy!" Yun Yiyuan cursed and turned his head, only to see that both Li Huaibei and Stargaze were nowhere to be found.


    "You can defy Heaven¡¯s Laws on your own, but he must die!" Yun Yiyuan roared in anger and thrust his spear at Sai Gao.


    Li Yiming jumped up and met Yun Yiyuan¡¯s spear with his own sword.


    Ding!


    Li Yiming bounced back toward Liu Meng after parrying Yun Yiyuan¡¯s blow. When he was sure that Sai Gao was well protected by Liu Meng, he sped his fingers around the hilt of his oversized sword and charged at Yun Yiyuan.


    Dang!


    Another deafening noise, and Yun Yiyuan¡¯s flurry of attack stopped.


    ¡¯What incredible strength...¡¯ Yun Yiyuan thought.


    Li Yiming spun around after his blow and delivered a second, even more powerful one.


    Yun Yiyuan could only feel terror at the relentless whirlwind Li Yiming unleashed upon him, which was a technique thetter had learned back on the Ind of Eternity. The sessive attacks immobilized him, leaving him with no other options than to block the attacks and hope for an opening to deliver a deadly counter.


    Dang! Dang! Dang!


    As Li Yiming¡¯s sword shed with his spear for the thirty-seventh time, Yun Yiyuan finally abandoned hopes of a counter and instead retreated back.


    "Yun Yiyuan lost in a front-up sh..." Stargaze could not believe her eyes.


    "Li Yiming¡¯s not level seven yet, but Yun Yiyuan¡¯s not in his best shape either. More importantly, that sword of his..." Being a master of the way of the sword himself, Li Huaibei had to put his weapon away as he could feel the spirit of his own de tremble in terror.


    "You¡¯re really going to protect him?" Yun Yiyuan looked at Li Yiming in rage, humiliated at having to back away from a sh yet again.


    Li Yiming held his sword up, bloodlust gradually filling his mind as the thrill ofbat overtook his judgment.

 Volume 6 Chapter 39

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Let¡¯s finish this!" Li Yiming¡¯s golden sword grewrger andrger as he mustered his power.


    At this point, a retreat was no longer an option for Yun Yiyuan. Heunched his strongest attack, and a giant spear then came falling from the skies and slicing through the clouds as it made its way toward Li Yiming


    "Die!" Li Yiming picked up his sword and swung at the sky above him. As his sword was soon about to collide with the oing spear, a golden shadow resembling an extremely thin staff appeared behind him.


    Boom!


    The collision of the two weapons unleashed a destructive st onto the surroundings.


    "That staff..." Stargaze could not believe what she was seeing.


    The staff did not escape Li Huaibei¡¯s eyes either, although he had only taken a look at it for a split second before closing his eyes, trying to wrap his head around the situation.


    Following the shockwave produced by the sword and the spear colliding, space itself was being ruptured, resulting in a continuous stream of explosions. Big Beard instantly erected a barrier around him and his teammates.


    "You cannot defy the Heavens..." Yun Yiyuan suddenly released his spear, and his weapon dissolved in an explosion of light. The vanishment of his silhouette followed, and the giant spear in the clouds suddenly began to dazzle and increase in size.


    Li Yiming let out a battle roar, and the color of his eyes turned red with tints of gold. The giant golden sword disintegrated, revealing a much smaller, silver sword, which was decorated with golden runic glyphs.


    Boom!


    A second deafening explosion was heard, nearly blowing Big Beard¡¯s mecha away. A gigantic crack could now be seen in the middle of the sky, revealing a menacing, all-consuming tenebrous space on the other side.


    "Break!" Li Yiming roared and a golden pir lit up the sky. The runic glyphs which had been inscribed on his sword jumped out of the de and began swirling in the air.


    "That¡¯s impossible... You¡¯re only level six... What is this sword?" As the giant spear shadow in the sky was sliced into two, Yun Yiyuan cried in disbelief.


    Li Yiming pushed on with his attack andpletely shattered Yun Yiyuan¡¯s apparition in the sky.


    "Li Yiming..." After onest venomous nce at Li Yiming, Yun Yiyuan thrust his palm to his own chest where his heart was and suddenly vanished.


    "You¡¯re not getting away!" Li Yiming yelled and swiftly directed his sword toward where Yun Yiyuan was, but to no avail


    ¡¯We didn¡¯t get him...¡¯ Bai Ze sighed.


    "Yun Yiyuan lost..." Qing Linglong could not believe Li Yiming had won. Li Yiming¡¯s attack continued through, making its way through the clouds effortlessly until it seemingly reached the Heavens with a golden sh.


    "One less sage..." Stargaze smiled bitterly. It was a strange feeling to see those who rose to fame at the same time as herself be stripped of their power in an instant. As a sage herself, she knew very well the price Yun Yiyuan paid to escape ¡ª the sacrifice of his own Heavenly Vein. Such was the ultimate fate of the man who once stood at the top of the world.


    "You¡¯re not leaving?" Stargaze crossed her arms and her body became enveloped by starlight. As Heaven¡¯s punishment neared, she had no choice but to escape the domain.


    "You know what, I don¡¯t want to leave anymore." Li Huaibei opened his eyes and stared at Li Yiming. The shadow of a miniature sword appeared within his irises.


    "It¡¯s already a miracle that he¡¯s able to defeat Yun Yiyuan. What more do you expect out of him?" Stargaze stopped gathering energy.


    "I want to see him defy the Heavens..." Li Huaibei stood up slowly and shook the dust off of his clothes.


    "ÄãÈÏΪËû»¹Óа취¾ÈËûµÄ»ï°é£¿"


    "You really believe that he¡¯ll find a way to save everyone?"


    "I just don¡¯t feel like leaving anymore..." Li Huaibei smiled and started walking toward Li Yiming.


    Although Li Yiming had won against Yun Yiyuan once before, Li Yiming¡¯s friends did not witness the battle. Seeing Li Yiming defeat a sage in a one-on-one duel was nothing short of a striking spectacle, but it was still too early for them to celebrate.


    His teammates all kept their attention on Li Yiming while trying to avoid thinking about Sai Gao, who was still under Liu Meng¡¯s care.


    Sai Gao looked at the giant sword apparition in the sky and seemed to have recovered enough to stand up without Liu Meng¡¯s help.


    "Are you okay?¡¯ Li Yimingnded slowly, his sword turning into a small silver metallic sphere above his head.


    Li Yiming¡¯s friends stayed silent. However, Qing Linglong, after a quick nce at Sai Gao, suddenly dashed toward him and struck his chest.


    "Linglong!" Eyesses¡¯ reactions were too slow to stop her, and Qing Linglong¡¯s blow sent Sai Gao flying back.


    "Sis?" Qing Qiaoqiao interposed herself between her sister and Sai Gao, and Liu Meng¡¯s fists lit up with fire.


    "Thank you..." Qing Linglong¡¯s action caught Li Yiming off-guard at first, but he quickly caught onto the situation.


    ¡¯Thank you?¡¯ Qing Qiaoqiao thought bemusedly. ¡¯Does he also want Sai Gao to...¡¯


    Liu Meng was also just as confused at Li Yiming¡¯s change of heart. Eyesses quickly pulled Qing Linglong back with shaking hands, while Big Beard silently stayed in his mecha.


    "Why?" Li Yiming asked as he walked toward Sai Gao.


    "You¡¯ve done enough for me. I¡¯m a camouger..."


    "You¡¯re my friend."


    "But if I don¡¯t die, you all will!" Sai Gao shouted.


    "Is that why you tried to end your life just now?" Li Yiming¡¯s question finally made everyone understood what was going on.


    "I wanted to die by my own ord, but now..." Sai Gao put his hand to his chest, realizing that what little energy he had gathered to end his own life had been obliterated by Qing Linglong.


    "I don¡¯t know about you, but I haven¡¯t been a guardian for very long..." Li Yiming said.


    ¡¯You haven¡¯t been a guardian for very long? You¡¯re a sage!¡¯


    None of Li Yiming¡¯s teammates expected the first statement.


    "What do you think Heaven¡¯s Laws are?" Li Yiming continued his monologue.


    "I think that there exists a will for every object and every living being in this world. Those wills umte to create domains, but what are they at their core?" Li Yiming continued.


    Li Yiming¡¯s question went unanswered. Although everyone around him had thought about the question, it was one whichrgely exceeded their own concerns and responsibilities.


    "The purpose of guardians is to destroy these wills. We call it being guided by Heaven¡¯s Laws, but the first will I¡¯ve encountered was love, the second one was protection, the third one was survival, and thest was goodwill..."


    "Are we truly supposed to be destroying them? Do we really not have a choice?"


    "You¡¯ve given me your trust once in Tianshan, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re here. There¡¯s no stopping Heaven¡¯s Punishment. We¡¯ll be safe if we kill Sai Gao, but then, what¡¯s the point of it all?" Li Yiming asked.


    "My thoughts are simple. If I see a street full of litter, I¡¯m not going to start yelling slogans and force everyone to clean the streets, but I am going to pick up whatever garbage I see around me. I¡¯m not going to try to change Heaven¡¯s Laws, but neither am I going to let it change me. I¡¯m sorry for dragging you into all of this. Our opponent this time isn¡¯t going to be the world¡¯s strongest person, but rather the Heavens themselves. I have no idea if we can survive what¡¯s about toe, but I can guarantee you that I¡¯ll be the first one to die." Li Yiming concluded.

 Volume 6 Chapter 40

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    After finishing his speech, Li Yiming turned around to look at his friends. Liu Meng walked up to him and picked up his hand. Big Beard smiled, while Qing Linglong wrapped her arms around her sister with a bit of an apologetic expression


    Eyesses sighed and helped Sai Gao stand up, who had his eyes red from listening to Li Yiming.


    "Domain concluded, Mission failed." A voice came from the sky.


    Instead of the surroundings breaking down and being teleported back to reality like usual, thickyers of clouds appeared in the bright sky and the low crack of thunder could be heard.


    "The sky is breaking apart..." Stargaze was still hesitating about escaping.


    "Thunder?" Eyesses looked at the sky.


    "Not thunder, the sky itself is..." Bai Ze appeared in a sh of white light.


    Sunlight quickly disappeared from sight as the clouds thickened, plunging the world inplete darkness.


    "The sky is...ing down..." Qing Linglong trembled with fear.


    The lightning and thunder onlysted for a short while. Everything was now enshrouded in a darkness unlike anything Li Yiming had ever seen before. This was the wrath of the Heavens fury at its worst.


    As the apocalypse drew closer and closer, Li Yiming and his friends could almost feel their eyes being pushed out of their sockets and their hearts beat faster and faster as if they were inside a giant balloon which was being overblown.


    Suddenly, a radiating sword pierced through the sky, returning light to the world like a second sun.


    "It¡¯s Li Huaibei, he¡¯s here!" Big Beard eximed while trying his best to maintain his mecha to resist the immense pressure.


    "Fight the Heavens..." Li Yiming looked at Li Huaibei¡¯s sword as it went through theyers of clouds, but it was ultimately too little toote, as the clouds were far too thick, and they simply congregated once again and came crashing down.


    However, the sight of Li Huaibei¡¯s weapon was enough to ignite the will to fight within Li Yiming. The mysterious runic glyph within him emitted an explosion of golden light, and hatred filled Li Yiming¡¯s heart. It was as if he suddenly became an entirely different person.


    "I won¡¯t go down without a fight!" Li Yiming suddenly yelled savagely, and his small metallic orb transformed into a sword which flew straight upward.


    Big Beard¡¯s mecha bent backward, exposing its abdomen. A cannon tube quickly formed after a repositioning of the armor tes. The four limbs of the mecha became the supporting legs for a giant cannon aimed at the sky.


    Qing Linglong¡¯s daggers reappeared in her hands. Although her hands trembled from the pressure, a blue glow wrapped the des as she prepared her attack.


    Liu meng closed her eyes and put her hands in front of her, materializing a red orb which transformed into a small bird. Just like before, the bird had a very long tail feather and a single leg which shone with a golden light.


    Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s body was enveloped by fire, but unlike Liu Meng¡¯s, her fire was that of pure desire and lust and burned coldly, with deadly beauty.


    "Drink my blood..." Sai Gao put his wrist in front of Eyesses¡¯ mouth. As Eyesses sucked on Sai Gao¡¯s blood, he could feel his body being taken over by madness.


    Li Yiming¡¯s sword reached the clouds and started to swing at them like a giant paddle, clearing the area instantly. Big Beard¡¯s attack supported him from below, obliterating the clouds in the vicinity.


    A monstrous roar was heard as Eyesses¡¯ frame grew massively. A pair of vampiric wings emerged from his back, and he took off toward the sky.


    "The effect of my blood is only temporary, you..." Sai Gao could not warn Eyesses in time.


    Before Sai Gao could finish his sentence, a blue crescent also took off toward the sky. Next to it was an apparition of a young girl who was almost naked, only covered by a ribbon of cloth. Her figure exuded an irresistible aura of lust and desire; it was the Qing sisters, who had unleashed their most powerful attacks.


    The endless attacks of Li Yiming and his teammates cleared the clouds that painted the skies, making way for the sun to gleam back to the world. It relieved the pressure that Li Yiming and his friends felt to some degree.


    À±±......Ϊʲô²»¼ÌÐøÁË£¿


    ¡¯It¡¯s working...¡¯ Li Yiming frowned and nced at where Li Huaibei¡¯s attack first came from. ¡¯Why did he stop?¡¯


    Big Beard continued his bombardment, and Liu Meng¡¯s bird of fire was now near a hundred meters tall. With every p of its wings, bright crimson res would consume the ck clouds around it. Eyesses, Qing Qiaoqiao, and Qing Linglong also worked together to clear arge portion of the sky above them.


    "They¡¯re far too naive if they think that¡¯s enough..." The light around Stargaze faded away. Her resolve wavered along with her gradually bing more nervous.


    ¡¯It¡¯s too slow.¡¯ Li Yiming thought as he looked at the clouds and suddenly roared. His golden sword suddenly grew tenfold in size and flew past the clouds, just like Li Huaibei¡¯s weapon moments before.


    Ding!


    A loud sound was heard as Li Yiming¡¯s weapon collided against something.


    Li Yiming and his friends turned their attention toward the object which was hidden behind the clouds; it was a giant, ck wall covered with golden glyphs.


    "What is that?" Qing Qiaoqiao eximed.


    The discovery of the wall did not distract Liu Meng in the slightest, and she continued to expand the size of her firebird, burning away thest remaining bit of the clouds.


    As the clouds finally dispersed, an even more terrifying sight was beheld.


    "The sky... The sky..." Qing Linglong¡¯s voice trembled.


    It was a borderless ck ceiling which was crashing down upon them.


    Boom!


    Li Yiming and his friends turned around, only to find the summit of a mountain being crushed by the falling wall.


    "It¡¯s going to crush us..." Eyesses gulped.


    "The sky has fallen..."


    * * *


    "It¡¯s not in your habit to drink wine like this..." A little boy looked at the man in front of him, and then at the knit-bag at his feet.


    "You do need to be picky about when you choose to drink wine like this." The man chuckled and emptied his cup. The pungent smell of alcohol came from his nostrils as he exhaled, and he put his cup back down.


    "I don¡¯t drink. I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about." The boy smiled and filled up the man¡¯s cup once more.


    "You have to pick up your cup with two fingers, and fill itpletely without overflowing. Then, raise the cup slowly, and feel the wine as it streams down your throat. You should empty your cuppletely and cleanly..." The manughed and picked up his cup once again.


    "I told you that I don¡¯t know any of this. Are you trying to teach me how to drink?"


    The man shook his head and said, "The sky over there, it¡¯s falling down."


    "Really?"


    The man nodded.


    "So it¡¯s time?" The boy suddenly said with a voice that was far from fitting his age.


    "Everything should be ready, but..." The man sighed and looked at the bag which rested on the ground beside him.

 Volume 6 Chapter 41

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "It¡¯s not working..." Li Yiming said with a shaken voice. His friends were all exhausted, and once he shifted his sight to Liu Meng, he finally started to feel remorse.


    They had just given their everything trying to break the tenebrous wall beyond the clouds. Big Beard¡¯s mecha continued firing until its cannon tubes were overheated, and the rest of themunched their strongest attacks time and time again. Even Li Huaibei could only do enough to dy the ck ceiling for a split-second.


    As the ck wall continued in its descent, mountain peaks after mountains peaks were crushed to dust.


    "There¡¯s less than a thousand meters left..." Stargaze looked at Li Yiming and shook her head in frustration. She performed a seal with her hands, creating a rift in front of her.


    "Seven hundred meters..." Li Huaibei wiped away the sweat on his forehead and nced at Li Yiming.


    "It¡¯s hopeless." Eyesses pushed Sai Gao¡¯s hand away as thetter once again offered to feed him blood.


    "I¡¯m sorry about everything..." Li Yiming lowered his arm, and his sword came back flying to him.


    Li Yiming¡¯s friends stayed silent as they watched their impending doom. They understood the consequences of their actions the moment they chose to support Li Yiming¡¯s decision, but it was only now that theirst sliver of hope was obliterated.


    At one hundred meters, Stargaze suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and walked into the rift in front of her after onest nce at Li Yiming.


    At fifty meters, Li Huaibei let out a long sigh and sh the air with his sword, creating his own rift. He slowly walked into the portal, looking as if he had aged several years.


    At ten meters, Big Beard hopped out of his mecha as the cannon tubes were crushed into dust. He stared nkly above him as he stood still.


    "It¡¯s alright, you can leave..." Qing Linglong suddenly said. She knew that sages were privileged when facing punishment and that Li Huaibei and Stargaze had just escaped with their lives after paying a hefty price.


    "I¡¯m sorry..." Li Yiming wrapped his arms around Liu Meng and stood still.


    As thest few meters went by, the wall was now right above the heads of those still standing. Li Yiming¡¯s friends seemed to be relieved more than anything as their end approached, and none of them showed regret.


    Li Yiming raised his right hand in anguish, unwilling to meet his end at such a time. As he closely felt the warmth of Liu Meng¡¯s body, the will to live grew stronger. At this point, all he could do was embrace Liu Meng during hisst moments.


    And then, the wall suddenly stopped.


    ¡¯What?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at his right hand.


    Everyone else was also wondering what happened. The descent of the ck wall, which had remained impervious to the attacks of sages, was stopped effortlessly by Li Yiming¡¯s hand.


    Onest hope still lingered and all of Li Yiming¡¯s friends put their hands up to help Li Yiming.


    However, the next instant, every single one of them fell to the ground in a submissive position, their will to resist had been broken the moment they touched the ck wall.


    The only person who was still standing was Li Yiming. He looked above him and could not believe how weightless the wall felt to him despite its massive size.


    "Ahhh!" Li Yiming suddenly let out a loud cry and pushed upward with both arms ¡ª he had learned since a long time ago to never give up.


    To his disappointment, the wall did not budge in the slightest.


    ¡¯So, am I supposed to hold this forever?¡¯ Li Yiming was unsure what to do in the current situation. He tried to slightly retract his arm, and the sky resumed its crushing descent. He immediately raised his hand and stopped it once again.


    ¡¯So I can¡¯t push it upward, but I can¡¯t let go either?¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s friends, however, were astonished at seeing Li Yiming standing as tall as the sky, especially after experiencing the soul-crushing sensation of opposing the will of the Heavens earlier themselves.


    "So, does anyone have an idea of what to do?" Li Yiming¡¯s question broke the silence.


    Boom!


    A loud noise was heard as Li Yiming fell a crushing weight push against his arm, causing him to lose his bnce and nearly trip as the golden glyphs of the wall lit up.


    Ding!


    Another deafening noise, but this time, originating from within Li Yiming¡¯s body. Li Yiming spat out a mouthful of blood and stood back up. His small metal orb had appeared between his palm and the wall.


    ¡¯This thing again...¡¯ Li Yiming focused his attention on the runic glyph which was buried deep within his soul. After what had transpired on the Ind of Eternity, the glyph became clearer, to the point that Li Yiming could roughly determine its shape. He had been trying to find a way to utilize it, to no avail.


    Li Yiming suddenly heard a cry of angering from within the glyph, and the small object began spinning furiously just as the ck wall began its crushing descent with even more might than before.


    Li Yiming could feel energy umte within his limbs as he instantly felt reinvigorated. His muscles were filled to the brim with power, to the point that blood began to seep out his skin. Li Yiming opened his eyes wide and looked above, standing upright once more and raising his right fist.


    "You cannot bend my will!" Li Yiming cried out and directed the energy umted within his body into his right arm.


    "What is..."


    "Shit..."


    "Who is he...?"


    Li Yiming¡¯s friendsid down on the ground in bafflement as the ck wall was finally being pushed up.


    As the ck wall was lifted up further and further, all eyes were focused on the golden staff which appeared on Li Yiming¡¯s hand ¡ª the legendary staff that could only belong to one person.


    Boom!


    A blinding explosion of light was followed by a deafening thud. Everyone knew exactly where the sound came from ¡ª it was the sky that had just been ruptured.


    Li Yiming fell down to his knees as the giant ck wall was broken into pieces. The world swirled around him, but his attention was solely focused on his right hand.


    "The one who ys Li Yiming will be made a sage."


    "The one who ys Li Yiming will be made a sage."


    "The one who ys Li Yiming will be made a sage."


    A voice was heard once again, this time in the head of every guardian in the world.


    * * *


    "He survived? I missed out..." Stargaze wiped away the blood on the corner of her mouth and looked at the East, deeply regretting her decision to escape.


    Li Huaibei leaned against a wall to support himself. Despite his weakness, he seemed happy and relieved at hearing the voice in his head.


    "What did he do?" Fang Shui¡¯er put her hand to her mouth as she looked at the horizon from the deck of the cruise ship.


    The same question upied the thoughts of all: "Who is Li Yiming?"

 Volume 7 Chapter 1

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    A dead silence reigned in the air as Li Yiming looked around. He found himself in a running field in the middle of the night, with all of his friends on the ground, still unconscious. Li Yiming slowly walked to Liu Meng and picked her up.


    ¡¯Can we talk...?¡¯ Li Yiming asked.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t want to...¡¯ Bai Ze answered with a shaking voice.


    ¡¯Am I really him?¡¯ Li Yiming muttered to himself. Everything made sense to him now, and he realized that his first encounter with Mr. Kong was not a coincidence.


    ¡¯You¡¯re going down a hard path from now on.¡¯ Bai Ze sighed.


    ¡¯Because of Heaven¡¯s Laws?¡¯


    ¡¯Yes. You¡¯ve just crossed a line,¡¯ Bai Ze said.


    ¡¯Yes, but if I¡¯m him...¡¯


    ¡¯But you¡¯re not! At least, not yet...¡¯ Bai Ze interrupted him. She would have otherwise been ecstatic to find out that Li Yiming had such potential, but Li Yiming exposed himself way too soon.


    ¡¯I need to have a talk with Mr. Kong...¡¯


    ¡¯Mr. Kong...¡¯ Bai Ze sank into her thoughts once again. ¡¯If Li Yiming¡¯s indeed Wukong, then who is Mr. Kong?¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the whistling of a de slicing through the air. Li Yiming frowned and jumped back with Liu Meng still in his arms.


    "Linglong?" Li Yiming was surprised.


    Li Yiming had been aware that Qing Linglong had woken up this entire time. Just like it was the case with Bai Ze, Li Yiming did not quite know how to face his friends yet, so he pretended to not have noticed. However, he did expect Qing Linglong to attack him from behind as soon as she recovered enough strength.


    Qing Linglong slowly stood up with her weapons ready. The look on her face expressed her will to take his life.


    Ding!


    Li Yiming¡¯s metallic orb transformed into a sword and blocked two daggers that were thrown at him.


    "Eyesses?" Li Yiming stared at the figure who stood in front of him.


    Bang!


    A gunshot was heard. Li Yiming bent backward and dodged the armor-piercing round aimed at his head.


    "Big Beard..." Li Yiming raised his sword and quickly jumped back.


    Suddenly, something ticked him off. Li Yiming looked at Liu Meng, refusing to believe his eyes. Explosive res forced Li Yiming to let go of Liu Meng and roll backward.


    "Liu Meng..." Li Yiming put one hand on his chest, which had been charred. He was finally beginning to panic.


    "The person who kills Li Yiming will be made a sage!" Liu Meng floated in the air, the red glow in her hands bing ever so bright.


    "You decided to kill me?" Li Yiming stood up, staring nkly at the love of his life.


    ¡¯That¡¯s not Liu Meng!¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s eximed.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Three more rounds were shot at Li Yiming. Just as he started his dodging motion, he was suddenly unable to focus and the world around him began to spin.


    "Qiaoqiao..." Li Yiming leaped to the side despite the immense pain in his head. Qiaoqiao¡¯s attack was enough to slow Li Yiming down and allowing one of the bullets to pierce through the left side of his body.


    The stinging pain was enough to wake Li Yiming up. Before he could regain hisposure, another ck dagger appeared out of nowhere and shed at his throat. Li Yiming reached out for the dagger and stopped the deadly blow at the expense of having his hand pierced by the de. Li Yiming stared right into Eyesses¡¯ eyes as thetter materialized out of thin air, seeing nothing but the white of his eyes.


    "Heart Trial..." Li Yiming knew instantly what he was dealing with.


    Boom!


    A pir of me emerged from below Li Yiming.


    Faced with a new threat, Li Yiming yelled and threw Eyesses into the distance with his hand still perforated by the dagger. Shifting his sword into a silver shield, he deflected the erupting mes toward Big Beard to stop the barrage of bullets.


    The whistling of Qing Linglong¡¯s dagger was heard once again. Li Ying lowered his sword and parried the attack. He then leaped forward and delivered his signature spinning sh.


    "Linglong!" Li Yiming stopped his attack right as it grazed Qing Linglong¡¯s forehead.


    Not minding Li Yiming¡¯s hesitation, Qing Linglong continued to sh at Li Yiming with her dual des.


    Dang!


    Li Yiming blocked the attack again, this time sending Qing Linglong¡¯s weapon flying into the distance.


    ¡¯We have to leave!¡¯ Bai Ze urged.


    Li Yiming pushed Qing Linglong away and swung forward with his sword, blocking off two more daggers. He then leaped high into the air.


    ¡¯Are you sure?¡¯ Li Yiming stood on his silver shield and cast down a look below.


    He saw Qing Linglong ready herself to attack him again, Eyesses taking out his sniper rifle, and Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s irises glowing with a pink light. Big Beard¡¯s mecha was transforming into a cannon while Liu Meng...


    Li Yiming¡¯s heart ached as he saw the birds of me around Liu Meng ready to be unleashed upon him.


    ¡¯There¡¯s nothing we can do now,¡¯ Bai Ze said.


    "Heaven¡¯s Laws..." After a venomous nce at the sky, Li Yiming fled, turning into a ray of light that shot into the distance.


    * * *


    "Li Yiming, male, twenty-five years old. Talent: thunder. Masterful swordsmanship. Innate summon: Bai Ze. Overall strength: sage leveL." An old man went through the file on the table in front of him. Across the table sat an attractive young woman, who seemed agitated.


    "Why did you bring me this?" The old man put down the file and looked at the young girl with a smile.


    "I... I think this can help you..." The young woman took a deep breath and answered hesitantly.


    "He¡¯s a sage... Your master, Bing Shuai, died at his hands, didn¡¯t he? Are you seeking revenge?"


    "Yes!" The young woman¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred.


    "Why me then? You¡¯ve heard the voice. The whole world wants him dead now." The old man smiled again.


    "That¡¯s exactly why. Most people will have no idea what they¡¯re up against, but you do."


    "And you expect me to try and kill someone even Bing Shuai was unable to defeat? What makes you think that I¡¯ll be able to finish him off? I¡¯m not even a sage."


    "You¡¯ll be one after killing him."


    "Not bad, Ying Mei. I see Bing Shuai did not waste your talents..." An unfittingly energeticugh came from the old man.


    * * *


    "We need to talk." Stargaze looked at the young girl on the wheelchair in front of her.


    "I don¡¯t know anything about him. I can¡¯t see anything." The girl knew what Stargaze sought.


    "I¡¯ll find a way to make you see him." Stargaze coughed and tightened her cor with her right hand.


    "Are you sure? In your current state?" Tian Yan stared at Stargaze. She could see a thin line above Stargaze¡¯s head ready to rupture at any time.


    "Don¡¯t worry about that. Just be ready for it."


    "What if I do see something. What then?" Tian Yan asked.


    "I¡¯ve seen a lot of things this life... Too many, in fact. I want to see the thing it doesn¡¯t want me to." Stargaze raised her head toward the sky.


    * * *


    "Born from stone, and soon with the entire world bing his yground. What is the point of fame? Who will sing the songs of praise?" A man sat down under a tree near the running field and observed the construction workers as they tried to determine the cause of the copsing ground.


    "To fight gods and have the Heavens at his feet. To be crushed by a mountain, listening to the chants of Buddha..." The man took out a cigarette but stopped before lighting it.


    "To enjoy a quiet life as a king of the mountains, or to fight against the bravest champions under the Heavens... What will you be? A demon? Or a sage? A thousand year-long dream... Are you really him?" A small me suddenly burst out of the tip of the man¡¯s fingers and lit up his cigarette as he stared forward nkly.

 Volume 7 Chapter 2

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming sat on a bench at the park, staring at the crowd in the distance as he yed around with his little metallic orb.


    ¡¯There¡¯s nine of them including the one in the taxi.¡¯ Bai Ze warned.


    ¡¯Are they here for me?¡¯ Li Yiming nced at the taxi driving slowly in the distance.


    ¡¯Heaven¡¯s Laws has made its move. It¡¯s obvious what happened to Liu Meng and the others. But these people...¡¯


    ¡¯They¡¯re from three different teams too... Quite the treat for me, isn¡¯t it?¡¯


    ¡¯Well, you¡¯ve been a thorn in the side of Heaven¡¯s Laws for a while now...¡¯ Bai Zemented.


    ¡¯Aren¡¯t they worried that I¡¯ll kill them all? This isn¡¯t a domain...¡¯ Li Yiming squeezed on his small metallic ball.


    ¡¯What¡¯s your ns from now on?¡¯


    ¡¯I...¡¯ Li Yiming froze. Just like Liu Meng and his friends, these guardians were at the mercy of Heaven¡¯s Laws, so they were innocent to a certain degree. On top of it, this was all happening in the real world, meaning that Li Yiming did not have the freedom to do whatever he wanted without facing consequences.


    ¡¯We¡¯ll see...¡¯ Li Yiming let out a sigh of frustration.


    "Is something troubling you?" A gentle voice was heard. Li Yiming looked up in surprise, only to find a middle-aged woman sitting down right next to him. She wore a red shirt and yellow baggy pants, her loose clothing unable to conceal her opulent body. Li Yiming quickly recalled seeing the woman during the morning calisthenics. Just like every other middle-aged housewife, she had a shopping bag in one hand and a fan in the other.


    ¡¯When did she get here? How did I not sense hering??¡¯ Li Yiming was now on high alert.


    "If you don¡¯t mind, you can share your worries with me. I¡¯m no one special, but I¡¯m a good listener," Aunt Wu said as she put her fan into her shopping bag and took out a small towel to wipe away the beads of sweat on her forehead.


    "Aunt Wu! You¡¯re still here? There¡¯s an event at the supermarket today. They¡¯re giving out free soap!" Just as Li Yiming was concocting an answer, a woman along with other people who seemed to be Aunt Wu¡¯s friends arrived and said to Aunt Wu.


    "I¡¯ll just sit here for a bit. You can go ahead, I¡¯lle right away." Aunt Wu smiled and dismissed her friend.


    Li Yiming scrutinized Aunt Wu¡¯s friends as they walked past him. ¡¯They¡¯re all normal people...¡¯ Bai Ze said.


    ¡¯What about... her?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at Aunt Wu.


    ¡¯I don¡¯t know.¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s answer made Li Yiming uneasy.


    Even without Bai Ze¡¯s remark, Li Yiming knew enough by now to tell that Aunt Wu¡¯s friends were the most ordinary of people. However, the middle-aged woman herself was still a mystery for Li Yiming. Li Yiming had dealt with his fair share of sages, and even people who possessed strength beyond that of a sage, such as Mr. Kong. Even thetter was unable to hide himself awaypletely from his attention.


    ¡¯But this woman...¡¯ Li Yiming thought.


    "If you looked at me the same way thirty years ago, I would¡¯ve given you a p." Aunt Wu adjusted her baggy pants and put down her shopping bag. She still had a smile, but was obviously disturbed by Li Yiming¡¯s intense and rather disrespectful stare.


    "I..." Li Yiming did not answer. He looked away from Aunt Wu, but extended his senses to pay attention to her every action.


    "Are you Li Yiming?" A man with a tall figure and a confident smile suddenly approached Li Yiming. Despite the baking heat, he wore a suit and a pair of leather gloves.


    ¡¯Are they here to fight?¡¯ Li Yiming frowned. He could see the light being reflected at him from the rooftop of two skyscrapers nearby. ¡¯So two snipers...¡¯


    "I am," Li Yiming said.


    "You know, I¡¯ve been watching a TV show these days. It¡¯s a story about a young CEO, who decided to disguise himself as a normal worker so he could court a female worker in hispany..." Aunt Wu did not seem to have caught onto the tenseness in the air and took out two peaches from her shopping bag. She offered one to Li Yiming and took a bite from the other.


    Li Yiming turned around and declined politely. For some strange reason, he could not imagine Aunt Wu showing any kind of hostility to him.


    "You don¡¯t like peaches?" Aunt Wu was surprised.


    "I don¡¯t like the taste. Thank you." Li Yiming said while ncing at the man standing in front of him.


    "Well, that¡¯s okay then. These peaches are expensive too..." Aunt Wu muttered and put her peach back into the bag.


    "So, as I was saying. That CEO really wanted to be with that young girl. It¡¯s only natural, given how pretty she looked. There was a whole bunch of men trying to go after her. So no one was really happy when anotherpetitor showed up."


    Li Yiming looked at Aunt Wu, who continued talking about her TV show, and suddenly let go of his nervosity. He concluded that the nine guardians who tried to hunt him down were of no threat to him, and the issue at hand was how to deal with Aunt Wu appropriately.


    "So the young man goes through all sorts of trouble, having to endure all kinds of hardships. Guess what happened at the end?" Aunt Wu took a big bite out of her peach and asked.


    "They lived happily ever after?" Li Yiming was not sure of what Aunt Wu was getting at, but he knew that it was amon thing for TV shows to have this kind of plot.


    "The girl ran away with another ordinary young man. The CEO¡¯s troubles were all in vain..."


    "Uh..." Li Yiming scratched his head and thought about how unusual it was for him to feel his hair at their normal length again.


    "You know, I think it was a mistake for the CEO to disguise himself as a normal worker in the first ce. Life would have been a lot easier for him if he just made it clear that he was a sessful, wealthy young man. Even if that doesn¡¯t impress the girl, at least the girl¡¯s parents will be on his side, and it would be a lot easier for him to get the hand of his beloved." Aunt Wu took another bite of her peach.


    "Aren¡¯t you confident..." The man wearing a suit said in a cold voice. After observing Li Yiming for a long time, he and his partners finally decided to confront their target directly. They had thought about many possible ways by which the events could unfold, including setting up a date for ater duel or even fighting on the spot, but he did not imagine Li Yiming ignoring himpletely and chatting casually with a middle-aged woman instead. The man¡¯s mood worsened faced by the humiliation, and his teammates were readying themselves for a fight to erupt.


    With his mind still upied with deciphering Aunt Wu¡¯s intentions, he also noticed the atmosphere growing tenser by the second.


    "Do you get what I¡¯m saying?" Aunt Wu interrupted his thoughts once again.


    "What?" Li Yiming did not pay enough attention to Aunt Wu.


    "You know, it¡¯s pretty simple. If the CEO didn¡¯t conceal his true identity, then I don¡¯t even think that his rivals would have had the courage topete with him. After all, it takes people withparable strength to start a fight, right?" Aunt Wu finished her peach, wiped away the juice on the corners on her mouth, and threw the core into her shopping bag.


    "Oh?" Li Yiming turned back and stared at Aunt Wu. His eyes lit up as he rummaged over what she just said.


    Aunt Wu was now rummaging in her shopping bag and paid no mind Li Yiming.


    "Hey, I¡¯m talking to you kid." The man standing in front of Li Yiming finally burst out in anger. It was the first time he had been humiliated in such a way since he had be a guardian. A ck glow started shining at the soles of his shoes as he prepared his attack.


    "I heard you the first time. What do you want?" Li Yiming turned around and smiled. He extended his arm, and his body was suddenly enveloped by a dome of light.


    "You¡¯re a sa... sa..." The man stammered and his preparations for an attack halted instantly.


    "A Boundary... Shit! He¡¯s a sage." The man¡¯s friends were all terrified and fled for their lives, some of them even saluted Li Yiming before they left.


    "Do you have business with me?" Li Yiming said calmly.


    "No..."


    "Then go away."


    "Yes!" The man bowed down and quickly ran away.


    "You don¡¯t like peaches, but what about bananas?" Aunt Wu suddenly pulled two golden bananas out of her shopping bag.


    "Thank you, but could you tell me who you really are?" Li Yiming stopped his boundary and looked at Aunt Wu with a severe countenance.


    "She¡¯s Aunt Wu!" A voice came from behind. It was Li Huaibei, who stopped at a distance to bow down in Aunt Wu¡¯s direction.

 Volume 7 Chapter 3

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Are you sure about this?" Inside the abbey, the young boy asked the lean man standing in front of him.


    "I¡¯m tired of waiting." The man sped his bag and extinguished his cigarette.


    "Is it really him?" The young boy¡¯s attention shifted from the man to the bag.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. He can¡¯t die right now..." The man said anxiously as he threw the cigarette butt into a stic bottle.


    "You want me to watch over him?"


    "Aunt Wu¡¯s doing that."


    "Aunt Wu... Are you sure? We won¡¯t have a second chance. If we fail, then for thest thousand years..."


    "I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯vee to you..."


    "Fine. I owe you my life. Tell me, what do you need me for?" The young boy adjusted his cor.


    "I need you to go to the mountains..."


    "The mountains? There?"


    "Yes. I need you to go have a look at that rock..." The man turned around and left.


    * * *


    "Are you here for him?" Aunt Wu turned around and asked with a frown, not intimidated slightest by Li Huaibei.


    "No, I¡¯m here for you." Li Huaibei took a deep breath and bowed down once again.


    "For me? What for?" Aunt Wu pursed her lips nonchntly.


    "Please, take me under your apprenticeship!." Li Huaibei said and suddenly knelt down on all fours.


    ¡¯What... the hell?¡¯ Li Yiming jumped out of the way. ¡¯What? Li Huaibei asking her to be his master?¡¯


    "You haven¡¯t changed. You¡¯re a sage, and you¡¯re going to kneel down just like that? When did I ever say I would ept you as my disciple?" Aunt Wu said.


    "You deserve all of my worship." Li Huaibei said in a serious tone and bent down once again.


    "Alright, I understand." Aunt Wu waved her hand, and Li Huaibei was lifted up against his will.


    "You, you told me that I coulde to find you once I¡¯ve made up my mind..."


    "So you¡¯ve settled?"


    "Yes..." Li Huaibei nodded.


    "Unfortunately, I¡¯ve already found a pupil. You know I won¡¯t take two students at the same time." Aunt Wu pped her hands and said.


    "You¡¯ve found a pupil?" Li Huaibei was surprised.


    Aunt Wu shrugged her shoulders.


    "My apologies, I¡¯ve been too rash..." Li Huaibei sighed in disappointment. "May I ask who that is?"


    "Him." Aunt Wu raised her plump arm and pointed at Li Yiming.


    "Wh-" Li Yiming looked back, hoping to see someone behind him.


    "Li Yiming?" Li Huaibei said.


    "Yes." Aunt Wu snorted her nose.


    "Me? What?" Li Yiming was dumbfounded.


    "What? Shouldn¡¯t you kneel down in front of your master?" Aunt Wu suddenly shouted with an imposing voice unfitting of her appearance.


    "I..." Li Yiming suddenly felt a tremendous force pushing him down. The impact of his knees hitting the ground created two small craters. Even with Li Yiming gathering his energy, he could not resist the push.


    "You need to show me obedience!" Aunt Wu¡¯s voice came again, and this time, Li Yiming felt a push on his back.


    Bam!


    Li Yiming¡¯s forehead hit the ground with a thud. Li Yiming remained stunned for a moment at being forced to kowtow someone he did not know. He then yelled out loudly and resisted as much as he could.


    "Three times!" Aunt Wu¡¯s amused voice came again. Li Yiming was lifted back into the air.


    "You...!"


    "Again!" Li Yiming was smashed back into the crater of dirt.


    Boom!


    Li Yiming burst out in anger. His eyes started to glow gold and bloodlust soon shrouded his mind ¡¯You dare push your luck when not even the sky could crush me?¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s body trembled as he resisted Aunt Wu¡¯s pressure, and he slowly raised his head.


    "Oh? Interesting..."


    "Ugh..." Li Yiming could feel the pressure increase. Veins popped out of his forehead and neck, and another round of fissures appeared in the ground below.


    "Onest." Aunt Wu raised her right hand once more.


    As the mounting pressure on his back vanished, Li Yiming leaped up into the air and spat out a mouthful of blood.


    "Bow!" Aunt Wu lowered her hand once again.


    "As if!" Li Yiming let out a savage cry and clenched his fists. His clothes were shredded instantly, revealing his muscle-bound body.


    "Not bad, but looking good doesn¡¯t do anything by itself." Aunt Wu grinned and pushed her hand down again.


    "Ahhhh!" The golden light inundated Li Yiming¡¯s irises, and a silver metallic sphere fell from his forehead, shapeshifting as it touched the ground.


    "Oh?" Aunt Wu¡¯s interest was piqued.


    "Arrrgh!" Li Yiming slowly stood up and raised his head toward Aunt Wu.


    Crack!


    A sh of lightning ran across the sky and a giant purple eye appeared.


    "Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" Aunt Wu looked at the sky; Li Yiming had called upon a power which far exceeded what was tolerated by Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    "You won¡¯t be able to avoid thatst bow, even with Heaven¡¯s Punishment." Aunt Wu squinted and performed a seal with her right hand.


    "Seal!" Aunt Wu pointed with her right hand. Two rays of light, as sharp as swords, flew toward the eye in the sky and Li Yiming respectively.


    The eye in the sky was sliced into two, while the ribbon of light that flew toward Li Yiming wrapped around his body and held him tightly in ce.


    As Li Yiming was immobilized, all of his energy was suddenly drained along with the golden light inside of his eyes.


    "Kneel!" Aunt Wu smiled again. Li Yiming fell onto the ground and knelt down.


    "You..." Li Yiming looked at Aunt Wu, angry but powerless.


    "Very well. You are now my pupil." Aunt Wu ignored Li Yiming¡¯s hostility and smiled.


    "You¡¯re not getting away with this!" As Li Yiming felt the binding on his limbs go away, his sword appeared in his hand with a sh of light. He leaped into the air and shed at Aunt Wu¡¯s throat.


    "Holding onto your sword too tightly, too high, too fast on your left foot, and you¡¯re not using the strength from your waist..." Aunt Wu said stopped Li Yiming¡¯s de by catching it with two fingers, disarming him.


    "But not bad... Did you teach him?" Aunt Wu looked at Li Huaibei.


    Li Huaibei smiled and took a step back.


    "Who are you?" Li Yiming was finally beginning to appreciate Aunt Wu¡¯s strength. After seeing Li Huaibei begging to be her student, and her slicing Heaven¡¯s Punishment into two, he realized that he had gravely underestimated her. More importantly, it did not look like she had any ns of harming him.


    "That¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is that I know who you are."


    All of Li Yiming¡¯s anger and frustration vanished as soon as he heard Aunt Wu¡¯s words.


    A cell phone¡¯s ring was suddenly heard from Aunt Wu¡¯s shopping bag.


    "Oh, no! I need to go pick up my grandson. Talk with each other, I¡¯lle back to find youter." Aunt Wu gasped, threw Li Yiming¡¯s sword back at him and made for the exit of the park.


    "Wait!" Li Yiming wanted to catch up to Aunt Wu, but somehow lost sight of her after two steps.


    "I... I..." Li Yiming waspletely lost.


    "Congrattions!" Li Huaibei smiled bitterly and saluted Li Yiming.


    "Congrattions on what? Who is she? What?" Li Yiming asked Li Huaibei. ¡¯At least he¡¯s still here...¡¯


    "She¡¯s Aunt Wu."


    "Yes, I know that already, but just who is Aunt Wu?"


    "Nine-step Sword," Li Huaibei said seriously.


    "Nine-step sword?"


    "Yes, Nine-step sword, Aunt Wu."


    "Who?"


    "You¡¯ve never heard of her name?" Li Huaibei asked.


    "What do you think?"


    Li Huaibei took a deep breath to calm down. ¡¯Doesn¡¯t seem like he wants to be her pupil, and yet...¡¯


    "Alright. Well, you know Mr. Kong, right?" Li Huaibei asked.


    "Yes." Li Yiming nodded and guessed whether Aunt Wu was rted to Mr. Kong.


    "Mr. Kong has never been defeated inbat, but someone did force him into a draw once."


    "Don¡¯t tell me that it¡¯s Aunt Wu..."


    "Yes. It¡¯s her. Aunt Wu, the nine-step sword. Thirty years ago, at the edge of the Southern Sea."

 Volume 7 Chapter 4

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "The battle at the edge of the Southern Sea?" Li Yiming asked. He now had a better understanding of Mr. Kong to be able to appreciate his strength. ¡¯Then Aunt Wu must be phenomenally strong as well...¡¯


    "Yes, thirty years ago..." Li Huabei sighed and looked toward the south. He began narrating a tale of the epic sh between Mr. Kong and Aunt Wu.


    "It was a clear day. A man wearing red and golden armor stood facing a woman dressed in a blue robe above the sea. It took only an exchange of nces for the sky to be ruptured by a giant dragon in the clouds carrying a golden staff in its mouth. The dragon was met in its descent by the shadow of an azure sword which emerged from a whirlpool that broke the still surface of the water. The sh of the two apparitions caused a giant tsunami to devastate the surroundings. It was as if it was the end of the world. At one point, even the seabed was uncovered from the violent waves, and all of the clouds in the sky were blown to pieces..."


    "Then, the man and woman smiled. Both of themplimented each other for their prowess..."


    "So, they only exchanged one move?" Li Yiming asked, engrossed by Li Huaibei¡¯s story.


    "Of course not. ording to the tale, they fought for three days and three nights. At that point, Mr. Kong was forced to use his special technique, The Sky-Breaking Fist, but was shortly countered by Aunt Wu¡¯s Palm of Mercy."


    "So Aunt Wu won?"


    "Aunt Wu pushed her advantage and used her Jade Shattering Palm..." Li Huai Bei continued.


    Li Yiming listened attentively as he gulped a mouthful of saliva..


    "But Mr. Kong, being the man he is, could not be defeated by such an attack, of course. He unleashed his secret technique as he pointed two fingers at Aunt Wu: Fingers of the Tranquil Sea."


    "In the end, it resulted in a draw again, both of them smiling andughing."


    "A battle of the ages" Li Yiming said, still enthralled by the story. He was especially captivated due to knowing both Mr. Kong and Aunt Wu personally. One had changed his life by giving him the invitation card, whereas the other just dered herself as his master.


    "Well, what can I say. You would be a good author on top of being a sage." Aunt Wu¡¯s amused voice was heard from behind.


    Li Yiming looked at her with newfound admiration. Despite her appearance, he knew that her de had the power to sunder the world.


    "Aunt Wu!" Li Huaibei saluted, his face still flushed from excitement.


    "Hah! Did you really take that as apliment? "Sky-Breaking Fist" and "Fingers of the Tranquil Sea"? Did you hear that from Ma Dafang?" Aunt Wu held a blue shopping bag and walked slowly toward the two with a sneering smile.


    "Is Li Huaibei¡¯s story wrong?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up. He was especially interested in learning about the details of the fight from one of the protagonists herself.


    "You should stop listening to rumors. I was simply enjoying the sun on a beach that day when an old man walked up to me. His face was covered with oil and he kept smoking in my face."


    "So you fought him?" Li Yiming was taken aback This was a radically different start from the one Li Huaibei recounted.


    "How could I? With my graceful manners, fighting at the mildest inconvenience?" Aunt Wu pulled on her sleeves and put her shopping bag to the other hand.


    "So you..."


    "I started yelling at him, of course. Who would have thought that he was an old sore too, refusing to put out cigarette until I won against him."


    "So..."


    "So we yed rock paper scissors. On the first round, I yed paper and won against rock. On the second round, I still yed paper but he won with scissors. Just before we could y the third round, he suddenly changed his mind and put out his cigarette," Aunt Wu sat down on the bench and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.


    <i>¡¯</i>Rock paper scissors? So, the Sky-Breaking Fist and the Palm of Mercy... The Jade Shattering Palm and the Fingers of the Tranquil Sea...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at Li Huaibei with eyes of a deceived man,pletely embarrassed at how gullible he was.


    Li Huaibei also froze in embarrassment.


    "Now then, I need to teach my pupil now. Go do whatever you need to do. I need to talk to him and go home to help my grandson with his homework." Aunt Wu waved her hand dismissively and turned toward Li Yiming.


    "Yes, Aunt Wu." Li Huaibei recovered his elegant air and bowed toward Aunt Wu before leaving.


    "Are you disappointed?" Aunt Wu asked.


    Regardless of which story was true, it was evident to Li Yiming that Aunt Wu possessed incredible powers, especially after defeating Heaven¡¯s Punishment without breaking a sweat. Li Yiming now sought for power more than ever in order to find out the truth about Mr. Kong. Normally, he would have gone to thetter for help, but after the series of events that had unfolded, he started to have some doubts about the veracity of Mr. Kong¡¯s words.


    "So you said that I¡¯m your pupil now..." Li Yiming said hesitantly.


    "I did say that I was going to take you as my pupil. You¡¯ve knelt three times, and so you are my pupil," Aunt Wu said with a serious countenance.


    "Master, please ept my respect." Li Yiming took a deep breath, raised both of his arms high, and bowed down.


    Li Yiming chose to trust Aunt Wu because he trusted Li Huaibei. Li Huaibei was a paragon of honesty, and if he respected Aunt Wu so much, then he could be sure that Aunt Wu meant him no ill.


    "Aren¡¯t you a good pupil." Aunt Wu smiled like a grandmother. "Alright, here¡¯s a candy for you."


    "Milk candy?" Li Yiming looked at the drawing on the wrapping of the candy.


    "I bought it for my grandson, but since you¡¯re here. Try it."


    "Thank you..." Li Yiming took the candy in confusion.


    "What are you waiting for, try it!"


    Li Yiming sighed. ¡¯Isn¡¯t she supposed to give me some kind of power item as a gift from master to pupil? Instead, I get milk candy?¡¯


    Li Yiming put the candy to his nose before eating it. ¡¯Smells normal. There¡¯s no mistake, it¡¯s just the ordinary candy I used to like so much...¡¯


    Li Yiming licked the candy to make sure onest time and then threw it into his mouth.


    Aunt Wu smiled in satisfaction.


    The next instant, the candy suddenly meltedpletely in his mouth and turned into a stream of hotness which went down his throat. He felt an explosion of energy in his stomach and suddenly fell down to the ground, limp.


    "What... did you give me?" Li Yiming spat out with difficulty.


    "A Fate Pill!"


    * * *


    "Are you sure?" Inside a sumptuously decorated office, an old man asked while tapping on the office table with his jade thumb ring.


    "Yes. Ying Mei didn¡¯t lie to us." A well-dressed man across the table answered cordially.


    "Is the source reliable?" The old man asked as he yed around with his jade trinket.


    "Naturally."


    "Anything else?"


    "There are three other teams hunting him down."


    "Oh?"


    "But we didn¡¯t figure out their identities yet."


    "Alright. Make sure you¡¯re careful to conceal yourselves. And keep an eye on Ying Mei. I can¡¯t imagine anyone brought up by Bing Shuai to be short of viciousness."


    "Yes." The man nodded and left.


    "Whoever kills Li Yiming will be made a sage... This is myst chance..."

 Volume 7 Chapter 5

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "So you went to see them already?" In an empty factory room, a man emerged from under a processing mill. He wore a pair of old, worn-out linen gloves, a set of discolored factory uniform, and a pair of protective sses.


    "Yeah, that¡¯s about it," A voice came from a lean figure sitting on a bench right next to the machine.


    "Why are you here then? I¡¯ve told you that I¡¯m not interested in whatever you¡¯re up to. I¡¯m satisfied with my life now." The factory worker removed his sses and wiped off his sweat with his greasy gloves.


    "I¡¯m just here to see you," The lean man said with a smile, disregarding the dissatisfied expression of his friend.


    "Hey, you¡¯re not allowed to smoke here." The worker frowned.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to set fire to your factory..." The lean man ignored the warning and lit up his cigarette.


    The factory worker sighed and continued his work on the processing mill.


    "I heard you wanted to see Aunt Wu?" The man inhaled a mouthful of smoke.


    "Did the kid tell you that?" The worker turned around and stopped what he was doing.


    "You don¡¯t need to go there. I¡¯ve seen what you¡¯re capable of. You won¡¯t be able to win against Aunt Wu." The man flipped his lips and brought his cigarette to his lips again.


    "Is that a challenge?"


    "I¡¯m only speaking the truth."


    "Did she really force you into a draw?" The worker suddenly said.


    "Not really. She only cast eight moves out of nine."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I¡¯ll admit that I did fall for a few of her tricks. Her way with the sword was exceptional too. She asked me to fight only until the ninth move, because that¡¯s how many she knew. I deflected the first three attacks and dodged the next three. I endured the seventh hit head on, but I had to block the eighth with my fists, and I¡¯m pretty sure that I would have been forced to draw my own weapon to block the ninth sword attack."


    "Why didn¡¯t she go all the way then?"


    "She knew that there would be no going back if she went to thest move. She most likely wanted to avoid that..." The man said.


    "Okay, so what do you want me to do?" The factory worker sighed and removed his gloves.


    "I need you to kill someone for me." The skinny man bit his cigarette, his face hidden by a veil of blue smoke.


    "Give me the name."


    "Liu Meng. I¡¯ll teach you thest three moves when you¡¯ve done the deed."


    * * *


    ¡¯The Fate Pill...¡¯ Li Yiming remembered what Bai Ze told him a long time ago. ¡¯Bodhi Leaf, the Water of the Past Life, the Fruit of Nirvana... Resetting one¡¯s talent.¡¯


    "I took a look at your condition. It¡¯s quite a rarity to be a sage at level six, a full level earlier than usual, but you¡¯ve still taken a shortcut. The power which resides within your body doesn¡¯t belong to you," Aunt Wu said as she sat on a stone bench nearby.


    Li Yiming found himself on the ground, deprived of all of his energy and unable to do anything other than listen to Aunt Wu.


    "I¡¯ve yet to determine your true identity, but needless to say, you¡¯re not who you appear to be. It would be aplete waste of potential for you to stop at sage-level."


    "This pill will reset your talent and wash away your old self. If you really are him, then your destiny will be changed the moment your power from another lifees back, but if you¡¯re not him, then none of this will matter..." Aunt Wu said as she stood up.


    "You will be on his list of people it needs to kill. It used to send one hundred thousand soldiers from the Heavens themselves for the deed, but now it¡¯s only a few inexperienced kids. You should be able to take care of them." Aunt Wu sighed and walked toward the exit of the park.


    The moment Aunt Wu vanished from sight, Li Yiming instantly recovered his strength. He sat up from the ground, looking at his hands dumbly ¡ª Everything he had acquired since the beginning as a guardian was now gone: his metallic orb, the mysterious rune inside his body, and even Bai Ze.


    He clenched his right fist, and as he had already guessed, the dome of light did not appear. ¡¯My boundary... I¡¯m no longer a sage.¡¯


    Li Yiming performed an introspection. He no longer found a single, golden Heavenly Vein, but rather five veins, each with a different color. He then turned his attention toward his talent. He saw a dark silhouette of a man standing, and two characters floating in the air.


    Wukong ¡ª Dance in the Air. [1]


    ......


    "There¡¯s something wrong with him." A man dressed in a cameo suit said as he observed Li Yiming from a skyscraper on the opposite side of the park.


    "Something¡¯s changed. His aura fluctuated and stabilized again. It¡¯s back to level six." Another man said as he kept both of his hands on his temples.


    "Is he trying to bait us into attacking first?" A tall man with fair skin said as he squinted his eyes.


    "I don¡¯t think so. That fat woman just gave him something to eat." The man in the cameo suit put down his binocrs.


    "So should we risk it?"


    "There¡¯s no need to. Other people will do the job." The dark-skinned man nced at a surveince camera nearby.


    "It¡¯s been a long time since old man Xie has done anything, most people have forgotten about him..."


    "Shame that those cowards earlier were scared off so easily. Otherwise, we would have been to have a look at his abilities..." The man who had his hands on his temples suddenly opened his eyes, revealing abnormally bloodshot eyeballs.


    "Don¡¯t expect those trash to give us any kind of useful information. They¡¯re far too weak... We should keep contact with Ying Mei to see what more she needs, we have to be careful around anyone who¡¯s worthy of such treatment from Heaven¡¯s Laws..."


    "Ying Mei just went to find old man Xie..."


    "No big deal. We share the same goal, and we¡¯ll see who¡¯ll have thestugh..." The dark-skinned man grinned.


    * * *


    Inside the luxuriously decorated living room, an old man stared at the monitors on his desk with a frown.


    "The baits have been scared off, should we try again?" A woman asked politely.


    "It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t think that other guardians will fall for it so easily anymore. We¡¯ve checked his strength, and that¡¯s all we needed..." The old man answered while ying with his thumb ring.


    "Mr. Xie, there¡¯s something wrong with that woman..."


    "Her? She¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m worried about. We might be able to take on a newly achieved sage, but her..."


    "Is there something wrong with her?" The woman asked curiously.


    "Have you ever heard of the battle of the Southern Sea?"


    "Aunt Wu? The Nine-Step Sword?" The woman¡¯s eyes widened.


    "Go buy some fruits, and give it to Aunt Wu. We should pay our respects to her first." The old man suddenly said.


    "Me?" The woman was shocked.


    "She won¡¯t harm you. Just be polite, and she¡¯ll talk to you."


    "Yes..." The woman bit her lip and acquiesced. Her master¡¯s words did not worried about facing Aunt Wu, who was rumored to be as strong as Mr. Kong.


    "What happened to Ying Mei?"


    "She went to the North aftering to see us."


    "The North?" The old man opened his eyes in surprise.


    "Yun Yiyuan is rumored to have been seen over there."


    "She has a big appetite..." The old man smiled.


    "News hase from Xiao Liu that Ying Mei went to see Pan Junwei beforeing to us."


    "Let her do what she wants. The more help she finds, the easier it will be for us." The old man closed his eyes once again and rxed against his long chair.


    * * *


    In the middle of the forest, a single mountain peak stood tall, reaching the clouds and providing refuge for the birds nearby. Halfway to the mountain peak, a young boy stopped his climb and looked at the rock at the summit.


    "This is as far as I¡¯ll go..." The young boy nced at his trembling legs and wiped away his sweat, putting down his bag.


    He opened his bag, revealing a bag of perfect-looking peaches arranged in a neat pile. The little boy took a deep breath and bowed down in the direction of the rock, and repeated his salutation until he performed a ritual of utmost respect, which consisted of nine kowtows.


    Uponpleting his salutation, the young boy took three steps backward and threw a long stare of admiration at the stone. After a while, he smiled and it seemed like he became one with the mountain peak for a short moment.


    "It¡¯s about to start..." The young boy said, saluted the peak once again, and finally left.


    1. This is a y on the homophone with Wukong, which originally means, "The one who has understood emptiness". Only that the first character, "Wu" (Îò), is reced by another "wu"(Îè), which means dance.

 Volume 7 Chapter 6

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    A group of five conspicuous people showed up at the entrance of the subway station. At the head was a young woman with long hair. Behind her was two other women, one possessing the charms of maturity, whereas the other of innocence. Following those women was a well-built man with a big beard and a skinny man with a pale countenance wearing a suit.


    "Wait here. I¡¯ll go get a car for us." Big Beard said with a sunken countenance.


    Liu Meng nodded and walked to the side with her cell phone.


    Eyesses squatted down and pulled out a tablet from his bag.


    "There¡¯s quite a lot of people in the city¡¯s surveince system. You¡¯d almost mistake this for a streaming channel..." Eyesses smiled in contempt.


    "Don¡¯t mind the small nuisances. We need to find him quickly. We don¡¯t have much time left." Qing Linglong said as she stared at the flow of peopleing in and out of the subway station.


    "Liu Meng, could you try calling him? Maybe we can track his signal down," Eyesses said as he plugged a sh drive into hisputer.


    "It¡¯s not going through." Liu Meng shook her cell phone and stretched herself.


    Vroom! Vroom!


    Two motorcycles nearby suddenly elerated and veered toward Liu Meng. One of the drivers, dressed in a leather suit with his face hidden by a helmet suddenly reached out with his gloved right hand.


    Liu Meng turned around after hearing the sound of the loud engines behind her, and the man snatched her cell phone and drove away before she could even react.


    "Robbery?" Liu Meng frowned, more amused than anything.


    Bang!


    The motorcycle¡¯s course was suddenly halted, and the vehicle crashed to the ground along with the two thieves. Screams of panic came from the crowd as it dispersed at the sight of Qing Linglong lowered her gun.


    "Really? All of this just for a cell phone?" Eyesses sighed.


    "How are we going to finish this up?" Liu Meng ignored the thief writhing in pain and looked at Qing Linglong.


    "We can¡¯t find him by ourselves." Qing Linglong said as she walked toward the two thieves.


    Bang!


    The thief who did not get shot initially scrambled for his life before a bullet pierced his shoulder and emerged from the front of his chest, causing him to tumble to the ground.


    "You¡¯re going to use the police?" Liu Meng nced at the first criminal, who was still as a corpse on the ground.


    "Yes. At least we would be able to create some chaos, and maybe track him down." Qing Linglong strolled toward the motorcycle and picked up Liu Meng¡¯s cell phone.


    "You... you..." The second thief moaned in agony and terror as he saw Qing Linglong approach him.


    Bang!


    Qing Linglong frowned in disgust and finished him off without hesitation.


    "That could work. We could get some valuable information by using the power of the government. That would also spare us the troubling of fighting the other small fries." Eyesses took out a stack of ID booklets and handed them out to his friends.


    "What is it?" A ck jeep drove slowly toward the group. Big Beard peeked out of the window with a cigar between his teeth.


    "It¡¯s nothing. We¡¯re just waiting for police. You should stay inside if you want to smoke, they don¡¯t allow public smoking here," Liu Meng said.


    "I¡¯m tired of standing." Qing Qiaoqiao pursed her lips and hopped onto the backseat.


    The wailing of the police sirens was heard after only a few minutes, showing their efficiency in answering a major emergency such as a firearm being fired in public.


    "What are they up to?" Sai Gao observed the scene from afar, pulling his hat down to prevent his face from being seen.


    "Liu Meng... Qing Linglong... Eyesses... Qing Qiaoqiao... Big Beard... Are you really here to kill Li Yiming?" Sai Gao left the scene discreetly.


    * * *


    ¡¯Wu Kong... Dance in the Air...¡¯ Li Yiming sat down on the patio of a coffee shop.


    ¡¯The only reward for losing everything... To have the Earth and the Heavens in your heart, but to be empty of all possessions and desires... What about the other way? To be detached from the world as an individual, but to care for every single living being, every single grass and insect?¡¯ Li Yiming sighed and sipped his burning coffee, at a loss for what to do next.


    ¡¯Heaven¡¯s Laws want me dead, and so do my friends. My new master gave me a Fate Pill, but all it did was to remove all of my techniques and my strength. And then she left without saying a word... What am I supposed to do?¡¯ Li Yiming thought.


    ¡¯I need a ce to try this new talent out, whatever it might be.¡¯ Li Yiming decided to familiarize himself with his new talent.


    Just as Li Yiming put down his cup and was about to leave, he froze still and nced at a waiter nearby in embarrassment.


    "Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" The waiter, who acutely caught Li Yiming¡¯s attention, approached him and asked politely.


    "No... Well... Could I have a cup of hot water?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Of course, one moment, sir." The waiter nodded and paced away.


    Li Yiming smiled in self-derision after realizing that he did not have a single penny on him. His storage ce vanished along with all of his belongings that it contained ¡ª his wallet, his cards, his cell phone, everything was now gone.


    Li Yiming puckered his lips as the waiter came back with a cup of hot water. ¡¯A sage ruined by a hottte...¡¯


    Thinking back on his journey, he remembered every event that had happened in the span of only a few months. He went from hitting the rock bottom of being betrayed by his girlfriend and wandering on the edge of suicide to bing a guardianmandering overwhelming powers and wealth. Now, he was back to his original state where it all started.


    He had wanted nothing more than living a normal life with his loved one, and to be able to provide for his family and kids. However, this idea was soon rendered into a pipe dream after being burdened with the task of rebelling against Heaven¡¯s Laws and piercing the clouds with his legendary staff. He still had some doubts about his identity, but he was now closer to the truth than ever. ¡¯Adventure to the East... Mr. Kong...¡¯


    * * *


    "I¡¯m ready." As a futuristic-looking wheelchair equipped with all kinds of functions was pushed into the room, the young girl with silver irises who sat on it raised her head and stared at the woman standing in front of her.


    "There¡¯s no need anymore..." The woman, dressed in a traditional outfit, answered.


    The young girl, whose hair was still wet from a bath, seemed like a fairy with her elegant air and sweet body aroma.


    "Are you giving up?" The girl asked all of a sudden.


    "No, we just missed our opportunity, we lost sight of it..." The woman answered.


    "Missed?" The girl asked.


    "I¡¯ll go with you this afternoon. We¡¯ll meet him together. You¡¯ll understand then."


    "I¡¯ll get to see him?" The girl asked.


    "Yes, you must."

 Volume 7 Chapter 7

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Ever since returning from the Pandaria, Shao Xian¡¯s mind had been wandering off. She had the feeling that she had forgotten something important. Every night, the tall silhouette of a man with long, silver hair performing a mesmerizing dance would haunt her dreams.


    Shao Xian had tried searching for information, which eventually led her to Fang Shui¡¯er, who seemingly shared a connection with the mysterious figure. However, she could not find anything beyond Fang Shui¡¯er. Apart from fragmented memories and the three million that appeared out of nowhere on her bank ount bnce, there was nothing more.


    Shao Xian returned to her city after the trip, but her life did not go on as usual. She doubted the choices she had made in the past and wondered whether it was worth it to sacrifice her dignity in the pursuit of her career.


    Instead, she decided to focus on the life skills she had acquired during her time spent on the inte and became a full-time video game streamer. From that day forth, the legend of the female challenger wearing a mask was born, and she began to gain an impressive number of followers online.


    Numerous teams and organizations offered her a deal, having noticed her tremendousmercial value, but Shao Xian had declined them all, choosing instead to continue streaming herself ying video games.


    Shao Xian always remained quiet when she yed, but some of the more observant fans noticed that she always seemed to be seeking something beyond the camera, as if she was waiting for someone.


    Shao Xian¡¯s daily life continued without much of a change, until today.


    "Who are you looking for?" Shao Xian opened the small window of her anti-burry door and looked at the man standing outside.


    "Are you Shao Xian?" The visitor smiled.


    "Yes," Shao Xian answered. The warm smile of the man made her lower her guard slightly, but his looks definitely worked against him ¡ª his short curly hair was unkempt, he wore a grey linen jacket and a pair of blue pants which were rolled up to his knees, revealing a pair of hairy legs. His shoes consisted of nothing more than a pair of stic sandals, and he held a worn-out knit bag.


    Although the man had a warm expression, Shao Xian could think of him as nothing other than a recyble materials collector.


    "So I¡¯m at the right address. May Ie in?" The man asked.


    "Huh?" Shao Xian hesitated for obvious reasons.


    "I have some things I¡¯d like to discuss with you." The man spoke with graceful manners.


    "About what?" Shao Xian pulled on the cor of her shirt, having been wearing her shirt rather casually as she was home alone.


    "Do you mind if I smoke?" The man suddenly stepped back and took out a half-finished pack of cigarettes.


    "I want you to sing a song for me." The man lit up a cigarette and was considerate enough to turn his head to the side before exhaling.


    "Sing a song? For you?" Shao Xian did not expect such a request, despite having received many simr ones before.


    "Yes. Only one song and you don¡¯t need to go anywhere special for it. You can just record it and release it on the inte." The man stepped back and took another whiff.


    "I..." Shao Xian hesitated.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to ask you to do it for free. Thepensation¡¯s in here. You can have a look at the song first and then decide." The man took out a brand-new enveloped from his bag and held it in front of the small window.


    "This..." Shao Xian received the object.


    "Thank you." The man saluted Shao Xian and turned around.


    "Hey... Wait... Hey!" Shao Xian said, but the man was already gone.


    ¡¯What...?¡¯ Shao Xian frowned as she looked at the envelope, creeped out by what just happened. She did not dare to run after the man, and thought about staying inside for a few days before leaving home again, for safety¡¯s sake.


    Shao Xian closed the small window on her door, observed the staircase outside for a while through the cat¡¯s eye, and then went back to herputer. She opened the envelope and found a sh drive and a bank card inside.


    "Compensation. Password: 000000." was written on the bank card with a marker. Shao Xian inserted the drive into a port on herputer and performed a virus scan. After opening it, she found a text file and an audio file.


    A brief nce at the text file revealed a few paragraphs of texts looking like the lyrics to a song.


    "The Great Path is invisible, but it gives birth to heaven and earth.


    The Great Path is impassive, but it moves moon and stars.


    The Great Path is anonymous, but it nurtures all.


    I don¡¯t know its name, so inadequately I named it the "Path".


    One¡¯s soul wants to be pure, but one¡¯s mind disturbs it;


    one¡¯s mind wants to be calm, but one¡¯s desires tethers it.


    Eliminating one¡¯s desires, one¡¯s mind will becalm;


    clearing one¡¯s mind, one¡¯s soul will be pure;naturally the desires from the six senses will stop emerging,


    and the three spiritual poisons will vanish.


    The reasonmon people cannot find the true Path, is because their minds are full of fantasies.


    As the mind is full of fantasies, the soul is disturbed; as the soul is disturbed, worldly temptations clung on; as worldly temptations clung on, greed emerges; as greed emerges, therees the worries.


    Worries and fantasies, agonizing the body and mind, tarnishing the soul, leading one to wander within cycles of life and death, and sink into an ocean of misery, losing sight of the true Path forever."


    ¡¯Are these the lyrics?¡¯ Shao Xian wondered. The paragraphs of texts seemed more like ancient scriptures than anything else, but it was a rather positive message. If it were lyrics for propaganda, she would have resorted to calling the police.


    Shao Xian clicked on the audio file, and an instrumental piece began ying.


    ¡¯This is amazing! How have I never heard this before? Who came up with this?¡¯ Shao Xian was amazed to hear the five traditional chords mixed together perfectly. The training she had received as a music student allowed her to quickly identify and note down every single note in the piece.


    After a short moment of listening, Shao Xian began searching online and found the lyrics without much difficulty.


    ¡¯The Scripture of Purity and Stillness? A Taoist scripture?¡¯ Shao Xian wondered. ¡¯What about the music?¡¯


    ¡¯...Nothing? Did that mane up with this? Who is he?¡¯ After a while of searching in vain, Shao Xian concluded that the man she had just met must have been the geniusposer of the song. However, as she tried to recall what the man looked like, she found herself only capable of remembering vague details such as his disheveled attire and his worn-out bag.


    Shao Xian turned her attention toward the bank card and used the number to ess the online banking system.


    ¡¯Five million forpensation?¡¯ The amountid before her eyes was beyond what she would have guessed.


    * * *


    "Is there something wrong?" Behind the window, the man stared at the coffee shop in the distance.


    "I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s been sitting there for three hours of drinking water. It¡¯s his ninth cup already." Another man with a sinister air put down his binocrs and said.


    "Nothing else?"


    "Nothing. No calls, no talking, just sitting there."


    "Has he looked our way?"


    "No. We¡¯ve checked the surveince. He nced at some passersby, but not a single time in our direction.


    "He knows then... He¡¯s waiting for us." The fair-skinned man sighed.


    "What?"


    "You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to deal with a sage. I don¡¯t think our interference barrier is doing much to hide our presence. When you think about it, I can¡¯t find another possible reason for sitting there and doing nothing," The fair-skinned man said, "If he wanted to talk with us, he could have given us a hint, but just sitting there... I can only think of it as a warning, or he¡¯s trying to lure us into making the first move."


    "So what do we..."


    "Let¡¯s follow the n. I¡¯ll go meet him." The fair-skinned man sighed and took out a vial of crimson liquid.


    "Boss..."


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just going there to have a quick talk. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll attack us first. He should have the pride of a sage, after all. Making it back in one piece shouldn¡¯t be too hard..."

 Volume 7 Chapter 8

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    After being handed his eleventh cup of hot water, Li Yiming¡¯s thoughts finally descended from the Heavens back down to Earth. He wanted to go to the bathroom, but after seeing the waiter looking at him suspiciously, he decided against it.


    The waiter had been secretly observing to Li Yiming and noticed his odd behavior, so he used the time he had between filling Li Yiming¡¯s cup to tidy his shoces in the case where he would have to try to chase after Li Yiming if thetter were to escape without paying.


    ¡¯What am I going to do?¡¯ The only slightly valuable possession Li Yiming had on him at the moment was his sports jacket, which he had bought three years ago and was now washed to the point that it became slightly discolored.


    Li Yiming was confident that he could outpace the waiter if he decided to make a run for it, but it was more a matter of dignity than anything else.


    ¡¯Wait...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up as he saw a well-built man with fair skin walking toward him. ¡¯A guardian, there¡¯s no mistake.¡¯


    The man only wore a very thin vest despite the cold weather ofte autumn. His muscles were well-defined, and if one were to look closely at his eyes, they would notice that they belonged to a bloodthirsty demon.


    ¡¯He looks pretty strong.¡¯ Li Yiming knew exactly what he was dealing with the moment he read the bloodlust in the man¡¯s eyes. ¡¯Alright, then, I won¡¯t feel guilty robbing this guy.¡¯


    "I¡¯ve made you wait quite a bit, Mr. Li." The man sat down facing Li Yiming, smiled and broached the subject without any roundabouts.


    "Oh? You knew I was waiting for you?" Li Yiming had a sly smile as he looked at the man¡¯s belt.


    "I should apologize. My master¡¯s instructions were... rather unclear. Please understand that we would notst very long if we did not think twice about our orders." The manughed loudly.


    "My name is Pan Junwei, people call me the armament machine. Looking forward to knowing you better." The man said as he raised his hand in Li Yiming¡¯s direction.


    ¡¯Ugh...¡¯ Li Yiming was suddenly at a loss for what to do next. ¡¯Really? Can¡¯t we just get to the action directly? Why do you have to make it seem like it came straight out of a movie set?¡¯


    "So, I was just wondering about..." The man continued without minding Li Yiming¡¯s confused look, but he was interrupted by a loud noise.


    Bang!


    Li Yiming frowned and rolled to the side.


    "A sniper rifle?" Pan Junwei instantly recognized the weapon, owing to his expertise at dealing with firearms, as his nickname suggested.


    ¡¯Shit, I¡¯m being framed.¡¯ Pan Junwei was certain that the shot did note from his subordinates, since he had given clear orders on restraining all hostilities before he finished his talk with Li Yiming.


    As the chair Li Yiming sat on exploded into a pile of wooden debris, Li Yiming stood up with a sunken expression and said, "Armor-piercing round..."


    "Would you believe me if I said that we didn¡¯t do it?"


    "I do." Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders.


    "Wait, what?"


    "Why wouldn¡¯t I?" Li Yiming retraced the trajectory of the bullet and found the firing location to be the fifteenth floor of an office tower nearby. He was already aware of there being more than one group of people seeking his head right now.


    "I¡¯m sorry about this." Pan Junwei saluted Li Yiming again. "I¡¯m an honest man. Even if I dide to kill you, I would have told you so before we fought."


    "What?" Li Yiming was dumbfounded. ¡¯So you¡¯re going to keep your manners while trying to kill me? Thanks, I guess...¡¯


    "The people concealing themselves in the darkness like cowards would be happy to see us fight. Perhaps you don¡¯t mind these small fries, but I don¡¯t n to be someone else¡¯s gun. I apologize for what just happened. Please, if there¡¯s anything I can do to make up for this..."


    "Well..."


    "Please, anything..." Pan Junwei insisted.


    "Can you give me some money for the coffee?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Coffee?" Pan Junwei was confused, but then looked at the mess that was caused by the cup spilling over and understood.


    "If it weren¡¯t for this... I think that we¡¯d be good friends." Pan Junwei looked at Li Yiming with respect, thinking that thetter was most likely offering him an easy way out of embarrassment. ¡¯As I¡¯ve thought, people who have the will to be a sage are no ordinary people.¡¯


    "I¡¯m paying for this gentleman¡¯s coffee. Keep the change aspensation for the damage caused here." Pan Junwei took out a thick pile of cash and put it down on the table.


    "I¡¯ll do my best next time we meet. Farewell..." Pan Junwei said before turning around and walking away.


    ¡¯Is this guy serious...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s eyes trailed Pan Junwei. He then nced at the pile of cash sitting on the table and at the waiter, who was trembling in a corner. Li Yiming sighed and left by the back exit before hearing the wailing of the police sirens in the distance.


    Shortly after leaving the scene, a brigade of police cars arrived, led by Liu Meng and her friends.


    "He¡¯s gone. The surveince system here isn¡¯t connected to the grid, unfortunately," Eyesses said and left for the kitchen.


    "Qiaoqiao, go interrogate that waiter. Big Beard, investigate that building," Qing Linglong gave her orders as she picked up the coffee cup.


    "Liu Meng..." Qing Linglong sniffed the coffee mug and gave it to Liu Meng.


    "It¡¯s him." Liu Meng said after closing her eyes for a while.


    * * *


    In a luxurious resort located deep within the mountains, a man rxed in a natural hot spring. In front of him stood a woman with delicate features and an expressionless face.


    "Give up. You can¡¯t kill him." The man¡¯s voice came from beneath the towel which covered his face.


    "So you¡¯re unwilling to help me?" The woman insisted.


    "Even if I did, you wouldn¡¯t be able to kill him,"


    "Why?"


    "I can¡¯t win against him." The man smiled bitterly.


    "So this is as far as the ambition of the invincible Yun Yiyuan goes?" The woman mocked.


    "You dare?" The steaming vapor which emanated from the hot spring suddenly transformed into thousands of little spears that shot toward the woman. The woman lifted her head proudly as she faced the deadly threat, and the spears stopped right before reaching her throat, only shredding her clothespletely.


    "That¡¯s a warning, and I¡¯m considering the long friendship I had with Bing Shuai." Yun Yiyuan said as the vapor dispersed once more.


    "You haven¡¯t answered me." Ying Mei¡¯s conviction did not diminish in the slightest.


    "Oh?" Yun Yiyuan removed the towel and examined Ying Mei¡¯s now exposed attractive curves.


    Ying Mei stared back straight into Yun Yiyuan¡¯s eyes with a fixed expression.


    "You said your name was Ying Mei?" Yun Yiyuan suddenly smiled.


    "Yes."


    "Bing Shuai didn¡¯t waste his time on you."


    "Is there a way to kill him?" Ying Mei pushed her demand.


    "He cannot be killed." Yun Yiyuan¡¯s countenance sunk.


    "What do you mean?"


    "He isn¡¯t mortal." Yun Yiyuan turned his attention toward thendscape in the distance.


    "I don¡¯t care. Is there a way to kill him?"


    "Why are you so intent on killing him?"


    "Tell me!"


    "Fine. Come over and I¡¯ll tell you." Yun Yiyuan showed hints of a wicked smile.


    Ying Mei hesitated before walking into the hot spring with the fire of spite burning ever so brightly in her eyes.

 Volume 7 Chapter 9

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    On one of the popr streaming tforms, the number of viewers quickly surged in a channel that had just gone live.


    "What is it?"


    "The Masked Goddess is starting her stream?"


    "It¡¯s started? Am Ite? It¡¯s earlier than usual!"


    "My queen! I love you!"


    Shao Xian had gathered a sizeable following partly owing to the rarity of being a female streamer, but also due to her technical prowess at the game. Moreover, having her face covered only made people even more curious, as many wondered what she truly looked like.


    The broadcast started after a slight dy, in the same room as usual. However, some of her viewers noticed something different this time around. She showed signs of hesitation, and instead ofunching the game silently, Shao Xian began adjusting her microphone.


    "Is our queen finally going to talk?" A string of messages came, one after another. The more loyal ones were the ones who had arrived early for the stream.


    After finishing her adjustment, Shao Xian nced at the camera again and tapped the microphone. She took a few deep breaths and finally took off her mask.


    "Wow!"


    "I¡¯m so d I tuned in today!"


    "Camera! Someone make a video out of this!"


    The chat window was instantly flooded with messages, to the point that the broadcast waspletely covered. Those with a slower inte connection could not even see Shao Xian clearly .


    "Hello?" Shao Xian said to her microphone.


    "We can hear you."


    "What a beautiful voice!"


    "What a sexy voice!"


    "Wow..."


    "I think I¡¯m in love..."


    Shao Xian¡¯s revealing herself caused quite a stir amongst her fans.


    "Today I¡¯m going to sing a song for you," Shao Xian said shyly. There was something strangely intimidating about singing to the inte that made her reluctant, despite her usually performing daring acts such as showing up in revealing outfits at parties.


    "Our goddess is going to sing?"


    "Crap! Go tell the others in the group chat!"


    "Make sure to send us a link after you¡¯re done recording this!"


    A plethora of donations and gifts were sent to Shao Xian by her fans following her announcement.


    "Finally! She¡¯s decided to do something new!."


    "She¡¯s not ying games today?"


    "Wow, so rare to see such a beautiful face..."


    "This is a clever marketing strategy."


    Those with a rational mind thought they "saw through" Shao Xian¡¯s clever strategy at gaining poprity, but they were vastly outnumbered by the fanatical fans who were flooding her chat with praise.


    "Alright, I¡¯m starting." Although Shao Xian did not see the influx of messages sent by her fans as she had thement disy turned off, she did notice the number of viewers on her channel skyrocketing.


    As the music began ying, Shao Xian closed her eyes and focused. "The Great Path is invisible, but it gives birth to heaven and earth..."


    As soon as Shao Xian started singing, thements immediately stoppeding in. It was a song so captivating it instantly entranced all of her viewers, making them forget who they were and what they were doing. The nearly hypnotical effectsted until Shao Xian finished her song and the screen turned ck.


    And then...


    "What¡¯s the name of that song?"


    "Did anyone record that? Please send it to me, my good friend!"


    "I didn¡¯te in time for the start, can someone send me a link?"


    "I¡¯ll pay for the recorded video!"


    "I¡¯m begging you, please give me the recording!"


    "Did anyone record? Please, give me a link!"


    The outpour of excitement that had started from Shao Xian¡¯s channel ended up blowing up the entire inte within ten minutes. All of the news outlets, all of the forums had the same title on their front page: "Divine Voice Materialized."


    * * *


    Inside a private minivan which zoomed on the highway, Fang Shui¡¯er silently stared at her tablet.


    "Shao Xian..." She sighed and looked out the window.


    "Could you take the next exit and make a U-turn?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked the driver through the inte.


    "Where are we going?" The driver asked.


    "Hangzhou."


    * * *


    Across the country, a young boy stopped and looked at the cell phone of a passerby with an intrigued expression.


    "What is it, young boy?" The man asked.


    "May I listen to what you¡¯ve just yed once more?"


    "Oh, you want to listen to the ¡¯Divine Voice Materialized¡¯? You have good taste. My two kids only listen to songs from their TV shows..." The man tapped on his screen and put his phone in front of the young boy.


    It was a poor quality recording of Shao Xian¡¯s performance, but it fully captured the attention of the young boy. After the song concluded, he bowed in the direction of the man and walked away with a stern expression.


    "So it¡¯s started?" The boy said with a tone unfitting of his age.


    * * *


    "Impressive." The factory worker said as he heard the music on the car radio of his old construction truck. He had a rxed expression and stared at the distance nkly.


    The next moment, his eyes widened and he bit his tongue, making himself bleed.


    "To live with few desires is not my purpose in life. I pursue only the way of the de," The man muttered as he nced at the pile of paper on the passenger¡¯s seat, on top of which was Liu Meng¡¯s picture.


    * * *


    In the cabin of a private jet, two women sat face to face. On the table between them was aputer which was ying a recording of Shao Xian¡¯s performance.


    "There¡¯s something wrong with this song." The younger one said as light appeared in her silver irises beneath the dark lenses.


    "You can tell?" The woman dressed in a traditional outfit smiled.


    "I don¡¯t know what it is, it¡¯s strange..."


    "Strange indeed. The lyricse from the Scripture of Purity and Stillness, but the tune..." Stargaze¡¯s smile cooled off as her eyes glimmered with a faint light.


    "Seal of Heart and Spirit..."


    * * *


    In an otherwise loud and bustling inte cafe, the entire room was dead silent except for the same video yed at every station. With zed eyes, every guest sat silently as the slow-paced song resonated within the room.


    Amongst those people, only one seemed to be unaffected, and he looked around with a frown.


    "The Masked Challenger..." The young man dialed a number on his phone, but hesitated to make the call.


    Right as he was about to press the call button, his phone rang.


    "Hello?" The young man put his phone to his ear.


    "Mr. Xie is asking me to tell you that he advises against your actions. He knows what you¡¯re thinking right now. If you value your own life, you should stay away from that woman." A cold voice was heard and the call was hung up.


    "Mind your own business..." The young man threw his phone onto the desk in frustration. He picked up his box of cigarettes and took one out.


    "I¡¯ll show you, I¡¯ll go there and see for myself." The young man picked up his phone and went through with the call he was so reluctant to make.


    "Go investigate that masked challenger girl for me. Quick!" The young man and hung up. He then stared at the me which came out of his lighter.


    * * *


    "Have you told him?" Mr. Xie sat still in his living room.


    "Yes, as you¡¯ve instructed me." A man who looked like his assistant answered reverently.


    "Send someone to keep an eye on him. I doubt he¡¯ll listen." Mr. Xie sighed.


    "Are you worried about that song?"


    "That song has little to do with us. I¡¯m worried about his biting more than he can chew."


    "I¡¯ll take care of it." His assistant nodded.


    "More importantly, what do you make of this?" Mr. Xie pushed hisputer screen in front of his assistant. It was a video of Li Yiming talking with Pan Junwei. Shortly into the footage, Li Yiming was seen rolling sideways to dodge the bullet shot at him.


    "Have we been found out?" The assistant asked as he was the one responsible for ordering the gunman to fire the round


    "No, I¡¯m talking about him," Old man Xie said as he pointed at Li Yiming.


    "What¡¯s wrong with him?"


    "An ordinary armor-piercing round fired from more than one kilometer away, and yet he had to roll on the ground to dodge. You¡¯d expect much more, wouldn¡¯t you?"


    "Are you saying..." The assistant¡¯s eyes lit up.


    "He¡¯s a sage, so why...?" Mr. Xie said as he closed his eyes with a frown.

 Volume 7 Chapter 10

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming pulled up the cor of his jacket as he walked into a residential neighborhood in the old city, a ce that gave him a better sense of security.


    He regretted not taking some money from the pile Pan Junwei had left. Without any cash, bank card, or ID card, getting anywhere was a tremendous challenge. After peeking at the surveince camera attached to the power pole above his head, he walked out of the small alley.


    Li Yiming had wandered around the coffee shop for a while after the incident. It was a bitter pill to see Liu Meng and his friends siding with the police, since it meant that he could not go to them for help, at least until he figured out how to break the influence of Heart Trial Punishment. In addition, seeing Eyesses also reminded him that in a big city where surveince is omnipresent, he would need to tread carefully and remain elusive.


    ¡¯I need to get out of this city...¡¯ Li Yiming grew more anxious as he considered his options.


    "Hey cutie, want to y?" Li Yiming¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by a voice from behind. He turned around and found a slightly plump woman with heavy make-up smiling at him. She wore a low-cut dress, along with poor quality stockings, and the visible fatigue on her visage made Li Yiming pity her.


    Li Yiming then noticed the giant neon sign right above her head: "Sauna center: massages, hair washing, and more!"


    ¡¯This might be the only ce where I can spend a night without an ID card...¡¯ Li Yiming gulped down a mouthful of saliva. The man who was bravely defying the Heavens just a few days ago was now forced to spend the night in an illegal brothel.


    ¡¯Seriously...¡¯ Li Yiming was beginning to appreciate the "real" consequences of defying Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    "Come on, cutie,e rx a bit!" The woman quickly insisted when she saw Li Yiming consider her offer. It was a treat for her to be able to have a client who was as handsome as Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming let out a long sigh and nodded politely, but still ended up turning around.


    ¡¯Shit, a drone...¡¯ Li Yiming had barely taken a few steps before noticing the aircraft above him and turned back. The woman, who saw Li Yiminge back, smiled happily as she opened the door for him.


    "Come have a look at this." In an office building on the other side of the city, Eyesses frowned as he looked at his screen.


    "Did you find anything?" Qing Linglong walked up with a ss of red wine.


    "I¡¯ve captured this a few moments ago. Seventy-two percent match." Eyesses pointed at a picture of Li Yiming walking into the "sauna center".


    "That¡¯s not him." Liu Meng snorted as she saw the neon sign on top of the entrance.


    "Let¡¯s keep searching then." Qing Linglong did not question Liu Meng¡¯s judgment.


    Eyesses shrugged his shoulders and continued filtering through the surveince footage.


    "Alright, cutie, my boss isn¡¯t there today, so I¡¯ll only give you fifty percent off for the entire course." As soon as Li Yiming stepped into the room, the woman approached him aggressively, and he reactively ran to a corner.


    "Oh? Are you shy?¡¯ Her face lit up with joy and she flushed.


    "Can we talk..." Li Yiming now regretted his decision of entering the ce to escape surveince.


    "Talk? Haha, you¡¯re funny. Alright then, what do you want to talk about?" Li Yiming¡¯s embarrassed look once again made her smile. She put her arms on the counter, further putting her chest on disy for Li Yiming to see.


    "Uh... I don¡¯t have any money..." Li Yiming could not think of anything else to deter her.


    "What?" The womanughed.


    "I¡¯ve told you that I¡¯m only taking half price..." The woman stuck out her tongue slowly and licked her lips. Li Yiming shuddered in horror.


    "I really don¡¯t have money. Someone stole everything I had..." Li Yiming pulled out both of his pockets to show that he was not lying.


    "Why are you here then?" The woman finally showed a displeased look.


    "I¡¯m here to borrow some money..." Li Yiming said without thinking.


    "Borrow money?" The woman was baffled. ¡¯Is he some kind of gang member here for protection fees?¡¯


    "Yes." Li Yiming nodded.


    "Is this supposed to be a joke?" The woman¡¯s expression suddenly turned cold as she wrapped her arms around her chest, bringing them further up and making Li Yiming look away.


    "Someone stole my money... I lost my cell phone too. I was walking by this ce, and you seemed like a nice person so... I¡¯ll pay you back a hundredfold... No, a thousandfold..." Li Yiming had given up all of his pride at this point.


    "Do I look like a nice person to you?" The woman asked.


    "Well, you don¡¯t look like a bad person..." Li Yiming examined the woman and could find nothing but lust in all honesty.


    "Well, I didn¡¯t get any clients today, so this is all I have. Leave." She pulled out a hundred yuan bill from the folds of her underwear and threw it toward Li Yiming. She then turned around to hide her dejection.


    She knew that if it was not due to circumstances, Li Yiming would never have chosen to beg her for money. This pained her, as it reminded her of the painful decision she had made a long time ago to enter the industry, which resulted in her present state.


    Li Yiming picked up the still warm bill and sighed as he could feel the turbulent emotions of the woman who was kind enough to help him. He wanted to put down the bill, but finally clenched it tightly and vowed toe back and repay the favor one day. He looked up at the sky and walked out when he found it to be clear of drones.


    "Is that you? Mr. Li?" Another voice came from behind. Li Yiming turned around and found a young woman with a well-proportioned body wearing a hat and sunsses this time.


    "You are..." Li Yiming looked around and found no one else. He scrutinized the young woman. ¡¯Gym clothing, running shoes, snacks and drinks... She¡¯s juste back from the supermarket.¡¯


    "It¡¯s me... Why... why are you here?" The young woman removed her sunsses and mask as she looked at the giant neon sign behind Li Yiming.


    "Shao Xian?" Li Yiming said with a voice full of surprise.


    "I..." Shao Xian was happy at being recognized until she noticed the building behind Li Yiming.


    "I¡¯m... I¡¯m just walking by..." Li Yiming could not find a better exnation.


    "What a coincidence then!" Shao Xian could feel Li Yiming¡¯s embarrassment.


    "Yes, what a coincidence!" Li Yiming sighed.


    "So, can we go out for a meal together?" Shao Xian mustered up the courage to ask. She did not quite know why, but she thought that she should thank Li Yiming.


    "A meal?"


    "Yes, just eating together." Shao Xian nodded.


    "Sure..." Li Yiming nodded as he felt his stomach stir. Thest full meal he had was on the Pandaria with Chen Quan.


    "Really?" Shao Xian¡¯s eyes lit up.


    "Yes, I am hungry..." Li Yiming put the bill he had just received into his pocket.


    Li Yiming and Shao Xian sat down at a table on the street with a few tes of food on the table between them. Shao Xian pointed at the poorly cooked meal and asked, "Are you sure that you¡¯re okay with this?"


    "It¡¯s good enough," Li Yiming answered honestly.


    The two sank into another long silence as Li Yiming gulped down the meal without looking at Shao Xian. She wanted to take Li Yiming to a more upscale location, but Li Yiming refused, knowing that such ces were filled with surveince cameras.


    "Thank you for the three million." Shao Xian suddenly raised her head.


    "It was a favor for someone else. You should thank Fang Shui¡¯er," Li Yiming said while keeping his eyes on his te.


    ¡¯Right...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s words saddened Shao Xian, and she started to wonder why she could not seem to remember her first encounter with Li Yiming and everything else that happened after aboard the cruise ship.

 Volume 7 Chapter 11

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "So, why are you here?" Li Yiming wiped his mouth and asked after reaching the end of the awkward meal.


    "I used to attend university here. After graduating, I¡¯ve been living in the area." Shao Xian said without looking back at Li Yiming.


    "You live around here?"


    "Yeah, I¡¯m renting a ce not too far away from that intersection." Shao Xian pointed at a residential area nearby.


    "You live alone?" Li Yiming asked. After filling his stomach, he found himself able to think more clearly.


    "Yeah. I¡¯ve always been living alone." Shao Xian said rather bitterly.


    "Hey, can I live with you for a while?" Li Yiming asked without thinking. His mind was fully engrossed with thoughts about Mr. Kong, Aunt Wu, and the need to find a ce to hide from Eyesses and the other groups of guardians hunting him down. With his mind so preupied with such concerns, he carelessly asked the question, not taking Shao Xian¡¯s reaction into consideration.


    "What?"


    "I don¡¯t have a ce to live right now," Li Yiming said. In addition to the fact that only a couple of people knew about their connection, Shao Xian was also a local resident, so living with her would greatly reduce the chance of being exposed.


    "How... how about we go to a hotel?" Shao Xian¡¯s heart raced when she stared at Li Yiming, unable to find the courage to refuse.


    "We can¡¯t. Can I just stay at your ce for a bit? It won¡¯t be very long." Li Yiming dismissed the idea instantly, knowing that the police would surely track him down at whatever hotel he decides to stay at.


    "But..." Shao Xian¡¯s face reddened as her thoughts wandered.


    "If it¡¯s too much of an inconvenience..." Li Yiming finally caught onto Shao Xian¡¯s hesitance.


    "Oh no, it¡¯s not. I¡¯m just wondering if it¡¯ll be too small for you." Shao Xian almost panicked at Li Yiming¡¯s change of mind.


    "Are you sure?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Yes." Shao Xian closed her eyes, too shy to look back at him.


    Li Yiming and Shao Xian left the street food vendor¡¯s shop in a hurry. Both of them failed to see the taxi parked on the bridge above. On the passenger¡¯s seat sat Sai Gao, who tapped the shoulder rest as he stared at the sky.


    "Li Yiming... So you are involved in all of this..." Sai Gao licked his middle finger, and the cab driver¡¯s mind was instantly filled with lustful desires.


    The driver had been trying to guess Sai Gao¡¯s sex the moment thetter boarded his cab. Furthermore, Sai Gao had requested to have a look at the city on top of the bridge, which the cab driver found to be a rather strange request.


    "Alright, just drive around." Sai Gao said after taking a deep breath. The taxi soon drove onto the road and disappeared into the traffic.


    Li Yiming walked side by side with Shao Xian, while maintaining a distance that suggested a courteous friendship between the two.


    "I have a favor I¡¯d like to ask," Li Yiming suddenly said.


    "What?" The sudden request made Shao Xian quite nervous.


    "Could you lend me some money?" Li Yiming decided to speak honestly.


    "Money?" The favor was not one that Shao Xian was expecting.


    "Something... happened. I lost all my money." Li Yiming found it embarrassing to broach the subject, but was less worried about confessing to Shao Xian than to a total stranger.


    "How much do you need?" Shao Xian asked. She knew how wealthy people usually treated money as nothing more than just a number, so she already expected Li Yiming to ask for a sum which was beyond her financial capacity.


    "One hundred fifty thousand..." Li Yiming said.


    "One hundred fifty? Alright, let me make the transfer." Shao Xian was relieved at hearing a number that was just a fraction of the sum Li Yiming had given her earlier.


    "I need it in cash." Li Yiming looked at the ATM across the street.


    "Cash? Sure." Shao Xian followed Li Yiming¡¯s nce.


    "Let¡¯s go together." Li Yiming held the stic bag Shao Xian gave him and followed behind.


    Shao Xian quickly returned with a stack of banknotes. One-hundred-fifty thousand in bank notes, even in the biggest denomination, resulted in quite a thick pile.


    "Thanks, you can put it inside." Li Yiming took a handful from the pile and held the stic bag so Shao Xian could put the rest of the bank notes in.


    "Could you do me another favor?" Li Yiming asked hesitantly.


    "Yes?"


    "Could you deliver this to that ce?" Li Yiming looked at the small alley from which he came out of earlier.


    "That ce?" Shao Xian¡¯s countenance finally shifted as she was forcefully reminded of where Li Yiming came out earlier, which was something she would rather forget about.


    "Yes. There¡¯s a woman there. Could you give the money to her?" Li Yiming was a man who kept his promises.


    "Um..."


    "I owe her." Li Yiming said with a serious voice as he reached out for the hundred yuan bill in his pants¡¯ pocket.


    "You owe her?" Shao Xian looked at the entrance to the alleyway, and then at Li Yiming again. She could see him putting a hand around his crotch. ¡¯He... What? How did he even manage to spend one-hundred-thousand in a ce like that? How many times...? I don¡¯t understand...¡¯


    However, as Li Yiming looked at her supplicatingly, Shao Xian did not find the courage to refuse him. Li Yiming would have done the deed himself, but he found it too tremendous of a task to face the woman in the sauna center again.


    Just as Li Yiming stared at Shao Xian¡¯s back as she entered the sauna center, someone else was watching Li Yiming from the distance. Despite his heightened senses, Li Yiming failed to notice the woman¡¯s presence.


    "Impressive, he¡¯s managed to find her this quickly?" Aunt Wu took an apple out of her shopping bag and took a big bite. She then left for an intersection nearby.


    "I¡¯ve given her the money, she said..." Shao Xian returned as quickly as she could.


    "Alright then, let¡¯s go." Li Yiming interrupted Shao Xian and turned around.


    The sight of Li Yiming walking out of a sauna center and devouring his meal at a street vendor was such a stark contrast with the Li Yiming with long silver hair dancing elegantly and fighting with the sword that it caused great confusion to Shao Xian. She followed Li Yiming behind as she thought about how he requested rather forcefully to go home with her.


    "It¡¯s here." Shao Xian pushed open the door slowly and turned back toward Li Yiming.


    "Okay." Li Yiming walked into the apartment. He was busy remembering his conversation with Pan Junwei in the hopes of finding a clue about thetter¡¯s strength and talent.


    "You can pass me the groceries. I¡¯ll tidy this ce up right away." Shao Xian took the stic bags from Li Yiming and put them down in a corner.


    "Alright." Li Yiming acquiesced. He sat down on the sofa absentmindedly and put his arm on the hand rest, only to pick up a small piece of fabricying around.


    ¡¯What is this... Laced underwear!?¡¯ Li Yiming was instantly pulled back into reality. He looked around and realized that just as Shao Xian said, her home was quite small. It consisted of nothing more than a single room with a sofa, a bed, and aputer desk. The closet doors were half-open, and, although the room was rtively clean, it was very disordered.


    Shao Xian had been living alone for a while, and so she did not have the habit of always keeping everything neat and tidy. Li Yiming found several pieces of underwear and stockings, all of the sensual kind, lying around. It was a mess which would take a while for Shao Xian to put away.


    "Make yourself at home. I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll go take a shower..." Shao Xian dove into the bathroom with a flushed face upon noticing Li Yiming¡¯s staring around.


    ¡¯Did I... make a mistake ining here?¡¯ Li Yiming unconsciously tightened his grip on the fabric of the underwear he held.

 Volume 7 Chapter 12

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    After a long period of hiding in the shadows to prevent himself from being spotted, Li Yiming was finally able to settle down. Just as he was able to have peace of mind for a change, Shao Xian walked out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around her body.


    Having worked as a model for many years, Shao Xian knew full well how to appeal using her physical allure. As such, even a garment as simple as a single piece of towel had many considerations. The towel was purposefully wrapped in a way which was mped tightly around her body, stopping at just below her buttocks, which made for a perfectbination with her still dripping wet hair tied behind her head.


    She slowly made her way toward Li Yiming, walking as if she was on a fashion stage, and putting on disy her slender legs.


    Li Yiming gulped down a mouthful of saliva as his breathing quickened. It was not long before his rational judgment sumbed to the onught of lustful desires. He pinched his thigh in an attempt to calm himself down, but it ended up having the opposite effect, further stimting his desires.


    Ever since Li Yiming split away from Ji Xiaoqin, he has not had the opportunity to unleash his biological urges. Unlike the woman in the sauna center, Shao Xian was like a delicate flower which had juste out of water, elegant and beautiful.


    For Shao Xian, her time on the Pandaria was a life-changing experience. She began to hate her former self, but when Li Yiming showed up and hinted the obvious, she did not hesitate for a fraction of a second. Perhaps she wanted to pay back her debt, or perhaps she was genuinely attracted to Li Yiming. One thing she knew for sure ¡ª she could not refuse him.


    "Do... do you want to take a shower first?" Shao Xian whispered.


    As Li Yiming¡¯s breathing grew heavier and heavier, he ripped off his own shirt, sending the banknotes flying around the room. It was now a room filled with two of the deadly sins of humankind: greed and lust.


    Li Yiming reached out with his hand and inched closer to Shao Xian.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Three loud thuds were heard in quick session. Li Yiming¡¯s hand froze just inches short of the white towel. It took tremendous power of will for him to stop himself.


    Shao Xian nced at the door, and then back at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming let out a long expiration and continued his move.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    "Open the door! I know you¡¯re inside!" A voice of a man who sounded irritated was heard.


    Li Yiming instantly pulled back his hand and jumped away from Shao Xian. He looked at her in surprise and confusion. ¡¯Is this... her boyfriend?¡¯


    Shao Xian also put her hands on her chest and walked to her bed. She picked up a bedsheet and rolled it around herself to cover her attractive curves, leaving only her head visible.


    "Your boyfriend?" Knowing full well that her ce was not soundproof, Li Yiming asked in a low voice.


    Shao Xian shook her head.


    "Husband?" Li Yiming thought of an even worse possibility.


    Shao Xian shook her head again.


    "Landlord?" Li Yiming asked.


    Shao Xian frowned as Li Yiming¡¯s guesses were bing more and more ridiculous.


    The door kept on getting knocked at a pace hinting at the person¡¯s impatience. Li Yiming took a deep breath and decided to greet whoever was at the other side of the door. He decided to take responsibility in a situation where Shao Xian could not. After onest nce at Shao Xian, he turned the doorknob and found a young man in his twenties with bleached hair, wearing white jeans and a ck leather jacket.


    "Who are you looking for?" Li Yiming asked.


    "You..." The man clearly did not expect to see Li Yiming, but was then amused when he saw the inside of the room. The hot humidity in the air, the cash on the ground, and Shao Xian¡¯s flushed face all suggested at a single possibility. The only question now was whether he arrived too soon or toote.


    "I¡¯m looking for her. Are you done? You can leave." The man pushed Li Yiming to the side and was going to step into the room.


    "Wait!" Li Yiming said and nced at Shao Xian. Judging from the situation, he did not think that Shao Xian knew the person.


    "I don¡¯t know him." Shao Xian said.


    "Oh, you¡¯ll know me soon enough." The man frowned at Li Yiming blocking his passage.


    "If you don¡¯t know her, then maybe you shoulde back at another time."


    "Oh? So you¡¯re her man?" The young man smiled in derision.


    Li Yiming looked back calmly and waited for the young man¡¯s next move.


    "Your name is Shao Xian, right? I know who you are, I know what you do. I¡¯ll give you double what he offered. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not interested in your body. I just want to ask a few questions." The man said proudly.


    "Leave!" Shao Xian suddenly burst out in anger at hearing such a demeaning remark, especially when it was in front of Li Yiming.


    "What?" The young man was taken aback.


    "Do I need to repeat it?" Li Yiming¡¯s countenance sank as he was also angered by the remark.


    "You should stay out of this. If you were just here to have fun, you might as well leave now. Otherwise, you¡¯ll regret it for the rest of your life..." The man suddenly showed a cold expression.


    ¡¯Bloodlust...¡¯ Li Yiming now knew what kind of person the young man was.


    "I don¡¯t care what you want, juste back at another time," Li Yiming said calmly.


    "You little..." The young man suddenly punched Li Yiming¡¯s chest with his right first.


    Li Yiming, who had been on his guards, caught the blow with his left hand.


    "Oh?" The young man did not expect Li Yiming to stop his blow, much less being unable to free himself from the grip.


    "Let me go..." The young man¡¯s face contorted with fury as he slowly pulled out of gun from his left pocket.


    ¡¯He...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The gun worried him less than the manner by which it was pulled out; the weapon appeared in the young man¡¯s hand as thetter¡¯s watch shed.


    ¡¯He¡¯s a guardian...¡¯

 Volume 7 Chapter 13

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming slowly released his grip as he stared at the gun.


    The young man smiled in contempt and cast down a dominating look on Li Yiming. "Should¡¯ve listened to me earlier! Kneel!"


    "You..." Shao Xian was paralyzed by terror as she looked at the handgun. She was initially overjoyed at being saved like a princess by her prince charming, but the sight of the firearm chilled her blood.


    "What do you want?" Li Yiming said in an impassive voice.


    "Shut up and kneel down!" The young man mistook Li Yiming¡¯s calmness for terror and smashed Li Yiming¡¯s head with his weapon, thinking thetter would be too afraid to even react.


    Li Yiming dodged back and threw out a counter blow. A crack was heard as he rammed his elbow into the young man¡¯s nose, causing thetter to fall back with blood gushing out from his nostrils. Li Yiming pushed his advantage and disarmed his opponent with his right hand.


    "You little..." The young man retaliated in anger as a ck dagger appeared in his left hand and he shed at Li Yiming¡¯s throat.


    Li Yiming raised his right arm and made an attempt to parry the blow with the firearm he had just acquired. However, the dagger cut through metal like a knife through hot butter as the man showed a sinister smile, ready to slice through Li Yiming¡¯s hand.


    Li Yiming suddenly raised his arm high up, interrupting the young man¡¯s thrust and dragging his weapon along.


    "You..." Li Yiming¡¯s speed waspletely unexpected to the young man, which was clearly beyond that of an ordinary human being.


    Meanwhile, Li Yiming used his other fist to punch the young man¡¯s ribs three times, with the sound of the bones breaking clearly audible as he delivered blow after blow.


    "I¡¯ll kill you!" The young man twisted back in a frenzied rage and threw a sh at Li Yiming with another dagger.


    With a strike at the man¡¯s wrist, Li Yiming interrupted the attack, followed by a shove which drove the dagger into his own chin. The de¡¯s tip emerged out the young man¡¯s head, and he fell down to the ground, limp. A small stream of blood slowly seeped out of his head and tainted the carpet red.


    Li Yiming was not about to hold any pity for a guardian who was ready to kill him.


    "You... you killed him!" Only now did Shao Xian react to the chain of events.


    Li Yiming crouched down and examined the corpse. He removed the space-storage item and held it in his hand. After a long silence, he turned around and looked at Shao Xian. ¡¯Didn¡¯t look like he knew me... So that means he was here for Shao Xian? But why?¡¯


    "Are you sure you don¡¯t know him?" Li Yiming asked.


    "I... I¡¯ve never met him before." Shao Xian panicked after seeing no reaction whatsoevering from Li Yiming, who had just murdered a man.


    "You..." The biggest problem Li Yiming now faced was how to protect Shao Xian from all of the trouble that would soon ensue. Shao Xian had agreed to help him, and he was ready to repay the favor.


    "Hm?" Li Yiming turned his head toward the door. ¡¯One... two... three... Seven people?¡¯


    Li Yiming frowned as he could determine from the pacing of the footsteps that the iers, which were running up the stairs at lightning speed, were not ordinary people.


    "We have to leave!" Li Yiming suddenly dashed toward the bed, picked up Shao Xian as she screamed in surprise, pushed open the window and dove into the darkness of nightfall.


    * * *


    "Mr. Xie..." The assistant opened the door to the office in a panic.


    "What is it?" The old man answered as he yed around with his jade thumb ring.


    "It¡¯s the young master! He went to find that girl..." The assistant stammered.


    "Alright, let me talk to him." Mr. Xie sighed and sat up straight.


    "He... When he arrived at the girl¡¯s home, Li Yiming was also there..." The assistant said.


    "Li Yiming?" Mr. Xie finally caught onto the gravity of the situation.


    "We¡¯ve left the girl undisturbed, as you¡¯ve instructed us. So we didn¡¯t receive the information that Li Yiming was with her."


    "What happened to him?" Mr. Xie squinted and asked.


    "The young master is... dead..." The assistant did not dare to look at his master in the eyes.


    Crack!


    The jade thumb ring, a precious jewelry article worth a fortune, was turned to dust. The assistant cowered in fear as lowered his head and stared at his own feet, afraid to make eye contact with his master.


    "Are you sure that he did it?" The old man¡¯s chest heaved.


    "When our team arrived, Li Yiming jumped out of the window with Shao Xian. All witnesses pointed to Li Yiming..."


    "Li Yiming..." Old man Xie closed his eyes and raised his chin to adjust his irregr breathing.


    After a long silence, Mr. Xie slowly rxed his clenched fist and put his hand on the jade fragments which were on the table. As a blue light appeared around his hand, the fragments flew around and assembled themselves back into a perfectly intact thumb ring.


    "Tell them to carry out the n..." Mr. Xie said calmly, but the assistant could hear the rage in his voice.


    * * *


    "I found him!" Inside the police headquarters, Eyesses suddenly looked up from his screen and eximed.


    "Really? Where?" Qing Qiaoqiao took her feet off from the office desk and ran toward Eyesses, followed by the rest of the team.


    "Inside the old city. This is footage from fifteen minutes ago." With a quick tapping of the keyboard, Eyesses brought up a video for Li Yiming running with Shao Xian on his shoulders. Judging from the video, it looked like Shao Xian had been previously naked before getting caught on camera. Her terrorized expression suggested at perhaps a kidnapping.


    Li Yiming stared back at them with a frown, having obviously discovered the camera.


    "What is he doing? Kidnapping?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked.


    "The same clothing, so it was him back at the sauna center..." Qing Linglong remarked.


    A fizzling sound was heard. Big Beard looked up and saw a red glow from Liu Meng¡¯s hand which melted the brick wall intova, trickling down between Liu Meng¡¯s fingers and dropping onto the ground.


    "Where is he?" Liu Meng asked in a cial tone.


    "He knows about us, and he¡¯s avoiding the cameras on purpose. I sent all of my drones his way." Eyesses shrugged his shoulders and said. Liu Meng¡¯s Heart Trial Punishment was superior to that of the other team members, which made her a natural leader with fearsome authority.


    "Tell me when you find him." Liu Meng said as she took a deep breath to rpose herself.


    "What is it with her?" Qing Qiaoqiao muttered.


    "Just do your own job." Qing Linglong rolled her eyes at her younger sister.


    Big Beard nced at the melted wall and sank into a contemtive silence.

 Volume 7 Chapter 14

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming closed the door behind him and sat down on the sofa. He nced at Shao Xian, who curled up into a ball in the corner. Two hours after being raided by guardians, he had chosen to return to Shao Xian¡¯s apartment. The ce and the settings were the same as before, but the atmosphere was no longer what it used to be.


    Li Yiming knew that the guardians involved with the young man would not choose to involve the police in the incident, so he returned to the most dangerous location, which happened to also be the safest by reverse psychology. The apartment had been perfectly restored to its normal state, with even the bloodstains on the carpet meticulous cleaned.


    ¡¯These people are professionals. But why are they after Shao Xian?¡¯ Li Yiming wondered.


    "Was my dream... all real?" Shao Xian asked after bearing witness to such a traumatic experience. Under the effect of the shock, the memories of the events on the Ind of Eternity began to slowlye back.


    Li Yiming nodded. To his wonderment, Shao Xian¡¯s memories during that period did not seem to have been wiped out at all.


    ¡¯Shao Xian, Chen Quan, Lin Lu, and Shen Jianming... Do they remember because of me?¡¯ Li Yiming pondered as there had to be a reason for someone like Shen Jianming, who was in the prime of his age, to choose to retire rather than continue serving the country.


    The room sank back into silence after Shao Xian received confirmation from Li Yiming. After a while, she walked up to her closet, still wearing nothing but a nket, picked out a casual outfit and entered the bathroom.


    Li Yiming sighed and closed his eyes. He focused his attention on the two mysterious characters and the shadow present in the deepest corner of his mind. As for Shao Xian, aftering out of the bathroom, she began tidying up the room.


    As the light from the dawning sun began to slowly crawl its way between the slits of the curtain, Shao Xian finished her work. She wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead and looked at Li Yiming, who was still meditating quietly on the bed. She felt a strange sense of satisfaction from simply being with Li Yiming and living as if they were a couple.


    "Can I... go buy something to eat?" Shao Xian took care of personal hygiene after finishing cleaning up and put on her mask and sunsses. Just as she was about to open the door, she remembered the circumstances they found themselves in and asked Li Yiming.


    "Well, if you really have to..." Li Yiming sighed.


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    The door was being knocked on once again. Shao Xian trembled as she sought refuge behind Li Yiming¡¯s back, wary of another hostile intruder.


    "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s me." A gentle voice was heard.


    "Sai Gao?" Li Yiming frowned.


    "You can open. You know Heaven¡¯s Laws has no influence on me." Sai Gao said earnestly.


    There was no reason for Li Yiming to doubt Sai Gao, as being a camouger meant that he could not be controlled by Heaven¡¯s Laws. In addition, their interests were undoubtedly aligned due to their both being bugs in the system. Li Yiming took a deep breath and opened the door.


    "It must have been tiring to run around naked in the middle of the night. Here¡¯s some food for you." Sao Gao smiled and said as he showed him a vinyl bag.


    Shao Xian blushed at his yfulment.


    "You were watching us the whole time?" Li Yiming asked.


    "I came looking for her, but you were faster, that¡¯s all." Sai Gao took the stic bag and started to unpack it. Fried dough sticks, soy milk, steamed buns... It was all simple but delicious-looking food.


    "You¡¯re here for her too?" Li Yiming nced at Shao Xian and then asked.


    "I don¡¯t know what you like, so I bought a little bit of everything. I hope you don¡¯t mind." Sai Gao put a straw into the cup of soy milk and offered it to Shao Xian.


    The sight of a man with such perfect physique and air was so imposing that Shao Xian could not look at Sai Gao in the eyes. ¡¯That astrology site didn¡¯t lie to me when it said that I would meet attractive people this month...¡¯


    "Wait, why are you all looking for her?" Li Yiming asked the question which had troubled him for so long.


    "What? You don¡¯t know?" Sai Gao asked with a frown.


    Li Yiming waited for the exnation patiently, as he realized that he had been missing out on something important.


    "You... you did this, right?" Sai Gao took out his cell phone and yed a song with it.


    "Yes." Shao Xian nodded timidly, red-faced from having a fan so handsome.


    "Listen to it." Sai Gao put down his cell phone on the table and picked up a steamed bun.


    "Wait, you sang this?" Li Yiming looked at Shao Xian as he watched the video. It was the video of Shao Xian performing in her own apartment.


    "What is it...?" Shao Xian felt intimidated by the intensity of Li Yiming¡¯s stare, especially after witnessing him kill someone without showing much emotion.


    "Who gave the song to you?" Li Yiming asked with a sunken countenance. Sai Gao, who had finished eating, waited eagerly for the answer.


    "It was a strange man," Shao Xian answered as she could feel the sudden change of the atmosphere.


    "What do you mean?" Li Yiming pressed on.


    "I don¡¯t... remember..." Shao Xian stammered.


    "When did he give it to you?"


    "Two days ago?"


    "Two days ago? He concealed his face?" Li Yiming was surprised.


    "No. But I can¡¯t remember. He came to my apartment and said that he wanted me to sing a song. Then he gave me the lyrics, the music, and a bank card with a lot of money in it," Shao Xian gave as detailed of an ount as she could.


    "In a Dream..." Li Yiming and Sai Gao exchanged a nce and understood immediately that the man must have been Mr. Kong.


    "Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s normal that you can¡¯t remember." Sai Gao tried to console Shao Xian.


    "Where did you get that video from?" Li Yiming looked at Sai Gao¡¯s cell phone.


    "That arrest warrant really did take all of your attention, didn¡¯t it? It¡¯s all over the inte now!" Sai Gao said.


    "What?" Shao Xian had not used herputer or surfed the inte with her cell phone ever since her broadcast, being preupied with Li Yiming.


    "You¡¯ll see." Sai Gao puckered his lips.


    Shao Xian rushed toward her desk and sat down. Having a lifelong dream to be a celebrity, she wanted to confirm it with her own eyes.

 Volume 7 Chapter 15

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    As soon as Shao Xian opened her web browser, she was presented with a bold red font on the screen:


    "The Divine Song of the Masked Challenger!"


    "A New Queen of Music!"


    "A Divine Voice to Save our World!"


    Shao Xian could not contain her excitement and euphoria after browsing all of the major news websites ¡ª she realized that she had attained her lifelong dream of bing a known figure.


    Sai Gao picked up a nail clipper and began to work on his fingernails. Li Yiming frowned at the information on the screen, conjecturing about the reasoning behind Mr. Kong¡¯s seeking Shao Xian to deliver the performance.


    Shao Xian went onto the site she normally streamed from and began the log-in process, full of glee. Her web browser slowed down considerably, and it only took a few seconds to understand why: her inbox had been flooded with tens of thousands of messages. Shao Xian nced back at Li Yiming and then scrolled through her inbox. Without exception, the messages all praised her amazing performance and expressed admiration. Tears began to roll down Shao Xian¡¯s cheeks as it finally dawned upon her that she reached her life goal.


    Li Yiming gave her a tap in the back to express his support. It was her moment of glory, and hers alone. He then exchanged a nce with Sai Gao, the two of them thinking the same question ¡ª ¡¯Why her? What is Mr. Kong up to?¡¯


    "What do you think of this song?" Sai Gao put down the nail clipper and scratched the back of his other hand lightly.


    "I know the lyrics... Ites from the Scripture of Purity and Stillness, but this tune..." Li Yiming took a deep breath and listened to the song once more.


    "The music is a spell. The Seal of Spirit and Heart," Sai Gao whispered to Li Yiming.


    "What kind of spell is that?" Li Yiming put the phone down on the table, reying the song over and over again.


    "Buddhism teaches us to attain enlightenment by ridding ourselves of our sin. Taoism teaches us to reach the Heavens by removing the three deaths which gue us. These are one and the same: they refer to human desires. This spell..."


    "It can rid the world of such things?" Li Yiming noticed that he felt rxed and at peace when he listened to the song. If the song really did have the potential of removing the twisted desires of humankind, then it would be a huge blessing.


    "It can¡¯t. Human desires cannot be defeated so simply. It¡¯s a seal, and sealing the desires is what it does..."


    "Even if it¡¯s just sealing away, still..." Li Yiming said as he imagined a utopia without excessive desires.


    "It¡¯s not that simple. The harder you try at hiding it, the stronger it will be. It will ferment and grow under the lid... You know how domains are formed," Sai Gao said.


    "You mean..." Li Yiming was aware that domains are the result of the umtion of wills of people. Sai Gao, being the physical manifestation of such a phenomenon, was the unquestionable expert on the matter.


    "It will first seal your spirit, and then your heart..." Sai Gao sighed with a grave countenance.


    ¡¯What exactly is Mr. Kong up to? Sealing the desires of the entire world and let it erupt violently at ater time? What kind of consequences will that have?¡¯ Li Yiming wondered.


    "Could... Could we go to this festival?" Shao Xian suddenly interrupted the two. She looked at Li Yiming eagerly as she pointed at a message left in her inbox. The message stood out amidst the pile of ordinary-looking ones, with its scarlet font and fancy signature. It was an invitation for Shao Xian to perform at an uing music festival from one of the organizers.


    Li Yiming looked at Shao Xian, confused by the sudden proposition.


    "There are a lot of famous people who are going there... I don¡¯t want to miss this opportunity," Shao Xian said in an earnest tone. She was over the moon the moment she read the invitation, but it did not make her forget about the precarious situation that she was in. For safety measures, she sought Li Yiming¡¯s approval.


    "Alright then." Li Yiming smiled back. The song had already been publicly broadcasted, and nothing more could be lost from Shao Xian performing once more on stage. Moreover, Shao Xian¡¯s excitement was almost contagious for him, as he recently experienced the ecstatic feeling of being recognized for one¡¯s performance and knew well well the crave for more attention and fame.


    "Really?" Shao Xian jumped at the opportunity.


    "Of course. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity after all." Li Yiming nodded.


    "Yay!" Shao Xian jumped up from her seat and dove into Li Yiming¡¯s arms. The fruit of victory was best savored alone, but the happiness of achievement was something best shared with friends and loved ones.


    "Alright, it would be best for you two to find another ce to stay then. How about you go to my ce?" Sai Gao was amused at seeing Li Yiming freeze as Shao Xian embraced him and proposed.


    It was a sound suggestion as Shao Xian¡¯s ce was now too risky to stay at, even if the previous group of guardians had left the scene. Moreover, Li Yiming wanted to find a safe ce for Shao Xian, as Mr. Kong surely chose her for a particr reason that escaped his judgment.


    "Oh? Where are we going?" Shao Xian¡¯s eyes went from Li Yiming to Sai Gao.


    "My apologies for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Sai Gao. From today on, I¡¯ll be your manager." Sai Gao suddenly stood up straight and said in a serious tone.


    "What?" Shao Xian was confused.


    "Trust him. He¡¯s much better than that old man Song," Li Yiming said as he took a bite from the fried dough stick on the table.


    After breakfast, the trio quickly made their way into one of the most luxurious residential districts of the city.


    "I¡¯ll go up with her first. You cane upter. The door number is 3A1102. I¡¯ll keep it unlocked." Sai Gao pulled out a ratherrge sun hat out of nowhere and handed it to Shao Xian.


    "Put on the mask and sunsses now. You should act like the famous person you are." Sai Gao smiled and opened the car door for Shao Xian.


    "No worries, I¡¯ll be up there right away." Li Yiming waved goodbye at Shao Xian while thinking of a path that would not let himself be spotted by surveince cameras.


    "Okay." Shao Xian checked her disguise once again, gave her hand to Sai Gao and descended from the vehicle.


    "Not so nervous now..." Sai Gao walked ahead and made a pose for Shao Xian to imitate.


    Shao Xian burst outughing at she looked at Sai Gao twist his waist in front of her. When thetter turned back to look at her in dissatisfaction, she waved at Li Yiming and caught up to him. It did not take long for herughter to turn into awe as she realized that Sai Gao was giving an extremely good demonstration of how one ought to behave on stage.


    ¡¯Is he trying to teach me...? Wow... he¡¯s really good, much better than me...¡¯ Shao Xian was quickly impressed by the expertise of the "manager" she had just found.


    However, the real surprise came when the two entered the elevator. Sai Gao approached a mirror and began to adjust his clothes. After straightening a folded cor and tightening his belt, he sighed in azy voice. "Ah... I put on some weight again... What a pity..."


    ¡¯Is this another demonstration...¡¯ Shao Xian wondered.


    As the elevator door opened, Sai Gao continued to lead the way. By now, Shao Xian was beginning to doubt whether Sai Gao had been really showing her how to act, or whether he was simply being himself.


    "Come in." Sai Gao put on his slippers, put his handbag onto the clothes hanger and stretched himself.


    "Wow..." Shao Xian waspletely stunned by what she saw. Although she had been to wealthy people¡¯s homes, which were usually spacious, Sai Gao¡¯s home was exceptional in that it consisted of only one gigantic room. What was even more eye-catching was the abundance of pink in the room. Everything, from the curtains to the sofa, from the closet to the hundreds of dolls which sat on top of them, was colored with a saturated pink palette.

 Volume 7 Chapter 16

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Do you like it? I¡¯ve just finished renovating this ce a few days ago, and you¡¯re my very first guest," Sai Gao¡¯s voice came from behind. Shao Xian turned around, only to see that he had began changing himself and had already removed all of his clothing except for his underwear.


    Before she could turn around in embarrassment, Shao Xian noticed Sai Gao wearing extremely tight pink thongs. ¡¯Pink thongs?¡¯


    "The bedsheets are new. You can sleep over there. I¡¯ll sleep on the ground with Li Yiming." Sai Gao walked toward the sofa after putting a silk robe on himself.


    ¡¯Wow...¡¯ Shao Xian looked at Sai Gao in wonderment.


    "Come now, don¡¯t just stand there,e try this out." Sai Gao picked up a bag of face masks from the table and gave one to Shao Xian.


    "This is...? Oh..." Shao Xian picked up the face mask and put it carefully on her face.


    Sai Gao let out a long sigh and suddenly said, "Have you never put on a face mask before? You need to put the mask from down to up. Otherwise, you won¡¯t get the benefits. You¡¯ll regret it when the wrinkles around your eyese out in a few years." Sai Gao approached Shao Xian, carefully removed her face mask and put it back on the correct way.


    Shao Xian was once again taken aback by the fact that Sai Gao¡¯s expertise about cosmetics far exceeded her own, despite the fact that her job consisted mainly of appealing to esthetics.


    ¡¯Is he really... a man?¡¯ Shao Xian was only able to confirm his sex after noticing his chest being entirely t from peeking between his cor.


    Li Yiming waspletely speechless by what he saw the moment he entered through the window to the balcony. The pink-themed decoration was certainly eye-catching, but the half-naked man on the sofa wearing nothing but a silk robe was a little too much.


    "Shh... She¡¯s asleep..." Sai Gao pointed at Shao Xian.


    Shao Xian was sleeping on a sofa with the face mask still on her face. She was wrapped in ayer of nkets and breathed slowly.


    "She must be tired." Li Yiming walked toward the balcony again.


    "Heaven¡¯s Laws are after you?" Sai Gao asked.


    "Late to the party, aren¡¯t you?" Li Yiming joked.


    "Didn¡¯t get the invitation in the first ce." A box of cigarettes appeared in Sai Gao¡¯s hand and he offered it to Li Yiming.


    "Well, that¡¯s a pain..." Li Yiming took one out and returned the package to Sai Gao.


    "I¡¯m sorry about this..." Sai Gao shook his head.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. Even without you, it would only be a matter of time."


    "Are you really him?" Sai Gao lit up Li Yiming¡¯s cigarette with a small me that appeared at the tip of his fingers.


    "I don¡¯t really know..." Li Yiming took a deep whiff and exhaled slowly.


    "What do you n on doing from now? I¡¯ve seen Liu Meng and the others..." Sai Gao said as he leaned against the fence.


    "Any suggestions?"


    "Heart Trial Punishment?"


    "Yep."


    "Punishment created exclusively by Heaven¡¯s Laws... Sorry..." Sai Gao scratched his head in frustration.


    "Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll figure something out." As much as Li Yiming wanted to bring up the morale, he was just as discouraged as Sai Gao was.


    "What about the other guardians? Any contact?"


    "A few of them showed up, but no action so far. They¡¯re probably making preparations. Seems like I¡¯ve got quite the reputation."


    "Are you nning on continuing to hide?" Sai Gao asked.


    "What are your thoughts?" Li Yiming said.


    "Staying on defense isn¡¯t the most viable option. You can¡¯t stay here and just wait."


    Li Yiming waited patiently for the follow-up ¡ª Sai Gao was always one toe up with brilliant ideas.


    "Well, rather than remaining passive, you can take the initiative," Sai Gao proposed.


    "What do you mean? Are you saying I should kill them?" Li Yiming was unwilling to ept such a preposterous proposal, as there were countless guardians who were after him.


    "That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying. What I mean is that you can simply stop hiding. The people who are after you are not all best friends, after all."


    "You mean creating chaos?"


    "Yes. The people after you have their limitations, but you don¡¯t."


    "But Liu Meng...?" Li Yiming was considering Sai Gao¡¯s suggestion, but he did not want to harm any of his friends either.


    "It¡¯s the same for Liu Meng. They¡¯re under the influence of Heaven¡¯s Laws itself. They¡¯ll be even more wary of overusing their powers in our world. I¡¯m sure you can force a retreat if you bluff correctly," Sai Gao said.


    "I¡¯ll need to bluff them?"


    "Yes. How confident are you about this?"


    "If it were a few days ago, very. But now..." Li Yiming said dejectedly after remembering he had lost all of his sage powers.


    Sai Gao stayed silent. He misunderstood Li Yiming¡¯s statement as not having the confidence to face Heaven¡¯s Punishment.


    "What are you going to do about Shao Xian?" Li Yiming changed the subject.


    "We¡¯ll see soon enough." Sai Gao turned toward Shao Xian and his gaze went cold. He knew that the innocent-looking girl was the one who could bring the worst of all surprises.


    * * *


    As Sai Gao and Li Yiming were discussing their ns, a woman wearing an elegant traditional dress pushed another young woman, who sat on a wheelchair, out of the airport.


    Tian Yan looked at the sky with her pale irises and eximed. "Didn¡¯t think that we¡¯d be back this quickly..."


    Tian Yan¡¯s remark went unanswered.


    "I want to have a look back at home," Tian Yan said in a low voice.


    "I¡¯ll have Qian Mian go with you. This city isn¡¯t so peaceful right now." Stargazed nodded and signaled the lean man behind her.


    Qian Mian walked forward and put his hands on the handles behind the wheelchair.


    "Be careful," Qian Mian said to Stargaze. Thetter smiled back at him.


    As Qian Mian and Tian Yan left, Stargaze¡¯s smile vanished. She re-entered the airport, went to the second floor, and stopped at the entrance to the smoking-room with a frown.


    "Are you looking for me?" Stargaze closed the door to the smoking-room. Aside from herself, the only other upant was a skinny man on his knees near the entrance.


    "You¡¯re looking for me." Mr. Kong extinguished his cigarette, picked up his knit-bag and stared back at Stargaze.


    Stargaze¡¯s breathing quickened as she crossed eyes with Mr. Kong. She felt as if she was a prey standing in front of a beast with an insatiable thirst for blood.


    "Tell me, what have you seen after all these years?" Mr. Kong asked.


    "I..." Stargaze did not know how to answer.


    "The stars have been gazing down upon this Earth for eons. Are you going to sit idle and watch as a new world is reborn?" Mr. Kong continued and stared into Stargaze¡¯s eyes.


    "No one can stay neutral forever. It¡¯s time for you to pick a side." Mr. Kong exited the smoking room while tapping the floor with the stic bottle he held. Stargaze froze in ce as she listened to the light tapping slowly fade away.


    * * *


    Fang Shui¡¯er wandered around in the traffic aimlessly in her car. She stared at the endless flow of cars outside, lost in her own thoughts until she was interrupted by the shing of the indicator on her cell phone.


    "Where are we going? Mrs. Fang?" The driver did not want to disturb Fang Shui¡¯er but the vehicle was soon about to run out of fuel.


    "Let¡¯s find a ce to settle down. Call the organizers of the music festival on my behalf. I¡¯ll ept their invitation on the condition that I decide the order of appearance. Also, I want a list of the names of every invited guest." Fang Shui¡¯er instructed.


    "As you wish." The assistant on the passenger¡¯s seat answered reverently after noting down Fang Shui¡¯er instructions.


    "Divine Voice Materialized... Li Yiming..." Exhausted, Fang Shui¡¯er closed her eyes.

 Volume 7 Chapter 17

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    After an entire day spent in contemting on the balcony and finishing off Sai Gao¡¯s pack of cigarettes, Li Yiming finally made his decision: fleeing was no longer an option. He made his way out of the neighborhood after onest nce at Sai Gao and Shao Xian, who were busy working on their nails.


    Now that the news of Li Yiming being a sage was known, only the most prepared would still target him. Li Yiming had no intention of staying a prey. Instead, he was ready to take on anyone that Heaven¡¯s Laws was willing to send to his way.


    A smile of confidence slowly appeared on Li Yiming¡¯s face as he went onto the streets. He took a deep breath and felt refreshed, ridding himself of all the negative emotions which had been guing him for thest few days. However, hisplexion soon changed the moment heid his eyes on a young child standing next to amp post.


    The child was dressed as if he had just walked out a Taoist monastery, wearing a blue robe and cloth boots. A yin-yang symbol was embroidered on the front of his robe and a figure of stars and the moon on the back. He held a white g, on which was written "fortune-telling".


    What took Li Yiming by surprise was the fact that he recognized the young child ¡ª it was one of the people who had walked out of the vige with Mr. Kong back in Eden. Moreover, in the eight years which have passed since Li Huaibei¡¯s fight in Eden, the child¡¯s appearance had not changed by a single bit.


    "Hello there, are you a fortune-teller?" Li Yiming approached the child with a friendly smile all the while putting his guard up just in case the child attacked him.


    "Yes. Would you like to try?" The child reciprocated the smile.


    "Of course." Li Yiming knelt down as if he was an older brother ying with his younger sibling. Rather, he was readying himself to spring out at any moment.


    "Alright. What do you want to know about? Career? Love?" The young child¡¯s eyes lit up.


    "How about... love?" Li Yiming stared into the child¡¯s eyes. ¡¯His eyes... they¡¯re so pure. I never would¡¯ve guessed he was a guardian if I hadn¡¯t seen Li Huaibei¡¯s memories...¡¯


    "Love it is then. How about you write out a character for me so I can read your thoughts?" The child searched in his sleeves and took out a yellowed piece of paper and an old brush.


    "Any character is fine?" Li Yiming asked. He quickly realized that the brush was a guardian equipment and proceeded cautiously.


    "As long as you write down something, this brush will connect me with your thoughts," The child said as he made a pose which made him look like an old monk.


    Li Yiming stared into his eyes. They reminded him of his first encounter with Bai Ze, when she stared back at him. Li Yiming took a deep breath and rxed himself. After putting down the paper t, he picked up the brush.


    Li Yiming had never tried calligraphy before, but as soon as he held the brush in his hand, he could feel his emotions stirring in himself. His arm began moving before he was aware of it, and a character slowly wrote itself on the paper without any ink on the brush through methods unknown to Li Yiming. As Li Yiming finished his work, he saw gently traced strokes which somehow conveyed a sense of sharpness, just like the de of a sword.


    The strokes formed a single character: "Meng" ¡ª Dream.


    "Meng? Dream?" The child stared at the character Li Yiming produced, without minding thetter¡¯s tumultuous emotion.


    "Could you please enlighten me, sir?" Li Yiming realized that the young child was no enemy of his.


    "I wouldn¡¯t dare to call myself sir. Little One is enough." The boy chuckled as he continued looking at the piece of paper.


    "Dream... Yes... there are two ways to look at this. A dream is an illusion, transient, and it vanishes. You¡¯re seeking something which cannot be attained, just like the moon in the water or the flower in a mirror. "


    "The flower in a mirror and the moon in the water... What about the other way?" Hearing the fortune tightened Li Yiming¡¯s chest.


    "A dream is also a wish, a desire, a will. You wish for the best in love, but it is only a dream. Your wish cannot be true," The child said.


    "Is there anything I can do?" Li Yiming¡¯s heart sank. He knew that his greatest worry right now was exactly as the young child said: Liu Meng¡¯s Heart Trial Punishment.


    "To dream is to rest under the woods. Yet a phoenix will not do so without a suitable branch. Unable to find a ce for her heart, she feels restless." [1]


    "No ce for her heart?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes widened.


    "A soul exists in all beings, and you can encounter many in a dream. Yet, which one is the real dream? The world you go to when you sleep, or the one you are living in right now? It all depends on where you are looking at." The child exined with a more serious tone.


    "Zhuang Zhou Dreams of Being a Butterfly..." Li Yiming was experiencing a whirling pool of anxiety and confusion. [2]


    The child packed up his stationary and took out a small toy from which he began to blow soap bubbles.


    "What will you do? Are you willing to live in a dream?" He waved his hand, sending dozens of bubbles flying around, most of which stopped in front of Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming scrutinized the bubbles carefully, he saw that each contained a scene from his past. He could be seenughing, crying, and busying himself with the other titudes of life.


    "Or... are you going to wake up?" The child suddenly raised his finger and touched one of the bubbles, popping it.


    "Wake up?" Li Yiming was flustered.


    Ping! Pong! Ping!


    As Li Yiming was deep in his thoughts, the wailing of sirens was heard. He turned around only to see two men jump off of a patrol car. ¡¯Police?¡¯


    "Hey! You can¡¯t..." One man started yelling before he even got off the car, but his sentence was cut short as soon as he saw Li Yiming¡¯s outfit. Thetter had borrowed some clothes from Sai Gao, so not only was it a shy designer clothing, but he also wore a very conspicuous golden watch which undoubtedly sent out a message about his social status.


    The two police officers had initially rushed to the scene after seeing the young child¡¯s banner, which suggested at illegalmercial operations, but after seeing how young the boy was, they concluded that it was simply a child ying around.


    "Ha... have fun ying with your child..." The officer instantly turned from the usually authoritative figure into a bootlicker.


    "Is there a problem, officer?" Li Yiming said in an angry voice.


    "Ah... Ah... Of course not. Please be careful with your child." The officer came up with a poorly-crafted excuse.


    "I didn¡¯t know you were responsible for family counseling," Li Yiming vented out.


    "We work on everything, everything. Haha. Alright, we¡¯ll continue on our patrol." The officer quickly dove into his car.


    "He¡¯s not wrong. His duty is to maintain social order." The young child smiled and blew out another stream of bubbles.


    "Order..." The word rang a bell in Li Yiming¡¯s mind.


    "Well, isn¡¯t it the same between countries? Wars started for the sake of maintaining peace?" The child stared nkly at the bubbles floating in the air.


    "You didn¡¯te here just to teach me life lessons, did you?" Li Yiming sighed. He still could not figure out the motives of the child but he at least understood the message.


    "Oh, I just wanted to have a look at you. Didn¡¯t expect you toe up, but I can¡¯t refuse a client who shows up on his own ord. I don¡¯t think what I¡¯ve said should be surprising to you, though. Tell me, why did youe to me so quickly? Is it because of my appearance?" The child continued blowing out bubbles and looked down at his long robe. His status did not allow him to change into less a less conspicuous outfit.


    "I¡¯ve seen you in Eden." Li Yiming decided to reveal what he knew, unable to hide the truth from someone who had helped him.


    "What?" The young child looked up in shock.


    "Li Huaibei? He has guts..." The young child¡¯s eyes lit up. He seemed a little irritated, but also intrigued by Li Yiming¡¯s revtion.


    "Alright. I¡¯ll go have a talk with him. He certainly seems more interesting than you are." The child suddenly picked up his giant g and ran away.


    "Wait!" Li Yiming reached out and yelled, but the child was already gone.


    1. Note that the Chinese character for "dream" is written "ÃÎ"£¬which can be split into the character for wood, ÁÖ, and the character for dusk, Ϧ.


    2. A famous story in Taoist culture https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi_(book)#%22The_Butterfly_Dream%22

 Volume 7 Chapter 18

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "We¡¯ve found him," Eyesses said as he tapped his desk in the police office.


    "Really? What¡¯s he doing?" Qing Linglong approached immediately and looked at the footage with a confused look.


    "Not sure. He¡¯s been talking to himself for a while now." Eyesses had input feed on three different angles. Li Yiming was seen speaking to the air, the young child remaining invisible to the camera.


    "Are we going?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked her sister, who looked at Big Beard in silence.


    "There¡¯s no point. He¡¯s got it figured out if he¡¯s decided to show up in broad daylight," Big Beard concluded.


    "Figured out what?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked.


    "If he was able to avoid our attacks earlier, then he can still do the same now. We can¡¯t force him into a corner unless we give it all we have, and yet..." Eyesses pushed up his sses with a sunken countenance.


    "Where¡¯s Liu Meng?" Qing Linglong asked.


    "She went to a bar ten minutes ago." Eyesses switched the input feed.


    "Going to a bar at a time like this? What is she thinking?" Qing Qiaoqiaoined.


    "We should keep an eye on her. Keep an eye on the other two teams who are targeting Li Yiming. They¡¯re bound to do something soon enough..." Qing Linglong said as she stared at the surveince screen.


    * * *


    As deafening music resounded in the dancing hall along with the cries of people, Liu Meng stared at the ss of tequ whose color shifted as the stage lights from different directions shone through it. After onest nce at the group of young people dancing in the distance, Liu Meng finished her entire cup at once.


    Liu Meng refused to believe that the man who walked into the sauna center was Li Yiming. But when she saw him jump off the roof while carrying a naked woman, she felt incredibly angry, but also conflicted, as her ultimate goal was to eliminate Li Yiming.


    Seeing Li Yiming look back at her through the camera caused such a shock that it felt like all the whirlpool of emotions sealed away by Heaven¡¯s Punishment came back to her. Liu Meng needed to take a break and rpose herself.


    Liu Meng continued to gulp down her drink, trying to forget Li Yiming, but as she continued to intoxicate herself, the memories of her past only came back clearer than ever.


    "Are you alone, beautiful?" A fashionably dressed man sat down right next to Liu Meng. He threw his keychain onto the table, which just happened to contain a car key with a mboyant Porsche logo, and reached for Liu Meng¡¯s shoulder.


    "Leave!" Liu Meng suddenly spat out in a cial tone. The man instantly froze in ce, as he had a feeling Liu Meng would kill him if he were to touch her.


    The man trembled violently in fear, almost falling down to the ground. He heard someughter in the back and turned around, only to find no one to vent out his anger at being humiliated so. After onest venomous nce at Liu Meng, he picked up his keys and left while muttering a curse.


    This was the seventh man who tried his luck with Liu Meng today. Under the influence of Heaven¡¯s Punishment, Li Meng had chosen an unusually sensual outfit consisting of a miniskirt with a low cut along with ck stockings. It revealed the tattoo of a rose on her thigh, which, along with her meticulously done make-up, made her an instant eye-catcher everywhere she went.


    This was especially true in the bar when there were several empty tequ bottles sitting on the counter in front of her.


    The failures of the seven men who had the courage to try their luck did not discourage those who observed Liu Meng from afar. Those who were still hopeful were waiting for her to be more and more vulnerable with every drink.


    Liu Meng emptied yet another bottle and waved it at the waiter. She continued to drink, aware that it was much harder for a guardian to be fully drunk than a normal person. The waiter looked at her hesitantly and pretended to not have caught her signal.


    "Give it to her. Put it on my tab." The man with the Porsche keychain threw a pile of cash at the waiter.


    "Young Master Feng, if she keeps going on..." The waiter said.


    "Give it to her!" The man suddenly said in a low, aggressive voice.


    "More!" Liu Meng tapped at the bar counter with her empty bottle. The waiter sighed and gave a new bottle to a young woman who apanied Young Master Feng.


    As soon as Liu Meng received the bottle, she began pouring into her cup, but being as intoxicated as she was, more than half of the drink ended up spilling onto the counter. Liu Meng then picked up her cup and emptied it once more. As the searing liquid traveled down her throat, Liu Meng finally hit her limit. The ss hit the counter with a light pop and began slowly rolling toward the edge. It was caught just before it could fall off.


    "You¡¯ve had too much to drink. Shall I take you home?" Young Master Feng put the empty cup down slowly and whispered into Liu Meng¡¯s ears.


    A round of sigh was heard in the audience, realizing that they had just missed their golden opportunity.


    "You..." Liu Meng looked at the man who approached him. The pungent smell of tobo made her frown, and his hot breath reminded her of someone she was trying to forget.


    "I¡¯ll take you home, okay?" Young Master Feng insisted.


    "Uhhh..." Liu Meng could not believe that such an erotic-sounding moan coulde out of her mouth.


    Young Master Feng¡¯s body shook from hearing her moan, and he tried as hard as he could to still his boiling desires. Just as his finger grazed Liu Meng¡¯s arm, she sprang up instantly.


    "I just want to help you..." Young Master Feng instantly pulled back his arm, the fear that Liu Meng had instilled in him still vivid in his mind.


    "I can walk by myself." Liu Meng took a deep breath and smiled.


    "Alright. My car¡¯s over there." Young Master Feng had more than enough experience to deal with the situation.


    Liu Meng left the bar, moving unsteadily as she followed Young Master Feng. As the fluorescent pink Porsche made its way through the city slowly, thetter lit up a cigarette while contemting Liu Meng¡¯s body. He scrutinized her long, slender legs, smelled her sweet aroma, and listened to the soft moans during each of her heavy breathing.


    Liu Meng¡¯s head was still spiraling. Trying to stay conscious proved to be even more difficult than before with the shaking of the car. She suddenly felt very hot and pulled on her cor, having the impression that she was safe due to the familiar smile she recalled seeing in the bar.


    Young Master¡¯s attention was unfailingly attracted by the act and could no longer hold in his desires. He threw his cigarette out of the window and took a quick turn for a park nearby ¡ª he did not have the patience of waiting to get home before having a taste of his prey.

 Volume 7 Chapter 19

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Is she going to be okay?" Qing Linglong looked at the Porsche taking a sharp turn on-screen.


    "Are you talking about Liu Meng?" Eyesses asked. Both he and Qing Linglong did not seem to be concerned in the slightest.


    Qing Qiaoqiao nodded and nced at her sister.


    "Of course. She¡¯ll be fine." Eyesses pursed his lips.


    "But she... she drank so much..." Qing Qiaoqiao was clearly at unease at seeing Liu Meng being taken advantage of.


    "With how strong she is, you can only assume she¡¯s doing it on purpose. You think anyone can force her against her will after just a few bottles of alcohol?" Eyesses asked Qing Qiaoqiao in an amused tone.


    "But..."


    "You¡¯ll understand when you¡¯re older." Eyesses shrugged his shoulders.


    "Well, you know, all of us have certain... needs. It¡¯s perfectly normal. Liu Meng¡¯s simply venting out her desires. Besides, I don¡¯t think anyone in this city would be able to take advantage of her. I¡¯m more worried about that poor guy than anything else." Eyesses took his sses off and started wiping them.


    The Porsche drove around the park twice before stopping under a tree, where it was hidden from the nearbymp post.


    "She shouldn¡¯t be the only one allowed to be having fun. I don¡¯t think anything will happen to Li Yiming for a while. How about we also go enjoy ourselves? Big Beard, wanna join?" Eyesses said as he put his sses back on and adjusted his necktie.


    Big Beard remained silent, choosing to walk to the window and stare at the night view of the city outside.


    "Pfft, a bunch of people with moral high ground..." Eyesses picked up his coat and strolled toward the exit. "What a pain to have set up here... How am I supposed to find a sauna center near the police headquarters?"


    "We should keep an eye on Li Yiming," Qing Linglong turned off the surveince feed from the micro-drone stationed near Liu Meng. She pulled a chair over and began staring at a screen on which Li Yiming was shown.


    Qing Linglong pursed her lips, clearly dissatisfied with the answer Eyesses gave her, but still obeyed her sister.


    * * *


    The inside of the luxury car sank into darkness as the front lights were turned off. Young Master Feng¡¯s eyes were green with lust as he looked at Liu Meng, whose breathing quickened.


    It all felt unreal to him to be able to enjoy his night with a woman as sensual as she was. He quickly ripped off his shirt and extended his trembling hand toward Liu Meng. To fully indulge himself, he decided to loosen his leather belt and removed his pants before getting into action.


    "What?"


    Just before Young Master Feng could press his lips onto Liu Meng¡¯s cor bone, he suddenly noticed a shadow on the window of the passenger seat. A closer look revealed a towering, muscr man gazing down at him.


    "What the hell? You..." The initial fear that Young Master Feng felt from seeing the seemingly homeless man did not stop his irritation from being interrupted from his intimate act.


    "What are you doing? Get out of here!" Young Master Feng opened the window and expressed his anger as quietly as possible, afraid to disturb Liu Meng¡¯s slumber.


    "Is she your friend?" The man asked.


    "Mind your own business!" Young Master Feng was about to get out of his car and give the man a beating if it was not for the fact that he was in the middle of more important matters.


    "She drank too much." The muscr man said in a cold voice.


    "Alright, alright. I get it." Young Master Feng clenched his fists in anger. He pulled up his pants, picked up a stack of banknotes and threw it outside of the car.


    "Happy? Now get out of here."


    "I saw you at the bar¡¯s entrance. I just happened to pass by, but I couldn¡¯t let something like that happen in front of my very eyes. If she¡¯s your girlfriend, then fine, but she¡¯s obviously unconscious..." The man said without even ncing at Liu Meng once.


    "Oh? Are you serious? Do you have a problem in your head?" Young Master Feng suddenly realized that he was not dealing with a homeless man or someone who was simply trying to make quick money. Rather, the man who interrupted him had a strong sense of justice and followed him all the way from the bar.


    Young Master Feng pushed the car door open, half-naked and shouted angrily, "Do you know why my grandfather has good health at ny-seven? Because he doesn¡¯t stick his nose into other people¡¯s businesses!"


    "Are you stupid? Do you even know who I am? Do you see the number on that car te? Are you aware of what that means, you imbecile?" Young Master Feng said with a menacing tone as he pointed at the car te which had the number "66666" engraved into the metal.


    "Leave!" The dark-skinned man stood immobile and spat out a single word.


    "What? Do you want to die?" Young Master Feng searched the surroundings in a frenzied rage, hoping to find a weapon with which he could smash the skull of the man standing in front of him.


    "LEAVE!" The man suddenly snorted in discontent. He took one step forward, and Young Master Feng froze in terror, unable to even breathe normally without panting. A momentter and he copsed to the ground,pletely crushed in a sea of despair and darkness.


    "I¡¯ll use your car to bring her home." The man said coldly before entering the pink car. As the car departed from the park with a low roar of the engine, Young Master Feng was finallypelled by shame to slowly crawl up from where he prostrated.


    "I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll make you wish you were dead." Young Master Feng mmed the ground with such force, blood seeped out of his knuckles.


    * * *


    The young Taoist child left after delivering his message, but his interpretation of Li Yiming¡¯s fate brought him even more worries.


    ¡¯She¡¯s looking for a ce to rest, and yet I can¡¯t provide it to her.¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly had the urge to see Liu Meng, even if it was only for a short moment. He had promised to provide her with a happy life, a promise that he could not keep as he was now. Punished by Heaven¡¯s Laws, she was forced to take his very life, which would haunt her for the rest of her life even if she were to seed.


    Beep! Beep!


    The ringtone of his cell phone woke Li Yiming up. He looked at the screen confusedly; the phone was given to him by Sai Gao, so only he should know the number. Yet, it had been only a few minutes since he left his home.


    ¡¯Did something happen to Shao Xian?¡¯ Li Yiming asked as he answered the phone.


    "Someone¡¯s after Liu Meng. She¡¯s going to die." A mechanical voice was heard.


    "What?" Li Yiming was horrified, but the caller had already hung up.


    "Hello? Hello?" Li Yiming yelled. He searched through the call history, but only found an unidentified number he could not dial back.


    "Who is it? Who¡¯s targeting Liu Meng?"

 Volume 7 Chapter 20

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The tall man on the driver seat of the pink Porsche nced at Liu Meng, who turned around slightly as the vehicle vibrated to the rhythm of the music being yed on the stereo. He took out a nket from seemingly out of nowhere and put it on top of Liu Meng.


    After parking the car on the side of the road, he opened the car door and left the vehicle.


    "Young girls nowadays..." The man sighed as he looked at the car. A jeep suddenly drove by, and he could see a girl asleep on the passenger¡¯s seat, just like Liu Meng.


    The man took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one up and sighed.


    "Guess I¡¯ll have to save whomever I can," He said as he looked up at the sky.


    Liu Meng slowly opened her eyes. She peeked at the man standing outside, her mind on high alert. She had already woken up from her slumber the moment the man unleashed his aura in the park. If he were to try to do anything to her, she would have unleashed the full extent of her fiery fury upon him.


    ¡¯Doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s after me. Maybe he just thinks I¡¯m an ordinary girl... but that one back in the park, he needs to die.¡¯ Liu Meng¡¯s heart burned with anger as he thought about the man who brought her to the park and tried to vite her.


    However, she started trembling as she recalled the reason why she entered the bar in the first ce. Something in her felt very wrong about the impossible mission of taking Li Yiming¡¯s life.


    "Oh? You¡¯re awake?" The man noticed the subtle changes in Liu Meng¡¯s expression right away and opened the car door on her side.


    Liu Meng nodded, still trying to wrap her head around the situation.


    "Have some water." The man said with a frown as he made a stic bottle appear in his right hand that he put behind his back.


    Liu Meng took the bottle but hesitated before putting it to her mouth.


    "Don¡¯t worry. I wouldn¡¯t have waited if I wanted to do something bad." The man smiled and went back into the driver seat.


    "Thank you." Liu Meng said.


    "Instead, you should think about how to avoid having the same thing happen to you again. You won¡¯t be lucky enough to meet someone like me every single time," The man lecture Liu Meng.


    Liu Meng obviously knew her actions this night was not the brightest, but when she recalled the events of the previous one, she became visibly irritated.


    "Oh?" The man was surprised by Liu Meng¡¯s reaction to his counsel, but his attention was quickly attracted by a jeep which appeared in the rearview mirror.


    "Persistent guy." The man smiled coolly as he smashed the gas pedal. The Porsche, proving its worth, did a quick spin-around and dodged the ramming of the jeep.


    Satisfied with his evasive maneuver, he nced at Liu Meng to check on her, only to see that she had a sunken expression and stared outside instead of disying anything resembling fear or panic. The screeching of tires was heard as several other cars arrived and soon encircled the Porsche.


    "These people are really looking for it, aren¡¯t they?" The dark-skinned man said as he cracked his neck. He opened the car door and walked out. He immediately Young Master Feng, who stood there surrounded by a group of bodyguards, his right hand covered in bandages.


    "Surprised? You¡¯re gonna regret taking my car. I have a GPS locator on it!" Young Master Feng shouted in a frenzied rage.


    The group of underlings which came with Young Master Feng finally understood the motives of their master when they saw Liu Meng walk out of the car, with the nket still wrapped around her just short enough to expose her thighs.


    "How about you give me your name. You¡¯ll be on the headlines tomorrow." Young Master¡¯s Feng¡¯s eyes fell on Liu Meng¡¯s long, slender legs, and his fury could only grow as he thought about the pleasures he would otherwise have enjoyed.


    "Pan Junwei." The dark-skinned man smiled as he looked at the crowd in front of him. Most of his enemies were dressed fashionably, with some carrying long machetes, whereas other held metal baseball bats or military knives.


    "Break his limbs. Cut off his manhood. We¡¯ll each have our turns with the girl." Young Master Feng then spat out as he noticed that most of his underlings¡¯ attention was on Liu Meng as well.


    This was the spark which was about to set off the explosion of craving for lust and violence. It also set off Liu Meng¡¯s anger, as she clenched her fists and made herself ready to burn all those in front of her to dust.


    Bang!


    The yells of the group were suddenly muted by a gunshot. Pang Junwei stood surrounded, holding a gun with its barrel emitting smoke.


    One of the underlings fell to the ground, writhing in pain, followed by dead silence.


    "Beretta 92F. This is my favorite gun. Aside from the fact that it takes a while to take care of business," Pan Junwei said as he looked at the man on the ground.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Three more people fell to the ground from the gunshots that were fired so quickly that they could have almost be confused for a single shot.


    "I didn¡¯t quite like that aspect of the gun, so I changed it. Isn¡¯t it a lot better?" Pan Junwei said as he raised his weapon.


    "You¡¯re not saying anything. Shouldn¡¯t you be saying something like ¡¯he should be running out of bullets!¡¯?" Pan Yunwei looked at Young Master Feng with a contemptuous smile. Thetter froze still as a statue.


    "Four bullets gone, only eleven left, but I have another magazine." Another metallic casing magically appeared. The ck metallic frame suddenly shed silver, and Pan Yunwei finished reloading his gun within a second.


    Bang!


    Another man fell to the ground.


    "No worries, all you need is practice." Pan Junwei said in a tone that could be mistaken for pity, but Young Master Feng and his underlings understood that this man was a demon.


    Bang! Bang!


    "Have a guess. I started with thirty bullets. I¡¯ve fired seven, so there¡¯s twenty-three left. Yet there¡¯s twenty-four of you. Who¡¯s going to be the lucky one?"


    "Ahhhh!" Panic finally broke as the group of thugs scattered, fleeing in all directions. Some of them fell to their knees and begged for their lives while others climbed fences and dove into cars.


    "That¡¯s right..." Pan Junwei grinned and showed his white teeth.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    The firing continued, piercing through everyone it hit. Liu Meng¡¯s angered dwindled down as she was impressed by Pan Junwei¡¯s shy disy of murderous skills.


    ¡¯These bullets, they¡¯re curving!¡¯ Liu Meng frowned as she observed the impossible. Furthermore, she noticed that the bullets were allnding on the left knee of their target, not missing a single time.


    "Don¡¯t... don¡¯t..." Young Master Feng fell onto the asphalt, his pants wet.


    "What are you waiting for?" Pan Junwei turned toward the darkness in the distance instead of finishing his work.


    "No need to be so bloody when you kill people..." A voice came.


    "I¡¯m not killing anyone." Pan Junwei shrugged his shoulders as he reloaded his gun.


    "They¡¯re going to be on a wheelchair for the rest of their lives. How¡¯s that different from murdering them?" The new visitor was a lean man wearing a dirty factory uniform. The visible veins which ran down his arm were exposed as he kept his sleeves rolled up to amodate for his pair of dirty linen gloves.


    "Did he pay you?" Pan Junwei asked as he pointed at Young Master Feng.


    "Don¡¯t insult me," The lean man smiled and answered.


    "So what are you up to? Why are you following me in the middle of the night?"


    "Not you, her." The man said as he turned his attention toward Liu Meng.


    "What?" Pan Junwei turned around and scrutinized Liu Meng from head to toe.


    "Yes. Someone asked me to take her life."

 Volume 7 Chapter 21

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "I¡¯m here for her. Someone wants her dead."


    "Me?" Liu Meng¡¯splexion immediately changed, her long ck hair began bellowing as she prepared for a fight.


    "Hm, looks like I should have minded my own business." Pan Junwei frowned.


    "Thank you, regardless." Liu Meng said as she raised her left hand.


    Young Master Feng could not believe the sudden transformation Liu Meng underwent. Before he could think any further, he was enveloped by a purple me with a tinge of green, immediately turning him into cinder with no time given for him to even produce a scream of pain.


    "Purple me?" Pan Junwei squinted and put some distance between himself and Liu Meng.


    "Oh?" The lean man was also surprised. "I wasn¡¯t informed about this."


    "So tell me, I¡¯m quite curious as to who would have the guts to target me." Liu Meng asked in a cial tone.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. He doesn¡¯t like it when people talk behind his back anyways." The lean man said as he removed his gloves and put them into his pocket.


    "You¡¯ll change your mind soon enough." Liu Meng raised her arms and the temperature instantly rose as wind carrying hot air blew into the distance.


    "Hey, hey. Calm down a bit." Pan Junwei suddenly interceded. Liu Meng and her enemy, who had both been gathering strength, frowned.


    "You don¡¯t know him?" Pan Junwei looked at Liu Meng, who nodded at him.


    "You¡¯re here to kill her?" Pan Junwei asked the man, who shrugged his shoulders and smiled.


    "Well then, it¡¯s simple. Why don¡¯t we talk this out?" Pan Junwei turned toward the man, leaving his back exposed to Liu Meng.


    "Oh?" The man hesitated.


    "I made a mistake, yes, I concede. But I carry out my promises. I told this youngdy that I would take her home," Pan Junwei said, "This had nothing to do with whether she¡¯s a guardian or not. I just want to keep my promise."


    "Are you going to fight me?" The man frowned.


    "I can handle this myself." Liu Meng said.


    "It¡¯s not about you two. I will honor my promise." Pan Junwei moved his arms and head around.


    "Steel Resolve?" The man seemed to have caught on to something.


    "So many truths in this world and I¡¯ve only obtained a fragment." Pan Junwei smiled.


    Liu Meng slowly sped her hands together. To ept Pan Junwei¡¯s protection was to help him in his pursuit for the Way. Liu Meng could not repay a favor with betrayal, only she did not imagine someone looking like Pan Junwei to have such a pursuit.


    "Not bad. To be able to understand one of the truths at your level is a true rarity. But that kid who turned to dust had it right ¡ª it¡¯s usually not a good idea to stick your nose in other people¡¯s businesses." The lean manplimented Pan Junwei and slowly raised his left fist. An iridescent light sphere on his palm and began slowly expanding.


    "A Sage? Are you trying to scare me off?" Pan Junwei¡¯s skin began to shine with a metallic luster.


    "Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m showing my respect for the path you¡¯ve chosen. We wouldn¡¯t be able to fight properly without this." The man said as a silhouette of a de appeared within his tenebrous irises.


    "Allow me to introduce myself before we fight. Tian Dao ¡ª Heaven¡¯s de, Wu Yun." The man took a deep breath as a dome of light suddenly ran across the sky.


    "Heaven¡¯s de?" The familiar name took Pan Junwei aback. However, his face instantly lit up the next second in excitement as a heavy machine gun materialized in his hands ¡¯Let¡¯s see how Ipare to the legends...¡¯


    * * *


    "Something¡¯s wrong." Big Beard suddenly broke the silence.


    "That¡¯s..." Qing Linglong approached the window and looked in the direction where the dome of light was erected.


    "Liu Meng¡¯s in there. We need to tell Eyesses." Big Beard made for the exit.


    "Liu Meng?" Qing Qiaoqiao quickly switched the surveince feed. She could see the bloodstains and the car wrecks on the street where Liu Meng was tracked to.


    "Can you see her?" Qing Linglong came to theputer desk.


    "No."


    "She¡¯s inside then. What about Li Yiming?"


    "He¡¯s been where he was the entire time."


    "Go. We need to warn Eyesses. Li Yiming will be there soon." Qing Linglong picked up her coat and followed Big Beard.


    * * *


    "A Sage? But who... aside from the people trailing me..." Li Yiming looked at the distance. His countenance quickly sank when he remembered the call he just received.


    "Shit!" Li Yiming took out his phone and dialed Sai Gao¡¯s number.


    "Keep Shao Xian inside!" Li Yiming yelled and threw the phone into the storage ring he had just stolen. He jumped over a fence, ignoring the looks of the passersby and sprinted toward the dome of light in the distance.


    * * *


    "Tian Dao? Heaven¡¯s de, he¡¯s still alive?" Li Huaibei looked at the dome of light in the distance, his countenance unchanged.


    "A lot of them are. You didn¡¯t of them all as simply tales, do you?¡¯ Stargaze¡¯s voice came from behind. She stood up from her chair made with dried up vines and said while sipping her hot tea.


    "There used to be a time when I really thought that the three Sages were the strongest guardians out there." Li Huaibei chuckled as he released his grip on the fence.


    "The three sages... We¡¯re nothingpared to them." Stargaze approached Li Huaibei.


    "If it¡¯s possible, I¡¯d like to have a taste of his de.


    "You¡¯ll get the chance."


    "Are you not going to have a look?" Li Huaibei turned around and asked.


    "Nothing much to see there. It¡¯s more interesting outside." Stargaze looked in the distance. She could see several auras converging toward the scene of the fight. Some were carefully concealed, whereas others were much less shy to make their presence known to every observer.


    "You didn¡¯t invite me here just to watch the show, did you?"


    "What did he tell you?" Stargaze asked as she remembered the scene at the airport.


    "He?" Li Huaibei did not understand the question.


    "He came to find me," Stargaze said after a long silence.


    Li Huaibei quickly caught on to the message.


    "Heaven¡¯s des, Aunt Wu, the Taoist child... They¡¯ve been hiding for dozens of years. The Scripture of Purity and Stillness and that Seal... Something big is going on..."


    "Unlike you, I know what I want in all of this." Li Huaibei took a deep breath and looked up.


    "That¡¯s why I invited you over. I don¡¯t really know what I want anymore. I¡¯ve seen far too much."


    "I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you with that." Li Huaibei avoided Stargaze¡¯s gaze, skirted around her to the table and picked up his teacup.


    "Will he seed?" Stargaze said as she looked at the sky.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as someone tries." Li Huaibei said as he sipped his tea. It was a fragrant concoction, blending the refreshing aroma perfectly with the bitterness of the tea leaves.

 Volume 7 Chapter 22

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Dashing through the small alleyways between buildings, Li Yiming made his way onto the streets after onest jump over a green belt, where he was finally able to clearly see the dome of light in the distance. Hepletely disregarded Eyesses¡¯ surveince drone and continued sprinting towards the scene. The sound of moaning from the thugs who were writhing in pain around him furthered his worries.


    "It¡¯s Li Yiming. He¡¯s here," Qing Linglong said as she put her hand on her sister¡¯s shoulder to prevent her from doing anything rash.


    "Li Yiming? He didn¡¯t create the Boundary?" Another group of guardians was whispering to each other as they hid in a dark alleyway from afar.


    "Even if he didn¡¯t, he¡¯s bound to be involved. Careful everyone, we¡¯re here to make a small profit, not risk our lives."


    "Stay where you are. I¡¯m going to trail him," Eyesses instructed to the rest of his team as he observed Li Yiming from the top of a tree.


    "What else can we do? We can¡¯t even enter the Boundary." Qing Qiaoqiao pursed her lips.


    "Li Yiming?" Stargaze turned toward Li Huaibei when she saw him from the rooftop of a skyscraper nearby.


    "If your resolve is wavering, then this might be an opportunity for him to make you understand what you truly desire," Li Huaibei said.


    Li Yiming ignored the groups of guardians watching on him as his sole attention was focused on the Boundary. Having been a sage himself, he knew exactly how powerful one could be, and he could only pray for Liu Meng¡¯s safety. Li Yiming continued his way towards the dome of light and leaped into the air, creating a small crater in the asphalt.


    Bong!


    Li Yiming knelt down in pain as he tried to recover from the shock of the impact. ¡¯What? I can¡¯t get in?¡¯


    "What is he trying to do? Break the Boundary with his head?"


    "Is he crazy? Is that some kind of talent?"


    "Li Yiming couldn¡¯t get in?"


    "Is he being blocked?"


    Li Yiming was just as surprised as those who observed him, but then realized that it was due to his no longer being a sage. It was at this moment that he dearly regretted seeking help from Aunt Wu.


    ¡¯Shit! Liu Meng...¡¯ Li Yiming tried from pushing the Boundary to punching it, only to be repelled with increasing force every time.


    After almost falling down to the ground from hisst attempt, Li Yiming took a deep breath to calm himself down. He then put his hand back on the Boundary and this time, he managed to push through without encountering any resistance.


    ¡¯What?¡¯ To his surprise, Li Yiming was able to enter when he suppressed his powers.


    Li Yiming pushed through the barrier with his other hand without difficulty. When he tried walking into the barrier, he realized that something was wrong ¡ª unlike what he imagined, he had not managed to enter the Boundary. Instead, he was traversing through it.


    "What is he doing?"


    "He¡¯s trying to get in..."


    "Is he crazy?"


    "Are you sure that he¡¯s the one we¡¯re after?"


    The murmurs around him were more audible.


    "He doesn¡¯t know how to enter a Boundary, does he?" Stargaze asked.


    "Maybe it¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t know, but rather that he can¡¯t." Li Huaibei squinted, having noticed something that others did not.


    Liu Meng extended her arms. Her hands were covered by a cloud of thick ck smoke, from which a purple me emerged. Just as she was about to unleash her attack, she jumped back.


    A golden grenadended right where she stood and detonated a secondter.


    Liu Meng frowned as she looked at Pan Junwei, who was unable to remain on his feet after exchanging two blows with Wu Yun. After the first sh of Wu Yun¡¯s de, he lost his rifle. After the second one, his body suffered one-hundred thirty-nine bruises.


    "This is the first time we¡¯ve met, but I¡¯m a man of my words. You can fight him after I¡¯m dead." Pan Junwei stood up with shaking limbs as his countenance went pale.


    Liu Meng considered saying something back but decided otherwise.


    Pan Junwei roared and tapped on his chest frantically. His muscles grew in size, stopping the bleeding from his wounds. He raised his fists and was ready forbat once more.


    "The legends were true. Come on, let me see the third move from Heaven¡¯s de..." Pan Junwei seemed to have lost his head.


    "Surely you didn¡¯t think that I was attacking you with my de, did you?" Wu Yun said, "I respect your conviction, but I also respect the will of my weapon."


    "What?" Pan Junwei realized that Wu Yun had not drawn his de the entire time. Rather, Wu Yun was fighting with the shadow of his projected de.


    "You won¡¯t be able to survive the third blow. I¡¯m asking you again, are you sure that you still want to go on?" Wu Yun asked as his hand began shining again.


    "Cut it short with the useless questions!" Pan Junwei was now angered by the revtion. A rocketuncher appeared on his shoulders and he shot an explosive projectile at Wu Yun.


    The rocket exploded right in front of Wu Yun, creating a cloud of mes which sealed off every possible escape route. The assault did not stop there ¡ª Pan Junwei¡¯s rocketuncher changed color, this time shooting out a jade-colored projectile towards Wu Yun.


    "What a waste... A shame that you¡¯ve chosen to get yourself involved in this," Wu Yun sighed and reached forward with his hand. With a movement of his palm, he sliced the explosion into two halves and grabbed the jade rocket right before it reached his head.


    Psscht!


    Thick smoke quickly discharged from the rocket.


    "Poison?¡¯ Wu Yun looked at the skin on his hand, which had turned slightly green, and snorted in contempt.


    "A marking!" A cold voice was heard as the bombardment resumed.


    Pan Junwei put one foot back and raised the two cannons he held. The nine cannon tubes on each weapon rotated continuously, shooting out a barrage of explosive projectiles at Wu Yun.


    "You won¡¯t be able to make up for quality with quantity," Wu Yun said as he pushed forward with one hand. The shadow of a giant de appeared above his head, multiplying in numbers as it fell down. The shadows rained down on Pan Junwei¡¯s attack, shredding his projectiles to dust.


    "It¡¯s over." Wu Yun closed his eyes and lowered his arm. It was as if the entire world within the boundary was cut into two, and Pan Junwei stood in the middle of the descending rift.


    Pan Junwei¡¯s features contorted as the two cannons vanished and a small revolver appeared in his hand. With gold and silver embroidered rosewood stock, it looked more like an artifact belonging in a museum than a practical weapon.


    Pan Junwei shot a bullet toward the ground. The fabric of space was torn was he slowly vanished right before Wu Yun¡¯s attack reached him.


    "Camouge?" Wu Yun smiled in contempt. He closed his eyes in search for his enemy, only to reopen them the next instant, realizing that Pan Junwei was nowhere to be found.

 Volume 7 Chapter 23

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Liu Meng¡¯s inside, right?" Li Yiming finally gave up after trying for a while. He turned toward an alleyway nearby and asked out loud.


    Three people walked out of the shadows. It was the Qing sisters and Big Beard. Thetter remained impassive while Qing Linglong seemed to be deep into her thoughts.


    "Who¡¯s after her?" Li Yiming asked bitterly as he reminded himself that his teammates could no longer be trusted.


    "We don¡¯t know. We were only keeping our eye on you. By the time we realized what was going on, she was already inside," Qing Linglong answered truthfully.


    Li Yiming nodded and chose to sit down and wait.


    "Is he giving up?"


    "Maybe he didn¡¯t intend to enter the Boundary in the first ce?"


    "Should we attack him now? It¡¯s a nice opportunity."


    "We should wait. Otherwise, we¡¯ll be targets too."


    Even after witnessing Li Yiming¡¯s rather ridiculous spectacle, most had chosen to remain silent and wait patiently, wary of Li Yiming¡¯s sage power.


    "Mr. Xie, we¡¯re ready to move." In a skyscraper nearby, a young man spoke into his transmitter.


    "How many others are there?" A cold voice answered back.


    "We¡¯ve counted thirty-two guardians belonging to five teams. I think there are more people on the balcony across, but I¡¯m not sure."


    "What about Pan Junwei¡¯s team?"


    "They¡¯re not here."


    "What about Li Yiming¡¯s team?"


    "Aside from the girl inside the Boundary, the others are present, but..."


    "Speak."


    "There¡¯s something wrong with them. They¡¯re not here to help."


    "Keep one group of people on-site. Tell the rest to return." Mr. Xie said after a long silence.


    "Mr. Xie..."


    "These are orders."


    "Yes."


    Inside the mansion which served as Mr. Xie¡¯s base of operations, he put down his transmitter as he yed around with the jade thumb ring.


    "Where¡¯s Ying Mei?" Mr. Xie spoke out loud.


    "She just boarded a ne with Yun Yiyuan." A voice came from the shadows.


    "Yun Yiyuan... The invincible spear. Is she that attractive?" Mr. Xie frowned as he stared at the walls of the room.


    "Are you worried about Yun Yiyuan?" The voice asked, noticing Mr. Xie¡¯s hesitation when the odds were clearly in their favor.


    "Yun Yiyuan¡¯s nothing to be worried about. I think that he could even be of help. My concern lies elsewhere..."


    "The Seal of Spirit and Heart?"


    "Yes. All the attention of the world is focused on Li Yiming, but this song... I have a feeling we¡¯re all being yed." Mr. Xie put down his ring, showing signs of exhaustion for the first time.


    "We¡¯ve investigated the effects of the Seal... What if Li Yiming is baiting all of us?" Mr. Xie murmured to himself.


    * * *


    The battle inside the Boundary finally reached its climax as Pan Junwei vanished. For the first time since the start of the battle, Wu Yun seemed to be taking matters seriously. His enemy was not even a sage, and yet he was clearly pressured.


    Boom!


    An explosion was heard as Liu Meng¡¯s body was suddenly shrouded by a ck me with a tinge of purple. She could feel the danger that threatened her very life. At that point, it mattered very little whether it came from Wu Yun or Pan Junwei.


    "Have you thought this through? There¡¯s a price to be paid for unleashing this much power, and all of this for a woman you¡¯ve just met? Are you sure it¡¯s worth it?" Wu Yun asked. He made his descent toward the ground slowly and nced at Liu Meng. This trip of his had already brought far too many unforeseen circumstances: first Liu Meng¡¯s being far more powerful than he had thought, and then Pan Junwei¡¯S obstination, an exceptionally obstinate enemy. However, despite being locked into a bitter showdown with thetter, Wu Yun had a rather high opinion of Pan Junwei, whom he considered a talented guardian.


    "Worthiness is all rtive, isn¡¯t it?" Pan Junwei¡¯s shaking voice came from the emptiness.


    "A nuclear bomb? Are you going to blow yourself up?" Although Wu Yun could not locate Pan Junwei just yet, he did identify the nature of his attack.


    "What?" Liu Meng¡¯s limbs shook after realizing the cause of the ominous feeling she had. It did note from Pan Junwei¡¯s attack, but rather from Heaven¡¯s Laws, since Pan Junwei was about to turn the Boundary itself into a giant containment cell for his bomb.


    Liu Meng finally understood why Pan Junwei did not hesitate to gun down ordinary thugs even outside of domains: he was someone who did not adhere tomon rules of behavior for guardians.


    "It¡¯s the only move I¡¯ve got left in my arsenal..." Pan Junwei¡¯s hoarse voice resonated in the Boundary.


    "You..." Wu Yun was at a loss for what to say. "Do you know what¡¯s going to happen to you when you detonate it?"


    "Space will be ripped apart, the Boundary will break, and the entire city will be gone under Heaven¡¯s Punishment." Pan Junwei¡¯s voice came.


    "A lot of people are going to die because of this..." Wu Yun frowned.


    "We¡¯ll all die sooner orter."


    "What do you want exactly?" Wu Yun voice turned cold.


    "I¡¯ve told you. I just want to take her home."


    "Alright, you win." Wu Yun suddenly smiled. His aura instantly turned from the sage he was into that of a normal factory worker.


    "What?" Pan Junwei had not foreseen Wu Yun¡¯s change of mind.


    "Why are you surprised? You¡¯ve said that you just wanted to take her back home, so I¡¯ll wait for you to finish that before taking her life." Wu Yun shrugged his shoulders. Having lost the pride he once had due to his many years spent living as an ordinary man, he decided against risking everything just to kill Liu Meng a few days earlier.


    "So you¡¯re done?" Pan Junwei still could not believe that someone who had reached Wu Yun¡¯s status would back down so easily.


    "Yes. I¡¯m removing the Boundary, so put away your attack unless you want to be struck by lightning." Wu Yun clenched his left fist, and the giant dome of light he had cast down began contracting.


    "Shit!" Pan Junwei cursed as he scrambled to halt his attack before the Boundary copsedpletely.


    As the dome of light faded away, Liu Meng was the only one left standing. She stared at the direction in which Wu Yun disappeared with a grave countenance.


    A loud thud was suddenly as a Pan Junwei dropped out of the sky, his face pale as a sheet of paper and his body bloody with bruises.


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming jumped off, but he stopped himself once he met Liu Meng¡¯s cial gaze. It was not the Liu Meng that he knew.


    "Did you try to kill him?" Li Yiming looked at Pan Junwei angrily. He thought Pan Junwei to be an honorable person, not expecting him to choose to target Liu Meng instead of himself.


    "Who did this?" Big Beard as he approached Liu Meng.


    "Heaven¡¯s de, Wu Yun," Liu Meng answered.


    A few more guardians emerged from an alleyway and formed a perimeter around Pan Junwei.


    "And he is...?" Qing Linglong looked at Pan Junwei.


    "He... He saved me." Liu Meng was not quite sure how to exin the situation to her friends.


    "He saved you?" Li Yiming asked. However, he quickly remembered the precarious situation he was in ¡ª he was prey in a wide-open area, surrounded by guardians who were all after his life.


    Li Yiming could only hope that his newly awakened talent would be enough to fend off his enemies, or at the very least, allow him to escape.

 Volume 7 Chapter 24

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Ding!


    A metallic sound, like that of a bell chime, resonated throughout the neighborhood and thousands of light orbs streaked across the sky.


    "What?" Li Yiming caught one as it ran past him. It was a simple paper envelope.


    "The ticket to the music festival?" Li Yiming did not know what the paper container was supposed to be, but quickly understood that it was a key to a domain. Looking around him, he noticed that the other guardians also received the same invitation.


    "Since your friends are here, I would consider my promise to be fulfilled. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now." Pan Junwei nced at Liu Meng onest time and limped away, supported by his teammates.


    "Go." Liu Meng also ordered, and the rest of team Dissonance soon disappeared into an alleyway.


    As the street emptied itself, Li Yiming nced at his concert ticket. ¡¯Looks like the ruckus of the fight drew Heaven¡¯s Laws attention. This music festival... it¡¯s almost as if this was made exclusively for me...¡¯


    As the wailing of the police sirens was finally heard, Li Yiming sighed, jumped through the greenbelt and into the shadows of the alleyway.


    Bang!


    "What the hell is going on?" The police chancellor at the police headquarters shouted, ignoring the numbness caused by his smashing of the table. Several firearm incidents resulting in over a dozen casualties was enough to catch the attention of those back in the capital and consequently make him lose his painstakingly acquired position.


    "All of the surveince footage has been wiped. We¡¯re trying to recover it, but whoever did it did a clean job..." A middle-aged officer answered in a low voice.


    "What about the eye-witnesses?" The chancellor spat out.


    "There¡¯s... there¡¯s something strange about them. All thirty came up with different stories. We suspect that they¡¯re under the influence of illicit substances. We¡¯re taking urine samples right now..." The vice-chancellor, who sat at the other end of the table with bloodshot eyes, answered.


    "What about these special agents?" The chancellor took a deep breath topose himself.


    "They disappeared after the firefight and brought all of their equipment with them."


    "Shit!" The chancellor burst out once more.


    Knock Knock Knock!


    A light knocking was heard just as the room sank into a long silence.


    "Yes,e in." The chancellor said as he rubbed his temples, hoping for some good news.


    "Sir... sir..." The junior officer who entered was so intimidated by the tense atmosphere, he could not help but stammer.


    "Please just speak clearly." The chancellor tried as hard as he could to present himself as an affable figure to his personnel.


    "The new... vice-chancellor Lin is here. She wants to see you..." The officer said after gulping down a mouthful of saliva.


    "Vice-chancellor Lin? What?"


    "We talked about thisst time, the colonel who¡¯s transferring from the military," The head of administration whispered.


    The chancellor let out a long sigh as he remembered the file folder from the meetingst time. ¡¯Seriously? With that look? Special forces? Yeah, special forces in acting and on-stage performance maybe...¡¯


    "Alright, well, please make the arrangements," The chancellor said in frustration. It would have been a nice thing otherwise to work with someone attractive, even if it only helped improve his mood, but right now, he had no time or effort to mind someone who was parachuted into his unit through nepotism.


    "Yes, sir." The head of administration nodded and stood up.


    "Oh? Everyone¡¯s here? Is this a meeting? I¡¯m a bit early, I hope you don¡¯t mind," Lin Lu¡¯s voice was heard at the door. She had a tidy appearance and went straight to the point, as she always did.


    * * *


    "You¡¯re back?" Stargaze was looked at the young girl as she was pushed into the room on her wheelchair.


    "Yes," Tian Yan answered calmly. Qian Man, who was pushing her wheelchair, had a face full of surprise.


    Stargaze lied down on the sofa with silk sleepwear and a facial mask. She had just taken a shower and wore the slippers and bath cap provided by the hotel. One would normally think of it as an everyday sight, but Stargaze was the kind of person who would only wear traditional dresses and meditated like an old monk rather than rxed on a couch.


    "You¡¯ve met her?" Stargaze kept her eyes closed and sipped her cup of red wine.


    "Not in person, but I did contact her." Tian Yan answered, she knew exactly whom Stargaze was asking about, and supposed it to be the reason for having Qian Mian follow her.


    "You should rest then." Stargaze put down her cup and adjusted her position on the sofa.


    "Are... Are you not interested in what we talked about?" Tian Yan was surprised, since she had purposely avoided Qian Mian when she contacted Ying Mei.


    "That¡¯s your own business. I had him follow you simply because I was worried. I only need a favor from you now," Stargaze answered.


    "But..."


    "The festival will start in three days. Li Yiming will be there. I want you to have a look at him and tell me what you see. Your private matters are of no concern to me." Stargaze looked away, and Qian Mian began pushing Tian Yan into another room.


    "Three days. I have three days to decide." Stargaze opened her eyes wide. In her irises shone an iridescent orb of light which pierced through the ceiling and shot into the sky.


    * * *


    "Have you received it?" Li Yiming arrived back in Sai Gao¡¯s ce with a bag of food and threw it on the table. He gave his key to Sai Gao, who was in the middle of a yoga session with Shao Xian.


    "A ticket? You bought this?" With the event having preupied her thoughts for over a day now, Shao Xian recognized the paper right away.


    "I¡¯ve told you, I don¡¯t belong to your system," Sai Gao said.


    "V.I.P.? Two-thousand eight-hundred?" Shao Xian suddenly eximed. She thought the purchase to squandering money, since she could have gotten preferential treatment as an insider.


    "My friend gave it to me. You should eat breakfast." Li Yiming smiled, took back the ticket, and headed for the balcony.


    "Shame I don¡¯t have a friend like his." Sai Gao stretched himself and finally sat up straight.


    "I should have a ticket. You¡¯re my manager, so you shouldn¡¯t even need one..." Shao Xian had found a good friend in Sai Gao just after one night. Their friendly rtionship was bound to happen as Sai Gao was an attentive and knowledgeablepanion who taught her everything about how to live properly as a young woman.


    "Let¡¯s finish this session before eating. That pose is good for your lower body." Sai Gao smiled.


    "Yes." Shao Xian wiped her sweat.


    "Quite the showst night?" Sai Gao lit up a cigarette for himself and joined Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming frowned when he looked at stic cigarette filter. He instead took Sai Gao¡¯s pack and lit one up for himself. Sai Gao shrugged his shoulders and put down a lighter on the railing.


    "Everyone showed up. I would have mistaken it for a convention of guardians if I didn¡¯t know better..." Li Yiming was beginning to get used to the bitter smell of tobo.


    "Three days left..." Sai Gao nced at Shao Xian and then turned his attention back to Li Yiming. ¡¯Will he be able to defy the Heavens once again...?¡¯

 Volume 7 Chapter 25

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Xie¡¯s Clothing was a shop located on the top floor of a shopping mall in a bustling business district. Not only did it upy the entire floor, but it was empty most of the time. The reason was very simple: Xie¡¯s Clothing was a shop which only served its members, who were international celebrities, or prestigious figures of society. Every time a celebrity showed up on the international stage with clothes which were gged with a particr brand, it usually meant that the article came from Xie¡¯s Clothing. A nouveau-riche had apparently offered millions for a membership, only to be refused straight away.


    Li Yiming was standing at the entrance to the shop, smiling bitterly at the receptionist.


    "Sorry sir, we do not ept walk-in clients. I cannot let you enter without a membership card," The receptionist said with a gentle smile, but her posture made her adamant resolve more than clear.


    "I didn¡¯t see my friend sh the membership card when he got in..." Li Yiming pursed his lips.


    Li Yiming had apanied Sai Gao and Shao Xian to the shopping mall. Sai Gao had suggested them toe to the dressmaker¡¯s shop after Shao Xian mentioned wanting to be prepared for her show. Upon arriving at the mall, Li Yiming suddenly had a craving for a smoke and stayed behind for a bit. Li Yiming was looking from the distance as Shao Xian and Sai Gao entered the store, and only saw the receptionist bow respectfully rather than ask for any kind of identification.


    "My apologies sir, but if your friend is inside, I would rmend you contact the person in question. We have our rules here, and I do apologize for the inconvenience." The receptionist kept her smile, hiding her bewildered thoughts as she scrutinized Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming scratched his head and pulled on his cor when he saw the receptionist look at him rather disapprovingly. He realized that he was still wearing his washed-out jacket after finding nothing suitable for himself in Sai Gao¡¯s closet. He did n to buy some new clothes for himself after getting his hands on the storage watch he looted.


    Li Yiming let out a long sigh and decided to call Sai Gao.


    "Beep! The number you¡¯re trying to reach is not avable..."


    As Li Yiming thought, Sai Gao did not have his phone with him, as he was ustomed to putting it inside his storage item.


    Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders and began ying with his cell phone to kill some time. He did not think that he would be of much use in finding fashionable clothes in the first ce anyway.


    The receptionist let out a sigh of relief as Li Yiming backed off. It was a frequent urrence to deal with people like Li Yiming, who would use friends as an excuse to get inside. Even worse were those who were angered after being refused and began hurling threats or throwing money at the door.


    Unlike Li Yiming, the man who had just entered the shop did not even need to be checked, since every piece of clothing he wore clearly came from the store.


    The sound of a stiletto heel hitting against the floor was suddenly heard. Li Yiming turned around and frowned soon as heid his eyes on the neer.


    ¡¯Guo Ying... Bing Shuai¡¯s agent...¡¯


    Ying Mei wore her sensual leather outfit andpletely ignored Li Yiming as she walked by.


    "Wee. Please show us your membership card," The receptionist bowed and said, but Ying Mei ignored her and turned around.


    "Mr. Li, you wouldn¡¯t happen to be blocked here, would you?" Ying Mei mocked. She did not n to interact with Li Yiming, but in the end, she could not resist the urge to show her superiority.


    "Seems like a pretty high-end ce. Makes sense that I can¡¯t just walk in there." Being the mortal enemy of Bing Shuai, Li Yiming was wary of Ying Mei¡¯s intentions.


    "Shall we go in together? I have the freedom of bringing in a guest," Ying Mei said as she pulled out a white card with nothing but the character "Xie" written with a calligraphy brush, which made Li Yiming wonder how the receptionist could verify its authenticity.


    However, with Ying Mei¡¯s showing up, Li Yiming was bncing the risks of letting her get inside with Shao Xian still there.


    "No need. We have our own." A voice suddenly came from behind.


    ¡¯Fang Shui¡¯er?¡¯ Li Yiming put a hand on his thigh as he remembered the urrences on the Pandaria.


    ¡¯It¡¯s over for me.¡¯ The receptionist knew that she hadmitted a mistake when Ying Mei showed signs of knowing Li Yiming, but little did she expect him to be a close acquaintance of Fang Shui¡¯er, thest person on Earth she could afford to anger.


    "Why are you here?" Li Yiming looked at Fang Shui¡¯er, who naturally wrapped her arm around his. ¡¯Right, she¡¯s my...¡¯


    "The music festival, of course. Do you find it strange to see me?" Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly pursed her lips and feigned at being spoiled.


    Li Yiming let out a sigh as he realized that every single guardian was invited to the show Heaven¡¯s Laws put in ce for him.


    "You have a card, right? My friends are inside." Li Yiming slowly pulled his arm out of Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s grip. He did not think that it was a good thing to be seen with a celebrity such a Fang Shui¡¯er, and satisfying his ego no longer gave him the pleasure it once did.


    "Of course. All my outfits for performing are custom-made here. Let¡¯s go." Fang Shui¡¯er nodded and put her hands behind her back, not reacting to Li Yiming¡¯s coldness.


    As for Ying Mei, as soon as Fang Shui¡¯er showed up, her countenance sank and she entered the shop without saying a word. Li Yiming¡¯s mood also took a turn for the worst as he looked at her. ¡¯The three sages... even with Bing Shuai dead I can expect retaliation...¡¯


    When Li Yiming arrived at the entrance of the shop again, he found the receptionist looking at the ground reverently, as if she was afraid that he would take his revenge on her. Li Yiming smiled as he had no time for such trivial matters. "Sorry to have bothered you."


    "Ah, ah... It¡¯s nothing..." The receptionist was stunned at Li Yiming¡¯s apology.


    Fang Shui¡¯er also smiled. Seeing her do so was almost a hypnotizing experience, as the receptionist¡¯s fear was instantly superseded by joy.


    ¡¯What a fitting couple...¡¯ The receptionist thought, without giving a thought to how she treated Li Yiming just moments earlier.


    Fang Shui¡¯er was deep in her thoughts. Her fate had changed after the Ind of Eternity, as her soul was sealed and bound to Li Yiming¡¯s, effectively making her his ve. However, the connection between her and Li Yiming suddenly faded away a few days ago.


    ¡¯Just who is he? What is up to?¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er thought as she stared at Li Yiming¡¯s back.

 Volume 7 Chapter 26

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Are you sure about this?" Shao Xian became little hesitant once she arrived at the main hall after meandering through a segment of extravagantly decorated hallways. The hall consisted of three segments of walls ornamented in their own unique styles. The left wall was painted pure ck, whereas the right one was decorated with ssical woodwork.


    Shao Xian was still curious as ever about the infamous Xie¡¯s Clothing, which produced clothing that wealth alone could not acquire, and yet it was such a surreal experience that it instilled some doubt in her as to whether Sai Gao really possessed such wealth and connections.


    "Sir, madam, do you need help with anything?" A man wearing a white shirt greeted them. His appearance was well maintained, consisting of a goatee, a pair of frameless sses, and a roll of tape-ruler over his neck.


    "Please pick an outfit for her. She¡¯s going to perform at the musical festival, Divine Voice Materialized, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of it. I don¡¯t think we have time to make one from scratch though." Sai Gao said while examining a one-piece put in disy in a ss case.


    "As you wish, sir." The tailor nodded with a smile and walked away.


    "Sai Gao, I don¡¯t think I can live without you anymore." Shao Xian jumped into Sai Gao¡¯s arm like a spoiled little sister. She now thought of Sai Gao as her best friend and had long forgotten that he was of the opposite sex. Over thest few days, she had absorbed a tremendous amount of savoir-faire from thetter, from make-up to life habits.


    "Now, now. We need to hurry up and get the clothing done before we head to manicure. Look at the skin on your hand, it¡¯s so dry! Also, how long has it been since you¡¯ve changed your hairstyle?" Sai Gao gently pushed Shao Xian away and leaned against a wallzily.


    "Fine, fine. But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s expensive here?" Shao Xian nodded and whispered to Sai Gao in a discreet voice.


    "It¡¯s not as if you¡¯re short on money, are you? You¡¯ll be able to leverage this outfit and make much more than what it costs you." Sai Gao rolled his eyes ¡ª it was not unusual for an artist to have a surge in poprity simply due to the fact that their outfit was made in the prestigious shop.


    "Sorry for making you wait. What do you think about this?" The tailor came back shortly. Now wearing a pair of white gloves, he held a cloth hanger on which there was a ck and white one-piece resembling a Taoist robe.


    "This..." Shao Xian¡¯s eyes lit up, as she knew that this was the perfect robe for her show. The article had been adjusted to satisfy modern needs, the waist area made tighter to entuate the body curves of the wearer. More prominently was the color design, which projected an illusion as to which color was the background. It was both ck on a background of snow-white, and white on a background of darkness.


    "Hand-woven linen, organic dye. The buttons are made of carved rosewood. Do you like it? The shoulder section might need some adjustments..." The tailor said as he rotated the hanger to allow Shao Xian and Sai Gao to have a better look.


    "Perfect!" Shao Xian was about to reach out for the robe when she was interrupted by a voice which came from behind.


    "I¡¯m buying that." A cold, authoritative voice froze Shao Xian in ce.


    "Oh?" Sai Gao turned around and saw a woman seemed aloof and proud, but also extremely sensual and attractive.


    "Madam..." The tailor did not know how to handle the situation since it never urred to him to have to deal with more than one customer at once.


    "I¡¯ll pay double." Ying Mei nced at Sai Gao, and then began staring at Shao Xian to exert pressure on her.


    "I..." Shao Xian panicked and looked at Sai Gao, desperate for help.


    "I didn¡¯t know you could buy everything with money here." Another voice came from the entrance.


    ¡¯Fang Shui¡¯er?¡¯ Shao Xian was ecstatic at meeting her idol in real life. Even if she was not able to buy the robe in the end, she considered the trip to be already worth it. However, her mind nked the next moment when she saw the man around which Fang Shui¡¯er had wrapped her arm. ¡¯...Li Yiming?¡¯


    "You¡¯re smoking cigars now? What took you so long?" Sai Gao sat down on the couch and expressed his dissatisfaction without even paying attention to Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "You¡¯re one to speak. They didn¡¯t even allow me in here." Li Yiming answered, but his thoughts began racing as soon as he saw Ying Mei. ¡¯Is she here for me... or for Shao Xian?¡¯


    "You mean, you¡¯re not a member here?" Sai Gao was surprised at first, but then he saw Li Yiming¡¯s athletic outfit and rolled his eyes.


    "Ms. Fang." The tailor nodded respectfully as if he knew her personally.


    "Sorry madam, this robe was picked by this guest over here first. Surely, as one of our respected customers, you understand the rules..." Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s intervention seemed to have given the tailor the courage to speak out.


    "Rules are made to be bent, aren¡¯t they? We¡¯ll see who gets the robe." Ying Mei frowned and found a ce to sit down.


    "Madam..." Dissatisfaction shed past the tailor¡¯s countenance as he smiled bitterly.


    "Good pick. This will fit your performance." Fang Shui¡¯erplimented while approaching Shao Xian. ¡¯So she really is a normal person... Who¡¯s behind all of this? Li Yiming?¡¯


    "You like it?" Li Yiming smiled and expressed his support for Shao Xian.


    Shao Xian nodded.


    "Then you should go try it."


    "But..." Shao Xian was still a little intimidated by Ying Mei¡¯s presence.


    "Please follow me. The dressing room is over here." The tailor gestured. Ying Mei sat in a corner silently and watched the scene, confident she was going to have thestugh.


    "Do you need help?" Sai Gao whispered to Shao Xian, but she shook her head and walked toward the changing room.


    Li Yiming finally had time to look around after Shao Xian left the main hall.


    "What is this?" Li Yiming¡¯s attention was attracted by one of the four disy cases in the center of the room. Aside from an empty one, the other three contained a dress, a suit, and a traditional dress. Li Yiming remembered seeing thest item worn by Stargaze back in Lianyun City. The left sleeve, which he had cut during hisbat with her, was covered by an embroidered graft. ¡¯As I thought... This is a shop for guardians...¡¯


    "Fang Shui¡¯er, do you know what you¡¯re doing?" Ying Mei said coldly.


    "You can worry about yourself." Fang Shui¡¯er smiled and sat down in front of Sai Gao, nodding toward him as a friendly greeting.


    ¡¯Who is this guy?¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er could tell that Sai Gao possessed a quite imposing level of strength. However, she did not recall seeing him anywhere before, despite his particr air that made him rather hard to forget even if one wished.


    "You¡¯re sowing the seeds of your own demise." Ying Mei could not understand Fang Shui¡¯er, especially after hearing the rumors of her losing her sister to Li Yiming.


    "Mrs. Guo, I presume?" Li Yiming finally turned her attention toward Ying Mei.


    "You can call me Ying Mei."


    "A rather appropriate name." Li Yiming smiled as he remembered Ying Mei¡¯s shadow teleportation technique. He approached her slowly. "I just want to inform you that you¡¯ve lost your bet. My friend will wear that outfit for her performance in three days."


    "Oh, quite the confident kind, aren¡¯t you?" Ying Mei looked up with a sunken expression.


    "You will let her have it."


    "And why should I?" Ying Mei did not give an inch.


    "Because," Li Yiming bent forward and pressed Ying Mei¡¯s wrists against the couch, "You¡¯re not so eager to die, are you?"

 Volume 7 Chapter 27

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "You!" Ying Mei¡¯s aggressiveness was visibly abated by Li Yiming¡¯s threat.


    Li Yiming continued staring at her intensely, making it clear that he had no intentions to yield. He knew why Ying Mei was here, and so he also knew that it would be a life-and-death struggle between himself and Ying Mei.


    "Does it look okay?" Shao Xian arrived in her new outfit.


    Li Yiming turned around and he immediately understood why some people were willing to pay millions for a set of clothes. Before she got changed, Shao Xian was naturally blessed with delicate features, but after putting on the dress, she had an otherworldly appearance. It was as if she was a goddess who had descended from the Heavens.


    "Beautiful." Li Yimingplimented her earnestly.


    "Not yours. Get it off." Ying Mei snorted in discontent. Shao Xian¡¯s shadow suddenly began morphing into a tenebrous w that tried to sp her.


    "How dare you?" Sai Gao stomped the floor with his right foot. A yellow light shot into the marble below and the floor began trembling.


    "This is...?" Ying Mei¡¯s expression froze as the shadow w dissipated.


    Shao Xian, unaware of the sh between Sai Gao and Ying Mei, was nevertheless sensitive to the sudden sinking of the atmosphere. She nced worriedly at Li Yiming, who seemed to be in a terrible mood.


    "Tell the tailor to help you pack your dress," Li Yiming said as he stared at Ying Mei.


    "Congrattions, you¡¯re angered me." Li Yiming put his hand on his watch as Shao Xian left the scene. He knew just how dangerous the situation was for Shao Xian, as she would have been injured if it were not for Sai Gao¡¯s timely intervention.


    "What are you going to do about it?" A cold voice was hearding from the entrance to the hall.


    "Yun Yiyuan?" Li Yiming frowned at the neer. He did not expect Yun Yiyuan to show up, much less his involvement with Ying Mei.


    As the atmosphere descended into its cial point, Li Yiming turned his attention toward his newly acquired talent. Sai Gao stood up and walked behind him, whereas Fang Shui¡¯er sat still on the side.


    "Now, now, my little store cannot handle Heaven¡¯s fury! Would it possible for all of us to take a moment and calm down?" Augh was heard as an old man walked out of the inner hall, supported by a cane.


    "Mr. Xie! I was unaware you were here!" Fang Shui¡¯er greeted the old man politely.


    "Where else could I be? With such demanding customers, who knows when I might lose my entire business." The old man smiled and walked to the middle of the hall, without minding the tenseness of the atmosphere.


    "Mr. Xie?" Li Yiming frowned. He had seen his fair share of powerful figures. Most of them had a distinctive characteristic, such as Stargaze¡¯s mysteriousness, or Li Huaibei¡¯s sharpness. However, the old man seemed like two extremes put together. His aura alternated between power and feebleness; it was as if he was a person stitched together from parts of other people.


    "He¡¯s the owner and founder of Xie¡¯s Clothing," Sai Gao whispered into Li Yiming¡¯s ears.


    "Mr. Xie, I¡¯d like to ask you if the rules here have changed?" Fang Shui¡¯er nced at Li Yiming and asked.


    "Oh? What do you mean?" Mr. Xieughed and asked back.


    "My friend set her eyes on this robe first, but Ms. Ying over there wants it too. What are you going to make out of this?"


    "Well, first of all, I think it¡¯s an immense honor to have one of my articles be the object of envy of two guests. Really, I am grateful." Mr. Xie ignored Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s question and began expressing his gratitude instead.


    "I¡¯ve had the clothes packed already." Li Yiming said as he looked at Yun Yiyuan.


    "How about we let Mr. Li have the robe? It¡¯s just a piece of clothing after all, and he brought us a new customer! Ms. Ying can always find something else in our amazing selection." Mr. Xie tried to appease both sides.


    "You mean that my woman needs to bow to others?" Yung Yiyuan stared at the old man coldly.


    "Mr. Yun, don¡¯t put it like that. What fun is there to fight with the youngsters? I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re beyond such trivial disputes. I¡¯ll offer you a can of my best tea to apologize, how¡¯s that?" The old manughed once again.


    Yun Yiyuan snorted in discontentment and signaled Ying Mei to walk to the other side of the hall. Mr. Xie did enough to satisfy his pride, at least for now.


    "Boss..." The tailor returned to the hall with Shao Xian, who was visibly excited by her new set of clothes, but stillpletely unaware of what was going on.


    "Alright, where do we pay?" Li Yiming asked the young tailor.


    "Please ept the dress as a gift for visiting my humble shop. I¡¯m sorry to have caused any kind of trouble today." Mr. Xie put his fists together and made a salutation.


    "Thank you for your kindness." Li Yiming nodded and nced at Sai Gao.


    "We should get going. I have an appointment for a manicure session." Sai Gao moved his waist left and right as he led the way and pulled Shao Xian along.


    Li Yiming looked at Fang Shui¡¯er before leaving.


    "You should leave first, I¡¯ll need to try something out for myself. I¡¯m expected on stage in three days." Fang Shui¡¯er let out a beautiful smile.


    "Thank you." Li Yiming took a deep breath.


    "Get ready for your performance, everyone¡¯s expecting you to deliver a show." Yun Yiyuan said in a scornful tone right before Li Yiming reached the exit.


    Li Yiming walked out of the door without looking back.


    "Is that old guy a sage?" Li Yiming asked Sai Gao.


    "How often do you think you encounter a sage? He holds a special status, that¡¯s all."


    "What¡¯s his talent?"


    "You think I¡¯d know?"


    "What are you talking about?" Shao Xian turned around and asked with a radiant grin. It had been a long time since she had experienced being genuinely cared for. Although she had met many men who treated her with good manners, they usually had her body in mind, unlike Li Yiming and Sai Gao, who only wanted her to be happy.


    "It¡¯s men business. See that spa ahead? That¡¯s where my appointment is. Choose something that you like, remember to keep the color pale," Sai Gao said.


    "What about you?" Shao Xian asked.


    "I¡¯ll go get this guy a set of clothes. I can¡¯t stand his sense of fashion anymore."


    "Alright, I¡¯ll be waiting inside." Shao Xian pulled removed both her sunsses and mask and entered the shop ahead.


    "What do you need?" Sai Gao knew that Li Yiming had something to ask from him.


    "Can we find a ce to fight each other?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Us?"


    "Yes, a ce where we can fight with our full strength."


    "Don¡¯t you have a Boundary?"


    "I can¡¯t use it." Li Yiming sighed.


    "Really?" Sai Gao¡¯s eyes widened, understanding the implications of Li Yiming¡¯s revtion.


    "I¡¯ll exin." Li Yiming decided to reveal the truth. In three days they would most likely be entrusting their lives to each other, meaning that it would be wise to tell Sai Gao that he was not actually a sage to prevent potential nefarious consequences.


    "Come with me." Sai Gao stared at Li Yiming for a long while and then turned toward the emergency exit.

 Volume 7 Chapter 28

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Fang Shui¡¯er left?" Yung Yiyuan made himselffortable on the cane chair as he sipped his hot tea while Ying Mei gave him a shoulder massage from the back. Mr. Xie had invited him to the inner hall to have a private conversation.


    "She¡¯s gone. I don¡¯t know why she would ever think about siding with Li Yiming." Mr. Xie, who was still ying with his ring, asionally nced at Ying Mei.


    "She¡¯s doing it for the Seal, no doubt." Yun Yiyuan closed his eyes as he enjoyed the sweet aroma of the fine red tea.


    "Well, to each their own goals... Do you think Li Yiming came up with this spell?"


    "Do not underestimate him. Why do you think he has such a bounty on his head?"


    "The Seal of Spirit and Heart... That¡¯s a hard one to handle. I¡¯ve had three people record the exact same performance and upload it on the inte, but..." Mr. Xie said.


    "Futile, wasn¡¯t it..." Ying Mei smiled.


    "Yes. Nothing. The same song, and yet..."


    "I¡¯ve recorded one version myself, and nothing." Ying Mei pursed her lips.


    "That young girl then..."


    "She¡¯s not one of us. I¡¯ve tried it earlier, she didn¡¯t even react to my attack, not her body nor her mind. She would have been dead if I intended it," Ying Mei said coldly.


    "That¡¯s a mystery then. How did Li Yiming..." Mr. Xie could only think of Li Yiming as the man behind it all; somehow he had produced a song that enthralled the entire world through Shao Xian¡¯s performance.


    "What do you n on doing in three days? Competition for his head is going to be fierce..." Mr. Xie nced at Yun Yiyuan.


    "I¡¯m not interested," Yun Yiyuan answered.


    "You¡¯re not nning on intervening?"


    "The reward is hers." Yun Yiyuan said as he picked up his teacup with his left hand and began stroking Ying Mei¡¯s hand with his right one.


    Ying Mei¡¯s arm went stiff briefly before she wrapped her arms gently around Yun Yiyuan and kissed him lovingly.


    "I should congratte Ms. Ying on bing a sage then." Mr. Xie grinned.


    "It¡¯s a little early for that." Ying Mei looked back at Mr. Xie coldly.


    "Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t received the information about the Boundary that appeared yesterday." Mr. Xie changed the topic of the conversation.


    "That was either Li Huaibei or Wang Liping. Both of them are here, I know for a fact." Yun Yiyuan put down his cup and stared at the setting sun outside.


    "Aren¡¯t they Li Yiming¡¯s allies? Why would they choose to attack Liu Meng?"


    "Something¡¯s wrong with Liu Meng."


    "You mean that Li Yiming¡¯s teammates have betrayed him?"


    "I¡¯ll let you figure that out. Thank you for the tea. Let¡¯s look forward to the show in three days." Yun Yiyuan stood up and walked to the exit with Ying Mei in his arms. She nced at Mr. Xie onest time before leaving.


    "Forgive me for not seeing you off. My fragile health doesn¡¯t allow it." Mr. Xie kept his smile and saluted.


    "Mr. Xie." The young tailor entered Mr. Xie¡¯s study after Yun Yiyuan¡¯s departure.


    "Are they gone?"


    "Yes. They¡¯ve returned to their hotel room."


    "Ying Mei is a capable one." Mr. Xie put down his jade ring and poured himself a cup of tea. Before sipping it, he took the time to take a deep breath and appreciated its pleasing aroma.


    "Yun Yiyuan has notmitted himself." The young tailor quickly refilled the cup of his master.


    "He wouldn¡¯t do so easily. You¡¯ll never meet a sage who¡¯s a fool," Mr. Xie sighed.


    "You mean he¡¯s only using Ying Mei to his advantage?"


    "They¡¯re using each other."


    "Yun Yiyuan seems to be unaware of Wu Yun¡¯s presence," The tailor remarked as he put away Yun Yiyuan¡¯s cup and began cleaning the table.


    "And you believe the facade he¡¯s put up?" Mr. Xie¡¯s smile faded away as he remembered Yun Yiyuan¡¯s scornful smile.


    "What would be his reason foring here?"


    "To get something out of this fiasco, I presume. He would have killed Li Yiming if it weren¡¯t for this seal, but he seems to be far more ambitious. Those who sit at the top see more than the rest of us." Mr. Xie said.


    "What should we do then?" The young tailor wiped his sweat as he could feel the mounting pressure in the room.


    "He¡¯ll have what he wants, I just want Li Yiming."


    * * *


    On the stairs of the shopping mall, two people fell out of a gaping hole torn in space as a sh of light followed.


    "This was my favorite pair of pants. I¡¯ve only worn it once." Sai Gaoined as he sought the support of the wall. He put away the ck turtle shell he held, and the space ripples gradually dissipated.


    "That shell is almost like a Boundary!" Li Yiming was sitting on the floor, panting heavily as he looked at Sai Gao.


    "I¡¯m just saying, if this is the extent of your strength, we¡¯ll be dead in three days." Sai Gao took a deep breath and seemed distraught at the sight of his damaged clothing.


    "I just need more practice. Can we continue fighting tonight? I think I¡¯m onto something." Li Yimingughed.


    "Who do you think I am? Your personal trainer?" Sai Gao put a dark pink jacket on himself and walked out of the hallway while grumbling about the holes on his shirt.


    Li Yiming slowly crawled up and decided to throw his battered jacket in a garbage bin nearby. He then looked at his pants, which resembled strips of fabric attached to his waist, and decided that he needed to get some new garments. He walked into a department store in a good mood, satisfied with the significant improvement that he had made with his new talent.


    "Sir... " The employee standing at the entrance had a strange look as she watched Li Yiming enter the store, ready to call security. He had a dumb smile on his face and he looked worse off than a person who had been homeless for an extended period of time.


    "I don¡¯t need a membership to go in, do I?" Li Yiming joked to the employee.


    "What?" The employee did not get the joke, and she backed away as soon as Li Yiming approached.


    "I look scary..." Li Yiming saw his own reflection on the ss doors. He ripped off his shirt and wiped away the dirt on his face.


    "What are you doing?" The employee screamed while sneaking a peek at Li Yiming¡¯s fit body.


    "I¡¯m buying clothes, of course. As you can see, I¡¯m not doing too well right now."


    "Buying clothes?" The employee looked at Li Yiming¡¯s muscle lines, and then at his smile, and could not bring herself to tell him off harshly.


    "Yes. Could you find something for me so I don¡¯t scare off other customers?" Li Yiming smiled.


    "Oh." The employee took a jacket from one of the hangers and gave it to Li Yiming after verifying its size.


    "What are you doing? Are you crazy?" An angry voice came from behind as a man who looked like the manager arrived.


    "Don¡¯t you know to call security when there¡¯s someone like that? What if he stains the merchandise? Are you going to pay for him?" The manager sputtered as he lectured the young employee, who lowered her head apologetically and regretted being blinded by Li Yiming¡¯s charm.


    Li Yiming smiled, amused by the treatment he received.


    "What are you doing? Leave before I call security!" The manager stood up to Li Yiming, despite his obviousck of physical strengthpared to him.


    "You¡¯re Deng Xin¡¯ai, right?" Li Yiming did not mind the manager and instead read out the young employee¡¯s namete. She quickly took a step back to avoid being further entangled in the matter.

 Volume 7 Chapter 29

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m really here to buy myself a set of clothes. Take my card, go check how much money there¡¯s left in there, you¡¯ll see. There¡¯s no password." Li Yiming smiled and tossed his debit card to the employee.


    "Go!" The manager said with an angry tone as the employee stood in ce dumbfounded.


    "Sir..." The employee soon came scrambling back.


    "Speak." The manager said with a sullen face. He was beginning to surmise about where Li Yiming might have picked up the card. ns of how to tell the stories to security were already brewing inside his head.


    "There¡¯s twenty-seven million left in the card..." The employee said with a shaking voice. She sped onto the card so tightly, her finger joints turned pale ¡ª it was as if she was holding diamonds rather than a piece of stic.


    "What?" The manager could not believe what he heard.


    "Twenty-seven million and eight-hundred-fifteen thousand..." The employee suddenly stepped forward and returned Li Yiming¡¯s card while bowing down respectfully.


    "Now, can I continue shopping?" Li Yiming smiled and looked at the manager.


    "Yes..." The manager tried to squeeze back a smile, but it only contorted his features further in shame.


    "With how dirty I am, I¡¯d rather not touch anything here. How about you give me one set of every outfit you have in the shop." Li Yiming said as he took the jacket the manager snatched from him and covered his upper body.


    "Everything?" Deng Xin¡¯ai¡¯s eyes widened. There were more than hundreds of clothing articles, which would signify an incredible sales record for a neer like her.


    "I¡¯m a bit of a hurry, so I¡¯d appreciate it if you could make it quick," Li Yiming said as he thought eagerly about a rematch with Sai Gao.


    * * *


    "How¡¯s Li Yiming doing?" Pan Junwei said as his back wounds were treated by a woman dressed in a military uniform.


    "He went to Xie¡¯s Clothing this afternoon with that young singer. There was a third person, most likely a guardian," A man who sat facing him answered.


    "Xie¡¯s Clothing?"


    "Yes. Yun Yiyuan, Ying Mei, Fang Shui¡¯er and Mr. Xie were all there."


    "What happened after?"


    "Li Yiming followed the man who was with him into the deserted hallway and came back out thirty minutester. It seemed like they fought each other. The man then left for a salon while Li Yiming went to the clothing store owned by Number Three¡¯s girl.


    "Oh? He has a girl now? What do you mean?" Pan Junwei stood up.


    "It started a few days ago. A widow who¡¯s managing a shop," the man exined.


    "At this point and time?" Pan Junwei pursed his lips as his back ached from standing up so suddenly.


    "What did he do in the shop?"


    "He bought a hundred and forty-three pieces of clothing. Spend more than two hundred thousand."


    "What?" Pan Junwei sat up again. "Are you sure?"


    "Yes."


    "Call Number Three over." Pan Junwei frowned.


    "I told him to get his girlfriend. Li Yiming had apparently interacted with the new employee and the floor manager. She¡¯ll know how to deal with them."


    "I couldn¡¯t possibly think of this as unintended. Is this some disy of goodwill? Or a warning?" Pan Junwei signaled to the woman treating his wounds to stop.


    "Most likely a warning. No guardian can possibly be short on money."


    "He¡¯s showing off. He knows our every movement. Even what we do in our private lives..." Pan Junwei took a deep breath as his countenance sank.


    "Makes sense. Also, we¡¯ve investigated the girl you saved the other day. Her name is Liu Meng. She¡¯s Li Yiming¡¯s girlfriend."


    "As I expected. Only Li Yiming would be able to attract a sage¡¯s attention."


    "The people who showed up on the scene were Li Yiming¡¯s teammates. The guy wearing sses is the person responsible for logistics and surveince."


    "Tell all of our informants to back off. There¡¯s no need for furtherplications before the start of the show," Pan Junwei said after a long silence and lied down on his chair.


    * * *


    Li Huaibei opened the door to the bedroom of his hotel suite and shook his head when he saw his visitor.


    "You are in quite a good mood, aren¡¯t you? Drinking first thing in the morning?" Li Huaibei looked at the child who sat on his sofa.


    "You¡¯re awake? I just like good wine in the morning. Can¡¯t drink in public though. Want some?" The child smiled while offering a wooden cup to Li Huaibei.


    "I couldn¡¯t possibly refuse." Li Huaibei smiled and sat down facing the child.


    "Special brew from our vige." The child rolled up his sleeves and poured a cup for Li Huaibei.


    "I wouldn¡¯t dare to drink too much of this. I won¡¯t be able to enjoy anything else after this." Li Huaibei sniffed the wine before drinking.


    "Hold it on thepliments," The child said as he emptied his cup cleanly.


    Li Huaibei only took a small sip.


    "I presume you¡¯ve listened to the song?" The child opened the TV. It showed an entertainment news segment, and Shao Xian happened to be the subject of the report.


    "Yes." Li Huaibei nodded.


    "What do you think?" The child asked.


    "Not a good thing." Li Huaibei answered after a moment of thinking.


    "It depends on your standards." The child squinted and said as he poured himself another cup of wine. "There are three types of principles people follow to achieve discipline. The first isw: rules society imposes upon us; the second is ethics: rules that our collective consciousness imposes upon us. Finally, we have beliefs, the rules we impose on ourselves."


    "I understand..." Li Huaibei took a deep breath.


    "No, you don¡¯t!" The child mmed his cup on the table and suddenly shouted.


    "If you really did understand, you wouldn¡¯t have such a soft heart. If you understood..." The child pointed at Li Huaibei¡¯s right wrist, "You wouldn¡¯t be afraid to move forward."


    "My sword..." Li Huaibei looked at his right hand. The tip of his de emerged from his palm for a brief moment.


    "What are you going to do when your beliefs copse, your ethics disintegrate and thews are disregarded? You knew about this when you made Li Yiming bear witness to the events in Eden." The child said as he stared right into Li Huaibei¡¯s eyes.


    Li Huaibei clenched his fists and he trembled.


    "To take a single life is an unforgivable crime, so why is it that we sing songs that praise generals who have murdered thousands? Surely you understand the reason. You follow the way of the sword. Tell me, which sword is faster? The sword that aims to take someone¡¯s life, or the sword that aims to save someone¡¯s life?"


    Li Huaibei stayed silent. Unable to save a life with the sword would mean the death of two lives, and he knew that all too well.


    "You say that you seek the truth, but when it¡¯sid bare in front of you, you don¡¯t even have the courage to look straight at it."

 Volume 7 Chapter 30

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    As Shao Xian dipped herself in the bathtub, her face went flush red. She could not tell if it had to do with the warmth of the water or the fact that Li Yiming and Sai Gao were on the other side of the thin curtain.


    Although Sai Gao¡¯s house was spacious, the interior consisted of only one room, meaning that even the bathroom was exposed. She did not feel as unsettled while sleeping as she was able to cover herself, but taking a bath in such an open space was quite an odd experience.


    After spending an entire day outside and exercising after returning home, Shao Xian¡¯s body became unbearably sticky with sweat.


    As Shao Xian¡¯s thoughts wandered, she thought about the moment she came out of her bath ¡ª when a woman was at her most attractive state, and wished for Sai Gao to leave some private time between her and Li Yiming.


    ¡¯I wonder what they¡¯re doing. I can¡¯t hear anything... Are they out for a smoke on the balcony again?¡¯ Shao Xian thought as she yed around with water. She knew that Li Yiming was not someone she could hope to be with, but she wished to at least not have any regretster on in life.


    Li Yiming had entered her life only a few weeks ago. She did not know what background he had or what he did for a living, but she did know that he was a person that she would never be able to forget. Her longing for love, which had long gone cold from living alone, was burning once again.


    Shao Xian stood up as quietly as possible and tiptoed to the giant mirror beside the bathtub. She examined her slender legs, her spotless skin, and her breasts. For the first time in a long while, Shao Xian could feel her heart race as she thought about what she was going to attempt.


    Shao Xian picked up the bath towel and finished drying herself. After putting on her bathrobe, she tightened the silk belt just enough to reveal her attractive curves.


    ¡¯Thank you, Sai Gao.¡¯ It was all thanks to the effort that Sai Gao put to give her her near-perfect appearance. It was only a few days since they have met, but she knew that she could always count on him, and she trusted him wholeheartedly.


    After a final smile in the mirror to pump herself up, Shao Xian slowly pulled on the curtain and walked out. She put one hand on the wall and the other right in front of her body, trying to give the impression that she was hiding herself in shyness from Li Yiming.


    "No one¡¯s here?" Shao Xian looked around, only to find the room empty.


    Suddenly, she heard a loud noise as two people rolled down the pink sofa.


    Then, she saw a scene that would forever be at the back of her mind: Sai Gao, who had several cuts on his pants to the point that his underwear was seen, sat half-naked on top of Li Yiming. Thetter had his shirt ripped into shreds, and visible scratch marks could be seen on his back, which Shao Xian interpreted as signs of passionate lovemaking.


    Shao Xian closed the curtain right away and retreated to the other side, sping the cors of her bathrobe tightly. ¡¯They... they... Sai Gao... Even best friends require some personal space...¡¯


    "I almost died from that..." Sai Gao said in a low, angry voice.


    "I told you that I can¡¯t control it." Li Yiming said between ragged breaths, but he sounded very satisfied.


    "You can¡¯t just do whatever you want! You¡¯re enjoying yourself, but I..."


    "When I¡¯m done, it¡¯ll be your turn. I¡¯ll try my best to satisfy you."


    Shao Xian slowly turned toward the bathtub as she listened to the ongoing conversation.


    ¡¯Please, can I just drown here...¡¯


    * * *


    As the day of the music festival arrived, the luxury limousines began to flux into the venue. The vehicles traversed throughyers andyers of security, all under constant shing camera lights.


    "Are you okay? You¡¯ll need to give off a good first impression for the rehearsal. Otherwise, they might revoke their invitation for a neer like you." Sai Gao reminded Shao Xian.


    "You¡¯re right." Shao Xian was in a low mood. She felt like crying after ncing at Li Yiming, who was driving the car.


    ¡¯Handsome men are already a rarity, and you choose to not make yourselves avable...¡¯


    "She¡¯s nervous, that¡¯s all," Li Yiming said as he nced at the rearview mirror. Anybody¡¯s first public performance was bound to be a high hurdle.


    "You have a solid fanbase, but a lot of them are in for the excitement of meeting their idol for the first time in real life. You should be prepared for this opportunity. Hold your head high." Sai Gao continued.


    "I¡¯ll do my best. Thank you." Shao Xian suddenly realized that she was the third wheel who was trying to put herself between Li Yiming and Sai Gao. She owed everything to them, and, at this point, all she could do was to hope for the happiness for her two dearest friends.


    "Alright, we¡¯re here. Let¡¯s go to the backstage," Sai Gao said as he opened his car door and walked out with their outfits.


    Li Yiming parked the car and went to the back to open the door for Shao Xian, acting out his role of a chauffeur.


    ¡¯He belongs to someone else...¡¯ Shao Xian had to remind herself again as she saw Li Yiming¡¯s handsome smile.


    "Hello, are you Shao Xian, the one scheduled to perform Divine Voice Materialized?" Someone who looked like a staff member came to greet them.


    "Yes," Sai Gao said.


    "And you are..." The staff member was surprised at hearing Sai Gao¡¯s high-pitched voice.


    "I am her manager."


    "Manager?" The staff member seemed to have epted the fact rather quickly, as many were already doubting that there was a mysterious mastermind behind Shao Xian¡¯s overnight sess.


    "Can we go in?" Shao Xian said. Sai Gao seemed to enjoy receiving so much attention from the staff member, but Shao Xian tried to prevent the two from getting any closer, as Sai Gao "belonged" to Li Yiming.


    "Of course. Your room is at the end of the hallway. Nametes are on the door. Someone wille to get you before the start of the rehearsal," The staff member said as he concluded that Sai Gao, with his air and attire, did indeed fit the image of a manager almost perfectly.


    "Let¡¯s go." Shao Xian said.


    "Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself." The staff smiled coldly. Having witnessed many overnight celebrities crash down shortly after having had a taste of fame, he firmly believed that Shao Xian was soon about to suffer the same fate.


    Shao Xian¡¯s turbulent emotions gradually settled as she walked through the hallway and looked at the namete on each door, some of which she had seen on the news before. It was only then that she realized how close she was to achieve her dream. However, the moment she saw her name on the namete, she felt as if she had been doused by a bucket of icy cold water.


    The room in front of her had a ragged tablecloth hanging from the doorframe, serving as the curtain for the entrance, as it did not even have a door. Moreover, her resting room was facing the hallway leading to the public bathroom.

 Volume 7 Chapter 31

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Shao Xian felt embarrassed and humiliated at having a room that seemedpletely neglected. With a sunken countenance, Sai Gao turned around at looked at the other rooms, all of which had a nicely-decorated door.


    Li Yiming lifted the tablecloth and nced inside. The inside of the room resembled a storage room more than anything else, as there were all kinds of clutter left inside. Aside from a stic bench and a frameless mirror with dirt stains on it, there was nothing else suggesting at the room¡¯s being suitable for make-up and off-stage preparations.


    Li Yiming had his fair share of experience working as a temporary actor for shows, and he was rather familiar with such conditions backstage. However, Shao Xian was an invited guest, and although her fame did notpare to the rest of the cast, showing her the bare minimum of respect was the least the organizers could have done.


    "Well, I¡¯ve never been backstage before. I guess that¡¯s just how things are." Shao Xian squeezed out a smile and walked toward the room despite the pungent smell of the bathroom and of mold. She had no time to mind the state of the room when there was little time left before the rehearsal.


    "Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re not alone," Sai Gao reminded her.


    "I¡¯m sorry for this," Shao Xian said as she stood in ce. She did not think she had the right to ask Sai Gao and Li Yiming to endure the humiliation along with her.


    "That¡¯s not what Sai Gao means. He¡¯s your manager. It¡¯s his responsibility to take care of you." Li Yiming tapped on Shao Xian¡¯s shoulder. Sai Gao and Li Yiming were well aware that this was far from being an ident. Someone was deliberately trying to kick Shao Xian into the dirt, most likely due to jealousy of her overnight sess. After all, the path to fame was much steeper for many of the other stars invited to the music festival, and most of them likely resented the way by which Shao Xian had attained her status.


    "But..." Shao Xian bit her lip. She was aware of the situation, but she opted to endure the treatment she received and hope for a better tomorrow.


    "Let¡¯s go look for a room ourselves then." Sai Gao suddenly turned around and walked down the hallway from which they came.


    Li Yiming shook his head and followed. He was usually not the type of person who would fight back against established rules, since it was his opinion that obeying them would bringer long term sess. However, for this particr music festival, there was much more at stake: all three of their lives depended on the oue of the event, and he would do anything to ensure that they could make though it unscathed, including having afortable private space to discuss their ns.


    "Hey, you there." Sai Gao yelled to a staff member who happened to walk past.


    "What is it?" The staff member answered while dodging Sai Gao¡¯s pressing gaze.


    "Could you exin the situation of our resting room?" Sai Gao said, using his muscr appearance to intimidate the staff member.


    "What resting room...?" The staff member was visibly scared.


    "The one facing the bathroom," Sai Gao said in a cial tone.


    "The vice-director made the arrangements for that one. We didn¡¯t have enough rooms, and you were thest ones in, so..." The staff member did not understand how someone who looked as feminine as Sai Gao could seem so menacing.


    "Not enough rooms? Fine, we¡¯ll look for one by ourselves. This one seems adequate." Sai Gao smiled coldly while looking at the room behind the staff member. Through the slit beneath the door, one could see that even the floor was covered with a colorful carpet.


    "That room? Well..." The staff memberughed in derision as he expected Sai Gao to swallow his pride back down after a brief outburst, like the many who came before him.


    Bang!


    However, Sai Gao suddenly delivered an explosive kick to the door, sending it flying away along with the lock and chips of wood.


    "Are you crazy?" The staff member did not expect such an outburst from Sai Gao. The fact that the room belonged to Fang Shui¡¯er made the situation even more disastrous than it should have been.


    "This one seems nice enough. We¡¯ll take it." Sai Gao disregarded the staff member and walked into the room. Shao Xian showed signs of hesitation, but after noticing Li Yiming¡¯s indifference, she followed.


    The staff member waspletely powerless, unable to take any action against the three. He nced at his watch and quickly ran outside to make a call ¡ª Fang Shui¡¯er was going to arrive soon, and this was not a situation he could handle on his own.


    "Don¡¯t worry. Just focus on the performance and I¡¯ll do the make-up for you." Sai Gao walked to the closet and put the performance outfit on the hangar before copsing on the sofa.


    After giving Shao Xian an encouraging pat on the shoulder, Li Yiming turned around and looked at the room. ¡¯Wow... a massage chair, a bed, make-up station, fridge and snacks, and even a bathroom?¡¯


    "Are you sure?" Although Shao Xian had always trusted Sai Gao, the circumstance they found themselves in this time was nothing like any before.


    "Leave the rest to your manager and assistant. Focus on preparing for the stage." Li Yiming smiled as he picked up an apple and took a bite.


    Shao Xian took a deep breath as she sat down and stared at her uniform, trying to remember the emotions she felt when she first wore it at Xie¡¯s Clothing.


    "What happened?" An angry shout came from the hallway along with footstep sounds.


    "I tried stopping them, but..." The staff member stammered.


    "You kicked the door?" A short man with a beer belly arrived and shouted at Li Yiming, since thetter¡¯s physique made him the obvious person to me.


    "Nope." Li Yiming said with ack of interest and walked toward the fridge.


    "What?" The man was dumbfounded at receiving such a treatment.


    "Who are you?" Sai Gao looked upzily while massaging his own chest.


    "He¡¯s our vice-director," the staff member immediately said to delegate his own responsibilities.


    "So, what do you want?" Sai Gao asked.


    "Was it your idea?" The vice-director turned his attention toward Shao Xian, who seemed the most normal out of the trio.


    "I..." Shao Xian said with a shaking voice, thinking about the consequences she would have to face from provoking the vice-director.

 Volume 7 Chapter 32

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Eat your yogurt first." Sai Gao suddenly said.


    "Right." Shao Xian sat down right next to Sai Gao, ignoring the vice-directorpletely, and picked up the yogurt from the table.


    "Are you Shao Xian¡¯s manager?" The director finally realized that the one in charge in the group was Sai Gao. This made him doubt whether Shao Xian was nothing more than a tool to the mysterious group led by Sai Gao.


    "That I am. What business do you have with me?" Sai Gao answered with a scornful nce.


    "There¡¯s wine here. Want some?" Li Yiming picked up a ss bottle and asked Sai Gao.


    "That brand¡¯s kind of sour. I wouldn¡¯t even try it. I am pretty happy about this resting room though." Sai Gao said as he looked at the vice-director.


    ¡¯This room isn¡¯t for you!" The vice-director tried to suppress his anger to maintain his public image.


    "Well, it¡¯s ours now."


    "Look, I understand that you¡¯re not happy about the room you were assigned. How about youe out and I¡¯ll go help you find another room myself. Let¡¯s not disrupt the scheduling just for this," The vice-director said as he nced at his watch. He wanted to make sure to resolve the whole fiasco before Fang Shui¡¯er arrived. After that, he would have all the time in the world to investigate the trio¡¯s background and take revenge.


    "Seems like we have quite the show here," A pleasant voice was heard as Fang Shui¡¯er appeared at the door. She seemed confused as she looked at her name the door a couple of times to make sure she was at the right ce.


    "Ms. Fang..." Beads of sweat rolled down the vice-director¡¯s head as he faced the VIP guest of the festival. Should he anger her, his career in the entertainment industry would be over.


    "Did I go to the wrong room?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked as the people who were watching moved to the side to let her pass through.


    "Yup. This is our room," Sai Gao answered nonchntly.


    "You...! Ms. Fang, please..." The vice-director looked at Sai Gao as if he wanted to murder him.


    "Shao Xian! What a coincidence! I¡¯m guessing they didn¡¯t have a room for you. How about we share our room today?" Fang Shui¡¯er looked at Shao Xian and saluted her with a yful smile.


    "What?" Shao Xian jumped up from where she sat, spilling her drink in the process. She knew Fang Shui¡¯er had some kind of rtionship with Li Yiming, and she was undoubtedly doing it for his sake.


    "Why are you looking at me? She¡¯s asking you." Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders as he looked for a bottle-opener.


    "Sharing a room? Are you sure?" The vice-director could not understand why Fang Shui¡¯er would possibly want to amodate Shao Xian¡¯s needs.


    "She¡¯s not asking for your permission." Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s assistant snorted in discontent as she interposed herself between Fang Shui¡¯er and the vice-director.


    "Would you be okay with it?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked again.


    "Of course!" Shao Xian nodded. She was beginning to wonder what kind of rtionship Li Yiming had with Fang Shui¡¯er, especially considering his "special" connection with Sai Gao.


    "Alright then." Fang Shui¡¯er nodded at Sai Gao, turned in Li Yiming¡¯s direction and bowed down slightly.


    ¡¯I made a mistake.¡¯ The vice-director was sharp enough to catch this detail. He knew that it was Li Yiming who influenced Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s decision. ¡¯But this young man... who is he?¡¯


    "Now that this has been settled, could you please vacate the room?" Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s assistant said coldly.


    "Of course, of course." The vice-director quickly retreated along with his crew.


    "Who¡¯s that young man?" The vice-director asked one of his helpers as they hurried away from the scene.


    "I think that he¡¯s Shao Xian¡¯s assistant and chauffeur," The staff member who saw Li Yiming and Shao Xian at the parking lot answered.


    The vice-director pped his employee on the head. ¡¯What an idiot. Him, a chauffeur? He almost ruined me!¡¯


    "Go get a fruit basket and a good bottle of wine. Quick! I need it before the rehearsal starts!" The vice-director shouted as he tried toe up with a way to remedy to the bad impression he had created.


    On the way to Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s room with the gifts, the vice-director bumped into someone he would never have thought of meeting: Pan Junwei. He was a major sponsor, having offered one hundred million to the festival for a single front row seat.


    "Mr. Pan! What pleasure..." The vice-director greeted and pulled an employee to the side to ask him what was going on.


    "He came to give flowers to Shao Xian..." The staff member whispered.


    "Are you sure? Not Fang Shui¡¯er?" The vice-director was surprised.


    "Yes. Fang Shui¡¯er and her manager went to the room across the hallway as soon as he got in," The staff member answered.


    "Shit... so all that money was for Shao Xian..."


    "Not only her, Mr. Yun¡¯s secretary came to give flowers too. She left right after putting down the flowers though."


    "Mr. Yun? Which one?"


    "Ms. Ying, the secretary." The staff member revealed Ying Mei¡¯s name.


    "Yun Yiyuan?" The vice-director eximed in shock.


    Just as the vice-director was still absorbing the news, his cell phone rang.


    "Hello?"


    "There¡¯s a little adjustment to be made for the order of the performances. Can you move Divine Voice Materialized to be the first show?"


    * * *


    "Are we done setting up around the music festival?" The newly-arrived vice-chancellor Lin asked.


    "Yes. However, vice-chancellor Lin, I believe it to be unwise to spend that much manpower on the musical festival alone. I think we should stop the event from happening altogether." The other vice-chancellor, who was much older than Lin Lu, said in a cold voice.


    "We need to reduce media attention at this point, not further add oil to the fire by cancelling such a renowned public event. Trust me, the musical festival is going to give answers to our questions." Lin Lu smiled as she nced at the photo on the table, which showed Li Yiming apanying Shao Xian into the venue.


    "Chancellor..." The vice-chancellor turned his attention toward the chancellor, who was silent the entire time.


    "Let¡¯s go ording to her n." The chancellor said as he remembered the document Lin Lu had brought from the capital. It contained three zing official seals along with a very simple instruction ¡ª obey her at all costs.


    Stargaze observed the sirens of the patrol cars as one vehicle after another rushed out of the police headquarters. She dialed a number on her phone and seemed to hesitate no longer.


    "Qian Mian, bring Tian Yan to the spot."


    Stargaze let out a long sigh as she looked at the brown and white motif of her cappino. She had been observing things from afar as they unfolded for far too long, hesitating when deciding to take matters in her own hands.


    ¡¯Many are going to die today. I could prevent this by stopping the festival from happening, but if that happens, then the Seal of Spirit and Heart... But if the Seal spreads, then our world... Is it going to be the birth of a new world order, or will it spell doom for all of us?¡¯ Stargaze picked up her phone and dialed another number, distraught by her wandering thoughts.


    "Isn¡¯t it a bitte for a meal?" Li Huaibeiughter came from the other side of the phone.


    "You seem to be in a nice mood."


    "Well, I¡¯ve got some things figured out."


    "Good for you," Stargaze said without asking Li Huaibei further.


    "You didn¡¯t call me just to tell me that, did you?"


    "I¡¯d like to invite you to a musical festival." Stargaze smiled for the first time in a while.


    "How can I refuse such a generous offer from a beautiful woman?"


    "I¡¯ll be waiting for you in the coffee shop facing the police headquarters."


    "I¡¯ll be there in ten."


    Stargaze¡¯s smile faded away as she hung up.


    ¡¯He knows what he seeks. What about me?¡¯

 Volume 7 Chapter 33

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    In front of the entrance to the sports stadium located near the city center, a crowd was gathered as more and more people arrived at the venue. There were still two hours left before the start of the music festival and yet there was already a considerable crowd waiting.


    Security checks were conducted with added rigorousness as the shooting incident that had urred a day earlier had a left impact on the police force. Despite the grim happenings, the enthusiasm of those who were here to enjoy themselves did not dwindle in the slightest.


    The side-exit of the stadium served as an entrance for special guests. Unlike the main entrance, it was deserted. A young employee scratched her head as she looked at rather short-man in front of him, who was dressed in a worn-out cotton jacket and carried a knit bag with him.


    "Sir, this is the entrance for special guests. You¡¯ll need a different ticket. You have to enter through the main entrance. Also, we¡¯ll help clean up the empty bottles left in the venue after the show..." The employee answered politely and the man looked like someone who scavenged recybles for a living.


    "Is this the right ticket?" The man smiled and took out a ticket.


    "Oh?" The employee was surprised as the ticket did look authentic.


    "Please wait for a second," Although she had her doubts about how a homeless-looking man was able to acquire a ticket costing almost ten thousand yuan, she still proceeded to scan the ticket and verified the code.


    Ding!


    A beeping sound was heard as the ticket was sessfully verified.


    "What¡¯s happening? Get out of here!" Before the employee could return the ticket to the man, a muscr man arrived at the scene. He towered over the skinny man as he osted him.


    "Captain, he has a ticket." The young employee showed the ticket to her supervisor.


    "What?" The captain was stunned.


    "This..."


    "And you verified it?" The captain had a hard time believing it.


    "Yes."


    "Tell me, how did you get your hands on this?" The captain snatched the ticket and looked at the man as he was still unwilling to believe that thetter could ever afford such an expensive item.


    "I bought a bottle of waterst month, and the owner of the supermarket said I won a prize. Am I at the wrong ce?" The skinny man exined.


    "Of course..." The captain pursed his lips and scrutinized the short man. He picked up the scanner and verified the ticket again.


    "Hey, you! Check him thoroughly." The captain turned toward a security guard, having nothing to say about the authenticity of the ticket. The guard walked up with a metal detector, which was an unusual treatment, to say the least, for VIP guests. The skinny man obeyed the guard¡¯s instructions as he raised his arms for the check-up.


    "Clear." Aside from abnormally firm muscles, the bodyguard could not find anything worth mentioning.


    "What¡¯s inside?" The captain suddenly turned his attention toward the man¡¯s bag.


    "It¡¯s empty." The man showed the inside of the bag to the captain.


    "What are you doing with this?" The captain suddenly asked.


    "Nothing. I¡¯m just used to having it with me,"


    "Alright. You can go in, but the bag stays here." The captain snorted in discontent and said before turning around.


    "I¡¯m sorry, why is it that I can¡¯t bring the bag inside?" The man asked.


    "I said it, that¡¯s why. Either you get in without the bag, or you get out of here," The captain suddenly burst out. He had a sour feeling about the shabby-looking man being fortunate enough to win a VIP ticket to the festival.


    "Could you exin? Why is it that I can¡¯t bring a bag inside?" The man insisted while keeping his smile.


    "Exin? Look, if you get inside looking like someone who¡¯s scavenging, then you¡¯ll ruin the mood of our important guests. Do you really think of yourself as being a valued guest just because you have that ticket? I¡¯ve decided to let you inside out of kindness," The captain turned around and said in a menacing voice.


    "Kindness... Well, it has been a long time since I¡¯ve heard that." The skinny man mumbled as he seemed to be reminiscing about something.


    Just at that moment, a group of people arrived at the scene. Leading the group was a handsome young man with a beard, who was supporting an old man. Behind them were several followers who seemed to be the old man¡¯s assistants. Their movements were elegant, their airs proud, but not overly so, just as one would expect from the elites of society.


    "Get out of the way, I¡¯ll deal with youter." The captain instantly put on a radiant smile and went on to greet the newly arrived guests. He signaled to the security guard, who stepped in front of the skinny man and hid him with hisrge frame.


    "Sir, you can rest a bit over there." The young girl who verified the man¡¯s ticket at first pulled him over and offered him an employee¡¯s stic chair to sit on.


    "You¡¯re a kind one." The man smiled as he sat down.


    "Our captain is only trying to do his job. At worst, I¡¯ll keep your bag and give it to you when youe out," The girl said. She tried as hard as she could to make the experience enjoyable for the man, as she thought of this as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for thetter.


    The captain was far too absorbed by the arrival of the new guests to pay attention to what was happening behind him. The old man who led the group seemed like an authoritative figure who undoubtedly controlled great wealth. Once the old man stood about a dozen meters away from the ticket gate, he bowed in the direction of the entrance. After the salutation, instead of progressing forward, he simply stood still and waited.


    The captain felt intimidated by the disy of respect, but then his heart was inundated by contentment as he thought of himself as being the recipient of the salutation.


    "No need for such respect, please,e in!" The captain approached the group with a broad grin, his face flushed with excitement.


    "Leave!" The handsome young man with a goatee suddenly snorted in discontent. The unexpected shout made the captain tremble with fear.


    "I..." The captain stood dumbly in ce as his back became soaking wet with cold sweat.


    The group led by Mr. Xie waited silently until another group of four arrived. At the head was a man dressed in a blue shirt, who wore a rosewood wooden bracelet. Walking hand-in-hand with him was a woman dressed in a traditional dress. Behind them was an innocent-looking teenage girl in a wheelchair. She had long, silky ck hair and was pushed by a lean man.


    "Mr. Xie," Stargaze greeted the old man.


    "Oh? What a pleasure! Ms. Wang and Mr. Li. Please," The old man smiled and moved to the side to let them through.


    "So he was waiting for them!" The captain thought that he had finally figured out the situation and forced a smile to wee the next group of guests, but Stargaze¡¯s group also curiously stopped a few meters in front of the gates. Refusing to move forward an inch more.


    ¡¯What is happening?¡¯ The captain was bewildered as to whom the newly arrived group could have possibly wanted to salute. Aside from himself, there were only three people near the entrance: the young employee, a security guard, and a homeless-looking man.

 Volume 7 Chapter 34

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The queue at the VIP entrance became longer and longer as more guests arrived, and all chose to wait patiently instead of entering the venue. Not all the important guests were guardians, but even those who were ordinary people had enough tact to wait instead of stepping out of line.


    "What¡¯s happening?" The young employee asked as she witnessed the bizarre scene.


    "Haha, they are just scared." Mr. Kong lit up a cigarette for himself.


    "Why are we stopped?" A young obese man wearing a fur coat started to lose his patience. Most of them had calcted their time of arrival to tightly match that of the festival start time, so they were at risk of runningte.


    "The people ahead are not moving for some reason, I wonder why," A man asked after choosing to stay silent all this time.


    "Let me go ask," The obese man looked at his new girlfriend, who was growing impatient by the second, and made his way ahead of the queue.


    "Hello, may I ask what we¡¯re waiting for?" The young man approached a woman with heavy make-up.


    "Don¡¯t you see that the people ahead of us aren¡¯t moving?" The womanined.


    "Will you shut up and just wait quietly?" The woman¡¯s partner nced at her and scolded.


    "Well, the show¡¯s about to start soon. We can¡¯t just sit here and wait forever, can we?" The young man asked.


    "Well, you see that guy in white ahead of the queue? He¡¯s the biggest sponsor of this show. Maybe you can go ask him?" The man pointed at Yun Yiyuan.


    "Alright." The young man nced at his girlfriend, who looked at him expectantly, and somehow managed to muster the courage to have a try.


    "Sir, I¡¯d like to know, what are we all waiting for? The festival is about to start..." The man squeezed himself to the front of the queue.


    "Oh?" Yun Yiyuan seemed amused. "We¡¯re waiting in line, of course."


    "But... there¡¯s no one ahead of you..." The young man looked at the entrance and only saw a few staff members and the security guard, who all looked very confused.


    "Isn¡¯t there another one?" Ying Mei, who stood next to Yun Yiyuan, chuckled and pointed at Mr. Kong.


    "Him?" The young man observed the man who was smoking.


    ¡¯Well, I¡¯vee this far, might as well...¡¯ The young man thought as he took a deep breath and continued making his way forward.


    "Hello sir, why aren¡¯t you entering the stadium?" The young man did not mind the appearance of Mr. Kong, as he had enough wisdom to notice that there was something strange with the man, so he was best being prudently polite.


    "They¡¯re not letting me in..." Mr. Kong said.


    "What...?" The young man was perplexed.


    "Sir Wang, why are we...?" A voice was heard. It was the vice-director, who finally arrived after being notified of the situation.


    "That¡¯s what I want to know! Is the show canceled? You¡¯re wasting all of our precious time here!" The young man finally burst out in anger, as he knew more than enough about the vice-director to think of him as just a pawn on which he could vent his frustration on.


    "Please be patient, please. Let¡¯s wait for a bit." Beads of sweat rolled down the vice director¡¯s forehead as he realized that unlike what he expected, it was not just a single guest throwing a tantrum at the entrance.


    The vice-director shivered as he looked at all the people waiting in line. To anger even one of them would be enough to give him a headache.


    "Come over here!" The vice-director burst out at the captain.


    "I..."


    "Shut up! What did you do?" The vice-director gave the captain a p on the forehead. If nothing else, at least it made his stance clear in front of the important guests."


    "Our respected guest over here..." At this point, even the captain knew enough to realize that Mr. Kong was the root cause of the issue. However, he still did not know how to extricate himself out of the predicament.


    "Can I go in?" Mr. Kong put his cigarette butt into an empty bottle and stood up.


    "Of course! Of course!" The captain almost knelt down and begged.


    "Can I bring my bag with me? I¡¯ve been holding onto it for many years." Mr. Kong smiled.


    "Of course!" The captain looked at the bag in fear. No doubt the item woulde back to haunt him in his nightmares.


    "Oh, thanks." The man made his way for the entrance under the nervous-racking attention of the vice-director and the captain.


    "Oh? Can anyone here do me a favor?" Mr. Kong suddenly turned around.


    "Please," Yun Yiyuan stepped forward and bowed down.


    "You can help me?" Mr. Kong asked.


    "Anything." Yun Yiyuan kept his head low.


    "Can I ask that girl to sit with me during the show?" The man pointed at the young employee.


    "Go, go!" The vice-director signaled to his employee before Yun Yiyuan could say anything.


    "Huh?" The young employee did not expect Mr. Kong to suddenly ask her to sit with him during the show. ¡¯He¡¯s not going to do perverted things to me... right?¡¯


    "No worries. They¡¯ll still pay you for your work." Mr. Kong let out a warm smile.


    "Okay..." The young girl said as she nced at all the big shots behind her.


    "That girl¡¯s fate changed..." Tian Yan suddenly said.


    "He doesn¡¯t want her to die today..." Stargaze said with a frown as she turned around to look at the people queued up behind her.


    "We¡¯ll be going in first," After saluting Li Huaibei and Stargaze again, Yun Yiyuan turned around and left. When he passed by the vice-director, he said in a low voice, "I don¡¯t want to see that person again."


    "As you wish." The vice-director bowed down. And so, a man¡¯s thriving career was ruined.


    * * *


    In the resting room backstage, Li Yiming savored the high-quality wine the vice-director brought him as he looked at Shao Xian and Fang Shui¡¯er. Their radiating beauty reminded him of Liu Meng.


    ¡¯Where do I... Where do we belong?¡¯


    Li Yiming wondered if he could live to see the next dawn.


    As Li Yiming stared at his wine cup, he could only see the crimson liquid as an omen for what was about toe.


    Knock! Knock!


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s assistant quickly went to answer the door.


    "Ms. Fang, Ms. Shao, the show is about to start." A staff member arrived.


    "It¡¯s time," Li Yiming said.

 Volume 7 Chapter 35

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The opening ceremony, with its fast-rhythm music and energetic dancing moves, ignited the passion of the crowd. Euphoric cries of excitement were heard as the spectators cheered in anticipation for the start of the festival.


    However, the on-scene producer frowned, despite the more-than-expected sess of the opening show. He now questioned the decision of the director to put Shao Xian first. Although Shao Xian¡¯s song was undoubtedly one of the more anticipated ones of the show, it was one which caused rxation rather than excitement, so it would run in the opposite direction of what he had nned.


    In the backstage, Shao Xian waited nervously. The loud cheering and screaming she heard frightened her, despite Sai Gao¡¯s best attempt to calm her down.


    Li Yiming was on the side, examining the crowd to prepare himself for the fight toe. His nce remained for a while on the knit-bag the moment he spotted it. ¡¯Even you¡¯re here?¡¯


    As the opening ceremony finally concluded, the music switched to a ssic tune of Chinese zither. Shao Xian took onest deep breath and walked towards the stage under the guidance of the staff members.


    "Divine Voice Materialized? The unknown goddess is first?"


    "That¡¯s different from what was written on the pamphlet! It says that she¡¯s the seventeenth performer!"


    "Wow! She¡¯s pretty!"


    "Where did she get a dress like that? Honey, I want one too..."


    Murmurs were heard as many discussed the reason for moving Shao Xian¡¯s performance to the first one. Although efforts were made to keep the voice low, it still inevitably created a buzzing sound which was almost as loud as the apanying music. Visibly nervous, Shao Xian pressed on her earphones to hear the music more clearly.


    "This is her first time after all..." The producer sighed as he watched it from the control center and opted to raise the volume of the instrumental music.


    "She has guts showing up this unprepared? She¡¯d be bad even for lip-syncing! A shame all of us have to perform real singing as part of the contract..." A lesser-known singerined in a sour tone.


    "You canin here, but keep your mouth shut when you head out of this room. One of the vice-directors got fired due to a problem rted to her restroom. Even Fang Shui¡¯er seemed afraid of her. Don¡¯t stir up unnecessary troubles for thepany!" The singer¡¯s manager scolded her as he stared at the screen.


    "She¡¯s first?" Mr. Xie frowned and nced at his assistant, who caught onto his signal and left.


    "Thank you. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been to a concert like this..." The young employee who was brought in by Mr. Kong was overjoyed. She had never thought that she would get to sit in the middle of the first row of all ces. It was inconceivable that the best ticket for such a big event would be used for promotional purposes.


    "Don¡¯t mention it, just enjoy the music. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think most people are here for that," Mr. Kong chuckled, took out a cigarette and lit it up.


    "Um, smoking is forbidden here," The employee was instantly reminded of her duties.


    "Don¡¯t worry. No one¡¯s going to mind." The man said as he lit up his smoke.


    "But..." The employee looked around. She noticed that all of the other VIP guests maintained their distance to Mr. Kong, which was something she could only attribute to their not wanting to condescend and interact with him.


    "It¡¯s started." Mr. Kong took a long whiff and looked at Shao Xian.


    "The Great Path is invisible, but it gives birth to heaven and earth..." Shao Xian finally sang the first line. Her voice was slightly shaky, and the buzzing noise from the cloud was still clearly audible despite their whispering out of politeness.


    "The Great Path is impassive, but it moves the moon and stars..." As her singing continued, Shao Xian¡¯s voice slowly stabilized. The noise from the crowd also slowly dissipated as the song went on, as if they strangely all just forgot about what they had wanted to say.


    "The Great Path is anonymous, but it nurtures all..." The third verse was sung, and the stadium fell into a dead silence.


    The lyrics of the soul was only a gateway to the Seal of Spirit and Heart, a spell aimed at repressing the subconscious desires of the listener. Although many had already heard the song before, its effects were not as potent when listened through a yback device. However, when listened to live, there was no stopping the mesmerizing effects of the song.


    As Shao Xian continued singing, the crowd gradually emptied itself of emotions. Excitement, euphoria, and anticipation were reced by peace of mind and tranquility. Shao Xian was still singing under the shing lights, but she seemed more like a Taoist master than an artist, and the sports stadium resembled a giant temple in which she could spread her wisdom.


    A muscr man who sat in the crowd suddenly punched his own chest hard enough to spit out some blood.


    "Li Yiming..." The man said as he stared at Shao Xian venomously.


    "We¡¯ve overestimated ourselves... As expected from someone who can arouse Heaven¡¯s Laws attention in such a way.." A middle-aged woman said as a blue light shot up from her feet into her chest.


    "Those who¡¯vee to profit from the situation have got it wrong. This is not a conflict one can get involved in without paying a price."


    "They¡¯ve made up their minds, and they¡¯re paying the price for it." Li Huaibei scanned across the crowd and then turned to continue admiring Shao Xian¡¯s performance.


    "It¡¯s not him," Stargaze held Tian Yan¡¯s hand to help relieve some pressure, and thetter was able to have a good look at Li Yiming for the first time.


    "Are you sure?" Stargaze frowned.


    "His fate is red. Blood red... But that¡¯s not Li Yiming..." Tian Yan said as she stared at the side of the stage.


    "You¡¯re saying he left?" Li Huaibei looked at Li Yiming, who also seemed to be entranced by the music.


    "It¡¯s the same person, but his fate has been reced," Tian Yan concluded.


    "Then we¡¯re right..." Stargaze exchanged a nce with Li Huaibei and closed her eyes.


    Li Huaibei turned his attention toward Mr. Kong, who was still smoking his cigarette, unaffected by the performance.


    "Eliminating one¡¯s desires, one¡¯s mind will becalm; clearing one¡¯s mind, one¡¯s soul will be pure; naturally the desires from the six senses will stop emerging," Shao Xian reached the climax of her performance. Just as it was the case when she broadcasted the song online for the first time, the single thought which preupied her mind was to finish her performance, no matter what.


    Light orbs appeared in the crowd as the guardians tried to fend themselves from the hypnotizing effects of the song. The ordinary people who sat around them looked on and envied the "light show", unaware that the recipients of their admiration were all secretly cursing at the magnified effect the song had on their own convictions and beliefs. The song slowly ate away at their strength, forcing them to divert more and more of their attention just to resist its hypnotic effects.

 Volume 7 Chapter 36

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "The reasonmon people cannot find the true Path, is because their minds are full of fantasies.


    As the mind is full of fantasies, the soul is disturbed; as the soul is disturbed, worldly temptations clung on; as worldly temptations clung on, greed emerges; as greed emerges, therees the worries.


    Worries and fantasies, agonizing the body and mind, tarnishing the soul, leading one to wander within cycles of life and death, and sink into an ocean of misery, losing sight of the true Path forever."


    The song went on and another round of explosions of light was seen in the crowd. The people who had achieved "enlightenment" at first were beginning to convulse violently. Unless they submittedpletely, it only became more and more difficult to resist.


    "Did we n these lights in advance?" The producer wondered, thinking that the light orbs were fan-made.


    And then, Shao Xian extended her arms and raised her head.


    "What?" With widened eyes, the producer watched as Shao Xian¡¯s voice continue to resonate throughout the stadium, despite not using her microphone anymore.


    "Lip-syncing?" The producer was now bracing for disaster as the reputation of the festival would take a devastating hit if the first artist to perform was found out to be lip-syncing at an event celebrated for its authenticity.


    The crowd held the same doubt, being able to hear her voice when her mouth was clearly away from the microphone. However, their doubts were soon wiped away, as they heard Shao Xian¡¯s voiceing down from above the next moment. Unlike when she was using the speakers, it was as if she was singing right into the ears of each person standing in the crowd.


    "Is that some kind of new technology?" Some in the crowd looked at the starry sky in confusion.


    "Resonance with Heavens and the Earth? There¡¯s something wrong with her." Yun Yiyuan frowned as he scrutinized Shao Xian.


    "We¡¯ve been yed..." Mr. Xie sat straight up, his ring glowing with a faint green light.


    "I thought you could at least wait until the song¡¯s over..." Li Yiming looked up from where he stood. He then closed his eyes and began dancing. What was odd about his dance was that it waspletely off-sync with the music.


    "And so it starts!" Sai Gao smiled as he watched Li Yiming approach the stage.


    In the sky, the sea of stars continued to project down a soothing waterfall of light and the moon had subtly shifted its position. Only a few in the crowd had noticed the change, and even fewer knew that it was an ominous omen of what was about toe.


    "The true Path can only be realized by the enlightened ones£» those who have achieved enlightenment will always be in the state of purity and calmness." Shao Xian concluded her song and bowed down to the crowd. Then, the shing lights were extinguished, and the stadium sunk into darkness. Everything came back to Shao Xian the moment she ended her song ¡ª it was as if she had just woken up from a long dream.


    ¡¯It¡¯s over?" Shao Xian nced at the crowd. Unlike what she was expecting, only silence reigned. Then, she noticed the few people who stared at her with a severe countenance, as if she was some kind of aberrant monstrosity.


    ¡¯Did I... not sing well?¡¯ Shao Xian¡¯s heart started beating rapidly as she worried about her first performance being a total flunk. She bowed down again and quickly retreated to the backstage.


    "Great work! The crowd would have gone crazy if this happened at another ce and another time." Li Yiming tapped on Shao Xian¡¯s shoulder tofort her.


    "I..." Shao Xian suddenly dove into Li Yiming¡¯s arms and began crying. She thought that she had a nice performance, and yet she somehow could not receive the acknowledgment of the crowd.


    "I wouldn¡¯t have been able to sing like that. You should be crying tears of joy," A voice was heard behind her. Shao Xian turned around and saw Fang Shui¡¯er in her performance outfit, beautiful as ever.


    "Ms. Fang..." Shao Xian pursed her lips.


    "Li Yiming¡¯s right. It¡¯s not that the crowd didn¡¯t like your song. They¡¯re still in awe at how good your performance was!"


    "Really?" Shao Xian¡¯s countenance brightened.


    "Yes. I don¡¯t want to go on stage now. I wouldn¡¯t be able to meet the audience¡¯s expectations after that opening act." Fang Shui¡¯er shrugged her shoulders.


    "Ms. Fang..."


    "I¡¯m serious. How about you go instead?" Fang Shui¡¯er gave the microphone to Li Yiming. The orchestral music for the next song was ying, and the crowd had started whispering once again.


    "Great! I¡¯ve always wanted to be a star!" Li Yiming smiled, tapped on Shao Xian¡¯s shoulder, and walked toward the stage.


    "He..." Shao Xian first thought of it as a joke, but then realized that Li Yiming was serious.


    Li Yiming walked onto the stage, dancing with an off-beat pace as he went. The thought that tens of thousands of people in the crowd were likely to die soon shed past his mind as he looked below.


    "Was the schedule changed again? I thought Fang Shui¡¯er was second?"


    "Who¡¯s this guy? Is he a new singer?"


    "I don¡¯t know, maybe some kind of inte celebrity again?"


    Once again, a buzzing noise came from the crowd. After witnessing Shao Xian¡¯s ster performance, it was only natural for the audience to have high expectations of Li Yiming.


    "Who the heck is this guy? Are those in the backstage drunk?" The director, who was still in the middle of investigating the lights in the crowd and Shao Xian¡¯s apparent lip-syncing, suddenly jumped up.


    "This is the feeling of fame? Not as easy to deal with as I thought." Li Yiming suddenlyughed. "Well, I wanted to sing for you, but since you seem to want to see a good performance, I¡¯ll start off by dancing. If you can sit still until the end, I¡¯ll really start singing."


    Li Yiming then put down the microphone and began dancing to the music. However, even the most amateur person the crowd could see that his dance waspletely off-beat and only slightly better than jerking around randomly.


    "How did he get up there..." Many in the crowd wondered.


    "He¡¯s doing it on purpose. Look at his movements! It¡¯s pretty hard to be this off-beat!"


    "Interesting! A routine breaker is wee from time to time for a show like this."


    "I¡¯m even more eager for what¡¯s toe next."


    The whispering in the crowd gradually died down as many began to think of Li Yiming¡¯s performance as a special surprise the organizers had set up. As he continued his choreography, Li Yiming was beginning to feel just like how he did back on the Ind of Eternity. He could almost see the red lines and red orbs descending from the sky and he continued dancing to the rhythm of the dancing machine he saw in his head.


    It was his special ability: Dance in Emptiness. Only now, the whole world was his stage.


    Boom!


    A silhouette suddenly flew toward the stage, its limbs covered with fire.


    ¡¯Liu Meng...¡¯ Li Yiming frowned without stopping his dance ¡ª he had not expected her to be the first to attack him.


    After another spin, a shadow suddenly emerged from Li Yiming¡¯s body. It transformed into a full-fleshed copy of himself as it met Liu Meng in midair.


    "A clone?" Liu Meng¡¯s palm glowed with a burning red as she pped it toward the shadow. Thetter parried her blow, and a low ringing noise ensued.


    "Wow!" Many in the crowd werepletely absorbed by what they thought was cutting-edge media technology. With the fighting scene being so dramatic, they had already forgotten about Shao Xian¡¯s performance.


    "Look! More of them!"


    Cheers were heard from the crowd as more shes of light shot toward Li Yiming. Li Yiming produced more shadows in quick session to fend off the assault.


    This was his second special ability: Fighting and dancing in unison.

 Volume 7 Chapter 37

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The crowd¡¯s entranced fascinationsted until one of the "special effect" light orbs was deflected back into them, causing an explosion which injured many. The whole venue immediately turned into a chaotic mess of people fleeing for their lives, pushing and even stomping on whoever was in their way.


    Li Yiming could only watch as the tragedy unfolded. Even if he wished to help those around him, he had no attention to spare, for he knew that his confrontation with the other guardians had only started.


    The young employee invited inside by Mr. Kong was about to make for the exit when Mr. Kong grabbed her wrist. "No need to run. Trust me, you¡¯ll be safe if you stay with me."


    Strangely, instead of fleeing in disbelief, the young girl waspelled to listen to Mr. Kong and sat down calmly.


    As the fighting continued, the lighting truss was blown off by a mortar round, while a steel beam which supported the temporary stage was cut cleanly into two by an ax. A gaping hole was produced in the giant LED panel behind the stage, and a small fire had already started on another panel to the side. Li Yiming, however, continued dancing, with more and more shadows emerging from his body with every movement.


    "A technique suitable for arge brawl..." Stargaze observed from the crowd.


    "Wait, something¡¯s wrong. He shouldn¡¯t need to use this ability to fight against small fries..." Mr. Xie frowned as he scrutinized Li Yiming¡¯s movement.


    "No need to worry, we can wait. The real yers to the show have yet to do anything," Yun Yiyuan leanedfortably against the sofa and slowly slid his hand full of calluses around Ying Mei¡¯s cor.


    As the instrumental music for the first song finally concluded, Li Yiming paused briefly and looked around before closing his eyes once more. ¡¯So I lose these clones if they get hit...¡¯


    Sai Gao had helped Li Yiming familiarized himself with his new ability; with every dance, he would be able to temporarily acquire a new talent. However, the nature of the talent was out of his control. It was as if he was ying at a slot machine. The cloning technique was transient, and Li Yiming could only hope to be as lucky with his next draw.


    "Shit!" Li Yiming suddenly eximed as he continued dancing. A flurry of insults followed.


    "Crap!"


    "Asshole!"


    "Son-of-a-bitch!"


    "Animal!"


    Li Yiming looked on as he realized that his second choreography had allowed him to ess a new talent: intimidation. This was a special technique which allowed him to temporarily boost hisbat prowess by insulting others.


    ¡¯Well then, this is interesting...¡¯ Li Yiming suddenly wanted tough. It was an almostical situation, were it not for the fact that he could die if he made a single mistake.


    Li Yiming sighed and elerated his pace, hoping to finish his choreography as quickly as possible. Despite the seemingly humorous situation, his clones were greatly empowered by the technique, which spelled doom for the guardians, who were already outnumbered.


    Bang!


    Li Yiming turned to the side as a hole appeared in the ground where he stood, all while trying to keep his rhythm.


    ¡¯Eyesses...¡¯ Li Yiming knew exactly who was behind the sudden attack.


    Boom!


    Another shot.


    This time, a ray of light suddenly shot up from behind Li Yiming and intercepted the sniper round, creating a miniature explosion in midair.


    ¡¯Fang Shui¡¯er?¡¯ Li Yiming turned around and saw Fang Shui¡¯er, in her full-body armor, slowly lowering her bow.


    Li Yiming nodded in her direction as a sign of gratitude and continued dancing.


    "Alright. It¡¯s time," A ck van arrived at the sports stadium, and a dark-skinned man jumped out of the vehicle, looking at the building from afar.


    "We need to hurry. There¡¯s something strange with this domain. I don¡¯t think that its sole purpose is to hunt down Li Yiming." Pan Junwei signaled his teammates to move toward the stadium. He himself, instead of following suit, turned around and looked at an alleyway across the street.


    "Li Yiming talked to me about you. You¡¯re quite an interesting guy." A tall silhouette came out of the alleyway. It was Sai Gao, who looked like a bigger version of Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "Do you know what I hate the most? People like you. You disgust me." Pan Junwei said coldly.


    "Hahaha! Quite the contrary for me. I find muscr men like you very charming," Sai Gao smiled and licked his lips.


    The muzzle of Pan Junwei¡¯s gun shed as he quickly jumped back to create some distance between Sai Gao and himself. However, by the time the bullets reached where Sai Gao stood, thetter had long vanished.


    As she cut through four of Li Yiming¡¯s clones, Liu Meng pointed her finger in Li Yiming¡¯s direction, and a ray of red light shot towards him, causing a giant congration as itnded right next to Li Yiming.


    "Li Yiming!" Fang Shui¡¯er cried in shock as Li Yiming was engulfed by the mes. She could not understand why he did not dodge the attack.


    One of Li Yiming¡¯s clones, who was entangled in the fight below, suddenly stopped moving. After taking care of the guardian he faced with a single blow, he turned around and looked at Liu Meng.


    "He can switch ces with his clones?" Mr. Xie frowned after immediately figuring out Li Yiming¡¯s technique.


    "We¡¯ve finished the preparations!" The young tailor came to report to him.


    "Just wait a bit more..." Mr. Xie nced at Mr. Kong, who lit up another cigarette.


    ¡¯Alright, I¡¯m done for now..." Li Yiming wiped his sweat. Although the battle had been in his favor up until now, he was fully aware that his true enemies have yet to make a move. He took a deep breath and resumed his dancing.


    "The one who¡¯s dancing is the real one!" A guardian suddenly yelled and dove towards Li Yiming, despite taking a blow in the back from one of Li Yiming¡¯s clones.


    Most of the guardians who had attacked Li Yiming now deeply regretted their decision. Many jumped to the action immediately as they were afraid that they would be toote to receive a reward. As the fight raged on, most discovered that the clones were much stronger than they had anticipated, especially considering that they were after Li Yiming for a small profit rather than risking their lives. As a result, the majority of were simply doing the bare minimum to keep the clones upied while waiting for further development.


    As soon as someone pointed out the location of the real Li Yiming, most of the guardians immediatelymitted with a burst of energy and rushed toward Li Yiming.


    As his de pierced Li Yiming¡¯s chest, one of the guardians, a skinny man, trembled in excitement, unwilling to believe that such good fortune befell him.


    The next moment, his skull was pierced by a ray of light. As Fang Shu¡¯er lowered her bow down again, she turned around to look at Li Yiming, who was still dancing on the other side of the stadium.


    "Idiots. How could he be killed this easily?" Yun Yiyuan as he tightened his grip around Ying Mei¡¯s breast.


    "Are you going to wait?" Ying Mei bit her lip and nced at Yun Yiyuan, not daring to resist despite being in pain.


    "We can wait. Don¡¯t you see that all those old foxes are sitting still?" Yun Yiyuan chuckled and nced in Li Huaibei¡¯s direction.


    As the crowd of guardians turned their attention toward Li Yiming, they saw all of Li Yiming¡¯s clones standing in formation.


    "Eat my hammer!" The clones yelled in unison as they put their arms up. A giant sh of light streaked across the sky, followed by the drop of a hundred massive hammers.

 Volume 7 Chapter 38

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    As the thunder which shrouded the hammers held by the clones confluenced into a giant lightning bolt above them, it finally dawned on the guardians that they were facing a foe who lived up to the reputation of a sage. Many had begun to n their retreat, and the guardians started to group up to increase their chance of survival.


    Li Yiming looked up with a frown. He set his eyes on a golden orb shining among the stars, which tightened his chest and made his heart race.


    ¡¯Heaven¡¯s Laws...¡¯


    After redirecting his attention towards the guardians standing in front of him, he realized that none of them seemed to be aware of the object in the sky. However, he did notice that most of the sages who sat still on their seat had a shift of countenance.


    "Are you sure?" Li Huaibei exchanged a nce with Stargaze, disying a rare look of expectation.


    "To be honest, I¡¯m not sure. Being where I am, I shouldn¡¯t have any desires anymore. But now I¡¯m curious. I really want to see what¡¯s above there." Stargaze sighed and brushed her hair to the side as she gazed at Li Yiming.


    "You¡¯ll pay quite a price for just having a nce."


    "I¡¯ve seen everything in this world. It would only make sense to pay to see something new. Qian Mian, take Tian Yan with you and leave. Don¡¯te back until the domain is over," Stargaze instructed as she took out a sapphire bracelet and put it around Tian Yan¡¯s wrist.


    "Boss..." Qian Man refrained himself from saying any further after ncing at Li Huaibei.


    "Do your job properly. What¡¯s about to happen isn¡¯t something you can afford to get involved in." Stargaze tapped Qian Mian¡¯s shoulder and turned her eyes towards the sky. The golden orb had gained a red glow.


    Boom!


    A skyscraper copsed under the st of Pan Junwei¡¯s bombardment. A monster, half-human and half-snake with golden irises emerged from the ruins. Its ws all reflected light like a steel de and he held a massive turtle shell.


    Instead of jumping toward Pan Junwei, Sai Gao looked up.


    "I don¡¯t think we can finish our fight today." Pan Junwei¡¯s eyes followed suit.


    "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s noting for you." The golden light in Sai Gao¡¯s eyes shone brighter as he prepared an attack.


    "I don¡¯t like the idea of being someone¡¯s pawn. Listen to me, change of ns." Pan Junwei suddenly put away his portable rocketuncher and turned around, leaving his back exposed.


    "Interesting..." Sai Gao smiled, revealing his abnormally long tongue, and slithered away into the darkness.


    "I don¡¯t think we can continue watching the show." Mr. Kong extinguished his cigarette and put it inside an empty stic bottle standing on the table nearby.


    ¡¯You don¡¯t say...¡¯ The young employee was speechless. She was impressed by her own passiveness throughout the entirety of the living hell she was witnessing. Not only was she not fearing for her own safety, somehow she was rather entertained by the fighting that unfolded before her.


    "I have to leave now. Just sit here and you¡¯ll be safe. But I have a favor to ask." The man turned around and said.


    "You¡¯re leaving?" The employee asked. She remained unscathed all this time due to Mr. Kong¡¯s protection, and she was consternated at having her feeling of safety being taken away.


    "I need to wee my guest. You see that man over there? That one with the clones."


    "The one who¡¯s dancing?"


    "Yes. Keep my bag. If you feel like the bag is bing heavier, go give it to him. You should also give it to him if it looks like he¡¯s about to die. Don¡¯t worry, as long as you have the bag, no one will dare touch you." Mr. Kong smiled and gave his knit-bag to the girl.


    "But..." Mr. Kong had already left before she could protest. She examined the bag and could tell that it was made from a very smooth material, something resembling silk, and it was almost weightless.


    "Interesting." Yun Yiyuan looked on as Mr. Kong¡¯s slowly vanished from sight. He pulled his hand out of Ying Mei¡¯s cor and retreated into the darkness.


    Likely, Li Huaibei shot up into the sky in a sh of light. Following him was Stargaze, who shone as bright as a miniature sun.


    "Don¡¯t die too soon, my pupil." Li Yiming suddenly heard Aunt Wu¡¯s voice in his head. Nine swords took off from a neighborhood nearby and soon overtook Li Huaibei.


    From the other side of the city, two giant carps, one ck, and one white, swam across the sky in a yin-yang pattern. Between them sat a young child dressed in a Taoist outfit followed by a walking cane, a Buddhist bracelet, and a dumpling.


    "You have your fight, I have mine." Li Yiming looked on as the rays of light faded away. Mr. Kong¡¯s n was unknown to him, but one thing he was certain of was that the guardians were all here for Shao Xian, and his role in this hellish scene was to protect her.


    Li Yiming turned his attention toward Liu Meng, who floated in the air, and he unleashed his power. All of his clones dashed forward, each holding a hammer which contained the power of a thousand lightning.


    It was a one sided-battle, as with every insult hurled out by one of Li Yiming¡¯s blow, the guardians¡¯ rank would thin out. Most of them had regretted their decision, but there were still many who continued to fight fiercely,pelled by a tremendous will to live.


    Boom!


    A giant mechanded into the stadium, sting away the thunder in front of it with its hollow cannon tubes. One clone leaped toward the cockpit, only to be cut into two by Qing Linglong¡¯s de. Another targeted Qing Qiaoqiao, but he suddenly paused in his attack, as if he was hypnotized. A secondter and his dream was interrupted by two daggers, one which plunged into his heart and another which shed open his throat. Eyesses nodded in Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s direction and vanished, seeking his next target.


    As the mes on the stage died down, a more destructive one lit up where Li Yiming stood. It was Liu Meng, who had only one person in sight: the real Li Yiming. By now, Li Yiming¡¯s former teammates had be the main driving force in resisting Li Yiming¡¯s onught, as thetter did not dare use all of his strength against his teammates. Other guardians seemed to have noticed Li Yiming¡¯s reticence and gradually approached Liu Meng¡¯s group to seek refuge.


    "He¡¯s not a sage..." Mr. Xie, who was still observing the scene from afar, suddenly realized something. His jade thumb ring began to shine with a green light.


    ¡¯You will die today!" The fire around Liu Meng suddenly shrank into her body and re-emerged as a phoenix with ck mes. Everything within a thirty-meter radius was instantly evaporated, which included nine of Li Yiming¡¯s clones and three bystanding guardians.


    "Neon Disruption!" Qing Qiaoqiao yelled as a ray of pink light shot out of her eyes toward Li Yiming. The effects of the attack were instant as his head began spinning and his breathing became ragged.


    "Soul-Crushing Cannon!" Big Beard¡¯s mecha raised its left arm. The forearm portion fell off, revealing a barrel surprisingly small. A shadow shot out of the rifle-sized barrel and shot toward Li Yiming.


    "Heart-Consuming Moonshadow!" Qing Linglong spun in ce, creating a flurry of blows which forced back two of Li Yiming¡¯s clones. As her weapons lit up, a giant, luminous replica of her weapon appeared in front of her and made for Li Yiming.


    "Nine Stars Chasing the Moon!" Nine streaks of light shot up from a corner in the battlefield. Three of them met Big Beard¡¯s strike while three more were aimed toward Qing Linglong¡¯s attack, and thest three were directed at Liu Meng.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er, you dare?!" Liu Meng raised her hand, creating a wall of mes which intercepted the projectiles.


    Three low thuds were heard as Fang Shui¡¯er intercepted the attacks aimed at Li Yiming. However, Qing Linglong¡¯s blow was only slightly deflected off-course. It grazed past Li Yiming¡¯s shoulders, leaving behind arge cut. Li Yiming rolled to the side, dodging an attack from another guardian. Two clones who stood behind jumped to his rescue and were sacrificed, blocking Eyesses attack with their body.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Big Beard¡¯s mecha approached and resumed its bombardment. Li Yiming frowned and smashed forward with his hammer, breaking it down in the process but still unable to stop Big Beard as the mecha was about to crush him.


    With a savage growl, Sai Gao appeared in the stadium and knocked on Big Beard¡¯s mecha back, engaging it in viciousbat.


    "Phoenix Dancing in the Skies!" Liu Meng had finally finished preparing her technique. A loud shriek was heard as the ck phoenix flew up and then came crashing down at Li Yiming.


    "Go!" Li Yiming¡¯s clones jumped up one by one and continued shouting insults as they swung their hammers against the oing dive. The weapons were immediately burned to ashes upon contact, but the interception seeded in weakening the phoenix.


    "Visiting Phoenix!" Liu Meng¡¯s countenance sank as she could feel her attack losing its effectiveness. She pointed at the phoenix, and what looked like a miniature ck hole appeared at the tip of her fingers. Her own body gradually grew transparent as the ck hole grew in size. When Liu Meng vanishedpletely, the ck orb shot up into the air before crashing down like a meteorite.


    "Heaven¡¯s Punishment, I¡¯ll make you pay for this..." Li Yiming gritted his teeth and retreated while all of his clones leaped toward the ck hole to buy some time.


    Suddenly, a sh of light ran across the sky. A de cut the sky into two halves, the intensity of its power sending shivers down Li Yiming¡¯s spine. He had no doubt in his mind that this was the work of a sage.


    "Heaven¡¯s de?" Mr. Xie¡¯s hand shook, almost dropping his thumb ring.


    Yun Yiyuan let out a long sigh of relief and put down his spear. ¡¯Wu Yun, here? Who is he after...?¡¯

 Volume 7 Chapter 39

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    ¡¯Wait... he¡¯s not after me!¡¯ Owing to hisbat experience, Li Yiming had a shocking realization. He immediately made a turnaround and dashed back toward Liu Meng.


    Liu Meng¡¯s attack left a gaping hole in Li Yiming¡¯s chest, but he knew that the worst was still toe. A silhouette of a de was being directed towards him and he gathered all of his energy in the hopes of fending it off.


    Crack!


    Li Yiming¡¯s arm was instantly bent backward. His chest caved in and his skull cracked, and he fell toward the ground, limp.


    "You..." Liu Meng reappeared, perplexed at Li Yiming blocking the attack for her on his own volition. She had anticipated for Li Yiming to block her attack, and for both of them to perish under Wu Yun¡¯s. Death would release her from the guilt and sorrow of taking Li Yiming¡¯s life, despite her having been forced by Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    "You¡¯ll die..." Liu Meng raised her hand in Li Yiming¡¯s direction.


    "He¡¯s mine!" Mr. Xie roared. A rainbow of light burst forth from his thumb ring and spun around Li Yiming, opening up a hole beneath him that swallowed him whole.


    "In your dreams!" Liu Meng pped her zing wings and flew toward Li Yiming. Right before he disappeared into the hole, she reached him and was swallowed as well.


    "Where¡¯s Liu Meng?" Qing Linglong asked.


    Mr. Xie instead turned toward where Wu Yun supposedly was and bowed down. He then said to Qing Linglong, "You were after his life, and he is now dead. Mission aplished, is it not?"


    Qing Linglong frowned and exchanged a nce with Eyesses.


    ¡¯What was bowing down all about? Is that to thank whoever¡¯s there? Or to apologize?¡¯ Qing Linglong conjectured.


    As the fight concluded, Sai Gao, with a shove of his tail, shook off Big Beard¡¯s mecha and approached. After concluding that Li Yiming had indeed disappeared, he escaped into the darkness.


    "We¡¯ll wait here and leave once we¡¯ve confirmed his death." Big Beard said as hended his half-broken mecha.


    The guardians who were fortunate to find themselves still alive finally realized the extent of their greed and stupidity as they looked at the ravaged stadium. Out of the forty-seven who came to profit from the situation, only nine still remained standing with empty hands. However, amidst all of the chaos, there was one spot that was left untouched. It where Mr. Kong sat. The young employee sat there dumbly, still clinging to the knit-bag given to her. With Li Yiming no longer in sight, she was unsure when or how she was supposed to aplish Mr. Kong¡¯s task.


    Spacetime Illusion was Mr. Xie¡¯s biggest asset, and it was the sole reason he was confident enough to steal prey from a powerful sage such as Wu Yun. It was a formation he had obtained when he was young, and fortunately he possessed just the right talent to activate it, providing him with the strength of a sage despite not being one himself.


    Upon activation, the flow of time in a designated area could be controlled. Although Mr. Xie was not strong enough to bring about the full effects of the formation, it was more than enough to trap a single person inside an illusion whichsted until their demise.


    "He was at death¡¯s door before he was pulled into my illusion. He has no chance of survival. Sorry, my illusion is a one-way trip," Mr. Xie said as he looked at Big Beard¡¯s mecha. His followers were beyond excited as their leader was soon to ascend to the top rank of guardians.


    "You promised me..." Ying Mei freed herself of Yun Yiyuan¡¯s grasp.


    "Why so impatient? The show has just started." Yun Yiyuan chuckled and looked up at the sky, and then at the young woman who held Mr. Kong¡¯s bag.


    Qing Linglong and the rest of Li Yiming¡¯s former teammates exchanged a nce and sat down where they were, choosingpletely ignore Mr. Xie¡¯s answer.


    ¡¯I¡¯ll make you feel my anger once I be a sage...¡¯ Mr. Xie thought with great irritation.


    The stadium now sank into a dead silence, sharply contrasting with the chaos just moments ago. Mr. Xie was waiting for his reward, while Qing Linglong¡¯s group was waiting for the confirmation of Li Yiming¡¯s death.


    Far above them, Mr. Kong and hisrades stood as they watched the golden orb in the sky brighten. He looked back at the ground and sadness briefly shing past his face.


    ¡¯You never change... If only you called for help when you confronted the millions of soldiers sent from Heaven...¡¯


    "Are you sure that he¡¯s okay?" Aunt Wu was still worried about Li Yiming.


    "He won¡¯t be the person we¡¯re waiting for if wee to his aid. Dawn wille, regardless of whether the rooster crows or not. The only thing that matters is who¡¯s going to be awake when that momentes," Mr. Kong said.


    "We didn¡¯t count on him for this since the start. Let¡¯s take care of what¡¯s facing us first," An old man with a cane standing behind Aunt Wu lectured her.


    "It¡¯sing!" The young Taoist child whom Mr. Kong visited eximed. His features shed between that of a young child and that of an old man.


    "Oh, can you shut up," Aunt Wu rolled her eyes at the old man with the cane. Her nine swords merged into one and shot toward the golden orb.


    The rest of the group followed. The old man with the cane, after nodding at Li Huaibei and Stargaze, also vanished in a puff of ck smoke.


    Li Huaibei, who stood on his flying sword, followed as he caressed a piece of broken metal, while Stargaze shortly vanished into the light of the stars after a deep breath.


    * * *


    Li Yiming woke up and immediately jumped from his seat. He found himself to be in a taxi car, and the driver was taken aback by his sudden movement.


    "Where am I?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Hangzhou¡¯s Teacher¡¯s College! Didn¡¯t you ask me to bring you here? Thirty-one yuan for the fare, and one for the fuel tax. Thirty-two. Are you going to pay cash or with your card?" The taxi driver said as he pointed as the giant panel right in front of the taxi.


    ¡¯Kids nowadays... How did he even get into college? I¡¯ll have to worry more about my kids...¡¯


    "Teacher¡¯s College?" Li Yiming repeated with a frown as he checked his body for any wounds, only to find none. He then recalled the words that the taxi driver just said. ¡¯The fuel tax... That thing was abolished over a year ago. So I¡¯m trapped in some kind of illusion of my past?¡¯


    Li Yiming paid the taxi fare and descended from the vehicle, his sense on high alert.


    "Your luggage!" The driver yelled. By now he was wondering how Li Yiming managed to make it all the way to the city¡¯s train station in the first ce.


    "Luggage?" Li Yiming looked at the backseat, on which two suitcases rested.


    ¡¯That suitcase...¡¯ Li Yiming frowned as he remembered that he had only used one of the suitcases once in his life, when he arrived at college for the first time. One of the handles broke as he climbed the student residence¡¯s stairs, and he left it in his dorm ever since.


    Liu Meng stood alone by the running field, wearing a white one-piece which gave off such an air of elegance and beauty that those who passed by could not stop themselves from admiring her. She kept her eyes low and frowned as she looked around.


    ¡¯Where is this ce? Where is he?¡¯

 Volume 7 Chapter 40

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming frowned as he pulled the heavy suitcase all the way to the student¡¯s residence ¡ª after trying to call upon his guardian abilities, he realized that they had all disappeared.


    ¡¯Nothing I can do but see where this leads me to. This can¡¯t be good news if I¡¯m really trapped in an illusion,¡¯ Li Yiming thought as he stared at the window on the left side of the third floor: this was where he had lived for four years.


    Walking his way to his dorm was a trip down memoryne. Li Yiming passed by the cafeteria, whose food he remembered as being incredibly nd but he somehow missed; the self-study ssrooms, which were only packed right before an exam; the library, which waspletely empty during the winter but full of "studious" students during the summer, when air conditioning was avable; and the small convenience store, with its products always out of stock despite theck of variety.


    Going back to the ces where he lived as an ordinary college student made Li Yiming wonder about what would happen if he did not go to the top of that building, or if he chose to not believe Mr. Kong and enter Pure Water Herb Hall.


    ¡¯Maybe I¡¯d be a teacher trying my best to make my students love dancing. Maybe I¡¯d be a celebrity, rising to fame with a single choreography, or maybe I¡¯d be living a simple life and enjoying the pleasures it brings... No! If I didn¡¯t be a guardian, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand her feelings... She¡¯s always been my side... Liu Meng...¡¯ Li Yiming snapped out of his nostalgia.


    Early autumn in Hangzhou was still warm, and continuous rainfalls knocked down some of the slightly golden leaves from the rows of tree nking the asphalt road. Li Yiming smiled as he remembered Liu Meng when he first met her; the girl who liked to pinch his neck yfully, kick his leg lightly when she sat behind him in ss, tell inappropriate jokes, and pretend to be cold and distant with others, only to warm up when they were together.


    ¡¯Old ce, old times, but she¡¯s...¡¯ Li Yiming was about to sigh when someone suddenly jumped in front and pushed him on the chest with all of her strength.


    Li Yiming was knocked back into the ground from the unexpected blow. His suitcase handle, under the stress, broke earlier than he remembered.


    "You..." Li Yiming said as he rubbed his chest to alleviate the pain and looked up at the person who pushed him: it was Liu Meng.


    Liu Meng herself was examining her hand, as if there was something wrong with it.


    "Okay, let¡¯s talk." Li Yiming let out a cough to relieve the pressure and tapped the dust away from his wet pants. He could tell that this was still not the true Liu Meng.


    "What is this ce? What happened to my power?" Liu Meng stared at Li Yiming venomously.


    "We¡¯re stuck inside an illusion. My powers are also gone. How about we take some time and talk this out." Li Yiming proposed with a smile as he picked up his luggage.


    "What is there to talk about?!" Liu Meng cried out, which further attracted the attention of those who turned their heads when they noticed themotion.


    "Sorry, my girlfriend..." Li Yiming came up with an excuse. Some of the passersby looked at him with envy, while others wereughing at his misfortune and still others seemed baffled.


    "Don¡¯t think you can take me down so easily. Besides, you don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s still here. Let¡¯s go, you used to like the sweets shop around the corner a lot," Li Yiming said as he pushed his suitcase to a corner and reached out for Liu Meng¡¯s hand. As he kneaded Liu Meng¡¯s hand, her body went stiff, but she did not resist violently.


    Li Yiming sat down with Liu Meng at the shop. One of the student-workers there, having noticed Li Yiming¡¯s fight with Li Yiming, raised his thumb in thetter¡¯s direction to show that he was impressed. Li Yiming grimaced back, evidently happy at what he had achieved.


    "Here. Crispy durian cake. This isn¡¯t cheap. I used to buy it for you all the time." Li Yiming pushed the golden dessert toward Liu Meng.


    "What do you want? You know I won¡¯t give up on killing you," Liu Meng said coldly. She was still wondering why she did not resist being led around by Li Yiming, especially when she thought about how he might attack her the moment she lets her guard down.


    "I don¡¯t know if you still have her memories, but I think you have a right to know..."


    "I don¡¯t, and I¡¯m not interested in what happened between you two," Liu Meng interrupted Li Yiming hastily, but she seemed scared. Li Yiming¡¯s gentle tone and his eyes full of love softened her heart despite herself.


    "No need to overreact. I just want to tell you that I¡¯ve been through the same thing," Li Yiming said as he sipped his drink.


    "You¡¯ve been hit with a Heart Trial before?" Liu Meng frowned.


    "Yes." Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders.


    "How did you escape from it?"


    "I killed him." Li Yiming said as he bit his straw.


    "Are you threatening me?"


    "I told you that I want to be on good terms with you. Even if I kill you, she won¡¯te back. I want to rescue her, that¡¯s all."


    "I¡¯ll have to die for her toe back."


    "That¡¯s not going to work and you know it."


    Liu Meng stayed silent and continued staring at Li Yiming.


    "I¡¯d dly give my life for her toe back, but even if I let you kill me, she won¡¯t." Li Yiming sighed. He picked up the dessert on the te, unwrapped the aluminum foil slightly and gave it to Liu Meng.


    Liu Meng picked the dessert and took a small bite out of habit. It was not until the sweet aroma spread in her mouth that she realized what she was doing and froze still.


    "I don¡¯t know what the purpose of this illusion is, but we¡¯re stuck here with all of our powers gone."


    "What are you trying to get at?" Liu Meng threw the dessert back onto the table.


    "I propose a truce until we get out powers back."


    "You want me to work with you to break this illusion?"


    "No, no. That wille in time. For now, I just want to have a meal with you."


    "A meal?"


    "Yeah. You know, I¡¯ve never have had the chance to have a meal with her." Li Yiming sighed and said earnestly.


    The tone Li Yiming used made Liu Meng¡¯s heart tremble.


    "You¡¯ve seen what happened outside. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I doubt Mr. Kong would gather that many sages for no reason at all. There must be something big happening. I¡¯ve been led by the nose ever since I became a guardian. Now that I can finally settle down for a bit, I just want to do the things I¡¯ve always wanted to do."


    "Are we just going out for a meal?" Liu Meng regretted the moment she asked and her ears turned red.


    "Of course!" Li Yimingughed as he looked at her. He had to stop himself from wrapping his arms around her.


    "Do you really care that much for her?" Liu Meng¡¯s heart raced as she stared at Li Yiming.


    "I almost lost her." Li Yiming said and stared at Liu Meng with eyes full of emotions.


    Liu Meng looked away and pulled on her skirt nervously. She knew that Li Yiming was not looking at her, but she could not disregard the intensity of his gaze.


    "I¡¯ll kill you after our meal." Liu Meng snorted in discontent.


    "Let¡¯s go." Li Yiming approached Liu Meng with a grin and offered her his arm.


    "Hmmpft!" Liu Meng pretended that she did not understand Li Yiming¡¯s gesture, picked up her dessert from the table, and walked out.

 Volume 7 Chapter 41

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    As Li Yiming led Liu Meng around the campus, he looked at the willow trees by the smallke and listened to the chirping of the birds. However, he began to doubt whether this was all a moribund shback after remembering the details of Wu Yun¡¯s attack. The thought of not being able to see Liu Meng again brought tears to his eyes.


    "What are we doing here? It¡¯s our second time around theke already. Where are we going exactly?" Liu Meng feigned at being irritated andined.


    "Well, it¡¯s only ten in the morning. It¡¯s a bitte for breakfast and too early for lunch, isn¡¯t it?" Li Yiming stretched himselfzily.


    "Are we going to eat breakfast or lunch then?" Liu Meng rolled her eyes.


    "Dinner." Li Yiming grimaced.


    "I¡¯ll be back in the evening then." Liu Meng¡¯s countenance sank and she turned away, unwilling to indulge further in the soothing titude of the scenery. The stillness of theke, the gentle autumn breeze, and most importantly, being with Li Yiming was a soothing but also anxious experience, as she had a gut feeling that something was terribly wrong.


    "Aren¡¯t meals the usual pretext for a date?" Li Yiming grinned and reached out for Liu Meng¡¯s hand again.


    "It¡¯s still too early to eat. How about I take you around this ce?" Li Yiming pulled on Liu Meng¡¯s hand, not give her a chance to refuse.


    Liu Meng wanted to pull her hand out, but she frowned when she found herself unable to do so, partly because Li Yiming was holding onto her hand very tightly, but also because it was a half-hearted effort.


    "This is the ce where loving couplese. They say that when youe here to puke at night after drinking too much, you¡¯ll always run into couples chit-chatting in the darkness..."


    "Oh yeah, here¡¯s the art building. Our studio was on the third floor. I think that old janitor is cleaning the hallway now..."


    "That¡¯s cafeteria number three. They say they make the worst but also the best food in the school. I remember you loving their salt and pepper strawberries..."


    "I remember that wall. This is where that guy they called the most handsome in the Chinese department confessed to you with ny-nine candles, but you doused half of them off with your milk tea..."


    "Oh! That¡¯s the ce I took you out for lunch for the first time. I didn¡¯t bring enough money and made you pay in the end..."


    Li Yiming had something to say about every ce they passed by, and the tone in his voice gradually grew more emotional as time went by.


    "I remember." Liu Meng finally freed herself from Li Yiming¡¯s grasp. Of course, she was lying as everything Li Yiming told her was new to her, and listening to those past tales made her jealous of her former self. She began desiring more than just the hatred she was born with, but at the same time, she was afraid of losing herself in it.


    "I¡¯m sorry." Li Yiming sighed and suddenly froze still.


    Li Yiming said those words with a pained expression, which made Liu Meng¡¯s chest tighten as if someone had just stung her in the heart.


    "How about we eat a snack and then go for a movie?" Li Yiming took a deep breath and rposed himself.


    "Sure." Liu Meng did not find it in her to refuse.


    The two continued wandering through the street, going through the snack stands like an ordinary couple. For the movie, Li Yiming chose an old romance movie for which he knew the story, but nevertheless shed some tears. Liu Meng remained emotionless throughout the entire movie, only ncing from time to time at her and Li Yiming¡¯s interlocked fingers.


    As the two left the movie theater, Liu Meng finally pulled Li Yiming over. She turned him around so he faced her. "Why did you..."


    However, she stopped when she saw him looking behind him with a serious countenance.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Liu Meng asked.


    "That man, the one on the telephone."


    "What?" Liu Meng turned around and saw the man Li Yiming was talking about. It was a man in his thirties, with nothing about him standing out.


    "Wait a second." Li Yiming finally let go of Liu Meng¡¯s hand and caught up to the man.


    "I¡¯m sorry, my phone ran out of battery. Can I borrow your cell phone for a call?" Li Yiming asked.


    "What?" The man looked at Li Yiming with wary eyes.


    "I promised my girlfriend that we would go out for dinner, but I didn¡¯t tell her the ce, and she has a bad temper so..." Li Yiming put his hands together and implored.


    "But your girlfriend is right behind you." The man frowned and took a step back.


    "I¡¯m sorry, I just wanted to confirm if you still had your phone on you." Li Yiming smiled.


    "What do you mean?"


    "That bracelet... You¡¯re a guardian." Li Yiming squinted as he looked at the man¡¯s wrist.


    The man frowned and then just like an unsheathed de, he began giving off a dangerous air. "You are..."


    "I don¡¯t know who you are, but why are you here? I don¡¯t remember seeing you amongst the people who were fighting me..." Li Yiming said in a cial tone.


    "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about." The man was confused, but the fact that the Li Yiming instantly pointed out his real identity while he failed to sense anything abnormal about thetter made him understand that Li Yiming was not someone to be trifled with. He then scrutinized Liu Meng and found her to be even more enigmatic, and potentially dangerous.


    "Sorry about that." Li Yiming¡¯s expression softened as he turned around and walked back toward Liu Meng.


    "That man..." Liu Meng started to grow suspicious.


    "We can go. It¡¯s pretty hard to get seats in that steak house. I wonder what it will taste like! Never been there before," Li Yiming said as he pulled Liu Meng toward the exit of the cinema.


    Liu Meng shed a nce at the man before leaving.


    Li Yiming chose one of the most famous restaurants in the city and even managed to reserve a seat in an isted balcony which offered a splendid night view. On the table were all kinds of delicacies, from caviar to foie gras to expensive red wine. The luxurious chandelier which hung high above the table was lit up with aromatic candles and created a warm and romantic atmosphere.


    "How do you like it?" Li Yiming put down his utensils and wiped his mouth.


    "Good steak, but the wine is a little puckery."


    "Sorry, I couldn¡¯t afford anything better."


    "Why not?"


    "Couldn¡¯t afford it. I¡¯ve spent my entire year of tuition on this meal." Li Yiming smiled and signaled to the waiter. He whispered something into thetter¡¯s ears and handed over hisst remaining bills.


    The waiter left with a smile.


    "What did you ask him?" Liu Meng was curious.


    "You¡¯ll know soon enough. I¡¯ll have to make up for the bad wine, don¡¯t I?" Li Yiming smiled and emptied his cup.


    The waiter soon came back, followed by a violinist wearing a dovetail suit. The musician quickly set up and began ying.


    "Butterfly Lovers?" Liu Meng frowned as she recognized the tune. Li Yiming stood up slowly and began moving gracefully, following the rhythm of the music.


    ¡¯He¡¯s dancing for me?¡¯ Liu Meng¡¯s heart trembled as this was the first time Li Yiming danced exclusively for her. It was a performance which conveyed more than words possibly could, and although Li Yiming¡¯s movements were simple, every gesture expressed just how deeply he loved her.


    There was but a single purpose to this dance: to thaw Liu Meng¡¯s outer coldness in order for his feelings to reach the real Liu Meng.


    Contrary to expectations, Li Yiming did not kneel down and propose to Liu Meng with a ring. Instead, he asked in a soft voice, "Can I hug you?"


    Liu Meng stood up slowly from where she sat.


    Li Yiming took a deep breath and wrapped his arms tightly around Liu Meng.


    The sound of metal cutting through flesh was suddenly heard. Li Yiming frowned, but he continued to hold onto Liu Meng even more tightly.


    "I¡¯ve told you that I would kill you after our meal," Liu Meng said in a cold voice as she let go of the knife nted in Li Yiming¡¯s chest, tears rolling down her cheeks.


    Liu Meng had noticed the guardian in the movie theaters. It was a guardian she did not recall seeing before, and the fact that he was there only meant one thing: that she was not in an illusion. Li Yiming and herself were somehow transported to another point in time. The fact that it was merely a different point in time meant that if she killed Li Yiming, the real Li Yiming would die as well.


    As the blood that gushed out from Li Yiming¡¯s wound tainted her white dress in a bloody red, beads of tear rolled down Li Yiming¡¯s cheeks.


    "If you meet her... Tell me that I love her," Li Yiming said with a trembling voice.

 Volume 7 Chapter 42

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "If you get the chance to meet herter... Tell her... That I really love her..." Li Yiming said into Liu Meng¡¯s ears with a dying voice.


    "You knew?" Liu Meng¡¯s question was choked halfway through by a sob.


    "None of that matters. I was almost about to live on without ever have known how much pain you went through... Even after we met, I¡¯ve only caused trouble for you. I¡¯ll forever remember when you burned everything you had just to..."


    Li Yiming tightened his grasp onto Liu Meng as the sharp pain in his chest worsened, which caused the knife to be buried even deeper in his chest.


    Liu Meng¡¯s body shook violently as she began sobbing, her tears mixing with Li Yiming¡¯s blood before soaking her dress.


    "I realized that we really came back to the past after seeing that guardian. Maybe your life will be different without me, maybe you¡¯re finally going to be able to live a peaceful life..."


    "I don¡¯t care about the world anymore... If I can¡¯t protect the person I love, then what good is all of it?" Li Yiming strugglingly pushed Liu Meng away from him, and began wiping away her tears with his finger.


    "I¡¯m sad we won¡¯t be together after I die... But if it weren¡¯t for this, then the true you would nevere back. I¡¯ve been pushed and pulled toward different directions for too long now. It¡¯s time for me to make a choice, and I choose to love you. I¡¯m not scared of death, I¡¯m just scared of not being able to spend time with you..."


    Liu Meng opened her mouth, and let out a scream so loud it resonated throughout the earth and pierced the clouds.


    "I knew it... Forget me... Live a happy life..." When Li Yiming saw Liu Meng¡¯s countenance shift, he knew that he had seeded. He forced a smile and finally closed his eyes after this tremendous effort, and his body went limp.


    "Nooo!" A small me was suddenly seen lighting up within Liu Meng¡¯s irises. It was shrouded by ayer of ck smoke which was instantly burned away. Liu Meng¡¯s expression became contorted, as if her body became a battlefield for two different beings.


    A puff of ck smoke gathered above Liu Meng¡¯s head and formed a monster which brought down its ws onto Liu Meng. Before it could reach Liu Meng, a small ze ignited on her chest underneath her blood stained dress and transformed into a miniature phoenix.


    "The Fruit of Nirvana? That¡¯s impossible!" The ck monster shrieked in disbelief.


    A pair of wings appeared behind Liu Meng¡¯s back. Unlike the many times before, the wings were made of flesh and feathers rather than fire ¡ª the wings of a real phoenix.


    "I¡¯ll make you pay!" Liu Meng¡¯s voice came as the fire around her quickly gathered andpressed before turning from a scarlet red color to purple, and then to a menacing cool blue.


    "Cold me? You..." The monster in the sky yelled in terror and flew away.


    Boom!


    The blue me around Liu Meng expanded and covered nearly half of the horizon. Trapped within the area of her attack, the monster emitted shrieks of pain. The fire then condensed until it turned into a blue gem which fell into Liu Meng¡¯s palm.


    The gem¡¯s shape resembled that of a pearl, only it was colored with blues of all tones. A small ck shadow could be seen struggling with the stone. Liu Meng stared at Li Yiming¡¯s corpse and sped her fist around the gem.


    "I¡¯ll bury the whole world with you..." Liu Meng eximed in a frenzied rage. pping her wings, she turned and flew straight toward the city.


    * * *


    Back in the sports stadium, the guardians continued to wait patiently. Qing Linglong¡¯s group sank into a collective silence and focused on recuperating, while Mr. Xie¡¯s followers looked left and right in anticipation for their master¡¯s breakthrough. The surviving guardians tried their best to mend their wounds and help each other survive until the end of the domain.


    Mr. Xie sat down in a meditative stance, like an old Buddhist monk, his faint smile revealing his euphoric happiness. He had been stuck at thest step for more than thirty years now, and his life was about to reach its end until Li Yiming suddenly showed up and gave him onest opportunity.


    Mr. Xie had noticed the sages who collectively ascended to a ce beyond the clouds but chose to diligently mind his own business. Bing a sage was to reach the apex of one¡¯s existence as a guardian, but it was also the first step in perceiving the world¡¯s true nature.


    Although Mr. Xie¡¯s thoughts raced faster than a galloping horse, he still maintained a facade of calmness. Nheless, he wished for the domain ton conclude so he could reap the benefits of his hard work.


    Instead of the end of the domain that he was expecting, a light appeared in the distance. Its intensity was felt before it even reached the stadium, and it targeted Mr. Xie specifically.


    "Yun Yiyuan?" Mr. Xie stood up in anger. ¡¯Is he trying to intimidate me? You¡¯ll have a taste of my illusion when I¡¯m a sage.¡¯


    Qing Linglong opened her eyes for a quick nce and closed them again.


    "Tailor Xie, I don¡¯t care what you did. Bring Li Yiming back right now!" Yun Yiyuan¡¯s face was contorted by anger and panic.


    "Mr. Yun, what do you mean? To kill him was an order from Heaven¡¯s Laws..." Mr. Xie repressed his fury and answered as calmly as he could, but he was interrupted by yet another sh of light.


    The light came from a de which sliced through the ground right in front of Mr. Xie, leaving an abyss which went as deep as one could see. Right at its end stood a factory worker who held something resembling a machete.


    "Wu Yun¡¯s de?" Mr. Xie recognized the weapon instantly.


    "Do as he says. You don¡¯t understand. You messed up," Wu Yun said coldly as he pointed his weapon at Mr. Xie.


    "But..." Mr. Xie was baffled. He had thought Yun Yiyuan¡¯s intervention to be influenced by Ying Mei, but Wu Yun had no stake at all in Li Yiming¡¯s life.


    Mr. Xie finally started to hesitate. Being able to stand his ground against Yun Yiyuan for a while was one thing, but he knew that he would notst more than three strikes facing Wu Yun, even if he did be a sage.


    "Three..." Yun Yiyuan said as his spear lit up.


    "Two..." Wu Yun turned his de around, and the temperature around him sank by a few degrees.


    "Spacetime Illusion!" Mr. Xie finally decided and delivered a strike to his own chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which instantly formed a crimson character in front of him. The rainbow of light appeared before forming a vortex.


    "There, I did it ... Could you tell me why?" Mr. Xie said with a countenance as white as paper: he paid a hefty price for recalling his technique.


    "I can sense the Heavens... This world is copsing, and the source of that copse is in the past. You sent Li Yiming to the past," Wu Yun said as he lowered his weapon.

 Volume 7 Chapter 43

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    [1]


    An azure phoenix soared into the sky, turning everything around it into cinder and dust. The world was now in an apocalyptic state, painted in the color of death and destruction.


    True to her words, Liu Meng had started to bury the entire world along with Li Yiming. Not only the people but every lifeform, ranging from trees, animals and evenndscape. Everything was burned away.


    Liu Meng suddenly stopped pping her wings, noticing a cial breeze around her. It carried such a freezing cold with it that the heat was instantly sucked out of the air, and snowkes could be seen forming.


    "Heaven¡¯s Punishment? How many times does this make?"


    With a p of her wings, the blue phoenix resumed its flight and spread out another ring of fire.


    "Let¡¯s see how many times you can do this..." Liu Meng said. A crevice then opened on her forehead, revealing something resembling a third eye. What appeared turned out to be a blue spherical crystal, in which she had just imprisoned her Heart Trial clone. The gemstone siphoned all of Heaven¡¯s Punishment¡¯s power, growing brighter by the second.


    "Heart Trial versus Heaven¡¯s Punishment... Are you trying to kill me, or empower me?" The fissure on Liu Meng¡¯s forehead closed up, and Liu Meng emitted a loud cry as she felt her power grow even stronger.


    As Liu Meng¡¯s mes overwhelmed the abnormal cold, everything around her ignited once again. Before diving back down, she turned around and looked toward the East.


    ¡¯That¡¯s where I left Li Yiming... What¡¯s happening over there?¡¯ Liu Meng sped through the air.


    The entire city was now nothing but a giant, smoldering ruin. If it was not for the small green oasis preserved in the downtown park, one would not have been able to guess that there was ever a city at all. Liu Meng appeared in the distance and dashed toward the small spot of green.


    "Stop!" Liu Meng was still too slow, unable to reach Li Yiming before he was swallowed whole by a newly formed fissure in the air.


    "I¡¯ll get you back, whether you¡¯re in heaven or in hell..." The mes once again burst out from Liu Meng¡¯s body, erasing thest trace of color left in the horizon.


    * * *


    A body was spat out of the rupture created by Mr. Xie, falling down onto the ruins of the stadium.


    "Is he dead?" Yun Yiyuan, who had been on his guard, was taken aback at seeing Li Yiming¡¯s corpse.


    "Li Yiming..." Qing Linglong slowly stood up with a severe countenance.


    "Liu Meng killed him..." Qing Qiaoqiao frowned as she could feel the scent on the kitchen knife.


    "He¡¯s dead?" Mr. Xie, who had not noticed Yun Yiyuan¡¯s severe countenance, was struck by joy at seeing the sess of his mission, and he looked at Yun Yiyuan with contempt. ¡¯I¡¯ll put you in your ce once I be a sage...¡¯


    "The copse has halted..." Wu Yun slowly put down his weapon and vanished as he stared at Li Yiming¡¯s corpse.


    The young employee, who had been craning her neck to see what was going on, was confused as she wondered whether it was the right time to go give the bag to Li Yiming. However, she was scared of leaving the one spot that was left untouched within the entire stadium.


    "Li Yiming¡¯s dead. The threat is no more, what more do you want, Mr. Yun?" Mr. Xie said in a rather aggressive tone.


    Yun Yiyuan snorted and flew into the distance, leaving behind a ray of light.


    "Well, here¡¯s the corpse. Mission aplished." Eyesses stood up and turned around.


    "Wait..." Big Beard said as he performed numerous scans on Li Yiming¡¯s corpse. All results indicated that Li Yiming was indeed dead, but there was something that bugged him.


    "We should listen to Big Beard. Heaven¡¯s Laws should be notifying us if he¡¯s really dead..." Qing Linglong said with a severe countenance as she readied her weapon.


    "Also, where is Liu Meng? Why isn¡¯t sheing back?" Qing Qiaoqiao stood behind her sister, unwilling to approach the body.


    "You, go check his corpse." Mr. Xie, who was cautious out of habit, ordered the young tailor.


    "Yes," The tailor obeyed and rushed toward the body. He thought Mr. Xie to be too cautious and careful, but could not criticize him for it when his advancement to be a sage was on the line.


    "He¡¯s been dead for a while now. Even his muscles have stiffened..." The tailor concluded after checking Li Yiming¡¯s pulse on both his neck and his chest.


    "Bring me his head." Mr. Xie squinted as he nced at Qing Linglong.


    Qing Qiaoqiao frowned at hearing the order but chose to not intervene.


    "Yes." The tailor smiled cruelly as he reached out for Li Yiming¡¯s neck. By aplishing the task, he would secure his role as Mr. Xie¡¯s mostpetent subordinate.


    "Ahhhhhhhh!" A scream was suddenly heard. It was not loud by any means, but the stadium was in such a silence that the noise stood out particrly.


    ¡¯It¡¯s her?¡¯


    It was the young employee with Mr. Kong¡¯s bag. Although she was an ordinary person, most of the guardians took especially care to avoid her, since she held the bag given by Mr. Kong.


    "That bag!" Qing Linglong looked at the object, which was glowing red.


    "It¡¯s on fire?" Mr. Xie was confused.


    The young employee threw away the bag as it lit up. Instead of falling to the ground, it floated in the air and slowly burned away. All attention was riveted on the item, and it had been the object of many rumors amongst the guardians.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it. Just give me his head first." Mr. Xie urged as his anxiousness grew when he saw the bag turn to dust.


    The young tailor quickly took out a giant machete and brought it down with all of his strength at Li Yiming¡¯s neck.


    Ding!


    Instead of severing Li Yiming¡¯s neck, his weapon bounced back with such force, his hand started bleeding.


    "What?" The young tailor could not believe his eyes.


    "Quick! Destroy his corpse!" Mr. Xie sprang to action, throwing a golden needle at Li Yiming¡¯s body. His subordinates also followed suit, shooting out their respective weapons.


    "Go!" Big Beard said as his mecha entered firing mode once again. Qing Linglong shed at Li Yiming with her dual des before Big Beard has even finished shouting the order.


    As every attack was being directed towards Li Yiming¡¯s body, the guardians all had the same thought in mind: who was going to get the kill reward?


    The barrage of attack continued on for almost half an hour, and a giant crater of more than five meters deep had been created as a result. As thest strikended, the guardians looked at the hole, panting, hoping for good fortune, and holding greedy expectations.


    "If not enlightenment in this life, when then will I reach it?" A voice was heard from the bottom of the crater.


    1. Note, the title of this chapter as well as the next are quotes taken from the work of Sheng-yen. A Chinese Buddhist monk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheng-yen

 Volume 7 Chapter 44

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "If not enlightenment in this life, when then will I reach it?" A sighing voice came from the bottom of the crater. Everyone¡¯s countenance turned ashen.


    "I knew it! He¡¯s still alive!" Qing Linglong grabbed her sister and jumped onto Big Beard¡¯s mecha before it took off.


    "Shit!" Mr. Xie cursed and retreated to a safe distance, followed by the other guardians.


    As the smoke around the crater finally dispersed, a near-divested man was seen at its bottom. He opened his eyes and reached out for the handle of the knife stuck in his chest.


    "Liu Meng..." Li Yiming stood up and looked around as he stretched his stiff limbs.


    "I¡¯m not dead? Where¡¯s Liu Meng?" Li Yiming gritted his teeth and pulled out the knife.


    A sizzling noise was heard, as if his chest was a balloon which had just been deted. However, instead of blood gushing out, Li Yiming only saw a gaping, tenebrous hole. ¡¯What happened... to my heart?¡¯


    "So what if he didn¡¯t die? I¡¯ll just kill him again!" Mr. Xie¡¯s features were contorted by greed and anxiousness of missing the opportunity to finish off Li Yiming.


    He extended his hands towards two of his followers and they began to convulse as shadowy figures emerged from their skulls and flew into Mr. Xie¡¯s palms. Invigorated by the power of youth, Mr. Xie¡¯s white hair turned ck once more, and his hunched back straightened up as his followers wilted away, turning into two piles of bones.


    "Vitality Transferral?" Yun Yiyuan, who was observing the whole scene in secret, snorted in contempt. He knew full well the detrimental effects that the technique had on the user¡¯s body.


    "Sky Aging!" Mr. Xie¡¯s eyes shone with a silvery glow and the tip of his fingers lit up. He began tracing in the air until what looked like an old-fashioned watch emerged out of thin air, emitting an explosion of light before disappearing.


    "What?" Li Yiming looked up. He could feel a strange energy trying to iste him from the rest of the world. He then spotted a watch floating above his head and reached out for it but his fingers went through the object as if it did not exist. ¡¯Is this an illusion?¡¯


    "A time-based technique? Has he mastered the essence of time?" Eyesses countenance sank.


    "Mastered might be an overstatement, but he¡¯s close to it. He¡¯s a talented man," Qing Linglong remarked.


    "I see. Not a surprise then that he can kill even those who are higher level than him. What¡¯s most damaging isn¡¯t slowing down time or elerating it, but reversing its flow..." Yun Yiyuan frowned as he deduced Mr. Xie¡¯s biggest asset.


    "I¡¯ve lived for a hundred years now. Allow me to demonstrate my powers used to defeat countless enemies against all odds." Mr. Xie was enraged yet confident. He pointed at Li Yiming, and the watch above his head began spinning furiously.


    ¡¯What?¡¯ Li Yiming has a bad presentiment. Although his body was still stiff from the resurrection, he activated his dance technique once more, dancing to the rhythm of the invisible lines and orbs.


    "Kill him." Mr. Xie ordered his followers.


    "Go!" The dozens of subordinates rushed to attack Li Yiming, for they knew that his strength was being repressed by Mr. Xie. Their sole objective was to buy time until the full activation of Mr. Xie, and victory would be within their grasp.


    Li Yiming grew anxious as he had no time to finish his choreography before being interrupted by Mr. Xie¡¯s underlings. Moreover, the still-spinning watch which floated above his head conferred an ominous feeling ¡ª looking at it made him felt as if he was about to face Heaven¡¯s Punishment once more.


    "What?" Li Yiming suddenly felt his body be more agile, his movements no longer limited by stiffness.


    Li Yiming looked at the lines of shadows which connected him to the watch above his head. All of a sudden, he could feel his heart beating again, all the while seeing the red orbs and luminous lines disappearing. ¡¯My talent... It¡¯s vanishing...¡¯


    "Time reversal... that¡¯s a terrifying talent. He¡¯s going to bring Li Yiming back a level!" One of the guardians figured out what was going on.


    "So this is his technique... To level down his opponent..."


    "Kill him now!" The young tailor raised his chipped de and shed at Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    "Shit!" Li Yiming had no choice but to stop his dance and jumped back.


    "The master¡¯s technique is working! Kill him!" The young tailor smiled as he noticed that Li Yiming¡¯s movement slowed down. This was an unusually effective disy of Mr. Xie¡¯s talent, and he attributed it to Li Yiming having used too much of his strength beforehand. As the other followers started their attack, Li Yiming was being driven deeper into a corner.


    "That young tailor is pretty strong..." Qing Linglong frowned as she stayed still and watched with her teammates.


    "I need to kill Li Yiming with my own hands!" Ying Mei could wait no longer. Her body faded away in the darkness as she dove into her own shadow.


    "Wait! It¡¯s not your turn yet." Yun Yiyuan suddenly grabbed her shoulder.


    "You..."


    "You¡¯re going to die if you go now." Yun Yiyuan seemed like he wanted tough.


    Seeing Li Yiming continue to struggle under the attacks of his followers, Mr. Xie smiled confidently and continued to pour energy into his technique. One glyph after another flew from his palm into the floating watch.


    "Crimson Shadows!" The young tailor picked the right opportunity to unleash his most powerful attack. His giant de multiplied into three, nine, and finally eighty-one and they all came down on Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming frowned and turned back, blocking off another attack in the process. However, as he tried tounch himself away from the attack, the ground beneath him turned into a puddle of mud. His legs sank into the mud, trapping him in ce. The more he struggled to get out, the more entangled he became.


    "Damn it!" Li Yiming turned around in frustration. He snatched a spear, shook off its wielder and used it as his own weapon. His eyes shed with bloodlust as he was soon about to trade blows with the young tailor.

 Volume 7 Chapter 45

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Reversal!" Mr. Xie cried out as he pped his hands together, emitting an invisible shockwave. Simultaneously, the watch above Li Yiming¡¯s head shed. Li Yiming began to convulse as a ray of light shot out of his body and entered the watch.


    "The timing is perfect. There¡¯s no way he can escape that attack..." The guardians who were watching were intimidated by Mr. Xie and his obedient team of guardians.


    As the forest of des approached Li Yiming, the other guardians directed their attacks toward him as well.


    "Die!" The young tailor let out a savage cry.


    "Something¡¯s wrong..." Big Beard looked at the screens in his cabin. Instead of seeing Li Yiming¡¯s strength readings decline, he saw a sharp increase.


    Li Yiming¡¯s body broke apart like fragments of a mirror as the attacks neared, blinding the attackers in an explosion of purple light. After reappearing again, he stood at the other side of the crater, looking at his own hand in awe as thunder sparks ran down his fingers.


    "What?" Mr. Xie was incredulous.


    "Thunder Purity..." Li Yiming turned toward Mr. Xie.


    "What? Why...?" Mr. Xie did not understand how Li Yiming became stronger rather than weaker after he cast his technique.


    "Why am I not dead? Why am I stronger? Was that clock your talent? You made me return to my previous level, didn¡¯t you?" Li Yiming looked like he wanted tough.


    "Did my spell fail?"


    "Quite the contrary, it worked perfectly well. The only thing is... My previous level was that of a sage..." Li Yiming slid his left hand over his right palm, and a ribbon of thunder appeared.


    "Gathering thunder into a sword?" Ying Mei was shocked.


    "Did you really think that he could force me to sacrifice my own weapon with that stupid dancing technique?" Yun Yiyuan smiled and looked at Mr. Xie as if thetter was aplete fool.


    "Impossible! You dropped down from being a sage?" Mr. Xie cried in desperate disbelief. He had thought himself to be careful enough. After observing Li Yiming trying to parry Wu Yun¡¯s blow to save Liu Meng, he concluded that thetter was not a sage. After all, it was impossible for anyone to hide his strength at that point.


    However, he did not consider the possibility that Li Yiming hade down from being a sage. By reversing time, he inadvertently restored Li Yiming¡¯s strength. Although his technique onlysted three minutes, it was more than enough time to Li Yiming to kill them all.


    "Ahhh!" A scream of pain brought Mr. Xie back to reality. He turned to the side in shock, only to see that his assistant, the young tailor, was staring at the tip of thunder de which emerged from his chest with widened eyes. His moustache was roasted by the sparks, and his life quickly faded away.


    "When?" The rest of Mr. Xie¡¯s subordinates faces went ashen. They could not believe the speed at which Li Yiming finished the young tailor off.


    "Thundersh... Ah... I missed you...." Li Yiming sighed and he vanished again in a purple sh of light.


    With his full arsenal of thunder techniques, it took only seventeen seconds for Li Yiming the rest of the guardians he struggled so hard to fend off.


    "So there¡¯s a time limit?" Li Yiming nced at the watch above his head, which was slowly fading away, and frowned.


    "Run!" Terror quickly spread amongst the guardians, who had only now witnessed the power of a true sage. To their despair, Li Yiming had not forgotten about them. With every sh of purple light, Li Yiming would suddenly appear in front of one of them, turning them into a charred corpse a split-secondter. It was not in Li Yiming¡¯s style to spare anyone who tried to take his life.


    As the action died down, only Mr. Xie, who seemed to have given up on his own life, was still left standing.


    "Where¡¯s Liu Meng?" Li Yiming looked up and asked. To him, Mr. Xie was already a dead man.


    "You were the only one who came out." Big Beard¡¯s voice came from the mecha.


    ¡¯So Liu Meng¡¯s still inside?" Li Yiming looked at Mr. Xie, who was trembling on all fours. Mr. Xie, seeing Li Yiming turn toward him, seemed somewhat relieved at meeting his end. Even if Li Yiming lost his sage powers right now, it would be impossible for him to win the fight.


    "Bring Liu Meng back, and I¡¯ll spare you." Li Yiming said coldly.


    "Do you think that I still have the strength to use my technique?" Mr. Xie chuckled.


    "But you know how to steal power from others..." Li Yiming appeared in front of Mr. Xie with a sh of light.


    "I¡¯ll need someone to take power from..." Mr. Xie sighed. To his stupor, Li Yiming presented his hand to him.


    "Now you have a willing sage. Can you do it?" Li Yiming asked.


    "You..." The turn of events waspletely unexpected to Mr. Xie. Everything suddenly made sense to him now: Liu Meng and Li Yiming¡¯s background information, Mr. Kong, and even the copse of the world Wu Yun spoke around.


    "We don¡¯t have much time left." Li Yiming reminded Mr. Xie.


    "I can try..." Mr. Xie¡¯s will to live was reignited.


    "What is he trying to do?" Ying Mei was just as baffled.


    "Emotional, naive, foolish..." Yun Yiyuan smiled in contempt.


    Mr. Xie trembled with excitement as a multicolored light shot out from Li Yiming towards him. It was an opportunity in a lifetime to drain power from a willing sage, and so he took every drop of power he could get.


    A noise resembling a bell¡¯s chime was heard as the barrier which sealed off Mr. Xie¡¯s ascension for dozens of years finally ruptured, and a pir of light came down from the sky, illuminating him in the process.


    "He¡¯s a sage?" Qing Linglong frowned.


    "Only for now. He¡¯s borrowed Li Yiming¡¯s power." Big Beard replied.


    "This is what being a sage feels like?" Mr. Xie not only became younger, but he returned to his prime as a handsome man in his twenties.


    "Quick!" Li Yiming urged Mr. Xie as his power faded away from him.


    "As you wish..." Mr. Xie let out a smile and crossed his fingers. Runic glyphs began to appear around him.


    "He has sealed his own demise." Yun Yiyuan took out his spear and prepared his attack.


    "We can rest now." Big Beard said as he distanced himself further away from the scene.


    "Traceless Time!" Mr. Xie pushed forward with both hands, and the glyphs which floated around his wrists shot toward Li Yiming.


    "You!? Li Yiming thrust his lightning sword forward, but Mr. Xie grinned and dodged his attack with ease. The rest of the glyphs which were floating in the air all shot towards Li Yiming at once..

 Volume 7 Chapter 46

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Fang Shui¡¯er escaped toward the outskirts of the city with Shao Xian as soon as the battle started. As she felt the soul-binding spell cast on her fade away gradually, she looked back, confused. ¡¯Am I not supposed to die if this spell goes away? What happened Li Yiming?¡¯


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s heart trembled with fear as she remembered the full extent of the sages¡¯ powers when they took off to seek their destinies above the clouds. After looking at the unconscious Shao Xian, she somehow had a feeling that she was not going to regret her decision of saving her life.


    "What?" Fang Shui¡¯er froze right as she was about to enter a building nearby to rest. ¡¯The soul-binding seal... It¡¯s back! And even more powerful than before?! I thought Li Yiming was dead...¡¯


    * * *


    "Fate has it that I won¡¯t perish here today! Answer me, Li Yiming, how did you manage to survive until now with your utter stupidity? Did you truly believe I would be willing to help you?" Mr. Xie waved and more luminous glyphs flew into the watch above Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    "I¡¯ll kill you!" Li Yiming was enraged.


    "Kill me? Can you?¡¯ Mr. Xie let out a loudugh.


    "Your were previously a sage. What about before that? Were you a sage still?" Mr. Xie licked his lips and the clock above Li Yiming began spinning furiously, draining all of Li Yiming¡¯s power away.


    Li Yiming spat out a mouthful of blood as he wondered about his naive decision of betting it all on Mr. Xie to rescue Liu Meng once again. If he had to sacrifice his own life to save his loved one, then so be it. However, he felt so powerless in his current state, he could not protect anyone dear to him.


    Li Yiming had more than enough experience to understand that this domain had not been created for the sole purpose of killing him. He was at most a pawn in the grand scheme of things, and there was something much bigger going on.


    However, as the golden watch above him continued to spin, more and more of his life force began to fade away.


    "Why are there still sages fighting after Li Yiming¡¯s death? Are Wu Yun and Yun Yiyuan fighting each other?" Sai Gao looked up from the city sewers.


    Crack!


    Fissures began to appear on Li Yiming¡¯s skin, as if he was a ss panel put under too much pressure.


    "Making a sage fall from his pedestal... Not bad." Yun Yiyuan said as he grew wary of Mr. Xie¡¯s newfound power.


    "Ahahaha! Li Yiming! How does it feel to lose your sage powers? Don¡¯t worry, this is only the beginning! I¡¯m going to send you all the way back to nothingness!" Mr. Xie smiled cruelly. Knowing full well that his excess of power was time-limited, meaning that his only chance of survival was to kill Li Yiming within that brief time window.


    Mr. Xie took a deep breath and suddenly thrust his hand into his own chest. With a savage roar, he plucked his own still-beating heart out.


    "I sacrifice my heart and my soul!" Mr. Xie yelled as silver lines appeared on his heart, his face, and within his pupils.


    Li Yiming spat out another mouthful of blood. Although all of his powers were being drained away, he was not as distraught as one normally would be. He looked up at the golden orb in the sky and pondered about his own mortality. His power had already declined to level three, so he was practically defenseless.


    ¡¯It¡¯s over...¡¯ Li Yiming closed his eyes and submitted to his fate ¡ª he has had enough of this crazy world.


    As the clock continued to spin furiously, it began to emit a bright glow, like a miniature sun. Li Yiming felt weakened to the point that he could not even open his own eyes or breathe.


    "He has thirty seconds left..." Yun Yiyuan said as he looked at Li Yiming, who had the body of a child now.


    "Now is the best time to kill him!" Ying Mei said eagerly.


    Yun Yiyuan looked at Ying Mei and clung onto his weapon.


    "Enjoy it while you can! You will get to see the very start of your own life!" As blood continued to gush out of his chest, Mr. Xie let out another shriek and continued to shoot out more glyphs into the watch.


    Li Yiming had now shrunk into an infant, his limbs bing short and plump.


    "It¡¯ll be toote if we don¡¯t kill him!" Ying Mei urged.


    "It¡¯s already toote." Yun Yiyuan said coldly, but his expression suggested that he was expecting a miracle.


    "Die!" Mr. Xie pped his hands together and sent out onest glyph.


    The hands of the watch paused briefly before resuming spinning intensely, emitting a brighter light than before. Li Yiming quickly went from having a body of an infant to being a small ball of flesh, until he finally vanished.


    "I¡¯ve... I¡¯ve done it!" Mr. Xie let out a cry of triumph despite his gaping wound.


    "It¡¯s over?" Yun Yiyuan looked at where Li Yiming disappeared: not a single trace of him remained.


    Fang Shui¡¯er, who was at the other side of the city, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood onto her armored mask and fell to the ground.


    "This..." Fang Shui¡¯er knew that something terrible has happened to Li Yiming.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll erect a gravestone for you when I be a sage, hahaha!" Mr. Xie, who was also on the verge of death, waited eagerly for his reward, as it would allow him to instantly transcend his limits permanently and mend all of his wounds.


    "To exchange my body for a fresh start, and to split my soul from it..." A sorrowful voice was suddenly heard.


    "Who is it? Who?" Mr. Xie trembled and looked around, only to find no one.


    "Those who strive to be the strongest in this life, those who linger in their past, those who wish for a better future life... One is lying to himself, while another is obsessed with pursuing the truth. They¡¯re all wrong. I was wrong... Maybe you¡¯re right." The voice continued.


    "Who is it? Come out!" Mr. Xie looked around, growing more and more anxious.


    "It really is him?" Yun Yiyuan¡¯s countenance shiftedpletely. He looked at where Li Yiming disappeared with fear and confusion, to the point that his concealment technique was affected.


    "Yun Yiyuan?" Mr. Xie instantly caught onto the detail and turned toward Yun Yiyuan¡¯s hiding spot with spite.


    However, before Mr. Xie couldsh out at Yun Yiyuan, he noticed something and jumped back, turning toward where Li Yiming vanished with incredulous eyes. A blustering wind was suddenly formed, and a veil of dust ensued. In the eye of the storm, a silhouette could be seen, walking out from behind the grey curtain.


    "You¡¯re alive?" Mr. Xie could not believe his eyes.


    "That¡¯s not Li Yiming..." Yun Yiyuan clung onto his spear as he looked on with trepidation.


    Li Yiming stood there, looking like apletely different person. There were no signs of a technique being used, or even that he was a guardian at all, but even Yun Yiyuan¡¯s hand began shaking uncontrobly.


    "How the world has changed..." Li Yiming¡¯s eyes went from the sky to Mr. Xie.


    "You... you¡¯re his past life!" Mr. Xie pointed at Li Yiming, having understood the unintended effects of his spell.

 Volume 7 Chapter 47

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Another sigh was heard.


    Despite still possessing the powers of a sage, Mr. Xie was suddenly obliterated into a bloody mist.


    "What about you?" Li Yiming turned around.


    Yun Yiyuan jumped out of his hiding spot and knelt down with his spear on the ground. ¡¯It¡¯s him! But then, Mr. Kong...¡¯


    "You..." Ying Mei could not believe her eyes.


    "Bah... Well..." Li Yiming shook his head and looked up at the golden orb in the sky, whose glow was now so bright, it painted the entire world under ayer of gold.


    Boom!


    Crack! Crack!


    Loud noises were heard one after another, apanied by a low-ringing murmur resembling that of a Buddhist incantation.


    "You¡¯re finally here! Come!" Mr. Kong yelled with glee as a giant furry hand came down from the clouds and reached out for Li Yiming.


    "You are unworthy!" Li Yiming raised his fist. A massive shadow of a golden staff ornamented with dragons shot up toward the sky, striking away the giant hand.


    "You!" Mr. Kong was taken aback and his voice showed hints of irritation.


    "I¡¯ve told you that you¡¯re not worthy!" Li Yiming said coldly.


    "I have braved through the Heavens and Hell, ying demons and gods! He may be gone, but I am still me!" Li Yiming¡¯s cry produced a destructive shockwave around him. Under the cloud of dust, Li Yiming stood stall, his entire body glowing in gold.


    "Let me tell you what the purpose of this staff is...." Li Yiming suddenly took off, leaving behind him such a bright trail of light it seemed like the horizon was split into two. Trailing him was the shadow of the golden staff.


    "He...! He¡¯s not him! He¡¯s that staff!" Yun Yiyuan jumped up in disbelief.


    "I don¡¯t want to save the world, I will only bend the rules!" Li Yiming¡¯s angry shout was heard as he continued his ascent.


    "I won¡¯t let you ruin our ns!" Mr. Kong eximed as he generated another giant hand to stop Li Yiming.


    "Crap!" Aunt Wu shot out all nine out her swords in an attempt to intercept Li Yiming.


    Boom!


    A deafening explosion was heard, creating a shockwave that sent even Mr. Kong and his associates flying back.


    "We¡¯ve messed up..." Mr. Kong said in frustration.


    "If we don¡¯t stop him, all of our efforts will be for naught!" The young Taoist child said with a cial tone.


    "We can¡¯t afford to wait! We have to seal him!" Mr. Kong yelled out with a sunken countenance.


    "Are you sure?" Aunt Wu asked.


    "There¡¯s no going back now. Mr. Kong licked his lips and sped both of his hands around the back of his head. He let out a low roar and morphed into a half-man, half-monkey creature.


    "Start the formation!" A ray of light shot up from where Aunt Wu stood as her nine swords spun furiously around her.


    The Taoist child sighed and let go of his bracelet of white and ck wooden beads. The bracelet floated in the air in front of him and split into two spheres, one ck and one white, which flew back into his eyes.


    "Spirit Seal!" The rest of Mr. Kong¡¯s allies cried out, each calling upon the power of their weapon. A double spiral consisting of nine-colored light appeared in the middle of the formation, and the silhouette of a man was seen.


    Fang Shui¡¯er sank into despair as she could feel her soul dissipate slowly. She let out a sigh and resigned to her fate. ¡¯So this is how it ends... I¡¯ming, Qiang Qian¡¯.


    Just as she was about to fall unconscious, a golden light appeared, and with it the soul-binding spell cast on her returned, stronger than ever. Fang Shui¡¯er felt instantly reinvigorated, and to her surprise, her strength level even began increasing.


    Ding! Ding!


    Two metallic noises, like that of a bell chime, were heard as Fang Shui¡¯er saw her Heavenly Vein expand until she was one level away from being a sage.


    As Fang Shui¡¯er was befuddled by the sudden progress, Shao Xian, whoid on the ground unconscious right next to her, was enveloped by a beam of light which quickly melted her body away.


    ¡¯Is she also part of Li Yiming¡¯s n...?¡¯ At this point, Fang Shui¡¯er had a reasonable guess about Li Yimin¡¯s true identity. ¡¯If he really is who I think he is, then there¡¯s nothing to be surprised about...¡¯


    As the nine-colored light in the formation brightened, Shao Xian suddenly appeared in the middle of the maelstrom.


    "Spirit Seal!" Mr. Kong cried out and tapped his own chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood which turned toward a thin mist as it approached Shao Xian.


    "The Great Path is invisible, but it gives birth to heaven and earth. The Great Path is impassive, but it moves the moon and stars. The Great Path is anonymous, but it nurtures all..." Despite having her eyes closed, Shao Xiang began singing just like how she did a few hours ago.


    As the instruments of power of the sages channeled their energy into Shao Xian, she began singing the true version of the song. It was a piece intended to seal away a will, and not just any will, the will of the Heavens itself ¡ª Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    Her singing progressed and the golden orb of light suddenly dimmed before shatteringpletely like a mirror that was just hit by a rock.


    "We did it!" Aunt Wu tapped on her belly in celebration.


    "Only a bit more..." Mr. Kong made a smile which revealed his long teeth. He waved his hand and flew toward the source of the golden light.


    "What are you doing?" Aunt Wu asked in bafflement.


    "Is he trying to save Li Yiming?" Stargaze frowned.


    "No, he¡¯s going to..." The old man with the cane suddenly said in disbelief.


    "He¡¯s going to supersede Heaven¡¯s Laws!" The Taoist child¡¯s features instantly changed to that of a man with a venomous expression.


    "Rather than listen to the Heavens, why not obey me?" Mr. Kong¡¯s sinisterughter came from deep within the waterfall of golden light.


    "Monkey! You dare?!" The Taoist child cried in fury and threw his two beads into the source of light.


    "Things are what they are. You should calm down." Mr. Kong¡¯s voice came. Instead of the savage tone he just used, his voice now contained a strange authority which made every listener want to pledge allegiance to him. The spiral of light began to wane and Shao Xian vanished like a puff of smoke.


    "He¡¯s going to keep us here..." The old man with the cane said as he closed his eyes.


    "Go!" The Taoist child yelled as he flew back.


    "It¡¯s toote. He¡¯s already in control. We can¡¯t leave..."


    "Li Huaibei!" Aunt Wu suddenly cried out. Her nine-swords merged into one and flew into her hand, and she shed at Li Huaibei with it.


    Li Huaibei¡¯s first reaction was to raise his own sword to parry the blow, but Aunt Wu¡¯s weapon suddenly vanished and a small rift was created between them.


    "He¡¯s locked onto our will. We can¡¯t leave. You need to go!" Aunt Wu urged.


    "Go!" Li Huaibei pulled Stargaze into the rift and it closed right after.


    "Two small fishes, I¡¯ll make short work of them once I retrieve my staff..." Mr. Kong said in a condescending voice.


    "Even the Heavens can¡¯t force me to obey its will, and you dare?" An angry shout was heard as a ray of light reached the depths of the golden waterfall.


    "Impossible! Even the will of the Heavens has been sealed away. How can you..." Mr. Kong was thunderstruck.


    "He¡¯s not affected by the bind?" Aunt Wu did not expect this disy of resistance either.


    "There are two souls in his body... The Soul-sealing spell has yet to take effect..." the Taoist child said.


    "You!" Mr. Kong was furious, but he was powerless at stopping Li Yiming from escaping through a fissure the shadow of the staff created.


    "Hmmm, he was an impostor for the first ce. Let¡¯s see how much time you canst with your foundations ruined..." The old man with a cane snorted in discontent and sat down to recuperate.


    "You monkey..." The Taoist child stared ahead with intense hatred. After onest deep breath, his features finally returned to those of a toddler.


    "The domain has copsed!" Sai Gao looked at the space around himself.


    For the first time, the domain did not finish. Rather, it copsed, acting as a foreboding of what was about toe.

 Volume 8 Chapter 1

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming had a dream. He dreamt that he was falling down from the sky in a ball of fire, being consumed by the mes like a meteor. He could see ciers, oceans, deserts, and mountains slowly be bigger and bigger. Just before hended, he was caught by a giant hand, saving him from impact. Then, a gigantic golden hammer suddenly appeared and smashed his body. However, instead of feeling pain, Li Yiming felt as if all the impurities were being removed from his body with every stroke of the hammer, giving him a sense of warmth andfort.


    The scene then switched, and Li Yiming found himself in the middle of a battlefield between gods and demons, surrounded by bloodthirsty monsters. Without the slightest tinge of fear, he felt excited for the thrill ofbat.


    Then, the scene switched again and a cid surface of the ocean wasid before Li Yiming¡¯s eyes. The water was of a crystalline blue, and he could see all the way to its bottom. As he sank into the water, a teardrop fell from the corner of his eye. Li Yiming could feel the despair, dejection, and sadness contained in it. After a very long while, the zing sun eventually evaporated the entirety of the ocean, leaving the seabed exposed as well as a stone pir.


    "Hey, what are we doing here? What¡¯s the point of taking care of this corpse? It¡¯s been a year since he¡¯s been in aa." As Li Yiming woke up from his dream, a low voice was heard on his right.


    "Still better than going out on missions. Haven¡¯t you watched the news? Four agents died on duty only this month." Another voice was heard.


    "You can¡¯t say things like that! Isn¡¯t this the best time to contribute to the country? That was our oath when we entered the agency..."


    "Forget about it, you? Protect the country? With what, your few thousand a month sry? If you have the time to spare, how about you go find yourself a girlfriend? Otherwise, your lineage is going to be over."


    "Hey! What are you... Ah!"


    "What¡¯s the fuss all about? Getting riled up at a joke?"


    "No... It¡¯s him... he¡¯s awake!"


    "Who?"


    "The dead guy, behind you!"


    "Aaahhhh!"


    The two young agents stood there and stared at Li Yiming.


    "Where am I?" As Li Yiming opened his eyes, he found himself in a hospital room, tubes connected to all corners of his body. In front of him stood two young men dressed in ck.


    "Quick! Inform the secretary!" One of the agents instantly rushed out of the room. The other ran to the wall and pushed on an emergency call-out button.


    When Lin Lu arrived in the unit, the tubes connected to Li Yiming had been removed, and he wore a white jacket which resembled ab coat, its loose cor revealing his muscr chest. Having spent much time in the past year studying Li Yiming, Lin Lu thought of him to be a very mysterious figure, whose aplishments after graduating college could not be described with just a few words. From her studies, Lin Lu had the impression that Li Yiming was more of a warm, radiant young man with a pleasant character. However, the young man she saw threw back a bone-chilling cold stare.


    "Are you awake?" Lin Lu smiled as she walked toward the bed. She signaled toward the three medical personnel and the young agent, who all seemed very nervous, to leave the room.


    It took a while before a response came from Li Yiming, as he was still deep in his own thoughts. ¡¯Sage, Heavenly Vein, thunder skills, Bai Ze... It¡¯s all here... But why is my new Talent also here?¡¯


    "You¡¯ve been unconscious for an entire year," Lin Lu said as she examined Li Yiming closely. It seemed like whatever he had experienced over that year had changed himpletely.


    "An entire year?" Li Yiming asked with a hoarse voice.


    "Yes, one year and twenty-one days to be exact." Lin Lu nodded and poured a ss of water for him.


    "Did you guys save me?" Li Yiming sipped the water after inspecting the cup. The water tasted somewhat sweet and soothed his anxiousness.


    "You could say that. You were unconscious when we found you. This is a special medical facility dedicated to National Security."


    "Where did you find me?" Li Yiming asked the most important question.


    "In the backstage of the music festival venue." Lin Lu focused on discerning any potential tell-tale signs.


    "Was there anyone else?"


    "No, only you. Also, we couldn¡¯t find that girl called Shao Xian..."


    "Thank you for answering." Li Yiming nodded.


    ¡¯Nothing? Nothing after an entire year spent in aa? What happened to him during the year?¡¯ Lin Lu suddenly realized that Li Yiming was abnormally calm for how long he had spent unconscious.


    "A lot has happened over the past year..." Lin Lu sighed.


    Li Yiming stared at the wall in front of him as his thoughts raced. ¡¯Backstage? So the sports stadium didn¡¯t get destroyed? Does this mean that I¡¯m back to reality?¡¯


    "Over the past year, the world has been flooded with supernatural urrences," Lin Lu revealed the truth to Li Yiming.


    "What?" This revtion caught Li Yiming¡¯s attention.


    "Abnormal seasons, monsters, impossible crimes..." Lin Lu gave as much detail as she could.


    "What else?" Li Yiming pressed on. Although he had recovered his strength as a sage, he felt like something was missing.


    "Snow in the middle in June, and the Southern Sea froze overnight. Monsters in the desert up north, and a huge sum of cash vanishing from a bank in a western city..." Lin Lu said.


    "Monsters?"


    "Yes, an entire squadron of border patrol was wiped out overnight. The only clue we have is some remaining surveince footage of a monster with three legs, six wings, the head of a wolf, and the body of an ox."


    ¡¯Three legs, six wings, the head of a wolf and the body of an ox? Am I still in a domain?¡¯ Li Yiming had a hard time imagining such a monstrosity.


    "Anything else?"


    "When the ocean froze, three fishing ships were caught in the ice. A giant snake attacked them, but someone cut the monster into two with a single slice."


    "A single slice?"


    "Yes, as witnessed by all one hundred thirty-five crew members on board."


    "What happened to the body?"


    "It¡¯s being studied at the research center. DNA analysis showed that it doesn¡¯t belong to any species known on Earth."


    Li Yiming brushed his forehead with his right hand. The most recent event he could recall was being attacked by Mr. Xie, and he was unable to remember anything that had happened afterward.


    "Don¡¯t you have anything to say?" Lin Lu asked in all seriousness.


    "What are you expecting?" Li Yiming put his hand down. He finally realized what was wrong: he was unable to feel any emotions.


    "An exnation. An exnation for the two hundred seventy-two soldiers, neen agents, and ny-three civilians who died. This is why we have spent so much time and effort trying to save you. We¡¯ve been closely monitoring your body the entire time, it¡¯s not possible for an ordinary person to maintain such levels of biological activity after a year spent in aa."


    "As you said, I¡¯ve been in aa for the past year." Li Yiming said impassively.


    "The man who killed the giant snake showed upter. He rescued some civilians from a car ident," Lin Lu added.


    "What do you want?"


    "The country needs you, I would like to invite you to join National Security."


    "Help me find someone, and I¡¯ll ept all of your demands," Li Yiming said after a long silence.


    "Who?"


    "Liu Meng."

 Volume 8 Chapter 2

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    After refusing the offer of having a chauffeur to drive him, Li Yiming left the hospital and wandered the streets alone. It had only been a year, and he could already tell how much has changed as he observed the cars and pedestrians on the street.


    ¡¯Is this reality? Or am I still in a domain...¡¯ Li Yiming made straight for the sports stadium. When he arrived in front of the empty stadium, everything was perfectly intact, which ruled out the possibility of being inside a domain.


    Li Yiming looked around, he saw four ck cars trailing him which he knew were from National Security. ¡¯Monsters and Guardians using their abilities in in, public view... This should be a domain... but...¡¯ He then took out a pack of cigarettes from his storage device and lit one up.


    "Did he buy the cigarettes earlier?" One of the agents asked.


    "I¡¯m positive he didn¡¯t." The other agent holding a binocr shook his head. He was the one who was responsible for providing the living necessities to Li Yiming, and he was certain that there were no pack of cigarettes nor lighter in the items he had prepared.


    "I want a detailed report for the secretary." The captain of the squad ordered as he picked up the radio transmitter.


    Li Yiming ignored the fact that he was being watched, sat down on the stone bench and smoke three cigarettes one after another. He thought about his friends, Li Huaibei, Stargaze, Mr. Kong, and the rooftop of the skyscraper where everything had started.


    ¡¯Pure Water Herb Hall... That¡¯s where everything started...¡¯ Li Yiming extinguished his cigarette and called for a taxi.


    As Li Yiming entered the small tea shop, he saw everything to be exactly the same as it was before, only this time, he was not greeted by Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯ sweet smile.


    "You... You bastards!" A loud voice suddenly heard, Li Yiming skirted around the wooden panel and peeked inside.


    "Old man, why so angry?" One of the young men from the group of four or five who sat around the table ying cards asked. The room was filled with the choking stench of tobo, and the floor was littered with cigarette butts. An old man stood, looking at the scene, his body shaking with anger.


    "Go tell your boss that if you do this again I¡¯ll call the police!" The old man cried out.


    "The police? Don¡¯t you see that we are clients here? We ordered a cup of water each," One of them retorted.


    "I know what you¡¯re up to! I¡¯m never going to sell my shop!" The old man yelled angrily.


    "We¡¯ll see about that! Straight!" One of the young men smashed his cards on the table while throwing a cigarette toward the intricately-made wallpaper.


    "You!" The old man rushed forward to stomp on the cigarette butt. Just as he was about to pick it up, he froze in ce, baffled by the number of butts which littered the floor.


    "My straight is bigger than yours!" The other man showed his hand and began to celebrate.


    "Pffft, what a shitty game!" The man who lost spat on a decorative nt, sending his saliva rolling down its emerald leaves.


    "I¡¯ll kill you!" The old man could no longer suppress his anger.


    "Oh yeah?" The group of troublemakers stood up and stared at the old man coldly, delighted by their sess in arousing the shopkeeper¡¯s anger.


    The old man¡¯s outrage immediately waned after realizing he was both outnumbered and outmatched. However, the veins on his forehead still protruded from his pale skin as he tried to contain his fury.


    "Who the hell are you? Get out of here! We¡¯re closed today!" One of the thugs noticed Li Yiming standing at the door.


    "Are you married?" Li Yiming asked as he entered the room and picked up a coffee spoon.


    "What?" Everyone in the roop was stupefied by the question. Li Yiming then proceeded to twist the stainless steel spoon into a rose, and even split the body into three parts, creating three beautiful metallic leaves.


    "If you¡¯re not married, then you should give this to your girlfriend. I think she¡¯ll like it," Li Yiming said as he handed the flower to one of the men.


    "Who... who are you?" The young man with the sses picked up the flower and grazed the leaves with his finger. Blood instantly began to seep out.


    "I¡¯m a guest." Li Yiming said. He walked up to one of the wooden chairs and sat down, reminiscing his meeting with his friends as he looked around.


    "I don¡¯t know who you are, but you should stay out of this. We..." The young man¡¯s threat was cut short the moment he looked at Li Yiming¡¯s eyes and he felt a chill run down his spine. He felt as if he was a helpless prey in front of a giant bear who had just woken up.


    "Let¡¯s... Go..." One of the young men stammered and the gang quickly made for the exit.


    "Thank you," The old man expressed his gratitude.


    "Are you the owner of this shop?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Yes." The old man answered truthfully as he could feel that Li Yiming did not mean any evil.


    "What about the sisters who owned this shop?"


    "You mean Ms. Qing? You know her?"


    "We used to be friends."


    "They rented this ce from me. They left a year ago, but I kept running the shop because I liked the atmosphere," The old man said as he took out a cup and poured water for Li Yiming.


    ¡¯A year ago...¡¯ Li Yiming held his chin as he sank into his own thoughts.


    "What about those thugs earlier?"


    "They¡¯re probably hired by thend developers. They¡¯re trying to redevelop the neighborhood into a residential area. I would¡¯ve gone along with it since I don¡¯t really know how to operate this business, but the prize they offered is only one-fifth of what I expected. There¡¯s no way I could sell this shop at that price, it¡¯s the only thing I can rely on for retirement!"


    Li Yiming nodded as he understood the thug¡¯s motives.


    "It¡¯s true that the world has not been so peaceful recently, but to cut down the price by that much..." The old man seemed to have found a confidant in Li Yiming.


    "What about the other shop owners? If the entire neighborhood is being developed, it shouldn¡¯t only be this shop, right?"


    "They¡¯ve all agreed...."


    "To the same price cut?"


    The old man nodded with a sunken countenance.


    "Bah... Thank you for everything today. If theye back tomorrow, I think I¡¯ll give in and sell my shop." The old man let out a sigh, as he began to have suspicions as to whether Li Yiming was another hiree by thend developers.


    "You¡¯re going to concede? "


    "What else am I going to do? This business isn¡¯t exactly profitable."


    "How about you sell it to me? I can buy it ording to market prices," Li Yiming proposed as he looked at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.


    "You want to buy it? I thought you were..."


    Li Yiming looked at the old man and waited patiently for an answer.


    "By market price¡¯, you mean..."


    "The price from one year ago."


    * * *


    In the garden of the imperial pce, a concubine put on a lustful smile as she fell into the arms of one of the imperial surgeons. The poor man seemed to be terrified as he could be put to death if someone found out, but nevertheless put his hands on her shoulders, unable to repress his love for her.


    "Cut! Very good Ms. Fang!" The director said with a satisfied smile as he stood up from his seat.


    Fang Shui¡¯er nodded in the direction of the director, her smile vanishing instantly. She broke free from the embrace of the male actor and made for the resting area. Thetter obviously was still in the heat of the moment and stared at Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s back dumbly.


    "I¡¯m sorry, may I request two days of vacation?" Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly turned around and said.


    "Not a problem. "


    "I have some personal business to attend to in Hangzhou," Fang Shui¡¯er said as she looked into the city¡¯s direction.

 Volume 8 Chapter 3

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    At nine in the morning, in the old city district, Li Yiming opened the aged wooden doors to his tea shop. As he stared at the wooden panel above the entrance, he forced himself to produce a smile.


    ¡¯I¡¯m now back at the start. What kind of road will I walk this time?¡¯ Li Yiming entered his shop and looked around. The owner of the shop had left everything as it was. Being scared of Li Yiming going back on his words, he hurried to have all the paperwork done within three days.


    The furniture was left untouched and the ce had been cleaned up thoroughly. Li Yiming walked to the counter, took out a tea set, and began preparing a cup of tea for himself. As he sniffed its sweet aroma, the quietness of the moment was broken by a ruckus on the street.


    On the other side of the street, two old vans stopped abruptly, and a dozen of strangely dressed young men jumped off. Led by the man who had been scared off by Li Yiming when he first visited the shop, the gang made their way towards the establishment. They had received news of Li Yiming¡¯s purchase and arrived at the scene as soon as possible. Instead of rushing inside, however, the young men remained right outside of the entrance, blocking the way to any potential customer.


    "Hey boss, are we just going to stand here?" One of the thugs whispered into the ears of their leader.


    "Listen to your orders," The leader answered coldly. However, when he looked at the entrance of the tea shop, fear briefly shed in his eyes. Even dayster, he still remembered the abysmal feeling of crossing eyes with Li Yiming. Every night, he would have nightmares waking him up from his slumber, forcing him to take drugs to just fall back asleep.


    Li Yiming sipped his tea and watched as the scene unfolded. He searched the drawer beneath the table and found a small bag. Within the bag was a wooden bracelet seemingly made of rosewood, but the weight indicated that it was most likely a counterfeit artifact. He chuckled as he remembered that he had told the old owner to keep everything as it was, so thetter had chosen to even leave the bracelet he wore.


    As time went by, Li Yiming continued to y around with the bracelet. He did not intend to make money from the tea shop, so he did not particrly care that the thugs were ruining his business. As dusk arrived, Li Yiming sat still like an old monk while the thugs continued to scare off any potential customers. After an entire day of fiddling with the bracelet, its wooden beads had gained an abnormal glow ¡ª Li Yiming had been transferring his energy into it the whole time.


    "It¡¯s been an entire day now. Let¡¯s see how long this kid canst!" One of the thugsughed as he threw his cigarette onto the ground.


    "Shut up!" The leader said. If the choice was up to him, he would not have chosen to mess with Li Yiming. Thetter¡¯s air gave him a particrly ominous feeling.


    Just as the thought ran through the leader¡¯s head, a ck van stopped on the opposite side of the street. It was an ordinary-looking van, but the elegant curves of the car and the sturdy feeling of the car frame suggested that it was a luxurious vehicle. As the car door slid open slowly, most of the thugs stepped to the side ¡ª knowing whom not to trifle with was an essential skill for survival on the streets.


    A pair of long, slender legs appeared, followed by attractive curves wrapped by a tight, white leather miniskirt. On her bare skin revealed by the low-cut dress rested a crystal ne, as well as tenebrous long hair, all of which wereplemented by a face with delicate features framed by a pair of purple sunsses.


    The sound of saliva being gulped down was heard as the thugs collectively stared dumbly at the woman standing in front of them.


    "It¡¯s... It¡¯s... Fang Shui¡¯er..." One of the men with purple hair said as he scratched the area near his crotch. The star¡¯s arrival injected a massive amount of enthusiasm into the group, most of whom now stood with straight backs and tried to make themselves as tall and handsome as possible.


    Fang Shui¡¯er frowned as she looked at the wooden panel right above the entrance, took a deep breath, and made for the entrance.


    "Boss, she wants to get into the shop..."


    "I know," The leader of the thugs said as he stared at Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s waist.


    "Are we going to do anything about it?"


    "What?" The leader of the gang was suddenly reminded of his duties. Just as he wondered about whether or not to stop Fang Shui¡¯er, thetter turned around and pointed at him. "You,e over here."


    "Yes!" The leader smiled in excitement as he rushed towards Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "Go get twenty flower baskets from the shop across the street. You can keep the change." Fang Shui¡¯er said as she took out a thick pile of banknotes.


    "Flower baskets?" The leader was confused.


    "Do you have a problem with that?" Fang Shui¡¯er said with a beautiful smile.


    "Of... of course not!" He shook his head and made for the flower store under the envious stares of his subordinates.


    Fang Shui¡¯er saw Li Yiming as soon as she entered the shop. ¡¯He¡¯s back...¡¯


    "Nice atmosphere. Are the people outside security?" Fang Shui¡¯er broke the silence as Li Yiming kept his eyes closed.


    "Sit." Li Yiming opened his eyes and poured a cup of tea for his guest.


    Fang Shui¡¯er was unnerved by the simple invitation. ¡¯He¡¯s changed again...¡¯


    The first time she met Li Yiming, he seemed like a naive kid. The second time, he was a cruel, bloodthirsty demon. Now he seemed to be just an empty shell of his former self.


    "So, what happened over thest year?" Li Yiming asked as he put down the tea kettle.


    Li Yiming felt gratitude toward Fang Shui¡¯er for her assistance during the music festival. When he was attacked from all sides, she was the only one who helped him, even though she was forced to do so by the spell cast on her back on the Ind of Eternity.


    "You don¡¯t know anything about what happened after the domain?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked as she sat down.


    "I¡¯ve just woken up." Li Yiming offered her a cup of tea.


    "I don¡¯t know what happened beyond the clouds, but ever since the domain shattered, Heaven¡¯sws have changedpletely."


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "All of our life marks are gone..." Fang Shui¡¯er did not know where to start, so she decided to start with the biggest change.


    "The life marks are gone?" Li Yiming knew that life marks were the biggest limit imposed upon the guardians by Heaven¡¯s Laws. Their existence ensured that the guardians would continue to risk their lives to aplish their missions in different domains. However, his understanding was rtivelycking as he was not an ordinary guardian.


    "Are you saying guardians aren¡¯t being forced to obey Heavens Laws anymore?"


    "Yes. In fact, no one has received direct instructions from the Heavens for a year now."


    "If your life marks are gone, then what about your talent..." Li Yiming remembered the other purpose of Life Marks ¡ª they prevented guardians from abusing their talents outside of a domain.


    "We can use them freely now..." Fang Shui¡¯er raised her left hand, and a small bow made of crystal appeared right above her palm.

 Volume 8 Chapter 4

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Secretary Lin, Fang Shui¡¯er entered the tea shop five minutes ago." An old woman across the street from Pure Water Herb Hall reported as she took off her scarf.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er? Which one?" Lin Lu¡¯s voice came from the transmitter.


    "The one who¡¯s always on TV dramas. Over eighty percent match with facial recognition." The old woman said as she nced at the ck van and the gang of thugs who were busy setting up the flower baskets.


    "Keep monitoring. I¡¯ll have someone verify the authenticity of the information." Lin Lu put down her receiver and began to check the surveince feed from the nearby area.


    ¡¯It really is her... but what would a celebrity have anything to do with him? Unless...¡¯


    "I want a detailed report about Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s activities in recent years," Lin Lu ordered.


    "Give me twenty minutes," A voice answered.


    * * *


    Inside a high-rise office building, a young woman hurried across the corridor to a conference room.


    "Eyesses? You¡¯re here? Is sis looking for me?" Qing Qiaoqiao did not seem to expect to see the two people waiting for her inside the room. Ever since what happened a year ago, she has had no contact with her former teammates. Eyesses¡¯ showing up must have meant that something important came up.


    "He¡¯s woken up." Qing Linglong told her younger sister.


    "What? When?" Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s face was lit up with surprise and excitement.


    "Three days ago." Eyesses said as he smiled bitterly.


    "Three days ago? And you¡¯re telling us now?" Qing Qiaoqiao said.


    "What are we going to do about it?" Eyesses took off his sses and rubbed his nose.


    "We¡¯re going to find him, of..." Qing Qiaoqiao suddenly cut her sentence halfway through. She realized that even though they were no longer under the influence of Heaven¡¯s Laws, their previous actions could not be undone.


    "He bought our tea house." Seeing the change of expression of her younger sister pained Qing Linglong¡¯s heart.


    "Pure Water Herb Hall?" Qing Qiaoqiao questioned.


    "Yiming... He¡¯s someone who cherishes old friendships." Eyesses sighed as he looked at the smog outside of the window.


    "What are we going to do then?" Qing Qiaoqiao had been aware that Eyesses had been paying attention to Li Yiming¡¯s whereabouts ever since the copse of the domain, and that he had been searching for Liu Meng for a year now.


    "We¡¯ll reunite with him, eventually. But before that..." Qing Linglong pointed at her own chest.


    Knowing full well that the effects of the Heart Trial Punishment had only been suppressed, they could not help but feel apprehensive about the possibility of being controlled once more. That was why none of them dared to approach Li Yiming in their current state.


    "What about Big Beard?" Qing Linglong asked after a long moment of silence.


    "He¡¯s searching for Stargaze. Rumor has it that she helped Li Yiming snap out of it back in Lianyun City..."


    "Stargaze..."


    "We can¡¯t find her. If she doesn¡¯t want to be found, then there¡¯s no way..." Eyesses shook his head in resignation.


    "Not even the people in the Star Alliance?"


    Eyesses shook his head again as he slid his finger on the pendant hanging by his neck, which had been a gift of Li Yiming¡¯s.


    "Then we¡¯ll join the Star Alliance first! If Stargaze has taken the time to create such an organization, then she¡¯s bound to show up sometime in the future," Qing Linglong proposed.


    * * *


    ¡¯So all of the limitations are gone... What exactly are you up to, Mr. Kong?" Li Yiming sank into his own thoughts as Fang Shui¡¯er left the shop.


    "I haven¡¯t found a way to break the soul-binding spell, but I¡¯ll do my best. Until then, I promise you that I won¡¯t interfere with your life."


    Fang Shui¡¯er was unsure whether she could trust Li Yiming¡¯s promise. While it was true that he had never forced her to do anything against her will, and she even benefited from being linked to him, having her life depend on someone else entirely was a difiting feeling.


    As Fang Shui¡¯er got back into her ck van and left the neighborhood, another more conspicuous car, arrived at the scene. It was a yellow hummer with its front and back reinforced by metallic bars. Twelvemps were set up on the roof of the vehicle, and the bright light they emitted caught the attention of every person the moment the car showed up.


    The thugs immediately rushed to wee whoever was in the vehicle, and the leader of the gang opened the car door with a sycophantic smile, waiting for instructions from his boss.


    Instead of receiving instructions, he received a powerful p in the face.


    "What the hell are you doing? I told you to stop the clients from going in, and you¡¯re buying flower baskets?" An obese man came out of the car while shouting angrily.


    "Mr. Ma..." The leader struggled to answer as his head was still spinning from the force of the blow. He looked at the thug with purple hair venomously as thetter was one of Mr. Ma¡¯s lieutenants.


    "Get out of here!" Mr. Ma pped the leader once more and turned his attention towards the neatly arranged flower baskets in front of the shop.


    "Not bad, maybe you have a talent for this? I didn¡¯t see you work this hard when I opened my bar!" Mr. Ma was about to deliver another p, but the leader jumped out of the way just in time.


    "What are you doing? Are you waiting for money? Go throw these baskets away!" Mr. Ma shouted angrily at his minions, who scrambled to put away the flower baskets they had taken so much care putting down just a moment ago.


    "You,e over! We¡¯ll go see who¡¯s the little punk who dares to stand up to me." Mr. Ma gestured toward the thug with the purple hair. Thetter followed whileughing at the misfortune of the thug with sses.


    As Mr. Ma made his way into the tea shop, his countenance instantly shifted. He had risen to prominence after a clever scheme in which he submitted himself to the police for a petty crime to escape being arrested as his organization was dismantled.


    Mr. Ma gained quite a reputation even while in prison for his intelligence and his determination in executing his n. He quickly obtained enough money to pay for bail and was subsequently recruited by another organization, rising to an even higher position than in his previous one.


    The only thing which had changed drastically about him is that aftering out of prison, he became much more prudent. Now, his cautiousness proved to be life-saving, as he immediately frowned the moment he saw the familiar-looking young man sitting in front of him.


    Minding his own business and ignoring the two people who entered his shop, Li Yiming continued to fiddle with his bracelet.


    "Hello brother." Mr. Ma greeted with an intimidating voice. He knew right away that he was not dealing with just any ordinary young man, and that Li Yiming was potentially the head of an organization much more powerful than the one he belonged to.


    Regardless, he needed to tread carefully, as he had a strange feeling that he had seen Li Yiming somewhere before, which most likely meant that thetter also had a criminal background.

 Volume 8 Chapter 5

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Hey, kid! We¡¯re talking to you!" The purple-haired hoodlum yelled out aggressively in an attempt to show off in front of his superior.


    "Have you forgotten about me?" Li Yiming turned his eyes towards the obese gangster.


    After the two exchanged a nce, Mr. Ma¡¯s recollections gradually came back to him, and his legs started shaking uncontrobly to the point where he almost fell to the ground.


    "Y... you!" Mr. Ma said with a trembling voice.


    "Sit," Li Yiming said as he picked up his teacup.


    Mr. Ma was an oldpanion of Li Yiming, who had previously bullied thetter and Fu Bo at a tea restaurant. After meeting him again after his arrest, Li Yiming managed to extract some valuable information about Yunlong Construction Group.


    "I... I..." Mr. Ma trembled as a mixture of sweat and oil on his face gleamed under the light.


    "It¡¯s been a long time," Li Yiming wanted tough, but could only show an apathetic expression.


    Mr. Ma finally crumbled under the pressure and fell to his knees.


    "Boss..." The purple-haired hoodlum tried to help his boss back up, but was dragged along to the floor as he was far from being strong enough to pull up someone like Mr. Ma.


    "Don¡¯t be so nervous,e, let¡¯s have a talk," Li Yiming said as he nced at the window. He could see the rest of the gang trying to peek inside despite the smoked ss.


    "I¡¯m sorry sir... I didn¡¯t know you were here..." Mr. Ma exined as beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He knew exactly what Li Yiming¡¯s smile had meant for Yun Long Construction Group, and he feared disappearing overnight just like the mega-corporation did.


    A myriad of thoughts shed past Mr. Ma¡¯s mind, from political struggles to ss struggles, to fiercepetition between rivalpanies. Of course, it was in his best interest to avoid getting involved in any of them. He now deeply regretted not biding his time in prison, or even going to a different city to start afresh. And then, he remembered Li Yiming¡¯s parting words.


    ¡¯I¡¯ll be watching you, and I¡¯lle find you.¡¯


    The purple-haired hoodlum finally caught on to the situation ¡ª he understood that Li Yiming was not someone to be trifled with. He struggled to get up and knelt down quietly right next to his superior and immediately thought about ways to please Li Yiming while deflecting me onto Mr. ma.


    The rest of the gang, who waited outside of the tea shop, waspletely unaware of the happenings inside. Most of them were busy crafting an excuse for blundering the job given to them by Mr. Ma. The majority arrived at the conclusion that it would be wise to distance themselves from their current leader, and so most of them took a step back.


    The leader of the gang, while plotting his revenge against his purple-haired underling, was growing anxious as he could not figure out a way to redeem himself. This nervositysted until he saw yet another car arrive on the opposite side of the street. This time, a man holding a flower basket along with two other men and a woman got out of the vehicle and made for the tea shop.


    ¡¯What are they up to?¡¯ The leader scrutinized the woman who led the group.


    The woman had a tall figure and wore a ck suit which carved out her curves almost perfectly. Her short hair, which gave off a feeling of professionalism, along with her high nose bridge and delicate features, conferred to her an unmatched beauty.


    However, the leader of the gang was not in the mood for seduction. He approached the woman with caution, intent on figuring out her motives. The rest of the gang came up and all huddled up to surround the new visitors.


    "What?" Lin Lu, who was lost in her thoughts, frowned when she saw the dozens of thugs in front of her.


    The thugs simply stood there silently, and yet that alone was more than enough to scare off a normal person. Knowing that their boss was in the middle of an important business, they were ready to do anything to prevent someone froming in and interrupting him before he walked out of the tea shop.


    However, Lin Lu was no ordinary person. She nced back at one of her subordinates. Thetter approached her and began whispering in her ear.


    "Land developer?" Lin Lu was surprised.


    Her subordinate nodded.


    "Is there no rule ofw here? Bring them all back to the station," Lin Lu turned around and spoke to her transmitter.


    The thug with the eyesses, upon seeing that Lin Lu was not intimidated in the slightest, thought about harassing her by staring at her with widened eyes and throwing insults. However, before he could put his n in motion, a dozen people from all professions, from shopkeepers, horologists, and even small merchants, came running out.


    "What... the hell?"


    The leader¡¯s surprise quickly turned into irritation and chose to use the people in front of him to vent out the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Mr. Ma. ¡¯Don¡¯t you know that we¡¯re professionals? Is this some kind of contest?¡¯


    "Hah! Looks like we got ourselves a daring bunch..." The leader let out a sinisterugh. "It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve met someone bold enough to put me into a corner."


    He reached behind his waist and pulled out a steel dagger. It was not every day that he could find such a crowd to showcase his abilities so he saw this as a chance to make up for the blunder he hadmitted.


    The rest of the gang followed suit and pulled out their own weapons, ranging from staffs to bicycle chains to folding knives. The leader¡¯s expression grew even more fiendish, and, were it not for the fact that Lin Lu was a woman, he would have stabbed at her already.


    "Forgive me, but I want to have a man¡¯s talk. How about you go find someone who can call the shots!" The leader of the gang said to Lin Lu while scrutinizing her from head to toe in a very aggressive and difiting way.


    "Drop your weapons and put your hands behind your head!" Lin Lu said in a menacing tone.


    "You little..." Before he could speak out another word, he was silenced by three gun barrels pointed at his head.


    The leader looked around and realized, to his bafflement, everyone who had just arrived at the scene had a loaded gun pointed at him. He gulped down a mouthful of saliva and almost choked himself.


    "Three, Two..." Lin Lu started a countdown.


    All of the thugs knelt down at once, as if they had rehearsed the move many times before. It was a first for most of the thugs to deal with firearms, as they lived in a country where even police officers were rarely equipped. If anything, the people in front of them looked more like real gangsters than they did.


    Mr. Ma came out of the tea shop right after, his limbs still trembling. He looked at his subordinates and at the police officers. He let out a long breath, and his face suddenly turned scarlet and his eyes bloodshot.


    "Are you the one in charge here?" Lin Lu asked, and Mr. Ma could do nothing but nod.


    "Get into the car." Lin Lu pushed open the door to the tea shop and went in with the flower basket.


    Mr. Ma continued nodding and jogged toward the car. It was an almostical scene, especially when one considered his overweight figure and the awkwardly slow pace at which he ran.


    ¡¯I hope he¡¯s satisfied with my performance...¡¯ It was Mr. Ma¡¯sst thought before exiting the scene.

 Volume 8 Chapter 6

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Lin Lu was greeted by the sight of Li Yiming minding his own business as soon as she entered the shop. She nced at the window panel, surprised that such a ruckus outside did not attract Li Yiming¡¯s attention.


    "Have you been sitting like this for the entire day?" Lin Lu put the flower basket down and asked. Of course, she already knew the answer to the question as Li Yiming had been monitored the entire time.


    "Help yourself!" Li Yiming invited Lin Lu to have a taste of the confections on the table. He had picked up some durian cake from the shop Liu Meng used to love. The sole purpose of it was to remember her, since eating was no longer a need for him.


    "What?" Li Yiming suddenly realized something as he stared at the pile of desserts on the table.


    At first, he thought that losing the ability to feel emotions came from the fact that his attainment of being a sage. However, when he thought about Li Huaibei and Stargaze, their temperament obviously contradicted this theory. In addition, although emotions about every other thing in life were gone, he could still feel the longing for Liu Meng burning deep within him.


    "Is this all you have to offer?" Lin Lu sat down and epted dly.


    "How¡¯s the taste?" Li Yiming stood up and refilled the tea kettle.


    "Not bad, where did you get this?" Lin Lu gulped down the confection rapidly. She nced at the te, seemingly wanting a second serving, but thought of it as bad manners.


    "Please, if you like it, go ahead." Li Yiming was rather happy at seeing Liu Meng¡¯s love for the snack shared by someone else.


    "Then, if you don¡¯t mind... I promise I¡¯ll invite you to hot-pot after this," Lin Lu said.


    "Thank you." Li Yiming looked at the street outside. By now, a few patrol cars had arrived and were bringing the thugs to custody.


    "It¡¯s only my duty." Lin Lu seemed to have gotten a bit of a dry throat after eating so many confections. After seeing that the tea kettle was empty, she looked around. She noticed three teacups which were all half full, one next to Li Yiming and the other two on the other side of the table. When she remembered Mr. Ma and the purple-haired hoodlum, she decided to drink from Li Yiming¡¯s cup.


    "It¡¯s going to be an easy thing to deal with the thugs outside, but we¡¯ll have more trouble with thend developers," Lin Lu let out a sigh of satisfaction. She then looked at the patrol cars and the police officer retreating away. ¡¯I didn¡¯t think that I sent this many people just to keep an eye on him. I hope that this doesn¡¯t displease him.¡¯


    "I¡¯ve heard that developers are called Yunyu Group," Li Yiming said. Once Mr. Ma revealed that the CEO of the group was Yun Yiyuan during their conversation earlier, Li Yiming had a feeling that something was amiss. The removal of the limitations imposed by Heavens Law¡¯s on the guardians was bound to initiate severe social disruptions and create chaos within the country.


    "Yes. The backstory of this group is quite strange. It seems like the group suddenly appeared one day and umted capital at an incredible speed. It took barely more than half a year for them to be involved in a multitude of industries. At this point, they¡¯re no less than what Yunlong was." Lin Lu frowned as she told what she knew. All things considered, the rise of Yunyu was, without a doubt, extraordinary.


    ¡¯Yunlong... Yunyu... To shape clouds with one hand and rain with the other. Yun Yiyuan... What are you up to exactly?¡¯ Li Yiming pondered. [Note: This is amonly used Chinese idiom.]


    "Do you know anything about the chairman of the group, Yun Yiyuan?"


    "What? Is that why you bought this tea shop?" Lin Lu asked as she could not figure out why Li Yiming would agree to buy the tea shop for a price far above its current market price


    "You¡¯re thinking too much. I just have... fond memories about this ce. All right, enough about me. You didn¡¯te here to eat a few desserts and congratte me on opening my shop, did you?" Li Yiming said as he looked at the street outside. Everything had resumed back to normal, which meant that his shop was once again under the close scrutiny of National Security.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but before you agree to our offer, we¡¯ll have to keep an eye on you." Lin Lu knew that the people she set up outside had no chance of escaping Li Yiming¡¯s perception.


    "I understand. Let¡¯s talk business then."


    "We need your help," Lin Lu started.


    "I¡¯ve made my conditions very clear."


    "We have already sent all the people we could afford to search for Liu Meng. We even have satellites dedicated to the job. Surely you must understand that it takes time to find a single person among billions."


    "Fine. Then, let¡¯s talk about what you came for." Li Yiming understood how hard of a task it was to find a single person, especially when that person was most likely no longer in this world.


    "We caught someone this afternoon at the antique market," Lin Lu said.


    Li Yiming filled both teacups and waited.


    "He was a college student. He was selling gold items."


    "Selling gold at times like this?"


    "Of course, it¡¯s perfectly legal to sell gold. However, this student had been selling a massive collection of items made of pure gold. Items such as cups, pens, scissors, and even cell phones. We had someone disassemble the cell phone and we found out that everything, from the screws to the circuit board, was made of pure gold." Lin Lu pulled out a file folder from her bag andid out some photos on the table.


    It was clear to Li Yiming from these pictures that all of the mundane items have been produced by a guardian whose talent was to turn items into gold.


    "It¡¯s impossible for these items to have been produced by an artist. Even if that was the case, it would be highly unlikely for such items to end up in the hands of a poor college student.


    "What did that student tell you?"


    "That¡¯s exactly the reason why we came to you. He told us everything. ording to him, he simply woke up and found himself blessed with the ability to turn anything into solid gold," Lin Lu said as she took out another picture, which disyed a pair of handcuffs made of pure gold, "This was from a demonstration he performed before I came here."


    "Let me go see him." Li Yiming knew that if what Lin Lu said was true, he was dealing with a newly awoken guardian.


    "He¡¯s at the station, you cane whenever you want." Lin Lu was happy at seeing Li Yiming jump on the opportunity.


    "Let¡¯s go then." Li Yiming stood up from where he sat.


    * * *


    "Mr. Ma has been arrested by National Security." Ying Mei looked at Yun Yiyuan, who sat across the table with a young model in his arms.


    "Oh? National Security? What did he do again?" Yun Yiyuan looked at Ying Meizily. He had found a twisted pleasure of ying around with other women in front of Ying Mei.


    "Because of the tea shop in The Old City neighborhood," Ying Mei said as she looked at Yun Yiyuan¡¯s hand with disgust.


    "Didn¡¯t he say he could handle that old man? What happened? Also, since when does National Security take care of city nning?" Yun Yiyuan continued his fondling as the young model began moaning and squirming on hisp. Everything was just a game to him, and the only reason why he continued the conversation was to observe Ying Mei¡¯s reaction.


    "The old man sold the tea shop."


    "He sold it?"


    "Yes. To Li Yiming." Ying Mei stared at Yun Yiyuan in the eyes.


    "Ah!" The young model in Yun Yiyuan¡¯s embrace suddenly emitted a cry of pain, as Yun Yiyuan sped her breasts. However, she sank back into a dead silence the next moment, when she saw Yun Yiyuan¡¯s icy cold expression.


    "He woke up?" Yun Yiyuan asked.


    "Yes. Three days ago. He¡¯s in his shop right now."


    "Li Yiming..." Yun Yiyuan started his massage once again. To appease the young girl he had just scared, he pressed his lips right below the young girl¡¯s chin and began kissing her neck, but the hair that suddenly stood up on the back of his neck did not escape from Ying Mei¡¯s sight.

 Volume 8 Chapter 7

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    In the courtyard of a countryside mansion, Stargaze sat quietly at the table, around her shone a faint light which shed rhythmically with her breathing.


    "What is it?" Stargaze asked as she opened her eyes, which concealed within them a silver luminescence resembling that of the stars in the night.


    "Chen Jiawang has been arrested by National Security." Qian Mian, who had waited by patiently, said.


    "The one who recently awakened his alchemy talent?" Stargaze¡¯s eyes returned to normal as her breathing slowed down.


    "Yes. As you¡¯ve instructed, we¡¯ve sent someone to contact him, but he seemed quite wary and refused our invitation." Qian Mian said in a slightly discontented voice.


    "Remember that the goal of our organization is to protect guardians. We can¡¯t force people to join us. Let him be then."


    "The only problem is, he¡¯s been far too reckless with his talent. Who knows what¡¯s going to happen if they study him thoroughly..." Qian Mian said anxiously.


    "They¡¯ll know sooner orter. We can¡¯t dictate he says or does." Stargaze said as she looked up at the sky.


    "So we¡¯re just going to let him be?"


    "No. We should remind the world that some things have changed."


    "Boss..."


    "Don¡¯t worry. Even if we don¡¯t do anything, someone will." Stargaze chuckled and looked in the direction of Hangzhou.


    Stargaze¡¯s line of sight flew past trees and buildings for hundreds of kilometers, stopping at where a ck car was seen entering the underground parking lot of an office building. Li Yiming, who was sitting in the car, noticed that he was being watched by more than twenty different people from multiple hiding spots, and that was excluding the surveince cameras.


    "He¡¯s on the floor above." Lin Lu said as she disembarked.


    Li Yiming nodded and followed Lin Lu. Just as he passed through the entrance, he perceived yet another few attentive res. ¡¯Looks like I¡¯ve been underestimating just how much ordinary people can do with the right training...¡¯


    Li Yiming was guided through circuitous hallways and plights of stairs until he arrived at a room sealed by a heavy metal door. When he entered the room, he saw a young man he instantly recognized as being the waiter back at the Yunlong Group banquet.


    "You..." Chen Jiawang broke the silence first.


    "Do you know me?" If Chen Jiawang truly remembered Li Yiming, then it would have meant that he was not a newly-awakened guardian. It would be no surprise for guardians to be aware of Li Yiming¡¯s identity a year ago as every single one of them was given the same mission by Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    "Your face looks familiar..." Chen Jiawang said as he tried to remember when he had run into Li Yiming.


    "Can we have some private time?" Li Yiming asked Lin Lu.


    "Of course." Lin Lu exited the room and closed the door behind her.


    Li Yiming sat down right in front of Chen Jiawang and began staring at him.


    "What... what would you like to ask? I¡¯ve told you everything I know..." Chen Jiawang said nervously, as Li Yiming gave off apletely different feeling from the previous National Security agents.


    "I¡¯m going to repeat myself. Can we have some private time?" Li Yiming repeated as he nced at the surveince camera in the corner of the room. Even after seeing the power indicated on the camera turn off, Li Yiming decided to stay silent.


    "Alright. Let¡¯s cut everything off. Break time." Lin Lu said as she signaled to her colleagues in the control room.


    "Are you sure?" One agent questioned the order, as Chen Jiawang was by far the most peculiar case they had to deal with.


    "Yes." Lin Lu sighed. She knew enough about Li Yiming¡¯s temper and power at this point that she did not want to risk angering him over trifling matters.


    Obeying Lin Lu¡¯s orders, the agents closed up to eleven different switches and the control room fell intoplete silence.


    "Alright, we can talk now. So you said that you¡¯re a guardian?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Yes, Yes." Chen Jiawang nodded despite his confusion.


    "When did you awaken your ability?" Li Yiming was ready to detect any lies under his nk expression.


    "Two... two months ago."


    "Two months ago?"


    "Yes. I woke up in my apartment that day and went to brush my teeth, but then suddenly my cup changed color. I then touched my toothbrush and it also turned into gold."


    "Wait, so you saying that you gained this ability after waking up from your sleep?" Li Yimin did not detect any liesing from Chen Jiawang¡¯s story, but he wanted to make sure he was making misunderstanding Chen Jiwang¡¯s tale.


    "Yes. All of a sudden, after I woke up." Chen Jiawang had wondered countless times why he was the one who awakened this ability. Right now, his biggest worry was bing a test subject for inhumane experimentation.


    "You never went onto the Stage of Ascension?" Li Yiming asked as he squinted.


    "The Stage of Ascension? What¡¯s that?" Chen Jiawang was confused, as Li Yiming¡¯s question seemed even more extraordinary than his own experience.


    "When did you learn that you were a guardian?" Although Li Yiming himself did not go through the Stage of Ascension, he had heard from Bai Ze that this was the first step any guardian would have to go through to awaken their talent. Its secondary purpose was to instruct the guardians about their duties.


    "A strange man came to me a few days ago. He told me that I was a guardian."


    "What else did he say?"


    "He invited me into this organization called the Star Alliance."


    "Star Alliance?"


    "Yeah. Something about helping each other as guardians. It kind of creeped me out, so I declined."


    "And then what happened?"


    "Nothing. That guy just left."


    ¡¯Star Alliance? A guardian organization?¡¯ Li Yiming made a mental note of the name.


    "So, you still don¡¯t know how you got your talent, or why it came to you?" Li Yiming asked again to confirm.


    Chen Jiawang nodded.


    "Alright, show me your ability." Li Yiming ordered as he gave a lighter to Chen Jiawang.


    "Oh?" Chen Jiawang¡¯s eyes lit up as he had been observing Li Yiming closely and could have sworn that the lighter did note from his pockets, since he had both of his hands on the table the entire time.


    "I am your friend." Li Yiming said as extended his fingers. A small metallic ball levitated into the air right above his palm and fell back down, finally melting into his skin.


    "You... You¡¯re really...." Chen Jiawan suddenly grew excited at meeting someone else like him in the world. He had thought of himself as being the only person with such a supernatural ability, which created an unbearable feeling of loneliness.


    "We¡¯re the same kind of people. I¡¯m also a guardian. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here to help you," Li Yiming said.


    "So he wasn¡¯t lying... I really am a guardian..."


    "Alright. Can you show me your ability now?" Li Yiming asked again.


    "Of course." Chen Jiawang picked up the lighter. After a sh of light, the lighter turnedpletely golden.


    ¡¯Level one...¡¯ Li Yiming made his assessment. Just as Chen Jiawang said, he was a newly-awakened guardian.


    Li Yiming gave Chen Jiawang an encouraging look, took the golden lighter, and sank into his own thoughts.


    "Do you know what it means to be a guardian?" Li Yiming said after a long silence.


    Chen Jiawan shook his head and waited eagerly for the follow-up.


    And so, just like Bai Ze taught him when he first became a guardian, Li Yiming exined everything he knew to Chen Jiawang.

 Volume 8 Chapter 8

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The door to the interrogation room cranked unpleasantly as Li Yiming led Chen Jiawang out into the hallway.


    "He needs toe with me," Li Yiming said as he looked at Lin Lu.


    "Go with you?" Lin Lu smiled awkwardly as she found Li Yiming¡¯s demand hard toply with.


    "He didn¡¯t break anyws, did he? Why are you retaining him?" Li Yiming said as Chen Jiawang looked at him with reverence.


    "This isn¡¯t something I can decide myself," Lin Lu answered truthfully.


    "I know that it¡¯s hard for you to ept my request, but he¡¯s still just a kid. Look, in return, I promise you that I¡¯ll lend you a helping hand if you get into trouble," Li Yiming proposed.


    "Really?" Lin Lu¡¯s eyes lit up, as Li Yiming¡¯s offer effectively meant that he was joining National Security, albeit not officially.


    "I¡¯m sure that we¡¯ll be able to agree on what constitutes ¡¯trouble¡¯." Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders. Although he had made the offer to help out Chen Jiawang, he did have a genuine desire to do whatever he could it in order to bring some good to the world.


    Li Yiming had initially thought of the paranormal incidents to simply be caused by guardians who sought to selfishly benefit from their powers. After witnessing Chen Jiawang¡¯s case first-hand, however, he realized that that was not the case ¡ª not only was the awakening of guardians unsystematic, but so was the power bestowed upon them. A person like Chen Jiawang could do little harm to society, but Li Yiming shuddered when he recalled Zeng Qian¡¯s talent, which could kill millions in a few hours.


    "Could you please wait for a bit? I¡¯m going to contact my superior." Lin Lu turned and ran away. She had overwhelming confidence in Li Yiming¡¯s capabilities, and to trade someone like Chen Jiawang for his assistance was unquestionably worth it.


    Li Yiming walked on the streets outside of the building he was in with Chen Jiawang after refusing the lift that Lin Lu had proposed.


    "Let¡¯s go to my tea shop. There are two rooms on the second floor." Li Yiming slowed down his pace as he thought about what he could do to take care of Chen Jiawang..


    "Uhmm... Mr. Li... What¡¯s your talent?" Chen Jiawang asked rather shily, both impressed and intimidated that Li Yiming convinced the people at National Security to release him.


    "You can call me by name. Or how about ¡¯captain¡¯?" Li Yiming noticed the wariness in Chen Jiawang¡¯s voice, which reminded him of his first encounter with Li Huaibei.


    "Captain?"


    "Yes. Most guardians have their own teams. I used to be part of one." Li Yiming sighed.


    "What about the other teammates?" Chen Jiawang quickly gotfortable with Li Yiming. It was not a surprise, given that Chen Jiawang was the kind of person who had attempted to sell his golden cellphone at the antique market.


    "They¡¯ll... be back soon."


    "Oh, that¡¯s good to hear. Can you tell me about them?"


    "There¡¯s a big sis type. Her name¡¯s Qing Linglong. She¡¯s the mastermind of our team and wields dual des. Her sister, Qing Qiaoqiao, is really good at hypnotizing people. Then there¡¯s Eyesses, who¡¯s a hacker..." Li Yiming mumbled to himself as he reminisced the times he fought side by side with his teammates.


    "A hacker? Is that considered a supernatural ability?"


    "Let¡¯s just say... it¡¯s easier when he¡¯s doing it."


    "Cool!" Chen Jiawan eximed as he imagined himself meeting his new teammates. With Eyesses¡¯s ability, he would be able to get a lot of things on his bucket list done.


    "Oh yeah, if you like big machines, you¡¯re going to love meeting Big Beard. He drives a mecha, but he has a weird temper, so you might have to be a little careful around him."


    "Mecha? Like the ones you see in movies?" Chen Jiawang was ready to jump with joy, as anyone his age was naturally fascinated with such things.


    "It¡¯s much cooler in real life."


    "Wow! Amazing! Anyone else?" Chen Jiawang waspletely fascinated.


    "Also... Liu Meng..." Li Yiming suddenly stopped.


    He saw an old couple walking together, pushing arge tricycle on which there was a coal stove, a wooden roll for spreading dough, and a small kettle containing oil. It was a small mobile breakfast shop, and the smell of coal being burnt could be detected from a far distance.


    "We have to hurry! It¡¯s going to be dawn soon." The old man, who pushed the tricycle from the steering head, said.


    "How about you walk faster? You¡¯re the one leading the way!" The olddy in the back said.


    "I¡¯m worried you wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up. Else I¡¯d be there a long time ago if I was alone.


    "Really? You¡¯d still be trying to get the fire going on at home!"


    "You..."


    Li Yiming stood in ce and watched the old couple disappear into the distance. Curious as to what could have aroused Li Yiming¡¯s interest, Chen Jiawang looked at them as well.


    The old couple reminded Li Yiming of his past with Ji Xiaoqin, who liked being called sweet nicknames. However, Li Yiming knew that although it was an easy thing to say sweet words, it took a lifelong love to be able to keep quarreling in old age. Such thoughts made him yearn for Liu Meng more than ever.


    ¡¯I¡¯ll find you, no matter where you are.¡¯


    * * *


    "Boss... When you say that someone will take care of it, do you mean Yun Yiyuan?" Qian Mian helped Stargaze stand up.


    "Yun Yiyuan? He has no time to mind the neers. He¡¯s probably in a bad mood right now." Stargaze chuckled.


    "Alright, enough about the neer. How is he doing?" Stargaze asked.


    "Li Huaibei? He¡¯s drunk again with broken de of his. It¡¯s been like this for a year now..." Qian Mian said, not hiding his derision.


    "You don¡¯t understand what he has seen." Stargaze sighed and looked at the horizon, which slowly became enveloped by a halo of golden light as dawn broke.


    "Oh right, Tian Yan has grown stronger again. You were right about practicing to increase one¡¯s talent when the limitations are removed."


    "Isn¡¯t that obvious? Practice makes you better, that¡¯s the new rule. Go tell the others, and tell them that it¡¯s worth the effort."


    "Right away."


    "What about Wu Yun? Nothing?"


    "No. It¡¯s as if he vanished from this world after the music festival. But then again, if someone like him wants to hide, it¡¯s unlikely for us to be able to find him."


    "Alright. You go do your tasks. I¡¯ll continue with mine..." Stargaze stretched herselfzily and sat down once more in a meditative stance.


    "Boss... It¡¯s been a year already, maybe it¡¯s time to let go...." Qian Mian said hesitantly.


    "I need to find her, alive or dead. I have a feeling she¡¯s going to be key in the change about toe," Stargaze dismissed Qian Mian¡¯s proposal and closed her eyes. A near-imperceptible shadow emerged out of her head and flew into the sea of stars in the sky. Although the astral bodies were slowly bing less visible under the bright light of the sun, a ray of silver light quickly shed in the horizon the moment Stargaze connected herself to the cosmos.


    Qian Mian looked at Stargaze, not understanding Stargaze¡¯s persistence. He thought that Stargaze surely would have been able to find Liu Meng after an entire year if she truly was still alive. The only exnation left would be that Liu Meng had been long dead.


    Qian Mian turned around, sighed and finally left. However, he did not know what Stargaze was using her usual perceptive powers, but rather a new one she had awakened, one which allowed her to see through the flow of time.

 Volume 8 Chapter 9

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Life resumed its usual titude, with Chen Jiawang¡¯s bing a clerk in the tea shop to which no one woulde. Li Yiming sat on his chair everyday, answering the asional questions Chen Jiawang would ask him out of boredom.


    On the surface, it seemed like Li Yiming was doing nothing but sitting at his chair, but during the entire time, he had been trying to improve his talent. Just like Stargaze, Li Yiming had noticed the changes in Heaven¡¯s Laws, and he was ready to do anything to be stronger, especially after witnessing the power of Mr. Kong and his associates back in the domain.


    More than anything, he did not want to experience the feeling of powerlessness when one could not even protect one¡¯s dearest love, much less the rest of the world.


    Ding!


    The bell at the entrance of the tea shop rang. Chen Jiawang¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement as it was the first customer in a few days.


    The visitor was an obese man, whose appearance looked rather intimidating.


    "Hello, sir. Are you alone?" Chen Jiawang, who had been working as a waiter for a long time as a part-time job, was used to the routine of greeting customers.


    The visitor, Mr. Ma, was obviously surprised at seeing a fresh face working as a waiter in the establishment. He looked around and saw Li Yiming looking back at him from his seat.


    Mr. Ma quickly put down the gift he had brought, a small potted nt. He then bowed in Li Yiming¡¯s direction and left.


    Today, Mr. Ma came to say goodbye to Li Yiming. Despite having been released from custody after only a few days, he had decided to change his line of work and start afresh as an honest man in another city. Mr. Ma had just enough wisdom to understand that Li Yiming did not necessarily want to see him nor talk to him, and expressing his gratitude was more than enough.


    "What? Captain, is he your friend?" Chen Jiawang looked at the nt inside the pot, whose leaves reflected back an emerald luster under the sunlight. One could tell at a single nce that it was not a cheap gift.


    "You could say that. How about you find a ce for that pot?" Li Yiming smiled as he understood Mr. Ma¡¯s intentions. Li Yiming had a fairly good impression of thetter, as he had obtained much useful information from the few times they met.


    Ding!


    The bell rang again. Chen Jiawang, thinking that it was Mr. Ma who came back, went to the door, only to see a young, fashionably-dressed couple enter the shop.


    "Uh..." Chen Jiawang did not rush to greet the customers, as he wondered whether they were Li Yiming¡¯s friend once again.


    "What are you doing? Is this shop open or not?" The young man, who led the way, seemed irritated at seeing Chen Jiawang staring at him dumbly.


    "Ah! Of course we¡¯re open! Wee! May I ask how many seats do you require?" Chen Jiawang, just like Li Yiming when he first became a guardian, still had some difficulty adjusting to his new identity. However, he knew as much as to work his hardest to please his host. He quickly put down the potted nt and went to greet the customers.


    "Oh? Nice imitation you¡¯ve got there." The young man remarked, refusing to believe that the potted nt was genuine.


    "What would you like to drink?" Chen Jiawan asked without minding hisment.


    "We¡¯ve walked for an entire day. How about we rest for a bit here before supper?" The young man said as he gave the menu to the woman.


    "Can I have a cup of cappino?" The woman, instead of looking through the menu, took out her cellphone and used the screen¡¯s reflection to fix her make-up. The beads of sweat on her forehead suggested that she had been walking for a considerable amount of time already.


    "I¡¯m sorry, we don¡¯t have that here," Chen Jiawan said apologetically.


    "Oh? Then what about milk tea. No ice with extra milk, and reduced toppings please."


    "Uh, I¡¯m sorry, we don¡¯t have that either." Chen Jiawang said as he nced at Li Yiming ¡ª he had already made the suggestion that the menu was far toocking for a modern establishment.


    "What the hell? Are you serious?" The young manined.


    "Well, it seems like they¡¯ve only opened recently. Maybe they¡¯re just not ready yet. How about fresh fruit juice? Apple and pear with no ice." The woman said with a smile to alleviate Chen Jiawang¡¯s embarrassment.


    "I¡¯m sorry..." The same answer came again.


    "What do you have then?" The young man was growing angry by the second. He had nned a special surprise for the girl he wanted to court, and he was much less likely to make her happy if she was in a foul mood already.


    "Tea..." Chen Jiawan opened the menu, showing the few varieties of tea written on it.


    "Alright. Chrysanthemum tea then." The woman shrugged her shoulders in frustration as she started to understand why the tea shop had so few customers.


    "Give us a few deserts along with that." The young man added with irritation.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but..."


    "You don¡¯t have any?" The young womanughed. It was hard to imagine a tea shop which only served tea in this day and age.


    Chen Jiawang nodded as a bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.


    The young man could no longer stand it and mmed the table. "Can¡¯t you go out and buy some then?"


    "I..." Chen Jiawang felt overwhelmed and nced at Li Yiming for help, only to find him meditating with his eyes closed.


    "Call your manager out!" The man was outraged as he began to think that Chen Jiawang was ridiculing him on purpose.


    With even the woman palpably displeased now, Chen Jiawang scratched his head and looked at Li Yiming.


    Busy with his meditation, Li Yiming had already sunk into a deep meditative trance in which he considered which talent to focus on improving first. ¡¯Dancing, Thunder Purity, sword technique, the metal ball... Which one should I focus on? The dancing technique... Should I learn more dances, or focus on improving my understanding of "emptiness"? I¡¯m used to fighting with my metal orb, but after what Aunt Wu taught me...¡¯


    "Li Yiming!" A voice suddenly pulled Li Yiming out of his meditation. He looked up and saw a woman and a man around a table.


    "Wu Jia?" Li Yiming said.


    Wu Jia was a high school ssmate of Li Yiming¡¯s. The two did not share a particrly close connection during their time at school. However, Wu Jia did leave an impression on Li Yiming for being a student who specialized in fine arts. She ended up studying at an arts college in Hangzhou, and the two even bumped into each other a while back.


    The couple did not notice Li Yiming at first due to his blending into his surroundings in his meditative state until Chen Jiawang began ncing repeatedly in his direction.


    "What are you doing here?" Wu Jia asked excitedly.


    "I¡¯m drinking tea..." Li Yiming stood up and tried to force a smile, but to no avail.


    "Capt... Boss, you¡¯re friends?" Chen Jiawang asked.


    "Hey, Yang Wei,e sit over here. He¡¯s my high school ssmate." Wu Jia¡¯s mood was visibly lightened by the chanced encounter.


    "Jiawang. Go get two cups and a pot of red tea." Li Yiming nodded in Yang Wei¡¯s direction as a salutation and ordered Chen Jiawang. He was rather excited in meeting an old friend, since they reminded him of his past and of the people that he had been trying to protect.

 Volume 8 Chapter 10

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "You¡¯re the owner of this shop? I thought you became a dance teacher?" Wu Jia asked as the three sat down.


    "I failed the examination..." Li Yiming said.


    "But with your skills..." Wu Jia¡¯s words were cut short after remembering that skill was not the only criteria that mattered during a job search.


    Li Yiming shrugged his shoulders, picked up the kettle of red tea and filled his guests¡¯ cups.


    Yang Wei was now in an awkward situation. He had nned to show off to Wu Jia to impress her, but now that her attention had shifted to the tea shop¡¯s owner who had happened to be her old ssmate, he found all of his ns and schemes to be disrupted.


    "It¡¯s not bad. I¡¯ve always wanted to have a quiet life like this. Your shop looks nice, but the business..." Wu Jia quickly changed the subject of the conversation.


    "It¡¯s only been a few days since we took over, sorry. Jiawang, could you go get some snacks from the supermarket across?" Li Yiming asked.


    Chen Jiawang quickly ran outside while Li Yiming and Wu Jia began chit-chatting about old times and what their other ssmates were currently doing. With Wu Jia¡¯s straight personality and warm smile, the mood of the conversation brightened, especially considering Li Yiming¡¯s apparent apathy.


    At this point, Yang Wei had gotten impatient. What he had in mind was to invite Wu Jia to this quiet, well-furnished tea house as part of a date, but he ended up being excluded from the conversation. What bothered him even more was how warmly Wu Jia smiled when she saw Li Yiming, and he suspected that she considered Li Yiming as more than just a friend.


    "How¡¯s business been?" Despite Yang Wei¡¯s anxiousness to find an excuse to break up the conversation, he had enoughmon decency to refrain himself from interrupting them. After thinking about it over, he decided to subtly shift the conversation toward a more favorable direction.


    "To be honest, you¡¯re my first customers," The casual conversation put Li Yiming at ease. Even since he became a guardian, he felt like his life had spiraled out of control. It had been far too long since he sat down and socialized with an old friend. This encounter with Wu Jia reminded him of the words inscribed onto the wooden screen at the entrance: Three millennia of recorded history, fraught with power, lust, and greed; Ny thousand miles of meditation, only to return to gardening, wine, and poetry.


    "Oh? That bracelet of yours looks nice! What is it made of? Rosewood?" Li Yiming¡¯s answer made it difficult to further make fun of, so Yang Wei tried another approach. He looked at the wooden bracelet which Li Yiming put on the table and remarked.


    Yang Wei had spent a considerable amount of time studying such essories. In fact, he was able to tell that the bracelet was a replica and that someone had been ying around with it for a long time.


    "This doesn¡¯t look like it through..." Yang Wei pretended to be giving the item and honest appraisal as he picked up the trinket.


    "I don¡¯t know. The previous owner left this here."


    Yang Wei frowned and put the wooden bracelet down. With just an honest answer, Li Yiming had ruined his ns for a favorable conversation.


    "You said that you wanted to be a dance teacher? I know a few people in the field... If you¡¯re Wu Jia¡¯s friend, then you¡¯re my friend. Just say the word..." As Yang Wei¡¯s frustration grew, his efforts to show himself off became more palpable.


    "Thanks for the offer, but I¡¯ve already given up on that. I¡¯m getting used to my quiet life now." Li Yiming picked up the wooden bracelet and started ying with it.


    Wu Jia nced at Yang Wei, a little disconcerted by thetter¡¯s strange behavior. The man whom she knew had a soft and gentle manner showed an entirely different personality today. Although she did find it hard to resist his charm, especially given his handsome appearance and wealth, hisck of refinement stood out particrly when he talked with Li Yiming, who did not treat anyone condescendingly.


    "I¡¯m sorry, I need to go to the bathroom." Wu Jia stood up with a smile. She realized that she needed a moment topose herself and to think about how to deal with Yang Wei¡¯s antagonizing Li Yiming.


    "Wu Jia is my girlfriend." As soon as she left the table, Yang Wei made his intentions clear in an aggressive manner.


    "Oh? Congrattions." Li Yiming nodded.


    "I should introduce myself. Yang Wei. I¡¯m the CEO of Yang¡¯s Jewelry," Yang Wei said as he took out a business card and put it down on the table. He thought of it as the best way to make Li Yiming appreciate the insurmountable difference in social status between the two.


    "Yang¡¯s Jewelry?" Li Yiming frowned at the business card. Rather than being taken aback by the revtion, his attention was attracted by thevish its design.


    What caught Li Yiming¡¯s attention, in particr, was the icon on the top left of the card. It was a small, blue spear with an elegant design.


    ¡¯This... Yun Yiyuan¡¯s spear?¡¯ Li Yiming picked up the card to scrutinize it.


    "That¡¯s the logo for the Yunyu Group." Yang Wei said with pride, as media reports about the group¡¯s recent rise to eminence were seen all over the news recently.


    "Yunyu group? Yang¡¯s Jewelry belongs to that conglomerate?"


    "My father upies a ce on the corporate board." Yang Wei chuckled, as Yunyu Corporation¡¯s investment in his family¡¯spany was one of the most impressive business performance he had achieved so far.


    Li Yiming sank into a long silence pondered about Yun Yiyuan¡¯s careless attitude and Ying Mei¡¯s cold smile. ¡¯So they¡¯ve already made their move into the economy...?¡¯


    Yang Wei, upon seeing Li Yiming¡¯sck of response, mistakenly thought of it as meaning that he had attained victory. He raised his chin and leaned back against his chair, satisfied with his disy of power.


    "What were you talking about?" Wu Jia asked as she returned to the bathroom. Chen Jiawang, who hade back from his errand, was considerate enough to give her a napkin.


    "It¡¯s nothing. Oh, Jiajia, I¡¯ve prepared a gift for you." Yang Wei decided to push his advantage and took out a small, ornamented box out of his pocket ¡ª his father had always taught him to finish off a weakened opponent.


    "A gift?" Wu Jia smiled.


    "Open it and you¡¯ll see." Yang Wei said boastfully as he gently ced the box in Wu Jia¡¯s hand.


    "Wow! It¡¯s so pretty!" Wu Jia opened the box and found a flower sculpted with gold inside.


    "It¡¯s a golden plum made by one of our finest designers. Do you like it?" Yang Wei said lovingly.


    "Is it entirely made of gold?" Chen Jiawang asked out of curiosity, as he was naturally interested in gold.


    "Of course. 24K gold. It¡¯s a masterpiece. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that it¡¯s probably enough to buy this tea shop" Yang Wei¡¯s ego was further inted by Chen Jiawang¡¯s question.


    "I suppose." Li Yiming nodded as he looked at the golden flower. Despite having very little to no knowledge on the subject, he could tell that it was worth quite a fortune.


    Wu Jia found Yang Wei¡¯s remark to be quite rude and nced at Li Yiming.


    "What do you mean? How much is this shop worth? I think that even if you add in all the furniture and the rent here, it wouldn¡¯t be worth as much as a single golden leaf." Yang Wei was enraged at seeing the girl he loved being so mindful of Li Yiming.


    "This flower does indeed look expensive, but I think we have our own expensive-looking golden flower in the shop. Do you want to have a look at it, Mr. Yang?" Cheng Jiawang, who could not bear seeing Yang Wei act toward Li Yiming in such a condescending manner, suddenly suggested.


    "Oh? A golden jewelry piece? Here? Well, if you¡¯ll excuse me for intruding..." Yang Wei made an exaggeratedugh as he thought of it as a golden opportunity to humiliate Li Yiming.


    "How..." Wu Jia wanted to interrupt the whole charade, but Chen Jiawang ran into the hallway before she could intervene.


    Li Yiming shook his head. It seemed that despite his repeating to Chen Jiawang that the purpose of his talent was not for showing off, thetter hadpletely forgotten about it. However, this was not the time to give him a lecture.


    "Take a look at this!" Chen Jiawang quickly came back with a pot in which a golden object shone with all of its luster.

 Volume 8 Chapter 11

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "This is gold?" Yang Wei¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as he examined the pot of golden flower.


    It was a very in looking nt, which Li Yiming inherited from the old owner. Li Yiming had left it to wilt on the balcony, and it would have died if not for Chen Jiawang¡¯s timely rescue. Although the nt was alive, most of its leaves were drooping down. However, now that it had been transformed into solid gold, it became a masterpiece which far surpassed what was humanly possible.


    "Wow! The details on the leaves!" Wu Jia knelt down right next to the table,pletely ignoring the jewelry piece Yang Mei had given her.


    Although the golden flower was exceptionally pretty, it paled inparison with the level of detail present on the nt. Every single leaf of the potted nt was distinct and looked as natural as a real nt, some of which even had golden drops of water on them.


    "This is solid gold?" Yang Wei gulped down a mouthful of saliva. He knew just how much such an artifact was worth. And, from the way Chen Jiawang put it down on the table, it was unlikely to simply be an empty shell.


    "How about you have a look at this, Mr. Yang?" Chen Jiawang proposed with a humble pretense. ¡¯Gold? You¡¯re going to show off gold here? I can turn the entire tea shop into gold if I wanted!¡¯


    Yang Wei smiled bitterly as he took out his magnifying ss and began to examine the object. His hands began to tremble as he realized that the entire nt was indeed made of almost pure gold.


    "So, what do you see, Mr. Yang?" Chen Jiawang pushed for an admission.


    "It¡¯s made of gold. At least on the surface. I don¡¯t know about what¡¯s inside." Yang Wei looked like he had just been forced to swallow down a ball of wax.


    "Even if it¡¯s just on the surface, this work is amazing! It¡¯s beautiful!" Wu Jia eximed. As an artist, she had her own understanding of beauty. Although the jewelry piece offered to her by Yang Wei was pretty in its own right, the nt Chen Jiawang brought out was far more intricate. It was a miracle that someone had managed to put this much detail into such a work.


    "This is Mr. Li¡¯s family legacy, isn¡¯t it?" Yang Wei suddenly came up with another idea. The golden nt was undoubtedly a masterpiece, but that did not take away from the fact that the golden flower was a gift for Wu Jia.


    Chen Jiawang immediately caught onto the meaning of Yang Wei¡¯s words. He sought Li Yiming¡¯s opinion, only to find him staring at the window.


    "This is a gift for Ms. Wu, in fact." Chen Jiawang took a deep breath. He was alreadymitted to making Li Yiming proud, so there was no reason for him to back out now. He could have made as many flowers as he wanted, but Li Yiming would have inevitably lectured him for abusing his talent.


    "What? This is for me?" Wu Jia shouted in joy and excitement.


    "What?" Li Yiming snapped out of his reflection.


    "Yes. Boss has just told me that this was the gift he prepared." Chen Jiawang said with a warm smile as he winked at Li Yiming.


    "No, no, no. This is way too expensive. I can¡¯t." Wu Jia said as she forced herself to look away from the golden nt.


    "If you like it, then it¡¯s yours." Owing to his highly acute perception, Li Yiming could feel Wu Jia¡¯s genuine fascination for the golden nt. Although he did not approve of Chen Jiawang¡¯s usage of talent, what was done could no longer be undone.


    Yang Wei felt bitter regret, as choosing Li Yiming¡¯s tea shop proved to be a costly mistake. ¡¯Good old friend? My ass! Who would give a few kilograms of solid gold to a friend?¡¯


    Just as Yang Wei shook his head in frustration, a luxurious car was seen driving toward the tea shop, drawing both his and Li Yiming¡¯s attention.


    ¡¯That Rolls-Royce...¡¯ Yang Wei¡¯s was shaken. He had seen the car before back when his father signed the deal with the chairman of Yunyu Group to have hispany merged ¡ª the car belonged to Yun Yiyuan, chairman of Yunyu Group.


    ¡¯Did father borrow the car to help me impress Wu Jia...?¡¯ Yang Wei stood tall once again. In fact, today, his intention for asking Wu Jia out today was to invite her to a corporate banquet, during which he could have even more opportunities to impress her.


    As the car door was opened, a young woman possessing a body with alluring curves, but a cial expression descended.


    ¡¯Guo Ying?¡¯ Yang Wei was more surprised than ever. Guo Ying was known as being the person who was in charge of the daily activities of Yunyu Corporation, with some even calling her the queen of thepany. No matter what his father could have done, there was no way he could have made here here for him.


    Ying Mei pushed the door open and stood still at the entrance.


    "Ms. Guo." Yang Wei stood up and saluted politely.


    Ying Mei nced coldly at Yang Wei and ignored himpletely.


    "Long time no see." Ying Mei looked at Li Yiming. For some reason, when she was facing him, she found it impossible to control her soaring emotions, despite being able to do so in front of more powerful individuals, such as Yun Yiyuan himself.


    "I assume you aren¡¯t here to drink tea. What¡¯s your business today?" Li Yiming said as he leaned against the back of his seat. Unlike with Fang Shui¡¯er, Li Yiming knew that it was impossible to reach a truce with her.


    "Well, Mr. Yun would like to invite you to the banquet tonight. Here¡¯s the invitation." Ying Mei frowned. She could feel that Li Yiming had changed since shest saw him, but could not quite put her finger on it.


    Yang Wei¡¯s eyes widened at the ck-colored invitation Ying Mei took out. Even he himself was only able to attend the banquet using his father¡¯s invitation, and yet Li Yiming somehow was receiving a former invitation from Ying Mei herself.


    "I¡¯m not interested." To Yang Wei¡¯s surprised, Li Yiming refused without even a moment of consideration.


    "Times have changed. Mr. Yun wants to see you." Ying Mei looked at Li Yiming ¡ª she had expected him to refuse, but she had to pass on Yun Yiyuan¡¯s words to him nheless.


    "Tell him that if he wants to see me, he¡¯ll have toe himself," Li Yiming answered as he squinted his eyes.


    "Very well." Ying Mei smiled and threw the invitation into the garbage can next to the table. She then turned around and made for the exit. Before leaving the shop, she suddenly stopped and said, "I¡¯ll never forget what happened between us."


    In the end, Yang Wei left with Wu Jia, both of them having low moods from what happened. Yang Wei from vastly underestimating Li Yiming, and Wu Jia from the rollercoaster of emotions which she experienced after seeing Li Yiming.


    "That woman earlier..." Chen Jiawang as he put away the teacups.


    "Yes, it¡¯s as you¡¯ve guessed..." Li Yiming knew what Chen Jiawang was thinking.


    "She¡¯s from Yunyu Corporation..."


    "The world has changed..." Li Yiming muttered as he turned his attention toward the rooftop of a newly constructed skyscraper nearby.


    Bam!


    The wooden door to the entrance was suddenly flung open, and Chen Jiawang almost dropped his teacup.


    "Lin Lu?" Li Yiming frowned.


    Chen Jiawang froze in ce. He did not feelfortable around people who worked at National Security, especially when he had just used his power when he should not have.


    "We need your help."

 Volume 8 Chapter 12

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "One of our teams was attacked in the desert three months ago. We lost two-hundred-seventy two men." Lin Lu put down a pile of paper on the table.


    "Yes, you¡¯ve told me about it," Li Yiming said as he scrutinized the pictures of a monster with three legs, six wings, the head of a wolf, and the body of a bull.


    "We¡¯ve refined our analyses of the satellite pictures and found two suspicious-looking figures near the scene."


    "Oh?"


    "These two." Lin Lu pulled out a picture on which the faces of the two people were barely visible.


    "This is the match we¡¯ve obtained after searching our database." Lin Lu said as she showed two pictures of much better quality. Both were middle-aged men. One had a scar on the left side of his face, while the other looked as white as a sheet of paper.


    "What do you need me to do?" Li Yiming said as he examined the pictures. He knew that it was time to repay the favor he owed.


    "One of them showed up here this morning." Lin Lu pointed at the man with pale skin.


    "You want me to help you catch him?"


    Lin Lu said nothing and fixed her gaze at Li Yiming. Although Li Yiming had promised to help National Security, she knew better that it was not a promise whichsted forever. In fact, she was against the decision of her superior to squander this precious favor on apprehending a suspect allegedly involved in the massacre.


    "We¡¯ve received news that he will attend the corporate banquet of Yunyu Corporation tonight," Lin Lu said after a long silence.


    "Really?" Li Yiming¡¯s interest was piqued.


    "Yunyu Corporation has grown to a point where it might be politically unfeasible to intervene directly. We must proceed with caution. This banquet will be a hard one to infiltrate, too..." Lin Lu continued.


    "So?" Li Yiming waited for the follow-up.


    "I¡¯d like to ask you toe with me to the banquet and apprehend this individual if necessary."


    "Okay." Contrary to what Lin Lu expected, Li Yiming epted without a second thought.


    "Thank you. I¡¯ll have the arrangements made for the invitation and our fake IDs." Lin Lu let out a sigh of relief and looked for her cellphone.


    "Invitation?"


    "Yes. Security is tight. If we can¡¯t get out hands on an invitation, then we¡¯ll have to find another way in," Lin Lu exined as she searched for her cellphone.


    "You mean this?" Li Yiming went to the trash can and picked up the ck invitation card, which was covered in wet tea leaves.


    "What...? How?" Lin Lu looked at the garbage can in astonishment.


    "You really don¡¯t know?" Li Yiming looked at the newspaper stand outside. He thought that Lin Lu had trailed Ying Mei, and only came inside after seeing her visiting him.


    "I¡¯ve made them leave two days ago," Lin Lu said.


    "Ma¡¯am? Ma¡¯am?" A voice came from the cellphone.


    "Oh yes, please prepare an evening dress for me. And a car as well." Lin Lu said before hanging up.


    "What? A dress and a car? Aren¡¯t these things handled by the logistics team?" The agent who answered Lin Lu¡¯s call looked around, incredulous.


    "Who knows?" The other agent chuckled and took attentive notes about Lin Lu¡¯s orders.


    "What about the invitation?"


    "Why so many questions? If she didn¡¯t ask for it, then we don¡¯t need it. Do you know what her chest measurements are?"


    "What? Don¡¯t push your luck!"


    "What are you thinking about? I¡¯m ordering the dress." The face of the agent who asked the question slightly flushed as he pped the back of his friend¡¯s head to hide his embarrassment, but his friend¡¯s question nevertheless reminded him of Lin Lu¡¯s incredibly attractive body.


    With the efficient work of the agents, it only took ten minutes before a luxurious Audi arrived at the tea shop. A few agents rushed inside, thest one entering put a sign announcing that the shop was closed for the day.


    "Ma¡¯am, preparations are ready." The agent who headed the group said as he put down his package and presented a long, beautifully made gown to Lin Lu.


    "You¡¯reing with me?" Li Yiming did not understand what was going on.


    "Of course." Lin Lu answered as she examined her dress.


    "You know, I can do this alone." Li Yiming could only imagine Lin Lu to be a burden should shee along.


    "I need to go." Lin Lu said resolutely. She turned around and looked at Chen Jiawang. "Excuse me, can I change upstairs?"


    "What? Yes, yes! Of course! Follow me." Chen Jiawang walked toward the stairs after looking for Li Yiming¡¯s approval with a quick nce.


    Li Yiming sighed and shook his head. ¡¯Oh well... I¡¯ll just have to be careful.¡¯


    "Mr. Li, this is yours." An agent presented a dapper dress coat, while another agent was setting up the temporary make-up station.


    "I don¡¯t need it. We¡¯ll be fine as long as Lin Lu is prepared." Li Yiming said as he looked at the fancy piece of clothing.


    "What are you going to wear then?" Lin Lu¡¯s voice came from behind. Being as disciplined as she was, she finished changing in a matter of seconds.


    "This, of course," Li Yiming said as he pointed at his chest.


    "Excuse me, Mr. Li, are you unsatisfied with the style of the suit? It would be safe to assume that all the guests will be dressed formally, so if you attend the banquet dressed like that, it would significantly increase the likelihood of attracting unwanted attention..." One of the agents kindly reminded Li Yiming.


    "It¡¯s fine, I have a real invitation." Li Yiming knew that Yun Yiyuan would never choose to kick him out of the event due to his choice of attire.


    "Very well, suit yourself. Could you help me with my zipper?" Lin Lu turned around and showed her bare back to Li Yiming, revealing her smooth, tanned skin.


    "What?" Li Yiming could not understand why she would ask him for help when there were two other agents assigned with the task of providing the outfit and make-up for Lin Lu.


    Li Yiming looked at the agents, only to find them averting their gaze.


    "Quick! I need to do my make-up after that!" Lin Lu urged as she arranged her hair.


    "Uh..." Li Yiming coughed and tried his best to help Lin Lu. From where he stood, his stare reached all the way down to Lin Lu¡¯s waist, and he could see that she had chosen underwear which consisted of barely more than a tiny piece of fabric. As Li Yiming looked at the muscles on Lin Lu¡¯s back, he noticed that she was not wearing a bra.


    "Alright, how about I do it." The female agent who was preparing the make-up finally offered to ease Li Yiming¡¯s trouble.


    ¡¯Phew.¡¯ Li Yiming retreated into a corner and pretended to drink from his empty cup. Only when he put his lips on the cup did he realize that he had just felt shame and embarrassment, emotions that he thought he could no longer feel.


    "What is it? Is this make-up not good enough?" Lin Lu, who sat at the makeshift station, suddenly asked when she noticed Li Yiming¡¯s staring at her.


    "Uh, it¡¯s good. But I don¡¯t think that you need those." Li Yiming pointed at the miniature camera the agent was attaching to Lin Lu¡¯s clothes.


    "Are you sure?" The agent looked at Lin Lu.


    "You shouldn¡¯t bring those either." Li Yiming turned around and said to the agent who was preparing the weapons.


    "Listen to what he says. Put them away." Lin Lu said firmly after pondering for a few seconds.


    "But...?" One of the agents hesitated.


    "If the intelligence we¡¯ve received is urate, then we¡¯ll only increase the chances of exposing ourselves." Lin Lu dismissed the agent¡¯s concern and signaled for the preparations to continue.


    Li Yiming sat down in a corner and closed his eyes, his senses focused on Lin Lu. ¡¯My emotions... They¡¯vee back the moment I became embarrassed... Also when I think about Liu Meng... What¡¯s the trigger... Love? Lust?¡¯

 Volume 8 Chapter 13

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    ¡¯Yunding Tower... Who would have thought that I¡¯d be back here again...¡¯ Li Yiming sank into his thoughts as he looked at the imposing tower in front of him. He looked at the newspaper stand nearby, the spot where he parked the bicycle he never came back to retrieve.


    "These are our people," Lin Lu noticed Li Yiming¡¯s stare and was impressed at Li Yiming¡¯s keen observation.


    Li Yiming nodded. In reality, he was simply a little disappointed at not being able to find the old man who watched over his bicycle for him.


    "We¡¯ve only a few people right outside of the building. Most of our reinforcements are at least two blocks away." Lin Lu revealed the entire set-up to Li Yiming, since his cooperation was necessary for the smooth sailing of the operation.


    Lin Lu had been having a hard time understanding Li Yiming. When she worked with him in the past back in Tianshan, she remembered him as being a bright, positive individual. However, in his current state, she could only describe him as lifeless.


    "Let¡¯s go inside." Li Yiming snapped out of his memories and led the way toward the venue. Lin Lu, after sending onest signal to an agent who was disguised as a security agent on the other side of the street, gave Li Yiming her hand and followed.


    "Hello, may I..." A security guard came to greet them warmly as soon as they entered the building and became suspicious as heid eyes on Li Yiming.


    "We¡¯re here for the banquet." Li Yiming showed him the invitation.


    The security guard had his doubts as Li Yiming was certainly not someone he could recognize. However, after a quick check confirming the authenticity of the invitation, he quickly saluted the two politely and moved out of the way.


    Li Yiming looked at Lin Lu as the two entered an elevator. Thest time he came to this building, he was wearing the exact same outfit, and yet he was stopped. He believed the difference to be due to hising with Lin Lu, who proved his social status this time around.


    The venue was as sumptuously decorated as ever, only the theme color chosen this time was much less shy, with a giant cloth banner hanging from the ceiling at the center of the hall depicting a silver and blue spear.


    "Why don¡¯t we go find a ce to sit?" Li Yiming looked around and found only staff members rushing to set up the venue instead of other guests.


    "If you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to go to the washroom." Lin Lu squeezed out a smile, her hand holding her purse clearly stiff.


    "Go ahead, we still have plenty of time." Li Yiming tried to reassure Lin Lu, whom he thought was simply nervous.


    After entering the bathroom, Lin Lu locked the door to herpartment and took a deep breath topose herself. After hesitating for a minute, she took out a miniature camera camouged as a decorative pin. Despite Li Yiming¡¯s having instructed her not to bring any recording equipment in, she thought of this as a golden opportunity to gather valuable intelligence on the inner workings of Yunyu Group.


    Li Yiming, who waited in the main hall, killed some time by sipping his red tea and inspected the rest of his building with his senses.


    ¡¯Thirty-two... Thirty-two guardians? That many?¡¯ Li Yiming was shocked by the discovery.


    In a luxurious suite at the top of the building, Yun Yiyuan, who was observing Ying Mei as she put on her makeup suddenly frowned and looked at the power outlet on the wall right next to him.


    "What is it?" Ying Mei, having noticed the disturbance in Yun Yiyuan¡¯s aura, turned around and asked.


    "He¡¯s here..." Yun Yiyuan let out a smile.


    "He?" Ying Mei put down her makeup and stood up with a severe countenance.


    "Seems like he¡¯s a bit different than what you expected. Interesting!" Yun Yiyuan let out augh as he whiffed his cigar, exhaling a ball of smoke.


    Ying Mei snorted coldly before sitting back down, but she was visibly disturbed by the revtion.


    As the luxurious cars came one by one, attracting the attention of the pedestrians, in a corner across the street, a man covered in grease looked up at the tower.


    "Looks like this isn¡¯t the right time..." He said as he rubbed his gloved hands to spread out the grease evenly.


    "Young man, maybe you be more realistic with your goals... Ambition is good, but it can also ruin you." An old man who happened to walk nearby noticed him staring dumbly at the skyscraper. Envy, jealousy and greed was amon disease among young people, especially those who were looking desperately for a get-rich-quick scheme rather than working earnestly toward their dreams. A majority of them were much too ignorant to understand that wealth was not a panacea for all problems in life, and that people who had attained financial freedom had their own set of problems to deal with.


    "Thank you. But we all need a goal in life to move forward, don¡¯t we?" The man chuckled and nodded at the old man.


    "Good for you then." The old man smiled and walked away.


    "Now then, where am I going to find my goals?" Wu Yun looked at the old man walked away and sighed.


    "Li Huaibei is busy drinking himself to death, Stargaze is hiding from me, these old people are still stuck above the clouds... Seems like you two are the only ones left." Wu Yun tapped some dust off his dirty outfit and slowly vanished into the shadows.


    As the invited guests arrived one by one, the main hall became bustled with energy. The male guests all came with their female counterpart, who were mostly young, beautiful and chit-chatted with each other.


    ¡¯CEO? VP? What¡¯s going on? Why are the guardians upying the important roles in thispany? What exactly is Yun Yiyuan up to?¡¯ Li Yiming was surprised as he listened to the conversations around him.


    "Did you find anything?" Lin Lu whispered as she leaned close to Li Yiming. She had already walked around the hall but found nobody of importance.


    "He¡¯s going toe, don¡¯t worry." Li Yiming knew precisely what this gathering of guardians meant for the person Lin Lu was after.


    "Excuse me, sir..." A voice was suddenly heard. An old man approached Li Yiming and raised his cup in his direction.


    Li Yiming was sitting quietly in his own corner hoping that no one would bother him as he posed as a newly-recruited guardian upying an insignificant position.


    However, Lin Lu¡¯s approaching him so intimately attracted the attention of many in the hall. While she was touring around the hall, looking for her target, her unique temperament had already made a good impression on many of the guests. Now that she was seen whispering into his ears, many began to wonder about Li Yiming¡¯s identity.


    Those who were invited into the banquet were, without an exception, wealthy and influential businesspeople or guardians who were particrly useful to Yun Yiyuan. To attend the show dressed in such a nonchnt way was either an attempt at attracting attention orplete disregard for the importance of the event. From the way Lin Lu dressed, the guests judged Li Yiming to likely belong to thetter category. In addition, the veteran guardians who had awakened before the drastic change in Heaven¡¯s Laws all had the impression that they had seen Li Yiming somewhere before.


    "Li Yiming? Didn¡¯t you refuse the invitation?" A happy cry was heard from Wu Jia.


    ¡¯Li Yiming? He¡¯s Li Yiming?¡¯ The guardians who were observing Li Yiming were shocked at hearing the name, especially those who felt a strange familiarity upon seeing his face.


    After all, Li Yiming was by now a name told only in extraordinary tales. Many knew about the bounty Heaven¡¯s Laws itself had put on Li Yiming¡¯s head, and yet here he was, alive and well, while those who had decided to undertake the task of eliminating him were mostly dead.


    What terrified the guardians even more was that none of them perceived Li Yiming¡¯s true identity before hearing his name, which was already an impressive feat worthy of his name.


    The atmosphere in the venue quickly took a turn for tenseness as many looked at Li Yiming cautiously. Even those who were not guardians, upon noticing the odd behavior of those around them, began observing Li Yiming surreptitiously.

 Volume 8 Chapter 14

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯ting?" Wu Jia asked with a radiant smile.


    "I had a change of ns." Li Yiming looked at Wu Jia, who was dressed in a splendid blue gown.


    "I see." Wu Jia¡¯s face flushed and looked away as she misunderstood what Li Yiming meant.


    "Dad..." Yang Wei, who seemed a little embarrassed, greeted the old man who approached Li Yiming.


    "So you know each other? Why didn¡¯t you introduce him to me earlier?" The old man, Yang Yuxiong, was the one who called the shots behind Yang¡¯s Jewelry. He searched his mind for someone who looked like Li Yiming, but found nothing.


    "He¡¯s Li Yiming. Wu Jia¡¯s ssmate." Yang Wei said, slightly frustrated.


    "Oh? Yiming? Did youe with your parents?" Yang Yuxiang suddenly took on the tone of an elder.


    "No, sir. I came here with my friend." Li Yiming nodded and replied politely.


    "Oh? You came here by yourself?" Yang Yuxiong nced at Lin Lu,paring her to Wu Jia out of habit.


    "Is she your friend?" Wu Jia finally examined Lin Lu from head to toe, and she was a little ufortable at seeing Lin Lu¡¯s fingers around Li Yiming¡¯s wrist.


    "Lin Lu, this is Wu Jia, my high school ssmate." As Li Yiming introduced Lin Lu and Wu Jia to each other, he concentrated once again on trying to retain the very subtle nostalgia he felt when he saw Wu Jia. For him, any kind of emotion was a way out of the impasse he was facing.


    Yang Yuxiong suddenly let out a cough, realizing that there was something more going on ¡ª he could clearly see the unease written all over his son¡¯s face. In fact, in his early years, Yang Yuxiong himself was a yboy, so he had more than enough experience to tell that his son had lost face due to Li Yiming.


    "So, Yiming, what do you do for a living?" Yang Yuxiong raised his chin proudly as he made ready to back his son up.


    "I¡¯m the owner of a tea house in the old neighborhood. Please, if you have time..."


    "A tea house? Pure Water Herb Hall?" Yang Yuxiong was aware of the establishment in particr, since his remembered hearing about it when an old friendined about someone who refused to emigrate.


    ¡¯I see... So my friend probably thought it that it was a good idea to impress him by inviting him over... A clever move? But what can an idiot like him learn? Maybe I¡¯ll help him a bit with his life lessons...¡¯ Yang Yuxiong started to scheme as he loved seeing arrogant fools like Li Yiming fall to their ruin.


    "Yiming... Since you¡¯re Jiajia¡¯s friend, I¡¯d like to take the time to give you a word of advice..." Yang Yuxiong faked a voice full of concern.


    "Oh?" Li Yiming was unsure what the old man was getting at.


    "How could you show up to a banquet dressed like this? This is a high-grade venue. Look around you, do you see anyone dressed like this? Surely you know from the movies and TV dramas you¡¯ve seen that this is impolite. Son, go get some of your spare clothes for him! You should have known better than to stand by and watch! Someone who doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on would have thought him to be a paid escort of Ms. Lin¡¯s!" Yang Yuxiong raised his chin proudly as he scolded both his son and Li Yiming.


    While Li Yiming stayed impassive, most of the guardians who watched on gasped as they heard Yang Yuxiong. Some were wondering whether this was a message from Yun Yiyuan himself.


    "You¡¯re absolutely right. But I¡¯m not here for the banquet," Even such an insult could not provoke Li Yiming.


    "Not here for the banquet? Are you just here to have a meal?! Hahaha!" Yang Yuxiong suddenly let out a loudugh, but stopped a few secondster when he realized that the people around him were quiet ¡ª too quiet. He had raised his voice on purpose to try to get the spectators to humiliate Li Yiming, but it had no effect whatsoever.


    Despite Li Yiming¡¯s poker face, even Wu Jia understood that Yang Yuxiong had been insulting Li Yiming the whole time and became slightly vexed. As for Lin Lu, she looked around left and right, not paying attention to the conversation at all. Yang Wei seemed to want to stop his father¡¯s outburst, but he could not manage to find the right opportunity. As for the guardians who were around Li Yiming, most of them chose to take a few steps back to avoid being dragged into inevitable conflict.


    "Haha!" A burst of loudughter was suddenly heard. Yang Yuxiong turned around in surprise, euphoric to see Yun Yiyuan choosing to lend a helping hand so his joke would not fall t.


    "Well, well, Mr. Li, thank you foring here today!" Just as Yang Yuxiong was about to use the momentum to crush Li Yiming once and for all, Yun Yiyuan¡¯s words cut him short.


    "I¡¯m not here for the food. I¡¯m here for someone." Li Yiming answered Yang Yuxiong¡¯s question.


    "Who is it?" Yang Yuxion asked.


    "I don¡¯t even know the name. I¡¯ll have to ask him," Li Yiming said as he turned around to face Yun Yiyuan.


    "I¡¯m sorry, we have a very important guest today, so we need to adjust our schedule slightly. Can I ask those unconcerned to leave?" Yun Yiyuan said before staring into Li Yiming¡¯s eyes.


    ¡¯What? This kid isn¡¯t just some tea shop owner in the old district?¡¯ Before Yang Yuxiong could fully understand the situation, a waiter approached him.


    "Sir, please." The waiter pointed at the door.


    "What?" Yang Yuxiong was baffled beyondprehension. Even Yang Wei, who knew more than his father about Li Yiming¡¯s importance, never would have been able to imagine this oue.


    The one who had the most conflicted feelings about how the events unfolded was Wu Jia. The turnaround of events gave her a sense of relief, but she was also curious about the connection between Yun Yiyuan and Li Yiming.


    "I¡¯ll go then," Wu Jia said as she secretly hoped for Li Yiming to tell her to stay.


    "Alright, I¡¯lle find youter." Li Yiming nodded. It was not that he did not understand Wu Jia¡¯s feelings, but rather he did not think it would be a good idea for her to stay when even he could not predict what would ensue after his conversation with Yun Yiyuan.


    Just as Wu Jia left, Lin Lu pulled on Li Yiming¡¯s hand.


    "Four o¡¯clock," Lin Lu said as she finally managed to spot her target when the crowd thinned out.


    "So you¡¯ve decided. Wee!" Yun Yiyuan raised his hands with a smile.


    "I¡¯ve told you that I¡¯m here to look for someone." Li Yiming turned toward the guardian with the scar on his face.


    "You¡¯re here for him?" Yun Yiyuan frowned and looked at the middle-aged man in the distance. The person in question approached Yun Yiyuan when he noticed the attention. He was a recently awakened guardian who had gained Yun Yiyuan¡¯s favor after aplishing many missions with ease. Although he did not know Li Yiming, he knew that someone who could talk on even grounds with Yun Yiyuan was no simple figure.


    "I¡¯m going to take custody of him." Li Yiming with an unbroken countenance.


    "You¡¯reing to my ce, and trying to take my people?" Yun Yiyuan¡¯s countenance sank as he realized that Li Yiming was noting to pledge allegiance.


    "I¡¯m not here to discuss my decision with you. If you want, we can fight it out." Li Yiming said coldly as he looked at Yun Yiyuan. The moment Yun Yiyuan unleashed his aura, Li Yiming¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly felt a thirst for battle.

 Volume 8 Chapter 15

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming had high expectations as he looked at Yun Yiyuan. His heart had just skipped a beat, yet he did not know whether it was due to excitement, stress, or fear. Whatever it was, it was no doubt some kind of emotion.


    "What?" Yun Yiyuan had already guessed that Li Yiming¡¯s showing up could only mean trouble, but he did not expect him to challenge him right at the heart of his organization.


    "If I win, he¡¯sing with me. If not, then I¡¯ll stay here. I might¡¯ve used too many tricks to defeat youst time. I want to see how far I am away from the invincible spear now." Li Yiming said as he looked at the ss roof of the main hall, through which the stars of the night poured down a waterfall of silvery light.


    During their previous fight, Li Yiming had won on the back of a suicidal attack. This time around, he was back to being on even footing with Yun Yiyuan, and he was eager to see the difference in strength between them. Most importantly, he had a feeling that if he were to fight him, he would be able to feel something again, and he was not going to give up this opportunity.


    The challenge that Li Yiming had dered was certainly abrupt, and all the guardians around the two could not help but feel shocked. What astounded them even more was the fact that Yun Yiyuan did not even deny being defeated by Li Yiming.


    "So? What is it going to be? A duel or a group fight? You¡¯ve seen what I¡¯m capable of at the Music Festival. Being outnumbered means nothing to me," Li Yiming pressed on as his thirst forbat grew.


    ¡¯What?! Challenging all of us at once? Did he really defeat the invincible Yun Yiyuan in a duel before?¡¯


    The thought ran through the minds of many onlooking guardians. Only a man with absolute confidence in his abilities would challenge Yun Yiyuan himself right at the heart of his base of operations.


    Yet Yun Yiyuan, unlike his underlings, was sharp enough to perceive that something had changed in Li Yiming. It was hard to describe, but he emitted an aura unlike any sage he knew ¡ª it was different from Stargaze¡¯s detachment, Li Huaibei¡¯s confidence, Wu Yun¡¯s resolution, or Aunt Wu¡¯s mysteriousness. Rather, it was as if a piece of Li Yiming was missing.


    ¡¯And yet he dares challenge me? What is he thinking?¡¯ Yun Yiyuan suddenly turned his head toward a deserted corner of the hall. ¡¯Wu Yun... No wonder he¡¯s so fearless...¡¯


    Just as Yun Yiyuan hesitated, Fangs suddenly emitted a savage roar and leaped toward Li Yiming. He transformed midair into a humanoid creature many times his usual size. If Li Yiming could make Yun Yiyuan hesitate on letting him be seized, then his only chance at not being apprehended was to provoke a fight and drag as many people as he could against Li Yiming.


    Terror shed on Lin Lu¡¯s face as she reached for her gun out of habit, only to realize that she did not bring it along.


    A purple electric arc ran through the air and wrapped around the monster, pulling it down to the ground like an anchor. The guardians who had made ready to start a fight all froze in ce. To be able to subdue one of the strongest fighters in Yun Yiyuan¡¯s gang in one move was an act of intimidation. Most of them did not receive orders from Yun Yiyuan yet, so they stayed put and waited.


    "So, what is it going to be? Are we going to fight? Otherwise, I¡¯m going to take him with me," Li Yiming looked at the limp body on the ground, whose skin was slightly charred.


    "The world has changed..." Yun Yiyuan spat out before making for the side door.


    ¡¯What? He¡¯s running away?¡¯ None of Yun Yiyuan¡¯s underlings could believe their eyes.


    * * *


    Lotus Vige was a vige renowned for its proximity to nature and the organic, stress-free lifestyle its inhabitants adopted. Most of its residents were children and elderly people, as many of the working age adults left the vige to seek a better livelihood.


    A year ago, and developer had suddenly arrived and proposed a deal to the vigers: the entire vige would be bought off for an astronomical sum of money. After the deal was sealed, construction work began, and it was not long before an Eden on Earth was built in a remote corner of the province.


    Although many people and powerful figures in the country had heard of the vige and intended on securing themselves a residence in the area, the developer declined all of the invitations. In addition, instead of developing the vige as a tourist attraction to make a profit, he weed a strange cohort of people as the new residents. There were people from all walks of life. Most of them became small business owners, or even farmers, seemingly embracing the idea of being in proximity to nature.


    This made the right to live in the vige even more desirable to some, but strangely, no matter what kind of background an outsider had, or what connections they utilized, there was no way for anyone to settle in the vige uninvited. As such, the vige became a mysterious ce in rumors and tales, with many wondering what the true purpose of its existence.


    In the middle of the vige grew an aged tree, which preceded the existence of the vige itself. Due to theck of maintenance, it had died a long time ago, but its bare trunk was left still standing. Day after day, a man with unkempt hair woulde and drink wine from an old, broken gourd, emitting a pungent smell of alcohol.


    Gulp!


    The man took another long sip. At the pace he was drinking, the gourd would have been empty in a few minutes, but the man had been sitting there for three days already.


    "Do you think that he¡¯ll die drinking?" One young man asked with disgust as he peeked at the drunkard from inside his home.


    "Keep peeling your corn. The vige chief told us to not bother him." The girl who sat facing him scolded him as both of them worked on the pile of produce.


    "I don¡¯t understand. Why is the chief letting him do that? I thought we were..." The young man¡¯sin was cut short by the girl¡¯s stare.


    The young girl sighed, looked around and said in a low voice. "I¡¯m going to tell you a secret that¡¯s been going around. Don¡¯t tell anyone else, but I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s a sage..."


    "What? He¡¯s...!" The young man jumped up.


    "Shut up! What did I say?"


    "Who told you that?" The young quickly sat back down and asked.


    "From Elephant. He got a call from the vige chief one day. I don¡¯t know the details."


    "Really? Elephant isn¡¯t the most reliable..."


    "Believe it or not. It¡¯s up to you." The girl pursed her lips in discontent and resumed her work.


    "Look! It¡¯s that blind girl again!" The young girl¡¯s attention was once again attracted back to the window. She saw a young woman walking toward the hill where the dead tree was with her eyes closed.


    "She¡¯s the only one who talks with that drunkard..."


    "Have you ever seen her eyes?" The man asked.


    "What is there to see?" The young girl said with a sour voice, as she could detect the fascination and idtry in the man¡¯s voice.


    "You don¡¯t understand..." The man said as he stared at the blind woman.


    "Hmmpf!" The girl snorted in discontent and threw the corn onto the ground.


    * * *


    Tian Yan stood right next to Li Huaibei as thetter continued to gulp down his wine one mouthful at a time.


    "He¡¯s awake," Tian Yan said after a long moment of silence. Her pale skin, under the glow of the setting sun, conferred to her the air of a fairy.


    Li Huaibei raised his gourd and drank another mouthful.


    "I want to go see him," Tian Yan said.


    "It¡¯s pointless," Li Huaibei finally said in a parched voice.


    "I need to see him."


    "Whye to me then?"


    "Qian Mian won¡¯t let me go alone."


    Li Huaibei drank another mouthful and opened his eyes. He stared nkly at the crimson sky and the wilted branches above him.


    "Please. You¡¯ve promised..." Tian Yan pleaded.


    "Fine." Li Huaibei said as he stroked his gourd.

 Volume 8 Chapter 16

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "What are you going to do with him?" Li Yiming asked as he watched Yunding Tower fade into the distance from the passenger seat of Lin Lu¡¯s car.


    "I need to take him back to the capital, but..." Lin Lu said and looked at the scar-faced guardian. After witnessing his ability, she was unsure whether that task was even possible.


    "Do you need help?"


    "I know it¡¯s a bit much, but..."


    "I can¡¯t hand him over."


    "What?"


    "I can¡¯t hand him over to you." Li Yiming repeated. "You¡¯ve seen what happened earlier. He and I, and the other people at the banquet are the same kind of people. I don¡¯t know what the people in the capital are up to, and I can¡¯t afford to hand him over just yet."


    After mulling over National Security¡¯s motives, Li Yiming concluded that there was much more to the situation at hand, and he could not afford to hand Fangs over knowing that endless troubles could emerge from letting them study a guardian thoroughly


    "But he killed more than a hundred of us!" Lin Lu eximed. She could not care less about the research that was to be done. All she could think about when arresting Fangs was to serve justice for her fallenrades.


    "I¡¯ll make sure that he pays a price for it," Li Yiming said.


    "No, he needed to be put on trial." Lin Lu became agitated.


    "Your trials are a joke to people like us." A voice came from the backseat. Lin Lu instantly pulled a gun out from under her seat and pushed its barrel against the body of her seat.


    A man covered in grease and dirt sat on the backseat with fingers crossed. He scrutinized Li Yiming with interest as he spoke.


    "You almost killed me with that blow a year ago," Li Yiming said.


    "I wasn¡¯t trying to kill you," The man answered as he continued to stare at Li Yiming.


    "Who are you?" Lin Lu asked anxiously as she slowly moved her thumb over the safety of her handgun.


    "I¡¯m Wu Yun. I work at a factory." The man smiled and greeted Lin Lu. The next moment, Lin Lu¡¯s tense expression suddenly rxed as she copsed on her seat, falling unconscious.


    "Are you here to take my life?" Li Yiming smirked as he reached for his pocket and took out a silver metallic sphere.


    "I¡¯m here to fight with you, to be precise."


    "Right now?" Li Yiming frowned. Although Wu Yun kept his power entirely concealed, the pressure he felt from simply looking at him far exceeded Yun Yiyuan¡¯s.


    "Not yet. You¡¯ve improved, but you¡¯re not strong enough. I¡¯ve heard that you became Aunt Wu¡¯s pupil? How many of her nine sword techniques have you learned to use?" Wu Yun smiled and shook his head.


    "I don¡¯t just specialize in swords." Li Yiming squinted as he made ready to strike. He still remembered Wu Yun¡¯s strike at Liu Meng. ¡¯If it weren¡¯t for him... Maybe...¡¯


    "There¡¯s no point in fighting if I know I¡¯m going to win. Come back when you¡¯ve learned everything from Aunt Wu." Wu Yun said as he pulled off one of his work gloves and threw it toward Li Yiming.


    "Why did you try to kill Liu Meng?" Li Yiming did not catch the glove and it hit the transmission box.


    "Someone asked me to."


    "Who?"


    "I¡¯ll tell you when you win. How about I help you dispose of this one here? It¡¯ll be troublesome if they get their hands on him." Wu Yun said as he jumped out of the car with Fangs.


    ¡¯Heaven¡¯s de...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the glove Wu Yun left behind with a grave countenance.


    Li Yiming took a deep breath before picking up the glove. The moment his fingers touched the item, it was as if he had fallen into a deep abyss, and the giant shadow of a de came crashing down from above.


    ¡¯This de...¡¯ Li Yiming recognized the strike which almost killed him. He wasted no time in shifting his metallic orb into a sword upon wrapped by purple thunder sparks. However, even thrusting the sword with all of his might was barely enough to stop the blow, as his sword shattered into pieces the moment it came into contact with the oing de. The de¡¯s shadow then faded away and Li Yiming spat out a mouthful of blood as both the seat on which he sat and the glove were shredded to dust.


    ¡¯Heaven¡¯s de... Wu Yun...¡¯ Li Yiming stared in the direction Wu Yun left ¡ª he could tell that he had clearly surpassed the level of a sage, and yet he chose to perform a sneak attack on Liu Meng to take her life.


    ¡¯What is he nning...? Did he reallye to me just for a fight?¡¯ Li Yiming opened the car door. Hisck of emotions came with a certain level-headedness, as he would have otherwise tried everything he could to stop Wu Yun simply for the fact that he might have known about Liu Meng¡¯s whereabouts.


    The screeching of tires was heard as a ck car rushed to the scene, and two agents jumped off the vehicle.


    "Boss!" One of them rushed toward where Lin Lu was, while the rest kept their guards up as they looked at Li Yiming.


    "She¡¯s okay. She fainted, that¡¯s all." Li Yiming could tell that Lin Lu was unharmed.


    "Where¡¯s our target?" The agent asked he scrutinized the inside of the vehicle. It was a very odd scene, as Lin Lu waspletely unharmed, but the seat upon which Li Yiming sat waspletely gone, leaving only debris and a few metal wires standing.


    Li Yiming did not mind Lin Lu and instead looked at Yunding Tower in the distance. He could feel a pair of icy-cold eyes staring back at him.


    "We need to leave." Lin Lu¡¯s voice came just in time.


    "Secretary Lin..." One of the agents said.


    "What is it?" Lin Lu said as she nced at Li Yiming to protest the disappearance of her target. She did, however, understand that nothing could be done at this point.


    "We¡¯ve received news of an emergency." An agent said as he took out a telephone.


    "An emergency?" Lin Lu¡¯s chest tightened as she recognized the encrypted satellite cell phone. Under normal circumstances, she would not be contacted in such a way.


    "What?" Lin Lu eximed as soon as she picked up the phone. "I¡¯ming right away."


    "You need toe with us." Lin Lu hung up after a few seconds and turned toward Li Yiming with a serious countenance.


    "Where?" For some strange reason, Lin Lu¡¯s expression stirred Li Yiming¡¯s heart, and he had a feeling that he would eventually find a cure for his condition if he followed her.


    "A309," Lin Lu uttered a number.


    "Alright." Li Yiming did not know what it meant, but he felt bad for refusing the request after the promise he had made, especially when he could tell from Lin Lu¡¯s tone that he was desperately needed in this situation.


    As Li Yiming boarded a military ne, he gazed at the moon outside of the window. He still had no idea where this so-called "A309" ce was, but at this point, he could tell that it was very far away.


    "Could you exin to me now?" Li Yiming picked up a bottle of water and gave it to Lin Lu.


    "Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re the one who owes me an exnation?" Lin Lu did not ept the drink.


    "The only thing I can tell you now is that justice will be served." Although Li Yiming did not confirm Wu Yun¡¯s intentions, he was almost certain that Fangs would be dead. Even if Wu Yun did choose to spare him, Li Yiming had already made sure to destroy his Heavenly Vein, so National Security would be able to capture him with ease.


    "Who¡¯s Wu Yun?"


    "Someone like me." Li Yiming answered.


    One of our teams was ambushed, only two returned out of seventeen members, and both of them are gravely injured." Lin Lu knew that it was impossible to make Li Yiming divulge any information. When she checked the camera footage she had tried to hard to capture, a technical staff told her that the device has been fried by a powerful electric current. Lin Lu knew exactly where the current came from, and it only meant that Li Yiming did not fully trust her yet.


    Li Yiming nodded and waited for the rest ¡ª it was not simply a failed mission.


    "Both of the survivors suffered terrible injuries, and our medical staff determined that they¡¯re still in danger of losing their lives..." Lin Lu took a deep breath. "But theypletely recovered after only three hours."

 Volume 8 Chapter 17

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Completely recovered?" Li Yiming frowned.


    "Yes. Completely recovered. In fact, their physical conditions have even improved." Lin said.


    "And then...?"


    "No one could believe the results, so they sent the two survivors to A309 for further examination."


    "A309 is a research facility?"


    "You could say so."


    "What did they find out?"


    "They hadn¡¯t even started..." Lin Lu¡¯s countenance sank. "They hadn¡¯t even started when one of the survivors suddenly self-ignited and burned until nothing remained."


    "What? Where did that happen?" Li Yiming caught onto the detail.


    "At the airport."


    "At what time?"


    "At noon today."


    "Under the sun?"


    "Do you know anything?" Lin Lu noticed Li Yiming¡¯s sudden interest.


    "What about the other survivor?"


    "Our research teams conjectured that it was due to the sun, so they took the appropriate measures. He¡¯s already in A309 now. You know something, don¡¯t you? Can you save him?" Lin Lu said as she clenched her pants with shaking hands.


    "That survivor, he¡¯s your..." Li Yiming knew that Lin Lu had a special attachment to thest survivor.


    "He¡¯s my... fiance."


    * * *


    "Li Yiming and that secretary Lin from National Security from boarded a ne. We don¡¯t know where they¡¯re headed" Ying Mei reported as she held a pile of papers.


    "Why did he join National Security? Is he trying to use the resources from the military?" Yun Yiyuan said with a frown.


    "He let Wu Yun take care of business in the end, so it¡¯s unlikely that he¡¯s willing to fully cooperate with the military," Ying Mei gave her analysis. Unlike businesspeople, the people in the military could not be easily swayed with promises of profit, and although the guardians were strong in their own rights, they still were no match in terms of strategy against experienced people.


    "Why is Wu Yun working with Li Yiming all of a sudden? I thought he wanted to kill him?" Yun Yiyuan rubbed his temples, knowing he could not let his guard down against Wu Yun.


    "I don¡¯t believe they¡¯re working together. Even Mr. Kong failed to rally him to his cause. There¡¯s most likely more to it..." Ying Mei said as she gazed at the sky. After being told what happened a year ago by Yun Yiyuan, she now fully appreciated Li Yiming¡¯s strength.


    "Heaven¡¯s de... Heaven¡¯s Laws..." Yun Yiyuan mumbled as he stared at the night sky. Even he was unsure of what exactly happened on that fateful day.


    "What about Lotus Vige? Any movements there?" Yun Yiyuan asked as he turned his attention toward Ying Mei.


    "Nothing. That man called Qian Man is still looking to recruit people, but it¡¯s not working that well so far," Ying Mei said.


    "Wait." Ying Mei suddenly noticed something on thest page.


    "Li Huaibei left the vige..." Ying Mei said.


    "Oh? When did that happen?"


    "This morning. He left along with Tian Yan."


    "Li Huaibei..." Yun Yiyuan took a deep breath.


    "Tell our people toe back. He woke up from his drunken dream. There¡¯s no point in incurring losses now." Yun Yiyuan said after a long moment of silence.


    "Yes." Ying Mei picked up the phone and dialed a number.


    "The number you have dialed cannot be reached..." A mechanical voice came from the phone.


    "It¡¯s toote." Ying Mei said rather with a subtly satisfied tone, pleased to see Yun Yiyuan¡¯s efforts frustrated.


    "That¡¯s too bad. As long as Stargaze isn¡¯t involved in this, there¡¯s nothing much Li Huaibei can aplish on his own. Tell the people going there to be on their guard." Yun Yiyuan¡¯s desires were suddenly aroused at seeing Ying Meiugh at his failures. He began to think that perhaps the reason why he was able to stay interested in her for so long was that she refused to submit entirely.


    Ying Mei turned around upon noticed the lustful desires written on Yun Yiyuan¡¯s face, but an arm wrapped around her waist before she could escape.


    * * *


    "Boss, that kid confessed. He¡¯s a new guardian who abused his ability to make some money, but caught some unwanted attention." A muscr man holding a red hot searing iron said to Pan Junwei as thetter continued smoking.


    "So the attack against the special ops team was just for revenge?" Pan Juwei threw the cigarette butt on the ground and spat.


    Just yesterday, Pan Junwei had received news that a team from the squadron he once served in was attacked. Having spent some years in the military, Pan Junwei had a special attachment to the people who used to be his brothers-in-arms. He had resisted the urge to intervene when the outpost was attacked a few months ago, but the recent attackst straw for him. He decided to lead his team to capture the suspect. Even if the culprit was a sage, Pan Junwei was confident in his abilities to give the attacker a run for their money.


    "There¡¯s no mistake. The drug¡¯s doing its job." The muscr man said, slightly disappointed that they had only caught a small fry after a night of work.


    "Shit, if I was still in the military, I would be showing those punks..." Pan Junwei looked at the cell in which they held the culprit prisoner.


    "What are we going to do about him?"


    "Make him suffer, and then kill him. After that, let everyone know that they can¡¯t touch the military." Pan Junwei said in a cial tone.


    "Looks like I¡¯vee to the right ce." Aughing voice was suddenly heard.


    "Who is it?" The muscr man ran toward the source of the voice, brandishing his searing iron.


    "Is this how you wee guests in the military?" A silhouette emerged from the darkness, holding a body in one hand and the searing iron in another.


    "Wu Yun?" Pan Junwei¡¯s eyes widened and he intervened to stop his subordinates from starting a fight.


    "Here!" Wu Yun suddenly threw the man he held toward Pan Junwei.


    "It¡¯s the one who attacked the output." Wu Yun said as he examined the searing iron.


    "What are you up to?" Pan Junwei was no fool ¡ª Wu Yun must havee here to settle a deal with him.


    "Great. That¡¯s what I love about dealing with military people. Always straight to the point..."


    "I want to borrow something from you..."


    * * *


    Li Yiming¡¯s saw Lin Lu¡¯s fiance from across the ss pane of a containment cell. His name was Zhou Jiazheng, a man in his thirties who was of medium size. However, Li Yiming could see that his skin was abnormally pale, and his eyes only lit up after seeing Lin Lu.


    "You shouldn¡¯t havee," Zhou Jiazheng said to Lin Lu.


    Lin Lu¡¯s eyes reddened as she reached out for her fiance, only to be blocked by the ss pane.


    "Can I go in?" Li Yiming was almost sure that it was indeed the vampiric virus, but he needed confirmation. Although the virus could be transmitted to an ordinary person, it was abnormal for Zhou Jiazheng to be able to bear its power. In addition, even though Zhou Jiazhang looked a little pale, he seemed quite healthy, which reminded Li Yiming of Eyesses.


    "You¡¯ll need the protective equipment." The medical personnel said. It was still hard for him to believe that Li Yiming possessed extraordinary powers despite Lin Lu¡¯s telling him.


    "It¡¯s okay. He¡¯s not contagious." Li Yiming dismissed the suggestion and signaled for the medical staff to open the door.


    "His orders are mine," Lin Lu said.


    Li Yiming stopped Lin Lu from going in with him and entered the containment cell alone.


    "Can I be cured?" Zhou Jiazheng asked, knowing Li Yiming¡¯s true identity. He had been informed by the medical staff that the virus was continuously dividing itself and had invaded almost every cell in his body.


    "Not to my awareness."

 Volume 8 Chapter 18

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Wee." Chen Jiawang stood up with his professional smile and greeted the two middle-aged men who entered the tea shop.


    "Oh? Nicely decorated. How about here?" One of the men, with very short hair and holding arge golden chain, said as he looked around.


    Suddenly, the manid his eyes on the golden flower that Chen Jiawang had transmuted and he was instantly captivated. Chen Jiawang, having never received instructions to throw it away, decided to put it on disy on the front desk.


    "Do you have a private room?" One of the men asked.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but the main hall is all we have..." Chen Jiawang answered as he scrutinized the neers. One of them held an item which was wrapped in a piece of ck cloth. It had the size of aptop, but based on the visible effort that the man was making, it seemed much heavier than one.


    "Really?"


    "It¡¯s okay. We don¡¯t have time to find another ce," The man with the golden chain said.


    "Listen, we have a business meeting that requires privacy with no interruptions. Could we reserve the entire shop? Of course, if there are other customers, we¡¯ll pay for your losses." The man then turned toward Chen Jiawang and pleaded as he took out a pile of banknotes.


    "Of course. Please, have a seat." Chen Jiawang made the call to ept the proposition as soon as he saw a pile of banknotes.


    "What would you like to drink?" Chen Jiawang asked as he presented the menu.


    "Give me the best tea you have. Also, give us the best tea set. We¡¯ll make sure to pay you for it." The man who held the golden chain once again turned his attention toward the golden potted nt, while the other man looked around nervously with his item on his knees.


    "Please wait a moment..." Chen Jiawang said.


    During his many hours spent working in the service industry, Chen Jiawang had acquired the basic skills of observing his customers in order to find the best way to please them. He concluded that the man holding the golden chain was obviously someone who liked to show off, making him the perfect target to persuade into splurging money.


    ¡¯Tea... The best green tea we have... and the tea set... That guy seems to like gold... So I¡¯ll give him gold. This will be the perfect customer experience...¡¯ Chen Jiawang decided to create a tea set made of pure gold. Everything from the kettle to the cup to the small tes, was transmuted into pure gold.


    As Chen Jiawang appeared with the irradiating tea set, the man holding the golden chain was shocked beyond belief.


    "Is... Is this made of pure gold?" The man grabbed one of the tea cup and examined it closely.


    "Please enjoy." Chen Jiawang smiled and returned to the counter.


    "I told you... Look at this cup..." The man with the golden chain said.


    "Alright, alright. We¡¯d make a joke of ourselves if we actually served tea in this..." His partner said, knowing gold was not a suitable material to make a tea set with. Chen Jiawang dove behind the counter, humiliated by his ownck of knowledge.


    "Well, what do you know? What about the guy we¡¯re seeing today... He¡¯ll be surprised by this, won¡¯t he? Even if he has spent many years working with ancient artifacts, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s never seen anything like this..." It was clear from his reaction that the man with the golden chain waspletely obsessed with gold.


    "Alright, enough about this. Did you give him the address?" The man who held the ck parcel nced at the window.


    "Of course, he should be here soon. Come, have a taste of this Oolong tea, it¡¯s good!" The man with the golden chain picked up the kettle and poured a cup for himself and his friend.


    "This is green tea..." His friend sighed.


    Just as Chen Jiawang was wondering for whom the pair was waiting for, another person entered the shop. Chen Jiawang¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the neer. It was a man who was very short, with small eyes, a t nose, and arge mouth. In short, he was the pr opposite of what Chen Jiawang imagined a professional appraiser to look like.


    ¡¯Who the hell is this guy?¡¯


    Just as Chen Jiawang wondered whether he should shoo the neer away, the man with the golden chain stood up and went to wee thetter.


    "Oh, what a pleasure professor Chen... Please, have some tea."


    "This is professor Chen Quan?" The man who held the ck parcel asked, palpably shocked at the professor¡¯s physique.


    "How did you find a nice ce like that?" Chen Quan stood at the entrance and looked around.


    Out of ten, Chen Quan could give a seven to the wooden screen at the entrance, and an eight to the decorations for the shop¡¯s interior. However, his opinion changed drastically when he saw the shining potted nt standing in a dusty corner of the front desk. He knew right away that it was not an ordinary item.


    "Please, please, have a seat. So, are you satisfied with this ce?" The man with the golden chain asked as he poured a cup of tea.


    "This cup..." Chen Quan frowned as he scrutinized the tea cup. He could tell that it was made of pure gold the moment he picked it up.


    "Beautiful, right?" The man with the golden chain said and winked at his friend.


    "Yes, indeed..." Chen Quan licked his lips, put the cup down and turned his attention toward the potted nt. Knowing that even the tea cups were made of pure gold, the nt itself had to be an invaluable treasure.


    ¡¯Seriously? This luxurious for only a tea house? I¡¯d be sneaking here at night if it weren¡¯t for the fact that I don¡¯t specialize in working with people who are alive...¡¯ Chen Quan thought. After the conclusion of the domain on the Pandaria, he had lost part of his memories once again. Chen Quan concluded that it due to his havinge into contact with something he should not have, or seen something he should not have seen.


    As a result, Chen Quan stopped his work at once and changed profession. Leveraging all of his years of experience spent dealing with artifacts, he had made quite a name for himself in the field of artifact appraisal. Today, he was going to meet the man with the golden chain and his friend. The man with the golden chain was called Wang Youfa, and was a businessperson in the coal industry. To acquire a more refined taste, he had bought many items from Chen Quan, and sincerely believed in his appraisals.


    "Allow me to make the introductions. This is professor Chen Quan, the appraisal expert I¡¯ve talked to you about. This is Lao Dai, an old friend of mine. He just bought something a few days ago, and I would like to ask you to have a look at it." Wang Youfa said as Chen Quan and Lao Dai sat down.


    "Did you bring it?" Chen Quan nced at the parcel Lao Dao was holding onto closely.


    "It¡¯s here." Lao Dai put the parcel onto the table. He had been losing sleep over the item for many nights now, and he itched to know the result of the appraisal.


    "Excuse me, could you please go put a sign at the entrance? Also, can you give us a moment of privacy?" Wang Youfa asked Chen Jiawang.


    Chen Jiawang went to the front entrance right away and put a closing notice. When he came back, he peeked at the three men sitting around the table, only to see that Chen Quan had put on a pair of white gloves and was already examining the artifact with his magnifying ss and shlight.


    The object concealed by the ck cloth was a stone tablet, which contained a rather poorly sculpted relief.


    ¡¯Are you serious? A piece of rock?¡¯ Chen Jiawangpletely lost interest and returned to the counter to y with his cell phone.

 Volume 8 Chapter 19

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "This stone tablet..." Chen Quan¡¯s countenance gradually grew serious as he stood up from his seat to get a better view of the object. It was slightly blue and resembled stone used for pavement, with a rough surface covered with scratch marks.


    The stone tablet depicted three different scenes. The panel on top portrayed a scene of a giant monkey roaring while beating its own chest with a man standing on a sword beneath its feet. The panel below showed a beast resembling a lion possessing wings. Lastly, the panel on the right was in illustration of a phoenix.


    Chen Quan had no doubt that just like many stone tablets he had seen before, this artifact was retelling a legendary tale. However, what perplexed Chen Quan was the aging of the object; although there was nothing noteworthy about the material, he deduced that the tablet itself had been sculpted over ten thousand years ago.


    Chen Quan squatted down and examined the back and the edges of the tablet meticulously. ¡¯These cuts... they¡¯re fresh? Was this taken off a wall?¡¯


    "Professor Chen... This..." Lao Dai finally could not quell his curiosity. Seeing Chen Quan scrutinize the tablet so painstakingly made him extremely nervous while also giving him a sense of assurance about the uracy of the appraisal.


    "I know that I¡¯m not supposed to ask you about the origins of this, but..." Chen Quan wrapped the ck cloth around the artifact. Studying the te with such concentration was enough to make him sweat.


    "We bought this for three million yuan in the ck market. They said that it was some kind of precious artifact. What do you think?" Wang Youfa revealed the truth without a second thought.


    ¡¯The ck market? This tablet... It precedes human civilization! This has the power to rewrite history!¡¯ Chen Quan pondered about the ramifications of the discovery as he sat down.


    "Professor Chen..." Lao Dai waited impatiently for a verdict, as he had been the subject of ridicule by his friends for splurging on the artifact.


    Chen Quan reached out for the tea kettle, only to find it empty.


    "More tea please!" Wang Youfa immediately cried out.


    "Right away!" Chen Jiawang picked up the heating kettle and ran toward the table.


    "You can put the kettle here. We¡¯ll take care of it." Wang Youfa dismissed Chen Jiawang immediately, afraid that thetter would disturb Chen Quan.


    Although Chen Jiawang was getting a little curious about the artifact, he shrugged his shoulders and thought that it was good that he was spared the trouble.


    "There¡¯s nothing special about the material. However, its age..." Chen Quan said as he made himselffortable on the sofa.


    "Yes. You¡¯re right professor Chen, about that..."


    "I don¡¯t think that I can tell for sure with my eyes. I have a friend who works at a geological institute. How about we go over there and use their equipment?" Chen Quan proposed after a moment of pondering.


    If it was just any other item, Chen Quan would have not even bothered with such a rigorous measure. He would have just made up some kind of exnation, but the impossible assessment he had made on the stone tablet reminded him of his childhood dream of being an archaeologist, and he knew just how much the discovery could change the world.


    "Great!" Wang Youfa was ecstatic at seeing Chen Quan¡¯s dedication to the appraisal.


    "Even you can¡¯t tell how old this is? Professor Chen?" Lao Dai frowned.


    "This tablet is a little different from other kinds of artifacts, you¡¯ll forgive me, but I don¡¯t think that I cane up with an urate appraisal with only my eyes," Chen Quan said.


    "How about we go to the ce then? Where else are you going to find an opportunity like that?" Wang Youfa pulled on Lao Dai¡¯s shirt.


    "Oh?" Lao Dai¡¯s eyes lit up as it finally dawned upon him that Chen Quan¡¯s countenance furthered the possibility of the te being of immeasurable value.


    "Alright, so when would it be a good time to go?" Lao Dai¡¯s face was brimming with excitement as he thought about the treasure the stone tablet could turn out to be.


    "Now." Chen Quan stood up from the sofa.


    "Now?" Lao Dai nced at his watch: it was almost eleven o¡¯clock.


    "Is that okay with you?¡¯


    "Of course." Lao Dai looked at his friend gratefully as he stood up, thinking that Chen Quan was paying him the favor due to Wang Youfa. Only he did not know that Chen Quan was even more eager than him to uncover the truth.


    The party of three left after leaving some money, and Chen Jiawang began cleaning up their table.


    ¡¯Wow... These rich people really do have time to spare in their lives...¡¯ Chen Jiawang thought as he returned to the counter. As he recalled the stone tablet, he began scribbling around with a pencil, only to realize that he remembered every detail about the scenes depicted on the artifact.


    ¡¯Do I have some kind of hidden talent for drawing?¡¯ Chen Jiawang was unaware that after bing a guardian, both his dexterity and perception were greatly improved, to the point where he was able to remember most things despite seeing them only once. Naturally, reproducing a drawing as unpolished as the one on the stone tablet became an easy task.


    "I knew that I had it in me!" Chen Jiawang smiled as he picked up another sheet of paper and began drawing the vase near the entrance.


    * * *


    "As far as I¡¯m aware, there¡¯s no cure for this."


    "So it¡¯s hopeless..." Zhou Jiazheng¡¯s countenance sank despite having expected the obvious. Owing to Lin Lu¡¯s tales, he had full trust in Li Yiming¡¯s assessment of his condition.


    "Jiazheng!" Lin Lu entered the containment room wearing a hazmat suit. Zhou Jiazheng did not answer her call and looked away.


    "Jiazheng!" Lin Lu rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her fiance. Zhou Jiazheng was able to feel Lin Lu¡¯s arms tremble through the thickyer of protective material.


    "Is there really nothing you can do?" Lin Lu turned around and said.


    Seeing someone as tough as Lin Lu¡¯s tear up made Li Yiming¡¯s chest tighten. Her love for her fiance reminded him of Liu Meng, but s, there was very little he could do.


    "We¡¯ll be able to figure something out. I¡¯m in a stable condition right now. Aside from not being to go under the sun, I¡¯m the same as before." Zhou Jiazheng squeezed out a smile to appease Lin Lu¡¯s worries.


    "Punch me with all of your strength." Li Yiming sighed and presented his palm to Zhou Jiazheng.


    Zhou Jiazheng clenched his fist and threw a punch. Being under the impression that his strength had increased vastly after being infected by the virus, he chose to keep some strength in reserve to avoid hurting Li Yiming.


    A low thud was heard as Li Yiming caught the blow without moving back an inch.


    "I thought his physical abilities improved?" Lin Lu looked at her fiance worriedly, thinking that he had grown weak.


    Zhou Jiazheng was also baffled at seeing what little effect his blow had on Li Yiming. If Li Yiming was an ordinary man, he would have been sent flying back, and yet he simply stood there and absorbed the attack as if it was nothing.


    "How about you give it a shot over there?" Li Yiming pointed at the ss window.


    Zhou Jiazheng approached the window, took a deep breath, and gave it his everything.


    Crack!


    Zhou Jiazheng punched right through the window, his fist stained with blood.


    "What?" Lin Lu could not believe her eyes ¡ª the window was made with bulletproof ss.


    "I don¡¯t know if the virus will continue to mutate, but I¡¯m worried about this," Li Yiming said as he looked at the shattered ss.

 Volume 8 Chapter 20

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Zhou Jiazheng retracted his fist in shock after what he had aplished; his strength had increased far beyond what he had expected.


    "Your hand..." Lin Lu approached and held up Zhou Jiazheng¡¯s fist, only to see that his bruised joints were already starting to heal.


    "You haven¡¯t eaten anything ever since you came back from the mission, right?" Li Yiming asked.


    "I¡¯ve tried a nutrient solution, but I couldn¡¯t swallow it down..." Zhou Jiazheng said he put some distance between himself and Lin Lu, knowing that his blood was infectious.


    "You¡¯re not going to be able to eat anything else than blood now..." Li Yiming sighed as he pondered over why Zhou Jiazheng was able to tolerate the power of the vampiric virus in the first ce.


    "What do you mean?" Lin Lu asked.


    "Have you ever heard of vampires?" Li Yiming asked, directing his attention to the man behind Lin Lu, who seemed to be a high-ranking officer.


    "That¡¯s only a legend," The officer said coldly, refusing to believe in such extraordinary tales.


    "Well, that legend is standing in front of you."


    "You mean that he has been turned into a vampire?" Lin Lu eximed. While being forced to hide from the sun was not a huge issue for a secretive agent, needing to feed on other people¡¯s blood went far beyond what was considered normal.


    Li Yiming nodded.


    "It¡¯s okay. We have artificial blood here. It¡¯s just going to be another kind of nutrient solution." Zhou Jiazheng said.


    "There¡¯s nothing I can do about this virus for now, but I¡¯ll try to find a solution. Until then..." Li Yiming suddenly paused and unleashed his aura.


    "You can try to do research on this virus. If I find out that you¡¯ve tried to replicate the virus through human experiments, I¡¯ll raze this ce to the ground." Li Yiming said in a cial tone as he stared into the eyes of the officer.


    "Are you threatening me?" The officer spat out despite the tremendous pressure Li Yiming exuded. Just like Li Yiming had surmised, he had immediately thought about the potential the virus had for strengthening the army¡¯s soldiers.


    "Believe me, I won¡¯t hesitate," Li Yiming continued his threat.


    The officer snorted and finally left the room, unable to bear the pressure any longer.


    "Li Yiming..." Lin Lu said.


    "To be honest, I should be killing you right now." Li Yiming turned around and looked at Zhou Jiazheng.


    "Li Yiming!" Lin Lu put herself in front of his fiance. While Li Yiming¡¯s im to raze the base to the ground and to kill Zhou Jiazheng, who was now a superhuman, seemed rather ridiculous, Lin Lu knew very well that he had the power to do so. There were many things she did not dare to even put into the report she had given to her superiors out of fear that they wouldbel her as a lunatic.


    "But I¡¯m going to let you live, for her sake." Li Yiming sighed as he nced at Lin Lu. "Still, you shouldn¡¯t cooperate with them should they decide to experiment on you. I think that you know just how hard it is to keep this virus at bay." Li Yiming said as he recalled the fate of the old man he gave his equipment to, who was turned to dust after being cured of his cancer.


    "Can you let me think of this for a while?" Zhou Jiazheng said he nced at the corridor outside of the containment room. A dozen of fully-armed soldiers had made their appearance after Li Yiming¡¯s threat.


    "Take care of yourself." With themotion outside of the room, Lin Lu understood that she and Li Yiming had to leave. Despite Zhou Jiazheng¡¯s not wanting her to do so, she wrapped her arms tightly around him before leaving.


    The brigade of soldiers escorted them all the way to the exit of the facility. Although the process was peaceful, Li Yiming could feel the tension in the air. He frowned as he thought about the situation, for he did not want to make himself an enemy of the country.


    "Tell me the truth, is it really hopeless?" Lin Lu¡¯s mood was very low as she thought about her fiance¡¯s situation. Even after being educated to be ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of the country, her conviction was now clearly wavering.


    "I need to go see someone." For Li Yiming, there was nobody better to consult regarding the vampiric virus than Eyesses.


    "I¡¯ll go with you." Lin Lu insisted.


    "Sure."


    * * *


    Qing Linglong rested on her long bench on the beach, wearing a bikini that let most of her skin tan away under the warm, radiating sun. Those who happened to walk by often nced back and forth, attracted by her beauty.


    Ding!


    A sound suddenly came from her cell phone. She looked at the number and hesitated for a few seconds before picking up.


    "He wants to see me." Eyesses voice came.


    "Where?" Qing Linglong asked.


    "Pure Water Herb Hall."


    "I¡¯ll go with Qiaoqiao this afternoon. Have you told Big Beard?"


    "I want to meet him alone," Eyesses said after a moment of silence.


    "Are you sure?" Qing Linglong asked as she sat up.


    "It¡¯s not a great time, but since he¡¯s asking to meet up, he must have something in mind. I can¡¯t refuse. Besides, if I go alone, it¡¯ll be easier for him to take control of the situation if anything happens."


    Eyesses knew that even if Heaven¡¯s Laws were to seize control of his body once more, he would not pose much of a threat to Li Yiming alone. In fact, if it was not for Qing Linglong¡¯s asking, he would have gone to meet Li Yiming right away.


    "Alright. Let¡¯s keep in touch." Qing Linglong hung up with a severe countenance. Although the beach was the same, she somehow could no longer feel the warmth of the sun.


    * * *


    Stargaze opened her eyes slowly and admired the endless forest of emerald bamboos around her. She took a deep breath before resuming her search, but the constant strain was taking a toll on her body. Unlike searching for someone in a specific location, searching for someone in the river of time was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.


    Stargaze looked at the desk nearby, upon which rested a yellow envelope. She waved her hand, and the envelope came flying toward her.


    "Tian Yan went looked for him. Li Huaibei¡¯s with her."


    The letter was not signed, but Stargaze could tell that it was written by Qian Mian, who did not want to disturb her while she meditated.


    ¡¯So she went looking for him... What can she see now? She should be safe with Li Huaibei, but what is Li Huaibei going to do once he sees Li Yiming...?¡¯


    Thoughts ran through Stargaze¡¯s mind. She stood up to move her sore legs and considered the bigger picture.


    ¡¯The battle beyond the clouds is still ongoing. It¡¯s going to take that monkey some time to seize full control of Heaven¡¯s Laws... but I need to get my preparations ready before that...¡¯


    ¡¯Li Yiming is undoubtedly a key yer in the events toe. If the monkey is reunited with his staff, then it¡¯s all over. But to make sure that Li Yiming remains free, I need to find Liu Meng... And yet...¡¯


    Stargaze brushed her hair to the side. To her dismay, a few strands of white hair were caught between her fingers.

 Volume 8 Chapter 21

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    On the street walked two people which attracted the attention of many passersby. Walking in front was a young girl who wore a white one piece. Although her eyes were hidden by a pair of sunsses, from her stiff movements one could guess that she was blind. Trailing her was a middle-aged man who, despite his rather handsome features, was an unkempt mess. Many onlookers observed the two and made ready to intervene or call the police if the man was to do something to the young girl.


    "I¡¯m hungry. How about we find something to eat?" Tian Yan stopped and said to Li Huaibei.


    "Sure, we can eat here." Li Huaibei grumbled and pointed at a small, unhygienic-looking shop to the side. He took out his gourd and drank another mouthful.


    "You¡¯re making it quite difficult for me." Tian Yan said with some frustration in her voice.


    Li Huaibei shrugged his shoulders and entered the small restaurant by himself. As he pulled a seat for Tian Yen before sitting down, he picked up the menu.


    "It¡¯s just normal food. What do you want?" Li Huaibei went directly to the page with the drinks.


    "Drink a little less, will you? We have business to take care of after this."


    "Here¡¯s your noodles. Extra egg with no onions," The waiter¡¯s voice suddenly came as he put down the bowl on the table.


    "I think that this is a mistake. We didn¡¯t order yet." Li Huaibei frowned and said.


    "You didn¡¯t?" The waiter looked back at Li Huaibei and realized that he indeed did not have any recollection of him, or anyone else in fact, ordering the noodles. "Oh, I¡¯m sorry."


    "Who is this..." The waiter mumbled and looked at the piece of paper on which he wrote the order. At first, he thought that he saw traces of his own writing, but when he examined it closely, he found the paper to bepletely nk. ¡¯What? Maybe I¡¯m just too tired. I¡¯ll need to have a few days off, I suppose.¡¯


    "I don¡¯t mind eating these noodles. Can you give me that piece of paper in exchange?" Tian Yan suddenly called out.


    "Oh? Of course!" The waiter put down the bowl of noodles along with the piece of paper right next to it. He then wrote the same order for Tian Yan¡¯s table, thinking that he was lucky that Tian Yan was nice enough to spare him some trouble with the cook.


    As soon as Tian Yan picked up the paper to look at it, her hands began shaking and tears filled her eyes.


    "Look at this..." Tian Yan said as she gave the slip of paper to Li Huaibei.


    "This...?" Li Huaibei¡¯s eyes immediately lit up.


    "In Another Life... It¡¯s him?¡¯ Li Huaibei looked around.


    "It is him..." Tian Yan clenched her fists as tears rolled down her cheeks. She knew that there was only one person in the world who was protected by such a technique: Fu Bo.


    During that time, two men hurriedly walked away from the scene on the opposite side of the street.


    "Hey, why are you so scared of that little girl?" Sai Gao asked as he moved his waist left and right during his fast pace.


    "You don¡¯t get it. I can¡¯t let her see me." Fu Bo nced back from time to time as he paced.


    "Do you like her?" Sai Gao suddenly asked with a curious smile.


    "She¡¯s the only woman in the world who can remember me." Fu Bo suddenly stopped walking and said in a low voice.


    "What? Do you mean that I¡¯m not one?" Sai Gao asked, his voice showing hints of irritation.


    "Are you serious?" Fu Bo asked.


    "Have you seen anyone prettier than I am?" Sai Gao asked with a soft voice, looking at Fu Bo with eyes full of love and bending over slightly as to reveal his cor bones.


    "Sai Gao! If you keep looking at me like that..." Fu Bo let out a cry of horror and jumped back.


    "What? Are you going to marry me?" Sai Gao asked yfully as he licked his lips.


    "I¡¯ll write a special chapter just for you." Fu Bo took out theptop in his bag and threatened.


    "Such bad temper... Are all authors like that?" Sai Gao grimaced and resumed his walk, seemingly wary about the mysterious power that Fu Bo possessed.


    Fu Bo put hisputer away, and after onest emotional nce in the direction of the restaurant, he caught up to Sai Gao.


    * * *


    "Is Li Yiming here?" Wu Jia asked as she entered the tea shop.


    "Oh? Ms. Wu! Boss has been gone for a few days," Chen Jiawang stopped ying on his cell phone and replied. Li Yiming had given him a call before leaving with Lin Lu.


    "I see... I just happened to pass by..." Wu Jia had disappointment written all over her face.


    "Do you want me to give him a call? Maybe he¡¯sing back today." Chen Jiawang chuckled as he observed Wu Jia¡¯s reaction ¡ª he was fairly certain that she would soon be Li Yiming¡¯s girlfriend.


    "That¡¯s okay. Could you give me a cup of water? I¡¯ll be taking my leave soon." Despite refusing the offer, Wu Jia sat down and decided to wait for a bit on the off chance that he would being back shortly. Ever since the banquet at Yunding Tower, she had been unable to get him out of her mind, so she decided to pay him a visit.


    "Would you like red tea or green tea? It¡¯s the only tea we have," Chen Jiawang said as he approached with a kettle.


    "I¡¯ll let you decide. Just a question, do you have any customers?"


    "Well, you can see for yourself. But you really should ask boss about it. I¡¯m just a simple employee." Chen Jiawangughed.


    "Li Yiming just left this thing here?" Wu Jia suddenly asked as she noticed the golden flower sitting on top of the counter. It was hard to believe that such a priceless treasure was used as a simple ornament.


    "Actually, boss told me that you were the one who decided to put it here," Chen Jiawang joked as he suggested that Li Yiming was serious about offering the nt to Wu Jia.


    Wu Jia¡¯s face flushed, and her impression of Chen Jiawang improved after hearing hisment. She approached the counter and began scrutinizing the flower.


    "Oh? What¡¯s that?" Wu Jia suddenly noticed Chen Jiawang¡¯s drawings and her attention was instantly attracted.


    "My drawings..." Chen Jiawang said. He was a little embarrassed of receiving attention for his drawings, and he did not know that Wu Jia was a professional.


    "Oh? Can I have a look?" After receiving Chen Jiawang¡¯s consent, Wu Jia began looking through his scribbles. All of the drawings depicted objects in the tea house, and it seemed like they were drawn from the counter where Chen Jiawang usually sat.


    "Not bad..." Wu Jia said as she noticed the intricate details and the urate proportions.


    "Haha, I just draw here and there..." Chen Jiawang scratched his head.


    "Have you taken sses before?"


    "No, I¡¯ve started recently. It¡¯s a hobby I¡¯ve picked up since there¡¯s nothing much to do here."


    "Oh? This drawing..." Wu Jia picked up Chen Jiawang¡¯s first drawing of the stone tablet. It stood out particrly due to the mythical scene it depicted, in contrast with the other drawings of much more mundane objects.


    "Oh, this..." Chen Jiawang¡¯s face went red as he thought of his first drawing to be his worst, since the stone tablet itself was a very cragged object.


    Before Chen Jiawang could continue his sentence, the door to the shop was suddenly flung open by Li Huaibei.


    "Where did you get this drawing from?"

 Volume 8 Chapter 22

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "I drew it." At a nce, Li Huaibei looked nothing more than a harmless drunkard, but Chen Jiawang had the uneasy feeling that he was a dangerous man.


    "Really?" The man asked with a cold voice as he stared at Chen Jiawang.


    "You are..." Chen Jiawang looked behind Li Huaibei and saw Tian Yan, in her pure white dress.


    "We¡¯re Li Yiming¡¯s friends." Tian Yan smiled.


    "Boss isn¡¯t here." Chen Jiawang was on high alert, as he knew exactly what kind of people would pretend to be Li Yiming¡¯s "friends".


    "I presume that she isn¡¯t involved in this, is she?" Tian Yan turned toward Wu Jia.


    "I¡¯m... I¡¯m also Li Yiming¡¯s friend..." Somehow, seeing Tian Yan gave Wu Jia the courage to speak out, despite being slightly intimidated by Li Huaibei¡¯s aura.


    "I¡¯m sorry for the interruption then. There¡¯s a few things we¡¯d like to discuss with mister here. Could we ask you to grant us some privacy?" Tian Yan asked in an affable tone.


    "I..." Wu Jia nced at Chen Jiawang to seek his opinion, as the drunkard especially made her uneasy.


    "It¡¯s okay. You can go home. I don¡¯t think boss is going toe today. Maybe you can give me a phone number so I can tell him to call you back?" Chen Jiawang did not want to involve Li Yiming¡¯s future girlfriend in something potentially dangerous.


    "Oh, sure then." Wu Jia wrote her number down on a piece of paper and left the tea shop.


    "Are you a guardian?" Li Huaibei asked as soon as Wu Jia left.


    "Yes." Chen Jiawang took a deep breath topose himself.


    "Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re really Li Yiming¡¯s friends." Tian Yan answered, trying to appease Chen Jiawang¡¯s suspicions.


    "Boss isn¡¯t here." Chen Jiawang said.


    "I know. Let me ask you something. Did you make that drawing?" Li Huaibei said as he sat down.


    "Yes." It took all of Chen Jiawang¡¯s bravery for him to nod.


    "Did Li Yiming tell you what to draw?" Li Huaibei looked at the scene the drawing depicted, knowing that there was no way Chen Jiawang could have known about the happenings with Mr. Kong himself.


    "What?" Chen Jiawang did not expect Li Yiming to know about the te. ¡¯Captain? He knows about the tablet?¡¯


    "Please, allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Tian Yan. This is Li Huaibei." Tian Yan, despite being blind, was far more acute to people¡¯s emotions than Li Huaibei, and she caught Chen Jiawang¡¯s surprise right away.


    "I¡¯m Chen Jiawang."


    "Mr. Chen, I¡¯ll be frank with you. The content of this drawing is of the utmost importance to us. If Li Yiming told you about it, then we have nothing more to ask out of respect for his privacy. However, if you¡¯ve seen this from somewhere else, then please tell us about it. It would cause much trouble for all of us if this is handled poorly," Tian Yan said with a serene and strangely charming voice.


    "This... this was from some customers a few days ago..." Finally giving in to Tian Yan¡¯s tone of voice, Chen Jiawang decided to trust her. Little did he know that he was already under the influence of Tian Yan¡¯s ability.


    "Customers?"


    "Yes. They brought a stone tablet. This was what was sculpted on it."


    "What did they look like?"


    "There were three people..." Chen Jiawang recalled the distinctive characteristics of the guests from three days ago.


    "You know how to draw?" Li Huaibei turned his attention towards the drawings on the counter desk.


    "A little bit..." Chen Jiawang was unusually intimidated by Li Huaibei, as he gave off the same feeling Li Yiming did.


    "Could you try to draw them out?"


    "Ah? Yes... of course!"


    * * *


    In the middle of the smoldering ruins of a city, a woman with long hair covering most of her naked body sat down, surrounded by a ball of dark fumes. As she regted her breathing, tenebrous marks of purple light could be seen shing beneath her skin.


    After onest deep breath, Liu Meng looked up at the monotonous, lifeless grey sky. Right above her head, someone who looked exactly like her floated in a giant sphere of ck smoke.


    "What are you up to?" Liu Meng muttered as the ck sphere shrank and flew into her forehead.


    After seeing Li Yiming die in her arms, Liu Meng finally awakened the true potential of the phoenix within her. Right before she could burn the entire world to cinders, she heard a voice in her head telling her that Li Yiming was still alive.


    A fissure suddenly opened up in the sky, and a familiar giant eyeball emerged out of the crevice from the other side.


    "Well, aren¡¯t you the timely one..." Liu Meng smiled as she had already lost count of how many times Heaven¡¯s Punishment came down on her. She raised her arms and released the shadow replica of herself.


    Crack!


    A bolt of lightning split the horizon into two and came down on Liu Meng.


    "How many bolts this time?" Liu Meng closed her eyes and prepared to meet the fury of Heaven¡¯s Laws. As the purple lightning neared her, they were all intercepted by the dark sphere above her head.


    Liu Meng chose to believe the voice in her head, due to the sole fact that it came from Heaven¡¯s Laws. Before she could think any further about how to return to Li Yiming¡¯s side, she was presented with a barrage of lightning. She had initially thought it would be a bitter struggle for survival, but she as time went by, she began to realize that the Heart Trial Punishment which gave her so much trouble was, in reality, her biggest asset.


    Crack!


    As another bolt of thunder crashed down against the sphere containing Liu Meng¡¯s clone, a puff of ck smoke flew toward Liu Meng and entered her body. Liu Meng frowned, but she clenched her fists and endured the pain.


    ¡¯Just a little more...¡¯ Liu Meng gritted her teeth and tried to stop the shaking in her limbs. Although the thunder ultimately strengthened her body, it was an unbearably painful process. It had been a year since Liu Meng had started her training, and it was still ongoing.


    Eventually, it dawned upon her that Heaven¡¯s Laws was providing assistance rather than punishing her. The only thing, however, was that she did not know why. As her strength gradually grew, she became much more perceptive of the changes which had urred in Heaven¡¯s Laws; it was as if the world she was in was split from the main timeline of the world by a strange power.


    Crack!


    Another lightning bolt. This time, it contained a blue me which burned within.


    Liu Meng wiped away the blood on the corner of her mouth and looked at her clone ¡ª after enduring so many lightning strikes, the consciousness of her Heart Trial was wiped away, and she gained control over a clone as strong as herself.


    "Just a bit more... Yiming... Wait for me..." Liu Meng took a deep breath and concentrated on absorbing the power of the lightning. She could feel herself inching closer and closer to the point where she could rip through the fabric of time and join Li Yiming.

 Volume 8 Chapter 23

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Yun Yiyuan basked in a pool of hot water, his index finger sliding past the scar on his left chest which reminded him of his defeat against Li Yiming.


    "You¡¯re hiding something from me." Yun Yiyuan looked at Ying Mei, who was standing at the edge of his bathing pool made of jade, with a sunken countenance.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You didn¡¯t tell me about the people behind Li Yiming when you asked me to kill him."


    "Well, you didn¡¯t ask, did you?" Ying Mei smirked.


    "If you still want my help, then tell me everything you know." Yun Yiyuan took a deep breath to clear away his anger.


    "Unfortunately for you, even I don¡¯t know much. I only came into contact with him following Bing Shuai¡¯s artificial guardian n."


    "Artificial guardian n?" Yun Yiyuan frowned as he had heard some rumors about Bing Shuai¡¯s ambition.


    "Yes. The people who support Li Yiming were also involved."


    ¡¯The people behind Li Yiming are also trying to challenge Heaven¡¯s Laws? I thought Bing Shuai was the only one crazy enough to have such a ludicrous goal... Wait... The festival... Mr. Kong?¡¯ A terrible thought suddenly urred to Yun Yiyuan.


    "Do you suppose that he is behind Li Yiming?" Yun Yiyuan asked with a severe countenance. If Mr. Kong was indeed supporting Li Yiming, then he would have to reconsider his goals.


    "I have my doubts... but..." Ying Mei knew what Yun Yiyuan was implying.


    "But what?"


    "I¡¯ve went through my archives about Li Yiming a few days ago. Here¡¯s what we know about him." A file folder suddenly appeared in Ying Mei¡¯s hand.


    "The first person to enter contact with Li Yiming was a test subject of ours, Guo Xian. The reason was that Li Yiming¡¯s girlfriend had an affair with him."


    "As in he took Li Yiming¡¯s girl?" Yun Yiyuan was unsure where this was going.


    "Yes. There was no doubt that the girl cheated on Li Yiming."


    "And then?" Yun Yiyuan could not believe the story. ¡¯To think that Bing Shuai¡¯s preparations for all these years have been ruined because of something like this...¡¯


    "And then nothing."


    "What?"


    "Then nothing." Ying Mei opened to the file folder and pointed to the first page. The page was nk aside from a single line of writing at the top of the page.


    "What do you mean?"


    "I wrote this file myself, but that¡¯s all that remains." Ying Mei said with a severe countenance.


    "You mean that..."


    "I¡¯m positive that I¡¯ve recorded every detail myself, as this was Bing Shuai¡¯s top priority. Even that girl¡¯s name is gone."


    "Someone came backter and changed it?" One of the reasons which Yun Yiyuan enjoyed Ying Mei¡¯spany so much was due to her meticulousness ¡ª she was thest person on Earth to omit such important details.


    "I¡¯ve always had this file on me. It¡¯s my own handwriting. I can guarantee to you that this came out of my own hands."


    "Let me have a look." Yun Yiyuan stood up from his bathing pool and scrutinized the file folder.


    "Do you remember anything about where and when you made this?"


    "Absolutely not," Ying Mei said.


    "It¡¯s not that someone changed the record. This girl... Her existence has been wiped away." Yun Yiyuan said as he squinted.


    Both of them sank into a dead silence. They immediately understood that this implied the involvement of someone who had a deep understanding of the inner workings of Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    "He didn¡¯t execute his n at that point," Because Mr. Kong had notpletely seized control of Heaven¡¯s Laws yet, Ying Mei knew that he did not possess such an ability at that point in time.


    "Don¡¯t we have a way to find that girl?" Yun Yiyuan gave the folder back to Ying Mei and sat down in his bath, no longer feeling the warmth that it used to have.


    "I¡¯ve already sent a team to find her."


    "We need to find her, at all cost." Yun Yiyuan finally rxed down.


    "Then Li Yiming..." Ying Mei said anxiously, concerned that Yun Yiyuan would give up his vendetta against Li Yiming out of fear of the new discovery.


    "You don¡¯t reckon I end up the same way Bing Shuai did, do you?"


    "Of course not. Bing Shuai made the mistake of being too arrogant."


    "Then you have nothing to fear. Don¡¯t worry, I have personal reasons to see Li Yiming dead," Yun Yiyuan said calmly as he put his finger on his scar again.


    Yun Yiyuan had recovered from the injuries he had suffered against Li Yiming, but the humiliation and shame remained. Until he would be able to wash those feelings away with Li Yiming¡¯s blood, he was doomed to live a stagnant life.


    Li Yiming was indeed the intimidating foe, but Yun Yiyuan wasted no time during the past year, doing everything in his capabilities to acquire a favorable hand.


    With his eyes closed and his mind rxed, he let his naked body surface on the hot water. Ying Mei¡¯s body went stiff, but she soon gained a determined look as she knew that there was no way back. Her long robe fell to the ground as she pulled on the strings holding it to her neck, and she walked into the bathing pool.


    * * *


    "Did Eyesses leave yet?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked as she looked at thendscape in the distance from her balcony.


    "He should be in Hangzhou now." Qing Linglong brought a nket for Qing Qiaoqiao.


    "How do you think Li Yiming is going to react when he sees us?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked in a low voice.


    "Are you still thinking about him?"


    "Of course not." Qing Qiaoqiao said. "It doesn¡¯t matter at the end of the day, does it?"


    "Oh, I¡¯m sorry..." Qing Linglong wrapped her arms around Qing Qiaoqiao.


    "I¡¯m just curious about what he¡¯s be..."


    "I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s the only person I¡¯ve met that I couldn¡¯t see throughpletely." Qing Linglong said.


    "Yeah."


    "It really makes no sense. He had no conviction, no rational judgment, no murderous impulse... A guardian like him should have died a long time ago," Qing Linglong said as she remembered her past with Li Yiming.


    "But you do trust him, don¡¯t you?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked.


    "The world has changed." Qing Linglong said as she raised her right hand. Around her fingers danced a ribbon of blue light. "What¡¯s our purpose now? What was the point of all the sacrifices we¡¯ve made?"


    "Survival, of course..." Qing Qiaoqiao answered. Unlike her sister, she did not feel the sense of duty which came along as one became an experienced guardian.


    "If this was one year ago, I would have scolded you." Qing Linglong chuckled and slid her finger over her sister¡¯s nose. In fact, Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s statement was the reality of things. Beneath the extraordinary abilities and noble motives was a rather pitiful desire to survive, and everything they endured was simply so they could live for a little longer. This was one of the reasons why Qing Linglong ultimately chose to align herself with Li Yiming.


    "What¡¯s going to happen now?" Qing Qiaoqiao said as she looked up at the sky.


    "The world has changed, but our goals haven¡¯t."


    "To survive?"


    "Yes."


    "Is that why you¡¯ve agreed to let Eyesses go meet Li Yiming?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked.


    "That¡¯s part of the reason. I have a feeling that he¡¯s going to change the world."


    "But we..." Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s mood sank again as she remembered the risks of meeting Li Yiming again.


    "That¡¯s why sooner orter, we¡¯ll have to face him." Qing Linglong sighed as put her hand on her chest ¡ª beneath her flesh hid a terrifying dormant power.

 Volume 8 Chapter 24

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Chen Jiawang stood behind the counter, peeking at his cell phone from time to time anxiously. After Tian Yan and Li Huaibei¡¯s visit, he had attempted multiple times to get into contact with Li Yiming. The sense of urgency was entuated after recalling how Li Hueibei talked about the drawing he had made.


    Just as Chen Jiawang¡¯s heart burned with nervousness, another guest came to the tea shop. It was Wu Yun, who wore his greasy factory worker¡¯s outfit. After ordering a cup of green tea, he sat down at a quiet corner in the shop and began sipping his tea slowly.


    Although Wu Yun seemed like nothing more than an ordinary blue-cor worker, he possessed a maic charisma. Just as Chen Jiawang discreetly scrutinized him, another guest arrived. It was a very skinny man who had a friendly smile. He ordered the most expensive item on the menu after chit-chatting for a small while with Chen Jiawang.


    Just as Chen Jiawang was about to serve the red tea to the skinny man, thetter noticed Wu Yun¡¯s sitting in the corner and instantly grew uneasy.


    Chen Jiawang noticed his change of countenance and even thought he saw the man¡¯s nose change shape. The next second, however, the nose looked perfectly normal, making Chen Jiawang wonder whether he might have been hallucinating. He returned to the counter to prepare the red tea, but he was now curious as ever.


    As the skinny man sank into a long silence, Wu Yun continued to drink his tea and pretended that nothing happened. It was not before long before yet another person entered the tea shop, and only at that point did Chen Jiawang realize what was going on.


    In fact, he instantly recognized the new guest, With an abnormally pale countenance and eyesses with a golden frame, it was obvious to him that he was Li Yiming¡¯s teammate, Eyesses. When Li Yiming introduced the members of team Dissonance to him, he had taken special pleasure in describing each one¡¯s appearance in detail.


    "You¡¯re...!" Chen Jiawang said gleefully, expecting to befriend a guardian.


    "A cup of water, please." Eyesses interrupted Chen Jiawang as he sat down. He nodded toward Chen Jiawang in a friendly manner, but something suggested that he was not interested in talking.


    "You..."


    "A cup of water, please." Eyesses interrupted Chen Jiawang again, thetter finally understood the message this time.


    "Please wait a moment," Chen Jiawang said as he nced at the two other guests and turned around to prepare the cup of water.


    Eyesses did not know any of the people who were already in the tea shop, but he could tell that at least the skinny man and the young woman were guardians. What perplexed him, even more, was that he could not detect anything abnormal with Wu Yun, despite the Heart Trial enhancing his perception. It was as if Wu Yun was a normal factory worker, but Eyesses was aware that this was not the case.


    Eyesses was not so concerned with Chen Jiawang, since he had received an invitation from Li Yiming toe to the tea shop, meaning that Chen Jiawang had to be an ally. However, even the skinny man was a cause for concern, as Eyesses had done his research thoroughly, and yet still failed to recognize him.


    Because he had been personally invited by Li Yiming himself, he had to take extra precautions during his visit, as even a single mistake could lead to his demise.


    After bringing a cup of water to Eyesses, Chen Jiawang pretended to y on his cell phone and only asionally nced at his three guests. The tea shop was silent but the atmosphere was so tense that Chen Jiawang could not help but feel nervous.


    The skinny man was, in fact, Qian Man. He had been trailing Li Huaibei, since he was an important asset to Stargaze. However, he did not expect to cross paths with Wu Yun, who was thest person he wanted to meet, as thetter was rumored to be on the lookout for Stargaze, seeking a duel with her.


    Qian Mian¡¯s anxiousness grew as he thought about ways to leave the shop at once without arousing Wu Yun¡¯s attention. Just as he took out his cell phone to pretend at answering a call, Ying Mei, who was dressed in an office suit, opened the door to the shop.


    "Where¡¯s Li Yiming?"


    "I¡¯m sorry, he¡¯s not here." Chen Jiawang shook his head. Under normal circumstances, he would have tried to start a conversation with a beauty like Ying Mei, but now was clearly not a good time.


    "I¡¯ll wait for him then." Ying Mei threw a nce at Eyesses before sitting down on the sofa right next to Qian Mian.


    "You don¡¯t mind sharing, do you?" Ying Mei asked only after sitting down.


    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll be leaving soon." Qian Mian put down his cell phone. However, he began to wonder whether he needed to stay in the shop, as figuring out Li Yiming¡¯s connection to Yun Yiyuan was a top priority.


    "Red tea, thank you." Ying Mei ordered a cup of tea to her liking as she stared at Chen Jiawang, making it clear that she was not going to leave until she was able to speak with Li Yiming. However, despite her adamant stance, she was clearly bitter at having to pay Li Yiming a visit after figuring out his true strength to assess the situation, ording to the n she and Yun Yiyuan hade up with.


    "One moment please..." Chen Jiawang nodded in frustration before picking up the tea kettle and approaching Ying Mei. He had tried to contact Li Yiming many times already, but to no avail.


    While pretending to stare at hisputer screen, Eyesses was scrutinizing Ying Mei. Being well aware of the enmity between Ying Mei and Li Yiming, he was beginning to think that he had understood Li Yiming wrong when thetter requested a personal meeting. He turned the camera on hisputer, trusting Qing Linglong to make the appropriate preparations upon receiving the footage.


    "You¡¯re using metal tea sets?" Ying Mei looked at the golden cup in front of her and joked.


    "I¡¯m sorry, my mistake." Chen Jiawang scratched his head in embarrassment.


    Wu Yun turned his head upon hearing their conversation, and Ying Mei suddenly froze in ce as soon as she caught a glimpse of his face. ¡¯What? He... He¡¯s here! They¡¯re colluding with each other after all...¡¯

 Volume 8 Chapter 25

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Eyesses¡¯ showing up at Li Yiming¡¯s tea shop was not unexpected for Ying Mei. As for Chen Jiawang, she was also aware of his newly-awakened guardian status, which was not a cause for concern other than the fact that Li Yiming took him in rather abruptly. Even seeing Qian Mian, whom she did not recognize, was only a minor surprisepared to Wu Yun himself.


    ¡¯So it seems like the people behind him are finally moving... Yun Yiyuan is right. If we get into a head-to-head fight, we might end up the same way Bing Shuai did... How many more cards does he have up his sleeve?¡¯ Ying Mei clenched her fists in anger, despite knowing the dangers of letting her emotions slip in front of someone as powerful as Wu Yun.


    Wu Yun, however,pletely disregarded Ying Mei¡¯s intense re and instead turned his attention toward a ck car that just parked right outside.


    The others in the shop also looked at the car after noticing it. As the car doors opened, Li Yiming and Lin Lu walked out.


    "You¡¯re finally back, boss!" Chen Jiawang was beyond relieved as seeing Li Yiming ¡ª he had been under immense pressure the past couple of days from dealing with all the strange guests.


    As for Eyesses, he kept his attention on hisputer while his surveince drones covered every possible angle in the shop.


    "Is today the day?" Li Yiming addressed Wu Yun first and foremost.


    "Of course not. I¡¯ve followed that drunkard all the way to your shop. I¡¯m just here for the tea," Wu Yun said as he sipped his tea.


    "Are you done with it?" Li Yiming said provokingly. Li Yiming had felt Wu Yun¡¯s presence before he even entered the shop, and he was especially interested in what Wu Yun knew about Liu Meng.


    "Not yet. I¡¯m only halfway through." Wu Yun said as he raised his cup.


    "What are you here for exactly?" Li Yiming said with a burning desire forbat.


    "Oh, just small talk." Wu Yun put his cup down and turned toward Qian Mian.


    "Tell her that I don¡¯t want to see her anymore." Wu Yun¡¯s words froze Qian Mian in ce. After a brief moment of silence, he put down a few bills under his cup of tea and hurried out of the shop.


    "And tell him that I¡¯ll be paying him a visit soon," Wu Yun said as he turned toward Ying Mei.


    "Very well, I¡¯ll let him know." After confirming Wu Yun¡¯s stance, she left the shop.


    "Eyesses, could you take Chen Jiawang and Lin Lu to the other side of the street to get them some food?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Sure." Eyessesplied and brought Lin Lu and Chen Jiawang out of the shop, despite their confusion.


    "You seem to be even more eager than I am," Wu Yun remarked.


    "You have the information I need,"


    "You¡¯re lying."


    "Oh?"


    "Don¡¯t lie to me. I can feel your thirst forbat. I¡¯m been walking down the same road for my entire life," Wu Yun said as he picked up his tea cup.


    Li Yiming had no reason to doubt Wu Yun ¡ª he had an unnatural eagerness forbat against strong opponents such as Wu Yun, and it showed through despite his apparentck of emotions.


    "But..."


    "But what?"


    "You¡¯re still too weak."


    "How do you know if you haven¡¯t even tried?"


    "Oh, but you did try. Remember that glove I gave you?" Wu Yun smiled and took out another glove.


    Li Yiming frowned as he remembered the suffocating might of the giant de that came down on him from the sky.


    "Heaven¡¯s de contains six moves. I only know three. How many do you think you can handle?"


    Li Yiming sank into a long silence as he pondered over the question.


    "I think it¡¯s best to hold off the fight until you¡¯ve learned all of the nine sword moves from Aunt Wu. Times have changed, where else am I going to find such an intriguing opponent?"


    "Aunt Wu didn¡¯t teach me any of those moves."


    "If she took you in as a pupil, then she must have taught you everything she knows." Wu Yun chuckled. "Enough about this. How about we talk about something else?"


    "What do you want to talk about?" Li Yiming asked, knowing that it was useless to dwell further on the subject. Even if he did not understand everything Aunt Wu taught him, he was confident that with a little more studying of the techniques in his arsenal, he would be able to at least fend off the three strikes of Wu Yun.


    "It seems like it hasn¡¯t been very long since you¡¯ve be a guardian," Wu Yun remarked.


    "Yes. For a little more than a year, actually."


    "What?" Even having expected a somewhat extraordinary answer, Wu Yun was shocked. In fact, if one took into ount the fact that Li Yiming had been dormant for about a year, it would mean that he became a sage almost overnight. Wu Yun himself knew just how much of a feat that was, given that he spent four arduous decades to get to the same level.


    Wu Yun¡¯s face of disbelief gave Li Yiming a tinge of satisfaction ¡ª even a small win was enough to give him a sense of gratification after sumbing to Wu Yun¡¯s de.


    "So you¡¯re telling me that you defeated Bing Shuai only a few weeks after you¡¯ve be a guardian?" Wu Yun asked in an incredulous tone.


    "What do you think?" Li Yiming smiled arrogantly. Li Yiming surprised himself halfway through the smile, as it was very unfitting of his usual character.


    "I¡¯m looking forward to our duel even more now." Wu Yun¡¯s fingers sped his cup as he emitted some of his aura.


    "I feel the same way." Li Yiming leaned forward and red at Wu Yun.


    "If only I had met you earlier..." Wu Yun sighed and suddenly retracted his aura.


    "So you really dide here for tea." Li Yiming recovered hisposure and took on an air of detachment.


    "How much do you know about him?" Wu Yun changed the topic of the conversation, trying to suppress his urge to fight.


    "Nothing at all."


    "Oh? That¡¯s unlike you."


    "What about you?" Li Yiming asked out of curiosity. Up until now, every single person, even Bai Ze, was unusually wary when they broached the subject, only Wu Yun did not seem intimidated at all.


    "One¡¯s a real evil, the other a hypocrite." Wu Yun said scornfully.


    ¡¯Two of them? So is that why Heaven¡¯s Laws have changed?¡¯ Li Yiming remained impassive, but Wu Yun¡¯s answer had produced a storm of emotions.


    "Well, none of it matters. I actually like the current one better. At least he doesn¡¯t think of us as livestock." Wu Yun was unwilling to believe Li Yiming¡¯s ignorance ¡ª gguardians who had attained the level of a sage were able to feel such changes.


    "Livestock?"


    "Isn¡¯t the purpose of our existence to serve Heaven¡¯s Laws unquestionably, regardless of what sacrifices we are being asked to make? Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have spent one thousand years scheming to change the rules..." Wu Yun said with a cial tone. It was as if meeting with someone he considered to be a respected adversary finally allowed him to speak his mind freely.


    "You must be able to feel it too. The birth of wills is a natural urrence in our world. Heaven¡¯s Laws will guide you? What a joke, it¡¯s simply fearing being topped over..."


    Li Yiming looked out of the window as he tried his best to absorb Wu Yun¡¯s words. ¡¯One thousand year... One is a hypocrite... Two people... Mr. Kong!¡¯


    He suddenly remembered the lean silhouette of the man which introduced to the extraordinary yet chaotic world of guardians.

 Volume 8 Chapter 26

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    ¡¯Livestock...¡¯ Li Yiming mulled over Wu Yun¡¯s words. It had dawned upon him that guardians were nowhere near as glorious as he had initially thought, but he himself never experienced Wu Yun¡¯s heartfelt bitterness, since he was not strictly bound by Heaven¡¯s Laws.


    After some time of chattering, Wu Yun finally left. However, he did leave Li Yiming with another item: the second move of his contained in a glove.


    "Give it a try when you feel like you¡¯re ready."


    Those were Wu Yun¡¯s parting words.


    ¡¯The second move...¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the old glove. He knew just how strong Wu Yun¡¯s technique was, and he understood that he would most likely be unable to handle the attack. However, as he picked up the glove, he was almost let out a smile.


    ¡¯Shouldn¡¯t have been so careless...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s eyes shone with a silvery glow as he activated his extraction technique.


    A sh of lightter, the old glove turned to dust and Li Yiming¡¯s right hand began to tremble violently. His sleeve was suddenly turned into shreds, but he knew that he had seeded.


    The details about Wu Yun¡¯s technique appeared in Li Yiming¡¯s mind as he concentrated on his right hand. Out of all the things Wu Yun had considered, he did not think that Li Yiming would be able to reverse-engineer the technique from a simple item.


    "Are you okay?" Lin Lu rushed into the tea shop and asked as she looked worriedly at his right hand. She and Eyesses had been paying close attention from across the street and immediately rushed in after seeing Wu Yun leave the shop.


    "I¡¯m okay." Li Yiming shook his head.


    "You¡¯ve changed a lot." Eyesses said hesitantly as he stood behind Chen Jiawang.


    "You as well," Li Yiming looked back at him, remembering their first encounter, when Eyesses sat exactly where he is.


    Eyesses smiled as he seemed to be reminiscing the same moment ¡ª Li Yiming¡¯s reply suggested that nothing had changed.


    "I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve got to know each other." Li Yiming signaled to Chen Jiawang to prepare some tea.


    "Red or green tea?" Chen Jiawang asked with a smile, happy at seeing the two warm up to each other.


    "Water please." Eyesses sat down first.


    "It¡¯s been a long time," Li Yiming said.


    "To be honest, I don¡¯t think this is the right time." Eyesses pointed at his own chest.


    "Trust me, I¡¯ll find a solution." Being able to feel the power of the Heart Trial burning inside Eyesses¡¯ chest, Li Yiming understood what he insinuated.


    "So? what do you need me for? You didn¡¯t call me here to take care of your guests, did you?" Eyesses went straight to the point.


    "There¡¯s a soldier in the army who was infected with the vampiric virus," Li Yiming got straight to the point, knowing that he could not afford letting Eyesses wait for much longer.


    "A soldier? You mean, an ordinary person?" Eyesses asked.


    Li Yiming nodded.


    "Are you sure?"


    Li Yiming took a deep breath and nced at Lin Lu, who was looking in their direction expectantly.


    "That¡¯s impossible. An ordinary person¡¯s body can¡¯t tolerate the effects of the virus. He should be dead," Eyesses retorted.


    "I¡¯ve seen it with my very eyes. Here¡¯s a blood sample." Li Yiming took out a small ss vial.


    Eyesses froze the moment he opened the bottle: there was no mistake.


    "How¡¯s that possible?" Eyesses was bewildered.


    "Can you find a cure for this?" Lin Lu interjected ¡ª her heart burned with worry as she was getting closer to knowing the ultimate fate of her lover.


    "There is no cure." Eyesses gave a blunt reply.


    "Is there really nothing we can do?" Li Yiming asked again, feeling that Lin Lu was on the verge of an emotional copse.


    "If there really was a cure, then I wouldn¡¯t be..." Eyesses sighed as he took off his sunsses.


    "You..." Lin Lu was startled.


    "Yes, as you can see, I¡¯m also infected," Eyesses smiled bitterly. Having full trust in Li Yiming¡¯s judgment of Lin Lu, he answered honestly without reserve.


    "Then howe..." Lin Lu scrutinized Eyesses. Although his pale countenance resembled her fiance¡¯s, she was positive that he stood under the zing sun just moments ago.


    "You¡¯ve guessed it, I¡¯m no ordinary person." Eyesses revealed the truth.


    "You can go in the sun?" Lin Lu asked again to confirm.


    "How did that soldier...?" Eyesses was confused as he was sure Lin Lu¡¯s fiance should have died long ago after being exposed to sunlight.


    "Two people were infected. One was exposed and the other one was her fiance," Li Yiming said.


    "The virus affects all of us in the same way. I¡¯m able to walk under the sun because I have this," Eyesses said as he showed the stone which hung by his neck.


    "This is the Shadowless Stone, it protects me against the sun."


    "Where can I get this?" Lin Lu instantly understood the value of the stone.


    "I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve only seen this one." Eyesses peeked at Li Yiming, knowing that he would not have the courage to refuse if Li Yiming was to ask him to hand it over to Lin Lu.


    "Can you help me find another stone? I owe her." Li Yiming knew what eyesses was thinking.


    "Searching for this thing is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We can try our luck at the stone market, but it¡¯s going to be unlikely," Eyesses did not want to get Lin Lu¡¯s hopes up.


    "Thank you." Li Yiming decided that he would help Lin Lu until the end. It was not only for the favor he owed her, but he was also curious as to why an ordinary person was able to survive the vampiric virus. As for the stone itself, although the old man from a year ago did die after being cured of his disease, the very fact that he was cured meant that the guardian equipment did have a potent effect.


    "Well, if there¡¯s nothing else, I need to leave..." Eyesses stood up.


    "I¡¯ll find a way," Li Yiming wanted to tell his friend to stay, but he knew full well that he could not do so without further endangering him.


    "We all miss you," Eyesses said as he walked back.


    "Tell them I¡¯ll be looking for once I find a way."


    Eyesses picked up the blood sample and hurried toward the exit. In a room far away, the Qing sisters exchanged a nce as they finished listening to the conversation. One had a radiant smile while the other seemed worried.


    "So he¡¯s not ming us," Qing Qiaoqiao let out a long sigh of relief.


    "I was never worried about that. I¡¯m more concerned with that blood sample..." Qing Linglong said as she pondered over the new piece of information. During the past year, she had almost grown sick from worry and constantly thought about how to solve the impasse they were facing.


    "I think that we¡¯re neglecting something important," Eyesses mumbled as he paced away from the tea shop.


    "Come back as quickly as you can, I¡¯ll notify Big Beard right away," Qing Linglong said.

 Volume 8 Chapter 27

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Wu Yun..." Yun Yiyuan said in a low voice after Ying Mei left.


    Although Ying Mei did not bring any good news, it was not aplete surprise to Yun Yiyuan considering the fact that he had noticed Wu Yun¡¯s presence back at the banquet. He still thought of Li Yiming as nothing more as a pawn in the grand scheme of things ¡ª even if thetter was no ordinary guardian, the person to be feared was the one behind him.


    ¡¯The staff alone is not a threat, the problem lies with the person holding it. Mr. Kong has taken over Heaven¡¯s Laws, but he¡¯s still not in full control of it. What should I make out of this situation?¡¯ Yun Yiyuan¡¯s thoughts wandered far beyond taking his revenge against Li Yiming, nning his allegiance in the fight that would soon decide his fate.


    ¡¯But I know nothing... Who¡¯s going toe out on top?¡¯ Yun Yiyuan could not afford to make a misstep as it would be thest mistake he would ever make.


    "I want all the information about any woman involved with Li Yiming," After a long moment of thinking, Yun Yiyuan picked up his phone.


    "Ms. Ying has already..." A voice full of reverence answered.


    "I want you to do it," Yun Yiyuan interrupted him.


    "Ah, yes, right away." The voice said after a brief moment of silence.


    "Try to make it as detailed as possible." Yun Yiyuan hung up the phone.


    It was no secret that the woman Li Yiming had erased was someone dear to him, and Yun Yiyuan wanted to get first-hand information on the matter, for it could be a decisive lead in figuring out who exactly was behind Li Yiming.


    At the same instant, Ying Mei sat down in her car in the underground parking lot. She took out a thick file folder containing a list of over a hundred names and began noting down information as she went along.


    Anyone would have been impressed by Ying Mei¡¯s meticulousness ¡ª she noted down the name of every female friend that Li Yiming had made since birth. She knew where her priorities lied and she knew better than to tell Yun Yiyuan about everything she knew.


    Once Ying Mei finishedposing her list, she began to cross out names until only nine remained.


    "Wu Jia..." Ying Mei pointed at one of the names with her pen.


    * * *


    Inside a researchboratory in A309, an old man with bloodshot eyes frowned as he stared at theputer screen. On disy was the picture of a ball of flesh. From the little bits of hair which remained on it, it seems like it was flesh taken from some kind of primate.


    "Another failure... So even chimpanzees don¡¯t work... Do we really need human subjects then?" The old man sighed and looked at the phone by his desk hesitantly.


    "Doctor, they¡¯re never going to allow us to conduct human experiments..." the old man¡¯s assistant said.


    "What¡¯s the situation with Zhou Jiazheng?" The doctor asked.


    "Everything is normal, he ingested a bag of artificial blood two hours ago. Although..."


    "Although what?"


    "He seemed rather uncooperative when I tried to take blood samples."


    "Tell him it¡¯s simply routine procedures," The doctor said as he resumed staring at his phone.


    "The people above seem to be paying a lot of attention to us, they just sent another team of people to handle Zhou Jiazheng."


    "Alright, you can leave now."


    "Yes, doctor."


    As the doctor watched his assistant exiting his office, he leaned back against his office chair and let out a long sigh of frustration. The circumstances he was presented with was an opportunity of a lifetime, allowing him to create an army of superhumans.


    ¡¯No, I cannot simply give up like this...¡¯ The old man gritted his teeth as he picked up the phone. "General..."


    * * *


    Inside the tea shop, Lin Lu began to scroll through page after page of information about the stone Market.


    "Boss." Chen Jiawang pulled Li Yiming over.


    "Oh right, I have a question for you. What was it with those people?" Li Yiming said as he walked over behind the counter with Chen Jiawang.


    "I don¡¯t know. Ms. Wu was here looking for you. The others did nothing but drink tea aftering in." Chen Jiawang scratched his head nervously.


    Li Yiming nodded and wondered what their motives were.


    "Boss, are they..."


    "Yes. Be careful when you meet them again."


    "Oh yeah, boss, here¡¯s something the skinny man left us," Chen Jiawang said as he took out a bill from the drawer.


    "What?" Li Yiming took the piece of paper and scrutinized it.


    "Look, there¡¯s some writing here!" Chen Jiawang pointed at the corner.


    "So she¡¯s been searching for Liu Meng?" Li Yiming saw what looked like very faint scratch marks. Being a sage, he saw through Qian Man¡¯s disguise and as soon as heid his eyes on him.


    "Anything else?" Li Yiming put away the banknote carefully.


    "That¡¯s it. This is the only one with something written on it." Chen Jiawang waved the other bills.


    "Did anything else happen during the past few days?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Yes."


    "Oh? " Li Yiming was not expecting that answer.


    "Two people came looking for you this morning. One was a drunkard, and the other one was a blind girl." Chen Jiawang said.


    "Tian Yan?" Although Li Yiming did not associate Li Huaibei to Chen Jiawang¡¯s description, he was sure that the blind girl must have been Tian Yan.


    "What did they say?"


    "Well..." Chen Jiawang retold the story to the best of his memory.


    "A carving on a stone tablet?"


    "Yes, this!" Chen Jiawang took out his drawing.


    "What?" Li Yiming could not believe what he saw. Although the drawing was very rough, he instantly recognized the phoenix and Bai Ze: this was a drawing about himself.


    "Can you tell me everything you remember about the people who brought this tablet in?" Li Yiming said with a grave countenance.


    "You said that you took a drawing of the three people who came in with the tablet?" After having finished hearing Chen Jiawang¡¯s story, Li Yiming asked.


    "Yes, it¡¯s here." Chen Jiawang took out another few sheets of paper. Li Yiming¡¯s expression suggested that he was onto something important.


    "Chen Quan?" Li Yiming instantly recognized the rather special features of his teammate.


    "Those are the drawings of the people who came this morning..." Chen Jiawang was disciplined enough to record the appearance of every single guest who visited the shop during thest few days.


    "Tian Yan... Li Huaibei?" Li Yiming did not expect to see Li Huaibei to be traveling with Tian Yan.


    "That¡¯s the drunk man."


    "And you said that he asked for Chen Quan¡¯s picture?"


    "Oh, yes. They told me that they were your friends..." Chen Quan said in a low voice, afraid that he might have made a grave mistake.


    "Don¡¯t worry, they are my friends..." Li Yiming reassured him.


    "Oh! You¡¯re back!" An eager voice came from the entrance.


    "Wu Jia?"

 Volume 8 Chapter 28

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Wu Jia? What are you doing here?"


    "I... I just happened to pass by..." Wu Jia caught the shift in Li Yiming¡¯s countenance, and her attention turned towards the corner in which Lin Lu sat.


    "Passing by three times in a day?" Chen Jiawang muttered, barely able to stop himself fromughing. In the few days Li Yiming left the shop, she visited almost every day.


    "What are you talking about?" Wu Jia feigned ignorance.


    Wu Jia had never thought that there woulde a day when she would act like so. Along with her beautiful features, possessing many talents meant that there was an endless line of men courting her. She was usually the one in control, with her calm and collected nature, but ever since meeting Li Yiming again, she lost her sense of judgment. With trivial matters filling her head, she grew anxious about the most minute of details, and her curiosity for Li Yiming seemed impossible to satisfy.


    The old friend that she had known since high school was now apletely changed person ¡ª her curiosity slowly pushed her towards fascination, and from fascination toward love.


    Li Yiming poured a cup of water for Wu Jia and retreated to the side.


    "So, where have you been?" Wu Jia picked up the cup Chen Jiawang had reserved for her and asked.


    "I¡¯ve been busy with some things..." Li Yiming sat down and answered, ncing again at Lin Lu.


    "With her?" Wu Jia suddenly asked.


    "What?" Li Yiming did not understand how Wu Jia figured that out immediately.


    "Are you two dating?" Wu Jia peeked at Lin Lu. Unlike when she met her at the banquet, Lin Lu seemed exhausted and flustered. However, this only made her more charming, as she now possessed the air of a damsel in distress.


    Upon noticing Wu Jia¡¯s stare, she looked up from her screen and squeezed out a polite smile, believing her to be a good friend of Li Yiming¡¯s. Wu Jia smiled back, but her mood sank. Her thoughts began to wander wildly, as she imagined Lin Lu to be looking through the tea house ounting rolls, fulfilling the role of a future co-owner of the shop.


    "We¡¯re just friends. She had some trouble at work, so I went to check it out." Li Yiming equivocated.


    "Really?" Wu Jia thought that she still had a chance.


    "Really."


    "Haha." Wu Jia let out augh to ease her embarrassment.


    "So, you were looking for me?" Li Yiming, who was still too blunt to figure what was going on, asked.


    "It¡¯s nothing... it¡¯s just that my dad received an invitation to a gem exhibition a few days ago. I remembered that you were interested in them, so..." Wu Jia looked around until her gaze fell on the golden potted nt.


    "A gem exhibition?" Lin Lu instantly jumped up and rushed toward Wu Jia. At that moment, she happened to stumble upon a webpage detailing the event, after a long, desperate search through the inte.


    "Huh? Yeah, the Jing Sheng Exhibit." Wu Jia stepped back, startled by the sudden reaction.


    "Jing Sheng?"


    "It¡¯s more like a marketce than an exhibition. It might not be the biggest of its kind in the country, but you can find all sorts of gemstones there. If you¡¯d like..." Lin Lu exined with an eager voice ¡ª this was the best opportunity for finding a Shadowless Stone.


    "Are you inviting me to attend this event?" Li Yiming instantly began to consider the costs and benefits of attending. He concluded that it just might be a good idea.


    "If... If you¡¯re free..." Wu Jia said in a low voice.


    "Alright, let¡¯s go." Li Yiming nodded.


    "Great! I¡¯ll make the preparations right away." Before Wu Jia could express her joy, Lin Lu suddenly interjected.


    "What? You¡¯re going too?" Wu Jia was confused. She was already surprised at how quickly Li Yiming epted the invitation, but she did not expect Lin Lu to impose herself like so.


    "Of course!" Lin Lu nodded and began packing up.


    "Uh, I¡¯m sorry but every guest needs an invitation," Wu Jia suddenly said in a rather aggressive tone.


    "And you only have two?"


    "Yes."


    "Are you sure you want to go?"


    "Of course!" Wu Jia almost let out augh at how ridiculous the question was.


    "Oh, okay. I¡¯ll figure something out." Unlike what Wu Jia expected, Lin Lu did not seem disappointed by the refusal. She packed up herputer, put her back on her shoulders, and made for the exit as she signaled to Li Yiming that she would call himter.


    "Uhh..." Chen Jiawang raised his hand, wanting to say something.


    "Don¡¯t tell me that you also want to go." Wu Jia said in a rather irritated voice.


    "No... It¡¯s about thatputer... It¡¯s our property..." Chen Jiawang retreated to the side again after noticing Li Yiming¡¯s attention.


    ......


    "So do you think that this will be a running joke? A trio of normal people escaping from you?" Tian Yan said with an amused voice.


    "I didn¡¯t expect that kid to have that kind of trick up his sleeve," Li Huaibei also seemed amused.


    "Did they leave any clues behind?" Tian Qian waved her arm to expel the smoke in the room.


    "Using fire to attract one scent... This is a traditional technique. He knows that we¡¯re here." Li Huaibei pointed at the candle me, and it suddenly flew onto the tip of his finger.


    "He burned his trails away with this fire. He¡¯s being cautious... Did you notice anything when you saw them from afar?" Li Huaibei asked as he sent the me back to the candle.


    "Two of them are perfectly normal. The other one had his fate changed. It¡¯s very subtle though. I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if it wasn¡¯t for my breakthrough a few weeks ago." Tian Yan said as she brushed her hair to the side.


    "His fate has been changed?" Li Huaibei walked toward the curtain and pulled them toward the size. Sunlight passed through the thin veil which remained and traced many motifs on the floor.


    "Qian Mian, it¡¯s me. Can you do me a favor? I have three people I need to find. Haha, he¡¯s listening. I don¡¯t think you should joke about that. Alright, thanks." Tian Yan put down her phone and walked into the hallway. As she exited the room, she put her left hand into her pocket, pinching the piece of paper she took from the small restaurant she ate at earlier, which contained Fu Bo¡¯s order.

 Volume 8 Chapter 29

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Hey, big author. I don¡¯t think that this is the ce. Are you sure you didn¡¯t make a mistake?" Sai Gao said as he surveyed the venue where the gem exhibition was to take ce.


    "Is there something wrong?" Fu Bo, who until now pretended to not know Sai Gao, suddenly turned around and asked. However, when he saw the purple jacket, tight white jeans, and silver scarf Sai Gao wore, along with the silver handbag he held, he could not help but take a few steps back.


    "There¡¯s something strange about this ce. I can¡¯t sense things that are more than three meters away..." Sai Gao said as he pursed his lips.


    "You mean..."


    "Yes, someone or something is preventing me from sensing my surroundings. I¡¯ll have to rely on my eyes starting from here on," Sai Gao whispered to Fu Bo as he approached him and pinched his arm.


    "Over there..." Sai Gao suddenly pulled Fu Bo toward the stage, on which many strange-looking stones rested on wooden stands. "Maybe it¡¯s one of those things over there."


    "What else do you see?"


    "Nothing yet. But do you see all those people around here? They¡¯re all aware of our presence. Are you sure that we absolutely need toe here?" Sai Gao shrugged his shoulders as he continued to approach Fu Bo.


    "It¡¯s hard to exin, but I have a feeling something big is going to happen here. Wait? What are you doing?" Fu Bo suddenly asked irritatedly as he felt Sai Gao slip his fingers into his hand.


    "What¡¯s wrong with my hand?" Sai Gao raised his right hand.


    "I¡¯m talking about the other one..." Fu Bo was visibly annoyed.


    "My left hand? Oh, I¡¯m just worried about your safety..." Sai Gao smiled as he moved his waist around.


    "Let go of me!" Fu Bo shouted.


    "Oh... You¡¯re not going to fall sick from that..." Sai Gao rolled his eyes and pulled back his hand right after scratching Fu Bo¡¯s palm.


    Fu Bo trembled with disgust. He wiped his hand vigorously with his own sleeve, but just as he was about to resume hisints, he noticed a middle-aged couple looking at him with baffled eyes.


    "They¡¯ll forget about me soon... They¡¯ll forget about me soon... They¡¯ll forget about me soon..." Fu Bo repeated the sentence over and over again to calm himself down as he made for the exhibition hall. Sai Gao smiled at the couple and followed suit.


    * * *


    "Brother Qian Mian, are you sure that this is the ce?" Tian Yan sighed as she received the instructions from Qian Mian about Chen Quan.


    "Is there a problem? I don¡¯t see how we could have made a mistake." Qian Mian had recently received news from one of his subordinates that Chen Quan entered the exhibition hall two hours ago.


    "It¡¯s nothing. Thanks." Tian Yan shoved the phone back into her pocket.


    "Doesn¡¯t seem like he knows about it." Li Huaibei said with a severe countenance.


    "Looks like we caught a big fish." Tian Yan said as she rxed against the back of her wheelchair and straightened the folds of her skirt.


    "Are you sure you want to go with me?" Li Huaibei was worried, as he could feel someone blocking his senses, which most likely signified danger.


    "Otherwise what? Are you going to send me home?" Tian Yan smiled and put away the small strip of paper. ¡¯Blocking senses... Is it you?¡¯


    Li Huaibei smiled in frustration and pushed Tian Yan forward, but thetter suddenly knocked at the handles.


    "What is it?"


    "Over there..." Tian Yan pointed at an alleyway to the left.


    "Over there?"


    "There¡¯s an express entrance over there. I should get priority."


    * * *


    The stone exhibition, although originally intended for the disy of precious jades and a variety of other gems, attracted a group of people who had amon interest in traditional culture. Li Yiming noticed one prominent example of a banner which had little to do with stones right at the entrance: Fortune telling.


    It was a simple banner, traced with ck ink on a white canvas. Right beside it was a little stand under which sat a short, overweight man who wore a traditional outfit and held a wooden bracelet. Li Yiming stopped in front of the banner, as the sight reminded him of the little Taoist child he had met previously.


    "Could you go inside first? I¡¯ll catch up right away." Li Yiming said to Lin Lu and Wu Jia, both of whom were walking ahead of him, keeping an awkward distance between each other.


    "What is it?" Wu Jia nced at Lin Lu. She was in disbelief when she saw Lin Lu waiting for them at the entrance to the venue, believing that she surely would not have been able to get her hands on an invitation.


    "Is it going to take long?" Lin Lu asked.


    "I¡¯ll be with you right away."


    "Okay! I¡¯ll be looking around then." Lin Lu acquiesced and nced at the two agents who were trailing Li Yiming, understanding that he needed some privacy.


    "Call me when you¡¯re done." Wu Jia smiled. She wanted to stay with him, but did not want to give off a bad impression by overly insisting.


    Li Yiming took out his cell phone and walked toward the fortune-telling stand.


    "Is he going to ask about his fortune? What?" Wu Jia did not expect Li Yiming to be the kind of person to be interested in such practices.


    "Would you like to know your fortune?" The man who sat at the stand opened his eyes as Li Yiming approached him.


    "Yes please." Li Yiming sat down and focused his senses on the man. ¡¯This weakness... Is this some kind of camouge?¡¯


    "What is it going to be today? Love or career?" The man lowered the pitch of his voice to give off the air of a reliable figure.


    "Career," Li Yiming answered.


    "Very well. Please write down your name and birth date." The man straightened his back to make himself seem taller.


    Li Yiming obeyed and wrote down the information on the piece of paper which the man gave to him.


    "Do you know the exact time of your birth?" The man looked at the piece of paper.


    "Six in the afternoon."


    "Very well." The man nodded and scrutinized the piece of paper. Li Yiming tried once more to spot any abnormalities with the short man as he handed over the piece of paper, only to find nothing. Despite that, owing to the experience he had with Aunt Wu, he knew better than to let his guard down.


    Li Yiming extended his senses and was instantly taken aback by his findings ¡ª he was unable to reach the fortune teller, meaning that thetter somehow blocked his sensepletely.


    "So..." The man nodded again. He grew more nervous as he noticed Li Yiming scrutinize him. After letting out a long sigh, he took out a tabletputer from beneath the table.


    ¡¯What?¡¯ Just as Li Yiming wondered what the purpose of the item was, the man opened an app called "Divination Tool" and began to enter in the information Li Yiming had provided.


    "You¡¯re using this?" Li Yiming waspletely astonished.

 Volume 8 Chapter 30

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Young man, I didn¡¯t know that your views were so... conservative. You really should consider adopting a new attitude toward technology." The man at the stand said with a frown. "This is called big data, haven¡¯t you heard of it? When you go to the hospital now, do they still use the same methods to diagnose you as they did a hundred years ago? Don¡¯t you trust the results given to you by scientific instruments? I¡¯m doing my work carefully now, that¡¯s why I¡¯m taking the time to verify the data using myputer, and you¡¯re unhappy?"


    "Well..." Li Yiming found it hard to rebuke the words of the man, but he could not shake off the feeling that something was off.


    "So, any moreints?" The man feigned irritation from not receiving respect.


    "Please continue." Although Li Yiming could not take the man seriously, he had no doubt that there was something special about him.


    "Was that so hard?" The man said as he picked up his tablet, subtly letting out a sigh of relief.


    The short, obese man who scammed people as a fortune teller was originally a thug who worked a living convincing customers to visit an artifact shop nearby. One day, he stumbled upon a pole with a fortune teller¡¯s banner attached to it, and thought of it as good fun until he was stopped by a desperate man who sought his counsel.


    The thug, having been working as a kind-of-a salesman, concocted a ridiculous story to try to get the man to visit the shop he was working for. After hearing the thug¡¯spelling tale about a hard-working rabbit who dug for carrots, the man quickly left, but not before paying two hundred yuan.


    The thug went home without thinking too much about the incident, until his customer came back a weekter, with thirty thousand yuan and arge banner to thank him. In fact, he had been an ountant who was using public funds for private investments, and after listening to the thug¡¯s morale-boosting tale, he decided to further his investment in a desperate bid, only for his stocks¡¯ prices to rebound after a few days.


    The thug immediately understood that this was an opportunity to pursue a newfound career, but he did not know where to start. After trying out his luck and skills at different events, he realized that all of his years spent honing his soft skills as a salesman had born fruit - being talented at noticing people¡¯s emotions was more than enough for him to make a better living than he did as a salesman.


    "What?" The fortune-teller nced at Li Yiming and subtly tilted his tablet so that Li Yiming could not see what was on the screen.


    "What happened?" Li Yiming, who had been paying close attention to him, asked with concern.


    "Uh... I need to check this again..." "The fortune-teller quicklyposed himself and made sure to hide his screenpletely from Li Yiming¡¯s sight. ¡¯What¡¯s going on? Is my tablet broken?¡¯


    The screen waspletely nk, and he was at a loss at what to do since he had never encountered this problem before ever since purchasing the application. Is this day and age, calctions done on aputer were far more efficient than doing it manually, and it was no exception for practices such as fortune-telling ¡ª with the data provided, the results could be just as urate, if not more than doing it the traditional way.


    The man hurriedly restarted his tablet and entered Li Yiming¡¯s information, only for theputer to bug out again.


    "What happened? Is it broken?" Li Yiming realized what was happening.


    "Uh..."


    "It¡¯spletely white."


    "Well... I..." The man quickly put his portableputer away as he searched his mind frantically for an excuse to get out of the situation without damaging his reputation.


    "Your fate..." The man looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh, his double chin rippling like the surface of a calmke as the wind blew on his face. "How should I put it..."


    Li Yiming was rather entertained by the whole charade and nced at the white banner in the hopes of finding an urate way to assess the short man¡¯s true strength.


    "I should not leak Heaven¡¯s secrets, but since fate has brought you to me, then it must be done..." He suddenly stood up with a severe countenance, as if he was about to face death.


    "Master... I..." Li Yiming¡¯s suspicions of the man grew. If his senses had not been inhibited, he would have simply walked away by now.


    "You don¡¯t belong to the five elements, not to the Heavens, Earth, nor Hell..." The man suddenly found some inspiration from a toy store nearby which sold replicas of Wukong¡¯s red and golden staff.


    Li Yiming¡¯s expression grew serious and he clenched his fist.


    "That¡¯s all I can say. Theputer froze for a reason, after all, how can you expect an ordinary object to see the truth behind this world?" The thug could tell right away that he had seeded when he saw Li Yiming¡¯s chance of expression, and felt a great sense of aplishment from fooling him with a made-up story inspired from a box of toys.


    "Master, since you know who I am, then surely you must know why I¡¯m here today. I don¡¯t think that our meeting is a coincidence at all, is it?" After hearing the thug point out his true identity right away, Li Yiming was convinced that he was someone on par with Aunt Wu, who simply pretended to be a normal person.


    "What?" Li Yiming¡¯s response caught the fortune-teller off guard, forcing him to think of another lie as a follow-up. He would have thought Li Yiming to be jumping with joy upon hearing his bogus divination, rather than suddenly asking such a question. ¡¯What? Who you are? Who cares about who you are? Unless you¡¯re the city police...¡¯


    "Thank you for your wisdom, master. Could you please help me with another question? I¡¯ll do anything to hear your words of wisdom..." Li Yiming asked as he bowed down.


    ¡¯Seriously? Is this guy crazy or did I reach some kind of new level in swindling people?¡¯ The thug was rather amused as seeing Li Yiming fall so quickly to his ruse.


    "How... can I help you?"


    "I¡¯m looking for someone." Li Yiming took a deep breath. He had an endless list of questions, but he resigned to starting with the most important one.


    "Who might that be?" The fortune-teller asked with anxiousness.


    "Liu Meng," Li Yiming said.


    ¡¯Liu Meng? A girl? Why is he asking about a girl all of a sudden? I thought he wanted to know more about his career?¡¯ The fortune teller wondered.


    "Yes. If you know where she is..." Li Yiming said expectingly.


    "I see..." The fortune-teller yed along for the time being as he cursed inwardly. ¡¯Why are you asking me? You should go to the police station!¡¯


    "Alright... Give me your hand. Let me have a look." The man sighed and sat down.


    "Thank you!" Li Yiming hurried to sit down as well and gave his right hand to the fortune teller. He could tell from the fortune teller¡¯s expression that thetter was under some kind of difficulty.


    "Give me your left hand." It was obvious that Li Yiming had fallen right into the fortune teller¡¯s trap, yet thetter grew irritated at Li Yiming¡¯s eagerness. With his tablet no longer being functional, he had to rely on palm reading, which he struggled to remember even the basics.


    As Li Yiming stared at his own palm, he suddenly noticed something strange. ¡¯These lines... I don¡¯t remember any of them? What happened to my hand?¡¯

 Volume 8 Chapter 31

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    ¡¯Did the lines on my palm change?¡¯ Li Yiming was not well-versed in palm reading, but he did understand the basics, such as the basic trio consisting of the love line, the career line, and the lifeline.


    As Li Yiming examined his palm, he realized that his love line was split into two halves, his career line gradually faded away as it progressed, and his lifeline was split into seven parts, one of which was barely visible.


    "The person you¡¯re looking for is... here!" The fortune-teller pointed at the middle of Li Yiming¡¯s palm and slowly pushed Li Yiming¡¯s fingers back into his palm to form a fist.


    "This..." Li Yiming interpreted the message in two ways: the first was that the key to finding Liu Meng lied in the changes of his palm, and the second was that ultimately, he was able to take control of his own destiny.


    "Master..."


    "Say no more..." The fortune decided to stop with a smile, fearing that he might misspeak.


    "Thank you, master." Li Yiming said as he saw the man staring at the sky. He knew just what the master "implied" and expressed his gratitude.


    "It¡¯s good that you¡¯re so understanding." The fortune-teller let out a sigh of relief as he resolved to master the basics of fortune-telling so he would never have to face such a predicament again.


    As Li Yiming pondered over the fortune teller¡¯s words, he turned around and started walking away.


    "Wait!" The fortune-teller suddenly yelled out.


    "Is there anything more you want to say?" Li Yiming asked in confusion.


    "Didn¡¯t you forget about something?" The man was even more baffled by Li Yiming¡¯s reaction.


    "Forget about what?" Li Yiming¡¯s mind too preupied with swirling thoughts for him to understand what he might have forgotten.


    "Well..." The man did not want to ruin his image by outright demanding forpensation.


    "You need to leave me with something."


    "Something? What?" Li Yiming still could not understand what the fortune teller wanted.


    ¡¯Are you serious? Is this guy dumb?¡¯ The man was growing impatient.


    "Please master, if you need anything, just say the word and I¡¯ll do everything I can." Li Yiming uttered ¡ª he was willing to do anything to pay back a favor.


    "I..." The fortune teller cannot believe how dense Li Yiming was. ¡¯What do you think I¡¯m going to ask for? Your kidneys?¡¯


    "Uh, I¡¯m talking about money." The fortune-teller could bear it no longer.


    "Money?" Li Yiming first thought about the magical bronze coin which contained Thunderous Strike. However, the equipment had already been turned to dust when he absorbed the technique.


    "Yes! Money! Bills!" The fortune-teller finally cried out and pointed at a small wooden box below his stand. Inside the box was a bill of fifty Yuan and two of one hundred Yuan, which served as "guidance" for payment.


    "Is that all you want??"


    "What do you think?" The man wanted tough at the whole situation.


    "What do you need money for?" Li Yiming could not understand how someone with extraordinary powers required money.


    "Ah? I want to y around with it, is that okay?" The fortune-tellerughed.


    "Uh..." Li Yiming could only understand it as some kind of special obsession the fortune teller had.


    "Well I don¡¯t have much, is that enough?" After a sh of light, a ck suitcase appeared.


    "Oh?" The fortune-teller rubbed his eyes, as he could have sworn that the suitcase appeared out of nowhere.


    The fortune-teller opened the suitcase, unsure what to expect. The moment heid eyes on the pile of banknotes worth several million, he began to tremble. Being a thug that made a living mostly from doing not-so-ethical jobs, seeing this much money was a first for him. He instantly took out a shlight to verify for any counterfeit bills. After going through a few notes, he concluded that each and every one of them was real.


    Li Yiming looked at the fortune teller and waited for his response.


    "Is all of this mine?" The fortune-teller finally dared to ask.


    "Is that enough?" Li Yiming asked back.


    * * *


    "As I thought..." Ying Mei¡¯s frown turned into a confident expression. She looked at a projected image on the wall in front of her, which contained all of the major events that urred in Wu Jia¡¯s life.


    "Hiding her from the world and the heavens... Not bad. Exactly as I expected," Ying Mei let out a long sigh, relieved at finally reaching the decisive breakthrough on thest two days of the investigation.


    "Ms. Ying, should we continue to investigate?" Her subordinate, a man dressed entirely in ck, asked with reverence.


    "Of course. Continue your investigation. Do not let a single lead slip by, and above all, do not arouse Li Yiming¡¯s attention," Ying Mei ordered as she squinted her eyes. After confirming that Wu Jia was a cherished friend of Li Yiming, Ying Mei¡¯s n was to track her down and use her as leverage against Li Yiming to find out who the mastermind behind him was. At this point, there was nothing that could stop her from exacting her revenge.


    "As you wish." The subordinate nodded and made for the exit.


    "Wait, are there any new developments? Are you still keeping an eye on him?" Ying Mei asked just as he was about to leave the room.


    "We still have a team on-site, but we are observing him from afar, as you¡¯ve instructed."


    "Give them a call," Ying Mei said as she signaled with her left hand.


    "Yes, ma¡¯am." The man gave out orders through the transmitter pin on his shirt before handing it over to Ying Mei.


    "What¡¯s going on?" Ying Mei asked.


    "What?" Ying Mei suddenly cried out. "Tell me every single detail of what you just witnessed."


    "Li Yiming just consulted a fortune-teller?"


    "You have a video? Send it to me right away." Ying Mei took a deep breath to regain herposure ¡ª she was sure that Li Yiming was up to something.


    A set of windows popped up on herputer screen. The footage was taken from a far distance and the quality was left to be desired, but it was enough to notice a fat man dressed in traditional clothing.


    "This is the fortune-teller?" Ying Mei did not recognize the person.


    "Yes."


    "What about Li Yiming?"


    "He left after leaving behind that suitcase"


    "What were they talking about?"


    "I¡¯m not sure, but Li Yiming did hand over a note which contained information about his birthday. After that, he gave his hand to the fortune teller, so we suspect that..."


    "It can¡¯t be that simple," Ying Mei interrupted, "Send a team of people to investigate this fortune teller."


    "As you wish." The man in ck nodded before rushing out of the room.


    Ying Mei stared at the fortune teller, whose oily face could be seen trembling with excitement and euphoria as he held the suitcase.


    ¡¯The one behind Li Yiming... Are you the one I¡¯m looking for?¡¯

 Volume 8 Chapter 32

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    As the elevator made its way down the building, Yun Yiyuan tapped on the handrail, amused by the news he had just received.


    "Very well. Do whatever she asks you to do," Yun Yiyuan said as he hung up the phone. ¡¯Stone exhibition... Wu Jia... The fortune-teller... How far you¡¯vee, Ying Mei...¡¯


    Upon reaching the bottom floor, a ringing noise was heard. The rather unpleasant smell of the underground parking lot made Yun Yiyuan frown. The spacious parking lot was entirely empty, with the exception of a single ck luxurious car. The car slowly approached, and Yun Yiyuan boarded the vehicle before his chauffeur opened the door for him.


    "Mr. Yun..." A trembling voice was hearding from the passenger¡¯s seat.


    "No need to be so nervous, we¡¯re all here to help each other," Yun Yiyuan said with a friendly smile.


    "Yes, yes," The young man said with reverence, as any sign of friendliness from someone as powerful as Yun Yiyuan was a great honor for him.


    "All right, enough time spent chit-chatting. Go tell the Professor and General Shang that money is not a problem for us. We will have all of the preparations set for theboratory. What you are about to undertake is a great feat which could change the destiny of humanity, and we intend to support your efforts," Yun Yiyuan said.


    "Thank you very much, on behalf of the professor and the general," The young man said with a radiant smile.


    "However, I do have my own set of conditions."


    "Of course, please do tell us, and we¡¯ll do our best to fulfill them."


    "I¡¯ll need detailed reports on the progress of your research. We are talking about a lot of money here." Yun Yiyuan¡¯s tone did not leave any room for negotiation.


    "Of course, we had this use written into the contract. You can be assured that we will respect it," The young man let out a sigh of relief, as Yun Yiyuan did not ask for the unreasonable.


    "Very well, I trust you¡¯ll hurry with the relocation of theboratory. I¡¯ll dispatch some people to help you with the process. May we both benefit from this opportunity." Yun Yiyuan waved his hand at the young man.


    "To a fruitful cooperation." The young man nodded and extended his right hand in Yun Yiyuan¡¯s direction before quickly pulling it back in embarrassment when he realized that thetter did not intend to answer his handshake. He squeezed out onest smile and quickly made his way out of the car.


    "Boss, are we really going to be working with them? From what it looks like, they¡¯re doing research about..." The driver asked as soon as the young man left.


    "I know exactly what they¡¯re doing. This so-called regenerative cell is a charade for the vampiric virus. They¡¯re out of their minds if they think that they can do research about guardians," Yun Yiyuan said with a cold tone as he stared as the back of the young man, who was the assistant of the researcher in A309.


    "Then why are we..."


    "I received information that Li Yiming has gotten himself involved with the military. We need this connection to figure out what he¡¯s up to. Isn¡¯t it a convenient time for them to show up at our doors? All I have to spend is pocket money, I might as well consider it charity." Yun Yiyuan said as he leaned back against his seat and loosen his tie.


    "Well thought, boss." The driverplimented.


    "That aside, are you still in touch with the people from the Merry Couples?" Yun Yiyuan asked as he took out a can of beer.


    "You mean that crime organization?"


    "Yes."


    "Their boss gifted me a bottle of wine a few days ago. What about them?" The driver asked, not understanding why Yun Yiyuan asked about such trivial matters.


    "Send them the pictures of these two girls." Yun Yiyuan said as he threw the pictures of Lin Lu and Wu Jia onto the passenger seat. "Consider this a simple... suggestion for their prostitution ring. Let them handle it."


    "Yes, of course." The driver obeyed, despite not understanding his intentions.


    * * *


    "Well, I¡¯m not so sure of it in my current state, but what you¡¯re looking for should be inside." Sai Gao pointed at the entrance to an old jade ware shop.


    "I wonder what we¡¯ll find in here..." Fu Bo looked at the wooden panel above the entrance ¡ª Merry Couples Jadeware.


    "I have no idea." Sai Gao sighed in frustration.


    "Alright, what are we waiting for it?" Fu Bo said as he led the way.


    "Bobo!" Sai Gao suddenly cried out.


    "What is it?"


    "I don¡¯t think you understood what I wanted to say."


    "What is it?"


    "I mean that I physically cannot enter this shop."


    "What?" Fu Bo turned back, only to see Sai Gao, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, making a visible effort to stop his limbs from shaking. As odd as it seemed, ordinary people walking around him all seemed unaffected.


    "I don¡¯t think that I can go any further..." Sai Gao said with a severe countenance.


    "Then go wait for me at the entrance of the exhibition hall. I..."


    "Fu Bo, you know my true identity. The reason why I feel such tremendous pressure is because whatever is inside is a will strong enough to turn the entire world upside down. Normally, it would be impossible for such an entity to exist, even in Heaven¡¯s Laws current state. I cannot imagine..."


    "That¡¯s exactly why I need to go inside." Fu Bo replied.


    "Keep yourputer ready. It¡¯s probably worth it to give up some of your lifespan so you don¡¯t die right away." Sai Gao knew that he could not talk Fu Bo out of it ¡ª after spending thest year together, he knew exactly what Fu Bo¡¯s purpose in life was.


    "If don¡¯te back, please go find Li Yiming and tell him about what we found here." Fu Bo left after stating onest request.


    The interior of the shop was perfectly ordinary-looking, with multiple rows of disy stands showcasing rare rocks and jades. On one side was what looks like a giant, shallow pit, in which rested manyrge ores. As Fu Bo entered the shop, he saw several customers all going on about their own businesses.


    Fu Bo held onto hisptop tightly while looking around anxiously for any potential threats or suspicious people. His attention was soon caught by a trio of middle-aged men.


    The first man was one who stood out with his rather unique features. He was short, had a wide nose, small eyes, and arge mouth. The almostical look the man possessed alleviated some of Fu Bo¡¯s nervousness, as he pretended to be checking out an artifact. The fact that he did not seem like a wealthy customer also helped in reducing the attention he received.


    "Oh! Mr. Dai! What brings you to my humble shop?" A loud voice was heard as a well-built man wearing jade from head to toe came to wee the trio.


    "I¡¯m just looking around. I¡¯m passing along with a few friends." One of the men said.


    "What a coincidence! I¡¯ve just received a new piece of coral. I think you¡¯ll like it! How about we go look at it?" The man, who seemed to be the owner of the shop, proposed.


    "Coral is not a good idea. it¡¯s too inconvenient when it¡¯s big and worthless when it¡¯s small." Chen Quan said.


    "This is...?" The owner seemed annoyed by Chen Quan¡¯s remark.


    "This is Chen Quan, teacher Chen. And he is Wang Youfa, Mr. Wang." Lao Dai introduced his friends.


    "Alright, can we stop wasting time?" Wang Youfa interrupted impatiently. "You sold a stone tablet to him a few days ago, right? We¡¯ve heard that you had two more. Do you still have them?"


    "Oh, that stone tablet? See, Mr. Dai, I told you it was a good buy, and you were hesitating so much!"


    "Fine, fine. If we¡¯re satisfied with them, we¡¯ll buy both of these as well." Wang Youfa peeked a nce at Chen Quan and led the way.


    As the four of them walked to the back hall of the shop, Chen Quan¡¯s attention was caught massive Stone which sat in the middle of the pit. It stood at almost one meter tall and depicted an old monk meditating.


    ¡¯That stone...¡¯ Chen Quan frowned. The stone gave him a strange feeling, but he decided that the tablets were more important for the time being.

 Volume 8 Chapter 33

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "What is it?" Tian Yan asked. The limitations of perception in the area affected her the most out of everyone.


    "There were two people inside that container." Li Huaibei said as he looked at the cart which carried arge wooden crate make it into the distance in the distance.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Two girls. Looks like they¡¯ve been drugged." Li Huaibei remarked with a cold tone. He had noticed that something was wrong, but only when the cart passed right by him did he finally perceive what was inside.


    "Kidnapping?" Tian Yan said with a disgusted voice.


    "We should focus on ourselves first." Li Huaibei as he continued to push Tian Yan forward rather than intervene. He had witnessed far worse as a guardian and could not risk getting sidetracked.


    "The world has changed..." Tian Yan sighed and leaned back against her wheelchair. The duo continued walking forward silently, without exchanging a single word.


    "What? Did you have a change of mind?" Tian Yan asked when her wheelchair came to a sudden halt. She would have gone to save the girls if it weren¡¯t for her senses being suppressed, so she had hoped for Li Huaibei to intervene.


    "Three on the left side, that shop."


    "What?" Tian Yan was somewhat disappointed by Li Huaibei¡¯s answer, but she nheless looked in the direction.


    "What¡¯s in there? I can¡¯t sense anything..." Tian Yan said after attempting to perceive what was in the shop.


    "I think I found the source of this pressure..." Li Huaibei said with a low voice. It was as if he had finally woken up from his drunkenness for the first time after the entire year.


    "What are you feeling?" Tian Yan stood up.


    "Fear..."


    * * *


    Li Yiming stared at his palm as he made his way through the crowd, deep in his own thoughts. ¡¯What was he trying to say? And since when did my palm lines change?¡¯


    "Mr. Li!" Just as Li Yiming was thinking, an anxious voice was heard.


    "You?" Li Yiming looked up and recognized Lin Lu¡¯s assistant.


    "Something terrible¡¯s happened!" The agent eximed.


    "What happened?"


    "The secretary and Ms. Wu are missing..." He whispered into Li Yiming¡¯s ear.


    "What?"


    "They entered the shop but never came back out. We went inside to try to find them but they were nowhere to be found," The agent was clearly nervous.


    "Missing?" Li Yiming¡¯s chest tightened. For a specially-trained officer to go missing in broad daylight made it clear that danger was lurking.


    "We already searched the entire shop. We tried questioning the owner of the shop, but he didn¡¯t seem to know anything. None of the shops in this market are equipped with surveince cameras either."


    "Where¡¯s the shop?" For a National Security agent to seek for Li Yiming¡¯s help must have meant that the situation was truly dire.


    "On the other street."


    "Show me."


    Li Yiming followed the young agent to the shop. Right outside stood a wooden panel which indicated that business was over for the day. It was a shop with a modest front and two floors, which specialized in amber and red agate.


    "We¡¯re already questioning the people inside," The agent who stood at the doors told Li Yiming.


    "Bring me to the owner," Li Yiming said.


    Li Yiming extended his senses out of habit as soon as he entered the shop, only to find out that they were still being suppressed. ¡¯Really? Even here?¡¯


    "That¡¯s him." One of the agents pointed at a short, lean man crouched in the corner.


    Li Yiming rushed forward and ced his hand on the man¡¯s head. It was enough for him to tell that the man was not a guardian upon physical contact.


    "Continue your questioning, see if there¡¯s anything you can find. I¡¯ll be right back." Li Yiming looked around and could not find anything abnormal. He thought about seeking help from the fortune seeker as he seemed to be the one in control of the exhibition and he wanted to know if the disappearance of his friends had anything to do with other guardians.


    Unfortunately for Li Yiming, the entire stand was now gone once he made his way back. As thoughts raced through his mind about the possible causes behind Lin Lu and Wu Jia¡¯s disappearance, he suddenly raised his head and looked at a skyscraper in the distance ¡ª Li Yiming knew that he was being watched. The group of people who kept an eye on him was far enough to avoid arousing his attention when he was in his rxed state, but could not stay hidden once he was on high alert.


    "Shit!" Li Yiming dashed toward the skyscraper.


    "Mr. Li!" A car suddenly stopped abruptly right in front of him.


    "What is it?" Li Yiming asked as he looked at the agent who descended from the car.


    "We found a clue! Themander ordered me to take you there." The agent suddenly said.


    "Really?" Li Yiming turned toward the skyscraper upon noticing that his watchers were leaving.


    "Go." Li Yiming decided to dive into the car.


    "What perception, we were so far away, and yet he was able to spot us..." One of the men who were watching over Li Yiming said between quick breaths as he nervously escaped from the hideout.


    "It¡¯s as we¡¯d expect from the mortal enemy of Ms. Ying. Quick! We need to get out of here! Apparently, there¡¯s a car heading our way." The leader of the team eximed.


    "What should we do now?"


    "We need to leave. Our foremost priority is to stay safe and undiscovered. Tell the other team that we¡¯ve been exposed."


    "Yes, sir." The man who wasst in the file took out his transmitter.


    "What? A kidnapping?" The man eximed as soon as he picked up his transmitter.


    The entire team¡¯s escape came to a halt as they all looked at each other and exchanged incredulous nces.


    "Boss, apparently the target has been kidnapped," The man reported.


    "What happened?"


    "We lost her. There are people from National Security involved, so..."


    "We need to leave. Tell them to leave as quickly as possible," The captain decided for the best course of action.


    * * *


    Inside the jadeware shop, Fu Bo stared at the giant gem dumbly,pletely unaware of what had just happened. He had already gone through the entire shop and found forty-nine counterfeits and three vastly underpriced gems before stopping in front of the giant ore which first attracted his attention.


    As he scrutinized the smooth curves of the stone and its light blue color, his heart was suddenly seized by a sudden anxiousness.


    "Are you interested in that one?" Fu Bo¡¯s lingering had finally caught the attention of one of the employees. As the customers gradually left the shop, his attention came to Fu Bo, as he was worried that his boss would scold him for cking off.


    "What is the stone made of?" Fu Bo said as he caressed its smooth surface.


    "Oh? This one?" The salesperson did not know the answer to the question, as the giant stone had been brought in by the owner, who seemed to have bought it from an obscure ce. During the half a year since then, none of the customers even bothered paying the slightest bit of attention to it. Even when he looked at the stone for an extended period of time, he would feel a strange irritation. Had he been the owner of the shop, he would have disposed of it a long time ago.


    "Truthfully, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside." The salesperson decided to give a vague answer to stimte Fu Bo¡¯s curiosity. When worded in such a way, the stone could be worth anything. As such, its purchase would be a gamble.


    "Really?" Fu Bo asked. "So you want me to take a chance?"


    "Well..." The salesperson smiled in embarrassment at his intentions¡¯ being seen through.


    "Alright, I¡¯m going to be honest with you, I like this stone. What¡¯s your price?" Fu Bo shrugged his shoulders ¡ª he had a feeling that the stone contained extraordinary power.


    "The price..." The salesperson hesitated. Although his boss instructed him to go for a minimum of three thousand, he felt like he could get a much better deal.


    "Well, I would say that it¡¯s an amazing coincidence for you to encounter this stone. So what about ten thousand?" The salesperson resolved to try for an extraordinary price.


    "Do you do delivery?" Fu Bo asked.


    "What?" The salesperson was not expecting such a quick deal.


    "I¡¯ll give you fifteen thousand if you can find two people to deliver it to me." Fu Bo said as he gave his bank card to the salesperson.


    "You¡¯re... giving me five thousand extra?" The salesperson could not believe his luck in finding someone as rich and as stupid as Fu Bo.


    "That¡¯s right, I¡¯m short on time." Fu Bo dismissed the question. Due to his ability, he knew that the salesperson would quickly forget about him as soon as he left the shop and that the money he gave would disappear as well.

 Volume 8 Chapter 34

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Following behind the young agent, Li Yiming entered the local police station in charge of the case. Under the curious attention of many of the police officers, he walked into an interrogation room.


    "Did he confess?" Li Yiming asked as soon as he walked into the room.


    "He doesn¡¯t know much, but we¡¯re pretty certain that this has to do with a gang called the Merry Couples." The agent who was responsible for the interrogation, one of Lin Lu¡¯s top aides, stood up from where he sat and reported his findings. Having been working under Lin Lu for quite a while already, he knew just how much she valued Li Yiming. Right now, Li Yiming was their best bet in finding Lin Lu, as their requests to their superiors have all been ignored.


    "The Merry Couples?" Li Yiming asked as he scanned through the interrogation report for the possibility that the agent might have missed something.


    "It¡¯s a local gang that makes counterfeit stones and artifacts. They¡¯ve been making quite a name for themselves during the past three years."


    "So they¡¯re a criminal organization?" Li Yiming asked to confirm.


    "Yes. It should be the one with the most local influence."


    "Well, to be precise, it was a rather small gang until a year ago, until the urrences of paranormal incidents forced the local police to direct its manpower away from keeping them down. Ever since, they¡¯ve been growing at a rapid pace." The agent noticed Li Yiming¡¯s confusion about how a group of gangsters would be involved in the kidnapping of a high-ranking official.


    "So what did they use? Some kind of sedative?" Uninterested in the history of the organization, Li Yiming focused on the matter at hand.


    "Yes. Apparently they forced the owner of the stone shop to add it to the tea."


    "So he¡¯s not with them?" Li Yiming nced at the shop owner, whose limbs were trembling violently.


    "It wouldn¡¯t be an overstatement to say that the gang has a lot of influence and power with the local folks."


    "But why would they target Lin Lu?" Li Yiming stated the question which bothered him the most.


    "Well, ever since its explosive growth, it seems like they¡¯ve gotten themselves involved in other... businesses. There have already been three disappearance cases rted to them, only nothing could have been done due tock of evidence."


    "Disappearances?"


    "All young women. Aside from running some of the artifacts shops here, the gang also runs many sauna centers, clubs, and underground casinos."


    Li Yiming¡¯s expression froze upon hearing the agent¡¯s words ¡ª he knew exactly what that implied. The biggest mystery to him was how such an organization could exist in broad daylight.


    "What are you guys nning now?" Although the agent had been reporting to Li Yiming as if thetter was his superior, Li Yiming knew that it was not his ce to give out orders.


    "We¡¯ve already contacted local police forces. Everything¡¯s being set up undercover to avoid attracting any unwanted attention."


    "What¡¯s the name of the shop in the stone market ce?" Having no interest in fighting against organized crime, Li Yiming was focused on figuring out Lin Lu and Wu Jia were.


    "Merry Couples Jadeware."


    "I¡¯ll go take a look then." Li Yiming put down the integration report and made for the door.


    "Wait, I¡¯lle with you!" One of the agents quickly followed.


    * * *


    "What on Earth are you doing?" Sai Gao looked at Fu Bo in bafflement as thetter walked out of the shop with a giant rock on a trolley cart.


    "I have a feeling that there¡¯s something very interesting about this rock, but since this isn¡¯t the ce to examine it in detail, I..."


    "You don¡¯t say..." Sai Gao gulped down a mouth of saliva with difficulty, as his hands began shaking with excitement.


    "So you¡¯re feeling it too? Come, have a look at it!" Fu Bo grew more excited as Sai Gao¡¯s reaction gave him a sense of vindication.


    " Wait..." Sai Go suddenly took two steps back, asrge beads of sweat began rolling down his forehead.


    "What is it?"


    "This..." Sai Gao said with a trembling voice.


    "You know what this is?"


    "I..." Sai Gao fell to his knees before he could finish the sentence.


    "Sai Gao! Are you okay?" Fu Bo cried out and rushed to help his friend.


    "I... I don¡¯t know what this is, but something tells me... a voice deep inside me is telling me that I need to bow down to this rock... it¡¯s as if it¡¯s my king..." Sai Gao said with a grave voice as he supported himself with his arms.


    "Shit..." Normally Fu Bo would have thought Sai Gao to be ying around, but his reaction seemed much too genuine.


    "We can¡¯t stay here with this... We need to bring it away."


    "How?"


    "Don¡¯t you have a storage ring?"


    "I can¡¯t even stand up right now, how do you expect me to put this into my ring?" A blue scale appeared and immediately vanished afterward on his right hand, as Sai Gao struggled to restrain the erupting power within him.


    "Let¡¯s get you out of here first, then I¡¯ll take care of the rock."


    As Sai Gao was dragged away by his friend, he looked back at the rock onest time. ¡¯The king of this world... who could that be...?¡¯


    * * *


    "Why is he here? Is he the one behind all of this?" Li Huaibei frowned as he witnessed Li Yiming entered the shop in a hurry, surmising about whether thetter was responsible for the suppression of his senses.


    In addition, Li Huaibei had a strange feeling that the person he saw was not exactly Li Yiming in his entirety. After fighting by Li Yiming¡¯s side before, Li Huaibei knew exactly what kind of extraordinary power he possessed.


    "Tian Yan, call Qian Mian right away, we¡¯re going to need this help for this." After some pondering, Li Huaibei took out his cell phone.


    "I¡¯ve already contacted him, he¡¯s on his way now. What¡¯s the situation over there?" Tian Yan asked.


    "Li Yiming just entered the shop."


    "What? He¡¯s also there?"


    "Yes... I don¡¯t know how to put it but... I think you need to see for yourself..."


    "You think that he¡¯s behind all of this?"


    "It¡¯s hard to tell. I¡¯ll keep an eye on him. Be careful, tell me as soon as Qian Mian arrives," Li Huaibei hung up his phone and began closely monitoring the shopfront.


    After hanging up the phone, Tian Yan slowly moved her wheelchair next to the window. She took out the small paper slip and stroked it slowly with her thumb. ¡¯So Li Yiming¡¯s there... What about you?¡¯


    * * *


    "Shit! We¡¯ve been drugged..." Chen Quan looked around. He found his twopanionsying on the ground, unconscious, with their teacups at their feet.


    The moment he drank the tea, he realized that there was something wrong, but it was toote to warn his twopanions, and both of them fell under the influence of the drug. After that, the only course of action to take was to pretend that he was also under the influence of the drug, and heid down against the wall.


    A well-built man arrived in the room and began examining the three stone tablets, two of which were already in the shop, and one was brought in by Chen Quan¡¯s group.


    "Are these things really artifacts?" The man mumbled to himself.


    Hearing the man speaking to himself, Chen Quan understood everything right away. He realized that they have been targeted because the shop owner realized the value of the artifacts. ¡¯Wang Youfa, you idiot. Why did you have to be so conspicuous about this? Now, how am I going to get out of this? It¡¯s going to be easy to escape the shop, but what about the stone tablet...¡¯


    "Oh? What is it?" One employee rushed into the room and began whispering into the owner¡¯s ear.


    "Alright, tell him that we¡¯re finished with business today." The owner dismissed his subordinate. He had just received a report that the two girls he kidnapped had been brought to the sauna center. Today was a fruitful day both in terms of wealth and lust, and he was eager to im his prize.


    "Right away." The employee chuckled, as he understood the mood his boss was in.


    "Close the shop front, we¡¯re going to have plenty of things to enjoy tonight."


    "Yes!" The employee answered enthusiastically. One of the qualities his boss possessed was the generosity about sharing his prey with his subordinates. He had seen the two girls they had kidnapped today, and both of them were rare beauties. As lewd thoughts ran through his mind, the employee pulled on his pants and rushed for the door.


    Bang!


    The door was suddenly sent flying before he could reach it, and a white sports shoe then collided with his face.

 Volume 8 Chapter 35

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Bang!


    A loud thud was heard as the employee¡¯s body flew past Chen Quan and hit the wall of a small, dark room located in the back of Merry Couples Jadeware.


    "Chen Quan?" Li Yiming was surprised at seeing him when he burst open the wooden door.


    "To whom do I have the honor of speaking?" Despite the sudden incident, the leader of the organization held hisposure.


    Merry Couples Jadeware was where everything started for the leader, and there were normally a few dozen thugs patrolling outside of the shop. If Li Yiming managed to make his way all the way to the back of the shop, then it must have meant that the underlings have all been defeated.


    Ignoring the gang leader¡¯s question, Li Yiming focused his senses and realized that whatever was blocking his perception was slowly fading away.


    Li Yiming could tell from a single nce that the gang leader was not a guardian, which made things rather simple. After a quick scan around the shop, he found nothing more than a few antiquities and imitations.


    Li Yiming stopped right in front of a stand putting an antique sword to disy. He pulled it out and examined its thick de. It would have been a deadly weapon if not for the rusted specks.


    "To whom do I owe the pleasure of...?" The gang leader lost his patience. He had never suffered such a humiliating treatment, but refrained himself from making a move due to Li Yiming¡¯s strange behavior.


    Before he finished his sentence, Li Yiming suddenly nted the sword straight into his right thigh, nailing him to the wooden table.


    "You! Agggh!" The man did not expect the sudden aggression, thinking that Li Yiming was simply an unsatisfied customer. Owing to his years spent doing shady work, he quickly calmed himself down to avoid exacerbating Li Yiming¡¯s mood. If Li Yiming was someone who had the right connections, he would simply apologize with a cup of tea. If not, then he would conveniently bring up the fact that the door Li Yiming had just destroyed was worth a fortune.


    The man clenched his teeth and continued to endure the continuous waves of pain that came through his leg. He could not help but wonder how such a rusty sword was able to pierce through the solid wood table with ease.


    Turning towards another weapon stand, Li Yiming picked up a decorative sword that could do very little harm despite its intimidating-looking de.


    "Hey, who gave you the order to..." The gang decided to buy time for negotiation. Once again, however, Li Yiming interrupted his sentence and lunged his sword in his direction.


    The sound of a sword piercing through flesh was heard as the de pierced through the man¡¯s left shoulder and was nted into the wooden chair.


    "You...!" The leader was aghast, as the sword was only a few centimeters away from his heart. ¡¯This guy¡¯s crazy! What kind of negotiation starts with two stabs?¡¯


    Just as the thought ran through the leader¡¯s mind, to his horror, Li Yiming picked up a third sword.


    "Please... please..." The leader pleaded.


    Li Yiming stopped briefly, frowning as he looked at the man and immediately thrust the de into his right shoulder.


    "Ahhh!" The excruciating pain, and, above all, the terror was too much even for a man that has braved through many tribtions. The leader began to cry loudly.


    "So, can we talk now?" Right as the man had given up all hope to resist, Li Yiming sat down on a wooden chair and said in a cold voice.


    When Li Yiming ran into a gangster over a year ago, his first thought was to intimidate him and hope to change him into a better man. Today, however, he had no patience for such things ¡ª his first thought was to use a de to solve his problems. The first strike was to vent out his anger and fury at seeing his close ones kidnapped. The second one was to seek vengeance for all those who had previously suffered the same fate. Finally, the third strike was, in reality, simply motivated by a twisted pleasure to make the leader suffer.


    "I¡¯ll tell you everything... Please..." The man said between quick breaths, not daring dare to moan in pain in front of someone as cruel as Li Yiming. He knew from the eyes of thetter that he was one step away from losing his life.


    "Where are the two girls you¡¯ve just kidnapped?" Li Yiming asked as he stared at the man¡¯s gaping wounds, from which blood drops that looked like liquid gems slowly seeped out. The crimson liquid slowly rolled down the metallic des of the swords and converged into a small pool on the floor.


    "The two girls?" With his mind too preupied with fear, the leader did not quite understand what Li Yiming was talking about.


    "The two who were taken from the essory shop." Li Yiming frowned as he forced himself to look away from the gory scene to avoid arousing his predilection for blood.


    "Oh, those two... Those two girls have been brought to Dreamy Watend." The leader finally understood what Li Yiming was talking about.


    "Dreamy Watend?"


    "It¡¯s a sauna center in the north of the city." The leader was not in a position to concoct a lie.


    "A sauna center?" Li Yiming¡¯s countenance sank, knowing exactly what that implied.


    "Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re fine! My subordinates won¡¯t touch them until I arrive!" The leader knew that he needed to reassure Li Yiming that his friends were safe and sound. All that he wanted now was to make it out alive without riling up Li Yiming¡¯s emotions any further.


    "If anything happens to them... I¡¯m going to make you regret being born in this world..." Li Yiming said as he stood up.


    "Uh..." Chen Quan, who wasying on the ground prostrate, still dumbfounded by the gory scene he had just witnessed, gathered all of his courage and uttered. The moment he saw Li Yiming, he recognized him as being the man who had appeared multiple times in his dreams.


    "Is that your stone tablet?" Li Yiming looked at Chen Quan.


    "Uh... Yes..." Chen Quan answered.


    "Bring it along ande with me." Li Yiming quickly made for the exit after onest word. Being on a timer to hurry to the other side of the city, he could not investigate the object right away.


    Chen Quan let out a long sigh, but he soon picked up the tablet and chased after Li Yiming.


    "Don¡¯t worry, the police will be here right away." Li Yiming said as he looked at the unconscious thugsying on the ground and the still-bleeding gang leader.


    "I¡¯ming." Chen Quan looked at nced at his friends apologetically onest time and quickly followed. He shuddered when he saw the pile of bodies on the ground outside of the room. The weak moans indicated that they were all still alive, but their limbs had been twisted into bizarre and frightening angles.


    "What happened here?" The question came from National Security agent who initially offered to apany Li Yiming. He had wanted to enter the shop along with thetter, and finally chose toe in out of worry, only to witness such a scene of horror.


    "You take care of the mess. I need to go find them before it¡¯s toote." Li Yiming told the agent as he rushed toward the exit.

 Volume 8 Chapter 36

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Find them? Who? Secretary Lin?" The agent muttered as his gaze trailed Li Yiming. He was still in a state of confusion, but he heeded Li Yiming¡¯s request nheless.


    "What the hell?" As he entered the backroom of the shop, he could not help but swear out loud despite his wealth of experience.


    "Hello! I..." The young agent rushed outside to report his findings to his superiors while resolving to never let Li Yiming do things on his own again. It was not umon for National Security agents to resort to "unconventional methods" to extract information, but Li Yiming had produced a mess which was extremely difficult to clean up after.


    However, Li Yiming was now long gone and he would have to call for reinforcements to track him down at this point.


    "What? What do you mean waiting for orders?" The agent held his transmitter dumbly, refusing to believe his ears.


    "These are orders." A frustrated voice was heard, which seemed to indicate that his direct superior also disagreed with the decision.


    As the young agent hung up the call, he wondered an order for passiveness had been given when the secretary has been kidnapped.


    ¡¯There¡¯s more to this case than I had thought. Still, I need to clean up after Li Yiming...¡¯


    * * *


    "Yun Yiyuan... So it is you..." Ying Mei produced a satisfied smile as she looked at the information on her tablet. It was a phone record of many high-ranking officers in National Security. One familiar number stood out from the rest: the one of Yunyu Corporation.


    After hearing about the kidnapping, Ying Mei¡¯s immediately suspected Yun Yiyuan¡¯s involvement. However, given that she obtained most of her information through him, she had to do her own homework to investigate the matter independently.


    "Ms. Ying, we have confirmed that the gang leader has had contact with Mr. Yun¡¯s chauffeur during the weekend. Should we continue to investigate?" A voice was heard through her phone.


    "No need. Tell your people toe back." Ying Mei said and took off her earphone. ¡¯So it was his idea. What is the up to? Is this a test to see how Li Yiming will react? Or has he also found out about the truth behind Wu Jia? Since he decided to keep the information to himself, then surely he suspects me.¡¯


    As Ying Mei put down her tablet, she looked out of the car window. Right across the street was the sauna center to which Lin Lu and Wu Jia were brought to. A young man rushed out of the building, waved towards the car, and blended into the crowd.


    "He¡¯s going to be here soon. We need to leave." Ying Mei sighed.


    ¡¯You¡¯ve used me to your pleasure for so long, and now you¡¯re trying to exclude me from your n? You underestimate me, Yun Yiyuan. Let me help you with figuring out what Li Yiming is up to. Let¡¯s add a little vor to your... kidnapping.¡¯


    * * *


    "Hey, did you use the wrong drug?" One of the thugs inside the VIP room to which Wu Jia and Lin Wu were brought to asked.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" A short, swarthy man by the door asked.


    "Have a look for yourself."


    "What the..." The man eximed when he witnessed the scene inside.


    The VIP room was sumptuously decorated with golden wallpapers depicting rather erotic scenes. In the middle of the room was arge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Below it was a luxurious circr waterbed, adorned with velvet and a thinyer of semi-transparent pink silk. Every piece of furniture inside the room contributed to the suggestive atmosphere.


    During that time, Lin Lu and Wu Jia were both unconscious on the bed. Lin Lu was the better one, showing nothing but a slight frown and a slightly red face. On the other hand, Wu Jia was moaning with closed eyes even pulling on her own clothes.


    "Where did you get this drug? I told you to just make them unconscious, what happened?"


    "How would I know?"


    "Well, the drug seems to be working well at least. Is there any left?"


    The thug¡¯s breathing quickened as he felt his pants tighten, his attentionpletely fixed on the scene on the bed.


    "Hey, don¡¯t do anything stupid. You know what kind of temper boss has," His partner warned him, knowing that their boss¡¯ generosity only applied after he has had fun himself.


    "Huh? Oh, right!" The thug quickly pinched his own thigh and reminded himself that he would also be able to have some fun if he just waited a little longer.


    "Haha, look at you. Alright, let¡¯s go get some drugs to... make it even more fun tonight."


    "You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able tost long with these two if I don¡¯t take some..." The thug said, the veins on his forehead showing.


    "There¡¯s no need to wait for tonight." A cial voice was heard from behind.


    "Who¡¯s there?" The thug jumped around.


    "Who the hell are you? This is a private room, get out of here!" The other thug said. Should their business be public knowledge, their reputation would immediately go down the drain.


    The voice came from Li Yiming. He stared at Wu Jia, and, for the first time, his gaze was no longer calm as still water.


    "What the hell are you looking at?" Before the thug could reach out and grab Li Yiming¡¯s shoulder, he was suddenly grabbed by the head.


    "You!" The other thug yelled out. He rolled up his sleeves and rushed forward but was also instantly caught by Li Yiming¡¯s grip.


    Despite their best efforts, the two thugs were unable to break free. They kicked their legs in mid-air until Li Yiming mmed their heads against each other.


    A light cracking noise was heard as their skull fractured like eggs. Li Yiming dropped the two limp corpses to the ground and looked at Wu Jia.


    For the first time in a year, he could feel anger. He felt a particrly strong sense of rage seeing Wu Jia in her drugged state. He was now certain that the key to recovering his emotions had to do with women. Seeing Wu Jia was like a reminder of his past with Ji Xiaoqing, and, above all, Liu Meng.


    ¡¯If only I had the strength to protect her... if only...¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s expression contorted as he clenched his bloody fists.


    As a drop of still-warm blood rolled down into his eyes, Li Yiming¡¯s breathing quickened. He could feel his rational self being taken over by a monster which only obeyed the most primordial of desires.


    Wu Jia suddenly let out loud moan, suggesting she was in deep difort. The noise was loud enough to wake up Lin Lu, who was right beside her.


    Suddenly, Lin Lu began convulsing, her forehead was covered with a thinyer of sweat.


    "Lin Lu?"

 Volume 8 Chapter 37

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Although Wu Jia fell under the effects of the drug much more quickly than Lin Lu, the drugs seemed to have affected Lin Lu much more. Having trained for many years in the military, Lin Lu had developed a higher tolerance for various kinds of drugs. If they had drugged her using ordinary drugs, chances are that she would have been unaffected. However, the drugs were provided by Ying Mei herself, meaning that it was impossible to resist its effects no matter how many years of training she might have had in the military.


    "Ahhh!" Lin Lu let out another loud moan, which seemed to even affect Wu Jia, who was right next to her.


    As Li Yiming watched the two half-naked women, his heart began to burn with lust and desires ¡ª his emotions had indeede back, but he was unable to reign them in. As he slowly clenched his fists, his shirt turned into shreds and fell onto the floor.


    "Are you okay?" An anxious voice came from the door.


    "Chen Quan?" Li Yiming was taken aback by the sight of his friend covered in blood, holding a dagger in one hand and a machete in the other.


    Chen Quan had followed Li Yiming to the entrance of the sauna center, only to see him vanish in a sh of purple light. It was an unbelievable sight, but he was not ready to let the answer to his unsettling confusion and aimlessness slip away. cing trust in the gut feeling that has saved his life so many times before, he resolved to talk to Li Yiming, whom he believed to be undoubtedly more important than the three stone tablets.


    After a few deep breaths, Chen Quan took a life-changing decision. He asked a shopkeeper nearby to watch over the stone tablets before pulling out a dagger and entered the sauna center after surveying his surroundings. Despite the precautionary measures he took, the structure of the building was aplicated one and he was immediately spotted by two security guards.


    Even with his wealth of experience, Chen Quan did not manage to finish off the two men before the ruckus aroused the attention of more thugs. As fleeing was his only option left, he seized a machete from one of the thugs and cut his way through to the room where Li Yiming was.


    Li Yiming understood the situation as soon as he heard many footsteps approaching. He took a deep breath and approached Chen Quan.


    "Keep an eye on them." Li Yiming took the machete from Chen Quan and exited the room.


    Chen Quan froze when he stared into Li Yiming¡¯s eyes. It was a gaze which pierced into his soul, one which threatened to ughter everything it came into contact with. Even with many years experiencing a plethora of horrible things as a graverobber, he had never seen anything like it.


    He could not help but focus his attention on what was happening beyond the wooden door, even as a lustful scene unfolded before his eyes.


    The footsteps and cursing quickly died down, yet strangely, there were no screams of pain whatsoever. Chen Quan did not have the courage to open the door to find out what had happened, and instead, pushed his back against the door and clenched onto his dagger.


    A voice only came after a long while of dead silence. "We need to take them to the hospital."


    Chen Quan jumped up and turned back, readying his weapon, only to see Li Yiming in front of him.


    "What happened?" Chen Quan said as he examined Li Yiming, who was soaked with blood. A chunk of flesh hanging by his left shoulder.


    "They won¡¯t be able toe in. At least for a while." Li Yiming said in a cial tone and went back to stare at Wu Jia and Lin Lu, who had began fondling each other.


    "Is this some kind of aphrodisiac?" Chen Quan asked after looking at the two.


    "I think so." Li Yiming said as he picked up a nket and wrapped it around the two, only for them to struggle free and try to wrap their arms around his neck instead.


    "I don¡¯t think that this is going to work..." Chen Quan remarked.


    "Do you have any ideas?" Li Yiming asked as he pushed the two girls away, not knowing how to deal with the situation.


    "I have an idea, but..."


    "What is it?"


    "I don¡¯t think that this is amon drug. It won¡¯t do much good to bring them to the hospital. I have a method to alleviate the symptoms by concentrating the drug in their blood and releasing it from their bodies," Chen Quan proposed after a moment of reflection.


    "How much time do you need?"


    "A few days topletely eliminate the drug from their cirction, but only a few minutes if you want to alleviate the symptoms for now."


    "Where did you learn that?"


    "I learned it from my teacher. We encounter these things quite often in graves, since drugs which have been put there for hundreds of years ferment into rather... interesting fragrance..."


    "Are there any side-effects?"


    "I¡¯ve tested it on myself once. Aside from some weakness in the limbs for a few days, it¡¯ll depend on what kind of drug they took."


    "Do you need me to do anything?" Li Yiming decided to let Chen Quan have a try, since he himself could not think of anything better.


    "Could you keep them still for me?" Chen Quan began searching through the cabs of the room for medical supplies. The room, being a VIP suite, was not only equipped with all kind of items for erotic y, but also with equipment for health care. It took Chen Quan only a few minutes before he found a brand new set of acupuncture needles.


    With Li Yiming¡¯s help, Chen Quan began the treatment. Shortly after, Lin Lu and Wu Jia had calmed down.


    "We still need a little more time..." Chen Quan wiped away the sweat on his forehead and began bandaging the wounds on the girls¡¯ arms produced from his treatment.


    "Don¡¯t worry, no one wille to disturb us." Li Yiming nodded and went to the shower room.


    As the icy-cold water trickled down his back, Li Yiming pondered over his actions. He still could not believe that he had killed the forty-seven thugs in the sauna center without a sliver of regret - unlike thest time hemitted to a bloodbath, which was in Bai Xi¡¯s illusion, this time, his victims were people who were real and alive.


    Although Li Yiming spared the customers and the girls who were forcibly brought to the ce, the thugs all died gruesomely, and Li Yiming even took pleasure in slowing himself down, so he could feel his de slicing through the flesh and bones, severing the limbs, and sending the thugs flying around. Strangely,mitting such violent acts gave Li Yiming a sense of satisfaction.


    Even at the end, when the thugs began to kneel down and beg for their lives, he continued to kill them mercilessly, not stopping until thest one was dead. Li Yiming shivered in horror as he realized that he had be a monster, the very kind of person he despised from the bottom of his heart when he first became a guardian - someone who abused his power and killed whenever it pleased him, without regard for anything else.

 Volume 8 Chapter 38

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Qian Mian, there¡¯s no need for you toe anymore. I¡¯ll meet you at the safehouse with Tian Yan. I have something I need to give to you." Li Huaibei said as he leaned against the freezer of the convenience store, asionally ncing at a package wrapped in a ck cloth. As he hung up, he reached out for the bottle of hard liquor on the rack, but decided against it as he touched the bottle, opting to pick up a bottle of spring water instead.


    As he opened the cap and took a long sip, he squinted his eyes and threw his gaze toward the entrance to the sauna center.


    "Get ready, Tian Yan. I¡¯lle and get you soon. I think you need to have a look at this." Li Huaibei made another call.


    "What happened?"


    "Looks like Li Yiming just killed some people..." Li Huaibei said as he drank another mouthful of water, slightly disappointed by theck of taste.


    "What?"


    "He just massacred an entire gang."


    "So what?"


    "He did a very cruel job."


    "What do you mean?" Tian Yan said with a calm voice, as she did not consider the deaths of a few people to be a big deal.


    "I¡¯m saying that I doubt it was actually Li Yiming who killed those people..." Li Huaibei took a deep breath.


    "What do you mean? Doubt?" Tian Yan¡¯s tone turned serious, remembering that Li Huaibei had mentioned previously that there was something off about Li Yiming.


    "There was a strange change in his aura right before he began fighting. It was like an entirely different person." Li Huaibei put the stic bottle to his lips again, only to throw the bottle away in frustration upon realizing that it was empty.


    "Heart Trial?" Tian Yan conjected, as there was no way that anyone could put up such a perfect disguise of Li Yiming. The only remaining exnation she could think of was that there were two beings fighting for control inside of him.


    "No, that¡¯s shouldn¡¯t be possible. How should I put it... He feels different. He¡¯s not the Li Yiming I knew, at least."


    "What happened after that?"


    "He gradually stabilized, but I think that you might still be able to see something..."


    "I¡¯ming right away," Tian Yan said she hung up the phone. The mysterious entity which suppressed her powers had disappeared, meaning that her senses were as acute as ever. With how much attention Stargaze had given to Li Yiming, Tian Yan was not about to give up this opportunity.


    When Tian Yan exited of the building, she suddenly froze in ce. A ck car traveling on the opposite side of the road came to an abrupt stop, and a woman wearing a business suit came out of the vehicle.


    "Sis Ying..." Tian Yan said with a trembling voice.


    "Long time no see..." Ying Mei said as she approached Tian Yan with a smile.


    Li Huaibei waited for Tian Yan after hanging up the phone. He stood up with a frown as he spotted Li Yiming and Chen Quan exit the sauna center with Wu Jia and Lin Lu.


    "The water is two yuan, right?" After brushing away the bits of dust on his pants, Li Huaibei asked the owner of the shop politely as he took out two coins.


    "Yes."


    "Here¡¯s the money." Li Huaibei said with a smile as he put the coins down, only for one of them to roll to the other side of the counter before falling to the floor.


    "Oh, I¡¯m sorry," Li Huaibei apologized.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it." The woman at the counter bent down and picked it up.


    "Sorry again." Li Huaibei repeated as he let out a smile and left the convenience store.


    "What a handsome smile. If only he dressed more properly ." The woman said with a smile as she found Li Huaibei¡¯s features very attractive.


    "Hey! What happened to the package thatst customer asked us to keep for a bit?"


    "Which one?" A voice came from below the storage racks.


    "That ugly dwarf." The woman said impatiently as she searched around.


    "Didn¡¯t you put it right next to the counter?" The man asked as he walked out from the back of the store.


    "That¡¯s odd... It was here a second ago..." The woman said to herself as she looked in which Li Huaibei left. "He was the only customer... Could it have been him...? But he had nothing in his hands..."


    "Don¡¯t be ridiculous... Those stone tablets were so heavy, there¡¯s no way he could have taken them. Besides, those pieces of rock were probably some worthless construction material that the dwarf stole from his workce..." The man grumbled as he picked up a pack of drinks and continued restocking.


    "Well, it would still look bad for us to lose them..." The woman said as she continued to look around, not taking the situation too seriously.


    * * *


    "This is the news report about the massacre at the Dreamy Watend sauna center. ording to a preliminary police investigation, at least forty-seven people have died in a massive armed conflict between rival gangs..."


    When Eyesses heard the news, he instantly stopped what he was doing and picked up his phone.


    "What is it?" Qing Linglong answered the phone, her low voice implying that she was in a business meeting.


    "Did you see the news?"


    "You mean that incident at the sauna center? I¡¯ve only seen it briefly. What happened? Is it a newly-awakened guardian again?" Qing Linglong asked as she walked into a quiet room.


    "No, unfortunately."


    "Who is it then?"


    "A sage..."


    "What?" Qing Linglong eximed.


    "Have a look at it yourself. You¡¯ll see what I mean." Eyesses said as he sent a video.


    "Alright." Qing Linglong opened the video after making sure that she was alone.


    "It¡¯s footage captured from the surveince camera on the opposite side of the street."


    On the video, Li Yiming and Chen Quan were seen making their way out of the sauna center.


    "Li Yiming? When was this taken?"


    "This was right before police arrived on the scene. Let me show you another video."


    This time, the footage showed Li Yiming and Chen Quan rushing out of a small alleyway, only Li Yiming vanished in a sh of purple light a few seconds in. Qing Linglong frowned as she reached the end of the video. "So, what happened exactly?"


    "Forty-seven dead. All of them were dismembered. I did a background check, not a single guardian, but all of them were affiliated with a gang called the Merry Couples."


    "Why go so far if they weren¡¯t guardians?"


    "I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s not picking up."


    "Did you dispose of the evidence?"


    "Before the police could put their hands on it. But someone was even faster than me..."


    "What?"


    "Someone copied the footage before I essed it."


    "Copying? Not deleting?"


    "Yes." Eyesses said with a grave voice as he put on his sses.


    "Tell Big Beard toe to the airport tonight. He¡¯ll need our help." Qing Linglong said after a moment of reflection and then hung up. She had conjectured that Li Yiming avoided contacting them due to not wanting to cause them trouble, but that was even more of a reason for them to try to help their friend.


    Eyesses put down his phone. After staring at the screen nkly for a while, he shook his head and dialed Big Beard¡¯s number.


    "Nice timing. I was about to call you." Big Beard¡¯s voice came.


    "We have a... situation. Li Yiming might need our help."


    "What is it?"


    "Well..." Eyesses gave Big Beard a detailed ount of what happened, including Qing Linglong¡¯s and his supposition.


    "Unfortunately, I¡¯m not sure we have time for him..." Big Beard said after hearing Eyesses¡¯ story.


    "What?"


    "Remember the blood sample you gave me?"


    "A309?" Eyesses was well aware of the subject on which he was investigating.


    "Yes, well, they¡¯veunched their research program."


    "What the hell? I thought they stopped it for good?" Eyesses could not believe what he heard. The program in question was one that researched on how to artificially create guardians.


    "They¡¯ve changed locations and brought all of their data and equipment with them... And this time, they¡¯re sponsored by Yunyu Corporation."


    "What? Yun Yiyuan has chosen to get himself involved in this? How..."

 Volume 8 Chapter 39

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Mr. Li, I believe you owe us an exnation." Inside the intensive care ward of the hospital, Li Yiming was being questioned by the National Security agent - it took a lot of self-restraint for him to keep his voice low and stop himself from yelling at Li Yiming.


    He now bitterly regretted not following Li Yiming to the sauna center against the orders of his superiors. Had he been present, chances are that it would not have turned into a bloodbath. It did not take long before the city¡¯s police came to look for an exnation, especially given that they had just taken over a local station before the incident urred.


    Although thest year had been rife with paranormal incidents which had to be covered up from the public eye, the thirty or so witnesses that Li Yiming left behind made it extremely difficult to keep the lid on the affair, and mounting public pressure only increased the chances of a disaster.


    "What did your superiors tell you?" Li Yiming was unsure how to answer the agent, as he himself did not quite understand how he could have lost control of himself fighting against a small group of mobsters. He had suspected a Heart Trial at first, but immediately dismissed the possibility, as he recalled beingpletely aware of what was going on. Simply losing control of his body was vastly different from the drunken fuzziness of his memories after being taken over by a Heart Trial.


    "My superiors..." The young agent was speechless. As unbelievable as it was, his superiors had told him to do nothing at all. The only orders he received since the incident was to "wait until Lin Lu recovered."


    "I need to know what happened back there... If you really..." The young agent was not about to give up, as he had a feeling that Li Yiming had the answers which could exin many of the paranormal incidents that had transpired over thest year.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but the patient¡¯s awake." The door to the room was opened as the head nurse interrupted the two, all while avoiding looking at her two guests in the eyes. As the head nurse, she was exceptionally well-versed in profiling. On top of that, she knew from the non-disclosure act she signed the day before that she most definitely did not want to be entangled with Lin Lu, who clearly had an exceptional background based on the number of bodyguards she was able to hire.


    "Why don¡¯t you go have a look." Li Yiming sighed and turned toward the hallway.


    "You..." The young agent was clearly vexed, but he was in no position to force Li Yiming to confess.


    The two agents stationed at the front door thought about stopping Li Yiming from exiting the hospital, but they did not dare to intervene. After all, if the information they received was urate, two men armed with conventional firearms was far too little to restrict Li Yiming¡¯s freedom.


    As Li Yiming looked up at the azure sky, he took out the half-pack of cigarettes he had kept from a long while back, reminiscing the time he met Mr. Kong for the first time.


    "Mr. Li... I¡¯ve lost the tablets..." Chen Quan suddenly came running, having rushed back to the small convenience store to pick up what he had left there.


    "You¡¯ve checked?"


    Chen Quan nodded with a grave countenance, very bitter about the lead breaking off when he was so close to finding out the truth.


    "What did the owner of the shop tell you?" Li Yiming asked, fully aware of the importance of the tablet despite seeing it only once.


    "That he lost it, nothing more," Chen Quan said with a disappointed voice.


    "Did he sell it off to make quick money?"


    "They didn¡¯t lie..." Chen Quan rubbed her hands together. Li Yiming instantly noticed the blood in his left hand¡¯s ring finger¡¯s fingernail.


    "I didn¡¯t harm them. I just used a special technique." Chen Quan exined when he noticed the attention and shoved his hand into his pocket.


    "Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now. As long as you remember the content." Li Yiming patted Chen Quan¡¯s shoulder. He turned around, only to see two agents running toward him.


    "Secretary Lin wants to see you..." One of the agents said nervously.


    "I¡¯ll go see her right away. Come with me, Chen Quan." Li Yiming acquiesced and invited Chen Quan. He appreciated Chen Quan¡¯s rather odd techniques and thought of them as being potentially useful, even though he was not a guardian.


    Lin Lu was bedridden with a pale countenance and was abashed upon seeing Li Yiming after what she had just gone through.


    "Thank you," Lin Lu expressed her gratitude.


    Li Yiming stayed silent and nced at the young agent by her side. He pulled over a chair and sat down, ready to discuss the matter at hand.


    "I¡¯ve got orders." Lin Lu went straight to the point, but she seemed hesitant to broach the subject to Li Yiming. Although what thetter did was undeniably intolerable, it was also partially for her sake, as she was the one who insisted on going to the stone exhibition.


    "You can tell me. I know it must be hard for you." Li Yiming said in an understanding voice.


    "Remember the two people who attacked the military outpost?" Lin Lu struggled to sit up, and the young agent quickly rushed to aid her.


    "Yes."


    "One of them is dead."


    "You¡¯ve tracked down the other one?"


    "We¡¯ll find his whereabouts soon."


    "You want me to kill him?"


    "We need him back alive."


    Li Yiming sank into a long silence. Capturing the guardian alive was not the problem ¡ª rather, the intentions of the high-ranking officials in the military was where the problem was.


    "If you can take care of him, we¡¯ll take care of the incident at the sauna center." Lin Lu offered her part of the bargain, despite her personal debt toward Li Yiming.


    "Tell me about his specific location." Li Yiming stood up and made for the exit of the ward. The world had been changed and perhaps covering up the existence of guardians like he used to do was the wrong approach.


    "I¡¯ll keep looking for the Shadowless Stone. My promise to you stays the same." Li Yiming turned around right before leaving and smiled.


    Lin Lu¡¯s mood sank further despite hearing the good news.


    "Oh yes, you¡¯ve arrested that gang leader, right?"


    "Yes," The young agent replied.


    "I want to see him."


    "You..." The young agent looked at Li Yiming rmingly, as his first reaction was that Li Yiming sought to exterminate the gangpletely.


    "I want to ask him something... You know what? How about you ask him the question for me? He had three stone tablets. I want to know where he got them. He¡¯ll know what I¡¯m talking about." After considering the matter, Li Yiming decided to let National Security handle the matter, as they were the ones who had more experience with these types of investigations.


    "I¡¯ll go take care of this personally and tell you as soon as possible," Lin Lu used the opportunity to repay some of Li Yiming¡¯s favor.


    "Thank you." Li Yiming said and left.


    Chen Quan sat next to Li Yiming in a car which drove away from the hospital. He wanted to ask many questions but decided to keep quiet for the moment.


    "Ask what you want to ask. You probably figured out a few things by yourself by now, haven¡¯t you?" Li Yiming said as he leaned against the back of the seat, preupied by the "wise" words of the fortune-teller. ¡¯My palm lines have changed, and the clue to finding Liu Meng lies within that change... Is that why I lost control of myself as well?¡¯


    "Have I met you before?" Chen Quan finally asked, not knowing where to start.


    "Yes." Li Yiming decided to tell the truth.


    "Where? When?"


    "A year ago, in the Tianshan range. We worked together for about a month."


    "What?" Chen Quan had no recollection of ever going to that ce.


    "Also, we¡¯ve met aboard the Pandaria. You invited me there."


    "I¡¯ve invited you? What?"


    "Well, I did get off the ship halfway."


    "Why..."


    "Why can¡¯t you remember? It¡¯s going to be a long story. Before you hear it, I want to ask you something. Are you sure that you want to get involved in this? It¡¯s going to change your life, and there¡¯s no going back. You¡¯ll risk losing your life." Li Yiming sat up straight and looked at Chen Quan with a serious countenance.


    "If you really do know me, then you should know that I never back off at the face of fear." Chen Quan¡¯s hands, which held the steering wheel, began to tremble.

 Volume 8 Chapter 40

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Where¡¯s that bastard gang leader?" Lin Lu asked as she struggled to stand up from her bed, her body still weak from the after-effects of Chen Quan¡¯s treatment.


    "Right downstairs. Li Yiming didn¡¯t go light on him." The young agent shuddered as he remembered the gruesome state in which he found the man in question.


    "Bring me to him." Lin Lu said with anger shing in her eyes.


    "Secretary Lin..." The young agent hesitated.


    "What is it?" Having recruited the agent herself and worked together for many years, Lin Lu could tell that he had something to say.


    "Well... you might want to have a look at this..." The young man took out a file folder which contained two photos.


    "What?! Where did you get this?" Lin Lu was bewildered when she saw the pictures. The photo depicted an ordinary scenery of dusk at a beach in the Southern part of the country. The orange glow of the setting sun created an atmosphere of rxation and serenity, as the tourists on the beach enjoyed themselves with leisurely activities. What highlighted the abnormality in the scene was the second picture, which was a zoom-in on a few clouds in the sky.


    "Is this a mirage?" Lin Lu scrutinized the picture - she saw a woman between the clouds with long hair.


    "That¡¯s the only exnation. I¡¯ve had people in the analytics department take a look at it. They confirmed no traces of digital modification."


    "Where did you get this?" Lin Lu asked with a grave countenance, as she recognized the woman between the clouds, who seemed to be looking back with a confused expression.


    "From one of our stations. One of the agents there caught a thief. We found it in the stolen goods while searching for evidence."


    "What?"


    "This was taken from a digital camera which was among the stolen goods. It¡¯s part of the standard protocol for finding the owner of the camera and returning the stolen goods, but this picture, in particr, caught the attention of the investigation team, as it matched the profile of the woman we¡¯re looking for."


    "Did you figure out where the picture was taken?"


    "We¡¯ve interrogated the thief without finding anything interesting. The owner of the camera lives in Shangbei. Curiously, he didn¡¯t call the police after his home was broken through. When I asked him about the photo, he did not want to discuss it further."


    "Why?"


    "We suspect it has to do with the nature of his trip. The man in question is a manager, and he went on a personal vacation with his personal assistant. The man had a wife." The man shrugged his shoulders as he retold the information he had gathered, knowing that Lin Lu would understand the implications.


    "Who made the discovery?" Lin Lu asked as she considered the ramifications of such a finding.


    "There were two of them. We¡¯ve already made them sign non-disclosure acts."


    "What about the people above?"


    "I didn¡¯t report it yet." After the sauna center incident, the young agent began to grow wary even of the high-ranking officials in National Security.


    "Nicely done. Why didn¡¯t you bring up this earlier?"


    "We didn¡¯t have time to confirm the veracity of the data yet. Also, Li Yiming himself is..."


    "You don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll cooperate so you decided to keep this as leverage against him?"


    "Yes." The young agent confessed.


    "You did the right thing." Lin Lu said with a low voice. She agreed with her agent¡¯s choice, despite knowing that the decision meant that she would be betraying Li Yiming by hiding an important piece of information about Liu Meng.


    "What do we do now??"


    "I¡¯ll go pay a visit to the man who was bold enough to drug me. Go get the procedures done for me to get the hell out of this ce. I¡¯ll leave for Shangbei right away," Lin Lu said as she tossed her nket to the side and sat up, sping onto the two photos. ¡¯Showing up between the clouds, like a fallen angel from the Heavens... Who are you, Liu Meng?¡¯


    * * *


    Despite the exhausting trip back to Pure Water Herb Hall, Chen Quan was brimming with excitement, for he knew that he was about to open the door to a world which had been hidden to him.


    "Chen Quan, this is Chen Jiawang. Chen Jiawang, Chen Quan." Li Yiming had expected Chen Quan to be utterly shocked by his revtion, but instead, Chen Quan did not have a sliver of doubt about Li Yiming¡¯s words. In turn, Li Yiming began to wonder whether his memories had fully been erased after the domain.


    "Chen Quan, are you...?" Chen Jiawang¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement, thinking that the guest was another one of Li Yiming¡¯s teammates, especially with how much he stood out from looks alone.


    "He¡¯s my friend. He¡¯s not one of us," Li Yiming said.


    "What?" Chen Jiawang froze in ce, unsure of what Li Yiming¡¯s intentions were in introducing Chen Quan.


    "How should I put it... He has some special abilities, that¡¯s for sure. Just consider him one of us, okay?" Li Yiming noticed Chen Jiawang¡¯s confusion.


    "Oh? Oh, wee then!" Chen Jiawang resumed his tactful disy of friendliness and offered a hug to Chen Quan.


    "You..." Chen Quan understood from the conversation that Chen Jiawang was no ordinary person.


    "You guys can have a long talkter. Help Chen Quan set down, will you? I¡¯ll go rest for a bit." Li Yiming left the two alone, giving them the opportunity to get to know each other.


    "Leave it to me then. Hello, I¡¯m Chen Jiawang, nice to meet you." Chen Jiawang saluted Chen Quan formally. He took out a pen and threw it into the air. The object turned into pure gold as itnded.


    Seeing Chen Quan¡¯s amazement brought a great amount of satisfaction to Chen Jiawang, especially due to his young age. Over thest few weeks, he had graduallye to terms with his new identity. However, after the eptance came a desire to show off his extraordinary power to other people rather than pretend that it did not exist.


    "You see... Oh! Wait, you¡¯ve said that he¡¯s one of us, right?" Chen Jiawang, who was smiling with confidence, suddenly turned back to look at Li Yiming, knowing that thetter often scolded him for abusing his power.


    "Just keep it to a reasonable degree, okay?" Li Yiming cracked a smile and left. He needed a quiet ce to ponder over a few things.


    His bedroom on the second floor was exceptionally clean ¡ª clearly, Chen Jiawang had been diligent in everyday cleaning. Seeing the dustless furniture made Li Yiming feel somewhat bad about making thetter work as a waiter rather than giving him a task befitting his guardian status.


    Li Yiming thoughts quickly shifted to Qing Linglong when he saw the luxurious khaki-colored sofa which had been left behind by her. As he sat down, he felt a sense of serenity unlike never before. He closed his eyes and made himselffortable, breathing slowly as he moved his left hand slowly on the hand rest, appreciating the cozy touch of the fabric. He suddenly became drowsy, and he was about to fall asleep when he suddenly opened his eyes with a radiant smile.


    He saw the face of a small girl, still with a little bit of baby fat on her rosy cheeks - it was Bai Ze. She stared back at him with a frown on her face, and she leaned in enough such that her face was almost touching Li Yiming¡¯s.


    "Are you awake?" Li Yiming smiled as he touched Bai Ze¡¯s head.


    Instead of being as happy as Li Yiming, Bai Ze turned her head to the side with a frown and dodged Li Yiming¡¯s act of affection. She then began staring at him with a grave countenance.


    "What is it?"


    "You¡¯re not a guardian..." Bai Ze put her face closer to Li Yiming and said with pursed lips.


    "I do remember telling you this the first time we met." Li Yiming smiled again and closed his eyes, Sharing the same soul, he could feel Bai Ze¡¯s emotions.


    "Well, you didn¡¯t say that you were that staff!" Bai Ze¡¯s voice suddenly went up by a pitch.


    "I didn¡¯t know myself."


    "To hell with that! I thought my master was a big shot. I even thought you were him, but you¡¯re just that staff!"


    "Well I¡¯m the one and only staff, how¡¯s that?"

 Volume 8 Chapter 41

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Inside the room, Li Yiming crashed on the sofa as Bai Ze sat by the bed, pulling at the bedsheets to vent her frustration.


    "So Heaven¡¯s Laws is no longer what it used to be, and Liu Meng¡¯s nowhere to be found. Is that right?"


    "Pretty much it." Li Yiming found a morefortable position by turning around, only his back was nearly touching the ground.


    "Well, I have bad news for you. Even if she¡¯s still alive, it¡¯s not going to be an easy task to find her. We should focus on your... condition first." Bai Ze threw the piece of fabric she was ying with to the side and stood up.


    "Yes." It pained Li Yiming to recognize the truth in Bai Ze¡¯s words.


    "You¡¯ve changed." Bai Ze said after taking a deep breath.


    "Yes." Li Yiming thought that Bai Ze was talking about how out of control his mood was; he went from an emotionless robot to a bloodthirsty maniac, and finally to azy cat.


    "I¡¯m not sure if you understood what I¡¯m trying to say."


    "Oh?"


    Bai Ze looked at Li Yiming right in the eyes, clenched her fist, and the space around it ruptured like a mirror breaking into pieces, creating a gaping ck hole.


    "You¡¯re a sage?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up, and he finally took on a serious expression.


    "Not only that, but I¡¯m still growing stronger..."


    "What?" Li Yiming distinctively remembered Bai Ze¡¯s telling him that the ceiling of her power was that of a sage.


    "We share the same soul, and so the same fate as well. Do you get it?" Bai Ze approached Li Yiming and grabbed his hand. "Your palm lines have changed because your fate has changed. You¡¯re no longer the person you used to be."


    "What does that mean?" Li Yiming stood up with a dumbfounded expression, the revtion seemingly being too much for him to handle.


    "To exchange your body for a fresh start, and to split your soul from it... You still remember this, don¡¯t you?


    "You¡¯re saying that..."


    "The golden body referred to the staff. It was split into three, one of which is at Lianyu Peak, the other on the Ind of Eternity..."


    "Thest one became Mr. Kong¡¯s knit-bag..."


    "Yes, and you... You¡¯re the soul of that very staff. To hide from Heaven¡¯s Laws, you were reincarnated as a mortal..."


    "I¡¯ve collected the golden wok in Lianyun Peak, the cap on the Ind of Eternity... What about Mr. Kong¡¯s bag?"


    "It¡¯s also in you. You¡¯ve already collected all of them. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have be so strong. Now, the question is, how did you get the bag? Did Mr. Kong give it to you, or did something else happen at the music festival?"


    "I don¡¯t know... I¡¯m sure Mr. Kong was behind all of this..." Li Yiming rubbed his temples and remembered the skinny man in his flip-flops.


    "If Fu Bo¡¯s book is urate, then it would all make sense."


    "Mr. Kong... Wukong... I need to figure out what happened."


    "It¡¯s likely that he had more people involved in this since it¡¯s impossible for him to have done it alone. I think that if you just ask the right people..."


    "Li Huaibei?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up as he realized that surely, with Li Huaibei¡¯s power, he must have an idea of what transpired.


    "Well, I don¡¯t know about him, but I¡¯m sure that there¡¯s one person out there who knows the truth."


    "Who?"


    "The one who has been watching our world for decades..."


    "Stargaze!" Li Yiming said as he pulled out the bill that Qian Mian left behind, which had his number written on it. Just as he was about to give Qian Mian a call, he was interrupted by a loud banging at the door.


    "Chen Quan?"


    "Mr. Li, are you in here?" Chen Quan said with a voice full of excitement.


    "I¡¯ming." Li Yiming stood up and went to answer the door.


    "Look at this! I..." Chen Quan stopped his sentence abruptly as soon as he saw Bai Ze after rushing into the room.


    "Don¡¯t worry... She¡¯s my... cousin." Li Yiming looked at Bai Ze, who seemed rather surprised by Chen Quan¡¯s extraordinary appearance.


    "Have a look at this!" Chen Quan squeezed out a smile toward Bai Ze, only to frighten her instead.


    "This... this is the stone exhibition?" Li Yiming examined the card that Chen Quan handed to him. It was a promotional pamphlet about the stone exhibition which had been brought in by Wu Jia, which Chen Jiawang had kept until now.


    "Look at the bottom left corner on the other side." Chen Quan took a deep breath to calm himself down.


    "Oh." When Li Yiming turned over the card, he saw the picture of an ordinary-looking yellow jade. It seems like even the owner of the stone knew that it had very little value, so not only was the size of the picture very small, but it was also taken hurriedly, without any kind of set up to provide a proper background. However, this made it possible to see the article disyed behind the stone.


    "Is that the fourth stone tablet?" Li Yiming frowned, noticing the te to be of simr size as the other three tablets.


    "I¡¯m confident that it is. Unless it¡¯s some kind of intentional imitation," Chen Quan had the same guess as Li Yiming.


    "So this is one of the stone tablets you were talking about?" Bai Ze approached and scrutinized the pamphlet.


    "Do you see anything in particr?"


    "It seems like these stone tablets were made to record an event..." Bai Ze said.


    "Record?"


    "Writing isn¡¯t the only method to record history." Bai Ze said as she nced at Chen Quan.


    "But what could this possibly be recording?" Li Yiming said as he remembered the three stone tablets. He did not have time to examine the two which were at the exhibition, but he did remember the scene of the Phoenix, the giant monkey, and the man flying on his sword inscribed onto the first tablet. The fourth tablet seemed to be depicting the scene of a man worshipping a giant stone.


    "Fu Bo is not the only recorder..." Bai Ze said as she watched Li Yiming sink into a long silence.


    "You mean that..."


    "Yes." Bai Ze interrupted as she returned to sitting on the bed.


    "How old do you think the stone tablets are?" Li Yiming asked Chen Quan.


    "At least ten thousand years."


    "We need to go." Li Yiming made for the door with a grave countenance.


    * * *


    Bang!


    With a loud thud, the expensive rosewood table was turned into dust.


    "I let her go only because I trusted you, and now you¡¯re telling me that she¡¯s been kidnapped?!" Qian Mian roared in anger as he red at Li Huaibei. He would have attacked Li Huaibei out of anger already if thetter was not a sage.


    "You¡¯re not being your usual self." Li Huaibei said calmly.


    "My usual self? Do you know how important Tian Yan is?" Qian Mian only grew more furious from Li Huaibei¡¯s frivolity.


    "I am aware, and that is why I¡¯m not worried about her."


    "Bullshit!" Qian Mian spat out.


    "Stargaze knows how valuable she is, and so do the other guardians. I think she knows how to take care of herself. What¡¯s more interesting is that she wasn¡¯t very far away from me when it all happened, and I only know a few people who are capable of this."


    "Are you talking about Yun Yiyuan?" Qian Mian asked. Even though Tian Yan might have been safe for the time being, saving her would prove to be a difficult task.


    "Ying Mei..."


    Qian Mian¡¯s countenance sank again as he remembered the looks of the woman Tian Yan had known since her childhood.


    "I¡¯ll go get her out in one piece, don¡¯t worry. I want you to have a look at this." Li Huaibei said as he took out a parcel wrapped in a ck cloth.


    "What¡¯s this?" Qian Mian froze when he saw the three tablets. The first one was the one Li Yiming saw, depicting the man, the Phoenix, and the monkey. The second showed a long-haired woman sitting in the clouds, while the entire world was engulfed in mes beneath her. Finally, the third showed a man thrusting his sword through the chest of the woman from the second tablet.


    "This..." Qian Mian immediately thought the tablets would prove to be useful for Stargaze.


    "Give them to her." Li Huaibei said as he nced at the third stone before standing up and leaving.

 Volume 8 Chapter 42

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "You¡¯re back!" Shao Xian said with a happy smile as she weed Sai Gao, who had saved her from the chaos of the Music Festival.


    "Can you make some room for us in the garden? I have something I need to put there."


    "Oh? Did you buy anything? Is it some kind of potted nt?" Shao Xian opened a pack of wet tissue and gave it to him.


    "It¡¯s a stone." Sai Gao said as he pulled one sheet out.


    "Is he your friend?" Shao Xian said as she looked at Fu Bo with a broad, warm smile.


    "Yes, you could say that." Sai Gao said as he turned back in frustration, only to see Fu Bo smiling back at him ¡ª it was the thirteenth time he had introduced Fu Bo to Shao Xian, only for her to forget about him a few minutester. That was without counting the half a year they had lived together before the stone exhibition.


    "Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Shao Xian," Shao Xian extended her hand.


    "I¡¯m Fu Bo." Fu Bo wiped the sweat off his hands and answered the salutation.


    "I¡¯ll leave you to introducing yourself again, since you seem to enjoy it so much..." Sai Gao grumbled and made for the inside.


    "Are you..." Shao Xian said hesitantly, as she was aware of the extraordinary powers Sai Gao possessed. Somehow she was able to retain all of her memories after the incident at the music festival.


    "Well, I¡¯m not a guardian. My situation is a lot like yours, actually."


    "Oh? You¡¯ve met me before?"


    "Well, I know about the Masked Challenger... want to y together sometimes?"


    "Of course!" Shao Xian said, without remembering that Fu Bo could never y online games, since his ount would always get deleted after a while.


    "Is this the ce to deliver the stone?" A voice was suddenly heard behind the door.


    "Yes! Please bring it inside." Fu Bo answered with a loud voice.


    A crew of several men came in, dragging the stone along with them before finally setting it down to the designated location.


    "That¡¯s a really big stone!" Shao Xian said after she paid the delivery crew.


    "It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re only leaving it here for a few days." Fu Bo said as he caressed the stone.


    "I really don¡¯t understand the way you spend money, but..." Shao Xian said as she made for the kitchen to prepare some tea.


    "You wouldn¡¯t say that if you understood the value of this stone..." Fu Bo mumbled as he slid his finger slowly across the uneven surface of the stone. ¡¯The dimensions of the stone match the calendar¡¯s... Also, these holes... Is this from the eight diagrams...?¡¯


    * * *


    "You¡¯ve brought me this far away just to have a look at her?" Tian Yan said as she yed around with her ponytail, which she did not have a chance to wear ever since leaving Ying Mei¡¯spany.


    "Can you see anything?" Ying Mei said as she pushed Tian Yan¡¯s wheelchair forward as she walked forward graciously.


    One of the National Security agents who had been posted to guard Wu Jia stared in shock at the two¡¯s incredible beauty. Wu Jia had not only awakened a lotter than Lin Lu, but she had also forgotten everything that happened. She had been told by National Security that after copsing from a heat stroke, Li Yiming had brought him in and that she had to focus on recovering.


    "She¡¯s very weak," Tian Yan said as she rubbed the back of her head against Ying Mei¡¯s hand, just like she used to do.


    "You know that that¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking about," Ying Mei said as she gently tapped on Tian Yan¡¯s head and brushed her hair to the side.


    "Then there¡¯s nothing else. She has a good family, a nice upbringing, and if nothing else happens, she¡¯s going to have a happy life with two children."


    "A happy life... What about her past?"


    "Nothing exceptional. But it seems like something urred recently, that¡¯s probably why she¡¯s in the hospital."


    "So even you can¡¯t see what the reason is...?"


    "Who is she?" Tian Yan asked hesitantly. She chose to look away from Ying Mei¡¯s intense re, hiding the fact that she recognized Wu Jia as being the girl in Li Yiming¡¯s tea shop.


    "Remember Guo Xiang?" Ying Mei¡¯s lips curled up when she noticed Tian Yan¡¯s uneasiness, and the sincerity of her smile gradually waned away.


    "Yes..." Tian Yan¡¯s body trembled, as the name was one which had changed her entire life.


    "We suspect that she might have been one of his women."


    "That¡¯s impossible. She wouldn¡¯t be this clean if she has had anything to do with him."


    "Then perhaps I¡¯m making a mistake." Ying Mei smiled and pushed the wheelchair forward. As the two stopped in front of the elevator, Tian Yan nced back at Wu Jia¡¯s ward. Ying Mei seemed to have noticed Tian Yan¡¯s reluctance to leave, as she chose to wait patiently in the hallway instead of entering the elevator right away.


    "Come in, you could probably fit." A young doctor in the elevator tried to make more space while showing a friendly smile.


    "It¡¯s okay, we¡¯ll wait for the next one." Ying Mei politely refused the invitation.


    "Alright." The doctor looked at the few patients in the elevator with frustration and pressed the button to close the door.


    As Ying Mei and Tian Yan waited for the elevator toe back in silence, the previously feeling of harmony between the two slowly faded away, reced by a growing sense of hostility and distrust.


    "You¡¯ve grown," Ying Mei sighed. She could tell from Tian Yan¡¯s asional nces that thetter was hiding something from her.


    "It happens to everyone sooner orter." Tian Yan kept her smile. Hearing Ying Mei breaking the silence brought to her a sense of relief as Tian Yan had been aware of the change in Ying Mei¡¯s mood.


    "That¡¯s good. I just don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll like the room I¡¯ve prepared for you. It¡¯s the same as your old one, and I even bought a mountain of dolls." Ying Mei took a deep breath and produced her usual professional smile.


    "I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to see it."


    "Oh?"


    "Someone¡¯s here for me." Tian Yan began tapping at her wheelchair¡¯s handle.


    "What?" Ying Mei looked at the elevator, which had just arrived at their floor. The young doctor from earlier was still in it with his radiant smile. However, Tian Yan was referring to the toned, rather sloppy man who came from the stairs. "Li Huaibei?"


    "Are you ready to leave?" Li Huaibei asked Tian Yan.


    "Let¡¯s go. See you around, Sis Ying... It was nice to see you again." Tian Yan said while staring at the ground.


    "Take care of yourself." Ying Mei sighed as she watched Li Huaibei push Tian Yan into the elevator. At first, she hesitated about bringing Tian Yan to Yun Yiyuan. When she finally made up her mind after seeing that Tian Yan was refusing to tell her the truth, the situation was already out of her control.


    "I will." Tian Yan said without looking back at her.


    "Excuse me..." The young doctor squeezed himself toward the exit when he realized that Ying Mei was not going to enter the elevator. On his way up, he had abused his power as an employee to deny ess to the elevator from everyone else along the way, just so that he could have a chance at a ride with the two beauties he saw earlier. Seeing Li Huaibei made him think that he no longer had a chance with Tian Yan, but Ying Mei was still avable.


    "Are you okay?" Li Huaibei asked, noticing Tian Yan¡¯s low mood.


    "That girl in the seventeenth ward..."


    "What about her?"


    "Ying Mei thinks that she¡¯s one of Guo Xiang¡¯s women. I don¡¯t think it was a question meant to test me."


    "Guo Xiang?"


    "I had a look at her. She has nothing to do with Guo Xiang."


    "So she made a mistake?" Li Huaibei frowned, not understanding what Tian Yan was getting at.


    "She could have easily looked into that girl¡¯s past without me. Besides, we have seen her before."


    "Oh? Where?"


    "Pure Water Herb Hall..."


    "Li Yiming?" Li Huaibei¡¯s countenance shifted.


    "If my guess is right, that girl¡¯s fate has been changed."


    "Are you sure about that?"


    "As far as I know, Guo Xiang and Li Yiming have interacted with each other only once, at the Guo Mansion. You were also there, try to remember what happened on that day," Tian Yan said as she stared at Li Huaibei with her silver irises.


    Li Huaibei took a deep breath and closed his eyes, only to spit out a mouthful of blood. A gust of wind blew up from his right hand, turning his sleeve into shreds and creating many fissures on the walls of the elevator.


    "Someone has changed my memory...." Li Huaibei shriveled as a drop of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. Despite trying his hardest, he had only managed toe to the realization that his memories had been altered, and he had almost been grievously injured in the process.


    "Then there¡¯s no mistake..." Tian Yan gained a confident air as she searched for her handkerchief. However, as she searched for it in her pocket, she suddenly froze.


    "What is it?" Li Huaibei said as he wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth.


    "Sis Ying..." Tian Yan realized that the piece of paper she had carefully kept from Fu Bo had vanished.


    "I think that I know who might just be behind this..."

 Volume 8 Chapter 43

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    As the elevator silently made its way down their floor for the third time, the young doctor hesitated over which one of the three pick up lines he had prepared to use. However, before he could open his mouth, he turned back at the sound of loud footsteps, only to see a dozen toned men dressed in ck rush toward him.


    "Ms. Ying." The man looked menacing, and yet he addressed Ying Mei with both reverence and terror.


    "I¡¯m not ming it on you. It¡¯s Li Huaibei after all. Bring this to theboratory. I want every piece of information you can possibly extract about it. The material, the ce it was sold, the biometrics, everything." Ying Mei ordered as she put the piece of paper she had taken from Tian Yan into a sealed bag one of the men gave her.


    "Roasted beef noodles?" Ying Mei said with a frown as she noticed the markings which written over the piece of paper. ¡¯Is this some kind of restaurant order?¡¯


    "Uh..." The young doctor waspletely intimidated by the scene. However, he decided to push through and use the opportunity of his lifetime to make Ying Mei fall in love with him. Just as he emitted a sound, all of the men in ck turned and stared at him.


    "I need to leave..." The young doctor said in a panic as he squeezed his way through the group of men in ck.


    "Where¡¯s Mr. Yun?" Ying Mei said as her cold eyes trailed the doctor until she noticed the National Security agent in disguise at the end of the hallway.


    "He went to the capital," One of the men answered.


    "The capital?"


    "Oh, yes, Before he left, he brought a gift for you." The man took out a small box from his suitcase.


    "What?"


    It was a small, intricately decorated wooden box which suggested at the great value of the item inside. As Ying Mei opened the box, she was presented with a jade bracelet which shone with a pristine emerald glint. The gift caused her confusion as she did not understand why Yun Yiyuan would bestow her ordinary jadeware, regardless of how much it was worth.


    "He didn¡¯t buy this himself, did he?" Ying Mei asked as she closed the box.


    "He chose it himself."


    "How do you know?"


    "He... He asked me to go buy it..." The man could not find the courage to lie to her as he stared into Ying Mei¡¯s eyes.


    "Where did you buy it?"


    "At the stone exhibition. He saw this on one of the promotional pamphlets."


    "The stone exhibition?" Ying Mei knew that this was not a coincidence.


    "Yes, the one from a few days ago."


    "Did he ask you to buy anything else?"


    "No, only this bracelet."


    "Alright. I¡¯ll make sure to thank him." Ying Mei nodded and walked toward the stairs after growing impatient from waiting for the elevator for so long.


    * * *


    Chen Quan frowned as he listened to the rain battering the windshield and the creaking of the wipers, growing impatient as he tried to make out the conversation Li Yiming was having on the phone.


    "Alright, thank you." Li Yiming hung up, only to shake his head in frustration when Chen Quan looked at him.


    "So the lead is broken?" Chen Quan asked in a bitter voice.


    "It seems like they¡¯ve gotten it from a temporary market half a year ago." Li Yiming disclosed the result of the interrogation of the leader of the Merry Couples gang to Chen Quan.


    Chen Quan frowned, well aware that those kind of markets were usually temporary gatherings which were open to all. To retrace the seller of the stone tablets in their current situation was near impossible.


    "Lin Lu promised us that she would continue investigating," Li Yiming said as he threw the cell phone onto the dashboard.


    "So, should we try again with the seller?" Chen Quan looked at the stone market across the street.


    After seeing the stone tablet on the pamphlet, the two had hurried back to the stone market, only to be told that the tablet had been sold away. To make matters worse, they had been told that it was offered to a customer as a gift for the purchase of a pricey jade bracelet. Beyond that, Li Yiming did not manage to get any more useful information, as the seller was adamant about protecting the privacy of his customers.


    "It¡¯s no use. If they wanted to get their hands on the tablet, then they must have used a fake identity during the purchase."


    "So are we just going to let it go?" Chen Quan was unwilling to give up when the truth was so close.


    "From what it sounds like, the bracelet must really have been worth a fortune, so I don¡¯t think that it was bought with cash... which means that we might just be able to trace down the buyer."


    "You think that we should look at the transaction logs?"


    "Yes. I don¡¯t think there should be many expensive transactions of that scale, so it would narrow down our search quite a lot."


    "But that kind of information isn¡¯t avable to the public. Are you nning on asking the people in National Security?" Chen Quan knew that Li Yiming did not trust the people in National Security entirely.


    "I have a better idea." Li Yiming said as he picked up his phone.


    In an old house thousands of kilometers away, Eyesses¡¯ cell phone began ringing.


    "It¡¯s Li Yiming..." Eyesses said as he looked at his phone.


    Eyesses and his friends held their breath, only for the cranking of the rusted window under the violent gusts of wind to be heard.


    "Pick it up," Qing Linglong said.


    Eyesses took a deep breath and answered the phone.


    "Hey, do you have some time?" Li Yiming¡¯s voice was heard.


    "For what?"


    "Could you find the transaction records for a shop. I need to find one of the buyers..." Without the need for formalities between the two, Li Yiming went straight to the point.


    "Transaction records for a jadeware shop?" Eyesses¡¯ breathing quickened despite his best efforts to keep them down.


    "Can you do it?"


    "There should be no problems, as long as you have the name of the shop." Eyesses took a deep breath once again to adjust his breathing.


    "Is there something wrong?" Li Yiming asked, noticing Eyesses¡¯ abnormal tone.


    "Huh? Everything¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just having a massage, you know..." Eyesses faked a lewdugh.


    "Alright then. Tell me if you find anything." Li Yiming sighed and hung up.


    "He doesn¡¯t seem to know about it." Eyesses¡¯ughter was cut short as soon as he hung up, and he took on a severe countenance. His left hand was covering a gaping wound on his abdomen, and his friends were no better ¡ª Qing Linglong had her left shoulder dislocated, while Big Beard sat on the damaged arm of his mecha, which was covered in bullet holes.


    "He¡¯s not involved in this..." Qing Qiaoqiao let out a sigh of relief and gave a bottle of medicine to Eyesses.


    "It¡¯s not going to be much use to him. You should try this..." Big Beard said as he rolled up his sleeves and put his wrist in front of Eyesses.


    While hesitating at first, Eyesses suddenly took on a firm expression as he plunged his teeth into Big Beard¡¯s flesh.

 Volume 8 Chapter 44

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Crack!


    Qing Linglong frowned as she put her dislocated shoulder back into the normal position, but her attention was mostly focused on Eyesses, for the news about Li Yiming he would bring.


    "He¡¯s not involved in this. Seems like things aren¡¯t as bad as we think they are," Big Beard said as he took out a cigar and took a puff, seemingly unaffected by the pain caused by his bleeding wound.


    "Who were those people?" Qing Qiaoqiao said with a frightened voice as she helped her sister bandage up.


    "Pan Junwei..." Eyesses spat out as he let go of Big Beard¡¯s wrist.


    "Didn¡¯t expect him to join forces with Yun Yiyuan..." Qing Linglong said with a sunken voice.


    "I¡¯m not so sure about that... If he really was working for Yun Yiyuan, I doubt we would have made it out alive," Big Beard said as he rolled the bandage around his wrist.


    "Then why did they attack us? Were they not here to protect theboratory?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked angrily. They had escaped at the cost of Big Beard¡¯s mecha.


    "I¡¯ve met him before... He was an honorable man." Big Beard said with a low voice as he looked at the remnants of his mecha ¡ª it was broken beyond what he could repair with his talent.


    "He had a military background, ording to my research." Eyesses said as he opened hisputer.


    "So you¡¯re saying that he¡¯s protecting the country?" Qing Qiaoqiao said with a voice full of disbelief.


    "Well, I think we all have a different understanding of what it means to protect the country. Heaven¡¯s Laws used to be our shackle, but now that it¡¯s gone..." Qing Linglong said as she moved her left arm around.


    "But how could he possibly think that? Protecting the country by using artificial guardians? Doesn¡¯t he know what that implies?"


    "You know, in a way, it does fix some problems."


    "What do you mean?"


    "With Heaven¡¯s Laws gone, we are free to do whatever we want. Although most of us are still being careful, you can imagine how things will turn out in the future."


    "Big Beard¡¯s right. Even now, you can see how the newly-awakened guardians have no regard forws. If everyone starts to do whatever they want, it¡¯s going to be a disaster," Eyesses agreed.


    "So you¡¯re telling me that he went back to the military to create an army that can establish order?"


    "You¡¯ve seen it for yourself. Aside from Pan Junwei, there wererge groups of soldiers who participated in the ambush. I wouldn¡¯t think that Yun Yiyuan would be able to have this much influence over the military in such a short span of time."


    "Well, it would make sense for the military to finally react to all these bizarre urrences over thest year."


    "What about Li Yiming? I thought he was working with National Security?"


    "We need to go have a talk with him... face to face..." Qing Linglong said with a severe countenance. Having no other means to stop the military¡¯s research by themselves, Li Yiming¡¯s help became of utmost importance.


    "Before that, how about we have a talk?" An amused voice was suddenly heard from behind.


    "Who is it?" Big Beard said as he pulled out a steel dagger, his teammates followed suit and each brandished their own weapons.


    "It¡¯s me, Wu Yun." Wu Yun appeared in his usual greasy factory uniform.


    * * *


    Li Yiming, who waspletely unaware of what was happening with his teammates, descended from his car with an umbre after closing his phone.


    "We should receive news from them soon. I trust them. Could you go back and wait for me at the tea shop? I have a few things I¡¯d like to do," Li Yiming said to Chen Quan.


    "Alright." Although disappointed, Chen Quan resolved to waiting, as there seemed to be nothing he could do.


    "Be careful, okay?" Li Yiming said as he walked away from the car.


    From his call with Lin Lu, he was also informed about the results of the interrogation of the gang leader. After forcing him to spill the beans, they learned that Yun Yiyuan was the one behind Wu Jia¡¯s kidnapping. Upon receiving the news, Li Yiming cracked a devious smile that not even Liu Meng would have recognized on him, as he looked forward to fighting Yun Yiyuan.


    * * *


    "Look at this," A young girl who looked like she was in junior high school said as she opened the door holding several file folders.


    Li Huaibei shook his head when he saw the young girl and resumed sipping his wine.


    "Oh? What did you find?" Tian Yan asked, not showing any reaction.


    "Her name is Wu Jia. She¡¯s one of Li Yiming¡¯s high school ssmates." Qian Mian seemed a little disappointed at the two not showing any reactions to his disguise and began presenting his findings.


    "Nothing unusual." Tian Yan said when she finished hearing the report.


    "Yes, everything is normal until a few days ago, when she attended a stone exhibition. She was kidnapped and almost raped as a result." Qian Mian said as he went to thest page of the report.


    "Really? Which one?"


    "The same one you attended a few days ago."


    "Where was she brought to after being kidnapped?" Tian Yan asked.


    "A sauna center."


    "Dreamy Watend?"


    "You¡¯ve got it."


    "So is she the reason why Li Yiming ughtered the entire gang?" Tian Yan nced at Li Huaibei, who also paused in his drinking.


    "Sounds about right, based on the information we¡¯ve got here."


    "So we were right... Where¡¯s Li Yiming?" Tian Yan knew that if she had figured out the truth behind the kidnappings, then Li Yiming surely must have as well.


    "On his way to the headquarters of Yunyun Corporation."


    "Bring Tian Yan back, I¡¯ll go take care of Wu Jia." Li Huaibei suddenly put his cup down and stood up.


    "You¡¯re not going anywhere," Qian Mian said with a sunken countenance. After seeing the stone tablets, he had grown wary of Li Huaibei¡¯s role in the events which were about to unfold ¡ª he doubted as to whether he was the one who would im Stargaze¡¯s life.


    "I think I¡¯ll stay too. I want to have a look at Li Yiming." Tian Yan understood that Li Huaibei was worried for her safety, but she could not possibly let valuable information slip by when they were so close to the truth.


    "I¡¯ll trust that you¡¯ll take care of yourself. I¡¯ll go investigate the stone tablets and the mysterious being at the stone exhibition that was able to suppress your senses," Qian Mian said as he began walking toward the door. When he reached the exit, he had transformed into an old man with a hunched back.


    * * *


    Inside the tea shop, Chen Jiawang found himself staring at Bai Ze as he gave her her third ice cream in less than half an hour.


    "So... are you really boss¡¯s cousin?" Chen Jiawang found Bai Ze¡¯s story a little bit hard to believe, given the fact that she did not look like Li Yiming at all.


    "You think I had a choice in this?" Bai Ze stared back at Chen Jiawang in frustration, disappointed by Li Yiming¡¯s true identity.


    "It¡¯s not good for you to eat that much ice cream..." Chen Jiawang took out a piece of tissue and wiped away the ice cream on Bai Ze¡¯s cheeks.


    "Shut up. Go and get me two more buckets. After that, we¡¯ll go to the amusement park." Bai Ze decided that she needed a way to vent out her frustration, and the best way would be by riding roller coasters and wooden horses.


    "So, are you..." Chen Jiawang suddenly asked with a low voice.


    "What do you think?" Bai Ze looked back at Chen Jiawang as if she was looking at an idiot. "What¡¯s your talent?"


    "So you really are a guardian?" Chen Jiawang could not believe what she heard.


    Bai Ze rolled her eyes and continued eating her ice cream.


    "How about you tell me first?" Chen Jiawang was brimming with curiosity, but he still had a hard time believing that the cute little girl sitting in front of him possessed extraordinary powers.


    Bai Ze pursed her lips out of annoyance and picked up a coin from the table.


    "Have a close look." Bai Ze closed her fists and opened them again; the coin had turned into a small metallic sphere.


    "Wow..." Chen Jiawang was shocked at he examined the solid metallic ball.


    "Your turn now."


    "Hehe, have a look at this..." Chen Jiawang licked his lips and put the metallic ball back onto the table, only this time, it emitted a golden luster.


    "Alchemy?" Bai Ze¡¯s eyes lit up.


    "Wait a second." Bai Ze suddenly jumped off her chair and made for the door.


    "Hey! Where are you going?" Chen Jiawang chased after her.


    "Can you get me a ss cup?" Bai Ze came back before Chen Jiawang even made it out of the room.


    After Chen Jiawang gave her a cup, she turned it over and mmed it onto the table.


    "...A fly?" Chen Jiawang looked at the bug inside the cup.


    "Ever tried your power on living things?" Bai Ze pointed at the cup.


    "What?"


    "Give it a shot."

 Volume 8 Chapter 45

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Wow, it really does work!" Chen Jiawang eximed as he looked at the golden statue in his palm, which vividly replicated every single detail of the fly. This was the first time he had attempted to use his power on an animal, and its sess gave him an even more daring thought of trying it on bigger animals.


    "I know what you¡¯re thinking, it should work, you¡¯ll have to be stronger before you try it." Bai Ze said in a rather pretentious tone as she took another bite off her ice cream. She was always more concerned with thebat effectiveness of guardian talents rather than their general usefulness.


    "How do I be stronger? " Chen Jiawang knew from Li Yiming¡¯s many tales that the world was gradually descending into chaos. He had always wanted to contribute to saving the world, but he did not know how. He now saw a sliver of hope thanks to Bai Ze¡¯s experiment.


    "About that..." Bai Ze started to talk, but suddenly shut up as the main door was flung open.


    "Wu Jia?"


    "Is Li Yiming here?" Wu Jia was wearing a white shirt, jeans, and had a rather pale countenance. She had just gotten out of the hospital earlier in the morning and was apanied home by one of the National Security agents. Despite her frail state, all she could think of was to see Li Yiming. She was still somewhat traumatized by the experience of being kidnapped, but she distinctly remembered Li Yiming to be the one who brought to her warmth and hope ¡ª she knew that she was in love.


    "Boss isn¡¯t here."


    Wu Jia¡¯s hopes were shattered by the same disappointing answer.


    "Oh..." Wu Jia said disappointingly as she sank into the sofa by the counter,pletely ignoring Bai Ze, who was just sitting beside her.


    "What do you have here?" Wu Jia turned her attention toward the golden fly, in an attempt to find something else to bring her mood back up.


    "Oh, this? Boss told me to give this to you. He said that since you didn¡¯t want the potted nt which was so expensive..." Chen Jiawang felt bad for Wu Jia, whose feelings were so obvious, and yet Li Yiming did not reciprocate them.


    "That¡¯s for me?" Wu Jia¡¯s face instantly lit up with happiness. She took the golden fly and began examining it carefully. Just like the potted nt, it was a masterpiece which intricately replicated the details, down to every single little hair on the fly¡¯s legs.


    "Of course." Chen Jiawang nodded, unable toe up with a better excuse.


    "Are you helping Li Yiming court her?" Bai Ze suddenly asked.


    "Oh?" Wu Jia was instantly attracted to Bai Ze¡¯s cuteness, which was as attractive to girls as any kind of pretty essory.


    "She¡¯s the boss¡¯s cousin." Chen Jiawang exined.


    "He has a cousin? I didn¡¯t know..." Wu Jia put away the golden fly and picked up Bai Ze.


    "There are a lot of things you don¡¯t know..." Bai Ze rolled her eyes over Wu Jia¡¯s shoulders, looking in Chen Jiawang¡¯s direction.


    "Well..." Chen Jiawang did not know what to say.


    "What¡¯s your name? How old are you?" Wu Jia asked as she touched Bai Ze¡¯s soft cheeks.


    "My name is Li Bai." Bai Ze said with wide eyes, as she made up a name which borrowed Li Yiming¡¯s family name.


    "Li Bai?" Wu Jia was rather astonished by the rather umon name.


    "My big brother gave me that name." Bai Ze tried her hardest to lean back and escape from Wu Jia¡¯s embrace. As a Divine Beast, she would have blown any guardians¡¯ heads up if any of them dared to hold her in such a way.


    "That sounds like him."


    "Oh yeah, are you avable now?" Bai Ze suddenly asked.


    "What?"


    "Bring me to the amusement park!" Bai Ze suddenly thought of a brilliant idea. In the short-term, it would allow her to satisfy her own needs for entertainment. More importantly, in the long run, Bai Ze knew that the chances of Liu Meng evering back were extremely slim. Therefore, she agreed with Chen Jiawang in trying to get Wu Jia together with Li Yiming. She could feel Wu Jia¡¯s sincere feelings for Li Yiming, and she believed that she could y a key role in awakening him from his dormant state. After all, Li Yiming could only be described as nothing more than a walking corpse in his current state.


    Enticed by both her rtionship with Li Yiming and Bai Ze¡¯s charming cuteness, Wu Jia could not refuse. Chen Jiawang also tagged along, for fear of Bai Ze¡¯s safety, and so all three embarked on a trip to the amusement park.


    "Bai Ze..." When Ying Mei saw the surveince footage of the trio exiting the tea house, she smiled confidently. ¡¯Exactly as I thought... And now you¡¯re letting Bai Ze protect her? Let¡¯s see how long you can hide...¡¯


    "Tell our people to keep their distances. Especially that little girl, do not create eye contact with her."


    "Oh? What¡¯s happening over there? Who is responsible for that team?" Ying Mei suddenly noticed an abnormality in the surveince footage.


    "I think it¡¯s team seven..."


    "Team seven? The team responsible for recruiting that guy who broke out of jail?"


    "Yes, it seems like they¡¯re there. Should we tell them to abandon their operation?"


    "Wait..." Ying Mei put down her coffee and stared at the screen as she recalled the information written in the criminal¡¯s file.


    "Call the police. Tell them we¡¯ve tracked down the criminal."


    "Tell the police? "


    "Do as I say." Ying Mei ordered with a cial tone.


    "Yes, ma¡¯am."


    On the rooftop of a building nearby, under the focus of many cameras was Fang Shui¡¯er, who was in the middle of an interview.


    "So, Ms. Fang, what do you think of your character in this new show? You did state that it was going to help you achieve a career breakthrough..." The host asked a question she had rehearsed many times, as it was extremely difficult to get Fang Shui¡¯er to participate in such kinds of show.


    "I did indeed say that. It¡¯s very different from the roles I¡¯ve taken on previously, so when I saw the script, I was instantly charmed..." Fang Shui¡¯er brushed her hair as she tactfully maneuvered her way through the host¡¯s question, but not before she was interrupted by loud police sirens.


    "Oh?" The host turned around. The director gestured to the camera crew to stop filming and went to check out what was happening.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯ll have to redo this segment. Ms. Fang, would you like to take a break?" The director nced at his watch with disappointment and rushed toward Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "No worries, do you know what¡¯s happening below?" Fang Shui¡¯er pulled on her skirt and walked to the fence of the rooftop. She could see a file of patrol cars converging toward an intersection nearby.


    "Who knows... It seems like security nowadays is a lot tighter, I¡¯ve heard that..." The director sighed, but halfway through hisint, he suddenly realized that it was an inappropriate thing to say with Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s presence, and decided to keep quiet.


    "The world has changed." Fang Shui¡¯er sighed, but just as she finished her sentence, her attention was suddenly caught by a little girl with ponytails who was munching away at an apple near a fruit stand. As she stared at the little girl, the girl stared back at her with her big, watery eyes.


    ¡¯Bai Ze...¡¯ Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s body shook as she could feel her connection to Li Yiming slowly awakening.


    "It doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ll be able to resume anytime soon. Director, do you mind if I take a walk below? I don¡¯t have anything nned forter in the day, so we can alwayse back," Fang Shui¡¯er said with a smile.


    "Of course!" The director was relieved, as he had been most worried by Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s schedule not working out. "Are you sure you want to go down by yourself? Should we send an assistant instead?"


    "It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just walk around for a bit. I¡¯ll be fine." Fang Shui¡¯er said as she signaled her assistant to bring her coat and made for the elevator.


    "Go with her." The director signaled to his crew to apany Fang Shui¡¯er, just to avoid any kind of ident before the end of filming.


    Boom!


    Just as the elevator went down the building, a giant explosion was heard from a street corner nearby, and a giant puff of smoke slowly rose into the sky.

 Volume 8 Chapter 46

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Right as they heard the sound of the explosion, Chen Jiawang and Wu Jia turned around, and thetter put herself in front of Bai Ze.


    "It probably has something to do with those police sirens. We should leave..." Chen Jiawang nced in the direction of the explosion.


    "Let¡¯s stay for a bit longer. We might get to see something interesting." Bai Ze peeked from behind Wu Jia and said in a rather amused tone.


    As Bai Ze finished her sentence, a man suddenly appeared at the corner of the street and began sprinting towards them.


    ¡¯There¡¯s something wrong with him...¡¯ Chen Jiawang¡¯s palm began sweating as he felt a slight sense of danger.


    Chen Jiawang exchanged looks with the man, who seemed to have been attracted to Wu Jia¡¯s unique air. It was a man of medium build, with thick eyebrows twisted into an expression of panic. The man nced back at the police cars, and then stared at Wu Jia with a desperate, devious smile ¡ª he spat on the ground and started running towards her.


    "What is he up to?" Chen Jiawang¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he made ready to intercept the man.


    "Stop right there!" Chen Jiawang yelled at the top of his lungs, putting himself in front of Wu Jia and Bai Ze.


    The man let out a scornful smile and continued elerating.


    "Shit!" Chen Jiawang now realized that the man was targeting them. Somehow, he found the courage to rush toward the man and tackle him rather than backing down. Instead of the painful impact he expected, he passed through the man as if thetter was made of thin air and fell to the ground.


    "What happened?" Chen Jiawang turned his head and crawled up, only to see the man staring back at him with the same look of surprise.


    "Why, why are you here too?" The man asked in a confused voice.


    "Interesting..." Bai Ze said as she took a big bite from her apple. The street, which had been a busy mess, was nowpletely empty. The crowd, the wailing sirens, and even the thick smoke were all gone.


    "Get on the ground or she dies!" The man suddenly jumped up and grabbed Bai Ze by the neck, quickly surveying the street with his eyes and showing relief upon realizing they were alone.


    "What are you up to?" Chen Jiawang yelled while Wu Jia shrieked in terror.


    "Shut up and go inside!" The man threatened, picked up a fruit knife from the stand and put it against Bai Ze¡¯s neck.


    "Don¡¯t hurt her..." Wu Jia sobbed as tears rolled down her cheeks.


    "Listen to me if you don¡¯t want her to die." The man threw a threatening stare at Chen Jiawang.


    "Listen to him." Bai Ze pursed her lips.


    "Just calm down, alright!" Chen Jiawang said as he helped Wu Jia walk into the small shop.


    As the thick metallic curtain came down with a thud, the atmosphere inside the small shop grew even tenser.


    The criminal was a man called Li Tie, who was serving a sentence for rape. A month ago, he realized that he had acquired some kind of extraordinary power, and he broke out of jail with it. It was a very odd ability which allowed him to split himself in the rest of the world spatially for three hours, and he could bring whomever he wished to bring along with him. Although there were certain restrictions, such as the need to rest for an entire day before being able to use his power again, it was practically effortless for him to escape the authorities. This time, Chen Jiawang, Bai Ze and Wu Jia were brought into his tiny world.


    ¡¯Ooof, good thing that little girl was also brought along... I have to be careful around that guy, he¡¯s got guts for wanting to fight me instead of running away.¡¯


    "Who are you? What do you want?" Chen Jiawang put Wu Jia against a wall and went back to face Li Tie.


    "You, put that rope around him." Li Tie looked at Chen Jiawang and was surprised at the calmness thetter disyed. He picked up some cords which were used to tie bags of fruits together and threw it at Wu Jia¡¯s feet.


    "If you don¡¯t listen to me she¡¯s going to die." Li Tie said as he brandished the knife in front of Bai Ze¡¯s chest.


    "Listen to him." Chen Jiawang looked at Bai Ze anxiously, only to see that she did not seem afraid in the slightest. After remembering the scene where Bai Ze was able to bend metal coins as if they were made of paper, he started to feel more rxed.


    Wu Jia picked up the rope and slowly wrapped it around Chen Jiawang, sobbing every few seconds.


    "Tighter!" Li Tie roared in anger, causing Wu Jia to fasten her pace dramatically until Chen Jiawang waspletely nailed to the wooden chair.


    "Who are you?" Chen Jiawang asked as he stared back venomously at Li Tie.


    "Hehe." Li Tie finally let out a smile when he concluded the two in front of him were no longer a threat.


    "Who am I? Haven¡¯t you heard all the police sirens earlier?" Li Tie rxed and put Bai Ze down, who did not cry in the slightest, which Li Tie attributed to being traumatized.


    "You mean... you¡¯re that criminal?"


    "To be precise, I¡¯m that criminal who escaped from jail. Do you know what I did to get in there? Hehehe, rape..." The man said with a lewd smile as he scrutinized Wu Jia.


    Although the man had awakened as a guardian, just like Chen Jiawang, he waspletely unaware of the rules which guardians were bound to. After being chased by teams of armed police force, he fell into a panic. Just as he was thinking on how to escape, heid eyes on Wu Jia and the fire of lust began burning within him. As he decided to make Wu Jia hisst prey, he transported himself to another space along with her, but for reasons unknown to him, Chen Jiawang and Bai Ze were also transported.


    "You... You..." Wu Jia was on the verge of an emotional copse. She desperately sought refuge behind Chen Jiawang, but he could do nothing to help her as he waspletely tied to the chair.


    "Aren¡¯t you a sexy woman! Look at you! Now I feel ashamed of myself. Why did I go to prison for someone who looked not even half as good as you do?" Li Tie picked up a tomato and chewed on it savagely, letting the juice spill out of his mouth and drip down his neck, making his appearance even more repulsive.


    "I should thank fate for bringing you to me." Li Tie wiped his mouth and spat out on the ground.


    As the adrenaline from the police chase dwindled down, Li Tie began to concoct the next steps of his escape. He would be able to hide for three whole hours, which were more than enough to escape in a big city like this. After that, he would only need to hide for one more day before he could use three hours again to escape to safety.


    Li Tie was now rxed and focused more on enjoying the prey he had caught rather than his personal safety.


    "So, why did you go to prison again?" Bai Ze¡¯s innocent voice was heard.


    "Oh, fearless aren¡¯t you?" Li Tie turned around in surprise, only to see Bai Ze resume eating her apple.


    "Because of rape. Do you know what that is?" Li Tie rolled up his sleeves and walked towards Bai Ze.


    "Rape?" Bai Ze frowned in disgust.


    "That¡¯s when I..."


    Bai Ze interrupted Li Tie with a p to the face. The force of the blow sent Li Tie flying, and he instantly turned into a foggy shadow rotating at an impossible speed.


    When Li Tie finally fell to the ground, he felt as if his eyeballs were about to fly out of their sockets. With Bai Ze¡¯s exceptional control over her strength, she pped Li Tie with enough force to send him flying away, but did not kill him immediately. Aftering back to his senses, Li Tie instantly felt an irrepressible urge to puke.


    The p she delivered surprised everyone, including Wu Jia and Chen Jiawang. Wu Jia, in particr, could not even Bai Ze¡¯s movements. Instead, all she could see was Li Tie suddenly fly into the air beforending on the ground and puking. She was even beginning to wonder what the scene would have looked like if she had recorded it with her cell phone.


    The metal door to the fruit shop was suddenly opened with a loud thud.


    "What?" Li Tie said as he spat out a chipped tooth and stared at the neers.


    ¡¯I thought it was an isted space? Why are there so many people here?¡¯

 Volume 8 Chapter 47

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Is it him?" Five men in ck were standing at the entrance of the fruit shop. The man who seemed to be the leader asked one of his subordinates.


    "We have a match. He should be the right guy." One of the men holding a scanner answered hesitantly.


    "Alright, bring him along." The man who led the group frowned as he looked at the rather odd scene in the fruit shop: a young man tied to a chair, a small child, and a woman who was frightened for her life. ¡¯Well... shit... He¡¯s doing it again... How did the police track this guy that quickly?¡¯


    "Are you here to save us?" Wu Jia skirted around Li Tie and ran toward the men in ck with a smile, desperate for help.


    "Don¡¯t!" Chen Jiawang noticed that there was something wrong with the men in ck.


    "Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re rescued alright." The leader said and one of his subordinates reached into their pockets.


    "She¡¯s thinking of you as her savior, and this is how you repay her?" A voice was heard from behind. The group of men turned around in shock and prepared themselves for a fight.


    Standing behind them was a middle-aged police officer, who seemed to be high-ranked based on the shoulder pads of his uniform.


    "Who are you?" The leader knew full well that very few could make their way into their current location, meaning that the man in front of them was no ordinary person.


    "I¡¯m just passing by." The police officer said with a smile,pletely ignoring the question.


    "We¡¯re from Yunyu corporation." The man in ck decided to reveal their background.


    "I know." The police officer kept his smile and looked at Bai Ze instead.


    "Who... who are you?" Li Tie, who had barely recovered from Bai Ze¡¯s p, asked with a weak voice. He looked at the empty streets, at the still clock hanging by the wall of the fruit shop, and realized that he was still indeed in his "own world". ¡¯So... how the hell did all those people get in here?¡¯


    "If you¡¯ve heard about Yunyu Corporation, then surely you¡¯re going to mind your own business." The man in ck threatened the police officer. He could tell from thetter was not some kind of incredibly strong foe.


    "Of course. I¡¯m just having a look." The officer stepped back with a smile, indicating that he was not going to intervene.


    The men in ck frowned but nheless nodded at one of his subordinates, who raised his gun in the direction of Bai Ze, Wu Jia, and Chen Jiawang.


    "Watch out!" Chen Jiawang rushed forward to protect Wu Jia, putting himself in front of her.


    Instead of a gunshot, the man who held the gun suddenly knelt down with his other hand holding his hand, and blood seeping out of his wrist.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er?" The leader spotted the neer.


    "Don¡¯t look at me. We¡¯re not working together." The police officer took another step back.


    "I let my guard down..." The leader looked at Chen Jiawang¡¯s glowing palm. He had thought of thetter as an ordinary person, but it was now obvious that Chen Jiawang had let himself be restrained just so the criminal would drop his guard.


    "I thought the Star Alliance was supposed to protect the innocent," Fang Shui¡¯er said.


    "I¡¯m just afraid to bite off more than I can chew." The officer shrugged his shoulders.


    "You know what, I really don¡¯t like this face of yours." Fang Shui¡¯er said jokingly.


    "If I knew that you woulde, I would have shown up with a different face. How about this one?" The officer said as he began to rub his cheeks. Suddenly, his body morphed into that of a handsome young man.


    "Qian Mian? Star Alliance? Fang Shui¡¯er, you¡¯ve joined them?" The leader jumped back, no longer able to control the situation.


    "I¡¯ve told you that we¡¯re not working together." Qian Mian shook his head in frustration.


    "Not working together? Then who are you working for?" The leader turned his attention toward Fang Shui¡¯er, but she stayed silent. The leader then had no choice but to look at Chen Jiawang.


    "We¡¯re from... Pure Water Herb Hall!" Chen Jiawang¡¯s heart was racing. ¡¯Yunyu Corporation? Star Alliance? Are these guardian organizations? Boss never told me anything about that... I¡¯ll just have toe up with something..."


    "Pure Water Herb Hall?" The leader asked with a face full of perplexion.


    Unlike the leader, Fang Shui¡¯er and Qian Mian¡¯s eyes lit up as soon as they heard the name. They turned toward Bai Ze to see her reaction, only to see that she did not refute the im. The two instantly thought of it as confirmation that Li Yiming had indeed created his own organization.


    "I don¡¯t care which organization you¡¯re from, but we should work together as guardians. I need this guy." The leader stated ¡ª his mission was to recruit fresh blood, not make new enemies. He supposed that neither the Star Alliance nor the organization Chen Jiawang belonged to had the courage to stand up to Yunyu Corporation.


    "He stays here," Bai Ze suddenly interrupted.


    "You..." The leader grew angry.


    Qian Mian squinted his eyes, as he was well aware of the strategic value of Li Tie¡¯s ability. Based on what he knew, Li Tie¡¯s ability consisted in creating a small ne of existence parallel to the world, almost like creating his own small domain. This was a much-needed asset for creating a training ground for guardians, as well as for transporting goods and weapons onto the battlefield. Furthermore, Li Tie hadrge potential to grow and acquire even more useful abilities.


    "So are we really enemies?" The leader made onest attempt to solve the issue diplomatically. He no longer considered Bai Ze to be a frail, inoffensive little girl anymore, but he still greatly underestimated her due to her looks.


    "Shit! What are you doing?!" Bai Ze suddenly spat out her apple and rushed outside.


    The group of men in ck backed away in a hurry, only to realize that Bai Ze was noting for them.


    ¡¯What happened?" Qian Mian looked in the direction Bai Ze was looking, but he could not feel anything. Yet, he could see the visible anxiety and even terror on Bai Ze¡¯s face.


    "It¡¯s him?" Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly felt her chest tighten. She knew that the feeling came from her connection to Li Yiming.


    "No! Don¡¯t!" Bai Ze suddenly let out a long roar which pierced the clouds all while releasing her aura, immediately affecting everyone around her.


    The five men in ck instantly copsed to the ground,pletely terrorized by Bai Ze¡¯s suddenly disy of might.


    Qian Mian took out a jade pendant and put it in front of him. His talent was not made forbat, so there was no way he could resist Bai Ze¡¯s might without some help. He had not expected Bai Ze to grow so much in such a short span of time.


    Since Fang Shui¡¯er was also connected to Li Yiming just like Bai Ze was, their emotions became linked - she felt Bai Ze¡¯s terror. Her first course of action was sending the men in ck flying back into the real world.


    "Sorry." Fang Shui¡¯er turned toward Qian Mian. Instead of pushing him out directly, she created a dome of light which instantly covered half of the city. Qian Mian¡¯s silhouette vanished in an instant.


    "A Boundary? She¡¯s a sage?" Qian Mian could not believe his eyes.

 Volume 8 Chapter 48

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Half an hour prior, after leaving Chen Quan to return to the tea shop by himself, Li Yiming made straight for Yunding Tower, the headquarters of Yunyu Corporation. Just as he was about to arrive, he received a message on his phone.


    "The buyer is called Zhang Wei. He¡¯s the Public rtions VP of Yunyu Corporation." As always, Eyesses was highly efficient in his work.


    "What a coincidence. Well, that¡¯s going to save me some trouble." Li Yiming smiled as he walked toward the entrance of the skyscraper.


    "Please show your ID." This time, the security guards were very diligent.


    "I¡¯m looking for someone."


    "From which department? Do you have an appointment?"


    "Tell your boss that I¡¯ming here to take what¡¯s mine." Li Yiming extended his senses upward, but he did not find Yun Yiyuan.


    "Sir..." The security guardughed in frustration, thinking of Li Yiming as nothing more than a foolish young man looking to make an impression.


    "Oh well, I don¡¯t think you have his number anyways. I¡¯m going in." Li Yiming ignored the security guard and made for the elevator.


    "Sir, you¡¯re going to get hurt." This time, the security guard was much more gentle and professional.


    "What¡¯s happening?" A voice was suddenly heard.


    "We have a visitor here who¡¯s looking for Mr. Yun..." The security guard recognized the manager of his department. He thought that he was going to be in trouble for not kicking Li Yiming out of the building right away.


    "You...!" The manager was about to roar out in anger, only to stop himself when he realized that Li Yiming¡¯s face seemed somewhat familiar.


    Li Yiming suddenly snapped his fingers, and a purple ark of electricity was discharged in the main hall. Facing the manager, who was a guardian, Li Yiming had far less reserve than when he was dealing with the security guard.


    "Can I go inside now?" Li Yiming turned toward the security guard with a smile.


    "You..."


    "I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that you can go home early today. The bad news is that you might just lose your job today." Li Yiming gave his coat to the security guard.


    The security guard scrambled for the exit, as if he had just seen a ghost. As soon as he rushed out of the building, a ckout happened. Just as he tried to calm his trembling and wondered whether he should call the police, a gunshot was heard, followed by another one, and then a flurry of gunshots. Having received rigorous training, the security guard could tell that those were not the sounds of handguns being fired.


    ¡¯But there¡¯s no way he could have carried any kind of heavy weaponry on him! Does that mean it¡¯s people from thepany? I thought we specialized in real estate and luxury goods? Why do people carry assault rifles around here?¡¯ The security guard looked up amidst the chaos, only to see a window shattered into a million fragments. What looked like a giant beast emerged out of the window, only to be sent flying back towards another window by someone with a single kick.


    The security guard rubbed his eyes as hard as he could. If it were not for the two giant gaping holes in the building and the downpour of ss shards, he would have thought he was hallucinating.


    ¡¯I should have listened to my dad and stayed in the countryside... The city really is a dangerous ce...¡¯ The security guard ran into the streets in terror, praying for his own safety.


    As Li Yiming jumped off a giant lizard, he closed his eyes and extended his senses once again.


    ¡¯Seven left...¡¯ He frowned as he made for the twentieth floor.


    "Did you call for reinforcements?" A middle-aged man holding a knife screamed to a young man inside a reinforced office.


    "All of our electronics are fried..." The young man held a cell phone in one hand and a gun with his other. In a situation like this, ordinary people like him were mostly useless.


    "Shit! Who has the guts toe here like this?" The middle-aged man cursed between heavy gasps for air. He was about to burst out in anger at what he thought was false rm, only for the power in the entire building to go out. He knew that this could not have been an ident, as they had many backup ns.


    Just as he rushed out of his office, weapon in hand, a giant hole appeared in the floor. Someone had broken through the floor and the ceiling of the floor and flew all the way to the rooftop. As he looked into the hole, he saw it go all the way down to the eleventh floor.


    "Our teams wille back to reinforce us. They¡¯ll know that something is wrong with the headquarters." The young man tried to calm himself down as he put down the phone.


    "Shit! I¡¯ll deal with him!" The middle-aged found his courage when he was reminded that Yun Yiyuan would soone back. If he was able tost until his arrival, surely he would be rewarded for his courage. Just has a blue glow appeared around his body, and scales begin to cover his skin, a hand pierced through the metal door and snatched his neck.


    "Ugghh!" The man was instantly stopped in his tracks, and his eyes widened as he struggled to breathe.


    One light buzzing soundter, and he was turned into a charred corpse.


    "Zhang Wei? The VP of the PR department?" A man with a radiant smile came in with a sheet containing information about the managers of thepany.


    "You¡¯re... Li Yiming?"


    "The stone tablet." Li Yiming nodded, walked over the charred corpse, and sat down right in front of the young man.


    "What?" Zhang Wei did not understand that Li Yiming was getting at.


    "The one you bought from the stone exhibition." Li Yiming picked up a box of cigarettes from the desk and lit one up for himself. Only after one long whiff did he realize that he had not smoked for a long while.


    The young man immediately obeyed, rushing to open his suitcase.


    "Yes. Very nice." Li Yiming nodded.


    "Please..." Zhang Wei trembled even more violently when he remembered that even Yun Yiyuan backed down against Li Yiming back at the banquet.


    "This is the twenty-first floor." Li Yiming made himselffortable on the office chair.


    "They... they forced me to join the corporation. They said that they were going to kill me if I didn¡¯t... Please... I¡¯m just responsible for buying merchandise..." The young man was on the verge of copse.


    "I¡¯ll let you live. Go tell Yun Yiyuan that this is my answer for his poking around."


    "Huh?"


    "Do you really want to jump down?"


    "Thank you! Thank you! I¡¯ll deliver your message, I promise." The young man tripped many times as he scrambled toward the exit.


    ¡¯I¡¯ll spare that one...¡¯ Li Yiming sighed and threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray. As he looked at the stone tablet on the table, he was certain that it was part of the set of tes which depicted a scene of importance for the future, only he was not sure about the meaning of the scene.


    The tablet depicted a faceless man holding a staff. Unlike the other stone tablets, this one had a radical change in style ¡ª the man was sculpted in the way made any viewer feel like he was about to jump out of the tablet.


    When Li Yiming put his hand on the staff depicted on the tablet, he found himself transported into a pitch-ck ce. In front of him stood a dark shadow.


    "Oh, this again..." Li Yiming¡¯s lips curled up as he had grown familiar with such a scene.


    "It has really been a long time..." Li Yiming¡¯s countenance shifted as soon as he saw the face of the man. Unlike the previous times, he was not facing Mr. Kong, but himself.

 Volume 8 Chapter 49

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "You..." Li Yiming had a strange feeling when he saw his clone. When Li Yiming stared into his eyes, he was reminded of the same terror he felt when he saw Xiang Liu in itsplete form back in Shangbei.


    "Why are you so surprised? Don¡¯t you know who I am?"


    "You¡¯re... you¡¯re what remains from the soul of the staff!" Li Yiming could tell due to the connection that existed between himself and the clone.


    "I¡¯m the soul? I¡¯m part of you..." The clone said with a broad smile.


    "You¡¯ve been in that tablet the entire time?" Li Yiming asked, knowing that every single fragment from the staff was put into a different object.


    "No, no, no. I¡¯ve been with you the entire time." The clone smiled and a rock came flying to his side.


    "That rock!" Li Yiming frowned upon recognizing the stone he has had since birth, which heter gifted to Ji Xiaoqin. ¡¯So he¡¯s been with me this entire time...¡¯


    "I used to live in it. Now I¡¯m in there." The clone pointed at Li Yiming again, and thetter felt a burning sensation on his palm. The small metallic sphere he had used so long as a weapon suddenly flew out of his hand and levitated into the air.


    "I see..." Li Yiming finally understood why he was never able to achieve full control over the small metallic sphere.


    "Yes, that¡¯s your body..." The clone said as he pointed at Li Yiming¡¯s chest. "...and that¡¯s mine." He then pointed at the metallic ball.


    "My name used to be known throughout the Heavens and Hell..."


    "That¡¯s a thing of the past." Li Yiming interrupted. He had an ominous feeling about meeting his clone.


    "A thing of our past."


    "Did youe to me just to say that?"


    "Come to you? No, you came to me." The clone said as he shook his head.


    "I came to you?" Li Yiming frowned.


    "The thing is, I¡¯ve been wanting to see you this entire time, but as long as you exist, I¡¯m not allowed to exist in this world. I have no influence whatsoever on you. I¡¯m here only because you wanted to see me."


    "That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve never wanted to see you," Li Yiming refuted.


    "Stop denying it. I know you wanted to see me. I know you crave power. I know that you¡¯re angry, and you know that you haven¡¯t reached your full potential... I..." The clone said as he leaned forward.


    Although it was just a simple gesture, Li Yiming felt an enormous pressure, as if he was standing in front of a crumbling mountain.


    "You¡¯re the reason why my emotions are gone?"


    "There are three immortal souls and seven mortal forms in every living creature. You only have two souls and six forms. Why do you expect to beplete?"


    "Why was this not a problem before?"


    "Before that, even your body was iplete, so you had to deal with that first." The cloneughed and returned to his original position, and Li Yiming was instantly alleviated from the pressure.


    "How can I recover then?" Li Yiming kept his guard up.


    "We need to be one."


    "The two of us?"


    "Of course."


    "What¡¯s going to happen to you?"


    "Me? Well, I¡¯ve made my decision a long time ago. This is only a continuation of it." The clone suddenly took on a serious expression.


    "Then it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m good for now." Li Yiming squinted. He was not willing to take such a big risk on an impulse, especially when his soul was involved.


    "Good for now? Great! You¡¯ve gotten used to the new you, then."


    "The new me?"


    The clone moved his arm and a giant screen appeared behind him. It showed surveince footage of Li Yiming at the sauna center. With every blow, there would be a gruesome explosion of blood and flesh. Li Yiming frowned as he witnessed the scene, as it was much more repulsive when he did not derive a twisted pleasure frommitting the act.


    "These aren¡¯t people from domains. They¡¯re living beings..." The clone said.


    "They deserve to die."


    "Oh? Then what about today?" Instead of arguing, the clone waved his hand again, a scene of Li Yiming breaking into Yunding Tower was shown.


    "Most of these people are just obeying orders. Some of them are even newly-awakened guardians who used to be ordinary people."


    "They¡¯re a threat to my friends..." Li Yiming frowned. He knew very well that it was a poor justification for his behavior, yet he could not resist the urge to spill blood when the opportunity was presented to him.


    "Threat to your friends? Ahahahaha... Let me see. Seven years ago, you¡¯ve been hit by a motorcycle on your way home. The driver fled the scene in a hurry and hurt himself instead. What did you do? You called the police and put the man on an ambnce, not saying a word about him hitting you. Then you went home and applied medicine onto yourself. What happened to your benevolence?"


    "Remember when one of your elderly neighbors started badmouthing your mother after a dispute? You still kept your respect around her. What happened to your forgiveness?"


    "Or one year ago, when Ji Xiaoqin betrayed you. You chose to forgive and move on instead of revenge. What happened to that part of you?"


    Li Yiming was shocked to hear his clone recount his past and slowly grew furious. He grew angry at his own weakness, at his own innocence. If he was to live through the same situations again, the driver who hit him would be in prison, the woman who shamed his mother would be dead, and Ji Xiaoqin...


    ¡¯Ji Xiaoqin...¡¯ Li Yiming came to a sudden halt. Li Yiming realized just how foreign his rage and contempt for human life was. Or rather, how foreign his past seemed to him, as he had a feeling he was listening to tales about someone else¡¯s life rather than his own.


    "How are you feeling?"


    "I¡¯ll decide my own fate. This has nothing to do with you." Li Yiming¡¯s tone gradually went cold.


    "I¡¯ll let you have a look at this then." The clone turned around and touched the giant screen, the footage then switched to another scene.


    It was a scene of a woman standing above a sea of mes, her hair billowing as the wind blew on her face. In front of herid a mountain of weapons of all sorts, spears, swords, knives...


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming instantly recognized the love of his life, despite the small changes in her appearance.


    The weapons around Liu Meng suddenly began spinning in the air, forming a tornado of des. From the apparition emerged a beam of iridescent light that shot toward Liu Meng¡¯s back. She let out a long howl before closing her fiery wings to parry the attack. As soon as her wings collided with the beam of light, Liu Meng reached out with her hand. However, a shadow emerged in front of her and attacked her with a spear before she could do anything more.


    Liu Meng pulled back her hand and sped the tip of the weapon, only for her skin to instantly be charred. She clenched her teeth and pushed forward, but the beam of light now pierced through her wings and made for her neck. Just as she barely dodged the ray of light, her chest was suddenly pierced by a sword.


    Liu Meng¡¯s expression froze as she was wounded fatally, only to let out a smile of relief before being fully engulfed by the tornado of des.

 Volume 8 Chapter 50

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming stayed silent as the footage came to a sudden halt.


    "The Heavens rule everything, and yet we¡¯ve all witnessed it fear him, even when he had given all of it up. I¡¯ve been under close monitoring of Heaven¡¯s Laws since then," The clone began talking to himself again.


    "I thought that it was a brilliant idea to set my soul free onto the world and split my body, but it was not enough..."


    "And then I found him. A recorder who could hide from the Heavens. He was a pure-hearted person, someone who liked to sculpt in stone."


    ¡¯In stone?¡¯ Li Yiming¡¯s attention was piqued.


    "I made a mistake. Recorders conceal themselves from Heaven¡¯s Laws using powers that were voluntarily granted to them, but they are not exempt from the rules. And I hurt him..."


    "Did the recorder leave behind that footage?"


    "What do you think? You¡¯ve seen the stone tablets, and that person who writes novels."


    "The ce and time," Li Yiming said with a cial tone.


    "You don¡¯t quite understand the role of recorders, do you? They¡¯re not prophets. In fact, most of them don¡¯t even know about their own powers. All they¡¯re doing is creating works of arts inspired by Heaven¡¯s Laws. How should I say... They might obtain an image, some kind of voice, or even video footage of some kind."


    ¡¯So even the recorder won¡¯t know when that... scene will unfold...¡¯ Li Yiming sank into a long silence when he pondered over the content he had just seen, his heart aching as he thought about Liu Meng¡¯s ultimate demise.


    "You¡¯ve seen what¡¯s bound to happen. Do you think that you could have done anything about it in your current state?" The clone asked.


    ¡¯What could I have done...?¡¯ Li Yiming grew anxious as he recalled the scene. The scene depicted beings who far surpassed the level of a sage, and it would have been impossible for him to save Liu Meng if he were present. Li Yiming grew irritated and restless as he pondered over his own weakness and failure to protect those dear to him.


    "Do you not seek power?" A voice interrupted his thoughts.


    "Can you grant me that power?" Li Yiming gazed with intensity into the eyes of his clone.


    "Take it, and even the sight of you can make both the Heavens and Hell tremble in fear..." The clone smiled, but his eye suggested at ulterior motives.


    The small metallic sphere gradually morphed into a long, thin, metallic staff adorned with carvings of flying dragons. The clone held it from one end and offered the other end to Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming heart¡¯s was swayed by the temptation. He still held his suspicions about the clone, and the promise of power was not as simple as it seemed, but his desire to save Liu Meng only grew more intense upon witnessing the footage. ¡¯I might lose myself entirely if I ept the proposal... but how am I supposed to protect you otherwise?¡¯


    "Don¡¯t!" A low voice was heard the moment Li Yiming reached out for the staff.


    "Oh? She¡¯s grown that much?" The clone made a sinister smile when he heard the voice.


    "Li Yiming, don¡¯t listen to him! He..."


    "Stay quiet!" The shadow of Bai Ze, which was slowly condensing, vanished.


    "You must choose your own path." The clone¡¯s tempting voice came again.


    "I have something I need to ask you first." Li Yiming suddenly straightened his back and looked at his clone.


    "Oh?"


    "All of you are talking about him, and how even the Heaven¡¯s fear him. He must have been someone incredible..."


    "Of course. You have never seen him." The clone took on a solemn expression.


    "Then my question is: what did he fight for?"


    * * *


    Bai Ze, who had been standing still on the street, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fell backward. Fang Shui¡¯er having been paying close attention to her condition, quickly rushed forward to catch her. Instead of focusing on recovering, Bai Ze struggled to free herself from Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s embrace and stared at the horizon while mumbling something which Fang Shui¡¯er could not understand.


    "What happened? I can feel..." Fang Shui¡¯er shared Bai Ze¡¯s anxiety, as she knew that there was something terribly wrong with Li Yiming.


    "I did what I could. Now it¡¯s up to him to decide whether he wants to live or die."


    * * *


    Deep within the mountains, Stargaze, who had been meditating still on her grass carpet, woke up. She immediately set her eyes upon the three stone tablets which rested on a table nearby. As atypical as it was, she showed signs of hesitation. After ncing at the tablets, she stared at her own palm.


    "I suppose we all get to choose our own path." Stargaze sighed and took a deep breath. She performed a few hand seals and once again became enshrouded in a thin veil of mist.


    * * *


    "Li Yiming!" Yun Yiyuan was barely able to contain his rage. The phone he held turned into dust.


    "Do you need to go back?" The fair-skinned man sitting in front of him said with an amused voice.


    Yun Yiyuan red at Pan Junwei, and the two looked at each other with hostility.


    "You better elerate the pace of your research..." Yun Yiyuan sat down.


    "Bing Shuai has worked on this for thirty years, to no avail. You should be happy with what we have achieved."


    "I want to see the experiment subjects. I refuse to allow anyone else to be involved in this."


    "Of course. We hope so as well."


    "When will I get to see him?" Yun Yiyuan took a deep breath to calm himself down.


    "Whenever you want, but you need to give me your guy first."


    "I have two other people with vampiric talents. They¡¯ll be here tonight at thetest."


    "I¡¯ll see you then." Pan Junwei smiled and stood up.


    "Did you lie to me about your connection to Li Yiming?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I¡¯ve received reports about Li Yiming¡¯s team showing up in your research facilities." Yun Yiyuan squinted his eyes and stared straight at Pan Junwei.


    "Oh, you mean Qing Linglong? They¡¯re part of my team now." Pan Junwei said as he opened the door and disappeared into the hallway.


    "Tell Ying Mei toe see me." Yun Yiyuan said to one of his followers.


    "We¡¯ve been trying, but..."


    "But what?"


    "She¡¯s not answering."


    "What?"


    * * *


    "Are you sure about this?" Qian Mian asked Li Huaibei as the two stood outside of the Boundary. They hade nning to take Wu Jia along with them, but Li Huaibei decided to give up.


    "It¡¯s not going to be easy to get what we want." Li Huaibei sighed as he looked at the Boundary. He had never imagined the girl who seemed helpless just a few months ago to be his equal.


    "I would never have thought that Fang Shui¡¯er would be a sage..." Qian Mian said.


    "It¡¯s not just Fang Shui¡¯er. Bai Ze¡¯s also a sage." Tian Yan, who had been sitting right beside them, added.


    "What? But..."


    "There¡¯s no mistake about it. She¡¯s indeed a sage." Li Huaibei shook his head.


    "No wonder Li Yiming decided to create his own organization. They have three sages..."


    "We don¡¯t need to worry about that. We are fighting to see the same things as them. What I¡¯m concerned about is what happened to Bai Ze..." Tian Yan said as she rubbed her eyes and leaned close against Li Huaibei¡¯s back.


    "It must have something to do with Li Yiming."


    "He just killed a bunch of people at the Yunyun Corporation headquarters..." A voice was heard from behind as someone walked out of the shadows.


    "Ying Mei?" Qian Mian frowned and looked at Li Huaibei, who seemed to have been aware of her presence.


    "Sis Ying? Why are you here?" Tian Yan asked in surprise.


    "I¡¯m asking to join the Star Alliance..." Ying Mei said with a smile.


    "What?" Qian Mian was taken aback. For someone rumored to be Yun Yiyuan¡¯s right-hand to join them was aplete shock.


    "I want to live." Ying Mei smiled bitterly as she pleaded to Li Huaibei.

 Volume 8 Chapter 51

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "We¡¯re safe now..." Bai Ze recovered enough strength to speak.


    "Is it over?" Fang Shui¡¯er was relieved.


    "I¡¯ll give him a lesson he won¡¯t forget about soon when I see him again." Bai Ze spat out as she struggled to get on her feet. Just now, she had re-established her link with Li Yiming to prevent him from sumbing to the staff¡¯s temptation of power.


    Fang Shui¡¯er let out a sigh as she nced at Wu Jia and Chen Jiawang, who could not believe what they had just witnessed.


    "Put that Boundary away. We need to go back to the tea shop." Bai Ze wiped away the blood on the corner of her mouth.


    "What about him?" Fang Shui¡¯er pointed at Li Tie, whoid unconscious on the ground. She considered his ability to be useful for their goals.


    "Trash that needs to be disposed of." Bai Ze waved her hand, and the paw of a giant beast crashed down, creating a giant crater upon impact and turning Li Tie¡¯s body into dust.


    "Just like that..." Fang Shui¡¯er was surprised to see how little hesitation Bai Ze showed. She did, nheless, agree with the decision.


    "Oh! Ah! We need to go!" Chen Jiawang¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the giant crater. It was the first time he had witnessed the true power of a guardia. He realized that what he was doing until now was nothing but magic tricks.


    As Fang Shui¡¯er put her Boundary away, and Li Tie¡¯s isted space chamber was broken, the streets bustled with pedestrians and police cars once again. She noticed on the corner of the street two passersby being questioned by a police officer.


    "They¡¯re gone. Li Huaibei has no ill intentions." Bai Ze was aware of Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s concerns.


    "Let¡¯s get to the parking lot. My car is there." Fang Shui¡¯er said as she put on her sunsses and face mask. After driving out of the area with her car, her TV director and his assistant were both left panicking, as they searched for her whereabouts.


    As the group made their way back to the tea house, they found Li Yiming, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.


    "What happened?" Bai Ze asked immediately.


    "What happened?" Li Yiming looked at Wu Jia, who was still unconscious.


    "A few things happened, but we took care of them. Let¡¯s talk about you first." Bai Ze jumped onto the table and begin staring at Li Yiming¡¯s face.


    "I¡¯ll bring Wu Jia upstairs." Chen Jiawang said, still intimidated by Bai Ze after witnessing her demonstration of power. . As for Wu Jia, although she had yet to wake up, it was merely a question of time, as she did not suffer any injuries. In addition, Fang Shui¡¯er even gave her some healing potion.


    "I need to make a call. I was in the middle of an interview." Fang Shui¡¯er took out her phone and made for the exit.


    "You should stay. And you,e down as soon as you put her upstairs," Bai Ze ordered.


    "Alright." Chen Jiawang, who had a blind admiration for Bai Ze at this point, obeyed.


    Fang Shui¡¯er turned around and waited for Li Yiming to give his permission.


    "Sit." Li Yiming said.


    Chen Jiawang came back very quickly and stood behind the counter like he always did.


    "What happened?" Li Yiming asked, as he knew that Bai Ze had her reasons for making Fang Shui¡¯er and Chen Jiawang stay.


    "What happened to us is not important. What matters is that from today on, there¡¯s a new guardian organization in town: Pure Water Herb Hall," Bai Ze said.


    "What?"


    Bai Ze turned to look at Chen Jiawang, who announced their organization in the heat of the moment just moments ago. Thetter, upon noticing the attention, trembled with anxiety.


    "Well, that works out for us."


    "So, can you tell us what happened to you?" Bai Ze asked as she picked up the teacup from the table and took a long sip.


    "I just went to the headquarters of Yunyu Corporation and killed a few people there." Li Yiming decided to hide part of the truth from Fang Shui¡¯er and Chen Jiawang, despite Bai Ze¡¯s decision to get the two involved.


    "Yunding Tower?" Fang Shui¡¯er was surprised.


    Li Yiming nodded.


    "So the police out here..." Fang Shui¡¯er said she nced through the window. When they came back to the tea shop, they ran into patrol after patrol of police cars. Now that she thought about it, it was most likely due to themotion Li Yiming had made.


    "You killed all of them?" Bai Ze frowned.


    "I left one of them alive." Li Yiming could see that Bai Ze was concerned for his well-being.


    "What should we do next?" Fang Shui¡¯er changed the subject of the conversation, understanding that Li Yiming had his reasons for not wanting to reveal everything.


    "Well, if we¡¯re going to make an organization, then we better start recruiting people." Li Yiming sighed. After meeting with his clone, he realized that there were some things he could not do alone. He took out his cell phone and called Eyesses.


    "Hey, it¡¯s me." The call was answered barely two seconds after.


    "Hey." Eyesses sounded like he was in a low mood.


    "Are you busy right now? Could you bring everyone over?"


    "Yiming, I¡¯ve heard about Pure Water Herb Hall. I know what you¡¯re up to, but..." Eyesses said.


    "Juste over. We¡¯ll figure something out." Li Yiming said. He understood that Eyesses was worried of losing control of himself once again.


    "You don¡¯t understand... we¡¯ve... we¡¯ve joined forces with Pan Junwei." Eyesses took a deep breath and revealed the truth.


    "<i>What</i>?"


    "Thanks for the invitation, but... sorry." Eyesses hung up right after.


    "He refused? Did something happen?" Fang Shui¡¯er, and Bai Ze were close enough to hear what was going on.


    "I¡¯m not sure."


    "They¡¯re all veterans. There must be a reason." Fang Shui¡¯er said.


    Li Yiming lowered his head as he was having trouble grasping the reality of the situation.


    On the other side of the line, Eyesses sank into a long silence as soon as he hung up the call.


    "Did you tell him?" Qing Linglong asked.


    Eyesses nodded.


    "He¡¯s inviting us to go back?" Qing Qiaoqiao was on the verge of tears.


    Eyesses nodded and sped the Shadowless Stone hanging by his neck.


    "I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s up to, but we can only fight for ourselves now." Big Beard, who had been smoking the entire time, suddenly said.


    "Big Beard¡¯s right, nobody forced us. Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re leaving on a new mission." Qing Linglong took a deep breath and took out a paper envelope.


    As the group left their tent in silence, a military helicopter nearby was waiting for them, along with a squadron of soldiers.


    "To be a guardian is to defend what is right. That has been our duty, and it has never changed." Qing Linglong approached her sister and said.


    "Defend what is right..." Qing Qiaoqiao took on a firm expression as she repeated her sister¡¯s words.


    "Sir, could you please give me another chance?" In another tent, Lin Lu pleaded to the man sitting in front of her.


    The high-ranking officer looked away with a frown, at a jet on the runway first, and then at Pan Junwei, who was standing on the side.


    "Don¡¯t look at me, I¡¯m only responsible for operations. I¡¯ll take charge of the people you give me, but you¡¯re responsible for recruitment," Pan Juwei said.


    "Please, sir, I¡¯ve been working with him for a while now. I¡¯m sure that he will be a great asset." Lin Lu added, noticing the officer¡¯s hesitation.


    "The report clearly stated that the risks of cooperating with Li Yiming were too high..." The man sighed.


    "Dad!" Lin Lu suddenly roared in anger.


    "What?" Even Pan Junwei jumped up.


    "I¡¯m... going to check out theboratory to make sure that everything runs smoothly tonight..." Pan Junwei decided to take his leave.


    "You stubborn girl..." Lin Lu¡¯s father scratched his head in frustration at his daughter¡¯s short temper.


    "I¡¯ll tell you the truth. We had expected Li Yiming to be a channel for information about guardians..."


    "But now, we have Pan Junwei to work with, and he has a much cleaner background. So you don¡¯t need Li Yiming anymore, is that it?" Lin Lu interrupted.


    "How should I put it... It¡¯s moreplicated than that..." Lin Lu¡¯s father closed his eyes as he remembered Wu Yun¡¯s words.


    "To bring salvation to the world or destroy it entirely. It¡¯s all up to him."

 Volume 8 Chapter 52

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "And he left, just like that?" In their room on the second floor of the tea shop, Bai Ze was intrigued by Li Yiming¡¯s story.


    "Yep, after I asked him what he fought for, he just stood there and smiled and then I was suddenly back to reality." Li Yiming said as he licked his lips. He did not understand the meaning behind the clone¡¯s smile even now.


    "What are you nning on doing now?"


    "Well, part of my soul is still missing and..." Li Yiming said as he said as the metallic orb floated in the air in front of him. "I can¡¯t use this."


    "Forget about it. That guy still inside, and you¡¯re thinking about using it? I¡¯d throw it away if I could." Bai Ze said as she pursed her lips.


    "Well, we¡¯ll leave that forter. We need to find someone right now." Li Yiming said as the metallic or re-entered his body.


    "Who are you looking for?" Bai Ze said as she filled her mouth with potato chips.


    "Apparently that video about Liu Meng came from a Recorder. I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to get more information if I find another Recorder."


    "And where are you going to find another one?"


    "Him..." Li Yiming jumped up from his bed and gave his cell phone to Bai Ze.


    "Fu Bo? He¡¯s still alive?" Bai Ze stared at the webpage on Li Yiming¡¯s phone which showed that Sundering Nature was still being updated.


    "Thest update was a month ago." Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡¯The way this is written... The non-existent attention it received... This has to be him.¡¯


    "Now that you mention it, I kinda miss him too. How are you nning on finding him?"


    "I don¡¯t know." With Fu Bo¡¯s technique, Li Yiming knew that it would be even harder to find him than Liu Meng.


    "Well, you can figure that out yourself. I¡¯m going to check if Fang Shui¡¯er finished filming."


    Fang Shui¡¯er, who was still busy with work, had moved her filming location to Pure Water Herb Hall. It also conveniently brought more attention to the tea house, which hopefully resulted in more customers.


    * * *


    Fu Bo moved into the elevator with a pale countenance, his back wet from sweat. As soon as the elevator door opened, he sprinted toward the hotel room and kicked its door open.


    "Ahhh!" Sai Gao¡¯s scream was heard. Both he and Shao Xian wore thin silk pyjamas and had their faces covered by a paper mask.


    "Why weren¡¯t you answering my calls?" Fu Bo yelled between gasps for fresh air.


    "We were in the middle of a game..." Sai Gao showed his cell phone screen to Fu Bo. He had moved to the hotel with Shao Xian, since the rock Fu Bo brought back affected him greatly.


    "He¡¯s my friend... Sorry about that. How about you go get some clothes?" Sai Gao said as he resumed ying.


    Shao Xian seemed rather irritated by Fu Bo¡¯s rude interruption, and she picked up a pillow to conceal her attractive curves as she made for the bedroom.


    "Do you even know what time it is? And you¡¯re still ying games?" Fu Boined.


    "I think you¡¯re doing pretty good..." Sai Gao said nonchntly.


    "Wait, are you hurt?" Sai Gao put down his cell phone and looked at Fu Bo.


    Fu Bo crashed down on the sofa and emptied the drink in front of him.


    "What happened?" Sai Gao stopped fooling around after understanding that something serious was going on.


    "I think I might have made a mistake..." Fu Bo said after a long moment of silence.


    "Don¡¯t tell me you cut open that rock?" Sai Gao joked.


    "I wanted to. I even tried with an electric saw, and all I achieved was breaking two saw des."


    "Then what happened?"


    "I tried this..." Fu Bo hesitated and took out what looked like an old, yellowed notebook.


    "Are you crazy? You used the Death Notebook on that thing?" Sai Gao jumped up from the couch. This was one of Fu Bo¡¯s abilities, everything he wrote down would eventually happen, but the change of fate would have to be paid with his own life.


    "Look at this rock, its dimensions match those in the book! Look at the holes in it! They also match the positions of the cardinals and the heavenly bodies... This is the rock! I was just curious, so..." [1]


    "What did you write?"


    "That the rock would break, and he woulde back to this world."


    "And then?" Sai Gao¡¯s eyes widened.


    "I felt like all of my life force was sucked into that rock."


    "I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t die." Sai Gao sighed in frustration. If that rock was the real deal, not even a hundred of you would have been enough.


    "It was strange, though. The entire thing didn¡¯t evenst a second, and all of my life force came back immediately after."


    "What?"


    "In fact, I¡¯m only slightly hurt now because of the recoil." Fu Bo said as he put his hand in front of Sai Gao for him to examine.


    "What about the rock?" Sai Gao asked after examining Fu Bo¡¯s wrist.


    "It... it cracked into two..."


    "Seriously?" Sai Gao tightened his grip, forcing a moan of pain out of Fu Bo.


    "It was only a tiny little crack, about this wide, and this long..." Fu Bo grimaced as he showed the size of the fissure.


    "And then what happened?"


    "Well, I was worried about something happening to you, so I contacted you. Since you weren¡¯t answering, I rushed here..."


    "We need to go back right away!" Sai Gao pulled Fu Bo toward the exit.


    Are you not going to change yourself first?" Fu Bo looked at Sai Gao¡¯s attire.


    "The world is about to end, and you have time to worry about this?" Sai Gao rolled his eyes and paced towards the door.


    Back in the garden where they had set down the stone, the two stared at the ground dumbly.


    "What happened to the stone?" Sai Gao said as he stared at the empty backyard.


    "It was there when I left..."


    "Think harder. Can you think of anything that happened after the rock broke?" Sai Gao said with a severe countenance. An object having the power to suppress the power of guardians could not have been moved so easily.


    "When it cracked... Oh, yes, I remember a small ripple in the space around it." Fu Bo said as he closed his eyes to concentrate on the events that transpired.


    "Anything else?"


    "No, nothing."


    "A space ripple..." Sai Gao squinted as he concentrated on capturing traces of what happened. He suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils gradually being colored with a golden light, and looked at the sky.


    "There are traces of Heaven¡¯s Laws being bent here."


    "Is it because of me?" Fu Bo said.


    "No, it¡¯s beyond your abilities. Thews have been altered."


    "Sai Gao, did I mess something up?"


    "I don¡¯t know if this is a foreboding omen of a disaster toe or a good sign... Oh?" Sai Gao suddenly saw a sh of light from one of the stars hanging high in the sky, as if it was going to fall down towards Earth.


    "I think... something just fell..."


    "What?" Fu Bo looked up.


    "More like someone did."


    * * *


    Inside the bamboo forest, Stargaze suddenly opened her eyes with a terrified gasp.


    "Qian Mian, tell all of our people toe back. Tell them to stay alert for any kind of trouble. Stargaze put her hands together in front of her. The words she spoke became glyphs of light which flew into the orb of light she held. Following that, twelve barriers of light were erected as she vanished from sight along with the entire mountain.


    "Liu Meng... Where are you?"


    1. Fu Bo is referring to the rock from which Wukong came out, in Journey to The West

 Volume 8 Chapter 53

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Chen Jiawang began cleaning up after the director left with the camera crew. To his surprise and delight, Fang Shui¡¯er offered to help him.


    ¡¯Wow... It¡¯s the real deal! Fang Shui¡¯er! Maybe I can get a signature? What¡¯s her rtionship to boss, I wonder...¡¯


    "Um... Can... we take a picture together?" Chen Jiawang finally mustered the courage necessary to ask the question to his idol.


    Chen Jiawang was left unanswered. After a few seconds of dead silence, he nced at Fang Shui¡¯er, thinking that she simply ignored his untimely request, but found her looking at the main entrance with a severe countenance.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Chen Jiawang asked, only for his question to be unanswered again.


    The door was then opened, and an overweight, middle-aged woman stood at the door, looking rather exhausted with her baggy pants and loose shirt, but disyed a radiant smile nheless.


    "I¡¯m sorry, but we¡¯re closed for today," Chen Jiawang said, thinking she was a customer.


    "I¡¯m looking for someone. Could you tell Li Yiming that Aunt Wu is looking for him?" The woman asked.


    "Go upstairs." Fang Shui¡¯er said as she made ready for a fight breaking out at a moment¡¯s notice.


    "I¡¯ll wait outside since you seem so wary." Aunt Wu shook her head and walked out of the door.


    "Aunt Wu!" Li Yiming appeared following a sh of purple light, thrilled to see his teacher.


    "How did shee down?" Bai Ze came down from the second floor with a puzzled look.


    "She¡¯s Aunt Wu, the real one?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked her with an excited voice.


    "Who¡¯s that?" Chen Jiawang asked.


    "A legend among legends..." Bai Ze said as she walked to the window to observe the conversation between Li Yiming and Aunt Wu.


    "Master..." Li Yiming paid due respect to Aunt Wu. After learning from Bai Ze, he fully acknowledged the powers of his master.


    "Now, I¡¯m not sure I want to be your master anymore. I thought that you were him, so I was going to have an opportunity to be your master before you awakened, but you¡¯re that staff..." Aunt Wu chuckled.


    Li Yiming scratched his head in embarrassment, unsure how to respond.


    "I just came down." Aunt Wu suddenly said.


    "Then..."


    "Well, that¡¯s what I came to you for. With all of us gone, he¡¯s the one in charge..." Aunt Wu said as her smile faded away.


    "So are you all..."


    "I¡¯m not sure what happened. We were about to lose itpletely when the seal was broken, so we jumped on the opportunity and escaped."


    "The seal?"


    "The Seal of Heavens and Earth. You should be able to feel its existence, if not for all the chaos that¡¯s been going on above." Aunt Wu took a deep breath, and looked around for some ce to rest ¡ª despite only having been talking for a bit, she seemed worn out.


    Li Yiming immediately rushed to help her, but Aunt Wu stopped him.


    "The entire world has been sealed. The key to that seal, as you¡¯ve read in Adventure to the East, is that stone."


    "That stone?" Li Yiming remembered the story from Fu Bo¡¯s book. After Wukong lost all hope, he decided to seal his strength away, throw his staff into the Eastern Sea, and encase his body into a rock.


    "It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve be a guardian. I think that you¡¯ve noticed by now that a lot of the legendary tales that have been retold since time immemorial are true. Have you ever considered the reason behind that? If these things are only supposed to exist within domains, why are ordinary people aware of their existence?"


    Li Yiming frowned as he considered the thought.


    "That¡¯s because domains used to be part of our world..." Aunt Wu revealed.


    "What?"


    "Yes. After all, if the domains originate from the wills of living creatures in our world, then how could they truly be separate from our world?"


    "Then..."


    "That stone... It sealed those wills away."


    "But why?"


    "To protect our world," Aunt Wu said, "If these wills continue to evolve, our world will eventually be destroyed."


    "So he split the worlds of the ordinary and extraordinary?"


    "Do you think that he¡¯s revered as a legend simply because he was undefeatable? No... Even in death, he stood by his principles..."


    "Then why do guardians exist?" Li Yiming was confused.


    "The only mistake he made was to underestimate theplexity of the wills. He thought that our world would be safe if he simply split those wills away, but he did not think the domains woulde back to haunt our world..."


    "So Heaven¡¯s Laws, to keep the world in bnce, created guardians and assigned them the task of eradicating domains?" It finally came back to a concept that Li Yiming was familiar with.


    "Yes."


    "Then what about now?" Li Yiming looked at the sky.


    Aunt Wu sighed and shook her head.


    "Did Mr. Kong remove the seal?"


    "Impossible. He wouldn¡¯t have waited for so long if he was able to. Besides, he was focused on taking control of Heaven¡¯s Laws."


    "What is Mr. Kong up to exactly?"


    "I don¡¯t know. There is a price to be paid for stealing power from the Heavens. He¡¯s not the kind of person who would lose himself in power either. Without our support, it¡¯s going to take him a while topletely seize control of Heaven¡¯s Laws."


    "Then what should we do now?"


    "To be honest with you, I came here today to check if you were still... you." Aunt Wu suddenly stared intensely at Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming hesitated before putting his right hand out and releasing the metallic sphere from his body.


    "So you haven¡¯t fused yet?"


    "I¡¯ve seen him once."


    "That¡¯s good then. Be careful." Aunt Wu stood up.


    "You still haven¡¯t told me what we should do!" Li Yiming was confused.


    "What I think doesn¡¯t matter anymore." Aunt Wu looked back.


    "What?" Li Yiming grew irritated, thinking Aunt Wu to be an irresponsible person for pulling out at such a moment.


    "I¡¯m lucky to get out with my life. I¡¯ve lost everything I had. Just let me live out myst days in peace." Aunt Wu said in a low voice.


    "You..."


    "I¡¯m already at my limits. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to live for much longer. It¡¯s time for us old-timers to rest." Aunt Wu continued walking into the distance.


    "You can¡¯t leave like that!" Li Yiming rushed forward to stop Aunt Wu. He still had many unanswered questions to which Aunt Wu seemed to have all the answers.


    "I need you to teach me the Nine-Step Sword!" Li Yiming yelled out. He was desperate for power. Power was the key to survival in a chaotic world, and it was essential for saving Liu Meng.


    "The Nine-step Sword?" Aunt Wu stopped walking.


    "You¡¯re the one who forced me to be your pupil," Li Yiming insisted.


    "Very well. I¡¯ll show you once. How much you can learn from it is up to you." Aunt Wu said.


    Satisfied with her answer, Li Yiming let go of Aunt Wu.


    "Pay attention now."


    ¡¯What? She¡¯s going to show it to me now?¡¯ Li Yiming focused his attention on Aunt Wu right away. She walked forward with her hands in front of her chest. After three steps, she suddenly turned around.


    "Have you seen it?"


    "What? That was it?"


    "Yes."

 Volume 8 Chapter 54

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    With beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, Li Yiming stayed crouched while examining the nine foot steps Aunt Wu had left behind.


    "Don¡¯te here!" Li Yiming yelled out to stop an elderly man who was passing by on a bicycle.


    The sudden shout almost caused the old man to fall off his bicycle. As he looked ahead of him, only to find nothing, he began cursing at Li Yiming.


    "Don¡¯te!" Li Yiming shouted again with a severe countenance.


    "Crazy!" The old man grumbled as he took a different path to avoid trouble.


    "Chen Jiawang!" Li Yiming called out.


    "I¡¯m here!" Chen Jiawang, who had been observing his boss from inside the shop, instantly answered the call.


    "Quick! Get a fence around this ce!"


    "What?"


    "See these footprints on the ground? We need to get a fence around them to prevent people from stepping on them!" Li Yiming said.


    "What is it?" Fang Shui¡¯er also came out. Although she did not dare to eavesdrop on the conversation between Li Yiming and Aunt Wu, she did pay close attention to the interaction between the two, and she was curious as to what caused Li Yiming to stay kneeled down.


    "The Nine-Step Sword!" Li Yiming eximed.


    "Aunt Wu¡¯s Nine-Step Sword?" Fang Shui¡¯er instantly joined Li Yiming in staring at the ground.


    Although Chen Jiawang had no idea what Li Yiming just said meant, he nheless rushed into the tea house and picked up tables and benches to put around the footprints.


    "That¡¯s not going to work, boss." Chen Jiawang said when he looked at the makeshift fence he had made after emptying half of the tea shop. "It¡¯s right in the middle of the street. Plus, what if it rains? It would be nice if we can get a tent, but I don¡¯t think that the police are going to allow it..."


    "If we don¡¯t own it, buy it..." Fang Shui¡¯er said with a frown.


    "Buy it?" Chen Jiawang was caught off guard by the idea.


    Fang Shui¡¯er took out her cell phone and began giving orders to her assistant, while Li Yiming remained focused on the footprints. The next day, a construction team arrived and built a tent right in front of the tea shop. Due to Li Yiming¡¯s disruption of the operations of Yunyu Corporation, it only took a few days for Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s connections to secure the property rights of that segment of the street. After all, construction was scheduled to start soon at the hands of Yunyu Corporation anyways, so the paperwork was already half-done.


    A weekter, a few temporary cabins were built right outside of the tent. On one of the houses hung a panel which indicated that construction was underway. Circling it was another fence to prevent any idents.


    Over the next few weeks, Li Yiming stayed kneeling down, trying his best to decipher Aunt Wu¡¯s demonstration. Having learned one of Wu Yun¡¯s moves earlier, he knew very well how powerful these kinds of techniques were, and he strived to gain the power necessary to save Liu Meng.


    Although Li Yiming vanished from the sight of the public, the rumors about the organization he had created were brewing. This stood in stark contrast with the Star Alliance and Yunyu Corporation, both of which seem to have be invisible. It was not long before other guardians showed up at the door of the tea house, looking for a safe ce to stay in the chaotic world. During Li Yiming¡¯s absence, Fang Shui¡¯er, with Bai Ze¡¯s authorization, became the interim leader of the organization, as she was the only one strong enough to assume the role.


    Another reason why many guardians chose to join Pure Water Herb Hall was due to Fang Shui¡¯er fame as an international star ¡ª guardians were not immune to stardom, after all. Headlines were soon inundated by the news of Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s retirement and her heading into the real estate sector of Hangzhou. Fang Shui¡¯er used the opportunity to further consolidate her position within the organization, and also to buy off morend from Yunyu Corporation. The sealing of the deals with Yunyu Corporation only reinforced the rumors of Yun Yiyuan¡¯s being scared of Li Yiming.


    In contrast with the fast progress at Pure Water Herb Hall, on the other side of the city, in the military encampment reigned an atmosphere of doubt.


    "What is Li Yiming up to... He¡¯s been very active recently." Lin Lu¡¯s father asked Pan Junwei with a frown.


    "I don¡¯t know. He hasn¡¯t shown up for some time now..." Pan Junwei shook his head.


    "Should we send Lin Lu over there to see what¡¯s going on? You seem to be under quite a lot of pressure recently," Lin Lu¡¯s father remarked as he nced over the file folders on his table.


    "You call the shots." Pan Junwei nodded. In reality, he was indeed overwhelmed by the paranormal urrences recently. There had been significant breakthroughs in the artificial guardian program, but they were still far from attaining their goals. Just three days ago, an entire city in the North had been nearly wiped out by monsters who appeared out of nowhere. Even though he had sent nearly half of his troops to exterminate the threat, he could not help but fear that the situation was only going to get worse.


    "Alright then. I¡¯ll give the orders right away. I hope Li Yiming isn¡¯t our enemy. What¡¯s going on with Yun Yiyuan? Is he going to fight Li Yiming? We can¡¯t really afford to have a conflict erupt between the two."


    "Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll be fine." Pan Junwei had a cold smile. ¡¯Invincible amongst sages? Look at you now... Do you dare fight Li Yiming? And that¡¯s not even considering Bai Ze and Fang Shui¡¯er...¡¯


    "Good, then." Lin Lu¡¯s father said as he gazed at a wooden box that rested on the table. Although none of his staff knew where the box came from, they had guessed that it must be an item of importance, as Lin Lu¡¯s father always kept it near him.


    "Anything from Mr. Wu?"


    Pan Junwei also stared at the box as he heard the question. He knew that the box contained nothing more than a dirty, oiled-up work glove.


    ¡¯Heaven¡¯s de... Wu Yun...What are you up to?¡¯


    * * *


    "How are they?" Qian Mian asked before Li Huaibei even entered the room.


    "It¡¯s not looking good. The same for all of them: veins shattered, and powers gone." Li Huaibei shook his head with a severe countenance.


    "How much time do we have left?" Qian Mian sighed as he looked at one of the stone tablets. It was the one with the giant monkey, the phoenix, and the man on the sword. Beneath them was a wastnd ravaged bybat. Although the identities of the three figures being depicted were easy to figure out, it was much harder to guess their intentions. Were the man and the phoenix fighting together to defend the world against the monkey? Or was the monkey intervening against the evil deeds of the swordsman?


    As for the two other tablets, Qian Mian did not even want to think about them.


    "We don¡¯t have much time left. Pan Junwei won¡¯tst very long." Li Huaibei lit up a cigarette.


    "But boss told us..." Qian Mian understood what Li Huaibei was implying. The Star Alliance, with how much resources it possessed, could do great good. Instead, they were sitting there and watching the world burn down as groups of soldiers mutated using a virus were fighting with their lives.


    "Maybe that¡¯s exactly what¡¯s going on in the stone tablets." Li Huaibei said coldly before he left, ncing once at the tablet of the swordsman piercing through the woman¡¯s chest with his weapon.


    "He¡¯s just angry. Don¡¯t mind him," Tian Yan said.


    "Yes. I suppose I should go have a look at the boss," Qian Mian sighed and left.


    When he opened the door, he was faced with a beautiful woman with a cold air. Although Ying Mei greeted him, Qian Mian ignored the salutation and made off on his own.


    "Sis Ying..." Tian Yan said. It was she who had insisted on bringing back Ying Mei.


    Ying Mei closed the door, and put a transparent bag on the table in front of Tian Yan. Within the sealed bag was a small slip of paper.


    "What is it? You can¡¯t find anything?" Tian Yan said as she picked up the bag.


    "I¡¯ve tried everything I could..." Ying Mei said with a severe countenance.


    "I told you that it wouldn¡¯t work."


    "If that person truly exists, then he¡¯s the one who changed Wu Jia¡¯s fate!" Ying Mei suddenly said as she stared intensely at Tian Yan, smiling when she saw thetter¡¯s shift in countenance.

 Volume 8 Chapter 55

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Lin Lu looked at the rather cluttered street corners around the tea shop and let out a long sigh. In only a few weeks, the entire neighborhood underwent a drastic transformation. Lin Lu had not seen Li Yiming ever since the sauna center incident, as her superiors forbid her to, but she did still keep an eye on him. She knew that Pure Water Herb Hall was no longer just a tea house, but a name for a corporation going through a meteoric rise.


    "I hope I didn¡¯t make a mistake in trusting you..." Lin Lu took a deep breath and walked towards the entrance of the tea shop. Her curiosity grew at the sight of arge makeshift building with the sign "Headquarters Development in Progress". The location chosen for the building was particrly strange, as it seemed to block the way to the tea shop.


    Just as Lin Lu stepped into the tea shop, a closed-door of the soon-to-be headquarters was suddenly flung open. Li Yiming walked out, looking tired with his disheveled hair and unshaven beard.


    Despite his best efforts, Li Yiming had achieved very little progress. During his time spent studying, he had been able to memorize the orientation, the size, and even the depths of each footprint perfectly, and yet he still could not figure out a single thing about Aunt Wu¡¯s technique. ¡¯I even remember the way she walked and her facial expression. Was she just ying with me?¡¯


    Li Yiming sighed and locked the door behind him.


    "Hey! Kid! What are you doing here?" An angry voice was heard from behind.


    Li Yiming turned around, only to find an overweight middle-aged man.


    "Which department are you from? Haven¡¯t I told you that you shouldn¡¯t get near here?" The man said as he nced back at the tea shop.


    "A foreman?" Only now did Li Yiming realize that the buildings around the tea shop had been madepletely new.


    "Which team are you from? Why are you standing there? Come here!" The man yelled out. It seemed like he wanted to avoid the area where Li Yiming was standing at all costs.


    Li Yiming look at the ground and found a line traced in yellow paint. Right beside it was written "Forbidden Area" in red. It finally dawned on Li Yiming that the perimeter had most likely been set up by Fang Shui¡¯er for his purpose, only the middle-aged man had mistaken him for a construction worker.


    ¡¯Who is this guy?¡¯ Upon extending his senses, Li Yiming concluded that the man in front of him was simply an ordinary person.


    "Trying to act tough, eh?" The man raised his fist to strike Li Yiming as soon as he approached.


    "And you are?" Li Yiming wanted tough and kept his distance.


    "Captain Wang. I¡¯m responsible for the third term of the project." The man rolled his eyes and craned his neck proudly, deciding to keep his temper in check rather than get angry at a young worker.


    "Alright, are you here for the summer?" The man examined Li Yiming from head to toe. Upon seeing his pale skin and tired expression, he concluded that thetter was a college student working for the summer that had most likely not received the proper instructions.


    "I..." Li Yiming forced a smile. The foreman looked intimidating but Li Yiming did not feel any ill intentions from him.


    "Whatever. Just go buy a pack of cigarettes for me, okay? You can keep the change. Keep in mind that you can¡¯t go into the areas past the yellow lines, alright? Especially the tea house. I wouldn¡¯t even dare go in there. If we mess up, business is going to be over for all of us." The man sighed as he handed a one hundred yuan bill over.


    "Thank you. I am quite tired." Li Yiming nodded. He could feel the foreman¡¯s kindness despite the attitude.


    "Hey! What are you..." The man was baffled at seeing Li Yiming walk toward the entrance of the tea shop in spite of his warning.


    "Boss?" Just as the middle-aged man was about to burst out in anger, someone came out of the tea house and greeted Li Yiming.


    "Ahh! Mr. Chen! You can call me Wang!" The man¡¯s expression instantly shifted from anger to a radiant smile as he went up to meet Chen Jiawang, who had the reputation of being Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s right-hand man.


    "Who are you?" Chen Jiawang was confused.


    "I..." The middle-aged man¡¯s smile froze when he realized that Chen Jiawang¡¯s weing gesture was directed toward Li Yiming.


    "I¡¯m responsible for the third term, my name is Wang Dan... May I know who he...?"


    "My boss." Chen Jiawang said as he helped Li Yiming into the tea shop.


    "Your boss?" Wang Dan nced at the "Pure Water Herb Hall" panel right above the entrance to the tea shop.


    "Thank you for earlier. Do you want toe in for a cup of tea? I just don¡¯t know if we have any cigarettes." Li Yiming turned toward Wang Dan before stepping into the shop, finding thetter to be quite amusing.


    "Ah... Haha, I¡¯m alright. I don¡¯t smoke..." Wang Dan immediately declined the invitation.


    "Come visit us when you have the chance." Li Yiming turned around.


    Bai Ze was ying on her cell phone as always when Li Yiming entered the shop. She had been keenly aware of what Li Yiming had been doing due to their sharing the same spirit, so she did not even look up to greet him. Lin Lu, however, stood up in surprise from the sofa.


    "Are you nning on doing all of this construction yourself?" Lin Lu was surprised by Li Yiming¡¯s appearance.


    "Let me wash my face first." Li Yiming shook his head and walked toward the second floor. After ten minutes of waiting, he came back down, looking neat and tidy, only he was still wearing the same dirty shirt.


    "I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been a bit busy recently... The Shadowless Stone..." Li Yiming started with an apology. He was feeling guilty for being unable to hold his promise, especially when Lin Lu¡¯s fiance¡¯s life was at risk.


    "About that... we managed to find a cure." Lin Lu said.


    "<i>What</i>?"


    "Someone came to the military and took over A309, he was able to save him."


    "Pan Junwei?" Li Yiming uttered the name of the only person he could think of that could have aplished such a feat.


    "Yes." Lin Lu nodded. It was a difficult subject to broach for her, as she had promised him that the vampiric virus would stay untouched.


    "Congrattions, then."


    "Well..." Lin Lu looked at Li Yiming¡¯s emotionless face and did not find the courage to ask for his help again.


    "So why are you here today?"


    "I..."


    "I¡¯d like to keep this short since I¡¯m tired, so if you could, please get to the point." Li Yiming said as he sipped his tea. Even for him, not taking a rest for such an extended period of time was taking a toll on his body.


    "Alright. I¡¯ll be honest with you, we need your help. Pan Junwei is at his limits," Lin Lu revealed, knowing that she could not hide anything from Li Yiming.


    "At his limits? What do you mean?"


    "There are more and more monsters... We don¡¯t have enough people..." Lin Lu was suddenly interrupted by her cell phone¡¯s ringing.


    "We¡¯ve sacrificed a lot of people..." Lin Lu hung up after looking at her cell phone screen.


    "What?" Li Yiming frowned. He was unsure if Lin Lu was talking about guardians or ordinary soldiers.


    "Yes. Despite being enhanced with the virus, it¡¯s not enough..." Lin Lu said with a severe countenance, but her cell phone¡¯s ringing interrupted her again.


    "What do you want?" Lin Lu picked up her phone with impatience.


    "Go deal with it yourself! Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m in the middle of something important? Stop wasting my time!" Lin Lu yelled into her phone angrily and turned it off.


    "I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s some petty matter about a police captain being bribed to investigate some case about the theft of a piece of jade."


    "So... that enhancement you were talking about..."


    "We¡¯ve found a way to make the soldiers stronger using the vampiric virus, but it¡¯s still not enough to handle the monsters..." Lin Lu revealed the truth to Li Yiming, though she was nervous at how Li Yiming would react upon learning that they had advanced with human experimentations.


    "You¡¯ve seeded in creating guardians?"

 Volume 8 Chapter 56

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "That¡¯s roughly what happened," Fang Shui¡¯er concluded her report and put down the file folder on Li Yiming¡¯s desk.


    After hearing Lin Lu¡¯s request, Li Yiming called Fang Shui¡¯er over right away for a report of the events that had transpired.


    "So there have been numerous appearances of monsters and beasts all throughout the country? Pan Junwei is losing ground despite trying his hardest? Not only that, they¡¯ve actually seeded in creating artificial guardians, and they¡¯ve found a way to allow vampires to go under the sun?" Li Yiming was having a hard time believing the news.


    ¡¯What does it mean for this many monsters to appear? Even if the seal between the domains and our world has vanished, there shouldn¡¯t be this many monsters...¡¯


    "Where do these beastse from?" Li Yiming turned toward Bai Ze.


    "From all of you." Bai Ze answered bluntly, still concentrated on her mobile game.


    "What do you mean?" Li Yiming did not understand.


    "Basically, you¡¯re confused because you didn¡¯t expect this many monsters to appear, right?" Bai Ze shrugged their shoulders and finally put down her phone.


    "Yes. From what I¡¯ve experienced, the domains are not only formed due to malevolent wills. The domains I¡¯ve experienced have been motivated by love, a will to protect, and even goodness..."


    "Clearly, you don¡¯t understand the situation. Or should I say that you¡¯re lucky. Most of the domains that exist out there are manifested out of pure evil wills. You can ask her if you don¡¯t believe me." Bai Ze said as she pointed at Fang Shui¡¯er.


    "Most of the domains I¡¯ve been through have been... living hells..." Fang Shui¡¯er said with a grave voice.


    "I don¡¯t get it. If most of the domains result from the wills of people, then why are there so many evil domains out there? Is it because domains are more easily formed from evil and twisted desires?"


    "That¡¯s an interesting question. I¡¯m not a human, but do you really believe that humans are intrinsically good-willed?" Bai Ze smiled mockingly.


    "Is that not the case?" Li Yiming had been led to believe that humanity was good by nature for his entire upbringing.


    "Cute. Answer this question, then. What has been the most important part of your education?"


    "The most important part..." Li Yiming only realized then that regardless of the source of the education, be it school, religion, or even media, the most important aspect was not technical skills or knowledge, but rather ethics. Everything stressed at the importance of being good person who obeyed the rules of society. ¡¯But then... the reason has to be because education is needed to reign in the naturally selfish and evil desires of human beings, be it greed, lust, or jealousy. As human civilization progressed. But these desires are unleashed within domains...¡¯


    "When the seal existed, you could say that most of these evil desires were contained within domains. But now..." Fang Shui¡¯er said.


    "In today¡¯s world, we don¡¯t care that much about morals when we can make a quick buck, do we?"


    "What should we do now?" Fang Shui¡¯er knew that they needed to do something before panic spread into the general poption. Although she had been handling the organization in Li Yiming¡¯s absence, she could not make such big decisions on her own.


    "Killing a few beasts is easy, but the nature of humanity is not something we can change, or even hope to change." Li Yiming knew that if they were ever tomit to the fight, it will be an endless and fruitless endeavor.


    "Pure Water Herb Hall is expanding quickly. We¡¯ve essentially taken over everything Yunyu Corporation had left in this city." Fang Shui¡¯er stated.


    "You¡¯ve done a good job, better than I ever could. I think it¡¯s better if I leave this to you." Li Yiming was in no mood to discuss such things.


    "I¡¯ll report to you another time then." Fang Shui¡¯er nodded with a smile, feeling that Li Yiming now had full confidence in her.


    "Is there anyone who specializes in gathering information among the new recruits?"


    "Yes. Do you want me to call him over?"


    "Please. I have something I¡¯d like to ask him."


    A boy who seemed to be a teenager soon came into the tea shop with hisptop. He looked at Li Yiming with reverence, as thetter had already be a legend among guardians due to his encounter with Yun Yiyuan. In fact, most of them had chosen to join the organization after hearing about Li Yiming¡¯s might.


    "Xiao Feng, I presume? You also have some kind of hacking talent?" Li Yiming asked as a young man resembled Eyesses quite a lot.


    "Oh, sorry. I¡¯m a reporter."


    "A reporter?"


    "He has a talent that allows him tomunicate with people¡¯s minds directly. This allows him to quickly earn the trust of other people. He has a very resourcefulwork. Is that what you need...?" Fang Shui¡¯er exined.


    "Of course, Thank you. I was just a little curious, that¡¯s it. He¡¯s a perfect fit," Li Yiming smiled at the young man.


    "Alright, I want you to investigate a certain police officer who has recently been put to disciplinary actions after bing involved with the theft of a jade stone. It would be very helpful if you could obtain some information on the matter.


    "That police officer? Got it." Xiao Feng noted down the details of the request.


    "Actually, it¡¯s not about the police officer. It¡¯s about that rock. I want as much information as possible about the way it was stolen and the possible suspects. Even better if you can get a picture of it." When he heard about the case from Lin Lu, his attention was instantly piqued, as he knew that the rock in question must have been the vessel for the seal which split domains from the real world.


    "Okay, I just need some time. Can I use the inte here?" Xiao Feng took out hisptop, eager to earn Li Yiming¡¯s recognition.


    "Thank you. I¡¯ll leave you at it. I need to go get myself changed and rest a little." Li Yiming went upstairs, as he was at his limits.


    * * *


    On the lonely peak of a small ind in the middle of the ocean, a man sat on his knees silently, looking at a small crater in front of him. Based on the markings surrounding it, it seemed like the crater had been filled with a giant rock up until recently.


    After a long while and onest bow in the direction of the crater, Wu Yun removed his oiled up work outfit, revealing his naked body.


    Several scars ran down his back, not leaving a single inch unscathed. Although the wounds have already healed up, someone looking at them would undoubtedly be shocked.


    Wu Yun folded his work outfit into a neat pile and ced it down on the ground. He then removed his gloves and put them on top of the pile. Finally, he closed his eyes and put his hands together in front of his chest.


    "Open!" Wu Yun yelled as he split his hands, and arge, metallic de appeared between his palms. He caressed the de with his hands gently, as if it was the hand of his lover. Heaven¡¯s de - This was the origin of his name.


    "Go!" Wu Yun¡¯s expression suddenly stiffened. A loud explosion was heard as the de turned into countless orbs of light.


    "If I¡¯m not going to get thest three moves, then I don¡¯t even want their first three. I¡¯ll give up my weapon and my life for a chance to cut you down after you¡¯ve ascended..." Wu Yun said as he opened his eyes wide and stared above, his gaze piercing through the thickyers of clouds: Heaven¡¯s de would deliver onest blow, this time burning his soul along with it.

 Volume 8 Chapter 57

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    After an entire day of rest, Li Yiming finally came back down to the first floor.


    "You¡¯re here?" Li Yiming saw Xiao Feng lying down on the sofa.


    "Ah! Captain?" Xiao Feng jumped up, rearranging his messy hair.


    "He never left," Chen Jiawang said.


    "You¡¯ve been working the entire night?"


    "I¡¯ve just finished my investigation. The rock was lost on the night of the eleventh of September. There were quite a lot of strange points to the case, as nothing was caught by the surveince cameras in the neighborhood. The only clue we have is a video from two weeks before, when the rock was first delivered to the ce," Xiao Feng exined.


    "Nice work," Li Yimingplimented. As he scrutinized the picture of the rock, he recalled seeing it in the Merry Couple¡¯s jade store.


    "Do you have any information on the people who reported this case to the police?" Li Yiming remembered the date to be when Aunt Wu visited him, meaning that the seal had vanished during that same day.


    "Yes, these are from the police station." Xiao Feng grew excited upon noticing Li Yiming¡¯s satisfied look.


    "Sai Gao?" Li Yiming¡¯s countenance shifted when he saw the tall man wearing pyjamas on the picture, who seemed to be talking to a police officer.


    "ording to the files found in the local real estate bureau, the owner of the house is someone called Shao Xian. She was a famous online streamer and even became a singer, but she retired from public view after a music festival a year ago. Her rtionship to the man in the picture is unclear," Xiao Feng said as he handed over a sheet of paper containing Shao Xian¡¯s background information.


    ¡¯So they¡¯re together? How did they get their hands on that rock? Or even remove the seal?¡¯ Li Yiming frowned as he considered the implications of the findings.


    "That¡¯s all. I couldn¡¯t find anything on the whereabouts of the rock. The police officer in question had been bribed to investigate the case, but the whole affair was busted and he underwent disciplinary actions." Despite Li Yiming saying that the police officer was not of utmost importance, Xiao Feng still nheless made the extra effort to obtain information about thetter, since it could have led to a breakthrough in his investigation.


    "Thank you for your work. I appreciate it. You should take some rest now."


    "I¡¯m only doing my duty. Please, if you have anything else you¡¯d like to ask of me..." Xiao Feng said with a reverent expression as he stood up.


    "I¡¯m fine for now." Li Yiming stared at Xiao Feng¡¯s back as thetter left, thinking that Fang Shui¡¯er had done a great job of discovering such talent.


    "Bai Ze,e have a look at this!" Li Yiming called out as soon as Xiao Feng left.


    "Sai Gao? Then this rock really is that one?" Bai Ze could not believe that Li Yiming had produced some results.


    "Not only that, look at this..." Li Yiming put down the photos on the table.


    "What about this one?"


    "Look at how the officers are standing in these pictures," Li Yiming said as he pointed.


    "There¡¯s something strange... I¡¯m not sure what this is..." Bai Ze frowned. She could tell that something was off, but did not know what it was exactly.


    "There should have been another person in this photo..."


    "What?"


    "Look at this picture. Sai Gao is standing unusually far away from the police officer. The only exnation is that there¡¯s someone else standing here. Also, look at this one, and this one..."


    Bai Ze¡¯s countenance grew severe as she listened to Li Yiming¡¯s hypothesis.


    "You¡¯re saying that there¡¯s someone here who can¡¯t be seen by the camera?"


    "Maybe he was in the picture, but then he was gone."


    "In another life... Fu Bo!" Li Yiming and Bai Ze yelled out at the same time.


    * * *


    "Is that rock really that important?" Shao Xian said with pursed lips as she looked out of the train window.


    "Think about it. It¡¯s such a big piece of jade. It¡¯s worth so much money," Sai Gao said as he continued reading his fashion magazine.


    "Money?" Shao Xian did not buy the excuse, knowing that Sai Gao possessed an unbelievable amount of money, considering his luxurious mansion that had been put under her name.


    "It¡¯s an invaluable treasure."


    "Did you really need to bribe the police?"


    "How else am I going to make the police work for me if not with money? In times like this..."


    "Well, now we¡¯re wanted criminals, are you happy?" Shao Xian said as she mmed the table. It was all so sudden to her to be living the life of a fugitive. She then looked at the "friend" Sai Gao had brought who remained solely focused on hisputer. ¡¯Is he aplice in this?¡¯


    "Excuse me, is this spot free?" A voice was suddenly heard.


    "Oh?" Shao Xian turned around and saw a beautiful young woman. She wore a long linen robe, but she seemed troubled by anxious thoughts.


    "I..." Shao Xian said as she nced at Sai Gao. They were sitting in apartment made for four people, and the spot right next to Fu Bo was free, but given their circumstances, she wanted to consult Sai Gao¡¯s before epting.


    "I¡¯m sorry, my seat is at the front, but the person sitting next to me had a child, so..."


    "It¡¯s okay. You can sit here," Fu Bo said without even looking up.


    "Thank you." The woman nodded and sat down, keeping her distance away from Fu Bo to avoid disrupting his work.


    "We¡¯re traveling together." Shao Xian said with a smile when she noticed the woman¡¯s rather stiff movement. In fact, she had been dying for someone to talk to, as both Sai Gao and Fu Bo seemed to be too focused on their own screens to mind her. Even though they were on the run, Sai Gao¡¯s calm expression put her mind at ease, and she considered it to be more than traveling rather than fleeing the police.


    "Oh?" The woman smiled back in a friendly manner. It seemed like Shao Xian¡¯s appearance alone was enough to convince her.


    "What about you? Are you alone?" Shao Xian asked as she put down her legs that she had put up on the seat.


    "Yes."


    "Nice to meet you. My name is Shao Xian. This is Sai Gao, and this..." Shao Xian seemed to have lightened up as she introduced her friends.


    "He¡¯s Fu Bo." Sai Gao looked up and added with a smile.


    "Nice to meet you. My name is Wu Jia," Wu Jia was stunned by Sai Gao¡¯s smile, as it possessed an otherworldly beauty. She was already impressed by Shao Xian¡¯s looks, but Sai Gao surpassing her in terms of beauty was beyond her expectations. She then looked at Fu Bo and was struck by his unique air of calmness and serenity. ¡¯Wow... these people... They could all be working as models...¡¯


    "Is your friend is writing a novel?" Wu Jia asked as she nced at Fu Bo¡¯sptop.


    "I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s been like this for the entire day..."


    As the four bonded over chit-chatting, on another wagon, Ying Mei and Tian Yan sat face to face.


    "It seems like she stopped. Probably changed seats," Ying Mei said as she stared at the blinking red dot on her screen.


    "She¡¯s not alone. There¡¯s someone powerful over there. I think that she¡¯s met up with the people from her organization," Tian Yan said. She wore sunsses which concealed her eyes.


    "What did I tell you? There¡¯s undoubtedly something suspicious with this Wu Jia. She¡¯s a lead we can¡¯t give up," Ying Mei said with a confident smile.

 Volume 8 Chapter 58

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Really? You woke up on his bed, and..." Shao Xian¡¯s quickly lowered her voice.


    Shao Xian and Wu Jia had quickly grown attached to each other during the afternoon spent on the train. After a few hours of chit-chatting, they were already sharing each other¡¯s deepest secrets. Even the seats had changed, as Sai Gao had been chased away to sit together with Fu Bo.


    Wu Jia had just told Shao Xian about what had happened with Li Yiming, as well as her waking up after encountering Li Tie.


    "Yes." Wu Jia said as she nced at Sai Gao, who was minding his own business with his earphones on. As for Fu Bo, she had already forgotten that he was even there.


    "So you drank too much?"


    "The thing is, I don¡¯t even remember drinking. When I woke up, I..."


    "Your clothes were gone?"


    Wu Jia nodded timidly.


    "What did he tell you after?"


    "I... I didn¡¯t even see him. I just left..." Wu Jia¡¯s mood suddenly sank, her face hinting at sadness.


    "He didn¡¯t contact you since?"


    Wu Jia remained silent and looked outside of the window.


    This was the reason why Wu Jia had left her home for a trip to clear her mind. After waking up on Li Yiming¡¯s bed naked, she had been told by Chen Jiawang that she had too much to drink, but it was palpable to her that he was not telling the whole truth. She returned to the tea shop looking for answers, only to be disappointed by Li Yiming¡¯s absence.


    Wu Jia did not know that after Bai Ze knocked her out, she also removed her memories for fear of dragging her into the mess with Yunyu Corporation. As for her clothes, they had been dirtied quite a bit, so Bai Ze reced them. This was about as much as Bai Ze was willing to do, as there was no way she was about to help an ordinary person change.


    In the end, even Chen Jiawang¡¯s exnation that was given to Wu Jia was instructed by Bai Ze.


    "What a coward!" Shao Xian spat out, obviously revolted after hearing Shao Xian¡¯s tale. "Do you think that you could have been... you know... drugged? I don¡¯t see how it¡¯s possible for you to nk out like that..."


    "There¡¯s no way. He¡¯s not that kind of person." Wu Jia immediately rushed to Li Yiming¡¯s defense. In her mind, Li Yiming was simply too embarrassed to face her.


    "Sis, here¡¯s my advice. That man is either too afraid to see you right now, or he¡¯s a heartless coward," Shao Xian said, owing to her experience in dealing with people.


    "We¡¯re here." The conversation was suddenly interrupted by Fu Bo, who began to pack up hisptop and put down his earphones.


    "Already?" Shao Xian had lost track of time after being so engrossed in the conversation.


    "Oh? We¡¯re already at Mount Mu?" Wu Jia said as the announcement was heard.


    "Alright. How about we exchange phone numbers? Maybe we can talk another time?" Shao Xian said rather disappointedly as she looked at Sai Gao. If it was not for their current predicament, she would have tried to convince Sai Gao to change their destination so she could continue to converse with her new friend.


    "Sure. But I¡¯m also getting off here." Wu Jia smiled, as she was also eager to continue the conversation.


    "Great! Let¡¯s continue then!" Shao Xian jumped up from her seat and grabbed Wu Jia¡¯s wrist.


    "They got off." Ying Mei stood up.


    "Wait!" Tian Yan suddenly grabbed her wrist.


    "What is it?"


    "I see ck..." Tian Yan said with a severe countenance as she stared outside of the train window.


    "ck?"


    "The fate of the people here, it¡¯s all ck... The fate of the people getting off the train are also turning ck."


    "What?" Ying Mei sat back down.


    "This area is death itself." Tian Yan said as she looked over Ying Mei¡¯s head, noticing her fate was also turning obscure.


    Ying Mei went silent, understanding from Tian Yan¡¯s expression that she was no exception.


    "Thank you for bringing me here. You can go back," Tian Yan said.


    "You¡¯re getting off?"


    "I need to find him. He¡¯s the only clue we have."


    Ying Mei hesitated, as she looked at Tian Yan leave. After hearing the final announcement for the stop, she gritted her teeth and decided to chase after Tian Yan.


    "Where¡¯s your luggage?" Wu Jia looked at Shao Xian¡¯s group with surprise. The closest thing resembling luggage was the small bag Shao Xian held for her snacks.


    "Uh... Well, he¡¯s rich, so he buys everything on-the-spot." Shao Xian came up with an excuse, knowing full well that she could not simply tell Wu Jia that the only possession they needed to bring along was Sai Gao¡¯s storage ring.


    "Is... he your boyfriend?" Wu Jia finally asked.


    "Something like that."


    "Something like that?"


    "How should I say it. He¡¯s paying for everything."


    "So, he¡¯s..." Wu Jia¡¯s eyes widened.


    "You could say that he¡¯s my sugar daddy." Shao Xian said with a smile.


    "You..." Wu Jia was shocked and rather disappointed at finding out about the rtionship Shao Xian had with Sai Gao.


    "A mansion in Hangzhou, and a credit card for my personal use. You know, this is what I¡¯m talking about. Maybe that old ssmate of yours isn¡¯t that good of a fit for you." Shao Xian said as she decided to stop the topic from developing any further.


    Wu Jia felt ufortable about their rtionship, but she was in no ce to tell Shao Xian what to value in life.At that moment, Sai Gao suddenly turned back, giving Wu Jia a little fright as she began to wonder if Sai Gao held any ill intentions towards her.


    "Are you here for sightseeing?" Sai Gao asked.


    "I..." Wu Jia grew alert. She was now questioning if Shao Xian¡¯s disy of friendliness was all just an act to gain her trust.


    "If you have another destination after this, maybe you should do a slight change of ns and head there instead. There isn¡¯t much to see around here at this time of the year."


    "Why? What¡¯s going on?" Shao Xian noticed Sai Gao¡¯s sudden change of expression and asked.


    Sai Gao nced at Shao Xian, and she immediately understood that she needed to stay quiet.


    "Thank you, I¡¯ll consider your advice. My hotel is over there, so I guess we¡¯ll part ways for now. See you again!" Wu Jia was now skeptical of Sai Gao, and all she could think of was flee as quickly as possible.


    "What¡¯s wrong?" Shao Xian asked as soon as Wu Jia left.


    "It¡¯s not safe here. Something bad is about to happen," Sai Gao said as he looked at the mountain peaks in the distance with a severe countenance.


    "And you¡¯re letting her go alone?"


    "She¡¯s not the only person here, you know," Fu Bo turned around and said.


    "How can you be so heartless?" Shao Xian scolded him. Her already deteriorating opinion of Fu Bo, due to thetter¡¯s rather entric behavior, worsened.


    Fu Bo lowered his head and stayed quiet, refusing to take part in the dispute. After his mistake with the jadestone, he had resolved himself to duly fulfill the duties of a Recorder, which meant that he was not going to intervene under any circumstances. Their visit to Mount Mu all started with the bad premonition he had a few days ago about this area. After consulting Sai Gao, they decided toe investigate.


    ¡¯What will happen this time... Is it going to change the world again?¡¯ Fu Bo wondered as he looked at the mountain.

 Volume 9 Chapter 1

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    As Wu Jia scurried away from Shao Xian¡¯s group, she could not help but feel anxious, afraid of being targeted by Sai Gao. With regards to Shao Xian, she felt a mixture of pity and disgust, as she could not help but feel bad for her, and yet was repulsed by the path she had chosen. Wu Jia¡¯s hurrying away came to a sudden halt when she noticed someone approaching her.


    The man approaching her turned out to shockingly resemble a dwarf, particrly due to his unattractive appearance consisting of a short stature, small eyes, arge nose, and arge mouth that was cracked wide open. Wu Jia stared at the man in consternation, and he continued to make his way towards her.


    "Can... Can I help you?" Wu Jia looked at the man, whose clothes were filthy and unkempt. His hair formed onerge clump coated by a film of semi-transparent liquid. A putrid smell was emitted as he came closer, causing many bystanders to pull back in disgust.


    "I... I have no bad intentions..." Chen Quan begged as he noticed that Wu Jia was about to run away. He had chosen to seek help from Wu Jia, who seemed like a kindhearted person. What he did not ount for was that his appearance did not help his case at all.


    ¡¯Is he... a disabled person?¡¯ Wu Jia noticed that Chen Quan¡¯s arm was hanging at an odd angle from his shoulders, and his face was unusually pale.


    "That¡¯s all I have..." Wu Jia took out a twenty yuan bill. If she had not been traveling alone, she would have been more generous, but she knew that an excessive disy of generosity was never a good idea in such circumstances.


    "I... I don¡¯t want money..." Chen Quan smiled bitterly, understanding that Wu Jia had interpreted his intentions wrongly.


    "What do you want then...?" Wu Jia grew even warier, and she immediately looked around for people she could seek assistance from if Chen Quan was to show signs of aggression.


    "I¡¯d like to make a call. It¡¯s urgent." Chen Quan pleaded.


    "What?"


    "Yes. I just want to make a call. You can even make the call for me and put the speakers on if you¡¯re worried about your phone," Chen Quan added.


    "Alright then... Could you tell me the number?" Wu Jia said hesitantly, finding herself unable to refuse the request.


    "Yes, the number is..." Chen Quan bowed down slightly in Wu Jia¡¯s direction to show his gratitude and went to the point.


    While Wu Jiaplied, she was ready to immediately hang up the phone if the number would be gged as suspicious by the software she had installed.


    Just as Wu Jiaposed the final digit of the number, she froze in ce ¡ª Li Yiming¡¯s name appeared on her screen.


    "What?" Both Wu Jia and Chen Quan eximed in unison.


    "Hello? Wu Jia?" Li Yiming¡¯s voice was heard as the call went through.


    "Mr. Li! It¡¯s me!" Chen Quan yelled.


    "Chen Quan? What are you doing with Wu Jia?"


    * * *


    "It¡¯s him?" Tian Yan said when she saw Chen Quan. Thetter¡¯s showing up made her even more perplexed, as she wondered who Wu Jia¡¯s "aplices" could possibly be.


    "Do you know him? He works for Li Yiming," Ying Mei asked. She remembered seeing his face once but did not have much information on his background.


    "This person once slipped under Li Huaibei¡¯s radar."


    "What? Does he have some kind of special talent?" Ying Mei said, baffled by the fact.


    "He¡¯s a normal person." Tian Yan said with a grave countenance. What she did not tell Ying Mei was that Chen Quan was involved with the stone tablets, which meant that it was a clue leading to a Recorder: Fu Bo.


    "They¡¯re calling Li Yiming..." Ying Mei said as she looked at her tracking device.


    "Be careful. The people she was with still haven¡¯t left." Tian Yan said as she turned around with an ominous feeling in her chest.


    * * *


    "Did something happen to Wu Jia?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked as Li Yiming remained silent after hanging up the call.


    "It¡¯s Chen Quan. I need to make a trip to Mount Mu." After pondering with his eyes closed, Li Yiming suddenly jumped up from his sofa.


    Ever since parting ways with Li Yiming, Chen Quan had been obsessed with finding the whereabouts of the stone tablets he had lost, despite the promise Li Yiming had made to him. Through rigorous investigation and arduousbour, Chen Quan had learned that the stone tes had originated from Mount Mu.


    Chen Quan had tried to contact Li Yiming, but thetter was busy studying what Aunt Wu had left behind. And so, he decided to explore the mysteries of the mountain himself. Even though he was not a guardian, owing to his wealth of knowledge, he discovered a hidden cavern. As he made his way into the cave that led him deeper underground, he started to get cold feet when he still could not see the bottom after descending for more than five thousand meters. Upon further inspection, the traces of excavation were a clear indication that the cave was not naturally formed.


    However, Chen Quan persisted after reminding himself of his dream that he has had since his childhood ¡ª he was not about to give up when he was so close to discovering the truth buried within history he had searched for during all those years. He gritted his teeth and continued down, not stopping for another three thousand meters. Then, as the tunnel widened, his way was blocked by giant stone gates. Despite having already witnessed many horrifying things during his years spent as a gravedigger, Chen Quan was terrified at the sight of such a ghastly monument shrouded by ck fog, the path leading to it covered with white bones.


    Just as Chen Quan hesitated about approaching the structure, two creatures suddenly leaped out of the darkness. Despite being well-prepared and immediately using his escape technique, Chen Quan barely managed to make it out alive, and still, he suffered several fractured ribs and a broken hand.


    After returning to the base of the mountain, Chen Quen found himself in a predicament. Being injured and with no money on him, he had to figure out a way to contact Li Yiming. It was at that point that he set eyes on Wu Jia, in the hopes that she would be kind enough to lend a helping hand.


    "You¡¯re going to Mount Mu? Alone? Should I get a ticket for you?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked as she picked up the phone.


    "There¡¯s no time for that." Li Yiming opened his eyes and vanished with a sh of purple light. Then, several shes were seen above the tea house, until thest one reaching several tens of thousands of meters away. Li Yiming appeared above the clouds, standing in midair with Bai Ze in her beast form alongside him.


    "Mount Mu... I hope you made a mistake." Li Yiming tapped on Bai Ze¡¯s back, and she made off into the distance, pping her giant wings with Li Yiming riding on her back.

 Volume 9 Chapter 2

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Boom!


    A low thud was hearding from underground, shaking the ground, and shrieks of panic were heard from the crowd.


    "Is that an earthquake?" Sai Gao asked as he was about to finish checking in, catching Shao Xian right as she was about to fall to the ground. He exchanged a nce with Fu Bo and both of them looked at the mountain peak in the distance.


    "It¡¯sing from beneath the mountain." Sai Gao concluded after focusing for a moment with his eyes closed.


    "Let¡¯s get out of here first." Fu Bo frowned and led the way out of the hotel.


    Outside of the hotel, chaos reigned in the streets. The small town at the foot of the mountain was usually calm, with its serenity only slightly disrupted by the many tourists. However, the streets were now full of people running around in a panic, desperately seeking refuge from the tremors.


    Although there was ack of high-rise buildings, there was an abundance of billboards, which made for disastrous consequences. Wu Jia was helping Chen Quan walk toward a bathroom, and despite the precarious situation they found themselves in, she could not help but wonder about Li Yiming¡¯s rtion with Chen Quan.


    ¡¯So he answered the call and said he was going toe right away? Who is this Chen Quan guy? Is he a close friend?¡¯


    A loud crack was heard.


    Wu Jia looked up in horror, only to see an old billboard losing its support and falling down. She was already struggling with dragging Chen Quan along with her, and, in the panic of the moment, she froze still. Chen Quan normally would have been able to save himself and Wu Jia, but he was almost on the verge of passing out from the wounds he had suffered.


    Right as Wu Jia was about to meet her fate, her own shadow emerged from the ground, forming a giant w and stopping the billboard.


    "What...?" Wu Jia could not believe her eyes.


    Chen Quan also froze in fear, as the shadow which just saved his life reminded him of the two ck specters he had encountered underground.


    "What are you doing? Run!" An angry roar was heard as Ying Mei rushed toward the two.


    Wu Jia finally snapped out of it and dragged Chen Quan out of the way.


    Dong!


    A loud thud was heard as the billboard finally fell to the ground.


    "Let¡¯s get to somewhere safe." Ying Mei helped Chen Quan stand up. She was regretting her rash decision, but she could not afford to let Wu Jia and Chen Quan die.


    "We need to go! Quick!" Ying Mei yelled at Tian Yan, who stood still, deaf to her call. It was as if a spell has been cast on her, as Tian Yan continued to stare to the side, her limbs shaking slightly.


    "Yan¡¯er? Yan¡¯er?" Ying Mei called again. She turned her head and saw three people who stood out in the panicking crowd, standing still and looking back at her. One was a handsome, well-built man who seemed amused. The other was a beautiful young woman. The third person was a young man whose existence seemed hard to discern, as if he was invisible.


    Crack!


    The ground rumbled a second time, sending a ripple throughout the town. It was even stronger than the first, and, this time, even the ciers resting atop the mountain awoke from their eternal slumber and began their descent down the slopes.


    The town was panic-stricken as ever, and Tian Yan nearly fell to the ground.


    "Yan¡¯er?" Ying Mei cried out, letting go of Chen Quan and rushing to go help Tian Yan. However, before she could even get close to her, the young man from the trio was already there.


    "Why... Why are you here?" Fu Bo put his hand around Tian Yan¡¯s wrist, at a loss of what to say.


    "I came here for you," Tian Yan said with abashedly. Even amid the apocalypse, she waspletely engrossed by Fu Bo.


    "It¡¯s very dangerous here."


    "I know."


    "Bad things will happen here."


    "I know."


    "You..."


    "This isn¡¯t the time for this, you lovebirds," Sai Gao interrupted the two.


    "Let¡¯s head to somewhere safe first," Ying Mei said. She finally found the person that she had been looking for all along, the only thing she did not expect was for him to look so in.


    "It¡¯s toote." Sai Gao frowned.


    Following Sai Gao¡¯s sentence, a fissure formed on the ground, and ck smoke slowly seeped out of it.


    "This is... the aura of death?" Sai Gao¡¯s countenance shifted, and he erected a yellow barrier around himself and his friends.


    The tremors ceased as soon as the fissure appeared, with its length continuing to expand over the ground. As soon as the ck smoke came into contact with a living person, their flesh immediately melted, leaving nothing behind but a white skeleton.


    "Ahhh!" Wu Jia shrieked at the horrifying scene.


    Sai Gao turned around in surprise when he heard the yell, and stared at Ying Mei as if to question her. Upon seeing Ying Mei¡¯s staying silent, Sai Gao pointed his finger in Wu Jia¡¯s direction, and she fell to the ground, limp.


    ¡¯What? He doesn¡¯t know her?¡¯ Ying Mei had believed that Sai Gao had connections with Wu Jia all along, but judging from his eyes, she knew that he was not faking it.


    "You people..." Chen Quan struggled to help Wu Jia up.


    "It¡¯s better for her to take a nap. Do you want one as well?" Sai Gao had seen Chen Quan in the Lianyun domain, but was not sure why thetter had shown up in a ce like this.


    "What happened?" Shao Xian asked, despite feeling terrified.


    "There¡¯s something vile underground. That ck smoke is death itself, you¡¯ll die if youe into contact with it," Tian Yan said with a calm voice, her head buried in Fu Bo¡¯s chest.


    "This is what you saw?" Sai Gao asked Fu Bo.


    Fu Bo frowned and shook his head; he had seen Mount Mu, but not the uing apocalypse. Otherwise, he would have advised against bringing Shao Xian.


    "What is below us, exactly?" Ying Mei released her shadow and searched underground, but could not find anything before her shadow was being eaten away by the ck smoke.


    "It¡¯s a gate to the Realm of Ghosts!" Li Yiming appeared with a sh of purple light.


    "Li Yiming?" Everyone eximed in unison.


    * * *


    "It¡¯s been confirmed. There are four of them." Pan Junwei looked at the screen rather nervously.


    "Is it really that bad?" The president sat on the other end of the desk, looking at Pan Junwei with his typical authoritative stare.


    "The gates to the Realm of Ghosts will open, and our world will be changed forever. Wu Yun said so." Pan Junwei took a deep breath.


    "What¡¯s the worst-case scenario?"


    "The ghosts rush out of the gates, and no one is spared."


    "How much will it cover?"


    "Everywhere."


    "Can we stop it?"


    "It¡¯s going to be hard with the resources we have..." Pan Junwei took out a cigarette, but could not find his lighter and ended up splitting the cigarette in two out of frustration.


    The president, who kept hisposure, took out a refined lighter from his drawer and passed it to Pan Junwei.


    "How dare he!" Pan Junwei roared in anger as he took the lighter.


    "What is it?"


    "Yun Yiyuan attacked theboratory and took all of our experimental data!" Pan Junwei spat out.


    "Shit!" The president could no longer hold back his anger.


    "What about the others?" The president asked as he reigned in his fury.


    Pan Junwei also took a deep breath and filtered through the reports he had received. "Our satellites have captured a fast-moving object fifteen minutes ago... It¡¯s Li Yiming! He¡¯s headed for Mount Mu."


    "Oh? So Pure Water Herb Hall is doing their part?" The president asked with a smile as he looked at Mount Mu on the map, which was marked with a red circle.


    "No... It¡¯s strange. It doesn¡¯t seem like the organization is being mobilized."


    "What about the Star Alliance?"


    "Nothing."


    * * *


    "How long are you going to wait?" Li Huaibei, who was usually calm and elegant, punched through the wall, leaving a gaping hole.


    Qian Mian stared at the screen in front of him with bloodshot eyes. He had received news about the gates opening even before Pan Junwei, but with Stargaze¡¯s pending orders, he hesitated.


    A sound was heard as Qian Mian received a notification.


    "We¡¯ve found Tian Yan," Qian Mian said.


    Li Huaibei¡¯s expression remained hardened, as Tian Yan was the least of his concerns right now.


    "She¡¯s with Ying Mei, at Mount Mu..."


    "Mount Mu?" Li Huaibei¡¯s attention was piqued.


    "Li Yiming is probably there by now," Qian Mian said.


    "Li Yiming..." Li Huaibei¡¯s agitation finally somewhat subsided.


    "Qian Mian, no one is going to be spared in the uing battles. Think about the reasons you created this organization in the first ce." Li Huaibei left onest sentence before leaping out of the gaping hole in the wall,nding on his sword and flying off into the distance.


    "To protect the world... Guard the Way..." Qian Mian copsed on the sofa.


    "Allbat personnel, gather near the Northern Sea, Li Huaibei will be the interimmander for this operation." Qian Mian finally sat up with determination and gave the order.


    * * *


    "What should we do?" Fang Shui¡¯er was hesitant when she heard the news. She still did not know what Li Yiming¡¯s intentions were, but she knew very well that her role was to ensure the smooth sailing of the operations, not to decide what they were.


    "The Star Alliance has made their move."


    "The authorities are starting to muster volunteers."


    "The shockwaves under Mount Mu have reached level twelve."


    "The marshes in the South have disappeared. The ck smoke is spreading to the cities nearby."


    Fang Shui¡¯er countenance sank as dire news kept flowing in. Her cell phone suddenly chimed, and she found a terse text message.


    "They won¡¯t be able to hold."


    "Tell the nonbat personnel to gather in Hangzhou and find shelter. As for the guardians, tell them to gather in Feng City and to wait for orders." Fang Shui¡¯er said with determination as her countenance gradually hardened.


    * * *


    "We can¡¯t afford to wait. We need to inject the serum." The president said, knowing that it was a battle that was going to decide humanity¡¯s future.


    "They¡¯re going!"


    "What?"


    "The Star Alliance is gathering its forces in the North! Pure Water Herb Hall is headed to the South!"


    "Can they hold?" The president was pleased at hearing the good news, but hecked the knowledge for making an urate assessment of the capabilities of guardians.


    The Star Alliance has existed for a long time. They should be fine. As for Pure Water Herb Hall, although they¡¯re a new organization, they¡¯ve been developing rapidly, and I¡¯ve heard that Fang Shui¡¯er is a sage, so they should be able to handle it."


    "What about Mount Mu then?"


    "Li Yiming... If he went there alone, then he probably knows what he¡¯s doing..." Pan Junwei frowned.


    "Alright. We will focus our forces on the Eastern Sea then!" The president eximed as he pointed at the circle on the rightmost side of the map.

 Volume 9 Chapter 3

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Unaware of the fight which was about to erupt across the continent, Li Yiming remained solely focused on the portal opening up in front of him.


    "Why are you here?" Li Yiming looked at the golden barrier that Sai Gao erected and asked.


    "I had some kind of premonition, so I came here with Sai Gao," Fu Bo answered. With all of the unexpected turn of events, he was beginning to somewhat regreting to the ce.


    "We¡¯re here for him," Tian Yan said. It seemed like Fu Bo was the only thing on her mind at the moment.


    "What about her?" Li Yiming looked at Wu Jia, who was unconscious. He could not help but think about how unfortunate she had been ever since bing involved with him.


    "She said that she came here to travel. Apparently she met an asshole... wait... is it you?" Shao Xian came to a shocking realization.


    "Travel?" Li Yiming did not pay attention to the second half of Shao Xian¡¯s answer, too distracted with the ck smoke around him.


    "She¡¯s fine. I just made her sleep for a bit since she lost control of her emotions." Sai Gao said. Although he wore earphones during the train ride, he was still able to listen to the entire conversation between Wu Jia and Shao Xian.


    Not wanting to waste further time with trivial matters, Li Yiming turned his attention toward Ying Mei instead, who was helping Chen Quan swallow down a healing potion.


    "Sis Ying is here to protect me." Tian Yan hurriedly exined as soon as she noticed Li Yiming¡¯s gaze turn toward Ying Mei.


    "How are you? I owe you for this." Li Yiming asked Chen Quan, who seemed to be slowly recovering from his wounds after downing the remedy.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not dead yet," Chen Quan said. Upon confirming that his entourage all seemed to know Li Yiming personally, he decided to reveal his discovery. "I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the entrance to the Realm of Ghosts you¡¯re talking about, but I found a giant stone gate underground. It looked terrifying, and it was shrouded in the exact same ck smoke."


    "So you¡¯ve seen it?" Sai Gao could not believe an ordinary person was able to discover the gate.


    "Yes. Right underground, probably three thousand meters, I would say. I was attacked by a couple of ghosts as soon as I approached it," Chen Quan said.


    "The discovery of the gate, the ghosts invading our realm... so all of the tales were true..." Ying Mei said as she remembered what Tian Yan told her on the train: everything around the mountain was destined to die, and guardians were no exception.


    "So what are we supposed to do now?" Fu Bo asked.


    "This is only the beginning. I can¡¯t even begin to imagine what would happen if the gate was to openpletely..." Bai Ze appeared with a sh of light.


    "Is there a way to destroy the gate before it opens?" Li Yiming asked.


    "The gate is a bridge connecting our world with the Realm of Ghosts. It serves the same purpose as the rock that he created, only one is sealed away the Heavens and Hell, and the other is protecting us from the evil spirits. I¡¯m not even sure if Mr. Kong would be able to destroy it. You would need to change the rules at a fundamental level for that to happen," Bai Ze exined.


    "The rock that sealed away the Heavens and Hell?" Fu Bo could not believe what he heard.


    "Yes. The rock that you lost, to be precise." Bai Zeshed out.


    Fu Bo¡¯s face turned white as a sheet of paper, as he realized what he had just done.


    "What are we supposed to do now, just sit here and wait for a parade of ghosts?" Sai Gao changed the topic of the conversation. He had be close with Fu Bo during the past year and he knew nothing productive woulde out of talking about past mistakes.


    "What if I use... the Death Notebook?: Fu Bo proposed. Tian Yian instantly went stiff from anxiousness.


    "Hah! I¡¯ll give you three seconds before you¡¯re sucked dry. Try it, I dare you," Bai Ze eximed irritatedly. Fu Bo¡¯s proposition confirmed her conjecture, and her opinion of him quickly dipped.


    "Let¡¯s just focus on the matter at hand. Is there anything we can do to stop the gates from opening now?" Li Yiming put a stop to Bai Ze¡¯s hostility ¡ª he was also fond of Fu Bo, and more importantly, he needed his help to find Liu Meng.


    "Lucky for us, you brought her along as well." Bai Ze pursed her lips and pointed at Shao Xian.


    "What? Me?" Shao Xian was taken aback and felt uneasy at the stares everyone was giving her. After all, even Chen Quan could be said to be more useful than her in such a situation.


    "Remember the Scripture of Purity and Stillness?" Bai Ze asked.


    "The what?"


    "Oh, please. Divine Voice Materialized."


    "Oh yes. That!"


    "That song is a seal powerful enough to seal away Heaven¡¯s Laws, so I¡¯d reckon it¡¯s powerful enough to deal with this." Bai Ze said as she looked up at the cloudy skies with reluctance.


    "Really? Are you sure?" Sai Gao said with a frown as he remembered the events that had transpired at the music festival a year ago.


    "I¡¯m positive."


    "So you¡¯re saying that as I just need to sing that song to seal up... this?" Shao Xian said as she looked at the bottomless pit of ck smoke with incredulous eyes.


    "Of course not. That song is only part of the sealing spell. Otherwise Mr.


    Kong would not have waited for that long to put his n in action.


    "What do we need to do then?" Sai Gao urged.


    "We need to channel the power of the song into a targeted spell. On top of that, we¡¯ll need someone with a pure Yin spirit to guide the spell, and someone with a pure Yang spirit to amplify its power."


    "Channeling the power of the song will be the easy part, but where are we going to find pure spirits?" Sai Gao asked.


    "To put it simply, we¡¯ll need two virgins. One male and one female." Bai Ze shrugged her shoulders.


    The group went quiet at Bai Ze¡¯s revtion. It would have been a lot easier to satisfy Bai Ze¡¯s demand if everyone within a few hundred kilometers had not been turned into skeletons. With no other choice, they could only find the candidates amongst themselves.


    "Uh... I¡¯m not one." Fu Bo said abashedly, especially as he could still feel the warmth from Tian Yan¡¯s embrace.


    "I also can¡¯t... I mean... My eyes channel both the Yin and the Yang, so my Yin source is lost. I¡¯ve never..." Flustered, Tian Yan gave a quick exnation.


    "Well, I am a virgin, but surely you can¡¯t imagine my body being a host of pure Yang would you?" Sai Gao made a smile that sent shivers down Li Yiming¡¯s spine.


    "If that¡¯s the case, then I..." Chen Quan seemed to have recovered a little bit of energy.


    "Oh, really?" Sai Gao found it hard to believe, given how old Chen Quan looked.


    "ording to my teacher, it helps ward off evil spirits, so..."


    "Well, that¡¯s some kind of strange cult..." Sai Gao shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, so we¡¯re okay for the Yang. What about the Yin?"


    "Don¡¯t look at me. You know what I did in the past." Shao Xian said as soon as eyes were turned in her direction.


    "Me neither," Ying Mei said bluntly.


    "Why are you all looking at me? I¡¯m not a human being!" Bai Ze swung her fists in frustration.


    "Could she... be one?" Li Yiming pointed at Wu Jia, the only woman remaining.


    "Shouldn¡¯t you know the answer?" Shao Xian cried out, as she was reminded of Wu Jia¡¯s story.


    "How would I know?" Li Yiming¡¯s face went red, not understand what Shao Xian was talking about.


    "I think she is one..." Ying Mei picked up one of Wu Jia¡¯s hands.


    "Let me have a look." Bai Ze picked up Wu Jia¡¯s hand. "Oh, she is!"


    "What? Really?" Shao Xian could not believe it. Even Sai Gao was staring at Li Yiming in bafflement.


    "Why are you all looking at me?" Li Yiming asked.


    Shao Xian had an awkward smile. ¡¯So nothing happened, just like that time in my room... Does he have some kind of problem...?¡¯


    "Alright, so we have everything we need. What should we do now? We need to hurry," Sai Gao said as he looked at the ck smoke, slowly creeping up to them.


    "So what¡¯s the whole channeling thing you were talking about?" Li Yiming asked as his nce shifted from Chen Quan to Wu Jia and then back to Chen Quan. If it truly involved some kind of cliched ritual, then he would much rather attempt to seal the gate by himself first.


    "It¡¯s not thatplicated. I just need to draw a few spells on them to amplify the effects of the song."


    "Let¡¯s begin then." Li Yiming let out a sigh of relief.


    "Alright, so shall we start with you?" Bai Ze looked at Chen Quan with an amused smile.


    "What do you need me to do?" Chen Quan nodded in determination, as he felt honor in being the one to save the world. He was resolved to die if that meant that he could save hundreds of thousands of people doing so.


    "Remove your clothes. All of them."

 Volume 9 Chapter 4

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "A... All of it?" Chen Quan stood still, baffled. Bai Ze waved her hand in impatience, producing a violent gust of wind which sent all of his clothes flying away in shreds. Chen Quan stood still, showing his short but oddly muscr limbs.


    Other than Bai Ze, who closed her eyes and concentrated on recalling the spell, most of the group turned their heads away.


    Bai Ze suddenly produced a wind de aimed at Chen Quan¡¯s throat, slicing his artery open, causing a jetstream of blood.


    "What...!" Shao Xian, who had been peeking through her fingers, eximed.


    "Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s not going to die," Bai Ze said as she began to trace glyphs in the air.


    Chen Quan, who had barely recovered from his injuries, was set in ce by Bai Ze¡¯s power, unable to move an inch as he continued to bleed out. Upon finishing tracing the spell, the glyphs shone brightly as they spun towards Chen Quan.


    "Alright, it¡¯s done." Bai Ze wiped her sweat away. It had only been ten minutes of channeling the spell, and the toll on her body was palpable.


    Chen Quan fell to the ground with a loud thud. Afraid of interrupting the spell, he remained immobile, with his hand covering his crotch area in embarrassment.


    "Can he put his clothes back on?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Yes." Bai Ze said before sitting down to focus on recuperating.


    "On behalf of the entire world, I thank you." Li Yiming said to Chen Quan as he threw out a set of clothing from his storage ring.


    Chen Quan immediately jumped up and stood with his chest lifted, proud of his contribution.


    "Put on some clothes, Mr. Savior." Shao Xian said as she could not bear looking at him.


    "Can we be a little more serious when the entire world is at stake?" Sai Gao interjected.


    Ying Mei wiped the sweat away from her palms, as she still could not believe how casually Li Yiming and his friends acted in the midst of their predicament.


    "Alright, it¡¯s her turn now." Bai Ze opened her eyes and let out a long sigh.


    The entire group held their breath as they waited for what was toe. Even Li Yiming began to scratch his head nervously as he imagined the erotic scene which was soon to ensue.


    Instead of the violent gust of wind ripping Wu Jia¡¯s clothes to shreds, Bai Ze approached her and ced her finger on the center of Wu Jia¡¯s forehead.


    "It¡¯s done."


    "What?" Chen Quan was confused.


    "I said it¡¯s done." Bai Ze repeated.


    "But why did I..."


    "Your role was to amplify the effects of the spell. She was simply needed for guidance, so a single marking is enough." Bai Ze cut Chen Quan off with an authoritative stare.


    The group sank into an awkward silence at theical scene.


    "Alright, we should hurry. We don¡¯t have any more time to waste." Li Yiming shook his head.


    "Should we go to the entrance then?" Sai Gao closed his eyes. He could feel the pressure from the ominous aura emanating from the underground be stronger.


    "The entrance is over there." Tian Yan pointed at the mountain peak in the distance.


    "We should go then." Ying Mei picked Wu Jia up from the ground, eager to prove her worth to Li Yiming, since she knew that unlike Li Yiming¡¯s friends, she did not belong in the group.


    "I¡¯ll transport you all over. It¡¯s faster this way," Sai Gao said, and a sh of golden lightter, he transformed into a chimeric beast.


    "He¡¯s a sage?" Ying Mei¡¯s countenance shifted, as she could feel just how strong Sai Gao in his original form was. ¡¯Li Yiming, Bai Ze, Fang Shui¡¯er, and now him? How much strength is he hiding?¡¯


    "Before we enter the gate, I want to be clear about something. The gate is going to send its strongest forces at us as soon as we start the sealing ritual. If we can¡¯t hold the lines until the seal is finished, then everything is done for," Bai Ze said as she punched the air in excitement at the same time as she jumped on top of Sai Gao.


    "Let¡¯s go." Li Yiming led the way and everyone else hopped on board. Sai Gao made for the mountain in a sh of golden light.


    "The entrance is over there!" Tian Yan pointed at a location where the tenebrous smoke seemed particrly thick.


    "Are you sure about this?" Chen Quan looked below worriedly, knowing that only a small amount of the ck smoke was enough to turn him into a skeleton.


    "Grab onto something!" Bai Ze opened her mouth slightly and an orb of golden light appeared inside. After a few seconds, it formed a giant lion¡¯s head which shot down toward the ground.


    "Beast Monarch¡¯s Roar?" Ying Mei could not believe that Bai Ze had attained herplete form.


    "Hold on tight!" Li Yiming barely had time to erect a barrier protecting his friends before Sai Gao dove down into the hole Bai Ze had created. It only took a few moments of Sai Gao wing his way through the earth before they reached several thousands of meters underground.


    "There it is!" Bai Ze spotted the giant stone gate. On the other side shone a blue, ghastly light, and the screams and howling of ghosts and spirits were heard.


    "The gate is almostpletely opened! We have to hurry!" Tian Yan eximed.


    "Shao Xian, just focus on singing and do not stop. Sai Gao, I¡¯ll leave the spell to you." Bai Ze put her hand down on Sai Gao¡¯s head, and the glyphs constituting the spell sank into his body.


    "We¡¯ll have to focus on fighting whateveres out of it." Bai Ze said as she sent Wu Jia and Chen Quan, the two key channelers of the spell, levitating in front of her.


    "The Great Path is invisible, but it gives birth to heaven and earth.


    The Great Path is impassive, but it moves moon and stars..." As soon as Bai Ze gave out the order, Shao Xian began singing the lyrics which were etched into her mind.


    Sai Gao curled up and wrapped his tail around his friends. A shockwave was suddenly emitted from the top of his head.


    Shao Xian¡¯s voice went silent after barely two sentences. Instead of an audible sound, a string of light came out of her mouth and flew toward Wu Jia¡¯s forehead. Wu Jia¡¯s body began shaking and her mouth opened, sending a red wave toward Chen Quan. He opened his mouth to receive the wave, only to see it enter his chest instead. The next moment, a golden beam suddenly shot out of his head and flew toward the gate.


    "It¡¯sing!" Bai Ze cried out with a severe countenance.


    An ear-piercing screech was heard. It did not sound like it came from a human or a beast, but it was nothing short of appalling. The thick ck smoke suddenly condensed and formed giant tentacles which moved violently as the spell continued to have its effect.


    "There¡¯s a lot of them. Careful!" Tian Yan pointed forward.


    Li Yiming was the first one to jump to the action, lifting one hand up. A sh of purple light shot out from his finger and sted a ghost ahead.


    A screech was heard as some of the shadows which had just emerged from the gate were obliterated.


    "We have to protect these two at all costs.." Li Yiming took a deep breath, relieved to see the effectiveness of his attack.


    Bai Ze put her hands together and harnessed energy. Instead of jumping to the attack right away, she stayed on guard and watched over Chen Quan and Wu Jia.


    As for Ying Mei, after ncing at Li Yiming onest time, she sighed and closed her eyes. The shadow beneath her feet suddenly began moving and made for the direction of the gate. A group of ghosts was suddenly caught by giant shadow ws that emerged from the ground and pulled them down, absorbing them into the shadows.


    "We can¡¯t help them right now. They¡¯ll be fine." Tian Yan made Fu Bo put down his notebook. He looked around with a bitter expression and abided.


    The ghosts were all wiped out by Li Yiming¡¯s bombardment before they could even get close. Even the few who were lucky enough to escape his onught were disposed of by Ying Mei. It was an odd scene to cooperate with Ying Mei, but he was rather d to see her change of heart.


    "Something¡¯s wrong!" Bai Ze eximed all of a sudden.

 Volume 9 Chapter 5

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Something wrong..." Bai Ze remarked with a frown, just as the seal was halfway throughpletion. "This gate is too weak..."


    "Too weak?" Fu Bo gulped down a mouthful of saliva. His face was pale from all the horror that he was witnessing.


    "There are ten thousand years worth of evil sealed within this gate... This is way too weak..." Bai Ze said worriedly.


    "They¡¯reing from below!" Tian Yan eximed.


    "I¡¯ll stop them." Ying Mei said. Her body morphed into a shadow, branching off underground as she began her work.


    "Sis Ying?" Being the only one familiar with Ying Mei, Tian Yan noticed a change in her demeanor. Instead of the signs of physical strain that she was used to seeing, Ying Mei was showing signs of eagerness.


    "It¡¯s nothing." Ying Mei quickly adjusted herposure. She wrapped her arms around her own body and sank her fingers into the back of her skull, multiplying the shadows that she created.


    "Don¡¯t push yourself." Li Yiming turned around.


    "Bai Ze¡¯s right. We haven¡¯t seen the worst of it yet, so you should preserve your strength until then." Ying Mei said as her attacks became more and more frantic.


    Ying Mei had noticed that she was able to consume the ghosts to gain strength. With this golden opportunity, she could not help but show eagerness.


    "Give me your hand!" Bai Ze turned around and said to Tian Yan.


    "Let me see through your eyes." A tiger¡¯s silhouette took form on top of Bai Ze¡¯s head.


    Tian Yan was taken aback from Bai Ze¡¯s sudden request but she knew that she could trust Bai Ze. Her eyes started to glow likenterns and projected two beams of silver light toward the mass of ck mist.


    Ying Mei slowed down her attacks as the beams of light radiated the area, afraid that Bai Ze would notice what was going on beneath the ground.


    "There¡¯s nothing in there... What¡¯s going on?" Bai Ze mumbled as she began to look around using Tian Yan¡¯s eyes.


    "Wait! Shit! I should¡¯ve known!" Bai Ze suddenly eximed as she let Tian Yan go.


    "What is it?" Fu Bo said worriedly, still feeling guilty about his mistake, which ultimately led to the opening of the gates.


    "Four gates have been opened. This is only one of them! There¡¯s one gate in each cardinal!" Tian Yan said.


    "What?" Li Yiming eximed.


    "This is the weakest gate of the four since there have been very few people living here. The Eastern Gate, however, feeds on the evil desires of all the millions of people who inhabit the coastline..." Bai Ze pointed.


    "Sai Gao, we need to hurry!" Li Yiming urged.


    Sai Gao elerated his work on tracing the runic glyphs essential for thepletion of the sealing ritual.


    Ying Mei put even more force into her fingers and elerated her onught of the ghosts.


    Li Yiming started to grow irritated at the ever-increasing number of specters that surrounded him. He sped his hands together, creating a of bright purple light in between them.


    "Ten Thousand Thunder!" Li Yiming roared as he unleashed his attack toward the center of the gate. It was a powerful attack he had devised that was inspired by Thunderous Strike. Although it was not as powerful, it did notpletely drain him.


    As the giant lightning hit at the center of the ck smog, a blinding sh of light came. For a brief moment, the ck smoke was cleared, allowing the harrowing stone gates to be seen clearly. Without interference from the specters and the ck smoke, Sai Gao was able to speed up the sealing process.


    Ying Mei continued to put more force onto the back of her head, and a small shadow shot out from her feet into the ground.


    "There¡¯s someone inside!" Fu Bo opened his eyes, still somewhat blinded by the shing light, and saw a silhouette within the gates.


    It was a woman who stood stall and possessed attractive curves.


    "Liu Meng!" Li Yiming leaped forward, but the ck smoke gathered once again, and the emergence of ghosts resumed.


    "Don¡¯t be rash!" Bai Ze pulled Li Yiming back.


    "Let me go." Li Yiming said coldly. He was confident that he saw Liu Meng and was not about to back down.


    "These gates lead to the realm of ghosts..." Tian Yan said with a frown. The time frame was much too short for her to make out who the person was. She then turned her head towards Ying Mei, continued sending out wave after wave of shadows.


    "I have to go. As long as there¡¯s even a sliver of hope..." Li Yiming said to Bai Ze.


    "Think about it, if you go now..."


    "I need to."


    "Have you thought about the consequences?" Bai Ze yelled in frustration.


    "Let go of me." Li Yiming said with a cial tone ¡ª his inability to control his emotions was showing.


    Bai Ze let go of Li Yiming¡¯s hand with a frustrated expression. He disappeared with a sh of light and appeared a secondter in the tenebrous ocean of ghosts.


    "Get out of my way!" Li Yiming roared and his body began to glow with a purple light, pushing back the ghosts, and vanished within the horde of specters.


    At the same time, the gate was inundated in golden light as Sai Gao had finallypleted his seal. He caught Chen Quan and Wu Jia before theynded on the ground. Tian Yan stared at Ying Mei¡¯s back hesitantly as thetter continued to clear out the ghosts, only stopping briefly to let out a discreet, satisfied smile.


    "Idiot!" Bai Ze suddenly let out a cry of frustration, sending out the shadow of a giant paw crushing the stone gates into dust and smashing through the mountain. The underground was now exposed through arge gaping hole through which sunlight shone. Bai Ze basked in the warm, fuzzy light, showing a lonely expression.


    "He¡¯s always been lucky. He¡¯ll make it through. We have our own fight." Sai Gao said before returning to his beast form.


    "Let¡¯s go. The three other gates are being held, but they need Shao Xian to seal the gate offpletely. We should hurry," Tian Yan pressed on.


    "Go." Bai Ze snorted in frustration as she closed her eyes to locate Li Yiming, only to find out that their connection had been severed. She gave up soon after and the entire group hopped onto Sai Gao¡¯s back.


    "We have good news and bad news." Pan Junwei¡¯s tired voice came. The president sat waiting with bloodshot eyes. For a person that was usually quite attentive to appearances, it could only signify that something terrible had happened.


    "Good news first." The president stared at the nine screens in front of him, each of which was broadcasting emergency news. ¡¯We won¡¯t be able to hide it for much longer...¡¯


    "The gate at Mount Mu has been sealed off," Pan Junwei sounded somewhat relieved.


    "What?" The president quickly switched to the satellite feed of the location in question and saw the ck smoke clearing away.


    "Li Yiming found a way to seal off the gatepletely. Fang Shui¡¯er just ryed to us that they were headed South to take care of the gate over there."


    "Good!" The president smashed the table upon hearing the news ¡ª it was the first piece of information that he had since yesterday that pleased him.


    However, as he noticed Pan Junwei did not show any simr emotions, the president asked in a grave voice, "What about the bad news?"


    "We can¡¯t hold it any longer..."

 Volume 9 Chapter 6

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "What is this ce?" Li Yiming looked around in confusion at the bustling city streets.


    "Are you stupid? What are you doing standing there?" An angry voice was heard from behind, as a middle-aged man carrying bags of groceries had his path blocked off by Li Yiming.


    "Sorry." Li Yiming nodded and moved out of the way.


    ¡¯This ce... It¡¯s Shangbei!¡¯ Li Yiming realized where he was upon noticing the icondmark in the distance. ¡¯Are the gates to the Realm of Ghosts just teleportation portals?¡¯


    Li Yiming scrutinized his surroundings and noticed nothing out of themon. The citizens of Shangbei were all busy minding their own businesses, not stopping a moment to care about him.


    ¡¯There¡¯s nothing here... Maybe if I get a bird¡¯s eye view...¡¯ As Li Yiming made ready to activate Thundersh, cries of horror were suddenly heard from the crowd. All of the passersby stopped in their tracks and stared at Li Yiming with bloodthirsty eyes.


    ¡¯This... This is a domain...¡¯ Li Yiming dispelled his Thundersh.


    Crack!


    The sound of ss breaking was heard. Li Yiming turned around, ready to defend himself, only to see a chair being flung out of the window from the third floor, falling down with an explosion of ss shards.


    "What the hell are you doing? If you don¡¯t want to live together anymore, then get out of my house!" A man yelled out as he peeked out from the hole in the window.


    "You¡¯ve said it!" A woman¡¯s shriek was heard, followed by a loud thud from a door being flung shut. A slightly chubby woman wearing high-heels dashed out of the apartment building, her face red with fury.


    "What are you looking at?" The woman yelled at Li Yiming before leaving the scene.


    ¡¯That was... a lover¡¯s quarrel?¡¯ Li Yiming looked at the ss shards on the ground. Had he been ten more meters ahead, he would have been hit on the head.


    He looked up at the window and noticed another woman on a balcony on the opposite side of the street contemting the scene as she slowly consumed her snack.


    Li Yiming shook his head and quickly left the alleyway.


    "Hey! Could you help me, young man?" Li Yiming ran into an old man holding tworge cardboard boxes.


    "Sure." Li Yiming rushed forward to catch the heavy-looking boxes right before they fell to the ground.


    "Thanks... Ahhh!" The old man suddenly eximed as the box on top slid forward.


    Li Yiming, who was busy holding the box below, held back his powers so as not to expose himself. He watched as the boxnded on the ground with a clink. ¡¯Whatever is inside... It¡¯s already broken...¡¯


    "Ah! You! How could you!?" The old man¡¯s smile suddenly changed into an expression of remorse and bitterness.


    Li Yiming snorted at the situation and did not know what to say.


    The small incident soon caught the attention of other pedestrians. Many stopped to hear the tale of the old man, who repeated to them that although he was grateful to Li Yiming for his help, thetter had inadvertently broke a vase inside the box, which had been left to him by his partner. It was not long before a crowd formed, with many criticizing Li Yiming for his mistake.


    "How much is it worth?" Li Yiming smiled as he slowly put down the box.


    "Five... five thousand..." The old man said with an ostensibly deste voice as he subtly peeked at Li Yiming to see his reaction.


    "Give me your card number." Li Yiming took out his cell phone.


    "I... I¡¯m not good with technology..." Annoyance shed past the old man¡¯s eyes as he did not expect Li Yiming toply so easily.


    "Cash then?" Li Yiming took out his wallet and counted the money; he had learned his mistake from the past domains and always carried a sizeable sum of money on him now.


    "Young man, you have a kind heart. I shouldn¡¯t have asked you to pay, but this vase..." The old man sighed as he took the money.


    "That¡¯s my lesson for the day. I¡¯ll be taking my leave now." Li Yiming said and quickly made his way through the crowd.


    ¡¯There¡¯s nothing unusual... It¡¯s just an old man scamming people...¡¯ Li Yiming extended his senses. ¡¯But this doesn¡¯t make sense... The gate leading to Shangbei? I wouldn¡¯t even have suspected this to be a domain if it wasn¡¯t for what happened earlier... What¡¯s going on? Where¡¯s Liu Meng?¡¯


    "Oh, sorry!"


    As Li Yiming pondered about the situation while walking down the street, a young man bumped into him.


    "I¡¯m good. Are you okay?" Li Yiming asked.


    "I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. Sorry about that," The young man said and left in a hurry.


    Li Yiming stared at the back of the man who walked away.


    ¡¯This is the third one... and they¡¯re alling for the cash I put... There¡¯s more of them hanging around.¡¯ Li Yiming noticed his surroundings.


    Li Yiming soon arrived at an intersection and saw a fashionably-dressed young woman with heavy make-up drinking her bubble tea. The woman, upon noticing Li Yiming¡¯s attention, snorted in discontent andughed.


    ¡¯This girl... She was behind me when my money was stolen and kept quiet... And now she¡¯sughing at my misfortune...¡¯


    The sudden screeching of tires interrupted Li Yiming¡¯s train of thought. A middle-aged woman was seen standing in the center of the street, mortified.


    "What¡¯s your problem?" A man whose face had gone from pale to flush with anger rushed out of his car.


    "My problem? Don¡¯t you know that you should give priority to pedestrians, you idiot?" The woman yelled back as she continued walking forward. Li Yiming was dumbfounded as he looked at the visible red light above her head.


    "You¡¯re more of a suicidal imbecile than a pedestrian. It won¡¯t take long before you die!" The man cursed as he hopped back into his car.


    Li Yiming trailed the woman as she boarded a bus at the next intersection.


    As soon as she entered the bus, she immediately caused a scene as she yelled at a schoolgirl, telling her that seats should be given to the elderly, and forcing her to yield her seat.


    Li Yiming was starting to grow irritated at the sequence of morally repulsing scenes he had witnessed in the short span of his arrival.


    To add fuel to the fire, he suddenly noticed that the young girl who was forced to give away her seat was fidgeting about ufortably. A closer look revealed that the man standing behind her was subtly groping her.


    ¡¯You bastard...!¡¯ Li Yiming stared at the man angrily. Right after deciding to intervene, he noticed a young teenager, no older than a high school student, filming the scene.


    Two more men could be seen observing the scene, one which was also filming, while the other seemed to be amused. When Li Yiming looked back at the high school student in front of him, he noticed him typing on his phone.


    Sexual harassment found on a bus! Please help expose this bastard! was the title of the video that the student had uploaded on a forum. It was quickly followed by many posts of self-righteous condemnation and insults.


    Li Yiming sank back into silence as the young girl who had been victimized twice during her bus ride escaped from the bus. ¡¯This is a domain about human vices... The small things which lurk within the heart of every man...¡¯

 Volume 9 Chapter 7

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "But sometimes there is someone who behaves without righteousness, and moves against rationality, who mistakes evil for ability, and inflicts injury on others, who exercises power but notpassion, who is cruel, irrational, and self-willed, who does not distinguish right from wrong, and turns his back on those whom he should befriend, who has no feeling for favors received, but is tireless in remembering resentment..." Li Yiming recited a verse from the Tractate of the Most High One on Actions and Consequences.


    Li Yiming wandered through the streets, until he reached the entrance to an office building. He went up the stairs all the way to the rooftop. As he gazed at the city below him painted with a myriad of colorful lights, he was reminded of that time where he stood on the same rooftop over a year ago, when he was at his lowest point in life.


    ¡¯The rules of this world...¡¯ Li Yiming chuckled at Mr. Kong¡¯s words. He crossed over the protective fence and sat at the edge of the roof with his feet dangling in the air.


    ¡¯Thest time I was here because of love... And now I¡¯m here because I question the path I have chosen to walk down in life...¡¯ Li Yiming began to question his own beliefs. He remembered hearing Bai Ze¡¯s judgment on human nature. Although he did not refute her statement at that time, he did not agree with her.


    Growing up, Li Yiming had put his trust in the goodness of others. The world was rife with kind people, and it was natural for those more privileged to showpassion for the less fortunate. These beliefs motivated his positive, uplooking attitude, and he still believed in them even after bing a guardian.


    However, Li Yiming¡¯s firm beliefs were now shaken. He could no longer tell whether the so-called "goodness" was some kind of social construct, or worse, merely propaganda spread by the rich and powerful to keep the poor and miserable from seeing the dire truth.


    ¡¯Helping the elderly turns into a scam... Perhaps it¡¯s better to bepletely selfish? What of gratitude? What of all the things I¡¯ve been taught? Were they all lies?¡¯


    Despite being forced to do Heaven¡¯s Laws¡¯ biddings, Li Yiming obeyed what he believed were higher principles. When confronted with massacring innocents or defying the Heavens, he chose thetter. However, after witnessing the ramifications of the copse of Heaven¡¯s Laws, and the freedom that the guardians had gained as a result, a seed of doubt had been nted within his heart.


    From his perch, Li Yimig could observe nearly the entire city in minute details. Far away, he saw a racily-dressed woman stripping off her clothes, revealing her breasts in front of many cameras shes. Between them hung a jade pendant which was likely the subject for some kind of eroticmercial.


    In another corner of the city, a man walked out of a Mahjong casino with a flushed face. After feeling his overly-thick wallet, he put his hands together and prayed to the sky, showing his gratitude for fortune favoring him on that day.


    ¡¯Pointing at heaven or earth that they may witness their evil designs, and calling upon spirits to witness their degrading deeds...¡¯ Li Yiming closed his eyes, but he could not close his heart to the sinful acts he saw.


    Li Yiming sat still throughout the night, hoping for the warmth of the dawning sun to give him a sense offort. When it finally came, he took a deep breath and walked back down the stairs.


    Ptui!


    As Li Yiming came out of the building, he was greeted by a spitting noise and hot liquid on the corners of his pants


    It was a small boy, no older than five or six, who had just bought fresh soy milk. The boy beganughing, as his prank on Li Yiming had the desired effect.


    "Stop it!" A middle-aged woman brushed the boy¡¯s head and nced at Li Yiming, unconcerned with what her son had just done.


    Li Yiming shook his head and continued walking forward, only to see another jet of soy milk flying toward his pants.


    "Hurry up and drink your soy milk while it¡¯s still hot. We¡¯ll bete for kindergarten." The woman said indulgently.


    "You shouldn¡¯t be doing that." Li Yiming could no longer hold it in.


    "You¡¯ve dirtied my pants. You need to apologize," Li Yiming said with a soft voice as he stared into the eyes of the young boy.


    The kid, who had not expected such a serious reaction from Li Yiming, hid himself behind his mother.


    "What are you doing? He¡¯s just a boy! Why are you being so serious?" The woman tapped her son¡¯s shoulder to reassure him and thenined to Li Yiming.


    "He soiled my pants, so he should apologize for it. This has nothing to do with age," Li Yiming said, refusing to back down out of principle.


    "Alright, alright. What an embarrassment of an adult. You want money, don¡¯t you?" The woman said with a disgusted voice and reached out for her bag.


    The boy, upon seeing that his mother was standing up for him, spat out another mouthful of soy milk at Li Yiming.


    "You little...!" Li Yiming could no longer repress his anger. He could not believe that he had been risking his life for these people, and that Liu Meng had gone missing because of them.


    Li Yiming¡¯s sudden shout shocked the mother and the son and attracted the attention of everyone around.


    "What¡¯s wrong with you? I told you that I¡¯m going to pay you. Are you crazy?" The mother scolded angrily.


    "What is it? What¡¯s going on?" An anxious voice was heard as a man quickly rushed to the scene and picked up the boy.


    "Our baby dirtied his pants. I told him I was going to pay, this guy¡¯s crazy!" The woman exined ¡ª her husband¡¯s return seemed to have given her even more courage.


    "Are you dumb or what? He¡¯s just a boy, what do you want?" The father rushed toward Li Yiming and shouted aggressively, staring down at Li Yiming and flexing his muscles.


    Li Yiming suddenly remembered his experience over a year ago where a young boy at the bus station nearly had the young woman killed.


    "That¡¯s right. Are you one as well?" Li Yiming asked.


    "You..."


    Li Yiming interrupted the man by picking up a small pot containing hot soy milk and pouring it over the man¡¯s head.


    The man fell to the ground, screaming in agony. Li Yiming looked at his wife and son, who first froze in shock, and then began shaking in terror.


    "Sorry for dirtying your clothes. I¡¯ll pay for it." Li Yiming said as he threw down a few banknotes on the floor.


    Li Yiming turned around and left the scene. The pedestrians all backed away, intimidated.


    ¡¯I¡¯m not sure if the people... the animals here are worth saving at all...¡¯


    Before long, Li Yiming arrived at the entrance to a shopping mall, where he saw a familiar face.


    "What¡¯s your problem?" The young man looked up when he saw Li Yiming.


    "You stole five hundred yuan from me yesterday," Li Yiming said as he stared at the young man who pickpocketed him.


    "Did you drink too much?" The young man grew tense for a moment as he recognized Li Yiming and feigned ignorance. He looked around and saw three of his friends approaching and turned around.


    "Ugh!" The man grunted as Li Yiming sped his neck.


    "Bastard!" One man suddenly rushed out of the crowd.


    Li Yiming shoved the young man toward the neer and the two fell down to the ground. He then turned around and wrapped his fingers around the wrist of another attacker, who was armed with a dagger. With a slight snap, a crack followed by a cry of pain was heard. Li Yiming then pulled the attacker over and delivered a knee blow to his face.


    The man was sent flying with a ssh of blood.


    Not pausing for a single moment, Li Yiming delivered a powerful kick to the side.


    Another crack was heard as another attacker carrying a dagger had his ribs broken.


    "Five hundred," Li Yiming repeated as he looked at the thief.


    "Wait and you¡¯ll see, you asshole..." The man did not seem to understand the predicament he was in.


    Crack!


    Li Yiming stepped on the man¡¯s knee.

 Volume 9 Chapter 8

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Inside the interrogation room of the police station, Li Yiming struggled to stop the trembling of his hands as he looked at the handcuffs around his wrist.


    ¡¯If I want to find Liu Meng, then I need to find a way out of this domain... But how? Convince them to change their way of life?¡¯ Li Yiming pondered over his situation. He decided that his priority would still be locating Liu Meng rather than figuring out his own life philosophy.


    "You looking for trouble? Aggravated assault?" Two policemen entered the room with a grin. Li Yiming noticed that both of them had their police badges removed, so he could not see their police number.


    "Officer, you¡¯ve dropped something." Li Yiming pointed at the door.


    The two policers, who had already begun rolling up their sleeves, looked at the entrance and saw a parcel sitting on the ground. It obviously belonged to Li Yiming, since he had just been rushed into the room and did not have his belongings confiscated yet.


    They stared at each other as they opened the parcel and found it full of cash, containing no less than one hundred thousand yuan.


    "Well... your case is a troublesome one, so we¡¯re going to do the interrogation in the afternoon. You¡¯ll have the right to awyer, but you need to fill up this form first." One of the officers cleared his throat and said with a solemn voice.


    ¡¯Bribery...¡¯ Li Yiming began shaking even more violently as he repressed his urge to break free from his handcuffs and punish the officers. ¡¯How am I supposed to cleanse this? Or should I even bother at all?¡¯


    Li Yiming¡¯s head began aching as he thought of the ghosts he had to fight beforeing into the domain. Using brute force tend to be ill-advised in a domain, as more and more enemies could simply be created, and he could not afford to waste much time on it.


    Thud!


    The door to his cell was suddenly open. A group of strong men in ck rushed in with the officer standing behind them looking onward nervously.


    "He¡¯s the kid?" The man at the head of the group asked the police officer, and thetter answered with a nod.


    "Okay, you can leave. Don¡¯t worry, we know what we¡¯re doing." The man in ck said.


    The police officer, upon seeing that Li Yiming was staring at the ground despondently, finally closed the door.


    "You betterst long enough to entertain us." The man said with a menacing smile as he poked at the back of Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    "What? Oh, you¡¯re a funny one... Arghhh!" The man¡¯s twisted smile quickly turned into a painful moan as Li Yiming broke his fingers with a quick snap.


    One of the subordinates rushed toward Li Yiming with raised fists. Li Yiming traded a punch with him, breaking his entire arm at once. Li Yiming then bent his elbow and delivered a blow to the man¡¯s face.


    A loud crack was heard as the man¡¯s head exploded like a melon.


    As the blood and gore dripped down from his forehead, Li Yiming looked at the dumbfounded men around him.


    "Maybe this is the way..." Li Yiming grumbled ¡ª killing people was another way to cleanse the world from their wrongdoings. If he was going to be unable to convince them to change their ways, then he would wash their sins away with blood.


    Bang! Bang!


    Loud banging at the door was heard. The police officer did not expect the men to be done with the job so quickly. The situation turned to his favor as he would get to keep all of the money if Li Yiming did not confess to it.


    He opened the door and peeked inside, only to have a bloody hand sp around his neck the next moment.


    Li Yiming sighed as he looked at the corpse of the police officer, whose neck he had broken so easily. He then headed toward the basement of the police station to look for weapons.


    Leaving the police station, his trembling hands gradually calmed down, but his bloodied right wrist now had a trace of red light. Unbeknownst to him, the corpses he had left behind slowly turned into puffs of ck smoke.


    * * *


    "The search and rescue team have returned. There are no survivors from the aircraft carrier," Qian Mian said as he distributed copies of the report to those present in the meeting room of the temporarymand outpost. An hour ago, he had arrived with the guardians from the Star Alliance, only to receive news about the gravity of the situation.


    "I¡¯ve had a look. The ghosts hanging around on the ocean are about level three or four. The few beneath the sea are level six, as for the ones near the gate..." Tian Yan said with a grave tone.


    "Sages. Three of them." Li Huaibei added with a frown.


    "What? This makes no sense at all!" Fang Shui¡¯er eximed. The ghosts she had fought near the Southern gate, although menacing-looking, were level three at best, with most of them below that threshold. She had thought that Pan Junwei¡¯s request to take care of the Northern gate was a sign that the tides were in their favor, but she now understood that it was clearly not the case.


    "That¡¯s why we need to take care of the other gates first. With our current strength, it¡¯s impossible for us to seal the gate by force." Pan Junwei wiped away the sweat around his eyes and said with an anxious voice. Even with an army of virus-enhanced soldiers, they had suffered massive casualties as the soldiers were unable to use guardian equipment, and more importantly, unable to fight under the sun. To make matters worse, the ghosts seemed to bepletely unaffected by physical attacks.


    "If you¡¯re out of options, then you should pull back your troops and leave the front line to us." Bai Ze¡¯s childish voice was heard.


    "This is..." The president, who had been invited to the meeting by Pan Junwei, was perplexed as to why a child was participating in a summit regarding a national emergency.


    "She¡¯s the one who calls the shots for us," Fang Shui¡¯er replied coldly. She was of the opinion that the president, who normally should not be involved with guardian affairs, was uninvited and unweed.


    "Those who share the same goal should work together." Pan Junwei quickly intervened to ease the tension.


    "How are the evacuations going?" The president changed the subject of the conversation.


    "It¡¯s going well. Although media exposure resulted in some panic among the general poption, it also made them more cooperative," An officer answered.


    "However, panic has spread to the other cities, and it¡¯s quickly bing difficult to manage," Another officer added.


    "Call back of our volunteers and continue recruitment. Order the divisions to encamp at their respective cities and take over public security from local police forcers," The president calmly issued the order.


    "Should we make the existence of the guardians public to avoid mass panic?" The president sought approval from those present. Although he did not want to admit it, the existence of "heroes" would do far more to ease the fear of the public than any kind of military intervention.


    "That¡¯s a good idea. I¡¯ll get the footage of the fight against the ghosts right away. We could also make public the situation for the other gates to let the people know that we have what it takes to fight back," Qian Mian considered the proposition.


    "It¡¯s still not good that we¡¯re simply sitting here. We need a breakthrough," Pan Junwei returned to the main subject.


    "A breakthrough?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked.


    "If we can¡¯t seal it, then maybe it¡¯s better to blow it all up." Pan Junwei showed signs of fervent bloodlust ¡ª he had been repressing his urge to bring out his full weapon arsenal until now.


    "How are you going to do it?" Bai Ze asked.


    "We have seventeen-hundred nukes in the arsenal, and I have another one of my own. I¡¯ll shove it right through the gate and that should do the trick."

 Volume 9 Chapter 9

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Is that going to work?" The president had considered the possibility, but decided to remain silent as it would require a person to go on a one-way trip.


    "On the off-chance that you even do manage to make your way there with our help... Let¡¯s ask Li Huaibei here if a sage can be killed by a nuclear bomb." Bai Ze sank back into her chair, unimpressed by the idea.


    "If it detonates in close range, then maybe I¡¯ll be hurt. But if you give me some time, then it won¡¯t be very hard to escape," Li Huaibei answered.


    ¡¯What? Seriously?¡¯ The president was dumbfounded, finally understanding what guardians were capable of. It then dawned upon him what a terrifying threat the gates must be for a group of supernatural beings to be scratching their heads about what to do.


    "What should we do then? Sit here and do nothing?" Pan Junwei smashed the table ¡ª he could not stand feeling so powerless.


    "Mr. president, I think that we should first figure out their motive. Surely they haven¡¯te out of the gates for a leisure trip around our world. What could they be after..." Bai Ze jumped off her seat as walked to the giant screen.


    "They have a specific destination in mind. Look at this," Bai Ze said as she picked up aser pointer.


    "This is the point of convergence of the gates. You¡¯ll notice that the ghosts aren¡¯t uniformly dispersed. There¡¯s noticeably less of them on the seaside and more around the coast."


    "Yes. They¡¯re headed for where it¡¯s most densely popted. These creatures feed on the spirits of living beings, after all," Qian Mian said.


    "It¡¯s not just any city though. Look here, and here. If they really wanted to get to the coast as quickly as possible, then why are they so out of ce?" Bai Ze pointed out.


    "This... Shangbei!?" Pan Junwei immediately noticed that the unusual path of the ghosts suggested that they were headed for Shangbei.


    "I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s their final destination, but they¡¯re headed there, that¡¯s for sure." Using theser marker, Bai Ze traced a line going from the gate to Shangbei.


    "What could they possibly want?" The president asked.


    "I don¡¯t know." Bai Ze shrugged her shoulders and sat down. Unlike the others, she was not so eager about sealing the gates, since her idiot master was still inside, and she did not want to cut his path of retreat off.


    * * *


    While Bai Ze busied herself with her calctions, Li Yiming lit up a cigarette for himself inside his car.


    He had just killed an elderly man who was trying to scam him. Li Yiming was driving his vehicle at a slow pace until the old man rushed toward the front of his car and dove to the ground, moaning in pain. Without a second thought, Li Yiming decided to press on the gas pedal, and gruesome sounds of bones cracking as the tires rolled over the body ensued. As he peeked at the bloody scene in his rear-view mirror, his fingers briefly trembled again.


    "Can I get an ad thrown out?" Li Yiming stopped his car at a TV station and walked into the advertising department.


    "How may I help you, sir?" The manager greeted him with a smile.


    "I need an ad to find someone."


    "I¡¯m sorry sir, while we¡¯d love to help you..." Contempt shed in the manager¡¯s eyes, as he thought of Li Yiming as another desperate fool who was naive enough to think that an advertisement would prove to be helpful in finding a loved one. ¡¯Do you know how much it costs to throw one ad? Idiot...¡¯


    "This is prepayment. I¡¯ll give you the rest once you find her. I¡¯ll pay for the advertisement fee separately." Li Yiming threw an unlocked briefcase onto the table, which spilled open as itnded, revealing multiple packs of banknotes.


    "This..." The manager was astounded, and he instinctively nced at the other briefcase Li Yiming was holding.


    "Please wait for a moment." The manager stood up immediately. He understood that this money was for him alone, and that the advertisement fee would be duly paidter.


    "Where would you like to put your notice? We have TV, inte, radio..."


    "Everywhere you possibly can."


    "Of course. We¡¯re going to make preparations. It might take some time..."


    "I need to see my ad right now."


    "Uh... we..."


    "I¡¯ll pay for your troubles, of course."


    "OK, we¡¯ll work on it right away. May I ask who you¡¯re looking for?"


    "Her." Li Yiming said as he presented his cell phone to the manager, which contained Liu Meng¡¯s information.


    "She¡¯s beautiful." The managerplimented. "However, based on my experience, you may also want to put a reward for the person who finds her or delivers some kind of useful clue. That would be very useful in soliciting interest from the general public."


    "Sure."


    "And may I ask how much you¡¯re thinking about...?"


    "One million for anyone who provides useful information. One hundred million for anyone who finds her."


    "What?" The manager thought he heard the first number wrong, but the second number confirmed it.


    "I¡¯ll give it to you if you can find her." Li Yiming said and left.


    "Are you serious?" The manager stared at Li Yiming¡¯s back, and then he looked at the other suitcase Li Yiming left behind.


    "Quick! I want the entire team here as soon as possible!" The manager yelled out. Although there was no contract, he knew that Li Yiming was not going to go back on his words. After all, who would offer a few million without a promise of return?


    Walking out of the skyscraper, Li Yiming noticed his ad already showing up on the giant tscreen above the entrance.


    "She may change your life! One hundred million yuan reward!"


    A slogan in giant red font underlined Liu Meng¡¯s picture.


    Li Yiming nodded in satisfaction. His goal was not to gather more people to find Liu Meng, but rather, for Liu Meng to see the message herself.


    While waiting for news regarding Liu Meng, Li Yiming walked into a restaurant. As he sat down, a patrol car stopped in the parking lot and two officers rushed toward his car.


    After peeking into the car¡¯s windows, the officers took a few pictures and hurriedly left the scene. Li Yiming smiled in satisfaction. ¡¯Killing the entire police station should keep them busy for a while...¡¯


    "What would you like to order, sir?" A young waiter arrived with a smile.


    "Steak. Also, give me a bottle of wine." Li Yiming threw five bills onto the table.


    "Right away." The waiter, who had been well-trained in satisfying various customers, did not even bother asking for the steak¡¯s doneness or the type of wine and left hurriedly with the tip. He could see that Li Yiming was not short on money at all, and so he could bring all of the expensive items on the menu and offer the choiceter.


    The steak arrived very quickly, and Li Yiming poured peppercorn sauce on it without even looking. To the waiter¡¯s surprise, Li Yiming even called for three more bottles of wine.


    "Hey! Look at this! Who do you think that ¡¯Liu Meng¡¯ is?" A woman who was scrolling her cell phone suddenly cried out.


    "One hundred million? What the heck? Who is she?"


    "You¡¯ve only noticed now? It¡¯s everywhere outside!" A well-dressed man who sat with her showed a calm demeanor, but was only trying to hide his own disbelief.


    "Wow! Really! All of the billboards outside too! I wonder who she is..." The girl said enviously ¡ª she was impressed that someone was ready to pay such an astronomical sum to find a certain person.


    "Probably some kind of high-end prostitute."


    "What? Who would spend that much money on her then?" Another girl asked.


    "What do you think? Who else would look for her that way?"


    "Yes, but one hundred million? Really?"


    "Well, there are only two possibilities. One, that girl took something from one of her clients that¡¯s worth even more than one hundred million. Second, she saw or heard something she shouldn¡¯t have, and the money is really there just to bait her out." The man sneered and picked up his wine ss.


    "That¡¯s true. I wouldn¡¯t have guessed otherwise," The other young man in the group added.


    "What if it¡¯s true love?" One of the two girls asked, still refusing to give up on her romantic fantasy.


    "Yeah right. Someone like her? One hundred million? You could probably get to sleep with her for ten thousand a night!" The man said as he nced at the poster of Liu Meng. ¡¯Shit... What a nice body though...¡¯


    Li Yiming stayed silent as he eavesdropped on the conversation, only looking at his watch from time to time, and then at the street. He noticed the small ruckus caused as many stopped to look at the advertisement board, and then at their cell phone.


    ¡¯I have time for one more bottle...¡¯

 Volume 9 Chapter 10

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "You know, it might be worth it to pay ten thousand for a night with her..." The man at the other table said with a lewd smile as he looked at the giant screen showing Liu Meng¡¯s picture.


    "Oh? So Young Master Lin is interested? You do like girls with big chests after all..." The other young man at the tableughed at him.


    "They¡¯re big, but that¡¯s it." One of the girl pursed her lips.


    "Oh? What¡¯s wrong? Are you jealous? How about you work for it tonight then? I¡¯ll give you ten thousand," Young Master Lin said as he wrapped his arm around young woman sitting right to him.


    "Are you sure you can take on the two of us?" The woman whoined earlier smiled at the prospect of ten thousand for a night, but not before ncing at the man next to her to seek his approval.


    "Don¡¯t look at me, you decide for yourself. I¡¯m just going to say that I¡¯ve seen Young Master Lin take on many more than two back in the days..." Young Master Lin¡¯s friend said as he slid his hand into the shirt of the young woman.


    "Two isn¡¯t even close. Even with that girl on the poster, I¡¯ll make the three of you feel like it¡¯s heaven, hahaha!" Young Master Lin suddenly groped the chest of the young woman next to him. She frowned and moaned in pain, but did not dare to resist.


    "How about I join too?" Li Yiming suddenly appeared with a nearly-empty wine bottle.


    "Who..." The group had a confused look.


    "Those who grow rich through deceit but remain uncultivated, and through deceit escapes punishment but remains without shame... Shame on you." Li Yiming shook his head and then emptied his bottle.


    "Did you drink too much, you idiot?" Young Master Lin pulled his hand free and stood up. He did not understand most of Li Yiming¡¯s words, but he knew full well that they were not praise.


    Bang!


    The empty wine bottle collided against his skull and shattered into a million pieces. A visible dent was formed on Young Master¡¯s Lin¡¯s head.


    "Well, it¡¯s about time. An hour should be more than enough for the ad to spread on the inte." Li Yiming looked at his watch, and then at the three remaining people who stared at him with widened eyes.


    "You¡¯ve guessed right. It was true love. I know it because I¡¯m the one who put that ad out there," Li Yiming said with a smile to one of the girls.


    "As for you, you were off the mark, so you should be punished." Li Yiming¡¯s smile turned cold.


    "What... what are you up to?" The young man asked as he nced at the wine bottle on his table.


    "Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s not going to die. If I really wanted to kill, I¡¯d use this..." Li Yiming said as he took out his handgun.


    Bang! Bang!


    Li Yiming slowly walked out of the restaurant andughed at the panicking crowd running away from the venue. ¡¯The ad is there, now it¡¯s my time for the headlines.¡¯


    His n: to turn Shangbei into a bloodbath.


    * * *


    "Bai Ze guessed it right. They¡¯re gathering up!" Eyesses said with a severe countenance as he examined the flow of the ck mist in the distance.


    "Can we hold?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked as she looked on from on top of Big Beard¡¯s mecha. Due the the ghosts¡¯ innate immunity to physical attacks, she was the team¡¯s main source of offense capabilities.


    "It¡¯s not hard to hold them off. The question is, how long..." Qing Linglong swept across the crowd with her gaze, only to be left disappointed by Wu Yun¡¯s absence. Thetter had convinced them to join forces with Pan Junwei with a warning of an uing apocalypse.


    ¡¯Why isn¡¯t he here? Is there something even more urgent than this?¡¯ Qing Linglong tried to think of a reason.


    "Where did you say Li Yiming went?" Eyesses suddenly turned toward Qing Linglong and asked, as Fang Shui¡¯er had been the onemanding the forces of Pure Water Herb Hall, despite Eyesses¡¯ knowing that the true leader was Li Yiming.


    "I don¡¯t know, but he must be around if Bai Ze is." Qing Linglong said as she took a deep breath to focus for thebat about toe.


    "Eyesses, could you search around? I want to know what¡¯s so valuable in Shangbei," Big Beard¡¯s voice came from his mecha.


    "I¡¯ve been on it the entire day, but I couldn¡¯t find anything." Eyesses sighed.


    "We have to hold the lines until Bai Ze and Tian Yane back with information," Qing Linglong said as her des began to glow with an indigo light.


    As the sun slowly set, teams of vampiric soldiers gathered at the front lines. Despite Pan Junwei¡¯s unwillingness, he knew that now was the time these volunteers were needed for the sake of their country.


    "Where are you?" Pan Junwei looked at the horizon with anxiousness.


    Far out in the ocean, on a small ind, a shirtless man slowly opened his eyes and stared at the endless tenebrousness ahead.


    "If you can¡¯t even ovee this small of a hurdle, how do you expect to go against the Heavens..." Wu Yun said and as he looked up.


    "You¡¯re still sleeping? I¡¯m looking forward to what you have nned..." Wu Yun smiled and continued focusing his energy.


    Deep within the mountains, Stargaze suddenly opened her eyes. An iridescent light shot out of her irises and formed a bright spiral in front of her. An image of Liu Meng with her hair fluttering about could be seen. The mes that engulfed her changed colors as its temperature fluctuated.


    "I¡¯ve finally found you..." Stargaze¡¯s stiff expression turned into one of relief as her efforts had finally borne fruit. The day Liu Meng was sent through the spirals of time, Stargaze had a feeling that Liu Meng would have to fight all on her own to protect the world from an uing apocalypse. And she was proven right: Heaven¡¯s Laws was indeed trying to conceal her from any kind of external attention.


    The only problem now was figuring out how to bring her back.


    Liu Meng slowly turned her head, her expression showing suspicion. ¡¯Someone¡¯s looking at me?¡¯


    The charred Earth and the deste city had long since vanished. She was left floating inplete emptiness. Despite having absorbed all of the energy from the wave after wave of lightning, Liu Meng found herself unable to find her way back to Li Yiming. Although she was easily able to rip through the fabric of space, she would be lost in the river of time and carried onto another location right after.


    ¡¯It¡¯s not enough...¡¯ Liu Meng stood up and stared forward, now sure that someone was observing her. However, that connection was too weak to provide her with a way back.


    After arriving at Shangbei, Bai Ze and Tian Yan found the otherwise bustling streets to bepletely empty, save for the asional military patrol who ran past them. The sight provided Bai Ze with an understanding of why Pan Junwei would seek the government for help. Without their assistance, it would have been impossible for the guardians alone to evacuate the poption in such a short span of time. The extraordinary efforts made to ensure the logistics and to control the outbreak of widespread panic, along with the encouraging video of guardians doing their part in the conflict, united the crowd in the wake of the imminent danger and created a sense of solidarity rather than despair.


    "What do you think the ghosts want from Shangbei?" Tian Yan looked around at the soldiers. She could see their fate turn pitch-ck, which only meant one thing: Shangbei was to be their final resting ce.


    "Shangbei..." Bai Ze sighed. "Well, Shangbei is called the City of Demons."


    "What? Isn¡¯t it just another name that people conveniently use?"


    "Where we¡¯re standing right now used to be filled with seawater. As the estuary umted sand and dirt from upstream, the ground on which Shangbei stood slowly formed. In a way, you could say that this is a ce where things naturally umte and condensate..." Bai Ze said.


    "From nothingness to one of the wealthiest cities in the world. This city has witnessed many tales of rags to riches, and also of boundless human deprivation, unbridled desires, venomous hate, machinations..."


    "It¡¯s not a surprise then that this is the ce where domains appear most frequently. When they¡¯re destroyed, the domains are absorbed by the earth itself and umtes until an inevitable eruption..."


    "You mean that this is the result of evil umted over many years? Howe I¡¯ve never felt it before?" Tian Yan asked.


    "Because it never showed itself until now." Bai Ze turned her head toward the ck mist in the distance.

 Volume 9 Chapter 11

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming stood in the domain of Shangbei, the same spot where Bai Ze and Tian Yan were in the real world. Thendscape was deste in both worlds, only instead of soldiers running in preparation forbat, Li Yiming was immersed in a pool of blood.


    Li Yiming threw his coat away and looked at the blood-sttered onto his arm. He then looked at the reflection of himself in the ss windows of a shop nearby. He struggled to recognize himself as being the person whoid his de without hesitation upon anyone he came across, be it an elderly person or a small child.


    Li Yiming never thought he would develop such a bloodthirsty impulse.


    "Come out." Li Yiming threw away his cigarette and a small metallic sphere appeared out of his right hand.


    ¡¯Liu Meng isn¡¯t here... So it¡¯s pretty simple...¡¯


    "When did you find out about it?" A shadow formed into what seemed like a clone of Li Yiming.


    "From the very first person."


    "But you still went ahead and killed them all?" The clone looked around amusedly. Out of the millions that inhabited the city, perhaps only a few survived Li Yiming¡¯s pitiless onught.


    "Well, I would have to face you sooner orter." Li Yiming lit up another cigarette. He could finally understand why Mr. Kong was always smoking ¡ª it made him feel alive.


    "You¡¯re the one behind all of this?"


    "You¡¯re overestimating me. If I was capable of creating this ce, then I wouldn¡¯t bother trying to trick you into doing things, would I?" The clone chuckled and sat down on the remains of a small car.


    "Did you create that shadow of Liu Meng inside the gate?"


    "What do you think?" The clone asked back as he yed around with the metallic sphere.


    "It¡¯s not you." Li Yiming sighed as he recalled the events.


    "That woman, Ying Mei, she¡¯s a genius. I¡¯ve never seen anyone hide her true motives that cleverly."


    Li Yiming had already noticed that Ying Mei had been acting strange ever since the moment she joined forces with him. As someone that was able to dig up so much information about Li Yiming, it was an easy task for Ying Mei to tempt Li Yiming into venturing beyond the gates using Liu Meng as a bait.


    "Since you seem to care so much about that woman, I¡¯ll let you into something." The clone raised his hand and a screen of light appeared, ying a scene. A blue phoenix was seen diving toward the ground, bringing down with her fire and destruction. Cities turned into cinder one after another, and countless perished.


    "This is what I have witnessed. After seeing this, do you still want to bring her back?" The clone questioned with a smile while ying with his sphere.


    "I¡¯ve known her for so long. I trust her." Li Yiming¡¯s expression did not change in the slightest.


    "I¡¯m curious. How can you be so confident?"


    "And how can you?" Li Yiming said as he sent his cigarette flying into the distance.


    "Interesting. So you have made your choice." The clone found it surprising how much Li Yiming had changed ever since theirst encounter.


    "I¡¯ve decided a long time ago." Li Yiming said as he stared at his clone, preparing for thebat toe.


    "Do you really think that you can defeat me?" The clone said mockingly. He would not have stood a chance a week ago, as he was barely able to materialize himself by borrowing power from the three fragments of his former self that Li Yiming had collected. However, his strength now far surpassed Li Yiming¡¯s after only a couple of days ¡ª every single life that Li Yiming had taken within the domain gave him the opportunity to absorb a sliver of the domain¡¯s power.


    "I told you, it was bound to happen sooner orter," Li Yiming grew impatient, eager to face the shadow of his former self. He did not want to continue living as a continuation of whom he was previously, much less be forced to do the bidding of the Heavens.


    The clone absorbing the victim¡¯s powers in the domain had not escaped Li Yiming¡¯s perception. Instead, Li Yiming took it as an opportunity to get rid of him once and for all.


    "Quite impressive. So you did inherit some of my courage at least. Let¡¯s see how your power measures up to it!" The clone suddenly let out a loudugh. The metallic orb he held turned into a long staff and smashed down onto Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    Boom!


    The entire neighborhood was obliterated as a long fissure appeared on the ground. Li Yiming reappeared in the air with a sh of light, thunder gathering within his palms.


    As the second swing of the staff came, Li Yiming vanished once again, appeared behind his clone and sending his attack forward.


    Boom!


    Another loud explosion came.


    ¡¯Of course.¡¯ Li Yiming looked at his clone, who seemed to bepletely unaffected by his attack, as thetter¡¯s body was but a mere projection of the spirit which inhabited the staff.


    "So you¡¯ve realized?" The clone stroked his staff.


    Li Yimingnded and took out a giant axe he had collected from one of his previous fights, a level five guardian equipment. The clone smiled in contempt and the staff came swinging once again.


    Ding!


    A loud metallic clunk was heard as the axe turned into metal scrap, and Li Yiming was sent flying back with bloody hands.


    "Don¡¯t fight me with toys like that. If that¡¯s all you have, then maybe you should give up. Is all of this necessary?" The clone said haughtily.


    Li Yiming did not wait before attacking again. He raised his fist toward the staff, sending arge bolt of purple thunder.


    "How foolish can you be? Do you know how this was forged? Using the thunder from the Heavens! And you think that¡¯s going to be a good idea? Hahaha!"


    "I¡¯ve waited a thousand-year for an idiot like you? This world is truly is desperate. And yet these feeble insects dare to call themselves sage. I¡¯ll show you true power..." The clone¡¯sughter was heard as his staff multiplied until over a thousand of it came striking down at Li Yiming at once.


    Li Yiming raised his hand and created a sword made of pure thunder. He stood still and endured the avnche of attacks, parrying every single strike. With every blow exchanged, his weapon¡¯s glow would dimmer, only to be brightened once again whenever Li Yiming swung back.


    "Interesting... I wonder how long you¡¯ll be able tost?" The clone sat down in a meditative stance. He focused his mind onto the minute changes urring around him as his fight with Li Yiming broke out ¡ª the clear sky had be shrouded by thick clouds, the sun and the moon could no longer be seen, and even thendscape was beginning to slowly fade away. ¡¯The aura of death in this domain is aggregating... He¡¯s going to be awake soon.¡¯


    One copy of the staff among the many that attacked Li Yiming suddenly hid its golden glow and circled behind Li Yiming, using an opening created by another attack to m down at the back of Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    "It¡¯s over." The clone sighed, as he expected the ssh of Li Yiming¡¯s blood to end his long wait of over a thousand years.


    The staff collided against Li Yiming¡¯s head and all the other copies suddenly froze in the air, waiting in silence to return to their true master.


    "Is that your attempt at killing me?" Li Yiming slowly turned around, staring at the staff that grazed his skin.


    "Impossible!" The staff trembled violently in ce but was unable to move an inch more.


    "Can you really kill me?" Li Yiming asked with a cial tone as he wrapped his fingers around the dragons sculpted onto the staff. With a sh of golden light, all of the replicas, along with Li Yiming, vanished, leaving behind a single staff floating quietly in the air.


    "Impossible! How can this be?" The clone shrieked as he looked at Li Yiming, his uninvited guest within the isted space inside the staff itself.


    "Nothing is impossible. That staff may be your body, but it¡¯s also mine.¡¯ Li Yiming said as the golden staff appeared in his hands.


    "Remember, you¡¯re the one who escaped so long ago. I¡¯m the one who brought the pieces of the puzzle together, so why would they choose you, a broken husk of a soul?"


    "I refused to merge with youst time because I didn¡¯t want to lose myself in all of this. Do you really think that I was afraid of you? And now you¡¯re trying to use the staff to kill me? Ridiculous." Li Yiming said as he slowly walked toward the clone.


    "So that¡¯s how it is... Ahahahaha!" The clone suddenly beganughing, as his panic slowly subdued.


    "Get it?" Li Yiming swapped the staff to his right hand and raised it to his chest.


    "I made a miscalction. I¡¯m the one whose existence was doomed from the start." The clone smiled.


    "But you made the mistake ofing here! I¡¯m powerless against you in the outside world, but here... I¡¯m the master! Can you really kill me?"


    "Do you think I can¡¯t?"


    "Ahaha! With what? Your sword?" The clone let out a maniacalugh. A red staff appeared in his hands. He was unable to harm Li Yiming using the staff, but within this isted space he had plenty of ways to slowly break Li Yiming¡¯s sanity to achieve his long-awaited end result.


    "I won¡¯t use my sword. I have a de," Li Yiming¡¯s staff slowly changed into the shape of arge de.


    "What?" The clone stared at Li Yiming¡¯s weapon, as it seemed oddly familiar.


    "The second move of Heaven¡¯s de!"

 Volume 9 Chapter 12

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    It was aplete coincidence that Li Yiming somehow managed to learn Wu Yun¡¯s signature move from the item left meant as an enduring challenge, but very fortunate in that it worked particrly well against spirits.


    As Li Yiming¡¯s strike passed through his clone¡¯s body, thetter could do nothing but stand still, frozen in shock. Along with the bitter expression on his face and his hatred that had umted for a thousand years, he slowly turned to dust.


    Li Yiming stared forward vacantly as hisrge weapon shapeshifted back into a thin, silver staff, standing in sharp contrast with the crimson one left behind by his clone. As he vanished from the space within the staff, where he confronted the clone and reappeared in the ruins of Shangbei, his staff liquefied before turning into a golden emblem on his wrist.


    Li Yiming closed his eyes and stood still for many days, focusing on absorbing the strength he gained from eliminating his clone. During his concentrated state of mind, he did not notice that the city around had been engulfed by a cloud of thick, ck smog that confluenced around him.


    "What?" Bai Ze¡¯s suddenly began trembling uncontrobly.


    "What... That¡¯s impossible!" Tian Yan¡¯s expression sank as she could see Bai Ze¡¯s fate slowly vanishing.


    "Are you okay? I... I can¡¯t see your fate anymore!" Tian Yan said fearfully. She tried to reach out and help Bai Ze but hesitated as she did not want to act too rashly.


    Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly shot up into the sky with an iridescent light trailing behind her.


    "Her too!?" Tian Yan turned around and saw that Fang Shui¡¯er fate as well was slowly disappearing.


    Beam after beam of light lifted off toward the sky, with one of them being Li Huaibei, whonded right next to the two.


    "What happened?" Li Huaibei asked as he stared at Bai Ze.


    "I don¡¯t know..." Tian Yan could not shake away her worries knowing that losing one¡¯s fate could only lead to death.


    "What!?" Li Huaibei looked at the closing ck mist in the distance. ¡¯Is this the work of the Realm of Ghosts?¡¯


    "Don¡¯t worry little girl. I¡¯m not about to die. You can¡¯t see my fate anymore, that¡¯s all..." Bai Ze suddenly stopped trembling and said excitedly.


    "What do you mean? What about Fang Shui¡¯er?"


    "To be free of the three worlds and to cease to exist within the elements... He really did it..." Bai Ze suddenlyughed.


    "It¡¯s him?" Fang Shui¡¯er asked as shended. Her full-body crystal armor and bow exuded a brilliant radiance. Just as she felt that something had happened to her connection to Li Yiming, she grew stronger once more and even exceeded the limits of a sage.


    "I knew I made a good deal with you!" Bai Ze smiled in satisfaction as her eyes began glowing, and her strength grew even more.


    Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!


    A loud siren was heard as the ck smoke in the distance began billowing.


    "They¡¯re attacking!"


    "Now of all time? Crap! I¡¯ll be right there." Bai Ze pursed her lips and focused on controlling the new strength Li Yiming had granted to her.


    "Go!" Li Huaibei rushed toward his area of defense.


    * * *


    "This is..." Wu Yun opened his eyes, shocked beyond relief by what he had just sensed ¡ª there was no mistake, someone had just used one of the de moves he had perfected.


    ¡¯Not bad, that kid. To think that you actually pulled it off. If only I had met you earlier... But now I have only one strike left, and it¡¯s for the one up there...¡¯


    * * *


    "Grandma! How can you still have time for knitting?" A young man said as he nervously stared at hisputer screen, opening pages from multiple news websites. To avoid panic spreading, the authorities had decided to make news reportpletely transparent, which meant that anyone could watch a live feed of the situation developing in Shangbei.


    "What¡¯s the problem? If it¡¯s the apocalypse, then we¡¯re all dead. If not, then what¡¯s there to worry about?" Aunt Wu shed a serene smile.


    "Nevermind..." The young man said in frustration and went back to staring at his screen. "Grandma, who do you think these ¡¯guardians¡¯ are?"


    "Guardians..." Aunt Wu¡¯s hand trembled slightly at hearing the word.


    "They¡¯re miserable people..." Aunt Wu said as she stared out of the window.


    "Miserable people? Have you seen them, grandma? They¡¯re the protectors of our world! They can shoot lightning and fire out of their hands! They¡¯re like gods on Earth!" The grandson suddenly jumped up and yelled while showing footages of the promotional videos from the government on his cell phone.


    "Gods... Haha." Aunt Wu chuckled. Her expression instantly changed when she saw somebody appear behind her grandson.


    "What are you doing at a time like this?" Aunt Wu¡¯s asked in a cold voice.


    "What?" The grandson was perplexed, thinking that his grandmother was speaking to him. He then realized that Aunt Wu was talking to someone behind him. He turned around in confusion, only to find a beautiful woman dressed as if she had just walked out of an antique painting.


    "Who are... Are you a guardian?" His countenance shifted, eager to meet a guardian who surely must have flown into the apartment.


    Stargaze looked at the young man and turned around to greet Aunt Wu. "Aunt Wu, I¡¯d like to ask for your help."


    "You know about my situation. Why aren¡¯t you fighting in the East with the others? You¡¯re scaring my grandson!" Aunt Wu was visibly irritated.


    "Grandma, you know her?" The grandson had a hard time believing that Aunt Wu, who seemed busy dancing at the public square all the time, was someone who possessed extraordinary powers.


    "I wouldn¡¯t havee to you if this wasn¡¯t an emergency. I¡¯ve paid a visit to the Taoist Child, but he said that you were ourst hope..." Stargaze¡¯s anxious voice betrayed her facade of calmness.


    Aunt Wu let out a sigh and stood up from her chair.


    "Someone is stuck in a world of nothingness and I need to bring her back." Stargaze put out her right hand, releasing an orb of light which showed Liu Meng standing still in the middle ofplete emptiness.


    "Wow! Really!" The grandson jumped up and down in excitement, only to be nailed in ce by his grandma.


    "I need to bring her back. Please. She¡¯s of utmost importance to the entire world," Stargaze pleaded.


    Aunt Wu stared at the orb and then looked at Stargaze.


    "Any teaching would be greatly appreciated."


    "Burn your soul to create antern lighting up her way, and she¡¯ll be able toe back."


    "I..." Stargaze¡¯s countenance shifted.


    "She¡¯s not in danger of losing her life and she can easily break through the fabric of space, but she needs help for knowing where to go. Someone will have to be the light that guides her." Aunt Wu said with a low voice.


    "What of the person who bes the light?"


    "The body will be unharmed, but the soul will burn away like candle wax."

 Volume 9 Chapter 13

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    When Li Yiming opened his eyes once more, he felt cracks on his skin, as if his true self hade out into the world for the first time.


    "I¡¯m finallyplete..." Li Yiming sighed. The confusion he felt over the year was gone and the void in his heart has now been filled. He clenched his fist as he made ready to let out a long howl.


    However, his expression changed upon noticing his surroundings. The entirety of the Shangbei domain was no longer like what it used to be ¡ª it was now simply a vast pool of thick, ink-like liquid that dripped into an endlesske. It was only a matter of time before the ind he stood on would soon be submerged as well.


    "This is... the true form of the gate?" Li Yiming raised his right arm. The golden marking near his wrist glinted and a sword suddenly appeared. Nine stars were sculpted on the hilt of the sword, and the carvings on the guard depicted a roaring lion¡¯s head which sent out a projectile, which was undoubtedly Bai Ze.


    With the sword materializing itself, the surface of the tenebrouske began rippling, producing waves that grew stronger by the second.


    "So what if you¡¯re the gate to the Realm of Ghosts? I¡¯ll bring you salvation." Li Yiming¡¯s smile exuded confidence. He looked forward and put his sword on the backhand before dancing as he stared at the thick fog ahead.


    He then saw an apparition of what looked like Aunt Wu, who looked like she was having a casual stroll. ¡¯One, two... nine steps...¡¯


    When all nine steps wereplete, the apparition vanished.


    Li Yiming finally came to understand that Aunt Wu¡¯s technique was not about the sharpness of her de, or the swiftness of her feet, but rather about the stillness of her heart. It now made sense to him why he had acquired an inconsistent talent for dancing after consuming such an infamous pill ¡ª it was not due to bad luck, but to the boid he had yet to fill in his own heart.


    But now he was finallyplete in body and soul. Li Yiming paused briefly in his dance and tapped at the ground with the tip of his left foot. His shadow emerged from his body and dove into the mist, followed by a second, a third, and a fourth... until Li Yiming lost count.


    Instead of a dance that brought upon wild and uncontroble carnage, it had now be a dance that brought Li Yiming¡¯s every wish to fruition.


    "Show me you measure up to my technique." Li Yiming stopped as the clones he had sent out to scout the surroundings all returned to his body at once.


    "What?" To his surprise, the ck smoke was not bent at all on harming him. Instead, it opened up a path whenever Li Yiming approached it as if to wee him.


    Li Yiming slowly raised his left hand and wrapped his fingers around a ball of the ck smog. It had a gentle feel to it, almost like warm water from a hot spring.


    "What?" Li Yiming looked up and saw the ck mist splitting into two, revealing a puddle of bubbling ck liquid.


    "So you¡¯re here." Li Yiming raised his weapon.


    The ck liquid slowly settled down and formed a perfectly smooth mirror. A ghost-like being then emerged from the screen, wearing a set of dark armor. Li Yiming felt a strange feeling, as if the being was here to aid him instead of engaging in a fight.


    Clonk! Clonk!


    The armored shadow slowly made its way toward Li Yiming.


    "Show yourself!" Li Yiming said as he brought down his sword, sending a golden crescent of light toward the shadow.


    "Oh?" Li Yiming readied himself for the spirit¡¯s counterattack, but it continued to slowly pace toward him,pletely unaffected by Li Yiming¡¯s attack.


    "Thunder!" Li Yiming sent out an arc of lightning, and a loud explosion ensued. Just like his previous attack however, the spirit was not affected in the slightest.


    "An illusion?" Li Yiming frowned.


    Right before reaching the tip of Li Yiming¡¯s de, the armored spirit stopped. Standing his ground, Li Yiming gathered all of the strength that he had absorbed from his clone as well the killing intent acquired from ughtering thousands upon thousands.


    "What?" Li Yiming was surprised to see the spirit¡¯s opening his arm wide and bowing down.


    ¡¯Submitting to me?¡¯ Li Yiming was perplexed. Even the ck smoke that nearlypletely submerged his ind receded by several meters.


    "I see." Li Yiming finally understood that the armor was a result of the will of the domain itself, which hungered for blood. Li Yiming, through his massacring of the entire city, resonated with its desires. Upon sensing Li Yiming¡¯s strength, the spirit chose to submit to him.


    Li Yiming sensed ulterior motives in the spirit, but all he cared about for the moment was to be even stronger.


    "Come then." Li Yiming¡¯s clones all vanished at once as Li Yiming reached for the spirit¡¯s helmet. The armor instantly liquefied and climbed up Li Yiming¡¯s arm.


    Blustering winds condensed around Li Yiming before forming a tornado, sucking in all of the ck smoke around him.


    Li Yiming emitted a long roar as his eyes grew bloodshot, lighting up with a demonic glow behind the face mask of the tenebrous, full-body armor.


    "An armor made for demons... So what if I be one?" Li Yiming muttered as his lips curled up.

 Volume 9 Chapter 14

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "We can¡¯t hold on for that much longer. There are too many of them!" Big Beard¡¯s anxious voice was heard as he continued to fire on his mecha. The endless waves of suicidal ghost attacks were relentless and slowly overpowering the guardian¡¯s defense lines.


    "What are the sages doing?" Qing Qiaoqiao was already worn out by the endlessbat.


    "They can¡¯t risk making their move with the demons still watching." Qing Linglong replied.


    The demons were the sage-level ghosts, which outnumbered the sages in the guardian camp at this point, with four flying high and two still waiting for their opportunity deep beneath the surface of the sea.


    Fang Shui¡¯er suddenly took flight, shooting four arrows toward the four demons in the air.


    "Get rid of the two below!" Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s shout came just as she unleashed her attack. Just like Big Beard, she understood the predicament they were in. She decided to risk the offensive against the four demons in the sky in the hopes that Li Huaibei and Sai Gao would be able to finish the two remaining ones quickly enough to reinforce her.


    "Give us fifteen minutes!" Li Huaibei yelled before disappearing beneath the surging waves of the ocean, followed by Sai Gao¡¯s beast form. He had no time to waste, especially when Fang Shui¡¯er was alone against four opponents of her level.


    Bai Ze calmly looked at the front. She did not want to intervene just yet, not when she could feel an even more menacing presence lurking within the ck smog.


    "There¡¯s nothing we can do." Tian Yan put her arm on Fu Bo¡¯s shoulder, just as he turned around.


    "But..."


    "...for now." Tian Yan said with a gentle voice and wrapped her arm around Fu Bo¡¯s.


    "Come on, you bastards!" Pan Junwei was now fighting in the frontlines. He cursed as he smashed the ground with both of his hands, erecting a giant tform on which hundreds of cannons were ready to fire.


    "Die!" Pan Junwei roared as he unleashed a barrage of cannon fire, momentarily creating a vacuum in the area in front of him.


    "Is there nothing else we can do?" Qian Mian exchanged a worried nce with Bai Ze. Despite its effectiveness, Pan Junwei¡¯s counterattack could onlyst so long.


    Bai Ze shook her head. If Li Huaibei was able to finish off the demons, then she would consider seeking for an opportunity to strike, but until then, waiting was her best course of action.


    ¡¯Maybe... Maybe there¡¯s a way to turn the tide... If hees back...¡¯ Bai Ze knew that Li Yiming was not only safe and sound, but had somehow grown stronger as well. ¡¯If hees back...¡¯


    "What?" Bai Ze turned around and looked behind.


    "What is it?" Qian Mian asked.


    "Shangbei..." Bai Ze was interrupted by the sound of many buildings breaking down and shredding into pieces as a giant tornado formed at the heart of the city, ripping it into shreds.


    "The domain is ovepping itself on reality, it¡¯sing out!" Bai Ze yelled.


    "What ising out?"


    "The demonic spirit within the city! This is what happened to all the evil umted over a thousand years!"


    "Is that why the ghosts are here?"


    Bai Ze remained silent and stared at the newly-formed portal and the shadow which slowly began to emerge from it.


    Fang Shui¡¯er was still trying her best to keep the four demons she fought upied, while Li Huaibei and Sai Gao had isted the two remaining ones with their Boundaries to finish them off.


    "Shit!" Bai Ze suddenly spat out and dashed toward the silhouette that appeared from the portal. She transformed from a fragile little girl to a roaring beast with snow-white wings and a horn and opened her mouth, preparing tounch her strongest attack when her foe was the least prepared for it.


    An orb of light shot out of her mouth. There was no better opportunity to gain an upper hand in battle when the enemy was in their weakened state aftering out of an interdimensional portal.


    The spirit that had just emerged was in no position to dodge Bai Ze¡¯s attack. However, against her expectations, the shadowing figure simple reached out and caught her attack, leaving Bai Ze scrambling for a retreat.


    "Is this how you wee me?" Li Yiming¡¯s voice was heard as he casually deflected the orb away.


    "You..." Bai Ze was forced to bow her head down with her wings extended. She could not believe what she was seeing ¡ª it was Li Yiming with his full-d dark armor that projected the so menacing demonic aura. Only his eyes, which projected a red glow through the helmet, were visible.


    All of the guardians paused in their tracks upon noticing the newly-arrived threat. Even the ghosts had stopped attacking momentarily, retreating back to their curtain of tenebrousness.


    Fang Shui¡¯er turned back with her bow fully drawn. Despite the relief of no longer having to face the four demons, she felt more pressure than ever.


    "What happened?" Li Huaibei and Sai Gao emerged from the surface of the ocean and instantly noticed the being standing at the center of Shangbei. It was as if death itself had materialized in the mortal world, ready to assume its rightful throne.


    "You¡¯ve got quite a party here. What did I miss?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Li Yiming..." Fang Shui¡¯er could not believe her eyes. With the link she shared with the person standing in front of her, it was undoubtedly Li Yiming.


    "How...?" Sai Gao arrived in his human form.


    "This is the true me." Li Yiming said and turned toward the ck mist in the distance. He suddenly vanished, leaving behind a trail of the same ck mist, before reappearing on the ocean side. As he did so, the giant ball of ck mist which loomed over the city sank down, as if it was bowing in submission.


    The guardians¡¯ countenance shifted from fear to reassurance, as not only was the neer an ally, but it seemed like even the substance that was spawning the ghosts was obeying Li Yiming¡¯s will.


    "It¡¯s over?" A voice was heard.


    "Shit!" Pan Junwei spat out as he fell to the ground, supporting himself with trembling arms.


    Joy spread throughout the ranks of the guardians as they celebrated their victory. Despite most of them never having met Li Yiming in person, they had all heard of his name as the leader of Pure Water Herb Hall. What was sure was that from today on, Li Yiming would assume many more titles, as he would be remembered as the one who turned the tides of the battle of Shangbei.


    While some guardians shouted cries of delight, some were weeping for their fallenrades. Some were still letting out roars of victory to relieve their stress. All in all, they were all relieved and happy that managed to protect what was most precious to them: home.


    However, one person remainedpletely silent, staring at Li Yiming with a severe countenance.


    "What exactly are you up to?" Bai Ze asked as she remained in her beast form, pping her wings and ready to strike.

 Volume 9 Chapter 15

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Bai Ze..." Fang Shui¡¯er called out. Choosing to trust Bai Ze¡¯s judgment, she drew back her bow and made ready for support fire.


    "What is it?" Fu Bo stopped waving his arms in excitement when he noticed that Tian Yan did not seem to be rejoicing. A closer look at the crowd and he noticed that all of the sages, Fang Shui¡¯er, Li Huaibei, Sai Gao, and Bai Ze did not partake in the celebration.


    "Is it not him?" Li Huaibei was skeptical.


    "It¡¯s him alright," Bai Ze answered. Sharing the same spirit with Li Yiming, she could tell that he was not possessed. However, she felt a strange animositying from him.


    "He¡¯splete... I never would have thought." Tian Yan slowly let go of Fu Bo¡¯s hand. She still could not see Li Yiming¡¯s fate, but the aura of death he carried with him was clear as day.


    "Submit or perish." Li Yiming dered as he cast down his re at all of the guardians.


    "What?" Most of the guardians still looked at him with reverence as they were under the impression that he was speaking to the ghosts hidden within the clouds. Only when they looked at the sages did they realize that something was terribly wrong.


    "What happened? Is it that soul fragment?" Bai Ze¡¯s eyes widened.


    "Him? No. I killed him. I¡¯ve found myself back, that¡¯s all." Li Yiming raised his hand and stared at it.


    "What if I refuse?" Li Huaibei took a step forward.


    "Submit or perish!" Li Yiming repeated loudly. The ck mist beneath him swelled up, ready to attack at Li Yiming¡¯smand.


    "Are you going to kill all of us?" Li Huaibei took another step forward.


    "Kill you? I¡¯m not interested in that," Li Yiming said.


    "Then what are you up to?" Sai Gao said as he slowly began shapeshifting back to his beast form. Sharing the same sensitivity to auras as Bai Ze, he could feel Li Yiming¡¯s growing antagonism, and he knew that a fight could not be avoided.


    "I will destroy the Heavens!" Li Yiming suddenly cried out. The mist behind him dissipated, revealing columns after columns of ghosts, specters, and demons.


    "Destroy the heavens?" Tian Yan¡¯s knuckles turned white from clenching Fu Bo¡¯s hand. She knew that the first step in Li Yiming¡¯s n would be to deal with the guardians.


    "Aren¡¯t you thinking the same?" Li Yiming asked. "Look at you, being kept alive like livestock, only useful to do Heaven¡¯s biddings. What is the point of protecting such a hypocritical master?"


    "You didn¡¯t use to think this way..." Li Huaibei sighed.


    "Look at this world. Lavish, mboyant, prosperous,plex... Then, look at the people below. There are mediocre ones and astute ones; some are happy, others are sad, the rest, angry or depressed. Some are healthy while others are sickly and on the verge of dying. Let¡¯s not forget about those who have poise and good manners; those who beg on the streets; those who burn their fortunes to live a few more days; and the idlers who jump off buildings for trivial matters. Tell me, what¡¯s the difference between them? What¡¯s the true essence of this world?" Li Yiming ignored Li Huaibei¡¯s remark and went on to repeat the words of Mr. Kong.


    "The rules that govern them." Li Huaibei answered on the spot.


    "Clever. I¡¯ve had to think hard for it." Li Yiming chuckled.


    "This is a world where the strong take food from the weak. We may erect beautiful monuments and engage ourselves in noble pursuits, but the hideousness buried within our heart can never truly be hidden. I¡¯ve witnessed people call upon the gods to bless them in their wrongdoings and have the Heaven and the Earth bear witness to their twisted desires. To think that I would have given my life to protect such a world... Hahaha!" Li Yiming let out a long, loudugh. The ck smoke around his body took on the shape of tentacles that swung around. The few ghosts around him did not move out of the way in time and were instantly absorbed.


    "This aura of death... how many people did he kill?" A chill ran down Bai Ze¡¯s spine.


    "You¡¯re out of your mind. A fight is all that remains." Li Huaibei sent his sword flying high into the air.


    This was the signal for Fang Shui¡¯er to let go of her bowstring and send an arrow flying in Li Yiming¡¯s direction.


    "You dare?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes turned wide with anger and stared at Fang Shui¡¯er. She instantly fell down from the sky, her entire body paralyzed by the control Li Yiming exerted over her soul. Her armor and the arrows she shot out melting like snow under the sun.


    After fending off Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s attack, Li Yiming sent out two tentacles to block off Li Huaibei, and then turned toward Bai Ze with an amused expression. "You¡¯re not seriously thinking about fighting me, are you?"


    With a firm expression, Bai Ze let out a savage roar and took flight,unching herself in Li Yiming¡¯s direction.


    "How interesting!" Li Yiming frowned and grabbed Bai Ze, instantly sending her away with a sh of white light.


    "You should behave like a summoned beast." Li Yiming could feel Bai Ze being sealed within his body and her power added to his own.


    After witnessing the fall of both Fang Shui¡¯er and Bai Ze, Sai Gao decided toy low and wait in ce ¡ª it was clear that he would not be able to fight Li Yiming head on.


    Most of the other guardians had fallen into utter despair as the person they had thought to be their savior turned out to be an enemy even more insurmountable than the ghosts. After only a few seconds, two of their four sages were already out of the picture.


    One guardian suddenly fell to his knees in submission. He was one who had recently joined Pure Water Herb Hall, and seeing Fang Shui¡¯er, someone who had been like a goddess within the organization, be brought down so easily shattered hisst sliver of hope.


    After the first came the second, then the third, until the majority of the guardians fell down to their knees.


    However, there were a few who refused to bend themselves to Li Yiming¡¯s will. Big Beard, activated his mecha and directed his weapons at Li Yiming. As for Pan Junwei, he readied his cannons while spitting out curses and flew toward Li Yiming.


    Qing Linglong, after onest look at her sister, who could only stare ahead dumbly with tears rolling down her cheeks, clenched her teeth andunched her attack toward Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming smirked in disdain as he looked at his assants. He slowly raised his hand, and the golden glyph on his wrist started to glow.


    "Stop!" A silver barrier was erected and blocked off all of the guardians¡¯ attacks.


    "Stargaze?" Li Yiming retracted his hand and looked at the new arriver.


    "Boss?" Qian Mian yelled out in ecstasy. Just as he put down his weapon and make his way toward Stargaze, he was immediately pulled back by Eyesses.


    Stargaze¡¯s intervention slightly eased the tension. Li Huaibei had managed to free himself from the tentacles and flew right next to Stargaze and Li Yiming, forming a triangle between the three of them.


    Stargaze remained silent as she looked at the guardians below, at those who knelt down in despair and those who fought back in anger. Finally, she went back to staring at Li Yiming.


    "Looks like the sages are reunited once again." Li Yiming nced at Stargaze, feeling no threat whatsoever from Stargaze.


    "I¡¯m not here to fight with you," Stargaze said.


    "Oh? Do you choose to surrender then?"


    "I agree with you. I¡¯ve seen far too much to believe that humanity is inherently good. I just have a question," Stargaze did not answer Li Yiming.


    "What about Liu Meng?"

 Volume 9 Chapter 16

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "What of Liu Meng?" The simple mention of Liu Meng¡¯s name hit Li Yiming like a hammer. The smoke around him began bulging chaotically, as if he hadst control of it.


    This was a question that Li Yiming had managed to avoid thinking about until now. If the entire world was to die, then what of Liu Meng? Would she have to die as well? Was she only an evil that needed to be cleansed from the Earth?


    Li Yiming reached out with his hand, confused as he was caught in a spiral of emotions and reminiscences.


    "Do you like long hair?"


    "Are you paying for the food today?"


    "Let me tell you a secret..."


    "I have my own special move..."


    "Tell him that I love him..."


    One after the other, the scenes of Liu Meng¡¯s smiling, all the way until the fateful moment she decided to sacrifice everything for his sake shed past his mind.


    Li Yiming suddenly emitted a savage roar. The five demons carved onto his armors opened their eyes and mouth simultaneously, showing their fangs and producing an ear-piercing screech.


    By the time Li Yiming finished his outburst, his eyes were no longer bloodshot. He looked behind him in shock as five streams of ck liquid gushed toward his armor once more.


    "You, a dead object, dare control me?" Li Yiming roared in anger.


    The moment Li Yiming wavered and showed confusion at the mention of Liu Meng, the armor decided to take action and protect Li Yiming from such weak emotions. To its shock, it had an opposite effect on Li Yiming, as he became enraged at feeling his own fate being toyed with by an outsider once again, and a piece of armor of all things.


    Bloodthirsty as ever, Li Yiming was adamant about controlling his own fate. In his fury, he let out an exasperated roar and sped his own chest te in an attempt to remove the armor piece.


    "Nobody will control me!" Li Yiming attempted to pull out the armor with all of his strength. As the chosen master, however, the death aura which resided within him created such a strong attraction with the demonic armor, such that it overpowered even Li Yiming¡¯s efforts. Five giant tornados appeared behind his back, siphoning all of the ck mist in the proximity.


    "Then I¡¯ll destroy you!" Li Yiming was burning with rage. Having lost his reasonpletely, he took out his silver staff and stabbed at his own chest. Right as the staff was about to plunge into his own flesh, it froze in ce, unwilling to hurt its own master.


    "Arrrghhh!" Li Yiming let out a frantic cry as his eyes became bloodshot once more, and multiple bolts of thunder were called upon in an attempt to get rid of the armor.


    The sudden turnaround surprised everyone present. None had imagined that a simple question would turn the tide of thebatpletely. All had their eyes set on Li Yiming other than Tian Yan, who stared at Stargaze during the whole time. More precisely, she was staring at the right hand that she was carefully hiding behind her back.


    "Submit or perish!" Li Yiming repeated hismand. His eyes turned purple as he called upon the full extent of his thunder powers. Li Yiming in his current folly knew no moderation or restraint, and getting rid of the armor was his newfound obsession.


    "Thunderous Strike!" Li Yiming opened his arms wide and used his strongest technique. By depleting all of his powers at once, he unleashed a devastating attack on himself. The clouds in the sky suddenly cleared out, and a purple fissure was seen cracking within the skies.


    "Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" Li Huaibei¡¯s face went pale.


    Even Stargaze, who normally had a calm demeanor, shifted in countenance. After all, it had been a year since Heaven¡¯s Laws had been dormant, and there had been no direct intervention from the Heavens during that period of time.


    The fissure gradually opened up, but instead of a giant eyeball emerging out of it, there was nothing on the other side of the chasm.


    "My destiny is mine, and mine alone!" The purple radiance in Li Yiming¡¯s eyes glowed brighter than ever. He bit his tongue, and the drops of blood that seeped out flew toward his left eye, causing it to burst and project a string of glyphs toward the chasm.


    "What is he..." Sai Gao could not believe what he was seeing.


    Ding!


    A chime was heard in the heads of all of the guardians as the giant eye finally appeared on the other side of the fissure. It sent out a bolt of lightning with colors ranging from red to ck, surrounded by halos of white light.


    The bolt of thunder struck Li Yiming, blinding everyone around. A ray of white light was then shot out of Li Yiming¡¯s body, forcefully ejecting Bai Ze out.


    As the light gradually waned down, the guardians exchanged nces with their mouths agape, incredulous that someone had managed to reproduce Heaven¡¯s Punishment. Li Yiming then fell down to the ground, weakened, but free from the influence of the ck smoke.


    "Kill him! Kill him! The demonic armor is going to recover soon and possess him once more. If that happens, it¡¯s over for all of us!" Bai Ze urged with a low voice, as the strike had also depleted her strength.


    "Kill him?" Sai Gao froze. She knew that if Li Yiming was to die, Bai Ze would surely perish as well.


    Li Huaibei, however, swiftly turned his sword and shot it toward Li Yiming. Despite knowing full well Bai Ze¡¯s fate if Li Yiming was to die, he decided that the man in front of him was far too dangerous and had to be eliminated for the sake of the world.


    "No!" Tian Yan¡¯s scream came, but it was toote.


    Li Huaibei froze in shock and terror as he felt his sword pierce through flesh. Horrified gasps from the spectating guardians ensued.


    "Why?" Li Huaibei asked with a trembling voice; he had just driven his sword through Stargaze¡¯s heart.


    "Someone has to die today, but it¡¯s not him." Stargaze smiled.


    "You don¡¯t need to do this to stop me." Li Huaibei clenched the hilt of his sword, not understanding Stargaze¡¯s action.


    "It¡¯s because of this..." Stargaze slowly extended her right hand. A small me was burning in her palm, its me dancing about.


    "The Lantern of Souls?" Bai Ze said.


    "I knew that this day woulde the moment I saw the stone tablet. I have burned my soul, so I will die today. But I¡¯ve learned another technique over thest year. I shall gift you the entirety of my power." Stargazeid her left hand on Li Huaibei¡¯s chest.


    "You wouldn¡¯t have agreed to it had I told you about it, so I had to do it this way. I¡¯m so sorry... Please, carry on our wish..." A small orb of light then entered Li Huaibei¡¯s body through Stargaze¡¯s hand. Her body recoiled violently and she was sent flying back. Blood sshed down from the wound she sustained and she aged at a visible rate, her sable hair turning white in seconds.


    "Why?" Li Huaibei caught Stargaze. He did not understand the meaning of Stargaze¡¯s words, nor what the "Lantern of Souls" was, but he knew that he had lost yet another friend. He had already lost all of his old teammates and the love of his life in Eden. A year ago, he lost many he considered to be his teachers. Now, he was about to lose yet another dear friend, who had be a sage before him and supported him for the longest time. The weight of the world was now to be carried solely by him, and it was a path down which only loneliness could apany him.


    "My job is done. I¡¯ll leave the rest up to you..." Stargaze stared at the extinguishing me on her right hand and said in a relieved voice as if she was finally free from her burdens.


    "Boss!" An agonizing cry was heard. It was Qian Mian, who had rushed from the crowd. To his dismay, Stargaze had already closed her eyes for thest time.


    "Li Yiming!" Li Huaibei let out a furious roar and turned toward Li Yiming, around whom the ck mist had already started gathering again. He reached out with his hand, and Li Yiming was sucked towards Li Huaibei.


    "I don¡¯t care about what happened to you, but you will die today!" Li Huaibei spoke the final sentence and thrust his sword toward Li Yiming¡¯s throat.


    The sword was stopped once again in midair, this time by a hand that emerged out of the fissure.


    "Let go!" A voice was heard.


    Li Huaibei looked at rather delicate fingers of the hand, which had white, silky skin. And yet his sword could not even leave a mark on it.


    "Let him go!" The voice repeated. Li Huaibei¡¯s sword suddenly emitted white vapor, and the de of the sword slowly turned red.


    As Li Huaibei released his weapon and backed away, a figure dressed in ck walked out of the widening fissure. Liu Meng emerged, looking like she had just fallen from the Heavens.

 Volume 9 Chapter 17

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Liu Meng!" Bai Ze, who was supported by Sai Gao, called out.


    "Liu Meng?" The other guardians were astounded at hearing the name that changed the course of their battle.


    Liu Meng¡¯s gaze was fixated on Li Yiming and she flew towards him. She picked him up gently and shed a smile full of tenderness, as if she was apletely different person from just moments ago.


    "Hm?" Liu Meng frowned as she noticed the billowing ck smoke approaching Li Yiming like floodwater.


    "Leave!" Liu Meng yelled out, her eyes showing a glint of crimson. At the edge of the iing smoke, a small me was lit aze and instantly spread as if the ck smoke had been oil. It took only a few minutes for the sky to be set alit.


    "Seriously?" Sai Gao looked at the scene and gulped down a mouthful of saliva.


    Liu Meng then nced at Stargaze¡¯s corpse with gratitude: she knew that Stargaze was the reason she was able toe back.


    Finally, she turned her attention toward Li Huaibei and asked in a cial tone, "You wanted to kill him?"


    "It¡¯s not him. It¡¯s the evil that he embodies," Li Huaibei did not back down, despite the immense pressure he was under.


    "Then you¡¯ll have to pay the price." Liu Meng squinted and a small me appeared in her eyes.


    "Liu Meng! It¡¯s not as you think. That armor of his is a demonic artifact that will be stronger as people die around it. If Li Yiming ends up being possessed by the evil within the armor, then all is lost!" Bai Ze quickly intervened after exchanging a nce with Sai Gao, afraid that Liu Meng was going to do something rash. ¡¯These two juste and do whatever they want...


    "Demonic artifact?" Liu Meng¡¯s countenance sank as she put her hand on Li Yiming¡¯s chest, a red glow ensued. There was no reason Bai Ze to lie her way out of the situation, since Li Yiming¡¯s death would also mean her own.


    Pchit!


    A sizzling noise was heard as ck smoke and white vapor came out of Li Yiming¡¯s body. The near-indestructible armor he was wearing suddenly began melting away.


    "Cleansing me?" Bai Ze witnessed the scene with widened eyes. The cleansing me was a technique that belonged to Heaven¡¯s Laws exclusively, and it was used to purify the world of many evils.


    "What in the world... These two are scary..." Sai Gao grimaced.


    Just as the armor was burned awaypletely, revealing Li Yiming¡¯s naked body, Liu Meng frowned. She then touched Li Yiming¡¯s forehead with the tip of her finger; this was thest step, as she would burn away the evil within Li Yiming¡¯s spirit.


    As the small me danced on Liu Meng¡¯s fingertips, Li Yiming¡¯s expression slowly eased up and he closed his eyes. His left eye, damaged from forcefully unleashing Heaven¡¯s Punishment, also began to slowly mend.


    "When you say the aura of death, do you mean that thing hanging above us?" Liu Meng looked at the ze still raging in the sky. Most of the tenebrous gas had been absorbed by the armor, and the rest was slowly burning away. Liu Meng waved her hand, and the mes redoubled in intensity, quickly consuming even the ghosts who lurked deep within the dark veils.


    It was not long before the azure sky became finally visible once more. Bai Ze struggled to sit up, her worries still notpletely put to rest. "All of this ising out of the gate beneath the sea. We had a way to seal it shut, but now..."


    Liu Meng understood from the way Bai Ze looked at Li Yiming that it was most likely his fault. "If we can¡¯t seal it, then I¡¯ll simply burn it to ashes."


    "Don¡¯t let anyoney a finger on him before I return." Liu Meng stood up and ordered Sai Gao, no longer trusting Li Huaibei.


    Sai Gao nodded obediently. He knew better than to disobey the woman that was now on apletely different level from when he had kidnapped her back in the Shangbei domain.


    Liu Meng nodded and flew into the distance with a sh of red light. It was not long before the light of a giant ze was seen beneath the water. Sai Gao stepped away from Li Yiming, intimidated by Liu Meng¡¯s prowess. However, Bai Ze struggled herself free from his arms and walked to Li Yiming. She raised her leg and gave Li Yiming a kick in the face, to the horror of all of the guardians.


    "Good for you. You¡¯ve found yourself a nice girlfriend!" Bai Ze said as she vented her frustration at Li Yiming for hitting her earlier.


    When Liu Meng returned, the impending apocalypse thus concluded in an almostedic way. Qian Mian, who had lost all hope for life after witnessing Stargaze¡¯s death, announced that the Star Alliance would be dissolved as soon as he would confirm the disintegration of the gate. Fang Shui¡¯er announced the same for Pure Water Herb Hall after overhearing the conversation between Liu Meng and Bai Ze.


    "Pure Water Herb Hall? What¡¯s that?" Liu Meng asked as she looked at the group of guardians waiting in reverence.


    "Li Yiming¡¯s the boss. We have a lot of guardians." As the one who managed its daily activities, Bai Ze was rather proud of the organization.


    "What¡¯s the point of that?"


    "We form a team and we help each other."


    "Are they as strong as we are?"


    "Well, it¡¯s not always about power. There¡¯s also information gathering, business..."


    "Do you need money?" Liu Meng interrupted again.


    "I¡¯ll go dismiss them." Bai Ze stopped the conversation and walked toward Fang Shui¡¯er. Liu Meng seemed like apletely different person, which was no surprise, considering how she had to endure an entire year of excruciating pain, and the thought of being reunited with Li Yiming was the only thing that gave her the strength to persevere. Right now, all she needed was to be with her lover, and everything else,including Pure Water Herb Hall, was but a distraction.


    With the dissolution of both the Star Alliance and Pure Water Herb Hall, a power vacuum had been created. Many guardians longing for an organization to belong to suddenly found themselves without one, and many were left feeling empty and lost. Fortunately for them, Pan Junwei quickly announced the government¡¯s intention to recruit guardians to preservew and order within the new world. Most of the guardians took Pan Junwei¡¯s offer eagerly, while the rest left on their own ord. It was not long before the bulk of the army arrived and began to clean up the battlefield.


    "What are you doing here?" Liu Meng was ready to leave as she picked Li Yiming up, but she noticed Fang Shui¡¯er waiting with Bai Ze.


    "What?"


    "Why are you still here?"


    "I..." Fang Shui¡¯er was not sure what to say.


    "She¡¯s Li Yiming¡¯s ve." Bai Ze exined.


    "ve?" Liu Meng was visibly unhappy at hearing the word.


    "Soul binding," Bai Ze added.


    "Servitude binding?"


    "Something like that." Bai Ze took a few steps back, not wanting to get involved in it.


    Liu Meng suddenly raised her arm and pushed it in Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s direction. Thetter¡¯s countenance shifted as she made ready to escape, but her binding to Li Yiming forced her to stay in ce. Fang Shui¡¯er closed her eyes, ready to ept her ultimate demise.


    Instead of pain or death, Fang Shui¡¯er felt her forehead warm up. She opened her eyes in surprise, only to see Liu Meng¡¯s palm and a small fire sitting in its middle.


    "Oh?" Liu Meng frowned and performed several hand seals. This time, Fang Shui¡¯er did not feel a pleasant warmth, but a sharp pain which burned her soul.


    Fortunately, the excruciating agony went away as quickly as it came, and Fang Shui¡¯er fell down to the ground, sweating and panting.


    "Why?" Fang Shui¡¯er looked at Liu Meng, who seemed visibly worn out by what she just did. The link which bound her soul to Li Yiming waspletely gone. She could see that the favor took its toll on Liu Meng, as thetter seemed even more worn out than after she dispelled Li Yiming¡¯s corruption.


    "It¡¯s enough to have one woman by his side," Liu Meng said and then turned her attention toward Bai Ze.


    "I¡¯m just a kid! Wait, no. I¡¯m not a woman! Wait, no! I¡¯m not human!" Bai Ze fumbled for an answer, still under the shock that Liu Meng would make the decision to release Fang Shui¡¯er, who was essentially a sage that could never betray Li Yiming.


    "Come," Liu Meng said before flying off with Li Yiming in her arms, leaving behind a dumbfounded Fang Shui¡¯er.


    Fang Shui¡¯er let out a long sigh. She still remembered when she met Li Yiming and Liu Meng for the first time, on stage, when they were asking for her signature. Yet, now they had be godlike figures that she could only look up to.


    "How strong do you think she is?" Eyesses asked as he closed the curtain to his tent.


    "Probably stronger than Wu Yun, at least. I don¡¯t know about the one still up there," Big Beard said as he drank down arge mouthful of liquor.


    "Most likely." Qing Linglong was looking at herself in the mirror, having lost a chunk of hair in thebat.


    "Well, they¡¯re certainly a nice fit..." Eyesses shook his head, but Big Beard pulling on his shirt made him go silent.


    Qing Qiaoqiao was lying on her bed in a corner of the tent, staring vacantly at her own boots.


    The one who took the longest to calm down was Wu Yun, who remained bitter even after the guardians had long returned to their bases. He still could not believe that Liu Meng was the one he had been sent to kill. It was not that he regretted trying to kill Liu Meng, but rather that he regretted not waiting longer ¡ª Li Yiming and Liu Meng would be the perfect opponents to fight in order to be even stronger.


    "You knew, didn¡¯t you!?" Wu Yun suddenly yelled toward the sky. "Why didn¡¯t you tell me, damn it!"


    ¡¯He must have known! Otherwise why would he ask me to assassinate her? Shit!¡¯ Wu Yun burned with anger. "Wait until youe down so I can slice off your ears!"

 Volume 9 Chapter 18

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Li Yiming woke up on the morning of the next day to the familiar sight of the chandelier in the guest room of the tea house. His confusion on how he even made his way back was cut short once he realized that there was someone else lying beside him. The person had long, silky hair, snow-white skin, and a voluptuous body.


    ¡¯What?¡¯ Li Yiming instantly activated Thundersh to flee from the situation, but he was immediately pulled back to the bed before the purple light had barely begun to sh.


    Li Yimingnded back into the burning hot embrace of Liu Meng.


    "Am I that scary? Do you really want to run away?" Liu Meng¡¯s teasing voice was heard.


    "Is this a dream?" Li Yiming looked down at the face he had been dreaming about for so many times over thest year.


    "It¡¯s as real as it gets." Liu Meng¡¯s eyes teared up.


    After a long moment of staring at each other, Li Yiming suddenly locked his arms around Liu Meng, squeezing their bodies together as tightly as he could. He did not even bother thinking about how Liu Meng was here or what happened to the Realm of Ghosts; he simply wanted to have a moment of passion with the love of his life.


    Liu Meng put up a Boundary that covered the entire city, officially announcing the battle of the world¡¯s strongest duo.


    "What happened?" Pan Junwei jumped up from his sofa and looked up in terror, worried that there was yet another incident.


    Even the president who hade with him, reached out for his belt out of reflex, only to realize that he had left his holster in the car.


    "It¡¯s nothing. Li Yiming is awake, that¡¯s all," Bai Ze said nonchntly. She had her attention more upied on scrutinizing the president. ¡¯This geezer... He¡¯s not at all like on television...¡¯


    "Is there something wrong with Li Yiming?" Pan Junwei¡¯s countenance shifted again as he recalled Li Yiming¡¯s monstrous aura when he was possessed. He did not want to have unwantedplications when he had a guest of utmost importance with him.


    "Who knows?" Bai Ze rolled her eyes. She, of course, knew that there was nothing wrong with Li Yiming, but did not bother exining. The moment Liu Meng put up her boundary, her connection to Li Yiming has beenpletely cut off.


    ¡¯Tsk! Who do you think I am? You think I¡¯m that nosy?¡¯


    "Should I call for reinforcements?" Pan Junwei quicklyposed himself put himself in front of the president to protect him from any iing danger.


    ¡¯Reinforcements, for what?" Bai Ze pursed her lips and sipped her soda.


    "I think we have it under control. I believe Ms. Liu to be capable of handling the matter." The president¡¯s level-headedness was a surprise to Bai Ze.


    "I¡¯ve seen the footage, it seems like Ms. Liu¡¯s strength goes even beyond that of Li Yiming. We should wait patiently." The president pulled on Pan Junwei¡¯s coat, signaling him to settle down.


    "But..." Although Pan Junwei was no longer an ordinary soldier, years of training and discipline still left a mark on him. Moreover, he could not afford to put the president in harm¡¯s way in such turbulent times.


    "I think it would be better for you toe on another day. This is probably going to take a while..." Bai Ze suggested. The president went through the trouble of paying a visit, and it would have been disrespectful to make him wait for the "fight" between Li Yiming and Liu Meng.


    The president smiled back and asked Bai Ze, "I¡¯ve heard that you were the one in charge at Pure Water Herb Hall?"


    "I¡¯m simply here to ry Li Yiming¡¯s orders," Bai Ze equivocated as she waved for Chen Jiawang, who waited nervously, toe and fill up the tea cup. Pure Water Herb Hall was a tea shop, after all.


    "However, I¡¯d like to remind you that at this point, he¡¯s not the one making decisions either," Bai Ze added as Chen Jiawang came in with a new kettle.


    "Hahaha, of course. Actually, we are here to seek help from Ms. Liu," The president said.


    "You¡¯d have to talk to her for that." Bai Ze shrugged her shoulders and pulled a bag of chips from beneath the table. Right before opening the bag, she took out another one and offered it to the president.


    "Thank you, but I¡¯m too old for things like these," The president refused politely and picked up his teacup.


    "Alright." Bai Ze opened her bag and started munching on its contents.


    "So, how are the negotiations going?" Lin Lu asked nervously as she nced at the small sign indicating that the shop was closed for today. The few "pedestrians" around her were actually elite agents trained to protect the president.


    "It has been an entire day already, are they still not done?" The head of the security team, who wore an undervest, asked as he knelt down right next to Lin Lu, his hand on his belt at all times.


    "I don¡¯t think that he would refuse an offer like that, would he?" Lin Lu said.


    "That¡¯s hard to say. It would be quite difficult to execute our n."


    Li Yiming came down from the second floor only after dusk came. Feeling refreshed and rxed, he came down looking for some food.


    "Oh, we have guests?" Li Yiming was surprised at seeing an old man ying chess with Bai Ze. Although the old man seemed familiar, he did not remember where he had seen him before.


    "I don¡¯t think that introductions are needed, are they? They¡¯ve been here since six in the morning." Bai Ze jumped down from her seat. ¡¯How can he be this bad at chess? I¡¯m falling asleep from ying!¡¯


    "They¡¯re here for me?" Li Yiming looked at the clock, slightly embarrassed. He still could not figure out where he had seen the man before.


    "Are you okay?" Pan Junwei was still worried about Li Yiming suddenly attacking him. Although Li Yiming¡¯s face was flushed when he came down the stairs, Pan Junwei could see that he was rather exhausted.


    "I¡¯m pretty good... This is..." Li Yiming changed the subject.


    "You don¡¯t know him?"


    "Should I?" Li Yiming was confused.


    "Boss, this is..." Chen Jiawang came with an empty teacup and pointed at the television. The president was seen giving a public speech emphasizing the need for cooperation and hard work to rebuild what had been destroyed.


    "Oh. Oh!?" Li Yiming¡¯s countenance shifted as he finally recognized his guest.


    "On behalf of the country, I would like to thank you for your heroic actions," The president expressed his gratitude as he extended his right arm.


    "I..." Li Yiming found it awkward to be on the receiving end of thanks, knowing full well about what he had done back at Shangbei. It would not be wrong to say that he had barely contributed to the collective efforts of the guardians. In fact, his actions almost resulted in catastrophic consequences.


    "I hope... I hope that everything¡¯s fine now..."


    "We¡¯ve started to do clean up work." Pan Junwei replied. Although the gates to the Realm of Ghosts had been closed, the beasts spawned by it were still roaming the country, and it was up to the guardians to clean them up.


    "We¡¯ll take care of everything. I would like to ask you, Mr. Li, what are your ns after this?" The president asked.


    "Me? I thought Pure Water Herb Hall was dissolved?" Li Yiming surprised at his opinion being sought for such matters, as he did not want to involve himself further with the government. He simply wanted to stay by Liu Meng¡¯s side until the end of time.


    "It doesn¡¯t matter that Pure Water Herb Hall has been dissolved. You¡¯re still and always will be a guardian. You know this better than me," Pan Junwei stated sternly.

 Volume 9 Chapter 19

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "The gates have been taken care of, but Heaven¡¯s Laws are still running rampant. Who knows what kind of new threat will arise?"


    "What do you want from me?" Li Yiming went straight to the point.


    "We¡¯d like to invite you to join us in doing what¡¯s right. We¡¯ll be fighting an endless war if we simply stay on the defensive and eliminate the threats as theye. However, if we can get to the core of it and eradicate the evil from this world..." The president proposed.


    "What?"


    "We¡¯ll spread belief in human virtue, put simply."


    Li Yiming remained silent. It was a simple solution in theory, but how could he hope to achieve to do something that countless men wiser than him have failed to aplish throughout history?


    "This is an opportunity. What happened at Shangbei will surely shake the beliefs of people all around the world. With a reasonable exnation, the people will surely join our cause and we will be able to achieve what humanity has never been able to do before."


    "You¡¯re not wrong, but is it really enough?" Li Yiming was notpletely convinced. A slight deviation from the nned course, and it could result in mass panic among the poption.


    "The people are scared," Pan Junwei remarked.


    "But the temples and monasteries are full," the president added.


    "Should we make use of the existing religions?" Li Yiming asked, as it seemed like a convenient way to guide public discourse.


    "We can inspire ourselves from them, but we have an asset they don¡¯t."


    "What would that be?"


    "Guardians," the president said.


    Li Yiming agreed. Indeed, the presence of people possessing extraordinary powers and capable of almost miracle-like feats was a strong incentive for joining any kind of organized religion.


    "After exposing the public to the existence of Guardians, and especially after broadcasting what happened back in Shangbei, all we need is a leader figure for people to support and get behind."


    Li Yiming sank into a long silence. The president¡¯s suggestion now seemed somewhat feasible.


    "If we seed, the course of history will be changed forever. Perhaps the short term effects will not be obvious, but we¡¯ll be able to get rid of the threat of domains once and for all," The president insisted, his eyes glimmering with hope.


    Li Yiming was almost convinced. It was undoubtedly the best option they had, but he still could not shake away his fear after the confusion and bloodthirstiness he had experienced back in Shangbei.


    "We can use what happened in Shangbei as an incentive to convince the public of the righteousness of our cause, as well as the threat that mere evil desires can pose. Once a public consensus is formed, the people will work toward improving themselves and each other."


    "So you do want to create a new religion..."


    "Well, to put it simply, yes," The president answered honestly.


    "What do you need for me, then?"


    "To be precise, we would like to seek Liu Meng¡¯s help," Pan Junwei said.


    "Liu Meng? For what?" Li Yiming grew even more concerned, as he was more worried about Liu Meng than himself.


    "We want her to be the goddess for our religion."


    "ʲô£¿"


    "What?"


    "The best way to resonate with people is not through abstract principles or even cogent logic. The people will need an example, someone to follow. We need Liu Meng to be that particr someone. The entire world has witnessed what she¡¯s capable of, so she already has what it takes to be a goddess on Earth," Pan Junwei exined.


    Liu Meng¡¯s power, along with her timely appearance during the chaos had already convinced many that she was a mythical figure among themon people.


    "I refuse." Liu Meng¡¯s voice was heard as she came down the stairs with a cold expression. However, as soon as she sat right next to Li Yiming, she dove lovingly into his embrace. For a moment, the president almost thought that she was reced with an entirely different person.


    "It¡¯s a good idea, but I won¡¯t be your goddess. I can only fulfill one role right now." Liu Meng made it abundantly clear that all she wanted was to be with Li Yiming.


    "Well... we don¡¯t actually need someone, do we?" Li Yiming was abashed, but his heart was nothing but overjoyed.


    The president and Pan Junwei exchanged a frustrated nce. Even someone like the president would have given everything to be a legendary figure for potentially the entire country, and yet Liu Meng turned down the offer without any hesitation.


    "We don¡¯t need someone. As long as we have a clearly defined vehicle to convey the message, it should be enough. We can call it... Heaven¡¯s Laws," Liu Meng added.


    * * *


    It was not long before the biggest cultural promotion ¡ª or brainwashing ¡ª in recent history began. It started in academia, with a sudden emphasis on the study of ancient and religious texts. A book called Goodness was soon released and was widely distributed with the help of the authorities.


    Evenws were soon amended for the new reality. Though strict, they garnished much public support. The public was constantly bombarded with news about guardians, their purpose in the world, and the work they did to protect society.


    This was the first step in gaining the public¡¯s trust. Fang Shui¡¯er, who was a public figure before the ordeal at Shangbei, became the natural recement for Liu Meng. People cheered and crowds formed wherever she went, as the footage of her descending from the clouds in her crystal armor and iridescent wings had left asting impression.


    The tales and the origin of the gates were turned into a movie. Through it, the public mass finally began to appreciate the destructive consequences a seemingly small evil thought can ultimately have. Instead of simply being reigned in byw, many were inspired to be more self-disciplined in attaining virtuous behavior. People were no longer obeying thew simply because they were afraid of being fined or being sent to prison, but rather because they knew it was best for themselves in the long run.


    It did not take very long before the morality of the general society improved vastly. It was not as if all of the evil suddenly disappeared overnight, but those who weremitting it now cowered in fear, knowing that they were being watched, and, in due time, would be punished.


    The four cities which had been victims to the onught of the ghosts, starting with Shangbei, were quickly being rebuilt. However, the people who were behind the ultimate victory, aside from Fang Shui¡¯er, all vanished from public scrutiny.


    Li Huaibei returned to his small fishing vige. There was one less sage in the world, and one poor drunkard who drank himself to sleep, and then back to waking up every day. Wherever he went, he would always bring a yellow scarf, an old gourd, a broken metallic piece from a de. Instead of sleeping at night, he would spend hours and hours staring at the dark canvas of the night sky, on which many stars were shining.


    The Hanzhou district in which Pure Water Herb Hall was in continued to be revamped. The tea house was run by a strange duo, consisting of a little girl no older than eight years old who seemed to be the owner of the shop, and a young waiter who took care of her during her parents¡¯ absence. The two soon became the subject of affection for the neighbors.


    Some neighbors would stop by to chit-chat for a bit, while others volunteered to perform repair work whenever it was needed. Others arrived at the tea house with food simply to share it with Bai Ze and Chen Jiawang.


    It was not long before Bai Ze¡¯s curiosity led to many hobbies, and the tea house soon became a library, with books ranging from ancient poems all the way to standardized tests filling the shelves.


    As for Liu Meng and Li Yiming, no one had seen them since the day the president left.

 Volume 9 Chapter 20

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Under the shadow of the tree, Li Yiming and Liu Meng looked at the middle-aged woman in the distance, who carried a bag of groceries.


    "Let¡¯s go," Li Yiming said as tears filled Liu Meng¡¯s eyes. Liu Meng could tell right away that it was her mother.


    As the two made their way to Liu Meng¡¯s mother, she stood there, transfixed.


    "Mom..." Liu Meng called, tears rolling down her cheeks.


    She was answered by a p to the face. Her mother was trembling from both joy and anger.


    "Aunt..." Li Yiming said, but he was submitted to the same treatment.


    Just like that, the strongest couple in the world received a p to the face. The scene itself inevitably attracted the attention of many passersby.


    "Let¡¯s go home." Liu Meng¡¯s mother struggled to keep her tears from bursting out. Li Yiming came up to help her, only to be refused.


    "So you remembered that you had a mother?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother burst out as soon as the door was closed and raised her hand once again.


    Liu Meng lowered her head and suppressed the energy of her body so as to not hurt her mother¡¯s hand, but she was instead greeted by two shaking arms wrapped around her.


    It had been two years since Liu Meng had gone away. The first year was due to burning away her phoenix marking and the second was when she was stuck in emptiness. Although her mother had seen footage of the battle of Shangbei, she did not connect the dots between the figure who possessed godlike powers and her own daughter. The one thing she was certain of was that it was Li Yiming who had taken her daughter away.


    She was always opposed to Liu Meng¡¯s rtionship with Li Yiming, and after her daughter had disappeared, she searched frantically for any clues to find her back. After even asking an old friend to bribe a local vicemissioner and being told that Liu Meng¡¯s information had been on the police¡¯swork for a while already, she finally sank into despair.


    "Mom..." Liu Meng sobbed.


    Li Yiming, upon seeing Liu Meng and her mother locked in a tight embrace, backed away to give the two some private time.


    "You!" Liu Meng¡¯s mother suddenly eximed. Although her resentment for her daughter¡¯s actions went away the moment they reunited, she still held a grudge against Li Yiming.


    "Uh... yes..." A chill ran down Li Yiming¡¯s spine.


    "Two years... It¡¯s your fault..." Liu Meng¡¯s mother said with a shaking voice.


    "Mom... It¡¯s not..." Liu Meng defended Li Yiming.


    "Shut up!" Liu Meng¡¯s mother interrupted.


    "Li Yiming, is it? Well, I don¡¯t care who you are. You¡¯re not walking out of this door today without an exnation." Liu Meng¡¯s mother put on the figure of an authoritative step-mother.


    "Exnation..." Li Yiming gulped down a mouthful of saliva. He found dealing with Liu Meng¡¯s mother to be much more intimidating than dealing with Wu Yun himself.


    "I... We¡¯re about to be married. I would like to ask for your approval," Li Yiming suddenly said.


    Liu Meng looked up in surprise,pletely taken aback, as Li Yiming had not discussed the matter with her.


    Liu Meng¡¯s mother sank into silence. In a way, she was happy knowing her daughter came back to seek her best wishes when it mattered the most.


    Although many of her frustrations were still left unanswered, Liu Meng¡¯s mother knew that she could do nothing but ept. And just like that, Li Yiming and Liu Meng¡¯s union was approved of, without even anything such as a proposal.


    That night, Liu Meng¡¯s mother cooked a sumptuous meal, but she refused to give Li Yiming a single smile. As Liu Meng busied herself with washing the dishes after the meal, Liu Meng¡¯s mother pulled Li Yiming over into the bedroom.


    "I cannot refuse you at this point, but I do hope that you¡¯ll make my daughter happy." Liu Meng¡¯s mother said in a low voice.


    "I promise that I¡¯ll protect her with my life," Li Yiming said resolutely.


    It was a textbook response to the situation, but his determined expression convinced Liu Meng¡¯s mother was that Li Yiming was sincere.


    "Alright, I¡¯ll trust you on this. For the prenuptial presents, I¡¯m not going to ask for anything, but the rules are the rules. You can decide on the amount. I¡¯ll return everything as her dowry. I also have some money saved up over the years... I¡¯ll give it to her as well." Liu Meng stared at the photograph by the bed with a lonely smile, which depicted her with Liu Meng¡¯s father, who had passed away a long time ago.


    "I..." Li Yiming did not know what to say.


    "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve heard that your parents bought an apartment back in Lishui? I think that you can start your new life there. Maybe you can get a better ce once you get more work experience..."


    "Please tell your parents toe visit if they have a chance, we¡¯d have to meet before the wedding..."


    Li Yiming returned home the next day to discuss the matters with his parents. Unlike Liu Meng, he had maintained contact with his family members before falling into aa, and while he was unconscious, Lin Lu took care to craft an excuse for him.


    To his family, Li Yiming had be an officer at a core division in National Security. As such, he needed to undergo isted training for a year. Lin Lu even made the effort to have an official document sent to Li Yiming¡¯s home. After the year went by, it became "oversea training".


    Upon hearing that Li Yiming had returned home and had proposed to Liu Meng, his entire family was brimming with joy. His mother, especially, who had met Liu Meng before, knew that she was a beauty whom Li Yiming was incredibly fortunate to be able to marry. And so, Li Yiming¡¯s parents wasted no time in packing up and going to Wen City to meet the future inws.


    After meeting with Li Yiming¡¯s parents, Liu Meng¡¯s mother¡¯s attitude changed for the better, as it did no good to be overly harsh to her future son-inw.


    Despite how sudden all of it was, everything was lining up for the big day. Li Yiming spent his days following Liu Meng and her mother around, shopping in preparation for the ceremony.


    Liu Meng¡¯s mother suddenly came to a halt as she stared at a skyscraper nearby.


    "What is it?" Li Yiming asked. He had a feeling that the ce had a particr meaning to Liu Meng¡¯s mother.


    "It¡¯s nothing. There used to be a little hill here. This is where... where her father proposed to me. A few years ago, the hill was ttened for the sake of building this... I would never have imagined that the day of my daughter¡¯s wedding woulde so fast..." Liu Meng¡¯s mother shook her head, trying to suppress as much of her emotions as possible in front of Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming looked at the skyscraper and remembered Liu Meng telling him about a little hill that used to exist there. After a while spent pondering, he picked up his phone.


    "What is it, Mr. Li?" Fang Shui¡¯er surprised voice came.


    "Could I ask you for a favor?" Li Yiming said.


    "Please, I¡¯ll do everything I can." Although Fang Shui¡¯er was no longer forced to do Li Yiming¡¯s bidding, she was d to help out of respect.


    "There¡¯s some real estate I¡¯d like to buy. It¡¯s probably sold out, but I was wondering if you could help me out?" Li Yiming asked politely. Fang Shui¡¯er had been the one to negotiate the purchasing of the area around Pure Water Herb Hall.


    "Not a problem. Just give me the address."


    "It¡¯s in Wen City, Ou¡¯Hai Tower. It¡¯s best if we can get the top floor."


    "I¡¯ll work on it right away. Anything else?"


    "No... that¡¯s all." Li Yiming was not used to being addressed at so politely, especially after spending so much time with Liu Meng¡¯s mother.


    "What are you doing? Are you calling home? I need to go home to cook! Hurry up!" A shout suddenly came from ahead.


    "Coming!" Li Yiming quickly caught up with Liu Meng and her mother.

 Volume 9 Chapter 21

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "How about you give it to her?" Liu Meng curled up on the old sofa at her mother¡¯s ce. She had been spending herst few days in ackadaisical manner, choosing to rx in a ce that brought back many memories.


    "You should do it. She¡¯s your mother after all." Li Yiming said as he nced at a stic bag on the tea table.


    "She¡¯s also your mother now."


    "Well..." Li Yiming scratched her head.


    "Come to think of it, what happened? I thought the top floor was enough. Was it really necessary to buy the entire building? She¡¯s going to be more scared than surprised, you know." Liu Meng said in an amused tone.


    "That¡¯s what I said to Fang Shui¡¯er, but she..."


    "Her again? I knew it!" Liu Meng¡¯s tone turned sour.


    "The guardian organization is gone, but thepany can¡¯t be dissolved so easily. Besides, I don¡¯t think that the authorities want to see that happen, so it dragged on..."


    "What are you two talking about?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother arrived. Ragged breathing could be heard from her daily trip to the public square, where she danced to radio music with a group of friends.


    "It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve bought you something." Li Yiming nced at Liu Meng and answered.


    "Oh, you can put it on the table." Liu Meng¡¯s mother changed her shoes and headed for the bedroom.


    "I¡¯ll go have a smoke." Li Yiming went to the balcony, and Liu Meng went back to her room.


    Liu Meng¡¯s mother finished changing and was about to head to the kitchen when she saw the stic bag again and sat down in curiosity. Although she pretended to not care about Li Yiming¡¯s gift earlier, she was curious about its contents.


    Inside the bag she was a file folder loaded with papers. She felt let down, as it was not quite what she had imagined. After picking up her sses and going through a few pages, her expression turned into one of confusion and frustration.


    "Liu Meng... Can youe here?"


    "What is it?" Liu Meng peeked out from her room.


    "Can you tell me what this means? ¡¯Ownership certificate of Ou¡¯Hai building?¡¯ Isn¡¯t he too old for jokes like that?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother said as she hurled the file folder onto the table.


    "He¡¯s not joking."


    "What? He told you that this is real?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother grew more irritated, as she now thought of Li Yiming not only as someone from a modest background, but also a liar.


    Liu Meng nodded.


    "Pfft! Who does he think he is? The owner of Pure Water Herb Hall?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother was suddenly reminded of the news report she saw a few days ago, which mentioned that the founder of the organization was also a young man.


    Liu Meng nodded again.


    "You¡¯re kidding me..." Liu Meng¡¯s mother stared into her daughter¡¯s eyes. She knew full well that her daughter would not lie to her on matters like this.


    "He really is..." Liu Meng repeated.


    "Li Yiming!"


    The scream was so sudden that Li Yiming nearly dropped his cigarette. The next second, Liu Meng¡¯s mother showed up, panting heavily.


    "Is this real?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother asked as she showed the certificate.


    Li Yiming looked at Liu Meng, who wasughing behind, and nodded.


    "You¡¯re really the chairman of Pure Water Herb Hall?"


    "Seems like it..." Li Yiming said as he stared at the ground.


    Liu Meng¡¯s mother said nothing and gave Li Yiming the longest stare she ever gave to anyone.


    "I... It should be written here..." Li Yiming hurriedly took out his business card.


    "Chairman of the board?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother took the card. From the golden and silver engravings and the wless material, it was clear not cheap to make.


    Her eyes went from the business card to Liu Meng, and then back to Li Yiming. Finally, she picked up the certificate once more and saw that the document had just been signed earlier in the day.


    "So... that entire building is ours now?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother muttered as she looked at the illuminated building in the distance.


    "Yours, to be precise," Li Yiming added.


    "Why... why didn¡¯t you tell me?" Liu Meng¡¯s mother was still in disbelief.


    "You didn¡¯t ask."


    "Didn¡¯t your parents say that you worked at National Security?"


    "They don¡¯t know that I¡¯m working part-time there..." Li Yiming said.


    "You¡¯re lying... You have to be lying..." Liu Meng¡¯s mother turned toward her daughter ¡ª it was simply too much to take in at once.


    "Mom..." Liu Meng sighed. She was about to start exining when her countenance suddenly shifted. After exchanging a nce with Li Yiming, both of them began staring at the sky.


    "I knew it!" Liu Meng¡¯s mother suddenly rxed down when she saw Li Yiming and Liu Meng¡¯s expression and tapped on Li Yiming¡¯s shoulder with the file folder.


    "Mom, it¡¯s all real, but I need to head out." Liu Meng quickly made for the exit with Li Yiming close behind.


    "Where are you going? We¡¯re eating soon!" Liu Meng¡¯s mother asked, but Li Yiming and Liu Meng were long gone.


    A sh of purple light was seen the moment the two walked into the stairs. They appeared a secondter ten thousand meters in the air, holding their hands closely together as they stared above.


    During that time, Li Huaibei had finally woken up from his drunkenness. The scent of wine he carried was quickly burned away as he picked up his sword, and his eyes lit up with a light that was just like those of the stars in the night sky.


    As for Fang Shui¡¯er, she was in the middle of an interview. Halfway through a question, she suddenly stopped talking and looked up at the sky. When the host and the audience looked up, they saw a surreal apparition in the sky ¡ª nine lotus flowers, drawn with a web of light, had appeared in the sky, visible to every single person.


    "Wow! It¡¯s so pretty!"


    "Quick! Get the cameras! I want all of our camera teams recording this!"


    "What happened?" The host resumed his question, but he found Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s chair to be empty.


    After amazement came panic. If anything was learned from Shangbei, it was that these wonderful natural phenomena tended to be a bad omen. After seven days and the disappearing of the lotuses, the authorities and guardians remainedpletely silent about the subject, despite the still ongoing rumors.


    The phenomenon remained a mystery to the public. The guardians themselves did note out with an exnation, not because they did not have one, but because they did not dare to speak out. From the moment the lotus blossomed, many familiar with the feeling knew that Heavens¡¯ Laws had awakened.


    * * *


    "Do you know who has been spreading the information?" The president asked Pan Junwei with a sunken countenance.


    "Yun Yiyuan."


    Recently, a rumor had been circting that guardians were, in fact, the ones responsible for the disaster in Shangbei. Instead of the noble heroes they had painted themselves to be, they were nothing but selfish individuals who put the world in danger for their own interests. If they were to bepletely eliminated, then the supernormal phenomena would surely be put to a stop.


    Although the theory had been put out before, it was only now that it began to gain traction, and it seemed like an organization was behind its propaganda.


    "What if we use censorship?"


    "It¡¯s toote. At this point, it¡¯s only going to prove their point. Besides, if Yun Yiyuan decided to spread this rumor, it¡¯s not going to be so easy for us to shut him up." Pan Junwei frowned.


    This rumor sapped away all of the efforts they had made for establishing a new set of beliefs around the authority and righteousness of guardians. If guardians were not credible, then their teachings would not be either.


    Pan Junwei¡¯s worries, however,id elsewhere. Through a conversation that he had just on the phone with Fang Shui¡¯er, he had learned that the new ruler of Heaven¡¯s Laws was Mr. Kong.


    The phone suddenly rang. After exchanging a nce with the president, Pan Junwei picked up. His countenance quickly shifted and he rushed to get his tablet.


    "What is it?" The president asked.


    "Yun Yiyuan again..." Pan Junwei gave his tablet to the president. On it, the footage of two soldiers being tied to a wooden cart was seen. Exposed to the afternoon sun, they writhed in pain beforepletely burning to ashes.


    "Cruel human experiments. Do not trust the authorities, who are colluding with guardians..." The president almost dropped theputer when he read the headlines.


    "Where did you find this?"


    "It¡¯s everywhere on the inte."


    The president¡¯s hand shook again. The public¡¯s trust surely must have plummeted upon the release of the video. Even if the authorities were to deny the allegationpletely, Yun Yiyuan, who had in his possession a significant amount of data regarding the experiments, could simply release more videos to fuel public outrage.

 Volume 9 Chapter 22

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "What¡¯s the situation?" Big Beard asked between puffs of smoke.


    "It¡¯s spreading. Seems like there¡¯s another one now" Eyesses said as he worked on hisputer.


    "Who is it this time?" Qing Linglong dropped her work and came to theputer.


    "Shao Xian..." Eyesses opened a webpage and a video popped out.


    Shao Xian, who was instrumental in the battle against the ghosts back in Shangbei, also became a very popr figure for the public. Just like Fang Shui¡¯er, she had an established reputation prior to the events. Combined with her charming appearance, she had attracted arge group of supporters, some even calling her a saint of the new religion.


    However, a new video that had been circting around used Shao Xian of being a high-end prostitute. Not only were there pictures and recordings of Shao Xian being at some events she had participated in when she was young, but even some clients of hers havee out to confess.


    The public discourse grew increasingly vitriolic at what seemed like the scam of the century; the government and guardians working hand to hand to trick themon people into doing their bidding.


    "What is he up to?" Qing Linglong cursed as she looked at the pictures in the video.


    Shao Xian was not the first person that had been victimized. There had been multiple videos that circted prior to her scandal regarding other guardians as well. Their crimes included moneyundering, fraud, to even rape and murder. What made matters worse was that the majority of the usations were true, thus making it incredibly difficult to refute the ims.


    Before the copse of Heaven¡¯s Laws, the guardians enjoyed immunity to the rules of society which bound themon people. Times were different back then, however, with their image being so important to the public now, no one could bear worshipping a criminal. This resulted in theplete destruction of the president¡¯s effort in reforming public opinion.


    "Spreading rumors to sow doubt. Releasing information about the artificial guardian project and diverting the attention of the government, only to follow up with the knock-out punch of revealing the guardians¡¯ past crimes..." Eyesses said as he rubbed his nose bridge.


    "He¡¯s not smart enough for that. There¡¯s someone else giving him these ideas," Qing Linglong said as she looked at the information she received. Yun Yiyuan¡¯s philosophy was always might over cunning.


    * * *


    "Why? Why did it turn out like this?" Fu Bo clenched his fist as he watched the protests being broadcasted on television. The protestors were brandishing signs and chanting slogans, demanding justice.


    "Sis Ying..." Tian Yan murmured. On the night of the lotus flowers bloomed, she had received a visit from Ying Mei. What was unsettling about it was that she realized she could no longer see Ying Mei¡¯s fate.


    * * *


    Li Yiming and Liu Meng, soon after the showing of the lotus flowers, bid farewell to Liu Meng¡¯s mother and went on a long trip. They nned on traveling around the world, leaving their smiles and footprints behind, while creating evesting memories. Despite the emergency, the two chose to spend their days entirely with each other, unconcerned with what was about toe, or the significance of the apparition in the sky and Mr. Kong¡¯s awakening.


    * * *


    As for Bai Ze, she closed down the tea house and bought a mansion near Chen Jiawang¡¯s birthce. She visited Chen Jiawang¡¯s parents and asked them to move over, using an excuse about the mansion¡¯s being too empty for two people. Despite notpletely understanding her exnation, Chen Jiawang¡¯s parents dly took the offer to be reunited with their son and moved in.


    Chen Jiawang looked at his parents, who were dutifully keeping the house clean, and asked. "What are you doing? I don¡¯t think we needed that."


    "Let them enjoy what little days we have left..." Bai Ze sighed as she looked up at the sky.


    * * *


    As for Shao Xian and Sai Gao, they had gone back to ying games on the couch all day after the damning video about Shao Xian was released. Shao Xian herself was not too affected, as she simply returned to her normal reclusive life and hid from the public, especially since the usations from the video were mostly true.


    "Hey, what if no one wants to marry me anymore?" Shao Xian suddenly poked Sai Gao with her foot.


    "What¡¯s the rush? If I¡¯m not worried about it, why should you?" Sai Gao said as he looked at his phone ¡ª with the current situation, there were a lot fewer people ying games, so he had to wait longer to find a match in his game.


    "Hey, how about we get ourselves married?" Shao Xian suddenly said.


    "What?" Sai Gao turned around, stupefied.


    "Am I going to die single..." Shao Xian sighed. A few days ago, she had heard news about Li Yiming and Liu Meng¡¯s wedding, and seeing them tie the knot seemed to have affected her.


    "Are you serious?" Sai Gao put his cell phone down and looked at Shao Xian, only to be answered by cursinging out of his phone.


    Shao Xian nodded.


    "Fine."


    "Yay!" Shao Xian jumped with joy.


    "I didn¡¯t know our country recognized same-sex marriage though..."


    "You¡¯re a man, you hear me? At least on your ID card!" Shao Xian picked up a pillow and threw it on Sai Gao¡¯s face.


    * * *


    Resentment against the guardians continued to grow, and the president was forced to make somepromises after discussing the matter with Pan Junwei. For those who could ept it, the guardians would be sent to a special facility in which they awaited their trial. However, there were many who simply vanished, revolted at the fact that the people could be so ungrateful when they had risked their lives in Shangbei for their sake.


    "They¡¯re splitting our forces...¡¯ Pan Junwei said with a defeated look.


    "There¡¯s nothing we can do at this point..." The president looked like he aged several years over thest few weeks.


    "Sir... maybe... I should leave." Pan Junwei finally told the president what he had hesitated to say for so long; it would not be long before he would be the target of one of Yun Yiyuan¡¯s smear campaign, so he decided to leave the critical position he was upying to prevent any further damage to the government¡¯s credibility.


    "You..." The president knew that this was the logical course of action, but it still hurt him to be so ungrateful to someone who had saved the country from utter destruction. However, the fact the president understood what Pan Junwei contributed did not mean that any normal person would.


    "Sir, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll show up when the country needs me again..." Pan Junwei said. Even since the lotus apparition, Heaven¡¯s Laws had stabilized itself. As such, the supernormal events had ceased for the most part.


    "You¡¯re going to look for Yun Yiyuan?" The president asked.


    "He must pay with his life for his sins," Pan Junwei said.


    "Sir! Something terrible happened!" A soldier suddenly rushed into the room.


    "Speak." The president stood up from his seat. For the soldier toe in without knocking surely must have meant that it was an important matter.


    "It¡¯s Yun Yiyuan again!"


    "Who is it this time?" The president asked after exchanging a nce with Pan Junwei.


    "Li Yiming!"

 Volume 9 Chapter 23

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "It¡¯s Li Yiming." Eyesses turned away from hisputer and informed his teammates.


    "What?" Everyone¡¯s countenance quickly shifted.


    The usation started with a simple description of Pure Water Herb Hall¡¯s meteoric rise to sess, as well as the personal gains Li Yiming had realized at his young age. It was entirely scripted in such that it would arouse the jealousy of many. It was followed by more damning usations, going from the corporation¡¯s shady deals to Li Yiming¡¯s personal faults. One video even showed Li Yiming jumping out of a window with Shao Xian in his arms. The most controversial parts were the footages of Li Yiming¡¯s bloody massacres at the sauna center and at Yunding Tower.


    What was worse, still, was the information about the origin of the Gate of Ghosts. The warrior in dark armor was a figure that left asting impression on many. A previously undisclosed segment of the warrior removing his mask, revealing himself to be Li Yiming¡¯s was released, which meant to many that thetter was solely responsible for the disaster in Shangbei.


    The dominating look that Li Yiming had casted upon the entire battlefield while giving them the choice to submit or perish caused great resentment. Of course, it did not help that a great amount of people had lost their home or a loved one during the disaster.


    "They¡¯re after him."


    "This is going to be a difficult dilemma for the authorities. They¡¯ll have to either hunt Li Yiming down or copsepletely. At this, he is undefendable." Eyesses sighed.


    "Where is he now?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked in an anxious voice.


    "He should almost be in Beihai. Don¡¯t worry about his safety. Unless Mr. Kones down from the Heavens, he and Liu Meng are nearly invincible."


    "I¡¯m not worried at all about Li Yiming..." Qing Linglong said. Despite knowing Li Yiming for so long, she never felt as if she truly understood him. To this day, he was still a mystery to him and she could not predict how he would react to the usations.


    * * *


    "I would¡¯ve never thought for this to happen..." Li Huaibei opened a jug of wine and filled the three cups on the table.


    "I apologize for what I did." Liu Meng expressed her regret before emptying her cup.


    "You¡¯re a lucky man." Li Huaibei said to Li Yiming before emptying his own.


    "Yes, I am." Li Yiming nodded and gazed at the piece of yellow silk around his wrist.


    "Can I ask you something?" Li Yiming pointed at the object. Having experienced Eden through Li Huaibei¡¯s eyes, he knew exactly who the original owners of the scarf, the old gourd, and the piece of broken de were.


    "Some things are best left in my heart." Li Huaibei shook his head.


    "Sorry."


    "You shouldn¡¯t be. The same will happen to you one day or another." Li Huaibei replied as he picked up the piece of broken metal.


    Li Huaibei¡¯s words were harsh, but Li Yiming understood where he wasing from. He reached out for Liu Meng¡¯s hand and kneaded it tightly.


    "He lied to me, I need to go meet him." Li Huaibei said as he slowly put down the chunk of metal.


    "We¡¯ll be leaving." Li Yiming raised his cup onest time in Li Huaibei¡¯s direction and set it down on the table before retreating out of Li Huaibei¡¯s residence with Liu Meng.


    "What did I tell you?" Liu Meng said as she put her head on Li Yiming¡¯s shoulder.


    "He shouldn¡¯t go." Li Yiming sighed and looked at the small wooden cabin basking in the setting sun.


    "Now what? Are you going to go look for your dear superstar?" Liu Meng pinched Li Yiming¡¯s waist.


    "There¡¯s no need for that. I know what her answer will be." Li Yiming suddenly picked Liu Meng up and ran toward the beach, leaving behind a trail of footprints in the soft sand upon which the waves of ocean slid back and forth.


    * * *


    "A demonstration?" The president asked.


    Pan Junwei looked outside. In only three hours after the announcement of the public event, more than thirty thousand people had already signed up.


    "In three days, in the ruins of Shangbei."


    "Most likely a way to fuel their hatred." Pan Junwei sighed.


    "Send out a notice. We¡¯ll have to make Li Yiming a wanted criminal..." The president ordered bitterly.


    * * *


    "Do you think that boss will go?" Chen Jiawang asked as he looked at his phone.


    Bai Ze answered after a long silence as she headed toward the door, "Stay here, keep your parentspany."


    "Where is she going?" Chen Jiawang¡¯s mother asked.


    "She¡¯s just taking a walk..." Chen Jiawang could note up with an excuse.


    "Why don¡¯t you go with her then? Her parents trust us so much, and you¡¯re being so careless!" Chen Jiawang¡¯s mother pped him in the forehead.


    "Yes, yes, I¡¯m sorry. Also, we¡¯ll need to go back to the city soon, it¡¯s not good for her to be absent from ss for so long." Chen Jiawang squeezed out a smile as he rubbed his forehead.


    "Make sure you take good care of her, okay?"


    "Yes," Chen Jiawang said before standing up.


    "Mom, see youter." Chen Jiawang bit his lips and bid farewell to his parents.


    "Be careful on the road, okay? Tell her parents that we¡¯ll take good care of their house, and tell them to visit. Your dad nted some corn in the field around it, maybe you¡¯ll get to eat it next year."


    It took all of Chen Jiawang¡¯s resolve to turn around and dash toward Bai Ze.


    "What are you doing here?" Bai Ze asked without turning her head back.


    "I want to see more of the world," Chen Jiawang said as he took Bai Ze¡¯s bag of snacks.


    "You idiot."


    * * *


    "What was the name of our team again?" Qing Linglong asked.


    "Dissonance, after Heaven¡¯s Dissonance," Big Beard replied.


    "What a stupid name!" Qing Qiaoqiao said.


    "You were thee who came up with it!" Her friends answered in unison and they allughed out loud. However, after theughing came to a long silence.


    "Should we go?" Qing Qiaoqiao said as she opened the car window.


    "We have no choice," Qing Linglong said as she put her hand on her chest, in front of her heart. The day the lotus flowers appeared in the sky, all four of them felt a burning ache in their chest. They all understood that it could only mean one thing: Heaven¡¯s Laws had awakened, and they could lose control of their bodies at any time again due to the Heart Trial Punishment.


    "What if I pull the trigger" Eyesses took out a handgun and pressed it against Big Beard¡¯s skull.


    "He¡¯s still going to show up as a headless zombie."


    "What about this?" Eyesses took off his shadowless stone and looked at the bright sun outside.


    "A specter," Big Bead said before pressing down on the gas pedal and overtaking a police car, causing the sirens to be heard behind them.


    * * *


    Although the midday sun was enough to irritate the skin of many, it did not stop arge crowd of hundreds of thousands of people to form and protest against Li Yiming. Even with all the soldiers posted right outside of the city, the authorities could do nothing about the gathering, as most of the troops sympathized with the protesters.


    Right in the middle of the city was a giant crater Li Yiming left behind when he appeared in his dark armor. At its center, a giant stage was erected, surrounded by speakers. In the air were countless drones with all of their cameras focused on the stage, ready for the big event.


    "What are you up to?" Yun Yiyuan asked Ying Mei, who sat at the edge of the stage.


    Ying Mei turned back and looked at Yun Yiyuan coldly.


    The piercing gaze that she gave him was one that hurt his pride greatly. He never would have imagined the woman he considered to be his ything to cast such a spiteful and condescending look at him.


    "It¡¯s time to start." Ying Mei stood up and walked toward the center of the stage with a smirk.

 Volume 9 Chapter 24

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Death to him! Death to him!" The crowd chanted as Ying Mei finished reciting the list denouncing Li Yiming¡¯s crimes:


    "Mistakes evil for ability, and inflicts injury on others; defames the virtuous, and behind their backs, nders his ruler or his parents; does not distinguish right from wrong, and turns his back on those whom he should befriend; treats and punishes a trivial matter as though it is important and on seeing an execution adds to its suffering; ambitiously seeks power, and ruins others in seeking sess; sells and buys empty glory, but conceals treachery in his heart; when in power, persecutes and coerces, and even violently kills and maims; violently seizes things or makes demands, who enjoys fraud and theft; tempts the masses with lies and polluted their minds; holds the heavens in derision and the rules in contempt."


    Many of the crimes announced deserved death, some of which the public were not even aware of. The protesting crowd¡¯s fury reached its climax as Ying Mei finished her speech.


    "What is she up to? How is this going to make Li Yiminge out?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked in confusion. Although an arrest warrant had been made public for Li Yiming, she could not imagine how it would lure him out.


    "It¡¯s psychological warfare. She¡¯s forcing him toe out and confront her here," Qing Linglong said.


    "Li Yiming has always been one to care for the entire world. He¡¯s strong enough to take care of himself, that¡¯s for sure, but what if the world abandons him?"


    "She¡¯s going to destroy Li Yiming¡¯s beliefs," Big Beard concluded.


    "The world wants Li Yiming dead now. You could say that even Heaven¡¯s Laws want him dead. If a fight erupts, the other guardians will not be able to help him. Li Yiming will be alone," Qing Linglong said as she observed the guardians within the crowd, most of whom seemed to be observing the scene indifferently.


    "This makes no sense though. It would be impossible for Yun Yiyuan and Ying Mei to win against Li Yiming and Liu Meng!" Eyesses eximed.


    "She must have something else prepared. Wait, what¡¯s that?" Qing Qiaoqiao noticed a small group of people climbing to the stage. They started roaring with anger as soon as they got the chance to speak on the microphone.


    "Li Yiming, you animal! You killed my son!"


    "Li Yiming, you murdered my husband!"


    "Li Yiming, you deserve to die!"


    Most of the people on stage were rtives or friends of Li Yiming¡¯s victims from Yunyu Corporation, the Merry Couple Gang, or simply paid actors. Ying Mei, with a smile, went on to introduce each candidate and emphasized how Li Yiming had shattered their former lives. The stories told on stage stirred the emotions of the crowd, causing the people to cry for their lost loved ones, cries which soon turned to cursing and chanting.


    "We also have a special guest today," Ying Mei announced as the crowd slowly regained theirposure.


    With her signalling, the group of people on stage suddenly retreated in an orderly and calm fashion, which would have been a strange observation to the calm observer. However, the crowd was nothing but a kettle of raw emotion ready to explode.


    After the rtives came a single middle-aged woman, who stood on the stage with a face that showed no emotion.


    "Coward!" Big Beard spat out. If Eyesses was not holding him back, he would have rushed to the stage himself.


    "This is the mother of Li Yiming¡¯s fiance," Ying Mei revealed, and the crowd immediately went to an uproar.


    "Li Yiming, you liar!" The woman suddenly fell to her knees and screamed at the top of her lungs.


    "Give my daughter back... Give my daughter back..." Liu Meng¡¯s mother repeated, as thest few days were nothing short of an emotional shock to her. Her joy at seeing Liu Meng return safe and sound and her surprise at discovering that her daughter was engaged to a sessful young man were all shattered the moment she learned the truth about Li Yiming.


    "Mom..." Liu Meng¡¯s voice was suddenly heard as she appeared on stage in her ck silk robe.


    "My daughter... Honey! Come home, let¡¯s just go home, okay? I need you to be with me. You¡¯re the only one I have left..." Liu Meng¡¯s mother jumped up in surprise and repeated over and over.


    "Mom... It¡¯s not how you think it is..." Liu Meng started to tear up.


    "Come home...e home..." Liu Meng¡¯s mother kept repeating the same words as she tried to drag her daughter down the stage. Liu Meng had no choice but to put her to sleep by giving a light tap in the forehead.


    "So you¡¯ve all heard it. This is Liu Meng, Li Yiming¡¯s fiance," Unfazed by Liu Meng¡¯s cold gaze, Ying Mei continued her speech and continued stirring up the crowd¡¯s emotions.


    "Liu Meng, have you heard your mother¡¯s words? Are you still going to protect him?" Ying Mei asked.


    "I¡¯m going to be his wife. If he wants to dedicate himself to his work, then I¡¯ll keep his home clean and tidy. If he wants to retreat back to the mountains, then I¡¯ll work on thend and weave clothes for him. If he wants to save the world, then I¡¯ll risk it all for him. If he wants to see all of you dead... then I will make sure that only ashes remain," Liu Meng¡¯sst statement chilled the bones of the protesters like a bucket of icy water. Only now did they realize that a demon that has ughtered millions would have no problem adding a few hundred thousand more to the list.


    One person in the crowd began crying when he heard Liu Meng¡¯s statement. It was Wu Jia, who was crying tears of happiness for the love that she was not able to have. "No wonder you didn¡¯t answer my feelings..."


    "Wow... This is love..." Shao Xian said as she leaned against Sai Gao, the two having just walked out from the local city hall with their certificate.


    "Do you envy her?"


    "Yes."


    "Well, you¡¯ll need a man first." Sai Gao shrugged his shoulders and pulled on his silkce.


    "Your son is a lucky man." Li Huaibeiplimented Li Yiming¡¯s parents, who were standing right next to him.


    "My son, he..." Li Yiming¡¯s father asked worriedly.


    "He¡¯s a hero who saved the world," Li Huaibei said before casting a spell to bring Li Yiming¡¯s parents to somewhere safe.


    "Ahahaha! Did you hear her words? This how Li Yiming and all guardians think of you!" Ying Mei roared inughter.


    "Li Yiming, are you really going to hide and cower behind the skirts of your fiance?" Ying Mei yelled out.


    Right as Ying Mei finished her sentence, Li Yiming appeared on stage with a sh of purple light.


    "So you¡¯re here..." Ying Mei¡¯s lips curled up.


    "That¡¯s him?" Most of the people in the crowd had difficulty believing that the young man possessing delicate features and a calm demeanor was a merciless butcher.


    "You monster, give my son¡¯s life back!" An angry scream was heard from the crowd.


    "Them again..." Qing Linglong squinted. At this point, she was sure that the "family members" were most likely paid to cause amotion.


    "Demon!"


    "Monster!"


    "Pay with your blood!"


    "Kill him!"


    Once again, all rationality andposure were quickly lost as the crowd turned into a gathering of savages full of fuming emotions.


    "So, what¡¯s your answer, Li Yiming?" Ying Mei asked.


    "Just like you, I¡¯ve wondered about the role guardians should y in the world. I used to think that we exist to purge the evil desires from this world, but I often forget that human nature is notplete without its dark side. Just as there ispassion, love, and solidarity, there is greed, jealousy, and violence. How can gods exist without demons?"


    Li Yiming exined calmly, but his voice reached the ears of every single person. The crowd did not seem to understand the meaning of his words, but his speech was certainly an epiphany for the guardians among them.


    "I say, we should simply fight for what we trust in. I owe nothing to the Heavens or to this world. If disasteres one day, I¡¯ll be here, fighting to stay alive and to keep those who have faith in me alive. If you want to take my life, then I challenge you to do it."

 Volume 9 Chapter 25

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Where are you getting your courage from?" Ying Mei stepped forward with a venomous re.


    "Kill him!" A loud roar was heard from the crowd.


    "Yun Yiyuan, kill him!" Ying Mei turned around and looked at Yun Yiyuan. Upon hearing his name, Yun Yiyuan turned back, as this was not part of his n.


    "Yun Yiyuan?" Ying Mei repeated with a threatening tone.


    "So be it. We¡¯re bound to fight sooner orter." Yun Yiyuan sighed as he levitated into the air.


    "A guardian?" The crowd was surprised at the appearance of a guardian as the rally was not only formed to condemn Li Yiming, but to denounce every other guardian.


    "Kill him! Avenge my son!"


    "Kill him! Avenge my brother!"


    The crowd continued to shout incessantly. It did not take long before their cries turned to cheers, supporting Yun Yiyuan since they deemed his actions to be less damnable than Li Yiming¡¯s.


    Li Yiming stared at Yun Yiyuan and slowly pulled back his right hand.


    "Die!" Yun Yiyuanunched himself toward Li Yiming like a cannonball with his silver spear trailing behind him.


    Li Yiming remained expressionless and slowly closed his eyes. As Yun Yiyuan closed in on Li Yiming, his spear suddenly gained speed, and he shot it toward Li Yiming¡¯s head. Li Yiming opened his eyes wide, erecting his Boundary and dodged Yun Yiyuan¡¯s attack with ease, sending his spear flying toward the sky.


    "Where did they go?"


    Murmurs were heard from the crowd as Li Yiming and Yun Yiyuan suddenly vanished from sight. Unbeknownst to them, Li Yiming had put down his barrier for the purpose of protecting them, as only a few blows exchanged between two sages could spell their doom.


    Ying Mei performed a hand seal, and a giant curtain of light appeared in the sky, showing the fateful duel between Li Yiming and Yun Yiyuan.


    "I didn¡¯t win fairlyst time. I¡¯ll let you have the first move today," Li Yiming said as he raised his right hand, the glyph on his wrist radiating a golden light.


    The statement was oil on fire for Yun Yiyuan. In a single day, not only had he been forced to obey themands of a woman who was formerly his ything, but even Li Yiming, who he used to consider to be as weak as an insect, dared to disrespect his strength.


    Yun Yiyuan let out an enraged roar and extended both of his hands forward. Blinded by his hatred, his eyes lit up with a silvery glow as his spear suddenly shattered into pieces. He could tell Li Yiming had grown much stronger ever since theirst battle, and that he had to wager everything into a single attack if he wanted to even have a chance at winning.


    "Roaring ocean!" Yun Yiyuan¡¯s voice resonated within the Boundary. Even outside of it, a blustering wind raged on, leaving the crowd unable to keep their eyes open.


    "Really? He sacrificed his weapon at the start?" Big Beard sneered at the sudden suicidal move.


    "This again? Come on!" Bai Ze said, unimpressed by the spectacle while munching her chips.


    As Yun Yiyuan retracted his hands, a new spear came out of his forehead, colored by his own blood and carried the power he had umted over a lifetime. Yun Yiyuan¡¯s body slowly melted as his entire being became absorbed by his weapon.


    Li Yiming was taken aback by the move for a moment, before showing a firm expression. He slowly raised his right hand, and his wrist shed with a golden light, materializing a giant de.


    "I will match your spear with my own weapon."


    Li Yiming remained respectful in their battle to the death by answering his opponent¡¯s attack with his own strongest attack.


    As Yun Yiyuan¡¯s spear elerated toward Li Yiming, the fabric of space was torn apart. Yun Yiyuan called upon the materialization of Heaven¡¯s Laws, forming a giant finger around his weapon, just like Li Yiming was able to do with the giant eyeball in the sky.


    ¡¯Too bad...¡¯ Li Yiming sighed ¡ª if this was their first encounter, he would have no chance of survival.


    Li Yiming kept hisposure as Yun Yiyuan¡¯s attack neared. Only at thest moment did he swung his de toward the silver spear. The swing itself was nowhere near as shy as Yun Yiyuan¡¯s attack, but it immediately cracked the finger upon impact. The crack quickly turned into a tenebrous fissure, and the de returned to his wrist in a sh of golden light.


    The finger now shattered, and Yun Yiyuan fell from the clouds. He closed his eyes as he waited for his final moment toe, having his Heavenly Vein destroyed and his life markspletely zeroed.


    A loud thud was heard in the crowd as Yun Yiyuan crashed back down to the ground, causing a ssh of blood and a few screams.


    "That¡¯s it?"


    "It¡¯s over?"


    "Li Yiming won?"


    The crowd was let down, expecting much more from Yun Yiyuan¡¯s mighty attack.


    "Useless trash!" Someone spat on Yun Yiyuan¡¯s corpse.


    "Useless indeed," Ying Mei said with a smile, unsurprised.


    "Anyone else wants to try?" Li Yiming asked.


    "Impressive. To be honest, you¡¯re second only to your wife. Impressive that he couldn¡¯t evenst one move."


    "Are you going to fight me, or are you going to call him down?" Li Yiming pointed at the sky. He now realized that Ying Mei had obviously been colluding with Mr. Kong, as there was no way she could have changed the mind of an entire nation by herself. The only question that remained was why did Mr. Kong choose her? ¡¯Is it only because she has a grudge against me...?¡¯


    "I don¡¯t need to bother him just for that," Ying Mei performed several hand seals.


    Just as Li Yiming readied himself for Ying Mei¡¯s attack, she put her hand to the ground, and a low chant was heard.


    "Disasters and blessings have no entry gates of their own; they are summoned by people. The effects of good and evil are like shadows following their forms. And so, Heaven and Earth have spirits who record crimes, and in proportion to the severity of their crimes, they shorten human lives appropriately. Because of this, not only may a person¡¯s life be cut short, but he also bes poor or destitute, his cmities are many; People all hate him; punishments and disasters follow him. Good fortune avoids him while evil stars persecute him. And when his span of years isplete, he dies."


    The chanting progressed, and thickyers of clouds suddenly formed in the sky.


    "If no mortal can best you, then what about gods?" Ying Mei said as she retracted her hand and looked at the sky.


    "What is that!?" Just as panic was about to spread through the crowd, a ray of golden light pierced through the clouds.


    "It¡¯s a Bodhisattva!"


    A golden beam spread, and a god-like figure formed at its center.


    "Kneel to the Bodhisattva!"


    "Kneel to the Bodhisattva!"


    Yells of wonderment were heard as the masses knelt down, begging the deities that appeared for divine justice.


    "There¡¯s more!"


    One by one, multiple rays of golden light gleamed from the clouds, showering the entire city. Even those living outside of Shangbei could witness the scene in bafflement from their window.


    "It¡¯s begun." Li Huaibei raised his hand, creating a barrier in front of Li Yiming¡¯s parents.


    "Please stay here. I don¡¯t know how long he¡¯ll be able to hold them off." Li Huaibei smiled and turned around.


    "I¡¯ve spent half of my life ying as the queen of the Emperor. It¡¯s about time to go for a divine-themed show." Fang Shui¡¯er stretched out as her colorful armor covered her body and she drew back her bow, aiming at a golden apparition nearby.

 Volume 9 Chapter 26

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The crowd knelt down in front of the deities descending from the sky, chanting for Li Yiming¡¯s punishment and justice to be served.


    One of the giant deities raised its right hand slowly.


    "Hand of Mercy?" Bai Ze frowned.


    The giant golden palm slowly made its way towards Li Yiming. Having more than enough time, Li Yiming shed away to an area away from the bystanders, erecting his Boundary. To his horror, his Boundarypletely vanished the moment it came into contact with the body of the giant deity.


    "Thundersh!" Realizing that his enemy was targeting the crowd and not himself, Li Yiming immediately appeared right under the deity.


    "Ten-thousand Thunder!" Li Yiming called upon a lightning fist from the skies and smashed it up against the deity¡¯s hand.


    Boom!


    A blinding sh ensued, followed by a deafening sound.


    "What are you doing?!" Li Yiming roared in anger at Yin Mei.


    The ear-splitting collision was enough to make the crowd go deaf briefly, followed by a massive shockwave which sent many flying, killing many in the process. Even with the effort Li Yiming had put in to mitigate the blow, the damage caused was much too devastating ¡ª had he not intervened, the entire city would have been wiped out.


    "What do you think?" Ying Mei grinned and leaped forward,nding on the deity¡¯s hand.


    "What is she up to?" Qing Qiaoqiao eximed, furious by what she had just witnessed.


    "It¡¯s not her, but him...¡¯ Big Beard looked at the sky. The person behind this ordeal could not have been anyone other than Mr. Kong.


    "Obviously. He¡¯s about to build a new world," Qing Linglong said.


    "He¡¯s going to destroy the world?"


    "Well, put it simply. If you were a painter, would it be easier to paint on a clean canvas or try to repaint what already exists? Now that he has control, he can do whatever he wants."


    Crack!


    Another noise was heard as the two servants who appeared with the Bodhisattva flew toward Li Yiming with their weapons, followed by other deities.


    "Leave! Now!" Li Yiming yelled, his voice resonating throughout the entire city. He activated Thundersh to fly high into the sky, in an attempt to lure his opponents away.


    "You think you can run?" Ying Mei shed a fiendish smirk and put both of her hands on the back of her head.


    The crowd had now turned into a chaotic stampede, most of the people starting to regret their decision ofing up to protest. They all thought about how it would have been better if they simply encouraged other fools in their stead from thefort of their screens at home. They foolishly believed they were immune to thew, not understanding that it only extended as far as humanws were concerned.


    The army, which was posted right outside of the ruins of the city, waited eagerly to help the evacuation, but they were disappointed byplete silence from their superiors.


    "We can¡¯t save them..." Pan Junwei looked at the increasing number of casualties within the crowd, and then at the warrior in golden armor looking down at him.


    As the crowd dispersed, fleeing for their lives, the shadow beneath their feet suddenly began moving. Tenebrous ws emerged and each person by their waist, pulling them into the ground.


    Swallowed whole by their own shadow, the crowd could not help but let out desperate cries of help. In only over a minute, and the city waspletely empty, as if the protest never happened. The only ones remaining were the guardians, who witnessed the tragedy with widened eyes. The birth of a new world was a topic talked amongst many a year ago once Heaven¡¯s Laws vanished, but only now did they understand what it truly meant.


    "Do you understand now? I don¡¯t know where you should go and hide, but this isn¡¯t the ce for you to be" Bai Zi said as she handed Wu Jia over to Chen Jiawang. She was the only one she could save from the crowd.


    "I..."


    "You need to get out of here. There¡¯s nothing you can do." Bai Ze said as she gave Chen Jiawang a tap on the stomach, sending him flying to the military camp outside of the city.


    "Do you need help?" Bai Ze took out herst bag of chips and asked.


    "You..." Li Yiming stared at Ying Mei with bloodshot eyes,pletely ignoring Bai Ze¡¯s question.


    "What? You¡¯ve killed a lot more than me back in Shangbei, didn¡¯t you?" Ying Mei seemed like she had gained greatly from absorbing the protesters


    "That was in a domain!"


    "Is there a difference?" Ying Mei licked her lips. "Do you want to know why he chose me? Because I don¡¯t mind seeing the world burn to ashes, and I¡¯ll start with you..."


    With Ying Mei¡¯smand, the golden deities all flew toward Li Yiming at once.


    "Should we go now?" Big Beard looked at the people around him.


    "We can¡¯t," Qing Linglong said with frustration. She feared that if they were to rush into the battle too rashly, their bodies would be taken over by the Heart Trial Punishment, forcing them to fight against Li Yiming.


    "These deities aren¡¯t as strong as they look. A lot of them are just hollow husks." Eyesses pointed at hisputer, on which footage of the deities from other cities around the country was shown.


    "It¡¯s not going to be the first time we fight against the Heavens..." Qing Qiaoqiao sighed and tapped on Big Beard¡¯s shoulder. Thetter called down his mecha and the entire team hopped on it, leaving the scene promptly.


    "How¡¯s the situation?" Li Huaibeinded right next to Bai Ze with a sh of white light.


    "It¡¯s a stalemate." Bai Ze leaned downzily against Li Huaibei, as if they were father and daughter watching a movie.


    "These things are everywhere..." Li Huaibei drank a mouthful from his wine gourd before offering it to Bai Ze.


    "I¡¯m still a kid, you know..." Bai Ze pushed the gourd back. "It¡¯s not going to be that hard to deal with these things. He shouldn¡¯t be able to produce many sages. The world wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it. The only problem is how we¡¯re supposed to kill them for good."


    This was the reason why Li Huaibei and Bai Ze chose to stand by rather than help Li Yiming. These golden deities were nothing but creations sent down by Mr. Kong to waste their strength, which even Liu Meng had realized as she decided to save her powers for the final fight.


    The people from the other cities did not even know about the current situation in Shangbei, most were kneeling down and burning incense for the newly-appeared "gods".


    "We need to seal them away again." Li Huaibei said.


    "And how are you nning on doing that? The only one who managed to do it is long gone, and Mr. Kong... well, he might be able to, but he¡¯s our enemy right now..." Bai Ze remarked with frustration.

 Volume 9 Chapter 27

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Ah... If only we could find the rock that Wukong left behind..." Li Huaibei drank another mouthful. The pungent smell of his wine made Bai Ze frown.


    "Even if we find it, it¡¯s probably going to be useful. If the seal is broken, then I don¡¯t see how finding the rock will fix everything."


    "Why do you think Mr. Kong¡¯s after Li Yiming?" Li Huaibei stared at the ongoing battle.


    "He wants to take the staff back. He¡¯s pretty persistent... "


    It was clear to them that their biggest problem was not the apparition of the golden deities, but rather Mr. Kong, who orchestrated everything from beyond the clouds. As long as he remained undealt with, the looming threat of apocalypse would not be gone for good.


    "Do you think it¡¯s possible to seal him up just like he did a year ago?" Li Huaibei asked.


    "You mean... Wait... with Shao Xian..." Bai Ze mumbled.


    "Yes! Shao Xian! She won¡¯t be able to seal himpletely, but it should be enough to cause him trouble." Bai Ze¡¯s eyes lit up.


    "Alright, you go look for her. She should be with Sai Gao. I¡¯ll go take a look at other ces." Li Huaibei stood up and patted his clothes. The deities had not pursued their attacks elsewhere in the country, but Li Huaibei¡¯s mind was nevertheless preupied with fear.


    After Li Huaibei¡¯s departure, Bai Ze stretched herselfzily before making her way toward the military camp. Level-headed as they were, they remained calm amidst the chaos.


    As Li Huaibei and Bai Ze left the spectator¡¯s seats, Li Yiming began to grow increasingly irritated as he fought his way through the golden deity apparitions with thunder and steel. Just as Eyesses had assumed, most of the projections were simply broken husks. The one foe whose strength was worth worrying about was the Bodhisattva that carried Ying Mei, who possessing powers exceeding Yun Yiyuan¡¯s. However, whenever Li Yiming defeated a deity, their bodies would fade away, turning into a golden thread which was absorbed back into the clouds. Through the powers of the Heavens, they would be reincarnated, making it impossible to truly kill them.


    Li Yiming realized that he had to change his target to Ying Mei if he wanted to have any chance of putting an end to the fight. However, Ying Mei proved to be a much tougher opponent than Yun Yiyuan, especially when she fought along with the Bodhisattva.


    Although there was little Li Yiming could do to Ying Mei, the same was true the other way around. Despite Ying Mei throwing wave after wave of shadowy ws and sending her golden army after Li Yiming, thetter managed to escape her encirclement time and time again. Rage slowly took over her mind as she was unable to achieve her revenge that she longed for over a year now. Ying Mei suddenly plunged both of her hands into her chest, ripping her own flesh apart, and pulled out a shadow from her body.


    "Do you know how long I have waited for this day?" Ying Meiughed sinisterly. The shadows slowly condensed together, reforming her naked body.


    "You¡¯ve taken away my lover and my father! You¡¯ve made me another man¡¯s toy! Come! Show me what¡¯s hidden behind that hypocritical facade of yours!" Ying Mei imed.


    After emitting a soft moan, Ying Mei produced a hundred clones, all of which were flirtatious and deathly charming.


    "Temptation?" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes felt a strange attraction to the naked bodiesid before his eyes. The technique itself was not so umon, but its effects were extraordinary when used by someone as strong as Ying Mei.


    "Do you like it? Thene over!" Ying Mei suddenly split her legs in front of Li Yiming. Thetter took a deep breath and focusing on not losing his cool.


    "How indecent!" A cold snort was heard as a white me appeared in front of Li Yiming ¡ª it was Liu Meng, who could no longer stay put.


    Liu Meng emerged from the white me and flew toward Ying Mei. Thetter¡¯s body suddenly liquefied and spread itself over Liu Meng.


    "Do you really think that I wanted to kill him? I was waiting for you toe out! Li Yiming, watch as your loved one bes a subject of eternal torture!" The putrid liquid continued to flow toward Liu Meng, and with it the ck smoke that it produced confluenced around her.


    Liu Meng frowned, and her body was covered by a dome of fire.


    "Do you like to burn? Then keep burning!"


    "I give you my flesh and my soul! Burn! Burn for as long as the shadows exist! Burn her to ashes!"


    "Curse of the soul!?" Li Yiming was astonished at seeing Ying Meiunching such a suicidal attack.


    "Don¡¯te!" Liu Meng could feel another kind of fire being ignited on her body. Unlike her cleansing me, this was one which spread corruption and consumed the soul. She raised her hand and stopped Li Yiming froming close, worried that Ying Mei¡¯s fire would spread to him.


    "Ahahaha! Not bad! She¡¯s just like the girl you¡¯re hiding so carefully from me! Do you really think that you could have fooled me? I will make sure that every woman that you¡¯ve been involved with will be tortured for eternity!" Ying Mei¡¯ughed maniacally.


    "What?" Liu Meng turned toward Li Yiming, her own fire suddenly bursting up.


    "Who¡¯s that?" Li Yiming asked.


    During the ongoing battle, Bai Ze arrived at the military camp. Wu Jia was on a bed with Chen Jiawang by her side when she was suddenly attacked by her own shadow.


    "Careful!" Bai Ze was surprised that someone like Wu Jia, who was aplete bystander, would be specifically targeted by Ying Mei.


    Chen Jiawang instinctively reached out for the w.


    "Dodge!" Bai Ze yelled as she dashed toward Chen Jiawang, not wanting the innocent young man to perish, especially after having lived with him for so long and developed a deep friendship.


    "What?" After catching the shadowy w, fire quickly spread onto Chen Jiawang¡¯s arm.


    Chen Jiawang gasped as he activated his talent on a whim, despite never having used it inbat before. A golden sh of light brightened the room momentarily, and the shadow w turned still, bing a lump of solid gold.


    "What?" Bai Zended right next to Chen Jiawang. Not only was the w turned into gold, but even Wu Jia¡¯s shadow was turned into gold.


    "Seriously?" Bai Ze approached the golden w and tapped it lightly.


    "I think it¡¯s all gold..." Chen Jiawang pulled his hand back, still under the shock.


    "You managed to defeat her curse?" Bai Ze was astounded, but the small golden statue standing in front of her was proof of what Chen Jiawang had just achieved.


    Perhaps it was a lucky thing that Wu Jia remained unconscious throughout the whole ordeal, or unfortunate that she was targeted at all, but she managed to dodge yet another bullet.


    "What happened?" Chen Jiawang asked.


    "This has to be a joke..." Bai Ze was incredulous.

 Volume 9 Chapter 28

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Liu Meng¡¯s being Ying Mei¡¯s main target, her unsessful attempt at taking Wu Jia¡¯s life didn¡¯t affect her in the slightest.


    "This fire..." Liu Meng frowned, deciding to leave questioning Li Yiming toter.


    "Do you feel good? Li Yiming, how do you feel, watching your loved one suffer for your sake?" Ying Meiughed out loud, but the weakness in her voice suggested that the curse had a significant toll on her.


    "Do you know what it means to attack me with fire?" Liu Meng asked arrogantly in spite of her predicament.


    "I love to see fish drown..." Ying Meiughed again.


    "Since you seem to want to give it to me so badly, I¡¯ll dly take your gift." Liu Meng snorted and a clone emerged from her body. Even Li Yiming, when he stared into the eyes of the clone, felt a chill run down his spine.


    "What are you doing?" Li Yiming asked.


    "You¡¯ll see." The clone, which had been the one that had been subject to Heaven¡¯s Punishment back in the empty space, opened her mouth and absorbed all the me which bound Liu Meng.


    "You! Impossible!" Ying Mei shrieked.


    "Thank you," Liu Meng said coldly before extinguishing the mes on her body.


    "mes of the Sun!" The clone suddenly emitted a long shriek. A giant ball of fire shot out from her body, burning through the clouds and letting through a pir of sunlight. The clone was then immediately ignited and the entire sky was lit aze.


    "Put away your toys. Come down here or don¡¯t, I don¡¯t care which," Liu Meng said with a cial tone as her attack evaporated most of the golden apparitions. Despite her best efforts in reigning in her anger, Ying Mei had provoked her beyond what she could take. The golden apparitions returned to a ce beyond the clouds, and the fire came back into Liu Meng¡¯s body.


    "Are you okay?" Li Yiming rushed to check on Liu Meng.


    "Let¡¯s talk about the girl that you¡¯re hiding" Liu Meng was visibly annoyed.


    * * *


    "What happened?" Pan Junwei rushed into Wu Jia¡¯s tent.


    "It¡¯s nothing. Here, I think that the soldiers deserve it." Bai Ze pointed at the golden sculpture standing on the ground.


    "Is it over?" Pan Junwei nced went from Bai Ze to the golden w. He looked at the receding curtain of fire in the sky.


    "She doesn¡¯t get it, does she..." Bai Ze shook her head as she stared at the mes Liu Meng created.


    "How are we going to deal with this one?" Pan Junwei did not quite understand what Bai Ze meant, but he knew that dealing with the deity floating above their head was a priority.


    "I wonder... Do you think that these things are really made of gold?" Bai Ze suddenly smiled as she looked at the giant deity above their heads, who strangely did not attack them.


    "What are you up to?" Pan Junwei asked as he had learned to respect Bai Ze¡¯s intelligence.


    "Where¡¯s the president? I want to see him."


    "Now?"


    "Yes, bring me to the old geezer, I need to see him." Bai Ze nodded.


    "Come, I¡¯ll make the arrangements." Pan Junwei walked out of the tent.


    A few minutester, a jet took off from the military camp. It was not long before the two arrived at an office building which was packed withmand and logistics personnel, with the president in his own suite.


    "Is everything under control?" The president asked for confirmation from Pan Junwei himself, despite having received news before.


    "We could say that. Bai Ze wants to see you." Pan Junwei nodded and took a step to the side.


    "I need your help." Bai Ze climbed up the chair and then directly onto the president¡¯s desk.


    "I need some privacy." Despite Bai Ze¡¯s apparentck of respect, the president cooperated and ordered to his helpers in the room, understand that Bai Ze was not who she seemed to be.


    "Actually, I need your people to listen to me," Bai Ze said.


    "I want to ask you a few questions." Bai Ze approached the president, all the way until her face was nearly touching his nose.


    "First of all, you know what these things are, don¡¯t you?" Bai Ze pointed at the monitor, which showed many apparitions throughout the country and the crowd praying to them.


    "Do you know what they¡¯re up to?" Bai Ze asked, and the president nodded again, having seen for himself what the apparition did to the people in Shangbei.


    "Good, that¡¯ll spare me some trouble." Bai Ze looked at the masses on the screen with contempt.


    "Do you have a way to get rid of them quickly?" The president asked.


    "Not for getting rid of them, but we could find a way to weaken them."


    "Is a fight inevitable?" The president asked. With the deities still hiding their true intentions, he thought the best solution would be to negotiate his way out instead of a fight.


    "Do you want me to take back mypliment? If a fly came into your house and asked you to stop cleaning your garbage so you two could coexist in peace, would you agree?" Bai Ze scolded.


    "What do you need then?" The president sighed after a long silence, as he had heard the same argument from Pan Junwei.


    "The set-up for a concert," Bai Ze said as she turned around to face the rest of the room.


    "What?"


    "Yes. I want it broadcasted to the entire world," Bai Ze said with a confident smile.


    It was not long before all of the cell phone users in the country received a text message on their phone; they were to evacuate their cities with emergency supplies and to keep their broadcasting devices, such as radio, television, andputer opened.


    The public initially thought that the cell phone service providers were going mad, only to receive a message from the president urging everyone to do the exact same thing. At this point, everyone thought that even the president had gone crazy.


    However, video footage of the chaos that happened in Shangbei was soon released by the military. Widespread panic ensued upon witnessing the golden deity apparition smashing down at the crowd with its giant hand. Even the religious leaders of the world joined in and stated that the godlike figures were here to purge the world rather than save it.


    For the few religious people, it was a long-awaited apocalypse that was predicted in their religious texts. For the rest, it was simply the impending doomsday. There was no ce left safe on the for people to hide themselves from Heaven¡¯s onught.


    "If we attack first..." The president hesitated again, as he knew just how much was at stake.


    "You¡¯ve seen the power of these things. If you wait for them to attack, we¡¯ll have to redraw all of this." Bai Ze interrupted and pointed at a giant map hanging on the wall.


    The president let out a long sigh ¡ª the presence of the deities was akin to a nuclear bomb hanging above every city in the world.


    "Where is the final battle set to be?" The president asked.


    "Hangzhou."


    "Why?" The president and his strategists wondered what was so important about that city.


    "My tea shop is over there. I¡¯ll be worried if I can¡¯t keep an eye on it."

 Volume 9 Chapter 29

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Shao Xian arrived at the Hangzhou broadcasting station in the afternoonter that day. Her amazement at seeing the president, who showed visible worry, was even greater than seeing sages.


    ÆäËûµÄûϸ˵¡£


    "Broadcasting to the entire world?" Shao Xian repeated with excitement, as Bai Ze had not informed her of the specifics beforehand.


    "Yes. All of the TV channels, radio frequencies, and even all of the websites. How¡¯s that?" Bai Ze said with a smile.


    "Shit! You¡¯re kidding me!" Shao Xian¡¯s eyes widened.


    The president nodded upon noticing Shao Xian¡¯s stare.


    "See, I knew that you would bring good fortune if we got married! Wow! Even Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s concert was only broadcasted by threepanies..." Shao Xian jumped up in excitement.


    "What? You¡¯re married?" Bai Ze eximed.


    "Yup, this morning!" Shao Xian showed off her certificate.


    "Is same-sex marriage allowed?" Bai Ze turned toward the president.


    The president was suddenly starting to doubt his decision in trusting Bai Ze.


    "Are they... all like that?" The president whispered to Pan Junwei, not understanding how the trio in front of him could be so carefree despite the impending doom.


    "Well... yes. Before you gave me this, I was also like them." Pan Junwei¡¯s worried expression gradually rxed as he touched the shoulder pad indicating his military rank. After all, to be a guardian was tough in the face of overwhelming odds and to joke while defying the Heavens.


    "When are we starting?" Shao Xian looked around excitedly, looking for her stage.


    "At seven. We have one hour left," A staff member said.


    "Ah!? Already? How many songs am I singing?" Shao Xian took out her cell phone.


    "How many? One, of course." Bai Ze said.


    "One? Not that one again!" Shao Xian was disappointed.


    "It¡¯s no use if you sing any other song..." Bai Ze pursed her lips.


    "Alright, alright. One song is fine." Shao Xian¡¯s mood brightened after thinking about the scale of the broadcasting.


    "Let¡¯s go. We need to prepare for the performance." Bai Ze shook her head and led Shao Xian toward the make-up room.


    The room was prepared in a rush, but it was nevertheless a veryrge one. However, unlike a recording studio, there was no ss pane separating the room from a control room. Instead, there was aputer desk in the middle of the room with a chair in front of it and a standing microphone.


    "What are you staring at? Let¡¯s go!" Bai Ze urged.


    "Are we doing the performance here?" Shao Xian was disappointed once again.


    "The equipment¡¯s going to be brought in soon. Come on, quickly!"


    "Do we need to even to do make-up?" Shao Xian removed her coat.


    Bai Ze cut the vein on her wrist open with her finger. The blood that flowed out gathered into a small, crimson sphere in her hand. "Remove your clothes, we need to prepare," Bai Ze said with a severe countenance.


    * * *


    "What do you think she¡¯s doing?" Liu Meng asked as she strolled with Li Yiming through the university campus.


    "Let her do what she wants. I doubt it¡¯s going to change anything in the end," Li Yiming grumbled. When they arrived at the entrance to the small convenience store, he kicked open the metal door and walked inside.


    "Don¡¯t you know how to teleport?" Liu Meng said as Li Yiming grabbed two ice creams.


    "It¡¯s a statement against this ce. It was super expensive and the owner had a bad attitude." Li Yiming sat down with Liu Meng after finding a park bench nearby.


    "Wait, I think we can get that durian cake. I just don¡¯t know if it went bad or not." Li Yiming dove back into the shop as soon as he gave the ice cream over to Liu Meng. She sat on the bench with a smile and took a bit of her ice cream.


    "The oven¡¯s broken. I don¡¯t know how good it¡¯ll taste if it¡¯s defrosted with the microwave," Li Yiming came out of the store a little disappointed.


    "Give it to me." Liu Meng said with a smile as she took over the box. A small me appeared on the container, and the delicious smell of the durian dessert soon emanated from the box.


    "Wow! I didn¡¯t know you could do that!" Li Yiming¡¯s eyes lit up.


    "Much better than that little girl of yours, don¡¯t you think?" Liu Meng rolled her eyes.


    "Didn¡¯t I exin to you already?" Li Yiming scratched his head.


    "Hmmpf!"


    "Alright, alright. Close your eyes, I have a surprise for you."


    Liu Meng took a bite off her dessert and closed her eyes. With a snap of his fingers, Li Yiming lit up the entire university campus. From the street lights to the lights inside the building, all began to sh rhythmically, as it if the entire campus has been turned into a dance floor.


    "What a waste!" Liu Meng seemed displeased, but was actually impressed by the spectacle.


    "What waste? I¡¯m using my own electricity!" Li Yimingined and wrapped his arms around Liu Meng from behind.


    As the two slowly embraced each other, they enjoyed thest few moments they would spend in peace and quietness, before heading for an uncertain future.


    * * *


    "Oh! We¡¯re starting? Let¡¯s go then! Hello everyone! I¡¯m Shao Xian and I¡¯m going to sing a song for you!" Shao Xian spoke into the microphone and music began to be yed.


    "What?"


    "Is she... singing?"


    "Is this some kind of distraction to ease our tension?


    "If they have time to do this, why don¡¯t they just give us more supplies instead?"


    "Isn¡¯t this Divine Voice Materialized? I thought she retired?"


    "Only people like her would be desperate enough to try a performance at this point..."


    "Why does it have to be live?"


    "Who knows..."


    Shao Xian¡¯s performance started, and she became the topic of conversation for citizens seeking refuge all over the world.


    "Please, maintain a single file and walk ahead!" A soldier carrying arge speaker on his shoulder urged.


    Shao Xian¡¯s voice spread throughout every corner of the world, reaching nes in the sky and boats across the ocean. Her ethereal voice resonated, only it somehow sounded different from her previous performance.


    Despite their hurry, the crowds of people stopped to listen to Shao Xian. The song slowly made everyone forget about their worries ¡ª the anxiety and fear showed on their faces slowly subdued, and even the little children stopped crying.


    "It¡¯s working! But this isn¡¯t just to appease the people, is it?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked.


    "There should be more to it. Bai Ze¡¯s going on the offensive."


    "That must be it. Otherwise, Pan Junwei wouldn¡¯t have ordered the guardians to group up in the cities. He even called all of the mutant soldiers to Hangzhou," Eyesses said as he worked on hisputer.


    "Let¡¯s get ready then." Big Beard lit up a cigar and hopped off the car. The people around him turned around, surprised, while a soldier quickly made his way toward him.


    Before the soldier could even question him, Big Beard took out his ID card. The soldier gave him a salute and resumed his post.


    "Is she going to keep singing like that?" Sai Gao asked. Shao Xian¡¯s naked body was covered in red characters traced with Bai Ze¡¯s blood. As she continued singing, the markings slithered slowly on her body, creating a sinister sight.


    "She¡¯ll keep singing until she¡¯s no longer able to." Bai Ze leaned against Sai Gao, her face still pale from losing blood, but she looked at Shao Xian in eager anticipation of what was about to happen.


    "What are we supposed to do, sit here and watch?"


    "Yeah. If you have nothing to do, you might as well get me something to eat." Bai Ze said, her arms limp.


    "Do you want it dead or alive?"


    "Chips! I want chips! Do you think that I¡¯m like you? Alive?"


    "Chips? Is that going to help you get your blood back?" Sai Gao did not quite understand Bai Ze¡¯s need.


    "What are those characters you drew on Shao Xian? Did you change the effects of the song?" Sai Gao finally asked before leaving the room.


    "Let¡¯s say that it¡¯s going to bring the Heavens down to us..." Bai Ze let out a grin.

 Volume 9 Chapter 30

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Shao Xian¡¯s soothing voice helped people settle down and relieved them of their fear. As a result, the evacuation became smooth sailing and was done in an orderly fashion, which stood in stark contrast with the deities who seemed unconcerned with the safety of the people. After singing the song over and over again several times, Shao Xian reached for her bottle of water, only to realize that the broadcasting room was now empty.


    At the rooftop of the building, Bai Zen, Sai Gao, Pan Junwei, and the president all stood, waiting for the results of Shao Xian¡¯s performance.


    "It¡¯s the seventh time. Have you noticed any changes?" Pan Junwei asked,


    "And there¡¯s a little sis Lin that falls from the sky..." Bai Ze sang a verse from a famous opera show.


    Right as Bai Ze finished singing, a shockwave suddenly spread across the sky ¡ª the giant golden deity had changed its target, heading in the direction of the broadcasting station. The next moment, it began to struggle desperately as it fell toward the ground, as if it was pushed down by an invisible ceiling.


    Boom!


    A deafening crash was heard as two skyscrapers in the distance copsed.


    "Face-firstnding. Great!" Bai Ze pumped her fist in excitement.


    Following the golden deity near the television station, one golden silhouette after another fell down toward the ground.


    "Should we go?" The president asked eagerly.


    "Leave this one to me. I¡¯ll warm myself up with this one." Sai Gao leaped off the rooftop. Loud cracks were soon heard, and Sai Gao re-emerged, holding a giant head on his hand.


    "I¡¯ll give this one to Shao Xian. She liked gold." Sai Gao hopped back onto the rooftop effortlessly.


    "It¡¯s fake." Bai Ze pursed her lips as the giant head turned into threads of gold that flew back toward the sky.


    * * *


    "What... is that?" Eyesses widened.


    "Bai Ze¡¯s probably not happy seeing them flying so high above us," Big Beard said as he readied the cannon on his mecha.


    "Well, not all of us can fly, so she¡¯s doing us a big favor here," Qing Linglong said as she unsheathed her de.


    "Li Huaibei¡¯s still busy clearing the outskirts. We should hurry!" Eyesses urged as he calcted their course of action.


    The guardians, who had been waiting for the opportunity, ambushed the giant deities as they fell from the skies. Many of them were veterans who knew who the mastermind controlling Heaven¡¯s Laws was and were ready to fight against any enemy to earn a chance at survival. Just like Li Yiming said, to follow their own path was the right thing to do, and survival was the one only path that guardians had ever known.


    One by one, golden deities rained down from the clouds, only to be greeted by a barrage of attacks. Although they were strong in their own rights, they all crumbled to the ceaseless onught of the guardians. As fierce as the exchange was, it all ended quickly, and the world was restored to its usual peace.


    "That¡¯s it?" The president asked in wonderment. He was especially impressed by Li Huaibei, who flew around with his sword and finished off all of his opponents with one clean strike.


    "Would you believe it if I told you so? I think it¡¯s time to let your people in, Mr. Pan. We¡¯ll get ready for the second half," Bai Ze said.


    Pan Junwei grabbed the radio transmitter and went down with the president. A makeshiftmand post had been set up in the lobby of the building. As themands were sent out, tanks, artilleries, and even missileunchers assembled in the city. Even in the university campus, where Li Yiming and Liu Meng were having their date, a squadron of soldiers appeared and began to set up.


    "It¡¯s starting..." Li Yiming let go of Liu Meng¡¯s hand as he gazed at the thickyers of clouds.


    "Wait a bit." Liu Meng said as she refused to let go.


    Li Yiming lowered himself and gently picked Liu Meng up from the ground.


    "Let¡¯s go gaze at the stars. Maybe we¡¯ll even get to see the next sunrise..." Li Yiming smiled and jumped up,unching himself into the sky. He immediately fell back to the ground after bumping into some sort of invisible barrier.


    "You¡¯ve underestimating little Bai Ze..." Liu Mengughed as she looked at the two small craters Li Yiming¡¯s knees produced.


    "Alright, let¡¯s walk then." Li Yiming scratched his head as he looked at the broadcasting station before walking into the darkness in the distance.


    * * *


    "Can you keep going?" Bai Ze asked.


    Shao Xian nodded as she sang.


    "Great! The spotlight is on you today! Go!" Bai Ze gave Shao Xian some encouragement before putting her hand on Shao Xian¡¯s back and transferring her energy over.


    "Keep going, I¡¯ll add some more spice." Bai Ze retracted her hand, and the marks on her back slithered their way to a spot on Shao Xian¡¯s back. Bai Ze cut herself once more, seeping out more blood for her to use as paint.


    The clouds began billowing violently. At this point, even themon people could tell that nature itself boiled with human-like anger.


    "Does a firefly dare measure up to the moon for light?" A sigh was heard in the heart of each person, causing everyone to shudder.


    The sky was lit up once again. The deities descended once again, only now they were all concentrated in the area around Hangzhou.


    "Prepare yourselves!" Pan Junwei¡¯s shout was heard throughout the city.


    As the golden deities came down from the cloud, however, they all suddenly froze still and fell down toward the ground.


    "Haven¡¯t you learned your lesson?" Bai Ze sneered as she looked at heavenly rain.


    "Fire!" Pan Junwei shouted, and the sky was set alight from the cannons and missiles. It was just like New Year¡¯s firework, as many of the deities vanished in a golden sh of light before even having a chance tond.


    "Do you really think humanity has spent thest thousand years farming thend and doing nothing else?" Bai Ze looked up with disdain.


    The few deities that had managed to escape the barrage of fire were dealt with the squadron of vampiric soldiers. Although they much weakerpared to guardians, their coordination and strategy were more than enough to quickly dispose of their enemies.


    "Really? But that one was a sage! How...?" Sai Gao could not believe what he was seeing.


    "Why do you think I¡¯ve been bleeding myself out for?" Bai Ze asked.


    "What?" Sai Gao closed his eyes and extended his senses.


    "You¡¯ve disrupted the will of the Heavens?" Sai Gao opened his eyes wide.


    "These fake gods are hiding up there. If they decide toe down, I¡¯ll drain half of their power to the least."


    For the first time, Sai Gao appreciated the power of Bai Ze¡¯s wisdom.

 Volume 9 Chapter 31

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Two victories against the deities gave arge confidence boost to the army. Even the president, who usually had a stern expression in such situations, was able to produce a smile.


    "It¡¯s time for the real fight now." Bai Ze said as a soldier dedicated to her service handed her a big bag of snacks.


    Everything went silent for a while before a light tremor was felt.


    "Look, over there!" Someone yelled.


    As all heads turned toward the South, an explosion of golden light was seen in that direction. After gradually dimming, a giant structure stood tall within it.


    "The Southern Gate to the Heavens? So he did learn his lesson." Bai Ze jumped onto the fence and gazed at the structure, which looked just like a city gate of an ancient city.


    Dong!


    With the knell of a giant bell, the gate slowly opened.


    "Quick! Focus fire in that direction!" Pan Junwei gave the orders swiftly.


    "It seems he really is mad," Sai Gao said as he looked at the billowing clouds.


    "Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" Bai Ze looked up, noticing the purple thunder shing beyond.


    The same ominous sensation was felt by all guardians, who looked up in anxiousness.


    "I¡¯ll take this one." Sai Gao took a deep breath and said after evaluating the ability of the other sages capable of handling the threat.


    "Why are you so eager to sacrifice yourself? It¡¯s not your turn yet." Bai Ze pulled him back. The rooftop of Yunding Tower, in the distance, suddenly lit up with an iridescent light; it was Fang Shui¡¯er, who loaded four arrows and shot them toward the four cardinals of the city.


    Although the four locations she targeted ranged from an open space in a parking lot to an office building undergoing renovation, they all had one thing inmon: they were property of Pure Water Herb Hall. Her targets were obliterated, releasing four beams of light that shot toward the sky.


    "What? The Four Spirits Formation?" Sai Gao was not expecting to see the same formation that was used back in Lianyun City.


    "It¡¯s a downgrade, actually. I wouldn¡¯t be able to pull off the real thing. I¡¯ve drawn a few glyphs to simte the effects of a divine beast." Bai Ze rectified Sai Gao as she gulped down a salted plum.


    "Is this going to be enough?"


    "I¡¯m not sure, but maybe with Shao Xian¡¯s help I¡¯ll be able to hold off that lightning strike."


    "When did you..." Sai Gao eximed ¡ª a project of this scale could not have beenpleted in one day.


    "When I confirmed that he was indeed the staff." Bai Ze opened her soda and drank a mouthful.


    Dong!


    A second sound came from the bell as the gate opened a little more. The missiles and artillery bombardment had already started, and the clouds now gained a purple hue, which was an ominous indication of what was about toe.


    "Heaven¡¯s Punishment?" Li Yiming squinted and extended his hands, thunder sparking at his fingertips.


    "It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not going toe down. Just a while longer, okay?" Liu Meng nced at the four pirs of light from the formation and wrapped her arms around Li Yiming once more. If she let go, she doubted whether she was ever going to be able to embrace Li Yiming again.


    The bombardment was soon thwarted by the erection of a barrier in front of the gates.


    "Why Hangzhou of all ces?" Qing Qiaoqiao asked as she looked from afar.


    "Shao Xian is here, and Li Yiming too," Qing Linglong said.


    "Shao Xian too? What does she have to do with all of this?"


    "Have you seen the deities falling from the Heavens earlier?" Big Beard asked with augh.


    Dong!


    Another knell from the bell. The gates have nowpletely opened, and golden deities poured out. No longer possessing a benevolent face, the deities now all looked menacing and were ready to exterminate everything in their sight.


    "Retreat to the original formation! First division of the special forces, charge in!" Pan Junwei yelled into his transmitter.


    As soon as he gave the order, wave after wave of soldiers dressed entirely in ck dashed toward the gate, their eyes glowing red in the dark. Charging in with them were the guardians, who quickly overtook them.


    Crack!


    A bolt of thunder, surrounded by a ring of frost, descended upon the city. Above the clouds, the shadow of a dragon loomed.


    "I hope this works..." Sai Gao, due to his predisposition, had a natural fear of lightning.


    As the bolt neared the city, it suddenly vanished without a trace, like a bucket of water thrown back into the ocean.


    "Where did it go?" Sai Gao eximed with widened eyes.


    "Who knows. The formation isn¡¯t to directly block off the lightning anyways. As long as it¡¯s still standing, he won¡¯t be able to lock onto us."


    "Crescent Formation, cover fire!" Pan Junwei let out a sigh of relief, as the threat of Heaven¡¯s Punishment has finally been deterred.


    The super soldiers, upon receiving the orders, paused in their charge and assumed formation behind the guardians. The guardians, with Li Huaibei at their head, began to assume the main part of thebat while the soldiers provided support fire with theirser rifles.


    "Surprising... They¡¯re really effective..." Sai Gao said as he observed thebat.


    Although the soldiers were attacking using conventional weapons, they were nothing short of effective. A deity would often find itself be interfered with by several shots to the wrist whenever it tried to attack a guardian, and even theser shots aimed at their eyes proved to be a major nuisance.


    Owing to the cover fire of the super-soldiers, the guardians managed to eliminate a significant portion of the deities without sustaining a single casualty. The deities themselves tried to breach the line of guardians as a countermeasure, but even the few that attempted to do so were quickly eliminated by focus fire.


    "How many more of these soldiers do you have?" Sai Gao was impressed but could not help but feel nervous upon imagining himself having to fight against those super soldiers.


    "Two more regiments." Pan Junwei answered truthfully, knowing that he could not hide anything from Sai Gao¡¯s perception.


    "As long as they can survive today, you¡¯ll be able to conquer the world..."


    "It¡¯s a shame that they can¡¯t fight under the sunlight." Bai Ze looked at the sky, which was beginning to light up.


    "What!? Impossible!" The president checked his watch. It was only ten o¡¯clock at night, and yet the sun was beginning to rise.


    "He hasmand over the entire world. It¡¯s only a small thing to change the time of the day..." Bai Ze exined.


    "Tell your men to withdraw. I¡¯ll go. I don¡¯t think Li Huaibei can do it alone," Sai Gao twisted his neck and licked the corner of his mouth.


    "I have a solution to this," Bai Ze suddenly said.


    "What!?"


    "Really?"


    Pan Junwei and the president¡¯s eyes widened.


    "The side-effects of the virus can be neutralized using blood from a beast from the legends..."


    "Where are you going to find a beast like that?" Sai Gao rolled his eyes, as Bai Ze¡¯s solution was tantamount to having no solution.


    "Wait... Why are you looking at me?" Sai Gao questioned nervously.


    "Well, you happen to be one, aren¡¯t you?"


    "Do you see how many people there are?"


    "You don¡¯t need to fill their stomachs. As long as you give each of them a drop, it¡¯s enough. You¡¯ll be fine given how big you are."


    "Really? Why don¡¯t you do it!?" Sai Gao cried out.


    "You¡¯ve seen my size! Even if you suck me dry it wouldn¡¯t be enough. I¡¯ve had my turn contributing my blood, now it¡¯s yours."

 Volume 9 Chapter 32

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The zing sun was now covering the entire night sky. With the help of Sai Gao offering his blood, the vampiric soldiers were able to fight at their full capacity. Pan Junwei called onto the two other regiments to create a shift. However, the engagement seemed endless, giving the guardians no time to rest. Two guardians soon met their demise as they were smashed by a golden hammer.


    "Sir, I¡¯m sorry." Pan Junwei said after a long stare at the gate. He turned around, saluted the president, and took off his shoulder pads.


    "What are you up to?" The president frowned.


    "I¡¯m sorry because I don¡¯t want this anymore." Pan Junwei said as she handed his shoulder pad to the president.


    "And I¡¯m sorry because I stole something from you."


    "What?" The president did not understand what Pan Junwei was getting at.


    "I went to A309 before I came here."


    "A309... You went to the storage facility!"


    "I¡¯ve brought them all here." Pan Junwei grinned.


    "You¡¯re crazy! There were two thousand nukes in there!" The president¡¯s countenance went red with anger.


    "I know. I was just thinking that maybe what I had is not enough..."


    "What are you up to?" The president was flustered.


    "We won¡¯t be able to hold for much longer. Even the soldiers are running out of ammo."


    "I¡¯ve seen Li Huaibei try to damage the structure, but he was only able to leave two marks on it. I don¡¯t think that Li Yiming can do much more than that. Who knows how many more of those things are in there..."


    "You¡¯re nning on going to the other side?" Bai Ze asked.


    "Yes, but I need your help. All the bombs I¡¯ve managed to get my hands on should be enough to wipe them all out from the inside, but the st might end up spreading to the outside as well..."


    "If it¡¯s just defending against the shockwave, it¡¯s not a problem, but that¡¯s a one-way trip..." Bai Ze said.


    "That¡¯s one way to deal with this," Sai Gao said with his pale face. With how simr the gate resembled the Gate of Ghosts, it was possible to seal it with Shao Xian, but she was now far too weak as she had been singing a draining spell for hours already ¡ª it was only a matter of time before she would pass out from exhaustion.


    "What if there¡¯s another one?" The president was still unwilling to go with the n.


    "The Southern Gate is known in legends as being the only major gate that connects the Heavens to our world. This should be irreceable," Bai Ze said with a frown.


    "It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve had enough of watching..." Pan Junwei interrupted.


    Li Yiming and Liu Meng are in the city, perhaps..." An officer interjected, having witnessed the couple¡¯s power before.


    "They have their own fight..." Pan Junwei said and looked up at the sky. Just like Bai Ze and Sai Gao, he understood that the biggest burden of the battle rested on Li Yiming and Liu Meng, and they would need every bit of their strength to ovee it.


    "Even without this shoulder pad, I¡¯m still a soldier. I have my responsibilities, and frankly, I prefer being a soldier much more than being a guardian." Pan Junwei cracked a smile at the president.


    "Li Huaibei!" Pan Junwei suddenly jumped down from the rooftop and cried out.


    Li Huaibei turned around, only to see Pan Junwei trailed by Bai Ze and Sai Go, both in their true forms.


    "Send me in!" Pan Junwei yelled as he activated his jetpack at full throttle.


    "Heaven¡¯s Strike!" Although Li Huaibei did not know what Pan Junwei was up to, he chose to put his full trust in him, shooting his sword toward the giant wooden gate and creating a temporary vacuum.


    Using the opportunity, Pan Junwei zoomed right into the gate as his jetpack burst.


    "Everybody retreat!" Bai Ze suddenly roared. Her orders, having been heard over the wirelessmunication many times before, was unquestionably obeyed by soldiers and guardians alike. At the same time, Sai Gao spat out an emerald breath that held most of the golden deities in ce.


    "Set up your boundaries!" Bai Ze created a white barrier in front of the gate. Li Huaibei quickly did the same as he nted his sword into the ground. Sai Gao knelt down to the ground and slithered around the gate, creating a thick wall of earth around which there was a yellow glow.


    Boom!


    A low thud was heard. A shockwave came from the gate, destroying the wall Sai Gao had just erected and colliding against Li Huaibei¡¯s barrier.


    Bai Ze let out another roar as the barrier she created broke as well, and her entire body glowed with a white light as she fought to contain the shockwave, while Li Huaibei picked up his sword and shed back at the gate.


    As the shockwave gradually settled down, a giant crater was seen where the gate once stood.


    "What was that?" Li Huaibei asked as he steadied his breathing.


    "About two thousand nukes..." Bai Ze shook her hair and brushed aside her loose hair.


    "Allbat personnel, stay put and focus on recovering." An order from the president himself was heard.


    "You can rest now. Your part is over." All heads were turned toward the sky, staring at Liu Meng and Li Yiming, who appeared hand in hand.


    "Shao Xian can¡¯t take it anymore..." Bai Ze turned back into her human form.


    As the sky cleared out, a small ck orb came down from the Heavens. It fell slowly, like a feathery snowke.


    "He¡¯s here..." Fang Shui¡¯er sped her bow. As for Li Huaibei, he put down his sword and focused on recovering.


    "We can fly now..." Sai Gao levitated into the air.


    "I¡¯ve miscalcted..." A sigh was heard.


    "Where are you going? He¡¯s below us!" Bai Ze rolled her eyes and set her gaze on the shadow which appeared on the main street of the city.


    Sai Gao had barely flown into the air when he heard Bai Ze¡¯s call. He looked down and saw Mr. Kong standing below, in his yellow dragon armor, sapphire boots, violet circlet, and jade belt. This was no longer the Mr. Kong that they once knew ¡ª he had the full appearance of a monkey.


    "Insects... and yet you possess such power.." Mr. Kong said as he raised his hand and sucked in aser rifle from a soldier around him.


    Bang!


    A massive hole was produced on the wall, and Mr. Kong threw theser rifle away.


    "If we had those back in the days... I wouldn¡¯t have needed to wait for so long..." Mr. Kong set his eyes on the missileunchers in the distance.


    Mr. Kong sighed again, and the heavy weaponry located through the city turned into shreds, like pieces of paper.


    "This is what you¡¯re here for?" Li Yiming cast down his gaze at Mr. Kong. Li Yiming wanted to lure Mr. Kong outside of the city, as far away from the people as possible. Even he could not contain a fight against Mr. Kong inside his Boundary.


    Mr. Kong turned his head toward the television station instead and cracked a smile. "Shao Xian... You were a singer at a brothel ten lives ago... I¡¯ve put that seal into your body and nurtured it for nine lifetimes, and you¡¯re using it against me now..."


    The words finally made Bai Ze understand why Shao Xian was the one chosen to sing the song at the fateful music festival.


    "Oh well, you¡¯ve helped me take over the Heavens... I¡¯ll forgive you for that..."


    "As for you..." Mr. Kong turned toward Li Yiming. "I¡¯ve helped you be a god among men, and you dare go against my will. You¡¯re nothing but a weapon!"


    "Even if you wear his armor and his crown, you¡¯ll never be Wukong, and you know it, Mr. Kong..." Li Yiming replied.


    "You dare!" Mr. Kong suddenly leaped into the air and extended his furry hand toward Li Yiming.

 Volume 9 Chapter 33

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    Lin Lu waited at the head of the evacuation file with angst, clenching her fists as she looked at the shing lights in the sky. After the destruction of all heavy weaponry fifteen minutes ago, the president ordered a general retreat at Li Yiming¡¯s urging.


    "There¡¯s nothing you can do anymore. Leave," Li Yiming said bluntly.


    To the surprise of the president, the spec ops division,prised of vampiric super-soldiers, disobeyed the order. Most of them dove silently into the dark alleyways of the city, never to be seen again.


    "They¡¯re soldiers too..." The president looked at the city behind him and sighed.


    Looking at her demoralized troops, Lin Lu hated herself for her inability to contribute to the battle that would decide the fate of all.


    "What?" Lin Lu suddenly noticed a van driving in the opposite direction of the retreat line.


    "Stop!" Lin Lu rushed to the middle of the road. Most of the people that returned were the ones who had forgotten something important. Lin Lu figured that if she was unable to contribute to the fight, then the least she could do was to ensure the smooth sailing of the evacuation.


    To her surprise, the van showed no intention of stopping ¡ª it swerved left and right and honked as it attempted to skirt past Lin Lu. Lin Lu pulled out her gun and shot at the empty passenger seat, shattering the window and forcing the driver to an abrupt stop.


    With a loud screeching of the tires, the vehicle finally came to a halt about two meters away from Lin Lu.


    "Get off!" Lin Lu shouted


    The driver jumped down with his hands in the air. It was a very short man with a rather dirty face.


    "Chen Quan?" Lin Lu recognized the man.


    "Captain Lin?"


    "I need to go to the city. What I have in my car is of utmost importance." Upon realizing that it was Lin Lu, Chen Quan turned around and walked toward his car.


    "What do you have?" Lin Lu dashed forward and opened the door to the trunk.


    "A rock?" Lin Lu was stunned by the object. She precisely remembered it to be the same rock that an officer under hermand had been bribed to look for.


    "I¡¯m not sure what this thing is, but this might just be what Li Yiming needs," Chen Quan exined.


    Ever since he returned from Mount Mu, Chen Quan had focused on doing what he thought could be helpful to Li Yiming, understanding that his ce was not on the battlefield. He had been making every effort to find the stone tablets, but got his hands on the rock instead. He recognized the object as he had seen it once before at the jadeware shop and the other time on one of the stone tablets.


    "Let me drive." Lin Lu hopped onto the car.


    Lin Lu¡¯s initiative was unexpected to Chen Quan, but he wasted no time getting into the back seat.


    "Captain!" One of the soldiers under Lin Lu¡¯smand called out.


    "You! Rece me until I return. Carry out the n!" Lin Lu yelled to a soldier nearby, fired several more bullets into the front panel to clear it outpletely, and headed towards the city at full speed.


    * * *


    Back in Hangzhou, there was a brief pause in the vicious battle. Bai Ze was down on the ground, one wing clearly broken. Sai Gao had a gaping hole in his body through which blood was seeping out slowly, and Li Huaibei had just freed himself from a pile of rubble before removing his damaged coat, and brandishing his sword.


    "Interesting..." Mr. Kong looked at his left shoulder, where his fur was slightly burnt.


    Li Yiming suddenly reappeared right next to Liu Meng with a sh of purple light after being sent flying for more than a kilometer from a single kick.


    "They all say that once you be a sage, you stand at the top of the world. Look at all of you, you surprise me, but it¡¯s far from enough if you want to win..." Mr. Kong stretched himselfzily and smirked.


    Li Yiming did not find the strength to answer back. All of his friends had sustained grave injuries, and Liu Meng had only able to create a small crack in Mr. Kong¡¯s armor.


    "Go against the Heavens... Ahahaha, look at yourself!" Mr. Kong burst outughing.


    Li Huaibei looked around and saw the terror on the faces of the other guardians. They were all exhausted frombat, and they could not help but sense fear and despair that pierced deep within their soul whenever theyid their eyes on Mr. Kong.


    "Look at you. Insignificant as insects, and yet you dare defy the will of the Heavens?"


    "Weren¡¯t you the same before?" Bai Ze yelled angrily.


    "Don¡¯t you dare talk about it!" Mr. Kong suddenly burst out in anger and leaped at Bai Ze.


    Unable to run away, she leaped slightly to the side with her limp body while her allies tried to block the attack to the best of their abilities. Sai Gao rammed into Mr. Kong with his own body, while Li Yiming teleported himself in front of Bai Ze and raised his sword. Liu Meng¡¯s fiery wings began pping with dark fire, sending out numerous ming birds toward Mr. Kong to dy his attack.


    Mr. Kong appeared in front of Bai Ze almost in the blink of an eye. He smiled with contempt as he looked at Li Yiming¡¯s sword, sping thetter¡¯s wrist with one hand and punching at his chest with the other.


    Li Yiming¡¯s sword was sent flying, and he too a split-secondter. Mr. Kong grabbed Li Yiming¡¯s weapon and nced at his right hand, on which sparks of thunder was running.


    "Using thunder as a defense, interesting idea, but useless." Mr. Kong shook away the numbness in his hand and raised Li Yiming¡¯s sword.


    "Ah..." Mr. Kong said as he reminisced. However, the sword suddenly flew up on its own and delivered a vicious sh at Mr. Kong¡¯s throat. Sai Gao arrived at the same time, ready to spit out a green orb at Mr. Kong before smashing him down with his ws.


    "I¡¯ll take you down first..." Mr. Kong reached out for Sai Gao¡¯s mouth.


    Boom!


    Sai Gao¡¯s attack never left his mouth. As the orb blew up, blood seeped out from every part of his head. Mr. Kong pressed the attack and reached out for Sai Gaao¡¯s throat, only to back away the next moment with a frown, kicking Sai Gao violently in the stomach in the process.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s arrow barely missed Mr. Kong. The nine rays of iridescent light left behind a line of craters.


    "Starfall arrows..." Mr. Kong looked at a skyscraper nearby and leaped toward Sai Gao once again.


    This time, it was Liu Meng who intercepted Mr. Kong. However, he immediately turned into a shadow and the ming birds passed right through him. He then elerated and caught up to Sai Gao, grabbing him by the end of his tail.


    Li Yiming teleported right below Mr. Kong and stabbed repeatedly at Mr. Kong, augmenting his attacks with lightning. Mr. Kong turned around and dodged every single stab, clenched his left fist, and aimed at Li Yiming¡¯s heart.


    Having no time to pull back his weapon, he decided to exchange blows. Upon impact, he was sent flying away once more, but not before managing to leave a mark on Mr. Kong¡¯s chest te.


    "Trading blow for blow? Let¡¯s see how much of it you can handle!" Mr. Kong was enjoying the thrill ofbat. He began spinning furiously with Sai Gao and used his body like a whip to attack Liu Meng, who barely managed to dodge the attack. Increasing the speed of his rotation, Mr. Kong changed his target and hurled Sai Gao toward Li Huaibei like a brick.


    Li Huaibei pulled back his sword in order to catch Sai Gao, but a shadow emerged next to thetter, staring right at Li Huaibei with bloodshot eyes.


    The next instant, Li Huaibei crashed back into the ruins like a cannonball.


    Mr. Kong reappeared next to Sai Gao the next moment, cutting down his giant body into two halves. An explosion of blood ensued.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s next volley finally arrived, but it was already far toote ¡ª her arrows passed through a shadow Mr. Kong left behind.


    Mr. Kong reappeared above the group. Li Yiming teleported back to the fight, only to realize that he did not make it in time. The other guardians stood and watched dumbly as Sai Gao¡¯s split body fell down.


    "Sai Gao..." Bai Ze¡¯s eyes reddened.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    An interrupted barrage of fire was suddenly heard.


    A barrier lit up in front of Mr. Kong, blocking off all of the bullets.


    "We used to have a million beasts, led by seven sages... and yet..." Mr. Kongughed.


    "What do you have? Mutated insects, impure chimeras, led by a staff? Ahahaha! Let me show you what true power is." Mr. Kong raised his right fist and slowly clenched it.


    Anotheryer of clouds condensed in the sky, growing from nothing to covering it entirely within seconds. As the golden light showered Hangzhou once more, the sound of a drum beating was heard as columns after columns of soldiers in shining armor appeared.


    "How will you handle a million soldiers sent from Heaven?" Mr. Kong smirked.


    The sound of gunshots gradually ceased, as even the mutated soldiers stopped firing and stared at the sky dumbly ¡ª the insurmountable gap in strength rendered them panic-stricken.

 Volume 9 Chapter 34

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    ¡¯Yiming... What kind of armor do you like?¡¯ Bai Ze¡¯s voice suddenly rang in Li Yiming¡¯s head.


    ¡¯What?¡¯


    ¡¯I like the way you looked in that demonic armor, but the color was too dark...¡¯


    Bai Ze¡¯s entire body was suddenly covered with glittering runes.


    "What are you up to?" Li Yiming felt very uneasy.


    "Nothing, I was just thinking you¡¯re always wearing ragged clothes while your enemies are in shining armor..."


    "Bai Ze!" Li Yiming appeared right next to Bai Ze and put his hand on her shoulder. Her body suddenly dissolved and slowly spread onto Li Yiming¡¯s arm.


    "Oh?" Mr. Kong nced suspiciously, but his expression remained indifferent.


    After a blinding sh, Li Yiming erupted from the light, wearing the same armor he wore in Shangbei. This time, however, the armor was colored silver.


    "Bai Ze..." Fang Shui¡¯er frowned as she touched her own crystal armor. She used to have a bird with colorful feathers as her own summon, but it also chose to sacrifice itself in order to protect her.


    The moment Bai Ze became his armor, Li Yiming knew that she had given up her life. However, instead of being angry or sad, he looked up at Mr. Kong coldly.


    "Do you know why the millions of beasts followed Wukong¡¯s lead and fought against Heaven¡¯s Laws?"


    Mr. Kong stayed silent.


    "Do you know why the seven sages followed him?"


    "You don¡¯t understand him," Li Yiming said.


    "..." Mr. Kong froze.


    "You don¡¯t understand what it means to be a guardian. Even if you wear Wukong¡¯s armor, you¡¯ll be nothing but an iplete imitation."


    "Who said I want to be him? He¡¯s a coward who gave up our cause at thest moment!" Mr. Kong suddenly roared in anger.


    "That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying you don¡¯t understand him..." Li Yiming repeated as he prepared his attack.


    "Why should I even try? I¡¯m in control of Heaven¡¯s Laws now! I¡¯m invincible! I¡¯ll wipe this world clean and build a new one, a better one! I¡¯m not him, I¡¯m better than him!" Mr. Kong¡¯s voice echoed through the clouds, ringing even louder than the massive drums which were beating beyond them as the rows of Heavenly soldiers marched down upon the world.


    "The clouds are no longer hiding my sight, and the earth is no longer restraining my path! When all of the gods in this world bow down to me, and all of the mortals tremble before me, why do I even need to be him?"


    A window to Hangzhou suddenly emerged over the head of every single person in the world.


    "Let the world see the price to be paid for challenging me..." Mr. Kong let out a sinister smile.


    "Our wedding might not happen after all..." Li Yiming turned toward Liu Meng, removed his mask, and said in a gentle voice.


    "I don¡¯t even think I proposed, actually," Li Yiming added.


    "You said that you liked seeing me dance, so I¡¯ll do just that. That¡¯s going to be my proposal, right here, right now." Finishing his sentence, Li Yiming began to dance with his sword, tracing multiple arcs of light in the air.


    Liu Meng burst into tears as she stared at Li Yiming, not wanting to miss a single moment.


    Even Mr. Kong looked at Li Yiming, interested in what he had to offer ¡ª he wanted to crush Li Yiming¡¯sst hope to release his own anger.


    Li Yiming incorporated both what he had learned from Wu Yun and Aunt Wu into hisst dance. He leaped from cloud to cloud, leaving behind light replicates of his sword as he jumped around. He gazed at Liu Meng lovingly, whispered to her the name of his choreography. "The Nine Songs into the Sword of Reincarnation..."


    As Li Yiming announced the title, he pointed at Mr. Kong, and all of the swords shot toward his target like a waterfall.


    "Interesting..." Mr. Kong faded away once again from Li Yiming¡¯s attack.


    "Oh? A formation?" Mr. Kong frowned.


    "So what? I¡¯m going to destroy your precious little world. Let¡¯s see what you can do." Following Mr. Kong¡¯s order, his golden troops continued to descend from the clouds.


    Liu Meng looked at Li Yiming onest time and her expression gradually turned cold. It was a fight against all odds, with no way out.


    "Go!" Liu Meng dashed toward the sky, her tenebrous me trailing her. The remnants of the guardians also flew into the sky, fighting for a slim chance at survival despite overwhelming odds.


    ¡¯Help me...¡¯ Just as the mutated soldiers aimed their rifles at the sky, a low voice was heard in their head.


    ¡¯Help me...¡¯


    Some soldiers turned toward what remained of Sai Gao, which seemed to be still moving, barely clinging onto life. They all understood that they could help him; they all had to return the blood they had received from him and offer their life force as the ultimate sacrifice. The soldiers¡¯ expressions of terror were immediately superseded by determination as they all turned into sshes of blood.


    "Argggh!"


    As blood from hundreds of soldiers flowed back toward Sai Gao, he suddenly emitted the roar of a dragon. Sai Gao¡¯s new form burst out of what remained of his old one ¡ª he was reborn anew as a dragon, ready to unleash his fury on Mr. Kong¡¯s forces.


    As Liu Meng, Li Huaibei, Fan Shui¡¯er led what remained of the guardians, they each unleashed their strongest attack. Liu Meng created wave after wave of inextinguishable mes; Li Huaibei swung widely with his sword; Fang Shui¡¯er shot out a volley of crystal arrows; even the ordinary guardians charged into Mr. Kong¡¯s forces, all of them fighting until the bitter end, and taking down as many as they could with them as they perished.


    "You..." Mr. Kong frowned. The sh reminded him of his own fight under Wukong¡¯s lead many years ago, only this time, the roles were swapped. He was now the one standing tall beyond the clouds, casting down his cold gaze as his enemies charged at him in a suicidal attack, choosing to break rather than bend. For a brief moment, he began questioning his own beliefs, but was brought back to reality once he thought back of Wukong¡¯s betrayal.


    "Kill her first!" Mr. Kong raised his arm, and a ray of golden lightnded on Liu Meng ¡ª killing Liu Meng would undoubtedly drive Li Yiming insane. The golden warriors instantly let go of their opponents and all flew toward Liu Meng.


    Ding!


    A metallic chime was heard as Li Yiming¡¯s sword projections began swirling about furiously. Nearing his limit, Li Yiming chose to wager everything on one final blow.


    "Thunderous Strike!" Li Yiming¡¯s hoarse voice came as a purple glow came from the heart of the tornado of des.

 Volume 9 Chapter 35

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    The ray of golden light, hanging above Liu Meng¡¯s head like antern, guided the countless golden soldiers toward her. As her enemies approached, she frowned and curled up her legs, bringing back all of her mes into her body. Her defenseless state only elerated the soldiers¡¯ pace. The next moment, she let out a long cry and unleashed her strongest attack. A mushroom cloud suddenly erupted, rapidly expanding and sending out multiple shockwaves as it melted most of her attackers.


    Unfazed, the soldiers who were unaffected pressed the advance ¡ª the embodiment of Heaven¡¯s Laws could not be defied.


    "Thunderous Strike!" Seeing Liu Meng encircled pained Li Yiming¡¯s heart and he gave everything he had on the attack. The situation was the very one that he had seen in his clone¡¯s premonition, which he tried so hard to prevent from happening.


    Squish!


    Li Yiming¡¯s left eye burst once again to call upon the power of Heaven¡¯s Punishment. Witnessing the giant eye appear through the crevice in the sky and the tenebrous bolt of lightning, Mr. Kong smiled in scorn.


    "You¡¯re not really so stupid as to call upon thunder against me, are you?" Mr. Kong said as he absorbed the attack with ease.


    Li Yiming¡¯s powers waned down as his armor slowly faded away. He could only stare at Liu Meng helplessly with the only eye he had left as she struggled to break free from the encirclement of golden soldiers. Suddenly, one of them who had sneaked behind her thrust its spear at her heart. Right as Li Yiming feared the worst, a hand emerged from Liu Meng¡¯s back and the soldier was engulfed in ck mes.


    "What!?" Mr. Kong turned around with widened eyes.


    Liu Meng¡¯s clone emerged from her body. Its appearance was identical to Liu Meng, but it possessed a drastically different aura. Instead of the same hot fire that Liu Meng was able to produce, it carried a me that burned coldly.


    "Impossible! I already sealed you!" For the first time since the start of the battle, Mr. Kong showed hints of fear.


    Bang!


    "Kill her!" Mr. Kong yelled.


    A loud explosion boomed across the golden sky, filling the air with a murderous aura. Beneath the facade of holiness and justice were now countless soldiers armed with poisonous des, ready for a vicious strike at a moment¡¯s notice. All of the weapons on the battlefield now formed a massive whirlwind of metal that instantly devoured all of the other guardians and made its way toward Liu Meng.


    Suddenly, Sai Gao emitted yet another cry and shot toward Mr. Kong.


    "Even as a dragon, you¡¯re still nothing but a worm!" Mr. Kong cried out and gave Sai Gao a powerful kick that sent him crashing down into the ground.


    Without a moment of respite, Big Beard and the rest of team Dissonance made their way onto the battlefield on the mecha, their eyes filled with murderous intent as they approached Liu Meng.


    "Heart¡¯s Trial?" Li Huaibei was confused for a moment, but their expressions quickly reminded him of what happened to the vampiric soldiers earlier.


    At the same time, a dpidated van drove into the city. With the high speed of the vehicle and the uneven road, it crashed right into a building. The rock slowly rolled out of the car, and Mr. Kong¡¯s countenance immediately shifted.


    "Show yourself!" Mr. Kong waved his hand and the copsed building shattered, revealing Chen Quan on the ground next to the stone.


    Mr. Kong could not help but tremble ¡ª the presence of the stone was even more perturbing than feeling Heaven¡¯s Laws¡¯ aura on Liu Meng.


    "Now!" Li Yiming eximed. His armor reappeared in a sh of light and heunched a volley of sword projections toward Mr. Kong.


    With a mighty roar, Sai Gao emerged from beneath the ground with a white light orb in his mouth, ready to fire.


    "Fang Shui¡¯er!" Li Huaibei roared as heunched himself toward Fang Shui¡¯er.


    By the time Mr. Kong snapped out of it, Sai Gao was already above his head, and Li Yiming¡¯s swords were already nearing his head as they spun furiously.


    "Sword of Reincarnation!" Li Yiming concentrated his projections into a single spot, turning into one massive sword that quickly overtook Sai Gao.


    Big Beard¡¯s mecha made its way toward Liu Meng, passing through the tornado as if it never existed.


    "Liu Meng!" Qing Linglong yelled. Big Beard¡¯s mecha, along with its passengers, was suddenly reduced to dust. However, four shadows shot out from its remains toward Liu Meng¡¯s clone, filling it with power.


    Li Yiming¡¯s former teammates finally understood their purpose for the final battle; after figuring out that the previous Heaven¡¯s Laws hid a part of its power within their body, they simply needed to wait for the right moment to offer it to Liu Meng.


    With her powers now greatly enhanced by their selfless sacrifice, Liu Meng stood still as the tornado of metal closed in on her. As it finally grazed her body, the weapons all melted like ice touching hot iron.


    Making his way toward Fang Shui¡¯er, Li Huaibei fused his body with his own sword, bing one and the same with his weapon. As for Fang Shui¡¯er, with her crystal armor shining brighter than ever, she pulled back her arrowless bow.


    In response to Sai Gao¡¯s attack, Mr. Kong erected an impervious shield which stood like a rock against the st that Sai Gao unleashed. However, his shield was also met with a sword enveloped with purple lightning. Mr. Kong¡¯s face showed disbelief as the tip of the de collided against his shield.


    "Did you really think that I tried to hit you with lightning?" Li Yiming¡¯s voice came. With the aid of his sword projection¡¯s concentrated power, he had burned everything he had, even his Thunder Purity, to seal his attack into his own body, as he himself was the strongest weapon in existence.


    "Heaven¡¯s de!" Wu Yun¡¯s voice was suddenly heard as a massive dark de emerged from the tip of Li Yiming¡¯s sword.


    "Wu Yun!" Mr. Kong¡¯s eyes widened, not expecting Wu Yun¡¯s appearance, much less his ultimate strike aimed to take away his life. He had no other option but to try to parry the attack with his arm, albeit toote.


    "Three seconds..." Wu Yun said as his attack passed through Mr. Kong¡¯s body and removed what looked like a golden spirit from him ¡ª this was the entire power and immortality Mr. Kong had been granted after taking control of Heaven¡¯s Laws. Using all of his lifeforce, Wu Yun was able to forcefully detach Mr. Kong from the Heavens for three seconds.


    "Three is enough!" Sai Gao opened his maw and bit down on Mr. Kong with all of his strength, burning his spirit to further enhance the attack.


    "Thunderous Strike!" Li Yiming¡¯s attack arrived a split secondter, piercing through Mr. Kong¡¯s chest.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s arrow followed. Just like Li Huaibei, she had fused her own body and armor with her attack in an attempt to make it the strongest she possible could. Li Huaibei flew in tandem with the projectile, which pierced Mr. Kong¡¯s throat, and exploded within his chest.


    Mr. Kong was instantly decapitated and his head was sent flying, with his expression of bewilderment still frozen on his face.


    Burning her way through the tornado of metal, Liu Meng dove down on Mr. Kong¡¯s head, shooting a ck me. The me exploded violently, turning Mr. Kong¡¯s head to ashes.


    "It¡¯s over?" With blood still seeping out of his left eye socket, Li Yiming asked as he fell down from the sky, only to be caught by Liu Meng.


    Fang Shui¡¯er¡¯s bow also fell from the sky and shattered against the ground. As for Sai Gao, he remained standing, the fire in his eyes slowly waning. nted in the ground beside him was Li Huaibei¡¯s broken sword, which still emitted a faint glow resembling that of the stars.


    As the broken husk of Big Beard¡¯s mecha crashed down into the ground, the sky finally cleared out. The city had been razed to the ground, and aside from Li Yiming and his friends, not a single living soul remained.


    "It¡¯s over..." Li Yiming closed his eyes. Despite the victory, he could only feel bitterness.


    "Not yet..." Liu Meng said coldly.


    "Not bad... For mere insects..." Mr. Kong¡¯s voice came as he reappeared in front of Liu Meng.

 Volume 9 Chapter 36

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "Surprised?" Mr. Kong smirked, but he could not hide his anger at being pushed to such lengths by mere mortals.


    With hisst bit of strength, Sai Gao emitted a ferocious roar and bolted toward Mr. Kong. With one hand raised, Mr. Kong nailed his assant midair before exploding him into a bloody mist.


    "You don¡¯t seem to understand my power. If the embodiment of Heaven¡¯s Laws could be taken down so easily, then I wouldn¡¯t have needed to wait for a thousand years." Mr. Kong said as he sat down a miniature cloud that formed beside him.


    "You..." Li Yiming struggled to even lift his arm.


    "They say that the weapon¡¯s spirit takes from its master... Look at you, what have you inherited from Wukong? Ahahahaha!" Mr. Kong burst outughing.


    "Perhaps if you kneel to me, I might consider keeping you alive, as part of my collection of staves..."


    Liu Meng stared at Mr. Kong coldly before slowly turning her head to look at Li Yiming with a gentle expression, with her arms wrapped around him.


    "What¡¯s with that look? You¡¯re not possibly thinking of defeating me with the pathetic remains of the previous Heaven`s Laws, are you?" Mr. Kong mocked as he crossed his legs.


    "You know, I¡¯m not too fond of birds, but maybe if he begs me for it I¡¯ll keep your corpse intact and turn you into a specimen right next to him. What do you think of that?" Mr. Kongughed maniacally as he imagined various methods of disposing of Li Yiming and Liu Meng.


    "You¡¯re delusional if you think that he¡¯ll kneel down to you. Even if he dies, he¡¯ll die with pride." Liu Meng¡¯s heart ached as she looked at the bloody eye socket on Li Yiming¡¯s face. She knew full well that she was no match for Mr. Kong, and that the situation was utterly hopeless.


    "I think he should be proud of this, shouldn¡¯t he?" Mr. Kong pointed at the ruins nearby.


    "I¡¯ll be the one who decides that, not you!" Liu Meng stated angrily and her entire body was suddenly set aze. The third eye on her forehead opened up and created a barrier that even Mr. Kong found to be difficult to break.


    "Meng... You..." Li Yiming raised his head with difficulty.


    "I¡¯ve lived a good life." Liu Meng smiled as her third eye fully opened and the scarlet mes, along with her flesh and bones, were all absorbed into the eye.


    Liu Meng vanishedpletely, leaving behind a single eye that bore testimony to her ultimate sacrifice. As the eye made its way into Li Yiming¡¯s hollow socket, his eyes began to sh with different colors: one glowed purple while the other a burning crimson.


    With Liu Meng¡¯s barrier fading away, Mr. Kong found Li Yiming standing tall again, staring vacantly at thendscape in the distance.


    "Now you¡¯re the only one left... How do you want to end this?" Mr. Kong grimaced.


    "Have you ever thought about how Wukong felt when he made his decision?" Li Yiming ignored Mr. Kong¡¯s taunting and turned toward the rock Chen Quan brought.


    Crack!


    "Don¡¯t mention his name in front of me..." After turning the rock into dust, Mr. Kong lowered his hand and threatened.


    With the rock smashed to smithereens, Li Yiming turned his head toward Mr. Kong, who slowly opened his hands and showed his sharp ws.


    "Liu¡¯er, now¡¯s the time to stop..." Li Yiming sighed. [1]


    "What?" Mr. Kong sprang up from his cloud as it was blown away by the wind.


    "I¡¯ve always wondered, why me?" Li Yiming continued his monologue. "Why am I the bug in the system, the person that Heaven¡¯s Laws failed to notice? It¡¯s only now that I understand..."


    "You... You..." Mr. Kong stammered as he pointed at Li Yiming.


    "It¡¯s not toote, yet."


    "Stop it all? Why didn¡¯t you tell me to stop before our friends were butchered, skinned, and burned to ashes?" Mr. Kong swung his fists in a crazed frenzy.


    "You don¡¯t understand what they wanted..." Li Yiming said in a sorrowful voice.


    "I don¡¯t understand? I¡¯ve dethroned Heaven¡¯s Law! I¡¯ve avenged our brothers and sisters, and you say that I don¡¯t understand?" Mr. Kong spat out.


    "Even if you destroy the entire world, Heaven¡¯s Laws will still exist, and they¡¯ll continue to reign as long as our world is bound by their rules."


    "I can change them! I can bend the rules to my will!"


    "Hah... You don¡¯t seem to understand..." Li Yiming sighed.


    "Maybe I¡¯ll do after I take your life..." Mr. Kong said with murderous intent as he dashed toward Li Yiming.


    Li Yiming caught Mr. Kong¡¯s kick with ease. The force of the blow exchanged raised violent gusts of wind behind Li Yiming, but he stood strong and steady as a statue.


    Bang!


    A deafening explosion was heard, and Mr. Kong was blinded by a bright red light. When he reopened his eyes, he was met by the same set of armor that Wukong once wore: The golden armor with dragon carvings, the boots of traveling within the clouds, and the jade belt. The only difference was the golden staff that Li Yiming held.


    Li Yiming wasted no time in smashing down at Mr. Kong with his staff, forcing him to jump back from the force of the blow. As he repositioned himself, a rock resembling the one that he had just destroyed appeared behind Li Yiming. However, it had a center that emitted a jade-like glow in a shape resembling that of a monkey. If one were to look closely, they would be able to notice that a piece was missing on the monkey¡¯s forehead.


    "Not belonging to the five elements, not to the Heavens, Earth, nor Hell..." Li Yiming murmured.


    "Die!" Mr. Kong roared as he shed at Li Yiming with his ws.


    Li Yiming raised his staff and thrust it against Mr. Kong¡¯s chest, sending thetter flying back hundreds of meters.


    "That¡¯s impossible! I¡¯ve sealed Heaven¡¯s Laws and taken its power! You cannot rival me!" Mr. Kong smashed the ground in fury, causing many fissures to form.


    "Heaven¡¯s Laws... You cannot hope to defeat, destroy, or seal it..."


    "Bullshit! Why did you defy it back then?"


    "I wanted to separate it from our world..."


    "What?"


    "With our world isted from Heavens, only then will the people finally be able to find true peace," Li Yiming said.


    "You¡¯re lying! I¡¯ve sealed Heaven¡¯s Laws away and taken its power for my own!"


    "You¡¯re wrong. You¡¯ve merely sealed away the unconscious wills of all living creatures."


    "What?"


    "I¡¯ve sacrificed my own powers to detach our world from the Heavens back then. I thought that it would be able to bring peace to the world, but little did I know that there was a piece left behind... A fraction of Heaven¡¯s Laws that is bred from each living creature..."


    "Then..." Terror finally showed on Mr. Kong¡¯s face, finally understanding what Li Yiming was getting at.


    "Yes, the existence of guardians and domains was an ident from the start, an unfortunate side-effect from my unfinished work, as the original Heaven¡¯s Laws was no longer present to enforce bnce."


    "You... you¡¯ve calcted all of this?"


    "Heaven¡¯s Laws do not care for the emotions or the wants of us mortals. I¡¯ve had to pay a price to split our world away from its influence, but I did leave something behind... In my staff... A shard of my soul followed him as he was reincarnated," Li Yiming said as he looked at the smoldering ruins around him.


    "You tricked Heaven¡¯s Laws..."


    "I¡¯ve also left something in your blood... The same blood flows in both of us, Liu¡¯er, I thought about aplishing my rebirth through you, but you..."


    "...You didn¡¯t think that I would finish the work for you, did you? I thought I took what remained from Heaven¡¯s Law for myself, but you actually transferred it over to yourself..." Mr. Kong finally realized why he could not defeat Li Yiming; his power was gradually being sucked away.


    "I came back for another reason, actually."


    "What?"


    "It¡¯s because of my child. He has inherited my blood and my marking..." Li Yiming looked at the sky.


    "You have a child?"


    "Liu Meng... She¡¯s pregnant..."


    A long silence ensued until Mr. Kong finally asked, "What do you n on doing now?"


    "I¡¯m going to finish what I¡¯ve started." Li Yiming walked toward the rock.


    "No! No! You can¡¯t! Think about it, we¡¯re the strongest people in the world now. What remains of Heaven¡¯s Laws, we control! Why? Why do you have to do this?" Mr. Kong started to panic.


    "You don¡¯t understand..." Li Yiming stopped in front of the rock.


    "Noooo!" Mr. Kong leaped toward Li Yiming, but it was already toote; Li Yiming ced his right hand on the rock, and the immense power that was contained within his body ¡ª thest bits of power which remained from Heaven¡¯s Laws ¡ª flowed into the rock like a river into an ocean. As the small missing shard in the rock was filled up, Li Yiming¡¯s body gradually vanished.


    A shockwave spread throughout the entire world. Mr. Kong was sent flying from the force of the impact and rolled several times on the ground. As he crawled up, he saw the thick fur on his arm recede and his razor-sharp ws vanish.


    "Nooo!" Mr. Kong looked at the rock in the distance. Despite how small his reflection was on the crystal surface of the rock, his appearance had clearly changed to what it was prior to his ascension: the same thick eyebrows, t nose, and disheveled hair.


    With the shockwave slowly dissipating, the ordinary people who sought refuge away from the cities suddenly felt a certain weight lifted from their hearts. As for the few lucky guardians who survived by being the ones dispatched to elsewhere, they all felt their powers wane and their Heavenly Veins dissipate. Some of them were terrified, others sad, and still others relieved.


    The president opened his car door and looked at the clearing sky. The sunlight which spread throughout the country carried a warmth that melted the severity of the atmosphere.


    1. IMPORTANT: For a basic understanding of Mr. Kong¡¯s (Or rather, the Six Eared Macaque¡¯s (Liu¡¯er, literally meaning "Six ears")rtionship to Wukong.


    From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Journey_to_the_West_characters#Six_Eared_Macaque


    The Six Eared Macaque (Áù¶ú«Jºï) is one of the four spiritual primates that do not belong to any of the ten categories that all beings in the universe are ssified under. The other three are the Intelligent Stone Monkey (ì`Ã÷ʯºï), Red Bottomed Horse Monkey (³àåêñRºï) and Long Armed Ape Monkey (ͨ±ÛÔ³ºï). As he and Sun Wukong are both spiritual primates (Sun Wukong is the Intelligent Stone Monkey), their powers and abilities are on par. He first appears in Xiliang (Î÷Á») in disguise as Sun Wukong, knocks Tang Sanzang unconscious and steals the baggage. He fights with the real Sun Wukong and neither of them is able to ovee his opponent. No one is able to differentiate between the real and the fake Sun Wukong until the two appear before the Buddha, who tells them about the four spiritual primates. The Six Eared Macaque attempts to flee when he hears the Buddha speak about his true identity but the Buddha traps him under a giant golden alms bowl. The macaque is then killed by Sun Wukong.

 Volume 9 Chapter 37

    <h4>Original and most updated trantions are from <i>vre</i>. Please don¡¯t read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.</h4>


    TL: Zhao


    Editing: Krisaia


    "It¡¯s over..." Tian Yan fell into Fu Bo¡¯s arms. The colorful lines of fate, which had been the only light in her eyes, began to dwindle.


    "It¡¯s a shame that I¡¯m still blind..." Tian Yan said as she opened her eyes as wide as possible, hoping for some kind of miracle, only to be disappointed with a world full of darkness.


    "That¡¯s not true, you¡¯ll soon be able to see." Fu Bo gently caressed Tian Yan¡¯s face, looking at her delicate features. Seeing her sad and regretful expression pained his heart.


    Signal soon came back to the television nearby, and it broadcasted footage of the ravaged city of Hangzhou. Tian Yan took a deep breath and buried her head deep into Fu Bo¡¯s embrace, seeking forfort amidst the chaos.


    "I will be your light." Fu Bo picked up his notebook with a resolute expression.


    "Wait, what are you doing!?" Tian Yan asked.


    "I¡¯m just writing down a few things..." Fu Bo smiled as he sat down on the sofa with Tian Yan.


    Tian Yan could not see what Fu Bo traced down on the Notebook of Death with a shaking pen: "Dissonance in the Heavens and Nature¡¯s Sundering..."


    A small me suddenly lit up and consumed the notebook, turning it into ashes in a matter of seconds.


    "That¡¯s impossible! Our powers have already been sealed away..." Tian Yan trembled when she felt the burning heat of the fire. She could sense that something was wrong, as Fu Bo¡¯s embrace quickly weakened.


    "I¡¯ve recorded today¡¯s events here... but I¡¯ve added just a little something extra..." Fu Bo produced a weak smile as he pushed Tian Yan away. His limbs grew weak, and his skin became dry and wrinkly, but his gaze was set on Tian Yan as the light in his eyes gradually faded.


    "Fu Bo!? What did you do? Don¡¯t scare me!" Tian Yan reached out anxiously, hoping to catch the love of her life.


    Fu Bo covered his mouth to prevent himself from letting out a cough.


    "Fu Bo..." Tian Yan called again, but before she could say any more, all sorts of colors suddenly appeared in her mind.


    "AHHH!" Tian Yan fell down to the ground, fear shed across her face as she felt extreme difort. She then slowly opened her eyes and was blinded by all the different lights in the city.


    "Where... where am I?"


    Tian Yan found herself kneeling down on the sidewalk of a busy street.


    "Are you okay?" A middle-aged woman helped her up.


    "I¡¯m okay... thank you" Tian Yan looked around. She had a strange feeling that she had lost something important, but she could not figure out what it was.


    "Aunt Wu, hurry! We won¡¯t get the promotional merchandise if we¡¯rete!" Another middle-aged woman urged.


    "Alright, alright. It¡¯s just two tubes of toothpaste, you know." Aunt Wu left with her friend after checking Tian Yan onest time.


    Tian Yan looked around and noticed an old man limping in the distance. She had a strange feeling that he knew the man despite never having met him before. She then shook her head and left, not noticing the tears that ran down the old man¡¯s cheeks as he turned around to see her off.


    "Sis... I don¡¯t want to go! You know I don¡¯t like international business!" A duo of attractive young women walked by.


    "Qiaoqiao..." Qing Linglong stopped and cast down her stare on her sister. The many years she had spent in the business world conferred to her an authority that was not easily defied.


    "I¡¯ve listened to you for my entire life! I want to live my own life now!" Qing Qiaoqiao¡¯s eyes went wet and she ran away after staring back at her elder sister for a brief moment.


    "What...?" Qing Linglong was taken aback by her sister¡¯s adamant opposition.


    "Ahh!" Qing Qiaoqiao, in her hurry, bumped into another pedestrian, knocking down his eyesses.


    "I¡¯m sorry." Despite her emotions, Qiaoqiao had the good manners to stop and apologize.


    "It¡¯s okay..." The man looked away, obviously ufortable with socializing with attractive women like Qiaoqiao.


    "Your sses..." Qiaoqiao bent down to pick up the sses.


    "Oh, thank you..." Eyesses said as he took his sses, clinging desperately onto hisptop bag. He continued to stare at the ground to avoid direct eye contact with Qing Qiaoqiao, only taking peeks at the attractive curves of her legs.


    "Mr. Li, I really need your help in this case. If I lose this one, I¡¯m going to stay behind bars for half of my life..." A very short man opened the car door and weed a handsome-looking man, ttering and begging as he went around.


    "It¡¯s going to be fine. I¡¯ve seen the case file. We have a good chance at winning," Li Huaibei said as he pointed at a picture in the file folder, "Is the intiff this guy with the big beard?"


    "Yes, yes, yes. It¡¯s him..." Chen Quan answered anxiously as a nose hair fell out his nostrils.


    "Alright, I¡¯ll go do some more research. I¡¯ll get back to you." Li Huaibei could not help but produce a slight frown as he scrutinized Chen Quan¡¯s facial features.


    "Yes, yes." Chen Quan bowed down and did not dare follow Li Huaibei any further.


    Far away from the rowdy streets, on the rooftop of a building, a lonely man sat on the fence. He had a fairplexion, was of medium height and was rather skinny. As he cast down a vacant gaze at the bustling city below, he continued taking mindless puffs of his cigarettes while a knit bag rested on the ground behind him.


    "Big Brother...! Talk to us! Don¡¯t do it!" A panting voice came from behind.


    "What?" Mr. Kong turned around. He became even more confused when he realized who had just called his name.


    "Please! If you want to talk, could youe here?" It was a tall, handsome young man, with defined muscles. He stood there and opened his arms in a weing manner.


    "You didn¡¯t think that I was going to jump down, did you?" Mr. Kong asked in an amused tone.


    "That¡¯s not it, but it¡¯s pretty dangerous over there, so could we talk over here?" The man shrugged his shoulders and shed a friendly smile.


    Mr. Kong stared at the young man and sighed before finally climbing down.


    "Big Brother, you have a nice hobby..." The man said after letting out a sigh of relief, not knowing anything better to say to break the awkward silence.


    Mr. Kong¡¯s confusion gradually faded away as he looked at the young man. He suddenly took out his cigarette pack and offered one. "Do you want one?"


    "I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t smoke."


    "A man who doesn¡¯t smoke..." Mr. Kong started the sentence but could not bring himself to finish it.


    "Yiming? How is it?" The anxious voice of a young woman who just rushed up the stairs was heard. She had long hair, delicate features, and attractive curves.


    "It was all a misunderstanding. Big Brother over here is just admiring thendscape!" Li Yiming said with a smile as he grabbed Liu Meng¡¯s hand.


    "She¡¯s your girlfriend?"


    "Yes, but we¡¯re soon to be married! Fortune made us meet here today, I was wondering if you¡¯d like toe to our wedding?" Li Yiming still seemed a little worried as he nced at the fence, so he offered to invite Mr. Kong so thetter would feel a little more attachment to the world.


    "Your wedding?" Mr. Kong looked down at his own clothes, and then at his knit bag.


    "It¡¯s a modest wedding. We¡¯d be really happy if you coulde and liven up the atmosphere!" Liu Meng noticed Mr. Kong¡¯s hesitation, opened her bag, and handed a red envelope to him before he could even answer.


    "An invitation?" Mr. Kong turned the envelope around with shaking hands.


    "Groom: Li Yiming."


    "Bride: Liu Meng."


    <i>- Fin -</i>


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